LoRG 4

And after that IÆll need to finally allow the Grim Chimera to complete its transformation

Randidly sighed and shook his head One of the reasons he lingered here on the farm in the sun was to distract himself from the Calamity that was approaching for Expira The sunlight on his skin and the smell of growing things were soothing keeping him from dwelling excessively Yet in the murky darkness of the shaft

The temptation to turn his focus inward

But I have to do it Randidly said to himself And he meant it

That night after dinner Randidly told Nrorce that he would need to spend his nights outside of the farm dealing with some personal business The goblin accepted the news with his usual stoicism while he carried the dishes to the kitchen Good Give me time to inspect the Engraving without you skulking or loafing around Something about it feels a bit off you know ItÆs just not the same as it used to be

Randidly hid the smile that was tugging at the corners of his mouth Yea because the warehouse used to be the bastard child of a cesspool and a fire hazard

Once outside of the farm Randidly used the PhilosopherÆs Key to portal down into the bottom portion of the Web Then he accelerated downward blasting past the porcelain guardians and sinking into the howling maw of significance that would devour anything that didnÆt possess its own Nether Core The Stillborn Phoenix gleefully opened itself up releasing a wave of dense emotions that spread rapidly outward and infected the other emotional energy that flowed upward in a constant current

Randidly frowned slightly as he observed his released emotions briefly I suppose I need to be a bit careful about that if the Engraving Guild can use those released emotions to track me They already know IÆve been here but I cannot release any around NrorceÆs farm lest they find me there

Ugh will I need to reply to their offer of cooperation Well at least it seems like the Swacc Family will be distracted in the short term

When the Stillborn Phoenix was done exhaling it began inhaling indiscriminately swallowing emotions and Nether in an indulgence of its primordial hunger Randidly drifted downward gliding lightly on the force of his images The air was becoming thicker and milky as the Nether content steadily rose upward Still that increased Nether content definitely stabilized RandidlyÆs Nether Core which spun at a high frequency to refine more Nether for the production of large scale arrays

Soon Randidly pushed past the 50% Nether threshold and arrived at the true depths of the shaft The familiar floating forms of the meditating Nether Gatekeepers drifted up and down below him as he decelerated and returned ot his usual spot He even sensed a flicker of recognition from th Nether Gatekeepers and gratefully most of their antagonism had dispersed while he had been gone He considered approaching and trying to communicate with them but ultimately decided he had too many other requirements on his plate at the moment

Then as always Randidly began to train

He started with his newest Fatepiece which was the most intense and immediate of the tasks available to him Before he delved more deeply into Nether he planned on thoroughly testing the limits of his body

And honestly perhaps Randidly was still slightly furious about feeling compelled by Don BeigonÆs Skills The pain and restriction of the Fatepiece was a direct foe that he could fight against

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 14

As Randidly opened up the sympathetic bond between himself and that glowing inverted pyramid chains of crackling electricity exploded out of his body and wrapped around his limbs A growl escaped his lips as the energy constricted around him at this point the electricity became so charged and attracted to its own polarity that it collapsed inward on itself just as a black hole would The wrenching pull was domineering and capricious

Randidly gritted his teeth and spread his twitching limbs wide His heart accelerated His blood rapidly heated so he blew steam out of his nose in twin streams that curled outward into the shaft

Congratulations Your Skill Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 373

Congratulations Your Skill Grit of the Ascendant Bane has grown to Level 413

Randidly could feel his straining muscles tearing themselves over and over as the pulses of electricity caused the fibers to involuntarily contract Of course his Uncommon Metabolism roared through his body repairing and remaking any wounds just as quickly as they could be formed

But Randidly was very aware of how horrifying he was becoming If one was able to view on a micro level what was occurring across his body they would find a sea of bloody muscles parting and sewing itself together again at near instantaneous speeds His form was covered in a thousand tiny mouths gasping open and then closing only to reappear a few seconds later He genuinely felt more like HelenÆs Depths of Horror Domain than a person

Yet he persevered as that horrifying force Because he could feel the steady accumulation of power within his form as he forcefully resisted the electricity from the Hierarchy savoring the genuine difficulty

Congratulations Your Skill Grit of the Ascendant Bane has grown to Level 414

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Impunity has grown to Level 403

That last notification did earn a wince from Randidly If this is the discomfort with four hundred Levels of Chimeric Impunity and IÆm only 14 Levels into this Fatepiece exactly how powerful is this thing

Of course he blessedly didnÆt know the answers to those questions quite yet And eventually Randidly allowed his toil to ease coming steadily back to his body with several deep breaths and finding himself submerged in a pool of sweat and steam that he had released

Chuckling wryly about how badly he needed a bath Randidly shifted his attention to Nether Arrays His tail wiggled with pleasure and began to excitedly sketch out a new framework with which to experiment

This time he remembered to spread his Nether Arrays in the space of the shaft above him so he wouldnÆt needlessly earn the ire of the Nether Gatekeepers

Chapter 1706

Randidly felt like a bloated toad His stomach clenched unpleasantly and he felt the powerful urge to retch into the void of space He sympathized immensely for lazy anacondas dragging their prey around inside of his stomach Even as he persevered his body rebelled against him in an extremely unusual way demanding that he cease and desist this very instant But he only gritted his teeth and allowed the process to continue

He would not back down now

Damnit why the hell is this absorption so horrible Randidly roared mentally But despite the strange agony he remained floating in space not daring to spoil the process Thick veins of Nether spread out from him rippling under the influence of an invisible wind This was already his third attempt at dragging this entire planet within his Alpha Cosmos But Randidly knew from his shudder inducing prior two attempts that the only thing worse than absorbing a planet into his body was failing to do so halfway and having to forcefully expel a portion of it

It was like vomiting up an organ and being able to feel it hanging in the uncaring universe when you walked away

Lucky the reverberationsÆ from his failures had been mostly in the realm of Nether His Nether Core had trembled and hummed like a car with a failing engine for a few days until the flaw had healed itself Randidly wondered if the race of Flying Serpents on the planet’s surface had noticed anything at all his examination of the population on the surface detected no interruption of their daily life

In addition Randidly had learned several lessons about expanding the scope of the Nether Array from moon sized to planet sized Even his tightly woven creation needed some additional reinforcement to fully drag this massive planet into his body That was why he had approached this third attempt with a bit more confidence

Maybe Randidly reflected sourly as his Nether Core continued to spin wildly I shouldnÆt have started with the largest of the planets

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 355

Randidly released another hissing breath as his tail traced several complex sigils in the air The Nether Array around the planet tightened further drawing it even more deeply to within RandidlyÆs Alpha Cosmos He could feel it now pressing against his chest attempting to crush his body the conduit to its passage

You cannot hold me the planet seemed to say

But RandidlyÆs body was powerful Powerful enough to house a few worlds for sure Especially after being tempered so thoroughly by the powerful electromagnetic radiation of his Hierarchy of Burden

Randidly shuddered as the planet shifted in significance Part of the reason that he accumulated so much Influence during these episodes was some sort of alignment He was not only pulling physical matter into himself but also a whole host of hidden significance that had been squished by the System limitations into the surrounding area Now he had to drag out all that wiringÆ and absorb it into himself

Randidly wiped some sweat off his forehead with a twitching hand Nothing can ever be easy huh

There was another painful shift as the planet was dragged another small step into his person Randidly gritted his teeth His tail accelerated manipulating more and more Nether to urge the process along But ultimately he was somewhat helpless This was just not something that could be rushed

Congratulations Your Skill Precise Nether RItual has grown to Level 378

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 356

And YOU Randidly thought hatefully as he looked at the Skill Level notification Even if it boosts me in other ways why the hell do I have a Skill that increases the pain I have to endure

Randidly slapped his chest attempting to distract himself but it was just such a small ripple in the flood of sensations that was grinding him to pieces His Nether Core released a keening whine barely able to keep up with RandidlyÆs demands even after he had spent a month accumulating within the depths of the shaft before this attempt

Another shudder Another small shift Randidly pressed his eyes shut and willed himself to withstand the combination of pain and horrible pressure he was experiencing

And then blessedly something gave Some accumulation or alignment or momentum reached critical mass and the grinding motion of the planet became a constant movement The process became a slide downhill The pain increased slightly but Randidly could feel the progress His breaths were rapid and shallow Within five minutes the planet in front of him had vanished torn away from the universe of the Nexus and now existing within his Alpha Cosmos His breastbone ached having born that intensity for so long

Slowly all the muscles across his body began to relax

I did it Randidly was too stunned and exhausted to think about it deeply He simply gawked at the empty expanse in front of him for several seconds He could already feel the new addition to his Alpha Cosmos using the significance and images of the population to approximate the prior climate and orient itself within his body in a similar circumstance

A ghost of a smile flitted across his face somewhat muted by the trembling of his muscles For the first time since he had received the appendage his tail hung limp behind him completely spent by the accomplishment He managed to send a message to the Winged Serpent Nemesai asking him to investigate and make sure his planet wasnÆt having any difficulties before teleporting back to NrorceÆs farm putting on his gloves and stumbling back through the lightning tunnel

Randidly gratefully found a grassy spot between the fields and just plopped down in the dirt His blurry mind sank into himself quickly finding oblivion in sleep His tail crawled like an inchworm wrapping itself comfortably around his waist

and a few hours later he was awoken of all the inane things in the universe by the resonant ding of what could only be a doorbell

Randidly pushed himself up with his palms his jaw cracking as he yawned He rubbed dirt from the back of his head He skimmed through the glowing response from the Winged Serpent that spoke to his concrete success and then stood and stretched Another loud dong rang out across the farm drawing RandidlyÆs attention It was coming from the largest of the gates the Northern one

Not minding the growing heat of his gloves as he moved with purpose Randidly loped across the farm and arrived at the Northern gate just as a furiously mumbling Nrorce did The short goblin spared Randidly a venomous glance Eh Finally finished with your nap Well donÆt bother getting up on this old goblinÆs account And about your Engraving

Nrorce led Randidly into an antechamber filled with white lightning he enthusiastically detailed each one of the minor flaws that he found with the already adjusted Engraving At first Randidly was receiving them with good humor but the goblin simply didnÆt stop And as he listened Randidly couldnÆt help but realize that some of the points Nrorce was bringing up were surprisingly relevant

And also Nrorce raised a finger but was cut off by a third sonorous ring of the doorbell The goblinÆs tiny eyes narrowed to slits Bah IÆll deal with you later

They proceeded past the antechamber to an outlook peeking out from within the massive alabaster walls There were a few short steps that Nrorce ascended to stand and peer down at the area in front of the gate It seemed they were about five meters above the ground impressively sneering down at door to door salesmen and the like who might turn up Randidly couldnÆt help but be amused that the goblinÆs tone was just as aggressive with these people as it had been with him Hey You Do you think IÆm deaf Stop ringing that What do you want

Randidly shifted forward to stand near Nrorce and saw several other blue skinned goblins dressed up in tiny little suits With the five meters they had to crane their necks upward to look at where Nrorce and Randidly were standing The leader opened her mouth and began to speak We are the representatives of

Oaressel do you also think me blind I know who you are Why the hell are you here Nrorce complained

The leading goblin pressed her lips together Fine letÆs skip the pleasantries Our planet is dying Nrorce We cannot continue like this forever Ivlin is dead And due to your relationship with her weÆve allowed

My relationship with her YouÆve allowed Nrorce snarled with enough force that even Randidly was surprised that the small body could contain that much vitriol There were no image reverberations but the sheer emotion that the small goblin briefly released caught him by surprise And do not spin yourself webs of fancy you and your council live on the scraps I deign to give you Her legacy belongs to me As it always will So you can take your proclamation and shove it up your ass

We cannot live like this People are starving while you horde Aether Oaressel stepped forward There was anger in her but more than that Randidly felt her desperation Please We must consider the NexusÆ option of turning a portion of our planet into a Dungeon Apparently apparently it is quite rare for a planet to have passed to the Calamity to possess intelligent life that is as weak as we are We people at o our tier of power are in high demand

RandidlyÆs heart clenched to hear the bitter acknowledgment in OaresselÆs tone The other members of the delegation lowered their heads and stared at the ground

Bah Fuck you Fuck you and fuck everyone who wishes to take her memory away from me This legacy is MINE Nrorce hissed Then he spun around and brushed past Randidly to head back within the farm For a long time Randidly stood there his mind trying to unpack what he had just heard Below the goblins in their tiny suits sighed and allowed their shoulders to slump

Randidly turned and followed after the wonderful chef he had stayed with for three weeks Nrorce

IÆm not in the mood to talk his host grunted Nrorce didnÆt even bother to check if Randidly had properly latched his image suppression gloves before following He just hobbled forward radiating a profound malice If your mouth has the energy to flap just go clean up the bear enclosure

Refusing to say anything else Nrorce stomped through the antechamber and back toward his home

Chapter 1707

Nrorce didnÆt leave the mysterious depths of his cottage for three days after the visit from the other members of his race even to cook meals The home remained still and silent as though the floppy eared goblin had crawled into a coffin and died

For the first day without supervision Randidly had learned enough about the activities of the farm to keep things on track The snide commentary and sniffs were not a necessary component Plus he allowed some of his stress to slide off his back as he realized he was not being observed He threw himself toward his preparations During the day he trained and kept things on track around the farm and at night he adjusted the Engraving

On the second day as Randidly harvested more of the crops that were steadily ripening he decided to try his hand at cooking He hadnÆt been idle while Nrorce had prepared the food although he had been distracted by his own concerns So he stooped down and rolled up his sleeves in the cramped kitchen of the goblin

Randidly ended up being quite surprised by the results

The best that could be said about RandidlyÆs attempts was that the result was fineÆ Not that he had ever considered himself an excellent cook but he was aghast how spoiled he had become just from staying with Nrorce Suddenly all he could taste when he ate the stew he made was the way he hadnÆt taken advantage of the natural flavors of the ingredients

Each swallow felt like a transgression against all the labor he had poured into harvesting the ingredients So Randidly resolved himself to take cooking more seriously on his next attempt

Secretly he held onto the hope that he would not have to do so

On the third day Randidly left the farm to return to the shaft He experienced several weeks there accumulating Nether and perusing through the information that Octavius had supplied about image refinement However the introductory texts he had given Randidly just made him snort in derision there was nothing within the books that Randidly wouldnÆt have been able to guess just from the label of image refinementÆ

Then again that makes a certain amount of sense Randidly thought to himself as he floated in the darkness of the shaft and very gradually sharpened the details of his different images If there was a trick to it the process wouldnÆt be so widespread yet accessible In the end itÆs like any sort of general skill for organization or design there are best practices but no rules that can ensure success Experience effort and vision are the best tools in an image refinerÆs arsenal

So if I want to help Claudette in a meaningful way Randidly could only grimace at that thought Without shortcuts he would likely need more time to compensate But even then if Randidly couldnÆt make his own image overwhelmingly powerful

Again he silenced that thought Worrying was a waste of time But because his mind was wandering anyway he ceased trying to study image refinement or improve his own image for now Instead he pulled out another one of his Fatepieces that he hadnÆt used in a long time

The Dreamcatcher of the Long Night was the most obtuse of the Fatepieces that Randidly had obtained thus far allowing him to relive certain meaningful moments in his past Unfortunately the scope of useful memories he had was somewhat limited by his own experiences there was a conductivity to Nether that allowed Nether beings to sense when he incorporated a bit of their past into the memories As such Randidly had been only able to go back and fight against foes such as Kaan and Ileot Swacc who were powerful but were ultimately countered pretty directly by his abilities

In addition he had faced them without any powerful Nether Beings in the area

However Randidly had made a recent discovery Wherever the Nether King currently was that being could no longer sense his activation of the Dream Catcher of the Long Night Because he wanted to take the risk to observe the movements of Nether he had flitted into a memory and then out again but he had realized that he hadnÆt sense that shuddering recognition that had happened previously

Probably the Path to the Pinnacle isolated the Nether King from certain influences in the Nexus

Whatever the justification Randidly was finally able to return and observe the complex interaction of energies during the complex struggle between the Nether King and Commandant Wick Randidly couldnÆt afford to deviate much from the original memory the high powered individuals involved meant that the mental strain quickly accumulated if he did not simply observe the situation Plus he dare not antagonize anyone too powerful in case they also had ways of observing the phenomenon

However with his improved understanding of Nether the truths that Randidly could glean from observing the movements of Nether were much larger than during his original observation Even just being under that fractured space in the Fifth Cohort sent his Nether Core spinning wildly accumulating as much Nether in an hour as it usually took him a month to gather

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 250

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 347

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 355

Congratulations Your Skill RIght Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 270

After Nether came spear practice and after spear practice came more body refinement with the Hierarchy of Burden Then feeling content with the amount of Nether he had accumulated and still mentally exhausted from the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night Randidly returned to the farm to rest To his surprise his nose perked up immediately when he walked onto the farm Nrorce was cooking dinner

The goblin didnÆt speak through the whole meal But by the end of it he looked Randidly up and down and squinted if you are gonna use the kitchen make sure you clean the dishes up properly afterward

Randidly hid his smile and nodded At least for now he was content to let Nrorce continue to calm down before he offered the old goblin help assuming from the conversation he witnessed that the goblinÆs planet was running out of Aether The prospect of swallowing another planet was unpleasant but it wasnÆt so unpleasant that he was unwilling He just needed the right opportunity to broach the subject

Randidly was about to launch into an explanation of the changes he made to the Engraving when he received a message that made him frown

Come to Military High Command immediately We need to converse

The sender was Commandant Wick Randidly narrowed his eyes as he examined the small message for hidden meanings He hadnÆt spoken to the Commandant since the man had offered him a position in helping with the Fifth Cohort but out of fear that the Commandant sought to control him Randidly had just gone directly to the fighting without asking to be deployed He had even briefly used Raymund BallastÆs identity in order to do so openly

This message was an unwelcome return of a dangerous existence into his current plans At the moment he was technically unassigned As such the Commandant was his superior in name but he wasnÆt deployed But Randidly couldnÆt justify refusing the Commandant outright So he gave an explanation to Nrorce and received a profoundly uninterested stare in return then proceeded to the Nexus

The buildings of Military High Command were as heavy and unwelcoming as Randidly remembered cut out from the heavy granite in one of the lower levels of the Tier 1 Nexus The guards in front of the broad doors gave him a sharp salute as he passed through their midst and proceeded onto the marble flooring Compared to some of the other military members around RandidlyÆs steps were quiet his bare feet muffled most of the sound

But if anything he felt like the silence of his steps only drew more attention to him Several tall bestial humanoids turned to regard Randidly as he walked forward His muted steps marked him as different as an other In comparison to the sharp clip of boots he was soft and gentle

Considering these were the sort of people that condoned the actions of Nexus Randidly found some solace in that obvious difference

He proceeded down into darker and heavier hallways filled with fat pillars and brutal suits of armor Then in one of the darkest corners of Military High Command he arrived at Commandant WickÆs office He rapped sharply on the darkwood door and then waited for almost two minutes anticipating the icy treatment Only when he heard the call of come inÆ from the interior of the office did Randidly push open the door

The massive furry bear form of Commandant Wick was just as Randidly remembered him His heavy eyes might show a few more glimmers of the lurking madness held within by his tight reins of control but otherwise Commandant Wick seemed none the worse for wear for his confrontation with the Nether King His uniform was impeccable even as he leaned over the work on his desk

Sit The Commandant said simply pointing toward a chair of polished bone that sat over to the side of the office RandidlyÆs skin prickled at the proximity to the powerful Commandant he was definitely short of those powerful Speculum but he was still a monstrous foe for someone of RandidlyÆs caliber So he seated himself in the cool chair without much comment

Commandant flicked his wrist and brought a feathered quill to several more pieces of parchment continuing to do paperwork while Randidly waited just a few meters away For his part Randidly was honestly somewhat relieved that the Commandant was doing this He knew Commandant Wick was a stickler for rules and had been rather leery of his reaction to the way Randidly had deployed himself without consulting his superior officer into the Fifth Cohort But considering that the Commandant was using these petty delaying tactics to get back at him it seemed that the powerful member of Military High Command didnÆt take his actions as seriously as he had feared

After about ten minutes the Commandant pushed himself up with his heavy arms and walked over to sit in a more comfortable chair near Randidly As he settled himself the bear humanoid scanned Randidly closely Hum youÆve gotten stronger once again Interesting

Randidly cautiously inclined his head He wondered how much the Commandant had into the growth of his Nether Or perhaps he just noticed the sharpened and refined images

Commandant Wick continued speaking seeming to have just added the compliment as a fleeting thought There are two things to discuss First your Elite Squad is performing admirably Even the other Commandants cannot help but give begrudging praises to all of the members Heh And please allow this grandfather to thank you for whipping my emotional grandaughter into shape youÆve impressed upon her an aspect of your image yes

Yes Randidly agreed

An unruly unreliable power in her hands The Commandant folded his heavy hands in his lap Still not without concrete benefits for warriors at their insignificant level however I appreciate the advantage you have given her I will not forget this favor

Not that IÆll tell you this but she earned it Randidly thought

Which brings me to the second topic This time Commandant Wick leaned forward and regarded Randidly with heavy eyes Although he tried his best Randidly couldnÆt help but feel his pulse quicken under that constricting gaze You I have heard rumors that you have begun pursuing the daughter of Don Beigon Even going so far as to infiltrate his compound to profess your love for her

Uh Randidly blinked several times He had been prepared for another offer to have the Commandant reinforce his power or a forceful ultimatum But this

The Commandant chuckled No need to be shy Men older and wilier than you have fallen for that girlÆs charms But I wish to support you in your courtship of her Her father is particularly irksome I think he could stand to learn some humility

Meaning you wish to use me as a weapon to antagonize Don Beigon Randidly pressed his lips together And likely cast me aside when I affect him enough to draw his ire

What what sort of support Randidly managed to spit out

Commandant WickÆs wide bear mouth spread wide in a grin I might look like this but let me assure you that I have as many descendants as I do because I am quite the ladyÆs man when I make an effort I have arranged for a demonstration one that will make your sincerity and determination clear to Claudette Beigon and her father

Randidly genuinely had no idea what to say

Chapter 1708

Don Beigon stood at the Beigon EstateÆs observation tower and looked down across his precious home with a frown

There were three entrances to the Beigon Estate which any party could approach depending on their tier of citizenship within the Nexus Obviously the Tier 1 Citizenship entrance was the most grueling requiring individuals to use their physique and Willpower to reach the top in a certain amount of time because they would be forcefully repelled back to the bottom every twenty four hours Meanwhile the Tier 2 Citizenship entrance was just a long path requiring all individuals to travel both a certain distance and spend at least a half hour on that path to make sure all those who approached had firm resolve

Don Beigon didnÆt believe that people should be able to make casual trips to see his kingdom They had to earn the privilege

Meanwhile the third entrance was rather perfunctory There were no special requirements to using it Obviously individuals who had managed to accumulate Tier 3 Citizenship were powerful in their own right They did not need to frivolously visit Don Beigon Or perhaps more accurately they would not dare come to Don Beigon unprepared or without the proper payment

They knew his reputation too well

The third entrance let the applicants come directly out into the open Courtyard of the Sun They would arrive on a breezy marble platform and could spin around to look at the riot of orange red and yellow that blazed in every direction Specially Engraved arrays released tongues of flames in different shades that curled and bloomed like a meadow of flowers The arrivals stood as a boat in a sea of flame properly understanding the power and majesty of the Beigons

The only downside was the heat of such a display but powerful individuals could easily ignore that point

However Don BeigonÆs mouth twitched

During the night someone had come and somehow spliced soil onto that arrival platform Now blue and white lilies fluttered in the hot breezes protected by an image that had been forcefully inserted into the Beigon Estate The presence of these flowers was a direct challenge to the DonÆs image

Even worse the words read I will never give up on my love for you Claudette

Normally the natural array of the Beigon Estate would steadily overwhelm this transgressor and burn these annoyingly colored flowers to ash But the Don could smell the work of Commandant Wick here utilizing some strange principle he no doubt learned from fighting against the Nether King to fool the DonÆs image The Beigon Estate didnÆt even recognize the intrusion

The cool colored flowers taunted the fiery blossoms

Randidly Ghosthound Don Beigon reached up and rubbed his chin His jaw clenched as he thought about that boyÆs clear emerald eyes Word will get out about this No matter who is truly responsible you will be blamed You must take responsibility But I just cannot tell whether you are a pawn or something even more dangerous

Fellador Don Beigon said suddenly There was a rustling behind him and a pale skinned humanoid appeared in a kneeling position with his face covered in a tight wrapping of black linen

Don Your orders Despite how thin the humanoid wrapped in black cloth was his voice was low and rumbling

Find and track Randidly Ghosthound Inspect where he goes and who he talks to And make trouble for those people he meets Light trouble Nothing deadly But I want the boy bothered Don Beigon eyes glittered Fellador didnÆt bother to respond He simply bowed his head and vanished

Helen sniffed the leather gloves with a gloomy expression What the hell is this

Randidly paused then forced a chuckle as he took the gloves from Helen There were bits of melted calcified and worn black crust all over the gloves Even he felt slightly squeamish when he looked at the gory surface those are actually mine Why donÆt you take this pair of gloves

Those tiny bits on the gloves were the stubborn remains of RandidlyÆs stint as an exterminator And the leather and metal still smelled like a weird mixture between burnt hair and baked ant The clean gloves Helen accepted with a little more willingness but she still hissed out a breath when she latched the material and the Engravings activated She waved her arms with a frown on her face Shit What a weird feeling Are you sure this is a good idea

Randidly nodded You are having trouble exploring your Depths of Horror Domain yea Well working in an area where all images are suppressed will definitely increase your sensitivity And control slightly

No not that Helen shook her head You said the individual who owns this farm is slightly surly

Yea well Randidly reached up and rubbed the back of his neck It had been three days since Randidly had returned from his meeting with Commandant Wick two and a half days since Claudette had sent him a message that said Well now youÆve certainly gotten my dadÆs attention off of me and onto you Thanks Æ

During that time NrorceÆs usual mutterings had become increasingly bitter Even worse he occasionally disappeared for whole days at a time locked within the deepest room of the slightly sunken cabin And even after Nrorce came out it would take several hours before the goblin could shake off his lethargy enough to cook food

Rather than addressing his own problems the blue skinned goblin had taken to berating Randidly with his spare energy His requirements for his daily work had rapidly increased in complexity Which did give Randidly a much better understanding of how the farm functioned as he hauled enormous bags of seed and rotated the crop type but the sheer volume of tasks suddenly thrown on his plate meant that Randidly couldnÆt accomplish them in the day without completely vaporizing the suppressive Engravings on the gloves

It was a peculiar sort of powerlessness

When Randidly had asked Nrorce if he could call in some help the goblin had simply grunted For the current bitter old goblin that was practically a ringing endorsement

Nrorce wonÆt say much if we keep working Randidly cleared his throat and led the way through the hall of white lightning Helen bore the radiation well following smoothly after him with only a few minor twitches Then he gave her the tour of the farm and started her to work RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition detected NrorceÆs observation but since the goblin didnÆt come out to introduce himself Randidly didnÆt force the issue

Influence +35

With HelenÆs assistance his workload vastly decreased She was quick capable and didnÆt have as overwhelmingly powerful passive Skills as Randidly So she actually worked at a faster speed than he did

RandidlyÆs tail had been carefully experimenting with Nether Arrays the entire time but now he could devote more of his attention to the task The weave of Nether he utilized became more and more streamlined with the same amount of Nether he could cover a planet about 30% larger At the same time the accumulation of Influence in RandidlyÆs body began to start to have some far reaching effects And the only reason that he noticed was the speed at which Randidly was now gathering Influence The change was becoming a palpable one

As his Influence grew something profound was shifting within his Nether Core In its depths that accumulated Influence circulated through the triplicate markings of significance that formed the base of the Nether Core His foundation was continually reinforced The passage of energy deepened those lines strengthening the base of his Nether Core

Of course the effect was small But a small increase in RandidlyÆs innate Nether density did a lot to aid his efforts

Days rapidly passed Helen and Randidly developed an unspoken understanding of how they would split up each dayÆs tasks Octavius Shrike managed to obtain more valuable data regarding image refinement and passed it onto Randidly Most helpful of all were some memory crystals that contained before and after remnants of the recipient image and the thoughts of the image refiner during the process With concrete examples of how image refining should be done Randidly deepened his understanding of the process and used his insights to strengthen his own images

Meanwhile the shards of image light in the stomach of the Grim Chimera grew increasingly active and bright as he added several more of the Nemesai homeworlds to his Alpha Cosmos The process was always extremely painful but the worst part was that each addition to the Alpha Cosmos seemed to take longer than in the past

Drenched in sweat Randidly grimaced down at where the homeworld of the Jade Prince and Obsidian Duke once sat It took him a strained six hours to absorb the planet IÆm closing in on a limit is it due to my individual power Or the power of my body But with the current me I cannot eat planets indefinitely

Randidly produced the PhilosopherÆs Key and returned to NrorceÆs farm Ultimately that was fine he had fulfilled his promise to the Nemesai He currently had incorporated all of their worlds into his Alpha Cosmos and could provide them with Aether In the process his Influence had skyrocketed to a little over 35 000

The combination of image training and refinement of Nether Arrays around his farm worked ended up spurring a lot of unexpected growth Perhaps his fighting capabilities hadnÆt shifted much but this was all setting the stage for his image evolution

Randidly hummed to himself and stretched as he walked onto the sunny farm The familiar scents and sounds were calming

Randidly paused Then he narrowed his eyes because an extremely unfamiliar sight greeted him by the orchard From somewhere Nrorce had found two porch chairs Helen and the blue skinned goblin were reclining in the sun both with a glass of lemonade in hand RandidlyÆs jaw dropped it was all he could do not to rub at his eyes when he heard the two of them laughing uproariously

It was a testament to how genuine HelenÆs joy was that it was actually Nrorce that noticed RandidlyÆs presence first The goblinÆs expression immediately turned serious and he pushed himself off of his chair Hmph well Mr Seriouspants is back Alright alright back to work then

Why the hell are you making it seem like us working to the bone is my fault RandidlyÆs jaw worked soundlessly

Helen giggled After the goblin wandered over to the herb room Randidly walked over to Helen and shook his head What did you say to him And when did I become the serious one

I just asked him how he was doing and told him that I was looking forward to eating one of the fantastic homemade meals I had heard so much about Helen gave Randidly a sidelong glance And to be blunt youÆve known this fellow was upset for days but you never bothered to ask what was wrong

I Randidly stopped speaking and sighed

Helen shrugged You are working hard and paying your debts to the Nemesai I get it but thatÆs also why you are Mr Seriouspants Honestly its a pretty accurate nickname Tatiana laughed for ten full minutes when I told her

RandidlyÆs eyebrows twitched

Oh one more thing Nrorce said heÆs making something special for dinner Helen waved a hand as she picked up a shovel and moved back to work His daughterÆs favorite

And truly that meal was the best one that Randidly had eaten since his arrival on the farm It seemed like NrorceÆs daughter had pretty good taste

Chapter 1709

There is a problem with buying one of the planets you requested Claudette said by message

Randidly allowed the Mana to fade from his fingers and moved away from the warehouse Engraving he had been adjusting Even though he and Helen had installed a ventilation system he still walked out of the underground bunker as he frowned at the message His eyes were heavy as he considered how to respond He had guessed this would be the case but Randidly was rather desperate to buy this particular planet

I donÆt know if you have heard but another terrorist’ attack occurred at a Swacc Family base last night The other forces of the Nexus are moving in earnest against them now that public opinion has turned against them Therefore the Swacc Family is in no state to field any offers for the planet of Tellus

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes burned He pictured the broken expression that he had seen in the Fifth Cohort on ShalÆs face Randidly wasnÆt sure if it would be enough but he wanted to remove one restriction the Swacc Family had over his teacher Hopefully that would be enough to get him out from under the Swacc FamilyÆs thumb

Of course the reasonable part of Randidly pictured ShalÆs expression and knew that it wouldnÆt be so simple But right now Randidly Ghosthound didnÆt want to be serious He wanted to repay Shal for all of the things his teacher had done for him He wanted to help as best as he could

He owed Shal that much

Besides Tellus was admittedly important to Randidly for other reasons A large portion of the Grim Chimera was birthed from the Spear Phantom which originated on Tellus It was on Tellus that RandidlyÆs image began to solidify and obtain its current vibe For this long awaited evolution to push the Rarity of the Grim Chimera Skillset upward Tellus was significant

Randidly flexed his hands as he looked at the message one more time His skin tingled as a plan began to form One of the reasons that Randidly had asked ClaudetteÆs help with this planet in particular was that the Swacc Family was screening it from him his sense somehow And since his PhilosopherÆs Key was blocked Randidly was rather helpless he didnÆt know the Nexus well enough to search for Tellus

But if the Swacc Family was distracted by other matters

Randidly huffed out a breath and sent a message back to Claudette Can you find out where the planet is located

Her response surprised Randidly Yes But IÆm coming with you

Claudette bit her lip as the two of them floated in space ItÆs probably a trap you know There was a large explosion at one of the Swacc Family critical bases but my fatherÆs intelligence says that nothing vital was truly damaged by the blast It is extremely likely that the Swacc Family exposed a bit of weakness purposefully to draw out the small fries that want to profit They will crush any attempts people make to take advantage of them and then negotiate directly with the Engraving Guild and Military High Command

There was something strange about the current Randidly Ghosthound His eyes were unnaturally luminous in the darkness of space as he peered down through the planetÆs atmosphere at the surface Already Nether was flowing out of his body and filling the surroundings which set off warning alarms for all of ClaudetteÆs instincts

The volume of energy he was mobilizing made her scalp tingle

It had been extremely difficult for her to sneak outside of the Beigon Estate to meet him but she managed it Of course a part of her acknowledged that her father likely let her go purposefully he was willing to play into the growing rumors of a romance between the flower of Beigon and the ascendant young Head Drill Sergeant But even with the threat of the Swacc Family and her fatherÆs observation she had still come

Because she was worried Because it felt like she was suffocating to remain in her room every day And she couldnÆt decide whether she wanted the man in front of her to stoke the flames of hope or smother them

Yet now looking at all the Nether he could handle at once The feeling that had convinced her to ask Randidly for his assistance had returned Even through the depths of numbness that surrounded her Claudette felt it again as she looked at the expression on the GhosthoundÆs face this man impossible as though it may seem could help the observer change her fate

Perhaps IÆm reading too much into it Claudette told her pounding heart That expression the Nether perhaps he is just excited to have another worldÆs population to toy with

Yet her insightsÆ into the dark truth of Randidly Ghosthound suddenly rang hollow That genuine earnestness he displayed Small ripples of uncertainty surrounded the observer that sat at the bottom of Don BeigonÆs shadow

Even if thatÆs true Randidly said slowly I suspect we are small fries even amongst the small fries of the Nexus From what I understand the Swacc Family does not have any special regard for a single planet And I have it on good authority that several groups are moving to the Swacc base world Their powerful soldiers will head there to defend against raids

Claudette blinked How does he know that Does he really have access to the information of Military High Command

But if Military High Command is supporting him why

Claudette shook herself and released a pulse of creeping chill The reassuring stillness of cold helped her center herself Then she cleared her throat well anyway Before you begin to do whatever you came here to do I have something to ask you Why the hell do you want to take me to the Imperium Ball

RandidlyÆs blank look was all the answer that Claudette needed Clicking her tongue inwardly she produced a copy of the invitation that had been plastered all over all three entrances to the Beigon Estate yesterday assuring that there would be no way for her father to sweep the invitation under the rug

Dearest Claudette

Your face fills my every waking moment The smallest of your gestures sends reverberations to the core of my being Every moment without you feels like an eternity To that end I implore you to join me at this year’s Imperium Ball Without your beauty what a hollow event it shall be

Yours always

RandidlyÆs eyes bulged Then he began to laugh and shake his head in disbelief That fucking asshole

I figured you werenÆt responsible for this but we will need to consider how we proceed carefully Claudette said The Imperium Ball is the most important non violent event on Military High CommandÆs calendar You might not know this but it is profoundly irregular to invite someone who is not in the Military to the ball There are apparently quite a few secrets at the ball best not observed by outsiders Essentially the fact that youÆ sent this to me is an affront to both my father and Military High Command

I figured it was something like that The Ghosthound barred his teeth but then his gaze turned back to the planet The emotions passed and he remained unaffected by this new wrench thrown at him However that problem can wait For now I need to prepare

Six more weeks until this man shapes my image Claudette fell silent even as she felt the Nether around Randidly begin to move But very quickly her eyes widened and she felt a thin thread wrapping around the delicate flesh of her heart Because the scale at which his Nether began to cover the surroundings could only be rivaled by the horrors that she had seen on the Fifth Cohort from the Nether King

That inky black energy he wielded wriggled its way outward sinking into the atmosphere of the planet below steadily flowing across the sky Nether this carefully spun wasnÆt visible to the naked eye but Claudette could feel its movements constantly dampening the movement of Aether on the planet of Tellus The effect steadily spread until the entire world was wrapped in a net of Nether

Randidly paused then releasing a long breath Sweat dripped down his face it was obvious that this was not easy for him Then he rolled his shoulders and raised his arms His animated tail began to twist and tug pulling at the creation that he had made

Existence shuddered as RandidlyÆs Ghosthound energy began to tighten in a way she couldnÆt quite understand

Just as Claudette was about to shiver in disgust at the Aether starvation that Randidly might possibly probably subject all these people to there was a more minor ripple in the surroundings She spun around and discovered that two figures forced their way out through the Nexus Ways and now observed the floating Randidly and Claudette

At first she was afraid about the very public display of him utilizing Nether but very quickly a new fear blasted away that minor threat

Well Well well Velio Dunn favored the two of them with a wide grin even as the Nether Array began to rumble Tension increased between the planet and RandidlyÆs body His tail was blurring into motion I woke up this morning and told myself it would be a good day but who would have guessed that I would have been right

Randidly twisted slightly and glanced over his shoulder His eyes narrowed but the movements of his hands and tail didnÆt falter That same unflappable determination made his expression unreadable He continued to activate the Nether Array or as Claudette quickly recognized he didnÆt dare stop

IÆll send in the report The second figure said but even as he finished speaking the glowing sword of Velio Dunn sheered the man in half In the next instant a wave of burning cobalt fire blasted outward and devoured his flesh and clothing One second there were two the next there were four and the following they were back down to three

Tsk send in a report What a waste Velio Dunn licked his lips His dark eyes glowed

Claudette marshaled her frigid image of the true sword sticking out of ice but Velio looked at her and just laughed The muscles of his arms bulged as he put his hands back on his hips she hadnÆt even seen him re sheath his sword Relax relax I can see Mr Ghosthound is otherwise engaged and as an elder it would be shameful of me to strike at him while he is distracted So IÆll wait to start our duel until when he has finished his little experiment

Probably exactly when he finishes ClaudetteÆs heart was pounding She attempted to send a message to both the Frost Matriarch and her father but from the way Velio DunnÆs smile widened she knew that he was skilled enough with the Nether Ways to prevent messages from leaving in a localized area

And I know what you are thinking ya fucking cockroach Velio Dunn said with remarkable cheer as he looked at Randidly Ghosthound Velio looked Randidly up and down as though admiring a racehorse As soon as you can you will try to withstand an attack and then try and flee But how about this If you donÆt immediately agree to try your best without retreating for a half hour against me IÆll immediately kill this cute girl IÆve always wanted to find out how sharp the DonÆs teeth were anyway

You Claudette gasped Very few people dared make such flippant threats against her If Velio Dunn thought that the Swacc Family could insulate him from her father

She was even more surprised when Randidly spoke up in a rough voice Five minutes

Velio chuckled He took his hands off his hips and began to roll his shoulders Ten

Deal Randidly hissed through bared teeth Then he turned his glowing emerald eyes and focused on whatever task he was doing with his Nether The tension increased The fabric of space in the surroundings shuddered

Chapter 1710

Deal Randidly hissed Velio Dunn just stared at him with a physical intensity in his dark eyes like a man about to die of thirst who had just stumbled upon an oasis And now he couldnÆt decide whether he was going to throw himself in head first or approach slowly to savor the experience

I got careless Randidly gritted his teeth so hard his jaw began to ache He twisted back forward he didnÆt dare look away from his Nether away He couldnÆt not really His whole body shuddered in agony and anxiety as the forces of significance within himself tried to wrangle the energy in front of him

RandidlyÆs abdominal muscles tightened He forcefully suppressed the urge to turn and look at Velio again There was something profounding humiliating about being forced to endure the agony of absorbing a planet in front of this fucked up hitman and it was made even worse by the fact the man was obviously enjoying the strained show

A brief tremor ran through RandidlyÆs body causing a very small flaw to emerge within the Nether Array that was dragging Tellus into his body A burning line of agony forked sideways across his torso One of his ribs popped underneath the pressure He could feel his tight abs fray at the edges as he tried to keep himself stabilized

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 369

I donÆt have the spare attention for you right now Randidly hissed and shut out Velio Dunn and Claudette and everything else It made him even more vulnerable to a sneak attack but Randidly had endured a blow from Velio in the past With the improvements he had made since then he was confident that he could survive a strike

Besides Velio might have complained that most people he challenged too quickly but that was because he was overwhelmingly powerful Randidly truly believed that man to be one that would decide to savor the approach before quenching his thirst

The only question is what exactly does he crave so deeply But the distraction caused another twisting pulse of pressure to run through the array Randidly shook himself and redirected his attention to the energy flowing outward from his Nether Core

Congratulations Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual has grown to Level 389

He threw every ounce of his Willpower into stabilizing the Nether array With his tail flicking back and forth the out of alignment support structure gradually smoothed The prehensile appendage was the only part of himself that could move freely and it used that freedom to gracefully spin out thick strands of Nether When the horrible grinding pressure of the process had the rest of his body tense and sweating his tail brought the Nether Array back on track

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 370

Significance swirled around Randidly like he was a drain in the Nexus portion universe He was sucking at the thin layer of Nether beneath the System but an energy movement that significant began to drag Aether along with it Meanwhile inch by inch the essence of Tellus poured into his body

Randidly couldnÆt resist releasing a groan For a brief second Velio DunnÆs amused laughter distracted him and the Nether began to twist again but his tail had somehow developed the equivalent of balanceÆ in regards to utilizing Nether No sooner had he lost his equilibrium than it acted and restored the proper framework Randidly calmed his breathing and ignored how his exhales were coming out as steam Nether roared through his veins warming his muscles

Randidly felt like he was a dog chew toy stuck in the maw of a tyrannosaurus rex The moments of prolonged straining desperately pulling without any shift in the Nether Array were commoditized packets of hell that he had to simply withstand And it was made even worse when a momentÆs distraction lost him all the momentum he had built up within the array

I suppose I have no choice He hated his weakness and the danger he put himself into but Randidly ruthlessly shut off access to his physical senses He floated in darkness orienting himself by the complex flows of energy that he had created

The Nether Array strained for several seconds and Randidly trembled but then it gave the slightest bit He tightened his grip on the Nether Array and pressed again

He knew that Velio was probably saying something snarky and hypocritical but he couldnÆt acknowledge it The margin for error right now was practically nonexistent Partially because of the process but also partially because the addition of Tellus to his Alpha Cosmos felt different than the prior planets

The significance that thundered into his body was wild and free just like the spear users that populated Tellus Immediately Randidly felt their resistance to being incorporated into the rotating current of energy within the Alpha Cosmos The significance flowed freely but there was friction as it incorporated itself within RandidlyÆs Nether that was the worst sort of mental indigestion And this was just the start

In those strained moments of hellish stillness more and more significance funneled down through RandidlyÆs Nether Array and crammed itself into him

His body stiffened and his chest cavity was steadily collapsed underneath the mounting pressure of absorbing this planet His breath hissed involuntarily through his teeth as his lungs were compressed His muscles flexed but he remained almost totally transfixed The Nether Ritual heaved and thrummed tension running up and down through the support structures

Tellus barely budged

He could hear the whispers of the planetÆs significance We do not need you stranger We can take care of ourselves Such is the way

Yet he could not dwell on how far he had yet to go He could only force himself to ignore his weariness and continue working

Randidly would have licked his lips if he could Nether howled outward from his rotating Nether Core and crashed through his body That Nether initiated a current that tugged on the Nether Array urging the assimilation of Tellus But this was not a planet that had been left to cool for a long time Even though most of modern TellusÆ history was the slog through the Second Calamity the spear users had not bowed their head even when a large portion of the population wasted away without enough access to Aether They were still growing rebounding with triumph after Shal had finally broken the stasis of the planet

His senses were blocked but Randidly felt the emotions of the population below clearly Tellus must also have experienced a fair amount of time dilation since he had last been there because a decade seemed to have passed The small sputtering emotions of infants and babies were everywhere The planet was rebuilding and expanding from the huddled groups of survivors in the Central Region

Aether flowed freely partially due to the heavy donations Randidly had made to stabilize the situation on the planet With the high ambient energy new Styles were flourishing To RandidlyÆs developed senses the half formed images were like clumps of mist clinging to the shadow of a sloping meadow They were insubstantial and feeble clinging to the dew cooled grass yet they added a profound sense of wonder to the planet he was trying to absorb

IÆm one of you Randidly responded His Nether Array began to hum The dark energy of connection and memory began to amplify his memories of that place The struggles of the tournament forcefully being made to acknowledge taking the lives of other earning his first real subordinates leaving and then returning Fighting against the Wights until Randidly had to bury hundreds of fellow spear users along the backs of the Hallat River

Within his Soulspace the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night began to shine with a bright light Thin threads of gleaming spider silk shot out of the Dreamcatcher and anchored themselves at different points of the Nether Ritual Randidly was somewhat stunned that the Dreamcatcher activated in this way but then he gripped those new anchors and pulled

Space shuddered Randidly could feel surprise from both Claudette and Velio Dunn as Tellus shifted a noticeable amount A tremor ran through Randidly that movement came with a commiserate stab of agonizing pressure at the base of his throat Still to have such a step forward Randidly would gladly endure more pain than that

His eyes blazing Randidly tugged again Now that he knew that the connections were stable he did not hold back at all and pulled Tellus with every ounce of his being Those memories continued to strengthen those glowing threads Yet at the same time more significance flowed into the Alpha Cosmos A stifling sense of fullness and suffocation filled him More and more significance forced itself down his throat

This because of everything IÆve done there the accumulation of significance within me I cannot fit Randidly felt tears forming in the corners of his eyes He had yanked Tellus to partially within him aligning with his significance but now he felt something catch And with a planet halfway absorbed

Congratulations Your Skill Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 392

Congratulations Your Skill Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 393

Something within RandidlyÆs carefully constructed Nether Array tore as physical sensations forcefully reasserted themselves within his body He was tumbling through space but the agony of feeling a planet expanding within his Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos before it was totally absorbed meant that RandidlyÆs thoughts were a frantic mess

But he did hear Velio Dunn laughing from above You canÆt blame me for that You were taking too long you arenÆt just allowed to stall out forever Mr Ghosthound

RandidlyÆs collarbone had cracked and flecks of bone had torn through the soft muscles of RandidlyÆs back but as he was tumbling downward those wounds rapidly began to knit themselves back together Velio Dunn had clearly not used even a scrap of an image in that strike but still Randidly felt good that he hadnÆt been seriously injured by the cheap shot

The gradual sting of him falling into TellusÆ atmosphere is what eventually woke him up and refocused his attention RandidlyÆs tail had again been barely stabilizing the tattered remnants of his Nether Array but even it couldnÆt keep it up indefinitely The complex spiral of physical and energy movements was gradually analyzed and sort by RandidlyÆs high Intelligence

He whipped his arm around with enough force to briefly neutralize the gravity of Tellus and reached for the array again The planet trembled teetering between crashing back into its perch upon the Nexus Ways and sliding the rest of the way into RandidlyÆs mostly full Alpha Cosmos

Randidly gripped and blessedly enough portions of the array remained that everything didnÆt unravel underneath the pressure The reinforcements from the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night remained anchored His memories pulsed Significance was howling around Randidly as being that much closer to the physical planet meant that it could spiral up around his body and grip him

Once more that state of tension spread through his muscles His limbs rapidly grew rigid and he began falling toward the surface of Tellus But to RandidlyÆs surprise the pain within his body shifted to something entirely different Rather than burning and grinding on its way into his body the significance of Tellus seemed to be gripping RandidlyÆs Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos and forcing it wide open so the planet could roll forward

Randidly groaned The effect was good but the experience

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 371

But the significance within the world was determined There is a foe Then let us fight and kill this transgressor We shall teach them the power of a determined spear user

RUMbbllee

There was another huge spatial quake RandidlyÆs straining Willpower with the significance of Tellus forcing the passage open finally pulled the planet over that last hump Then that significance became a battering ram of pressure that forced the planet the rest of the way forward A shiver ran through his body and the planet in front of Randidly vanished

RandidlyÆs expression was distorted as he hung in the empty space I know I said I would experience pain to speed up the process but uugghh

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 372

Chapter 1711

Not that Randidly had much time to inspect the various aches and Nether clogs throughout his body after Tellus finally spurted all the way into the Alpha Cosmos He couldnÆt even address the gurgling whine from his stomach No sooner had the planet vanished than he looked up to find Velio Dunn barreling down toward him

Ten minutes starts Now Velio cackled as he loomed a few meters above Randidly This time Velio repeated the same attack that he had used against him during the first inspection of the Elite Squad The one that had nearly collapsed the entire underground area Velio mentally reached up and seized upon that massive bastard sword and each detail of the motion was so perfectly polished that it was almost impossible to visually distinguish between the two arms hanging at VelioÆs side and the one reaching up for the sword

Randidly watched it all happen without moving At the moment his muscles were only now starting to ease from their horrible extended tension His stomach bubbled uneasily as Tellus sank deeper within the Alpha Cosmos His Nether Core was spinning wildly but barely producing any energy he had drained it almost completely to steady the Nether Ritual earlier

Not exactly ideal circumstances for this meeting RandidlyÆs lips twisted But strangely he felt happy as he observed the imagined blow of Velio Dunn whipping through the intervening space sheath still intact over his Engraved sword

For so long since he had been ambushed and driven deeper into the shaft beyond his ability to survive Randidly had feared finding himself in exactly this situation So many of the long bouts of training he had gritted his teeth and endured had been to prepare for exactly this And now that he was in this moment with VelioÆs attack heading toward him

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Impunity has grown to Level 404

This strike knocked the wind out of Randidly and made him realize that for all VelioÆs flaws he had gone ease with his cheap shot by using solely his physical body with the first blow Compared to that the potency of this image was overwhelming

Even worse Velio pursued the tumbling Randidly immediately Randidly immediately scowled You two bit villain where the hell is your monologue

His bones aching from the first strike Randidly raised his arms and kept them tight against his sides in a defensive posture The image of the sword within the sheath smashed left right down left down upon RandidlyÆs waiting form more and more abuse was heaped Each moment Velio produced another concrete image that crashed into Randidly and set it teeth on edge

BooM BooM BooM BooM

What a pleasant experience Velio boomed with a gleeful smile on his face But his expression quickly turned sharp as he effortlessly barraged Randidly with the image strikes You youÆve certainly toughened up a bit since I saw you last eh Look at you enduring when a single one of these pushed you to the brink of death the first time that we met How am I supposed to feel seeing you like this

RandidlyÆs forearm fractured Metal was scraped off his left arm from the force of VelioÆs blows But each second that passed allowed his heartbeat to quicken and his Nether Core to release waves of energy that reinforced his physical body The strikes massagedÆ away the knots within RandidlyÆs muscles His Uncommon Metabolism was able to barely keep abreast with the damage Velio unleashed Every second allowed him to stabilize the positively stuffed sensation of his Alpha Cosmos and return to his peak state

Just endure it block block RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed to slits Already he had accumulated over 40 000 Influence and it was still rising At the same time all three of RandidlyÆs images were swirling together steadily physicalizing across his body as his mental energy returned And in the depths of the Grim Chimera

Velio moved quickly behind Randidly and slammed one of his image slashes against his back Randidly catapulted forward and Velio materialized in front of him He barely had time to reinforce his guard before another imagined strike smashed directly through his trembling arms and partially caved in his chest cavity He felt a rib puncture his left lung

Congratulations Your Skill the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 394

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Impunity has grown to Level 405

But you know Gradually the smile was slipping off of VelioÆs face He rolled his shoulders and flapped his arms as Randidly stabilized himself in space watching him with narrowed eyes Somehow the fact that you have improved so much so quickly really pisses me off you know Someone like you someone who foolishly reinforces your body should just die

The pressure within RandidlyÆs chest was easing finally down toward manageable levels just as his recovery popped his ribs back into place and patched over his lung His muscles were still a bit stiff from the aftereffects of the process but his freedom of movement was steadily increasing

Still Randidly felt a thrill of fear as Velio Dunn reached up and physically gripped the hilt of his sword Even in the chill absence of space the sound of VelioÆs fingers tightening around the leather grip was thunderous

So Velio pulled the length of his bastard sword out of the leather sheath Mesmerizing patterns of burning cobalt covered the length of the weapon Every time the weapon moved those symbols spun and danced Randidly would have dearly loved to study the profound patterns that gleamed there but he dared not let his attention waver His heart pounded in his chest He flexed his aching and stiff hands and produced Acri and Sulfur from his interspatial ring

Sorry you missed the fun earlier buddy Randidly sent the apologetic thought to his armor as it shifted into pace He twisted slightly to grip Acri quick but not quick enough He needed a little more time

Just Velio raised his other hand and gripped the hilt So he held the sword aloft straight above his head and offered it to the star filled heavens like a prayer And with both hands on the blade a pillar of blue fire erupted upward The reverberations of that bladeÆs activation were so powerful that Randidly sensed Claudette above them hiss and retreat from the edge of the battlefield

RandidlyÆs three images bubbled in his chest The rest of his image physicalizations snapped into place Even while his body wasnÆt quite recovered he used those physicalized images to force the issue Cosmic Necessity The Implacable Price of Exodus Man Is Proud But the Chimera Takes

Die Velio bellowed and slashed But Randidly was already raising Acri and accelerating Space warped and rippled around him Perhaps more than the Skill Levels the understanding of Aether and Nether and the refinement of his three images the real change to Randidly was the physical one His Stats had been each pushed beyond one thousand and his Agility had been evolved into Dreadful Alacrity

CLaanngg

Congratulations Your Skill Man is Proud But the Chimera Takes has grown to Level 325

Congratulations Your Skill Man is Proud But the Chimera Takes has grown to Level 335

Ten meters beyond Velio Dunn his momentum finally dissipating Randidly paused and turned around His right eye was a bonfire of emerald flame his left a swirling maelstrom of darkness Velio wore an expression of shock as he held his bastard sword horizontally across his body in a defensive posture he had forcefully adjusted to block RandidlyÆs attack on instinct A black line of RandidlyÆs image sizzled against the swordÆs cobalt runes but was quickly overwhelmed by the power of VelioÆs image

Velio turned and gave Randidly a searching look Then he grinned You oh I definitely cannot let someone like you continue to exist

Randidly adjusted his grip on Acri Each beat of his heart sent gushing flows of Nether through his body nourishing him after the agonizing Nether Ritual His body was a river valley after a long drought and now finally the rains had come The last of the stiffness was forced out of his body setting aside a bit of mental exhaustion Randidly had returned to his peak state

A growl escaped his lips as he looked at Velio Dunn IÆve been waiting for this for too long

Now do you want to do this the easy way or VelioÆs pompous attitude had returned but Randidly just reactivated the same three Skills and ripped through the space between them And without any remaining hint of stiffness his speed had taken another step forward His thrust with Acri was biting Velio was barely able to adjust his weapon and block RandidlyÆs attack

CLaaNG

You VelioÆs expression twisted but Randidly already moving once more Heat and Nether spun together through his limbs Randidly felt like he was gliding through space

He emerged on VelioÆs left and cut sharply toward the manÆs muscled neck Velio adjusted quickly and unleashed a wave of cobalt flames but Randidly was already gone floating behind Velio and activating three new Skills The Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil ReaperÆs Mantle of Catastrophe

Congratulations Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 361

Randidly unleashed a dozen strikes with Acri in a short fraction of a moment even as Reapers Mantle of Catastrophe stretched forward and briefly seized upon VelioÆs body and slowed his reactions Each of the thrusts he unleashed gleamed with emerald and gold light Each was superimposed with the concrete image of a massive and vital root that smashed against VelioÆs undefended back Spear and root became one singular weapon

Congratulations Your Skill ReaperÆs Mantle of Catastrophe has grown to Level 304

RandidlyÆs attacks slammed into VelioÆs back but blue light rose from the manÆs skin and diffused most of the force Velio whipped his bastard sword around with blazing eyes but Randidly was already gone Truly Randidly had never unleashed the fullness of his physical potential before and now he was drunk on the sensation He flickered down and thrust Acri toward VelioÆs side his muscles pounding with the potency of Primordial Nether Juju A halo of darkness emerged at the tip of Acri adding an extra penetrative element to the strike

Congratulations Your Skill Sharpness has grown to Level 290

The blue light of VelioÆs image defenses shattered before all 1485 of RandidlyÆs Mythic Primordial Nether Juju And within the depths of the Grim Chimera those spots of light began to drift toward each other

Chapter 1712

Still Velio was slowly adjusting to RandidlyÆs increased speed RandidlyÆs attack cracked the ambient energy of his foeÆs defensive image but the tan and muscular man twisted sideways and earned only a tear in his armor

Then Velio retreated rings of cobalt fire forming around his person that blocked all of RandidlyÆs avenues of attack He raised his sword and looked at Randidly with a baleful expression

For his part Randidly was willing to give Velio space The feeling of his speed was intoxicating but he was still deeply exhausted Every extra second helped His Nether Core stabilized further and the discomfort from absorbing Tellus continued to decrease Even if he was feeling slightly overstuffedÆ he had already swallowed the planet The worst was now over The Alpha Cosmos begrudgingly expanded accepting the flow of significance that had now joined it

Influence +8

The accumulation of significance and Influence was slowly stabilizing coasting back down to normal levels just above forty four thousand RandidlyÆs image physicalizations were also buoyed by the return of Nether to his body and became stronger The natural armor of the Grim Chimera covered him His veins gleamed with a luminous golden light The graceful tail that had forcefully supported the Nether Ritual had now become armored and deadly as it undulated behind him

You Velio spoke quietly You insist on repeating those same mistakes of the past I suppose I should compliment you for resembling that figure so closely But all I feel when I look at you is disgust Do you know how hard we had to fight not to be dragged along with that madman to our doom And yet AND YET YOU

Randidly raised his spear and regarded Velio Dunn calmly as his shoulders shook with obvious rage The bald and muscular man seemed completely lost in his memories as he continued to mutter And yet here you are the spitting image of that hollow man If itÆs to kill you I will even break my oath

A ripple of Aether spread outward from Velio DunnÆs body RandidlyÆs skin prickled as the cobalt runes across his bastard sword dimmed and then disappeared Even though RandidlyÆs senses didnÆt rely on light to see his enemy the abrupt darkness left him briefly nonplussed And then suddenly Grim Intuition screamed that Randidly should retreat And perhaps he would have even attempted that but his senses also warned him that Velio Dunn had not exactly been idle while he was waitingÆ for Randidly to finish absorbing Tellus

A complex cage of Aether surrounding them forcing Randidly to keep his word that he would duel Velio for ten minutes

The one silver lining was that the mechanism was tied to his word Randidly could sense that somehow Velio had utilized Nether principles so that for the first ten minutes the defenses of the Aether construct were vastly improved by his oath But after that Randidly should be able to force the issue and escape

but for now Randidly licked his lips as he watched a dead eyed Velio heft his sword In so many ways the change made him nervous Across the skin of VelioÆs arms and face small crystals were forming They were small and fragile but they made RandidlyÆs heartbeat flutter That is that crystalized Aether forming naturally on him

IÆll ask you nicely one more time Velio rumbled Die for me

Randidly didnÆt bother to point out that what Velio said wasnÆt a question His images spun together supporting and settling into one another Yggdrasil the Stillborn Phoenix and the strangely luminous Grim Chimera all surged with his Willpower releasing ripples of power that pressed against the NexusÆ framework of Aether With the base of his Nether Core linking the three images even more tightly than before the multiplicative effect of utilizing all three at once had increased Randidly felt massively powerful

Not in terms of image detail but simply in terms of clout His weapons were blunt but they were powerful

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 440

Then on top of that boost Randidly conjured the spectral flames of Weight and forced his power even higher Against this Velio Dunn that gave him the chills he held nothing back he didnÆt bother to withhold any secrets before the watching Claudette Velio observed the changes in Randidly with narrowed eyes and then snorted Both blurred into motion

Randidly pressed his lips together Even as he danced through the air Velio was suddenly much more capable of adjusting to his sharp bursts of acceleration So you still can go a little faster huh

Randidly still had the advantage in speed but whatever transformation his opponent was experiencing brought theme near enough that he wasnÆt as intoxicatingly dominant as before As he advanced Velio DunnÆs image radiated out from him His body seemed to become the core of a dying star a white pinprick surrounded by cobalt flames And from within that collapsing star the suddenly dead metal of VelioÆs sword swung forward

Acri screamed out to meet the bastard sword The tip of RandidlyÆs weapon glowed cherry red Pernicious Fang of the Shade Inscrutable Mien of Yggdrasil Cosmic Necessity

Congratulations Your Skill Sharpness has grown to Level 291

Congratulations Your Skill Pernicious Fang of the Shade has grown to Level 309

Congratulations Your SKill Sharpness has grown to Level 322

Burning with Aether Nether and the queer inevitably of RandidlyÆs Primordial Nether Juju Acri ripped through VelioÆs image and met the dark grey bastard sword directly Metal kissed metal and released a humming reverberation that possessed enough power that blood spurted out of Velio DunnÆs nose and mouth Even RandidlyÆs remade mucous membranes tore slightly and began to leak blood and snot as his limbs blurred into motion

Randidly ignored the small wounds and pursued Velio who had been directly overpowered by his strike and sent drifting backward After a small moment of stillness to trigger Dreadful AlacrityÆs special effect Randidly practically teleported beneath the tumbling Velio and raised his hand with his fingers splayed outward Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Cursed Appetite of the Wraith

Velio spun around and brought his shattered images back together into a burning whole even as more crystals formed across his skin but then Randidly poured everything he had into pulling that vibrant Aether from his opponent and into himself He couldnÆt steal an opponent’s image like Raymund Ballast could but Randidly could siphon off a fair chunk of charge

Especially when his target was so brazen with it

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of the Wraith has grown to Level 368

Energy flooded into him The boost Randidly experienced made his image physicalizations briefly condensed even more fully seeming more solid than reality across his body At the same time Velio cursed and spun around RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition caught the way the thin layer of crystalized Aether spreading across his body slowed without that power fueling it

Randidly kicked off the air and accelerate upward Velio slashed downward but Dreadful Alacrity and his images flared His eyes glowed with an impossibly prescient awareness Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold The Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Ruin is Inevitable Yet This Too Shall Pass

Randidly saw the minute adjustments to VelioÆs attack even before Velio made them He squeaked underneath the blade raising Acri he did not intend to allow this battle to drag out for the full ten minutes The sooner he demonstrated to Velio he was not prey the better

His Soulseed weapon again ripped through VelioÆs defensive image and stabbed into the spot beneath VelioÆs right armpit

The feedback from penetrating just a half inch into VelioÆs flesh warned Randidly that something was wrong He narrowed his eyes and used Chimeric Impunity to rapidly generate space between them

Raw liquid Aether gushed out of the small crack that Randidly had made in the skinÆ of Velio Dunn The man sneered down at his side but none of that hostility appeared to be directed at Randidly Around the wound crystalized Aether began to spread across his side and shoulder at a rate visible to the naked eye Heh Even now I cannot escape my own sins eh A broken forsaken toy Well so be it

Velio glanced up at Randidly The radiating waves of danger he had been releasing dimmed further as his image died and cooled I never believed I was anything special My only unique trait was the fact that I survived even when so many more admirable specimens died Do you know what IÆve seen boy The feeling of watching your people turn against your god That is why you must die Because you you could open us all up to a return to that hell

You kill to protect the status quo Randidly snarled Velio DunnÆs rambling made no sense to him and he didnÆt intend to dwell on it Meanwhile his Nether Core had fully returned to its glory now erupting with extremely dense Nether as his growing Influence continued to improve the foundation of his Nether abilities The spectral flames of Weight across his body grew more numerous DonÆt you dare try and damn me with what I might do in the future

Velio appeared to be finished talking because he simply accelerated toward Randidly rather than responding Thankfully his speed hadnÆt increased as the crystalized Aether spread across him and he continued to leak liquid Aether

But the sword he swung at Randidly now was different The horrible darkness of VelioÆs image continued to intensify with that weapon at the core But even more strangely the runes across his bastard sword once more activated but didnÆt glow Instead the surface released a strange mist even in the vacuum of space

Randidly settled himself and gathered all of his force for another strike Before this broken ancient being he would not balk Man is Proud But the Chimera Takes Piercing Gaze of the Egg Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil

SCReeCH

Immediately after the weapons impacted each other he felt the wrongness Randidly furiously activated Chimeric Impunity and his powerful physical body and tossed himself to the side The mist shrouded bastard sword sliced cleanly through the space where he had just been standing

In his hand Acri keened in agony and writhed The tip of AcriÆs spear was actually made out of three appendages spun together and sharpened to a deadly edge But in the last clash Velio DunnÆs sword had completely severed one of those appendages and sheered a bit of material off of the other two

That image RandidlyÆs grimaced to look at the small bit of Acri twitching and floating in the air between them Velio smoothly pivoted and brought his sword up for another slash Crystalized Aether continued to climb up his neck and over the edge of his jaw

This then was Velio Dunn the man who had approached the Pinnacle He raised his sword slowly glaring at Randidly with the resolve to kill him within the next nine minutes

Chapter 1713

That shadowy cooling core of VelioÆs former image continued to press against the surrounding space and destabilize the environment Some very familiar discharges of electromagnetic energy crackled at the edges of the weapon RandidlyÆs brows knit together Standing before that naked blade he could so very clearly feel the difference between his image and that of Velio Dunn both in scope and detail

Randidly had his own advantages but he couldnÆt help but feel admiration for the self evident achievement of the opponentÆs power

Randidly could feel the length of time that Velio had dedicated to this image as he raised his sword and those strange strands of mist accumulated around the weapon Blade mist and then crackling lightning bolts radiated outward Randidly had been able to previously demolish VelioÆs image defenses by relying on three separate images working together but the purity of this darkness after Randidly had struck that blow

Velio blurred into motion with his impossible heavy sword raised Randidly narrowed his eyes and guided Acri to wrap around his arm Take a rest and recover buddy I donÆt think that blade is something that we can meet any longer

Acri bleated and wiggled in protest but followed RandidlyÆs instruction Which more than anything else just demonstrated how seriously the weapon was wounded

Velio surged forward and slashed downward Randidly spun sideways and avoided the strike his skin crawling as he felt the horrifying destructive power that was clustered around VelioÆs dark sword His Grim Intuition made him all too aware of what his fate would be if he met that image directly The tattooed man then raised his head and snarled at Randidly bringing the blade around in a sweep

Randidly unleashed a blast of gravity with Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart and pushed himself and Velio apart VelioÆs body did slide backward but when the sword swung around the whole way it cut cleanly through RandidlyÆs image and Skill and Velio stabilized himself There was an aura that spread out from the physical sword that completely severed everything it touched Mist and lightning was just as much blade as the metal that shivered underneath the weight of bearing that image

Randidly narrowed his eyes as his Nether and images gathered in his chest for his next attack He had recovered from his previous offensive He noticed two important facts about the current Velio with liquid Aether gushing out of his side and crystalized Aether spreading across his body

First the crystalized Aether had spread across his right shoulder most of his torso and neck but VelioÆs movements in those areas hadnÆt slowed at all They also hadnÆt increased in speed which was a relief but those crystals were pure raw energy that jolted that image from being impressive to being deadly Randidly would have appreciated if that energy boost would have at least slowed him down a bit

Second and likely it was related to the spread of crystalized Aether across his body the destructive aura around Velio DunnÆs sword was slowly growing in size The range of his deadly attacks was increasing with each second that passed

The mist and lightning stayed in the same place around the image bearing blade but a layer of dark oblivion had added itself to the mix

Velio leaned forward and pounced His dim sword ghosted back and forth in horrifying arcs that had Randidly retreating just quickly enough to stay out of reach But then when Velio cut horizontally Randidly created a burst of gravity and accelerated forward underneath the attack He twisted around and brought his massive armored tail smashed into VelioÆs waist The armored ridges of the appendage pulverized the image and cracked the crystalized Aether creeping down his torso

Congratulations Your Skill Cosmic Necessity has grown to Level 311

Velio grunted but so much of his expression was now fractured into the glittering facets of crystal across his face that Randidly couldnÆt tell how much he had truly hurt him And when the man moved gracefully to bring his sword cutting through RandidlyÆs position Randidly grimaced and hopped backward

Unfortunately he had underestimated the growth of that destructive aura for the counterattack Sulfur hissed this time as the horrifying tip of that layer of oblivion growing outward from the sword drew a shallow ditch down RandidlyÆs chest

The sword loomed in RandidlyÆs mind filling him with the professional wariness of one killer meeting another during business hours Nether and Aether surged together in RandidlyÆs chest The flames of Nether Weight continued to heighten across his skin

At this point the crystals completely covered VelioÆs expression He resembled a sort of diamond golem wreathed in ambient Aether energy as he lowered his shoulders and rushed forward with his sword dragging after him partially hidden by his bulk

Randidly huffed out a breath With Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart and his powerful body he danced forward by pushing himself to his physical and mental limits Velio responded with two sharp cuts aimed to keep Randidly back but every second saw the quality and quantity of Nether radiating out from RandidlyÆs body grow more dense and potent With that ambient Nether providing a growing amount of passive suppression to VelioÆs movements Randidly was unstoppable

Once more Randidly leaned and accelerated sharply underneath VelioÆs attacks His physical body and his fickle Chimeric Impunity earned him another shot at taking this fucker down

Gotcha Velio was turned to face him but he was too slow RandidlyÆs lower tail whipped outward and warped itself around VelioÆs right arm The horribly dangerous sword trembled and stopped moving Velio flexed both arms to fight against the binding of RandidlyÆs tail but for the moment the danger was eliminated

Barring his teeth Randidly reached out and seized upon VelioÆs crystal covered throat with his metal left hand His fingers tightened on cool and smooth solidified energy The limb was severely weakened from blocking VelioÆs attack earlier but for now it held him in place Then Randidly raised his right hand and roared out all of his fury Implacable Price of Exodus Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix Pernicious Fang of the Shade

The muscles and veins of RandidlyÆs torso bulged as he brought his fist smashing down on the briefly immobilized Velio Primordial Nether JujuÆs imposing halo spun together with the flames of Nether Weight to form an ominous momentum

The crystallized skin on VelioÆs chest shattered revealing the tattooed skin of his chest beneath RandidlyÆs eyes flashed as Velio continued to overpower his tail and drag his sword toward RandidlyÆs back But now that he had this chance he wasnÆt willing to easily let it go He raised his fist again but this time he pulled deeply from his Nether Core as he gathered himself More and more Nether spun into his knuckles until an innocuous grey bubble formed within his hand

Bearing that grey bubble with his already strained physical body set his bones aching so Randidly wasted no time in lashing out His fist fell like the kind of meteor that could wipe out an entire species

Congratulations Your Skill Pernicious Fang of the Shade has grown to Level 310

CrraaCkk

VelioÆs body stiffened as RandidlyÆs second punch smashed apart both his image and then the gushing flow of liquid Aether that he somehow contained within his body The Nether bubble that Randidly included within the attack suppressed the formation of physicalized Aether so he could crumple VelioÆs chest cavity and feel the satisfying crack of his bones Yet before Randidly could thrust his hand into VelioÆs chest and rip out his heart the Nether Bubble shook and popped

There was just a ridiculous amount of Aether circulating through VelioÆs body The natural energy that he radiated was probably enough to fuel the entirety of NrorceÆs world for a few days

Randidly grimaced at the failure and then kicked himself off of VelioÆs chest The man swayed too busy checking the status of his chest to follow after Randidly The crystalized Aether across his body quickly spread out from his new wound covering him in an even thicker layer

His image is just a fraction of what it was when he reached for the Pinnacle Randidly reflected as he observed Velio and gathered more Nether But that shard that remains that sword is deadly I thought that IÆd still be able to hurt him if the sword was the only way he could use his image but the amount of Aether heÆs channeling through his body is monstrous

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes flickered by a stray thought Is it possible that he also possesses an Aether Crossroads

Velio reached up and punched his own jaw shattering the crystallized Aether there Then he turned and spat out a mouthful of blood that floated in the weightlessness of space Afterward he turned to Randidly and did an approximation of a smile but the crystals were already crawling across his skin freezing his expression into a horrifying leer

Randidly did some quick mental calculations The more crystalized Aether covered VelioÆs body the more quickly the aura around his sword was spreading out with silent inevitability By now it stretched about a meter beyond the blade in every direction And if Randidly drew deeply on his Nether Core he suspected he could condense three Nether bubbles But it would take a while again for his Nether Core to recover afterward

If he took it he would have one shot

Acri hummed and tightened around RandidlyÆs arm signaling that it was almost recovered That was a relief at least Without Acri he didnÆt hold out much hope for seriously injuring Velio And with his Soulseed

Randidly grimaced as Velio raised his sword the aura around it blazing and then ominously silent He could not face that image directly but this sort of conflict was definitely a victory for Randidly His physical body and Nether had risen to the tier of capability that he could fight even powerful figures from the Nexus to a draw

Randidly flickered sideways and let the horrifying aura of the mist shrouded sword pass him by Under ideal circumstances but itÆs still a victory IÆm catching up

Velio twisted and cut sideways with his weapon and Randidly retreated again Very quickly he needed to make a decision Because he could either continue trying to dodge the swirling aura that this crystal man produced and wait for the ten minutes to be up or he could condense those three grey bubbles and hope to inflict a serious blow on Velio before the supercharged image spread out to cover too much space

Just like Randidly possessed the ability to survive through most things Velio probably had similar capabilities That was why he had managed to endure since the Second Cohort killing him immediately was likely out of the question But as long as he interfered with the gushing river of Aether within Velio DunnÆs chest

RandidlyÆs eyes flashed I understand how Aether Crossroads work Somehow there is a portion of an Aether Crossroads in his chest that has been consumed by the sensation of energy expulsion but usually Velio suppresses that with his powerful image With the remnant of the image he tried to use to reach the Pinnacle

He might not possess the Control to stem that flow of energy directly but with my Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae as long as I can reach into him

VelioÆs assault accelerated The aura around the sword had stretched to a meter and a half while RandidlyÆs thoughts had been racing It was a projected zone of annihilation and before it Randidly had no choice but to retreat He needed to make the decision now

RandidlyÆs lips twitched In the end it was easy A spear can only advance IÆm here IÆve finally gotten here IÆm not going to miss this chance to teach this fuck a lesson

Then Randidly turned his attention inward He didnÆt currently have confidence in piercing all the way through VelioÆs defenses even with three grey Nether Bubbles but that didnÆt mean it was impossible Within the core of the Grim Chimera all those fractions of potential had coalesced into a singular sphere The surface of that sphere released a golden light while it bulged and shook

You are me Randidly said to the Grim Chimera as its features began to warp and melt beneath the radiating energy from that sphere His image physicalizations flickered in and out of being across his body WeÆve been training and struggling for so long and its for this chance This chance to finally take action To prove that we arenÆt insane for believing that we can change the Nexus

Yggdrasil and the Stillborn Phoenix receded slightly In the triplicate image activation Randidly had felt the small note of disharmony from the Grim Chimera just barely falling behind his other images One leg of his stool was slightly different in shape than the others But it was time that changed

Error Warning Mutation detected within your Supremacy of the Grim Chimera Skillset

Chapter 1 (Revised)

Randidly Ghosthound took a deep breath to calm the buzzing in his chest and tasted the stale tang of disinfectant The cold air in the underground dormitory tunnel stank of undergraduate excess and lazy cleanup He paced along the corridor with decisive steps quickly reaching the staircase at the end Randidly raked his hand through his black hair which was falling in a mess down to his eyebrows

Rather than going up to his room Randidly turned around and retraced his steps His emerald eyes cut back and forth methodically searching the emptiness for some method to move past this tension When he reached the other end he turned around and began again He was going nowhere in this university in his life down this damn tunnel and he knew it Randidly mused over the physical act of going nowhere as he pivoted on his heel Honestly being physically stuck here wasnÆt so bad

It was the suffocating helpless sense of dissatisfaction driving him back and forth down the fifty meter tunnel His steps echoed in the enclosed space sharp rebukes of the way heÆd been living the first twenty years of his life

I donÆt belong here RandidlyÆs eyes were red when he once again reached the grey cinderblock wall and turned around

That was when it happened

Huh Randidly stopped midway through a step pushing the horrible dissatisfaction in his chest to the side

If he didnÆt know better he would say a god like entity had just spoken into his mind Or he was suddenly in a videogame and received a system announcement

Out of body situational awareness seemed to just appear in his mind System initializing What wasù

The world warped RandidlyÆs body became sliced so thinly his layers were insubstantial and infinite Bewildered by the combination of unfamiliarity and awareness he couldnÆt even scream His already strained psyche was tortured by spatial forces beyond his understanding

Without any of the delicacy of his disassembly Randidly was slapped back together He stumbled hands trembling The nervous energy transformed into a horrible certainty His body felt strange and wrong as though he lost something precious in that moment of separation That something sinister slipped between the cracks as he had been reconstructed

A Three Horned Demon Ram spawned next to him thrashing in pained annoyance where he had just been confused The monsterÆs movements launched Randidly face first into the stone wall Luckily the transfer of momentum was only glancing The charging ram had spawned practically on top of him But even the relatively light touch of the ramÆs powerful flank was enough to ensure the impact knocked him unconscious

When Randidly woke it was to a headache and several blue floating screens

Welcome to New Earth Your world has been accepted into Nexus and as such is now running on a new System to give you the tools and Skills to survive and live a fulfilling life Good luck And know your efforts will always be fairly rewarded

For more information you can view your Stats anytime by thinking Menu and then selecting Status

Congratulations Due to you being the first player in your world to receive damage the P Def Path is open to you

Congratulations Due to you being the first player in your world to observe monsters the M Support Path is open to you

Congratulations For possessing only a single Health the Risk Taker Path is open to you

Warning Your Health is extremely low Due to your low Level arrows will guide you to the nearest Safe Zone in the Dungeon

The stream of flashing blue lights mixed with RandidlyÆs concussion and clouded his vision Several seconds of staring at the sticky pool of drying blood beneath him convinced him his headache wasnÆt one curable by aspirin

And these boxes

The thought earned a frown from Randidly Are they really notifications

A thick teardrop of blood oozed down his forehead and plopped onto a partially dried patch of bloody grass His vision slowly sharpened into focus For now it seemed best to assume the notifications meant something He needed to head to a Safe Zone

Having a single Health did not sound positive

Trying his best not to panic or move too quickly fearing vertiginous repercussions Randidly stood Thick grass surrounded him And only a few meters away tall ferns spread their leafy greenery Beyond the ferns was more grass and beyond thatù

Those trees look tropical RandidlyÆs mouth twitched Why the hell am I in a jungle What sort of engineering student belongs in a jungle

Randidly forced himself to turn away Maybe he was hallucinating due to the concussion He decided to take one step at a time searching for the arrows referenced by the blue notification

He saw grass and blood Little else

Randidly blinked several times coming to a realization The pool of blood was likely covering the arrow He took several steps away from the site of his accident and a blinking red arrow on the ground revealed itself It pointed backward between his legs Randidly turned around and looked up

A faint glowing blue door in the stone wall of the underground tunnel stood directly above the pool of blood Ironically he cracked his head open on the door of the Safe Zone Feeling slightly foolish Randidly went into the room

You have entered a Safe Zone +200% to regeneration

Randidly found himself in a rather large room with a pond and a small tree Electric lights glared down from the ceiling An uncomfortable sense of how strange this situation was struck him Randidly had been walking home in the underground pathway on the Rawlands University campus But this was definitely not anything close to that

How could he possibly believe this was natural Honestly though this room was about half the size of a football field and the area ended in stone walls How did that tree get enough sunlight to grow

Randidly was 90% certain this had been a maintenance room five minutes ago

He rubbed his head and realized he didnÆt know how long heÆd been sprawled unconscious in front of the Safe Room door Sighing Randidly sat down and brought up his Status Screen waiting for his Health to regenerate

In less than an hour RandidlyÆs Health rose from 5 Health to his max of 28 Inexplicably feeling quite a bit better with full Health he decided to take a peek outside

After carefully opening the door Randidly scanned both directions The wall looked relatively normal Beyond that some sort of underground jungle dominated what used to be a tunnel Thick foliage from the ferns blocked most everything from his vision except for a few tall trunks of tropical trees peeking through the gaps The only clearing was the grassy area along the tunnel wall which extended quite a long way on either side

Randidly glanced back to the strange tree and pool of water He decisively closed the door behind him I donÆt belong here either

There were no other discernible landmarks in the sea of shifting ferns and trees Randidly kept to the wall following the trail of grass along the fern buffer at the edge of the jungle hoping to find the staircase up into his dorm at the other end The fingers of his right hand trailed across the cement wall taking comfort in the familiar texture of manmade instant stone

Twenty minutes later Randidly sprinted back toward the Safe Room His goal of escape had quickly given way to the simple desire to survive His legs trembled as he forced himself to keep going ItÆs funny how quickly you learn your place in the world when you have good teachers

His teachers two Level 24 Howler Monkeys chased him with malicious intent Bone chilling howls drooling mouths filled with sharp teeth and bloodshot eyes left Randidly with little doubt how they intended to end their lesson

Randidly flung open the door and slammed it closed behind him cutting off the nerve racking noise of the monkeysÆ screeches He bent over and vomited the contents of his stomach Randidly blinked several times and tried to categorize the discoveries on his expedition

One this underground jungle area was incredibly large and not nearly as uninhabited as he thought

Two RandidlyÆs Level of N/A was far from sufficient for fighting Level 24 enemies Not that he tried The way those bloodthirsty monkeys crossed the initial distance through the trees without him noticing spoke to their capability

Luck had been with Randidly Once the monkeys dropped from the tree their speed plummeted to just slightly higher than his own allowing him to escape by the skin of his teeth

Third the System also came with Skills While fleeing certain death Randidly learned the Running Skill and Leveled it to 3 during his mad dash to safety With every increased Level the System notifications informed him heÆd earned a PP

Randidly released a shaking breath and wiped the remnants of his sick from his lips Even with the Skill his flight had been a close thing By the time he made it back to the Safe Room his Stamina depleted to 1 The thought of continuing to move for even a second longer made his vision go dark

Randidly collapsed forward in the pondÆs direction his low Stamina leaving him with no choice but to crawl the rest of the way After slurping down water and catching his breath Randidly opened his menu

There were four options Map Status Paths and Friends List

Both Maps and Friends List were greyed out Randidly already knew what Status was so he clicked on Paths

A new menu displayed four Paths each with numbers next to them from which he could choose Newbie Path was currently 0/7 while P Def and M Supp were 0/10 Risk Taker was 0/15 In the top right there was PP 2 PP must stand for Path Points or something he thought

After a slight hesitation Randidly clicked on the Newbie Path its numbers switching to 1/7

Congratulations For spending one PP on the Newbie Path you have earned 1 Stat point

Sure enough when Randidly switched over to his Status there was a plus sign next to all of his Stats The interface seemed rather simple if not for the sheer number of Stats from which to choose Too many in fact Randidly looked at all twelve options in turn They could be self explanatory but he could find no real information available regarding how theyÆd improve He would have to learn through trial and error

A frigid hand stretched its fingers around his heart

If my Health wouldnÆt have stopped at just 1 would I have died bleeding out in front of the Safe Room door

Shaking his head Randidly pushed that thought to the side No use worrying over it now Instead he considered what to do with the Stat point He was torn between something defensive like Vit or End and something more active like Agi which would let him run faster

Struck by an idea he went back to the Path screen and clicked on Newbie

Now with 2 he put one of the Stat points into Vit and the other into Agi with a clear conscience Randidly noticed his Health went up by 2 when he put the point into Vit while his Health regen per hour went up by 3 Stamina regen increased by 1 per minute Which he supposed was pretty small in the grand scheme of things

His eyes went to the Safe Room door and he frowned I donÆt know how I ended up here but I wonÆt let this strange jungle be my grave

Chapter 2 (Revised)

Survival became the central pillar of RandidlyÆs behavior He knew nothing about living in a jungle but he understood video and tabletop games Given the obvious method of growing more powerful through Skill Levels and PP he laid out a bare bones schedule for himself

Per that plan Randidly began to jog and was soon rewarded with a delightful notification

Congratulations You have learned the Skill Physical Fitness Level 1

Will I just steadily accrue Skills by taking various actions Randidly grinned That means the speed at which IÆll gather PP will steadily increase He paused to scoop up a palmful of water to drink and returned to the grind

Randidly quickly stumbled upon a problem His schedule called for him to happily grind up his Skills while staying in the Safe Room for as long as possible increasing his capability Stat by Stat He started out quite well jumping up to Level 4 in Running and Level 2 in Physical Fitness HeÆd also gotten a more hands on understanding of his Stamina which had a powerful effect on his ability to move effectively

But he was getting hungry He stopped his exercise a light sweat coating his body from the constant exertion

Randidly sat down next to the pool and drank a few more palmfuls of water He looked at his frowning reflection The hunger had taken up residence in his stomach and was here to stay ItÆd only been three hours since his first arrival in this Safe Zone but already circumstance was prying him away from sanctuary

Gritting his teeth Randidly pressed his eyes shut and faced the truth He knew where to find food While he was lackadaisically walking through the jungle earlier heÆd spotted strange fruits and berries

But going out there

The twisted drool flinging faces of the Howler Monkeys flashed in RandidlyÆs vision Just as aggressively his stomach rumbled After much thought Randidly put two more points for Levels into the Newbie Path and added both of those free Stat points into Agi His plan was to go in and get out as fast as possible

Randidly experimentally hopped side to side while still inside the Safe Zone He was pleased to find he felt a little quicker on his feet With that extra bit of confidence he approached the Safe Room door and opened it The indoor rainforest swayed softly almost invitingly and Randidly shivered He forced himself to creep out and tiptoe toward the tree line

The forest rustled fitfully As Randidly snuck through the open space toward the line of ferns screeching calls wailed in the distance Even more ominous the immediate surroundings were completely silent and still After staring at the ferns for some time nothing changed His stomach growled prompting him to press on

Several times RandidlyÆs instincts slowed his pace Now sweating profusely Randidly took several more steps and eased himself into the leafy greenery

Once he was within the ferns it was easier to see what they concealed He took several careful steps around the feathery stalks to press up against the few trees at the edge of the rainforest

Randidly hesitated his hand against the rough barked tree trunk With his current position the ferns still screened him from any watchers His eyes rested for a few seconds on the open space beneath the trees similar to the places where Randidly had seen berry bushes further down the tree line The problem was that this portion was empty

Nothing moved Yet further out among the trees the rustling continued like the constant noise of waves lapping against the shore The longer he remained here the more nervous he was becoming He wiped the sweat from his brow

When he closed his eyes the snarling faces of those monkeys chasing him returned He blinked those images away and refocused on his current situation

Randidly could continue to move in the fern area trying his best to remain quiet or step out into the small clearing and dash in the direction he previously noticed fruits When he found them he would gather as many as he could carry and high tail it back to the Safe Zone

Because he couldnÆt quite remember how far away the berry bushes were Randidly ultimately chose the conservative sneaking route He slipped into a crouch and wove his way through the drooping ferns

As he proceeded deeper amongst the shrubbery Randidly learned Sneak Level 1 Although the first Level of a Skill didnÆt give a Path Point it still boosted his confidence that he might be able to pull this off Every careful movement would sharpen his capability ensuring heÆd be improving constantly

The thought of continuing to grow made Randidly wonder what would happen when he finally finished the Newbie Path

He wound his way forward pressing aside the ferns and occasionally pausing to peek through the trees He grew more certain with his foot placement the further he went After moving for some time Randidly glanced around a particularly thick trunk scanning for any monkey threats No animals no movement Randidly did spot a bush heavy with dark purple berries ten yards down near the edge of the tree line

He crept in that direction his breath extremely heavy in his ears When he reached the berries he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants Should he eat a couple before trying to carry them away

RandidlyÆs stomach rumbled settling the issue The walk here made him hungrier And that certainty from his stomach made the corner of RandidlyÆs mouth quirk upward If these are poisonous IÆm so screwed

Well first things first Randidly eased himself out glanced left and right then scampered to the bush He tentatively bit into a berry which was a little bit larger than a grape Sweetness filled his mouth laced in a crisp taste that reminded him of strawberries He spit out some seeds pleased to find these were good for eating Satisfied he pulled up his shirt and filled it like a pouch

When Randidly turned around pouch full he noticed he was being watched

A lime green frog about as big as a small dog sat motionless on a low tree branch gazing at him Randidly might have already walked beneath it without noticing its presence Above the frog hovered the label Level 27

Randidly backed slowly away Even if he had to take a different route back to the Safe Zone he didnÆt want to chance being chased again The frog watched him sidle sideways into the shrubbery layer tilting its head Receiving a notification that his Sneak Skill was now Level 2 Randidly turned and ran back through the ferns into the Safe Zone

He sat on the ground and focused on his breathing waiting for his pounding heart to slow He ate about half of his gathered berries spitting the seeds into the dirt by the small tree

After eating he collapsed onto his back and looked up at the stone ceiling The fluorescent electric lights of this service room must have been transformed when the rainforest took up residence The light they produced felt a lot like warm sunlight on his skin

Sitting up Randidly went to his Path Screen and put the point he earned for Sneak Level 2 into the Newbie Path getting a free Stat He checked his Status screen immediately and added the extra point to End resulting in an additional 5 points of Health and 3 of Stamina but only 25 Health regen and no Stamina regen End was more base while Vit focused on regeneration

If he had to choose between them Randidly supposed he would probably prefer to buffer up his Endurance for now Increasing the maximum value of his Health and especially Stamina was more important than anything else

But really how useful is 5 Health going to be against a Level 27 Frog Randidly reflected as he squeezed his eyes shut

Lying back Randidly did his best to fall asleep half hoping this was all a dream while the other half looked forward to tomorrow being filled with even more grinding This was far from what he wanted when he said he didnÆt belong in his stressful engineering major at Rawlands University

Even now his own heartbeat felt strange in his chest The Safe Zone helped but his neck prickled with the sense of his own vulnerability At the same time there was something about this RPG setup he appreciated even with the lurking presence of danger

The simplicity the systems the Stats

He hoped there would be a secret way of playing that allowed him to break this fucked up game

In life there were no true short cuts Or at least no hidden methods that didnÆt leave you feeling slimy The path to true self improvement was murky and filled with dead ends There was never any guarantee that effort would be rewarded

But here with the Skill Levels although his heart was pounding

Randidly felt anticipation

Chapter 1714

Please see your nearest Village Spirit

Take that last step Reach for it Randidly whispered to himself The golden seed within the Grim Chimera popped silently and from that core a wave of significance images and emotions seeped through the cracks in the Grim Chimera unwinding the base pattern of its existence It was water poured over a castle of sand The details of the image began to melt more quickly And then

Then strangely within RandidlyÆs Soulspace his Dreamcatcher of the Long Night activated for the second unexpected time during this conflict The Fatepiece resonated with the change in the Grim Chimera releasing a bright ray of meaning of its own that wove into the melting details of the image The energy and connection and significance of the destabilized image was thick and almost incestuous so strands unwound and spun together and the sources were unidentifiable

Then the undoing reached the core of the Grim Chimera Everything was tumbling apart separating into the base iotas of meaning and image Randidly hissed and stiffened slightly during those few moments a strange ringing emerged in his ear as his image was rooted out of him totally blasted apart into motes of dust and meaning and then sucked back together to condense into a new form

Several strange phenomena that existed as the opposite of ripples manifested centering on the place where the Grim Chimera once was From the uncaring cosmos a way approached from every direction at once meeting with a soft impact in the middle Those base meaning and images were buoyed along carried toward that central implosion

Once twice three times And suddenly there was a body fully formed and waiting

Time slowed in reality as RandidlyÆs thoughts accelerated to follow the shift in his image The condensed form of the newer Grim Chimera was just as monstrous but more compact Two tails still flicked behind its body one from the waist and one from the base of its neck Its left arm still was armored but the bulkiness had been stripped away Its right arm still ended in sharpened fingers Black lacquered armor stretched down across his lower body and reinforced his knees and ankles

But more than anything else looked at the face of the Grim Chimera and saw himself More than human but still a person An individual who had taken on many roles in the past and now reached for the capability to take action against the Nexus

You walked with me this entire way RandidlyÆs eyes glittered as he looked at himself But we still have much more growing to do donÆt we We will follow this Path to the end

Congratulations Your Skillset the Supremacy of the Grim Chimera has evolved into Kismet of the Evolving Creature

An evolving Creature huh The ghost of a smile danced across RandidlyÆs face Some part of him still recoiled but he couldnÆt fault the term In his heart it held too much complicated meaning to escape from it Then the flood of notifications arrived as the meaning he had absorbed surged through his Skills and warped some of them

Warning recalculating Please see

Your Skills are evolving

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of a Wraith has evolved into The Wandering Deity Demands Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill ReaperÆs Mantle of Catastrophe has evolved into The Maelstrom Entity Approaches Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill Pernicious Fang of the Shade has evolved into The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill Man is Proud But the Chimera Takes has evolved into the Vindictive Chimera Smites Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill The Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns has evolved into The Wrathful Calamity Rends Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill Ruin is Inevitable Yet This Too Shall Pass has evolved into The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence Skill Levels will be maintained

Randidly felt the new Skills of the Grim Chimera or perhaps now the Grey Creature settling within the body of the image They sharpened his claws drew the swirling ash through the air around his body and added a deific element to the bearing of the Grey Creature as he raised his head Within those Skills dealt all of the accumulation of the toil done by the human Randidly who had struggled for so long to seize the power to make a difference

He looked at himself in the reflected expression of the Grey Creature and felt a sad smile crossing his features And as I look at myself I see my sins just as strongly as I see my virtues

Perhaps due to the way he had upgraded the SkillsetÆs Rarity the mixture of Skills was somewhat eclectic But Randidly could see within them the tools he needed

For now it had to be enough

He shook himself lightly and the grey wreathed Creature he had become reached out and touched Yggdrasil and the Stillborn Phoenix The two images hesitated for a second but then quickly followed the familiar sympathy between them and merged together A booming resonance quaked RandidlyÆs body as the three images now possessed equal Rarity The combined force of his images made his chest hum

At the same time a slightly twitching Acri unwound itself from RandidlyÆs arm The wound of the severed third portion of the spearhead had scabbed over and the blade of its spear had been altered to compensate Rather than the equilateral triangle that it had been previously the wounded Acri had an edge only on one side of the head more like a glave than a true spear Strange grey ripples spread across the length of AcriÆs shaft as RandidlyÆs fingers tightened on the weapon

He couldnÆt study the effect quite yet but its seemed that Acri had only begun its long awaited evolution

Velio DunnÆs slash stretched outward from his dull sword but Randidly looked up and snorted He saw that bleak zone of annihilation swinging toward him and dismissed it out of hand The Grey Creature within him showed his hungry teeth Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold The Vindictive Chimera Smites

RandidlyÆs eyes widened purple black revelation energy as he observed the possibilities of VelioÆs attacks He reinforced his body with the hardy wood of Yggdrasil Then he raised the glave Acri and shot forward to smite this foe

Velio adjusted quickly by twisting his baleful sword around but Randidly smoothly pivoted his body handling the normally organ liquefying bursts of acceleration with ease He cut sideways and Acri pierced through the metal armor over VelioÆs thigh and tore his flesh Even as more liquid Aether bubbled out of the wound RandidlyÆs Nether Core spun furiously

And at the center of that horrifying whirlwind three grey bubbles slowly formed

Velio roared in pain as Randidly yanked Acri out before the liquid Aether could solidify and keep the weapon stuck within his body Distantly Randidly noticed that Acri was drawing a thin line of Nether out of him as well AcriÆs edge now glittered the capability to more easily cut through Aether

Unfortunately Randidly didnÆt have much time to observe the phenomenon closely RandidlyÆs tail flicked sideways to try to wrap around VelioÆs sword hand again as the man rounded on him but Velio let go of the hilt with his left hand and intercepted the tail With the other hand Velio twisted the sword to cut toward RandidlyÆs neck

Hissing RandidlyÆs image physicalizations grey more intense All three of his images flared with every ounce of potency he possessed all of his liquid Aether drops were consumed by the image physicalizations Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart The Maelstrom Entity Approaches

Congratulations Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart has grown to Level 347

Banded layers of gravity woven together using the principles of Nether that Randidly had been studying for the last several weeks snapped into place across VelioÆs body Although the manÆs face was completely covered in crystal he was so surprised by how surely RandidlyÆs Skills and images managed to restrict him that he released a rare gush of emotion At the same time a grey aura of ash and destruction seeped out from Randidly spinning and draining some of the ambient Aether from the air

Of course just as soon as his images stalled Velio VelioÆs horrifying image began to devour a path forward But that didnÆt matter much Randidly just needed his one shot

The two were so close to each other within the range of their weapons but both angled sideways so that they werenÆt quite facing one another The three grey bubbles formed in RandidlyÆs body and began drifting toward the hand that gripped Acri However Velio didnÆt solely rely on his sword RandidlyÆs pupils dilated as the crystals across VelioÆs body were being activated somehow surging with ambient light and power Just like RandidlyÆs own the Maelstrom Entity Approaches it didnÆt have much offensive power But it did restrain his movements

Not enough to slow me down Randidly barred his teeth Inscrutable Mien of Genesis Cosmic Necessity The Wrathful Calamity Rends

While the grey bubbles flowed down to the arm gripping Acri a gush of Nether flooded toward his metal left arm Across those metal fingers his image physicalizations condensed covering the wounded limb with dense and imagined armor That hand ripped downward glowing with an ominous grey light and shredding through the energy of the crystalized Aether The attack raked across VelioÆs chest ripping up crystallized energy and tearing flesh

Randidly was the man who unleashed a Calamity against his own home planet He was wrath incarnate a true force of nature He raised his weapon for the final strike one eye an inky abyss the other a pyre of emerald flame

The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock Piercing Gaze of the Egg The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil

Congratulations Your Skill Piercing Gaze of the Egg has grown to Level 264

Congratulations Your Skill The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock has grown to Level 311

Within the depths of RandidlyÆs new Grey Creature something in its deepest darkest recess shivered and opened And from that small box poured a grey relentless hatred for the Nexus that he had nursed through all of his desperate struggles to survive He hated all the horrible crimes that it had committed and continued to commit and also hated the way that the Nexus had forced Randidly to change and justify committing those same crimes

That energy swirled together with a thickening river and Nether and buoyed the three Nether Bubbles down AcriÆs length Hat hatred became a corrupting aggravating power that filled the strike Velio was howling and cutting his way toward RandidlyÆs neck again with his sword but Randidly executed a basic thrust with such keen intensity that Velio couldnÆt keep up

Congratulations Your Skill Sharpness has grown to Level 323

Acri cut through the small and desperate image defense and cut deeply into the flesh that RandidlyÆs fingers had raked earlier The luminous image of the golden roots spread outward and seized upon the wound holding it wide in the face of the surging tide of liquid Aether that Velio Dunn contained

And into that breach the three Nether Bubbles advanced Velio was howling and Randidly was trembling as he used as much of his Primordial Nether Juju as he could to force those Nether Bubbles just a little bit deeper The muscles of his elbow shoulder back and waist flexed and popped

The Bubbles slammed into the sea of Aether rushing inside of Velio and briefly forced it back Unfortunately the first Bubble popped on impact The second soon followed as the waves surged back and smashed against the invading energy

But the third

Randidly grinned and reached through the beachhead established by the attack and plunged his mental awareness into someone elseÆs sea of Aether Immediately his Nether Core released a keening wail as it struggled to maintain the connection between them

The sensation of entering that Aether was almost exactly like jumping off a dock and into a frigid ocean The shock of foreign energy was dangerously invigorating The waves surged forward to drown him but Randidly spun his capability outward his 2392 Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae demonstrating its overwhelming dominance

He was surrounded by wild energy but it had no master With RandidlyÆs understanding of Aether he opened up a path and surged directly to the heart of this sea of Aether Thankfully what he found there was not an Aether Crossroads It was only a unilateral connection a direct leak of Aether into the body of Velio Dunn

He didnÆt slow to question why this connection was unilateral He simply surged forward deeper and deeper But strangely there was a dormant image glowing around that core area of the Aether source Randidly grimaced but reached out his mental energies anyway He couldnÆt waste this chance to investigate this strangeness

He struck

When his Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae impacted that remnant a brief image appeared in RandidlyÆs mind Two figures stood on a raised obsidian dais that was covered in flickering patterns of Engravings RandidlyÆs eyes widened in recognition as he looked at the two individuals Her face and body was changed more alien and emotionless but Yystrix Yule was clearly on the figure on the left

And the figure on the right

You have been made in my image Elhume Yule announced His eyes were so bright that they stabbed at Randidly as their gaze met Work hard

The impact of that image remnant smashed RandidlyÆs awareness into a daze just as his Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae gripped and twisted the source of Aether

Chapter 1715

Claudette watched the fight between Randidly Ghosthound and Velio Dunn develop with complicated emotions surging through her heart On the one hand that drifting observer at the bottom of the numb pool felt a thrill of fear as she watched the situation develop VelioÆs sharp words had been the first time that someone had so casually threatened her completely ignoring the massive existence that her father had always been That threat cut through the long shadow in which she had always lived because she saw in VelioÆs eyes that he meant it

He would truly kill her just to infuriate Don Beigon Because he was insane

Opposite this crazed individual on the battlefield Randidly was a recent arrival to the Nexus that had already climbed to the role of Head Drill Sergeant for the special recruitment to deal with the Nether incursion And from all reports from the Fifth Cohort his Elite Squad was impressing everyone In terms of potential no one would deny he had plenty In the future he could grow into a pillar of Military High Command

Even if Claudette was worried about the murky methods the Ghosthound used to fuel his rapid growth she wanted to hold onto the hope that he could help her seize control of her life He could finally help her escape the depths of this pool

So as the two opposite figures had mobilized their images Claudette had resolved herself and began to conjure her own image She needed to be ready A chilling cold crept out into the space around her A sword sticking out of the coldest ice in the world resided in her chest freezingly the blood flowing through her body ClaudetteÆs eyes were sharp Sshe would intervene in the fight if Randidly started losing too badly

Velio might act tough Claudette tried to reassure herself as Velio started unleashing image attacks and battering the Ghosthound But there is no way that he would just challenge my father With my identity I can definitely protect Randidly

However just as Claudette was torn between disappointment that Randidly wasnÆt actively fighting back and the realization she might need to strike much more quickly than she had expected an abrupt shift occurred The aura around Randidly Ghosthound transformed His body language opened up and he flexed his limbs ClaudetteÆs eyes widened as she saw his muscles begin to flex across his body Then Randidly began to move too quickly for Claudette to track with her eyes

After several brutally powerful strikes that shook ClaudetteÆs bones even from afar the two figures separated There was a small wound on VelioÆs shoulder that began to bleed raw energy Once more the fight shifted VelioÆs sword lost its luster even as his image spiked upward in horrible deadliness

ClaudetteÆs heart began to beat faster as she looked down at the battle Watching that first serious clash she couldnÆt avoid having a depressing realization If I try to interfere in a fight between the two of them

Looking at Randidly GhosthoundÆs image Claudette would admit it was more powerful than her own even if she was confused by how many different notes she sensed within the image he utilized However that difference was small Claudette believed that they could still fight on even terms

Comparatively all Claudette could feel as she looked at VelioÆs sword was dread

Both accelerated and fought once more Velio cut with his sword and sheered off a portion of the GhosthoundÆs weapon Although Randidly could remain ahead of VelioÆs image by relying on his physical body he could no longer meet VelioÆs strikes directly Then just as Claudette was again trying to decide whether she could intervene Randidly ducked under that horrifying image and smashed into Velio

Again he blithely overcome the vast difference in quality in between their images by relying on his physical body and Nether There was something captivating about the way he moved so effortlessly to advance and retreat And during that advance Randidly ripped open VelioÆs thigh flooding the space with even more ambient energy The two parted again Claudette for the life of her could not understand how or why the fight was developing in this manner

How could a physical body fight against an image Why were the wounds against Velio flooding the surroundings with Aether

Velio roared in fury and charged forward and once more Randidly began to retreat moving so quickly to avoid the slashes that his body seemed to be flickering in and out of existence It was around this point that Claudette admitted to herself that she would not be able to meaningfully affect the outcome of the fight going on below her

no matter what I was right ClaudetteÆs eyes sharpened as she tried to capture the brutally quick movements of the combatants Randidly Ghosthound is not a typical fighter He possesses means that go beyond the norm ItÆs still a gamble a horrible impossible one but perhaps he might truly be able to change my future

Suddenly the aura around Randidly evolved once more A wreathe of grey power spread around his body and somehow he looked different The shift in his image wasnÆt extremely profound but suddenly all those disparate notes the had been releasing swam together in a grand current everything was balanced where there had been a note of disharmony previously

Armed with this new change Randidly once more shot toward his foe with his spear raised Velio seemed to expect this offensive and lashed out several times but Randidly was too quick He appeared next to Velio and attempted to bind the otherÆs hands The details were fuzzy in ClaudetteÆs vision but Velio avoided the capture

Then Randidly just seemed to stare at Velio Dunn briefly forcing him into perfect clarity in ClaudetteÆs vision The shadow of the image that Randidly utilized gripped the surroundings with such force fanned the flames of ClaudetteÆs hope

Those spiraling images within Randidly spun together and he struck VelioÆs body blurred into motion as he pulled his horrible sword to cut into the Ghosthound but

But then there was a ripple of something innocuous and overwhelming from the location on VelioÆs chest that Randidly had attacked It spread rapidly outward from the two figures now locked into a frozen state By the time that the ripple reached Claudette hundreds of meters away the details had dissipated She simply saw a brilliant white light and heard a confident voice

work hard

Then the ripple had passed leaving Claudette with a horrible headache After shaking herself several times and activating Healing Frost the pain began to ease Her vision cleared and instantly she looked down at the battlefield below

The two fighters were oddly still But it was not the stillness of a standoff but a more chaotic scene Randidly was drifting back away from Velio a metal hand raised and pressed against his head His face was warped in a agonized grimace If Claudette had a headache from getting hit with whatever that was from so far away she could only imagine how vicious it was to be directly next to the epicenter

Meanwhile Velio was also extremely still His gaze was locked onto Randidly but it was hard to tell what he was thinking based on the crystal covering most of his body But from his slow but steady movements he wasnÆt nearly as affected as Randidly had been He could move but he chose not to

Gritting her teeth Claudette forced herself to approach This stillness was her chance to diffuse some tension She flitted forward rapidly closing the distance to the two fighters

Velio Dunn slowly raised his sword almost perfunctorily Despite the obvious pain that he was experiencing Randidly also managed to raise his weapon in response The athletic young manÆs brow twitched and it was clear that he was having difficulties keeping his eyes open The two stood opposite each other their weapons raised reminding Claudette of two statues standing guard opposite one another around one of the gates into the Beigon compound

The noise made ClaudetteÆs stomach drop but she realized that neither had moved Instead the crystal layer that had been steadily forming over Velio since the fight had started was now drying and cracking The ambient energy in the surroundings began to diminish now that Velio wasnÆt just churning it out By the time Claudette arrived above the two figures the crystals began to flake away revealing patches of VelioÆs skin

But the stillness between them wasnÆt enough for Claudette to relax While VelioÆs image continued to creep outward and fill her with fear RandidlyÆs image was faltering and fading

Velio didnÆt even acknowledge ClaudetteÆs arrival he just kept staring at Randidly Then the crystal across his face shattered and pieces fell away His revealed expression was one of incredible intensity as he continued to stare at Randidly His shoulders rose and fell with his heavy breathing

You Velio finally said He abruptly moved a meter forward closing part of the distance between them but just as soon as he started he stopped as though he suddenly second guessed his decision to attack

His eyes narrowed Randidly simply watched and waited The notes of the images around him continued to fade He was fighting to keep his power flared but it seemed his mental wound was quickly strangling him

IsnÆt this enough Mr Dunn Claudette licked her lips surprised at how rusty her voice sounded I believe the ten minutes have passed

Even Claudette inwardly cringed as she said the lie But at the moment she couldnÆt figure out what else to say Because it was obvious that after that strange ripple Randidly could no longer keep up with the overwhelming image of Velio Dunn

Velio didnÆt even appear to hear her His expression continued to flicker From a deep fury to a sense of wistful nostalgia to a desolate expression of fear finally to a strange sense of wonder The lines around his eyes and mouth were shifting constantly leaving Claudette wondering just how deeply disturbed this man was

If nothing else it definitely proved he would willingly attack Claudette Beigon

Finally something like his previous seriousness returned He nodded slowly eyes still on Randidly Ghosthound I owe you a favor For being dumb enough to charge in like that And IÆll pay it by letting you off of our deal for the time of the duel But

Suddenly Velio DunnÆs expression was incredibly bitter once more But his image extinguished itself ceasing its slow and destructive expansion For a second his sword was just a dull grey weapon then cobalt runes glimmered to life across the weapon He sheathed his sword in the sheath on his back and crossed his arms The fact that you were able to damage the memory fragment that has cursed me for a thousand years It just proves how much you resemble him I cannot

Then Velio turned away leaving a bewildered Claudette to approach the mentally wounded Randidly Ghosthound

Chapter 1716

If there was any justice in the world Nrorce reclined on the chair his gaze up on the stars The goblin swirled his drink as he considered the dark sky You would be able to thrash that oblivious son of a bitch HeÆs lucky to know a woman like you

Helen couldnÆt help it she giggled The powerful mead brewed by Nrorce filled her with warmth even though her Stats meant that the sense of intoxication never moved past a feeling of weightlessness Yea well itÆs been a long while since I could threaten him And if you didnÆt like Randidly why did you bring him back to work on your farm

Honestly Because I thought that he would hate the work Who would have thought that secretly he was a farming enthusiast The goblin man said with disgust earning another laugh from Helen But then Nrorce shook his head No obviously I have nothing against your talented friend Just I know from experience how idiotic men can be How much we can miss because we are wrapped up in our own lives

For several long seconds the two stopped speaking simply looking up and admiring the glimmering diamonds in the sky above NrorceÆs planet But soon the beauty of the scene made Helen extremely exhausted in the silence She might not like it but now was the time They had danced around the topic for several days during their talks but she felt her mouth moving to address it Nrorce

However both of them straightened and looked toward the South gate before she could finish her question They exchanged a glance stored away the chairs and mead and then hurried down to the South gate

Spatial distortions were small but the Engravings around the farm lit up and revealed someone was accessing the white lightning corridor

When they arrived Helen felt her heart drop out of her chest Randidly was leaning heavily against Claudette Beigon clearly having difficulty remaining conscious His tail was limp at his waist and Acri was cooing in concern around its masterÆs arm There were no wounds that Helen could see on his body but she could immediately feel even though he wore the image suppression gloves that his aura was feeble

What the hell happened Helen snapped immediately moving next to the two of them and taking RandidlyÆs weight from Claudette Randidly was so out of it that he didnÆt even struggle HelenÆs eyes were sharp as she looked at the other woman with suspicion

Claudette shook her head vigorously and raised her hand as though to show she didnÆt have any weapons I It was

But RandidlyÆs muttering silenced both of them I had to get it Helen I got Tellus in the Alpha Cosmos So so if you want to visit home I can finally Shal

He trailed off and at the same time RandidlyÆs body stiffened The force of his involuntary grip on HelenÆs shoulder was probably enough to leave a bruise but she didnÆt flinch as she felt some of her veins rupture Helen felt a small spark of joy at the news Tellus was part of the Alpha Cosmos but now wasnÆt the time to focus on that She gave Claudette Beigon another sharp glance noticing the womanÆs sundress pristine blonde hair and general look as though she was on holiday

Claudette waved her empty hands We we moved while the Swacc Family was supposed to be distracted by attacks on their other bases we acknowledged it might be a trap but Randidly insisted And after we showed up at the planet that Randidly wanted after he started doing whatever it was he was doing Velio Dunn showed up Before Randidly had even finished the process Velio ambushed him And then

They fought Helen finished It wasnÆt hard to extrapolate the rest from there Whatever strange tension ran through Randidly abruptly relaxed and his bone grinding grip on her shoulder eased She took the opportunity to move closer to him sliding her arm around his waist and pressing her hipbone up against his

Being so close to Randidly made Helen very aware of how large he was His heartbeat thundered through every inch of him she could feel it with any portion of her body that was against his His limbs were long almost too long and as sleek his muscles seemed from afar they were firm and radiating heat that soon had Helen sweating Helen bit her lip and looked around at the worried face of Claudette I think I think I can take him somewhere that he will be able to heal But

Nrorce was suddenly there his small eyes narrowed as he prodded RandidlyÆs chest Huh Just giving him time to recover will take a very very long time I recognize this heÆs been hit with a Mandate It’s an old Nexus punishment But this fellow is sturdy ainÆt he Most people have their Classes shattered by experiencing something like this Heh You werenÆt kidding about how stubborn he was

Then Nrorce leaned back and looked up at Helen but this sort of injury Willpower isnÆt enough It depletes something vital from your Aether

The goblin trailed off still staring up at Helen His eyes were suspicious and helpless She could read what he was asking in his narrowed eyes and the tilt of his head

Is he worth it

the reason that he was injured was due to me Because I couldnÆt protect him during his work Claudette said She put a hand over her collarbone I will pay any price in order to help him recover I can acquire some medicine through my fatherÆs connections

What he needs is Aetherium Nrorce responded not even bothering to look at Claudette The blonde woman sucked in a breath If you can scrape that up be my guest

Aetherium Helen asked She moved RandidlyÆs arm across her shoulders and he obligingly slumped against her body The closer he got to her the more overwhelming his heat was But despite his size HelenÆs physical Stats meant that he felt so so very light in her arms

Nrorce nodded slowly essentially a chunk of raw meaning Pure perfect meaning I believe that it is possible for certain individuals to refine it using several powerful images But since I donÆt think any of us can do something like that right So we need to rely on the raw form

ItÆs a byproduct Claudette whispered of when someone takes the Path to the Pinnacle and fails When their image shatters the goodÆ parts become chunks of Aetherium

Nrorce nodded slowly the wrinkles on his face deepening Then he turned away Follow me Bring the kid before I change my mind

You have been made in my image Work hard

Randidly grimaced as the powerful image that clung to his psyche pulsed again sending out a wave of power that pressed against everything that he was At this point he had totally lost sensation in his physical body He could ground himself with his connection to the Alpha Cosmos and Nether Core but that repeated burst of memory was steadily eroding RandidlyÆs sense of self He could feel himself drifting a plastic bottle bobbing across an endless sea of meaning

Congratulations Your Skill Lesser Aether Inoculation has grown to Level 199

Perhaps Randidly would have been able to resist the significance of this memory at his peak But Randidly had gone through the absorption of Tellus and then the fight against Velio Dunn prior to being thrown into this situation Both his images and his Nether Core had been pushed to their limits and into that exhausted shell this horrible image invaded

Congratulations Your Skill Lesser Aether Inoculation has grown to Level 200

Randidly didnÆt even have the spare energy to examine the memory and look for extra meaning or identify when or where it was from Randidly simply had to spin his three images together into a tighter and tighter mass resisting the memoryÆs inexorable tide His Class and Skills creaked and groaned underneath its influence His Nether Core was hanging by a thread unable to generate enough Nether to withstand its force

The image pulsed again A horrible ache ran through the core of Randidly Ghosthound And at the same time some part of him felt a powerful pang of embarrassment

Was Velio Dunn seriously suppressing this inside of himself the entire time and I was only able to fight him to a fucking draw

There were a few benefits to the agonizing process of resistance however As with all training the difficulty made it an especially good experience His three images were more tightly integrated than Randidly had ever managed to accomplish in the past necessity had shoved them together As a result the previously diffuse power that Randidly usually wielded with them had been concentrated

The only problem was how weak each individual image currently was in comparison to Velio Dunn

Suddenly a new pulse arrived and caused RandidlyÆs concentration to briefly slip Because instead of the strange portrait of Elhume and Yystrix the source was behind him deeper within his Soulspace

Randidly twisted his focus around and examined the new arrival Compared to the domineering grip of the words of Elhume this new memory/image was warm And almost loving Its pulses that spread throughout Randidly werenÆt trying to warp him in the same way as the first He only hesitated for a split second before he dragged most of his remaining consciousness over to the gently undulating memory

Randidly sank into it easily And suddenly all of the mental pain he had been enduring vanished The change was so abrupt that Randidly sucked in a breath His Nether Core stabilized and began churning out vast amounts of thick Nether that could swirl around his person His images could lick their wounds and Yggdrasil released a pulse of healing aura through all three of them Rapidly they began to recover RandidlyÆs foggy awareness cleared giving him time to look around

Underneath the continued influence of the Elhume memory Randidly could sense this warm image slowly being worn down It was being consumed to protect him But at the same time Randidly felt himself rapidly strengthening There was something so very real about the memory Even just being inside of it gave Randidly a sense of peace

In the memory the sun on his skin was warm He was standing on a grass covered hill At the base of the hill there was a waist height stone wall And upon that stone wall a small blue skinned goblin was spinning

Daddy daddy The young goblin called She did a clumsy roll across the top of the stone wall and then popped back up to her feet What this Shadow Daggers

The young goblin struck a pose Liquid shadow flowed up from her shadow and into her hands quickly forming into two daggers When they had completely formed she flailed wildly through the air threatening to overbalance herself with her wild and aggressive movements

A younger and kinder looking Nrorce chuckled as he walked on the dirt path along the wall Very impressive Ivlin Very cool Promise youÆll protect daddy if any monsters show up

Chapter 1717

Congratulations Your Skill Lesser Aether Inoculation has grown to Level 242

His sleep was fitful right up until the moment his eyes snapped open

Randidly pushed himself off the bed His vision was blurry but soon the surroundings settled back down and he identified the room around him as being one of NrorceÆs guest rooms His long legs stretched off the end of the goblin sized bed Randidly grimaced and rolled over onto his stomach His shin scraped over the bed frame After groaning he reached out blindly Luckily someone had placed a barrel of water next to the bed which Randidly picked up and rapidly guzzled a few gallons down

Then he sighed and rubbed his forehead

The arrival of that strange memory of Nrorce and Ivlin had given him a much needed respite However when that memory had eventually faded before ElhumeÆs horrible encouragementÆ Randidly had to return and fight against the memory all on his own Even at his best it had been a brutal and strained confrontation And one that he definitely would have lost if not for his recent growth in Influence Only by relying on the powerful anchoring of his Nether Core had he been able to wear down the memory

Now that he had finally managed to disperse it and heal some of the damage to his Class and Skills he had forced himself awake to check on the situation

Right on cue Helen walked into the room with a plate filled with an egg diced red peppers and sausage scramble RandidlyÆs mouth twitched into a smile and he showed his thanks by digging directly into the food Helen watched him in silence

After clearing the plate Randidly worked his jaw Even words felt somewhat difficult right now How long was I out

Two weeks Helen responded She examined him closely Fucking nerve wracking Are you are you completely recovered Nrorce said there might be lingering damage to your image even with the help

Randidly waved a hand So the memory did come from Nrorce IÆm surprised his image was so powerful IÆve actually dealt with something similar in the past At the time I definitely had to spend a lot of effort to recover from the damage But having dealt with it before means I fared a lot better now With that assistance

Finally Randidly paused And then he looked over at Helen That memory that I saw Of Nrorce and Ivlin Why was it so powerful

Helen went somewhat pale for several seconds She pressed her lips together I didnÆt know what sort of thing it was that Nrorce gave you So it was well from what Claudette was saying what he gave you was something precious called Aetherium Something that is only created when someone tries and fails to walk the Path of the Pinnacle The successful pure images that someone uses to get there canÆt truly be destroyed so they are crystallized

RandidlyÆs skin prickled as he digested that information Then the thing that had been used to help him overcome that memory of Elhume was an image remnant and a powerful one And one so pure that Randidly hadnÆt even noticed it was an image but thought it was just a pure memory And based on what the Randidly had heard from the visiting goblins who had begged Nrorce and from the content of the memory

That Aetherium was one of the last things Nrorce had of his deceased daughter Nrorce had sacrificed that precious thing to help him

unless he thinks IÆll be able to give it back to him RandidlyÆs stomach contracted He was still exhausted but that wasnÆt a high priority right now Where is Nrorce I should definitely speak with him

He Helen hesitated then shook her head with confidence Her braid swayed behind her back He hasnÆt left his inner room since we took you in there to get the Aetherium I think right now he needs a bit more time even before you thank him But also there is something that I need to show you

Randidly tilted his head to the side but Helen just gave him a sad look and gestured for him to follow Randidly ducked under the narrow thresholds as she led him out of the small lowset building and onto the hill Outside he sucked in a breath of fresh air but immediately he could tell this difference The scent was different His pupils dilated as he looked around at the farm below them What the hell

The grass across the hill and fields below was stiff and yellow The crops were wilting Even the domesticated bears seemed to be leaner and more listless than Randidly remembered This much had changed in two weeks of sleep

Helen spoke in a quiet voice I believe that the Aetherium that Nrorce gave you was what was sustaining this place It naturally released raw energy into the surroundings and made this place so pure And now

She didnÆt need to finish Randidly could see the results for himself While his eyes continued to scan the surroundings Grim Intuition blasted outward giving him a broader view of the surrounding kilometers on the surface of this planet And while NrorceÆs farm was steadily fading the broader surface of the planet had already died

Randidly sensed huge floods of refugees moving across the countryside Sluggish trains of small goblins carried as many of their belongings as they could manage and trudged stubbornly forward taking a winding path toward the least desolate place on their entire planet For now none of the groups had reached NrorceÆs farm But soon

But I can change this Randidly trembled Although IÆm full right now as long as I increase my power I can bring this planet into the Alpha Cosmos And then all these people the sacrifice that Nrorce made to help me recover

Randidly gritted his teeth and turned to Helen You can you stay here Let me know when Nrorce leaves I I want to make sure he knows how much he appreciates what he did And also that I can bring this planet into the Alpha Cosmos too I wonÆt let him just sacrifice his planet for me

Helen nodded Despite his strong words Randidly felt guilty and sick as he turned away and began to walk toward the gate out of the farm Several times he stopped and turned around to look through that home sunken into the browning hill But he gritted his teeth and kept going He couldnÆt just barge into NrorceÆs private room with an apology With the time dilation inside of the shaft Randidly could recover the rest of the way before Nrorce was done anyway

In addition he wanted to get used to the new Grey Creature image and how all three images merged together Even more valuable than the combination method through his experience Randidly had been exposed to two images so powerful that they had become memory indistinguishable from memory Or perhaps they were a memory so powerful they generated a natural image Either way the experience reminded him so much of entering the Nether Prince on the frontlines that he knew there had to be a connection between the two Plus the sharp detail of those definitely could be used as a launching off point to refine his own image further

A message from Claudette distracted Randidly as he left the farm I hear you finally woke up

Randidly wondered when Claudette and Helen got close enough to message each other But then he supposed that Claudette must have been the one to drag him back to NrorceÆs Yes I know your deadline is coming up for beginning the process but you donÆt need to worry IÆm heading for some time dilation now IÆll be prepared

IÆm glad to hear it but IÆm messaging you now about other issues Claudette responded Honestly it might have just been easier if you remained unconscious The Imperium Ball is in three days So we need to be ready for that And also I wanted to ask you something You mentioned about the planet something about an Alpha Cosmos What exactly does that mean

Randidly let his breath hiss out through his teeth He reached up and rubbed his temples Claudette finding out about the Alpha Cosmos felt like one more shock to his exhausted system But still Randidly supposed that he would have told her eventually he couldnÆt really hide the fact he had absorbed a planet into himself

but this conversation came a little bit more quickly than he had expected

It will be easier to show you than to explain Randidly sent back a message after several seconds Will you be able to get out of the Beigon Compound and meet me in the Web below the Nexus

Claudette responded quickly Sure YouÆve been asleep for two weeks plenty of time for my fatherÆs observation to slacken IÆll meet you there

Don Beigon held the memory crystal that Fellador had provided for him of the excursion his daughter and that boy Ghosthound had taken and squeezed it After a flash of light he found himself teleported to the place where Fellador had observed the entire thing The details were somewhat blurry but the impression of images was extremely clear due to FelladorÆs strange senses

The Don had planned on watching the memory much sooner but unfortunately the blatant challenge that the Ghosthound had issued on the gates of the Beigon Estate had been more problematic than anticipated Which more than proving anything about the Ghosthound made it abundantly clear that Commandant Wick was just using the boy as a front and stirring up trouble in the shadows

Plus his daughter had returned safely So he hadnÆt truly made it a priority to understand their brief skirmish with the forces of the Swacc Family

After watching the memory a single time Don Beigon was pale If he hadnÆt been so scared of what he had just seen he would have immediately summoned Fellador and beaten him ruthlessly for failing to indicate how important this development was

Of course Fellador would have no way of understanding the import of the images contained within the memory But it would at least work off some of BeigonÆs nerves He began watching again studying everything more closely

First the Ghosthound had somehow absorbed a planet into himself and experienced a surge of growth in terms of his Nether Don Beigon had enough familiarity with Nether to know that whatever the boy was doing was much more profound than either the Nether Lattice of the flawed cores of Solomon Rex He might very well be a genius in regards to Nether

Next the Ghosthound managed to rely on Nether and his physical body to fight Velio Dunn to a standstill Obviously VelioÆs image was much more powerful but the Ghosthound was able to circumvent that

Finally

Don Beigon licked his lips The final frozen moments of the confrontation between the Ghosthound and Velio Dunn made him very very nervous He examined it from every angle he could in the memory crystal making sure there couldnÆt possibly be a mistake Then he sent out a message

For ten minutes he waited his anxiety steadily growing He tried to sip tea to calm his nerves but the liquid was ash in his mouth So he just sat and sweated

Finally there was a flicker in the air A glowing blurry figure manifested within the core area of the Beigon Estate completely bypassing the powerful sealing Engravings that were some of the most powerful of its kind in the Nexus That blurry figure then turned and looked at Don Beigon The weight of ElhumeÆs attention made the Don shudder

He spoke haltingly struggling against the weight of the otherÆs presence Randidly Ghosthound has somehow managed to loosen Velio DunnÆs seal I do not know how fully but

There were several long seconds as the projection of ElhumeÆs will simply looked at Don Beigon And then that projection vanished leaving the Don to slump over in his wicker chair and shiver

Chapter 1718

Randidly was rather surprised that he didnÆt need to wait long inside the Web before the target of his image refinement arrived Only after about ten minutes of meditating within the shaft Claudette Beigon fluttered downward riding on a board of ice She settled next to his floating position on a long cable and nodded toward him

But even through his current exhaustion RandidlyÆs gaze sharpened as he saw how pale she was Claudette Is something wrong What happened Did your father

To RandidlyÆs surprise she laughed at his concern Her expression was helpless with her lips parted several times without speaking any words She could only shake her head and slap her cheeks to wake herself up I I donÆt know what to make of it But when I was departing from the Estate I saw the announcements posters have been plastered up everywhere in the Nexus Military High Command and NLC have issued a joint decree Velio Dunn is a wanted man They are offering a pure Nexus Citizenship Coin for any word that leads to his capture Dead or alive

Randidly literally couldnÆt wrap his head around the news His head throbbed painfully what

Claudette gave him a sympathetic smile The Swacc Family has now come out and said that the Unitarium revealed was due to DunnÆs plot framing the Family for stealing from the Engraving Guild Obviously thatÆs polar bear shit but the big movers in the Nexus are all pursuing him with genuine force They arenÆt contradicting that story Do you think

Claudette gave him an uneasy look RandidlyÆs skin prickled as his mind moved in the same direction She didnÆt need to finish her question for Randidly to understand she wanted to ask whether the sudden pursuit of Velio Dunn had anything to do with them

And honestly

Randidly flexed his hands I definitely could believe that our fight and the capabilities I showed during it were enough to attract the attention of the powers that be in the Nexus the problem is the scope of the response both orthodox factions And that the entire Nexus government is solely targeting Velio Did they find residue from my Nether RItual and assume he was responsible for it It seems foolish to assume that our fight didnÆt somehow cause this but is it possible that after I took that burden of that memory Velio went out and did something unrelated to me

Either way Randidly quickly snapped back to focus At the very least they werenÆt outwardly targeting him That was a good sign He offered Claudette a hand IÆll use my resources to investigate this In the meantime IÆm still not at my best LetÆs just go ahead and enter time dilation so we have some time to recover and consider And since you asked itÆs time to show you my Alpha Cosmos

For a brief moment a hint of humor played across ClaudetteÆs lips as she took RandidlyÆs offered hand Her fingers were extremely cool against his You know most men donÆt rely on setups this elaborate to entice me to touch them If nothing else I applaud your industrious methods

Randidly chuckled dryly Please Our relationship is strictly professional Besides if my well I have someone who would be very unhappy to hear you make those jokes Anyway you are going to feel a strange force teleporting you DonÆt resist it

Claudette tilted her head to the side and studied Randidly You

Congratulations Your Skill (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos has grown to Level 301

Before she could say more Randidly pulled her to within his Alpha Cosmos and the blonde haired woman vanished Randidly patted his stomach and then burped The physical action did nothing to rid him of the discomfort Randidly could only make a face in the darkness of the shaft Heh IÆm still so full from absorbing Tellus that even letting someone into the Alpha Cosmos gives me indigestion

But at the same time Randidly began to drift down through the air allowing gravity and the flow of significance to pull him down toward the depths The Stillborn Phoenix released a wave of concentrated emotions upward and began to breatheÆ absorbing the ambient emotions in the shaft The wind ruffled RandidlyÆs longer hair My Alpha Cosmos might be stuffed but my Nether Core is certainly rebounding quickly

RandidlyÆs Nether Core had stabilized while he was unconsciously recovering but since he had woken up it had rapidly been releasing thick and silky Nether that flowed through his body and steadily reinforced his veins His Influence had already reached 48 111 having more planets within his Alpha Cosmos greatly increased his ability to generate Influence although nothing could compare to the speed of absorbing planets At this rate he would soon pass fifty thousand But since he had already made it to this point without having time to get the Nether methods from Claudette he vaguely intended for a hundred thousand to be his evolution point

More Influence meant that there was more volumeÆ to the Nether coursing through his core deepening his foundation As such Randidly was shocked to find that a grey bubble was naturally forming within that powerful new maelstrom in his Nether Core The accumulation was extremely slow probably it would take a few weeks for a complete bubble to condense In addition Randidly sensed that his Nether would only generate one natural bubble at a time But still the improvement made the experience of fighting against Velio Dunn worth it

Having those bubbles available was a powerful weapon Especially since his increasingly powerful image physicalization meant that he was losing drops of liquid Aether as quickly as they formed

but now I need to pay back Nrorce for sacrificing his planet RandidlyÆs brow furrowed Everything has its costs

While he continued to descend he contacted Neveah to help Claudette find a comfortable spot within his Alpha Cosmos to train Then he sent messages to Edraine and Octavius telling them about his fight against Velio Dunn the strange image remnant he had seen and affected and now the announcement of the pursuit of the ancient dog of the Swacc Family Those two had their fingers more closely on the pulse of the Nexus they would try and ferret out what was happening much more easily than he could

For a few seconds Randidly considered sending a message to Commandant Wick about the situation as he was his direct superior in Military High Command But Randidly didnÆt trust the bear man at all Directly revealing his capabilities was not something that he wanted Even now thinking of his image and the overtures that the Commandant had made toward him made his skin crawl

Instead he leaned forward and activated Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart to descend more quickly The ambient Nether rapidly rose and the rush of significance began to accelerate the time he experienced He blasted past the fifty percent Nether content layer and rushed through the zone filled with porcelain guards before they could swarm around him

Only when he had descended and settled at his familiar perch above the Nether Gatekeepers did Randidly relax and decelerate Eventually he settled quite a bit nearer to the Nether Beings than usual but he intended to keep the scope of his activities small He released a long breath adding two thin streams of steam to the murky darkness His Nether Core swirled giving him plenty of independence from the hungry mass of significance that waited below

His mind quickly settled into a low activity state His pulsed slowed His powerful body might have healed but RandidlyÆs mental blurriness was becoming a serious problem With the help of some gentle pules from Yggdrasil he gradually wiped away the strain that had accumulated in that brief fight His mental acuity slowly returned

He continued to slowly breathe taking almost a full hour for both his inhale and exhale The air circulated through his body in powerful waves Energy and images spun together through him and reinforced each other As his mind remained settled in that deep state some subconscious part of Randidly moved through his three images and adjusted their peripheries until they were even more conducive to each other

Occasionally RandidlyÆs eyelids would twitch and his eyelashes would flutter But ultimately he stayed in that one position for another three days allowing all of the exhaustion to pass through him and out of him His muscles gradually relaxed This time he did not rush to wake

So when his eyelids twitched for the final time and then his eyes opened to reveal emerald irises his gaze was sharp and cutting The force of his Willpower spread out through air gripping the surroundings with such force that space began to distort Some of the nearby Nether Gatekeepers paused in their own meditation and over at him with strange gazes

But quickly Randidly eased up his focus Then he patted himself and did a mental check up His gaze steadily wandered until he looked rather helplessly at his left arm His forearm was warped and a small portion of the elbow had been directly annihilated The fight against Velio Dunn had ripped away a significant quantity of metal and the parts that remained had been warped either by Velio or RandidlyÆs image His fingers especially were burned and stubby from that last slash of his left hand to open up a path for his spear thrust His ring finger was longer than his middle finger my a fair amount

IÆll need to repair it but I donÆt really think that IÆve made much progress when it comes to forging a metal arm in the last few months RandidlyÆs eyes glittered as he flexed the limb Besides right now it should be better to focus more fully on my images in preparation for ClaudetteÆs image refining

Randidly hummed to himself and stretched his back and arms A brief scan of his Alpha Cosmos let him see that Claudette was safely occupied training with Neveah which meant that he could focus on his own business for a while Her messages indicated she was content So Randidly closed his eyes once more and sank into his Soulspace

Before he proceeded toward Yggdrasil he paused and looked around at his Soulspace He could see portions of his Skills and Class that still had minute flaws after withstanding that memory fragment of Elhume and Yystrix However what shocked Randidly was that there was also a whisper of wind that flowed through his completely isolated Soulspace Due to his past experience with such strange internal occurrences he was immediately vigilant He spun examining every corner of the shadowy and ethereal realm but he was still not able to determine the source

However the more he listened the more tortured RandidlyÆs expression became He paused and floated over toward his Class and studied the minute flaws in it for several seconds As he expected as that mysterious wind brushed through his Soulspace his Class steadily began to knit together Compared to the rapid healing of the System this recovery was closer to the way an injury would heal prior to the SystemÆs arrival But Randidly couldnÆt help but grimace when he noticed the effect

This the only source could be the Aetherium that Nrorce gave me to help me recover Randidly pressed a hand to his chest That image that didnÆt feel like an image or that clear memory that felt like an imaginary scene I thought it dissipated completely but I suppose that wouldnÆt make much sense it was a fragment of a powerful image It simply became a part of me

In a way it was humbling to have this image be so far about his current level that he couldnÆt locate its core It simply seemed to have soaked into him in a subconscious way And even worse it was very clearly beneficial to him

For now Randidly could do nothing to pay back this favor his Alpha Cosmos was genuinely full Attempting to absorb NrorceÆs home planet would only backfire But Randidly swore to himself that he would release a wave of Aether when he returned that would at least stabilize the situation before he could sit down and talk to Nrorce about it

And now finally Randidly approached his Yggdrasil image Time to see whether I learned enough to really improve my images

Chapter 1719

Randidly sat in a reality of his own making anchored by the ambient Nether in his body Aether and Nether mirrored each other The Aether surrounded him light and full of color and shapes The Nether was within him a dense ball of swirling significance Between them were several subtle connections that stabilized the construction

So long as Randidly maintained both those horrible insular outcomes he had seen during the end of the Glimpse of the Shallah Path should not come to past He remained in balance

His senses shifted to examine his physicalÆ surroundings His legs were crossed beneath him and he simply savored the sounds and scents of the nearby flora and fauna Brightly colored birds cawed at one another and flapped between the low branches of the surrounding trees Insects buzzed around lavender and orange flowers that spread their petals for the rare rays of sunlight that made it through the canopy onto the undergrowth Emotionless beetles continued their trek across the plant matter looking for a tasty leaf

Randidly leaned back against a root as thick as a tree trunk that arced out of the ground for a few meters before digging back into the soil for nutrients He breathed in and as he did so the entire area breathed in with him The thin threads between Aether and Nether hummed with life

Randidly sat in the depths of his Yggdrasil image steadily gathering his attention and Willpower for what was to follow

He had probably been within the Yggdrasil image for almost two weeks straight His existence here strained the image but also strengthened it Those ethereal connections gradually gained substance He has spent many of those days walking through the lengths of this biome that sat around the base of the world tree sharpening the various details until he could not tell this place from reality

And the training was effective As Randidly improved the tiny details he could feel the core subtly changing But in comparison to the other Skillsets Randidly had to admit that his Yggdrasil one the oldest and most stable was a little lackluster in execution Not that he wished to judge things based on the SystemÆs evaluation but the difference had most clearly been seen by the various Rarities of his Skills

Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil was Transcendent and the Inscrutable Mien and Impacable Price were Mythic but the rest of the Skills of Yggdrasil sat at Legendary where they had been since Randidly originally created the Skillset Those Skills had very rarely shifted from the first tree imagery

Mostly because the shape of Yggdrasil hadnÆt been altered that was part of its staying power But in terms of significance Yggdrasil had grown taller and taller in RandidlyÆs heart

He had tried urging Yggdrasil to higher and more powerful realms through meaning but Randidly quickly realized that the stable and slow growth of that particular image wasnÆt suited to the same sort of sudden evolutions of the Grim Chimera or the transformations of the Stillborn Phoenix It literally just needed time to grow

Of course the environment mattered in determining what form that growth would take And his Yggdrasil Skill had experienced much since it had been initially formed it had accumulated quite a bit of energy in its core So Randidly had first walked through the periphery sharpening the details

He could not directly force Yggdrasil to change but he could apply pressure by wholistically improving the environment Unfortunately this task turned out to be incredibly demanding due to the scope that Yggdrasil had recently experienced

Randidly couldnÆt help but chuckle wryly even as he leaned against the warm root behind him The slow process of Yggdrasil growing was partially his own fault When he had realized in the past several months how creating an entire environment could be part of an image he had ruthlessly expanded the scope of Yggdrasil It was after all a World Tree so Randidly had been steadily sharpening and improving the edges until this image was truly an entity that warped the surface of an entire world

All the plants and animals only existed due to the abundant life energy the World Tree released And Randidly had to think long and hard about how such an existence would warp the surrounding animal life

Yggdrasil itself was what Randidly actually wanted to improve now and was the central pillar of that entire environment If he directed his attention toward the center then all those details on the edges became weights that held the World Tree back Instead of letting that setback bother him Randidly continued to work to push those details up in clarity and potency

Suddenly the central portion of Yggdrasil was the one holding everything else back And with all those sharpened details lifting up his image Randidly moved in to finally cause a shift

Randidly reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose allowing all of his focus to relax for a few seconds Then he steadily gathered himself bringing everything back together The noises in the surroundings echoed and cut The light and warmth of the sun was near searing on the back of RandidlyÆs neck The surroundings pulsed with power

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 441

It was a matter of pressureÆ Randidly flared the details he had enhanced gradually starting from the edges and working his way in toward the trunk of the World Tree This tension was what Randidly needed to accelerate the growth of his image Or rather than accelerate what he needed to do was convince the image to mobilize the significant stores of life energy that it had gathered over the last several years toward change

If Randidly moved too quickly and left a flaw in the process the pressure would dissipate through the flaw and it wouldnÆt even reach Yggdrasil If he moved too slowly YggdrasilÆs impressive root structure would diffuse the energy that Randidly gathered and pumped into its trunk

Pushing himself to tighten his grip at the right speed was a long and complicated process But with the insights Randidly gathered from the two image memories had been stuck between he slowly raised the ambient power of his image Even if the progress with the method was slow Randidly raised the charge in the air until his Yggdrasil image was crackling with potential energy

Randidly pressed both of his hands against the grassy ground as he released a breath The details throughout his surroundings flared to life and pressed toward the central region of his image The huge roots of the World Tree began to glimmer with power as RandidlyÆs Willpower surged along them Strange symbols flared and danced raising inward from every direction

A wave of golden light gathered across the surface of the world until it crashed up against the massive trunk of Yggdrasil The huge monolith creaked and groaned underneath that tide of surging golden energy Gradually more and more Engravings along the surface of the trunks bark were illuminated

You thought he was eating planets for power Sydney slapped her knee and threw her head back engaging in a rich chortle She had to set down her wineglass lest she spilled it Claudette glanced sideways Of the remaining individuals seated at the dinner table two continued to eat with gusto seemingly uninterested in poking fun at her

That at least was a small comfort

Neveah was one of the others to look amused and leave Claudette felt oddly flustered before her beautiful glittering eyes So Claudette tried to explain herself I well what do you expect The planets were just disappearing and he was growing unusually quickly Such practices are relatively common in the Nexus So I think my conclusion was a reasonable one

The graceful Neveah took another drink of her white wine and then shrugged Well I cannot deny that it is very easy to misread some of the actions that Randidly takes Part of that is due to his stubborn refusal to follow common social norms or explain why he is doing what he is doing but you would be pretty safe making the assumption that he has your best interests at heart He is a surprisingly pure individual

Pure Claudette repeated softly At the bottom of her numb pool of emotions she carefully began to review her memories of Randidly Ghosthound Certainly every moment of their interactions he seemed to have something else in his field of vision Some distant goal that he didnÆt bother to explain

Finally the young teenager Nathan paused in his ceaseless eating to give Claudette a surreptitious sort of glance that she was very familiar with receiving from young men Then he cleared his throat The Ghosthound tries to do so much that he doesnÆt have much spare attention If he offers to do something casually sometimes you have to ask a second time to find out if heÆs just going to forget about it or whether he will show up at midnight in a few weeks and tell you in a gravelly voice we have to do it nowÆ

At the far end of the table Tykes snorted and raised his head Pure maybe thatÆs right But you know what his biggest weakness is though Thank youÆs That man disappears faster than a Stamina potion between a group of people without Classes when the fighting ends HeÆd rather find the next foe than pause and enjoy the victory

He has an aversion to relaxation Neveah nodded Sometimes I think he does it purposefully so I worry

Sydney leaned forward and jabbed with her fork in the air And let me tell you heÆs always had no chill But before the System came very few people noticed or cared about all the work he did when no one was watching He was just intense

A companionable silence fell around the table as each person considered their own individual memories of the Ghosthound From the corner of her eyes Claudette looked from Neveah to Sydney to Nathan and finally to the muscular Tykes For the last several weeks she had been staying with Neveah training by day and meeting the many visitors that flowed into NeveahÆs small cabin by night Usually their stops were brief but Claudette was gradually finding these dinner chats were her favorite part of the day

Earlier tonight before Tykes and Nathan had arrived Claudette had verbalized her worry that they werenÆt training enough and that the dinners were a distraction She could feel herself improving but she knew it wasnÆt enough in front of the old monsters with which Don Beigon was making deals Even with extreme time dilation she would not improve enough to make much a difference before she and Randidly needed to start her image refinement

Neveah had laughed at her You sound like Randidly And if he was right that concentrating very hard was enough to grow strong wouldnÆt he be the strongest being in the Nexus by now Listen to your bodyÆs needs Feed it with more than training

Claudette considered wryly pointing out that Randidly almost was one of the most powerful individuals in the Nexus but held herself back However the temperance was for a selfish reason she genuinely enjoyed the dinners

She loved the playful banter She loved how everyone who visited treated her like a person and didnÆt react at all when she told them her name She loved the simplicity of this world where people still fought for survival against monsters

Claudette leaned back in her chair to say something but before she got out the words there was the sound of footsteps and a door open The serious dark haired Drake walked through the threshold Then he walked over and planted a kiss on the crown of SydneyÆs head He and Sydney lived in the cabin on the next hill over from Neveah and often came over for dinner The woman reached up and touched DrakeÆs shoulder fondly Still nothing out there trying to murder us

Drake didnÆt respond just giving Sydney a frank look that said quite a bit would love to murder youÆ But his expression was kind Then he pulled a letter out of his pocket and offered it to Neveah

Neveah clapped her hands and laughed Excellent ItÆs been a while since IÆve heard from my penpal You are a lucky charm Claudette

Claudette smiled politely but then couldnÆt help but inquire You exchange handwritten letters with someone Why not utilize the messaging function

Drake took a seat at the table and began to quietly eat his portion of the roast pork with cranberry sauce Neveah clicked her tongue and shook her head at Claudette You donÆt have much of a sense of romance do you ThereÆs just something wistful and fulfilling about a solid medium of communication And then if I stop hearing from him havenÆt you ever wanted some memento of previous crushes

I At the depths of her pool the observer quickly sank to the bottom IÆve never actually had any romantic involvements So

What Neveah slapped the table

Sydney leaned forward suddenly staring at Claudette with obvious interest Truly You are gorgeous Are there different beauty standards in the Nexus Well we can definitely hook you up with a few eligible bachelors from Expira if you are interested How old are you

Err ClaudetteÆs eyebrows twitched These two mean well but they are also just as quick to pair me off as my father

Well letÆs probably head out for this conversation Nathan said interrupting the interrogation He released an exaggerated sigh Unfortunately there is so much demand for new Classes right now Only a little over a month before the Calamity arrives

Wait Claudette tilted her head to the side sure she had heard incorrectly What did you say

The First Calamity is coming soon Claudette explained with a nod For a brief moment everyone at the table lost their air of gaiety and looked down at their food with varying amounts of worry

ClaudetteÆs mouth twitched Your planet RandidlyÆs planet hasnÆt yet gone through the First Calamity

Chapter 1720

At the center of a storm of energy the trunk of Yggdrasil seeped undulating golden fire The Engraved runes along its trunk were so bright all of the imaginary animals in the area averted their eyes to avoid being blinded The massive emerald canopy of the World Tree rustled like thunder Each leaf released a tiny perfectly unique noise The ground shook as the golden roots began to tremble to withstand the force

Randidly pressed his fingers against the ground all the force of his Willpower and person directed at applying pressure to the World Tree The tendons on his hand bulged past his skin Every tremor of the ground resonated up through his arms He could feel the depths of his imageÆs power slowly begin to stir

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 444

Randidly squeezed power into Yggdrasil as best as he could His mental state trembled as he attempted to apply the pressure from each direction evenly The connections from his Nether to the burning image around him began to thrum with potent meaning Randidly almost felt like his body was evaporating from the heat and energy that was released steadily erasing him from this environment He gritted his teeth keeping up the pressure

Sweat dripped down his brow and across his cheekbone

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 445

However soon he released a breath and began to ease back All of the gathered energy pulsed through the glittering Engravings on the trunk before flowing through the distribution system of the World Tree and enriching the surrounding environment Warm breezes spiraled through the small area around Randidly a frantic celebration of the greenery that survived the intensity of that flare He leaned back against the root behind him and sighed Still not quite ready yet huh

Randidly clicked his tongue in disappointment Of course he knew that it wouldnÆt be a simple thing to empower his images further but he at least thought that he could manage to evolve his Skills into more powerful versions of themselves with some concerted effort But maybe he was just overly optimistic after the shift to the Grey Creature

He left his Yggdrasil environment returning to the dark and musty shaft of the Nexus Misty streams of emotion flowed upward while significance was steadily pulled downward Randidly shook out his joints as he let his strained Willpower ease after the prolonged pressure that he put on his image Even if he wasnÆt ready now that didnÆt mean he wouldnÆt succeed eventually There was no point in exhausting himself immediately

He could afford to take things slow At least right now no one appeared to be aiming to kill him

Before he continued with image training Randidly spent some time utilizing his Hierarchy of Burden His powerful body gradually acclimated to the dangerous crimson electromagnetic radiation that he endured

After training his physical body some he returned to his images He spent some time with his eyes closed remembering how the two images he had been stretched between had felt exactly like memory then spent some time experimenting with the fabric Grey Creature and the Stillborn Phoenix to replicate that effect

He tirelessly adjusted the details of his images while also testing the limits of the various new Skills of the Grey Creature In terms of offensive output the shift was certainly an improvement And with the comparison to Elhume and Ivlin Randidly realized that part of the trick to increasing the power of his images was making them seem part of something larger that didnÆt exist

The slow method would be to do what Randidly was currently doing with Yggdrasil he could gradually build out a world around his image and have that deepen its foundation This took quite a lot of time effort and experimentation but the result would be quite solid However as Randidly considered the two image fragments one that had beaten him down and the other that had healed him he was struck by this inexplicable sense that if he had turned away from Elhume and Yystrix or walked along that road where Nrorce and Ivlin had been walking he would have found a surrounding waiting for him