LoRG 4

Octavius shook his head slightly and cleared his throat There are some records of ElhumeÆs body moving in the past briefly forming a crack in the crystalized Aether that allows the body to have some influence in the outside world The results were catastrophic to areas nearby So he was moved But just as quickly as it is formed the ambient energy heals those flaws in the seal around him So theoretically if we had enough power to endure those brief attacks we could safely utilize his body as an energy source

RandidlyÆs mind began to whir He looked down at his hands wondering if his pursuit of image physicalizations would eventually lead him toward a similar result Certainly he would gain a lot of power but getting there but someday would the purity of his power draw Aether to him and crystalize it around him

Yet some part of that train of thought felt suspicious to Randidly If you gather enough Aether in a physical form is this really the only result Without the use of Nether to ground the Aether I definitely can see rigidity becoming a serious problem The more I observe the energies the more I see how depriving Aether of matching Nether makes the energy turn brittle But wouldnÆt Elhume be aware of Nether and its usage He was the one who created the System He definitely is aware of how to manipulate it

So why did Nether stop working as a way to balance out his physicalized images Was it because his mastery of Aether severely outpaced Nether

It was something Randidly would need to reflect on carefully in the future but for now he comforted himself with the depressing truth that he was still very far from the amount of physicalized images that it would end up being a risk

Everyone else also seemed to be mulling over that information leading to another stretch of silence Edraine studied each of them in turn Now assume for a moment you all agree to assist I can guess what you are thinking how we will be able to find and steal Elhume body

Each of us has a role Randidly you will be working as the Head Drill Instructor in order to earn merits was the Nexus military repels the invasion of the Fifth Cohort If you perform well or more accurately your recruits perform well you should be rewarded with a Nexus Citizenship coin or two IÆll get to why thatÆs important when I speak of my role but to get access to ElhumeÆs body we need more Citizenship coins

Edraine looked at Lady Iellaya Supreme Commander Iellaya you will pour everything you have into training You will be the one to act as our shield when the time comes During this operation I predict we will need to be able to resist at least one or two attacks from ElhumeÆs body Your goal will be to increase your strength to the point you can survive him cracking his seal briefly

Randidly recalled that horrible jarring noise of the crystalized Aether shattering and shivered Expecting Lady Iellaya to reach that much capability

Meanwhile Octavius will be researching Engravings To transport further seal and utilize the ambient energy that all that crystalized Aether releases Edraine glanced at the Overseer In addition if a few more planets pass through the first Calamity Octavius will earn some honorary Citizenship coins Again more on that later

Edraine pointed a long finger at herself Meanwhile I will be responsible for infiltrating the Nexus proper locating the hiding place of ElhumeÆs body and then distracting ElhumeÆs attention while you three actually steal the body But to start doing that IÆm going to need Tier 3 Citizenship to fully gain access to the forbidden areas

Now Edraine gestured at the coins remaining on the table There were five of those blue coins and four of the normal golden Tier I Citizenship coins She quickly picked up two of the blue coins and one of the golden ones With a flourish she made the coins dance across her fingers Citizenship Coins can do one of two things either grant you citizenship or open a Path to the Pinnacle of the Nexus Setting aside the second option for now You can upgrade your citizenship coins by combining three of the same Tier But one of those three used in the combination must be an entirely pure gold Citizenship coin

She pressed the coins one gold and two blue together between her palms There was a flash of light and suddenly there was only a single coin in her hand There was a ring of gold near the center of the coin but the rest of it was blue The honorary coins are generally the mundane rewards given out by the Nexus Only in special circumstances and on planets still facing the Calamities do genuine gold coins appear Which is why we needed to seize the opportunity of the Head Drill Sergeant position

Then Edraine grimaced and pressed her palm against the pile of three Citizenship coin on the far side of the table When she moved her hand away a thick golden coin that glowed with an inner light sat on the wooden surface Thanks to the two coins you brought Mr Ghosthound we have an entirely pure Tier 2 Citizenship Coin Which is the most difficult piece to assemble To raise me to Tier 3 Citizenship we will need two more genuine Citizenship Coins and one more honorary coin

Randidly was confused He pointed at the other coin in her hand with the gold ring Why canÆt you use that Then we only need a single more gold citizenship coin

Unfortunately Edraine tossed the coin at Randidly and he caught it between his pointer and middle finger The metal was strangely cold against his fingers You need to have Tier I citizenship in order to accept the role of Head Drill Sergeant We might have fudged your application but as long as you show up as a citizen it wonÆt matter So make sure you train these fools well alright ItÆs an investment

Then Edraine looked at each of them in turn again and chuckled not that we are in any rush We arenÆt ready for this operation not even close But this is the only answer I could come up with to change the Nexus LetÆs try our best people

Chapter 1502

Are you not worried about your images being affected Octavius asked again in a low tone

Randidly smiled wryly and glanced down into the Web below Beyond the gentle lines of the cables spanning the chasm was the seething mixture of darkness and emotions that had recently caught RandidlyÆs attention Even now the vivid emotions in his body were being thoroughly refined by the Stillborn Phoenix as it inhaled and exhaled He couldnÆt exactly sense the emotions he released earlier but he did have the impression that those emotions were still connected to him even as they had embedded themselves in some different flow of Aether and been unknowingly absorbed by a citizen of the Nexus

The more he paid attention the more Randidly began to understand how emotion could be just as distinct as the shape of an image It was an entire arsenal of gleaming weaponry that he intended to practice with until he was extremely proficient

For now Randidly looked back at Octavius with a half smile Yes IÆm sure Believe me when it comes to filtering energy there are very few images as efficient as Yggdrasil IÆll be fine down there

Still be careful Like Edraine said weÆve invested in you So Octavius trailed off perhaps realizing that he was shifting steadily toward a lecture Randidly tilted his head to the side sensing the shape of something more than just OctaviusÆ instinctual need to control in his stifled urge But very quickly Octavius shook his head again Anyway just remember that you need to be back in six days

Randidly nodded and then hopped off of the cord This time he didnÆt use his Skills or his body to accelerate downward He simply allowed the natural pull of the phenomenon below to gradually accelerate him into the dimly lit shaft While he descended he kept a careful eye on the Aether and Nether in his surroundings Especially after hearing the news that ElhumeÆs image physicalizations eventually caused him to be sealed within crystalized Aether Randidly felt strangely restless Either he was missing something or there was more to ElhumeÆs sealing than meets the eye

Although maybe IÆm just thinking that because I donÆt want to back down from image physicalizations Randidly mused to himself But then he shook his head and focused He had six days Those six days were what was most important right now During this time he had several goals he wanted to accomplish

First he wanted to get the Grim Chimera as close to an evolution as possible That way while he began training these two hundred recruits he could begin to think more deeply about the final Skill of the Descent of the Grim Chimera All Else Succumbs Yet Time Whirls the Earth Which Addressing that critical Skill would keep him on track to evolve his Skillset before he needed to be deployed to the Fifth Cohort

Second Randidly wanted to try and recreate that feeling of stability amongst his three images that he had briefly felt in the meeting with Edraine and the other co conspirators As he had reflected earlier it was becoming increasingly clear that he hadnÆt given enough attention to emotion as a foundation of Aether In the past Randidly had just taken it for granted that it would gradually accumulate But from an initial observation of the Stillborn PhoenixÆs actions it was clear that Randidly could direct seek to improve his usage of emotions He would spend a few hours each day studying this phenomenon

Third and perhaps this depended mostly on how deep in the Web he proceeded Randidly wanted to refine his weaving of his Nether Nebula further As dangerous as it was he was sorely tempted to proceed into the depths of this place and observe the monstrous amount of Nether below him Although it appeared at a chaotic mess from a distance the first hand account from Roy indicated that the construction was originally very purposeful

The Nether had been made to create a body or a being Perhaps even a body for the son of Yystrix and that Nether King so he wouldnÆt continue to dissipate

Yet it was equally clear that something had gone wrong since the System had been created Now the Nether simply pooled in a horrifying swamp of significance Rather than saying the System restricted Nether throughout its domain it might be better to say that this mass of significance sucked ambient Nether away so efficiently that no one could accumulate much of the energy

Meanwhile very few others had a flow of their own Aether like Randidly to ground their significance and keep it from being dragged away It appeared he had almost stumbled into this benefit

But whether the accumulation of significance was purposeful or not Randidly grimaced as he continued to speed downward It was difficult to know the purpose without observing the core directly And even if he exposed himself to that danger it was a toss up whether Randidly understood enough about Nether to interpret what he was seeing He might take the risk of going into the depths and discover nothing

For now he would simply observe the behavior of Nether carefully

Fourth Randidly had gathered quite a pile of PP in recent months Between his training with the Grim Chimera and improvements to the Stillborn Phoenix he had almost gathered 750 PP With the next few days he hoped he could reach 800 and finish another Path

And finally Randidly grinned and gestured sharply with his arm to disperse some of his momentum He had proceeded quite deeply down into the Web He recognized the spot where he had been training earlier and allowed himself to drift a little further down As he did so he realized that the substance of the walls was changing Whereas the previous portions of this shaft had clearly been made of some industrial metal the walls began to look very much like bone There were no doors just dark recesses that might lead deeper toward shadowy caves

Randidly wondered whether calling this area the hollow spine of the Nexus was more literal than figurative

It only took about a hundred more meters of dropping for the violence of the emotions in the air to double from RandidlyÆs previous training spot In addition the pulse of Nether in the air continued to thicken to surprising levels Even the air was heavy and cloying down here Without the intermittent lighting along the walls the shadows seem liquid and contaminated constantly bleeding outward and into each other in some eternal deterioration toward true darkness

At his current position Randidly landed lightly on a cable But this time he was unwilling to satisfy himself with swaying on these cables while he trained He released a breath and reached out for the tiny microbes that were present on almost all surfaces And to his shock he found almost nothing in the surrounding area Nothing lived on the stark walls of the shaft Nothing crept along the rusted metal cord of indeterminate quality underneath his feet Instead he found the only occupant of the area a wafting hint of an image Something ancient and horrifying But like the shadows constantly pooling around him at this depth the image seemed to vanish when he looked at it directly

More than ever Randidly was quite sure that the Nexus had been built on top of the body of an ancient beast Which made him wonder if there were still such massive beasts wandering around in the area The prospect was somewhat exciting Especially after seeing how that primordial scent that remained suppressed any sort of bacteria from growing

It also reminded him that his view of the Nexus had been extremely limited so far If possible he should explore a bit more in the future

Still Randidly let those thoughts go Even if the walls werenÆt helpful his skin had plenty of options for Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Very soon thorny vines were wriggling off of his body and grabbing onto the cable beneath him From there the vines expanded and grew weaving themselves outward until they covered about the outer 75% of the Web and left only a small portion near the middle completely unblocked

Randidly studied the result carefully varying the tightness of the weave until he was satisfied Near the edges the vines were extremely close together allowing less of the emotionally volatile Aether to pass through Meanwhile near the open space in the center the Aether was much thicker Plus Randidly created a single vine across the center hole where most of the Aether now gushed

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 318

Even then Randidly wasnÆt satisfied For about fifteen minutes he studied the roots and vines he had created watching for any mutations due to the ambient emotions Or even due to the relative prevalence of Nether in the area After that time passed Randidly had to conclude that there really was some serious pollution to the energy in the air the bottom portion of the vines he created was turning vaguely bronze But Yggdrasil vigorously protected its image against those emotions leaving Randidly relieved A little discoloration was fine for his purposes

Then Randidly began working on the final goal in this six day training operation bringing out Helen Heiffal and the eight hundred other frontline soldiers under his command for training with this emotion laden energy Both to get a wider sample of the effects but also to make sure that when Randidly showed up as a Drill Sergeant even his subordinates would impress the recruits

Although if the recruits are anything like the people I saw Randidly shook his head Helen will tear them to pieces

Then he began to train

Charlotte come here Commandant Wick growled sitting before his personal garden and sipping tea Without a sound he set his small cup down next to his bamboo mat

A small blue bird tweeted a soft song and flitted around the edges of the garden The humidity that he kept his garden meant that CharlotteÆs Wick neck was slick with sweat She didnÆt let any of the discomfort show on her face however At his summoning Charlotte stood from her prone position and walked back to crouch near to the Patriarch of the family Although the Commandant didnÆt turn around Charlotte could tell that he was pleased by her behavior

Or rather the lack of the bone shaking dread she sometimes felt around the Commandant meant that he was relatively pleased

For a while he sat and she crouched in silence Adding constant musical accompaniment the bluebird flitted around the garden Meanwhile the CommandantÆs eyes were on the prize of his garden the twelve bloom amethyst lotus The soft gradient of its brilliant petals glittered in the false light of the garden as the twelve thin stems stretched elegantly upward from the base of the bush After humming to himself the Commandant raised a finger A leaf withered on one side of the bush falling quickly away

Are you prepared for the training The Commandant finally said

Charlotte kept her head low while she answered Of course Patriarch

He nodded slowly with the expansion and contraction of his lungs Good Very good But even considering your current image you should have no trouble distinguishing yourself from the rabble even if they might have some minor associations with characters of actual note Still there is something else The Head Drill Instructor I would like you to become close to him By any means available to you

Even though she had thought that she was prepared for anything the CommandantÆs words still took her by surprise For a split second her words caught in her throat You want me to

Foolish girl The words were uttered with a forceful derision that lashed across Charlotte’s face with all the sharp burn of a whip Flushing with an emotion between humiliation and fear she was barely able to suppress a whimper she knew weakness now would only earn her additional punishment Pressing her fingers to the ground Charlotte did her best to hid her shaking hands

Eventually the CommandantÆs displeasure subsided He would have no interest in your flesh girl Even if he is a minor character in the grand scheme of the Nexus he shows much more promise than someone like you I just wish for you to befriend him Make him understand the benefits available to him should he profess his loyalty to the Wick Family His image interests me

Chapter 1503

Randidly sat in the central area of his root super structure as the emotionally loaded Aether flowed harmlessly around him At this point he had acclimated to the point that any tempering of his body from the raw Aether was almost negligible Randidly had however been able to confirm that the additional emotional refinement of the Stillborn Phoenix had greatly boosted the rate at which he could generate image physicalizations At this point he had five drops of liquid Aether and his arms and legs continued to subtly lengthen as he physically developed into the Grim Chimera For just seven days of training the improvement was dramatic

Randidly looked up Very distantly he could see some alcoves that still possessed working light fixtures along the interior of the Web He was keeping careful track fo the time due to the temporal distortion caused by Aether density Although it had felt like seven days had passed down here he kept in regular contact with Octavius to make sure he didnÆt miss his return deadline From what he could tell he still had a few more hours

Plus with all the physical changes to his body immersing himself in the chaotic flows of Aether was almost pleasant like a dip in a hot spring Randidly didnÆt plan on pushing the envelope this time but he recognized that he was ready to proceed deeper toward the engine of the Nexus

Shouts rang out around Randidly as HeiffalÆs men continued to train in orderly lines They alternated between sparring and group exercises as they engaged in their own body tempering Although the benefits they gained were much less tangible than RandidlyÆs their images were growing increasingly resilient in the face of foreign energy In addition perhaps just by proximity to Randidly as he experimented with emotion their images now possessed an inherent flavor that definitely hadnÆt been there before

It was a matter of shades and hints Only the edges of those images had been adjusted but those new edges were viciously sharp

For those who most successfully incorporated both distinct shape and appropriate emotion in their Aether the image potency they could generate was rapidly increasing Randidly estimated that the strength of the group had gone up by about 10% in the seven days which was a thoroughly ridiculous number

Of course the benefit of incorporating emotion will be greatest at the beginning when its development goes from unconscious to purposeful Randidly reflected as he sat in the middle of his root structure He reached his hands and used the thumb of his right hand to rub the nearby roots Very idly his gaze wandered across the completely copper and brass bottoms of his roots after a week of exposure In the future the development wonÆt be nearly this smooth and easy But they will at least have the opportunity to develop in that direction

Randidly released a breath of faintly glowing steam and prepared to spend some time focusing on the emotions of his own images Each of his three images was moving in separate directions but that would only increase their power in the end But before he had finished mentally sharpening himself he felt a familiar tug at the edge of his perspective A powerful sleepiness rapidly invaded his mind and blurred his awareness of his surroundings

Eidolon Crucible huh

Randidly mused But he didnÆt resist its pull Although he did hope that he would subconsciously maintain the root supports while he was experiencing the Skill Otherwise he might wake up very deep down this shaft

As always Randidly found himself whisked away to a blurry and surreal mental landscape as the Skill activated Yet even through the strange haze of the Skill he didnÆt recognize the surroundings at all he was standing on the sandy dividing land between the sea and a tropical rain forest The familiar form of Kharon crouched against the sandy ground further down the shore but RandidlyÆs eyes were drawn inland to a gleaming city on a low hill that appeared to be made entirely of gold

Is this the final Zone to arrive on Expira Randidly wondered But before he could spend too much time examining the surroundings a pillar of emerald light exploded out of Kharon With a rumbling groan the city shifted and lifted itself up off of its sandy resting place That emerald light pooled in the sky swirling into an ever growing emerald maelstrom The joints of the legs groaned underneath the cityÆs weight There was a shiver and it began to move As Kharon began to charge toward Randidly the emerald clouds above opened up and spat pale green balls of flame that turned the surroundings into a hellscape

The spirits of KharonÆs people began to stir

As the nearby rain forest began to burn and collapse Randidly spread his arms wide This time he allowed the Stillborn Phoenix to take the lead in fighting against this trial The phoenix of darkness spread its wings and sucked in a deep breath And as the image did so Randidly was surprised that he received quite a bit of emotional information from the surroundings

He could sense the people of KharonÆs pride And their intense curiosity toward the Zone But mostly Randidly felt an infectious excitement as the people of Kharon prepared to challenge his image

Sprinkled within those emotions were a few individuals radiating a powerful disapproval Mostly Randidly expected this was Tatiana and Gertrude Collins what with him leaving without helping them finish Kharon Academy But Randidly knew that they would do much better work than he could do they simply understood the human experience of growing more intimately than he did these days

In the end it was better that he not taint Kharon Academy with anything more than his name Violence was too deeply etched into the fabric of Randidly Ghosthound

After deeply inhaling and having its chest swell the Stillborn Phoenix released all of those emotions in a deafening cry having thoroughly influenced them within its enigmatic dark core Even the emerald maelstrom above shook Because what the Stillborn Phoenix released with that piercing cry was a wave of determination that bordered on obsessive It was a desire so strong that it was willing to directly confront reality and warp it until it achieved its goal

In front of that red eyed commitment the emotions of Kharon faltered

Randidly carefully experienced the broadcasted emotion of the Egg of Depression Only a fool would completely ignore reality But I am starting to see that I judged the Stillborn Phoenix too harshly The reason that it so completely dedicates itself to the impossible is that I needed that bit of insanity Or perhaps its better to say that was for a long time an unrecognized part of me Both Yggdrasil and the Grim Chimera are overly focused on real threats and possibilities I needed a part of myself that could keep me motivated on this insane endeavor to change the Nexus and the Stillborn Phoenix became that remorseless passion

It isnÆt just an insane independent image its a part of a whole Its an important part of me

Randidly flexed his fingers and the Stillborn Phoenix spread its wings and released a wave of darkness that swept outward The flames in the rain forest were gradually snuffed out The darkness slapped against the surface of Kharon with a physical force stalling it further And then Randidly unleashed the full power of Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart A ripple exploded through the surrounding space

The power of gravity was banished Stones broken trees and even the massive form of Kharon began to float upward as all of the surrounding area came under the Stillborn PhoenixÆs sway The waves of the sea rolled helplessly through the air tumbling upward in a spiral

Congratulations Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart has grown to Level 296

RandidlyÆs eyes were piercing emeralds in the darkness released by his image With the added benefit of emotion aiding his usage Randidly quickly overpowered KharonÆs resistance and overwhelmed their ability to cope with images He physically breathed deeply at the end pilfering a small amount of their image potency for himself as they crumbled and failed

Congratulations Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible has grown to Level 251

Congratulations Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible has grown to Level 275

As he absorbed some of their images Randidly began to frown He had the vaguest inkling about the new Zone so he paused as the Skill deteriorated and took a deeper look at some of the thoughts from people of his city Only after he confirmed his suspicion did he allow the Skill to collapse and release his consciousness to return to the Nexus Heh seems like the new Zone has been able to domesticate a few species of giant lizards a lot of KharonÆs children are excited about the prospect of riding a dinosaur

The expression on TatianaÆs face as she tried to decide whether to acquire riding dinosaursÆ was something that Randidly was very sorry to miss And in fact even though it had only been about a week since he left Randidly felt rather sad that he wouldnÆt he on Expira to experience these things with his planet

But then the lines around his eyes hardened I came to the Nexus for a reason I cannot lose sight of that Kharon can definitely manage without me Meanwhile the preparations I make here cannot wait

With his emotions still slightly disturbed from the memories churned up by the Eidolon Crucible Randidly instead spent the next several hours focusing on his Nether weaving Not that he needed to maintain as thin a Nether presence down here as he did on Expira but Randidly also didnÆt want to set off any of the militaryÆs alarms Keeping his Nether presence low was a good habit to be in

Somehow he doubted that they would accept him as readily as he had been on the frontlines

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 317

But more quickly than Randidly would have believed he received the message from Octavius that indicated that he should begin his return He stood up from his position in the gushing energy and allowed the Stillborn Phoenix one last massive exhale A wave of powerful emotions blasted upward toward the unsuspecting Nexus

Randidly waved his arm and called his forces to him to proceed back into the Alpha Cosmos until they reached the training ground While he did so he couldnÆt help but notice that most of his soldiers had incorporated a tiny amount of the regurgitated emotions from the Stillborn Phoenix into their bodies That distinct pink red coloration in their images was easily recognizable when it was in front of Randidly even if he couldnÆt sense it from afar

From what he could tell it generally benefited his subordinates which was why he hadnÆt made attempts to prevent it Perhaps because they already had some connection to Randidly and his Aether the typically wild emotion adapted more easily within them and also seemed more willing to soften its gleeful maliciousness Before they realized the depths of their own emotion for the images this emotion could serve as a stand in

But Randidly knew he was going to keep a close eye on its development in the future And that thought made Randidly press his eyes closed There was simply so much that he was trying to juggle It almost seemed like he had more work after he left Kharon behind in the capable hands of Tatiana

Just as quickly Randidly opened his eyes Helen was the last one to be shifted whisked away to the Alpha Cosmos But he had one more order of business before he proceeded upward he opened up his Path screen

Chapter 1504

Over the course of training with his subordinates Randidly had activated the long dormant Ruinous Drive and Aether Skills more directly to earn huge chunks of Skill Levels Combined with the gradual gains in his base Skills and the specific gains in Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil and Tide of the Void Randidly had crushed his of reaching 800 PP

The new environment had benefited him just as much as it had his soldiers Randidly now had 986 PP to spend Unfortunately that amount didnÆt rid Randidly of the difficult decision regarding what Paths he should take Pursing his lips Randidly examined the expanded list

Friend to Humanity 0/100 Mantle of the Patron 0/500 Aether Convergence II the Bell of Doom Tolls 0/600 The Ashes of Ulaat Patron of Ash 0/1000 Order Ducis Font of Guidance HumanityÆs Torch 0/500 Bearing of a Teacher Puppet Master 0/100 Pain Immunity I 0/250 Cleaver of the World Tree Weakness of the World Tree 0/500 Guilty Conscience I 0/100 Peerage of the Baleful Court I 0/600 Hands of the Artisan 0/ Ashes of Illym the Above Average Child 0/5000 The Flame the Burns Memories 0/ Exodus the Terror 0/1000 Genesis the Considered 0/1000 Image Cooperation I 0/100 Body Refinement I 0/ ChimeraÆs Struggle II 0/ Spear Mastery III 0/200 Mysteries of the Fiery Emerald Waltz 0/ Violent Heat I 0/ Sovereign of Violence I 0/1000 Body Beyond the System 0/ Deathwish IX 0/3 The Pursuit of Alchemy 0/750 Weakness of the Grim Chimera 0/500 Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix 0/500 The Shadow Beyond the Threshold 0/ The ChimeraÆs Metamorphosis 0/2000 Greater Nether Core 0/

Randidly hummed softly to himself as he looked at his Soulskill which currently sat at Level 25550 The next tithe from the Alpha Cosmos will happen at 27500 so this batch of PP will get me almost halfway there but that probably means I can either accomplish one larger Path or a few smaller Paths now It will still be some time before I get to finish almost anything I want

As always Randidly quickly cut down the giant list of Paths to a much more manageable few that he was considering Then the real work of choosing between them could begin Generally Randidly shortened his list to include a few broad categories of Path options Those relating to Aether and images working together those related to improving his individual images Paths that would further the power of his physical body and Paths to improve his Nether

Also because he would soon be a Drill Sergeant Randidly left the Bearing of a Teacher Path through the first round of eliminations Revelation energy flickered to life at the corners of his eye as he examined the list once more

Aether Convergence II Bearing of a Teacher Exodus the Terror 0/1000 Genesis the Considered 0/1000 Image Cooperation I 0/100 Body Refinement I 0/ ChimeraÆs Struggle II 0/ Sovereign of Violence I 0/1000 Body Beyond the System 0/ The Shadow Beyond the Threshold 0/ The ChimeraÆs Metamorphosis 0/2000 Greater Nether Core 0/

Frowning Randidly considered his options once more The violet black revelation energy intensified to match his gaze At just below 1000 PP the two Yggdrasil images were the two most tempting if he wanted to spend all his PP in one place But ultimately Randidly didnÆt quite believe that he was ready to take either of those Paths The addition of purification in the image of Genesis was interesting but YggdrasilÆs stable growth meant that the was emphasizing the two other images at the moment Using a Path to forcefully evolve a half baked image seemed like an inefficient use of PP

Similarly Randidly decided against any of the Grim Chimera and Stillborn Phoenix Paths at least until he had a detailed picture of the next form the image would take The Grim Chimera was certainly going through a metamorphosis but it could do that on its own And Randidly hadnÆt quite figured out the shape of the Stillborn Phoenix that breathed emotion

After much consideration Randidly also decided to wait on Image Cooperation and instead meditate on that feeling he briefly achieved during the meeting with Edraine For the briefest moment he had united his images with a base emotion When he also removed Aether Convergence II from the options he had a much reduced list to choose from

Bearing of a Teacher Body Refinement I 0/ Sovereign of Violence I 0/1000 Body Beyond the System 0/ Greater Nether Core 0/

Randidly licked his lips Between the two similar options Randidly thought perhaps Body Beyond the System would be a more impactful choice of Path Perhaps most relevantly Body Refinement was part of a chain of indeterminate length In addition despite its obvious preference that he did not pass certain boundaries the System didnÆt have any problem rewarding Randidly anyway once he actually crossed those bounds

There was always a cost for the transgression but in this case it was him not being able to access the SystemÆs Aether

Ha Randidly snorted Then he grinned widely and looked down into the deep shadows of the shaft below him That was why he was having such an easy time extracting the emotion and had no problems being infected by this chaotic Aether It was System Aether it inherently rejected him Which enabled him to easily harvest the emotion present

Rather amused Randidly shook his head Then he focused back on the Paths One way or another Randidly believed he should start with Bearing of a Teacher for the Paths It would likely be relatively smaller because it was an early Path option open to him and it might assist with the training of the recruits The better they performed the faster they could get Edraine to Tier 3 citizenship

And the faster they could achieve that the more time they would have to actually plan the act of stealing ElhumeÆs body before circumstances inevitably forced their hand

So Randidly began adding PP to the Bearing of a Teacher Path The Path only required 200 PP and gave him a point in Focus and Control every 10 PP

Congratulations You have finished the Bearing of a Teacher Path As you continue to ascend toward the Pinnacle it is inevitable that others will attempt to imitate your climb Some will fail but with your assistance others will succeed They may take separate Paths to your own but you will leave an indelible mark on all those who listen to your words The Path beneath your feet glows faintly acting as a beacon for your proteges Walk with pride lead with grace teach with kindness

Congratulations Wisdom +50 Synchronicity detected Recalculating Skill

Your Skill Lantern of Harsh Truths has evolved into the Torch of Fast and Slow Silences Skill Levels will be maintained

Torch of Fast and Slow Silences A skill designed to assist those who reflect on themselves Exposure to the user will gradually accumulate energy within any viewers During the next fast or slow silence they experience as they reflect on themselves that accumulated energy will be expended to assist with their computations Speed of accumulation increases with Skill Level The benefit to viewers increases with Skill Level Area of effect slightly increases with Skill Level What is considered a silence grows with Skill Level

Randidly couldnÆt help but chuckle it looked like he would no longer be able to strike at his enemyÆs mental flaws in the midst of battle anymore The effect would wait until their next silenceÆ whatever that meant But even if the Skill might have greatly helped him in the past it had been part of a desperate effort each time It wasnÆt something Randidly could ever rely on

Meanwhile adding more positive realizations to the Skill would soften the effect while still pushing the people around Randidly toward positive growth Certainly as a benefit he obtained for 200 PP it was well worth it Which once more left Randidly with a decision between his remaining options

Sovereign of Violence I 0/1000 Body Beyond the System 0/ Greater Nether Core 0/

Following similar lines of logic that he used to move away from the image focused Paths Randidly also planned on waiting to select the Greater Nether Core Path He hoped he could explore deeper into the Web and observe the mass of Nether at the bottom from a safe distance As his Nether Nebula slowly churned its way into forming a second tiny grey bubble Randidly knew that he was genuinely on the right track he just needed a bit of inspiration to put the pieces together

Sovereign of Violence was tempting for what it might mean but Randidly also worried whether it would come with hidden hooks from the Nexus When he had asked Octavius about it the Overseer had confirmed that Sovereign was a very particular distinction within the System hierarchy But it was an area that Octavius didnÆt know much about and therefore he had very little advice

After a few minutes of considering Randidly poured his remaining PP into Body Beyond the System It turned out that Path required 500 PP and gave him a point in Nether Brawn every 10 PP spent

Congratulations You have completed the Body Beyond the System Path As the environment of your Path has grown more dangerous you have eschewed the common routes and descended from the high road where your feet go no man was ever supposed to tread Flames like up from cracks in the ground and sinister vapors cloud your vision Yet your ability to adapt surpasses the imagination Although all normal roads are now closed to you you still may be able to claw your way to the Pinnacle through sheer forces of will

Congratulations +300 Free Physical Stats

Randidly blinked Then he began to laugh He used 22 of those free stat points to push his Endurance to 1000 Instantly he felt his body shifting on a cellular level Instead of the invigorating sensation of a spark of life being ignited throughout his body as happened with Vitality this time he felt the sharp defining lines between his distinct biological organs grow increasingly clear The boundaries were strengthened His joints were reinforced

Across his body his skin grew robust and rugged Meanwhile he took 78 of the remaining free points and put it into Agility The final 200 went into Grim Intuition His skin began to tingle at the sharp and sudden statistical increase Then Randidly looked at his Stats screen and grinned

Even if its hard to see the benefit of a single stat point these days when I get so many at once

Level 62 (39%)

Health(/R per hour) 12051/12245 (4778)

Mana(/R per hour) 11198/11223 (2838)

Stam(/R per min) 8301/8796 (1772)

Vit 1065

End 1000

Nether Brawn 1120

Agi 1265

Grim Intuition 1280

Wisdom 794

Control 1530

Focus 824

PP 286

Skills (Soul Skill) Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 26250 (27500)

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 311 Heavy Blow Lvl 134 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 150 Block Lvl 77 Calculated Blow Lvl 149 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 97 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 126 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 142 Talon Strike Lvl 146 Counter Lvl 94 Ruinous Drive Lvl 114

LoBW Class Skills Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 27 Sharpness Lvl 189 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 48 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14 Erode Image Lvl 100 SpriggitÆs Tinkering Lvl 222 Aether Understanding Lvl 195 Aether Infusion Lvl 47 Volatile Ash Lvl 44 Conviction of the Smiling Horror Lvl 351 Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Lvl 49 Absolute Timing Lvl 167 Cycle of the Gloomy Wood Lvl 45 Riders of the Baleful Court Lvl 254 Torch of Fast and Slow Silences Lvl 170 Sigil of an Approaching Fate Lvl 66 Profound Influence Lvl 21 Reckoning of the Bleak Dawn Lvl 99

Descent of the Grim Chimera Chimeric Avoidance Lvl 329 Cursed Appetite of a Wraith Lvl 346 AbominationÆs Grim Vigor Lvl 360 ReaperÆs Mantle of Catastrophe Lvl 252 Molten Fang of the Pariah Lvl 276 Man is Proud but the Chimera Takes Lvl 300 The Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns Lvl 247 All Else Succombs Yet Time Whirls the Earth Lvl 229

The Stillborn Phoenix A Star that Prayed it would be Reborn Piercing Gaze of the Egg Lvl 219 The Tug of Tragic Silence Lvl 185 Cosmic Necessity Lvl 263 Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart Lvl 296 Tide of the Void Lvl 245 Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix Lvl 299 Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold Lvl 330

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 238 Aether Manipulation Lvl 240 Living Aether Lvl 165 System Interference Lvl 88 Aether Surgeon Lvl 104

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 73 Farming Lvl 34 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 106 Extract Lvl 92 Architecture of the Primordial Ways Lvl 279 Experienced CreatorÆs Ingenuity Lvl 145 Touch of the Ghosthound

Yggdrasil the Universe that was First a Tree Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 267 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 298 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 237 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 273 the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis Lvl 269 the Implacable Price of Exodus Lvl 229 Reign of the Eidolon Crucible Lvl 275 Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Lvl 318

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 56 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Sewing Lvl 11 Digging Lvl 9 Cooking Lvl 101 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 30 Aether Connection Lvl 21 Soul Bond Lvl 155 ChefÆs Palette Lvl 36 Nether Modification Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 59 Engineering Savvy Lvl 235 From Darkness Genesis Lvl 17 (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 199 Connection to the Alpha Cosmos Nether Sensation Lvl 317 Nether Ritual Lvl 177

Chapter 1505

The Fifth Cohort Rally Station reminded Randidly of the teleportation relay stations pretty directly It was perhaps five times the size of the initial teleporter relay that Randidly had landed on as he arrived at the Nexus and was part of a closer orbiting ring of landmasses but otherwise it was the same rather dusty stone plateaus floating below the brilliant star system that felt so close to the Nexus

In addition it didnÆt appear to be a very well developed area There were a few cramped buildings toward the middle of the Rally Station and there appeared to be a few construction crews working to throw up a few more hunched buildings but it was obviously a desolate location

Randidly paused as they arrived and looked to his left off the edge of the Rally Station and toward the Nexus Because the Rally Stations were floating in a much closer ring the Nexus was no longer just a lurking shadow in the distance Now Randidly felt like he was standing at the base of an enormous mountain range The bottom portion of this central gathering place was covered in thick mist but Randidly could now see exactly how massive the foundations of the Nexus truly were

From that churning rumbling mysterious machinery rose the Nexus proper It was a towering pillar that was topped with a gleaming city of which Randidly still couldnÆt make out any distinct details despite his 200 more points he put into Grim Intuition Narrowing his eyes Randidly stared toward the massive Nexus for several more seconds Then he turned and followed Octavius toward the grouping of buildings at the center of the Rally Station

Are you ready Octavius asked in a low voice You just need to report to the Rally Station Superintendent He will indicate where your recruits will be reporting in twelve hours Then you should proceed to that area and begin making preparations

I got it Octavius Randidly waved his hand tiredly The Overseer had been nagging at him the entire trip to the Rally Station In spite of himself Randidly couldnÆt help but spare another glance toward the Nexus At the very least he was beginning to understand why the Nexus was so difficult to perceive with his senses there were different layers to its reality

When Randidly had activated his Tier I citizenship he had felt another piece of Aether attach to himself But rather than affecting his body it seemed to act as a lens that let him witness a layer of carefully manicured Aether that layover and under certain portions of the Nexus The reason that he needed Citizenship to work here was because he would have been unable to perceive the Rally Station without this Citizenship

That realization had been disturbing He had been walking past an entire Nexus that hadnÆt even been able to notice Not that Randidly had spent much time exploring the Nexus but it still bothered him quite a bit The more time he spent here the more he realized he might still be underestimating what was present here

However now that he was aware of what he had been missing Randidly could see the shadowsÆ of these other layers all around him They were especially dense around the Nexus proper but he could tell that there was a lot to the Nexus that he wasnÆt currently seeing As he now looked through space his Aether Perception just barely was able to brush against those secret places What had briefly appeared to Randidly as a strangely industrial energy plant with a city built on top of it now became only the barest tip of the iceberg

Octavius looked at Randidly with an exasperated expression as he continued to focus toward the Nexus and not on the task at hand if you understand thatÆs fine Just remember that although the compensation you can receive is lucrative thatÆs not just because of the Nether threat ItÆs because these elitesÆ youÆll be training are the pet projects of people of actual clout This might be a time where the pen will be mightier than the sword making some connections in the Nexus wouldnÆt be such a bad outcome from this Earning the approval of the Superintendent would be a good start Æ

Randidly nodded to show his agreement while inwardly knowing that him being able to charm some of these people into friendship was almost guaranteed to be impossible But there was no reason to so obviously douse OctaviusÆ hopes

Three squat and grey buildings crouched in the middle of the Rally Station with only a few feet of space between them as though they were gathering together for warmth A featureless grey flag flew at the top of the largest and seemingly the squattest Randidly raised an eyebrow at Octavius The Overseer shrugged An old habit of the Nexus military They fly a blank flag over their central commands due to one of the only successful attacks on Elhume to ever occur Apparently his images were so damaged that they were unrecognizable for months afterward This blank flag is a symbol of the NexusÆ ability to recover from anything

Randidly nodded idly There werenÆt any guards at the door but as the duo approached the doors opened and two sharply dressed lizard people stepped outside to hold the doors open for them They both had a sword strapped to each hip and saluted as Randidly and Octavius approached Randidly pressed his lips together slightly when neither would meet his gaze Somehow that irritated him

As he walked past them he sensed the first thread of strangeness and paused as he passed over the threshold Randidly didnÆt miss the way one of the guards audibly gulped as he did so Pursing his lips Randidly continued forward

The mood within the building was just as intense and foreboding as the exterior would have suggested In front of them was a long grey hallway lined with black doors The handles to the doors were white They passed quickly through this monochrome limbo Octavius heading straight down the hall and Randidly followed at a more considered pace He focused on the emotions in the surroundings The Stillborn Phoenix was still working on improving but he could gradually get a sense of a place by breathing in some of the ambient emotions

This place Randidly frowned He could taste the edge of madness on the air And it seemed to seethe around them constantly growing worse

At the end of the hallway was a black door that was larger than any of the others manned by a guard The doorknob on this door was silver which a nearby guard twisted to open the door for the duo This guard did glance at Randidly but his eyes were narrowed and nervous What was the strangest was that the fear that Randidly sensed was clearly directed toward him

That caused Randidly to blink

Within the door was a normal office if a bit tackily decorated also in monochrome There were impressively large windows along the far wall but without curtains they were just rectangles hanging on the wall A humanoid with pale skin sat behind the desk his eyes moving rapidly back and forth Octavius and Randidly searching for something in their expressions and postures RandidlyÆs mind began to spin with more certainty The madness that he had briefly sensed outside was originating from this room It even smelled like desperation in here The pale skinned humanoid had started it but now the emotion had spread to cover the whole of the building

Worse there was a familiar image lingering here

Witnessing this central point of the madness Randidly almost immediately recognized that image Gradually he began to frown Commandant Wick

Drill Sergeant Ghosthound Sir The man behind the desk sprung to his feet as though his completely obsidian chair had only just been belched out from the mouth of a live volcano and walked around the desk with a face covered in fake smiles As he was wringing his hands his pale knuckles were red from the stress induced pressure So glad to finally meet you sir IÆm the Rally Point Superintendent Jym Xeruth Ah I bet you want to see the new plans sir No doubt you noticed the construction outside If you will look right here

Superintendent Jym twisted and pulled a large scroll off of his desk While he was doing so Randidly looked sideways at Octavius who had spent most of their journey over here reminding Randidly to think before speaking around the stern Superintendent Meanwhile the effusive and antsy Superintendent Jym continued to speak as he unrolled the scroll One fifth of the surface area of the Rally Station will now be dedicated to your elite team Per your orders weÆve begun erecting ten solitary training pods in your area

My orders Randidly frowned unable to stop himself from feeling somewhat annoyed that someone had so obviously approached the Superintendent and used his name to change the training arrangement Still Commandant Wick did strike Randidly as someone that overbearing

His irritation only got worse as Superintendent Jym flinched from the obvious display of disapproval on RandidlyÆs face Believe me sir we are staying very close to the request made by your representative We your sterling and unimpeachable reputation proceeds you We understand how exacting your standards are If you look at these plans Jym was so close to Randidly that he couldnÆt avoid noticing the sheen of sweat across his skin as the Superintendent put away the general plan and pulled out a scroll that showed the details of the training pods YouÆll see that we are sparing no expense with the materials Consider this a gift from The Fifth Cohort Rally Station We are deeply invested in seeing you succeed Ah I hope every one of your recruits will fruitfully enjoy your instruction

Randidly gritted his teeth to keep himself from reacting with a sarcastic comment He didnÆt like the fact that he didnÆt really know what was going on But for now he could only roll with it There was no reason to worsen whatever misconceptions this man had about him What Randidly was really reacting to was the fact that Commandant Wick had moved behind the scenes Was it really a move just to increase the resources that Randidly had access to Or more likely were these training pods connected to a broader plan

Still RandidlyÆs gaze slowly turned serious as he focused on the scroll that Jym offered to him He recognized some of these Engraving patterns Gradually Randidly began to grin Heh I can work with this Have you begun Engraving yet

Instantly Superintendent Jym flushed Ah we only heard about about your requests a few days ago so we havenÆt had the chance

Forget it Randidly announced decisively He waved his hand and turned away as though he couldnÆt bear to look at the scrolls any longer if he was going to be made out to be a brutal dictator he was at least going to enjoy the benefits DonÆt bother to bring the Engravers in I will need to handle this myself

Of course Head Drill Sergeant anything you say Superintendent Jym parroted tossing the schematics scroll across his office like it was an oozing virulent plague bearer In the obsessively clean office the crumpled scroll against the wall was extremely eye catching Do you need any other assistance

Randidly kept his expression mild as he did some mental calculations He was actually quite getting into this persona that had been made for him Despite the violence usually required to cultivate such a reputation he couldnÆt deny it certainly made the people around him more amenable So instead of speaking he gave a pointed glance at Octavius

Octavius cleared his throat I believe that for now we will inspect the grounds Perhaps you could find a guard to escort us Oh in addition we would like files on all of the other Drill Sergeants that were hired To understand their standard

Superintendent JymÆs eyes bulged at the sudden request but a single glance at Randidly seemed to make him rethink any objections he had Randidly walked away while the man complied both so he didnÆt need to constantly feel the anxiety and slight scent of madness from the Superintendent but also so he didnÆt roll his eyes at this obvious attempt by Octavius to gather information

So Randidly walked down the hall and out of the central building The guards carefully avoided catching his eyes as he waited outside to the point that Randidly moved about twenty meters away from the doors so their frantic emotions didnÆt disturb him Then he closed his eyes and began to steadily refine the details of Yggdrasil

He opened his eyes again when someone walked out of the headquarters of the Fifth Cohort Rally Station but it wasnÆt Octavius it appeared the documentation request was much more time consuming than Randidly had expected The individual who walked out was tall and slender reminding Randidly vaguely of ExpiraÆs impression of elves Like Randidly while under the influence of Yggdrasil the manÆs shoulder length hair was emerald His golden eyes flashed as they caught the light

The man glanced at one of the guards LetÆs work hard together in the future ItÆs the average soldier like us that will make the difference you know Most of Command doesnÆt know anything about the actual war We will be the ones fighting and bleeding so donÆt be so stiff If you have any problems you can come to me for help

Both of the guards regarded the elf man coldly Neither responded RandidlyÆs lips twitched although the two lizardmen guards were staring at the elf with all the enthusiasm as a dog owner regarding a runny shit their attentions had clearly shifted toward Randidly Heh As Head Drill Sergeant do I count as Command

The elfÆs enthusiasm faltered as the guards did their best to glare at him But very quickly he caught sight of Randidly and immediately brightened He said to the guards have a good day then strode confidently over toward Randidly

The elf had a wide smile on his face Hello friend IÆm LayÆmel Tuuellethe a Drill Sergeant here Did you just arrive I know those guards can be rather unfriendly but itÆs just because a VIP is supposed to arrive today Heh in one way itÆs understandable but in another it is extremely tragic how much effort is put into sucking up to superiors in the military

The two guards paled and looked up at the sky Randidly had the strangest sensation that they were mentally sending him assurances that he wouldnÆt be reported for disciplinary action if he were to smite LayÆmel Tuuellethe into a puddle of gore right in front of them The certainty Randidly conveyed to him about this just from reading the guardsÆ emotions was honestly impressive

LayÆmel leaned forward a conspiratory expression on his face Apparently the Head Drill Sergeant is a real brute He sent one of his lackeys from Nexus High Command to prepare for his arrival When he saw the space he would be given he went on a rampage and demanded more now average Drill SergeantÆs like you and I will be using the service tunnels for our daily training only allowed to head up to the surface based on a rotation schedule At first the Superintendent rejected the request but then the Head Drill Sergeant had the SuperintendentÆs son conscripted on a minor prior infraction and placed within his own camp for special trainingÆ

And the worst part LayÆmel dragged out the phrase savoring the obvious interest on RandidlyÆs face Is that the Head Drill Master is taking pages out of the Xyrt BrigadeÆs playbook He has made training chambers that are exactly like the torturous isolation chamber the Xyrt Brigade uses to deal with particularly rebellious recruits Extreme barbaric stuff Already there is a lot of antagonism directed at this extreme new Head Drill Sergeant

Such is my life Randidly sighed inwardly

Chapter 1506

LayÆmel eventually wandered off with a cheery wave still unaware that Randidly was in fact the demonlike Head Drill Sergeant he had described at length By the end Randidly was paying attention less out of any politeness and more taking notes about what sort of violent instructor he was supposed to be Yet more than being so thoroughly gossiped about Randidly was more annoyed that LayÆmel didnÆt give him space to introduce himself through the ten minute conversation the man didnÆt stop speaking for a single second

When the guard came out to guide Randidly to the location he would be in charge of Randidly gave the two guards that witnessed his conversation a long look And then he very purposefully smiled mildly

As he walked away behind the nervous guard he could feel the two lizardmen saying silent prayers for the family and friends of LayÆmel Tuuellethe

Still Randidly pursed his lips as he considered the broader consequences of these actions on his behalf It was obvious that Commandant Wick had intervened very directly into RandidlyÆs role as Head Drill Sergeant Which would be seen as Military High Command taking a very direct interest in the Fifth Cohort Rally Station And that direct interest would undoubtedly draw retaliatory action from the other political factions within the Nexus

What Randidly couldnÆt yet tell was whether the Commandant had meant to help Randidly or whether he just wanted to paint a target on his back Hopefully Octavius could investigate and help determine that

They quickly arrived at RandidlyÆs training area Overall it was a bit lack luster But then there really werenÆt any portions of this floating rock that possessed many redeeming qualities There was a barracks for sleeping and a large parade grounds but it was mostly just a rocky plateau like everywhere else Around the barracks were the skeletons of the ten isolation training stations being slowly assembled by work crews

This is your area sir The guard cleared her throat and announced

You are dismissed Randidly said Then he allowed time for the guard to hurry away from him and Octavius

not that we cannot be sure there isnÆt more at play here Octavius said slowly But IÆve heard enough from Lady Iellaya to know that Commandant Wick is exactly this domineering in his normal interactions The only problem you donÆt have his clout to insulate you from the consequences

After nodding slowly Randidly very quickly allowed the image of Yggdrasil to spread outward and fill the entirety of the space that now belonged to him It seemed impossible to give back the extra surface area he had been given so Randidly figured he might as well make use of it Massive arteries of glimmering golden roots spread out from where he was standing to weave through the bare and dusty ground As light filtered inward along those roots the grand trunk of the World Tree began to form

The deep and rich color of the bark was soon covered in scrawling runes that detailed the past and future of the universe In their mystical and obtuse shapes lived the secrets of existence And as the trunk stretched upward and branches started splitting outward Randidly unleashed a wave of his newly refined emotion into Yggdrasil Yggdrasil was filled with awe at the power of nature reverence toward life an austere peace in regards to the struggles of living beings and a deep trust in the cycle of life and death At its base the simple joys of living flowed outward sharpening and intensifying the pure energy the tree released into the surrounding space

With his now boosted Grim Intuition Randidly could feel dozens of powerful figures pausing in their own preparations and looking toward the looming specter of the World Tree that distinctly covered one fifth of the surface of the Rally Station In a way it was him announcing his presence In another it was him checking to see the attitudes of the other Drill Sergeants How problematic had the CommandantÆs actions been from the point of view of other trainers

For now no one raised their image in challenge to him It was enough to let him breathe a sigh of relief he had time then to stake his claim

Next Randidly allowed Helen Heiffal and all his other helpers out of the Alpha Cosmos In addition to the front line soldiers Randidly noticed that Helen appeared to have recruited a few Earth Golems and White Hunters to join her as assistants For now Randidly kept his Riders within the Alpha Cosmos for training only two hundred odd individuals he probably already had enough helpers

But they were always available if these recruits needed some fresh faced sparring partners

Randidly gestured to the surrounding space and addressed his helpers Everywhere that has the scent of Yggdrasil on it is ours We will be training two hundred individuals to be elites if you have anything that you need construction wise just let me know

Helen pondered that for a moment Well if I can ask for anything can we turn one of these open fields into an area filled with pits I sorta like the idea of forcing two people into a pit and making them fight each other itÆs just more intense than having them fight on flat land Sets the right mood when everything is muddy

Randidly paused and tilted his head to the side as he considered HelenÆs request

Oh Heiffal slammed his fist to his palm Do you know any Engravings that could increase the gravity Stamina is the most important tool for soldiers at the frontlines So if we had a reliable and fast way to exhaust the recruits that would help the training along

Suddenly one of the White Hunters Helen had brought spoke up I believe we need an area to test precision Is it possible to grow a bamboo grove here The soil is a bit but I assure you that the result will be satisfactory

Also you arenÆt expecting us to stay in that building with the recruits are you Helen said pointing over at the squat concrete barracks We as the trainers need to be distinctly separate from the recruits In addition us having an imposing or impressive residential building will serve as mental pressure on the recruits That added pressure will sharpen them

RandidlyÆs mouth twitched Pits and gravity Engravings I can handle but now you want me to throw up a five star resort for you Heh although it shouldnÆt be amusing I somehow have the feeling that Helen will greatly add to my reputation as a sadistic monster

Very quickly the details were hammered out and the renovation work began The pits were the easiest of the requests While the Southern portion of RandidlyÆs area was left as a flat parade ground the Western area became the lands of pits Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil quickly hollowed out almost a hundred five meter diameter pits for duels In addition Randidly used half of the area to create a large pit filled with rough terrain for larger skirmishes

Randidly cleared didnÆt possess the ability to create an opulent housing for his trainers but he didnÆt have to it already existed Wendy had erected a rather sizable building within the Alpha Cosmos to house all of the frontline soldiers that Randidly regularly placed within there In addition she had the foresight to make all of the plumbing self contained as long as Randidly connected the building to a water and a waste line it could be transplanted wholesale to the Rally Station

After a few mistakes in the massive transfer that cracked a few windows the Northern portion of their training area was dominated by a fifteen story apartment complex Compared to the squat buildings that dominated the sandy plateau the building truly stood out He had been somewhat bemused by HelenÆs suggestion of adding mental pressure to the recruits when he heard it but Randidly could deny there was a certain ostentatious flair to its very obvious presence Even Randidly looked at it and felt a vague annoyance If nothing else anger at its flagrant existence might drive recruits to train harder

Meanwhile the Eastern portion of the training area was transformed similarly to the Western except instead of pits the Eastern portion was dominated by gardens They brought seeds from within the Alpha Cosmos and used the ambient energy of Yggdrasil to make the soil hospitable With the strength of RandidlyÆs image the process was rather quick Half of the garden space was taken up by a massive bamboo forest while the remainder was split into a hundred mini gardens

The suddenly talkative White Hunter called Muareth waxed poetic about the mental benefits of gardening and how the cultivation process mirrored the process of creating an image almost exactly While Randidly was unsure of how much he agreed he certainly had firmly planted himself on the path of deeply terraforming the area both as a continued statement of his overbearing persona that was thrust upon him and as a general improvement of the dour aesthetic of the Fifth Cohort Rally Station

With most of the large projects started RandidlyÆs subordinates went to take care of the details Meanwhile Randidly proceeded to the half finished personal training areas and shoed away the work crews They fled from him like the red sea parting for Moses Because he planned on Engraving these himself he wanted the finishing touches to be grown with Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil anyway that way the buildings would turn to ash and disintegrate taking his Engraving secrets along with him when he was finished with them

After some consultation with Neveah over the details of the Engraving and refining the design Randidly expanded the number of training chambers to eleven These areas consisted of a meditation area and a suspension sphere based upon the Engravings Randidly had seen from the Xyrt BrigadeÆs treatment of Vualla

Randidly also gave Neveah another task to use the principles of that suppression area he had experienced on Tellus that sucked away Mana and Stamina combined with an increase and gravity and a general image suppression to create an area that would truly strike fear into the hearts of the recruits

Which left Randidly just to make his suspension spheres Five would be a softened version of the Xyrt BrigadeÆs design which would reflect back any uncontrolled thought at the individual within Five would be a variation of RandidlyÆs own design which would reflect back only emotions that the images were releasing Or at least that was the hope

Some of the Aether mechanisms would need to be tested before Randidly was confident in their functions

The final sphere was a combination of both with an increased requirement for control that Randidly planned to use to train himself and punish any recruits that were particularly troublesome This one took the longest as Randidly had to use a much steadier hand to reinforce the powerful Engravings that would fuel the chamber

Congratulations Your Skill Architecture of the Primordial Ways has grown to Level 281

Congratulations Your Skill Experienced CreatorÆs Ingenuity has grown to Level 151

Congratulations Your Skill Architecture of the Primordial Ways has grown to Level 295

Congratulations Your Skill Experienced CreatorÆs Ingenuity has grown to Level 170

It was just when Randidly was finishing up his Engravings and discussing the details of the grand exhaustion Engraving with Neveah that an individual that Randidly didnÆt recognize entered into the area now dominated by YggdrasilÆs image In spite of the fact that he was generally occupied Randidly looked up and glanced toward the Southwest

Immediately one of HeiffalÆs men made a beeline for the interloper and intercepted him But then that soldier brought him to Helen who brought that individual in the direction of Randidly It seemed this person was someone of import

Purple black Revelation Energy appeared in RandidlyÆs right eye while light began to bend and swirl around RandidlyÆs left The Stillborn Phoenix had just recently exhaled its violent emotions into RandidlyÆs chest so when it breathed in Randidly allowed the image to partake of the surrounding emotions Even from this distance Randidly could clearly taste the different sensation of this new person Stubbornness a barely controlled fear a natural wariness and a steely and determined antagonism

Randidly couldnÆt prevent himself from baring his teeth This fellow wasnÆt a friend

The man was literally a deep blue humanoid skeleton with glowing red eyes Barbed spikes curled up from his shoulders elbows knees and forehead Randidly wondered whether he had been reanimated by a lich or truly had lived in this manner his entire existence As the duo of bored Helen and surly skeleton arrived Randidly folded his arms behind his back and stared silently at them He was the picture of a disapproving army commander that had been disturbed

The skeletonÆs glowing gaze focused on Randidly and scrutinized him As the mutual examination continued Randidly allowed more and more of the Grim Chimera to manifest in the air around him His body and the surrounding air warped as the physicalizations intensified

The time being tempered by the rough energy coming up from the base of the Nexus had done no favors for the Grim ChimeraÆs aesthetics Now it looked more like a charred corpse than any sort of healthy individual Its entire exterior was blackened and blistered But those viciously sharp eyes of the Grim Chimera eviscerated the skeletonÆs own gaze and forced him to look away The skeleton had a strong image but Randidly clearly sensed that his slowly growing control over his imageÆs emotion made even a single one of his images markedly stronger

you must be Head Drill Sergeant Ghosthound the skeleton eventually said Randidly remained silent not even bothering to acknowledge him he couldnÆt deny that he loved the engagement style of this furious persona It required so much less talking than was normally required of him

The heaviness in the air grew After shifting his jaw the skeleton spoke again My name is Banum Voloppesett one of the normal Drill Sergeants I just brought you some news I heard from a associate in the Engraving Department at the NLC that an emergency came up Your special training chambers will be delayed I apologize

As you can see I took care of it myself Randidly gestured vaguely behind him It seemed this plan had been set in motion before Randidly had spoken with the Superintendent Is there anything else

Huh Barnum VolopesettÆs skull was remarkable expressive his shock was clear You wait you know Engraving

If there is nothing else you may leave Randidly said simply And then he stared at Banum until the confused skeleton turned and left without another word But when the man had left the area RandidlyÆs expression turned into a grin As he thought other factions were moving to block him The only question was whether the interference would stay this minor for the foreseeable future

Oh also Helen spoke up She spread her arms and dumped about twenty scrolls sealed with glittering symbols onto the ground The Superintendent passed along these They are apparently messages from various individuals of the Nexus Wanting to discuss the best ways to train their distant nieces and nephews

Oh indeed Helen IÆll leave handling this matter to you Randidly said officiously

Helen rolled her eyes and gestured with her head A ripple of crimson light spread through the surrounding area and suddenly a massive shadow manifested nearby The enormous undersea monstrosity opened its mouth and chomped down on the scrolls obliterating them Randidly grinned it was great to have a subordinate who understood what you meant perfectly

Alright then Randidly said as he rubbed his hands together The pressure was lightest now partly because most people didnÆt have the measure of Randidly yet and also perhaps because of the heavy handedness with which Commandant Wick had intervened on RandidlyÆs behalf But despite the price of that Randidly currently had carte blanche within his training area The Superintendent thought Randidly was holding his sonÆs life hostage and would turn a blind eye So Randidly planned on making some preparations for when the pressure on him became more intense LetÆs get started

Chapter 1507

Gabriel Swacc has the piece

Raymund Ballast felt his hands clenching in fists as he stood on the humming teleportation platform For the first time since his brother was born he felt the entirety of his worldÆs fate resting on his shoulders His heartbeat began to accelerate his people could not afford another failure And perhaps because of how personally Raymund had taken that failure his thoughts went to that enigmatic phrase he had scrutinized for the past two years

RaymundÆs mind was laser focused on the last message his brother had sent him as the teleporter whisked him away to the location where he would be spending three months training This training would be his chance to prove himself Then hopefully with his edges honed Raymund would fight against the Nether Invasion on the Fifth Cohort and achieve spectacular results thereby earning him the influence needed to look into that name and find out what was this pieceÆ

Raymund was vaguely aware of the mysterious Swacc Family and had heard rumors about the shady practices it engaged in to spread its own influence throughout the Nexus His was a planet that had passed the Third Calamity hundreds of years ago and seen its triumphant hero mysteriously disappear shortly after the planet was directly connected to the Nexus Since then their Aether allotment had steadily dried up leaving more and more of the population to slowly waste away It had progressed to the point that RaymnundÆs people had lost all hope

But then Techetadore had born Even Raymund had watched his younger brother grow through those first few years and somehow sensed that this young man was different He was an individual who could change the fate of an entire world

After twenty years of explosive growth Techetdore headed to the Nexus to fulfill the expectations of his entire world And considering Techetadore BallastÆs potential it seemed reasonably likely that he could have been recruited to serve the Swacc Family Raymund could practically see it A young foolhardy and slightly desperate Techetadore arriving at the Nexus to look for work The sinister Swacc Family immediately taking notice

Raymund beared his fangs into the melting void of the teleportation corridor Techet is cutthroat and decisive while fighting but he he never knew the despair that the rest of us lived and breathed before he was born He probably never considered that he could someday encounter a situation that he couldnÆt overcome

Yet even if RaymundÆs brother had been recruited for some nefarious purpose why had he simply sent that message without saying anything more Why had he not sent any Aether to their steadily dying home planet Why had it been two years without any new news

With a lurch Raymund Ballast and the thousands of recruits around him arrived at the Fifth Cohort Rally Station Towering giants slimy humanoids and growling beasts shuddered and tried to maintain their balance Raymund swayed lightly but stayed completely upright while several of the people in the surroundings collapsed into each other setting off a series of shoving matches For many of these people this week had seen the first major teleportation they had experienced Even now they were struggling to cope and more than willing to take it out on each other

Meanwhile Raymund had experienced teleportation before About six months after Techetadore had ascended to the Nexus he had earned enough to have Raymund visit His brother had seemed exhausted but he had been as bright and optimistic as Raymund remembered His brother didnÆt mention any details but said he would be able to secure a steady stream of Aether soon So Raymund had returned to their home planet with the good news for his people that soon their prayers would be answered Techetadore had succeeded

Then one month after that

No one blamed Raymund obviously But something had died as more and more people lost hope Their culture withered and receded into the dark places of their homes The cities had become ominously silent

Even while most of the surrounding recruits gathered their feet beneath them and sorted out which individuals were the most powerful the majority of these people gave Raymund a wide birth As a humanoid Vulpine standing at three meters tall RaymundÆs rich fur and three thick tails often intimidated smaller creatures In addition RaymundÆs uniform was a forest green whereas most of the surrounding recruits wore bland grey uniforms RaymundÆs tails swished back and forth as he cast a heavy gaze around at the surroundings His yellow eyes only caught one other individual wearing the green uniform in this current batch

The green uniform signified that they were part of the elite squad They would be personally trained by some war hero from the frontlines who had actual experience fighting the Nether It had taken Raymund a lot of effort to get into the elite unit Yet disappointingly the other green uniformed individual seemed like a perfectly normal humanoid He was short and slight with pale skin Yet as Raymund looked at him the humanoid turned around and returned his gaze His pale eyes were remarkably clear even at this distance

Raymund furrowed his brow Not a single individual in the elite unit can be underestimated These are the people from which I need to stand out

Not that Raymund could sense anything dangerous from this fellow elite But the pressure Raymund felt now stemmed from the fact that he had only been placed into the elite squad for being the top scorer in the general recruitment drive The recruiters had been full of praises for Raymund but that was just in comparison to the normal recruits

From what Raymund could gather he was the only member of the elite squad that had been tested All the others didnÆt even need to bother with it They relied on connections to secure a place beneath the Head Drill Sergeant

There was a shout from the edge of the teleporter which pulled RaymundÆs attention from his fellow elite The group of recruits began to move A gelatinous cube with a grey uniform steadily dissolving inside of it oozed steadily forward in front of Raymund toward the edge of the teleporter After one last glance toward the other green uniform Raymond squinted around at the Rally Station Despite the fact that most of it seemed to be a featureless red stone plateau orbiting the Nexus Raymund could see a tall building next to a forest in the distance which was probably where the Drill Sergeants stayed

Meanwhile the recruits trooped steadily forward toward a gathering of ugly squat buildings situated a short way from the teleporter As soon as their group got off the Engraved mechanism the next batch arrived with a flash of light and joined them in a river of bodies toward those grey buildings The speed slowed as their group approached the buildings but there were several guards at a tent rapidly giving each recruit directions to the place that would be their home for the next three months

As Raymund approached a guard caught his eye and jerked his chin to the side very obviously there were a hundred individuals in the green uniforms waiting off to the side as the grey clothed recruits were sent off in every direction Raymund rolled his shoulders swished his tail and strode out of the main stream to join his fellow elites

When he arrived amongst them he drew very little attention Most seemed either too nervous to pay attention or too engrossed in their own minor conversation to pay him any notice It was only a massive grey dog perhaps twice RaymundÆs size with a green uniform comically ill fitted around its torso that opened an eye and regarded the newly arrived Foxman Then the dog snorted and laid its head back down content to nap The slender humanoid that Raymund had noticed earlier also wound his way out of the crowd and followed in RaymundÆs wake

They exchanged a glance as they approached the elite group together After a hesitation the smaller man extended his hand hello We will be training together from now on so IÆm Benjamin ItÆs nice to meet you

RaymundÆs clawed hand was twice the size of BenjaminÆs but he couldnÆt deny the rush of relief he felt as the other recruit who hadnÆt needed to be tested acknowledged him so easily The tension in RaymundÆs chest eased if only slightly He shook BenjaminÆs hand IÆm Raymund It is an auspicious meeting

With some of the tension gone the two walked together toward the place where the elites congregated As they approached they could hear the conversation that was happening in the midst of the group the recruits were gossiping about their Head Drill Sergeant

A squat being composed entirely of fire was speaking as they walked into the loose circle say heÆs been secretly trained by Commandant Wick the most brutal military Commander in the history of the Nexus for a hundred years HeÆs more monster than civilized creature preferring corporeal punishment to all other training methods

All the gazes in the circle shifted toward a slender woman covered in brown fur She pursed her lips My grandfather and Drill Sergeant Ghosthound only met the other day There is no truth to these rumors

Keh of course you deny it A being with dusky grey skin and white hair to his shoulders shook his head RamÆs horns curled away from the sides of his head

The fire elemental nodded solemnly at the young woman be that as it may it cannot be denied that our Drill Sergeant was sent to the Frontlines for using forbidden Skills Then while he was there so many of the Commanders began mysteriously dying that they had no choice but to promote him When the Nether King attacked he erected a powerful castle that inexplicably protected his troops while all other groups were decimated

Raymund noticed a small movement out of the corner of his eye A young man with extremely pale skin shivered at as the fire elemental spoke reaching up and wrapping his arms around himself as though he was briefly struck by a chill wind Raymund sniffed that young man stunk of fear

The flame elemental the ram demon and the brown furred young woman continued to debate the facts surrounding their Drill Sergeant as more and more of the elite squad arrived Soon all two hundred had gathered and the mood began to change The elites glanced at each other and then over toward the guards directing the other recruits wondering where they should be headed

Raymund and Benjamin shared a glanced Raymund barred his teeth Have you noticed that the attitudes of the guards are perhaps peculiar

Benjamin nodded solemnly and pressed his lips together for a second before he spoke Even if they are afraid of us due to our backgrounds we are still recruits There is no reason to avoid us so completely But they seem to dread us I suspect that there is a kernel of truth to these rumors about our Drill Sergeant and these guards have witnessed it

Just as the group of recruits in forest green uniforms was beginning to get antsy and consider approaching the guards there was a massive pulse of an image from the tall building to their West Raymund instinctively tensed as an overwhelmingly strong image of an enormous life giving tree spread in the air above them At the same time he didnÆt miss the way the guards flinched All the recruits in grey uniforms paused and looked up at the sky with wide eyes

But it was clearly a message because as that image spread out all of the forest green uniforms began to resonate Their Head Drill Sergeant had summoned all of the recruits

The discussion amongst the elites finally trailed off They looked at each other with serious expressions Then they began to walk toward the source of the image The guards watched them go with deep frowns on their faces Honestly the intensity of their scrutiny and the tight implacability of their emotions began to unnerve Raymund

What have these guards witnessed Raymund wondered

It only took them about five minutes to cross the distance and arrive at a very clear boundary in the direction of the tall building There was a low wall covered in Engravings running to the left and right and a wide ivory arch in the middle to allow them entrance into the area To their left beyond the boundary was a thick bamboo forest To their right were several small gardens

Two individual stood beyond the archway idly watching the recruits approach The figure on the left was a rocky humanoid with thick limbs To the right was a pale being with a quadruped bottom and a slender humanoid top Its entire body seemed to be composed of a white chitinous armor As the group settled in front of the arch the right figure cleared its throat I am Muareth responsible for guiding you to your training area Your mission is simple follow this straight road to the central crossroads and then turn to the South Parade Grounds There are no tricks this is your only task You have two hours to accomplish this Failure will mean being stripped of your qualifications to be a member of the elite squad

Muareth surveyed the trainees Most of them seemed rather confused by the simple requirement a sentiment that Raymund shared Muareth smirked As I said itÆs an extremely simple task But I will say this this is also your one opportunity to turn away This is your one opportunity to withdraw with no questions asked The Ghosthound will push you to your breaking point for the next three months It will not be a pleasant experience And let me assure you that no matter who you are related to They will not be able to help you once you step onto his territory You will be entirely on your own

Peh The white haired humanoid with rams horns spat to the side and looked at the two figures beyond the arch with obvious dissatisfaction Your fear mongering wonÆt work Humph letÆs go

He boldly took several steps forward and crossed the boundary Three others followed When those four had fully arrived on the interior the horned man twitched like he had hit with a bolt of lightning and froze His three followers collapsed

Muareth just chuckled Congratulations you three Your chance to back down is now forfeit Welcome to three months of hell

Chapter 1508

Ripples of trepidation ran through Raymund BallastÆs chest as he watched the three collapsed individuals twitch on the ground He also couldnÆt help but notice that the collapse was strangely silent Perhaps these three were weak but to see them fold quietly over like a card castle buffeted by a gust of wind was a rather powerful demonstration of the difficulty of the test

As one most of the recruits outside of the archway focused their gazes on the white haired humanoid As the one who remained standing despite the mysterious impediment he became the best litmus test for how passable this hurdle was

After only a few more seconds of strained silence he raised his head and laughed loudly An image of darkness and violence spread to fill the air around him Hahahaah ChildÆs play Did you really think that taking away my Stamina would stop Urgh

The ram demon shut up as Muareth walked over to him and smashed him in the gut with one of its long arms As the ram horned man collapsed and groaned weakly on the ground his arms spasmed ineffectually It was clear that he was struggling to recover from the unexpected strike

Muareth grinned down at its victim and then turned to the watching group Please remain respectful to all instructors and in the presence of your instructors or you will be punished Disrespect will not be tolerated here But as this fool pointed out the suppression over this area is really just a trick As you can see we have completely adapted to moving around in this environment without any trouble While within the training area your Stamina and Mana will be continually drained Therefore you will need to rely upon your image for the entirety of your actions Anyway the clock is ticking Please proceed to the Parade Grounds within the time limit

You The foolÆ in question finally got his arms under control and began to push himself up off the ground But Muareth raised one of its hooves and smashed the humanoidÆs face into the ground Raymund heard his nose break with an audible crack

Do not Muareth hissed as it lowered its head down its victim as blood seeped from the ram demonÆs nose Address me as you again You will not get a third warning

Meanwhile with the trick revealed several others began to tentatively step across the threshold They all reacted similarly with a grimace and a stagger But as their individual image spread out to cover their body they could continue to function normally They steadily tested movements and then began to walk forward with more confidence Muareth snorted at the silent form of the ram demon on the ground and followed the leaders as more and more recruits proceeded forward Everyone remained quiet and serious they were beginning to believe the rumors about their Drill Sergeant from seeming the casual brutality of his subordinates

Yet somehow Raymund found this reassuring MuarethÆs casual treatment of the white haired humanoid just confirmed it these people cared not at all who you were They were simply here to train you if the training was truly merit based he could hold his head high as long as he could produce results But still

Raymund sucked in a breath No point in delaying any longer ItÆs time to see whether I have the mettle to stand amongst these elites or whether I will always be the forgettable brother of Techetadore

With gritted teeth Raymund walked forward and crossed the threshold Almost immediately he grunted and fell to one knee It felt like his own body betrayed him transmogrifying into inert scrap metal that refused to function as a usable tool But right before he collapsed the face of his younger brother appeared in his mind

In that flash of a memory Techetadore was wincing Ray you will never get better at dueling if you never strike to kill me in our spars

Raymund had shaken his head I dare not Techetadore If an accident were to befall you I

If something happened to me Techetadore had suddenly insisted leaning forward and jabbing his elder brother in the chest I trust you would dareÆ much more than you now believe is possible If you put your mind to it there is no reason that you couldnÆt be just as strong as me

Raymund had sighed at the time just thinking it was one of those strange things that his younger brother said sometimes Yet at the moment Raymund heard those words clearly A tremor ran through his body His brain was suddenly on fire Raymund Ballast refused to collapse and exploded with all the Willpower he could muster His image spread outward through his body setting the hairs across his skin to stand straight up

The image was warm and reassuring it reminded him of Techetadore who possessed an almost identical image of their worldÆs god Raymund wasnÆt very proficient in using his image to manually move his body but he was able to stand up through his wobbles Next to him Benjamin looked at him with obvious concern Are you alright

Raymund would have laughed bitterly had that not required an extremely acute control over his image Instead he steadily worked to speak in an understandable manner Heh IÆm fine You seem fine too

Benjamin shrugged IÆve engaged in similar training in the past Truly as you grow used to it it gets much easier to handle But it is rather surprising that this Drill Sergeant Ghosthound employed this method Especially as the first test of his recruits I think that all those who elected to have their elites sent here are in for a surprise

Raymund frowned at Benjamin and wished to question him more on the subject but the slender man shook his head and began walking calmly forward Feeling slightly overwhelmed by his companionÆs speed Raymund tried his best to follow

Behind them the rest of the recruits passed over the threshold In addition Raymund took note of the individuals who werenÆt thrown at all by the shift moving like Benjamin had without a hitch The brown furred young woman frowned but continued to walk at a steady pace as she crossed into their training area The fire elementalÆs inscrutable facial features didnÆt twitch in the least Yawning loudly the massive grey dog walked forward without pause It was only as he passed him that the dog slowed and sneered at Raymund

RaymundÆs face twitched God I abhor dogs imbecilic ass licking creatures

Although some of the recruits were clearly trudging forward with grim expressions of exertion on their face everyone proceeded through the archway and began walking forward With a tall bamboo forest on their left and gardens on their right the walk was even somewhat scenic Certainly it was much more enjoyable than the dusty stones they crossed to get here

And as Benjamin had indicated using his image gradually grew more natural to Raymund Rather than it being something he wasnÆt capable of it was simply an action Raymund had never been required to do in the past His movements soon became much smoother His tails began to wag once more Very quickly his proficiency increased

But a short time after that Raymund began noticing something else about the process he was steadily developing a headache After only a short amount of time of using his image like this he was already growing weary from the unusual exertion

It did however make Raymund feel somewhat better to glance at Benjamin and see that his acquaintance was also grimacing Benjamin seemed to notice RaymundÆs gaze and shrugged lightly Then he spoke in a soft voice I retract my earlier statement Everyone everyone is in for a surprise This formation the man who designed it is clearly a sadist If anything the intensity increases as we head toward the center

the guides Raymund managed to get out

But Benjamin understood what he was saying and nodded slowly Yes The fact that they display no signs of strain is either proof that this formation is more elaborate than should be possible or that we will be expected to grow entirely accustomed to this strain Both options are somewhat troubling

The recruits eventually reached the central area denoted only by eleven small buildings arranged in a circle around a massive silver bell From there their weary journey turned South toward the Parade Grounds Again physically the journey was extremely short Perhaps only two hundred meters But after being strained for ten minutes in an entirely new manner the group arrived rather listlessly before the beautiful humanoid woman waiting for them on the parade grounds

At first Raymund only barely took note of the woman as he was largely concentrating on managing the throbbing headache that seemed intent on reducing him to a drooling husk of a person But as he approached her suddenly he couldnÆt help but frown toward the woman She was the center of a storm of pressure that covered the surrounding area The woman adjusted her long braid and smiled sweetly at the group

Strong The massive grey dog growled At some point he had ended up keeping pace with Benjamin and Raymund Even though he naturally disliked the dog Raymund didnÆt disagree Benjamin narrowed his eyes and studied the woman

The woman shifted her weight from one hip to the other The tightness of her leather armor broadcasted the shifting curvature of her muscles as she did so Her smile widened as she studied the exhausted group Welcome Randidly Ghosthound will be your Drill Sergeant but IÆm your Overseer Call me Overseer Helen IÆll be making up all of your individual training regimens so stay on my good side Now does anyone have any questions about your training

Suddenly being faced with such a question when they hadnÆt even learned the details about their training Raymund was bewildered But almost immediately Benjamin stepped forward While forcing individuals to engage solely with their image is effective training in the short term any such training cannot be done for longer periods of time Without special resources the strain on images takes a long time to heal So what is your method for expediting the healing process

Overseer Helen nodded and tossed something at Benjamin He reached up and snatched the objects out of the air deftly despite the fact he was moving solely relying on his image When he opened his hand Raymund peered over BenjaminÆs shoulder and saw that he had been given two coins that were stamped with a golden tree Meanwhile the stony man and Muareth began to pass out single coins to everyone else

For asking the right question at the right time you receive one extra Tree Coin Tree Coins can be traded in at any time by anyone to ring the bell at the center of our camp Overseer Helen said She shifted her weight back You can earn Tree Coins and other varieties of coins for accomplishing something impressive during training Question time is officially over Now you currently have a half hour of free time after that we will be having a 1 v 1 tournament to give us an idea of what we are working with Prepare yourselves as you see fit

Then she produced an apple and began slicing off pieces to eat as though she was completely done with interacting with the group Meanwhile the attitude amongst the recruits turned somewhat strange People kept sending glances toward Benjamin who calmly pocketed his two Tree Coins with a mild expression

Oy Finally the white haired man with ram horns broke the silence He unfolded his arms from across his chest and glared at Benjamin You are the only one here with two Tree Coins ItÆs only fair that you use your extra one so we all understand what they do

I disagree Benjamin said calmly Although I am exhausted my image can persist for a while longer without a problem Exactly because it is dangerous there is a great benefit to training within this suppression field Therefore I plan to wait a while before using a Tree Coin

Think about your fellow recruits The horned man said with a dangerous smile that suggested what Benjamin should really consider is the implied threat of violence Benjamin turned away without responding a clear sign that he believed the conversation was over The horned manÆs gaze sharpened Meanwhile the three officialsÆ all seemed rather unconcerned with the bubbling undercurrent of violence

Before anything happened the flame elemental stepped forward to Muareth and offered a Tree Coin I wish to use my Tree Coin Do I need to do anything

Although Muareth was the one who took the coin Overseer Helen answered Nope IÆll send up the signal

Then she raised her arms and an absolutely massive image filled the surrounding sky The currents of air turned crimson and flowed like boiling blood Within that blood a massive shadow filled the sky as though some deepsea horror had been projected upward from its normal lair With a swish of its massive tail the shadow shifted and turned to regard the recruits waiting below with obvious interest

But before the shadow could move again it was blasted away by that overwhelmingly pure image of life energy flowing from an enormous golden tree But instead of being intimidating this time the energy bloomed outward in a warm wave that lapped up against Raymund and made him release a gasp of pleasure

That energy flood through his mind seemingly knitting together all the strained edges of his image In addition that energy seemed to flush all the clutter out of RaymundÆs mind and leave him with an incredibly sharp impression of his own image For the first time in recent memory he had some concrete ideas on how to shift his image to become vastly more powerful

Within him his sinuous nine tailed fox stirred

The flood of energy lasted for almost fifteen minutes before it gradually began to recede And suddenly Raymund felt extremely prepared to utilize his image for every movement the rejuvenation had been more effective than he would have believed

Meanwhile the fire elemental glanced over toward Benjamin Although his expression flickered with the flames that made up his body Raymund sensed disappointment on his face If you could easily do something to benefit another why would you hesitate

Benjamin just shook his head

Chapter 1509

Randidly looked out the window of the residential building and cast his gaze toward the pit filled area to the South From his perspective he couldnÆt really see the duels with his eyes but Grim Intuition gave him plenty of information regarding the messy results The recruits were about halfway through the tournament and it was already clear that there was a stark divide amongst the recruits regarding their capabilities

About half of them clearly were overwhelmed by the suppression formation quickly running out of steam after a single slightly stiff jointed fight Those lucky enough to win those horrid martial showings despite their flagging capabilities were then crushed by the group that was able to adapt quickly It was clear that their image hadnÆt been trained for this but about 60% of the recruits were capable of fighting solely with their images

It was amongst those 60% that the true competition could begin and where the power of their images began to matter more and more

Randidly idly rubbed his chin The 40% that couldnÆt keep their images active for even a few fights would go to Helen and a few of her chosen subordinates to force them to develop a concrete image Against the Nether ambiguous or vast images would quickly be corrupted And Randidly knew first hand that the impending threat of violence from Helen was a powerful motivator

These weaker trainees would also be supplemented with healing energy more frequently without having to spend their Tree Coins They were essentially seeds that would be thrown in a garden full of fertilizer and then forgotten about for a week They needed to show their ability to sprout before they would earn serious attention

Heiffal would take the lead on the other 60% fine tuning their individual needs for violence precision and mindfulness which corresponded to the areas of the pits the bamboo forest and the gardens respectively This would also be the time where most of the information regarding the recruits was gathered Then there would also be group image endurance training which Heiffal would oversee directly and small rests arranged in between the larger training exercises

Currently Heiffal and Helen had cooked up some war games they wanted to play but first they would have to select and group the recruits into twenty ten person squads Randidly had suggested some strategies on how the squads should be grouped just from watching the recruits arrive and struggle with the suppression Engraving However Muareth had made the good point that RandidlyÆs initial impressions would effectively gather all of the strongest individual in three of the squads which would certainly create elite squads but it would leave the rest as relatively unimpressive groups

Randidly released a sigh and rubbed his forehead Even with hundreds of subordinates he somehow felt exhausted with the task of training these recruits In addition he became quite aware of the ways that this process of extreme image training could go badly Both for the recruits and for Randidly himself Already the Earth Golem at the entrance to RandidlyÆs training area had reported that almost a dozen more scrolls had arrived for him from various individuals in the Nexus it seemed the recruits had tattled about RandidlyÆs extreme training methods

But for now as long as they stuck to just sending scrolls Randidly was content with just ignoring all outside influences Results would speak for themselves when the time came

It was just a matter of getting those results

While the tournament finished up Randidly looked to the East toward the entrance to the main entrance to the area he had claimed Specifically he looked at the physical limit that was becoming a rapidly noticeable boundary on the Fifth Cohort Rally Station The very air was beginning to polarize there Previously Randidly had wondered about the physical spread of images in space but he had never thought about it too deeply But with the added emotional information Randidly finally had the capacity to see and understand what was happening

One important aspect of emotion as a part of the image was gracing them with a unique almost electric charge So instead of mixing freely with other images an image with a strong emotion would push other images away like the same two sides of a magnet As this gradual ionization occurred over time naturally insulating itself against outside influences the boundaries would become increasingly stark

Even now Randidly watched as the air along the boundary gradually shifted Within became increasingly lively and energizing Breezes began to gradually stir the growing bamboo forest as the area dominated by his Yggdrasil image developed a primitive climate Meanwhile the air outside remained dead with the buzzing edge of Yggdrasil keeping these two areas from mixing

Humming to himself Randidly turned his attention back to OctaviusÆ recent message

IÆm in the process of investigating the backgrounds of all of your recruits I should have the information shortly Please refrain from offending any factions until we understand who we are dealing with

Randidly didnÆt bother to keep himself from rolling his eyes but he did only think his response and refrained from replying to the message Just like you explained to me what I would be doing in the Nexus prior to my arrival I basically had no idea what was happening until I showed up Your reports move at a glacial pace

But even if the speed of his investigation was relatively unsatisfactory Randidly couldnÆt deny that he was certainly an extremely fastidious information gatherer Therefore it was best to just leave the Overseer to his work

Besides Randidly had other concerns One of Superintendent XeruthÆs subordinates had arrived at the edge of his land informing Randidly by proxy that the plan had been for his elite squad to take part in the larger skirmishes However the sweating guard had stressed the Superintendent was willing to adjust the schedule if Randidly believed it was best for the long term potential of the many talented individuals that he was instructingÆ

Considering the fact that Commandant Wick had somehow gotten the SuperintendentÆs son assigned to RandidlyÆs command Randidly felt somewhat awkward at the deferential and very obviously fearful treatment he was receiving from the man But Randidly hardened his heart I wonÆt actually be punishing the son for the fatherÆs behavior He will be given the same opportunity to improve as everyone else Which will undoubtedly benefit him Although considering the intensity of the training Helen is cooking up it might seem somewhat abusive to a concerned and already stressed father

Well anyway I might as well take advantage of my freedom while I have it The first skirmish is in a week it would be my elite two hundred against a full thousand Heh thatÆs just enough to make sure the recruits struggle

Just as Randidly began to hammer out the details of how he wanted to exhaust the recruits before that fight Helen sent him a message The tournament had finished it was now time for the recruits to meet Randidly Ghosthound

Not the real Randidly Ghosthound of course but the Randidly Ghosthound who was the Head Drill Sergeant for this special recruitment drive All of the subordinates had been informed that Randidly was playing a brutal and pitiless taskmaster and were all too willing to feed into this false impression of Randidly

Honestly the enthusiasm with which his subordinates embraced this performance was somewhat alarming to Randidly He wondered for several if he should assign them some extra training to keep their minds from dwelling on such silly things but then realized the irony of that thought and let it go

Randidly stretched his arms above his head and cracked his back Then he reached up and ruffled his dark hair while yawning Alright time to become an absolute nightmare

Rolling his shoulders he worked most of the tension out of his chest and back Then he began to concentrate on his images For this first reveal of this hard nosed character Randidly wanted to come with all three of his physicalizations at full strength Not only did he want to impress the recruits but he had a reputation to uphold

Although he had hidden the Grim Chimera and the Stillborn Phoenix while applying for this position now he had the job there was no longer any reason to hold himself back No longer did he need to appear easily controllable Randidly closed his eyes and tried to find that common thread of emotion that had briefly allowed a near perfect union of his three images

Unfortunately he couldnÆt find that easy settling point that special moment was extremely difficult to recapture So instead of finessing the issue RandidlyÆs Willpower tightened around the three images and forcefully pressed them together Across his body the muscle fibers swelled and twitched as the physicalizations intensified Sparks of electricity crackled around his metal left arm as image and Engraving began to steadily mix

A nonexistent wind ruffled his hair as the individual strands slowly were dyed emerald seeping outward from root to tip Randidly growled as his shoulders and spine shifted into a wider resting point The light around his left eye swirled and melted sucked into the abyss of the Stillborn Phoenix His heart began to pound against the limits of his ribcage pumping hot blood throughout his body Randidly flexed his fingers as the temperature of his person steadily rose Heatwaves rolled off of him a physical manifestation of the warping influence of his images

When he released a breath it came out in a blast of steam His veins began to steadily glow with a golden light A single tail flicked side to side from the point where his neck met his back while a much thicker tail extended outward from his waist Randidly flexed his bare toes and pressed them against the ground His skin began to darkened and char His metallic left arm began to bulge in size soon becoming a massive monstrous claw His right arm remained slender his fingers lengthening and sharpening into deadly points

Randidly released another breath containing the combined weight of his three images within the luminous discharge Their emotions clashed and rose like a flag hastily pulled up a tall metal pole The Grim Chimera was impatient wanting to dedicate most of its effort to its imminent transformation The Stillborn Phoenix had settled into a calm cycle of refining and releasing emotions no longer acting as erratically as it had in the past Yggdrasil was filled with a boundless warmth excited by the prospect of guiding so many recruits to discover their own images

Randidly felt those emotions churn within him He felt the edges of his physicalization and the way his emotions charged his person He was prepared

With a flick of the wrist Randidly produced his PhilosopherÆs Key and settled it into the air As he did so he reminded himself that he would need to open a portal to the heart of the Web to release and absorb some more emotions during the next few days Before he came to the Fifth Cohort Rally Station he had demonstrated his FateÆs ability in front of Edraine and she had completely been unable to detect it As such he felt relatively comfortable using it freely

Randidly twisted the key and opened up the portal With a single step he crossed from the heights of the tower to the muddy and pitted Southern area Immediately Randidly felt the attention of all of the recruits snap to him He suppressed a smile keeping his expression severe these first few seconds were the most important More than his other images Randidly allowed the Grim ChimeraÆs impatience to dominant his aura He released another steaming breath wreathing him in a partially luminous cloud as he studied the recruits

This was the Head Drill Sergeant they would have Impatient Distant Monstrous

He had sensed their images as they fought but now Randidly could look at them directly The winner of the tournament regarded Randidly with an uneasy stare a begrudging respect and an aggressive pride clearly warring in his expression He was a dusky skinned young man with white hair and rams horns curling away from his head Sensing his gaze Helen supplied the young manÆs name through message DiOrtho Vant

RandidlyÆs gaze moved on to the second place finisher a gentle seeming young woman covered in brown fur This then would be the reason that Commandant Wick was throwing his weight around behind the scenes Her name was Charlotte Wick And honestly the attitude she displayed was impressively respectful and controlled She made a much better first impression than the tournamentÆs winner

Not that I can say anything about him just for being so off putting Troublemakers who have that much attitude generally have the skills to back themselves up Randidly reflected

RandidlyÆs gaze shifted down the line In third place was a massive grey dog called Vizzeret Clamman Fourth place was a positively regal looked foxman named Raymund Ballast Fifth place was a being of pure flame named Jieu Ronault who amongst all of the recruits was the only one who radiated a powerful and emotional aura of inner peace That one was definitely a recruit worth training

Beyond that Randidly increased the speed of his scan stopping briefly only on two more individuals as he observed the whole of the recruits First at twelfth place was a surprising presence Kallum Xeruth the hostageÆ son that made the Superintendent so docile His aura was radiating fear but there was also a hint of stubbornness to him He possessed genuine ability befitting the son of a Superintendent

Finally RandidlyÆs eyes settled on a slender recruit that Octavius had already warned him about Benjamin Rex Although they werenÆt sure of the intimacy of the connection it was obvious that he had ties to Solomon Rex one of the most powerful and mysterious figures in the Nexus In addition Benjamin was ranked 101 out of 200 Basically as close to the middle as possible despite having the best image control of all the recruits

Congratulations Your Skill Torch of Long and Slow Silences has grown to Level 174

Alright then letÆs get this started Randidly thought Then he cleared his throat

Chapter 1510

Raymund Ballast wasnÆt sure what he had been expecting from this notoriously brutal Head Drill Sergeant but the actual figure that appeared before them still managed to shock him into a numb stare Almost subconsciously he straightened as Drill Sergeant Ghosthound stepped smartly out of a mysterious portal and considered the recruits He was only on a small hill above the vast trench where the recruits stood but their Drill Sergeant cast a long shadow

The obvious first impression was that the Drill Sergeant was rather hideously ugly his garish emerald hair lopsided arms tails at his neck and waist the charred skin of his body and the way light ebbed around the left side of his face were all extremely striking in very different ways that didnÆt mix well The combination seemed almost random leaving him with a very aggressive fearsome appearance

But as that initial shock began to settle other notes began to emerge One was the piercing emerald light from the GhosthoundÆs right eye Another was the softly pulsing golden veins that managed to shine through even his charred skin When the Ghosthound released a breath it came out as steam that hung in the air around him Although he was well muscled his limbs were lean and designed for action

Raymund couldnÆt help but blink as he noticed more and more details of their Drill Sergeant

Obviously Raymund had grown up with the threat of the SystemÆs monsters Since his world had already passed three of the Calamities in the past the threat had greatly diminished during RaymundÆs time but it was still present He had faced a wide variety of monsters in the past So he couldnÆt help but be briefly puzzled by his own reaction to the Ghosthound

As the silence dragged on and those two very different eyes of the Ghosthound swept through the recruits realization slowly crept up on Raymund in the absolute silence of the parade grounds The reason that the Ghosthound was so striking was because of the obvious complexity of his image As Raymund attempted to get a sense of what the Ghosthound was there was so much conflicting feedback he felt an amorphous scaled changeling a vast golden tree and a howling void all keenly aware of RaymundÆs examination and not pleased by the intrusion All three of these images were flickering intermittently through the GhosthoundÆs person

A mighty warrior Raymund eventually decided Because even if he was confused about the details of the Ghosthound the fact that he had served on the frontlines and waded through waves of bloodshed to get here was readily apparent

The Ghosthound cleared his throat lightly The noise echoed through the silence of the parade grounds The many assistant overseers that had watched the recruits matches with hawkish gazes stood absolutely still seeming more like statues before their leader than real organic existences The show of discipline was intimidating because it was so telling

This Drill Sergeant demanded absolute adherence to his rules

Yet Raymund could not blame the subordinates for following such an extremely demanding leader For he found that the conflux of the GhosthoundÆs images together created a stickiness to his person It was exceedingly difficult for Raymund to tear his gaze away from the Head Drill Instructor There was something innately compelling about the man

IÆll keep this brief The Ghosthound finally said his voice filling all of the empty silences in the surrounding air Congratulations 60 percent of you have the bare minimum qualifications of receiving my instruction For you Overseer Heiffal will be taking you to the Garden Quarter There you will have the next six hours to build lodgings for yourself and decide what you would like to plant within your garden

The Ghosthound paused there and pursed his lips let me say that the gardens were not my idea However I have been informed time spent on external cultivation will help soften the severity of my other lessons on the proper development of images As such work on the garden IS mandatory Each week the individual whose garden is the least impressive will receive a light punishment administered personally by me

What was most intriguing about listening to the Ghosthound speak was the nuance within his voice Somehow Raymund felt like he could clearly sense every emotion their Drill Sergeant experienced And as the Ghosthound spoke about the punishment a barely contained glee in his voice filled Raymund with fear

As for those of you who have summarily failed to display even the base qualifications of a proper soldier the next two days of your life will be handled personally by Overseer Helen If you fail to improve markedly under her tutelage then you do not deserve to be here That is all The Ghosthound abruptly finished Then he breathed out another breath of luminous steam and raised a key in front of him

Yet as he turned it midair and conjured a similar portal to the one he arrived in he stopped himself and turned back to the crowd His voice was suddenly stiff and harsh Ah One more thing An administrative note Over the past few hours I have been receiving a constant stream of scrolls from non military personnel wishing to offer ME advice on how I train recruits Undoubtedly this is only because you all hadnÆt yet realized the joyous experienced of being trained by me and hastily reported back to your relatives an incomplete picture of the effective training regimen that is transpiring here Being of a benevolent outlook IÆve had my subordinates destroy such intrusive messaging before I could even see the name of the foolish senders and hold you all individually accountable for your lack of faith

Something in the GhosthoundÆs gaze changed then The stiffness began to fade as the Drill Sergeant could no longer maintain his cool Instinctively Raymund felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising The surrounding air seemed to be sucked away leaving only a constricting suffocating fury that radiated outward from the Ghosthound From the deepest and most twisted pit within that darkness the fury seemed to emerge hating anything and everything that stood in the way of that man accomplishing his goals

That generosity The Ghosthound said with a throat that sounded like it was lined with gravel Has run out I do not wish to be bothered by further idle gossip or unasked for opinions You had your chance to walk away you did not take it Lower your head and obey your orders soldiers Have I made myself clear

For a split second there was silence It was only when Raymund felt himself being prodded by a crimson flow extending outward from Overseer Helen that he seemed to realize that it was the soldiers’ turn to speak

Sir yes sir The two hundred recruits bellowed The Ghosthound snorted as though deeply disappointed with their response But he walked into his portal and vanished without another word

Instantly Raymund sagged as the immense pressure of the GhosthoundÆs presence no longer gripped him by the throat and held him in place Around him the other recruits were similarly exhausted from enduring their trainerÆs scrutiny Yet Raymund could also sense the way that the attitudes of the surrounding recruits changed after that brief speech While the training was undoubtedly difficult seeing the Ghosthound was confirmation for most of these individuals that they could grow strong by listening to him This was their chance

In the Nexus power was worshipped And Randidly Ghosthound was more powerful than all of the recruits here combined

Alright those of you who are too weak for the GhosthoundÆs training and you know who you are Overseer Helen said lazily Come to me Here here there is no shame in being weak From what I understand most insects and invertebrates start out as pathetic and useless as you It took most species thousands of years to evolve past these worthless states So really you are in tenacious company Where your ancestors failed we are giving you a marginally better chance to succeed

While several pale faced and exhausted recruits trudged over toward the widely grinning Overseer Helen the rest started to gather around Overseer Heiffal As Raymund shifted into position he passed by the massive grey dog The dog seemed to notice Raymund out of the corner of his eye and sneered at Raymund the dog had been the one to defeat him in the earlier tournament

Raymund did a very poor job of suppressing his temper and his lip began to curl upward to reveal his fangs You self important creature You are a domesticated and neutered wolf One small victory while I am adapting to the circumstances means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of our lives

Very quickly Raymund forced his gaze away He was here to impress his instructors and earn as many accolades as he could during the reclamation of the invaded planets in the Fifth Cohort Getting himself caught up in some pointless interspecies rivalry would only distract Raymund from concentrating on his actual goals

Yet no sooner had he distracted himself from that issue than appeared the teasing face of his younger brother Techetadore in the forefront of his mind If you donÆt learn to enjoy the small things in life Ray you wonÆt be able to accomplish the big things you want Big things are just a bunch of small things stacked on top of each other

After several hours of being drained by this strange Engraving around the whole of the training grounds and being forced to fight until he collapsed Raymund was extremely irritated So much so that he lashed out at the fictitious specter of his brother that lingered in his mind Big things are different they are important This was never a joke Techet Saving our planet was something you should have taken more seriously We were all counting on you I was

Although the first memory that had appeared receded like mist underneath the sunÆs warmth with this outburst another memory rose to the fore of Raymund BallastÆs mind This was from a much longer time in the past where Techetadore was only six years old and Raymund was trying to explain to his brother why it was important because of his innate talent that he focus on training

Why do I have to do it Techetadore had pouted at Raymund You are older And you are stronger than me YOU should be the one who has to do it

That was the only time that Techetadore voiced an opinion like that Yet even now Raymund felt a deep shame that so much was heaped upon the shoulders of his younger brother from a young age Although Raymund prided himself on how well educated and knowledgeable he was he didnÆt have the language to cross the gap between himself and Techetadore now or then

He and his people spoke the language of shame and weakness Techet did not Which was why he was special Of course Raymund couldnÆt deny his own talent Although it paled in comparison to his brotherÆs he was also the brightest hope that his planet had seen Yet ultimately RaymundÆs existence was simply the signal for his people to begin to gather their resources to eventually pour into the true chosen one

But it was with all those thoughts flitting around his head that Raymund joined the throng of people walking toward the Eastern portion of the grounds All of the austere beauty of the bamboo forest was lost on Raymund He kept his head down until the person in front of him stopped Then hearing that Overseer Heiffal was speaking Raymund bit the inside of his cheek

Pay attention Only through continued vigilance can success be achieved Raymund chided himself Then he turned all his senses toward the Overseer

honestly it doesnÆt matter at all Overseer Heiffal was saying Then he indicated a large wooden box These seeds are what is provided You are free to choose as many or as few as you wish You can obtain bamboo for your dwellings from certain groves that I will show you so just pick whatever you want Does anyone have a favorite flower

The recruits were silent and dull eyed having difficulty quite understanding the question after being forced to fight each other for several hours

Overseer Heiffal shrugged Too bad If someone had said a favorite flower there you would have gotten a Tree Coin Anyway get to it recruits You only have six hours until tomorrowÆs training begins

Chapter 1511

The unfortunate truth that became immediately obvious as the recruits set about their current task of building themselves a shelter was that there was a wide disparity in terms of architectural understanding amongst them Each individual came from a different background there were thousands of worlds with wildly divergent building styles RaymundÆs world for example primarily relied on tents for their dwellings so he felt rather nonplussed when he was given bamboo as the primary material

He was somewhat gratified to see that most of his fellow elite recruits were just as miserable as he while they attempted to make for themselves a private space These people had been groomed from a young age they had never been asked to make themselves a home

There were of course some exceptions

After two hours that he spent fruitlessly stacking bamboo Raymund looked on with several other stunned recruits as Charlotte Wick put the finishing touches on a picturesque bamboo hut It was only a single room but that room was large enough for a bed and also came with a working door Just as she allowed herself the brief respite of settling underneath her perfectly aligned roof and coolly regarding her audience a wet drop hit RaymundÆs face and forced him to look upward

The gorgeous hanging nebula above the Nexus was completely obscured by a thick layer of water vapor that hung in the air Their sky was filled with dark grey clouds With a dull rumble of thunder it began to rain over the Fifth Cohort Rally Station

Benjamin Rex who had selected a spot next to Raymund to set up his dwelling space frowned upward through the hastening raindrops Are there weather patterns on the Rally Stations

Raymund just shook his head wordlessly The cool sensation of rain hitting his fur was surprising but not unpleasant His fur was naturally oily enough that most of the moisture slid off of him As it was he set aside the seemingly hopeless task of building a home and focused on his garden

After being shown a box of seeds Raymund had randomly selected two as the plants for his garden One seemed to resemble a rather large nut and possessed a thick brown shell The other was a tiny blue bean When Raymund had inquired to the assistant overseer watching the box what they were he had been told that the man was not a gardenerÆ and that the best way to find out would be just to grow the seeds

Which was a practical solution but not one that was reassuring with the hanging threat of a punishment from the Ghosthound if his garden wasnÆt satisfactory Considering he had absolutely no experience with gardening Raymund was justifiably worried that he would be the one receiving that punishment

For the moment Raymund could only sigh and settle down on his haunches as the rain began to fall harder around him The precipitation smacked lightly into the dusty areas between the cultivatable land of the gardens and seeped into the ground But more than the rain in his immediate vicinity RaymundÆs attention was periodically pulled upward by the noise of the rain falling into the bamboo forest The tall stocks rustled and swayed from the storm It was a dull background static that somehow became a part of the task

This activity is certainly not what I expected from Drill Sergeant Ghosthound Raymund frowned down at his clawed fingers Just how intense is the typical training that even a man so stubborn as he was convinced to include this sort of diversion as part of the training regimen

But despite the strangeness of the current circumstances Raymund was surprised to find that gardening was a surprisingly effective way to keep his mind off of how mentally exhausted he was While he dug small holes in his garden and carefully placed the thick shelled nut in the holes on the left side of the garden and the blue beans within the holes on the right the small mundane tasks of cultivation put RaymundÆs perception primarily in his body The humidity in the air the sound of the rain the soft grains of the soil between his fingers the near weightlessness of the seeds

His senses became the reprieve from his mind So although every action required constant stimulation from his image in order to move his body he achieved an equilibrium in his image usage that meant he was no longer constantly exhausting himself as he mimicked normal life

Once all the seeds were within their holes and covered with soil Raymund closed his eyes Even his breathing slowed to near stillness The rain simply washed over him as he crouched over his small garden His mind was completely blank He allowed his image to recede He was almost a statue completely devoid of biological needs a sentry standing watch over the garden Time slowly slipped past

His senses grew and grew becoming everything For a few moments he felt relaxed The pressure of his current circumstances gave him a brief reprieve

Then aware that this opportunity would not last forever Raymund came back to himself He stood and stretched still slightly stiff in his movements due to his unfamiliarity with how to use his image in this manner But he was improving Then he looked up toward the sky The rain was clearing up but it was an appropriate demonstration that a dwelling with a working roof would quite easily improve his quality of life while staying here So Raymund turned his attention to his house

No one would ever call him a carpenter but the squat shack he threw together could honestly be described as practicalÆ

Around two hours later Heiffal called for everyone to gather it was time to begin their training in earnest Perhaps out of nervousness one of the other recruits turned in a Tree Coin and another wave of warm energy was released over their group Feeling refreshed Raymund paid attention as Heiffal explained their next task

and promptly joined the rest of the recruits in grimacing at the pronouncement They were going to work on improving their base physical abilities

Head Drill Instructor Ghosthound places enormous importance on physical capability Heiffal was saying A strong body supports a strong image So your first task will be running underneath the influence of a gravity array A gravity array on top of the suppression array that takes away your Stamina Those of you who somehow made it this far without developing a passive physical Skill I hope you saved a free Skill slot Otherwise this will be an extremely difficult few hours for you

Although in this case our images are the only reason our bodies are able to move Raymund thought grumpily So shouldnÆt you say a strong image supports a strong body

Raymund had a love/hate relationship with physical fitness On the one hand he found it profoundly tiresome Even with the System there was a limit to how strong you could physically become Therefore training with Skills or images was much more fruitful

On the other hand Raymund inexplicably was very good at those sorts of physical exercises Even toward the end when Techetadore had surpassed him in every other aspect he could keep up during the daily physical exercises that Techetadore put himself through For that reason physical fitness held a special place in RaymundÆs heart it was the activity the two brothers had always done together

Heiffal led the group of recruits back toward the central area where an entirely new building had been erected while most of them struggled to cobble together a competent enough shack to keep off the rain Raymund definitely believed this was done purposefully as a mental prod at the recruits The suitably chastened recruits then followed Heiffal as he walked jauntily forward into the tall dome that had been erected to the West of the central bell Yet while Heiffal could continue calmly forward into the interior of the building the leading recruits collapsed immediately with a strained groan

Heiffal turned behind him with an expression of surprise on his face his body perfectly at ease Oh Even this is too much Well I guess we wonÆt even need to turn on the main formation for your first training session My my my Perhaps you should have been grouped in the failures column

Raymund felt a flash of pleasure as he watched the strained figures of those unlucky few who thoughtlessly led the recruits The grey dog had been one of the first to step across the threshold and collapse Now it growled and struggled to stand

Somehow Raymund felt his legs carrying forward past the hesitating other recruits In other areas he perhaps wouldnÆt have been so bold But as long as it was physical fitness in only that area he could keep up even with Techet And sure the pressure within the room would be more than was comfortable but Raymund gambled on the fact that half of the initial failure of those recruits was due to surprise But this was an opportunity he didnÆt want to miss

So Raymund Ballast walked past the threshold his image bracing for the change He could hear the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears

Even though he expected it the change still hit him like a sledgehammer across his back His vision briefly swam from the impact and he couldnÆt help but hunch forward and brace himself But with a strange vindictiveness that Raymund hadnÆt realized was present within his heart he forced his back straight and raised his chin Then he did his best to appear nonchalant as he strolled forward

At the last moment he glanced to the side down at the massive grey dog which continued to struggle upward Their eyes met Raymund smirked Then he looked away he had more important things to care about

It felt extremely refreshing to leave a growling mutt on the ground behind him

Similar to Raymund most of the other recruits didnÆt experience such an embarrassing collapse once they were prepared for the sudden increase in gravity Eventually all of the recruits followed Heiffal through to find several massive metal logs that they would be required to carry around the arena twenty times today

The solid bars of metal were two meters long and half a meter thick As Raymund considered his bar he felt like he was an inspect toying with the tool of a giant For someone his size and he was one of the tallest of the recruits it was difficult to manage

The additional weight of the metal log didnÆt mean much especially at first The recruits stayed in a relatively tight pack as they jogged around the arena The bar was heavy but these were all recruits that were billed to be elites they had experienced training in the past that had pushed their physical limits But very quickly that small additional weight they were forced to haul around began to add up On some of the recruits around him Raymund saw more and more sweat dripping down from their brown Gritting his teeth Raymund held the rather unwieldy thing above his head as he loped forward even as his shoulders began to throb in pain

Congratulations Your Skill Chosen of the Vulpine Godhead has grown to Level 226

Certainly the benefits from such training accrue very quickly Raymund reflected as his increasingly murky and exhausted mind tried to ignore the growing pains in his neck and shoulders His legs continued to pump as he ran seeming an independent existence to his fading intelligence Next to him Benjamin jogged along while trying to find a grip that kept the relatively larger pillar balanced above his body Yet if this is to be the daily schedule

Congratulations Your Skill Chosen of the Vulpine Godhead has grown to Level 227

Very quickly RaymundÆs body began to creak in protest from even this brief amount of physical exertion His capability that had even impressed Techetadore meant nothing here Somehow the extended chain of his image flowing through his body and working his completely drained muscles was some of the most agonizing training he had ever engaged in Because his muscles were completely devoid of Stamina the entire time each exertion was akin to an exertion that occurred when his musculature was just a single second away from failure

This training occurred in the ideal and most painful circumstances possible That was why the results were so immediate

Very quickly his confused body pulled at the surrounding life energy to try and develop his physical form in a new direction As such the Skill Levels came quickly But after only four steady circuits around the four hundred meter track Raymund was approaching his limit Gradually the speed of his steps began to slow as the weight he was carrying grew greater and greater

Not that it really mattered Most of the other recruits were also hitting a similar wall In fact he could be relatively proud of the fact that he had lasted longer than most But Raymund couldnÆt help but notice that Benjamin was steadily leaving him behind as he was able to maintain the same pace

Suddenly Raymund Ballast felt profoundly alone His only companion was the sound of his lungs expanding and contracting His nose twitched as a large drop of sweat fell off of his face

As his mind became foggier the metal pillar he carried began to swirl together with the sense of helplessness that had mired RaymundÆs heart since Techetadore had disappeared Obviously with the people of his world starving he couldnÆt remind idle when his own brother the youth he practically raised and guided had vanished into the depths of the Nexus Yet similarly he couldnÆt escape the sense that he was so far from finding any meaningful information regarding his brother

RaymundÆs legs continued to churn carrying him forward Even if he were to perform well in this battle against the Nether what then Would that really give Raymund the tools to find out what had happened to his brother

The constant need to do had kept Raymund moving so far and let him ignore the deep flaws in his methodology But now with his high brain function being steadily stripped away by exhausting training that was clearly designed to tear him down the dark fears of his heart were slowly surfacing And when he faced them he just wanted to collapse

Quit

A voice seemed to speak directly to Raymund at his most despairing and he almost listened to that voice immediately But his ears twitched So he raised his head and did his best to focus his cloudy eyes on the source Heiffal was standing above a recruit that Raymund didnÆt recognize on the other side of the track Despite the fact that Raymund felt like he was also near his physical limits he continued forward until he was within earshot of the Overseer

The recruit was clearly a tiny individual wearing her wrinkled grey skin like a too large rain poncho She was currently struggling to manage to shift the metal pillar off of its body so she could regain her feet once more What struck Raymund most about this hazy picture was how much the recruit was struggling

Meanwhile Heiffal continued to speak IÆll let you in on a secret all individuals possess small choices in their lives Currently you can quit or get back up I recommend you quit Your body is inept your image is ungainly and vague your potential is lackluster and you donÆt have the capacity for the hard decisions that are required from soldiers So quit

Because even if you keep going your decisions wonÆt meaningfully change ThatÆs the problem with small actions they inevitably lead to the next small action You can never escape the present Five seconds from now you will still have to choose to endure this agonizing training or quit Ten minutes after that when you still havenÆt finished your required laps you will face the same choice And this entire time the pain of continuing will increase Nothing will have changed except youÆve forced yourself to endure for longer than you needed to So quit now

The wrinkled woman groaned and collapsed weakly unable to shift the metal pillar from on top of her Seeing the treant finally cease struggling RaymundÆs feet slowed He wondered if she had suffocated beneath that pillar When he arrived at the fallen recruit being largely avoided by the other exhausted recruits Raymund paused and set his pillar down He knew that it would be so easy to quit at the moment

His body felt light The right side of his neck where he had rested the pillar for his first few circuits tingled

Yet his body reached down to help lift the pillar off of the fallen recruit This new variety of exertion caused different muscles to protest leading to RaymundÆs assistance being much less helpful than he had planned But his mind was so exhausted he could think of no plan but continuing to strain himself lifting one end of the metal pillar

Then another recruit stopped A red skinned woman with no mouth but six eyes set down her own pillar and lifted the other end Together they rolled the pillar off of the short and wrinkled recruit

DonÆt say I didnÆt warn you Overseer Heiffal shrugged Raymund nodded at the woman and then heaved his own pillar back onto his shoulder While it was sitting on the ground the thing seemed to have doubled in weight At the last moment he realized he should switch it to the other side of his neck

But it was too late The pillar had come to rest and RaymundÆs trembling arms would hear nothing of shifting the pillar when it was already so securely settled So Raymund could only sigh and continue to run

Congratulations Your Skill Chosen of the Vulpine Godhead has grown to Level 228

Congratulations Your Skill Chosen of the Vulpine Godhead has grown to Level 261

Chapter 1512

Demonstrate your image The assistant overseer repeated sternly faced with RaymundÆs rather blank faced confusion It was clear from their expressions that the three overseers were supremely unimpressed with his nonresponsiveness

There were two things that confused Raymund about the current situation The first was that after the recruits finished their required twenty laps and wanted nothing more than to collapse into a degenerative stew of sweat and muscle fibers they were brought into an underground complex below the training area that seemed just as extensive as the facilities on the surface There he was directed to a small training room where three unfamiliar assistant overseers were waiting at a wooden table They each held clipboards

They wanted him to demonstrate his image That fact barely managed to penetrate through his bleary confusion to reach his consciousness

But the second source of confusion was that the formation on the surface didnÆt affect this area at all RaymundÆs body was once more his own to recover naturally and move After using his image constantly for almost twenty four hours the shift back to being able to physically move was so pleasurable that it felt like RaymundÆs every movement was buoyed by a comforting layer of clouds

Ah yes Raymund blinked Then he tried his best to focus His mind was still exhausted from what he had endured in this first day of training but the lack of the physical suppression filled him with a strange sense of calm His numb body because the perfect vessel to house a consciousness focused upon his image He could manage this amount of pressure with ease

Gradually the lids over RaymundÆs eyes sank downward His world became a rich darkness It was his canvas for creation He long claws flexed slowly outward like an orange tabby luxuriously waking up from a nap in a pool of sunlight

The first detail he conjured was the fur of the nine tailed fox Here was one of the smallest but the most important details to create a cohesive image The base of each hair was a pale white but toward the edges it faded to a deep maroon As the nine tailed fox sat in darkness it meant that the godly figure seemed to bleed directly into the surrounding world It was a monster that existed as a natural part of the world the grandest wound that existence had ever experienced

Those hairs spread outward being a part of an absolutely massive body Each hair was as tall as the highest tree in the greatest forest And to the nine tailed fox those were simply one of a million hairs that covered its body The nine tailed fox was like the sky or the wind It was simply a natural presence that persisted even as other factors around it rose and fell

Next came the shape Raymund and his people were bipedal but the nine tailed fox was a true fox It sat on its haunches calmly its forelegs keeping its body in an upright and dignified position In the theology of Raymund’s world all of his people originally walked around on all fours and possessed nine tails But the first fox Fiero came across a tumbling water monkey that was hanging from a tree and savoring a fat strand of grapes The water monkey saw Fiero’s nine lucious tails and was deeply jealous So with some clever words and a dramatic feast that it made of the grapes the water monkey convinced Fiero trade one of his tails in exchange for the knowledge of how to walk on two legs and use his hands to eat grapes

The Chronicles of Fiero were honestly rather depressing for Raymund It detailed all nine of the petty reasons that Fiero was convinced to part with his tails the ultimate symbols of respecting the natural order of existence As a foxman who was born with two tails Raymund was considered rather special most of his people were only born with a single tail in the modern era

Until Techetadore who was born with six glorious tails RaymundÆs brother changed everything even from the beginning

A frown crossed Raymund’s face His image wavered slightly He berated himself and then concentrated on strengthening his dedication to his image Even if there was no array pressuring him currently that didn’t mean all of the exhaustion of the past day had been magically healed He couldn’t afford to let himself be distracted by any ancillary information at the moment

So Raymund forced himself to concentrate solely on his image His exhausted mind swept away the distractions and settled once more on the nine tailed fox From the sitting fox with the brilliantly shaded fur all nine tails spread outward in the surrounding air like pure rays of light from the sun There were some subtle curves in each of the tails but those soft details were practically invisible between the maroon furr and the deep darkness of the backdrop

At the center of this bouquet of tails Raymund’s nine tailed fox sat with its eyes closed seemingly completely inert Rather than a true biological monster this was a natural presence in the world Its influence gradually spread to the surrounding space weighing heavily on the surroundings Its snout was long and regal An invisible halo of superiority radiated outward from the immaculate creature that Raymund conjured

When all the details were assembled they seemed to blend together and form a near perfect whole Despite the earlier distraction this was one of the better complete nine tailed foxes that Raymund had ever managed He felt a flush of pride in his chest

Releasing a breath Raymund opened his eyes The three assistant overseers looked at him as though just noticing that he had been fulfilling their request while he stood with his eyes closed The central figure a squat man with bat wings blinked “Oh are you finished “

Raymund opened his mouth but couldn’t decide what he wanted to say to that The fact that the assistant overseer had even asked the question

When Raymund didn’t answer the assistant overseers seemed to take that as assent and began to take furious notes on their papers They alternated between grimacing at the image that Raymund created writing down some sort of observations and then glancing meaningfully at each other’s notes and nodding in agreement

Eventually bat wings cleared his throat “Alright that’s enough of that for now I think we basically understand your image Now we have a few more things to investigate while we design your personal training regimen Feel free to think deeply about your answers when you are done here you will be going back up to the surface immediately to continue your training How do you intend to improve your image “

“I ” Raymund blinked at the abrupt question Still his gaze quickly brightened A few days ago he would not have been able to articulate how he wanted to improve his image But after being completely drained and then refreshed by the wave of warm energy from the bell Raymund began to sense a few methods that would allow his nine tailed fox to be even more powerful “I want to be able to visualize the great nine tailed fox as part of the natural world Almost as if the tails of the fox were the world’s rivers its spine was the great mountain range things like that “

“Display your most powerful attack ” Bat wing announced glancing at one of the fellow assistant overseers and not even bothering with the barest acknowledgment of Raymund’s answer “Sevet will be receiving your attack And don’t flatter yourself there is absolutely no chance that someone like you could threaten Sevet “

” alright then ” Raymund bit back his irritation and attempted to keep his mind focused He rolled his shoulders and his eyes flashed as the image of the nine tailed fox behind him pulsed with power He opened his mouth and roared while a spectral projection of an enormous fox head rushed forward to rip into the waiting Sevet Sevet raised a small hatchet and briefly pulsed with a massive image that Raymund was barely able to sense before he had smashed aside the attack

Congratulations Your Skill Furious Bite (Un) has grown to Level 279

“Hmm ” Bat wing made a few more notes “What would you say is the dominant emotion of your image “

Raymund frowned still somewhat disappointed that his attack had been so readily dealt with But it seemed clear that these individuals were veterans of actual fighting against Nether so Raymund tried to console himself with that information Yet beyond the fact that his attack had been easily neutralized a rather unexpected question was waiting “What do you mean dominant emotion “

“Hmm ” All of the assistant overseers hummed in unison this time Somehow Raymund felt like he had failed a test that he hadn’t been told he would be taking

Bat wing frowned down at his notes not even looking at the awkward feeling foxman “What would you consider to be the primary motivation of your image “

” do you mean my motivation for making the image ” Raymund asked

That finally earned the direct focus of the assistant overseer’s gaze But it was not a positive emotion that colored the batman’s face with derision “I’m asking you why your image exists Raymund Ballast Does it not even have a reason to exist If it doesn’t want anything how could you expect it to be a powerful image “

To that Raymund could think of no response Even Techet had never exposed a crazy idea like a created image having its own desires Part of Raymund was becoming increasingly frustrated feeling like this was a joke How could an image have a dominant emotion What could an image want

Yet at the same time Raymund couldn’t deny that images were deeply connected with emotion His people had thoroughly documented that images with powerful emotional connotations could achieve significantly superior results with the same amount of effort It was why young children were encouraged to design their images of the nine tailed fox with features from their parents That way they would feel more personally connected to the image and emotionally invested

And in a way isn’t asking what my image wants a roundabout way of asking what I want Raymund’s subconscious had him shivering in dread before he could stop himself And if it’s what I want

“Well anyway that can come later ” The Bat Wing said “What is the highest Rarity Skill you possess And it’s Skill Level “

Raymund’s mouth immediately felt very dry He opened his mouth to say that he would prefer not to say but he stopped himself it would only draw more attention to Raymund’s greatest shame if he did so Besides these overseers were not from his planet They would not understand the connotations of his SkillÆs name

After clearing his throat Raymund responded ” Fiero’s Audacity It’s a Legendary Skill But its usage is a bit inappropriate So it is only Level 49 “

“What is its usage “

Raymund’s snout twitched “It steals things “

That set off a flurry of note taking but eventually the three assistant overseers were finished The Bat wing shooed Raymund away in a clear dismissal “Alright head back to the surface You have more training waiting for you soldier “

Lady Iellaya cautiously walked into the room and looked around for any sort of disturbing signals in the surrounding decor Lucky the heavy and expensive furniture that filled the room struck her as relatively normal The servant of the Wick household bowed and vanished into a side passage leaving her alone in the ornate library Despite the fact that Lady Iellaya felt very little attraction to the physical trappings of wealth even she was swayed by the swanky decor

The areas of wall not obscured by heavy wooden shelving were decadently strewn with wine red paint and dark wood trim Between ancient tomes that seemed to radiate barely perceptible hints of image were heavy brass and iron instruments of indeterminate purposes Lady Iellaya wandered closer to one in particular her eyes scrutinizing the interlocking cranks and modules for some functionality Yet all she could really glean was the heavy metal of its construction and the abstract complexity of its purpose the specifics determinedly eluded her

Lady Iellaya took a step back and spun on her heel to view the whole of the room The entire place was strewn with similar inscrutable mechanisms likely deriving just as much of their value from their current ambiguity as from their true purpose

She likely would have started taking closer looks at these curios had Commandant Wick not quickly arrived at the room gliding confidently through one of the heavy doors Despite his bulk he moved quietly across the plush carpet of the room She made a mental note of his relative stealth for future reference Lady Iellaya habitually snapped out a salute and she registered the flicker of approval on his face

But then Commandant Wick waved his hand At ease soldier This meeting well itÆs more of a courtesy call than anything else Our business here is strictly unofficial

If anything this only increased Lady IellayaÆs wariness even as she calmly nodded Commandant Wick was a brutal authoritarian but he safely existed within the rigid confines of military structure Lady Iellaya was not within his chain of command although she had worked with him on this recruitment drive Ultimately his ability to bring his personal power to bear was largely limited Meanwhile during an unofficial visit

Sit please Commandant Wick said gesturing at a plushy leather chair Lady Iellaya silently sank into the seat her entire focus on the powerful man in front of her as her weight gradually shifted to the expensive piece of furniture With every polite action Lady Iellaya was becoming more and more unnerved This did not seem like the same Commandant Wick that had tortured her and snubbed her for months

Heh IÆll get straight to the point The CommandantÆs dark eyes weighed Lady Iellaya carefully seemingly amused by her obvious suspicion You snuck one past me this time This Randidly Ghosthound is far more competent than you portrayed him at the interview But I can see why you did it Had I known the truth there was no way he would have been the selected candidate

Even as Lady IellayaÆs pupils dilated Commandant Wick held up a hand Relax I am not so petty as to hold you accountable for taking advantage of my own hubris But I do need a definitive and completely honest answer from you right now before this becomes even more costly to reverse will your Ghosthound prepare the elite squad for deployment

For the first time Lady Iellaya could see past her own nerves and see some of the smaller details about the Commandant His usual poise and sense of unassailable power was a little worn at the edges His image remained monolithic and tightly controlled but beyond that he truly seemed exhausted

Lady Iellaya frowned what happened

Commandant Wick grimaced The announcement will come tomorrow evening no matter what But even now we donÆt know the extent of the damage We thought we thought we had the Nether forces locked down to one corner of the Fifth Cohort But early this morning they somehow hijacked a portion of the Nexus Ways Several of the reclaimed worlds have gone silent once more In addition Forward Command was assault directly A Commandant was slain by the rogue Nether King

Lady Iellaya froze Even before she thought about what that fact might mean for her career she wrestled with the enormity of the fact that a Commandant died They were the twelve most powerful individuals in Military High Command She had met all of the Commandants in the past Any of them wouldnÆt absolutely demolish her in a direct conflict Yet one of those powerful Commandants had died

We have underestimated the enormity of the threat this time Commandant WickÆs eyes hardened and although Lady Iellaya wasnÆt the target of his ire she barely suppressed a shiver being exposed so directly to his emotion In one week I will personally head to the frontlines to stabilize the situation But because of the severity of the threat the elite squad can no longer remain as idle as its creatorÆs had once hoped So let me ask you again will the Ghosthound prepare those soldiers for the realities of the frontlines

His dark eyes seemed to grip her by the throat His voice was mild I hope you understand that I will both know if you lie to me and kill you for such a transgression Now is not the time for political posturing There is a genuine threat to the Nexus We need to come together to handle it decisively before it spreads further

Chapter 1513

Randidly floated downward in the Web the hollow spine at the center of the Nexus his eyes narrowed as he carefully monitored the churning mass of chaotic Aether that was blasting up from below At this depth there basically wasnÆt any wall fixtures that provided a reprieve from the seeping gloom He had already gone past the place where he had helped temper Heiffal and his crew for a week seeking to draw closer to the weight of significance at the core of the Nexus

In terms of absolute distance Randidly wasnÆt sure how far he was from the bottom But at this point even ten meters deeper downward had RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition warning him that this was a dangerous descent

Still unwilling to risk losing himself for a time in this mass of significance Randidly slowed himself and grabbed a cord so he would not fall any further There he carefully examined his condition and discovered Grim Intuition wasnÆt exaggerating the threat of this space it was currently a negligible effect but Randidly could feel some of his ancillary thoughts vanishing into that mass of significance below Thoughts without a sizable backing in significance or emotion were too light to currently resist that pull

It was easy to extrapolate from the fact that even Randidly was currently being affected by it how someone could have their mind deeply wounded by direct exposure The Nether Nebula in his chest furiously churned almost as though it was trying to justify itself in the face of the obviously much larger Nether stewing below the Nexus Thick veins of Nether flowed through his body struggling to ground him

Randidly settled himself onto a cord and adjusted his mental state He watched the steady ebbing of some of his ambient Nether away from his body through half lidded eyes The core of his Nether Nebula was safe but some of the Nether that flowed through his veins was being steadily leached away

Whatever is down there is strong Randidly reflected

What was peculiar about the process was that the flows of Nether left his body from strange angles They then wound their way downward in peculiar spirals Randidly couldnÆt determine any rhyme or reason for the methodology but since it was strange he studiously observed the stolen Nether Perhaps in the future this spiraling absorption would help him make sense of how to utilize Nether more generally

But when it seemed he had seen the same curling spiral over and over Randidly turned his attention inward His skin continued to darken the Aether here volatile and frothing against his body Into that horrible churn of this by product energy Randidly opened himself and dumped the emotions that had been steadily refined by the Stillborn Phoenix over the past few days

As had happened previously the almost gelatinous emotions were partially inert as Randidly released them into the surroundings having been refined down to a condensed form But as the emotions encountered the raw Aether and more impurities were introduced the substance seemed to catch fire The entire process was invisible but RandidlyÆs newly tuned senses could detect the way that the energy flowing upward had increased in image temperatureÆ as it were The violence and desperation of the emotions shot sharply upward

I hope IÆm not inciting any riots in the Nexus

Shaking his head slightly Randidly turned his attention to below looking into the flowing river of Aether runoff Then with the Stillborn Phoenix almost trembling with excitement he began to breathe deeply of the dubious flow Yggdrasil quickly wove a net of branches to filter out the energy and leave only the emotions as the Stillborn Phoenix greedily drank

Congratulations Your Skill Tide of the Void has grown to Level 251

Congratulations Your Skill AbominationÆs Grim Vigor has grown to Level 364

As Randidly sat and waited for the Stillborn Phoenix to sate its appetite for emotions he reflected on the current conundrum afflicting the Grim Chimera With all the tempering that he had put the Grim Chimera through in the past month he had greatly hardened its exterior While the recruits had been running laps Randidly had been within his nearby training pod experiencing a physical strain almost triple what they were enduring to continue to push his own limits The process was excruciating leaving his arms and legs covered with giant oozing gashes akin to the result of ripping away a scab prematurely

Despite all that force that he used the rough exterior of the Grim Chimera only grew back hardened even further He was a butterfly stuck within a calcifying cocoon strengthening his own prison with his struggles

Now Randidly wasnÆt worried that he would be stuck in this form permanently But he did realize that it would require a powerful dose of necessity that he couldnÆt generate for himself in order to escape this form Unfortunately it seemed like the Grim Chimera was going to stubbornly refuse to abandon its new crusty visage until it had to

Probably will need a mid fight power up god one of these days IÆm going to fight someone who attacks without pausing to revel in my struggles and I’m going to be punished for this Randidly grimaced Then he received a message from Helen calling him back to the Fifth Cohort Rally Station So he finished up the emotional absorption and returned to the Overseer housing facility

He found them within the great hall on the ground floor which was generally used for meals Almost all of RandidlyÆs subordinates were gathered immediately warning him that something wasnÆt quite right In addition the air in the wide gathering hall was heavy with worry Randidly frowned What happened

The situation in the Fifth Cohort has deteriorated Helen said immediately Lady Iellaya stopped by while you were gone and explained some of the gruesome details but she wants you to speak with her directly for all the information For our purposes we are lucky that our deployment hasnÆt been accelerated She just wanted to stress that because the threat is becoming much more legitimate Military High Command wonÆt be able to protect our elite group as planned They will be deployed in high leverage situations as was advertised when they determined the Aether allotment for the project So our training had better be effective for all our sakes

Randidly mulled that over for a few seconds His first thought was of Vualla who should be deploying with the Xyrt Brigade to that area shortly But he didnÆt dare contact her until she was off of the Xyrt Brigade compound Still Randidly understood VuallaÆs personal strength She would not die easily

It didnÆt completely alleviate his anxiety but it did allow him to shelve it and turn to the issue in front of them As for whether their training methods would be effective RandidlyÆs emerald eyes flashed with grim satisfaction YouÆve finished the screenings right How prepared can we make them in the next three months How do they compare to the people of Earth

Helen and Heiffal exchanged a glance and Heiffal stepped forward to speak first Compared to the people of Earth these recruits have several distinct advantages First their base Stats and Skill Levels are generally almost one hundred higher across the board They have already been honed by professionals in terms of combat theory In addition they have had years to develop their individual images to the point of being capable Of course there are associated drawbacks They have a relatively rigid idea of images many were bewildered when we asked what their images want Others cannot think of a single idea for how to improve their images Perhaps even worse very few have handled legitimate challenges in the past There have already been a few mental breakdowns especially amongst HelenÆs group The mental strain of actual combat is foreign to them

Helen cleared her throat Luckily there are some observable signs to give us a warning of an impending breakdown So it isnÆt too much trouble to handle them But the group IÆm dealing with they have a relatively weak resolve to begin with I can beat them into shape but I donÆt believe they will continue to improve on their own after the training So the short answer is yes we can boost their capability past being able to handle a few Nether Beasts But the bottom 40% will never have a hope of rivaling a Nether Gatekeeper

Randidly pursed his lips and glanced at Heiffal What about your group If we donÆt have even a few who can hold their own against Nether Gatekeepers itÆs going to be hard to honestly refer to the unit as eliteÆ

There are quite a few promising seeds amongst our group but I will say the preconceived notions about images are holding a significant portion back Heiffal glanced again at Helen Honestly I almost think we are going about this exactly the wrong way We do have three months after all I believe it might be better to break down the talented recruits with HelenÆs methods and cultivate determination in the weaker ones with accomplishable physical training Success breeds confidence Once we have them all at a similar base state I believe these recruits will grow explosively

Randidly grunted And in terms of potential will these recruits be able to rival you and your men within three months Heiffal

Individually I doubt it I havenÆt seen much evidence of a team spirit amongst them But there are several who could easily surpass me within that time If they embrace emotion as a part of their image and start opening themselves up to change they could surpass me within a week Heiffal replied

Randidly drummed his fingers against his thighs as he considered that He should meet with Lady Iellaya and discuss the details of what was actually happening on the frontlines as soon as possible But If he agreed to the switch in training methodology it would probably require that they lean on RandidlyÆs own images to accelerate the process The actual elites were all quite capable they wouldnÆt be easy to breakdown In addition to that Randidly still wanted to explore the Stillborn Phoenix a bit more before he exposed the recruits to it But it would probably help their acclimation with emotions

Randidly glanced at Helen The look in her eyes told him that she agreed with HeiffalÆs assessment Rather than trying to immediately improve the recruits’ power it would be better to attend to their foundations first

Back to basics then

Fine letÆs switch Randidly said Which means we are trying to send a message to the recruits with their performance in the first challenge against other recruit groups Meanwhile start rewarding the high performing recruits with Darkstar Coins Heh We will need to make that first individual who uses it part of the spectacle but IÆll make sure they benefit Any other ideas for shifting the training

Muareth stepped forward I think one way to spur immediate change is to mix sparring with HeiffalÆs warriors into the normal training regimen The sooner we can make the recruits realize how weak they are in comparison to veterans on the frontlines the more quickly they will focus on improving Especially when they will feel like they are physically more powerful than HeiffalÆs crew

Besides Heiffal added We donÆt have many more constructions planned my boys are mostly sitting around doing nothing They can plan out training regimens but it would be better if they got to stretch their legs a bit while doing so Fighting the recruits directly will give them more knowledge of their Skills

No sooner had Randidly nodded in agreement that Helen frowned down at the ground Actually speaking about the construction I think I have an idea LetÆs give the recruits some stake in the game

Chapter 1514

Charlotte Wick sat in her sturdy bamboo hut during one of their routine meditation hours and used a piece of charcoal to gently shade the arcing line on the page beneath her She kept her breathing slow careful not to upset her current project Almost instantly she frowned down at the paper and used her furry wrist to rub away some of the charcoal that wasnÆt quite what she wanted Then she began again holding the piece of charcoal with only the tips of her claws barely daring to blink as she tried to capture the perfect curve of Overseer Helen’s cheekbones

It was a fruitless venture of course Her dozens of failed attempts scattered across the floor of the hut would testify to that But it was in seeking perfection that living beings could find meaning This was one of the few things she had learned from her grandfather that she agreed with

Most individuals seemed to assume that there was some perfectionist streak within the descendant of Commandant Wick that made her work so hard to create a secure house for herself Others opined that she wasnÆt as strong as she wanted them all to think and needed to hurry back to the enclosed hut in order to hide how nearly Charlotte was coming to pieces after each training session

The point of the housing is a place of rest Charlotte shook her head slightly as she tried to find a non charcoally spot on her paws to rub away a stray stroke Why should they care if I use the house for its intended purposes The recruits should spend this extra energy training

After five days of grueling work despite how exactingly exhausting the training underneath Head Drill Sergeant Ghosthound was most of the recruits were starting to force themselves to skip some of their ‘meditation’ time to network gossip and recruit They played at being their ancestors with enough influence and power that their connections and words mattered They were children wearing formal suits and ballgowns several sizes too large

To Charlotte whose grandfather had long laid bare all she could ever be to him they seemed so foolish and shortsighted Of course Charlotte was also wasting this time Yet for whatever reason she couldnÆt bring herself to care To Charlotte nothing was as fulfilling as the act of drawing Overseer Helen

Charlotte leaned back from her paper and chewed on her lip briefly She was currently trying to capture the grace that Helen displayed while fighting The sketch on the page was Helen spinning around with that look of incendiary determination on her face that seemed to consume all of Charlotte’s waking hours Even now with such an inferior copy sitting in front of her

She licked her lips

As someone who had never felt much of the slightest flutter from her heart while regarding the physical form of the opposite sex but had always been told the passion would come in time this matter was profoundly disturbing to Charlotte Not so disturbing that once she had a secure home that she hadn’t spent all of her spare time sketching the object of her obsession But Charlotte did feel deeply scandalized that the woman who seemed to have infected her subconscious was largely hairless like a newborn It was unnatural to Charlotte’s people

During coitus Overseer Helen was undoubtedly sweaty and slick like a fish or a slug The thought made Charlotte Wick shudder She licked her lips again

Outside her hut several groups of people were talking fiercely at one another in a fierce debate over something pointless There were brief flashes of emotion laden with threat between the groups but no actual fight broke out between the two sides This forbearance was less because the Overseers cared at all if they fought usually they encouraged the competition and reward the victors The real reason the recruits didn’t fight was that they had no gas left in the tank If they fought now today’s training would be a miserable marathon of physical fitness image shaping underneath a suppression field and sparring against the instructors

With twenty long hours until their next break That gulf kept them snarling but harmless

Clicking her tongue Charlotte regarded her most recent sketch critically The great tragedy was that Charlotte had never been present when Overseer Helen had actually fought She had seen the gorgeous Overseer walking around and lecturing but that was the extent of their interaction

Charlotte looked sharply up A group was boldly approaching her hut She quickly threw herself to her feet and stored away her charcoal and sketch paper within a rudimentary bamboo chest she had made Meanwhile she was internally lambasting these roving political press gangs How quickly you’ve forgotten that before the Fifth Cohort was invaded you were nothing but trash to those with true power Just like your parents and their parents before you the true players in the Nexus would have praised you endlessly and rewarded you with crumbs never allowing you the opportunity to become anywhere near as influential as you seem to think you are

And now for the first time in hundreds of years we get the chance to be something To train underneath someone who could give you control of your fate And all you can think to do is mimick your oppressor Peh

As the group arrived before her hut Charlotte opened her door and walked out It wasn’t currently raining but a low mist hung over the Eastern portion of the training grounds After five days of nourishing energy the ground was covered with a thick layer of grass The transformation was jarring With such heavy and isolating banks of fog rolling through the Rally Station and the consistently brutal training Charlotte felt unmoored for the first time in her life It was easy to forget what her life had been like to this point the hard moment to moment struggle of the training made everything else seem like a dream As she stopped before the approaching group the soft stalks of grass seemed to buoy her upward

The bamboo forest rustled as an invisible wind leisurely swirled overhead

The current Charlotte was even so bold as to tenderly draw Overseer Helen the consequences of which well she tried not to think about it Nevertheless it was the freest she had ever felt in her life Yet as she looked at the group of four that walked up to her hut she was filled with an irrational anger

Didn’t they understand the opportunity they were now being given So why

Why try and stamp out the otherness of this place and pollute it with the mundane

“Is there a problem ” Charlotte said coolly as she weighed the group through narrowed eyes She recognized the leader of the group if only by reputation After the first day which seemed designed to give the Overseers a holistic understanding of the recruits the training had drastically shifted Currently aside from the horrible physical fitness and image critiques most of their training was being summarily beaten down by assistant overseers However it quickly became apparent that there was a hierarchy amongst the Overseers Charlotte for example was part of the top group that faced a rotating mixture of twenty or so Assistant Overseers that could rather casually suppress even the best recruits

Meanwhile Djark Quewn the red scaled draconian who strode confidently up to her hut belonged in the second group He was still incredibly capable but not one of the truly elite individuals in the elite camp Djark favored her with a wide smile refusing to acknowledge her tone “Hello Miss Wick I was wondering if you had made a commitment to a group for the wargames yet I think you will find that no other group can support an individual of your caliber as well as my group can Together “

“I’m not interested ” Charlotte said sharply Then she walked past the group and toward the path Generally she found that a firm answer was the best way to deal with desperate individuals like this Because there could be no other explanation for why Djark would try and rope her in with such a baseless promise than desperation

Even he should know that she had no reason to waste her time with him

As she walked past them there was a slight stirring in the air Djark’s sharp fury radiated outward a few meters from his person with something close to a sharp temperature increase One of the largest surprises in the Ghosthound’s training regimen was the emphasis on emotions But the results spoke for themselves being conscious and purposeful about how emotions related to your image had paid dividends to many of the individuals in the training camp Djark and Charlotte included

But of course the distribution of those harvests wasn’t even

Without much effort at all Charlotte sensed that emotional outburst located it in the surrounding Aether and took great pleasure in smothering it She continued walking away leaving a fuming but helpless Djark Quewn behind her There was already a stark divide between the first group and the second group in terms of capability that was growing by the day The combination of intense training and rejuvenating mental energy helped those who were already the most powerful grow even more dominant There were exceptions but it was for that reason that Charlotte was so dismissive of DjarkÆs offer even in his play world he didnÆt possess the capital to sway Charlotte Wick

But she refused to think deeply and waste further time Instead she resolved herself to go for a walk to organize the clutter of her thoughts She didn’t have a destination in mind so Charlotte simply wandered through the housing and garden area and examined the surrounding growth Even now the whole experience was slightly surreal Out of the already vibrant grass came an explosion of color fruits and vegetables in the designated garden plats The juxtaposition of violence and gardening seemed like a strange combination but one that attempted to balance out the horrible truth of being in the military

Charlotte slowed down to examine a few bright magenta and burnt orange daffodils that proudly thrust themselves up from an extremely well maintained garden But no sooner did she slow her speed to linger and delight in the bright eruptions of color than she sensed a vigilant individual within the nearby shelter lock onto her position Being more adept with their new utilization of emotions than the occupant within Charlotte could feel their worry and suspicion about her presence

Perhaps for entirely different reasons that she the resident was uneasy Because in the pretend world that the recruits were partaking in the individual within couldnÆt resist an invite If his political backing outside of the camp was weaker than the other party he would have no choice but to agree to anotherÆs demands

We fracture so quickly Like cold glass in abandoned windows

With a small sigh Charlotte wound her way forward through the eclectic mix of gardens she felt no need to be a source of stress for a fellow recruit But at the same time she felt a persistent melancholy that there existed very little comradery between the various recruits Part of it was play acting that so many engaged in but part of it was also the lack of cohesiveness that the Ghosthound forced upon them They did physical training together but they were generally split up to work on their individual images during the bulk of the training

In their free time each recruit had a shelter to erect and a garden to cultivate There wasnÆt any communal building like a typical mess haul It meant there was very little forced exposure which might engender some sense of comradery Most of Charlotte’s information about her fellow recruits came from the few spars she had been able to witness

Of course that was supposed to change soon the Overseers had already announced that wargames would start to occur as part of their daily training after the challenge against another Drill Sergeant’s recruits at the end of the week And the reason that individuals were approaching Charlotte was that Overseer Helen had hinted that construction would be a significant portion of the wargames

As Charlotte remembered how close she had been standing to Overseer Helen when the perfect near hairless specimen had been delivering the news she couldn’t help but flush Her leather armor had truly been so perfectly fitted to her body that Charlotte’s imagination had easily been able to supply the likely elasticity of her bare skin If Charlotte could someday draw her claws across Helen’s

As one all of the recruits who were currently on the rest part of their rotation raised their heads and looked toward the source of the large noise A ripple ran through the lingering mist over the garden area But when there was no announcement came from the Overseers most recruits gradually settled back into their recovery time By this point solely using their image to move had become second nature to all the recruits but they still relished the chance to simply exist for a while without straining their image Very few were willing to tire themselves out unnecessarily to witness what was probably just a spar between a recruit and one of the assistant overseers

Yet Charlotte was one of those individuals After a brief hesitation she started walking toward the central training area despite the fact she had another hour of rest and meditation remaining All image reverberations were completely muffled by the Ghosthound’s influence on the surrounding area but a noise that loud could not have been made casually Likely someone already powerful had a breakthrough in their image and were now taking out five days of frustrations on their sparring partner

Charlotte both wanted to know who it was and to know how the Overseers would handle it

A smaller explosion echoed outward and Charlotte increased her pace She waded forward through the thinning mist that radiated out of the bamboo forest and quickly arrived at the central training area There it was easier to sense the image reverberations that still remained in the air from the collision And even more than that a very familiar cackle echoed out through the space the recruit who had experienced a breakthrough was DiOrtho Vant the individual who was already the most capable of the recruits

Vant’s shirt had been completely blown away revealed the dusky skin of his torso as he clearly struggled to breathe Yet his face was warped with a triumphant expression beneath his curling ramÆs horns “Aha Take that I don’t need your shit advice about my image anymore you “

Charlotte Wick’s gaze could barely follow the movements in front of her For a split second her mind refused to believe what she was actually seeing One minute DiOrtho Vant was leering with a wide smile on his face over a fallen Assistant Overseer and the next Helen was there her fist brutalizing the fragile bones of his jaw Vant flew backward skidding across the ground like a stop across a still lake and eventually slamming into one of the training spheres around the central bell The Engravings of the sphere immediately flared to life reinforcing the construction so Vant was stopped dead

His body bounced against the ground and rolled a few times until his momentum was completely dispersed

Charlotte looked on with a thundering heart and sweaty palms as Helen folded her arms behind her back and walked over toward Vant “We are here to teach you the capacity for violence it is true And your quick adaption is a testament to our talent as instructors However it is with great disappointment that I note you have continually ignored the lessons on respect that you have experienced You are out of warnings Mr DiOrtho Vant Today is a punishment “

“Hehe ” The recruit forced himself to his feet When he was standing he wiped some blood away that was dripping from his lips “What do I care if you beat me I can survive it Your Ghosthound puts up a tough act but he wouldn’t actually endanger any of our lives As long as just one of us gets hurt wonÆt the rest panic He will lose his “

Again there was a stuttered juxtaposition of two moments in time that Charlotte’s senses couldn’t quite catch Somehow Overseer Helen had crossed the distance between them and her spear was sliding beneath Vant’s breast bone with all the smooth surety of a spoon dipping into soup His flesh didn’t present even the slightest impediment to Overseer Helen’s thrust

Then Helen ripped the spear out then in a brutal movement that tore open Vant’s chest and she spun around bringing her heel toward his temple Although Overseer Helen’s speed was overwhelming Vant managed to react in time to bring up his guard Charlotte watched as his forearms cracked but didn’t shatter from the kick Vant stumbled several meters backward but his expression hadn’t changed

Keh like I said guhk

Overseer Helen slid her spear into DiOrtho VantÆs heart His eyes flared out widely

At this point Charlotte couldnÆt deny that she was somewhat aroused That look of recognition on VantÆs face as he realized that Overseer Helen could kill him any time she wanted The fear and dread in his expression Charlotte gripped her arms as tightly as she could digging her claws into her own flesh Yet somehow she couldnÆt tear her eyes away

Charlotte wasnÆt sure what would happen next But then there was a soft pulse of an image from the GhosthoundÆs tower Something that Charlotte couldnÆt quite identify began to seep outward into the surrounding air

Instantly the fear on VantÆs face vanished His sneer came back just as quickly Aha See Stop mad dog before your master disciplines you

Oh shut up Overseer Helen rolled her eyes and brought the butt of her spear around She smashed VantÆs head into the ground with enough force that his scalp was ripped revealing a cracked skull beneath Then she gestured to a nearby Assistant Overseer as she skewered Vant with all the lazy indifference as if she was poking a cube of cheddar cheese with a toothpick Take him and throw him in the second training orb I need to go figure out what Randidly is up to

Chapter 1515

Randidly hummed to himself as raised his hands and flicked his fingers The motions were meaningless but he felt oddly empowered as he guided Aether out around the training area in a complex pattern like he was a composer keeping time for the symphony He tried to keep the individual Aether flows extremely bare but because of that it was hard even for Randidly to make sure the superstructure he was slowly erecting would fit his very exact specifications He pressed his eyes tightly closed and leaned forward splaying his fingers out in the air

Within the penthouse apartment that Randidly had commandeered of their Alpha Cosmos housing building one flesh and one metal fingertip guided the energy in a complex swirling weave that hung in the air Outside a much grander reflection began to emerge His heart began to thump in his chest His image physicalizations flared to life as the feeble streams of Aether kept trying to wander off of the paths chosen by Randidly

From Yggdrasil he took the vast Control from the Stillborn Phoenix he took an almost obsessive Focus and from the Grim Chimera he took the unwavering Willpower The thin flows of Aether soon began to connect The system began to flow forward building up momentum to sustain itself

The smaller version dissipated leaving Randidly solely grasping the convoluted mess that coiled in on itself above the oblivious recruits Then he released a breath through his nose

At this point Randidly and Neveah had basically utilized all the tricks they were able to decipher from YyxtrixÆs gift in order to create a vast Engraving that covered their area of the Rally Station In theory the Engraving should be capable of suppressing those within for increased training efficacy keeping outside actors form being able to peer within the formation and defending against unwanted intruders if someone were to force the issue So now it was time to get a little aggressive with RandidlyÆs training methods

Randidly couldnÆt help but grin as he pulled away even more of the Aether he was manipulating What remained was gossamer and trembling emotion barely Aether at all

Congratulations Your Skill Aether Manipulation has grown to Level 252

Randidly released another slow breath through his nose He could feel the way that his intense focus was gradually warping the surrounding space around him In his chest his Nether Nebula began to accelerate as it pumped Nether throughout his body There was a groaning from RandidlyÆs physical torso as that innocuous grey bubble in the core of the Nebula slowly began to grow

The idea for this had actually come from Edraine when she had been talking about methods to earn Nexus Citizenship coins One common tactic employed by those of the Nexus to improve themselves was to expand their image having it take up the space of an entire world Then they began to purify it at that larger size so they could later compress it again and achieve a superior image She explained to Randidly that this was the generally acceptable final stage of reaching the Pinnacle