《Bro, I'm not an Undead!》 Chapter 1 Dead Forever (A/N: Only the first four chapters are in first person. The rest are in third.) My sockets flickered with an intense light as I weed another day in undeath. I rose from the position which I hadid in and stood. My spot was a hollow ce on the wall where I and the rest of my dead folk would go into ¡®slumber¡¯. Above my own hollow was another one also etched into the wall where another of my brethren was still in slumber. Our tomb was small, with arge rock covering the circr entrance. My fellow brother in death shook, causing his bony body to rattle and the fire in his sockets to burn a bright red. He woke up and jumped down from the hollownding on the ground. ¡°Dead morning, Skullius,¡± he said to me. ¡°Dead morning to you too, B,¡± I said as I began stretching my off-white skeletal body. Downward dog. Tree pose. Chair pose. Boat pose. Triangle pose. ¡°Bro, what are you doing?¡± B asked with the me in his eyes dancing in confusion. I suddenly jerked and stopped. I stood up and faced him.. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ It felt vaguely familiar,¡± I replied. ¡°Enough games, let¡¯s go out before we miss morning roll call.¡± B walked up to therge rock that covered the tomb. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, get over here and help me!¡± he said. I quit staring at my bony hands in confusion and went to help him push away therge rock of the tomb. Bloody hell it¡¯s heavy! I do this every day and it never gets easier. We finally managed to push it away, revealing arge open space which had arge number of entrances to bunk tombs just like our own. We walked out of our bunk tomb and saw arge crowd of skeletons gathered in the midst of the vast cave, chatting away with their different coloured mes flickering. B was half a head taller than me with bones that had a light grey colour. A small light the size of a marble could be seen within his chest (ribcage) emitting a poor white light. ¡°Man I¡¯m drooling over those bones, B,¡± I said to him while running my bony finger along his arm. B turned to me and the me in his socket flickered fiercely. ¡°Heh, heh. Now you envy the brilliance of my tough bones! They are almost stronger than any steel now. I told you to quit your flimsy mana practice and just focus on the skill most important to all undead, Skullius. [Boneman of Steel] is the best!¡± he said proudly. ¡°Maybe,¡± I said. We continued walking until we reached the crowd of thousands of other undead. A burly skeleton who was over two meters in height jogged over to us, the me in his sockets dancing with a yellow glow. ¡°Eeey, B, Skullius! Took you long enough to wake up. Is the Lich having a hard time waking you up from slumber each morning now?¡± the burly Skeleton said. ¡°I think so, Fractures. Between Skullius and hisrge mana core and my dense bones..¡± B paused while flexing his bone lustre. ¡°..I¡¯d say his mana is getting wrecked. Kek.¡± I looked to the side in shame. Within me was a core the size of a tennis ball, emitting a faint white light. Tktktktktktktktkt! That¡­.was the sound of Fractures, the burly skeleton¡­.ughing. As we conversed, arge Death Knight with a valiant grey armour that had begun to rust walked up to the front of the crowd. He exuded a dense pressure that only an undead of his rank possessed. He towered over us at a height over two and a half meters. His eye sockets zed with an almost blinding green me that cast a simrly coloured hue on his face (skull). ¡°ATTENTION!¡± he yelled, emitting an eerie force that forced us all to stand at attention. He scanned us all and when he saw that we were all ounted for, hey his armoured hand on his chest te. We all did the same, our bony fingers on our chests as we then chanted the daily motivation mantra. ¡°FOREVER DEAD, DEAD FOREVER! F*CK LIFE! A NASTY ENDEAVOUR!¡± Yes. Daily motivation mantra, courtesy of Lich Somanda. The fun to say ¡®f¡¯ word in the mantra was an addition by the Lich himself. No idea what it means but it doesn¡¯t bring the mantra to life. The massive doors at the end of the cave we resided in opened on their own to signal the start of another day of monotonous toil. We walked out the doors, greeted by the crimson sun in the sky that dyed our surroundings red, outlining the horizon full of dark hills, mountains and different kindsof prowling undead creatures. Silhouette ofrge towers could be seen beyond with a grand mansion that rose to an absurd height being unmistakably visible to all in thisnd even further away. This was our world. Deadmand. At least that¡¯s what we called it. A name stemming from the fact that we are all dead and all men. Probably. A world where only the dead lived. We lived in thefort of undeath, nketed by its eerie and unforgiving dead webbed wing. I know. Really sold the idea of Death there. We were all created by a powerful undead Lich, named Somanda. Our job every day was to mine for a mana filled resource called mana gems for him. At least that was true for us lower-level undead. We usually heard the higher level undead boasting about how they vanquished enemies in different worlds under the banner of the Lich. That ¡­. couldn¡¯t be true right? Other worlds? I¡¯ve been like this for as long as I can remember. A thousand years¡­at least. Doing the same thing over¡­ and over¡­.and over again. Every day we mine the gemstones throughout the day and then Somanda cuts off the supply of mana for our undeath and we slumber, only to be woken up when it¡¯s time for work again. We walked in a single file for miles, seeing the ck soil and dark coloured crooked protrusions that rise from the grounds. The undead animals spend the day, prowling or fighting with each other. Most of them are just azy aesthetic anyway. We reached a spot with tons of unearthed dirt spanning over thousands of miles and walked into the massive pits that leads into the underground pathways in specialised groups led by an Undead Captain. Undead captains are undead one rank below Death Knights. They exude a stronger presence than us, donning less attractive armour. Inside, with the pitch-ck walls and darkness, our ¡®eyes¡¯ which had an aggressively positive affinity to the nothingness saw all very clearly. We advanced until we could see where we left off, the glowing red and blue rocks that were fitted into the walls being an indicator of the day¡¯s work yet to be done. Having brought our equipment; pickaxes, made of special redwood and the crude metal curved head, we started digging the rocks out, the Captains monitoring us. I hit the wall with my pickaxe, barely feeling a sensation except for the hard wall that barely shifted as I stroke it. I hit it again and again, little crumbs of rock following thereafter. Tktktktktktktktkt! I turned to find Bughing at me. He raised his pickaxe and struck down with an unbelievable force that causes the wall to tremble, massive chunks of rock and soil flying and falling along with red and blue glowing gems. He looked at me with his socket mes burning brightly with pride. ¡°Son of a femur,¡± I scoffed. The other undead were in awe and started working hard. It¡¯s possible to acquire skills by repeating certain actions in the world. It¡¯s every undead¡¯s dream to unlock the skill, Boneman of Steel. It causes your bones to get tougher and dense, adding to your strength. For us workers, it¡¯s the ideal skill. The Undead Captains told us the skill¡¯s name, encouraging us to cultivate it. However, I¡¯ve always been more interested in mana. It is very thin over here though, the majority of energy being undeath energy. The mana coalesced over the years seeps into the ground and creates the mana gems we mine, but it takes a pretty darn long time. They have always been my fascination for a long time. The undead beside me was hysterically swinging the axe like a madman, expressing strength that is at least double mine by knocking off chunks of the hard rock and soil off. ¡°I¡¯m almost there, I¡¯ll have that smooth lustre and density too? You hear that, bro?!¡± he turned to me, his me sockets burning incessantly. ¡°Y¡­yea¡­ sure, man,¡± I said to him. He kept dishing the attacks on the innocent walls and started yelling at me. ¡°Bro, get your ass working!¡± I reflexively blurted out, retorting. ¡°Bro, I don¡¯t have an ass!¡± Wait! I stopped ¡°What¡¯s an ass?¡± I ask him. For a moment he jerked and stopped digging. He faced me, and his socket mes quit zing fiercely. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­ it¡¯s just vaguely familiar,¡± he said. Chapter 2 Narrow Escape I shook my head and put the thought to the back of my mind as I resumed mining. So did he. The day was going to be long and hard. Wait. That didn¡¯t sound right. We kept digging and digging. The sensations we feel are limited. We have endless endurance, but we can get bored. Get angry. Happy. Our minds are a mystery. For a long time, I have always enjoyed ying with the mana gems before we have to take them to storage. They are pretty, and at first, I just enjoyed handling them. Then I began to sense the mana within them over time. From sensing to feeling it on my bony hands. Then I began absorbing it. For centuries. I grew proficient in it, draining only a little from many stones so that I didn¡¯t get into trouble. Typically all undead absorb mana. However, they do it unconsciously. It takes a long time to even form a mana core as the mana is so damn thin here. After a very long time, I developed a skill. It was rted to mana, but I didn¡¯t know its name, only feeling its effects. I was scared of asking the undead captains its name as I didn¡¯t know what they would tell the Lich. I only ever told my friend, B. I could feel the mana vividly even though it was very thin. The more I absorbed from the mana gems the more the skill grew. Over a thousand years. Right now, I could sense the mana within a 100-meter radius vividly. I just can¡¯t do anything to it. Strangely, I¡¯m the only one who finds this life monotonous. Or at least I started to feel how boring it was at some point. That¡¯s what spurred me to enjoy the thrill of feeling my sensitivity to mana grow. As we dug, one thing that always happens in the mines, happened again. A fight. ¡°Hey what¡¯s your problem! Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m digging over here?!¡± a short undead with a zing blue me in his socket barked. Tktktktktktktktkt! ¡°So was I, why did you bump into me?!¡± another undead of average height pushed the other. The short undead staggered and fell only to rise immediately, his socket me ring in anger. ¡°You socket hole!!¡± the short undead rushed up to the other undead and rammed him with his head. The two tumbled down the ground with the funniest ttering of bones I¡¯ve heard in a while.. The undead captain just watched, his mes dancing in amusement. The two rolled on the ground, hitting each other on the bones with punches and kicks. They saw how pointless it was after a time and then the short undead finally lost it. ¡°FLESH YOU!¡± he boomed. Then there was a silence. Every undead¡¯s eye mes flickered dangerously. Mine too. The undead captain finally stepped in. ¡°Hey. That was over the line. Apologise,¡± he said. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± the short undead looked around and saw all undead shaking their heads in disapproval. What he just said was a taboo. Sentencing someone to having flesh and life was the worst insult you could throw at a fellow undead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he bowed at the other undead apologetically. The undead captain nodded his head and then signalled for us to get back to work. We continued swinging and digging for the rest of the day. I managed to dig out a few mana gems. I stealthily absorbed their mana, feeling a chilling sensation in my bones as I did so before leaving just enough juice to keep them from being promoted to regr stones. Their glow made all the difference. With each absorption, I felt, through my skill, the minuscule changes in my mana core. After the day¡¯s work was done, we walked in a single file back to our cave. At night, the red sun in the sky would turn darker, emitting almost no light at all. When we reached the entrance to the cave, the same Death Knight from this morning halted me and B. His gaze turned to me with his brilliant me and he spoke. ¡°Skillius?¡± he asked. I was so nervous that my mana core bobbled. ¡°Y..yes?¡± I answered. ¡°Follow me. Master wants to see you.¡± I shook. What could Master want from me? Did my silly tales of how he had once touched my head finally reach his ear? Or maybe the worse ones? I followed the towering Death Knight through the darknds until we reached a massive tower where many undead were stationed, swords on their waists and shields on their backs. They looked threatening. The massive stone tower that rose into the sky with a conical shape spooked me. It was roughly 100 meters wide with arge number of floors. A thick deathly mist surrounded it, nourishing the undead that guarded it. The Death Knight led me inside through the massive door made to cater for undead as tall and asrge as him. The interior was full of a rather¡­pleasant design of bones and gems featuring an array of different colours. We walked up the many flights of stairs, getting next to no time to appraise and admire the structure of the tower¡¯s rooms and build. It was certainly better than a bunk tomb. We finally reached arge room with many materials that I understood and otherwise, potions, gems, bloody organs and a magic circle in the middle, glowing with a green hue. Tens of mana gems were arranged around it, powering it up with mana. Before the circle was a ck-robed figure who instantly turned to us as we came in. It was a dark green skeletal undead with a deep red socket me that demanded reverence and praise from me. It was Lich Somanda. I resisted the urge to bow down and call him master as it came to me, staring at him in fear and anticipation for what we wanted with me. He raised his bony hand and waved, making the Death Knight leave the room. I felt awkward. Somanda didn¡¯t say anything for a while, his gaze dead set upon me. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible so soon,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re already resisting my binding. Tktktktktktktktkt.¡± He cackled, and I swear, I wanted to run. Bro, that was a phenomenalugh! ¡°Hmmm might as well extract some data from you before ending your pitiful existence,¡± he said in a dreadful tone. End my what now?! Is he talking about ending my death?!!! I knelt with both knees on the floor and begged. ¡°Br- I mean Master! Please spare this lowly servant! I beg you!¡± Tktktktktktktktkt! I heard his teeth tter inughter and shivered. ¡°This proves all the more that you¡¯re an interesting specimen. You¡¯re already close to recovering your memories. In my presence a normal undead can¡¯t even speak,¡± he said. ¡®My ¡­.memories? What the flesh is going on here?!¡¯ I thought. ¡°Rx, it will all be over soon. I¡¯ll be quick, I have an appointment in another world anyway. Ah, let me get my new apparatus,¡± he said as he waved his hand, a powerful force locking me in ce. ¡®Oh crap!!¡¯ I panicked. This is bad! I was about to¡­die? I tried to struggle but my body wouldn¡¯t budge. I really don¡¯t mind spending eternity mining rocks you know! Just thinking about the Mighty Skullius being erased from the world made me shiver! All my work was rewarded with this? I was scared. I didn¡¯t even get to learn the name of that skill I was so fond of yet? I didn¡¯t even get to ask why there aren¡¯t any female undead here! Wait. What are females?! Argh, screw it! I¡¯m finished! I knew there was nothing I could do. I stood there waiting for my end. However, something registered in me. Something that was near. It was something resonating with my core. I focused with all my strength. At least I should see what it is before I meet my doom. I finally burst of curiously to satisfy. I felt mana. Mana weaved into something more profound. Into something that made my mana core yearn. There wasn¡¯t one of it, but two. They were books. Books emitting a beautifully weaved mana. I felt for them. I also began to yearn for them. I was very sensitive to their beauty. I wanted it. ¡®I want you,¡¯ I thought subconsciously. ¡®Come to me!¡¯ My impulses led me to call out in my mind. I felt myself tugging at these books and¡­.they responded. I felt them float from where they were, and towards me. They swiftly glided through the air and reached me. I had been in a state that confused me. I had been blind throughout the entire process, only focusing on the mana that was resonating with my core. I looked before me to see two tomes that glowed. One with a blue light, the other with a red light. They looked old, with a weird insignia on them that exuded a profound power. I felt undeserving of such a thing. I was drooling inwardly over them. I focused on the one with the blue light and it instantly shot a blue light into me that pierced through my skull! I felt a horrible pressure fall on my skeleton, causing me to quiver. I grunted and ¡­ moved. I actually moved! Was the restriction on me broken? The pressure died down and I was left with a weird feeling. My bones felt different but looked the same. The book which had emitted a blue light fell to the ground. The glow around it had vanished, making it look ordinary. The red book shot a red light into my skull also, making me grunt and clutch my skull! I tried to make sure I didn¡¯t make any attention-grabbing noise. It was painful, to say the least. Like the other book, this one fell when it finished tormenting me with its light. I shook my skull and felt another different sensation in my bones. I was so confused. What were these books? What did they do to me? I suddenly heard a voice speak in my head immediately after the light show. It was melodious, prompting even an undead like me to praise it. [Congrattions, you are now qualified to hear the Voice of Worlds and be granted a guidance field.] [Supreme Skill acquired: Lifeless Evolution]. [Supreme Skill acquired: Flesh It Like You Mean It]. Uuuuuuum what? Wait? Is that a female voice? Damn it, I¡¯m so confused! What¡¯s this voice in my head? Skills? I acquired skills? How? My mind was in turmoil. I grabbed one of the books and looked at it closely. There was nothing I could get from it. How could this thing grant me a skill? Just how much didn¡¯t I know?! I heard the ttering of feet approaching the room and I once again remembered that I was about to be ¡­..ended. I stood and looked left and right. What do I do? This is definitely my only chance! If I go outside¡­no I¡¯ll be hacked by all those Death Knights and Captains! If I stay in the tower, he¡¯ll find me! What do I do? Think you boned idiot! Wait what?! I then saw the magic circle. Powered by mana gems. ¡®¡­.¡¯ Didn¡¯t Somanda say he wanted to go to another world just now?! Could he be nning to use this? Wait! Those Death Knights often boasted about¡­ Without another thought, I rushed towards the magic circle and stood in the middle. ¡®Will this work?¡¯ I thought as I stood. The circle glowed bright, then brighter and brighter and I felt a powerful force grip my entire body! It started to twist everything around me, and pull me downwards! Somanda ran into the room, no doubt sensing the mana. His jaw fell to the floor as he saw ¡®Doomed to die¡¯ me being covered by a light from the magic circle. I was satisfied seeing his bbergasted face as his socket me raged madly. As I was dragged down the circle, my body disappearing within it, I said two words to him with an ecstatic tone. Two words I¡¯d wanted to tell say to someone in a thousand years. ¡°FLESH YOU!!¡± Chapter 3 Voice of Worlds! My eyes flickered with me once again. After I was swallowed by the pressure and magic from the magic circle, I was terrified. I gambled on little information and it worked, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d actuallynd in another world. Hell, I wasn¡¯t even sure if they existed. For a few seconds, I had been subjected to great darkness where I couldn¡¯t see anything, even the off-white colour of my body. It felt like I was in a dark, stagnant ce. Then, an opening appeared in the void and spat me out. Inded too fast to see where I was. Now, Iy skull down on the ground. I used my bony hands to push off where Iy and stood. I raised my skull to see with my flickering mes the DISGUSTING scenery before me! Life. Large protrusions stemmed from the ground and rose into the air, at their ends, green swaying monstrosities that screamed of life. Where I stood was not the ck ground I was used to, but brown soil that seemed rich, bearing thin, green children everywhere. Flesh me, bro. The sky was blue, flying creatures streaking across. WHAT IS THIS MADNESS? My body jerked and a couple of words appeared in my head. Trees. Grass. Leaves.. Damn it! What the hell does that mean?! And¡­ Why does it seem so bloody familiar?! Eeew! From the blue, the voice I had heard before spoke again. [Greetings young undead. Please make haste and settle your affairs]. Huh? This voice wasing from my head. I remembered hearing something about the Voice of Whatever when I was in Somanda¡¯s tower. [Would you like to check your status before it¡¯s toote?] ¡®Umm¡­what? Before what¡¯s toote? What is this status?¡¯ As soon I finished thinking those words, a red, half-transparent light screen appeared before my socket mes. It had details inscribed on it which I focused on to perceive. ~~~~ [ Name : Skullius ] [ Tier : None ] [ Level: None ] [ Race: Moronic Undead (Lesser) ] [ Inv. Status: Doomed (Adverse) ¡Á2 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : Null ] [Agility : Null ] [ Intelligence : Meh ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Mana : Poor ] [ Luck : Atrocious ] ¡ª¨C [ Skills ] [ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve) ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean | It Lv. 1 ] [ Lifeless Evolution ] ~~~~ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°What is this?¡± I spoke. ¡°And who are you? You¡¯re creeping me out.¡± [I am the Voice of Worlds. I am a guide to those who have achieved certain requirements. I appear as the panel before you, called a Guidance field. This just happens to be its miniaturised version. This is your status. It shows your current state in terms of Individual Information, statistics and skills]. I didn¡¯t want to rage out yet. But I noticed some things that I needed answered. My socket mes flickered. ¡°Can you please kindly tell me why that Inv whatever status says I¡¯m currently Doomed?¡± [Please click that thread with your¡­finger and expand the information]. I looked at my finger and poked the Status. Strings of information being unfolded in the next moment. ~~~~ [ Invasive Status ] ¡ª [Doomed Factor 1: Disowned Your master, Undead Lich Somanda has cut off his mana supply to you. Under normal circumstances, you would cease to exist. However, the benevolent VOW has granted you time to decide your own fate. If you cannot do that in the time given, you will meet your end. Time till DF1: 24hrs ¡ª Doomed Factor 2: Existential Crisis Your distinct perception and absorption of mana throughout the years has caused you to start awakening what should have been lost a long time ago. If you fail to recover and remember this in time, you will suffer a crisis of your own existence and descend into madness. Time till DF2 : 1yr ] ~~~ ¡®¡­..¡¯ ¡°So let me get this straight. I am basically about to die or go mad from these two¡­..factors? Flesh this! Ipletely forgot that Somanda owns me and can just stop supplying me with mana! Arghh! What is it that I am supposed to recover! You know it don¡¯t you, voice in my head?!¡± I yelled. [Please refrain from calling me that and call me Voice of Worlds or VOW for short. Yes. I know everything about you. You have been getting short bursts of memories that confuse you. You¡¯re supposed to find out what they are. Even though you keep getting bits of them, this process is happening in an unstable manner. Furthermore, I cannot interfere with your path. My duty is to guide]. Hmmm. Well. There¡¯s my motivation. A vague adventure with bigger stakes than a countryside butchery. Wait! What was that? ARRRGHHHHHH! Okay okay. I¡¯ve kept my cool long enough. ¡°HEY, why am I called a Moronic Undead?!¡± I barked. ¡°What kind of stupid name is that?! Level, None?? What¡¯s that anyway? Strength Null, Agility Null?? Intelligence, Meh???! What are thesements? Exin yourself, BRO!¡± I heard a scoff in my head. [Please refrain from calling me, Bro! Everything on your status will be described with ament until you have a level. Your current attributes are so dismal that youck a level. A level is part of a power measurement system used across Worlds. As for your race. That is YOUR race. A moron embodied in bone. That is why your kind was only sent to the mines and not given important tasks. You¡¯re a closed-ended species that has limited requirements for any form of growth. So¡­yeah]. Well, that¡¯s discouraging and insulting! How am I a moron? B yes, but me?! I swear I¡¯ll kill Somanda one day! I looked around and felt something in the air. There was a peculiar sensation tingling around me. It was something I was well ustomed to. I almostughed when I felt on my bones. Mana. [As you¡¯ve noticed, there is an abundance of mana here unlike in Deadmand. This is a possible path for you to cure DF1. It¡¯s also a path for you to evolve from the Moronic Undead race]. There¡¯s so much mana here! I extended my hand and ran my bones in the air feeling the chill of mana. My core was yearning for it. ¡°Maybe it won¡¯t be so bad,¡± I tried tofort myself. I can finally explore mana to my core¡¯s content! ¡°If I¡¯m supposed to save myself from the mana problem I¡¯m going to have to supply my own mana right?¡± I asked. [Yes. However, you can only do that if you evolve from your current race and gain a level. The DF1 will not be a detriment solved in one instance. A continuous supply of mana will be needed at all times. First, you need to increase your mana capacity through evolution. I would rmend that you aim for Tier 1. Please check your skills]. Hmmm. Why do I feel like my life is about to be an even bigger socket hole? I focused on the skills and they gave strings of information. ~~~ [ Skills ] [ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve). ] The ability to sense the presence of mana within a certain range. ¡ª- [ Supreme Skill ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] Tired of looking dead? Are your eyes hollow? Do you need to smile and show off something other than bones? Call on the power of cosmetic flesh and get a body that¡¯s to your liking. ¡ª- [ Supreme Skill ] [ Lifeless Evolution ] Tired of the same old undead evolutions? Is being undead not trendy anymore? Well then, try the Lifeless Evolution Package. For strong, unorthodox and peculiar evolutions that will knock your skull off. IfyouareseeingthisinyourGuidancefielditmeansthatthisskillisboundtoyouandisnon-refundable. ~~~~ ¡°¡­.¡± WHAT IN THE¡­ Chapter 4 Skills and First Hunt! I stared at the guidance field with my jaw agape. ¡°VOW bro, what the flesh does this mean?¡± I asked. [Please refrain from calling me, Bro! Also, the information shown is just introductory marketing information. Please swipe downwards to get the actual skill descriptions]. ¡°I¡¯ve got limited time before my death¡­life¡­? ARGGHH! I can¡¯t tell it apart anymore! You¡¯re wasting my time with useless details.. show me the good stuff!¡± I yelled as I swiped with my bony finger. ~~~ [ Skills ] [ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve) ] The ability to sense the presence of mana within a certain range. ¡ª- [ Supreme Skill ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] -Aplementary skill for the Lifeless Evolution Package- The user is able to gain a flesh body that is masked from most types of detection magic. While it doespromise the user¡¯s racial abilities, it offers much more in exchange. The greater the level, the more realistic the body. Mana Requirements: None. Duration: 24 hours. Cooldown: 3 hours. ¡ª- [ Supreme Skill ] [ Lifeless Evolution ] A different approach to evolution that unlocks the Lifeless Evolution Series. With every evolution, you get powerful, yet unorthodox evolutions that differ from the Undeath Evolution Series. -More information essible only after you change from your current race-. ~~~ ¡°So Mana Sense is the skill that I have cultivated for years! I see! What does permission to evolve mean?¡± I asked. [It means that your skill has reached the first evolution cap and can evolve into the next level. Just like you, skills can evolve too]. Tktktktktktktktkt. Mana Sense. It was the key to my escape from Somanda. I knew it was useful. B that socket hole wanted me to be an all bones and no magic idiot like him. Look at me now B!! I looked up the next skill and I was both shocked and repulsed. ¡°VOW bro, you do realise that we have a saying back in Deadmand right?¡± [Please refrain from- you know what, forget it. Yes, what is it?] ¡°FLESH YOU! We literally cringe at the thought of possessing flesh, so why would I want to wear flesh on my bones?!¡± [Young undead. If you haven¡¯t realised it, you¡¯re in a different world. This world is full of living beings. STRONG, living beings. Just as much as you are repulsed by them. They will be repulsed by you. This skill will allow you to blend in. You¡¯re not aware of the disparity between levels and Tiers yet, but it may shock you. Particrly with the humans. I advise that you use this skill when you encounter them]. I grunted. Argh! Have I seen what flesh looks like? No! But I have an inborn hatred and image of what it does look like. How could it possibly match up to the roughness of my beautiful off-white bones? ¡°Let¡¯s check thest one,¡± I said, looking at Lifeless Evolution. After a few seconds of pondering I finally spoke. ¡°So this means I can never be a Death Knight or a lich?¡± I asked. [Yes]. ¡°Then what will I evolve into?¡± [You¡¯ll be offered three different choices at each evolution. You can choose one]. ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡± [The choices will be provided when you are ready to evolve]. ¡°This sounds shady. What does the word unortho- whatever mean?¡± [Ahem¡­ it means the choices are very specialpared to their undeath counterparts]. ¡°¡­.¡± Somehow I didn¡¯t believe VOW bro. And I learntter¡­ that I was right. ¡°Fine. Then let¡¯s start with Mana Sense. I want to evolve it to the next level!¡± I got excited. My Mana Sense was already pretty strong. I couldn¡¯t wait to see what it could do after it evolved. My nk skull face showed nothing of the excitement I had, except for the flickering socket mes. [Unable to evolve. Please evolve further than the Lesser Moronic Undead race]. ¡°¡­..¡± I felt a bubbling rage and yelled into the air. ¡°Brooooooooooooo!¡± I was so upset. Just how pathetic was this Moronic Undead race?! ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t evolve?!¡± [The Lesser Moronic Undead race cannotprehend or handle higher forms of Mana Sense]. Arrgh! I swear I will kill Somanda! ¡°Fine. Then I just have to use Lifeless Evolution right? Use it!¡± [Unable to evolve. Please evolve further than the lesser Moronic Undead race]. ¡°WHY?! I thought this was supposed to bring me evolutions stronger than Undeath!¡± [Not when you are a Moronic Undead]. ¡°ARRRGHHHHHH! I rushed up to a nearby rock and¡­..sat down. Hands on my jaws. This was depressing. I had to evolve further than the Moronic Undead to get a chance to use Lifeless Evolution. I didn¡¯t feel like a moron. I thought I was making progress. ¡°VOW bro. How do I evolve anyway?¡± I asked. [It¡¯s simple. All you have to do is assimte the mana of other creatures into you. By killing them]. ¡°Kill?¡± I said, standing up. [Yes. The atmospheric mana is pure and is good for increasing the core size. However, mana that has been nurtured inside another body has the ability to strengthen you as a whole. You¡¯ll be assimting bits and pieces of your victims, therefore increasing your overall stats. You¡¯ll earn what we call Cumtive Mana Experience. Exp for short]. ¡°Ohohoho. Now I¡¯m getting interested. Let¡¯s do this. Killing things, huh? I¡¯ve got a lot of pent up stress anyway!¡± I shot up from my seat and began running around the ce. [Please be warned. The disparity between levels and tiers is immense. Approach any levelled creatures with caution!]. ¡°Yea, whatever! You¡¯re the one who gave me this deadline. I need to evolve as soon as possible. I will kill anything that I see!¡± I yelled running among the trees and grass. Eeeww. It was still a mystery to me how I knew what these things were. Iwas starting to wonder what my end goal would be if I did recover what I was supposed to recover. The source of these memories. Then what? I wasn¡¯t sure. Finding Somanda and turning him into a Moronic Undead somehow was definitely at the top of the list though! I was sure of it. I had also been thinking about why he didn¡¯t follow after me. Maybe, I was getting ahead of myself. I wasn¡¯t precious enough to have a Lich run after me into another world. He probably thought I was dead¡­ I mean doomed. That¡¯s right! Doomed! ¡°He will be in for a surprise when I return home with power that exceeds his!¡± Tktktktktktktktkt! I couldn¡¯t wait! I ran around the green ce like a mad skeleton, hunting for anything that breathed. On the ground at least. It was only after ten minutes that I saw my first prey. Oozing with repulsive life and feeding on the green grass, was a strange-looking creature about 10 meters from me. It had brown hairs on its body, with a height that reached my waist. It had four legs and what looked like teething from the edges of its mouth. A small tail was dancing left and right from its backside as it fed. ¡®You¡¯ll be my first victim,¡¯ I thought. The flickering mes in my sockets zing wildly. I ran up to the creature, speedily moving my legs that made cking noises as I approached. ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± I yelled. The creature suddenly turned towards me and the look in its eyes changed! I saw mana converging on this creature wildly! It lowered its stance and rushed towards me as well! Back in Deadmand, we had a game we yed to pass the time. It was called Arm Yourself. I pulled my left arm from its joint and held it up with my right as a weapon. ¡°Watch yourself, bro! I¡¯m armed!¡± I yelled! We finally shed! All I remember from that encounter was feeling a dense wave of power and the detonation of mana! A powerful force caused the trees around us to tremble and I remember my body flying far away from the creature, knocking against many trees and finallynding on the ground! Mynding was not so pretty. My bones were fractured! My left arm was nowhere to be found and several parts of me had turned to a different shade! I looked around and struggled to stand. That thing was strong! ¡°What the hell was that VOW bro?!¡± I asked. In the next second, I heard a galloping sound that made my bones rattle. That thing wasing! [I warned you to be careful!]. ¡°Yeah I get that, but what is that thing?!¡± I screamed as I hurriedly stood. [Please use your guidance field to check your opponent¡¯s information]. The creature finally reached within my proximity and red at me. It breathed out hot air, mana still being emitted from its body. I focused my eyes on the creature and its information was shown to me. ~~~ [ Name : None ] [Tier : 1 ] [ Level: 1 ] [ Race: Dead-end-apocalypse Boar ] [ Inv. Status: Wants to kill you ] ¡­ ~~~ Level 1???????????????!! Chapter 5 Luck? (A/N: As I said before, we¡¯ll be going into the third person for a while. In cases of changes, you¡¯ll see * for the first person and *** for third in future). ¡­ ¡°VOW bro! What the hell is that?!¡± Skullius yelled, his socket mes zing fiercely. [The guidance field has given you a clear description of the enemy you¡¯re facing]. ¡°I get that, but how in the world is that thing a Level 1?!¡± [I warned you about the disparity between levels. Also, it is a full tier above you. You might want to run with your¡­death]. As soon as the VOW finished speaking, the ground trembled from the galloping of the Boar as it soon emerged from the line of trees and faced Skillius with fury abound in its eyes and bluish-white mana converging on its figure! ¡°Flesh me! This is so not fair! Now I really wish that I have cultivated [Boneman of Steel]. Mana Sense is only helping me see how I will face my doom vividly!¡± Skullius said as he lifted himself with his remaining arm and took to his heels. The boar followed after him, elerating at a rapid pace as its hooves scraped the grass and dirt. The two were running amidst the dense forestry while nothing in particr spectated thisical scene. The plus side of having infinite endurance was the ability to keep running forever. The downside was that if that infinite endurance was paired with a trash race like the Lesser Moronic Undead, there would be no increase in pace. As the boar approached, reaching 5 metres from Skullius, he panicked. ¡°VOW bro! Help me!¡± he pleaded. [As I said before, I cannot intervene any more with your destiny. I have already granted you many chances to live].. ¡°Come on! Then why are you still here?!¡± [Uhm¡­ I¡¯m only allowed to stay here until you¡­Uhm¡­ the promotional package has been unlocked and used]. ¡°Promotional package? You mean the Lifeless Evolution ski¡ª¡± HUMPH! HUMPH! HUMPH! The boar bellowed as it reached Skullius and prepared to release another attack on his void ass! Skullius immediately dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack which then sted a tree which the boar faced and ran into in his stead! BOOOM! Nothing remained of the tree aside from the stump which sizzled with a weak me, chips of its previously strong body falling to the ground. Skullius¡¯ mouth was agape. He instantly dashed away, appreciating the head start he got while the boar was shaking its head and focusing its vision. The game of cat and mouse continued with the boar getting increasingly agitated and Skullius getting increasingly frightened. He vaguely discovered a way to stall his doom by dodging at the precise moment that the boar activated whatever the socket it nned to use to kill him. After almost 30 minutes, the boar was starting to feel exhausted, much to Skullius¡¯ glee. ¡°Great! I managed to survive long enough until it tired itself out! Now all I have to do is¡ª¡± VUUUUMM! Skullius felt a chill from the back of his bones as arge influx of mana that was gathering into a single position behind him made him turn his head. He saw the boar¡¯s body glowing in a bright red hue as it seemed to be activating a deadly skill! ¡°Oh, my Lich! What the hell is it doing now?!¡± Skullius screamed as he watched the boar re at him with reddening eyes thatpleted the look with its red aura! [Please refer to the Invasive Status of the Boar]. ¡°UGHH!¡± Skullius frustratedly looked at the boar and activated the guidance field to give him more information about the boar. ~~~ [ Invasive Status ] Currently cooking up the skill ¡®Dead End¡¯¡­. to end you. ~~~~ ¡°Bro! Is that really necessary?!¡± Skullius almost wanted to stop and kowtow to the boar. As he anticipated the worst toe, the light from the boar suddenly died down and it screeched to a halt. Skullius was dumbfounded as he saw this. The boar started backpedalling as it looked ahead. Skullius also turned to where it was looking and saw the view that he had missed as a result of the chase. There was an abrupt transition from the green grass to a golden shade that stered itself on all life that was ahead of him. Trees. Grass. Even some patches of the ground had this golden shade. The sky remained ever blue above, Skullius even sensing the mana to be denser from here onwards. He had already stepped into this new patch ofnd. [Your luck truly is atrocious]. ¡°What was that?¡± [N-nothing]. Skullius felt a sense of foreboding as he looked at the image before him. What could be waiting for him ahead? He turned and took a step forward, heading back to the greenery of the forest. As soon as he did, the boar also took a step forward in his direction, its body beginning to re in a red hue. Skullius took two steps back and watched the boar take a step back as well, away from him. He repeated his previous action, taking a step forward towards the boar and it did the same again. ¡°This sockethole isn¡¯t giving up. Why do you hate undead so much?! I mean, I hate your lively guts too but can¡¯t we just talk about this?!¡± The boar gave him no response other than a grunt as it released a burst of hot air. He turned and faced the golden path ahead and began to walk forward. [Atrocious..]. ¡°What was that?¡± [N-nothing¡­ ]. Skullius grew increasingly wary of the road ahead. He turned again and saw the boar huffing as it red at him. There was no choice. He walked ahead, passing the trees that were on both sides. Strangely, the further he walked, the more he realised that the tree path became wider as if weing him to this new ce. ¡°Maybe¡­ it¡¯s not that bad?¡± he tried tofort himself. On either side, a few rows of trees could be seen before the rest turned into a shallow darkness that became pitch ck the further one looked. Skullius gulped air as he continued walking ahead. ¡°VOW bro.. what is this ce?¡± he asked. [Sigh¡­]. ¡°What is it?¡± [¡­..]. ¡°GAAAAH! Now you won¡¯t answer me?!¡± Sooner after, Skullius heard the voice of VOW announcing as a notification from the guidance field. [Congrattions. You have royally screwed yourself by entering a Higher Tier Beast¡¯s ¡®Majestic Territory¡¯] [You are now under ¡®Gargantuan¡¯s Scrutiny¡¯. You are practically naked before the Great Mane Mountain Ape] [You are now under ¡®King¡¯s Gaze¡¯. All your skills and stats have been reduced by 90%] [Haha. What stats?] [You are now under ¡®King¡¯s Court¡¯. Depending on what you say or do, you may walk away a free skeleton or your existence will end with a single word] Skullius felt a tremendous force descend and almost trample him on the ground. He felt a severe sense of weakness as well as a scorching sensation that made his bony body start to sizzle! From the surroundings, creatures that looked like dragonflies with bright blue butterfly wings appeared and began flying around him. At their ends, a bright yellow light flickered from time to time as they circled around Skullius. A distance ahead, it was as if space distorted, changing from the view of a cluster of golden trees to the view of a massive figure that sat on a simrly massive stone throne. Skullius gazed at this figure and his core screamed. ¡°Uhmmm¡­..¡± Skullius mumbled as he cursed his luck¡­which was indeed atrocious! Chapter 6 Im Not An Undead Skullius was stunned as his socket mes flickered within his skull. What were the odds that someone who had juste from a frying pan would jump into the fire? Apparently, 100% for him! Tktktktktktktktkt! The Moronic Undead couldn¡¯t help but start to shake as he saw the looming figure before him that sat upon the massive stone throne. The stone looked aged with meaningful carvings that held an ancient feel atop its grey hued mass. The figure that sat atop was nothing short of majestic and regal. While sitting atop the throne with its arms on the armrests, it was at least 5 meters tall. A massive ck ape with a grand mane around its head gazed deeply at the small figure of Skullius with its golden eyes that emitted a resplendent light. A beautiful golden white light revolved above its head with the shape of a crown, illuminating the space further. Streaks of golden fur could be seen amidst the dark ones, forming beautiful runic symbols on its body that almost seemed to be alive. The giant Ape opened its mouth as it gazed at the bony intruder, speaking in an annoyed tone. ¡°An undead dares to enter not only the Tremur Forest but my territory also? Is this a deration of war by your kind?¡± a booming voice tremored through the ground and shook Skullius, a gust of wind making the grass and tree leaves dance. The mes in Skullius¡¯ sockets danced widely as he looked at the giant in front of him. He was scared but he was also¡­ confused. ¡°Uhmm¡­. what did¡­ what did.. you say?¡± he stammered as he inquired what the Great Mane Mountain Ape had said.. He couldn¡¯t understand itsnguage! Unlike the guidance field which used thenguage he was used to (Deadmandnguage), he couldn¡¯tprehend the Ape¡¯s words. The confusion he was in would have been apparent if his face¡­was actually a face. The Ape tilted its head as it realised that there was anguage barrier. It pointed its giant finger at Skullius, a small golden light speeding out of it and into Skullius¡¯ head. A notification appeared in Skullius¡¯ vision, announcing a surprising development. [You have been gifted the skill ¡®Greater Communication¡¯ by the Great Mane Mountain Ape ¡®Az¡¯. You can now understand and speak all Low to Mid-levelnguages] ¡°Oh?¡± Skullius said as he looked at the notification, however, he couldn¡¯t dismiss the pain he was feeling from the burning presence of the giant Ape. ¡°I-¡° [Be careful with your words. You are under supervision by advanced skills. The skill ¡®King¡¯s Court¡¯ can destroy you immediately if you displease the Ape]. VOW chipped in. Skullius shook from the words he heard. He wanted to be mad that VOW had let him walk into this monstrous beast¡¯s territory without giving him a warning but he withheld himself. As the dragonfly-like creatures flew around him, Skullius chose his next words carefully. ¡°Will you still show arrogance after I have granted you the means to speak?¡± a slightly angry tone in the voice of the Ape apanied by the crackling of its eyes with golden lightning arcs tore Skullius from his thoughts. His body continued to sizzle as he looked up at the Great Mane Mountain Ape. ¡°Uhmm¡­ No! No one wants a war! Truly! I mean look at you, br- Great Mountain Ape. No one would want to fight you¡­¡± said Skullius. The words the Ape had said about a war made his core beat. ¡®Is this where Somanda wasing? Did the undeade here once?¡¯ he thought. ¡°Then why are you here, undead?¡± asked the Az. ¡°Uhmm.. you see¡­ I ran away¡­ from the.. uhmm from¡­ my master,¡± said Skullius. A golden light shed around Skullius, going up and down his shivering body. Az narrowed his eyes. ¡°You seem to be telling the truth,¡± he said. ¡°Why did you run away?¡± ¡°I was¡­about to be¡­Uhm.. erased,¡± Skullius answered as he felt a progressive weakness. Another golden light shed from him as Az gazed down at him. The Ape nodded as he looked at Skullius. The dragonflies with butterfly wings flew onto Skullius as if attracted by the golden light that would emanate from him. They wererger than what one would expect, almost the size of a bird, which made it all the more annoying for Skullius when their wings collided with his body. He tried swatting them away as he focused on what the Ape would do, after all, his stats might be chopped down but he could still push them away. [All debuffs and imposed skills have been lifted] Skullius received a notification from the guidance field. The Ape rested on its throne as its deep presence receded quite a bit. Skullius even felt some of the force that pounded on him receding, bits of his strength returning little by little. ¡°If you are merely a stray, then there is nothing else to discuss,¡± Az said. Skullius was relieved for a second¡­ ¡°However, an undead cannot be allowed in the forest to mingle with the living. You shall perish now.¡± ¡­. depression hit Skullius in the next second. He was going to die while being assaulted by those annoying dragonflies. He couldn¡¯t die right after he had managed to escape death. It was so unfair. Why would his luck be so terrible after he had just managed to pull off an impossible escape from Somanda?! ¡®VOW!¡¯ he called. [Nope. It seems I¡¯ll have to find another candidate for these treasures. It was nice knowing you, young undead]. ¡°Oh,e on!¡± Thinking fast, Skullius tried to buy himself a few seconds. ¡°Oh, Great Ape! But¡­ I¡¯m not an undead!¡± he cried. The Great Mane Mountain Ape gazed at him with its powerful gaze. Since it had deactivated its skills, it didn¡¯t get an automatic response, but who wouldn¡¯t be able to smell and see the dark red stench of undeath that followed this small undead. ¡°Do you take me for a fool?¡± he asked as he raised his finger, a glimmering coil of golden lightning concentrating around it! ¡°I¡¯m so screwed!¡± Skullius thought as he saw the bright golden light that intimately promised to leave nothing of him after it washed over his body. ¡®Think! Think!¡¯ He thought, the dragonflies still dancing around his body with an annoying yfulness. Skullius swatted them away angrily. ¡®Dammit, at least let me meet my doom in peace!¡¯ He thought as his bony hands struck some of the dragonflies which had surprisingly strong bodies. His fingers beat against two of the dragonflies¡¯ ends where the golden light would flicker and¡­ PCH! PCH! The dragonflies screeched and a golden liquid flew from their ends, them falling to the ground! From Az¡¯s finger, the lightning was about to shoot towards Skullius when he saw the dragonflies fall to the ground. They didn¡¯tst for long before they stopped screeching and¡­died. At that moment¡­ [You have killed a LV1 StarGold Clusterfly. You have gained experience] [You have maxed your evolution ¡®Lesser Moronic Undead¡¯ and have be ¡®Greater Moronic Undead¡¯] [You have killed a LV1 StarGold Clusterfly. You have gained experience] [You have maxed your evolution ¡®Greater Moronic Undead¡¯ and have be ¡®Standard Undead¡¯] [Congrattions, you have evolved from a pitifully pathetic species to the very standard form of Undeath] [Congrattions, you are now legible for Lifeless Evolution. Please hold on¡­] A burst of energy covered Skullius, emitting a light blue hue that emanated from his sockets and core. Under the perplexed gaze of the Great Mane Mountain Ape, Skullius roared. ¡°UUUUOOOOOOOOHHHHH!¡± Chapter 7 Emperor Bonet’s Lowly Servant [ Name : None ] [ Tier : 0 ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Race : StarGold Clusterfly ] [ Inv. Status : ¡ª ] ¡­ [ Skills ] [ StarStore ] The tube at its end stores StarGold paste which when umted for two days can be injected into the body to boost overall stats by 120% for an hour. However, this tube links directly to vital organs and if damaged, can lead to shock with a high possibility of death. ~~~ ¡­. ¡°UUUUUUUUOOOOOOOH!¡± Skullius roared into the sky as a burst of power shot through him, an intense shimmer cascading through the entire area as even the bright golden hue was overshadowed by the light blue! Az looked at this scene pondering on what to do. What made him hesitate was the fact the he noticed that this little undead actually had the qualification to be apanied by the Voice Of Worlds! As a higher ranked being, it wasn¡¯t too difficult for him to notice as many perks came with his tier and level.. He decided to see what would happen next and judge from there, after all, the little undead was still in his Majestic Territory. Skullius¡¯ frame began to change. His height increased significantly, bringing his figure to almost 2 meters! His once burnt bones became clean, the charred darkness being removed from them. The density and mass of his bones increased significantly, a lustre that was a few shades from a proper silver donning his bones. The me in his sockets red, its hue bing a dark blue one that glowed with an incredible intensity! Skullius felt the sensation of pain and ecstasy at the same time. The light show soon died down as his figure looked nothing like the dreadful and pitiful undead from a few seconds ago. [Congrattions, you have evolved from ¡®Standard Undead¡¯ and have begun the new path of Lifelessness, professionally termed Null Life. Would you like to proceed with all the following steps immediately?] Skullius was dazed as he looked at the notification before his eyes. He had evolved thrice without any breaks, his mind feeling rather drained and¡­excited. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ he thought as he felt the changes in his body. He felt a great amount of strength, rity in his thought process and an unrelenting sense of freedom. This sensation was amazing! [I can¡¯t believe your atrocious luck took a U-turn at thest second] ¡®Ah.. so you¡¯re still here, you sockethole!¡¯ thought Skullius as he pulled himself out of his dazed state. [Well you¡¯re still alive¡­so¡­]. ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± the booming voice of Az shook Skullius once again, as even after he had evolved, he still felt a tremor in his core. ¡®Damn it! I almost forgot that I was still here!¡¯ He looked at the giant Ape whose eyes now showed a bit of interest in him. ¡°Uhmm¡­¡± Skullius mumbled as he thought of what to say. In the next moment, his socket mes brightened as he provided an answer. ¡°As I said before, Oh Great Az. I¡¯m not an undead¡­ ahaha,¡± he said sheepishly. At first Az thought to dismiss this nonsense he had heard from Skullius before but when he focused his sense on the little skeleton, he was perplexed. The repulsive energy that coiled around Skullius just a few seconds ago hadpletely vanished! What he felt at this moment was¡­ nothing! The skeleton standing before him while scratching its head had no signs of undeath at all. ¡°What are you?¡± he asked. ¡°Uhmm¡­.ahhh,¡± Skullius stammered, his mind racing to form a convincing argument. The notification had told him that he was had graduated from undeath, so he technically wasn¡¯t lying. He then remembered a grand detail. He was the grand storyteller who had once convinced his brethren that he had coxed the great Somanda into caressing his skull! Surely he could wiggle out of this with a lie, right? With his mind clearer than ever, he formed a chain of lies that were as cold and sturdy as shivering straw before he presented them to the giant Ape before him. He did his best to calm himself and then spoke. ¡°Oh Great Az. I am but the lowest servant of the grand Emperor B. I was sent to scour thends of the dead under the spell which forged my appearance into that of amon undead. I have returned to give him all that found after fleeing from a Lich who had grown suspicious of me,¡± he said, trying his damndest to make sure he sounded convincing. ¡°Hmm?¡± Az narrowed his eyes. ¡°Who is this grand Emperor B?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot tell you anymore than this as I am under a spell that keeps me from giving away knowledge. Please, allow me to return before I face his lustrous wrath,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Hmmm,¡± the deep hum of Az¡¯s voice echoed through the forest. ¡®I searched him with Gargantuan¡¯s Scrutiny and found nothing of note within him. He was merely a pitiful undead before. Is this B¡¯s magic that strong to be able to convince even I, that is he is an undead? Why does he still look like an undead even after his escape then?¡¯ Az thought. Skullius waited while trying to not be overly suspicious. It could be excused that he was shivering as he was in the presence of a powerful beast but any more would attract attention. As he waited, a notification appeared before him. [You are under ¡®Gargantuan¡¯s Scrutiny. You are practically naked before the Great Mane Mountain Ape] ¡®Again?!¡¯ Skullius thought. He was screwed! Or so he thought. Az was shocked! He couldn¡¯t find anything of note now with his advanced skill! To make matters worse, he couldn¡¯t identify anything about Skullius except his level! His race was unknown as well as all important details! ¡®Hmmmm¡­ who is this B? His power is capable of this much? Did he create this little thing or is he using powerful magic to mask everything away? Is this supposed to be a single lowly servant? Perhaps I should leave it be. I might offend a power I cannot contend against.¡¯ ¡°Very well. You may leave. I shall forgive your trespassing and a murder of mynterns as a gesture of respect for your¡­ Emperor B. Be on your way,¡± Az said. ¡°Thank you, Oh Great Az,¡± Skullius bowed as he backtracked. He walked slowly, then briskly, feeling the dense presence of Az vanishing from behind him. Soon he was out of the golden area that represented the territory of the Great Mane Mountain Ape. He seemed calm on the surface, but within.. ¡®I SURVIVED! I DID IT! SKULLIUS STRIKES AGAIN! AS IF! I was scared out of my skull! I can¡¯t believe he bought that!¡¯ [I¡¯m¡­ speechless¡­] VOW¡¯s voice rang in Skillius¡¯ head. ¡®Hmph! Don¡¯t underestimate me VOW bro. I have more redeeming qualities than you think¡­ wait that didn¡¯te out right.¡¯ [Sure.. says the guy who evolves twice by killing a single LV1 Clusterfly]. ¡®Now that I think about it, just how weak was I to get this strong from killing just two of those thing?!¡¯ [What part of Moronic Undead did you not understand? If you had paid attention to your status you would know that you had no level and no tier. Gaining cumtive experience of any kind would push your strength to higher levels¡­ as it did just now. You should also be grateful that since your evolution is new and you have not yet proceeded with its activation, Az couldn¡¯t find anything suspicious with his advanced skill]. ¡°I see¡­,¡± Skullius thought. He had really dodged a bullet. ¡°I¡¯m..really not an undead anymore?¡¯ asked Skullius. [Nope. I advise you to inspect the changes for yourself]. Skullius was quite excited. He was feeling great. He had just escaped from a powerful beast and was about to enjoy a new path that offered different evolutions and powers. What could possibly go wrong? HUMPH! HUMPH! He heard the sound of hooves scrapping against the ground. A short figure was covered in a red aura as it red at him. It was the boar! Skullius was shaken at the sight of this enemy. ¡°Bro, you¡¯re still here?! Get a life, will you!¡± he screamed. [Atrocious!] VOW remarked. Chapter 8 Unbound Boneman! Skullius looked at his nemesis, wandering how he would deal with this situation. He was a angered by how this world was juggling him between the frying pan and the fire. The boar didn¡¯t seem to want to leave him alone and it looked more resolute than ever! The blue mes in Skullius socket zed with a deep light as he considered his next move. ¡®Damn it! What do I do? Last time I was barely able to evade this guy, now I¡­.Wait!¡¯ he thought as it suddenly dawned on him that he was not a Moron imbedded in bone anymore. He had evolved thrice! Surely that had to count for something. In the next second, he took off at top speed, heading to the right! The wind blew past him as he ran. Skullius was shocked by his new speed! ¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡± he yelled as he raced forward. The boar was perplexed by Skullius¡¯ sudden dash, following behind at its full speed as well while the red energy around it refused to die down! However, it found that reducing the gap between it and Skullius was much more difficult now! [I can¡¯t believe that with your newfound strength, your first choice is to run away]. ¡°What do you know, VOW bro!¡± Skullius angrily barked at the Voice of Worlds. [What I do know is that you should check your own status more often. New skills are avable to you even though you haven¡¯t proceeded with the full options from the Lifeless package]. ¡°New Skills?¡± Skullius thought before he pulled up the guidance field. ~~~ [ Name : Skullius ] [ Tier : 0 ] [ Level : 1 ]. [ Race : Null Lifeform (Boneman) ] [ Inv. Status : Doomed (Adverse) ¡Á2 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 20 ] [Agility : 20 ] [ Intelligence : 5 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : Atrocious ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 20/20 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 40/40 ] ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 50/3000 ] [ Skills ] [ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve) ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] [ Lifeless Evolution ] -Static Limbo -Null Extraction -Unbound ¡­. ~~~~ ¡°Oh, it changed! Look at all this!¡± Skullius eximed as he ran. ¡°Wait! My luck is still atrocious?!¡± [¡­]. ¡°Oh there¡¯s new skills! Ohhhh! Let¡¯s see!¡± ~~~ [ Static Limbo ] Suspend a target at the corridor of life and death. The duration is dependent on the level difference between the user and the target. Mana Requirements: 50 Mana Points Duration: Dependent on level difference. Cooldown: 5 minutes. ¡ª- [ Null Extraction ] Extract the Null Life Essence from living creatures. Mana Requirements: None. Duration: None. Cooldown: None. ¡ª- [ Unbound ] Using Null Life Essence, grant upgrades to any stat, skill or weapon. -More info essible- Mana Requirements: None. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 1 hour. ~~~ ¡°Arrrghhhh too much information!¡± Skullius clutched his skull with his one remaining hand. ¡°What is all this?!¡± [I¡¯m not about to give you a crash course when you are on the run. Get rid of your tail and finish your evolution]. Skullius grunted as he looked at the new skills. He couldn¡¯t understand what they meant, especially the first two. Null Life Essence? Limbo? The third one was a bit more understandable. Upgrades to any stat? That seemed simple enough for him. ¡®What¡¯s this Null Life Essence? I already 50 points of it?¡¯ he thought. As he ran, the view changed from the lush forest and to a downward slope that lead into ake. Skullius socket mes red as he saw something that made his core cringe. As the patches of grass became less prominent, in the vicinity of theke, the remaining strands of grass transitioned from their green colour to a turquoise blue! Skullius had seen this before and he wasn¡¯t going to fall for it again! It was a Territory! Something overpowered lived in thatke! Recalling his encounter with Az, Skillius bellowed. How would he wiggle out another Territory?! He turned to the boar and felt like he hade to a new realisation! ¡°FLESH YOU, BRO! It was you all along! You¡¯re leading me into ces that will get me killed!¡± With that, he took a sharp turn to his left and avoided theke, going back up the slope which led to the ongoing forest expanse. ¡®I can¡¯t keep running away from this socket hole! He¡¯ll lead me into another territory eventually. Might as well see what this Unbound skill can do. If it can upgrade anything, then¡­¡¯ Skullius activated Unbound. He felt a unique energy wrap around his bones. It had a bright blue hue and in the next second, a notification popped before him. [What would you like to upgrade with Unbound?] ¡°Strength,¡± said Skullius as he reached the top of the slope, ran a good distance and turned back. He was going to attack the moment the boar rose up. It would definitely think that he was still running after all. But this time, he had to kill it. A powerful feeling filled his bones. He felt his strength increase, grinning inwardly as he imagined that right now, he would be able to bully B! ¡°Hell yeah!¡± he yelled. [Unbound is active. +5 to STR] Skullius didn¡¯t wait any longer. He bolted towards the slope and as soon as the bellowing head of the boar popped up, heunched his bony fist into its forehead! Boom! The boar¡¯s head was mmed to the ground, dust flying up as it squealed! Skullius didn¡¯t stop there, he brought his arm up and brought it down again with all his strength! ¡°DIE! DIE! DIE!¡± he yelled as he pummelled it with all his strength. The boar tried to put up a fight, but having exhausted itself even before Skullius had entered Az¡¯s Territory, it failed to find the strength to retaliate especially when Skullius kept hammering it in the head! After almost a minute of pounding the brown creature, a notification appeared before Skullius. [You have killed LV1 Dead-end-apocalypse-boar. You have gained experience] [You have levelled up!] [You have levelled up!] Skullius finally stopped when he saw his fist stained in blood and the nasty depression on the boars head. [Your prey¨C ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve finally killed this pain in the pelvis!¡± Skullius yelled, so relieved at getting of the boar that he didn¡¯t get to see what thest notification said. Levelling up was already good news! ¡°Disgusting!¡± he remarked as he saw the flowing blood and innards. ¡°EAT ON THAT FLESHLINGS!¡± [That¡¯s racist]. ¡°What was that?¡± [Nothing. You should finish your evolution before your atrocious luck finds you another boar]. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± Skullius focused on the Lifeless Evolution. It was time to discover what this was all about. A new journey was about to begin and Skullius had no idea how much struggle and benefits it would bring. Chapter 9 The Boneman Chooses A Class Skullius read the contents of the message several times to understand what the flesh was going on with this so-called Null Life. ¡®It¡¯s the power found when a life is lost? But it¡¯s not exactly death? Hmmm,¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Come to think of it, I really have changed, haven¡¯t I? I don¡¯t feel disgusted by this anymore. Now it feels¡­meh.¡¯ Skullius thought as he kicked a few stalks of grass. [Indeed, young undead. You now exist between Death and Life. Purity in Death its called, even though it¡¯s not really associated with Death. You should see the options thate with this power]. ¡°Hmm?¡± Skullius thought. A notification from the guidance field appeared before him, blinking continuously. [You will experience a major change in stats and power from this point onwards with the choice you are about to make. Please choose a ss] ¡°A ss?¡± [Yes, young undead. sses are normally avable only for lifeforms like humans while beasts have none. Simrly, Undeath incorporated these sses which you must have seen among the ranks of more powerful undead]. ¡°Oh right! I see. Like knights and stuff,¡± said Skullius as his socket mes flickered. He vaguely remembered as these details were not really fed to him as a Moronic Undead. Only basic skills fundamental for manualbour were chosen for them to know. He now felt that if he had told the Captains that he had learned Mana Sense, he would have been fleshed. [Indeed. Usually, the concept of Tiers is considered when ites to undead for a ss to be granted. From Tier 1. Humans and other sentient lifeforms who live in main nes don¡¯t have this inconvenience as they level up continuously with no evolution like yourself. They have their own system of growth which makes them dangerous creatures to deal with. Again, I will warn you, do not pick a fight with them, especially with your skeletal appearance]. ¡°Hmmm, I see. I understand none of that, except for staying away from humans.¡±. [Ugh¡­ Right. You still have a single digit of intelligence. You¡¯ll figure it out eventually. Now, choose a ss]. ¡°Hmmm, a ss,¡± Skullius thought as he looked at the guidance field which showed several options. Since Undeath was no longer a part of him, he wondered what he would get from this new power. ~~~ [Avable sses For Boneman Null Lifeform] [-Vehement Bone Nullmancer] [-Berserk Skull Hegemon] [-Spirit Walker] [-Revenant Forcemancer] ~~~ ¡°Oh¡­ ¡± Skullius gulped down nothingness as he saw these options. Four solid options for him to choose from. They all seemed to carry a lot of weight and he really wanted to see what all of them could do. He hadn¡¯t forgotten about the Doom Factors. They had to influence his choice. On top of that, he also wanted to be able to rip Somanda¡¯s skull off at the end of at least a hundred years. ¡°Let¡¯s see what they can do,¡± he said as he poked all the options for more details. [Fufufu]. ¡°What was that?¡± [N-nothing]. ~~~ [Vehement Bone Nullmancer] The one who harnesses the power of Null Life to enhance his connection to mana, solidifying his mastery of the world alongside his followers of the void that hold world-shaking power. He who chooses to walk this path will conquer kingdoms after attaining: +150 Mana +50 Intelligence +20 Strength -Apostle Summoning. -Apostle Armament. -Depths of the Core. -#@%%# ¡ª- [Berserk Skull Hegemon] True power lies in the bone, not the flesh. Transcend the limits of mortal strength with your body and enter the realms of power where a single fist can demolish mountains. Armies will cower at your individual strength which warps space itself. He who chooses this path will be feared after attaining: +200 Strength +40 Agility +50 Mana -Berserk Armament. -Berserk Ascension -Forged Bones -#%@^! ¡ª- [Spirit Walker] To be a Null Lifeform means to be closer to the edge of Non-existence. A fleeting presence that can barely be perceived even by the strongest experts. The greatest enemies are ones that strike without anyone knowing of their presence. He who chooses this path will be a legend that has never been seen after attaining: +150 Agility +40 Strength +80 Mana -Shadow Assimtion -Border of Death -Spirit Touch -##%#&! ¡ª [Revenant Forcemancer] Those who possess life are capable of manipting the elements of the world, creating powerful forms of magic from them. Do not envy these weak practitioners, for those who walk on this path are assimted with the elements of the #%%@$ and have the power to manipte them. He who chooses this path will rend all worlds after attaining: +200 Mana +40 Strength +20 Agility -$%#%$ -Elemental Exchange -Elemental Ruination -#%[emailprotected]! ~~~~ ¡°¡­¡± [Fufufufu]. Skullius mind went numb. This was a lot of detail to go through. All the sses promised tremendous aspects of power that made him want to pick them all. Just what would he pick? He went through all the options, again and again, struggling to choose which one would be the most promising. Even with his low intelligence, he knew that the decision he made right now would affect his journey beyond. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t see details about the additional skills that came with the ss, the others having their names hidden as well. ¡°What¡¯s with those that I can¡¯t read?¡± he asked. [The information on those skills is either barred from you until you reach Tier 1 or isn¡¯t avable to you until you have broken through a certain realm of power other than Tiers]. ¡°I see,¡± said Skullius. He thought about these realms of power and instantly realised that they must be rted to the power that Az exuded. Just when would he reach that level? The issue of Tiers also boggled his mind. ¡®I guess that¡¯s why that pervert was so strong even as a level one. He had a higher tier. Wait! What¡¯s a pervert?! GAAAH! It¡¯s happening again!¡¯ Skullius clutched his head. After a few more seconds of considering and yelling at himself, he finally came to a conclusion. ¡°There¡¯s no other choice. I have to pick this one,¡± he said as he poked the guidance field. Chapter 10 The Road To The Peak Skullius¡¯ mind had spun as he thought about the best option for him to choose. He knew this wasn¡¯t simply about getting overwhelming strength. Even though he wasn¡¯t an undead anymore, he was still bound by Doom Factor 1. As a summoned creature, he needed to supply himself with mana constantly to rid himself of that Doom Factor. He would know the specifics of how much he needed soon enough but he had considered it more clearly now that he wasn¡¯t being chased by a murderous boar or standing in the presence of a god-like beast. ¡®I would really love to have great physical strength, though,¡¯ he thought as he lost himself to this possibilities, seeing himself prancing in a field under the gazes of his jealous friends as they adored his bulky figure and lustrous bones. They would drool and ask him how he got so strong and he imagined himself imparting his divine wisdom. ¡®Milk, my fellow gravemen. Milk.¡¯ ¡®Wait! What?!¡¯ he thought as he shook his head. However, he knew that would probably be a bad idea. He had never been a bones-for-brains kind of skeleton. He had always been interested in mana and the interest he had in manipting it had saved his life in Deadmand. Even though he knew that was the logical choice, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but shed a non-existent tear at the prospect of giving up on the attractively named ss, [Berserk Skull Hegemon]. [Pffft!]. ¡°Shut up!¡± Skullius barked at VOW. The only two options he considered were the first andst. [Vehement Bone Nullmancer] and [Revenant Forcemancer]. [Spirit Walker] didn¡¯t seem all that attractive to Skullius because from what he¡¯d seen both in Deadmand and this new world, all that had left a deep impression on him was unbridled might that didn¡¯t need to be hidden. The Death Knights, Somanda, Az and even that perverted boar. Besides, the mana it offered was less than the other two which made it even less attractive. ¡®The Forcemancer sounds good, but I can¡¯t even see many of the skills. What if I can¡¯t use them until I¡¯m as strong as Az. That would be¡­ problematic,¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®But that must also mean they are quite powerful, right?¡¯ Then there was the Vehement Bone Nullmancer. It came with a lot of mana and even though it didn¡¯t boost strength by much, he still found it attractive. The skills it gave made it the most attractive out of the bunch.. The word Summon had already won him over. He was intrigued by the prospect of bing like Somanda. ¡°It¡¯s something like that, right? Like being able to Summon soldiers to do what I want? Right, VOW bro?¡± [This is your own choice, young undead]. Tktktkt! Skullius cked his teeth in displeasure. Above all else though, what made him want this ss some more was one thing. One thing that he knew he needed. One thing that would make him feel whole. One thing he felt would be a pain in the pelvis if he didn¡¯t acquire it right now. ¡°I need that INTELLIGENCE!¡± he screamed. Even though he had evolved from being a Moronic Undead, he still felt the lingering embers of his Moronhood dancing in the emptiness of his skull. But with those 50 points, he felt that he would at least get VOW to stop mocking him. ¡°There¡¯s no other choice,¡± Skullius thought as he poked on the guidance field. [You have selected ¡®Vehement Bone Nullmancer¡¯ as your ss. Please note that you CANNOT change sses in the future and advancements in the ss will stem solely from ¡®Vehement Bone Nullmancer¡¯. Would you like you to proceed?] Skullius cked his teeth as he felt a vague sense of fear from the fact that he couldn¡¯t divert from what he had chosen. It made sense, but¡­ Why did this notification need to sound so ominous? ¡°Uhmm.. yes,¡± he said, pushing forward with his resolve. This had to be the right choice, right? A tremendous force shot up from his feet and encased his entire body with a bluish-white me that licked his bones! The power he felt at this moment was staggering as he felt changes appear within him. His core, his bones and his mind shook. [You have be a full-fledged Null Lifeform!] [You have be ¡®Vehement Bone Nullmancer¡¯] [ You have received +150 Mana] [You have received +50 Intelligence] [You have received +20 Strength] [The following skills have been added: ] [Apostle Summoning Apostle Armament Depths of the Core @%#^#@ ] ¡ª- [You have finished basic evolution to Null Life!] [You have received the skill ¡®Null Life Aura¡¯] [Your poweres from the Serenity that rises after life. Your presence is overwhelming yet tranquil] [You are neither imed by the Living nor the Dead. Your soul and body are protected by Serenity. All physical and spiritual damage will be reduced by 50%] ¡ª- Skullius felt an intense change in his bones. They grew by a bit, their shade changing to a foggy grey as the me in his sockets turned darker. He felt his mind be less foggy and his thoughts became free. A certain feeling attached itself to his core but Skullius couldn¡¯t discern where it wasing from. After a few seconds, the transitions and mes died down, Skullius finally getting the chance to look at his own body. He ran the fingers of his one arm on the bones of his ribs and rejoiced. He could feel that he wasn¡¯t as brittle and weak as he had been. ¡°This is incredible,¡± he said. He looked at all the notifications he had received and marvelled. With his mind feeling clearer than ever, he felt that he could understand all the basic details very well. The first thing that he wanted to know was what the skills he received from his ss could do. ~~~ [Apostle Summon Lv 1] When an enemy is in by your hand, purify it and bring it to the border of Life and Death, assigning it as your Apostle. When summoned, it will be sustained by #%@% until it dies. Mana Requirements: 100 Mana Points Duration: None Cooldown: None ¡ª- [Apostle Armament Lv 1] A servant needs great strength to protect their master. Using Mana and Null Life Essence, grant your Apostle skills so that they remain useful while standing by your side. Please note that this skill is more effective when your servant has obtained ss. Mana Requirements: 250 Mana Points + 2000 Null Life Essence Duration: None Cooldown: None ¡ª- [Depths of the Core Lv 1] To attain great strength, one must understand their own source of power. The core. The more one understands the more they can evolve their strength from the standard to the elite boundary where very few reside. When this skill is used, the user can alter their core in the direction they want. Mana Requirements: 500 Mana Points Duration: 1 minute Cooldown: 100 days ¡ª- @%@^##! [Locked] ~~~ ¡°The costs are insane!¡± Skullius exined. ¡°Wow¡­ I never thought a miner like me would ever say something like that. Sniff. I¡¯ve grown so much.¡± Skullius wiped away a non-existent tear and continued scrolling through all the options. He was excited. Depths of the Core attracted his attention quite a bit since it had to do with his core. Did this mean he could actually change his core? To what exactly? Theck of knowledge was biting his hungry mind. He began reassuring himself that he had chosen the right ss. If such a thing as changing one¡¯s core was possible, then he would make sure that he used this skill to the fullest, granting him every single advantage he could. As expected, thest skill was not avable to him. He would patiently wait for it. The Apostle set was intriguing. He could resurrect a foe he had killed! The prospect of having an army like Somanda made the mes in his socket burn fiercely. Unfortunately, for now, he was limited to a single one. A single Apostle. But wasn¡¯t this just like undeath? What was the difference? The descriptions weren¡¯t enough to give him the full picture and he found himself wanting to know more about this skill that piqued his interest. How could he possibly know more about it? His sockets turned to the dead body of the boar and Skullius cked his teeth. Chapter 11 The First Bro Skullius looked at the dead body of the boar and his socket mes zed. This was an option. The only one around. He really wanted to find out what [Apostle Summon] could do. He had high hopes for it, as the image of being surrounded by loyal soldiers made him excited. But¡­ ¡°Why this guy, though?¡± he said as he scratched his skull. He still held a grudge against the boar and while that might sound childish, Skullius didn¡¯t care. Unfortunately, for him, he couldn¡¯t imagine being able to kill anything else in the forest to resurrect it as an Apostle. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like I have better options though,¡± he said. ¡°Ah. First, let¡¯s check my status. I really want to see what it looks like now!¡± ~~~ [ Name : Skullius ] [ Tier : 0 ] [ ss : Vehement Bone Nullmancer ] [ Level : 3 ] [ Experience : 0/900 ] [ Race : Null Lifeform (Boneman) ] [ Inv. Status : Doomed (Adverse) ¡Á2 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 50 ] [ Agility : 20 ] [ Intelligence : 65 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : Atrocious ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 50/50 ]. ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 250/250 ] ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 0/3000 ] ¡ª- [ Skills- ] [ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve) ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] [ Static Limbo ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Unbound | Lv. 1 ] [ Null Life Aura | Lv. 1] [ Greater Communication | Lv. 1 ] [ Apostle Summon | Lv. 1 ] [ Apostle Armament | Lv. 1 ] [ Depths of the Core | Lv. 1 ] [ @$%# ] ¡­. ~~~~ ¡°Woo¡­ my status looks much better organised now,¡± said Skullius while looking at the additions of ss, Experience and other things added. It made him realise just how pathetic he had been when he stated. Which was roughly forty minutes ago! ¡°Wait! Why do I have such a huge amount of Mana now?! Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be just below 200?¡± Skullius said without a shred of worry at all. ¡°My luck is STILL atrocious?!¡± Skullius sulked at his luck which didn¡¯t change even after everything else was boosted. VOW even refused to exin why his luck remained atrocious. It was upsetting, but he didn¡¯t dwell on it for long. He had things to be happy about at least. He was both happy about the increase in his Mana as well as the fact that he could calcte numbers much clearer now. Counting all those mana gems he used to suck mana from to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t get himself screwed had been a hassle when he was in Deadmand. Now, he was able to do it with barely any effort. At least when it came to the hundreds [With each increase in level, there is an additional five stats points to all stats including mana and excluding luck. Since you levelled up twice you racked up ten stat points. Also, the intelligence you attained from your ss trantes to mana on a 1:1 basis]. ¡°Oh¡­ I kind of understand I guess. So intelligence really is important! I made the right choice after all!¡± Skillius said as his socket mes zed with excitement. [However, I should warn you. While other lifeforms require double the amount of experience from the previous level to level up, your race with all its special traits requires triple the amount for you to level up. The only exclusion is the first level¡¯s required experience, which is a 100]. ¡°W-wait what?!¡± Skullius checked the Experience bar and his mind gears spun. ¡°Wait, VOW Bro!¡± Skullius began straining himself to calcte what he had just heard. His added intelligence plus the basic numeric skills he had cultivated for the many years he had been in Deadmand assisted him toe up with the relevant figures. After a few minutes, he finally spoke, his voice trembling. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that boar gave me 400 experience points?!¡± he screamed at VOW. [I thought you would have figured it out by now. Your atrocious luck keeps pitting you against dangerous creatures. The boar wasn¡¯t a simple Tier 1 beast. It was a special race that would grow to be simrly powered to beasts like Az. The experience it gave out was ording to its quality. You should also take note that a lot of factors contribute to cumtive mana such as external magic consumables and mutations. Lower levelled creatures may be able to give simr cumtive mana experience than higher ones in some cases. You only managed to beat it after tiring it out for 30 minutes and with the use of Unbound]. Skullius¡¯ teeth cked as he thought about this. 900! That was how much he needed to get to the next level! Skullius nced at his mana value again and his spirits were uplifted. If he had this much mana, he could somehow scrape by, right? ¡°I have enough mana to use a lot of my skills now. Shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I¡¯ve spent many years doing the same thing over and over again. I can definitely be patient, racking up experience, as little as it is,¡± Skullius said regaining his spirits. He looked at the boar. If it was a special race, then that served his best interests. He cast away his grudge, deciding that Summoning an Apostle from this powerful would-have-been beast would definitely be good for him. Apostle Summon required 100 mana points and he had enough. ¡®Good. Let¡¯s do it,¡¯ Skullius thought as he got closer to the boar¡¯s body which wasying on the dusty ground, blood oozing from the depression on its head. He extended his bony hand and felt for the mana in his core which had grown quite a bit, radiating a soft light from his chest. Now that it was even more outstanding, he was thinking to find something to cover himself with. How would he not attract attention if he walked with a bright light illuminating everything around him, especially at night? ¡°Apostle Summon,¡± Skullius said. His core churned out mana as the ss Skill activated. His vision travelled with the mana that burst from his core flowing into the boar¡¯s corpse. Its skeletal structure became clear to him and he felt a unique energy that was powerful yet serene wash over the bones. In the next moment, something entered the body of the boar, giving it what Skullius could only describe as a spark of me. It nested inside the boar¡¯s head, looking like a small flicker of blue light. Skullius¡¯ vision returned to his body and he watched the boar¡¯s flesh dissolve as if acid had been poured onto it! Only the clean bones and fur remained, the boar standing on its two hind legs! Its fur receded from the rest of its body, forming a brown, hairy hood that covered from the top of its head to the shoulders. The boar¡¯s forelegs changed. Its small bones at the ends began to resemble human figures and it stood straight with its hind legs supporting its bony body firmly. Skullius was in awe as he saw the figure that stood before him. Unlike him, it didn¡¯t have zing mes in its sockets. Only bright lights like torches could be seen as it looked at Skullius. Tktktktktktktktkt! Skulliusughed maniacally as he saw this image. The boar knelt before him, hanging its head. ¡°This is too good,¡± Skullius thought as he walked around the boar, which, even when standing would only reach half his height as he had gotten a sizable boost from his original body structure. [Ugh¡­] VOW voiced, clearly displeased with Skullius¡¯ excessive enthusiasm. [Check its status]. ¡°Oh,¡± Skullius said before requested to his the boar¡¯s status. ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Tier : 0 ] [ ss : None ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Race : Null Lifeform (Bone Boar) ] [ Inv. Status : Expressing loyalty ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 10 ] [Agility : 10 ] [ Intelligence : 1 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 10/10 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 20/20 ] ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 0/0 ] ¡ª¨C [ Skills ] [ Null Life Aura ] [ Storming Charge ] [ Dead End ] ~~~ ¡°UUUUOOOOOOOOHHHHH!! This is insane!¡± Skullius screamed. ¡°Bro! How on earth do you have better luck than me?!¡± [Pfft!] ¡°Shut up!¡± Skullius looked at the creature¡¯s stats which were quite low, but better than his when he was an undead. He could barely believe that this creature was this weak in its life. Did it get weaker? Well, yes. It was Tier 0 like him now. Nevertheless, Skullius was happy. He knew that growth took time and he was willing to invest a lot in his new bro. [Congrattions, you have summoned your first Apostle. Its value will be unlike any others to follow. Would you like to give it a name?] ¡°Hmm. It has value, huh? Well, you definitely need a name,¡± Skullius said as he gazed at the boar. Brainstorming for a name wasn¡¯t too hard for him as his mind was full of all sorts of bad ideas for names. Broadbone? No. Boner? Yes! Wait! No No No. Furbone? No. What could he name it? Skullius cranked his head, for a while, simting the word bone with everything else he knew. He then gave up on anything rted to bones and started thinking about what the boar itself had before it became his Apostle. After a while, he finally found a name. A decent one. ¡°Your name shall be, Red Rage,¡± he said. Chapter 12 Until We Meet Again [Congrattions, you have named your first Apostle. ¡®Red Rage¡¯ gains the ¡®Blessing of Serenity¡¯. This privilege is only reserved for the first named Apostle] ~~~ [ Name : Red Rage ] [ Tier : 0 ] [ ss : None ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Race : Null Lifeform (Bone Boar) ] [ Inv. Status : Expressing loyalty ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 10 ] [Agility : 10 ] [ Intelligence : 1 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 10/10 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 20/20 ]. ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 0/0 ] ¡ª¨C [ Skills ] [ Null Life Aura ] [ Storming Charge ] [ Dead End ] ¡ª- [ Blessing of Serenity ] ??? ~~~ ¡°Huh? Is that what it meant by this guy holds value? Hmm¡­ I can¡¯t even see this so-called Blessing. Must be another one which I can only be able to see after I reach Tier 1, right?¡± Skillius asked. [Yes]. ¡°Rise, my bro,¡± Skullius with a voice that only wished it could exude regality. Red Rage stood aloof and gazed at its master. The more Skullius looked at it, the more he recognised that it was vastly different from an undead. It did not release the chaotic energy of undeath which he was greatly familiar with. As he possessed the same energy as Red Rage, he could sense the tranquil yet powerful energy that kept it¡­ standing. It also seemed like it wasn¡¯t averse to living things just like he felt now. At least it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonably hostile. ¡°Great!¡± Skullius eximed as he patted the Apostle¡¯s furry shoulder. Red Rage suddenly raised its hand and gave Skullius a thumbs up! [Red Rage approves of your actions. +1 favourability] ¡°What?¡± Skullius was surprised by the Red Rage¡¯s action and the notification. ¡°Favourability?¡± [Yes, young Boneman. An Apostle is different from a mindless drone. Even though the boar you used to make this Apostle has passed on, its will still lives in the Apostle¡¯s bones. It is loyal and is a servant and a support, but if you mistreat it or make bad decisions, it may be inclined to be disloyal]. ¡°Oh! Then this is quite different from undeath then,¡± Skullius said. Another thing that made a distinction with the power of Undeath was exined to him and it only seemed fair. ¡°So this favourability¡­ does it do anything for my bro or me?¡± Skullius asked. [Yes. With an increase in favourability, your Apostle¡¯s affection towards you will increase, and with sufficient favourability, certain boosts can be unlocked]. ¡°Oh¡­ if only we had favourability in Deadmand¡­¡± said Skullius as his thoughts drifted off. He looked at Red Rage¡¯s status and saw a section depicting the favourability it currently held for him. Was there something else other than loyalty? Wanting to see how far he could take it, Skullius patted Red Rage¡¯s shoulder again. Pat! Pat! Red Rage gave a thumbs up! [Red Rage approves of your actions. +1 favourability] Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Red Rage gave a thumbs up! [Red Rage approves of your actions. +1 favourability] [Enough of that!]. VOW suddenly intervened. Skullius socket mes burned ferociously. He had wanted to see how far he could take it. [As I said before, I shall now leave. The package has been delivered and I wish you well, young Boneman]. ¡°Huh?! You¡¯re leaving?!¡± Skullius asked in a high pitched voice. [Yes. I only remained to supervise you until you were able to use the Lifeless Evolution Package. Now that it¡¯s done, I shall now leave]. ¡°I see,¡± Skullius said. He had known that VOW would leave, but he didn¡¯t think it would be this¡­sudden. A part of him felt lonely already. Was this really it? [Use this new power to the fullest. There are powerful beings in this world and the others as well. You have already seen this firsthand. Be careful. I will bestow upon you a parting gift]. ¡®A parting gift?¡¯ [You have received the information packet, ¡®Dummy¡¯s Guide To Power and Growth] A golden text appeared in Skullius¡¯ status. He wanted to retort about the name but decided not to. This was probably going to help him when VOW bro was gone. [You will have to discover everything else about your powers on your own. True strength is forged when one is alone and resolute, after all. Also, beware of the Doom Factors. Solve them as fast as you can]. Skullius nodded his head. ¡°I will. Thank you for your help, VOW bro.¡± [Until we meet again, Skullius]. With that, Skullius felt something vanish from his head. Red Rage¡¯s status information which he had been using to see the additions to favourability was still present before him. He sighed and looked at Red Rage. ¡°It¡¯s just you and me now,¡± he said. He poked the golden text in his hands and tons of information began sting into his mind. The knowledge that hecked came flowing in, filling in the void that was present above all his questions. ¡°This is really useful!¡± Skullius said as he began to understand all about Tiers, Levels, Evolutions, Stats and all other basics of growth and power. It was a bit disappointing that it didn¡¯t have any more information about Null Life in general, but Skullius new he would find out more with time. He began to understand on a deeper level what he saw on his status. This was a great parting gift. ¡®Thanks again, VOW bro,¡¯ he thought. In his mind, he did wonder if all those who were seen to have the qualifications to be acknowledged by the Voice Of Worlds would have the special treatment he had gotten from VOW. He was pretty sure that this was beyond the bounds of ¡®I can¡¯t interfere with your destiny.¡¯ ¡°Right! Onwards!¡± he said as he pointed forward. With the processing power of his mind now being decent, Skullius decided that the best course of action would be to return to the spot where he had appeared when he jumped through Somanda¡¯s magic circle. He wanted to find the ce where he found the boar and figure out where to go from there. It was the most reasonable move, in his own opinion. The mysteries that he had yet to discover were gnawing at his brain, but he was excited to find out all about them. Skullius and Red Rage descended down the slope and avoided the transition of the colour of the grass that surrounded theke. He wouldn¡¯t take any chances and end up in another Territory. He then instructed his loyal Apostle to jog alongside him as they raced back into the lush forest. Skullius did not so much as look at the direction where Az¡¯s territory was. He simply ran along with his bro, on the way telling Red Rage the tales of how he had skilfully sidestepped his rageful charges when they had been in a heated chase scene a few minutes ago. Red Rage would nod as Skullius narrated an incredibly exaggerated version of the tale. Since VOW bro was no longer there to point out how shameless he was being, he took it as far as he wanted to. After some time, the two finally found the ce where Skullius first met Red Rage. ¡°Ah¡­ It feels like it was so long ago when you sted me through the trees,¡± he said, a hint of emotion evident in his voice. On the ground, he found his bony armying on the grass and delightedly ran up to it. ¡°I wonder how this works. Can I put it back?¡± he said as he held it up. As he connected the arm to his shoulder, he felt mana run through the arm! Bursts of energy coursed through its structure, changing it from its pale colour to the foggy colour of the rest of his body. Just like that, his arm was connected to the rest of his body seamlessly. But¡­ ~~~ [ Mana : 120 ] ~~~ ¡°I see. It costs mana,¡± Skullius said as he saw the drain on his mana. 100 had been used to Summon Red Rage while 30 has been to reattach his arm. ¡°I should be really careful with how I arm myself next time,¡± he said. ¡°Alright Red bro. We won¡¯t live for long if we¡¯re not strong enough. Let¡¯s find some prey and get to Tier 1!¡± From here on out, Skullius aimed to be cautious, exploring with care and using all that he had learned so far. That was the n, at least. The two set off, looking for their first prey. Chapter 13 Encountering New Life The Tremur Forest was one of thergest forests in Aigas, a world where magic reigned supreme above all else. Cultivating power was hard but worthwhile as those who wielded it usuallycked nothing. Riches, fame and honour would follow those that dedicated their lives to learning magic. The Tremur Forest housed all sorts of monsters, powerful and weak but in a manner that those who had visited before would know, provided they lived long enough to find out. To the North, East, West and South of the forest, two powerful beasts would share territory and be responsible for protecting it. They usually did not interfere with the lives of other beasts as their duty was to ensure that all outside threats were dealt with in their own corner, from greedy humans to the asional visitor from other worlds. Local beasts usually stayed away from the areas near the beasts¡¯ Territories due to their inborn instincts, which is why Skullius had not bumped into any other beast other than the boar which had its own story to tell. Skullius had appeared in the Eastern part of the forest where the Great Mane Mountain Ape along with the Aqua Ripper called their territory. There were many things in this forest that would draw the attention of men and other monsters. Labyrinths where warriors and mages from thousands of years ago had buried their treasures under the watch of mystical beasts until certain individuals came looking for them, powerful gems cultivated under the rich soil of the forest, among many other wonders that would draw the thirst for adventure and power. ¡­.. Skullius and Red Rage jogged for hours as they traversed the forest. Due to their endless endurance, they could keep at it for days if they wanted to. And they wanted to. Skullius had confirmed that after Summoning Red Rage, he didn¡¯t need to keep spending mana. However, if his fellow bro got injured, he¡¯d be burning through his mana to prompt the Apostle¡¯s recovery. They had met a few small creatures that were either too fast or too little to kill. While Skullius was patient, he didn¡¯t deign to kill every single thing he came across. As they travelled, Skullius familiarised himself with all his and Red Rage¡¯s skills. He had scrolled through all the basic skills like Static Limbo and Null Extraction which he was very interested in, studying their effects. However, Skullius was mainly interested in his ss skills above all else as next on his list was Apostle Armament which he really wanted to try.. Red Rage was outrageously weak at the moment and as the description of the skill had stated, he had to make his Apostle useful. When it came to the mana requirements, he was made to take into ount a sensitive issue he had neglected. Mana recovery. He had used some mana for Apostle Summon and to reattach his arm and had gotten to witness just how slow it was to recover that mana. It was only after 4 hours of travelling (which was now) that he had finally seen his Mana fully recover. If he was to empty his tank, he dreaded how long it would take to fill it up again automatically. Unless he used the Mana Sense. Skullius came to a halt and looked at his guidance field. ~~~ [ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve) ] The ability to sense the presence of mana within a certain range. ~~~ ¡°Last time I couldn¡¯t evolve this skill because apparently, the Moronic Undead couldn¡¯t handle it. Now let¡¯s see if I can handle it now,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Evolve skill.¡± Skills had Tiers of their own. Mana Sense was a Tier 0 skill used for sensing Mana. The standard for magic in this world was so outrageously high that such a skill that had actually saved his life once because of itsrge sensory range of mana, was considered third rate in this world and would be graded as ¡®for themoners¡¯. Tiers of all kinds doubled their required levels the higher one went. To reach Tier 1 in a skill, one had to pass 10 levels. For Tier 2, one to pass twenty and so on. Skullius felt a burst of mana erupt from his core. The mana in the air raged as it was drawn to him. Skullius felt a cold sensation that embraced his foggy grey body. His socket mes zed in excitement as he noted a huge difference in his body¡¯s response to mana. [The skill ¡®Mana Sense LV10¡¯ has evolved into the skill ¡®Basic Mana Maniption¡¯] ¡°Great!¡± Skullius eximed. He immediately pulled out the skill information to see what it could really do. ~~~ [ Basic Mana Maniption | Lv. 1 ] The ability to manipte mana at a basic level. ~~~ ¡°¡­.¡± Skullius was dumbfounded by how little detail was expressed on the status. However, that did not discourage him as he was confident in being able to find it out for himself. He focused on the sensation of mana which was many times more vivid now and found out that he could feel the mana in the atmosphere. It moved around his body ording to hismand. However, the range was dismal, being barely 10 centimetres from his body. ¡°Not a problem! What¡¯s a thousand more years?¡± Skullius said as he clenched his fists. [Red Rage approves of your actions. +1 Favourability] Skullius found Red Rage giving him a thumbs up again. ¡°Are you saying you approve of my courage and charisma as a stubborn and motivated master?! Great!¡± said Skullius as he towered over the shorter figure of his Apostle with his mes burning like brightmps! Red Rage shrunk, seeing his master¡¯s enthusiasm. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon and the two resumed their journey being watchful of Territories along the way. Skullius was wondering how to get Null Life Essence as the first time it appeared, he already had 50 points of it. ¡®That must have been a free benefit, I guess,¡¯ he thought. The lush forestry began to be less and less, making way for sparse vegetation. Tree stumps became visible all around and Skullius became vignt. The light that was visible within his chest was bothering him quite a bit as with the sun dipping behind the hills, he knew he would be a target. Him and Red Rage. It didn¡¯t take long for Skullius to find the first small civilization within this forest. He and Red bro hid behind some bushes as they looked at the situation. A few mud and wood structures were erected in a collective fashion. The area that housed these structures was clear of any greenery whatsoever, some heavy deforestation having taken ce. A few creatures sat by a fire conversing in their nativenguage. When Skullius saw them, his socket mes zed fiercely, almost licking the leaves from the bushes. He had no idea what these creatures were but he knew he was about to have a good harvest. If he yed his cards right. They hadrge hairy bodies with pale and pink skin. They were bald withrge teeth poking from their lips. They had pig like noses, this detail making Skullius turn to Red Rage who scratched his skull. They donned animal skills, sittingfortably by the fire where skinned animals were being roasted. ¡°Are they your friends?¡± asked Skullius to Red Rage. Red Rage merely looked nkly at Skullius who gave up on getting an answer. He watched for a while, taking in all the detail that was almost 30 meters ahead. From a corner of the settlement of these creatures that housed at least 50 of them, Skullius saw arge cage within which a few creatures could be seen. ¡°What the¡­ isn¡¯t that?!¡± he said as he saw something that made him turn to Red Rage again. It was five boars that looked simr to Red Rage! They were Dead-end-apocalypse-boars! ¡°Bro, do you mind telling me what¡¯s going on?¡± Skullius said to Red Rage who merely stared nkly for a few seconds before making a fist gesture. ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius was confused. From the distance, Skullius saw movement. The creatures around the fire stood and looked in the same direction. A few other figures were walking towards them from the line of trees. They were short green creatures with beady eyes. They numbered around 10,ing to a halt when they were ten meters from therge hairy creatures. Skullius watched from afar, wondering what would happen next. Was a fight about to break out? Chapter 14 Forest Politics The stand off ahead made Skullius nervous. Were these guys going to fight? As he watched from a distance, he saw a particrly outstanding monster from the pink skinned crew walked forward. He gazed intensely at the creatures that stood before them. The green skinned creatures donned what looked like rags whichplemented their dirty skins quite well. The only exception was the figure in the centre which looked a bit more dignified. It was a bit taller than the others and donned what looked like a less tattered piece of clothing like a ck robe which had outlived its use. On top of its head was a bone helmet while in its hand was a staff made of wood and nking bones in an terrible mix, the whole structure which was taller than the wielder being unpleasant to look at. Though Skullius did not know it, the green creatures were goblins while the pink skinned ones were orcs. ¡°Despicable!¡± said Skullius in as quiet of a loud shout as he could muster. The beefier creature reached within a meter of this staff wielding creature and gestured towards the cage where the boars were kept. The goblin with the staff looked to see the boars and stroked his chin. He turned to the other goblins and started speaking to them in hushed tones. Skullius was extremely curious. He decided to move in closer while being as stealthy as he could, Red Rage following closely behind. He wanted to see clearly what would happen next and gain an idea of the situation. The two reached within a bit more than five meters, still covered by bushes and peeked to see what was happening now. The beefy orc gestured for the goblins to follow him to the cage which housed the boars. They walked up to the boars under the gazes of the other orcs that wore ugly frowns, clearly dissatisfied with the presence of the goblins in their home. One of the orcs opened the cage which was made of thick wooden bars tied well together. However, it didn¡¯t seem like that was all there was to the cage as it had shes of symbols carved onto the wood which glowed with a weak purple light from time to time. Skullius noticed this detail and added that to the many questions he had about what in the world was going on. The beefier orc extended his hand. The goblin with the staff turned to the goblin at his right which looked like a confidant and Skullius heard it speak.. ¡°These better be quality boars. Once I put them to sleep, tie them up and carry them away before these idiots decide to attack us for overstaying our wee,¡± the goblin said. Skullius was surprised. ¡®I can understand them?¡¯ Before his confusion could go too far, he realised that he still had the skill that he was granted by the Great Mane Mountain Ape, Az! Greater Communication! ~~~ [Greater Communication | Lv.1 -Passive-] The ability to understand and speak all Low to Mid levelnguages. ~~~ Skullius¡¯ socket mes raged in excitement. His atrocious luck hadn¡¯t left him with nothing at the very least. He had gained something useful for free! As he listened to the goblins conversation, he got a basic idea of what was happening. It seemed there was some sort of agreement between the two parties, though it seemed like there wasn¡¯t any sense of camaraderie. The goblin with the staff extended it towards the cage with the boars and with that action, a thin purple fog was emitted from the staff branching out and enveloping the boars within the cage instantly. The boars grunted and tried to resist the effects that came with the purple fog but in the next moment, they all fell down one by one. They had been put to sleep. The goblins quickly went in and began carrying the apocalypse boars, lugging them over their shoulders. As they did, their muscles tensed from the weight but there didn¡¯t seem to be much difficulty. The goblins turned and began leaving with the boars with the exception of the one with the staff which frowned and pointed at the beefy orc with its staff. ¡°There¡¯s one missing!¡± the goblin shouted as it poked its finger out with the other hand. ¡°We had an agreement.¡± The beefy orc narrowed its eyes. It knew what the goblin was saying despite thenguage barrier. He simply shook his head while crossing his arms. The goblin bubbled with rage as it gnashed its teeth. ¡°You seem to want to go to war after all! You¡¯re looking down on us! When my master hears of this, you will regret not taking us seriously!¡± The orc merely shrugged and watched the goblin angrily walk away. A droplet of sweat trickled down his brow as he knew that problems were bound to ur from this, but it wasn¡¯t his fault. Thest required boar fled some time ago and there was nothing he could do about it. ¡°Oh! Is this where you came from, Red bro? Were you the boar they need?¡± Skullius turned to Red Rage whose eyes never left the interaction before them. ¡°What do you they need with the boars? Oh! Right!¡± Skullius realised something and focused his vision on the angry, departing goblin. A status screen appeared before his eyes. ~~~ [ Name : Shmeija ] [ Tier : 1 ] [ ss : Shaman ] [ Level : 12 ] [ Race : Foul Goblin ] [ Inv. Status : Pissed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 22 ] [Agility : 12 ] [ Intelligence : 30 ] [ Endurance : 24 ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 120/120 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 300/300 ] ¡­. ~~~ ¡°Ohh¡­ he¡­actually doesn¡¯t seem that strong. Did I get that much of a boost after I got the Lifeless Evolution?¡± Skullius thought as he saw the goblin¡¯s stats. It seemed absurd to him when he thought about the additional stats he would get from levelling up each time. How was this guy weaker? Except for a few stats which were probably higher because of the ss he had, he was pretty much stronger. He recalled the information he had gotten from VOW and realised that he had gotten it all wrong. When VOW had told him that he gained five stat points to each stat excluding luck, he had thought that was a universal thing. He was wrong. Apparently, this was only applicable to those that had been recognised by the Voice Of Worlds! Everyone else would get a single stat points to all stats with each level up. Skullius immediately turned his head to the beefy orc to check its status. ~~~ [ Name : Gu¡¯Smashka ] [ Tier : 1 ] [ ss : Warrior ] [ Level : 18 ] [ Race : Berserker Orc ] [ Inv. Status : Nervous ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 70 ] [Agility : 25 ] [ Intelligence : 15 ] [ Endurance : 64 ] [ Luck : 7 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 210/210 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 70/70 ] ¡ª¨C ~~~ ¡°Well, this guy is pretty strong,¡± Skillius thought. ¡°We have our work cut out for us, Red bro.¡± As Skullius watched the departing goblins, he decided that it was better to understand the situation with the boars and also take his chances with the goblins first. He wanted to understand the number of these creatures as well as their goals. Also, after checking the status of the other goblins, he became very excited. They would be easy prey if he yed smart. He had 65 points of intelligence for skull¡¯s sake! Slowly, he began following the goblins, hoping to be lead to where they flocked. With tactful dispatching of the weaker goblins first, he would be stronger in no time! Chapter 15 Lets Get Killing The goblins that carried the boars trekked through the forests without knowing that they had two tails. The goblin with the staff couldn¡¯t stop hurling insults at Gu¡¯Smashka, promising him and his n destruction when his master found out about his insolence. In truth Shmeija wasn¡¯t particrly fond of the peace that they had with the orcs. He wasn¡¯t too supportive of the idea of having to live with the orcs at their side even if it was temporary but there was little they could do when the orcs were naturally stronger and had other ns to back them up. Sure, the goblins had other ns for support, but Shmeija¡¯s master had told the goblins to not be hostile until he was ready. The current arrangement between the orcs and goblins was resource exchange. Or at least that was what it was on the surface. At first it was a peaceful arrangement enacted a year ago when the goblins first settled in this ce. They were weaker than the orcs yet they had the numbers. Their master saw that it would be a losing battle and thus decided that it was best to form a peace agreement. The leader of the orcs had agreed as he was threatened by the presence of the Shaman. He was intelligent enough to know that it would be mutual destruction if they fought, unlike his fellow battle hungry mates who wanted to war with goblins immediately. Fortunately, his strength and intelligence were enough to allow his n to survive this long. However, the spectrum was changing, the goblins starting to demand more and more absurd things from the orcs and were getting stronger, bing a threat to the orcs, so much so that the pink skinned beasts couldn¡¯t refuse. At least Gu¡¯Smashka decided not to. Skullius and Red Rage followed under the cover of the night, hiding behind every sufficientlyrge piece of greenery they could find. To cover the light from their cores, Skullius made makeshift covers from the barks of trees and long tufts of grass. It was hideous.. He didn¡¯t like the look and even Red Rage had given a -1 Favourability, disapproving of this action but Skullius knew it had to be done. They would have to get better gearter on as for now, they could only travel in shame. It was very convenient to have something other than the aura of undeath. He would have probably been noticed already if he was still a kin of the dead. Well¡­. He had been told by VOW that Null Life meant being without presence, but he hadn¡¯t known how powerful it could be. Others couldn¡¯t sense anything from him. They walked a great distance, the world darkening as they journeyed. After a few hours, the goblins reached their settlement. Skullius and Red Rage stopped and hid. The goblin settlement was ahead, where thend was abruptly cut off, making way for a particrlyrge ravine. Quite a few unsightly huts could be seen below with a lot of goblins wandering around. They dressed poorly, each doing their duty. There were weird assortments of houses and huts for the regr goblins while onerger one built with decent mix of mud and wood was in the middle. There was an ample amount ofnd beside the river that flowed. More than a hundred goblins popted the area, their presence having eradicated the nt life as they took advantage of the river that created the ravine. Skullius and Red Rage hadn¡¯t seen the view yet as they were forced to stop because of what was ahead. The iing goblins were talking to a few strong looking goblins that held spears. These goblins could be seen all around, patrolling around the forest on this side, away from the ravine. Skullius spotted around 12 of them, most of them spaced quite a bit. They looked muscr, some of them with paint on their green skins that formed obscure tattoos. They donned animal skins, looking better than the goblins that carried the boars. Soon Shmeija and friends were allowed to descend down into the ravine using a surprisingly intricate set of steps. Skullius watched the goblin scouts with a steady me. He checked their stats, finding that they were just a little bit shy of the Shmeija¡¯s level. ¡®This may be a problem. I don¡¯t have much fighting experience but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose. What bothers me is if I can kill a goblin without attracting the others,¡¯ he thought. He also considered what would be best possible option when it came to levelling up. For him to level up, or to prioritise Red Rage. In the end, he decided that getting Red Rage stronger was the best way to go as the Apostle was pretty weak at this point. He didn¡¯t want dead weight. Besides, Skullius doubted that 900 experience points could be reaped from all twelve of this guys. Could it..? It was unlike the situation with the Dead end apocalypse boar (Red Rage) that had given him 400 experience at one time. At least that was what he thought. But then again, there was a full 1 Tier difference. Perhaps a miracle could happen. As for how he would kill these guys, he decided to use a skill that he had tested out before. ~~~ [Static Limbo] Suspend a target at the corridor of life and death. The duration is dependent on the level difference between the user and the target. Mana Requirements: 50 Mana Points Duration: Dependent on level difference. Cooldown: 5 minutes. ~~~ Skullius thought this would be the best skill to use in this situation and as he looked at the goblin he wanted to kill, he smiled, his mesnding on a crooked bone knife and a steel rusted dagger at its waist. ¡®Should be easy enough,¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked to Red Rage who was eyeing the goblins with no particr emotion. He held the Bone Boar¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you bro. Let¡¯s get stronger,¡± he said, Red Rage clenching his tiny fists and the light in his sockets bing brighter. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the killing.¡± Skullius and Red Rage stealthily crossed a distance to the goblin that was patrolling at very end. They were a bit of a distance away so any small noises they made didn¡¯t attract much attention. They hid behind a cover of closely packed trees and Skullius decided to enact his n. He grabbed a hold of a fist sized rock and threw it a distance away. As the rocknded, it produced a burst of sound in the silent forest. The goblin turned, cing its hand on the dagger at its waist. Skullius tktktktkted. He stepped on some branches with a great amount of force, the sound making the goblin alert. It slowly approached and Skullius continued producing the sound that he believed would be just enough for the goblin to want to check it out on its own instead of calling for the rest. The goblin narrowed its eyes and slowly approached the cluster of trees. As soon as it reached within less than a meter away, Skullius jumped out and extended his hand, Red Rage following behind him. The goblin took the dagger from its waist and was about to call out with a terrified expression when¡­ [You have activated the skill ¡®Static Limbo¡¯. The target has been afflicted by Serenity. Due to the level and Tier difference, effectsts for 15 seconds] As Skullius extended his hand, a hazy blue energy wrapped around the goblin and before it could scream, it suddenly froze! It¡¯s ck beady eyes turned light blue and its green skin turned a few shades lighter! It just stood there, looking neither dead nor alive! Skullius wanted to marvel at this scene, but he saw the time that the skill was supposed tost and signalled towards Red Rage hurriedly. ¡°Now,¡± he said. The Apostle responded immediately, grabbing the dagger in the goblin¡¯s hand and instantly piercing the goblin¡¯s throat! ¡°Ohooo!¡± Skullius eximed as he saw his bro go for the kill splendidly! Chapter 16 New Findings Slash Goblin Wipe-Out (1) Skullius was impressed by the attacknded by his Apostle. It was swift. Way too swift. Red Rage was a natural at murder¡­somehow. As he thought about the stab while watching the body of the goblin drop to the ground, he couldn¡¯t help but be d that he had chosen the Vehement Bone Nullmancer as a ss. He could exploit certain traits from his Apostle that he didn¡¯t have. The body of the goblin dropped to the ground, blood oozing from its body. Strangely, Skillius didn¡¯t receive a notification for its death! ¡°Uhm.. what¡¯s going on?¡± he said as he looked at the body of the goblin that was still under the effect of Static Limbo. Its skin was still a very light shade of green and its eyes had still not returned to their original colour. ¡°Is it because of the skill?¡± Skullius analysed. Red Rage stood with the dagger in its hands that dripped of blood. It turned to Skullius and gave him a thumbs up. [Red Rage approves of your actions. +1 Favourability] Skullius wanted to be happy about supplementing the favourability that he lost due to the hideous covered he made which made him look a dull torch beneath but he couldn¡¯t help but look at Red Rage with suspicion. ¡°Which action do you approve of exactly?¡± he asked, his mes dancing quite a amusement. Red Rage jabbed twice with his dagger and gave another thumbs up. ¡°Killing huh?¡± said Skullius as he shook his head. Before he could continue the conversation, a torrent of notifications sted his vision. [Static Limbo effect has timed out] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has killed LV10 Foul Goblin. 350 Exp awarded] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has levelled up] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has learned the skill ¡®Swift Stab¡¯]. [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 58 seconds] ¡°Wait..wait¡­wait what?!¡± Skullius was shocked by the information he had just gotten from the guidance field. His mes fell on thest notification and as he saw the timer, he decided to give this his full attention first. ¡®Extract.. Essence of Null Life. Oh! So this is how I mine it¡­ I mean, get it! There¡¯s only a limited time? Ah, let¡¯s not think too much. Extract!¡± he said as he extended his hand. [Null Life Extraction has been activated] From the body of the goblin which had started to gain its dark green colour, a light blue energy like wisps of smoke rose. It was beautiful to look at, streaking through the air and flowing into Skullius¡¯ body. ~~~ [ Null Life Essence: 20/3000 ] ~~~ ¡°Ohhhh! That¡¯s great!¡± Skullius said as he saw the value for Null Life Essence go from 0 to 20. Now he understood what he had to do to get Null Life Essence. It seemed as though he would always get a timer for extraction, which he didn¡¯t quite understand, but it was all good anyway. With that done, Skullius checked the other notifications. ¡°I see¡­¡± Skullius mind worked up what the first notification implied. ¡°This guy only died after Static Limbo ended. That¡¯s crazy. I underestimated the effects of this skill.¡± The fact that the goblin was really suspended between Life and Death was scary to think about for Skullius. He didn¡¯t ponder on it for too long as he knew that he had to get things moving. He had a myriad of thoughts of about the possibilities but he cast them aside for now. ¡°You¡¯ve already levelled up, huh?¡± said Skullius. ¡°It seems you need triple the amount of experience just like me.¡± Skullius was pleased, but the amount of experience he had seen baffled him. He acknowledged that he was wrong about dismissing the possibility of him actually levelling up from killing these scout goblins. With the information he had received from VOW, he learned about the stat difference also being a determinant of the experience that one would gain. He had assumed that he wouldn¡¯t get much experience due to the fact that he was stronger in terms of some stats, but¡­ ¡°This also speaks volumes about the value of a Dead end apocalypse boar. Even a Level 1 has more experience than a Level 10 goblin.¡± Skullius scratched his head before looking at Red Rage again. He then looked at the fourth notification. ¡°I was right after all. Your stab was abnormal.¡± Skullius knew that repeated actions had the possibilities of spawning skills. However, how Red Rage had done it was ridiculous. With one swift action, he had awakened a skill. ~~~ [Swift Stab | Lv. 1] An incredibly quick and precise stab that¡¯s hard to dodge. Agility and Strength are increased by 20% during cast. Mana Requirements: 10 Mana Points Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: None ~~~ ¡°I¡¯m super jealous right now,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Perhaps it was a fluke? Regardless of what it is, don¡¯t you dare get ahead of yourself though, my bro.¡± Skullius loomed over his Apostle with his socket mes shing with a dull light. He took the crooked bone knife at the dead goblin¡¯s waist and stripped the creature of its clothing (animal skins). ¡°Yukuja. Why did you leave your post? Hey!¡± A voice jolted Skullius from his looting spree. Perhaps he had been too preupied with the notifications that he had rxed his guard. Unbeknownst to him, the goblin that was approaching had been using stealth to try and sneak up on its fellow goblin by the name Yukuja for fun. Their job was boring after all. It had only stopped when it saw the he wasn¡¯t at his post. The goblin turned vignt. It had two daggers at its waist and held a spear in its hands. ¡°I¡¯m such a socket hole. I almost forgot where I am,¡± Skullius said as he rxed his mind. He grabbed the bone knife from the goblin Red Rage had just killed and peaked to see that the new goblin was 3 meters from where they were. Static Limbo was on cooldown so he couldn¡¯t rely on it this time. He motioned to Red Rage who would usually understand his basic orders without him having to say much. The Bone Boar nodded and slowly manoeuvred to the right before sprinting from the cluster of trees that had been their hiding spot. The goblin heard the sound and turned to see the short Bone Boar covered with a thick brown fur hood rushing in the opposite direction! It was startled as it saw what it thought to be an undead! Skullius instantly made his move. He rushed from his cover, appearing behind the goblin with the bone knife in his hand as he stabbed! The knife had almost reached the goblin¡¯s neck when it suddenly swung its spear backwards with a strong force right at Skullius¡¯ head! ¡®By Somanda¡¯s robes! What kind of reaction is this?!¡¯ Skullius thought before he ducked as fast as he could. ¡°Arrgh!¡± the goblin which had just instinctively swung his spear after hearing the sound behind him was frightened as it saw the image of a tall Boneman with eerie blue mes burning in its sockets as it gazed at him. The goblin was so terrified that it didn¡¯t react to the punch that Skullius threw- an uppercut, to shut it up before it attracted more goblins! Skullius didn¡¯t hold back, his bony fist sting the goblin from its chin with full force! To his surprise, the goblins jaw blew off, teeth, blood and bone flying as his punchnded! The goblin gurgled as blood sshed from what remained of its mouth. Skullius was stunned only for second before he pierced his opponent with his bone knife in the throat! The body of the goblin fell to the ground. [You have killed LV11 Foul Goblin. You have gained 300 Exp] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] Skullius immediately held his hand out, the energy from the dead body of the goblin flowing into him. The feeling it gave him was vague yet fulfilling. He had gained another 20 NLE. Skullius would have smiled if he could. Red Rage rushed back after having performed his duty as a decoy very well. Skillius patted the Bone Boar¡¯s head. ¡°Good job, bro. Keep it up,¡± he said. Red Rage¡¯s sockets emitted a bright light and it suddenly gave a short bow. [Red Rage approves of your actions. +5 Favourability] ¡°Oh. You like being praised, huh? I will do that some more. If only Somanda had actually caressed my head. Maybe I would have had more favourability towards him,¡± said Skullius as he pulled up the favourability section of his status. ~~~ [Favourability (Red Rage) : 9] ~~~ ¡°Nice,¡± said Skullius with a bubbling excitement. The disgusting sight before him didn¡¯t bother him in the slightest. He took the spear and daggers from the goblin and removed its clothes. He reced the bark and grass on himself and Red Rage with these and the two looked¡­. a little bit better. Shashashasha! Skullius turned to see multiple figures closing in on them. It was the other goblinsing after they had likely heard the noise. ¡°Come on Red bro. Let¡¯s gain some levels,¡± he said as he held the spear, Red Rage wielding two daggers in its hands as it prepared for the uing fight. Chapter 17 New Findings Slash Goblin Wipe-Out (2) ~~~ [ Name : Red Rage ] [ Tier : 0 ] [ ss : None ] [ Level : 2 ] [ Race : Null Lifeform (Bone Boar) ] [ Inv. Status : ¡ª ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 15 ] [Agility : 15 ] [ Intelligence : 6 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 20/20 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 30/30 ] ¡­. ~~~ ¡°Nice,¡± Skullius remarked as he sprang into action while looking at Red Rage¡¯s status. The increase in stats pleased him and as he recalled how he had just sted off the chin of the goblin with the spear he considered that stats increments were more of a big deal than he thought.. ¡®Like that time¡­¡¯ he thought while recalling how he had bashed in Red Rage¡¯s head. He had received an additional five stat points to strength that time from Unbound which worked on a 10:1 basis with the marked stat. The power he had felt was immense and that was just 25 stat points. 25! Now he had 50! It was¡­ a whole lot more! The more he thought about it, the more he realised that he shouldn¡¯t really be surprised by his feat. It was logical. His intelligence gave a reassurance of that. From beyond, four goblins of different sizes raced towards them. The majority were rtive in bulk except for the one that was trailing behind the others with a height simr to Skullius¡¯ own. It was burly, with hair growing on its chest and belly. ¡°An undead!¡± the leading goblin screeched to a halt and eximed. It held a short sword and donned animal skin like its fellow goblins, a hard look on its face. The other goblins also noticed and came to a stop. Undead were usually not known for travelling in their lonesome. They were anticipating there to be others and thus the first instinct of the goblins was to warn the others. One of them, with a terror stricken face split off from the group, bolting at top speed towards the settlement below! Skullius saw this and immediately took action. He held the spear he had taken from the goblin he had killed and just as he was about to throw it¡­ he stopped. He looked at Red Rage and passed him the spear. ¡°You can throw right?¡± he asked. He had thought about how he was getting ahead of himself. While he had higher stats, he didn¡¯t have much in the way of skill. If he missed, they would lose their only long range weapon and have to retreat if the goblin brought reinforcements. He took his chance with the supposed expert by his side. Red Rage didn¡¯t idle or answer. He simply held the spear, cocked his arm and body, a surging strength that didn¡¯te from flesh building up within. In the next moment, the short, bony figure threw the spear with great strength and uracy under the watch of the cautious goblins to the figure of the dashing goblin that was already 10 meters away! FWOOSH! The spear whizzed through the air and prated the neck of the goblin from the back! ¡°OHHH!¡± Skullius eximed as he saw the goblin fall down after a short flight with the spear imbedded in its neck. ¡°Bro, what is it with you and the neck?!¡± [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has killed LV10 Foul Goblin. 350 Exp awarded] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has levelled up] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has learned the skill ¡®sh Throw¡¯] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] As Skullius received the notifications, he barely thought of anything else before speeding towards the corpse like a mad Boneman! Red Rage followed behind. ¡°What?!¡± The goblins tore themselves out of the their daze. They were shocked by how easily their fellow scout was ughtered. What kind of undead were these?! They even seemed to be cooperating! Looking around, they also found that there were no other undead. ¡°Don¡¯t let them get away! There¡¯s only two of them! We can kill them and then go to report this!¡± the goblin who had eximed earlier said as he rushed towards Skullius. They didn¡¯t know what Skullius was doing but letting these undead do what they want in their territory was unforgivable. One of them had even been killed! Skullius reached the corpse and extended his hand, using Null Extraction to extract the Null Life Essence! The stream of energy entered his body and he felt another burst of satisfaction. ¡°Great job, bro! I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re so good at killing and gaining skills so fast, but that¡¯s great for both of us,¡± Skullius said as he grabbed the spear from the dead goblin and turn to face the iing opponents. The two smaller goblins shot from different directions in a pincer attack while the burly one attacked from Skullius¡¯ front! ¡®Alright, I just need to use my high stats to my advantage. I might not have skill, but I do have strength!¡¯ Skullius thought as he saw the iing goblins from both his sides. They wanted to corner him, but he wouldn¡¯t let them. He rushed forward with the all the speed he could muster, the spear in hand! The two other goblins saw therge Boneman sh from between them as it headed towards their burlypanion! They looked at each other and nodded, one of them going after Skullius while the other headed for Red Rage. The goblin that targeted Red Rage was the one with the short sword. It immediately swung its sword downwards when it came close to Red Rage, aiming for his head! The short bony figure who now had 20 points of Agility side stepped, barely dodging the attack! The goblin didn¡¯t relent,terally swinging the sword without dy while also kicking Red Rage¡¯s bony leg which caused him to stumble. The sword blitzed through the air and aimed for Red Rage¡¯s head but the bony boar quickly raised one of his two daggers to block while in his awkward stance! CLANG! The two steel weapons shed, the goblin finding that Red Rage had a considerable amount of strength despite his appearance. Immediately after the collision, the goblin was about to attack again when it suddenly felt a pain in its knee! It stumbled to a fall, finding to its surprise that Red Rage had kicked it in the moment when it had decided to attack again! As it fell, it saw the Apostle alreadyunching another attack, its two daggers descending on the off bnce goblin! TCH! ¡°Graaaah!¡± The two rusty daggers pierced the goblin¡¯s two beady eyes! Blood sshed out as the creature shrieked at the top of its lungs, losing its life momentster! [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has killed LV11 Foul Goblin. 310 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] Skullius reached the burly goblin that wielded a hammer with a stone head. He didn¡¯t attack immediately as he sensed the presence of the goblin behind him! The burly goblin swung down its hammer which headed for Skullius¡¯ head as it grunted! Skullius felt a burst of mana from the hammer. ¡®Mana?¡¯ Skullius dodged to the side with quick speed, avoiding being directly pounded by the hammer! The stone head of the weapon plunged into the ground with a intense noise that seemed a bit exaggerated! Skullius found a strange ripple running through the ground and rattling his bones! His mind was shaken for a bit¡­but that was it. [You have been struck by ¡®Ripple Smash¡¯. You have sustained damage. Damage has been reduced by 50%] ¡®Was that a skill? It barely did anything though,¡¯ Skullius thought. From behind him, the other goblin which wielded a dagger plunged it towards Skullius¡¯ skull before he could react and¡­ TING! Despite the speed the dagger had attacked with, it simply bounced off Skullius¡¯ foggy grey skull as if it has struck steel! Skullius turned, his socket mes zing with intensity as he looked down at the goblin which froze in shock. ¡°Hmph! Your weapons can do nothing against a true Boneman of Steel,¡± Skullius said regally in the goblin tongue and added the signature tktktktktk. ¡®That was so cool!¡¯ he said within as he wished B was here to see it¡­ahem.. the illustrious Emperor B. ¡°It speaks our tongue!¡± the goblin said as it backed away, the burly goblin also being surprised. Skullius immediately formed a fist with his hand and mmed down with all his strength at the goblin before him! Shockingly, the goblin¡¯s head was bashed in, blood sttering as its head cracked open, its body shooting against the ground underneath with loud thud! A soft shockwave blew out as only a blood messy with portions of limbs remained on the ground. [You have killed LV11 Foul Goblin. 300 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] Skullius extended his hand, drawing the Null Life Essence from the goblin under the bewildered gaze of his burly opponent. He swiftly turned to the creature that was in a daze and thrusted his spear at it! The creature instinctively reacted, dodging to the side but leaving its hammer on the ground. ¡°Ahh..¡± it groaned in fear as it thought to turn and run but Skullius rushed up to it and threw his fist into its face with all his might! Skullius watched as the creature¡¯s face was smashed in, its skull being torn down under the force or his punch! [You have killed LV11 Foul Goblin. 300 Exp awarded] [You have levelled up] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] Skullius absorbed the Null Life Essence from the burly goblin as he also celebrated having received his fourth level. As he was about to make a snarkyment, he saw a blinking notification pop up in his vision after the recent ones had vanished. [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 6 seconds] ¡°Oh, right!¡± Skullius bolted towards the body of the goblin that Red Rage had killed and absorbed the Null Life Essence before the timer ran out. ~~~ [ Null Life Essence: 120/3000 ] ~~~ ¡°Are you seeing this, Red Bro?! We¡¯re really making progress! You even gained a level and another skill!¡± Skullius said as he looked at Red Rage who gave him a thumbs up with a bright light in his eyes. Shashasha! ¡°Again?!¡± Skullius eximed as he heard the leaves crumpling under the feet of more goblins. ¡°Let¡¯s go Red Bro. I don¡¯t want to keep being in the open.¡± The two quickly scuttled among the dense trees, trying to find cover and better assess the situation and decide what to do next. Chapter 18 The Bloated River Clan The Bloated River n was one of the strongest of the many goblin ns that could be found in the Tremur Forest. They had a powerful leader and strong warriors, one of which even having a special ss. When it came to sses, there were Normal, Advanced and Hidden sses. Most were determined by past warriors and beasts, being carried on as legacies that could either be exclusive or non exclusive. The normal sses were the general and broad ones that held smaller scale skills and boosts to individuals such as Warrior, Shaman, Mage, Swordsman, Healer, Diviner, Assassin, Tamer among others. These could be evolved to Advanced sses with greater mastery, tutge or by finding legacies or treasures left behind by beasts, humans or other races. Hidden sses were exclusively found from legacies and were extremely rare. Those that found them were ALWAYS destined to stand at the top of the world. Skills in this world also had ssifications. Normal, Special, Super and Supreme. What distinguished the power held by each ssification was the core level required for cast as well as the general level of power of the individual. In the case of the Bloated River n, one individual had managed to unlock a special ss that even the n head hadn¡¯t been able to. He was one of the reasons why this n was outstanding and by being groomed by the n head, he had be a core fighting force. In the structure which was located at the very centre of the goblin settlement which looked a lot better than the other flimsy houses settled in by the other goblins, Shmeija walked in with the goblins that carried the boars.. Within the structure, decorations which consisted of the skulls of different beasts could be seen on the walls in rows, small gems also being imbedded into the dry mud walls. On the floor was an array of beast skins made into a sort of multi-coloured carpet. As the goblins entered, they saw arger figure that sat down on the carpet floor within a circr formation of bones. A dull red glow was surrounding the figure as it sat in a meditative pose. The figure donned a strange looking tattered robe which weirdly matched its light green skin. The goblin¡¯s eyes were not the same ck beady eyes that were seen on the Foul Goblins. They resembled human eyes, with a bluish glow about them while its body structure also resembled a human¡¯s. The figure wore a wolf skull on its face which made it look a lot more menacing. Shmeija fell on his knees as he drew closer to this goblin. ¡°Master, I have brought the boars,¡± said Shmeija with a respectful tone. ¡°Hmmm,¡± the goblin responded with a simple hum. The other goblins left the sleeping boars and bowed before leaving. ¡°Master, the Orcs are starting to show signs of rebellion against our agreement. They think that we have need to remain vignt towards their strength,¡± Shmeija said with an urgency in his voice. ¡°Hmmm. You have grown impatient again,¡± the goblin who sat said, his voice turning deeper. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand, Master Ukur. Why do we not trample them instead of insisting with this peaceful arrangement. We have the strength to do so now,¡± Shmeija said as he looked up at his Master. The goblin whose name was Ukur shifted as he felt annoyed at being disturbed from his meditation. He hated it when this apprentice of his began questioning his actions as he did time and time again. ¡°It¡¯s not all about war, my apprentice. Our final goal is not the destruction of these Orcs. Do not forget why we came here. We fled in order to get our bearings and prepare for our enemies who might find us once again. The ck Scorn n may have grown even further than we expect,¡± he said. He then turned to the boars thaty asleep on the floor. ¡°We have been able to gain a special resource from these Orcs. We see different value in these creatures but they are valuable all the same. While the Orcs breed these boars in hopes of leading them to be powerful forces under their control, we use them to cultivate our strength. So far, we have managed to grow our individual strength thanks to this. This is a benefit of NOT going to war with every creature we face,¡± said Ukur. Shmeija ground his teeth. He had grown anxious and greedy after enjoying the fruits of his master¡¯s foresight. Dead end apocalypse boars were creatures that were reared by the Orcs. The method to breed them was extremelyplicated as it involved cross breeding tens of different types of boars until a powerful,pound boar with a superior evolution path was born. They were considered sacred and not for consuming as they were too precious. Orcs usually kept them to try and evolve them into great beasts that could be used for war, but that in itself was also vastly difficult. The goblins saw a different value from these boars when they first captured them. The flesh from these boars had an insane amount of nutrition and special properties that enhanced the strength and minds of those that consumed them beyond the cumtive experience they gave. Due to their rarity even in trade, only the upper members of the n would get the chance to feast upon them. ¡°I understand that master, but if we were to be attacked by the ck Scorn n then it would be in our best interest to eliminate another potential threat. The Orc leader has been going out of his way to make peace with us by even offering these boars, but even he shows a nonchnce that wille to haunt uster. Let us kill them and take the boars they have instead,¡± Shmeija said. Ukur sighed as he looked at the determined face of Shmeija. ¡°You have a personal grudge against those orcs don¡¯t you?,¡± he said. ¡°What will you do about their allies who have further evolved versions of the boars and strong warriors that may number equal to our own?¡± Shmeija opened his mouth but found no words to respond. He simply wanted to say that they had strong forces too but that contradicted his earlier point about having enemies from two fronts. ¡°Youck foresight. You are too rash. Resources aren¡¯t meant to be plundered. We will grow our strength first,¡± Ukur said before a brighter red hue swirled around his body, sweeping around the surroundings. Shmeija begrudgingly stood and walked out while clenching his fists. *** In a certain ce where the grass transitioned from a shade of green to a golden hue, space warped as a huge figure appeared. It had dark fur with streaks of gold that looked like carved runes, a golden light shaped like a simple crown revolving above its head. It was Az, the Great Mane Mountain Ape. With his appearance, the mana in the atmosphere roiled and the surroundings began to tremble. He did not idle, leaping into the air with a strange manoeuvre that did not tear apart the vegetation or the shock the ground. It barely took a second for hisrge figure to drop from the sky and reach a certainke where the cold waters were still, reflecting whaty above in the sky¡­ Chapter 19 Prelude To War Az gazed at the serene waters for a while, a burst of mana beginning to surge as a gigantic figure began to surface. The body of water before him could easily be mistaken for being not too deep, but the reality was that theke was incredibly deep. This could be determined by how violent the water quaked when the creature that rose to the surface began to show. Az¡¯s calm eyes reflected the length figure of an aquatic serpent that had dark blue scales all over its body. It¡¯s green eyes which were rich with mana gazednguidly at the powerful Ape that stood opposite it on the drynd. Its glittering scales wereplemented perfectly by the ethereal whiskers that softly rippled in the air with a light simr to the one which was on Az¡¯s crown. These whiskers would appear inches from the serpent¡¯s head, wisps of powerful condensed mana visible with their movement. This was the Aqua Ripper, the second beast to protect this side of the Tremur Forest.. ¡°Why have youe, my dear Az?¡± the serpent said with a feminine voice that shook the surroundings. Only its head was outside the waters, its body barely visible under the surface waters. ¡°There¡¯s a matter I mean to discuss with you,¡± the Great Ape said as he sat down on the ground, supporting his arm with his knee. ¡°Well? Speak. You barely have enough time before you have to return to your Territory. I suggest you be sinct,¡± the serpent said. ¡°Hmmm,¡± Az grunted before speaking his mind. ¡°I met a peculiar creature earlier. It resembled an undead at first, but then it emitted a power that I was not familiar with.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said the Aqua Ripper with interest. ¡°Was it not an undead then, or were you fooled by those treacherous creatures?¡± Az ignored the Ripper¡¯s ridicule. ¡°I highly doubt that it was affiliated with the undead. It said that it was an underling of a personage named B who gave it the guise of an undead and sent it to Undead World to gather information.¡± ¡°What? Is that not too far fetched? It is not easy to fool those ancient Arch Liches. What could it possibly gather? Did you inquire?¡± ¡°No. I was apprehensive about this being named B. Even with the guidance of the Voice Of Worlds, I couldn¡¯t see much about this creature. This lead me to believe that this personage the creature served might be stronger than I.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± said the serpent as it roiled in the waters, moving closer to Az as in the next moment, it started to shrink in size, its body which had spanned for at least a few hundred meters bing a short human figure with a dress made of dark blue scales that traced with shape. It had fair skin which sparkled like glitter, light blue hair which seemed more like a glimmering fog being evident on its head. Any human who gazed at the feminine figure that had sizable proportions and pure white eyes would have been mesmerised, yet the Ape that looked at this figure did not flinch. ¡°So you believe this B could be an ally that we should pursue?¡± the Ripper which had now turned into a short woman that walked on the surface of the water with her bare feet asked. ¡°Perhaps or perhaps not. What¡¯s more, this creature which was a simple Tier 0 had the recognition of the Voice Of Worlds,¡± said Az. ¡°This alone makes me hesitant. What if this personage is colluding with the undead instead?¡± ¡°Oh. A single underling with barely any strength worth noting selected by the Voice Of Worlds? This is unheard of. Well, while it is interesting, I¡¯m toozy to run around trying to find allies. We have Karima on our side and that has been enough for centuries,¡± said the Ripper. ¡°Indeed,¡± said Az as he stood. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s nothing worth my time.¡± ¡°Good. Now leave, you¡¯re scaring my children.¡± *** Gu¡¯Smashka sat by the fire with a few other orcs that looked at him with a barely veiled disappointment. The handing of the boars to the goblins got more and more agitating to the orcs that saw it as nothing more than a sign of weakness, yet their leader insisted. A couple of challenges had been made to Gu¡¯Smashka in order to remove him from leadership after many considered his actions as killing the future of the n. Gathered around the fire were the orcs that wanted to hear his reasoning, a conversation with snorts that were a signature part of their tongue being evident in the night. ¡°Have you finally decided to stop this foolishness? Please tell me that you will you not venture into the forest and search for thatst boar for the sake of peace,¡± said the orc by Gu¡¯Smashka¡¯s side with a frown that made its already wrinkled skin look¡­. tragic. ¡°Yes, leader. Tell us that you have decided to follow the true way of the orcs after all,¡± said another orc. Gu¡¯Smashka sighed as he looked at the dancing mes thaty before him. ¡°I truly had our survival in mind. We are not the strongest n nor the weakest. I wanted us to live in peace without having to always really on others. For a time, giving the goblins what they wanted was the best choice as I knew that we would lose in a fight against them. But now¡­ they seem to be more confident and daring,¡± he said. ¡°That much we understand, but surely you must have known that it wouldn¡¯tst forever. They are goblins! They plunder and kill! We have to destroy them so that we can be at peace,¡± said another orc. ¡°That¡¯s true, but most of our own have never had to lift an axe to kill because of the peace we¡¯ve had for many years. I wanted them to enjoy that a little longer. They are unlike us who have were here even when the n was still in its infancy,¡± said Gu¡¯Smashka. The other orcs turned to each other and realised that what their leader said was true. The youngsters would get riled up when there was any mention of war but having not been part of one before, they were doomed to die meaningless deaths. Gu¡¯Smashka had their best interests in mind. ¡°I see. What do you want to do then?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t said that what I think matters anymore. The goblins are already close to initiating a war with us. Especially with that messenger at the helm who still holds a grudge against me for when I almost killed him in our first negotiation. We will call our friends and make the first move. If we go to war, we might as well have the element of surprise. Also, have one of our scouts check the scour the goblin territory,¡± said the orc leader as a light of war that hadn¡¯t been ignited in years, burned within his eyes. Chapter 20 Not So Fast! Two figures discreetly peeked over the bushes as they saw the six goblins who were looking at their dead brethren while conversing in agitated tones. Skullius was actually quite ecstatic as the goal of levelling up that he had thought to have been a chore wasn¡¯t as bad. It was actually pretty exciting! While gaining one level would seem slow to other creatures, he was actually very happy about it. Now he needed 2700 cumtive mana experience to get to the halfway mark before his evolution into a Tier 1 Boneman. The double that awaited him for the next level¡­ Skullius was heavily anticipating the options that would be avable, however, so much so that he re-read the description of the [Lifeless Evolution Package]. The more he read it, though, the more he felt¡­uneasy. What the socket was ¡®Unorthodox Evolutions¡¯ supposed to mean?! He somehow felt that VOW bro¡¯s words about the evolutions being special did not do justice at all to the what was toe. He had also read the description to [Flesh It Like You Mean It] and discovered a detail that he hadn¡¯t really caught onto the first time. It was the fact that using this skill wouldpromise his racial abilities. That in itself made him not want to experiment with it just yet. There was a string of text that said there was also more information about the skill, but for some reason, he wasn¡¯t able to read it, which made him even more unsure about testing it out. Skullius turned to Red Rage who was also peeking at the goblins and couldn¡¯t help but be jealous of the all the free stuff this guy was getting. The skill that he had gotten from the previous exchange was especially intriguing. ~~~. [sh Throw | Lv. 1] A mighty throw that makes all thrown objects a sh in the wind, granting incredible speed and piercing power. Mana Requirements: 20 Mana Points Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: None ~~~ ¡°Lucky bastard,¡± said Skullius, to which Red Rage turned to him and¡­shed a thumbs up! Skullius skull palmed. ¡°Let¡¯s just figure out what to do next. Obviously we have to kill these guys, but what do we do afterwards? Do we attack the vige? No that¡¯s not wise. I killed that one goblin because I didn¡¯t want to be swarmed by many enemies in the first ce,¡± whispered Skullius. He then thought about the earlier fight. The best way to go about earning levels would be to avoid direct confrontations. Like how he had managed to kill the first goblin. The only problem was that the skill [Static Limbo] had a five minute cooldown and he couldn¡¯t kill every single goblin he came across that way. Using Red Rage as a decoy like he did with the second goblin wouldn¡¯t work too many times unless he had an unfathomable amount of luck and plenty of hiding space. He had one of the two, the other being¡­ atrocious. Nheless, he decided to not waste this opportunity. After a little more thought, he decided that a hit a run tactic was best. Luring more goblins into the forest after killing these ones would benefit him, provided that he studied the terrain sufficiently. ¡®Alright, its decided. I¡¯ll kill these scouts, leaving one to go down and report and withdraw further into the forest, picking them off one by one. But I¡¯ll have to be fast,¡¯ he thought. This strategy didn¡¯te from nowhere. Skullius had thought it through after thinking of the different games that he and his fellow Moronic Undead used to y in Deadmand before they were put to slumber. FootSkull, Hide and Creak, Tag to Bone among other games. Most of these games relied more on quick thinking than anything else. Most of these games were used to settle grudges and the level of stealth and nning involved in the games was immense. Skullius handed the spear to Red Rage. Since he didn¡¯t need much verbal instruction tomand Red Rage, the Bone Boar already knew what his intention was. Red Rage scuttled quietly through the trees and circled around the spot the six goblins were conversing. It took a few minutes for him to position himself opposite Skullius, hidden from view and ready to attack. Skullius held the short sword and prepared to do his part in the attack. Among the goblins here, there was a peculiar one which wore a worn out leather armour on its upper body and had a red paint on its face. It gave off a feeling different from the others, as it wielded a double edged sword with a red hilt that wasn¡¯t rusty like the rest of the weapons Skullius had seen so far. Skullius decided to be vignt and pick off the others, using the window when they were still discussing to attack. Right then, Red Rage used [sh Throw], the spear which he held turning into a dark shadow barely visible in the night as it streaked through the sky with a light whistle! A burst of mana would have been visible if anyone could see the spear clearly! Before the goblins could react, the spear stabbed one of the them in the forehead, sending it flying for two meters before it fell to the ground, dead! [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has killed LV11 Foul Goblin. 302 Exp awarded] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has levelled up] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] Skullius received the notification but was too focused on his role to y to give it any attention right now. The goblins turned in the direction which they felt the attack came from, Red Rage appearing from his cover while wielding his too daggers as he rushed towards these goblins which were shocked by his appearance. All of them, including the one with the red paint on its face, turned to Red Rage, giving Skullius the opportunity he so dearly desired. He rocketed from his cover at full speed, passing the corpse of the goblin with the spear in its head as he activated Null Extraction, absorbing the essence quickly. He arrived before the goblin at the very back before it could turn to face him and shed with his short sword sideways, aiming for its neck! TING! Skullius¡¯ sword was parried! He felt a powerful strength that rivalled his own behind the double edged sword which didn¡¯t back down against his own. Shockingly, the goblin with the red paint on its face had reacted very fast when it had heard movement from behind, saving itspanion who was slower to react! The other goblins became alert, some looking on with fear at the tall figure with blue mes in its sockets, covered in animal skins! Skullius backed away as he felt that the degree of difficulty change. ¡®This is a first,¡¯ he thought as he considered what to do next. His n was flopping fast. He used this chance to check this goblin¡¯s status. He had checked only the goblins that had received Shmeija and had missed some, this goblin being among those that he hadn¡¯t evaluated yet. ~~~ [ Name : Aikil ] [ Tier : 1 ] [ ss : Swordsman ] [ Level : 16 ] [ Race : Foul Goblin ] [ Inv. Status : Wants to kill you ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 39 ] [Agility : 26 ] [ Intelligence : 25 ] [ Endurance : 36 ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 140/140 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 156/156 ] ~~~ ¡®Uhmm¡­. this is problematic,¡¯ thought Skullius. ¡®Yet another who wants to kill me.¡¯ Chapter 21 Close Shaves One thing that bothered Skullius was the issue of the outrageous stats he had seen on some of the goblins. He was merely a Tier 0 Boneman and knew that getting the Lifeless Package had granted him a big lead with his overall strength that allowed him to fight monsters a Tier above him. He had only been fighting goblins, but he still believed he had an edge over most creatures of the first Tier as well. One of the examples of the goblins with stats that shocked him was the Shaman Shmeija. Even while taking into ount the boosts that a ss gave, he did not believe that the goblin should have 300 points of mana. Something was afoot. The goblin with the red paint on its face that he was currently facing was another one of these peculiar individuals. He found it hard to believe that merely being a Swordsman would grant so much mana. From his experience in Deadmand, sses like that did not have much in the way of mana as the Death Knights he saw that had simr sses exuded powerful death energy but not mana. Skullius was extremely wary of the goblin before him. His appearance had finally been caught by all the other goblins and unlike the goblin with red paint, they looked a bit flustered. ¡°An undead! I-I¡¯ll go report this immediately!¡± one of the goblins backtracked even as Red Rage advanced and bolted towards the goblin settlement. The others would have loved to show him their disdain at his unveiled fear but they did not dare let their guards down. The remaining goblins were a mix of strong and weak ones. Three of them had daggers and swords while one of them had a bow and arrows. The goblin with red paint on its face suddenly zoomed towards Skullius! Its movement was swift, making the air dance as it nimbly shot forward!. A chill assaulted Skullius as the goblin, whose name was Aikil, approached and pierced his double edged sword towards Skullius who was momentarily dazed! The chill he felt was dense mana that converged towards him while emanating from the sword! Before he could react, Skullius felt a detonation on his body when the sword poked at his chest! With a bright sh and a crackle of white mana, Skullius shockingly found that the left side of his chest was obliterated! ¡°Ah..¡± The animal skins he had donned lit up with an orange me, being burnt away and Skullius staggered as smoke rose from the fractures of his bones! [You have been assaulted by ¡®Piercing Rage¡¯. Damage has been reduced by 50%] ¡®That was half the damage?!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind as he backed away. This was insane. Red Rage saw his master injured and tried to rush to his side but was caught by the other goblins who immediately dashed to intercept him despite their apprehension! The goblin with the bow turned to Skullius and nocked an arrow on its bow, releasing it after a short draw! The arrow sped through the air, heading for Skullius¡¯ skull. The Boneman saw the danger approaching and instantly turned his head to the side, narrowly dodging the attack! Right after that, Aikil advanced again with his sword beginning to glow with a white mana that encased its surface! ¡®Not again!¡¯ Skullius panicked as he grabbed a hold of his sword tightly. As soon as Aikil swiped his sword with immense strength, aiming to decapitate him, Skullius clumsily shed his sword against his! CLANG! Aikil didn¡¯t relent, shing again with a downward motion as the mana brimmed on his sword, Skullius jumping out of the way to save his bones. ¡®Gah! I wish I knew how to fight! I had gotten overconfident after fighting those weaklings!¡¯ Skullius thought, regretting the fact that he took this too lightly. Aikil was very skilled. He barely gave him any time to recover. Even now, as Skullius drew back from him, he was still pursuing with the intent to kill. ¡®If that goblin brings reinforcements before we finish these guys off, we¡¯ll be doomed. Think! Think! What do I do? If I face even one of those shy attacks again, I¡¯ll be done for.¡¯ Skullius pulled up his guidance field as he searched for something that would deliver him from this precarious situation. He scrolled through his skill list and saw something that might actually help! Actually, when he saw it, he wanted to beat himself up for forgetting something that he had been using for so long. Something he had relied on from the very beginning. It was the Basic Mana Maniption which was formerly Mana Sense! Aikil was using mana to encase his sword and as Skullius looked at this skill of his, he couldn¡¯t help but think he could do the same. He had devoted himself to the path of mana and this was his chance to learn how to apply it consciously as he had wished to be able to do back in Deadmand! As he wielded his rusty short sword, Skullius concentrated on the chill he felt from Aikil and his sword. There it was. With the mana sense he had, which was a step away from evolution before, he had been aware of the mana within a hundred meters, so sensing it around Aikil who was near was easy. It was intense, but mesmerising. Skullius used Basic Mana Maniption, the mana from his core pouring out, travelling through his hand and wrapping around the sword! This action wasn¡¯t difficult for him at all and he regretted not practicing it sooner. A soft light wrapped around his sword and he finally stopped fleeing and faced Aikil. The goblin frowned as it saw its enemy suddenly stop backing away. Skullius waited for Aikil to strike instead of taking the initiative as he knew how garbage he was atbat. If he made a mistake, he would be killed. Aikil stopped hesitating and once again charged. The fact that his enemy was no longer retreating meant he had something up his sleeve. However, he wouldn¡¯t allow his enemy to have a chance to use it. He attacked at full strength, using his sword skill, ¡®Piercing Rage¡¯! This time, he aimed for the head, elerating towards Skullius with a thick intent to kill. As his sword approached Skullius¡¯ head, the Boneman used his full strength and speed to swing his sword for a counter! This time, he clearly felt the mana from Aikil burst and rush into his sword as he activated the skill, therefore he knew it wasing! His sword shed with Aikil¡¯s and¡­ Shattered fragments of Skullius¡¯ sword fell to the ground! Aikil¡¯s sword had been shifted from its course, missing Skullius head as it passed over his shoulder! Skullius had been perturbed when his sword broke, but as he saw the he was alive, he didn¡¯t dare dally. He had managed to save himself, though not in the way he had imaged. He had visualised an epic ss with the goblin but what had actually happened was quite anticlimactic. Aikil was surprised that he had failed when he thought for sure that he would be able to kill Skillius. Skullius saw this and decisively flung his fist towards the goblin¡¯s face! Aikil saw thising and withdrew quickly, creating an adequate distance between him and the supposed undead. Skullius cursed at the missed opportunity, throwing away the hilt of the sword he had been using! He pulled out a rusty dagger and encased in mana. As he wielded it, he knew for sure that the result would be the same as from his exchange with Aikil just now¡­ at best. Worst case scenario, well¡­ ¡®Even with my mana maniption I can¡¯t seem to be able to block his powerful attacks. My weapon is also a problem. If only I could¡­¡¯ Skullius paused as he realised that he had another card up his sleeve. Chapter 22 Random Upgrade! Chapter 22 Random Upgrade! As the whole showdown unfolded, the Bone Boar, Red Rage had his fair share of troubles to deal with. When he had advanced to attack the remaining goblins after using [sh Throw], he had seen one of them run towards the goblin settlement. Since his master had decided that luring more goblins for them to ughter and kill was the best course of action, he didn''t choose to pursue. He faced four goblins that held swords, daggers and one that had a bow. Fearlessly, he charged, a rusty dagger in his hand. Three of the goblins had eyes on him. They had seen his master''s appearance and had been rattled greatly, but they decisively drew their weapons against Red Rage anyway. One of them was shaken rather critically though, barely being able to hold its sword. The tales of the cruelty of undead had not escaped its ears and it had also wanted to bail on the fight and rush to the safety of the settlement, but having already drawn its weapon and standing with its brethren, it was toote for that. These three did not join Aikil to battle against the tall undead that looked more intimidating than the current opponent, seemingly having confidence in the Aikil''s ability to fend for himself - and having less of a hanging pair to be as brave as him. When Red Rage had seen a burst of light, with the product of it being his master''s side getting obliterated, he had moved to act but the three goblins spread out, rushing to intercept. The one goblin which was terrified advanced slower than the others that rushed with a sturdier resolve. One of the goblins attacked from the left, swinging its sword with a quick sh as it hoped to swipe Red Rage''s head off, but the boar ducked down and leapt to the side, avoiding another attack by goblin from the right, which had struck downwards with its sword! Red Rage rolled on the ground and sped forward towards the goblin who had attacked first. "Argh! It''s too nimble!" one of the goblins yelled with an ugly expression of irritation. "We have to keep it in ce!" the other goblin cried. The goblin who was targeted by Red Rage immediately adjusted his stance in preparation for the iing attack while the goblin who had attacked Red Rage second moved in to attack again. As Red Rage approached, he suddenly changed his course, heading for the goblin who was approaching him! ...! The two goblins were baffled by the bone boar''s sudden shift! Its movement was so swift that it caught the goblin who was advancing towards it off guard! Wasn''t this supposed to just be a low-level undead? What was that movement? [Swift Stab had been activated] Red Rage used the confusion between the goblins to use the first skill he had acquired just recently. With a fluid piercing motion with his hand, the dagger he held closed the distance and found its way into the goblin''s belly! "Arghh!" the goblin screamed. The other goblin ran to assist, but what it saw next turned it to ice, freezing all its bravery as well. Red Rage turned the dagger as it stuck within the goblin he had just stabbed, and sliced upwards with a firm grip! The sound of tearing flesh was heard and the goblin which was being subjected to this torture screeched as blood and guts threatened to spill from its abdomen! FSSH! Right then, an arrow with a soft light of mana whizzed through the air and sniped Red Rage! The Bone Boar was pushed a short distance and fell, the wooden arrow with a metal head having lodged itself through his socket! ~~~ [ Health : 7/30 ] ~~~ With that one arrow, Red Rage had been dealt a great deal of damage. Luckily, since he had levelled up, he had gained an ample amount of stats. As Mana corresponded to Intelligence, Strength corresponded to Health for him and Skullius, which made their Health and Mana increase by ten with each level! The goblin archer had turned to assist his three other fellow goblins when he heard the wails of pain. At this moment, Skullius had thrown away the broken sword and was about to use the skill that had saved him once before when he suddenly received notifications from his guidance field. [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract? Remaining time 59 seconds] [Apostle ''Red Rage'' has killed LV10 Foul Goblin. 290 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract? Remaining time 59 seconds] Skullius looked over and saw Red Rage trying to stand with an arrow lodged into his socket and protruding from the other end! His socket mes flickered with a bright blue me as his rage surfaced! "You socket holes dare to try and kill my first Apostle right in front of me?!" he yelled, his words being heard in the goblin tongue by Aikil and his brethren! They were shaken. "What?! How can it speak in our tongue?!" Aikil eximed. He held his sword tight, his beady, ck eyes showing a growing apprehension. The other goblins turned towards Skullius with confused expressions on their faces, the contents of Skullius'' words being ignored as they focused on the fact that he had spoken in their tongue! Skullius had decisively set to use the skill he was about to use, but it couldn''t be said that he was going to do it without feeling frustrated. He had just umted some gains, only to use them all right away before they could reach the optimum amount. However, since was for his and Red Rage''s survival, he had no choice. Asides from that, he had been triggered by the fact that his Apostle was harmed by a group of socketholes ganging up on him. These lowly goblins daring tomit such an atrocious act was unforgivable. Only he, the Unlucky one, was allowed to do the exact same thing to them and their kin! Skullius did not hesitate or feel that it was a waste any longer. Fury was answer enough right now. ~~~ [ Unbound ] Using Null Life Essence, grant upgrades to any stat, skill or weapon. -More info essible- Mana Requirements: None. Duration: 5 minutes (minumum) Cooldown: 1 hour. ~~~ Skullius had read through the additional information offered by the skill when he and Red Rage had been travelling. He understood how insane the other functions of this skill was and immediately chose to use one of them. [What would you like to upgrade with Unbound?] "My weapon," Skullius said as his sockets still flickered with a bright me that made Aikil take a step back. [100 Null Life Essence expended for Random Upgrade] [Random Upgrade decided] The dagger that Skullius held suddenly burst with light blue mes that exuded no presence at all. "Hehehehe!" Skilliusughed as he saw the process, having full belief that what was about to emerge would definitely be better than the dagger he was using. The goblins saw the bright light from the me and grew afraid. What was this me? What was this undead doing? As Skullius held onto the dagger, it changed shape while being enveloped by the me, the rusty de growing longer and straight, the rough hilt getting a new texture and design! The process for the change barely took five seconds, the new weapon being revealed to Skullius and the goblins around! A red-ded, double-edged sword with a ck edges. Its hilt was ck and the guard had the immacte design of a shape that Skullius did not quite recognise, but he had seen it before. It was shaped in a way that brought a raging sensation in his memory, something trying to surface from his mind but to no avail. As if it was something essential! As if it was something sacred! The sword''s de glistened and notifications appeared before Skullius'' sockets. [Random Upgrade Complete] [Your weapon ''Rusty Dagger'' has been upgraded to ''Grand Sword of the Hedonist''] Please Support My New Novel! Chapter 23 Brutality ~~~ [Grand Sword of the Hedonist] A weapon forged by the [&$%#%#] Race. Its intent is to satisfy itself with the blood of all creatures that possess ¡®the third leg¡¯. -Damage- 50-75 -Durability- 70/70 -Special Effect- -No Balls- Deals an additional 120% damage to all male opponents, but deals no damage, with a 50% chance to curse the user if they strike a female opponent. -Special Effect- [Locked] ~~~. ¡°¡­.¡± Skullius was dumbfounded. Even though he was quite happy with the numbers that were shown by the guidance field, he felt¡­ weird about this weapon. It sounded so¡­ What was a female anyway?! ¡®I almost forgot that I can see weapon stats too,¡¯ he thought as he wielded the sword. Perhaps in the heat of the earlier exchanges, he had forgotten to check. The goblins felt a sense of unease as they looked at the de that gleamed as if anticipating to rip them apart. Aikil felt this much too vividly. ¡®What is that sword?¡¯ he thought. ¡®Maybe I can take it for myself once I kill this undead.¡¯ Skullius held the de and embraced the rage he had been about to unleash on the enemies ahead. How had he attained this weapon? Unbound had additional features that could be exploited with enough Null Life Essence Points. ~~~ [1-99] -Null Life Essence Points- Gives the option for basic upgrades to stats, weapons and skills from the vast connection to Serenity. ¡ª [100] -Null Life Essence Points- Gives the option [Random Upgrade] to stats, weapons and skills from the vast connection to Serenity. Increments below 1000 NLE increase the chances of drawing higher level upgrades. ¡ª [1000] -Null Life Essence Points- Gives the option [Permanent Random Upgrade] to stats, weapons and skills from the vast connection to Serenity. Increments below 10000 increase chances of drawing higher level upgrades. ¡ª [Locked] ¡­. ~~~ 100 Null Life Essence Points granted a higher form of upgrade that spawned skills or weapons from the ranks of rarity that was used by the Null Life system! Skullius had drawn a sword he thought to be incredibly powerful, but it was merely ranked as amon weapon among all the things possessed by the Null Life system. Skullius hesitated no longer as he had a limited amount of time to use this weapon. The duration for anything other than [Permanent Random Upgrade] was five minutes and if he waited for Aikil to strike first, he would have wasted a 100 NLE Points. With the damage stipted by the sword¡¯s status, he would be able to defeat Aikil with a two blows! Even less if he struck sensitive areas! ¡®I have a chance if I use that trick at the right moment!¡¯ he thought recalling a feature of his body he and his friends had used in Deadmand. Aikil was startled to see the one armed Skullius attack him with the sword whose de made its skin crawl! Aikil decided to use its skill ¡®Piercing Rage¡¯ again as this had gotten a lot more dangerous than it had been before. Besides, the sooner this was over with, the sooner he could im that de, though he would have to study it first. Aikil thrusted the sword as he burst forward at full speed towards Skullius who suddenly did something that Aikil had not seening! Skullius¡¯ upper torso shot into the air, separating from his pelvis! Aikil¡¯s sword struck nothing but air and with the speed he had been attacking with, he couldn¡¯t withdraw his arm quick enough to prevent himself from falling for the attack that came next! As Skullius¡¯ upper torso was above Aikil, holding the sword, he shed down at Aikil¡¯s head which was below him! The sword sliced through the goblin¡¯s head cleanly, descending down his neck and all the way through to his chest! Aikil¡¯s eyes showed the hopeless he felt as he experienced the cruel damage to his body. It wasn¡¯t simply what it appeared on the surface. Only Aikil knew of the horrendous pain that assaulted its ¡®royal member¡¯, feeling it shrivel as if it was being sucked dry of all its blood until only a raisin like small object remained attached to its crotch! Blood sshed as Aikil fell to the ground frozen from the pain that no one had seen. Skullius reconnected with his lower body that had raced to receive him. [You have killed LV16 Foul Goblin. 550 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] Skullius immediately drew the Essence and saw 40 points that now rested within his panel. ¡®Hmm. No matter how powerful they are, goblins give me 20 points no matter what,¡¯ a thought streaked through Skullius¡¯ mind only for a second as he looked at the goblins who were shocked to see their superior die. They saw the undead with a gleaming blue me as it held the red de that dripped with blood. A faint sh streaked across the Grand Sword of the Hedonist as it seemed to be satisfied with the blood that ran over it. ¡°Now. You were about to kill my bro with confidence. Let¡¯s see how you deal with me,¡± Skullius said as he swiped the sword this way and that, approaching with quick steps. The goblins were still unsettled by the fact that this undead could speak theirnguage and how it acted oddly and unpredictably. Just like the other one they had been about to best. The tall Boneman rushed towards the goblins, some of whom backed away or stumbled to a fall, particrly the one goblin who had been afraid of a confrontation with Skullius and Red Rage to begin with. The goblin archer hardened his resolve and nocked another arrow on his bow, directing it towards Skullius. Skullius grew vignt, but in the next moment, he saw a short figure dash over between the shaken goblins and lodge a dagger into the goblin archer¡¯s shoulder! ¡°Arrgh!¡± the goblin screamed as it loosened the arrow which flee off course. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were that vengeful, bro!¡± said Skullius to Red Rage before he shed with his sword, beheading the goblin archer! He didn¡¯t stop, rushing to finish the other goblins, one of which began running away while the other trembled as it tried to hold its sword. Red Rage rushed by Skullius¡¯ side, throwing its dagger at the cowardly goblin that fled! [sh Throw has been activated] The dagger flew and sank into the goblin¡¯s back under its scream as it fell to the ground, the boar going ahead to finish it off while his master dealt with the remaining one. It wasn¡¯t difficult for Skullius to kill the goblin as it barely used its weapon as well as it had been doing before. He leapt up and struck down towards the goblin which tried to block with its sword, only to have it sliced through by Grand Sword of the Hedonist, digging into its shoulder and down to its heart! It¡¯s third leg also started to shrivel up and it screamed from the pain, Skullius ripping out the sword from its side. [You have killed LV12 Foul Goblin. 340 Exp awarded] [You have killed LV11 Foul Goblin. 302 Exp awarded] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has killed LV10 Foul Goblin. 325 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time¡­] ¡­. Chapter 24 Trouble On Two Fronts! Shmeija grumbled as he walked on the mildly moist ground, heading to his hut. He passed dozens of goblins of different kinds; the ones that were in the first tier of their evolution like him and the many others that still had the same intelligence as that of a rock. As he walked, he recalled how it had been to be like one of them. To be at the very bottom. Living on instinct and facing dangers without knowing what to do, the only option avable being to swing a wooden mace at all troubles. Tier 0. It had been a terrible ride where hundreds of his kind were lost. The epitome of weakness. When he first evolved, he had remembered seeing Ukur, his current master who guided him up to the level he was now. Unlike many of the others, he had chosen to be taught by Ukur about the secrets of the Shaman ss, abandoning the path of mindless levelling to cultivate his skills instead. He might be weak level wise, but he had a lot of skills under his belt from following his master. It was precisely because he remembered vividly the weakness of when he was an ordinary goblin that he embraced the idea that his n should aim for supremacy. To take and plunder, showing no mercy as that was the reality of the world. Seeing his master whom he adored strive to flee from conflict because cooperation earned short term benefits was a troubling experience for him. Unbeknownst to him, he had given the orcs a false signal that had sparked Gu¡¯Smashka¡¯s decision to fight back.. Naturally, he appreciated the ingenuity that Ukur had disyed in their time; creating concoctions from diverse herbs that increased their strength and mana even if just by small amounts each time. As Ukur¡¯s apprentice, he had always been among the first to get the first batches released by his master along with a few other outstanding goblins. As he passed the other goblins who were doing all sorts of different activities, he saw a goblin that ran among the many huts with sweat dripping down its brow! The goblin turned this way and that, running again as it looked confusedly among the mana goblins. Shmeija recognised it as one of the scouts and called out. ¡°Hey!¡± The goblin turned to Shmeija and a look of unprecedented relief appeared on its face as it rushed to him. ¡°Shmeija!¡± the goblin cried, panting heavily. ¡°Undead! There are undead in the forest! They are attacking us!¡± Goblins who were near gasped as they heard what the goblin had just yelled. Shmeija was rmed, his eyes opening wide as he frowned. ¡°Go and inform Shirota immediately, he¡¯s in his hut. Get him to lead a team to assist, I¡¯ll go and inform Master!¡± The goblin nodded and raced towards a certain hut. Shmeija immediately rushed back to Ukur¡¯s ce and ran in with an urgent pace. ¡°Mast¡ª¡± He was about to speak when he saw a figure that was standing opposite his master who was frowning as he gazed at it. ¡­! It was a goblin that donned a ck, ragged hooded robe. Its skin was different from goblins like Shmeija, having a brownish colour that made its whole aesthetic with the robe a great deal unsettling. It turned to Shmeija and grinned, it¡¯s beady eyes turning into crescents. ¡°Oh Shmeija. It¡¯s been a while,¡± the goblin said. Shmeija¡¯s heart pounded in his chest. Their worst fears hade! *** Skullius removed the arrow that had been lodged into Red Rage¡¯s skull. The short Bone Boar performed a short bow as the lights in its sockets flickered fiercely. [Red Rage approves of your actions. +5 Favourability] ¡°Oho!¡± Skullius was d to have additional favourability in storage. He guessed it was from him rescuing Red Rage rather than for him pulling the arrow from his head. He looked at the body of the goblin that had its guts spilling from its belly and a deep sense of loss gripped him. ¡°Unfortunately I couldn¡¯t grab the Essence from this one. Worse yet, I probably won¡¯t be able to use this when we get more goblins joining the fray,¡± he said as he turned to look at the Grand Sword of the Hedonist. He would have loved to rush into the vige, sword zing to use up the remaining time but from his exchange with Aikil, he had discovered that he could possibly be swarmed with simrly strong goblins and lose his Null Life. ¡°Let¡¯s collect all we can, Red bro. We¡¯ll need it for theing fight,¡± Skullius said. He rushed to grab Aikil¡¯s sword and remembered that he could view the sword¡¯s stats. ~~~ [Steel Sword] A steel sword. -Damage- 15-20 -Durability- 21/30 ~~~ ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s underwhelming. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have expected much in the first ce. That goblin was just really good at using mana and had that scary skill. Argh! I really want skills like that!¡± Skullius grumbled. In his mind, thoughts of how his ss was strange, whirled. The description said that he would be able solidify his mastery of the world. He didn¡¯t know what that truly meant but it sure meant his strength wasn¡¯t simply limited to summoning apostles. Would he have to wait until he reached Tier 1 to get a better grasp of the ss ? Skullius shed with the sword a couple of times in the air before he decided he would be using this weapon from now on. ¡°It might not be special, but from here on out I¡¯ll be using it to try and replicate what that goblin did. If I had been working on Mana Maniption, maybe I would have been better at it but now,¡± Skullius said. Red Rage appeared at his side with a bunch of swords and daggers, most of which were rusted. He set them on the ground and handled the bow that the archer had been using. ¡°You can use that too?¡± asked Skullius as he handled the side of his pelvis with his remaining arm. The Apostle nodded. Skullius shook his head. ¡°Oh right,¡± he thought as he looked at his side. ¡°Hmm. I probably shouldn¡¯t deal with this right now. It¡¯ll need a lot of mana to recover all this. Besides, the tactic we¡¯ll be using next doesn¡¯t need too many hands.¡± The two looted more animal skin for Skullius as well as the leather armour from Aikil, covering him as his core had begun to show, emitting a light to the surroundings. Skullius gazed at the Grand Sword of the Hedonist and shook his head again. He carried it as he and Red Rage ran back the way they hade, re-familiarising themselves with the terrain for their next y. ¡°Static Limbo is not on cooldown anymore. That¡¯s a free kill!¡± he said with a nasty tktktktktktktktkt that echoed in the night. Chapter 25 This Evil Must Be Found! Eight goblins briskly followed behind a slighter taller goblin that donned a crude armour with a tattered cape and a sheathed saber at its waist. They all wore aged leather armour with swords and spears as their weapons of choice, only a single one of them bearing a staff to show that it was of a spell casting ss. A few of them held torches to cater for lighting in the dark ce they were about to enter. Some of the goblins had painted faces and others had animal skulls acting as masks. The goblin at the lead exuded a different air from the others and though all its visual features except for height matched with those of the others, it was much stronger. As this squad rushed through the streets, the other goblins gave way for them, giving short bows to the goblin that led the others. This was because this goblin was special. He was different from the rest. He was the only one with a special ss among the entire n of goblins and was the pride of the n. His name was Shirota. ¡°Are we really supposed to defend against an army of undead?¡± one of the goblins who wieldeda spear asked with a hint of concern. ¡°Who said it¡¯s an army? Tek said he only saw two of them. Besides, we just have to check the situation. If it¡¯s too much we¡¯ll have to migrate again,¡± said another. ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about all that. We have Shirota with us after all,¡± another goblin said with a proud smile across its ugly painted face. As the goblins marched, reaching the edge of ravine where a bunch of steps were carved, Shirota suddenly turned and gazed at the figure of therge structure at the centre of the settlement. He felt something off, his senses giving a warning to him.. He held the hilt of his sword and frowned. ¡°You all go ahead. I¡¯ll catch up after I verify something,¡± he said before he bolted towards the hut where Ukur lived, the rm in his mind refusing to quiet down. ¡°¡­.¡± The other goblins who were left behind were dumbstruck. Their source of confidence had just dashed away for an unknown reason. What would they do now? ¡°Uh¡­ should we..?¡± ¡°Yes.. uhm.. we must.. still go, right..?¡± ¡°He did say so¡­ so I guess we should.¡± The goblins mumbled amongst themselves before hesitantly scaling up and entering the forest with caution. They didn¡¯t know what they would find. Had Shirota been with them, they would have been courageous enough to split up and cover more ground quicker but they decided that it was best to travel as a group and ¡®expertly scrutinise every aspect of the forest for clues¡¯. Soon they saw the dead bodies of goblins in multiple ces. Stabs, stabs, stabs. That was the majority of the wounds they found with a few bashed in faces. ¡°Is it really an undead that did this or was Tek hallucinating?¡± one goblin asked as it looked at the corpses. Undead where usually ruthless and crude. The weaker ones at least. They had been their prime suspects as expecting a powerful undead to just roam around ughtering goblins seemed too far fetched. To them at least. ¡°This footprint¡­¡± one of the goblins said, illuminating a bony footprint on the ground with his torch. ¡°Tek was right.¡± Silence pervaded for a while before the goblin with a staff spoke. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s proceed with added caution.¡± And so they did. The goblins moved forward, searching for traces of conflict until they discovered more bodies. Of the numerous they found, they saw one belonging to a member of their squad who was rtive in strength to them. ¡°Aikil¡­¡± one of then said with a dark expression. The split body of Aikil oozed of blood and happy juice from the brain. The goblins turned sombre. Unlike when they saw the bodies of the standard warriors whom they didn¡¯t have much of a respect or familiarity with, seeing theirrade in this state rattled their hearts. ¡°Hey! Look at this!¡± one goblin who was crouching down beside the body hastily said. The others gave him their attention only to see him undressing the lower half of Aikil which was barely covered up. ¡°Of all the things, you choose to salvage another goblin¡¯s jewels?¡± one goblin said as it backed away from the one that was crouching beside Aikil. ¡°Have you be¡­ a ¡®blessed one¡¯, Bailo?¡± another goblin asked with a cautious expression. The goblin whose name was Bailo, face palmed and pointed towards the raisin like growth on Aikil¡¯s crotch. ¡°I mean, this!¡± he growled. The others looked and instantly grimaced, demanding Bailo to cover it up! ¡°What cruelty! What would do such a thing? This is no simple matter!¡± ¡°Poor Aikil. This was not a warrior¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Whatever did this must be exterminated! We will search the entire forest section if we have to!¡± ¡°To de-jewel another! This must be some kind of devil not an undead!¡± Such evil had to be punished. What witchcraft was this? The goblins were motivated. They checked the other corpses around and saw that the same misfortune had befallen them as well. The goblins drew their weapons and raced ahead covering each other. The farther they travelled without seeing traces of an army of undead, the more confidence they got. They split up with enough distance in between to be able to see each other and respond to unexpected circumstances, continuing with their search. After walking for nearly ten minutes, they found nothing at all. No traces. No bodies. Had the undead retreated? One of the goblins decided to voice out what was on every other¡¯s minds. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an¡ª¡± BOOOOM! A resounding explosion emerged from behind them, causing all the goblins to vigntly turn and look. An orange light could be seen far ahead within the darkness in a direction that made their hearts sink. Their home! Immediately, they chose to abandon this mission and race back home to see what was going on, the low rumble of the explosion still ringing on the ground. As they began to run, something unexpected happened. An arrow whizzed through the air, whistling softly before it lodged itself into the head of Bailo! The goblin dropped dead on the ground, its fall attracting the attention of the goblin closest to it which opened its eyes wide and opened its mouth to yell to the others but was interrupted by another arrow flying towards its head! The goblin swiftly dodged and before it could settle its thoughts, a quick shadow bolted towards it, blue mes flickering in its sockets! The shock from that instance stunned the goblin for a moment, but that was enough for the tall undead that assaulted it to ruthlessly stab it in the chest with a double edged sword that flickered with a light of mana! The goblin screamed, garnering the attention of others who got ready to fight, but not before another one of them was nailed in the head with an arrow, falling to the ground in death! The other goblins went on high alert, seeing the tall undead that held a bloody sword leap a few steps back as it extended its hand towards the corpse of the goblin it had just killed. It stopped by corpse of the other goblin with an arrow in its head and extended its hand as well. ¡°Be on guard!¡± the goblin with the staff said to the others who instantly drew their weapons while keeping an eye on their surroundings. Skullius who was absorbing the Null Life Essence from the goblin corpse couldn¡¯t help but curse in his mind, not at the prospect of the enemies he had to face, but at the fact that a certain boar was hogging most of the experience and would likely continue to do so. ¡®Well, for someone with atrocious luck, I sure got an opportunity to get a head start that I didn¡¯t seeing,¡¯ Skullius thought as he anticipated the experience he was about to earn. His short battles with the goblins he had killed had allowed him to harvest crucial experience inbat and he would be using it with the n he had forged to pick up a bountiful gain! Chapter 26 The Bro Who Hogs It All [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has killed LV15 Foul Goblin. 500 Exp awarded] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has killed LV16 Foul Goblin. 548 Exp awarded] [You have killed LV16 Foul Goblin. 550 Exp awarded] Skullius looked at the notifications and thought to take away the bow and arrows from Red Rage (no he didn¡¯t). Red Rage was sniping the goblins down in their initial panicked phase. ¡®Just what is that [Blessing of Serenity]?¡¯ Skullius thought to himself. Both he and Red Rage were at Level 4 right now but he was sure that his bro would overtake him in this fight if he didn¡¯t put it in more effort. When the explosion had happened,ing from the goblin settlement ahead, he had been just as rattled by it as the goblins. Previously, he had been hoping for the goblins to keep splitting up but he had decided to use the opportunity that had presented itself before him. The n he had in mind at this current moment had been fuelled by a ¡®miracle¡¯ that had happened a few minutes ago which enhanced the likelihood of sess of the ughter that was toe. ¡­ 7 minutes ago. ¡°Hey, bro, run faster, they are alreadying. Look at those torches. Pick up the pace!¡± said Skullius as he turned behind him where vague torches held by a few figures a great distance away were advancing slowly. Red Rage increased his pace, sprinting as he overtook Skullius. [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has learned the skill ¡®Dash in Dust¡¯]. Skullius : ¡°¡­.¡± ¡­. Another skill had been added to Red Rage¡¯s list. Skullius wielded his sword as it softly flickered with mana. He had been trying to keep his mana steady on the de as Aikil had been doing even without using his deadly skill, but this was the best he could do at this moment. It was sad for him to have seen the marvellous red hue of the Grand Sword of the Hedonist fade and be reced by the dull, rusty de he had salvaged from the goblins but such was life. A nasty endeavour. The goblins couldn¡¯t help but wonder among themselves as they looked at Skillius. ¡®Is this the evil that we were looking for?¡¯ The goblin with the staff started to whirl its tip in the air, a light blue sh of mana arcing around the staff in an unsettling fashion. It suddenly thrusted the staff forward, the blue sh getting increasingly bright as it wasunched at Skullius with high speed! ¡°Mana Bolt!¡± the goblin yelled. The bright sh stunned Skullius for a moment and before he knew it¡­ Boom! With a small explosion that lit the surroundings, Skullius was flung backwards with a cracks on his chest, his leather armour having been burnt off! He fell to the ground with a barely audible impact. ¡°Attack!¡± the goblin with the staff yelled. The other goblins instantly shot ahead with their weapons in hand. Only two remained as they had to ount for something that was gnawing at their minds. The arrows! There was definitely an archer nearby! As the other goblins advanced, Skullius picked himself up while cursing in his mind. ¡®That was scary! I need to kill that one fast!¡¯ he thought, his socket mes dancing vigorously as he was weed with the view of the two goblins approaching him, one being faster than the other. ¡®Any moment now, Red bro!¡¯ Sure enough, an arrow flickered through the air quickly, heading for the goblin that was in the lead! As it was mere inches away from it, the goblin suddenly drew back its head, the arrowhead nicking its eye a bit but ultimately failing to take the goblin¡¯s life! At this point, the goblins had thrown away their torches, fully focusing on the enemy! The goblin grunted as it lost its previous momentum, the opportunistic Boneman using this chance to sh at it with all his might! The second goblin immediately elerated and used its sword to parry Skullius¡¯ strike! As the swords knocked against each other, Skillius felt a strange force push him and his sword away! Steel Rebound! It was a skill this goblin had learned. Skullius staggered while the first goblin immediately lowered its stance andunched itself forward with the spear in its hand! ¡°Taming Wind Skewer!¡± the goblin growled, the spear getting a burst of light on its body as it sped towards Skullius! ¡­! ¡®This will mess me up like Aikil¡¯s skill! I have to block!¡¯ Skullius thought as he brought his sword before him and used all of his concentration to channel mana into his sword! The spear reached Skullius and knocked against his sword, a crisp ng of steel resounding! Skullius was forced back, finding fractures in his hand from the powerful impact! One of the goblins that stood with the spell caster goblin suddenly bolted towards where the arrow hade from. ¡®There!¡¯ The goblin thought as it gazed at a thick bush! It didn¡¯t hesitate to attack with its full strength, its sword slicing through the bush and its leaves! ¡­! As it looked at the aftermath, it saw nothing there except the leaves and branches it had mutted! The goblin searched this way and that, catching the sight of an arrow that flew from afar, behind the tall Boneman that was battling its two fellow goblins! ¡®Is there another archer?!¡¯ Skullius who had been struggling against the two goblins that were attacking him once again, saw an arrow fly through him; the gaps between his bones, as it caught the goblin that had parried his sword off guard! The arrow sank into its chest, the goblin screaming in pain as it dropped to the ground. Its leather armour had minimised the damage to an extent. The other goblin with the spear couldn¡¯t help but turn to its colleague. ¡®Good!¡¯ Skillius thought as he¡­ bolted away from the two goblins! He ran at full speed towards the goblin with the staff and the one that had remained with it. The goblin with the staff grimaced as it once again pointed its staff at Skullius, a bright light surrounding the head of the staff. ¡®Red bro, do it now!¡¯ Skulliusmanded. This time, a spear flew from a different direction; the vegetation behind the goblins he was going after! It sped faster than the arrows and was like a dark shadow in the night that reached the goblin which stood by the spell caster before it could even react, its attention being on Skullius who was attacking from its front! The spear pierced its neck, blood flooding from the wound as the goblin gurgled! The goblin with the staff was perturbed, losing focus for a moment in shock. The mes in Skillius¡¯ sockets red in excitement as he stretched his hand towards this goblin and uttered two words¡­ ¡°Static Limbo!¡± A hazy blue light wrapped around the goblin immediately after and it froze, its dark green colour turning several shades lighter! Its eyes rolled back in an unsettling fashion as it looked to have already lost its life! [You have activated the skill ¡®Static Limbo¡¯. The target has been afflicted by Serenity. Due to the level and Tier difference, effectsts for 8 seconds] ¡®Good enough,¡¯ Skillius thought before he instantly shed his de ruthlessly, the goblin¡¯s head falling off in the next moment! Just likest time, he didn¡¯t receive a notification of the death of the goblin, as that would only happen after [Static Limbo] timed out. He only received the notification for the goblin beside him that had twitched itsst, absorbing its Null Life Essence. The goblin who had sought to attack Red Rage from a position he assumed the little boar to be, was shocked! His mates had died¡­just like that?! The other goblin which had been about to tend to the one that had been shot by the arrow turned as well with shocked eyes, gripping its spear in anguish! Skullius grabbed the staff from the goblin he had just killed and felt the flow of mana. His socket mes burned brighter with a light of bloodlust. ¡°Now this seems more suited for a Nullmancer!¡± he said. Chapter 27 Essence Of A Nullmancer... ~~~ [Crooked magic staff] A basic staff for wielding mana. -Damage- 23-45 -Durability- 34/40 -Special Effect- [Skill: Mana Bolt] Release a burst of condensed mana towards a target. Mana Requirements: 50 Mana Points Cooldown: 30 seconds ~~~ ¡°Oh..¡± Skullius marvelled at the staff in his hand, satisfied with the skill it had as well as the fact that it possessed a rarity, unlike everything he had found from the goblins so far. Apparently, even the steel sword didn¡¯t qualify for the rarity ranking, which he had learned from the information packet to range from Common, Umon, Rare, Unique, Legendary, Mythical and Transcendent. Skullius didn¡¯t have time to think about these things any further as the angry goblins rushed towards him with rage filled eyes.. Their aggressiveness made him feel eager to blow them to bits as he aimed to use try this staff out on them! [You have killed LV18 Foul Goblin. 610 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] ¡°Great!¡± Skullius eximed in joy from the notifications that alerted him of the death of the previous owner of this staff. He extracted its NLE immediately. Levelling up did not have the convenience of filling up mana and health. Someone like Skullius wouldn¡¯t expect it to anyway. He instantly used his mana to activate the skill [Mana Bolt], a sharp blue light being emitted from the tip of the staff. Skullius didn¡¯t choose to shoot it yet, waiting for the perfect moment so as to not waste his mana. In his mind, he was giving Red Rage amand which the Bone Boar carried out immediately. The short figure of the Apostle dashed out of the cover it had been hiding behind and headed towards the goblin with the sword! When the creature saw a quick figure that zipped with two blue lights evident on the face of its skull, it couldn¡¯t help but¡­ ¡°HUH?¡± This was the thing that had been sniping his fellow goblins with expert precision?! The goblin was shocked. As the goblin turned its attention to Red Rage, Skullius released the [Mana Bolt] towards it, the sh ofpressed mana appearing before the green creature before it could react! Boom! With a sh, a sizzling of flesh could be heard as the target for the skill shrieked and fell to the ground with smoke swirling around its body! Red Rage had run out of arrows, the only means of attack left at his disposal being the meticulous slicing of the throat with a rusty dagger which he promptly delivered to the downed goblin! The remaining goblin spared a single nce at its falling partner as it reached Skillius who, afraid that the staff might be destroyed by his angry opponent, tossed it aside and held his steel sword! The goblin with the spear whirled the weapon with expert movement before swinging it down with great power, a light of mana around the weapon! ¡®Do all these guys have [Basic Mana Maniption]? This isn¡¯t a skill!¡¯ Skullius thought as he raised his sword to tank the attack. There was a sharp collision of weapons which barelysted for a second before the goblin with the spear followed up with quick jabs of its weapon and strikes that Skullius could barely see, let alone dodge. ¡®This bro¡­!¡¯ Skullius thought as he received the relentless attacks, his skull being pounded to the point of cracking! Right after, Skillius recognised the stance that the goblin was beginning to take as it aimed to use its earlier skill! ¡­! Unfortunately¡­ TCH! The sound of flesh being pierced was heard as the goblin stopped in its tracks. Red Rage had nted his sword into its neck! The goblin staggered and fell. Red Rage whirled his sword, removing the blood before shing a thumbs at Skullius, one of the lights in its sockets dimming to imitate a wink. ¡°Good! Job! Bro!¡± Skillius squeezed through his teeth as his socket mes zed. This bro¡­ Red Rage had stolen thest goblin¡¯s worth of experience so Skullius at least made sure to collect all the Null Life Essence. His body had sustained quite the damage from the staff and the other two goblins he had faced. Even now he was unwilling to use his mana to heal. That would leave him with no mana left. At least that¡¯s what he surmised. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Skullius heard the gasp of the goblin which had been shot by the arrow. It was still alive! Ity down as it endured the pain while being close to death. ¡°Ah¡­ I thought you were dead. Let me help you with that,¡± Skullius said as he strolled over to the goblin with his sword. The goblin was terrified to see the tall Boneman walking over to it while speaking in its tongue. Skullius violently stabbed the goblin in the face, watching it twitch and die momentster. Excessive. [You have killed LV15 Foul Goblin. 395 Exp awarded] [You have levelled up] [Your prey emits the Essence¡­] ¡°Yep!¡± Skullius yelled as he drew in the Essence into his body. He was a bit happy that he had managed to at least gain a pack of experience for himself and levelled up. The speedy movements of Red Rage were what had awarded the two a grand victory against eight higher levelled goblins. ~~~ [Dash in Dust | Lv. 1] Amplifies movement speed by 30% while on the ground. Mana Requirement: 25 Mana Points per minute. Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: None ~~~ This skill had allowed Red Rage to skittle across great distances and fire his arrows as stipted by Skullius. ¡°The whole ¡®don¡¯t have a presence¡¯ thing also helped I guess,¡± said Skullius. Once again, since his clothing had been burnt by the [Mana Bolt], he had to loot more leather armour and this time, he found a crude robe on the body of the goblin that had wielded the staff. He wore it on top of the leather armour, Red Rage looking at him with his weird getup and shaking his head. After looting, Skullius thought about how he had lost another 20 NLE from the goblin that was killed by Red Rage at the beginning of the fight. It had been too far for him to just rush and absorb its Essence. As he looked now in his guidance field, he had 220 points of NLE which made him quite happy but the cooldown for [Unbound] made his celebration a silent one. This reminded him of how he really missed the Grand Sword of the Hedonist already. Skullius picked up the staff and looked in the direction of the goblin settlement. ¡®Should I go there and have a look? In my condition, if I find a powerful enemy, I might get killed. But then again, it could be an opportunity to get more experience depending on what¡¯s going on,¡¯ thought Skullius. He turned to Red Rage. ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± Red Rage shed a thumbs up. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Thumbs up! ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb! I know you can give your opinion you Bone Head!¡± Skullius barked at the short Bone Boar that shrugged with imaginary sweat dripping down its skull. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s just go and check. Then we¡¯ll decide what to do from there.¡± The two first turned off the torches that goblins had been using when they scouted the forest and then proceeded to jog all the way to the goblin settlement. As soon as they arrived at the edge where it was easier to see what was happening below, Skullius¡¯ jaw almost dropped as he saw the carnage that was urring! The huts which the goblins lived in were on fire (the ones not made entirely from mud). Battles and massacres were taking ce everywhere in a very grotesque way. From brawls with fists to pure skewering by a groups of goblins that looked different from the ones he has been seeing. From those the goblins that were being sniped by arrows, Skullius saw the reactions to be peculiar. Those shot would start to tremble violently and start to emit light bursts of smoke from their orifices! Sparks and shes of mana and elements could be seen here and there where stronger goblins were facing off in the night. Along the steps that descended into the settlement, dozens of goblins could be seen sprawled dead or dying with a few other goblins attacking those that ran up them! ¡°What the¡­¡± Skullius¡¯ sentence didn¡¯t get anypletion as he saw what was happening. While he was looking ahead, the staff Skullius held suddenly trembled, jolting him from his fixation towards the fighting below. The staff suddenly started to exude a dark blue me that was intertwined with the Essence of Null Life which manifested as a soft bluish white light! Skullius was puzzled on what was going on all of a sudden. As if this sudden change urring wasn¡¯t enough to leave a few question marks above Skullius head, a myriad of notifications began to rain in his vision. [Felled prey lies before you. Would you like to extract the Essence of Null Life? Remaining time 40 seconds] [Felled prey lies before you. Would you like to extract the Essence of Null Life? Remaining time 12 seconds] [Felled prey lies before you. Would you like to extract the Essence of Null Life? Remaining time 9 seconds] ¡­. Chapter 28 Goblin Conflict A few minutes before the explosion¡­ The goblin with the brown skin that donned the hooded robe shed a grin as it looked at Shmeija who had just ran in to warn Ukur about the undead situation. The words he was about to say were stuck to his throat as he was bbergasted by the appearance of the leader of the goblins of the ck Scorn n! ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t think you were going to evade our eventual meeting forever,¡± the goblin said with a scoff. ¡°From the looks of it, you haven¡¯t improved much. Did Ie at the wrong time?¡± Shmeija gnashed his teeth and spewed the words that rose from the depths of his heart. ¡°Vijak! Stop this already! Is this grudge still worth it for you to keep chasing us everywhere?!¡± The goblin, whose name was Vikah scoffed once again and turned to Ukur. He knew very well that Shmeija was probably in the dark about what his master had done to earn his wrath. ¡°Three years ago you and your n members cheated us all and thought you could get away with it. What have you been teaching this fool? That we bottom feeders can grow fast enough to not be devoured by this forest?¡± asked Vijak with an ugly frown Ukur slowly rose with a hard expression on his face.. ¡°What if I have been? I wanted for once to run from the natural cycle that all goblins are trapped in,¡± he said. ¡°Run? You looted my hard-earned work on special herbs and fled! Is that how you escape the cycle? You expect peace after that?¡± said Vijak as the smile on his face vanished. ¡°Goblins are among the weakest creatures in this forest. The only way we grow is by hunting and preying on each other. That is how it is and always will be. You thought escaping close to the borders of different territories would save you from us? Well¡­¡± Ukur frowned as he channelled his mana. The enemies they had been running away from had finally caught and unexpectedly at that. He did not think that the day would be today. Vijak had obviously brought his fellow nsmen and Ukur couldn¡¯t even imagine how powerful they were. They had always been stronger since then. How about now? All goblins were spawned deep within the Tremur Forest from a vast swampy woond. Different kinds of goblins with a different evolutionary paths that they most of the time didn¡¯t have the ability to control. Most creatures in this forest were spawned this way in different sections of the huge forest. When Ukur had first evolved to be a Tier 1 creature, he had led his nsmen to a safer ce. What Vijak said was true. Goblins were amongst the weakest creatures in the forest and the reality of the matter was that they used each as stepping stones to grow stronger as they couldn¡¯t attack most other creatures which were usually stronger than them even as Tier 0s. Ukur had to train his other goblin nsmen to grow as he battled other goblin ns as well. The difficulty was significantly harder when you were carrying tens of other goblins that were weaker than you. With time, other goblins from his n evolved, aiding him until they eventually built a strong hold in the swamp, killing the weaker goblins as a way to survive. The food they could eat was limited to either the worms and cretins of the stagnant swamps or the varying assortments of goblin that popted the ce. Unfortunately for them, the battle didn¡¯t get any easier after they got stronger by adding more evolved goblins to their ranks as even though there were fewer evolved goblin ns, they were a bigger challenge to handle with some goblins being a full two Tiers above. Ukur was fed up with the strife and gambled on a chance to leave the swamps. Usually, leaving meant getting killed 90% of the time as they would meet the strong monsters that roamed the forest. This was why most of the other goblins never left, choosing to ughter their own to grow stronger and hoping for a chance to reach a higher tier. Others submitted to stronger goblins as ves to at guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t be eaten if they were found to be useful. Vijak¡¯s n was one of the few that had special traits, or rather a specialisation born from their racial evolutionary path. Poison. Because of this, Vijak¡¯s had a innate desire for learning various chemicalpounds and their effects. First, he took his interest around the swamp, finding all sorts of herbs over the years and studying them. Then, his appetite grew for more knowledge as he would sometimes venture from the swamp, gathering herbs andponents for his experimentation until he foundbinations that could boost health and the body¡¯s capacity for mana. Ukur who thought to leave the swamps decided to give himself and his n a better chance at surviving outside the ¡®safety¡¯ of his n by taking Vijak¡¯s research in a sudden raid. He didn¡¯t stop there, taking all other important items and treasures from other ns that he could and fled. Mainly because of how each ns speciality was based off of their evolutionary path, Ukur found it hard to learn most things from the items he had stolen, eventually sticking to Vijak¡¯s research and developing it to what he could as it was a bit simpler. The ck Scorn had decided to get revenge on the Bloated River n under Vijak¡¯smand and over the years, they had searched, surviving as the Bloated River did in the vast Tremur Forest. Through extreme caution. And here they were. Vijak¡¯s body started to produce a dark gas which permeated into the air. Ukur instantly got cautious and drew back, a blue hazy figure rising from his body to tower over him! It looked like an aged goblin with a thin figure that wore a ne made of bones. Vijak grinned. ¡°That¡¯s it, focus on me! Let¡¯s see who will save your n while you¡¯re busy with me!¡± he said as the gas that poured from his body and eventually covered the entire hut and reduced the visibility within, pervaded relentlessly. A quick figure dashed through the opening of therge hut with its saber as it decisively struck at Vijak, but the brown skinned goblin simply guffawed. ¡°Toote!¡± In the very next moment, Vijak flicked his finger, a small spark of me being released into the air and then¡­ BOOOM! With a vicious explosion, the gas ignited and blew up the entire hut in a sh of orange light and heat that rose into the sky! The goblins around were shocked by the sudden urrence, but then, arrows rained from different directions and took their lives, goblins that looked much like Vijak rushing in with grins of malice as they wielded different weapons. The fight which swiftly devolved into a one sided ughter-fest began. *** From a distance, a certain bulky figure with short tusks that protruded from its mouth watched the unfolding chaos with unveiled apprehension. He was the orc scout had been tasked with finding out what was happening with the goblins. With the speed that came with his ss, he had managed to cover the distance in a short time. He grimaced as he watched the chaos that ensued wondering if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Chapter 29 An Easy Harvest ¡°Why is this staff suddenly¡­?¡± Skullius said as he looked at the staff and the numerous notifications he was receiving from the guidance field. The light from the Null Life Essence that wasing from the staff surprised him. How was this staff doing this? On the other hand, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but eye the numerous points of Null Life Essence that were calling to him. Absentmindedly, he spoke. ¡°Yes. Extract it.¡± Instantly, from all the nearby goblins from which Skullius saw the notifications, the light of Null Life Essence flew through the air and headed towards him, prating his body! Skullius felt the seeping in energy and felt a burst of excitement and satisfaction. He immediately checked how much Null Life Essence he had and saw¡­ 360! An additional 140 points of NLE had been extracted from the goblins that had just kicked the bucket. Even with the excitement he felt however, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was going on. The activation of [Null Extraction] in this form had never happened before. He usually had to be closer to extract it. What had changed?. The answery in his hand. The staff. ¡®But how? This staff maniptes mana. What does that have to do with Null¡­ wait!¡¯ Skullius thought. First, he checked the range from which he had been able to extract the Null Life Essence. He had effectively seen tens of notifications for goblins that were even more than a hundred meters away! When his thoughts reached this point, the only thing he could identify with that attributed this, was his [Basic Mana Maniption]! When it was still Mana Sense at its peak, this skill had a range of a hundred meters. After it evolved, Skullius noticed that the range increased, but by no more than 20 meters. What he gained was the ability to sense the mana in his range more effectively and to manipte it at a basic level. His extraction of Null Life Essence from this range was probably rted to this skill but then again¡­ this wasn¡¯t mana. It was Null Life Essence. Skullius looked at Red Rage, the short figure turning to him as it scratched its skull. ¡°Could it be because of my ss¡­?¡± Skullius questioned himself as he pulled up his guidance field. Fortunately, he could still the exnation for the ss his chose which was presented to him when he chose it. ~~~ [Vehement Bone Nullmancer] The one who harnesses the power of Null Life to enhance his connection to mana, solidifying his mastery of the world alongside his followers of the void that hold world-shaking power. He who chooses to walk this path will conquer kingdoms after¡­ ~~~ ¡°Harnessing the power of Null Life to enhance connection to mana¡­¡± murmured Skullius. His Null Life and mana had a connection it seemed. Perhaps this staff had helped him to enhance his Basic Maniption Maniption¡¯s sensory of mana and in the process increased his capacity to draw Null Life from a distance? That seemed to make some sense right? As long as he had the staff, he could use [Null Extraction] from a great distance. ¡°Whatever! As long as I can mine¡­I mean harvest Null Life like this, then there¡¯s no need to hesitate,¡± Skullius barked mildly. He looked at the moulded steps that descended into the chaos that was below. It didn¡¯t seem like his existence had been made known to all those goblins. Skullius looked at the terrain as he determined what route he should take to maximise his gains. It was dangerous but he didn¡¯t n to fight in the open if there was a chance that he would be ganged upon where all the living creatures in the area ended up running after him. That wouldn¡¯t happen, right? Given that his presence was essentially null, he could just move quickly and harvest in peace. He would grow to give this term its rightful name in the future. After descending down the steps, the huts made a crudely arranged collection starting ten meters away from the steps. While some were lit on fire, with many goblins battling it out in open spaces, Skullius thought it probably wouldn¡¯t be difficult to defeat the weaker ones he saw before they could raise their voices in rm. ¡°Okay Red bro. You go first and create a path for me. You¡¯re faster. All you have to do is¡­¡± Skullius exined to Red Rage how he wanted him to move. Sure, he could simply send his thoughts, but it somehow made him feel¡­ lonely to do that. He instructed Red Rage to go down, ughter the weaker goblins that were battling and create on opening on one of the huts so that they could enter and assess the situation from a better view. He surmised that moving together would have more chances of attracting attention even in this chaos. The fighting was mostly popted at the very centre of the settlement with everywhere else simply having sparsely popted brutal altercations. Red Rage was donning multiple sets of crude leather armour on its upper torso, fashioned by Skullius. It was better than the earlier animals skins that they had been wearing and for Red Rage, it would take a close nce for any goblin to identify him as an undead. ¡°Go, my bro,¡± said Skullius. ¡°And also¡­keep some alive for me!¡± It was abundantly clear to Skullius from the first killings he had made that all experience was awarded to the one whonded the final hit. Red Rage first picked up its bow and arrows which had been procured back from the corpses it had killed. The short Bone Boar nocked two arrows under the shocked gaze of Skullius. He pulled back and loosened, the arrows shooting through the air before they shot through two unsuspecting goblins that were in a heated battle with their open hands. The goblins died instantly and Red Rage bolted down the steps and rushed forward having eliminated the enemies likely to see him. ¡°So much for ¡®leave some for me¡¯. I guess there¡¯s not much experience there anyway,¡± mumbled Skullius. [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has awakened ¡®Basic Bow Mastery¡¯] ¡°Great,¡± Skullius said as he quickly swiped the notification away in annoyance. This [Blessing of Serenity] was way too good. He watched his Apostle skittle across the ground and reach a mud hut. He suddenly balled his hand into a fist and punched the wall, breaking through it without much effort. Skillius immediately rushed down the steps and headed to where Red Rage was and entered into the hut. Upon entering, Skullius saw five goblins that wore terrified expressions as they huddled together. They looked at him and Red Rage, being unable to move from the shock of having undead suddenly burst into their hiding ce when they were hiding from the ruthless goblins that attacked them. ¡°Oh, free kills,¡± said Skullius jovially as he pulled out his steel sword and shed away at the heads of all the goblins. The goblins died without a single word. The experience he gained was very small inparison to the figures he had been seeing before, being barely 200 Exp in total. Skullius went up to the other side of the wall and punched it, creating a small hole to look through. He saw the many green goblins he was used to seeing get killed mercilessly and wielded his staff once more. It ignited with the Null Life Essence once more and almost fifteen notifications about Null Life Essence ready for the taking appeared before him. Skulliusgreedily epted and watched the light that only he could see at this moment burst from multiple bodies and reach him. Soon, he had 640 Null Life Essence Points resting in his guidance field! ¡°I still have to wait for the cooldown for [Unbound] to end before I can use it though,¡± Skullius said as he continued looking through the hole he had made. There wasn¡¯t much happening on this side, with more noise being evident further into the settlement. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else,¡± he said to Red Rage, the Apostle doing the same thing it did the first time. Red Rage peeked from the hut and sniped the goblins that were in sight before rushing into a hut that was a bit further into it the settlement. Skullius followed and entered as well, this time not finding anyone inside. He punched a hole through the wall again to get a view¡­ and a better view he got. In the distance and all around, stronger goblins were battling it out. However, what caught his eye the most, was the picture of three strong looking figures that were illuminated by the roaring me which danced behind them¡­ Chapter 30 Blitzing Through After the grand explosion that sparked the beginning of the attack of the ck Scorn n on the Bloated River n, everything had spiralled out of control. From the burning mes, three figures jumped out, with one of them holding an additional figure who looked burnt; charred flesh releasing the crisp sound of roast while oozing wisps of smoke. Ukur was holding Shmeija who had been the only one of the four to not manage to protect himself from the explosion of me. Then again, he was a Tier lower than the others. Ukur had the blue, hazy figure of an aged goblin handling his shoulders as it emitted a protective light that had warded off the mes from his person. The figure with the saber, who was Shirota, the pride of the n, also had a thin film of mana that protected him from the mes while the grinning figure of Vijak was surrounded by a dark poison mist that swirled around his body. ¡°You¡¯ve grown stronger. I thought a surprise like that would catch you off guard for a goodugh but you genuinely look like a leader now, Ukur,¡± said Vijak as the mist vanished from around him. ¡°The same isn¡¯t true for your apprentice though. It¡¯s such a shame.¡± Ukur grimaced as he saw Shmeija¡¯s figure. For a moment, he began to regret having made the choice to leave the swamps to save his n. Perhaps he should have stayed. Maybe seeking out longevity was something goblins weren¡¯t meant to do. Were his kind supposed to just live short lives full of cannibalism and death? Shirota walked forward with slow but confident steps as he wielded his saber which had been unsheathed. It looked new, with a simplistic hilt of a dull brown and a de that showed its gloss under the luminance of the orange me that was strangely still burning from his side.. ¡°No, Shirota!¡± said Ukur with an urgent voice. ¡°Even you are not his match. You cannot fight him alone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I will not underestimate my opponent,¡± Shirota said with a low voice that was thick with his own trance-like ecstasy of a guaranteed victory. Ukur wanted to bark again, but held himself. Why should he stop Shirota from fighting? He was a powerful goblin in his own right after all. Besides¡­ Ukur looked around and saw his strongest warriors struggling and falling under swords and arrows, their bodies throbbing and twitching from the poison that his enemies imbued on their arrowheads. All already seemed lost. He shook his head, warding away the stray thoughts as he focused on helping Shmeija, his beloved disciple and apprentice from the swamps. The disciple that he had lied to all these years. He had lied to all of his nsmen. They only witnessed him making potions to give them advanced health and mana without knowing that it was all earned from the sweat of others. Yet it wasn¡¯t for a selfish cause. The hazy figure above him stretched out its hands and emitted a green light that covered Shmeija who was gasping with a hoarse voice. Shirota faced Vijak who still grinned in satisfaction. ¡°Are you sure you want to fight me?¡± he said. He received no reply, Shirota only continuing his advance until he was a bit more than three meters away. ¡°You¡¯re quite confident,¡± said Vijak as he stretched his hand towards Shirota. A spark lit in the palm of his hand then it increase inside until it became the size of a fist. It was orange with a heat that built up around it, making the air dance. ¡°Entertain me before you perish with your pathetic n,¡± said Vijak. In the next moment, Shirota shed towards Vijak as his saber glowed with a frightening light, Vijak pumping mana into the me that was in his hand as he flung it at the approaching Shirota! *** BOOOM! From the distance, Skullius saw a bright explosion. ¡°Argh! I can¡¯t see from here. Red bro, we have to move. We¡¯re wasting precious time here!¡± he said. Red Rage nodded and peeked outside for a moment before looking at Skullius and pointing in the direction he had been looking. ¡°There¡¯s more goblins fighting? And many others hiding and shooting arrows? I see,¡± said Skullius as he stroked his skull. He went up the opening they have made to get inside the hut and looked to see the goblins that Red Rage was talking about. The goblins he saw were of a much higher level. There were three goblins that had levels ranging from 16 to 18. One had a sword, the other having a bow while thest had a staff. These were the only goblins visible to see as the rest of the view was blocked by the surrounding huts. From the other side of this ravine, roughly four figures with bows could be seen from the cover of trees shooting arrows at the goblins from this side that flew over the river on their side. Skullius could see that their vision would most likely be blinded by the huts that made a row from that side, deciding that taking actions shouldn¡¯t pose too much of a risk. When he had seen the staff, he was immediately hooked on the idea of ughtering these goblins. ¡°Red bro, take care of those archers. Quickly,¡± Red Rage nocked two arrows on its bow and shot them at the goblins archers! The two arrows hit their targets, Red Rage already preparing to take down the rest. Skullius rushed from the safety of the hut towards the fighting goblins. As he did so, he pointed his staff towards the goblins that were finishing off their opponents and cast [Mana Bolt]! The bright blue light of the skill surged and burst forth the sh of mana that zipped towards the three goblins! The [Mana Bolt] wasn¡¯t directed towards any of them specifically as itnded a few inches from them on the ground. The ground exploded with dust and chunks of rock flying in the air while the goblins closed their eyes and screamed, Skullius pulling out his sword, covering it with mana and attacking the goblin who had wielded the staff. Even though the dust also covered his vision, he remembered where the goblin was, viciously swinging his sword and feeling it slice through the unfortunate spell caster who screamed in pain. Skullius immediately went for the staff, grabbing it and rushing towards one of the huts which actually had an entrance that wasn¡¯t badly positioned for his inconvenient exposure. The goblins saw theirpanion dying and the culprit running into one of the huts. They immediately followed, rushing for revenge. * The archers who were on higher ground had noticed theirrades fall from the Red Rage¡¯s arrows, looking at the short figure that nocked more arrows and shot them towards their positions! One of the remaining archers was sniped in the neck as he has been about to attack Red Rage while the other managed to dodge the speeding arrow by turning his head before he turned tail and ran! [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has levelled up] The Apostle had finally matched his master ¡®What was that?!¡¯ he thought as he panted from the thought of almost losing his life! ¡®A demon?¡¯ ¡®No! I must be mistaken! That¡¯s not right!¡¯ He ran along the tree lines to find a better position where he could shoot at Red Rage from. After running for a few moments, he settled down and searched for the short figure he had seen before and tried to aim at its previous location. He nocked his arrow and as he looked¡­ FWUUUP! An arrow prated his neck, shocking him from both the pain and the sudden attack! ¡®W¡­what?¡¯ he thought as his eyes remained wide open. He dropped his bow and arrow, his beady eyesnding on the figure with blue lightsing from its sockets which stood on top of a hut with its bow! He had been shot by this same creature?! The goblin archer dropped as it died in a pool of its own blood while wondering what on earth was going on. Its killer dropped down from the hut and rushed to the aid of its master without a single show of remorse. Chapter 31 Intermission: A Glimpse Tremur Forest. A middle aged man was gasping for breath as he held a sword whose de was like a mirror. It had cracks over its surface which was branded with numerous runes that shed with a light glow as he pushed what remained of his mana within it. He had sunflower blonde hair and hazel eyes that reflected the images of his opponents. Blood oozed from all over his body, scrapes and deep wounds noticeable on his flesh through the mix of tattered robes and dented armour that he wore. His opponents were people he knew quite well, some of them holding high quality staves, swords, shields and bows as they remained vignt towards any move that he would make, while on their faces traces of disappointment, pain and internal conflict could be seen. One of them, a woman with red hair looked a bit more sympathetic and conflicted than the rest, but she subdued her emotions as best as she could. At the forefront was a man with Havana brown hair that wasbed back with a glossy sheen and sugar grey eyes. His eyes were narrowed as he looked the man with blonde hair, showing a deep sense of hesitation coupled with an unbridled determination. One looked to slowly be edging over the other as he increased his grip on the bastard sword which he wielded that was darker than the night. ¡°Eobald¡­¡± he said with a low tone of voice that held within it sympathy. ¡°Don¡¯t say my name after you¡¯ve done this to me. To think what I thought was a genuine motivation for something greater¡­ was nothing more than a lust for power¡­You are blind! Blind, the lot of you!¡± the man with the blonde hair said.. His name was Eobald, a great adventurer who had travelled the world and faced many mythical beasts, absorbing knowledge from different cultures and races. ¡°It¡¯s called ambition and its only risen up to this point because of your actions. Don¡¯t act all righteous when you have a Key as well. You told us what you n to do and I won¡¯t let you. You wanted this power too and you used us to get to it,¡± the man with brown hair said. Eobald was infuriated. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ you dare say that after you ughtered my entire party just to get to my key?! Ha! Ambition? You¡¯re no more than a fool, and I¡¯m a greater fool for thinking you were anything but one! To think I¡¯d put my faith in you enough to reveal to you a better path when you¡¯d destroy everything I¡¯ve worked for!¡± he barked. ¡°You stand here alive because I will it! Because I call you a brother and I have much respect for you! So do all of us. Now, give me the Key and you can keep your life! I don¡¯t care about your reasons anymore. You¡¯re nothing to me. But at least give me that key!¡± the man with brown hair yelled with his grey eyes lighting up with a bluish white glow that shook the surroundings. Eobald hung his head as he took in deep gusts of air. ¡°A Key is bound to the person who found it. Do you intend to kill me to relinquish my ownership of it?¡± he said with a stern gaze while sheathing his cracked sword. ¡°Not if you follow me and help me find this legacy. You know how hard to find legacies are yet you¡¯re willing to waste it on this¡­¡± ¡°I have no issue with that. In fact¡­¡± said Eobald as he pulled out a silver, circr object with a rings of indecipherable text on its surface. The people around him grew vignt as he showed this object, with the man who stood at the forefront frowning as he saw what he desired in the hands of his so-called brother. However, the previous words Eobald had said hinted at the fact that he wasn¡¯t going to hand it over. ¡°¡­I visited the Saint¡¯s Chamber before I came here,¡± Eobald continued, a grin appearing on his face. The man with brown hair lost some of the colour on his face as he heard what Eobald had just said before a wrathful visage beamed on his face. Before he could voice out his thoughts, Eobald spoke. ¡°They helped me with cing a seal on this Key that prohibits anyone other me from owning it. If you kill me, the Key will be destroyed and you¡¯ll need to find other means to get that legacy. Of course, I could choose another person to be the owner of the Key, the same rules applying to them as well.¡± The man with the brown hair grit his teeth as a deep bloodlust bloomed within him. ¡®Is he telling the truth or merely bluffing? If only there was a way to prove it. This bastard actually went that far just so that I wouldn¡¯t get to own this treasure?! ¡® he thought while considering what to do next. Try his luck and hope for the best? No. Keys were tools used to open resting ce for great heroes. Some of these heroes and legends created artefacts that would select people worthy of their legacies which had to be found while others did not. For thetter, universal Keys were used to open these ces which were usually sealed with powerful magic. Keys were mysterious objects that could be forged by the rarest of individuals or found in mythical dimensions in various forms. Those that learned to craft them had merely studied and mimicked the natural Keys found in these diverse spaces. While Keys were hard to find, legacies were even harder to find which made both tasks incredibly arduous. When one found a Key, it would be bound to them and only they could use it. This feature of Keys had brought about a lot of pain and betrayal between many partners and friends. ¡°So that¡¯s how it will be?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it shall be, brother,¡± said Eobald as in the next moment, he pulled out a scroll out of nowhere! Everyone around was alerted, one of the people surrounding Eobald, a girl with long, red hair and sharp brown eyes nocking a white arrow on her dark bow before loosening it towards Eobald! The blonde haired man saw the iing arrow and dodged, the arrow streaking past him like a sh of lightning! Eobald opened the scroll and pumped it with the remnants of his mana which churned from his core that released a bright blue hue! On the white parchment of the scroll was inscribed the text, ¡®Arcane Teleportation, Scorch.¡¯ The scroll suddenly released a burst of light and energy that temporary blinded everyone and illuminated everything in the dark night, then¡­ BOOOM! A ferocious explosion razed the ground and everything within the surroundings with a mash of yellow, orange and red, a scorching heat disintegrating the surrounding trees and life in a 300 meters radius! The heated air remained while the ground which was left molten by the sheer amount of heat sizzled. The man with brown hair was panting as he looked at the aftermath of this explosion. A thick film of bright blue mana was surrounding him, yet the silver armour he wore had signs of heating up with a portion of it missing. He had managed to protect himself from the majority of the damage, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for eight of hisrades whose remains couldn¡¯t even be seen. The only figures he saw where those of the girl with the bow who had used an artefact to protect herself, a bulky man who had arge tower shield before him and a young man who was also covered by a film of mana. ¡°GRAAAA!¡± the man with brown hair roared in anguish. He didn¡¯t think to mourn his losses as he turned to the survivors. ¡°Let¡¯s find him! With the mana he had left there¡¯s no way he has gotten far!¡± He pulled out his key which was also circr like Eobald¡¯s but with a golden colour and extended the hand that held it. He would find Eobald soon enough and when he did, he wouldn¡¯t show mercy! Chapter 32 Witnessing An Epic Fight (1) Skullius hid in a corner as he anticipated the arrival of thest two goblins who wereing for him after he had hacked away at their staff wielding buddy. Admittedly, it was hard to manoeuvre with a sword and two staves when you had one hand and Skullius knew he had to solve this issue soon. Somehow. As he heard the approaching footsteps from the goblins, he quickly checked the information of the new staff on his guidance field. He hoped it would be as useful as the one he already had. ~~~ [Short magic staff] A staff for the basic maniption of the element of fire. -Damage- 20-40. -Durability- 28/40 -Special Effect- [Skill: me Shot] Release a burst of condensed fire at the target. Mana Requirements: 70 Mana Points Cooldown: 30 seconds ~~~ As he saw the information, Skullius saw the difference between the two staves that he held. The short magic staff was indeed shorter than the crooked magic staff he had. It had a darker shade on its surface which went well with what it represented. A staff for wielding fire. This was a great addition to his collection and he couldn¡¯t wait to test out how it fared inparison to the other. Who better to test this out on than the two goblins that were rushing towards him. ¡®Funny. These guys don¡¯t make me as anxious any more, even though their stronger than most I¡¯ve faced so far,¡¯ Skullius thought. The footsteps stopped by the entrance to the hut, Skullius¡¯ pursuers being vignt and not entering immediately in case they got ughtered in one unexpected move. ¡®Tktktktkt. Stall all you want bros. It gives me enough time for the cooldown,¡¯ Skullius thought as his devilish thoughts of ughter swirled in his mind. While Red Rage was off killing the archers, Skullius was dealing with this and it had barely been ten seconds since he and his Apostle had split up. The goblins didn¡¯t stall much longer, rushing in with one facing the front with its sword while the other faced the back with an arrow nocked on its bow! As the two scoured the interior of the hut, the crude ceiling and uneven walls of mud in their view, they felt a burst of heat that made their skin crawl! From the corner, in their sights, a skeleton with the light of blue mes flickering in its sockets pointed theirpanion¡¯s staff at them, a bright red me condensing at the staff¡¯s tip! Tktktktktktktk! The two heard the unsettling sound of the skeleton¡¯s teeth cking as in the next moment, the bright red ball of fire shot towards them! The heat it exuded was felt before it was upon them, its speed being so fast that the two only responded a momentter, when it was merely an inch away! The goblin with the bow loosened its arrow which was dodged by Skullius by leaping to the side. BOOOM! A scorching heat and explosion rocked the hut with the screams of the two goblins ringing out at the same time! The floor was charred and the temperature rode with a tinges of red on the surface that had been sted by the attack! Skullius knew the two were not dead as one of them had dived to the side while the other jumped back as it loosened its arrow before the [me Shot] hit, thus he dropped the short staff and raced towards the two who were undoubtedly injured! With his sword, he aimed for the archer first, leaping above the still smoking floor and stabbing at the figure that was coughing with burns all over its body! Skullius¡¯ steel sword plunged deep into the goblin¡¯s neck and he viciously shed it through the side to rip out arge chunk of flesh from the goblin! Blood gushed out as the goblin screeched. He immediately turned to the other goblin that had already stood up and struggled to hold its sword properly as its arm was charred. Skullius jumped up and brought down his sword again, exerting the majority of his force downwards to overpower the goblin which could only look at the figure of a tall, robed skeleton descend upon it cruelly. It barely cost Skullius a few seconds to kill the goblin, numbers of experience gains gushing into his guidance field! Afterwards the tall Boneman reached for his staff and began to extract the Null Life Essence within arge range, the two goblins he had just killed being included. Before long, 820 points of NLE in total were his to splurge. Skullius nodded in excitement as he saw the numbers but his joy died down after he saw the figure of experience points he required for the next level. He could only sigh as he wondered. ¡®I first thought that I would manage somehow to reach Tier 1 before 24 hours, but this ¡®triple the amount of experience¡¯ thing is really¡­ Argh! I need hundreds of thousands of experience points to reach Tier 1! How am I supposed to do that? Is bing Tier 1 for me that big of a deal? These goblins are just so weak even as Tier 1. Will it be that different for me?¡¯ he thought in frustration. ¡®It better be worth it.¡¯ Even with this thought, Skullius didn¡¯t let the seemingly impossible task bother him. He was patient. He could probably scrape something up right? Atrocious luck aside. Soon, Red Rage popped into the hut having finished his mission. Skullius instructed him to grab the arrows from the goblin he had just killed which seemed to have some kind of poison. The two walked out of the hut and felt a terrifying shock on the ground with a muffled booms that emanated a short distance away! ¡°Right! There¡¯s that fight!¡± Skullius thought as he rushed through the space between the huts hurriedly followed by his trustypanion. Strewn on the ground were dead bodies and blood amidst the raging smoke and fires. Soon, they hid within a burning hut as they looked at the fight from a closer distance. A goblin with a saber and one who fought bare handed were facing off. If Skullius could swallow lumps of saliva, he would, as when he checked the statuses of these goblins, plus the one of the goblin which had a looming hazy figure above it, he almost dropped his jaw¡­ Chapter 33 Witnessing An Epic Fight (2) The exchange between Shirota and Vijak was intense and Skullius who was witnessing it from the ¡®safety¡¯ of the mud hut could barely tear his socket mes off it. He brought up the status of Ukur and gasped. ~~~ [ Name : Ukur ] [ Tier : 2 ] [ ss : Shaman ] [ Level : 14 ] [ Race : Humanoid Goblin ] [ Inv. Status : Regretful ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 50 ] [ Agility : 51 ] [ Intelligence : 77 ] [ Endurance : 56 ] [ Luck : 4 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 195/200 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 415/450 ] ¡ª¨C. ~~~~ ¡°Bro, look at those stats!¡± Skullius eximed as he saw the stats of the leader of the Bloated River n. His Intelligence was even higher than his, which was what hurt Skullius the most! There was no mistaking it, this goblin could obliterate him and from the looks of that hazy figure that floated above him, Skullius knew that this guy had a vast amount of experience. His sockets then moved to the goblin with brownish skin that grinned as it dodged the de of Shirota. ~~~ [ Name : Vijak ] [ Tier : 2 ] [ ss : Mage ] [ Level : 18 ] [ Race : Vile Ilk Goblin ] [ Inv. Status : Ecstatic ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 56 ] [ Agility : 58 ] [ Intelligence : 83 ] [ Endurance : 50 ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 220/220 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 550/550 ] ¡ª¨C ~~~ Skullius grunted as he saw the figures on these creatures. They were¡­powerful. The amount of mana they had was incredible. While he definitely wasn¡¯t a slouch, the fact that these creatures were together would spell doom for him if he were to join. The status for thest goblin popped up in Skullius¡¯ view and he couldn¡¯t help but squint his mes. ~~~ [ Name : Shirota ] [ Tier : 2 ] [ ss : Mist Swordsman ] [ Level : 10 ] [ Race : Foul Goblin ] [ Inv. Status : Focused ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 60 ] [ Agility : 61 ] [ Intelligence : 60 ] [ Endurance : 57 ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 250/250 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 380/380 ] ¡ª¨C ~~~ ¡°Ohh. That one seems even more dangerous,¡± said Skullius. Through the information packet he had managed to understand about the different sses which made him appreciate his own ss. Special sses, which were anything that wasn¡¯t a normal sses; advanced and hidden, aided in getting bonus stats. On the subject of stats, such a thing as permanent stat reduction had been made known to him. It was when stats were subtracted from an individual by factors such as the environment or by high level skills imposed by a higher existence. Skullius had noted some of the inconsistencies between some of the goblin¡¯s stats and recognised that it might have been this issue. Were these goblins actually living in an environment that was adverse to their growth? Possibly. Skullius recognised the figure of Shmeija who was being tended to by Ukur. ¡°That¡¯s the goblin from that orc ce,¡± Skullius said. That goblin was the weakest among the four, which made him stand out a bit. Vijak opened his arms wide and arge influx of manapounded in-between. Slowly, a bright orange sphere formed, emitting a scorching heat that made Shirota back away. ¡°I see you have enhanced yourselves, giving yourself quite the durability. Good! Let¡¯s see how you handle this!¡± growled Vijak. The bright orange sphere stifled the air and then, something else was added to it. It was a dark substance that oozed from Vijak¡¯s body and somehow assimted itself into the growing ball of me and giving it a darker shade. Shirota furrowed his brows and took a stance. He spread his legs and sheathed his sword, ring at Vijak who was preparing his spell. Skullius paid rapt attention, mesmerised by how Vijak was manipting the mes. This was wholly different from how the short staff released the [me Shot]. This was a true mastery of fire and this attack about to be released by Vijak was many times stronger than the one from Skullius¡¯ staff. Unbeknownst to Skullius, Red Rage was also paying attention, but not to Vijak. The boar¡¯s sockets were gazing deeply at Shirota¡¯s stance as he seemed to be extremely confident about himself. Red Rage¡¯s sockets then moved to Shmeija who was starting to look better under the healing of Ukur. Ukur himself was gnashing his teeth while contemting on how the exchange between the two would pan out. Vijak was stronger than Shirota level-wise with arge mana pool while Shirota was stronger stat-wise, his ss being a special one. It was hard to imagine who would win as Vijak was a veteran. They had met up once after escaping from the Goblin swamp, a short war erupting before Ukur fled again. Ukur wasn¡¯t sure what Vijak had been doing all this time. He was probably stronger than he looked. Vijak finally finished with his preparation. He grinned as he brought his hands to both sides of the sphere, as if touching it and then¡­ [Rancid Scorching Sphere]! The sphere shot towards Shirota without warning, being a glowing orange streak like a mini sun that oozed of a dark smoke at its tail! Shirota¡¯s image brightened as the attack approached, but he never broke his stance, remaining with one hand on the hilt while the other held onto the sheath! ¡°Shirota!¡± Ukur screamed as he feared for the goblin¡¯s safety. The attack reached Shirota and consumed him in its heat while he uttered no words and disappeared within the bright burst of me that followed! Tongues of fire blew outwards with a earth shattering explosion that decimated the nearest huts as well as the remaining goblins who ran for their lives only to ultimately be devoured by the fire! To those that were out of its range though, they found that breathing became difficult, their flesh starting to change as their noses felt blocked. Poison! Thebination of fire and poison had taken everyone by surprise, except for the ck Scorn n goblins who were immune. They had backed away when they saw Vijak about to cast this spell, escaping the mes. Vijak guffawed as he saw the destruction before him covered by the thick nket of dust and the crisp sound of the burnt ground. A certain Boneman and hispanion who had been out of the attack¡¯s range marvelled at the disy of power while within thefort of the hut, being unaffected by the drifting poison. ¡°Mastery of fire¡­¡± muttered Skullius as he reyed what he had seen Vijak do. Ukur could be seen as the smoke cleared, wheezing and panting as the image that stood above him had erected a barrier to protect him and Shmeija. Barely. Some of the poison had infiltrated and was absorbed into the twos bodies. He was faring better as a higher tier existence, but Shmeija was grasping at his own neck with bulging eyes. Vijak looked at the destruction, the dust still centered at where he had flung his [Rancid Scorching Sphere] blocking his view of Shirota¡¯s remains. He did not advance, being cautious even when he assumed victory was at hand. Suddenly, droplets of water stared to rise from the river next to the goblin settlement. They were felt and seen as they surrounded the entire area, falling onto the burning huts and corpse covered ground like rain. Vijak backed away with a frown. As the dust cleared, Shirota appeared, still in his stance as he red ahead. There was no damage visible on him and he didn¡¯t look to be affected by the poison! ¡®This¡­!¡¯ Vijak thought with a rising anguish. More droplets poured from the river, rising into the sky and falling like rain. They put out the fires and gave the scene a darker tone. Strangely, around Shirota, the droplets changed, bing a mist that roiled around him as he finally fidgeted, looking to be prepared to make his move. The mist grew thicker until Shirota¡¯s figure was almost invisible under its cover. Then, Shirota¡¯s voice rang out with a hoarse tone, his movement following a moment after under the gaze of a particrly attentive Bone Boar whose sockets greedily absorbed the scene. ¡°First River Dance, Condense!¡± Chapter 34 Bro, What Are You Doing?! Shirota¡¯s figure burst forward, his saber¡¯s de looking like it was made of mist as it hissed, streaking across the air! The speed with which he moved was fast, Vijak failing to pick up Shirota¡¯s image until it was right in front of him, the cold saber in his opponent¡¯s hand shing down at him! With an incredibly quick reflex and a terrified look on his face, Vijak brought both his hands in front of him and expelled all the mana he could gather in a short time, activating a skill right after! [me Rupture]! A bright me with a disgusting amount of heat blossomed between Vijak¡¯s hands and exploded towards Shirota whose eyes remained nailed at the target with a fierce expression. VWUUSH! The mes roared with grandeur and when they came into contact with the mist that surrounded Shirota¡¯s saber, a burst of steam exploded outwards, distorting the visibility of the encounter between these two Tier 2 goblins. ¡°Woow¡­¡± Skullius muttered in awe as he witnessed this show of power. His focus remained on the way fire was being used in such a versatile manner. Not long after the battle against moisture and heat¡­ ¡°ARRGHHHH!¡±. A scream was heard as Vijak shot from the gust of steam with arge gash that ran along his robes and torso, blood spraying out! Shirota¡¯s figure bolted from the white as he sped with another glint of murderous intent flickering in his beady eyes his sword seeking to finish off Vijak! ¡°Second River Dance, Flow!¡± Shirota called as he sliced through the air with his deterally! If one looked closely, his sword became covered in droplets of water that ran along its cold surface with a brisk speed! Vijak who was backing away could only look on in horror as Shirota closed in. ¡®They have someone like this among them as well?¡¯ Vijak questioned in his mind as the sword approached. Even those without the guidance of the Voice Of Worlds could recognise special sses as the attributes shown by a special ss usually went over and above what a normal ss could disy. Elements, unknown energies, significant surges in efficiency and power. All these could be noted by those who didn¡¯t have guidance fields as they identified what kind of ss their opponent had. As Shirota¡¯s saber was merely inches away, a quick object hurtled through the air and nted itself between Vijak and Shirota, thetter withdrawing his attack as he backed away. ¡®That speed..¡¯ Shirota thought as he looked at the spear that grandly stood between him and Vijak. It had travelled at a speed faster than he had swung his saber. A short goblin leapt up from above one of the huts andnded in front of Vijak protectively. Many other goblins with brownish skin appeared from all directions as they surrounded Shirota, Ukur and Shmeija. One of the goblins supported Vijak to stand up straight while another began applying a special oily mixture to his wound. Vijak looked at the three who were surrounded with glee and began to speak triumphantly. ¡°Ha! I was surprised that you had a warrior like this, Ukur. I admit that besting him alone would be impossible but¡­ look around you. You¡¯re surrounded. Furthermore, you¡¯re not the only one with a warrior who has a special ss.¡± Vijak pointed at the short goblin which stood before him defensively. ¡°This should even out the fight. Attack!¡± Vijak shouted to which the dozens of goblins that had finished killing the Bloated River n members raced forward with their weapons to attack! ¡°Red bro, this is insane! Are you seeing this?!¡± Skullius said as he peeped through the hole he had made. Red Rage was also looking attentively at the fight that was breaking out. Five goblins rushed towards Shirota, yelling and screeching with annoying high pitched voices. As they got within two meters of him, Shirota swung his saber, the de striking nothing but air. Yet¡­ The five goblins that had rushed to attack were split in half, their blood sshing over the goblins that were behind them! ¡°Don¡¯t attack him you idiots, leave him to Tikika!¡± barked Vijak, the rest of the goblins who weren¡¯t about to die meaninglessly like the split five heading for Ukur and Shmeija! Ukur watched the goblins as they rushed towards him and the hazy figure that was above him turned its attention to the iing foes. It stretched out its hands that had a texture like tree bark and mumbled what sounded like a gibberish. A few of the goblins suddenly stopped and began quivering! Their eyes rolled back and they fell down immediately, dead! The others that followed were perturbed, but kept moving forward, those that had skills beginning to cast them as they approached the n leader and his apprentice! The goblin whose name was Tikika pulled out his spear from the ground and whirled it in the air before he headed for Shirota who was already prepared to receive his attacks. Skullius, as he wielded the crooked staff saw notifications pop in his vision. [Felled prey lies before you. Would you like to extract the Essence of Null Life? Remaining time 45 seconds] [Felled prey lies before you. Would you like to extract the Essence of Null Life? Remaining time 45 seconds] [Felled prey¡­..] ¡­. Tktktktktktktk! Skullius¡­cackled. Who knew someone with atrocious luck could reap gains while hiding in a burning hut?! He wielded the staff and watched as streams of energy flew from the dead bodies and rushed into his staff! [Basic Mana Maniption has levelled up!] Skullius rejoiced. His inference had been correct. His mana sensing range was used for increasing his range for [Null Extraction]! ¡°Great! Things are looking up. At this rate, I can finally get to test what I can get from a [Permanent Random Upgrade]!¡± Skullius said as streams of energy kept rushing into his staff as the intense fight continued. All he had to do was hide and collect as many NLE Points as he could, then sneak away from the goblins if those that remained afterwards were the Tier 2 monsters. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do a thing Red bro, can you imagine? Red bro?¡± Skullius said, looking beside him a momentter as he discovered that there was a nk spot were a short bone boar was missing. ¡°Red bro?¡± Skullius asked and then¡­ FWUUP! FWUUP! FWUUP! BOOM! Arrows flew from above the hut that Skullius was hiding, a burst of orange me that flew as a small ball following after the arrows, sting a few goblins on the battlefield! ¡­! Skullius looked on the floor and saw that the short staff with the [me Shot] skill was gone! Red Rage was attacking the goblins with arrows and his staff! Skullius looked up at the ceiling in panic. ¡°BRO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!¡± he screamed. Chapter 35 Atrocious Arrows flew and pierced through the necks and heads of the goblins. These were the arrows with that Red Rage had been told to retrieve from the archer that Skullius had killed in the hut earlier. The poison smeared on the arrow heads didn¡¯t have any effect on the ck Scorn n goblins but the pointy ends did the trick. As death was running around with a scythe among the goblins, most noticed the assault and turned to see the silhouette of the short figure that immediately jumped down from its position and returned to the ¡®safe¡¯ interior of the hut. As soon as Red Rage came down, Skullius gripped him by the head, his socket mes burning with a rage filled intensity. ¡°You¡­!¡± Red Rage shrank back from Skullius¡¯ gaze. ¡°What were you thinking?!¡± Red Rage pointed in the direction of the goblins and made a fist gesture, his arm quivering. ¡°You just wanted to kill them?¡± Red Rage nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Red Rage nodded fiercely. ¡°BRO, GO FLESH YOURSELF!¡±. Skullius was extremely disappointed. However, he didn¡¯t forget to use the staff to collect the Null Life Essence from all the goblins that Red Rage had killed. ¡°We¡¯re leaving¡­now!¡± Skullius grabbed the short Apostle and ran out of the hut with him. Vijak who was being treated looked in the direction of where the arrows came from and then turned to one of the goblins that remained at his side and addressed him. ¡°Go find out what¡¯s going on. Kill anyone you see.¡± The goblin nodded and rushed towards the direction along with a few others. They split as they sought to corner the enemy. Skullius weaved through the huts with Red Rage in tow. As he ran he couldn¡¯t help but ck his teeth in anger. He looked at Red Rage and for a moment he remembered that this guy had been a nemesis of his¡­ for a couple of minutes. Yesterday. Now, he had no choice but to run for it. He knew that he would be in trouble if he were to be identified as an undead. These goblins could stop fighting among themselves and hunt him down first. VOW bro had made it perfectly clear how much undead were despised after all. The consequences would be dire if he were to seen. Atrocious even. Therefore he had run away before¡­ ¡°UNDEAD! OH DEAR! THERE¡¯S UNDEAD HERE! AARRGHHHH! IT¡¯S AN ARMY! HAVE MERCY! THEY ARE GOING TO KILL ME! ARGHHHH!¡± ¡­! An injured goblin who was leaning against the side a broken down hut screamed at the top of its lungs as it saw Skullius and Red Rage pass by! It yelled hysterically with a loud voice that was unbefitting of its state. Skullius paused for a moment, barely believing what was happening. Red Rage acted quickly and shot the undead in the head but the damage was already done. ¡®Any army?! What¡¯s wrong with this goblin?! Gah! I hope no one heard,¡¯ Skullius thought before he resumed his sprint. From either side of him, weaving through the cluster of huts were the figures of the goblins that were rapidly closing in! ¡®Things were going well so far! What¡¯s with this selectively atrocious luck?!¡¯ Skullius turned to Red Rage again. Why was it that all the highlights of his bad luck featured this partially loyal bro? Skullius increased his running speed to the max, seeing edge of the settlement where the steps were just in front of him. The goblins that had been told to find the enemy got a clearer view of the figures of Red Rage and Skullius. A ring skull, flickering me in the sockets, bony limbs. ¡­! One of them immediately made a U-turn and rushed to inform the other goblins while the others paused in fear. Meanwhile, the goblins who had been charging at the three remaining Bloated River n members halted as they had heard the boisterous voice of the goblin who had yelled. ¡°Undead?¡± The goblins shook and started faltering. The mention of undead was a scary thing in the Tremur Forest as there was a grand history involving these malicious creatures. Each time that an army of undead had appeared unannounced, it had been a massacre. Through the tens thousands of years of its history, the Tremur Forest had been ravaged by the undead on four asions, with the undead prevailing on all but one of these. The fear of these creatures was deeply rooted in every creature within the Tremur Forest as during the times of invasion, all the beasts of the forest joined forces to fight, the tradition of this urrence being carried down as a sort of mystical treaty that was engraved in their bones and blood. Vijak frowned and so did the other Tier 2 goblins. ¡°We have to pause our feud. Earlier, I had been about to lead a group of goblins to investigate a report on undead. Let us look into this first,¡± Shirota said as he gazed at Vijak and then at the goblin he had been fighting. Vijak was silent for a while, deliberating on what to do. Could it be a ruse? There was a possibility, but if it turned out to be true¡­ The goblin who had rushed to inform his n leader appeared and exined to Vijak with a terrified expression on his face. Vijak frowned even deeper than before. ¡°It seems it¡¯s true. We¡¯ll hold off on our fight and chase them down. Apparently they are fleeing. There may be more of them,¡± Vijak said. Shirota nodded and vigntly backtracked to Ukur. ¡°It¡¯s better if you stay here. Escape with Shmeija if possible.¡± Ukur nodded. Soon, the goblins who had been ughtering each other began rushing in one direction, Shirota and Tikika included. Three of the goblins from the ck Scorn n remained, Vijak among them as he would not leave a window for Ukur to escape again. Shirota noticed but chose to leave it be. The only threat among the remaining goblins would be Vijak anyway. He trusted that Ukur would be able to take care of himself. Besides he was confident that he would able to handle the goblins he was leaving with in case they attacked him, even with Tikika among them. Skullius was already a distance away, running for his life when he heard the movements behind him, numerous goblins rushing at him with great fervour. They were still far but what scared the doomed ghost out of him was the two figures in the lead that bolted with an immense speed, rapidly approaching him! ¡°FLESH YOU, RED BRO!¡± Skullius cursed at Red Rage who kept up his pace and then¡­ [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has activated the skill ¡®Dash in Dust¡¯] Red Rage¡¯s short figure flickered out of existence for a moment before he appeared several meters away, sprinting at a faster speed! ¡°Get back here you traitor!¡± Skullius barked. Chapter 36 Poor Bastard Skullius could only growl in rage as he witnessed his own Apostle leave him in the dust. Furthermore¡­ [Skill ¡®Dash in Dust¡¯ has levelled up!] ¡°I get it!¡± Skullius yelled as he dismissed the notification that appeared before him. He turned to see his pursuers rapidly closing in on his location and could only hope that his selectively atrocious luck would have a few ounces of mercy and somehow deliver him from this situation. ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯m fighting those socket holes and winning!¡¯ Skullius thought. One of the perks of being able to sense the mana from over a hundred-meter radius was the ability to sense the strength of the cores of creatures in said radius. The power within the Tier 2 monsters that he had seen was incredible. They had white cores that released a literal burning sensation that did more than tickle his senses through [Basic Mana Maniption]. This gave Skullius a bigger dose of unease as he recalled the issue of different coloured cores once again. So far, he hadn¡¯t managed to see another coloured core other than the standard white that every creature he¡¯de across had. The only exception was possibly Az as Skullius didn¡¯t have the luxury of inspecting him then. He doubted that that big ape was in the same ss as the goblins. A certain skill of his teased the eventuality of him being able to get a blue core, but the disparity and meaning between every core colour was still only an object for spection. ~~~ [Depths of the Core Lv 1]. To attain great strength, one must understand their own source of power. The core. The more one understands the more they can evolve their strength from the standard to the elite boundary where very few reside. When this skill is used, the user can alter their core in the direction they want. Mana Requirements: 500 Mana Points Duration: 1 minute Cooldown: 100 days ~~~ Skullius couldn¡¯t wait to use this skill when he had sufficient mana but that depended entirely on one thing. If he could escape this current predicament. He raced forward with even more fervour, passing dozens of trees as he almost lost sight of Red Rage who suddenly made a turn and ran into the parts of the forest with thicker trees. Skullius followed. Running in a straight line would be a literal one-way ticket to getting caught anyway. He doubted that the goblins could see his figure clearly from their distance and better yet, they couldn¡¯t sense him which spelled a possibility for him to somehow lose these fleshlings. After covering a bit more of a distance, the goblins being a bit more than two hundred meters behind him, Skullius saw lights in the distance. They were quite a few of them, moving rapidly towards them. ¡®What is it now?!¡¯ Skullius questioned the full capacity of his rotten luck. Was it another enemy that wasing from the front? Did they know about and were specificallying for him?! Red Rage decelerated. He had run out of mana sometime ago but was already ahead so the gap between him and his master barely shrunk. The lights got closer and Skillius got exceedingly anxious. ¡®This is some fleshed up stuff! What do I do?!¡¯ The lights in the distance turned into torches in Skullius¡¯ vision as they drew nearer. The light illuminated the figures ofrge creatures that Skullius knew quite well. ¡°Gah, it¡¯s them! Red bro, we have to hide!¡± Red Rage nodded and rushed up to a tree. He grabbed the tree trunk and started climbing. Skullius was dumbfounded! ¡°Bro, since when did you¡ª¡± [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has learned the skill ¡®Climb¡¯] ¡°Nevermind. I¡¯m a socket hole for asking.¡± The short boar began scaling the tree like a pro while leaving his master again, Skullius wondering just how much favourability he would need to get this guy to stop ditching him like a used tissue. Wait, what?! As the figures of the creaturesing from his front approached, the many goblins behind him also approaching, Skullius cked his teeth as he sought for a n. Rummaging through all his avable options gave Skullius a few bad ideas that had basically no guarantee. He looked at his robes, then at the tree at his side. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ *** Arge creature sat upon by a burly orc rushed forward with a visible air of pride. It had brownish-red fur and tusks protruding from its mouth. It boasted a height of almost two and a half meters, its girth being even more intimidating. An untameable rage could be seen within its eyes as it snorted. Gu¡¯Smashka sat on this beast that radiated power above his own, a few of the strongest warriors from his n following behind him with brisk paces. ¡°You better be right about this. If we find ourselves attacked by both goblin ns, the blood of our race is on your hands,¡± Gu¡¯Smashka said to the orc that ran along at the side with a threatening tone. The orc trembled and hurriedly reassured Gu¡¯Smashka. ¡°Uh¡­n-no worries, Gu¡¯Smashka. I¡¯m certain. It was a fierce battle. I¡¯m sure that even the invading goblins have sustained some casualties. We can win, especially with this,¡± the orc said as it eyed the beast that Gu¡¯Smashka was riding. A Dead-end apocalypse Boar! It was arger one that was close to evolving into the second tier. Its power was frightening, clearly evidenced by the air around it. This was the only one that this n of orcs had. Gu¡¯Smashka may have wanted peace to avoid casualties on his side, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. He had groomed this Boar by himself and kept it hidden from the goblins. He nned to use it in special cases, the leading circumstances being when the goblins suddenly attacked them. A good leader always had a n for unforeseen events. Gu¡¯Smashka sincerely hoped that this move of theirs was a wise one. He chose to put his trust in this scout whom he had sent to check the situation with the goblins. After he had heard that there was a battle among goblins with the ones he knew being on the losing side, he decided to act quickly. He had sent for help from the other orc ns but that wouldn¡¯te in one night and attacking himself was his best shot especially with all the urging by his fellow orcs to make a move on the goblins. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down. We still need to be more careful,¡± Gu¡¯Smashka said with a stern gaze nted on the orc scout. One of the orcs saw something that made him vignt for a second before he rxed. ¡°Did a human wander around here recently?¡± the orc asked in passing. Other orcs, including Gu¡¯Smashka, turned to him with inquisitive gazes and he simply pointed at a tree where something could be seen leaning against it. It was a skeleton with a funny colour. Its lower torso was missing, its skull hanging low while its jaw was nowhere to be seen. In its sockets was nothing but a hollow darkness, on its body a very crude leather armour that was conveniently ripped on the shoulder to show the burnt portion of its ribs and missing arm. ¡°Poor bastard. Must have died a cruel death. That¡¯s what they get for trespassing in our forest,¡± one of the orcs said. Chapter 37 How It Ends (1) The orcs showed their disgust and disdain as they passed by. Generally, it wasn¡¯t toomon to find humans, especially on this side of the Tremur Forest. It was also a known fact that humans could be exceedingly dangerous, but finding the skeletal remains of a human meant one thing. That they were weak. At least in most cases. As the orcs moved on, Gu¡¯Smashka saw the presence of light ahead, figures of goblins appearing as they neared with their urgent rush. Gu¡¯Smashka raised his hand, signalling for the orcs to stop. ¡°It seems our enemies areing to us.¡± A certain Boneman who was ying dead by the tree shook slightly as he noticed that the orcs hade to a halt near his position. From his dark sockets, a tiny blue glint appeared. ¡®Gah! Move you socketholes! Why are you just standing there?! Duke it out with those goblins and let me escape!¡¯ Skulliusined in his mind. He had thought of an odd n that seemed to be working just fine. He had dismantled his jaw and disjoined himself from his lower torso to give the illusion that he was a harmless skeleton. He had taken off the robe, several leather armours that he wore to leave only one that looked the most pathetic out of all the others. He also hid his steel sword and staves in the long tufts of grass that were on the ground to make his image more convincing. As for his socket mes, extinguishing them was the equivalent of blinking or closing eyelids and he had to keep it up otherwise he would be noticed. Moving right now was not ideal, especially with both the orcs and goblins being here.. Shirota and Tikika who were leading the goblin charge stopped as they faced the orcs. For a few moments, there was a deep silence that pervaded, making Skullius nervous. ¡°What do we do? We haven¡¯te across any undead and the ones we were chasing aren¡¯t anywhere in sight,¡± Tikika said to Shirota. ¡°We¡¯ll look further. It ran in this direction. Kill these orcs and let¡¯s move on,¡± Shirota replied. Gu¡¯Smashka didn¡¯t understand what the goblins were saying but he didn¡¯t need to. Before the goblins could make their move, he roared as he pulled therge battle axe that was on his back and pointed with it forward! ¡°RAAAAAAR!¡± The orcs immediately rushed forward, going in to sh with the goblins who outnumbered them with battle cries! Gu¡¯Smashka noticed the two powerful goblins at the lead and decided to take them on with his boar and avoid his men being killed needlessly! He heaved his axe, cocking his arm backwards before flinging the weapon with all his might as the boar under him charged with a bubbling red aura building around its body! Gu¡¯Smashka¡¯s axe flew through the air, its metal head spinning as it barrelled forward! It aimed for Shirota who ducked to the side and allowed the five goblins behind him to eat the axe¡¯s staggering force instead! They could barely react before all of them were split apart, blood and guts decorating the haphazardly spaced grass on the ground! Tikika wielded his spear as he charged towards the iing boar. Shirota also charged ahead, running parallel to his counterpart. Tikika¡¯s spear became coated with his mana as he prepared to unleash a powerful skill, however¡­ A burst of red clouded his vision for a split second and he heard rough, intense breaths! The boar before him suddenly increased in size and lowered its stance as it charged with its zing red aura illuminating the area! It sped ahead with a speed that made it impossible for both Shirota and Tikika to attack as they wished. Tikika who was about to unleash his skill, switched to defence, bringing his spear in front of him while pumping mana into it! Shirota rolled to the side, evading the boar¡¯s charge entirely! The ground trembled as the boar mercilessly struck Tikika with itsrge head, the short goblin feeling a tremor run through his body that cracked a few bones! A shockwave erupted from the sh between the mana from Tikika and the red energy from the skill that the boar was using. Yes! A skill. One that had been partially introduced by Red Rage before his death. The skill, Dead End! It was a charge type skill that increased the user¡¯s stats by 130%! Of course, this figure could be lower or higher depending on the level of the skill. Tikika was blown away, knocking against the ground with a powerful thud and rolling around the dirt till he came to a stop! He coughed blood and hurriedly tried to stand which proved to be extremely difficult for him. Shirota vigntly gazed at the boar whose radiant red aura was dying down and prepared to attack it. Three orcs rushed towards him swinging their weapons with rtively admirable skill! Shirota swung his sword, slicing one of them from the belly up before it could swing down its axe and swiftly turned, his de producing wisps of cold air as it tore through the other orcs! Gu¡¯Smashka frowned and made the boar turn to Shirota who was just finishing with the orcs that attacked him. The three entered a staredown with the image of goblins and orcs ughtering each other in the background making for a rather epic fantasy scene! Skullius saw the fighting to have started in kind and decided to make small movements as he aimed to reach his torso and equipment. He slowly pulled himself with his one hand and grabbed his crooked staff first. ¡®Might as well harvest some Null Life Essence while I¡¯m at it,¡¯ Skullius thought. The staff emitted the light of Null Life Essence that only he could see and began to draw in the Null Life Essence from the dead bodies. As he did, he noticed something peculiar. The bodies of the orcs produced a bright stream of Null Life Essence than the goblins. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t quite tell how much he earned from a single orc as he received all the Null Life Essence at once. ¡®I see. It¡¯s not about how powerful the creature is¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. He tore himself from this train of thought and sneakily reattached his lower torso and took all his stuff before crawling away, afraid that he might trigger his luck to do something more profound. When he was a distance away, he hid behind a tree and watched from a distance. He then called out to Red Rage who was still in the tree. ¡®Hey,e on! Let¡¯s go!¡¯ Red Rage didn¡¯t budge from the tree he was in, attentively staring at the chaos below the branch he stood on. His eyes were on Shirota as he was in a staring contest with the orc leader Gu¡¯Smashka. His eyes then shifted to the figure of Tikika who was struggling to stand. Tikika rose and coughed up more blood. He used his spear as a support and showed a rage-filled expression while ring at Gu¡¯Smashka and the boar. He desperately wanted to kill them but his body would need to recover for a bit. FWUUSH! FWUUSH! Two arrows sped through the air and lodged themselves into the head of the goblin who had his eyes on a prize that he wouldn¡¯t get to tangle with anymore! One moment had led to his death under the watchful sockets of Red Rage. Skullius was once again¡­ dumbfounded. [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has killed (II) LV11 Vile Ilk Goblin. 4200 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits¡­] ¡®Is killing all this socket hole ever thinks about?!¡¯ Skullius thought. He literally felt a shiver of satisfaction from Red Rage before the Apostle scaled down the tree and stealthily rushed to him. Once again, he didn¡¯t stop, overtaking Skullius as he went. Skullius shook his head and followed, giving onest nce behind him where the remaining goblins were left in panic on seeing Tikika¡¯s corpse. Due to the low visibility provided by the night and how they had to discard their torches for the fight, they hadn¡¯t been able to see the arrows shoot towards Tikika, thus his death was a surprise. The killer was running off with his master while they fought. The two ran down a gorge where the section of the forest they had escaped became a history they couldn¡¯t see as they then went on to rush forward at full speed for somewhere to collect themselves. ¡ª Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Yousted a lot longer than I thought from this. You have indeed changed for the better,¡± Vijak said while sitting down and gazing at Ukur who remained vignt. The Bloated River n leader merely squinted his human-like eyes without a word. Chapter 38 How It Ends (2) Ukur sat on the ground as he tended to his apprentice, Shmeija, who had been healed sufficiently but not to the best degree. He couldn¡¯t afford to give him a full treatment when he was in the middle of a war. He gazed at Vijak who wore a look of disdain and triumph, no manner of mercy traceable on his visage. The situation had devolved into this and he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. The goblins that were dead on the ground, killed by arrows, swords, poison or all of the above made him grimace and wonder if what he had done years ago had been worth it in the end. Was trying to flee from the short-lived and doomed nature of the goblin existence a bad thing? Was fighting for a better life in this forest, in this world, the wrong thing to do? It became apparent on his face the amount of emotion that threatened to drown him in sorrow. ¡°You believe that goblins are a cursed existence right? You used to babble on and on about it ever since we were back in the swamp. Which do you feel more strongly about? That we are a bigger threat to ourselves or that because we are all very low on the food chain, we are destined to be swallowed up by something stronger?¡± Vijak asked. This question did not impede Ukur¡¯s thoughts from reaching darker ces as they swirled in his mind, yet he already had an answer for it. ¡°Both are equally true. As someone who has lived both lives in and out of the swamp, I can safely say it¡¯s a miracle that I¡¯m still alive right now. However, I¡¯d still make the choice to flee from that hell and into this one any day.¡± Vijak narrowed his eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t people like you who go on to steal what belongs to others the very disease that makes the swamp such a terrible ce?¡± he asked with a slight frown. Ukur did not respond, his gaze going to his apprentice. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be self-righteous! At the end of it all, we are all born selfish! Whether you do something vile for yourself or your n, you still leave someone in a worse position! That¡¯s nature! You¡¯re not the hero who left to save his n, you¡¯re the goblin who sacrificed a hundred lives for another hundred! Just like me! Just like all of us!¡± Vijak suddenly shot into an outburst, saliva spraying from his mouth as he yelled.. Ukur once again did not reply. He merely kept looking at Shmeija who began to open his eyes. The goblin saw his master¡¯s face and recalled what had happened prior to his loss of consciousness. ¡°Master¡­ you were right¡­ I should¡­ have been¡­ patient,¡± he said with a bitter expression. Ukur merely grimaced as he heard his student¡¯s words. Vijak stood, showing a ferocious expression. He disregarded the thought of waiting for his goblins to return and decided to end this long feud right here. He had waited for so long. For revenge. A selfish revenge. He gathered his mana and prepared to finish Ukur once and for all. ¡°Let¡¯s end it! Like it has always been! Goblin on goblin!¡± Ukur looked at Vijak, realising that there was no way he was avoiding this fight. The hazy figure of an old goblin appeared, hovering above him as he prepared to fight as well. The resolve from both sides was thick and radiant in the night. However, something even more radiant appeared. It appeared unannounced. Unexpected. Unwee. A lean pir of orange fire sprang within the forest outside the goblin settlement. Its light was quite bright, tinging everything with its luminance. The trees hindered some of its grandeur from reaching Ukur, Vijak and the others who were almost a hundred meters away and down the slope in the ravine, but each of them felt something that made them lose their will to fight. A vast amount of mana! The pir of fire that was in the shape of a slit, suddenly flickered as if it was going to go out, repeating this multiple times while the goblins held their breaths. Then¡­ It shone bright and expanded outwards with a grand beauty. A grand fiery beauty that erased the vegetation wherever it passed without any resistance! The fire spread outwards in a massive circr radius that moved at a quick speed! Ukur saw the trees, grass and even the ground disappear as the fire approached. He breathed out an exasperated sigh and felt strength leaving his body. Vijak also had a simr feeling. The light of rage in his eyes died down before the unrelenting might of the truly powerful existence that had brought down an unwarranted judgement. He looked at Ukur and wore a grimace before he had hisst thought. ¡®You were right in the end¡­ A cursed existence.¡¯ The expanding radius of scorching me descended down the slope and went on to devour the remnants of the goblin settlement, ending the lives of the goblins that watched on hopelessly. Master and apprentice. Enemy and friend. No one was spared. The fire devoured the water in the river next to the settlement before it stopped spreading and then, it died down immediately. The charred trees that had been on fire were instantly relieved as the fire mysterious died down, leaving billows of smoke and a darknd with spots of crackling orange. From where the fire had originated, a lone figure stood, heaving as he then knelt on the ground from exhaustion. *** Shirota was winning. The boar and its rider were suffering wound after wound from his constant and careful movements as well as sword strikes! He swung his sword to remove the blood, his eyes focusing on the panting Gu¡¯Smashka who was frowning while wielding his battle-axe. The axe had done him no good against such a weak opponent and the reason he was even standing right now was because he had a tenacious endurance. Rtively. The boar was grunting and snorting, anger billowing from its body in the form of a flickering red energy. Gashes and wounds were all over its body, staining its hide. It was frustrated after having failed to get the agile and smart Shirota with its skill, ¡®Dead End¡¯. Now, its mana had run out and it didn¡¯t have its strongest weapon and only weapon against a Tier 2 opponent. Shirota still remained cautious as he had been at a disadvantage since the fight began. As a Mist Swordsman, he had an advantage anywhere a potent source of moisture could be found. This was why he had been so overbearing during the fight in the goblin settlement. He was usually confident even without a source of water nearby as he could absorb moisture from the air with his First River Dance and coalesce it around his de for added damage. Moisture was not quite as prevalent here, unfortunately, therefore he had been quite careful with his moves and now they had paid off. He was confident he could finish off Gu¡¯Smashka as well as the remaining orcs that had shockingly been able to overpower the goblins despite being outnumbered. He didn¡¯t care as they were his enemies after all. The death of Tikika was more reassuring to him than his life. A bright sh of light suddenly spawned from where he and the other goblins hade from. Shirota and all the other creatures turned and marvelled at the phenomenon, watching the bright light turn into a fire that devoured everything for a distance before dying down some a stone¡¯s throw away. Shirota¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡®Ukur¡­ Shmeija!¡¯ he thought before he sheathed his saber and raced in that direction, hope propelling his body. Gu¡¯Smashka breathed out as hey down his axe. In his mind, what was happening there could either be really good for him and his orcs or really bad. Whichever the case, he didn¡¯t want to know or stay behind to find out. Chapter 39 How It Ends (3) Shirota was different from any other goblin within the Bloated River n under Ukur. He was diligent and ever since the n moved away from the swamp, he had vowed to make the most out of it. He knew and understood about Ukur¡¯s sacrifice, wanting to do his own part as he considered his n leader to have done is duty sufficiently already. He was timid by nature, but was immensely devoted to the n and his training. He loved the way of the sword. It was all he ever practised, this obsession having been born after he discovered how easily it could cut down enemies within the swamp. Therefore, he would always use a sword wherever it was an option he could use for anything as its versatility was also pretty high. He didn¡¯t ck off when it came to work and silently bore any fatigue from strenuous exercises that he and his brethren had to endure during their journey to find a safer ce to live. The name Bloated River came from Ukur¡¯s belief that one day, there would be bountiful gains to be had after the initial portion of their lives when they had to struggle to survive. He believed that if one fought hard enough, they could escape a tragic destiny which was a belief that Shirota clung onto religiously. Shirota worked himself to the bone. He always went near rivers to train, or jumped into the knee high water streams to practise his sword movements. This was so he wouldn¡¯t get discouraged from working hard. By looking at the water than danced near on his feet, he would be reminded what he was fighting for. As a timid introvert, his thoughts were his paradise and after a while, he cemented his resolve, not allowing himself to be shaken by anything from the outside.. Perhaps his unrelenting devotion was the cause of a miracle that bloomed within him. Or perhaps it was him merely fulfilling the conditions required unknowingly. Typically, all creatures of the forest could awaken a ss after they reached Tier 1. After putting in the work of course, intelligence ying a major role in this as well. Shirota had acquired the Swordsman ss after he reached Tier 1. After years of hardwork and devotion, he had managed to acquire an advanced ss. With this ss, he could amplify his stats and damage output simply by synchronising his sword and moisture. It was easier said than done, but he was extremely happy that he had learned of this. This strength he acquired brought pride to the n. He was praised as a genius who managed to ascend to greater heights, a great responsibilityid on his shoulders by the n. Ukur had been even more proud of him, teaching him the best ways he could think of that could make his application of the perks provided the advanced ss more potent! As he ran, all Shirota could think about was his master and Shmeija. He had not shown it before because he still clung onto hope, but now, with the possibility that he may be the only who remained from the Bloated River n, the depression finally showed on his face. Tears started rolling down his beady ck eyes. *** A human figure knelt down on the dry and burnt ground. He took in deep breaths, struggling to keep himself alive and bearing the extreme pain. He had sunflower blonde hair and hazel eyes that seemed to be dimming, losing life rapidly. This man was Eobald. He coughed up blood and dropped on his back to the ground. By his side was a sheathed sword that released a dangerous aura but it had been stained with the blood that oozed from his body. He had multiple deep wounds that ensured that he wouldn¡¯t live for too long, but Eobald refused to die just yet. He had managed to flee with the one piece that would stop a vile tyrant from achieving his goals. As hey here, they were probably on their way as they could track his Key with their own. The only piece of reassurance he tried to believe was that he was farther away from them. ¡®Urgh¡­ I was careless. I used all my mana to fuel the Scorch Teleportation scroll but¡­ in the end it was barely enough. Had it been even a little short, I don¡¯t think I would have made it through the Stagnant Space¡­¡¯ Eobald thought. He used his arm to pull himself towards a standing burnt trunk of a what had been arge and healthy tree. He leaned against it as he sat and controlled his breathing. He looked up and around, seeing a ravine, or what remained of it a distance away with his enhanced vision. ¡°Where am I¡­ exactly? I hope I didn¡¯t bring my myself to a dangerous area.¡± Slowly, he went on to close his eyes and began to draw in mana from the surroundings. A faint distortion could be seen in the air as Eobald exerted his pull on the mana in the world. ¡°The mana is rtively thin here. I must be closer to the edge of the forest. That¡¯s good¡­ it will take them some time to reach me. Perhaps I can recover¡­¡± Mana began to swim from the air and into him, Eobald controlling it to effectively strengthen his body and begin to fill his core. After two minutes passed, Eobald coughed another mouthful of blood, streaks of it straining his face as his eyes turned blood shot! ¡°Well¡­ it seems they were prepared. They weren¡¯t going to let me live no matter what.¡± Eobald lifted his clothing, a stab wound appearing that kept gushing out blood while a reddish purple discolouration could be seen on the skin surrounding it. He slumped against the tree again and kept the manaing to try and make himselfst longer while he thought of a permanentsolution. At that moment, Eobald¡¯s keen ears heard footsteps of something running from the forest ahead. He turned his eyes and saw a goblin that was a distance away rushing down into the ravine. ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯ he thought as he watched the goblin hurriedly search for something. ¡®Its been a while since I¡¯ve seen one of those¡­¡¯ *** Skullius was jumping for joy as he saw the notification on his guidance field. This was a discovery that made him envision a brighter future where with his growth, he would definitely find this feature to be even more ridiculous than it already was. ¡°Finally! Tktktktkt! Something is going my way! You see this, Red bro?! I¡¯ve got some good stuff too!¡± Chapter 40 Bolstering The Nullmancers Offense (1) Several minutes before¡­ It all started when Skullius received a reward in light of his previous ¡®hard work¡¯ from the guidance field. [Due to repetition of the action of ¡®Running Away¡¯, the skill ¡®Artless Dodger¡¯ has been acquired!] Skullius had scratched his head when he first saw it. It was great that he had finally attained a skill from repeating an action, but it was one he was not exactly proud of. This was more so true when he read its description. ~~~ [Artless Dodger | Lv. 1] When the odds are stacked against you, enemies of epic proportionsing for your life, summon a 25% increase in agility from the fuel of cowardice, to leave them all in the dust. Mana Requirements: 30 Mana Points Duration: 1 minute Cooldown: 2 minutes ~~~ ¡°It¡¯s not always¡­.cowardice¡­¡± Skullius meekly defended himself. He had escaped into a rather shallow gorge after a lengthy sprint from the conflict between the goblins and orcs. Now, Skullius found himself getting genuinely curious about how the fight had ended. He assumed that Shirota would have the upper hand given his tier but nothing was truly set in stone. At least among the weak. He had scaled up to see whaty beyond the slope on the other side of the gorge and found another expanse of forestry even more lush than where he had been. Given the possibility of finding stronger enemies, Skullius decided to take a break and evaluate himself in the gorge. He sat down on the hard ground, Red Rage sitting along with him silently. ¡°Hmm¡­ so now you obediently stay put? As long it doesn¡¯t harm your own intentions, huh? You¡¯ll never be satisfied with me just patting your shoulder anymore, will you? Flesh you, intelligence stat! Give me back my loyal Apostle!¡± Skullius finished his outburst under the emotionless sockets of Red Rage. ¡°Come to think of it, its been a while since I checked our statuses. Let¡¯s see.¡± Skullius opened the guidance field to check his and Red Rage¡¯s statuses, nodding and shaking his head as he read the contents. ~~~. [ Name : Red Rage ] [ Tier : 0 ] [ ss : None ] [ Level : 5 ] [ Race : Null Lifeform (Bone Boar)] [ Inv. Status : Murderous tendencies on hold ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 30 ] [Agility : 30 ] [ Intelligence : 21 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 50/50 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 1/60 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Skills ] [ Null Life Aura | Lv. 1 ] [ Storming Charge | Lv. 1] [ Dead End | Lv. 1 ] [ sh Throw | Lv. 2 ] [ Swift Stab | Lv. 1 ] [ Dash in Dust | Lv. 2 ] [Climb | Lv. 1 ] [ Basic Bow Mastery | Lv.3 ] [ Blessing of Serenity ] ~~~ ¡°Hmm¡­ hmmm Red bro, you have some skills that you haven¡¯t used before. Why?¡± Skullius asked his short Apostle. All he received was a shrug. ~~~ [ Name : Skullius ] [ Tier : 0 ] [ ss : Vehement Bone Nullmancer ] [ Level : 5 ] [ Experience : 1600/8100 ] [ Race : Null Lifeform (Boneman) ] [ Inv. Status : Doomed (Adverse) x2 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 60 ] [Agility : 30 ] [ Intelligence : 75 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 50/70 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 100/270 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Null Life Essence : 1470/3000 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Skills ] [ Basic Mana Maniption | Lv. 2 ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1] [ Static Limbo ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Unbound | Lv. 1 ] [ Null Life Aura | Lv. 1 ] [ Greater Communication | Lv. 2 ] [ Artless Dodger | Lv.1 ] [ Apostle Summon | Lv.1 ] [ Apostle Armament | Lv.1 ] [ Depths of Core | Lv. 1 ] [ @%#^$% ] ~~~ ¡°Oh I have some skills that actually levelled up. I guess I have been using [Greater Communication] a lot.¡± Skullius analysed everything, once again almost dropping down to the ground when he noticed the amount of experience he needed till the next level. Triple the amount! Also, while looking at his stats, he couldn¡¯t help but remember that he truly was a mere Tier 0 at the end of the day. His stats and power just wasn¡¯t growing as fast as he wanted. Perhaps it seemed that way because he had a Doom Factor waiting for him tomorrow which he was less inclined to believe he¡¯d survive. ¡°Wait, wait, wait! What¡¯s up with my luck?! Is even the guidance field confused or what?! Gah! I wish VOW bro was here!¡± Even the information packet he had didn¡¯t have anything that specified about oddities in luck. Perhaps he was a special case. ¡°Well, might as well recover my arm now that I¡¯m not any danger,¡± Skullius said exasperatedly. Mana flowed from Skullius¡¯ white core and bathed his bones. The cracks began to vanish and the lustre of foggy grey returned from the ck side that had been burnt. When the mana reached his shoulder where the arm was missing though, it stopped. It didn¡¯t proceed to regenerate his arm as he thought! ¡°Hmm? What? I can¡¯t regrow my arm?! Gah! Come on!¡± Skullius slumped down and allowed the breeze to pass through his body. ¡°This is¡­ maybe fair¡­¡± Perhaps he had been expecting too much. Almost all of his mana was used up now and he felt that he might as well sulk in ce, one armed. Could an evolution fix this? The thought made Skullius yearn but he didn¡¯t have the strength to experiment. In a mash of bored and loss of faith, Skullius picked up the crooked staff and scrutinised it. The phenomenon where his range for [Unbound] was increased was truly interesting. The staff ignited with Null Life Essence. This time, Skullius paid attention to every detail that it gave off. Strangely, when the Essence in the form of a dancing light me that emitted no heat appeared on the stuff, he noted that his sensitivity to the staff grew. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius said. He began to immerse himself in the feeling of the staff. He felt like his mind was sinking into the structure of the object. He couldn¡¯t quite see in the literal sense but he could ¡®feel¡¯ what made the staff a staff and not an ordinary stick. There was awork of connections of mana within the staff that were not veryplex when Skullius felt for them. They were simply straight passages that sometimes intersected like a maze. A very basic one. As he navigated through this connection of tiny passages, Skullius felt the Null Life Essence flow through them. As soon he found a new passage to navigate through, the Null Life Essence followed too. Several minutes passed as Skullius engaged in this activity trying to find what would be at the end of discovering all the passages andcing them Null Life Essence. He got his answer soon enough, a notification popping up when all the passages he discovered were teeming with Null Life Essence. [You have mastered the skill ¡®Mana Bolt¡¯ from the crooked magic staff. Your understanding of thepounds of the world and mana increases] ¡­! Skullius was drawn out of his focused state as he looked to the notification that was floating before him! He had mastered the skill within the staff?! He immediately pulled up his status screen again and saw an additional skill sitting within his status panel! Furthermore¡­ ~~~ [Mana Bolt | Lv.1] Release a burst of highly condensed mana towards a target do deal damage that disrupts mana flow for a miniscule amount of time. Mana Requirements: 20 Mana Points Cooldown: 5 seconds ~~~ The skill had changed! Its mana requirements had been reduced along with the cooldown. It could be levelled up now and the biggest boon was that it had been enhanced. Or rather, fully realised! ¡°Finally! Tktktktkt! Something is going my way! You see this, Red bro! I¡¯ve got some good stuff too!¡± Skullius yelled while pointing at the Red Rage whose sockets were glowing intensely. Chapter 41 Bolstering The Nullmancers Offense (2) If it wasn¡¯t for Skullius not having enough mana at the moment, he would have alreadymitted to spamming the skill as he had nothing better to do. His teeth cked as he finally saw the boons of having the Vehement Bone Nullmancer as a ss. The ability to extract skills from objects that held mana! This detail went to convince Skullius that the description for the ss was not a hoax. He could truly use Null Life Essence to enhance his connection to mana. It was pretty urate. Red Rage merely watched as his master did a little dance, swaying his waist unattractively. Skullius only sat down after a while as he inspected the staff again with his guidance field, noticing that it didn¡¯t have the skill [Mana Bolt] anymore! ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Skullius hurriedly picked up the short staff and began to focus on it. There was a clear distinction between this one and the crooked magic staff. The short magic staff did not expand his range for [Unbound]. As he willed, it merely set alight with Null Life Essence as his mind was drawn to the inner mana workings inside. Once more, he saw manaworks that were slightly moreplex than the those that of the crooked magic staff. However, regardless of how they tangled and turned, the determined Skullius followed through, looking for all the passages made from mana as they were then filled up with Null Life Essence. [You have mastered the skill ¡®me Shot¡¯ from the short staff. Your understanding of thepounds of the world and mana increases] ¡°Yes!¡± The Boneman immediately went to look at the skill in his panel. ~~~ [me Shot | Lv.1] Release a burst of highly condensed fire that explodes upon contact with the target.. Mana Requirements: 30 Mana Points Cooldown: 10 seconds ~~~ ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Skullius said. Since he didn¡¯t have mana at the moment, he decided to add something else that could improve these skills. He was going to use [Unbound]! The skill ording to the description could upgrade any stat, skill or weapon. Skullius had initially wanted to save these points for Red Rage, but on top of his personal decision not to for the time being for obvious reasons (jealousy), he simply didn¡¯t think the Bone Boar needed it as much as he did. He needed an offense he could count on at the moment and didn¡¯t have to luxury to wait anymore. Besides,he could always gather more Null Life Essence after acquiring a powerful skill from this upgrade. ¡°I need an attack I can count on for simply attacking my enemies and another for dealing a lot of damage. If I can get a better version of [me Shot], I will have some peace of mind. I can leave [Mana Bolt] as it is and continue to level it up.¡± This was Skullius¡¯ reasoning. What he considered to be a problem when using [Unbound], was the fact that he might score an ability that required too much mana, therefore not being able to use it. He aimed to use 1000 Null Life Essence Points for a [Permanent Random Upgrade] so the skill he got would forever be nted in him. Thus, he had to make it count. Using 1000 Null Life Essence Points presumably guaranteed that what he drew was not something weak at least. Thankfully, there was still some time before he could use [Unbound] because of the cooldown, which gave him quite the bit of time to settle his mind on the matter. The time which remained didn¡¯t seem that long, Skullius finding the skill avable for use before he could cast away his worries. ¡°Well¡­ with time I will be able to use it even if its cost is too high anyway right?¡± [What would you like to Upgrade with Unbound?] ¡°me Shot,¡± Skullius responded. [1000 Null Life Essence Points expended for Permanent Random Upgrade] [Random Upgrade decided] Skullius felt something being drained from him and then¡­ something else began to be inserted into his core! It had a burning sensation to it that he felt raging out, begging to be released! The anticipation Skullius felt was unmatched! He hoped that it wouldn¡¯t be something bad. He was practically pleading in his mind. [Random Upgrade Complete] [Your skill ¡®me Shot¡¯ has been upgraded to ¡®Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno¡¯] ¡°Uhmm¡­.¡± Skullius tilted his head upon seeing the name of the skill. He then ignored it and went on to check what this new skill could do, hope gripping his core. ~~~ [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno] A horrendous me that subjects the target to unimaginable torment through an immense heat that delivers extreme pain and extreme pleasure interchangeably until nothing of them exists. Mana Requirements: 150 Mana Points Cooldown: 5 minutes ~~~ ¡°¡­¡± The description of the skill left Skullius torn between the thought of whether this skill was actually powerful or not. He looked at the rating and discovered that instead of the ranking of skills from Normal to Supreme, this one adopted the ranking he knew for artefacts. Skullius didn¡¯t know it yet, but the reason this was so was to not limit Skullius when it came to skills. Special skills and above could not be utilised when one had a white core, thus Skullius was enjoying a great advantage that he didn¡¯t know about. The same applied to all skills that had to do with Null Life, such as Apostle Armament. Skullius waited for his mana to regenerate, hours passing before he actually saw his mana filling up. ¡°Right!¡± Skullius said as he then prepared to test out his skills. He decided to test out [Mana Bolt] first. He stretched out his bony hand, pointing it towards the other side of the gorge. He intended to test the damage on the hard rock that formed a slope. With the activation of the skill, mana surged from Skullius¡¯ core, extending to his hand as he then called out¡­ ¡°Mana Bolt.¡± A bright sh of light coalesced within his hand! It shone with a bright white light and condensed to fit in his palm! Skullius looked in awe as the ball of light pulsed like a heart and he thenmanded it to shoot forward! The bolt of mana whizzed through the air and met the hard rock on the other side in a sh! The rock was smashed apart as the [Mana Bolt] blew against it, rocks and dust rising from the destruction. A crater the size of a human head appeared, being a bit deep as it showed the potency of the attack. ¡°Not bad. This is a bit stronger than when it was a skill in the staff.¡± Skullius still remembered how that one goblin mage had managed to damage him quite a bit with a single [Mana Bolt]. Now, it was stronger and had an added effect that he hoped to test out soon. After evaluating the strength of this skill, Skullius decided it was time to test out the big one. He stretched his hand and activated the skill, calling it out its name for a dramatic effect. ¡°Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno¡­¡± Skullius paused. ¡°¡­ that doesn¡¯t sound epic enough. I¡¯ll just call it Hell¡¯s Inferno for now. HELL¡¯S INFERNO!¡± Mana once again surged from his core, a vast amount of it gathering in his hand as then¡­ A purplish orange glow sprang into existence with arge size and grandeur that eclipsed its caster¡¯s own! It was like a star with the odd colour mix, issuing a great heat to the surroundings! A ball was formed from this, being asrge as Skullius¡¯ upper frame, tendrils of heat dancing at the edges. ¡°Oh¡­ my¡­¡± Skullius was entranced. Red Rage also looked with interest. Skullius debated on whether to actually fling this thing as he thought about the danger of attracting unwanted attention. ¡°Maybe that side¡­¡± Skullius decisively pointed the fireball further away within the gorge and released it! Upon shooting from Skullius¡¯ hand, the Boneman drew back a bit from the power of the skill, the [Hell¡¯s Inferno] flying with a quick speed and heading for the rocky slope ten meters away! BOOOM! The rock wall shook, a massive chunk of it being blown away! Arge crater with a significant portions of it red from being heated rapidly remained. It was quite deep, smokeing from it in potent billows. Skullius looked on with an unseen joy! ¡°This¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t form a sentence. He disregarded this not being what the description about the skill said and relished in how much destruction it could cause. Skullius looked at Red Rage who was enthralled by the skill his master just used. ¡°Well my bro, Red. It¡¯s settled what we are going to do until the light returns. We are going to level up our skills! ¡®There ain¡¯t no rest for the wicked,¡¯ they say. Wait, who says that?¡± Skullius shook his head and dismissed the thought. Red Rage nodded, beginning to work on his skills, while Skullius decided to use the rest of his mana for spamming [Mana Bolt] before he rested, waiting for it recover. The night passed with shes of white and purplish orange faintly appearing from the gorge as the two were hard at work, bolstering their offense. Chill, spam. Chill, spam. That was the n. Soon the sun rose, an existence that could be found in most worlds. It brought about light and caused the two Null Lifeforms to stop their spamming as even though they didn¡¯t know what the word ¡®tired¡¯ meant, they did know that the day time was an active yground for most creatures. The results were great for Skullius but even better for Red Rage! Chapter 42 A Deadly Flame [Mana Bolt] had levelled up by three, bing level four, Skullius doing everything he could to ensure that he attained a level after every use of his mana. [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno] had levelled up by two, which was still good for Skullius. He had been interchanging the spamming of his skills with one full mana tank used for one skill at a time. With [Hell¡¯s Inferno], he had been visualising what he had seen Vijak do when manipting the fire. ording to his own inference, Vijak had been manipting a fire-rted skill through Mana Maniption which he believed the high-level goblins to be using. Unfortunately, Skullius hadn¡¯t been able to sessfully manipte the me from his skill. However, his [Basic Mana Maniption] had levelled up twice from his attempts, which was a bonus. There was skill on Skullius¡¯ guidance field that he alwaysmented at not being able to use. Or rather, he could use it, but it just wouldn¡¯t do anything. ~~~ [Null Life Aura | Lv.1] An expansive influence of the user anchored on their chosen affinity. It bears a Serene but potent effect on enemies and the user. -Effect- None ~~~ Apparently, he needed an affinity for this skill to work and he didn¡¯t know how to go about it. This was the reason he had been unable to use it at all previously and the same was true for Red Rage. Concerning Apostle, most of his skills had levelled up very well which made Skullius grind his teeth while giving his Apostle a hateful thumbs up. Naturally, Red Rage reciprocated with his own. [Climb], [Basic Bow Mastery], [sh Throw] and [Dash in Dust] had levelled up to 5 times while the rest were pretty much the same.. Furthermore, Red Rage had borrowed the steel sword and begun sword practice. As a result, the Apostle had awakened [Basic Sword Mastery]. This particr detail didn¡¯t infuriate Skullius as he considered that when Red Rage reached Tier 1, he would be more deserving of physicalbat based ss thus he had given the sword to Red Rage for permanent use. ¡°Well, that¡¯s it for now. Let¡¯s go and find some prey.¡± Skullius thought to cross over to the other side of the gorge but stopped. ¡°Why risk facing stronger enemies? It would probably be safer to start searching from goblin settlement and beyond. There should be more weaker creatures, right? Besides, for now, I can only prey on the weak.¡± Having decided that, Skullius and Red Rage cautiously scaled the rocky slope where they hade from. Where the goblins and orcs had faced off was a distance away but it didn¡¯t hurt to be extra cautious. The two climbed up and saw the familiar greens again. It almost felt like a lifetime ago when they hadst been here. Entering into the vast forestry, Skullius decided to activate [Basic Mana Maniption] so that he wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard by any creatures within the vicinity. Given the fact that the two had been running at full speed when they fled, walking back took quite a bit of time, Skullius asionally deactivating his skill to ensure that he wasn¡¯tcking mana when it counted. The two journeyed cautiously, Red Rage already being hyped for some more killing as was the trend that he was currently going with sincest night. Since he was spawned to be exact. When it came to this world, Aigas, the rules pertaining to time were rather simple and simr to other worlds that existed, with little deviations. A day was made up of 24 hours, a month, 30 days and a year, 450 days fitted within 15 months. As mentioned before, the distinction between day and night was depicted by a bright yellow sun that was rising at this moment while in the night, no object would hang in the air to provide light. The bright blue sky produced a dull luminance with seasonal variations. The Boneman and his Apostle saw something in the distance that grabbed their attention. Two things, in fact. For one, numerous orcs were carrying the dead bodies of other orcs as well as those of goblins. Skullius recalled that this was the ce where the battle urredst night. It was painfully clear given the state of the ground. The second thing was something he wouldn¡¯t have noticed from this distance if he wasn¡¯t paying attention. A portion of the forest was ck, a distance away. Trees, bushes and grass couldn¡¯t be seen through the spaces between the vegetation that was nearer to him. ¡®What happened there? That¡¯s the direction where the goblins lived. How unlucky can they get?¡¯ Skullius thought. As Skullius approached, he heard the conversations between the orcs. ¡°Can we eat these today? I¡¯m starving,¡± one orc said as it pointed to the dead body of a goblin. ¡°Shut up, you fool! You can¡¯t eat these, they have poison in their bodies!¡± ¡°Really, Gi¡¯Gane? But still¡­¡± Red Rage was about to shoot forward when Skullius immediately held him down. ¡°Stop! I¡¯m taking the lead this time,¡± Skullius said as he walked forward, his view in his robes and with a staff in his hand being made known to the orcs who immediately became vignt¡­ then horrified! ¡°An undead! What is an undead doing here?!¡± ¡°We have to run and warn the others!¡± ¡°Grrr!¡± Of the eight orcs there, half were trembling while others showed their aggression. One orc, in particr, held a crude axe and advanced towards Skullius who confidently looked at it. Skullius checked the orc¡¯s status. ~~~ [ Name : Nuu¡¯Bu ] [ Tier : 1 ] [ ss : Warrior ] [ Level : 4 ] [ Race : Berserker Orc ] [ Inv. Status : Hungry ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 24 ] [ Agility : 14 ] [ Intelligence : 4 ] [ Endurance : 35 ] [ Luck : 4 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 50/50 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 24/24 ] ¡ª¨C ~~~ ¡°This guy has a very low Intelligence. Is that why he isn¡¯t afraid? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Skullius mumbled to himself. ¡°RAAAAAAR!¡± The orc roared intimidatingly as it continued to advance slowly, its thick hands flexing with its axe. ¡°Don¡¯t try to act tough bro, I know you¡¯re dumb!¡± Skullius said, making the orcs flinch as they heard his statement in theirnguage! Before they could exim and decide on anything else, Skullius¡¯ socket mes danced ferociously as he gathered up mana for the cast of a skill. He raised his hand, a ball of purplish orange me blooming into existence as it illuminated everything around with its glow. The orc¡¯s jaws fell to the ground in shock and they began to tremble in fear when they felt the heat on their skin even though there was a distance between them and the fireball. Nuu¡¯Bu stopped his advance as he sweated, falling back to his group. Skullius relished in their fear and went on to throw over the ball of fire which shed, covering the distance between him and his foes in a second. It went on to devour Nuu¡¯Bu and friends. The fire roared with a deep thrum as it met the earth, a resounding boom rocking the ground and releasing a wave of heat and light! The [Hell¡¯s Inferno] torched an area of approximately five meters, blowing apart trees and melting the ground! Surprisingly, one of the orcs which had been outside the course of Skullius¡¯ skill survived, as on impact it was blown away in a different direction. The orc stood and watched in horror as its mates were burnt! To make matters worse, one of the stronger orcs appeared, screaming as it iled its arms, scattering the smoke! Its body was on fire, tongues of purplish me making it into crisp pork at an absurd speed. Then it happened! The orc screeched in pain, hollering and howling with a blood-curdling screech! ¡°EEEEEEEAAAAAAAH!¡± It moved erratically as it was tortured by the me and then¡­ An immense wave of pleasure sprang within its body, fueling its will to live for several more moments so that it could continue to enjoy it! The orc saw its fellow who was looking at it in horror and extended its hand as it stumbled, making all kinds of unnecessary gestures that made everyone ufortable! Its eyes rolled in ecstasy, its tongue sticking before it began to be consumed by the me! ¡°OOOOHH! AAAAW! Gi¡¯Gane~¡± It said while releasing fumes. ¡°¡­Come¡­closer¡­OOOOH! Come.. and¡­ let me¡­¡± Skullius: ¡°¡­¡± Gi¡¯Gane: ¡°¡­¡± Even to Skullius, that sounded wrong and he began to wish that this orc had melted instantly like the others. Soon, the burning orc turned into ash, vanishing from the world, permanently! ¡°At least it packs some power. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m disappointed,¡± Skullius said while looking at the crater that was releasing a searing heat. Chapter 43 Flesh It... The [Hell¡¯s Inferno] made Skillius feel confident, for the most part. He was happy he had a heavy hitting skill and he intended to keep upgrading it. With a sh, Red Rage by his side saw an opening and darted forward while Skullius was mulling over about his skill! Skullius heard the sound of something falling to the ground and turned his head to find that thest orc had been decapitated. Red Rage had swiped the steel sword in a cleanteral sh and beheaded the orc before it could react. ¡°The [Basic Sword Mastery] is being put to good use it seems.¡± From the looks of the equipment that the orcs had, which consisted ofrge stretcher-like objects made of wood with four protruding beams and rope, it seemed the orcs had juste to take away the bodies of their dead. Skullius then turned to the ck stretch ofnd that was ahead. He then looked behind him in the opposite direction and thought of the best course of action. ¡°I might as well take on the orcs now, though¡­¡± The Boneman hesitated because of therge boar he had seen yesterday which had been able to injure a Tier 2 goblin. To be fair though, Tiers among different creatures were not exactly rtive in strength. For instance, Tier 2 for an orc was different for a goblin with the former being stronger if the same ss was considered. Still though, it didn¡¯t change the fact that Skullius was at risk as he was Tier 0. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to be smart about it. For now¡­ let¡¯s check what happened there. I need to scout for what I can find in that direction anyway. Maybe there will be another settlement of beasts that I can hunt.¡± Skullius called to Red Rage who was salvaging the equipment from the orc that didn¡¯t get burnt in the [Hell¡¯s Inferno]. He found an axe which he looked proud to have now. The two cautiously but briskly went over to check what had happened. It took a few minutes for them to reach where the scorched earth began from the greenery. The ground was hard and brittle. The only trees that still had a semnce of their former selves remaining, were therge ones. Their remains were merely ck trunks that had the leaves burnt off, leaving a lifeless husk that reminded Skullius of the vegetation from Deadmand. ¡®What really caused this?¡¯. The two¡¯s movements made crisp sounds on the earth, ash staining their bony feet. Skullius sensed the remaining embers of mana that had been expelled. It was a faintly hot remnant that tickled his core. ¡®This couldn¡¯t have been a skill, right?¡¯ As the two went deeper, Skullius started to get anxious. Something was terribly wrong. The further he walked, the more the feeling of foreboding grew worse. After walking a few more steps, Skullius stopped, Red Rage doing the same. His socket mes burnt fiercely, showing the unease he felt! He had sensed something he hadn¡¯t encountered before until now. A thick nket of mana was gushing in to surround him as soon as he had taken hisst step! ¡°Let¡¯s turn back, Red bro,¡± Skullius said before he began backpedalling. Unfortunately for him, the nket of mana followed and Skullius found that even when he leapt backwards, the mana didn¡¯t leave him alone. ¡®Is this like [Mana Sense] or [Basic Mana Maniption]?¡¯ Skullius stopped and nervously shook. Since it was like this, he activated [Basic Mana Maniption], his mana stretching to cover arge distance until it picked up something that made Skullius¡¯ knees give out! He sensed a figure in his range, but that wasn¡¯t what shocked him the most! The thing within was what made Skullius stumble and feel an overbearing reaction in his core! A blue core! That¡¯s right! A light blue core that released a very dense mana! Skullius¡¯ core reacted on its own, almost as if showing respect to a superior power. Skullius looked ahead and caught a trace of what it is that was releasing this power. There, sitting down and leaning against a charred tree trunk was a¡­ ¡°Human¡­!¡± Skullius said. At that moment, his previous instincts as an undead told him exactly what this creature was and the first thing he thought to do¡­ was run! He hadn¡¯t been able to see the human before because of the many trunks and stumps that blocked his view. VOW¡¯s countless warnings rang in his mind and Skullius didn¡¯t intend to ignore them. ¡®Young undead. If you haven¡¯t realised it, you¡¯re in a different world. This world is full of living beings. STRONG, living beings¡­ Particrly, the humans¡­¡¯ VOW had said. Skullius dashed and hid behind one of the tree trunks, Red Rage hiding behind another which was two meters in the back! The expanse of mana around the area followed him everywhere so he decided to hide and think of a n. He was afraid of being seen as he knew the instant reaction of all living creatures when they saw him. He wondered if this guy already knew what he was. There didn¡¯t seem to be any movement ormotion so Skullius thought about whether or not he was in the clear. He waited a few seconds and peeked from behind the trunk, getting a better view from the angle he chose. What he saw was a wounded creature that hung its head. Blood and scratches were what he could see from this distance. ¡®He¡¯s injured? Is he dead or alive?¡¯ Skullius wondered. Suddenly, the human lifted his head and looked in Skullius¡¯ direction with one eye that released a scary glint! Skullius hid his figure again. If he had a heart, it would have been beating like a drum right now. He looked to the trunk behind him where Red Rage was hiding. Even this overzealous Apostle was not keen on fighting that monster. ¡°I know¡­ you¡¯re there¡­ Come out¡­ Or I¡¯ll kill you¡­bleurgh!¡± A boisterous voice that was filled with mana reached Skullius and Red Rage, making them tremble. ¡®He knows! But wait! This must mean he doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m a¡­ But still¡­ if Ie out like this he¡¯ll know and kill me!¡¯ Skullius¡¯ mind churned. This guy was definitely injured judging by how he was speaking. His words implied that his intent was to scare him into showing himself and not to converse. ¡®That¡¯s equally bad though! I don¡¯t doubt that he can kill me even from that distance.¡¯ As Skullius contemted, the image of the human being stuck in his mind, he immediately got an idea. A human image! Of course! ¡®Ah¡­ I have that¡­ Should I use it?¡¯ Using that skill had its demerits. Skullius shook his skull and cast away all worries and hesitation, immediately casting the skill that could potentially save his Null Life. [¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ has been activated] Mana surged and covered the entirety of Skullius¡¯ skeletal body under the robes and armour. For a moment, Skullius forgot that he was in a perilous situation as a strange sensation overtook him! Strange bubbles of flesh started growing on his bones, releasing wet and crunchy sounds! They had bobbing red veins and they began to stretch and cover Skullius¡¯ body from skull to phnges (toes apparently)! Quickly, his earlier frame has vanished, reced by something else entirely! [Cosmetic flesh sessfully constructed. Alterationplete] [Configuring Status¡­] [Status Configuration Complete] [Inserting New Status] ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Level : 1 ] [ ss : None ] [ Race :Discount Human ] [ Inv. Status: Still doomed ¡Á2 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 10 ] [Agility : 10 ] [ Intelligence : 5 ] [ Endurance : 10 ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 30/30 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 20/20 ] ¡ª¨C [ Skills ] [ Basic Mana Maniption | Lv. 4 ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] [ Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno | Lv. 3 ] [ Artless Dodger | Lv. 1 ] [ Mana Bolt | Lv. 4 ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Greater Communication | Lv. 2 ] ¡ª- [ Affinities ] ¡­. ~~~~ Chapter 44 Cash In! [ Supreme Skill ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] -Aplementary skill for the Lifeless Evolution Package- The user is able to gain a flesh body that is masked from most types of detection magic. While it doespromise the user¡¯s racial abilities, it offers much more in exchange. The greater the level the more realistic the body. Mana Requirements: None. Duration: 24 hours. Cooldown: 3 hours. ~~~ Skullius remained silent for a moment as he looked at the new status screen. [Congrattions, you have cast ¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ for the first time. You will temporarily enjoy the perks of being ¡®human¡¯ and with an increase in your level, many more benefits will be unlocked. This is aplementary bonus to ¡®Lifeless Evolution¡¯ offered by Serenity for your convenience] [Please note that additional sensations are currently disabled from your new body] Skullius trembled as he looked at himself. The sensation from his eyes was different and his bones were coated with flesh and warm ivory coloured skin. Under his robes, a standard body which was neither fat nor thin, muscr or otherwise, reced his foggy grey skeleton. His height was reduced to roughly one and a half meters, which made Skullius feel ufortable. He might as well be called a midget.. His face, was were all the magic was at. The nkest face imaginable was at the front of his head. There were no distinctive features. Standard looking grey eyes, a nose and a mouth were the only things visible, making him look like a solid drawing instead. Short, light auburn hair could be seen on his head,pleting the look of an overly generic human being. ¡°This¡­ Skullius stammered as he looked at his hands¡­¡± [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ ha¡ª BOOM! The trunk Skullius was hiding behind was shattered by a powerful force of mana! Skullius took a few steps back, shocked at the power and amazed that he wasn¡¯t blown away. The hairs on his skin rose, being somewhat sensitive to the mana, but his bones were what reacted the most. Torn between the shock of his new body and the attack that came from behind, Skullius froze. On the other hand, Eobald who had just now cast a wisp of his mana after sensing a peculiar activation of energy from Skullius, was dumbfounded when he saw Skullius. ¡°You!¡± Eobald¡¯s voice travelled to Skullius with a burst of mana within it and shook him out of his reverie. Skullius promptly looked at Eobald, quivering. ¡°Come here¡­!¡± Skullius began walking over to Eobald obediently. The closer he got, the more he sensed the powerful mana he exuded. Soon, he was merely two meters before the man who coughed up blood and red at him, his eyes shining dangerously. ¡°Even in my current state¡­ I can notice something fishy when I feel it¡­ What are you..?!¡± Eobald growled with a face full of suspicion. Skullius hesitated, gulping saliva for the first time. There was a gnawing feeling hammering at his mind as if something was triggered with this transformation of his. He looked at his panel and saw his race. He reserved hisments and responded to Eobald with a fear that made his chest rise and fall. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m a ¡­ I¡¯m a Dis¡ª I¡¯m a human¡­ Just like you¡­¡± Skullius answered nervously. Eobald¡¯s eyes did not leave Skullius¡¯ face. There was confusion and apprehension. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your face? You look¡­ fake.¡± Skullius didn¡¯t know how to answer to that. What was he supposed to say in response? [You are under the effect of the skill ¡®Appraisal¡¯] An intricate wave of mana washed over him from head to toe. Eobald was trying to find out what his hunch was telling him. Because of his weakened state, he hadn¡¯t been able to properly sense what was in the range of his mana sense. It was only after he felt the strange weaving of energy that he forced himself to seriously investigate. Now, his skill [Appraisal] wasn¡¯t catching anything strange about this guy! Was he wrong? ¡°What¡¯s a level 1 doing here anyway? You¡¯re weaker than any adventurer I¡¯ve seen in my life. How did you survive in this forest?¡± Eobald asked suspiciously. Skullius began to sweat, as it was something he could do now. It was strange indeed, especially when he saw his own stats. No one would simply believe that he was KOing all the powerful creatures he came across. ¡°Luck¡­ I guess,¡± Skullius replied with a semi-cheeky smile that showed the doubt in his own words. A heavy doubt. Eobald frowned, not buying the excuse one bit. Unfortunately¡­ His body jerked as he coughed up blood. ¡®Dammit! I just caused myself more damage.¡¯ Eobald thought. ¡®I have no other choice. I wanted a miracle, here it is. Might as well use it.¡¯ ¡°Listen closely.¡± Eobald pulled out a silver object. It was circr and it fit within the palm of his hands. Circr rings could be seen on its surface, with texts inscribed that were iprehensible. He motioned for Skullius toe closer, the Discount Human doing so. Eobald handed the silver object to Skullius and muttered something while holding his hand. Skullius felt a faint trace of mana flow into the circr object that he held and then into his body before it clutched onto something deep within him! [??? has been bound to you] When Eobald was finished, he took in deep breaths as he once again felt that with each excessive use of his mana, his body sustained more damage. ¡°This is a Key to a certainbyrinth where a special legacy is being kept. My enemies want this Key but I have bound it to you. If they kill you, it will be destroyed. Run away as far as you can before they find you and keep the Key safe. Do not let them have it! Do you understand?¡± Skullius slowly nodded after hearing Eobald¡¯s words. Eobald nodded and pulled out more staff; a short scroll and a crest. He also took his sword and gave it to Skullius. ¡°The scroll can be used to teleport to any of the known cities depending on how far they are. Mana also determines where you¡¯ll appear. As for that crest¡­¡± Eobald paused and pointed at the crest that was shaped like a very thin red hand,¡±¡­ Find the Green Neolists and tell them that¡­ ¡®They are on to us¡¯¡­¡± Blood began dripping from Eobald¡¯s eyes, his skin beginning to turn into a nasty shade of purplish red. ¡°As for the sword, keep it. I hope you use it well.¡± Skullius was overwhelmed by all this information. It was a lot to tak Chapter 45 El Solo LoBro [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 58 seconds] Skullius gazed at the notifications he had gotten in awe. The sheer amount of experience he had gotten alone made him leap for joy as he did a ck of his teeth that he was used to. It didn¡¯t feel the same for some reason. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of experience!¡± Skullius eximed. Since the monstrous human was now dead, he could behave however he wanted. When he saw the notification about the Null Life Essence, he reflexively stretched out his hand to ept, a stream of energy flowing into his body. ¡°Oh¡­¡± A surprising thing urred. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had noticed this, but it became apparent in this instance. The value he received was different. This time he was able to identify how much he had gotten as there was but a single target. 75 Null Life Essence Points! That¡¯s how much he had received from a single human being! ¡°Is it not about size then? Hmmm¡­ this is getting more interesting¡­ and confusing.¡±. A bubbling excitement wrapped around Skullius nevertheless and he threw all that Eobald had told him to the back of his mind for the time being, focusing on the next notification. [Would you like to appoint Exp to ¡®Null Lifeform (Boneman)¡¯ or ¡®Discount Human¡¯?] ¡°I can choose? Well¡­?¡± Skullius looked at his status once again and seeing the dismal numbers brought down his enthusiasm by several notches. Aside from him being terribly weak, he saw that his racial advantages were gone as well as his ss skills. The only exception was [Null Extraction] which was rather convenient for him. ¡°I was warned by the skill, I guess. I only have [Null Extraction] to count on now.¡± Skills he acquired from extraction and action were still there but he couldn¡¯t even use them because of his low amount of mana. ¡°Bro, even in this disguise I¡¯m still doomed?! My luck is still atrocious too! And I don¡¯t even have a name?! Flesh this! I¡¯ll level up my original form,¡± Skullius said with a huge frown on his face. [Are you sure you want to appoint Exp to ¡®Null Lifeform (Boneman)¡¯?] ¡°Without a doubt!¡± Skullius felt a surge of mana wrap around his body and then disappear into his core. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s it?¡± [¡®Null Lifeform (Boneman)¡¯ has reached LV8] ¡°Yes!¡± Skullius wore a triumphant grin as he then went to look at the corpse of Eobald. ¡°This skill really saved me, otherwise I really would have died. I doubt there is any tale I could have told that would have saved me from that situation.¡± Surely, when recalling what had just happened right after he transformed, he imagined the worst would havee to pass had he still been a skeleton with blue mes in his sockets. ¡°Alright! I don¡¯t need this anymore. Cancel the skill [Flesh It Like You Mean It].¡± [Skill cancetion failed. The skill will remain active for the stipted duration. Time remaining ¨C 24:58:16] ¡°Wait, what? Come again!¡± [Skill cancetion failed. The skill will remain active for the stipted duration. Time remaining ¨C 24:58:14] ¡°No! You¡¯re kidding! I- I can¡¯t cancel the skill?! But¡­ Wait! I have to stay like this for 24 hours?! No! Please no!¡± Skullius yelled in disbelief almost kneeling down. He couldn¡¯t believe it. Or rather he couldn¡¯t afford to believe it! How was he supposed to survive like this when he had barely been scraping by up until now?! ¡°Red bro!¡± Skullius thought before he turned to where Red Rage had been hiding. As he looked, he saw the skeletal body of Red Rage lying on the ground! Skullius rushed over and knelt beside the short figure of his Apostle. The lights within the sockets of the short boar were no more. He merelyid on the ground lifelessly. Deathlessly. ¡°What¡­ what happened?!¡± Skullius asked a question that he dreaded the answer to. [¡®Apostle¡¯ Red Rage has beenid to rest by Serenity] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ does not have the means to sustain himself while his ¡®Vehement Bone Nullmancer¡¯ is in hibernation. Higher Tier required] ¡°Put to rest? He¡¯s not¡­gone?¡± Skullius fell to the ground, feeling exceedingly relieved. At the very least it didn¡¯t seem like Red Rage was gone. Since he was no longer a Nullmancer, Red Rage was disabled. He only wished that things would go back to normal when the duration of [Flesh It Like You Mean it] was up. If he survived long enough, that is. Skullius gazed at Red Rage with a forlorn look. He suddenly felt alone. When he came to this world, he had always had VOW bro to interact with. When VOW bro left, Red Rage had been by his side. Even though it was merely a single night and a few hours, he cherished his Apostle. It was at times like these that Skullius wondered why he and the other Moronic Undead were so different. The Death Knights and above did not show emotion at all while all the undead below that could feel camaraderie, jealousy, anger among other emotions. Was it some kind of sick joke that Somanda relished in or was it for their convenience? Skullius took in a deep breath, the feeling being weird as he sensed that within him, there wasn¡¯t actually that much ¡®stuff¡¯. It was like someone had put a cover with no substance over a skeletal body. If someone experienced were to poke him or cut him open, they wouldn¡¯t find much in the way of organs at all. His boy merely mimicked human activity but he didn¡¯t have lungs or a heart. There was the sound, but no actual organ. It was all fabricated by magic in such a way that magical detection of a specific level wouldn¡¯t be able to see anything wrong but physical analysis might make the multitudes hold their bibles. ¡°This feels¡­ vaguely familiar¡­¡± Skullius mumbled. He looked at Red Rage¡¯s body and nodded. He took the steel sword from Red Rage and began to dig up a hole. It was just enough for the short Apostle to fit in. He carried Red Rage¡¯s body andid it gently into the hole. He carried the axe Red Rage had procured from the orc earlier andid it on top of the Apostle along with the steel sword and other weapons that Red Rage liked to use. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want something to happen to your body while you rest. I¡¯lle back for you bro. You can count on it,¡± Skullius said. He then went on to cover the hole and gave it a nice pat. When he was done, he recalled something that VOW bro had said. [True strength is forged when one is alone and resolute, after all¡­] (A/N : Chapter 12) ¡°Oh well¡­ let¡¯s see what this lone bro can do.¡± Chapter 46 Complication Chapter 46 Complication Skullius stood up and started getting a better feeling of his body. He didn¡¯t feel that much of a sensation except from mana on his flesh as it seemed more decorative than anything else. Even Eobald had called out his fake face. Now that he had the time, Skullius grabbed Eobald¡¯s sword that had a reflective surface and looked at himself. The image he saw was quite standard. Hepared it to Eobald¡¯s face and somewhat understood what the man had been talking about. ¡°Flesh me¡­¡± Thinking about how he now had flesh himself, he began to consider changing the phrase ¡®Flesh you¡¯ to something else. After all, the irony in it didn¡¯t sit well with him. Skullius scrutinised the sword in his hand, taking in all its detail; the cracks on the surface of the sword that was branded with unique runes, the steel and rubber hilt which had the beautiful design of diamond patterns. It was beautiful. Skullius looked at its stats from the guidance field and his brows shot up. ~~~ [Baleful Gale Reaper] A dangerous de that produces gusts of malevolent wind attacks to shred apart its enemies. -Damage- 200-250 -Durability- 64/120 -Special Effects-. ? Increase movement and attack speed by 10% [Skill: Gale Call] Any amount of mana inserted into the sword causes bursts of concentrated wind attacks to wrap around the sword with the upper limit being determined by how much mana the runes on the sword can take. ~~~ ¡°Oh¡­ now this is a weapon!¡± Skullius eximed. This sword reminded him of the weapons that he often saw on the waists or backs of the Somanda¡¯s Death Knights. The damage it could do alone was incredible. When taking damage, several factors applied. For instance, if one had 40 Health and received an attack from a sword that deals 100 damage, that did not necessarily mean that death was guaranteed. Physical constitution in the form of endurance, supplements and body armour yed a role into how much damage an opponent would actually receive. (A/N: Just putting this out there for convenience¡¯s sake) Speaking of body armour, Skullius looked at his shabby clothes; robe plus severalyers of leather armour. ¡°I can¡¯t count on these anymore. I never did anyway¡­¡± He took off these while being grateful that somehow he wasn¡¯t missing an arm like his original body. To be fair, his entire structure had been altered. He was sure that his internal skeletal structure wasn¡¯t the same as his lustrous foggy grey one. He promptly stripped the corpse of Eobald of almost all the clothing and appraised it first. There was a dark robe with green patterns that trailed along the edges. The robe covered the front and back but not the sides, it¡¯s material being thicker than the leather armour that Skullius had been wearing. There was steel armour underneath thatplemented the robes as a set; they were attached. Even though it was cracked, bloodied and dented, it still felt tough. It was only now that Skullius realised that the only reason he had been able to ovee the armour and kill Eobald was because he had used a rare sword. He went on to check the stats of the armour. ~~~ [Neolist Regalia (Elite)] A standard gear for Green Neolists who have achieved the rank of Elite. -Defence- 220 -Durability- 43/100 -Special Effects- ? Increase movement and attack speed by 8% ? Reflects 10% elemental damage received by wearer ? Blocks 8% physical damage ~~~ Skullius immediately wore the regalia, feeling safe under its cover. It looked a bit too big for him as he was shorter and less bulkier than Eobald. After Skullius was done fitting himself into the armour, he sheathed the Baleful Gale Reaper and took out the three objects he had. The Key, the scroll and the crest. After appraising, the Key didn¡¯t show anything apart from the ???, the crest also bearing no information other than the fact that it belonged to the so-called Green Neolists. The scroll however.. ~~~ [Arcane Teleportation Scroll: Scorch] An offensive and supportive item used to cross vast distances through in a matter of seconds while simultaneously dealing fire damage to opponents. Multiple coordinates are etched into the enchantment, allowing for one to transport themselves to any of the locations or near them depending on the amount of mana used. Enchantment will be inactive if the user is too far away from the etched locations. [Eofel ¨C 300 Mana Points] [Dihjhal ¨C 500 Mana Points] [Benegogue ¨C 450 Mana Points] ~~~ ¡°I see. I can¡¯t use it at the moment. Enough wasting time. This guy said that some people were looking for this Key thing. If they can track it, then I¡¯ll be in trouble. Where can I run off to? I even have a Doom Factor to deal with too!¡± Skullius hadn¡¯t even thought about the purpose of this Key that he had been told. What he was more concerned about was that if these enemies were as strong as Eobald¡­ The Discount Human sighed as he felt how hopeless his situation was. However, he didn¡¯t have the luxury to dally. He just had be extra cautious. A miracle that granted him three levels had happened once. Maybe it would happen again. Besides, he had strong equipment now. He still had the crooked magic staff by him as even though it didn¡¯t have the skill [Mana Bolt] he could still use it to extend his range for [Null Extraction]. Thinking of his original n to raid the orcs after this, he decided to quit that thread and focus on what was ahead. It was the better option. The image of the Dead End apocalypse Boar did not give him much confidence. He was still weak and no amount of equipment could change that when he was facing against something strong. Skullius took onest look at the grave he had dug for Red Rage and darted forward at full speed. He keenly watched his surroundings as he went ahead, running parallel to the ravine that made several turns and narrowed down. After a few minutes of running, Skullius felt a heavy sensation burden him and he began to pant! ¡°What¡¯s¡­ going¡­ on?¡± Skullius asked himself. He pulled up his status panel and saw the problem. He didn¡¯t have infinite endurance anymore! He gnashed his teeth and frowned. ¡°No wonder we have a phrase for this!¡± He slowed down and began jogging at a moderate pace. This somewhat alleviated the exhaustion. He descended down some steep slopes and hid behind trees anytime he could to reduce his visibility while anticipating the worst. The cautious movements he had to do all this time became boring as he never encountered any beasts after 45 minutes of travel. This either spelled that there was a settlement of monsters nearby or there were just not any monsters here. ¡°Red bro go and¡­. Oh¡­ right,¡± Skullius face palmed. He was alone. If he wanted to do reconnaissance, he would have to do it on his own. And so he did. His main priority right now was to deal with the Doom Factor. He had to reach Tier 1, somehow otherwise pursuing enemies or not, he would be screwed. Perhaps if he levelled up his human form, he would be able to deal with the Doom Factor! VOW bro had said it was a matter of sustaining himself with mana right? Twenty more minutes passed with Skullius moving quietly among the trees which be more spaced, with less traces of bushes and grasses ahead. Then¡­ He finally saw something. A pack of wolves were running passing by. There were six of them with ck fur and eerily tall (1.7 meters average) and muscr frames. They had blood red eyes and as they passed,ing from the right and going in the same direction that Skullius¡¯ had been going, the Discount Human noticed that they had blood on their paws and mouths. They wereing from a hunt. The wolf at the forefront was particrly intimidating, being slight taller than others while the red in its eyes emitted a faint light. ¡®That¡¯s probably a fight that I don¡¯t want to start,¡¯ Skullius thought as his imaginary heart began to pound while sweat dripped from his fake face. Unfortunately for him, he had missed an importantly detail that was very essential to note after his transformation into a Discount Human. The wolf that led the back suddenly stopped and raised its snout. It started sniffing, taking in deep whiffs of the air as its head turned, eventually stopping in Skullius¡¯ direction. ¡­! It¡¯s eyes red at where Skullius was hiding! Skullius was a presence less Boneman no more. Chapter 47 Do You Dare? When Skullius saw that he had been spotted, he immediately decided to get ready for a bitter fight. There was no use in crying over spilled milk. Now he had to somehow survive this. He wondered how he had been spotted despite picking a good hiding ce but that did not matter. He dropped his staff and wielded the Baleful Gale Reaper. Even with the gear that he had, he didn¡¯t quite feel reassured but that slowly changed as he saw the statuses of the creatures that began to advance towards him under themand of their leading wolf which remained behind. ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Tier :2 ] [ ss : None ] [ Level : 5 ] [ Race: ckw Darewolf ] [ Inv. Status: Wants to eat you ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 35 ] [ Agility : 47 ]. [ Intelligence : 35 ] [ Endurance : 40 ] [ Luck : 3 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 150/150 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 70/70 ] ¡ª¨C ~~~ (A/N: Not to be confused with Dire wolves) These were the average stats of the five Darewolves, excluding the one that led the rest. ¡°Their stats don¡¯t seem that high¡­ what¡¯s going on? They don¡¯t even have sses?¡± Skullius raised a brow at this discovery. He wielded the sword and watched the Darewolves spread out with their keen red eyes locking onto him alone. The way they moved was so systematic that it was what actually made Skullius feel nervous. sses among beasts were a strange subject, unlike how it was for humans who were essentially destined to have one. Basically, beasts that were too different from humans could not get sses. sses merely extended to the beasts for reasons rted to the history of Aigas but the beasts that walked on four legs were shunned from obtaining these. However, it did not mean that they were at a disadvantage by default because they were blessed with their own means to grow stronger. Mutations. There were too types of mutations. Natural mutations and unnatural mutations that happened when an external party induced this mutation. An example of an unnatural mutation was the Dead End apocalypse Boar which was caused by the orcs. The Darewolves growled and pounced on Skullius. Skullius saw that their attack was organised! The five of them attacked from all around, their eyes glowing brightly. The wolves¡¯rge, sharp teeth protruded from their mouths, their ravenous desire for flesh portrayed by the saliva that leaked out! As they drew closer to a vignt Skullius, the Discount Human suddenly felt an overbearing presence that tried to push him into the ground along with a dark red aura that began to circle around him! [You are under the effect of the skill ¡®Do you dare¡¯ simultaneously cast by the Darewolves and their Alpha] [If you dare to resist, you will be released from the restraining force of the skill but the Darewolves will get all their stats increased by 30%] [If you do not dare to resist, the restraining force of the skill will be amplified and you will be devoured by the wolves] ¡°Bro! What kind of ridiculous skill is this?!¡± Skullius barked as he felt the force of the skill [Do you dare] increase! If he didn¡¯t move, daring not to resist, the wolves would simply kill him. If he moved against the force, daring to resist, the wolves would get a buff! This skill was born from a natural mutation that the wolves had gone through. They were once called the ckw wolves but changed after they had gotten into a rough battle with another pack of wolves called the Warweavers. The battle had been tough but they had won in the end, feasting on the bodies of their fallen foes. Given the fact that these wolves were also close to the bottom of the barrel in the entire Tremur Forest, they had to prey on themselves. They also had the natural instinct to devour each other from the moment they were spawned, as it pushed them towards getting mutations and strengthening themselves. Skullius was dumbfounded. His hold over the Baleful Gale Reaper tightened as he barely had time to consider nor any choice worth considering as a matter of fact! He dared to resist. The red aura that had been coiling around him vanished as soon as he showed signs of resistance and the Darewolves became covered in the aura instead! They looked even more terrifying as the aura seeped from their bodies and their power increased! Skullius recalled all he had been learning from the constant fightingst night. The thing he did first, was to run up ahead and dive, rolling on the ground! Due to the stack of speed boosts from his gear, he had been able to move quickly. Some of the wolves who had pouncing on him missed as they had been moving at full speed, while Skullius himself smashed against the one that had been in front of him! As if it had expected him to do make a move, the wolf immediately pinned Skullius down with itsrge paws and brought its snout to his face to devour his head in one bite! Skullius gritted his teeth as he inserted a little mana into the Baleful Gale Reaper in his hand, plunging it towards the chest of the ravenous wolf atop him! The mirror-like sword released a hum as the runes on its surface glowed lightly, bursts of shrieking wind roiling around it! As soon as it touched the Darewolf, the creature whimpered as its fur was the first to be shredded, followed by its skin! FWOOSH! The wolf shed as it distanced itself from Skullius, the Discount Human left in awe at the speed of its movement. Skullius quickly stood and faced the wolves. They became vignt after they saw one of their own retreating. ¡®They really are intelligent!¡¯ Skullius eximed as he narrowed his eyes. ¡®I guess that intelligence doesn¡¯t extend to them naming themselves or being able to speak.¡¯ The intelligence stat wasn¡¯t the best reflection of the intelligence of the creature in general. It epassed too many factors such as its connection to mana, wisdom, knowledge and intelligence. Intelligence itself was rtive. Skullius couldn¡¯t deny that the wolves were smart but there was a level of intelligence that they undoubtedly didn¡¯t have despite having 30 points in the Intelligence stat. Initially. Skullius peeked behind him where therger figure of the Alpha Darewolf wasnguidly sitting while watching the fight. ¡®Can¡¯t reallyin about that. If that guy were to join the fray, I would have another Doom Factor up my pelvis. Nevertheless, flesh you, kind sir! Wait! Argh, I need to change that!¡¯ The Darewolves began circling around him again, the red aura still roiling around their bodies while the Darewolves themselves looked even scarier. ¡®I wish I was allowed to keep [Static Limbo]! This is an unfair fight!¡¯ Right then, one of the Darewolves suddenly burst forward from behind Skullius, growling loudly! Skullius turned while raising his sword to block but then¡­ FWOOSH! Another Darewolf rushed towards him right after he turned, also menacingly growling to grab his attention! Skullius was torn between the two wolves as they brought to his mind a staggering level of confusion that made the fake human¡¯s face look unsightly. In the heat of the moment, Skullius made the decision to dash backwards, hoping that the speed boosts offered by his gear would help him pull something off! The first wolf to pounce on him smacked him with its paw, pounding on his body that had almost been able to get away while the other opened its maw and bit on Skullius¡¯ shoulder! Skullius felt the sharp teeth of the Darewolf¡­ fail to pass through the protection of the Neolist Regalia! This shouldn¡¯t have surprised Skullius, but in a battle against stronger opponents, he was always led to believe that he was screwed from the beginning, forgetting his obvious advantages. The Darewolf tried to apply more pressure but failed to do any damage. Skullius decisively extended his hand and touched the Darewolf¡¯s throat. A sh of bright light emanated from his hand as it pressed against the beast and then¡­ [Mana Bolt] Skullius used his 20 points of mana to use the only offensive skill he had at his disposal at the moment. The Darewolf felt a tremor in its throat as the burst of light released a sharp, p-like sound! The Darewolf drew back as it staggered while the red aura around its body began to shudder and dampen! Skullius leapt backwards as he expected a follow up from the others, but as he vigntly looked around, he saw the something shocking! The other Darewolves began fumbling on their growls and stumbling on their paws as well! The red aura that seeped from their bodies began to shudder and shake as well and as if that wasn¡¯t enough of a good surprise, the Alpha Darewolf was also in the same boat! It red at Skullius as it struggled to even stand from its sitting position, its teeth quivering in rage. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I only hit one of them, right?¡± Skullius muttered confusedly. Why were all of them reacting the same way? Skullius¡¯ mind spun as he struggled to find the answer. His mind seemed to feel cloudy, as if his processing power was clogged by something. If he had been in his Boneman form, he would have already picked up on the answer. ¡°Oh well. Free kills for me.¡± Skullius grinned as he looked the Exp waiting to be reaped before him. Chapter 48 Rescue? Skullius leisurely walked over to the first wolf that was growling and staggering. He raised his Baleful Gale Reaper and brought it down on the head of the creature that trembled as it snarled in fear! TCH! It was to be expected, but the sword did not slice through the Darewolf¡¯s head all the way. It merely stopped at the level where the eyes were, blood leaking as the body of the creature quivered. ¡°Gah! My strength is too weak! Even with a sword this strong, I can¡¯t fully slice its head apart,¡± Skullius said. He pulled out the sword and the Darewolf fell to the ground, dead. [You have killed (II) LV5 ckw Darewolf. 250 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 58 seconds] ¡°That seems like too small of an amount. These things are strong, you know?¡± Skullius remarked as he extracted the Null Life Essence from the Darewolf he had killed. From a single Darewolf, he managed to get a full 40 points! Not sweating the small stuff, Skullius hurriedly went on to the next Darewolf that started whimpering. In response, Skullius wore a big, malicious grin and held up the Baleful Gale Reaper. This time he pierced with the sword instead, finding it to be a lot easier.. ¡°You know what they say, ¡®If you can¡¯t slice them, prate them.''¡± Skullius moved to the next Darewolf, killing it in the same way. Then the next and the next. Even though he wasn¡¯t quite clear on how these wolves were stunned, that didn¡¯t mean he would let go of the chance. The cause of what happened to the poor creatures was due to their own skill [Do you dare]. It was a skill that required the Darewolves to bring together their reserves of mana, connecting themselves to build arge pool to support the skill. While it was a powerful skill, if one were to mess with the mana connection, something like them being injured internally or dying was very possible. Skullius¡¯ mana bolt which was capable of disrupting mana had managed to interrupt the perfect connection that the Darewolves had, which caused the currently urring phenomenon. When Skullius killed the fourth Darewolf, a notification popped in his view. [You have killed (II) LV5 ckw Darewolf. 250 Exp awarded] [You havepleted one of the qualifications to level up. Pleaseplete the Second Task to move on to the next level] ¡°What? Second Task?¡± Skullius asked himself with a brow raised, pausing his previous quick killing spree. Suddenly, Skullius felt a powerful force knock against his chest! He flew and rolled on the ground, his sword flying as he hadn¡¯t at all expected the shocking attack! The Darewolf that he had been about to kill next was suddenly free and it growled hatefully as it looked at him with a piercing gaze! It shot forward, making its increased level of malice incredibly apparent. Skullius was still caught up in the shock. This wolf had broken out of its staggered state? While he didn¡¯t expect it tost forever, he didn¡¯t think he had been too slow in killing these wolves. ¡®Gah! If only I hadn¡¯t been distracted by that notification!¡¯ Skullius grumbled as he faced his enemy. He noticed that the Darewolf was no longer exuding the red aura which amplified its stats by 30%. It was back to normal but that didn¡¯t reassure Skullius at all as he was still at a disadvantage! He had used up his mana with the cast of [Mana Bolt] that had saved his current life and now his sword was a distance away. To make matters worse, therger ckw Alpha was getting up as well, promising to rip him to shreds with its eyes that foretold exactly how that would go down. The Darewolf that was heading for Skullius pounced on him, Skullius focusing on its movement as it leapt to take arge bite out of him! Instead of waiting to be pressed against the ground and torn apart, Skullius rushed towards the Darewolf, aiming to clutch it by the leg so that it would fall to the ground instead. However¡­ SLASH! Skullius saw blood flying everywhere, staining his face and armour as it rained. He wore a nk look as he couldn¡¯t exactly tell what happened in the fraction of a second when he and the Darewolf had been about to sh, crimson blood flying after a white light passed them. THUD! The Darewolf¡¯s head had fallen to the ground, blood dripping from its severed neck. Skullius was about to shout expletives when a sword appeared at his neck! It touched his skin and Skullius vividly felt the power that was running within the de. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Two words were spoken to him by the figure of a man who had appeared out of nowhere. ¡­! What truly scared the Boneman out of Skullius though, was a sensation that pricked against his core! The man with the sword had a blue mana core! Skullius also felt another one from a short distance to his right. There was a woman with red hair and brown eyes that locked her gaze onto him but he didn¡¯t dare turn his head. She too had the same mana core. From his front, Skullius saw two figures emerging from a distance. Their appearance made the Alpha Darewolf take a few steps to the side even as it continued to snarl. The two men paid it no mind as they approached Skullius who was currently frozen. One of them was a bulky man with arge shield behind his back. He had spiky leather ck hair and a thick armour that made him look quite intimidating. The other man however, was more frightening. He donned a stern expression, his sugar grey eyes gleaming with mana. He hadbed back havana brown hair that glistened and his blue core seemed to overpower the presence of those of his mates. Skullius looked dumbly at this man whose gaze never left him. The Darewolf shivered, its eyes following the slow and steady movements of the man with brown hair. It continued to growl with its mouth open, as if saying ¡®I¡¯m here too, you know.¡± It looked to be trying to decide whether to attack or not, the hesitation brought about by obvious reasons. Before it could decide though, a thin streak of white lightning shot out of the man¡¯s finger and darted towards the Darewolf! It flew into the creature¡¯s mouth and in the next moment, the Darewolf expanded while emitting bright lights from its orifices and exploded into chunks of burnt flesh! Skullius gulped with a dumbfounded look on his face. The man with brown hair stood before Skullius and spoke. ¡°Greetings. I believe you and I have a lot to talk about.¡± Chapter 49 Theres More To The Story The cold de that rested below Skullius¡¯ chin, touching his neck, did not do him any favours in giving him the confidence to answer this man. Skullius took in the appearance of the man who stood in front of him as well the one with the bulky appearance and wondered how he would get out of this one. Even though he felt his mind being less active and sharp than it was when he was in his Boneman form, he wasn¡¯t stupid. There was no way this was a coincidence. These were definitely the enemies he had been warned about by Eobald. ¡°Can you understand me?¡± the man who had spoken asked. ¡°Uhm¡­yes,¡± replied Skullius to which the man nodded to hispanion whose sword was on Skullius¡¯ neck. The young man withdrew his sword and stepped back while the woman who had been at the side, with a bow on her back, stood by Skullius¡¯ other side with her arms folded. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re only in the Foundation Stage, right? How did someone like you even enter this forest and survive? And what¡¯s with that face?¡± the woman bombarded Skullius with questions that he would have to fabricate the answers to. ¡°I must admit, that¡¯s quite suspicious. Is he hiding his level or something, Reon?¡± the burly man said while squinting his eyes, directing his question at the man who had in the Darewolf with his sword.. ¡°Not likely. I¡¯ve already appraised him. He¡¯s just an ordinary Foundation Stage adventurer. I¡¯d assum at least. Albeit a very weak one. He cleared some of these Darewolves which is surprising unless he has some hidden skill or something that even I can¡¯t see,¡± the young man who had been holding up his de at Skullius said. ¡°Yeah, right! He¡¯s probably just ridiculously lucky, ¡± said the red haired woman. Skullius wore a bitter smile with an imaginary tear running down the side of his face as he heard the woman¡¯s inference. She then moved up and gripped Skullius by the throat, a surge of mana building up in her body. Her hands squeezed at Skullius, making him feel slightly ufortable as he didn¡¯t have much sensation in his Discount Human form but being treated like this did spark a me of annoyance. ¡°Where is that bastard? He gave you the Key didn¡¯t he?¡± the woman asked threateningly. ¡°Ease up, Denille. You¡¯ll kill him,¡± the burly man said with a frown. ¡°Shut up, Irlen! That bastard cost us a lot of time by having us cross all that distance to find this shitface substitute,¡± the woman whose name was Denille said before she turned to Skullius again. ¡°Now tell me. Where is he?¡± Skullius deliberated on what exactly to tell them. ording to Eobald, they needed the Key but they couldn¡¯t kill him as that would destroy the Key. So perhaps there really was nothing he could hide. ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Skullius replied to which Denille ground her teeth while the others wore sullen looks. ¡°How did he die? Suicide? A higher tiered beast? You should know since you found him, right?¡± Denille asked, her expression turning softer. Skullius saw the emotion in the woman¡¯s eyes. She clearly cared for Eobald in some way and so did the others. There was something more to all this even though it seemed like they hated him as well. However, being the socket hole that Skullius was, he decided to gracefully spite these powerful beings, especially the woman before him who acted like his existence meant nothing. They couldn¡¯t kill them if they wanted to Key right? ¡°I killed him,¡± Skullius said with a half sorry, half I-don¡¯t-give-a-flying-flesh expression. BOOM! Skullius¡¯ figure was smashed into the ground by Denille, the ground caving in under as a wave of mana zed from Denille¡¯s figure! Skullius felt his body smash hard against the ground but there was no pain. He onlymented the health that he lost which was quite a lot. Denille¡¯s wore an unsightly expression as she pounded Skullius into the ground. She was trembling with rage. ¡°You¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the man with brown hair said with a sigh. Denille backed off with a grumble while the man walked over to Skullius in the pit and crouched down. ¡°Did Eobald grant you ownership of the Key? Given how you are wearing his armour I could be lead to think that you merely robbed his corpse. If you have the Key, show me. If it¡¯s destroyed, you¡¯ll die here,¡± the man said nonchntly. The look in the man¡¯s eyes caused Skullius body and core to shudder. This wasn¡¯t a man he¡¯d like to y games with. He reached into his robe and pulled out the Key which was still intact. The man with brown hair handled the Key and inspected it. He sighed once more and stored it on his person. ¡°It seems you get to live. We¡¯ll need you for getting to abyrinth where something important is being kept. You¡¯ll be following us from here on out. If you try to do anything¡­ adverse to our goals, we¡¯ll make you wish you were dead. It¡¯s better if you cooperate with us.¡± ¡®I¡¯m already dead, bro. Well, kind of, but no trouble from me,¡¯ Skullius thought while nodding in response outwardly. ¡°Good. Reon, look for Eobald¡¯s body and bring it here. It should be easy for you now, right?¡± Reon nodded before his eyes ignited with the light of mana for a few seconds and in the next instance, he headed to where Skullius had beening from. Seeing that no one was willing to drag him out of the pit that he had been dug into, Skullius crawled out on his own. He met gazes with Denille who looked at him with disdain while puffing her chest. At first Skullius was intimidated but then, his eyes wandered around the body of the woman which was quite appealing under the slender brown and red armour that was a mash of steel and tough leather. The quiver behind Denille¡¯s back made her look like a certain princess with a passion for archery while her athletic figure covered by sandy toned, spotless skin was quite riveting. Skullius felt nothing of the appeal however, as he didn¡¯t have the genitals to back it up. What caught his attention was a distinctive feature on this woman that drew on a memory than had already begun to surface in his mind since yesterday. Two mounds sat upon the woman¡¯s chest. There was something profound and sacred about them that was trying to leak from his mind and preach to the rest of his body about the grand revtion that was contained within them but it failed toe through. ¡®Is this a female¡­?¡¯ Skullius questioned. The man in brown hair tore him out of his thoughts as he questioned. ¡°Did Eobald tell you anything about his ns? What did he tell you to do with the Key?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ he just told me to run away with it,¡± Skullius responded. ¡°I see,¡± the man with brown hair said as he stroked his chin. ¡°That bastard was probably hoping you¡¯d be found by the other Green Neolists. I can¡¯t believe he would side with the undead like this.¡± Skullius turned to the man with a perturbed gaze. ¡°What? With undead?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Did you think you stumbled upon a hero of righteousness who was trying to protect an important relic from thieves? That man you met is one of the fiends that want to aid the undead in taking over this world,¡± the man replied. ¡­! Chapter 50 Tasks and Legacy The group rushed forward within the Tremur Forest. The man with the brown hair was the one in the lead while the rest followed. He seemed to be trying to navigate to the so-calledbyrinth where the inheritance was buried. After Reon had brought the corpse of Eobald, Skullius had gotten malicious gazes from everyone as he had simply looted the body and left it naked while leaning against a tree. Skullius himself didn¡¯t care at all, but the growing animosity towards him was the thing that concerned him the most. The four had buried Eobald, Skullius noting that the rtionship with these people was quiteplicated. His moment of trying to gain more information about this group that was colluding with the undead had been brought to a pause by the ceremony and he figured that extracting information from the brooding bunch would be even harder now. Skullius had been stripped of the scroll and the crest but the man with brown hair allowed him to keep the gear as he would need it. Skullius also didn¡¯t forget to pick up the crooked magic staff, insisting that it held sentimental value more than anything else. As they travelled, Skullius constantly felt the piercing gaze of Denille who looked like she would eat him up at any moment which made him choose to find another candidate to try and find out more of the information he needed from. After almost an hour of travel, the scenery changing from sparse vegetation to the thick and tall trees that were far more lush than the ones Skullius had seen until now, the Discount Human decided to finally ask his questions. He turned to Reon who was at his side and probed to see if the guy would answer at all. ¡°So, you said I was at the Foundation Stage. What does that mean?¡±. Skullius had tried to see the statuses of these guys with the guidance field but all he had gotten was a¡­ [Target is too high levelled. Unable to view status] Therefore, he had decided to try the original way of gathering information. Reon turned to him withzy eyes and responded without any tantly obvious emotion. ¡°You¡¯re a level 1 and you don¡¯t know what the Foundation Stage is? Didn¡¯t youplete the First Task to be able to get to the first level of the Foundation Stage?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Skullius stammered. ¡°This shitface must think we¡¯re fools! No one can just up and get strong without finishing the First Task? Are you ying dumb?¡± Denille chipped on. ¡°I truly have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Skullius said innocently, which did nothing to garner the sympathy of the people around him as his strange face just made things worse. Reon¡¯s eye shed as he appraised Skullius again. Skullius had noticed that Reon had a special ability that allowed him to see things that others couldn¡¯t, which is why everyone counted on him to find things that would otherwise be impossible to find. For instance, he had found Eobald¡¯s body without so much as any information. He hadn¡¯t even asked Skullius anything. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see. You really haven¡¯t gone through the First Task. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so weak for a level 1,¡± Reon said. ¡°Well, the Foundation Stage is a level of power that all humanoid creatures pass through. You build a powerful foundation for yourself by either specialising in a single caste or diversifying.¡± ¡°Why are we even telling him all this? We¡¯re going to kill him at the end anyway,¡± remarked Denille as she gave Skullius a look of disdain. Yes. This was something that Skullius had been told by the man with the havana brown hair before they had set off. The excuse was that he had seen them and knew what they were doing so he had to die which Skullius merely sighed to at the thought of. There were too many things that wanted to see him dead and he was getting tired of it. He could already feel the clock for Doom Factor 1 clicking which was his biggest concern. He had some hours left which were being eaten up by this side quest which frustrated him to no end. Reon looked at Skullius, not seeing a single fluctuation on his odd face even after hearing that they would kill him after he had outlived his usefulness. ¡®Why is this guy so confident? Does he have an ace up his sleeve or something? Hmm.. I¡¯ll keep a close watch. Unlike Irlen whose too loyal to Benzard, I don¡¯t mind killing this bastard and giving up on the inheritance altogether. I¡¯m sure Denille feels the same way,¡¯ Reon thought. ¡°Indulge him. As a final courtesy,¡± said the man with the brown hair whose name was Benzard. Skullius nodded, deciding to ask away. ¡°So what are these Tasks?¡± he asked. ¡°.Tasks are a requirement that humanoid creatures like us have to go through with each level. Levels aren¡¯t all about gathering cumtive mana from fallen foes. They are aboutprehending power in purest form as we grow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s different from how beasts do it,¡± Benzard chipped in. ¡°Beasts increase their level in a primal way. Ravenous and straightforward. It¡¯s only after a beast reaches the fourth tier that it truly begins to be a threat, but for us, it begins with the first level. The First Task. One must get acknowledged by one of the six deities that created Aigas. If one seeds, then they can begin rising in power, starting with the Foundation Stage.¡± Skullius nodded his head as he took in this information. This would was built by six deities? That seemed like an awfully long story which Skullius wasn¡¯t interested in at the moment. He decided to steer the conversation to somewhere his interest was more concentrated. ¡°You guys already seem really strong. Why do you need that inheritance thing?¡± The burly man, Irlen guffawed while Reon sighed at Skullius question. Denille grumbled hatefully but Benzard answered Skullius question without much hesitation. ¡°To you perhaps we¡¯re strong but we¡¯re barely out of the Foundation Stage ourselves. Eobald was the one who had advanced a significant portion into the next stage. The Advancement Stage.¡± ¡°As for the inheritance, it¡¯s the legacy of a man who lived thousands of years ago. He was known as Fulgardt the Immoral. He lived life with a self imposed code. He had no loyalties, no alliances, no friends. Whoever could lead him to his goal was apanion even if it was evil incarnate.¡± ¡°With his lifetime of distrust and self indulgence without attachment, he forged himself a power that rivalled the ordained of the six deities. A ss called the Insurgent Magnus. The power of purity and evil in bnce, held within the power of his hands.¡± Skullius was entranced by the story. ¡®Fulgardt, huh? Sounds like a socket hole to me. So these guys want that ss to do what exactly?¡¯ Benzard continued with his exnation, justifying why they sought this ss. ¡°We want this power so that we can have a chance in case the Green Neolists actually seed in bringing forward the undead into our world in their full force even though that has been hard to do since ancient times. However, Eobald sought the same thing. The evil that can be tamed by the Insurgent Magnus. That power could be what they need to allow the undead to pass through.¡± Skullius nodded. So that¡¯s how it was. A power that could harness both purity and evil. An odd mix. The Neolists wanted it for their own twisted goals while Benzard wanted it to protect the world? That didn¡¯t really seem sincere. This bunch didn¡¯t seem like the righteous kind, especially the red haired annoyance that buzzed beside Skullius. ¡®They just want that power for themselves don¡¯t they?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s the gist,¡± Benzard said before he looked back at hispanions. ¡°With that rified, let me make it clear that we all agreed on this. I expect you all to assist me till the end.¡± Irlen nodded obediently while Reon didn¡¯t give a physical response. Denille gnashed her teeth and nodded. ¡°Good. We have somepany ahead. We¡¯re going back into the deeper part of the forest so watch yourself,¡± Benzard said as he stopped and drew his sword. All around, spots of the sunlight that managed to squeeze through the cover of the canopy of the massive trees decorated the green covered ground. The lights also decorated therge figure of an intimidating viper that coiled before them on long, standing tufts of grass. It was as thick as a fully grown baobab tree, its scales being shiny navy blue in colour. Its red eyes scanned the five figures before it while its forked tongue slipped from its mouth asionally. It hissed menacingly, a deep wave of mana being expelled from its body and washing over everything like a river. The surroundings grew silent, Benzard and his group drawing their weapons calmly while Skullius was trembling from the sheer density of mana he had felt from this beast! Why were these guys so confident?! Were they feeling the same things?! Unlike them, he had actually seen its status and it was a huge leap from the fodder he had met until now! It was¡­ Chapter 51 They Can Flesh Me Up! [ Name : Onumbassssss ] [ Tier :4 ] [ Level : 30 ] [ Race: Light Streaking Death Weaver] [ Inv. Status: Annoyed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 250 ] [Agility : 478 ] [ Intelligence : 143 ] [ Endurance : 264 ] [ Luck : 10 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 5320/5320 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 1400/1400 ]. ¡­. ~~~ What was this massive jump in stats?! Skullius slowly drew back as the intimidating presence of this monster got to him. Benzard¡¯s words immediately rung in his mind as he noticed that this creature was a Tier 4! Just like that man had said, there was something about the fourth tier that made these beasts turn up. The Light Streaking Death Weaver rose its head up high, its long body following until it towered over the five individuals even more. Its eyes gleamed as it watched these little creatures, noticing that they were not weak at all¡­ with the exception of the curious existence that was frozen a distance behind the others. ¡°Curioussss¡­.¡± the Weaver spoke, Benzard and the others frowning as they heard its words travel to their minds. ¡°What brings you to my territory, humanssss¡­ and friend¡­?¡± Maybe it was because the four were on edge, focusing more on the Weaver¡¯s movements than its words that they didn¡¯t understand what thatst part meant. However, Skullius was momentarily caught in apanic as he realised that this creature had recognised that he wasn¡¯t human. Benzard didn¡¯t rx his guard. This wasn¡¯t the first time that he had faced a creature of this Tier that could speak. Many Tier 4 and above beasts could not converse but those that could, were a problem, as that implied that they were older. And if they were older¡­ ¡°We¡¯re just passing by,¡± Benzard responded while his crew didn¡¯t shy away from showing that they were ready to engage. ¡°Issss that ssssso? Where would your destination be, with those relics in hand?¡± ¡­! Benzard¡¯s expression flickered. This creature had discovered that he had the Keys in his possession! Irlen gripped the handle to his shoulder steadily as his role was quite important for what could possiblye next. ¡®This serpent is pretty observant. Or rather, it can see hidden things,¡¯ he thought. ¡°Would you be discourteous to a couple of sentient, respectful travellers by asking such a question?¡± Benzard asked as he prepared to make his move in the next moment. ¡°I have no such tendenciessss, as you humans do. Perhaps I should Indulge myself since it¡¯ssss been a while¡­¡± Benzard waited no longer. His body exploded with mana as he wielded his sword. Reon also held his sword which was a dark coloured katana with a red hilt as he prepared to back Benzard up. Benzard darted forward, his body leaving a trail of lightning and after images as in the next moment, he appeared right in front of the Weaver, his body hunching forward in a low stance as he then sliced with his sword upward! The fearsome de turned white as it was charged with lightning, a force to be reckoned with threatening to rip the Weaver into two clean halves! Unfortunately, the massive snake turned into a swift shadow that dashed through the air around Benzard and his sword as it headed for Denille! Its form looked ethereal, the background being seen through its shing body by those who could even keep up with its movement. Of the five, one such person existed. It was Reon whose wide open eyes followed therge shadow that had crossed a vast distance in a second! Reon gathered mana in his sword and legs as he then raised the katana and shed elegantly in a vertical line! ¡®All imagining sh!¡¯ A blue sh raced towards the shadow that almost reached Denille and grazed its figure, the massive snake pulling back on its momentum which allowed the swift Denille who was quick to pick up on the flow to draw back andunch her own attack! On her ratherrge bow which had a well furnished special wood as a base for its design and makeup, an arrow with a sharp head was also nocked, Denille pumping her mana into it as it shone with a deep purple aura! ¡®Bursting velocity shard!¡¯ She released the arrow, the air reacting to the release with a loud thrum as the arrow tore through folds of the elements in the air and bore a hole in the Weaver¡¯s chest as it bulleted through and past! Surprisingly, the Weaver didn¡¯t react or produce any noise to show that it was injured. It merely darted to and fro at ridiculous speeds while Reon who could follow its movements saw that where Denille had bore a hole with her arrow, the Weaver had already healed! The Weaver suddenly materialised with its grand solid body! While it seemed to be capable of flying through the air in its ethereal form, it seemed to lose that ability when it reverted back, which was evidence by the loud boom that reverberated when the massive snakended, its figure still speedily crawling on the ground. It cocked its head and hissed, from its wide open mouth a stream of purple coloured poison that seamed to drain the light from the surroundings pouring out! From a distance, everyone felt an immense heat from the poison that streaked towards them. Irlen charged ahead and nted his hexagon shaped shield with a mix of silver and blue at its front. ¡°Defender¡¯s Sphere!¡± he called out. A burst of silver light exploded from the shield and covered everyone in its circr area! Spots of light danced within the space of the protective skill, Skullius gaping in awe. The poison failed to prate the shield, affecting the surrounding vegetation andnd. What happened next made the five grimace. The poison made everything melt! Trees, grass and even the ground! The poison broke down everything, changing theirposition into sludge! Benzard while in the [Defender¡¯s Sphere] wielded his sword again. He hadn¡¯t been idling this entire time. He had been charging his mana ever since his upward sh had been dodged by the massive snake. His body radiated bolts of lightning that ran along his body and made his figure look like a divine being! His entire figure became covered in a thick film of lightning as in the next instance, he shot up like a missile and prated through the stream of poison in a bright sh of white! His sword blitzed through the Weaver¡¯s neck, bolts of lightning erasing the forestry behind, turning into charred stalks! The Weaver hissed in pain! This time, blood flooded from the portion of its neck that had been cut through! Before it could even think to retaliate, arrows that travelled like shooting stars bore through multiple portions of its body without much resistance and the figure of Reon darted forward for another follow up attack! Benzard too didn¡¯t let up, a noise like thunder erupting as his shining figure streaked across the air without touching the ground as it then attacked from behind the Weaver while Reon used his [Imagining sh] to strike from the front! ¡°Wow¡­¡± Skullius mouthed as he saw these monsters that were tearing through another monster. ¡°They are¡­ strong¡­¡± The Weaver, Onumbassssss¡¯ eyes gleamed as it saw that it was in a precarious situation. It turned into a dark shadow that tore through the air and rose into the sky. ¡°It seemsss I still have shoringssss¡­¡± Onumbassssss said before it shed away. Benzard frowned as he saw the vanishing figure of the Weaver. ¡°It¡¯s fast¡­ but it won¡¯t escape,¡± he said before he turned to Reon who nodded and breathed out a gust of hot air and swung his ck katana with a fluid motion that also packed his full strength! Skullius saw the de leave after images as it swiped through the air, a dense blue line being expelled from it and racing through the air towards Onumbassssss¡¯ direction at breakneck speed! ¡®Divine Imagining sh!¡¯ Reon called in his mind. Onumbasss who had been retreating was suddenly split in half from the tail to the head! Blood flooded from the split portion of his body and the massive snake had a dumbfounded expression as it reverted back to normal and fell to the ground! If Skullius had been in his Boneman form, his jaw would jaw would have dropped, literally. He was so amazed by this show of power that he didn¡¯t hear Denille calling to him. ¡°Hey!¡± a powerful smack to the back almost made Skullius vomit his nonexistent lungs. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°We¡¯re moving ahead, you idiot. Don¡¯t slow us down,¡± Denille said with a scowl. Skullius nodded and followed. The group reached the corpse of the Weaver where a section of the forest was stained in purple blood entirely. [Felled prey lies before you. Would you like to extract the Essence of Null Life? Remaining time 6 seconds] Skullius immediately absorbed the Null Life Essence from the massive beast, finding it to be 90 points! However, he couldn¡¯t find it within him to celebrate as the fact that he was among such powerful monsters that could end him very easily was once again reiterated. ¡°This thing was strong. It knew to retreat even before it sustained fatal damage. There may be fights like this ahead with even stronger opponents so be on alert. Let¡¯s salvage what we can from this corpse,¡± Benzard said before giving Skullius a nce. Skullius didn¡¯t need 70 points of intelligence to understand what the man meant with his gaze. ¡®If you try anything funny, we¡¯ll flesh you up nomatter what you have up your sleeve.¡¯ Chapter 52 The Doom Factor Approaches (1) ¡®I should¡¯ve known just how big the gap was. I thought I understood it but I was wrong. Even Onumbas had his status disyed by the guidance field to me but these guys¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he watched the four before him get down and harvest important parts of the creature. ¡®I wonder. What will kill me first? I thought I could scrape two more levels but¡­ I guess the rush from killing that Eobald guy got to me,¡¯ Skullius sighed in his mind and pulled up the invasive status that showed his Doom Factors. ~~~ [Doomed Factor 1: Disowned Your master, Undead Lich Somanda has cut off his mana supply to you. Under normal circumstances, you would cease to exist. However, the benevolent VOW has granted you time to decide your own fate. If you cannot do that in the time given, you will meet your end. Time till DF1: 6 hrs ¡ª Doomed Factor 2: Existential Crisis Your distinct perception and absorption of mana throughout the years has caused you to start awakening what should have been lost a long time ago. If you fail to recover and remember this in time you will suffer a crisis of your own existence and descend into madness. Time till DF2 : 1yr ] ~~~ Only six hours remained until he had to sustain himself with mana and with his new form, Skullius didn¡¯t know how he was going to pull through.. He didn¡¯t know how exactly he would perish after failing to circumvent the Doom Factor, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be pretty. Unfortunately, Skullius couldn¡¯t level up as a Discount Human at the moment as even though he had fulfilled the cumtive mana experience requirement, he hadn¡¯tpleted the Second Task to achieve the next level. What was this Second Task that he had to aplish, one might ask? ~~~ [ Exp : 1000/1000 ] [ Second Task : Obtain the cores of two Tier 2 monsters ] ~~~ Even though the Task didn¡¯t seem too difficult, Skullius didn¡¯t have the opportunity to finish it as none of his panions¡¯ were willing to waste time helping him level up when he was doomed to die anyway. It was called efficiency. Which was reasonable. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re nothing but deadweight and you just stand there while we do all the work? Get over here and make use your miserable life before it ends,¡± the ever abrasive Denille said with a scowl. Skullius didn¡¯t even have the will to refuse her as the energy she radiatedmanded his weak body to obey. Was this still a grudge over the fact that he had killed Eobald? He asked for it and Skullius happily obliged. Was that wrong? ¡®Ah¡­ I wish there was a future where I could strip you naked, strap you up to a tie beam, grab a chainsaw and slowly cut through your belly and retrieve your insides.. Wait, that¡¯s another one isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Skullius thought before he moved forward. He didn¡¯t received much help from the party of four, having to follow what they were doing and failing miserably at it. It seemed they didn¡¯t particrly care about his help as they knew that Denille was venting out her frustration on him. None of them would bother to help unless Skullius was about to die anyway. At least two of them. The Discount Human watched as Reon dug into the flesh and organs of the Weaver and pull arge diamond-like crystal that was the size of his head. It was light blue in colour, a dense coagtion of mana that formed a bright ball glowing within its centre. Skullius¡¯ eyes sparkled in wonder and he couldn¡¯t help but subconsciously ask. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Reon responded with a generalised answer as if he hadn¡¯t wanted to exin in the first ce. Which he didn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s what¡¯s left after any creatures that has formed a core dies. Basically, a dead core.¡± As soon as he finished exining, Reon put the core close to a ring that was on his finger and Skullius watched therge crystal turn into a steam of energy that vanished into the ring. Skullius was about to ask again but he received a warning gaze from Reon that shut him up. The ring was a spatial storage. An expanded space where a person could store their stuff. It was bound to the user using mana with the user¡¯s death meaning that it could be owned by another party. After a short while of scraping off the scales, dislodging the bones and harvesting some organs and fangs from therge creature, it was time to move on. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. If we stay too long, we might encounter other powerful creatures that have already been drawn here by the scent of blood. Especially the blood of something as rich as this,¡± Benzard said. Skullius took onest nce at the Weaver, which had been a victim of several mutations that boosted its health and other stats to a dramatic degree especially after it reached Tier 4. When all creatures that used the Tier system reached Tier 4, their cores would turnpact, absorbing and realising every separate part of the creature to the fullest extent. The core would be changed from a myriad of different parts to a singr, powerfulponent. Of course, not all beasts would receive substantial boosts to their cores, as only those that had done much in the way of gathering knowledge and taking powerful portions of defeated foes in the form of consuming or merging would benefit the most. Soon the group continued on. Benzard who lead the way held the two identical Keys together while muttering something in a hushed tone. This was the way to navigate to the hiddenbyrinth which was aplicated process that wouldn¡¯t exactly guarantee an easier time finding the ce, but it gave the opportunity to do so. This was one of reasons why it was so difficult to find legacies, especially when using Keys that didn¡¯t belong to thebyrinth. Fulgardt the Immoral¡¯s legacy was one such without a clear Key that was left for someone to be able to find its location. Benzard and his group knew that were going to be some rough challenges ahead considering the nature of the owner of thebyrinth. Time flew as the group travelled. They found many powerful creatures the deeper they went into the forest. The portion of the Forest where Skullius was originally was near the edge, with the two high tier beasts that protected the section of the forest watching over that area. The deeper one went into the Tremur Forest, the more one would find ces where a variety of these beasts spawned along with encountering powerful creatures that preyed on each other. Theyout of the forest usually emphasised chaos in the middle, with rtive order around the edges were pairs of high tier beasts chosen by the ¡®King¡¯ resided. Hours ticked by as the cycle of fighting, looting and running continued with the unfortunate Skullius missing his infinite endurance. The exhaustion he felt wasn¡¯t the real deal. It was merely an imitation where he felt his body getting heavier and hotter, making it impossible to keep moving. He was also struck by a hunger where he would feel like he had truly reverted back to his Boneman form on ount of the feeling of a gaping emptiness in his abdomen that he felt constantly gnawing at him. As if his atrocious luck had turned upside down, Irlen stopped and requested they take a break and eat as he was starving. ¡°All this work, keeping your asses safe has me beat. Whose turn is it to cook? I¡¯m beginning to digest myself here,¡± Irlen said, emphasising with his bulky shield. The natural choice was usually Reon who was the smartest and most diverse to the extent that even most work outside ofbat was usually known to him. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not doing it this time. I¡¯ve been doing just as much work as you and Benzard. If there¡¯s anyone who should be candidate to make us a meal, it¡¯s Denille. The pretty red haireddy was about to burst into a storm of expletives when she suddenly saw the pale figure of Skullius and gripped him by the neck of his robe. ¡°You, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry too. Get cooking, we have all the meat in the world,¡± she said. Skullius wanted tough but he knew it wouldn¡¯t end well. Him? Cook? Food? Since he couldn¡¯t refuse anyway, he decided to make the most out of it. It would also be his first time eating and he didn¡¯t know how that would feel like. He literally had no knowledge on cooking but since no one refused to give him the chance, he didn¡¯t mind giving it a go after being given a few pointers. Fire. Meat. Meat over fire. Meat burns. Good stuff. Skullius checked his Doom Factor, seeing that there was two hours left, with the sun reaching the spot where he had seen it yesterday when he arrived. Nice. What could possibly go wrong? Chapter 53 The Doom Factor Approaches (2) Salt. Spice. And every meat that¡¯s nice. These were the perfect ingredients to make a simple but filling meal for a couple of adventurers who had a long journey ahead of them. However, the peculiar Discount Human with no name messed it up by including something that turned the whole thing upside down. Atrocious luck! Irlen, Denille, Reon and Benzard had taken a single bite of the meat that had been roasted over a fire by Skullius and in the next moment, they had all felt their stomachs churn before the food even arrived to their oesophagi! Denille spit it out and gave Skullius a rage filled gaze. Benzard set down the meat and took a walk around the close vicinity of their camp. Irlen sat down with a dark look in his eyes while Reon looked at Skullius with a bbergasted expression. How? This bastard literally had nothing else to do other than to watch the juicy fat fall from the meat as it roasted over the fire and add the spices that he had been given! Reon had been watching closely. Skullius followed all the steps but somehow¡­ Somehow! The meat had turned bad regardless.. Skullius grabbed a portion for himself, not bothering with these fiends that didn¡¯t appreciate his work. He decided to try it for himself. He took a piece of the skewered meat which belonged to a deer-like creature called the Butter Willow. The meat had been tender, giving off a scent of freshness even when the creature was being skinned. This animal was well known all across Aigas as it was a delicacy that many wouldn¡¯t get the chance to enjoy as it was usually found in dangerous ces. By some miracle, it always managed to evade death from some powerful creatures, being allowed to roam among the territories of beasts that no one would dare to travel close to. Unlike most people, Skullius knew that it was because of the creature¡¯s outrageously high luck stat that it managed to survive and strangely, this trait seemed to follow all breeds of this creature. Skullius sunk his teeth into such a creature that was roasted to perfection with a splendid choice of spices. Contrary to the expectations of the three who were watching with keen eyes, Skullius merely chewed and chewed. And chewed, then gulp. He swallowed. There was no change in his expression as it remained the same with Skullius going on to take another bite of meat without glee and without horror. Reon pped his forehead. ¡®Does this guy not have taste buds?! Is he some country bumpkin that can tolerate anything with fat?!¡¯ he barked in his own mind before giving up. He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to be mad at Skullius. He simply grabbed more portions of the remaining meat and cooked them himself, which soothed the hearts of hispanions as they got to taste the full majesty of the Butter Willow after it was cooked by the right hands. The chewy flesh whose heat from being just cooked did not take away from the experience, even enhancing the taste along with the slightly spicy aftertaste that brought out the vour of such a humble creature. Reon wore a satisfied look and turned to look at Skullius who had been given the entire portion of the Butter Willow he had cooked as no one wanted it. He expected the Discount Human to be yearning for his version of the meat after smelling the aroma and hearing the cheers from those that enjoyed it but¡­ Skullius was sitting on a log with one foot on top of the other. He was using a stack of grass to remove the remains of the meat that was stuck in his teeth without a care in the world! Reon was infuriated. He wanted to rush up to Skullius and stuff him with the Butter Willow he had cooked then wait to see his surprised expression but he held back. That would be unbing of a powerful warrior who had inherited the Imagining Technique of Swordsmanship. A technique that was capable of cutting through ethereal and real objects by weaving mana in aplex pattern only known to those that inherited the technique. Once again, contrary to his inferences, Skullius didn¡¯t have the ability to taste anything. When he had eaten the horrible version of the Butter Willow, he had not been able to taste it at all. It had slid down his throat and then, a strange grip held down the food, burning it up into fuel for his body! Literally! He had eaten to make the heaviness he felt go away and it had worked. He had regained the feeling of normalcy and it was good, but unfortunately, after the entire fiasco with the Butter Willow meat, Skullius discovered that he had a few minutes before the Doom Factor, Disowned activated. Benzard stood to tell everyone that it was time to move on. Soon the camp was left behind as everyone followed the man with Havana brown hair. Skullius gulped as he felt the clock tick. Everything that happened around him didn¡¯t seem as vivid anymore. He was about to be erased. What else could hold a candle to that? This time, there didn¡¯t seem to be a miracle that would happen to save him. So much for freedom. So much for a long adventure with Null Life. So much for a journey with his best pal, Red bro. Did it all have to end here, while he was looking at the backs of the people who had treating him like garbage. He didn¡¯t get to kill Denille yet. To really flesh her up nice and good. He didn¡¯t really have a particr grudge against the others except for them wanting to kill him and all but he wanted to have an epic fight with them once he had reached a higher tier. ¡°Oh well¡­¡± Skullius voiced, attracting the attention of Reon whose eyes zed a millisecond after he turned to Skullius. [The Doom Factor ¡®Disowned¡¯ has reached its time limit] [Assessing target¡¯s situation¡­] [You have failed to grab a hold of your own fate within the time that was given by the benevolent Voice of Worlds] [You have failed to sustain your own existence with mana] [Attempting mana reduction¡­] [Mana insufficient] [You shall now meet your end] The other three in front of Reon felt something peculiar and turned, seeing Skullius¡¯ body fall to the ground! ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± Benzard yelled with wrath filling his face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I saw mana leaking out of him and now¡­ I think he¡¯s dying,¡± said Reon as he analysed Skullius. Benzard reached Skullius¡¯ body and ced his hand on the chest. ¡°Mana is it? Let¡¯s just supply it to him then!¡± the man said as he then turned to the others. ¡°We can still save him before it¡¯s toote!¡± Irlen rushed to Benzard and ced his hand on Skullius, mana beginning to burst from his hand and into the small figure of the Discount Human. Benzard saw that an extra pair of hands was missing while he and Irlen supplied Skullius with Onia. ¡°Hey, hurry up before he dies! I don¡¯t want to lose this when I¡¯m so close!¡± Benzard said as he turned to Reon and Denille who looked back at him without the slightest intention toe forward and help. ¡°He was right,¡± Denille said with a tremble in her figure as if she didn¡¯t believe what she said and was about to say. ¡°Eobald was right. All you want is strength. Wherever it can be found is where you are. Where your heart is. That¡¯s why you¡¯ll never be as good as he was¡­¡± ¡­! Benzard¡¯s face twisted into a scowl. He didn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. Did he hear clearly? Was this bitch still defending Eobald after finding out who he was?! ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, huh? Even when your lover turns out to be a psychotic maniac who wants to bring about the end of the world, you will always defend him against someone you consider to be the lesser counterpart. Now isn¡¯t that mighty wise of you, Denille,¡± Benzard said with a cold tone that made Denille shiver. ¡°And you feel the same way too?¡± Benzard turned to Reon who wore his usual calm expression and nodded. ¡°Yes. Let this obsession end here. I¡¯m tired. We¡¯re all tired. People died. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Benzard looked at Irlen, asking if he felt the same way, but the burly man shook his head and resumed pumping his mana into Skullius. ¡°I see.¡± *** Skullius felt like he had been put to rest just like the old days in Deadmand after thest notification from the guidance field had disappeared from his vision. Now, he found himself floating in a pitch ck void with nothing of a body to be seen on him. It seemed like only his eyes existed, peering through nothing in particr. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ he thought. He had intended to speak, but only his thoughts resounded in his mind. ¡®Hmm? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ As if to answer his question, a figure immediately emerged from the darkness! ¡­! It was terrifying! To Skullius, it wasn¡¯t scary because of its appearance, but because of its identity! It was something that he knew all too well. An overbearing presence. A dark green skeletal structure that looked several millenia old. A deep red socket me that burned maliciously! A cackle that would have made his bones quiver! All of this appeared before Skullius and before he knew it, he voiced out a word in terror. ¡°¡­. Somanda¡­¡± Chapter 54 The Hall Of Just Ice... Skullius couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Was this truly happening? Was this the end that was promised to him by the Doom Factor? Then why didn¡¯t VOW say something? Maybe he would have taken more risks and¡­ maybe not. That would have gotten him killed a lot sooner, and perhaps he¡¯d end up here anyway. Or perhaps he would end up somewhere else entirely. A ce of rest from his centuries upon centuries of untiresome work. But no. He was here, facing his summoner with a gloom that transcended the borders of life and death. As if this wasn¡¯t enough, an image bloomed behind the cackling figure of Somanda. It appeared like a colourisation of the darkness into a ginormous hall that stretched further than his vision could make out. It was dim, lit only by the asional skull stered on the wall that held a bright green me in its sockets, illuminating the space where Skullius could see solid materialsyered in blocks to make up the entire hall. Ice! They exuded a slow moving steam that was barely perceptible if one didn¡¯t notice, massive pirs of these that looked to be expertly sculpted with eerie images being seen as they rose to touch a ceiling that couldn¡¯t seen. The most distinctive feature when looking at this view, this hall that looked to be made as a residence for a powerful majestic giant, was the multitudes of lights that were screaming while being trapped in the blocks of ice that made up the walls! White lights of different intensities and shapes; some bright with a shape like that of a man, some extremely dim with the shape of a spear or a heart. They all stood majestically on the wall like a celestial prison from which nothing could escape, chains wrapped around each block as the shape of light inside screeched miserably! ¡°Ah¡­¡± Somanda voiced from his mouth, a dark wisp of energy flooding from his mouth as it went to surround Skullius who shivered as he saw himself being drawn to his former master. The closer he went, the more vivid the image of Somanda and the terror that his figure brought. His deep red socket mes raged with an intensity of interest and joy as he saw this poor servant of his return to spend a lifetime of pain among the countless that came before and after him.. A true schadenfreude indeed. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand the true grandeur of Undeath. Even after you sell yourself to another master who is rtively new, your soul will always belong to Undeath. To me. To a prison of ice made especially for you,¡± Somanda said with the most eerie voice that Skullius had ever heard. He knew? He knew that Skullius had be a Null Lifeform? It was to be expected since the books that contained the skills were in Somanda¡¯s possession when Skullius took them, after all but.. ¡°It seems you failed in the end. I waited for you to return some day. Whether the day came soon or after a stretch of infinity, I would have waited nheless. A master of Undeath is not bound by time. And here you are¡­ Skullius.¡± Somanda¡¯s figure hidden under a dark robe moved while Skullius who didn¡¯t know how he looked on the outside followed while being gripped by the dark energy that hade from Somanda¡¯s mouth. The crisp steps of bony feet rang across the ice floor as Somanda walked a long distance in silence, Skullius not making a single peep as the suspense was killing him. What would happen now?! After a while, the Lich stopped and pointed on a certain block that was high up on the wall. Although pointing would be considered useless when dealing with a wall of this magnitude, Skullius felt his vision being forcibly directed to the block that Somanda wanted him to look at. As soon as he saw the block, something within him shivered, trembling as it sought to break through and race towards the bright light that was frozen within the ice! A bright light in the shape of a curled up human being could be seen. Its figure looked feminine. The young sort without any distinctive features of note yet. Skullius trembled but nothing came to mind. He only vaguely felt that this figure was familiar. That this¡­ was very familiar. ¡°Have you ever wondered why you and your crew of Lesser Undead have emotions. Why you don¡¯t feel things that a bunch of bones and mana shouldn¡¯t? HEHEHE,¡± Somanda said with a boisterousugh that echoed throughout the space. Indeed Skullius had wondered. But this wasn¡¯t the situation that was ideal for him to be a chad and be bold. He simply waited for the answer. ¡°It¡¯s simple really. The subtlety of pain and sadness that is revealed when you work for eternity is unimaginably enjoyable to see. How even after your death, your emotions carry more emotions and show the sorrow that your soul has through the camaraderie that you try to cultivate among yourself as dead! Worthless vestiges of even more worthless vessels. This¡­ brings joy to my aged existence!¡± For amusement. A pastime for an aged creature. That¡¯s what he was? Skullius¡¯ thoughts raced as Somanda¡¯s words brought to the surface all the encounters that he had with his friends. B, Fractures and the rest. It was just a clinging to the past induced by the remnants of their souls? It was all just pain that manifested as pitiful fights in the mines. A yearning for a friend when he and his pals would push the stone from their bunk tombs and get to work. It was all to share a collective pain that they all didn¡¯t remember? ¡°¡­¡± Skullius felt a resonance between him and the bright image of girl that was locked in therge block of ice. ¡®Why didn¡¯t I try harder?¡¯ ¡®Why did I give up like it was the most obvious thing to do?¡¯ ¡®Is it because I never knew that there was something about me that existed before I was summoned by Somanda? So I just didn¡¯t care?¡¯ ¡°Oh, Skullius! Come join your ¡®friends¡¯ and share this suffering while bound by a deathly fate! I will so enjoy seeing that even the light of fate that was always on you can¡¯t content with the might of someone such as myself! I¡¯ll make you remember it all and let you ¡®enjoy¡¯ it countless times over! Come and suffer so that I can feel ripples of joy knowing that you were always under my feet, nomatter how much favour you have!¡± Skullius trembled in fear. And in rage. This was it? This was how he ended? When he didn¡¯t even remember the beginning? It couldn¡¯t be! Somanda¡¯s mes burst with a bright red light as he saw the emotion that was bubbling in Skullius. ¡°That¡¯s it right there. The fire that I want to see and trample! I want to see it within billions of lines and see it die down many times over! You shall bear witness like all the others!¡± Skullius felt a ridiculous push thatunched him towards the block of ice that he felt a deep resonance with! Skullius felt with ever fibre of his consciousness that if he reached that block and got sealed, then it was all over. He wouldn¡¯t be able to get out nomatted what! His rage wouldn¡¯t amount to anything while he was locked behind those chains. He had failed. Red Rage was gone. His Null Life¡­ an opponent meant to further him as a second chance was gone. Was he that much of a failure that he lost even with so much potential? The pain that roared from within a depth that Skullius didn¡¯t even know, munched on his will until he spoke, pleading¡­ ¡®Please! I need another chance! I can¡¯t let it end like this! I have to know! I have to get back and make the most of it! Even with the full might of atrocious luck!¡¯ Skullius saw the block draw closer while Somanda¡¯s demeaningugh echoed through him with a raucous intensity. Then¡­ CLUNK! Arge chain with an azure glow grabbed a hold of Skullius! It emitted wisps of mana that almost seemed to have a searing heat about them! ¡®What?¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡°Hmmm?¡± Somanda looked on with a passive gaze at the chain, another one appearing from nowhere to grab onto Skullius, holding him from being dragged into the block. [Timely intervention detected] [Inserting of mana detected. Your existence is being supported by an external factor. Additional mana costs added¡­] [Mana sufficient for mana reduction. ¡®Piece of soul¡¯ return processing¡­] ¡®¡­?¡¯ Skullius was confused. He was saved? How? A dramatic pulling force acted upon him, drawing him back under the gaze of Somanda. Something had intervened. If it was case of mana then perhaps his panions¡¯ had saved him?! Skullius gazed at Somanda as he was pulled back, away from the massive hall that began to vanish, drowning into the pitch darkness. The Lich gazed at him without much of a reaction and pointed its finger at him. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised at this point. Fate always sided with you when it counted. We will meet again eventually. Even when you be one with Divinity, you¡¯ll seek me out on your own,¡± Somanda said as his mouth released plumes of darkness, his image also sinking into the ck. From his bony finger, a streak of red shot through the void and struck Skullius, sinking into him. Skullius groaned as he felt genuine pain! ¡°Don¡¯t keep me waiting too long¡­¡± Skullius heard thest of Somanda¡¯s words and then¡­ [An additional curse has been inflicted on you by Higher level Undead ¡®Arch Lich Somanda¡¯¡­] Chapter 55 The Tale of The Ideal Ark Chapter 55 The Tale of The Ideal Ark A talented and adventurous man once walked on the crust of Aigas. He was bold. He fought powerful beasts and had his name included in the records of many cities as a hero, a legend, a teacher. His exploits were bedtime stories for children of all ages, and his tales inspired young men and women to be ''true adventurers''. Explorers. Mercenaries. This man was named Eobald. He was dashing and handsome. A calm and collected character who loved to wear a shy smile that would make women swoon and bend, tickled by his charm. This one of the perks of having a deep understanding of mana that transcended the Foundation Stage. Well, among themon folk, it was. After seeing that going at his adventurers all on his own, being a one-man show, was getting cumbersome, predictable, he put out a call to those with a powerful resolve to join him on his thrilling excursions. A single piece of paper with his signature and message caused chaos to ensue as many hot-blooded youths sought to join him. Most adventurers, mercenaries, or those aspiring to be such, were usually at Foundation Stage. Transcending past this was not quitemon in most regions of the human continent. From the thousands that responded to his call, fifteen particr individuals managed to get picked after Eobald approved of their resolve, strength and determination for what was toe. Among these were Irlen, Denille, Reon and Benzard who didn''t know each other at the time. This party grew under the leadership of Eobald. He taught them how to improve their strength, removed their weaknesses and gave them a greater appreciation of the full capabiliies of their bodies. He also taught them his philosophy. That after his many years of being a thrill-seeking wanderer, he had discovered that all life was precious, but not all sentient things had the capacity to keep thriving. He said that through his travels, he always found the suffering to reside in the same ces, nomatter where one went. Those that died of hunger while the rich fed themselves and slept on full bellies. ughter was condoned in many ces without defence for those that faced it. That a new order was needed where equality could be established and that it started with the Ideal Ark, a beacon that would indoctrinate the entire world and save it. It was inspiring. The grand view of a man who had travelled the world. All who heard him believed, enthralled. In Eobald''s party, the one who hungrily devoured this knowledge most, taking it to heart, and mind with so much devotion that he might as well have been aspiring to be Eobald''s twin, was Benzard. He and Eobald became close after he was chosen to be the vice-leader of the party that became famous across the region, calling themselves the Ideal Ark. Denille, like every other woman in the group, fell in love with Eobald''s charm and ideology that promised a better tomorrow if only she followed him. However, she was the only one who managed to reach his heart, bing his lover. Reon who came from a powerful, stuck-up bastion of the nation - a mighty family where the heirs who awakened the sacred Imagining Technique were sentenced to decades of istion to groom their strength to perfection - was d to have cool, basicpany and be part of something better than strict family tradition. Irlen was a normal shield bearer who grew to be the lead tank, being especially reliable and having a loyal character. For four years, the Ideal Ark thrived, bing more like a crusade of endearing, battle saints as they did performed one grand deed after another. On one expedition spearheaded by Eobald, the growing group had managed to secure two Keys that were divided between Eobald and Benzard. The former suggested using the Keys on a legacy he knew the location of immediately after their excursion. It seemed like this was the next grand thing that the Ideal Ark would aplish. Yet... It was not. A single day proved this, when Eobald invited Benzard to his abode. After grooming him the most out of all those in the Ideal Ark, Eobald expected Benzard to understand. He wanted to entrust something to Benzard. He knew of Benzard''s tragic past; that he was a life spared only by luck after the privilege razed everything he knew. Such a man, who now sought strength and fairness above all else... He exposed his affiliation and who he truly was first. Surely that, coupled with his idolisation of Eobald. Surely... he would understand. Eobald began bying clean. He exposed his affiliation and who he truly was first. Perhaps, that would earn Benzard''s trust first before he exined what he aimed to do. The risks involved. Who he would be defying. Unfortunately, it did no go as he nned. Eobald watched as trust burned away from Benzard eyes just when he thought it was safe to speak. He was enraged. He was furious. He had tried to hear the rest of the story, with the urgency with which Eobald told it, but.... The Green Neolists? The necromancers that constantly killed thousands every year?! The notorious organisation whose origin was unknown and whose activity dreaded throughout all the nation? That was what Benzard had been invited to? And what was this... Eobald was actually tasked with finding something that would allow the Green Neolists to ughter more people? No. Benzard didn''t wait to hear everything else. All this time.... The deception.... Benzard was ready to cut Eobald down, but he was outnumbered. He opted to escape instead, with what he knew. He told it all to his fellow Ideal Ark members. If the treachery hade from anyone else, it might have been very hard to believe... buting from Benzard.... It took time... but eventually, even Denille, broken most of all, was forced to believe it. All this then culminated into a confrontation which led to Eobald being forced into a corner after being besieged by his entire group. ...And it was only when he was cornered that revealed it. The sword he used... didn''t mark him as a swordsman. Eobald''s ss was... Necromancer. With it, he ughtered hundreds from the group he built from the ground up until only a few of the strongest remained. These few pursued him into the Tremur Forest. And that was when he and Benzard cursed each other for the final time... before he fled with the Arcane Teleportation Scroll. Benzard had had to summon inhumane spirit to resolve himself to killing Eobald. All those years together... They might have been a lie, but Benzard still felt a twang of pain when he saw Eobald''s dead body. There were unresolved feelings. No closure. The efforts of a certain fake-faced man made sure of that. Yet, Benzard no longer cared. He had merely wanted the Key that Eobald possessed so that he could get the ''weapon'' that could aid him and the remnants of the Ideal Ark in fighting off the horrifying n that the Green Neolists intended. Yes. Only a legacy would do. *** Benzard faced the two who refused to assist him and wore a scrunched up expression. Even after all that they had seen. After all they had learned, they still... "Hypocrites..." he muttered. "I''m trying to fight against the problem that Eobald propagated and all you can say is ''you''re tired'' and start demeaning me when I''m the one who fucking saved you the trouble of having to discover that we were on the wrong path before it was toote?!" "So what?! He... told me that he wanted a better world! I believed him! He truly cared and he was genuine! We forced his hand! That''s why everyone died... that''s why..." Denille said with a broken voice. Benzard''s eyes red with a hot and bright sh of lightning. "Piss off! You turned into an idiot the day you believed everything he said! Just like me! The difference is, I woke up from it, because I never lost sight of myself!" Reon slid over to stand before Denille with a pained expression. He then red at Benzard. Irlen stared at the confrontation with aplicated expression. "I never would have thought that you, who were the smartest among us would justify this? Why did you stand by and fight with me if this is how you felt?" bellowed Benzard, his face turning red. "I never cared about all that. About Eobald and his philosophy. I was only happy to be part of a family that didn''t have some messed tradition just because I awakened a rare power. I was willing to fight Eobald because I hoped... we would still be the Ideal Ark after this, but... this is all that''s left. So yes... I''m tired," Reon said with a soft, yet deep voice. Denille pushed him away and pointed at Benzard angrily as she exploded: "You...! A least we actually cared about this family. We had attachments that we believed in and would never give up so easily on, but you... all you''ve been thinking about is that damned legacy instead of anything else! We are grieving! I don''t want to do this! Eobald was right! At least he truly wanted things to change... maybe... but you... you''re obsessed with nothing but strength... admit it!" Benzard''s eyes sparked dangerously. "That''s right. I''m obsessed with strength. I''ve always been. But unlike a pretty bag of roses like you or a prodigy from a famous family, I grew up in the worst ce a 12 year old boy could ever grow up in." "I sought strength because I wanted to free myself. None of you fools know the true evils that humanity can resort too. Even wolves will look pretty byparison. Unlike you, I came into this knowing that life isn''t some pretty ideal where you fight and kill monsters while the world sings your praises all the damn time. That''s why I believed Eobald more than every fucking one of you!" "I believed that what I had experienced in my youth would be a thing of the past when Eobald actualised his n, but look at us now...!" An expression and tone that was unbing of the calm Benzard normally exuded surfaced. Benzard''s presence became even more intimidating as he took a single step forward, which made Denille shrink and back away. "Now I don''t give a damn about your sentiments. You can cry and regret all you want after we are done with this. You can quit for all I care, but right now, you''re going to get your asses RIGHT THERE, and pump everyst bit of mana you have to keep that man alive! Or so help me, I''ll send you to Eobald..." There was crippling silence afterwards as the argument drew to a close. All that was left was to oblige. Chapter 56 Into Harms Way Skullius opened his eyes and saw the figure of four people above him, their hands outstretched towards him as they released bursts of mana into his body. ¡®Ah¡­ I was right¡­¡¯ he thought. Two of them looked particrly unhappy but Skullius felt even more so despite escaping a tragic end once again. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to be cheery when all that happened within the ce that he had been taken to by Somanda kept brushing against his mind in an unsettling way. Something kept ring against a memory that he was sure he could almost taste. The outline of a figure that was identical to the girl he had seen within the block of ice kept shing before him incessantly. ¡®Who is this¡­? Why does an emotion that I haven¡¯t felt before try and squeeze through my bones whenever I focus on it?! Damn it!¡¯ The revtions made by Somanda were quite frustrating to Skullius, especially when he considered that maybe he had taken Undeath too lightly. It had bothered him at some point why he was still leashed under Somanda through the first Doom Factor if he was no longer an undead and was a Null Lifeform. Why was he still being tormented by that bastard? If he died he would actually go to that ce again? He still didn¡¯t know the reason why but thest notification that spoke of how Somanda was actually an Arch Lich spoke volumes about just how much his former master was powerful and why he was still bound. He found himself questioning whether his escape that time through the portal wasn¡¯t because Somanda was stupid but because something else entirely was at y. Somanda had said something about fate after all. The whole encounter had stripped Skullius of his usual temperament and easy going nature.. He had truly been somewhat indifferent towards meeting his end as there wasn¡¯t much he thought he had to lose. He would miss B and the crew but¡­ what else was there? The mines? Eternal imprisonment however, was a concept that changed his perception. Furthermore, the little ¡®gift¡¯ that Somanda had given him before he left was quite¡­ concerning. ~~~ [You have been afflicted by the curse ¡®UNCoddled¡¯] ¡ª¨C [UNCoddled] [The Arch Lich Somanda wishes you well on your journey to eventually return to him. However, in light of your previous attachments, he has decided to give you an additional ¡®incentive¡¯. A curse to follow you till the day you face him. You shall be bound to walk alone. Only with your strength. Any help from the outside will promptly attract FATALITY, leaving you alone till your destination has been reached] ~~~ Skullius gritted his teeth. He hadn¡¯t missed the fact that the notification he had seen had actually said that he was cursed a second time? When was the first? Upon seeing that Skullius was back, Benzard breathed a sigh of relief. His imposing air vanished as he regained his cool. All was not lost yet. The rest felt pretty much the same way but for different reasons. Skullius sat up but he didn¡¯t show much of any reaction as he simply stared at the ground with an angry expression. ¡°What happened?¡± Benzard asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Skullius replied with a hollow tone. Denille gripped Skullius by the throat and showed a ferocious expression, carrying her agitation from the previous verbal altercation with Benzard onto Skullius. ¡°You ungrateful son of a bitch! We just saved your life! You should at least be grateful for that! You know exactly what happened! Did you try tomit suicide or something?¡± she bellowed in Skullius face. Skullius didn¡¯t shirk away from her thunderous presence this time as the feeling that he had gotten from Somanda was way scarier and fresh in his mind. ¡®You¡¯re going to kill me anyway.¡¯ ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Stop that, Denille! He¡¯s still leaking out mana. We have to continue supplying it to him,¡± Reon said while holding back the rage he felt. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like he needs much. We probably went overboardst time. One of us supplying him with mana should be enough. Irlen.¡± The shield bearer nodded and kept releasing his mana into Skullius while everyone pulled away. ¡°So you really don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to you?¡± Benzard asked with a threatening tone in question. ¡°Nope,¡± Skullius replied with impassive eyes, the dangerous mana coiling around Benzard not fazing him one bit. Benzard looked at Reon for any revtions about the situation but the results spoke of nothing that progressed the issue forward. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I thought he had cracked his core, but it¡¯s still intact. Maybe it¡¯s not his doing,¡± said Reon. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go on,¡± Benzard said. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up our pace. We¡¯re close and we won¡¯t be stopping until absolutely necessary. Irlen, can you carry him while giving him your mana at the same time?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Irlen with a solid nod. Soon, the group had set off again, going at full speed towards the direction that the two Keys in Benzard¡¯s hands showed as he whispered iprehensible words. Irlen had Skullius under his arm as they went. Surprisingly, he found Skullius to be ridiculously light but he paid it no mind. Reon would have noticed if something was amiss anyway. The question one would ask when considering the unexplored rtionship between Benzard and Irlen was why the bully shield bearer was loyal to Benzard? The reason was simple. Irlen had always been a man of substance. He believed in seeing people doing something for them to deserve titles and recognition. This could be chalked up to him being a shield bearer, someone who defended and allowed others to attack without worry. After many years of living by the shield, he had be sensitive to different characters. That said, he respected Benzard over Eobald solely because of substance. Benzard as the vice leader of the Ideal Ark was usually the man at the forefront, while Eobald was a sacred figure that only joined the fight when they had major issues to deal with. That¡¯s why, because of his time spend with Benzard, he respected him more. The man who told him to lift the shield while he would attack most often, proving to be someone he could rte to. Someone he could call arade in arms and not a figure that was meant to be revered. The journey took quite a while as the four on foot zipped through the forest that kept changing. Their speed was slowed down after they went deeper into the forest. More powerful creatures began to appear. The group had to hide from overly powerful beasts most of the time while taking care of monsters that were as strong as Onumbassssss. Each time, Skullius would absorb the Null Life Essence, seeing higher figures with the difference in the creatures that he saw. Soon, he had for the first time seen the Null Life Essence bar filled with 3000 points that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to use until the next morning. After almost four hours of constantly travelling and witnessing the terrifying fights that the four that were with him had to engage in, Skullius couldn¡¯t imagine how he could survive this. He had seen enough to know that these guys were powerful, but were still holding back. For thebyrinth. The terrain began to change again after another stretch of distance that was marred with the monotony of battle after battle, Irlen having to sit them all out. From therge trees and dense vegetation, a valley appeared after a desert-like environment that looked out of ce could be seen ahead. It was unnatural. Golden brown soil that suddenly reced the verdant green abruptly to make a massive opening that covered over a kilometre distance with a girth of just short of two hundred meters. The group marvelled at this. The sun seemed especially hot above this geographical feature that looked to have been dropped suddenly over the beauty of the tropical scenery that they had gotten used to. What made matters worse was that there was a transition on the soil that made everyone including Skullius grimace. The golden brown soil that reached from the forest side slowly turned into a darker shade as the soil descended into the depths between the two walls. From the golden brown to a dark brown that was littered with dark stones and extremely sparse nt life that looked phenomenally poisonous. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be shitting me!¡± Denille said, being the first to express how much she thought that this adventure had turned out to be even more dangerous than they had initially thought. Chapter 57 Enter The Labyrinth! (1) A Majestic Territory. A profound level of power that was open to all creatures as long as they met the required level of strength and a sufficiently strong core. The ability to create a separate realm that was advantageous for the user and extremely dangerous for the target; a Majestic Territory. For a Majestic Territory, the ranking for how strong it was wasn¡¯t usually how powerful the boosts it gave to the user were, but how many unique lifeforms would be spawned from it. For instance, Az¡¯s Majestic Territory spawned the StarGold Clusterflies which Skullius had miraculously used to level up to a standard undead. When a Territory reached this stage, it was safe to assume that when the user used it to attack, there was ZERO chances ofing out alive unless the target was of simr strength. Just the fact that Skullius had survived such a thing was a feat that deserved to told to the world but even the Discount Human didn¡¯t know its worth. ¡°We¡¯ll rest to recuperate our mana,¡± Benzard said as he sat down and took a breather. Denille was about toin about how dangerous this was, but she realised how futile it was to try and dissuade Benzard at this point after their little spat. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise. Encountering a Majestic Territory right now while we¡¯re this deep into the forest is nothing but bad news. We can¡¯t defend against it even if we go all out,¡± Reon said, trying to reason with Benzard. Benzard remained calm. He took steady breaths as he gasped onto the mana in the air and recovered the mana in his core. ¡°I know it¡¯s dangerous. However, I wouldn¡¯t lead us to our deaths. Eobald told me about this ce. He said he had records of people that had tried going in. It was only after he revealed himself that I figured out that his organisation probably tested the result of entering with live specimens. Either innocent people or with their Necromancy,¡± Benzard exined. ¡°The fact is, the guardian who is protecting thebyrinth doesn¡¯t attack with its Territory. It merely vets who it deems to be worthy of giving the Labyrinth a try. You¡¯d have to be hostile for it to attack you. So, going by that, we should be safe.¡± Reon ground his teeth. ¡®Why are you so goddamn stubborn?! You still put trust in Eobald¡¯s words when they benefit you but disregard everything else?¡¯ he thought. Denille also looked disgruntled while Irlen merely sighed. ¡°We¡¯re here anyway. We might as well check it out. If worsees to worst, we¡¯ll just use the Arcane scroll that Eobald left. You have it right, Denille?¡± Irlen said.. He was referring to the scroll that had been confiscated from Skullius. Denille nodded. At least they had some assurance. That was if they could use the scroll faster than the beast within that Territory could attack. It was still a major gamble. Skullius was not feeling good about this. He had lived his life in this forest while keeping an eye out for Territories and it could be said that he was the first to notice the change when they arrived here. ¡®Damn it! Another Territory?! At least I¡¯m not alone this time but still¡­¡¯ Skullius had been thinking of ways to save himself. There was basically no way that he could escape before they reached the Labyrinth but maybe when they were inside, he could pull something off. But now, there was the issue of the Territory. Depending on how much it influenced the entire area, it could be even more dangerous for him. ¡®I¡¯ll try! I can¡¯t be erased just yet! I won¡¯t give that bastard what he wants! I¡¯ve survived this long, I should be able to pull off one more escape and reach Tier 1. Though¡­ before then, I still need to be supplied with mana or else Doom Factor 1 will activate again. Damn it!¡¯ Skullius thought before pulling up his status. ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Experience : 1000/1000; ] [ ss : None ] [ Race :Discount Human ] [ Inv. Status: Still doomed ¡Á2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 10 ] [Agility : 10 ] [ Intelligence : 5 ] [ Endurance : 10 ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 30/30 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 20/20 ] ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 3000/3000 ] ¡ª¨C [ Skills ] [ Basic Mana Maniption | Lv. ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] [ Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno | Lv. 3 ] [ Artless Dodger | Lv. 1 ] [ Mana Bolt | Lv. 4 ] [ Null Extraction ] ¡ª- [ Affinities ] None ¡­. ~~~~ ¡®The curse is also on my invasive status. How much more of this can I take?¡¯ Skullius thought. This current situation really made him feel lonely. If he could somehow squeeze through it however, he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be held back anything else. With all that he had witnessed and experienced, he wouldn¡¯t be the same if he managed to survive. A few more hours passed, giving a chance for the sun to start descending down the horizon. It was time. With everyone fully rested and recovered, it was time to enter the realm of a powerful beast. The group walked forward until they reached the boundary and then¡­ They all entered at the same time, Skullius still being held by Irlen. Skullius¡¯ vision warped, changing from the view of the strange valley where solid rock and sand thrived to a peculiar ce that made his cosmetic eyes widen! It was like an alternate version of the forest that he had just left behind! Large trees could be seen and long des of runner and tufted grass all with a shade of ck abounded! The trees swayed as if there was a gust of wind that continuously blew while being outlined by what looked like a white sun in the sky. All this was nothingpared to the bizarre element that truly made this a truly wondrous, alternate space. Everything was upside down! It took a second for all five individuals to realise but as soon as they stepped into the Territory, they fell¡­ up? Down? When their feet entered the space of the Territory, all there was a dark sky with particrly bright, white clouds under. All the vegetation, not to mention the ground, was below! Reon and Benzard quickly managed to steady themselves while falling andnded on their feet but the rest fell hard on the dark ground. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Irlen grunted as he tried to stand up, feeling the smaller figure of Skullius squashed under him. ¡°This is.. some Territory,¡± Reon said as he looked around, Benzard already having his sword out. ¡°Stay close!¡± he ordered, to which everyone huddled while looking at the surroundings. However, nothing seemed amiss. At least ording to the rules of this world. [Congrattions! You have royally screwed yourself by entering a Higher Tier beast¡¯s ¡®Majestic Territory¡¯] ¡®This again?¡¯ Skullius questioned as he saw the guidance field notification. At least there was no corresponding notifications of overpowered skills that made him feel like he was already done for. He felt the difference in the air. This was a few notches below the Territory of Az as far as he could tell but the realm of power was the same. ¡°Greetings, Challengers.¡± A voice boomed from a just a few meters away, making the team turn towards the source. Upon seeing the creature that spoke, everyone swallowed a lump of saliva and looked more cautious, prepared to fight. What was before them was a giant white fox that swayed its tail this way and that while sitting on the ground. Its pitch ck eyes that heavily contrasted its spotless, white fur gazed intently at these brave humans that had thrown themselves into its Territory. ¡°No need to be cautious. My job isn¡¯t to fight. I merely want to see how capable you are,¡± the fox said. Benzard and the rest didn¡¯t let down their guard, waiting for what more the creature would say. The creature¡¯s left eye sparked with an orange hue as aplex symbol that looked like a Japanese kanji character appeared in its eye for no more than a second before vanishing ¡°I see. You barely fit the lowest requirements to attempt this ce but who am I to meddle in your affairs? I¡¯ve Iong stopped caring for how capable who wants to challenge this ce is but¡­ I shall tell you something that I tell all whom I allow to pass,¡± the fox said as on its mouth, an unsettling grin appeared while its eyes looked to Skullius for a split second. ¡°The human that owned thisbyrinth was a powerful creature that had reached Divinity! He had no tolerance for morals nor sentiments and was a simpleton who sought only for power! He didn¡¯t acknowledge the weak but he never harmed them, never putting them in his sights. He was greedy, arrogant, selfish and evil! The one to inherit the power he left behind, the Insurgent Magnus, must also abide by these!¡± ¡°He wished for the one to find this ce to be someone who could open hisbyrinth despite there not being a Key customly made for it. One that goes against odds and seeks strength to a demented degree! Wee, dear humans¡­ to the Labyrinth of the Yoke!¡± The grand presentation given by the fox came to an end as did nothing to reassure them of what they would find inside! The ground began to tremble, behind the fox that had taken back its passive expression, a massive gate appearing. It was circr, covering the view behind the fox and giving off an imposing atmosphere that made all the trees in the soundings stop swaying and stand absolutely still while an eerie silence enveloped the world. A grand design was sculpted upon the grand gate that was made of thick stone with a setup like that of a double door. A design befitting of the legacy of Fulgardt the Immoral! A design befitting of the Insurgent Magnus! Chapter 58 Enter The Labyrinth! (2) Chapter 58 Enter The Labyrinth! (2) An immacte carving proudly stood before the five pairs of eyes of the group. An extremely muscr man with his arms outstretched and his hands forming fists that exuded a powerful presence even from the image. Wild hair that was spread out to the very top of the boundary of the gate as if blown by an untamed wind. At the front of his head, a solemn face with eyes that were shut, a button nose and ideal lips; all very detailed as they gave off the impression of a seasoned and calm warrior. Yet, behind this gorgeous image, a contrasting one could be seen, floating above it as if to portray that this was the true self that was above the facade depicted at the forefront. A malicious grin that spreads from ear to ear upon a face simr to the one of the man at the forefront. Open eyes that look like the eyes of a devil gazed down at something that was within its own hands. Arge ball that was divided into two halves. However, because of theck of colour on the vast stone, there was no clear distinction on the difference of these halves. Benzard was the first toe back to reality as he turned to his fellow adventurers. "Listen up. This is it. We don''t have time to waste," he said, causing the others to pay attention to him. "We don''t know what we''re going to find so let me tell you this. If one of us manages to find the legacy before the others, they are to wait for at least three hours if there''s no immediate danger. If no one else shows up, in particr, me, then take the legacy and make it your own." Everyone was surprised by this. Denille couldn''t believe what she was hearing. This guy was willing to let go of the legacy just like that? "Even though I''m the one who seems more interested in this than any of you, it defeats the purpose of using here if we fail to get it in the end. So if you find it, go for it. Understood?" Everyone nodded. Benzard pulled out the two Keys and motioned for Skullius toe and take the one that was bound to him. The Keys were only useful when the person bound to them used them, after all. Slowly, Skullius walked up to Benzard who gave him the Key and put his hand on his shoulder to supply him with mana. They walked up the giant fox that gazed at them, its focus being on Skullius as it then released a low guffaw that made everyonefortable. ''Curious.'' However, because its eyes were sorge, no one could really see who it was actually focusing on. The fox stood from itsying position but did not remove itself from the way, Benzard pushing Skullius to go towards the gate from under the creature. Passing through only made the two all the more cautious as the shadow that engulfed them even in this dark world had a certain depth to it. The two reached the gate, Benzard looking at Skullius and nodding before cing his Key onto the gate. The bright portal made everyone hesitate. They had all expected a gaping ck hole that would be d to just swallow them whole instead of this weing-ish light. Skullius did the same with his Key, the moment the second Key touched the stone gate causing therge structure to shake greatly! Both Keys glowed with a white light as they exerted their power on the gate, forcefully causing it to grunt and begin to open, albeit very slowly. The two figures carved onto the stone were split in half as the two pieces diverged, a bright circr portal being revealed behind! Its light caused the adventurers and Skullius to squint their eyes, the beauty and unease this portal exuded being especially overbearing. "You may pass," the fox said as it then turned to the other three who rushed over to Benzard and Skullius. The bright portal made everyone hesitate. They had all expected a gaping ck hole that would be d to just swallow them whole instead of this weing-ish light. What could it look like inside the actualbyrinth? Could it be that their perception was biased and Fulgardt had different tastes? There was only one way to find out. Denille looked at Skullius and voiced out a thought she had been wanting to enact for a long time. "Isn''t this shitface useless now? We can kill him right?" Skullius turned to this woman with a hard expression. ''Ipletely forgot that there might not be any use for me since they''ve already opened the gate! I thought they''d only kill me when they had gotten the legacy or whatever just in case. Can they take that chance?!'' Skullius thought as he gave Denille a hateful stare. This woman really wanted him dead. "That''s true. Having to continuously supply him with mana when in such a dangerous ce would be a hustle," Reon said, posing a logical view point. Benzard turned his gaze to Skullius, showing that he was considering it. Skullius wouldn''t allow it! His mind raced as he used all the processing power he could muster from his mind to fabricate a fairly convincing argument while keeping a somewhat calm temperament that no one believed. "It''s not that I''m afraid of... meeting my end or anything. I''ve actually died before you see but killing me now won''t benefit you," he said with a slight tremble. Denille walked right up to Skullius, a dagger in her hand as then posed the obvious question. "Oh yeah? Why is that?" "Because you might still need the Keys to open wherever this legacy is being protected. It''s obviously guarded right?" Denille stopped and everyone else mulled it over. It wasn''t that they hadn''t thought of it. They had all obviously considered that, but what made them hesitate to carry on with Skullius was that it was known that each legacy had a different setup from the other. It was usually not the same as legacies could be found just about anywhere. What if there were more gates beyond this one that needed the Keys? Wouldn''t killing Skullius destroy the Key as Eobald had said? They had all believed his remark about the Key when they saw that it was functional and in possession of Skullius after Eobald''s death after all. "But what if it doesn''t need the Keys?" asked Denille with a frown. "But what if it does?" Skullius posed his own question. "What you''re saying is just a possibility to make us more anxious about killing you! Stop trying to look intelligent while you''re the one whose desperate to keep your sorry life," an unveiled disdainful look appeared on Denille''s face as she looked down at Skullius. "Even so, it''s this possibility that could make you all walk out with everything or nothing? Maybe you''ll need to Keys to get out after you have the legacy or after you''ve failed. What will you do then? Rot while trapped in there?" ''Oh crap! That''s actually a good point!'' Skullius thought sneakily. ...! Benzard were a grim expression. Thest point that Skullius had made actually made sense. This wasn''t merely any legacy. It was the legacy of a man who was known to be unpredictable and valued strength without much in the way of honor. He could literally put up anything as a challenge. This assumption wasn''t too far fetched. The others felt the same. Denille couldn''t deny that Skullius was right. There were too many variables. The giant fox watched on in amusement. "He''s right. We still need him alive," Benzard said. "If we by any chance split up, whoever gets stuck with him needs to keep him alive at all costs. Got it?" Everyone nodded, with Denille doing so bitterly. "Don''t hesitate to use your full strength when you''re in a tough spot. Let''s go." Benzard was the first to walk up to the light and take a deep breath. ''I have every reason to be obsessed with gaining more strength. Those who feel differently are those that have never needed it,'' he thought before walking into the portal. Everyone else quickly followed, a ripple running through the portal as each one went in. As Skullius passed through the light that disrupted his mana core for a moment, he felt a hard surface under his foot. His senses that had been temporarily dulled focused as they took in what was around. A dark and narrow corridor that stretched into the unseen distance was all he could vaguely see. Skullius could barely make out sturdy walls on both his sides and when he took another step forward, he bumped into something! He drew back in surprise as he realised he had bumped into someone. A blue light was released from this someone''s finger, their view being revealed to Skullius who unconsciously rolled his eyes when he saw who it was. The same could be said for this person as they released an agitated ''Urgh''. "I can''t believe I have to be stuck with you, shitface," Denille said as she looked around. They were the only two in this narrow corridor that barely fit them both when they stood side by side. Skullius was about to retort when... KRRRRSHHHHH! A scrapping sound was heard along with the sight of sparks that sprayed as a certain object brushed against the walls. The little light provided by the sparks gave glimpses of a horrifying image that made Denille and Skullius tremble. Unfortunately, the appearance of this creature was only a secondary concern. The shiver-inspiring image of a creature that held arge sword which scraped against the walls was terrifying but... The core that it held within it was... Chapter 59 Counter A muscr figure walked towards the two with arge odachi-like sword that rested on its shoulders, being so long that its rusty de could barely fit within the narrow corridor. It wore nothing on its upper torso, revealing a grey skin that looked decayed, worms and thick ooze pouring from several orifices that had opened up on its body. On its face was a old looking cloth that wrapped around it, making sure no detail of its face or head was shown to Denille or Skullius. Its feet produced no sound as it moved, drawing closer to the two terrified souls. Denille swallowed a lump of saliva and almost forgot to breathe. A drop of sweat trickled down from her temple as with her greater sensitivity to mana, she felt even more than Skullius just how much of a monster this thing was. A blue core with wisps of purple! Skullius felt the same thing. This was different from what he felt from the fleshlings he had been walking with. This creature seemed to be on a whole other level. What¡¯s more, he had almost thought it to be an undead from its appearance but it gave off the feeling of a living creature! ¡®This¡­¡¯ Skullius didn¡¯t even bother to try and check its status as it was clear that this was way beyond even his travelling pals. While this was the extent to which Skullius could see, Denille noticed something else that made feel her relieved and terrified at the same time. ¡®There¡¯s no such thing as partial awakening of cores. A blue core will always be a blue core while a purple one is will always be purple. This means this creature was actually stronger but its core has been losing strength over time which exins the mix of colour! If we were came sooner¡­¡¯ Denille didn¡¯t finish her thought as it made her shudder. This was how it was with cores. Even when one was ready to power up to the next core level, there was never signs like strange discoloration that would appear. The creature before them took its time, but the movement of its feet showed that it was experienced.. Denille suddenly grabbed an arrow from her quiver and jabbed it into Skullius¡¯ stomach before the Discount Human could react! Skullius was shocked by the sudden action, thinking that Denille had made the split second decision to kill him as he would only be a burden but¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t be princess carrying your useless ass. Thats a special arrow. It¡¯ll insert my mana into you,¡± she said as she went before Skullius. She gnashed her teeth as Benzard¡¯s words about making sure Skullius was kept alive resounded in her mind. Skullius felt a surge of mana continuously flow into him. ¡®She could have done this before though,¡¯ he thought. The creature in front of them suddenly stopped and remained motionless for a few seconds, creating a deadly suspense. Denille who had nocked an arrow in a sh and aimed it at the creature, gathering her mana as she took a deep breath to calm herself. She had an advanced ss called the Trinity Archer which allowed her to give arrows one of three abilities. [Arrow to the Heart] which gave the arrows ess to her mana or skills. [Spade Arrow] which granted them additional attributes like speed based on her own stats. Last but not least, there was [Union Arrow] which gave her the chance, once a day tobine three arrows with separate abilities into one, making for a ridiculously powerful attack. This was all on top of all her other skills. At this moment, she had decided to use [Spade Arrow] to test just how powerful this creature was at least while at most she expected to injure it. She loosened the arrow which released a low boom as the air was unable to hinder its flight! It pierced through the air and arrived at the creature¡¯s head in a sh! SHIIIIING! ¡­! Skullius saw blood flying in his vision and as he took in the scene, the sequence of events that had just happened didn¡¯t line up. Denille screamed in pain as blood sprayed from her shoulder! She forced herself to remain conscious as even though her wound wasn¡¯t too deep, the amount of pain that rang through her body from it was immense. She leaned against the wall and looked at the figure that was now behind her and Skullius with wide open eyes! A light blue ovey was just dying down from the creature¡¯s body like an after image. It still had its sword on top of its shoulder, its de dripping of blood. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ Skullius turned to see the creature whose movements he had been unable to following just now. It seemed that Denille was the same. She had shot an arrow at the creature but right before it could impale the creature¡¯s head, she found herself with excruciating pain on her shoulder. The zombie like creature grunted as it once again stood without making a single move and waited. Denille was both terrified and enraged. What was this? This difference was huge despite this thing being rotten like a corpse. Her mana surged as she poured it into another arrow and knocked it on her bow. ¡®There¡¯s something strange about this. I won¡¯t be able to beat this thing if I don¡¯t find if that movement was just its speed or a special technique,¡¯ she thought before she leapt backwards, her arrow shining brightly as it then went on to st towards the target! It flew with more than double the speed of the first arrow, arriving before the creature¡¯s chest in an instant! But¡­ BAAM! Denille found herself flying! For a second she thought she had been split in half as this time, she noticed that she had been hit with the blunt side of the creature¡¯s de, the force carrying her into the darkness of the corridor ahead while she coughed blood! Skullius didn¡¯t see anything! He onlyter heard a body colliding with the floor a distance away while the creature¡¯s body which was surrounded by a dying light blue ovey stood imposingly! Skullius froze. What on earth was happening? Was this creature just flexing its strength? Why did it only counter attacks that it received instead of proactively attacking?! Right then, a flurry of glimmering arrows shot through the air with an immense amount of mana! They sped through the air with a speed invisible to the naked eye, aiming as separate parts of its body! They glowed with a destructive light as they reached the creature and then¡­ Right before the arrows could prate it, an ovey of light blue enveloped the creature and it suddenly swung down its sword! The air in the narrow corridor blew outwards from the sheer force that was exerted by the creature as it swung down, Skullius being blown against the wall! The corridor shook as a horrifying force travelled towards Denille in an instant, carrying a staggering momentum that threatened to rip it apart! Surprisingly, Denille¡¯s figure appeared bolting with a thick film of mana around her body while her eyes shed with white! She held a dagger in her hand, running with a low stance as she approached the creature with a craze! She leapt and stabbed tens of times in a half a second but the creatureid forward its de with its surface facing Denille! Denille¡¯s rapid attacks bounced off the sword and she angrily backed away, shooting three more arrows backed by greater percentages of [Spade Arrow] after a quick weapon switch! The moment the arrows reached the creature, Denille¡¯s heart almost stopped as fractions of a secondter, she felt the air pulse with movement, therge odachi-like sword cleaving through the dusty air as it aimed at her neck! Denille pushed all her mana into her body to maximise her movement! She expelled mana from her back like a rocket which pushed her down, narrowly avoiding being beheaded! She tore herself from the prospect of how she could have died just now andunched a straight punch towards the creature that caused the corridor to tremble from the rippling force! She had finally managed tond a hit! Yet¡­ there was barely any damage! A bright sh of light blue crossed her eyes and before Denille knew it, she was mmed against the hard ground, digging into it like a plough! ¡®What is this?! There¡¯s something wrong! I can¡¯tnd any decisive blows, it just counters, attacking with something I can barely avoid!¡¯ Denille thought before she rolled and backed away. Once again, the creature stood, its sword on its shoulders as it waited for Denille. The woman steadily herself and frustratedly looked ahead, panting. This was merely the beginning of the Labyrinth right? Or did she somehow stumble upon the final boss? Unlikely. For the Labyrinth of someone who valued strength so much, it didn¡¯t seem too far fetched to think that this would be the first challenge they would find but still¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± Denille noticed that something was amiss. Something was missing. She turned and look side to side. Where was Skullius?! Chapter 60 A Discount Humans Resolve ¡°Did that bastard just ditch me?!¡± Denille barked as she sensed from the arrow that was lodged into Skullius that he was getting further and further away from her! The nerve! Her natural instinct was to follow and bash Skullius¡¯ head in, but the battle instinct forged after years ofbat and honing her skills immediately rmed her of the danger that she was currently up against! One wrong move could lead to a disaster even though she had noted that this creature basically didn¡¯t attack without being attacked first. The humanoid stood motionlessly, its figure looking to have many openings but Denille knew better, or rather, she was beginning to understand what was going on with it. First though¡­ ¡®Should I just cut off my mana supply from that idiot? No, I can¡¯t. We really might need him to get out of here,¡¯ she thought before she took another arrow and ced it on her bow with the seething fury within her almost spilling front her mouth like vomit. Denille couldn¡¯t imagine that she was already forced to use her full strength right here, which made her feel utterly helpless. The thing about using her full strength right now, was that she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to fight when it came to the uing monsters that she had to face. ¡®Barely meet the requirements, my ass! We aren¡¯t qualified for this! Screw you, Benzard!¡¯ she cursed in her mind. Denille took a step back towards the direction that led to the rest of thebyrinth. As soon as she did, the creature with the odachi took a step forward, following her. ¡®I guess I can¡¯t make a tactical retreat. Why does that bastard get a free pass then?¡¯ she thought as her body began to bubble with a thick nket of mana that lit up the surroundings. In as much as the situation was disadvantageous, Denille refused to lose fodder.. She was going to have to pull out her biggest guns if she wanted to leave here alive though. *** Skullius was jogging lightly as he traversed down the dark corridor, his feet creating echoes that resounded all around. Flesh light! Who needed it anyway? His eyes were already beginning to adjust to the darkness, the view getting more vivid as time passed. Was running away from someone who was more capable of fighting than he was a wise choice? Well, for Skullius it was the better choice. His fate was practically sealed if his team got what they wanted. Why would he give them that satisfaction? ¡®I¡¯m not going to stand around and wait to be hacked to pieces. How can I feel reassured when my ¡®partner¡¯ is being thrashed right in front of me?!¡¯ he thought. Seeing how Denille was getting the pretty beaten out of her, Skullius had decided to dip. There was no use cheering on the losing team. His sudden dip wasn¡¯t a choice based solely off of fear but it was also tactical. As he ran, Skullius checked the mana supply from the arrow that was in his body. Even with the distance he had covered, there was still a steady supply that streamed into his body but it was reduced by an insignificant degree. He was still in range and it seemed that Denille wasn¡¯t going to kill the supply of mana to him just yet as his words eariler had gotten to her and the rest. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Skullius gave a less-Bony-than-normal chuckle. Skullius went on while being mindful of the supply of mana that he immediately manipted with [Basic Mana Maniption] to rush to his core instead of raging within his body. For some distance, there was nothing new, the smooth grey walls that surrounded him being as in as they could be. It was almost demotivating for Skullius as he expected there to something that added a bit to more of a unique aesthetic to the ce like skulls and gems, just like how Somanda did with his abode. Add a few skeletons lying around, some blood, winds that sound like screams, roaming ghosts and you¡¯d yourself a truebyrinth. Soon, Skullius sensed something that made him hold on. The narrow corridor had suddenly expanded, widening to form three paths whose openings bore nothing in the way of visibility. They were equally dark with an ominous air about them that caused Skullius to get even more anxious. Such situations weren¡¯t his forte, as he had barely had to choose anything in the mines. It was all predetermined after all. A choice like this almost made him feel ufortable. The Discount Human didn¡¯t hesitate for long however. Since he had decided to take more risks in the name of his own preservation, he had to move forward and choose what he thought wasn¡¯t a spiked room full of Azs and Onumbasssssses. Of the three paths, Skullius chose the second one which faced the main path that he had been on. Why? Why not? With non-existent confidence, Skullius walked in and focused his vision. The darkness here seemed to be of a different quality than the simpleck of light he had been in since he walked into this Labyrinth. As he took a few more steps, Skullius felt something beating against him like a heavy wind. It carried a certain weight to it like dense moisture but he couldn¡¯t see anything in this darkness. The sensation began to get heavier and heavier until Skullius could barely handle it. He pushed himself forward, dragging his feet as in the next moment¡­ [You have been exposed to the ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯. Your righteousness is being challenged. No righteousness detected] ¡®What? Righteousness? What does this mean?¡¯ Skullius thought while still struggling against the tide which he now realised to be this Evil Darkness. What was it? Some element? An ancient power? As he took a few more steps forward, the intense darkness suddenly vanished, reced by an extremely bright golden white light thatpletely blinded him! Skullius covered his eyes. The heavy sensation he felt vanished, a feeling of weightlessness oveing him as he steadied himself. As if the barrage of surprises wasn¡¯t enough, another marvel happened! Skullius¡¯ body flickered, a tall bony frame ovepping with his human form continuously! He looked at himself, seeing his Boneman form asionally popping up and he felt a sense of longing. [You have been exposed to ¡®Just Light¡¯. Your hidden evil is being challenged. No hidden evil detected] ¡®Hmm? Now it¡¯s hidden evil? Am I evil?¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®It says I¡¯m not right? I guess the constant killing I¡¯ve done isn¡¯t really bad huh? Though I did enjoy the heck out of it.¡¯ The fact that this light was able to uncover his hidden Boneman form was something that Skullius took note of as it spelled how strong it was. What was this darkness? What was this light? Another notification appeared in front of Skullius. [Fellow human. You have been judged to not be conformed by the concepts of evil or righteousness. You are motivated by unbiased desire. You have been nominated to be a carrier of both ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ and ¡®Just Light¡¯. Do you ept?] ¡°Ohhh¡­.¡± Skullius said, watching the blinking notification before his eyes. ¡°To be a carrier? What does this mean?¡± Caution spun in Skullius¡¯ mind as he thought. He wasn¡¯t really biased towards having either light or darkness. What were they but things that existed? Could being a carrier of them be a bad thing? Probably not. ¡°Might as well see what it¡¯s about, right?¡± Skullius thought before giving a hesitant ¡®yes¡¯. As soon as that word left his mouth, Skullius felt a burst of two extremely different powers invade his body! One was overbearing and heavy, exerting its dominance over his flickering frame while the other was extravagant, giving him a light sensation as it nted itself into his very being! Soon, the surge of energy stopped and Skullius found himself standing at an intersection where only two paths were standing before him while the usual darkness was surrounding him. [Congrattions, you are one of the few, rare challengers capable of carrying both ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ and ¡®Just Light¡¯. The vestiges of Fulgardt grin with approval] [You have gained ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ affinity] [You have gained ¡®Just Light¡¯ affinity] Skullius hurriedly checked his status and saw two new affinities stered into his panel. ¡°Hoo¡­ I wonder what they can do. Does everyone whoe here get these Affinities? Can I use them even now?¡± Skullius thought as he then looked at the darkness that surrounded him with the two paths awaiting his choice. Unlike thest time, Skullius felt the difference between the paths. One had an overbearing aura that threatened to choke him to death while the other had a rtively weaker presence. However, with [Basic Mana Maniption], Skullius could feel the immense hostilitying from the rtively weaker presence while from the other, he didn¡¯t feel such. Should he choose the path with the stronger presence but no hostility, or the one with the weaker presence with the heavy killing intent? There was an invisible ¡®wants to kill you¡¯ floating above the path with the weaker presence but Skullius was willing to bet his money on this path. But then, what about having to face a docile powerhouse who would give you a short nod while you went on ahead without a hitch? That sounded promising. Without further ado, Skullius made his choice¡­ Chapter 61 First Encounter Mana supply, check! Anxiety, check! Courage, nope! Greater hostility plus weak presence it is! Skullius unboldy sauntered towards the path with the weaker presence. After thinking carefully, he had considered that fighting a powerful enemy was never going to be a good idea. His experience with Az never left his mind. Even though the Great Mane Mountain Ape was not hostile at first, even when it clearly saw that he was an undead, it still resolved to kill him for reasons unrted to just being pissed off. Fighting an unreasonable opponent who was weak was probably the better choice for him so he decided to try his atrocious (?) luck. As the Discount Human walked through, he saw a strange scene. A soft light that looked like it wasing from a dim me illuminated a single spot from above, tearing away the darkness that was present around the vast room. Skullius couldn¡¯t exactly make out everything that made up this ce but the floor was as if made of stone blocks. Sturdy stone blocks. They looked chipped and old but they held on through time. Illuminated by the faint yellow light was the figure of an old man with a white unkempt beard and short hair of the same colour. He wore dirty rags and was seated on the ground with his fading blue eyes exuding a murderous intent. He kept mumbling to himself, his voice reaching high pitches from time to time which made Skullius hesitate to move forward. There were two distinctive features about him that stood out in the dark; a bright white mark on his forehead that looked like multiple knots creating the image of something akin to an octopus and arge yoke that bound him. It was ck, with no excess detail as if it was conjured from darkness, binding both his hands and restricting them to the perimeter of his neck while anchored to the ground by thick chains.. ¡°Ah¡­ I know¡­ I was with herst night! She fed me her tomatoes too! Actual tomatoes! She had a whole field of them¡­.can you believe it?!¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right! Back in my day, selling tomatoes was punishable by death! I should have told her that actually. Did you hear me, Tonston?!¡± Skullius went from being intimidated to being confused. He approached the old man and while using [Basic Mana Maniption], he felt the man¡¯s core. It was white with blue embers on its edges! This old man was definitely weaker than whatever was in the other path. He also looked to be bound, which gave Skullius some hope. As Skullius approached, the old man turned to him and frowned. He then turned away and continued mumbling nonsense which puzzled Skullius. ¡°Uhmm¡­¡± What was he supposed to do now? [You have encountered your first opponent, ¡®S the great Tower General¡¯] [Opponents in the Labyrinth of the Yoke are weak to ¡®Just Light¡¯ and ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯] [As a rare individual, a carrier of both affinities, you have been given the privilege of two choices. You can choose to release ¡®S¡¯ from his yoke, honouring him with a fair fight or you can kill ¡®S¡¯ while he is yoked, depriving him of honour] [The first choice grants an enhancement to ¡®Just Light¡¯ plus the guaranteed gain of a skill from ¡®S¡¯, while the second grants an increase in ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ plus a chance to steal the soul of ¡®S¡¯] [Which do you choose?] Skullius looked at the stream of notifications with a careful light in his eyes. So this guy was called S. Was he a captive of Fulgardt? Skullius scratched his chin, thinking deeply on his options. If he did the ridiculous action of releasing this hostile old man before killing him, he would gain some sort of reward for the affinity of Just Light plus a skill while if he just killed the man, he would get a reward for Evil Darkness plus a chance to steal his soul? What could he do with the old man¡¯s soul? Freeing the old man would probably be a dumb idea but it gave a pretty good reward. Skullius could see that this was no ordinary old man after all. One skill from him would probably be insane but¡­ Could he even defeat him? The other notification had said that the two affinities he had were the true bane for creatures like S? ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®First of all, how do I use these affinities. Evil Darkness¡­ Can I manipte darkness in general or¡­?¡¯ Skullius raised his hand and waved it, focusing on the surrounding darkness. There was no visible change. Nothing moved. Nothing happened. ¡®Is it because I can¡¯t see it?¡¯ Skullius tried it with the weak light that came from the unseen ceiling. As he waved his hand, trying to find the most minute of changes in the light, Skullius saw something! It was a shift of the light, a very slight one! Like a distortion on the stream of light that rained on the babbling S, a suddenly shift was the response given after a wave of his hand! ¡®It works¡­ but it¡¯s so weak!¡¯ Skullius thought. Skullius drew his sword. Unfortunately for him, he hadn¡¯t been able to bring his staff in here. Denille had kept on yamming about how it was just unsightly trash that no one needed, thus she had disposed of it. Thus, Skullius had been limited to the Baleful Gale Reaper. He wielded it and unhesitatingly swung it towards the old man¡¯s neck! The old man stopped talking and gazed at Skullius with cold eyes, but the Discount Human didn¡¯t halt his attack! MBIIIING!!! Skullius felt a powerful vibration as the de struck the old man! It was like it had struck against steel, bouncing off S¡¯s neck! He grunted and drew back, watching the old man look at him with a mocking gaze. ¡°You should have told her that selling tomatoes was forbidden! It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?! The one who stole the tomatoes?! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± S began raging under Skullius¡¯ dumbfounded eyes. ¡®Bro, what the flesh are you talking about?!¡¯ Skullius wondered. The fact that his sword had bounced this old man only added to his confusion. Even if he was weak, this de wasn¡¯t amon item. It surely should have done some damage. ¡®Can I really only kill them with these affinities?¡¯ Skullius looked at his sword and then at S who was scowling at him. ¡°Let¡¯s see then. What if I¡­¡± Skullius mumbled before he began to focus on the darkness around and try to wrap it around his sword! With this, he should be able to see how efficient the affinities were, right? That was if he actually managed to manipte them. The Discount Human put his mind to it, focusing on the darkness that seemed to refuse to budge. He focused on the sword as it was what he wished to be able to conduct even the tiniest bit of darkness. After a few seconds, Skullius saw it! Jagged bits of darkness clung onto the edges of the sword. They were like small stains on the de, showing just how little Skullius could do with this power at the moment. Skullius was gnashing his teeth as he felt that if he lost concentration for a second, the darkness would run back home to the surroundings. With this much on the sword, Skullius edged his way to the bound S, and decided to give it a try. He raised his sword under the vignt gaze of rambling old man and brought it down! TCH! A small portion of the sword cut through S, pinching into the flesh! The old man grunted and looked at Skullius hatefully. ¡°You¡­! You¡¯re using Darkness! It really is you! I will¡­ I will¡­ avenge her for the tomatoes you stole! Just you wait!¡± S yelled. Skullius ignored the idiotic nonsense as just this much progress was great for him to see. ¡°It really works!¡± Skullius eximed with a joyful expression. He then went on to wear the grinniest grin he could as he began hacking away at S¡¯s head! Blood sprayed while the old general kept on babbling about tomatoes, Skullius not minding how horrific this scene looked especially with the added aesthetic of darkness. It didn¡¯t take long for the aged head of S to drop to the ground and for Skullius to receive his reward for such a gruesome undertaking. [You have killed Higher level existence, ¡®S the great Tower General¡¯. You have gained experience] [550,000 Exp awarded] [Would you like to appoint Exp to ¡®Null Lifeform (Boneman) or ¡®Discount Human¡¯?] [Your prey emits¡­] Skullius jumped for joy as he saw the massive amount of experience he had just received! If he shipped it all to his Boneman form¡­ ¡°Hehehehe!¡± Skullius felt like things were finally going his way after a long while¡­ again. He tried to extract the Null Life Essence from S but unfortunately, his bar for the resource was already full. Before Skullius could give a remark on the matter, more notifications popped up on his guidance field. [You have chosen to grant ¡®S¡¯ no honour, mercilessly killing him while he is bound and trapped in madness. The vestiges of Fulgardt grin with approval] [You have surpassed the expectations of the Labyrinth with your pure cruelty] [¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ affinity has been to promoted ¡®D¡¯ rank] [You have gained the soul of ¡®S the great Tower General¡¯] ¡°Ohoo¡­.¡± Skullius said as a nasty grin crept onto his fake face! Chapter 62 Pieces In Motion What were the advantages of getting recognised by the Voice of Worlds? What did one gain above others who hadn¡¯t received such an honour? The criteria to attain this was something that could be described at another time as Skullius was a terrible case study. Chance yed a major role with an overly special circumstance being the final ingredient to his receiving of this gift. When one was recognised by the Voice of Worlds, they would gain the ability to be informed of things that they would otherwise not be privy to, like exact numerical measures of their strength, seeing the strength of others without having to get powerful skills first, the abundant stats after each level among many others. With each significant increase in strength, many other aspects would be revealed through the guidance field. Skullius at this moment was staring at a floating ball in the palm of his hand. It was S¡¯s soul. It was bright with a powerful energy being emitted from it, but at the same time, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but feel like it wasn¡¯t the full package, especially for someone whom he recognised to be stronger than he had initially thought before seeing the reward for killing him. ¡°What do I do with this?¡± Skullius questioned. He couldn¡¯t imagine exactly what to do with a soul. He didn¡¯t exactly have much knowledge about these things because he barely got to leave the tombs and mines to see the actual undead stuff that Liches did. As he looked at the soul, Skullius felt a sudden desire to¡­ eat it. It was a weird sensation that made even him to question his own sanity. Eating a soul? Where did this impulsee from? It was too strange. His head suddenly inched closer to the soul, but Skullius fought back.. Little did he know, this was simply an instinct that came from his Boneman self which still existed but was just wrapped under a mystical camouge. The sensation got too much for Skullius to bear and in the next moment, he found himself throwing the bright ball of light into his mouth! Taste? There was none. But as the soul went down into his body, Skullius felt a burst of heat that rushed into his body like a fountain! It travelled to all his body parts, the soul breaking down into particles of energy that were assimted into Skullius. [You have consumed the soul of a Higher level existence] [A piece of ¡®S the great Tower General¡¯ has been permanently ingraved into you] [The strength residing in this soul is too much for you. 99% has been wasted and the rest has been salvaged] [+35 intelligence] [+30 Strength] [+50 Mana] ¡°Bro!¡± Skullius yelped as he saw the stats he had just received. This was a great and unexpected haul from a single ¡®victory¡¯! Skullius grinned. ¡°This is a pretty good jump in my stats! I wonder if I can get more from¡­ No! Let me not get greedy. I doubt it will continue to be this easy as I go. At least I have more mana to spare now!¡± Skullius said while toning down his enthusiasm. He decided to do this step by step. First, he transferred all the experience he had gained to his Boneman form, watching with an exhrated expression as he gained another level bringing him to level 9. Just a step away from Tier 1, with merely 305,800 experience points remaining. ¡°Just a bit more!¡± Skullius said with determination. *** A double edged sword crackled with white lightning as it released a barrage of devastating attacks that lit up the space in the narrow corridor! Unfortunately, the ridiculous response to this incredible assault was even more devastating as the holder of the sword that looked like a fearsome reaper, found a massive axe swinging towards his torso with an even quicker speed than his sword attacks! As the de of the axe was illuminated by the shes of arcs of lightning that ran on his body, an inch away from his body, Benzard gnashed his teeth and used up arge chunk of his mana to evade the deadly attack. He turned into a sh of light that zipped its way back to the point where he had been standing initially; right beside a panting Reon who had his sword ready to attack anytime. The two had found themselves together after entering the Labyrinth. As they were the strongest two, their pairing was a major concern as if they reasoned this situation with the assumption that they were paired in twos in different locations, this could mean that one of them was alone! Therefore, they had wanted to hurry and try to regroup with the others but unfortunately¡­ A tall humanoid creature with aged flesh and dirty cloths on its face had appeared. It had a blue core with glimmers of purple, which alerted the two as they came to same conclusion as Denille. With their perfect coordination and powerful attacks, they had tried to kill of the creature in one blow but unfortunately¡­ it couldn¡¯t be done. ¡°Is this really just the beginning of the Labyrinth? If this is some kind of gatekeeper, I have no idea what the actually challenge is like. What do we do?¡± Reon asked while lowering his katana. At this point, he and Benzard already knew that this creature was a reactive type. No matter how long they waited, it wouldn¡¯t attack and it seemed to have one skill which he had deduced after watching its movements and using his high level appraising skill, [Source Tracker]. This creature was merely physically powerful. Its power came from the level of its core which was already ridiculous but it didn¡¯t have much in the way of tact. It was a living creature conditioned with a skill to respond to any attack with skilful and refined movements perfected through many years of training. Or rather torture. ¡°We have no choice. One of us has to use their Full Body Aura. We are just beginning, we can¡¯t afford to waste all our energy and time here,¡± Benzard said while his eyes never left his opponent. Reon sighed as he knew that ¡®one of us¡¯ meant him. He would have to use to use his Aura, his current full strength, to take down this creature with Benzard¡¯s help. Without wasting time, Reon lowered his stance and took in a deep breath. His eyes closed shut as he then ced his right hand on the hilt of his sword and the left on the scabbard. Suddenly, bright wisps of mana raged from his blue core and shrouded his figure with a firm enclosure. They exuded a white hue first and then it turned blue, the mana within exploding outwards and taking the vague form of a wolf! Reon looked to be struggling to keep this form of his mana as even as this shape was formed, raging out and creating a low rumble in the corridor, Reon himself was trembling. In the next moment, Reon opened his eyes and drew his sword, blinding lights ring from them as they were directed at the tall creature with an massive axe! A sonar-like ripple travelled through the ground in a blink and when it touched the creature, it tinged it with a blue outline which acted like a mystical force that thundered down and bound the creature in ce with deafening boom! A crater appeared under the creature¡¯s feet as its weight seemed to be increased by Reon¡¯s Aura, making it difficult for it to move! Reon used his full strength, drawing his de while carefully weaving mana into it for maximum damage with the current added boosts at his disposal! However, the creature they faced, suddenly moved! ¡­! It wasn¡¯t supposed to move! Reon momentary panicked as in one moment, the creature took a step forward and in the next, it was right before him, swinging its axe casually even while the blue outline around its body which represented the influence of his Aura tried to stop it! ¡®Dammit! My Full Body Aura still isn¡¯tplete! I can¡¯t stop it!¡¯ Reon thought. The agitated air parted for the speeding axe and its carrier with crackles and sparks while Reon was already feeling disheartened. This thing was too fast! BOOOM! Right then, an incandescent white light stormed right in front of Reon protectively with the image of a man in a timely rescue! Benzard looked like a divine being as he swung his sword upwards, the loud ng that rang afterwards spelling the sh of mighty existences! This was not a simple skill that Benzard was using. It was a special one. A type of skill that individuals with white cores could only dream of using. The axe was parried into the air and Benzard immediately cancelled his skill, his godly appearance vanishing. ¡°Do it now!¡± he boomed. Reon tore himself from the fright and awe as he immediately refocused, charging with immense speed to take the opportunity to cut down this enemy that had been created just for him! Ethereal shes with a speedy trails of mana were delivered from Reon as four figures simr to him flickered in and out of existence in a millisecond around the axe-wielding creature! The lone and intense body of Reon appeared a few meters from the creature with the axe, holding the katana with both hands while a mirage-inducing heat left his body! The creature with the axe was torn split apart with blood spraying, falling to the ground in death¡­ Chapter 63 The Vestiges Of The Ideal Ark Stages were the humanoid species¡¯ way of mastering control over therge amount of power that came with the progression of cores. With each advancement from one stage to another, significant boosts would be attained, making humans and others of simr nature stronger than beasts, at least in terms of same coloured cores and basics. The first stage was the Foundation, where oneid down a solid blueprint for their progression. Next was the Advancement, where some were likely to develop advanced sses but the probability rtively small. During this stage, individuals would awaken a Full Body Aura. A concentration of their Foundation that gave them boosts to their already existing attributes and skills. Benzard, Denille, Irlen and Reon were at this stage. All four had awakened their Full Body Auras, but as Benzard had said, they had barely grown out of their Foundations, unlike Eobald who had been halfway through the Advancement Stage. Benzard was at LV13, Reon at LV12, while Irlen and Denille were at LV11. Eobald had been on LV15. Reon and Benzard stood at a fork in the road that they had trekked after defeating the axe wielder. Three paths wereid before them, each exuding a rather powerful yet unsettling energy that made them both nervous. All they could think about was the possibility of meeting a foe stronger than the monster they had fought right off the bat and it made them extremely cautious. The two looked at each other. It wasn¡¯t at all oundish to find such instances in legacy-bearing areas but this rubbed them the wrong way. ¡°The fight probably won¡¯t get easier from here. I still have a lot of mana to spare. I¡¯m sure you can back me up even in your state?¡± Benzard.. ¡°Sure,¡± said Reon. Waiting would have been an option for them if they had all the time in the world or rather, if they felt at home in this creepy ce but they didn¡¯t have a semnce of either. Thus, the two nodded towards each other and walked over to the first path. As the two reached the path, Benzard who had been walking ahead passed through but Reon bounced off the demarcation to the path. He withdrew vigntly with a surprised expression while Benzard turned to see what had happened before he could fully enter the space ahead. ¡°It seems like only one of us can enter per path. Will you enter the other one?¡± asked Benzard. Reon mulled it over before breathing out a light breath and sitting down. ¡°Not yet. I was confident that we¡¯d be fine together but now, I can¡¯t imagine myself surviving for long in this ce after depleting quite a bit of my mana and using up my Full Body Aura,¡± Reon replied. ¡°You go on ahead. I doubt the Labyrinth will allow us a coboration anytime soon.¡± The Full Body Aura was such a strenuous technique. It usually left those who hadn¡¯t mastered it for long unable to use it for a full day or more depending on their endurance and mana capacity, which is why Reon decided to wait and recover for a bit before making any rash decisions. Benzard thought for a while before nodding. Since they couldn¡¯t collude anyway, there was no reason for him to stay. He walked into the path where nothing but darkness could be seen and prated it. In the strange ck that seemed to devour all light, Benzard felt a deep sense of foreboding. It was different from when his natural senses told him about an iing attack. No. It was a feeling of being surrounded by a repulsive energy. Evil. A dark power that used darkness as a cover. As a facade. Suddenly, wisps of this darkness invaded his body seamlessly and ran through his being without any regard for his opinion! Benzard was shocked,manding his mana to go on the offensive in response but it did him no good. The darkness did as it pleased within his body until¡­ It vanished. After the energy was expelled from his body, Benzard strangely felt lingering effects of it within his body. Something had been left behind. Something like a lump of darkness that stuck to his core like a mole. ¡®What is this? Have I been infected with something?¡¯ he thought. He felt his body stabilise again and turned this way and that to see if he was truly alone. Seeing nothing to be found around him, Benzard moved forward, taking slow steps until he found the darkness to suddenly vanish, making way for a radiant golden white light that rinsed off any blemish in the world and almost blinded him! Benzard covered his eyes. In the next moment, he felt a burst of energy that didn¡¯t feel nearly as invasive as the darkness, prate him and shower him with a continuous ripple of light as if evaluating him. It didn¡¯t take long before the white light vanished, Benzard feeling that this time, there were residues left of the light as with the darkness. Little did he know that Just Light had not seen itself fit to exist in a man who had no explicit evil within him. However, Evil Darkness had seen him worthy, as when his righteousness was challenged, this man was found to have his own version of it that stood tall. Benzard¡¯s eyes saw a new scene appear before his eyes. Two pathsy before him. One exuding a powerful presence with the creature within emitting no hostility while the other emitted a repulsive irritation backed by a weaker presence. *** A verdant energy died down from Denille¡¯s body. She panted as she lowered her bow, her hands feeling like jelly after her attack whose results were before her. A broken odachi-like sword with a red hot colour on the jagged edges where Denille had struck with her full powerid in the hands of a short, aged humanoid. The surrounding walls heldrge craters that released streams of smoke and residual mana while chips fell off now and yet, the body of the target merely held scratches. Naught by scratches. Denille had an exasperated expression as she watched this. Her full strength had done nothing but provide superficial wounds for her opponent and worse yet, the bastard still stood tall, waiting for her to attack. Was this just a deliberate move by Fulgardt to break the wills of many challengers? Denille couldn¡¯t imagine there were many individuals who had survived the counters of this creature when it was in its prime. ¡®I can¡¯t do this¡­! I didn¡¯t want to do this! Why just I be here in this ridiculous situation?!¡¯ she frustratedly bellowed in her own mind. There was clearly no way she would be able to defeat this thing on her own. She had to move. It was her only option. With that thought, Denille sprinted, using her mana to enhance her speed as she raced towards the direction she assumed to hold a way forward for her! Denille didn¡¯t take that many steps before she felt her hair rise, an speeding sh with the massive sword,ing to decapitate her in an unsettling fashion! Denille ungracefully dropped to the floor in a desperate attempt to dodge the attack and luckily, only half of her hair was cut while her head remained intact! She rolled on the ground and stood to look at the creature that refused to let her run with shaking eyes. Once again, the creature ced its weapon on its shoulder and waited for Denille to make her next move. There was no escape. One had to die. *** ¡°Bleeeeeurghh!¡± Irlen vomited blood. His eyes lost focus as the surge of pain was too much for him to bear. His sturdy shield had failed to stop the lightning fast attack of the creature with a covered face. As someone who generally had low offense and mobility, Irlen had been done in by the quick counter dished out by this creature when he had tried to attack with a shield bash. All Irlen had felt was the shudder of his body as the spear prated and now, he knew he was done for. In all his life, he had known. He was inferior without a helper, a teammate. He had hoped that the day when he could fight for himself woulde but perhaps joining the Ideal Ark and learning that his strong defence even without an outstanding offense was valuable had made himcent. Feeling the encouraging pats of friends on his shoulder when he was the sole reason for their survival from sneak attacks, ambushes and the likes, was a joyous experience for him. It had been. Irlen dropped to his knees, the creature he had faced removing its spear as blood went on to gush out from him. The muscr man slumped to the ground. In his mind, under the regrets and shing of his life was a sincere hope that his friends would survive and rebuild the legacy of the Ideal Ark. Chapter 64 Veneration! [ Name : None ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Experience : 1000/1000, ] [ ss : None ] [ Race : Discount Human ] [ Inv. Status : Still doomed ¡Á2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 40 ] [Agility : 10 ] [ Intelligence : 40 ] [ Endurance : 10 ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C. [ Health : 60/60 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 20/105 ] ¡ª¨C [ Skills ] [ Basic Mana Maniption | Lv. ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] [ Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno | Lv. 3 ] [ Artless Dodger | Lv. 1 ] [ Mana Bolt | Lv. 4 ] [ Null Extraction ] ¡ª- [ Affinities ] [ Evil Darkness ¨C D ] [ Just Light ] ~~~~ Skullius grinned. His new status held promise. Already, the effect of the additions to his stats were starting to show as his mind didn¡¯t feel muddled anymore. He felt a powerful surge of strength and a growth in his core to carry over a 100 Mana Points! ¡®This is interesting! Does everyone go through this process? Wouldn¡¯t you be unbelievably strong just by participating in this ce? No, probably not,¡¯ Skullius thought as he turned behind him. There was nothing but darkness. No exit where one could simply wave goodbye and thank the Labyrinth for the meal. ¡®I don¡¯t think you can leave after killing everything in your way. Oh! Is that the reason why Labyrinth splits people up?!¡¯ Skullius inferenced. This seemed like a reasonable assumption. If this ce could split up challengers, in many a case at the very least, those with the Keys would most likely be separated, unable to find their way to each for an escape after reaping some gains. This conclusion still begged the question of why Fulgardt was willing to grant capable challengers who could defeat these prisoners a sizable boost to their strength. What would he gain? Was he that benevolent? No one would believe that, even Skullius as the short introduction he had been given of Fulgardt didn¡¯t exactly chalk him to be a saint. ¡®Hmm. Anyway, if I have to continue going forward, then I guess I should wait for my mana to fill up. I can also try out to see what this increase in [Evil Darkness] can do.¡¯ Skullius reached his hand towards the darkness and surprisingly, it moved along with the movement of his hand! There was vast difference from when he had used it prior to killing S. Visible lumps of darkness swayed this way and that, following his every intended gesture. While this feeling was great, he didn¡¯t get what the endgame was? What else could this darkness do? It was called [Evil Darkness]. Was there something more to it? Skullius suddenly got an idea when he looked to at the illuminated ground where S¡¯s bodyy. There was no way this was an infinite space with no walls. This was abyrinth, so logically, this was supposed be a room filled with this mystical element. The Discount Human raised both his hands and began focusing to part the darkness before him. Slowly, the ck was pushed away and some manner of visibility was restored. Skullius walked for a few meters before he reached a wall. Since his sight had already limated to the normal darkness, he could see the contents of the wall just fine. Various markings could be seen strewn about on the wall. They weren¡¯t simple markings drawn without a sense of substance. Darkness could be seen wiggling in the groves of the carved symbols that looked consistent enough to be a form ofnguage or some sort of spell. Skullius couldn¡¯t read it. [Greater Communication] didn¡¯t cover literacy after all. He touched the symbols and a strange feeling bubbled within his body. It was a reaction from [Evil Darkness] which sought to connect with what was written on the walls! Skullius found a surge of darkness welling up within his body as his affinity to the dark element caused him to grasp some of the symbols written on the walls. Instinctively, Skullius began saying out the words he understood under the influence of [Evil Darkness]. ¡°One¡­ bound¡­ forever¡­. yoked.. Those¡­ to¡­ captives¡­ gain¡­. their strength¡­ will¡­. done¡­¡± Skullius confusedly tilted his head. Even though his upgraded affinity to [Evil Darkness] had helped him understand some of the words, the paragraph that he had read made no sense. As he looked further, parting the darkness, he saw that there was a whole lot more to be unlocked. Unexpectedly¡­ [You have managed to partially learn a high level art with your flimsy level of affinity to ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯] [You are the second individual to achieve this feat and the Labyrinth gives its reluctant congrattions] [Certain conditions have been met¡­] [You have awakened the forbidden art of ¡®Evil Veneration¡¯, created by Fulgardt to battle the Deities of Aigas and beyond] [You are unable to use the fullness of a high level art] [¡®Pseudo Evil Veneration¡¯ has been awakened. You are able to use the art of ¡®Evil Veneration¡¯ at a capacity of 1%] ¡°What? I gained something like this?¡± Skullius looked at the notifications dumbly. ¡°Veneration? What does it do?¡± As this was already avable in his status panel, Skullius checked the details. ~~~ [ Pseudo Evil Veneration | 1% ] Words delivered with an evil and cruel intent will be actualised to reality to a certain extent. Due to the art being a lesser form of the true ¡®Evil Veneration¡¯, the use is limited to short phrases and the efficacy varies depending on luck and how cruel the intent propounded is. Differences in strength barely matter, unless opponent has reached a high Realm of power. ~~~ ¡°¡­¡± This was¡­ Skullius re-read what was written many times before he slumped and cooled down. ¡°Whatever I say¡­ actually¡­¡± he said. ¡°But wait, there must be a limit. This is ridiculous. Of course, it says that level doesn¡¯t matter but¡­¡± What was this? This was a bit too much for Skullius. Things were happening a bit too fast. It was really a good thing for him to have escaped from Denille when he did as now he had managed to reap some sizable benefits already. ¡®Is this something someone of my level should have though?¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Who cares?! With enough practise I¡¯ll definitely make this into something that will allow me to reap Somanda¡­ among other things¡­!¡¯ At a moment like this, Skullius was again thinking to do all night spam spree with Red Rage if the future allowed. ¡°It¡¯s based on luck though¡­ . Will this end well for me? I should still try it out, right?¡± Skullius said as he once again stared at the status panel, genuinely thinking that this new addition to his arsenal would suddenly disappear. Chapter 65 Wing Man Something had been bothering Skullius for a while. Now that his mind was much clearer, the question Skullius had when he had run away had received an answer. It had been a spur of the moment thing when he had rushed away from Denille after seeing that she had her hands full with the creature at the beginning of the Labyrinth. Why had that creature let him go? Wasn¡¯t it some kind of guardian? Would he also be considered a trespasser? In that moment, Skullius had just bet on a chance and it had worked, but now he understood. The giant fox had given the answer already when it gave an introductory speech to Skullius and his group. ¡°¡­ he didn¡¯t acknowledge the weak but he never harmed them, never putting them in his sight.¡± He was ignored because he was weak. The guards were made bearing the same philosophy as Fulgardt and therefore didn¡¯t attack Skullius. However, that wasn¡¯t the only reason. The other more meaningful reason was something Skullius didn¡¯t know but it went a long way in exining an ancient history between Fulgardt and the Deities. Get to the point, what was the reason, one might yell?. Skullius hadn¡¯t been acknowledged by the Deities. This detail was vague but enough. Skullius opened his mouth to say something just to check what [Pseudo Evil Veneration] would do but he suddenly stumbled. Something within him had changed for the worst. His mana supply had suddenly declined! The once abundant streams of mana that he was feeding from the arrow in him to his mana core suddenly became thin wisps that staggered, slowly showing signs of dissipating! ¡°Damn it! Not right now! Did Denille decide to cut off her supply of mana from me?¡± Skullius surmised. That wasn¡¯t right. That was something she would have done a long time ago and it was imusible for her to only now consider it. Was she dead? Maybe! Or perhaps she was injured and couldn¡¯t afford to supply him mana anymore! Whichever the answer was, Skullius wouldn¡¯t be able to find out anyway! ¡°What to do! What to do! Wait! If I can get more souls, I can increase the amount of mana I can handle! Will that work? VOW bro did say that I have to support myself with mana so maybe the reason I¡¯ve been unable to save myself is because I don¡¯t have enough mana for it! That¡¯s why he said I needed to reach Tier 1! Gaaaah, my mind!¡± Skullius clutched his head as he felt a painful pulse in his mind! The tense situation had caused him to go into overdrive, working out many things at once! When it came to his intelligence, he wouldn¡¯t suddenly turn into an idiot just because his stats had decreased like what happened when he had used [Flesh It Like You Mean It]. His mind would simply be clouded but he was still equally as capable of thinking as he did with his high stats in his Boneman form. Skullius shook his head and rushed forward. He didn¡¯t know what exactly he needed to do to move on from this ce but assumed that going forward was his best chance. He ran past the corpse of S and went deep into the darkness, cautiously making his way ahead. Soon, a little visibility emerged, four paths appearing before Skullius. The Discount Human halted and looked at these paths. There was double the number of paths asst time! Also¡­ it wasn¡¯t a simple matter of choosing the one he thought he could survive in anymore. All of them hissed with different types of powerful presences and hostilities that Skullius had never felt before! His fake body mimicked the swallowing of arge lump of saliva as Skullius¡¯ grey eyes raced between the four paths, his mind working against the limited time he had to see if there really wasn¡¯t a better option! After confirming that there was no better choice, Skullius just ran ahead, disappearing into the second path. He was desperate to not meet his maker anytime soon! As he went in, Skullius¡¯ bold choice and unrelenting will to survive was not rewarded by something reassuring. In fact, it was the opposite! Skullius felt his whole body shudder as another illuminated figure appeared in his view, bearing a magnificent appearance that was soiled by the piled onyers of age and thick darkness around. A soft wind of power sted Skullius continuously as this being who was bound by a yoke just like S, raised his head to look at Skullius. A humanoid appearance with a tall frame knelt down as a thick yoke bound his hands, sturdy chains connecting it to the floor. This figure had golden hair that flowed to his feet, bearing traces of dust and dirt. His face was dirty, different mixtures partially covering the untended skin, while sharp eyes that held a bright, true sapphire light gleamed in the darkness. An armour that looked to have been made for a celestial king adorned the tall figure, being abination of gold and crimson, the breastte bearing a grand insignia that made Skullius instinctively back away. The armour was very old with rust eroding most of its former grandeur. The most intriguing feature about this being however, was the single, massive wing that came from his back! It held numerous white feathers that were covered in muck and dust, twitching from time to time as ity on the ground. Unfortunately, a sad tale could only be told about the other wing as a bloody stump was all that remained of it. ¡°This¡­¡± Skullius stammered. His [Basic Mana Maniption] tried to reach the figure but it was blocked, Skullius not even being able to tell what this individual¡¯s core was like. [You have encountered your next opponent, ¡®Arch-Luminant Dezrael¡¯] [As a rare individual, a carrier of both affinities, you have been given the privilege of two choices. You can choose to release ¡®Dezrael¡¯ from his yoke, honouring him with a fair fight or you can kill ¡®Dezrael¡¯ while he is yoked, depriving him of honour] [The first choice grants an enhancement to ¡®Just Light¡¯ plus the guaranteed gain of a skill from ¡®Dezrael¡¯, while the second grants an increase in ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ plus a chance to steal the soul of ¡®Dezrael¡¯] [Which do you choose?] ¡®What do I choose?! I don¡¯t even have a fair choice! Who in their right mind would free this guy?! I¡¯m not even sure I can get near him!¡¯ Skullius panicked. Dezrael¡¯s eyes red with mana and he spoke with a frightening voice. ¡°El¡¯u suv Ka¡¯ril.¡± Those simple words caused even the darkness around to tremble as even though Skill didn¡¯t understand what they meant, something clicked in his body and core. He stood aloof and suddenly, his body jerked forward! ¡®What¡¯s going on?! What is this?!¡¯ Skullius thought as his body involuntarily moved ahead. His legs moved against the raging energy that exuded from Dezrael until it stopped a meter from him and¡­ He bowed! Both of Skullius knees touched the ground and while in unbelievable shock, the Discount Human¡¯s upper torso leaned forward! Dezrael looked down at Skullius with eyes that showed a regal authority and he spoke, this time in anguage that Skullius heard. ¡°Free me.¡± Chapter 66 Hard Work! ¡°What?¡± Skullius said with a duck face upon his generic face. Dezrael had said something that he understood this time. This at least told Skullius that he was using anguage that was ssified within the scope of [Greater Communication]¡¯s range. Free him?! Flesh no! ¡°Free me.¡± Dezrael spoke with a light voice that caused a shiver to race through Skullius¡¯ body. ¡®How am I even supposed to do that?¡¯ Skullius thought as he was too scared to voice his opinion. What if he made this guy mad and got fleshed up? ¡°I sense it from you. You have it. You have grasped the essence of manipting this darkness. It¡¯s what makes up this yoke that binds me. Come here and cleave it away,¡± Dezrael said, his eyes shing with mana intimidatingly. A burst of hot air and mana brushed against Skullius making him grimace. Just that little disy of power caused him to lose some Health Points! ¡®Damn it! What do I do? This guy really expects me to set him free. I¡ª¡± ¡°Essu¡¯l parik dos tep¡¯t, Ka¡¯ril.¡± A thunderous power acted upon Skullius from Dezrael¡¯s words, making the Discount Human¡¯s body jerk forward unwillingly! ¡®Again?¡¯ Skullius thought in frustration. His body moved while his hands took up the Baleful Gale Reaper. As he moved closer to Dezrael, Skullius felt the burning sensation of power worsen by a grand degree even though he had moved a few steps closer than the meter¡¯s worth of distance that had existed between him and the Arch Luminant before. The majority of this power was mana in a vastly condensed form and Skullius noticed that it wasn¡¯t justing from Dezrael, it was alsoing from the gold and crimson armour he wore!. There was a distinctive difference in the mana that flowed from Dezrael¡¯s body and the mana that flowed from the armour which Skullius was barely able to notice with his [Basic Mana Maniption]. The Discount Human stood merely inches away from Dezrael, noticing his imposing presence from up close. He could barely keep his eyes open as the power radiating from this monster kept sting onto him like waves and depleting his health. To make matters worse, his mana supply from the arrow finally stopped from flowing in! ¡®NONONONONO! Come on! Not again! I was ju¡ª¡¯ [The Doom Factor ¡®Disowned¡¯ has caught up] [Assessing target¡¯s situation¡­] [You have failed to grab a hold of¡ª ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t! I¡¯m not dy- getting erased today! And stop cutting me off!¡± Skullius boomed, making Dezrael raise a brow in confusion. He hadn¡¯t missed the arrow sticking out of Skullius¡¯ belly, mana leaking from it into the fake human¡¯s body until just now. However, he wasn¡¯t interested in the story behind it. [Basic Mana Maniption]! Skullius in ast ditch attempt to save himself with all the knowledge that he had so far about this Doom Factor, used the only mana maniption skill he had. Since mana was abundant right here, he would just absorb it and try to feed it to his core continuously! The mana that hummed from Dezrael was drawn to Skill when it reached a few inches from his body, as was the current reach of the skill in terms of drawing mana in the surroundings. Skullius felt mana trickle into his body and directed it to his core rapidly, feeling the task to be vastly different from when he was using his own mana to coat weapons. Since the activation of the skill did not require physicals gesture of any kind, Skullius wasn¡¯t prohibited by the influence of Dezrael¡¯s words which were unhindered by his actions. He found his hands rising as he wielded the sword, preparing to start hacking at the yoke! ¡°What good will absorbing my mana do for you, especially with that pathetic grasp you have over drawing it?¡± Dezrael sneered. Skullius didn¡¯t render him an answer. The Arch Luminant didn¡¯t much care for it, going on tomand Skullius to aplish the duty he had assigned. ¡°Use your grasp over this darkness to cover your sword and remove this yoke from me.¡± Skullius gnashed his teeth. He was already sweating as the pressure of his mind doing one thing while his body did something else was too much for him. His body mimicked the heaviness of exhaustion and it made things much worse. To top it all off, Dezrael wanted him to focus on gathering [Evil Darkness] onto his sword to destroy the yoke! ¡®Just my luck! We were fine just some minutes ago! What¡¯s with this?!¡¯ Skullius thought frustratedly. Could he do these three tasks without crippling his mind? There was no choice. He had to try. On the bright side, the notifications for Doom Factor 1 had stoppeding in which probably meant that he was in the clear for now. ¡®If only I¡¯d thought of this back then. Did changing into a Discount Human turn me into that much of an idiot? VOW bro even told me that [Mana Sense] would be the key to helping me with Doom Factor 1!¡¯ Skullius agonised. ¡®Or maybe it¡¯s better that I didn¡¯t think of it back then. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to hitch a free ride until now.¡¯ Without further dy, Skullius dedicated a portion of his mind to drawing the darkness around and wrapping it around his sword. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t as strenuous as it had been before [Evil Darkness] was upgraded to rank D. Ayer of darkness covered the Baleful Gale Reaper, giving it a beautiful inverted colour design like a ck and soft grey x-ray. Dezrael watched with careful eyes as Skullius did his thing. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had seen this. Three challengers had once passed by here, carrying the power to wield this darkness and for some, to wield a strange light. He had killed the first two as even though he was bound, he had powers that were free from Fulgardt¡¯s seal, such as his speech. When the third came, he decided to find out if he could use their ability to grasp onto the strange darkness around him to destroy the yoke which held a simr power. Skullius struck down with his sword onto the yoke and felt it barely scratch the hard surface of the yoke! ¡®Gah!¡¯ A slight mark had been created from a full power sh from Skullius! Not that his full strength was anything impressive. ¡®It barely did anything.¡¯ As Skullius looked intently at the yoke, he only now discovered that there were marks of damage on it. Some were scratches like his own while others were deep gashes, with the deepest one running through a quarter of the thick yoke! ¡°It¡¯s not working. If I keep this up, it will take years to destroy this thing,¡± Skullius said as he looked at Dezrael, his hands already rising for another try, void of his control. ¡°I know. You will ve away, hacking this yoke until it breaks for as long as it takes,¡± Dezrael replied with a tranquil malignance noticeable in his voice. ¡°What?!¡± ¡®This sockethole was really going to make him do this for that long?¡¯ He¡¯d die or turn into a madman midway because of the Doom Factors! Once more, Skullius brought the darkness covered de down at the yoke which felt like it was made of wood! Another scratch appeared, looking like it would disappear from the pile of ck at any moment. It was discouraging. It was infuriating. Even though Skullius didn¡¯t want to be doing this at all, he had hoped it would be a fast process at least still. This couldn¡¯t go on. ¡®Right! What if I¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he recalled that he had a new weapon. The sudden encounter with a creature this powerful had caused him to forget that he had this. [Pseudo Evil Veneration]! He just had to say something with evil intent, right? But what if it didn¡¯t work and Dezrael heard him say something obscene against him? Well, he could just whisper it? Skullius opened his mouth, focusing on the face that he was really hating on right now and¡­ ¡°Eat yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Dezrael heard Skullius¡¯ words and couldn¡¯t quite understand what this weakling was trying to do. ¡®Eat myself?¡¯ ¡°Turn inside out.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Gah! It¡¯s not working! I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be something so simple! There¡¯s probably something else I need!¡¯ Dezrael ignored Skullius¡¯ words, thinking of them as childish mumblings. Skullius sighed as his body continued to work hard. With time passing by, his body continued to feel heavy and his mind felt like it was assaulted by thunderstorms. His snarkyments lessened as his focus was pulled in by the work he was forced to do to keep his existence. Suddenly, a refreshing feeling enveloped him, bringing his declining health back up again. Skullius was puzzled. He looked at Dezrael and found the Arch-Luminant to be donning a nonchnt expression. ¡°I can¡¯t have you die on me before you free me. There will be plenty of time to die afterwards,¡± Dezrael said. He wouldn¡¯t let Skullius die until he was set free, unlike what he did with the other challenger who died of extreme exhaustion. He hadn¡¯t bothered to continue healing him as it hadn¡¯t been that long since he had been trapped at the time. He had been spunky and hopeful, thinking that there was a better option instead of this agonisingly slow method of having the ipetent bastard hack at the yoke. But now, he had learnt patience. Dezrael had healed Skullius, but the Discount Human couldn¡¯t feel more depressed. It was already astonishing that someone with his enormous amount of raging mana that was once again beginning to scrape off Skullius¡¯ health couldn¡¯t break free from this. Where did all this mana evene from? A few minutes passed with Skullius doing the arduous task he had been granted. It was extremely boring and tiring, especially with the add-ons of his other tasks. Since it hade to this, he thought that he might as well strike up a conversation. S couldn¡¯tmunicate what with all that rambling about tomatoes, whatever those things were, but Dezrael seemed sane enough. Skullius couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Was he using the mana just to keep his mind intact? ¡°So, Wing bro. How did you end up here? Were you like, fleshed up and captured by Fulgardt?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°I WAS NOT CAPTURED! WATCH YOUR MOUTH, YOU FILTH!¡± An unsightly expression smeared itself on Dezrael¡¯s once regal face, his mana bursting in a frightful manner and beating against Skullius¡¯ body which flew a distance away! Skullius rolled for a moment, beforeing to a stop. He then stood up hurriedly, shocked at the sudden outburst and the ugly expression on Dezrael¡¯s face that caused him to take a few steps back with a drop of sweat running down his face. ¡°Well¡­ damn.¡± Chapter 67 Choice... What was with this guy all of a sudden? Skullius was puzzled and confused. This didn¡¯tst long though, as right when he was looking to understand what had ticked Dezrael off¡­ [The Doom Factor has caught up] [You have failed t¡ª ¡°Ohe on!¡± Skulliuspletely threw all his previous thoughts aside and rushed towards Dezrael! He started sucking off¡­ the mana that came from his body and armour! Just the little bit of time he had spent away from the concentrated mana source that was Dezrael had already warranted the Doom Factor to catch up! He had ignored the wrathful face of Dezrael along with the intimidating presence as he had to be ali- not be erased above anything else. Skullius didn¡¯t look at Dezrael¡¯s face as he continued to use [Basic Mana Maniption] to absorb mana. The influence of Dezrael on his body hadn¡¯t ceased. His act of rushing towards Dezrael hadn¡¯t gone against the orders that he had been given thus it was excused. ¡°I was not captured,¡± Dezrael breathed out deeply as he calmed down, voicing with a soft tone. ¡°Gotcha,¡± said Skullius as he wore a limp smile, his hands rising to strike against the yoke again. And again. TAK! TAK! TAK! This was the sound that pervaded the surroundings for a long time as no one spoke for a while. [Basic Mana Maniption has levelled up!] ¡®Oh,¡¯ Skullius thought. It was something that he should have expected, but somehow it had gone over his head because of the tense situation. ¡®I wonder how much I can level this skill up. Maybe I can try other stuff to level it up as well.¡¯. Time passed. The Discount Human continued to work while also throwing some hateful insults in hopes that [Pseudo Evil Veneration] would work. Split open! Explode! Disarm yourself! Nothing worked! After trying for a while, Skullius gave up on trying this art for now as he saw Dezrael¡¯s face bing uglier with each phrase he threw. He didn¡¯t know how much time passed but it certainly wasn¡¯t as long as his mind made it seem. [Flesh It Like You Mean It] hadn¡¯t been dispelled after all. This whole thing made him feel like he was back in Deadmand again. The monotony. The bore. Doing something over and over again without the sense of it growing unbearable, only slightly annoying was a tragic experience. Somanda sentenced him and everyone to this fate without remorse, enjoying the invisible pain that was reflected on him and his fellow Moronic Undead in passing. It wasn¡¯t fleeting. It was prevalent, making Somanda enjoy it as a form of leisure for his aged existence that barely felt a thing aside from a twisted sense of pleasure. How would divine beings experience any form of stimtion? Through aspects that mortals would consider unruly, immoral or evil. That was the point of Divinity. Not being bound by the norm. Skullius gnashed his teeth as he remembered Somanda¡¯s words. They ignited a sense of agitation and irritation that spurred him to grasp the mana from Dezrael with an even more intense grip. A wave of cool energy would alleviate his pain and allow him to furiously continue his task without much of a problem and Skullius got used to it. He also got used to receiving the numerous notifications about [Basic Mana Maniption] levelling up. With each subsequent notification and enhancement to the skill, Skullius felt the range and rity of mana be detailed, his control also bing better. Each level of the skill caused a significant change to his mana control abilities and he kept at it. Skullius had switched from shing against a new spot to cutting at the deeper part that was left behind by thest challenger who ventured here. After who knew how long, Skullius was already three quarters deep into the yoke. The more he kept manipting the darkness, the better he got at it. Even Dezrael who had expected for Skullius to take longer as he was weaker than the past challenger, was surprised. Skullius seemed to have a vastly greater appreciation of the [Evil Darkness] than that challenger. ¡°Why did you foolishlye here despite being so weak?¡± Dezrael asked with a deep voice. ¡®This guy¡­¡¯ Skullius grumbled within. Now he wanted to talk? ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice,¡± Skullius replied. ¡°There¡¯s always a choice.¡± ¡°Says the sockethole who¡¯s trapped in a prison. Why don¡¯t you CHOOSE to escape?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Dezrael was surprised by Skullius¡¯ response. ¡°How bold. Hmm. I made a choice. Which is why I¡¯m here,¡± he said. ¡°You just said there¡¯s always a choice. Meaning that you can continue to choose. Why don¡¯t you CHOOSE to¡ª¡± ¡°I SAID I MADE A CHOICE! A SACRIFICE! CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES!¡± Dezrael barked fiercely, looming over Skullius who shrunk. ¡°Gotcha.¡± This felt familiar to Skullius somehow. Dezrael rxed, taking another breath to calm himself. ¡°You have yourself to me for being here. I don¡¯t give any excuses for my current state. I ept it because I wholeheartedly took on what came with my choice. But when I look at you, I see a mixture of anger, hatred and regret. All are ingredients for a foolish journey where you me others for where you are now, instead of taking the reins to your future.¡± Skullius took all of this in with a nk face. ¡°¡­Ouch bro.¡± Was it true? Yes. Skullius med Somanda and his grudge was true. He med Eobald, Benzard, Irlen, Denille and Reon for leading him into this situation. But¡­ wasn¡¯t he taking his own destiny by the reins? There was literary no other option for him but the cessation of his existence if he didn¡¯t do so. The Discount Human¡¯s resolve was once again fortified. ¡®I am not weak anymore.¡¯ If he hadn¡¯t made the choice to stray from practicing [Boneman of Steel], taking up the option to focus on mana, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to draw the books that contained [Lifeless Evolution] and [Flesh It Like You Mean It] to him back then. If he hadn¡¯t struggled, taking risks to level up, he wouldn¡¯t have survived this long, gaining powerful skills that saved him against the Darewolves, the orcs and goblins. There were moments where luck and opportunity met to create a miracle, but the point still stood, he had made the choice to go forward. ¡°I made a choice too,¡± he said, ¡°What choice did you make?¡± Dezrael saw the flicker in Skullius¡¯ eyes and scoffed. ¡°That fiend, Fulgardt raided my world. He was overwhelmingly powerful, bullying the severely outmatched opponent that was my entire race. I was the strongest warrior, so in thest moment, my friends and family gave their lives to inscribe their power and life energy into this ancient armour which was passed down only through the royal family.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Skullius said. That exined the immense power that was radiating from the armour. Just how many people sacrificed themselves to make itst for thousands of years? ¡®So this guy is being kept alive by all that power huh? That makes him thousands of years old though. It¡¯s a miracle he¡¯s still alive.¡¯ ¡°The royals had already died and I was the next best option, so the armour was given to me. I used it to battle Fulgardt. Our battle was epic, rocking the entire world and bringing it to the brink of copse. The power I had received kept flowing in and I felt that I could beat him, but at what cost. He didn¡¯t back away either and the world was about to erased, alongside the remnants of my people. So¡­¡± ¡°I surrendered. I asked for Fulgardt to take me in exchange for letting my people live. That fiend was so happy, spouting nonsense about adding me to his collection. He epted my deal but didn¡¯t fulfill to my full requestpletely. He only saved a handful of my people, cing them on Aigas to live among the other races, while the rest, he used for his own evil purpose.¡± ¡®Sounds like Somanda to me,¡¯ Skullius thought, showing no empathy at all. He continued to hack at the yoke until it was almost fully carved up enough to free Dezrael¡¯s right hand. The Arch-Luminant looked at Skullius who remained indifferent towards his story and scowled. ¡°It¡¯s beings like you that are so nonchnt to life that deserve to die in ce of those like me! Your poor choice has led you into my hands! You shall be next in the line of humans that I kill as I get my vengeance for what that cruel fiend did to me! To my people!¡± The yoke finally broke, Dezrael¡¯s hand bing free as a thick chunk of the yoke dropped to the ground. The Arch-Luminant¡¯s hand suddenly grasped onto Skullius neck and pulled him closer! The sword from Skullius¡¯ hand dropped to the ground as he had finished his task, his body remaining docile. ¡°I will enjoy taking away your choice along with your life since you clearly don¡¯t need it!¡± Even though Dezrael¡¯s other hand and head were still bound, he still felt a massive chunk of his strength return to his body, his legs rising from his previous kneeling position! A ferocious golden red tint red, consuming Skullius but failing to overpower the darkness beyond the two. It came with a powerful wave of energy that radiated with an even more intensity as Dezrael wore a content smile. Skullius¡¯ body began to burn up from being exposed to the energy! His skin started to burn away, his regalia also beginning to fragment as it couldn¡¯t handle the power of an existence such as Dezrael! As Skullius was almost lit on fire, he couldn¡¯t help but curse at his own luck. ¡®Really?! This is how it ends?! After all that?! Why am I in this position? Because this guy thinks I haven¡¯t made some tough decisions too?! He¡¯s only alive because many people helped him! How is he any different from me!¡¯ Skullius thought as rage consumed him. Was it his atrocious luck that was acting up to deliver him to Somanda¡¯s hands so suddenly?! Even though he couldn¡¯t feel the pain from his cosmetic flesh being destroyed, the frustration was torment enough. Dezrael¡¯s expression as he made sure that Skullius didn¡¯t burn away immediately, struck a cord with Skullius. For a moment, Skullius saw the ovepping, illusory image of a dark green skeleton with vibrant red mes over Dezrael. It cackled as it drew closer, making Skullius being shiver. Rage, disgust, hatred, malevolence and a brutal desire welled up in Skullius. It rose up from the deepest parts of him, his mind flickering as it reproduced the image he had seen in that cold ce, of the girl trapped in the block of ice! All that he felt intensified at this moment as even though he knew it was over, he couldn¡¯t help but spew from his mouth the most evil he could ever intend to befall another being, even if it wouldn¡¯t make sense to anyone not from his crew of Moronic Undead! ¡°|GET, FLESHED|!¡± Chapter 68 Kek! ¡°|GET, FLESHED|!¡± This phrase alone caused a phenomenal change to ur in the surroundings! Only Skullius appreciated its meaning and the amount of malice that it held as it carried the deep and pent up emotion that he felt towards his entire existence! It didn¡¯t matter if it made sense to Dezrael or anyone else because like it or not, someone was going to get FLESHED! And [Pseudo Evil Veneration] intended to execute thismand in a very literal sense! The darkness surrounding the two while they were enveloped by the golden red energy stormed towards Skullius as it gushed into his mouth, and then sted forward, as if rushing to catch his words! ¡°Huh?!¡± Dezrael was astonished by the sudden change. He withdrew his hand from Skullius¡¯ neck with a cautious expression and prepared to take on whatever this weakling had prepared. A storm of concentrated darkness shot out like lightning as it went to strike Dezrael in the chest with a speed that was way beyond his capability to respond to! It punctured through the armour and invaded his body, a noticeable ck, inky ooze travelling up his skin at a ridiculous speed to cover his entire body! ¡°ARRRRGHHHHHHHBLBLBLBLBL!¡± Dezrael screamed in pain as in the next instance, his flesh began to bubble in a disgusting way, expanding and contracting as if something within him was trying to escape! Skullius dropped to the ground as he felt all his mana drain from his body! [Pseudo Evil Veneration] had activated, but it immediately drained him of all the mana he had! But that wasn¡¯t the only thing! Ittched onto Skullius¡¯ [Basic Mana Maniption] and raced off to use the mana that flowed from Dezrael¡¯s body! When it reached this point, Dezrael¡¯s body expanded with a shocking fit of shifting veiny flesh! He grew to be almost four times his normal size, bing a mass of disgusting meat and bone that unsteadily changed shape, with the only constant being his head that held rolled up eyes and a still screaming mouth that looked to want to break at any moment! The pain that the Arch-Luminant felt was unreal! His armour had burst in some portions and fallen off when his body had been shifting its shape haphazardly! Skullius watched while in awe but he felt his body grow weak, his mind spinning incessantly but he didn¡¯t mind! All that he thought about now was how [Pseudo Evil Veneration] had worked! So what if his arm was charred, his face half missing while he was barely clothed! Dezrael¡¯s massive body couldn¡¯t exist in this form any longer! The mana he produced had continued to act as a fuel for [Pseudo Evil Veneration] but there was a limit.. So¡­ POP! KSPDHEJESTSJESHHH! Chunks fell down, raining with a thick and disgusting fervour while staining the ground. However, Skullius didn¡¯t feel any disgust or repulsion at all. He only felt bliss. Soon, what he had been waiting for finally showed. [You have killed Higher level existence, ¡®Arch-Luminant, Dezrael¡¯. You have gained experience] [Calcting¡­] [3,804,950 Exp awarded] [Would you like to appoint Exp to ¡®Null Lifeform (Boneman) or ¡®Discount Human¡¯?] [Your prey emits¡­] ¡°Hehehehehehe!¡± Skulliusughed as he saw the experience reward he had earned! With this, Tier 1 was already in sight! [You have surpassed the expectations of the Labyrinth with your disy of ¡®honour¡¯ and your immense level of cruelty] [A special situation has urred] [You have shown ¡®Dezrael¡¯ honour by removing his binds, allowing him a ¡®fair¡¯ fight and also stripped him of honour by defiling him in an unsightly way] [The vestiges of Fulgardt grin with approval] ¡°I did what? I didn¡¯t free him because I wanted to!¡± Skullius said. [You have gained the rewards from two scenarios] [¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ affinity has been promoted to ¡®C¡¯ rank] [You have gained the soul of ¡®Arch-Luminant Dezrael] [¡®Just Light¡¯ affinity has been promoted to ¡®E¡¯ rank] [You may choose a skill from ¡®Dezrael¡¯s¡¯ arsenal] [Compiling list¡­] Skullius jumped up and down in joy as he saw the rewards for his ¡®hard work¡¯. ¡°Oh, I thought Just Light would get the same rank as what Evil Darkness had gotten before. Is E lower or higher?! The information packet didn¡¯t cover this. Ah, I¡¯ll find outter! Let¡¯s see the good stuff!¡± However¡­ [Interruption¡­] [The Doom Factor ¡®Disowned¡¯ has caught up] [You have failed¡ª ¡°COME ON, BRO! NOT NOW!¡± Skullius roared as his joy dissipated in the sudden storm that was this annoying Doom Factor. ¡°Manamanamanamanamanamanamanamana!!¡± Looking around, he saw the armour that Dezrael had been wearing and raced towards it at full speed! He didn¡¯t know if what he was attempting would work, but it was the only working idea that he had. He had thought of possible ways to survive before and the option of donning this armour which had mana that hadsted for thousands of years had crossed his mind. Skullius reached the armour and saw its pathetic state. It had been rusted, which made it hard to maintain its integrity under the expanding force of the one who had worn it. A chunk of the left side from the chest te to the shoulder had been blown off but it was intact. Skullius wore therge sized armour and immediately activated [Basic Mana Maniption]! ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Mana burst into him with intense vigour, nourishing his body and filling up his core! ¡®This isn¡¯t because of [Basic Mana Maniption] at all! The armour is readily supplying me with mana!¡¯ Skullius once again felt relieved. He thought that the armour would reject him but that didn¡¯t turn out to be the case. Though he didn¡¯t know it, the power within the armour had been raging for millennia. Any subconscious reason that it once had for recognising only Dezrael was eroded by time. All it yearned to do now, was to keep the wearer of the armour safe and nourished. Skullius plopped to the ground. He had dodged erasure once again, even though he had paid the price for it again. His mind was ringing as extreme exhaustion set on his body. He could barely think straight, every action he had taken after the cast of [Pseudo Evil Veneration] being spawned by him putting in his utmost effort. He looked at his arm that was a ck, charred husk, the skin on his chest being left brittle and hard, the ease with which it could be crumpled very apparent. All that barely mattered. He was still in the game. [Interruption solved¡­ please wait¡­] [List of skills belonging to ¡®Dezrael¡¯piled:] [Radiant Apocalypse ¨C Special] [Elusive Speed Saint] [Primal Sun ¨C Special] [Edifying Light of the Luminant] [Luminous Healing] [Edos Summoning ¨C Special] [Son of Luserus ¨C Special] ¡°Uoooh¡­ so many.¡± Looking at the rather sizable list, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but emit a satisfied grunt. Which one to choose though? He speedily read through the descriptions and the his eyes almost popped out of his sockets! ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Skullius remarked as he read through them. They had absurd levels of offense, defence and damage but¡­ ¡°THE COST!¡± For instance¡­ ~~~ [Radiant Apocalypse (Special) | Lv.1] Manifest a foreign authority that brings with it a bright, crimson light that transforms all living creatures below the Incandescent Stage into ravenous beasts with a passive aura that destroys all life. Mana Requirements: 7,900 Mana Points Duration: 10 Minutes Cooldown: 10 days ¡ª- [Primal Sun (Special) | Lv. 1] Create a miniature sun that steals all the heat as well as mana from an area spanning up to 500 meters,pounds it within itself and then attacks the target. Mana Requirements: 10,780 Duration: 1 hour Cooldown: 15 days ~~~ These were ridiculously powerful skills, but they would cost Skullius an arm, a leg¡­ his skull and pelvis. This wouldn¡¯t even be enough. Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t even use most of them even if he had the mana because his core couldn¡¯t support these skills. They were Special. Skullius would grow to know the difference between normal skills and the rest with time. At this moment, it seemed like a simpler matter to him. Many of the skills on this list were offensive but those that weren¡¯t were not bad either. [Edos Summoning] would call upon an otherworldly creature that would gain its master¡¯s abilities and amplify their effects fivefold. [Elusive Speed Saint] would grant the user a 200% boost in speed for 3 minutes with the sub-effect of creating realistic after-images that ran in different directions to the user! Skullius wanted these but¡­ ¡°. I can only pick one. How did Dezrael lose with all these skills and so much mana?!¡± Skullius yelled at the sttered remains of Dezrael. It was indeed vexing. Skullius had already made his choice after reading the descriptions of the skills. It was only logical to choose this after all that he had experienced. [You have chosen the skill ¡®Luminous Healing¡¯] That¡¯s right. Skullius had chosen Luminous Healing! This was because he had considered how low his survivability was. He had been about to die just by being in the presence of Dezrael before, which was tragic, to say the least. Besides, the costs of the other skills made sure that he wouldn¡¯t be able to use them until he was OP as flesh. On top of all this, it had the lowest cost. ~~~ [Luminous Healing | Lv.1] Conjure a pure energy that runs through the body to heal damage and even cause spontaneous growth of special cells that can regrow lost limbs and cure deadly ailments. This skill can also be used offensively. -Additional mana insertion after the base requirement can improve effects of the skill- Mana Requirements: 200 Mana Points Duration: None Cooldown: 2 minutes ~~~ Skullius didn¡¯t have 200 Mana Points but¡­ A bright floating soul that was before him promised to solve that issue. Dezrael¡¯s soul was much brighter than S¡¯s for obvious reasons. Skullius hoped that it would give him better stats. His hopes were to be granted with a bit of something else as well. He grabbed the soul, feeling the strange persistent desire to devour this glowing piece again and then¡­ *Eating sound* Chapter 69 Switching Things Up Skullius devoured the soul. The sensation was different from when he devoured S¡¯s soul. There was a major difference. While there was still no taste, an electric feeling smothered his entire being, coursing through his soul and inducing a rather exciting sensation! Once more, the soul broke down in Skullius¡¯ body, going on to fuel it with only a smidgen of the power that belonged to Dezrael. Soon, notifications streamed into his sight bearing the results of what this soul had given him. [You have devoured the soul of a Higher level existence] [A piece of Arch-Luminant Dezrael¡¯s soul is permanently engraved into you] [You have gained Luminant Seed] [The strength residing in this soul is too much for you. 95% has been wasted and the rest has been salvaged] [+150 Mana] [+75 Health] [+50 Strength] [+20 Endurance] ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Skullius breathed out. It pained him every time he heard that there was wastage. This time however, the guidance field had said that there was only 95% wastage which was a positive. As he paid more attention, Skullius realised that it was probably because he had gained something else from Dezrael¡¯s soul. ~~~. [Luminant Seed] The soul of Dezrael has condensed the essence of his race and it has been passed to you. As a higher ranked existence, Dezrael¡¯s peak strength in rtion to his racial abilities has found its way to you in the form of a seed from which you can extract the benefits of being a Luminant to a very limited degree. ~~~ ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Skullius said after rereading it. He requested to see this seed and the guidance field spat out a spherical object the size of a fist. It had a dull golden hue that made it look ethereal. ¡°Do I eat it too?¡± Sensing the consent to use the seed, the guidance field brought the seed to Skullius¡¯ chest, the round object sinking into him seamlessly! Skullius watched this process with curious eyes before noticing that a tingle that ran through his body. [You have used ¡®Luminant Seed¡¯] [Racial alteration attempt in progress¡­] [Processing¡­] [Racial alteration failed. You cannot bring out thetent potential within the ¡®Luminant Seed¡¯. The seed will remain dormant until host has reached the Advancement Stage] ¡®Sighhh¡­. At the end of the day, I¡¯m still so weak. I can¡¯t even level up, which is tragic. I wonder if there are many as strong as Fulgardt or Dezrael though.¡¯ Skullius put the issue of the seed to the back of his head and looked at his messed up body. He now had a mana capacity of 255 Mana Points which rivalled his Boneman form¡¯s Mana Points. Unlike before when he would have to wait or resort to using [Basic Mana Maniption] to draw in and wait for hours until it filled up, Skullius found his core filled with mana in less than a minute. ¡°This is extremely convenient!¡± Skullius eximed happily. He didn¡¯t waste time and activated [Luminous Healing]. A stream of rxing energy burst into his body with such an Invigorating sensation that Skullius emitted a moan from his mouth! It washed away the crispy, ck skin on his arms and face, Skullius seeing the rapid regrowth of his cosmetic flesh! Soon, he was as good as new, with a clean generic face that screamed of optimism. Once again, mana streamed into his core to fill it up. The Discount Human would have been extremely satisfied with this armour if it didn¡¯t look like it was on itsst legs. Which it actually was. ~~~ [ArchLight Generation Keeper] An armour forged by ten of the royal cksmiths of E¡¯kald. It is made with extremely rare materials and carved with countless runes and mythic circles so as to hold the power of at least a 1000 Incandescent Stage experts. It can store mana through a pocket core inbuilt within and also store items within the subspace it was forged with. -Defense- 2400 -Durability- 15/3500 -Special Effects- ? Can store pieces of the armour set Currently stored ¨C (Helmet) ? Can store mana from willing participants Current mana limit ¨C (34,562/21,000,000) ? Can reflect 50% elemental and physical damage ? +25% Agility ? +40% Strength ~~~ Skullius wore a grimace. This was unbelievable. It was a miracle that he had survived this encounter. If not for [Pseudo Evil Veneration], he wouldn¡¯t have survived. Speaking of that monstrous ability, Skullius decided that he wouldn¡¯t use it for now. Even though he had been lost in the ecstacy of watching that sockethole, Dezrael explode, the side effects he had faced had made him wonder what would have happened if [Pseudo Evil Veneration] hadn¡¯ttched onto the Dezrael¡¯s mana! What if there had not been any nearby mana around? It really seemed like he would have been devoured by that darkness too. Was [Pseudo Evil Veneration] unstable unlike its truepleted form? It seemed like a greedy force that required tonnes of mana, not to mention the strain on his mind that he still felt even now. The conditions to sessfully using the art were still vague. To truly wish evil upon someone was a hard concept for Skullius. He only had such a thing for Somanda but no one else until now. With his healing done, he went on to pump some experience into his Boneman form to which he received the notification that it had finally reached LV10, but nothing else happened. The excess experience seemed to be suspended, waiting for his next use, which was a plus. ¡°I really have to wait for the countdown to end. Gah!¡± Skullius grunted. As he looked around, Skullius noticed the broken yoke on the ground. Glints of golden white sparked frequently with an extremely dim light. Skullius wouldn¡¯t have even noticed them if curiosity hadn¡¯t gotten the best of him. He approached and touched it. Surprisingly, with a bit more focus, Skullius found that there were a myriad scribbles on the yoke in golden white, which was exceedingly dim to him and thick ck which was quite vibrant. It looked a bit like what was on the wall, but different. It was more intricate. As he felt over it, the darkness and light on the yoke resonated with his affinities! Once more, Skullius found himself gaining a bit more of an understanding about what was written as he ran his fingers over the writing that was engraved with the dancing elements. It was much clearer now. ¡°Only a wielder of my two masterpieces in¡­. can ¡­. this yoke¡­ A choice is rendered where the flick of a finger from even the weakest carrier can¡­ remove¡­ bind¡­¡± Skullius read on, his face scrunching up as what was written on the yoke made him turn to the chunks Chapter 70 Found One Chapter 70 Found One "Another challenger I see." Benzard heard the being that was held by a yoke before him speak with a nk expression upon its face, yet... bloodlust oozed like a river from this creature the moment it saw him enter! It was only by feeling and not looking at this creature''s face that Benzard understood that his conjecture might have been right. Even though it was bound, it still released a terrifying amount of strength that Benzard was sure was above his own. When the choice to pick from between the paths, one holding a powerful yet dormant presence and another holding a weaker yet hostile presence, his mind had tried to reason out the best possible choice. Was this a case where reverse psychology worked? Where the one with the dormant presence was actually the hostile one and vice versa? Or was it reverse, reverse psychology where the choices were just as tant as they appeared to be? In the end, Benzard decided not to waste time, picking the path which had the stronger presence. One might wonder why he would choose this instead of a weaker opponent just to be safe, but the answer was rtively simple. Benzard wasn''t here because he was forced. He was here because he wanted the legacy of Fulgardt the Immoral. Challenging a stronger existence than his own? He would definitely do that. This ce was a Labyrinth, the resting ce of a warrior who wanted to grant challengers the opportunity to gain what he had cultivated over the years. There was definitely a way to ovee each stage of the trials in store. Would fighting weaker opponents count him as worthy to inherit the strength of someone who was known to seek strength to such a frightening degree that his moniker became ''Immoral''? Certainly not. At least that is what he thought. Besides, if it was just about surviving, Benzard was pretty confident in being able to escape if things got too hairy. Before him was a half-human, half beast. It towered over him even when it knelt down, bound by a thick yoke in the darkness. A human face coupled with beastly features like fox ears at the top of its head,rge canine teeth as well as very long hair, red fur that covered its entire upper torso except its chest and animal feet were the extent of its description. This creature didn''t look hostile, but it sure as hell didn''t take lightly to seeing a weak human saunter its way and stare at it so casually. The fact that this creature wasn''t hostile was merely a half truth. "Will you also try to kill me?" the creature asked with a straight face, a faint glint lighting up in its eye. Benzard did not give an answer. Upon seeing that it was bound, he reined in his extra caution and vignce, taking the time to scrutinise every detail avable. ''It speaks in the Known Language, which means it bothered to nurture diplomatic rtions in its past. At least I hope. Can I get anything by talking to it?'' Benzard thought. "Hmmm. Let me give you a piece of advice, challenger. Nothing awaits you at the end. It''s too much of a price to gain what''s ahead. You humans care for the future and family almost as much as my kind do. If you have hopes for such, I advise that you leave this ce," the man-beast said. Benzard frowned. "You really think I''d believe that?" The man-beast didn''t answer. It simply lowered its head and closed its eyes. ''Some piece of advice. I didn''te all this way for nothing. I''ll see it through to the end. A future? A family? Those two have been dying over and over again since the past few days. I need this! I need strength that defies logic! Only then can I be free from this sorrow and helplessness that you left me with, Eobald!'' Benzard didn''t bother conversing anymore as what he needed to do was pretty much clear. These guys were merely here to be killed, not reasoned with. Fulgardt wouldn''t orchestrate a charity where he had to make friends with these bound creatures, right? Regardless, something was meant to happen. In less than a moment, Benzard''s sword had left its scabbard and whipped its way towards the man-beast''s throat! THK! The shaggy hair and flesh of the man-beast barely ruffled under Benzard''s strike, which greatly shocked him! ''What?!'' he thought. ''I didn''t add any natural element, but I packed a significant amount of mana in my strike! This should have done some damage at least!'' Benzard scowled as he pumped more mana from his core and swung his sword again! A white sh lit the space with a steady and vertical motion as it sought to split the man-beast in half but... The result was the same. The sword failed to prate the creature''s skull, as if the man-beast was protected by something or possessed an invincible body! ''What''s going on?!'' The man beast didn''t flinch. He kept lowering his head as if he wasn''t fazed at all by the attacks. In that moment, something within Benzard''s chest nagged at him, pushing against his mana core. ''Hmm? That again? What happened back then? Is there something wrong with my core or did something really invade me?'' Benzard being an expert who had mastered his body significantly, breathed out as he searched for what it was that suddenly began to nag at his core. His senses created a blueprint of what was possibly happening within him, his mind travelling over the muscles, blood vessels and bones until he saw his bright blue core that was stationed in a separate section of its own! It looked like a bright, glimmering world that oozed of life, thick and brilliant veins spreading from it and reaching into his body! ''What is that?'' A small ck ball wastching onto the bright core, shifting ever so often with vigor and shaking the mana core a bit. Benzard''s first instinct was to remove it from his core and examine it separately. He produced thin wisps of mana from his core that grabbed onto the small ball of darkness and began trying to yank it away! However, as soon as the wisps tried to pull the small lump of darkness away, the mana that made them was greedily absorbed by the lump! The lump of darkness wiggled as it then went on to draw more mana from Benzard''s core incessantly! ...! ''Damn it! What is this thing?!'' Benzard was shocked by this sudden development. He wanted to create more wisps that could grab the lump of darkness and pull it away but the result was something he feared. Soon, the lump of darkness began to grow, bubbling creepily until it suddenly expanded outwards, creating thin tendrils that rushed into Benzard''s body! Benzard''s state of sensing his internal conundrum was immediately disconnected and he found himself looking at the man-beast, back in the outside world! Before he could exim the question of what was happening again, a strange sensation ran through his body and he vaguely felt a strange connection to the darkness that was around! Benzard''s superior sensory capabilities and awareness of his own body had allowed him to notice these minute changes even with the low rank of his new affinity immediately, unlike Skullius. His body felt like it was being supported by that lump of darkness! Now that he looked at it, the darkness around him was very strange. It was not just ack of light. It was too thick. Was this the same thing that was within him? ''Come to think of it, it reminds me of the darkness from that ce...'' Benzard thought as he remembered the first path he had gone through. He raised his hand towards the darkness and his keen eyes noticed a fluctuation within him as well as a change that urred with the darkness he tried to get a feel of! He moved his hand as he looked at the darkness and it shifted towards his hand slightly after the influence of the dark lump resonated with him. ''Interesting,'' Benzard said with a light smile. ''It''s something I can manipte?'' *** Reon had just exited the space where he had been sted by both a deep darkness and a ster light. When he faced the choice of the two paths with different presences, he didn''t hesitate much before entering the one with the weaker energy signature. His usually calm demeanour was long gone as he felt ufortable about the current state of events. Everyone was split up and there was no guarantee that the others were alive. Nothing made sense anymore. Why were they risking this in the first ce? It would have been better if they were together but... "Your ambition is the one that has killed thest of us, Benzard," Reon said with a deep frown. Upon entering in the dark space that held a powerful enemy, he calmed himself and prepared to attack with his quickest attack at the sight of his enemy but... "Oh... I finally found another one. A rather weak one though." Reon''s heart almost stopped as he saw a huge, bald and naked man munching on the head of an old man who wore a set of grey robes, struggling to free himself as he was bound by a yoke! Chapter 71 Less Immoral, More Bizarre! Reon¡¯s body quivered as he saw the beyond frightening scene before his eyes. The sound of chewing, bones cracking under the mastication ofrge teeth belonging to the giant of a man before him was something terrifying to experience. The giant was sitting down with its knees facing up like a child, most of its body hidden by the squirming darkness. Its body was full of taut and well toned muscles, its sandy skin revealing strange red veins that ran amok along its entirety. What made all of this worse was the fact that this giant¡¯s peculiar red eyes never left him as it slowly devoured the body of the old man who was supposed to be Reon¡¯s first opponent! That gaze alone told Reon that there was no escape. Soon, the giant finished its meal and smiled widely at Reon, its hands resting on its knees. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. You challengers have been especially hard to find all these years. I underestimated how big this ce is. Come closer and let me have a good look at you,¡± the giant said in a boisterous, yet childish voice. Reon found himself walking over slowly, even as he tried to hold himself back! The thought of attacking the first thing he saw had already left his mind as all that remained was a deep set fear of what was to happen next. What was this giant? Was he meant to fight it? Ridiculous! Though he couldn¡¯t ascertain how strong it was, it still gave off a rather chilling air. A literal chilling air. As Reon reached within five meters of this giant, it suddenly puffed up its cheeks, taking in some air and blew hard at the surroundings!. The unmovable darkness that surrounded them was immediately blown back and erased under the tornado-like force of wind that was released! Reon was even more shaken! The unrelenting force brought about by the wind left no traces of the darkness as what remained were the clear walls, floor and ceiling, where a small spot of light illuminated everything! ¡°There we go,¡± the giant said. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve held a conversation. I¡¯ve forgotten how it goes. Oh! That¡¯s right! It¡¯smon courtesy to introduce oneself first, aha ha! My name is Sause. What¡¯s yours?¡± Reon didn¡¯t want to respond, yet¡­ ¡°Reon¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ a lovely name, aha ha! Nice to meet you, Reon. I have proposal for you. Would you like to hear it and agree to whatever it is because you have no choice in the matter whatsoever?¡± ¡°dly¡­¡± ¡°Brilliant! I like you already! You see, the idiot who created this ce locked me up in its bowels right before he died. I managed to escape a few years ago, but this ce is just so darn huge that I can¡¯t seem to find an exit! Would you happen to have a way to get out?¡± ¡°No, but my friends do¡­¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s more of you? Great! Where are they?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, we were split up when we came in¡­¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s a shame. But hey, there¡¯s a quick fix aha ha! Come closer¡­¡± Reon walked up to the giant whose name was Sause and the man leaned in to give Reon a big whiff! A momentter, the giant¡¯s eyes brightened, as it wore a content smile. ¡°Aha ha! No problem! I¡¯ll find them,¡± Sause said, his giant right hand snapping its fingers to make three long, ethereal threads that swam in different directions to appear. One was blue, the second was red and thest¡­ was colourless, barely visible. ¡°Would you look at that? You have some interesting friends. I can¡¯t wait to meet them. If we end up getting to be such good chums, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking them on for a bite. Aha ha!¡± Reon had been answering Sause¡¯s questions nonstop, but his face showed the horror that he felt inside. ¡®What is this monster?! This feels so wrong! My body won¡¯t respond! We shouldn¡¯t havee here! I can¡¯t control my body! It knows where the others are?! Can we even survive this?¡¯ Reon¡¯s mind spat out thought after thought as he gazed at the innocently grinning figure before him. The giant stood, its full height being limited by the ceiling as it couldn¡¯t stand straight. It reached almost four meters in this state and it went on to grab Reon by his torso. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find your friends. Make sure to tell them that I¡¯m a good acquaintance of yours.¡± Sause turned into a blur as in the next moment, the wall exploded as his figure had darted through it before Reon knew what was going on! *** The double doors screeched open as with their opening, a bursts of chatter andughter assaulted Skullius¡¯ ears! A magnificent yet horrifying scene appeared before him beyond the doors. A massive space that was littered with luxurious tables and chairs appeared. Multiple chandeliers made of precious gems lit up the space, giving it a jovial look. The setup of this entire room, if it could even be called one, was incredibly beautiful, an exquisite red and gold tapestryying on the floor with glorious paintings and sculptures on or near the walls. Hundreds of men and women who were sharply dressed were conversing with each other while sipping on expensive looking drinks and eating premium quality food. Theirughter from time to time would have made for one to feel like they were back in the normalcy of society but Skullius, who had opened the door felt otherwise. His affinity to [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] made him to feel and see things that most wouldn¡¯t be able to. For starters, spots of light flew around like littlenterns in this hall, unhindered by any physical construct as they simply passed through. Soft wisps of dark mist rolled around this grand hall-looking ce, which was rather¡­ unnerving. The icing on the cake was the fact that all the people in this ce emitted these wisps of darkness too from their bodies while above their heads, a small golden white halo could be found! ¡°Dear me! We have a guest!¡± a burly man rushed towards Skullius with a big smile intending to give Skullius a big bear hug. He hadbed back brown hair and blue eyes that depicted a rare vivacity as he showed some love. Skullius dodged his advance warily. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Skullius asked with a confused look on his face. ¡°Oh dear friend. We¡¯re celebrating Fulgardt¡¯s death. Always and forever. It feels like yesterday when he passed but it¡¯s probably been thousands of years now,¡± the man answered. ¡°You¡¯re celebrating?¡± ¡°Why, of course!¡± A cheerful smile bloomed on the man¡¯s face as he exined. ¡°Each and every one of us is someone who has aided Fulgardt in some way. Giving potions, lessons, doing him favours among many other things. Fulgardt sought us all out and gathered us all for onest banquet before his death. He said that it was the duty of a man¡¯s acquaintances to celebrate his death¡­ eternally. So that¡¯s what we do. We celebrate¡­ for eternity.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Skullius stared nkly at the man who looked like he was struggling to keep his smile up. His eyes were squinted, depicting the sheer effort he was putting in to keep this forced facade afloat. Skullius saw the same thing etched upon the faces of everyone he saw. Some of the men and women in this ce were actually leaking tiers from their eyes as this torture wasn¡¯t something they could do anything against. The man before Skullius oozed of the darkness that resonated with his keen affinity which made Skullius confirm that it indeed was [Evil Darkness]. The halo above him also resonated with [Just Light]. Did Fulgardtbine these two elements to somehow keep everyone here alive?! Skullius couldn¡¯t fully wrap his mind around it. This was bizarre as flesh! ¡°What am I supposed to do here?¡± Skullius thought out loud. ¡°How about you join us? We haven¡¯t had another guest in years! Surely you¡¯d want to celebrate Fulgardt¡¯s demise with us!¡± The enthusiasm packed within the sentence made Skullius grimace as he thought carefully. GRRRRR! GWAGWGWAGWA! ¡°¡­.¡± The sound came from Skullius belly! A ravenous growl unbefitting of any human stomach! ¡°You must be hungry. Please,e and eat!¡± the burly man said. Skullius was lead to one of the tables after he reluctantly gave in to this discount version of his hunger. He sat on one of the tables, finding bountiful foods that did nothing to catch his eye as he couldn¡¯t smell. All he wanted to do was eat and get rid of the literal gnawing sensationing from his belly. As such, among the crisply roasted, majestically baked and masterfully refined foods, Skullius picked one of each and ced them in his pristine white te. ¡®Hmmm. What on earth am I doing? This actually feels¡­. vaguely familiar,¡¯ Skullius thought as the scene and his movements made him reminisce of a time he didn¡¯t remember. Skullius grabbed some meat first. The moment he did, a grand silence appeared as everyone in the room suddenly turned to him, paying extreme attention to his movements. Even the burly man who had invited him merely looked at him with a daring gaze. ¡°Dear guest. Please eat. This celebration is in honour of a Chapter 72 Well Hand It Over The intense gazes of the men and women in the room made Skullius hold back his intent to eat. What the flesh was this?! The determination hidden in these gazes of these people was too much to be ignored and thus Skullius decided to ask what exactly was going on before doing anything rash. ¡°What are you all looking at?¡± The burly man hurriedly fixed his visage, donning a delightful smile once again. It had suddenly dawned on him that his disposition wasn¡¯t exactly subtle, despite that not exactly being a requirement for what he intended. ¡°Ahem¡­ forgive me, dear guest. We are just a bit¡­ anxious is all. Please¡­ eat.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ no. You really expect me to eat when everyone is looking at me like that?¡± Skullius gestured at one particr woman whose face was distorted; eyes bulging and her mouth downturned to produce a rather terrifying face. The moment Skullius pointed at her, she immediately wore a charming smile that almost dismissed the fact she looked like she would devour him a moment ago. ¡°Let me be honest, dear guest. We haven¡¯t had a guest like you in a very long time. Only one other has been able toe here before you. The only ones who cane to this grand hall are those who have been seen as worthy to carry both [Just Light] and [Evil Darkness]. So, we are rather¡­ excited.¡± Skullius didn¡¯t buy that it was that simple. These guys had pretended as if he didn¡¯t exist just some minutes only to suddenly react now. It didn¡¯t take a genius to know that all these people wanted something from him. From the hint, it was likely that they needed him to use the two elements to assist them.. Otherwise, what other reason would they for him. ¡°Please guest. Have your meal first,¡± the burly man reiterated strongly. Skullius cautiously eyed the well served tes of food. ¡®Is there something wrong with the food? No, they needed him alive right?¡¯ Skullius thought. Then why were they so insistent on making him eat? Skullius promptly used his guidance field to check if he could see the details of the foods on the table and it turned out that it was indeed possible! The names of the foods were revealed to him, such as Bluntly fried chicken, Juicy raisin sparkle, almondite greens etc. There was no mention of poison, which made Skullius less doubtful of the possible danger he could face. Skullius held a sulent piece of meat and ripped into it with his teeth. He couldn¡¯t taste it, but he imagined that its taste was on a whole other level. Also, the ability to taste was probably nice. The piece of meat he tore off rushed down his throat and was assimted into his body just like everything else. Skullius might have not been able to taste, but he felt a slight change in his body the moment the food began breaking down. A surge of a peculiar essence began to permeate through his body. It was like mana but a little different, making his cosmetic flesh a little lessnky and weak. [Your body has been strengthened. +2 Health] ¡°Oh¡­ eating this actually gives me some benefits. Is this the reward that the guidance system was talking about?¡± The crowd surrounding him gulped as they waited. While they had their own personal agenda, they couldn¡¯t interfere with Skullius¡¯ journey. They had to wait until he was done. Skullius grabbed everything he could see and began shoving it down his word-hole! Drinks, meat, bread, vegetables! [Your body has been strengthened. +1 health] [Your body has been strengthened. +3 strength] [Your body has been strengthened. +3 endurance] [Your body has been¡­.] All things were downed as Skullius then felt his body getting noticeable more¡­ noticeable. His arms grew a little thick, transcending the pathetic initial state they had been in when he first used the skill [Flesh It Like You Mean It]. ¡®This is ridiculous! So only people like me get to enjoy this?! My stats are increasing so much just from this!¡± ¡°What is this?¡± one of the men in the crowd muttered as he saw the ck hole that was Skullius, practically inhaling the food that was within thevish tes! ¡°Is he even human?¡± ¡°Where is all that food going?¡± ¡°I thought only humans could enter this ce to challenge for Fulgardt¡¯s legacy?¡± Skullius ignored the chatter around him that had begun to echo within the room as he continued to eat. The quantity of food here was ridiculous. Seeing as it hadsted for thousands of years, it was impossible to finish it without adding a few zeros to the time measuring figure. ¡®Does he n to eat everything here? How strong will he get?¡¯ the burly man grimaced. ¡®What a voracious appetite!¡¯ When he had first been to trapped here, eating this delicious food that never ran out had been a pastime for him. For someone who was already powerful to begin with like him, he didn¡¯t quite get much benefits from eating all this food plus, he had a finite appetite. Yet¡­ this man before him whose mouth wanted to expand some more to increase the intake didn¡¯t seem to have something known as restraint! As Skullius ate, he suddenly felt a strange sensation that ran through his chest to his belly! ¡°What now?¡± he mumbled in annoyance. His body was having a reaction again and he didn¡¯t know which one. Suddenly, his urge to eat vanished and something in his throat got clogged up. ¡°Huh?!¡± Skullius tried to swallow the food he had in his mouth but he felt something block where the food was supposed to descend to. He tried to forcefully swallow but he only ended up having to spit out the food in his mouth with a frown on his face. What he had gained in wasn¡¯t insignificant though. With all the tes that he had eaten, Skullius had gained 20 points in strength, 15 points in the Endurance and 19 in health. Not every meal gave points unfortunately. Strangely, he hadn¡¯t managed to salvage much for other attributes. The moment Skullius showed that he had stopped eating, the burly man rushed up to Skullius with a bright smile as he took the chance to speak. ¡°Excuse me dear guest, can I ask for a small favour?¡± he said. ¡°You want me to set you free right?¡± Skullius said, making the burly man smile even more brightly. ¡°Indeed. You¡¯re quite smart. However, we will help you get something in return.¡± ¡°Oh? What is that?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll hand over the legacy of Fulgardt to you.¡± Chapter 73 You Fool! ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius raised a brow to show his surprise. Had he heard that right? These guys would give him the legacy of Fulgardt? How? Were they lying to him? ¡°What do you mean? How would you have the legacy of Fulgardt when you were locked here the whole time?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Please trust us. As long as you release us, we¡¯ll give it to you. We won¡¯t say anything else until you agree,¡± the burly man said determinedly. Time had wiped away these beings¡¯ ago as they were now left desperate to go to the outside world to experience life again. Within therge crowd, many were already insane or getting close it which made the scene a bit more chaotic. Skullius took some moments to think. ¡°You said someone else came through here. He was just like me, right?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have him help you?¡± ¡°That is true but you don¡¯t seem to understand the uniqueness of being able toprehend [Just Light] and [Evil Darkness]. In reality, most people aren¡¯t pure or evil which would immediately qualify them as being able to carry these elements but that¡¯s not exactly the case.¡± ¡°[Just Light] and [Evil Darkness] search the immediate intent of the target. If their immediate goals are deemed righteous or pure, then [Evil Darkness] will settle in them and if they are meant to harm indiscriminately, then [Just Light] will be granted to them. Thest person to reach this ce was a carrier of both but unfortunately¡­ Anyway, please make your choice.¡± ¡®Unique huh?¡¯. Skullius remembered how he had experienced it when he was granted the two powers. The notifications that came imed that he had neither evil nor righteousness which seemed different from what these guys were saying. Skullius could imagine the various scenarios that could emerge when one entered this ce with the intent to find Fulgardt¡¯s legacy. Some came with goals of attaining wealth, riches, protecting their country and so on. It wouldn¡¯t be rare to find someone who wanted to get both after they attained Fulgardt¡¯s legacy, but there was always an agenda that took precedence in the minds of all humans. What about him though? What were his goals? Well, to survive and that was basically it. The Doom Factors were an objective that were imposed on him but they couldn¡¯t overshadow Skullius¡¯ desire to keep existing. ¡®Do I really want the legacy?¡¯ Skullius asked himself. Thinking back, he had never considered acquiring the legacy of Fulgardt in the first ce. His one goal had been to survive, which is why he had taken matters into his own hands. Now, he began considering. Would he even be able to get it? He had been hoping to find something else to allow himself to leave this ce but he had been ignoring the obvious choice because he felt he never stood a chance of getting it. It would be useful though. With it, he would probably have the ability to take down the group that had dragged him here. ¡°So? Do you agree?¡± the burly man asked with a light of determination in his eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­ this is something that Fulgardt himself did to you. How am I supposed to help?¡± Skullius voiced his opinion of disbelief. ¡°We¡¯ll help you get through it. We knew how Fulgardt used the ability so we can teach you. It may take years but afterwards, not only would you have gained a great proficiency in these elements, you¡¯ll also have all of us as your allies!¡± ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®HELL NO!¡¯ Although he barked this in his mind, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was wise to say this. Skullius was already beginning to piece together what happened to thest person who came here. He was probably faced with the same choice and declined. The end result was probably that he was killed. Would Skullius be willing to make that same choice openly and get himself murdered? What could he possibly do when surrounded by these overpowered people? He couldn¡¯t use the biggest offensive asset he had onmand, [Pseudo Evil Veneration], which made him feel infinitely less confident. Unfortunately, the burly man noticed Skullius¡¯ hesitation first. He already knew what the young Discount Human¡¯s answer was, which made him change his amiable to smile to a discontent smile. The same could be said for the hundreds of people that were within this ce as they red at Skullius with malicious intent. ¡®Hmm? He¡¯s just like the other one. Stubborn and short sighted! If they help us, they would gain a decentprehension in their elements. We might not have been able to make a move on you back then, but now we can!¡¯ the burly man sneered. The reason they had butter up Skullius and tell him to eat at first was because the rules created by Fulgardt stipted that a challenger who had reached this ce had to ¡®celebrate¡¯. At least the wisps of darkness and halo above themmanded them so. This agenda of theirs could only be carried out afterwards. A suffocating wave of mana thundered down on Skullius as the full power of every individual that stood in the room poured out! Skullius dropped to the ground as he began to vomit blood while being unable to stand. ¡°You fool! You should have epted! If not for the fact that we can¡¯tpel you, we wouldn¡¯t even be having this conversation, yet you¡¯re so hellbent on dying for no reason!¡± Skullius¡¯ face smashed into the ground! The intense energy that assaulted him didn¡¯t back away! ¡®Damn! These socketholes are strong!¡¯ Skullius thought while he tried to not panic. His encounters with strong beings had caused him to be a bit desensitised to tanking powerful energy signatures with his body. Skullius¡¯ck of knowledge of the power system had be a detrimental as he struggled to know just what stage of power these guys were. ¡°How am I¡­ going to get out of this one?¡± Skullius asked himself while grinding his teeth under the immense pressure exerted upon him. *** The lone figure of Benzard held onto a chipped sword, heaving deep breaths heavily as blood oozed from his body. His armour was on itsst legs, torn, broken and shredded to a pathetic state. His body had numerous wounds that leaked blood, ripped flesh creating swells that stood out! ¡®Is it¡­ truly worth it?¡¯ he asked himself while looking at the disembodied head of a humanoid creature, bound to a yoke. On his sword, wisps of darkness dancedzily while he gripped it firmly. The power he had discovered hours ago had grown but not in proportion to the severe gaps in power between his opponents. Benzard was about to take a step forward when he suddenly turned. CRACK! The wall hidden under the darkness shifted as arge crack on the wall appeared, dust flying as the thing that sought toe through exerted more force! CRACK! Chips fell, arge, red eye appearing from the crack as it immediately locked onto Benzard! ¡­! Chapter 74 Another Class? The Labyrinth of the Yoke. This was an ancient structure built by Fulgardt many years prior to his death. It held countless treasures that he had found in his lifetime. It also held his prime legacy, the power that he cultivated on his own. The power of the Insurgent Magnus. The power to wield both purity through [Just Light] and evil through [Evil Darkness]. This was as much as most who challenged this dreadful ce knew. All this was to them a ce where they could party up and obtain riches and power while exercising some manner of caution. Of course, the majority if people that hunted these legacies were reckless or desperate warriors, their deaths guaranteed. However, the situation within the Labyrinth was vastly different. The Labyrinth wasrger than most would even know. It was incredibly vast and filled with many stages and rooms that held specific purposes beyond the thoughts and dreams of mortals. Even the purpose of a such the brutal and seemingly unending killing spree that all challengers were subjected to was unknown as no one had been able to reach the legacy of Fulgardt which prompted for many to feel discouraged, their yearning for his treasure waning with time. Many didn¡¯t know anything about this man and his machinations save for a handful of beings but Fulgardt wouldn¡¯t have made such a fuss of it.. One of them happened to be a bald giant that was peaking at Benzard with terrifying red eyes that bound the poor soul¡¯s will to fight. Sause crawled into the dark space where a beheaded humanoid creaturey silently in a pool of blood. Benzard shook as he saw the giant that held Reon its hand reaching in and its cheeks puffing up to blow away the darkness within the space! Soon, the room was clear, Benzard seeing clearly the image that made him drop his sword. ¡®What was this thing?! What is it doing with Reon?! Is it another opponent?!¡¯ Benzard bombarded himself with a barrage of questions as the situation before him was not at all clear. He had ughtered four opponents from four different paths that he had chosen in a span of several hours. It had been a tough fight. Ever since he had discovered that he could manipte the thick darkness which gave him a very eerie feeling, defeating the man-beast had been easy. After defeating it, he found hisprehension of the element to grow drastically. He could sense it with greater detail than before which prompted him to spend a few hours familiarising himself with it and incorporating it into his fighting style with the sword. This was the essence of a swordsman. A Truebright Swordsman, Benzard¡¯s advanced ss. Light and lightning made up the core of his arsenal for elements and wielding theirbination in conjunction with his sword was supposed to be a top tier package, yet¡­ He had been failing to amodate light into his attacks and maximising the core of his ss. If he used it, it was usually a fluke. Him using darkness and finding it easier to use than light made him think that perhaps he may have been given a ss that wasn¡¯t suited for him. He relished in the feeling, gaining more confidence about his ability to cut down enemies now that he found out that using darkness was extremely effective. Unfortunately, even with that¡­ even with his opponents¡¯ handicapped, he couldn¡¯t win so easily. ¡°Interesting. So you¡¯re the one with the blue thread,¡± Sause said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you introduce us, Reon?¡± Reon who was within the giant¡¯s grasp still wore a pale face as the speed with which he had been moving while being in the giant¡¯s captivity was ridiculous! He could barely see anything even when the giant took a momentary pause. Hours had felt like seconds just from when he saw the surroundings warping by like an endless stroke of dark colours while the giant would sometimes easily ughter a ridiculously powerful opponent bound by a yoke for no reason. Even with all this, when Sause gave amand, Reon would still answer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Benzard. Sause here is a good acquaintance of mine.¡± ¡®What?!¡¯ Benzard eximed in his thoughts. ¡®Acquaintance my ass!¡¯ ¡°Indeed we are,¡± Sause said as he gave Benzard his full attention. ¡°Reon told me lots of things on our way here. Do you happen to have a Key?¡± Benzard was going to avoid giving an answer until he fully understood the situation but¡­ ¡°Yes I do.¡± ¡­! His mouth moved on its own! ¡°I see. So the other Key is with the other one, right? Aha ha! He¡¯s pretty far from this side unfortunately. You two seem to have already been in the same quadrant of the Labyrinth, which is why it was so much easier to find you. However, this one will be harder to get to so let¡¯s have a chat,¡± Sause with a carefree expression while using Reon as some kind of gesture tool to emphasise his points. The giant¡¯srge frame sat down with its knees facing the ceiling. Its private parts had been dangling ever since its appearance, but its unsettling air was even more terrifying than the picture of its huge private goods. ¡°Hmmm. You have quite the able body. Potential is practically leaking out from you like a river. It¡¯d be waste to kill you. You¡¯re more refined than this friend of yours. Tell me, why are you here?¡± Benzard¡¯s mouth opened wide and he rendered an answer that he did not wish to hear. ¡°My town was destroyed by a few bandits who wanted to escape from a nobleman they had offended. They were many of them, but my people, my friends and family fought against them to protect themselves but it wasn¡¯t enough. The bandits set fire to my town, aiming to distract their pursuers long enough for them to escape. Everyone died except me who was picked up by the Knights of that nobleman. I was made strong but I never forgot the helplessness I felt that day.¡± ¡°Unreasonable criminals and fiends only need the sword to be put down. I need adequate power to stop such people from doing whatever they want with precious lives.¡± Sause shifted in excitement. ¡°This was a lengthier exnation than I expected but very efficient. You want strength? Good. I can see it from that tenacious body and spirit,¡± Sause gazed at Benzard¡¯s wounds that oozed of blood, the skin showing ruptured and shredded muscle tissue. Benzard wore a massively shocked face after he had just blurted out his background like some exhibitionist protagonist. Reon also looked at him with a surprised gaze, wondering in his mind if this was truly drove Benzard. ¡°Let me make you an offer. I¡¯d simplypel you to agree but that doesn¡¯t work when I need a rock solid answer fashioned from your own resolve,¡± Sause said. Benzard¡¯s breath was staggered as he heard this. His heart thumped as the situation had turned into something that almost made him regret his actions. ¡°Since all you need is power, how about giving up on Fulgardt¡¯s ss and letting me impart you with a very powerful one of my own, aha ha?¡± Sause said with a grin. Chapter 75 A True Patriot ¡°A ss?¡± Benzard felt the powerful hold that had been restraining him be lifted off as his ability to answer per his own ord had been restored. ¡°Exactly!¡± Sause eximed intently with a grin that depicted his greed. ¡°For a patriot of strength like yourself, attaining power beyond that of those that you know should be sufficient right? I can grant you that, aha ha. What do you say?¡± Benzard didn¡¯t know if what this giant said was to be believed. Power. Strength. He did yearn for those but¡­ Benzard focused his senses and discovered that he couldn¡¯t determine the level of strength that this giant held, regardless of the amount of concentration he invested into the task. There was no doubt¡­ This creature was strong. Perhaps it was just as strong as Fulgardt or it could be conman that wanted him to be a puppet that would do its bidding while being quite proficient in hiding its strength.. From the looks of it, there was a 100% guarantee that this creature wanted something from him and Sause didn¡¯t make much of an effort to hide it. ¡°I refuse.¡± The refusal that Benzard issued to the offer presented made Reon, who was bound to Sause, breath out an internal sigh of relief. ¡®His head is still in the right ce at least.¡¯ Reon thought. ¡®Don¡¯t listen to this bastard!¡¯ Benzard¡¯s response didn¡¯t garner any expression of disappointment from Sause. The giant merely kept smiling cheerfully as it gazed at Benzard. ¡°Profound. Despite the burning desire I sense from you, you¡¯re not irrational. These qualities make me even more interested in reeling you in,¡± Sause said. ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°Why? It¡¯s a great deal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about you. I wouldn¡¯t hand myself over just for pretty words. I¡¯d rather die trying to get a legacy that¡¯s guaranteed.¡± ¡°Oh. Is that right? Are you sure it¡¯s guaranteed? Have you yet started to wonder why you¡¯re still having to fight all these enemies that are bound by yokes? They are practically spoon-fed to you? Doesn¡¯t it all seem strange? A long journey of collecting cumtive mana and getting the slightest bit of increase to that element you were given for free after every ughter. Does it all¡­ feel right?¡± Benzard¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he heard this. It was indeed something that had crossed his mind. What was the point of this? Why were the enemies he had to face bound? Why could they only be defeated by the strange darkness that felt alive? His faith in this mission was put to the test. Even though he had said that he would dly die trying to gain the power that Fulgardt left behind, a seed of doubt began to bloom. This was enough for Sause who grinned even more disgustingly. Getting a ss above ¡®Advanced¡¯ right now instead of battling who knew how many enemies seemed pretty tempting to Benzard. ¡®That does seem¡­ a lot better than this. Should I¡­?¡¯ Benzard thought. ¡°I still refuse. I¡¯d rather work with something I know more about. I still have strength to spare. I won¡¯t die so easily,¡± Benzard said with a stern expression. Sause¡¯s cheerful grin didn¡¯t vanish. His eyes merely lost some of their lustful sparkle. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I really thought you were a perfect candidate. How unfortunate. Well¡­ Reon here told me that unlike the Key that the other one possesses, yours¡¯ ownership can be changed by simply killing you. So¡­ thank you for the meal.¡± Immediately after saying that, Sause¡¯s face stretched as he opened his mouth eerily wide to reveal therge mrs, incisors and canines that decorated the space within! Saliva dripped from his mouth as he lunged forward to devour Benzard in one feel swoop! The movement was extremely fast, catching Benzard off guard! For some reason, he had partially ruled out the possibility that this creature would simply kill him after finding out that it was interested in him. Had he hoped that it saw something that would make it spare his life? His body wouldn¡¯t move. There was nothing he could do. After the blow that Eobald had dealt, making him feel like all that he had done for the past few years was nothing, Benzard had felt hollow. What would one do after finding out that an investment they made to build avish house for years turned out to be only have been for a pigsty? Perhaps that wasn¡¯t the best analogy, but the point still stood that Benzard truly felt the need to have strength he could believe in. Dying here right after learning that all he had done had been was for a ridiculous cause made his soul scream. Not yet. Not yet NOT YET! ¡°WAIT!¡± Sause¡¯s eyes turned into crescents. It had worked. This man who had had an unshakeable will before had now gained an even more radiant fire within. He wouldn¡¯t let himself die like that especially when his unwavering belief in the legacy had been made to waver. Sause withdrew his head, his face returning to normal as he wore a diplomatic grin. ¡°Fine. I will do it,¡± Benzard said with a sickened frown that pulled on his facial muscles to show the conflict within him. He felt like he was selling his soul to the devil. ¡°Now that wasn¡¯t so hard was it, aha ha,¡± Sause said cheerful, his bald head and naked body giving off the wrong vibe from his words. Reon who was at the side couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. He would have loved to walk over and punch Benzard for making such a decision but he couldn¡¯t. Sause stretched hisrge hand over Benzard as his body suddenly started to explode with a ridiculous amount of mana that overpowered the space around them, distorting it and bringing forth a radiant glow to hisrge body. Sause¡¯srge palms reached to Benzard and he touched the man¡¯s forehead with his index finger, a thick and concentrated light of mana shooting into Benzard! ¡°Perfect,¡± Sause murmured. ¡°After this, you¡¯ll help me steal away that other one too. Can¡¯t have Fulgardt getting his way after screwing me over now can we? Aha ha.¡± Chapter 76 Bullying Is Wrong! (1) POW! Skullius flew across the room after receiving the punch of his discount life! He didnt even see how he had flown out and sted into the solid wall! Only a rippling feeling as he dug into the wall confirmed that he had just gotten the shit beaten out of him! On top of him being unable to resist the tremendous forces of power that tangled within this room, he was getting knocked around like a fool. The burly man who had been so kind to him at first was now donning a fierce expression as he red at Skullius. He had been the first to throw a punch at the Discount Human and when he saw the weak man he had knocked away was trying to rise from ground stubbornly, he was surprised. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re still alive after that? The one who came before you was already half dead after a single attack! You seem more capable but you¡¯re too stubborn and foolish to realise a point of mutual interest!¡± the burly man barked in rage. He really wished that he had the authority to force this idiot to do his bidding but the harmony of [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] restrained him. Skullius rose, watching the groups close in on him and his previous attempt at maintaining hisposure was immediately broken. ¡®Okay¡­ this is reaaallly bad! This is the worst situation I¡¯ve been in so far! There¡¯s too many of them and my skills probably won¡¯t do any damage. They are not bound like the others!¡¯ Skullius¡¯ mind churned frustration after frustration as he tried to figure out how to escape from this predicament. There had to be a way, right? As he expected a dramatic procession before he was beaten to death-ish, a foot pounded against his shoulder making him drop to the ground again, a deep crater boring itself on the floor under Skullius¡¯ feet!. Skullius coughed, a red substanceing from his mouth! The substance released a fizzy sound as it sshed onto the ground, white bubble-like froth vaguely seen! However, Skullius didn¡¯t have the luxury to check out that his blood wasn¡¯t really blood as before he could fullyprehend the level of damage the previous attack would have caused, another horrendous attack sted against him from a distance! A torrent of mes like a tornado sted against the furniture and ceiling, leaving molten and charred objects in its wake as it mercilessly tried to roast Skullius alive! For a few moments, Skullius disappeared under the brilliant eminence of the me, the heat burning up everything that wasbustible in the hall! As the fire down died down, an old man who donned an expensive-looking red robe smirked as he saw the destruction that he had caused. ¡°Heh! Pathetic. Youngsters from the generation of the outside world must have grown ten times more foolish. Pride and arrogance is all I see from this filth,¡± he said. ¡°Indeed,¡± a curvaceous woman at the side with long, leather ck hair that brushed against her short and dark, revealing dress spoke. ¡°Perhaps we should have tried appealing to his lustful desires this time.¡± The smoke cleared as the hundreds in the room began to dismiss Skullius. But¡­ ¡°You socketholes are crazy!¡± A voice boomed from the disappearing smoke, the figure of young man who donned a broken golden red armour appeared! A magnificent looking helmet was perched on his head, bearing two crimson wings on either side, glittering with spots of mana, a looped star-shaped visor that faintly glowed with a blue hue from the outside and a beautiful gem that stuck to the forehead. Skullius had, in the heat of the moment (no pun intended), remembered that this armour could store things like he had seen with the rings that Benzard and friends had. Donning the helmet had helped him, blocking against most of the damage that he felt even on spots that didn¡¯t have the coverage of the armour! ~~~ [ArchLight Generational Keeper] An armour forged by ten of the royal cksmiths of E¡¯kald. It is made with extremely rare materials and carved with countless runes and mythic circles so as to hold the power of at least a 1000 Incandescent Stage experts. It can store mana through a pocket core inbuilt within and also store items within the subspace it was forged with. -Defense- 2400 -Durability- 10/3500 -Special Effects- ? Can store pieces of the armour set Currently stored ¨C (None) ? Can store mana from willing participants Current mana limit ¨C (33,786/21,000,000) ? Can reflect 50% elemental and physical damage ~~~ ¡®My luck still wants me to live!¡¯ Skullius was touched. Perhaps the streak of bad events that spontaneously urred from time to time would finally cease. ¡°He¡¯s still alive?!¡± the old man growled as his body surged with a thicker ooze of mana! The aged and powerful creatures in the hall were truly shocked by this development! This person was really weak and yet he had survived such a devastating attack? ¡°How can this be?¡± ¡°Does he have some kind of special quality?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably that armour!¡± The many people within the hall made many inferences as they boomed. Skullius knew full well how extravagant the presence of the armour could be, especially when he considered that it had so much mana packed into it. It was actually a surprise for him that these socketholes hadn¡¯t noticed. Perhaps it was because they were all releasing their ridiculous levels of mana at once in an effort to let loose and intimidate him, which drowned out the armour¡¯s mana signature? ¡°You think you will survive any longer than this? Think again!¡± the old man with a robe waved his hand, prompting for arge influx of mana to emerge, forming something grand. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what kind of magic a frustrated old man can pull out!¡± A massive double wheel appeared right before the old man! It had 14 segments that each held a different coloured sigil within them that burned with an ethereal light! Skullius felt the atmosphere change the moment this magical construct appeared. The old man¡¯s eyes glowed with a frightening transcendence as he went on to speak. ¡°Deconstruct.¡± HUM! One of the sigils on the wheel produced a deep hum as it shone brightly and then something phenomenal happened to Skullius! Thick red chains appeared from thin air as they began to wrap around his body. Small white runes could be seen over the surfaces of the chains, the long nking objects going to restrain Skullius while he was in his armour. However, this wasn¡¯t the end. The chains started to sink into Skullius¡¯ flesh as if they were assimting into him! They also dug into the armour, moving along its steel body as if it was a liquid instead! Skullius felt something go wrong within him immediately. Something important within him began to unravel, unable to handle the chains that he could feel roaming within his body and brushing against his core! It was then that Skullius saw a few disturbing notifications! [The Absolute Magic spell ¡®Archemperal Wheel: Bind¡¯ has begun to interfere with all active skills] [¡®ArchLight Generation Keeper¡¯ is being deconstructed] [Your skill ¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ is being deconstructed] [Your mana is being deconstructed¨C] [The Doom Factor, ¡®Disowned¡¯ has caught up] Chapter 77 Bullying Is Wrong! (2) ¡®Hold up, bro! This isn¡¯t fair at all!¡¯ Skullius panicked as the flood of bad news reflected on the screen of the guidance field. [Flesh It Like You Mean It] was being deconstructed? His armour was too? What did that mean? The answer didn¡¯t take long to reach Skullius as in the next moment, he saw and felt changes that genuinely made him feel mortified! The ArchLight Generation Keeper started to disintegrate! The breastte began fragmenting, changing into small particles of hot iron that wereced with mana! Skullius slowly felt the protection that he had enjoyed for a short while already begin to vanish under the ridiculous spell of the old man! To make matters worse, Skullius saw the cosmetic flesh that covered him begin to shift, turning into balls of veiny meat, leaving only the bone underneath! It started from his arm and quickly climbed to his face where the flesh began to recede! The old man sensed Skullius¡¯ fear from the trembling of his mana and with a look of disdain and satisfaction, he chuckled. It had been a while since he had felt a sensation other than his belly being full of premium quality food and wine. Other than chatting, having forced conversations that left his throat sore and muscles aching from pretending to be merry for centuries! All this was because he had helped that insolent fool! His past personality and values had all but been destroyed. All that was left was a yearning to feel something else even at the expense of another life! His past self would be disgusted by the current him but who cared?!. He had fallen so far, yet¡­ what could he do about it. The loving and adventurous side of him was erased by the cramped space and same faces he had see after every hour, day and year! Seeing Skullius¡¯ whose disposition shook, the despair for his impending doom crippling him pathetically, was like a breath of fresh air! He, however, wasn¡¯t the only person to feel this way! The many within the crowd rushed up to Skullius. Beating him to death was the only form of stimtion they could endure without being held back by the [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] that kept them from perishing! [You have failed to grab a hold of your own fate within the time that was given by the benevolent Voice of Worlds] [You have failed to sustain your own existence with mana] [Attempting mana reduction¡­] ¡°No!¡± Skullius saw the notifications and knew what woulde next! He wouldn¡¯t allow it! The armour wasn¡¯t supplying him mana anymore which caused the approaching of the Doom Factor! Skullius¡¯ mana quickly bottomed out after Doom Factor 1 caught up to him. It was an attempt at using his mana to try to sustain him but¡­ [Mana insufficient] Skullius hurriedly tried to activate [Basic Mana Maniption] just before thest strands of his mana were drawn away! He sensed the vast amount of mana within the armour and tried to pulling on it! As soon as he made the conscious effort to pull the vast mass of power into his body, the ArchLight Generation Keeper responded vigorously, disjointed spots of mana hurtling into Skullius¡¯ core! The stream of mana continuously got thinner at a rapid pace which kept Skullius anxious as he knew it could all go terribly wrong at any moment! [The Doom Factor, ¡®Disowned¡¯ has been averted] ¡°Phew¡ª¡± BOOOM! A fist smashed into Skullius¡¯ chest while the Discount Human was bound by the red chains! Skullius felt the spot that a grinning man with long dark hair had punched cave in but fortunately, the ArchLight Generation Keeper was still protecting him! The man flung his fist towards Skullius¡¯ face which was covered by the helmet and the Discount could have sworn that on impact, he felt as if his core exploded! The amount of power within such a punch that the owner didn¡¯t put that much effort into caused multiple ripples of force that instantly shattered the helmet, leaving Skullius¡¯ face exposed! The power from this same punch went on to destroy a third of the floor, even though it was reinforced with special materials! While Skullius was in disbelief, he was still happy that the armour was still holding up. Kind of. ~~~ [ArchLight Generation Keeper] -Durability- 8/3500 ~~~ However, it was too early to celebrate as his current predicament was far from over! From his arm to the right side of his face, mostly bones were left as ¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ was being deconstructed! The white bone began to change colour, transitioning into a foggy grey, while when Skullius¡¯ eye disappeared, a weak blue me began toe from his socket! On top of all this, some rather enthusiastic men and women rushed towards him and began throwing attack after attack at his downed body! ¡®GAAAAAAAAH! If they see my real form I¡¯ll be in even more trouble! This is seriously bad news! What do I do?!¡¯ Skullius thought as three shrieking balls of blue mes sted against his body, the explosion that ensued, melting the floor and ceiling blowing him away! The hall was being wrecked, everything burning while the eyes of hundreds looked on either without much care or with a severe yearning to join in on the short-lived fun! Quite the number of dignified looking figures remained seated in the hall while watching the action of a sole Foundation Stage weakling go against immensely stronger beings. One of them who donned a simple looking shirt and pants sighed. His gazed turned to the old man who had summoned the double wheel with sigils and a look of disdain shed within his eyes momentarily. ¡°I can¡¯t believe even Remos Kamil would sumb to this. Is this what a great pioneer of a powerful magic art form should be doing?¡± he asked. ¡°An obsession is an obsession no matter how great a future it leads to. It¡¯s only when one is locked up with a simr flock of psychopaths that the true depths of their obsession beginnings to shine,¡± a woman with navy blue hair sitting adjacent to the man who had spoken previously, responded. She drank from an immactely designed wine ss that held a purple coloured drink. ¡°I suppose. He really is enjoying himself¡­¡± The unveiled amusement of the old man known as Remos radiated freely as he watched Skullius who was bound fly and get knocked against several clusters of furniture. ¡®I¡¯ll savour every moment. No need to rush,¡¯ he thought. Skullius rolled on the floor only to be stopped by a table leg when his momentum had died down. The same man with ck hair rushed towards him with an insane speed while cocking his arm back. ¡®This can¡¯t go on! I have to fight back somehow! Will [Pseudo Evil Veneration] work? I can¡¯t tell. It¡¯s not like I can just be as angry as I was that time and unleash that kind of power. Even if I¡¯m sessful, I doubt I can take care on hundreds of these guys at once! Damn it! But I still have to fight!¡¯ The man with ck hair approached Skullius as his body shone with the bright light of mana that looked like he was decked in armour. Skullius churned his mana as from his open palm that was attached to a bound arm, a bright sh of pure mana coalesced before he activated a skill he hoped would do some damage. [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno!] A purplish orange me bloomed into existence within Skullius arm and went on to grow in size, wild wisps of heat rotating around it! The heat it emitted burnt the cloths that were on the table beside him, depicting that it was no ordinary me! The me left Skullius¡¯ hand and shot towards the Discount Human¡¯s target! The man with ck hair didn¡¯t bother to dodge as he considered this ast attempt by Skullius at defending his life! When the two met, a crazed man and an eager me, heat roared and mes spewed onto the surroundings as everyone watched! The bright glint of orange that resulted died down soon after, the ck-haired man¡¯s figure dashing out of the remnants of the fire with a smirk! He went on viciously kick Skullius in the face! Skullius flew once again and knocked against more of thevish furniture while rolling! When his body settled, he gazed in disbelief at the ck-haired man, ¡®blood¡¯ seeping from his orifices as the fragmenting armour was losing its ability topletely protect him. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it didn¡¯t do any damage! I thought it would at least¡­ wait¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. He recalled a notification he had received from the guidance field some time ago. All creatures in here could only be damaged by [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light]! ¡®Right! Since they didn¡¯t have yokes on them, I assumed they were different from the others! But still¡­!¡¯ Just as Skullius was looking at the ck-haired man, the man was also looking at Skullius intently, a strange expression on his face. ¡°Hey¡­ What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± he said as he stopped advancing. It wasn¡¯t only him, as everyone in the hall looked at Skullius confusedly, others with wrath and the rest with disbelief scribbled over their faces. ¡°What¡¯s an undead doing here?!¡± Chapter 78 Bullying Is Wrong! (3) ¡°Uh?¡± Skullius uttered in confusion before he looked at his own hands. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Foggy grey bones appeared in his vision, a sensation he hadn¡¯t felt in hours beginning to overtake him. The powerful yet tranquil feeling of Null Life was slowing leak into his body! Only his right arm was fully bonified as his left was still mostly fleshful. His face however, had two hollow sockets with a dark blue me that burned incessantly! The rest of his body was still experiencing deconstruction, blobs of cosmetic flesh disappearing little by little! [The skill ¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ is being forcibly subdued] [The deactivation of the skill is imminent] ¡°You¡¯re an undead?!¡± Remos barked with a fierce expression on his wrinkly face. ¡°How is this possible?!¡± The man and woman who had been conversing before stood up as they gazed at this turn of events that they hadn¡¯t seening. ¡°What¡¯s this?! Was it an undead disguised as a human all along? I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t sense this!¡± the man in the simple shirt said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t either. Has the world outside been conquered by the undead? After merely a few millenia?!¡± the woman said with a deep frown. Skullius wanted to gulp so bad, swallowing a bit of his fear but he couldn¡¯t. Such a convenience was already lost to him at this point.. ¡®I¡¯m screwed! Unless I can figure out what to do with [Evil Darkness], there¡¯s no escaping this!¡¯ As he looked ahead of him, Skullius noticed the mes and damage within the room begin to vanish. The tables disappeared and reappeared with their full integrity and decor intact, the food which had spilled from the violence which had pervaded moments ago, bing piping hot meals that sat on top of these tables again. A thin mist of darkness still floated within the room, which made the sudden phenomenon urring even more unnerving. Skullius didn¡¯t have the luxury of pondering over this as in the next moment, he felt himself be pulled over by the ck-haired man whom he had ¡®tangled¡¯ with. The man gripped him by the neck, his eyes burning with a furious light as he then posed a question. ¡°What¡¯s a filthy undead doing here?!¡± he said. A storm of mana assaulted Skullius, attempting to burn his being as it poured from the man¡¯s body! ¡®Gah! He¡¯s as strong as that Wing bro! I can¡¯t be sure if it¡¯s the same but I can hardly stand in his presence!¡¯ Skullius thought as he trembled. Several figures began to advance, while others chatted amongst themselves as they thought about this current situation. ¡°Bring it here, I¡¯ll pry out all that it knows,¡± Remos said to the ck-haired man who withdrew his gaze from Skullius and began walking with him over to Remos. Skullius gaped. If there was ever a time to act, it was now, but he didn¡¯t know what exactly to do! His vision roamed around the room as it sought for something to cling to! Something! Anything! Wasn¡¯t there something?! Did he find such a thing¡­? ¡­! Something Skullius had noticed before when he came here appeared in his view. Dark wisps were on the bodies of every one of these people as well as halos of bright light! Something clicked within Skullius! Maybe he was overthinking it but there was no time to reserved with ideas! With this idea as the basis, Skullius decided to try it out with the closest specimen he had, the ck-haired man that held him by the neck! He moved his flesh arm and ced his hand on the man¡¯s chest! The man frowned as he looked at Skullius and questioned in annoyance. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Skullius didn¡¯t respond. What followed after made everyone in the hall look onward with shock and vignce! The dark mist in the hall was drawn towards Skullius¡¯ hand, gathering at his palm which touched the ck-haired man¡¯s chest! Skullius felt his vision running through his arm and joining the trail of darkness as it entered the ck-haired man¡¯s body through his hand! There was brief period of there being nothing to be see but pitch darkness and then¡­ Skullius saw it! A literal wall ofplicated embroidery appeared in his vision! The weavings were made of darkness with borders of light that made each weave visible in this strange, dark ce! Skullius had never seen something soplex! It was too intricate to even describe as it looked like it was made by something beyond the borders of normalcy. [Evil Darkness] was woven into such a structure that looked to be within the ck-haired man¡¯s body. The Boneman couldn¡¯t help but try to touch it, connecting with it while being without hands. The moment he did, Skullius felt to a very limited extent the purpose of this entire wall of woven darkness. He also understood just a little bit about how it was woven. ¡®So it¡¯s like that¡­!¡¯ This beautiful construct was actually something like this?! This felt like the moment when he had connected to the writing on the wall of the Labyrinth. A revtion was revealed to him but it felt like a chip off a gigantic block! [Your high affinity with ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ has allowed you toprehend a smidgen of the cluster of high applications of this element before you] [You have learnt the skill ¡®Basic Evil Weaving¡¯] [You have learnt the skill ¡®Basic Evil Invasion¡¯] [You have learnt the -Special Skill-, ¡®Evil Sanction¡¯] [Pre-existing conditions have been set for you beforehand. You have taken a leap of faith that has allowed you to reach this moment. Would you like to take advantage of these conditions?] The barrage of notifications left Skullius a little flustered. However, the Boneman knew he was in quite the dangerous situation and time was running out. Whatever these conditions were couldn¡¯t be bad right? ¡°Yes, I would,¡± Skullius gave his consent. The wall of intricately woven darkness suddenly vanished, the pitch ck energy rustling as Skullius felt it burst into him! A strange state, as if he was suspended in air followed as without dy, Skullius found the lightsing from the chandeliers and spots of [Just Light] around him prick his vision. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Something didn¡¯t feel right. The entire sensation of his body felt different. He felt¡­ powerful and¡­ free. As his eyes adjusted, Skullius noticed a weird abnormality to his height. His senses picked up every single thing from the surroundings with extreme detail. There was something in his hand, tightly gripped with a powerful force that felt foreign to him. When he saw it, his eyes almost jumped out of his sockets! A bald skull attached to a human body was at the mercy of his powerful hand. Its sockets still zed with a dark blue me but it looked to be without will. At this moment, Skullius understood. At least a tiny bit. ¡°Kek¡­¡± Chapter 79 Nameless Invader (1) ¡°Kek¡­¡± Skullius murmured as he saw this particrly unexpected situation. At this point, even he could tell that he was probably being led on. Getting powered up through the souls, the enhancement to the two elements, getting [Pseudo Evil Veneration] and now this. The idea he had gotten was that the darkness and light halos that showed from everyone was a way to show him that these guys were at the mercy of [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light]! They were like a substitute of the yokes. Though he had thought about it before, it was bing more apparent. Even though all this wasn¡¯t given to him on a silver tter, him simply giving it a hard trynded him great benefits. The question still held though. To what end? [Pre-existing conditions have allowed for the activation of the skill ¡®Basic Evil Invasion¡¯] [Pre-existing conditions are allowing the challenger a chance to use ¡®Basic Evil Invasion¡¯ on a vastly stronger opponent for a limited amount of time] [Time left until deactivation of skill¡­ 59 seconds] Skullius¡¯ mind spun as he saw this notification. Limited time¡­ This was definitely a perk. A limited one. He had invaded the body of the man with ck hair! The sensation he felt right now was like no other. The rushing of blood in his veins. The twitching responses of his muscles when he willed it. The vision from actual eyeballs that took in the world on a grander scale.. It was all foreign but¡­ vaguely familiar. One thing was for certain though. This Labyrinth really wanted him to advance but only when he made a conscious effort to discover and pry for answers! Skullius looked at his real body that was in his grip and quickly turned to see the hundreds in the hall that were looking over in his direction warily. ¡®Calm down! You don¡¯t have to time to be shocked! Think! I have no time to waste. My skills and armour are currently being deconstructed¡­ whatever that means¡­ So¡­¡¯ Skullius focused his vision on Remos. ¡®I have to deal with him first but¡­ status!¡¯ ~~~ [ Name : Eldris Traven (Nameless Discount Human) ] [ Level : 58 ] [ ss : Heroic Warrior ] [ Race : Human ] [ Inv. Status : Cursed (Uncoddled) ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ STRENGTH (III) : 70 ] [AGILITY (III) : 47 ] [ INTELLIGENCE (III) : 36 ] [ ENDURANCE (III) : 55 ] [ LUCK : 45 ] ¡ª¨C [ HEALTH : 10527/10527 ] ¡ª¡ª [ MANA (III) : 120/120 ] ¡ª¡ª [Skills] [Breaking Wind Demon Arts | Lv.60] [Unhindered Fist | Lv.25] [Storm Dash | Lv.15] [Broken Physique | Lv.71] [Emperor Dragon Mimicking Art | Lv.32] [Tyranny | Lv.24] ¡­. ~~~ ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Skullius muttered as he looked at his status. This was ridiculous. He couldn¡¯t even see scroll through all the skills that he saw this body to actually have! But¡­ ¡®Those stats¡­ What the hell?¡¯ ¡°Hey¡­ Eldris¡­ is everything alright?¡± Remos asked with a frown, his eyes glowing with a thunderous light. Skullius felt Remos¡¯ mana output beginning to increase, the old man¡¯s wheel beginning to turn as there was arge influx of mana powering it up! ¡®He already knows doesn¡¯t he?!¡¯ Skullius thought as he unconsciously gulped. ¡®I¡¯ve already wasted 10 seconds! Here goes nothing!¡¯ Skullius dropped his real body to the floor under the gazes of the many who watched on. It seemed like all of them knew that the man with the ck hair, Eldris, wasn¡¯t himself anymore, which confused Skullius, but only for a moment. To all those that red at him, they saw a ck darkness with movements like me leaking from Eldris¡¯ eyes! They were shocked by this sudden development as it hadn¡¯t happened before and they hadn¡¯t expected such a thing to happen after the revtion that this new challenger was actually an undead! FWOOOSH! Skullius in Eldris¡¯ body leaned ahead as he then pushed himself forward with all his might! Skullius felt a ridiculous surge of mana building up from the horrendously powerful core within him! Just this simple action caused the air in the hall to thrum as he released his power to a great extent, his body vibrating a quick frequency! As Skullius expected to move incredibly fast, reality tore down his naive expectations! One step of his covered the nearly 100 meter distance between him and Remos in an instant! Skullius was shocked to see himself before the old man who seemed to keep up with his movement despite what Skullius had expected! ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Time seemed to be moving slowly around him due to his speed but even then, Skullius saw several figures that seemed to be immune to this, dashing towards him with seasoned expressions of calm! Two of these individuals were the man and woman who had been talking about Remos earlier. Skullius adjusted his mind-set to the task, scrolling through his long list of skills and activating one he thought to be offensive from its name! His thoughts were clear and very fast, transcending the norm when it came to time. [Breaking Wind Demon Arts]! As soon as the skill was cast, Skullius felt a powerful reaction from his body! His muscles tensed up, veins protruding from his skin with a tinge of crimson running within them as he clenched his fist and breathed out hot air that made the air dance! His body knew! This body knew what to do! Skullius¡¯ thick right arm cocked backwards while his left pushed forward, dark crimson energies with jagged edges spiking from his body in an eager manner! Remos frowned. One of the sigils on his double wheel shone brightly as he activated another spell. ¡°Absolute Magic, Level Field,¡± he muttered. Skullius threw his fist at the same time Remos cast his spell and for a moment, a fierce red light as well as a dominant blue one shed to create a blinding sh of purple! Half of the people in the hall were struck by a horrendous force that pushed them against the floor without mercy! This was the remnants of the power of [Level Field] which was cast by Remos, a grand ability that would increase the gravitational force on a specific area! Due to the sh, it only managed to affect the area outside his and Skullius¡¯ radius! The individuals who had been rushing to attack Skullius weren¡¯t affected that much as the first one to arrive near the vicinity of the exchange was the curvaceous woman with navy blue hair. The light resulting from the confrontation vanished, the image that appeared afterwards being that of a bright shield with countless dancing runes covering Remos protectively while Skullius was still in his striking pose, his arm releasing waves of devastating red energy! ¡®Damn this old bro. He¡¯s quick! I need something with more power. Also¡­¡¯ Skullius took a quick nce at the woman with navy blue hair who had already reached close to him, her mana bubbling from her body and leaking out like stream that went on to form a solid shape! GRRRRRRRAAARR! A massive tiger appeared from the solidifying mana, growling with an raucous intensity! Skullius¡¯ eyes wondered to the figure of this creature with careful eyes, but he was not afraid! Chapter 80 Nameless Invader (2) Powerful men and women were gathered in this hall, having different sses of power. The variety was vast as each had a story to tell. One of them was the woman who wore a nk expression as her mana boiled like hot water as it rose from her body and manifested arge creature that released a voracious wave of energy! GRAAAAARRR! This summoned creature possessed rather thick tufts of white fur with dark blue stripes over it. It stood at almost 5 meters, its powerful body with swol muscles protruding from even under the fur, vibrating with a crackle of sparking and hot energy. It lunged towards Skullius who, when feeling a surge of experience and power as if he had always had such abination, unintentionally grinned! ¡®This kind of power¡­! I can get used to it!¡¯ Skullius mused in his mind. As the giant tiger leapt towards him with a swipe of its wed paw that became encased with bright orange mes, Skullius lowered his body and unleashed a skill that made his body¡¯s muscles tense up even more! [Unhindered Fist]! A surge of mana responded to the cast of this skill as a rage filled energy built up within Skullius¡¯ fist.. Skullius balled his hand into a fist andunched it up in a dangerous uppercut while his body muscles bulged to support the action! His fist shot upwards with bright blue rings running along his skin! Right when the tiger¡¯s body appeared over him, it met with Skullius fist that smashed into its jaw before its paw couldnd on him! BAAAM! A powerful shockwave with a blue tint exploded outwards, the figure of therge tiger flying up at top speed and smashing into the ceiling with an earthshattering impact! A chandeliers was demolished in the process, falling to the floor with a loud crash! The woman with blue didn¡¯t look to be fazed by Skullius¡¯ performance. She continued to expel her mana with anguid expression before saying, ¡°You¡¯re definitely not Eldris, that¡¯s for sure. Such ack of tact against multiple opponents shows that you¡¯re just a lowly scrub, though quite intelligent for an undead.¡± Skullius became vignt but unfortunately, he only realised what the woman meant when a table knife had pierced his back! TCHT! A wave of pain caught Skullius by surprise as he felt the sharp de of the knife break into his flesh! Behind him, the man in the simple shirt was holding the handle of the knife which was coated with an expertly sharpened coat of mana! ¡°Urghhhh!¡± Skullius grunted as this was his first experience with pain of this degree. It was quite excruciating! He felt sharpened mana dig into his body and begin to wreck his organs! ¡°ARRRRGHHHH!¡± the pain made Skullius scream out loud but he didn¡¯t allow himself to remain stationary in this situation! He swung his fist at the man behind him but his powerful arm hit nothing but a human-shaped smoke remnant of his assant! The man in the simple shirt appeared beside Remos a distance away as if he was a fleeting ghost and swiped away the blood on the knife he had used to stab Skullius. ¡°Hmmm¡­ perhaps we should have been a bit more cautious with someone who can wield both these disgusting powers. I can¡¯t believe they can be used this way. Damn that Fulgardt! What kind of an undead are you to be able to do these things?¡± Remos inquired while squinting his eyes. Skullius didn¡¯t answer. He merely looked at the three people whom he was currently facing and grimaced. They were wearing calm expressions and more were beginning to draw closer to the fight, either to watch or to participate. He then stole a nce at his body which was still changing back from his human form to his Boneman form. ¡®How do I get out of this? There doesn¡¯t seem to be an exit from here¡­¡¯ The invader ran his eyes around the room until he saw the door that he hade in from. Would it work if he used the same door to try and exit? Honestly Skullius didn¡¯t think that it was a given that such a convenience would just be lying there for him to take advantage of. His experience with this Labyrinth had taught him that going back where one came wasn¡¯t a trend that was entertained. There was never a way to go back. However, this seemed like his only option at the moment as he really needed to escape this ce before it was toote. OOOOM! Remos¡¯ body oozed of energy as he prepared another spell. ¡°It seems you¡¯re not interested in chatting. Well¡­ we weren¡¯t hoping for that much anyway. We¡¯ll know what you are either way.¡± Skullius clenched his fists as he prepared another stance. He was going to lose at this point. There were too many enemies. What he needed was something that could give him a huge advantage even for a short time so that he could take out Remos and escape. Did he have such a thing? There wasn¡¯t much time left. He couldn¡¯t just up and start scrolling through his skill list. It also seemed possible to ess the memories of Eldris but he didn¡¯t have enough time for that either. His body thrummed with pride as something that he was supposed to know as the ¡®owner¡¯ was revealed when he questioned himself. This body that was itching to continue to let loose provided him with an answer! ¡®Heh! So these guys have it too, huh,¡¯ Skullius thought, a bright smile blooming on his face. He only had 20 seconds left for the use of [Basic Evil Invasion] and this¡­ was perfect. Remos¡¯ double wheel shed as another sigil shone, a spell being prepared while the other two also vigntly began to advance over to Skullius. The nameless invader grinned as he uttered two words that made his eager body churn out all his mana while making everyone in the hall grimace or wear worried expressions! ¡°Majestic Territory!¡± Chapter 81 A Profound Gap A single skill was making the current situation possible, coupled with a few additional kinks that the owner of the Labyrinth of the Yoke had set in ce for one who would be wise enough to take chances and give the least bit of effort to trying to understand the essence of the power of an Insurgent Magnus. ~~~ [Basic Evil Invasion | Lv.1] A proficient user of ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ can literally invade the personal space of weaker beings, imposing a portion of their soul onto the body of target. Memories, experience and skills can be extracted to a very limited degree. -Caution- Stronger opponents may have strong mental strength and be capable of doing harm to the user¡¯s soul. -Caution- Soul damage will be rued in case of death while using a target¡¯s body. Mana Requirements: 100 Mana Points per minute Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: None ~~~ Skullius hadn¡¯t looked too much into the skill but he knew that it was impossible to be doing what he was doing when the skill was so low level at this current point in time. However, all this didn¡¯t matter, as Skullius had already limated and pulled out the strongest card that this body had. ¡°Majestic Territory!¡± An ability that he had seen multiple times from beings that far exceeded him in power was now being used by him-ish! Even though it would onlyst a few seconds, Skullius didn¡¯t neglect to fully indulge in the power that overflowed after he unleashed Eldris¡¯ Territory!. From Eldris¡¯ body, a dark red sphere appeared, expanding outwards immediately after as it released an overbearing energy that dyed the entire hall in a bloody hue! The furniture and decor in the hall vanished only to be reced by a searing hot scape where nothing but diverse red energies tangled with each other in an unsettling manner! Mirages emerged from the heat that was extremely evident within this ce, many of the hundreds that had been dragged into this odd space already feeling a weak sensation as the adverse effects of the Territory set in on them! Everyone remained in the positions they had been, including Skullius¡¯ body whichy on the ground. The Discount Human who was in Eldris¡¯ body was in the centre of the Territory, his body radiating with a red, pulsing glow while his eyes flickered with the darkness that trailed like me. This was Majestic Territory Expulsion! A high level art whose mechanics were far beyond the understanding of most beings. Skullius received a flurry of notifications a full three seconds after casting his Territory. [You have used your ¡®Majestic Territory¡¯] [+250% Agility within the Territory] [+300% Strength within the Territory] [+100% Mana Points and Mana Recovery within the Territory] [+200% Skill efficiency within the Territory] Skullius felt a ridiculous amount of energy settle in his body as his stats exploded! His mana burst like a me as it distorted the dark shifting reds around him! ¡®This is it¡­!¡¯ Skullius thought as he stole a nce at his body and the figures of the three that he had been about to go against for a second round! His top priority among them was Remos! The old man while in his robes narrowed his eyes as the view in front of him had suddenly changed into the eerie red, like an obscure painting. The woman with navy blue hair and the other man looked on impassively, as their thick mana, one green and the other orange, surrounded their bodies protectively. ¡°Such a weak and unimpressive Territory won¡¯t get you anywhere, undead! You chose a particrly weak vessel for that,¡± Remos remarked as his mana began to expand also! ¡®I won¡¯t let you!¡¯ Skullius thought as his buff appearance with long ck hair vanished and appeared right above Remos, the space around him quaking from his movement! Skullius immediately cast multiple offensive skills as well as other defensive skills that he was slowly beginning to recognise from the influence of Eldris¡¯ body that was eager to fight! [Emperor Dragon Mimicking Art]! [Breaking Wind Demon Art]! [Savage Killing]! [Unhindered Fist]! [Broken Physique]! The Discount Human didn¡¯t waste time trying to figure out the proper usage of these skills as he merely flung his fist with all his might! Right before his fist reached the old man, Skullius saw Remos wear a surprised expression as his quick attack had caught him off guard! Regardless of how much stronger Remos was inparison to Skullius, he was still a mage typebatant in the end! He hadn¡¯t thought that Skullius would use such a ruthless, reckless and unruly method of attack where he just mashed a bunch of martial skills together! A fierce illusory dragon head appeared behind Skullius coupled with red sigils that danced around the open maw of the ck creature that had three thick horns around its head! Blue rings wrapped round Skullius¡¯ hand as well, giving him a majestic appearance that wasplemented by the trails of darkness that followed his eyes! Everyone within close range was blown away the moment the attacknded! The impact was indescribable as only a heavy sensation of mana with different weavings to it exploded with a bright sh of red and ck that both illuminated the space and darkened it! Skullius¡¯ straight punch which was backed with all these skills had managed to reach Remos before he could sufficiently defend himself! The result was a gruesome one! Remos was copsed on the ground with his torso having arge blotch where blood sprayed, flesh and organs missing! He wore a crazed look on his bloody face as even with his damage, a green light was already beginning to cover his injuries and restore them! ¡°You¡­! You won¡¯t escape!¡± Remos barked, but Skullius was already gone. ¡°I will give you flesh and make you suffer for this!¡± Skullius: ¡°¡­¡± The invader hurriedly grabbed his real body and was prepared to run towards the direction of the double doors. Despite the TERRIFYING threat he had just received, he was still happy that he had actually seeded! Remos¡¯ double wheel was gone after his body had been damaged, disrupting his spells! As Skullius looked at his real body, he saw that the deconstruction had stopped and his cosmetic flesh was returning! Phew! However¡­ Skullius was impeded from running awayimmediately because of the immense strain on his mind that he felt as well as the heavy sensation of exhaustion that came with his previous movement and action! ¡®A Territory is this draining? Remos said that this¡­ is unimpressive?! This..? I can¡¯t imagine what something stronger than this would look like! Oh, actually I do!¡¯ Skullius thought as he recalled the fox¡¯s Territory as well as Az¡¯s. He took a breather and dashed forward in the direction of the doors to escape. With his ridiculous speed that caused the Territory space to make way for him, Skullius ran ahead when suddenly¡­ FKSHHH! An arm was cut clean off! ¡°A Territory that can only boost your physique by this much isn¡¯t worth calling a Territory. To top it all off, Eldris can¡¯t even create an ¡®Imaginary GeoScape¡¯ yet. This ends here,¡± the man who wore a simple shirt said, his figure appearing beside Skullius with his knife that wasced with quivering mana as it shedterally! ¡­! Eldris¡¯ arm was cut off! ¡®Bro! I¡¯m in a Territory for flesh¡¯s sake!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind as he tried to boost his speed further! Unfortunately, thin slits of white raced in his vision at a tremendous speed and Skullius found deep cuts appearing all over his body after every second! The pain only registered after the movements of a simple knife sliced through his flesh. The same flesh that was guarded by [Broken Physique]! ¡®Urgh!! Does this mean if I didn¡¯t have this defence skill I would be dead by now?! Bro, how strong are you?!¡¯ FWOOSH! The Territory began to dispel itself as Skullius felt the exhaustion getting worse! The image of the hall appeared as Skullius found that he was merely 20 meters from the double doors! He could do it! If he could just find an opening, he could do it! But how?! This ridiculously fast sockethole wouldn¡¯t let him and furthermore¡­ HISSSSSS! A long purple viper darted its way over to Skullius from the direction of the woman with navy blue hair! It wrapped itself around Skullius while he was setting his sights on the immediate danger! The long body of the snake squeezed tight, a bright tint leaking from its scales as it exerted force! It raised its head and hissed in Skullius¡¯ face! The only thing that peaked from its body was Skullius¡¯ hand that was holding onto his real body! As he was restrained, the man in the simple shirt burst forward, an outline of mana trailing behind him with his shocking speed! Skullius gritted his teeth! Another moment where his life was in danger. Why was this guy willing to kill Eldris anyway? Were they not acquaintances at the very least?! Such ack of hesitation made Skullius tremble but he quickly forced himself to gather his thoughts and make a decision! Door. 20 meters. Free hand. Real body. Do it, you sockethole! These four elements clicked within him and he gambled on a chance to turn his luck around! With all the strength he had had left, Skullius reinforced his grip on his real body and struggled to free his entire arm from the viper¡¯s hold, just for a moment! He swung his hand and threw his real body with all his might towards the double doors! He could only do this much and hope for the best! An instant after he threw his body away, the man in the simple shirt reached Eldris¡¯ body, ateral sh of his knife lobbing off a Heroic Warrior¡¯s head! Chapter 82 Damage | No Damage BZZZT! Skullius felt a wave of terror and pain as the knife sliced through Eldris¡¯ neck and chopped off his head! Blood sprayed in his vision, but in the next moment, a notification gave him a ¡®clear¡¯ exnation on what had happened. [Your host has died. You have rued soul damage] A electric feeling rushed through Skullius with a great intensity as at the same time, he found himself being pulled away from the dropping body of the Heroic Warrior and heading towards flying body that had almost reached the doors! It didn¡¯t take more that a moment for Skullius¡¯ vision to zip through the distance and suddenly be reced by the view of the doors as he returned to his Discount Human body which was still intact, though with almost half of the armour missing! However, Skullius didn¡¯t have time to think of much else as his first thought was that he would crash into the door and ultimately see that his n wouldn¡¯t work. Yet¡­ The double doors opened slowly as if anticipating him, their low rumble making Skullius wear a big smile as he was sure that he would survive now! ¡®Yes! I made the right choice after all!¡¯ YET¡­ For the moment right before he could pass through, his feet touching the ground as if to give him a chance to exit the hall with a hop in his step, a chill ran down Skullius¡¯ back! The Discount Human didn¡¯t need to turn around to know what caused this dreadful feeling as even though the physical advantages he had enjoyed for a short time had ended, he remembered the super fast menace with the knife clearly! That¡¯s why, he didn¡¯t hesitate!. Perhaps the battle instincts he experienced from a powerhouse like Eldris had temporarily carried over to him, or perhaps there was another reason, but the Discount Human, in the next moment, activated a skill that he believed would improve his chances! [Artless Dodger has been activated] [Agility has increased by 25%] As Skullius feet touched the ground, the residual motion he had plus the effect of this skill shot Skullius through the door a miniscule fraction of a second before he was cleaved in half! The man in the simple shirt raised a brow as he was surprised by the sudden increase in speed Skullius had gotten right after he had exerted his strength to slicing him up a few centimetres of distance before! Skullius stumbled and rolled before he straightened himself and looked back. The figures of the men and women in the hall looked at him with unveiled malice. One wouldn¡¯t even believe that these were the people that had been hospitable to him before. It seemed that they couldn¡¯t leave, which is what Skullius had been hoping for as that had been the general trend with captives in the Labyrinth. Slowly, the doors began to close up again and Skullius breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe. Surprisingly. He avoided meeting the gazes of the people within the hall, especially Remos who looked at him bright, zing mana within his eyes! DUM! The doors closed. Skullius finally sat down and allowed himself to grunt from the pain he was experiencing. It was excruciating! The feeling was like when there was an internal itch that you can¡¯t do anything about except, in this case, it was like having a few dozen volts of electricity released to run rampant within your sturdy soul! Skullius gnashed his teeth. [You have chosen to enter the hall and ept Fulgardt¡¯s hospitality. Even though you have chosen to leave early, you will be rewarded] [Please wait for your reward] ¡°Huh? What do you mean I left early? How else was I supposed to survive?! Urrgh.. its hurts!¡± Skullius yelled. Now that he thought about it, what was the purpose of this section of the Labyrinth? It certainly wasn¡¯t simply about eating and being merry only. As Skullius saw it, you could either be left in there to spend an eternity with them or you could just be killed after refusing to adhere to their request. ¡®So¡­ all I had to do was enter and exit alive? Or was the purpose of the hall to make allow me to learn the new skills that I gained from analysing those guys?¡¯ Skullius thought while rolling on the ground. There certainly seemed to be another grand reason. [You reward has arrived] [You have gained ¡®Voiding Key¡¯] At that moment, a silver key with strokes of white and ck appeared in Skullius¡¯ hand! As he held it, Skullius felt a rich amount of [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] within it. The fascinating object lessened Skullius¡¯ suffering for a bit as curiosity overtook him instead. Skullius immediately checked out its details with the guidance field. ~~~ [Voiding Key] A Key that allows the user three chances to go anywhere they wish within the Labyrinth. Verbal requests will prompt key to open a warp gate to the location. -This is a rare item even within the Labyrinth and is seldom found by those who are unable to reach the hall of Fulgardt- ~~~ ¡°What in the Deadmand is this?! I can go anywhere I want with this? Wait¡­!¡± Skullius said. ¡°Can I actually wish to go to the legacy?!¡± Skullius thoughts reached this point immediately. This reward seemed way too convenient. This was obviously just him being directed to the final destination however, the special note on the skill made Skullius think deeper despite the pain he felt. This was an important matter after all and strangely, the pain seemed to be subsiding little by little. ¡®This is an item that can found in the Labyrinth. So even if you don¡¯t enter the hall, or can¡¯t, you can still find it somewhere? Now that I think about it, what if there were some powerful humans in the past that actually managed to defeat all their opponents and reach wherever the legacy was without going through this hall! That¡¯s possible right? Gaaah¡­ my mind!¡¯ Skullius grunted as he had overexerted his mind again. It was possible indeed. There were many variables and too little information to go off of, thus Skullius decided to wait until the pain he felt subsided. He had initially thought it was a very big deal, but it seemed like it was just fine. Yet, it wasn¡¯t. Another set of chances and luck had met to create a profound situation that allowed him to survive. *** In the hall, Remos was seething with fury. His dignity had been soiled by an undead. He who was a pioneer of a great art had been thrashed by the machinations of a lowly undead. It was uneptable! He wore an ugly expression as this defeat had left a very bad taste in his mouth. The damage he had received had taken a huge toll on him, the mama required to heal in such a short time not being small at all. ¡°I¡¯ll find that little set of bones! Mark my words! I¡¯ll find its source and torment it for eternity even if it is covered by undeath!¡± Remos bellowed. ¡°Give it a rest. If you of all people start slipping then we¡¯ll start to go mad one after the other,¡± the man with the knife said as he walked from the door and sat on one of the chairs. The woman had summoned the viper to capture Eldris¡¯ body sighed and took a seat by his side. At this time, most of the others were already beginning to get seated while chatting about thetest topic. The furniture that had sustained damage had recovered, restoring the peaceful ambience of the hall. ¡°Hmph! You say that because you haven¡¯t had your pride crushed twice!¡± harrumphed Remos. ¡°Perhaps, but the fact of the matter is that we were had. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a low level undead with such cunning. It barely had a presence after it shed off its disguise. I wonder if the undead are making a move again,¡± the man with the knife said. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I hope that the world is prepared for it. Perhaps most of them don¡¯t even know the true terror brought on by those Arch-Liches,¡± said the woman. ¡°If they don¡¯t, it will be unfortunate. Right. Should be about time now,¡± said the man with the knife as he turned towards Eldris¡¯ corpse. A shocking phenomenon began to ur to the Heroic Warrior¡¯s body! The dark mist in the hall began to coalesce and shroud Eldris¡¯ body with a thickness that almost made the corpse within invisible. Several spots of light rushed towards the body and formed a bright halo that slowly floated above and around the body! Slowly, the head that had been sliced off rolled on the floor and reached the neck stump of Eldris where it attached itself seamlessly! An oozing of darkness began to ensue while the bright halo descended and sat above Eldris¡¯ head. A momentter, the ck haired man¡¯s eyes shot open and he woke up, taking in deep gusts of air with a semi-shocked expression on his face! He panted as he tried to recall what happened. ¡°Wee back, friend,¡± the man in the simple shirt raised a ss full of wine at Eldris. ¡°An eternity of celebration won¡¯t allow you to perish. Don¡¯t get too hopeful next time.¡± Chapter 83 Before It... As Skullius rested, waiting for the soul damage he had sustained to recede, he saw an interesting guidance field notification flicking before his eyes. It immediately exined why the soul damage was slowly receding instead of bing a persistent nuisance or worse. [Soul damage has been transferred to the remnants of ¡®S¡¯ within you] ¡°Hmm?¡± Skullius hummed as he let the information he had just seen sink in. ¡®That¡¯s right! When I devoured S¡¯s soul, it said something about a part of him being engraved into me! What does that mean exactly? Is it that what remains of him is the one that¡¯s taking damage in my stead? Maybe it¡¯s only limited to soul damage.¡¯ Even though Skullius was deeply curious, he was also quite happy that he didn¡¯t have to be nagged by that electric pain any more than he had had to. This also made him mark [Basic Evil Invasion] as a skill he wouldn¡¯t use on a whim. This was already an established thing as Skullius couldn¡¯t use it on any strong opponents anymore. It started to dawn on him that these skills he had been getting would probably not be as effective as they were in the Labyrinth when he used them outside, at least until hisprehension and strength increased in [Just Light] and [Evil Darkness], when he noticed how effective they were even against stronger opponents. This issue with the individuals in the hall had shed some more light on that. That notification he had received about ¡®pre-existing conditions¡¯ had been the first tant hint. Skullius sighed. The pain he felt throughout his soul finally subsided. He took the time to inspect the other skills he had gotten after looking into the seal of [Evil Darkness] that was imprinted within Eldris. ~~~ [Basic Evil Weaving | Lv.1] Shape ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ into simple or useless constructs.. Mana Requirements: None Duration: None Cooldown: None ¡ª [Basic Evil Sanction (Special) | Lv.1] Assert control over the ¡®Evil¡¯ within a small area. Mana Requirements: 500 Mana Points Duration: None Cooldown: 72 hours ~~~ ¡°The first seems to be a skill that¡¯s used like [Basic Mana Maniption]. So I can use it to learn how to make [Evil Darkness] into what I want. But useless though, bro? I guess I¡¯ll need to work on that. It will be a handy one soon!¡± Skullius eximed. ¡°But that one though¡­¡± The second skill sounded a little more grand but with almost the exact sameck of description as the first one. Furthermore, it was a special skill which made Skullius frown. This concept was something he was yet to truly grasp as it actually made him more wary of the cores of his opponents. That said, he wasn¡¯t able to see what kind of cores of the monsters within the hall had. This was true for even when he invaded Eldris. In that particr case, it had been more about him actually being unable to tell the colour because of how bright and powerful it was than being unable to determine through other means as he was very short on time. He knew one thing for certain though, it wasn¡¯t blue. ¡®Alright. I don¡¯t feel much pain anymore. It¡¯s time to get moving. I really wonder if this key works in the way that I think it does. The bad thing is, if it doesn¡¯t work that way, I¡¯ll have to keep searching which will entail meeting stronger opponents. The worse thing is, if does work, I¡¯ll probably be walking into a trap or something,¡¯ Skullius thought. But he didn¡¯t have a choice. He needed to do it anyway. He held onto the key firmly. How it worked was stated on the guidance field but Skullius wasn¡¯t sure how exactly he had to do it. There wouldn¡¯t happen to be a mini information packet for using the key would there? Left without a choice, Skullius went for the easier approach. ¡°Take me to the legacy of Fulgardt,¡± he said without a shred of belief that it would work. Surprisingly, mana gathered with a sudden rush, bellowing as space began to distort, creating a small portal in the shape of a door with a keyhole. Its purple hue and constantly trembling image was a marvel for Skullius who couldn¡¯t believe it actually worked! ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be happy about this but¡­ here goes nothing¡­¡± The Discount Human looked at his key, his eyes looking towards the keyhole on the door and inserted it reflexively. Skullius was immediately pulled in with a strong force! His vision darkened for a few moments only to see¡­ more darkness. The only constion was that this darkness was littered with golden white spots of light that moved around like fireflies. As Skullius exited from the portal, it vanished, leaving him alone with within this strange ce. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look all that much like a ce you would keep a legacy,¡± he said as he looked around. The lights didn¡¯t illuminate the specifics of the ce that he was in, but only showed their ability to not be swallowed into [Evil Darkness]. The mix of dark and light was quite beautiful if one took a moment to take it all in. The seamless harmony that existed between the two elements unlike with other opposites like fire and water, darkness and light made one want to see just how this was even possible and Skullius wasn¡¯t exempt from feeling this way. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything. I wonder if I can use [Just Light] to light up the surroundings. I do have some understanding in it after all, right? Or so the guidance field says.¡± Skullius immediately decided to give it a try. Unlike with [Evil Darkness] he had truly been neglecting [Just Light], not even giving it a try after getting more used to it counterpart since the beginning. How different would it be? He stretched out his hand, focusing on the blobs of light that raced within the surrounding darkness. His affinity to the lights created a light connection that felt kind of prickly yet warm. When he felt like he had gotten a bit of a hang of it, he moved his hand, watching as the blob of light followed his movement. Skullius grinned. He decided to take it a step further, focusing on multiple blobs of lights at once and pulling them together. The process was slow but Skullius didn¡¯t mind. The thrill of learning to use something new made it worthwhile. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what he would obtain from this light that was given the prefix of Just. The lights finally reached each other and began to converge, creating arger, head-sized ball of light. Immediately, the surroundings darkness within a small range was pushed away, making way for the bright light! Skullius began to use his higher affinity towards the [Evil Darkness], spreading apart the darkness while having light make everything clearer! An old floor appeared, looking to have miniature square tiles of gold and ck that were now cracked and unsightly. As the darkness receded further, Skullius saw something that leaned against the wall on his left. As his big light shifted to illuminate the spot where he saw a glimpse of this peculiarity, Skullius raised a brow as the view of an armoured skeleton appeared. It looked dusty and aged with even the colour of its bone bing a rather unhealthy shade of pale. Skullius shuddered at this sphemy. Had his bones ever been this trash before? Beside that matter, Skullius was surprised to see this. Was his inference before correct? ¡®So there really were some people who managed to reach this ce, assuming it really is where the legacy is. Now that I think about it, I hadn¡¯t see any skeletons or corpses since I came in here.¡¯ Skullius reached down to touch the armour but as his hand ran over its design, some parts of it were brittle, breaking easily while others made it painfully clear that this barely counted as an antique. Skullius moved his light along the wall where found a cluster of other skeletons with burns, decapitated bodies, ravished armours, violent fractures that left the skeletons torn among other forms of muttion. The floor began to show signs of being relentlessly broken down, craters and cracks being more frequent the more Skullius moved forward. ¡®Just what the flesh happened here?¡¯ Skullius thought as a bad feeling began to assault him. The something that befell these warriors could potentially befall him too. The anxiety that stemmed from that singr scenario made him quiver a bit. The validity of this feeling became apparent when he suddenly sensed a vast power that came from the direction that he was heading to. Skullius stopped. He sent the light over in the direction of the terrifying power he felt and as it went, not only did the number of bodies as well as damage to the floors show, but also how big this ce was revealed to Skullius. Calling it a room would be an injustice. Furthermore, the word ¡®room¡¯ wouldn¡¯t have been fitting to say when the figure that released the horrendous amount of energy was revealed. It sat upon a wide yet small staircase, while hanging its head. ¡­! Skullius remembered the feeling that this monster gave him! It was definitely alike and there was no doubt about it! This was¡­ Chapter 84 The Endgame (1) Right in front of Skullius was a terrifying figure. It was eerily simr to the creature with the odachi that he had seen at the beginning when he had entered thebyrinth with Denille. Arge creature with its head hung low, its upper torso uncovered while it donned some dark, old pants on lower body was what he saw. Half of the creature¡¯s arm was a bunch of yellowish, dirty bones that looked to have umted a unreal amount of dust while the other was covered in dry flesh that looked to be millennia old! Its head was akin to that of a mummy, hollowed eyes and the outline of a skull was visible through the thinyer of flesh that covered its face. As it sat down, visible waves of horrid energy radiated from its body, causing the surroundings to look like they were twisting around it. It released a burst of hot air from its mouth, and uttered iprehensible words. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ ukhufaijei¡­.huesajipaa¡­.Ah..Ah¡­¡± Skullius didn¡¯t dare approach any closer. He didn¡¯t even dare speak out loud. What was with facing powerful creatures at every turn?! Where was the slow progression?! Where was the hero¡¯s journey?! This monstrosity was beyond powerful! He took a few steps back and shuddered. ¡®What¡­ the¡­ hell?!¡¯ Skullius thought. He had expected to see a powerful enemy but this was ridiculous!. With his especially flimsy level of mana discerning, all he sensed was the mash of power that threatened to explode from this thing. What made it worse was that while he couldn¡¯t sense the exact tangling of mana that formed the strength of this individual, he sensed the terrible powerful amount of [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] that oozed from its body! ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why does it have such arge concentration of both elements? Is it a challengerwho has both of them like me? No, that can¡¯t be. It must be something else!¡¯ As Skullius backtracked, he stepped on a pile of bones that cracked under his feet. His vision shifted to the remains of the challenger he had stepped on. ¡®Is that a¡­¡¯ In the remains of the challenger¡¯s fingers was a key! The same kind of key as his own was in its possession! Skullius looked around with the ball of light to search the other skeletons and found some of them to be in possession of the same key! ¡®Just as I thought! These guys probably found the key like I did, but under different circumstances! I guess having the two elements gives you a big advantage after all,¡¯ Skullius couldn¡¯t help but have an ¡®I was right¡¯ moment even in the middle of this situation. The creature that stood before Skullius suddenly raised its head and gazed at him with its hollow eyes, a chilling sensation running through Skullius and for a moment, he felt like he had been shredded to pieces! His mind gave him the impression that he had finally met his end for a split second but his senses told him otherwise! The creature didn¡¯t do anything other stare at him, but this was enough for the Discount Human to remained glued to his position and he began to pant incessantly! A few minutes passed with Skullius stuck in this state. He only tore himself out of it when the creature once again spoke iprehensible words and hung its head. ¡®What the hell was that?! I couldn¡¯t even do anything for a few moments!¡¯ Skullius thought as he took the chance when the creature was not paying attention to him to rush a few meters away from it. It was only when he was far that he breathed out, a sigh of relief from his fake body and stumbled to a fall. ¡®Am I really going to have to fight that?!¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Wait! Why is that creature just sitting there? Won¡¯t it attack? Did I miss something?¡¯ Skullius thought. The moment he had seen the creature, his full attention had been on it and it alone. He hadn¡¯t checked if there was something else of note. Was the creature guarding something? There was a high possibility. Skullius turned to look at the remains of the many various warriors. ¡®If they all wished to find this ce by using the key there must be something here for sure. Maybe that thing isn¡¯t attacking me because I haven¡¯t shown any desire to take whatever it is that its guarding,¡¯ Skullius assumed. ¡®I should¡­¡¯ Skullius took one step forward. And that was it. When he tried to move the other one, he felt stuck. It just wouldn¡¯t move. He tried multiple times but his body just wouldn¡¯t heed hismand. Skullius grimaced. He was afraid. Even though he was a distance away, the ridiculous waves of power that the creature was releasing still reached him. His legs were as if made of stone! In this situation, there didn¡¯t seem to be something that would make his mission a little easier. It really felt like the endgame. And he was on the losing side. Would he just stand here for eternity then? ¡®I¡¯vee this far already. There¡¯s no way to exit this ce on my own and if I don¡¯t do something, I¡¯ll just be doomed anyway. I should at least try to see what the thing it is guarding is, right? Come on you sockethole! Move already!¡¯ Skullius pushed himself, a milligram of courage added to his 10000 kilogram capacity tank. His leg finally moved, but his cosmetic body started to released a rather loud sound from his chest. BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM! Skullius ignored the noise and crept forward. It was such a pity that the previous challengers¡¯ weapons and armour weren¡¯t things he could use anymore but he doubted they¡¯d be much help. His best bet was to use the new weapons in his arsenal. In particr the Basic Evil skills. As Skullius moved, inching his way towards a doom inducing terror, he activated [Basic Evil Weaving] and began to test it out. The moment it became active, the darkness in his immediate surroundings began to shift aimlessly. They coiled, uncoiled, roiled and turned, these movements being strangely vivid to Skullius. ¡®This skill really makes it easier for me to control this darkness. I wonder if this creature is weak to [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] like the others.¡¯ Skullius doubted the thought immediately. The reason why, was the fact that this creature had a tremendous amount of both elements visible in its body unlike S or Dezrael. As Skullius moved with the light he had made before, appearing before the creature¡¯s presence again, he shuddered once more. However, he didn¡¯t tear his eyes away from it. A discount man who had nothing and everything to lose at the same time was a terrifying existence with an atrociously good amount of mental tenacity after all. His eyes started to see other details he had missed before. Wisps of darkness that were darker and thicker than the darkness in the surroundings rose from the creature¡¯s body. Additionally, tiny spots of light were visible on the skin on its head and flesh arm! ¡­! Skullius was taken aback for a moment. Did this mean that it was simr to the individuals in the hall?! Did it have some form of skill manipting it? Furthermore, on top of all this, Skullius finally found what this creature was guarding. A massive double door was behind the creature after the short flight of stairs that it sat on! The colour of the door and the walls matched to such a scary degree, making Skullius miss it the first time, especially when his mind was upied with panicking from the sheer difference in strength between him and his opponent. Spiral groves were dug into the door, spinning in a disorienting way until they reached a spherical hole in the centre. Skullius moved the light with caution towards the door, and an important detail was revealed to him when the visibility was increased. The groves had faint residuals of both [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] barely noticeable to his perception of the elements. ¡®Does this door lead to the legacy then?!¡¯ Skullius thought. He took another step forward after feeling a rather faint rush of excitement in the moment, but the guardian of this door raised its head and muttered another set of iprehensible words with a choked and cracked voice. ¡°Mir¡­ asira..dekim¡­arlot¡­¡± Skullius stopped as he found the creature¡¯s attention on him, its overbearing power beginning to crush him. His body lowered and he felt weak to the point of kneeling. He even felt the remains of the ArchLight Generation Keeper crack under the power and slowly tried to draw back. Then, it happened. Something that would answer one of his questions and provide him with a sense of overwhelming powerlessness. Something began pouring out of Skullius, the Discount Human feeling a great sense of loss. He didn¡¯t understood what it was exactly at first and made several guesses. Mana? Health?! But it was none of these! The answer was revealed by the guidance field, dealing a rather lethal mental blow to Skullius. [You have lost a portion of ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ to a Higher level existence. ¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ has been demoted to D rank] [You have lost a portion of ¡®Just Light¡¯ to a Higher level existence. ¡®Just Light¡¯ has been demoted, stripped of any rank] ¡®¡­what?¡¯ Chapter 85 The Endgame (2) Helplessness. Anxiety. Rage. These were the emotions that climbed onto Skullius when he saw the notifications. His progress so far had been shed apart right when he thought he was making descent progress. Sure he had the numerous skills he had obtained, but they wouldn¡¯t be effective if he lost all hisprehension in the two elements that formed them! ¡°WHY?!¡± Skullius boomed as he subconsciously took a step back. ¡°Why is it like this?!¡± He felt the elements that left his body lessen as he distanced himself and thus he pushed himself even further back! Even with the severe sense of weakness, Skullius wouldn¡¯t allow himself to lose so pitifully after reaching this far. The figure in front of him did not move. It merely sat and Skullius sensed the pieces of [Just Light] and [Evil Darkness] that he had fly over to this creature and sink into its body! Immediately after, a darker shade of the wisps that came from its body was applied to them and then¡­ flesh began to grow from its arm to its chest! Thin strings of dark, unhealthy flesh ran through the body of the creature and soon, half of its chest was donning the same mummy-like flesh! The view of the creature became even more eerie now and Skullius¡¯ mind raced. What were the implications? What was this thing?! He trembled. It had just absorbed his [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] and grown more flesh! The darkness that he had been getting a better feel of started to behave a tad bit wonkier as it had been before the promotion of his affinity!. ¡®What am I expected to do in this situation?¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Was this what this whole thing was about?!¡¯ Even with his clouded mind, Skullius finally got an inkling of an idea as to why he had been given these elements after entering the Labyrinth! It was all to¡­ feed this thing? The reason and the result didn¡¯t seem to match. Was that why certain spots were designed to give him a chance to grow and gain more of this broken power? Skullius didn¡¯t fully understand but this notion made him feel enraged. ¡®Still¡­ I can¡¯t just lose it all now!¡¯ The notification that had just appeared said that he was within range, and he began to think that it was a distance thing. At least for him. The more he approached, the more he would lose. Still, the creature didn¡¯t move. Skullius didn¡¯t want to confirm this theory on what would happen if he kept getting closer. He drew back and¡­ sat down. Dying was one thing, but losing what you had earned through a rather harsh journey before dying was a different matter altogether. ¡®I¡­ I have no idea what I can do get past this thing¡­ Can I even do it? All these guys failed and they probably had to higher affinities than me.¡¯ Therge door behind the creature seemed even more attractive from the clutches of darkness that Skullius hid within. But¡­ he couldn¡¯t get to it. Just like all those that had died around him, he yearned to see what was behind it. A few minutes passed with Skullius sitting on the rough ground. He finally stripped himself of the crippling sense of helplessness and decided to try a different approach. In as much as he wanted to give up, his encounter with Somanda wasn¡¯t so attractive. Why rush to that sad ending when he could give his all here.. and then die? ¡®This sockethole doesn¡¯t seem to mind my presence¡­ In that case, let¡¯s see what else I can find in this ce. So far, I¡¯ve only been able to get interesting things through details that others wouldn¡¯t exactly look for,¡¯ Skullius thought. He stood up and walked over to the remnants of the different challengers. The bones could be broken down easily as they were especially brittle, depicting the amount of time that had passed and the conditions of the space in general. Skullius began rummaging through the old and rusted equipment as he searched for something useful. He saw ancient swords that barely looked the part of powerful weapons and stacked them in rows depending on how trash they looked. He did the same for all the other equipment, several pieces being arranged neatly on the ground. ¡®One of the perks of having to tend to the mana gems back in Deadmand. . I¡¯m suddenly beginning to miss that ce,¡¯ he thought. Skullius began to checking the stats and descriptions of the weapons and armour, founding most of them to be utterly ridiculous. However, none of them could even be used which made Skullius dete like a balloon. They were old and cracked, rusted and worn out. He held one particr sword that had a golden hilt and blueish curved de. It looked to be in the best condition out of all the other weapons. All its beauty and power had been wasted here which made Skullius yell bone expletives at the bones he thought to belong to the owner. Looking closely at this sword¡¯s stats, Skullius shook his head. ~~~ [Demion¡¯s Dance] A beautifully crafted sword given to Demion on his birthday by his lover, Irisa, tomemorate his legendary battle with Escus. -Damage- 50,000-75,000 -Durability- 0/80,500 -Special Effects- ?75% increase in speed ?30% increase in strength [Skill: Epic Memory] Regardless of the user¡¯s level of power, they are able to fully replicate the raw movements and a portion of the attack power that Demion demonstrated in his battle with Escus. ¡ª [Skill: Irisa You Whore] The remnants of the unfaithful Irisa shower the user with healing light meant for her side lovers each time they sustain an injury, bringing them to full health. This effect only urs thrice a day. ~~~ ¡®What a waste! I could have used this!¡¯ Skullius thought. He caressed the sword¡¯s de for a while before suddenly jolting up with an idea. ¡®What if I use Null Life Essence to take the skills that are in it?! Why didn¡¯t I think of this before?!¡¯ Skullius thought. He immediately went to business, trying to feel for his Null Life Essence that was still a part of him even in his Discount Human form. However, as he tried to sift it from storage to the sword, the Null Life Essence didn¡¯t budge! Skullius was dumbfounded. ¡®I can¡¯t use it? Does it mean that¡¯s its an ability only avable to a Boneman or a Null Lifeform. Or¡­ right. It¡¯s a ss ability for the Vehement Bone Nullmancer isn¡¯t it?¡¯ It dawned on Skullius that he was practically two different people right now, each with its own diverse powers! It was exciting and depressing at the same time. He didn¡¯t want to give it up. The [Demion¡¯s Dance] sword in his hands was a powerful tool that he wanted to use. He had thought that if he got the chance to live through this, he would use [Unbound] on it, but he was afraid that it would lose its skills and attributes. He knew at this point in time that [Unbound] could change the durability of a weapon and alter its shape in addition to all the crazy it could do. This was normally a good thing, but in this case, it was bad. If he could manipte [Unbound], he¡¯d at least keep the skills. Perhaps, he could try to manually control what he wanted to be upgraded. ¡®I¡¯ll have to try that.¡¯ BOOOM! From the wall, a massive impact made the entirerge space quake! Skullius jumped up from his position in surprise and looked to where the sound hade from. Naturally he couldn¡¯t see anything from the darkness, but something else could. The creature that sat by the staircase lifted its head and turned to the direction of the noise. The sound of chunks of the wall falling could be heard as they knocked against the floor. The creature suddenly extended its bony hand and a pir of me blossomed with a magnificent intensity, gushing wildly in its hand! The mes illuminated the void and even from his distance, Skullius was forced to turn away as the sh of light from the red mes that spilled ever so often like magma was too bright. When the mes died down, arge ymore was what remained, its appearance with a ck, cross shaped hilt and a polished de that had various cracks! The sword¡¯s appearance made the darkness within this ce shift away and Skullius, who saw and felt the de¡¯s power couldn¡¯t help but open his eyes wide in shock! ¡®The amount of [Evil Darkness] in that sword is ridiculous!¡¯ he thought. Surely, the ymore radiated vicious gusts of darkness around it. BOOOM! Once more, the wall was met with a frightful raw force that finally caused it to copse and make way for a tall and thick giant! The creature that sat upon the staircase stood and took a few steps down to reach the floor. With each one of its movements, the darkness receded, as if making way for a king. It swiped with its hand, making the darkness that veiled the new entrant disappear and allowing for the full view of the giant to appear. ¡°Aha ha. I knew it! Those with a colourless string are usually oddities that deserve attention. To think that you would actually reach this ce even though you¡¯re so weak,¡± a boisterous voice travelled a distance and mmed into Skullius¡¯ ears. There was no need to hypothesise as Skullius felt it clearly that the individual this new challenger was talking about, was him! ¡®What is that? What is it talking about?¡¯ Skullius thought while backing away. He had never seen a giant before. Sause¡¯s grinning face made him feel extremely ufortable as it peered through the patches of darkness between them to look at him deeply. The giant then turned its gaze to the creature with the ymore and it turned solemn, a genuine expression of surprise and a hint of sorrow etching itself on Sause¡¯s face. ¡°I see,¡± he said as he breathed a deep sigh. ¡°This is what you became in the end¡­ Fulgardt.¡± Chapter 86 The Endgame (3) There were three things that influenced the concept of power in this vast cluster of worlds. Divinity. Direction. Ambition. Divinity was a thick boundary that a mortal could transcend to reach a higher form of existence. An existence that is unbound by concepts of those that lived on t worlds. Direction had many names. Fate. Destiny. The divine will. It was a trail that each individual was meant to follow. The biggest question to mortals was always ¡®Who made my destiny or fate like this?¡¯. The answer waa simple. Too simple in fact. Those that reached Divinity would instantly know the answer and their response to said answer was always a disappointed and hollow, ¡®Oh¡¯. Ambition was something shared by both mortals and deities. To desire. To want. To envy. To covet. This influenced power in every aspect of its meaning. Who was more conceited and devoted to desire than the being that Sause was thinking of right now? A walking pile of bones with a chunk of flesh covering its arm to its chest, an ugly face with hollow eyes that seemed way too deep to have been those of a mortal. In its hand a dangerous looking ymore that threatened to cleave anything in its path. This was indeed the remains of Fulgardt the Immoral!. ¡®Fulgardt¡­ to think you¡¯d desecrate even your own corpse. You make it difficult for me to hate you for what you did to me,¡¯ Sause thought. His eyes once more turned to Skullius who remained looking vigntly at him, his posture giving the impression that he was ready to run at any moment. His keen eyes caught the embers of darkness and a very faint light that rose from Skullius. As he saw these, his eyes turned back to the creature with the ymore and he scrutinised its flesh, finding that microscopic spots of darkness and light wove into it. His eyes also took in the skeletons of the past challengers and he reached a conclusion. ¡®You never change do you? Even in death. Have you been trying to bring yourself back to life? Perhaps it¡¯s not something as simple as that, seeing as there really seems to be something grand behind those doors.¡¯ Sause¡¯s vision could see the weaving of darkness and light that was incredibly dense from the gaps between the double doors and the ground. Something precious was definitely hidden behind them. The legacy of Fulgardt¡¯s power perhaps. But then, something didn¡¯t add up. All of Sause¡¯s thoughts barelysted for five seconds. Two figures came from the cracks of the wall and stood on either of his sides. It was Benzard and Reon. Reon¡¯s face showed the irritation that he felt from being used like this. Hours upon hours had passed with them looking for Skullius, Sause muttering something about a colourless string that he was following each time Reon had the free will to ask him what in the hell they were doing. Benzard was a bit moreposed, though a different light could be seen in his sugar grey eyes now. His previous wounds had been healed and even as he donned next to no protection on his upper torso, his image was imposing nheless. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword as he looked ahead, the darkness that surrounded this ce reminding him of what he had left behind. He couldn¡¯t regret it. He wouldn¡¯t. What he had attained¡­ was surprisingly much better and straight forward. Strength. He had paid a price, but by the looks of it, obtaining Fulgardt¡¯s legacy was even more demanding. ¡°Young challenger,¡± Sause suddenly spoke to Skullius with his boisterous voice. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe here?¡± Skullius¡¯ brow rose as he heard this. After having taken in Sause¡¯s image for a rather long time, he found the request unattractive. ¡°Thank you but no thank you,rge bro,¡± Skullius said while making a X gesture with his hands. His eyes lowered to take a nce at the third leg on Sause¡¯s body and he unconsciously shuddered. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s not working,¡± Sause mumbled to himself in surprise. He couldn¡¯tpel Skullius to do his bidding with his speech. ¡°Is he immune? No, that¡¯s not right. Is it because of you then?¡± Sause¡¯s eyes once again focused on the skeletal remains of the owner of the Labyrinth. It must be. He turned to Reon and said, ¡°Raise your right hand.¡± Reon¡¯s right hand rose suddenly, shocking even him as he hadn¡¯t intended for it. ¡®It still works when I use it on them. Hmmm?¡¯ ¡°You realise that there is nothing for you here right, young challenger? You¡¯re just one of the many sacrifices that is needed to resurrect the Immoral himself. I assume you¡¯ve at least seen a bit of what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Sause said to Skullius who frowned, recalling when his some of hisprehension of [Just Light] and [Evil Darkness] was taken. ¡°That look in your eyes tells me that you have. You see, just like cumtive mana taken from another being that has stored and personalised it, this Labyrinth lets challengers like you cultivate darkness and light before they inevitably give it up to this walking pile of bones and die. Do you wish to meet the same fate?¡± Sause had analysed Benzard and Reon especially, finding that they had been granted [Evil Darkness] after entering the Labyrinth. Further questioning of these two led him to piece together what could potentially be happening, with the final piece being everything he had seen in this room which confirmed his previous inferences. Some rity was brought to Skullius after he heard Sause¡¯s words as it made a bit more sense now why this entire exchange of elements was happening. But still¡­ that didn¡¯t mean he would just switch sides. What guaranteed that he wouldn¡¯t be killed by this giant? Wasn¡¯t this just a simr situation to when he had been taken by force to follow Benzard and his group? Reon and Benzard wanted to kill him too and he didn¡¯t want to re-join a team made up of these people that had considered him a tool from the beginning. He wasn¡¯t quite clear on what these two were doing with this giant, but it didn¡¯t look he would get any benefits from it. ¡°Once again, I¡¯ll have to say no thank you,¡± Skullius said firmly while anticipating the worst. No more being trampled by stronger beings. He couldn¡¯t even sense how strong this nude giant was, but that in itself was an indication of how much it was out of his league. Sause sighed. ¡°I was looking forward to seeing what makes you so unique but¡­¡± he said. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t let you be more nourishment for this dead man. You two¡­ kill him.¡± The order was given to Reon and Benzard to kill Skullius! Sause had wanted to get Skullius¡¯ key to get out of the Labyrinth but the situation had changed after he saw what Fulgardt¡¯s goal was. Looking at Fulgardt¡¯s corpse also gave him an idea as he then checked Reon¡¯s body which had a very faint trace of darkness. ¡®Perhaps there isn¡¯t merely one way to get out of here aha ha,¡¯ Sause thought while getting a wild idea.¡®Instead of this challenger, how about I let someone else receive Fulgardt¡¯s legacy.¡¯ This was an idea indead. There was a risk that the one to gain the legacy would be corrupted by Fulgardt¡¯s will, but Sause thought it would still be better to give it a try since he already had a hold over Reon. There was definitely a way to use the Insurgent Magnus¡¯ power to leave this ce. The young challenger seemed to be under Fulgardt¡¯s protection frompulsion. Who knew what else Fulgardt¡¯s remains would do to protect him. Therefore, he had to disposed. Sause could own two pawns with powerful energy after returning to the world again! Reon¡¯s body began to move on its own, his hand gripping his sword as he tookrge strides. Benzard on the other hand, didn¡¯t move. ¡°Why don¡¯t youkill him yourself?¡± he asked Sause. ¡°Surely it wouldn¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°Two simple reasons. One, there¡¯s a force that¡¯s trying to expel me from this room. Only humans can inherit the legacy of Fulgardt and only they are in invited into this ce. I¡¯m using quite a bit of my strength to keep myself here,¡± Sause exined. Sause knew quite a bit about Fulgardt¡¯s motivations. The man wouldn¡¯t give any of his knowledge to any other race other than humans. He might have been the Immoral, but he was less so when it came to his own race. ¡°Two¡­¡± Sause said before he took a step forward. The moment he did, the creature by the staircase raised its sword and pointed it at him, a rough wind beginning to blow in the entire room! ¡°Fulgardt valued strength. Only the strong were his opponents. The weak were existences he ignored. That¡¯s probably the reason why that young challenger is still alive. Fighting a mindless puppet packed with individual values possesses some advantages sometimes. How lucky. Now¡­ get killing. Be sure to show off your new tricks, my boy.¡± The grin on Sause¡¯s face irked Benzard who saw it from below. He held his sword and began walking up to Skullius with a stern expression, his blue core beginning to bubble as it pumped him with mana. The image of a shocked Skullius reflected in his eyes as he activated the strength he had inherited from a powerful giant! Chapter 87 The Endgame (4) ¡®Are you fleshing me?¡¯ Skullius thought as he felt the two intense bursts of energy that came from Benzard and Reon. Another conflict has risen for him and this one was especially vexing. Reon dashed over to Skullius, covering the vast distance in a sh and swiping his sword with all his might! The de flickered and shone under the luminance of the golden white spots of light as it aimed for Skullius¡¯ neck, the Discount Human not being able to react to this at all! MBING! Reon¡¯s sword shed against arge ymore that blocked the way, failing to kill its target! Skullius¡¯ eyes were wide open as he only realised what had just happened a momentter! The remains of Fulgardt had suddenly appeared, blocking Reon¡¯s sword with its own! Skullius drew back and so did Reon as he trembled at the presence of this skeleton that exuded power like he had never felt before. It gazed at him intently with its hollow eyes and reached its hand to grab him! ¡°How about I be your opponent?¡± Sause said from a distance, his body beginning to radiate a powerful surge of mana but produced a red glow which drove away the darkness and light!. The creature that had been about to attack Reon stopped and turned its head to the giant, its figure flickering like a dying light and appearing before the giant with the ymore clutched in one of its hands, raising it high! Sause grinned. His body bulged, thick vessels growing to be visible from his flesh. His red eyes became even more menacing and he prepared to tank the attack of his foe. The ymore came down and when it did¡­ Darkness and Light sped towards the sword as it sliced through the air, merging with its de to rece the dark grey shade of the metal with a strange mash of bright and dark that couldn¡¯t be exined with mere words! Sause who had convinced himself that he was prepared for this attack was shocked as he, who was on the receiving end, felt the full suffocating pressure of the attack as it blinded him with both darkness and light! What followed was a phenomenon that noone expected! The ground rumbled from the force, the power released being enough to push Reon, Skullius and Benzard from the ground involuntarily and then be struck by a storm of darkness and light that blew them to the other side of therge room! All three knocked against the sturdy walls with Skullius feeling the shock in his body that fractured his bones! Reon gritted his teeth as he remained lodged in the wall while Benzard had a thinyer of deep red that traced his body as he stuck to the wall, a dent with his shape around him as well. The scene before the three was catastrophic as half of the ce was obliterated, the once sturdy floor havingrge blocks that protruded out of it, dust rising upwards! Ahead, the skeleton that guarded the spiral groves door was in its stance, the sword that had just shed everything to heck oozing of mana while everything in front it save for one thing was demolished! Rubble cluttered while what had been firm structure were ground to dust, such as the walls and everything that had made up the next room! The bulky figure of Sause stood with its arms crossed, a shallow wound trailing from his forehead his abdomen. Blood was leaking from this cut, but Sause didn¡¯t seem to mind. The awe he felt was unveiled through the shining of his eyes and the wide smile he wore. He had sessfully defended, but just barely. The attack packed a lot of the power that Fulgardt had created for himself. [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light]. ¡®Aha ha. This is intense. I can tell this is nowhere near as strong as Fulgardt. Even this darkness and light is an imitation of the real thing. This corpse can probably only use the two elements as its power. This still begs the question of whether or not Fulgardt really intended to hand over his power to someone else. I can¡¯t even sense mana from his bones. Could he have¡­? Anyway, I should focus on stalling for those brats to do their job,¡¯ Sause thought before he suddenly threw a jab punch at Fulgardt¡¯s bones! The punch left white after-images as it sped, reaching the way shorter figure of Fulgardt which raised its sword and held it vertically to defend! BOOOOM! The ground once again jumped from the power exhibited by Sause, but the ymore in the Fulgardt¡¯s hands didn¡¯t budge under the impact, defending its wielder perfectly! ¡®Fascinating. That¡¯s not even your weapon of choice, Fulgardt! You truly intended for someone to inherit your legacy after all, didn¡¯t you?!¡¯ Sause mused. On the other end, Skullius pulled himself from the wall andnded on the ground. He saw the battle that was taking ce a distance away through the gaps in the darkness that remained after the remains of Fulgardt had drawn a huge chunk of it all and used it in that fearsome attack. As Fulgardt was preupied with Sause, Skullius saw the unguarded double doors to what was probably the legacy that he had resigned to grab for himself and get the heck out of here! There it was. Only a few seconds away and waiting for him to take it! Skullius suddenly bolted towards the doors at full speed, using every ounce of strength he could find! He even pumped mana from his white core and into his body to increase his speed and the result was a significant boost to his agility! The door with spiral groves came into view, bing bigger and bigger as he Skullius got closer! ¡®Almost¡­!¡¯ Skullius pumped himself up as he reached out his hand to the floor. This had to be it! The reward for his suffering, endurance and tolerance to everything that had happened in this ce! It had to be him to get one over these fiends that had brought him here! As he climbed up the staircase, faith brimming in his core, the hairs on Skullius¡¯ cosmetic body rose, a bright sh of light along with a electric noise resounding in his ears! Skullius didn¡¯t dare to turn around as he kept his eyes on the prize. BZZZZZT! BZZZZT! Thick bolts of lightning razed the floor and ceiling as they rampaged! They lit up the doors and pushed away the darkness with their eerie red saturation that made the immediate surroundings look like they were dyed in blood! Skullius found himself unable to move forward as streaks of lightning ran along his body, a crisp sound along with billows of smoke rising from his flesh! Benzard¡¯s sword had prated his back,ing out from his chest as it released squirming bursts of lightning that began to fry Skullius! The Discount Human saw his skin ignite, darkening as the heat brought by the red lightning tore away its natural colour and lively appearance! ¡°I¡¯m afraid your role ends here,¡± Benzard said, his voice being monotone and devoid of sympathy. A tattoo ran along the left side of his face to the hand that held onto his the sword which he held his sword with. The power of the ss he had received had finally shown itself, taking to its first victim! Chapter 88 The Endgame (5) BZZZT! BZZZT! Raging red bolts of lightning roiled around within Skullius¡¯ cosmetic body and he felt that they would detonate his body at any moment! Just when he was so close, he was held back again! His body was lit on fire, beginning to break down while Skullius ground his teeth. Though he couldn¡¯t feel the pain from the flesh, the sheer odds stacked against him threatened to bring his will down! ¡®Not yet! NOT YET!¡¯ Skullius growled in his mind as he then brought his thoughts together to find a solution. ¡°Luminous Healing!¡± he yelled. A stream of rejuvenating energy coursed through Skullius¡¯ body as he activated the skill he had taken after defeating Dezrael! Skullius felt the rxing energy that gushed into him absorb mana from his core crazily and when it exhausted his current supply, he pulled on the mana from the ArchLight Generation Keeper! His body that had been giving out began to pull itself together, the reddening and cracking that had been evident vanishing as the skill battled against the damage that the lightning inflicted! Luminous Healing would continue to heal Skullius as long as he kept giving it mana! If he stopped even for a moment, not only would his body break down again, but that would incite the cooldown to take effect!. However¡­ ¡®This isn¡¯t enough!¡¯ Skullius thought as he prepared his next move. Benzard who had thought that this would be an easy kill was surprised to see Skullius¡¯ body recovering, battling against his lightning! ¡®Still putting up a fight, huh? I respect that. I¡¯ll just have to¡­ hmmm?¡¯ From the human that was impaled by his sword, facing the doors ahead, Benzard saw his recovering hand turn in his direction, palm open wide as in the next moment, a purplish orange tint battled against the prevailing red to bring forth arge fireball! Skullius¡¯ head had turned back to this man with the eerie red tattoo and he wore a determined face while activating his only fire type skill! [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno!] Skullius unleashed the roaring me, but didn¡¯t aim for Benzard directly. He aimed at the man¡¯s feet, recalling how Eldris had shrugged off the me easily in Fulgardt¡¯s Hall! His intent was to provide some cover for himself to reach the door instead! The ball of fire produced a profound heat and light as soon as it reached Benzard¡¯s feet, a resplendent explosion consuming both men! mes roared and a light resounding tremor ensued! Skullius jumped out of the explosion, the ArchLight Generation Keeper having protected him from the me that was most definitely weaker than Benzard¡¯s lightning at this moment! The Discount Human leapt towards the doors, his non-existent heart beating as he had almost reached his goal! YET! BZZT! The ground trembled, a quaking that made even the double doors vibrate urring as a bolt of lightning as thick as a human arm aimed itself at Skullius! Skullius saw a brighter tinge of reding from behind and the panic he felt was unmatched! His mind used up every single point of intelligence it could muster to think of a solution but itsputing power wasn¡¯t faster than lightning! The bright lightning shed and sted against Skullius, the ArchLight Generation Keeper only being able to hold for a few brief moments before the Discount Human it protected lost his leg and part of his torso! They disintegrated under the majesty of the blood coloured lightning, the remains of Skullius smashing hard against the doors and falling down the stairs with the same grace as that of a brick! Fizzy ¡®blood¡¯ tried to sprinkle from the charred and severed parts of Skullius but ultimately failed as even the helmet that Skullius donned began to fall apart. The Discount Human had a single arm left, with a full leg gone, the other being burnt to a crisp. The ArchLight Generation Keeper barely had any points of durability left, with each decreaseing a fall in a portion of its defence. Benzard emerged from the remnants of the mes, his figure covered by a red film of energy that outlined his shape. He looked at the pitiful image of Skullius that tried to get up. The Discount Human tried to lift himself up but unfortunately, his limbs couldn¡¯t handle it. Luminous Healing had begun its cooldown the moment there wasn¡¯t anything left to heal. He rolled and leaned against the double doors. From under them, he felt powerful wisps of darkness and light that resonated with him, seeming more powerful than the darkness he had seen so far. He had wondered what was so special about [Evil Darkness] as it was what he was most familiar with. What it could do was still a vague area for him and the wisps he felt on the other side of these doors seemed to hold the answer. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like he would get the chance to know what truly was [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light]. Benzard stared down at Skullius, Reoning to stand beside him. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had such power all this time. You had us fooled,¡± Benzard said. ¡°I already assumed the worst after we split up but I have to ask. What became of Denille or Irlen?¡± Reon asked while raising his sword. He was still under thepulsion to kill Skullius, but he still asked as he wanted to know. Benzard couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask. It had seemed exceedingly strange that Skullius was running around alone this whole time, but he had his fair share of troubles that weighed on him to bother asking about it. Reon however, bothered to inquire. He felt no pity for Skullius, as even while under another being¡¯s control, his eyes showed his indifference at killing Skullius. The Discount Human¡¯s damaged face looked up at Reon. The question that had been posed to him made him recall that hateful woman whom he wanted to kill eventually and an emotion welled up in him. He had reached this fore warned event. Another point where his life was to be snuffed out by stronger beings who saw him as nothing more than a pawn, however¡­ Why would he tell these guys any good news about Denille or Irlen? Why would he provide anyfort or closure to the people who wanted to kill him? Just like he had done when they had asked about Eobald¡¯s fate, Skullius¡¯ nature burned with a desire to give them onest flesh you. He wished Denille had met the most cruel death by his bony hands but the least he could do was fabricate one and hope that these two would find sorrow in it. ¡°Kek¡­ right. I watched her get fleshed up. She was turned inside out¡­ crying and screaming for Eobald¡­ hehe. But honestly, I just wish that¡­¡± Reon¡¯s face scrunched up while Benzard frowned slightly from hearing Skullius words. However, that wasn¡¯t all. An ominous air coiled around Skullius as he continued to speak. ¡°¡­ |THE SAME WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU|¡­¡± Chapter 89 The Endgame (6) A minute before¡­ Bright shes popped in and out of existence with each exchange between Sause and the skeleton of Fulgardt! Sause made sure to lead the troublesome bones away from the two that he had assigned to kill Skullius! The remains of Fulgardt were quite powerful, the sword that they wielded giving Sause a run for his money. Ever since he had awakened, he found himself to be restrained. He couldn¡¯t exhibit much of his strength and he often found that wherever the darkness gathered, he had to blow it away, otherwise he¡¯d constantly feel weakened. His transcendence above the normal threshold of power in the world was what allowed him to achieve this feat as even though the darkness and light he had found so far was merely a downgraded version of the one that Fulgardt used in his life, it was still an extraordinary power! A bright red energy enveloped Sause, shielding him from a dangerous sh that came from the ymore his foe held! Unfortunately, everything behind him shuddered and broke down from the one handed sh that had been dished out by Fulgardt! Sause kept his eyes on Fulgardt, but in the next moment, the skeleton vanished from his sight and appeared above, darkness being pulled to his sword and changing its form into arger, dark bastard sword that it swung with an untraceably fast movement! Sause¡¯s senses red as he sensed danger but he didn¡¯t dodge! He couldn¡¯t! The red energy gathered onto his hands that he then crossed to receive the impact! A sh of red and ck reverberated in the air, causing the world to be warped for a few moments, Sause finding himself being crushed under the weight of the force of the blow! BAAAM! He kneeled, the ground under him breaking down as the force he took on was too much for the furnished rock to handle!. ¡®So much for gaining a chance at divinity by sharing my strength. Though, I have to admit that I wouldn¡¯t have been able tost this long if I hadn¡¯t. I¡¯ll give my thanks to Benzardter,¡¯ said Sause as he revealed the reason why he had given Benzard a portion of his strength. However, this would only be relevant only in the future. ¡°Why are you doing this, Fulgardt? Your conflicting actions don¡¯t make any sense,¡± Sause said as he felt the weight of the massive, eerie sword that ovepped over Fulgardt¡¯s ymore increase! ¡°Ah¡­ mieji¡­os..kateh.. umhie¡­.het iminar¡­ ivetuka¡­ aik..bir¡­¡± the unsightly remains of the Immoral uttered with a broken voice. ¡­! Sause¡¯s eyes opened wide. He couldn¡¯t believe what he had heard. This corpse had uttered words. Comprehensible words that he understood. However, it wasn¡¯t talking to him. It merely recited what it was supposed to. ¡± ¡®Even in death, a powerful will should rise¡­ I am not done nor am I gone. I still have business with them that¡­¡¯ ¡± Sause interpreted what Fulgardt had said. ¡°It¡¯s iplete¡­urgh..¡± Sause said with a heavy grunt, his muscles bulging as he struggled to withstand the force from the bastard sword of darkness. ¡°Unfortunately I can¡¯t wait for you to tell me your entire will. Nor will allow you to fulfill it. We¡¯ve had one Immoral too many. There¡¯s no need for another! At least one that I don¡¯t already have a grasp over! RAAAR!¡± The red energy around Sause bubbled and expanded with his roar, bursting out and pushing against Fulgardt¡¯s assault just enough for him to roll over and evade its eventual continuity! Once more, the ground shuddered under the force but Sause had already retreated. He was preparing to counter when something caused his skin to crawl! The darkness around the room rushed towards a certain ce, flowing with a tremendous speed as if it was being sucked into a drain! Sause turned while in utter shock as a sensation he was very familiar with followed after this peculiar urrence! A power he knew of too well. His eyes focused onto the figure of Skullius that was leaning against the double doors in the distance, awaiting Reon¡¯s sword to put it out of its misery! ¡°|¡­THE SAME WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU¡­|¡± Darkness rushed into Skullius¡¯ mouth as he spoke as if to carry his words, empowering them! In the next moment, under the shocked gazes of Reon and Benzard, the same darkness shot out of Skullius¡¯ mouth and assaulted them like a tidal wave! ¡°NO!¡± Sause barked with an unsightly expression as he extended hisrge hand towards Benzard, the red energy that surrounded him bursting from him and gushing through the air to reach Benzard in a sh before he could bepletely covered by the darkness! The two disappeared in the onught of darkness under the surprised gaze of Skullius. ¡°EEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!¡± a horrifying screech was heard from the darkness as someone yelled at the top of their lungs! The darkness suddenly withdrew, seemingly absorbed into something. That something happened to be Reon, darkness speedily sinking into his body to enact a tragic and terriblemand! FKKKKKSHHHH! A terrifying scene appeared next, Reon¡¯s body tearing itself open to reveal all the organs that he had within! His body warped as bloody flesh and dripping innards wiggled, shifting continuously whilst Reon¡¯s eyes popped from his ¡®face¡¯! His entire body floated in mid-air, the fleshy noises that it made as it adjusted itself making Benzard who was at the side with a horrified expression, tremble and move back! A thick film of red energy had warded away the darkness that had almost done the same thing it was doing to Reon, to him! As he looked at hisrade who had turned inside out, his eye couldn¡¯t help steal a nce at Skullius, his mind beginning to wonder just what on earth was going on with this weak human he looked down on! Mana gushed from Skullius¡¯ armour as it supported the atrocity that was happening to Reon! The man¡¯s body sttered on the ground, not a trace of his armour or skin visible at all; only flowing blood, flesh and organs that continuously twitched remaining in view! Skullius was genuinely shocked, his body going on to convulse as his mind began ringing and causing him immense pain! He didn¡¯t even intend for [Pseudo Evil Veneration] to activate. He had merely wanted to spite these two men by giving them no closure yet¡­ He had taken out one of them! [You have killed a Higher level existence, LV12 Human. You have gained experience] [150,000 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] ¡®Right¡­ I¡¯m not done yet!¡¯ Skullius held onto his sanity while trembling as he then looked at the bewildered Benzard who looked at him as if he was seeing a demon. Now was the chance he had! Against the pain, he had to make the most of his chance! From the moment he had seen the doors that he was currently leaning against, he felt the embers of the elements [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] on the spiral groves. To Skullius, it seemed like a hint for what he had to do to open the door. Even though he hadn¡¯t tried opening it, he had a feeling that pushing and grunting wasn¡¯t the way to make it reveal what was hidden behind it! Thus¡­ he pushed himself to focus! Even as he felt a ring pain that threatened to cripple his mind, he knew that it was all or nothing. [Basic Evil Weaving!] The Discount Human activated a skill geared towards moulding [Evil Darkness] to his will. The surrounding patches of darkness were drawn to him as he pulled on them, finding it to not be easy, especially when his body and mind were rebelling against him. Yet, he pushed on! Light was even more difficult to focus on. The spots of light that were around the room didn¡¯t seem to respond to him as hisprehension had dipped! He tried to focus on the closest spot of light that was around two meters away but it seemed too distant for his influence to grab its attention! ¡®COME ON!¡¯ Skullius pleaded. Sause tore himself out of his stupor. ¡®That was definitely a Veneration art! A verbal one at that! How in the world did this little one get his hands on it, much less use it?!¡¯ he wondered as his mind was still under immense shock. Sause saw the darkness that was converging around Skullius. He didn¡¯t know what this human was about to do next and didn¡¯t intend to find out. If he lost his investment in Benzard now then¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! Kill him!¡± Sause barked at Benzard. Benzard shook himself from the terror he felt and wielded his sword. His body zed with a fearsome aura and he didn¡¯t hold back! ¡°Full Body Aura!¡± he spoke, trying to dispel the phenomenal fear he felt towards Skullius at this moment. Lightning danced around him, spewing like waves to cover a distance of four meters, a circr cage being formed by the vicious element around him and Skullius! Skullius¡¯ eyes opened wide as he felt the bubbling energy. Something was strange about this guy and his power. It seemed to constantly be growing without pause. Benzard¡¯s sword became tinged with a blood red hue as he prepared to attack with everything he had. He wouldn¡¯t underestimate an opponent like this! Skullius found pulling the spot of light extraordinarily difficult and it didn¡¯t seem like he had the years needed for his affinity to [Just Light] to grow sufficiently! In ast ditch effort, he used [Basic Evil Weaving] to push forward a plume of darkness to wrap around the spot of light and pull it towards himself! At the same time, Benzard¡¯s sword came down, shing with hundreds of bolts of lightning that began to assault Skullius before the sword even touched him! The darkness with the spot of light in tow reached Skullius¡¯ charred hand and the Discount Human didn¡¯t waste time, pushing both the plume of darkness and spot of light against the door¡¯s groves! Immediately, the two unique elements ran along the spiral groves in harmony, quickly covering the entire spiral way and reached the centre of the door but¡­ Benzard¡¯s sword reached Skullius¡¯ head, the Discount Human¡¯s auburn hair being ignited and his skin turning into crisps as a prelude before the bright red de descended with the intent to erase every speck of his existence! Chapter 90 Benefit Times Benefactor! A massive eruption of mana and lightning ensued, consuming the ground, staircase and all but ultimately being unable to move or scratch the double doors! Only a dark patch could be seen after highly concentrated lightning had mmed towards Benzard¡¯s target. The man with a tattoo on his face frowned as his apprehension told him that he¡­.had failed. Even if the attack he used wouldn¡¯t have permitted anything of Skullius to remain, he wasn¡¯t convinced that he had snuffed out the Discount Human¡¯s life. Sause who was staring down at the figure of Fulgardt while paying attention to Benzard¡¯s actions wore an unsightly expression. ¡®Unbelievable. He managed to squeak through right before he was decimated by the attack,¡¯ he thought as his eyes vigntly kept ring at the stationary pile of bones before him. Ever since Skullius had used [Pseudo Evil Veneration], Fulgardt had stopped attacking, muttering his broken sentences of iprehensible words continuously. ¡®Since it hase to this, let¡¯s see what will emerge.¡¯ *** Skullius¡¯ eyes had been blinded by the bright sh of light along with the sudden pulling sensation he had experienced right before he was about to annihted! It was like he had just phased through the double doors and appeared on the other side after he had injected the portions of [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] into the groves on the doors. ¡®I¡­ made it?¡¯ he thought in disbelief. It seemed unreal. Thatst exchange had been a really scary one, challenging his ability to continue fighting both mentally and physically. Even now, the pounding of his mind was evident as the after effects of using [Pseudo Evil Veneration] were still lingering. ¡®Inside out¡­ kek¡­ that was a good one,¡¯ Skullius gave a short internalugh after recalling what he had said about Denille. Inside out was actually another game that he used to y with his fellow gravemen in Deadmand. Since undead like him had nothing to hide, being essentially ¡®see through¡¯ so to speak, they had a kick out of making fun of each others¡¯ insides and outsides, the main topics ofparison being mana cores and bone toughness as well as bone frame. Skullius always took pride in hisrger mana core that he had pumped mana into for mana years but his physique had been severelycking. When he first saw living creatures after arriving in Aigas, he had gotten the thought about how funny it would be if all these creatures who had fragile insides would have to live with their insides and outsides exposed. To them who could actually feel pain, it would no doubt be horrendously painful, which is why he had used it as a flesh you to both Benzard and Reon. Skullius tried to raise himself up, but his missing limbs refused to make his wish a reality. His head was half roasted, his hair burnt up while his skin was ckened by Benzard¡¯s attack.. Streaks of lightning had carved into his torso, dealing massive amounts of damage that wouldn¡¯t be getting healed anytime soon. If Skullius had the ability to feel pain, he would have long died by now. ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Experience : 1000/1000, ] [ ss : None ] [ Race : Discount Human ] [ Inv. Status : Still doomed ¡Á2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 110 ] [Agility : 10 ] [ Intelligence : 40 ] [ Endurance : 45 ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 1/199 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 255/255 ] ¡ª¨C [ Skills ] [ Basic Mana Maniption | Lv.14 ] [ Greater Communication | Lv.2 ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ] [ Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno | Lv. 3 ] [ Artless Dodger | Lv. 1 ] [ Mana Bolt | Lv. 4 ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Basic Evil Weaving | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Evil Invasion | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Evil Sanction (Special) | Lv.1 ] [ Pseudo Evil Veneration (1%) ] [ Luminant Seed (Dormant) ] ¡ª- [ Affinities ] [ Evil Darkness ¨C D ] [ Just Light ] ~~~~ ¡®My stats have really grown but¡­¡¯ Skulliusmented, cutting off the tormenting thoughts he had. Now that there didn¡¯t seem to be a threat on its way, Skullius took in the view of this ce without worry. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t as big as the previous room. Unlike the other rooms where thick darkness pervaded, that wasn¡¯t the case here. Skullius could see a stone tiled floor and immactely carved walls that had strange markings inscribed on them. These were simr to the ones he had seen when he had tried to read using his affinity to [Evil Darkness] and gained [Pseudo Evil Veneration]! Spots of extremely bright light lit up the room, giving a vastly more powerful and concentrated vibe than the ones he had seen outside. In the corner of the room were two chests that looked to be made of a rather rare and tough wood, one in a golden colour white the other was in a ck one. A pedestal sat in the middle of the room, a cluster of these bright golden white light spots revolving around it while the thing atop gave out ferocious waves of darkness that travelled in strips, being so thick and dense that wherever they passed, they temporarily discoloured the items in their path. ¡®Woow¡­ what the heck is that?!¡¯ Skullius thought as he set his sight on the object that sat upon the pedestal, releasing powerful bursts of darkness. He was drawn to it. His eyes couldn¡¯t tear themselves away from it. It was all too beautiful and mesmerising for Skullius to simply give a casual nce. An ethereal mark danced atop the pedestal, moving this way and that but within the confines of the space on the circr pedestal, its quick movement within centimeters worth of distance being like that of a dragonfly. It was shaped like a dark flower with a bright golden cross that oozed of smoke-like essence! Skullius didn¡¯t know if it could be touched but he wanted to try it anyway. He inched his way towards it, pushing himself against the ground as he reached the pedestal after a full minute. He ignored the blinding light spots and gazed at the ethereal flower shaped mark. A sense of apprehension gripped him for a moment and he debated whether or not to go through with this. ¡®Just like that? No more atrocious surprises? Nothing?¡¯ he thought as he looked around. ¡®Ah, flesh it! Let¡¯s get this over with!¡¯ Skullius reached out his hand, grabbing the ethereal mark! As soon as his burnt fingers touched the thing above the pedestal, the blinding lights and darkness raced towards him with a ravenous ferocity! Within one mere moment, Skullius was bombarded by two vicious powers that threatened to consume his entire being. However, would he let that happen after all he had done to reach this ce? Heck no! He gritted his teeth as he felt a majestic presence settle into his body and cover it with two unique powers. A flurry of notifications sted Skullius¡¯ vision thereafter! [Congrattions, you have inherited the legacy of ¡®Fulgardt the Immoral¡¯ along with his will] [You have gained the hidden ss, ¡®Insurgent Magnus¡¯] [You are rebellious and haughty, mighty and proud, transcendent and domineering] [You have taken up the power of a legend who died before his story ended. You shall finish his story] [A remnant of Fulgardt is engraved into you permanently] Skullius felt a ridiculous surge of energy descend upon him with insane boons flowing into with another light show. [+100 Mana] [+50 Strength] [+50 Agility] [+50 Intelligence] [Evil Darkness has been fully awakened within you] [Just Light has been fully awakened within you] [You have received the following skills¡­.] ¡°Ohohohoho!¡± Skullius joyfully giggled as he saw the notifications pouring in. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what new skills he¡¯d get. Yet¡­ [Interruption detected¡­] ¡°WHAT?!¡± Skullius yelled in fear, his one hand quickly checking if the ArchLight Generation Keeper had finally given out but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. [The skill ¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ has timed out ¨C 00:00:00] [You will now revert back to ¡®Null Lifeform (Boneman)¡¯] ¡®Wait¡­ but.. my skills! Let me see my new skills at least dammit! Why now?! Gah¡­ I really miss my real form though!¡¯ Skullius felt conflicted. He wee his Boneman form as the cosmetic flesh turned into fleshy balls that receded, being reced by a tall foggy grey skeleton with zing blue mes in its socket. The remains of the ArchLight Generation Keeper seemed to fit Skullius¡¯ Boneman form more than his Discount Human form, the only downside being the missing arm. ¡®Right? I lost this to that sockethole,¡¯ Skullius thought as he appreciated his form nheless. He felt the power of darkness and light be reced by the power of Null Life and a tinge of happiness cascaded into full blown joy. However, even with this, it didn¡¯t seem like his boons had ended yet. [You have broken past many hurdles and reached LV10. You are now able to evolve into the First Tier of power. Do you ept?] ¡°Oh! Right!¡± Skullius remembered that he was already legible to be a Tier 1. Finally! ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s do it! It better be worth it!¡± Unlike the extravagant light show that had urred when Skullius had received the Insurgent Magnus ss, a tranquil yet vast energy enveloped Skullius¡¯ consciousness and for a moment, he felt like he had been put to sleep, his vision darkening. His vision became clear in the next moment, a rather blurry image appearing before him. He once again felt like he was a body less consciousness that floated aimlessly in the middle of nowhere. Before him was a gigantic sphere with different shades of blue. None of the details were exactly clear but he could see a myriad of things that moved despite the deep blurring. ¡®What is this ce? Did the evolution fail?¡¯ Skullius thought to himself, beginning to think that he had somehow died and ended up in a weird ce like Somanda¡¯s Hall of ice! ¡°No, it did not,¡± a feminine voice responded to Skullius¡¯ thoughts. Skullius turned in all directions as he sought to find the source of the voice. A small flickering blue me appeared before his sight, dancing slowly before the massive sphere that Skullius couldn¡¯t see clearly. ¡°It¡¯s good to finally have a chance to speak to you, Skullius,¡± the voice continued,ing from the small me. Skullius was beyond confused. ¡°Uh¡­ who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡­ am Serenity.¡± Chapter 91 Answers From A Sympathetic Flame! (1) (A/N: Beware. Plenty of dialogue exposition ahead) Serenity? Serenity. Serenity! Indeed, Skullius had heard this word before. This name that seemed to be the very representation of peacefulness and tranquility. Even though he had spent thest 24 hours in his Discount Human form, being devoid of most of his Null Life traits, he was still aware of the many notifications he had seen about Serenity doing this¡­ something, something done by Serenity when dealing with his Null Life based powers. ¡°I am the reason why you have ess to this strange power, Skullius and I know you have a lot to say to me. About Null Life itself and about¡­ yourself. Now is one of the few times when we canmunicate because of yourcking connection to the world behind me. I can reach out to you whenever you touch upon this ce right before evolution. So please. Let¡¯s make the most of this,¡± the voice from the me spoke, its soothing yet somewhat apathetic tone giving Skullius a distant hint offort. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Skullius indeed had many things to say to this. However, he didn¡¯t know how to start. He was quite overwhelmed by what had happened so far. How was he to just start babbling out his thoughts after a roller coaster of emotion just minutes prior? Skullius took some time to calm himself. Serenity did not speak, waiting for Skullius to settle and begin probing for answers. That was a given.. A few minutester, Skullius finally spoke. ¡°So you created this power?¡± ¡°It would be inurate to im sole ownership of it but on a technicality, that is indeed true,¡± Serenity said, a bit of pride detectable in her voice. ¡°Gotcha. Why did you make it and why was it in Somanda¡¯s hands?¡± Skullius asked two questions that had been gnawing at his mind all this while. Why was such a power in Somanda¡¯s hands in the first ce? Why hadn¡¯t he used it? ¡°Both of those are good questions,¡± Serenity said. ¡°You see, Somanda intercepted the carrier of those two skill books on their way to their designated location. After studying them, he found their unique propertiespatible with his goal. His primary goal to be exact.¡± ¡°Primary goal?¡± ¡°Indeed. There are many worlds out there. The undead society is one obsessed with taking life and turning it into undeath, amassing great numbers. However, some worlds have unique forms of protection that impede the bulk of undead from invading, especially Arch-Liches.¡± ¡°Somanda found that this power was able to disguise him as a human in addition to giving him power that had the potential to transcend Undeath and was interested. His first thought was probably to use it to invade this world but¡­ I imagine starting from scratch with a new power was something that caused him to weigh his choices carefully as thousands of years worth of research was at stake.¡± Skullius pondered over it. His mind recreated the scene from when he had been called by Somanda to the tower, seeing the magic circle that was lit up, ready for use. What had that magic circle been for? Had the Lich truly intended to use both [Lifeless Evolution] and [Flesh It Like You Mean It]? Skullius thought that perhaps Somanda has wanted to use the skill on its own and jump into Aigas, but that didn¡¯t seem to be a possibility as it wasplementary to [Lifeless Evolution]. It was unlikely that [Flesh It Like You Mean It] would work without [Lifeless Evolution]. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°Yes. As for why this power was created, it¡¯s for war. There¡¯s no sugar-coating it. The existence of many worlds and the ability of many beings to able to travel between them has cultivated great powers that need to be kept in check. It would be premature to mention this in detail as you barely remember enough for it to be of use to you,¡± Serenity said with a sympathetic tone. ¡°It was never meant to be you in this position, but you have a strange tangle of Direction on you that draws certain events.¡± These sets of words grabbed Skullius¡¯ attention quite a bit. Barely remembered enough? There it was again. What was going on with him? What was the story with him before everything he currently remembered? Then there was the thing with having events drawn to him. Somanda had said something simr. What exactly did this mean? From where he stood, Skullius felt that itpletely conflicted with what he thought he knew. Atrocious luck. Constant sprawls into dangerous situations and narrowly getting out alive. Did it all have a meaning he didn¡¯t understand? ¡°Who am I?¡± Skullius asked with a serious tone that he rarely revealed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand anything. Everything keeps moving around me like a st of wind, dragging me here and there yet there¡¯s somehow always a way to drag myself out if I really try. What is this- URGHHHHH!¡± Skullius suddenly screamed. His speech had changed for a few moments, words that expressed his emotions in a unique way to the norming from him. Yet¡­ this had caused him pain. Skullius felt a connection to somewhere else for a brief moment but there was an excruciating pain that crept up within him afterwards. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The voice of Serenity sounded, bearing a deep sense ofpassion for the lone existence that floated before it. Skullius finally calmed down, his air returning to normal. ¡°Bro, that was intense! It felt so strange. Why did I feel that pain? What happened?¡± he asked. ¡°. Undeath is a powerful concept Skullius. It might be a failed version of what Null Life is, but it is undoubtedly powerful and cruel. You have lived in the lowest rungs, barely able to see what it can do which is why you have you such a shallow understanding of it.¡± Beside the me of Serenity, a white ball of light appeared. Serenity intended to demonstrate how Undeath worked at a premium level. ¡°There are creatures who are able to wield the power of Undeath, calling themselves Necromancers but that is a basic ss of the power where the soul is released while the body is used as a tool for Undeath. However¡­¡± The white ball of light beside Serenity split into two parts, one being three quarters of the whole. ¡°Say this is a soul, the higher and true form of Undeath binds therger portion of the soul to the caster of the Undeath medium while the smaller portion is sent to a prepared vessel that is then at the mercy of the caster. The caster can manipte both pieces of the soul as they wish, with the more they insert Undeath energy being the stronger they make the vessel for the soul and soul itself for their own purpose.¡± The smaller portion of the white ball was sent a distance away from therger portion, both pieces beginning to change from white to red. ¡°The longer these pieces remain apart, the more easily they get corrupted by Undeath. A full piece requires to remain whole. As both pieces are iplete, they end up having to be pieced together by Undeath energy. That is the core of the power of the Undead. Powering broken souls into bing weapons for war.¡± Skullius remained silent for a moment. Somehow, this lesson began to make him think deeply about Somanda¡¯s words and the things he saw in that hall of ice. Those images he saw trapped in the ice! Where they all the greater pieces of once whole souls? One particr line spoken by Somanda made his consciousness shiver as he fully began to understand what it meant now. ¡®¡­ your emotions carry more emotions and show the sorrow that your soul has through the camaraderie that you try to cultivate among yourselves as the dead!¡¯ So that¡¯s what he meant. The desperation the he and his friends felt. Their intense need to feel recognised and be part of something bigger was all just¡­ a bunch of broken souls missing their fullness which was trapped by Somanda. Serenity pitied Skullius, but there was limited time. She could tell him this much and let him digest it on his ownter. ¡°A part of you is bound to Somanda and he is not some scrub in Deadmand. He is a being close to Divinity. I cannot render help to rescue your other half from such a being, but you have the strength to save yourself,¡± Serenity said. ¡°So that means¡­¡± Skullius said with a sullen voice. ¡°Yes¡­ Doom Factor 2. It pertains to your soul being bound. Your memories are all tied to that part of your soul that Somanda has. He knows you need it and that¡¯s why you¡¯re bound to cross paths with him again in the future. The first Doom Factor shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem after you evolve into Tier 1. However, to solve the second Doom Factor, you¡¯ll need to search for a powerful expert to assist you in retrieving your soul before a year passes or¡­¡± Skullius was already dreading the second option now despite the pompous derations he had made when he was ignorant to the levels of power. He saw the Arch-Lich in a different light now. A different red light. ¡°¡­ you will need to grow stronger and take it from him on your own.¡± Chapter 92 Answers From A Sympathetic Flame! (2) That¡¯s right. It was at this moment that Skullius realised that he had fleshed up. Massively. To stop Doom Factor 2 from catching up, he had to make sure he either found an expert to help him or to defeat Somanda within a year¡¯s worth of time. Skullius almostughed at himself, making fun of his own previous uninformed self of how ridiculous his thought process had been. Turning Somanda into a Moronic Undead and torturing him for the same amount of time he had been an undead didn¡¯t seem like a possibility anymore. Trying to steer his mind clear of the depressing topic, Skullius decided to ask about the other thing that he always wanted to know about. Serenity had even mentioned it just now. ¡°You already know about my atrocious luck, right? Where did ite from and why does it seem¡­¡± ¡°Inurate? Unsure?¡± Serenity finished Skullius¡¯ words. ¡°Yes, exactly¡­ uhm Serenity¡­ bro,¡± Skullius said, unsure if that was the right term to use when addressing someone like Serenity who didn¡¯t have an appearance he was used to and also¡­ didn¡¯t sound like a bro. A deep sigh of resignation was heard from Serenity before she answered Skullius¡¯ question. ¡°Your atrocious luck is actually rted to Somanda. As a being near Divinity and a powerful undead, he had certain traits that permanently scar organisms hees into contact with, dictating their very makeup. Super debuffs so to speak. Curses. Atrocious luck is the first curse you received when Somanda toyed with your soul. You and every one of your¡­ bros, have your luck subdued. While it barely matters in Deadmand, you can see how troublesome it can be here.¡± ¡®Of course. It¡¯s that socke-¡­ guy again,¡¯ Skullius thought to himself while feeling enraged as the way Serenity had spoken about his soul made him want to grind his teeth.. ¡°So why is it that I¡¯m not always doomed? At some point, my status for luck changed too.¡± ¡°Indeed. . It¡¯s hard to exin without overstepping boundaries. I can¡¯t exin it fully at the moment but as I said before, Direction seems to favour you in a way that it does very few. Even back in your mundane life, it was even more so. Perhaps there¡¯s a greater reason for it which I do not know but it¡¯s this Direction that has started to counter this curse of atrocious luck with each leap you take, in direction, in mind and in strength. It¡¯s not omnipotent though, as your Null Life can be snuffed out easily.¡± ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t make much sense,¡± Skullius said, recalling all the events where his atrocious luck had suddenly turned upside down. It was all something to do with him? His mundane life? This was all top peculiar. ¡®So atrocious luck is actually a curse, huh? The first. Another problem I have to fix. Along with that second one I received.¡¯ Skullius¡¯ thought back to the other curse he had received from Somanda. UNCoddled. He had yet to see what it could really do, but it was a curse for a reason. Bad things were bound to follow with it too. It was all so overwhelming for Skullius¡¯ mind, especially when he heard bad news after bad news. How was he to tackle all this by his lonesome. He couldn¡¯t see a path where he didn¡¯t perish midway. ¡°Skullius¡­¡± Serenity said with a warm voice. ¡°Adversity moulds individuals into their strongest forms. The greater the odds, the brighter the zing light of polish you will show when you ovee everything.¡± ¡°I believe you can make use of this strength to grow vastly stronger to help yourself and ultimately carry out the mission that must be undertaken with Null Life. I invested a lot into this but it all stumbled upon you. Whether there is a grander reason for that or not is no longer my concern. I am choosing to believe in you. Even the Voice of Worlds sees you favourably.¡± ¡°Wait! VOW bro does?!¡± Skullius eximed, feeling a surge of reassurance. ¡°¡­ Uh yes. One of him does at least. The point is that the Voice of Worlds is also a piece I managed to rope in for anyone who managed to attain this power. For now, I need you to focus on grooming your stretch. Both of your strengths. Being able to literally live a double life is merely a dream for others. Null Life and Insurgency. Groom them to their most powerful forms.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Skill asked worriedly. He didn¡¯t have the best outline for how to grow. Mining yes, but fighting no. ¡°When you return, leave the Tremur Forest and explore the basics in Aigas. Learn from the humans and their counterparts the very foundations of magic. Absorb all the knowledge and experience you can with the time you have. When you reach Tier 4, you will be a force to be reckoned with and only then will I disclose your purpose as a holder of Null Life as well as the beauty of the things behind me,¡± Serenity said with a reassuring voice, moving her me body to the side as if to make Skullius yearn to explore this vast world that was hidden behind an intense blur. Skullius¡¯ vision depicted his interest. He really wanted to know what this was all about. Yet, he already had a lot on his te. ¡®Tier 4? Benzard also said something about Tier 4 being when beasts start to truly be a problem. Oh right, there was Onumbassssss too,¡¯ Skullius thought, recalling therge snake that had seemingly seen through [Flesh It Like You Mean It] but he doubted it. Perhaps he would meet another fiendish serpent like that again and learn more about these beasts. Leaving the Tremur Forest to explore the human world would be extremely dangerous as he didn¡¯t know who recognised his disguising skill and who didn¡¯t. Suddenly, Serenity¡¯s body began to flicker, beginning to disappear along with the vast blue world behind her. ¡°It seems our time together hase to an end. With an increase in your strength, there will be longer intervals for us to meet. I very much look forward to it,¡± said Serenity. Skullius didn¡¯t want to part so soon as he still needed more information, but it was no surprise that there was only a limited amount he could receive of it at a time. ¡°Well then, I guess I¡¯ll have to get stronger to get more answers,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Indeed. Don¡¯t be too crestfallen. You¡¯ll see the benefits of your hardwork with each tier. They won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± Serenity¡¯s voice sounded with a smug tone. ¡°I hope so.¡± Serenity¡¯s me grew smaller and smaller, her thoughts of Skullius being left to her and her alone. ¡®Such a pure soul. I can see that he has been conditioned to be the reactionary type. Neither good nor evil. He simply responds to the treatment he receives. No wonder both of Fulgardt¡¯s powers readily epted his control,¡¯ she thought. ¡®I wish you well, Skullius. I hope I can see you in person one day and impart my will just as the Immoral has with his.¡¯ ¡­. Skullius found himself lying on the ground and facing up at the nd ceiling of the room he had entered. He rose and looked around,ter on recalling his conversation with Serenity. Even though there was just as much bad news as good news, Skullius felt a sense of reassurance at least. Someone was looking out for him. He wasn¡¯t naive enough to believe that it was simply because they had taken a liking to him but it was good to know that someone didn¡¯t want him to perish just yet, unlike a few socketholes he knew. VOW bro was also there for support apparently, and Skullius didn¡¯t allow his pessimism to steal the twang of joy he felt at hearing the news. Who knew that merely a few days could develop his character so much? What was the need for a fast pace? ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what this evolution has in store for me first. Serenity said it won¡¯t disappoint and I hope that will be case. Enough strength to fight off the monsters outside would be great or even the power to escape at least. No one said I have to prove anything but fighting all those monsters!¡± Skullius said. His guidance field shed with a message that was a window for a myriad of data to be shared with Skullius concerning his first evolution. [You have broken past many hurdles and reached LV10. You are now able to evolve into the First Tier of power. Do you ept?] ¡°Flesh yeah! No wait¡­ that¡¯s not right. Let¡¯s evolve bro! Show me the good stuff!¡± Skullius eximed. [Loading possible evolution option for ¡®Null Lifeform (Boneman)¡¯¡­.] [Possible evolution options avable for Tier 1:] ¡ª- [Jabbing Junk Skellion] Quickie! Quicks! Quick! Are you looking for speed? Are you desperately looking for that edge you need tost longer in prolonged activity? Then give the Jabbing Junk Skellion a try, getting the most out of every movement! ¡ª¨C [Fulgurant Bone Prator] Prate! Prate! Prate! Only I shall prate the heavens! Only those that know the art of pration are the honoured ones! Dump sh and blunt damage today! ¡ª- [Abominable Pelvis Man] Pelvis Man! Pelvis Man! Does whatever a Pelvis can! A pir of support? A streaking bolt? He¡¯s none of those but a hardbone dolt! ¡ª¨C Skullius was¡­ dumbfounded. The marketing descriptions were back. ¡°¡­Here we go again. I¡¯m already starting to regret this,¡± Skullius said. Chapter 93 Evolution! (1) The names of the evolutions really made Skullius ufortable and he genuinely didn¡¯t know what to do or think for a few minutes. His memory took him back once again to the conversation he had with VOW bro, when the unseen force had told him that Null Life was a power that had unorthodox evolutions. He still didn¡¯t know what the word meant but he sure as hell knew that it definitely meant stuff like this. Outside the norm. Weird. Suckish. Mostly a ck to grey area. Perhaps they would be good and overpowered evolutions that gave him the power to trample the world and Somanda. ¡®Probably not. I want to believe it but my mind just refuses,¡¯ Skullius thought, the image of Somanda once more looming over his thoughts. The Pelvis Man evolution got him a bit excited but he didn¡¯t want to judge before getting the full information on these evolutions. ¡°Let me see the actual descriptions damn it!¡± Skullius barked, prompting the guidance field to expand as it showed information about each evolution. When that happened, Skullius reading through them bit by bit, he almost buckled down to the ground in shock! ¡°This is¡­ this is¡­ this really was totally worth it!¡± he eximed! The numbers! The grandeur! It really was odd. Like really odd but who cared?! Just these three choices bbergasted him and Skullius almost kowtowed to Serenity in a humble expression of loyalty for doubting her words before. ~~~ [Jabbing Junk Skellion] A hyper fast advanced Bone variant that deals high speed attacks to opponents before they even know what hit them. Its structure is altered in order to facilitate rapid movements and at the same time use less energy as distribution of mana is focused on integral areas. While it has low defence with less dense bones, its attributes guarantee that it can see and dodge attacks efficiently.. (Due to its unique powers, the Jabbing Junk Skellion has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Jabbing Junk Skellion must run a hundred thousand mile distance everyday or else its skills and natural agility will be removed for two days) ___ +1500 Mana +500 Health +300 Agility +100 Strength +75 Intelligence -Mad Rush -Passive Rush -Bone To Phase -sh Variant -sh Summon: Sixth Null Speed Deity _ -If you choose this race, you will have multiple other evolution choices within this series all the way up go the ¡°#%!$%#!¡±. -Possibility of gaining a Veneration art with future evolutions. -Possibility of gaining a Null Speed Aura in future. ¡ª [Fulgurant Bone Prator] This is a favoured Bone variant that has the unique affinity to an element that only resides within the world of ¡°%^#%!¡±, Silentburn Levin. It has quick reflexes and movement speed that stems from the Silentburn Levin as well as a ridiculous amount of pration damage. All movements with the intent to prate are given a 100% pration damage this percentage also being included in movement speed. The Fulgurant Bone Prator has its structure adjusted for speed and massive power output. It is generally decent in defence but its maniption of Silentburn Levin guarantees that it will be block most forms of damage. (Due to its unique powers, the Fulgurant Bone Prator has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Fulgurant Bone Prator CANNOT inflict any damage with themon forms of attacks. Only attacks with the intent to prate deal any damage) ___ +3000 Mana +600 Health +250 Strength +175 Agility +50 Intelligence -Fulgurant Virulence -Fulgurous Space Virulence -Iridescent Levin Tempest -Ful Discharge -Silent Revtion of the Bright King _ -If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to the ¡°#%^!¡±. -Possibility of gaining a Veneration art in future evolutions ¡ª [Abominable Pelvis Man] A powerful Bone variant whose main strength lies in sturdiness. The Pelvis Man has a powerful body that cannot be easily damaged. However, the bulk of its uniqueness lies in the fact that it has the traits of the pelvis actualised into attributes and qualities. All forms of damage are transmitted through its body and down to the ground, nullifying much of their effect. It can naturally expand its bones as well as toughen them to protect itself. Its most unique trait is the ability to ¡®Bnce¡¯. The Pelvis Man can equalise an exchange with most opponents, bringing a fight to a more or less equal match up. (Due to its unique powers, the Abominable Pelvis Man has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Abominable Pelvis Man MUST NOT harm innocents. Doing so will call upon The Anchor from ¡°%#$!¡±for judgement.) ___ +1500 Mana +800 Health +290 Strength +120 Agility +50 Intelligence -Cradle To The Graveyard -Brilliant Bnce Buckler -Pelvis Man Majestic Attire -Hero¡¯s Fist -Hero¡¯s Hero _ If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to ¡°¡±#%^!¡±. -Possibility of gaining a Supreme Skill in the next evolution. ~~~ ¡°Ridiculous! I can¡¯t believe all these stats!¡± Skullius said after reading the descriptions. What captured his attention more than the stats, were the texts exining that he could gain a Veneration art in the future! ¡°Is Veneration amon thing?¡± Skullius asked himself. He scratched his head and reread the evolutions. They had their individual uniqueness which made his choice especially hard. What could he choose? What did he need the most? Which one exactly? Which path would allow him to merge his powers proficiently with his ss, Vehement Bone Nullmancer? Skullius pondered for quite a while, taking in all these options before his sockets brightened up with fierce mes. It was always a matter of choice and Skullius didn¡¯t hate moments like this. In fact, it brought up the memory of his thousand year captive life as well as his conversation with Dezrael. The ¡®lesson¡¯ he had received about making a choice made him scoff and take this chance seriously. A skeleton from the Deadmand boonies getting a choice. Who knew?! ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make a choice. Chapter 94 Evolution! (2) The Pelvis Man was the most attractive to Skullius solely based off of its ability to take a punch. It was greatly defensive and from the looks of it, it had a good amount of offense. After being under constant pummelling from the creatures of this world, Skullius couldn¡¯t imagine being able to handle it when he faced stronger opponents like the man who had killed his host, Eldris when he had been using [Basic Evil Invasion]. Such instances made him want to bolster his defence, as now, he was no longer under the constant pressure of having to deal with Doom Factor 1. He didn¡¯t know the exact way in which Doom Factor 1 would respond to him bing Tier 1 but he would find out soon enough. The Pelvis Man had the future possibility of gaining a Supreme Skill which was attractive to Skullius to some degree but because he didn¡¯t knew the intricacies of variation between the types of skills, he didn¡¯t feel all that hyped. Perhaps using [Flesh It Like You Mean It] and [Lifeless Evolution] as case studies would have helped but it wouldn¡¯t generate enough excitement for him. On the other hand, Skullius wanted to bolster his offense because of theing dangers, particrly, the immediate one that was lying in wait behind the door. He was also more interested in the Jabbing Junk Skellion and Fulgurant Bone Prator because they had higher offensive potential plus, they offered Veneration arts. Even without fully understanding what Veneration arts were, Skullius was all the more looking forward to it. Fleshing people up was always a delight. What really rubbed him the wrong way were the ws. ¡°If I be a Pelvis Man, I¡¯ll have to restrict myself to not killing innocents. That¡¯s trash. How am I supposed to earn more experience then? Then again, the Skellion has to run 100,000 miles everyday. I¡¯m not sure how far that is but it seems a little too long. The Prator can¡¯t do damage with actions that aren¡¯t pration? That¡¯s weird as flesh,¡± Skullius said, voicing his thoughts. The high stats were promising though. Skullius had initially thought with one of these, he could even contend with creatures he had seen the stats of like Onumbassssss, but then he recalled¡­ ¡°Wait! There¡¯s the thing about cores. Onumbassssss had a blue core! I wonder how strong that makes you.¡± Skullius also remembered Eldris¡¯ stats. They were weak stats yet they had a boldened texts as if to reflect that these weren¡¯t your typical numbers. Skullius couldn¡¯t even see Eldris¡¯ core colour. This was another mystery he had to tackle. His excitement died down as he thought to Benzard who had a blue core.. ¡°I still have a white core. I don¡¯t think an increase in my stats like this will just make me bully the guy. I still have to y it smart,¡± Skullius said before running through the descriptions again and finally making a choice. There was just too much he wanted and a whole lot of weird stuff. He turned to elimination when all else failed, opting for what he thoughtpatible with him. A great offense that¡¯s more or less bnce with just enough uniquess for him to pick it up. ¡°I choose¡­ Fulgurant Bone Prator.¡± Skullius¡¯ core pulsed, the guidance field acknowledging his choice and beginning to allow for the changes necessary to take ce. [You have chosen ¡®Fulgurant Bone Prator¡¯ as your race] [Your race is being upgraded, changes in progress] Immediately after the notification assaulted Skillius¡¯ eyes, a tremendous wave of power mmed the Boneman to the ground! It was heavy and overbearing yet silent. Skullius didn¡¯t struggle, allowing himself to feel every change that would ur. And changes came indeed! A deep blue hue expanded from Skullius and receded back to his bony figure! Right then, a spark flickered across the floor, followed by another and another. The small sparks turned into arcs and then chains of lightning that roiled around the figure of the Boneman! Even with all this, no sound came from this lightning that bore no resemnce to the natural element. It had a gradient of two colours in a harmonious mix; sky and navy blue! When it scorched the floor with its power, one could not underestimate its brilliance and uniqueness. Silentburn Levin! Hundreds of arcs of this element burst from Skullius¡¯ body that began to float in the air, the space around him beginning to brighten up! Skullius¡¯ armless shoulder was assaulted by the lightning heavily, a super bright sh emanating as shockingly, an bony arm began to form within the fulgrous shes of lightning! As this happened, Skullius¡¯ full body began to change. An additional pair of sockets appeared on his skull, the pre-existing ones moving slightly below to amodate the new ones and giving the appearance a more natural feel! All four sockets, two on each side zed with a fierce light blue me that almost shot from the metamorphosing Boneman! His bones becamerger and thick, his height increasing by a bit to touch upon 2.3 meters! A dark blue colour transitioned over the foggy grey of his bones, small bits of Silentburn Levin rushing along the surface of his form in extremely minute proportions constantly! When these changespleted, the Silentburn Levin that was smashing together against his shoulder had fully formed a powerful new arm that matched the rest of Skullius¡¯ body! Within Skullius¡¯ ribs, arge white core could be seen, ring like a very bright torch through the cracks of the ArchLight Generation Keeper that was struggling to contain his shape. Arger upper frame with thick arms and a broad chest, the full figure not making Skullius look like an upside down carrot, was the full outline of the new Fulgurant Bone Prator. ¡°Hoo¡­.¡± Skullius opened his mouth, a burst of mana being released like a splotch of hot air. He looked at himself, admiring his appearance with his four zing sockets. [Congrattions! You have evolved into Tier 1, bing a ¡®Fulgurant Bone Prator¡¯] [You have gained 3000 Mana] [You have gained 600 Health] [You have gained 250 Strength] [You have gained 175 Agility] [You have gained 50 Intelligence] [You have acquired the ¡®Fulgurant Bone Prator¡¯ exclusive skills] [All standard Null Lifeform skills have levelled up!] ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Skullius cackled with a slightly deeper voice. ¡°Oh¡­.even my voice has changed. Great! cking my teeth wasn¡¯t cutting it for me anymore anyway.¡± ¡°My stats are ridiculous! I could kill all the goblins I want with this! My other skills levelled up too?¡± Skullius checked his status and cackled bitterly upon seeing its entirety. His Discount Human form and Boneman form really were two different existences. There was no [Evil Darkness] or [Just Light] in his panel anymore. It was a bummer but he didn¡¯t feel too down. [Congrattions, you have attained a unique element from your race] [As a ¡®Fulgurant Bone Prator¡¯, you possess Silentburn Levin, an element from ¡°#%^@!¡±. With it, you are able to use Serenity damage to ughter their your foes] ¡°Serenity damage, huh? I wonder what it does,¡± Skullius said. His core bled mana as he thought of the other races he couldn¡¯t pick but this one didn¡¯t seem to disappoint. [You have reached Tier 1. Your mana reserves have vastly increased. Doom Factor 1 demands a total of 2000 Mana Points for a three day exemption period] ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius didn¡¯t understand what this notification meant. He scratched his head as read it again, trying to get a feel of what it was trying to say. ¡°Hmm. Does it mean that if I give this amount, it won¡¯t bother me for 3 days? If that¡¯s the case then fine! Better than having to deal with this every time,¡± Skullius said before consenting. He felt a portion of his mana from hisrge mana core vanish as it was used up for Doom Factor 1. It felt good to have so much mana and better yet, have it be refilled by the ArchLight Generation Keeper immediately! [Doom Factor 1 is temporarily cured. Resuming pursuit in 72 hours] ¡°¡­ okay I guess.¡± Skullius couldn¡¯t express it but he was extremely confused and irritated. Doom Factor 1 would return. He had thought that he would have to sustain himself by having [Basic Mana Maniption] infinitely but that didn¡¯t seem to be case. Or rather, it wasn¡¯t his only option. With that out of the way, Skullius analysed every aspect of his body, finding the running arcs of Silentburn Levin continuously racing along the fibre of his strong bones. His hope was reignited. As he looked at his figure, the sorry state of the ArchLight Generation Keeper didn¡¯t sit right with him. This masterpiece was merely a few hits away from destruction and he would lose his long standing benefit if he didn¡¯t do something about it. Maybe he could find another one to use for jow and store this one safely? Could there truly be a stronger plot armour? Scratch that ¡®armour¡¯? His sockets turned to the two wooden chests that were within the room. ¡®I still have to see what¡¯s in those. Maybe there¡¯s something really good but¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he ced his bony hand on the chest te of the ArchLight Generation Keeper where the strange insignia was carved. ¡°Let me upgrade this real quick.¡± Chapter 95 Grand Appearance! A stare down was continuing behind the spiral grove doors, Sause vigntly eyeing the remains of Fulgardt. Many thoughts sprawled within his mind. He wanted to investigate the door and try to find out anything significant but the skeleton before him didn¡¯t back down. It continuously held him down, blocking him off each time he showed the faintest intent to move over to another position. There was a way to bypass this, but it would probably flop because the method to do so would lead to Fulgardt killing his investment, Benzard. Just like when Sause had told Benzard and Reon to kill Skullius, Fulgardt¡¯s remains stopping Reon¡¯s de when it was about to decapitate Skullius afterwards, it became evident that this corpse reacted vigorously to stronger energy signatures within its range. Sause, who had subdued his powers the whole time had let loose in order to attract Fulgardt¡¯s attention and to allow Benzard and Reon to kill Skullius. Unfortunately, that hadn¡¯t gone as he thought it would. His prized investment had almost died along with his primary pawn. If he hadn¡¯t sacrificed a huge chunk of his powers to make Benzard stronger through the link they shared through the ss he had given the man¡­ The thought caused the naked giant to grind his teeth, showing a fierce agitation. He gave a wary nce to therge ymore that was in Fulgardt¡¯s hand, gusts of darkness like smoke leaking from it. ¡®That young challenger¡­¡¯ he thought, his gaze shifting to Fulgardt¡¯s arm where strange flesh was creeping up to a stop at the chest. ¡®Fulgardt really was looking for a sessor to his power but had a failsafe in case it took too long. Endless challengers being given a portion of his power for free only to cultivate it and lose it to Fulgardt when it had grown within them.¡¯ It was such a tragic concept. No matter how long it took, Fulgardt was willing to go through with it.. Given how much time had passed, it seemed like the process wasn¡¯t so simple. Was it even possible to bring one from the dead? ¡®I¡¯m not sure if those that die in the Labyrinth in general have the power sapped and given back to Fulgardt too or if its only those that manage to reach this ce. . What¡¯s the use in thinking about this?¡¯ Sause transitioned to thinking about how to deal with Skullius instead of hypothesising over something he clearly wouldn¡¯t learn of fully in the short run. ¡®Killing him as I intended would be ideal as he is an anomaly.¡¯ Sause thought back to how such a weak human had reached a ce where powerful experts failed, even gaining the protection of Fulgardt from hispulsion earlier. This made Sause want to kill him so badly yet¡­ Sause¡¯s eyes gazed at the bloody remains of Reon and he grimaced. ¡®Since my other n was not sessful, I¡¯ll need that boy¡¯s Key to escape this ce. Tsk, back to square one.¡¯ The figure of Benzard stood by the doors, a resolute look nted on his face. He didn¡¯t forget the fear he had experienced when Skullius had used [Pseudo Evil Veneration]! How Reon had died so easily! How he had even been gotten the better of when he was using Full Body Aura! Was this weak Foundation Stage human actually strong the whole time? That didn¡¯t make sense! That darkness that spewed from Skullius¡¯ mouth was definitely the same as the darkness he had been using after he passed through that strange dark and light path! Still, he couldn¡¯t do something so incredible with it even after those tough battles. Benzard squeezed the swords hilt as he awaited for Skullius toe out. Even if Skullius gained Fulgardt¡¯s power, as a lower level being, he would probably not be able to use it or defend if attacked the moment he set foot out of the spiral groves door. ¡®Come on, I¡¯m strong! I can¡¯t falter now. I just have to withstand this for a bit longer. How can I be afraid of a Foundation Stage boy with what I can do now? I just need to get this over with,¡¯ Benzard thought , pushing away the remnants of shock within him. He turned to Sause who was pinned down by Fulgardt and recalled what he had been told after Skullius entered. He was to remain vignt and wait for Skullius toe out. It had been a quite a while since Skullius vanished into the door. No one knew when he would appear or if he would. Perhaps there was another trial inside that he had fallen prey to. That was a good assumption but unfortunately¡­ GURRR! Suddenly, therge spiral groves doors began to open up! They made a rumbling noise that signalled the return of a certain being, their image as they opened as if of reverence to the one who exited. Thick bursts of [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] jutted out, blinding everyone from the view of the new being that would shock the world! Sause frowned as he saw doors opening. The scene made him reconsider what he had to do with this being who wasn¡¯t yet visible. This marvellous grandeur must mean that the young challenger had seeded. But what on earth had he gained for such a procession toid for him? TNK! TNK! TNK! CLINK! CLINK! Heavy metallic footsteps and heavy chain shes were heard, with Benzard being the first one to see the unclear image of an individual that came from the door, leaving the veil of the two elements. Then¡­ this figure came into view, Benzard noticing the tall structure and four bursts of light that came from his face! ¡­.! ¡°What¡­. what..¡± Benzard¡¯s expression turned unsightly when he saw fully the head of this creature¡­ and its thick, domineering armour that made him tremble. ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Sause hummed out loud with a deep frown of disgust while Fulgardt¡¯s remains turned to Skullius expressionlessly (obviously) but didn¡¯t show much of reaction. A bald skeleton with four sockets that spewed a bright me, small sparks appearing on its skull from time to time walked out for all to see. A slightly bulky armour adorned its body, looking like a cross between a scale mail and full te armour. A beautiful bluish ck pervaded on its surface, a shiny silver insignia visible on the chest te of a rather ominous horned demon face with three eyes and an unrealistic grin. The shoulder pieces and knee caps were of the same design, except being like carefully crafted heads of the insignia with beams of lighting from the demon¡¯s eyes! The touch that made this armour even more extravagant was the long, ck chains that wrapped around the it in an strange, disorderly fashion. They had small, but numerous bright blue runes etched over each one of their segments. Benzard couldn¡¯t help but stare at the grinning demon etched to the skeletons armour, each passing second making him feel like the demon¡¯s face would jump out and devour him! He questioned this odd urrence with a sweaty face. Where was that guy who had entered just now? Just what had happened in there?! ¡°What¡¯s an undead doing?!¡± he barked, his hands never loosening their grip over his sword. Skullius head tilted to the side as he heard Benzard¡¯s words. ¡°Heh¡­. Bro..¡± Skullius said with an eerie deep voice. ¡°I¡¯m not an undead.¡± Chapter 96 Clash Of Flash (1) ¡®I feel like I¡¯m going to have to say that a lot in the future,¡¯ Skullius thought. He had never felt so good inside in his entire death and Null Life The look on Benzard¡¯s face was priceless. He looked to be confused and wary, Skullius¡¯ deractipn having made him even more unsettled. Not an undead? What did that even meaning from a skeleton donning armour?! Skullius took into the ount the fact that this guy didn¡¯t lessen his vignce one bit. He was a warrior for sure. He didn¡¯t drop his guard. ¡®Heh¡­ I¡¯m not the same as I was some minutes ago bro.¡¯ The armour that Skullius donned was the result of him using 2000 Null Life Essence Points to upgrade the ArchLight Generation Keeper. The more points he inputted, the better the random upgrade, which was why he had opted to use double the amount needed for a [Permanent Random Upgrade]. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like Skullius could obtain anything higher than a rare item with his previous limit of Null Life Essence. But now it was possible. He just needed the Null Life Essence for it. During the process of upgrading, Skullius had tried to consciously manipte what he wanted to keep from the armour but found it extremely difficult. High level features of all items were hard to keep, but not impossible. At the very least, he got to keep two features. One by his own actions and the other was more like a by-product of using [Unbound] on such a unique effect of the armour. ~~~ [Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation] This a unique armour created on the mountains of ¡°#%^@!¡± by the second Null Devil King to make his kin obey and fear him. It isplemented by the Chains of Damnation. It is made of five special ores that improve the armour¡¯s toughness and strength by great deal but reduces its flexibility. -Defense- 1200 -Durability- 2000/2000. -Special Effects- ?Can store objects of various kinds. Currently stored ¨C Helmet, Chest, Voiding Key¡­ ?Increases Mana by 1500. ?Increases Mana Regeneration by 100% ?+30% Strength ¨C [Skill: Fear Me] The armour constantly releases an aura that causes weaker beings to fear the user and be docile. [Skill: The Forge] Whenever an enemy approaches the user, they are subjected to a glimpse of the hellscape from which the armour was forged which can cause physical and mental harm depending on how strong their mental strength is. ¡ª [Sub: Chains of Damnation] -Damage- 800-990 -Durability- 1500/1500 -Special Effects- ?Can induce terror and weakness when binding a target. ?Causes all living things excruciating pain when it makes contact. ?Can be used to block physical damage. ?Does anything the will of the usermands. ¨C [Skill: Damnation] Using the Chains of Damnation, drag a target down below to the Null Devil¡¯s Dungeon where millions of souls wail under the torture of the King¡¯s Inferno. Mana Requirements: 1000 Mana Points Duration: 1 minute Cooldown: 1 day ~~~ Skullius had managed to save the storage effect of the armour while [Unbound] took the mana storage skill and made it into an additional effect to bolster his mana capacity and regeneration. Skullius couldn¡¯tin at all. This was really good. He had stored one of the chests within the room where Fulgardt¡¯s legacy was, the Voiding Key, armour helmet and a few other things after rummaging. Yes. The space for storage within the armour wasn¡¯t too big, but it could store quite a lot! The Fulgurant Bone Prator had put everything he had found within, including the Voiding Key which he was ready to use at any time! ¡®Right! What kind of a Bonem- I mean Prator would I be if I ran away from a challenge. I have to see what I can do in this new form anyway. If it gets problematic, I¡¯ll just escape with the Voiding Key.¡¯ This is what Skullius had decided to do after he was done rummaging through the room for anything important. He had gained quite a lot from the first chest he opened, which gave him to confidence but caution wasn¡¯t thrown out the window. ¡®Heh¡­ I can¡¯t wait to test it all out,¡¯ Skullius thought. There was an immense risk, but seeing as the situation was the same as when he had left, Sause being held by Fulgardt, Skullius didn¡¯t think that he would be in too much danger, not that he underestimated Benzard though. Sause couldn¡¯t tear his eyes off Skullius. He couldn¡¯t imagine what exactly was going on at all. ¡®Does Fulgardt¡¯s legacy turn someone into an undead? No that¡¯s impossible. Fulgardt wouldn¡¯t collude with those bastards¡­ in this way at least. Is this another guardian then?¡¯ Sause hypothesised. He gazed intently at Skullius, and as he focused his senses, he found that this navy blue skeleton in front of him¡­ didn¡¯t emit any Undeath energy! ¡®What?¡¯ Sause frowned even more deeply. This didn¡¯t make sense. The armour that the skeleton donned did have a peculiar effect that sought to make him fear Skullius but that didn¡¯t work on him. Just what was going on? Everything to do with that young challenger had not turned out as he thought it would! Benzard also couldn¡¯tprehend what he was about to face. There was barely any presence from this skeleton with zing blue mesing from its four sockets. Skullius scoffed. He would not make any sudden moves yet. Not until he verified something. ¡®Let¡¯s see if it works now.¡¯ His guidance field popped up as he looked at Benzard, a status finally showing up of the brown haired man. ~~~ [ Name : Benzard Astin ] [ Level : 15 ] [ ss : Perpetual Colossus (Iplete) ] [ Core : Blue ] [ Race : Human ] [ Inv. Status : Vignt ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ STRENGTH (I) : 34 ] [AGILITY (I) : 21 ] [ INTELLIGENCE (I) : 18 ] [ ENDURANCE (I) : 20 ] [ LUCK : 13 ] ¡ª¨C [ HEALTH : 2340/2340 ] ¡ª¡ª [ MANA (I) : 905/905 ] ~~~ ¡®I see¡­ it¡¯s like how Eldris¡¯ stats looked like. I wonder what it means exactly,¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®I can see the core colour now too.¡¯ Skullius held the chain around his armour, pulled on it and watched it rush out to his side as if it had a mind of its own! The chain wrapped around the [Baleful Gale Reaper] which was lying on the ground and reeled it in on its own, bringing the wind elemental sword to Skillius! As soon as the sword reached Skullius hand, he felt a shudder in the mana around the spacious room, Benzard already appearing before him with his sword crackling with lightning! Skullius wasn¡¯t flustered this time as he could see it now, even though it was a rushing blur that he couldn¡¯t keep up with, he could still see the figure assaulting close in! Benzard¡¯s sword cleaved its way down at Skullius¡¯ head, red lightning fiercely radiating the power of the Perpetual Colossus and aiming to split Skullius in half! Yet¡­ Around the figure of Skullius where he stood with the chains around him, his four sockets gleaming as they focused on the enemy, the scenery suddenly changed! A burst of ferocious heat surrounded Skullius, bright redva oozing with carefree movement sliding under his armoured feet! ¡­! A series of vast mountains under an unclear sky also appeared, spewing the heated rock everywhere as if an apocalypse was set upon this unidentified world! The heat caught Benzard by surprise and as he ceased his attack, his thoughts switching to wondering where he was to stand when there wasva all around messing up his rhythm! His bright red lightning was devoured under the image of the dancing, heated air and orange hue within the area! He was distracted! He was frightened! He took his opponent too lightly in this moment while focusing on the changedndscape, leaving himself wide open for his opponent to attack freely! ¡®Check this one out¡­¡¯ Skullius thought, extending his hand towards the flustered Benzard while pumping mana into it! ¡°Ful Discharge!¡± There was no sound. No prelude. Just a bright sh of light as a streak of silent lightning¡­ of Silentburn Levin left Skullius¡¯ armoured fingers with a gradient of different shades of blue, hurtling towards Benzard! Chapter 97 Clash Of Flash (2) An exquisite sh of lightning sted onto Benzard who didn¡¯t realise it until he felt the heavy and scorching sensation that assaulted his back! It was much more fierce than the heat than he had experienced when he had been caught up in the skill of Skullius¡¯ armour, [The Forge], which had introduced him to the ce where it was made! Benzard flew, carried by the lightning as it ate away at his skin and attempted to prate his very being! He hurriedly coated himself in mana to mitigate the rest of the attack as he then fell down, billows of smokeing from the portion of his unprotected body that had been burnt by this new element that Skullius wielded. Silentburn Levin! ¡®Heh! It¡¯s really effective. I finally have something to fight this sockethole with,¡¯ Skullius thought. When he had read the description to the skill [Ful Discharge], he had been itching to test it out. But it wasn¡¯t the only thing. Far from it. ~~~ [Ful Discharge | Lv.1] A concentrated streak of Silentburn Levin that can burn the target. It deals 10% Serenity damage. Mana Requirements: 250 Mana Points Duration: None Cooldown: 5 seconds ~~~ Benzard stood up, his hand still firmly gripping his sword.. He couldn¡¯t believe the subsequent blows he had suffered from Skullius much less how he had suffered them. He gritted his teeth. Sparks of red started toe from his body as he prepared to attack with a direction approach. However¡­ He suddenly felt drowsy. A shallow sense of weakness overtook him and Benzard almost dropped his sword, his strength beginning to fade. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­ Why do I feel weak all of.. a sudden¡­¡¯ He staggered and stumbled but pulled himself together just enough so that he wouldn¡¯t fall over. The urge to close his eyes and just sleep came in very strong, trying to put him down. A sense of weightlessness embraced him. For a few moments, it was like he didn¡¯t have a body and the bliss that came with that sensation caused him to rx. ¡®Ah¡­.¡¯ Benzard sighed, his sword beginning to slip from his fingers. Sause who was watching from a distance frowned. ¡°Heh¡­ so this is Serenity damage,¡± Skullius mumbled to himself, seeing the odd movements of Benzard. It was more effective than he had thought and he didn¡¯t waste the chance. Skullius held on tight to the Baleful Gale Reaper and shot forward! As he did, streaks of Silentburn Levin flickered on his body fiercely, amplifying his movement speed! Before even Skullius knew it himself, he was already facing the temporarily incapacitated Benzard with his sword ready to strike, fierce winds gushing around its de eagerly! The swords special effect was activated as the winds promised to shred Benzard¡¯s skin! Benzard gritted his teeth as he tried to free his body and mind from the strange feeling of weightlessness but it was toote! Skullius cackled as he shed down with his sword, his many points of Strength causing the rock on the floor which was under Benzard¡¯s feet tremble and part! SLASH! The sword shed from Benzard¡¯s shoulder to side ferociously, the man who had eaten the attack opening his eyes wide in shock. However¡­ Skullius¡¯ sockets also zed with a shocked light! ¡°Huh?¡± Where Benzard should have had a deep gash across his body was¡­ no sign of an injury at all! This shock gave Benzard the little push he needed to snap out of his stupor. Skullius leapt back and analysed Benzard warily. ¡®Why didn¡¯t it work? I put my back into it, dammit!¡¯ On the other side, Benzard finally felt the feeling in his limbs get restored, his weight being something that he was quite aware of now. He was about to sigh in relief when his body suddenly jerked and he felt an immense wave of pain from his insides! He vomited mouthfuls of blood, feeling the damage he had received to his organs somehow to be extensive! ¡®What happened?! Thatst sword attack didn¡¯t do anything to me. Then what could it be¡­¡¯ It then hit Benzard. That lightning st! As soon as he had been hit by it, he had felt drowsy and weightless. When he was in that confused state, was it possible that his body was receiving continuous damage while he was in a reverie, unable to respond or feel it?! He only acknowledged this damage after he regained its senses. Benzard¡¯s eyes looked to Skullius who was also looking at him, a myriad of thoughts racing through his head. ¡®This thing! I can¡¯t attack up close and it can deal this strange yet devastating level of damage. What a tricky opponent. However, I won¡¯t be losing this fight¡­¡¯ he thought. Skullius on the other, other hand hade to know why his attack didn¡¯t work after scrolling throuhb the description of his race. Apparently, he had forgotten the w of the Fulgurant Bone Prator. He could not inflict damage to opponents by normal means. Only attacks meant to prate could do damage! shing, swiping, sweeping. All those would LITERALLY deal no damage! ¡®I underestimated that w I guess. At least now, I understand it better. It even affects the weapon I¡¯m using. Kek¡­ But still¡­ that¡¯s not enough for me to lose,¡¯ Skullius thought. BOOOOM! BZZZT! BZZZT! The floor shuddered under the explosive power of Benzard who radiated thick bolts of red lightning. His brown hair becameced in squirming streaks, his body bing a bit more muscr and ripped, the damage he had received internally healing at a quick rate. The red tattoos on his face gleamed as they suddenly turned ck, Benzard¡¯s eyes turning golden from their usual grey and their ferocity taunting Skullius to approach if he dared. ¡®Passively increasing my strength won¡¯t work anymore. I might as well use my trump card and see what it¡¯s all about.¡¯ The Prator was shocked by this disy of strength. Red bursts of lightning from Benzard graced his armour even from his distance. ¡®There it is again. His power increased. What happened to this guy?¡¯ Skullius thought. Benzard had received the ss of ¡®Perpetual Colossus¡¯ from Sause just hours ago. As Benzard had said before. It was a simple ss. It increased his strength passively the more he used it, dying all of his traits with a red tint. Strength, speed, agility, skills, recovery and all other aspects of his power would be increased. With each passing day, he would experience a 3% growth to EVERY aspect of his strength individually, which he was continuing to receive as time went by for the current day. The tattoo on his face represented the fact that he was using the powers of his ss, and when they turned ck, it meant that he was using his trump card. With it, Benzard could summon a power increase of up to 5 days, which was 15% and apply it to one day, however the effect was temporary and he wouldn¡¯t gain any increase in strength for the days he had used up. Even with all this, it wasn¡¯tplete as Sause¡­ was still alive. Benzard red at Skullius and did something that was known to be impossible for someone in his Stage. ¡°Full Body Aura!¡± he roared, the entire area bing died in bright and destructive bolts of lightning that stormed the entire ce, causing a rumbling! Skullius cackled. He was not afraid. He was excited. He could have easily run away but this is what he needed. A strong opponent to fight after his growth in strength. Even as he felt the overbearing energy of the Aura from Benzard, he wasn¡¯t fazed, pumping out mana to cause a burst of Silentburn Levin to storm out of his body andpete with Benzard¡¯s lightning. A glorious sh of light had officially begun. Chapter 98 Clash Of Flash (3) ~~~ [ Name : Skullius ] [ Tier : 1 ] [ ss : Vehement Bone Nullmancer ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Core : White ] [ Race : Fulgurant Bone Prator ] [ Inv. Status : Doomed (Adverse) x2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 310 ] [Agility : 205 ] [ Intelligence : 125 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 670/670 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 3120/3320 ]. ¡ª¡ª- [ Null Life Essence : 1000/6000 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Skills ] [ Basic Mana Maniption | Lv. 14 ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 2] [ Static Limbo ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Unbound | Lv. 2 ] [ Null Life Aura | Lv. 2 ] [ Greater Communication | Lv. 2 ] [ Artless Dodger | Lv.1 ] [ Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno | Lv. 3 ] [ Mana Bolt | Lv. 4 ] [ Luminous Healing | Lv.1 ] [ Apostle Summon | Lv.2 ] [ Apostle Armament | Lv.2 ] [ Depths of Core | Lv. 2 ] [ Bringer of All | Lv.1 ] NEW [ Fulgurant Virulence | Lv. 1 ] [ Fulgurous Space Virulence | Lv. 1] [ Iridescent Levin Tempest | Lv. 1] [ Ful Discharge | Lv. 1 ] [ Silent Revtion of the Bright King | Lv. 1 ] ~~~ Skullius streaked across the room, dodging iing bolts of lightning while feeling like he was going to be trampled by Benzard¡¯s Aura which stretched further than when he had used it before! Benzard narrowed his eyes and drew back, mindful of being dragged back into that strange world by Skullius. He chose to attack from a distance as the red, lightning filled Aura of his supported his attacks. He swiped through the air with his sword, a visible sh with lightning that vibrated like static firing towards Skullius with immense speed! Skullius couldn¡¯t react to such a profound speed as the only thing he saw was a bright red light zipping towards him! However, something else could react in time! The long chain around him sensed his distress and whipped itself against the iing lightning! TZAAAP! The ss between the thick chain and the lightning rocked the ground, shattering a huge crater under, at the moment of impact! However, Benzard didn¡¯t stop to gawk,unching several more attacks of the same level that blitzed their way to Skullius ferociously with earth shaking noises! Skullius focused his mana into the chain, his passive generation of Silentburn Levin causing for the thick chain to beced in the thick bolts of it as it went on to turn into a blur that shattered the lightning attacks thrown its master¡¯s way! TZAAAP! TZAAP! BOOM! The Chain of Damnation could move on its own reacting to situations by sensing its master¡¯s thoughts and intentions. It could also move decisively of its own ord. It was roughly seven meters long and its ability to tank high powered attacks was just as powerful as the armour. Skullius didn¡¯t back away, bing covered in Levin as he dashed forward, his vision bing like tunnelled as he hurtled towards the constantly retreating Benzard! Benzard, lowered his stance as red lightning built around his body too! He then thrusted his sword forward, a terrifying st of lightning as thick as a full grown man barrelling towards Skullius with a horrendous noise! The bolt illuminated the entire space with a blinding bloody hue that signalled an end! Skullius couldn¡¯t dodge such a quick attack. It was only natural. He refused to have the chains sh against the thick bolt either as he feared they would sustain damage and thus he decided to meet the attack head on with his own! He thrusted the Baleful Gale Reaper directly towards the attack the massive bolt, the Levin he produced covering the sword in a magnificent light! When the two shed, sparks flew along with a ridiculous noise as if a mad screech erupting! BOOOM! SHCREEEE! ¡­! Benzard couldn¡¯t help but be shocked when he saw what was before him! The Baleful Gale Reaper tore through the bolt of lightning that he had sent Skullius way even though one could see it being broken down! 100% pration damage! Whenever an action of Skullius was sent with the intent to break through, to prate, 100% pration damage would be added! The red bolt was seamlessly cut through, Skulliusughing at how he had finally seen the correct way to do it! To prate! He zipped forward, arriving in front of Benzard for a head on sh! As he approached, Benzard noticed that he wasn¡¯t dragged into that hellscape again! ¡®Does it only work when I approach it instead?¡¯ he thought, bringing his sword in a quick motion to parry Skullius¡¯ which stabbed forward with all his might packed behind it! TIING! Skullius¡¯ sword was blown back, the Prator staggering as he felt the immense strengthing from Benzard¡¯s hand. ¡®Damn! He¡¯s stronger than me!¡¯ Skulliusined. Benzard gracefully whipped his sword tens of times against Skullius, the speed with which he made the movements not being discernible to Skullius at all! The Chains of Damnation responded, but could only block so many of the shes before a whole bunch of the high powered attacks reached Skullius! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH¡­ Skullius barely felt anything as the armour protected him, merely having shallow gashes from the onught! ¡®That¡¯s one strong armour. That thing itself is terrible at using its weapon, though. What if I switch to this¡­¡¯ Benzard remarked internally before he switched his sword to his left hand andunched a straight punch towards Skullius! Once again, Skullius couldn¡¯t even see the attacking, but he felt the danger! He drew mana from his core to incite his body to produce more Levin which gathered into his eyes without himmanding it! Skullius¡¯ sockets brightened up just as they had when he had evolved, lightning threatening to spill out and this time¡­ it did! TZUUM! A gradient of light and dark blue poured out of Skullius sockets in the form of two lightning beams stormed towards Benzard! ..! Having already been in the middle of flinging his fist, Benzard could only do so much in the way of dodging the frightful beams as he recalled what one bolt had done to him before! He withdrew his punch and opted to dodge, but the tangling burst of Levin grazed his shoulder, roasting his flesh and causing him serious pain that made him emit a low grunt! Yet¡­ Benzard didn¡¯t let this impede his goal. He swiped with his sword towards Skullius¡¯ unguarded head with his left hand, the de reaching the Prator in an instant as eager and red hot gale sought to obliterate it in one blow! The faithful Chains of Damnation came to the rescue again, wrapping themselves around Benzard¡¯s sword and pulling it in the opposite direction to reduce its momentum! Benzard was a little surprised by how fast these chains were but he didn¡¯t relent, flinging his right hand in the form of fist into Skullius¡¯ armoured chest while rings of lightning powered his attack! BOOM! A red shockwave emerged on impact along with the sound of collision akin to two hunks of metal knocking against each other! The Prator flew and smashed the wall on the other side! Hisrge figure had been flung by the much shorter Benzard which lookedical from the side! As soon as Skullius was nted against the wall, the figure of Benzard appeared in the air, 3 meters away, wary of being affected by [The Forge]! He flung his sword which was tinged with a bloody red, the weapon piercing through the air like a genuine bolt of lightning from the thick hand of Benzard who was airborne! Skullius felt the crushing pressure from the approaching sword and his four sockets zed with fierce me! ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like I can win this by using my fighting skills. I¡¯m a sockethole when ites tobat after all. So¡­¡¯ Skullius thought to himself, before he inserted mana into the armour, its storage function spewing something he had salvaged from the first chest¡­ A shadow loomed in front of him with a grand image, its appearance causing everyone to gawk in shock¡­ Chapter 99 Red Or Blue? ¡®For this creature to possess such a thing¡­¡¯ Sause who had been paying attention to the fight thought. Ever since Skullius used a Veneration art, he hadn¡¯t made any sudden moves as he wanted to assure that Benzard wasn¡¯t attacked by Fulgardt¡¯s remains instead. Looking at Fulgardt¡¯s hollow eyes made Sause twitch and shuddered but he had to. Therefore, he and the corpse had been stationary while he continued to release stronger bursts of strength to keep the skeleton¡¯s attention. This ultimately helped that skeleton which Benzard was fighting too, but he had no choice. Not when his powers were suppressed within this Labyrinth. He could only observe and be surprised by Benzard¡¯s opponent and his skillset. The skeleton, as he could only call it, was definitely weaker but tenacious. He had thought that this was the younger challenger who had walked into the spiral grove doors, turning this way somehow, but the way the armoured skeleton fought was so different from the desperate young man whose every movement looked to be a pitiful try at wing at a brutal destiny. The thing it had pulled out now was an item only a few knew about, especially from his time. He could choose to warn Benzard about it but he decided not to. After all¡­ he had been wanting to see how the brown-haired man performed with his newfound power which would never beplete until he died. This was no longer a simple investment anymore. It was a legacy that he had to groom. A quick sword decked in glorious and bright lightning razed through the air as it hurtled towards Skullius who had a faint shadow looming over his body from the item he had taken out. All items he withdrew from storage would appear anywhere he wanted them to within a one meter radius of him with a thought, which was very convenient. Arge scroll was unfurled before the Prator, having a dark green colour and sentences of bright golden text that were overyed by aplicated magic structure! The scroll stood between him and the sword and when the weapon reached it, it¡­ sunk into the scroll! The bright golden texts over the surface of the scroll glowed as the entire item actually absorbed Benzard¡¯s sword and dancing red lightning. Benzard wore a shocked appearance as the attack he expected to do damage was actually thwarted so easily! ~~~. [All Eater] A scroll created by an ancient group of mages who thought of cultivating their own magic to be a taboo towards their favoured Deity, Suzamete. They chose to master inscription of the highest order, in their years managing to create a sequence of runes that could store any form of attack at the Incandescent Stage and below. -Special Effect- Stored attacks are kept in Stagnant Space and released at the user¡¯s discretion at 10 times the power and speed with a 10% chance to incorporate any of the user¡¯s attributes and traits over said attack at the moment of release. ~~~ Skullius looked at this with his socket mes ring and he released an eerie cackle, his mind sending hismand to the Chains of Damnation to storm towards his opponent! In a sh, Benzard who was in mid-air found himself bound by the chains and in the next moment, he was reeled in at tremendous speeds! The Chains of Damnation caused a cold and nerve wrecking pain to assault Benzard the moment they touched his skin! It was like a seeping winter chillbined with constant beatings, just on the inside! He screamed and momentarily lost his cool as this pain had been unexpected! Skullius pumped Silentburn Levin into the Chains of Damnation, the entire area bing dyed in a blue light as thick bolts visibly ran through the chains intending to incinerate Benzard! Benzard¡¯s memory of this lightning made him frown on top of the ugly expression he wore from the terrible pain but he had no intention of getting struck by it! ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡± Benzard bellowed as his body pulled in the aimlessly wandering lightning and contained it in his body! The veins in his body became visible from his skin as they carried bursts of lightning within them! In the next moment, a radiant expulsion of light exploded outwards and his figure vanished from the captivity of the chains! Before Skullius could even wonder where Benzard had flitted off to, a terrible pounding came from the back of his skull! A fist charged with horrendous, condensed lightning struck him in the skull and he unceremoniously smashed into the ground with the same impact as that of a cannonballunching point nk into the hard earth! BOOOM! Skullius felt his skull break apart, an portion of it being left open as the void that was within it was revealed! ¡®This man actually shattered my dome! This is bad!¡¯ Skullius thought as he tried to get back up but Benzard immediately pinned him down with his knee and his radiant arm shing with red lightning above his bright look! ¡®This guy will really kill me at this point!¡¯ Skullius thought. He knew what he needed to do but he hesitated. HE JUST HAD TO PUT ON THE GODDAMN HELMET! But¡­ He hesitated. The helmet¡­ was atrocious! It was ugly! It was horrendous! Yet¡­ he had no choice. He didn¡¯t know who the Null Devil was, but Skullius put meeting this guy as a priority and having a serious bro to bro discussion! Let with no choice, Skullius summoned the helmet which immediately covered his head just in time to block the thunderous fist which came down to finish him! BANG! Benzard was once again shocked! This tall undead or whatever managed to react to his deadly moves each time! He had been too shaken to use his stronger moves before as it involved getting closer to Skullius which passively dealt him damage through [The Forge] but now, he had decided to go with a speedy attack in hopes that it would work better. Without his sword, he didn¡¯t have much of his move set and worse yet¡­ The sweat and burns that were continuously appearing on his body were a testament to the fact the skill, [The Forge] was biting at him still! Despite his speed! Despite his ferocity! The moment he had taken the opportunity to appear behind Skullius, the view of the volcanic hellscape had appeared, the intense heat not showing mercy to him at all! ¡®I¡¯ll finish it! I can¡¯t be defeated by mere heat and stand proud as a warrior!¡¯ he thought as he punched into Skullius again, his mind conjuring the image of a burning settlement that he was all too familiar with! BOOOM! Skullius¡¯ armoured skull which was facing downwards, dug into the shattered floor! Benzard punched into him again, the ground rippling, trails of lightning racing outwards while the helmet started showing signs of damage! As he raised his fist to deliver another blow, a thick coagtion of mana in the air stopped him! He looked up and saw a massive, dark thundercloud swirling above him with a bursts of lightning that had a gradient of two shades of blue squirming within it! In that instance where he looked up, the thick Chains of Damnation wrapped around his body firmly while the figure of Skullius suddenly turned and gripped him tight, with its armoured arms! ¡­! When Benzard looked at Skullius¡¯ face, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder! The hideousness! The atrocity! Even he emitted a perturbed ¡®urgh¡¯! A deformed face designy at front of the helmet; two eyes that were in no way symmetrical or aligned swirling on the face of the armour in circles constantly like leaves in water while emitting a dull blue light, a sickeningly grinning mouth with razor sharp teeth at the bottom remaining in its spot! The final touches were a soft smoky vortex and two horns that were on either side of the helmet, in different asymmetrical positions! This is what Skullius feared about the helmet. There was a way to make it look better but it was too much of a hassle! Benzard tore himself out of his stupor and started to generate more red lightning, but unfortunately, his opponent wasn¡¯t fazed! The billows of clouds above gathered the Silentburn Levin at the very centre, Benzard beginning to lose his cool as he found that getting out of this hold in the short run was impossible! Skullius brought his armoured face up to Benzard¡¯s and cackled loudly with pure joy. ¡°You¡¯re about to die, just like Reon and Denille,¡± he said, having remembered the names of the people who wanted to use him and throw him away. ¡°I enjoyed fleshing them up but you¡­ I¡¯m going to enjoy killing a sockethole like you the most!¡± ¡­! Benzard was shocked! Was this?! No way! It couldn¡¯t be! Thest part to what Skullius said wasn¡¯t true as he didn¡¯t hate Benzard the most but it would do well to strike a final dash of fear. At least he thought it would. At that moment, a powerful skill was unleashed, packing tremendous bursts of Silentburn Levin and bringing them down with true pratory intent over the two bodies below! Fulgurous Space Virulence! Chapter 100 A Deal ~~~ [Fulgurous Space Virulence | Lv.1] Infect the surrounding space with your mana to generate thunderclouds that produce and build up highly concentrated Silentburn Levin which can incinerate the target. Deals 40% Serenity damage. Mana Requirements: 2000 Mana Points Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: 1 hour ~~~ BOOOOM! On impact, the vibrant Levin rocked the ground with an especially bright and powerful intensity that made arge section of the Labyrinth tremble. The heat produced in this moment was so intense that the floor instantly melted, a crater that was roughly 7 meters opening up on the ground! ¡°ARRRRGHHHH!¡± As the thundercloud discharged all of the lightning it had stored, Benzard roared as he used all his remaining mana which had been amplified by him sacrificing the energy increase he was to receive in the next five days! A thickyer of Aura which he had been using offensively this whole time was coating around him, shining brightly as it tried to fend off the thick, continuous bolts that fell on his back! Unfortunately for him, his red lightning was being overpowered! In a matter of seconds, he felt the Levin prate his coating and start to burn at his skin with a voracious greed! To some, it would seem that Benzard wasn¡¯t as strong as he was supposed to be.. Which was true. Receiving a 3% boost to every aspect of your abilities which created a stacking effect would normally make someone into an absolute monster, especially if the source of the power was a hidden ss, but¡­ When it came to switching sses, hidden ones could overwrite advanced and normal sses but the transition from what someone already knew could affect one¡¯s ability to use their newfound powers. Thus, it usually took even the greatest prodigies a few months to effectively gain a better grasp over their new abilities after a switch and getting their bodies to adjust and use the full benefits offered. This was different from Skullius¡¯ case where he didn¡¯t have a ss in his Discount Human form was essentially hand held through the process of using this new power by the Labyrinth. CRACKLE! BOOOM! The contest between red and blue ended after the red couldn¡¯t keep up and was prated by the blue, Benzard feeling the full force of the Silentburn Levin utterly destroy his back! He roared in pain as the Levin dug into his flesh and set it aze! Thoughts sprang into his mind one by one, being those of regret and rage. As someone who had seen a tragic event and held such bitterness after he had watched the people he loved die, that darkness had never truly left him. Even when he was taught to be honourable by the Knights, a dark side of him would emerge from him from time to time like when he had threatened both Reon and Denille with a character that was diametrically opposed to what he usually was like. When his ideals were challenged or trampled, his temper would re. Yet¡­ in this moment, he could only get incinerated as Silentburn Levin not only burnt him up but doused him with a stronger dose of Serenity damage that took away his reason and offered peace while vicious damage ensued within him. Skullius had been relentless. He had only withdrawn the Chains of Damnation when the thunderclouds dropped the Levin. Benzard was taking the damage while his armour was¡­.pletely unaffected! The Prator had imagined that it would get damaged even a little bit but it seemed to bepletely fine. This led Skullius to question. ¡®Where do these items that he received from [Unbound]e from again?¡¯ The Levin finally stopped and Skullius rose with the half charred body of Benzard which he tossed aside on the searing hot ground. He didn¡¯t waste time or prepare to monologue, wielding the Baleful Gale Reaper and stabbing at Benzard without hesitation! ¡°Stop!¡± A thunderous voice boomed from the distance. It was Sause who had watched the exchange. He gazed at Benzard¡¯s body which was no longer buff and was only slightly disappointed. ¡®His body isn¡¯t used to such power yet I suppose. This ss is probably more suited to those that are more strength oriented. He doesn¡¯t exactly fit the bill. He wasn¡¯t even able to fully absorb 1% of the power. .¡¯ Skullius gazed at Sause from behind his helmet which allowed him to see properly regardless of the constantly swirling eye holes. ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of something here, bro,¡± Skullius said in response. ¡°I can¡¯t let you kill him, unfortunately. He¡¯s quite important to me aha ha,¡± Sause said with yfulness returning to his speech. If only he could just make a quick movement without Fulgardt interfering, he could save Benzard who was at death¡¯s door and kill Skullius. He wondered if Fulgardt would defend this creature too though. He took a step forward but Fulgardt responded by also drawing in closer. Sigh. ¡®Why does he get a free pass?¡¯ ¡°Well.. he¡¯s not important to me,rge bro.¡± Skullius said. ¡°Hmm?¡± Sause raised a brow. ¡°Is it as I surmised before? Are you the same young challenger who entered those doors?¡± Sause recalled the name he had been called by Skullius before. The frail human who had been facing Fulgardt had too used the term rge bro¡¯ to refer to him. ¡°So what if I am?¡± Skullius said while preparing to summon the Voiding Key at any moment. ¡®I see.¡¯ Sause thought. ¡®If that is the case, then I¡¯m sure he has some means to escape this ce. I doubt he entered and failed to obtain something important in there. Though, he probably didn¡¯t get the legacy of Fulgardt what with him not being human. He shouldn¡¯t have been able to enter here in the first ce. What trickery did he use? Hmmm. Still, given that he had the All Eater scroll¡­¡¯ ¡°The power you wield is far from what Fulgardt had. What is it? Were you¡­ this, from the very beginning?¡± Sause questioned. ¡°Look bro, I don¡¯t have to answer your questions, you know? If you don¡¯t mind, let me finish my business,¡± Skullius said as he once more tried to plunge his sword into Benzard. ¡°Wait! I have proposition for you. It might benefit us both,¡± Sause said with a drop of sweat trickling down the side of his face. If Benzard died it wouldn¡¯t matter even if he managed to get out of here. ¡°I am quite the legendary figure in my home. I canmand vast amounts of anything you want to be given to you. I will honour my promise if you get me out of this ce. Me and that boy.¡± Skullius halted. That was quite the grand proposal. However, to Skullius it didnt mean much as he didn¡¯t have much of an appreciation of material things with the most he had of such a quality being his growing love for weapons. ¡°What makes you think I can do something like that bro?¡± Skullius asked, feigning ignorance. Sause narrowed his eyes. ¡°Because you entered into a ce where an important legacy was stored and came out with confidence still, aha ha. You do have a means to escape this ce.¡± Skullius didn¡¯t have much to say to that. He couldn¡¯t find the words to refute but there was simply no reason for him to indulge this giant. He was on the verge of dismissing this offer when his mind churned out a singr objective that he was striving to aplish. He didn¡¯t have any connection that could potentially help right now and from the looks of it, this strong looking giant could be of assistance. Maybe. He gazed intently at Sause from behind the helmet and spoke solemnly. ¡°If you can do something small for me in return, I will consider helping you, bro.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°First. How do I know you will keep your word?¡± ¡°You should learn to trust more¡­¡± Sause said with a low chuckle. Inside, he was agitated at having to negotiate with this small creature. He was used topelling weaker creatures into submission simply by speaking but things didn¡¯t seem so simple with this un-undead. He would be damned if he allowed himself to stay in this ce though as he didn¡¯t know if another method to escape would arise in the future. To put it simply, he was desperate. ¡®It¡¯s my fault in the end. I was too greedy. I probably should have had those two grab him and thenpel him to use the Key he has aha ha. Who knew even I could learn,¡¯ Sause thought. Sause suddenly grabbed his pinky finger¡¯s nail and pulled on it until it was detached from his finger! Drops of blood fell from the where the nail had been removed and Sause used them to smear the nail. He then held onto the nail and injected a stream of energy into it that made the object shine for a moment. The nail began to release a soft red glow afterwards and Sause flung it at Skullius who caught it warily. ¡°That is my guarantee that I will keep my word. It¡¯s an object that essentially guarantees that Imit to the favour I owe. I cannot do you harm before then. Of course, it will only activate if you agree ,¡± Sause said. Skullius pondered as he held the nail which wasrger than half of his frame. He analysed it with his guidance field to verify if what Sause had said was true or not. ~~~ [Tie of Exchange: Nail of Sausifillis Roughborne] The individual Sausifillis has pledged a nail coated with his blood and mana as a medium for the exchange. He is the prime attendant for the Tie of Exchange and is bound to not break his word after offering it. With this item, the lesser attendant can summon Sausifillis to pay the favour he owes for the exchange. Individual Skullius is yet to pledge anything as a medium for the exchange. Would you like to pledge? ~~~ ¡°Uhm¡­ it seems he¡¯s not lying. What do I pledge though?¡± Skullius thought after reading the description multiple times. ¡°Use your mana. It¡¯s all a lesser attendant needs to pledge,¡± Sause said. Skullius thought about it and decided it probably wasn¡¯t harmful if the guidance field didn¡¯t warn him about. He injected his mana and he felt himself tied through the mana to the nail he held. ¡°It is done,¡± said Sause. ¡°Now, tell me. What do you wish for?¡± Sause was grinning on the inside. This was definitely an unfair exchange. He was the one benefitting most from this, after all, what could this little creature that he could kill with the flick of a finger ask for that he couldn¡¯t do? Chapter 101 One More Thing What was this request that Skullius had? How grand could it possibly be? Sause waited for Skullius to speak, the Prator he faced not being so considerate as to not waste time. Skullius debated over how exactly he would help Sause leave the Labyrinth. There was the option of using the Voiding Key which he wasn¡¯t exactly sure would work to allow him to leave. The Key was stated to only work to take the user to ces within the Labyrinth after after. If it did work somehow, Skullius didn¡¯t know if it would support an additional person. The other sure fire option was to use the Keys. Skullius knew that the Keys were definitely the way out but the problem was how exactly to do it. Thest time he had checked the Key with his guidance field, it hadn¡¯t given him any details. Therefore, he decided to try it now. ~~~ [Universal Gate Key: First Piece] A high level item with the ability to ess magically restricted spaces and exit them at will. It must be used with the Second Piece in order to function. Bringing the two pieces together will allow for the wielders¡¯ desire to be enacted; exiting or entering said restricted ces unless a more powerful force prohibits such. ~~~ ¡®Ah its finally showing me something useful. Great!¡¯ Skullius thought. His increase in power had definitely unlocked a lot of things. Keys were rare items. The sheer difficulty of finding them was proof enough of their rarity. Skullius turned to Benzard who was peacefully lying down with signs of life still detectable in him.. He was still alive and well enough to use the Key. Probably. With that out of the way Skullius turned to Sause who was waiting for him to deliver his request. ¡°I was once an undead under an Arch-Lich named Somanda. He owns part of my soul through Undeath. I need you to help me get it back. Bro,¡± Skullius said. ¡°BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!¡± Sause began tough raucously as he heard Skullius¡¯ request. At first, Skullius was confused, the boisterousughter making him put his guard up but in the next moment, he found the giant to look at him after his jovial outburst, puzzled. ¡°Wait. You are serious?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah bro.¡± ¡°You want me to help you battle an Arch-Lich for your soul?! Do you even know what an Arch-Lich is?!¡± Sause wore a ferocious expression. ¡®Kind of. I guess,¡¯ Skullius replied inwardly. He truly didn¡¯t know. What was with this little thing? Everytime¡­ Every time he was on the scene, Sause¡¯s life somehow became harder while for Skullius, things seemed to turn to his favour. Fighting against an Arch-Lich was one of the most dangerous things one could do. Sause couldn¡¯t believe he thought this skeleton would ask for something simple. Had the overwhelming excitement for his release clouded his mind? Definitely. Now, he couldn¡¯t refuse. He could only re at the skeleton before him with a wrathful face. The worst thing about a Tie of Exchange was the fact that time periods were not exactly ounted for. In Sause¡¯s case, he knew that exiting the Labyrinth without him would for Skullius likely mean that he would be breaching the agreement as there was probably no way for him to return alone if he left the giant here. Therefore, he had been confident that he wouldn¡¯t get left behind. Now however, what was he to do with this situation? ¡°I am not at my full strength. I have been out of contact with the outside world for millenia. I cannot even dream to assist with this before taking some time to recuperate,¡± Sause said with an ugly frown as he looked down at Skullius. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I can always summon you with this, rightrge bro?¡± Skullius asked, waving around the nail he had been given. Sause ground his teeth. What a troublesome situation he had gotten himself into. He couldn¡¯t imagine being summoned in a human infested area and starting all kinds of trouble. ¡°Indeed. I shall take my time healing myself then,¡± Sause said. Skullius once more waved the nail, hinting that he would bother the heck out of Sause if the giant became too rxed. ¡°Now. Your end of the deal?¡± Skullius nodded. Before doing anything else, he walked over to the corpse of Reon. The bones were intact while the flesh and organs and were jumbled. He began rummaging through the fleshy remains until he found what he was looking for. A ring. The same ring Reon had used to store the core of Onumbassssss as well as those of all the creatures he they had in along the way. He didn¡¯t take the time to look at it, storing it within the storage of the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation immediately. He then gazed at Sause. ¡°I just have to do one more thing. Would you mind apanying me for it?¡± he asked. The distress on Sause¡¯s face made him feel much morefortable around the giant. Sause raised a brow and gazed at the remnants of Fulgardt that had been stationary all this time, waiting for his next move. It didn¡¯t seem like he would be able to move freely and thus, he opted for the next best alternative. He was still an unwee guest in this ce as the pressure that had been trying to rid him from this room never ceased trying to do so. ¡°Very well. Do follow me along with that boy,¡± Sause said before he stopped struggling against the force in the room. Hisrge frame rose and was pulled away through where hade from, the giant finding himself quite distance from the room in a matter of moments. As soon as his body vanished, the remains of Fulgardt turned their gazed towards Skullius who almost leapt in panic. Was this guy going to attack him now? To his surprise, Fulgardt didn¡¯t spare him anymore nces and walked up the where the stairs had been. He sat on the rubble, hisrge ymore in hand and remained still like a statue. Skullius was dumbfounded. ¡®Why is he still guarding those doors? I took the legacy right and even the two chests. Though I can¡¯t open one of them. But still¡­¡¯ Skullius pondered as he looked at the figure of the powerful skeleton whose presence still warped the space in his immediate surroundings. The Prator washed his hands of the matter and went to grab Benzard. ¡°I wasted cool words on you bro. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m helping you now,¡± Skullius said as he heaved Benzard and ran with him to Sause. *** A woman with red hair leaned against the wall in the darkness. She was injured all over with wounds and scrapes oozing of blood. She was breathing slowly while wearing an expression of despair as she gazed at the stationary figure of the creature with an odachi on its shoulder. It was waiting for her to make even the most minute of offensive movements but she didn¡¯t have it in her anymore. Her mana had been depleted and the fatigue from having used her Full Body Aura was still lingering in her bones and flesh. The constant beatings she had received afterwards had done a A+ job in getting her to this sorry state. The darkness and silence was driving her insane and she couldn¡¯t help but sob silently. Why did it end up like this? It had all been blissful when she had to follow in the footsteps of one man whom she loved. Eobald. She did everything he asked without question despite her prideful nature that was cultured by her pampered life as the daughter of a nobleman. Even when she learned of his intent and who she was, the tragic events that he and his group wished to allow to befall on Aigas, she still loved him. Yet¡­ he had been hunted by the same reckless brute who had brought her to this dreadful ce. He had been killed without mercy by a lowlife who didn¡¯t deserve to stand near such a great man. This was the reality she was living in now. ¡®Curse you! Both of you! If I die here¡­ I¡¯ll haunt you like a ghost! I swear you¡¯ll never know peace!¡¯ she thought while grinding her teeth. She was at death¡¯s door with her weapons destroyed and not a soul tofort her. How could things get any worse? THRUUUM! Space vibrated as a portal opened several meters behind the creature with the odachi. From it, Denille saw a tall figure walk out, decked in a dark armour with thick, long chains wrapping around it. The figure walked gracefully, the ever moving blue trails on its helmet which weren¡¯t fully visible to Denille sending a chill down her spine. She couldn¡¯t sense anything from this figure. No evil. No mana. This made her subconsciously view this figure as herst hope. Maybe this was her one chance to get help. To leave this ce. She just had to take it! ¡°Please¡­. please¡­ help.. help¡­ me¡­ I will do anything¡­¡± she spoke, raising her voice as high as she could despite her injuries. The creature with an odachi turned to Skullius and waited, Skullius knowing exactly what it would do if he moved against it. At this moment, however, he focused on Denille¡¯s plea. He gazed at her who was looking at him with hopeful eyes and removed his helmet. Four sockets burning with a bright blue me illuminated the skull face that they belonged to. ¡­! Denille was rmed, subconsciously backing away further against the wall in shock and fright. This brought Skullius an unbridled satisfaction sense of satisfaction. ¡°Hehehehehehehe¡­¡± Chapter 102 Exit The Labyrinth! Denille wore a terrified expression. She was deeply terrified by the unexpected face she had seen under the helmet which brought not hope, but an eerie sense of impending doom! She could have checked the individual¡¯s mana core with her advanced senses but the thought slipped her mind as she was in a fear induced stupor. ¡®An undead?!¡¯ she thought as she tried to scurry for anything to use to defend herself but s, her bow was broken and she had exhausted her arrow supply. All she could think of right now was the abundant lore on the deadly undead as she sweat buckets. She trembled and almost broke down as she struggled to stand up. Skullius was having a kick out of this, the image of the portal still open behind him like a dancing colourful void. ¡°Can you deal with something for me over here, bro? And hurry up!¡± Skullius barked. Suddenly, arge head popped through the portal which instantly expanded to amodate therge figure! As soon as the giant¡¯s eyes met the creature with the odachi, it thrusted its arm and grabbed the creature before it could even react! ¡°Don¡¯t address me so casually,¡± Sause warned Skullius with a deadly re. ¡°I¡¯m not your guard.¡± Skullius didn¡¯t respond but the jump in the mes in his sockets spoke volumes about how he felt. ¡°EEEEK!¡± Denille screamed upon seeing the figure of Sause who finally pulled his entire body through the portal, his frame not being able to fit in the corridor. He held the creature with the odachi in one hand firmly, squishing it to its demise and a healthier looking Benzard without the grave burns in the other, unconscious. ¡°Pretty human girl, sit still and shut up,¡± Sausemanded with a false sense of sincerity which manifested as a light smile. Denille who had been about to push her broken leg to make an attempt at running away found herself stuck, unable to move or speak! ¡­! This horrified her beyond belief.. A giant and an undead! Plus¡­ there was Benzard whose head was peeking from Sause¡¯s hand. ¡®Benzard! What happened?! Where are others?! What will happen to me?! Somebody please save me! Benzard! Benzard! Wake up and fix this! I swear I¡¯ll haunt you for eternity if I die!¡¯ she thought. Tears streamed from Denille¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is this the other thing you wanted to do?¡± Sause asked Skullius. ¡°Yeah,rge bro. You made it even easier for me actually,¡± replied the Prator as he walked towards Denille and crouched down before her. He searched with his armoured hands around her body and found her to also have a spatial storage ring like the one Reon had. ¡®I assume it¡¯s in here but..¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®How does this thing work?¡¯ Skullius felt the intertwining of many pathways like when he had used his Null Life Essence to trace along the goblin staves. His first thought was to use the same method to see if he could extract a skill like how he had gotten [Mana Bolt] and [me Shot] but he decided against it as it would take too much time and wasn¡¯t his current objective. Unlike with Reon¡¯s ring which he had decided to check outter, he needed to confirm if what he was looking for was here or not. Therefore Skullius checked with his guidance field. ~~~ [Spatial Storage Ring] An object with a fairly expansive storage forged within it through a specific interweaving of mana runes. -Ownership can be prompted by injecting mana. A different individual can be the owner provided that the previous user dies- ~~~ ¡°I see,¡± Skullius said before his gaze fell upon Denille. She had nothing on her person which meant that all her valuables when in the ring. ¡°So you need to die?¡± Denille trembled nonstop as she couldn¡¯t do a thing. In her mind, this was a transcendent being with a giant as a pet which was extremely uncharacteristic of the race but believable if a high ranked undead was in the picture. ¡°You should have been a bit kinder to that lowly shitface,¡± Skullius said with an eerily deep voice, watching as Denille¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock. What? How..? Why¡­? Denille¡¯s vision blurred as the shock set in. Before she knew it, she was bound by thick, dark chains that wrapped around her tightly! An extreme and excruciating sensation of pain washed over her the instant the chains touched her body and she¡­ couldn¡¯t scream aloud. Her feet wiggled and violently knocked against the ground while her eyed reddened to a frightening degree. Sause raised a brow. ¡®What kind of a grudge does he have towards her?¡¯ ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Skulliusughed before he activated a skill from the Chains of Damnation! [Damnation!] CHTNK!CHTNK! The chains around Denille started quivering violently and before she even realised how screwed she was, the chains heaved her upwards and pulled her hard towards the ground! On the floor, a bright blue tint appeared, the floor parting to release a sky blue radiance in the form of an edgy sphere that had me-like wisps protruding! Denille could only watch in horror as she was pulled into the blue, disappearing from the corridor. ¡°¡­¡± Sause was utterly speechless. He began to re-evaluate his thoughts on Skullius. He didn¡¯t know what kind of skill that was, but it definitely wasn¡¯t something he was familiar with. There was no overwhelming intent when the skill was cast. It was just like Skullius¡­ A presence less event. In Skullius¡¯ vision, he saw a hazy image of a dumb Denille sink into an unfamiliar space where white faces filled with dread were constantly screaming while being burnt by shimmering blue mes! This vision barelysted for a second as Skullius watched Denille sink into the mes with her eyes showing utter terror and pain while she burned. The chains rose from the blue depression, the ground returning to normal while Skullius received notifications of another death by his hands. [You have killed Higher level existence LV11 Human. You have gained experience] [85,000 Exp awarded] Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like he would be able to extract the Null Life Essence from Denille which was a bummer. ¡°Right¡­¡± Skullius said putting the matter asides as he began injecting his mana into the spatial storage ring. At first it rejected his mana but after a few seconds, streams of his power were readily epted. Skullius felt a link to the ring and its contents were revealed to him. There were a lot of things in the ring, but Skullius didn¡¯t look for anything else other what he needed¡­ and he found it! The Arcane Teleportation Scroll! This was the scroll he had been given by Eobald as a means to escape back then. Skullius distinctly remembered Reon asking Denille if she still had it before they had entered the Majestic Territory of the fox to which she had answered with affirmation. Skullius intended to use it to leave the Tremur Forest and explore Aigas just like Serenity had said. With that secured, Skullius could finally get to escaping from this ce. He turned to Sause who was still thinking deeply while being extremely ufortable in the cramped space and nodded. He took out his Key, the silvery round object he had kept safe throughout the journey surfacing again. Sause dropped Benzard who was unconscious on the ground and his eyes red with a deeper red than their usual hue. Benzard¡¯s body suddenly stood, its eyes glowing with a deep red glow. He was being controlled by Sause, the giant using his connection through the ss to manipte Benzard¡¯s body. The giant felt a massive strain just from having him stand. Theck of his strength limited him greatly as this was the reason he had been unable to use this trick before. From Benzard¡¯s ring, a Universal Gate Key like Skullius¡¯ appeared in his hand. He walked up to Skullius, bringing his Key in close proximity to the Prator¡¯s. A low rumbling erupted from the Labyrinth as from the dark corridor, the same double gate that Skullius had seen when he first entered appeared! It was much smaller but the images carved on its surface were nheless magnificent. ¡®This is it,¡¯ Skullius thought. Sause was anticipating the grand view of a lush forest, the sun and beautiful horizon behind this gate but he couldn¡¯t help but be apprehensive. Both he and Skullius ced their Keys on the door and in the next moment, the doors rumbled as they opened with a weighty vibrance! A bright light overtook the three and before they knew it, the view of the Labyrinth was no more. Skullius¡¯ four mes became subdued as he saw a familiar scenery. This scenery was technically good news but he couldn¡¯t help but be pessimistic. A familiar dark sky could seen above with white clouds, hazy figures of what looked like a forest in the distance. Sause looked around, immediately knowing where was, to which he cursed. ¡°Intriguing. To think after all these years, someone would return, with such circumstances in tow as well¡­¡± A regal voice spoke to the three. A giant white fox appeared behind them, its eye glowing with an orange light as a strange symbol appeared within it while it gazed below at Skullius, Sause and Benzard. ¡®A Territory¡­ Fulgardt you bastard¡­¡¯ Sause grumbled as he gazed at the fox. He had managed toe out of the Labyrinth after so long only to face a powerful projection of a Majestic Territory. Skullius didn¡¯t know what to do in this situation. He expected aggression because of his appearance which he had hidden immediately after realised where he was behind his helmet. ¡°Not much can remain hidden before my eye. Tell me. What are you¡­little thing?¡± the fox asked as it¡¯s gaze focused solely on Skullius. Chapter 103 Interesting Development, Dash Of Bullshit A question had been posed to Skullius that drew upon his brain power to think of a fitting answer. There was no escaping as he was within a Majestic Territory. All he could do was fess up. Sause was drawn to the fox¡¯s question as well, as he knew nothing about this creature he had made a Tie of Exchange with. This didn¡¯t allow him to let down his guard though, as he was well aware of the fact that fox was very much knowledgeable of his presence. Question after question roiled within his mind because of the appearance of the fox outside the Labyrinth. ¡®Did Fulgardt make a deal with this thing? Why would it even agree?¡¯ From the looks of it, it was very well above the tenth Tier which was a very terrifying thing to face. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get his answers by simply thinking about them in his dome. Skullius¡¯ socket mes red behind the helmet and he almost sighed out in resignation, the sensation having be something he had been getting used to as a Discount Human. Naturally, the fox¡¯s statement made him realise that hiding behind a helmet wouldn¡¯t hinder its advanced perception. ¡®Did this thing know that I was¡­ this, from the beginning? In that case why would it let me go?¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Well¡­ since itse to this, there¡¯s only one thing I can do¡­¡¯ Indeed. There was only one option left. One he hadn¡¯t used in a while. The option left was to tell the truth¡­ with a dash of bullshit.. Skullius stored his helmet and stood aloof. ¡°I understand that my appearance may cause some problems but I am not what you think. I am not an undead,¡± Skullius said with a deep voice, his stature not showing any fumbling like when he had been bullshitting before Azst time. The fox grinned, but the action didn¡¯t seem to stem from amusement. It was simply an action that was dictated by its race. The Grinning Jester Fox. ¡°That much I¡¯m aware of. Had I sensed that you were an undead from the beginning, you wouldn¡¯t be standing here. I¡¯m interested in what you are. I see fleeting wisps of gold and ck from you that are struggling to escape my vision,¡± the fox said. ¡°I am confident that you have nabbed the legacy of the Immoral¡­¡± ¡­! Skullius wasn¡¯t really surprised by this as the fact that there were beings with a stronger perception than his had been made abundantly clear by his constant encounters with established powerhouses. If this fox had seen through [Flesh It Like You Mean It] then it probably would be able to tell such a thing. Therefore the Prator wasn¡¯t surprised. The one who received the shock in his ce was Sause. ¡®WHAT?! How did this creature obtain the legacy? ! Isn¡¯t it only for humans?¡¯ he thought, a mash of conflicting emotions pounding against his being. Even with this thought, he didn¡¯t dare interrupt the conversation between the two in front of him by beginning to bombard Skullius with questions. ¡®Is that why Fulgardt let him go?!¡¯ he wondered. His eyes opened wide as a somewhat expected yet chilling realisation struck him. ¡®Could it be that Fulgardt had seen through whatever disguise thus creature wore and decided to protect and let him pass anyway?! That bastard wasn¡¯t exactly conventional to begin with!¡¯ This conjecture made Sause p his forehead. It was very much possible that even Fulgardt¡¯s corpse would choose to allow such an entric character to pass without fighting him like the rest of the humans who were supposed to be the designated race of challengers. Fulgardt has a strong code when it came to race. He was extremely racist but he was also a being who loved thinking outside the box. Boredom could very well strike him even after death to the point of allowing a different character a chance at his legacy. Sause realised that perhaps that was the reason why Fulgardt had protected Skullius from hispulsion. However, there were was nothing much to decipher from a corpse. Still, the fact that legacy needed to be wielded was abundantly clear. [Flesh It Like You Mean It] had been what ultimately let Skullius gain the Insurgent Magnus ss. Sause focused on Skullius and the Grinning Jester Fox once more. ¡°Ahem¡­ I am but the lowly servant of the Great Emperor B. I was on a secret mission until I was captured by those brutes and led here. That much is all I can divulge as my Emperor keeps me from spilling too much. I know the truth in my words is questionable but I have already spoken to the Great Mountain Ape, Az about this,¡± Skullius said with confidence. The fox narrowed its eyes as it heard Skullius¡¯ ount. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°It is.¡± The fox¡¯s orange eye remained fixated on Skullius. Unfortunately, it was an eye in the end. It couldn¡¯t judge Skullius¡¯ words as that wasn¡¯t part of its ocr jurisdiction as a transcendent ability. ¡®He met up with Az and lived? Could it really be true?¡¯ the fox thought. ¡®Interesting. The power to disguise as a human is a rather troublesome one considering that even I needed some time to see through it.¡¯ ¡°I assume that your mention of this¡­ Emperor B, acted a deterrent for further action against you from Az?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Dumb Ape,¡± scoffed the fox before it turned to Sause. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a fine warrior such as you to get ensnared by Fulgardt too. I assume you have this creature to thank.¡± Sause smiled sheepishly. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re going with.¡± The fox grinned. Suddenly, the Majestic Territory space popped like a balloon, space bing warped as the ck was distorted and dissolved to form the image of the valley once more! The bright sun shone over all things and the image was especially good to see after the long journey in the dark. Sause took in deep breaths and appreciated the sun on his naked body. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He felt bits of his strength return and smiled. ¡°While you too may very well be evils that must be thwarted here and now, I¡¯m not so benevolent as to help the world. You, Dragonsson, I permit you to leave,¡± the fox said. The term referred to Sause as it referenced the terrifying history behind his lineage. A title all giants carried from times of old. ¡®What?¡¯ Skullius questioned himself dumbly. ¡®That¡¯s it?¡¯ Sause was also sceptical but he didn¡¯t have the luxury to doubt and dilly-dally. He simply nodded with a light smile and picked up Benzard. He gazed at Skullius for what would be thest time in a very long while. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind if you died soon. It would make things a lot easier for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already dead,rge bro. Sort of,¡± Skullius said before he pulled Sause¡¯s nail that was stored in his armour¡¯s storage and waved it. The giant shook its head in annoyance and disappeared after a powerful burst of speed. Skullius watched the giant leave and then refocused on the fox. ¡°I cannot do you harm even if I wanted to. I was tasked with being a guardian for this Labyrinth and all its treasures until someone managed to take up Fulgardt¡¯s legacy. You are who I have been waiting for. I must reward you by mandate. You have released me from my promise and therefore I shall give you a bit of aid,¡± the fox said. The moment the fox said that, it smelt a nasty stench of death and felt an overbearing force try to stomp it into the ground! The fox frowned, its eyes picking up an ominous energy that coiled around Skullius and stretched up to itsrge body. The environment turned dark for a split second before returning to normal. The feeling didn¡¯tst long as when the fox exerted its own power, the lingering effects of this force disappeared. Skullius had barely noticed something amiss, as all he saw was the fox shuddering for but a second. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked cautiously. ¡°You have a rather frightening curse upon you. Apparently, it responds to anything that has the overall intent to benefit you. Or rather specifically, anyone with the intent to assist you. This is quite troublesome,¡± the fox said with its frown bing deeper. ¡°You are tied to the Undead?¡± ¡®Oh crap!¡¯ Skullius panicked. That curse that he had been wondering what it truly did had finally manifested, showing its true colours. UNCoddled! It was trouble! Before he delved into this, he had to save himself first. He had to tell more bullshit sprinkled lies! ¡°That should actually add more truth to my words. I am an enemy to the Undead. They can¡¯t reach me and thus they cursed me. The Great Emperor B helped me to be free from their grasp,¡± Skullius said giving respectful lows when mentioning B. The fox narrowed its eyes. It didn¡¯t buy it, but to be cursed in this manner did give the notion that this fellow was not buddy buddy with the Undead. At least with a particrly powerful undead. Nevertheless, the fox didn¡¯t read too much into it. He wasn¡¯t a guardian of the Tremur Forest like Az who needed to pay attention to details such as these that may cause potential tragedies outside of the Undead. It was merely an excuse to not overthink actually. He didn¡¯t need to think too much about collective benefit. He had been freed and that was all that mattered. ¡°It seems I won¡¯t be able to give a specific gift as your reward. Do tell me. What do you wish for?¡± Skullius¡¯ socket mes turned serene. ¡®Seems like a dodged a bullet. Wait! What¡¯s a bullet?! Gah, whatever! This thing is pretty generous, asking me for anything I want! Well¡­ I guess I should use my head a bit more for this,¡¯ Skullius thought. He didn¡¯t ask for anything grand. He gave it some thought and after a brief moment, his mind churned out the most reasonable thing to ask for. Considering that he had this troublesome curse on his non-existent ass, he thought this request would be easier to get as well. The answer he hade to had been reached after the image of a particrly murderous Bone Boar appeared in Skullius¡¯ mind¡­ Chapter 104 Counting The Boons A tall, armoured Skullius ran at full speed within the thick forest. He had long left the abrupt setting of the valley in the middle of the Tremur Forest and was on his way to retrieve the beloved Red Rage. His figure zipped through the trees as his speed after evolution was vastly superior to its prior state. As he dashed without a shred of fatigue being found anywhere within him, another figure that ran a short distance ahead of him giving the Prator a delightful sense of security that he carried with each step. It was an ethereal fox with half Skullius¡¯ height. It had a beautiful mix of white and orange on its ethereal body like tendrils of smoke, dark eyes making the look more artistic to say the least. This was what Skullius had asked for and it turned out that it was indeed easy for the Grinning Jester Fox to grant it. Skullius had requested for safe passage to the location he had been in before he was ¡®abducted¡¯ by Benzard and his group. The UNCoddled curse, ording to a more detailed deduction by the fox seemed to affect an individual based on their contribution and level of strength. It was just an assumption. If the curse was a threat to a creature as powerful as the fox then it was extremely deadly to everyone else under its level. Also, any personal or close form of help to Skullius would incite danger on the helper. Thus, to assist Skullius, the fox had created this ethereal form that shared a small portion of its power to protect him so that he wouldn¡¯t be besieged by powerful beasts until he reached his destination. Skullius couldn¡¯t quite remember the way he and the others hade from but since he had mentioned that he had an encounter with Az, the fox told him that he would probably find where exactly he was looking for if it left him around the Ape¡¯s general territory.. This development had lead to the current one where Skullius was journeying with the ethereal fox. ¡°Are you not interested in returning to the Labyrinth?¡± the fox asked. Skullius turned to the creature mildly surprised at its sudden words. After exiting the Labyrinth, he truly hadn¡¯t wanted to think anymore about it for a while, not to mention, he had to face this fox right after, distracting him from the matter entirely. On top of that, why would he return? ¡°Even if I can go back why would I? Besides, I didn¡¯t see the gate. How would I even go back in?¡± ¡°If it was advertised so openly how would it be the secret location of a powerful expert who existed many years ago? As the one with the power of Fulgardt¡¯s ss, you have the natural right to enter and leave as you please,¡± the fox said. ¡°Hmm. Besides, there is more to that ce than you¡¯d expect.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius said. Was there really anything other than a bunch of imprisoned warriors in there? The fox¡¯s response also made Skullius remember how he had used the Keys along with Sause to open a way out of the Labyrinth. Was that unnecessary? No. ¡®Right. I can¡¯t ess the new ss in my Prator form. I probably wouldn¡¯t be recognised.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll probably return in the future. I don¡¯t have the strength nor the basic knowledge to understand some of the things in that ce,¡± he said. The fox turned its head towards him and grinned, this time in actual amusement. ¡°If that¡¯s the only reason you could have asked me to help you kill all the pathetic weaklings in this ce. You¡¯d gain a substantial amount of strength within the day through all the cumtive mana. What¡¯s more, I have vast amounts of knowledge myself,¡± it said. ¡°That true, but I feel its more attractive to learn it all on my own outside this ce, bro,¡± Skullius said, withholding the real reason why he wanted to get the flesh out of here. He preferred to learn the way Serenity told him to. With the situation having drifted its way towards his strength, Skullius scrutinised his status now that he wasn¡¯t in a tense battle or a serious negotiation. He immediately noticed that the skill for his [Vehement Bone Nullmancer] ss that had been hidden had finally been unlocked! ~~~ [Bringer of All | Lv.1] As a powerful existence that lords over his apostles and digests the concepts of mana, draw yourself and your Apostles together using a single non-Null Life Skill as a base to create a unique variation of a ¡®Bringer of All¡¯. Mana Requirements: 5000 Mana Points, 5000 Null Life Essence Points Duration: 5 minutes Cooldown: 48 hours ~~~ ¡®BRO! What¡¯s with that cost?!¡¯ Skullius thought. He barely even understood what the skill could do. He had gotten a shit ton of skills in the past 30 minutes and was still trying to process them all. Seeing as he couldn¡¯t use this [Bringer of All] skill yet, Skullius decided to check in with his other skills which had all levelled up after his evolution. This only applied to the skills that he had received after he became a Null Lifeform and pretty much confirmed that evolution was a free ticket to levelling up his skills. Those that had the capability to evolve anyway. [Unbound] had its duration of effect increased for Basic Random Upgrades from 5 to 6 minutes, which really wasn¡¯t much of a thing to be excited about really. [Apostle Summon] had a significant change. The limit for the Apostles Skullius could summon had increased to 2! This meant that with each level, he would gain a slot for another summon! This would have made Skullius really happy but how to evolve these skills was still up in the wind. ¡®Couldn¡¯t I have used the corpse of that thing with therge sword? Oh, right! The skill says I can only summon from those I killed myself.¡¯ Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t wait to summon another Apostle when he found a worthy candidate. [Apostle Armament] also had the number of skills Skullius could grant to his Apostles increase by 1 which was actually pretty good. [Depths of Core] didn¡¯t change at all. At least there didn¡¯t seem to be a change. Apparently, the limit was still a blue core and Skullius was interested in trying this out now that he had sufficient mana for it. What was the difference between cores? The Prator chose not to use the skill while the fox was around as he was afraid of what it would do. Skullius got the feeling that this skill was a pretty big deal. ¡®Nice. I wonder if this will be enough for me to survive out there. Oh¡­ I also have that stuff,¡¯ Skullius thought. Within his armour storage was a myriad of items. The Voiding Key, the All Eater scroll, Sause¡¯s nail, the chest he had taken from the room behind the spiral grove door, two spatial storages rings and some other treasures. After Skullius had evolved, he checked the two chests within the room. He was able to open the first one immediately, finding the All Eater scroll and some other artefacts that he decided to sit down and checkter as their descriptions were too intricate. The second one however, didn¡¯t budge nomatter how much strength he used when trying to open it. It was only after he used the guidance field that he found out that he had to use [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] to open it which was frustrating as [Flesh It Like You Mean It] was on cooldown! The spatial storage rings were from Reon and Denille. Skullius took out Reon¡¯s and imed ownership of it after injecting mana into it. When he felt the familiar feeling of himself being connected to it, his consciousness picked up the contents of the space within the ring. There were 13 cores of different quality from the beasts that Benzard and his group had killed along with some coins, food in the form of meats and bread as well as parts of the various beasts. Denille¡¯s ring had 2 cores and a few coins, the crest that Eobald had given him along with the Arcane Teleportation Scroll. The other item worthy of note within Skullius¡¯ armour was a particr sword he had taken from the Labyrinth. A blueish curved de with a golden hilt. Demion¡¯s Dance! Skullius had taken the sword before opening a portal to Denille¡¯s position with Sause. He had wanted to use [Unbound] on it but he was afraid of finding the sword to lose its skills which he wanted the most. His fight with Benzard had solidified the fact that he needed to learn how to fight instead of just throwing his skills around like a sockethole. He felt that Demion¡¯s Dance which allowed him to use the fighting style of this Demion guy who seemed to be pretty famous, could get him a good start in the art of fighting. Skullius stored the sword. Perhaps he could find someone who could restore it to its peak. After taking in all this while sprinting, Skullius noticed the fox slowing down its pace. He looked ahead to find out what had made it decelerate and he saw that the terrain was changing a few meters ahead. There was a meadow in the distance, popted by strange creatures which noticed the approach of Skullius and the fox from the distance. Skullius¡¯ senses red as his expansive [Basic Mana Maniption] skill sensed the powerful presences these creatures exuded. They had established amunity just like the goblins but they were in no way as weak¡­ Chapter 105 Smooth Passage In the vast meadond, tall humanoid creatures turned their heads towards Skullius and the Grinning Jester Fox while prowling within the long grasses. Dozens of these creatures could be seen within the immediate surrounding portion of the ce, their bodies being made up of roots, vines and grasses of different colours that were joined so firmly that if one saw them without giving much attention they would think that these creatures were humans. The limbs and other body parts were very human-like which further sold the idea; legs, arms, eyes, nose, mouth, but the two who were looking on were not fooled. ¡°What are these things?¡± Skullius asked the fox. ¡°Vine Prowlers. This is their spawning habitat. It¡¯s here that they are formed, woven from the finest greens that have been nurtured by the high concentration of mana. The ones you can use are still young,¡± the fox exined. Skullius took out the Baleful Gale Reaper, preparing to engage just in case any of the creatures managed to reach him despite his hired protection. They hadn¡¯te across any creatures since their departure from the valley and Skullius didn¡¯t know how strong this ethereal version of the Grinning Jester Fox was. ¡°They are¡­ pretty creepy¡­¡± Skullius remarked. ¡°Indeed. They are usually born strong unlike the beasts in other spawn areas on the outer parts of the forest and they chose to stay in these meadonds. Hmm. Taking humanoid forms prevents them from reaching their true potential. What a waste.¡± SCHREEEEEEEE! One of the Vine Prowlers screeched and bolted towards Skullius and the fox! Its speed was incredible as it raced through the grasses and flowers while its face contorted to be a maw with wriggling grasses and roots that dripped with a potent looking poison! With the Prowler¡¯s charge came the arousal of the others that also rushed forward and screeched as they attacked the intruders to their habitat without a shred of hesitation. With the use of [Basic Mana Maniption], Skullius could tell that these guys were way stronger than the Darewolves and the fox had said that there were still young ones? These things were near the level of Onumbassssss, except without blue cores! As the Prowlers approached, Skullius¡¯ body producing streaks of Silentburn Levin, the fox suddenly stepped forwardnguidly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to interfere. I was quite happy with your request to me as it is actually quite beneficial to me too,¡± the fox said before opening its mouth wide.. DUUM! Skullius along with all the Prowlers felt an powerful grip that pulled on the atmosphere! ¡®Wh¡­¡¯ Before Skullius could express his thought, he saw the surroundings within a 300 meter radius before him and the fox warp and be drawn towards the ethereal creature that opened its mouth wide! The Prowlers, the grasses and all vegetation within the area was violently pulled into the mouth of the fox, Skullius seeing the human-like creatures wear distorted expressions of shock as they were devoured! As this vacuuming took ce, the body of the fox didn¡¯t change at all and even if what it devoured wasrger than its maw, that didn¡¯t stop it from being taken in without a hitch. After a full minute, the process finally ended with the fox having a content look on its face. ¡°¡­¡± Skullius had no words. He looked at the aftermath, seeing the clear ground devoid of any living thing, ditches and holes marring its surface after deep roots had been dug out within arge area. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯ve been guarding a Labyrinth for thousands of years without having the opportunity to feed on anything other than my own mana. I think I deserve a snack,¡± the fox said as it turned to Skullius. ¡°I¡­. see,¡± Skullius said, his mes dancing timidly. He tore himself out of his stupor when the fox started to move on. Such a show of strength was terrifying! Even now, his [Basic Mana Maniption] was picking up a very faint signature of mana, most of it having been devoured too! What an appetite! Skullius followed the fox. He became apprehensive but also curious. ¡°How did you sustain yourself for all these years br- I mean Great Fox? You¡¯re not an undead who doesn¡¯t need to feed,¡± Skullius asked with a heavy sense of respect detectable in his voice. The fox was amused. ¡°A beast at my level doesn¡¯t need to run around the forest looking for food voraciously like amon wolf. I can sustain myself by staying within my Majestic Territory in its passive state,¡± the fox said while linking its teeth. ¡°A Majestic Territory¡­¡± Skullius mumbled as he thought to himself. He had been one of the few to enter two Majestic Territories ande out unscathed despite his weaker level. Heck, he even had the privilege of being able to experience the wonderful feeling of projecting one through Eldris and that was a power he longed to get in the future. The more it was mentioned, the more Skullius really wanted to have one of his own. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know much about Territories but this was probably a good opportunity to ask. Politely that is. ¡°What exactly is a Majestic Territory? How do I obtain it, great and powerful fox who promised to help me reach my destination safely?¡± he asked with his four sockets mes dancing excitedly. ¡°Hmm,¡± the fox shook its head. ¡°I presume you have experience with a Territory for you to have such a nd reaction. It is hard to exin such a concept as it is far above you. Furthermore, it is much easier for beasts to obtain it as it is a concept that humans mastered from us.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius jerked a little. ¡°Indeed. To us, a Territory is sacred. It is not only for offense. It is a haven that we can use to sustain ourselves. Beasts such as guardians, like Az, use it as a method to preserve the environment from their overwhelming power. Hiding their existence while only watching from a hidden space,¡± said the beast. Skullius looked at thend the two had left behind which was broken and dpidated. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to care for the environment,¡± Skulliusmented. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m only interested in appealing to my instinct instead of conforming to human-like nature. I¡¯m a beast after all. However, those conformists outnumber beasts like me. Therefore, I¡¯ll have to limit how much I eat before they show up with their preservation nonsense.¡± The fox picked up its speed, prompting Skullius to do the same. The two resumed running at full speed while Skullius mulled over what the fox had said. He already knew but the fact that he had barely seen anything yet was hammered home. He witnessed more instances of the Prowlers being devoured by the ethereal fox multiple times before they eventually left the spawning ground, returning to the thick forestry. The two met beast after beast, the fox devouring them all which denied Skullius the chance to take in their Null Life Essence. The Prator could only scowl. There were instances where the fox killed its prey first and Skullius took the chance to absorb the Null Life Essence, but they were rare and the Prator onlyted a few hundred points. It was also hard to reach far ces without the staff to increase his range but it was what it was. Skullius felt like asking the fox to save some for him would be problematic and raise the curiosity of the fox. What he didn¡¯t know was that the fox was already deeply curious about him too. An un-undead that looked like an undead? A nonhuman that had inherited a legacy for humans? This was a form for something new to be birthed in the world. The fox hadn¡¯t ignored the streams of Silentburn Levin that Skullius had released before. Its advanced vision had caused it to see that it wasn¡¯t the usual lightning it was used to seeing. Why hadn¡¯t the fox inquired about all of this? Well, it was simple. The Prator had to pass through grand ordeals to prove his existence. What good was gaining interest in this stack of bones if it couldn¡¯t withstand the test of time? Aigas wasrge and there were many powerhouses and mysteries that exceeded even Skullius in the eyes of the fox. If this un-undead could rise to be a part of them, then the fox would be intrigued enough to follow up. The two journeyed for some hours before leaving the thick and entering the sparsely vegetated and less extravagant areas near the edge of the Tremur Forest. This journey had taken Skullius and the humans plenty of hours because they had to avoid dangerous ces but it had taken less now. Skullius realised through this journey that the long expedition to the Labyrinth of the Yoke had only led them closer to the middle of the Tremur Forest! That valley they had entered was a few miles from the middle of the forest and hundreds away from the deepest parts! ¡®How big is this ce?¡¯ Skullius questioned. Soon, he and the fox stood on a cliff while overlooking the scenery below. ¡°This should be fine. I¡¯m sure you can handle the beasts in this area on your own.¡± ¡°Gotcha, br- great fox bro. I guess I should say¡­ thanks?¡± Skullius said while titling his head. ¡°Hmm. That is not necessary. This is where we part,¡± the fox said as it turned. ¡°Be sure to remember that the next time we meet, it might not be as peace ridden as this. However, I do expect much from you, sessor of Fulgardt.¡± The fox vanished from Skullius¡¯ view leaving him with a lot to think about. He had obtained a lot of information on the way here but he put it all to the back of his skull and jumped down from the cliff without hesitation. The view from up had given him a better appreciation of thend and through this he had noticed certain hints to where he needed to go. One of them was a river that divided a portion of the forest and Skullius reckoned that it was the same one he had seen along the goblins¡¯ settlement. While this didn¡¯t exactly narrow down his search significantly, it was definitely a good start, especially when Skullius considered that he and the fox hadn¡¯t deviated that much from the course he and Benzard¡¯s group had taken. The Prator rushed through the forest while following the river. He made sure to keep his mes peeled in order to notice even the finest details. As he rushed along, he came across a few creatures that where a cross between men and dogs. They looked to be hunting as they donned rags and wielded crude weapons. Upon noticing Skullius, they pounced on him. ¡°This whole presence less thing is really problematic,¡± Skullius said before willing the Chains of Damnation to take care of these fodder. The ravenous beasts that attacked him with greed and hunger in their reddened eyes barely saw a dark sh that swiped across, turning their group of fifteen into mince while splitting apart a few trees! Skullius didn¡¯t feel anything from such an exchange, the aftermath leaving him without much of a stimtion. Even as notifications popped in his vision of how he had gained experience, Skullius wasn¡¯t excited. It was¡­ boring. He sighed and moved on, picking up his speed as he turned into a blur that none of the creatures he came across could react to. The measly amount of points they would give were nothingpared to his current objective anyway. Skullius was eager to get his bro back. That eagerness was soon fulfilled as Skullius, after an hour of searching, finally saw a familiar spot. Chapter 106 Reviving The Bro! Skullius saw dead Darewolves sprinkled over a somewhat moist ground and knew that he was close. He dashed forward and covered the distance from this ce and to the site where he had buried Red Rage in five minutes. This was it. He was almost there. The anticipation he felt was intense. The loneliness had been real. He had to be strong all this time while being surrounded by enemies without any form of backup. Now, it would be different. Upon reaching the familiar spot, he felt strange. It seemed like forever ago when all the events he remembered had happened and yet¡­ He looked around, his vision seeing further than he had been able to thest time he was here. From here, he could see the goblin settlement that was roughly a hundred meters away with better rity, the burnt remains making me feel like this could have been him in another reality. Trampled by the strong while he could do nothing to resist. He was in this same boat actually. The Doom Factors and his tie to a power that he didn¡¯t fully understand was proof of this. As Skullius looked at the charred remains, he saw a surprisingly sight. Or rather, the sight was surprising because he was familiar with what it contained. Even though it wasn¡¯t exactly clear because of the distance, he saw a goblin that wasn¡¯t burnt to a crisp like the rest. It was kneeling beside two unrecognisable and burnt stumps while a sword impaled his chest, protruding from the back.. The sword¡¯s end supported its body from the back, allowing for the goblin¡¯s body to stay steady in its kneeling posture. This goblin had undoubtedlymitted suicide and Skullius knew this creature. It was Shirota. ¡®To think this is where I started but where some met their end¡­¡¯ Skullius thought before turning his gaze away. He didn¡¯t care about the dead, only the Null living. He looked at the bulge on the ground where Red Rage was buried and crouched down. He used his armoured hands and began digging away the dirt. Soon, the image of the tusked boar skeleton with a fur hood appear and Skullius pulled it out. He looked at Red Rage and couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge that he had definitely faced too much without this bloodthirsty, disobedient yet lovable sidekick. Heid Red Rage on the ground. ¡°Wait¡­ how do I wake him up?¡± Skullius asked himself. He stored his helmet in the armour storage and began scratching his skull as he brainstormed. ¡°Maybe if I inject mana¡­?¡± A stream of mana poured from Skullius¡¯ finger releasing a bright tint on the ground and flowed into Red Rage but nothing happened even after a full ten seconds of injection. Skullius shook his head. No. This wasn¡¯t it. ¡°I guess mana won¡¯t do. What about Null Life Essence then?¡± This hadn¡¯t been his first option because manipting Null Life Essence wasn¡¯t something he could do like he did with mana. Aside from igniting it on his body and using it for skills, he couldn¡¯t really do much with it. At least without the staff. Skullius grabbed Red Rage by the skull and focused on the energy that he stole from dead bodies within him. A blue me-like construct bloomed from his hand and shrouded Red Rage¡¯s skull. The sensation of Null Life Essence had been clear to Skullius after he had used it take the skills from the two staves back then hence doing something like this wasn¡¯t hard. [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ is currently resting in the embrace of Serenity. Would you like to wake him up?] ¡°Yes, wake that bastard up!¡± Skullius bellowed. A sh of light coursed through Red Rage¡¯s eyes as soon as Skullius gave his affirmation to the notification that had popped up in his vision. Red Rage¡¯s sockets red with a blue light like bright torches and soon, the Bone Boar was awakened, his body quivering with Null Life! Skullius removed his hand after seeing the sessful return of his bro. He wanted to smile but unfortunately, his form didn¡¯t support such an action. He stood and watched as the now vastly shorter figure of his Apostle lifted himself up and looked up at him. ¡°Red bro¡­¡± Skullius said affectionately, his arms subconsciously opening wide. Red Rage¡¯s sockets beamed with a brighter light as the Apostle suddenly walked forward and opened its arms wide too. Skullius crouched down to amodate his follower, not stopping to wonder about this instinctive action he was performing. When the two were merely four inches from each other, Skullius expecting the Bone Boar to also be pleased to see him just like he was¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Red Rage had halted his advance midway and turned back to his grave. ¡°What the¡­¡± The Apostle pushed away the weapons that Skullius had buried along with it in the grave andfortablyid down, pulling in dirt to cover itself. Skullius¡­. was enraged. Red Rage didn¡¯t pay him any mind. In a matter of seconds, he was once again covered up, sinking deeper into the hole. ¡°YOU SOCKETHOLE!!!¡± Skullius yelled as he dug his arm into the covered grave, pulled Red Rage out and kicked the short figure away! Red Rage smashed against a tree and cracked many of his bones! He fell andy down motionlessly. Skullius rushed over and began giving the insolent bastard an ¡®earful¡¯. ¡°Have you any idea what I had to go through to get back here you idiot?! You want to go back to rest after I worked my pelvis off to survive and get back here to find you?! If you weren¡¯t my Apostle I would use [Damnation] and send you down to wherever the flesh they take you! Are you even listening you sockethole?!¡± Red Rage stood up and patted away the dirt on his bones before giving a vicious nod to Skullius who didn¡¯t buy the response at all. If he had been in his Discount Human form, there would no doubt be a throbbing vein on the side of his head right now. Still, his bright and magnified mes which depicted his wrath dimmed as he calmed down. He was really disappointed. After showing his vulnerable side, this sockethole had just¡­ ¡°Listen up! We are getting out of this ce and entering into the human world. We need to learn more about how everything works. When we do go to these ces, I want you on your best behaviour. No senseless killing and no disobeying my orders. You¡¯ll get us erased and I don¡¯t want that. You hear me bro?¡± Red Rage nodded. Skullius could have just send this order to Red Rage telepathically but being vocal really helped him settle his fury. Seeing and feeling Red Rage¡¯s nonchnce really made him bitter and he found himself questioning why this ungrateful bastard was so privileged with all that ridiculous¡­ talent, if that was the correct term to call it. ¡°Right! That blessing of Serenity. I should be able to see what it¡¯s about now, right?¡± Skullius summoned Red Rage¡¯s status panel. ~~~ [Blessing of Serenity] A blessed package given to the first named Apostle of the Nullmancer. It is a congrattory and supplementary package that serves to support the Nullmancer to boost the long range preference of this ss holder. The blessing is manifested through the Apostle of the Nullmancer. Itprises of two gifts given to the summoned Apostle. ¨C [Basic Murder Arts | Lv.3] The summoned Apostle bes very adept at killing all creatures, living or dead instinctively either through quick and merciful or slow and cruel means. Knowledge on how to kill any organisms is granted and refined with an increase in the level. ¡ª [Prodigy] An aspect of the Blessing of Serenity that allows the summoned Apostle to quickly learn skills, movements or concepts it has seen and experienced at 250% the normal speed. ~~~ ¡°Wow¡­ and here I thought I was cheating¡­¡± Skullius said.. dumbfounded. What a reveal. It effectively made him feel bad about himself. No wonder this bastard was able to learn skills so quickly! No wonder he was so murderous! No wonder he was so full of himself! Such a blessing given to this rebellious bastard. ¡°This is definitely not undeath,¡± Skullius said, looking at the unreasonable Bone Boar. Perhaps if he had known that being a Nullmancer was so much work he would have chosen differently. Unfortunately for him, he recalled clearly how the guidance field had strickly warned that he wouldn¡¯t be able to change his ss. Sigh. Now that he learned of this and desensitised himself to the ridiculousness, it was time to make his follower stronger. What was the use of an Apostle if it couldn¡¯t even help its master? It was literally the followers purpose and Skullius aimed to make it count. ¡°You should be grateful, I¡¯m about to bless you with a ton of experience!¡± Skullius said grandly while his dark blue skull released tiny bursts of Levin. Chapter 107 Bolstering The Nullmancers Apostle (1) It had be a thing after Skullius had gained his other self in the Discount Human form, that the guidance field would ask him where he would like allocate his Exp. However, after his hours¡¯ long journey with the Grinning Jester Fox, Skullius had discovered that he was free to use his Exp however he liked, as long as it pertained to him. The issue of levelling up Red Rage after reviving him had been something he was really looking forward to and he had searched for a way to make it possible. Luckily for him, it wasn¡¯t too hard as the guidance field had showed him that his ss, [Vehement Bone Nullmancer], took the issue of him and his Apostles being very closely linked seriously. Therefore, sharing his Exp was possible, especially when it was all pooled up, ready for him to use. As for his current amount of Exp¡­ ~~~ [ Exp : 3,758,480 ] ~~~ This seemed like a lot, but only Skullius knew better. Three times the amount of experience required for each subsequent level was a pain in the pelvis. Spending this Exp on himself would be aplete waste as for him, it wouldn¡¯t even him more than a single level. Once again, Skullius wondered just how far did this experience thing go? Red Rage jumped up and down in excitement. Levelling up and reaching its master¡¯s level? That was incredibly exciting. ¡°Now you want to be active, you sockethole?¡± Skullius said with unveiled rage. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± For him and Red Rage, a total of 983,740 cumtive mana experience points was required to level up from Level 1 to Level 10. Since Red Rage was not starting from scratch, it wouldn¡¯t take that much but a lot would still be drawn from the pool. ¡°Transfer enough Exp to Red Rage to reach Level 10,¡± Skulliusmanded the guidance field.. A burst of mana exploded from Red Rage creating a mini storm that sted outwards, roaring against the atmosphere. Red Rage¡¯s sockets flickered before they released a bright luminesce which light up Skullius¡¯ armour. Skullius looked at all this unimpressed, waiting for it to end so that he could get on to the important stuff. [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has broken past many hurdles and reached LV10. Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ is now able to evolve into the First Tier of power. Do you ept?] ¡°Yep, let¡¯s do this,¡± Skullius affirmed. [Loading possible evolution options for ¡®Null Lifeform (Bone Boar)¡¯¡­] [Possible evolution options for Tier 1:] ¡°Skip those creepy details!¡± Skullius immediately yelled before the marketing information appeared instead of the actual useful stuff. ~~~ [Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man] A powerful Bone variant whose main strength lies in sturdiness. The Pelvis Boar-Man has a powerful body that cannot be easily damaged. However, the bulk of its uniqueness lies in the fact that it has the traits of the pelvis actualised into attributes and qualities. All forms of damage are transmitted through its body and down to the ground, nullifying much of their effect. It can naturally expand its bones as well as toughen them to protect itself. Its most unique trait is the ability to ¡®Bnce¡¯. The Pelvis Boar-Man can equalise an exchange with most opponents, bringing a fight to a more or less equal match up. (Due to its unique powers, the Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man MUST NOT punish those who do not deserve it and only deliver justice to those that are in the wrong. Failure to adhere to this will call upon The Anchor from ¡°%#$!¡± for judgement.) ___ +1400 Mana +300 Strength +130 Agility +1000 Health +50 Intelligence -Tusks of Justice -Brilliant Boar Bnce Buckler -Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire -Hero¡¯s Fist -Hero¡¯s Hero _ If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to ¡°&#%^!¡±. -Possibility of gaining a Supreme Skill in the next evolutions. ¡ª [False-Hope Bone Devil] An evil bone variant that revels in destruction and excessive cruelty. The False-Hope Bone Devil has the natural ability to manipte and assimte all bones as well as obtain features of the creature that the bones belong to. It is also closely linked to ¡°%@#%!¡± unlike most species, being able to summon its two most vile servants ¡®Giratosh¡¯ and ¡®Levatis¡¯ in ordance to its level. The False-Hope Bone Devil has a good bnce of power and speed being mostly great at offense. (Due to its unique powers, the False-Hope Bone Devil has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The False-Hope Bone Devil MUST devour 1,000 souls every three days. Failure to do so will cause the Bone Devil to turn transform into the Hope-Ridden Useless Saint for a full day.) ¨C +2000 Mana +175 Strength +200 Agility +500 Health +100 Intelligence -True Malevolent Ascendance -False Bone Amalgamation -Summon: Null Devil -Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno -Hellscape Creation ¨C If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to ¡°&#%^!¡±. -Possibility of gaining a Veneration art in the next evolutions. ¡ª [Anonymous Deity Avatar] A very special bone variant with the sole ability of forcing any Deity into making itself the Deity¡¯s Avatar. An Avatar is a representative, a voice, a follower. When the Anonymous Deity Avatar bes the Avatar of a Deity, it gains all the core of their powers and traits, gaining strength that exceeds its level by leaps and bounds. The Deity Avatar can be an Avatar to a maximum of two Deities. Prior to finding a Deity to force into a contract, the Anonymous Deity Avatar has no special qualities that taints it before it eventually receives the boons from its target. (Due to its unique powers, Anonymous Deity Avatar has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Anonymous Deity Avatar CANNOT inherit any new skills or unique powers other than its ss and Avatar attributes.) ¨C If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to ¡°&#%^!¡±. -Possibility of gaining advanced powers from Deities. ~~~ ¡°Wait! Wait! Wait! BRO! How did this bastard gain much more interesting evolutions than me?!¡± Skullius blurted as he alternated his gaze between his guidance field screen and Red Rage. ¡°Aren¡¯t I the master?! Is this another hidden advantage of that [Blessing of Serenity]?!¡± The evolutions that had popped up for Red Rage seemed more insane that his own. They were extraordinarily unique! However¡­ ¡°Hmmm¡­ I have a choice to make and its pretty hard,¡± Skullius quitining and rxed his mind. This was tricky. First of all, the Pelvis Man evolution had returned and it was slightly different, no doubt to amodate Red Rage who was a boar. This made Skullius wonder what was so unique about. Its w was a bit different too. While it was cool to see, Skullius was more interested in the other two. The False-Hope Bone Devil and the Anonymous Deity Avatar. The False-Hope Bone Devil¡¯s ability to assimte any bones and even gain the creature¡¯s traits was really interesting, to say the least. It could also summon minions that seemed to be overpowered too. Skullius couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly. Unfortunately there were a lot of downsides to this evolution, especially if Skullius linked it to Red Rage. As far as he knew, Red Rage¡¯s personality was shaped by his skills and the [Blessing of Serenity]. His gift as an expert killer was probably the one that made the little sockethole a murderous fool. If he gifted that Boar this evolution with loved destruction and excessive cruelty¡­ Skullius turned to Red Rage who gave him a big thumbs and shivered. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ he¡¯ll kill everything that he sees¡­¡± Skullius mumbled. This bro was already hard to control. There¡¯s no one he could choose that for him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this evolution offers my Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno though. That¡¯s unexpected. So that skill belongs to the False-Hope Bone Devil? Also, with this evolution you can summon the Null Devil? Gah! There¡¯s too much I don¡¯t know!¡± These two skills had shocked Skullius. Perhaps this answered his question on where the skills and armour from [Unbound] came from, but that was all he could figure out at the moment. Still though, Skullius brought his thoughts back to the objective. The other downside of the False-Hope Bone Devil was its w. Where on earth would he find 1,000 souls?! What was this Hope-Ridden Useless Saint anyway? It sounded like a trash creature without a single redeeming quality. The Anonymous Deity Avatar was another cool evolution. Skullius didn¡¯t know much about Deities except for the crumbs he had heard from powerful existence that hailed them as absurdly strong beings. Benzard had once said something about them too. If Red Rage could forcibly make a Deity give him his powers that would insane. What more if he seeded with 2 of them! However¡­ ¡°Before that¡­ this sockethole will be useless to me! He¡¯ll be deadweight! At that point he might as well roll over in a grave and sleep!¡± Skullius bellowed once more. Red Rage wouldn¡¯t even be able to learn any other skills until he found a Deity to contract, as the status said. These bloody ws were too much. With all these things considered, Skullius really wanted to choose between these two evolutions. Any one of these would allow him to have a powerful helper at his side but¡­ Skullius was about to venture into unknown territory. He didn¡¯t need a murderous skeleton as his backup or a trash stack of bones that couldn¡¯t assist him in a tough fight until he figured out what a Deity truly was. Besides, he had the chance to gain more Apostles in the future. He would risk having one with one of these evolutions someday but for now, the rational choice was to choose an evolution that bnced out Red Rage. ¡°You need to chill the flesh out, bro. This is for your own good. Besides, you¡¯re always going to overpowered with that blessing of yours,¡± Skullius said before he ultimately made his choice for the Boar that was still extending its hand in a thumbs up. ¡°Let¡¯s go with the Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man.¡± Chapter 108 Bolstering The Nullmancers Apostle (2) The air crackled as a magnificent air began to overtake Red Rage, his frame growingrger and taller in stark contrast to his previous smaller form. Now Skullius looked on in anticipation to see just what the Pelvis Boar-Man would look like. The crude and torn leather armours that Red Rage wore were ripped apart as the newly forming Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man emerged! Red Rage¡¯s shade of colour turned into a dark grey one that gleamed like a stainless steel, almost reflecting its surroundings like a mirror! The fur hood that Red Rage had on fell off and its figure became more humanoid, its elongated snout receding quite a bit but ultimately still having its tusks that gained a golden colour. A thick chin appeared on Red Rage¡¯s face with a deep division, prompting for the growth of a sharp jawline. Red Rage¡¯s arms and legs got longer, its hands and feet no longer looking like those of a child. From its sockets that became skewed upwards, the blue glow was reced by a golden one, Red Rage jutting its chest outwards where a peculiar symbol appeared, traced along the ribs; a ¡®U¡¯ like shape with a ¡®T¡¯ across it. This symbol glowed with incessant golden wisps that swayed smoothly, drawing most of Skullius¡¯ attention. He was dumbfounded when he saw the sheen, the glow and sturdy appearance of Red Rage as he brought his balled, bony hands to his pelvis, which looked strangely cool, and stood in a heroic stance while his chin was lifted high. ¡°The¡­ the True Boneman of Steel!¡± Skullius eximed almost wishing he could bow and show reverence to those bones. He quickly caught himself however and pretended to cough awkwardly. [Congrattions! Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has evolved into Tier 1, bing an ¡®Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has gained 1400 Mana] [¡­ has gained 1000 Health] [¡­ has gained 300 Strength] [¡­ has gained 130 Agility] [¡­ has gained 50 Intelligence] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has gained ¡®Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯ exclusive skills] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ gains the skill ¡®Null Extraction¡¯] [All standard Lifeform skills have levelled up] ¡°Woow¡­ that¡¯s a lot of stuff for one Bone Boa- I mean Pelvis Boar-Man,¡± said Skullius with a nod. ¡°You look pretty cool.¡± Red Rage looked to Skullius and gave him a heroic thumbs up, a notification that Skullius hadn¡¯t seen in a while appearing in his vision. [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ approves of yourpliment and your decision. +50 Favourability] ¡°¡­ Uhmm¡­ okay, bro. I guess I can¡¯t stay made at you if you start behaving well like this,¡± Skullius said with a nod of approval before pulling up the Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s status. ~~~ [ Name : Red Rage ] [ Tier :1 ] [ Apostle Trait : None ] [ Rank : None ] [ ss : None ]. [ Level : 1 ] [ Race: Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man ] [ Inv. Status : Seeks to dish out Justice ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 355 ] [Agility : 185 ] [ Intelligence : 96 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 1100/1100 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 1510/1510 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Skills ] [ Null Life Aura | Lv. 2 ] [ Storming Charge | Lv. 1 ] [ Dead End | Lv. 1 ] [ sh Throw | Lv. 2 ] [ Swift Stab | Lv. 1 ] [ Dash in Dust | Lv. 2 ] [ Climb | Lv. 1 ] [ Basic Bow Mastery | Lv.3 ] [ Blessing of Serenity ] [ Tusks of Justice | Lv.1 ] [ Brilliant Boar Bnce Buckler | Lv.1 ] [ Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire | Lv.1 ] [ Hero¡¯s Fist | Lv.1 ] [ Hero¡¯s Hero | Lv.1 ] ~~~ ¡°Ohhh¡­ You have some new features too? Apostle Trait and Rank? I guess we¡¯re far from discovering everything about our abilities Red bro,¡± Skullius said with a deep sigh. The Pelvis Boar-Man that looked up at him seemed proud. His frame was still taller than Red Rage¡¯s, but at least they looked rtive now with the Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man having a height of approximately 1.8 meters. ¡°You even got [Null Extraction] which is insane. What will use Null Essence for though? Makes me remember that there is a skill I haven¡¯t used on you that I feel I should start paying attention to.¡± Skullius was referring to [Apostle Armament]. Another notification appeared in his vision. [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ is now legible to obtain a ss. Do you ept?] ¡°Oh right! I almost forgot! I guess that makes sense. Show us the stuff!¡± ~~~ [Avable sses for ¡®Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯] ¨C [Valiant BoneKnight] The one who walks the path of honour and the sword, mastering its taste, feel and makeup to the point of making it an extension of the self. With Null Life in tow, one who walks this path will not fail to cut everything apart after he gains: +50 Strength +100 Mana +50 Agility -Brave Bone Sword Art -Threefold Quick -BoneKnight Code -Call to Duty ¡ª [Temper Skull Hegemon] True power lies in the bone, not the flesh. Transcend the limits of mortal strength with your body and enter the realms of power where a single fist can demolish mountains. Armies will cower at your individual strength which warps space and severs limits. He who chooses this path will be feared after attaining: +250 Strength +70 Mana +40 Agility -Tempered Armament of the Hegemon -Tempered Ascension -Forged Steel Bones -Glorious Rebirth of the Berserk Hegemon ¡ª [Spirit Walker] To be a Null Lifeform means to be closer to the edge of Non-existence. A fleeting presence that can barely be perceived even by the strongest experts. The greatest enemies are ones that strike without anyone knowing of their presence. He who chooses this path will be a legend that has never been seen after attaining: +150 Agility +40 Strength +80 Mana -Shadow Assimtion -Border of Death -Spirit Touch -Tranquil Messenger of Death ~~~ ¡°Interesting. These are some interesting choices. I wonder why sses give weaker stats though. Maybe it¡¯s because we¡¯re still too weak? Anyway, the Hegemon has returned again along with the Spirit Walker which are both cool. The first one is new though,¡± Skullius said. All three of these matched Red Rage¡¯s style. Strength, finesse and hidden attacks. Frankly, he was utterly stumped over which one to choose. Given that Red Rage now had an extremely high defence, it was better to focus more on its offense, thus Skullius leaned more towards getting Red Rage one of the first two. What was the point of bing an assassin when you had a powerful defence and high strength but subpar speed? Shouldn¡¯t that strength be used in frontal assaults? Then again it was perfectly fine nomatter which ss Skullius chose but, it was a hard decision. Seeing that the choice was too hard for him, Skullius turned to Red Rage and attempted something he hadn¡¯t before. ¡°Can you see this?¡± he asked, motioning towards the guidance field status. Red Rage nodded. ¡°Oh¡­ can you understand it then?¡± Red Rage shook his head. ¡°Damn it!¡± Skullius cursed. He really didn¡¯t want to make this choice right now. So, he simply didn¡¯t. Why force it? ¡°I have to see your preferences in this new form of yours before choosing a ss for you. You can¡¯t change it, after all.¡± Red Rage nodded and gave Skullius a thumbs up. ¡°Great! Now we have to get out of here,¡± Skullius said as he took out the Arcane Teleportation Scroll. He was done with the Tremur Forest, at least for now and was eager to follow Serenity¡¯s advice. ~~~ [Arcane Teleportation Scroll: Scorch] An offensive and supportive item used to cross vast distances through in a matter of seconds while simultaneously dealing fire damage to opponents. Multiple coordinates are etched into the enchantment, allowing for one to transport themselves to any of the locations or near them depending on the amount of mana used. Enchantment will be inactive if the user is too far away from the etched locations. [Eofel ¨C 300 Mana Points] [Dihjhal ¨C 500 Mana Points] [Benegogue ¨C 450 Mana Points] ~~~ Another choice awaited Skullius over which ce to go to but there was no information on any of the choices thus he had to choose at random. ¡°Wait¡­ actually, I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t travel in my skeleton form, which means I¡¯m going to have to use [Flesh It Like You Mean It]. Damn it! In that Discount Human form I don¡¯t have much mana for all this,¡± Skullius thought. He had to go into that ridiculous form again to swiftly merge into the human society. Now that his enthusiasm over Red Rage¡¯s revival was over, he could think clearer about this. In the Discount Human form, given the boosts he had gotten after getting Fulgardt¡¯s legacy, Skullius had roughly 400 Mana Points which was only enough to travel to Eofel. ¡°I guess I have no other choice. It¡¯s better to be safe. While my luck has been good so far, I don¡¯t know when it will choose to be atrocious again,¡± Skullius said trying to bolster his desire to even go through with this. ¡®What¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t get freaked out okay, Red bro?¡± The Abominable Pelvis Boar-Man at Skullius¡¯ side tilted its head as it looked at Skullius who removed the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation. He took out Denille¡¯s spatial storage ring and stored the armour within it. ¡°It should be safe in there.¡± He had noticed the robes he had worn before he had met Eobald, still where he had left them after he changed into the Green Neolist Regalia back then. He grabbed the dirty robes as they were the one piece of clothing he had if he were to change into the Discount Human again. ¡°Uhm¡­ what about Red bro? He won¡¯t be put to slumber again, will he?¡± Skullius asked himself. Unexpectedly, he received a direct answer from the guidance field in the form of a notification. [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ can now sustain himself even when the Nullmancer is in slumber] ¡°Oh¡­that¡¯s good,¡± Skullius was relieved. ¡°I wish you¡¯d answer more of my questions just like you did just now though.¡± No other notification popped up. ¡°. Here goes then,¡± Skullius said before he activated [Flesh It Like You Mean It] which hade off its 3 hour cooldown a few hours before. [¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ has been activated] Bubbles of flesh appeared on Skullius¡¯ dark blue skeletal frame and covered him in an instant, being a bit faster than when he had used the skill for the first time. Skullius realised something as this process went on, his body bing bathed in an invigorating energy while he received his flesh. Soon, a generic face devoid of any detail other than a pair of grey eyes, a noise and a mouth appeared. Short auburn hair appeared from the cosmetic flesh and sprang over his head, a standard yet weak looking naked body which was shorter than Red Rage also recing the Prator. ¡°Urgh¡­ this again,¡± Skullius said with a frown but as he Red Rage¡¯s figure which was still active, he was pretty much able to stomach the rest. Mid cast he had remembered that his Discont Human body had been in a terrible state and had thus used [Luminous Healing]. He had gotten to know that using [Flesh It Like You Mean It] wouldn¡¯t heal either of his bodies when his Boneman body returned with an missing still. However, it wasn¡¯t a problem now as he focused on what was ahead. He wouldn¡¯t be alone now. Red Rage was confused. He walked around Skullius a few times taking in the view with his golden sockets before giving his master¡­ a thumbs down. ¡°I know bro. Flesh is the worst. That much we can both agree on, but I have no choice,¡± Skullius said as he wore the dark crude robes. He then gazed at Red Rage and wore a devilish grin. ¡°You know¡­ I can¡¯t walk around with a buff skeleton like you Red bro¡­ not until we can find some armour for you at least. I wonder if you can fit in here,¡± Skullius wiggled the spatial storage ring. He didn¡¯t know if it would work but it was his only choice as it would be very hard to conceal Red Rage especially when there was no armour to use [Unbound] on. Red Rage didn¡¯t understand and Skullius didn¡¯t want him to. The Discount Human actually found pleasure in Red Rage¡¯s confused face as he did what he had to do. He injected his mana into the ring which registered as the same he exuded in his Prator form, causing the ring to suck in Red Rage. Skullius didn¡¯t know the intricacies of spatial storage rings, some of which prohibited live things from being stored within. Lucky for him, Red Rage was neither living or dead. The unfortunate Apostle appeared in a cramped space with cores and a few other items, being forced to sit in a terrible position to barely fit in this space. ¡°I¡¯ll pull you out soon, bro. Don¡¯t worry, hehehe,¡± Skullius said with a shortugh. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see where this thing takes us.¡± He opened the Arcane Teleportation Scroll and injected mana, focusing on Eofel. These items were created in such a way that allowed one to construct a connection with them through the mind. Skullius¡¯ thoughts were guided to where he desired by the intricate item which was the scroll as the words Eofel lit up with a brilliant stream of energy. Soon, the entire scroll ignited and so did the entire area as a tremendous amount of fire roared outwards from Skullius¡¯ position, while the Discount Human disappeared. A new adventure was about to begin, away from the Tremur Forest and into the hearts of human civilization. ¡ª¨C End of Volume 1. Thanks for reading. Please leave yourments and reviews, nomatter how long and how you feel. Let¡¯s be professional. Chapter 109 The Brood, The Bard and The Bad Eofel, Feinheath. The continent where humans popted, Feinheath, was in a time of tension as a huge change was about to ur. At least it was in the works, still being deliberated. All three of its nations, Emeradis, Pelian and Maqui, were greatly unsettled by the potential chaos that would ensue. A collusion of different races was premature. This was what everyone thought. Mumbles could be heard among the nobles about the Royal family and their notice on how they would be considering integrating Feinheath and the greatnd of Opungale to its East, thend of the Sif, into one solid and powerful nation. The specifics were rather ominous as most of the general public did not know the ys that were happening in the shadows which prompted this decision. It was not a decision to be taken lightly. An official meeting was scheduled to happen in a few days with an important personage from the long-eared race and the people waited with bated breaths for the result. Their societies were unprepared for this change. Amidst all this turmoil and anxiety, a certain man was sitting cross-legged on a rug in a vastly crowded marketce where merchants were dealing openly and stealthily with interested parties, coaxing and lying through their teeth about ¡®sweet deals¡¯ that grant grand fortune. Middle and high ss individuals travelled past the dusty roads within carriages and on foot, passing ordinary folk as well as beggars that barely wore anything upon their fly ridden bodies while begging for alms. Loud chatter, the smell of food and scent of perfumes as well as body odour diffused within the air amid the clopping steps yet the aforementioned man who sat merely grabbed his doss lute and took a deep breath. He had long, sunflower blonde hair and brown eyes, sunken cheeks and a face with a gaze unbefitting of his supposed age. Clearing his throat as he sat among a few hawkers almost inconspicuously, caught the attention of a few passers-by who gawked in surprise at seeing his face. ¡°Hey! Isn¡¯t that Erlton the Reader?¡± one person said while pulling on the individual at his side. ¡°What?! Where?!¡± the person who had been made known this shocking fact scurried to look in the direction the other person was pointing.. Soon, a cluster of people gathered while pointing at the man with the lute as if he was some mystical wonder. In some ways, he was and among the looks of surprise and respect, looks of rage, disgust and indifference could also be seen directed at him. The man, whose name was Erlton raised his hand, the air changing as a deep silence invited itself, pushing away the noise. Erlton strummed the lute slowly, producing a sweet musical tune that caught the attention of everyone around regardless of their personal opinion of him. Whenever this mysterious bard appeared, he would sing a bad that usually held a message for the people. It was never guaranteed that he would spew blessing or curse but the people sought to hear him anyway. To hear vague messages open to interpretation. However, this time around¡­ ¡°This is a tale, A humble bard details, To enlighten the masses, Before the memory so passes~¡± Everyone held their breathes, paying keen attention to the bad. Perhaps this man would address the current issue that had everyone in an inted tiff. ¡°And so I shall sing and shout, About a single league about, Four hegemons of old, Their story now retold, Tracing ages, years before, And from my speech nowes the lore~, So lend your ears and hear, Which four you ought to fear, Turn not your head over yonder, Of these gods you are to ponder, Suzamete the Deitess, So beautiful, so peerless, The wind, the skies she maketh, So bright, so blue, I seeth, Thend that lies beneath my feet, Quite hard, so firm, from brown I eat, Very good, he says Quintess the great, When he sees the crops I cultivate, The waters and sees, abound and rain, Sly Listafelle she floods my brain, We can all agree she is insane, Still I drink and dance to cheer her name, To the Depths below I wonder, What evil rides the ¡®Under¡¯, That Boron made, a terror, I sprint and run in horror~, And so I shall sing and shout, About a single league about, Let not your faith be quelled, For it all shall stand upheld, Drink wine and serve the ales, Yet, beware¡­¡± Erlton suddenly broke the rhythm and tune as he raised his head to deliver thest part of the bad in a hollow tone that caused a chill among the masses. ¡°¡­ of a shadow that never pales¡­¡± The crowds gasped and sweated as in the next moment, the same bard they locked their gazes on suddenly vanished before a few men decked in thick heavy armours, pushing away the crowd as they moved with shocking bursts of speed could reach him. *** A single candle was lit atop a crude looking table that creaked with the slightest movement from the man who sat with his arms upon it. The light from the melting construct barely drove away the darkness in the small room where nothing but the aforementioned piece of furniture and a chair could be seen. The sun was bright outside but it failed to prate this room that seemed detached from the outside mour and chatter, instead being smothered by an eerie silence. The figure who sat at the small table wore a dark hood that looked to be made of sack cloth, attached to a pitiful looking robe tied at the waist by a string. On his face was a peculiar wooden mask, half of it poorly painted green and the other half white. Two skewed eye holes were carved upon it allowing him to see but barely showing his eyes in this darkness. Aside from merely shifts and shudders, the mam never made another movement as he waited. Soon, a door creaked from somewhere within, footsteps being heard as two figures appeared before him, one male, the other female. The young female had a shoulder length copper shimmer coloured hair and green eyes that gleamed even in the darkness while the middle aged male had a short tufts of leather ck hair and dull, ocean blue eyes. ¡°We confirmed it, Actuass. Eobald is dead. His link to undeath was severed roughly a day ago. The same is the case for the boy with the Imagining Sword Technique. He died too,¡± the young woman reported with a calm expression. The man with the mask whose name was revealed to be Actuass fidgeted and raised his head to gaze at the woman, from his right eye which peaked from the mask, a bright hazel leaking out. ¡°Cause?¡± he asked curtly. ¡°That¡¯s still unknown, unfortunately,¡± the middle aged man replied, continuing to speak as he voiced his opinion in a rather edgy tone. ¡°Eobald was too rash. He should have paid more attention to who he revealed his identity to. He was too eager to rise up the ranks in the organisation, spreading his presence so crudely with that bunch of clowns, the Idea Ark, or whatever.¡± ¡°No,¡± Actuass said. ¡°He had the right idea. Although, I do agree that he was racing towards a false light at the end of a fake tunnel. He needed more time to solidify trust. What has be of this charade enactment of his?¡± ¡°They perished somewhere in the Tremur. I¡¯ll give him credit for cleaning up his mess somehow though,¡± the woman said, her expression not changing at all. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Actuass did not respond for a while as he sank into his thoughts. Neither of the two bothered him as this was a habit of his when he contemted at a deeper level. At a level that transcended life. After a few minutes, his voice emerged, bearing a sound strategy. ¡°Eobald has faded but that should not affect us. Our roots and seeds have already been set even though the Purity is closely watching and hunting us. First, call for a meeting with House EverSword and tell them of their boy¡¯s demise. Demand the next one in line and tell them to indoctrinate him properly. That¡¯s not our duty, its theirs.¡± ¡°Understood. I heard that unlike the predecessor, the younger EverSword boy is much more talented in the Imagining Technique and is attending a local academy. Perhaps the House is trying to avoid having this new heir stray from the house too?¡± the young woman said. ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°Next, make a call to all our branches in the three nations. Tell them to enact the first phase.¡± The man and woman before Actuass showed expressions of surprise. ¡°We¡¯re already doing it, huh?¡± the middle aged man wore a bitter smile for a second before nodding. The woman at his side took a deep breath and also nodded. Actuass saw their expressions but ignored this flicker in their resolve. ¡°Yes. Death is an ordained fate with a purity of its own. None of them understand, but they will soon.¡± Chapter 110 Unintended! ¡°¡­and in the void of Stagnant Space, the four Deities made the selfless decision to create a world. Aigas. A host of different races that would make it prosper and flourish.¡± ¡°All four of the Deities sacrificed their physical forms to create this ne. Suzamete became the sky, Quintess became thend, Listafelle became the seas and Boron¡­ who was termed the ¡®Traitor¡¯, created the Under, a ce where vile monsters thrive as they are not permitted to live in this ne.¡± ¡°We as the Purity are the representatives of the Suzamete, Quintess and Listafelle. We keep the memory of their existence alive and demonstrate their greatness to all living creatures. Is there anything else I missed?¡± A gorgeous woman spoke as she gazed tenderly at the figure of a 14 year old boy who was listening to her patiently next to her on the speeding carriage. Spotless chestnut coloured skin could be seen over the woman with thick, curly, ck hair that reached her shoulderplementing it. Her pure hazel eyes had a certain vivaciousness to them, her heart-warming smile formed over red, oval shaped lips being something that all men who saw would gulp at. She donned a sturdy yet slender golden armour with a three-pointed star sculpted on the chest, her figure exuding a presence befitting her rank. ¡°No, that was good enough, but you didn¡¯t tell me what came before the Deities, Pdin Champion Elita,¡± the young boy at her side said while grinning happily which prompted the woman to give a shortugh. ¡°The Deities lived their lives, just like we do. Only a Deity can share with you what they did before the creation,¡± the woman said before turning to the figure opposite.. It was a rather slim man with greying hair and sharp brown eyes donning a white robe with the same three pointed star. He wore a light smile as he watched his son try to act like an all knowing priest. ¡°He¡¯s well informed. I didn¡¯t expect my knowledge of the doctrine to be scrutinised and judged to be mediocre by such a young boy, Grand Priest,¡± the woman, whose name was revealed to be Elita. ¡°He is the splitting image of you in both ways.¡± ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s solely his own achievement I¡¯m afraid. He studies the doctrine critically on his own and often argues with me on certain subjects. Our household is very lively as a result,¡± the slim man said. Elita merely smiled back without a response and ruffled the hair of the boy beside her. The boy couldn¡¯t help but feel belittled, his brown eyes alternating between Elita and his father. The carriage that these three rode in was surrounded by a dozen others that looked exactly the same; thick and polished wood with steel ornaments that were riddled with protective runes. Proud horses pulled the carriages with the drivers giving their utmost attention to the road. Today, the 89th, 2nd Order Grand Priest of the Purity was being escorted to the city of Eofel in Pelian tomune in the temple. His position was one of the highest above all else within the Purity, the single recognised organisation that taught about the four Deities. One of the 12 Pdin Champions of the Purity along with seventy elite knights had even been dispatched to ensure that the Grand Priest would reach the city safely. As they journeyed, the image of the city was already visible in the distance. ¡°How goes the situation with apprehending those fanatics? The Green Neolists,¡± the Grand Priest asked Elita. The dark skinned woman gave a sigh before delivering an answer. ¡°We¡¯ve been close to capturing them but I had to order our search parties to withdraw. It felt like we were being led on. Our current strategy needs some revision but we have them cornered, which makes me even more nervous about the potential threat they could cause in that situation.¡± ¡°Hmm. I see. A cornered mouse can be a frightening foe in the end. Have you been able to dig out their actual goals?¡± the Grand Priest asked. Elita¡¯s eyes shed a bit in response as she gazed at the Grand Priest to which he understood exactly what she meant. Because his son was in the carriage, the Pdin Champion couldn¡¯t outright talk about the multiple viges where half of the poption had been turned into undead and made to prey on the rest. This was the current development. ¡°It¡¯s still anyone¡¯s guess at this point,¡± Elita said. The Grand Priest sighed and looked out the window. This procession of multiple carriages had been something he was against. He wanted to believe that he didn¡¯t need but then again¡­ ¡°Why do you think it has be so hard for people to believe in the Deities? To devote their faith. Only those who feel a pull in their strength congregate in the temples to get blessings and enter the Foundation Stage but they never return to pay respects. That is not the devotion we teach,¡± he said. ¡°It is not indeed.¡± Elita said. ¡°I feel the truth is¡ª¡± Elita stopped mid-sentence, her gaze turning serious as she sensed fluctuations in the mana within a mile¡¯s worth of distance! It was pulse. A weak one that most wouldn¡¯t be able to perceived at all. Her pure hazel coloured eyes turned sharp and ignited with refulgent light that torched the Grand Priest! In the next moment, a ball of fire appeared amidst the racing carriages, exploding outwards with a fierce roar that covered over 50 meters! The bright orange mes consumed most of the carriages in an instant as space was distorted for a short while! However, in that exact same moment, Elita who sensed everything that urred with the appearance of the ball of fire didn¡¯t panic like the boy beside her or show a shocked expression like the Grand Priest. She casually pointed downwards with her armoured index finger, a magnificent brilliance gushing out to counter the mes that spontaneously roared into existence! The mes were instantly extinguished, no horses or coachmen being so much as licked by the mes! It was like watching a snowy avnche overwhelm a pir of fire, as the result was a reassuring calm. The carriages came to a halt, Elita nodding to the Grand Priest as she then disembarked and shed to where she had sensed the nucleus of the attack. Tens of Knights decked in shining silver and white armour barrelled out of carriages and followed after the Pdin Champion, surrounding a point where a crater was smoking, yet to reveal the figure behind this unexpected event. ¡°Woow!¡± a loud voice spoke. ¡°Oh crap!¡± The figure of a young man with short auburn hair appeared within the crater, donning dirty robes and on his face, a shocked expression. This young man couldn¡¯t help but internally sigh as he knew just how much he was in for a high jump. ¡®d to have you back, atrocious luck.¡¯ Chapter 111 Captured Skullius could only wear a bitter smile as he sensed the cores of the seventy Knights that surrounded his crater. Frankly, his troubles hadn¡¯t only started here as he had had to struggle to pass through the immense resistance he faced when he activated the Arcane Teleportation Scroll. It wasn¡¯t easy as he had to pour out all the mana he had left to pass through the thick, viscous form of space that he would be introduced after. Stagnant Space! That was the reason for his exmation earlier. Now one trouble was done and another awaited. Skullius faced the absolute monsters that held swords, spears, bows among other weapons, all aiming at him. All of them had blue cores and seemed to be way stronger than the likes of Benzard and his crew. Their sparkling armours under the dazzling sun brought a strange terror within Skullius. However¡­. The gorgeous woman who stood before him with a sharp look in her eyes terrified him the most. He couldn¡¯t tell what her core was with [Basic Mana Maniption] and the air she exuded reminded him of the sensation he had felt when he had invaded Eldris¡¯ body in the Labyrinth of the Yoke. ¡°You¡¯re quite bold,¡± Elita said as shenguidly gazed at Skullius. ¡°To not only attack a convoy for a Grand Priest but to also try to probe my strength with such crude tact.¡± Skullius didn¡¯t know what to say. It had be an instinct at this point for him to check what kind of core someone had. It boggled his mind how the first look he had towards the human world was going to possibly be death. VOW bro wasn¡¯t lying when he told him to be careful of humans. ¡°He¡¯s a Green Neolist. A rather low ranked one though considering the Arcane scroll he used didn¡¯t pack that much punch,¡± a Knight walked up to Elita¡¯s side and gazed at Skullius with a look of disgust. He also exuded a different air from the rest of the Knights but not quite like Elita¡¯s. ¡°Those bastards are known for using scrolls that kill nearby individuals when they emerge so that they can have candidates for their undeath spells immediately.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Elita said, acknowledging what the man beside her had said even though she already knew all of it. The man beside the Pdin Champion had slicked back honey coloured hair and blue eyes that shone with the light of arrogance. This man was the captain of this squad of Knights and he owned it with every action of his he portrayed. Skullius would have loved to object to the usations but he was afraid of identally triggering someone and getting himself killed. It was all just too darn convenient! Elita had been gazing Skullius¡¯ face this whole time, pondering about something. ¡®What¡¯s with that face?¡¯ Most of the Knights around also had the same question but they were on duty with a criminal and thus couldn¡¯t voice their thoughts. This guy¡¯s face was strange! Creepy! Seeing as no one was progressing the plo- issue, Skullius decided to see if he could reason his way out of this. ¡°This isn¡¯t what you thi-¡° ¡°Be silent, you heathen!¡± the captain of the Knights cut off Skullius as he was about to speak. ¡°Bind him and let¡¯s take him with us.¡± The Knights hurriedly approached Skullius and pinned him down, being ever so wary as Skullius didn¡¯t fight back or anything. Skullius watched in horror as his ring was taken from him, and even though he tried to struggle, all his current points of strength didn¡¯t amount to jack under the individual strength of even one of the Knights. ¡®Dammit! Not my ring! There¡¯s too much valuable stuff in there!¡¯ Skullius thought. His Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation was there along with Red Rage and the other items! What would happen if these guys found them?! He let himself be bound as there was really nothing he could do about this. The Knights used a special type of rope woven with a dark material like hair with strips of gold which made Skullius feel extremely weak. The captain of the Knights watched as the robed figure of Skullius was taken into one of the carriages and then spoke to Elita. ¡°Hmph! Those heathens are desperate. To think they¡¯d attack a convoy with a Pdin Champion aboard. They must really be out of moves don¡¯t you think?¡± he asked. ¡°Hmm. It would seem so,¡± Elita said, while her eyes still focused on Skullius, her other senses stretched to the limit as she sought for any signs of a follow-up around the area. A brilliant cage of energy was revolving around the carriage that housed the Grand Priest and his son; a powerful technique Elita was using to protect them and to interfere with any spells or skills. She didn¡¯t buy for a single second that the Green Neolists were desperate. Evil organisations had risen and fallen but this one had been atrge for almost six years. They were clearly doing something right. ¡®I guess there is no follow-up,¡¯ Elita thought before she returned to the carriage where the Grand Priest was. ¡°What is it? What happened?!¡± the Grand Priest asked with a deep frown on his face. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about Grand Priest. It has been solved. I will fill you in as we go,¡± Elita replied with courteous smile while sitting down. The boy beside her had calmed down as soon as she saw her return, his eyes beginning to sparkle. Skullius was roughly flung into one of the carriages and seated between two Knights with their swords at the ready. The Knights captain also boarded the carriage and sat opposite him before the journey continued. Skullius was distressed at the loss of his ring and he knew that he was in quite the bit of trouble. Fighting right now was not an option and he didn¡¯t know what the other options were as he was in a new ce. ¡°Listen here, you filth,¡± the captain of the Knights said with his eyes oozing of the haughtiness he bore. ¡°I¡¯m going to put you through the most hellish ¡®inquiry session¡¯ until you¡¯re begging to tell me all you know. You¡¯re going to tell me everything about your little band of fools when I¡¯m done with you.¡± Skullius didn¡¯t look fazed. He hated that expression on the Knight¡¯s face the most but he didn¡¯t let it rile him up. However¡­ ¡®I really don¡¯t know anything though!¡¯ he screamed internally. Chapter 112 Arriving In Eofel The flood of carriages entered the city of Eofel with a steady momentum. This formation had been to ensure that the enemies didn¡¯t know where the Grand Priest was but the best oue from the arrangement that everyone hoped for was to discourage ambushes entirely. As the now rxed horses galloped while pulling on the carriages that held tens of the Knights, the Grand Priest and a suspected Green Neolist member, they entered the establishment ahead. Therge city which was clustered with different structures all over was very much popted at this time, many people chattering as they walked on the side of the road but the topic of their conversations was mostly the same. The swarm of carriages caused most to pause while others journeying on the block road gave way to the honourable Purity Knights, beginning to wonder what was the reason for this sudden visit. Communing at the temple was not done systematically but at the discretion of the Priest or at least however it appeared to them, thus it was never known to the public. Not that many cared for it in the first ce. The main road branched out into many sub roads that led to different locations, running throughmercial areas and geographically higher ces where nobles lived above themon residences of themons. At the center most ce was the Lord of city¡¯s Pce, the grand design being visually attractive for all those that entered the city for the first time; a tall piece broad building smothered by well kept greenery. Eofel was a minor city without much of a set-up inparison to the others but it was still a city where a few hundred thousand lived, which was a testament to howrge the Feinheath continent was. The masses chatted, theorising about what this current arrival could mean? Could it be linked to what had happened earlier? Had word already spread about the Bad that Erlton had left behind to such an extent that the Purity woulde rushing?. Elita noticed the restlessness within the crowds and her curiosity was peeked. It was expected for there to be a light case of confusion from their sudden arrival, but there seemed to be a thick level of anxiety. Something of concern. However, the Pdin Champion couldn¡¯t afford to stray from her exnation of the situation to the Grand Priest who looked quite concerned. ¡°Why would they begin to attack the Purity all of a sudden? What do they have to gain by pursuing us?¡± the man asked with a frown. ¡°Please, Grand Priest. Do not trouble yourself too much. We will be handling this promptly.¡± ¡°I would like to trust your words but the earlier event doesn¡¯t give me muchfort,¡± the Priest said with a deep gaze on Elita who remained calm. Once more Elita¡¯s eyes shed as she warned the Priest to collect himself as his son was also beginning to fear what could happen from seeing his father¡¯s reaction. Elita¡¯s report on the matter had been coded in a way that he wouldn¡¯t understand but his father¡¯s face told him a lot about what was going on. The Priest quickly gathered his frown and turned it into a warm smile as he reached out to ruffle his son¡¯s hair. He discontinued this conversation with Elita and also noticed that the people were shaken by something, some areas having Knights trying to maintain the order. ¡°Has something happened?¡± the Grand Priest asked. ¡°It seems so. We¡¯ll inquire from the Pce. Stopping here to ask would be unsafe,¡± said Elita with her usualposed self online. The carriages all travelled to the city lord¡¯s Pce where only the one permitted to enter the gates was the one with the Grand Priest. Knights came to receive the Grand Priest, donning different armour to Elita and the others. Before the carriaged moved onto the lord¡¯s domain, Elita opened the door to the carriage intending to leave. ¡°Where are you going?¡± The Grand Priest asked. ¡°I have to settle the matter with the man we just caught before anything else happens.¡± ¡°No. You are to stay with me. Let someone else handle it,¡± ordered the Grand Priest. Elita could only sigh inwardly and nod, going up to the carriage that held Skullius and the others. She found the captain of the Purity Knights already waiting for her outside the carriage and immediately gave her orders. ¡°Do not do anything rash with him,¡± she motioned towards Skullius. ¡°Have him locked up in a secure cell by the Capital Knights and I will deal with it when I return. Keep a close watch,¡± Elita said strictly and turned away before the captain could respond. The captain was not happy with this. Why was this woman showing mercy to the man who had attacked them? Was she just some soft cotton ball among the Pdin Champions who couldn¡¯t get the job done when it counted? Due to the division in branches and overall service, this was essentially the first time this man had worked with Elita and thus he had been very enthusiastic at first but now¡­ He watched as the woman left, going into thepound of the Pce before he boarded back into the carriage and red at Skullius who looked naturally indifferent because of his face. That look on Skullius¡¯ face roused his rage and he suddenly slugged the Discount Human while holding back most of his strength! Skullius¡¯ body jerked and he spat a mouthful of fizzy blood. His head spun and he felt himself get disoriented. ¡°You think you¡¯re getting off easy with what you did? Think again!¡± The carriages rolled along, going in a different direction towards the west of the city where a proud building made specifically as the Capital Knights headquarters stood. It has silver hue which oozed of authority and power that made it feel dependable to the public. Or it should have. Upon reaching there, several Knights with silver armour walked up to receive their guests but behind their smiling facade, the bitter angst they held against their counterparts was so tant that it easily made the atmosphere tense. There were generally four types of Knights. Capital Knights, Purity Knights, Contract Knights and Strays. Capital Knights were those in the service of their country as a whole, Purity Knights being devotees towards the doctrine of the three Deities while Contract Knights were those of the field that were hired for certain periods. Strays were Knights that had did not devote themselves to any service but their own, yet they were recognised as a faction of their own. Capital Knights had a lower standing than Purity Knights as the criteria for being conscripted into the Purity was extremely difficult. The Purity Knights always had this outspoken and proud air about them each time, which irked the other Knights. At the same time, the Purity Knights didn¡¯t look too kindly to other Knights as they believed that all fighting forces would do a better job if they actually devoted themselves to the Deities rather than half-assing their respect andmunion. ¡°We¡¯ve brought a criminal waiting for his sentence,¡± said the Purity Knights captain. ¡°What is he being used of?¡± one of Knights with a thicker armour than the rest asked with his eyes narrowed. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. We simply require a special holding cell for him.¡± The Capital Knight who had asked wanted to argue but unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t the time. It was time for duty and thus he relented, leading Skullius and a few of the Purity Knights into the building. The inside of the building had hard walls that held faint glows of magic, while being littered with Knights and authority figures that went about their business. Skullius¡¯ tattered robes made it exceptionally difficult for many to not question what on earth was happening. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to believe if it was announced that he was a cult member. Especially with that face! As he was escorted, Skullius faintly heard something that made his non-existent heart jump. ¡°Do you happen to have a skilled appraiser? We need to search this spatial ring.¡± Chapter 113 Fruit Of World Myths BAM! Skullius flew and knocked against the hard walls of a small cell before sliding down slowly. ¡®Jeez these guys really hate me! If only I¡¯d known that wearing this robe and using that scroll would get me in trouble I¡­ probably would have still used it I guess,¡¯ Skullius thought dispiritedly as he realised that it was still the option that he would have gone for still. How else would he get here? He looked before him where three Purity Knights were ring at him with their mana surging as if they were ready to cut him down at any time. Between them was the hateful Purity Knight captain, whose name Skullius had imprinted into his mind. Gin. He was on the list for people Skullius really wanted to flesh up with the Chains of Damnation like he did with Denille but several issues discouraged him. One was the fact that this guy was much stronger than the others. Even though Skullius barely knew what constituted strength other than core strength and skills, he could still instinctively sense that it was not possible to pull off a win against this guy in his current state. The other issue was that all of Skullius¡¯ equipment was in the spatial storage ring that had been confiscated from him. This matter caused him extreme worry. If those guys were to somehow have ess to the storage space within the ring, they would find¡­ a pitifully hunched Red Rage in there!. ¡®Gah! This isn¡¯t how it was supposed to be dammit! It was supposed to be a new adventure! A new world to explore, not this!¡¯ Skulliusined. Now he only had more questions. What was this strange order of swordsmen? How would he be pulling off an escape this time? ¡°Make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything funny? I give you permission to cut him down if he does,¡± said Gin while letting a grin show to Skullius for but a moment. Was this guy some sort of fanatic? Gin couldn¡¯t disobey a Pdin Champion even if he disagreed with their viewpoint but if it went against the safety of his men he would dly do so. Truth be told, he wished Skullius would do something that would incite his death. Why wait?! Skullius was still bound by the special rope and he felt weak still. The cell he had been dunked into looked old and dreary, some parts of it moist while its entirety was bathed in darkness. It was essentially under this headquarters where a long stretch of cells could be seen, multiple voices calling and cursing from within them. Prisoners of most kinds were kept here before their sentences were decided but Skullius had been taken to an even deeper ce that had fewer of these barred cells and dimmer lighting. Torches could be seen on the walls but this ce wasn¡¯t designed to be visually appreciated. The walls to Skullius¡¯ special cell also had a faint glow of intricate runes that were designed to disrupt mana control and cut off most forms of energy from getting in touch with the cell. Even the bars which looked to be made with gleeming steel had an unnatural sheen that promised a rather ufortable experience if one touched them. Skullius felt his control of mana cleanly being severed and he sighed. Gin walked away to attend to the protocols required while leaving two guards standing watch to Skullius and others at the entrance that led to this ce. ¡®What now?¡¯ Skill asked himself. He was so d that at the moment, he didn¡¯t have to deal with Doom Factor 1, otherwise hewould have been on his way to Somanda. Thinking of that possibility made him scrunch his face. As he sat down, being looked down at by the Knights, something shed within his vision, startling him a bit. It was unlike the notifications that he knew of, being very different as this was the first time he had seen it. The moment he focused on it, his own status appeared in his vision forcefully and the sh continued to show,ing from the golden text down in his skills panel. [] ¡®Oh right!¡¯ Skullius thought as he remembered that he hadn¡¯t finished resolving everything with his new ss, the Insurgent Magnus! Everything else that followed had been cut off by the ending of [Flesh It Like You Mean It] which halted the progress. Skullius immediately thanked his unlucky stars and gave themand in his mind for themencement of whatever else followed. This was another thing he had discovered on his journey with the Grinning Jester Fox. After evolution, he could simplymand the guidance field to execute anything rted to him and his skills. [Commencing bestowal¡­] [You have received the following¡­] [Evil Darkness Production] [Just Light Production] [Binds of Fukal] [Fruit of World Myths] Skullius¡¯ body jerked as he felt something run across his skin multiple times! Two tattoos in the form of chains appeared around his chest with ck and white segments, squeezing on Skullius like actual bindings! ¡®What the hell is this?!¡¯ Skullius thought to himself while at the same time, he felt a burst of strength as something familiar appeared in his vision. The dark flower like object he had seen back in the room behind the spiral grove doors appeared! The bright golden cross in its middle and smoke like essence leaking from it caused Skullius to feel mesmerised once more but before he did anything else, he looked at the Knights standing guard and found that they couldn¡¯t see it! ¡®Phew. What is this thing though?¡¯ Looking at the object that floated before him, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but check the texts of the new things he had gotten. Of the four things he had received, thest seemed to refer to this thing. Therefore Skullius started by checking the description for it. ~~~ [Fruit of World Myths] The masterpiece of an item made by Fulgardt which can neither be called a material object or a spiritual one. It is the perfect culmination between Evil Darkness and Just Light. ??? ~~~ ¡®That¡¯s it?¡¯ Skullius felt that this description was underwhelming and the fact that there were ¡®???¡¯ meant that there was more information to be unlocked. He was disappointed, but he knew there was definitely something about this thing that was special. His affinity to Evil Darkness allowed him to feel it. He reached forward with his bound hands and poked his finger at the Fruit of World Myths and¡­ VWUUUM! An expansive sensation gripped Skullius¡¯ senses and before he knew it¡­ ¡®OH¡­ MY¡­.LICH¡­¡¯ Skullius said in utter shock. Chapter 114 Crude World Projection! There were a lot of things about Fulgardt that many didn¡¯t know. The Labyrinth of the Yoke was still a massively unexplored ce as most only had ess to its primary function. Now that the legacy had been retrieved, it would be easier to ess everything else. At least for the one who held the legacy. Skullius saw the colour in the world disappear as his senses shrieked while expanding immensely! His vision took in the scene of everything pulsing with either ck, white or grey in vastly different proportions. He felt himself rise and panicked! If those guards saw this they would definitely attack! However, like before, they saw nothing! They just stood silently on the other side of the cell. ¡®What¡¯s going on dammit?!¡¯ Skullius barked in his own mind as shockingly, he found his vision expanding further as it went on to prate the walls, images of moving humanoids with a ck, white and grey moving above him! Their colour and most of their features disappeared instantly, but Skullius could feel a something from these images trying to give him more information. His ears picked up on the numerous conversations that were urring tens of meters above behind walls floors as his body continued to rise.. Skullius looked down when he saw that he was beginning to rise through the ceiling and found¡­ His Discount Human body sitting down within the cell calmly! ¡®It¡¯s scary to think this, but this Insurgent Magnus thing is even more freaky than my Null Life, bro!¡¯ His body was the only one that held colour out of anything else he saw. Looking at his new form, he could barely see his own body as it was a very faint and transparent grey. ¡®Might as well go with it.¡¯ Giving himself some courage, Skullius stopped resisting and tried to actively float higher and in the next moment, his body shot up! Moving through the hard walls like they didn¡¯t exist at all was intriguing to say the least. Appearing within the cell of another criminal and watching their ck and white silhouette tossing and turning on the floor or cursing at the guards who passed through the corridor while they werepletely oblivious to his existence made Skullius chuckle. The Discount Human rose up to the very first floor where he had been taken through before. There, he saw the images of nobles and Knights interacting while some more offenders were taken into custody. The whole ce seemed chaotic with a lot of chatter as Skullius¡¯ senses were intensified. Skullius then saw a familiar figure. It was Gin. Focusing his vision allowed him to see that Gin¡¯s image had more white than ck which surprised him. He had seen many variations of the colours but now he began to think more deeply into it. ¡®Right! When I entered the Labyrinth, the guidance field said something about being righteous and evil, right? Does this mean that white means righteous and ck means evil? If that¡¯s the case then why is this sockethole more white than ck?!¡¯ The more Skullius thought deeply on this subject, the more he sought to understand more. Gin walked purposefully towards a certain location and Skullius followed. It took a few minutes before Gin entered a small space where the silhouette of an old man along with some of the Purity Knights were surrounding a certain object. As Skullius looked at the object on a table, he found it to be his ring! The spatial storage ring emitted a white light white having a fractured look to it that astonished him. ¡®Have they already looked into it?¡¯ Skullius panicked, however he soon calmed down as he heard the conversation that ensued. ¡°Any progress?¡± Gin asked the old man. ¡°No. Do you not have even the most basic appreciation of spatial concepts? Without the approval of the ring bearer, forcing my will upon the object could destroy the entire space within it,¡± grumbled the old man. ¡­! Before Skullius could get shocked by this detail, he felt the darkness that appeared within the old man churn and a voice pouring from it into his ears. It was pretty much iprehensible but Skullius understood what it conveyed. Anger. Dissatisfaction. Jealousy. Unlike Gin, this old man seemed to have more of the ck than the white but not excessively. When this unavoidable st of information finally passed, Skullius bore the proper reaction to hearing that Red Rage could be lost forever if this old man fleshed up! ¡®IF THEY DARE¡­!¡¯ Skullius felt a rush of rage. Unfortunately, everyone here wasn¡¯t a pushover. They seemed to all have something that he didn¡¯t besides the core. Skullius was once again reminded of how he needed to gather information about all this. What made himck the most basic of strength without the Insurgent Magnus ss? ¡®Isn¡¯t there something I can do?!¡¯ The old manying his fingers on the ring jolted Skullius into action as he sought to do something. Anything that would buy time. These people couldn¡¯t see him. But then, could he use his skills? Skullius tried to fling his simplest skill, [Mana Bolt]. Unfortunately, he found that he didn¡¯t have a core in this form! ¡®Then what can I do?!¡¯ Skullius thought. Once more, the darkness that was around him called out, reaching his ears. From the old man, from the Knights, from the surroundings. It all spoke in a voice that he could hear. ¡®Darkness¡­ could this be..?¡¯ Skullius focused on the darkness from around him, its voice bing louder and louder in his ears but never overbearing. He let himself sink into it, as a realisation dawned on him. Soon, the other noises disappeared as the Discount Human felt smothered under the thick nket of darkfort. Yet¡­ ¡°Captain! Behind you! What the hell is that thing?!¡± one of the Knights withdrew his sword and pointed at Skullius. Gin turned behind him instantly with a spark of light in his eyes as he swiped his sword with the precision of master swordsman! Unfortunately, his sword hit nothing as what was before him wasn¡¯t something he could touch. His face scrunched up when he saw the image that was forming from a thick darkness extending from all around, gathering up to form arge, grotesque face that had hollow sockets! On the other hand, Skullius felt the surroundings change as a switch from thefort urred, his vision honing in on the figures of the Knights and the old man that gazed in his direction in shock and vignce! ¡°Huh?¡± he blurted, finding the puzzlement he muttered to make the people in the room more anxious. [You have sessfully unlocked one of the 9 seeds of the ¡®Fruit of World Myths¡¯] [Number 2, ¡®Crude World Projection¡¯] [¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ affinity has been promoted to ¡®C¡¯ rank] Chapter 115 Causing A Stir! Gin¡¯s first thought was that their meddling with the ring that was on Skullius had called upon the unholy image before him as he made up his mind to kill Skullius if the current circumstance was somehow averted. This monstrosity before him should not be allowed in this world! It looked like a wriggling mass of ck flesh but ultimately it was simply the squirming darkness that formed the rough and unsettling image of arge face! The monstrosity in question took a few seconds to understand what was going on. From his perspective, all the darkness around was rising and coiling to lift him up constantly as he felt strength continue to surge into him like a storm! The notifications he had just received cleared up what was happening quite a bit. ¡®So this is one of the uses of that thing,¡¯ Skullius analysed. Crude World Projection. His affinity to Evil Darkness had once again returned to him after it was taken by Fulgardt that time. This brought a bubbly sense of joy to the Discount Human.. This experience also proved to him that he didn¡¯t need mana to fuel the Fruit of World Myths which was insane to him. But now what? The audience was looking warily at him, waiting for him to do something that would actually prompt an appropriate response as this wasn¡¯t an open space. The reason why they didn¡¯t attack immediately was unknown to Skullius but he would soon know that he had steered the fate the of many by simply appearing in this form. Skullius decided to probe. ¡°Humans¡­¡± Gin frowned even deeper when he heard the monstrosity speak. That one word caused his thought process to be reversed. Perhaps he was wrong? Was this another separate event, after all? Skullius grinned inwardly at seeing how disturbed everyone in the room was. If it was like this, then it was time¡­ to bullshit once more. ¡°You¡­are all doomed¡­ W-¡° It was unfortunate, but before Skullius could continue, an immense pulling force dragged his consciousness down to where his real body was, the Discount Human barely being able to see anything from the time he was pulled to the time he sank back into his body! His physical body jerked as he returned to the cell where he was being held, the guards noticing this and focusing on him. ¡®WOOOW! That was insane bro!¡¯ Skullius thought as his cosmetic body took inrge gusts of air. He shifted his gaze to look in front of him where the Fruit of World Myths was and found it right there, serenely bobbing up and down. A devastating sense of exhaustion bore down on him immediately and he copsed on the ground, his body refusing to move. Above, where Skullius left, there was a lot ofmotion as Gin rushed to inform the other Knights, leaving the petty matter of Skullius¡¯ ring. His suspicions led him to believe that something bigger was afoot. This wasn¡¯t just about those heretics, the Green Neolists anymore. It was about another group that the Purity sought to eradicate the most! *** Inside the Pce, the light that came from the sun peeked through the windows and illuminated the figure of a heavily built man with long brown hair and sharp, hazel eyes who sat on a luxurious chair with tes of delicious food before him. He sat at an elongated wooden table with two other figures present with him in the vast room where pieces of art adorned the walls with a marvellous mason-worked floor. Of the other two, one was a man with greying hair donning a white robe while the other was a beautiful dark skinned woman who wore a sturdy, lean golden armour. A conversation had been brewing while all three ate, though the aforementioned two did not take in much food. As they had issues that bothered them, they merely epted the Lord of the city¡¯s generosity out of courtesy. ¡°So, you tell me that you were attacked by a cultist from the Green Neolists and now he¡¯s in my city? Why haven¡¯t you disposed of him?¡± the city lord asked with a coldness seeping from his girthful body. ¡°I wanted to see if I can get extract soke intel from him before proceeding with his disposal?¡± Elita replied with a calm visage. ¡°That¡¯s reason enough to risk such a dangerous individualing into my city?¡± ¡°He has been restrained and I aim to conclude that matter after this conversation.¡± ¡°Would you say you take FULL responsibility then?¡± ¡°Naturally. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here in the first ce, city lord,¡± said Elita without a shift in her tone, portraying her confidence. The fat man munched on arge b of meat while gazing unblinkingly at Elita for a few seconds and then he continuing to speak. ¡°You see, I drove away the Guilds and their supposed desire to create employment, and better my city because there were no threats that gued this city. The Capital Knights were enough and I didn¡¯t want to be pumping out funds for no reason. However, even if its in the name ofmunion, I cannot ept you bringing trouble to my doorstep,¡± the city lord said with a threatening tone. The Grand Priest was appalled. Enraged even. He couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. ¡°Do you mean to tell me that even though there is a long line of men and women that seek the blessing of the Deities, you will deny those same Deities any form of respect?!¡± The city lord¡¯s expression remained the same as he calmly offered his opinion. ¡°Grand Priest, I know the Purity truly believes that they are seers that have things revealed to them by the Deities and can somehow sway their decisions but my view is different. For thousands of years, there has been darkness in the hearts of man and their counterparts.¡± ¡°All of them receive blessings all the same. There is no need for tribute or offerings. We don¡¯t see this divinity you speak of. I only allow you to enter my city because you bolster morale not because you make a goddammn difference.¡± ¡°You yourselves wonder why there is a another group that follows a Deity known as the Traitor but is not punished don¡¯t you? Isn¡¯t that the source of most of your headaches? In my opinion, the Deities prefer for us to solve our problems ourselves and don¡¯t give a damn about us at all.¡± The Grand Priest turned red with rage but Elita quickly intervened before he said something out of line. ¡°No one here can harass you for your opinion, city lord but please do allow me to handle this. I will make sure that there won¡¯t be any problems.¡± Seeing the confident and firm expression of Elita, the city lord did not go on and merely nodded which made Elita sigh in relief inwardly. Right then, a Knight walked up to the Elita and whispered something in her ear. Her expression didn¡¯t change from what she heard but she did take in a deep breath while in her mind, she officially confirmed that her inferences about the nk-faced criminal she had seen were true. ¡°If you would excuse me, I would like to deal with that problem I brought into your city,¡± the Pdin Champion said. Chapter 116 She Knows! Skullius sighed as he saw the figure of Elita standing behind the bars of the cell and between the two Knights. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what would go wrong now. He had attempted to use his newfound ability to give the Knights the illusion that another enemy was at y here but unfortunately, he had been cut off before he could say much. Apparently, using the new power within the Fruit of World Myths, [Crude World Projection] was extremely taxing on his ¡®stamina¡¯. His body had immediately felt heavy after he returned it. He had been excited to use it but after he copsed, the Knights had immediately given word to Gin who promptly called Elita. After some time of feeling invincible through his advancement on the Null Life side, Skullius wasn¡¯t yet ustomed to the severe weakness of his Discount Human form and the vast difference in strength between his two selves now. He could only look up at Elita as heid down motionlessly and possibly construct a few words after squeezing every bit of strength he could muster. ¡°Leave us,¡± Elita said to the two Knights that stood before the cell. The two looked at each other before leaving and closing the door behind them. Even though they were more in favour of Gin¡¯s opinion on how to handle Skullius, they couldn¡¯t possibly discount the judgement and strength of a Pdin Champion. As soon as Elita confirmed that the two Knights were out, she let out a sigh of relief and showed more emotion on her face than what she would normally do. Frankly, when she had received word of what had happened here earlier, she had been shocked but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t push away her thoughts any longer. She had been surprised that Gin, whom she thought to be a shallow-minded fool had actually chosen to alert her instead of killing Skullius after suspecting him of being the cause of the odd creature that appeared. Most people would have done that immediately but they would been very misguided. ¡°I¡¯m surprised I managed to find someone like you, you know? You barely manage to find People like us in a lifetime. We are rare. There¡¯s always strange urrences when we appear. I would have probably killed you before entering the city, but this one fact that I have confirmed is what is keeping you alive,¡± Elita said as her pure hazel eyes stared at Skullius with a hint of emotion.. ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius was confused. ¡®People like us? I¡¯m not even a people,¡¯ the Discount Human thought. He had a strangely biased perception of humans,ing out of a journey where he had been taken advantage of and all that. He didn¡¯t look kindly to Elita despite her clear intention to not have him offed. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about me,¡± Skullius said with a frown. Elita scoffed as she paced behind the cell. ¡°As I said. You and I are alike¡­¡± she said. ¡°¡­as we are both acknowledged by the Voice of Worlds.¡± ¡­! Skullius¡¯ body jolted. He couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. How on earth did she know?! She too was a¡­ His shocked face was ultimately his confirmation to Elita who smiled. ¡°I¡¯m no- I¡¯m¡­ Gah! How did you know?!¡± Skullius barked, clearly being unable to bullshit his way out of this. Elita paced once more. ¡°It¡¯s quite easy to recognise someone like us the stronger you grow. The more strength you gain, the more ¡®it¡¯ can do.¡± ¡°I¡­ see. So you also have the¡­¡± ¡°Guidance field? Yes¡­¡± ¡°And you can see my¡­¡± ¡°Also yes¡­ Skullius¡­¡± ¡°Do you know VOW bro?¡± ¡°¡­Who?¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± Skullius couldn¡¯t help but quiver. He was used to seeing all sorts of things about other creatures and items but not himself. It felt like he was naked. Well at least she didn¡¯t know about VOW bro, right? Right?! ¡°I must admit. Your name threw me off at first as it can easily be associated with Undeath. But¡­ I choose to give those acknowledged by the Voice of Worlds the benefit of the doubt,¡± said Elita as she peered into Skullius. Skullius wholeheartedly wished he could see himself through this woman¡¯s eyes now. How much did she know? If she knew everything then¡­ ¡°With that out of the way, I have questions. I¡¯ll consider letting you off if the answers are not what I hope they are. I believe that people like you and me are here for a reason. A good reason. It might not be grand but important nheless.¡± Skullius gulped. ¡®Oh bro¡­ it feels like Az all over again.¡± ¡°First of all, are you aligned with the Green Neolists?¡± Elita asked while her body gained a dim yet vibrantly saturated shade of gold. Skullius looked at her figure dumbly and answered. ¡°No. It was just bad luck, I guess. I just happened to have a scroll that belonged to one of the Green Neolists.¡± Elita squinted her eyes. She found it difficult to tell if this guy was lying or not as his face¡­ his face was just so¡­ When she tried to listen to sound of his heartbeat, it just felt¡­ it just felt so¡­ off. Unlike what Skullius feared, Elita could not see anything to do with his ss or invasive status. Even his race appeared as ¡®Human¡¯ not ¡®Discount Human¡¯. The ss name and skills were not there on her guidance field which was strangely different from Skullius¡¯. From the very beginning, she hadn¡¯t bought that a level 1 like Skullius could justunch an attack on the Grand Priest with such a weak scroll. Perhaps it really was a just a case of bad luck? ¡°Very well. Next question. Are you aligned with the Evenfall?¡± Skullius raised his brow. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked. Elita squinted her eyes again but really couldn¡¯t figure out if Skullius was lying or not. Thepletely clueless nature of Skullius¡¯ response was believable though. She intended to show Skullius some basic courtesy and not treat him like a criminal when only he and her were around thus she refrained from using any skills that might be too invasive, which was the bulk of her arsenal. ¡°The Evenfall is a group of cultists that follows Boron, one of the four Deities who created this world. Surely you know them right?¡± Elita said sarcastically, intending to just throw it in there as she exined and perhaps get more of a reaction from Skullius. ¡°Actually¡­¡± Skullius said, grabbing onto the chance to learn of this world. ¡°¡­ I actually want to know about this. I don¡¯t exactly know about these¡­Deities are, br-¡­¡± Skullius held himself as he had been about to say bro. It just didn¡¯t fit for some reason. This was a female. The second one he had seen since Denille. Elita was dumbfounded. Once again, if Skullius really was acting, then he was pretty darn good at it. He didn¡¯t know about the Deities? Well¡­ as she did a double take, she found that it wasn¡¯t really that surprising considering that most people didn¡¯t bother learning more about the Deities other than what they could gain from them. It was possible that within the crevices of a small city like Eofel which was almost secluded from the other clusters in Pelian, some wouldn¡¯t know. The whole city was so deluded and ignorant that it barely counted as a city among the rest of the more prominent ones out there. That added to the fact that Pelian was the weakest country within Feinheath, marred by the most tragic of royal lineages made the point more convincing to Elita. Her conversion with the Grand Priest had also referenced this subject. If it was true that Skullius didn¡¯t know anything then perhaps the strange faced being before Elita was truly not aligned with the Evenfall or the Green Neolists. ¡°Strange. Let me exin then. It¡¯s my duty to enlighten before anything else after all,¡± Elita said while her gaze locked onto Skullius, beginning to exin sinctly the grand world origin as she also tried to peer into Skullius for a flicker in what could be the best performance she had ever seen. Chapter 117 The Shadow That Never Pales... Four Deities created the world. That much was no secret at this point. But what was the world they created? It was a vast world of water and rock that consisted of four continents and two oceans. Thergest continent was Edagon, thend of the giants in the North. It was vast and so were the creatures that lived upon it. It was believed that the giants were the legacy of the previous dwellers of Edagon, the dragons. These creatures were said to have been made by Quintess who loved to spawn unique entities. The same one that manifested as thends. The secondrgest was Feinheath in the South, thend of the humans. It was said that long years of peace after the Grand Wars had caused most of its power to fade, leading to a division into three countries of different beliefs and customs. Quintess was said to have forged humans with the help of Listafelle who became the oceans, ording to past records. Opungale, thend of the Sif was the third, settling in the East of Aigas, bearing those that loved the taste of nature, choosing to halt their evolution and honing their connection to their mother, Listafelle who made them. Amanas was thest, seen to be on the West side as no one knew much about it as a thick barrier was erected around it a few centuries after the other continents were formed. Many had tried to force their way through after travelling the longest distance to arrive in Amanas¡¯ vicinity but to no avail. No one could pass. Of the four Deities, Suzamete did not have much records other than bing the sky but was revered nheless. Boron, the one known as the Traitor was left out of the creation process, denied a chance to join in the asion. In his rage, he created a small world of his own and attached it to Aigas. His hatred for his fellow Deities manifested vile beings that were devoid of any good within them, their only purpose to revel in the darkness of pleasure.. Unfortunately for him, the other Deities created a huge gate that sealed this ce from Aigas, not permitting the creatures of the Under from passing through using normal means. ¡­ ¡°It seems the grace of the three Deities is not enough for some that have turned to Boron. They call themselves the Evenfall and are the prime enemies of the Purity,¡± Elita exined. Skullius had been listening attentively all this time. It was certainly intriguing to say the least and certain parts fit into some of the loose information he had. ¡®Giants, huh? So Sause¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. To think giant naked bastard belonged to such a terrifying continent. He recalled the Grinning Jester Fox calling Sause by the term, Dragonsson before it let him go. All this was fair and fine but he still wanted to know something that he felt was like a huge hole in the story. ¡°What happened before these Deities made themselves into Aigas? Why is this Boron bro called the Traitor?¡± he asked. Elita narrowed her eyes. This man really didn¡¯t know anything! She had confirmed it after watching his reactions as she narrated. It was all just unnatural. She nned to do a final check at the end, but so far, she was buying it. ¡°It¡¯s simple. We need not question what happened before the Deities created Aigas. It¡¯s not our right. There have been fools who have sought to tear apart the foundation that the Deities created for us already, asking that very question. It has brought them little glory before they ultimately fell down without grace.¡± ¡°Really? Just by asking that?¡± Skullius was puzzled. To him it was quite the valid question to ask. ¡°Indeed. Even the infamous Fulgardt the Immoral of the First Grand Wars fell,¡± said Elita. Another bombshell dropkicked Skullius in the head and he couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth wide. ¡®Fulgardt?¡¯ ¡°You know him?¡± Elita asked sceptically. It wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise that the stories of evil men were exalted over the truth of benevolent Deities that gave people multiple chances. ¡°I¡¯ve heard¡­ some great stories,¡± Skullius quickly replied, not wanting the conversation to steer into parts he would rather not answer. ¡°I see¡­ Fulgardt believed that there was a greater force that made the four Deities themselves. He believed that it was the source of his world shaking power, this much I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware from your¡­stories. Ultimately, warriors blessed by the Deities killed him, disapproving his words.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ This piece of information truly hooked Skullius and made a part of him angry for some reason. Such a thing¡­ It was a grand concept. Deities and another above them? This sparked a true desire within Skullius, a fascination for the Insurgent Magnus ss that he hadn¡¯t had for a long time despite its incredible powers blooming at this moment. *** A few thousand bodiesid on the ground, most donning normal clothing for the financially a¡¯ight; shirts, dresses and crude leather shoes. They were all corpses, many lives having been ended while the bodies were drawn from within the city of Eofel and dragged under one of themon houses at the edge of the city, clustered side by side while lying face down. Every single one of them had a deep cut on the neck where the severed spine could be seen, a dull red me flickering within the flesh. A woman with copper shimmer hair and green eyes stood up as she had just severed the spine from thest corpse and finally took a breather from the arduous work. ¡°How tedious¡­¡± she said as she looked at the lined up bodies. ¡°Actuass said to cause a stir right? This much should be enough.¡± The woman was the same one who had been with Actuass, the man in the white and green mask before. She clearly recalled what her objective was. It wasn¡¯t to attain a victory or to wipe out the city. It was just to rattle the peace. The woman took in a deep breath as she drew in air into her lungs while an unsettling aura built up around her. ¡°Taking in the fresh air almost seems like the more unnatural thing to do. Is this what it feels like toprehend the depths of death at a more intimate level?¡± she asked herself. Over the course of seventy years (her face not supporting the age), she had graduated from being amon Necromancer to being someone who was close to being capable of using True Undeath. Her current variation of the concept was very unique and after so long, she finally had her time to shine. Her debut with . As her mana ignited from her body, the mes within the necks of her thousands of victims zed with an even grander fervour. Soon, a certain woman in a in linen dress stood, her body as pale as sheets. Her crooked motion was followed by several others from beside, before and behind her. The eyeballs of all these corpses were set alight with a red me as they were melted off in the next instance, the fire prevailing as the new recement for vision. Faint traces of red ran along the visible blood vessels of the corpses as they rose. Some of them had darker shades than others, standing upright as their muscles tensed up. From the first woman who stood up as a new entity to the old man who arosest, they all began to recite the same message over and over again as shockingly, what had been dying white and blue cores within their bodies became enveloped in a red halo! ¡°You cannotprehend, the true beauty of death. The only true Divinity among many falsehoods. The truest reality in all thends¡­¡± they all spoke in different tunes of voice. The woman looked at this scene without emotion as she had seen it too many times. The cores of man that would crystallise and shatter into dust fragments upon death were preserved after she injected her concept of death. Preserved, enhanced and empowered. ¡°And for good measure¡­¡± the woman said, turning to the ugly monstrosity that sat at the very end of the dark space. One of the three masterpieces she had crafted in her time. Chapter 118 Faithful Message Undeath! (1) As stated before, Eofel was a small city without many advanced structures that most of the main cities enjoyed such as Guilds, Magic Academies and other institutions of note that bettered the welfare of the people and bolstered their strength. There was a great diversity that came with all of this but frankly, the whole setup of the whole country was incredibly poor. With the added disadvantage of where Eofel was positioned, away from most major settlements and checkpoints, the city lord barely found any restrictions put on him by the Royal family. Naturally, he enjoyed such a thing. This city was just one of the tens that didn¡¯t matter much in the eyes of the Royal family which gave free reign to the city lord. It also existed outside the supernatural concepts that gued other cities spawning continuous improvement within the residents, like Clusters. The city lord, Yugefet Bonmaush had enjoyed the freedom he had as he established his own system that was closely tied to him in a range of ways. Only the Purity was a nuisance that kepting formunion and establishing a ¡®rtionship with the Deities¡¯ as they called it, which he didn¡¯t buy. All those ¡®wasted¡¯ resources towards the Temples gave him a thrombin vein on his forehead.. He didn¡¯t believe all those tales about the mysterious things that happened within therge cities. With less people migrating to Eofel, not much news passed with the exception of the burning topics like this deal with the Sif that the Royal family was considering. That¡­ he opposed. As the heavily built man sat upon his thick chair while the sun began its descent from the highest rise, a wriggly frown could be seen etched above his brow. ¡°If thates to pass I imagine those bastards would finally start bing upstanding authority figures that actually care about us! Theirx attention to taxes in Eofel and the rest of us small cities has been the best grace they have shown us. If they take that away and allow those long-eared fiends to live among us¡­!¡± Yugefet bellowed while looking across from him where a short man with an attentive visage stood. ¡°That is indeed¡­ troublesome, my lord,¡± the man said. His immacte suit brought out the professionalism that hailed from the blood of his family name. He was the city lord¡¯s ears. Literal ears to hear what the raging mass thatzily sat infort had to say. ¡°Worst of all is that bloody bard that goes about causing panic with his cryptic nonsense! Just what we needed after there have been many reports of missing people all over the city! Dammit! How did those so-called Knights fail to catch him when he was right in the city under the bloody sun?! And how on earth do so many people vanish under their watch?!¡± The short man who was on the receiving end of this noise couldn¡¯t help but reply perfunctorily. He knew that his master didn¡¯t have much of an appreciation of the power that came with mana. Surely, the man knew how to deal with people to a standard degree, evidenced by how he had managed to establish a fairly strong Capital Knight army for the city with funding and promises that he strategically delivered from time to time irregrly, to keep morale above the norm at the very most. However, this man didn¡¯t know much about the concerns with core growth that these Knights needed. The connections needed to raise powerful units like Energy Formers to conscript into the Capital protection. Mages. Knights could only do so much. Yugefet didn¡¯t even believe in the tales about Edagon, thend of the giants and only acknowledged Opungale which had regr dealings with Feinheath. He had been listening when the man had disrespected the Purity and their belief. All he could do was shamefully agree with his master¡¯s misguided approach as it wasn¡¯t his ce to speak against Yugefet. He couldn¡¯t teach this 56 years old much considering the pride and arrogance he had umted over that course. ¡°They are truly ipetent, my lord. Perhaps it¡¯s time to have another gathering with the Capital Knight captain and review the performance derived from the funds you gave then,¡± the man said with a low and respectful tone. The city lord huffed and puffed. ¡°Hmm.. you¡¯re right! ountability! I should hold them ountable. I pay them for nothing if they can¡¯t keep the peace and catch one crazy dolt!¡± Yugefet growled while nodding his head ferociously. The short man could only sigh inwardly, hoping that the Deities wouldn¡¯t bear a grudge. Then again, they hadn¡¯t shown their wrath in a long time. So perhaps¡­ *** ¡°Berrie,e on now! Get inside and let me run you a bath,¡± a woman called to her son who was busy ying with his friends. A delightful smile could be seen on his face as he chased his fellow eight year olds in the street. The woman couldn¡¯t help but give a warm smile when she saw that the boy didn¡¯t reply, clearly ignoring her. ¡°This little rascal.¡± Themunity was quite close, clusters of simr families living in a very inclusivemunity that prompted for men, women and children to grow with healthy rtionships, a fact that would make her appreciate her husband¡¯s decision toe to Eofel a few years ago regrly. Things weren¡¯t all that bad. Even though supremacy did exist, there was still enough to eat and happy faces about. She couldn¡¯t ask for more. As she opened her mouth to call to her son again, she heard a familiar voiceing from her left. ¡°You cannotprehend, the true beauty of death. The only true Divinity among many falsehoods. The truest reality in all thends¡­ You cannot¡­¡± A quick turn of her head lead her to see the figure of her husband walking inrge strides and a sturdy step as he spoke in a loud voice the same statement over and over again. The woman was about to greet him, but when she saw the bright mes burning from his sockets, she was greatly perturbed. ¡°Tom? What happened to yo-¡­¡± Before she could continue, her husband¡¯s words caused something within her to stir. This message that he continued to speak over and over reached the very depths of her being. Her body jerked and she trembled as her husband passed her and continued calling out. Even behind the man, many were quivering and jerking with frightened expressions on their faces as their bodies moved on their own, breaking down! ¡°What¡¯s happening?! What¡¯s going on?! Tom!¡± the woman screamed as she couldn¡¯t tell what was happening to her body. Soon, her eyes began to bleed as he voice faded, a bright red me bursting from her sockets as she was introduced to profound death. Chapter 119 Faithful Message Undeath! (2) Capital Knights Headquarters. A man in a thick, silver armour sat behind a desk as he settled his heart. As a Knight he had been taught discipline and justice which brought on self restraint. Or at least it was supposed to. Unfortunately, that was not true for him and all the men under him. His name was Beron and he was the Capital Knights captain but sadly, he didn¡¯t feel like one. How could he feel proud of himself when he was only a blue core Knight? There was nothing that stood out about him among the masses of Knights around except a bit of seniority that came with his age. The Capital Knight name was supposed to carry weight but that was only a reality in other big cities where being a Knight was valued quite well. He could see the disdain he had received from the captain of the Purity Knights. Even though they had the same levelled core, he was grossly outmatched. The term Capital Knight didn¡¯t have weight for someone who wasn¡¯t truly supported by the nation. The Royal family didn¡¯t reach out to cities like Eofel, promoting Capital Knights and actually giving a damn about their growth. The gaze he had received from Gin had haunted him all day and all he had to do was suck it up. The pride he had as a Capital Knight captain waned each day. The matter of the mysterious creature that had appeared within his own headquarters had been taken over by the Knights of the Purity without him having much of a say and even now, his Knights were pretty rattled.. They would look to him to do something but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t. He was probably going to have to face the wrath of the city lord for letting that bad escape when he clearly didn¡¯t have strength to do so. The missing individuals had their loved ones causing problems in his station and yet, he was powerless to do anything. ¡°Would it have been the same if I was truly a Capital Knight? Would I have been looked down upon if I was ordained and raised by the nation as a fighting force to be reckoned with?¡± the man said to himself. He pushed his blonde hair back and his brown eyes glistened with a hint of sorrow. BANG! The door to his secluded room was violently pushed open as one of his Knights hurriedly rushed in. ¡°Sir! We have problem! In multiple ces around the city, something really bad is happening!¡± The Knight said with a pale face. ¡°What? What¡¯s happening?! Speak!¡± Beron inquired while grabbing his sword and rushing out. ¡°You might have to see it for yourself sir! I have never seen anything like this in my life!¡± *** Right under the massive building which had a silver hue about it, Elita who had been discussing with Skullius, slowly evaluating how much truth this strangely ignorant man held, suddenly narrowed her eyes as her senses picked up a malevolent energy that came from the outside. Skullius noticed the change in her and asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Elita turned her gaze to the Discount Human as she quickly made a final evaluation by extending her hand and releasing a burst of golden light that bathed Skullius wholly! Skullius had panicked at first but as he didn¡¯t feel any pain or difort from it, he rxed somewhat. Elita couldn¡¯t find a single trace of undeath energy or the familiar sensation that she had experienced when she encountered members of the Evenfall. At this point she was trying to find if there was anything that could make her doubt Skullius. There didn¡¯t seem to be any of that though. Could she trust this fellow? The rush of light disappeared from Skullius. It was still a surprise to him that the Fruit of World Myths was right in front of him but Elita couldn¡¯t perceive it, even at her level. Whatever it was. At this point, some of his strength had returned or rather the heaviness had subsided quite a bit. He could move well but nothing too excessive. After not finding anything of note, Elita decided she could at least not condemn this fellow as being part of the Green Neolists or the Evenfall. However¡­ ¡°I sense a thick energy of undeath from all around the city,¡± she said to Skullius as he swiped the bars to his cell with her hand which broke them into tiny steel splints. ¡°You¡¯ve had contact with the Green Neolists. I don¡¯t have much experience with their tactics but since you have some knowledge about them you¡¯ll be useful to me. You¡¯reing along.¡± ¡°Wait. What?!¡± Skullius pointed at himself with ashocked expression of face. His question wasn¡¯t answered as he was grabbed by neck cor of his robe and pulled out of the cell! The Purity mainly dealt with religious issues. Bands that rose, opposing the faith like the Evenfall were their problem but the Green Neolists were mainly a problem for the nation, unless the amount of unrest they caused truly became excessive. Therefore, the Purity didn¡¯t have much knowledge on the subject as they traced the group which came before. Before Skullius could ask another question, his vision turned into a blur and within moments, he found himself outside the grand building that had many men and women running around, mobilising their numbers to deal with a threat. As soon as Skullius¡¯ vision became focused again, he saw a rather terrifying scene. Thousands of people of all ages were rushing from the distance while heading towards the silver high rise building! They caused a stampede as they rushed, their faces smeared in blood while their sockets burned with a ferocious red me! Screaming and bewildered civilians rushed to the safety of the Capital Knight building in the hundreds, escaping from their homes, tents and marketces to be received by the Knights. From the collective charge that came from the eerie group ahead, chanting could be heard as they bellowed loudly, their voices causing the innocents that fled from the frightful scene in other directions to jerk and scream as they changed too, joining this deathly parade! Many of the Capital Knights had created a blockade already as they ced their shields before them while anchoring themselves on the ground. Sweat and terror could be seen on their faces while others broke down as they saw their loved ones within the charging crowd only to be held down by those that kept their emotions at bay. The hesitation was thick. What was this? What kind of nightmarish tale had this scene been torn from?! Should they attack?! Should they not?! Beron was torn as he failed to give the order to the already assembled archers that didn¡¯t show enough resolve to let loose their arrows even if the order was given. His flimsy education and training didn¡¯t cover this. How was he supposed to deal with this?! At such a time, a recement pulled through, pushing away Beron who had been behind the line and calling for his men to support. Chapter 120 Gin ¡°Purity Knights! Assemble!¡± Gin called, the dozens of Knights under hismand rushing around him after he had pushed away Beron. The Capital Knight captain would have felt a strong sense of embarrassment and rage if he hadn¡¯t been in such a pinch but right now, a part of him amidst the overwhelming shame felt¡­ d that the responsibility had been taken away from his hands. ¡°Pir 1, support the shields, Pir 2, circle around and support the West, Pir 3, support the East!¡± Gin bellowed as his body exploded with a vibrant burst of white coloured mana that travelled with his voice. Gin¡¯s Knights were already grouped up into familiar squads called Pirs which improved efficiency when he needed to split up the forcesfor different tasks. The Knights immediately rushed towards the ces they were told to go, the first squad going on to support the Capital Knights that were bearing the shields hesitantly. The other Knights rushed from the front of the building and disappeared into the infrastructures around as they headed to support other areas as Gin hadmanded. The oing charge of civilians didn¡¯t make them waver as they stood strong. Gin had also sensed the thick and foul scent of undeath. It wasn¡¯ting from this area alone, which is why he had deployed his Knights to different areas. He had confirmed it after seeing the mes glowing in the sockets of the chanting civilians that drew near with each second. There didn¡¯t seem to be another choice but violence. He scanned around, looking for the golden armoured Champion who was supposed to be leading and giving everyone a sense offort with her presence but she was nowhere to be seen. ¡®Champion, my ass! Can she not even liase with me before taking off? Is she still with that heathen?¡¯ he thought. Unfortunately, Gin didn¡¯t have enough time to ponder this as the thousands finally arrived. The many civilians who had managed to get to safety before the rampaging crowd reached them could only embrace each other or clutch onto the Knights right before the charging thousands collided with the shields.. ¡°You cannotprehend, the true beauty of death. The only true Divinity among many falsehoods. The truest reality in all thends¡­!¡± the chanting of the huge crowd red against the ears of the Knights and the civilians. The bulging muscles of the civilians who seemed to carry faint traces of a red energy around them pulsed as they ran like athletes without a stagger! The chant they roared caused everyone to feel an unsettling feeling within their bodies, some more than others! Even Gin felt it! ¡®What is that?¡¯ he thought as he frowned deeply. It was a feeling that tried to ravage the very source of his being but failed each time he heard the chant! Right before impact as the Knights shielded their bodies with mana, and prepared to tank the charge with their shields¡­ it finally happened! ¡°EEEEEEEEAAAAAH!¡± The civilians behind the wall of Knights that were about to block the iing crowd screamed as their bodies jerked and twisted in unsightly ways! They were only the first as next¡­ came the Knights! Some of them who were supposed to hold the line blocking the charge suddenly roared in pain and dropped their weapons, their bodies twisting in frightening styles as in the next moment, red mes fumed from their sockets with a terrifying howl! The moment the mes sprang out their sockets, the civilians and some of the Knights immediately began chanting and turned to those that hadn¡¯t been reached by the profound truth! Gin watched in shock as the crowdsing from the front bulldozed against the remains of the Knights that hadn¡¯t suddenly turned, trampling over most of the Capital Knights but being held back a bit by the Purity Knights who hurriedly tamed their terror! Dust rose as the ground released a rumble of collision that boggled his mind! Such a force! He could vividly see blood rising from those that had been crushed under the charge! The scene was chaotic and gorey. From behind, all the civilians rushed towards those that hadn¡¯t turned and violentlyshed out! The Knights were worse, as the mes in their sockets were brighter, their bodies releasing a disgusting red stream of energy that steadily spewed upwards. Some picked up the swords they had dropped while transitioning and immediately attacked without mercy! However, they movements weren¡¯t unsteady and irregrly! No, the might of Knight remained the same while the strength of a normal civilians was more that doubled. Five Knights besieged Gin who quickly settled his mind and clutched the sheathed sword at his side. He breathed out a gust of hot air, his eyes bing clear even amidst the terrifying scenery of Knights ying other Knights! He stomped on the ground, a low thrum echoing as the ground acknowledged his strength, a rough windbined with his mana being expelled from his body in the form of an invisible sphere! The five Knights that rushed towards him met the resistance that this sphere offered and temporarily halted in their positions as they attacked! BAM! The sphere stopped their advance sessfully giving Gin a few moments before the continuation. ¡®They are pretty strong. Whatever happened to them somehow augmented their strength,¡¯ Gin thought as his sphere that barelysted for a two seconds gave him details about his assants and restrained them at the same time. The moment the five Knights were able to move though, Gin unsheathed his de and released a single sh while gracefully spinning with his entire body! A soft glow traced the sword¡¯s path, five heads falling to the ground immediately after, following a spray of blood! Unfortunately, this victory couldn¡¯t be celebrated as the thousands that came rushing before barrelled down towards him, threatening to bury him under their feet! Beron could barely believe his eyes as hey on the ground in a fright induced stupor. He watched as the chanting civilians and Knights slew his men one after the other, their strength being strangely terrifying. As they all chanted, he felt a chill that tried to invade his very core, but failed each time. ¡®Why?!¡¯ he thought in frustration as he gnashed his teeth. The Purity Knights who struggled around him didn¡¯t give him the strength he needed to stand. CLNK! CLNK! The sound of armour emanated from behind him as a figure stood, overlooking his body from above. Beron looked on to see as hey down, a suffocating energy reaching him from the Knight that stood behind him! Even though he couldn¡¯t see it, behind the neck of this Knight was a deep cut into his flesh, a red glow visible within it. The Capital Knight captain watched as this Knight with me sockets raised his hand which held onto one of the steel swords provided to the Capital Knights by the city, ready to kill him off. His eyes bulged, and he reached for his sword but a sense of weakness gripped his heart, making him rx his muscles. ¡®What¡¯s the point? I was never meant to fight anyway. I¡¯ll only have to face the responsibility of letting all of this happen even if I do survive this somehow so¡­ why not just¡­ let it end here?¡¯ Beron thought. He was never trained to be a nation quality Captain Knight. Why would he be expected to stand up to such a terrifying event anyway? The sword from the Knight came down and Beron closed his eyes to receive death but¡­. WAAAP! BOOOM! An intense shockwave rocked the area within a hundred meters, men and women flying in all directions as a ferocious pound of might settled around the entire area with a brilliant light! Knights and civilians alike were flung everywhere at extreme speeds as the ground shuddered, therge silver base also feeling the impact but ultimately remaining intact! A single man remained within the cleared area where the ground had been pressed down by his power which pervaded over a forty meter radius! It was a vibrant Full Body Aura! It was Gin, holding his double-dged silver sword with a golden hilt high up! ¡°Hear me!¡± he called in a loud voice. ¡°To those that remain unaffected by this evil gue, gather around me and let us face it together! Assemble quickly and let us show our might as Knights! Come! Stand with me! The words he spoke reached everywhere! The Knights who remained unaffected didn¡¯t waste time as they ran to Gin¡¯s position instinctively before they were assaulted once more! Beron, who had been expecting death moments ago, found his heart pounding from the short speech! He had been flung off as well by the might of Gin but saved in the process! He had also seen the man raise his sword upwards andmand for action in gant fashion! A true Knight! His legs found the strength to stand and his hand grabbed the nearest sword. ¡®I¡¯m still a Knight! I¡¯m still a Knight,¡¯ he called within his mind as he joined the rest that rushed towards Gin¡¯s position. Unfortunately, along with all these Knights, one who wasn¡¯t supposed to be among them gazed at Gin with his ming sockets and rushed forward as well! Chapter 121 Paladin Champion! (1) Undeath had many variations. Practitioners had once remained hinged towards the crude way of using Undeath, remaining far from its true essence. From its absolute truth. Summoning weak skeletons to fight. Having an army of thousands that didn¡¯t have much in the way of quality, the defense being that they did not tire. It was pathetic! So what? These were all backward ways of using necromancy. However, a certain group had risen, remaining in the shadows as they honed their craft. The Green Neolists. They were the pioneers of . This group had been carried by multiple leaders in the past,mitting to a game of cat and mouse with the Capital Knights while being thwarted at every turn but when it had been taken over by a rather ambitious man, things had changed.. His guidance led to the true form for the effective use of Undeath. He weeded out those that were rigid, disposing of them and grooming promising students that were willing to learn. One of the students he had taught was the woman with copper shimmer hair and green eyes who overlooked the horrific scenes that she had caused within Eofel while standing atop the roof of arge building. It didn¡¯t bring her any particr sense of joy as there wasn¡¯t much meaning to her in doing this. It was merely a strategy. A y. A prologue to the horror that her master would bring on this world within the next few months. This all came about because of her concept of Undeath. . After studying undeath energy for a long time she had finally created her own technique. By weaving the energy of undeath intricately, one could give a coding to it. A very specific set of instructions that required tons of fuel. It took an unbelievable amount of focus and time but she could do it with astonishing speed and uracy now that she had studied it for a long time. The coding she input into undeath was very concise. It would steal away the life from the victim and infect their soul, using it as fuel to strengthen itself. To Infect a soul with Undeath was a very high level of control which depicted one¡¯s proximity to true Undeath. This showed the woman¡¯s level as a Necromancer also. The undeath energy she input would then invade the core, preserving and consolidating after the death of her victim such that it could support the body, heightening all physical functions! Severing the spine and disconnecting the brain stem was so that all physical functions urring below the head wouldn¡¯t distract the brain from its purpose. Having been an Energy Former before her induction into Undeath, this woman had been capable of manipting sound and air to a marvellous degree. She merged her understanding of both these elements and Undeath to create a way to transmit Undeath in the form of sound! Of course, her first victims which had been readily prepared were the most efficient at spreading the ¡®word¡¯, the rest not being as efficient. They were also far weaker than her original minions but she didn¡¯t need them to be otherwise. ¡°Looks like those with blue cores won¡¯t be affected,¡± she said nonchntly. ¡°I didn¡¯t n for them to anyway. I wonder how that woman from the Purity will fare against ¡®that¡¯.¡± The woman didn¡¯t stay to watch some more as regardless of the oue, she had done her part. *** Skullius¡¯ body felt limb from being carried across a vast distance at an insane speed without him being able to say or do anything about it. From his ce of captivity up to this ce, he couldn¡¯t even tell which route they had taken. Perhaps there wasn¡¯t because he had flown instead maybe? He couldn¡¯t tell. Soon, his vision once again became clear and he saw another tragic scene before him. Knights were battling each other, while some had red mes within their sockets, burning incessantly! Some of the Capital Knights had already been killed, their halves lying on their ground along with their limbs! Blood was everywhere, staining the stalls of various foods whose owners had either died or were running around spreading the message of undeath and fallen over clothing which had been bargained for by the various civilians that now had grotesque faces as they chanted without rhythm! What had once been a loud and energetic marketce had be a tragic scene where the energy was horrid and full of death. Skullius took in this scene with narrowed eyes. This was undeath. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± he mumbled. He had once again found himself in the presence of this power which had once lorded over him. He knew the feeling all too well. But the way it was applied was¡­ Elita¡¯s eyes darted left and right as she identified all the threats within her surroundings. Ever since she hade out of the Capital Knights building, she had clearly assessed the fullness of the situation within the entire city. All the civilians were being overtaken by the stench of Undeath while all the Knights with white cores were also being taken over. When that happened, they died within seconds and a strange phenomenon caused their bodies to change for the worse. The Pdin Champion had chosen to leave the Capital Knights building as it already had plenty of Knights to defend it. She had sensed this strange spread of Undeath like a gue happen all over the city and thus chose to respond to ces where there wasn¡¯t much help or none at all. On top of this, she had left Gin and the others to handle the mess at the Capital Knights building because there was something else she sensed somewhere within the city releasing a terrifying amount of energy but staying still. ¡®What¡¯s it waiting for?¡¯ She thought. If that thing attacked, she was the only one who could deal with it. Her timely arrival with Skullius allowed her to intervene before everything went to shit. And intervene she did. Elita had her eyes on all the areas that needed her attention within Eofel and she nned to reach them all! A godly sh of golden light like a river flushed out of Elita as she became like the sun, her image attracting the attention of everything around! Chapter 122 Paladin Champion! (2) Elita¡¯s figure shone with brilliance, bing a beacon for both those that had turned and those that hadn¡¯t. To those that had turned, she was someone who had to be killed as she did not receive the truth and joined their numbers, and to those that hadn¡¯t turned, the Knights still struggling for their lives, she was hope. To realise that a Pdin Champion was in their midst brought them relief. Pdin Champions were meant to be just that. Thest resort of the Purity. The Peak fighting forces of the organisation. Of the 12 Pdin Champions, Elita was ranked 10th. She was quite strong but was ultimately nothingpared to the higher ranked Pdin Champions. Their dispatching was usually done to protect important personages of the Purity, though for a mere Grand Priest, the strongest Champions wouldn¡¯t be sent out. The Champions were unique because of the fact that all of them had advanced sses. Such sses were rare in Aigas as they not only depended on hard work, but also luck. At the moment within the entire city of Eofel, Elita was the only one with an advanced ss. On top of this, she had a divine blessing from one of the Deities which integrated with all her skills and techniques. This was also a prerequisite for someone to be a Pdin Champion. As the dark-skinned beauty stood out like a torch in the dark, she took a step forward, the boundless golden light she produced eagerly storming outwards like a harsh wind! Skullius gaped in awe. The various men and women who had been carrying the word of Undeath rushed towards Elita, leaving behind those that they had been harassing!. They came in their thousands while chanting the same thing over and over again, reaching within a few meters of Elita in a sh! Unfortunately¡­ As the golden light bathed them, the impure essence that caused them to be preaching corpses was overpowered and eradicated, along with their tainted flesh! Skullius watched as the crowds turned to dust under the raging brilliance that continuously jutted out of Elita! The words they yelled didn¡¯t reach him at all like how they pressed against everyone¡¯s bodies regardless of how strong they were. For him, he never felt a thing and the same was the case for the Pdin Champion. Elita continued to stroll around as the people rushing towards her were disintegrated. When her light reached an injured Knight, it would encase them wholly and heal their wounds instantly with tangling wisps of greenish gold! Even those that had their limbs lopped off watched as the greenish golden light reattached them seamlessly! The Knights joyfully stood and grabbed their swords. Whether they were Capital Knights or Purity Knights, they couldn¡¯t help but view this woman before them in a vastly more favourable light. Once the area within a 200 meter radius was cleared, Elita turned into bright streak that darted in a zigzagging fashion as it went towards the different areas where these undeath ministers were clustered, killing those who hadn¡¯t been turned! The civilians could only run a few steps before they were caught and transformed by the message! The scrambling that urred as violence of unimaginable proportions pervaded was hard to look at. The golden image of Elita appeared within another area where this was happening and her light smothered every single aspect of the ce, turning the undeath messengers into dust while saving and healing those that still held their lives! Those that had been about to be trampled under the crusade cried in relief as they saw that they hadn¡¯t been sent to the afterlife yet they couldn¡¯t find their saviour as she had already flitted to another location! ¡®Whatever it is seems to be travelling through the air. Like a mix of sound and a disgusting yetplex energy. Is that why they keep chanting? To continuously spread it?¡¯ Elita analysed. As she moved, reaching another location in moments, the culmination of her blessing and mana being what saved the masses, Elita saw a figure who stood firm, barely affected by her light! It was a Knight with the same characteristics as the undeath messengers. He held his sword, his mouth constantly chanting while his body got into a charging stance. Elita felt his white core which was surrounded by a red halo churn out mana inrge portions as he deftly shot towards her and swung his sword murderously! Elita didn¡¯t bother countering with her own as it wasn¡¯t necessary but she did note that this Knight was way stronger than the ones she had seen who had been turned. The raw force of his swing made the air tremble in a way that wasn¡¯t befitting of a white core Knight! It exceeded that level quite a bit! The Pdin Champion swiped her hand, meeting the sword attack without much of a concern. The sword shattered like ss upon shing with Elita¡¯s hand and the woman grabbed the Knights arm, applying a tremendous force that forced him to kneel! She scrutinised his body, running her mana over it only to discover a gash behind his neck where a red me was acting as the link from the brain to the spine! ¡®Such cruelty. This gathering of murderers must be found. I should report to the Purity about this,¡¯ she thought before disintegrating the Knight. Within a minute, a vast portion of the city was cleared of the undeath messengers, Elita returning to Skullius as she grabbed him by the neck and shot forward to other areas where the Knights hadn¡¯t reached. Skullius once again sulked as he was dragged around. This time, he heard Elita speak, trying to gain some Intel from him. ¡°With what you¡¯ve seen so far, is there anything that you can tell me about this whole situation? Anything that could lead us to the culprit or something?¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ Skullius sighed in resignation. This woman was grossly mistaken about his circumstances. However, as someone who had ¡®dealt with¡¯ Undeath before, he could give her some details. ¡°You really overestimate my knowledge. I barely know much but I also haven¡¯t seen this kind of undeath before, br-¡­¡± Skullius said, holding his tongue at the end. The Discount Human couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Eobald also had some crazy undeath ability like this. Perhaps he would have used it on him if he wasn¡¯t so fleshed up back then. Elita¡¯s sigh could be heard even as they moved at rapid speeds. Once more, she stopped and set Skullius on the ground, the fake faced figure stumbling down. Elita¡¯s light bathed the area, eradicating all the undeath messengers. Unfortunately, there didn¡¯t seem to be any survivors in the vast distance which made Elita¡¯s heart sink. The bodies of a few Knights who had been stationed here to control the madness that had spawned from the bad of Erlton the Reader could be seen, decked in armour but their bodies oozing of blood. Tragic. Just how quick was this thing in its spread? Her response even though unbelievably fast was still toote. She turned to Skullius and flicked her fingers. A ring fell beside the Discount Human and he was shocked to find that it was his spatial ring! ¡°Why¡­?¡± he asked as he looked up at Elita. ¡°I took it aftering to the Capital Knight building. With all themotion about the mysterious thing that had appeared, I figured it would be safe with me. I would have destroyed it along with you if you proved to be guilty. Or perhaps you¡¯d open it for me if we actually had a normal interrogation. Peering into spatial storages tactlessly destroys them anyway. Evenmon ones like yours. I assume you also don¡¯t know that, your Ignorance?¡± said Elita half-teasingly. Skullius couldn¡¯t find the words to reply. ¡°I do not trust you nor is this is gesture to help you. But if you have anything that can help yourself to stay alive in there, you might as well take it out. I have assessed that you aren¡¯t a member of either groups I suspected but I have a feeling that you can help me in some way. At the end, perhaps I¡¯ll allow you get a less harsh sentence.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Skullius voiced. This was the best he could get so it seemed. He inserted his mana into the ring and found that everything was in ce including Red Rage who was sulking. ¡°I guess I could help¡­¡± Elita nodded and was about to scour the area when¡­ ¡°MEdDLeR¡­!¡± a crooked voice that carried with it a shocking amount of undeath energy sted against her and Skullius! She felt something in her get stirred which terrified her! Skullius on the other trembled from the deathly presence he felt. It was thick! It was almost viscous! ¡°FoUL¡­ MEdDLeR! BEGONE!¡± the crooked voice echoed loudly once more as arge figure that oozed of death and reeked of truth charged against the two! Chapter 123 Elita Vs. ??? A loud whistle sounded as a roaring of the wind followed after, arge sword flickering into existence as it swung against Elita whose eyes bulged in shock! So fast! So strong! She barely managed to draw her sword and parry the attack but even as she did, her form was terrible! Her legs left the ground, the loud ring that urred when metal smacked metaling before a devastating shockwave blew intensely, the Pdin Champion beingunched off into the distance! A certain Discount Human didn¡¯t even catch a single glimpse of what had happened as all he witnessed was a blotch of darkness and then¡­ FABOOOM! His cosmetic skin felt like it was being shredded as the force which had taken ce directly near him blew him away, pushing him against buildings and stalls! Every structure in a fifty meter radius was pushed away violently, including the corpses, the buildings and the tough city ground! The scene was mind boggling! Elita flew so far in such a short time, being a dot that streaked across the city like lightning, demolishing everything she knocked against living and non-living alike! Skullius who was buried under a lot of rubble after the shockwave, shook his head as his vision spun. He was so d he couldn¡¯t feel pain in this moment, as when he looked at himself, he saw many parts of his flesh torn in a goose bump inducing fashion! His face also had scrapes and burns but he didn¡¯t feel the agony that he should have.. He pushed against the rubble with all his might and managed to free himself, crawling out to face the devastation. He gulped hard as he was faced with the scene of the indented group and a clear space where a single, terrifying figure stood. ¡°Flesh you, atrocious luck¡­¡± Skullius mumbled to himself. ¡°What the heck is that, bro?!¡± Even the Death Knight nanny that always camefor roll-call in Deadmand didn¡¯t look as hideous or emit such a disgusting energy signature like the absolute abomination before his eyes! Donning a spiky and reddish-ck armour was a three meter tall monster that had now plunged its weapon into the ground while expelling a thick cloud of dark energy. The armour looked custom made as several parts had distinctive features that where vastly different from the others. From the crescent-shaped visor on its helmet, two bright red beams could be seen within, looking into the distance. Its right arm was rather bulky, the armour being modified to cover it perfectly while its left was disproportionately longer and even more unique; five more arms protruded from its under an upper sides, fully decked in fitting armour too! An abomination with an arm that had five more shorter arms, twitching and wiggling to show that they functioned quite well. The monster pulled out its sword which was like a Dadao, curved and thick at its end with a visibly sharpened edge on its bluish grey de! ¡°ThE¡­ MeDdLeR¡­ sTiLL¡­ liVeS¡­!¡± it spoke with its eerie voice before it took a few steps forward. Skullius quickly backtracked, hiding behind the rubble. Hisck of knowledge forced him to not act rashly especially when he was this vulnerable in his Discount Human form. This was intense and he didn¡¯t want anything to do with it! Beside him was dead Knight who had been flung by the shockwave. Seeing the armour he donned, Skullius quickly removed it and stored it within his spatial storage ring. While inserting his mana, he gave Red Rage a precise instruction. ¡°Hey, Red bro! Put that armour on and be ready to carry me away when I let you out!¡± He didn¡¯t know if Red Rage would hear him but the Pelvis Boar-Man had an ample amount of intelligence to process what he needed anyway. He hoped at least. Running around with a skeleton wouldn¡¯t look good for Skullius in any scenario after all. SHAAAA! A golden ssh of light covered the entirety of the sky above Eofel as a dark spot of light rose and descended at lightning speed! Elita whose figure could barely be seen under the ring re of gold had leapt from the over 800 meter distance she had been flung before and returned to where the abomination awaited her! Her pure hazel eyes emitted a concentrated golden gleamed as she descended with an incredible speed and hurled a fierce overhead punch at the monster¡¯s head with a loud battle cry! The tall creature ate the attack as for a brief moment, its dark air was overshadowed by the gold which had hints of green! BOOOM! Its head jerked down as it received the punch, the ground indenting further down under its feet while a mushroom cloud of dust rose high up with a vibrant shockwave! ¡®That¡¯s it?!¡¯ Elita questioned as she felt her punch not do much damage to the creature! Before the abomination could raise its head, Elita who was still airborne, drew her arming sword which shone with golden runes over its polished,light green surface and shed precisely across its chest! CRREEEENK! A continuous shriek and spark announced itself when she shed, the Pdin Champion feeling her sword digging into the thick armour¡­ just a bit! The abomination finally raised its head and with a nimble motion, it raised its Dadao sword high up and brought it down with a staggering force, billows of darkness spewing from it to wrestle the golden light! Elita who was frustrated at not being able to lend any damaging blows, parried properly this time, the Dadao being forced off course while sheunched a series of prative thrusts with her arming sword that finally bore through the abominations armour! The tall creature drew back as seven holes opened on its armour, protruding from the back with dying bursts of golden light after Elita¡¯s ferocious attacks! However¡­ ¡°ImPuDEnT¡­!¡± The monster roared as itunched a series of shes that Elita met with her own without a problem! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The noise of metal against metal rang loudly while bursts of horrendous forces destroyed the surroundings, causing them to crumble! During this sh, Elita¡¯s once hidden core finally showed its colour as she pulled outrge portions of concentrated mana from it! Purple! Skullius watched the exchange from a distance while hiding behind rubble. He was absolutely shocked! The exchange was incredibly fierce as his eyes only saw flickers and sparks while the two stood still! ¡®When will I reach this level?!¡¯ he thought. Strength so fierce it felt boundless! From the terrifying fight, Elita suddenly drew back and pointed her finger at the monster, a three-pointed star appearing on her index finger! ¡°Glorious Purity!¡± The star expanded and brightened up as it then ignited into a dark golden light that showered the monstrosity! ¡°ARRRRGHHHH!¡± the monstrosity screamed as smoke rose from its body! ¡°MeDdLeR!¡± A plume of smoke gushed from its body and swept over the brilliant light as well as Elita right after the abominations call! The monster¡¯s retaliation caught Elita by surprise and for a few moments, her shining figure disappeared into the darkness! ¡­! Skullius felt his non-existent heart sink! He had obviously been routing for the individual who seemed to not have the intent to kill him! From the pitch ck darkness, a small re sparked and then a figure streaked out in a quick motion and rushed a distance away. Elita had managed to escape the darkness but¡­ Her face was pale and the light around her grew dimmer, the golden armour she wore showing. She panted as she hurriedly held her sword firmly while facing the monstrosity. ¡®That darkness¡­. What is it? I suddenly¡­ feel weaker¡­¡¯ she thought as strength seemed to be sapped from her. The abomination rushed towards her, its voice loudly sounding again as this time¡­ ¡°YoU CaNnOT coMPREheND, the TRuE beaUTY of uNDeATh. tHE oNly TrUE dIVInity aMonG MANY falseHOODS. The TrUESt rEALity in All ThE LaNDs¡­!¡± Elita felt a painful sensation that tried to barrel its way into her as the abomination spoke! ¡°Nnnngh!¡± she gritted her teeth as she battled that powerful feeling but in doing so, her stance faltered and the Dadao that blitzed through the air came before she could raise her sword to defend¡­! Chapter 124 Hero! (1) ¡­! Elita gnashed her teeth as she tried to churn out more mana to block the iing attack but the merciless Dadao sword rattled her entire body upon contact, her armour cracking from the dominant force! The Pdin Champion spun while the invasive energy that stormed against her as the tall undead¡¯s chanting grew louder and more vibrant! For a moment, Elita¡¯s mind became scrambled with pieces of her memories flooding her vision! She saw the time she became a Pdin Knight, the Deity, Quintess granting her a blessing. A divine blessing which was only received by those favoured by the Deities. ! It was a blessing that gave every one of her skills the golden light of enhancement which bolstered their effectiveness as well as power by more than triple its original on top of giving her a powerful regenerative essence that healed her and her targets with terrifying efficiency! In addition to this, the fact it was a divine blessing guaranteed that it was capable of contesting against debuffs from foul sources. With such a powerful tool in her arsenal, Elita couldn¡¯t image just why she was experiencing such a severe weakness from the Undead before her. Undeath couldn¡¯t contend against the power of Deities!. Such a hazard was more likely when she was facing members of the Evenfall who followed Boron! The shapely woman twisted her body andnded on her feet, stabilising herself as she pulled out her mana while preparing to use her heaviest hitters! The huge undead that charged in her direction wasn¡¯t her equal in agility but its raw strength was definitely higher than hers She saw the monster rush towards her while digging into the ground with its weight, its sword ready to sh with both hands, an image that spurred her fingers to sp around each other as she held her arming sword! Taking in a deep breath, she charged her sword with mana while intending to sh upwards and obliterate the creature¡¯s head in motion at the same time it attacked her. This was the quickest sword move she could use. Rising Star, Arching Glory! Where else could an undead¡¯s weakness be other than its head? As she set out to attack while the light around her kept dimming¡­ ¡­! ¡®Huh?¡¯ Elita was horrified when suddenly, her shoulder bulged, the flesh from it expanding in a grotesque way so quickly that she could hardly understand what was going on! The rapid build up of the flesh as it turned from its natural chestnut colour to a mey red, bumps and boils appearing as if a terrible infection was at y, broke her amour to amodate this mass of flesh! The pain was excruciating and Elita screamed as her mind almost broke down in that instance! Ugly faces grew from the fleshy mass, bearing dog-like appearances that growled and lunged at Elita! The Pdin Champion bit her lips that bled from the action to restore her mind even if a little bit, shing at her own shoulder with the attack she had prepared for the still approaching monster! The grotesque creatures that grew from her flesh out of nowhere were shed off but the mass of swaying meat didn¡¯t seem to be going anywhere! On therge undead, one of the arms on its long left one was extending towards Elita, its fingers pointing at her shoulder continuously while a soft smoky hue swirled within its palm! It was casting a dreadful curse on her! Once more, Elita was astonished by why she was susceptible to such attacks when her divine blessing was a natural counter but it was only a passing thought as she had too much to deal with! ¡°KekEkeKEkekeKEEEE!¡± the tall undead cackled as it reached her position and swung its Dadao down with a terrible might! More dog-like heads grew on Elita¡¯s shoulder from the wriggling red flesh and even though it was a curse, the blood she lost wasing from own her body! Her attempt to block therge sword that descended down at her head didn¡¯t work as she felt a severe state of weakness! Whether she would turn to the truth from its chanting or not was not a concern to the undead as it still aimed to kill Elita! The Champion made the split second decision to allow the attack to strike her other shoulder instead as that was the extend of movement she could afford before the impact! FLLLLCHHH! The sword tore through the armour and dug a few inches into her flesh which made Elita scream even more loudly in her pain as her hand grew limb! The tall undead revelled in the anguish it jeered, cackling while it applied more pressure to the sword that had lost momentum! ¡°DiE! MeDdLeR¡­!¡± it roared as its sword caused blood to spray from Elita¡¯s shoulder all the more and¡­ MBING!! ¡­! A loud noise resounded as shockingly, therge Dadao sword rose into the air from its initial position within Elita¡¯s flesh! It had been knocked upwards unexpectedly! Elita, with her red, pain-filled eyes couldn¡¯t believe it either. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ she thought. A Knight had suddenly sped between the two andunched an uppercut at the sword from below that knocked it out of her shoulder! This Knight was decked in the full silver armour stained in blood! FWOOSH! Elita found herself carried up and dashed away with a short distance while the tall undead roared in anger! Or at least what sounded like anger! ¡°RaaaAAaaAr!¡± Elita didn¡¯t waste this chance she had been given as she immediately healed her shed shoulder enough to wield her sword properly. She then obliterated the ravenous red coloured dog heads on her other shoulder! Immediately after doing so, she bathed herself in a brilliant light to forcefully resist the growth of any more of the fiends. Sure enough, her skin returned to normal under the light and she now took the time to look at her saviour. Weirdly, this Knight stood in a strange pose, jutting his chest out while his hands were on his hips. A faint golden light could be seen from his visor and chest as he looked forward. ¡°Who¡­¡± Elita wanted to ask who this personage was, but a thumbs up in the face halted her question. The Knight in front of her heroically rejected her inquisition with a gesture she barely knew what connotation to attach to. Chapter 125 Hero! (2) A minute before¡­ ¡°Okay Red bro. You must be done putting on the armour by now, right?¡± Skullius said to himself before injecting mana to expel Red Rage from the ring. The armoured Red Rage swiftly appeared and stood in his ridiculous stance which made Skullius p his face. ¡°We have to get away from this ce as soon as possible. Come on, take me away,¡± Skullius said. Surely an addition of 50 favourability would make the Pelvis Boar-Man heed his words right? Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, Red Rage didn¡¯t do as Skullius asked. He merely looked at the fantastical battle taking ce over the cover of the rubble. Skullius was about to start yelling bone expletives when Red Rage turned to him. Red Rage¡¯s intent travelled to Skullius and the Discount Human couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. ¡°You want to help her?¡± he asked. Red Rage nodded. Skullius sighed. Since when did his murderous Apostle be a saint. This sockethole was definitely influenced by his skills and race. Now he was a hero of justice as advertised? Really? ¡°You¡¯ll get pounded into bone dust bro, it¡¯s not worth it. We might as well run away while the whole city has its hands full.¡± Red Rage didn¡¯t budge, his intent silently travelling to Skullius once more.. ¡°What? We are the bane of evil and a just representative like the pelvi- oh shut up, you bonehead!¡± Skullius shook his head. Given how powerful the influence of a race was on Red Rage, he couldn¡¯t imagine what would have happened if he had really chosen the False-Hope Bone Devil. He should be grateful that it was only this much. It might have been disastrous otherwise. Red Rage slumped visibly. Being denied of a chance to show his justice lessened the vigor in his bones. Skullius found himself actually being touched by this. ¡°Woow bro, this really means a lot to you, huh?¡± he asked while looking up and down at Red Rage. Should he do it? What if his Apostle was razed through within seconds? Sure he was Tier 1 now and had some pretty cool abilities, but¡­ was that enough? Definitely not. However¡­ Skullius peeked behind the rubble he hid under to see Elita being bodied! If Red Rage could help her, perhaps they could team up and the Apostle wouldn¡¯t be in as much danger. And if that really turned out to be the case¡­ ¡®Right! I do have some good stuff, don¡¯t I?¡¯ Skullius had a bright idea. He was in possession of something that could help tremendously. It wouldn¡¯t work if he was alone though. ¡°Fine. But! If you find yourself in danger, be sure to run back here!¡± Red Rage regained his stance as he stood heroically with his arms on his hips. He then expressed his thoughts to Skullius once again, the Discount Human¡¯s eyes opening wide. ¡°Oh really? Well, how observant of you, Red bro.¡± ¡­.. As Elita looked at this curious figure that had not answered her enquiry, she set to scan him with her mana but¡­ ¡°RaaaAAaaAr! ANoThER MeDdLeR!!¡± The tall undead raged as it stormed towards Red Rage and Elita! Red Rage immediately ran up to meet the creature under the shocked expressions of both Elita and Skullius! ¡®What are you doing you SOCKETHOLE?!¡¯ Skullius barked internally with his eyes bulging! Elita hadn¡¯t searched Red Rage but from the mana signature he emitted, she could tell that he was no more than a white core Knight! Skullius knew his Apostle¡¯s stats and even though he hadn¡¯t yet viewed the skills he was sure this was a really bad decision! To think that this privileged bone brat would do something so¡­ so¡­ reckless! While he didn¡¯t know what Tier or Stage this monstrosity was at, as his guidance field couldn¡¯t tell with the difference in level, he was sure that a direct confrontation wasn¡¯t the answer. What happened to sticking to the safe n?! Red Rage stormed forward, his speed much, much lower than his opponent¡¯s. The Undead roared as it scoffed at the small and weak figure before it! ¡°You DaRE MeDdlE wHeN YoU aRe sO WeaK?! I wiLL shREd yOuR SoUl!¡± The Undead swung its Dadao sword with such a speed that the weapon turned into a barely visible blur! Red Rage remained within his charge against his foe and¡­ FUUWAAAH! A brilliant golden light erupted right when the undead¡¯s Dadao sword struck against Red Rage! A small circr shield appeared on the Apostle¡¯s arm with the burst of light, bearing a golden colour and rings of ck along with the protruding design of a boar on its front! [Brilliant Boar Bnce Buckler]! A racial skill had activated in response to the attack! Even though it had happened so fast, when the buckler and the sword smashed against each other, tiny streams of energy connected the sword and shield for a fraction of a fraction of second! The ground broke and Red Rage was flung away a short distance following the destruction of the buckler which became specks of light! ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Skullius, Elita and the undead were all shocked by this development! Where was the scene they expected, where Red Rage was cleaved cleanly? The Pelvis Boar-Man merely anchored his feet on the ground and rushed back to the Undead as if nothing had happened! Elita¡¯s mouth was agape. Was she mistaken? Her sweat was still trickling for crying out loud! She had been putting her back into tanking every one of the attacks from the Undead! How was this Knight able to do it?! Skullius pped his face as he wondered why he bothered! Within his arsenal, only Red Rage was the honoured one! The Pelvis Boar-Man rushed up to the undead which roared in rage at seeing the nonchnt return of its uninjured enemy! ¡°HoW DaRe YoU SurvIvE So CasuAlLY?!¡± the undead growled nonsense as the arm that had been cursing Elita before pointed at Red Rage and spurred a curse! Yet¡­yet¡­ Nothing happened! ¡°WHAT?!¡± There was no flesh to cause for the growth of its monstrous entities on this valiant Knight?! Ridiculous! Impossible! Red Rage leapt forward as he activated a skill that caused everyone to marvel. The golden light it emitted was different from Elita¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t as gorgeous and it didn¡¯t bear any overbearing presence! It was serene! The tall undead was dazed by this light that covered Red Rage as in the next moment, a new image appeared! It all started with a long golden cape that swam in the air without a sound¡­ Chapter 126 Valiant! ¡°NO FLESHING WAY!¡± Skullius finally eximed loudly, throwing caution out the window when he saw the magnificence that bloomed from the golden brilliance! A hero! Even Elita gawked as she saw a golden brilliance less than her own spawn a somewhat corny yet¡­ beautiful scene! A long cape fluttered mystically from behind the Knight she was looking at, arm braces appearing with a smooth and beautiful effect on his arms as they held boar-like details of a ferocious face and protruding tusks. Shoulder pads also appeared over the Knight¡¯s armour along with magnificent boots that reached his knees! The lighting behind the visor grew brighter, bing a cross-shaped golden re that illuminated the surroundings! The mix of gold and silver wasn¡¯t quite appealing, but the golden pieces of equipment that were spawned, their appearance looking like they were forged entirely from golden-white diamonds that constantly awed the onlookers, allowed for no one to see it as a concern. A hazy star scape constantly shifted around Red Rage while the symbol on his chest reflected like a hologram on the breastte of his armour. A ¡®U¡¯ like shape with a ¡®T¡¯ in the middle. The image obviously looked iplete as a suit of this sort should cover the entire body but that didn¡¯t take away from its beauty. Red Rage had leapt up before casting this skill just so he couldnd and look cool¡­ it seemed. To add more ridiculousness to this scene, the drip decked Pelvis Boar-Man suddenly rose a meter off the ground and gazed at the tall undead with his beaming eyes while actually adopting a cooler pose this time! ¡­! The loud ramblings of the distant Discount Human who was screaming bone expletives in the distance did not tear away Elita and the undead away from the Null existence before them. He could even levitate!. The Pelvis Boar-Man emitted no presence as if he wasn¡¯t even there. No overbearing aura! No imposing magic energy! Just a serene appearance that caused different emotions. This was the [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire]! To top all this off¡­ ¡°Foul creature. I judge you to be evil¡­ and ugly! For that, I shall administer¡­ Justice!¡± A heroic voice came from behind the helmet that Red Rage donned! Elita was surprised by the masculinity and devotion in the voice! The undead was enraged by the insult! Skullius copsed and knocked his head against the ground! Only he knew how ridiculous this was! Red Rage could talk?! What?! How?! Flesh logic! The tall undead roared in rage and once again raised its Dadao as a dark energy coiled around it, smothering its weapon! ¡°FOoL! YOu DArE CALl ME Ugly?! YoU ArE ATrOCiouS!¡± Red Rage did not offer a reply, staying in his position as he actually descended from his floating altitude and touched the ground, waiting for the de toe! Elita couldn¡¯t believe this, she thought to take a step forward but the Pelvis Boar-Man merely reached out his hand without turning his head to her. He gave a side ways thumbs up and spoke in a reassuring voice. ¡°Fear not, valiant female. This¡­ sockethole, has nothing on me!¡± Elita didn¡¯t know what to think. Where did this Knighte from? She would have doubted him if she hadn¡¯t seen him actually survive an attack from the undead before despite his weak core but now¡­ ¡°RAAAAAAAAAR!¡± The loud and defeating voice of the undead that still brought a powerful chill to Elita¡¯s core resounded as it smacked down with its Dadao, a ferocious wind blowing outwards as an added effect to the descending darkness! As the sword dropped, many golden wisps like strings travelled from the Pelvis Boar-Man to the undead, connecting the two for a short moment! Most of the wisps shattered in the middle, but a few remained, this whole urrence happening within an extremely minute space of time! However, Elita saw it! BOOOOM! There was no explosion of golden light this time as the ground ruptured to an unimaginable degree from the force, fifteen meters worth of hardnd caving in as if to sink further into Aigas! Skullius scrambled to look over again as he was worried about his Apostle after all was said and done. Pushing the ridiculousness aside, he was very terrified for Red Rage. He had witnessed first hand the thunderous strength of the monster that his Apostle was battling against. Even if he had survived once, it didn¡¯t mean he could continuously push his luck. If only this brat would stick to the n! The dust cleared and the result was made clear! The Dadao was still in ce, emitting a tremendously thick darkness while in its striking position! And¡­ A cape fluttered as if rustled by the wind. An unscathed Red Rage grew visible in the vision of the spectators! He was crouching while half of his body had sunken into the ground! The Dadao sat on his shoulder but did not go any further, settling on a cracked golden shoulder pad that extended to the Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s neck! ¡­! The undead¡¯s beams of light under the visor flickered as it couldn¡¯tpute just what was going on! Why was this weak fellow not sustaining any damage from its attacks?! ¡°Pathetic!¡± Red Rage spoke as he lifted off from his pit, and floated two meters above ground! He drew back in the air as he cocked his fist, the dust rolling on the ground under his suspended feet! His armoured hand glowed with a distorted golden light as he then flew at a quick speed and punched the undead in the chest! POW! The distorted golden light in his fist made the undead¡¯s armour crack mildly while the undead¡¯s whole body lifted off slightly off the ground to settle half a meter away! The result was underwhelming but the Pelvis Boar-Man looked on as if it was expected, backing away. The Undead was enraged as another one of its arms on the longer left one pointed at Red Rage and released a continuous stream of hot red mes! The attack was so fast that it took the Pelvis Boar-Man by surprise, knocking him away! The Pelvis Boar-Man hurriedly changed his course of float, ridding himself of the constant bombardment! He rushed over to Elita, his armour having already reddened from the heat! He stopped floating and settled down on the ground. ¡°Valiant female,¡± he addressed Elita who still couldn¡¯t get over the macho, exaggerated voice. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I currentlyck the strength to deal damage to this fiend. Would you lend me your strength to cull this evil from the world?¡± the Pelvis Boar-Man asked. Elita opened her mouth but closed it immediately after. She held her sword and emitted a brilliant golden hue from her body. Since they were being so formal about it, she might as well use the same tone. ¡°dly, sir Knight.¡± The Pelvis Boar-Man nodded and then, he pointed at the undead, then at his own head and his chest. Elita was confused at first but then, she read in between the lines. So that was the way. She nodded as a smile bloomed on her face. ¡°Onward!¡± the Pelvis Boar-Man roared with a manly voice as he lifted up once more and shot forward! Skullius who watched this from the safety of his cover shook his head without pause in disbelief, yet, he hadn¡¯t forgotten the goal at hand. ¡°At least you¡¯re smart now, Red bro,¡± he remarked as he moved. His bro hadn¡¯t forgotten the n after all. Chapter 127 Bitter Effort The Pelvis Boar-Man was a race geared towards defence above all else. As the description had said, its selling point was the fact that it actualised the characteristics of a pelvis, especially when dealing with bnce. Above the natural toughness that a Pelvis Boar-Man had, it also had the ability to absorb shocks through its body and into the ground as established by the guidance field data. This mainly worked for physical attacks which gave the Pelvis Boar-Man a hefty advantage when dealing with enemies that dished out physical damage but this was not true for other type of attacks as well as their corresponding damage. However, all these characteristics were brought together by a bigger advantage that the Pelvis Boar-Man had. During confrontations, it had the natural ability to bnce out attacks and opponents¡¯ strengths with its own, this aspect better used in conjunction with the exclusive skills. When Red Rage had first confronted the tall undead, using the [Brilliant Boar Bnce Buckler], wisps of golden energy had connected the buckler and the undead¡¯s Dadao sword! This was the effect of bnce. The [Brilliant Boar Bnce Buckler] was a skill that conjured a buckler that could absorb 25% damage from attacks whilst also applying the concept of bnce to the opponent¡¯s attack itself, limiting their power to a degree that the user could handle. The same had happened when Red Rage had tanked the undead¡¯s most recent Dadao sword attack, streams of golden energy connecting to the two fighters as bnce was in effect. It was unfortunate, but the full scale of bnce couldn¡¯t be applied as Red Rage was severely outmatched and he couldn¡¯t bring down the enemies level by much. However, he had managed to take the hit by absorbing most of the attack with his body and directing it into the ground as it was a physical attack. This alone wouldn¡¯t have allowed Red Rage to survive as to top this all off, the skill that the Pelvis Boar-Man had been using at the time yed a huge role. ~~~ [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire | Lv.1] The heroic attire of the Pelvis Boar-Man is summoned with the activation of the skill to further bolster the image and power of the hero! -Effect-. ?Limited Levitation ?+250 Defence ?+50 Strength ?Hero¡¯s Charisma: Voice of Hope -The iplete suit is summoned by default when no Null Life Essence is applied- Mana Requirements: None, Null Essence required Duration: 3 minutes Cooldown: 24 hours ~~~ The uniqueness of the skill could not be denied as even its description disy differed from others. At this moment, Elita rushed after the Pelvis Boar-Man who seemed eager to put down the evil before them! She was naturally faster than Red Rage as she overtook the floating Pelvis Boar-Man and charged up mana into her green-ded arming sword! Her dark hair fluttered as she tried to select which part she could effective deal with. She had been given important information. How to deal with the undead before her! Apparently, the head and the chest needed to be hit for this undead to be put down. That was what Red Rage insinuated by pointing at his head and chest. Elita didn¡¯t know if it was true but she didn¡¯t have a reason not to believe this valiant Knight who could take a beating pretty well! Skullius who had been told this before Red Rage had headed out to y hero, knew the reason why the Pelvis Boar-Man knew of this. It was because of one of the gifts of the [Blessing of Serenity]. [Basic Murder Arts]. With this gift, Red Rags gained knowledge on how to kill any organisms he faced as advertised! Even special cases like this undead! Though the scope of what this gift covered was still vague, it was useful nheless! Even Skullius had face palmed when he recalled that he had literally seen this a few hours ago. Elita now understood why after tanking that ridiculous attack from the undead, the Knight, Red Rage, had tried punching the monster, only managing to crack its armour instead with that distorted golden light which was the grand sh of [Hero¡¯s Fist]. It was a Pelvis Boar-Man exclusive attack that was hinged on taking down an enemy¡¯s defences rather effectively. Elita zoomed in at incredible speeds as she once againunched a terrifying volley of thrusts with her sword that aimed at the creature¡¯s chest! ¡°FIRst MeDdLeR! YoU HavE rEGaiNEd YouR MetTLe?! TasTE deSpaiR!¡± The undead¡¯s arms suddenly crackled with a dark power as four of them released a terrifying stream of magical attacks at Elita! Red hot fire, bright blue lightning, gushing winds and purple poison! Elita who was showered with these attacks became covered with a bright sphere of golden light as her attacks were not hindered in the slightest! Unlike the dreadful curse from the other arm that spawned demon dogs in her flesh, defending against elements wasn¡¯t a problem! Her attacks broke through the creature¡¯s chest and she visibly felt the creature stagger as if it was suddenly aware of what she was trying to do! ¡®He¡¯s right!¡¯ Elita thought, wishing that she had actually aimed at this spot before. It didn¡¯t seem like she actually managed to destroy whatever it was at its chest as when her attacks shattered the creature¡¯s armour, there was nothing but broken bones behind! ¡°RAAAAR!¡± The undead roared once more as a thick stream of darkness spewed from its body and threatened to devour Elita! ¡®This again!¡¯ Elita quickly retreated but right then, the other hand of the undead pointed in her direction, issuing the curse! Elita felt her flesh once again begin to squirm as the curse activated! ¡°GoOD!¡± The Undead rushed her as it knew full well that unlike that floating Knight, this woman was not immune to her attacks! Its de descended onto Elita who was preparing to cut away the growing red dogs on her flesh but¡­ A valiant Knight had already foreseen the danger that the woman was in and begun rushing to her specific location before the undead even moved! Due to the speed of the attack, Red Rage didn¡¯t have the time to be picky about how to receive it so he through himself in front Elita, the heavy de smashing onto his caped back while the force pushed Elita a distance to safety! A shockwave erupted but Red Rage was not harmed. Instead, he quickly got up and grabbed the Dadao sword, pulling down with all his might! ¡°StoP MedDliNg!!¡± the undead roared as its other hands began unloading vicious magic attacks on Red Rage! BOOOM! The lightning, fire and wind were particrly damaging as the silver armour that Red Rage donned couldn¡¯t take the punishment, beginning to tear away even as it was protected by the hazy gold of [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire]! However¡­ ¡°Valiant female!¡± Red Rage called. Elita who had just sliced off the dogs on her shoulder again while bearing the unimaginable pain rushed forward as she weaved to and fro to try and avoid being targeted by the arm that delivered the curse! ¡®I don¡¯t know what exactly is at the chest of this monster. I can deal with thatter. For now¡­¡¯ Elita thought while putting all her focus on her next attack, her body lowering as she zoomed at super speed up to the undead that still focused on Red Rage who pulled on its Dadao sword. ¡®¡­ I¡¯ll strike the head!¡¯ Elita¡¯s sword brightened as she activated her fastest skill. Rising Star, Arching Glory! Her sword literally screeched as it blitzed through space while arching upwards in a beautiful sh! The thick darkness that was still spewing from the undead made her struggle but her sword was relentless, shing with a bright white light as it decimated the undead¡¯s head the moment it made contact! The undead¡¯s head exploded under the attack, a neck stump being left behind where only charred bone could be seen yet¡­ The undead still struggled! Its arms pulled on Red Rage who wanted to keep it in ce while it suddenly went berserk and bombarded the entire area around it with terrifying magic attacks! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Elita withdrew from the darkness and the raging elements as she felt herself get weaker again. She couldn¡¯t push herself to use another attack immediately but¡­ the valiant Knight who had saved her life was still holding on! She couldn¡¯t waste the chance he had created! She had to push forward! Like a true Knight! Like a Pdin Champion! ¡°NNNNGH!¡± Elita¡¯s growled as she tried to charge for another attack to pierce through the undead¡¯s armour where something was buried but the weakness was real. It was too much.. She was worn out. What could she do? They were so close. BZZZZT! BZZZT! The sound of lightning with a hair raising presence shook the air as a red glow came from a distance away, the solution making its way to the battlefield! Chapter 128 Contrasting Victories BZZT! BZZZT! A mini storm with tendrils of red lightning maddeningly flying everywhere appeared in the distance for only but a moment before it zipped its way towards Red Rage and the undead at a remarkable speed! The thick bolts of lightning that seemed extremely condensed even when they held the thickness of well endowed trees razed through everything they came across while surrounding the speeding object they covered! A sword! Skullius stood a distance away while holding the cause of the spawn of this horrifying attack that dyed the entire half of the city in a blood red hue while making every living thing feel ufortable! The All Eater scroll! During Skullius¡¯ fight with Benzard, he had managed to store one of his attacks into the All Eater scroll, mitigating any damage he would have received if it had hit him. The attack which was a sword bathed in vicious red lightning, travelling at ridiculous speeds, a product of the hidden ss, Perpetual Colossus, contained a staggering amount of strength and mana! However, this much wouldn¡¯t have been enough to generate this crazy scene as the effect of the All Eater scroll was the one that produced this monstrous attack.. ~~~ [All Eater] A scroll created by an ancient group of mages who thought of cultivating their own magic to be a taboo towards their favoured Deity, Suzamete. They chose to master inscription of the highest order, in their years managing to create a sequence of runes that could store any form of attack at the Incandescent Stage and below. -Special Effect- Stored attacks are kept in Stagnant Space and released at the user¡¯s discretion at 10 times the power and speed with a 10% chance to incorporate any of the user¡¯s attributes and traits over said attack at the moment of release. ~~~ A ten times increase in speed and power of the stored attack with a 10% chance to incorporate any of the user¡¯s attributes and traits to it! BZZZT! The result of adding such a ridiculous boost to Benzard¡¯s attack was this barely visible streak with trailing tendrils that aimed directly at the creature¡¯s upper torso under the stupefied gaze of Elita who was sweating hard and¡­. No explosion urred to give the undead an epic send off as the super charged sword plus lightning attack razed through the undead with a thunderous impact and continued on, causing catastrophic damage dozens of meters away! Red Rage had long gotten out of the way, leaving the undead to face the erasure on its own. TZZZBOOOM! The far distance is where the menacing explosion urred, causing for another splendiferous red light to bloom while a dust covered shockwave stormed against everyone! Barely anything remained of the undead as only heated armour from its legs and portions of its arms remained, falling to the ground. Red Rage had done his job, Elita hers and Skullius his. It was their victory. Skullius grinned as he saw the notification for the cumtive mana experience and couldn¡¯t help but kek at its amount. *** Back at the silver Capital Knight buildings, Gin who was bathed in a bright white light was currently engaged in a tough fight with one of the original undeath messengers, a Knight with an enhanced core. Even after using his Full Body Aura, he found it extremely hard to keep up with this individual as it wasn¡¯t a brainless undead he was up against, but a seasoned fighter with heightened powers and no will to retreat! However, he wasn¡¯t alone. From the moment that he had raised his sword up high and called for the other Knights to rise and fight valiantly, Beron had joined him in the fight against this fallenrade while the rest of the remaining Knights were assigned to groups where they gritted their teeth and cut down the civilians affected by this strange gue as most thought it to be. The ming eyes of men and women made it hard for the warrior¡¯s fire in the Knights to be ignited because there was no victory in this fight. Whether they cut down theirrades and loved ones or were cut down, it was a bitter end all the same as tears were going to shed over the lives lost without an ounce of merry. Still¡­.the Knights had to make the call, spreading themselves around the city to mitigate this problem. Beron and Gin pincered the undead Knight, one going high from behind while the other went low from the front! The Knight moved quickly, evaluating Beron as the weak one as he then thrusted his sword into the Knight¡¯s thigh with a dangerous striking power that ignored the armour, restricting the Capital Knight captain¡¯s movements instantly! The Knight¡¯s sword got stuck as Beron screamed and twisted his leg having not expected such an attack and he watched the undead Knight with its bright med sockets leap to dodge Gin¡¯s sword which came low and kick so hard at him that its attack sounded like a whip through the air! Gin turned into a blur as he vanished from his initial position and appeared behind the airborne Knight, shing with all his might while infusing all his remaining Full Body Aura into the attack! He solemnly watched his sword cleave the Knight in two from the head while Beron watched on in incredulity, gripping his thigh in pain. The body of the undead Knight fell and it was finally over, after a bitter fight thatsted several minutes. Yet, both captains didn¡¯t feel any good. It was moreso true for Beron who had been outshined in the fight. ¡°Youck proper training and while it doesn¡¯t make yourck of skill excusable, it does give you the room to improve. Besides, without you, I wouldn¡¯t have defeated this¡­ man,¡± Gin said solemnly as he stretched out his hand and healed Beron¡¯s wound. ¡°I may not be the biggest fan of you Capital Knights but I¡¯m d you stood up when it counted.¡± What Gin said was true. The Undead Knight was restricted to follow up with more sword attacks as its weapon had been lodged into Beron. Naturally it wasn¡¯t a conscious help on Beron¡¯s part but it gave Gin the opportunity he needed to use his skill [Blindspot] to appear behind the undead Knight and end him. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± said Beron as even though he heard this, he was still feeling down. He stood and held his sword. The work was not yet done but the bulk had been taken care. At this time, a bright sh of red from the distance graced their eyes. Chapter 129 Leaving Behind A Trail Of Tragedy Elita¡¯s shock from thest attack that finished the tall undead Knight had finally died and now she gazed at the duo curiously. She couldn¡¯t tell what the rtionship between Skullius and Red Rage was as she was currently watching aedic scenario where Skullius was barking intensely at Red Rage, raving on and on about how he was reckless and about the fact that he got such insane moves at his disposal so suddenly. The Pdin Champion finally interjected with a slight smile, posing a question. ¡°Excuse me¡­ what rtionship do you have with this man?¡± she asked Red Rage which further enraged Skullius who wanted to be seen as the senior authority. As Red Rage was about to reply in a deep and firm voice, Skullius interfered. ¡°You should be asking me that question. This brat is barely a two days old and is now acting wise because he can fly!¡± Elita¡¯s brow rose. ¡°Who is he to you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my¡­ subordinate,¡± Skullius answered with a grin. ¡°Please pay no attention to this sockethole, valiant female. I am merely a friend who travels with him and chooses to tolerate his self-destructive behaviour,¡± Red Rage said with a polite tone to his manly voice. ¡°Oh¡­ how honourable,¡± said Elita with a bright smile which somehow made Skullius angrier. This felt vaguely familiar! ¡®Self-destructive? Bro,nguage!¡¯ Skullius gnashed his teeth as he began to wonder if he should ask the guidance on whether or not he could unsummon Red Rage. Of course it was just a passing thought. Elita had wanted to check out this Knight in front of her with mana but that would be rude as it would be essentially be invading the privacy of her saviour so openly.. Therefore, she opted for the safer method. Using her guidance field! As she looked at the Pelvis Boar-Man who was floating a meter above ground while still being decked in the iplete [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire], a status appeared. ¡­! ¡®What in the world¡­¡¯ What she saw was far from what she expected to see. Unlike with Skullius where some details were hidden from her and she was oblivious to the fact, she could see Red Rage¡¯s ss and race as well as other details that didn¡¯t seem¡­ natural. Elita squinted her eyes as she looked at Red Rage. ¡®Red Rage?¡¯ she thought. That wasn¡¯t so Knightly or even a name for that matter. Apostle Trait? Pelvis Boar-Man? Was this Knight some kind of beast man? Her curiosity grew for Red Rage all the more. Skullius noticed this and he immediately realised what was happening. This was not good. If she discovered that Red Rage was a skeleton underneath¡­ ¡°So¡­ how about letting us go since we pretty much saved your life,¡± said Skullius as he pulled on Red Rage who refused to budge. Elita mulled over what she had just seen, making sure to digest it properly. ¡®This Knight appeared out of nowhere and seems to have a rtion to this¡­ Skullius. They are both odd but I wouldn¡¯t say they have any feel for undeath. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen anyone with such strange traits in the three nations.¡¯ Elita¡¯s gaze fell upon Red Rage again. Once more she had the urge to scan Red Rage with her mana to see what he looked like but¡­ it was improper. It defied her honour as a Knight and ady. Indeed, her life had been saved and while she truly hadn¡¯t intended let Skullius go before, she was considering it. The two really seemed to be aligned after all. ¡°So you truly are the oblivious wanderer who just so happens to be recognised by the Voice of Worlds?¡± she asked Skullius with a serious tone. Skullius also wore a hard and serious expressionas he answered. ¡°Yes¡­ I am, for crying out loud.¡± Elita looked at the aftermath of her fight and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It would have been much worse. ¡°Very well¡­ I owe you my life. My honour as a Knight¡­ as a Champion, won¡¯t allow me to be harsh to you. Since you¡¯re still under suspicion of being aligned with the Green Neolists, you need to leave immediately. I¡¯ll cover for the rest,¡± Elita said. Skullius felt a wave of relief. This was the oue he hoped for. The Pdin Champion took out a spatial storage ring, inserted mana into and withdraw a map. She handed it Skullius who readily took it. ¡°Since you¡¯re pretty much ignorant of everything, take this. I advise you to go to one of the major cities andy low there. I doubt any of the Knights would travel such vast distances just to find you,¡± she said. ¡°This map will show lead you there.¡± Skullius unfurled the rolled up map and took a look at it with a big smile. ¡®Hehe¡­ all¡¯s well that ends well¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. Elita was about to address Red Rage when¡­ VWOOOSH! A heavy presence suddenly set on Elita as she immediately knelt involuntarily, overpowered by the sheer force! ¡°AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGHH!¡± The Pdin Champion screamed at the top of her lungs as she clutched her head, her voice resounding everywhere in the distance. Her eyes reddened while blood trickled from them, staining her cheeks! Thick veins bobbed on her face while getting a dark shade that eclipsed even her darkplexion! Elita curled into a ball on the ground and threw up blood as an excruciating pain that felt like she was being shredded washed over her body! She couldn¡¯t even think as all she could do was scream from the pain! What was happening?! Why all of a sudden¡­? Had she been betrayed?! She turned to look at Skullius and Red Rage with her shivering head and blurry vision only to find the Discount Human wearing a incredibly shocked expression as he was also bewildered! ¡®What¡¯s happ-¡° The answer came before Skullius could finish his question as he realised¡­ that he was the cause. Red Rage rushed over to Elita but Skullius wore a serious face as he grabbed the Apostle by the shoulder. The Apostle wanted to resist but the seriousness in his master¡¯s voice made him heed. ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s nothing we can do. Staying will not benefit us or her,¡± Skullius said. The curse that demanded him to walk alone had finally acted. UNCoddled. The moment that Elita had finally made a decision that helped Skullius, the curse set in, punishing her for it just as the Grinning Jester Fox had exined. Skullius wasn¡¯t exactly sentimental but watching Elita violently crawl, twist, curl and scream while blood gushed out of her orifices didn¡¯t quite sit well with him. In his very soul, the piece that remained at least, he knew this was wrong but nothing could be done. Red Rage spared Elita onest nce before shuttling to Skullius, carrying him and bulleting in the direction that led out of the city. The sound of nking armour as other Knights approached had been the final piece that let Red Rage ultimately leave his concerns with Elita as his race conformed him. Elita¡¯s mind was in disarray as many events yed out in her mind in this moment. She was really was going to die. She saw shing images of everything she had done instead of the bits that she had seenst time¡­ This was it. It seemed like it. Just like that. The ground suddenly rumbled as if responding to her screams, a gust of dust wind revolving around Elita as she squirmed. The dust hurriedly entered her nostrils, prating her body as it brought with it a faint golden brown light. Continuous wisps poured into Elita and with time, her body stopped convulsing, her body on the ground bing still. Upon the bloody ground, the image of the Pdin Champion as she breathed steadily while her eyes remained closed, caused a much desired sigh of relief to be heard from thend beneath. Chapter 130 Schemes and Accountability A woman with copper shimmer hair walked into a well lit room where two men were conversing at a well furnished table while behind them stood mutual aggressive individuals that acted as their guards. Any form of trust had yet to be established between the two parties and thus a thick wave of tension was roaming in the air. A man with a green and white mask sat on the opposite side of the table donning a long, dark brown robe with a hood. This was naturally, Actuass. His rxed air could be felt by everyone in the room despite the fact that everyone else was on edge. This made the man and woman behind him feel a bit more rxed as on top of their trust in him, they also believed that he could handle the situation if anything was to go wrong. A conversation was ongoing as the new entrant found her way in. ¡°Our failure to retrieve the powers of Fulgardt was a shame but not unexpected. It was merely a possible route with its own cons. His legacy was the perfect power to go against such enemies though.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±. The footsteps of the entrant brought about a silence to the atmosphere as it seemed that everyone was awaiting the news she had on her quest. ¡°Fulina?¡± Actuass said, prompting the woman with copper shimmer hair to give a report on hertest mission. ¡°It¡¯s done. Eofel was graced by a Pdin Champion as you said. The piece I left is sure to rattle her enough so that the Purity will take our organisation as a threat to be eliminated,¡± the woman, whose name was finally revealed to be Fulina said. Her spread of had indeed caused a devastating stir that would reach far and wide. Actuass turned to the other man who had glossy dark hair that wasbed back immactely. He had a young looking face as well as bright yellow eyes that showed his emotions on the matter. A long coat with soft fur covered his body, and his image as he sat down looked a bit more imposing than Actuass¡¯. ¡°As you can see, involving yourself with us will grant you steady results. The Purity will view us, the Green Neolists as not only a problem that the nation must solve anymore and will involve more of their peak fighting force, Pdin Champions, to hunt us down. In that, you¡¯ll eventually find the individuals with close ties to the three Deities to use for the ritual.¡± The man in the dark hair frowned as he listened to Actuass¡¯ words. He was not convinced. ¡°In as much as you might not want to believe it, Undeath is much more effective atrge scale operations than your Deity¡¯s current strength. You need us for the numbers and we need you for the damage. I¡¯m sure Fulina can attest to this after having seen how effective the small help you gave before was with her custom Cursed Knight.¡± Fulina know that this was her cue to speak even when Actuass didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°Indeed. Because of the link to undeath, I can see the memories of all my creations. The Champion was unable to deal with the Cursed Knight because of the aid you gave, handing us a smidgeon of Boron¡¯s raw power. Her divine blessing has the ability to resist my basic Undeath Concept but the addition of your aid managed to suppress her.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± the man with the dark hair finally said, his eyes staring deeply into Fulina who flinched slightly. ¡°Then where is this¡­ Cursed Knight now?¡± ¡°A third party intervened, helping her defeat it.¡± Fulina¡¯s response was careful as she didn¡¯t want to outright exin the oddity she saw through the Knight¡¯s eyes but from the looks of it, she didn¡¯t need to. The man turned his head to Actuass whose hazel eyes peeked from the mask. He spent some time mulling things over without a word while his eyes remained glued to Actuass. ¡°I showed you some goodwill and you showed me some. At least you made an effort to. The Evenfall will consider it. However, at the end¡­ bodies with their blood thick with the essence of the three Deities must be delivered at my feet. Are you willing to battle the entirety of Aigas with us just to break the seal to the Under?¡± Actuass emitted a scoff as he stood. ¡°Do not mistake my need of your aid as ipetence on my part. Just because you arefortable under the shade of the traitorous Deity doesn¡¯t mean my benefactor is any less powerful. Yours exists confined by thews of this world while mine exists not in this foul reality altogether.¡± *** Eofel, City Lord¡¯s Pce. ¡°I¡¯ll send word to the Purity itself of your ipetence! Did you consider how many would be lost because of your foolish actions?! How much damage would be done?! The city lost a huge chunk of its livelihood because youcked foresight?!¡± Yugefet bellowed as spots of saliva spilled from his mouth while his eyes almost looked like they would pop out of his sockets. Within the Pce, the captain of the Capital Knights, Beron, the captain of the Purity Knights, Gin, the Grand Priest and a few nobles were in attendance to the meeting where the figure of Elita was being judged. She had cleaned herself up of the blood after finding that she hadn¡¯t died as she had thought. She actually felt fresh and free after waking up, her mood being torn to pieces only when she had been brought before the fuming Yugefet who med her for every single thing that happened. She stood with her hands behind her back, her head slightly lowered as she wore a nk expression, listening to every usation. Due to the structure of the city, the nobles that lived higher up hadn¡¯t been ravaged by the terror of the undeath messengers with only themon residences and business areas below seeing this chaos. The Grand Priest who had merely seen the bright sh of light as well as the consecutive explosions had thought that he would have to answer for this but after a briefing from Gin about the whole circumstance, he found himself side-lined while Elita was being chewed out. ¡°What did that foolish mind of yours think would happen when you merely captured a member of that group of Necromancers and brought him into my city?! Where is he now? Did he escape after taking advantage of the chaos?!¡± ¡°Who cares if you fought off a majority of them? Do you know how many of our strong backers died in that bright red light?!¡± Apparently, Skullius¡¯ attack had obliterated a lot of the normal people that lived in the reserved upper section of the city after it tore apart the undead whose official name was the Cursed Knight. This too had been med on Elita. Gin had been unhappy with Elita¡¯s decision to keep Skullius alive and though he was happy he was right, he was very devastated by the situation that unfolded. He didn¡¯t know if it was linked to undeath exclusively as the grotesque image that had appeared earlier still roamed in his mind, giving him the impression that the Evenfall was also behind this. Nevertheless, he felt that Elita was responsible for the situation as the fact that Skullius was gone spoke a lot about his involvement. Or at least it hinted it. There was no way it wasn¡¯t linked. Elita¡¯s failure to take the matter of the attack more seriously had spawned this. Elita hadn¡¯t bothered defending herself. The Grand Priest didn¡¯t know what to say. ming Elita wouldn¡¯t bring back the dead but he also felt that she was somewhat responsible thus chose to say nothing. ¡°The Purity sent you here because you were supposed to be the leader of this¡­munion or whatever! They judged wrong! You¡¯re unfit and all those lives are on YOU!¡± Yugefet finished his barking session with an agitated heaving of air while his stout finger pointed at Elita. When she heard that the man was done, Elita raised her head with a stern expression that showed no traces of flickering or wavering. ¡°I ept all your usations. Indeed my foolish actions led to this and all the lives lost were as a result or myck of foresight. As I stated before¡­ I take full responsibility.¡± With her words, a deep silence reigned over the hall. Chapter 131 Prelude To A Gruesome Grind It turned out that no one knew that Elita had freed Skullius as her speed when she brought him out of the cell and rushed with him away to deal with the chaos in the entire city had not been noticed as shepletely outssed everyone in the city physically. Her decision to not kill Skullius was the one that Yugefet was mostly hinged on more than the fact that the Purity itself had attracted a tragedy to Eofel. However, it was natural that a scapegoat was always required in situations like these. Skullius had already fled, the whole ¡®no presence¡¯ factor of his Apostle as well as his weakness doing good to not expose his location as the fact that he had escaped was made known to everyone far toote. [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire] had run out shortly after the two had left the city, Red Rage losing his voice and flight immediately. From there, the Apostle had princess carried his master and bolted in a random direction. During the journey, Skullius had been mulling over the situation with Elita. From the moment that he had arrived in this world, it had been foe after foe, malicious intent after malicious intent thus though he hadn¡¯t shown it in the moment, Elita¡¯s willingness to let him go when many wanted him dead had struck him deep. The fact that she paid a heavy price for helping him also caused him no small amount of guilt as it brought on a very itchy and nagging feeling of a memory that tried so hard to sneak into his mind but failed.. Skullius grunted in frustration. Elita was probably dead by now and there was nothing he could do about it. The Discount Human pulled up his status to check the contents of the description of the curse again. ~~~ [UNCoddled] [The Arch Lich Somanda wishes you well on your journey to eventually return to him. However, in light of your previous attachments, he has decided to give you an additional ¡®incentive¡¯. A curse to follow you till the day you face him. You shall be bound to walk alone. Only with your strength. Any help from the outside will promptly attract FATALITY, leaving you alone till your destination has been reached] ~~~ This description did not stipte just how the curse weeded out those who helped him. He had received a deeper exnation from the Grinning Jester Fox that had a mysterious eye which allowed it to analyse his curse. The best that Skullius could gather was that cases like with Benzard and his group where he was ¡®helped¡¯ and ¡®saved¡¯ from perilous situations but with the ultimate goal not being for his benefit, were not taken into ount by the curse as they were not helpful to him. Cases like the Grinning Jester Fox where grand benefits awaited with the decision of the other party were what incited the curse to activate. ording to the fox, three factors were taken into ount. Contribution, level of strength and proximity. Contribution pertained to how much help Skullius got, level of strength determined how the target would be affected, with the stronger opponents being affected least while proximity to Skullius as the benefit was delivered also determined just how screwed the individual would be. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Skullius found himself muttering. Though he didn¡¯t know the bulk of the story, he knew that Elita had been extremely suspicious of him as all her actions prior to the end of the fight were never to assist Skullius but herself as she believed Skullius to be able to help her with situation as he had tangled with a Green Neolist before. The Discount Human shook his head as he threw these thoughts out of his mind. He had to focus on what was ahead now. First off, he took out the map that he had been given by Elita. Over its demarcated areas with bold texts showing the cities within Pelian, a small spot could be seen moving across the map. It represented Skullius¡¯ position to show him where he was in rtion to thends. ¡°It¡¯s really convenient¡­¡± he said. Fortunately for him, the map had the convenience of showing which cities were thergest and which were like Eofel. Smaller. The distance between Eofel and the nearest big city was atrocious and Skullius almost got a headache. Even on the map, he could tell that this distance was not merely a few miles. ¡°Good thing you have infinite endurance bro,¡± Skullius said as snuggled deeper into Red Rage¡¯s arms. He then told him the direction that they should be going. To a city called Genhuis, South West of Eofel. The journey was going to be long even as Red Rage raced at full speed. His speed wasn¡¯t anything exceedingly impressive anyway as when Skullius thought of this, he decided that for his next summon, he would choose something with a natural affinity towards speed. He looked at his guidance field and saw the 1,800,500 Exp he had gotten from the Cursed Knight. It was a great addition to his stock that he was still saving. He would use it to level another Apostle to Tier 1, preferably this next desired one. Strangely, Skullius didn¡¯t receive a notification for collecting the Null Life Essence for the Cursed Knight, which was probably because it was already dead. There were also a few other notifications for killing a whole bunch of humans with Benzard¡¯s attack as it had ended up murdering innocents but that was another story he didn¡¯t give a flesh about. ¡®Now. About that ss¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked at Red Rage. Skullius had yet to figure himself out in his Discount Human form but for his Prator form, it seemed bnced at the moment. After seeing Red Rage fight, he discovered that this bro needed a high boost to his strength as his race focused on defence. He had been unable to do any damage on his own which defeated the purpose of being a¡­ hero? Besides, Red Rage was still the quick learner he always was. He could pick up sword skills if he wanted to just by watching and following the movements. Thus, Skullius decided to forgo the Valiant BoneKnight ss and choose the Temper Skull Hegemon. With that, Red Rage received an addition of 250 to strength, 70 to Mana and 40 to Agility along with the exclusive skills. Red Rage was too preupied with carrying him to give him a thumbs up but Skullius knew that the Apostle still appreciated despite his rebellious nature. ¡®Now. Time to figure out the ins and outs to the Insurgent Magnus. Heh. I like that¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he got to work. A true grind to reach another level was about to begin. ¡ª¨C -End of Mini Arc- [Author¡¯s Note] Thank you very much for the constant support. I appreciate y¡¯all for reading and for thements, golden tickets, power stones and gifts. I hope you can continue to read and review as it helps me out a lot. Chapter 132 The Insurgent Magnus Within (1) ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s get to it,¡± Skullius said as hezed on Red Rage¡¯s back. The Apostle was racing at full speed on the hard ground, heading in the direction of Genhuis. Skullius had opted to change positions as being princess carried made him feel weird, above the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to practise what he wanted to do stably. He was about to explore all about his ss and sort out all the skills he had, investigating their functions separately and in conjunction with others. The fundamental element that made the Insurgent Magnus unique was the two special elements, [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light]. The skills rted to basic [Evil Darkness] maniption that he had so far were [Basic Evil Weaving] and [Evil Darkness Production]. There was also [Pseudo Evil Veneration] but it was not a skill. From what he had gatherer so far, [Evil Darkness] had the ability to restrict, bind and control. The many individuals locked within the Hall of Fulgardt in the Labyrinth of the Yoke were a prime example, Skullius managing to see theplex knots within Eldris¡¯ body that controlled him back then. He had also seen the effect of [Evil Darkness] within the yokes as they had the power to seal away the power of the target. This was likely as a result of the dark power used in conjunction with [Just Light] but if that was the case then Skullius knew nothing about this element separately altogether. The same was the case with [Just Light] as he hasn¡¯t used it that much. He was quite clueless but the skill [Just Light Production] was supposed to help him with it. The two production skills, as described by the guidance field were ones meant to actually generate the respective elements from his body which was incredible to think about. Since there wasn¡¯t much to explore with his two elements, Skullius moved to check everything else that was exclusive to the Discount Human form. There was the Luminant Seed which he had received after killing Dezrael. It was dormant at the moment and would bloom when he reached the Advancement Stage.. ¡°Damn it! I still don¡¯t know what the flesh that is,¡± Skulliusined as hecked knowledge on the stages of power that humans adopted. He had a feeling that the answers would finally be revealed if he got to Genhuis though. He had another thing that was simr. A piece of soul he had been awarded with after killing General S. He recalled that when he took damage to the soul after being killed in Eldris¡¯ body, a part of S had been used to mitigate the damage. So far, there was nothing else apart from the stats it granted that even showed that he still had it, but that would change soon. The [Binds of Fukal] were also another thing. They were the tattoos on his chest. When Skullius saw their description he couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly. ~~~ [Binds of Fukal] Whoever is bound is never to associate with Deities and is unable to receive their blessings nor their curses. ~~~ ¡°As simple as that, huh?¡± It was blessing and a curse at the same time. Now he couldn¡¯t ask for help from them, that is if he would ever get a chance to speak to them. [Pseudo Evil Veneration] was something else that Skullius was looking forward to progressing as it had saved him on two critical asions, but he still didn¡¯t know how to do so. The Fruit of World Myths which would appear as soon as he willed it was also something to be explored but the issue was that the two (it and Pseudp Evil Veneration) seemed to need a powerful understanding of the fundamental elements. With all that said, Skullius decisively activated [Evil Darkness Production]. He would rather give more attention to the element he had the higher affinity to for now. The skill didn¡¯t have a definite mana requirement as it converted mana to the respective element under a strict criteria. Skullius felt a familiar sensation run through his body upon activation. From his finger, a thin wisp of [Evil Darkness] sprouted, wiggling its way into the air! Skullius pushed his focus to the limit, seeing the pitch ck image struggle to remain alive, however it seemed that this was his limit! Nomatter how much effort he put, groaning and grunting excessively, he could not produce more than the four inches worth of [Evil Darkness] before him! ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me! After all that?!¡± he yelled. Was this just how trash his affinity was? But it had grown back to grade C after his experience with the Fruit of World Myths! Was manipting already existing darkness easier than creating your own? Skullius withdrew his control of [Evil Darkness Production] and looked at the shadow that trailed along Red Rage¡¯s movement using a skill he thought to be useful. [Basic Evil Weaving] had allowed him to manipte Darkness before and he naturally thought it could help with this. The Discount Human extended his hand towards the shadow and focused after activating the skill. Yet¡­ Nothing! The shadow didn¡¯t budge nomatter what he did! ¡®What?! But it worked in the Labyrinth! Or¡­ wait! Is it actually different? Is [Evil Darkness] not derived from normal Darkness or something?¡¯ This seemed to be the case and Skullius deted. At least he now knew that he needed to start from scratch and work smarter when dissecting this power. What a hassle! Being more intelligent was a hassle! Clearing his mind, Skullius once again activated [Evil Darkness Production] and injected mana for another try with his newfound knowledge. From the looks of it, it seemed that a conversion from mana to [Evil Darkness] depended on his affinity grade. Another unsteady, squirming wisp of [Evil Darkness] protruded from his finger, bing erect when Skullius¡¯ focus peaked. The Discount Human gnashed his teeth while sweating, analysing the small wisp. It looked intricate. Too intricate to be simple darkness that one would find anywhere but still¡­ it was strangelycking. Different shades could be seen when one looked even closer but the light from the sun did not stain it. A sickly looking trail of darkness. While having the wisp in bloom, Skullius activated [Basic Evil Weaving] which didn¡¯t require mana and tried to manipte it. It worked! As he focused on the wisp, willing it to lean to the right, it promptly did so, which made Skullius heave a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t feel much better as the this current progress spelled the strenuous hard work that he needed to do. It was unfortunate that he didn¡¯t have infinite endurance to practise this like with his Prator form. Still, the Discount Human didn¡¯t lose fake heart. He had managed to spend a thousand years doing something so unbearably monotonous so could he feel disheartened with just this? While keeping both skills active, Skullius continued to try out different things with the wisp of darkness while injecting more mana to see if there would be a change. The output to input ratio didn¡¯t change even as the figure for mana increased tremendously. Was there something else he was missing? Probably. There had to be. Skullius didn¡¯t expect to figure out this power so easily anyway. After trying for a full thirty minutes without progress, Skullius stopped. It just wasn¡¯t working. The conventional means weren¡¯t going to cut it. ¡®What else has a strong connection to [Evil Darkness]?¡¯ he asked himself. What indeed? There were a limited number of things that could possibly be the answer. The Labyrinth. Fulgardt. And¡­ The answer didn¡¯t y hide and seek with Skullius as it had been something he had used earlier. The Fruit of World Myths! When he had used it, he had gotten a different feel of [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light], seeing it in the surroundings through [Crude World Projection]. Unfortunately, this new addition to his arsenal wasn¡¯t a skill and had to be deciphered from its source without the help of the guidance field. Perhaps he had been wrong before. Perhaps the Fruit of World Myths was what he needed to better understand the two elements! Skullius willed the item to appear and the flower like, ethereal object floated before him with its golden center and dark fumes. ¡°Come on bro. Show me something,¡± Skullius said as he reached out his hand to touch it from Red Rage¡¯s shoulder. In the same instance, he activated [Basic Evil Weaving] and [Basic Evil Invasion] to try and see if something woulde of it. The result was something Skullius didn¡¯t foresee at all as instead of the out of body experience he had felt before, the Fruit of World Myths shot into his body, the Discount Human feeling it as it settled in his very chest! Chapter 133 The Insurgent Magnus Within (2) It was quite the freaky feeling, having something in your chest. It was different from when Skullius saw his own core that shone brightly in his bone body as this time, he couldn¡¯t see it at all. What was it doing? Skullius didn¡¯t feel any new sensation from having the Fruit of World Myths. He waited a few seconds to see if something would happen but he truly felt no change. This item was already weird as he had yet to understand how its uses were unlocked and used. He had hoped to spur some action from it using the two skills but the result was underwhelming. ¡®Can ite out?¡¯ Skullius thought as he willed the Fruit of World Myths toe out from his body, but it remained in ce. A notification popped up instead. [The ¡®Fruit of World Myths¡¯ has been integrated into ¡®Discount Human¡¯ body permanently] ¡­! ¡°What?! What¡¯s with this thing?!¡± Skullius blurted.. What were the rules?! Was there an immediate benefit for this? Skullius once again used [Evil Darkness Production] to see if there was any change. Surely, there had to be something otherwise this thing was a mere freeloader. CHLLLLK! A weird sound emerged as shockingly, the wisp of darkness that sprouted from his finger grew longer than before while being more lively! Skullius even felt it to be a bit more vivid and ominous as its colour was shockingly deeper and more uniform, its movement more intense! ¡°There¡¯s a difference!¡± Skullius eximed in joy. There really was a change and it wasn¡¯t just the length! The darkness he had conjured before felt.. nd, as crazy as it sounded. It was indeed the unique essence he had used before but this one¡­ It was different. Skullius felt as if he had touched upon the genuine and pure element, being able to conjure it at will, though in limited amounts. Sause had been able to blow away the darkness within the multiple spaces in the Labyrinth of the Yoke because it was never the real thing in the first ce. Even he had stated it. Skullius had touched upon the true [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light]. This made sense when he thought about. ¡°I guess all I was able to use in the Labyrinth was a lesser version. It makes sense I guess,¡± Skullius said. ¡°So to be able to truly use the power of the Insurgent Magnus, I must have the Fruit of World Myths within me?¡± A lot of mysteries were still hidden under a cloak of¡­. mystery. Skullius shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts as they had no answers at the moment. Instead, he dipped himself in the exciting task of trying to conjure greater variations of darkness and to see how he could use it effectively. First, the Discount Human tried to increase the volume of [Evil Darkness] he could produce per unit of mana which turned out to not be that much even with the help rendered by the Fruit of World Myths. At this point, Skullius could at most produce half a human shadow worth of [Evil Darkness] and that was after continuously repeating the process of manifesting and withdrawing the darkness from his fingers while shaping it with [Basic Evil Weaving] which worked like a charm. It was quite peculiar that he was doing all this while was being piggy backed by the armoured Red Rage but the Discount Human barely spared a thought to the awkwardness. [Basic Evil Weaving has levelled up]! [Evil Darkness Production has levelled up]! The results of Skullius¡¯ hard work showed from time to time as he pushed himself, and when the sun finally came down, Skullius stopped. [Basic Evil Weaving] put his mind to the test as all the shapes he imagined were applied to the darkness when he strained his mind, his full focus was being on high demand each second. When he chose to take a rest, Skullius was drenched in sweat, or rather¡­ water, a cheap recement for actual body fluid. ¡°Let¡¯s stop for a bit, Red bro,¡± Skullius said. Red Rage stopped and Skullius threw himself on the ground to rest. The Apostle sat at his side and watched as his master¡¯s chest went up and down rapidly. Mana depletion and mental exhaustionbined to form a big ass bitch. It took a few minutes for Skullius¡¯ mind to stop spinning and for his body to stop feeling so heavy. He rose and sat up straight, finding the golden glowing sockets of Red Rage gazing at him. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, bro, I¡¯m working hard here. For us,¡± he said. Red Rage didn¡¯t show much of a reaction but his intent reached Skullius anyway. ¡°Jeez, this race change has really made you a pain in my pelvis hasn¡¯t it? You¡¯re all I have right now, bro. The curse I have probably won¡¯t let me find anyone to help us unless they are stronger than Somanda. Besides, if anyone sees what we really are, they won¡¯t care enough to not erase us. We have to be smart.¡± Apparently Red Rage was dissatisfied with how Skullius had handled the matter in Eofel. Red Rage had really wanted to help Elita but as a follower, he didn¡¯t exactly know everything about his master, including the UNCoddled curse. ¡°Besides, Red bro,¡± Skullius said as he raised his hand to give his Apostle a thumbs up. ¡°I need a hero like you to save my pelvis everytime I¡¯m in need of help.¡± Red Rage¡¯s sockets red, almost igniting in me as he also raised his hand and gave Skullius a thumbs up. [Apostle Red Rage approves of your cheese. +25 Favourability] ¡°What? You know what, never mind. Don¡¯t waste your blessing Red bro, why don¡¯t you go and level up your skills? We¡¯ll need it.¡± The Pelvis Boar-Man immediately rose to begin session¡­. after he had asked to borrow Skullius¡¯ sword that is. When looking in his spatial storage, Skullius remembered that he still had a chest that hadn¡¯t been opened! However, his excitement died down as he recalled that he didn¡¯t have any mana at the moment along with the fact that his ability to produce [Just Light] was simply non-existent. His affinity was not even graded at the moment and who knew how much time he needed to raise it up. He would have to wait a bit more to aplish that. Seeing Red Rage in the distance as he repeatedly swung the Baleful Gale Reaper while also spamming some of his other skills, Skullius decided to kick his grind up a notch. There was no need to only focus on his ss skills. He still had other skills that needed to level up and evolve especially the one skill that helped him begin the entire journey¡­ Chapter 134 Gruesome Grind (1) Skullius ate the food that was in Reon¡¯s spatial ring while waiting for his mana to recover. Unfortunately, while there was a lot to eat, there was not a lot to drink and he had been noticing the rise in temperature during his travel in the daytime. It was not a case of feeling pain from his skin frying but seeing the mirages in the distance along with the overall effects the heating sun had on the environment. Furthermore, even though he couldn¡¯t feel it, his body became wiry and heavy making Skullius curse intensely. ¡®My mana regeneration still sucks¡­ I guess its different from my Prator form. I wish I could¡­ I¡¯m so dumb!¡± Skullius suddenly pped his own face and injected his mana into the ring he wore. The Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation plopped on the ground, raising up dust with its grand appearance from the spatial storage. ¡°I could just use the mana regeneration effect of the armour as well as 1500 boost to mana!¡± Perhaps it was the fact that he had only worn this thick armour while in his Prator form which had created a bias in Skullius that made him forget that he could wear the armour and still enjoy its effects or perhaps it was the heat had made him forget but nevertheless, this obvious method he could use to grind had appeared in his mind. A 100% mana regeneration rate and an addition of 1500 to his mana pool! It would make it so much easier for him. Naturally, Skullius use the armour forbat as it was toorge for him to wear but mana exercises weren¡¯t much of a problem. With a few grunts and great difficulty, Skullius donned the armour even while looking unsightly as the Chains of Damnation dangled and cranked against the armour. Skullius¡¯ head popped out the armour but his whole body couldn¡¯t fit perfectly as it was way too small. It looked more like he was hiding in the armour than actually wearing it. Still, it didn¡¯t matter as the effects of equipping the armour immediately began to show. A massive amount of manapared to his current capacity gushed through him, the armour acting as a holder of this vast sum!. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Skullius roared with arge grin. Even though he didn¡¯t quite feel this addition to his reserves while in his original form because of his already vast mana pool (for a white core), his current weak body felt it. ¡°Now to evolve [Basic Mana Maniption]!¡± Skullius said. This was the skill he wanted to evolve. It had opened up possibilities before and it could do so now. To do this, he needed to level up six times, a feat which needed him to attain a better grasp over mana and how to shape it. He had learnt this piece of information when he was straining to pull on the mana that flowed excessively from Dezrael¡¯s armour, the ArchLight Generation Keeper, with his under-performing mana maniption. All he had to do was subject himself to harsher forms of mana maniption that were above his current capacity and push onwards. For such a thing, Skullius chose something simple. The thing that appeared in his mind when he thought of mana was the mana core, since forming one was not an easy task, at least for him. The Discount Human brought his hands together while they were in the enclosure of the armour. He closed his eyes and focused, bringing streams of mana into the space between his hands. He slowly parted his palms, gathering more and more mana while also trying to condense it. This was the way he had forged a strong core when he was in Deadmand, repeating the process until he built a stronger than normal core. As an undead, after years of exposure of mana, eventually forming a core was not oundish but for Skullius, he wasn¡¯t satisfied with one that couldn¡¯t do anything, thus he made one for himself while others sought to cultivate [Boneman of Steel] instead. Mana focus was the only way! A small ball of condensed mana appeared between Skullius¡¯ hands, glowing with a bright white light. Skullius¡¯ brows twitched as he then began pumping more mana into the small ball. The white energy surged, giving the ball a brighter shine that lit up the interior of the armour intensely. Soon, the ball grew brighter and brighter bing harder to contain which made Skullius sweat. ¡®Crap! This is harder than I thought!¡¯ Skullius gnashed his teeth as he steadily poured more mana into the small ball of mana at slower rates to manage the intensity. Minutes passed with Skullius pouring and struggling to contain it! His previous experience with this had been messy with him being unable to fuel even a quarter of the current mana he had managed to contain within his core. [Basic Mana Maniption has levelled up]! [Basic Mana Maniption has levelled up]! ¡­. A few notifications popped up over the next few hours as Skullius kept on trying to contain the mana with his mana maniption. However, after reaching a certain threshold, his focus began to wane and the capacity he held at the moment became too much for him to handle! Because of how much power he had packed into this small ball of mana that he keptpressing, Skullius was afraid to release it within the armour. He hadn¡¯t thought that far as he had instead gotten lost in his task. The Discount Human took a deep breath as he struggled to focus. ¡®What do I do?! Won¡¯t this destroy me and the armour if I just toss it aside?!¡¯ This was a possibility in Skullius¡¯ mind and it scared the fake shit out of him. ¡®Wait! How about I change the shape and try to lessen the damage if it explodes or something?!¡¯ There was one level left until the skill was level 20 but Skullius didn¡¯t know if he would survive till then. ¡®Calm down, you sockethole!¡¯ Skullius barked at himself. He drew in his focus once again and tried to shape the small ball of mana. ¡®Wait. Rather than shaping it, what if I focus it into a skill?!¡¯ A harmless skill that is! Without dying any longer, Skullius immediately cast [Evil Darkness Production] with this condensed mana! FWOOOM! A massive plume of darkness erupted with a heavy pressure that blew away the dust and air which created a sound akin to a rough, subdued explosion! The amount of darkness produced in this instance was so ridiculous that Red Rage rushed over to Skullius thinking that the Discount Human had screwed himself over! As he approached the thickyers of darkness, Red Rage found himself unable to proceed as it felt like he was pushing against an imprable wall! ¡­! His hands tried to pass through the darkness, but it was impossible! Moving forward didn¡¯t allow him actually reduce the distance! The darkness wouldn¡¯t let him in and as it surrounded an area of almost twenty meters, the Apostle felt the need to activate his strongest skills to barge through as his master wasn¡¯t responding. ¡°Rx, bro. I¡¯m fine,¡± Skullius said from within the darkness. Even though the Pelvis Boar-Man couldn¡¯t see it, Skullius was grinning from ear to ear. In only a matter of seconds, he had received surprise after surprise while in the midst of the cloud of [Evil Darkness]. First¡­ [Evil Darkness Production has levelled up]! [Evil Darkness Production has levelled up]! This skill of his had levelled up twice from this incident alone, boosting the amount of [Evil Darkness] he could produce. The second surprise was that¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve finally found a use for this darkness!¡± Skullius eximed. Who knows that his hardwork would actually him such a huge boon? However, with his current level for [Evil Darkness Production], he couldn¡¯t produce such a huge cloud of darkness as he had done after using the condensed mana. ¡°I¡¯ll focus on that er. I¡¯ve just gotten a good idea on how to power level all my skills. But first, let¡¯s advance [Basic Mana Maniption].¡± Skullius chose to finish the task he had set to finish first. The darkness that covered the area cleared when Skullius used [Basic Evil Weaving] which was level 5 now. Red Rage looked nkly at the scene for a while before turning and heading back to do what he had originally been doing. Skullius once again drew in his focus and started condensing mana. His previous session had left him having a heavy sensation that pulled him down, but he intended to push through. There was definitely light at the end of this tunnel. He could feel it. Within two hours, another super condensed mana ball had been created and Skullius finally saw the notification he had been waiting for. [Basic Mana Maniption has reached LV20. Would you like to evolve it into its next form?] ¡°Hell yeah,¡± Skullius said with a grin as flowing ¡®sweat¡¯ trickled down to his mouth. [¡®Basic Mana Maniption¡¯ has evolved into ¡®Advanced Mana Maniption¡¯]! ¡°Hoo¡­ Nice!¡± Skullius screamed in joy while making sure he didn¡¯t let go of the condensed mana he was wielding. However, in the next moment, another notification popped up, surprising him. [Due to the repetition of the action ¡®Condensing Mana¡¯, the skill ¡®Mana st¡¯ has been acquired] Chapter 135 Gruesome Grind (2) ¡°Oh, a new skill? I didn¡¯t expect that,¡± Skullius said while looking at the new notification. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to focus on this new addition just yet as a peculiar yet familiar sensation pervaded over his core, absorbing a vast amount of information from the surroundings! [Advanced Mana Maniption] cradled his core like a new-born child. His senses became so focused that he noticed the finer details in the mana, being able to tell apart his own mana and the raw mana in the world from sheer detail alone. ¡®Beautiful¡­¡¯ Skullius thought, breathing in subconsciously. He still held the small ball of mana and his activation of [Advanced Mana Maniption] told him theplexity and ws of thispressed ball of mana in a more simplified manner. ¡°I see now. Is this what it means¡­ the different core colours. Being able to produce morepressed mana naturally¡­?¡± It seemed to make sense now. The blue and purple cores he¡¯d seen so far. They were an expression ofpressed mana with a better quality! Only such a quality could be used to activate higher level skills; special, super and supreme. A grin etched itself on Skullius¡¯ face. He had found out one truth on his own. Now¡­ [Luminous Healing]!. A burst of uncoloured energy streamed through his body, clearing the cosmetic flesh and healing the wounds he had sustained during the battle against the Cursed Knight, which he had ignored until now! Instantly, all of Skullius¡¯ fatigue was washed away, leaving him feeling exceedingly fresh and new! It was insane! Casting this skill from thepressed mana brought about such a quick and effective result! ¡°Kek¡­¡± Skullius cackled. ¡°Now¡­¡± ~~~ [Mana st | Lv.1] Naturally produce a sphere of highly condensed mana. -There is no limit to how much mana can be packed into the sphere- Mana Requirements: ¡ª Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: None ~~~ ¡°Once again, I get a very basic description. It¡¯s cool, I guess,¡± Skullius said dispiritedly. ¡°I can imagine what [Advanced Mana Maniption] says¡­ aaaaand I¡¯m right.¡± Naturally, the description for [Advanced Mana Maniption] was as nd as he imagined it to be with the word ¡®advanced¡¯ recing the word ¡®basic¡¯ in the previous description. Skullius couldn¡¯t say he was disappointed however. He was actually pretty happy with these results. He could discern mana from a distance of over 300 meters while also being able to draw mana from a radius of twenty meters, unlike before. Such a huge and profound change was definitely worth it. Between this and the revtion he had gotten about [Evil Darkness], Skullius felt ecstatic. While he was within the cloud of darkness, the guidance field had notified him of something ridiculous. [All basic stats are increased by 5%] Within the enclosure of darkness, Skullius would gain boosts to his stats! It was insane when he considered that he had barely scratched the surface of this unique power! This wasn¡¯t even a skill! Furthermore, he had yet to hear Red Rage¡¯s ount of how the darkness rejected his entry! ¡°If I keep increasing the level of [Evil Darkness Production], I should be able to produce arge amount of darkness without having to condense such a ridiculous amount of mana. When that happens, I¡¯ll be able to handle battles better.¡± This was indeed true. Skullius had no doubt that he would be the only one receiving such a boost within the cloud of darkness and this was just a basic function. What about when he would be able to actually do damage as long as enemies were in the cloud of [Evil Darkness]?! This thought brought on the idea that he had to level up his Discount Human form as his current mana capacity was pathetic. ¡°I¡¯ll really need to fulfill that Task or whatever soon. But anyway, I can¡¯t wait for whates next!¡± Skullius rubbed his hands maniacally. ¡°If this worked for one skill, it must be effective with others. Let¡¯s see now¡­¡± Since condensing mana continuously produced such grand results when using it to activate a skill, Skullius decided to see if he could attain some boons from doing the same with [Mana Bolt] and [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno]! As he now felt refreshed, the Discount Human began condensing mana and using it activate the two skills interchangeably. [Mana Bolt] had a cooldown of five seconds while [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno] was five minutes which made the task somewhat easy in terms of interchanging cast. Time flew, the morning sun rising while Skullius was still repeating this process nonstop, activating [Luminous Healing] when the going got too tough. As the light kissed his being, Skullius¡¯ ¡®sweaty¡¯ face showed the boredom that gued him because of the monotony. The results when not too bad as after going on for a few more minutes, [Mana Bolt] was ready to evolve. With his consent, the mana skill evolved into [Manassault]. ~~~ [Manassault | Lv.1] Pure and refined mana is concentrated to form a quick and dangerous projectile which manifests as a streaking light that is capable of doing intense damage to the target as well as disrupting their core. Mana Requirements: 150 Mana Points Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: 30 seconds ~~~ ¡°Not bad. It seems really strong,¡± Skullius said before he copsed on the ground. The hot sun had returned, threatening to intensify his fatigue. Skullius decided to take a rest. [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno] was only two levels from evolving but he had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to evolve the skill within the next few minutes. Rather, he called out to Red Rage who promptly rushed to his side. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going. I¡¯ll rest for bit,¡± Skullius said. Red Rage nodded and carried Skullius behind his back. He then held the map and ran in the direction of Genhuis city. As Skullius was piggy backed, his vision slowly darkened as a sensation he hadn¡¯t felt before washed over him. Sleep. Fake sleep. The journey as Red Rage sped ahead was meant to be a long one, but the two finally entered a new region with a terribly unforgiving weather, a few settlements visible in the far distance¡­ Chapter 136 Namu Village Pelian as a nation was naturally vast. The secondrgest among the three human nations in Aigas. It had fourrge cities scattered across the geologicalndscape, each, save for two, being in different regions. Four ecological regions could be found in Aigas with the one that Red Rage had just entered being one of the them,ing out of the one where Eofel was settled in. Skill hadn¡¯t put too much thought into it, but the Tremur Forest as also located in the same region as Eofel, being a few hundred miles away from the small city. Ecological regions in any nation or continent in Aigas represented something significant. The more fierce the conditions tended to be, the more energies there were in the regions. Except for old and ancient ces that already existed, basically nothing new would usually grace thends from mana as if there was a moderate ecological state, the mana would more than likely be docile and nd. The Discount Human on Red Rage¡¯s armoured back opened his eyes as his cosmetic body reacted to the vicious heat that bore down from the sun. ¡®This again!¡¯ Skullius thought. He was confused on why he was suddenly waking up after cking out but the heaviness he was feeling along with the distant representations of the intense heat in his vision stole the show. Also, within his body, something was urging him to find food. Particrly something to drink. This was naturally something he wasn¡¯t used to but his body didn¡¯t seem to want to back down from the issue.. Several spots that were viges and towns could be seen scattered around thendscape ahead. Shockingly, despite the heat, nts and trees grew quite well, having not the yellow colouring of malnutrition but the green hue of health instead. Grass adorned the ground under Red Rage¡¯s racing feet, making Skullius remember the first time he appeared in Aigas. The repulsion he had felt on seeing the greenery. ¡®Such fond memories,¡¯ he thought. Despite the heat, Skullius didn¡¯t lose sight of what he wanted to aplish. There were obviously human civilizations ahead and he wanted to be prepared for anything. ¡°Red bro, slow down,¡± he said, the Pelvis Boar-Man heeding his order as he reduced his pace considerably. ¡°It¡¯s better that we take our time. Besides, I would rather not let myself get caught in my Prator form.¡± Unlikest time, Skullius was wholly devoted to checking how much time he had before reverting back to his original body. It wasn¡¯t too far off. He wanted to give himself enough time for the three hour cooldown before getting closer to the human settlements. In the meantime, after making sure there wasn¡¯t anyone nearby, Skullius began condensing mana and using it to cast [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno]. The heat produced by the me at this level was extremely hot, burning the nts even if they weren¡¯t touched by the tendrils of purplish orange me. Skullius flung the ball of fire a distance away, watching it smash into a bald spot ofnd with a booming explosion that left arge and deep crater. He continued to do this, making sure to throw the fireballs in different directions, mainly those that wouldn¡¯t start a forest fire. By the time the skill was ready to evolve, the sun had risen considerably high since the process was slow, Skullius not using the armour to boost himself in fear of reducing their mobility. Red Rage couldn¡¯t carry him while he was in that armour and Skillius didn¡¯t intend to stop moving. [¡®Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno¡¯ has reached LV10. Would you like to evolve it into its next form?] ¡°Yes bro.¡± [¡®Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno¡¯ has evolved into ¡®Revenant mes of Ecstasy¡¯] ~~~ [Revenant mes of Ecstasy | Lv.1] Summon a special me that causes profound destruction, burning its targets horribly while giving them an unbridled sense of erotic Ecstasy that turns them into allies who fight for you until they burn out. Mana Requirements: 300 Mana Points Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: 1 hour ~~~ ¡°Hooo¡­ looks like this was really worth it,¡± Skullius said with relief scribbled across his fake face. Hezed on Red Rage¡¯s back while taking a rest for a few minutes, waiting for the inevitable to happen. Twenty three minutester¡­ [The skill ¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ has timed out ¨C 00:00:00] Skullius reverted back to the tall Null Lifeform he was, gaining his dark blue bony image with four burning sockets. ¡°That¡¯s the stuff,¡± he said as he proceeded to sit down after donning his armour. The only reason he wasfortable changing his appearance so openly was because there was a lot of vegetative cover and with his [Advanced Mana Maniption], he could sense that there was no one watching. Even if there was, he hoped his speed in wearing the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation would help somewhat. Looking in the direction that he was supposed to go, Skullius saw a small vige. There many other simr settlements around and he didn¡¯t think he could just ignore them. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll need to stock up on some things like clothes anyway. Might as well begin to travel around this world seriously,¡± he said. Of course, Skullius had to wait for [Flesh It Like You Mean It] toe off cooldown, meaning¡­ he had three hours to kill. ¡°I have the perfect thing to pass the time.¡± *** Namu Vige. The day was perfect. Perfectly normal at least. The weather was angry as usual but the crops grew and the rain would grace thends. A cluster of wooden houses packed closely with clean streets in between that held chattering figures and ying children could be seen. Standard life was always so different from the moreplicated living where money was the central focus above the actual standard of living. One could see on the faces of the many within the vige that this was more of amunity than an establishment meant to raise crooks and merchants. Even with such a happy atmosphere roaming around the small settlement though, a little bit of unrest could be felt in the atmosphere. Two men who donned simple linen shirts and pants along with standard leather sandals walked while addressing the issue that had everyone in a reverse tizzy. ¡°Dear Quintess. I wonder where the Idea Ark has gone? I don¡¯t feel safe without seeing at least one of them doing a routine patrol. Hasn¡¯t it been a few days since anyone has seen them around?¡± one of the men said with a concerned look on his face. ¡°I do not have the faintest idea. Maybe there are off somewhere else dealing with more dangerous requests. Everyone is getting nervous though. The Cluster that opened up in Santhi hasn¡¯t been dealt with yet. What if it breaks before those other no-good Guilds deal with it?¡± the other man said while trying to keep his voice down when the two reached a rather congested part of the street. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We can only pray for the Deities to send someone to deliver us. My prayers surely can¡¯t be going to waste.¡± ¡°Yeah. I hope the same. Hey¡­ who is that?¡± the first man suddenly asked as he pointed ahead where the figure of a strange ck-robed man was walking unsteadily while entering the vige. Chapter 137 Leave That Man Alone! A few minutes before¡­ Skullius and Red Rage reached the vige which had been a vast distance away a couple of hours ago. Skullius was in his cosmetic flesh while donning his tattered robes while Red Rage was in his Capital Knight armour that had been damaged after receiving a storm of magical attacks from the Cursed Knight. It had been saved by the defence rendered by his skill, [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire] otherwise, he would be a naked walking skeleton. Following the event where Skullius had returned to his Fulgurant Bone Prator form, Skullius had passed the time by trying to take the skills from magical items as he had intended to before. His ss as the [Vehement Bone Nullmancer] allowed him to use Null Life Essence as a connection to mana based constructs like he had done with goblin staves back then. He tried to do the same with [Demion¡¯s Dance], extracting the skills from the sword. Unfortunately, as his Null Life Essence gushed into the sword, Skullius found to his disappointment that¡­ [Your mastery of mana is too low. Unable to extract] Essentially, he couldn¡¯t extract something with aplex internal mana structure that exceeded his current mastery of mana, that is, his mana maniption. This discovery had both enraged and enlightened Skullius as he now knew that he was right. Enhancing his understanding and maniption of mana was the right way. However, it turned out that his efforts alone wouldn¡¯t cut it. He needed external help which he no doubt would find in bigger human settlements. As the two were roughly twenty meters from the vige which was surrounded by long grasses and sparsely distributed trees, in the distance blots of other simr settlements, Skullius stopped and turned to Red Rage. ¡°Look bro,¡± Skullius said, ¡°It¡¯s too risky to enter with you in that vige. If someone were to take away your helmet, they would see your form and cause panic. I don¡¯t intend to stay for long. Just wait here. I¡¯ll just find something to wear, something to eat and be right back. Alright?¡±. Red Rage nodded as he stood in a heroic pose. Skullius¡¯ rolled his eyes subconsciously. ¡°Here.¡± Skullius gave Red Rage Denille¡¯s spatial storage ring. He had discovered after some strenuous thinking that he could simply rescind his ownership of the ring and give it to someone else instead of resorting to killing. Having the guidance field made it so much easier as the process was further simplified. After giving Red Rage some instructions, he watched as the Pelvis Boar-Man made the ring his own and wore it with a subtle, heroic glee. ¡°If anything happens, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re smart enough to handle it,¡± Skullius said before he walked towards the vige. His steps were slow and dragged out as his body continuously punished him for the sins of the harsh weather which didn¡¯t seem to bother anyone else but him. He really needed something to help alleviate his pain. Upon entering the city, Skullius saw many people of all ages moving on the dusty ground while engaging in different activities. Washing clothes, chatting, selling some basic goods ormitting to embroidery. The atmosphere sure looked peaceful. For Skullius though, it was a bit¡­ frightening. Every adult that he saw had a bright white core that oozed of mana! The energy that these cores exuded was stronger than his after he became a standard Null Lifeform back then! Even the children he saw had small bright cores like little stars, slowly growing with their age. This was crazy! He imagined that the stats were rtive to his old form as well, which terrified the flesh off of him! VOW bro hadn¡¯t been joking about humans being scarier than beasts. He would have sensed this when he entered Eofel a day ago but he had been preupied with wondering if he would keep his Discount life. ¡®Bro, do you have any idea how long it takes for an undead to get a core naturally?!¡¯ Skullius bellowed in his own thoughts. He soon got over this fact as his body demanded that he find something to drink. As he walked unsteadily on the ground, many eyes were drawn to him. Shock and confusion were mainly what was depicted on the faces of the people that looked at him as they all collectively wondered. ¡®What the heck is with that face?¡¯ It was unnatural. No dimples. No wrinkles. No pimples. No realism! Skullius ignored the res as they at least guaranteed that no one found him exceedingly suspicious for any reasons other than his face¡­ and perhaps his robes. As he wryly moved, an old man who was holding an axe over his shoulder while walking with his grandson who held a bundle of wood, walked up to Skullius with a kind smile. His faded blue eyes and white hair had the scent of age and wisdom as unlike most of the people that looked at this clearly suffering soul and did nothing but stare, he chose to help instead. His grandson followed behind him. ¡°Hello there, friend. I can see you are new to this region as the heat is clearly wearing you down, haha. Come with me, I¡¯m sure you could use some cool water,¡± the old man said, his grandson behind him smiling brightly as he nodded at Skullius, encouraging him to follow. ¡°Uhm¡­ sure, bro,¡± Skullius said as he nodded desperately. This was easier than he thought it would be. ¡®But wait, doesn¡¯t this¡­¡± ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHH!¡± The old man suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs as blood gushed out of his eyes and mouth like a fountain, thick veins popped on his skin as they flooded with the red substance! In the next moment, the old man¡¯s flesh began to melt off of his bones and pool at his feet! The old man¡¯s grandson stood with his eyes wide open in shock as he witnessed this horrifying scene! All around, the spectators screamed and leapt away while others merely gasped in horror while they stood in ce. Such a thing¡­ What on earth¡­ ¡°What evil is this?!¡± ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°It was him! He did something! What did you do?!¡± Someone pointed a shivering finger at Skullius who face palmed. ¡°Yes! It must be him! Look at his clothes! He¡¯s clearly an evildoer! His face has no dimples!¡± Another person screamed while grabbing a stick and quivering as he slowly advanced forward! A small crowd of brave-ish men and women crowded around Skullius while the old man¡¯s grandson remained standing still, gazing at his grandfather¡¯s remains. ¡°Murderer!¡± ¡°Killer!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± Skullius couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. ¡®I didn¡¯t even ask him for help, damn it!¡¯ he screamed within. This dawned curse had struck again, attacking a kind hearted soul that sought to help him! Crowds chanted as they drew closer to him, hesitantly iling their weapons around. ¡®Should I just kill them all?¡¯ Skullius wondered. Thismotion could lead him into another problematic scenario after all. There didn¡¯t seem to be a choice. He could just run away after the deed. Since it hade to this, Skullius raised his hand as he prepared a skill that would no doubt leave get rid of the problem. ¡°Leave that man alone!¡± a boisterous voice resounded across the entire vige, causing everyone to turn in the direction of its origin. ¡°I shall deliver justice on your behalf!¡± Chapter 138 How To Con Commonfolk Skullius didn¡¯t need to turn his head as he already knew who this voice belonged to. A second after the voice boldly called out, he received a burst of information from Red Rage as the Apostle asserted his opinion on the current matter. Killing is wrong! Let¡¯s be smart! The Pelvis is the bastion of honour and h h! ¡®I get it! I won¡¯t kill them!¡¯ Skullius sted Red Rage in return. As expected, the figure that had roared amand appeared before the masses, bearing an image that was the very personification of hope itself. A cape that fluttered without being pushed by the wind, golden guards and braces that sparkled with an intent to attract attention and give relief to those that looked on along with the strange mash created as gold shed with the silver underneath. A Knight donning a cape! From the cylindrical spaces within the visor on Red Rage¡¯s helmet, two skewed golden glows could be seen, releasing small wisps of golden light. Nothing could be felt from this Knight as only his appearance took everyone¡¯s mind off the current situation for a short amount of time, some of the more prone souls dropping their weapons as they gaped. Red Rage walked forward in his [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire] that tried its best to mask the damaged parts of the Capital Knight armour which exposed a little of his bones, by coating his entirety with a dream-like starry dust.. ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡± one of the men asked while shivering in awe. As the man said this, most of the people snapped out of their stupor and made sure that the criminal was still detained. ¡°My name is of no importance, valiant citizen,¡± Red Rage said with his macho-ass voice that caused a few women in the crowd to whimper as itpleted the heroic, handsome stature. In the next moment, Red Rage vanished from everyone¡¯s sights and appeared behind Skullius, pping him on the head with a force that knocked the Discount Human into the ground with a dull thump! ¡®The hell?!¡¯ Skullius barked as he ate dirt, his head dipping into the soil. Everyone turned and focused on Red Rage in shock, marvelling at the speed and decisiveness in his action. It wasn¡¯t oundish for the various guild mercenaries to be able to move like this, but the Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s attire as he did this made everyone feel utterly reassured. Some were still apprehensive of this man who had shown up out of nowhere but they didn¡¯t have the gull to voice it out. The threat had seemingly been neutralised, which made them less inclined to ask further questions. ¡°As I said, valiant citizens. I shall deliver justice on your behalf. I shall take this sockethole to the relevant authorities to have him punished formitting murder,¡± Red Rage said while pulling up Skullius by the nape. ¡®This is not what we agreed on! You¡¯re making me look like a sockethole, you sockethole!¡¯ the Discount Human fired at Red Rage whopletely ignored him. The vocabry Red Rage was using was terrifying. What was with this outrageous intelligence?! Instead, Red Rage turned to the young man who was kneeling before his grandfather¡¯s skeletal and flesh remains with tears in eyes. The young man hadn¡¯t bothered to turn to Red Rage or entertain him. He didn¡¯t even turn to the supposed killer, Skullius. ¡°My sincere condolences, valiant young male. I hope this person you love so dear finds peace,¡± Red Rage said with a lower voice that prompted the young man to start crying bitterly. ¡®Since when can this brat act like a priest at a funeral? Wait! What¡¯s a funeral! URGH!¡¯ Skullius fought with his regurgitating mind. The words that Red Rage had said to the young man caused the people to warm up to him even more as he seemed so kind andpassionate. A Knight indeed. From the way he spoke, to the decisiveness. Many looked to him with a brighter light while in contrast, hatefully ring at Skullius. After giving the young man who was in mourning a gentle pat on the shoulder, Red Rage turned to the crowd that had begun to growrger as those that had fled returned, those that hadn¡¯t been there before rushing to see what was happening. A few other people helped to collect the old man¡¯s remains and take away the crying young man. ¡°Forgive me, valiant citizens but I must make a simple plea. As you can see, I recently engaged in a bitter fight, damaging my armour and exhausting my supplies. It would help me immensely if I could have something to drink and something to don on my body,¡± Red Rage said while giving a short bow. This appeal caused the hearts of the many in Namu Vige to feel touched. This man was clearly an honest worker! Perhaps he was a Stray Knight that protected the unprivileged. His whole vibe hinted at this and made his image even more attractive. From within the crowd, two men began to converse, whispering among themselves. ¡°Haha, you see! Our prayers were answered after all! A hero has shown up to save us from that Cluster!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! Our prayers weren¡¯t wasted!¡± Many immediately scrambled as they rushed to get what the Knight had kindly requested! Was it so easy to win over a crowd like this? Yes and no. Whenmon folk felt their sense of safety threatened, they would usually turn vulnerable, bing epting to any odd help that would appear at their doorstep. In other scenarios, older people within such groups usually had the final say and the ability to mould what the younger ones believed, creating an extremely paranoid group of people that were highly suspicious. Unfortunately, such things were washed away by the special effect of Red Rage¡¯s abilities, particrly the Hero¡¯s Charisma, Voice of Hope, which altered weaker people¡¯s perception of the Pelvis Boar-Man, imnting positive thoughts about him passively with his every single action. Soon, many clothes were set by Red Rage¡¯s feet. The Pelvis Boar-Man acted humble, iming that he didn¡¯t need many of them, even selecting the less luxurious ones while shaking his head at the more expensive ones. He promptly stored these in his spatial ring. Skullius grumbled at this. ¡®This brat knows that he¡¯s not the one who¡¯s going to wear those! Gah!¡¯ The Pelvis Boar-Man stored all the stuff he got, food, clothing and water. The three minute duration of the skill soon wore out, rendering Red Rage unable to speak and removing his mystic attire. This only served to convince the crowd that this warrior was probably tired from his long battle, their eyes twinkling as their expectations and hopes began to subconsciously pour onto Red Rage who remained oblivious to the fact that these people had baggage and needs they needed a ¡®hero¡¯ to deal with. A middle aged man with a gruff appearance made his way towards the Pelvis Boar-Man with a few other individuals who helped him carry parts of a rather sturdy looking armour. It looked like the Capital Knights armour but without the key features that attached it to the nation such as the national symbolism. ¡°Please, sir Knight. ept this armour to rece with your own. It is the best I have ever been able to craft in my shop with the help of my gifted apprentices. I hope it will protect you at least until you find something else worthy of your strength,¡± the man said with a strong voice as he and his apprentices humbly handed the armour to Red Rage. The Pelvis Boar-Man man could only nod and stand aloof to keep his dignity after [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire] wore off. He stored the armour and prepared to leave when two men zealously besieged him, speaking what was on everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°Kind Knight. We have a small request of our own. With your strength it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Our vige will be eternally gratefully to you if you help us,¡± one of the men said. Red Rage nodded. ¡°A white Cluster has opened close to Santhi, causing a great panic. We fear that it will rupture soon and release those evil monsters onto ournds. Please sir Knight, save us.¡± Skullius was listening to this and he couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡®Cluster?¡¯ Chapter 139 First Encounter With A Cluster (1) ¡°A Cluster, huh? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it. I should have milked more information from Elita while I had the chance. Then again, she didn¡¯t trust me. Wait! What did I just say?! Ugh, never mind that. You really think we should do this, Red bro?¡± Skullius said. He donned a beige shirt that did its basic duty of covering up his upper body along with a pair of ck pants that barely reached his ankles. Shoes that were nothing more than¡­ shoes, adorned his feet, having a very rough texture as if they were made from dry grass, but the Discount Human couldn¡¯t feel it. After the men had made their requests to Red Rage, the Pelvis Boar-Man had merely nodded while letting them spout all sorts of exposition like the direction of this Santhi ce and little about the actual source of threat, the Cluster. After that, Red Rage promptly left. Skullius had taken in this information greedily, connecting it to what he already knew about Aigas. While adventuring and seeking this Cluster thing did seem attractive, it didn¡¯t beat getting more information about the powers of this world. Yet¡­ After the constant pleas from Red Rage, the Pelvis Boar-Man begging his master to fulfil the request that had been asked of him by the poor valiant citizens, Skullius had eventually been worn down. Appealing to Skullius¡¯ conscience did nothing as the Discount Human didn¡¯t feel even an itch from being med for the nice old man¡¯s death, as he imed that the wrinkly bro brought it upon himself. Instead of this though, Skullius was attracted by the fact that he could use this opportunity to level up. The task which demanded him to obtain the cores of Tier 2 creatures still remained upleted and perhaps this was his chance.. Back to the current moment, Red Rage nodded to Skullius without hesitation as the two moved on ahead, leaving behind the small vige of Namu. They journeyed North West to a small town called Santhi that was a few miles away. From their current position, they could see it quite well, many figures seemingly evacuating from the ce on foot and horse-drawn carts. ¡°Is this Cluster stuff that bad?¡± Skullius questioned. Was he biting off more than he could chew then? Maybe. Maybe not. At the very least he had to see it. Over the differing slopes between Namu Vige and their destination, the two saw different creatures in the open fields, some feeding on the various shades of green grass, others merely trotting over them in the heat that made Skullius pull out a sling bag that held in it cool water which he gulped from time to time. A few in other distant viges were cultivating their crops peacefully, making Skullius wonder if the same hell he had seen back in Eofel was part of this seemingly different side of Aigas. Still, his eyes remained on the prize. On the journey, he gave Red Rage an earful about smacking him like a little brittle boned moron before praising his genius idea which actuallyted him free food and clothing without much trouble. Red Rage was even donning the new armour he had received from the cksmith and his apprentices which looked glossy with bold choices in the breastte and shoulder guards. It was not as protective as the armour he donned before which was to be expected from something created by a small-time cksmith but it would do. On reaching Santhi, Skullius noted the few people that remained pulling on their donkeys and horses that pulled carts with their possessions as they sadly left their homes behind. One of them saw Skullius and Red Rage and a spark of hope was lit in his heart. He rushed to Skullius and Red Rage, his eyes being drawn more to the Knight armour as he addressed the Pelvis Boar-Man. ¡°Sir! Sir! Have youe to deal with the Cluster?! Are the Guilds finally responding?!¡± Skullius was annoyed by the little attention he received and chose to walk away from the two. He took a few steps into the city and was about to pay attention to the structures within when suddenly. FWOOOOON! A powerful energy was caught in his senses. A wisp of condensed, unknown energy that wasn¡¯t exclusively mana. Skullius turned from one direction to the next before rushing to where this powerful energy signature wasing from. He raced through the more refined surfaces of the town where business sections were erected with symbols of various services advertised on old and wooden signs along with the respective equipment cluttered outside. Even with all its bigger space, Skullius didn¡¯t spare much of it a nce as he followed the energy signature. Even though Skullius didn¡¯t know what a Cluster was, the fact that the people of this town were only evacuating now and at such a slow pace made the Discount Human believe that the danger wasn¡¯t immediate. Even the man who had told them of this did imply that this Cluster had yet to release whatever made it terrifying. The energy signature got stronger and stronger as Skullius rushed through the empty streets, his eyes opening wide when he finally set his eyes on what this Cluster was. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Skullius expressed his awe. A Cluster. Arge crack stood before him, appearing not on any material structure but on the air. It was crooked as most cracks naturally were, with a bright white colouration about it thatzily waved forward and back with the thickness of a nket. Vicious winds blew around the crack while the inside could almost be seen, but tinted with a blur caused by the frightfully distorted air. Skullius¡¯ auburn hair danced as he stood fifteen meters away, blown by the winds while his face was caressed by the white energy that threatened to spill from the crack. He instinctively used his guidance field to try and identify more about this unnatural thing, his vision being covered by a screen that detailed what a Cluster was. ~~~ [Low level Cluster (White)] A supernatural yetmon phenomenon in Aigas where a sh of the four Deities¡¯ power creates subspaces that produce monstrosities which grow to sustain the minispace and eventually spill out when the surrounding space can no longer hold back the growth of the subspace. ~~~ ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Therge crack before Skullius released a low howl as if anticipating his entry¡­ Chapter 140 First Encounter With A Cluster (2) Such a magnificenceid itself before Skullius, its white hue and unnatural shape giving the Discount Human a vague sense of excitement. No, it was not vague. It was wild. He couldn¡¯t help but look forward to unravelling more about this peculiar thing that gave him a grand sense of adventure. What else screamed adventure than such a turbulent crack in space that was currently breaking apart again and again with the sound akin to thick sses shattering on the hard ground! It was about to give out. The description given by the system made Skullius pull his thoughts to decipher what it truly meant. With the narration he had heard from Elita, the matter of the Deities wasn¡¯t all that hard to understand. They gave their bodies to create Aigas which was a fantastical thing to think about. But¡­ there seemed to be consequences to such an action or rather unwanted by-products that these Deities either couldn¡¯t handle or simply left for the races they created to deal with. Something woulde out of this phenomenon known as a Cluster which was supposed to be dealt with by this world¡¯s fighters. This something seemed to be rather fearful and though Skullius saw the words ¡®Low level¡¯ on the title of the description, he didn¡¯t dare underestimate whatever was inside. He wasn¡¯t aware of how exactly these Clusters were dealt with, but he wanted to know. ¡®Looks like I won¡¯t just be checking it out,¡¯ Skullius thought with a smirk. His recent awakening of new skills and sorting his thoughts and powers had given him quite some confidence which hetched onto desperately. Behind him, Red Rage and the man who had been pulling his belongings from Santhi appeared from the corner, the maning to a halt 20 meters away from the Cluster while his face went pale.. It wasn¡¯t his first time seeing a Cluster but he felt a shiver whenever he saw it. Common folk weremon folk after all. Their minds and lives were not used to the pressure that came with mercenary work; fighting scary creatures, living without many conveniences and all. The white energy that oozed out of the Cluster bewildered him to a horrendous degree and his first option when seeing Red Rage and Skullius casually walk up to the white crack despite the raging energies it emitted was to extend his hand and try to stop them. ¡°Wait¡­¡± he called softly but the two heard him, Skullius turning and walking to him as he had a lot he wanted to inquire from this native. Once again, the man was forced to remember that he had been hopeful after he saw Skullius and Red Rage but now, he was already trying to dissuade them. But wait! Did these guys really want to deal with the Cluster or was he just being presumptuous? ¡°Hey, bro. Can you tell me about this Cluster thing?¡± Skullius asked as he gazed intently at the man with a barely veiled zeal. Nope, he was right. The man didn¡¯t know whether to answer or not. He peeked at the surroundings and realised that he had really grown fond of this town. He didn¡¯t want it to be destroyed if or when the Cluster ruptured. His gaze fell back on the Discount Human and then to the Knight who was decked in a rather beautiful and sturdy looking armour. ¡°Do you really not know what a Cluster is Sir Knight? Also, who is this weird man you¡¯re walking with? You should send him to safety,¡± the man said to Red Rage. A vein popped on Skullius¡¯ temple as he felt utterly insulted by what the skinny man before him said so boldly. Yet, he let it slide. As long as he got his answers. Besides, it was only after he asked his question that he realised that he was practically baiting the man into helping him and leading him to his death under UNCoddled. He couldn¡¯t afford to ask another question as that would be tempting his curse. After a few moments, Skullius was d that this man didn¡¯t give him any face. Red Rage nodded to the man while waving his hand as if to dismiss Skullius¡¯ presence. The skinny understood the second gesture perfectly while he quite missed the first. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you sir know about Clusters in general, but if you¡¯re asking specifically about the situation with this one then I can tell you that it opened up two days ago. We waited for the Ideal Ark to appear after we made a request to Honing City but we¡¯ve not gotten a response since.¡± ¡®That¡¯s information to work with I guess,¡¯ Skullius thought. He wanted to know more about Clusters and their structures in general but instead of inquiring further, he chose to keep his silence and only respond to the man cautiously. The man looked concernedly at the duo, seeing that Red Rage, the Knight, was without a party to help him. Was he a Stray Knight? Did he seriously want to clear this Cluster alone? ¡°Sir Knight, are you nning on entering alone? Even if it¡¯s a low ranked Cluster, I¡¯ve heard there are usually many monsters inside plus a very strong one.¡± Skullius heard this detail as he then took it as an important piece. ¡®So you enter this thing and fight monsters? That¡¯s it? Interesting.¡¯ CRACK! An audible crack resounded, attracting the trio to another crack that extended from the Cluster as it reached into the world. The skinny man shuddered. There was no time. He had to run! He nced at Skullius who merely turned with immense interest while no trace of fear was visible in his eyes and ran away. He had been about to offer another piece of advice to this ¡®normal¡¯ human who showed no urgency in a situation where he couldn¡¯t defend himself. ¡®He must have a death wish. Who am I to interfere?¡¯ the man thought as he raced towards his belongings outside of the town. Skullius looked to Red Rage after scrutinising the crack that had emerged. ¡°Well, bro. Shall we go in?¡± he asked. Red Rage gave his master a thumbs up in affirmation. It was time for action. The two stepped forward and closed the distance. Skullius felt a very irritating sensation to his core as he approached the Cluster, the bright white that assailed the crack having some effect on his flesh that disappeared as fast as it had appeared. Unbeknownst to Skullius, the tattoo on his chest was constantly glowing in a golden hue to ward away what should have incinerated him upon contact. He squinted his eyes as he and his Apostle stood inches away from therge crack that rose into the air. ¡°You go first,¡± Skullius said. He wouldn¡¯t risk it when he was so weak at the moment. Red Rage nodded determinedly and stepped forward. The moment he touched the crack, his body vanished after a brief blinding sh. Skullius immediately tried to reach out to his Apostle through their mental link only to receive scrambled feedback that told of the fact that the Pelvis Boar-Man was okay. The Discount Human took a deep breath subconsciously and stepped into the crack, a sh of light devouring his existence as he was then taken into a different space! As his eyes adjusted while his core took in the different conditions in this ce, Skullius expected to see the figure of Red Rage waiting for him but¡­ ¡°What the hell bro?!¡± Skullius was utterly shocked by the view as he even fell down upon seeing it, Red Rage who was beside him giving him a thumbs up that only brought seething rage to the Discount Human¡¯s face! ¡°Don¡¯t thumbs up to me, you socket hole! Don¡¯t you see those?!¡± Skullius barked, pointing at the multitude of strange creatures that red at the two angrily! ¡­¡­. (Author¡¯s [emailprotected] Thank You Note) Special Thanks to: @Ty_Oliver @Aecore @Toba_0 @Serph 21 @Banana 1233 @TheGodofPups Thanks for the support! Chapter 141 Contrived! The scenery scared the non-living shit out of Skullius as to Red Rage, it only served to bring him joy. What the flesh was there to be happy about when they were facing a horde of more than fifty monsters?! Behind the two, an illusory slit could be seen as while on the outside, a crack in space could be seen, what the creatures within this mini space saw was merely this. A sign that their time for escaping from this ce was nearing. Skullius couldn¡¯t even take in the scenery that was all around. A certain irritation that almost suffocated him was abounding along with a collection of energies that he wasn¡¯t privy to, except mana! It irritated his core, the feeling being extremely ufortable. On top of this, his eyes couldn¡¯t tear away from the growling beasts that advanced slowly. They were¡­ ¡°Goblins? No¡­ it can¡¯t be¡­¡± Skullius guessed and then rejected his own inference. Short creatures with long ears, round faces and wide mouths that held tens of sharp teeth all exuded an unreal hostility at these invaders. They had pitch-ck skin and torch-like blue, beady eyes that illuminated the view of their enemy along with freakishly long arms that almost dragged along the ground as they moved forward. In stark contrast, their legs were much shorter, bearing long nails that didn¡¯t at all look sanitary. The most distinctive feature about these creatures was the pulsing thing on their chests that was heart-shaped, half exposed from the skin with the same blue colour as their eyes. In all fairness, the hearts were only half, making the image of one of these quite bizarre. The surroundings looked like a not so wide cave with red and blue soils as well as thick vines that stemmed from weirdly shaped trees that coiled around themselves eerily, having not the healthy spark of life but something else entirely.. A thick interweaving of energies. Special gems that gleamed to illuminate the darkness that would be present otherwise, holding an otherworldly beauty decorated the cave-like walls. Such a scene could not be found in Aigas. Only in a Cluster, where different creations would be born and precious resources umted over time. ¡°Bro, why are you happy?!¡± Skullius asked Red Rage, receiving an immediate reply as he stood up to take up a stance. ¡°These guys are weak and perfect for me to kill for experience? I guess they can help me level up if there are any Tier 2s among them but are you sure they are weak?¡± The Discount Human used his guidance field to check the stats of these beasts as he spoke. ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Tier :2 ] [ Level : 11 ] [ Race : Lucky Strike Gremlin ] [ Inv. Status: Starving ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 100 ] [Agility : 40 ] [ Intelligence : 5 ] [ Endurance : 67 ] [ Luck : 90 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 336/336 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 90/90 ] ¡­. ¡°Ummm¡­ those stats make me nervous,¡± Skullius remarked as he pulled out the Baleful Gale Reaper. The first red g that he saw was the name of this creature, which was further solidified when he saw its luck stat. ¡°Ridiculous! Blessings like these exist?!¡± The Discount Human felt the unfairness of the world. ¡°EAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAAAAAAAA!¡± The gremlins screeched as they rushed to Skullius and Red Rage with their naked bodies that didn¡¯t have any goods to hide! Their speed was rtively slower as by now, Skullius was used to fighting strong powerhouses but that detail alone didn¡¯t allow him to let his guard down. These creatures had more than two stats after all and though they weirdly had a shockingly low intelligence stat, they had a freakish level of strength for their Tier! Red Rage boldly stepped up to meet the slow charge. ¡°Don¡¯t kill them! Leave those you can for me!¡± Skullius said, Red Rage transmitting to him that he didn¡¯t want to the gremlins either. For Skullius, after studying the thing with his Task for levelling up, he had discovered something that he intended to test out after killing a gremlin and for Red Rage, he wasn¡¯t into murder anymore at least unless it serves a greater purpose. As the leading gremlin arrived while screeching and waddling like a penguin, the unexpected happened. Arge chunk of the cave suddenly dropped from the ceiling and crashed on top of Red Rage before the Pelvis Boar-Man could act! BOOM! The chunk was sorge that Red Rage¡¯s body couldn¡¯t even be seen underneath where dust was settling after a loud reverberating impact! ¡°Bro¡­WHAT?!¡± Skullius eximed as he readied himself for the charge while backtracking a bit. Unfortunately for him, a tangled vine was behind him and he tripped, falling backwards while he showed an expression of shock! The first gremlin didn¡¯t miss this chance, dashing up to Skullius as it then hammered down with its freakishly long arm that had its hand balled into a fist! ¡°Crap!¡± Skullius hurriedly held the Baleful Gale Reaper as he blocked the attack, bits of soil from the ceiling impeding his vision out of nowhere! The fist of the gremlin that attacked him knocked against the sword, Skullius feeling the midget¡¯s strength bear him deep into the ground! ¡°It¡¯s strong!¡± More of the gremlins waddled to Skullius¡¯ position as he was pinned, the Discount Human pushing with his strength that was above the gremlin¡¯s own and driving it a few steps back! He immediately stood straight and shed with all just might while inserting a bit of mana into the sword which produced hissing winds that threatened to rip the gremlin before him apart! However¡­ SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! Skullius missed thrice even as he struck precisely atthe gremlin which greatly shocked him. ¡°The hell?!¡± CRACK! Therge chunk of the cave that had fallen over Red Rage cracked as intense golden energy pounded on it from underneath! The Pelvis Boar-Man was rising! ¡®Great! With Red bro back, I can-¡° BOOOOOOM! A muchrger chunk of the cave stomped over the one that was currently above Red Rage, burying the Pelvis Boar-Man deeper into the ground! ¡°¡­.¡± Skullius was beyond dumbfounded. As he was staring at this contrived convenience, one of the gremlins threw its fist into his belly, the Discount Human flying and crashing on the ground! He quickly rolled while vomiting fizzy ¡®blood¡¯ when another piece of unhappy news was dropped onto his head! [You have been struck by the skill ¡®Critical Lucky Strike¡¯. You have sustained heavy damage] ¡°GAAAAH!¡± Skullius roared in rage at this ridiculousness. Chapter 142 Fight Back, Bro! Fight Back! All stats were greatly influenced by a number of factors. This was true for luck as well but it was a special case. Luck was a stat that one would be born with a specific value of. Its increase or decrease was USUALLY tied to intervention by higher-level experts as even when one levelled up, this didn¡¯t corrte to an increase in luck. The fact that these little creatures had such arge figure in luck was ridiculous and Skullius couldn¡¯t help but roar in anger at the consecutive rush of misfortune. It could be said that his atrocious luck would work best when he was dealing with such an opponent as surely when Skullius set to stand and attack again, he fell forward all of a sudden, his chinnding directly into an uppercut from one of the gremlins! The force almost made one think that Skullius¡¯ head would detach from his body as the Discount Human¡¯s mouth gushed out blood while his body started to grow heavy and hard to coordinate! Heavy damage! The fact that he wasn¡¯t dead was a miracle, which went against the very fact that he had atrocious luck but when one thought about how these gremlins were relying merely on their luck, it was understandable that one-shotting Skullius right away was not guaranteed. Theycked the skill and intelligence for it. ¡®Damn! I didn¡¯t want to carelessly use my mana before because I don¡¯t have enough to try out all my new stronger skills but¡­¡¯ he thought. ¡®¡­if it continues this way, I won¡¯t have a choice!¡¯ Four gremlins out of the tens leapt and locked their fingers as they sought to smash Skullius into paste! The Discount Human rolled away only to find that he was heading into a crowd of more vicious-looking gremlins, all of them drooling as they snarled and screeched! ¡°Oh,e on!¡± Skullius yelled as the little creatures neared in their tens! ¡°Fine then! Let¡¯s see how lucky you socketholes really are!¡±. The Discount Human immediately cast one of his newest skills, 50 units of his mana being used as they werepressed andpounded into a small sphere of mana! ¡°Mana st!¡± he called as he flung the marble-sized sphere at the lot of them. ¡®Surely, with their numbers, I can catch some of them with this.¡¯ BOOOM! The small orb of mana exploded with a rough intensity amidst the raging gremlins, creating arger force than Skullius hadn¡¯t expected! Many of the gremlins were injured and flung after the crust was blown up, with none of them dying outright! Skullius hurriedly stood and turned, going for the other gremlins that had sought to squash him before! They seemed to have been rmed by the explosion and seeing their fellow gremlins being pushed away and hurt! Skullius¡¯ eyes quivered with rage as he made a short analysis. ¡®I see. Even with their luck, they can still take damage. All they have been doing is disrupting or hindering me now that I think about it. If that¡¯s the case, then let me see if this works!¡¯ The Discount Human inserted his mana into the Baleful Gale Reaper and swiped forward, a small gust of wind that carried with it dust and dirt smacking against the four gremlins¡¯. The creatures raised their hands to cover their eyes from the dirt and at that moment, Skullius struck! [Evil Darkness Production], [Basic Weaving]! Skullius extended his index finger which produced a thin stream of [Evil Darkness] that shot towards one of the gremlins that was three meters away! As soon as it reached the creature, its end exploded into a dark cloud that covered the gremlin¡¯s head while the rest remained as a thin line connected to Skullius! The creature stopped as it panicked but Skullius didn¡¯t stop. He pulled his arm back, the gremlin being drawn to him by the stream of [Evil Darkness] which acted like a rope! It could be used this way too! After spamming thebinations of the two skills, Skullius had learnt a whole lot of things about this new power, Red Rage¡¯s ount which he had receivedter after it had happened helped him know that [Evil Darkness] could restrict movement and entry along with a few other versatile functions. Skullius had only used enough mana to create such a limited construct. The gremlin who couldn¡¯t see anything as the smoke-like Darkness covered his face reached Skullius quickly, only to receive a brutal sh with a wind covered Baleful Gale Reaper! [You have killed (II) LV10 Lucky Strike Gremlin. 2500 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds?] ¡°Oho¡­!¡± This time, there was no salvation, as the gremlin was slit diagonally by an enraged and excited Skullius who instantly bore his hand into the chest of the gremlin when it fell. He immediately drew the Null Life Essence from his prey finding it to be 35 points! A mana crystal had formed immediately after the gremlin¡¯s death! A dead core. One of the benefits that Skullius ever enjoyed on his journey with Benzard and his crew was learning new things. Carving out cores was one of them as his first experience had been when they hade across Onumbassssss. Now, Skullius had used that knowledge as all creatures held within them a core, the fate of this construct after death being what differed with the species. The Discount Human stored the item in his spatial storage and then rushed to meet thest three while keeping his awareness straight on the many that had recovered and were running towards him from behind! At the moment, a shocking explosion resounded as the portions of the cave that had copsed on Red Rage ¡®identally¡¯ were obliterated, a golden light exploding outwards as a particrly rageful looking Pelvis Boar-Man appeared! Ridiculously, from the outburst of power which flung debris in many directions knocking and killing some of the gremlins, a small rock flew and smashed Skullius straight on the side of the head, making him spin like a top and roll on the ground! Red Rage sped towards the many gremlins and with a shocking burst of speed and he threw his fists all around, each of his punches tearing apart the little nuisances! In less than five seconds, ten gremlins were already on the ground, oozing as meat and blood. Skullius on the other hand was kicked away by the other gremlins, tumbling on the ground but he stood and faced the horde of lucky gremlins! ¡°Kek¡­¡± Skullius cackled as he unflinchingly red at his enemies, a crazed look in his eyes! ¡°I¡¯m far from done you socketholes!¡± Skullius gathered mana in his core as he prepared a heavy hitter! He stretched out his hand and a bright luminance shone as a powerful skill let itself known! [Manassault]! A raging stream of manapressed itself as it then shot out with a ravenous desire to destroy in a straight line while producing a bright re-like light! The gremlins sensed the danger, but their meagre luck-based measures couldn¡¯t shield them from the monstrous skill! Or rather they couldn¡¯t use the boons of their luck to their advantage willingly. Still, the streaking light razed through the gremlins that attacked in a crowded fashion, burning away bone and flesh alike as it instantly killed nearly fifteen gremlins while the rest were either critically injured or were saved by higher luck stats! Red Rage merely watched as he hadn¡¯t been able to finish the other gremlins before Skulliusunched [Manassault] which only stopped its advance after striking the cave wall with an extremely loud impact! A crater which was six meters wide opened on the wall with hissing burnt rock and crisp crumbling ash! The remaining gremlins looked on in shock with their eyes wide open, backtracking in fear. This transcended their natural luck! It was a powerful skill! [You have killed (II) LV13 Lucky Strike Gremlin. 2700 Exp awarded] [You have killed (II) LV12 Lucky Strike Gremlin. 2450 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits¡­] ¡­. Skullius relished in the blood and guts sprawled all over as he then picked up his sword as he rushed up to the nearest corpse where the mana crystal was exposed. He immediately grabbed it, his guidance field finally announcing what he had been waiting for. [You have sessfullypleted your Second Task, gathering two Tier 2 mana cores.] [You have reached Level 2]! ¡°Yes!¡± he had finally reached his goal. Chapter 143 Cluster Boss? It had be apparent to Skullius that Tasks were strangely specific yet not. He couldn¡¯t half ass his way through them. For starters, he had discovered that if he was tasked to acquire cores of a specific Tier as the situation in this case, it meant that he had to be the one who secured from their source if one wasn¡¯t specified. Or so he had confirmed after actually killing gremlins and obtaining their cores which prompted the level up. Five stat points per stat were given to him after the level up but strangely, this stat gain felt¡­ different. Skullius could have sworn he felt his core¡¯s minute growth in that moment, his body actually tensing up as with the strength addition he felt like he could topple a small mountain, with the agility, that he could run like the wind and with his endurance that he could tank the [Lucky Strike] from the gremlins to arger degree! One of these had been able to push him to the brink of death but now¡­ ¡°Is this the difference between scaling in power between humans and beasts, like Benzard said that time?¡± he asked himself as he drew the Null Life Essence from the gremlins. The proper way to grow, as Benzard had called it. Every stat gain was immensely powerful aspared to beasts.. No wonder humans remained on top despite the many tiers of levelling that beasts went through. The remaining gremlins shuddered as Skullius pressed his intense gaze on them while advancing with his sword. He didn¡¯t forget that these guys could mess him up with their luck. It seemed that they didn¡¯t consciously control their luck and perhaps because of their Tier, interfering with powerful skills was beyond them even with their high luck. ¡°Well¡­ I won¡¯t be the one to finish you off. It¡¯s too risky. Red bro!¡± Given the consent and the way to prevent further mishaps, Red Rage stormed over to the twenty some remaining gremlins and killed them in one continuous sweep after using the skill [Dash in Dust] which had levelled up to 8. The corresponding notifications about how Red Rage had received some experience showed up in Skullius¡¯ guidance field as he then took some time to rest his body which had sustained damage. The punch and kicks he had received had literally bent his body as perhaps a way to mimic broken bones and Skullius was walking like a hunched old man. ¡°So this is a Cluster¡­¡± Skullius said as he sat down crudely, taking in the scenery of something other than the blood and guts. ¡®The Deities made this world with their own bodies and the guidance field said that its the sh in their powers that makes these strange ces. So does that mean that the Deities¡¯ bodies emitting energy just causes something like this or am I yet to see the true effects? I thought it would be something more devastating.¡¯ Skullius¡¯ analysis was for the most part true. He pulled out one of the gems that was stuck on the cave walls and scrutinised it. It was purple with a few starry lights within that glowed dimly while this shell had a glossy but rough texture. A strange energy oozed from it that he didn¡¯t quite understand. Still, the Discount Human deemed these gems valuable and decided to harvest them along with a few of the corpses of the gremlins, storing them in his ring until it was almost full. In the midst of this process, Skullius and Red Rage felt tendrils of mana sneaking from beyond what they could see from the cave ahead. The depths of the cave that wound a few times beyond. Gems still lit the way, allowing for one to follow through and see where they were going despite the tangling of the trees and vines. ¡°It¡¯s not over, I guess,¡± Skullius said, his mind thinking back to what that skinny bro had said about there being many monsters and then one stronger one. Fifty creatures was definitely a lot for someone who was soloing the Cluster but for a group, it would have been breeze. This was definitely a very weak Cluster. The weakest. However, thinking that these gremlins would have spilled out into Santhi and started delivering their gospel of luck and unluck to themon folk would make one shiver. Even Skullius recognised how much of a danger they¡¯d pose. They were worse than the goblins. Just how many ¡®idental¡¯ deaths would ur by the time help arrived. DUUM! DUM! DUM! Loud thumps sounded with a heavy impact as something heavy could be heard approaching from the winding path of the tunnel. Soil and small rocks shook each time there was such a vibrant stomp, the thin streams of mana that Skullius had felt bing thicker as something rushed in the two¡¯s direction! ¡®Here is thest part!¡¯ Skullius thought, Red Rage who was beside him also readying himself with a heroic stance that seemed to foretell that was prepared the tank whatever damage came! Skullius felt his little remaining reserves of mana and smiled bitterly. He had started with the intent to save mana but had actually done the opposite because of the pressure. He hadn¡¯t used the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation which would impede his movement but now, he had to consider it. Only a few points of mana remained as even with his level up, he didn¡¯t get a recovery to his mana, that much being obvious. As he contemted his next move, a thick and tall figure rushed through, bing visible as it appeared in the two¡¯s line of sight! Arge gremlin stood before them, bearing an identical appearance to the gremlins the two had killed with the only differences being in the height and proportions. It stood at over two and half meters, having the same freakish arms but longer legs that enhanced its speed as it charged! It was pretty fast! As it saw the bodies of its juniors, the gremlin screeched loudly, but not in a fit of rage that exposed its sorrow but in anger that showed its longing for action! The same pulsing blue half-heart could be seen on its chest and this organ began to glow as it passed by the gremlins, the corpses of the little creatures reacting as well, as hearts on the chests also glowed! ¡®I have a bad feeling about this,¡¯ Skullius thought. And what he thought turned out to be true as in an instant, an overbearing force bore down on him! It wasn¡¯t raw power or force. That was a thing of its own. This was Jackpot¡¯s peculiar skill! Chapter 144 It Just So Happened... [ Name : Jackpot ] [ Tier :3 ] [ Level : 24 ] [ Race : Lucky Emperor Gremlin ] [ Inv. Status: Feeling lucky and furious ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength (I) : 11 ] [Agility (I) : 7 ] [ Intelligence (I) : 4 ] [ Endurance (I) : 12 ] [ Luck : 934 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 7960/7960 ]. ¡ª¡ª [ Mana (I) : 215/215 ] ¡­. ¡°EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!¡± Jackpot screeched! ¡°The hell¡­!¡± Skullius eximed. Another monster with stats that didn¡¯t match its level! It even had a blue core! And that luck stat! It was ridiculous! 934! Did this guy harvest luck on Mondays?! Skullius couldn¡¯t believe it. The unfairness! This was cheating! Jackpot didn¡¯t care if he was cheating on not though, as when Skullius felt the overbearing force from this giant, he was already screwed. The same was true for Red Rage as he had also been caught in the miraculous ridiculousness that was about to follow! [You have encountered Cluster General, ¡®Jackpot¡¯] [¡®Jackpot¡¯ has used ¡® Divine Coincidence¡¯. For the next 5 minutes you will be exposed to truly unfortunate circumstances] ¡°Bro! Come on!¡± Skullius barked as he retreated,Red Rage taking a step forward as he conjured the [Brilliant Boar Bnce Buckler]! The gold and ck buckler with an exquisite carving of a boar¡¯s features appeared to intercept the raging gremlin but¡­ It just so happened, that one of the trees within the cave-like structure grew a hollow from being pummelled by a sharp rock that flew during the fight with the Lucky Strike gremlins before and spilt a rather slippery paste that Jackpot used to slide on, adding onto his velocity as he sped so far so quickly! It just so happened that Red Rage was caught off guard as when he tried to raise his shield higher to amodate the blow, the giant gremlin swung forcefully with its long and thick arms, swatting him away like a fly before the shield could reach! Red Rage flew into the wall, shattering a few of the branches from the twisting trees! Since the force came from the side, it couldn¡¯t flow steadily from Red Rage¡¯s body, into the ground and be neutralised! Skullius vigntly leapt back to give himself some more space to react! However, it just so happened that one of the dead gremlins that had half its head blown off had its sharp teeth sticking out, Skullius¡¯ footnding on the sharp objects, his shoe giving way for eight of the teeth to sink into his cosmetic foot! Skullius stumbled but he didn¡¯t feel any pain, thus he continued backtracking. However, it just so happened that this gremlin which he had stepped on was a poisonous variant, Skullius feeling his leg quiver on its ownas the poison secreted by the dead gremlin¡¯s teeth already took action! ¡°The flesh?!¡± Skullius cursed while falling over, pulling up his pant leg to see that from his foot upwards, the skin colouration turned as pale as a sheet. ¡®What kind of¡­. Bro¡­ WHAT! Is this poison?!¡¯ Skullius asked himself as he sweated. The keen eyes of therge Jackpot Gremlin told him that it was well aware of what it was causing! It was doing this consciously! Unlike the Lucky Strike gremlins, Jackpot could utilise this natural luck willing in skills that allowed him to shape it however he liked. Furthermore, with the glow of the hearts of the dead gremlins, Jackpot had gained their luck stats, which created for this outrages luck! What kind of streak of conveniences was manifested by the skill [Divine Coincidence]? Well one could already see. Jackpot pulled arge branch from one of the trees and swung it at Skullius with a staggering force that blew on the ground, rousing dirt and dust! It just so happened that this thick branch was the thickest andrgest from the tree, bearing a very hard and concentrated texture perfect for swatting ¡®flies¡¯, especially when dried! Skullius couldn¡¯t dodge but he didn¡¯t wait for his death. He summoned the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation to appear before him right before the impact! FFFBOOOOM! The wall jutted out gems and rock from the shockwave that ensued, bearing down the mana rich ground which copsed! It wouldn¡¯t be urate to say that Skullius managed to save himself from the intense attack, but for the most part, he was intact. Depressions on his body that prompted for blood to spew from his mouth inrge bursts as well as several bent out of the norm parts of his body could be seen when therge hunk of wood was raised as the Gremlin prepared to attack again! ¡®Damn! That was intense!¡¯ Skullius thought, thinking about whether he should really put on the armour¡­ or rather hide in it. That would help but the time to wear the armour was¡­ insufficient. But then¡­ ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius yelped in glee as a realisation set in. FOOOOO! Air roared as therge branch came down once more, Skullius seeing the speeding figure of Red Ragee between him and therge branch before it hit! Mana surged as Red Rage activated one of the exclusive skills from his new ss, the Tempered Skull Hegemon! [Tempered Armament of the Hegemon]! Red Rage¡¯s silver armour reflected a light blue polished sheen that burst with a radiant intensity from the Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s right hand whichunched up to meet the branch! BAAAM! Chunks of wood flew as the branch exploded, overpowered by the blue brilliance of a skill that empowered what the Tempered Skull Hegemon used an attack. Any medium of offense; weapon or fist! ~~~ [Tempered Armament of the Hegemon | Lv.1] Any attackunched by the user is empowered by 35% and coated in a film of Null light, a subsidiary of Null Life Essence that temporarily keeps the weapon or body used from being broken down by the opposing force as long as it doesn¡¯t exceed a certain level! Mana Requirements: 550 Mana Points Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: 5 minutes ~~~ The Lucky Emperor Gremlin was shocked by the force as it was pushed back, Red Rage leaping forward as he jutted out his chest where the golden symbol on his chest released a golden light that formed into the head of a rather vicious looking, illusory golden boar with pointed tusks and bright luminescent eyes that torched the figure of Jackpot! Red Rage¡¯s figure shot forward with the activation of the skill, the tusks jabbing into Jackpot as could not avoid the attack after being staggered! [Tusks of Justice]! The head of the golden boar smashed into the wall with a tremendous force along with Jackpot, the entire cave starting to copse! Amidst this chaotic show of strength, Red Rage prepared to finish off Jackpot, but it just so happened that both of the tusks from his golden boar had missed Jackpot¡¯s vitals, merely scrapping some flesh on one side while only puncturing the shoulder with the other! Even as the tusks dug into the cave, demonstrating their immense strength by crumpling the hard Rock behind Jackpot, the gremlin was unfazed¡­ for the most part¡­ actually agitated as it then cocked its arm and punched at Red Rage¡¯s chest where the golden boar protruded from! It just so happened that Jackpot had a skill! A Special one! Mana churned from his blue core that hissed with a tremendous amount of mana! [Critical Jackpot]! Chapter 145 Unexpected Turn! [Critical Jackpot]! Vicious mana shot through the Gremlin¡¯s long arm, reaching Red Rage¡¯s chest quickly before he could use any skill that could help him mitigate the impeding damage! However, there was a huge problem when considering this. Both Red Rage and Skullius had never seen a Special skill in action. Or rather Skullius had but without knowing what it was because of the identity of the individual who cast it. One wouldn¡¯t ask many questions when seeing an expert of transcendent skill that far eclipses their own do their thing, but seeing someone closer to the expertise and level they had doing something so shocking, one would demand full attention and ask questions. Skullius and Red Rage thought it would be the same high show of power that peak normal skills could carry but¡­ This was different. As Jackpot¡¯s fist touched Skullius¡¯ chest, Skullius witnessed the entire background behind his Apostle¡­ turn to dust! Then a turbulent hurricane followed, with a shockwave that smacked Skullius a few tens of meters away grabbing the baton! The cave wall was decimated under the pressure from one punch that struck one Pelvis Boar-Man! The two challengers of the Cluster wouldn¡¯t know but [Critical Jackpot] was a skill that forced luck to be an energy value that could be used and weaved with manapatibly to create a powerful attack that strike the user¡¯s body, soul and foundation!. Truly a special skill as this wasn¡¯t something anyone in Aigas could do unless they had transcended humanity or gotten a blessing. In the midst of this chaos, the shocking image of Red Rage¡¯s state was revealed. His entire left side was gone, armour, bone and all. The hit just so happened to shatter his mana core as well, as only a quarter of it remained, floating within his body while still attached to the Apostle. The Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s sockets flickered and he snapped in two from the barely hanging spine that was now revealed after the armour he had been given by the cksmith in Namu Vige had failed tost against the horrendous skill. ¡°RED BROOOOO!¡± Skullius roared as he saw his Apostle fall! Even as he was tens of meters away, the raging storms that had not ceased after [Critical Jackpot] was cast, he didn¡¯t fail to see Red Rage¡¯s figure. He tried to stand but his leg which had been poisoned, his cosmetic flesh reacting violently to the vile substance, didn¡¯t allow him to move all that well or fast. He crawled as he called, ¡°Hang on, Red bro! I¡¯ming!¡± One hand pulled, dragging his body forward then the other hand. Skullius¡¯ eyes didn¡¯t leave Red bro¡¯s figure, as when he looked, a deep sensation that transcended Life and Death crawled within him. Not within his cosmetic flesh. Not even within the guidance field that helped him, but within his soul. An aching that caused him to gnash his teeth until they cracked and bled as he focused on Red Rage, ensued! Even as arge pit where rainbow-like swirls of light that caused his mana core to shudder and sink further within him appeared on the other side of the destroyed wall, tearing apart the insides of the cave, he adjusted his sight to face Red Rage while dragging himself! In the heat of this desperate moment, Skullius¡¯ vision warped as the hard and dusty cave with twisted trees at its periphery transformed into a snowy patch where a harsh, cold wind sted against his face. Cold? A feeling that Skullius didn¡¯t remember brushed harshly against his cheek. But his soul remembered. It remembered that day. His fractured mind greedily drewparisons. Where Red Rage wasid, the naked figure of a girl who was pale, almost blue, hugging herself while resting in the thick snow and tranquillity of the unknown beyond could be caught in his sight! Skullius¡¯ eyes could barely open wide because of the harsh wind but when he saw this figure, his vision shattered like ss as what he saw next was a block of ice behind which he was imprisoned, a green coloured skeleton with red mes caressing the ice between him and it while cackling malevolently! ¡­! A searing pain stormed against Skullius mind and he grunted in pain while clutching his head. The vivid images of the snowy field with the pale girl in the cold roiled like static and unclear showers in his mind amid the excruciating pain that was akin to his mind close to bursting. Yet¡­ A few words squeaked out of his mouth as his demeanour changed. An exaggerated smile appeared on his face, the sadness it held being visible to anyone who could categorise themselves as human. ¡°I don¡¯t regret it. I won¡¯t regret. You got what you deserved¡­ you got what you deserved¡­¡± His eyes still saw the girl, focusing on her face as he said these words with a hateful yet partly guilty gaze. Then, as if it was all a lie, Skullius¡¯ vision blurred and he was back to the nightmare in the Cluster where Jackpot was now standing between him and his view of Red Rage. ¡°¡­¡± No words escaped Skullius¡¯ mouth anymore. Only a tear trickled down his cheek. He didn¡¯t even know it, but as he clutched his head, he sniffled a little before his mind pushed his thoughts back to Red Rage. ¡°RED BRO! HANG ON!¡± Skullius yelled as he red at the gremlin which guffawed,pletely ignoring the terrifying light show outside the cave that dragged in and ate the gems, the trees and all. Skullius saw this and his sense of urgency increased. His new discovery which had been apanied by a surprised ¡®Oh¡¯ earlier, had now been rendered useless for now as the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation was a few meters to his right, too far to reach by crawling. ¡®What now? Will Red Ragest?¡¯ Skullius thought in panic. He could tell that Red Rage was fading fast through his mental link to the Apostle. He had to get to him and try every conceivable way to save his Null Life. Jackpot raised hisrge arm, relishing in Skullius¡¯ helpless. Only the Deities knew how much time this gremlin had spent in this ce. Creating order, wandering in utter boredom as there was nothing new to see in this limited space. Yet¡­ a crack that promised freedom had appeared, Jackpot and his gremlins instinctively feeling the urge to wait for its fullness as something grand would be offered then! This was it. On top of that, he got to experience what swatting something else that wasn¡¯t another gremlin felt like! As he prepared to squash Skullius, he saw the Discount Human start to crawl away. He used his arms as he dragged himself towards a dark armour that had long chains draping on the ground. ¡°KIKIKIKIKIKI!¡± Jackpotughed as he ¡®chased¡¯ Skullius in slow steps, not wanting the moment to end. Why was it so enjoyable to watch this little thing struggle? Who cared?! With a grin of glee, Jackpot followed behind Skullius, almost skipping in his steps when¡­ The Discount Human suddenly moved at a rather quick speed as with one leap-like movement that let him reach the long chain from the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation, he gained a bit more confidence. ¡°Hmmm?¡± Jackpot looked at Skullius confused. The Discount Human wore a vicious gaze as he red at Jackpot, pulling therge armour by the chain to himself as at the moment the armour reached him, the long chains grew alive nging in rage! Chapter 146 A Response To Vengeful Resolve! [Artless Dodger]! Skullius had thought to use the situation to his advantage as he created a scenario where Jackpot had to chase him, activating the skill which boosted his speed while he was being pursued by an enemy! It wasn¡¯t arge boost by any means as Skullius¡¯ Agility was very low to be begin with, but the sudden action appeared fast as his goal was just to reach the chain that protruded from the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation. As he did, the chains rustled and whirled, acknowledging Skullius as the owner. The Discount Human hadn¡¯t realised earlier that even in this form, the Chains of Damnation were bound to his will. As long as he was near the armour at least. It was not unreasonable that he would forget that [Flesh It Like You Mean It] was aplementary skill to [Lifeless Evolution] and thus could recognise him through any medium connected to Null Life! Jackpot¡¯s eyes squinted as he saw the figure with furrowed brows ring at him as in the next instant, the Chains of Damnation sped his way at a quick speed, tearing through the agitated air! Skullius was desperate. After using [Mana st] and [Manassault] his mana reserves were already thinned out, a little over 50 mana points which he was saving as he thought of what to do remaining. His rage at seeing his Apostle get beat up along with the mysterious shes of memories that brought with them a lingering emotion that he wasn¡¯t familiar with saturated his mind. As the Chains of Damnation rushed to Jackpot, they just so happened to miss, even while the giant remained stationary! [Divine Coincidence] was still active!. Skullius gnashed his teeth. The Lucky Emperor Gremlin bolted towards Skullius as it finally decided to put an end to him. Its fun was finally exhausted and it pushed itsrge fist towards Skullius who couldn¡¯t move out of the way to dodge because of his beat up body! The Discount Human willed the Chains of Damnation to circle back and grab the Lucky Emperor Gremlin but the tall beast dodged, skidding across the rough ground as it attacked Skullius again from a different position! The Chains weren¡¯t fast enough to reach the zipping giant! The powerful fist of a blue core Cluster General pounded towards him and Skullius used one of the contingencies he had thought of. He pushed his two hands forward and pulled out the remnants of mana he had, fueling a particr skill from his hidden ss. [Evil Darkness Production]! With everyst bit of mana used, a ck cloud with a pitch ck hue exploded before Skullius, only being able to cover one human head worth of space! In that same moment, [Evil Darkness Weaving] was also cast to mould the darkness, spreading it to cover the surface area of the fist that headed towards him sloppily as the attack arrived before he was even ready! BOOOM! An impact blew in a sphere outwards, blowing away matter in the surroundings as Jackpot had attacked with an even more intense vigour while a pleased grin rested on his face! Yet¡­ the grin vanished an instantter as he found what had happened to be out of his expectations. It just so happened that his fist was unable to proceed any further than the dark cloud that swirled before Skullius¡¯ outstretched hands! ¡®It worked!¡¯ Skullius thought in a short-lived relief. Jackpot¡¯s fist had failed to pass through the cloud of [Evil Darkness]! Just like what had happened to Red Rage when he had tried to pass through the darkness, the Lucky Emperor Gremlin was stopped even with his prestigious title, advanced level and core! For a moment, the gremlin couldn¡¯t process what was happening as this was too new! Right then, the Chains of Damnation bound its arm and leg, pulling it back as the creature released a pained screech from its mouth! The passive ability of the Chains that inflicted a ferocious amount of pain on the target had struck Jackpot! However, even as the creature screeched in pain, its blue eyes showed its rage as it pushed ahead towards Skullius! ¡°How is this guy so relentless?!¡± Skullius barked as he red at this creature. He hated it! He loathed it! He wished it would die a horrifying death with the cruellest means possible for what it had done to Red Rage! He opened his mouth to speak. His voice rose as his intent to murder this son of boneshit peaked! ¡°Die! Get shredded into pieces!¡± ¡­. ¡°¡­?¡± Nothing happened! Noyers of darkness appeared to actualise his hate into reality! Only the pained grunts of Jackpot as he neared could be heard, his figure looming over Skullius as he refused to be bound! ¡®It¡¯s not working! Why?!¡¯ Skullius frustratedly roared internally. [Pseudo Evil Veneration] had let him down! The one time that he used it expecting results, it didn¡¯t work! Of course it didn¡¯t. He had thought the darkness that was swirling before him would awaken as [Pseudo Evil Veneration] but no. That wasn¡¯t the case. Skullius only knew that this art required arge amount of mana but it was only now when he took a deep introspective on the form that he realised that every time he had used it sessfully so far had been in the same ce. A ce full of [Evil Darkness] to splurge as he wished! The Labyrinth of the Yoke! [Evil Darkness] was abundant in the Labyrinth, which made scenarios when Skullius used [Pseudo Evil Veneration] look very convenient but the truth was, without enough [Evil Darkness], the art wouldn¡¯t work! Each time the Veneration art was activated, arge burst of [Evil Darkness] would rush into his mouth as if to grab his words! The amount he could produce now was nowhere near enough to do that. It was unfortunate. ¡®All this time¡­ I missed this detail..¡¯ Skullius thought as it put a stop to what had been his follow-up move afterwards. ¡®Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! The All Eater scroll won¡¯t work! This thing only throws physical attacks and I¡¯m pretty sure the scroll would only be ripped apart if I tried to store a punch! I can¡¯t evade! I don¡¯t have mana! GAAH! What do I do?!¡¯ Jackpot finally pulled himself back to Skullius and immediately stomped with his foot over the Discount Human who could only look as he was crushed underfoot! Skullius felt his bones shatter under the weight and his body jerked as fizzy blood forcefully spilled from his mouth. ¡®I¡¯m not losing like this¡­!¡¯ Skullius red. He didn¡¯t want to end this way when he had another self capable of dealing with this sockethole. Unfortunately, that other self was hours away. What then? What could save him? BA-DUM! BA-DUM! From his chest, Skullius felt something pulsing, responding to his will to survive this encounter and somehow save Red Rage! Something that he had almost forgotten about ever since it nested into his chest! The Fruit of World Myths was calling for his attention¡­! Chapter 147 Just Barely Deep within, the thing that had spurred Skullius to awaken the very essence of the Insurgent Magnus, called to him. He immediately gave it his attention, the pulsing vibration like that of a heart that ran through him giving him hope. Skullius didn¡¯t have much of an understanding of this thing, but as it called, he responded without dy, giving the ruing damage no mind. He activated [Advanced Mana Maniption] and dived into himself, following the light from his core that was trying to produce more mana! His vision was pulled to the Fruit of World Myths, his attention bing focused on the flower-like object as in next moment, a familiar feeling overtook him! The colourful world became dyed in strange shades of colour that only focused on ck, white and grey! Skullius saw himself rise as the pressure he felt from being trampled disappeared, his image now, whatever it was, feeling so free that all of his worries vanished, a sensation ofplete fulfilment washing his existence! Crude World Projection! Unlikest time when he couldn¡¯t see his body, Skullius looked at his arms and saw them covered in a thick ck smoke that rose up as if in long exposure!. The same was true for his legs and torso as all he was, was a ck figure floating in the air. He saw therge gremlin as an outline with a dark grey colour as it stomped on him while being bound by chains that held¡­a colourless hue! As if this wasn¡¯t a surprise enough, Jackpot turned to look up to where this new body of Skullius was and narrowed his eyes! ¡®He can see me?!¡¯ Skullius thought in shock. It was true! The lucky brute could see Skullius but it couldn¡¯t bring itself to attack as it felt something discourage its engagement with this dark entity. An immense sense of weakness immediately poured onto Skullius as his body began to descend, falling back to his Discount Human form! ¡®Come on! I just gained something that could help me! Is it because I¡¯m on the brink of dying right now?!¡¯ Skullius surmised that this weakness was because of that. He also considered that the only reason he had this body while in this state was probably because his [Evil Darkness] affinity had rose to grade C after his first use of this [Crude World Projection]! Skullius¡¯ eyes honed in on the dispersing darkness that was around him! Unlike everything else in the cave, it held a particrly attractive shade of ck that almost seemed¡­ genuine¡­ in a sense. As he fell, weakness wrapping around his body as Jackpot looked at this cautiously, the Discount Human stretched his hand towards the darkness, a shocking change urring in the very next moment! The darkness which had been about to vanish was drawn towards his smoking hand at an astonishing speed! The [Evil Darkness] gathered in his palm, forming into a abstruse yet vivid shape without definite qualities! Moulding darkness was so easy! The darkness heeded his call! It submitted so readily! It was as if in this form, darkness followed his will! Was this the purpose of Crude World Projection?! Sadly, Skullius¡¯ dark body was already halfway back into his Discount Human body, sinking steadily! Before he could fully sink though, Skullius made onest attempt before this state was lost to him for the time being, willing the mass of darkness in his palm to solidify and smash into the head of Jackpot! VWUUUP! In less than a second, the vivid darkness condensed into a small ball of darkness that shot out at the speed of sound towards the gremlin! Skullius¡¯ vision returned to normal afterwards as he looked to check what he had attempted had worked! It just so happened that Jackpot tilted his head to the side as he sensed a terrible fate awaiting at thest second when he saw the ck form of Skullius receding, sessfully evading most of the blow but getting his cheek and ear blown off! ¡°EEEEEEEEEEAAAAHHGH!¡± Jackpot screeched in pain as he drew back, chunks of flesh falling from his shredded side along with sprays of blood! Skullius felt the slightest bit of relief from having the giant¡¯s foot over him as he didn¡¯t waste any time, using the Chains of Damnation that were already around Jackpot to pull him towards the ever-growing spot where the cave had been destroyed! The heavy creature tried to resist but after the shock from having its cheek blown off, it didn¡¯t manage to steady itself enough to maintain a rigid stance as what followed¡­ CHSSSSHHHHH! Jackpot was dragged into whatever the rainbow chaos outside the cave was and the moment he touched the outside, he screeched with an ear piercing voice that portrayed utter despair, a sound effect like fried meat resounding only for a second as the body of the creature was disintegrated! Skullius watched all this with his body limp. He wasn¡¯t able to move after using [Crude World Projection] which he now understood a lot better. Yet, above the feeling of achievement, he couldn¡¯t help but rejoice in the death of Jackpot, even though he didn¡¯t suffer enough. [You have killed (III) Lucky Emperor Gremlin. 735,500 Exp awarded] [Congrattions, you have killed a Cluster General] [Congrattions you have cleared a ¡®Low level Cluster¡¯] [The Cluster General fueling this space has been killed. Cluster willmence copse. Please exit immediately] The illusory crack that was visible from the cave suddenly cracked, opening up a path to Aigas, as the scene of where Skullius had entered from could be seen beyond. Skullius almost panicked as he couldn¡¯t move, his mind having been rattled by the guidance field notification that said this space would now copse! Thinking quickly, he willed the Chains of Damnation to wrap around Red Rage¡¯s remains and pull them towards himself. As soon as that was taken care off, he willed the chains to drag him out through the portal, a process that didn¡¯t take long as within a few seconds, Skullius found himself lying on the hard ground surrounded by a deserted town. After a few more seconds passed, he watched as therge white crack he had seen in the beginning slowly close up until it didn¡¯t exist anymore. Before he could rest and proceed with other important things, another notification appeared in his sight, being one the many boons to be earned when one cleared a Cluster! Chapter 148 It Never Ends [You have relieved the good people of Aigas from a great danger. You will now be bestowed a BLESSING from the Deities] ¡­. [The ¡®Binds of Fukal¡¯ resist. The BLESSING bestowal has failed] [You have received a ¡®Conqueror¡¯s Halo¡¯ for clearing a ¡®Low level Cluster¡¯] ¡°Uh¡­¡± Skullius read the notifications in exasperation. ¡°You receive a blessing every time you destroy those monsters in a Cluster?¡± That seemed ridiculous. Right? Skullius remained lying down as he digested this information. When someone cleared a Cluster, there were two rewards involved outside of what they actually found in the Cluster. The first was a BLESSING enhancement which made the effects of their blessing more profound. This was different for Skullius because he never had a blessing to begin. He didn¡¯t even fully understand what it was.. The guidance field, or rather the Voice of Worlds acted as he mediator in this situation. ¡°It figures that anything benefitting me from the Deities will be rejected by these damn Binds of whatever,¡± Skullius sulked as he had hoped he could get something else. He turned to Red Rage¡¯s remains after his mind had calmed. He had been making sure through his mental link with Red Rage that the Apostle was still nullive and it turned out that the Pelvis Boar-Man still had some fight in him. After the two had wiped out the Lucky Strike gremlins, Skullius had absorbed the Null Life Essence from the creatures and so had Red Rage. With his evolution into Tier 1, the Pelvis Boar-Man had received the skill [Null Extraction] which allowed him to absorb Null Life Essence as well. It hade as a shock to Skullius during his fight with Jackpot when the Apostle had told him that utilising Null Life Essence was keeping him alive and the consumption of his reserve wasn¡¯t too high. The problem was his core which was fading bitby bit after having been shattered with only a quarter remaining by Jackpot¡¯s Special skill. Skullius didn¡¯t know how to help with this, but as an idea, he willed the Chains of Damnation to wrap around the half skeleton with a split torso and slowly insert it into the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation. Since the armour had the passive effect of improving Mana Regeneration and Mana Points, Skullius thought that perhaps this could dy the Apostle¡¯s demise. Thankfully, it did a well enough job. The core of Red Rage grew brighter but went on a a fluctuating trend where it would dim and glow after several minutes each time which was still reassuring. As long as Red Rage remained wearing this armour, his core wouldn¡¯t copse. However¡­ ¡°Now the problem is the Null Life Essence. I remember when I first summoned this sockethole, the guidance field said that he was sustained by Serenity. After meeting Serenity I think I understand what that means a bit more¡­¡± The fact that Red Rage was sustained by Serenity made Skullius think that what kept him alive after summoning was his connection to the source of Null Life in general, which Skullius wagered to be the vast sphere that was blurred out during his encounter with Serenity. Mana wouldn¡¯t help with the Apostle¡¯s Null Life but Null Life as a concept, would help Red Rage remain alive. ¡°His Null Life won¡¯tst forever, but the rate of consumption doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem. I have a few days at most though. I have to collect Null Life Essence and dy Red bro¡¯s demise while trying to find a solution.¡± Skullius looked at the Null Devil¡¯s armour. Since he still couldn¡¯t move, he merely gave the Apostle a sentimental guarantee. ¡°Don¡¯t worry bro. I¡¯ll have you back on your feet in no time,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Hmm? What was that? I don¡¯t need to worry because you¡¯ll be fine anywa¡ªflesh you, you bastard! I¡¯m trying tofort you here!¡± The Discount Human went back to resting while bathing under the hot sun. He began sweating again as after his immediate worries were solved, he was reminded how hot this region was. To draw his mind away from the heat, he began reying his fight with the Lucky Emperor Gremlin. Hisst stunt after the Gremlin had dodged his condensed orb of darkness while he was using [Crude World Projection], pulling the sucker into the rainbow turbulence outside the cave with the Chains of Damnation, had seeded even though he didn¡¯t have much faith in it. He thought that under the influenc of [Divine Coincidence], the gremlin would somehow find its footing but it wasn¡¯t the case. ¡®Looking back, it does seem like that ugly bro could get lucky every second. Red Rage managed to hurt it right after it had managed to pin me down. So I guess I was¡­ urgh¡­ lucky?¡¯ Whatever. It¡¯s over for now.¡¯ Perhaps [Divine Coincidence] didn¡¯t provide consecutive batches of luck during its duration was Skullius¡¯ hypothesis as to why Jackpot¡¯s skill hadn¡¯t helped him survive. Skullius¡¯ leg which had been impaled by the venomous teeth of one of the Lucky Strike gremlins had swollen up, having a peculiar discolouration that reached up to Skullius¡¯ thigh. It would have been hurting like a female dog if he actually had good senses but the Discount Human was rather rxed as he waited for his mana to regenerate. As his thoughts spiralled, his mind finally churned out the memory he had experienced during the tough battle. The girl in the snow. What bothered him the most about this scene he saw was the fact that when it had shown up, he had felt a mix of rage, guilt and¡­ hate. The type of hate that one would feel after cultivating it for a very long time. He loathed whoever this girl was and she seemed to be dead in the snow. ¡®Why would I get such a memory when looking at Red Rage? What does that mean?¡¯ Skullius thought as he tried to recall, to draw this memory and figure out the entirety of what it entailed. But¡­ Skullius¡¯ odd face scrunched up as a wave of immense pain assaulted his mind, throwing his thoughts in disarray for a short time. [Doom Factor 2 has been triggered. Your mind begins to fracture. 2%] ¡­! Even while in pain, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but gasp at this notification. Seriously?! Right after surviving a rather brutal battle, he was exposed to the second Doom Factor that hadn¡¯t acted up until now?! The pain began to subside as Skullius settled his thoughts. ¡®Trying to push my mind to remember that memory is a very bad idea. Gah! Give me a break!¡¯ For the next few hours, Skullius continued to rest even after he had regained the ability to move earlier. First, he used [Luminant Healing] to recover from the damage he had sustained within the Cluster and then waited for a mana refill again. Seeing his over 250 Mana Points back some timeter, Skullius finally stood. He injected mana into his ring, taking in Red Rage and the armour into storage. It was time to move on. Chapter 149 The Long Walk Ahead Another journey was afoot for the lone Skullius. Even after all this time had passed, no one hade to Santhi to check out if the problem was resolved or not which didn¡¯t exactly surprise Skullius. He now understood why these people were so scared of Clusters and this was just a low level one. What were the higher levelled ones like then? The Discount Human pulled out the map he had been given by Elita and checked his position. The map didn¡¯t have markers for small viges and towns, which is why he had been oblivious to the existence of these settlements which he had to verify by sight instead. Only cities and geographicalndmarks were represented. ¡®It¡¯ll take too long to reach Genhuis city. For now, I should focus on helping Red bro. I need Null Life Essence. Besides, I can get answers even from smaller cities right?¡¯ Skullius thought as he gazed at the nearestrge settlement around. Inhone City. Without dying much longer, the Discount Human went on his way. A steady path through grasses was traced, shaving away the green to create a bald spot which was created from the many feet and hooves that passed through here over the years.. His walk was long as there were no close viges or towns near this main road that he trekked on. On the bright side, contrasting the silence and loneliness that this journey promised, the sun was about to take a time-out behind the horizon, with a foreshadowing of thends being bathed in a rich orange hue in the next few hours. During the few hours before this happened, Skullius saw three images racing down the road as they approached in his direction. They were three men riding atop three muscleful horses that raised dust as they galloped on the dusty road. The men were dressed in colourful, shining armour, two having swords while the third held a bow. The men came to a halt when they saw Skullius, the Discount Human wondering if his face had attracted their attention. That was certainly one of thereasons as the men did grimace a bit upon seeing Skullius¡¯ face but they couldn¡¯t possibly be rude to this humble yet powerful man who had drawn their attention. One the men gave a kind smile towards Skullius, showing off his dimples as he spoke to him. ¡°I had heard that there was a Cluster in need of clearing in Santhi but it looks like you dealt with it. Alone it seems. Trespassing in other Guild¡¯s jurisdiction is a serious offense though, even if they are not helping,¡± the man said. ¡°Hmm? How did you know that I cleared the Cluster?¡± Skullius asked confusedly. The three men looked at each other with puzzled faces before the men who had addressed Skullius replied to his question. ¡°Friend, how can you not know about a Conqueror¡¯s Halo? You have one right now. Everyone will see it for a full day.¡± Surely, around Skullius¡¯ body was dim light that looked like a soft lens re. It looked unnatural but that was the idea. Its brightness was indicative of the level of Cluster cleared. Skullius raised a brow as he looked at himself, wanting to see this Halo for himself as he had only heard about it through the guidance field but his eyes just couldn¡¯t catch a glimpse of it on his person. ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t see it yourself. It¡¯s meant to announce to the world that you¡¯ve done a great service. Quite a useless gimmick, if you ask me,¡± another one of the three men said. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m personally very grateful that you managed to deal with the Cluster. One of my friends lives in this region though far from Santhi. With you dealing with the Cluster before it ruptured, I¡¯m assured he is safe. Why don¡¯t youe with us? We¡¯ll leave you off wherever you want to go,¡± the first man to speak said with the same kind smile. ¡°Yeah. I would like to hear what kind of monsters you fought and what you got after. We could make a good trade with you at cheap asking prices too!¡± the third man said enthusiastically while already making space for Skullius on his horse. Unfortunately, contrasting the cheery reception that the three men had portrayed, Skullius frowned. ¡®Not again.¡¯ he thought. ¡°ARRRRGHHHHHHHHHH!¡± ¡°EEEEEEEEEAAAAAK!¡± The first and the third man plopped from their horses as they began to scream and convulse violently! The second man¡¯s eyes opened wide as he watched hisrades melt into human soup while their horses neighed in fright and ran away! ¡°Jork! Anthiny!¡± he screamed. He dropped from his horse which was also spooked but he found that there was nothing he could do. His friends were dead, only their bones remaining, while covered in bubbling flesh and dismantled armour! They were gone! The man turned to Skullius and drew his sword, mana bubbling from his body crazily as his eyes showed murderous intent! ¡°What did you do?! What did you do them you bastard?!¡± he roared as he rushed towards Skullius with beastial rage. The Discount Human merely sighed. This curse was truly a problem. Right before the man¡¯s sword which he swung with great fervour reached Skullius, the Discount Human flicked his finger, a plume of thick darkness that instantaneously surrounded his body and part of the man¡¯s arm spilling from it! ¡­! The man found to his shock that his arm which was inches away from ripping Skullius apart couldn¡¯t move and it was stuck in its position as if frozen. ¡°What?!¡± the man eximed in shock and terror, a bucket of cold reality putting out his mes of rage! ¡°Unfortunately for you, mypanion isn¡¯t here to stop me from killing you,¡± Skullius said with a solemn glint twinkling in his eye as he then grabbed the man¡¯s sword from his stationary hand and shed with it¡­! A head fell off as Skullius then received a notification for a sessful kill. A brush with a second death had changed Skullius¡¯ mindset a bit and his frustrations were still online. Ending one life he didn¡¯t care for gave a brief sense of calm to his mind. ¡°Alright then¡­Onward!¡± Chapter 150 Elsewhere: A Certain Mans New Future Somewhere far¡­ A man woke up as his vision cleared after the initial blur. He took in the air which was extremely rich with mana, his musclesing alive with his return to consciousness after a long rest. The cover of an exaggeratedly thick nket which provided a healing warmth made his mind rx before it could panic at the prospect that he was unfamiliar with where he was. A massive chandelier with an array of thick candles that produced orange and golden mes which brought about dust-like lights tantly made its appearance known over him. As this man sat up straight, his grey eyes taking in the view of the ginormous bed he was sleeping in while being naked and theicallyrge room he was ced, he couldn¡¯t help but clutch his head. His brown hair draped over his temples as he hung his head, feeling a subtle rush of pain from his head. ¡®Where am I? What happened?¡¯ he thought, deciding that thinking back to what had happened prior first was more productive than wondering about the current inexplicable conditions he was in. At the very least, he wasn¡¯t in danger at the moment. Think back. Retrace your steps. What do I remember? As this brown-haired man tried to recall what happened, delving deep into his mind with his extensive knowledge about his own body, scenes started to appear in his head. Each of them held connotations that he wasn¡¯t proud of.. Betrayal. Greed. Failure. Fear. And loss. Loss in two of the worst possible ways. Losing a friend and losing to a universal enemy. He remembered it all, his mind clutching onto thest moments particrly tightly as he found himself losing his grip on his cool. His hands shook. He had failed. Miserably. After Eobald had betrayed the Ideal Ark, everything had spiralled out of control. He had hoped that he could somehow fix it, taking the reins as he sought to keep the embers of what he had believed in for so long alive. Yet¡­ With his leadership came death. Denille, Irlen and Reon were dead. He had continued to lead them down a path orchestrated by his greed for power. The bastion of his belief fell with Eobald and he felt that he needed to aimlessly hunt for power again. To feel secure. To feel strong. To feel like he mattered. To feel like he was right! To feel like the lives ofmonfolk like him mattered and were not just statistics that could would be counted and forgotten when nobles and strong powers trampled over them. Yet¡­ This man¡­ Benzard, gripped the thick nket as he shed tears. He had even given in to an unknown creature that offered him power when he feared dying without substance. And with that power, he still lost. He failed to save a friend and he failed to defeat an enemy who¡­ An enemy who¡­ ¡°Wait¡­¡± Benzard remembered. Thest words he had heard before he was smacked by that outrageously powerful lightning from above. ¡®You¡¯re about to die, just like Denille and Reon¡­¡¯ The undead he had fought said this and in that moment, he had realised that somehow, this undead could be the fellow he had been trying to stop from reaching the spiral grove doors! ¡®Was it¡­ really?¡¯ he thought as he gnashed his teeth. All of a sudden, all the me he had been pouring towards himself started to shift to this tall andrge figure that he connected to the weak, peculiar faced young man he had found in the Tremur Forest. But¡­ ¡®No. I¡¯m still at fault. I won¡¯t me anyone for my ambitions. It was all me.¡¯ Benzard heaved out a deep breath as he cooled down a bit. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re having fun walking down a long isle of recollection, aha ha,¡± a deep voice echoed within therge room, Benzard turning to the side of the bed were a tall figure was leisurely standing while looking down at him. A bald head and deep red eyes that gave a sense of craziness and wisdom at the same time. Benzard knew this figure quite well. It was Sause. This time, the giant was not naked. He donned a luxurious navy blue silk shirt with true sapphire coloured linings along with a pair of leather pants that articted his powerful legs. He red at him withplicated emotion yet the one at the forefront was obviously anger. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that ridiculous look. You should be thanking me. I gave you what you desired, spared your life through a rather troublesome deal and now, I even brought you into my household. What¡¯s with the malice? The hate. There should be gratefulness in those eyes.¡± Benzard couldn¡¯t find the words to retort. He touched his back with his hands and felt smooth skin instead of crusty, dry matter as what remained after the lightning strike that had ultimately dealt him the final blow. He couldn¡¯t forget the damage he received each time he was smacked with that lightning. Surely, he should have been dead but he was alive now, with smooth skin to boot. ¡°A poor boy who watched his world get lit on fire. People, houses, farm and all, as mere distraction for some lowly thieves. That must have been brutal, aha ha. Hatred and malice forged you. Your string told me of a powerful warrior whom I could induct into my camp. Truth be told, I didn¡¯t foresee myself granting you all this power which then bound us so intimately but, here we are¡­¡± Benzard listened quietly before he decided to ask. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± ¡°Aha ha. That¡¯s always the question with you humans isn¡¯t it? Such ack of ambition when you are caught between a mountain and a really hard ce. You should be standing proud and speaking freely as you see that I haven¡¯t the slightest intention to kill you, aha ha,¡± Sause said. ¡°As I said before, we are now bound. I invested a vast portion of my power in order to save you from the Veneration art that almost imed your life in that Labyrinth. Now, I cannot reverse what I have done. You are destined to be my sessor. The one who holds my ideals. When I die, the full strength of the Perpetual Colossus will awaken in you. Before then, l have a lot of things to do and you now have the time and essence to survive long enough to see me do them, aha ha.¡± Benzard turned his head to the bald headed giant who had his signature yful glee. He didn¡¯t buy this. It seemed too, genuine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll learn to trust me with time. For now, let¡¯s go acquaint you with the family. There¡¯s a huge seven day banquet in honour of my arrival. Surely, the one who inherits my powers should join.¡± Sause snapped his fingers, numerous coloured strings racing along Benzard¡¯s body to form a simple pair of tight pants. ¡°What about the shirt?¡± Benzard frowned as he turned to Sause after looking at the new fashion he had been adorned with. ¡°Quit your human tendencies. You¡¯re no longer in that pest ridden hell hole. Only Quintess knows how much I loathe your pretentious customs. Now,e.¡± Benzard¡¯s body rose to float andnd on the floor from the bed. He walked with Sause towards the two massive, wooden doors that were at the very end of the room, sculpted with beautiful imagery from the historical tales, featuring tall men and¡­ dragons. Benzard gulped down saliva. Unlike Opungale, thend of the Sif which had been travelled to by many humans who documented and drew images of the life there, thend of Giants had only been traversed to many, many years ago, its existence almost bing a mere folktale among the ignorantmonfolk. Being one himself, Benzard hadn¡¯t reached the stage in life where he sought for the validity in such stories, yet here he was now. There was no disbelief that he could render to the situation. He had no doubt. Sause pushed open the double doors, a warm heat and loud cheer as well as chatter sting its way into the room as Benzard¡¯s eyes open wide, taking in the view of ginormous structures, tall men and women as well as untold mystery that was a far cry from anything he had experienced in Feinheath! Chapter 151 Elsewhere: Arrival And Judgement ¡°They¡¯reing! Dear Listafelle, I can¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°Bloody, long-eared purists who can¡¯t stay the hell away from ournds! I hope this is a ploy to kill them once an alliance is established!¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I don¡¯t know about that, nor do I care really. What I do care about though, are those foreign breasts, cultivated in nature, washed by untouched waters, brushed by flowers and having a warmth better than freshly baked buns.¡± ¡°Hehe, this guy knows his stuff. I wonder what a Sif woman tastes like. I heard they all have fair, white skin. Hmmm. I feel something twitching just by imagining such lovely skin around hard, pink nipples. I¡¯ll sign any treaty if you give me five of those to milk everyday!¡± ¡°Huh? What would you do with five tits?! Wouldn¡¯t you want six? As in three beautiful women? Are you some weirdo who likes to jerk off to three breasted women or something?! Because I¡¯d totally agree! That¡¯s artistic and erotic. Erotistic!¡± ¡°I know right! Finally someone who gets it! I¡¯ve found my brother from another bosom!¡± ¡°GET AWAY FROM HERE, YOU TWO DEGENERATES!¡± The expansive streets of the Royal City, Agmold, were bursting with discussions as everyone waited for the arrival of the Sif representatives who had been announced a day ago to be arriving today! Agmold, one of the four big cities, had thergest poption along with the highest security reserved for this momentous asion that could potentially redefine the entire nation and possibly the entire continent. Many talks were in the air about the ramifications that a sessful signing of the treaty would entail as Pelian as a nation was only one of three and if the Royal family in this nation agreed to allow the Sif to integrate into the human society of thisnd, that would be the beginning of a undesirable dilution, as many called it. If Pelian agreed with the proposal this could spark a war and the majority of the public didn¡¯t want to have the long-eared men and women running around except for noblemen, the Purity and perhaps, the DDP society.. (A/N: Degenerate, depraved and pervert society). The crowded public streets of therge city were littered with hawkers, men and women from the public residences along with curious children who stood on their toes in order to try to get a better view of this awaited visitor. While many nobles and a fewmonfolk had seen at least one Sif before, many only knew of their existence, even within such arge city like Agmold. As the chaos reigned within wide road that would stretched up to lead all the way to the Royal domain, the nking of heavy armour was heard as a few Knights walked within the crowd. No one had to be told. No one had to forced. No violence was required. The masses split hurriedly and ate back their mour and chatter. A deep silence ensued as everyone gave way to the Capital Knights who had been sent to observe order and make sure that the guests would arrive within the Royal domain without any issues. Their steps were unhurried as they nodded to the crowd which reciprocated without any words. A respect for men and women at work was at y as a single Knight stood calmly on either side of the road with a gap of thirty meters from the other, all the way to the designated ce. The uniformity and order was incredible and within the next few minutes, the guests arrived. Clop! Clop! Clop! White horses with prideful statures galloped through the bricked streets. Four of them drew a beautiful and long carriage which had an immacte design of stars on the shiny, sky blue exterior with golden fittings that were etched with beautiful Sif writings. Four protruding wings that were sculpted masterfully and fitted to the sides could be seen, yet one could swear that they could see them twitch from time to time as if they were alive. Two individuals who rode white hordes as well walked on either side of the carriage, their slim structures visible through the white armours they wore, hiding every inch of their skin. The Capital Knights on the side evaluated these two to be extraordinarily powerful as their awareness brushed against the crowds, cautiously keeping an eye on any suspicious activity. Everyone held their breaths as the carriage passed. Such beauty. Such ss. The crowds watched as the carriage went down the long distance until it reached a massive estate, filled with high rising buildings and fascinating decor where it came to a stop. Two Knights with different coloured armour from the rest were waiting, their helmets which only covered half their faces reflecting the sun. The door to the carriage opened, a silk dress, along with a slender foot being what first thing that appeared to. Soon, the figures of three women stepped out of the carriage. Two of them were adorned in slender armour that hugged their figures elegantly while being fitted with a type of transparent cloth as capes. Their faces were covered not by helmets, but by veils that only left their ears and eyes for all to see. The figure in their midst however, was open for the world to appreciate. Even the two Knights that were here to receive them couldn¡¯t help but grit their teeth as they held back gasps. Long, pointy ears with nted crimson-gold eyes that looked like small worlds, fair white skin with a light peppering of freckles to the high cheekbones was what her head expressed. Long, cherry hair that draped over her shoulder to cover her back which was uncovered as was the design of the long, turquoise blue dress that sparkled like glitter, shaping over her curvy body, could be seen as she went on to give the Knights a sweet smile. The Knights bowed slightly before extending their hands in the direction of therge building behind them where at the very doors, three people in Royal attire could be seen waiting. ¡°No need to gesture pointlessly. I can hear and speak the Known Language just fine,¡± the Sif said with a voice that flowed like honey. The representative of the Sif had arrived. The third daughter of the High Family, Darwel. *** ¡°We are very disappointed, Champion Elita. With your expertise, we thought we could trust your judgement but it seems that we were wrong. Your promotion to the tenth position urred only recently and we hoped you would scale higher but¡­¡± a feminine voice spoke from one of the sevented doors that were attached to the white wall before a certain Pdin Champion who was kneeling respectfully. It had been a full day and some since she arrived and a report of what had urred in Eofel had arrived, prompting this meeting with the highest order of power within the Purity. The dark-skinned Champion showed no change in her expression as she heard the verdict that came from the behind the walls. ¡°Thousands were killed in the wake of a mysterious power but the Knights say nothing of praise about you saving lives! Leaving a criminal who attacked a Grand Priest alive and smearing our image was all you did and now thosemon fodder and noble fools see us as unreliable! You did not even defend your case at the very least!¡± another voice barked angrily. ¡°Have you anything to say for yourself?!¡± Elita raised her head and faced no one in particr as she spoke. ¡°My decisions seemed appropriate at the time but I realise that I was wrong. I ept whatever punishment you will give. However, I beg of you to consider the Green Neolists as a threat at the same level as the Evenfall. Their cruelty is sacrilegious and must be dealt with. For the good of Feinheath,¡± Elita said while her lips trembled. Even her tough heart had been shaken when she had to face off against the victims of . Civilians used for evil purposes. This evil had to be quelled nomatter what, even if she wasn¡¯t the one to do it. There was silence for a while before the same feminine voice from before spoke. ¡°We have acknowledged it. We will gather information from our forces and mobilise our resources to find those fiends. I give you my word, Champion Elita.¡± ¡°However, as of this moment, as punishment for your ipetence, your title as a Pdin Champion shall be stripped from you and you shall be indefinitely detained.¡± Elita clenched her fists as she held back her emotions. Still, she didn¡¯t regret it. Had she not been more open minded, she would have died in her fight with the Cursed Knight and undoubtedly everyone in Eofel would have died if that was the enemy¡¯s intent. She didn¡¯t express any of her reasons and took the fall quietly. This was a merciful punishment all things considered , though it sucked. ¡°I ept.¡± Chapter 152 Inhone City The Discount Human stood, facing the city that was supposed to be small. Inhone City. It was bigger than he expected it to be, surrounded by thick walls that had different stations atop which could be manned to attack in times of crisis. Right now, he was standing in a wife dusty street where several tens of people were lined up, entering the city one by one. The surroundings were as verdant as they had been for all his journey which enraged Skullius as it almost seemed like he was the only one whom the sun wanted to bully. Among the people around him were some had carts and carriages, others on foot as they all endured the procedure that was taking ce at the wide open space at the wall where the gates were lifted. Verification of identity before entry was really important in Inhone as well as all proper cities. New entrants had to pay a fee that was in line with how long they would be staying in the city. If they wished to remain permanent residents of the region or the city, they had to pay for it, gaining an identification that couldst for up to ten years given the right pocket before needing to be renewed. Locals had it easy as people from this hot region could identify themselves easily and distinguish the foreigners because of their skin and tolerance to the hot one above. Skullius had heard in the many conversations that were taking ce around him of the situation and he was d in this moment, that he had some coin.. In all truth, he didn¡¯t know what coin was until just a few minutes ago when he listened to a few bbering merchants who tossed a few silver coins in the air yfully. ¡®This heat is a pain in the pelvis.. ¡± Skullius thought as he sweated. The sun had not been kind to him over his journey from Santhi. He was d that Red Rage had secured for himclothing and water, otherwise he would have died in the most embarrassing way for an evolved Boneman in disguise. It had been a rough journey but he had made it anyway, silent as it was, with Skullius running away from strangers and seeking for monsters to kill to gather Null Life Essence from. He had found none as except for domestic animals that were kept in the many settlements which he had seen on his way, nothing else could be found. His Conqueror¡¯s Halo had vanished some time ago, though Skullius couldn¡¯t be bothered as it had been made known to him that it was just a decoration. An advertisement. The Discount Human had be devoted to mastering the abilities of the Insurgent Magnus after his fight with Jackpot. Since he would be stuck in cosmetic flesh for most of the time while he was with humans, he had to practise harder. And practise he did. [Basic Evil Weaving] had reached level 8 while [Evil Darkness Production] had reached level 6 following some dedicated work. Skullius couldn¡¯t wait to evolve the skills and unlock more options in his use of the power. His current goal hadn¡¯t changed as he aimed to find a way to save Red Rage while harvesting Null Life Essence. Searching for more Clusters wasn¡¯t a bad idea but during his journey here, he had found it rather difficult toe across a Cluster. Hopefully, the word he had heard being tossed around a day ago in Namu and Santhi could help him with his goals. Guild. The line kept moving as the service was not stunted by any means, Skullius following along until he reached the front. Now, he could clearly see the ones managing all the work. A few men dressed formally sat on desks while at the edges of the gates, men in sparkling silver armour could be seen. Capital Knights. These men seemed more¡­ professional and powerful than the ones Skullius had seen in Eofel. They had an air about them that demanded respect and even though Skullius didn¡¯t dare use [Advanced Mana Maniption], he could still feel that there crazy strong. Two of them wore stern faces as they asked the same questions over and over again, the entrants paying up to the formally dressed men who sat desks collecting the coin in spatial rings. As Skullius¡¯ turn came, his figure standing before the Knight, he saw the man¡¯s face twitch a little upon looking at his face. ¡°State your business,¡± the Knight said sternly with a bit of roughness that he didn¡¯t inflict on anyone else. ¡°I¡¯m here to¡­ visit,¡± Skullius answered. ¡°For how long do you wish to stay?¡± ¡°A few days.¡± ¡°For how long do you wish to stay?¡± ¡°Bro, I said a few days.¡± ¡°For how long do you wish to stay?!¡± The sword at the Knight¡¯s side was unsheathed. ¡°Five days, bro,¡± Skullius relented, the Knight¡¯s malicious air finally dying down. Skullius had already been holding five silver coins that he had taken from Reon¡¯s ring which he handed to the man at the desk who also looked at his face with grimace. ¡®Give it a rest you bastards!¡¯ Skill growled inwardly. Upon entering the city, he was met with a vast world that announced everything within it quite tantly. Tall purposeful structures that rose from the ground had different colourations and styles with symbols that showed what their function was. Orderly streets that carried people of different kinds, some rich, some poor were artfully ced around the city. mour and chatter along with sweet smells were everywhere, though Skullius couldn¡¯t detect them. No loud and disorderly marketces were evident as this seemed like a proper city with purpose. Perhaps it was just a biased opinion from Skullius as he hated the reception from Eofel. ¡°Now. Where do I start?¡± Skullius thought as his eyes ran around, taking in full scenes of various activities. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to just ask as he feared provoking UNCoddled and getting himself screwed all over again. Skullius gazed to the side and found a group of six men and women wearing colourful armour and holding impressive looking weapons. They were on their way out of the city as they chatted joyfully while on the other side of the street, a few other figures with the same armour were walking towards a tall and wide building hidden behind several smaller ones in the distance. ¡°Hmmm¡­ that would be a good ce to start right?¡± Skullius asked himself as he walked towards the building. Chapter 153 Guilds Association (1) The National Guilds Association building. This structure reminded Skullius of the Capital Knights building in Eofel but it was bigger and better. It didn¡¯t look like a building made just for show as the thick grey walls had a certain weight to them, of age and¡­ sess. The steps that led into the building made Skullius feel like it was a sacred ce as many powerful individuals walked up and down, in and out of the establishment proudly. Skullius walked into the wide and tall structure and saw an expansive space that could almost be ssified as ssy, with a professional reception opposite him a distance away and what looked like a mini restaurant far off to the side with the men as well as women seated down while eating being barely visible. Arge board to his other side could also be seen, where many folks were huddled in groups as they took a look at pieces of paper that held written requests for requests. The property setup for any settlements in Pelian was to have small cities overlooking different portions of the same region they were located in while arge city overlooked the entirety of the region, cities and all. The National Guilds Association was an organisation setup to create work for those that wished to do work outside of the Capital work setup.. These people were called Mercenaries. Their job was basically clearing Clusters and hunting down dangerous monsters while any other form of hired work that leaned into assassinations and such was prohibited. Skullius looked to and fro while trying to figure out where to go first. He hadn¡¯t nned adequately and one wrong move would get him killed, especially with UNCoddled searching for targets. ¡°Hey, get your ass out of the way, idiot!¡± A hoarse voice boomed from behind Skullius and he turned. Behind was a group of twelve tall, thick men packed into ck shiny armours, all ring at him with fierce eyes. Skullius quickly moved to the side without a word and watched the men walk with heavy steps into the building, their entrance garnering no small amount of attention. ¡°Oh my Suzamete! Look there! It¡¯s the EdgeKings Guild!¡± ¡°Tsk! Those bastards finally returned huh?¡± ¡°Why are they always so¡­ angry?¡± The men walked over to therge board that had the requests stuck to it. Most of the other Guilds moved aside for the prominent Guild as they feared offending them. However, one particr group of seven with a mix of beautiful women and men of different structures didn¡¯t move as they continued browsing through the requests. The man at the forefront of the EdgeKings Guild members frowned even deeper than he had been before, his face looking as if it would sink further into his skull. ¡°Still hoping to overtake us by attempting more Clusters, Jarek?¡± the man said with a thick hostility detectable in his voice. His deep hazel eyes looked threateningly at the young man who red back at him. ¡°You bet. I refuse to believe that such an unbnced crew of mutts like you can be called one of the best Guilds in this region! Just you wait till we dethrone you from the number three spot!¡± the young man from the opposite Guild replied, making the EdgeKings Guild members grind their teeth visibly. They were the easiest bunch to rile up. ¡°That¡¯s right. Neither you nor that womaniser, Tulnas know what it means to have a proper Guild. You focus on one aspect and neglect others. You¡¯re bound to fall soon,¡± a blonde beauty who didn¡¯t wear armour like the rest in her Guild said with a smug looked on her face. The surrounding Guilds began chatting among themselves over the current squabble between the third and fourth strongest Guilds in the city. ¡°The Ravend Guild sure have guts. I hope they don¡¯t get beaten up after provoking those behemoths.¡± ¡°Right. They are ying with fire, though I guess their achievements don¡¯t shy away from the EdgeKings¡¯ by much. Where did the Ideal Ark go all of a sudden? All these Guilds are now fighting over their position as the best Guild, try as they may to deny their identity as one. Did they get wiped out in a Cluster or something?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me, you bastard?!¡± Skullius merely listened while walking with his head hung long. With the ¡®entertaining¡¯ confrontation between tworge Guilds, his presence went unnoticed and uncared for as he headed to the reception where he saw some people getting served. ¡®Things are tense here,¡¯ he thought before focusing at the four receptionists that served various people. ¡®What I¡¯ve discovered in the past days has to work right? As long as someone doesn¡¯t have the intent to benefit me, they¡¯ll be fine right?¡¯ This was Skullius¡¯ thought. While he was apprehensive about asking for information, his experience with Elita who interacted with him quite a bit without getting offed by UNCoddled had given him a bit of hope. There was no way he was going to keep this up without information. ¡®I just have to find a sockethole who will answer me without the intent to help me. Someone who hates life. That seems about right.¡¯ Scanning over the faces of the seated receptions behind onerge desk, Skullius saw two smilingdies, one that didn¡¯t have a particr expression and one who showed annoyance. ¡®That¡¯s the one! Definitely! A uhm¡­ a female sockethole!¡¯ Skullius walked up to her line and waited to be served like the rest. His attention and anxiety was broken when the mour and chatter behind him was disturbed by a new group that entered the Guilds Association building. ¡°Look, look! It¡¯s them! The second strongest Guild!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with every major Guild just happening to be here at the same time?!¡± ¡°Kya! It¡¯s them! The Harem Guild!¡± Excitement, jealously and anxiety flooded the National Guilds Association building as one man surrounded by bevy of beautiful women walked in with one of the most epic of entrances a man could ask for. Chapter 154 Guilds Association (2) ¡°Tsk! While others are busy hunting monsters and Clusters, this bastard is out there hunting for beauties and he still remains on top!¡± ¡°Look, he even added a few more to his collection since a week ago!¡± ¡°Rar! I wish I could get even one of them to ¡®take care¡¯ of me just for one night. Don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You bet! Too bad that bastard is very protective of his girls! Should we ask the Guild leader to raid their ce and do¡ª¡± ¡°GET AWAY FROM HERE, YOU DEGENERATES!¡± One tall and muscr man walked into the building while having fifteen girls around him. They all had distinctive characteristics, all of them looking to be proud to be by his side, expressing their excitement in different ways; shyness, brushless, intimacy. The man at the forefront nced at the two groups that were standing side by side at the request board and smiled lightly. His dark hair which wasbed back and tied into a bun behind his head glimmered under the artificial lights above, his ocean blue eyes giving many women weak knees whenever they happened to scan by. His muscr stature buried under a perfect, ck and green armour looked quite intimidating, especially with the power that leaked from him. The Guild leader of the EdgeKings, Beck, gritted his teeth with a twitch of his nose as he red at this man.. ¡°Tulnas¡­¡± he said. ¡°How¡¯s it going, Beck? I trust you took care of that high level Cluster?¡± ¡°Of course I did. What about you? We hunted like-coloured Clusters, right? Your bunch didn¡¯t finally start to drag you down did they?¡± ¡°Haha, of course not. If anything, they¡¯re all bing stronger at a rate I didn¡¯t imagine to be possible. One of them could kill a Cluster General all on their own. Or better yet¡­ your pitiful bromance circle,¡± Tulnas said with a subtle hostile glint in his eye. Beck huffed in rage as veins throbbed on his temples. ¡°Oh~, the big bad man can¡¯t handle a small poke? That¡¯s too bad~¡± one of the girls from the Harem Guild caressed Tulnas¡¯ armour and intimately rubbed her face against his as she taunted Beck. ¡°I told you they were all virgins. Such brash and abrasive behaviour only belongs to those whose hymen is hasn¡¯t left home,¡± another one of the girls said as she pushed up her sses. ¡°Shut up, bitch! You want me to rip your nose off?!¡± an agitated member of the EdgeKings stepped forward, his face turning red from Rage. ¡°Pfft! Rip her nose off! Such child-friendly insults really don¡¯t work for you big guy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Tulnas! You better keep your bitches on a leash!¡± another man said as he pointed his finger at Tulnas. Tulnas took a step forward, his mana ring powerfully as he wore his slight smile. ¡°Or what?¡± he said, his women also stepping forward, showing that they were ready to go whenever their opponents were. The Ravend Guild took a few steps back as they didn¡¯t want to involve themselves in the potential chaos. ¡°Alright! Cut it out. You both know that this isn¡¯t a ce where you can beat each other up. If you want, prove your mettles outside the city,¡± a woman who wore formal attire addressed the two groups. Tulnas was the first to take a step back and wore a broad smile. ¡°My apologies. It seems like we went too far,¡± he said as his hand zipped through the air and grabbed the request on the board detailing a high level Cluster emergence in a distant town in the North. Beck gritted his teeth as he had been eyeing the request from the time he had been bickering with the Ravend Guild. Tulnas and his women wore cheeky smiles as they walked away, leaving the EdgeKings with frowns that would put twisters to shame. Skullius who was watching from the reception couldn¡¯t help but gulp audibly. ¡®Who are those freaks?! And that power!¡¯ he thought. He had noticed that the above average threshold was the blue core as every powerhouse he had met since arriving in Pelian had a blue core. Excluding Elita that is. What differed among these blue cores was the brightness. Some of them were dull, other mildly bright and the others glowing with a sun-like intensity when he analysed them with [Advanced Mana Maniption]! This was actually true for all core colours. Yet, when Skullius sensed the level of power of these people, he found that there was something else about them that dictated how strong they were. Their bodies! Something about them was different. ¡®Is this rted to the Stages stuff? I¡¯ll know soon enough.¡¯ Skullius¡¯ turn finally arrived in the line as he merely looked nkly at the middle-aged woman behind the desk in silence. The woman, upon realising that Skullius wasn¡¯t speaking, decided to ask in the most s¨¦ way possible. ¡°Anything I can help you with¡­ sir?¡± ¡®This is it! She doesn¡¯t give a boneshit! This confirms it, right?! Look at those eyes! They dont care about me at all! She doesn¡¯t even care about my face! Perfect!¡¯ Skullius cheered inwardly. ¡°Uhmm¡­ how can join a Guild and fight in Clusters?¡± Skullius¡¯ eavesdropping had paid off as he was now asking what he deemed to be the appropriate question. He hoped. He truly hoped. The woman at the desk looked at him with her brow raised. She wanted to erupt on Skullius for not knowing basic knowledge but she held herself back. ¡°That¡¯s something you should be asking the Guild you want to join, not us. That is, unless you are not a licensed mercenary.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t have the license thing. How do I get it?¡± The woman looked increasingly annoyed which Skullius grinned to as he identified her as being someone who didn¡¯t give a flying flesh about him. Finally! Someone who didn¡¯t care! High five to all socketholes out there! ¡°You have to be evaluated by the Guild staff on whether or not you¡¯re fit to fight in Clusters. IF you don¡¯t know anything beyond this as well, I advise that you head to the temple to see which Direction is suited for you. An evaluation by the priests would help. NEXT PLEASE!¡± Someone behind Skullius pushed him out of the line, the Discount Human hatefully ring at the person before walking away. ¡®At least I found some useful information. Those merchants weren¡¯t lying. These services really have the worst people! I love it! I guess I can safely use my coin to find someone who sells information! I¡¯m sure they would be unaffected by UNCoddled too!¡¯ The conversation with the two merchants outside the city had taught Skullius quite a lot of things. Apparently, any service that was sold didn¡¯te with a 100% benefit for the buyer as the individual who was selling also wanted to benefit, which made this the perfect scenario for Skullius. Such people were his best friends and he wanted to meet them so badly for his additional n which involved the powers of the Vehement Bone Nullmancer that he had yet to exploit to the fullest! With unmatched zeal, Skullius walked briskly and happily towards the door while being deep into his thoughts. Things were working out well. He was on a good streak to his ultimate goals. DUM! ¡°Hey!¡± Skullius identally bumped into one of the beauties that was following after the ck-haired man! His non-existent heart almost stopped when the whole group turned to focus on the incident between him and the woman he bumped into. Chapter 155 The Discount Humans Name Skullius sucked in a deep breath with his eyes opened wide when the gaze of Tulnasnded on him. He felt the unconscious release of power from the leader of the Harem Guild press against him and he couldn¡¯t help but feel overwhelmed. He didn¡¯t even focus on the woman before him who was ring at him with burning eyes as his only concern at the moment was the man with one of the strongest blue cores he had ever felt so far! Surely, he was imposing. His image as he walked over to Skullius with his slight smile made the Discount Human start sweating. What was he going to do? Was he going to be angry? The busty, silver haired woman he had bumped into poked Skullius in the chest, the Discount Human almost toppling over. ¡°Hey! Shouldn¡¯t you apologise if you bump into someone?! What are you acting all dazed for?¡± she hissed. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ it was a mistake. I was just in a hurry,¡± Skullius said as he wore a sheepish smile. As the silver-haired beauty focused more on his face, she frowned. She was about to say something about Skullius¡¯ face when Tulnas came between the two and looked down at Skullius who was quite short inparison. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Renia. He didn¡¯t mean it. Could you forgive him? For me,¡± Tulnas said as he gave a short-lived nce to the silver haired beauty who lightly blushed and turned her head with a ¡®hmph!¡¯ The other women stood behind Tulnas as he refocused on Skullius¡¯ figure.. He had a mysterious smile that seemed to make the entire world revolve around him making Skullius even more nervous and unsettled. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked. ¡®Oh crap! Why does he want to know my name?! Wait¡­ that reminds me! I don¡¯t have a name for my Discount Human form! I can¡¯t use the name Skullius right?! That would be too suspicious right?!¡¯ Skullius thought. He recalled that his Discount Human form didn¡¯t even have a name, ording to the guidance field at least. What was the significance of a name anyway? Naturally Skullius would loved to use his original name but he had never told it to anyone. Only Elita knew it. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Skullius stammered under the many gazes. ¡®What name should I tell him? I would have to stick with it, right, for consistency? GAH! This is stressful! Should I go with B? No! No! Why is that bastard¡¯s name still in my head?! What other names can I choose?!¡¯ As his thoughts spiralled, searching for a name¡­ [Have you chosen the name ¡®B¡¯ for ¡®Discount Human¡¯ form?] ¡®What?! Wait! No! No! Why so suddenly¡­?!¡¯ [Alternative option avable¡­] [Would you like the Voice of Worlds to choose a name for you?] ¡®Huh?!¡¯ ¡°Do you seriously not know your own name?¡± the silver-haired beauty behind Tulnas said with a tone oozing of condescension, reminding Skullius that time wasn¡¯t standing still, waiting for him to think things through. His smile grew deeper as he stammered some more while within¡­ ¡®Yes! Yes! Give me a ¡®name¡¯! Hurry!¡¯ he replied to the guidance field, new notifications instantly recing the inquisitive one. [¡­..] [A name has been chosen for you by the Voice of Worlds] [Your name shall be¡­ ¡®Festos Dawn¡¯] [Congrattions, you have earned a name!] ¡®¡­uhm¡­ okay.¡¯ ¡°Hahaha. Sorry about that. I¡¯m just embarrassed by my name,¡± Skullius said to Tulnas. ¡°My name is Festos. Festos Dawn.¡± ¡°Hmmm. I see. What an exotic name. One that I¡¯ve never heard in all my travels around the three nations. The world still remainsrge doesn¡¯t it?¡± Tulnas said while Skullius nodded viciously. ¡°Well, Festos. I have a proposition for you. Join my Guild.¡± ¡­.! ¡°WHAT?!¡± The collective shock of fifteen beauties, several eavesdroppers and Skullius himself, shook the surroundings. What was with this proposition?! Many degenerates thought of the same thing. Had Tulnas had his fair share of women and was now recruiting¡­men into his¡­ harem?! Would it still even be called a harem?! Before any of the more than a dozen women could verballyin, Tulnas raised his hand to shut them up, which they did. After the initial shock, Skullius became terrified as he realised¡­ this man was offering him¡­HELP! ¡®Please don¡¯t melt! Please don¡¯t melt! Please don¡¯t melt!¡¯ Skullius pleaded in spirit. Thankfully, Tulnas didn¡¯t start screaming as he instead continued to speak. ¡°I feel something special about you. Call it the intuition cultivated after being able to smell fortune from a mile away for years or whatever but¡­ I feel that having you by my side will bring me this fortune and you will benefit by rising in fame and strength if you join us.¡± ¡°Mutual benefit.¡± Skullius stared nkly at Tulnas before he turned his gaze to the thirty eyes that were brimming with cmity behind Tulnas, warning that they would make his life a living hell if he agreed. Skullius ignored them as he thought deeply. Solemnly. ¡®I get it now.¡¯ His heart rxed. There was never danger. He had no reason to worry. This man before him¡­ was a sockethole. He had no intention of helping him at all. But then again, Skullius wouldn¡¯t exactly call himself.. fortune. He smiled brightly at this ¡®good person¡¯. ¡°Thank you for the kind offer, but I can¡¯t take it right now. I have a few issues that I have to deal with for now, though I might consider it in the future,¡± he said. Tulnas enthusiasm didn¡¯t die down one bit. He wasn¡¯t rejected outright and he could feel that this man before him really wasn¡¯t trying to dodge. ¡°Very well. When you have finished your so-called affairs, you can find me at our residence. I¡¯m looking forward to our meeting.¡± Tulnas turned and began walking to what had been his original destination from the start, his harem of fifteen collectively giving Skullius deathly res before following after him. ¡®Terrifying,¡¯ Skullius thought. Each of those women had a bright blue core, though nowhere as luminescent as Tulnas¡¯. He then rushed towards the exit before anything else happened, while around him, the chatter continued as many discussed. ¡°What kind of a person rejects such a glorious offer?! He¡¯s a fool, I say!¡± ¡°I know right! I¡¯ve been dying to join a worthwhile Guild for years!¡± ¡°Yeah, my too! Especially one with descent women!¡± ¡°¡­. What are you two trying to say?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°¡­. nothing¡­?¡± The Discount Human walked out the doors to the National Guilds Association and looked to both his sides. ¡®That was tense. I guess it wasn¡¯t too bad though, all things considered. I even got a name too. Festos Dawn. It¡¯s not bad, I guess. Now! To find information. My best bet is to find someone selling it. But first¡­ let¡¯s go to this Temple ce and see what thatdy was talking about.¡¯ Chapter 156 Temple, No Temple (A/N: I won¡¯t be changing how I address Skullius with ¡®Festos¡¯ yet. There wille a time¡­) ¡­. Shortly after navigating through the clean but crowded streets, following the word ¡®temple¡¯ every where he heard it, Skullius finally found the building he was looking for. The structure was magnificent to say the least. From an aerial view, the building looked like a three leaf clover, rounded edges and all. It was massive in size, painted in white with arge and captivating golden three point star at the face of its build. Its entrance was elevated from the ground, with quite the long stretch of stairs that led into the building. Around the structure was a free space devoid ofmercial constructs for almost forty meters on every side as the space was upied instead by pools, benches and three grand statues thatcked distinctive features except gender. No detail to their faces was added as it was believed that no one had the right to give a definitive appearance to the three Deities, thus tall, rock outlines were made to simply represent the ones above Divinity. A long line of people could be seen waiting for a turn to enter the temple, while a few others were leaving with either d or depressed faces down the opposite side to those that stood with anticipation while looking ahead.. Skullius looked at these people as he wondered what they wanted so badly that hundreds of them would stand in a long line that descended down the stone stairs. The line was just that long and the heat was so much that Skullius didn¡¯t see how it was worth it to stand all day enduring it for anything. He saw one of those that wereing from the building with a depressed face, muttering to himself as he stomped in rage. ¡°How can my Direction be so cruel?! Why can I not be a warrior like my father?! Me, a farmer?! Are those priests really convening with the Deities or just feeding us nonsense?!¡± The Discount Human couldn¡¯t help but catch on to one word the man said which he was familiar with. Direction. That receptiondy had said the same thing. What exactly was that? Skullius had half a mind to wait in line but he knew that if he did, the countdown for [Flesh It Like You Mean It] would catch him while he was in the midst of the crowd and he would be fleshed. So he might as well leave and search for information first. He turned to walk away when a voice called to him. ¡°Hello, sir.¡± The Discount Human turned to see a woman in a white robe with a three-pointed star, her dark hair flowing down the pristine piece of clothing in a beautiful contrast. She wore a sweet smile as she looked at Skullius with kindness and a cute tilt of her head, no grimace being seen as she remained impartially sweet. ¡°Have you been enlightened to the beauty of the Deities, the influence of their Direction and the goodness of their¡­ Eh?¡± Skullius¡­ had bolted away at full speed. The Discount Human had seen the red g and immediately decided to dip before it was toote! One needed to learn from previous mistakes. The dust he raised as he took off was vivid from where the kind youngdy was standing, wondering what she had done wrong. ¡®I won¡¯t fall for it again! Damn goody goodies trying to get themselves killed!¡¯ Skullius thought as he made a sharp turn. He had a feeling that such a person was one of those that would willingly offer their help. ¡®Flesh good people! I only hang out with socketholes now!¡¯ The racing Discount Human only came to a stop when he truly felt safe, assimting into the crowds as he followed after those who seemed to have a purposeful journey. His aimless tour led him find some rather interesting discoveries about himself and the city. First off, he heard some people speaking in anguage he didn¡¯t understand, thenguage being outside the scope of [Greater Communication]. It wasn¡¯t something ground-breaking but it opened Skullius¡¯ eyes to the limit of his skill which had reached level 7 from constant use. The second was the various structures within the city that could aplish one of his goals. For instance, the several cksmith shops he had seen with gruff, thick-bearded men covered in soot and sweet, publicly pounding on hot metal as they forged different weapons. Skullius didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know that one of these was the solution to fixing the sword he wanted to fix so badly. [Demion¡¯s Dance]. He didn¡¯t rush to that though, as he felt that he needed to be careful with such a powerful weapon and who he showed it to. Socketholes were good and all, but they tended to want to screw someone over. Thest discovery he made was that there were services he couldn¡¯t get publicly as when he was about to enter a certain part of the city, a certain man who fit the typical sockethole profile ording to his evaluation on the human side, stopped him and asked what his business was in that area. Skullius had happily answered that he wanted to buy information, his sincerity and coin earning him an escort to therge market of shady goods and services. So many socketholes to choose from! What looked like a normal residential area was actually littered with illegal activity hidden behind wooden doors. Skullius¡¯ escort had offered him a rmendation, leading him to a man who looked like he was running a generic food stall where roasted meat and fish were neatly ced on y tes. The man had short, dark hair and a stubble, downturned, brown eyes that focused on the fish he was frying being additions to the features on his face. He wore nothing extraordinary as he looked like a typical hawker on the side of the uncrowded street, trying to earn as little as he could. The only strange thing was that nobody stopped to even nce at his stall which almost made it seem out of ce in this ce. ¡®Alright. Let¡¯s finally get some answers,¡¯ Skullius thought as he walked up to this man. The world he resided was about to explode in his perception¡­ Chapter 157 All You Can Learn Buffet (1) Throughout the three nations, the currencyprised of naturally bronze, silver and gold coins. Ten bronze coins made one silver coin and a hundred silvers made one gold coin. The value of silver and gold could not be underestimated as they were precious as a means of buying and selling in different yet no so different ways, and for the longest time, the three stood as the medium of exchange. However, what truly made their value work, was the unique trade that happened in all of Feinheath. Because of this unique trade where new iing materials with higher value, as the merchants and mercenaries put it, an addition had been made due to the ridiculous asking prices that some of these mystical goods had that, the costs having fashioned by those who risked their lives to procure them. Mercenaries. The new addition was the diamond coin. There were things much more precious than even diamond, the resource being used merely as elevated currency that mostly moved in trade of high value goods among nobles, top Guilds and Academies, one of these valued at a thousand gold coins. Still, this did not do anything to tear away the value of gold as it was remained a dream for others to hold it one hand, especially those who remained at the bottom for all their lives.. With that in mind, a certain man couldn¡¯t help but narrow his downturned eyes as he looked at the three gold coinsid on top of his fish and a rather enthusiastic, weirdly-faced man who looked at him with shining eyes. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s all you want?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Skullius replied. ¡°Perhaps I misunderstood you. You want to know everything about how to be strong¡­because you want to be a mercenary? Everything?¡± ¡°Yes. Throw in some knowledge about who runs everything in these cities too, I¡¯d really appreciate it.¡± The dark haired man had wanted to confirm as this wasn¡¯t a request he normally got from anyone. He was worried it was a scam but his intuition told him that the man before him could make him rich. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s the first time someone hase to me wanting to know such basic things but hey, who I am to judge?¡± ¡®You could pay half this amount to get all this knowledge at a College,¡¯ the man said inwardly, withholding it from Skullius in case he changed his mind as a result. He swiped the gold coins into who knew where and began to speak in a friendly tone. ¡°My name is Frock. I feel we¡¯ll be doing business together for a while, so we might as well get acquainted. By what name shall I address you?¡± ¡°You can call me Festos,¡± Skullius replied as Frock gave him a seat on the opposite side of his stall. ¡°Good. Nice to meet you, Festos. As for what you need, I am a man of integrity, so I shall be generous and give you an adequate overview.¡± ¡°If someone wants to know the best way to move with their life, the best or rather obvious choice is always to visit the Temple where the priests convene with the Deities to find which Direction is most suited for you.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Skullius interrupted. ¡°What is this Direction thing? I¡¯ve been hearing it a lot.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Frock said, still shocked that there was genuine curiosity in the eyes of his customer. He really didn¡¯t know? ¡°Direction is something like fate. Apparently, the Deities can show which path you are best suited for, A predetermined fate. Everyone has a Deity they favour and they often go to a priest who represents said Deity. I never believed in that Direction crap but I do favour Quintess.¡± The Discount Human mulled it over. So essentially it was a set path that you would be given. Most didn¡¯t believe such a thing as the belief in the Deities¡¯ doctrines was fading. Many were beginning to think of them as decorations whose only purpose was for granting them Tasks, when it came mercenaries at least. Such was the case with the long lines at Temples as those that wanted to be mercenaries rushed to the Temples to try and get blessings while some genuinely wanted to know their Direction, holding onto their faith. As for personality, less and less believed that the Deities actually spoke as testimonies from some priests who had quit their jobs while iming that they didn¡¯t speak to the Deities at all, fueled the unbelief. The fact that no retribution befell the masses even as they expressed their insults made people bolder. ¡°Essentially, if one has been Directed towards the path of being a fighting force in any way, they have toplete the first Task. It is to get recognised by the Deity they favour and earn their blessing. This is what keeps people flooding at the Temples despite not giving a rat¡¯s ass about devotion.¡± ¡°The First Task¡­¡± Skullius muttered to himself. He recalled that Benzard had once told him about this. However, he eventually saw an issue with this. ¡®Wait. I didn¡¯t get a First Task. Didn¡¯t I start as a level 1 with the guidance field demanding that I aplish that Second Task before I could get to level 2?¡¯ he thought. ¡°So the Deities give these tasks?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Yes,¡± replied Frock, looking slightly annoyed at a memory that suddenly surfaced in his head. ¡°As far as I know, everyone¡¯s Tasks differ even if they favour the same Deity.¡± The reply troubled Skullius deeply. ¡®I don¡¯t have any Deities¡¯ favour, right? So where are my Tasksing from? Could it be the Voice of Worlds¡­?¡¯ ¡°The blessings people get are also different, most of which are not as ridiculous, as they grow with how much an individual enhances their strength or by clearing Clusters. Its different for those who devote themselves to the path of Pdins, as they have a chance to get a Divine blessing, which is vast degrees higher than the regr blessing.¡± Even with this knowledge, though, fewer and fewer people think its worth it to be a Pdin. There are other diverse ways to grow regrthough, but they require much more than coin to divulge,¡± said Frock with a cunning glint in his eyes. Skullius raised his brow. He could feel that this guy had a white core. A bright one but nothing too shocking. However, after his encounter with Tulnas, he knew that judging someone¡¯s strength only by their core was a very misguided way of approaching this system. He hoped all the avenues of strength would be cleared for him as one, blessings, was already closed off. ¡°Now, to the good stuff. The very important things about growth.¡± Chapter 158 All You Can Learn Buffet (2) Cough, cough, cough! ¡°Arghh!¡± Frock suddenly started coughing while showing a pained look on his face which rmed Skullius as he instantly started to think that he was screwed. ¡®Damn it.. again?!¡¯ ¡°Ah! This is bad,¡± Frock said as he gazed at Skullius. ¡°What? What¡¯s happening?!¡± Skullius asked as he stood. ¡°. This happens¡­ to me sometimes. My throat gets all parched and makes it¡­ hard for me to ¡­ speak.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Skullius confusedly eximed. He was also somewhat relieved at the same time. It wasn¡¯t UNCoddled?. Frankly, he had been starting to get tofortable. This guy didn¡¯t seem like a sockethole at all and he seemed to be genuinely helping him. On the surface at least. But what was with this situation? ¡°Gold¡­ gold usually makes it better¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± The Discount Human narrowed his eyes. He wasn¡¯t an expert when it came to trading but he knew there was something fishy going on here. Did people eat gold or something? Since he wanted information and there was a lot of coin in his ring, he pushed a few more coins onto the hot fish ced on y tes. ¡°Ahem.. ahem! Wow, that worked like a charm. The cough¡¯s gone. Thank Quintess. Now, where were we? Right, right!¡± ¡®SHAMELESS!¡¯ Skullius thought. Deep from within, something clicked. This guy was a sockethole alright. ¡°There are three things that are the central focus of power. sses, mana cores and stages. I¡¯ll use examples from the Guilds since you wish to join the Guilds Association anyway.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with sses. They have three main categories which dictate difficulty of mastery, power and efficiency. The first and simplest category, is the Arma Users. It consists of every weapon wielding ss there is. Swordsman, Spearman, Archer among others. This is a category that most people choose as it easier to learn than most, but the downside is, the ways of advancement to these sses are mostly known, meaning, bing something special, even with the advanced version of an Arma type ss is very difficult.¡± Skullius nodded. ¡®I see. Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t really met fighters who don¡¯t use swords or bows sinceing here. I guess those goblins were different though¡­¡¯ Skullius thought back to the leader of the Bloated River n, Ukur and the other one, Vijak who used spells. It was weird that he had seen low level monsters that could use magic but not humans. Was there a good reason for it? ¡°The second category is the Form Users. This is made of sses whose foundation is firmly hinged on the use physical and mental abilities, with sses like Warriors, cksmiths, Mind Casters being found here. It is difficult to master these and fewer people with these sses actually manage advance them, but they can be found.¡± Skullius listened attentively. This was crucial for him to understand what kind of enemies he would be facing, after all. ¡°Thest category is¡­ the Energy Formers. This is by far the hardest ss and has very, very few people who even qualify to choose the ss for their own usage. There aren¡¯t many sses in this category, as the main ones are Mages, Diviners, Tamers, Summoners and Shamans. Anyone with a ss like this is a powerhouse that is respected and revered, though some of them have a hard time mastering the spells, especially when they are budding.¡± Frock looked particrly serious when he divulged this information, searing the caution of these people in Skullius¡¯ mind. This category of sses could change the direction of a war entirely as if a mage managed to gain an advanced ss, they would be particrly terrifying on a national level. ¡°There are only six Energy Formers in this entire city. Two of them are mages from the leading ¡®Guild¡¯, the Ideal Ark, though as I recall they only joined a month ago and were still fresh from some smallAcademy, probably with the basic mage ss. Another, is the leader of the Harem Guild, Tulnas and the rest are Capital Mages, working for the City lord.¡± Skullius gulped audibly. Tulnas was an Energy Former?! With the impression he had been given, he couldn¡¯t help but see that sockethole in a different light! Suddenly, he wanted to rece his mental image of Tulnas in the ck and green armour with a robe and staff. ¡®Maybe I should join that Guild after all. Maybe¡­¡¯ ¡°What about the mana cores?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°¡­ ¡­ my throat!¡± CLNK! Skullius begrudgingly threw a few more coins at the dark-haired bastard who instantly ¡®recovered¡¯. ¡°Right! Mana cores are an internal storage structure for mana. On a basic level, they take in mana from the world and personalise it. Normal people develop a white core which is the most basic form of a core and by condensing mana, it gets purer and stronger, forming other colours. White, blue, purple and gold are the publicly known colours. With each coloures a condensing of mana by ten times and a vast improvement in its quality. This also affects the attributes of an individual.¡± ¡°The blue core is the upper standard for a majority of people though. It¡¯s extremely hard to condense mana into purple and gold. That¡¯s something you will see with some older and more prodigious individuals. Only one person has a purple core in this city and if you stay you might just see them.¡± ¡®I already know someone with that kind of core though,¡¯ Skullius thought of Elita. In her battle against the Cursed Knight, her core has visibly produced a purple light as she fought. ¡®That was terrifying. Condensed by ten times. That¡¯s insane. But¡­¡¯ [Depths of the core]. This skill should be allow him to have an easier time. Or so Skullius thought. With this knowledge, he kind of understood why the stat representation for people with blue cores was different on the guidance field. ¡°And stages?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ it¡¯s killing me!¡± ¡°Come on, bro!¡± Skullius barked. CLNK! CLNK! Coins fell on the y tes, Frock grinning as he looked at his earnings. Who knew that gaining so much gold would be so easy? This idiot must be some rich kid from a noble family who just wanted to splurge somewhere else. At this point, he couldn¡¯t care less. Of course, even while scamming the poor fellow, he didn¡¯t neglect integrity. At the very least he gave Skullius valid information so his conscience was clear. ¡°Alright then. Stages. These are undoubtedly the foundation that¡¯s necessary before anything else. With a high enough stage, sses can be inconsequential and meaningless as fights can be won without the need for a condensed core. Stages are the result of scaling levels andpleting Tasks. The true path to what beasts do superficially¡­¡± Chapter 159 All You Can Learn Buffet (3) The Stages of power. After each level, one was subjected to a Task by their favoured Deity and only when theypleted it could they move on to the next level. The order went as so. Foundation, Advancement, Master, Incandescent, Transcendent and Beyond the Veil. In terms of levels, which could also be defined by those without the guidance field but in a harder to use sensory technique, the Foundation stage went from level 1 to level 10, the Advancement going from level 11 to 20. There was a vast chasm after this, as the Master stage had 20 levels to scale, the Incandescent Stage having the same, up to level 60. From there, another chasm would be felt as for the Transcendent Stage, 35 levels with their own horrendous Tasks had to be scaled with thest stage, Beyond the Veil, having only 5 levels as it maxed at level 100. At thest level of every stage, a Challenge was given, which was a specific hurdle that had to be ovee to break onto the next stage. (A/N: It¡¯s not as tedious as it sounds. Trust me, you¡¯ll enjoy it). Thest two stages were considered myths in the eyes of the public as such levels of power were only ever detailed in historical records. With the absence of significant wars, there had been a sharp decline in dedication to mastery as the main purpose for most, was to obtain fame or self sufficiency. What were the boons for stages? Physicality boosts were an obvious one for each stage, being more significant than level ups. The others were special techniques that boosted an individual¡¯s natural abilities.. For instance, the Full Body Aura obtained when one reached the Advancement Stage. What awaited for the other stages were things thatmonfolk couldn¡¯t even imagine as their use was strictly regted. ¡­ ¡°And that¡¯s about it. This system is said to have been learned and universally agreed upon by the humans, the Sif and the giants back in the day, so it¡¯s functional,¡± Frock said as he looked at the contemtive gaze of Skullius. The Discount Human took all this in as he tried to fit it all into his ¡®schedule¡¯. His one year time limit with Doom Factor 2 came to mind. Was a year enough to do all this? Probably not. Those were a lot of levels to pass through, not to mention that amount of Tasks as well as the so-called Challenges! He was still on the second level of the Foundation Stage and to imagining himself reaching the Beyond the Veil Stage was¡­ Besides¡­ ¡®I wonder. Even if I reach that level, will I be able to beat Somanda?¡¯ This was a question that Skullius immediately asked himself. At his very best, could he really defeat an Arch-Lich with tens of thousands of years worth of experience? This was a lot to take in for Skullius. He didn¡¯t want to rely solely on the potential help that could be rendered by Sause given their Tie of Exchange. He wasn¡¯t even sure if that would work out. The more preferable route would be to quickly gather strength. He would ate least fight the battle too after acquiring strength. With this knowledge, though basic, now he had a clearer path! Speeding through with all he had clicked in his mind as a goal. He had a hidden ss and strange power that he hadn¡¯t gotten rity on, yet both were ridiculous. Speaking of which¡­ ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t mention anything about hidden sses?¡± Frock raised a brow. ¡°So you do know some things¡­¡± a barely visible glint twinkled in the dark-haired man¡¯s eyes as he had been keeping a close eye on Skullius¡¯ face. He was a bit rattled by it at first but now, he found himself intrigued. ¡°Hidden sses are both a guarantee to great strength and a trap to a grand fall. I don¡¯t presume you know the tale of Escus and Demion?¡± ¡­! Skullius¡¯ eyes rose as he heard this but he quickly calmed himself. Wasn¡¯t that in the description of the sword, [Demion¡¯s Dance]? ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not, and I¡¯m not retelling it to you if you don¡¯t know it, but hidden sses are usually imbedded with the previous carrier¡¯s will. If they want something done through the new inheritor then¡­¡± Frock didn¡¯t finish, but Skullius was already feeling nervous. Just a day ago, he had been thinking about what those pieces of soul from S, Dezrael and Fulgardt could do within him. Would they benefit him? Did Fulgardt¡¯s Labyrinth have something significant for those absorbed souls nned? Perhaps, one day he would be forced on some dangerous quest through the will that was forever stuck to him. That couldn¡¯t be true right? ¡°By the way, you can go to a College and get this information for a quarter of the price you just paid here,¡± said Frock with a mocking grin but Skullius wasn¡¯t affected by it at all,tching onto something else from his statement. ¡°What¡¯s a College?¡± Frock ground his teeth. He had wanted to at least see a frown on Skullius¡¯ face but the Discount Human was greedily asking for more knowledge. Dejectedly, he answered. ¡°A College is a ce where this kind of information is fed to anyone aspiring to be master in any art. You can learn just about anything from there, though they don¡¯t teach anything to do with sses like Energy Formers. That kind of knowledge is found in big cities. In Academies.¡± ¡°And before you ask, Academies arerger, wealthier versions of Colleges. Right! I think we¡¯re done talking now.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Skullius urgently stopped Frock who had begun to stand. ¡°What?¡± Frock asked as his brows skewed. ¡°Do you have any useful equipment I could trade with you?¡± ¡°The word ¡®trade¡¯ is a little redundant, but sure! Come see what I got!¡± the man¡¯s mouth featured a grin in ce of the frown he had been wearing a few seconds ago as he urged Skullius to follow. *** Tulnas sat on an expensive looking chair while looked at the extravagant ceiling up above. He was deep in his thoughts as his mind kept reying the moment when he had firstid eyes on Skullius. Deep within him, from his very soul which he shared with multiple, powerful creatures that he had tamed, came a voice that encouraged him to rope in the existence that looked like a generic character from a nd folktale. He hadn¡¯t even known if his decision to ask Skullius to join his Guild was a good one or not but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to doubt the being he had brought into his soul, sessfully taming it after a very strenuous year in a forest within three nation of Maqi. Tulnas loosened his hair and let it floor to his shoulders as he rxed, watching the sun begin its descend from its daily high. ¡°Are you sure about this? At the very least can you tell me whether its fortune or something else that your eyes sees on this¡­ Festos¡­¡± Tulnas said as he grabbed a ss of wine. From behind his back, dark furs sprang forth rapidly as they then puffed up and closed in on themselves as flesh and bone appeared within them, creating the head¡­ of a fox. The fox head with dark fur peered from Tulnas¡¯ shoulder and nudged his cheek while he drank. ¡°Come now¡­ When did you start to doubt me? Am I not your eyes for fortune and misfortune? Am I not your strength? Have you be too arrogant now that I give you a sliver of my strength, Tulnas?¡± a hoarse voice that shook the furniture in the room emerged from the fox¡¯s mouth. Tulnas sighed. ¡°How you¡¯re so easily provoked. I¡¯m the one running things on this end. Could I get a bit more information? Blind trust in you will only lead me in a ditch. Literally and figuratively.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­. ignorant. Very well, I shall tell you,¡± the fox said as upon its mouth, an extremely eerie grin appeared! ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] So I know these three chapters were quite dialogue and exposition heavy but I found it necessary to do so. I¡¯ve merely brushed through the power system from the first Volume as it was, as exined in the story, a primal way of growth that the beasts used. It¡¯s different andplicated for humans, which is why its more suited to be explored in this volume where more humans feature. If you don¡¯t fully understand the mechanics, don¡¯t worry. They¡¯ll be reiterated in NOT-IN-YOUR-FACE ways as we go. Also, as I said before, this won¡¯t be tedious with a Task for every level as we¡¯ll only focus on what it¡¯s like for Skullius. With all that said, please do tell me what you think of the story so far. I¡¯d really appreciate it if you left REVIEWS as that¡¯d help me out a ton. Please leave Golden Tickets and Power Stones if you¡¯re enjoying as with such an extensive run ahead, I would be more motivated to not drop this if it at least rises in poprity and ranking. Thanks y¡¯all. Chapter 160 Trading With Frock ¡°What would you like?¡± Frock¡¯s voice resounded within the small space where a lot of different kinds of equipment were neatly ced on racks and holders. Skullius looked around as he searched for anything useful in the brightly lit space he had been taken to from a trap door within an empty house after following Frock around the strange neighbourhood for a full ten minutes. There were armours, swords, bracelets, nes, gems among other things, hung orid somewhere. Frock wore a grin as he waited for Skullius to splurge again, hopefully on a useless item. ¡®And I thought this day wouldn¡¯t get better!¡¯ he thought. After having the extensive conversation with Skullius, he had been too annoyed to consider showing him this stash, but as it so happened, the strangely-faced young man didn¡¯t have anyck of charity. He was willing to make a dozennaire in a single day! Bless, Quintess! The young man in question walked around the room, looking at the armours with a frown as he had a hack that proved to be exceptionally efficient in helping him pick up the more unique and useful items. ¡®What¡¯s all this worthless garbage? There isn¡¯t anything unique here at all! Even Aikil¡¯s sword is better than some of the swords in here,¡¯ Skulliusined as he moved around. The way he approached an item and went on to pass over it with a frown made Frock feel nervous. Suddenly, this supposed idiot seemed like an expert appraiser who could see the value of items with nothing but a nce! ¡®Was I wrong? Is he actually an expert who was scamming me this entire time?! No! That¡¯s impossible!¡¯ Frock struggled with his thoughts. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I want here. Do you have anything useful?¡¯ Skullius asked while turning to Frock. The man withdrew his earlier obvious con-attitude and assumed a more neutral one. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s items that are abovemon that you¡¯re looking for, you might want toe with me.¡± Frock waved further into the room and touched the wall at its end, pushing it to reveal that there was a door that was masked through unknown means.. Skullius was surprised as he saw this, following Frock into another slightlyrger room where better looking stuff could be seen. Some of it was even closed off behind sheets or ss as the thing that immediately drew Skullius¡¯ attention was a dark blue shield in the corner. It was shaped like a kite with grove designs on its face that looked quite neat. It¡¯s surface was concave, looking a bit bloated as that appeared to be an intentional design feature. Skullius walked up to it and checked its details. ~~~ [The Keep] A shield created with the duty to keep its wielder safe at all costs. It spreads its belly to tank damage for the wielder. -Defense- 350-400 -Durability- 600 -Special Effect- None ~~~ Naturally, this shield wasn¡¯t anything special but Skullius wanted it. He wouldn¡¯t use it in its original form, but he wanted to subject it to [Unbound] to gain a powerful weapon to use! The original item¡¯s rarity didn¡¯t affect the skill, [Unbound] so Skullius wasn¡¯t too concerned to with finding something better. During histest big fight with Jackpot, he had realised that he needed not just a weapon for offense but one for defence as well. At least one he could whip out when he was facing a heavy hitting attack. Such a convenience was something that his Apostle Red Rage had as a skill and this was part of the reason he wanted a shield of his own. ¡°I¡¯ll take this,¡± Skullius said. Frock narrowed his eyes. ¡®Why would he choose something like that? Among all the things here, that¡¯s one of the least valuable in terms of usefulness. Heh, he¡¯s definitely not an appraiser as I assumed it seems.¡¯ Frock visibly rxed as he then went on to charge. ¡°That¡¯ll be ten golds.¡± CLNK! Skullius gave Frock the required coins without saying anything else as he then took the shield from where it hung and stored it in his spatial ring. Frock¡¯s gaze lingered on Skullius¡¯ ring for a moment. He had obviously seen it when the Discount Human was pulling out gold coins earlier but now that he had a closer look at it, he noticed that it wasn¡¯t as luxurious as he thought it would be. He was still under the impression that Skullius was some high noble¡¯s child with thick pockets and had assumed that his ring would be a rare one at least but it merely looked to be an umon one. With that, he lost interest in it as he had plenty of these. Heck, the entire city was flooded with these! Skullius continued to scroll through the items within the room until his eyesnded on something that he decided he would buy at all costs! ~~~ [Mana Band] Increases mana by 250 (white). ~~~ The description was short and concise. It summed it all up. Skullius searched for others like this but couldn¡¯t find any, which made him feel a bit dejected. ¡°I see you¡¯ve taken a liking to this band. Do you want to buy it?¡± Frock said. This young man had finally spotted a unique item. Something that could actually increase mana. He didn¡¯t know what method Skullius used to find it or if it was just luck but he was d that it seemed he would be selling it off today. The truth was, while this item increase mana, its basic use was for those with white cores, making its marketability among mercenaries difficult. If someone with a blue core used this band, then the effect would be divided by 10. ¡°How much is it?¡± Skullius asked. Frock pretended to mull it over as in the end.. ¡°150 gold coins.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Skullius frowned. Even though he didn¡¯t have an appreciation of trade and money, he knew that he was probably getting screwed over. There was a lesson to be learned from this experience. Socketholes were to be appreciated in moderation. The amount of coins he had left weren¡¯t enough. They definitely didn¡¯t reach a hundred. Skullius couldn¡¯t bring himself to leave this item behind though. He would probably be able to find other such items but when and how was the problem. He would have to figure out where what could be found in the whole of Inhone City and that would probably strain his five day limit in Inhone City. However that was tracked. Besides, there was the issue that he had a little over an hour before he transformed back into Prator form! He had to act fast! Since his gold was insufficient, Skullius searched for something else of value he could trade with and after a few minutes, the Discount Human pulled out¡­ A dead core! Frock was shocked to beyond shocked when he saw Skullius casually pull out a dead core. It even belonged to a Tier 3 beast! ¡°Where did you get that?!¡± Frock asked as he sweated. Many false assumptions were beginning to gush into his mind from this one thing before him. ¡°Does it matter?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°I can pay with this right?¡± The look on Frock¡¯s face told Skullius quite a lot as he then went on to take advantage of the situation. ¡°This seems to be more valuable than I thought. So, I guess I should grab a few more things right?¡± Frock merely nodded as he watched Skullius grab a few more valuable items on top of the mana band. After everything was done, Skullius handed the core to Frock who didn¡¯t know how to respond anymore. His over-calcting mind could only continue to make guesses. ¡®I might have been ying with fire! Who just happens to have the dead core of a Tier 3 monster on them?! And uses it for trading for stuff like this on top of that!¡¯ Frock frustratedly grumbled. He didn¡¯t let out a peep as he lead Skullius out of the room and back into the street where Skullius immediately rushed off to his next destination, leaving him behind. The Discount rushed over to reach a certain Inn that he had passed by when he had been roaming around earlier. He had heard the boisterous chatter of a few men as they talked about how the living conditions had improved from the ce, which instantly gave Skullius the idea to find shelter. The outside of the Inn didn¡¯t look so bad as therge building with a mix of wood and masonry looked quite sturdy, an aged wooden sign swaying above the doors with the words ¡°Beefy Bosom Betsy¡¯s¡±. Skullius merely gave it a nce before entering, the cheery atmosphere withmonfolk as theyughed, cackled and loudly called as they ate making Skullius have the feeling, that this was vaguely familiar. His eyes roamed until they reached the position of a certain woman behind the counter who also looked at him in the same moment¡­ Chapter 161 Bolstering The Base! (1) Skullius locked eyes with a woman who had a rather bountiful chest. She wore a red dress, decorated with white specks all over. The neck was low, revealing an ample portion of the light skin on her cleavage as therge bumps underneath it shook with her movement. Her overall figure was chubby but one couldn¡¯t dismiss that there was a certain charm that oozed from her pretty face which was powdered up delicately to vividly pronounce her small blue eyes and high cheekbones. Her ideal lips were fun to look at as a deep red smeared over them to give them an appetising image. Her amber hair was tied into a side pony, with the silky tufts draping over her shoulder. ¡°Those¡­¡± Skullius muttered as he tore away his gaze from this woman¡¯s eyes, his own lowering to optically ravage the most outstanding part of her body. Unconsciously, Skullius walked forward with his eyes never losing sight of the prize. This wasn¡¯t the first time he was seeing the protruding shape on a woman¡¯s chest but¡­ a cleavage? This was his first time. The women he had met so far had been wearing armour and when he had been roaming the city, his mind had been too preupied to spare any effort towards ogling such a feature. The female had always been an odd phenomenon to him ever since his first meeting with one. Denille.. A horrible example but a woman nheless. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not on the menu, love,¡± an enticing and mature voice escaped from the woman¡¯s lips as she addressed Skullius who immediately raised his head to look back at the woman¡¯s eyes. He felt a weird emotion for some reason as he stared at the calm and vivid eyes of the woman behind the counter. Embarrassment. ¡°Finally found your way back to my face, eh? Did you like what you saw?¡± Skullius couldn¡¯t find the words to reply. Deep within him, he knew he was in the wrong and kept his cosmetic eyes in check. ¡°Regardless of your answer though, you better make sure you don¡¯t get yourself killed.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius was confused. What did that mean? PKAA! The sound of breaking ss assaulted Skullius¡¯ eyes and he turned to see that most of the men who were dining in this floor of the tall building were ring at him with reddened eyes! One of them had even broken a ss and was holding it threateningly at Skullius. The Discount Human hadn¡¯t even realised that the noise in this ce had died down when the men saw someone ¡®bothering¡¯ their beloved view. Somehow, Skullius understood the situation. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t do that again. I was right after all. Females are sacred!¡¯ ¡°Now. If you¡¯re someone who¡¯s here to stay, I wee you to my humble Inn. I¡¯m Betsy as you might have guessed from what the sign outside says. If you¡¯re a passer-by, I encourage you to not waste any more of my time,¡± the woman whose name was Betsy said with a half serious expression on her face as if baiting Skullius. Skullius forced himself to focus on the objective at hand. The bountiful view on this woman¡¯s chest had almost made him forget about the ongoing trend of UNCoddled. Luckily, this woman before him didn¡¯t seem to be the overly kind and caring sort. Just as he had learned, those who sold services were the best to hang out with. ¡°I¡¯d like to get somewhere to stay for the next five days please,¡± Skullius said promptly. Betsy wore a slight smile as leaned over the counter. ¡°That would be ten silvers.¡± CLNK! Skullius immediately paid the amount. From behind him, he heard the seats and tables adjusting as the men who settled on them went back to eating and drinking merrily. Betsy took the coins and snapped her fingers thrice. She was the owner of Inn and had a few otherdies who helped out in dealing with the issue like cooking, cleaning and administration. A youngdy rushed from the door behind the counter, answering the proprietor¡¯s summon. ¡°Please show our new guest to his room.¡± The youngdy bowed and asked for Skullius to follow her. The two walked to the stairs at the end of the space, going from the ground floor and to the first floor under the sharp gaze of Betsy who couldn¡¯t help but remark to herself, ¡°He¡¯s a rather¡­ odd fellow. Face and all.¡± There was just something off about that young man. Betsy had met with plenty of men to know all about them and their linguistic as well as gestural preferences and their hidden meanings. Yet this one man, gave her the feeling that he was quite¡­ extraordinary. Skullius was shown his room, with his escort rushing away after unlocking the door and giving him the key to the room. Skullius didn¡¯t think much of it as his lingering thoughts on the round and swaying objects he had seen on Betsy fading when he saw his room. A small space with a bed, a window and a desk. Annoyingly, the loud noises from below were very much audible from within this room. At first Skullius was irritated by this, but then he realised that he could make the most of it. At least the noise could mask whatever he was doing. Not that he nned to do anything excessive. The Discount Human locked his door and sat on the bed. He activated [Advanced Mana Maniption] and searched to see if there was anything strange within the room but ultimately found nothing. The people around didn¡¯t have much in the way of mana cores, which made sense as Skullius surmised that all the mercenaries were probably living in better conditions than this. Skullius pulled out the items which he intended to work with; the mana band and the shield along with the other items he had takenter for the purpose of ¡®cheating¡¯! There was an exquisite knife with a slender de which had the skill, [Quick Strike], an agility based skill that allowed the user to gain additional speed and dexterity when attacking with the knife. There was a brown and ck leather armour, its design evidently made for the more leanbatants as it held the passive skill [Great Rush], which augmented the user¡¯s movement speed, along with their reactions by 10%. Skullius had been shocked when he learned that the armour was rare type equipment. Analysing the armour taught him that it was probably because of this skill that it gave. The word ¡®Great¡¯ in the skill made Skullius wonder if his own skill, [Greater Communication] and this one were somehow linked, after all, it was the only skill he hade across so far with such a prefix. Thest item he had gotten, was a grey coloured glove made with a semi-metallic material. It held the skill, [Brawn], which increased the force and power that Skullius could deal with blunt attacks. ¡°Alright,¡± Skullius said. He was about to extract these skills from the items before him. However, this was something that could only be done passively with his ss as the Vehement Bone Nullmancer, which unravelled the concepts of the world before him. And for that, he had some time to kill as [Flesh It Like You Mean It] had almost timed out. Skullius couldn¡¯t wait. Strengthening on his base as opposed to focusing on his Insurgent Magnus for the moment wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Chapter 162 Bolstering The Base! (2) [The skill ¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ has timed out ¨C 00:00:00]. ¡°Finally,¡± Skullius said as the cosmetic flesh receded, giving way for his tall, dark blue skeletal Prator form to show. Due to the density of his bones and his overall height, Skullius had to remove himself from the bed and sit on the floor instead, fearing that he would break something. Furthermore, the tiny sparks that constantly ran along the surface of his bones could burn down the room and the Fulgurant Bone Prator was forced to wear the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation. ¡°It¡¯s good to feel strong again,¡± Skullius said to himself. His presence would always be null in this form, which made him feel even more secure when it came to what he was about to do. ¡°I haven¡¯t used this form inbat in a while. I should at least use it in Clusters in the future.¡± With that, Skullius didn¡¯t waste anymore time as he gazed at the items before him. He would have loved to upgrade the shield, the Keep, immediately but he was a few Null Life Essence points shy from the 1000 he needed to use [Permanent Random Upgrade]. Therefore, he moved onto the next task. Extracting the skills from the three items he had. If there was something that Skullius was thankful for, it was the fact that he could share normal skills between his two bodies. The only ones that were restricted were the racial, ss and wield skills whose origin he still wasn¡¯t familiar with like [Pseudo Evil Veneration]. ¡®I probably should have asked about that from Frock but¡­ oh well. Now.¡¯. Skullius grabbed the knife first. Unlike what had happened with the sword [Demion¡¯s Dance], Skullius was sure his upgraded mana maniption skill¡¯s effect on his Null Life Essence was enough to extract such a simple skill which he was going to spam while he still had a lot of mana. ¡°Here we go ¡° The Fulgurant Bone Prator focused on the Null Life Essence he had and began to direct it into the knife. The bluish light that represented Null Life Essence streamed from his armoured hands and coiled as it gracefully entered the knife. Soon, Skullius felt like his consciousness was sinking into the knife, aplicatedwork of glowing lines entering his view. It was this familiar scene again. All he had to do, was push through his Null Life Essence until it covered all of these lines! Surely, theseworks looked more intricate than the ones that he had seen on the staves that held [me Shot] and [Mana Bolt]. WHOOSH! Null Life Essence gushed into the glowing lines speedily, tracing through them as it hurried. Skullius lost himself in the feeling of passing through as he followed the Essence that raced through theseworks. Soon, a familiar notification popped in his view. [You have mastered the skill ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ from the cool bandit knife. Your understanding of thepounds of the world and mana increases] ¡°Kek¡­¡± Skullius cackled in a way he hadn¡¯t in a while. He didn¡¯t stop though, as he went on to grab the leather armour that held the skill [Great Rush]. The Prator immediately pushed himself to aplish the task that he needed to do. But¡­ ¡°The hell¡­!¡± As his consciousness sank into the inner workings of the mana-based effect in the armour, he saw a veryplexwork of glowing lines that was beautiful yet¡­ terrifying. It looked like the pattern for [Quick Strike], except interwoven three times! When extracting skills, Skullius had noted that it was particrly hard to push his Null Life Essence through intersections on thework. These kinds of intersections were abundant here. ¡®Is it because of this ¡®Great¡¯ thing?¡¯ Skullius wondered. Still, he couldn¡¯t afford to give up before he gave it a try. At least he wasn¡¯t getting the notification that his current mastery of mana was insufficient to learn this. And so, the Prator began his work as bursts of essence raced through the glowingworks of lines only to be halted by theplex turning and spinning he could see all over. Each part of the patterns that needed his focus taxed his mind and the longer he went on, the harder it got. Skullius was too scared to stop as he had a feeling that he would have to start all over which was a rather terrifying thought. He wouldn¡¯t allow it. He had to push through. He devoted the next hour to this task as even though he seeded in the end, his mind was strained for energy. The skill [Great Rush] was added to his arsenal, to which Skullius was d. Was this skill going to be worth all this trouble though? As far as he knew it, it was just a normal skill right? Still, there was a lot to explore as he levelled up these skills. Once more, Skullius held off on reading the descriptions to his skills until he was done with thest item. Even though his mind felt like it was being pulled into itself, he pushed himself to work, the acquisition of the skill [Brawl] being far easier after having been tortured for a full hour with theplex patterns of [Great Rush]. As soon as he finished, Skullius leaned against the bed lightly. Even though he didn¡¯t feel physical fatigue in this form, his mental state after enduring this torture was quite unsettled. The sun was turning orange on the horizon as Skullius looked out the window. This different sun that shone during the day and rested at night was slowly bing his true reminder that life was far different elsewhere. An elsewhere he hade from. ¡°Well¡­ no need to rest! Let¡¯s level up these skills! Good thing they don¡¯t use a lot of mana.¡± And the Prator went about his task, taking advantage of his infinite endurance and abundant mana. * Next day. Skullius came down the steps from the first floor and onto the ground floor. He wore a dark shirt and brown pants that made him look a bit too ordinary, especially when coupled with his face. He found the scenery to actually be the same within this lobby sh hall, as even with a few different folks being served drinks and food, the chatter and loud cheer was still vibrant. Behind the counter was Betsy who only gave Skullius a nce before continuing to speak with the people in front of her. ¡®Did he spend the entire night without eating anything at all or did he sneak away while I wasn¡¯t looking?¡¯ she asked herself. Her intrigue with this young man was far from over and she intended to maximise it. Unfortunately for her, the answer to her question didn¡¯te and the man in question merely walked straight out the door to the Inn as he was in a good mood. Yet, even with his mood, he still felt the need to use his time wisely as it was time to tackle a problem of his that had been detrimental to his overall power. Fighting Technique. Chapter 163 Old Man At The Gate The City lord. A title given to one who lorded over a city. A city that wasn¡¯t considered a major one, that is. It was given to create a gulf between one who ruled a small city and the one who ruled over arge one, thetter being called a Governor. A city lord¡¯s duty wasn¡¯t only to oversee activity within a city but within the area that was supported by the city; the people that interacted with the city, the region¡¯s vegetation, animals and threats. Multiple small cities existed to carry the work delegated byrger cities which was just a bigger version of what the smaller cities did. The situation wasn¡¯t different in Inhone City. It was considered one of the better cities as the City lord was a man with a good head on his shoulders. He was oftenpared with the City lord of Eofel, who yed by his own rules, a luxury afforded to him due to thex nature of the Royal Family¡¯s management. At this moment, a rather lean man was slowly pacing about in a luxurious hall while listening to thetest ounts of issues that needed his ear.. He wore formal garb, his hair and beard which were a mix of ck and aging white giving him a wise and reliable visage. This man was the City Lord, Erkus Savont. ¡°We have also observed that many Clusters are opening up around the region, with a lot of them being lower level ones but their sheer quantity is rather concerning. This has caused the recent surge in the number of peopleing to live in the city. Civil unrest is something that¡¯s slowly building up and many areing into the city while detailing ounts of how terrible monsters destroyed their viges,¡± a young man reported with a worried expression on his face. ¡°The city won¡¯t be able to hold out if this keeps going on. We need an effective n to solve this, City Lord.¡± Erkus slowed his steps as he looked to be deep in thought. ¡°Have you liaised the Guilds Association?¡± he asked. ¡°Not yet, sir. I wanted to have that discussion with them after you had made a decision. We can¡¯t afford to put all our hopes on them.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Where are the Clusters mostly prevalent? Which jurisdictions?¡± The young man giving the report quickly flipped through his library of notes before showing the City lord a page that depicted the areas mostly popted with the Clusters. ¡°Hmm¡­I was hoping this was just a situation created by the sudden disappearance of Eobald and his group. His reliability and willingness to act as an agent for the City over the Guilds Association had probably made me rx. I half expected him to walk in here with this report instead,¡± Erkus said as he sighed, the young man opposite him being struck with dejection, yet he didn¡¯t show it. The City lord was mindful of what he had just said but he didn¡¯t show empathy, instead going on with what he had to say. ¡°Aright. In this instance, I feel that it¡¯s necessary to take down the jurisdiction breach use. If we are to handle this, the Guilds will have to help each other in dealing with Clusters and that means encroaching in territories that aren¡¯t theirs. Let¡¯s first make this proposal to the Guilds Association.¡± The young man collected himself and started writing furiously onto his note book. The jurisdiction use was a part of the Guilds Association¡¯s extensivew system which allowed Guilds that had achieved a certain rank to partially control certain aspects of designated sections of the region. Besides dealing with threats and monsters that spawned from the regions, the Guilds given the authority would also have rights to gather limited resources. Naturally, this didn¡¯t mean they had the right to live in these ces and say they owned them, as for mostmonfolk, they had to issue a formal request to the Guilds if something went wrong. The jurisdiction breach use prevented other Guilds from entering the areas assigned to certain Guilds and this was a cause for the disbanding of a Guild should it be found out that this crime was on their hands. ¡°Hmph! While we have our hands full with masses of monsters, Eofel, Seprean and Dijhal refuse to adopt the Guilds system and they don¡¯t get punished for it. How rotten!¡± Erkus bellowed before gazing at the young man. ¡°Deliver my statement to the Guilds Association. Let¡¯s have a back and forth that starts from there.¡± *** Skullius excitedly looked at therge and cleanpound with several buildings and fields outside that while torched by the sun truly felt like they held a purpose. ¡®This is it¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. The early morning sun was still being kind and this was the time he had decided to walk around and search for the so-called Colleges that Frock had told him about. In this instance, he truly wished that Elita¡¯s map had some other magical function that showed him the location of important ces in Cities but no such miracle was in ce for his convenience. After extracting the skills from the items he had bought or rather those he had intended to, the Discount Human had spammed [Quick Strike] and [Brawn] throughout the night. [Great Rush] was terribly hard to level up as it required his movement so he had put it off to the side on ount of where he was. He wouldn¡¯t want his heavy frame making loud noises or worse¡­ Midway through his session, he had tried to somehow extract the connection that allowed the mana band to store mana outside a core but he had found that it was impossible to do so and he didn¡¯t know why, much to his disappointment. When morning came, he had used [Flesh It Like You Mean It], checked up on Red Rage who had two more days until his Null Life Essence ran out and given him some more reassurance. His trip around town had given him rather pleasing results in ordance to his mission. There were three Colleges within the City, each with their own designated purpose. The College of Battle Arts, the Inhone Standard and the College of the Esteemed. At the moment, Skullius stood before the entrance to the College of Battle Arts where even from the outside, he could see many people practising various forms and stances. He walked up to the barred gate only to be stopped by an old man who had white hair that had begun moonwalking on his scalp, a hunched back and a single eye open as he gazed at Skullius intently. Skullius sighed in relief when he saw the unfriendly gaze he was receiving. ¡°State your business,¡± the old man said. ¡°I would like to enter the College. I want to lear¡ª¡± ¡°Do you have deep enough pockets to afford it?¡± ¡°Huh?! Of course I do!¡± ¡°Heh! Not with that face you don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Bro!¡± ¡°Now get out of here! We only need serious people to teach!¡± Skullius frowned. What was with this guy?! Chapter 164 Enrolling ¡°Hey, bro! Let me in!¡± Skullius yelled at the old man who had already begun to turn and walk away. ¡°Shut it! You foolish sprouts rush here to learn how to fight only to get killed and then who gets all the me, huh?!¡± the old barked as he turned back to Skullius. Thickets of mana gathered around his body as he preached, making Skullius take a few steps back. ¡°Let me make a fine guess! You don¡¯t even know your Direction do you?! You¡¯re one of those fools that stand in line all day at the Temple waiting toplete the First Task and rush over here to learn to fight as if it¡¯s all a fluffy dream out there, aren¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Skullius stammered. ¡®Not exactly.¡¯ The old man¡¯s eyes sparked as his terrifying presence died down. ¡°Do yourself a favour. Go home and sleep that adrenaline off before you get killed.¡± Skullius looked at the old man. His words gave him the impression that he had said this to a great many others like Skullius. At first with care in mind and as time went on, in a perfunctory way that only showed rage and detest towards youthful impulsiveness. The Discount didn¡¯t back down. ¡°Hey, I said let me in! Whether I die or not after this is my own problem! You can find my body then andugh all you want, but I¡¯m getting into this College!¡±. The old man¡¯s scrunched up. His old yellow teeth gnashed against each other as pent up fury seethed within. He had tried. He had tried time and time again to help the young ones not make the same mistake he did. The Deities are passive! They are only tools for the world to prosper! The Deities were never objects of reverence! Direction? Ha! How can a statue tell me what to do?! He remembered saying something like this as a hot-blooded youth but he paid for it in the end. Nomatter what he had told himself, it had all gone wrong. In his regret, he had tried to warn those like him, giving them warnings forged from care and sympathy but¡­ As he grew older, the rage built up at seeing the nonchnce of the weak. The ignorance of fools. As he looked at Skullius now, he couldn¡¯t help but emit a low growl. ¡°Stubborn!¡± ¡°Do I need to give you coin or not?!¡± Skullius asked. The old gave Skullius onest look before grunting and turning aside. ¡°You only need coin inside. I am¡­ but a gardener¡­¡± he begrudgingly said as he walked away. Skullius¡¯ gaze lingered on the old man as he disappeared into the thick of greenery around the premises. He shook his head and walked through the open gates. No one but him was entering at the time and as he paced forward, he began appreciating the ce. A stretch of paved road lead to a small booth-like structure that preceded the more elegant and tall buildings, housing a middle-aged man who was reading a book. When Skullius reached this structure, the man within gave him a casual nce before speaking. ¡°Are you here to enrol?¡± ¡°Uh¡­yes.¡± ¡°To which side? Ordinary or Extraordinary?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I want to be a mercenary.¡± ¡°Extraordinary it is. That will be 30 gold coins.¡± ¡®That¡¯s quite a lot,¡¯ Skullius said to himself. His pocket had finally bottomed out as only 5 gold and 10 silvers remained after this payment. Since the dead cores had value, he would have to use them. Or rather sell them. After paying, Skullius was directed on where to go after being given a small wooden token, a few minutes passing before he entered a building with a thick girth where several men and women were walking up and down briskly on the well garnished stone floors. Some were heading to the open fields that could be seen outside, Skullius watching as they selected weapons to use. Some looked amateurish while others had an experience air, giving guidance to the former. ¡°Hello there,¡± a shortdy greeted him with an affable smile. The Discount Human turned to thedy who was approaching from his right. She had light ash blonde hair made into a fishtail and big ck and round eyes that startled Skullius a little. Her round face made her smile more pronounced which would have drawn a polite remark from most men. Men that weren¡¯t genuine yet soon-to-resign eunuchs like Skullius. Thedy had an athletic body covered by a slim, dull red leather armour that entuated her figure nicely. Unconsciously, Skullius eyes took a quick visual jab at her chest only for him to feel¡­ disappointed. Thedy didn¡¯t miss this subtle detail as her bubbly mood instantly dipped, her face turning less friendly. ¡®So he¡¯s one of those?¡¯ ¡°How can I help you?¡± Skullius didn¡¯t give a verbal answer, merely extending his hand and giving the woman his wooden token. ¡°Oh, Extraordinary? Well,e this way,¡± she said as she turned, her face no longer showing the affable smile but a devilish grin that was hidden from Skullius when her back was facing him. ¡®Safe again,¡¯ Skullius sighed inwardly, unaware that he had dug quite the pit for himself. He was lead him to a certain room where Skullius was registered for a month of training under the shortdy who kept giving him a ¡®tender¡¯ smile while repeating his name over and over again. Festos Dawn. Festos Dawn. Afterwards, the Discount Human was taken through a long corridor that lead from the current building to another, the windows on the sides showing the sparring sessions going on outside in the area which was called the Ordinary. This was reserved for those who wanted to train in order to hunt. A simple profession mostly done for sustenance. It was a far cry from mercenary work as one didn¡¯t need to be of an obscenely high level to partake in the practise. Anybat art for basic offense and defensive could be learnt in this ce. As the two reached the other side of the corridor, Skullius was amazed by the expansive space he saw which infinitely more beautiful than the one he¡¯d seen prior. Even the decor differed and the sounds of heavy grunts and shing weapons sted against his ears, from behind the row of doors at the far end of his vision. This building was an administration to the Extraordinary area where advanced arts were taught. It turned out that the fields he had seen outside were merely the ones belonging to the Ordinary, which made sense as when he and the woman exited the building through one of the doors ahead, Skullius saw arge number of people shing skilfully under the guidance of many mentors. The shortdy had pulled Skullius through one of the doors that led to a section of the vast fields where she felt her was ¡®most suited¡¯ and had the equipment required. ¡°I¡¯m Oliviana. Let¡¯s have a good time together,¡± she said while squinting herrge eyed and grinning from ear to ear. ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] Hey guys. I¡¯m not feeling too well this week, so please bear with me. I can guarantee daily updates but they will not have consistent upload time or frequency. I hope you can continue read as I recover. Thanks Chapter 165 Basic Mana Application The divisions to the fields, allocating different groups who were practising different techniques with different mentors, were borate barriers that were produced byrge box-shaped rocks with green rocks which had runic etchings all over them. One could be found between each of the sections, creating a watery, effect that rose into the sky, obscuring vision and sound while someone was in the field. With how high the barrier rose though, Skullius was confused on how this thing actually wasn¡¯t visible from the front gate to the College but he threw this thought aside as he gazed at Oliviana. ¡°So, what do you want to learn. Hand to handbat? Weapon mastery?¡± she asked with a dangerous glint visible in her eye as she looked up at Skullius who was taller than her. ¡°All of it, actually. I want to learn it all,¡± Skullius replied with a look of determination on his face. Oliviana raised a brow. ¡°All of it? What ss do you have?¡± Skullius had anticipated this question being asked and his reply was simple. ¡°Swordsman.¡± ¡°A swordsman wants to learn to everything instead of focusing on the sword?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Oliviana was amused. In her eyes, the man before her had proven his depths with just the subtle action he had pulled before. Behind this facade was someone who only cared for her looks and as he had passed judgement onto her, she would do the same. Her height had been a detriment to her for so long and so was herck of developed feminine features which she was constantly reminded of by the looks of greedy men. Frankly, the greedy ones were much better but the pedophiles were a whole other breed. For someone who was close to turning 30, having a body that resembled that of a 12 year old didn¡¯t do her any favours.. ¡°What ss do you have?¡± Skullius asked. He was quite curious on what this woman could teach him. What she was actually good at. ¡°I¡¯m an Assassin. I specialise in daggers, and swords of different lengths but I do also know things outside of weaponry. However, cast those thoughts aside. You paid to be taught on how to fight, presumably to be a mercenary. That¡¯s what you¡¯ll get from me, only after you¡¯ve mastered the basics. And be warned, I won¡¯t pull my punches.¡± Oliviana began circling around Skullius. From the way he was standing alone, she could tell that he was an amateur. He didn¡¯t have much in the way of technique. Stance. Position. Awareness. These were aspects that were lost to Skullius. In contrast, as she grew up, these were the things she had to master if she wanted to stay alive and undefiled. Being ogled and judged because of her body made her very sensitive to any attention that was brought onto her. She usually had to make sure that her position in crowds didn¡¯t attract attention, as that would only make it easier for people to point at her. As for stance, many jerks had paid dearly for belittling her due to her looks. As a result of all this, even though she was a mentor in this College, she was never friendly to men unless they proved themselves to be anything other than ball brains. ¡°Have you ever been in a Cluster?¡± she inquired from Skullius. ¡°Uh¡­no,¡± Skullius said. He figured it would be easier to pretend to not have experience so as to avoid the flood of unnecessary questions that would follow if he affirmed. This was something he had learned when he first met Benzard and his group in the Tremur Forest. Some things were just too suspicious. ¡®A level 1 human in a dangerous forest¡­heh..¡¯ ¡°Do you know anything about them in depth?¡± ¡°Not really. I just know they are formed when the energy from the Deities sh.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. The way you say it makes me understand that you have no idea what you¡¯re in for,¡± Oliviana said as herrge ck eyes remained glued to Skullius. There was arge rack with many different weapons attached to the walls of the administration building for each section of practise. From this rack, Oliviana grabbed a sword and traced her finger along its sharp edge. ¡°There a huge difference between regr beasts and creatures thate from the Clusters. Since they are born from residual energy that floods and shes from the Deities¡¯ bodies; earth, wind and water, they are unique. Their abilities are usually always powerful. Some of them akin to blessings. This is true even for low level Clusters.¡± ¡°These weapons alone can¡¯t cut down such monsters without augmentation. You¡¯ll find that getting ess to unique weaponry right after finishing your course here won¡¯t happen. You¡¯ll start with standard weapons like this. To make them strong enough for use, you¡¯ll need this¡­.¡± A surge of mana breezed from Oliviana as a coating of white surrounded her figure and the sword. ¡°Concise control of your mana for both offensive and defensive purposes. This is basic but essentially what other high level concepts build up on.¡± As she said this, Oliviana couldn¡¯t help but feel her brain turn numb from saying this for the umpteenth time. Everyone from the Extraordinary area had to be warned of what they were getting themselves into beforehand. This College, although it didn¡¯t look like one, was a Capital structure controlled by the city and by extension, the nation meaning it actually gave a crap about its students, particrly aspiring Knights. The Guilds Association would do a verification ofbat ability but nothing like the nurturing offered by the College of Battle Arts. The woman threw the sword at the rack, her body continuing to be covered by the thin film of mana. ¡°Try it. Coat your body with mana.¡± Skullius nodded. His mind instantly took him back to one of his first fights in this world. The fight with Aikil when the goblin had blown his arm off with a skill. It was in that fight that he had learned to use mana to augment his basic attacks. ¡®Were those goblins prodigies or something?¡¯ he thought before he began to focus. His core churned out mana, Skullius¡¯ previous experience kicking in as ayer of mana surrounded his body, much to Oliviana¡¯s surprise. While the Discount Human had managed this feat so casually though, the perfect distribution of mana around his mentor couldn¡¯t be seen on his own application. WHOOSH! The short figure of Oliviana quickly appeared right front of Skullius and threw two quick jabs at his chest and abdomen! Skullius saw nothing, in the next moment his body jerking backward as the punch to his belly was the one that had any significant effect on him. He staggered and looked at Oliviana in shock and confusion. ¡°You see that? The punch I threw to your chest was defended perfectly but the one to your stomach pushed you back despite me putting the same amount of strength in each punch. Why is that?¡± The Discount Human looked at the coating of mana around him, analysing the white, squirming element that was his mana. It looked so unrefined, more parts of it swirling around certain areas than others. He figured it out. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to fix that?¡± Oliviana said as she took a step towards Skullius. ¡°Wait? What!¡± Skullius backed away. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be teaching me?¡± ¡°I am. They say experience is the best teacher, after all.¡± With that the short mentor burst towards Skullius and threw a hook punch towards his head, this time, at a speed that Skullius could follow somewhat! Skullius¡¯ hand zipped through the air to block the attack, sessfully guarding against Oliviana¡¯s hand in time yet¡­ BAM! Even with his great timing, the woman¡¯s punch overpowered his arm and still smacked him in the face! Skullius rolled on the ground and hurriedly stood, looking to Oliviana who was rushing towards him again. ¡®What¡¯s her deal? Is she angry with me?¡¯ he thought while at the same time being pleased that his new skill [Great Rush] was showing some great effects! ~~~ [Great Rush (Passive) | Lv.1] A passive skill that constantly keeps your body alert, increasing its unconscious reaction chances and basic movement speed by 12%. ¡­ ~~~ ¡®It really was given a boost!¡¯ A small smile leaked on Skullius¡¯ face for but a moment, but Oliviana didn¡¯t miss it. ¡®Is he also a masochist? . I just had to walk up to him of all people!¡¯ The shortdy¡¯s figure blurred for a moment and appeared behind Skullius as she delivered a stronger punch that actually lifted him off the ground only to unpleasantly crush him down. ¡°Your mana control is terrible! Monsters with high intelligence will be able to sense the weak points on you and attack right there!¡± Skullius had barely finished his flight when Oliviana was upon him again, smacking his left side with her shoulder which caused Skullius to spin and see the world in a circr light before hitting the ground! His mana raged as arge quantity of it covered him protectively. BAM! BAM! BAM! Three powerful punches knocked against leg, left side and head from behind, causing Skullius to kneel as the mana he had protecting those three points didn¡¯t do jack! ¡°Increasing your output doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re safe. It¡¯s aboutyering mana perfectly so that damage is distributed. Your mana should be uniform and your control able to determine how much strength is required.¡± The Discount Human listened as he actually felt¡­excited. He was grasping what Oliviana was saying bit by bit. Slowly, he was turning into a warrior¡­ Chapter 166 Racing Through Objectives FWOOSH! BAM! These were the sounds that anyone watching would hear over the next six hours as a certain Discount Human was flung this way and that, tumbling and rolling after eating solid punches from Oliviana who wasn¡¯t getting quite the kick out of it as she had imagined. She gave snippets of instruction for Skullius every once in a while, smacking him at different parts of his body that she saw her student¡¯s defence to be weak! Naturally, the coating of mana around Skullius guaranteed that he wasn¡¯t taking much damage but what Oliviana didn¡¯t know was that the man before her felt no pain! He was slowly grasping the technique, even making attempts at slugging her every so often. ¡®Such terrifying tenacity. I¡¯m half anticipating to see this man get turned on at this point. Is he learning or is he trying to get me to hit him harder?¡¯ Oliviana shuddered while taking a quick nce at Skullius¡¯ crotch and breathing a sigh of relief when she did not see a bulge. On the other hand, Skullius had been making his own inferences. ¡®I thought [Advanced Mana Maniption] would help me with this stuff but I guess maniption and application are two different things. Now that I think about it, I never focused on using mana to protect and enhance my attacks since the goblin vige. I¡¯ve only been relying on skills¡­¡¯ Skullius dodged a punch. At this current point, Oliviana had told him to try to enhance his physical attributes by applying mana. He was able to do this casually, but it was unstable.. Little by little, Skullius began to understand that skills were a form of mana application that he had been taking lightly. The Voice of Worlds gave him an advantage. He could understand what a skill was and what it could do, along with acquiring powerful skills from repeating the same simple actions like running away or condensing mana but reality was different for those that did not have the Voice of Worlds. All other living things had to repeat specificplicated motions toprehend a skill which took quite a long time but for Skullius, it was simpler. He had an array of choices. To depend on the guidance field or to simply learn like the others. He couldn¡¯t forget the boost to strength he had gotten after reaching level 2 with five additional stat points to all his stats except luck. Each point was extremely significant and Skullius appreciated how great he had it. But then again, he didn¡¯t even know much about the Voice of Worlds, but that was something to ponder another time. ¡®Heh¡­ how easily I have forgotten the struggle to gain [Boneman of Steel] back in Deadmand.¡¯ As if to emphasis the scope of how he had it easy, Skullius received a notification that made him grin. [Due to the repetition of the action ¡®mana coating¡¯, you have learned the skill ¡®Mana Shroud¡¯] After reading the description of the skill, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but kek inwardly. ¡®Yes! Now I don¡¯t have to suffer all day like this!¡¯ Skullius thought. However, he didn¡¯t activate the skill and remained actively trying to coat his body in mana on his own. Raising suspicion wasn¡¯t wise. The training exercise went on for another hour over the other six prior, Oliviana stopping the exercise thereafter. Skullius was drenched in sweat (water) after this. Besides the issue of being pummelled, he also had the scorching sun to deal with but fortunately, the boons of civilization came in clutch. Water was afforded for him to drink for the whole day along with short breaks. Apparently, the thirty gold he had paid covered a full month of lessons, with seven hours of daily training from the mentor that had found him. ¡°We¡¯ll have a few more days of this to fine tune your ability to protect yourself with mana and move on to actualbat techniques. Any problems with that?¡± Oliviana asked. ¡°No, but I won¡¯t being tomorrow. I have some things to deal with,¡± Skullius replied nonchntly ¡°¡­sure.¡± Oliviana watched as Skullius rushed to the administration building with a thoughtful look on her face. The Discount Human was instructed on the privilege of baths that could be provided after training sessions and led to get himself washed even though he only leaked water from his body. After cleaning himself, which was a rather strange experience, Skullius exited the College, going towards another destination that he wanted to reach before the day was done. The College of the Esteemed. Due to the time of day it was, Skullius was greeted by multitudes of people going in and out of the massivepound of the College. While he could definitely attest to the College of Battle Arts beingrger in size, this College of the Esteemed was much more refined. The smoothly cutwn and strategic arrangement of building that oozed of ss along with the masterful statues of thoughtful experts of the past that were erected about to depict great men who lead the movement for collecting knowledge, as was the purpose of this College, were riveting! It wasn¡¯t that hard to find out what the niche of each College was as when Skullius had heard about it, he had be interested immediately. The College was a monopoly for information as even the most prominent book shops were under the College, projecting steep prices for buying books (of low value) as well as enrolling. Skullius¡¯ purpose here wasn¡¯t to enrol as he wanted to find out how much he could gain from this visit. His mission to gather information wasn¡¯t limited tobat as he also wanted to know more about other aspects of Aigas. Who best could offer this information? Or rather who could offer him this information without melting into a puddle? Paid service of course! Skullius hadn¡¯t missed Frock¡¯s remark about him being scammed even with hisck of reaction to it. This was a very essential clue as now, he didn¡¯t need to continue to talk to Frock for knowledge. Upon entering, Skullius saw many entrants going to specific areas from the intersection that split in four ways. Naturally, a fee for entry was required if one hadn¡¯t enrolled, Skullius finding this ce to be far more strict than the College of Battle Arts. Furthermore, it looked more like a College, though Skullius wouldn¡¯t know. With closer observation to his surroundings, Skullius found a reception from where he was directed towards a specific section of College that was away from therger structures that were sses. What appeared before Skullius upon entering the building was a smaller than normal library with an immense amount of books. Numerous people were walking about or sitting down as they read the books while several organised stall were fitted to the corners, this evidently being where one could buy books. Most people in this ce had whether they were entering or leaving had a schrly air about them. Skullius looked in marvel at all the things around before being approached by a well dressed man who gave him a gaze that implied that he was not happy with Skullius¡¯ presence at all. Perhaps he did not seem cultured enough, like a random bum who had waltzed into a castle. ¡°How can I help you, sir?¡± the man inquired sternly. As Skullius was about to answer, something he didn¡¯t expected greeted him after a rather long hiatus. [The Doom Factor ¡®Disowned¡¯ has caught up] [You have failed to-] ¡°NOOOOO!¡± Skullius screamed. Chapter 167 Two Sisters A familiar dark-skinned woman was sitting on quite the luxurious bed with clean sheets and a warm nket atop of it. She was within a small room which was supposed to serve as the jail for her indefinite detainment until a new verdict had been reached on whether her dismissal as a Pdin Champion was thest punishment she would receive or not. From the open arched window, a soft breeze blew in and rustled her hair, the view of a beautiful city reflecting in her hazel eyes as she then breathed out a sigh and slumped onto the bed. ¡®What now? I worked so hard to get this far and yet, it seems like this is where it ends. What will be after this? A Stray Knight? For someone who¡¯s supposed to have a Peerless Spirit, my faith is quickly dwindling,¡¯ Elita thought to herself. Knock, knock. There was a knock on the door to her room to which she responded to with a reluctant ¡®Come in.¡¯ From the entrance, a young woman entered, donning the same kind of armour that Elita had worn before; shining golden white armour with a three point star at the chest. This woman had a simr physique to Elita but her overall presence was livid of vitality as she was visibly younger, flowing silver hair draping over her armour and cape that extended down her back, sharp grey eyes and a smile that would make even the best heathens turn to the revtion of the Deities, stering over the lower part of her face. As she saw Elita, her smile grew wider and she shed towards her to deliver a big hug, the bed shaking from the weight of two superimposed females. ¡°Sister! I¡¯m so d you¡¯re alright. I came as soon as I heard the news!¡± the young woman said as she embraced Elita tightly.. ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯ll squeeze me to death at this rate, Revia! Have you forgotten just how much stronger you arepared to me?!¡± Elita said as she pped the young woman¡¯s armour continously. Soon, Revia let go and sat beside the bed, taking a deeper look at Elita who, behind her aloof facade, was actually torn within. Revia knew how Elita could be. She was a Pdin Champion through and through, having the boldness and heart required for such a heavy duty. She was an expect at even deluding herself that she was fine when she wasn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Revia. I thought you had travelled to Emeradis on a mission? How are you back so early?¡± Revia didn¡¯t reply as she simply gave Elita a knowing look to which the dark-skinned woman pped her own face. ¡°Right! It¡¯s been so long that I almost forgot that there¡¯s a reason they call you ¡®She who can¡¯t be caught¡¯.¡± Revia giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t want high praise from you, sister. The difference in our skills shouldn¡¯t be something we focus on. I would dly be downgraded to your level in that case. I owe you so much, after all,¡± Revia said with an intense gaze on Elita who scoffed. Not at Revia¡¯s words but at herself. ¡°You¡¯d still be proud of that after hearing what they are saying about me?¡± ¡°Who cares?!¡± Revia replied, her voice showing the agitation she felt. ¡°Sister, my trip through the three nations has taught me a great deal. The declining faith isn¡¯t at all unwarranted. Besides the fact that the people doubt the Deities, few in the Purity actually deserve to be called pure. I¡¯d trust in your judgement than that of those High Order Priests any day. Acting as their guards as they fumble everywhere sickens me!¡± Elitaughed. ¡°Oh yeah? How was your trip to Emeradis anyway?¡± ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t believe it! Sister, the men! I had to fan my face a couple of times in the capital of Emeradis. I don¡¯t know what the Deities were thinking when they sculpted such handsome men! It was rich with dashing potential suitors! I can¡¯t forget their gazes when they saw me pretending to be all serious, walking beside the priests protectively! Kyaaa! The atmosphere was amazing, themunities weing! You wouldn¡¯t believe¡­¡± Revia began chattering nonstop about everything she saw while Elita listened to her vivacious ount. To think that this was the same girl from that time, now going crazy for random young men of her age. Elita was proud. She had met Revia some years ago while in the service of the Purity. Back then, Elita had been but a simple Purity Knight without renown while Revia was an astonishing prodigy who awakened an advanced ss at the age of 17, bing someone whom the Highest Order in the Purity could not ignore. Even with all this power though, she was a hollow shell because of her dark past. She was aimless. She only sought for purpose as in her dull eyes, no colour or happiness could be detected. What her hollow self could only work towards was what her body urged her to do. To run. She was the fastest person that Elita knew. Elita had befriended her after seeing that she was extremely devoted to bing stronger but that path didn¡¯t lead anywhere if one didn¡¯t have a goal in mind. And she knew that so very well. Elita did what she could to help. The best way to save someone who only looked forward in such a crude way while ignoring their surroundings was to be subtle. Elita appealed to Revia¡¯s feminine nature. Starting up conversations that only girls could rte to. Things she experienced on a daily basis. Emotions, physicality, preferences. She wasn¡¯t an expert but someone had done the same to her way back when, and this trick worked with Revia to. The broken girl whose history Elita struggled to even inquire more about. Revia learned the beauty of her surroundings with time, Elita bing her guiding light through the world until she eventually joined the Pdin Champions, her position initially being ranked as the 7th. It rose after a few years, with Revia bing the 5th. The top 5 Pdin Champions each had a title as their power was far beyond the norm. Compared to the others, they were in a different league and Revia was among them. ¡°Hah~. But will you be okay, sister? I can get you out of here before anyone finds out, you know?¡± Revia asked, her expression telling of how serious she was. ¡°No, no! I¡¯m fine for now. The Purity won¡¯t do anything bad to me. What I¡¯m more concerned about is whether they are acting on what I informed them. Those necromancers are up to something. I can feel it,¡± replied Elita. ¡°Yeah. Things have been getting serious actually. Besides being here to see you, I actually have another duty to attend to. I¡¯ve been assigned to protect the priests in the Grand Temples of Isise, just in case something happens. That region is where most of the recent Evenfall activity is brewing. The Highest Order has also deployed quite a lot of Knights to various other ces. Even the other Pdin Champions are being deployed.¡± Elita sighed in relief. As long as the Purity was responding in kind, she couldn¡¯tin. ¡°Was the undead you fought really that scary? It¡¯s be a huge topic,¡± Revia inquired. ¡°Ha. I wish it was that simple. It¡¯s beyond scary. Don¡¯t grow overconfident just because you¡¯re stronger than most people out there. Keep your mind open at all times, you hear? Stay safe.¡± Elita tenderly held Revia¡¯s chin, the youthful Champion feeling a brimming joy from the caring words of someone she considered her guiding light. ¡°Of course I will. Don¡¯t worry. If you¡¯re not out by the time I return, then I¡¯ll whisk you out forcefully, okay?. No objections.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Elita said as she shook her head. In her head, the image of a certain Discount man and a Knight in a golden cape appeared. ¡°If worsees to worst I have someone who¡¯ll be quite the interestingpany.¡± Chapter 168 How To Get Away With Murder And Theft (1) ¡°WHAT THE HELL BRO?!¡± Skullius screeched as he scrambled, startling the cultured man at his side who had inquired the purpose of his visit as if it wasn¡¯t painfully obvious from their venue. The others who were also going about their business were also bewildered as the atmosphere in the library was usually quiet but the outburst by Skullius clearly meant something was wrong. Some showed annoyance, others were unsettled and for others, this scene was a wee interlude. For Skullius, he was terrified out of his mind. ¡®Has three days already passed?! Wait, this doesn¡¯t seem right! Did I forget?! Gaaaah! What do I do?!¡¯ Mana. He needed mana! Skullius¡¯ mind raced as he realised that his own mana, which was over 400 with the Mana Band equipped, was not enough to stall his demise at all! Visible droplets of sweat trickled down Skullius¡¯ brow as he gulped. The voice of the man by his side who had his face scrunched up with a brow raised in fury along with the image next notifications to his face increased the tension for him. ¡°How uncultured! Have you no respect for sacredness of knowledge you lowly fool?! You can either learn to be quiet or leave!¡± [You have failed to sustain your own existence with mana] [Attempting mana red-. Skullius tore his attention from the notification and shoved the man beside him a distance. He inserted mana into his storage ring, summoning his best bet for survival! The Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation! THUD! Therge armour fell onto the stone tiled floor with a thud, its dark image and creepy design causing panic. The man who had been shoved away by Skullius turned pale and backed away, his feet slipping across the floor multiple times before he managed to stand and create some distance with this uncultured bum, terror livid in his eyes! ¡®Damn it! I can¡¯t remove Red Rage from the armour¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. His Apostle was nesting within the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation, dying his end! [Mana insufficient¡­] [You shall now meet your end] ¡°NO, I WON¡¯T!¡± Skill roared as he squeezed himself into the armour while asking Red Rage for forgiveness. His own stature was smaller than Red Rage¡¯s bone remains and after a few short moments of struggle, Skullius barely fit into the armour with a puzzled grey skeleton that mentally gave him a mental confused ¡®WTBF¡¯. ¡°What is that?!¡± ¡°Dear Suzamete! Call the guards! Some strange cultist has invaded the College!¡± ¡°Is it a member of the Evenfall?!¡± ¡°EEEK! Such distasteful armour! Take it away!¡± The spections drove some to run away. Skullius heard the noise outside as the people grew restless. Most left the library while the more curious ones began to gather around, leaving a gap of more than four meters between them and Skullius. Unbeknownst to them, they had safely evaded a rather troublesome skill of the armour that would have left nothing of them behind. All this wasn¡¯t Skullius¡¯ immediate concern, however, as he found out that by virtue of him being in the armour, it prioritised giving its effects to him rather than Red Rage as he was the owner! ¡°Damn it!¡± Sensing therge amount of mana that was now provided, Doom Factor 1 no longer threatened to end Skullius as a familiar notification popped up instead. [Your mana reserves have vastly increased. Doom Factor 1 demands a total of 2000 Mana Points for a three day exemption period] ¡°I don¡¯t have that much, you sockethole!¡± Skullius screamed at the guidance field. This notification had popped up in his vision back when he first evolved to Tier 1 and when he had paid the 2000 Mana Point fee, he had gained three days off from the constant harassment that the Doom Factor had to offer. Now though, in his Discount Human form, Skullius didn¡¯t have that much mana on him and in his attempt to save himself, he tried to offer less than the required amount. ¡°Can¡¯t I just give less mana to buy myself a few more hours?!¡± [Doom Factor 1 demands a minimum of 1000 Mana Points for ¡®Discount Human LV2¡¯ and ¡®Fulgurant Bone Prator LV1¡¯] ¡°Fine, fine! Just take it!¡± Skullius yelled and in the next moment, he felt more than half of his supply of mana being consumed. [Doom Factor 1 is temporarily cured. Resuming pursuit in 36 hours] The noise Skullius was making as he unsteadily squirmed within the armour caused unease. There was something about seeing therge armour tumble on the floor that was both of amusing and terrifying. What was this man doing within that armour?! What obscene treachery was he up to?! Those that remained to see this freak show were counting on the guards that wereing to solve the problem and wanted to see how this nutjob would be dealt with. Skullius unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief as the immediate issue of concern had been dealt with. Now, it was on to the next problem. Some of the people here had seen his face and this effectively guaranteed that he was screwed. Furthermore, he felt the terrifying energy signatures that wereing from a distance away, responding to the disturbance. The fact that the Capital Knights from this City were no joke made Skullius curse in bone expletives as he quickly made two decisions that went against his overt objective but not his character as one who wanted to survive. He didn¡¯t have any other choice anyway. Skullius¡¯ head popped out of the armour¡¯s neck which wasn¡¯t equipping the hideous helmet as he scouted, attracting the attention of the few who remained behind. He had to kill the witnesses! But before that¡­ ¡°Go!¡± he ordered. The Chains of Damnation rushed from the armour as they headed to where Skullius had directed. The shelves and stall of books that were positioned all around and in the corners of the library! Skullius only made sure to grab the smaller shelves of books that were in his immediate surroundings, wrapping and pulling them over with the chains! The droves of people, some of which were still exiting, ran out while those that had been surrounding him dashed away as they screamed! As the shelves approached Skullius, he immediately stored them within the storage space of the armour! Unfortunately for him, after only one shelf and a single stall, the storage space was already full as while inserting new objects to be stored, Skullius had removed the chest that was within the storage, putting it into his own spatial storage ring! The room that was created wasn¡¯t much but he couldn¡¯tin. From within the masses, Skullius sensed a few strong individuals rushing to his position as they saw that he was stealing the precious property of the College! They had probably been among those reading when he had abruptly caused the hubbub. Skullius turned to the see the man who had been telling him to shut up run away as he headed for a separate exit for the library staff. ¡®That guy should also die with the rest¡­¡¯ he thought as he stretched his hands as far as he could through the openings within the armour designated for the arms. Naturally they couldn¡¯t fit all through. However, the Discount Human couldn¡¯t waste time exiting the armour to cast a single spell. That side though, he had faith in the fact that this spell would reach many of the witnesses if not all and also deal some damage to the guards that had finally reached the entrance to the library, shuttling in. Mana gathered and condensed as Skullius used a certain skill for the first time. He had more than enough mana to cast it now and his non-existent heart burned with anticipation. It had failed to impress him when he had initially got it due to its performance but after it evolved, he held high hopes for it. A hellish crimson hue dyed the entire library and flooded all the windows and doors as it leaked outside, followed by a searing heat that left nothing untouched. Skullius bellowed the name of the skill that had begun to form above the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation! ¡°Revenant mes of Ecstasy!¡± Chapter 169 How To Get Away With Murder And Theft (2) 300 Mana Points were consumed to make the scene that was currently happening possible. Eleven Knights decked in sparkling silver armour dashed into the library with their weapons drawn while protectively covering themselves with mana. The bloody red hue shaded them in a terrible foreshadowing as the impeding heat bloomed from the reddish orange sphere that had manifested atop the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation as each of them halted, condensing their mana as they each locked onto Skullius! The Discount Human felt the absurd pressure that thundered onto him like a hundred fold increase in gravity but¡­ It was too little toote for any form of intervention as Skullius released the deadly skill which exploded to bring forth surprise after surprise! A deafening whistle along with a frightful shockwave exploded outwards in a ring, followed by a torrent of mes that flooded like a bright red wave in every direction from the source, Skullius! The Knights were rmed as they found the brightness of the mes as well as their speed to far outss their ability to fall back, the best they could do in this instance being to cover themselves with mana while those that could in time, activated their Full Body Auras! BOOOM! The explosive flood of mes rocket the entire four story building as the zing heat was nothing short of ridiculous, melting the floor and eviscerating anything that stood in its path mercilessly!. Unfortunately, this included the Knights that had thought that pping all of their mana around themselves protectively would be more than enough, as shockingly, before they could blink, their mana and armour were devoured wholly with no resistance! Skullius who was peeking through the neck of the dark armour wore a look of incredulity! He had vastly underestimated this skill! The reddish orange mes that coiled around themselves every chance they could get, licked everything clean as what stopped them from obliterating the entire library was the faint sparkle of runes on the wall that kept them contained and yet failed to stop them from sting from the open doors! As a result, those who had been leisurely walking away from the library were burnt to ash even when the mes didn¡¯t reach them! Those that had left the building earlier could only watch in marvel as the atrocity they had barely escaped from imed hundreds of lives that were a distance away from them! In the building, everything within a meter radius of Skullius was unaffected by the mes, a white tiled floor being seen as the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnationy on it! Skullius had noticed this and in the next moment, he infused mana into his spatial storage ring and collected the armour, leaving only him standing amidst the raging mes. Before anything else, he focused on the three powerful presences that registered from his senses, releasing different coloured lights that rose and surrounded them with bright glows. Three of the Knights had used Full Body Aura which managed to ward off the [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]! ¡®I should have expected that some of them would survive, I guess,¡¯ Skullius thought as he prepared to use another heavy hitter of his to defend himself. Unfortunately for him, a palpable blue tint illuminated him from above as shockingly, one of the remaining Knights had already blitzed through the mes while being covered in a thick blue Aura that pressed Skullius down violently! The Knight¡¯s sword came down onto Skullius immediately after with jagged edges of mana around it, to eliminate Skullius! The Discount Human couldn¡¯t even think as the strength of this Knight was absurd along with his speed, registering vividly in his senses! KWANG! ¡°Ahh~ that won¡¯t do, Bull!¡± A masculine moan of pleasure rang out as another figure covered in an intense white coat of mana intercepted the sword of the Knight that had been about to slice up Skullius! A Knight whose armour was burning incessantly with reddish orange mes that warped the air appeared! His sword was red from the heat, his armour broken and glowing under the fire as billows of smoke rose from his body with the smell of burning flesh detectable in the air! Dark markings ran along his sword with shapes akin to numbers as he swatted away the sword of hispanion! The other Knights who had survived rushed towards the one decked in the blue aura to support him. ¡°Rinon! What¡­what¡¯s happening to you?!¡± The Knight with the blue Full Body Aura, Bull, said through the helmet in a bewildered voice while looking at his fellow Knight who was on fire, guarding the culprit! Before an answer coulde, four more of the fellow Knight guards they had been standing on duty with a few minutes ago burst from the mes as they surrounded Skullius! ¡®It really works!¡¯ Skullius thought joyfully as he re-read the description for the [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]! A me that burns its targets horribly while giving them an erotic sensation that drove them to be his servants until they burnt out! The current limit was five as the rest had burnt away instantly! ¡°Ah~e hither, Bull, Torin, Yumi! Let me deliver thee to my profound mettle!¡± Another one of the Knights moaned as his helmet cracked and fell, revealing a half charred face that was lost to pure enjoyment as he drooled! He still held onto his spear firmly as he whirled it and darted forward, the others doing the same! The three Knights were terrified. ¡°B-bull! What is this?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! For now, let¡¯s defend and kill that man they¡¯re protecting!¡± Bull dered while referring to Skullius. A thunderous sh of steel echoed as the three Knights were assaulted by the five! To make matters worse, the five burning Knights¡¯ bodies burst with Full Body Auras as they attacked savagely, the whole library rocking and shuddering under the force of the blows! Skullius watched on with a grin. He had to make sure that these Knights were killed off too as they had seen him and make a quick escape afterwards or at to least create a convincing scenario where he wasn¡¯t pinned as the suspect! From the way the fight was going, the burning thralls of his still retaining their profound skill sets and powers, Skullius knew victory was assured as long nothing unexpected happened. As for a way to get out of this¡­ ¡°Kek¡­¡± he cackled Chapter 170 How To Get Away With Murder And Theft (3) The immense heat from the library was horrendous, burning the well keptwns and melting the carefully made pavements such that only flowing magma that oozed with an atrocious heat could be seen, obscuring the once steady vision of the masses that had begun to look in shock! Such a thing had happened at the College?! The few who had escaped before it was toote were already beginning to give ounts of what they thought was the cause. ¡°A behemoth this tall waltzed into public library and started eating people left and right! To think it could also conjure mes!¡± ¡°Dear, I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes! A beheaded Knight suddenly appeared in the library! These mes are probably born from his wrath!¡± ¡°Evil! Evil, I say! The Deities are punishing us for our unbelief!¡± Those who were enrolled at the College started making obscenements that almost started a fight among the masses, iming that outsiders who couldn¡¯t pay for enrolment weren¡¯t deserving of the service afforded by the College. The library that had been burned had been a smaller version where the public, those who hadn¡¯t paid for the full services of the College came to read or buy books. It wasn¡¯t really a bad loss to the College when one thought about it, but the fact that made the whole incident tragic, was the death toll.. Many conspiracies were told as the multitudes raged and looked ahead, with more Knights rushing to scene from other sections of the College. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t do a thing as the heat threatened to eat them alive. Furthermore, who in their right minds would rush into such a ce where a dreadful red hue was dominant, itching to devour them too? Who was left to be saved?! Whatever had happened here could be investigatedter, right? Right?! Suddenly, gasps were heard as people saw something odd. From within the library, something started to build up with a low sh of colour! It sparked white with a tinge of blue multiple times before a loud noise was heard, a streak of light barrelling its way from scene in a shocking fashion! The civilians couldn¡¯t see what it was, as to them, it was a akin to a shooting star that stormed its way from the library doorway, raising up dust and magma as it left a trail through, covering arge distance before falling and rolling across the normal ground. The Knights on standby immediately moved forward while the crowds drew back in fear! Two figures tumbled from the bright sh, one of them being on fire! , ! He-heeeeeelp!¡± The other figure coughed and screamed vehemently, the grotesque sound as if he would actually vomit his intestines! The Knights had been on guard, ready to cut down any threat but¡­ ¡­! The man before them garnered their pity after they verified that he was merely civilian with barely any strength in his stages progression. Furthermore, his body was covered in soot and ash, his hand gone with charred matter at the stump! Part of his face had blisters from the heat and his clothes were mostly gone, only covering his sensitive areas. The Knights rushed to pick him up while they also inspected the other figure. It was one of their own, burnt beyond recognition as molten steel and skin became bound, thick billows of smoke rising from his body as the reddish orange mes on him died down. Skullius was carefully handled as those with the means to treat him rushed his way. Along the way, he turned to the charred Knight whose Full Body Aura had finally died down and screamed. ¡°He¡­he saved me! He risked¡­¡­ his life for me! Thank you, sir Knight! Th¡­ th¡­thank you!¡± The ¡¯emotional¡¯ yelling with a broken voice from Skullius dragged out pity from the masses as silence prevailed for a while. Some of the Knights gritted their teeth as they looked aside. One of them had saved a life from the horrendous scene ahead of them, giving his life in the process but they¡­ they had just stood there, waiting for the fire to die down. Their decision was logical but still¡­ As Skullius was taken away, his face depicting emotion but with no tears to be seen, a sombre atmosphere reigned. *** An hourter. The library stood tall, surrounded by crusts that still produced heat, glowing with mes amidst their cracked appearances. The outside of the two story structure was intact but inside, where the two people adorned invish robes, along with a few other individuals in different clothes sets looked to, was aplete mess. Of the two donning robes, one of them was old man with a unique pair of red, close set eyes that constantly searched for traces of unique mana signatures. For instance, a powerful mana that belonged to a strong mage, or energy belonging to specific infamous groups but nothing registered. An intense sh had happened inside without a doubt, but he couldn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary. ¡°This is getting us nowhere. I thought I could pin this to some powerful foe or natural treasure but it seems nothing of that sort was here. All the mana signatures are from Arma Users,¡± the old man said. As an experienced mage, he was an expert at reading the intricate difference between the mana of difference sses. He turned to the person behind him, a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair whose eyes at the moment were wide, surrounded by a foggy light of mana. ¡°. I¡¯d say it¡¯s not that simple,¡± she said while in this state. ¡°All I can see is that this was definitely caused by an Energy Former but the problem is¡­ I can only see a screen of darkness with barely discernible movements. After a certain point it just cuts off entirely. Whoever did this¡­¡± The woman paused as her once white eyes developed a light brown and focused on the building ahead as her expression showed a deep sense of exasperation. ¡°¡­ they might be well beyond what we¡¯re capable of dealing with.¡± Chapter 171 A Bullshit Account The amazing art of bullshit. An art Skullius was quite good at for as long as he could remember. Tricking others and telling false stories in convincing ways was a gift he found himself to have and with each subsequent increase in his intelligence, he found that it was quite easy to fabricate stories as even in this new world, with all the experiences he had so far, he knew how to appear genuine. Frankly, he was proud of himself. At this particr moment, he was reviewing his earlier stunt as he sat down while having his wounds treated within the College of the Esteemed. His biggest takeaway from the earlier event was the fact that the [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] were a powerful tool that he was going to enjoy using. This skill had failed to show any significant feats when it was still in its infancy as [Bitter-Sweet Hell¡¯s Inferno] because it had been pitted against vastly stronger opponents whose bodies were enough to tank its effects entirely like Eldris or those that merely coated themselves with mana like Benzard. Now however, the skill could get past mana and obliterate targets even if they had blue cores. One would wonder why this skill which was born from [Unbound] was essible to Skullius in his Discount Human form, though. The answer was simple. Its background stemmed from the short magic staff from which it was extracted ¨C it was normal skill initially, which gave Skullius a window to use it outside his Null powers. Skullius had confirmed that the three Knights who had resisted being burnt while using Full Body Aura had been killed, burnt to ash after being hacked to pieces by his thralls. He had collected the Null Life Essence from their bodies after discovering that the [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] didn¡¯t do any harm to him! He could move within them without a problem as he leisurely collected his prize along with a bunch of experience.. What he had used to create the gruesome injuries that were now being washed and bandaged, was theva born from the heat. Since he couldn¡¯t feel pain, henguidly dipped his hand into the molten floor, watching it catch fire and burn before severing it roughly. Afterwards, he hadmanded one of his horny thralls to carry him out, creating a scene that looked like a valiant Knight had saved his life! For the most part, it seemed like his attempt had been epted as it was but many questions were still left answered. Such questions were the ones that the old man and middle aged woman outside the door to the room where he was receiving treatment, awaited to get answers to from him and naturally, Skullius¡¯mon sense had told him that this would happen eventually. After he was sufficiently treated, the improvements he had from his previous state merely being the fact that he did not look horrendous and was washed with herbs that killed the pain, disinfected the wounds. Healers were rare, especially in small cities as most of them were usually mages with an amazing level of mana maniption that could reconstruct body tissue or those that had learned spells for healing. The other small portion of those known as healers were individuals with blessings that were geared towards healing and such a blessing wasn¡¯t all thatmon either. The women who had been treating Skullius had not objected to the two at the door¡¯s plea to ask Skullius questions about what happened. They had let them in while almost bowing fully as if they were seeing the Deities themselves and this made Skullius a little nervous. Who were these guys? They didn¡¯t look like some small-time desk sitters for sure. Even with all the pressure though, Skullius had worn a determined look as he said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. That bastard must pay. The sooner I tell you, the sooner he can be caught,¡± in response to their polite inquiry on whether he could entertain a few of their questions. With that, he had not only garnered some form of levity from the women healing him, but from the two who wanted to question him as their suspicions were lowered somewhat. ¡°Again, I must apologise for disturbing you, Mr Dawn at such a critical time,¡± the old man said with wise smile on his face. Naturally, the first thing he had asked for was Skullius¡¯ name. ¡°Not at all, br- sir. I¡¯m more than d to help,¡± Skullius said, mimicking every single expression he had learned off that showed both remorse and determination. The middle aged woman by the side didn¡¯t look convinced though, as with her indifferent expression, she immediately bombarded Skullius with her doubts. ¡°There are people who were at the scene and are iming to have seen you being the one who sparked what happened at the public library. They say you started screaming something and then something peculiar appeared at your side.¡± ¡®. I should have killed all the witnesses at the beginning to make sure no one would escape. I hope my story will be believable,¡¯ Skullius thought as a hint of panic was sprinkled over his already existing doubt omelette. ¡°Yes. That is true. However, those two things are not rted at all. As someone who stayed behind, I can tell you what really happened,¡± Skullius responded. The woman raised a brow as she then nodded. While looking at the two, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge that they were powerhouses. Their robes made him suspect that they were Energy Formers, mages like Vijak, but he was only half right. With that in mind, he had to be careful. ¡°As you can probably tell, I am at the second level of the Foundation Stage. I wanted to find ways to improve my strength outside my earlier practice at the College of Battle Arts. Looking into history for motivation, I guess. In the process, I had been trying to manipte my mana at a finer level as I had been taught even while doing simple activities like walking but somehow¡­ I exhausted my core and felt a terrible pain. That¡¯s why I screamed.¡± The two who were listening digested this information. The woman looked intently at Skullius. She was a Diviner. Given any item belonging to an individual she sought to find out more about, she could determine their actions, but to a limited degree. She wanted to use her divining on Skullius and clear this up but her partner had insisted on not showing such distrust to someone who had willingly postponed their full rest and treatment to answer their questions. ¡°Very well. We can verify your enrolment to the College of Battle Arts after this. What of this¡­ thing that the witnesses fail to adequately describe? Where does ite into y?¡± asked the old man. ¡°Right. To those that remember well, they should have seen that it was a dark armour with these long chainsing out of its body. At least that was what I thought at first. But it then stood and started attacking people left and right¡­ before¡­before it produced these hot mes that burned the whole ce!¡± ¡°How on earth did you survive then? The Knights didn¡¯t arrive immediately, did they?¡± the middle aged woman asked with a frown, recalling the scalding remnants of heat that remained after the fire. Indeed, this man was still at the Foundation Stage and even though he had a slightly bright white core, that didn¡¯t exin how he survived until then. Even the Knights themselves had been burned to ash, with nothing remaining. ¡°I was near the entrance when the fire started and¡­¡± Skullius looked at the bandaged stump of his hand with a sorrowful look. ¡°¡­that¡¯s when I got these burns. The Knights came just in time before my whole body could be devoured and though some of them died instantly¡­ some used this¡­uhm¡­ bright light that covered their bodies, different from mana¡­¡± ¡°Full Body Aura?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s it. While the others fought whatever that thing was, the Knight who saved me¡­he..he got burnt in the process and¡­ you probably know the rest since you were able to find me¡­¡± The old man breathed out a sigh. While some ounts told the story differently, iming that Skullius was the cause, he just couldn¡¯t buy it when seeing Skullius¡¯ level. When he would go to confirm what exactly Skullius was training at the College of Battle Arts, he was sure he would remove Skullius as a suspect entirely. He and this woman served the city. The City lord would no doubt demand the culprit but that didn¡¯t seem like something they could find. Skullius as a scapegoat was not enough too. He found believing in this mysterious armoured intruder more usible than anything else as Skullius was the only one left who was actually there when everything else happened. He turned to his partner who merely shook her head. The fact that what happened was blocked even for her made him believe all the more that something terrifying had visited the city. ¡°Thank you for your time. After verifying a few other things we won¡¯t be bothering you any longer.¡± The old man bid farewell as he and his partner then went out the door. ¡°It¡¯s hard to read that young man¡¯s face but I wager he¡¯s telling the truth. Or rather his own truth,¡± he said. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right. I can feel it.¡± ¡°Of course something isn¡¯t right. What I can¡¯t figure out is the motive of this perpetrator. What could they want to find in a public library?¡± While the two hypothesised, Skullius rested on the bed as he sighed in relief. That wasn¡¯t exactly smooth but it got him off the hook. Mostly. He had made prepared for many things, including the potential search for his spatial ring that would probably get him killed. He had hidden it¡­ in his stomach! The experience with his Discount Human body had taught him that he didn¡¯t have any organs and anything that went into his stomach as food would be broken down and turned into energy but anything else would stay there and he could regurgitate it at will. The basis of [Flesh It Like You Mean It] was the fact that it hid Skullius¡¯ internal structure well, except for his core since he didn¡¯t have organs. Therefore, anything within his body was also invisible, so to speak. ¡®I should really give Doom Factor 1 its three day fee and make sure to keep track of its time. I don¡¯t want this to happen again,¡¯ he thought. ¡®I got lots of books to read for free. That was unexpected. Now, to visit a certain sockethole¡­ again. I really thought I wouldn¡¯t need to see him again.¡¯ Chapter 172 For The Love Of Money Skullius left the College of the Esteemed despite his ¡®nurses¡¯ insisting that he take some time to rest and receive further treatment for his gruesome injuries. Seeing the awkward smile etched upon the unnatural face they had grimaced at when he was first admitted for treatment made them reluctantly let him go as unlike most people he was someone who was actually trying to contribute to the nation by fighting the monsters from Clusters. Of course, the reason they were still alive even after helping Skullius was because they had been called to deal with a man who was grievously wounded so suddenly when they had been trying to find out if any of their rtives were harmed in the fire. Some of them even had a uncles that had been killed but the terms of their agreement with the College stipted that they had to respond to and all duties. So looking at this bastard who had managed to survive didn¡¯t exactly make them feel dandy and some of them even suspected Skullius. What had slowly changed their minds was how this man wasny whining even when he had just lost an arm. He didn¡¯t ask for anything of them as for the hour he had been here, he looked to be lost in thought instead. They all chalked it up to trauma but that obviously wasn¡¯t true. Skullius had merely been concocting responses to the questions he had seening his way. Following such an attitude, the women did their job properly afterwards, dismissing their negative thoughts towards him. It was their job to help whether they liked it or not after all. They gave Skullius more herbs to apply to his wounds along with some medication and let him off seeing as they couldn¡¯t keep him at the College.. The Discount Human waved goodbye as he proceeded to walk out of the College, his face covered in bandages save for his eyes and mouth his stump in his pocket to disallow anyone from seeing that he didn¡¯t have a hand. He attracted a few nces and gazes from the College where people were still attending, especially those that were formally enrolled. Skullius increased his pace and rushed through the streets, soon reaching his destination where he was once again stopped by a lovable sockethole who asked him the purpose of his visit as he didn¡¯t recognise him. The bandaged man only had to give the man a few silvers before he was let into the fake residential area that still had a weird vibe to it. Strangely, there were a lot of people walking on the streets this time around, the chatter and mix of colour making this ce look like a genuine neighbourhood. The image of a stall where a certain man was selling fish popped up in Skullius¡¯ vision and he leisurely walked up to his beloved Frock who was roasting fish as usual. Once again, there was no one at his stall, which prompted Skullius to open up a conversation with a question centered around this peculiar, recurring phenomenon. ¡°Am I the only customer you have?¡± he asked. Frock looked up with brow raised. He didn¡¯t recognise Skullius at first but the voice, the hair and the eyes¡­ ¡°Oh, Dear Quintess, what are you doing here?¡± he muttered in annoyance while turning his eyes back to the sizzling fish. ¡°What else would I be here for? I want to buy something,¡± Skullius replied. Frock¡¯s face showed unease as his eyes turned back to Skullius. Hisst encounter with this guy had been very rewarding but¡­ extremely suspicious. He just couldn¡¯t find it within himself to just trust that Skullius was a normal customer. The fact that this bastard seemingly didn¡¯t know anything was one thing, but what followed after ¨C the ability to appraise and him being in possession of a dead core was¡­ too unnerving. In this world, there were skills prompted by one¡¯s ss. A ss once chosen, would make it much easier for an individual to master certain concepts. Things that would take years could take months or weeks depending on who was attempting them. Skills like appraisal though, were different. There were many types of appraisal skills and the methods of developing such skills were mainly found inrge families that had the power to dictate politics or organisations of simr statue. An example was the House EverSword, where Reon was from. One of the six major families in all of Pelian, controlling a vast amount of resources in the nation. Reon had used this utility to prove his worth above the fact that he was a wielder of the Imagining Sword Technique, in the Ideal Ark. When it came to dead cores, there were the third most valuable goods in the Feinheath, behind natural treasures which were formed by the moulding of energies from thends, seas and skies simr to how Clusters were made, as well as enriching gems which were found in Clusters. Enriching gems and dead cores were more valuable than silver and gold and were the main products of trade. This was very true for nonbat civilians who saw any dead core as a treasure. For Skullius to casually give it to him¡­ ¡°So¡­ Will you help me or not?¡± Skullius asked after seeing Frock space out. The hesitation in Frock¡¯s eyes lifted somewhat as he decided that he would wait and see. He always had a n for when things went south anyway. Besides, Skillius didn¡¯t seem like he was consciously trying to screw him over. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I have a few questions. First. Do you still have any equipment that can add mana to my own¡­ like the uh¡­ the mana band?¡± Skullius had seen how essential this item was. It allowed him to cast skills that required a whole lot of mana than he currently had. But unfortunately, he needed more as the skill that he found himself falling in love with, [Revenant mes of Ecstasy], bottomed his total mana in one cast. ¡°Of course not! You think it¡¯s easy to have that kind of thing crafted? The situation in the country is really jumping over your head isn¡¯t it? Trade between us and the major cities has been stunted ofte. Everyone is preparing for something big, slowly cutting off supplies and such. Many of the best cksmiths fled the city and many others like me. Surely you know why?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°.. ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Tch!¡± CLNK! Skullius threw a few silvers this time as he was low on gold. ¡°The whole deal with the Sif. Ever since the royal family publicly announced that they would be getting into talks with them for a possible alliance, things have gone downhill. Even now, everyone is waiting for the result. Anxiously might I add!¡± ¡°Ohhhh¡­ that?¡± Skullius recalled that he had heard of this in the city. In the many scenarios when he had been eavesdropping, trying to locate certain ces, he had heard the conversation of these long eared people frommonfolk,mon political fanatics andmon degenerates. ¡°So you have heard of it? In any case, the few who can forge such equipment en mass are gone from this city, seeking safety in other bigger cities.¡± ¡°Safety? What will happen when these Sif bros form an alliance?¡± ¡°War.¡± ¡°War? With whom?¡± ¡°Maqi. The nation that¡¯s considered to hold the strongest forces in Feinheath. They are hot blooded and prideful bastards who will most probably wage war in that case. Their whole Ideal is that humans should form a single nation and prevent colluding with outside races again. You can see where I¡¯m going with this, right?¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Skullius thought. That sounded terrifying. Just how powerful were these guys that everyone was afraid of them? Actually, that wasn¡¯t fair. This was only Frock¡¯s opinion. ¡°Alright then. Since I can¡¯t get another mana band, can I get a map that shows major ces in the city?¡± ¡°Heh¡­ that I can provide,¡± said Frock with a subdued smile. Skullius had a few things to do before resuming his lessons with Oliviana. Getting a map would solve one of them and helping a certain bro to his feet was another. ¡°Also, I need two sets of armour. A strong leather one and one made of steel. Throw in two swords, a bow and arrows aaaaaand a spear too.¡± ¡°What in the world¡­?! Are you going to war or something?¡± ¡°Someone will. Not me. Also¡­ I want to trade one of my dead cores for coin. Can you do that?¡± Frock gulped down a lump of saliva as his body both cheered and agonised. For the love of money, he was willing! ¡®Who the hell is this guy?!¡¯ Chapter 173 All About Clusters The bandaged Skullius walked into ¡®Big Bosom Betsy¡¯s¡¯ with a sickly skip in his step, attracting the attention of the ever present champions of food and ale that were chattering endlessly. Most of themughed at him as he limped while Betsy who was behind the counter as usual gave him a curious gaze. As he was passing by her, going up to his room, she suddenly spoke. ¡°Is the city proving to be a bit too difficult for you, love? Did you get into a brawl with fire or what?¡± she asked as she saw the patches of burns that were peeking from under the bandages on his face. Naturally, because Skullius was evidently bothered by the heat, all the locals could tell he was new. ¡°Kind of¡­¡± Skullius replied. ¡°You know, it wouldn¡¯t hurt tomit to being a part of the Inn. No need to feel like you don¡¯t belong if you haven¡¯t even tried to fit in. Being alone is an experience that takes much away from you, you know? Chips at your soul instead of adding to it,¡± Betsy said with eyes that twinkled, hiding a loneliness of her own. Betsy¡¯s words poked Skullius quite a bit. What Serenity had said about him, about his soul and True Undeath. How his yearning for friends was merely a reaction of him missing the other half of his soul. The loneliness. Indeed, it seemed to fit. Just like he had been in Deadmand, making friends with other undead, a part of him sought thatfort in having others around him still. To fill up what he didn¡¯t have. Unfortunately, because of UNCoddled, the only people he could associate with were those that didn¡¯t give a damn about him.. Those whose objective wasn¡¯t to see him thrive. A lonely road full of passive fellowships. ¡°I know. But some of us don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Skullius said before continuing up to his room. Betsy kept looking at his back as she kept reying the glimpse of Skullius¡¯ true emotions that she had seen just now. ¡®I remember that look. A despair that you hide in your very guts. A despair caused by loneliness. Hmmm¡­ I guess I still have some of it left¡­¡¯ Betsy thought as she gazed at the cheering men and women at the tables. She had done what she could ensure that even if she felt lonely, she would never be alone. * By the time Skullius arrived in his room, he was already focused on his goal. His Discount Human body was nothing like his Prator one. He would grow ¡®tired¡¯ easily, thus he needed to do what he wanted to quickly especially after the days¡¯ rich activity. The timer for [Flesh It Like You Mean It] would clock out in the morning, but he didn¡¯t intend to do nothing until then. He sat down on the floor and took the books he had stolen from the College. There were many, numbering in the hundreds. Skullius quickly skimmed through the pages, finding to his disappointment, that he couldn¡¯t read most of them. Thenguage mostly used for speech and writing among universally or rather with interracial interaction was the Known Language. It was said that it was developed during warring times, many races adopting it for diplomatic rtions over centuries until it became what it was today. This was what most individuals used. [Greater Communication] had evolved a few hours prior, reaching the next level which actually didn¡¯t change its name or description by much. It remained as [Greater Communication] with a ¡®I¡¯ at the end, but its scope was enhanced. Where it could understand some low to mid levelnguages, now it could understand all of thenguages in these categories, dialects and all, along with beginning to tap into high levelnguages. On top of this, the description implied that it now covered literacy too, but to a limited degree. The ¡®Great¡¯ series among skills was always the highest level in the tier of skills, which made it more convincing when thinking back to who gave Skullius this skill in the first ce. The fact that such a skill would delve into literacy was not a surprise but this wasn¡¯t what Skullius was focused on as he hadn¡¯t even noticed that the ability to read was provided by the upgrade to this skill. The issue was, most of the books here couldn¡¯t be read. They had advancednguage and intense jargon which was too much for [Greater Communication I] to handle. These books were mainly from the shelf he had stolen. Fortunately, the ones from the stall, were readable though possessing surface level information. For an organisation with a monopoly over information, it was no surprise that they would sell limited knowledge. But who cared? Definitely not Skullius! He began to absorb the knowledge stored within, finding different topics to read through, the one that intrigued him the most being the one about Clusters. It was only natural that Cluster awareness was one of the more significant things that people talked out and were made to learn as they were an issue concern, especially with the sudden increase in their appearance which was not exactly known by many. The more Skullius read, the more he realised that he had underestimated these things quite a bit. Their origin was something he knew already, the sh of the Deities¡¯ power forming mini spaces were monsters were born with unnatural powers. However, their scaling was something he hadn¡¯t been able to learn yet. There were essentially, three levels of Clusters, with six categories. Every Cluster was distinguished by colour, with Low level ones usually being white and white-blue. The Mid level ones were blue and purple-blue. The High level ones were purple and red. Some Clusters usually had distorted time. The theory around them was that Clusters existed all around Aigas. The cracks that appeared in space served only to represent that the space within was about to break apart but didn¡¯t always happen. In fact, Clusters rarely copsed on their own. The regions in every nation, bearing the temperatures ranging from high to low were the the ones with most Clusters, the degree of rise or decrease in temperature acting as a marker for how many Clusters would appear in said region. This was the distinction between ces like Eofel and Inhone, where one experienced Clusters and the other didn¡¯t altogether. Even the Tremur Forest which existed in the same region as Eofel didn¡¯t experience the issue of Clusters, the temperature in the region being moderate all year round. Sadly, the reason for this was unknown, with most that had been gathered merely being baseless spection. Monsters within Clusters were unique and different from the ones in Aigas as they usually possessed extremely dangerous powers. ¡®Yeah¡­ those gremlins were definitely a problem¡­¡¯ Skullius reminisced about his first Cluster. What was even more menacing was the fact that in every Cluster, there was one or more Cluster Generals, a monster with power equal to the sum of its underlings or more. It wasn¡¯t merely a final boss to fight as it also had an absurd level of mana. This mana was what it used to keep the Cluster stable as the appearance of a Cluster in Aigas meant the Cluster was close to breaking apart. The Cluster General kept the Cluster space stable until all the monsters within could exit, a time frame that was determined to vary greatly, but with the average time being 3 days. When a mercenary entered the Cluster, they would unable to leave as well, the only possible way to leave being to kill the Cluster General. All this made sense to Skullius as he read through it. He had been unable to exit the Cluster back then until he killed Jackpot. However, even with this knowledge that made him wonder how dangerous Clusters above the white level could be like, he was excited. He wanted to enter one and he was going to. But this wasn¡¯t all about Clusters as thest bits he could find detailed the benefits of venturing into Clusters. First, there was the resources mainly found in Clusters, Enriching gems. After reading their description, Skullius¡¯ eyes widened as he pulled something from his spatial storage ring which he had regurgitated earlier after meeting the two Energy Formers. A purple gem with dim, starry lights swirling within it appeared in his hand. This was an Enriching gem! Skullius had collected these from the walls of the Cluster he had been in a few days ago! He had a little over 200 of these in his spatial storage! As for their significance¡­ ¡­! Skullius became excited as he read through it! ¡­. [Author¡¯s Note] We¡¯re going to back to two daily uploads at the original time. Chapter 174 This Discount Human Looks Acceptable! ¡°Let¡¯s see if its true,¡± Skullius mumbled to himself after reading about what these Enriching gems could do. ¡°The Binds of Fukal shouldn¡¯t interfere, right?¡± ording to one of the books he read, Skullius learned that Enriching gems boosted constitution. How much they actually boosted depended on where they were extracted from but still¡­ it seemed like the benefits were evident nheless. The term ¡®absorb¡¯ was used when referring to the how these gems were used and the only way Skullius could think of to actualise the benefits he foresaw himself getting, was to focus on the Enriching gem and use [Advanced Mana Maniption] to wrap around it, feeling for something to pull towards himself. The faint starry lights glowing within the gem reacted instantly as Skullius felt an excitement in his body that drew the energy from the gem into him almost instantly! It trickled into the finer parts of his flesh all at once and Skullius vaguely felt a difference in his body. Then¡­ [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 0.1 applies] ¡°Hmmm?¡± The glow from the gem died down, the starry lights within no longer being visible. Such a fascinating phenomenon. The energy that trickled into his being was vastly different from mana, carrying a more chaotic yet pure feel that was very attractive to the cells in his flesh. ¡°Let¡¯s see how much I can absorb!¡± Skullius excitedly eximed as he pulled out more gems from the spatial storage ring. He held two of the Enriching gems in his hands as he poured his focus, letting [Advanced Mana Maniption] lead his sensations as he drew on the energy trapped within the gems. His body hungrily slurped it all within moments, a cascade of notifications from the guidance field flourishing within Skullius¡¯ sight as he rapidly absorbed the energy from the gems in twos!. [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 0.1 applies] [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 0.1 applies] [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 0.1 ¡­.] With each purple gem dimming to release the energy it held, Skullius saw developments to his own body. His frail and weak looking body had experienced quite the attractive change. His short, auburn hair had gotten longer, the colour bing a bit richer. His skin became more toned, traces of actual muscle contours bing visible when he lifted his clothing. On his nd, cartoonish face, cheek bones became highlighted, as if they had been hidden by fat all along, his face bing¡­ slightly more eptable as other features¡­ distinct features appeared; soft eyshes that gave his eyes more appeal, a slightly pointy chin that said NO to the overall, unnatural round face he had as well as a certain roughness befitting of a masculine visage. All this urred under Skullius¡¯ bandages and even though they were changes, Skullius didn¡¯t actually feel them. He could only rely on his sight to cite some of them. The Discount Human felt stronger and sturdier as even with his inability to feel sensationsrgely, he could tell his cosmetic flesh was reacting pleasantly. This prompted him to take a look at his status to ascertain whether or not there were any changes yet¡­ There were none. ¡°What? But I feel stronger. Shouldn¡¯t that count?¡± Skullius questioned himself as he double checked. All his stats remained the same.¡± He immediately turned back to the texts as he tried to find out more but the detail was unclear. At least to him. The refining of the fibres of one¡¯s existence. The flesh and bone were purified and strengthened, creating a quality body. That could mean anything though. To Skullius, it sounded more like evolution. As he read more, there didn¡¯t seem to be any more exploration on the subject of Enriching gems, with the only other texts mentioning the different colours of Enriching gems with stronger effects on the body, the difference going from purple, red, green and blue. Quite the odd colour sequence. Thest of the subject matter about Clusters was the fact natural treasures were more easily found within them but Skullius¡¯ mind remained rooted on Enriching gems. Even now, his body remained quivering in excitement and as he looked at it, all bandaged and burnt, he couldn¡¯t help but think of the dilemma he was stuck between. The whole reason why he had chosen to willingly damage his body was because he had the skill, [Luminant Healing]. However, he was sure those two Energy Formers were not done investigating the incident at the College and him as well. Should he heal himself? Wouldn¡¯t it be¡­ suspicious? Unless of course, he could im that he was healed by someone with that kind of ability. Still, the fact remained that he would have to find them and possibly bribe them as a witness. That could be organised. ¡®It¡¯s funny. I thought I wasn¡¯t going to need Frock anymore but here I am relying on him again,¡¯ Skullius thought. Still, he couldn¡¯tin. He immediately activated [Luminant Healing] and healed his wounds, regrowing his hand in the process. Crusts of dry and burnt skin fell off as new skin reced them. Soon, the Discount Human was as good as new, waving his new hand joyfully. With this, he continued to flow through the books, almost literally inhaling all the information trapped within. * Next day. Skullius came out of his room a littleter than the previous day as after [Flesh It Like You Mean It] had timed out, he had waited for the cooldown before activating it again. He rushed out of the Inn, not giving anyone the chance to notice him. This early, unlike yesterday, many people would being in and out of their rooms, others flooding the counter to make requests and orders. This gave him the opportunity to flicker through like a ghost, unnoticed. The Discount Human donned a slightly thick leather armour that bound his figure quite nicely. Apparently, it was made from a Treehog Kill Deer¡¯s hide, bearing a golden-brown furry exterior, thin steel tesyered within it and on the shoulders where pads of a material Frock refused to mention wereid. Fuzzy fur jutted from the neckline of the armour in an elegant while Skullius¡¯ legs were covered in a dark brown, sturdy pair of pants that had a rough and wrinkled texture, evidently hard when one touched it. Steel bracers adorned his arms with some form of leather underneath them to cushion the hard steel and possible force of blows, from Skullius skin, the whole aesthetic looking quite good on the Discount Human with his now slightly toned image. He didn¡¯t dawdle as his first order of business was going to the cksmith that Frock had rmended. Skullius had intended for the map to help him scout out cksmiths but alone, it didn¡¯t help him that much, thus, he had to begrudgingly rely on Frock who pointed out a cksmithing shop to the North West within Inhone, run by an aged brute who called himself HammerDown Gruff. It didn¡¯t take long for Skullius to find the ce as he had a map, seeing a surprisinglyrge shop where the nging of metal, the hissing of water when it was invaded by hot metal along with the smell of several types of garnish could be detected. Skullius could also sense wisps of mana even as he stood from a distance, looking at the shop made of thick, sturdy blocks, arge chimney smoking jutting out the roof and an open space in its middle where several people who looked to have a high social status awaited service. Skullius goal was obvious. He intended to get [Demion¡¯s Dance] fixed. He didn¡¯t know the first thing about cksmithing and he knew the sword was high level which could potentially attract the Screwed Over effect by socketholes but Skullius had prepared quite a bit for potential problems. It seemed quite strange to Skullius that there were few people here and all of them didn¡¯t look likemon folk. Some of them looked at him with disdain, some shaking their heads as if he didn¡¯t belong. ¡®Is it because they think I don¡¯t have enough money for it?¡¯ Skullius asked himself. ¡®Well¡­ who cares what you think?¡¯ Skullius ignored the gazes he received and instead focused on the other information he had learned from the books. Skills. The term referred to anyplex application of mana and was a broad term, covering spells,bat arts and other applications outside of higher level concepts. As he had read through this, Skullius had thought back to the skill he had seen Jackpot use to absolutely wreck Red Rage. He wanted something like that too and it was soon going to be his area of focus. With the fact that most mercenaries had absorbed tonnes of Enriching gems, had blue cores that allowed them to cast Special skills along with the possibility of having Advanced sses, Skullius now understood why humans were such monsters even if they were a measly 10 or 15 levels in their stage progression. Besides, this was just a small city. Who knew what the monsters that lived in major cities were like. After waiting for a few hours, it was Skullius¡¯ turn. A young man with bags under his eyes, a dirty apron and a pair of soot covered gloves appeared with a weak smile on his face. ¡°How can I help you, sir?¡± he asked in a fitting weak voice, swallowing his judgement of this character before him who didn¡¯t seem to belong. The shop was prestigious and many amonfolk had been rejected on their requests as Gruff didn¡¯t ept any negotiations when it came to money. The ¡®Ironbound Fool¡¯ had a reputation to uphold and thus, usually only those with bulging pockets and seven hearts of steel could afford to buy Gruff¡¯s services. Skullius took the [Demion¡¯s Dance] from the spatial storage ring and carefully presented it to the young man. The young man frowned as he saw the aged and cracked sword that seemed to have been pulled out a history textbook. The hell was this? Was this even a sword or some family decoration? He didn¡¯t even bother to hide the demeaning look on his face as he red at Skullius, preparing to dish out a flurry of insults for wasting his time with what he thought was a prank. ¡°Listen, sir. My master is a very busy man! He doesn¡¯t have time to-,¡± ¡°HOLD IT!¡± a loud roare from within the shop, carrying a hint of both anger and excitement! Chapter 175 With Great Curse, Comes Great Sacrifice A burly man with a portly belly that pressed outwards against the dirty apron he wore emerged from behind the young man. From his appearance, one didn¡¯t even need to guess to know why thest part of his nickname, ¡®Gruff¡¯ was relevant. A rough grey beard with hints of ash and soot along with darkened skin with wrinkly textures could be seen on his face while his eyes brimmed with a light blue shade. At this moment, there seemed to be fury building up within him as he looked at his apprentice from a height of almost two meters, the young man shrinking back and moving to the side. What could be the possible reason for such hostility from his teacher? Had hee to denounce Skullius himself? The Discount Human was perplexed, not by the bulky man¡¯s stature, but by the fact that this man, had a blue core! A dull blue core to be exact and while it didn¡¯t have the same brightness as from those he had felt within strong opponents and mercenaries, it definitely put this hunk on his map. HammerDown Gruff. The best cksmith in the city at this current point in time. He didn¡¯t spare Skullius much of a nce as he went on to take [Demion¡¯s Dance] from the hands of his apprentice and inspect it with shocking intensity. In this instance, Skullius truly hoped that this man didn¡¯t turn out to be a sockethole who would run off with his de. That would leave him regretting why he hadn¡¯t just used [Unbound] to fix and transmute it into a new one. ¡°Where did you get this fine weapon? I could sense its ancient and unique aura from out back,¡± Gruff said, his eyes never leaving the blueish curved de that had shallow circr groves with a glossy shine about them.. The elegantly made golden hilt with mini designs of swirls and curls that enhanced friction made Gruff nod his head as his brows alternated the duty of showing his immense interest. ¡°I got it from a certain merchant,¡± Skullius lied through his teeth. ¡°Is that right?¡± Gruff questioned as his fading blue eyes gleamed dangerously but Skullius withheld his stance. ¡®He must think me a fool. The level of smithing, etching and artistry behind this piece is way beyond my capabilities. Yet he ims a mere merchant let him walk away with it?¡¯ ¡°Hmph! Nomatter how much you remainposed, I can tell that you¡¯re not from the circle you¡¯re trying to fit into. My interest is in this weapon. What would you have me do?¡± ¡°The weapon has lost its durability. It can no longer do what it was meant to do. I was hoping you can restore it,¡± Skullius said. Gruff scoffed as he ced the sword on the side. ¡°First. Tell me truthfully. Where did you acquire this de?¡± Gruff asked with a sizable amount of threat saturating his voice. Skullius didn¡¯t back away. ¡°Like I said. I got it from a merchant.¡± ¡°From where?¡± ¡°On my way from Eofel to this city. Bastard must have not recognised its worth since it is all worn out now, bro. But still, I had to pay him three Tier 3 dead cores before he was willing to part with it.¡± Gruff frowned slightly and harrumphed like a beast. Perhaps it was true. Only seasoned merchants who were well versed in the sale of weaponry would recognise their value even if they were damaged or worn out. If the man before him was telling the truth, then perhaps the merchant still had enough brain to see the eagerness within Skullius¡¯ eyes and exploit it. ¡°What do you fancy about this sword then?¡± Gruff asked. Perhaps he had misjudged this determined young man. Skullius grinned under his solemn facade. He could tell the guy everything about the sword but he refrained from doing so as that would likely increase his chances of getting screwed over. From the looks of it, Gruff didn¡¯t see the sword as the legendary construct it was. Hell, he probably couldn¡¯t decipher everything about it. ¡°I can tell you it¡¯s a very rare weapon. Maybe even legendary. Or least it was. The fine work on it probably means it has two or more skills that can be activated. Of course I won¡¯t be the one using it but that was what all I was able to find about it,¡± Skullius exined. The tall man before the Discount Human paused for a bit with a hint of shock peeking from his face. In the next moment, Gruff began tough heartily as a smile finally broke free to his face! ¡°Hahahahaha! Splendid! To think I¡¯d finally see another customer with good appraisal skills!¡± he said as he grabbed [Demion¡¯s Dance], his apprentice being puzzled out of his mind. ¡°Good, good! Come! Let me see what I can¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± Skullius suddenly eximed as sweat visible trickled down his face. This had escted too quickly. Maybe he had sold the idea too well and his affable broship had revealed Gruff¡¯s good nature. Whatever it was¡­ His mind raced as he thought of how to solve what he saw to be a problem merely seconds away. Soon, he thought of the only way to possibly redeem the situation. He pulled out two dead cores from his spatial storage ring, one being Tier four and the other Tier five and set them down. Gruff was confused and awed at the same time. To casually pull out such high quality dead cores. ¡°I¡¯m not here to have a good chat, you bloated sockethole! I just want my weapon fixed! All I need are your skills. Now tell me, when should I return for it?¡± Skullius feigned being angry. The burly man couldn¡¯t believe his ears. The transition sounded unnatural. What had gotten into this man? Slowly, his hearty cheer receded as a professional and cold look appeared on his face. No. He had misjudged. This man was no different from the stuck up fools that thought as long as they had money, they owned the world. Even though it was a hypocritical thing when he himself shied away from those that couldn¡¯t afford his expertise, that was because he valued himself. While others had abandoned the city for bigger cities, he had stayed in order to be a pir for themunity of Inhone City. At least a major one. The Capital Knights who needed greater equipment approached him along with many others and he would put his full effort in crafting the best weaponry and armour that saved lives. But, he would never allow himself to be undervalued. His philosophy was simple. ¡®If you can¡¯t afford it, someone else will. And that someone is going to do it for you.¡¯ If amoner visited his shop with a request to get a powerful sword but without the means to pay for it, he wouldn¡¯t acquiesce. A Knight with the means to pay for such woulde with the same request and adhere to the threat that gued the verymoner the next day. It was faulty belief but he firmly held onto it. It made sense to him. This was what the existing system was for. ¡°Frankly, this craftsmanship is quite beyond my level. All I can do is restore a fraction of its capabilities. Do you still ept?¡± Gruff said in a rough tone. Were it not for the fact that he was interested in the sword, he probably would have chased Skullius out. But then again, this was his job. Forming friendships was only a bonus that wasn¡¯t guaranteed. Yet this one truly disappointed him. ¡°How long will it take?¡± ¡°Roughly 4 days.¡± Skullius grimaced. It was better than nothing at least. ¡°Alright. I¡¯lle back then.¡± The Discount Human immediately turned and left, pping his own face with a crisp smack after walking dozens of paces away. Aside from the fact that he was disappointed that [Demion¡¯s Dance] couldn¡¯t be fixed fully and that the little it could be restored would take days, he was also bummed because he had deliberately cut off a potential, budding friendship. The reason was obvious. UNCoddled. Contrary to how HammerDown Gruff looked, he wasn¡¯t a sockethole at heart. The moment Skullius saw the hearty cheer and friendly gaze, he knew that he had almost screwed himself. He would have loved to befriend the burly man but that would end terribly. Besides the fact that he would turn the man into a gooey mess, killing a well-known cksmith like HammerDown would make his life hellish. ¡®. Let¡¯s cheer up. We¡¯re about to resurrect Red bro anyway. Won¡¯t be alone for much longer,¡¯ he thought to himself. With the issue of the sword done for now, Skullius headed to his semi-secondary destination, the National Guilds Association building. As he was familiar with the path, it didn¡¯t take Skullius long to reach the ce. Upon arriving though, he was met with a burst of activity in and out of the Guilds Associations building. Many mercenaries were walking in and out with urgency in their steps, fully decked in armour and most heading out of the city. Skullius spotted a few mercenaries who were going into the building covered in Conqueror¡¯s Halos which he hadn¡¯t gotten used to seeing. This was his first time seeing the light akin to res surrounding a bunch of mercenaries with some having brighter ones and others havingyered Halos that circled around their figures! ¡®Woow¡­ it does look cool now that I think about it.¡¯ It was unfortunate that asides from decorative purposes, it didn¡¯t have much value but Skullius groaned as he called that it was only him who didn¡¯t benefit anything. He couldn¡¯t gain the other benefits for clearing Clusters. Still though. ¡®Alright! That¡¯s enough of the negative. Let¡¯s go get that mercenary license.¡¯ The Discount Human marched into the building as he aimed to take his first step into bing a mercenary. Chapter 176 The Evaluation (1) Upon entering into the Associations building, Skullius was sted with the chatter of many Guilds discussing among themselves, most of them either crowding the board to the left where the requests were pinned or registering their Guilds for taking up a selected request. Once a Guild chose to travel to an area reported to be haunted by beasts or Clusters, they would register to one of the men and women sitting on desks at the ends of the building hall. Once registered, they could leave the city to deal with the issue. Naturally, there were rewards for requests. Aside from the payment the holder of the request had to make, the Guilds Association also issued out payments provided the Guild in question brought in proof that they had indeed in the threat. The more obvious evidence was the Conqueror¡¯s Halo but it usually needed to be apanied by the head of any one of the beasts ughtered. Preferably the Cluster General in terms of Clusters or the strongest beast if the case was for rted to beasts. Depending on the level of threat posed, a reward would be issued by the Guild. It was amon case for some requests to remain untended to. In these cases, the Guild would ask for any volunteers among the Guilds and if none still took up the request, it would be given to the Capital service. Skullius was curious as to why it was so crowded today. It looked like all the Guilds were busy and even with the many that swarmed the board of requests, there were still too many of the pieces of paper pinned, showing that the threats outnumbered the mercenary Guilds. Obviously, the majority of these requests had been written by the Guilds itself pinpointing where most of the Clusters would be as it was impossible for such arge number of requests to have been made in such a short time. Thankfully, most of them were low level.. Skullius walked forward as he squeezed through the crowds, listening to the conversations as he went. ¡°How do so many Clusters appear in such a short time? Is this happening everywhere in Pelian?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard the City Lord advised Guilds to form smaller groups of stronger mercenaries to cover more ground. Heh! Like that¡¯s going to happen!¡± ¡°But¡­ it does seem to be the more reasonable course of action. There¡¯s just too few of us to deal with this many Clusters, even if they are low level.¡± ¡°Still, can you imagine fighting a Cluster General alone? Even if it¡¯s from a low level Cluster? A white one might be manageable but a blue-white would be difficult for even three or four of us. I¡¯m not ready to die.¡± Skullius narrowed his eyes in thought. The City Lord did not control the Guilds Association or its mercenaries. The Guilds Association itself couldn¡¯t even push around its mercenaries unless they broke specific rules. Thus, the City Lord¡¯s rmendation for how to operate was falling on deaf ears. ¡®Many Clusters are showing up?¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Well¡­ that¡¯s interesting. And terrifying.¡¯ From several positions within the crowd of individuals, Skullius spotted a few mercenaries requesting to make temporary teams to clear Clusters. Some were lucky. Some not so much. Skullius ignored this for time being as he went straight to the desks where the individuals dressed formally behind serving counters were working their butts off, registering epted requests for Guilds. The Discount Human had to wait for a while before getting the chance to be served. When it was finally his turn, he found himself looking at the very same woman who had served him that day. Shockingly, she still had an annoyed look on her face which was multiplied when she looked up to be see Skullius¡¯ face. She grunted before unpleasantly asking, ¡°How many I help you, sir?¡± ¡°I would like to get a mercenary license please,¡± Skullius answered. The woman was a bit taken aback. She looked like she had a whole lot to say to Skullius as she scanned him top to bottom before shutting her mouth. The long line of mercenaries waiting to be served behind Skullius made her swallow her length sermon and instead, she chose to give this man what he wanted. Or was it? This man had been clueless about the basics just a few days ago and now he walked in as if he was mercenary material already?! She could tell from his core that he was nothing special but who was she to tell him what to do? People didn¡¯t even listen to the will of the Deities these days, how would her case be any different? Without wasting time, she called a certain man who was standing at the far corner of the hall, leaning against the wall as he watched the scenes taking ce within the Guilds Association with sharp eyes. He was decked in a bulky silver and white armour thatplimented his burly physique, short grey hair and a goatee along with sugar grey eyes visible above his neck. He walked up to the woman from behind the counter. ¡°He wants to apply for a license,¡± the woman said as her left eye squinted a little, a hidden signal being conveyed to the man who nodded and then looked up at Skullius. ¡°Follow me,¡± Skullius nodded and followed the bulky man who stood gave him the same vibe as HammerDown Gruff. They walked through a door at the end of the hall, appearing in a very confined space where the only thing of note was a flight of stairs that went down through a sizable trap door. The bulky man descended followed by Skullius who wondered where exactly they were going. As they descended, bright gems could be seen on the walls giving a sufficient amount of light to the surroundings. ¡°So, you want to be a mercenary?¡± the man before Skullius asked in a rather hollow tone. ¡°Yes,¡± Skullius responded sinctly. ¡°What motivates you to do such a thing when you have such a weak core? Is it money? Fame? Women? Self validation?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ none of those.¡± ¡°What is it then?¡± Skullius remained silent for a while as he mulled it over. It¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t have an answer. He most definitely did but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯d rather keep to myself,¡± he said. ¡°Very well. But let me warn you. I¡¯m more inclined to reject your application. You¡¯re too immature. Your body is nothing special. I can see with the way you walk that youck proper training. Suchck will get only you killed.¡± Skullius remained silent. This man was an Evaluation officer, tasked with evaluating whether or not applicants were deserving of a license. The requirements weren¡¯t that steep but not that low either. ¡°I¡¯m merely attending to you as a formality. I won¡¯t be granting you a good evaluation for a license.¡± The Discount Human frowned in displeasure. ¡®Seriously?!¡¯ The burly man, as if sensing Skullius¡¯ bitterness went on with his reality check. ¡°I¡¯ve worked long enough in the Guild to know people like you. If the death toll increases for mercenaries, especially if someone like you registers, we will be the ones facing the wrath of the main Guilds Association branch. I hope you understand.¡± The woman at the counter had told him all he needed to know. After his own inspection, he had verified it. This was another one of those wannabes that didn¡¯t know what it took to be a mercenary. As he finished speaking his piece, the two arrived within a rather spacious room approximately 80 meters wide and 60 meters long. There was rough, hard ground under the twos feet along with a series of weapon on almost all sides of the grey walls, runic markings like the ones he saw at the library being visible all around this room too. ¡°This one of the many Evaluation Rooms. You can pick up any weapon you want to demonstrate what you can do. I hope you remember what I just said though. I will NOT be granting you a license. Perhaps if you show something interesting, I might rmend you to the Capital training instead. Half off. Sounds good doesn¡¯t it?¡± The man said with an infuriating level of indifference that showed his utter disinterest andck of expectation from Skullius. In his mind, there was nothing that anyone else of this generation could show that surpassed what he had seen from Tulnas. That level of power and talent, it wasn¡¯t something that spawned casually, especially within smaller cities. His power bubbled as his bright blue mana core expelled vicious waves of mana that shook the room, locking in on Skullius who was forced to kneel from the pressure. The force that fell on him like an anvil caused fizzy blood to drop from his nose! ¡°Now. Show me what you can do. If there¡¯s any anything at all.¡± Skullius¡¯ cosmetic muscles tensed up as he was pressed down. He had scripted what he would show, thinking that it would be easy for him to get a license but now¡­ It seemed he was wrong. He grinned as he looked up, his eyes showing feverish zeal! ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll show you what I can do!¡± Chapter 177 The Evaluation (2) The man in the bulky armour raised a brow as he felt Skullius gather up his mana to strengthen his body. A thinyer of it surrounded him with quite the excellent level of distribution as he crookedly stood up with his grin still showing, his eyes gazing intensely at his opponent. ¡°That¡¯s quite the fine mana coat. I¡¯m impressed. But that¡¯s not enough,¡± the man said as he increased his output of mana which forced Skullius back on his knee. The Discount Human before him was really finding it difficult to even stand. ¡®What¡¯s the point of trying so hard when I have already told him that I won¡¯t be giving him his license?¡¯ he thought. ¡®I¡¯m even doing him a favour.¡¯ After a short few moments, the man saw Skullius rise up again, this time with a look of intense focus as he¡­ Pointed at him? Skullius¡¯ index finger jutted out from his hand as he pointed at the bulky man, his grin no longer visible. The look in his eyes had changed. A faint white glow whirled as something the burly man didn¡¯t understand manifested on Skullius¡¯ index finger! A small, round sphere of darkness.. The sphere quivered on the tip of Skullius¡¯ finger, its deep ck colour causing the burly man to narrow his eyes with just a hint of caution. ¡®What is that? Some kind of skill?¡¯ he thought. Ultimately, he wasn¡¯t too worried as at most, it was just a powerful normal skill which he was probably invulnerable against. The small sphere, which was the size of an eyeball started to spin as Skullius funnelled his full focus into it! Naturally, because it was so dark that it didn¡¯t reflect light, it was impossible to tell but light bursts of hot air that revolved around showed that it was spinning at a ridiculous speed! Skullius wore a satisfied smile as his mana raged within, already preparing for future moves. ¡®That should be enough,¡¯ he thought. Then, he released it. The burly man was wondering what was going on when¡­ WHAM! A staggering force pummeled his armour, lifting him off his feet with a powerful shockwave rushing through his body! ¡®THE HELL?!¡¯ The man¡¯s eyes almost popped out of his sockets as he saw the eyeball sized dark sphere spinning against his armour while releasing a series of sparks with its collision against his chest te! His armour wasn¡¯t damaged but what shocked him was that he didn¡¯t even see the sphere move from Skullius¡¯ finger to his chest! On the other side, Skullius disappointedly clicked his tongue as he thought that this was enough to at least it knock the burly man over. He had condensed [Evil Darkness] into a ball andunched it at the man, a trick he had been practising for a few hours a night since he had taken an in interest in it after the fight with Jackpot. He had learnt it in hisst ditch attempt at surviving, while the Fruit of World Myths projected him with [Crude World Projection] in the strange world of ck, white and grey. Condensing darkness, forming it into a ball andunching at his enemy. He had liked the simple concept as it became an attack he wanted to master. Now, he had mastered it to a considerable degree, but it was nowhere near as fast as it was when he used it with [Crude World Projection]. This wasn¡¯t his only n though. ¡®Alright then. Let¡¯s get on with the next.¡¯ At this time, the burly man had settled on the ground with his feet, looking curiously at the ball of darkness that was finally losing its spin. He reached his finger to touch it but then¡­ WHOOSH! It suddenly lost its solid shape and became a cloud that covered his body! ¡­! A rigid force restricted his movements instantaneously, with the man being trapped in the darkness from which he couldn¡¯t see anything! A hint of panic caught him as he wasn¡¯t familiar with something like this! His mana surged as he strengthened his body and forced himself to move! His legs stomped forward as he exerted his strength over the hold of this darkness, though strenuously. ¡®What in the world is this?! Is it some kind of forbidden art? Illusion?! No! Or is it¡­¡¯ The man was just about to exit theyer of darkness when a brilliant light with a shocking speed and power pierced through the air with a goose bump inducing whistle! The burly man was momentarily blinded as while his movements were still downgraded by the cloud of darkness he was close to escaping, a force several times stronger than the one from the ball of darkness smashed into his upper chest! This time, the man wasunched back, his body flying as it returned to the cloud of darkness! His armour produced a sizzling sound as it was heated and slightly dented! Before he could pierce through the darkness in his flight from the impact, he felt something wrap around his arm and pull him back! The darkness which had only covered his body before exploded in quantity, but he couldn¡¯t see it or feel it! He was dazed and lost in thought. The moment he touched the ground, his natural instincts warned him of possible danger as he then immediately whipped his hand forward, swiping to the side a sword that had been slicing through the darkness, aiming towards his neck! His body brimmed with mana as he grinned, finally taking this seriously! With his mana racing through his body furiously, the restricting effect of the darkness couldn¡¯t bind him anymore and he shed forward, even without the ability to see, pushing his palm ahead with a controlled force of power! PAA! The open palm met leather as the individual donning it was pushed back at bullet speed from the darkness! The burly man followed as with a single step, he zoomed and appeared out of the thick cloud of darkness just in time to watch Skullius knock against the wall on the other side of the room! After a crisp echo of collision with the wall, the Discount Human slid down to the floor. ¡°Hah~¡± he sighed as he looked ahead of him, a sword in hand. He was pretty disappointed. ¡°Hahaha!¡± the burly manughed while shaking his head. He looked back at the darkness behind him that began to dissipate. Fascinating! Intriguing! As he saw the disappointed look on Skullius¡¯ face, he couldn¡¯t help but feel even more jovial! ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say it from the start boy?!¡± he roared with a zealous intensity while walking up to Skullius, pride oozing from him. Skullius stood up. What he had intended to happen from the beginning had fortunately ended up happening anyway. Though now, he had probably blown what he intended to do before hearing the demeaning words of this man at the start out of proportions with his improvised disy. Either way, he knew what this man was going to say. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were an Energy Former?!¡± Chapter 178 The New Mage The burly Evaluation officer patted Skullius¡¯ shoulder with a pride, awaiting his response. ¡°I wanted to be evaluated just like everyone else,¡± Skullius replied. ¡°Heh! Good, good! That¡¯s the right attitude! I even got the sense that you are quite experienced in battle. Restricting my movements before going in to attack. You¡¯re quite sturdy for an Energy Former too. I must admit, if I wasn¡¯t me, I probably would have been killed while still trying to figure out what was going on. Haha! Now tell me. What is that darkness and that sh ofpressed mana that hit me?¡± Skullius smiled coyly as he kicked away the sword he had used to almost sh the Evaluation officer¡¯s head. Ah~. shing. A job that Skullius could only enjoy in his Discount Human form. The tactic he had used was something he had formed after the man had told him about the evaluation. Naturally, with someone like this, he had chosen to keep his distance as he was well versed in long range attacks. Using [Evil Darkness] to restrict the burly man¡¯s movements after striking him with the condensed ball had been abo he had thought fitting as in the next moment, he followed up with [Manassault], shooting a powerful, speedy strip ofpressed mana that had hit the officer just as he was trying to exit the dark prison.. It hadn¡¯te as a surprise to Skullius that this guy would be able to move inside the cloud of darkness. His affinity with [Evil Darkness] was still low and he had to rely on its more rudimentary effects rather than its actual abilities for the time being as he didn¡¯t know what they were yet. After knocking the man backwards with [Manassault], Skullius had condensed some more darkness to form a whip that pulled back the man from being flung outside the dark cloud¡¯s area as he then rushed forward with the passive effects of [Great Rush] which boosted his speed. He had drawn a sword from the walls with a whip darkness, courtesy of his improved mana stock which boosted his reach capabilities. Unfortunately, as he was about tond a critical blow, he had been struck by an open palm which effectively ended the evaluation. ¡°The darkness is uh¡­ an element I can manipte. It has special effects like holding down weaker opponents. That sh of mana was just a condensed attack of mana. Nothing much about it,¡± Skullius replied to the man¡¯s question. He figured he might as well reveal tidbits of his abilities. Even if they were shared, they weren¡¯t anything too amazing from what he had seen others do over the past few days. ¡°Is it? That is incredible! I have not heard anything about manipting darkness. Your expelling of mana in such an intricate way is also splendid. Emitting raw mana with such control and over such vast distances is something Arma Users like myself cannot do easily, especially short term. That¡¯s something mostly seen with mages. Are you a mage or a shaman?¡± ¡°Mage,¡± Skullius said with a smile. After witnessing how much value was ced on Energy Formers, he dly took the opportunity to fool everyone as one. He was an Insurgent Magnus. A hidden ss not bound by ss categories. He could be anything he wanted! Though they were possible repercussions due to his stunt yesterday, he would figure that outter. The evaluation officer burst intoughter again as he struck Skullius¡¯ back multiple times, making the Discount Human very ufortable. ¡°Come, let¡¯s get you your license! I thoroughly misjudged you. You deserve that much right away!¡± The two walked up the stairs again with Skullius bearing a nervous face. The jolly man beside was quite proud as he had scouted Skullius, who would no doubt be a wanted man by every Guild. Skullius had been hoping this man was a sockethole. He couldn¡¯t afford to be as brutal with his words as he had been with Gruff though, as it could obliterate his chance of getting a license. He also felt like pulling out more high quality dead cores wouldn¡¯t work on this guy. Then again, this man didn¡¯t seem like he was merely being kind to him. The Capital service and the Guilds Association always had an unseen rivalry when it came to the quality of thebatants under them. Naturally, Energy Formers were the prime indicator for quality. There were only six Energy Formers in the city. Three belonged to the Mercenaries Guild and the others to the Capital service. With this, Skullius would break the tie! At least that was what the officer thought. When everyone realised that the idea Ark was gone, along with its two baby mages, that would all change. ¡°Could you not announce publicly that I am a¡­ you know?¡± Skullius asked as the two reached the door to the hall. ¡°Well. I cannot exactly help with that as it¡¯s not my decision in the end. At best, I can dy it. You won¡¯t hear your name for the entirety of today at least.¡± Skullius nodded as the two re-entered the hall that was thinning out as people went on to carry out requests. Few were already returning, but the space was clearing as much work remained. The two returned to the woman behind the counter who, upon seeing Skullius¡¯ face, had a bad feeling. ¡®Why do I feel like something isn¡¯t right?! Did Jac get bribed or something?¡¯ she thought as she turned to the man whose name was Jac with a frown depicting how betrayed she felt. The burly man reached her behind the counter, leaning in and whispering in her ears. As he did, Skullius who waited behind the counter received a sly nce from the man as he told the woman what he had seen. ¡®Hmm? I have really bad feeling about this.¡¯ Skullius thought as he narrowed his eyes. Upon hearing what Jac had to say, the woman¡¯s eyes ballooned as she looked at Skullius in utter shock and surprise. She shot up from her sit before pointing at Skullius and screaming in a loud voice, ¡°You¡¯re a mage?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Discount Human could only open his mouth in a dumbfounded gesture, pping his own face mercilessly afterwards. It was his turn to look at Jac with eyes that depicted how betrayed his felt, the man he red at wearing the same sly smile as he shrugged. ¡°I tried to tell her but¡­ as you can see¡­¡± Jac loosely defended himself, his words clearly a lie as he hadn¡¯t even bothered to stop the woman. Then¡­ the real mess began. Every single mercenary in the Guilds Association building turned as they looked at Skullius with greed and wonder! Chapter 179 More Of A Loner ¡°There¡¯s a new mage joining the Association?!¡± ¡°Look! There he is! The one with the funny face!¡± ¡°But the way he¡¯s dressed. It doesn¡¯t seem like what a mage would wear.¡± ¡°Who cares?! Let¡¯s get to him before the others!¡± The entire hall was torn into a mess as smaller Guilds rushed towards Skullius while therger ones tried to approach in dignified steps. It didn¡¯t take long for Skullius to be swarmed by a wave of mercenaries that sought to rope him in! He couldn¡¯t believe he had been betrayed like this. Perhaps he should have expected it. Unlike Knights and such, the concept of honour was a mild suggestion buried in thezy folds of conscience when it came to mercenaries. What a sockethole. ¡°Sir, mage, please join my Guild! I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re the new Vice!¡± ¡°No, no! Join our Guild, we¡¯ll make you live like a king!¡± ¡°Hey, look over here please~. You won¡¯t have to worry about your face in our Guild! We¡¯re open minded~?!¡±. Skullius shook his head from within the tide! The fact that UNCoddled didn¡¯t activate here meant that no one gave a damn about his benefit. Only his skills. This was a good thing in that he didn¡¯t have to deal with the possible charge of mass murder. But deep within him though, it made him feel quite lonely. ¡°Alright! Alright! Let¡¯s give the man some space!¡± Jac pushed through the crowd and exerted his pressure as a powerful mercenary. This pushed away the riff-raff, Skullius being left untouched after the chaos. He sighed and turned back to the woman behind the counter who, along with her co-workers, were both excited and shocked. Skullius red at her and asked, ¡°My license?¡± ¡°Right, right!¡± she hurriedly scrambled and rushed towards a door to the her right, disappearing into its space beforeing back three minutester. She rushed over, wearing a gentle smile, wishing she hadn¡¯t been so harsh before. Her hopes were to at least not end up being the enemy, should higher personnel trace Skullius¡¯ steps. She handed the annoyed Skullius a glossy que that could mostly fit in his hand. It bore a cream colour, neatly arranged rows of texts being at its front showing the Association name, branch, his ss and rank. His ss was obviously written as ¡®Mage¡¯ and the rank was D+. Ranks among mercenaries were distributed after an officer had an evaluation test with the applicant. The ranks went from E to S, the considerations beingbat experience, stage, ss, core and potential. Stage andbat experience was mainly handled in follow-up evaluations called re-evaluations. Re-evaluations were retakes of the evaluation tests done after someone had umted strength that transcended their current rank. They were heavily encouraged as they reflected growth while also being used as instruments for motivation. There were wide chasms as one moved from each rank, with the C and above ranks being infinitely superior to the lower ranks of D and E. As Skullius looked at his rank, he didn¡¯t find it oundish orcking at all. ¡®I wonder what rank my Prator form would be?¡¯ he wondered. He then noticed something amiss with his identification que and inquired. ¡°Why isn¡¯t my name here? There¡¯s just this space that¡¯s nk.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I almost forgot, hahaha,¡± the woman before himughed nervously in a high pitched voice. ¡°You insert your mana and say your name into the que. It will register your mana and apply your name to itself.¡± ¡°Oh..¡± At this moment, the entire hall grew silent as everyone keenly listened. This was incredibly ufortable for Skullius but he bore with it. The dignity of the mercenaries that remained in this hall, as few as they werepared to just a few minutes ago, seemed to be rather low. Skullius did as he was told, a small of stream of his mana flowing into his license as he then felt it vibrate slightly while sucking in his mana. He then pulled the que to his lips and spoke. ¡°Festos Dawn.¡± Across an empty space at the bottom, his name faded in with a dark and bold text, the entire que releasing faint light as if depicting that it was finally whole. The mour returned to the hall as the chatter continued, everyone confirming that this fish was now theirs. Jac couldn¡¯t hide his grin. His intention had been to make sure that Skullius wouldn¡¯t be second guessing his decision to join. Providing an incentive to stay so to speak as two of the Energy Formers in the Capital service had fled the Association some time ago. Fortunately for them, they had been wise enough to initiate contracts that provided confidentiality upon evaluation from their respective teachers who were quite well known but from within the city. This wasn¡¯t the case for the Discount Human unfortunately as now he had to deal with the fact that fleeing from the Association would incite him possibly bing an enemy of the Association. Luckily, Skullius didn¡¯t have any intention to join the Capital service. He proudly held his gue and smiled slightly. He nodded at the woman before him who rushed to stop him as he was about to walk away. ¡°Wait! I should probably tell you the perks of having a license. As long as you can clear a Cluster or officially finish a request, you can gain full citizenship within the city. You won¡¯t have to pay for entry after your pass has expired. You can also apply for weapons and resources from the Guild too. We have some quality materials!¡± she said with a wide smile. ¡°Okay,¡± Skullius answered hollowly before he proceeded to walk towards the request board, some of the mercenaries following after him. Jac got in the way unfortunately as he patted Skullius¡¯ back. ¡°You¡¯re not still mad about that are you?¡± he chortled. ¡°. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore does it, bro?¡± Skullius said while shaking his hand. He looked at the requests, finding many of them to be issued by the Guild itself. Most were for Clusters. Mainly white and blue-white, a few being blue. ¡°Can I take up a request and go to clear it alone?¡± he asked Jac. ¡°It¡¯s possible but that depends on your rank. For you, that won¡¯t be allowed as you¡¯re only a D rank. I advise that you join a party to raid with. You¡¯re still a fledgling that we would like to keep alive after all,¡± Jac replied. This response made Skullius feel dejected. He had hoped he could go alone as he didn¡¯t want to be responsible for other people who could possibly die from being exposed to UNCoddled. It was strenuous, trying to figure out who was a sockethole and who was not. Right then, a youngdy with curly, red hair that reached her shoulders along with bright, scarlet eyes walked up to Skullius with two men followong behind her. A middle-aged one and one who looked to be in his twenties. ¡°Hey Uncle Jac,¡± she said to the burly man who turned and wore a bright smile upon seeing her. ¡°Ah, my little apprentice is already back from her trip? I didn¡¯t expect to see you here so soon,¡± the burly man responded with a tone befitting of an uncle. ¡°Well, what can I say, I got done what I needed to pretty quickly,¡± the redhead said before turning to Skullius. ¡°Hey mage. You wanna join my party?¡± Chapter 180 Setting Off! All the attention turned to Skullius who was unsure how to respond. Jac gave Skullius the ol¡¯ double brow raise twice with a sly smile stered to his face. Skullius obviously didn¡¯t know what that meant as he hade from a humble background where everyone didn¡¯t own skin or hair, much less eyebrows so he ignored. The youngdy with the curly red tilted her head before walking up to Skullius and standing just short of a meter in front of him. The view of her and her equipment became all the more apparent to Skullius who, frankly, hadn¡¯t had the thought of entertaining her at all. She wore a gorgeous mix of leather and steel te armour which looked both sturdy and fashionable. Shiny tes with several scratches were perched on her shoulders, with simrly coloured bracers on her arms with a thicker and more savage appearance devoid of unnecessary decoration. A sheathed sword was at her side, awaiting her next adventure which would be wrought with bloodshed. A thick, bodice-like leather armour could be seen on her upper body along with tight, leather pants overyed with steel tes, a pair of sturdy battle worn greaves adorning her legs. Her crimson eyes fixed onto Skullius¡¯ own as she boldly spoke. ¡°Are you hesitating because of you don¡¯t think highly of our skills? If that is the case, my uncle can give an unbiased opinion,¡± she said. Jac nodded to Skullius who opened his mouth to speak after.. Before he could give a reply, she cut him off, answering to another unsaid hypothetical. ¡°Also, this isn¡¯t a Guild. It¡¯s a party. A temporary one. I can see that you aren¡¯t into joining groups given how you¡¯re waving off even more the more prominent Guilds here. I also like to ride solo. After clearing a few Clusters, we can go our separate ways. No strings attached. There¡¯s no argument you can give to dispute that this is a win-win situation.¡± Skullius wasn¡¯t used to facing such outspoken people. Nevertheless, this woman seemed genuine. She didn¡¯t hide her objectives and her proposal would be beneficial for Skullius. He didn¡¯t doubt her strength as he could already tell from her blue core that she was powerful, the same being true for the two behind her. ¡®Blue cores are bing verymontely. Or rather I¡¯ve just been meeting a lot of strong people.¡¯ With a sigh, the Discount Human finally relented. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll join,¡± he said. ¡°Good,¡± said the youngdy. ¡°But¡­ I have a few conditions.¡± ¡°What would those be?¡± Skullius looked to Jac who was listening attentively from the side and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll mention themter. They are not anything problematic.¡± ¡°Alright, then. As long as they aren¡¯t too difficult I¡¯ll agree to them. With that settled, I have to catch up with my uncle for a bit and then we¡¯ll set off. By the way, my name¡¯s Sty. May I know your name?¡± ¡°Festos.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± With that, Sty walked off with her uncle while Skullius, in order to avoid needless conversation and to consciously be a jerkish sockethole who didn¡¯t qualify for any broship, turned his back and walked in the opposite direction the second he saw that the two other young men from the party were about to talk to him. He had seen the look in their eyes. They were really happy to have his presence in the party and for him, that wasn¡¯t exactly a good thing. Still though, the fact that Sty thought adding him as the fourth member of the team didn¡¯t warrant any more additions to this party proved to Skullius that these guys weren¡¯t slouches. Surely Sty wouldn¡¯t stake their safety solely on him right? Right?! They were all probably strong, was the more usible statement. As he slowly walked away, Skullius pulled up his status and looked up a development he was looking forward to besides the more significant mission of saving Red Rage by amassing Null Life Essence. The Third Task. Skullius had an overabundance of cumtive mana experience but he couldn¡¯t spend it efficiently. His Discount Human didn¡¯t allow rapid levelling up because of Tasks and his Prator form demanded absurd amounts of experience at this point. The same was true for Red Rage. Besides, he only had to worry about raising the level of his Discount Human form for now. Skullius punched in the amount of experience required, which was double that of the previous, at 2000 Exp. A familiar notification popped up, with details he had expected. Not specifically at least. ~~~ Exp : 2000/2000 Third Task : Obtain the core of a Cluster General ~~~ ¡°Hmmm¡­ doesn¡¯t seem too hard. As long as its a white Cluster I guess. It doesn¡¯t specify which so it should be fine.¡± It seemed like he had to add this to the conditions he had for Sty. iming a Cluster General¡¯s dead core. Skullius had intended to go clearing low level Clusters alone but the Association¡¯s system limited him. This arrangement was not too bad and as long as Sty agreed to his conditions, UNCoddled probably wouldn¡¯t murder anyone. Probably. After a few minutes Sty returned having finished speaking to Jac and registering a few requests for their party which she showed to Skullius and the rest. There were no grumbles among the others as except for one, all of the Clusters were white. A simple task. The four exited the Association building. Skullius followed the three as they went up to the stables which were right round the corner from the Association. Several thick horses neighed while being tended to by a few of the local workers. This wasn¡¯t Skullius¡¯ first time seeing horses but he was a little nervous when seeing them up close. Perhaps it was an instinct instilled by his cosmetic body which tried to give him an authentic human experience at 90% off. A human who was ufortable around horses that was. Sty paid for the horses, the workers being very friendly to her. Skullius realised that she was probably a regr here. The inevitable issue of concern finally showed when upon distribution of the four horses, Skullius made a confession. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to ride these things.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Sty¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t as dramatic as that of the workers or the other two in party but she was indeed surprised. ¡°Well. Alright then. You can ride with me. It¡¯ll be faster than giving you a crash course along the way.¡± Skullius smiled sheepishly at this. Sty returned one horse and climbed atop of her own. She then pulled up Skullius to sit behind her to which the Discount Human unconsciously wrapped his arms around her waist. Sty jerked a little with a brow raised as she turned to Skullius before smirking. ¡°Well this is gonna be fun.¡± Chapter 181 Champion In The Isise Feinheath was the secondrgest continent. It fell behind Edagon, with Opungale, which was both a nation and a continent being the third. From an aerial view, taking into ount the natural boundaries used to demarcate where one country began and ended, Emeradis was to the north, being thergest out of the three nations in Feinheath. Maqi was to the West and Pelian to the East, both having simr sizes as the overall shape of Feinheath looked like a three leaf clover. The structures of the temples were also made in this way, with making their likeness akin to Feinheath being one of the less important reasons such a design structure was chosen. When it came to pure self-taught devotion to the Deities, none of the cities in Pelian came close to the Isise where a certain Pdin Champion was going on a call to duty. The Isise were three small cities in the East which had established a grand connection both economically and politically because of their collective respect and reverence towards the Deities.. In these three cities along with the viges and towns between, one would find the most weing and kind hearted people with smiles that bordered onical. The temples in these cities, which were rtively close, were always crowded, not by those seeking to serve as mercenaries, but by those that simply wished to hear the profound message and will that the priests bore from Suzamete, Quintess and Listafelle. It was quite the interesting arrangement as even extremely efficient trade routes andmunication lines had been secured to ensure that sharing of resources and knowledge was never impeded between the three cities. Within the carriage which carried a golden white hue along with the symbol of the Purity, the three point star, the figure of Revia could be seen. She sat near the window, her hand under her chin as she disyed how utterly bored she was. A breeze flowed in from outside, rustling her hair but failing to make her bat the eyelids over her beautiful grey eyes. Sigh¡­. She wasn¡¯t at all looking forward to the duties that were waiting for her as on top of a Grand Priest, a High Order Priest had settled in the central city within the Isise. Due to the pleas of the many devotees, the Purity had sent a Priest one stage higher than a Grand Priest in order to head the ever growing congregation of true believers in this ce. Preserving such devoted folk was extremely important to the Purity as many had strayed from what they called the truth. There was also another reason such an individual was sent though. In terms of hierarchy and duty, the Priests were at lowest level, followed by the Grand Priest and then the High Order Priest. A High Order Priest oversaw an Order, a channel through which specific instruments of divine power passed on the will and strength afforded by the Deities. It was a lineage of sorts, one ordained not by flesh and blood, dictating the will of a certain Deity or so the Purity believed. Divine power was kept in specific natural treasures of high grades that carried with them Divine Blessings. These would be used as conduits through which an established Order would grow. All those who were seen to be fitting could be initiated into an Order and be Priests, with themon Priest being the recipient with the least connection to the Divine Blessing and the High Order Priest being the individual with the strongest connection in an Order. They also bore the duty of overseeing these conduits of Divine Blessings. The Grand Priest whose connection to the Order was much greater than that of a Priest, had the duty of overseeing the activity headed by Priests. They made sure a Priest¡¯s connection to the Order had not been severed either through malpractice or other ills stemming from external causes as the Order was the channel through which Directions to the masses were passed down. The clopping of hooves on rough ground seized as the carriage in which Revia was in finally entered the paved road of the central city in the Isise, Evic. Just the appearance of the white coloured carriage caused merry cheer to bloom among the masses as they honoured theing of a Pdin Champion into their city. ¡®No wonder these folks are being targeted by the Evenfall so much. They show too much zeal over the simplest of things. Ah~. I wish I¡¯d stayed with Sister Elita for a bit longer,¡¯ Revia thought as she saw the scenes going on outside. She hated the attention of these fanatics that almost felt forced as opposed to simple gestures of kindness and of course¡­ courteous, hot men. The men, women and children leaping lightly as they waved, whistles and the flowers thrown towards the carriage in bundles as well as the many sweet words about blessing her and her devotion all served to make her mood sour. Even the Guilds in the Isise that constantly fought off the emerging Clusters didn¡¯t receive this much praise or wee. This was one of the things that reminded Revia what she hated about the Purity. How strict and rigid they were in terms of their duty. Refusing to deal with problems that were supposedly only meant to be taken care of by the nation and not them, yet they desired the praise from the masses. Several Knights in distinct silver armours belonging to the Purity stood on either side of the road in which the carriage moved. It was a gesture of respect that was noticeably different from the reception that Elita had gotten. The only difference between these Knights and those that went with Elita though, was simply their point of origin. ¡®To think I¡¯d be someone worth this much. From ¡®that¡¯?¡¯ Revia thought as she felt the carriagee to a halt. Her memory spun backward as it dipped into parts of her past that she preferred to keep hidden under the thick nket of loss but Revia quickly shook her head before exiting the carriage. ¡®That¡¯s not all there is about me. Yeah. There¡¯s more. So much more¡­¡¯ Chapter 182 Her Story ¡°My precious little girl. No one will ever be as beautiful as you.¡± ¡°Really, father?¡± she giggled with glee, a juvenile sense of pride gushing through her body at the words of her father who seemed to know it all. He was a great warrior she knew. One who protected the world from monsters that spontaneously appeared from rifts carved in space. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll protect your innocence and beauty for as long as I live. That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for, right?¡± ¡°Right!¡± the little girl cheered as she danced in her father¡¯s embrace, coddled by the bliss of ignorance and the thick muscles on his body, honed through training. ¡°Do you think so too, mother?¡± the girl turned to the figure of her wiry mother who looked pale, bags visible under her eyes with the colour of her irises dimming. ¡°Hahaha! Your father is always right, dear. If he says it, then it¡¯s true. And you know you¡¯ll always be my pretty daisy in the¡­¡± the woman said, dragging out the end of her sentence for her beautiful silver-haired daughter to finish. ¡°In the rose garden!¡± the girl yelled in joy. Ever since her mother had told her the tale of the lonely daisy in the garden of roses, twisting it from a tale of loneliness, into one that preached the beauty of being unique among those that looked the same, she had cherished the story, calling herself the daisy that stood out amongst the many. ¡°Hahaha! That you are my darling. And when you have brothers and sisters soon, you¡¯ll also tell them the story, making sure that they know they are just as special. Can you do that?¡± Hearing the words of her father, the little girl leapt up high, ecstatic at the prospect of being a big sister. She could already imagine herself marching down the vige in a straight line with chubby brothers and sisters that shared the same silver hair as her and her father. Or it could be that they could have the same brown hair as mother. Whichever way it was, she wanted chubby siblings! ¡°Yaaay!¡± she called. Her mother smiled weakly as sweat trickled down her brow at the what her husband had said. He even turned to her after making the deration, with a determined glint that sought to breed. He wanted a son. Nomatter what it took. His fatherly smile vanished for a split second as he and his wife shared a brief moment of conflict without the need for words.. The sickly looking woman who grew thinner by the day shuddered, as if she could almost hear her husband¡¯s intent. ¡®Before whatever illness you have ims your life, you will give me a son.¡¯ The woman couldn¡¯t refute. Despite what her weakened body howled, her mind refused to disobey. That was how it was. That was how it would always be. And no one knew why. These undercurrents were unknown to the little girl at this moment, as while she happily leapt up and down while being held by therge arms of her father, she couldn¡¯t possibly have foreseen what would happen next. Nine and a half monthster. An inhuman screech tore loose as a brown haired woman pushed with all her strength, her full effort into giving birth to the child that her husband by her side so desperately wanted. The local women who aided her did the best they could to support her, one of them who was well versed in herbs and alchemicalpounds that enhanced human faculties, doing her absolute bestto ensure that her friend had a safe delivery. Yet¡­ After quite the number of hours, the eyes of the woman whoid on the bed rolled as she felt strength leave her. Her illness had taken a lot from her, including a quarter of the weight she had nine months prior. Apparently, her flesh coiled around the child, the womb grasping around the baby within as if to devour it. This made making an incision on her belly to extract the child difficult as all sought of organs even pooled to the abdomen as if wrestling the child¡¯s birth. The woman was fading fast, yet the baby¡¯s head was nowhere in sight. It was hard to believe. What was wrong? What was this biological phenomenon? ¡°Don¡¯t give up, woman! Push! Did you suffer all those months so you could die without achieving your purpose?! Don¡¯t be selfish enough to leave on your lonesome after making me wait for so long! I will haunt you in the afterlife if you dare waste my seed on your way to the Under!¡± The woman¡¯s husband boomed, bringing her consciousness back as she then fought off the rippling pain, numbness, weakness, the haemorrhaging, the sting in her eyes and doubts with the dutiful vigour she always had towards her husband. ¡®For my husband! For my little girl! I must¡­!¡¯ She pushed so hard that she bled from her eyes and nose grotesquely and with a final primal scream, the baby finally tearing lose from the strange entanglements of flesh in the womb! Two scenes urred next. The first being a cause for joy while the other, was too depressing to think about. A child was born, alive and well despite the horrendous ordeal. A mother died with a slight smile on her bloody face, unable to see her own child before being imed by death. In the midst of the new-born child¡¯s cries, the women around mourning the tragic death of a friend, one man happily confirmed that his second child was male and sighed in relief. * Life changed for the little girl born to a once dotting father and devoted mother who passed. She had wailed bitterly at her passing, not knowing that this was the point where everything she believed would turn out to be have been a ruthless fantasy. Her younger brother became all that her father saw and cherished. Even as he took on multiple requests with his Guild, leaving the girl to tend to the child along with a hired maid, he only saw the young boy in his sight. Of course, he awaited the day would grow up enough for him to impart all that he was. No longer did he set the little girl upon hisp and call her the most beautiful. Instead, she was given a new calling, which she was made to follow religiously. ¡°It¡¯s your duty to protect your brother! He¡¯s your responsibility. When he grows up, he¡¯ll protect you in return.¡± ¡°But father¡­ Am I still the most beautiful girl? The pretty daisy¡­ in the rose garden?¡± All the little girl remembered after asking this question, was a frowning face etched with so many wrinkles marking the displeasure of the bulky man before her that his visage looked several shades darker. Then came a terrifying voice. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you turn into a daisy, or a rose or fucking dandelion. Whether you¡¯re in a garden, or a grave. Whether you retain your beauty or be ugly. Whichever form you take, you will always protect your brother. Do you understand?¡± Perhaps it was the same traits she inherited from her mother than spawned this. Or maybe it was her father who naturally had the ability to make people docile. Whatever it was within the little girl, spawned a soft, ¡°Yes¡±, from her mouth. And she did what she agreed to do. Her life was devoted to her brother. Every single threat that came his way became her own. She learned to fight from her father just so could defend him, enduring strenuous training just to keep up with the voice that constantly told her to fulfill what her father had demanded of her. Whatever her brother wanted to eat became her problem. Whatever he needed to drink was her duty. Whatever he needed to learn became her responsibility. As she grew, she became numb to everything else, bing solely focused on a single goal. Then, after three years¡­ Her father passed. He was killed on a raid to clear a blue Cluster along with his entire Guild. This girl who wasn¡¯t so little anymore, mourned his passing along with her brother, but with this event, her father¡¯s words gained more weight. ¡®Whichever form you take, you will always protect your brother..¡¯ She followed this religiously. Unfortunately, the small vige in which she lived had changed over the years. Her father¡¯s bad reputation as an apathetic psychopath making her life a living hell. Even the women who had helped in her birth couldn¡¯t help her and her brother because of their husbands who despised the man. Reality was that people looked for the smallest excuses to relieve themselves of the duty of kindness. Fantasies of heroes and heroines with good hearts growing like grass within the world were brutal diversions towards reality. The girl learned this well. In the cold, in the heat, in the barrels of poverty, it was left up to the girl to fend for her brother. She took on different forms within the garden of roses. Using her outstanding beauty, she turned from being a mere pretty daisy as she saw the world in the real light, unbiased by naivet¨¦, into whatever she needed to be at a young age. The world didn¡¯t coddle a pretty daisy. She did it for her brother. Unsurprisingly, the world weed whichever form she took especially if it tended to please carnal desires and get hard work done. Four years passed as she gained little and used it all for her purpose, migrating from vige to towns to cities until she became a mercenary. A rather fine one that grew in poprity quickly because of her talent. She began to earn better. She gained recognition. She gained praise. Yet¡­ None of this eclipsed the voice in her head which constantly called for her watch over her brother. And so she did. Until¡­ In an ironic twist of fate, the same mysterious illness that gued her mother, suddenly emerged as in her brother as he grew and imed his life before she could do anything about it. That was when the girl¡¯s purpose, which she had tried her damndest to keep, had ended up being for naught in the end. An endless river of tears would have been seen if the human body supported such. The cruel reality and mystery of what her life was supposed to be, became nothing more than her haunting thought that brought her to the brink of madness. Despite how she had sold her flesh to degenerates. Despite how she had toiled in rough and hard fields. Despite how she had awakened to her talent as a marvellous fighter. Whatever form she took, wasn¡¯t enough to stop her brother from bleeding out from his orifices as his body shrivelled, growing pale until he died. The girl was ready to follow her brother in death. To go to where ever the afterlife was as her purpose was stripped from her. But¡­ On a particr day, a certain man donning thick robes appeared where she lived unannounced and turned her life around with a few words. ¡°Fear not, dear child. The abhorrent events of your life were preordained. The Deities have a grand n for you¡­¡± Chapter 183 Would One Such As I... Revia took a deep breath to calm her mind. Indeed, she was something more than a just a tool. Despite her upbringing, everything that had happened had a reason. Or so she was told. That¡¯s what she had to believe. She climbed out of the carriage and walked towards the massive building with elegant exterior decorations, different from the temples in other cities. Extra details that enhanced the temple to make it a more divine looking structure than it was were added. Threerge faceless statues carved with the utmost level of care were at entrance, wide gaps in between them being the passages that congregants would use to scale up the wide and clean steps into the sizable opening that led within the temple. Apprentice Priestesses and Priests would wee the joyous entrants with handshakes, smiles and even hugs, the entire atmosphere being devoid of anything but positivity. Revia looked at this scene from below, her grey eyes tracing along the pristine statues of the Deities. ¡®Direction is it? Is this really what I¡¯m supposed to be doing¡­?¡¯ she gave in to momentary doubt. Were the events of her past really necessary for her to reach this point? Was it all really ordained and fair? She didn¡¯t really know. Perhaps. But only a single reason prevented her from denying it outright.. When she was grafted into the Purity Knights after having been saved by the man who had appeared at her door, she had met the one person who has truly delivered her from the darkness that welled in her after her brother¡¯s passing. Elita. Her sister. The one who reminded her of her femininity which got to be enjoyed by vile men before she could. Her strength which was used to ease the burden of cruel personages before she could use it for herself. She gained individuality through the ever-smiling and encouraging sister who saw her as nothing else but a younger sister who needed her guidance and love. That was why she had a semnce of belief in the Deities. Because she had found someone who looked out for her for a chance. Revia unconsciously smiled. Her mood became a little better. ¡®If this is were I¡¯m supposed to be, then I¡¯ll save you too sister. Just wait for me,¡¯ she thought before scaling up the steps into temple. On this journey, she found the people climbing along with her parting to give her space to walk up unhindered. They all smiled and greeted her warmly to which she reciprocated with a warm smile of her own and a dignified nod. Though this was different from the genuine wee she had gotten from Emeradis, she wouldn¡¯t be so rude as to dismiss these people¡¯s goodwill as she was truly happy that they at least seemed to find purpose and joy in this. Upon entering the temple, a stretch of well positioned benches in neat rows with a gap inbetween diving them into two sides appeared. The air was surprisingly cool within, the decor of white and gold giving one who entered here for the first time a sense of awe. Glistening gems were fitted to the walls on either side along with small sparkling trinkets that produced starry lights. The ceiling far above had vertical, closely knit and painted beams in neat columns as they faced down, creating a beautiful collective arching aesthetic when one looked up. Almost half of the benches were upied as upon entering, everyone would grow silent, respecting the sanctity of this ce. Up ahead, a man in robes that lightly touched the wooden tiled flooring was addressing two Priests in a hushed tone. He had sliced back blonde hair and eyes that had begun whitening due to his old age, blindness slowly kicking in. His skin was deeply wrinkled with his earlobes drooping, with each word he said bringing a loose tingle of his flesh. Even with these features, one couldn¡¯t dismiss the thick aura radiating from him as he donned thick white robes along with red scarf which had a line of three-pointed stars all around. He held a tall silver construct akin to a staff, which was fitted with a bright, blue orb at its end that released a rainbow coloured re. Golden carvings were etched upon this tool and as the man held it, his figure gaining a faint halo that demanded respect. Revia walked up to the three as she then knelt down on one knee and bowed her head. ¡°High Priest Valis¡­ I am here to serve,¡± she said with a tone that depicted a silver of intimacy under a sea of formality. ¡°Ah, my child. I¡¯m d you¡¯re finally here. It has been quite the long time since ourst meeting. Rise¡­¡± the old man said with a voice that oozed of care and joy. Revia stood and smiled lightly. ¡°Since when did you grow so formal with me, child? I thought your sister taught you to be anything but that.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t just leap up and cling to you like a brat in front of the congregation now could I?¡± ¡°You¡­ make a fair point. Though, I would wager the Deities wouldn¡¯t disapprove of an old man epting a child¡¯s embrace after all these years. You¡¯ve grown so much.¡± Revia smiled brightly. Even if she doubted many in the Purity and perhaps even Deities themselves, she couldn¡¯t doubt this man. High Priest Valis. The same man who had dragged her from the depths of pain and sorrow all those years ago,recing her aimlessness with hope that there was something else for her out there in the world. She saw him as her father and he saw her as his daughter, as asides from all the work in the Purity, he had the air of a fun old fart with a light-hearted personality. High Order Priests were generally addressed as High Priests. Calling them by their full title each time would be quite excessive after all. The tool in his hand, the silver staff with the bright blue orb, was the conduit for the Divine Blessing of the Deities. It had many functions, which depended entirely upon the type of Blessing bestowed upon it. While the Champion Pdins held individual Divine Blessings, they were more personalised and contained, while the ones within these treasures held and overseen by High Order Priests were usually more powerful and capable of a wider range of effects. ¡°Has there truly been a rise in the activity of the Evenfall in the Isise? Even with you around?¡± Revia asked in a hushed tone. Valis sighed in exasperation, dismissing the Priests and motioning with his head for Revia to follow him several steps from the first line of benches. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly clear what the trend is going to be. I fear that Elita¡¯s warning may have been inadequate but not unwarranted. I have been feeling restless ofte. I feel that something terrible will ur in the future. It turns out that I¡¯m not the only one who shares this sentiment. Apparently, that ghost of a man Erlton the Reader appeared a few days in Eofel, telling folks the same in his own¡­ musical way.¡± Revia looked visibly worried. Was this such a big deal Could there be a threat that the Purity couldn¡¯t handle? Both notorious groups, the Evenfall and Green Neolists had only been an object of nuisance for a long time. Nothing more. Was there something else behind this? ¡°Perhaps it is my old bones that have grown wary because of the constant chase I¡¯ve had to endure with those Evenfall heathens. But, your presence here brings me some much needed relief,¡± Valis said with short chuckle. Revia felt jittery. She couldn¡¯t get used to being praised and relied on in this way. It felt so¡­ redeeming and refreshing. Her determination to her goal became even more reinforced with this. ¡°Now, you can just sit down and hear the message for the day and then we can have a lengthy chat afterwards.¡± ¡°Yes, High Priest,¡± Revia said with a bow and a smile as she went over to the front bench where one of the congregants gave up his seat for her. Revia looked ahead, awaiting for the High Priest to begin his sermon to the congregants when someone beside her respectfully called for her attention. ¡°Miss¡­¡± Revia turned to this man only for her pupils to dte in shock. ¡°Would one such as I be allowed to listen to the message of the Deities?¡± Beside Revia sat a man in a white and green mask¡­ Chapter 184 Villain *Pant, *pant. Revia¡¯s raspy breath could be heard as she breathed in and out, cold sweat trickling down her brow. Her eyes were wide open as she looked nowhere but downward. Her focus was only in one ce as she made sure to not let the object of her focus out of sight. Many questions drifted through her mind as she hung up on the ceiling of the temple, her feet supporting her suspension as they pressed against the painted wooden beams that on either of her sides to give her bnce. ¡®Who is that?!¡¯ she thought to herself as her brain went into overdrive. She recalled clearly how it had all happened and her instincts had red, causing her body to literally vanish and appear fifteen meters above ground within fractions of a second. Her movements had been quick and silent, issuing less sound that a whisper as none of the congregants had noticed anything amiss even now. Valis had sensed it all though. He was also extremely anxious. His thoughts and Revia¡¯s were the same. ¡®How did I not see or sense this person before?!¡¯ The old man warily gripped his staff tightly as he prepared to deal with the oddity while Revia also did the same. But both of them couldn¡¯t attack carelessly or else they risked the many lives in the temple. ¡°I will have to postpone the giving of the message for the day. Could everyone leave for a while?¡± Valis said to the congregants as with his words came confusion and hushed chatter that was reced with prompt cooperation secondster. Revia¡¯s hands were on the sheathed sword at her side as she narrowed her eyes, condensed mana beginning toyer around the sword for one brutal strike should this assant even try to make any excessive movement. Surprisingly, this figure did not move as the congregants left the temple. It didn¡¯t seem as if he was interested in them at all.. His half green and white mask that hid his face betrayed no emotion. He donned what looked like a dark linen hood jacket that reached his knees, simrly coloured pants along with knee high simple boots with a rubbery heel adorning his body from the waist down. He silently sat at the bench with his hands sped against each other as he was deep in thought. ¡°Who are you? I sense a thick energy of death around you. Are you someone from that infamous heretic organisation?¡± Valis asked. There was no response. ¡°What is it that you want?¡± Still, no answer. At this point Revia was ready to strike. She was sure she could kill this man before he could defend himself, which was ironic when she herself considered that her first instinct when she sensed his presence a minute ago, was to create distance between her and him. She couldn¡¯t forget that sensation. It barely registered as a mere presence. It was suffocating! It was like blinking, only to find a hideous wide maw with sharp grotesque teeth opening up to devour you! Faced with that for a moment, she couldn¡¯t help but retreat. She had wanted nothing more than to run away in that moment, but now, she had collected herself. As she was about to draw her sword¡­ ¡°My name is Actuass. Yes, I¡¯m a member of the Green Neolists. In fact, I am its current head.¡± The man finally answered. Revia held herself. ¡°As for what I¡¯m after¡­¡± Actuass said, his head turning to Valis and then up to Revia above. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± Revia knitted her brows as she felt a jab towards her pride. ¡°You want to kill me?¡± she asked while grinding her teeth, the High Order Priest below beginning to raise his staff. ¡°Kill you? No. I¡¯m not the one who wants your life. Rather, I¡¯m interested in your death.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valis and Revia were both equally confused about this. Wasn¡¯t that the same as saying he wanted to kill her? ¡°Oh. It¡¯s be apparent to me that it¡¯s true¡­ you ALL don¡¯t know that there is a difference in forces that exert both life and death.¡± Actuass sighed under his mask. Suddenly, Revia felt something wrong with her. The same was true for Valis. They both felt something leak from them and spill outwards. It was in miniscule amounts, but because of their levels of power and natural awareness of their own bodies, they felt it vividly. It was quite the ufortable feeling. Whatever left them held a warm about it that they felt was essential but¡­ They grew even more hostile as Valis went on to point his staff at Actuass, a star shaped white light being emitted from the blue sphere at its end that quickly began to circle around Actuass, increasing its velocity to horrendous levels to the point where only a hazy white sphere could be seen around the immobile figure of Actuass. This was one of the skills of this legendary artefact that Valis held, a skill stemming from a Divine Blessing! Imprable Star Prison! As long as the star continued to rotate around the target, exiting outside its influence was impossible. Also, all attacks that came from the target would not be able to escape from within. Yet¡­ the enemy was unfazed. And the feeling of something being sapped from their bodies didn¡¯t stop! ¡°You can¡¯t stop it. Not even I can either. I¡¯m sure that feeling is driving you mad. Losing something but not being sure what it is and where it is going. Would like me to enlighten you?¡± Actuass asked with a cold yet apathetic tone. Revia wanted to attack in this moment, but many thoughts of caution were swirling in her mind. What if increasing her proximity to this enemy made whatever this feeling was even worse? She had discarded all arrogance after constant lectures from Elita. She wouldn¡¯t wager her speed against an enemy like thus without further information. The enemy seemed too rxed. What if he had a backup n and drawing close to him gave him exactly what he wanted? The man had just said that he was here for her after all. While she was locked in these thoughts, Actuass continued to speak. ¡°It¡¯s an odd thing that happens when I face opponents with hostile intent. They start to lose their lives before they can even engage me. That is¡­ what you¡¯re losing right now¡­ is your life energy.¡± ¡­! WHAT?! Revia and Valis were appalled! This was a lie right? This man..! Just facing him caused an odd phenomenon where they would begin to lose life energy?! Revia closely sensed this energy and monitored her body. With her fine control, she found that this might actually be true! The qualitative changes within her for the past few seconds did indicate that, if a percentage was to be used, she had lost 0.002 of her strength! Valis raised his staff again to attack, but this time, Actuass gave him a stare but made him leap back! From the white and green mask, the hazel glow of an eye, peeked to give him a sense of dread. ¡°It¡¯s rather cumbersome that I have to tell my opponents this detail every time for maximum benefits on my part. Usually such an advantage is kept hidden but¡­ now that you know, your body is in panic and is trying to seal off the leaking life energy within. And it eventually seeds.¡± Valis and Revia both frowned as when they thought about this, it turned out to be true. The life energy that was leaking from their bodies suddenly stopped and as if to eagerly affirm Actuass¡¯ words, their bodies instinctively scrambled to find a way to stop the leaking of life energy as soon as he mentioned it! And now, the ominous flow stopped as what happened next shocked them to their cores! Instead of the dreadful evil they thought to be under way, a massive surge of power erupted from their bodies. If it was to be calcted, it would be more than 30% of their total strength, bursting to enhance their natural abilities! Did this energy just give them a buff?! What was going on? At this point, Actuass stood from his seat, even while the bright star revolved around him. ¡°All beings lose life energy superficially. That¡¯s what causes aging and death. But for you, your bodies have temporarily sealed off all escape routes for life energy entirely on response to well¡­. me. Of course, this causes a huge boost to your strength and now, we can begin.¡± ¡°You underestimate us. Even without a proper understanding of what you just said, I am of the mind that you¡¯re merely arrogant if you think you can kill us both in a confrontation?¡± Valis questioned as a golden barrier appeared around him in a fantastic fashion. Actuass¡¯ body began to leak ck and bright green fumes that obscured much of his body. He extended his hand, from thin air, a skeleton appearing with a tall dark shade of green, cracks visible on its skull as with a flickering transition all its parts fully formed. From its dark sockets¡­. red mes burst forth with a luminosity and intensity to caused the space within the temple to turn several shades darker! Actuass then turned to Valis who was bewildered by the ferocious strength in the skeleton this enemy had summoned. ¡°Like I said,¡± Actuass said before looking up again where Revia¡¯s energy was beginning to melt the ceiling as she prepared a powerful attack with her eyes like a hawk¡¯s and her hand grasping so tightly to her sword that it almost choked. ¡°Someone else wants your life. I merely want your death. When I¡¯m done with you¡­ You¡¯ll never see an afterlife.¡± Chapter 185 Formidable Strengths Life energy. A concept that many had grown too used to, to think deeply about. Life energy was essentially the sustenance for one to continue being alive. In Aigas, it was a result of the harmony of the powers of Suzamete, the skies, Quintess thends and Listafelle the seas, contrary to the chaotic aspect of thebination of their energies that formed Clusters. Simply put, every living organism was born with a vast amount of life energy, with some rare exceptions that would die early existing all over the world. As one grew, its quantity would diminish as it leaked from the body constantly in small amounts, however, its quality grew with age, experience and stimuli like mana core progression, ss advancements and Enriching gems. The result of this qualitative change was natural returns to the body in the form of more strength, a boost in potential, as well as prolonged life. Still¡­ life energy didn¡¯t fully corrte to strength, meaning it couldn¡¯t be used as a substitute for true power for long periods. Yet Actuass knew its ins and outs. This was thanks to his vast well of experience, as well as his Advanced ss which afforded him a very unique . The skeleton that Actuass summoned stood still for a while with its sockets ring madly as red mes rose within while emitting a scalding heat.. It opened its mouth to release a burst of unknown energy before its neck creaked, its head turning to Actuass. A crooked voice came from it, addressing the man. ¡°Are you truly in that dire of a situation for you to summon me a second time already?¡± Actuass¡¯ body which was partly engulfed in his green and ck smog moved ahead as he then replied. ¡°At this moment, I don¡¯t have the means to go against two legendary treasures. And two Divine Blessings as well, might I add.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Intriguing,¡± the skeleton said as it turned to Valis and Revia. Valis sensed the atrocious waves of power emitted by this thing and almost suffocated in fear. It was monstrous! He could have sworn that this was the most dangerous presence he had been in his entire life! The green skeleton¡¯s mes began to recede into the skeleton¡¯s sockets, bing only wisps of red as it uttered its final words before changing its disposition and presence entirely. ¡°Ah¡­. so you were here all along? Perhaps it won¡¯t be so long after all¡­¡± No one in the temple understood what the skeleton meant or even heard it properly as it was just a passing whisper. The horrifying waves of power it emitted vanished after that, the skeleton that remained having a unique air still but nothingpared to what it had before. Valis realised this as his heart finally settled, sensing that the obscenely evil thing had departed. ¡°What kind of foul creature did you summon?!¡± he barked at Actuass. The hooded man did not render a response as he merely pointed at the hazy sphere around him which was actually a bright star revolving around him at top speed. Actuass had already seen through the properties if the [Imprable Star Prison]. None of his own attacks would be able to make it out of the prison and he would only get shredded if he tried to move through it. At least right now, that was true. Therefore¡­ ¡°Break it,¡± hemanded the now mute skeleton which mechanically moved forward and touched the hazy sphere, red sparks and rough scratching noises being emitted at the point of contact to the point where they looked like a sparky fire! In that moment, the atmosphere changed vastly, as while the skeleton attempted to rupture that prison around it and Actuass, a figure seamlessly entered the [Imprable Star Prison] while everything around looked to bepletely still! It was Revia! She had analysed enough. Now was the time to discard all unnecessary thoughts and simply attack without remorse! Within her scabbard, a silver katana with golden markings on its surface silently shot out as she then immediately swiped it at Actuass¡¯ neck from behind! The figures of Actuass, the green skeleton and even Valis stoodpletely still with obscure reflections of themselves rising from their bodies like distorted souls in this image where only the Pdin Champion moved! Her de spoke no ill against the air as it cut apart anything in its way, reaching Actuass¡¯ neck without a hitch! However¡­ MBING! A loud crash sounded as the windows in the entire temple shattered, the entire building emitting a low rumble of vibration from the impact that ensured between a legendary steel sword and¡­ bone? The katana had struck the green bone from the skeleton which had shocking switched ces with Actuass! Revia¡¯s eyes remained firm even as she wondered what was going on. Actuass had escaped the entrapment of the star as when he appeared before the sparky sh that had been happening between the star from Valis¡¯ staff and his skeleton milliseconds ago, he had squeezed through at the weak point that had been created! He immediately dashed back after his escape, his hazel eye glowing through the eye hole of the mask, showing nothing but calm! The skeleton also didn¡¯t wait as it dashed forward, knocking against the [Imprable Star Prison] with a burst of sparks before exiting it and bulleting forward at an exceedingly quicker speed than Actuass! Soon, it was out of the temple, while Actuass stood in the space that divided the benches. He knew that one of the top five Pdin Champions would definitely have been given a legendary weapon to defend herself and a High Order Priest would naturally carry the symbol of their Order, which was the staff that Valis wielded in this case. This information had been fed to him by his new allies who knew their archenemies best, which, as a strategy, had worked like a charm. In response, he brought a counter. A semi-organic item with hints of sentience which was of a vastly superior rarity. The green skeleton. Truthfully, it wasn¡¯t his and he could only use it thrice with this being his second use. Actuass stretched out his hand to the side, an arching green ring of strange runes that quivered incessantly appearing on the floor. ¡°Let¡¯s start with some basic necromancy,¡± he said as green energy gushed from the middle of these circr runes that looked like a deep and dark pit. All of a sudden, as if intent on cutting off the proceedings to his flow, the continuous thrums of a heartbeat were heard through the temple, echoing in a rather unsettling fashion. BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM! The sound emanated from Revia whose eyes had never left Actuass up to this point. She hadn¡¯t lost sight of him at all. She didn¡¯t let the green skeleton distract her from her real enemy. Since he was close, she matched his flow, not being too fast in her approaches so as to critically dissect what his intent was. It was only now that she decided to use an ample portion of her strength, unleashing her Divine Blessing! The thrums of heartbeats became stronger and stronger until kes and dust fell to the floor from the temple. ¡®She¡¯s getting serious¡­¡¯ he thought, a hint of amusement hidden deep in his mental voice. Chapter 186 Stalemate, I Think... Revia had always been fast. Speed was her key tool as when she first became a mercenary, herck of strength due to her young age was eclipsed by her agility which made her a deadly weapon of carnage when lethal weaponry was left in her hands. This was taken to an even more ridiculous level when she was found to be worthy of joining the Pdin Champions and granted a Divine Blessing. ! This Divine Blessing granted her three silver, ethereal hearts that would appear in her chest and seamlessly create threads upon threads of veins within her body, supporting all her flesh and organs and enhancing them for a staggering increase in speed! Without it, Revia could use short bursts of incredible speed to overpower her opponents quickly before they could even engage her but these bursts usually required some long cooldown periods depending on the distance travelled. This was why performing these in rapid session was impossible for her, otherwise, she would have blitzed Actuass multiple times over. At least from what he had shown so far. With the Divine Blessing, she could spam these bursts of speed for long stretches of time and manage some extremely insane movements that would bewilder any ordinarybatant. ¡®She¡¯s getting serious..¡¯ Actuass thought. From his ring of green coloured runes which expanded to cover half of the floor of the temple on his side, devouring benches within its space where nothing could be seen once it fell in, skeletons began to rise! They were all decked in rusted armour which still had hints of the lustre from its prime, chipped and cracked bones that were saturated with thick undeath energy and hollow sockets that red with greenish ck mes! They all held weapons that looked to have made names for themselves back in the day, as different from lower level undead, they all held dignified stances and howling, exposed cores ranging from bright white to bright blue! A little more than two hundred of these appeared as Actuass then pointed at Revia, wordlesslymanding the army to attack her!. The well furnished floors of the temple ruptured as these powerful undead burst forward with seasoned steps,unching a flurry of attacks with their weapons! BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM! The echoing of hearts continued to beat as the undead approached, Revia having sheathed her sword while gazing aheadnguidly. Then¡­ The Pdin Champion became decked in a brilliantyer of obscure light that outlined her figure which vanished for a fraction of a millisecond, and then¡­ MBING! A familiar noise rang out, this time its intensity blowing apart the floors and walls of the temple nearest to the doors like a bomb! However, this wasn¡¯t the only development, as tens of thousands of small fragments of bone flew in all directions at lightning speed, Revia having decimated hundreds of high level undead in an instant and off chapter! Fine powder and tiny pieces of bone were shattered as Revia had obliterated all the undead and went on to attack Actuass at an even greater speed than before! Yet¡­ Her silver de once again found its fangs biting into the hard bones, the ribcage this time, of the green skeleton that had gone out of the temple some time ago! Revia frowned, the brows above her grey eyes making a funny wiggle to show her annoyance. ¡®So nomatter the distance, he can just switch positions with this thing?¡¯ Revia thought as she then frustratedly grumbled. The green skeleton remained stationary before her as its ribs didn¡¯t let up with her sword. High Priest Valis was still hidden within his golden barrier, watching with cautious eyes what was urring. He wasn¡¯t unaware of Revia¡¯s capabilities and thus wasn¡¯t surprised with her disy. His focus had been on the skeleton that had rushed out, his worry going towards the fact that it may have started ughtering people left and right! Shockingly, it appeared that this wasn¡¯t the case. The skeleton had merely been waiting a vast distance away from the temple, standing absolutely still. Now, it had taken Actuass¡¯ ce, defending him from Revia! Without dy, Valis struck the ground with his staff, a massive bright star appearing above him with a golden white light that sprang a positive light on the surroundings! It shot into the air, vanishing through the ceiling as if it didn¡¯t exist as it then settled high in the sky, causing the people¡¯s attention which had been drawn by the explosion at the temple to be pulled toward it instead. It became akin to a second sun but without the additional heat as it gave a reassuring light. Hazy golden barriers instantly began to cover everyone in the city. EVERYONE! The hearts of the many were soothed as they felt an unbridled sense of warmth and protection. Within the temple, Valis immediately called out to Revia who was facing against the green skeleton which didn¡¯t respond to her presence. ¡°Revia! I have all the civilians under the protection of the Blessing. Fight! Don¡¯t hold back!¡± Valis yelled. His staff had the Divine Blessing called Star of the Night, which was very well geared towards supporting to a terrifying degree with all its skills having something to do with a star. ¡°Yes, High Priest,¡± Revia replied in a formal tone as she then vanished from the temple, warping space dancing on her initial position. The speed! The top five Pdin Champions within the Purity were given titles ording to their most prominent traits. Revia¡¯s title was ¡®She Who Can¡¯t Be Caught¡¯, a reference to her immense speed which she then progressively demonstrated. She appeared a millisecondter within the city above a rather rocky road within a portion of the residences where she brought down her katana with intense speed that warped the figure she had suddenly rushed to! Everything remained still, with suspended hazy duplicates of the everyone in the vicinity hanging above them! As her sword dropped on her enemy, Actuass, who had appeared almost twelve kilometres into the city, his stance showing that he had been in the middle of a dash, it happened again! MBING! The skeleton¡¯s figure reced Actuass who appeared back in the temple, with his hazel coloured eyes doing their best to focus! Yet¡­ He felt a dreadful and cold sensationing towards his neck and then¡­ Switch! He appeared in the same street as before, finding the ground still in the process exploding with molten rock about in a wide, hundred meter crater, sinking houses within itself, only for his figure to sh into the temple again, where the same level of destruction was beginning to ur too! Revia was trying to attack them at the same time but¡­ distance was the problem. No wonder the skeleton had rushed away back then. This effect was effective as long as the two were away from each other, especially against her, and it also seemed automatic! Revia stopped for a while as she then perked atop one of the buildings while looking at the two. ¡®This is ridiculous. Is this to tire me out or something? No. There¡¯s definitely something else I¡¯m missing.¡¯ she thought, her brows wiggling again. BOOM! BOOM! All the ces where she had shed with that freakishly strong skeleton, which were just two, exploded in earth shattering sequences that caused the millions of people in the city to scream and be anxious. Actuass who finally had some breathing room sighed as his vision focused. He looked around and saw the people around covered in protective barriers. ¡°That almostpletely cuts off my alternative moves,¡± he said before shook his head. ¡°Basic necromancy won¡¯t do it seems. How about advanced necromancy?¡± Actuass extended his arm again, releasing another ring on the ground, this time smaller than the previous. From it, a freshly dead corpse appeared andy on the ground, donning a rather exquisite armour with glowing circles of orange atop of its ck and sleek exterior! Thick green wisps of energy entered the body as within no time, the corpse rose from the ground and looked vacantly ahead with its discoloured eyes! Revia narrowed her eyes as she wondered what this man was about to do. It didn¡¯t seem like the same cheap trick from before. ¡°I used to be a believer you know?¡± Actuass said as from his body emanated a thickyer of greenish ck fumes. ¡°I can tell when someone¡¯s faith is faltering.¡± Even though quite a distance existed between him and Revia, his voice reached her just fine. ¡°Do you think mind games will work on me?¡± Revia said back, her voice also travelling the distance between where dust and crackling rock from the destruction emerged, highlighting the shielded civilians who sustained no damage from all this. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call them games but¡­ indeed, they do seem as such. SoSei, attack.¡± SoSei was the name of the green skeleton, and as soon as it heard themand, it jerked, its red socket mes changing to blue. Chapter 187 The Fifth Vs. Three (1) After summoning the first corpse which he ¡®brought to life¡¯, Actuass conjured another circr ring of runes from which spawned a second corpse that was once again invaded by the greenish ck fumes that rose from his body. It was a woman this time, her skin pale, which contrasted well with her aged and dirty pair of dark pants and off white, thick shirt. Short, brown hair had grown on her body during her years of life but nothing else but a once pretty face could be determined with certainty from her features in her current state. These two corpses stood before Actuass as on top of jerking and twitching about in their positions, their decoloured eyes gained greenish ck pupils, this development bringing forth a change in their demeanour as they both took deep breaths. While this was happening, SoSei, the green skeleton burst towards Revia with a speed that eclipsed that of anyone other than the Pdin Champion in the city. It ran into houses and the shielded people before shooting up with a horrific force as it flew towards Revia who was perched atop one of the higher roofed houses. Her attention had been on what Actuass was doing but for a brief moment, she gave this skeleton her attention, her agility and dexterity when she sped her scabbard and de handle with such a quick motion being so fast that she had more free time to decide on what to do next. Right when SoSei reached her, pulling back its arm andunching a textbook straight punch at her, Revia felt the intense level of weight behind the punch vividly! She literally felt the winds howling as they gathered, preparing for the eruption that would ensue should what this creature¡¯s version of a casual punchnded! ¡®One of these is enough to tear me apart even with my armour¡­.¡¯ Revia thought as her brows wiggled. Her figure vanished like a ghost right when the punch arrived, a cataclysmic explosion ttening anything within a 70 meter radius! The ground sank in on itself even when the skeleton had hit nothing but the house, just the sheer force behind its punch barrelling into the ground like a massively heavy sphere digging into the crust!. Revia¡¯s image shed a few tens of meters away from the scene, sixty civilians behind her donning terrified expressions as some began to vomit. They had all been saved by Revia from the area as even with the hazy light barriers shrouding them, the Pdin Champion wasn¡¯t sure if they would have still survived that massive attack. The power of Valis¡¯ staff was probably stretched thin. She vanished once more and appeared before the skeleton which then dashed towards her, its speed increasing with each step on the shattered ground! Revia felt the bubbling of power within her. The boost she had received from back when Actuass gave that strange monologue was acting up again! Her life energy continuing to pile on within her body while being unable to escape! From the initial 30% increase in her strength, she could tell that now, she was 55% stronger as her muscles greedily held in the life energy which was supposed to leak out with time! Just as Actuass had exined. Her body was unconsciously reacting to losing too much of the life energy, an supposed effect from facing this mysterious man. ¡®I don¡¯t know what I can do to stop this. It feels like breaking the natural flow of nature. I have a feeling that my body normally can¡¯t just stop leaking life energy on its own. This man probably has the means to force his opponent¡¯s bodies to develop this ability. It¡¯s probably temporary too, meaning I¡¯ll burn out soon. Is that what he¡¯s hoping for? Heh, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll do what I do best. End it quickly!¡¯ Revia thought as the faint light around her intensified. At this point, SoSei was right before her, preparing tounch some more amateur hour style attacks at her! She had to deal with this skeleton first to get to Actuass, but so far, it had shown itself to be impervious to damage from her attacks. This meant¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll just try a little harder..!¡± SoSei swung its fist in a straightforward and childish manner towards Revia¡¯s face, the force behind the punch being almost twice as heavy as the previous one! Revia bobbed her head, ducking down! A flurry of punches came from the skeleton, each being dodged by Revia whilst carrying a force that generated whirlwinds behind her that blew structures apart! Revia dodged as she sought for any weak points on this skeleton. Head, chest, arms, legs. There didn¡¯t seem to be anywhere she could hack until it broke! As the skeleton furiouslyunched these powerful attacks that eventually turned into mini tornados that ravaged the city of Evic, its speed increased substantially, its footwork improving during this exchange which wasn¡¯t an exchange! From the way it looked, this thing would only keep on increasing in power and speed! Revia knitted her brows and decided to go on the offensive. She might as well try to hit this thing with her strongest moves before it grew to rival her in the one thing she was confident in. Speed. To do that, she had to cut off it¡¯s growth. She withdrew her sword and flung it with incredible speed into the sky behind SoSei! The object flew while creating a white trail in the blue skies illuminated by therge star, Revia switching to blunt damage dealing! With a sh of brilliant light, sheunched 550 jab punches into five different sections of the skeleton with her full strength; head, chest, spine, pelvis and shoulder! The sounds that ensued caused those with weak hearts to faint as they were akin to multiple thunder strikes ringing all at the same time! SoSei drew back while all around, the ground couldn¡¯t take it, shuddering and wailing! Yet¡­ no damage registered on SoSei at all! ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be surprised..¡¯ thought Revia before she dodged a fistival of seemingly rage filled blows from the skeleton beforeunching an epic uppercut into its chin! A circr arc exploded outwards, SoSei beingunched upwards like a rocket, flying at an angle towards the trail that had been left by the sword milliseconds ago! Revia stormed from her position, appearing a very long distance away, near the borders of the city in the air as shockingly, she caught the de she had threw and sheathed it while staying afloat! She got into stance as SoSei whom she had punched with all her might flew in her direction! Her eyes honed in on this figure as she drifted I¡¯m midair at a slower speed, clutching the de and the scabbard with unreal focus. ¡°First UnForm de Technique, Rend!¡± Revia called, drawing her sword with a barely discernible light as when it came out of its scabbard¡­ it could not be seen except for its handle and guard! However, a crackle and thundering screamed, echoing across the city as it almost seemed like the sky had shattered like ss! After the ferocious noise, something flew towards the crust from the altitude at breakneck speed and blew a wide crater into ground that ignited with me momentarily! After this attack, Revia¡¯s hand could be seen vibrating at an intense frequency as she descended, her eyes zooming through the dust to see if she had managed to do any damage. The result¡­. A shallow but long mark could be seen running from the SoSei¡¯s back, running from its shoulder de, ribs and spine in a nting fashion. Revia smirked. ¡®It¡¯s better than nothing. Now to¡ª¡¯ Revia suddenly plunged to the ground at a ridiculous speed that left even her stumped! She was pulled to the ground, mming face down into the hard crust of Aigas before she even realised what was happening! ¡­! After she left a human shaped crater into the ground, she instantly responded by extending her mana outwards to support herself but still found it to be extraordinarily difficult! Slowly, she barely managed to crawl up, lifting at least one leg off the ground from a kneeling position. Revia gritted her teeth as she looked ahead, her eyes bloodshot as she felt an immense tugging on even her skin! A bulky man in a sleek, dark armour with orange rings all over it stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest with his one foot before his body in a stomp! He was over a kilometre away but Revia felt this strange effect bubbling from his body which released explosive waves of power, the greenish ck in his eyes giving Revia a bad feeling. When she looked at the ground, she saw it sinking into itself like a swirling whirlpool, rocks and all but it wasn¡¯t real. It was just a realistic illusion to enhance the effect. The more she looked at it, the more she felt her body loosen as it was dragged back down, her mind losing focus! The Pdin Champion shook her head and mustered more of her strength as she stood. With her body mostly stabilised, she finally saw the terrible scenes around her which resulted from the strange technique! Chapter 188 The Fifth Vs. Three (2) Hundreds of the civilians were dead! Despite the golden lights shielding their bodies, they were still crushed down by the powerful force that strongly pulled everything down! It seemed that the parameters for what was considered protection were not all ounted for in this scenario and it was tragic to see the result. Broken bones protruding through flesh, ruptured organs and ghastly expressions could be seen everywhere as blood pooled, some of the bodies actually being squashed beyond recognition. Revia¡¯s face scrunched up in fury. She felt little sympathy but a sifting river of rage built up within her. If there was something she hated, it was failing at her objectives. Her mind had still not broken free from the shackles of her family blood. Something she was indoctrinated into would stick but probably for the wrong reasons. It had been the case with her mother, after all. She was supposed to protect the people at all costs. Nomatter what form she took! She had to be the Pdin Champion that followed protocol and saved lives, maintaining the image of the Purity! Yet she was already beginning to fail. Valis who was a distance away had a hard expression on his face as he gushed mana into the staff, the star in the sky growingrger and brighter until its light eclipsed that of the sun at this time of day, a bright orange ring appearing around it to make its effect on the people below more profound! The world around became several shades darker due to the light but the many remaining civilians had their hearts soothed a bit more as the glow around them was reinforced. Revia sped her de tightly as she faced the man who had a particrly rxed face, still maintaining his stance. He was using a rather powerful martial technique. The Grounded Body Limiter Art!. A powerful technique that moulded mana into the ground, manipting gravitational properties in order to restrict enemy movements and in cases of weakerbatants, instantly kill them! Revia caught the figure of the woman who had been summoned by Actuass standing atop a dpidated roof as her greenish ck eyes locked onto her while emitting a strange power with a semi-traceable feel. ¡®These two¡­ why do they feel like¡­¡¯ she thought as her eyes scoured around the city, finally locking onto the figure of Actuass was sprinting towards Valis at top speed! ¡°That bastard!¡± Revia cursed as it suddenly clicked in her mind. This man had probably used a devastating attack that could by-pass the protection of the star in the sky in order to force Valis into rendering more of his attention to the civilians, leaving himself susceptible to attacks from Actuass! Actuass was intent on killing Valis too, Revia came to this conclusion. Despite what he said earlier, he was aiming for the old man too! Revia¡¯s skin cracked as the downward pull remained tremendous, but her body exploded with power as she zoomed towards Actuass, but at a much slower speed than her usual peak! She felt the boost to her strength increasing! It was more than 70% now! Ridiculous! In the process of speeding ahead, kes of her skin tore off but she didn¡¯t care! Did this bastard think that this much was enough to hold her down?! BA-DUM! BA-DUM! The three ethereal hearts in Revia¡¯s chest thrummed and beat at an ridiculous speed as they supported her heightened speed! Revia appeared right in front of Actuass, her body glowing with a bright halo that outlined her lean figure! Her body became lighter as she felt that she had escaped the range of the [Grounded Body Limiter Art], bing even more eager to finish this assault quickly! She released an insane amount of murderous intent as she shed diagonally, intent on carving Actuass up. This was personal now! She might not have felt the same when it came to other people like the civilians dying as that merely her a standard part of her job, but when it came to Valis, her mind was overtaken with rage for a moment! ¡°Second UnForm de Technique, Distorted Killing!¡± she called, her hand vibrating once more while her sword could not be seen! The air trembled and released sparks as Revia¡¯s sword struck with a speed beyond Actuass¡¯ reaction speed, going for his waist to blitz him through his chest and shoulder! What happened next, she did not expect. Her one leg suddenly sank deep into the ground, a horrendous downward force drawing her leg into the hard crust! She instinctively looked down and it worsened, her eyes being fooled by the downward spiral on the ground that drew in her mind! In that moment, where Actuass had been, SoSei appeared, but only briefly! Revia sensed it but couldn¡¯t react as her foot was being sucked in by the intense gravity which singled it out, light fractures appearing in her bones! The green skeleton vanished only to be reced by a figure in a bulky dark armour whounched a nasty hook punch with a warping energy around it¡¯s fist into Revia¡¯s chest! A shattering noise echoed as Revia¡¯s armour was crushed, her body being flung like a ragdoll over a broad distance! The Pdin Champion wheezed and drew in rugged breaths as the pain from the strike settled in! Her mind was thrown into disarray for a few seconds as she spat out blood, crashing into the ground momentster! She had barely recovered her senses when her experienced body warned her of danger! The figure of Actuass and the armoured man were rapidly closing in on her! The confusion almost threw her off. Wasn¡¯t Actuass headed for Valis? Didn¡¯t he want to kill him? Wait! Was that just a diversion?! ¡°Damn it!¡± Revia cursed as she forced herself to stand. She saw Actuass covered in the greenish ck smog around him, dashing at super speed and wondered. When she saw the man and woman who had been summoned, she felt something familiar in them. As she focused on Actuass now, she understood what it was. This advanced necromancy he spoke of. But even though she understood, this only made her all the more frightened of this man¡¯s capabilities. He was controlling those two bodies! No, that was an oversimplification. He was imposing his consciousness on both of them, moving them and using their techniques in addition to keeping his own body functioning too! The way the bulky armoured man moved, and the look in his eyes along with the aura he exuded. It was all tainted with the frightening presence of Actuass she had felt when he first appeared! ¡®He¡¯s¡­ a monster!¡¯ she thought as she grit her teeth, but she would not run from this challenge. She wasn¡¯t done yet! Actuassunched himself towards Revia with his hands beginning to brim with a green energy that irked Revia! This time, the Pdin Champion first paid attention to the body with the [Grounded Body Limiter Art] which was behind Actuass, preparing to use the technique again and she zipped her way towards it, reusing her Second UnForm de Technique, Distorted Killing! Revia¡¯ s de was a legendary item with the ability to adapt to its user¡¯s traits. The more unique the traits, the more profound its stats in sharpness, damage and speed increased. The de could adapt to Revia¡¯s vibrations, its form supporting high speed movement to the extent that it would appear formless from time to time! The de dug down the armour of the reanimated body after a short sh with the protective gear, deconstructing the fleshly shoulder into burning, sizzling and sparking, meaty cubes! The sword was almost halfway through when¡­ MBING! The figure of the armoured man was reced with SoSei, the green skeleton¡¯s hand being balled into a fist andunching up in an arc around Revia¡¯s arm, appearing to have already been in motion as it fiercely collided with her jaw! The woman saw stars for a moment, blood shooting from her mouth from the intense strength behind the punch that had caught her off guard! Luckily for her, it seemed the punch didn¡¯t have the same strength asst time as SoSei had been out of proper form but Revia felt her jaw crack quite a bit still! Her mind spun but she forcefully drew back her mental faculties. ¡®What¡¯s¡­ happening?! This attack and thest¡­ It¡¯s almost like¡­ they know how I¡¯m going to move beforehand!¡¯ she thought as she rolled on the ground, a suppressing force pummelling her body down with a great intensity! Revia moaned in pain as she then felt a flurry of punches all over her body which forced her to raise her hands up, protecting her head despite the pain resulting from this! She felt her armour chipping as coils of green energy eroded it, nks and clicks resounding as with every punch she received, she felt her defence waning! ¡°This is bad¡­!¡¯ Revia gnashed her teeth and rolled back a distance from the assant, the instant she stopped warranting a heavy kick in her abdomen that blew her away! This was undoubtedly from SoSei! Again! How did the damn thing know exactly where she¡¯d roll over to?! How could they predict her movements like this?! How did they know?! How¡­. Revia¡¯s eye suddenly shot towards a certain direction, her grey eyes reflecting a woman with short hair whose eyes were locked into her unblinkingly! Then it hit her! ¡®Is she a Diviner?!¡¯ Chapter 189 The Fifth Vs. Three (3) The reanimated woman who was still perched atop a high building had azy gaze that followed Revia¡¯s now slowed movements. It made sense to the Pdin Champion when she finally settled her mind, standing up straight after crashing to the ground, the pressure from the powerful art bearing down on her. ¡®The way my leg was singled out and sucked into the ground at the critical moment of my attack, how that green skeleton countered my Distorted Killing instantaneously! It wasn¡¯t a coincidence! She probably knows what I¡¯m going to do next!¡¯ Revia surmised as she gazed at the woman. Chips of steel armour fell from her chest where she had been punched with dents and slight cracks on the positions where Actuass had stormed her with a flurry of punches while she was grounded. Blood oozed from Revia¡¯s exposed chest, a grievous bloody bruise that was almost caving in being visible! The Pdin Champion spat out blood and pulled herself up while gazing at her two assants, one of which immediately stomped down, causing a low quake that doubled the force from the [Grounded Body Limiter Art], which made Revia¡¯s skin flutter as she tried to resist being forced down on her face! She gritted her teeth and powered through it. She still had a lot to analyse about what had happened a few seconds before. The disorienting switches for one. It appeared that SoSei was the anchor for switching. It could swap its position with Actuass and the armoured man seamlessly which posed a problem for Revia especially now that moving at her top speed was nearly impossible. The optimal option would be to take out the Diviner but that required blitzing her before she could be switched out. From her analysis, the switch for the reanimated corpses wasn¡¯t as fast as with Actuass himself, as evidenced by how she had managed to slice into the bulky armoured man before with Distorted Killing. Perhaps it was done on purpose to lure her in, but she had to bet on something and this was it. Once more, a massive surge of strength burst violently from Revia, the trapped life energy within her raging madly as its quality intensified, tranting into strength that made it much easier for her to handle the hold of the [Grounded Body Limiter Art]! 90%!. She took a deep breath and a stance. Her brows wiggled again. The tension from before had not afforded her this luxury but now, the habit slipped out. ¡®To what end is this increase in my strength? If this man really wanted to capture me, as he said, shouldn¡¯t he let my life energy flow out until I¡¯m weak, instead of inciting me to keep it within me? If I keep growing stronger¡­¡¯ she thought but cleared her mind soon after. Indeed. What was the point? It all seemed contradictory. The bulky armoured man dashed towards Revia, his arms bing enveloped in the same warped energy that had wounded Revia before! Revia rushed to meet him as she swung her sword in a perfectteral arc, the bulky man dodging the speedy strike andunching a hook to Revia¡¯s side! The Pdin Champion twisted her body with great difficulty to avoid the attack as she found that leaping up was nigh impossible! She narrowly avoided the blow but then a quick sh which was the bulky man¡¯s fist rapidly smashing towards her face, greatly surprised her! Again! She was being read! There must have been a mental link between these four for information to be passed so efficiently! She swiftly ducked under, barely being missed by the deadly attack but then a heavy sensation pressed against her with a vehement force that pushed her back, a knee having bashed against her injured chest! Revia groaned but quickly held herself. Immediately after this, a st of green energy shot against her armour which made her lose bnce! This came from Actuass who was ten meters beyond, stretching out his hand while billows of green and ck fumes raged around him! The imbnce Revia suffered was enough for her to be unable to respond to the vicious downward flying kick that came from the armoured man¡¯s greaved foot! BAM! Revia¡¯s head was smacked down, the pain resounding within her entire body! For a moment, she felt weightless, but she resisted death that came in such a smooth cox and swung her sword while infusing a third of the mana she had remaining into it! Unfortunately¡­ MBING! BASH! The armoured man was reced by SoSei which was alreadyunching a powerful straight punch that parted the air towards her! Revia waspletely unprepared for the attack and that was the point! A turbulent typhoon exploded ahead as the punch connected with its target, the ground leaping up at the force that seemingly foretold the doom of the fifth ranked Pdin Champion! Yet¡­ SHIIIIING! A bright white light that outshone even the star in the sky suddenly emanated from the typhoon as in that instance, the world stopped, a truly mind boggling scene erupting next! Hundreds of hazy figures with a likeness of Revia appeared around Actuass, the Diviner and the Warrior! They all held their swords tight with aggressive visages while stationed in all directions, the world seeminging to a stop! Anyone who could have seen this image would have marvelled but s, no one could except perhaps, a certain green skeleton! The hundreds of swords equally divided between three targets all rained down at a speed that was impossible to defend against with the current abilities of these three! Bright explosions raged in the hundreds, causing the city to rumble and crumble while the civilians hugged each other tight and quivered in fear, hoping that maybe¡­ just maybe, they could put this behind them after a few days when they cheered over the enemy¡¯s defeat! Smoke and dust mushrooms rose within the air, spelling the great amount of power exerted! Valis had watched, but seen nothing, yet he knew what had happened. He used every bit of mana he had in his core to charge up the star in the sky to protect all the remaining civilians. He had told Revia to go all out after all, so protecting everyone was his responsibility. Soon, everything cleared and amidst the dust and heated rock, destroyed houses and all, blotches of blood and bone mixed with ash could be seen where the armoured man had been, chunks of dark metal sprinkled over like kes. Wood and mud stained the blood of the Diviner who had been eviscerated, nothing of her remaining. Where Actuass had been¡­ a green skeleton stood, its bones full of deep gashes that dug into it! It barely looked intact, the blue light in its sockets still ring vivaciously. ¡°I thought as much¡­¡± said Revia as she stood, covered in a strange mix of a white halo-like light that constantly revolved around in her strange forms. Her power had effectively exploded over the 100% mark and with this, she had executed her strongest UnForm de Technique, True Omnipotence, which she could only use once a day before. It could unleash up to 420 doubles of herself with roughly 80% of strength which could only use her physical attacks once before dissipating! She had been saving it as a final move to use along with the effect granted by the stage she was currently progressing in. Now however, she felt like she could use it up to two more times. She had used it right before she could be obliterated by SoSei¡¯s punch which saved her along with dealing with her troublesome opponents! ¡°I knew this skeleton would prioritize you over your corpses. Come out¡­¡± she said with a stern face while turning to her side. The hooded figure of Actuass appeared from the dust as the light in his hazel eyes remained the same. ¡°Indeed,¡± he said while eyeing the power currently being disyed by Revia. This was it. ¡°Do you want to surrender now, or should I just beat you to death with the strength you have granted me?¡± Revia said as the intensity of the white glow around her increased. ¡°That certainly would be an ironic twist,¡± said Actuass with exasperation present in his voice. ¡°They certainly didn¡¯t give me enough information about you¡­ No one mentioned you to have such a freakish sword technique¡­¡± Actuass raised his hand as green and ck wisps of energy coiled around it. WHOOSH! A thin white line appeared from nowhere and cut off his arm, the limb falling down with a thud. Blood oozed from the wound but Actuass didn¡¯t show much of a reaction. Revia had slice his arm off so quickly that even SoSei couldn¡¯t react! She hadn¡¯t even moved from where she stood. Revia was faster now! ¡°Tell me. Who is ¡®they¡¯?¡± she asked. Instead of a response, Actuass¡¯ hazel eyes behind the mask glowed green and a stupendously acrid energy roiled and gushed backwards, rushing towards the hundreds of civilian corpses that had been crushed under the [Grounded Body Limiter Art]! Instantly, the bodies jerked, rising up as broken bones reconnected superficially, flesh repairing itself while the victims¡¯ eyes zed with greenish ck light, fumes rising from their bodies. Revia frowned. Desecrating the bodies of dead. This was uneptable. Was this the man¡¯sst ditch attempt at surviving? Revia didn¡¯t spare any of her strength as she moved to end Actuass before he could fully reanimate the hundreds of civilians. An Aura rose from her body, rushing along her bloodied silver hair as she attacked. Actuass sighed inwardly, feeling slightly annoyed at this development. ¡®I suppose I have no choice. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need to use it. Hopefully itsts long enough in my state¡­¡¯ he thought before he muttered a few words that changed everything. Chapter 190 Unsettling Conclusion The constant sizzling almost masked the words being spoken. The mes and dust gave a deep sense of solemnity to the scene in ce. And solemn it was. What had seemed like the relieving end had suddenly changed into something else entirely. ¡°As I thought. I can barely use it in this state. Yet the results weren¡¯t so bad¡­¡± a man in a green and white mask said. Half of the city was littered in mes and ck, charred ground that was quite brittle yet hard still. The other half was merely riddled with the scars of the earlier fight and not the one that followed, between the Pdin Champion and the masked man. Actuass looked before him. Millions of people covered in halos of the protection provided by the star above¡­ knelt deeply on either of his sides, their bodies prostrated to him as their heads even touched the ground humbly! All of them without exception, men, women and children had soft glints of green in their eyes as they fervently bowed in neat rows while leaving a straight gap between them for Actuass to pass. There was total and utter silence except the sounds stemming from falling debris and crackling fire. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Actuass¡¯ image didn¡¯t look as intact as it did before. His hood was torn, his clothes worn out and dirtied with dust and blood. His mask was cracked, his hair slightly burnt while his missing arm was quite noticeable. He sighed before beginning to limp his way through the gap created by all the civilians of Evic.. He was headed towards quite the far distance away where the figure of Revia was leaning against arge stone block. Her armour had holes in it, chunks of it digging deep into her flesh! Three ghastly wounds on her exposed flesh, one being a hole opened up in her abdomen from where her pulsing organs and damaged spine could be seen while the others were gruesome gashes that looked to have been caused by a sharp, yet crude weapon. As she sat on the hard ground, blood pooled at her thighs, her silver hair cut and burnt as she vomited mouth after mouthful of blood! Her one eye was bleeding over her cheeks, the eyelid closed while a series of multi-coloured bruises were all over her face. Her sword was at her side, cracked pitifully, its lustre no longer present. Strangely, the life energy within her kept bubbling and growing but it could not heal her. Thus, it continued to roil within her body, boosting her resilience to the pain instead since there was nothing more it could add to her strength when she couldn¡¯t move. Valis was a few meters away, heaving in deep breaths. He wasn¡¯t injured at all, not physically at least. He was paralysed by some strange effect that he didn¡¯t understood. He had initially thought that the battle was over when Revia used her third and final sword technique but that had turned out to not be the case. With the uttering of strange words, Actuass had be a absolute monster for three minutes, unleashing power that made the High Order Priest lose his will to fight in that moment! How Revia had been brutalised in the most horrific use of Undeath he had seen so far was traumatising. He couldn¡¯t believe what he had seen. The people he had been protecting all this time had now created a silent parade where they bowed towards Actuass. Ridiculous! Now, he could only watch as Actuass reached the heavily injured body of Revia who was hanging her head while taking in raspy breaths of air while choking on her blood. Actuass had passed through the long procession of bowing civilians patiently until he reached his destination. Revia raised her head to face him, her mangled body and broken bones not allowing for any further movement. ¡°You¡¯re tougher than I thought. It makes me believe that I was right about you. I can¡¯t imagine that you learnt to be this strong because of your faith,¡± Actuass said. Revia merely looked up at Actuass and shook her head weakly, a furious expression on her face. ¡°I can understand. As I said before, I was once a believer but I failed toprehend what the Deities wanted from me. I was doubtful and I still am. I sense the same in you. You hesitate but follow along because its the only thing you can do. Youck an aim.¡± Revia looked at Actuass hatefully while the light in her eyes remained strong. She wouldn¡¯t be swayed. What Actuass was saying was mostly true. While she cared for Valis, she didn¡¯t share his absolute faith in the Deities. She had been nning on getting Elita out of her detainment against the will of the Purity for Deities¡¯ sake. That proved that she didn¡¯t much care for anything else. Who would believe that their entire family died for some vague reason fabricated by who knew what? Was everything that happened to her truly preordained? Revia spat blood at Actuass¡¯ feet in contempt. ¡°I said it before. Mind games won¡¯t work on me. Just kill me¡­¡± she said determinedly. Actuass remained silent for a few moments before crouching in front of the female Pdin Champion. It was a shame. He really wished he could rope her in. ¡°I remember what you said quite clearly. However, you seem to have forgotten what I said,¡± Actuass spoke in an eerie tone. ¡°Someone else wants your life. I¡¯m only interested in your death¡­¡± Before Revia could question what this meant, Actuass pressed his thumb and index finger on Revia¡¯s forehead, a numbing sensation running along the woman¡¯s body voraciously! Revia¡¯s eyes opened wide as she felt something dark and repugnant gush into her body from Actuass¡¯ fingers, targeting the growing life energy within her! The lime green energy that kept pulsing and bubbling was wrapped by the repugnant energy that had a greenish ck hue and then¡­ The bright, luminescent life energy suddenly began transitioning from its lime green colour into a bloody crimson with a very dark shade! Its concentration was immense as almost all Revia¡¯s life energy was turned into this dark one which was, predictably, Undeath energy! Revia was terrified at this point. The sickening energy within her body not only felt cruel and evil but it wrestled against her Divine Blessing which was within her body also! Luckily for her, Actuass didn¡¯t n to use her as his personal storage. The vast and thick amount of death energy was sucked into Actuass¡¯ fingers and absorbed into his body with a terrifying howl of the surrounding space! Valis¡¯ eyes bulged in shock while he tried to wrestle the paralysis! What was this?! Was this seriously the same Green Neolist group that they failed to take seriously all these years?! After the Undeath energy was extracted from Revia, she felt extremely weak, her body now letting her feel the immense pain that she had lost the resilience to withstand! She screamed and tumbled as the pain was immense. Her reserves of mana were depleted in the fight and now she couldn¡¯t do anything to strengthen her body! She rolled on the ground in pain as tears rolled from her eyes! This pain! It was too much! It even eclipsed the pain that had almost led her to suicide when her brother had died! She couldn¡¯t stand it! ¡®Sister¡­ sister Elita please help!¡¯ she subconsciously called in her mind, screaming with a mental voice while screeching on the outside in pain. ¡°Please sister¡­.save me¡­¡± Actuass watched her writhe. ¡°Unfortunately for you, if I will it, you can roll around here in pain for eternity. I have transformed most of your life energy into undeath energy. This means your potential to die from any circumstance had beenpletely stripped from you,¡± he said. ¡°There is no ce for you anywhere else that isn¡¯t this brutish hellscape we call Aigas.¡± Revia¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock. What?! ¡°You cannot die. You are immortal in a way. Even if your body perishes, your soul will find its way into another body and continue with cycle of the undying. In the purest way, you are an undead. Death is an undeserved gift to all living things. Those who would abuse it wantonly don¡¯t deserve to abide in it.¡± Actuass delivered these words before smacking Revia at the back of her head, knocking her out. He turned to Valis who unconsciously shuddered while trying to free himself. Actuass opened his mouth to speak but his mask suddenly cracked and fell, revealing a youthful face that instantly turned nervous, then terrified! The hazel coloured eyes on this face suddenly dimmed, turning into a light shade of brown instead. The individual behind the mask suddenly panicked and screamed in pain as he grasped his shoulder. ¡°ARRRGHH! What¡¯s going on?! Where am I? What happened?! What happened to my arm?! ARRGKHHH!¡± he screamed as his eyes darted to and fro. Strangely, this panicking and terrified face suddenly shifted again in demeanour, turning stern as the eyes turned from brown to hazel once again. ¡®. I almost lost my connection to the vessel. I really overexerted this body with my concept it seems¡­¡¯ thought Actuass before he addressed Valis as he had intended. ¡°Be sure to spread the word.¡± Actuass pulled out a scroll which he unfurled after grabbing Revia¡¯s unconscious body by the hair. This scroll had a familiar aesthetic as it was something that the Green Neolists normally used often. An Arcane Teleportation Scroll! It was simr to the ones that Eobald and Skullius had used with the me effect but this one was different. The once masked man inserted his mana into the scroll and symbols surrounded his figure and Revia¡¯s, lighting up their bodies before a terrific tornado bloomed initiating their travel! The Arcane Teleportation Scroll, Gales! Just like that, Actuass left the cult-like scene of millions of innocents bowing within a burning and broken city under the eyes of paralysed High Order Priest¡­. ___ [End of Mini Arc] What do you think about this arc? What are your thoughts on Actuass? What do you think will happen to Revia? Is her story over or is it just beginning? I would really love to hear yourments! Chapter 191 Back To The Party A low breeze escaped from the man¡¯s mouth. It brushed against his mask as he finally raised his head from its initial hanging position while remaining seated on the chair. His hazel eyes focused, gazing at the man with slicked back hair opposite him, hiding his expectant emotion behind a cold exterior while his fierce yellow eyes demanding the results. Fulina and two others had been standing beside Actuass throughout the entire endeavor, in case their new allies decided to change their minds and make a move on the man they respected and revered. Thankfully, it hadn¡¯te to that. Fulina knew full well how desperate the Evenfall were for their victory, so much so that coborating with the Green Neolists wasn¡¯t a problem for them. It was unlikely that they would be backstabbing them¡­ at least before they had been granted what they wanted. This wasn¡¯t a coboration based on the power of friendship after all. Seeing that Actuass had woken up from his dive, Fulina finally rxed. The charismatic and dependable air of Actuass was soforting to every member of the Green Neolists, that they felt like he was the only true Deity in Aigas. ¡°It¡¯s done. My vessel is on the way with the Champion as we agreed,¡± Actuass said. ¡°Though I must say, I¡¯m not very appreciative of the fact that you left out some details about this particr Champion that could have jeopardised the operation.¡±. The man with ck hair narrowed his eyes and scoffed. ¡°I left nothing out. The Pdin Champions are like every other living creature. They evolve. They get stronger. It¡¯s not strange for them to gain new abilities over time. Is it?¡± the man asked. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Actuass said in a low tone, locking his arms while his long robes were illuminated by the light in a mysterious gradient of ck and orange. ¡°I would wager that this is enough goodwill for us to work with, is it not? This will undoubtedly rattle the Purity far more than thest incident. You¡¯ll be seeing more of these¡­ ¡®heroes¡¯ and we¡¯ll cull a few more.¡± ¡°That was the objective from the start.¡± ¡°Indeed it was,¡± said Actuass. ¡± By the way, I¡¯ve been hearing of a new development that you have been orchestrating. Is it to keep the Royal fools on their toes? I doubt they can pin it on you though.¡± ¡°Well, you could put it that way. We need sufficient cover for what happens next. I don¡¯t n on holding off the ritual until we have pile of Champion corpses. Proceeding with this one before the others arrive is not a problem. As an experiment, it might serve us well.¡± ¡°Also, depending on whether or not the Royal family declines or epts the Sif¡¯s proposal, we might just have just gained an additional distraction,¡± the ck hair man said a hint of pride in his voice. ¡°What of your ns? You spoke of a grand endeavour that you had enacted with all your members across the nation a few days ago?¡± A soft hmph, was heard from the confines of Actuass¡¯ green and white mask. Fulina and the other two by Actuass¡¯ side visibly shuddered when they were reminded of this. ¡°All in good time,¡± said Actuass. *** The striding of three horses lifted up the dust and bore heavily on the ground which was used to it this at this point. This was evidenced by the somewhat thick, bald trail leading through knee-high grass that pointed to the mountains andkes beyond. There were barely any trees to be seen around, only bushes and shrubs that seemed to thirst for the burning light of the old golden fat man in the sky being seen, swaying as if to express their joy. For such a hot region, momentary breezes with such a cooling effect were not that umon as they were the reason non-locals could stomach making long journeys through this brutal ce. This did not stop a certain Discount Human from constantly drinking from the many water skins he had brought to alleviate the heat though. He remained glued to Sty as they rode, the redhead not bearing much of a reaction to it, much to the other two¡¯s surprise, as sometimes it seemed like she was being fondled in broad daylight. The journey had been quite a long one, but after a few more minutes, a tall crack in space emerged in the four¡¯s vision, standing in the thick of tall grasses. This Cluster was akin to a crooked diagonal sh on the fabric of reality, a white hue oozing from it with a bright luminance that made everyone squint their eyes from time to time. The four disembarked from their horses and stood before it, getting washed by the ominous yet refreshing air that the Cluster spewed. ¡°You know, I¡¯m a bit doubtful that you¡¯ve never entered a Cluster, Festos,¡± Sty suddenly said while gazing at the Cluster before them. ¡°Well I just haven¡¯t. I like to be prepared before getting into dangerous situations,¡± Skullius responded. ¡°Really? If that¡¯s the case, then can I convince you to take down at least one of the conditions you asked?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t want us to help you in any way, shape or form in the Cluster? Even if you¡¯re about to die.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Sir Mage, if I may¡­¡± one of the other party members said. He was a thin man with sunken blue eyes and curly ck hair that settled in bangs over his forehead. ¡°If we agree to that and you actually die, we¡¯d be in big trouble! We¡¯ll be known as the fools that failed to protect a Mage!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± said the other man. He was much shorter, with broad arms and a thick body that held toned muscles. Rough amber hair made into a crew cut was seeded on his head, withrge green eyes making their presence known on his face. ¡°What¡¯s the point of a party if we can¡¯t help each other when in danger?¡± Sty turned to Skullius with a ¡®they make great points¡¯ look on her face, her arms crossed on her chest. ¡°Look. I am very capable of protecting myself so you don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s only a white Cluster anyway. What could possibl-, we¡¯ll be fine,¡± Skullius said. Naturally, no one was convinced at all, except Sty who had been given more than enough reassurance by her uncle in terms of Skullius¡¯ abilities. At least when dealing with the current threat. ¡°I can¡¯t work with you if don¡¯t agree to this. I might as well leave if that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°When you can¡¯t ride a horse?¡± pointed out Sty with a smirk. ¡°¡­ I can walk¡­¡± Sty sighed in exasperation. What was this? Pride? She had met a few Mages in her life and while they were some really proud and entitled bastards among them, they didn¡¯t im to not want any help in a Cluster. ¡°Fine, then. We won¡¯t lend a hand. No need to get all fussy about it. I also have no problem with letting you deal with the Cluster General and taking its dead core. As long as no one else has a problem with it.¡± The other two shrugged as they didn¡¯t have a problem with conceding the dead core. But fighting a Cluster General alone though, especially when you only had a white core. That was just¡­ ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s head in then,¡± Sty said as she went into the Cluster first, the others following. Skullius could finally sigh in relief. His conditions were noted and epted. Now it was time to kill. Chapter 192 Showcase And Gardening (1) The creatures found within Clusters were different and varied. Obviously. However, the existence of Clusters was something that predated the existence of extremely intelligent life, such as the humans, the Sif and the giants. Over millenia, as these races battled Clusters, patterns and conclusions began to be made as long after this trend started, knowledge on the creatures spawning from Clusters became very integral for a simple reason. There were recurringbinations. The same type of monsters were seen from time to time. Contrary to what was believed, there wasn¡¯t an infinite set ofbinations from the power of the Deities that would in turn create an endless variety. It was finite. Granted, finite was in the sense of millions of species, but finite nheless. This made battling Clusters easier and filled the people with hope as they now had a way to document and fight creatures they had fought before. This was most true when it came to high level Clusters to which the beasts spawning from them were more easily recognised, probably because their creation requiredrger amount of shing energies than the lower level beasts. The variations were different when it came to the habitats of these creatures though, as many different subspaces had been seen before but in most circumstances, they were usually not inherently harmful to mankind. Unless of course, the environment was a beast itself. Sty marvelled at the beautiful sky above, bearing a crystal-like beauty as it produced a faint light to make everything beneath visible without the need of a sun.. Strangely, a wide in was all there was of the environment with no vegetation in sight. A rough brown ground was the decor along with a seemingly endless horizon, but it was an illusion. Hundreds of purple gems were strewn over the hard surface, reflecting the light that came from above as if being grown as crops. Skullius¡¯ eyes sparkled. He had been hoping to see these. However, it seemed like he was the only one interested in them as no one else paid them any mind. ¡°Hah. This is only the second time I¡¯vee into a Cluster and felt underwhelmed,¡± said Sty. She didn¡¯t look rxed though as her hand remained on the sheathed sword at her side, the vignce wrought by many battlesing into y. The same was true for the other two who looked around vigntly. ¡°You guys don¡¯t care about the Enriching gems?¡± Skullius asked. The short man, his name Bron, turned to Skullius as if a little confused by the question. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was a trick question or not. ¡°Well, of course we do, but purple Enriching gems don¡¯t do us any good. They barely help after the first thousand and then they stop working for you altogether,¡± the man exined. ¡°Have you ever absorbed any?¡± ¡°Yes. Two hundred or so.¡± ¡°Oh. It¡¯s surprising that you found that many without bing a mercenary. They are still quite pricey on the market.¡± Skullius nodded in affirmation. ¡°They should still work for you. Want any HELP collecting them?¡± the thin man, whose name was Fore said with a joking glint in his eye. Styughed. Skullius¡¯ eyes widened as he slowly took a step back. He realised that it was a joke at his expense a few momentster and coughed a few times. ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m fine,¡± Skullius said as he then proceeded to hurriedly pull out the Enright gems from the ground and store them in his spatial storage ring. He collected hundreds excitedly, dashing from one spot to the next until he had almost cleared an entire section of the Cluster subspace. Skullius couldn¡¯t wait to absorb them all and see just how strong he would be then. Even now, the pulsing of energy within his body was visibly different from before he had absorbed the Enriching gems. The anticipation was palpable. Bron, Fore and Sty looked at Skullius¡¯ childish zeal and sighed. Was this really a Mage? Weren¡¯t they supposed to be dignified and contained instead of being overzealous and¡­ active? Perhaps that was the price for power. A bit of the screws upstairs going loose. As Skullius picked up another Enriching gem, he noticed something odd. A flower awaiting its time to bloom was beside the gem, squirming as if alive. It had a dark purple stem that stretched out to form the covers for the unseen petals that awaited release. Skullius naturally turned vignt but not enough to notice that he was in real danger. The flower suddenly bloomed, within its centre a gaping hole that was fettered by white petals. The gaping hole suddenly glowed, a radiant light and heat bellowing from it as it hurtled towards Skullius! Sty immediately dashed towards Skullius but it was toote. BOOM! Orange mes and little spikes shot from the flower with a cloud of smoke, the Discount Human being sent flying up in the air violently! He spun and twirled in mid-air, his party members assuming the worst immediately as the Discount Human emerged from the thick cloud of smoke, yet¡­ ¡­! In a surprising twist, Skullius wasn¡¯t battered and burnt as they had imagined. A tall and broad shield was extended in his hand , its ocean blue and crystal white design being a cause for awe and relied from his party members! An attack from below wasn¡¯t all thatmon, especially in low level Clusters where the spaces weren¡¯t all that well developed. Besides, none of the three would have gotten taken by surprise with an attack like this. Skulliusnded smoothly on the ground and looked ahead where the flower had been. Sty gave Skullius a quick nce before focusing ahead. ¡°Ha! You really can pull your own weight. d you didn¡¯t disappoint,¡± she called while unsheathing her sword. Skullius grinned with a scoff also focused ahead where the enemy was starting to show itself. The ground caved in as something dug out. A tall, dark green figure with a thick torso and thick, veiny arms spawned from underground, welding a weapon of sorts. Soils and small rocks fell of its body as it then shook itself and gazed ahead with its ¡®head¡¯. A bright yellow head. Once more, it seemed like only Skullius had much of a reaction to this thing as even though he didn¡¯t know much about life in general, he was sure¡­ He was sure¡­ He was vaguely sure that this was a¡­ sunflower-man? Chapter 193 Showcase and Gardening (2) CRACK! FSSHHH! The hard ground broke as another of these strange creatures crawled out with a human-like movement, holding a very simr appearance to the first one that had popped out. Then another and another and on and on¡­ Soon, the four were surrounded on all sides by the creatures with none but Skullius questioning what the heck these things were. ¡°They are Sunlight Shooters. We¡¯re in luck. At least it won¡¯t be as hard of a time as we thought it would,¡± said Sty confidently as she drew the sword at her side. It was a silver saber, its sharpened edge glistening under the light from the sky. The hilt with a blue,simplistic design looked quite beautiful, its sway in the hands of thedy being professional. ¡°Uh¡­ Sunlight shooters?¡± asked Skullius with a ¡®confused as flesh¡¯ face. He then checked with his guidance field, marvelling at the fact this was the name of these monsters. The name wasn¡¯t the most creative but it did sum up the creatures¡¯ abilities quite well. Literal sunflowers with humanoid bodies that shot light projectiles from flowers they held tightly at their sides!. Skullius squinted, watching as the yellow petals and fruit at the centre which was the head of the creatures quivered in a lively way as they faced the four. Thick green limbs extended from ripped stems with abs and toned chest pads visibly nted onto them. The creatures didn¡¯t have the structure of arms as humans did though, as it could be seen that at the end of these muscr arms, there were tipped ends as leaves should be, curling around what was the weapons ¨C long stemmed flowers that would coil their petals and unfurl them regrly when ready tounch projectiles. These are what had almost gotten the better of Skullius before as they released brilliant lights akin to fire explosions. Information about these creatures was widely known as they were categorised as very weak creatures in the bottom wrung within white Clusters. Despite their physiques, they were actually very weak and relied on long range attacks. Roughly 300 hundred of these things kept popping from the ground and circling the four silently, with muscle bound limbs. ¡°This is already proving to be an easy clear. Sunlight shooters aren¡¯t anything to worry about. Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± Bron said as he flexed his tough muscles and called mana from his core. Skullius didn¡¯t ask further questions about the Sunlight Shooters. As far as he was concerned, they were indeed weak. A look from the guidance field gave the details he needed about these monsters. Most of it anyway. The shield he had pulled out was the, The Keep shield he had bought from Frock. He had used [Unbound] with the 1000 Null Life Essence points he had obtained after killing the Knights from the library incident to enhance it. The enhanced version of the shield was called the Crystalline Hold, an Umon+ item with eptable stats. This was only the second time Skullius had gotten a bad roll on an item, which reminded him that [Unbound] could be less generous if it so chose. The shield was coated in blue and white, the colours forming something simr to a bird on the face of the shield. It didn¡¯t have much in the way of special effects aside from absorbing impacts and spreading them in different directions in a rather visually pleasing way. Still, Skullius saw it fit for use. Sty zoomed forward, lunging into the sea of Sunlight Shooters that began firing their ¡®weapons¡¯. Bright beams of light shed out of the flowers that they held like gatling guns, speeding towards the their targets with both heat and bright hues! Sty¡¯s sword arched in the air, faint illusory streaks of running water trailing along the edges of the de along with a blue hue along with simr counterparts that looked like tongues of fire! After she swiped her sword once, the blue and red illusory waves of what seemed like genuine water and fire, her hand turned into a blur as in the next moment, ten Sunlight shooters were lit on fire with the sizzling of water also echoing on their bodies before they were shed apart! Her figure moved seamlessly through the waves of these creatures that didn¡¯t seem to have any other game n other than to shoot their loads! Sty¡¯s application came from her family¡¯s inherited sword technique that channelled mana in a way that mimicked the effects of water and fire. The stronger one became in practise, the more these elemental effects could be manifested through a medium such as a sword by the user. Fore and Bron dashed in different directions as well, wrecking the Sunlight Shooters as if they were paper. Bron¡¯s technique was rather simple. As a Form User, a Warrior to be more specific, he honed his body to use mana for different physical effects. He leapt with great intensity and fell like a meteor amidst the sea of Sunlight Shooters! With a dignified look on his face, he put strength into his arm and pushed it forward towards his enemies with his three fingers extended! The motion of his arm and hand wasn¡¯t slow or fast, but the resulting effect, was nothing short of extraordinary. A hazy ring with terrifying amount of power behind it pushed ahead, breaking apart tens of Sunlight Shooters as if they were made of¡­ well¡­.nt tissue. The ground shattered in a continuous trail with a shockwave that ignored the th of the Sunlight Shooters and demolished their weapons. Then as if this wasn¡¯t enough, a second and a third shockwave sted out with Bron¡¯s one move, carrying stronger forces than that of the first! Soon, nothing remained in front of Bron exceot the corpses of his foes, green blood sprinkled over the hard surface. The bright shes of firepower from the other beefy sunflowers didn¡¯t do any damage to him at all! Fore breathed lightly before facing his enemies that kept shooting at him like the fodder they were. Fore weaved through their attacks with his quick, nimble feet and set his gaze on a group of Sunlight Shooters. His pupils constricted and instantly, a warp like effect applied on the space, covering nearly thirty Sunlight Shooters that were then pulled to a singr point in the air where they smashed against each other! Fore increased his focus, the pulling force that drew on these monsters intensifying as they began to get crushed, beingpounded against each other until they formed arge ball of green and yellow with nt limbs iling helplessly. The ball fell to the ground with a heavy thud, Fore not looking like he had broken even a drop of sweat. He was a Mind Caster. A variation of Form Users that focused more on psychic strength than physical strength. Fore himself wasn¡¯t of the belief that physical strength was to be neglectedpletely in the pursuit of mental supremacy like many Mind Casters, which was why he was so nimble. He had achieved this through intense practise, not wanting to put all his eggs in one basket. His mental abilities were not very powerful, but he was more interested in reaching a bnce between his mental and physical capacities, thus he carried a sword with him. Skullius watched with a sagely nod of his head. ¡®They are strong. Especially Sty¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he watched thedy leisurely mow down the Sunlight Shooters without even trying hard. ¡®Also, they are making life even easier for me too.¡¯ Skullius dashed towards the corpses of all the Sunlight Shooters and immediately began taking what he wanted before the timer ran out. Null Life Essence! Chapter 194 One Shotting A Cluster General! (1) ¡°What is he doing now?¡± asked Fore as he turned in Skullius¡¯ direction, watching the Discount Human dash from corpse to corpse while stretching out his hand. ¡°He¡¯s surprisingly quick for a Mage, though. I can take away at least that much,¡± said Bron as he propped his hands on his waist. ¡°Though I doubt he can handle the Cluster General single-handedly.¡± Sty didn¡¯t give any remarks. She just watched as Skullius did his thing. The passive, [Great Rush] amplified Skullius¡¯ speed to a considerable degree and with his constant usage of the skill, Skullius was looking forward to when it would evolve. He also had [Mana Shroud] active, a firmyer of protection surrounding his body. In the next twenty seconds, he collected the Null Life Essence from fifty Sunlight Shooters before the timers ran out, continuing with the hot rush against time while not giving his party members who gazed at him questioning eyes any mind. The Sunlight Shooters gave 25 Null Life Essence points each, the amount being slightly higher than that of the goblins, the weakest creatures he had ever fought. Some Sunlight Shooters converged towards Skullius as he ran, collecting the precious resources he aimed for which annoyed him. The orange blobs of light that whizzed through the air were nothing to him as he easily ducked and dodged, reaching his enemies. Bron¡¯s brow furrowed when he saw Skullius getting close to these creatures. ¡®Does he think he can replicate what we have been doing just because we said the Sunlight Shooters were weak?¡¯ he thought concernedly, really beginning to wonder if the Deities had done him a favour by not allowing him a chance to fanboy over Skullius back at the Association building earlier when the Discount Human had ignored him and Fore. ¡®That¡¯s idiotic. Even with that much pride, he should at least know tha¡ª¡±. WHAM! A crisp and resounding blunt force was heard as three Sunlight Shooters were blown away by a single punch from Skullius! ¡®The hell?!¡¯ Bron was shocked! He watched as a light gust of air circled around the point of impact, the two unfortunate opponents of Skullius flying into theirpanions pitifully. That power! Seeing Skullius¡¯ form, he could see that he was heavilycking in skill but his power and speed were incredible for his stage! Sty nodded while hacking away at the Sunlight Shooters, finding Skullius more intriguing despite his other questionable antics. The Discount Human himself was also shocked by the development too. He was quite sure that the enhancement from the Enriching gems yed a huge role in making the force he unleashed to be devastating, especially when he coupled it with the skill, [Brawn], which amplified his blunt damage force. He had extracted this skill from one of the items he bought from Frock. After creating some space for himself, Skullius decided to earn a few experience points. He stretched out his hand, conjuring a small mass of [Evil Darkness] that he hurriedlypressed and formed into a small ball that began to spin with his advanced control until it generated a breeze! Without any dy, he sent it towards the most Sunlight Shooter congested ce around, the ball sting out like a missile towards them! This unlike the merely intriguing disy of physical power that Skullius had disyed earlier, thoroughly fascinated the trio that Skullius called temporary partners! What was that mass of darkness?! Was it a spell? Some form of mystic arts?! Was this man actually a prodigy?! A smile bloomed on Sty¡¯s face as many thoughts already began to spawn inside her mind. VWAAAP! A circling impact shot out with ruthlessly loud p, dozens of Sunlight Shooters having been pierced by the quick ball of darkness that spun ferociously! Juices sprayed as the Sunlight Shooters died helplessly, Skullius not stopping to celebrate even while piles of notifications shed in his vision. He had already known that these creatures couldn¡¯t take an attack that like that. He went about collecting Null Life Essence while his partners grew a bit more interested from the earlier perspective they had begun to impose on Skullius because of his behaviour. Within a few minutes, the Sunlight Shooters were all killed yet no one was tired. Except Skullius. All the running around had drained him somewhat, but it was worth it. He collected plenty of Null Life Essence. He hadn¡¯t used much mana as he had to save up for the Cluster General but his body refused to give him an easy time. He looked around, wondering if the Cluster General would emerge simr to how Jackpot did back then. This simple action made him feel weird though. Here he was, actively looking for a Cluster General as if it wasn¡¯t anything special. Perhaps it was an instinct spawned by the fact that the opponents in this Cluster were abysmally weak. He wondered what kind of special trait they were supposed to have, but it was possible that they wouldn¡¯t have any as well. ¡°You¡¯re looking in the wrong ces. The Sunlight Shooters emerged from underground, so where do you think the big one wille from?¡± Sty asked with a brow raised in amusement. Skullius looked under him, realising that naturally, the strongest enemy should emerge from where the others came from. The space within Clusters differed depending on the level of the Cluster and this one wasn¡¯t all that impressive. It also determined how strong opponents one met would be like. RUMBLE! A bright sh of golden light dug from below, exploding upwards and blowing away the dirt as it shot up in a brilliant disy of luminance! The entire subspace became tinged in gold as multiple spots of golden flew up in a fantastical light, the ground beginning to quake unsettlingly! The sudden shudders almost made Skullius topple over as he focused his vision on what was emerging from the ground. Massive blocks of crust rose as a brilliant, massive sunflower rose from the ground, its petals fluttering vivaciously while producing a light so bright, it made the party turn away while still bearing protective coatings of mana! After the sunflower came out, the six meter body of thick and muscr stem with leaves as tough limbs that looked like they were used solely for bench pressing all their lives, it emitted a low growl! Thick, veggie thighs made squelching noise over the ground as the giant sunflower stood, its petals now directly facing the party of four. The size of the flower was intimidating and Bron found himself excited to fight this monstrosity. Fore merely covered his eyes with his hand while Sty prepared a stance. Bron turned to Skullius who had made the request to get the Cluster General for himself. ¡°Are you still nning on fighting on your own?¡± he asked in a mocking fashion. Naturally, the three knew the massive Sunlight Shooter¡¯s special skill and were aware that Skullius would be affected by it too. The Discount Human propped up his shield as with continued exposure to the bright Sunlight, he felt himself growing weaker and weaker! His body grew heavy and he had to try and prop up his shield to try and mitigate the skills effect. The guidance field had shown him the attributes of this creature along with its name. Father Sunlight! On top of this skill, it also had some high physical stats as a Tier 3 monster unlike its smaller counterparts. Fore, Bron and Sty watched as Skullius struggled, the thin man sighing as he looked pitifully at the Discount Human. Theypletely ignored the sunlight effect as if it didn¡¯t affect them at all while watching Skullius¡¯ performance. Father Sunlight¡¯srge petals increased their light intensity, responding to the nonchnce of the three. ¡°Do you really not want any help? Pride will only get you killed!¡± Bron called to Skullius with a slight grin on his face. The Discount Human did not respond. Not verbally at least. His response to the eyes that expected him to swallow his pride, was the coiling of arge amount of mana as skill was cast, a bright red overtaking the gold hue within the Cluster¡­! Chapter 195 One Shotting A Cluster General! (2) 195 One Shotting A Cluster General! (2) The abrupt change in the colour of the subspace caused Skullius'' threepanions to grow wary. At first, they hadn''t recognised that this change had been brought about by the same Discount Human who looked to be cowering under the blue and white shield. It didn''t seem like it. Who would believe that someone like that could suddenly spawn such a skill that not only changed the atmosphere visually, but brought on a rippling heat into the air?! This was iparable to that small darting ball that he had conjured which could be ssified as a mere parlour trick when truly powerful Cluster beasts were involved. Yet... When the three saw the bright red orb that Skullius held in his other hand, they were beyond shocked. Bron took a step back. Skullius first gave him a nce before dropping his shield and facing Father Sunlight! The Discount Human had requested to face the Cluster General alone in addition to taking its core as his own because he feared the technicalities he had seen when it came to his Tasks. It had to be him who acquired whatever was required of him from the source. The human head sized ball warped the air with its head, its colour giving everyone a deep sense of dread. Skullius didn''t waste time appreciating the three''s faces a bit more especially Bron''s and flung the ball at Father Sunlight, who had backed away a bit from having this fierce heat exposed to his body! And thus the skill, [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] flew in itspounded form, rushing over to devour its opponent which merely crossed its arms before its body! The trailing red that followed the ball echoed with malice as in the next moment, an explosion of pure me lit up the space further, dying it in a deep red before releasing roaring mes that bathed the drynds! The mes washed over Father Sunlight like a sea, the giant sunflower releasing pained groans from a mouth that did not exist as quickly, its green and yellow shades turned darker and darker! "I''ll be damned..." Bron muttered as he looked at the scene ahead in shock. He had taken the words out of Fore''s mouth. He and crew had dashed a distance away to avoid facing the full brunt of the heat as it seemed to only exclude Skullius from its clutches! Fore had on an expression of surprise too along with Sty, but unlike the other two, she merely expressed it mildly with her eyes. What an interesting find Skullius was. Such an individual who was both passionate about physicalbat and mage craft was rare just like with most other sses. Diversification was rarely seen even though it was one of the ways to unlock advanced sses. As everyone was truly convinced that this was done with, gaining a newfound respect for Skullius as well, something... peculiar urred. The groans of pain from Father Sunlight turned... erotic. It was strange that this registered in all four of the minds of the party members. The giant man-flower swooned and swayed, rubbing its giant leaf arms against its ''sensitive'' parts; the petals and its fruit that were already burning away! It was naturally flexible as it seemed to be doing an erotic dance for Skullius who speechless stood before it as it burned, thick fumes gushing from its massive body. Conspicuous marking ran along its petals as it burned but just like with the Knights at the library, this escaped Skullius'' view. "..." No one said anything during the performance, the flower turning to ash less than a minuteter as thereafter, the mes died down. [You have killed (III) Sun Gazer. 540,000 Exp awarded] [Congrattions you have killed a Cluster General] [This Cluster General fueling this space has been killed. Cluster willmence copse. Please exit immediately] Skullius tore himself out of his embarrassed paralysis and dashed over to the ashes of Father Sunlight, the Sun Gazer. He rummaged through the ashes and found the dead core he sought, sighing in relied afterwards. He decisively used the strongest skill avable to him to defeat the Cluster General as waiting any longer would have warranted his party members helping him which posed a risk for obvious reasons. He was happy to find that even the [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] couldn''t destroy a dead core as that would have been... problematic. A crack in the space leading to Aigas had emerged where they had entered from and Skullius found Sty urging him to hurry up. Soon, the four were out of the Cluster and they watched the cracks that represented the space within disappear from the grassy view. Four Conqueror''s Halos appeared around the four individuals, re light lights giving them a unique brilliance. Skullius saw a few other notifications along with this change but one of them wasn''t beneficial to him. Four Conqueror''s Halos appeared around the four individuals, re light lights giving them a unique brilliance. [You have relieved the good people of Aigas from a great danger. You will now be bestowed a BLESSING from the Deities] .... [The ''Binds of Fukal'' resist. The BLESSING bestowal has failed] [You have received a ''Conqueror''s Halo'' for clearing a ''Low level Cluster''] Skullius sighed in disappointment. Faint glows appeared over his partners in addition to the halos which he assumed were the augmentation to their blessings. "I must say, I underestimated you. I thought it was all talk but you really just took out a Cluster General on your own. I thought Sty was bluffing you out when she agreed to your conditions too," Fore said while Bron nodded with a ''hah'' expression, his lips downturned in lingering emotions of shock. That power. "I hate to admit it but I was also ready to jump in and void our agreement. d you proved us wrong though," Sty said with a smile. For some reason, she didn''t seem nearly as surprised as he hoped she would be. "You got your core right? You won''t be needing more Cluster General cores?" "No, this is enough," replied Skullius as he saw the blinking notification that told of his elevation to level 3, the boosts of five points to each stat washing over him. Skullius'' muscles tightened as he felt a distinct change, his mana increasing by 10 whole point along with his health. ''I can''t get used to this...'' he said. This was better. The Discount Human then input more experience to fulfill the required of Exp for the next level which was 4000 and received the next Task immediately. When looking at it, Skullius wasn''t at all surprised or perturbed. It seemed reasonable really. The only issue was that he had done it before, but probably because it wasn''t the current required Task at the time, it wasn''t registered. ~~~ Exp : 4000/4000 Fourth Task : Clear a Cluster without assistance ~~~ ''I wonder if these guys will allow it. They just admitted to not wanting to let me do anything alone earlier.'' Sty noticed Skullius'' expression and guessed that he had probably finished attempting a Task. It had only been a guess at first but after seeing him relish in the addition to his strength, she confirmed it. But which Deity would ask a human to not get help from others though? It wasn''t exactly oundish but it was just too... specific for a Foundation Stagebatant. This was particrly dangerous for someone of Skullius'' level despite what he had shown. Unlike Fore and Bron, she had noticed Skullius'' band which seemed to have some sort of effect on his mana. Probably increasing its amount. She was very sensitive to stuff like this, and the existence of this band on Skullius made her less impressed with his earlier show of power. Not that she didn''t think he was decently strong though. "Are you good to go for a few more before the main course?" Sty asked Skullius. "Of course," Skullius replied to which Sty nodded. "But... I do have another small condition..." Please Support My New Novel! Chapter 196 Breezing Through Tasks! NOT! The Discount Human flew out of a crack in space and fell into the waters with a great ssh! Behind him, the white crack depicting a low level Cluster shuddered and vanished as if it had never existed in the first ce! Skullius stood from the waist high waters and breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°Well done. Took you quite some time but well done,¡± Fore said with a slow p of his hands. ¡°Some starter Tasks you¡¯re getting.¡± Skullius gave Fore the stink eye before walking out of the river. He had just cleared a white Cluster on his own, a second Conqueror¡¯s Halo appearing above thest one which looked brighter than this one. Convincing the group to let him enter the Cluster alone had been a very big hassle. They had refused, all except Sty of course who merely watched the three bicker, Fore and Bron iming that even if he relied on that ridiculous me attack, it was bound to cost arge amount of mana. They were right. Skullius had finally decided to tell them that it was a Task from the Deity Quintess, by far the most popr Deity he had heard of. This had made his life much easier as the group had finally unanimously agreed to let him enter the Cluster under the condition that he would exit if things got hairy. Skullius had to battle the sense of camaraderie that kept welling up from within him but he suppressed it with the thought that these guys were probably only alive because they were not actually concerned about Skullius in terms of his benefit, but for their own sakes. The Cluster they had found was a few meters into a wide river and Skullius had had quite an interesting experience within it. First of all, he had taken every Enriching gem he hade across before he faced hundreds of bee-like creatures that flew in the air at high speed. Theserge bee-like creatures would spread out a certain gas which would be harmful to the body when inhaled.. The gas had caused Skullius insides to swell but he obviously didn¡¯t suffer from anything else, his Crystalline Hold being able to tank attacks from the monsters. The bee-like creatures had then stormed towards him with the sharp and pointy stingers at their backs. Frankly, defeating these creatures wasn¡¯t too hard even as they fought alongside their Cluster General, a giant hairy brown and ck creature with a scary presence. [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] had dealt with it though, as when Skullius torched the creatures, all of them died, save for five that turned into his burning thralls, aiding him in the fight against the general. After avoiding being skewered by the Cluster General and finishing it off with [Manassault], Skullius hadpleted the Fourth Task, and ascended another level in the Foundation Stage. ¡®I should really spend my experience. I¡¯ve umted quite a lot of it. But should I still save some for my potential next Apostle? Hmm¡­ I wonder¡­.¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked at Fore with an intrigued glint. ¡®What would happen if I¡­ got a human Apostle? Would I get a good bro from him?¡¯ For a moment, Skullius considered this but he quickly tore his mind away from it. If he killed Fore, he would probably be hunted down by the others. Besides, could he even kill the bastard? ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s meet up with the others. We¡¯ll clear a few other Clusters before taking on the tough one. After a proper rest of course,¡± said Fore as he sat atop the horse, patting at the space he had left for Skullius behind him. The Discount Human grumbled. He felt it better to be behind Sty. It was strangely¡­ soothing. Nevertheless, he jumped on the horse and the two rode ahead. They had split up from the others as Sty and Bron had already cleared two white Clusters that were nearby while waiting for Skullius. The four then met back up and began their clearing spree which saw them wiping out the existences within six white Clusters. Each clear didn¡¯t take much time, but the travelling from one spot to another was what caused them to lose a great deal of sunlight. He also managed to finish his Fifth and Sixth which were at dealing withrge numbers of monsters as well as obtaining unique resources from Cluster beasts, which wasn¡¯t all that hard. In addition to this, Skullius managed to fill up his Null Life Essence bar. 6000 Null Life Essence points! There was also quite a bit of experience and with this much of the two resources, Skullius resolved himself to an additional n after he was done partying up with the three for the day. Skullius had seen quite a bit of special equipment in his time in Aigas. The rarest items he had seen so far were undoubtedly the All Eater scroll and the ArchLight Generation Keeper. The former was legendary and thetter was rare+, meaning it was just shy of the legendary status. He wagered that whatever was in the chest he had found in the Labyrinth of the Yoke was also bound to be legendary too. That was if he was ever able to open it. This was in terms of Aigas standards though, as Null Life standards were higher than this. This thought reminded him of the work that needed to be done. He had to get more familiar with [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light], especially thetter because he didn¡¯t have much of an appreciation of it and the answer to this was naturally¡­ the Fruit of World Myths! But then again¡­ ¡®Maybe with this amount of Null Life Essence points, I can probably get something legendary from Serenity!¡¯ Skullius thought. The dichotomy between Null Life and the powers of the Insurgent Magnus made him both excited and frustrated as he was torn over which to start with. For now, he would put those thoughts aside. The party rode the vast stretches ofnds, passing many settlements in the region until they reached their destination. The final Cluster to be cleared for the day. This one, was different. A white-blue Cluster. Arge tear in space that was almost too straight to call natural, stood before the four. It rose up to five meters into the air, having not a single colour but two, a prevalent white with smoky trails of blue that swirled within the gap in a turquoise hue. The pressure released from the Cluster was more intense than the others, causing Skullius to feel both excited and frightened¡­ As he focused on it, he realised that what gave him a sense of dread was not the whole Cluster but the swirls of blue. They made this experience different from the other ones. ¡°I hope you¡¯re all well rested. We had a good long journey to get here and I trust we¡¯re all at our peak,¡± said Sty. Everyone nodded. Skullius had recovered all his mana and after downing a few water skins he was feeling great, along with the new stats he had acquired with his arrival into level 6. Bron then turned to Skullius, this time with concern. ¡°The experience inside will be different from what you¡¯re used to. Do you still want no help?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Skullius answered sinctly. This time, Sty who had picked up on the fact that Skullius was trying toplete Tasks before, turned to the Discount Human and questioned. ¡°You imed that clearing a Cluster alone was the Task you had. So, tell me. Is fighting without help another Task? And if that¡¯s the case, then how did you have two Tasks at the same time? Isn¡¯t it supposed to have beenpleted already?¡± Sty wasn¡¯t the type to invade the privacy of her party members, but this was seriously starting to annoy her. Was there something else involved? ¡°That¡¯s not something you should be worried about. I don¡¯t need to exin it to you, do I? We¡¯re not permanent partners,¡± Skullius said coldly. He had made an effort to keep himself from falling down the rabid hole of camaraderie and he would continue to do so by being distant. Fore and Bron gave him displeased looks but he ignored. Sty turned away with a shake of her head and unsheathed her sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Skullius sighed. At least this was hisst hunt with these guys and he would be free. Besides, he didn¡¯t have time to worry about these guys¡¯ feelings as he had received a rather problematic Seventh Task. There was a major change in the Tasks. While they had been unspecific before, being general and loosely rted to Clusters, this one was strangely rted to him and his power. ~~~ Exp : 32000/32000 Fifth Task : Invade the mind of a Cluster General ¡­. Chapter 197 Against Sages (1) The skill [Basic Evil Invasion] was finally called to y. This was quite the strange Task for Skullius. He hadn¡¯t thought that something like this would pop up and for the first time since he startedpleting these Tasks, he truly felt them be personal. As for the skill required for this undertaking, Skullius had thought about it before. However, the reason he hadn¡¯t used it was because of its cost. It required 100 Mana Points per minute and before he had acquired the mana band, it was something that he hadn¡¯t dreamed of using any time soon. ¡®Well¡­ let¡¯s see what kind of monsters are in the Cluster first. I can then decide whether I canplete the Task here or not,¡¯ Skullius thought. He didn¡¯t need to rush it anyway. The four entered the Cluster, their faces being sted by light trickles of moisture and fresh air spawned by a healthy and humid atmosphere. The scene that appeared before them was very beautiful, almost making them loosen up their tense bodies as it felt unnatural to hold such hostility in such a pristine ce. White coloured vegetation covered every inch of the party¡¯s vision. Grasses, leaves, bushes. With the exception of wood and stems that remained with their natural shades of brown, everything was white, the lush forest ahead being very weing. A mountain stood before them, in its middle, a waterfall of pure, crystal like water falling down to settle into a wideke at the foot of it. The water created a white mist, this soft cloud being from where the humidity came from.. ¡°Ha. I¡¯ll count this as one of the times I¡¯ve been surprised by what¡¯s behind a Cluster,¡± Sty said, almost feeling guilty for welding her sword openly in this tranquil space. ¡°Yeah, as if some deadly beetle isn¡¯t lurking around waiting for the chance to pounce at us,¡± Bron said with a frown, convincing himself that enemies were around. Always. ¡°You know, I agree with you there, but what¡¯s with you and bugs,¡± Fore gave Bron a suspicious look. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± the bulky mercenaries said while turning to the side. Skullius was equally shocked. This wasn¡¯t enough to allow him to let his guard down but he had momentarily forgotten where he was upon entering this ce. The four walked on slowly, scaling up the not so steep mountain with a steady pace while trying to detect the presence of monsters. There was no sun in the sky once again, as for Clusters, developing worlds of that scale was rare, at least for low level Clusters. The development of species and the environment usually took thousands of years, but due to distortions in time within Clusters, that process didn¡¯t show in Aigas. It was also theorised that when a Cluster broke through into Aigas, that distortion in time which multiplied it hundreds or even thousands fold within the minispaces would be stabilised by the overall stable energies of aplete world. That¡¯s why time would remain the same before and after raiding a Cluster for mercenaries. The white vegetation crunched under the feet of the four. As they moved deeper into the thickets of brown trees with white leaves¡­ Shashashashasha! Everyone turned towards the sound but found nothing. Shashashasha! Once again, nothing. The breeze made it difficult to tell whether something had passed or if the vegetation was simply responding to the motions of moving air. Once the sound appeared again, Fore focused his sunken eyes and his vision let him see¡­. ¡°The hell?¡± he spoke with mild surprise. ¡°What is it?¡± asked Sty. ¡°I think it was a¡­. a white monkey wearing¡­ robes of some kind?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Bron uttered. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure of it¡­ It¡¯s almost like it was praying or something. Its hands were pressed together while it passed by really fast.¡± There were many strange things that happened in Clusters but this was hard to wrap a mind around. Everyone continued to look while the sounds kept repeating themselves. This was exceptionally creepy because no one actually sensed anything. They all had to rely on their basic senses to detect where the enemy was, which wasn¡¯t working. Soon, the sounds became very loud, clearly expressing that many of the enemies were around. ¡°Any ideas, Mage?¡± Bron called to Skullius. The Discount Human thought hard. This was not the best of situations. Using a devastating attack from the get go would be idiotic and thus, Skullius decided to try something else while budgeting his limited mana. Skullius used [Basic Evil Production] and produced a small cloud of darkness that he then manipted with [Basic Evil Weaving]. He dispersed it in a random direction as they all seemed to be surrounded anyway. The cloud burst ahead, being very distinct from the white all around. Sty, Bron and Fore paid attention to the potential changes. They had grown used to seeing this peculiar power that their distant partner wouldn¡¯t share the details of and they would appreciate any opening he created. The results¡­? Gaps in the cloud of smoke started to appear as individuals zooming past could be spotted, creating trails in the cloud! ¡°Right there!¡± Fore called before he extended his hand towards a fallen branch on the white coloured grass, the item floating in the air immediately before it shot towards the gap in the moving cloud of darkness where an enemy was briskly passing! The darting branch turned into a blur for a short moment as it was manipted by the Basic expertise of the Mind Caster, psychokinesis, before it suddenly stopped when it faced the invisible but clearly tangible figure! The figure also stopped moving, its body finally bing visible. What Fore had described before wasn¡¯t too far from the real thing. A white furred monkey stood with its blue eyes squinted at the party. Its skin could barely be seen as most of the caramel coloured flesh was hidden by the spotless fur except its rough, crusty hands that were sped together. The creature wore a garment of white grasses and leaves spun together in a shockingly neat fashion making the four question their eyes. What made the four vignt towards this creature however was the branch that Fore had thrown which was still hanging in the air before the monkey, its momentum having been culled for some reason. The monkey remained in its humble pose, hands sped together. Bron was the first to act, his body brimming with ring mana from his blue core as he suddenly appeared right in front of the monkey, a trail of charred grasses and ground crust following after his speedy movement which impressed Skullius! He pushed his palm with three fingers extended as with staggering force, he mmed right into the monkeys¡¯ face! POW! The nearby trees were blown away in a wide arc of force that pushed everything a distance, Skullius having to erect his shield to remain standing! Just as soon as the impact died down though, another resounded, hazy rings bashing against Bron who had mmed his palm onto the monkey just a second earlier! The burly mercenary flew at high speed, his skin crumbling while his armour dented at the repulsive force that resembled his own! ¡­! This was supposed to be the monkey, flying away after eating the attack or worse, but it seemed, Bron¡¯s attack had just been redirected at him! Chapter 198 Against Sages (2) Skullius¡¯ eyes honed in on the monkey as he searched for its details from the guidance field, his vision being sted with the information immediately. ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Tier : 2 ] [ Level : 18 ] [ Race : Mountain Sage Monkey ] [ Inv. Status : At peace ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 57 ] [Agility : 48 ] [ Intelligence : 42 ] [ Endurance : 50 ] [ Luck : 12 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 305/305 ]. ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 215/215 ] ¡­. Its stats weren¡¯t anything special as far as Skullius could tell but he turned vignt nevertheless when he saw the Warrior fly a distance and shatter a few tree trunks before skidding on the ground! Fore and Sty remainedposed as they analysed. Skullius¡¯ cloud of darkness still roamed and continued to show invisible figures walking within it clearly. Sty¡¯s mind raced as she tried to figure out what exactly had happened. ¡®There¡¯s no doubt about it. The attack from Bron was redirected at him by some kind of skill. Does this work for any and all attacks?¡¯ she thought while beginning to coat her saber with mana. As she gathered the facts, more of these Mountain Sage Monkeys started bing visible and advancing towards the four. At this point, Bron had stood up, dashing back to the group with quick steps. ¡°Damn it! That was rough! I¡¯ll kill that damned thing!¡± he bellowed. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve eaten my own technique!¡± Sty raised her hand to stop the Warrior from lunging back into danger. ¡°Let me check something first¡­¡± she said before she disappeared from her initial position and popped up in mid-air as she then swiped her saberterally to cut apart one of the Mountain Sage Monkeys! Bron furrowed his brows. If her attack was redirected at her¡­ Sty¡¯s sword gleamed with illusory glows of blue and red, both carrying the characteristics of fire and water. She then increased the speed of her sh and coated her entire body with a thick nket of mana, her weapon swiping at the monkey¡¯s neck! At the point of impact, which was just around an inch from the creatures neck where something protectively guarded its body, Sty felt it¡­ An immense amount of feedback! A blistering heat and biting cold pounded towards her with a sharp sensation touching her neck! However, this wasn¡¯t what she was focusing on. Her eyes that were glued to the Sage Monkey saw a few droplets of blood stain its fur at the neck and she grinned¡­ She thenpressed her mana and gathered it around her neck and then with her left hand, she twirled her fingers, using her great knowledge about her own technique to deconstruct the fire and water effects she had conjured! The heat and cold dissipated and the sharp sensation that threatened to decapitate her was warded off by the thickyer of her mana in an instant! Sty drew back as she many of the monkeys rushing over, but she didn¡¯t retreat back to the party. Instead¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not how it looks. These bastards can¡¯t redirect your attacks 100%. With a strong enough attack, they can only divert it so much of it while some it actually reaches them. Use your stronger techniques and when they get redirected towards you, tear them apart before you suffer any damage. You show know how¡­¡± Sty called before her body exploded with mana and vanished again, this time with an immense shockwave rupturing where she initially stood! A secondter, five Mountain Sage Monkeys were shed apart, dismembered! Their limbs went flying with trails blood that oozed and stained their spotless white furs in an epic scene of carnage! What was unusual about the cuts on the creatures was how every severed limb released scorching bursts of steam that were tinged in red, a raw aroma diffusing into the air! This was the Twin Contrast Sword Technique of Sty¡¯s family. A sword technique thatbined any opposing elements into swordy. Sty herself was the fourth child of the Bryne Family, a small but decently influential family which hailed from one of therge cities. She was not very good at the technique as she had even chosen the more simpler elements to use. Sty zipped through the trees before dashing towards the monkeys once more. Even though she was d she had figured a way to fight these beasts, she was unnerved by the monkeys¡¯ reaction towards the death of theirrades. Nothing at all. They were unfazed They merely looked and continued to rush around. ¡°Heh! So that¡¯s all we need to do?¡± Bron yelled. Fore turned to the bulky man and scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re smart enough to do that.¡± The thin man then extended his hand in a grasping motion towards one of the monkeys and then closed his hand into a fist! One of the monkeys moaned as it waspacted together, bones and flesh being squeezed into each other in a very cruel fashion! Fore felt the feedback hit him but he was already prepared. He knew how his psychokinesis worked and for him who had only learnt it at the basic level, it was easy to counter the force that sought to replicate the effect he applied on the monkey back to him. Bron frowned. In the spirit of not wanting to be left out, he decisively formed his hand into a fist, channelled mana into it and then struck the ground hard! BOOM! A powerful shockwave burst with incredible force! With this entire exchange happening on the side of the mountain, the integrity of the crust on the geographical feature broke, the broken and hard ground they stood on bing susceptible to gravity! ¡°Iing!¡± Bron growled, signalling for hispanions to not be swept away by the resulting avnche! Many of the monkeys lost their footing and began to fall down the mountain. However, even as they dropped, they had on solemn expressions with their hands continuing to be sped together. Skullius had dashed to safety before he was swept away. He had seen the entire thing but hadn¡¯t made a move. This was not a good situation for him. Going by what Sty had said, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to deconstruct the attacks he used on the monkeys. ¡®Gah! I guess this is the difference between me and these guys¡­¡¯ he thought. They actually knew the ins and outs of their techniques. From way up on the mountain, bigger monkeys started rushing down in great numbers, responding to the assault happening beneath. The four noticed the differences. These monkeys were Tier 3 and there were almost forty of them, rushing with their hands stered together! Their eyes were cold, depicting a sagely wisdom. When Skullius checked their statuses, he was surprised to see all of them at the peak of their tiers with rtively high stats. One the monkeys rushed towards Bron, looking at him with a sagely light of rebuke for his act of desecrating their pristine home! Bron gave it his attention and as it drew closer, he sted it with his fist, four hazy rings surrounding his arms as the Warrior added more strength to his attack than thest! The punchnded on the monkey¡¯s face¡­ but no damage registered! There was no feedback however. No recoil. When Bron¡¯s fist touched the monkey, it simply lost all momentum, much to his shock! Then¡­ PWAA! A resounding p smacked Bron at the side of his face, turning his head one way. He had been pped by the serious monkey which genuinely looked to be rebuking him! It didn¡¯t look to do any damage at all and for a few seconds¡­ there was no reaction from Bron. A few momentster though, the brawny man turned to hispanions with a unnatural smile that stretched from one ear to the other. His eyes were closed and his cheeks puffed a bit. He sped his hands and uttered a few words that rattled Skullius more than anyone else. ¡°Now¡­ I am at peace¡­¡± Chapter 199 Return Of The Evil Invader! (1) A crisp p had brought about the repentance of a certain burly man who wore a deep smile that almost split his face in half! Sty and Fore were lost for words. What manner of bizarre skill was this?! Even though they didn¡¯t have time to waste with questioning this, their faces said it clearly. It was natural to assume that something had happened to him but trying to figure it out now would only serve to distant them from the iing enemies. Bron just stood there like a statue, his flightless hair doing loosely nested on his head while he he nothing else but show a happy expression. The surprise in Skullius was even more palpable as when he looked at the status of the smiling man who looked to had been baptised to a new faith, he saw something more or less unnerving. ~~~ [Inv. Status : At peace] ~~~ Just like the ever calm Mountain Sage Monkeys, Bron was now ¡®at peace¡¯. Whatever that meant. Sty didn¡¯t remain still for long, gaping at the sudden change as she dashed to rip apart the weaker Monkeys without mercy before the Tier 3 ones arrived. Frankly, while she was concerned about the fate of her partners, it was supercifial, with more of the emphasis lying on Skullius, whose value was greater than the other two. She turned to him who was also being assaulted by the monkeys and narrowed her eyes. She would keep him well within her sights despite the bullshit conditions he proposed. He was important to her now despite her deration at the Association. She needed his help now that she knew his potential. Blood rained under the eyes of the Tier 3 Monkey Sages who split to attack Sty, Skullius and Fore!. Sty¡¯s eyes zed as the mana around her roared ferociously! Tens of the stronger monkeys ran towards her with eyes that depicted the coldness of true, untainted belief, eager to deliver repentance with but a p! Their mouths moved with iprehensible wordsing from them but one would assume that they were chanting, ¡°You too shall know the p.¡± ¡®These ones seem to have a skill that negates damage instead of redistributing it. I assume its a stronger version of what the smaller monkeys use. While it is a gamble¡­. I feel like it¡¯s worth it¡­ if these beasts are that confident in their skills, then I¡¯m confident in mine!¡¯ Sty thought as she seized bullying the weaker Monkeys and rushed to meet the iing wave of Tier 3s. The one in the lead leapt with its hands linked together, the others following at full speed with res of rebuke. Sty came to a halt and wielded her sword with both hands, brighter shades of red and blue lighting up on her sword beautifully as thick billows of steam erupted with a resounding ¡®pfffssssss¡¯! The hot white steam blew outwards and the sheer intensity of the scorching moisture and the pressure it bore destroyed the white vegetation around and outright killed the weaker Monkeys with its sudden emergence! The Tier 3 Monkeys rushed into the expansive steam fearlessly, the one leading the charge suddenly shuddering as with its entry, it saw a saber coated in blue and red swipe down at it! The speed of strike was incredible, guaranteeing that it wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge. So, the creature stood there and tanked it like a Sage while locking its fingers desperately! VWOOOOSH! Instead of the crisp cracking of the ground underneath being heard, the expansive steam from which this fight took ce was the one that screamed and drew back with greater intensity! The result of Sty¡¯s attack was less than desirable, the lead monkey that had just taken the attack having nothing but a daunting, bleeding red line from its mouth to its belly; a shallow cut from Sty¡¯s powerful sword sh! Most of her attack was negated! ¡°Ha¡­¡± Sty sighed as she drew back within the thick mist that made her figure with red, curly hair more extravagant. She swiped her sword left and right while thinking of the best way to salvage the situation.. ¡®Guess I can¡¯t keep holding back then¡­¡¯ she thought as the qualitative change in her mana took effect. On the other hand, Fore had rushed off in a different direction, wanting to steer clear of Sty¡¯s steam which could do him harm. Some of the Tier 3 monkeys dashed towards him, attempting to do what they did to Bron, to him. ¡®Damn it! I hope that bastard is alright. Hopefully killing whichever of these did that to him to will bring him back to reality¡­¡¯ he thought. He and Bron had been friends for a while, having joined Sty on her request for a temporary party up just recently. In that short time though, he had understood what kind of person she was and their teamwork would be considered decent, especially with the addition of Skullius, though he preferred to be distant. The tall and thin man suddenly stopped, turned and stretched out his hand towards themonkeys! His eyes opened wide as he exerted the strength of his mind over the group of monkeys! The ground shattered as a force akin to ten fold gravity pummelled the monkeys into the ground, making their bodies crouch under the weight! ¡®Here ites!¡¯ Fore growled in his mind as he was bashed by a portion of the feedback as among the monkeys included in his attack, some were the weaker ones redirecting the force of the attack! The monkeys had their movements restricted but the Tier 3 ones tensed their muscles as they resisted, gazing forward as they shook their heads, withstanding much of the force! However, this was enough for Fore who burst ahead, pulled his other hand towards a rather lean tree which then swayed in his direction, tearing off from the ground and flying over to him with psychokinesis before he wielded it and smashed it towards one the Tier 3 monkeys! A horrendous air force blew as the trunk of the tree met a monkey¡¯s face, the structure shattering into many fragments! The monkey resisted! However, Fore wasn¡¯t disheartened! The dispersing parts of the tree were suddenly pulled together, especially the particrly sharp ones, raining down onto the monkey mercilessly! Hundreds of sharp spikes fired towards the monkey which kept its hands together confidently! Another one of the monkeys took the chance to dash towards Fore and attempt to p him but he was aware of his enemies¡¯ positions and dodged! The thin man breathed out a sigh, his bangs jutting up. ¡®I wish the merits of my choice to strengthen both my mind and body would show already. My mental attacks are pathetic¡­¡¯ he thought as his body surged with mana. ¡®Oh well¡­ might as well hit them hard with what I got.¡¯ The Discount Human on the other hand was relying heavily on [Great Rush] while scaling down the mountain, several of the monkeys hot on his tail! The look on his face didn¡¯t hide what he was feeling; wide eyes taking in every detail with his teeth clenched in tension. He was anxious. ¡®This is not how I thought this would y out, damn it!¡¯ Skullius had been of the mind that this would be a slightly harder than normal Cluster given that it was ssified as a weak one. However, the gap between this one and the Sunlight Shooters Clusters was vast. The Cluster General hadn¡¯t even shown up for skull¡¯s sake! Skullius peeked behind him where his enemies were rapidly closing in. ¡®Should I use [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]? No, that probably won¡¯t work! If they can redirect the damage or negate itpletely then¡­. wait! No, the mes can¡¯t hurt me! But still¡­ I might end up wasting mana with no results!¡¯ Skullius thought. At this current moment, he had over 550 points of mana with the Mana Band on which would be cut up if he wasted them on such a skill. The Discount Human quickly scrolled through his options but was disturbed by the sudden lunge of a monkey whose crusty hand blew towards him intending to deliver a righteous p! Skullius immediately had [Artless Dodger] active and his speed was boosted as he ducked and struggled to keep his body bnced for a prolonged run! ¡®That was close!¡¯ Skullius eximed as he subconsciously took in a deep breath. All his offensive moves were useless in the situation. Most of them couldn¡¯t measure up to what he had seen being negated or redirected by the Sage Monkeys. What was left?! His party members couldn¡¯te to his rescue even if they wanted to. Probably. Then what¡­ ¡®Wait¡­ Gah! I can¡¯t afford to think about this anymore! I¡¯d rather survive then tryter! That¡¯s how a human should think right? Flesh the Task!¡¯ Skullius turned and locked onto a target. It was worth a shot! The same monkey that had tried to p him lunged at him again and in that exact moment, Skullius activated his skill. [Basic Evil Invasion]! Ripples of darkness roared from Skullius¡¯ body as unlike his previous experience with the skill, he didn¡¯t just end up in a different body! His vision sped towards the head of the subtly aggressive white furred monkey and he felt his consciousness prate a thick and murky space that resisted him! It was vast scape with varying colours that collided, many branches ending in starry sparks that had moving images visible within them showing. Skullius felt raging emotions of the mind he had invaded and before he even made progress, he was beginning to get pushed back! ¡°Come on! Wasn¡¯t it convenient thest time I used it?!¡± Skullius roared frustratedly into the darkness. A mini version of the Mountain Sage Monkey appeared in the far distance, being a silvery outline that looked down on Skullius arrogantly! ¡°Flesh you!¡± Skullius roared as he felt the monkey¡¯s gaze emitting a force that repelled his consciousness back. ¡®Not yet!¡¯ Skullius thought. He wouldn¡¯t let this life-ridden heathen get a kick out of seeing him fail miserably. Not like this! In a spur of the moment action, Skullius roared as he called for help in an all or nothing, risk abundant move! ¡°Crude World Projection!¡± Chapter 200 Return Of The Evil Invader! (2) Skullius¡¯ first thought while facing the piling anxiety and tension was to turn to the thing that had saved him thest time he had been in such a situation.. The Fruit of World Myths! He had made the decision to not use it often because it usually left him paralysed from exhaustion but this was a do or die situation that demanded that he make the tough decision against the many odds! A burst of energy surged from his centre as what was merely a consciousness staring up against the silvery outline of a Mountain Sage Monkey, became a dark humanoid being that brimmed with dark power! The familiar image manifested on Skullius as he took up the figure of a human shaped body with ever rising wisps of darkness! He felt his consciousness and skill get empowered as he red at his opponent, rejoicing that his strategy was working and also at the prospect that his enemy, was now wearing a bewildered frown! The silver image up ahead didn¡¯t look so arrogant anymore and Skullius wasn¡¯t being pushed back like before! He advanced and spread his arms wide while feeling the will of [Basic Evil Invasion] which sought to invade the privacy of all living things with consciousness and he freely let it loose! Thick swaths of darkness flooded the entire mulit-colouded space and hid the image of the terrified monkey under the nket of ck before it could resist. Not that it could. Skullius felt himself dissolve, losing individuality for but a few moments before his vision changed! His eyes focused on his hand that was close to pping a rather ¡®handsome¡¯ face whose eyes were rolled with the body falling! ¡­! Skullius didn¡¯t need more than a moment to recognise what was happening! He had seeded!. He had sessfullymandeered the body of a Tier 3 Mountain Sage Monkey! ¡®Kek!¡¯ Joy gushed into him as he grabbed his original body instead of pping it. His eyes perused over his body and he saw the white coat of fur that covered him, the rough hands and long fingers that attached to his arms along with the conspicuous, toned muscles that he owned. It was glorious! Several quick steps resounded around him and Skullius knew that it was about to go down. The instance of when he took over Eldris¡¯ body was seared into his mind permanently and he remembered it all quite vividly. This detail was important because Skullius noted that this skill wasn¡¯t as convenient as it seemed in the Labyrinth of the Yoke, just like [Pseudo Evil Veneration]! For one, Skullius could see a timer from his guidance field depicting the amount of mana he had along with the estimated time he had left ording to the skill¡¯s mana expenditure. He had five minutes that corrted directly to his 565 points of mana! Also, unlike with the whole ¡®preexisting conditions¡¯ thing that Fulgardt had fabricated, Skullius had to fight off the consciousnesses of opponents whenever he used this skill, which proved to not be the easiest thing to do. This was the real world! Time was ticking and he had to make full use of this chance well. Luckily for him though, all the memories and techniques of the monkey he inhabited flooded into him as he had imed its body and surprise after surprise overwhelmed Skullius for a full three seconds! Knowledge, secrets, secrets and knowledge! He closed his eyes while taking it all in. ¡°Brother! Why are you caring for that hideous pagan of the outside world? Rebuke him and prepare him for the elder!¡± a voice reached Skullius¡¯ ears, disturbing his peace. Skullius turned and found one of the Sage Monkeys speaking to him. He now understood theirnguage! However, as soon as the monkeys saw Skullius¡¯ face, they all backed away vigntly before he could answer. The invader scoffed. He already knew the reason why. This was exactly how he had been discovered the first time. His eyes. Instead of the blue that could be seen within the whites of all the Sage Monkeys, Skullius¡¯ were different. Soft wisps of darkness coiled from the socketholes and zed outwards, giving a rather creepy image that led the Sage Monkeys to immediate call out, ¡°Evil has befallen our brother! Put him to rest!¡± Skullius tossed his body a vast distance away after flooding his arm with the abundant mana coursed through him, the cosmetic flesh body flying over the trees tond somewhere Skullius had learned from his memories, was a sacred ce. It was also a ce where certain revered items grew and was quite the distance away! The Monkeys looked at Skullius¡¯ act with incredulity before they split up, half of them followed after the body while the rest stayed in order to put Skullius to rest (kill)! The Discount Human was not afraid at this moment. He now knew how these beasts fought and also knew their skills. The first monkey reached him and threw against him not a p, but a chop that was aimed at slicing him in two! The hand had almost half of the Sage Monkey¡¯s mana within it for the maximum effect! The sheer force it radiated was daunting! The Discount Human in monkey clothing grinned and sped his hands together as if in prayer! Pat! The opponent monkey¡¯s chop did nothing but pat away the fur on Skullius¡¯ forehead lightly, which made the Sage Monkey grimace and back away, quickly bringing both its hands together. Skullius didn¡¯t waste any more of his limited time and countered with his newfound knowledge! He used both his hands to grab the other monkey¡¯s hands and parted them in one quick motion! The opponent Sage Monkey was caught off guard and before it could bring its hands together once more, Skullius had already thrown a vicious straight punch into its face after gathering quite the amount of mana into his hand! With a crisp crack, the skull of the monkey fractured after eating the attack and right afterwards, the invader bashed the dazed monkey¡¯s head on the ground ruthlessly which immediately killed it! The other monkeys were displeased upon seeing their own get killed by a fellow Sage Monkey. The others backed away a bit, overwhelmed by the savagery and the fact that this tainted brother of theirs still had recollection of their weaknesses and was using it against them! Preposterous! Skullius immediately dashed away, chasing after the other monkeys that sought to harm his body. The body he inhabited had quite therge amount of mana sitting at almost 700 points and Skullius used this amount to augmented his body, increasing his speed whileyering himself with mana! The monkeys he had left behind immediately followed, roaring in rage while yelling saintly expletives! Unfortunately, they would find that catching up to Skullius would be near impossible as the Discount Human knew the most basic thing about these monkeys now. Theycked proper endurance and strength! They had frail bodies that barely held strength befitting of their tiers which made them extremely vulnerable to physical attacks! This also made them weak when it came tobat which was why Skullius augmented his earlier punch with mana to deal the most damage he could. The Tier 3 monkeys were enlightened, learning how to improve their physical strengths by abusing the vast amounts of mana they had! What truly made these monkeys a problem was the fact that they had skills that naturally covered their weaknesses; racial skills that made them seem invincible and dangerous. Three of these skills relied on the user to constantly have their palms sped together as if in prayer. [Hidden Saint], which allowed the Sage Monkeys to hide in the literal in white sight of the white vegetation while masking their presences. [Unbroken Saint¡¯s Will], which redirected portions of any attack to the user while only letting the monkeys receive only the insignificant portions of the insignificant portions of the damage. [Indomitable Sage¡¯s Will], whichpletely negated attacks below a certain level and retaliated by trying to break them when the attacks passed a certain threshold beyond its negation. Thest skill that wasmon among the monkeys was the [Sage¡¯s Rebuke], a skill that allowed the user to pass on the profound message of peace to any target with a mind weak enough to not be able to resist. Knowing these things, Skullius was thrilled as he doubted that he would be defeated easily. He also had partners he could rely on for everything else after he had gotten out of this situation anyway. As he ran, two extremely oppressive forces thrashed the ground and caused the mountain to quake as if it was the end of the world! Two powerfulbatants had decisively unleashed their true strength¡­! ¡­ [Author¡¯s Note] Please support my book ¡®Cursed Child: Eater with the Odd Eye¡¯. It¡¯s a WSA entry and a dark fantasy novel. If you like the genre please give it a try and support. Its not a conventional fantasy but a more traditional one with deep lore and archaic beings. I hope I can see your following as I write the book and I ensure you that I won¡¯t neglect Skullius while writing it. Thanks! Chapter 201 Atrocious! Sword Techniques were an integral part of a Swordsman¡¯s arsenal. Having a sword technique dictated the level of a sword man in skill, which was what made this verymon ss, more diverse. Mana wasn¡¯t just a substance used to strengthen one¡¯s body but to also strengthen and consolidate the power of weapons. While Energy Formers were more adept at wielding energies and manipting them intricately even from a distance, Arma and Form Users were the opposite. They had the capacity to maximise the use of energies within their bodies while then using powerful effects that could be measured and in range and scope. For Arma Users like Swordsmen, this pertained to their weapons of choice. Moulding mana in a different ways that spawned specific techniques that were then refined and passed down through generations was the essence of being a wielder of the sword. Sty never forgot her heritage. She never forgot her purpose. Yet¡­ she always seemed to be behind. It wasn¡¯t by coincidence that she was in Inhone City. Gathering a party in order to clear Clusters was a massivelycking and disingenuous understatement. When it came to tradition, she took her family seriously and the uing event needed her to form a suitable team to participate with. Unfortunately, because of certain unpredictable elements, she wasn¡¯t able to find the time to properly peruse through her options. Nevertheless, all this didn¡¯t matter if she didn¡¯t get out of here alive. For that, her saber zed with a ferocious stream of heat that instantaneously permeated into the atmosphere and started to make the white leaved trees shrivel and the ground to heat up considerably! The area 20 meters around her became a scorching, humid hellscape that caused the weaker of the monkeys before her to screech loudly as the skill [Unbroken Saint¡¯s Will] failed to save them!. The Tier 3 monkeys continued to sp their hands together with grimaces as they lunged atop the hotnds, ready to deliver the [Sage¡¯s Rebuke]! Sty¡¯s saber emitted visible, pulsing streams of steam as its colour became red with a loud sound of burning water that roared incessantly! Sty looked ahead and mumbled under her breath. ¡°Elemental Contrast, Steam Glow.¡± She swiped her sword before her enemies could arrive and with her swing, the power unleashed right then proved that thedy didn¡¯t need her opponents to be within close proximity for her to harm them as the steam that rose from her saber turned erect and acted like a solid stream of energy with a faint white glow, powering through like aser over everything in sight! One swipe of Steam Glow, pressurised scalding hot steam released from a saber, dissected most her enemies, directly shing them without mercy despite even the protection afforded by [Indomitable Sage¡¯s Will]! Blood rained over the white grasses as Sty then bolted forward white the trees that had been included in the attack fell all around her with resounding crashes to the ground! Her eyes darted towards the lower end of the Mountain. She had lost sight of Skullius for few moments after deciding to using the only sword technique at her disposal and that had shockingly been enough time for the Discount Human to vanish from her sight. Now all she could see was a bunch of monkeys chasing each other in the distance. On the other side, Fore had no choice but to resort to something a bit more high end. As his training in Mind Casting wasn¡¯t quite solid, he had no techniques that he had grasped. This was also true for his physical training which hadn¡¯t progressed to the part where he would beginning training in techniques as he wanted to start with a strong foundation. However, this didn¡¯t stop the tall man from using something that bolstered his individual properties to a higher level! Full Body Aura! An almost blinding light adorned Fore as his curly ck hair rose up slightly, his muscles tensing while everything around him leaned back from the sudden surge of power. A Full Body Aura could be refined to be specific and carry special traits instead of loosely boosting the user¡¯s power, but this wasn¡¯t something for someone who was barely into the Advancement Stage to know. Stages unlocked a variety of different traits to users and these could be used regardless of ss and mana core, which made Stages a very reliable path to follow! Fore¡¯s figure hunkered down as he dug into the ground with his continued surge in strength! He then raised a hand and swiped down, an enormous force acting upon the fearful Tier 2 monkeys and the anxious Tier 3 veterans! Unfortunately for them, their minds were hammered on by the man before them who first cause immense confusion in their minds by exerting the force of his mental faculties onto theirs and then crushing them physically into bloody pools! Craters formed as each monkey could be seen ttened into bloody pancakes within! Fore¡¯s bet was on the fact that even in the event that the boss popped up, at least he could support Sty who hadn¡¯t resorted to using her Full Body Aura yet as she had a technique to rely on. A distance from the two, Skullius was bashing monkeys left and right, forcefully removing them from their state of invincibility and then ruthlessly killing them! Unfortunately, this didn¡¯t earn him any experience points, but he wasn¡¯tining. He had learned a lot already. If he had opened up his mind to letting even a sliver of Eldris¡¯ memories back then, he probably would have be a martial king, but the tension in that moment days ago, was too much for such ax attitude and mindset. The Mountain Sage Monkeys continued to poor but when Skullius killed those that were going for his body, he immediately dashed upwards, leading the rest that chased him away! Going up posed a really big risk because of what Skullius now knew but he couldn¡¯t let up. He could just avoid a particr section anyway as he led away the monkeys while passing the time. VWOOOSH! A scorching sensation rippled through his body as in an instant, Skullius found his white fur burning intensely! The pain! He had forgotten the pain! He would experience it when he was using [Basic Evil Invasion]! Bountiful bursts of steam emerged around and Skullius heard screams behind him! ¡®Oh no!¡¯ Skullius eximed mentally. He turned back only to see ady with curly red hair a distance behind the wailing monkeys that screeched in pain under the engulfing of hot steam! Thedy whipped her saber and then shedterally in an elegant yet cruel arc that shot a glowing ray of steam that cut apart everything ahead in instantaneously! Skullius wasn¡¯t fast enough! He had been caught off guard! He felt the sizzling sensation of the steam that was sharper than a de split him cleanly down the middle while rupturing the organs within! It was only when he felt his lower half detaching that he managed to deactivate [Basic Evil Invasion], a storm of pain already assaulting him! Skullius felt himself get pulled back a distance away before he finally settled with a different view before him. He was floating above pristine and clear waters, the sound of colliding liquid bearing a serene and soothing effect. He was in arge pond surrounded by what looked likenky, thick white leaved trees that leaned in the direction of the pond. The vegetation seemed whiter here and for a moment, Skullius rxed while also taking in the scene of what the trees around him bore. Purple gems with hints of red swirling within them! They were Enriching gems! They hung from small stems in the trees in abundance, making Skullius¡¯ eyes sparkle. The time he had spent, which was almost two minutes in the body of the Sage Monkey, was made worth it with this. However, a gripping force of pain barrelled against his head making him gnash his teeth and grunt. [Your host has died. You have rued soul damage] Soul damage! One of the risks of using [Basic Evil Invasion] as stipted by the skill description. This time, Skullius didn¡¯t have any deus ex machina like a piece of the soul of the Tower General S that had relieved the damage. Even this had its side effects that woulde into y, but at least they weren¡¯t inherently bad. As if this wasn¡¯t bad enough, Skullius saw a notification that made him grimace. [Doom Factor 2 has been triggered by damage to the soul. Your mind begins to fracture. 10%] ¡­! ¡°Damn it!¡± Skullius growled. This terrified him. This could potentially be fatal if he didn¡¯t solve it soon! And yet, the bad news only continued to pile on. A suffocating aura radiated from afar, bearing with it a unique signature that made every creature on the mountain shudder! At the very top of the mountain, this presence made itself known as a deep voice crossed the distance while carrying with it a shocking level of power! ¡°SHA, SUUN!¡± the voice called, sounding like an ancientnguage from the depths of legendary society to the humans who heard. But¡­ To Skullius who had learned thenguage of the Mountain Sage Monkeys, he understood what it meant quite well. ¡°Kneel, ye heathens!¡± Chapter 202 Natural Treasure! A short man withrge green eyes and amber hair in a crew cut suddenly shook and came to his senses. His eyes peeled open and his smile receded. ¡°Huh?¡± he muttered as he struggled to remember just what was happening. Or rather, what had happened to him. As the vision of the white forest expanse on the side of a mountain clearly drew into his eyes, it all suddenly came back to him. ¡°That thing pped the crap out of me¡­¡± He remembered a rather solemn looking monkey dishing out an honest p that put him out ofmission. The monkey that had pped him had been dealt with by Fore in his mass murder of the monkeys, dispelling the effects he was suffering from moments ago. Bron began to wonder where the others were, turning his head this way and that but then¡­ GUUUM! A loud roar of the crust underneath his feet sounded as a ripple travelled through the ground from atop the mountain! ¡­! Bron was shocked. What was this! He saw a change in the lines of trees above as the visible shockwave descended madly, all the vegetation it crossed starting to¡­bend forward!. The trees, the grasses, the shrubs, they all bend in the direction of the mountain¡¯s peak, as if revering whatever force caused the loud thrum! As the shockwave reached him, Bron didn¡¯t know what to do except try to tank whatever force sought to bash him into submission. Yet, this proved ineffective immediately! A strange power bore down on his burly body and caused him to imitate what the trees were doing! However, while the trees bend forward, Bron found himself bowing his head directly into the ground with a vehement force! BAM! ¡°Oow!¡± he groaned. His body was prostrated in the same direction as the trees and grasses and nomatter how he tried to move, his body wouldn¡¯t budge from this position! As the shockwave descended, the same became true for Sty who was shocked to find her body plunging head first into the hard ground while she bowed, Fore following afterwards! All living things on the mountain bowed down in the direction of where the shockwave had originated before it reached the foot of therge structure where it settled! All living things¡­ All except, a certain Discount Human who was awed by the shocking presence that had just bloomed and the descendent of the ripple from atop the mountain that passed by everything except this ce! None of the trees on this section of the mountain prostrated themselves and by extension, him. He merely floated over the waters while wincing at the soul damage he received and wondering what was so special about this ce to not be affected by the rippling phenomenon, when he discovered another oddity. Skullius moved his hand. Then his legs. When he exerted his weight by asserting control over his body, he began to sink into the water, but this didn¡¯t stop him from thinking¡­ and a momentter, rejoicing. He could move! He could actually move! Despite using [Crude World Projection], Skullius could move! His mind was still ring with pain but he did his best to ignore it for the sake of enjoying this moment. The Discount Human then started iling his arms and legs in the water, creating stters and sshes while trying to reach dry ground. Eventually he exited the water body clumsily but he lifted his hands up high and wore a cheerful grin! Even though a terrible sense of heaviness washed over him, he could move. The side effects of using the Fruit of World Myths had lessened considerably! ¡°Yes! Some good news!¡± he called. When he considered what could be candidates for making this possible, what popped in his mind was that it was either the progression in Tasks or the Enriching gems. Skullius wagered that it was Enriching gems. Surely. Still though, he was stuck in the thick of tension as while almost sinking himself into full thoughts about this, the trees and shrubs in this special section of the mouth rustled as a Sage Monkey assaulted him! It lunged towards Skullius, a p at the ready with a solemn expression. Skullius pulled his heavy body while relying on [Great Rush] to grant him the boost in speed he needed to avoid the attack that would potentially lead him to peace. ¡®Are these bros not affected by that shockwave thing too?!¡¯ Skullius thought. He ducked down, barely being missed by the p! This was a Tier 2 Sage Monkey which meant that it wasn¡¯t as fast as the other more vivacious ones! As Skullius knew how to tackle these monsters, he quickly shed forward and held the Monkey¡¯s wrists! ¡­! The monkey gawked at this move in surprise as it felt Skullius pull its hands apart for but a second and then¡­ BAM! He quicklyunched a series of jabs into the monkey¡¯s face with another skill he extracted from the items he bought from Frock! [Quick Strike]! It sped up his attacks considerably, allowing for quick sessions of short ranged attacks! Skullius also added on [Brawn] to boost his maximum damage! In a few moments, the monkey bled from its nose, its skull caving it! [You have killed (II) LV17 Mountain Sage Monkey. 59,000 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the essence of Null Life¡­] ¡°Ha.. this reminds me of the time I killed Red bro¡­¡± Skullius reminisced before he looked around. He didn¡¯t know what caused that tremendous shockwave, but what he could do now was stay here and loot the abundant Enriching gems around him! He dashed from one tree to the other, storing many of the Enriching gems while beingpletely oblivious to the actual grand scale of ridiculousness that was happening outside, with his partners stuck in prostrating positions! He had taken a few tens of the purple and red gems when¡­ GUUUM! GUUUM! GUUUM! It wasn¡¯t shockwaves this time! It was the sound of something heavy, walking down in slow steps. Skullius was curious. He looked up to where the noise originated, and his eyes saw something among the hunched trees that suddenly began to return to normal in a ripple that descended! At the very top of the mountain, a taller than normal monkey stood with its chest jutting out! It was thick, with its physique visible from under the coat of fur that shrouded it. It was not white like those of the other monkeys, but golden with a twinkling lustre as though it had been smothered by a high quality gel. The monkey¡¯s eyes were ocean blue with a mysteriousness about them that made Skullius gulp subconsciously. The Discount Human¡¯s attention was then drawn by the massive structure that this monkey held over its shoulder in aical scene that most wouldn¡¯t believe. A three meter tall statue with a girth of almost two meters rested upon the shoulder of the monkey, the undisputed Cluster General digging its fingers into a grove at the corner of the statue. The statue looked to be made of cobblestone, smooth all round while having a dark blue hue with its entire design being that of a fat monkey with its eyes closed and hands sped together. It was almost ball shaped, with the feet in a traditional sitting position. On top of the statue, above what was supposed to be the head, was a web-like rune that glowed with a sky blue colour, the same being visible beneath the statue. Skullius couldn¡¯t resist using the guidance field to check the description of this item as it clearly wasn¡¯t normal and when he saw the name, he was dumbfounded, the description making him shake his head! This would be Skullius¡¯ first encounter with a natural treasure. No! The natural treasure¡­.Yamogogofafa! Chapter 203 Super Saiy... Ahem... Greater Monkey Sage! [Yamogogofafa] An incredibly heavy statue weighing ten tonnes, carved after Guddhar was blessed with an enlightenment, carving out this structure which is an object of representation for peace and an inanimate enforcer of the it. -Defence- 10,500 -Durability- 9450/12,000 -Special Effects- ? Can deflect 80% of all iing attacks back to the target ? Reflects 65% elemental damage received by wielder ? Returns to the user after ¡ª. [Skill: Bow to Peace] When the top rune smashes against the ground, all living things targeted by the user within a 200 meter radius will be forced to kneel headfirst on the ground for as long as the rune tastes dirt. The effect depends on the strength of the target. ¡ª [Skill: Righteous Throw] The Yamogogofafa can be thrown, attaining quick speed in its flight towards the target while retaining its immense weight. ¡ª- [Skill: Ascend to Peace] When the bottom rune touches the ground, all intended targets are sent flying to calm their bodies and mind with the fresh air at the very same height as the tip of the Mount. Sagemore. ~~~ ¡°That¡¯s..actually insane bro¡­.¡± Skullius mumbled as his eyes zoomed in on the object that was wielded by the golden furred monkey. He then checked the Monkey¡¯s stats, seeing the outrageous amounts of strength and mana it possesses, befitting for creatures said to posses the power equivalent to all the creatures within the Clusterbined or more. It was Tier 4! ¡°Oh.. so you¡¯re¡­. Guddhar¡­¡± said Skullius as he sweated water. He felt intimidated by the creature¡¯s presence even as it was a distance away, majestically standing while holding a statue that weighed ten tonnes, its fur blowing in the wind while it held a solemn expression. This creature was of a unique race called the Greater Monkey Sage, which had a dangerous ring to it given the current context. Guddhar¡¯s sharp eyes roamed over the mountain before they settled over Skullius¡¯ position, the Discount Human¡¯s non-existent insides tumbling down in fright! Guddhar immediately locked onto him and his energy red horrendously, the trees shaking as it seemed like an invisible presence shed over the distance and blew roughly onto Skullius. ¡°That can¡¯t be good,¡± Skullius said with a grimace. Guddar took a step forward and tensed his arm muscles. The Greater Sage Monkey then sucked in a deep breath and roared as it hurled the mass of stone, the natural treasure, in Skullius¡¯ direction with the activation of the skill [Righteous Throw]! Therge dark blue structure flew with a quick spin, its speed and weight exerting over the forestry around which it did not even touch! Leaves and trunks were blown apart with even the hard ground getting shredded from the object that flew overhead at an almost indecipherable speed to the Discount Human! Before the Yamogogofafa was even a twenty meters from him, Skullius already felt the immense pressure of its weight and hidden power! Shockingly, he found that he couldn¡¯t dodge! The object was simply too vast and fast for him to escape damage. What he could do was try to mitigate this damage that he was about to receive which he knew would 100% kill him! The Discount Human used arge portion of his remaining mana to conjure a mass of [Evil Darkness] in the form of a cloud that he immediately shaped into arge ball with [Basic Evil Weaving]! The giant ball stood between him and the Yamogogofafa and when therge object reach him, the crust of the earth was rocked to a gobsmacking degree! This ce which was hailed by the Sage Monkeys as sacred was obliterated, with the waters within theke flying out and leaving an empty crater, the trees around being shredded by the force, their leaves releasing the Enriching gems they kept within their grasp! A nasty shockwave blew, leaving the ce looking like a 40 meter bald spot on the mountain¡¯s! As for the Discount Human who had literally seen stars at the moment of collision, he was in a horrible state! His skin was chipped off with part of bones peering from the bleeding and torn flesh. This was what gued his right side from the chest to the leg, his leather armour having failed to protect him. The massive orb of darkness that he had conjured had actually negated some of the Yamogogofafa¡¯s force before exploding and this was in actual fact, a very much desired oue! Yet, this wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Gah! Are you kidding me bro?!¡± Skullius yelled as even after surviving the terrible attack, he found his head plunged into the ground, his body prostrating towards the massive statue thaty ten meters beside him! It¡¯s head dug into the ground, the rune atop it tasting the crust, thereby activating the skill, [Bow to Peace]! The sacred ce of the monkeys was called so because it held the most amount of the chaotic energies that formed the Clusters in the first ce, which was why Enriching gems grew from it. In actuality, there wasn¡¯t only one of these ces and because of the concentration of the energies here, it wasmon for intricate skills to not have their effects prevailing over these ces from a long distance, thus why Skullius had been exempt from [Bow to Peace] before. Now however, with therge statue near him, the effects overpowered the trait of this ce, pulling him and every tree and shrub here to bow! ¡°EKSHUL, SUUN, VAGAY¡¯R¡± Guddhar called with his freakishly powerful voice that travelled throughout the lone mountain and reached all the Sage Monkeys! ¡°Bring them to me, huh?¡± Skullius tranted with sheepish smile on his face. He knew what the monkeys wanted to do to him. He would basically get pounded into a paste under the statue¡¯s weight and get made into a stew that Guddhar would drink to ¡®fuel the peace within.¡¯ Guddhar would do this with some unlucky monkeys now and then too. To Skullius that just sounded like trying out new recipes. Several monkeys rushed to him, most preparing to p the crap out of him. With the statue here, he couldn¡¯t move an inch, which proved troublesome. VWOOOSH! A bright pir of red rose into the sky suddenly as an overbearing heat stormed the mountain! Clouds of steam rose, followed by the feminine grunts of a hot blooded red head who had activated her Full Body Aura! Skullius deeply hoped that his party could deal with Guddhar but so far, the odds said otherwise. The Yamogogofafa here which imposed [Bow to Peace] on every individual on the mountain excluding the monkeys and the sacred ces was too powerful. How would Sty salvage this?! Was she even able to move right now?! The surging of a qualitative mana answered Skullius¡¯ questions as a skill was cast from a saber. Not a simple one but a Special one that turned the situation around! Chapter 204 Insane Clash! Guddhar turned to the pir of red that rose into the air, seeking attention and eager to be seen. The Greater Monkey Sage noticed that one of the intruders was trying to resist [Bow to Peace]! Foolish and stubborn! What a profound enemy. The Sage Monkey weed an eager tainted that sought to be delivered to peace the hard way and ultimately, be digested in his belly. Billows of steam and concentrated mana churned from a blue core like his own surging from the distance amidst the white leaved trees that bowed under the might of the Yamogogofafa as in the next instance, a rapidly barrelling cloud of scorching steam shot in his direction, imitating the charge of a certain lotive from a distant and modern reality! Within but a moment, it was already before Guddhar, blowing his golden fur back while burning everything else around him. An amusing attempt. This was a Special Skill from Sty¡¯s sword technique, the single one that she had been able to master! When the steam was just a meter away from the Greater Mountain Sage, Sty¡¯s figure appeared with a vicious expression painted onto her face as her body radiated an immense heat! Her saber fumed with humid steam that actively whistled and heated the air as she shed diagonally with her might! Guddhar scoffed in the slowed time that he and Sty were tangling in.. With an absurdly fast movement, he stretched his hand to the Yamogogofafa which was beside Skullius a distance away, the rare item dislodging itself from the ground and shooting towards its master¡¯s position before Sty¡¯s de touched Guddhar! BOOM! PFFFSSSS! An explosive collision of hard material and steam echoed, reverberating with such a crazy intensity that ploughed through the mountain¡¯s crust! Sty found her heated saber shing against therge dark blue statue and grunted angrily, beginning to sh with crazy speed as she sought to at least graze the Cluster General! She had just used a Special Skill, more specifically, an advanced application of her sword technique, Steam Glow, called Steamed Rapid Body which elerated her physical capabilities for a couple of seconds, allowing her to escape from adverse imposed conditions like poisoning, capture or magical ailments by temporarily changing her form into steam! The inclusion of her Full Body Aura added a greater enhancement to her technique, granting her the mentioned boons! Guddhar grinned as he merely twirled the giant statue as if it weighed nothing at all, seamlessly blocking all of Sty¡¯s attacks! To make matters worse for the tenaciousdy, she felt most of her attacks rushing back at her, much of the elemental damage rebounding right back at her instead which chipped at her armour! ¡®This is thing ridiculously heavy and can counter my attacks! Even if its a Cluster General, shouldn¡¯t it have some kind of difficulty using that thing or least in carrying it?!¡¯ Sty wondered frustratedly. She had wanted to keep a close eye on Skullius just a few minutes ago, but the situation had gotten out of her hand with her losing sight of the Mage entirely. She had been overconfident. Survival was not certain even for her and yet she had thought that this would be an easy raid where she could look after a potential addition to her team. What tragic luck to face a Cluster this troublesome. Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t alone! An intangible yet visible force fired down on Guddhar like a flood and caused the creature to bend its knees as a massive crater blew under its feet from the force! ¡­! The Cluster General was shocked by the sudden attack which couldn¡¯t be stopped by the Yamogogofafa. Fore was standing a distance away while focusing what remained of his Full Body Aura to assault the monkey with his basic psychokic abilities! Since Guddhar had withdrawn Yamogogofafa, [Bow to Peace] had been dispelled, leaving him free. The force kept intensifying at a rapid rate, threatening to break Guddhar¡¯s bones while at the same moment, the Sage Monkey felt a presence rushing from behind him, charging up mana as before he could do anything to not fall for what came next, a shattering blunt force pounded from his back with a hazy ring that exposed his flesh from the golden furred back! Bron had charged from behind the monkey and released his technique, the Dissipating Fistful Arcs! Each ring of hazy light conjured by the user would do additional damage from their base strength, stacking on top of each other! The principle behind the technique was to harness force and use it without waste, maximising damage. A second and third ring emerged, releasing a crisp p-like noise which blew the ground apart and sent Guddhar flying! However, right as the Monkey was in flight, Sty with her body covered in the immense heat began shing as hard as she could at the Monkey, her de chipping away at the flesh of Guddhar whose imbnce hindered him from wielding Yamogogofafa properly! Red blood flew from several spots on the Sage Monkey¡¯s body, steam sizzling from each wound, but that was it! It not lethal! The bastard was too damn tough! They needed more! Bron¡¯s body red with his Aura which was a basic enhancement to his already existing properties! He growled, gaining a thick white glow around him before he dashed towards Guddhar andunched an uppercut to its chin! At the same time, Fore zipped forward with his honed speed, and used his psychokinesis to blow away the Yamogogofafa that Guddhar tried to wield! BAM! The Monkey¡¯s chin flew up as its weapon left its hand simultaneously, Sty flying in to slice with her sword at the Cluster beast¡¯s neck! ¡°HUMGH!¡± Guddhar grunted with its freakishly loud voice and as it steadied its head and with another extraordinary show of agility and dexterity, the Monkey brought its hands together in a p! PWAAA! A profound p of peace resounded as the thick palms of the Monkey touched, an energy like excessive gusts of wind blowing out to overpower Sty¡¯s steam covered sword and Bron¡¯s follow up punch with his radiating Aura! The three mercenaries were blown away at rocket speed, their attacks being negated easily! Guddhar drew one of his hands towards the Yamogogofafa, therge piece which had been blown away seconds ago shing into his hands once again as this time, the Monkey pounded the bottom rune of the Yamogogofafa into the solid ground! [Ascend to Peace] was cast, targeting Sty, Fore and Bron who shot into the air with speeds mildly suggesting that they had been shot from cannons! Guddhar grunted as it then pulled the mass of stone from the ground, focused on Sty who could barely concentrate from the speeds she wasunched at and hurled the Yamogogofafa at her using the skill [Righteous Throw]! The giant statue flew while spinning irregrly at Sty, bing a dark mass that seemingly could not be stopped! Sty grit her teeth as she braced for the impact, bringing her saber before her while pumping her mana into it! The silver saber shone with light and bursts of steam as this was as much as she could do before the object smashed into her, otherwise, she would have used [Steam Rapid Body]! Shockingly, right before she could meet the iing smiling stone monkey, Sty felt a distinct tug dragging her out of the way in the air! The Yamogogofafa passed where she had been with a ruthless force whose inertia slightly pulled her in its charge! Yet ultimately, she was safe! She looked to the side and found Fore with his face shuddering from the speed of upward flight, his mouth opened with his teeth clenched as if in a smile. His hand was extended towards him, revealing him to be her saviour. Sty sighed in relief, deciding to thank Foreter as for now, as their momentum decreased, she looked down at the ground, her eyes not being drawn to Guddhar at first but to the small figure of Skullius who was being assaulted by tens of Monkeys, pping the crap out of him! ¡®Shit!¡¯ she cursed as a sense of urgency raged within her. OOOOM! Yet once more, she found her mind torn from her attention to Skullius as Guddhar in another direction from her aerial view exploded with an enormous amount of mana! Qualitative mana was being used for an absurd skill! It seemed the Greater Sage Monkey also had a few more tricks up his sleeve! Chapter 205 Struggle On Two Fronts! There was a phrase that Skullius recalled just a few moments before the showdown between his three partners and Guddhar started. What was it again? Ah, that¡¯s right! ¡®Sic ¡¯em!¡¯ He vaguely remembered something like that. From his perspective, this was exactly what had happened to him, with Guddhar sending in his crazed solemn monkeys at him while he was down! Unfortunately, he had been left with limited options when he was flooded by the monkeys all over. Amidst this chaos, Skullius felt the pain from his soul damage increase. It wasn¡¯t dying down! Was 10% in Doom Factor 2 some form of benchmark that did not just quell itself?! Something was wrong. But this wasn¡¯t the time to therapise himself. He needed to act, against the ravaging pain! Regardless of the consequences!. A few momentster, the Yamogogofafa had flown away, leaving him free but he was tackled to the ground right before he could move away! Some of the Monkeys pinned him down but Skullius immediately released a plume of [Evil Darkness] with his half of his remaining mana, leaving only a 100 points! The darkness caused the monkeys that were about to p him to pause, paralysed by it, but unfortunately, the amount had been too little to stop all the monkeys, and as Skullius didn¡¯t maintain it, it slowly started to dissipate, allowing the monkeys to move! With that, one of the monkeys pressed him against the ground, raised its hand and brought down a phenomenal p! Skullius grit his teeth and tried to struggle but ultimately failed! Right before the p descended however, he bit the bullet and gambled on yet another [Crude World Projection]! With his improved tolerance towards the effects of this ability, he hoped that he could somehow spam it a second time and still retain enough strength for movement. Furthermore, he hoped projecting himself in this other world would spare him from ¡®peace.¡¯ Skullius¡¯ felt himself rise, the familiar dark image he assumed with dark wisps of ck rising infinitely emerging! He looked down to see his Discount cheeks ripple from the p he had received and he grimaced. ¡®Bastards!¡¯ he grumbled. However, there was no time for this. He was already feeling a severe weakness that threatened to pull him back to his physical body! The Sage Monkeys turned to the air and saw the dark image of Skullius floating above! They were surprised and shocked, backing away with vignce! Skullius merely gazed at the dissipating remnants of the darkness he had just used and exerted his enhanced control and power over it in this state! The darkness coiled around and forged a small ball, just like he had done against Jackpot. ¡®Why do I like balls so much?!¡¯ Skullius had a passing thought before twiddling his fingers as he manoeuvred the ball which shot at a speed exceeding that of sound at all the monkeys that held him, not using [Unbreakable Saint¡¯s Will] and [Indomitable Sage¡¯s Will]! Within less than three seconds, five Sage Monkey¡¯s were dead, their heads having been blown apart by the small ball of [Evil Darkness] that blew through them easily! Skullius felt the weakness that stormed him pull him down, but he was unwilling! He didn¡¯t know what state his body would be in post p, even with him not inhabiting it at the moment! OOOOM! Right then, Skullius felt a massive surge of mana that came from none other than Guddhar, shaking the entire mountain as the Cluster General seemed to be about to use a ridiculous skill! Wait! Guddhar! The Cluster General! Could he actually¡­? Even in this¡­? It could be¡­ Pounding pain raged within his mind from soul damage but Skullius ignored! He had no other ys! While the Discount Human struggled with a decision against time, the three who were still airborne shuddered at what was about toe next. If it came with their bodies suspended in the air, they would be screwed. Fore gritted his teeth and extended both his hands at Bron and Sty before using all the excess strength from his Full Body Aura activation to plunge the two down to the ground! Sty and Bron flew beforending to safety in their own ways, looking up at Fore who began free falling, then at each other and nodding. Both shot ahead towards Guddhar, their Full Body Auras zing with the recency of activation as they sought to interrupt Guddhar from casting whatever skill he wanted to! This was the perfect chance with the Yamogogofafa still on its descent and with the Cluster General not calling for it. Guddhar growled and roared, his voice echoing through the trees. He then sucked in a deep breath, his chest puffing up as his fur glowed slightly, the massive charge of mana being very distinct in the air. The Cluster General¡¯s arms were brought to his chest as he steadied the flow of mana, concentrating it in his lungs! ¡®No, you don¡¯t!¡¯ Sty thought as she swiped, her sword burning with a steamed glow, shy and hot steam bursting from the de as it smashed into the Sage Monkey even while she was still twenty meters away! The steam glow razed the fur and skin of the Cluster General, but that was it, as it failed to cleave it like it had done with the other Sage Monkeys! Bron was not adept at long range techniques, so at this time, he figured that instead of trying to damage the General from a distance, it was better to defend from its oing attack which was released right after Sty¡¯s failed attempt at ughtering the Monkey! The burly man shed before Sty and brought his two hands before his body! Three hazy rings blossomed from his palms and stood defensively before him in wide arcs that radiated with mana! Guddhar let loose what he had been concocting within his chest, opening his mouth wide to release a surge of pristine silver light that with its appearance shook Mount. Sagemore and ravaged everything in sight! It was blinding with a duality about it that it made difficult to tell if it was hot or cold and yet, the brightness it emitted was undisputed! Without producing a scorching heat or chilling cold, the re-like pir of light, a Special Skill of the Greater Sage Monkey that stole all light in the atmosphere, powered through! BOOOOOOVVVVV! The pir of light plundered everything as it descended down towards Bron who shielded Sty while activating his own Special Skill! Sty wasn¡¯t idling though, as she stood with a striking stance, aiming to use every bit of her Full Body Aura to augment her speed, and every bit of her mana into her Special Skill, stemming from her sword technique! As this sh was happening though, another yer approached the proximity of the battle, using the remnants of his profound power to strain through the stretch of distance¡­! Chapter 206 The Third Party Swoops In! One would likely be confused on what was the connection between a Special Skill and the technique it was derived from when it was established that the term ¡®skill¡¯ was a broad term for applications of mana. The answer was a simple fact of semantics. Some sword Techniques came with extension moves that utilised the qualitative concentration of mana from a blue core like Steamed Rapid Body which was derived from the Sword Technique, Steam Glow. In essence, one could also call the Elemental Contrast, Steam Glow, a Special Technique as it was capable of unleashing attacks of such a standard. Special. However, this wasn¡¯t the highlight of the current showdown as what stole the limelight, literally, was the silver beam of light that disintegrated everything it touched as it barrelled down the mountain! The ground crumbled, the trees turned to ash in the light¡¯s wake, everything that the light didn¡¯t touch being pushed away and breaking apart horribly! The atmosphere on the mountain darkened considerably as the pir of light dashed forward with speed and might! This silvery light was the Special Skill, Rage of the Peace-Loving Sage! It left no fancy after effects asides from a deep and wide gouge on the earth as it went, all things shivering as it passed! Bron¡¯s figure was illuminated by the iing attack as he had his hands at the ready to receive the impact of this skill! With his Full Body Aura brimming around his body, he consolidated the hazy rings, the very fundamentals of his technique as he used a Special Skill geared towards offense for defense. The Dissipating Fistful Arcs around his arms attained a luminescent shine while producing a low hum. ¡®I have to time it correctly¡­¡¯ Bron thought as sweat trickled down his brow, the anxiety he felt being unreal!. Learning Special Skills was difficult. With the three paths that were usually avable for growth; stages, sses and cores, one would be hard pressed to keep them all bnced, though many chose to specialise in one. Bron had distributed his effort unevenly, giving the skill required to improve his ss to a advanced one priority, thus neglecting his progression in the stages. However, he had been rewarded with a Special Technique that he developed on his own after many years of practise which enhanced the focus of his power. It was merely the first hurdle he had to transcend before reaching his goal! The Dissipating Fistful Arcs thrummed with a sound akin to static, distorting the air before him right before the impact! The sheer force behind the [Rage of the Peace-Loving Sage] astounded him, but he pushed all his strength into not letting it pass with his rings! Blood curdling screeches of colliding energies smashed against the ears of every sentient species on the mountain along with a blinding light and a shockwave that turned things in Guddhar¡¯s favour! ¡°URRNGHHH!¡± Bron grunted while gnashing his teeth as he felt the skin on his hands disintegrate from the explosion of power! It seemed bits of Guddhar¡¯s skill reached him after the sh, causing him extensive damage! ¡°HOLD ON!¡± Sty called as with all her manaing into use, her body emitted a devastating storm of scorching steam that rose up high and descended onto the figure of Guddhar that was only now bing visible after the bright sh! Sty had be the charging burst of steam once more as right when she was a few meters above Guddhar, she turned back into her human form and brought down her de with the bright lustre of Steam Glow! At this point, the Greater Sage Monkey had just finished the cast of its Special Skill and was not prepared for this sudden attack! With its extreme agility, itunched a heavy punch towards Sty while extending its other hand into the distance as it called for Yamogogofafa! Sty¡¯s de shed crazily as it shredded the fingers of the Monkey, which were a little less tougher than the flesh on its torso! Blood flew as the Monkey screamed but the howling sound of wind as Yamogogofafa approached gave the Monkey confidence as right when therge object returned to its grasp, it didn¡¯t use any of the skills contained in the statue but just bashed the raw stone carving against Sty! Sty¡¯s steam engulfed the entire area as she used much of its remnants to tank the attack but was ultimately blown away bleeding with the bones of her arm and fingers crushed! Guddhar then raised Yamogogofafa to plunge it into the ground with an immense force but an intangible yet powerful energy repelled the statue from the ground strenuously! Fore was roughly twenty meters away,ying upside down on the broken branches of a tree in the same way that he had fallen a few moments ago. His hands were outstretched as he exerted all the mana he had post his Full Body Aura activation to try and stop the statue from touching ground! ¡°Argghhhhh!¡± he roared as he strained his body. ¡°GET HIM!¡± It didn¡¯t take a genius to identify the runes on the bottom and top of Yamogogofafa and determine that they had the oundish effects of tossing people up or down. All three of the mercenaries had gotten a taste of it with the flight earlier. Fore wouldn¡¯t let it happen again! Sty got up from where she had been flung and sped towards Guddhar who was still trying to force Yamogogofafa into the ground! Bron also grit his teeth and roared as he dashed towards the golden Monkey! Guddhar saw the iing mercenaries and frowned, puffing up its cheeks to use its Special Skill once again for which it had the abundance of mana for it! Sty elerated and so did Bron, eager to stop it from doing it again, their failure to do sost time motivating them based on what they had seen! Then¡­ Like an image that didn¡¯t belong. Like an artistic trail of darkness that a certain Deity had just painted. A quick steam of darkness that shifted constantly, trying to maintain a humanoid form flew from the sky and sted into Guddhar! All of sudden, the Greater Sage Monkey stopped moving as while covered by the dissipating darkness that seemed to be flowing into its body, its eyes turned ck. ¡­! Fore, Bron and Sty were bewildered by this phenomenon but it didn¡¯t stop them from going for the kill! Within Guddhar¡¯s mind though, a tumultuous scene urred where a vast well of darkness started to invade the colourful space with moving images of memories that was the Cluster General¡¯s mind! A massive silvery image of the angry Guddhar looked down on the wafting darkness that was obviously Skullius using [Crude World Projection]! Right when Skullius had smashed into Guddhar, he had used his remaining points of mana to exploit [Basic Evil Invasion]¡¯s main advantage! It did not have a cooldown! Now, with his strained [Crude World Projection] that was almost fading while even in this form, gripping pain stormed against him with the soul damage, the Discount Human persevered. He knew that the pain from the soul damage wasn¡¯t normal, but if he could just¡­ ¡°RAAAAR!¡± With the enhancement that [Crude World Projection] offered, Skullius sought to invade and conquer Guddhar¡¯s mind, but the Monkey didn¡¯t let him do as he pleased! His huge form radiated with a brilliant light as he pped his hand together, a staggering force gushing out like a vicious wind to blow away the advancing waves of Skullius¡¯ darkness! The Discount Human felt himself being overpowered. He wasn¡¯t used to bring repelled and didn¡¯t know what else he could do. One thing was for sure though. If he allowed himself to fall here, it was likely that he was going to die! With that motivation in mind, Skullius powered through, with every exertion that he put himself through bringing him immense pain as the soul damage kept piling! The fierce winds from Guddhar¡¯s sped hands didn¡¯t recede and Skullius thought about changing tactics. Looking at the many memories that were linked to linking brilliant lights, he thought to try a baseless idea. His darkness shot through and plunged into the blotches of images and when it did, the colourful image turned dark! Guddhar¡¯s eyes peeled open in its starry, simplistic outline, shocked! Skullius didn¡¯t miss this reaction. ¡®Heh¡­ seems like it does something then¡­¡¯ he thought before injecting more of his darkness to all the memory spots that were nearest to him, turning them dark and void! ¡°MUKAV¡¯ARRR!¡± Guddhar barked at Skullius as it withheld its attack and rushed at him, flying through the starry space with rage! ¡®Yes! That¡¯s it!¡¯ Skullius thought as he proceeded to rush to meet the Monkey, his image flowing with darkness as at this point, he ignored everything just to get this Monkey! If he could seize it, it would end all his problems in the Cluster and even help with his stage progression! Right when the two bashed into each other¡­ [Doom Factor 2 takes advantage of the growing soul damage. You will now¡­] Chapter 207 Consequences and Result Skullius¡¯ vision was cut off before he could see what the notification said at the end of what happened when he shed with Guddhar in a final attempt tomandeer his mind for a brief period. All he saw was darkness but that didn¡¯t faze him as much as the loud pounding in his mind! Soul damage! Through Serenity, Skullius had discovered that a part of his soul was missing and the part that he had at this moment was iplete. However, Serenity had neglected to tell him a rather obvious truth because shecked the time. A broken soul was fragile. [Basic Evil Invasion] was a terrifying skill but in its description it warned of a penalty when the host died while their consciousness was still in it. The damage Skullius had rued this time was less extensive inparison to what he had received when he was in Eldris¡¯ body but the difference between this and that time, was that Skullius had supplemented the damage by using a piece of General S¡¯s soul that he had absorbed. However, that hadn¡¯t been his doing, but the machination of the Labyrinth. Now, the damage kept extending, Doom Factor 2 taking advantage of the chaos and Skullius¡¯ spamming of [Crude World Projection] and [Basic Evil Invasion] without rest. All this was not yet clear to Skullius as while he could not see anything, he felt himself¡­ acting. Something was happening¡­ outside? Hold on. It seemed like he was trapped somewhere. Yet he could feel the activity raging outside. shes of vibrant power. Was this his battle with Guddhar?. ¡®What¡¯s going on?! I need to get that bastard before my time runs out! I even saved enough mana for a full minute using [Basic Evil Invasion]! Come on!¡¯ Skullius barked within in panic. He felt the shuddering pain intensify and his mind whirled. Thoughts and words screeched in his mind as he wondered. What was happening?! What if he was getting pummelled by Guddhar while his consciousness was trapped here?! What if his original body was being shredded to pieces by the other Monkeys?! And the most terrifying thought of all¡­ What if Sty, Bron and Fore managed to kill Guddhar while he was still trapped inside?! That would be¡­ extremely dangerous. He was struggling with soul damage right now! If it increased any further¡­ VWOOOOSH! Amidst Skullius¡¯ apprehension and anxiety, something finally showed itself. White appeared in his field of vision and for a few moments the pain subsided a bit with the asional pounding at his mind like a hammer! Snow. The moment Skullius saw this¡­ he almost froze. This again! Snow littered the ground and created a beautiful image. A cold image. Skullius shivered as he actually felt cold. He looked down to see that he had a body and snow was trickling over him. He couldn¡¯t describe the clothes he wore but they seemed to deter much of the humid frost. With another painful gong-like echo of pain in his mind, Skullius found a girl kneeling before him in the snow. She wore nothing on her body, her fair skin bare with everything that should have been hidden from others¡¯ eyes jutting out. Clothes that were vastly different from what he had seen in Aigasy around the girl, clearly belonging to her. The girl stared at him with emotionless eyes while quivering in the cold, her body covered in kes. For a few moments, Skullius kept gazing at the girl before a deep feeling welled up within him. Rage. Fury. Hatred. Guilt. Disgust. The emotions he felt when he looked at this girl could not fully be expressed in words. Tears began running down Skullius¡¯ face as his it turned ugly, scrunching up with a fierce, almost tangible hate. ¡°You¡­!¡± he hissed unconsciously, his gloved finger pointing at the girl usingly, devoid of his control. Yet, Skullius just rode the wave. ¡°Are you happy now?! You twisted little brat! Did it make you happy?! You feel like you achieved something fantastic, don¡¯t you? And now you can brag to those new ¡®friends¡¯ of yours, huh?¡± he barked, hot breaths fuming from his mouth. The girl before him merely frowned and rubbed her skin while shivering. ¡°Answer me, damn it! Are you even the same person?! Have you been on something since camp? Bro this, bro that¡­ I should have realised it¡­ I should have known you were up to something¡­ distancing me from them so you could whatever the fuck you wanted!¡± ¡°So what¡­¡± the girl finally said as she looked straight into Skullius¡¯ eyes. ¡°I¡¯m here aren¡¯t I? Naked and stuff. In the cold. Will my death make you feel better¡­?¡± Skullius¡¯ emotions tangled within as he felt the unreal amount of frustration. It was too much¡­ He raised his hand and dropped it to his side. He opened his mouth and closed it as tears flooded nonstop. The next thing he knew, he lunged at the girl with his hand raised and¡­ BAM! A thunderous amount of pain struck Skullius¡¯ mind and he screamed, the vision before him shattering like ss. He roared in the empty space he appeared in once again, feeling himself shing outside, a brutal fight happening but without a way to know exactly what¡­ However, right at this moment, Skullius¡¯ emotions from the scene he had justid his vision upon carried over to this moment and he felt a berserk rage sp his mind! A primal roar sounded from him as with its reverberation, Skullius cked out in the ck. ¡­. BA-DUM! BA¡­DUM! BA¡­DUM! Skullius heard the dying calls of a heart while feeling the hard ground beneath him. He opened his eyes and saw the familiar sunless skies above, partially blocked by white fur. ¡°Huh?¡± he mumbled as he pushed away the mass above him, scanning around to see that he was surrounded by the dead and dying bodies of Mountain Sage Monkeys! They were everywhere, grotesque injuries all over their bodies with some of their blood on him. ¡°The¡­ hell¡­?¡± He no longer felt the raging pain from his soul, but it was still detectable with a faint tinge. Skullius rose and saw the devastation around. The ground was ploughed deep all over with circr craters asrge as tens of meters ripping away the beauty of the Mountain. Most of the white vegetation was gone, trails of criss-crossing cylindrical gouges in the earth having effectively crumbled much of its mass. What on earth had happened here? A flurry of notifications started appearing in Skullius vision and he weed them, though with a great amount of surprise. [You have crossed a wide gulf of power as a result of utilising the Fruit of World Myths partially as intended] [¡®Evil Darkness¡¯ has been promoted to ¡®B¡¯ rank, and can now manifest a portion of its true nature] [¡®Basic Evil Invasion¡¯ levelled up!] ¡°I see¡­¡± Skullius said. Strangely, he didn¡¯t feel all too excited. Instead, he felt.. overwhelmed. Not by the information from the notification, but from what he had experienced. Even the state of the mountain didn¡¯t quite capture his shock as his mind was still digesting what he had seen. However, the notifications were not done. [You have sessfullypleted your Seventh Task, invading the mind of a Cluster General] [You have reached Level 7!] A surge of strength powered through Skullius as he felt his body react happily despite its shredded nature with flesh hanging down. ¡°Wait! I did?¡± Skullius questioned. He looked around, ignoring the increase in his stats. How had he seeded?! That didn¡¯t make any sense! He hadn¡¯t won the battle when he cked out and he didn¡¯t remember anything at the moment. The Discount Human rushed up, trying to go in the direction where he had flown to when he was using [Crude World Projection]. It didn¡¯t take him too long to see even more disastrous scenes, the one that caught his attention the most being a humongous crater that oozed of mana and heat. Within it, bare, scorchednd could be seen, with therge body of Guddhar sitting within it. The Greater Sage Monkey was missing an armour, with blood staining its golden fur. What made Skullius even more confused was that it was alive but it looked¡­ lost, mumbling gibberish while bobbing its head to and fro as if in a daze. Beside it, was the Yamogogofafa, broken into six pieces that no longer held the authoritative air and in front of the monkey that leaned against the edge of the crater, Sty stood before it with a hard expression, her sword pointing at Guddhar¡¯s neck. A few meters behind her, Bron could be seen leaning over Fore whoid down, the lower half of his body crushed into a bloody paste. ¡­ [Author¡¯s Note] Please support my book ¡®Cursed Child: Eater with the Odd Eye¡¯. It¡¯s a WSA entry and a dark fantasy novel. If you like the genre please give it a try and support. Its not a conventional fantasy but a more traditional one with deep lore and archaic beings. I hope I can see your following as I write the book and I ensure you that I won¡¯t neglect Skullius while writing it. Thanks! Chapter 208 I Did This? The hell? Skullius looked intently at the figureying on the ground. It really was Fore, dead as a door nail with his eyes closed while stters of blood were painted over his face and armour. What in the world had happened? Skullius walked closer but first took a nce at himself, the hanging flesh that bled making him hesitate to just stroll over to his partners like it was any other Tuesday. Wouldn¡¯t they ask questions? Flesh questions! He didn¡¯t have any mana to use [Luminant Healing] on himself so why bother. It didn¡¯t matter anyways. Sty infused her sword with mana and plunged it into Guddhar¡¯s eye socket! The swaying, seemingly out of it Cluster General barely reacted, the most it did from receiving a killing blow being to open its mouth wide and grunting softly. Sty grit her teeth as she pushed her saber deeper into the creature¡¯s head before it finally breathed itsst. As Skullius approached, because of his [Advanced Mana Maniption] which doubled as a mana sensory tool, he felt an enormous surge of mana flow from Guddhar and into Sty! Cumtive mana experience! This wasn¡¯t his first time seeing it as the group had been clearing Cluster left and right all day, and generally, Skullius knew that it was a thing for all creatures with only those with the guidance field being able to see this quantified.. He could only sense it whenrge amounts of mana were extracted after a kill though and only felt this phenomenon for this first time on this trip. Sty then gazed at the dead creature¡¯s chest. She debated on whether or not take its core, but decided to leave it. Her family owned many after all and the reason she had even entertained the idea was because Guddhar had been a pain the ass. As the Discount Human approached, Sty turned to him with a grimace. It needed no words what she was reacting to. She had been about to go and search for him as the battle had just concluded but seeing him walking up, ¡®alive¡¯, she sighed in relief. At least she didn¡¯t lose the Mage and a definite candidate for her team in the event she wished for. She was about to speak, concerning Skullius¡¯ wounds when the Discount Human raised his hand and shook his head. ¡°Please. Don¡¯t ask,¡± he said sinctly. ¡°¡­alright.¡± Sty sighed, surprise livid in her eyes. How tough did you have to be in order to walk off something like this?! For a few moments, she remained gawking at Skullius flesh when the Discount Human finally asked, gazing at Fore. ¡°What happened? How did he die?¡± Sty looked at the corpse, with Bron at the side emitting low grunts of grievinv pain while he loomed over the body. ¡°It happened so fast. I don¡¯t know what in the world it was that suddenly hit the Cluster General and caused it to go feral. Mad, in fact. Maybe it was something to do with the Mountain but I highly doubt it. We had the General cornered in a pincer attack but then¡­ it just¡­ didn¡¯t go as nned¡­¡± Sty exined with a tinge of sorrow noticeable in her eyes. ¡®Mad?¡¯ Skullius asked himself. Naturally, what Sty was talking about was Skullius invading Guddhar, but the Discount Human couldn¡¯t image what happened after. Or perhaps¡­ he did. When he was stuck in that mysterious state, there was always that sensation that he was doing something¡­ or experiencing something¡­. He was missing out. Was that what he felt? But wait¡­ it didn¡¯t add up. Thest piece to understanding this was potentially¡­.that guidance field notification that said something about Doom Factor 2 taking advantage of his soul damage for the second time. There was something else that was cut off¡­ This thought unsettled Skullius. Doom Factor 2. Skullius immediately pulled up the information on the Doom Factor, and when he did, it all made sense. Tragic sense that weighed on him. ~~~ Doomed Factor 2: Existential Crisis Your distinct perception and absorption of mana throughout the years has caused you to start awakening what should have been lost a long time ago. If you fail to recover and remember this in time you will suffer a crisis of your own existence and descend into madness. Time till DF2 : 8 months ~~~ Descend into madness¡­ Was this it? If it was, then it made sense that reaching 10% in mind fracturing from Doom Factor 2 was a really bad thing. Then all of this¡­ Skullius looked around at everything. The destruction, the death. He had sessfully invaded Guddhar¡¯s body but in a mad state, using the Cluster General¡¯s immense capabilities to rampage all around. ¡®Damn it¡­ This is even worse than Doom Factor 1,¡¯ Skullius thought. Frankly he was shocked that Bron and Sty had survived, but after the full ount from the redhead, Skullius kind of understood. They had held on for a minute, which wasn¡¯t impossible for physicalbatants. When [Basic Evil Invasion] finally ended, apparently Guddhar turned into¡­ an idiot. ¡®Is it because I was messing with those memories? I can¡¯t imagine what I did after I went mad.¡¯ A matter of note that made things worse was that the time limit for Doom Factor 2 had changed. While it was due to ultimately im him in a year, now it was 8 months. The time frame wasn¡¯t exactly clear to Skullius, but he knew there was a reduction in his time and it was probably due to variables like [Basic Evil Invasion] that caused damage to his soul. Skullius grimaced and looked at Fore. He didn¡¯t care for the guy but this was just a taste of what he could descend to if this kept happening. A crack appeared at the foot of the mountain from where they had appeared, signalling that it was time to depart. Bron looked at it, then at Fore¡¯s body. He held out a storage ring and took in Fore¡¯s corpse before ring at Skullius. The Discount Human noticed the me in Bron¡¯s eyes which vanished a secondter as he dispiritedly sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Soon, the three were out of the Cluster, several towns noticeable in the darkening horizon. Sty turned to Skullius immediately, giving out her proposition, though not after looking at Skullius¡¯ hanging flesh and still wondering how he was feeling no pain. ¡°I know I said that we would be ending our coboration here, but¡­ I have something else in mind if you¡¯re interested,¡± she began when Skullius instantly shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it¡­¡± Skullius said, intending to dismiss Sty entirely, but then he had a thought. ¡°Just not now. We can talk some timeter. I¡¯ll still be in Inhone, after all.¡± Sty nodded before she realised¡­ ¡°Are you noting with us?¡± ¡°No, I have some business to attend to¡­¡± ¡°Should we leave a horse for you?¡± Bron twitched ufortably. Skullius turned to the horse and consequently, the horse turned to him and shuddered, the Discount Human doing the same as both he and the animal avoided gazes. ¡°No. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± With her gesture declined, Sty took onest nce at Skullius, wondering what business he had before climbing up her horse, she and Bron departing. She had no reason to doubt Skullius could take care of himself now. In such a dangerous Cluster, he had survived what she had seen when she was in mid-air, the Discount Human getting besieged by the monkeys. ¡®I¡¯ll definitely rope him in¡­¡¯ she thought. Skullius watched the two leave before sighing unconsciously. ¡°Now¡­ let¡¯s sort this out¡­¡± he said as he sat down. Chapter 209 Exploitable Option, Famous Suspect Inhone City. National Guilds Association Building. Two men sat at a nicely furnished table while drinking hot beverages with refined etiquette. A familiar lean man with hair and beard coloured in a mix of ck and white sat on one end of the table while holding a ceramic cup, sitting the tea within. This was the City Lord, Erkus Savont. He donned a rather serious expression on his face, as was his custom, in an effort to conjure a no-funny-business atmosphere whenever he was meeting up with other influential personages. Opposite him sat a middle aged man with long, crushed ga coloured hair that reached his shoulders. His build was athletic, entuated by the sleak fitting silver suit he wore. His sharp satin grey eyes kept staring at the City Lord as he also sipped on the tea with the exact less-than-likely-to-this-seriously disposition that Erkus despised.. ¡°Not a matter of much concern you say?¡± Erkus said with grunt of disbelief. ¡°I find tens of Clusters appearing in such a short time a matter of concern, Silrat. We¡¯re talking about many potential deaths in a few days, I highly doubt that mobilising all of your mercenaries would alleviate this situation.¡± The man named Silrat edged forward with a slight smile that always made Erkus ufortable blooming on his face. He relished in making people crumble, but not for cruel or evil purpose. Some would call it teasing. ¡°I understand your view point, City Lord. From your perspective, which is mostly centralised around maintaining the wellbeing of the normal civilians within the region, this is a dangerous hazard. That much is certainly true. But what about from my view point ? Can you guess what I see?¡± Erkus grumbled. ¡°You obviously see profits from the many Clusters. The gems that can be harvested along with the dead cores,¡± he answered. ¡°That¡¯s a true, yet shallow deduction, City Lord,¡± Silrat said. ¡°As Branch Chief for the Association, it is my duty to spur mercenaries into action, especially with regard to the current times. I¡¯ll admit, this wasn¡¯t always what my intent, but once the issue with the Sif extending their hand to form an alliance with Pelian began, I started to expect the worst.¡± ¡°In a few days, the result of the meeting that took ce days ago will be announced and I¡¯m sure you know what¡¯s the most likely conclusion.¡± Erkus frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve had my reservations about that. But what does this have to do with your point of view on the Clusters?¡± Silrat¡¯s smile vanished as he said one word. ¡°Maqi.¡± Erkus frowned even deeper. ¡°We both know what that impulsive nation will do when the obvious oue of the meeting between the Royal Family and the Sifes out. If worsees to worst, the Capital service in the entire nation won¡¯t be enough to fend those even half of those madmen. But¡­¡± ¡°What if you had well equipped, battle ready mercenaries who have been groomed by the pressure from having to deal with many Clusters? The resources are necessary to defend this small city as well. Who will give a damn about Inhone when those mad warriors storm Agmold?¡± ¡°I see,¡± Erkus said with a low tone of voice. ¡°I willmend your foresight, but that doesn¡¯t dismiss the fact that the origins of these Clusters must be traced. What is causing this absolutely must be found. We can¡¯t stake evolution over civil safety.¡± ¡°I agree, but don¡¯t be toofortable in it either. When things go awry, even Unbreakable himself can¡¯t protect this city by his lonesome,¡± said Silrat, a smile retaining to his face. ¡°Besides, we are already tracing the source, though we have no results as of yet. We also haven¡¯t sustained many casualties because of the readiness of the mercenaries. Rest assured.¡± Erkus shifted in his seat, thinking deeply for a few minutes before sighing and cing down his cup. He rubbed his temples frustratedly as he wrestled with his thoughts. So many things seemed to be happening at once which greatly stressed his aging mind. ¡°Fine. Any good news to speak of then? I could really use some.¡± Silrat perked up at this question. ¡°There has indeed been some news in the Association. A new Mage has appeared. He was evaluated today and given the D rank immediately. Apparently, he¡¯s still fresh but has somebat experience.¡± ¡°Oh.. is it?¡± Erkus found himself intrigued too. ¡°In this case, I will concede. It doesn¡¯t matter who has more Energy Formers now anyway. Do you have a name? I might want to meet him.¡± Silrat burst intoughter. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to that soon. He¡¯s out hunting at the moment. He goes by the name Festos Dawn.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The doors to the room were opened, a certain old man and a woman, both donning robes entering in hurried but formal steps that depicted their standing. Silrat smiled and gave a short nod of acknowledgement to them. ¡°Terian, Dami. Please tell me you have some worthwhile news,¡± Erkus said as he looked at the duo. ¡°Well¡­.concerning the incident at the College of the Esteemed yesterday, we had a suspect but it turned out that he was innocent as we traced his steps ording to his words and found them reliable. However, Dami disagrees and seeks permission to divine the suspect,¡± said the old man whose name was Terian. The woman at the side wore a displeased expression before speaking her piece. ¡°I just feel that we need to ensure that we covered all our bases. It would be a shame if we missed something significant because of carelessness.¡± Erkus nodded. ¡°Very well. The College has been breathing down my neck since yesterday and suppose I owe them this much. That library was filled with basic history anyway. Copies at that¡­¡± Erkus said, mumbling thest part to himself in an annoyed tone. There were even book stalls with tranted books in there, how valuable could that ce had been? ¡°What is the name of this suspect anyway?¡± ¡°Festos Dawn,¡± replied Dami. Chapter 210 If You Cant Beat Em, Ignore Em In the mind of the Discount Human, only introspective and retrospective thoughts roamed. It still bothered him how he had gone mad. It felt¡­ anticlimactic in a way. Where was the whole show? The satisfying ending. He needed to see it at least. He had had many ns for when he sessfully took over the body of Guddhar and one of those was to steal the Yamogogofafa. Such a treasure would be incredibly useful to him. Unfortunately, seeing it destroyed when he came to, was rather disappointing and infuriating especially when he now knew it was his fault. What a waste. Worse yet, the state of Mount Sagemore afterwards was rather intense. Sty even described it as him going feral, which was insane to imagine. Therefore, as Skullius sat down, he refused to let this go as he delved within, searching for exactly what happened. He wanted to know the full scope of what this madness could do. What it felt like. He had to remember. He was Level 7 right now because he had seeded in taking over a body and though he didn¡¯t know how it would work to have memory outside of his own body, Skullius decided to try anyway.. Trying to skim through memory was a nasty endeavour. Now that he thought about it, messing with memories was a rather critical affair really. The state that Guddhar was left in after his invasion was very telling of how much damage he could cause with this. Did that also mean that through [Basic Evil Invasion], a path for manipting foreign memories was opened? Or could he alter his own memories? Perhaps. Perhaps not. ¡°Damn it!¡± Skullius grumbled as he opened his eyes. He couldn¡¯t see or remember anything. Perhaps it was by virtue of him not being in Guddhar¡¯s body anymore. But that didn¡¯t make sense still. Since this was a dead-end, Skullius decided to focus on the other elephant in the room. In all truth, this particr elephant had passed through his room some time ago too but what mattered was, it was here now, weighing the room down and making a lot of noise. Skullius just had to announce it verbally to vent his frustration. ¡°Who the flesh is this girl?!¡± That girl who had made an appearance in his mind. Just who was she? As Skullius had a clearer view of her now than when he fought Jackpot, he could surmise that this was the same girl he saw in the block of ice in Somanda¡¯s whatchamacallit ce! At least the outline seemed the same as she wasn¡¯t very clear in the block of ice. ¡°I was even having a conversation with her and¡­ all that¡­anger¡­¡± Skullius mumbled to himself. He had been gesturing and bellowing in that weird space subconsciously as this character he seemed to inhabit yelled. Yet, he felt no close connection to this character at all. Skullius didn¡¯t dare to peek into these memories some more as unlike the case with his rampage, this could cause him severe pain, a lesson he had learnt back then. Gah, so many instances teaching so much. The Discount Human was intensely bothered by the lingering emotion. It was ufortable. The text for Doom Factor 2¡¯s description didn¡¯t make him feel any better either. Since the answers to both these were unattainable at the moment, Skullius decided to focus on something that could potentially improve his mood. The notification about his affinity to [Evil Darkness] being promoted to rank ¡®B¡¯ was hopefully something significant. Apparently, having a greater affinity allowed one to use whatever was attached to said affinity with better efficiency. So far, while Skullius did enjoy using this peculiar element, it didn¡¯t seem like anything specialpared to any of his more insane Null Life abilities. Also, he had put off learning [Just Light] enough now. He had been hoping that improving in one element would boost his strength faster than dividing his attention. Perhaps if there was a major change, he could now begin to try out [Just Light]. Even though he had witnessed the more ridiculous stuff that he could do using the two elements in the Labyrinth, such as binding powerful foes, warping space and literally giving out immortality, Skullius didn¡¯t believe that it was just the power of the elements required for that. Wasn¡¯t Fulgardt said to be someone who had achieved Divinity? Whatever that meant? ¡°Oh well¡­ Let¡¯s see then what this thing can do,¡± said Skullius as he conjured some darkness with the bits of mana he had recovered. Skullius¡¯ face changed the moment he saw and felt the presence of the single wisp of darkness that coiled around his finger. He drew back his head with sweat (water) starting to pour from his face. What he saw was not some odd pitch ck darkness. No. It was darkness indeed and sure it did not reflect the dimming world¡¯s light but¡­ It looked like it didn¡¯t belong as he focused on it, with the background of nature behind making this all the more true. What made this even more frightening was the way that space seemed to avoid this wisp of darkness as inches around it, disfigured and disorderly lines scrambled as if space was being made to unravel, forming iprehensible doodles when one looked closely. Worse yet, Skullius felt something oddly unsettling when the he faced the darkness, as if it was speaking to him¡­ trying to convince him that it could flesh up all things. All this was from a wisp. After the initial shock, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but feel hyped. ¡°Hey now. Don¡¯t get me too excited bro,¡± he said with a smile. He began twirling around the wisp of darkness into different forms with [Basic Evil Weaving] before noticing another change a minuteter. Manipting the darkness became¡­ vastly easier and as he got more and more familiar with it, a notification that Skullius should have expected popped up. [¡®Basic Evil Weaving¡¯ has reached LV10. Would you like to evolve it into its next form?] ¡°Of course I would,¡± Skullius excitedly responded. A tingling sensation surged within him as he felt his ss skill evolve, its efficacy improving vastly as the wisp of darkness in his hand quivered and shook during the process. [¡®Basic Evil Weaving¡¯ has evolved into ¡®Advanced Evil Weaving¡¯] Skullius felt himself improve significantly in his feel and hold over [Evil Darkness]. With how much he used [Evil Darkness] rted skills every day, Skullius only expected this, just not now. [Basic Evil Production] was probably on its way to evolving too since he used it in tandem with [Basic Evil Weaving]. This managed to take his mind off of his current depression quite a bit but when Skullius recalled that he had another prize that Sty and the others had not been able to obtain, he grinned. The wisp of darkness vanished, Skullius not being able to make itst too long. While the Discount Human was really interested in what [Evil Darkness] could do now, he didn¡¯t have the mana to test it out. However, he had another option to quench his sorrow and apprehensions. The hundreds of Enriching gems that sat in his storage rings! Chapter 211 This Discount Human Looks Even More Acceptable! Yes indeed! Skullius had used the ring he had given to Red Rage to store the many Enriching gems that he had collected in the Clusters that he, Sty, Fore and Bron had cleared. The three didn¡¯t have much use for them as they were no longer effective on their bodies. While they did havemercial value, Bron had told Skullius that special animal parts and dead cores had more value to them. Thus, the Discount Human had walked away with over 800 purple Enriching gems. This amount seemed inted but with the fact that he got hog all the gems from different Clusters, most of which that housed weak Cluster beasts, it was truly not much of an achievement. Of course, he had also managed to steal some of the different ones on Mount Sagemore which had a mix of red to them. These made him excited. He had 35 of them, ripe for absorption. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what changes they would cause within him. So far, Skullius knew that Enriching gems shaped his flesh and made him¡­stronger. Apparently, this change was a boost in constitution as he had read from the many books he stole. However, this didn¡¯t reflect in his stats but he did find himself being able to exert much more force. Him soloing a Sage Monkey before was partly as a result of that fact. ¡°I should have asked Bron how Enriching gems actually help me,¡± Skullius said regretfully.. ording to his sources (Bron), after the thousandth gem, there wouldn¡¯t be anymore effects that gems would show. Or rather gems of the lower tiers like purple ones. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it,¡± the Discount Human said as he took out two purple gems and started absorbing the essence within. He felt the soothing energy that trickled into his cosmetic flesh once more, working on a fine level to make him feel stronger. [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 0.1 applies] [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 0.1 applies] ¡®Good!¡¯ With that Skullius began absorbing the essence nonstop, recing the emptied gems with new ones within seconds. Skullius had absorbed a little over 200 gemsst time and he hoped there was something he could gain at the end. This was merely the mind of a desperate man seeking to reach new heights. Surely, something happened after he had spent a few hours absorbing all the energy within the gems. [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A cumtive factor of 100 has been applied to your body] [Strength increases by 10] [Agility increases by 10] [Endurance increases by 10] [Health increases by 10] [Mana increases by 10] ¡°Ohhh¡­!¡± Skullius gawked at the sight of all the stats he had received and an explosive energy shot from within him because of the stats! In his body, his fake muscles screamed of power and the limits he had just a few hours ago were removed as he ascended to a greater height! Not only this, but Skullius¡¯ exterior changed massively unlikest time! His body which still looked lean and closer to thin as hell even after the first absorption spree, became a bit bulky, glimpses of well toned chest pads and abs showing under his armour, his figure bing more masculine! His arm muscles became more defined and so did his cheeks and jaws, giving him a distinct and kind of handsome appearance that was void before. Such a change! It was only muddled by the hanging flesh on his side. Skullius excitedly looked at himself with a grin. 10 points in stats! It was a shame that intelligence didn¡¯t get a boost but he appreciated the gain nheless. It made sense to Skullius now why even with a single point gained after advancing a level to all other beings except those chosen by the Voice of Worlds, he would at times see vast stats figures on his opponents¡¯ statuses. It was all because of these Enriching gems! With this newfound strength he could¡­ Not do much actually. He was still quitecking, but it was still huge improvement. As if to defy his atrocious luck, another piece of good news struck Skullius,pletely unexpected this time. When he was absorbing the thousandth gem¡­ [¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ levelled up!] ¡°Huh?!¡± Skullius was shocked. How on earth did that skill level up?! Come to think of it, there were many skills he wondered how to improve. A prime example was [Apostle Summon] and [Flesh It Like You Mean It] was also another. Now, he knew how to level up one of them! It made sense. Enriching gems boosted constitution and even altered his appearance to a degree. Naturally, they could forcefully level up [Flesh It Like You Mean It] which did the same thing. Until now, Skullius had begun to think that Null Life skills could only level up when he evolved like what had happenedst time, but he was d he was wrong. Skullius took another Enriching gem and tried to absorb more essence but was not surprised when the energy flowing into him as a result, reluctantly one might add, dissipated without achieving anything. He had effectively absorbed a thousand gems and now, as Bron (the sources) said, he couldn¡¯t gain anything more from them. ¡°Can the other gems enhance my constitution more?¡± Skullius wondered. He also wondered how he would fare with [Crude World Projection] now. How long would itst? Abusing that power was in his near ns. He took one out to sample how much it improved his body, cradling its sparkling mass in his hand which became tinted in the purple-red light. Skullius then pulled on the essence stored within and felt it travel within him. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± It was more robust, thicker with a refreshing yet empowering feel. This was easily better than the purple ones, which made Skullius breathe out as he received another notification. [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 0.5 applies] ¡°Interesting,¡± Skullius remarked as he went on to absorb all 35 gems while relishing in the feeling he derived. It was magnificent. At the end, his auburn hair grew a few inches and his eyes gained a vivid sparkle about their satin grey tint which began edging towards sparkling silver. His face became distinct with a liveliness about it that screamed the name Festos, his muscles bing visible under his torn armour! Yet, the Discount Human was oblivious to this. He didn¡¯t care much for appearance at the moment. He looked at himself in wonder and excitement. ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± he said. With all this taken care of, Skullius was ready for the main event. It was time to bring the golden boy back! Chapter 212 On Your Feet, Bro! The Discount Human had had many thoughts on how to bring back Red Rage. Naturally, his collection of Null Life Essence was because he had this particr objective in mind. However, as far as he knew, raw Null Life Essence did nothing but simply prolong Red Rage¡¯s existence, which led him to theorise. Null Life Essence was good for sustenance. At least for Null Life species like him and Red Rage. Then that meant moulding Null Life Essence, weaving it as an independent power source in an intricate way could probably save Red Rage. The problem Skullius encountered when his thoughts reached this juncture was how to manipte Null Life Essence. He could use it for skills but couldn¡¯t manipte it as he did with mana. Was there a way to manipte it outside of already established skills? Nevertheless, outside of this thought process, Skullius hade to one other hopefully useful method to mend his Apostle. This was through one of the ss skills he had heavily neglected until now. Apostle Armament. ~~~ [Apostle Armament | Lv.2] A servant needs great strength to protect their master. Using Mana and Null Life Essence, grant your Apostle skills so that they remain useful while standing by your side. Please note that this skill is more effective when your servant has obtained ss. Mana Requirements: 250 Mana Points + 2000 Null Life Essence Duration: None Cooldown: None ~~~ This skill¡¯s purpose was to grant Red Rage a skill from the Null Life arsenal. At its current rank, it could only grant skills but from the Discount Human¡¯s experience, he knew that for Null Life was higher than that for Aigas. An example was the Grand Sword of the Hedonist which he had summoned against Aikil. It had been a weapon but if it was appraised by Aigas standards, it would undoubtedly be or even considering that some of its effects were locked.. (A/N: Rarity rankings for weaponry go from Common, Umon, Rare, Unique, Legendary, Mythical and Transcendent. Ist mentioned this quite a long time ago.) He hoped that this skill would spur for Red Rage¡¯s repair as it dealt with granting something to the Apostle. At first it was a passing thought, Skullius merely considering it as a possibility, but then, it turned out to be his only option. ¡®I hope it works¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. It was unfortunate but he had to wait until morning before [Flesh It Like You Mean It] could time out. Thus, this goal of his had to wait for a little longer. With that time, Skullius pulled up his status. ~~~ [ Name : Festos Dawn ] [ Level : 7 ] [ Experience : 64000/64000, ] [ ss : Insurgent Magnus ] [ Race :Discount Human ] [ Inv. Status: Still doomed ¡Á2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 150 ] [Agility : 50 ] [ Intelligence : 70 ] [ Endurance : 85 ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 249/249 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 189/285+(250) ] ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 6000/6000 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Skills ] [ Advanced Mana Maniption | Lv.14 ] [ Greater Communication (I) | Lv.2 ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 3 ] [ Revenant mes of Ecstasy| Lv. 1 ] [ Artless Dodger | Lv.2 ] [ Manassault | Lv. 1 ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Mana Shroud | Lv.4 ] [ Mana st | Lv.2 ] [ Quick Strike | Lv.1 ] [ Brawn | Lv.1 ] [ Great Rush | Lv.1 ] [] [ Advanced Evil Weaving | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Evil Production | Lv.8 ] [ Basic Evil Invasion | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Evil Sanction (Special) | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Light Production | Lv.1 ] [ Crude World Projection ] [] [ Pseudo Evil Veneration (1%) ] [] [ Luminant Seed (Dormant) ] [ Binds of Fukal ] [ Fruit of World Myths ] ¡ª- [] [ Evil Darkness ¨C B ] [ Just Light ] ~~~~ ¡°Hmmm¡­. right. Since I¡¯m level 7 now, I might as well work towards getting to level 10 so that I can finally see what the Luminant Seed can do. I hope it¡¯s something good,¡± Skullius thought as he perused over all his stats and skills. The more he thought about these, the more he realised how much he hadn¡¯t used his Prator form in such a long time, which was a bit disheartening but not anything to cry about. The Discount Human form was growing stronger and Skullius could see how in the near future, he would be able to enjoy using both his sides equally. When a sufficient amount of his mana regenerated, Skullius used [Luminant Healing] to heal up his flesh and changed his clothes. He was slowly developing a habit of being conscious about his appearance due to his surroundings. He decided to wait out the time, beginning to read the books he had in storage which really passed the time well. After another few hours, his mana was back to full and the Discount Human shifted from reading to spamming skills in order to level them up. While he could start learning about what [Evil Darkness] could now do, he put that off to the side for the time being. He also put off messing with all his ss skills for a bit. The reason for this was rted to what he had termed as his n for after clearing the Clusters. He intended to clear another few Clusters on his own and for that, he hoped to have more options than just his ss skills. He had quite the good amount of other skills that could be useful if he gave them more attention and his ss skills would probably only grow so much if he focused on them until sunrise. Time passed, with Skullius spamming and reading while also thinking about his other contingencies should his current n fail. He still found nothing else that he could rely on. On the bright side, by the time the sun was emerging from the horizon, Skullius had made some progress with some of his skills. [Mana Shroud] became [Mana Shield] which added a rather powerful and brightyer of protection over Skullius¡¯ body that exceed that of [Mana Shroud]. As far as he could remember, he barely felt [Man Shroud] protect him when he was assaulted by Yamogogofafa. [Mana st] be [Mana Force], which produced even more condensed bursts of mana. In reality, Skullius didn¡¯t know what he would use this skill for, but he would find out in the future. Finally, Skullius also managed to level up [Advanced Mana Maniption] which had been level 14. This had taken him the most time as he had reverted back to using the mana condensing technique. However, the Discount Human also added something else to the mix that provided a fun result. With his memories from the Sage Monkeys and how they developed their skills, Skullius managed to try new and different ways to manipte Mana which crazily levelled up the skill. In an unexpected twist, Skullius learned a skill called [Untouched], which used the same principle as [Indomitable Sage¡¯s Will] but was vastly weaker. He had to sp his hands together to activate the technique and use huge amounts of mana to negate damage. On top of this, Skullius naturally levelled up [Advanced Mana Maniption]. This was his first skill to evolve twice, bing [Elevated Mana Maniption] which enhanced his sensory range greatly and bolstered his ability to control mana at a level that exceeded [Advanced Mana Maniption]. The moment it evolved, Skullius felt his connection to mana greatly expand and trickles of ideas infiltrated his mind on how to use mana. Which was weird. Nheless, this raised him to an even greater league. Unfortunately, Skullius couldn¡¯t level up skills like [Great Rush], [Quick Strike] and [Brawn] because they required actualbat to effectively spam on top of arge amount of mana to evolve each of them. In training with these, Skullius noticed the major differences in his body post Enriching gem absorption. He was much faster and stronger than he thought. It wasn¡¯t just exciting visual aesthetics. His body truly felt like a weapon as it became lighter and more reactive. This was particrlypatible with [Great Rush]. Soon, it was time for his cosmetic flesh to take a temporary hike and for his dark blue bones to rise. Skullius pulled out the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation where his Apostle was housed and his four sockets zed with a light blue me. The Silentburn Levin on his bones crackled silently as he removed Red Rage from the armour and set him on the ground, watching the broken white core within his ribcage that had a golden glowing ¡®U¡¯ and ¡®T¡¯ symbol, start to fragment. ¡°Let¡¯s bring you back on your feet,¡± Skullius said to his bro. He quicklyy his hand on Red Rage and cast [Apostle Armament]. Though the requirement for the skill was steep, being 250 Mana Points and 2000 Null Life Essence points, Skullius had more than enough. The light of Null Life gushed from his body as Null Life Essence, unlike Mana, was an energy shared between his two forms. It engulfed the body of Red Rage in its entirety, swirling endlessly like a whirlpool, a presenceless energy bubbling around. Red Rage¡¯s body gained a bright glow that encased his figure brilliantly, raising him up to float a meter above ground. Skullius became hopeful at this, watching Red Rage¡¯s shattered figure in hopes of seeing it integrate again into its full form. ¡°Is it going to work?¡± Suddenly¡­ [The subject¡¯s core has been damaged. Unable to grant any skills] ¡°Damn it!¡± Skullius cursed in a hoarse voice. However, another notification appeared. [Subject¡¯s body is in a broken state. ¡®Apostle Armament¡¯ can repair the subject¡¯s body core and body provided a fee of 5000 Null Life Essence is paid] ¡°¡­.bro, that¡¯s a lot of Null Life Essence points. Argh! Fine, I can¡¯t put a price on my bro¡¯s life. Wait, what? Let¡¯s do this already!¡± Of the 6000 points he had, Skullius used 5000 into Apostle Armament, a profound change beginning to happen! Chapter 213 100 Favourability! A brighter light than the one that had emanated before raged all over Red Rage¡¯s body. Slowly, Skullius saw the Apostle¡¯s body start to get mended, a crunching sound acting as the background effect. Red Rage¡¯s core also started to get patched up, returning to its white spherical magnificence from its shattered state! Throughout all this, Skullius would have loved to smile, hiding the bleeding he felt at losing all those Null Life Essence Points, but he couldn¡¯t. Perhaps an emotionless skull face was not bad for this. While he had nned to use them for Red Rage¡¯s benefit, the Prator had hoped to have some spares left for other things. 1000 points would have to do for now. Until he went hunting for more that is. Soon, the brilliant re-like effects ended as Red Rage dropped to the ground, standing heroically as the sh of light died down. His silvery appearance was restored with his above average height paling inparison to Skullius¡¯ form. It was finally done. The Prator was right after all. [Apostle Armament] was the key. Unfortunately, Red Rage didn¡¯t receive a skill from [Apostle Armament]. ¡®That¡¯s unfair¡­¡¯ Skullius thought to himself. But then again, it seemed that the skill¡¯s formal effect had been sacrificed to revive Red Rage. ¡°This is the second time I¡¯ve had to revive you, bro. This can¡¯t keep happening. Well¡­. I guess truthfully, both times it wasn¡¯t exactly your fault but I hope you learnt a few things from this,¡± Skullius lectured. Red Rage first scratched his skull and then nodded. On top of this¡­ [Red Rage approves of your actions. +50 Favourability] ¡°Huh? 50?¡± Skullius was shocked. He had had more than 50 favourability points prior to this and now, he had a 100. Red Rage then bowed to Skullius, his golden glowing eyes facing his master reverently. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius understood Red Rage¡¯s intent instantly. The Apostle was thankful to Skullius for bringing him back.. ording to Red Rage, it was his own fault for not taking the opponent (Jackpot) seriously and he only had himself to me. ountability. A trait of a true hero. Skullius was impressed. It even seemed like Red Rage was being more respectful than before. With all this happening, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but recall what VOW bro had said about favourability. This was indeed different from undeath. Only his actions could attract the respect of his summons. As he pondered over this¡­ [A 100 points of favourability have been reached between you and your Apostle] [Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯ has made his first pledge of loyalty to you] [The following options are avable for your Apostle. You may choose one:] [-Skill Amalgamation | Tier 1] [-Rank Bestowal] ¡°Hmmm. So this really is a big deal huh? VOW bro did say that there would be boosts avable the higher the favourability, right? What can these do I wonder?¡± Skullius tapped to get more information. ~~~ [Skill Amalgamation] You are able tobine any two skills into a more powerful one regardless of their differences. ¡ª [Rank Bestowal] Bestow upon your Apostle a Rank. The effects of a Rank will be exposed after the Vehement Bone Nullmancer has 5 or more of the 10 Apostles they are allowed to summon. ~~~ ¡°WAIT! Am I seeing this right?!¡± Skullius bellowed as his eyes immediately rushed over to the [Rank Bestowal]. ¡°10 Apostles! I can only have 10 Apostles?! Why wasn¡¯t I ever told this?!¡± Skullius clutched his head. A few things started to make sense in his head a he thought about this. It just made sense. No wonder [Apostle Summon] just seemed like a skill that wouldn¡¯t budge in terms of levels. No wonder there were so many aspects of his ss that pointed towards quality more than quantity. This was insane! It also meant that Skullius couldn¡¯t be reckless when summoning his Apostles. He didn¡¯t know if he could unsummon them or not but still¡­ He was gravely limited in terms of quantity. ¡°Hmmm¡­ well, I guess it really is different from what I thought,¡± said Skullius as he once again re-read the two options while releasing his disappointment. ¡°If a Rank is only useful when I have five Apostles then flesh that! I¡¯m still quite far from getting that much. I¡¯ll choose [Skill Amalgamation].¡± [You have chosen ¡®Skill Amalgamation¡¯. Please choose two skills tobine from Apostle ¡®Red Rage¡¯s arsenal] ¡ª [ Skills ] [ Null Life Aura | Lv. 2 ] [ Storming Charge | Lv. 1 ] [ Dead End | Lv. 1 ] [ sh Throw | Lv. 2 ] [ Swift Stab | Lv. 1 ] [ Dash in Dust | Lv. 2 ] [ Climb | Lv. 1 ] [ Basic Bow Mastery | Lv.3 ] [ River Dance Technique | Lv.5 ] [ Solid Punch | Lv. 8 ] [ Weaver | Lv. 6 ] [ Mana Shroud | Lv. 2 ] [ Basic Mana Maniption | Lv. 5 ] [ Blessing of Serenity ] [ Tusks of Justice | Lv.1 ] [ Brilliant Boar Bnce Buckler | Lv.1 ] [ Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire | Lv.1 ] [ Hero¡¯s Fist | Lv.1 ] [ Hero¡¯s Hero | Lv.1 ] [ Tempered Armament of the Hegemon| Lv.1 ] [ Tempered Ascension| Lv.1 ] [ Forged Steel Bones| Lv.1 ] [ Glorious Rebirth of the Berserk Hegemon | Lv.1 ] ~~~ ¡°Hmmm¡­.the only options I think are worthwhile are probably from the ss and race. Oh¡­. hold up! Where the hell did all those skillse from, Red bro?!¡± Skullius pointed to the skills that had popped up which he had never seen before. [River Dance Technique]? Wasn¡¯t that Shirota¡¯s sword technique?! [Mana Shroud], [Basic Mana Maniption], what the flesh? ¡°How did you get all these?¡± Red Rage happily exined through his link with Skullius. The Prator was dumbfounded. All those times that he left his Apostle to his own, the bastard had been mastering these skills. Furthermore, that wasn¡¯t all. ording to Red Rage, he had used Null Life Essence to see through Skullius¡¯ eyes when he was training with Oliviana or learning new skills even while hidden in the spatial storage ring! This bro could manipte Null Life Essence! Apparently, he had learnt it out of desperation. Doing nothing had caused him to evolve while in the ring. ¡°That blessing of yours. I need to have a chat with Serenity about this on my next evolution. And with you too. I was just thinking about how to manipte Null Life Essence.¡± Tch! Honestly! The Prator shook his head and then turned back his attention to the current matter. Skullius read through the descriptions of all the skills and made his two choices quite easily. He turned to Red Rage who looked at him with confusion and emitted augh. ¡°Let¡¯s make you the strongest Pelvis Boar-Man!¡± The guidance field immediately responded to Skullius¡¯ intent as two chances were used to make the Pelvis Boar-Man the strongest he could be at the moment. ~~~ [¡®Tempered Armament of the Hegemon¡¯ has beenbined with ¡®Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire¡¯] [¡­] [The skill ¡®Incandescent Attire of The Omnipotent Pelvis Hegemon¡¯ has been born!] ¡ª [¡®Hero¡¯s Hero¡¯ has beenbined with ¡®Glorious Rebirth of the Berserk Hegemon¡¯] [¡­] [The skill ¡®Berserk Guardian of Golden Legends¡¯ (Special), has been born!] ~~~ ¡°Oh¡­ there¡¯s a Special Skill?¡± Skullius muttered as he stroked his chin. He had not expected such a development but it was wee nheless. He read through the descriptions of the two skills and grinned to himself. [Skill Amalgamation] was very intriguing. Surely Red Rage was about to get vastly more powerful. At least with the first skill. As for the second¡­ ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to find a way to grant you a blue core. Speaking of which¡­¡± Skullius immediately remembered. Perhaps it was time to find out what a particr skill could do for him. The skill [Depths of Core]! Chapter 214 Can I Get A Blue Core, Please? [Depths of the Core | Lv.2] To attain great strength, one must understand their own source of power. The core. The more one understands the more they can evolve their strength from the standard to the elite boundary where very few reside. When this skill is used, the user can alter their core in the direction they want. Mana Requirements: 500 Mana Points Duration: 1 minute Cooldown: 100 days ~~~ Skullius had more than enough mana to cast this skill but what caused him some hesitation was the fact it had a 100 day cool down. That was a very long time. Was the skill able to grant him a blue core in one use though. Skullius didn¡¯t know. It¡¯s description was more hype than detail. It was too vague. But the Prator knew he had to try this ss specific skill now and at least get to know what it could do. 1 minute. That was the entire duration of the skill and he had make it count¡­somehow. ¡°Alright, here goes. You¡¯ve had your share of benefits. Now let¡¯s see what I can get,¡± Skullius said to Red Rage as he activated [Depths of the Core].. His vision dove deep within him at an incredible speed, hastening towards arge white object which emitted a bright white light. OOOOM! ¡®Interesting,¡¯ Skullius thought as he gazed at his own core which lit up an unknown space where it seemed to reside on its lonesome. As he looked at it closely, he saw channels leading in and out of it, carrying a white stream of energy. Mana! These channels were like ss tubes that ran from within the core, looking like blue coloured lines when they were within the sphere and assuming the aforementioned appearance when outside of it. There were endlessworks of these lines within therge spherical core, Skullius finding this arrangement familiar. ¡®It kind of looks like how the internal structure of objects I try to extract skills from looks¡­ Hmmm¡­¡¯ Skullius felt attracted to the thin blue lines, sinking his sight into the core where he seamlessly entered without restriction. 1 minute. His time was limited so he had to make the most out of this time. For convenience¡¯s sake, a prompt appeared in his vision, showing the time he had left. As he delved within, Skullius saw the bunch ofworks he had seen explode in size, bing more vivid in their appearance. One thing that Skullius noticed was how theseworks never joined together. In fact, it seemed like they were making an effort to not meet, which was strange. ¡®What if I try to join these blue lines? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence that they have the same colour as the next core level. Maybe if I can join all of them, I can attain a blue core. But¡­¡¯ The sheer quantity of these lines are insane. They looked to be thousands of them and surely the task to join them all would be incredibly arduous! Still though, Skullius decided to give it a try. With 50 seconds left on the clock, the Prator rushed up to one of the blue lines. He focused on it and tried to make it move by exerting his will, as he did when extracting skills from objects. The blue line began to sway this way and that as per his will, which made Skullius a bit more confident in this endeavour of his. ¡®Okay then. Now let¡¯s try¡­¡¯ Skullius pulled the line towards another blue line which was at the side and¡­ ¡­! ¡®I knew it!¡¯ The blue line he held refused to touch the other one! Its end began to resist furiously and it took much of Skullius¡¯ focus to even maintain his hold over the it! But still, the Prator refused to be beaten by a mere line. A simplistic construct whose entire existence depended on thousands of others like itself to give it any semnce of meaning! Was that rude? Maybe. Skullius pulled the line with all his might, particrly its end which still resisted but ultimately touched on the body of another blue line! The moment this urred¡­ GOOOONG! A loud noise rang throughout the entire core with a slight quake! Skullius was bewildered. Did he do something wrong? The answer to this question was revealed when he turned to the lines that had touched each other. A seamless connection had been made at the point of contact, a surge of energy moving from one blue line to the next! No! This was definitely correct. Skullius thoughts were pinpoint. He had to connect the blue lines, regardless of the immense difficulty attached to the task. The Prator began to focus on the objective, connecting all the lines he could by exerting immense amounts of strength despite how much the lines struggled. Why did these lines resist? Was it just to make his life difficult? Or was it a fundamental mechanism in all things that restricted their elevation to higher levels as a way to make them put in more effort and evolve. Perhaps. Skullius watched the timer reach thest five seconds when he had barely connected three dozen lines together with each time producing a loud thrum that caused a change which was unknown to him. Then¡­ As Skullius had just finished linking another blue line to one other, he felt his vision forcefully being pulled away, his image flying from within his core. When he exited, he saw his spherical core again, noticing a subtle change about. It was several shades brighter, with its size reducing somewhat. Maybe that was just because he kept being pulled away from it, creating the visual illusion of reduction in its size. ¡®Did I aplish something?¡¯ Skullius asked himself sceptically. He had hoped to see at least hints of blue but that didn¡¯t seem to be a possibility. The reason was, cores only had absolute colours when one was ascending. Dual colour effects only applied in special circumstances like the monstrous guardians within the Labyrinth of the Yoke. Skullius found himself looking at Red Rage back in the outside world. [Depths of Core] had timed out. ¡°Hmmm I can¡¯t tell if there is a change or not,¡± Skullius said. One thing was for sure though, he didn¡¯t have a blue core yet. It was rather disappointing. So to get one, he had go through the task of joining all those blue lines? That seemed to be the only valid exnation. ¡°That¡¯s too hard to do in one minute. Gah! The skill is on cooldown now!¡± Skullius frustratedly groaned. It seemed the only possible way forward with this skill was to level it up. Perhaps there would be a more optimistic change then. Or¡­ ¡°I guess I could ask look into how the mercenaries get their blue cores. The books didn¡¯t mention how to. At least the ones I¡¯ve read. I¡¯ll have to find socketholes worth asking. Would Frock know?¡± Skullius unconsciously sighed but nothing came out in this form of his. Since this turned out to be a long term thing, the Prator once again shifted his focus towards another goal. ¡®I n to focus entirely on my lessons with Oliviana in Inhone City while I wait for [Demion¡¯s Dance] to be repaired. I won¡¯t be clearing Clusters within that time. So¡­¡¯ ¡°Red bro. I¡¯vee to a decision,¡± Skullius said, jolting the Pelvis Boar-Man up. ¡°We¡¯ll hunt some Clusters together for a few hours before going back to the city. We should be able to find some.Before that¡­ let¡¯s get some levels. Enough stocking up experience!¡± Chapter 215 A Kind Invitation ¡°Well¡­ that wasn¡¯t as epic as I expected it to be¡­¡± Skullius said as he walked towards the gates of Inhone City. The sun was already high up, beating against him like a heavyweight champion in the sky and yet, he didn¡¯t feel himself getting the annoying heavy sensation from its heat. His Discount Human form was way stronger now and he couldn¡¯t help but be more thankful as he discovered more and more about just how much had lost some of his previous shorings. Right after making the fancy deration on levelling up himself and Red Rage, Skullius had¡­ immediately done so. He had decided that withholding experience wasn¡¯t productive. Even though the amount he had wasn¡¯t nearly enough to level him up as much as he wanted because of the 3x multiplier on the experience required, he would at least salvage the levels he could for himself and Red bro. At that moment, Skullius had roughly 15,000,000 Exp. While this seemed like a huge figure, the Discount Human couldn¡¯t help but grumble. It was far from enough to get him much. From the remnants of experience that were left after he killed thest members of the Ideal Ark except Benzard, finishing off the Cursed Knight, the Gremlins, Jackpot, the mercenary he killed before getting to Inhone, the 8 Capital Knights he killed in the library and the Cluster Beasts he had killed on his party up with Sty, Fore and Bron, this figure could only be this much. Skullius left 2,500,000 in reserve for his Discount Human form and the potential speedy summon he wished to get when he found the suitable candidate. The start up experience for Tier 1 was 2,000,000 Exp to get to Level 2 which Skullius gave up along with another 6,000,000 to get to Level 3. He used what was left to boost Red Rage a level, wonderingter if having a different coloured core eliminated the problem of having such inted experience point requirements. Right after levelling, Skullius and Red Rage both decked in full armour, with the Prator giving his Apostle the armour he had requested from Frock along with all the weapons he had bought to the prodigious underling, had searched and found three white Clusters which they absolutely demolished.. Skullius kept upgrading the equipment he had given Red Rage with [Unbound], using the Null Life Essence points they had reaped until the Apostle was became an ideal fighting force with a mastery of many weaponry at the level of to . The use of the new skills and weapons by Red Rage had heavily pleased Skullius, making his socket mes re furiously in excitement. ¡°Kek¡­ now you look more like an Apostle¡­¡± Skullius had said. The Discount Human sighed as he recalled those moments a few hours ago. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t fought strong monsters as he had hoped, as with his Prator form he was confident that he could deal with creatures at the level of Guddhar easily. Now he had to go back to being tactical and mingle with the humans to get more knowledge as he entered the city again. Such a bother. During his decimation of Cluster beasts, he had also been visited by the ever present Doom Factor 1 which required its due and this time, he had given it enough mana for 3 days as he had enough of that as the tall skeleton. Another problem off his back for now. Skullius approached the gates and though he didn¡¯t notice it, he gained quite a lot of looks from the men and women who stood in the line to get into Inhone. Particrly the women. As he donned his linen white shirt which entuated his new toned and muscr upper torso, the shiny, dark brown leather pants that outlined his sturdy legs along with a pair of ck shoes covering his lower body, a few women smiled and couldn¡¯t stop staring at this line-cutter. On top of that, there was also the multiple Conqueror¡¯s Halos around Skullius that made many gulp and even apud at him for seeing as he was alone, manymonfolk were led to believe that he had single-handedly cleared multiple Clusters. Which he had done. Skullius walked up to the front where he met with the same Capital Knight he had seen on the first day he hade to the city. When the man saw him, he visibly frowned and inquired in a slightly gruff yet respectful tone. ¡°Are you a mercenary, sir?¡± The Knight wouldn¡¯t disrespect any personage that held a Conqueror¡¯s Halo but he did despise those that were full of themselves as a result of it. The dashing young man before him didn¡¯t have anything on him that would tie him as a mercenary so he had to verify as Conqueror¡¯s Halos alone weren¡¯t truly an indicator. Skullius took out his identification from the spatial storage ring and shed it at the Knight who inspected it. The Discount Human didn¡¯t believe that as a mercenary he would have to wait in this line also to get into the city, which is why he had cut it. The aspect about the privileges of being a mercenary that he was most interested in however,id in the fact that he would automatically gain citizenship. He hoped to get that settled soon. The Capital Knight nodded at Skullius, his expression loosening a bit. ¡°Thank you for your service,¡± he said in a neutral tone, allowing Skullius entry. The Discount passed and immediately began walking towards the Guilds Association. His first order of business was to verify with the Association that he had cleared a Cluster, as he had taken the head of the bee Cluster General he had obliterated on his own as proof. Luckily it hadn¡¯t been turned to ash. Also, he hoped to get some information about how to get a blue core. On his way, it was the same as when he had been at the gates. Women gave him prolonged nces with some even making an effort to call to him. This made Skullius ufortable, for he did not what they wanted. He hurried to the Guilds Association building where he found many mercenaries with and without Conqueror¡¯s Halos rushing in and out. The Discount Human hurried over to one of the long lines where mercenaries were delivering their evidence to get money and record that they had cleared the Cluster they had epted the request for. ¡®I guess there¡¯s still that many Clusters around. So many mercenaries¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked around. The line moved pretty fast, with Skullius¡¯ turn reaching pretty fast. He took out the bee¡¯s head which was almost asrge as his upper torso and gave it to the woman who sat behind the counter. The woman quickly stored it in a fancy spatial storage ring which was leagues above his own. The woman then asked for Skullius¡¯ identification which he gave and when she saw it, she cocked her head back and looked back at him. ¡°Y..you¡¯re the new Mage?¡± she asked in a rather loud voice that attracted the attention of the many mercenaries that heard. All eyes turned to Skullius who face palmed and squeezed a response through his teeth. ¡°Yes¡­¡± The woman bit her lips as she flushed with excitement. ¡®The hell?¡¯ Skullius was visibly concerned with this. ¡®Should I run?¡¯ He felt the many presences of mercenaries stare at him as those who hadn¡¯t been here to witness his induction took in his figure. ¡°Heh¡­ so that¡¯s the Mage? He doesn¡¯t look like much. Just a pretty boy with no experience if you ask me! So what if he cleared multiple Clusters? Any one of us can do it.¡± ¡°He seems to be pretty weak at the moment. Strange. I thought you had to have at least a blue core to qualify for the Academies? He¡¯s pretty handsome though, that¡¯s a plus.¡± ¡°Ah~. Come on, loosen up guys. We have one more Mage in the Association! That paired with those two from the Ideal Ark and we¡¯ll be a force to be reckoned with!¡± Differing opinions were heard around the Association building and soon, many began to approach the Discount Human who stared daggers at the woman behind the counter. Now he had to deal with this. Skullius was about to make a run for it and returnter when a thunderous presence stormed the Guilds Association Hall! Everyone immediately quieted down as the heavy nk of armour sounded, approaching the counter where Skullius was being showered with opinions. Six men donning dark armours with their faces showing some rather edgy details appeared. At the forefront was a tall man whose body radiated overwhelming power, his eyes that shot towards Skullius bearing a heavy weight to them. Skullius met the man¡¯s gaze and frowned. Soon, there was barely a meter¡¯s distance between Skullius and these men who were from the third strongest Guild in Inhone. The EdgeKings Guild. The man who led this group opened his mouth and inquired in a rather masculine voice. ¡°So you¡¯re the Mage I¡¯ve heard about?¡± Skullius didn¡¯t reply, narrowing his eyes as he wondered what was about to happen. ¡°Hmph! I suppose there¡¯s no need to question it with all the attention you¡¯ve drawn,¡± the man said. ¡®Obviously,¡¯ Skullius thought. The man then wore a harsh make of a face and spoke in a domineering tone. ¡°Join my Guild or you¡¯ll be sorry!¡± Chapter 216 Follow Me, Festos ¡°Huh?!¡± Skullius raised a brow. Was this a threat? Was this bastard seriously trying to threaten him into joining his Guild? The tension immediately grew as many drew back from the confrontation. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Skullius voiced towards the man who had just casually given him a hostile invite. Many gasps resounded within the hall as many were shocked. Even though Skullius was a Mage, many knew that he wasn¡¯t high up because of his white core which was a weird circumstance. His ranking which had started as a rumour a day ago had spread like wildfire, making the other mercenaries see him as a me to be raised and not a powerhouse as of yet. So seeing him confront Jarek, the leader of the EdgeKings like this was rather shocking. Jac popped from his usual corner and smiled slyly while watching Skullius confront Jarek. He was surprised at Skullius¡¯ different appearance at first but was torn from its handsomeness by the current urrence. ¡®This kid sure has some balls,¡¯ he thought. He too knew that Skullius wasn¡¯t someone who could be counted as a game-changing piece like true mages yet. The multiple halos around him were probably from him being carried by Sty¡¯s team. Jarek narrowed his hazel eyes as his body began fuming with jagged wisps of mana. ¡°I said, join my Guild or you¡¯ll be sorry. I thought Mages were supposed to be sensitive to everything,¡± Jarek said.. ¡°Hey! Where else are you going to go? You going to join those Ravend pansies or us, the manliest Guild of them all?!¡± another one of the EdgeKings Guild members said while pointing at Skullius. The Discount Human tilted his head. He had nned before to visit Tulnas and see what he could get from the Harem Guild a few days ago. He didn¡¯t n on going back on his word. Tulnas had supposedly seen something interesting about him, asking him to join way before he announced himself as a Mage and he wanted to know what it was that attracted him. Perhaps he could even milk the situation. That pun would have worked if Skullius had a semnce of understanding towards jokes. ¡°What do I get if I join?¡± Skullius asked, trying to see what these guys would offer despite their rude and tactless invitation. Perhaps he could get some good stuff. ¡°We¡¯re arge Guild with over forty members, an entire portion of the region under our jurisdiction and a formal Guild residence within the city. What do you think we can offer?¡± Jarek replied in a proud tone. Skullius did not like this response. This man was a god-tier sockethole! He was way too prideful. ¡°Then I refuse,¡± Skullius replied while waving his hands and turning away to gaze back at the shocked woman at the counter. Jarek¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t so much as flicker from being rejected. However, the young man by his side who was known for always taking things too far both verbally and physically fumed at the Discount Human¡¯s response! He gnashed his teeth with glowing red eyes and barked as he suddenly stepped forward. ¡°You little bastard! You dare dismiss us like some petty fools!¡± The young man lunged at Skullius, his light blue core churning mana as he didn¡¯t intend to actually harm Skullius but to grab his shoulder and make him kneel. To cripple his hubris so to speak. Jarek didn¡¯t intervene. He merely watched attentively. Skullius wasn¡¯t oblivious to the iing threat. His gaze turned cold as [Elevated Mana Maniption] let him see and sense every major shift in mana within a vast distance. He knew everything that was happening within the hall and such an obvious attack didn¡¯t escape his sense. ¡®Seriously? I thought calling myself a Mage would bring me more benefits,¡¯ Skullius thought before taking action. ¡®Subtle¡¯ action. With [Elevated Mana Maniption] overseeing his next moves, Skullius seamlessly activated [Mana Shield] and [Mana Force], his body suddenly being covered in a burst of white light! The activation was so quick that Jarek narrowed his eyes in mild surprise. The young man who had lunged at Skullius saw a bright sh of white where Skullius¡¯ back had been and in the moment where he was dazed and shocked by this¡­ BAM! A tremendous force knocked against his dark armour and sent his flying over the heads of the mercenaries in the hall! He soared andnded thirty meters away at the entrance of the Guilds Association Building, rolling to stop with the chest te of his armour emitting light steam! ¡­. Silence. Skullius¡¯ body lost its luminance as the details of his figure were revealed once more, his right hand being outstretched from his previous action. His silvery eyes gazed at the man he had just sted away when heunched a punch supported by [Quick Strike], [Brawn] and [Great Rush] while being fuelled by [Mana Force], revealing an arrogant lustre. In reality though, Skullius had known this man wouldn¡¯t do anything excessive but that was it. He used that to his advantage. He did exactly to the young man what he had sought to do to him. Jac guffawed silently in his corner while everyone else was still in a daze. Skullius turned to the woman behind the desk. ¡°Can I get my money now?¡± The woman fumbled over herself and tried to calm her shocked mind under Skullius¡¯ gaze. She had felt the immense surge of power that was released in that single moment when Skullius had attacked even as someone without training and she was awed, as was every mercenary who didn¡¯t have as good of a mastery over mana like Skullius. She immediately calcted the amount and gave Skullius a bag full of coins. ¡°Interesting,¡± said Jarek as he walked closer to Skullius. ¡°Such a fine control of mana. Now I¡¯m more motivated to take you for myself.¡± At that moment, everyone ignored the actually unharmed figure of the young man who had flown to the doors, rising up with his face red with fury and turned to Jarek. Skullius turned to therge man with a deeper frown than before. ¡°I just made it clear. I don¡¯t want to join your Guild,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s true. But I won¡¯t let you go so easily. We¡¯re men. We don¡¯t deal in verbal exchanges to determine the answer. How about a challenge? A reasonable one. The winner gets to ask what they want from the loser,¡± Jarek said in his dominant tone of voice. Skullius couldn¡¯t believe this. Even with his crude understanding of human custom and norms, he knew that public challenges were a big deal. Even though he had saved his public image by sending that young man flying despite the differences in their core, a challenge had been called for by Jarek, who was wearing a light smile, on his lips written the words ¡®I got you now, bitch¡¯. Skullius recalled that there was something simr in Deadmand too. It was frowned upon to resist a challenge, unless you were facing against an undead with [Boneman of Steel] that is. The Undead captains would evene to watch the challenges while monitoring to prevent circumstances where the challengers went overboard by saying the ¡®f¡¯ word to others. Skullius was about to reply when an unexpected turn pushed itself into the mix. ¡°My, my. I wish my old bones still had enough of a fire for such thrill,¡± an aged voiced echoed throughout the hall as a certain old man donningvish robes walked in from one of the many Association buildings¡¯ secret doors whose arrangement none of the mercenaries were privy to. His appearance with his close set red eyes scouring through the hall made everyone subconsciously give a low bow. This man was not a minor yer. Jarek frowned and so did Skullius. ¡®This guy again!¡¯ he cursed. It was the same old man who had interrogated him about the fire at the library along with that woman who never smiled. The old man gave a friendly smile as he gazed at Skullius, then at Jarek. ¡°Pardon my intrusion, but can I borrow this young man for a bit?¡± he ¡®asked¡¯ Jarek. The EdgeKings Guild leader shook his head while hiding his frustration. He would probably not get this chance again any time soon. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Good, good,¡± the old man said and then turned to Skullius. ¡°Follow me, Festos.¡± Chapter 217 An Audience With Authorities The old man walked a distance and the Discount Human followed until he saw the man stop. Skullius felt tense. Incredibly tense. The old man turned and smiled at him, emitting a calm yet deadly presence. Mana flowed in a serene wave around his body, a subtle heat blowing in it as it swirled. In this serene wave of mana, Skullius felt like there were hundreds of thousands of angry and crazy powerful beasts swimming within. Was it merely the feeling his mana gave or was it real? He couldn¡¯t tell and neither could he entertain such a thought for long. His [Elevated Mana Maniption] allowed him to notice these details that hadn¡¯t been present when he had met this man before. Perhaps the man had wanted to present a less intimidating image that time. ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯d rather not go through the trouble of walking down some stairs again. The one who rushed to tell me of your return was not as subtle as I¡¯d hoped,¡± Terian said, his words not making sense for Skullius. ¡®So¡­ what do you want me to do?¡¯ the Discount Human thought.. As the old man whose name was Terian, looked at Skullius, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was the same person he had seen just two days ago. It was impolite to point it out but such a contrast was incredibly daunting. The crowds in the hall all remained silent as they watched the two, Jarek¡¯s never leaving the interaction. The old man extended his hand to Skullius and the Discount Human figured that Terian wanted him to grab it, and so he did. The moment his hand fell into the crusty yet warm hand of the old man, Skullius felt like he had fallen into a deep void! His vision darkened for but a moment and in the next, he found himself in arge, well furnished room where two men sat while one woman stood. It took a few seconds for Skullius to clearly grasped what had happened. ¡®The hell?¡¯ Wasn¡¯t he just in the hall? How did he get here?! Was it teleportation?! Skullius focused and saw the images around him get clearer. Terian was standing beside him, grasping his hand and he quickly withdrew it. ¡°I apologise for the sudden transit but an audience to clear up the situation with you is required,¡± said Terian as he then extended his hand, respectfully presenting the two men who sat down. ¡°Don¡¯t be so tense, Festos. We just want to speak to you. Be at ease,¡± Silrat said with a casual smile that didn¡¯t make Skullius feel at ease at all. Erkus merely nodded with a light in his eyes that heavy suggested authority. Dami gave Skullius a harsh look as if she had already deemed him as the culprit responsible for the inexplicable fire at the College of the Esteemed which gave the Discount Human a hard time when it came to settling in this ce that had some high authority figures. ¡°Please, sit,¡± said Terian as he pointed to a chair that was opposite Erkus and Silrat. ¡®Alright. Calm down you sockethole and do as they say,¡¯ Skullius thought to himself. He walked over and sat down at the chair he had been assigned while trying to withstand the gaze of Dami. Why was he here? Was it because of the library incident? Skullius knew he hadn¡¯t tended to that matter exceedingly well but to think that it would return to bite him so soon was¡­ kind of unexpected. ¡®If it¡¯s really about that¡­ I should have thought it through well enough¡­¡¯ he thought. Dealing with humans was always going to be different from dealing with Moronic Undead, unfortunately. This circumstance was already starting to make him feel like it was him, against the world. A lump of saliva squirmed in Skullius¡¯ throat. He was wearing his spatial ring right now. What if he was thoroughly investigated and Red Rage, whom he had decided to hide in the ring when he was in the city was found?! Or worse yet, if the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation was found?! Would he really escape this in the same way he had done back in Eofel? ¡°Festos. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Silrat. I am the Head of the Guilds Association in Inhone City and this is the City Lord, Erkus Savont. I know you¡¯re fairly new here but we have been looking forward to meet with you. In fact, Erkus and I were having a debate over who would get to speak to you first the other day but it seems none of us will be winning that bet, haha,¡± Silrat said with a gentle smile. Skullius merely smiled back sheepishly as he simply couldn¡¯t rx before he knew what the status on his safety was. Erkus cut in upon seeing Skullius¡¯ still tense expression. ¡°It would seem that you still feel pressured by our presence. That much I can understand. Well, to cut to the chase, we¡¯d like to start by saying we appreciate your presence as a Mage in Inhone City. There¡¯s a severeck of Energy Formers among our forces and seeing an addition like you, whichever side you choose to join is a wee benefit. Please, ept our wee into the great folds of power in the system.¡± Skullius nodded, not knowing what to say in this situation. Erkus had an undisguised and distinguished air about him that made it easier for Skullius to associate with,pared to Silrat whose presence was like that of a snake. Silrat kept eyeing the multiple dull Halos around him with a slight smile that gave Skullius¡¯ cosmetic flesh the chills. ¡°Naturally, if it was only that much, we would have met you on different asions but there is a pressing matter that we would like you to shed some light on for us,¡± Erkus said with a gentle voice as he leaned in from his seat. ¡®There it is!¡¯ Skullius tensed up. ¡°Alright,¡± Skullius said. ¡°I believe you have already had this conversation with Terian and Dami over here and they have made efforts to verify your ount. Your current teacher, Oliviana Highdirk attested to the fact that what you imed was true and we verified your enrolment into the College of Battle Arts. Basically, we do not doubt your words.¡± ¡°However, what we intend to do now is to verify if there wasn¡¯t anything we missed. Perhaps by using you, as the sole survivor of the incident who was there when allter events urred, we can see glimpses into what happened that day through Dami¡¯s special abilities.¡± ¡®The bloody flesh are you saying here, bro?¡¯ Skullius questioned but didn¡¯t show any of his emotions on his face. ¡°We will her peak into the past using you as an anchor to search for the oddity that has escaped our grasp. In the worst case scenario, it may be a powerful enemy,¡± Erkus stressed as Dami walked forward with her gaze not leaving Skullius. ¡®Jeez¡­¡¯ Skullius grumbled as he saw the unveiled suspicion in the woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°This won¡¯t take long. If you¡¯re not guilty, you have nothing to worry about,¡± Dami said as she reached out her hand towards Skullius. In all honestly, the Discount Human was extremely stressed. Because he was GUILTY! Naturally, he was the suspect and the inciter of the incident. How was he going to get out of this?! Was there no break for his character?! Chapter 218 Divining On The Discount Human Divining. This was a technique only avable to Diviners, individuals that hailed from the Energy Forming category of sses. Generally, Energy Forming referred to the ability to freely harness energies in order to not only wield it, but to listen and gain information from it,municate with it and to derive its origin. Form and Arma Users mainly dealt with application and thus their use of energies was more superficial whenpared to the intense and in-depth quality of utilisation that came with Energy Forming. This wasn¡¯t enough to shed more light on Energy Forming still. Divining usually started with requiring contact with specific items to gain any semnce of a trace of history or in higher level circumstances, the future. One would either taste, feel, see or hear details of what they were trying to divine. For most when starting, it wasn¡¯t a choice as whatever they managed to grasp, they held onto. As Diviners grew, they could more easily search for what they wanted, though contact with something that referred them to the time and ce they required was also needed. It was only when one transcended arge gulf that they would graduate from this and begin to appreciate Divining at a level where they no longer needed toe into contact with anything to divine. Dami was at a sufficiently high stage of Divining as she could freely choose which sense she wished to connect to when divining however, she preferred to experience everything through sight, with the other senses being outside of herfort zone.. Back at the College of the Esteemed, Dami had used the heated air around the library to try and get the overview of what had happened as it seemed that a fire type spell had been used. This was also her way of trying to transcend using objects as conduits for her Divining. However, she had found nothing. Everything kept turning dark after a certain point in the chaotic scenes she saw. She had then tried to use the building, the burnt ground and even some of the people who had been there at the scene as well as the corpse of the Knight who had ¡®saved¡¯ Skullius, but all to no avail. The result was the same. Now, however, it was different. At least she hoped so. She had the permission to touch Skullius and use him to find out what really went on. The reason such a thing required permission was because it could be¡­ ufortable for the victim of Divining. Damiid her thumb on Skullius¡¯ forehead and took a deep breath. She was really curious to find out. Perhaps her persistence on the matter was just an annoyance that would turn out to be unfounded. Even Terian doubted if there was anything useful they could find on Skullius which made her incredibly angry. ¡®Senile fool!¡¯ she thought. At the same time, Skullius was sweating internally. This was it. This could be the thing that did the thing that ended up with the thing he didn¡¯t want! And what bigger of a thing did he see other death and worse yet, meeting his half-maker again. Somanda. ¡®Should I try to lie? No! That would probably not work. They intend on doing this wierd thing to me either way!¡¯ Skullius didn¡¯t know what Divining was exactly, but he could kind of get what Erkus had said. All he knew was, some mysteries about him were about to be revealed, which he didn¡¯t like at all. That was extremely dangerous! ¡®Damn it! How much will she be able to find out?! Will she see that I¡¯m actually a skeleton with fake flesh?! Will she see what I¡¯ve been up to since yesterday? Or since I got here?! No! That can¡¯t happen! Should I use [Basic Evil Invasion]?!¡¯ Skullius thought, his eyes darting towards Terian whose eyes were shing down at him like a tower light, devoid of the same using glint as Dami¡¯s but vividly paying attention. The term Mage to Skullius was unrecognisable when he first came to Aigas, but with some rification from Frock, Skullius had gotten to know of a likely substitute that he was familiar with. Spell caster. Back in Deadmand, Somanda had many spellcasting undead at the level of Death Knights or higher under hismand and since he figured that these were pretty simr to Mages, he had managed to understand what a Mage was capable of. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ And he didn¡¯t like it. This guy, Terian, could probably tell if and when he used a skill, which would just make Skullius appear more suspicious. Furthermore, everyone in here had a blue core with the exception of the City Lord. On top of this, Dami and Terian¡¯s cores shone like mini suns, ring with an intensity of elites. This wasn¡¯t a situation he could escape from. ¡®The only card left for me to y now is probably to just try to exin whatever this woman sees, right? The great story-teller Skullius can easily swindle anyone with words right?!¡¯ Skullius didn¡¯t believe his own words. Mana surged from Dami as she activated her Divining. Her eyes turned white as she peeked into the past, her vision travelling through the folds of restrictions that stood protectively around sounds and sights of what had already passed. Skullius waited anxiously, beginning to feel like something was being rattled within him. He began to sweat and it seemed like his body was being heated and shaken up by an unknown force. Everything he experienced didn¡¯t extend beyond that though, but it was definitely not something one would befortable experiencing. Skullius could partly ignore much of it as he couldn¡¯t feel what dealt on his body, but some of it seemed to rattle even his soul! He peeked at Dami¡¯s face and saw her frowning and tossing her head this way and that. She seemed to be having difficulties navigating and searching for what she wanted to find. Skullius didn¡¯t know whether or not to celebrate. For the time being, he could only rejoice at seeing Dami seemingly not find anything. Would his fortuneing in clutch? Dami frowned deeper and deeper as she looked in until she finally reeled in shock, backing away hurriedly from Skullius! She gazed at him with wide eyes which caused the Discount Human to want to bet it all on one move that could possibly let him escape! Mana was beginning to churn in his core. Terian, Erkus and Silrat narrowed their eyes and paid attention to Dami. They didn¡¯t immediately go hostile on Skullius as they weren¡¯t sure what Dami had seen. The woman with short, blonde hair turned pale. ¡°You¡­. what in the world are you?!¡± Chapter 219 A Mages Display Dami¡¯s words caused a wave of both confusion and apprehension in the room. They could mean anything. Terian was the most confused. As per his thoughts, this could only go either of two ways. Either Skullius was guilty, in which cause Dami would be ted and spend the rest of her days rubbing it in his aged face, a possibility that he genuinely hoped to not be true. Or, Skullius could be innocent, in which case Dami would just sulk to herself and watch Silrat and Erkus gush over Skullius¡¯ ss while brushing off her instinctual observation. With that in mind, what was with this excessive reaction? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked Dami who shot him a nce, seemingly not yet recovered from what she had seen. The middle aged woman then blurted as she pointed at Skullius, ¡°He did it! He¡¯s the one who caused the incident, but¡­¡± Skullius¡¯ silvery irises shrunk as he reflexively tried to activate a skill! Unfortunately for the Discount Human, while this action was still in the form of a thought in his small head, a zing circle of orange fire roared from the tiled floor and surrounded him and his seat, illuminating the entire room with sunny light! From the gushing mes, a massive creature, its entire build being one of the scorching orange element emerged and clenched its jaw hard at Skullius who was still seated, yet to even act!. Only the creature¡¯s head had appeared from under Skullius, its image being something that utterly terrified the Discount Human! It was a shark! When the rows of zing teeth bit Skullius from both sides, the Discount Human did not see himself take damage as he had expected! Instead, he saw mes flicker over his entire being like resplendent vortices and with this effect applied, he could no longer move anything other his head! ¡­! At the same time, mana from his core refused to budge, resisting his will for it to move it so that he could manipte it into different forms! When wisps of it did move, the mes that circled around his body would¡­ burn them. Burn mana. ¡®WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS?!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind, panicking. He had never felt something like this in a while! Something other than just overwhelming strength! He momentarily shook as he found himself in this perilous circumstance. The shark¡¯s firey teeth that locked onto him from the chest down, leaving on his chest and head untouched while effectively nullifying his vision of anything of his body beyond that point made him realise just how screwed he was. Terian¡¯s calm gaze was locked onto Skullius with his mana gushing around his body. He emitted a sigh of disappointment as he gazed at the Discount Human, Erkus and Silrat simrly having the same expressions. ¡°And here I was hoping that I had found someone I could nurture for the actual good of the city for a change. I must say, I¡¯m very disappointed,¡± Terian said. Strangely, Silrat still had on his sly smile but Erkus wore a furious visage that needed no words to interpret as his current state of mind was not hidden. ¡°Indeed. I can¡¯t believe someone with such a rare ss, a practitioner of the energies, would do something so unsightly. Ending many lives, destroying property afforded to themonfolk and for what? Enlighten me,¡± Erkus said in a subdued voice but his tone was rather chilly. ¡°To even be bold enough to try and cast a spell in our presence, haha, you¡¯re quite brave, Festos,¡± Silrat added. This little detail had gone a long way in verifying Dami¡¯s words as a shaky individual usually had something to hide. Skullius sweated, but all the water he expelled from his body was toasted by the heat. He was lost for words. As Erkus, Terian and Silrat stood, surrounding him, he felt so little. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Dami¡¯s voice echoed from behind the three men. She still had on a petrified expression as she gazed at Skullius. Terian was confused. What else was there? ¡°What is it?¡± he asked. ¡°The things I saw¡­ this man¡­ he¡­ he seems to be apanied by an inhuman creature that possesses a strange power! He brought it into the city! Something tall and dark with sparks of lightning all over!¡± Erkus and Silrat looked at each other, then at Skullius whose eyes opened so wide that they threatened to spill from his sockets! ¡®Is she talking about my Prator form?!¡¯ he thought with his nonexistent heart beginning to exceedingly fast! Terian¡¯s body red with a mighty presence, the energy characteristic that Skullius had felt over the man minutes ago, turning out to not be some form of imagination but reality as an array of wild forms, crafted with white light of mana surged from his body with a tremendous heat while exploding upwards! The old man¡¯s hair danced in the air while his calm eyes spat out orange mes that engulfed the room, burning the air such that it swayed but didn¡¯t touch the furniture or the four other people that were present! At this point, Skullius was shaking. This¡­ This was the power of a Mage on disy! Merely on disy without the intent to harm¡­ yet. ¡°Boy. I¡¯m too old to engage in prolonged questioning. Your actions have heavily defended the fact that you are responsible for damage to precious life and property. That is a heavy crime, even for precious human resources like Energy Formers. However, to collude with profane creatures is a very serious offense that warrants a fate worse than death¡­¡± the old man said in a low voice that wasn¡¯t so low. ¡°Now. I will only request this of you ONCE. If you fail to acquiesce, I shall rend something of yours from you permanently.¡± Terian said as his hand stretched out to Skullius, seamlessly entered through the me shark¡¯s body and touching the Discount Human¡¯s chest under the mes. ¡°I will destroy your core and steer the rest of your Direction as I see fit.¡± ¡­! Skullius felt not the heat on his skin, but the burning sensation that scalded his core as Terianid his hand on his chest. After having said his piece and giving evidence as to the truthfulness of his words, Terian finally spoke of what he requested from the Discount Human. ¡°Tell me. Who are you and what is this creature that you have brought into this city?¡± Chapter 220 Shattered Resolve There would not be another bout of questions, as dered by Terian whose image right now scared the null living crap out of Skullius. The Discount Human¡¯s mind turned nk as he literally couldn¡¯t think of anything at this moment other than to be submissive and perhaps answer the question truthfully. The coercion by a powerful force. Skullius had first experienced such a thing in Aigas by the hands of Az, the Great Mane Mountain Ape. Now, he was being subjected to a ferocious might that demanded the truth and nothing but the truth. Dami looked at Skullius with a more rxed expression now, but she couldn¡¯t help still get lost in thought from what she had witnessed during her dive. Because this hadn¡¯t been a situation where she had been Divining on a hostile subject, she had limited herself to not peeking at much else other than what was needed. Privacy was to be respected after all. During her session, she had only seen blotches as scenes as most of them that actually concerned Skullius were blurred out, as if a tangle of ck and gold resisted, while another foreign energy refused to let her see his full human figure. It was bizarre. She had managed to see that Skullius was behind the library incident after witnessing, with great difficulty, mes roaring from his blocked out body! There were many things involved that kept cutting away, like arge and terrifying piece of armour that housed another figure that she couldn¡¯t properly see but those were insignificant, at least as she saw it. What she did manage to see glimpses of, was the tall figure with crackling lightning over its figure as it sat in what looked like an inn with various books that looked to belong to the College by virtue of the insignia stered on their covers.. With this much, even though in mere glimpses, she had managed to identify Skullius as the menace as she had been saying all along! Dami sighed as she cast a nce at Terian¡¯s figure covered in a burst of raging white mana. ¡®I guess I can count on you sometimes,¡¯ she thought with a light smile flickering over her expression for a brief moment. She was grateful that Terian had managed to pick up on the fact that she was having difficulties Divining more details about Skullius, which is why the old man had suddenly started intimidating the Discount Human and asking him to spill who he was instead of asking Dami to continue Divining. Erkus and Silrat while illuminated by the glowing mes gazed at Skullius, waiting for his response to the question. As they knew nothing about him, they didn¡¯t know what he would do, but answering the question instead of getting his core destroyed seemed like the most reasonable that he would take. Skullius merely gazed ahead. It was over. If his core was destroyed, he would be done for. Maybe if he could freely summon his Prator form, there would be a chance, but no. It didn¡¯t seem like things would devolve in that direction. ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m screwed. There¡¯s no way I can escape this¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he gulped. ¡®I don¡¯t know how much that woman saw but¡­¡¯ Skullius stuttered even in his internal monologue. He couldn¡¯t even look at all these people as he felt himself continuously lose confidence. He thought he was getting smarter, outwitting this world¡¯s structure fairly well against different odds that were stacked against him. He had started getting deluded into thinking that the only true obstacles that he faced were the Doom Factors and perhaps UNCoddled but now, he was proved wrong. Strong. He was far from that word. All words seized forming sentences in Skullius¡¯ mind as the raging mana barreled against his skim viciously from Terian! His resolve and will was challenged and shattered by the gap in strength. At this moment, Skullius wouldn¡¯t want to get his core destroyed. At least if he could live through this moment, perhaps he would be spared. If he told the whole story, maybe¡­ ¡°I am¡­¡± Skullius began, intending to tell the whole truth as if it could all be Divined anyway, then what was use in lying? ¡°I am¡­ or¡­ I was an undea-¡° OOOM! A sliver of energy coiled around his finger right when he was about to blurt everything! Skullius paused as it took a moment for him to realise what was happening! ¡®Uh¡­¡¯ It was¡­ Null Life Essence! The silent and presenceless energy swooned as it vibrated against his spatial storage ring that wrapped the upper part of his middle finger which was hidden under the mes of the shark¡¯s body! ¡®Red Rage?¡¯ Skullius thought. For a moment, Skullius¡¯ broken resolve was rejuvenated and he tossed his gaze to Terian who seemed to be waiting for him to continue. ¡®Did he notice?¡¯ As Skullius gazed at the old man, he discovered that Terian couldn¡¯t sense the Null Life Essence brimming around his finger! ¡®He didn¡¯t!¡¯ Skullius was shocked. Even this terrifying old man was oblivious to the Null Life Essence! As Skullius was stilling to terms with this detail, realising that surely, in all his use of [Null Extraction], no one so far had been able to perceive it through sense or sight as blue lights hailed from dead bodies and into his hand, another shocking thing urred! His spatial storage ring became encased in a thickyer of Null Life Essence while at the same time, another ring actually popped from this spatial storage ring and settled on Skullius¡¯ left finger! ¡®Red bro!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind, getting what the Pelvis Boar-Man was up to while trapped in the ring! The Apostle was masking the ring he was stored in with Null Life Essence! This ring had many of Skullius¡¯ secrets and it was very important for it to remain hidden! ¡®That¡¯s right! That little bastard said he could manipte Null Life Essence!¡¯ Skullius assumed that what his Apostle hoped to achieve by covering the spatial storage ring with Null Life Essence was Red Rage¡¯s way of preventing it from being detected, though he wasn¡¯t sure how that would work The other ring which had appeared on his other finger was actually the ring he had given to Red Rage, which, he also assumed, was meant to be a decoy! But hold up! Skullius was so confused. Since he couldn¡¯tmunicate with his Apostle at this moment he couldn¡¯t ask but there were so many questions! Indeed, the Apostle had said that he could now use Null Life Essence but¡­ How in the world could he expel objects from the ring?! And how could he do all this stuff with Null Life Essence?! ¡°Well?¡± the thunderous voice of Terian spoke, shattering Skullius¡¯ safe thought haven. The Discount Human was immediately brought back into the real world where he was minutes away from a possible tragic end. Fear gripped him again, but the Discount Human collected himself, feeling a bit of bravery stemming from Red Rage¡¯s disy. ¡®Come on, Skullius! Don¡¯t lose hope yet! That prodigy bastard that sees you as a god is still fighting! You can¡¯t fall here! Come on!¡¯ Skullius psyched himself up while thanking his Apostle. He looked up at the authorities before him, his mouth opening as he spoke in a firm but trembling voice. ¡°I really am at fault and I apologise. But¡­ there¡¯s more to my story. The truth is¡­¡± he said, his face showing a distinct despair. ¡°I am cursed.¡± Chapter 221 Screwed Over: This...This...B! (1) In the mind of a certain Discount Human, an analysis was beginning to weave itself, after all, Red Rage¡¯s intervention had only served to rejuvenate his resolve which had been shaken by Terian¡¯s strength. He was still in hot soup, all things considered. ¡®Alright¡­ calm down and think¡­¡¯ Skullius thought to himself after delivering a few lines to the people before him that lead them to narrow their eyes and think deeply on what he had said. Cursed? This was a new one. What manner of story would this man weave now? With a bit more thought, Skullius discovered a few things about Dami¡¯s Divination. They were practically obvious. What had shaken her was undoubtedly his Prator form which she had seen seemingly out of context within her mind. She wasn¡¯t able to tie it to Skullius. She also didn¡¯t mention it being a skeleton, which meant even that was vague to her. Perhaps she couldn¡¯t see it all, otherwise she probably would have said everything he did in detail. Furthermore, her ount seemed to be centralised around a single event, naturally, but extending to the events of the next day when Skullius had been reading the stolen books in his Prator form. There were many things to consider, but the main thing of note which he was quite sure of, was that Dami didn¡¯t know everything. With that, a quick weave of lies was woven and spat. He had limited time but every ounce of his intelligence, he conjured everything he could think of.. ¡°The curse that is upon me¡­ summons the tall creature you saw in your¡­ whatever that was¡­ It appears anytime of day and then demands something from me. On that particr day when I burnt the library, it appeared suddenly, causing a panic and then demanded that I burn down the ce or else, it would kill everyone I had associated with until now.¡± Deep suspicion andplete disbelief smothered the room. Skullius¡¯ words were not believed in the slightest and he began to sweat profusely. Of course, he hadn¡¯t expected to be believed so casually but such a reception made him nervous. Dami showed her disdain as clearly, she had alreadybelled Skullius as a member of a particrly infamous group ording to the image she had seen. ¡°Hmph! So you expect us to believe that all this was because of some mysterious curse? Don¡¯t make meugh! Even if it¡¯s true, you¡¯d have to be charged for endangering the welfare of millions by being so careless!¡± Dami said usingly. Terian had not yet formed an opinion but he was inclined to believe that Skullius was lying, as was Erkus. Silrat on the other hand was amused by the tale. Skullius wore a troubled expression as he weaved in some more stories to distort the subject. This was the best way to tell a lie. He yed his trump card, a mystery that he had had after roaming the streets of Inhone these few days. A truth for him and an unknown for others. ¡°I did try to get myself help but¡­¡± he paused and faked a sigh. ¡°I was in Eofel a few days ago. The Green Neolists attacked when one of those shiny knights, a Pdin something they are called, was escorting a priest. The whole city was in chaos but I helped with the situation along with the female Pdin whatever. Her name was Elita. I think that was when I got the curse and it even affected her after we finished fighting the enemy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Erkus turned more serious with this. This was not what he expected the young man to say. Was this true? ¡°It¡¯s unwise to tell lies of such a scale, Festos, especially when they concern the Purity. You have even brought the identity of a Pdin Champion into your story,¡± Terian said with a serious gaze. ¡°You are free to have¡­ this kind woman do that thing again to check it out. She¡¯ll see that I am telling the truth,¡± Skullius said with a resolute expression that still shook slightly at Terian¡¯s gaze. That was it! Even after living in this city for a few days, Skullius had not heard a single thing about the incident in Eofel, which had boggled his mind. The only conjecture he hade to was that people here simply didn¡¯t know and he had ced the thought to the back of his mind, not knowing that he would be using this detail to try and save his life. Erkus was mulling this over. If such a serious event truly happened in Eofel, it wasn¡¯t oundish for there to be no news that had reached Inhone or any of the nearer cities as Eofel was pretty much cut off from the usualworks because of the City lord¡¯s pride. There wasn¡¯t even a Guilds Association branch there, which limitedmunication lines further. Perhaps, this was actually true. ¡°If you can, please look into this,¡± Erkus said as he turned to Dami who had also wore an unsure expression after seeing Skullius¡¯ resolve. Unbeknownst to them all, the Discount Human was betting on the fact that Dami¡¯s ¡®sight¡¯ was somewhat obscure to the full detail. Even if she saw more clearly, what he had said was the truth. The woman walked up to Skullius and gazed into his shaking eyes. ¡®A few days ago is it?¡¯ she thought as sheid her thumb on Skullius¡¯ forehead. She didn¡¯t ask Skullius for a specific time frame as she sought to look into other bits of him. Her eyes turned white as she tried to anchor her powers towards a few days prior. The first thing she saw when she slid through the bounds of time in Skullius, was a tall gremlin with freakishly long arms, then an obscure figure lying down seemingly broken into pieces. ¡®Is this a Cluster?¡¯ Dami asked herself as she turned back the clock, seeing Skullius being carried by an armoured Knight, then a bunch of scrambles as the Discount Human seemed to be practising something in the night and then¡­ ¡°Hmmm?¡± Dami murmured to herself. ¡°What is it?¡± Terian asked. ¡°I see¡­ I see, a woman. That armour she¡¯s wearing¡­ it really does belong to the Pdin Champions¡­¡± Erkus narrowed his eyes as he turned to Skullius who was frowning in difort from the tingles he felt from his soul. With a foggy vite that bound the borders of her vision, Dami also saw arge figure with a dark armour battling the Pdin Champion and the same silver armoured Knight that had carried Skullius in choppy frames which made her frown with bits of sweat trickling down her brow. ¡®Dear Quintess! What is that monstrosity?!¡¯ At the edge, she saw Skullius unfurl a beautiful scroll from where a deep red light shot and brought down the creature with a long arm from which other smaller ones protruded! ¡®He wasn¡¯t lying?¡¯ Dami thought. She hesitated as she kept trying to pry more information, pacing up the time to see if she could see what happened after the fight. She saw the Pdin Champion start screaming and roiling on the ground pitifully, the vision she saw cutting on and off. Skullius¡¯ face kept scrunched up as it seemed like this Divining was jabbing a little too deep at his soul. Why was it even able to affect his soul? Was that how it could derive other aspects of what the user sought to find? Still, the Discount Human persisted on. ¡®Hasn¡¯t she seen all she needs to see? Even if she sees my Prator form, there is not much she can say now. Unless¡­ if she goes back a few more steps and¡­¡¯ Skullius gulped as he cut off this line of thought. Dami suddenly drew back her thumb from Skullius and faced him, her eyes returning to normal. ¡°What he said is true. About Eofel at least. There truly was a creature that he, a certain Knight and the Pdin Champion battled. Also, at the end, it really did seem like something happened to the Pdin,¡± she said. ¡®Yes!¡¯ Skullius internally celebrated. He might as well celebrate all the small victories right? Erkus looked concerned. This was a big deal. ¡°There was also something else that I didn¡¯t understand¡­¡± Dami as she directed her gaze to Skullius before asking with a bit of hostility in her voice. ¡°As I was about to dig deeper, a naked young girl appeared in my vision. She seemed to be pale and cold, screaming at someone that¡­ felt like you. How does this girl rte to you?¡± Skullius¡¯ eyes once again widened as his mouth gaped open! ¡®WHAT?! NO! NO! WAIT! THAT DOESN¡¯T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE!¡¯ SOMEONE WHO FELT LIKE ME?¡¯ This girl was appearing again?! The expression on his face only served to make Dami more suspicious as she drew in closer to him. ¡°Your face says much, Festos. Fine. I¡¯ll just look into it myself,¡± Dami dered as she hurriedly clutched his forehead and dove again. This time, she put her back into it, as in her thoughts, she thought Skullius to not be the innocent individual he tried to portray himself as. If he had been defiling children too¡­ Dami¡¯s body blew with a ferocious might as Skullius then felt what had merely been jabs at his soul turn into murderous stabs that tormented him with excruciating pain! ¡°AHHHH!¡± Skullius yelled in pain. Dami kept a focused expression as her eyes turned white, ignoring his cries. Then¡­ [An external force assaults your soul. Doom Factor 2 takes advantage. 12%] ¡­! Chapter 222 Screwed Over: This...This...B! (2) ¡­! The moment Skullius saw the notification, he almost lost his mind. The pain that called from his head momentarily stunned him and it was only after a full five seconds that he regained the ability to think! 12%?! Doom Factor 2 had risen up again and Skullius knew that this pertained to soul damage which made him grimace and struggle! ¡®WHAT IS THIS¡­ THIS¡­ B¡­AAAAAAH!¡¯ Skullius stammered as a certain word he wanted to say refused to surface! The pain gushed through him like a heatwave but he couldn¡¯t struggle because of the firm hold of the me shark! Dami¡¯s body zed with more light as she enhanced her strength to see more clearly. She searched for anything more about this girl, feeling her powers dig deep into her victim! She wanted to uncover it all instead of looking into snippets! And with the more strength she applied¡­ [An external force assaults your soul. Doom Factor 2 takes advantage. 14%]. ¡­! ¡°STOP IT!¡± Skullius barked out loud at Dami who simply ignored. Terian narrowed his gaze. Divining would sometimes connect to the soul of the victim to gain a clearer image as it was a better anchor than the flesh body. This was why Skullius felt the prickling sensations at his soul. Gazing at specific points was the way in which Divining was used on normal people, as excessive force could potentially damage the victim. Therefore, limiting their reach was all in the name of safety. The old man knew exactly how much Skullius was suffering but the Discount Human¡¯s reaction seemed a bit¡­ excessive. A desperation was noticeable in his eyes as if there was a specific doom he could feel at the moment, which made him even more curious in this character. None of them in the room believed Skullius¡¯ ount about the curse entirely, but the information about Eofel which had been verified spoke up for the Discount Human. Skullius¡¯ eyes shot towards Dami whose finger remained on his forehead and he bellowed in anger and pain as he gnashed his teeth. The pain seemed to soar by a few notches, reaching another stage soon enough. [¡­17%] ¡°STOP IT! YOU¡¯LL ¡­ GET ME KILLED!¡± Skullius roared as saliva spat from his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Dami,¡± Terianmanded. The Diviner reluctantly stopped, her vicious energy dying down as she then breathed out a sigh and removed her thumb from Skullius and looked at him with disdain. The pain that shot through Skullius didn¡¯t recede. His vision started to crack, splitting as if it had been shed apart by a sword multiple times and what followed was a distorted image where parts of the room were as they were before while the others looked like they were covered in snow! ¡®This again!¡¯ Skullius fumed in his mind. Things were getting messed up. The 10% mark had screwed him over hard and just now, he had nearly reached 20% which he didn¡¯t doubt held much more surprises that he didn¡¯t even wish to think about. This was all thanks to that¡­ that¡­BITCH! The word finally came to Skullius and he didn¡¯t bother to question where it hade from or what it was! It had been a while since he had truly felt so angry with someone! So infuriated! Thest two people he hated that much were Dezrael who challenged his fundamental ideals and choice, as well as the first female he had met this this world, Denille. Skullius¡¯ eyes locked onto Dami who drew back and stood beside Terian as she looked at Skullius with a stubborn gaze. Terian noticed the tension and sighed. He then turned to Erkus who nodded at him and faced Skullius. ¡°Your ount has brought to our knowledge information that we probably wouldn¡¯t have known for a while. I¡¯m d you shared it. However, your other statement about having this¡­creature that follows you around hasn¡¯t yet or rather, doesn¡¯t justify your acts of genocide, whether you were coerced or did it of your own free will,¡± he said. Skullius turned to Erkus with a hard gaze. He couldn¡¯t even produce the words to add to his statement as the pain and the split vision made it very hard for him to continue as per normal. ¡°If you were any other individual with even the slightest bit less of value, I would have ordered your execution but.. for the time being, I¡¯ll have you imprisoned for further questioning and verification,¡± Erkus said. ¡°He has quite the amount of resources in his spatial storage ring too. Perhaps we can gather more from them,¡± Dami advised. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Terian said as with the coil of his index. He had obviously noticed that Skullius had a spatial storage ring before. Skullius felt his finger move, the second ring that was supposed to belong to Red Rage sliding off! It flew through the mes and reached Terian who analysed it with interest. Skullius hung his head as he gnashed his teeth. Red Rage¡¯s actions were showing their fruits. The hidden ring wasn¡¯t noticed at all. Still, though, even with this, Skullius didn¡¯t feel much better as he was still rattled with the current happenings. His vision started to get murky, his eyes drooping as a deadly sense of heaviness assaulted him. ¡®Dam..n¡­ it¡­.¡¯ he thought before his vision turned dark. Terian¡¯s zing energy receded, the mes in the room dying down. He walked up to Skullius andid his hand on the unconscious Discount Human¡¯s forehead, his mana gushing into the young man. It only took a few seconds before he retrieved his hand and faced Dami. ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯m unsure if you¡¯re the one who put the boy¡¯s soul in such a state, but whatever the reason, Festos will need time to recover before you do anymore of your Divining on him,¡± said Terian with a warning nce. ¡°Fine,¡± said Dami with a harrumph. ¡°Did you find anything new?¡± ¡°. Unfortunately no. No matter how much effort I put, I can¡¯t seem to find out what¡¯s most important. Worse yet, the images keep getting cut. Something powerful is interfering. Surely you see how shady this man is. Especially when we ount for the issue with this girl I saw¡­¡± ¡°We still don¡¯t know the full story,¡± said Terian. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until then.¡± ¡°Where should Festos be imprisoned? If you consider him an indispensable individual despite the atrocity he hasmitted, I doubt you will throw him in a lowly jail in the city,¡± the old man said as he turned to the City Lord. Erkus shook his head. ¡°No. I will have special prison erected for him.¡± ¡°If I may interject,¡± Silrat finally spoke, the smile he had on growing wider. ¡°I have a better rmendation when ites to this man.¡± Chapter 223 A Smiling Saviour? ¡°Uh¡­¡± the young man opened his eyes with a grown. He found himself feeling incredibly heavy, his cosmetic flesh weighing him down like¡­ heavy weights. Hey on the cold floor of a small room that had in dark walls which made it clear that he was a captive. As he looked at himself, he saw that nothing had changed, much to his relief. He had simply been dumped here after he went unconscious. Skullius looked ahead and saw not another wall but closely stacked iron bars that restricted both entry and exit. They had a silver lustre with glowing runes on their surfaces that whispered of mystery. ¡°Great,¡± he said to himself as he tried to stand. The tumultuous pain he had felt before had stopped and now, he could see everything without the mysterious divide. ¡®That damn woman!¡¯ Skullius remembered who had caused this whole ordeal that he was now left with. A full 17% in Doom Factor 2. How had she been able to see the young girl that always seemed to appear whenever he was assaulted by soul damage anyway? That was different from an actual urrence in his life, right? Skullius was under the impression that Diviners could only see his actions in the real world. Not memories or illusions he experienced.. Perhaps that was a wrong view. ¡®Could she have essed my soul and seen the girl from there? HNGH!¡¯ Skullius grumbled in rage. Is this what his victims felt like when he used [Basic Evil Invasion] on them? If it was¡­ that still didn¡¯t mean he would stop using the skill. What he had experienced was too much of an invasion, regardless of how hypocritical that sounded. The Discount Human sat up straight and checked the full condition of his body. Fortunately, he could manipte mana freely now contrary to his expectations. His white core surged and coughed up gusts of mana without any problems. ¡®I guess I¡¯m not that much of a threat that they would cut off my mana. And sure enough, I guess against that old man alone¡­¡¯ Skullius said while thinking of Terian in his head. Indeed. A battle between him and that guy probably wouldn¡¯tst even ten seconds. ¡®What now, though? Are they just going to keep me here forever?¡¯ Skullius thought. Suddenly, a set of footsteps echoed from outside the room and soon, a familiar face emerged with a sly smile on its face. ¡°I never would have figured that you were that much of a menace, kid,¡± the individual behind the bars said. When Skullius saw this individual, he sighed helplessly. ¡°Jac¡­¡± The burly man still donned hisrge armour as he went on to lean against the walls and looked down at Skullius who sat down in his cage through the iron bars. Skullius walked over to the bars to talk to Jac at closer proximity but he suddenly felt all his strength leave his body the closer he got to the bars. THUD! The Discount Human fell t on his face in shock, not knowing what had hit him. He red at Jac from his low position while gnashing his teeth. ¡°Woo, there. This isn¡¯t a simple cell you¡¯re stuck in. You¡¯ll lose your strength because of the runes etched on these bars, you know. I don¡¯t know the full story behind you but if you look at me like that I might justbel you a serial killer for real.¡± ¡°Like I care what you call me,¡± Skullius said as he turned his face to the side. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t say that. I put in some effort to really figure if it was you they were talking about, you know? It really hurt me when I had to tell them you had returned from your mission.¡± At first, Skullius didn¡¯t fully take in what Jac said but he then turned to the man who kept his sly smile. ¡°What?¡± he asked with a disgruntled expression. ¡°Oh. You were under the impression that you were not under suspicion already? I see. Their acting must have been convincing then.¡± Skullius frowned. What was this man trying to say? Those guys already had some evidence that tied him as the one who burnt the library before this? ¡°Apparently, your identity as the new Mage and as the only living suspect who witnessed the main details of the incident at the Collge of the Esteemed shed, causing Silrat and the city lord to investigate you. Naturally, as the one who did the evaluation for your application, I was interrogated on your abilities without being told the full context along with anyone else who had seen you in action. A certain redhead you know was also interrogated the moment she returned.¡± ¡°Sty?!¡± Skullius eximed. ¡°Bingo!¡± Dammit! Sty had seen the [Revenant mes 0f Ecstasy] multiple times. That was probably the only thing that his identity as the Mage and as the unknown criminal shared! Naturally, Sty would have described his abilities to Terian and Dami as without them telling her that he was being suspected of a crime, she didn¡¯t think it was a bad thing to share his strength and promote him. ¡°Great..¡± Skullius beat himself up. It didn¡¯t seem like the mini-council arranged for him was made to simply punish him from the start, but to verify if it really was him. Now Skullius understood why Dami was so extra. She probably already believed that he did it after questioning everyone they did. ¡°My poor little girl had even dropped off some coin for you as your share for the whole party up. I¡¯d hate to be in your shoes right,¡± Jac said as he tossed a coin pouch up and down. Another set of footsteps echoed, with another face that Skullius was familiar with appearing. It was Silrat. He wore a slight smile as always, a he then went on to signal for Jac to leave, the bulky man turning to walk away. ¡°I¡¯m d you seem to be more alive than dead. I reckoned taking so much soul damage would be exceedingly painful but you¡¯re powering through it without much of a problem,¡± Silrat said while his eyes roamed all over Skullius. ¡°¡­¡± The Discount Human rendered no response as he simply kept looking at the man with rage-filled eyes. ¡°I understand that you are not happy with your current circumstances but believe me, they are much better than the alternatives. I arranged this set-up in order to keep you close. I see value in a man like you. If you y your cards right, I can help you walk away scot-free, with a charge of course.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to believe you after what you just put me through?¡± Skullius asked as he squirmed backwards, with the more distance he put between himself and the bars granting him more of his strength back. ¡°Believe it or not, I had a different perspective but Erkus and those Energy Formers have a righteous standard about them cultivated by their positions as the Capital service. Chivalry, honour, profound morals and such. I have to y along with my meagre position. I am different. I follow profit and gains. That¡¯s what a mercenary does, is it not? If this organisation was based on benevolence alone it wouldn¡¯t havested this long.¡± Skullius thought through the man¡¯s words. When Skullius thought about Jac, he didn¡¯t see a kind soul, to be honest. As an example of a mercenary, Jac was outstanding. Silrat¡¯s words made sense but Skullius¡¯ will of distrust forced him to not be swayed so easily. ¡°You have a few lives lost to your name and an entire College that will want to wring your neck for the damage you caused. If I had let Erkus have you, you¡¯d be in a rather precarious situation. Perhaps the most pressing thing I should mention is that while you¡¯re being exempt from Divining right now, it will be brought up again if you refuse toply. To that end, I think you should work with me as I will rely on no such means other than diplomatic dialogue. At the very least give me some more detail to work with, after all, your ount is still iplete.¡± Silrat had had a long discussion with Erkus about giving him up to the custody of the Guilds Association and he would get more information from the Mage. Skullius remained silent for a while. His thoughts whirled as he considered these words from all angles of thought. In all truth, spilling the beans would probably be a double-edged sword. Equal proportions of either effect could happen. However, when he thought about Dami going all psycho with her Divination on him again¡­ He already intended on sharing this half-lie half-truth anyway. ¡°What would you like to know?¡± Silrat grinned. ¡°For starters. You mentioned the curse that follows you and that peculiar creature that appears. Please describe what it does in detail.¡± Chapter 224 Sweet Deal! A lengthy exnation finally concluded to which Silrat¡¯s face had turned into a few different expressions of distraught throughout. He honestly hadn¡¯t expected to hear such a tale. The fact that were so many victims already was rather disturbing (Skullius lied) with the case of the Pdin Champion offering her help to Skullius causing her to keel over shocking him to his core. When he had heard this ount before, he had pictured something different. Killing a Pdin Champion wasn¡¯t a joke. After all, they were peak fighting forces that were rarely deployed. Ultimately, his opinion over this curse that Skullius described was¡­ very concerning. The details were rather specific but that made it even more menacing as the effects, as exined by Skullius, seemed to be sure-fire and extremely deadly even to victims at higher stages of power. ¡°So¡­ you mean to tell me that everyone who helps you, with only your benefit in mind, will all die without exception?¡± Silrat asked with a troubled expression. ¡°Yes,¡± Skullius gave a sinct reply. ¡°And this creature you mentioned, is the one that causes this if you do not heed its instructions?¡±. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I see. That is rather troublesome.¡± Silrat had begun to wonder if he would fall to the curse since he had the intent to assist Skullius but the Discount Human had reassured him that obviously this wasn¡¯t true as both parties were privy to the fact that they were in for their own benefit. Silrat had made it clear that his help required something in return. ¡°I can now understand why you resorted to such drastic actions without batting an eyelid if this ie what you¡¯re dealing with. However, you must understand that your follow-up feat of lying to Terian and Dami back then has sowed some seeds of distrust to yourter actions. The ways in which I can help you are limited, especially when ites to the City Lord¡¯s authority. I would have to use external factors¡­ like a particr talented young man,¡± said Silrat as he stroked his chin. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Skullius raised a brow in confusion. Who would that be? Silrat shook his head lightly as if dispelling his current thoughts. ¡°Now. Before we move on to the next item of discussion, I would like to know onest thing. How did youe to learn magecraft?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I mean to say that I have a fair share of experience with Mages and all of them, despite having quirky personalities and odd behaviours, they tend to have vast wells of knowledge along with a stable mana core of blue or higher that already has a Reflective Sigil Matrix. Youck both of these things. Terian noticed and so did I. Which is why I ask, how did youe to learn Magecraft without the basics?¡± Skullius was utterly confused. Reflective what? Vast wells of knowledge? Well¡­ ¡°Hmmm,¡± Silrat hummed as a big grin etched itself deeper into his face. ¡°You¡¯re a natural Mage aren¡¯t you?¡± Skullius was stunned. That was one way to put it. All things considered, he really was a natural Mage¡­ with a cheat that allowed him to learn skills more than 10 times faster than everyone else and more. There was no way he could pose as a true Mage under experienced gazes it seemed. Just how many requirements were needed for one to be a Mage? ¡°Uhm¡­ yes?¡± ¡°Ha! I knew it! You¡¯re the catch of the century! I¡¯m d I battled those fools to have you under my custody! To think they¡¯d let you go after having assumed this fact!¡± Silrat eximed. Indeed, Terian had actually thought about bringing Skullius under his wing if thetter was proven to be innocent. The reason he had entertained this thought was because he had seen that Skullius had but a mere white core and a crude foundation which whenbined still worked for him to do some impressive things. However, having a disciple who was convicted of multiple crimes, including murder would be a stain on his record. ¡®This is a strange situation¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. He was entertaining the idea of potentially partnering with Silrat, IF, what the man needed him for wasn¡¯t too oundish because he had no choice. It was either that or death by Doom Factor 2 at the hands of that¡­ that¡­bitch¡­yes, bitch, Dami. The choice was rtively easy. ¡°What exactly do you want from me exactly?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°In all truth, there is a wide variety of benefits thate with nurturing someone like you. One is to have you owe me big time while giving you enough resources to consolidate your strength as a Mage. Or I could simply send you off to a big city with arger branch of the Guilds Association which would also bear its own perks for me including protection from the repercussions of your crimes. Those are only the more obvious benefits. I am yet to decide,¡± Silrat replied as he stroked his hands like a viin. ¡°Alright. And what do I get?¡± ¡°I can tell you what you can¡¯t get, well.. that¡¯s easier to identify. Freedom is out of the picture for now, even though I¡¯ll give you a sufficient amount of privacy with no surveince. That will be a different situation when the Capital service goonse to question you though.¡± Only freedom was barred. This meant that Skullius could ask for anything else? That was quite a heavy deration. ¡°I always make do on my promises. This isn¡¯t a charity, young man. Its a trade. I can even arrange for you to get your money¡¯s worth with the lessons you had paid for at the College of Battle Arts. You could continue with your sword lessons, as you had before¡­ weird as that may be for someone like you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ that doesn¡¯t sound bad at all. But still¡­ how will you keep your word?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°What better way than the old fashioned one?¡± Silrat said as he smiled. ¡°A Tie of Exchange of course.¡± Chapter 225 Prospects For A Bright Future The Tie of Exchange. An old technique which was now used to get into contracts where loyalty and trust were not guaranteed. Its practise was no longermon in Feinheath or rather in Pelian because of the extreme nature of the punishment for not keeping your end of the bargain as the instigator. The Tie of Exchange was said to originate from the giants, being a technique first created with the intention of assuring one¡¯s life in a disadvantageous situation by offering to give something valuable to the opposite party. The user of the Tie of Exchange was usually the one with much to lose as after giving up something of theirs to the opposite party, in some cases, they could be summoned for inquiries on delivery of agreed upon items while the opposite party was to ensure that they kept their end of the deal which was usually something meagre. Why this technique was abandoned was because it hailed from the crust of Aigas. From the very body of the Deity Quintess which meant that it had an immense authority. The punishment that resulted was said to be extremely odd and dangerous but the records never specified what it was. The human records at least. Skullius nodded to Silrat¡¯s words as he remembered that he had one Tie of Exchange pending as well, with Sause¡¯s fingernail still being in his storage. ¡®I should probably check in with that guy soon,¡¯ he thought. ¡°Alright, seeing as you have no problems with it, let us first stipte the terms in detail,¡± Silrat said as he removed a lock of his crushed ga coloured hair and held it towards Skullius behind the bars. The Discount Human was confused by this gesture.. Sauce had to remove his fingernail, so why did this guy just use his hair? ¡°From you, I require your services for missions pertaining to the Guilds Association as well as your continued and permanent allegiance. You cannot be tied in any permanent contracts outside of the Association and are barred from associating with enemies as well as potential enemies of the organisation. All this, is in exchange for any demands that are within my means and those of the Association, excluding freedom,¡± Silrat dered, his satin grey eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. The middle aged man had a certain confidence about him that rattled Skullius as if he felt that everything was in his control. ¡®Damn, bro,¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Allegiance. That doesn¡¯t feel good at all. I guess this is where this guy really nned to hook me in. I¡¯ll forever be a piece he can call to his aid if I agree to this¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. He gazed at Silrat, the man wearing a cheery smile that emphasised that the allegiance part was probably non-negotiable, which was fair. Skullius had no other choice. This was the most leniency he could get and it came with perks. As someone who worked under the Association, he was also bound to be rewarded handsomely, right? Fantastic. Solo events were going to be problematic in the future. Or not, since he had told Silrat about the curse. He probably couldn¡¯t change the fiber details as the gleam in Silrat¡¯s eyes told him much about the value he ced on him. The fact that he was using a ToE was also proof enough. Sigh. ¡°Fine,¡± Skullius said. This felt weird. He felt like he had met a simr circumstance and outright refused simr conditions in favour of acting alone. The hard way. Now, it had changed. He was gambling on this chance. On the bright side, he would abuse this privilege. ¡°I agree to those terms. As for what I want. I want knowledge and power. Any resource that has basic and advanced knowledge. I want it. From books, to Enriching gems to equipment and other things you know. I also want special treatment that others don¡¯t get, like specifying how I move for certain missions you want.¡± ¡°How ambitious,¡± said Silrat with a cunning smile. ¡°Of course I agree to these, however, we have a limited supply because of the mass usage and trade that is going on because of the mass appearance of Clusters and the political situation. I must also stress that Inhone is a wed temte of a city. Security, wealth and such arecklusterpared to other cities and as a result, the same is true for this branch of the Guilds Association. Weck of lot of things that the other branches have but rest assured, I will deliver.¡± ¡°The quantity in terms of Enriching gems might be really low but I do have a few things that you might like from equipment and treasures.¡± ¡°Treasures?!¡± Skullius asked with an excited voice. He had read about natural treasures and was really interested in them. ¡°Yes. Before you get to enjoy our collection, let¡¯s finalise the Tie of Exchange.¡± ¡°I agree to the terms if you full agree to mine,¡± Skullius said. As he said so, a notification appeared, confirming that the deed was done. ~~~ [Tie of Exchange: Lock of hair from Silrat Veins] The individual known as Silrat Veins has pledged a lock of hair as a medium for the exchange. He is the prime attendant and is bound to not break his word after offering it. With this item, the lesser attendant CANNOT summon Silrat to pay the favour he owes for the exchange. The individual Festos Dawn is yet to pledge anything as a medium of exchange. Would you like to pledge? ~~~ Silrat waved his hand, the runes on the bars dimming somewhat. He then passed on the lock of hair to Skullius who took it and injected mana into it. With that, Skullius felt himself tied to the lock of hair which he held closely. He wouldn¡¯t want to store it in his ring and let Silrat know that he had another storage space. ¡®Ah¡­ so he really does know about the Tie of Exchange. Curious,¡¯ thought Silrat. It was strange for someone who demonstrated such ack of knowledge on basics to know something so old and umon. He put this thought to the back of his mind though and focused his mind onto something else. ¡°With that, I will deliver the things you requested and prepare to have a brutal struggle with Erkus when he finds out about the support I¡¯ll be giving you,¡± Silrat said as turned to leave. He stopped however and turned back to Skullius. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s suspected that you are in possession of a bunch of books from the College. Where did you put them?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s hard to exin and I¡¯d rather not talk about it. The Tie of Exchange doesn¡¯t require me to be entirely truthful right?¡± Skullius replied. Silrat shed a toothy smile. ¡°Indeed. Very well. I¡¯ll make it up then. Those two Energy Formers won¡¯t be bothering you for a few days after I have given my report. There¡¯s no surveince here so feel free to do what you want.¡± Silrat then left, Skullius being left to the silence where he subconsciously breathed out and slumped down. ¡®I hope that doesn¡¯te back to bite me too much,¡¯ he thought. If there was something that made him suspicious, it would be the fact that this ToE was different from the one he engaged with Sause. For one thing, he couldn¡¯t summon Silrat anytime he wanted. Was there some loophole he was unaware of? Skullius didn¡¯t know. He waited for a few minutes and tried to verify if he really wasn¡¯t being watched. Unfortunately it was hard to verify this and he eventually gave up. He couldn¡¯t just sit on his butt and waste time anyway. He pulled up his status and reviewed his Task. ~~~ Exp: 64,000/64,000 Eighth Task: Elevated any ss skill to the next Tier ~~~ ¡°That should be fairly easy,¡± Skullius said. ¡°And since I have all this free time, I might as well finally check out what [Evil Darkness] can do now and then finish the Task by evolving [Basic Evil Production].¡± Skullius immediately delved deep within as his mana surged, bits of darkness starting to leak out slowly¡­ Chapter 226 Templates For Absurd Growth! At the moment when a darkness that seemed too dark to belong in this world appeared, Skullius was further reminded that this power he had taken from the Labyrinth of the Yoke wasn¡¯t ordinary in the slightest. The conjecture about where the power hade from struck his mind again as he recalled from Elita¡¯s narration back then. Apparently, Fulgardt imed that this power of his came from a being who predated the Deities. A being who made presumably even made them and knew of their pasts. Was this true? Skullius wasn¡¯t that familiar with much about the Deities because of his restriction from interacting with everything Blessing oriented from the Binds of Fukal. Yet, all this was but a thought as when the new [Evil Darkness] surged and covered him, Skullius felt and saw a huge difference between this and the darkness he had used before. A deep set feeling offort overwhelmed him in the darkness as he felt free, as if his binds and limits were loosened, his being sinking into the depths of a predetermined pride! No sound came through from the outside, which first shocked him but when he willed to hear what was happening outside, he felt the dull sounds lost in the silence reach his ear! He could see what was outside the cloud of darkness he had conjured but with how dark it was, he was sure that this wasn¡¯t true for anyone looking from the outside. As the [Evil Darkness] spread, Skullius saw that everywhere it went, inches around it there would be discoloured spaces, clear images turning into disfigured lines as if reality itself was being disturbed by the existence of the darkness! ¡®Woow¡­. this does seem like something I¡¯ll enjoy using,¡¯ Skullius thought as he stood up within the encasing of darkness. He wanted to see if there were any notable boosts to the basic functions of the cloud of darkness. What was different, functionally speaking? Skullius focused intently and raised his leg to stomp on the ground with all his might! BOOM! A thunderous noise rocked the room as Skullius foot shot down and shed with the cold floor! A low rumble was emitted, with bits of dust falling from above!. Within a fraction of a second, Skullius had felt the ripples of darkness around him rush to his leg before it met the floor, amplifying his strength! Another loud reverberation rushed from where Skullius stomped after the initial shock, which was quite odd. Skullius¡¯ eyes widened in surprise. That wasn¡¯t right. This room was definitely fortified with some weird stuff he didn¡¯t know as he was assumed to be a criminal. The Discount Human was sure that he wouldn¡¯t be able to make even a small impact with his 150 points of strength! It was impossible! Just how much of a boost was he granted by this darkness?! On top of this, there was a second impact that came after the first when he stomped! He cocked his hand back and threw it forward in a punch, his fist darting forward in a quick motion that barely registered in his own vision! FSSH! He merely saw a light sh ahead without leaving much of a trace after and then¡­ FSHHHSHHHH! Another light darted from where he punched, blitzing through the darkness! Skullius shuddered in excitement. There really was double impact with every move he made in the darkness! And top of this, the physical enhancement he noticed to his speed and strength¡­! If he was to estimate how much he was augmented by the darkness, then it would be by roughly 80% at a conservative estimate! This was a massive improvement from the 15% he had enjoyed initially! And this was just the basics! Skullius didn¡¯t even know how to test the other functions as well as the supposed true nature of [Evil Darkness] that had been partially awakened. For now, he was very satisfied with this as he knew that there was probably more that he would discover when he went in-depth during the following days. He had had a basic temte for his power growth prior to the party up with Sty. First was to master the thing he wished to do with [Evil Darkness]. A specific skill he wanted to create. Second, was to take back [Demion¡¯s Dance] from HammerDown and supplement the technique side of his growth because of what the skill imbedded in the sword could do. Thest item came to him just hours before when he was in the Association¡¯s building. To defend himself, Skullius hadbined [Mana Shield] and [Mana Force] into a quick but powerful attack which knocked that bbermouth from the EdgeKings Guild who had attacked him on his ass. Thoughts on building up on this had already started to travel in his mind when he saw the results, though then interrupted by what happened next. He now nned to add other skills like [Great Rush], [Brawn] and [Quick Strike] to the mix. Maybe, just like with [Skill Amalgamation], he could do that through repetition,bining these skills into something ridiculous! It would be a lot of work as he would want to level up and possibly evolve some of the skills but still, it would definitely be worth it. ¡°Heh. Now, let me finally give this my time,¡± Skullius said. He had neglected it for too long and just like he had thought about, it was time to invest in it. ¡°Basic Light Production!¡± Skullius called, a small burst of golden-white light beginning to gather in his hand. It was rtively weak and extraordinarily hard to manipte. ¡°. It¡¯s been a long time since I even tried to manipte [Just Light]. Thankfully, I have a loophole that I will be abusing for the next few days,¡± Skullius said as he thought about what how he would be cheating after raising [Basic Evil Production] up a Tier with this supposed loophole. This loophole was¡­ ¡°Crude World Projection!¡± Skullius felt himself rise, a sense of omnipotence gushing with his activation of this aspect of the Fruit of World Myths! Shockingly, when he appeared in his dark form, it wasn¡¯t an undetailed floating humanoid with thick, rising swirls of darkness, but a well-shaped robust human body! It was taller than his Discount Human body, but it did have smooth features and vague outlines of facial muscles and organs. There were no longer any rising swirls of darkness and this figure was a few shades lighter. ¡°This feels different,¡± Skullius said, his vision in the signature ck, grey white. Without wasting any more time, Skullius focused on the small sh of light he had conjured with [Basic Light Production], stretching his hand over as he started trying to give it a more robust form like he usually did with darkness. The light started flickering, alternating between a bright shade and a dull one but its quantity remained the same. The room lit up and darkened multiple times as Skullius found to his frustration, that this thing wasn¡¯t following his will! ¡®Why isn¡¯t it working? I thought that it would bend to me like [Evil Darkness]! I even got a higher affinity when I used [Crude World Projection] for the first time!¡¯ Skullius thought. After a full two minutes of wrestling with the light, Skullius finally came to a realisation. ¡®Oh.. now that I think about it, I don¡¯t have a skill that allows me to manipte [Just Light], like [Basic Evil Weaving]. But why?¡¯ This detail strained the Discount Human¡¯s mind until he decided to return to his body. When he settled, he found that he wasn¡¯t fatigued at all. Feeling as fresh as when he decided to dive out. ¡®Then I guess for now I should focus on [Just Light Production] until I figure out how to manipte it properly,¡¯ Skullius decided. With this plot for the future set, Skullius turned back to practicing with his [Basic Evil Production] so as toplete the Task ahead of him. *** Next day. The Discount Human couldn¡¯t tell the time since he was in the dark and gloomy space of the cell, however, he didn¡¯tin. He had gotten some food to replenish his needy flesh while he ground his skills. He had a intriguing grind, watching the beautiful bursts of darkness that had explosively increased in quantity as he got close to raising [Basic Evil Production] to the next Tier. Some hours ago, he had finally managed to evolve the skill and it became [Advanced Evil Production]! The Discount Human had found the amount of darkness he could produce could now cover a radius of almost eight meters with only two fifths of his total mana! This was a huge improvement and when he thought about utilising it the same way he did before, with restricting opponents while bolstering his physical capabilities, he could only grin. He had also levelled up, reaching level 8, as only two Tasks remained on top of a Trial before he reached the Advancement Stage. Now, the Discount Human was inserting his mana into a spatial storage that he had received a few minutes ago, peeking at the objects within. Within it, was something that made Skullius grin even further. ¡°Heh heh! Not bad. Not bad at all,¡± he said. Four hundred and thirty-two Enriching gems sat within the ring, most of them being purple-red while forty of them werepletely red! Red! The purple gems increased constitution by 0.1 while the purple-red ones increased it by 0.5. Skullius couldn¡¯t wait to see what value he would get from the red gems was. Generally, when the value for constitution reached 100, an increase would then happen. What were the limits for gems other than purple were. Where they the same? ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how much I can grow with all this,¡± Skullius said. Before he did anything else, he heard a step of footstepse from the side and he tensed up. He looked up and a face he hadn¡¯t expected to see appeared, making him rx. A particrly annoyed looking woman stood, staring down at him as he sat down. It was Oliviana. Her short stature with herrge dark eyes made the entire ordeal lookical as she didn¡¯t have to look too low to gaze at the Discount Human. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I still have to tutor you even in this state,¡± she said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m getting my money¡¯s worth,¡± Skullius said with a sly smile, courtesy of Jac. ¡®Silrat sure works fast,¡¯ Skullius thought. He hadn¡¯t expected that matter to be dealt with so quickly and it even looked like Oliviana knew his situation. How the heck was she convinced to still work with him? ¡°Yeah, well¡­ it¡¯s just a job, I guess. Get off your ass and let¡¯s go. You will be having me for more than half the day each day,¡± Oliviana said as she turned, her slender body covered in leather armour seemingly teasing Skullius. ¡°I won¡¯t be going easy on you.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have it any other way,¡± Skullius said as bits of darkness streamed from his auburn hair. The perfect candidate for him to test out some of his temtes as well as evolve his skills had arrived¡­ Chapter 227 Feinheath Over Seven Days (1) Seven dayster. It finally happened! Within the first half of this seven-day stretch of time, the announcement was finally made as to what the final decision was pertaining to the discussions between the Pelian Royal Family and the Sif High Family. A notice was stered in every major city mentioning that henceforth, Opungale was in a close-knit rtionship with Pelian, grand ties which would lead to great things already in motion! This news rocked the entirety of Feinheath in many diffident ways. Shock, rage, sadness, joy and anxiety. From here on out, the Sif could move into Pelian and establish their own permanent settlements while bringing with them their culture and knowledge. The same was true for the citizens of Pelian but most didn¡¯t see this as a possibility worth mentioning. Granted, there had always been peace between Feinheath and Opungale with visits from Sif merchants and others from different lines of work but nothing too obvious. This move by the Pelian Royal Family, however, was about to change this. To some, seeing their home flooded with long-eared humanoids was a huge blow while to some it wasn¡¯t all that bad. A certainmunity concurred.. Debates were had between many groups on this topic as each had their own opinions. The talks for this had concluded way before the long wait that many had to endure but the timing for the release of this news was probably strategic. It was no secret that the Pelian Royal Family were an unorthodox ruling party who preferred to stay hidden and have little to no interaction with their kingdom, but they were no fools. At least logically speaking They probably wanted to dy the chaos as best as they could, probably long enough for their backup strategies against the repercussions that would inevitably follow were settled. Amon sentiment among the masses was that the Royal Family should have brought to light how demeaning the Sif were even in the discussions. Word somehow got around that it was not someone of equal status to the King and Queen who came to discuss the terms, but rather one of the daughters of the High Family, the ruling entity in Opungale! Such disrespect! It enraged the masses, but the Pelian Royal Family had not even considered or responded to this any way, shape or form. What was agreed upon in these diplomatic talks? No one knew. What would the benefits for the humans in Pelian be? No one knew. Yet, people found their minds shifting to other perilous consequences of this bold action. Those who had heard Erlton the Reader¡¯s bad were now turning to the hills beyond the horizon, where a fearsome nation stood. A nation that believed in upholding racial honour and detaching from the dependence on other races. What would be their next move? War. This was everyone¡¯s first thought. That was the most likely thing to rise from this. And worse yet, what of Emeradis. How would they respond? They were a rtively silent nation that rarely did anything that could be pegged as impactful, keeping to themselves if matters concerning trade were not involved. It was possible for all the services and goods Pelian enjoyed to be cut off instantly by these two nations as a first portion of the torment that would ensue. However, no one knew for sure. As if this wasn¡¯t news enough, another shocking reveal rocked the continent of Feinheath a dayter. Clusters. They appeared en masse in all three of the countries, much of them being the lower ranked ones but higher and more dangerous versions popping up from time to time! Vige heads, Town leaders, City Lords and Governors gathered around to discuss the best courses of action in protecting the lives under their jurisdictions and dealing with the stronger Clusters. The world seemed too busy for a time as despaired thoughts upied the minds of the mostmon of civilians to the strongest of warriors. Smaller stories gued the ears of the lot, including those of the incidents in the Isise and the one in Eofel which were tracked to be caused by the same notorious group that many had dismissed over the years. The Green Neolists. When had they be a threat? What motivated them to go from being a side project for the Capital Service to deal with, to a national threat that even the Purity had to respond to as the news of the defeat and kidnapping of one of the top five Pdin Champions was released. So many stories. So much to wrap the head around. What in the world was going on in this continent? *** Maqi. A thin man stood still while taking in rxed breaths as he enjoyed the scene around him. Thousands of corpsesy around him in a vast space that spanned on for miles, yet each spot of the reddish ground was covered by the body of a dead beast that still dripped of fresh blood. Giant monsters with a bby flesh covered by a greenish, roughyer of skin, four thick limbs being located under their bulky sprawled in silent death, their four meter tall carcassesying lifelessly on the ground. Arge one had just breathed itsst, its thirty meter tall body not doing anything to allow it tost more than five seconds against the thin man before it. This man donned nothing on his upper body but below, a pair of dark pants with furry edges that tickled his toned abs denoting their design fashioned from a rather hairy creature along with a small painted skull as some kind of buckle at the centre top part covered him with a tight fit. His robust muscles showed despite his stature being thin and over his skin, continuous pulses of rings made of illusory light ran underneath. It looked like his skin was akin to that of a chameleon as one could get lost in this constant whir of rings that originated from the skin on his chest and outwards. The sheer might being released from these rings that glowed in his skin made the ground underneath him quake and shatter with each pulse, cracking noises guing the entire ce that looked like a dessert. As it did, a swarm of colours emerged, representing the destruction of the edge of the Cluster to which the man moved away. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough for today. 391 cleared isn¡¯t too bad,¡± he said before he exited the Cluster. The scenery before him pleased his eyes, bringing a smile to his youthful face. This was his nation after all. And rich in vegetation and wildlife, all sacred but free for the taking to the strongest of them all. ¡°Ode of the First Horn. I have news of the rtions in Pelian,¡± a woman at his side with a height and stature that surpassed his said as she bowed. Her muscles bulged from the revealing clothing which she wore which supported her movement. ¡°Let me render a guess. Those fools took up the deal?¡± the man said as a grin etched itself over his face. ¡°It is as you say, Ode.¡± ¡°Great! It seems a visit to our neighbour is in order. Let¡¯s go and have a chat with father about this.¡± Chapter 228 Feinheath Over Seven Days (2) (A/N: Please read to the very end. Major plot details ahead) A gorgeous sky blue carriage with four wings nted at its sides moved along while being pulled by four powerful horses. Despite the ragged ground,it didn¡¯t tumble and jumble along like a typical vehicle would but mystically maintained its smooth flow. Within it, ady with long cheery hair that flowered around her long ears and settled on her shoulders continuously sighed and grumbled in annoyance while leaning against thefy seats. She was Darwel, the third daughter of the Sif High family. ¡°So those two really sent me here just to suffer those fools in their stead? Unbelievable! I never imagined humans to be so careless. Yes man the lot of them! The books said that humans that hailed from royalty were supposed to be smart and strong. Those idiots barely look like royalty. If unting gold was all it took to be called a royal, then everyone with a thousand bags of coin would be an heir!¡± the womanined, her crimson-gold eyes staring at her two guards, their faces hidden under veils disying grimaces. ¡°Indeed, your Highness. Those humans didck tact. However, please do remember that it was Her Majesty¡¯s intention to appeal to the nation,¡± one the guards sitting opposite thisdy said. ¡°Besides, the tales of the olden humans were much stronger, bred by constant battle. As were we.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware, but wouldn¡¯t allying ourselves with one of the stronger nations be to our benefit instead of ying this in such a roundabout fashion?¡± ¡°Her Majesty knows what she is doing, your Highness. Please be patient,¡± the second guard said. The Darwel sighed in exasperation, simply letting the matter go for now. ¡°Shall we return to the Wonderfall Torrents, Your Highness?¡± asked her guard.. ¡°No. I¡¯d like to see more of this nation. I¡¯m upset with my parents right now, I¡¯d rather not see them so soon or by Listafelle I¡¯ll burn the entirety of the Wicker Forests. Take me to one of therger cities.¡± *** ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Valis said as he sat on the chair, looking at Elita¡¯s face which was partially hidden by her flowing hair which draped over her face as her head hung. She sat on her bed in silence for a while as her mind churned, her thoughts banging against each other in a messy tangle. Seriously? Valis¡¯ face showed nothing but deep pain as it grew harder with each second. The silence was unbearable. He would much rather have Elita shout at him for failing to protect her friend than continue to wait for her to return from her state of shock. ¡°You know¡­ when I found Revia, I told her that everything that had ever happened in her life was meant to happen. . Back then, I never considered the heavy burden those words could bring to me or her. I told a 16 year old girl that her mother, father and brother¡¯s death were all so that she could work for old fogeys like me who go about teaching people about the doctrine of the Purity or in the most likely cases, teach nothing at all.¡± Valis said as his gaze fell to the furnished floor. His own words copsed on his chest, making it heavy, emotion stirring within him like a whirlpool. ¡°I¡¯ve always regretted that decision. I thought her being deprived of a family would be a way for her to reach out to the Purity and treat it as her own family, grow within it and¡­ find happiness but¡­¡± ¡°I saw how she was a hollow husk, left without a purpose even after I had tried my best to guide her but I didn¡¯t act. I was convinced that I heard the voice of the Deities calling to her and that I was being used to draw her in¡­¡± Valis stopped talking for a while as he recalled the scenes which he saw. That man who had abilities that he couldn¡¯t fathom. His cunning and unique attitude as he fought was enough to throw many off. He had even called himself the leader of the Green Neolists. Just what in the world was this old man supposed to believe anymore? ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Elita¡¯s voice suddenly called as she raised her head, wiping away the tears from her face as she gazed intently at Valis with reddened eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve never been one to doubt in our doctrines. I have cherished them and taught them to people while hoping that I can make some semnce of a difference. And I still do. But¡­¡± Elita sniffled. The rage in her eyes was impossible to conceal and Valis could only look below, avoiding it entirely. ¡°You and all those High Order Priests are what have corrupted the Purity, leaving it in shambles. Have you any idea from which depths I had to drag Revia¡¯s soul out of? The pain and the guilt she felt. You rendered it all meaningless by making her believe she was born to fight for a cause she never truly believed in! A cause YOU couldn¡¯t make her believe it! I don¡¯t doubt the Deities one bit, but I don¡¯t think they would cast such a cruel fate on Revia, or on all of us.¡± Valis took Elita¡¯s words without retorting. He very much knew the ins and outs of the higher society in the Purity and couldn¡¯t deny that not all were in favour of the doctrine. ¡°I kept my mouth shut even when I was stripped of my rank unjustly. When I did my utmost to save many lives and let an innocent man go. But I warned you all and told you take this seriously! Instead, you chose the cheaper way out and one of own suffered for it,¡± Elita said before she took a deep breath. The old man grimaced. ¡°And well Valis, you can tell the higher ups that I refuse to be reinstated as a Pdin Knight. I won¡¯t be used to rece Revia and cover up their mistakes. I¡¯ll either sit here and wait or they¡¯ll have to let me go,¡± she said before she sat on the other side of the bed, gazing away from Valis who only expected this response. While some would take up the offer he hade with of her reinstatement as a Pdin Knight after announcing to Elita Revia¡¯s defeat with an intense vigour, Valis knew Elita was different. She was open-minded, mature and altruistic in nature. For the greater good, was her motto. She could be the most humble of all the Pdin Knights. He was only a messenger but he never believed Elita would take up the offer anyway. Seeing as Elita needed time to settle her emotions, the old man stood up from his seat. ¡°I¡­ am d you honour Revia even now. She is blessed to have someone like you. The higher ups said they will arrange for Revia to be found. Rest assured,¡± he said before turning to leave. Elita heard the door close and grimaced, clutching her face. Her heart beat faster and faster from both pain and rage. The news had shattered her upon hearing it. She considered Revia a younger sister, that much was no secret. It broke her to see that the girl she had helped find her path was now lost again. What had made this all worse was that she was only told of this several days after it had already happened, which meant that Valis hade to tell him of Revia¡¯s fate of his own ord while also carrying a message from the higher ups that had probably coincided with his visit. She was an afterthought to the higher ups and the more she thought about it, she almost broke down. But¡­ She couldn¡¯t afford to idle by while Revia could still be alive out there. Her message for the higher ups which she passed to Valis was going to either be ignored or voided. The higher ups would never let her go. They¡¯d rather keep her imprisoned, which is why, she finally decided to take steps that she should have a long time ago. ¡°Guidance field,¡± she called, a light blue transparent screen appearing before her, showing lines of text that filled it to the borders. ¡°Maximise.¡± The light blue screen moved away from Elita and expanded to be as tall as the height of the space in the room! ¡°Switch to navigation map and pinpoint the targets I¡¯ve marked.¡± Over the blue transparent screen, a hazy grid with geographic icons and names of settlements appeared with a dark blue hue so as to distinguish them from the background. Over the map, two dots of light could be seen in different directions, one being light blue and the other being gold. Elita breathed out as she saw the distance between them. She then turned away from the map, looking to be thinking deeply before she showed a look of resolution. ¡°Hidden Storage. Give it to me, I can¡¯t put my petty ideals over my duty anymore. I¡¯ll use it.¡± With that, a bright sh of light shot from the blue screen for but a microsecond, something popping up simultaneously. Itnded in Elita¡¯s hand. A book with a dull red glow nested in the Champion¡¯s grip, finally about to used after so many years of constant rejection. A new Direction bloomed with this one action. Chapter 229 Feinheath Over Seven Days (3) Runecraft and Alchemy. These were integral arts to development and improvement that focused on enhancing the functions of living things and those of non-living things. Asides from the paths to power that sentient and evolved beings in Aigas depended on, these two areas of focus were also considered important. Naturally, it could be pointed out the these two resulted from one of the paths to power. sses. cksmiths could advance their sses, getting to be practitioners of runecraft, where they inscribed runes that gave objects different effects, both utilitarian, defensive and offensive. The same was true for Mages and Healers who could use gain the speciality of runecraft with advances in their ss, though the runes would differ massively from each other and bear different effects ording to the advanced ss. Alchemy was also like this with but one difference. It only applied to Mages. Concocting chemicals that could be used to enhance performance in living things with little to no side-effects was something only those who could interact with energies on a scale that exceeded basic utilisation could hope to achieve. This was vastly different from strong medicinal concoction.. This ability to specialise in something as potent as alchemy added to the value that Mages had even above other ss users in the Energy Forming category. Why were these details important? Well, because the object that Elita held was fashioned using an extremely advanced form of runecraft that fastened instructions so intricate to an object, that it would be capable of breaking apart any existence, restructuring their body, soul and even Direction. In other portions of reality, many would call it, a Book of Alignment. Elita gazed at it, feeling very apprehensive, as she did on the day she received it. The very day when she saw a screen that told her she had been acknowledged by an entity called the Voice of Worlds. Along with this entity, came the sh of light that threw upon her this red book with a cover that held interlocking lines of small text that ran along its thick figure which radiated a cold aura. Elita breathed out slowly. She had no idea what this was, but it gave her the feeling that this was a crucial moment in her life. Her choice would change her entire existence. Her current agenda was to go out and find Revia as she believed the youngdy to still be alive. Perhaps it was a lie that she told herself to keep from breaking. Who knew? She didn¡¯t know for sure. What she did know, was that she needed to try. She couldn¡¯t trust the Purity to prioritise her rescue what with all that was happening in Feinheath. And so, this was her best bet. The object she had ignored for almost ten years just because she didn¡¯t know where it would lead her. The Voice of Worlds was a mysterious entity on its own and it never told her any specific details. Neither did she had any actual interactions with it. And now, the very same prompt that appeared when she had held the book for the first time, appeared. [Would you ept the call of the power hidden within the Book of Alignment?] A Book of Alignment. ¡®I¡­I¡­ I need more strength. Even with the guidance field helping me boost my stats faster than everyone else and learn skills quicker, I¡¯m still no match for the raw talents of this world. Maybe¡­ maybe with this then¡­I can make a difference¡­An actual difference,¡¯ she thought, sweat appearing over her dark skin. Soon, she firmed her resolve and¡­ ¡°Yes¡­¡± She affirmed. Immediately after she spoke, a raging tide of energy burst from the red book and flooded into Elita like a river of illusory blood! She gaped, her eyes opening wide as the power seeped into her mouth and eyes relentlessly, holding back her screams from the sheer amount of pain she felt during the sudden process which gave no prelude! Elita¡¯s body started to emit a red glow, then¡­ the glow changed, turning purple as it encased her figure as she twitched from the flying red energy. A full thirty seconds passed as the energy started to slowly die down, another prompt appearing afterwards when Elita slumped to her knees. [Congrattions, you have evolved and begun anew on the path of ¡®Voided Death¡¯] [Congrattions, you have sessfully evolved into a standard ¡®Voided Deathform¡¯] Elita opened her eyes and felt her body to be vastly different. She felt as if¡­she wasn¡¯t all there. As if she did not exist. Weird. What a peculiar feeling. Amidst the confusion, she saw an emerging sh of purple light that almost blinded her for a moment. From this light, a purple me emerged, caused the room to emit a low rumble from its wondrous energy. ¡°Come,¡± a stern voice leaked from the me, leaving Elita gaping again at this additional change which she hadn¡¯t seening at all. And with theing of the voice that called to her, Elita¡¯s body became dyed in a purple light that wrapped around her tightly, glowing brighter as in the next moment, she and the me that spoke were gone. *** In the thick crusts of the world to the East of Inhone City, a few miles from the settlement, a change urred. One that would case a disturbance. Energy surged furiously underground, a mash of powers colliding wildly in a disorderly fashion. The process happened too deep underground for there to be any noticeable change on the surface but one thing was for sure, not three but four powers were shing, three already existing in this ce while a fourth seemed to draw in from further East,plicating the mess even further. A loud hum continuously thrummed with a vague reverberation, burning and crumpling the ground with a shocking intensity until finally¡­ A crack appeared. Not a crack on the hard ground, but a crack in the very fabric of space. A dark blue tint appeared around the crack, swirls of purple then dancing around the crack¡¯s mouth like smoke as this phenomenon began to continue spreading while the influx of this mysterious energy from the East continued to gush out, fueling the crack incessantly¡­ Chapter 230 Festos After A Day Plus Six: Knowledge Many records detailed Aigas¡¯ past. Its history. This did not include the very makings of the world as that had been explored countless times over, by the teachings from the Purity covering that in great and excruciating detail. What Aigas¡¯ history entailed was the age after the various creatures of Aigas were formed. This was said to be 90,000 years ago. Some records say that the first living things to gain advanced intelligence were the Dragons. These were the mighty creatures that were said to have been the previous dwellers of thend in the North, Edagon where the giants now resided. The connection between the Dragons and Giants was not fully understood, especially not to humans but the giant humanoids were said to have been the superior race, better than both the Sif and the humans in all aspects after the great flying creatures that preceeded them. They were the first topletely recognise the will of the Deities, in particr Quintess who they loved instinctively. The crust of Aigas itself.. They did not shun the other Deities, except for Boron, and taught these among themselves, building shrines to pay respects to the Deities. To the other two Deities, each week. To Quintess, each day. Their poption, flourished, gaining strength and continued knowledge through a channel that no human knew until one day, the giants decided to travel from Edagon and descend South to where the other continents were positioned to share this profound knowledge. They reached Opungale first, which was closest from the long stretch of distance to Edagon. They arrived with their bulks, sharing peacefully and educating the Sif about the Deities and propounding the knowledge that it was Listafelle who made them, the Deity who became the vast waters themselves. The Sif who were naturally drawn to nature were pleased with this knowledge, offering themselves to the blessing of Listafelle, whom they saw as the Great Mother and detaching themselves from the revering of the forests which they had dedicated their Deities. Yet, they still loved them. The giants were pleased that the message of the Deities was so easily epted by the Sif and they moved further South to Feinheath after leaving some of their own to continue guiding the Sif. Unlike in Opungale, the giants were met with resistance from the humans who had all manner of beliefs that they clung to. However, because of their natural authority stemming from their origin, the giants managed to suppress the humans withoutmitting much harm, teaching these creatures that it was Quintess and Listafelle who made them. It was in this time that the Known Language was created by the Giants and taught to the Sif and the humans so that all three races could associate. It took quite some time for the humans to adapt, but many eventually epted, with others being so enthralled by this that they began a new movement to further consolidate the belief. A movement called the Purity. The giants nodded, seeing as the humans had fully epted the message they gave and they journeyed, once more leaving some of their own while the rest went to thest stop. Amanas. This continent remained mysterious even until today. As they approached, they faced resistance. A massive barrier that surrounded the entire continent refused them passage. The giants tried their best to break through it with their power, but it became clear that even thebined assault of their entire race wouldn¡¯t even make a dent in this barrier. It took years of relentless trials for the giants to finally give up as entry into Amanas was proven to be simply impossible. For a time, 8,000 years to be exact, there was nothing but peace on all three continents with the giants roaming over them, and teaching things about their Deities and mana. How to manipte it, how it permeated through many bodies and caused a change. It was all profound. Inevitably though, the peace was eventually broken. The sole reason for this was, the Sif and the humans noticed that the giants, did not intend to leave. With each passing year, they brought in things from their continent, settling over in theirnds and breeding as they multiplied, taking up space which was once theirs. Of course, one would wonder why it took over 8,000 years for these races to notice that the Giants were settling permanently. The reason was simple. The giants had never been that many to begin with. Only a few hundred had only existed in the beginning, and reproduction among giants took more than a hundred years with a high possibility of miscarriage. They steadily multiplied until they inserted themselves into the systems of these races and then turned to trying to bend them ording to their will. This, the humans and the Sif could not ept. And yet, the giants refused to leave as they imed credit for gracing the humans and Sif with knowledge they may have nevere to know. With this point reached, the First Grand War was waged. The humans fought against the Giants on Feinheath and the Sif fought against the Giants on Opungale. The hidden brutality and callous nature of the Giants was finally revealed as they used their immense powers to stomp over the ¡®lesser¡¯ races they had taught. Ungrateful worms, they called them. In this War, which continued for 200 years, special humans and Sif arose, bearing forth new techniques to wield mana that were exclusive to them. Unique expressions of power. This was when Advanced and Hidden sses were born. It was only with these that humans and Sif gained a foothold in the war, pushing away the Giants from their continents. It was only one of the first victories but it was a cause for celebration. Mighty heroes emerged among the humans. One of them being a certain man by the name Fulgardt, of the nation of Maqi. Unfortunately, this was only half of the story rted to the history of Aigas. As the fighting did not end with the First Grand War. Why was this entire history important? Why was this exposition even necessary? Well¡­ Because a certain Discount Human had read it in its entirety over seven days, gaining a fundamental appreciation of the world in which he resided. As for the strength he had amassed in this time¡­ Chapter 231 Festos After A Day Plus Six: Power Skullius took in deep breaths as a sharp light died down from his body, strings of steam rising from his sweaty (watery) muscles hidden under a linen shirt. He would never take it off when others were around as they would naturally question what the dark tattoos on his chest were. ¡°Some Mage you are¡­¡± Oliviana who was five meters away from him also breathing rapidly said while shaking her hand and standing up straight from her lowered stance. ¡°You seem to gravitate towards closebat more than actual magic. Or perhaps it¡¯s you just holding back?¡± Skullius shed a smile as he also dropped his guard. ¡°Maybe a bit of both,¡± he said. The two were in arge room much like one of the evaluation spaces that Skullius had been taken to by Jac to assess his prowess. There were grey walls that were chipped but sturdy along with a dark floor which resisted much of the force from powerful mana reinforced attack forms. There was some good lighting within the room, which made every corner clear and enhanced the experience, though it could be tweaked as one saw fit. ¡°Hmph. When you put it like that it really makes it hard for me to not actively try to help you of my own free will.¡± Oliviana could admit that Skullius had left a bad impression on her when they had first met. She had felt insulted by how he had looked at her chest disappointedly and as someone who had grown to be sensitive about such her stature, it was really easy for her to get biased off of one wrong move from an individual. Now however, her thoughts had started to change. Ever since Silrat approached her, offering her not only arge sum of coin but the promise of any request she desired which he immediately granted as it was wholly within his means, Oliviana had discovered quite a few things about Skullius during the seven-day training period. First, was that he was apparently a criminal. Second, was that he wasn¡¯t a swordsman as he had imed. Third, this bastard was cursed, and there was a risk associated with¡­ associating with him.. These details were shared after she had decided to continue training him and for her, while she wasn¡¯t overly concerned with morals, she did have boundaries. Killing indiscriminately was one of them. Thus, her initial attitude when training Skullius this time around was extremely harsh. On the first day, she had not held back her punches, giving the Discount Human heavy blows as she instructed him clearly. To her surprise, this man didn¡¯t react with grunts or groans. Instead, he looked exceedingly focused as he stood and took the stance which she would have told him! On top of this, he had already mastered [Mana Shroud] and having seemingly evolved it into something else! Ridiculous! The silvery eyes of the Discount Human with a figure that was vastly different from when she hadst seen him didn¡¯t show the hate and fury she had expected for a murderer. Or the cold and nonchnce towards life. Instead, they strangely held an innocence together. Neither evil nor pure. The man seemed to simply exist with what he knew. What was right was right, what was wrong was wrong. This detail had lessened her hostility towards Skullius somewhat and she began instructing him properly. Of the 18 hours per day that she would train him, the first 9 were dedicated to hand-to-handbat. Oliviana taught Skullius all the basic techniques she knew and the Discount Human greedily absorbed them all, bing semi-proficient in them in a few hours! The rest of the hours would be dedicated to swordsmanship. It boggled Oliviana why Skullius would want to learn this, as she new very well that there were such things as Mages who preferred closebat while utilising their magic, but ones that used swords, seeking out their true depths like swordsman? Was it some kind of Advanced ss? She didn¡¯t know. On the fourth day of their training, Skullius was already exhibiting more advanced forms of techniques in both swordsmanship and hand-to-handbat! Nothing extraordinary but for someone who just started learning, it was ridiculous! And to make matters worse, the Discount Human asked for her help in perfecting a few techniques of his own. Perhaps help was a strong word. The Discount Human didn¡¯t ask, but directly tried them out on his tutor who had almost been caught off guard and sustained minor injuries. How could Oliviana possibly believe that this man was simply ordinary? With each day, he kept changing physically, his body bing more robust and his speed gradually increasing along with his form. She also noticed that Skullius preferred to be excessive during their training sessions. He would usually run around a lot without much rest while exhibiting some rather quick speeds and during hand-to-handbat training, the Discount Human would fling as many punches and kicks as he could with his newly learned proper form every chance he got. It was strange for Oliviana but Skullius would usually emerge with a smile after each training, as if he was seeing something that everyone else couldn¡¯t. Which he was. Right now, Oliviana couldn¡¯t deny that she saw Skullius more favourably. What else could draw people in than such a hard worker? ¡°Should we stop here for today?¡± Oliviana asked. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Skullius said as he started to stretch. It didn¡¯t exactly do him any good but he had begun to learn more human mannerism through his interactions, particrly Oliviana. As he did this, he looked behind Oliviana and saw something that made him frown. ¡°He¡¯s here again?¡± he said begrudgingly. Oliviana turned and saw a particrly old man standing there as he gazed at Skullius while nodding sagely. The female instructor sighed and turned back to the Discount Human. ¡°I can¡¯t stop him froming. He said he wanted to see if you¡¯re regretting your decisions yet,¡± Oliviana said. Skullius clicked his tongue. This old man might fade from the memory of others, but to Skullius, he would never forget that face. This was the old man who had given him trouble back at then at the gates of the College of Battle Arts. A single eye open, a hunchback and half a head of white hair¡­ that continued to moonwalk backwards. This was the second time that this old man had appeared here, watching him and Oliviana spar only to walk away again, which made Skullius wonder who the hell gave him permission to enter anyway. ¡°I see you didn¡¯t walk the path to regret. I was sure you would cry and run away. Oliviana tells me you have much potential,¡± the old man said. ¡°Uh¡­ potential in what? Gardening?¡± Skullius retorted. ¡°Oh that too. I could get you some tutge.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Skullius waved his hands in dismissal. He recalled that the old man had told him that he was but a gardener when they first met. ¡°Don¡¯t regret itter, hahaha!¡± the old man chortled as he began walking away. Skullius watched as the old man left, his eyes following the old man¡¯s movement until he vanished from sight. Why was that old man so obsessed with regret? * The news happening all around Feinheath, in particr Pelian wasn¡¯t lost to Skullius but he didn¡¯t focus on this as the progress he had made was simply astounding. First off, the Discount Human had decided to use the Enriching gems over the seven days as with a bit of research, he found that using Enriching gems changed the looks of other creatures as well, but not as drastically as him unless there was a lot of change that needed to be addressed. At this point in time, as he sat in his cell after sparring with Oliviana, the only time he was allowed to leave the enclosed space, he had finished absorbing all the purple-red gems, the pure red ones being the only ones that remained. He would proceed to absorb them right after checking out the progress with his skills. With this aspect¡­ Skullius grinned while locking his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s amazing what a can Discount Human can do if he abuses his newfound endurance,¡± Skullius said. He had been practising so intensely that most of the skills he paid particr attention to had actually evolved. [Quick Strike] which he spammed during the 18 hours of practise had be [sh Flicker]. [Great Rush] which he practised by excessively running around during spars had be [Great Rush I]. [Brawn] which had been the first to evolve since it went very well with hand-to-handbat, had transformed into [Raw Impact]. Thest to evolve was [Mana Shield], after the relentless attacks from Oliviana and Skullius attempts at manipting it manually to focus it on certain points that he aimed to receive the damage with, bing [Guard Light]. This was the skill he relied on the most during spars after [Elevated Mana Maniption] which also levelled up crazily. Him using the abundant mana from his Prator form greatly helped with this. This was the most basic of the progress that Skullius however, as he had more profound results to show from these seven days were from his attempt at fusing the evolved skills plus [Mana Force] which, unfortunately didn¡¯t work out. Apparently, seamlesslybining skills required a lot more than seven days and much more knowledge on theposition of skills. That said, it wasn¡¯t aplete wash as Skullius had actually managed to learn to seamlessly apply all these skills at once to create what one would call a pseudo skill. A conscious activation of multiple skills simultaneously that made it look like a singr skill. The result was ultimately weaker than the seamlessbination of the skills into one but was still useful. ¡°I¡¯ll eventually get it right, I guess,¡± Skullius mumbled to himself. This wasn¡¯t what he was most proud of though, as there was something else that made all his hardwork worthwhile¡­ Chapter 232 The 10th Task [Crude World Projection] had suffered some grand abuse. Skullius had spammed it to an insane degree, using it to bolster his ability to manipte [Evil Darkness] at a higher level. He also used it to refine his handling of darkness so that he could use other methods that didn¡¯t rte to constantly creating a cloud of darkness. He aimed to get more skills from the element, as after his affinity with it had increased, the profound results it had shown during the past days was nothing short of ridiculous. With the things he had unlocked from it alone, he was stronger than himself prior to this stretch of time. A few new applications were now present for him to control from [Evil Darkness]. The use of [Crude World Projection] was now much easier for Skullius as he move vast distances with the ghastly dark form he would acquire. In fact, the Discount Human was busy preparing toplete thest Task before the Trial to enter the Advancement Stage which pertained this ability from the Fruit of World Myths. The 10th Task. ~~~ Exp: 256,000/256,000 Tenth Task: Cross a distance of 10 miles in the Projected form ~~~ This would prove to be a bit difficult. Ten miles wasn¡¯t a joke. He had to cross the entire city from where he was, plus several bundles of change.. The Discount Human wasn¡¯t sure if he could do that, unless he flew at high speeds, which was possible for him. The 9th Task had also been challenging, but not too difficult to achieve as it also pertained to his Insurgent Magnus skills. For this pending Task, Skullius decided to use the remaining red gems to further bolster his strength so that he could get an added advantage when using [Crude World Projection]. The ability seemed to heavily rely on his body¡¯s constitution, weirdly enough. Skullius assumed it was because the Fruit of World Myths was in his body. He took out one of the gems, seeing its circr shape with a pulsing red that had numerous lights swirling within. It was quite mesmerising. He ultimately wasted no time, beginning to absorb the energy that nested within the Enriching gems which gushed into him like a raging tide! Skullius was overwhelmed by the energy to the point of almost toppling over with an erotic moan atop as this was simply too satisfying even for him who barely felt physical sensations. Forty of these red gems awaited him and if all of them had energy like this¡­. [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 3 applies] ¡°Oh! Three?!¡± Three whole points of constitution! Skullius was enthralled by the figure he saw so much that he quickly calmed himself and got to absorbing the energy from the gems faster. This proved to be a slower task than normal as the energy in these gems felt like vast swaths of syrup drooping over him. This time, there was no subtlety when it came to the changes on his body. His muscles wriggled as they readjusted and enhanced themselves, bing more toned and well-shaped. Skullius hair grew an inch longer while his face gained more detail, his eyes gaining an additional twinkle. Skullius didn¡¯t pay all this any mind as he went to absorb all forty gems after roughly an hour and a half. Then.. [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A cumtive factor of 100 is applied to your body] [Strength increases by 30] [Agility increases by 30] [Endurance increases by 30] [Health increases by 30] [Mana increases by 30] ¡°Phew¡­¡± What a haul of stats. On top of the stats he had gotten from the purple-red gems, Skullius was stacked when it came to his physical abilities now. The influx of energy caused his body to tremble and beef up slightly as he took it all in with a grin. This was it! Undeniable growth. He was on the right path! After the energy settled, Skullius¡¯ appearance gained another dramatic change. His eyes turnedplete silver with a dash of twinkling light while his auburn hair reached his chin with a healthy lustre. His skin spotted sparkles as if made of polished brass, which made Skullius wonder how everyone didn¡¯t look like this? Was this because his body was fake to begin with? [¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ levelled up!] [¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ levelled up!] ¡°Jeez. If this keeps going on, I might end up evolving this skill. I never thought I¡¯d see the day though. Why don¡¯t I feel much of a change?¡± This Supreme disguise skill was on Level 5 now but Skullius didn¡¯t feel any changes. ¡°We¡¯ll see when it reaches level 10. Maybe they¡¯ll be something new then. Now.¡± Skullius set his sights on the agenda he was aiming for. He took a few nces at his body before closing his eyes and saying the relevant words needlessly. ¡°Crude World Projection.¡± His Projection shot from his body like a missile as Skullius didn¡¯t intend on wasting time or showing down. Unlike the first time he had used this ability back in Eofel, he had remained hidden until he gained the visible Projection form. Strangely, it could attack using [Evil Darkness] and the Discount Human wagered that the same would be true for [Just Light] as well which he hadn¡¯t had much luck with. Even as he spammed [Basic Light Production], the results were dismal. It was as if the element just didn¡¯t want to surrender to him even when it came to production. The issue as Skullius had surmised, was that it had something to do with his non-existent affinity to the element. He would have to find a way to connect with that one. For now, his dark figure flew up into the sky through physical matter as he didn¡¯t want to be seen. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could be sensed as he had never dared to wander too far from his cell in this form during his seven-days of training. The ck, white and grey view shrouded the world, people appearing with different shades of desaturated colours. In Eofel, Skullius had inferred that the differences in colour were supposed to be rted to how much righteousness and evil one had within them, but he didn¡¯t understand these concepts better than the next person. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked far to his right. ¡®If I just go straight at full speed, I might be able to reach the ten mile mark in no time.¡¯ Skullius cocked back and shot in the direction he intended. He whizzed through the air like a bullet, making sure that his altitude was high enough for him to be obscure. In all truth, he had travelled quite the distance with his upward ascent already. He shed through the winds which he couldn¡¯t feel as the dull colours raged around him. Scenes shed past as he flew while he himself still felt full of energy. ¡®Heh, I can do this all day. Wait, what?!¡¯ Skullius once again shook his head at another unintentional phrase that bolted out of his mouth. As he shed into the distance, something peculiar caught his eye. A pitch ck figure was travelling slowly down below. This was the darkest thing he had ever seen since he had started using [Crude World Projection]! Curiosity burned within him and Skullius thought to take a closer look from afar. Chapter 233 Is It A Bird? Is It A Plane? No, Its A Freakin Shadow! What could this be? Was it a human? Moving through the rough, de-grassednds away from Inhone City was a lone carriage pulled along by two horses which had a dash of grayish back to them. It was strange. While the carriage itself seemed to be a hazy grey in colour, the figure within was so dark that its colour stood out. The second most eye catching thing within the carriage was the two bundles wrapped in cloth tightly. They were in a storage space in the back part of the carriage. With normal vision, one wouldn¡¯t be able to tell what was wrapped up within them, but Skullius saw it clearly in a hazy grey colour as well which made him squint. Corpses. They were dead bodies wrapped up in the pieces of cloth. ¡®Now that¡¯s fishy¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. He knew suspicious activity when he saw it. And this was it. Naturally, he had all the reason to believe that whoever this was, was not a goody two-shoes.. The incredibly shady setup didn¡¯t look like something that should be let slide. However, Skullius decided not to pursue this matter. For one reason, he didn¡¯t want to waste time with different agendas and this wasn¡¯t his problem. The other was, well¡­ There was a cruel and raging energy that leaked from this figure! It was different from Terian¡¯s controlled raw energy that stemmed from both his ss and stage or from a powerful core. No, it was outright malicious as didn¡¯t seem to simply be from power umted through a core. The Discount Human let this go as he rushed up ahead after taking onest nce at the dark figure. He shed at an insane speed over the stretch of distance covering two additional miles in a few short minutes! This was going well. Below, Skullius saw the thousands of people in different settlements all with a variety of colour, mixes of the dark and white colour staining almost every individual he could see. It was¡­ beautiful to see from up here. This was one of the few times that Skullius considered something to be beautiful since he came here. He was used to calling the dreadful designs of Somanda¡¯s tower beautiful and attractive and not this mash of dull colour with the small existences walking with it in them. How quickly he had strayed from the path of undeath. While enjoying the view, the Projected Discount Human felt a tug at his body. He suddenly started to decelerate as a slight pull drew him back, forcing his speed to dip despite his efforts. ¡®I knew it wouldn¡¯t be so simple. I¡¯m guessing I can¡¯t be too far away from my body even after these enhancements?¡¯ Skullius thought. But he would power through anyway. How else would he surpass his limits? How else had he been able to break through the seemingly insurmountable challenges that had brought themselves before him time and time again other than through going beyond his limits¡­ plus the obscure favour that Serenity had talked about which supposedly battled his atrocious luck. Had he truly been unlucky since the Tremur Forest though? Well¡­ one could argue, yes. From being used of being a Green Neolist member to almost dying while fighting Jackpot who could literally control luck, to the library incident and how it wasing back to bite him in his fake ass, to the near death experience with Guddhar and all. All these might seem like a casual hero¡¯s journey features but even the most protagonist amongst protagonists didn¡¯t get into all these within a mere six days! Skullius wasn¡¯t constantly in trouble. The Discount Human struggled on, pushing against the resistance that sought to pull him back! He crossed another miles worth of distance which brought him up to five miles covered, the Discount Human continuing on even as the tug at his Projected figure grew! Sadly, he couldn¡¯t use any of his skills in this state or interact with physical matter as he had left his core and body behind! He could only manipte the elements that had already been conjured by his skills beforehand. ¡®HNGH!¡¯ Skullius¡¯ Projected form showed vague outlines of his face scrunching up as he put in more effort! With each bout of flight over a vast distance, his speed reduced by half and now, he was barely able to finish a mile in an hour! The Discount Human sincerely hoped nothing bad was happening back where he had left his body as that would truly be atrocious. He hadn¡¯t shared many of his abilities with Oliviana and Silrat and didn¡¯t intend to tell them about [Crude World Projection] because that would entail telling them about the Fruit of World Myths. Fortunately, the ToE he was engaged in didn¡¯t mentioned anything about him disclosing more information about himself. FSHH! 8 miles! At this point, Skullius felt himselfe to aplete halt as the pull on him grew stronger than the strength of his flight! ¡®Not when I¡¯m just two away from the goal!¡¯ Skullius groaned while exerting more of his force. The strength he gained from this boost only earned him a dismal level of speed which he soldiered through with still. Fortunately, what Skullius had wasn¡¯t a physical body and fatigue wasn¡¯t exactly what he would feel. Instead it was a heavy sensation that tried to pull him back to his body. After a prolonged struggle, Skullius finally reached the ninth mile, and the moment he passed, a dark, distorted chain shot through from the direction of Inhone City and clutched onto his back with a metal clink! ¡­! ¡®Crap!¡¯ Skullius eximed right before he was pulled back at a shocking speed over the distance he had crossed straight into his cosmetic body! The sensation of his flesh returned and perhaps from shock, Skullius spun and knocked against the walls animatedly! The Discount Human took a few moments to rx his mind before sitting up straight. ¡®I really failed, huh? What a troublesome Task,¡¯ he thought with a slight tone of frustration. He was quite dejected, but not by much. With a little more Enriching gems, he didn¡¯t see why he couldn¡¯t break through this barrier. It was just one more mile. Another thing that he had found to be interesting was that while purple gems had the 1000+ limit, the limit for purple-red gems was above 2,500+. He didn¡¯t know the limit for red gems, but it was bound to be higher than this. ¡®Well¡­ on to refining other promising aspects of my strength then.¡¯ Chapter 234 Your Presence Has Been Requested A matter that many would question was how Skullius had been lucky enough to not be spotted in his Fulgurant Prator form while he was held in the cell. While he would get training with Oliviana, he still had a few hours to stay in the cell. Well, naturally as someone who did not want to be found out, especially by those two monsters Terian and Dami, Skullius had devised a simple method to ward off half of the problem. It was a desperate attempt really. He had requested for Silrat to allow him to have the entirety of the second day of his training to himself. Bound by the privacy use he had promised with the Tie of Exchange, Silrat naturally concurred as his cunning mind didn¡¯t bother with such slight details. His end goal and benefits were still shining on the horizon, and grand they were. In that day he had requested, Skullius waited out the activation of [Flesh It Like You Mean It] after it timed out, spending the entire day as a skeleton behind bars. Of course Skullius had been apprehensive of suddenly being visited unexpectedly but no such thing had happened, as this was the very day when the news of the final decision about the pressing matter concerning the collusive arrangements with Opungale was released. Matters pertaining to Skullius and his genocide case didn¡¯t hold a candle to the potential disasters that awaited Erkus and the other city Lords and thus, Erkus had been racking his brain along with the two high level Capital service personnel over what would be the next best steps. Call it luck or chance.. Skullius was just d that his n ultimately worked. When night came, he activated [Flesh It Like You Mean It], effectively creating a new timestamp for where the skill timed out; thetime after his training with Oliviana where he retired to his cell. It was unlikely for people to visit him during the time. At least there was a lesser chance of it happening. This had saved him from the potential hassle. During the following days, he had not seen the hot-headed woman and Terian, which allowed him to recover from his earlier experiences with the two. Between travelling to meet with other City Lords and Governors to addressing the social unrest which spread to even the mercenaries who began to make move after move to secure their safety, the Capital service as a whole had its hands full. Skullius had enjoyed the peace. Sadly, that peace had finallye to an end as things had settled down quite a bitpared to five days ago. As he had been dismissed by Oliviana rather early today, Skullius had started working himself to death again after his failed attempt at reaching the 10 mile mark while in his Projected. It was in the midst of this inhuman training session when his benefactor walked in. Silrat raised a brow when he saw Skullius, undoubtedly shocked by the drastic change in appearance that the Discount Human had undergone. Even the look in the man¡¯s eyes had changed just from a mere six days since he saw him. He hadn¡¯t been able to visit the Skullius in the past few days. ¡°Either you¡¯re eating a bit too much of your greens or the Enriching gems I gave you reallypensated for, well¡­ everything,¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Skullius asked in annoyed tone of voice. ¡°Nothing enough for you to be concerned about. I¡¯m d to see results.¡± Skullius spotted hints of exhaustion from Silrat who had had to tackle all the matters concerning the rise in misconduct in the Guilds Association. The news had caused quite a few mercenaries to run away torger cities in preparation for the possible responses of the other nations. He had to deal with all this while mobilising the internal staff of the Association which was much too few to handle the chaos of such a scale. Silrat had considered requesting ¡®Unbreakable¡¯ for help in disciplining the disorderly mercenaries but had withheld himself. It was not proper and would harm his reputation as the man was from the Capital service. The man was literally a killing machine when he switched. Silrat could easily see a sea of corpses being left all around even after asking for what would be a restricted disciplinary action from ¡®Unbreakable¡¯. Eventually, he solved it though after appealing to the mercenaries¡¯ hearts through coin and valuables. An increase in rewards for clearing Clusters and a cut on charges for hauled spoils had worked like a change. ¡°What do you want?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Right. It seems much like me, the Capital service isn¡¯t under too much pressure anymore. You-know-who has requested your presence. You¡¯re needed for more Divining.¡± ..! ¡°Damn it! Again?! Isn¡¯t it too soon?¡± ¡°Well, they assumed that seven days would be enough for rest or something like that. Besides, Terian ims he¡¯ll keep Dami under control this time,¡± Silrat exined with a shrug. Skullius wasn¡¯t ready for this yet. Being poked again by that¡­bitch wasn¡¯t at all pleasant even if she held herself back. ¡°You¡¯re just going to let them to do this to me?¡± Skullius asked with a frown. Silratughed heartily which made the Discount Human even more upset. ¡°Hahaha. Don¡¯t worry. I see you¡¯re still deeply mistrusting despite our Tie of Exchange but don¡¯t worry. I already told you of how I n to deal with this. At the moment, Erkus doesn¡¯t know what my stance is concerning you. I will reveal my cards when we face them shortly with the entrance of a certain genius.¡± What the hell was that supposed to mean? Silrat waved his hand which dimmed the runes on the iron bars to Skullius¡¯ cell. With a snap of his finger, the bars rose up, disappearing into the hard ground above. ¡°Come. At worst you¡¯ll have to endure one session of Divining. At best you won¡¯t have to go through one at all.¡± The Discount Human rose and looked deeply into Silrat¡¯s eyes. Trust was something he was yet to share with anyoneand he certainly wasn¡¯t ready to give it to Silrat. At least not yet. The missing detail or rather, the differing details on the ToE he engaged with the man still made him apprehensive. Yet.. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Skullius said. There was simply no other choice. Chapter 235 Arrogant Bastards During the ascent from the cell where Skullius was led from by Silrat, the Discount Human discovered that his cell was located quite some ways below the Association building. He had been brought to his cell when he had passed out (turned off) after Dami had drop kicked his soul with her Divining so he didn¡¯t know where he had been. The training space he used to train with Oliviana was several paces from his cell on the same floor, which housed a cluster of simr cells, seemingly meant for criminals like him. They even had grades, ording to the strength of the criminal. ¡°Since we have a long term working rtionship, would you mind telling me about the more obviously unnatural aspects of your powers?¡± Silrat said, sparking conversation. Skullius raised a brow as the two rose through a narrow winding of stone stairs lit up by ming wooden torches, faint markings that glowed tinging the walls, ever at the ready to maintain the integrity of the building visible all around. ¡°What obvious aspects?¡± Skullius questioned. ¡°Well. Every building in this city, as long as it has Capital value, has powerful runes engraved into its walls. It¡¯s a privilege that only cities like this one can enjoy. ss holders with potent runecrafting are rare, and it was only by thebined efforts of Zax, the old man from the College of the Esteemed as well as Erkus that such a thing is even seen in a small city like ours. For your mes to have even caused chars and slight burns on the walls, that would require some serious firepower.¡± ¡°I¡¯m inclined to believe that you don¡¯t own something that dangerous as an artefact but as a spell of some kind. Your spatial storage didn¡¯t have much in it for there to be suspicions for you owning such powerful utilities. Save for what Dami saw you using of course.¡± Skullius could admit that was a proper deduction that kind of nailed him to the wall. He didn¡¯t know that his [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] had left marks on the walls or that it was a profound feat to even cause such a minor change to something protected by the runes.. Was it wise to share some of his powers with Silrat? The man was right, they would be engaging in a long termmitment where mutual benefit was derived and funnelled into Skullius¡¯ growth. ¡°Come now. You realise that having mee to escort you in person is a privilege right? I thought this would do well to at least show my sincerity.¡± Skullius sighed. This guy¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know how exactly I¡¯d even show you my abilities. Besides, can¡¯t you just ask Oliviana? She¡¯s seen many of them,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Surface level abilities I¡¯m sure. A demonstration would be nice. Of your real abilities being utilised to their full extent. Not now of course but after the whole ordeal that we are about to face. Can I count on you for that?¡± The Discount Human took a few moments to think. Ultimately, it would benefit him if he kept much of the more intimate details to himself. He wouldn¡¯t want anyone to know that he had a hidden ss. ¡°I guess¡­¡± Once again, Skullius found himself sumbing. It seemed like nomatter the question, he was bound to say yes, provided with no other alternative when it came to Silrat. The two finally reached a room that Skullius was familiar with, adorned with fine furniture befitting of a room reserved for special personages to sit down and chat. Terian and Dami were seated on two luxurious chairs awaiting the twos¡¯ arrival With Skullius and Silrat entering, the atmosphere instantly turned heavy as a stare down immediately ensued as the Discount Human eyed Dami dangerously. The woman snorted while locking eyes with Skullius and as she fully took in his figure, her expression changed, her eyes darted to Silrat who immediately knew what she was thinking. And she was right to think so. Terian also noticed this and narrowed his eyes. Such a drastic change in Skullius¡¯ appearance could only mean one thing, but he decided to not address it yet, as he focused on Skullius for now. ¡°Hello, Festos. I apologise if this is on too much of a short notice. It would seem that the days you were afforded to rest were insufficient, and perhaps rightfully so¡­¡± Terian said, shooting a nce to Dami when he mentioned this part, ¡°¡­but as you may have been made to know, there are many things that we as the Capital service have been dealing with and this is the only window we have to engage with you.¡± ¡°Also¡­ this might be yourst chance to give us some of the details we require.¡± A dangerous underlining intentyzily within that statement, making Skullius nervous. What else did these guys want to know? ¡°The City Lord won¡¯t be joining us today as he has matters to attend and we shall also leave you to rest after we are done. That is, if you¡¯re cooperative.¡± With regards to the Capital service, what Frock had mentioned about there being three Energy Formers in this facet of the city, was true. At least to his own outdated knowledge. Two of the other Mages in the Capital service had been transferred to another small city while Dami was transferred here to work with Terian. The old man himself was stronger than the other two Magesbined so he was to stay in Inhone while Dami was to assist him. So, in essence, Dami was fairly new to Inhone. ¡°What Silrat managed to fish out of you wasn¡¯t nearly enough. It still leaves out a lot of questions,¡± Dami said in a strict tone that somehow sounded like she was addressing a criminal and a toddler at the same time. ¡°Even with this curse ounted for. I want to know everything to do with the dark energy Jac mentioned you to use, the artefact you used to destroy that monster in Eofel and EVERYTHING about that girl in thest vision I saw.¡± Skullius frowned. ¡®The dark energy refers to my [Evil Darkness], huh? I can¡¯t tell them about that.¡¯ Even if he did share all this, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that he would be set free. What angered Skullius the most was the fact that this woman was still trying to pry about the girl in his memory. Even he didn¡¯t know who she was dammit! Would he just tell them all these sensitive details even if he was sure they wouldn¡¯t let him off. FLESH NO! For this, he really hoped that Silrat had a n, his eye darting to the man for a split second. Dami didn¡¯t miss this detail. ¡°Silrat,¡± she said in a using tone. ¡°Yes. It is as you think,¡± Silrat said with his confident smile stered on his face as he sat. ¡°I have chosen to be Festos¡¯ benefactor. I will support his case and handle the finer details under the authority of the Guilds Association.¡± ¡°That is a wildly risky decision, Silrat. You might just fall along with Festos here. In fact, your stance does not exempt Festos from any investigations,¡± Terian said, not expecting this to be Silrat¡¯s decision. ¡°I¡¯m aware but I choose to support this man anyway.¡± Dami seethed with rage in her seat, watching as Silrat smiled, seemingly implying that he had everything nned out and nothing to worry about that. ¡®Arrogant bastard,¡¯ Dami thought as she stood, walking up to Skullius. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s get this over wi¡ª¡± BAAM! The doors to the room sted open, cutting off Dami as she spoke. ¡°NO ONE will force a cherished member of my Guild to do ANYTHING,¡± a voice reverberated through the room with a powerful intensity while an even more arrogant bastard walked into the room, a confident smile etched on his face¡­ Chapter 236 Tangible Confidence A young man with dark hair that drew in the lights from the chandelier above walked in, his muscr figure which was buried under a thin, low cor linen shirt that seemed to be made from high quality material showing its elegant contours clearly through the fabric. His ocean blue eyes exuded nothing but confidence as he walked in and stared down Dami who was outraged by the sudden grand entry which interrupted her statement to Festos. Confidence and arrogance could almost be scooped up with pails from his face as he was as eerie rxed, his posture carrying a sense of unbound intensity. Terian narrowed his eyes as he saw beyond just the unexpected entry of this young man, sensing a well-knotted scheme behind this. This hypothesis arose from the fact that the young man who had walked in wasn¡¯t just any young man, but THE young man who more or less stood as the face of the Guilds Association at the moment. Tulnas, the leader of the Harem Guild. Dami frowned as she turned her head to Silrat. After a few moments, she too had realised that this couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. ¡°What are you doing here, Tulnas?¡± Terian asked before Dami could. He feared that if the woman spoke out of terms with Tulnas whom she didn¡¯t know much about because of her recency, which was more biased towards the extravagant Ideal Ark, the Capital service might end up offending the Guilds Association in quite a massively inappropriate fashion or worse. ¡°Greetings to you too, Terian. This man here..¡± Tulnas said as he turned to Skullius, raising a brow for a second before continuing, ¡°¡­is a dyed member of my Guild.¡±. ¡°What?!¡± Dami¡¯s face scrunched up as she red at Tulnas. At this point, it should be mentioned that while she was shocked by this news, a certain Discount Human was gawking and gaping even more at this development. This guy?! He was the genius and prodigy that Silrat was talking about?! The one his n was centred around?! But¡­ but¡­ There were so many questions! ¡®How is this going to help us?!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind. Sure, Skullius had said that he would think about joining the Harem Guild after finishing off some of his own personal stuff, but this wasn¡¯t enough of loophole, right? Right?! ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Festos Dawn?¡± Tulnas said with a slight smile to Skullius. This time, the Discount Human didn¡¯t turn to Silrat who maintained his expression. If this was the only lifeline avable, naturally he would draw on it until he reached its end. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Skullius responded with a nervous nod. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! Do you take us for fools! Do you think such a stu¡ª¡± ¡°On the contrary, Damita or whatever your name is,¡± Tulnas cut off Dami while waving his hands dismissively and dropping himself on one of thefortable seats in the room, ¡°I have many witnesses who were there on the day that I asked this man to join my Guild. An overwhelming number of witnesses. But please, don¡¯t poke me for verification. It¡¯s irritating and weird.¡± Dami turned red with rage while Skullius¡¯ head which had been drooping slowly rose as an excited grin stered itself on his face. Seeing that Dami was being crushed and manipted into bing a tomato, Terian took over. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Even if it so, and Festos here is a member of your Guild, that only serves to put your entire establishment under investigation as well,¡± Terian said with stern tone. He knew why Tulnas was so confident and arrogant. It was because even when the shine of the Ideal Ark came, he still stood out among the locals. As someone who was born and raised in this region, who grew to stand at the levels of power that rivalled even this old man, he was well respected and loved. However, this wasn¡¯t the bulk of it. Much of the respect came from the fact that many Energy Formers in the Guilds had been stolen by other cities and even the local Capital service before, but he remained in the city and in this branch of the Guilds Association. The amount of backing and resources he controlled was also bountiful because of the prosperity of the region that was under the Harem Guild¡¯s jurisdiction. All this in addition to the fact that he was in very good books with the City Lord because of how his portion of the region never had problems like the others, it was basically impossible to touch him. But¡­ He was protecting a criminal without much evidence as to why. This couldn¡¯t just be left alone. ¡°Naturally I¡¯m aware of this and I ept it even though I can easily use the fact that Festos here had no ties to my Guild before now. I fully take on the charges against him over me and mydies,¡± Tulnas said as his eyes didn¡¯t flicker one bit, one of his legs going to rest over the other. ¡­! Dami was out of expressions to make. She thought that perhaps they could definitely nail this man with the fact that Festos was guilty of some serious crimes but¡­ A lot of good that did. She couldn¡¯t help but have a bad feeling about this. There was probably an endgame level ying. Terian breathed out in frustration. His calm face starting to show exasperated wrinkles. This was getting more and moreplicated by the minute. Worse yet, Tulnas didn¡¯t seem to want to reveal this big ace in the hole bombshell that he definitely had, wanting to be asked about it instead so that he could reveal it in an extravagant manner. ¡°So then¡­ Will you also ept the punishments thate with genocide and the penalty I assume Silrat will also have to impose on your Guild,¡± Terian spoke as he turned his gaze to Silrat who remained silent while watching the show. Tulnas scoffed. ¡°All of that won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t have the time or the gall to continue stressing about that after I eliminate one of the thorns in your ass.¡± Terian narrowed his eyes and Dami put aside her rage to listen to this. Even Skullius almost leaned in to hear this. This was it! What made this man so confident. Tulnas smirked before locking his fingers and speaking in a domineering voice. ¡°I know how to stop the rapidly emerging Clusters.¡± ¡­! Chapter 237 Festos Is Relevant It almost seemed like a tremor had emerged in the room as everyone, excluding Silrat and Tulnas showed expressions of shock! What did this man just say?! ¡°Have you any idea what you are talking about?! This is a¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dense and neither has my wild poprity gone to my head. Please respect the fact that my Guild protects hundreds of thousands of lives on a daily basis. Don¡¯t demean me. I don¡¯t jest when ites to such sensitive issues,¡± Tulnas said while cutting off Dami once again, his eyes turning sharp as he gifted the woman a vicious re. Dami heaved in heavy breaths as her eyes turned into saucers, but she still held her tongue. Her words essentially questioned if Tulnas would give false hope in such trying times, which he clearly wasn¡¯t impressed by. Once again, Terian took over. He was equally shocked by this news and yet, he didn¡¯t choose to show outright doubt, but to question the veracity of these words tactfully. ¡°If you know such a thing, then share it with us. This is an international crisis that has yet to be solved anywhere,¡± Terian said with a slightly agitated tone. ¡°I know it¡¯s a crisis. But I also know a thing or two about credit-sharing. The Capital service and the Guilds Association have been under constantpetition over credit. The constant losses hurt the Guilds Association more than they hurt you. So¡­ of course, I¡¯m not telling you jack,¡± Tulnas said with a demeaning rise of his chin, a smirk returning to his face.. At this, Terian couldn¡¯t hold himself back as a tremendous burst of energy erupted from his body with a sound akin to thunder, a kic force pushing away all unupied furniture! A scalding heat followed, sting everyone in the face! ¡°You would consider such petty games we y in times of peace when lives are at stake here?! This is not a game! If you truly know how to stop thousands from dying each day then share with us and help save those lives! This transcends your overgrown ego!¡± Terian boomed with an ugly face painted atop his skin. Skullius had been flung along with the furniture during Terian¡¯s outburst. He had been shocked by Tulnas¡¯ words but had already turned to almost giggling in a corner while watching Tulnas dominate the conversation. He especially enjoyed watching Dami being put in her ce. He really liked that part. ¡®This is a first ss sockethole!¡¯ had been Skullius¡¯ exact words. With the iing pressure from Terian raging all around the room, Tulnas didn¡¯t flinch or even blink at it as a sturdy, yet softyer of his mana coated him protectively. The same was true for Silrat and Dami but they had reacted much, much slower than Tulnas had and had thus suffered being blown back a step. ¡°Rx old man. Like I said, I¡¯m not dense. I won¡¯t be sharing this information with you. However, the Guilds Association has already sent word to all the other branches all over the nation to try this method. The Guilds Associations there will handle it how they see fit. We¡¯ve also disseminated the information to our Designated mercenaries where relevant,¡± Tulnas said. Designated mercenaries were covert individuals from the Guilds Association Headquarters tasked with sensitive missions concerning internal affairs. Telling these people was a move to ensure that even areas which had hardships pertaining to information passage and resource mobilisation would be catered for, as Designated mercenaries could simply take over the task. Tulnas¡¯ words forced Terian to cool off, his intense energy dying down as his face showed a somewhat calm temperament. Thinking it over, it was an efficient move on the part of the Guilds Association. It seemed they had truly ounted for many variables. Silrat finally joined the conversation as it reached this point. ¡°We should be getting results from other branches soon, though they heavily depend on us. Operations within the Guilds Association are efficient after all,¡± he said, his intent all but invisible. Dami however, had heard an interesting detail from Tulnas¡¯ defence. ¡°Did you just say ¡®try¡¯? As in you¡¯re not sure whether this method of yours will work or not?¡± she asked. ¡°Did I neglect to mention that I haven¡¯t tested this method of mine yet? Well, if I did, I¡¯m telling you now. It¡¯s just an idea I had but I¡¯m sure it will work. Also, because it¡¯s just an idea, I have taken it upon myself and my Guild to test it out before all the other Guilds can. I don¡¯t want anyone¡¯s blood on my hands if this fails,¡± Tulnas said with a straight face. Terian was dumbfounded and so was Dami. It was only now that they realised that before they even got confirmation, they were already believing Tulnas¡¯ words! Was it Tulnas¡¯ charisma causing this? ¡®If it¡¯s just an untested hypothesis, then¡­ No. Erkus will probably agree with Tulnas and grant him every resource he needs to find out about whether or not his conjecture is real,¡¯ Terian said. Tulnas relished in seeing the faces of Terian and Dami like this. He hadn¡¯t mentioned how it was hard to verify the method for stopping the emerging Clusters as it would rein in the forces of other factions once it was revealed. He didn¡¯t want that hassle at the moment. Terian drew himself from his thoughts, finally posing a question that even Skullius wondered about. ¡°If it¡¯s judging this matter after you and your Guild have tested this secret method of yours, that, I can let pass. But, does Festos have any significance in this?¡± Tulnas turned to Skullius with a sly smile. ¡°First of all, Festos here, shares the same cultural interests as me, thus he is absolutely relevant. Unlike most limb men I¡¯ve seen, he appreciates fat, wobbly cheeks that bounce when you smack them just as much as I do. Don¡¯t you, Festos?¡± Tulnas said. Silrat breathed out a sigh while Dami looked at Tulnas with disgust, her upper lip rising as if she was nauseous. Terian remained expressionless, ignoring this jest, which probably wasn¡¯t a jest in his thoughts. Skullius looked around in confusion, having missed what Tulnas said entirely. ¡°And second¡­ is something I¡¯ll only disclose after the mission is done and the credit we deserve has been paid. However, you should know that Festos is very relevant.¡± ¡°¡­¡± This bastard. Even Skullius cursed when he heard this. Well, nevertheless, the points Tulnas had made were pretty strong. The tension grew as a decision was soon about to be made. Chapter 238 As Expected ¡°So. What do you say?¡± Tulnas pumped the pressure on Terian and Dami. In an ideal situation, it would have been very appropriate to reject Tulnas¡¯ proposal and exin to the City Lordter. These twos¡¯ judgement mattered too after all as they were high ranking officials in the Capital service. Unfortunately for them, it wasn¡¯t that simple. Tulnas merely stated that Festos was relevant for the mission. But how relevant? Was he what tied the whole thing together, or was this just a ruse to free this man and make him a centrepiece for the Guilds Association because of his supposed dangerous abilities? It wasn¡¯t clear. ¡°That depends. If Festos is so important in this method of yours, then he will be needed over all the three nations for your method to work? Doesn¡¯t this make your so-called message to all the other branches of the Guilds Association worthless?¡± Dami asked without the slightest intention of hiding her hostility towards Tulnas. ¡°No,¡± Tulnas replied sinctly, also openly showing hisplete disregard for the twos¡¯ opposition and authority. He didn¡¯t exin further. He could but he didn¡¯t.. Terian¡¯s skin creased. This man was refusing to be reasonable. He could just tell them why Festos was important for this but no doubt, he enjoyed his social and economic position which he rightfully imed with his own hard work. As he saw it now, the best option was to let Festos go with Tulnas. He staked it all on the fact that this arrogant bastard wouldn¡¯t suddenly help Skullius leave the city as that would bruise his reputation with the City Lord and the College of the Esteemed. That would be viewed as letting a serial killer walk away without paying for crimes. Potentially, this could extend to the whole city, which could appease Terian¡¯s wrath which kept gnawing at his throat like a virus. He turned to Dami who seemed to want to initiate a staredown, probably because she was still sour from having been shown such disrespect, a gesture she wasn¡¯t used to. She truly didn¡¯t know as much as she thought about the people of this city, especially about this Guild that was hailed as the second strongest. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll allow you to have temporary custody of Festos, but this will not exempt him from his punishment. A limit of two days is what I¡¯ll afford you. He must be back here by then,¡± Terian said with a dangerous tone. Tulnas leaned forward and stared him down fearlessly. ¡°Sure, old man,¡± he said. He knew that Terian was just as stubborn as him and had thus conceded. Without the City lord¡¯s intervention, this was as much as he could get from Terian and it wasn¡¯t all that bad. The priority was to get Skullius out and about, and that had been a sess. Also, he didn¡¯t haggle on a better alternative because while he hid it quite well, time was running out as this method of his concerned not an object, but a certain party. Terian stood up and breathed out an agitated cloud of hot air that had traces of crackling mes before leaving the room, Dami following behind. She gave Skullius onest re but the Discount Human merely grinned at her, holding himself back from saying any bone profanities. He had to give it to Silrat. This was a rather cool and unexpected y. Naturally, many questions remained, including the fact that Skullius didn¡¯t actually know the real reason why Tulnas wanted him. Even back then, the man had shown interest in him before he publicised his ss. Silrat nted his fingers to the side of his temples and gently rubbed them. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a ster victory but it is a victory nheless. Will two days be enough though, Tulnas? You know that geezer will haunt you if you take your time, right?¡± he asked as he gazed at Tulnas, whose temperament didn¡¯t change. ¡°Yeah. I can work with it. Although I didn¡¯t tell him how dangerous this mission is, it matters that I fully know that. Time is of the essence so I don¡¯t mind about the deadline. Still though¡­¡± Tulnas said as he turned his sharp eyes to Skullius. ¡°You really better be worth it for me to go through all this trouble.¡± Skullius shook. Not from fright but from the sudden shift in Tulnas¡¯ tone. He was dead serious, which made him wonder why he was the one supposed to prove his worth when this guy was the one who expressed interest first! ¡°Oh, he is. I value Oliviana¡¯s opinion greatly and she says that he is well beyond the D rank he was first assigned and is potentially already a C rank,¡± Silrat defended Skullius. ¡°Rank C? From D? In a few days? Hmm. That¡¯s ridiculous to hear. Yet I can¡¯t find it within myself to doubt it,¡± Tulnas said. The ranks within the Association were adopted outside the organisation as well as most of the cities chose to grade their fighting forces this way. Rank C and above was given to those that were stable powerhouses strong enough to be used in situations where high ranking Clusters were involved. For more context on the power gaps, Sty would be considered a high end C rank. Terian was a powerhouse considered to be at the B+ rank, just shy of A rank. Tulnas, was a high end B ranker. The Guild leader suddenly paused and shook his head lightly, emitting an annoyed ¡®tsk.¡¯ Though he did this while staring at Skullius, this gesture didn¡¯t seem to be directed at the Discount Human. Silrat knew what it was though but didn¡¯tment. After a brief moment, Tulnas looked focused again and addressed Skullius. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll be having the privilege of having another Energy Former in my Guild. At least for a few weeks¡­¡± ¡°Days!¡± Silrat corrected with a high pitched voice. ¡°Right. Days. I¡¯m definitely being swindled here,¡± Tulnas said as he leanedzily on thefy chair. ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius had a giant question mark above his head. What the hell were these guys talking about? Was he being loaned to Tulnas or something? But¡­ ¡°Anyway, ording to Silrat, it¡¯s much safer to see and treat you like an asset more than a partner or friend. Can¡¯t say it¡¯s that hard when it¡¯s another man I have to endure. I¡¯m not used to it,¡± Tulnas said while nodding to himself, seemingly spacing out. ¡°Don¡¯t be too mesmerised by my pretties, alright? They can bite. Literally.¡± The Discount Human didn¡¯t quite catch that, but Tulnas didn¡¯t care. He rose and turned to Silrat. ¡°Anything else you need to say before we leave?¡± Sensing that this meeting was drawn to a close, Skullius decided to slide in a plea of his. ¡°Uhm¡­excuse me. Could I do something before we go?¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± Silrat asked. ¡°Well, you see. There¡¯s this sword I was having fixed¡­¡± Chapter 239 Are You A Man of Culture? ¡°I see,¡± Silrat said while stroking his chin. ¡°HammerDown Gruff, huh? That¡¯s interesting. I hoped this kind of thing would be something you¡¯d have already shared with me.¡± Skullius had exined how he had [Demion¡¯s Dance] way overdue at HammerDown¡¯s shop. The sword was probablypleted by now and he had intended on getting it himself after he was set free. One would then wonder why Skullius didn¡¯t simply ask for Silrat to collect it for him. Well, Skullius was rather cautious with his items. [Demion¡¯s Dance] was sword he picked up in the Labyrinth of the Yoke and from itsbelled value, he didn¡¯t want people seeing it. With him seeing how much items were valued, he began taking their rarity seriously and the history behind the sword was something he had heard from Frock, which meant that someone with their historic facts intact could potentially recognise the sword. He was yet to trust Silrat and frankly, he would have preferred to fix the sword himself if he could instead of resorting to having someone else do it for him. But, he couldn¡¯t have it all. The sword was thest piece to perfecting the temtes he had created. At least the ones based on his current abilities. ¡°We can go right there and pick it up on our way to my residence,¡± Tulnas said, making Skullius hesitant. He nodded in the end as there was no other option, especially when dealing with such; his secondary benefactor. ¡°Right! I managed to procure a new set of sturdy armour that fits your stature, Festos,¡± Silrat said as he shot from his seat and scanned Skullius from head to toe with his eyes. ¡°Perhaps a fresh set of casual clothing is also in order.¡±. Silrat walked out the door and returned after a few minutes. He threw a spatial storage ring at Skullius, the Discount Human receiving it quickly and checking what was inside. He smirked as he saw the contents. ¡°I assume it¡¯s to your liking,¡± Silrat asked in a proud tone. ¡°Meh¡­¡± Skullius replied with a shrug. A throbbing vein popped on Silrat¡¯s smiling face. ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty good,¡± the Discount Human said with a refined, awkward smile that seemingly appeased the Head of the Association branch. *** Skullius walked through the street with Tulnas, their destination being only a few dozen meters away. The easy-on-eyes Discount Human donned a new shirt, white in colour with a thick and stic fabric while below his waist was a slightly baggy pair of dark pants. These were the clothes that had been gifted to him by Silrat,pleting his overall young and energetic looking figure. His auburn hair which he choose to let grow was rustling in the wind, his twinkling silver eyes being nothing short of gorgeous. Skullius¡¯ appearance had taken Tulnas aback when he first barged into the room. This wasn¡¯t what Skullius looked like days ago. He could only vaguely make out that it really was him from recognising the colour of his hair, distinct face and through the verification given to him by an odd force that constantly nagged him. ¡°You¡¯ve turned quite handsome over thest few days. Your body was that greedy for change?¡± Tulnas asked, striking up a conversation. ¡°I guess you could say that,¡± Skullius replied awkwardly. Tulnas emitted a shortugh. Skullius turned to this man and posed a question of his own that had burned at his soul for the past ten minutes. ¡°What did you mean when you said something about me sharing the same cultural whatever with you? And that thing about cheeks?¡± Tulnas smiled gracefully and slung his arm around Skullius¡¯ neck, drawing him closer. ¡°That was just to annoy those two idiots. However, I do wonder¡­¡± Tulnas said before turning serious. ¡°Do you also appreciate women as much as I do?¡± Skullius¡¯ didn¡¯t know how to respond. Women? So far, he could say with confidence that the women he had seen had not impressed him. Save for Elita of course and perhaps Sty. It was right down the middle really. ¡°I don¡¯t have much experience with them and I don¡¯t see why you think of so highly.¡± Tulnas nodded sagely. He needed to evaluate this man. As they walked along the lively streets, a woman donning a tight fitting, red silk dress that slid over her beautiful porcin skin smoothly and outlined her bombastic shape each time she took a step, came from in front of the two. Her dazzlingly shiny dark hair that draped over her back like a cape drew quite the amount of attention and her upturned emerald green eyes causes a thrilling shock to any man that gazed into them¡­ as well as causing a certain member of their body to stand at attention. The woman walked gracefully as when she reached within close proximity of Tulnas and Skullius, her gaze focused on the muscr man and she winked with a seductive smile. Tulnas gave a short nod of acknowledgement to thedy as she passed them, going on her way. The Guild leader pulled Skullius¡¯ head to make him turn around and appreciate the woman¡¯s view from behind, as were most of the men in the street. ¡°Now tell me. What do you see?¡± Tulnas said as he ensured that Skullius¡¯ eyes were gazing at the woman¡¯s lower half which stood particrly out like a sore thumb. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Skullius hummed as he thought. His eyes suddenly turned round with shock. ¡°That¡­ that¡­¡± he stammered. ¡°Yes?¡± Tulnas said with a cheeky smile. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s got a¡­.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°She has a blue core! I couldn¡¯t even sense it when she passed us! She must be very strong and-¡° PAT! A resounding p interrupted Skullius¡¯ string of euros Tulnas had face palmed. He was extremely shocked that this was what the Discount Human would derive from this experience. Then again. It was his own fault for assuming so crudely. This man was a Mage. Unlike other Energy Formers, Mages were regarded highly and they too focused on their studies of the energies quite stringently to bolster their value and strength, culling most of their physical lusts in the process. Tulnas looked at the confused Skullius. This wasn¡¯t a man of culture. ¡°I agree¡­¡± he said as he shook his head. ¡°Agree with what?¡± asked Skullius as he tilted his head. ¡°Never mind, I wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡± Tulnas suddenly lost his spunk for the rest of the way to HammerDown Gruff¡¯s shop, initiating small bursts of conversations here and there that uncovered surface level information about Skullius. The earlier disappointment weighed on him heavily, killing his social spirit. Soon, the two arrived at a shop that was, as always, upied with a long line of some distinguished and undistinguished personages who wished to order from HammerDown Gruff. Tulnas led Skullius to the very front. Some of the people in line wanted to object but after seeing Tulnas¡¯ face and smile, their attitudes turned upside down. ¡°Ohohoho! Young man, how have you been doing? It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Young Tulnas, you¡¯ve been so scarce ofte! Share a meal with me tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Our young hero, go on and get your order in. This much we can allow.¡± The ssy and annoying voices of the rich, some of whom brought fancy chairs to sit on made Skullius cringe. Still, he kept his mouth shut and when the two reached the entrance to the shop, Skullius came face to face with the apprentice that had wanted to throw him outst time. Kek. Chapter 240 One Heck of A Sword (1) HammerDown¡¯s apprentice looked the same as when Skullius hadst seen him. The baggy eyes as well as the dark and dirty gloves he wore made Skullius scoff. This man looked like he could keel over and die anytime. He was busy serving a customer, taking their order for what kind of item they wanted crafted by the shop at this moment, seemingly oblivious to the twos¡¯ presence. When he finally turned and saw Tulnas with Skullius in tow standing at the front, his immediate reaction was to sigh in exasperation, anticipating having to go over the rules about line cutting again, but the moment he saw Tulnas, his eyes bulged and for a time, hepletely forgot that he was serving another customer! Tulnas hurriedly raised his hand to stop the young man from fanboying over him as he felt like he had already wasted enough time with this. ¡°Hello. We havee to make a collection for this young man. Can you call Gruff for us?¡± he said, his words suggesting that he was asking while his tone heavily implied that he wasn¡¯t. The young apprentice stammered. He didn¡¯t even look at Skullius nor consider what Tulnas had said about this being an item for the Discount Human. His fingers went every which way until he finally rushed into the shop.. The customer whose service had been cut short didn¡¯tin as he saw a distinguished figure higher than himself. He merely smiled at Tulnas and Skullius before drawing back a distance, giving them their space in a mute fashion. ¡®Ah. I wish people could treat me like that. It would be really fun to have all of them respect me on sight,¡¯ Skullius thought, admiring the authority that Tulnas enjoyed. From the looks of it, the man had worked hard for it given that he could exchange words with Terian and Dami without worrying about the potential consequences. Soon, a tall man with a portly belly appeared, his eyes actually honing in on Skullius first as they squinted and then onto Tulnas. He stretched out his hand to the muscr man far behind him in height, to which Tulnas happily obliged. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Gruff,¡± said Tulnas. ¡°It indeed has. You seem to improve each time we meet. I hope there¡¯s results toe out of this constant growth,¡± Gruff said as he chuckled. ¡°You have no idea,¡± said Tulnas as his rxed smile grew wider. The burly cksmith couldn¡¯t help but smile. He was the one to make the armour of each and every individual in the Harem Guild, from the finest and even to the less than impressive items. His philosophy on giving the best of his equipment to those that could afford it had proven him right with this young man who used his creations to rise from the dirt. HammerDown then turned to Skullius, moving his gaze up and down as he took in the Discount Human¡¯s figure. He had a strange expression on his face as he saw Skullius. ¡°If not for the fact that you left such a deep impression on me, I might have not recognised who you were. Hmm. Given your behaviourst time, I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t intend on engaging much in pleasantries?¡± said HammerDown with a strict tone. ¡°It¡¯s fine either way,¡± Skullius said. At this moment, Tulnas realised something about Skullius as he took note of his expression during his exchange with the cksmith. HammerDown shook his head and turned to his apprentice who was beginning to put the dots together with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Wait¡­ Master, is he that man from¡ª¡± ¡°Yes. Now go get the sword,¡± HammerDown cut off the young man with a sinct answer and an instruction. The apprentice slowly backed away, his eyes not leaving Skullius for a good five seconds and then he then rushed to collect the sword. HammerDown coughed a bit, clearing his throat before throwing down a small rock-like object with a dark lustre on the ground. The moment it hit the hard crust, a barrier appeared, obscuring the visual of the three men inside it from the outside as well as any audio emitted from within. Grumbles of disappointment echoed from the lined up crowd. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s pretty handy,¡¯ Skullius thought as he saw that he could clearly see everything outside, despite there looking to be a slightly hazy, murky sphere around them. ¡°Because of therge payment you issuedst time, I let yourte collection slide and even added a worthy sheath for your de to fully cover the value of the cores you left. Your sword is an absurdly beautiful and powerful piece and that brought with it some challenges,¡± the tall man said as he folded his arms. Skullius frowned. What did this mean? ¡°The sword used runecraft for certain portions of its craft, making it impossible for a simple cksmith like me to realign and energise such intricate parts. There were also some rather old etchings I couldn¡¯t identify to full restore the sword¡¯s special effects. The one who made this was a master with knowledge beyond my own and such is the result. That much I can admit and acknowledge.¡± Tulnas merely nodded while getting really curious about the sword that Skullius had handed over. Skullius however was getting nervous. Was the sword he hoped to boost him up considerably going to turn out to be trash instead? The figure of the apprentice appeared, rushing near the barrier where HammerDown waved his hand, a holerge enough for the young man to pass through appearing. The apprentice walked in with a dark, shiny sheath that looked to be made of hardwood, slightly curved in its shape with the polished, golden hilt of the sword showing while hiding its de. The apprentice handed the sword to Skullius who gulped unconsciously and wiped the spotless sheath with his hand. ¡°Well? Let¡¯s see this sword,¡± Tulnas urged. Skullius nodded before grabbing the hilt which seemed to have been adjusted, additional friction added to make gripping the sword easier. He pulled on the hilt, a green sheen oozing out as it was all around a curved de with a single edge sharpened to perfection. Vague markings could be seen on the de as it glistened while it no longer looked ancient but produced a vibrant aura that screamed of youthfulness instead. The de hissed as it slid from the sheath and full came out for all to see. Tulnas whistled. This was one heck of a sword visually. And when it came to power¡­ it was moreso. Chapter 241 One Heck of A Sword (2) [Demion¡¯s Dance] -Unique- A beautifully crafted sword given to Demion on his birthday by his lover, Irisa, tomemorate his legendary battle with Escus. -Damage- 21,000-23,000 -Durability- 4340/80,500 -Special Effects- ?35% increase in speed [Skill: Epic Memory] Regardless of the user¡¯s level of power, they are able to partially replicate the raw movements and a portion of the attack power that Demion demonstrated in his battle with Escus. ¡ª [Skill: Irisa You Whore] The remnants of the unfaithful Irisa shower the user with healing light meant for her side lovers each time they sustain an injury, bringing them to full health. This effect only urs once a day.. ~~~ ¡°Hmmm..¡± Skullius sucked in a deep breath. A Unique item. The only one he could use offensively. He finally had the sword in his hands, ready for use. One would ask where the Baleful Gale Reaper was. Unfortunately, that sword which had served him well had been left behind in the first Cluster that Skullius had been in. Where he had fought Jackpot. In that tense situation, he had only been thinking of retrieving Red Rage who had been torn to pieces and thus couldn¡¯t save the sword. The weapon in Skullius¡¯ hands now seemed to be calling to him with what seemed like a distant voice but Skullius ignored as he read through the stats and skills it gave with rapt attention. While he didn¡¯t remember everythingpletely, the Discount Human was sure that the special effects of the sword had been much higher than what it showed now. This was exactly as HammerDown had warned. The damage it could do was cut down by more than half. The addition to strength that it gave was no longer there and the two skills that Skullius had wanted to keep were downgraded considerably. [Epic Memory] now imed to only be able to allow him to partially replicate the moves of the owner of this sword while [Irisa You Whore] could only restore him to full health not thrice but once. Sigh. This wasn¡¯t bad actually when he thought another it. It was much much better than the Baleful Gale Reaper. It was certainly better than what Skullius had been thinking it would be too. With all these damage numbers added on top of his skills, he would truly be worth his marbles! The vague calling that seemed to seep from the green de of the sword kept whispering close to Skullius¡¯ ear and this time, he readily focused on it. A wild gush of energy streamed through him the moment he opened up to the call which was akin to soft breaths that eased his mind. As this urred, a notification popped up in front of Skullius. [You have partially learned the ¡®Swindling Death Dance¡¯ sword technique] [To use the technique, the use of ¡®Demion¡¯s Dance¡¯ is required] Skullius breathed out as he read these two messages. ¡®I see. I¡¯ve learned the sword technique but I can¡¯t use it without this sword. I guess this is rted to [Epic Memory].¡¯ ¡°Well? How is it?¡± Tulnas¡¯ voice suddenly shattered Skullius¡¯ thoughtscape where he had hidden himself. The Discount tore himself from this space and sheathed the sword, attaching the weapon and its cover to his waist. He turned to HammerDown and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good. I¡¯m satisfied with this,¡± he said with a slight smile. To Gruff, this felt perfunctory more that anything else, buting from this guy, he didn¡¯t mind it that much. He simply nodded back and stomped on the ck, rock-like object he had thrown to the ground which immediately crumbled. At the same time, the distortive barrier that cut off visuals and audio for those outside broke down as well. ¡°I¡¯m d it¡¯s too your liking,¡± Gruff said. In his heart, as a product of his own wed philosophy, he believed that he had no right to judge those he worked for as long as they made a difference. Seeing that Skullius was with Tulnas, he believed that at least this man would use this sword to bring some form of benefit to this city and its people whom he had decided not to abandon in the end. ¡®Hopefully¡­¡¯ he thought. ¡°Seems like we¡¯re all done here,¡± Tulnas said as he nodded to Gruff. ¡°I¡¯ll being with a blueprint for some new armour soon. I hope you prepare adequately for it.¡± Gruff scoffed with a chuckle before nodding his head. ¡°Anytime.¡± Tulnas and Skullius walked off under the gazes of the many customers, the Guild leader taking Skullius towards his residence in the city. On the way, he turned to the Discount Human, the light in his eyes showing a hint of sympathy. ¡°It just urred to me that you¡¯ve been burdening yourself with a curse that keeps you lonely all this time even to the point of pushing good people away. It must¡¯ve be hard, Festos,¡± Tulnas said, the lingering smile he always had disappearing from his face. The Discount Human turned to look back at Tulnas with a slight frown. The man¡¯s words reminded him of the short conversation he had had with Betsy, back at the Inn he had been staying. Loneliness. It really had been an experience he had to deal with for so long and only now did he have people to interact with this long. ¡°Good people are the worst. They get themselves killed by trying to help anyone they can find. That¡¯s were socketholese in. Since I associate with people like you now, I¡¯m not truly alone. Sockethole or not, you¡¯re standing next to me, after all,¡± Skullius responded. Tulnas actually felt a dent in his soul from his words. ¡°I assume, I¡¯m also a¡­ sockethole and not a good person?¡± Tulnas asked with a sheepish smile. ¡°If you were a good person. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be alive right now.¡± ¡°I¡­see,¡± the young Guild leader dragged out his words. This little man had his way with words. Frankly, he hadn¡¯t intended to treat him like garbage, curse or not. Since he hadn¡¯t seen the full extent of the curse that Skullius had, he didn¡¯t take it too seriously but¡­ ¡®Maybe I¡¯ve been acting for so long I¡¯ve slowly started to change,¡¯ Tulnas thought. Soon, he shook his head and sighed. ¡°Shut up, you dumbass,¡± he said with a click of his tongue. ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius confusedly tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you, man,¡± Tulnas grumbled. With short bouts of conversation, the two reached arge piece ofnd upied by a massive building in a few minutes. Skullius gawked at its majesty as well as the brilliance of its build. ¡°Wee to the Harem¡¯s Guild Residence.¡± Chapter 242 Harem Guild’s Residence (1) A ster mansion of brass coloured walls was before the Discount Human along with an expansivepound that had well-mowed grass that surrounded it from the point that led to the street to the double doors at the face of the building in a wide arc. A paved road led from the sparsely popted streets around this part of the city to the mansion while right in the middle of this road, one could see a big fountain, within it an ancient looking stone statue of a faceless woman spreading her arms, orifices being visible in her palms from which crystal water leaked out, falling into the pool below. Thick locks of sculpted hair could be seen on her head which churned Skullius¡¯ memory as this statue looked a lot like something he had seen before in a miniaturised form. Right. It looked quite a lot like a statue he had seen at the temple. One the three erected structures outside that gave him a truly divine feel. Listafelle. Sigh. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go in,¡± Tulnas said, urging Skullius forward. The two walked on the paved road with Skullius looking over at everything that even tickled his attention. Nothing much decorated the outside of the mansion which made Skullius particrly curious about what he would see inside the building ahead. As they drew closer, Skullius finally noticed that upon the luxurious doors to the mansion, a crest was masterfully carved. It looked like something akin to a peach with strings of thorns growing out of it. The groves that made this symbol were painted in gold, making the symbol all the more borate.. The doors to the mansion opened before Skullius and Tulnas could reach them, a singr figure appearing. Tulnas smiled when he saw her but Skullius gaped in shock. A very short girl it was. She wore a long, off-shoulder blue dress that reached her ankles, brushing against her feet with each movement she made. Her body looked well developed, her aspects looking not like that of a child¡¯s except for perhaps her face. It was very pretty, marked withrge true sapphire coloured eyes, a cute button nose and tiny cherry lips that curled up in a cute smile. She swiped away her burgundy hair that had blocked her view because of the wind and became delight incarnate as she lifted the ends of her dress and rushed down the steps before the doors to Tulnas. What left Skullius speechless was how he felt a strong energy surging from this woman along with a deep sense of maturity. She was even shorter than Oliviana but his instincts told him that she was not a young in the least. No. His instincts didn¡¯t just tell him. They warned him. Skullius¡¯ mind churned unconsciously as a word tried to pop in it, supposedly being a perfect fit for name for the midget. He opened his mouth to try to pronounce it. ¡°Lo¡­lol¡­ lolo? L? Lolu? Damn it!¡± he cursed silently. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± the girl said in a voice not befitting befitting of her stature as she then leapt onto Tulnas¡¯ embrace with sparkling eyes. She brushed her face against his chest before she looking up at him again. ¡°I was barely gone for an hour,¡± Tulnas said with wry smile. ¡°Yes but¡­ it¡¯s really getting chaotic in there. Can youe and calm the others down, they are pretty riled up right now,¡± the girl said as she gave Tulnas the puppy eyes. The Guild leader breathed out an exhausted breath before relenting. ¡°What are those idiots fighting about this time?¡± ¡°Um, you might just as welle and see for yourself.¡± Tulnas nodded before turning to Skullius whose eyes never left the girl¡¯s short figure, thick clouds of confusion spinning above him. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. Watch where you step.¡± The girl who was hugging Tulnas with her powerful grip finally noticed Skullius, her face turning from the cute and innocent delight it had been into that of a stern and strict cougar. Skullius felt all the breath he was subconsciously taking in flit away from his non-existent lungs. ¡°Is this the man you were talking about?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Tulnas replied, withholding augh from anticipating the proceedings. The girl unravelled herself from Tulnas and sauntered up to Skullius. She eyed him top to bottom, the Discount Human immediately suppressing his urge to rebuke this gesture which had been done to him too many times in this one day alone. ¡°I¡¯m Gertreld, the Third Flower. May I know your name?¡± Unexpectedly, the girl shed a watered down version of the delighted smile she had given Tulnas and even curtsied as she greeted Skullius. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m Festos Dawn,¡± the Discount Human replied somewhat awkwardly. ¡°That¡¯s a very nice name,¡± Gertreld said as she squinted her eyes. ¡°I hope we can work together well. But¡­ there¡¯s a detail I should stress about. One of the many rules that one has to abide by in order to live a long life in this mansion¡­¡± Somehow Skullius started sweating as the short girl elegantly stered her tiny hands together with the cute tilt of her head giving a false sense of innocence. The girl¡¯s smile suddenly widened as her squinted eyes honed in on Skullius, making him feel like everything around him had turned dark, save for the girl in front of him. ¡°One itsy bitsy detail,¡± she said in a voice that almost seemed modted to sound like it came from a devil. ¡°DON¡¯T. EVER. SAY. THE. WORD¡­..SHORT.¡± Gulp. With the end of her sentence the surging aura or death that had been spilling from her vanished and she turned back into a well-mannered girl that then slipped over to Tulnas and pulled him towards the door. Skullius remained glued to the spot for a few moments before taking a step forward. He was getting threatened before he had even done anything. ¡®Right. I just have to avoid saying ¡®short¡¯ right? Piece of cake. Wait, what?¡¯ Skullius thought as he sweated, following after the duo. The doors to the Guild Residence were opened and a magnificent wonder was revealed. A well kept space with a floor that shone with such expert levels of garnish showed itself, the walls having a spotless, grainy texture that gave a standard but homely feel that was to die for. Multiple chandeliers could be seen, arranged on the ceiling which was high up as they gave dim light in the daytime. Skullius nodded as he moved slowly, forgetting the atrocities that had happened just a few minutes before. This ce was gorgeous. The trio walked through a hall before they reached an open space where severalfortable couches could be seen orbiting around a circr ss table. A beautiful housematy underneath the table, the tapestry design fitting the colour of the expansive room. A woman sat down on one of the seats present. She had dark hair that reached her chin in a bob cut. Her small but sharp eyes were hidden behind a pair of spectacles that reflected the lights as well as the cup filled with a hot, dark beverage that she sipped from. ¡°Wee master,¡± she addressed Tulnas before turning to Skullius. ¡°Stranger¡­¡± ¡°Riyana. This is Festos. He is the new addition to our Guild. Please, y nice and don¡¯t be so cutthroat with your words,¡± Tulnas said. ¡°I will try,¡± the woman whose name was Riyana said with an apathetic face and voice before she set her cup down on a ceramic saucer. ¡°I will stipte to him the rules and mannerisms he should follow to keep from getting himself torn apart by master¡¯s numerous lustful genital-minded intercourse mates s¡ª¡± ¡°You could call them, lovers,¡± Tulnas said as he gripped the bridge of his nose, cutting off Riyana. ¡°Lovers. I¡¯ll try to keep that in mind. If, Festos here doesn¡¯t abide by them, his death will be out of my hands,¡± Riyana corrected herself before continuing her sentence. ¡®What¡¯s with all these threats?!¡¯ Skullius thought as he once again got a dangerous vibe from Riyana. ¡°Good enough, I suppose,¡± Tulnas said. ¡°Where are the others?¡± ¡°It would appea¡ª¡± BOOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three resounding noises reverberated from the wall before, with thest explosion, the wall to the right of this space shattered, a speeding figure hurtling through the air and smashing against the wall on the other side! ¡­! Thickets of dust stormed the room, because of the destruction! ¡°Iyaaaaaa~¡± An erotic moan leaked from the other side of the room where the hurtling object had smashed into. With a thud, it fell as the morning continued to sound, another high pitched voice blooming loudly in the room. ¡°Take that, you masochistic bitch!¡± Chapter 243 Harem Guild’s Residence (2) As the dust settled, the figures of the two whose voices had rung out began to show. ¡°AHHHH~. Stop it, it hurts~,¡± a prettydy with ash blonde hair said with a soft smile on her face as she wriggled. She swooned after sliding off of the wall where she had been knocked to by the otherdy opposite her. ¡°It¡¯s no fair~. I did nothing wrong~.¡± ¡°Hnghhh! I¡¯m going to kill you, pffp!¡± the other girl who peeked in from therge hole in the wall growled as she dashed at the girl who was lying down with immense speed! She had long, dark blue hair that covered half of her face and as a result, she had to constantly blow it up with her breath to clear her vision. Skullius watched as this woman darted the distance to the downeddy in a heartbeat, after-images being left in her wake as she went on to ruthlessly bash her fist into her opponent¡¯s back! The entire room trembled from the sheer force and Skullius could have sworn he saw a ripple travel through the floor on impact, though the room didn¡¯t sustain much damage! ¡°AHAHAHAHAHA! Stop, you¡¯re hurting me! Please Beastifina! It hurts~! AHAHAHAHAHAH~¡± thedy who had just been brutalised yelled at the top of her lungs with a big grin on her face while blood gushed out of her mouth. ¡°RRRRRRAAAAAAAAA!¡± a flurry of punches rained over the downeddy¡¯s figure as the one on top of her began radiating an orange energy around her body with her pupils turning into dark slits while her muscles bulged! The room trembled with an even more intense vigour from the rising power of the maddy! CRACK! CRACK! SNAP! The sound of broken bones resounded as the punches rained on the gigglingdy who ate them whole! ¡°Tch! ssless clowns,¡± Gertreld scoffed as she swished her hair to the side, her diminutive size making her look cute while doing so.. ¡°I concur,¡± Riyana said as she pushed up her sses and continued to drink from her cup with an apathetic expression, her temperament and beveragepletely unbothered by the chaos. ¡°Um. Shouldn¡¯t you do something about that?¡± Skullius finally asked Tulnas who stood while watching this. ¡°You know what? I would. But I choose not to. That¡¯s one of the ways to stay alive in this mansion. I¡¯m an Energy Former. I don¡¯t have enough physical strength to rush up there and stop this in this state,¡± the young man replied with a weird smile. Skullius didn¡¯t believe him one bit. ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°Just leave it for now.¡± From the massive hole that had been made through the wall on the right side where a staircase rose in a winding pattern to the next floor, three women with different statures walked in, avoiding the rubble and dust in their steps. ¡°Can I not just cut them down? A feral beast-woman and a crazy pain-loving freak don¡¯t really add much to the Guild. My sword is ever ready,¡± a woman with a rag-like blindfold over her eyes, dark, wavy hair that reached her shoulders and wless yet pale skin said. She dressed in a short, navy blue dress that reached her thighs, dark bandages wrapping the rest of the way to her knees. On top of this get-up, she donned what looked like a short robe that reached her waist, a long sword resting in a shiny scabbard at her side. ¡°Un, un! Tulnas will be very upset. That would¡­ um¡­ undermine, yes, undermine what he always says. ¡®Every one of us has value.¡¯ Un, un. That¡¯s right,¡± a very short girl with leather ck hair tied into a bun said with a childish voice. ¡®Another one!¡¯ Skullius thought in his mind as he looked at this figure. Thedy wore long purple robes that covered her dainty figure with a rough, brown staff that exceeded her height being gripped in her tiny hand. ¡°I simply don¡¯t care enough,¡± the third woman said as she yawned, her bright golden eyes shimmering as she blinked multiple times while stretchingzily. Her short, pixie style hair alluded to herzy nature which detailed how much she hated to take care of it, so much so that she had cut it short. ¡°Quit your games, the lot of you. You can¡¯t even respect the Guildmaster¡¯s presence?¡± a voice boomed from the string of steps that descended from the floor above. Ady with silver hair appeared following behind her a group of women that numbered more than fifteen. She didn¡¯t have a particrly pretty face or a stunning body but what stood out from her was the authority she exuded, the stern and powerful air she carried as well as, above all else, bigger than all else actually¡­ Her expansive rack! Twitch! Skullius watched dazedly at the various assortments of women crammed into the crowd that then reached the floor, especially this woman. The otherdies; the two that had been fighting and the three that had emerged from hole in the wall all turned to Tulnas whom they genuinely hadn¡¯t noticed until now! Skullius sensed their awed gazes as they looked at Tulnas through the dissipating dust and gasped. The woman who had been pounding her peer mercilessly suddenly stood up straight and rushed over to the centre of the room as did the threeing from the wall. The one with the obvious masochism swiggled like a preliminary animation as the sound of broken bones resounded, and yet¡­ Crack, crack, snap! In the next moment, the woman¡¯s once broken body fixed itself as she squirmed and unnaturally stood up, legs first, rushing to the others with twinkling eyes. ¡®THE HECK WAS THAT?!¡¯ Skullius shuddered. The more than twenty girls stood respectfully before Tulnas, Riyana also standing from her seat. Skullius looked to Tulnas. It was only now that he realised that this man had done something to make sure that all thedies aside from the silver haired one, Riyana and Gertreld couldn¡¯t sense his presence, even as the dust had stained the room, obscuring the view. All these women then greeted Tulnas in their own ways, expressing how they felt about their Guild leader. ¡°My love.¡± ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Master.¡± ¡°My cockonut!¡± ¡°My genuine light, un, un!¡± ¡°My BeastKing, pffp!¡± ¡°My lone host.¡± ¡­ Tulnas nodded. ¡°Good to see that some of you still haven¡¯t settled well with the others,¡± Tulnas eyed the woman with the hair that draped over one of her eyes who immediately turned her head as she blushed and yed with her fingers. ¡°Anyway. Let me introduce the newest member of our Guild. His name is Festos, an Energy Former, who, much like me likes to diversify.¡± Skullius didn¡¯t know what kind of face to make in front of all these women who eyed him, most with immense hostility that barrelled onto him like a wave. Tulnas chuckled as he watched Skullius buckle under the pressure. ¡°And Festos. I¡¯ll give a quick introduction,¡± he said as he addressed, with his hand pointing towards the owner of the name he pronounced. ¡°Renialid, First Flower. Arma User, rank B.¡± The silver-haired beauty. ¡°Castamine, Second Flower. Form User, rank C+.¡± Thezy, golden-eyeddy. ¡°Gertreld, Third Flower. Form User, rank B.¡± ¡°Riyana, Fourth Flower. Arma User, rank C.¡± The ssesdy with the hot beverage. ¡°Natalika, Fifth Flower. Arma User, rank B.¡± The blindfolded swordswoman. ¡°Ginie, Sixth Flower. Form User, rank C+.¡± The shortdy with the staff. ¡°Bustifina, Seventh Flower, rank¡­. Skullius could barely concentrate as the names were many and the hostile gazes much too strong¡­ Chapter 244 Harem Guild’s Residence (3) After all the names were pronounced it finally hit Skullius why those two had been fighting. Or rather, it wasn¡¯t a realisation but an exnation that he happened to hear. Apparently, the visibly violent woman had been taunted by the one she had bombarded with the flurry of punches. She had been called Beastifina, an obvious y on her real name Bustifina, making fun of her feral nature as well as her Form Using technique. She didn¡¯t take it well and started beating the hell of the woman who keptughing her ass off from brutal ecstacy. It seemed that the whole thing had been intentional, which was why no one really intervened when they had the chance to. Skullius couldn¡¯t help but admire the strength of this group. Their presence pushed against him like a fiery, raging tide even when they were subduing it. Now that he had a greater appreciation of the levels of power, he somewhat understood the power struggle between the Guilds and the level of power. As he endured the harsh gazes, one of thedies suddenly shed before him in a fraction of a second, a soft breeze blowing Skullius¡¯ clothes from her brisk movement. It was Natalika, the blindfoldeddy. Even before she said anything, Skullius could feel her enthusiasm bubbling from her mana.. ¡°I see you have a sword and I can also sense that it¡¯s of a rather high calibre. Judging by your stance, you have some basic training in the sword and are confident in your skills,¡± she said all this in rapid session before pushing her face right before Skullius¡¯. Her voice gave both an excited feel as well as a disciplined one as she spoke. ¡°Spar with me. I promise I won¡¯t lop off any part of body.¡± ¡®She¡¯s sharp.¡¯ Skullius could feel from her air a cutting edge when he applied [Elevated Mana Maniption] to sense more of her strength. Before Skullius could render her an answer, the silver-haireddy with quite the bountiful rack spoke up as she walked forward. ¡°No. I don¡¯t believe you can hold yourself back from your zeal once you¡¯ve started. He probably won¡¯t be enough to handle you even if you are to use one hand and fight without the aid of your sword in the bout,¡± Renialid said. ¡®Jeez. Aren¡¯t you looking down on me a bit too much?¡¯ Skullius thought as a dissatisfied expression appeared on his face. His silver eyes shed with energy as he gazed at Renialid. ¡°You disagree?¡± Renialid asked as she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Yes. I disagree.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Renialid shed a toothy smile at Skullius¡¯ response before hugging her arms around her body which was encased in a white dress. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. It seems like Festos here is stealing the show quite a bit,¡± Tulnas said as he slid over and slung his hand around the Discount Human. ¡°Unfortunately, as you know, time is running out. I need to brief Festos on the details he needs to know. You can all have some time to chat with him afterwards,¡± Tulnas said as he pulled the Discount Human away. He travelled up the steps with him and as soon as they reached the second floor, Skullius saw an expansive space filled with what looked like small tags that gave directions! There were so many passages that led to different rooms that had who-knew-what! The pristine white walls and identical doors didn¡¯t make it look any less confusing but the arched ceiling above decorated with glistening hardwood and lights in the form ofrge glowing gems that were lined up neatly in each of the passages gave the ce a more unique feel. ¡°Just follow me,¡± Tulnas said to Skullius as he walked on ahead, turning into passage after passage as he led the Discount Human somewhere. Skullius was really curious about what was behind the doors and thus decided to activate [Elevated Mana Maniption] to gain some semnce of knowledge of what was hidden. The first thing he noticed was a massive surge of energying from each door that he couldn¡¯t exactly pin to exclusively be Mana, but a strange mix. It felt pure and impure at the same time and when he tried to extend his sensation over this mystery¡­ ¡°You really enjoy prying don¡¯t you? Or are you just used to not asking for help because of your curse?¡± Tulnas said without turning back. Skullius seized trying to investigate the doors and sighed. ¡°There are many forms of energy. Mana, Aura, Primus, Nitros and so on. The ability to sense all of them with rtive ease is granted exclusively to Energy Formers. However, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s impossible to get a feel of these even if you¡¯re of a different ss category. Diversifying is the way that many choose to advance their strength. It¡¯s possible to reach out to Energy Forming as anplementary art from another category or even other forms without choosing it initially. This is what many call ss Branching.¡± Skullius narrowed his eyes. Appreciating energies. This wasn¡¯t something he was privy to. Perhaps all Energy Formers who had gone through Academies were much more advanced than he had initially thought. ¡°These rooms are called Adaptation facilities. You use them when you want to try and get a feel for energies outside Mana and Aura which most people can inherently perceive. Alright, that should burn out your curiosity over this for now,¡± Tulnas said. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The two appeared at a set of double doors which Tulnas pushed to open. A rather spacious office appeared with arge desk made of red wood, pristine walls that carried various precious items, mostly taken from powerful Cluster beasts as well as picture frames. The flooring was much like that of the rest of the mansion, arge window with a crystal clear ss being behind therge,fortable chair with padded suede-like fittings over the fine wood behind the desk. Tulnas sat on it before gesturing for Skullius to sit on the less attractive chair opposite him. Once the two were seated, Tulnas finally addressed the issue that he knew Skullius was eager to know before the Discount Human could ask it. ¡°Well let¡¯s get straight to the reason why you¡¯re here, don¡¯t we?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering the real reason as to why I asked you to join my Guild back then.¡± Skullius nodded with a serious and tense expression. ¡°Yes. I have been wondering about that,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Hmmm,¡± Tulnas hummed as he leaned back on the chair. ¡°In all honesty, it wasn¡¯t my intention nor my insight that lead me to ask you to join. It was the intuition of a certain ¡®friend¡¯ of mine. He saw something about you that he imed was enough for me to want you in my Guild.¡± Skullius grew even more tense. What about him attracted this so-called friend¡¯s attention? Did they know some of his deeper secrets? Tulnas¡¯ blue eyes focused on Skullius as his disposition became rather odd. One would even say, cold. His voice then leaked out as he finally revealed what this interest was. ¡°You have a Hidden ss, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡­! Chapter 245 What Makes Tulnas Tick? Skullius froze. He wasn¡¯t expecting to hear something like this. How the heck did this guy know that he had a Hidden ss?! The unwavering intent that streamed from Tulnas¡¯ eyes made him aware that this man had already confirmed it with his reaction just now. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Mannerisms that didn¡¯t give away stuff about himself so easily were things that Skullius still struggled with. ¡°It seems like my ¡®friend¡¯ was right,¡± Tulnas said as he withdrew his intense stare on Skullius. ¡°Tch! I actually wished it wasn¡¯t true for once. Maybe then you¡¯d stop bragging all the damn time!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius once again questioned this line that Tulnas mumbled to himself in a begrudging tone. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you,¡± the young Guild leader said before he coughed awkwardly, his man bun at the back of his head swinging his head movements. ¡®That¡¯s¡­ weird.¡¯. Skullius wondered what woulde next. Would he pry? That had been the thing he had gotten used to since Dami, and he couldn¡¯t help but assume that this was next. ¡®Should I reveal it? I feel like that would be extremely dangerous though. The Green Neolists were involved in this before, right? Wouldn¡¯t telling someone that I have this hidden ss lead to one of them eventually finding out?¡¯ Skullius wondered while keeping his eyes on Tulnas. He didn¡¯t believe anything could remain hidden forever anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I was just verifying if it was true. Your value as a Mage who has started embarking on the path to ss Branching is already enough to catch my interest. This just adds a bit more spice to the mix,¡± Tulnas said with a genuine smile. He aimed to convince Skullius that he truly wasn¡¯t out to screw him over. The Discount Human thought about it. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what about this method of yours to stop the Clusters? Am I really that important for it?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Oh, that? Absolutely not. My deal with Silrat was to get you out of that sticky situation by leveraging you as an important piece when ites to stopping the emerging Clusters. The rest after that was for me to im you for a few days as member of the Guild because of your value. Though I should say we are not out of the woods yet.¡± ¡°Topletely free you from the charges, you have to ACT the part of an integral piece to dealing with the Cluster problem. Simply put, your reputation will rise if you¡¯re in the party that solved the international crisis that has everyone cowering in their homes. This should be enough to give you a bright light in the public eye and even in Erkus¡¯ eye.¡± Skullius slowly processed this information. It proved to be quite a slow endeavour as it took him quite a bit of time. After a full two minutes of thinking, Skullius finally responded.. ¡°Won¡¯t they want to know how I was important in dealing with the problemter?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course they will. I¡¯m sure Dami would be out to get you. She¡¯ll probably even try to divine you after the mission to see if the facts line up, haha,¡± Tulnas chortled. ¡°However, Silrat has a n for that. It also acts as the contingency for if, and that¡¯s a strong if, this whole thing fails to release you from the charges on you for the incident you caused.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Skullius nodded. For some reason, when Tulnas had mentioned that Skullius wasn¡¯t exactly relevant to this whole ordeal, he deted. Such was the case when one was told they weren¡¯t as important as they thought. However, Skullius had something more to ask Tulnas. ¡°You say all of this like it¡¯s very normal. Don¡¯t you have a problem with what I did? I killed many people. Everyone seems to have a problem with that. Don¡¯t you?¡± The Discount Human didn¡¯t ask this to find some sort of validation or to see where he stood in Tulnas¡¯ books but out of genuine curiosity. Didn¡¯t this man see him as the monster that Erkus, Terian and Dami seemed to? For Silrat he could understand as the man was the very clear about valuing profit over morality, but Tulnas seemed different. He didn¡¯t strike Skullius as the type who was motivated by only money despite the shy arrogance. He didn¡¯t seem like a Jac. Tulnas looked amused by this question, even going so far as to chuckle. He hadn¡¯t expected such a question. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting question. Are you questioning where my morality and ideals lie? If that¡¯s the case then¡­¡± Tulnas seemed to drift off in thought as he spoke. ¡°My heart gravitates towards vulnerability and influence, I suppose. I didn¡¯t have a rough background as some would assume but I always wanted to do more than just to have enough. They call it ambition.¡± ¡°I enjoy seeing the vulnerable and weak flourish under my care. I find the innate vulnerability that some women share in our society to be a source of strength. Being openly vulnerable as a woman is overlooked but as a man¡­ it¡¯s shunned. I believe the reason is because women are madeplete when they meet an ideal man. And when youplete them, they bloom with overwhelming power. Having tens of them by my side is like infinitely fueling myself withplete beings that share their very souls with me.¡± Skullius listened attentively. He didn¡¯t know the first thing about women and so didn¡¯t have much of an opinion but¡­ ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°I know. Let me finish,¡± Tulnas said as he raised his legs to set them on top of the desk. ¡°When ites to influence, I believe it¡¯s cultivated by putting in the work. I¡¯ve travelled to all three of the nations in Feinheath, finding grand things in each, as well as fighting unique opponents. It¡¯s with this that I made myself somebody despite being at the lowest wrungs when I started.¡± Tulnas leaned in back further on the chair, his elbows on the armrests. His blue eyes gleamed as his tone grew lower. ¡°I¡¯ve TAMED powerful beasts and dangerous men. TAMED bestial beauties and even mana itself. Now let me answer your question with one of my own.¡± ¡°Taking my entire speech into ount, does it seem like I haven¡¯t put a few thousand men and women to the sword for nothing but selfish benefit?¡± Gulp. Skullius got this man¡¯s point instantly. Why would he care for Skullius killing a few hundred when he had murdered thousands for the sake of personal gain? The Discount Human finally got it. He was right. This man was different. Skullius nodded, feeling himself getting warmer to this first ss sockethole. ¡°Alright then. So, what is this method to get rid of the Clusters anyway?¡± Skullius asked. This had been the topic of concern before their conversation drifted off the rails. Tulnasnguidly huffed. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple,¡± he said. ¡°All we have to do, is kill the fools who are causing them. A certain group of cultists who have settled near a city under my jurisdiction. The Evenfall.¡± Chapter 246 The Source of The Emerging Clusters ¡°The Evenfall has been around for a long time. They are a group of bastards that believe in Boron, the Traitorous Deity. They have been more of a nuisance than anything up until now to be honest, their existence mostly being the Purity¡¯s problem, just like the Green Neolists are considered a Capital problem,¡± Tulnas exined as he saw clearly from Skullius¡¯ expression that the Discount Human didn¡¯t have strong background knowledge on the organisation. It wasn¡¯t oundish these days to find people who didn¡¯t have any interest in the Deities whatsoever. Skullius seemed to know something at least. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about this before but, why is this Boron guy called a traitor?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a long tale with many conjectures but the prevailing theory seems to be that Boron wanted to create his own world. You see, the idea is that the four Deities were bound by their own self imposed will to create life. To produce something of not with their grand power.¡± Boron however, had a grand idea for a utopia of his own that he imed would be the ultimate shelter for himself and the other Deities. However, the other Deities refused and sought to make a singr world where they created living beings with their own creativity as they believed they were meant to.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, Boron didn¡¯t like their idea very much and sought to take their power from them forcefully, to create this haven for himself to enjoy. This selfishness to not want anything to do with the greater goal of creating a whole world and attacking the others instead was what gave Boron the moniker of Traitor. Of course, the rest of the story is as you can probably recall. He was barred from creating anything here and is bound to the lower verges of Aigas. The Under.¡± Skullius nodded. With all the data he had absorbed, it had skipped his mind to ask about this piece of the puzzle that had been missing for so long. Until now that is.. ¡°An informant that I ced in one of the cities under my care notified me about strange activity that had been going on for the past weeks. I sent one of mydies to check it out and she has been tracking the lead with the informant. I made a trip there to check for myself and discovered subtle signs of the Evenfall¡¯s activity.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to detect wisps of dark energy in the air. These wisps caused ailments, anxiety and rage in the minds of the people and it took a while to solve this. It took even longer to narrow down the search to where the source of the energy wasing from and that¡¯s where we are now.¡± Ailments, anxiety and rage? Where these the traits that were caused by the Evenfall members or by their Deity? Wasn¡¯t he sealed away? Skullius couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around it and Tulnas didn¡¯t n on lecturing him of all the details right now. Still though, the Discount Human was curious. ¡°How are you so sure it¡¯s this Evenfall group that¡¯s causing this?¡± he asked. ¡°The Adaptation rooms have bolstered my senses towards energies to a considerable degree. I can identify types of energy higher than Mana and Aura easily, above what I could already do, of course. I¡¯ve been in contact with these people before during some of journeys so I know what the energy signature feels like.¡± Oh. That made sense. What kind of energy was this then? Higher than Mana and Aura? Skullius¡¯ mind churned and he also thought of other energy forms that could be higher. Null Life Essence and Undeath energy. Where did they fit it in, he wondered ¡°We can¡¯t waste more time. I have to stress that this will be quite the dangerous mission and while it¡¯s safer to have other Guildse along, it can produce the opposite result. Also, like I said before, I don¡¯t want anyone else¡¯s blood on my hands if there¡¯s a chance that I miscalcted something. I can handle casualties rted my Guild, no one else.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Good. Put on your gear and let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°Wait now?¡± ¡°What part of ¡®we can¡¯t waste any more time¡¯ don¡¯t you understand?¡± Tulnas said with a sigh. Skullius nodded and was about to put on his new armour when he recalled something. ¡°Right, there¡¯s something I need to show you..¡± *** ¡°Pfftp! I said I¡¯m good now! I¡¯m not angry anymore, alright?!¡± Bustifina said as she blew her hair away. ¡°Un, un. You don¡¯t seem very calm to me. You should really talk a walk and cool off,¡± Ginie said as she yed with her staff in her seat. A burst of dark orange energy shot from thedy as she sat down on one of the many chairs, her expression turning fierce with the pupils in her eyes transforming into slits! She held a cup of tea with a small te at the side on which a few biscuits were ced but this seemingly peaceful picture didn¡¯t fit with her expression. Throbbing veins popped out of her face as she turned to Ginie, her teeth grating against each other in imminent violence. ¡°Does this look like¡­. I¡¯m still angry to you?!¡± Bustifina growled. Ginie¡¯s face remained nk for a moment before she pushed her te up to Bustifina. ¡°Biscuit?¡± she asked in a cute voice. ¡°Knock it off, already,¡± Renialid who sat with a cultured posture as she sipped on her tea said with a calm voice. ¡°Instead of bickering, you should be thinking about who Tulnas will choose to go on this expedition with him.¡± ¡°What? He¡¯s not taking all of us?¡± Castamine whozed on her seat with her curvaceous bodyyingteral across it said in a concerned tone. ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s only logical that some of us will only be deadweight that will serve no further purpose than to hinder our master¡¯s strength on such a perilous mission,¡± Riyana said as she sipped her tea with an apathetic face. Her words stung. There was silence for a time. Every one of thedies knew that they were not weak by any stretch, but there were those that were more dependable than others. ¡°You¡¯re right, sister,¡± Natalika said. Even though she had a blindfold on, one couldn¡¯t help but feel like her eyes radiated an intense stabbing illusion when her senses focused on them. ¡°While we all have our strengths, this mission requires strength at a calibre a notch above the rest.¡± Another bout of silence persisted. Riyana¡¯s eye twitched a bit from hearing Natalika, her twin sister¡¯s words. She thought they had grown past this phase already. ¡°Rx,dies. Nomatter who is chosen, all of us are important to Tulnas. For some of us, our strength is our mind, for some it¡¯s our raw physicality. But in the end, we¡¯re what makes up this Guild,¡± Renialid said with a gentle expression. The sound of footsteps came from the stretch of stairs to the right, causing thedies to fidget and turn their heads. Not two figures came walking down but three, all decked in armour and all looking quite powerful in their own ways¡­ Chapter 247 Everyone, Meet Red Rage The bevy¡¯s collective eyes first honed in on Tulnas who led the other two behind him. He donned his ck and green armour that traced his figure while being bulky on the pauldrons. The green hue was mostly from detachable sections of the breastte that were painted in this colour as well as the upper parts of his greaves and several portions of his gauntlets. Two shortswords rested on either of his sides in dark, smooth scabbards, giving him the look of some kind of Berserker-Assassin hybrid. Thedies¡¯ hearts throbbed as they saw their man gracefully descend from the stairs with an aura of power, his ocean blue eyes gleaming with untamed regality. Behind Tulnas was Skullius was donned the armour that Silrat had gotten for him. It must be stressed that Skullius did NOT remove the clothes he had worn before. He had just worn the armour over them. A mix of very hard, light brown leather and shiny, dark grey steel made up the armour, allowing it to be a tight fit for Skullius whom Silrat considered to be more dependent on speed than he was on strength. Half-te armour was the professional term. On the parts that featured steel, glowing runes could be seen over, and on Skullius¡¯ hands, light gauntlets were made with more leather than steel in the palms to encourage grip while the metallic sheen pervaded over the hands to protect the fingers. Arge hoody could be seen behind his neck, making his whole look akin to that of a assassin as well. The Discount Human suspected that Oliviana¡¯s input was involved in choosing this armour. ~~~ [Fleeting Ghoul¡¯s Adornment] ¨C Rare+ ¨C An armour made by a group of wandering nomads who hail from the dessert, Jay Sanul. -Defense-. 4950 -Durability- 6540/6540 -Special Effects- ? +30% movement speed ? +15% reaction speed ? 10% attack speed [Skill: Bolt through] Move at rapid speeds to phase through any physical matter; attack or mass, in a five meter radius. Usable only five times a day. -Caution- Does not work worth with energy-type constructs. -Caution- If target is coated by energy stronger than the armour¡¯s limit, effect will be nullified. ~~~ Skullius had been pleased with this offering when he looked over it with the guidance field and he had made up his mind. He would definitely be using [Unbound] on this after the mission. Thest figure who trailed behind both Tulnas and Skullius was of course¡­Red Rage. After the party-up with Sty and her group, Skullius had gone hunting with Red Rage, amassing enough Null Life Essence points to upgrade all the gear he had bought for Red Rage from Frock. This full te armour that Red Rage was rather incredible and a perfect fit for the Apostle with some questions about its effects here and there, but mostly great. It had a mix of dark blue and ck, with a regal looking helmet that had nted eyeholes instead of the traditional visor where the wearer would look through. It had a slightly bulky build, with its metallic material refusing to reflect any light. The pauldrons and poleyns were shaped like protruding swirls that one could easily get lost in while on the chest te, an engraving of a sun-like feature could be seen, with the rays showing as swirls in a dark blue hue. ¡­.. Ten minutes ago. Tulnas had a more than surprised expression as he looked at Red Rage who had been pulled out, seemingly out of nowhere by Skullius. Skullius smirked. The spatial ring was still hidden by Null Life Essence and he could tell that Tulnas was oblivious to where the Apostle had spawned from. ¡°This is one my specialities,¡± he said simply to Tulnas. The Guild leader remained staring at the armoured creature for a few seconds, and then turned to Skullius. ¡°This is a summon?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is it rted to your Hidden ss?¡± ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Skullius said before turning to Red Rage. ¡°Greet the man, will you?¡± Red Rage walked forward towards Tulnas who had stood from his chair behind the desk and¡­extended his hand. Tulnas dumbly shook the Apostle¡¯s hand while in a daze. It was¡­ very strange. He couldn¡¯t even sense anything from his summon! Not the connection of mana from it to Skullius. Not its own strength. Nothing. ¡®This is¡­ ridiculous,¡¯ he thought with bubbling excitement. He had already subdued his zeal over the fact that Skullius had a Hidden ss, not letting it show how much he valued the Discount Human but with this¡­ ¡®Watch out, Silrat. I might just take this man for myself.¡¯ ¡°I thought showing him to you first would be better than pulling him out in front of the¡­dies,¡± Skullius said with immense difficulty. ¡°How considerate,¡± Tulnas said with a grin. ¡°You made a good choice.¡± Skullius smiled sheepishly. He was pretty apprehensive about sharing this but well, since this guy knew he had a Hidden ss, he could lie about many things rted to his secrets, pinning them all on this fact. He could also limit the prying of other parties this way as well. This was just the first step. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t a wrong one. ¡°You¡¯ve got me fired up, Festos,¡± Tulnas said with his ridiculous bursts of energy leaking out in enthusiasm. ¡­. ¡°Who is that?¡± Gertreld asked curiously as she gazed at Red Rage who stood beside Skullius as the three men reached the floor. Tulnas held back a chuckle as he decided to get it over with. He turned to Skullius who sighed and nodded. ¡°As you all know, this man, Festos, is an Energy Former. He is appears to be really talented in some other facets of power, including summoning,¡± said Tulnas with a subdued smile. He hadn¡¯t told thedies that Skullius had a Hidden ss as that wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°Everyone, meet Festos¡¯ summon, Red Rage.¡± Chatter immediately flooded the cleaned the room where all thedies were situated. Renialid was really surprised, cocking her head back as she hugged her chest. Summoning? Wasn¡¯t Festos a Mage? Summoning was another ss entirely. Red Rage scanned the masses from behind the helmet and when he saw the attention, his arms started to rise up as they headed for his waist to perform his signature pose but¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t you even dare!¡± Skullius whispered. The Pelvis Boar-Man became a bit dispirited. Many of thedies walked up to Red Rage analysed him, poking his armour while the Apostle remained still. Skullius tried to make sure they wouldn¡¯t take off his helmet as best as he could. ¡°Alright, enough of that,¡± said Tulnas as he pped assisting Skullius somewhat. ¡°As you might have guessed, I¡¯m not taking every single one of you. I have already chosen the candidates I will going with based on necessity and utility.¡± The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. ¡°For this mission, I will be taking with me Ginie, Natalika and¡­ Gertreld.¡± Many of the women sighed while Gertreld wore a cheerful grin. Natalika rushed up to Tulnas¡¯ side with an almost imperceptible speed while Ginie looked incredibly shy as she sluggishly walked up to the Guild leader. Renialid nodded with a straight face. In truth, she had expected to be considered for such a mission as she was the strongest out of all the others, but unlike many of the otherdies, she never doubted Tulnas. She had too many reasons not to. The Guild leader looked her way and smiled, which made her blush. ¡°As for the rest of you, I have very important mission for you. You can call it a supplementary mission to this one and I expect the best results possible,¡± Tulnas said. Skullius already knew what it was and he couldn¡¯t help but envy thesedies. Even Red Rage looked to re in jealousy as the details of this mission had been mentioned in his presence. Chapter 248 One Exchange ¡°Since the disappearance of the Ideal Ark, the power struggle has been intense but we are still at the top, ranked second in the entire region. That said, I think it¡¯s time for us to increase our prestige. Perilous times bring the best opportunities for growth,¡± Tulnas said with a zealous smile. ¡°Renia, I want you to lead everyone in clearing as many Clusters as you can inside and outside of our jurisdiction. I don¡¯t care if the smaller Guilds start toin, just kick as much Cluster beast ass as you can.¡± Renialid gave a radiant smile as she nodded to Tulnas. ¡°You can count on us,¡± she said. The zeal and energy that instantly covered the room was so intense that one could get lost in it. Thedies were ted that they were given a big mission toplete and it was by no means easy. Tulnas¡¯ trust in them had not waned and one might even say this was his strategy to eliminate the grains of dissatisfaction he had sown by choosing the three he had. In the Guilds Association,rge Guilds were given portions of the region to partially own and oversee, thus having the privilege of automatically owning anything that they brought from them. It was the Association¡¯s policy to im a portion of the items that the Guilds acquired in Clusters as remuneration for the services they rendered. Naturally, it wasmon for Guilds to want to swindle the Association by keeping everything and it was certainly possible as the branch in Inhonecked the means to stop most Guilds. However, a simple system to encourage this policy was the Contribution Point system. The more a Guild contributed the higher the chance that they would be given Contribution Points which essentially raised the grade and quantity of items that Guilds could borrow from the Association. To smaller Guilds, this was more of an option if they could afford it and they did their best to afford it as more of these meant more growth. Torge Guilds, this was a right. All Guilds aimed to reach this stage.. The drop on these charges for every haul that a Guild made was what Silrat had used to bargain with the mercenaries during the chaos a few days. Given such a thing along with the multitude of Clusters appearing every day, if Renialid and the otherdies were to rush around stealing Clusters from lesser Guilds¡­ One could easily imagine what would happen. ¡°Let me go and wear and my battle dress! Oh, how long I¡¯ve waited to don it on such a dangerous excursion!¡± Gertreld rushed away with exciteddy steps. Ginie and Natalika also rushed away to wear theirpletebat gear. ¡®I wish I could party up with these strong females and clear high-level Clusters,¡¯ Skullius thought, his mind creating a fantasy where he strolled through the chaotic fights in a Cluster while harvesting Enriching gems. Red Rage could already see it too, collecting massive amounts of Null Life Essence to use for his own heroic deeds. ¡°While we wait for those three¡­¡± Renialid said as she walked forward, her gaze locked onto Skullius. ¡°I would like to see how capable you are as a Mage. Chances are, where you¡¯re going you¡¯ll be meeting foes with strength simr to mine or higher. We can¡¯t have our Guild leader constantly trying to get you out of harm¡¯s way or worse¡­ dying while trying to do so from your curse. That could easily happen right?¡± Skullius gazed deep into Renialid¡¯s eyes. Sure. That was possible. However, during the time he had spent with Tulnas, even when he asked questions and got replies, the man never turned into a pile of soup. He had offered help, but he did not die. This was the sole reason why Skullius didn¡¯t fully trust Tulnas and called him a first-ss sockethole. The man truly wasn¡¯t a charitable saint despite his helpful actions. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Skullius said. Tulnas by the side smirked. ¡°Earlier, you imed that you could survive an exchange with Natalika even if she were to use a single arm inbat without her sword. Are you still confident that you can do such a thing?¡± Renialid asked. ¡°You bet,¡± Skullius said determinedly. Renialid shed a toothy smile. She hated seeing weak men. Perhaps this was a side effect of having the ever confident Tulnas as a Guild leader and as a lover that influenced this. ¡°You¡¯re really thinking of having a fight now?¡± Tulnas asked as he sat down on one of the seats, grabbed Bustifina who was near him and sat her on hisp. The girl yelped from this sudden action before easing up. ¡°One exchange. No. One attack,¡± Renialid said as she faced Tulnas who was stroking Bustifina¡¯s cheek with her smile. She then turned back to Skullius. ¡°If you can stand one of my attacks, I¡¯ll consider you to have passed. Whether you dodge, block or counter doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± Skullius raised his brow. He didn¡¯t have a habit of underestimating opponents but being looked down like this, perhaps rightfully so was something he wasn¡¯t used to especially after introducing himself as a Mage. He had been showered with praise and high regard and while this didn¡¯t get to his head, he thought he would right this wave out for a while. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s do it,¡± Skullius said. Thedies drew back to give Skullius and Renialid some space. Most of them didn¡¯t think Skullius was in any capable of reaching to an attack from Renia as that was the thing that the First Flower wanted to test. A fighter was useless if they couldn¡¯t react to to iing attack, regardless of their arsenal and while all thedies could agree that the Discount Human looked appealing, they just couldn¡¯t give him the benefit of the doubt with his Foundation Stage strength and white mana core. Renialid and Skullius drew back, the Discount Human turning to Red Rage who didn¡¯t move away like the others. ¡°It¡¯s alright, bro. I can take care of myself,¡± Skullius said with a smile. The Apostle conveyed that he wanted to help Skullius and show some of the progress he had made over the past days but the Discount Human denied him the chance. There would be plenty of time to show what he could doter but the Discount Human wanted to show his individual prowess. The Apostle nodded and drew back. Tulnas was interested in seeing how Skullius could handle this. Regardless of the result of this little show, he was still going to bring Skullius with him but a win for Skullius would increase Skullius¡¯ value in his eyes. More of a reason to want to break off his engagement with Silrat.. The Guilder gripped Bustifina¡¯s waist tightly in excitement. ¡°Hmm~¡± the girl squirmed under the powerful grip. ¡°Here Ie,¡± Renialid said as she lowered her stance, her white dress rising a little from the soft breeze that whistled from this one movement. Skullius¡¯ silver eyes took in everything ahead as his [Elevated Mana Maniption] made sure he could sense every subtle detail about Renialid and Renialid alone. ¡®Here we go,¡¯ the Discount Human thought as right at this moment, he activated all of them simultaneously even before he saw Renialid move. All of them! In the same instance, as his eyes never left everything in front of him, something started to overshadow his vision! A hand. A hand magnified in his vision as shockingly, Renialid had covered the eight meter distance between them before he even realised it! ¡­! On top of this speed, Skullius felt from this hand that was merely inches from his body, a a force that sought to drew him closer to Renialid¡¯s figure! ¡®Perhaps he still has some ways to go before his ss Branching bes anything of note¡­¡¯ Tulnas¡¯ thoughts rang out as he watched all this quite vividly. It was as if time slowed to a halt as this happened, but the Discount Human didn¡¯t panic. He had expected something ridiculous like this. In fact, he had expected something more as if it was only this much¡­ WAAA! A radiant light shone over the entire room with gorgeous aesthetic, a ripple of tangled and chaotic energy shooting Skullius! ¡­! Tulnas and all thedies in the room were taken by surprise by this sudden urrence! In fractions of a second, Renialid¡¯s movement that everyone was sure would catch Skullius off guard, was¡­ FFSSSH! The brilliant light that had reced Skullius¡¯ figure zipped away from view, escaping Renialid¡¯s hand at a tremendous speed! Another shock pped everyone in the face as in the next moment, the brilliant light didn¡¯t move away but bolted behind Renialid, seemingly about to attack! WHUUUUUU! A sound like a air being sucked for something grand rang out as a thunderous noise blew out, most certainly from the collision of whatever the brilliant light had shot to Renialid¡¯s figure! Chapter 249 This Discount Human Is Impressive! BOOOM! A crisp explosion of force shook the entire room, a powerful breeze blowing over all thedies and tustling with their hair! Tulnas who sat with an intrigued look on his face was visibly pleasantly rattled, having noy expected this! The floor exploded, digging deeper into the ground where the collision had urred, dust rising high with an obscuring effect! From the dust, where the radiant light could still be spotted amid the chaos, a chuckle was heard, followed by the dying of this fast light. Skullius¡¯ figure was revealed when the light vanished, the Discount Human appearing to have his fist extended to Renialid who was chuckling in both surprise and excitement. She sped his fist tight which had been going for her head and in the next moment, Skullius drew back hurriedly and stood a distance from her. Renialid swiped her hand, a powerful force inducing the dust to clear as she stepped out of the depression. ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised. To not only be able to dodge my attack but to counter from behind me right after. I admit, you¡¯re much stronger than I thought,¡± Renialid said as she patted away her dress of dust and nodded at Skullius. ¡®Hmm. I didn¡¯t expect to hear her say that. Especially after she clearly held back. Then again, I didn¡¯t give it my all either. And I didn¡¯t need to¡­¡¯ Skullius thought.. He nodded back and walked to Red Rage who was excitedly showering his master with praise through their link. ¡®Yeah, yeah. You already knew what I¡¯m capable of because of your spying with Null Life Essence anyway.¡¯ This technique was still lost to the Discount Human as when he had asked Red Rage to teach him how to use Null Life Essence to do the stuff he could do, the Apostle proved to be the worst teacher her could possibly ask for. ¡®It¡¯s like Zhhhrr¡­ then Fwooosh and Kaaaa¡¯ was Red Rage¡¯s exnation through their mental link. p! p! p! ¡°Incredible! Now this is what I call priceless talent!¡± Tulnas said as he stood up pping after gently cing Bustifina who had been seated on hisp to the side. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve advanced quite well in ss Branching. For a Mage to demonstrate this kind of awareness and battle instinct with hand-to-handbat is rare. I feel safer already.¡± All thedies around couldn¡¯t help but also look at Skullius a bit more favourably. ¡°What was that? A spell?¡± ¡°Such speed! And to even attack Renia after barely dodging her strike, he¡¯s got some balls. Not bigger than master¡¯s though.¡± ¡°He¡¯s decent, I guess¡­.¡± Skullius raised his brow from theplements he overhead. It was an interesting experience contrary to his expectations. Renialid walked to Tulnas who slowly paced over to Skullius. ¡°I must say, I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to him being an asset under you,¡± she whispered in Tulnas¡¯ eyes. ¡°He already is. I¡¯m just yet to decide on the duration,¡± the Guild leader replied, making Renialid¡¯s eyes sh with excitement. She loved it when Tulnas showed dominance. She and the others were already made known the deal between Silrat and Tulnas and she could already read along the lines of what her Guild leader sought to do. ¡°It¡¯s all going ording to n so far and I¡¯ll make sure it continues to go that way,¡± Tulnas said before he quickly drew Renialid closer to his armoured body and promptly nted a kiss on her lips. The woman was taken by surprise and before she could full savour the moment, Tulnas drew back and side nced at the other women who looked at Renialid with envy. He spoke in a voice just enough for all their advanced ears to hear, the contents of his message building up adrenaline and¡­ something else. ¡°If Ie back alive, I¡¯ll spoil everyone of you to my, and your heart¡¯s content.¡± The blue eyed man suddenly slung his arm around Skullius¡¯ neck afterwards. The Discount Human had watched the kiss with wonder just moments before but he didn¡¯t have the time to think more about it as Tulnas¡¯ boisterous voice echoed in his ear. ¡°This whole thing just got a bit more exciting than I thought it would be. Let¡¯s go kick some ass.¡± *** Somewhere East of Inhone City. A dark space lit by an orange me could be seen with men donning gold and ck robes seated around aplex formation that was akin to a jagged edged circle with meaningful symbols within it that burned with an orange light. The me that lit the space raged at the very centre, illuminating the twelve figures that sat silently while bursts of dark purple energy spewed from their bodies, fueling this formation. The air shuddered as far from these men who sat in such an arrangement, a burst of wind blew outwards in fierce, visible waves that would have torn anyone close enough and unable to guard against them. From this phenomenon, two men appeared, walking with sturdy steps towards the formation. An Arcane Teleportation Scroll had been used. Of the two men, one was older with a more mature look, hisrge eyes exuding a honey coloured hue. His unkempt hair which was a chaotic mix of purple and ck draped over his forehead giving him a reserved and reckless vibe. The other looked young, his looks being nothing that would stick in one¡¯s memory for long. ¡°Pretty handy stuff. I didn¡¯t think our partnering with those necromancers would give room to such¡­ extravagant opportunities. Travel feels better now. Extravagantly better,¡± the older man said with a look that contradicted his verbal enthusiasm. ¡°I think the boss made a mistake. While we need their ability to harnessrge numbers with undeath, I still think giving them our help is a bad idea. They have their own agenda after all. They will backstab us eventually,¡± the young man said. ¡°Extravagantly so. However, the boss already knows. I¡¯m sure even that Actuass guy knows that we know. It¡¯s just a matter of using each other. The one with the faster y wins¡­ extravagantly,¡± the dark and purple haired man said. ¡°You say the word extravagant way too much, senior,¡± the younger of the two said with hidden indignation. ¡°Extravagantly so.¡± The young man pped his forehead. ¡°Well, regardless of what you said though, isn¡¯t it a bit much for us to be keeping that thing of his despite how broken it is. Will he even use it? I mean, we¡¯re busy with something else here and evencking the numbers of our mission as it is.¡± ¡°Cooperation requires extravagant levels of patience. Besides, word is that Actuass has many of these extravagantly hidden all around the three nations.¡± ¡°But why would he choose to keep this one he recently used in the retrieval here?¡± ¡°Hmmm. Probably because he wants to use it soon and needed it to be guarded extravagantly. This region has many wanderers after all.¡± ¡°Stop worrying about these things. We have the first piece to our n after so many years with the necromancers¡¯ extravagant help. A show of extravagant goodwill isn¡¯t a bad thing at all,¡± the older man said as his honey coloured eye peaked at a hidden space where somethingy in the dark, immobile¡­ Chapter 250 They Are Gone: The Trail They Blaze Inhone City. ¡°He¡¯s already left with the Mage, has he?¡± Erkus said as he took in a deep breath. This had happened too fast. It was almost as if his movements were being traced and this n executed with impable timing using them as a basis. ¡°To think Silrat would do this. No. It¡¯s actually more in tune with his character, now that I think about it. He sure takes action fast and I would give the same praise to Tulnas.¡± Terian sighed in exasperation. Even he hadn¡¯t seen thising. Tulnas had immediately left for this mission with Skullius merely an hour and half after they had left the Guilds Association. At this time, Erkus had been quite busy processing the remaining issue with the feuds that were happening and an uing event that would beunched, involving the great families from both this region and outside in one of therge cities. This particr matter had been sting at his mind and he had had talks with Silrat about this just a few days ago, venting about how he was unable to take even the shortest of breaks because of it. To think that the bastard would use this to his advantage¡­ ¡°No matter,¡± Erkus said as he massaged his temples. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be worrying about this. Tulnas is faithful to the City and unlike Eobald and his group, he at least remains a permanent force in the region. He wouldn¡¯t abandon all that prestige over such. He either truly has need of this Festos character or wants to achieve another one of his goals. Either way, we will find out when hees back.¡±. Dami who was seated beside Terian silent gripped her robe in rage. ¡®Terian was right. This man truly has Tulnas in his good books. Such blind trust. What exactly has he done to make his image so clear and trustworthy in everyone¡¯s minds?¡¯ she thought. ¡°Very well. If you are sure on that aspect, then I will not argue any further. However what I¡¯m more concerned about is the potential repercussions if Tulnas¡¯ proimed method of stopping the Clusters is not sessful or is outright false. Our collective image will drop not only in the eyes of Pelian but also Maqi and Emeradis. Tulnas said it himself that he was not fully confident in this method,¡± Terian said with apprehension in his eyes. Erkus scratched his chin as he heard this, his experienced mind churning in thought. ¡°That is true,¡± he said. ¡°But what if it wasn¡¯t true. Who else is more considerate of the strength of his influence than Tulnas? Would he risk it all just like that? He has much to lose and I can¡¯t imagine him gambling it all away.¡± ¡°In my opinion, he got you two with a clever lie designed for you to focus more on his failure than his sess.¡± ¡­! Terian frowned. Could that be¡­? Erkus leaned back in his chair. ¡°I expect that he must have high prospects for this mission of his. The returns he ns to attain must be so great, he wants to shove them in your faces.¡± Dami¡¯s turned red as she couldn¡¯t contain her agitation while Terian got even more tense. All he could think of right now, was that confident and arrogant smile. *** Four thick horses galloped ahead, drawing behind them a fortified carriage that was built with sturdiness and lightness in mind more than shy appeal. Within it, six figures sat down, three one side and three on the other. The interior was cushioned with soft andfortable seats that would alleviate the hassle of constantly jerking back on hard surfaces as the carriage travelled. Skullius, Red Rage and Natalika sat on one side, while Tulnas, Ginie and Gertreld were seated on the other. Skullius felt it so strange that he was casually sitting with Red Rage while being out in the open like it was normal. The Apostle also seemed¡­pleased to be out after all that time in the ring. Before they had left, he had taken the ring he had been given by Silrat, which contained the clothes and armour, filled it with the Apostle¡¯s weaponry and returned it to him. Now he wouldn¡¯t have to carry it all and pass it up one by one to Red Rage in a fight. His own spatial ring remained hidden with Red Rage supplying it with Null Life Essence that only he and the Apostle could see. Apparently, the amount needed to keep up this trick was miniscule but Skullius couldn¡¯t be sure with Red Rage anymore. Perhaps he had mastered a powerful technique that he humbly told to be a simple application, what with his newfound subservience to Skullius because of the over 100 favourability. The sockethole! Gertreld was clinging onto Tulnas¡¯ arm as she looked out the window with a smile, her tender face that faked youth beaming with happiness. She donned armour that Skullius considered, strange. It was a long red dress made with a material akin to chain mail, but with a less crude appearance and a shiny lustre. On the shoulders, grey coloured armour tes could be seen forming a path to her neck where they created a well decorated cor. Gold and grey steel gauntlets could be seen over her hands with a simrly coloured chest te over her chest. ¡°Ha~. Such a beautiful day. I hope it ends the very same way. Don¡¯t you think?¡± Gertreld said as she turned to Tulnas who looked to have been lost in thought. ¡°That¡¯s right. I hope it ends the same way. After a thrilling battle that is,¡± the Guild leader replied with a light smile. Gertreld smiled wildly in response. Tulnas then turned to his side where the extremely short and shy figure of Ginie was and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She wore long blue robes that had a red fringe with a set of light armour underneath that peeked from the neck of her hooded robes. With Tulnas holding her shoulder, she shook, gripping her staff tightly as she shrank. She was fairly young. Younger than the otherdies of the Guild at least. She didn¡¯t share a romantic rtionship with Tulnas like the others and had joined the Guild earlier this year along with Bustifina. She was still very glittery around Tulnas whom she would usually called her Genuine light or big brother, both these titles rting to previous events. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on your Mage-Form Mimicking Art on this one. Use this time to rx, alright? We¡¯ll all be backing you up, so don¡¯t be afraid,¡± Tulnas said as he stroked her hair softly, calming her down a bit. ¡°Un, un. I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Ginie said determinedly. Skullius watched this with cold eyes, as he then turned to Red Rage as he expressed his intent through their mental link. ¡®If you get yourself blown up again with all I¡¯ve done for you, you can¡­kiss getting resurrected goodbye! Wait, wait¡­ ah forget it!¡¯ Red Rage merely nodded, this not dampening his spirits in the least. Natalika who was beside Skullius shifted as her sharp senses were being utilised to constantly check for anything amiss around them. Her blindfold wasn¡¯t only for show as she truly was blind but had honed her other senses to a terrifying degree, earning her the respect she deserved from her family as she had mastered a powerful technique even with her disability. She was from one of the smaller families that owned a small portion ofnd outside this region along with her twin sister, Riyana. She donned pretty much the same type of get-up she had on earlier, but with different material and colours; a short dark purple dress that reached her thighs with bandages going the rest of the way to her knees, a short but tough lc robe over the dress with a sword on herp. Tulnas turned to Skullius and flung a spatial ring that the Discount Human immediately caught and checked. Within it, Skullius saw¡­ ¡­! ¡°Might as well boost your physicality while we¡¯re on the way. None of us will be helping you out if you get yourself in a tough spot, right? Superficially, at least. While I¡¯m inclined to not take your curse too seriously because your value, I¡¯m not going to risk it all on a whim either,¡± Tulnas said. Skullius beamed with joy. 150 red gems were his to absorb! Chapter 251 Influence Tulnas had told all thedies in his Guild about Skullius¡¯ issue, the curse, informing them that they were not to help him with anything, as this would incur on them, certain death. Presumably. Fortunately for Tulnas, even though not all his Guild members were his lovers, they still regarded him very highly above other men and they would usually approach them with caution, their opinions of them much lower because of Tulnas¡¯ standard. For this particr mission, he had instructed, Gertreld, Natalika and Ginie to not, under any circumstances, help Skullius even if he was in a dire situation. He would be handling that part as his ¡®friends¡¯ were a safer bet for such a case. Even though, he didn¡¯t think too highly of this curse that Skullius had offered limited information for to begin with, he still wouldn¡¯t endanger hisdies. At this moment, everyone watched as Skullius held two red gems which he had taken from the spatial storage ring that Tulnas had severed his connection to and flung at him, absorbing the spots of energy within. Like the first time he had taken in this massive amount of energy in ref Enriching gems, Skullius felt overwhelmed for a moment, his eyes closing shut as he contained bursts of pleasured moans. His body reacted quite a bit as he started to absorb more of the Enriching gems quicker and quicker while Tulnas and the rest watched. The changes to Skullius¡¯ body this time weren¡¯t that pronounced despite him taking in 150 of these! It seemed his body had reached some kind of limit in terms of changes, but this did not in any way leave Skullius concerned, as the boons he got were tremendous!. A red Enriching gem could add 3 points to his constitution. 150 gems could add 450 points, which meant¡­ ¡°Fuuuu¡­.¡± Skullius breathed out a burst of hot air as his flesh wriggled. This was a massive amount of stats he had just received. After every factor of a 100, 30 stat points would be added to all physique rted stats plus his total mana; Agility, Strength, Endurance, Health and Mana. So, this round of absorption, Skullius received a 120 stat point increase to all these stats! ¡°You seem satisfied,¡± Tulnas said with a light smirk. ¡°If it was anyone else, I¡¯d worry they¡¯d still be a one trick pony, but for you, this should aid you in yourbat.¡± Skullius nodded as he looked at his hand. As alluded to before, stat point increases in humans were much different than for beasts and technically speaking, Skullius¡¯ Prator form which used the beast type cultivation system of evolutions was wouldn¡¯t enjoy thus weight in stats. With the joy that came with this, Skullius was even more proud of how he could most definitely finish the Task to the Tenth level now. Natalika who had been silent while harnessing her senses for spatial awareness suddenly spoke as she felt Skullius¡¯ rise in strength. ¡°Will you ept a duel with me now that you have additional strength to spare? I still promise to not lop off any part of you,¡± she said as she turned to Skullius. The Discount Human once again felt her energy pricking and slicing at his skin, which made him very nervous. ¡°Give it a rest, Natalika. Can¡¯t you behave moredylike for just an hour? Indulge in something else other than fighting,¡± Gertreld said as she hugged Tulnas¡¯ arm. ¡°Un, un! You should really stop asking everyone you see for a fight big sister, Natalika. It¡¯s not¡­ proper, yes proper. It¡¯s improper!¡± Ginie said as she once again struggled with words. ¡°It¡¯s the fastest way to bing stronger. The faster I battle and win, the quicker I will be in reaching the pinnacle of power. I still have my elder siblings to prove wrong,¡± Natalika said as she squeezed her sword. Gertreld and Ginie quietened down after Natalika said this. Tulnas noticed the tension and decided to step in. ¡°You will prove them wrong. That I guarantee,¡± Tulnas said as he gently held Natalika¡¯s thigh. ¡°But first, learn to cultivate your mind. How you speak and how you react to speech. It¡¯s also important for a warrior. No one will recognise a sword master who cannot engage with people and know how to pass down his or her wisdom in simple speech.¡± ¡°¡­I see,¡± Natalika said, calming down. ¡°Besides, you won¡¯t get to rest your sword for long. We¡¯ll almost there.¡± Into the distance, thends changed from being densely vegetated to beingrgely full of tall heat resistant grass and tall trees that boasted thick barks. The temperatures were especially brutal in this area of the region and Skullius noticed it, though his physique could now handle it without keeling over. Many people with distinct skin colours passed the carriage, going about their way or visiting the distant towns and viges. It was bustling. A few hourster, the carriage reached arge town that the locals would call Central, where a mix of people could be seen engaging in all kinds of activities; walking into different shops, buying from stalls, riding horses as they travelled to special spots in the town and so on. As the carriage entered the town, many turned to it with smiles, recognising its decor as belonging to a certain Guild they knew quite well. ¡°Ah¡­ they¡¯re back so early.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s the third visit in three months!¡± ¡°I hope he brought big sister Renialid! I can¡¯t wait to see¡­ahem¡­ feel¡­ ahem¡­ shower her with praise.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ we¡¯re definitely going to shower her with something¡­hehe¡­¡± ¡°GET AWAY FROM HERE YOU DEGENERATES!¡± Just how far Tulnas¡¯ influence reached showed as arge crowd began to gather while giving way for the carriage to move forward. From children to adults, some even left their stalls where they were selling foodstuffs to rush to greet their collective idols. The carriage eventually came to a hold, Skullius who was inside marvelling at the amount of repute that Tulnas enjoyed. This was ridiculous. A few Knights appeared in the distance, warding away the crowd for a distinguished man who looked a little too old to hold a high position to pass through. His sharp, velvet eyes that and and grey hair that was starting to recede were rather imposing, carrying a heavy weight of authority. He was the Town leader. Beside him was a lean but tall girl with beeline honey coloured hair tied into a pony tail. Her diamond shaped face widened as she smiled, seeing that Tulnas and the others were here, finally. It felt like an eternity since she had been left here. The nning must have been sessful. The door to the carriage opened and everyone disembarked, the crowds cheering when Tulnas greeted everyone with a gentle smile and a wave of his hand before walking up to the Town Leader and shaking his hand. ¡°I¡¯m d you returned quickly as you said you would,¡± the old man said with a nod. ¡°This is a matter of great importance after all,¡± Tulnas said as he looked around. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like the situation turned more sour after I left.¡± ¡°Indeed. We have her to thank,¡± the old man said as he turned to the girl at his side whose eyes never left Tulnas¡¯ face. The Guild leader turned his gaze towards her. ¡°Oh, is that so,¡± he said. ¡°However, we cannot dally when we have so much that we should tell. With this information, perhaps you can put those heathens to the sword,¡± the old man said. ¡ª -Author¡¯s Note- [Ding] [Ah! Mashu_Berusutora has donated thrice to the novel! I¡¯m heavily inspired! +2 chapters over the daily quota this weekend!] Chapter 252 How He Does It (A/N: A nod to IMITA) As Skullius looked around, taking in the rather well-built infrastructure, and the clean streets that were popted with well dressed and well fed people, he couldn¡¯t help butpare it to the other settlements he had seen so far. A town was, of course, a town and would usually not house many people but serve as a central point for selling goods and services. The structure of this settlement was rather refined, and the Discount Human could wager that aesthetically, it looked a lot better than Eofel, a city. This was the product of Tulnas¡¯ skill in managing the areas under his jurisdiction. When he and his Guild had risen to their current status, given jurisdiction to the settlements in the East, Tulnas had already plotted out a n for how he would go about managing the people andnds. He had presented this n to the Town leader who at the time had beenx about any sort of development to his town or the surroundings areas. This, put into context, wasn¡¯t his fault. ¡®Getting used to the depreciating standards that came with the area while shying away from effort,¡¯ he called it.. Tulnas had expected such when dealing with an elderly man who had been leading the town for so long, but instead of forcing the man to step down, he had taken a different approach. After extensive research, Tulnas identified what was mostcking in the areas, the viges, the towns and all on top of the elephant in the room, which he worked around. Finance was obviouslycking, along with ideas on what most of the individuals dwelling in these areas could partake in. Most would want to head to Inhone City to try out for bing mercenaries but the truth given would usually be disappointing as they would be more inclined to defy their given Directions which pointed towards farming, carpentry, teaching and so on. Arduous activities, in their opinions, that were simply impossible in the region because of a certain ¡®elephant.¡¯ Most would choose to defy their Direction, mainly because many no longer believed in the sentience of the Deities anymore but also because facilities to learn these were rather¡­cking. Bring given Directions that conflicted with where they were situated further fuelled unbelief. The young and handsome took these social qualms into ount too and took action. Tulnas¡¯ first course of action was to plead with the Town leader for a permit to built structures that he would have the Town leader check for quality in the town, even though he didn¡¯t need one. If he wanted, he could have exerted his dominance from his rights like most Guilds would but knowing that many of the people in the area shared the sameck of enthusiasm for change as the Town leader, Tulnas found that it was better to work with the man for the change. If the old man stood for new ways to adopt information, this effect could very easily and smoothly transfer to the masses. Thankfully, the Town leader gave him the consent for construction without so much as a care as the coin came Tulnas¡¯ own pocket. After building two institutions and hiring some qualified personnel with nock of experience, Tulnas had announced their grand opening of the institutions, showing the seal of approval he had been given by the Town leader. At first very few joined the institutions, but because of the quality of the teaching service that was rendered, the results for these few became very apparent as they started to make names for themselves bymitting to carpentry, building and agriculture, earning from the skills they cultivated and continued to cultivate. This drew in a lot of others who sought to learn, giving in to their prospective Directions and actively seeing changes. Richnds without any use were quickly taken advantage of, innds used to build sturdy homes for thosecking such to live in, crops of all kinds farmed, animals reared for meat and minerals mined more efficiently. One would ask why such things had not been present in this area to be begin with and the answer would be¡­ that was a false im. All these had existed on a limited scale, dwindling because of the high spawning rate of Clusters, which could be seen by the high temperatures in this area over the average scorch in the entire region. These made this area prone to destruction by weaker monsters that broke through Clusters faster than expected and raided popted areas before the mercenaries could arrive, a typical pattern for Guilds when weaker Clusters were involved. This was the norm before this area was assigned a Guild to man it as under their jurisdiction. Because of the Clusters, many activities were put on hold and trade with Inhone and other cities and towns was what sustained the masses, others migrating to distant settlements which left thesends with a significant amount of brain drain andck of manpower. Year after year, this grew more and more problematic, as people lost the passion to do anything but eat only what was brought from other settlements. Erkus could not deal with this issue definitely, as the only option had been relocation, which wouldn¡¯t really solve the problem. The fact that most of those that remained simply refused to move didn¡¯t help his case either. Tulnas had taken advantage of this, however. Along with reviving the passion for enriching activity with his scheme, Tulnas and his then Guild members had ensured that security wouldn¡¯t be a problem. And surely, the residents of both the towns and viges were awed by the power and efficiency of Tulnas¡¯ Guild. Casualties dropped from hundreds to none in a month, which bolstered the people¡¯s confidence when they saw that it wasn¡¯t a one time thing. There were always consistent and quick responses by the Guild when matters regarding the safety of the people were concerned and while, in truth, most of the Clusters that spawned were white which meant easier work, they were still numerous. And the Harem Guild took cars of it. Soon, the Town leader saw the rejuvenated spirits of the people and decided to publicly work hand in hand with Tulnas which bolstered the people¡¯s confidence even more. Such was the journey that further led to expansion, cutting off the full reliance on unfair trade and creating a nigh self sufficient zone that grew vast in a couple of months, extending its influence to other parts of the region that became reliant on it. Such was a brief recount on the history on where the respect and love for Tulnas came from. At the current moment, Tulnas andpany were being briefed on what had happened in the past weeks and the results of the stealthy investigations by the pony tailed girl who looked excited while doing so. They were within the Town Leader¡¯s office, which was as formal and graceful as it could be, showing the old man¡¯s taste in embroidery and masonry. The pony tail girl was one of the members of the Harem Guild, Scorta, who was a C rank Form User. An assassin. She had led the investigation on the whereabouts of the Evenfall and so far, her findings were promising. ¡°I think the Evenfall is setting up camp in ces like this, where numerous Clusters appearing in one day are a norm, and thus it makes it easier for them to hide as they spread the chaos. It¡¯s just a theory of mine, so¡­¡± the girl said as her big eyes seemed to spell that she wanted some sort of reaction from Tulnas, who unfortunately gave none as he instead urged her to continue. ¡°Ahem, thankfully, we managed to further narrow down their whereabouts but we also didn¡¯t proceed after a certain point. I thought it would be better if we waited for your arrival before he went on,¡± Scorta said. ¡°A wise choice. They may already know that we are on to them, which is why I wanted to hasten the operation. What¡¯s the status with the civilians? Are there anymore recurring illnesses or¡­ sudden frenzies like before?¡± Tulnas asked with a stern voice. ¡°Ah¡­ there have been a few cases but I thought it would be better to deal with them after the operation,¡± Scorta said as she sat up straight. Tulnas mulled it over for a hot second before shaking his head. ¡°No. Let¡¯s take care of this now. It won¡¯t take long and for all we know, these people may notst any longer,¡± the Guild leader as a light that did NOT look to stem from pity or kindness shed in his eyes. Chapter 253 The Noble Soul? ¡°Hmmm¡­ are you sure, Tulnas? While I admire your desire to save as many lives as possible and surely every one of those you save will be very grateful to you, don¡¯t you think that getting on with the operation is more important?¡± the Town leader who had been silent as Scorta gave a report finally spoke, questioning whether the cost to benefit would be in any way worth considering. ¡°Thest time you tried to heal even one of those who were ill, it took almost half a day and a ton of resources.¡± Tulnas looked to pause for a moment, everyone¡¯s eyes turning to him. ¡°Give me an approximate number of all those that are still deathly ill or frenzied,¡± the Guild leader said with a serious expression that told everyone that he meant business. Scorta quickly reported, struggling to maintain a formal and profession front. ¡°Around a hundred are in critical condition while a few more are in non-life threatening conditions. As for the frenzied and mad, there are a few dozen who have been detained. Guild leader, there¡¯s quite a lot of them to tend to¡­¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Tulnas as he stood up, taking split-second nce at Skullius before he continued to speak. ¡°I¡¯m not being reckless. I believe I have a way to solve this in a shorter span of time.¡± Scorta¡¯s eyes widened. This was no small im. The ailments that were inflicted upon the civilians were not induced by any spell crafted by mana or by a Special technique. It was caused by the leakage of Primus.. A form of divine energy. The exposure to such a potent energy was harming the normal civilians who couldn¡¯t protect themselves by coating themselves with mana as theycked the ability to do so even with their underdeveloped white mana cores. Using powerful special herbs harvested from high ranking Clusters and foreignnds closer to sources of divine energy in addition to special healing techniques that utilised Special skills had managed to ward off the illness in the bodies of the victims as the leakage of this cruel divine energy from the unknown source was extremely limited. Now, it seemed that Tulnas had a more effective method to protect the civilians. However, a few things bothered the man. ¡®Is this leakage on purpose, or is it some kind of slip-up that those bastards just let go. Still, I¡¯m quite sure they are confident in whatever they are doing. Though, the purpose of plunging all three nations into chaos like this must serve some greater purpose. A distraction perhaps?¡¯ he thought but shook his head to clear these thoughts. He only needed to focus on the immediate problem which was also a grand opportunity. ¡®If I manage to further consolidate my position here, then it will be beneficial when Silrat finally¡­¡¯ Tulnas smiled inwardly, not finishing the sentence. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, Gertreld confidently following after him, as did Ginie who walked on his other side. Skullius couldn¡¯t help but feel that there were many things going on in this young man¡¯s head. He and Red Rage followed, the Town leader also scurrying to see what the young man wanted to do. As they exited the building, Tulnas turned to Scorta. ¡°Gather all those who are affected and bring them here. It would also be great if the people in the city gather around too,¡± he said. Scorta was confused by this order, but she immediately nodded and rushed away to execute it. Tulnas looked around the city where several individuals noticed him and waved with smiles, a few of the people who had gathered around before having still been waiting outside. Tulnas gave them light nods to them as he plotted his next move and all its intricacies. If all went well, he could even kill two birds with a single stone or perhaps even three, which was his goal. His eyes darted to and from while he twitched his head, making a variety of faces with the asional clicking of his tongue. While Ginie, Gertreld and Natalika didn¡¯t seem bothered by this, Skullius was deeply curious. What the flesh was going on with this man? The Discount Human gathered together all the weird things that this man had done, including his whole ¡®I¡¯m not talking to you¡¯ thing which irritated the heck out of him. Was he partially insane or something? Skullius wanted to nudge Natalika and enquire about this peculiarity but he decided against it. ¡®I¡¯m starting to get toofortable with asking questions because of Tulnas. Things may go very wrong if it¡¯s another person,¡¯ he thought. Soon, it came to pass what Tulnas had ordered. The gued and those trapped in madness and frenzy were brought to Tulnas,id down on mats so that he could do his thing. Bigger crowds began to gather, trying to find out just what was happening now after they had been summoned. It didn¡¯t take long for the crowds to settle and Tulnas remained silent as if waiting for the perfect moment. Those with the peculiar illness wiggled and writhed as they suffered from the astronomical amounts of pain brought on by the disease. On their bodies, boils could be spotted with a dark and bloody colour that repulsed even the multitudes a short distance away. Their skin seemed to also bubble, stretched thin by other growths that rose from under the cracking skin, a faint purple aura rising from their bodies. The frenzied yelled out in loud voices, their eyes rolled back as they reddened, creating for a very hair-raising scene of despair. Tulnas watched as those rted to these people had their faces contort with grief and concern, a mother even rushing up to her son who was frenzied as she wept bitterly. She hugged him tight and turned to Tulnas imploringly, her eyes practically bleeding with tears before she was dragged away. Everyone turned to the Guild leader, wanting to see if he could do something for these people on the spot. His nk face gave people a lot less hope than they would have expected. However¡­. The Guild leader suddenly brought his right hand to the ring that was on his left hands ring finger. He inserted a bit of mana wordlessly, causing for something to emerge from the ring. As everyone squinted, looking closely at the object that Tulnas had pulled out, they saw¡­ An egg. An egg asrge as a human heady in Tulnas¡¯ hand! It was golden in colour with a three-pointed star carved into its surface in a dark blue hue. It shone with a glossy sheen, reflecting the images in its immediate surroundings like a mirror. The crowds watched with awe as Tulnas raised this egg up high, inserting mana into it which made the star on its surface glow brightly. SSSHHHH! Rays of light shone intensely, shing from the egg as they then rushed outwards, passing through everyone in the entire city with a gorgeous white-blue light! With its emergence, Tulnas became like a radiant existence from a transcendent race in appearance, his voice bellowing out in a stern and authoritative tone. ¡°Purge!¡± Chapter 254 Purging Impurities The brilliant light that travelled in an expansive arc had a unique effect as it through an individual with a powerful pushing effect that wasn¡¯t meant to stagger or make them fall. Peculiar oddities would gush out of their bodies, in a hazy form, some looking like dark images in the likeness of the individual who had been stuck by the light! This truly looked like¡­ a purging. The purging of impure entities! Thousands of these dark and ugly beings rose from the thousands of people as the light struck them, these images dissipating into ck particles that were lost forever! It was a wondrous scene, especially when one looked at its effect on those that were afflicted with the ailment and frenzy as the moment the bright arc passed through them, a screech was heard as dark purple mist spilled from their bodies and rose up before it burned! Sparks of fire devoured it whole, leaving nothing but frozen men and women that had bloodied bodies which slowly began to heal as the lingering halo of light from the arching power touched their bodies! Those that had been frenzied grew still and calm, breathing in as their eyes returned to normal. Just like that. The masses were awed as they recovered, feeling better even when they had not been the ones who needed saving! They felt refreshed, as if something within them had been washed and made brand new! Gertreld, Ginie and Natalika smiled as they took in the light¡¯s effect which manifested as a temporary boost to their stats and a permanent boost to their blessings. The Town leader¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he watched this unfold. He had expected the arduous process of relieving just one of the patients at a time like Tulnas and his group had done on theirst visit.. Amidst the awe and joy, one individual was stuck in ce as his eyes almost popped out of his sockets! A mixture of emotion roared from his body as he saw a terrific notification from his guidance! [An incredibly powerful surge of Divine energy is acting upon your body] [The surge of Divine energy has identified three impurities which it seeks to purge] [Doom Factor 1 has been detected ¨C Can be purged] [Doom Factor 2 has been detected ¨C Cannot be purged] [UNCoddled has been detected ¨C Can be purged] [¡­.processing] [Divine energy detected is insufficient to purge both removable impurities] [Divine energy can only be harnessed to purge a single impurity of your choice] Skullius trembled. This was¡­. fantastic! He could get rid of one of the pains in his ass! What fortune! What intensely marvellous fortune! Skullius almost leapt up in joy. What kind of item was the object that Tulnas held?! Skullius checked its information right away with his guidance field. ~~~ [Seed of Quintess¡¯ Eye] -???- ??? -Special Effects- Can purge all odd impurities provided they rank below Divinity. -Usage limited to after it has been charged with Primus for 500 days- ~~~ ¡­! Ridiculous! Even though much of the information on this thing was not shown to Skullius, the effect of this treasure was incredible! He chose not to waste anymore time as he made his decision. It could be said that Doom Factor 1 and 2 were greater threats than UNCoddled but Skullius couldn¡¯t help but also be concerned about the curse. In long term, it could easily get him killed if he killed off someone important with powerful witnesses nearby. Still, though, so far, he was in the clear. If he could at least get rid of the annoying Doom Factor 1 which resumed pursuit after every three days, that would be a great weight off of him. As Skullius was about to choose, he watched the panel in front of him show some of the words that he dreaded the most! [Interruption detected¡­] ¡°What now?!¡± Skullius thought as his eyes bulged again. And then¡­ A tugging force came from his chest, pulling him downwards with a staggering amount of familiar power! Skullius had a bad feeling about this, and soon enough, he understood why. [The ¡®Binds of Fukal¡¯ resist the effects of ¡®Seed of Quintess¡¯ Eye¡¯] [All Divine energy has been negated and forcefully repelled from Discount Human body] ¡°¡­¡± Skullius¡­ froze. While there were joyful echoes around of him of celebration as the people rejoiced at having their own saved from disease and madness, he simply wore a nk look as he looked at the screen in front of him which eventually vanished. The Discount Human finally slumped to the ground, looking dazedly at the sky as he did so. ¡°WHAT. THE. FLESH?¡± Skullius said with a low tone of voice. Red Rage noticed Skullius¡¯ chaotic emotions and rushed up to him, cing his hand on Skullius¡¯ shoulder. The Discount Human didn¡¯t react. He had been given hope which was then brutally bashed against a stone. His own Hidden ss was working against him. The more he thought about it, the more he realised it made sense and he had just been too absorbed in the moment to think clearly. All blessings from the Deities didn¡¯t work on him. The best evidence was how he wouldn¡¯t benefit from the blessing enhancement after clearing a Cluster. The Discount emitted an agitated sigh. Even with this knowledge, he was still rather angry. The crowds rushed up to Tulnas and cheered, going around Skullius who sat as they even lifted the Guild leader up and sang songs of merry. The old Town leader nodded his head while Gertreld gazed around with an of-course-he¡¯s-awesome look. The other girls looked reverently at Tulnas too, but the man himself wore a subdued smile as he seemed to be trying to sense something, immediately returning the egg in his hand to storage at this moment. First, he noticed the Discount Human who was seated on the ground with a distraught expression. ¡®Hmmm. I thought this would help with the curse. His expression tells me that something didn¡¯t work out,¡¯ Tulnas thought as a sense of caution overwhelmed him on the subject of Skullius curse. ¡®Oh, well. This confirms that this curse is a lot more troublesome than all of us thought. For now though, it¡¯s not the issue I should be most concerned about¡­¡¯ Tulnas¡¯ ocean blue eyes focused on thends outside of the town. He spread his senses outward, focusing on the results of his bait. A distance from the town, azy slur of energy started to ooze, signalling theing of something that Tulnas was readily awaiting. ¡®There it is¡­¡¯ Chapter 255 Primal Enemies Tulnas was a rather religious man at heart. As someone whose Direction was identified to be a talented mercenary with the capability to save many lives, he had no choice but to be exactly that. In the wake of words that called him out to be someone great, he had worked extremely hard to be the embodiment of that set of words. All this culminated into exining his rtionship with the Purity, or more specifically, the Priests in the Temple within Inhone City. Because of his constant visits to the Temple after receiving his Direction, offering prayers as well as speaking with the Priests and Priestesses over a very long time, his rtionship with the Temple became very solid. He benefitted greatly from this rtionship by getting ess torge amounts of knowledge and some inside information on the Purity. He would also help as many times as he could to solve some issues that required his strength. All thisbined had led to Tulnas¡¯ plea to the Temple to lend him an object which could counter hostile Primus energy to be reluctantly epted as long as he brought back the Seed of Quintess¡¯ Eye in one piece. One of the defensive items that the Temple could use in times of emergencies. However, this would beg the question¡­ Where the other areas gued by this Primus, presumably caused by Evenfall members hiding themselves as they somehow created infinite Clusters also experiencing the disease and frenzy among civilians? Was there even any Primus discovered in the first ce? The answer was no.. If that was the case, then the powerful Mages in other regions and cities would have discovered this and pinpointed the source of the trouble like Tulnas. This was why the Guild leader had questioned why there was a leak of Primus energy to begin with, wondering if it was a trap. At this moment, as the Guild leader¡¯s eyes scanned around, his senses pulsing around the city, he noticed traces of dark imagesing from all directions. His eyes instantly narrowed, the atmosphere changing around him to be dark and dreary which made everyone pause their celebrations. The once raucous crowd stopped cheering as they all turned to Tulnas whose expression showed a peculiar seriousness. Gertreld instantly knew that something was wrong and released a dome of mana around Tulnas which gently pushed away the civilians from the Guild leader. Natalika grabbed the hilt of her sword while Ginie twirled her staff with a serious expression that looked quite cute because of her young face. ¡°Is this what you were waiting for?¡± Natalika asked, her question looking to have no one it was directed to but she received the relevant response. ¡°Yes. Get ready,¡± Tulnas said. He smirked as he figured that Natalika would probably notice something that he did as well. He turned to the civilians in his immediate line of sight and spoke. ¡°Something has been attracted by the light from the treasure I used earlier. Please get back while mypanions and I handle it.¡± The masses instantly began to organise themselves, realising that Tulnas¡¯ sudden change in mood, as they had presumed, was because he had sensed a threat. Their overwhelming trust in this man which had been raised a few notches higher because of the earlier stunt forced them to rush away from the area in a more of less orderly fashion under the guidance of the Knights. Ginie immediately took action as she wielded her staff to hasten the process. ¡°Un, Mage-Form Mimicking Art, Coercion!¡± she chanted while pointed her staff forward. An irregrly flowing mass of light bolted from staff with a light purple hue, rushing with a speed nearer to that of the sound into the air! It rose and branched out in mid-air, turning into thousands streams of this energy that dug into the heads of the many individuals, except the children. Roughly a third of the masses were affected as in the next moment, they raced at top speed, grabbing the vulnerable and the child as they orderly took them to bunch at the centre of the town, while expertly dodging the unaffected civilians who ran erratically. The scene was strange but quite intriguing to see as Ginie effectively minimised cases where people crashed into each other as they ran and gathered around. The young girl squinted hard as she did all this, her ability as a Mind Caster allowing her to pull ofrge scale operations like this, as a Mage could. Skullius who was still seething with rage watched this with disinterest as he actually paid more attention to the approaching mass of thick energy that registered from his [Elevated Mana Maniption]. ¡®What¡¯s this? It¡¯s not Mana. It¡¯s more like¡­ the energy that you¡¯d find around Cluster cracks,¡¯ Skullius thought as his mana surged. SCREEEEEE! A loud, ghastly screech echoed, followed by another and another, visible distortions in the air showing all around from where loud thuds of the approaching creatures sounded! Multiplerge creatures approached from all directions making these screeching noises, their bodies exuding the hostile Primus! BOOM! In a rather quick manner, several buildings exploded from all directions of the town,rge beastsunching themselves forward as they destroyed everything in their path. They were four legged creatures with dark, lizard-like skin that reflected the overhead sun! They used their front legs which were actuallyrge, sickle-like des that had a dark purple edge to dig into the ground andunch themselves forward at a remarkable speed, their arched backs with smaller legs that had simr designs trailing behind! They had spherical heads that had multiple orifices around them, small, sharp teeth visible within them. The loud screeches came from these little holes and nothing else could be seen on the faces of these creatures whererge, thick scales covered. ¡°That¡¯s creepy¡­¡± Skullius said with a frown. Gertreld showed an expression of disgust as she saw the creatures that pounded the ground and obliterated everything as they bolted forward, their bodies emitting a dark purple mist! ¡°Hmmm¡­ that¡¯s not quite what I expected¡­¡± Tulnas said with a look of disappointment upon his face. ¡°They are vastly weaker than I imagined.¡± He raised his hand slowly, with his index and middle finger sped together, a vicious amount of white mana coiling around his body with a powerful quake under his feet! A low growl was head as he did this, his eyes resolute. But¡­ Gertreld held back Tulnas¡¯ hand. ¡°Please, dear,¡± she said with loving eyes, looking up at Tulnas¡¯ face. ¡°Let us handle it.¡± Tulnas smiled and dropped his hand. That¡¯s right. He had trustedpanions with him. ¡°Very well,¡± he said. Beneath Tulnas¡¯ greaves, the dry ground started to ripple, soil moving away as something else started jutting out in popping shifts like boiling water. Soon, a mass of sand rose from the ground, creating an odd arc shape behind Tulnas. The golden brown sand that rose had numerous tiny bits of sparkling blue particles like shiny gems within it and as it settled, it formed a simple chair upon which Tulnas sat while leaning against the back restfortably. ¡°Well? Get to it,¡± he said. ¡°Focus on offense, I¡¯ll keep the civilians safe.¡± Gertreld smiled gracefully as she looked to where the creatures were fast approaching. She felt jittery. Just like her though, a certain Discount Human was also feeling the same but for apletely different reason. He wanted to vent to his rage at these monsters. He formed his hands into fists and dashed forward, Red Rage following after! His eyes narrowed as he deduced information about these dark creatures. Chapter 256 How Will He Fare? ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Tier :4 ] [ Level : 34 ] [ Race : Obscene Stalker Ghoul ] [ Inv. Status: Agitated ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength (I) : 21 (Empowered) ] [Agility (I) : 35 (Empowered) ] [ Intelligence (I) : 12 (Empowered) ] [ Endurance (I) : 29 (Empowered) ] [ Luck : 47 ]. ¡ª¨C [ Health (I) : 467/467 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana : 15,100/18,000 ] ~~~ Around forty of these monsters rushed from all directions, and as if they had nned it, Gertreld, Natalika, Ginie and Skullius sped in four different directions as they headed for the iing enemies! Tulnas whose sensory abilities were applied on a vast scale smirked as he saw everyone going to deal with their respective targets. ¡®Connect with me. Don¡¯t let any one of the strays get to the civilians,¡¯ Tulnasmanded in his thoughts, the sands that formed a chair under him shifting slightly as if to affirm his order. ¡®You still sense it, right?¡¯ he thought before pausing a bit and nodding his head. Tulnas¡¯ goals when using the Seed of Quintess¡¯ Eye had been to heal the infected and also, to draw whatever he had hypothesised was keeping tabs on the areas in this region. If these guys were hiding, surely they wouldn¡¯tpletely neglect to make sure they stayed hidden, right? As for the leakage in Primus energy, Tulnas assumed it wasing from whatever was spying on them. However, this was merely a side effect to the real thing that was causing the matter he was here for. Primus was involved, he was sure, but this little application wasn¡¯t what was causing the hubbub. As for the unknown stalkers which he had finally showed themselves, using the overbearing energy of the Eye was his way of trying to agitate the creatures that exuded hostile energy and spotting their positions. Fortunately, it worked but he was also cautious of the fact that this could be used by the enemy as a distraction against him for them to run away or relocate as he had confirmed that they knew he was onto them. Thus, while also keeping an eye on everything in the town, he was also checking for anything odd outside with his more wide area ¡®tools¡¯. The blindfoldeddy, Natalika zipped through the streets at quick speeds. She held the hilt of her longsword, a coating of mana which looked rather solid and refined revolving around her. One of the Ghouls screeched as it galloped with its de legs towards her! Natalika prepared to draw her sword as her mana turned sharp, but then, something unexpected happened! The Ghoul right de suddenly rose, bing smothered in thick bursts of dark purple energy that absorbed the light almost turning the area dark! A mirage urred as the air seemed to get superheated! The de then shed right in front of it, and shockingly, a tear appeared in the air where the creature hurriedly leapt in, vanishing from sight ! ¡­! Natalika stopped and drew back, around her, mana gathering instantly in a one-meter radius! She lowered her stance as she prepared for an attack, her unique senses searching around her with keen and eager lust for information! Sound, sensation, smell. These had been horned to the point where Natalika could use them to sense the presence of energies and not just material existences at a ridiculous level. SWIISHHH! A thunderous sh appeared from nowhere, rocking the entire section of the town like an earthquake as it shed with Natalika¡¯s expanse of mana! Sparks flew as a sound akin to metal shing against metal resounded! Natalika remained calm as she analysed, her mana barely rippling from the sh of strength with invisible attack that had stormed it! ¡®So that¡¯s it¡­? They can hide in the folds of space? No. That¡¯s not it¡­ Its more like¡­¡¯ she thought, before her head bobbed up with her instincts and experienced senses showed her the way! Such a simple but tricky ability! Right then, Natalika pulled out her sword and swipedterally in the blink of an eye! A long, shiny katana with alternating stripes of silver and white on its de shot from the scabbard, going through the space where Natalika¡¯s mana was protectively surrounding her, the white energy parting for the sword to exercise its full potential! ¡®Demented Blindsword Technique, Demented sh!¡¯ The moment thisteral sh struck forward, blood spurted out from the open air, with a loud screech of pain echoing out! With the attack though, one could identify something amiss, which was that the trail of blood in the open air was vertical, going from top to bottom even though Natalika had struck with ateral arc! WHOOSH! From the open space, a dark, scythe-like leg from the Ghoul swiped through with an incredible speed towards Natalika, the superheated air around it dancing in waves as the area turned a few shades darker! The blindfolded swordswoman dropped as she lowered her stance even further¡­ With a burst of wind that forged a mini tornado, Natalika¡¯s figure vanished from her position, the Ghoul¡¯s leg slicing through nothing but air! As it performed the fruitless action¡­ SWISHHH! Red blood flew everywhere where nothing could be seen except the natural space and a natural de arm sticking out of said space! Fourteral incisions marked by the flying blood showed everywhere, Natalika¡¯s figure appearing in the area two meters behind the creature¡¯s partially revealed form, her de finishing its descent from a vertical sh! Thud! Thud! Dark chunks of flesh and limbs fell to the ground, revealed from their initially hidden state! Natalika deduced and thought about several things as she turned to sense around the dead Ghoul, loud thumps echoing from behind her as more of them approached, some even slicing through the air and jumping into thecerations to hide themselves. ¡®So¡­ this was what Tulnas wanted to confirm? It seems that these things are the ones that have been spying on us. Hmm, but this doesn¡¯t exin why he thinks it is all rted to the emerging Clusters though. I suppose he has yet to reveal that, or is simply trying to confirm it before sharing,¡¯ she thought before zipping towards the iing enemies two of which were dispatched instantly with her Demented Blindsword Technique, blood flying from their bodies! As she set her foot down, expanding her mana to encircle her, she couldn¡¯t help but divert some of her senses towards the newest addition to their Guild. ¡®I wonder how he will fare against these. Will he find out on his own the secret to their abilities to defeat them? That¡¯s also if he can handle the raw power of a blue core beast with his owncking strength,¡¯ Natalika thought. Either way, she couldn¡¯t help him as it would put her at risk. Skullius dashed towards one of the Ghouls with a visibly upset visage. He grabbed the hilt to [Demion¡¯s Dance]¡­ ¡°¡­no. Let¡¯s punch this thing to death,¡± he said to himself. He wanted relieve his stress by pounding this thing with his raw physicality. For that, a mass of darkness oozed out of him, its sheer appearance making the space in its immediate surroundings deform into swirling lines! With this darkness smothering Skullius, Tulnas sensed the unique power, his attention being grabbed instantly. Truly, one had to ask. How would the Discount Human fare? Chapter 257 Master of Evil Darkness (1) ..! Natalika furrowed her brows as she sensed the intense sensation from the darkness conjured by Skullius! It was odd to her senses, like something that was too unnatural to fully grasp and ground to reality. As if it scaled up to¡­ Divinity! Ginie and Gertreld also turned as they sensed the peculiar energy signature in their own ways, the sensations this profound energy gave them being quite unique. It was truly odd, yet attractive drawing on their expanded sensory abilities! It demanded to be acknowledged! Slivers from the mass of [Evil Darkness] conjured by the Insurgent Magnus created a coating around Skullius that did not hide his appearance but outlined him like a drawing, perfectly filming his figure in darkness. The moment this happened, Skullius who had been heading for the Ghoul ahead of him at a high speed, suddenly shot forward like a straight, dark image with no intention of stopping! The ground underneath his feet exploded as he took light steps with each advance, jumping up and dropping over the Ghoul with readily prepared attack!. The Discount Human¡¯s form was proper, directly contrasting how he had been a some days ago before training. He was cautious and conscious of his surroundings even as he moved in midair! The Ghoul looked up at him and screeched, clearly being able to read his movements which had been augmented by [Evil Darkness] partially! The creatureunched its de leg at Skullius as he was in mid-air, the limb fuming with dark purple energy! The movement was very fast, the de reaching Skullius who remained calm, yet angry as a thunderous force descended on him along with it! Surprisingly, the Discount Human emitted a plume of the darkness which made even the Ghoul grunt in acknowledgement of the danger it sensed! The darkness formed a curved shield at Skullius¡¯ side right as the de was about to hit him, a loud creaking sound echoing as the two met with a ferocious amount of force! Sparks flew with Skullius¡¯ curved darkness shield remaining intact, the Discount Human continuing his descent until he spun like a top and hammered down with his heel, all his might going down to the Ghoul¡¯s head! BOOM! A windy shockwave spread outwards from the impact, digging through the streets that the two fought on while demolishing the nearby infrastructure, the head of the Ghoul lowering from the immense force! This was the full power strike of the base Discount Human! Skullius reached the ground and immediatelyunched an uppercut at the creature that didn¡¯t seem to have received much damage from his previous attack! His fist glowed with a brilliant light that produced a loud thrum and thirst for blood, the attack banging into the Ghoul¡¯s jaw with a loud cracking sound before the monster actually flew up high while screeching in pain, its hard exterior suffering damage! The brilliant light was the same pseudo skill he had used against Renialid which was produced by thebination of [Mana Force], [Raw Impact], [Guard Light], [Great Rush I] and [sh Flicker], the mash of skills that he had wanted to turn into a singr skill but failed at. He could only cast all these skill simultaneously, achieving this current result while also showing his incredible proficiency in manipting the many skills as he pleased. ¡®Hmph!¡¯ Skullius grunted as he leapt up, his other hand glowing as well, as he then threw a flurry of punches at what he thought would be the vitals of this Ghoul! The creature screeched as it tried to counter the attacks that caused its innards to shudder, swiping both its de at a ridiculous speed that Skullius couldn¡¯t have possibly reacted to at his current level! However¡­ Sparks flew as Skullius countered with another curved shield of [Evil Darkness]! ¡­! The creature was bbergasted to see yet again, this human with a core lower than its own reacting to its movement, but the reality was different. The Discount Human had learned the basics of reading attacks before they were executed. This creature was clearly not an expert inbat and for Skullius who trained under the Assassin ss expert Oliviana, reading what it would do next and responding ordingly before it could attack despite the wide gap in stats was easy! ¡®I might be getting a few hits in, but it¡¯s barely doing any damage. To end this quickly, I¡¯d have to use my ¡®Radiant Awakening¡¯ at full st but that would deplete my mana too quickly, ¡­¡¯ Skullius thought but stopped this thread of thought midway as he sensed a disturbance in the mana around him! Something was approaching from his side while being hidden quite well! He could only sense this thing because he felt the gathering of mana with his [Elevated Mana Maniption]! From his right, another Ghoul rushed towards him with its de brimming with purple energy that roared with a vicious heat that almost blew Skullius away as it appeared, but he firmly remained rooted to the ground.. ¡°Good. Come and get it, you fleshly bastards!¡± he roared before sping his hands together with a crazed grin as arge amount of mana was consumed! Right before his two new enemies could converge towards his position, a burst of wild [Evil Darkness] shot out from Skullius in an instant, covering an area of six meters in all directions simultaneously! The mass of darkness squirmed as in the next moment, a solid and perfect dark cube was formed! ¡­! Tulnas edged in his seat from excitement. His senses were cut off from what Skullius was about to do within thisrge object he had construed! He watched the surroundings around therge dark cube turn into distorted lines and discoloured backgrounds and narrowed his eyes! Within the darkness, Skullius focused around him where his enemies were! CRACK! CRACK! Screech! A sound onky Skullius could hear ensued. One of the Ghouls which had been hidden before suddenly emerged, the cover it has been using shattering like ss, pieces of colour falling to the ground as its body was revealed! Skullius could sense its shock and this brought him no small amount of glee! He knew what they were experiencing and it was an extremely annoying situation to say the least. An annoying and fatal situation. His mana churned as a whole bunch of information was fed into his mind. ¡°Ha! I see. What a nice trick!¡± he called as he cackled. Everything that urred in this domain of darkness was made to him, for he was master over the darkness! Chapter 258 Master of Evil Darkness (2) Skullius had been slowly mastering [Evil Darkness], beginning with a method to avoid wasting darkness as he usually did when trying to maximise the stat benefits he was granted! The way he found most effective while keeping the massive boost effect was to shape the darkness into a fixed shape that didn¡¯t leak any excess. It had taken some time for him to find out which shape was most suitable, but after looking at the space he spent his time in, the cell, he finally made a decision. A cube would be best. He practised by trying to fill the entire cell with the darkness and maintaining the shape as the darkness conformed to the structure of the cell. With the continuous practise and the use of [Advanced Evil Weaving], Skullius finally forged, the skill, [Perfect Night Domain]. Frankly, this wasn¡¯t a name he chose but one that was rmended by Oliviana when he asked a hypothetical question that used the traits of the domain as content. Of course, due to the nature of the way he created this skill, Skullius was given the option to name the skill himself which he hiddenly delegated. Within the dark domain, every little detail about all events within would be fed to him along with additional, insane boons. He was about to demonstrate these at this moment. ¡®To think these creatures can actually cut up¡­ the surroundings and¡­wear them like clothes,¡¯ Skullius thought as he analysed the tricky skill that these monsters possessed. When the third Ghoul had appeared, its cover disappearing, the exact details of what had happened had been transferred to his mind. Unfortunately, the Ghoul couldn¡¯t ¡®wear¡¯ the surroundings in the [Perfect Night Domain] and Skullius wagered that it was because of the effect that [Evil Darkness] now had on its immediate surroundings!. Now, this Ghoul and its mates were actually stuck in the heavy atmosphere of the darkness where they saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing and smelled nothing! Strangely, even the once brimming energy around them, glowing with a purple hue had been suppressed to mere light bursts of less than an inch long! Everything within the Domain was up to Skullius to decide. (A/N: Not to be confused with ¡®Majestic Territory). The bodies of the Ghouls felt extremely heavy as movement was possible but only at a very dismal level! ¡°Pretty weird, but now¡­¡± Skullius said before he dashed towards the Ghouls! With the 80% amplification on his stats within the darkness, Skullius sted forward like a divine arrow, the darkness feeling like home, as it propelled him even further, with little resistance! Within less than the blink of an eye, Skullius was right before the first Ghoul which he had been pummelling before, his fist brightening up as he coated it in ¡®Radiant Awakening¡¯ and smashed the creature in the centre of its face! Silence! No sound was emitted but the cracking of the creature¡¯s face in Skullius¡¯ vision was more than satisfactory! He could sense all the sound effects within the [Perfect Night Domain] but didn¡¯t share them. He watched the Ghoul fly backwards, sinking further into the darkness as it wailed soundlessly, his attention turning to the others that heard nothing while turning their heads this way and that in panic! They even tried to swipe at the air to tear up the space but it was to no avail! The Discount Human wiggled his fingers in the silent darkness as right in front of him, arge and long simplistic spear appeared, its buildprising entirely of darkness that only he could distinguish from the rest! He pulled back and hurled the spear which bolted towards one the Ghouls, aiming directly at one of the many orifices on its face and sessfully prating it! Red blood spewed, flying messily as the spear entered and exited out the back of the Ghoul¡¯s head, the creature screeching in pain as it trembled, falling back! This wasn¡¯t enough to end it unfortunately. Skullius noticed this and zoomed ahead, appearing right above the creature, his hands zing with the light of many skills as he thenunched a flurry of purposeful punches that hammered into the creatures¡¯ head at full strength! Had they not been in a still space that didn¡¯t quake from the impact, the noise from the thunderous strikes would have been horrendous! Within seven seconds, the Ghoul that had been punished with dozens upon dozens of fists stopped moving, its bloody face showing the toothy orifices around it to be twitching theirst. [You have killed (IV) LV35 Obscene Stalker Ghoul. 605,000 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] Skullius immediately extracted the essence, the figure which came from the extraction and into his status panel being¡­ 100! A 100 Null Life Essence points! This caused a shock to Skullius who immediately stored the dead body in his spatial storage and drew back. This was arge number that he had yet to see even from thergest of monsters he had faced. How was this creature different? Skullius¡¯ mind immediately pointed towards the tag that he had seen in front of all the stats of the Ghouls. . Once again, what he had analysed before the fight came to mind. The dark purple energy that encased these monsters was peculiar and it reminded him of the energy from Clusters. Could it be that they were being strengthened by a Deity¡¯s power? Pawns of the Evenfall that had their abilities augmented by unnatural powers! While in the middle of his thoughts, Skullius felt a shift in the distance, his head turning as he saw and felt some changes on the Ghoul he had knocked away before! It soundlessly screeched as its spherical head bobbed, the centre protruding as if something was about to pop out! With one sudden motion, the hard flesh on the creature split, something appearing at the front of its head! An eye! A dark eye with a light purple iris which had glittering spots of white like stars! Skullius sensed from the information he received, the power of this eye starting to part his solid darkness, vibrant waves of the dark purple energy surging into the air as the Ghoul passively got stronger, pushing away the Discount Human¡¯s advantageous area skill! The eye widened as liquid ooze flowed from the sides of the creature¡¯s eye, dull sounds starting to reach Skullius as the monster screeched, waves of energy pulsating from it! In the next moment, a beam of purple energy rose from the creature like a pir, rupturing the surrounding darkness without much resistance as it headed into the sky! A reverberation was heard and seen, ploughing through the [Perfect Night Domain] in an outwards motion while seeking topletely destroy it! Half of the domain was obliterated in an instant, Skullius grinning at this show of power, as his advanced senses told him that this wild power was not the creature¡¯s own! The Discount Human sped his hands together once more, the other half of the [Perfect Night Domain] that had begun to break apart as well, solidifying! The Ghoul that was now free screeched loudly as it pulsed with strength, probably having used its trump card! Billows of purple darkness shuddered around it as it bulged, getting bigger in size. Skullius looked on at this with nothing but a calm visage however. His rage had been somewhat abated, but he wasn¡¯t done. He smirked next as while in the cover of darkness, he extended his right hand, his index pointing ahead with his palm open, facing upwards. The Discount Human revealed his remaining card in the [Evil Darkness] deck. ¡°It¡¯s toote to use your hidden cards now¡­¡± he said softly, as the [Evil Darkness] around him trembled and then pulled itself onto Skullius¡¯ finger! The [Perfect Night Domain] copsed onto itself, all the darkness rushing to fit above Skullius¡¯ index finger as a small orb of darkness the size of a fist emerged! The remaining Ghoul that had been left inside the [Perfect Night Domain], appeared once again in the recognisable space and was visibly happy to be free, but an ominous sensation caused it to pause! Skullius focused on the powering up Ghoul before him as the mass of darkness above his palm readied. It was the new skill he held, [Bead of Malevolence]! VWUUP! Before anyone could marvel at the scenes they could now see, a dark trail appeared for a fraction of a fraction of second from Skullius to the edging Ghoul! No sound came out to signal the instant defeat but those who had been watching were awed. From a good view, one could see a perfect circr hole in the head of the Tier 4 Obscene Stalker Ghoul as blood then started to leak out, its body falling to the ground as the energy around it disappeared. At the same time, the same dark trail suddenly appeared near Skullius, revolving around him like an orbiting moon¡­ Chapter 259 The Next Step (A/N: ~Bonus Chapter~) Tulnas chuckled. This was utterly ridiculous. Once again, he realised that he had heavily underestimated this young man who looked to be a few years younger than him. Never did he expect to see such a ridiculous level of ingenuity with his attacks. He had expected the so-called me attack that destroyed one of the libraries in the College of the Esteemed to be his peak but that turned out to not be the case. Skullius wasn¡¯t a one trick pony. What further cemented Skullius¡¯ value was what his summon had been doing while the Discount Human had enclosed himself in therge dark barrier with the three enemies. It had dispatched two of the Obscene Stalker Ghouls on its own by using a rather shy but powerful looking skill that existed out of the norm he was used to. Or rather not a single skill, but skills. ¡°Fascinating¡­¡± Tulnas said, his head once again shaking in the next moment. ¡°I get it already, you Fur Coat! You were right!¡± Bursts of vibrant annoyance palpated. In the distance, Natalika had ughtered twelve Obscene Stalker Ghouls with her striped sword, her figure standing on one of the corpses as she quickly swiped away the blood.. She had been paying attention to Skullius and his movements and she had to say, she was greatly impressed. A Mage truly was a Mage. And one that had such intricate ss Branching was a gem. Gertreld had ughtered thirteen of the monsters while Ginie who was breathing heavily with a contorted face was killing her ninth. These two had also been taking nces at Skullius¡¯ fight along with the Ghouls themselves and they felt confident having a powerful Guild member, even though he was cursed. All three of the girls had also experienced the phenomenon where the Ghouls opened their skins at the head to reveal the purple eye. It was probably a hidden ability of theirs which they used when they drew in the Primus that mysteriously augmented their bodies. However, none of them were foolish enough to let the creatures do as they pleased and thus they immediately killed them before they could use the eye fully. The man who had captured everyone¡¯s attention breathed out a sigh. The [Bead of Malevolence] slowly revolved around him, awaiting its next target. Skullius had decided to focus on the application of darkness that he had grown used to ever since the time when he used [Crude World Projection] during his fight with Jackpot. He had formed the darkness into a darting orb that would move at insane speeds to help him win that fight. He had used the same attack during the fight with the Sage Monkeys and after some thought, he decided to refine it by abusing [Crude World Projection] to hasten his understanding of the ability until he could use it with same level of efficiency in his base form, ultimately creating a skill which deserved a name from him specifically. He had also delegated this task. Skullius looked around only to find Red Rage having retrieved his bow and arrows, as well as his sword from the ring. The de dripped of blood and he immediately stored it along with the bow and arrows which had all be upgraded with [Unbound]. ¡°You seem to be having fun,¡± Skullius said to Red Rage as he moved the orb floating around him once again, the object turning into a dark trail like aser, instantly killing the Ghoul that was left after he released the [Perfect Night Domain]. [You have killed (IV) LV34 Obscene Stalker Ghoul. 590,000 Exp awarded] [Your prey¡­] Skullius absorbed the Null Life Essence after approaching the creature. ¡°The experience has dropped noticeably. I guess I¡¯m stronger than I was before,¡± Skullius said internally chortling at his growing vocabry. Once more, he felt a weird sensation from his vast sensory capabilities with [Elevated Mana Maniption]. A Ghoul remained, situated almost thirty meters away from the Discount Human. It drew back upon seeing that all its other mates had been killed off before turning and running away with quick, ded steps! It raised itsrge de and with a thunderous swiping that shook the portion of the city, it cut through the air and leapt in. Skullius scoffed. ¡®It tries to give the illusion of entering another space when it¡¯s actually just assimting the surroundings,¡¯ he thought as he watched the creature vanish. The [Bead of Malevolence] immediately shot forward at hismand right when the creature vanished, its presence disappearing but before it could move¡­ THUD! Its body was revealed immediately after with a hole in the head as it fell. The Discount Human received all the relevant experience but let go of the Null Life Essence. He was sure this wasn¡¯t thest time he would be seeing creatures like this. Frankly, it was pretty obvious that this perilous journey was just beginning. ¡°Come on, Red bro,¡± Skullius said as he walked back to Tulnas. The Guild leader had already begun to talk with the Town leader, informing him that the threats were taken care of. Scorta was by the side listening in, hoping that her directive would change now that Tulnas had returned. The people of the town were beginning to cheer and chatter as the fear that they had experienced superficially started to pass. Afterall, this wasn¡¯t their first time seeing monsters invading the town. Gertreld, Ginie and Natalika also moved towards Tulnas. The young man turned from the old man he conversed with and smiled gently. ¡°Good work,¡± he said as his eyes turned to Skullius. ¡°You¡¯ve managed to once again surprise me with your capabilities.¡± The Discount Human showed no obvious reaction. ¡°I see that even the blessing of a Deity failed to remove your curse. I thought it would work to take it away in the process of cleansing away the hostile Primus but clearly I underestimated your the strength of whoever cast it.¡± Skullius almost felt his non-existent heart jump up in fright at the mention of help, but then he realised that this man was a first-ss sockethole. He was obviously doing it for the greater benefit rather than for him in such a way that without the curse killing everyone left and right, he would probably think that this man was a genuine bro. Too bad, it seemed he really only had eyes for women. ¡°Because of my gross underestimation of the situation, you girls are going to have to limit your interactions with our dear Mage. For now at least,¡± Tulnas said with a smile that spelled nothing but caution. Skullius didn¡¯t react to this as well. It had to be done after all. Thedies all nodded in understanding, though Natalika¡¯s focus remained on Skullius. ¡°Good. I have a lead on where our enemies are hidden. We need to set off right away before any changes ur. Scorta, you will remain here with the civilians. I trust that you can protect them from the remaining threats with the help of the Knights?¡± Tulnas said as he caressed the pony-tailed girl¡¯s cheek. Scorta wss visibly shaken. It was not that she didn¡¯t want to stay and protect all the helpless people, it was just that she wanted to join in with Tulnas after being here for so long. ¡°Yes, I can do that,¡± she said as she lowered her head. Tulnas leaned in and pecked her cheek which served to make her feel better as she nodded, affirming a second time that she would be able to aplish what he had instructed. The Guild leader turned to the old man. ¡°You can have the corpses and the cores from the beasts. I¡¯m sure their value is more than enough to reconstruct the damaged parts of the town.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the Town leader said as he stroked his beard. ¡°Indeed~.¡± Tulnas nodded and turned, Gertreld grabbing onto his arm. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go solve this once and for all. I believe a hefty prize that will be worthy rubbing in certain people¡¯s faces will be in order then.¡± Chapter 260 Continuing Mystery Six figures dashed ahead as they crossed the vastndscape full of thin patches of grass and the asional tree. Central was but a mere distant image from their position as they rushed ahead, heading for what had been unknown horizons a few minutes ago. Skullius darted forward while trying keep up with Tulnas and hisdies who weren¡¯t holding back as much because time was of the essence. Or so Tulnas said. Still, Skullius wasn¡¯t being left behind along with Red Rage who eclipsed his Discount Human form when it came to speed and with his increased endurance, he was doing just fine. At this time, Tulnas took the chance to exin his entire conjecture to the group. ¡°It would seem that Primus has been used to continuously spawn Clusters. At first I didn¡¯t know what kind of energy it was as its application was stealthy and unlike anything I had ever seen or felt. However, when things started to go wrong back in Central and the othermunities surrounding it a few months ago, I quickly noted that it was hostile Primus in action and one subtle detail made me sure that this was somehow linked to the Clusters,¡± Tulnas said with a stern expression. ¡°Those that got touched by the Primus without any defence, got boils over their bodies. Many boils that spotted their skin. The idea of having diseases in general, means that our bodies are incapable or defending against a certain invading force. However, all humans, even nonbatants unconsciously draw in mana and some are even able to unconsciously wrap it around their bodies.¡± ¡°Those whom we found to be gued by the disease would obviously try to remain alive and that would encourage their bits of mana to wrestle against the Primus. In doing so, the boils would multiply and viciously spread. Does this phenomenon sound familiar?¡± Gertreld¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°The formation of normal Clusters?¡± she said, almost leaping up as she ran.. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Tulnas said with a nod. While Primus was a form of divine energy, it was a lesser form of powerpared to the other types of energy. Bits of it released wouldn¡¯t be fatal to humanity and could even benefit other living things. However, the term ¡®hostile¡¯ meant that where it was originating was not a neutral or benevolent source. ¡°It¡¯smon knowledge that humans have a greater form of bnce than the other races mentioned throughout history. If unstable higher forms of energy are introduced to our bodies, we might as well react in the same way that Aigas does when conflicting energies mash together. And that is, unstable impurities are born based on what we already have in our bodies. Clusters and Cluster beasts.¡± Natalika nodded while Ginie gripped her staff tightly. Seeing those people suffering from the boils had really tugged at her sympathy. ¡°So, using the same principle, the Evenfall is trying to create chaos using Primus energy? That¡¯s quite the dangerous fire they are messing with,¡± the blindfolded swordswoman said. ¡°Indeed,¡± Tulnas replied. Skullius partially understood what the four were talking about. The concept of humans being the most bnced creatures was a known and epted theory that he had learned from the books he had read. It was also true from his view that conjuring many Clusters could easily backfire, but perhaps the Evenfall had a n for that. The conversation turned into more of a spection spree as the group traversed, the scenery changing rapidly. Soon, the group started to descend under Tulnas¡¯ lead, thendscape changing from in, t ground and into a deep slope as it lead into arge water mass. Ake. The waters looked crystal clear under the sunlight and with the cute fishes visible within, one would be inclined to jump in and have a good time. The group stopped. Tulnas looked to both his sides, left and right. There was nothing out of the ordinary when one applied in sight. Grasses grew more around theke while scaling up the sides where steep and steeper slopes could be seen, as if defending the sanctity of the waters. ¡°Hmm, clever,¡± Tulnas said as he scoffed. ¡°Get back.¡± Everyone backed away a bit from Tulnas who edged towards theke. ¡°This is the spot. An outrageous amount of Primus is leaking and disappearing here simultaneously. Also¡­¡± Tulnas crouched down and touched the waters with his index finger before issuing an order. ¡°Do it.¡± From his fingertip that touched the face of the water, a ripple pulsed, going from the edge and sweeping over to the rest of theke in beautiful arcs. As this urred, the once clean and clear waters started to change, dirt appearing within the mix as it sullied the once beautiful liquid. The waters turned dark, with an almost pitch ck hue as within them, the cute fishes that the group had seen before vanished, reced by massive creature that immediately started to pull themselves out of the water and gaze at the group with barely hidden malice. Six of them appeared, their appearances like shiny grey fish, carp to be exact, with the four limbs they used; two that looked like hands and the others like legs! They shook off the waters from their bodies and screeched, their bodies exuding the dark purple fumes of Primus. ¡®Hmmm. So these things are consuming the Primus that¡¯s leaking from¡­ hmm probably under the water. Those other ones from the town were probably sentries and not meant forbat. But these¡­¡¯ Tulnas thought. Skullius looked at the statuses of these creatures and saw that they were Tier 4s, also having the tag over their stats which was massively higher than the ones of the Ghouls. Shimmering blue cores shone from within them under his advanced sense and the Discount Human got vignt. One of the giant carp fish leapt up and when it came down, it set its feet above the waters, being able to stand over them as if it was the most natural thing to do. It was smaller than the others but everyone here could tell that it was the strongest one. It emitted a terrible screeched as from its forehead, its muscles and bone bulged and squelched, a slit appearing as in the next moment, a purple eye appeared. ¡­! Skullius was about to act, along with everyone else except Tulnas who only narrowed his eyes as he analysed when¡­ OOOM! The eye brightened up a great deal, the spots of light within it turning brighter and more intense! WAAA! The area suddenly felt colder and then, everyone felt weightless and when they tried to speak¡­ ¡°Glub, glub?¡± ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] For interested parties. If you¡¯d like to support while also earning more chapters: ¨C Gift worth/s 500+ coins | +2 chaps Gift worth/s 1000+ coins | +4 chaps All super gifts | +8 chapters If you¡¯re interested, support for more chapters! Chapter 261 Against Fishes and Waves ¡­! ¡®Am I¡­ underwater?¡¯ Skullius questioned himself as he felt himself getting swept up this way and that by the waves of violent water current. The waters which had spontaneously appeared with the glow of the purple eye on the forehead of the man-carp were tinged with a darkhue that was hard to see through. Such a visual detail wouldn¡¯t normally oppose the efficacy of optical sight for someone like Skullius, but there seemed to be thick jets of mana infused within the water, making it unnaturally dark in the waters. Skullius sought for his mental link to Red Rage and found the Apostle to be behind him. No. That wasn¡¯t right. He was sinking, behind him, probably because of the armour that he was wearing. ¡®What the heck happened? Were we transported some ce else?¡¯ Skullius wiggled his limbs, feeling the powerful currents wrestle against his attempt to direct his body to another trajectory. What was with these currents?! They were just too powerful and unusual!. WHOOSH! A wave sted through, smacking Skullius in the face and as it did, the Discount Human felt turbulent disturbance in his core, a disorientation he wasn¡¯t used to experiencing diaallowing him to properly hone his mana! His [Elevated Mana Maniption] could vaguely sense that he wasn¡¯t alone and that was just about all he could do. Nothing else. The Discount Human wasn¡¯t used to being underwater, or worse yet, battling underwater. Thankfully, he wasn¡¯t used to breathing consciously either, so he didn¡¯t start inhaling water like it was a Friday. Twinkles of lights shone only to be extinguished by the dark waters in the distance, flickering in the dark while producing muffled booms! Skullius didn¡¯t know what that was, but it gave him an idea. Around him, spots of light began to appear, like small stars in the evening light. They began to move around him in every direction from which he sensed the slight bursts of activity with his [Elevated Mana Maniption]. This was his use of [Just Light] which he still hadn¡¯t made much progress with even when he tried spamming [Basic Light Production]. The skill hadn¡¯t even reached level 5 after his constant attempts, let alone advance a rank in his affinity towards it. Fortunately, the light produced was just enough for him to be able to see clearly the figures of Tulnas, Gertreld, Ginie and Natalika that were moving around the water. Natalika was sweeping her feet as she sought to get away from one of therge carp that swam quickly towards her. Around her, a bright encirclement of mana could be seen as she would ward off the attacks from the carp with it and not with her sword. Skullius noticed how Natalika was having quite some difficulty manoeuvring in the water and this seemed to be a trait of the water itself rather than Natalika¡¯s own impediment. Ginie was also facing the same along with Gertreld as they seemed to be trying to swim away from the fish while passively attacking and focusing on defence. Far off into the distance, the luminous lights showed the figure of Tulnas as he floated in the water while starring down the carp which had the purple eye on its forehead as well as two others that swam around his lone armoured figure which looked imposing. The other eyes of the creature remained on Tulnas who didn¡¯t seem fazed at all and it was obvious that it really took him seriously, considering him a genuine threat. Skullius looked closely as the carp that the Guild leader was facing and wondered. ¡®Did that thing use some form of teleportation? Or did it summon some kind of Territory? No, that can¡¯t be it. It can¡¯t be able to,¡¯ Skullius thought. The lights that Skullius spread caused the giant fish to turn their eyes towards him menacingly. His presence had beenrgely ignored because in terms of presence, he was vastly weaker than the others, this including Red Rage as well. The two that were swimming around Tulnas suddenly stopped and pierced through the waters as they rushed towards him! ¡­! Skullius tried to skim through his arsenal to find the best way to defeat these things but unfortunately, because of the mass of mana embroiled in this water, constantly disturbing his cognitive abilities, Skullius found that skill activation was difficult as the currents constantly broke his concentration. For the others, it wasn¡¯t that difficult as Skullius could see for himself but even harnessing mana around himself was no small task under these conditions! BAM! A muffled smash echoed in the waters as Skullius spun for quite a bit against the deadly currents! He had barely seen anything before he was struck! Worst of all, the carp wasn¡¯t done! This time Skullius was smashed and flew away so quickly that he couldn¡¯t even tell how he had beaten! ¡®Dammit! I thought I¡¯d evolved [Elevated Mana Maniption] to not get into situations like this anymore!¡¯ Skullius thought as he spun and whirled in the water. BAAM! BAM! The carp swam with glee as it rushed up to him and toyed with its prey! It darted back again, seeking to bash Skullius once more but a fast, shiny figure smashed into it, slightly pushing it away. What appeared before the carp was an armoured figure holding onto a double-edged sword which had a white de and ckish red hilt. Skullius opened his eyes to see his Apostle floating between him and the carp. ¡®Red bro¡­¡¯ Red Rage had a blue light around his body and as he floated, he got into a sword stance. ¡®He¡¯s using Null Life Essence instead of mana! Brilliant!¡¯ Skullius thought as he watched his Apostle daringly defend him. The effect of mana disturbance was probably the same with the Pelvis Boar-Man and it seemed he had opted to switch to Null Life Essence! At the same time, Skullius sensed the essence that covered his spatial storage ring vanish. He couldn¡¯tin about it. In fact, he began trying to ovee this hurdle to ess his vast pool of tricks. The carp that was facing Red Rage suddenly shook in the water. Explosions of mana resounded in the water as other battles were echoing in the distance, Skullius not diverting his attention to anything but the battle about to happen before him. The over-confident zeal of the giant carp that had been bashing him consistently vanished as it started to grow a bit bigger, its scales turning into a darker shade of grey, while its gills and fins released concentrated mana! Its head bulged as the mysterious purple eye appeared on its forehead, gazing menacingly at Red Rage! The water bubbled and danced as if it was boiling around the three meter long carp, a whirlpool starting to rage behind the fish in a terrifying manner! The Apostle didn¡¯t shy away from the disy, its armoured mass darting forward to the bubbling and whirling dark waters¡­ Chapter 262 Tag Fishing The water bubbled and roiled as the purple eye on the forehead of the carp that Red Rage faced seemed to induce some sort of effect on the waters in a rather turbulent manner! Red Rage was pulled in as the water behind the carp formed a vortex that drew everything in, sucking in the Apostle who was covered by a light blue glow which only his master could see. The blue glow around Red Rage became more intense as he was drawn in by the whirlpool, the Apostle raising his sword as he sent his intent to Skullius who was panicking behind him. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Skullius thought as heprehended what the Apostle intended. ¡®Prepare for what?¡¯ As he asked the question in his mind, something flowed with a light pulse around him, a coil he was familiar with covering his body! Null Life Essence! But¡­ ¡®What¡¯s this for?¡¯ Skullius questioned as he looked at Red Rage who was pulled over, reaching right before the carp that was inducing the growing whirlpool! The Apostle had shared his Null Life Essence! Red Rage¡¯s body suddenly zed with thickets of mana that washed over his body and the sword that he held, and in the next moment, the Pelvis Boar-Man swiped diagonally at the stationary carp! The waters bubbled as a thin blue line traced the movement of the sword¡¯s edge in a split second! ..! Skullius narrowed his eyes! He recognised that move! This was one of the more intricate sword moves he had seen back in the Tremur Forest! This was Shirota the Foul Goblin¡¯s sword technique! But wasn¡¯t that rted to Mist Swordsman advanced ss? Wait! How was Red Rage able to use mana for this skill in the first ce?! Barely a scratch appeared on the carp¡¯s scales and it grinned, seeing that the damage done to it was dismally dismal! However, Red Rage didn¡¯t stop at one sh despite the failed attack. He swiped multiple times at different angles, the white sword raging around the figure of the carp which still floated in ce while maintaining the whirlpool behind it!. Scratches appeared on its scales, some ovepping each other with no definitive damage in sight. Yet¡­ Red Rage shed one more time, with his strike conjuring a unexpected effect! Blood gushed from the carp like a stream in the water in a wondrous aesthetic, rushing over to Red Rage¡¯s sword as he mmed into the carp from the draw of the whirlpool! ¡­! The carp was rmed as it saw its blood bursting out from nowhere in particr while travelling over to the Pelvis Boar-Man, covering his sword! The red hue of the liquid that was traceable even in the dark water covered the white of the de, tinting it with the respective colour as it then zed with power! Skullius who was pulled in to reach the carp was also shocked by this, but then, it hit him! Two things hit him actually! This effect was from the sword that Red Rage used! Furthermore¡­ Skullius almost facepalmed! ¡®I didn¡¯t even notice! Red Rage you magnificent son of a sockethole!¡¯ Skullius bashed himself before taking action joyfully. He couldn¡¯t believe he hadn¡¯t realised it until now, even though it had happened a little less than seven seconds ago! Mana poured from his core as he neared the carp¡¯s enraged face. A bright glow started to appear with a reddish tint that almost overtook the dark scape littered with lights that the Discount Human had created. Yes indeed! He could use mana! Ever since the Null Life Essence had covered his body, the disturbance from the currents of water that hindered his mana maniption had ceased, but he had been too absorbed with Red Rage¡¯s actions that hepletely overlooked it! A ring me burst in the water, instantly superheating it as bubbles raged all around him! Skullius was using [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]! The sphere that formed between his hands continued to redden and threaten to blow everything to oblivion! The carp noticed the threat as it set to retaliate while still holding its position, but Red Rage acted quickly, shing with all his might while using the reddened sword! The carp which had been preparing to move suddenly screeched horribly, suffering damage that no one could see as it trembled violently! Blood pooled from itsrge mouth as it screamed and unfortunately, the red liquid rushed over to Red Rage¡¯s de which once again pulsed with strength! ~~~ [Blood Seeker¡¯s Fang] -Rare- A de forged from the fang of one of the four Null Badubs, the <*%$#!>. -Defense- 2500 -Durability- 3700/3463 -Special Effects- ? +20% speed ? Absorbs blood to enhance durability ¡ª- [Skill: Chance of Blood] Every sh has a 10% chance to draw blood from a target without drawing any wounds on their body. ¡ª [Skill: Blood Lover] After absorbing a target¡¯s blood, the sword will gain the ability to do 25% internal damage on them. -Caution- Overly powerful opponents are exempt from the effects of the sword. ~~~ The carp trembled with rage and its purple eye sparkled! The whirlpool behind it suddenly stopped and the creature seemed to finally regain the ability to move again! However, it was toote as when it set to push against the waters to attack Red Rage and Skullius, a scorching ball of red me blitzed through the water while generating hot bubbles! Red Rage took the chance to push back and evade the terror that was about to ensue and surely¡­ BOOOM! The water boiled as a sensational explosion emerged! Shockwave upon shockwave rocked the waters, lighting up the liquid space over and above what had already been done by Skullius with the [Just Light]! Natalika, Gertreld and Ginie nced at the explosion that spread out shockwaves which reached even them from a distance and all three of them knew¡­ It was probably that spell they had heard about! Strangely, Tulnas and the shorter carp were still in a stare down. They didn¡¯t even flinch from the muffled noise that emanated from the explosion. The bright reddish orange light painted their faces as they floated, Tulnas actually smirking as his eyes shone with intrigue. Raging bubbles could be seen as the remnants of explosion continued,rge bubbles continuing to appear and even coagte right where the explosion had been! Skullius who had drifted away narrowed his eyes. Something wasn¡¯t right. He hadn¡¯t seen blood or any a notification confirming the creature¡¯s death. Also, as he focused closer, he found that the turbulent bubbles actually started gathering around where the explosion had urred, dark purple energy being spotted around the phenomenon! The whirlpool that the carp had conjured was still visible and it seemed to be instigator of this weird effect! Spots of light in a circr shape also appeared tracing the silhouette of the purple eye that the carp had from the darkness! ¡­! Skullius was rmed as he felt something dangerous about toe flying his way! Before it happened, Skullius activated the skill from his armour, Fleeting Ghoul¡¯s Adornment, called [Bolt through]! As he did, his body turned illusory, bing semi see-through in appearance! At that moment, a bright ray of a blinding light blue hue shot towards Skullius with an eerie sound one would only hear from something speeding within liquid! The thick ray of liquid passed right through Skullius¡¯ abdomen as if he didn¡¯t exist at all! However, the Discount Human noticed wisps of a fizzy red liquid leaking from his body as the ray passed through him! ¡®I¡¯m bleeding?¡¯ he thought as he watched the ray of light finally vanish. ¡®Wait¡­ [Bolt through] can¡¯t defend energy type attacks!¡¯ Skullius hurriedly looked at his belly where the bright sh of light had hit only to find that there wasn¡¯t as much damage as he thought, just arge burnt spot that had half-molten flesh! It wasn¡¯t a gaping hole as he had suspected. ¡®Could it be that the attack wasn¡¯t fully made of energy but water too? That would exin the bubbles.¡¯ If that was the case then he could confirm that [Bolt through] had partially defended him. A rush of energising power ran through his body as the Discount Human used [Luminant Healing] to quickly recover, his eyes looking ahead. The carp he had sted with [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] was uninjured at all and it swam a few quickps around Skullius and Red Rage who started to surge with power. ¡®Don¡¯t! Save it for the real enemy!¡¯ Skulliusmanded as he noticed that the Apostle was about to use his main heavy hitting technique. He remained vignt as he tried to gauge what the carp¡¯s next move would be. ¡®What was the point of that whirlpool?¡¯ he thought. ¡®Did it really only have the effect of drawing us closer?¡¯ It was quite peculiar how the carp used its ability to forge a whirlpool to merely draw them in and then¡­.what? Or, perhaps was a requirement to fuel therge light ray attack! That made more sense! In the midst of thought, Skullius noticed something quite peculiar. The lights he had positioned all around for more visual rity hadn¡¯t moved at all. Despite the raging battles taking ce in the waters, they remained rooted in ce! ¡®I haven¡¯t seen that function before,¡¯ Skullius thought, getting side tracked a bit by this finding. However, he turned back his attention to the carp which once again squirmed and created a massive whirlpool behind it where Skullius and Red Rage began to get drawn to! ¡®Damn it! It¡¯s probably prepared for our attacks now. Even if it can¡¯t move when creating a whirlpool, it might just attack before we get close enough,¡¯ Skullius thought as he creased his brows. His hand went to his sword as it was the only attack he had left to use, though he didnt know the full extent of its capability and what it could actually do. His other skills drained too much mana and he was saving it for after this. Even if it wasn¡¯t ideal to use a sword in the waters, he had to try. As he draw the sword by the hilt¡­ The waters thrummed, as a certain man finally took action¡­ Chapter 263 When The Giant Bubble Appears... Natalika swam this way and that, trying to muster enough mana to supplement her swimming through the vast waters that impeded her proper mobile capacity. She couldn¡¯t afford to put more of her energy into mobility when she had a vicious carp with a mysterious purple eye that was chasing after her. ¡®Should I use my Full Body Aura?¡¯ Natalika thought as she gripped her sword while swinging her feet to move in the dark waters. ¡®Now that I think about it, this set up must have been created in order to bait invaders into use techniques like Full Body Aura so that they exhaust their powers before facing the real threat.¡¯ Her analysis was based on the heavy currents that demanded especially powerful applications of mana to break through if one sought to even get a chance at beating their opponents. However, she wouldn¡¯t fall for it. Using her Demented Blindsword technique in the water wouldn¡¯t be ideal unless she used her Full Body Aura as from her view, her strikes wouldn¡¯t be quick enough with the fish in their element. ¡®Tsk. I can¡¯t call myself a perfect swordswoman when I¡¯m still not flexible enough to handle spontaneous situations like this,¡¯ she thought begrudging, evaluating herself as inflexible. She was d that she didn¡¯t sense anyone using any high level techniques, save for maybe Skullius who caused the huge explosion earlier as she didn¡¯t know how strong the technique actually was. Fortunately for them, this is was the perfect time for Tulnas to intervene, one of the many ideal situations that he mainly shone in.. Luckily for her, her Guild leader decided to make a move right then. She felt his energy thrum through the waters and prepared, for Tulnas was eerily good at turning the situation to their favour, a great team yer. In the next moment, a water bubbled floated over to her as she vigntly faced her foe. Natalika recognised Tulnas¡¯ mana signature on it and allowed it to reach her and when it did, it popped when it arrived near her ear and¡­ ¡°When the giant bubble appears, attack. And don¡¯t be too surprised by what you see when you look up,¡± a voice leaked from the bubble and entered squirmed into her auditory canal. Natalika smiled with an eager craze. It was just as she had thought, though the second sentence brought her to briefly question what Tulnas meant. The same message was transmitted to the others, excluding Skullius who only noticed Tulnas¡¯ energy spike. The Guild leader who faced the shorter carp gathered his mana around his body which made the carp he faced draw back with caution. It instantly decided to act, churning all its mana as the eye on its forehead glowed so bright that it tinged the waters purple! ¡®I see now. I¡¯ve fought some of the Evenfall members in the past but I didn¡¯t think that they could actually cause assimtion of Primus into lesser beings. Perhaps they can even use it outside of blessings. Ha! All that is irrelevant for now, though¡­¡¯ Tulnas said as he finallypleted his assessment, voicing out his next words through the water. ¡°Unfortunately, in terms of elements, I have confirmed that I¡¯m truly a bad match-up for you¡­¡± The carp felt the immense amount of threat in Tulnas¡¯ words and acted fast, the surrounding waters roiling as they pressed against Tulnas¡¯ lone figure. Litres upon litres rushed towards him and formed a spinning cyclonic pressure pool of water that sought to crush him under the liquid¡¯s collective weight! DUUUM! A shudder of the waters was heard as they all drew towards Tulnas, visibly thinning out everywhere else! Skullius who was in the distance was shocked by the scale of the attack as the immovable lights he had conjured made it clear what was happening beyond his position. If he was to face this same attack¡­ Gulp. He could only swallow this thought. The waters continued to press against the figure of Tulnas which became indistinguishable from the dark waters with time and even then, the carp that facilitated the attack didn¡¯t stop. That was until, it saw arge creature suddenly bloom from where it had been pounding its target with vast pools of water! A trumpet was heard clearly from within the middle of the gushing waters that continued to assault Tulnas as therge creature seemed to continuously increase in size until it became twice asrge as the carp that it faced with menacing eyes! A massive illusory elephant appeared! It had light blue lustre with a starry design within the thick of its bison-like shape! A freakishly long and thick trunk hung from its face with rings of text around it in archaic rings of light gold hue, upturned tusks visible from the sides as they glowed with a white light that seemed to be as bright as a full moon! Its gaze was sharp, its two stern eyes holding the same bright sheen of the tusks as they locked onto the carp that immediately seized its attack and drew further back, seeing as the giant before it was not affected in the least by its assault! ¡°Glub gah gluuuuub (WHAT THE HECK)?!¡± Skullius tried to voice in shock as he saw the massive creature. What the heck was that?! Right before therge elephant, the figure of Tulnas became clear as hisnguid expression made the carp even more panicked. The Guild leader raised his hand and swiped in a normal gesture. On cue, the elephant raised its trunk and blew out within the waters, a visible bubble opening up from the end of its trunk and expanding so fast as it resisted the remnants of the carp¡¯s attack that within a few moments, everyone, including Skullius felt a breath of fresh air gently lick their faces! A massive sphere of free space appeared with everyone finding that under their feet, a chunk of frozen water could be found for their continued suspension, with hundreds of other floating frozen water tes and chunks sprinkled EVERYWHERE in the free space for their mobile convenience! If one looked to the sides, they could see that they were in one massive bubble that separated the waters, its top seemingly reaching the surface of the water, giving a glimpse into the outside space. ¡­! ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­!¡± Natalika was the first to speak before realising that this was exactly what Tulnas meant by hisst sentence. Everyone shared the same expression as they looked up, especially Skullius who gaped widely in shock. So all this time¡­ That¡¯s what was happening?! They had all been¡­? Chapter 264 Turning The Tide! Indeed. They had all been shrunken down! Tulnas hadn¡¯t been wasting time while staring down the carp. He had been analysing everything about and it had been doing the same as it felt that this man was different from the others. Tulnas had been the first to notice that these creatures gained an extra boost to their abilities from the purple eye they sprouted on their foreheads. In truth, extra boost, as the term, was a heavy understatement. It was a massive boost and in the case of the carp he faced, it seemed to have gained a unique ability on top of this, no doubt the mutation caused by the Primus it continuously absorbed to hide the location of their enemies. The unique ability to shrink all living things within a certain range down to minute sizes!. Tulnas didn¡¯t know the duration for this ability or its full scope, but he did know it was extremely potent as it even affected the amount of efficacy of everyone¡¯s mana! It was no doubt a high grade Special skill! The fish seemed to also have telekic abilities that it used to pull everyone into the waters after shrinking them at a speed that was so fast, Skullius thought it was teleportation. However, he hadn¡¯t figured out everything about this fish as the mystery of why it had shrunken itself too was still atrge. Still though, with his manifestation of the beast behind him which changed the battlefield, the powerful carp seemed to react quickly as it used its telekic powers to make all the other carp float and avoid falling prey to the nearly two hundred meter drop before they fell back into water which was plenty of time to get killed! The fishes flew as they looked around in confusion. Skullius who was still looking up, saw a massive hill in the distance from the gap afforded by the bubble they were in, along with the clouds which looked so absurdlyrge that it seemed unreal. It was impossible to fully wrap his mind around how such a thing was possible without stacking a massive amount of power leagues away into a skill. ¡®No wonder the water felt so strong and dense. It¡¯s all because we were made tiny!¡¯ he thought. ¡°Fascinating,¡± Gertreld said as she looked up for a few brief moments before cracking her gauntleted knuckles and shing a ssy smile as she looked at her opponent who had been having fun while chasing her in the waters. ¡°My love said to not waste this chance by taking note of meaningless things. I shall happily oblige!¡± In her battle dress, Gertreld bolted ahead, her figure bing wrapped in a nket of bright mana that made her look a divine Knight! Beautiful in all her rapid steps as she ran! She scaled over many the hundreds of ice chunks which exuded a thin frosty mist and towards the carp that barely registered her speed in its eyes so fast, that her travel onlysted for a brief second, her gauntleted fist sinking into the carp¡¯s forehead in an grimace-worthy overhead punch! Weirdly, as the punch connected, mming an intense downward force into the carp¡¯s skull and flesh, a peculiar effect overwhelmed the creature apart from the crisp, resounding noises and distorted shockwave of force! It wrinkled as the pounds of strength chubirnibg Gertreld¡¯s fist ran through it, making the carp grow shorter and¡­. uglier. This was the Form Using technique exclusive to Gertreld, ssic Bombshell Beauty! Few could actually appreciate what an ugly fish looked like but a vividly painted image of such would be hard to describe as the main takeaway was how the fish grew quite a few inches shorter from the resonant force of the bright figure¡¯s assault! The carp flew down at an astonishing speed while screeching as its eye bled, bones having cracked from where it had been bashed! ¡°You still have to grow SHORTER than that!¡± thedy said before she dashed after her opponent using the frozen tes, overtaking the carp which flew down at an immense speed andunching an upper cut into its face which produced another resounding noise as the creature pitifully cried and turned uglier, slime oozing from it as it also lost its length! Gertreld giggled unnervingly as she bolted at unnatural speeds and started ying pinball with the fish, watching it turn unsightly and short! Natalika also didn¡¯t waste this opportunity as after taking in the fact that they had been miniaturised immensely, she immediately drew her sword and attacked with a sharp killing intent that oozed from her encirclement of mana! ¡®Demented Blindsword Technique, Sharp Step Kill¡¯ Natalika¡¯s advancing figure warped as her entire image became something akin to an elongated mash of colour towards the carp, instantly reaching the creature which instinctively dodged to the left! However¡­ SWISHHH! The warped image of Natalika which looked as if it was spanning countless timelines had already shed its sword, the carp¡¯s arm getting ripped off as it barely evaded death! The carp¡¯s purple eye red with light as the creature bulked up to almost double in size even as it screeched in pain, its remaining armunching a clumsy punch that still reeked of immense physical might towards Natalika! The woman¡¯s image vanished as she moved like a light breeze, appearing on the creature¡¯srge scaly and slippery arm that catapulted the terrifying punch, her striped sword arching in another graceful sh as she softly announced¡­ ¡°Demented sh.¡± The extremely sharp edge of the sword was brought down vertically towards the creature whose third eye constricted in fright, but contrary to its expectations, it wasn¡¯t split in half by the de¡¯s clear downward descent! Instead, ateral incision rang from one side of its torso, through its arm onto which Natalika stood on and over to the side of its body! Right then, it was split in half from the middle! Blood spewed as the creature looked at Natalika in terror, its body preparing to spill all of its mana to her. Ginie had it the easiest, as right after Tulnas spread the massive bubble, she had been able to toy with the creature before her without much effort as its mind wasn¡¯t protected as much as she had thought! Skullius on the other hand had taken a lot longer to fully take in the fact that he was smaller now, and it was only when his floating enemy barrelled towards him that he focused as he stood over a chunk of ice. ¡®Alright. I¡¯ll save my mana for [Perfect Night Domain], [Bead of Malevolence] and ¡®Radiant Awakening¡¯ter. For now, I might as well get used to this. Surely it can help me cut down this thing, right? Besides Red bro is here,¡¯ Skullius thought as he gripped his sword. The golden hilt was pulled as he focused on the sword technique buried within him and the sword. The moment the blue, curved de showed from the sheath, Skullius felt his auburn hair rise with all his might exploding as mana literary burned from his core in response to him merely releasing the intent to sh! The vibrant waters a distance away quaked and everyone felt the chilling presence of the sword as the Swindling Death Dance was finally used¡­ Chapter 265 Swindling Death With Each Strike! Phew¡­ A hot breath spewed¡­ The Arma Using category was vastly different from the Form Using category. sses were mainly chosen by having one¡¯s prescribed Direction take charge in determining what would be the best path for them. Once that was taken into ount (for those that cared enough for it), one simply needed to start working towards the aspects of the ss and their abilities would be shaped. Arma Users cultivated mastery in weapons. That was a shallow description still, as the true mastery of any weapony in inflicting one¡¯sbat philosophy onto said weapon. Habits, mannerisms, trust ¨C these were entrusted to the weapon and how one handled the object was very indicative of themselves when they chose Arma Using either as a ss or when ss Branching. As Skullius pulled out the sword from its sheath, the curved de whistling as it slid, he felt a familiar sensation overwhelm his body and soul! Still, regardless of the chilling sensation¡­ he couldn¡¯t stop himself from taking out the sword and shing down with it towards the carp he was facing! It felt natural as when he sliced through the air with the curved de, a horrifying power bellowed out like a mad beast, rampaging with a confined mystery!. Yet, despite the mad power, Skullius didn¡¯t panic¡­ because he was very, very familiar with this feeling¡­ This unique sensation spread as it caused goosebumps to appear over everyone¡¯s bodies, their very souls quaking from the mere instant that they tasted this feeling! Death. Skullius felt all his strength get pulled in as he shed, his entire stamina pool, his senses and all sinking into [Demion¡¯s Dance] as the skill [Epic Memory] showed its capabilities! The carp that had been barrelling towards him from the air immediately opened its eyes wide as it tried to bring itself to a halt, but unfortunately, Skullius¡¯ sh although ten inches away carried the potency wrought by those who yed with death on a daily basis! Also, a portion of the strength in the sword was not Discount Human¡¯s, but still, as little as it was, it was enough to end the creature¡¯s pitiful existence! Pheww¡­. Skullius breathed out as he sweated, feeling that in this one instance, he was holding death in his hand¡­. WOOONG! A serene ambience echoed as the curved sword left after images in its vertical trail! The result started by showing itself to the bubble wall in the distance which expressed a clear incision from top to bottom, everything that was in Skullius¡¯ line of sight getting split in half as above this fact, a reeking air, almost visibly tainting the atmosphere pervaded! The carp at this point was no more than a cleanly sliced fish that was closest to the sensation of death that Skullius exuded, promptly falling to the depths below. Skullius copsed to the ground as he unconsciously took in deep breaths. He sweated hard as he quickly dropped the sword on the cold te he stood on. His eyes were wide open and his mind turned chaotic. The rough breathing turned into raspy breaths as Skullius felt himself grow a bit heavy, a sensation that represented that he was very tired. ¡®Death¡­. I was really handling death¡­ in my hands¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he gazed at his shaking right hand. ¡®That was extremely¡­ dangerous¡­ but¡­. I liked it!¡¯ The Discount Human smiled. He hated to admit it but he sort of missed the sensation of being around death energy in Deadmand. Though this was different! It seemed that [Epic Memory] drained him quite a bit and for now, Skullius estimated he¡¯d only be able to use three attacks before exhausting his stamina, with each strike being simr to this one, where he felt like could actually die at any moment. Who the heck made this sword?! Skullius looked at the curved de at his side and gripped it, sliding it into its sheath without a word. He looked and saw Ginie, Natalika and Gertreld staring at him with curious and apprehensive eyes. They had felt that chilling sensation and it had drawn more than just their attention. Further away, the remaining carp drew back as all its allies had died miserably while it had been trying to keep them afloat while facing Tulnas who had the hazyrge figure of the starry elephant behind him. He hadn¡¯t attacked yet as he knew this carp had something else up its sleeve and it was best not to rush the fish as it dripped of a vast amount of Primus energy. ¡°What will you do now, Mr Fish?¡± Tulnas asked with a confident look in his eyes. The carp looked enraged as itrge mouth produced a popping sound. Its body became engulfed in the purple mist of Primus as it looked to churn it all out into one single move, an outrageous amount of power coiling within it to produce a shocking effect! The fish was backed into a corner and now, it had to go all out with everything it had. However, it wasn¡¯t stupid. Just as it had known to immediately attack with its desizing ability before everyone could react, it also knew that it would have the advantage if it tweaked one minor detail about its Special ability using its vast pool of Primus energy. Its body buffed up as it arms turned thick, its height rising along with its girth and mass! The carp screeched as its circr eyes bulged! Its body outgrew the space inside the air bubble that separated the dark waters as it grew to its original size! Skullius watched in marvel. This bastard had turned himself back into his full size while keeping them minute! It¡¯s Special skill allowed it to desize everyone in the area including itself, a troublesome condition that it was to abide by. These kinds of conditions were the case with most skills at the level of Special and above, to make up for the absurd effect. However, with its vast Primus energy, the fish had cheated this condition. As the water sshed with its explosion out of the liquid¡¯s surface, the fish looked down at the tiny six who were standing on frozen tes with its gleaming eyes, its third one moreso. The fish didn¡¯t waste a moment as it immediately got ready destroy the small figures below it. What made this situation extremely perilous was how the group was not only shrunk down in size but even their powers were limited to their diminutive scales. There was probably no way to retaliate and as Skullius questioned what he could possibly do in this situation, he found that he was lost for any viable answers. The threedies raced close to Tulnas who looked up at the shinning eye of the carp that seemed ready to release a final attack and awaited his orders if he had any. They had full trust in the man and the look on his face gave them even more assurance. ¡°Interesting. If I had one more slot I¡¯d probably add you to my collection,¡± Tulnas said as he then turned to therge figure behind him of the starry blue elephant. ¡°That¡¯s as far as our dear Mr Fish goes. Finish him.¡± The bright eyes of the elephant shone bright with a zealous lustre as immediately after, the waters around rumbled. All the waters! The carp was shocked to see the water in the vast body of water, in the entireke rumble! FCH! FCH! FCH! ¡­ The water instantly froze, hundreds of ice spikes with a crystalline beauty appearing from the water and impaling the carp mercilessly all over its body! Chapter 266 The Seal Blood oozed, dripping into the dark waters as therge body of the carp overhead stood still, the light in its eyes having died down. Its entire body save for its head was pierced byrge ice spikes that looked rather extraordinary under the sun but their victim couldn¡¯t appreciate it. Just like that, this powerful monster was killed off. It seemed a little disappointing that it had only amounted to this much after all that Primus that it absorbed. Of course, this wasn¡¯t anyone else¡¯s view other than Tulnas¡¯. With the carp¡¯s death as it was steadily held up by the spikes, the group felt changes over their bodies, their masses bulging up in an instant as soon, they all popped out of the water, returning to their original sizes! As they appeared, they saw that they were nearnd, at the shallow end of theke. Skullius looked around and sighed in relief. The nightmare seemed to be over. He hoped at least. His eyes turned to Tulnas who still had the massive elephant behind him while he looked down at the waters with his eyes squinted. The creature¡¯s unique appearance was still causing Skullius to marvel and appreciate now that the tense situation had subsided. Gertreld saw Skullius¡¯ confusion and giggled while Natalika walked up to the dead carp.. The giant hazy elephant floated a meter above the ground with its figure imposingly radiating extreme power. Ripples emerged over the waters even as it floated above them, as this depicted its undeniable authority over the element. ¡°What is that?¡± Skullius finally voiced to sate his curiosity. ¡°Are you some kind of Summoner?¡± Tulnas turned to Skullius from his investigation of the waters. ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t assume something so distasteful. Naming me a Summoner could get me hunted down, you know?¡± Tulnas said as he shed a smile. He then turned to elephant behind him and caressed its trunk which coiled. ¡°I guess its also my fault for not properly introducing my abilities.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Tamer.¡± Skullius cocked his head. With all the knowledge he had absorbed, he knew quite well about Tamers, though what Tulnas had said about Summoners was new to him. Tamers were a respected ss in the Energy Forming category. They had the ability to tame beasts and turn them into theirpanions that fought with and for them. The process of taming wasn¡¯t easy though, as unless one had the additional miraculous ability to sweet talk beasts into a lifetime contract, they would never be able to tame them. To tame beasts one had to indulge them with intricate tapestries of intertwining energies that would appeal to the beast. When the beast was attracted by the right tapestry of energies, one would use this tapestry to imprint a contract in their souls. For this, a unique sensitivity to energies was required. Of course the process of imprinting a contract was easier with less intelligent beasts as the more intelligent ones tended to resist. ¡°This is the Aquatic Starphant. It¡¯s a name I came up with myself for his species. I call him Alphat. He was a Cluster General in a blue Cluster. Tough bastard to beat. But¡­here we are¡­¡± Tulnas said with a smile. Alphat nudged Tulnas lightly as its bright eyes showed a subtle gentleness. Red Rage poked Skullius who turned to him. The Apostle then nudged Skullius gently but the Discount Human wore a horrifying face full of murderous intent which prompted Red Rage to take a few steps back. Skullius shook his head and turned back to Tulnas. ¡°How the hell was¡­ Alphat able to pull that final move? I mean¡­ weren¡¯t all our abilities limited because of our sizes or was I the only one who was affected by this?¡± he asked. Tulnas smirked at the question. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. We were all affected. It¡¯s just that Alphat here has the innate ability to control all nearby water in their entirely at a basic level. Changing shape and state. Its a no mana cost affinity of his. Higher level Cluster beasts usually have such odd absolute abilities. Of course, distance dictates his efficiency but that¡¯s another story. .You sure like to draw information from me Festos,¡± Tulnas said. Natalika walked back to the group holding arge purple eye that she had taken from the dead carp. She had figured that since Tulnas hadn¡¯t obliterated its head, he was interested in this. ¡°You wanted this, right?¡± ¡°Ah, thanks,¡± Tulnas said as he handled the object, giving it a few nces before pulling it into his spatial storage ring. ¡°There¡¯s something under the water. I assume we¡¯ll have to break it in order to get to our target. Alphat, clear the way.¡± Therge elephant blew from its trunk in acknowledgement before floating away from the group. It quickly reached the centre of the waters where over the section it hovered above, violent ripples of water pulsed as suddenly, in a circr motion, all the water parted and rose up simultaneously! The massive water body had settled flooded upwards in its entirely and a few secondster, partly dry ground was revealed under the swirling waters that Alphat extended his trunk to, pulling them into his expansive both with an insane suction! The body of the creature showed no reaction from taking the massive amounts of water at all. Tulnas led the group to the very centre of space where he crouched down and touched the ground. In his advanced senses, he could clearly sense an expansive formation where Primus leaked excessively. A magical construct was erected, barring entry to what was underground. A seal of sorts. Thedies could sense it, but not as well as Tulnas could while Skullius could vaguely detect the presence of the energy. ¡®So far, it¡¯s appearing as if this was just a mistake. Those ded monsters, even these fish and this construct. Is this a ploy or did those guys really slip up, allowing us to find them?¡¯ Tulnas thought. The application of Primus energy was different from the way it appeared on the creatures that they had been fighting which was the basis of Tulnas¡¯ theory to begin with. ¡°There¡¯s a magical formation here that¡¯s blocking our entry. I¡¯m guessing that even if we dig from another position we¡¯ll still have to deal with it. It looks to be made of Primus energy, whichplicates things a little but hey, we have a Mage in our midst,¡± Tulnas said with a smile. Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Skullius who looked at the ground with a puzzled expression. ¡°Seriously?¡± Skullius had been made known what Primus was after their battle with the Ghouls and he was quite intrigued by the idea. However, he didn¡¯t know if he could solve this magical construct. He wasn¡¯t actually a Mage, after all. ¡°I can¡¯t sense the Primus energy very well¡­¡± he tried to give an excuse. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll show you where the concentration of Primus is strongest, and then you can do your thing.¡± ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Tulnas led Skullius to a spot near the centre where he then pointed at an indistinct patch of dirt on the ground. ¡°This looks like where most of the energy ising from. If you can disrupt the supply to the construct, I think we can then pass through.¡± Skullius took in two deep subconscious breaths. This was intense. Could he really do? No, that was too optimistic! What was he even doing?! What could he even break apart such a thing? Wasn¡¯t this made by a genuine Mage or something? Wait! Wait! If he could use that¡­ ¡°Let me try this¡­¡± Skullius said before he extended his hand at the spot where Tulnas pointed him to. A stream of [Evil Darkness] poured from his hand and jutted over to the ground. Everyone paid attention as they were especially curious about this unique power that they weren¡¯t familiar with. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he sent the darkness over. The pure ck that seemed to want to reconstruct reality to its liking touched where this construct supposedly was and a shocking visual peculiarity urred¡­! Chapter 267 Awaken! The stream of [Evil Darkness] poured from Skullius¡¯ finger only to start spreading over the ground as surprisingly, it started to outline what was the invisible construct that Tulnas had mentioned! Skullius didn¡¯t use much of his [Evil Darkness] but the result shocked him. A massive magical seal that spanned over the entirety of the depression where theke had been was seen, tinted in the darkness of the [Evil Darkness] that was released. ¡®What¡¯s this¡­?¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked over at this development. He didn¡¯t think that the amount of darkness he had used could span over such arge distance. Gertreld and the others marvelled at this while Tulnas narrowed his eyes. Ginie¡¯s heart palpated as she was dying to ask Skullius to show her what he knew about Magecraft so that she could more but she knew it was way too risky. He eagerly waited for the result as it could possibly answer his quandary. Quandaries to be exact. Soon, sparks echoed out as the magic seal which was traced by the darkness shook, emitting small bursts of light. PTSK! PTSK!. Tiny sparks flew as from one section of the expansive seal, a crack resounded, showing a broken section of the seal! ¡­! Skullius could see the effect of his [Evil Darkness] shattering the seal as if it was nothing which made him gulp. PTSK! PTSK! PTSK! The resounding sounds of shattering akin to ss echoed as the dark coloured seal broke entirely, the dark colour it had vanishing as a wild rush of Primus rose up, darkening the atmosphere as it left the formation! ¡®I didn¡¯t think it would work that fast! Wait! I didn¡¯t think it would even work!¡¯ Skullius thought while his mind turned back to the reason he had even decided to take up this task of [Evil Darkness] to test the waters in the first ce. Back when he used [Perfect Night Domain], he had seen the purple mist that the Obscene Stalker Ghouls emitted get suppressed. Thest one which had suddenly sprouted the eye at end was an outlier but he had thought that since he had managed to do something like that, perhaps he could do it this time. Tulnas narrowed his eyes. His intrigue was beyond peaked. A dangerous light shed in his eyes. ¡®This is way more terrifying than I thought. I assumed this was an affinity towards the darkness element, but no. A mere element can¡¯t suppress such an application of Primus or even raw Primus in general. That must mean¡­.¡¯ Tulnas thought as his eyes bulged for but a moment before he caught himself. ¡®Oh my dear Silrat¡­¡¯ With the seal shattering into fragments that flew like dust, releasing the Primus they used, the ground became a normal patch of dry-ish dirt. ¡°Alphat, return,¡± Tulnasmanded, the massive elephant that was overhead nodded its head and vanished from the spot. The Guild leader raised his foot and stomped onto the ground, with his powerful step calling forth a rumble, as well as golden-brown sand with small sparkling blue spots to jut from the ground and m down, breaking the surface apart! Chunks of the ground fell down in a perfect arc, forming a massive hole in the ground. The sand that had seemingly been conjured by Tulnas¡¯ stomp hurriedly rushed to grab the group and gently lowered them into the darkness underneath. Skullius looked at this sand which had a unique signature about it which registered in his [Elevated Mana Maniption]¡¯s sense. ¡®Is this from another one of his tamed beasts?¡¯ Skullius thought. The fact that Alphat had vanished into things air instead of being stored somewhere made Skullius a little suspicious about Tulnas only being a Tamer, but then again this wasn¡¯t a doubt backed by facts. Besides the Tamer ss matched his personality. The group descended into the far darkness where even the sunlight couldn¡¯t reach even if it grew hands, the sand lowering them with the same fluidity as some kind of mechanic contraption from a distance advanced universe. With every inch they descended, the group became aware of the thick bursts of Primus that leaked from below, bing more and more prominent with the distance. It took almost ten minutes to finally reach the bottom where barely anything could be seen. However, that wasn¡¯t the highlight. At this point, the Primus energy became almost as abundant as the air. Skullius could feel it without straining his senses. ¡®I have a really bad feeling about this¡­¡¯ he thought as he looked ahead where multiple purple objects appeared from view, these objects being none other than purple eyes from different creatures that lurked in the dark. Tulnas grabbed the hilt to his sword as he looked ahead. Ginie produced some kind of re from her spatial storage ring which provided light, though she didn¡¯t need it because her natural sight could see through natural darkness. But still¡­ She really hated the dark. Tens of different creatures turned to them with intelligence as well as eager eyes that spotted only malice. Tulnas grinned. ¡°Leave this part to me and recover every bit of your stamina,¡± the Guild leader said as bursts of beautiful sand poured from his feet and coiled around everyone in a single ring that constantly revolved protectively. ¡°We still have some ways to go.¡± *** Thud! ¡°You could at least try to handle it with care,¡± Fulina said as she looked at the middle aged man who had just dropped a corpse to the floor. ¡°You and I both know corpses need no care,¡± the middle aged man who had tufts of short, leather ck hair said. Fulina sighed, unable to find aeback to spare to this. She then turned to the man who stared at the corpse before them from behind his mask. ¡°Why did we have to wait this long to retrieve this corpse, Actuass?¡± she asked. The man with the mask answered her without raising his head. ¡°This? Because our collusion with the Evenfall, of course. With them preparing the body of that Pdin Champion for their ritual, I figured this was perfect tome to handle that pending matter. Besides, our objective concerning this man is unable to travel. At least one of them is.¡± Fulina slowly nodded. ¡°That AND a giant creature was roaming around the ce where this bastard was buried, destroying entire habitats just to feed its fat belly, so I had to be cautious. Powerful thing. A wolf. Hmm. Or was it a fox?¡± the middle aged man said while stroking his chin, reminiscing. ¡°Well¡­ now we can conclude the matter entirely and learn what we need,¡± Actuass said as he extended his hand over the corpse. ¡°Awaken, Eobald.¡± Chapter 268 Answers From A Dead Man The corpse of the former Ideal Ark leader became engulfed in greenish-ck mes. A slightly pale skin tone was over the corpse but one would barely assume that it was in fact, a corpse if shown the body out of context. Of course, the context itself was all but clear. The bodies of powerfulbatants were usually exempt from the usual speed of dposition especially when they had begun on the path to Advancement and beyond. The body had been covered with a ck sheet as the armour that Eobald had worn had been taken by Skullius along with his sword. The sword wound at his chest was still visible, giving a brief reminiscent tone towards earlier events in the Tremur Forest. As the mes engulfed the body, it began to twitch and rise, standing on its two feet as the dark sheet over its body fell off, leaving it naked. While this urred, a dull light appeared from over the corpse of Eobald, something within this dull light, like a bright re of green and white pouring into the corpse. Crunching noises crackled from the corpse as its white eyes rolled, the irises showing as they focused to the masked man in front. The four of them were within a well lit room devoid of furniture but fitted with good flooring and walling, an awkward space for conducting such an activity.. ¡°A¡­Actuass¡­?¡± said Eobald with a stutter. ¡°Why are you so sluggish when your soul was safely stored in the Outworld Attic? Besides, you¡¯ve twice before this, so how are you not used to it by now?¡± the middle aged man said with the folding of his hands. ¡°Cyne¡­¡± Eobald said as he turned to the man. A great detail that no one knew about this group of necromancers was how they were taken into the belief. It wasn¡¯t a matter of simply choosing to join the Green Neolists through verbatim. At least it was so until Actuass came and changed the falling system of the Green Neolists. One had to die first before joining and they would be resurrected, though with a portion of their soul missing. Actuass never told anyone but his two most trustedpanions, Fulina and Cyne where the portions of these souls were taken to. However, this was the initiation still whether one liked it or not. Once this was done, all members of the Green Neolists would be incapable of truly dying for eternity, except by the hand of a Divine being or higher. If they died again after the initiation, the remainders of their souls would be kept in a ce that Actuass called the Outworld Attic, a space he controlled and had the authority to manipte everything within ¨C the souls inside. As such, a member of the Green Neolist could be infinitely resurrected provided the right conditions. Of course, factors like eventual madness could be seen with weaker willed individuals. ¡°I.. I died¡­¡± Eobald said with a shaky voice. ¡°We know,¡± Actuass said. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to know, concerning your run with your former group and¡­ your death.¡± Eobald lifted his head. ¡°I considered you a charismatic and smart man which is why saw potential in you. However, I never mentioned to you how I saw through your weak resolve when you joined us. You cultivated trust with the people of the outside world but ended up falling into your facade too deeply. How many people did you tell about us and much did you share?¡± Eobald took in deep breaths under Actuass¡¯ hazel eyes which peaked from behind his mask which seemed to demand the truth. ¡°I¡­I told them that I was a member of the Green Neolists and¡­. I also told them about the big n¡­ parts of it¡­¡± he stammered as he exined. Fulina furrowed her brows while Cyne gaped in disbelief. ¡°Why in the world would you tell them that?! Had you already begun to go senile before your death?!¡± Cyne barked. Fulina couldn¡¯t find the words to say to this as it was simply unbelievable. Amidst this tension, Actuass remained calm, raising his hand to stop Cyne¡¯s outburst. ¡°How many people did you tell and how many are still alive?¡± Actuass asked. ¡°¡­ All of the Ideal Ark members¡­ when¡­ I fought them¡­ but¡­ most of them are sure to have died¡­ I used an Arcane Teleportation¡­ Scroll¡­¡± Actuass turned to Cyne. ¡°I did see a burnt patch in the Tremur but I didn¡¯t find any other bodies after following the trail from Eobald¡¯s body. Maybe they all died, but unfortunately, Direction has a way of screwing with us, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Cyne answered in a dangerous tone, his eyes turning to Eobald with deadly intent. Actuass nodded as he remained silent for a while. ¡°Why did you tell them?¡± he asked. Eobald wobbled and then faced Actuass with fear visible in his eyes. ¡°I¡­ joined this cult because¡­ I had reached a ceiling in my growth¡­ I epted your proposal because¡­ I thought I¡¯d get a boost to my limit. But¡­ after all the support you gave me so that¡­ I could be a popr figure with a famous Guild¡­ I¡­ realised just how much I wasn¡¯t ready to let the world turn so dark¡­¡± he said as his breathing hastened. ¡°I wasn¡¯t loyal to either side but¡­I know the world isn¡¯t a bad enough ce to deserve your awful n, Actuass¡­ So yes¡­ I betrayed you¡­ and I hoped one of them would at least tell someone who could do something about it¡­¡± Cyne fumed while Fulina looked to have conflicting emotions. ¡°I see¡­ I suppose you chose a side. I can¡¯t me you for that. You¡¯re human after all. Belief is what binds us to sanity. Your choice unfortunately, can¡¯t allow you to remain with us, until a certain time when your eyes must witness what this world bes,¡± Actuass said before he ced his finger on Eobald¡¯s forehead, the man trembling from utter fear. The greenish-ck mes around Eobald¡¯s body began to recede slowly while the point where Actuass held Eobald¡¯s forehead glowed, signalling that his soul was about to be returned to the Outworld Attic. ¡°Last question. Who killed you?¡± Actuass asked. Eobald first gulped before his soul churned out an answer despite his unwillingness. ¡°I don¡¯t know his name but¡­ I gave him my crest before I let him kill me.¡± Actuass¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°Your crest?¡± *** Skullius gaped at the chaos that was happening before him as blood flew everywhere! ¡®Why wasn¡¯t this guy just dealing with everything we were dealing with on our way here by himself?!¡¯ he thought as he saw the tens of corpses of powerful creatures with purple third eyes on their foreheads! He, Red Rage and the threedies were safely caged within a constantly revolving ring of sand while Tulnas was rampaging with his twin short swords cutting through the monsters like grass! ¡ª -Author¡¯s Note- [Ding] [Ah! Mashu_Berusutora has donated thrice to the novel! I¡¯m heavily inspired! +2 chapters over the daily quota this weekend!] Chapter 269 The Real Enemy (1) Tulnas threw one of his short swords forward as he bolted ahead! It flew quickly, whizzing through the air with its silver sheen showing from the limited light that came from the re that Ginie held! The de was received by arge lizard whose keen eyes saw the de clearly, swiping its ws to knock it away, sparks flying from the short sh! By the time the short sword which had been knocked away lodged into the ground, Tulnas was already hurtling a meter from the dark lizard in mid-air, his other short sword raised in his right hand! The lizard quickly stood on its hind legs, responding to the attack with its own ¨C theunch of its dark green tongue that oozed of potent venom! It intended to kill Tulnas before his dended! For this, it used the added boost to its strength from the purple eye on its forehead to enhance its speed! Unexpectedly, Tulnas lightly flickered his short sword up an inch away from his palm, which puzzled therge lizard, but then¡­ it understood why in the next moment! BAM! BAM! BAM! Three extremely urate and powerful kicks mmed into the two sections of the side its abdomen in addition to the side of its face, crunches being heard as the swift kicks were delivered, shockwaves blowing from the other side of the lizard! It had been too focused on Tulnas¡¯ weapon. A stream of golden-brown sand darted in one extremely quick motion, cutting off the lizard¡¯s tongue which was millimetres away from Tulnas! The Guild leader stepped on the lizard¡¯s shoulder, reached for the de he had flicked slightly in the air and jammed it into the wincing lizard¡¯s head! Several green tongues with a viscous liquid covering them shot towards Tulnas from different angles but the Guild leader avoided them with swift steps and darted around, grabbing his fallen short sword and delivering bloody injustice!. The res from his swords reflecting the light were seen in the darkness as he dispatched eight more of these lizards without breaking a sweat. The corpses of nearly thirty of these purple-eyed creaturesy on the ground in the confined and dirty space, dripping of blood. ¡®None of them has been as strong as that Mr Fish so far,¡¯ Tulnas said as he looked around, which lead him to specte. ¡®Again, I get the feeling that this is no more than an tease in the guise of an actual powerful defence system.¡¯ On their way here, Tulnas and the group had seen a variety of creatures with the purple eye; bats,rge butterflies, boars, wolves among others. The strange thing was, some of them were already dead with no signs of them engaging inbat with the others, or starving or anything. Their bodies seemed strained, as if they hadmerely been struggling to survive. This lead him to believe that someone may have just been testing howpatible different creatures were with this Primus energy and some were, while others weren¡¯t. ¡®Intriguing¡­¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± Tulnas said to the group that followed behind him. Gertreld and Ginie showed expressions of awe and amazement at Tulnas¡¯ movements. His ss Branching had been getting him great results. His speed and power rivalled some top level Form Users! Skullius who had also been watching looked jealous of the Guild leader. ¡®I¡¯m still not that proficient inbat. I still have to rely on my more powerful skills to cover my weaknesses¡­¡¯ he thought. After training with Oliviana, he had learned a skill that epassed many aspects of hand to handbat. [Basic Combat Arts]. He had levelled it up to level 5 but it was not enough for him to exhibit even a sliver of the amount of power and skill that Tulnas was demonstrating. The group continued forward with Tulnas using his des to easily dispatch most of the creatures they faced quickly. Most of them had blue cores while the rest had bright white ones. As he saw this continuous trend of white and blue without the next colour in sight, he aired a question to Tulnas who had finished wiping out another small wave of the creatures. His interactions with the otherdies had to be limited after all. ¡°Is it that hard to get a purple core?¡± he asked. ¡°Hmm?¡± Tulnas turned to Skullius. ¡°Oh, yes. It¡¯s quite difficult to simply cross that gulf. Most individuals remain at the brightest blue core, failing to achieve the next level because of the difficulty.¡± Skullius nodded as he digested this. ¡°Then again, the blue core has several stages to explore so people just deal with that. You could say its more tolerable than handling some of the Tasks we have to deal with on the path to Stages. For instance, mercenaries in Inhone City prefer to go down the route of focusing on their sses and cores instead of following through with Tasks, myself included. I¡¯m still at the Advancement Stage after so long with a troublesome Task.¡± What Tulnas said made sense. Skullius could understand why that was. Though, for him, the Tasks hadn¡¯t been as hard for level 1 to level 9 probably because most hadn¡¯t been specific to him until just recently. Tulnas suddenly stopped as he felt something off. ¡°Guild master!¡± Natalika said with a concerned tone. ¡°I know.¡± SSSHHHHH! Massive amounts of golden-brown sand rushed to cover Tulnas and the group who were already in a ring of standard sand protection. BOOOM! Two magic formations exploded with a purple glow below and above the group creating a noisy and turbulent reverberation that seemed to shake the entire underground! mes roared with a vicious coil as if to eat even space itself, the heat they produced instantly devouring the hard earth and melting it! Rubble fell from above while the ground kept crumbling and sizzling in the aftermath, the confined way which kept going in both directions being resized! The moment when the dust and fumes cleared, arge monster appeared in ce of the group of six. It was a veryrge bear. Its entire body was made of golden brown sand with tiny, innumerable spots of blue. Its build was like that of a pr bear with arge snout and a tint of ck decorating its lips and outlining around its eyes which had a deep red glow to their pupils. It sat upright with its arms wrapping around the space in what looked like a gentle hug, smoke and bits of glowing orange visible around its sandy body. After it thought the threat was cleared, the bear moved its arms away, revealing the group of six who were safe from the explosion. Tulnas looked up at therge bear with an appreciative smile. ¡°Thanks Big Bradd,¡± he said as he patted the bears thick arm. Ginie looked at the bear with twinkling eyes. She had missed seeing the big guy. ¡°Un, un! Bradd! Remember me?!¡± she said as she leapt up and down. Therge bear, in its sitting position opened its arms wide prompting for the girl to give it a hug, which she did happily, almost sinking into the sturdy sand of itsrge belly. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This is a little too carefree considering we almost got blown to bits,¡± Skullius said softly. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Natalika said as she turned her head this way and that, focusing her ears to different spots. ¡°There¡¯s signs of activity a little less than half a mile ahead. Though I suspect there¡¯ll be more of these traps.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing that Bradd can¡¯t handle. Right, Bradd?¡± Tulnas said as he sheathed his short swords. The giant bear nodded with a solemn expression. ¡°Can we ride him?¡± Ginie turned to Tulnas and asked with puppy eyes. ¡°No. If we weren¡¯t deep into enemy territory, it would be fine but we need Bradd for protection. It¡¯s hard for him to protect us if we¡¯re ridinghim.¡± Ginie nodded, though a flicker of disappointment could be seen in her eyes. She quickly collected herself though as she knew this wasn¡¯t the time be a brat. The long walk continued with Tulnas making sure to pay attention to the marked distance that Natalika had spoken about. BOOM! BOOM! Over the course of their cautious tread, they encountered numerous magic formations, set with explosive mes that were meant topletely destroy any traces of them appearing from the left and right, above and below or multiple on all sides. Through it all, Big Bradd protected the group while shrugging of the sand that got too burnt from its body. For Skullius, it was pretty good to be protected like this for once, instead of always having to defend himself. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t need to worry about Tulnas turning into mush because of it! How blissful life could be! The seven finally reached the end of the passageway that spread out into arge dark spot where some activity could be vaguely seen from the distance. Before even Tulnas could full take in the sight, he heard a loud voice echoing through the cavernous space. ¡°Therees the extravagant and valiant heroes of senile gods,ing to reap the evil that hinders their divine Direction and spoils their richnds,¡± the voice said. ¡°What would amon viin such as I know, hmm? Riddle me this, young ones? Is this excursion worth risking your extravagant and youthful lives?¡± Chapter 270 The Real Enemy (2) A man appeared before the group¡¯s sights. Hisrge, honey coloured eyes poked at their faces and bodies from his head which was covered by unkempt ck and purple hair. He donned a simple dark shirt and baggy grey linen pants as he spread his arms wide as if to receive Tulnas and rest who vigntly walked into the open space after the Guild leader had confirmed that there were no traps through his expansive could sense. Behind the man who stood a few meters before them with a weing gesture and a smile, arge fire was raging with twelve robed figures sitting around it, strategically ced as they surrounded aplex formation that they fed purple energy stemming from their bodies. Tulnas narrowed his eyes. He felt streams of energy blossoming from the formation in a different manner from what he had seen, rising through the rough ground as they flowed to different locations. Hundreds of locations! ¡®This is it¡­!¡¯ he thought. Skullius and the others also felt it. ¡®Is this what¡¯s causing the Clusters?!. Indeed it was. Clusters were created by bundles of shing energies. Tulnas¡¯ theory had been correct yet heavily underexined. Bradd growled as its normally adorable face turned aggressive, feeling the menacing energy being expelled from the opponents before it. Gertreld split from the group and started walking to the side while her keen eyes checked the opponents that she was about to face. Natalika walked towards the other side, her keen senses taking in the structure of the entire area and matching her up against the opponents before her. Ginie remained in ce, taking deep breaths as she focused her mental energy. There were a lot of intricacies about Mind Casting. Physical strength could be cultivated through various means while mental strength could also be cultivated, making the normally intangible energy something that could actually interact with external matter. The process was harder than when one built on their physicality though. Bursts of transparent energy created quibbling waves over the space as Ginie utilised another one of her techniques from the Mage-Form Mimicking Art. She, Natalika and Gertreld noticed the same thing under their sensory abilities and so did Tulnas, but he decided to test it out to be sure. ¡°Bradd¡­¡± he called. VWUP! VWUP! Two objects shot past the man with multi-coloured hair as they rushed towards two of the robed figures sitting in theplex formation! BZZT! BZZT! The two items which were actually in spears made from golden-brown sand seemed to knock against an invisible construct that covered the group protectively, bits of lightning sparking from the collision! ¡°I see¡­¡± Tulnas said in a low voice. There was some kind of barrier around the group of figures. The man with purple and ck grinned as he sat his open hands at his sides. ¡°Surely you should know that it won¡¯t be that easy,¡± he said. Skullius looked left and right at thesedies, Tulnas and the man before them warily, carefully concocting his own ns. He noticed that the following fight might just be way out of his league but he was already here and he might as well gain as much as he could. ¡®Well. It certainly doesn¡¯t make me happy to know that I¡¯m essentially alone in this. At least I¡¯ve recovered all my mana though,¡¯ he thought as he expanded his senses to the limit. In a battle like this, he could easily get taken out by something he didn¡¯t even see. With his link with Red Rage who was also warily eyeing the opponents, he began to strategise the best ways to survive. A spherical swirl of vicious, gusty winds burst beside the man in the dark shirt blowing his hair in all directions as well as his clothes! From this, another man who slightly cocked his head as he saw Tulnas¡¯ group appeared. His rather ordinary face would probably give one the illusion that he was some random fodder but that couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth. ¡°Ah, so they¡¯re here,¡± he said, his brown eyes looking around. ¡°They don¡¯t seem very strong considering they got past your rather stupid traps Guissepo.¡± ¡°That¡¯s extravagantly harsh. But¡­ of course! The traps weren¡¯t meant to be too extravagant, after all. If they were, these young heroes probably wouldn¡¯t have reached this ce.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± the other man said exasperatedly. ¡°So what¡¯s the n? We just follow your idea and ignore Leader¡¯s orders?¡± ¡°Extravagantly so¡­ Extravagantly~ so.¡± ¡°You say that word way too much.¡± Tulnas furrowed his brows. ¡®These bastards arepletely disregarding our presence. They are not even bothering to hide their conversation,¡¯ he thought. Natalika, Genie and Gertreld became extra wary. Frankly, they could tell that these two were no pushovers judging by their radiant blue cores and confidence. ¡®That makes them worth fighting¡­¡¯ Natalika thought as she burned with anticipation. The man whose name had been announced to be Guissepo turned back to the group after receiving a shrug from hispanion as a response to his enthusiastic statement. Seeing that the group remained stationary, not acting immediately, Guissepo produced an unnerving smile as he spoke. ¡°Is the venue not to your liking? We can do this in another location I have prepared for this extravagant asion. Care to join me?¡± Tulnas scoffed as he raised his hand which made Bradd waddle to the front with its face turning fierce, an abundance of sand moving from the ground and swirling around the creature. ¡°Are you lonely or something? Go by yourself,¡± Tulnas replied with a cocky grin. The atmosphere grew a lot more tense as the man by Guissepo¡¯s side casually walked forward, his dark robes moving aside. ¡°In that case, let me invite a couple more people to make it an extravagantly more entertaining exchange¡­¡± Guissepo said. From the formation, two figures with ck and gold robes walked forward, reaching up to Guissepo. One of them was a man and the other was a woman. ¡­! Tulnas noticed a leakage of profoundly concentrated energy from the woman and the man, and it registered in his senses the ridiculous amount of strength and skill they possessed. One was a Mage, the other was a Summoner¡­! Chapter 271 Quite The Deadly Start A few hours earlier. ¡°Leader wants to bring forth the extravagant entry of our master into Aigas, right?¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Our master is restricted from having any hand in Aigas through a powerful and extravagant array beyond our understanding etched onto the surface of the world. Leader says it is called the Extreme Form.¡± ¡°I know all this.¡± ¡°The thing is though, we need people with extravagant connections to the power of the three Deities. People with Divine blessings. With these, as master Boron demands, we can free him as well as let loose his children from The Under. Leader even says that master guarantees the three Deities will do nothing about it.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we haven¡¯t been able to do this on our own as we are an extravagantly poor match to the Purity. Extravagantly so! A 3:1 basis even! Thus we need the Green Neolists to help us capture a sufficient number of Pdin Champions.¡± ¡°Guissepo¡­!¡± ¡°What is it Tomin?¡± the younger of the two men who sat as they discussed spoke. His brown eyes and wavy dark hair as well as extraordinarily ordinary face showed an incredibly annoyed visage.. ¡°I know all of this dammit! What is your n? Our current objective is to cause a disturbance with the Clusters, remember? You know, ensuring that the three nations don¡¯t catch on to what we¡¯re really up to. What else do we need to do other than that?¡± the young man whose name was Tomin said. Guissepo sighed. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re thinking in too shallow of a way. Instead of offering a few powerful sacrifices like the Pdin Champions, why don¡¯t we offer up arge number of weaker sacrifices. Its safer and extravagantly easier that way,¡± Guissepo said with a serious face that demanded to be taken seriously. ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Tomin said as he paid a bit more attention to Guissepo¡¯s words. There had to be more to it than that. ¡°All those mercenaries and Knights all possess small blessings granted by the Deities for when they reach the Foundation Stage. Even though they rarely grow to be significant until they have advanced far enough in strength or cleared higher level Clusters, they are still blessings. In theory, we could achieve the same result by sacrificing a tens or hundreds of these people.¡± Tomin wore a contemtive face as he mulled it over. It made sense and it was a simple concept that probably many of the members in the Evenfall had thought about and perhaps even the Leader himself. However, Leader seemed to be in a hurry. ¡°We¡¯d have to make a connection circle to open a path to the Under, though,¡± Tomin said with concern. ¡°We can have our Mage tweak the formation we are currently using for multi-purpose function. Simple fix,¡± Guissepo said with excitement. Tomin sighed. ¡°You¡¯re desperate for recognition. Aren¡¯t you getting too old for that?¡± ¡°Extravagantly so, but the older you get, the more you feel time racing by while your achievements count themselves in your ear. In my case, I hear nothing but an empty breeze. Can you me me for being innovative?¡± Guissepo said with a half serious tone. Tomin looked into the older man¡¯s eyes and saw the burning determination which he couldn¡¯t possibly stomp out. This man seemed to want to achieve something big and gain the acknowledgement of their master. Quite a leap. Go big or go home, they called it. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s do it,¡± he relented. ¡°How do we attract that many of those people without jeopardising our mission though? We could potentially get a powerful force on our tail.¡± ¡°The most powerful city in this region is Inhone. Not many are a challenge there as far as I have seen. Even you could bash most of them into the ground, except for perhaps¡­one man, though. I¡¯ve only heard descriptions of his strength but they are numerous enough that they seem true. The City¡¯s trump card. Oh well, a little bait will catch us some fish,¡± Guissepo said. ¡°I hope that thing we¡¯re storing won¡¯t suddenly spy on us without our knowledge. Worse yet actually stand up and start walking around like it¡¯s on some kind of tour likest time,¡± Tomin shuddered. ¡°Extravagantly so~.¡± *** ¡®What a troublesome duo,¡¯ Tulnas thought as he wrapped his body in a thick and solidyer of mana that lit the ground under him. He reverse handled his short swords and prepared for a bitter fight with a grin as many thoughts, his and otherwise gushed through his mind. The woman at the side was a Mage while the man who waved his hands under the robes was the Summoner. These twos¡¯ presence stole Tulnas¡¯ attention and the same was true for his threedies. They recognised the twos¡¯ strength. Tulnas nced at Skullius and hoped the Discount Human would find his way to be useful without endangering hisdies as he himself had to be in the thick of thebat. Tulnas¡¯ figure darted forward like a dark bolt of lightning, his des at the ready! Natalika also went all out, her body darting from side to side in an effort to confuse the enemy she headed for. The Mage. The same was true for Gertreld who knocked her gauntlets together and sted forward at extreme speed! Tomin who had been advancing slowly ahead raised a brow and emitted a short burst of hair from his nostrils. OOOM! The mana in his body exploded outwards like a bright and shy bomb, barrelling towards the advancing three in a quickly moving sphere that smashed into the trio, pushing them all back where they hade from while grading through the hard ground like a charge of bulls! ¡­! Tulnas squinted his eyes as he ordered Bradd to go all out. As the strongest creature in his collection when it came to defence, he would exploit its advantage to the fullest. Natalika and Gertreld skidded across the ground and prepared to counter Tomin¡¯s potential moves but the man still walked over slowly, his chin raised as he looked down at the three condescendingly. ¡°Who said you get to choose your own opponents?¡± he said before his posture changed in the next instance, his body bing hidden under a cover of raging, bright mana in one moment, and disappearing in the next! KWABOOM! A horrendous noise resounded as the ground he had been standing upon couldn¡¯t handle the force of his take-off! Gertreld sucked in a deep breath as she saw Tomin¡¯s figure cover her view not even a split second after he had turned into a shining star half a moment ago! She hurriedly tried to bring her arms before her to defend, but two arched fingers sank into her chest, preceding a dangerously hostile punch that rocked her entire body while relieving the excess force through the ground! ¡°ACK!¡± she emitted a pained grunt. Gertreld¡¯s short body couldn¡¯t handle the force as she wasn¡¯t rooted properly on the ground and she was about to fly off when a powerful grip crunched against the metallic armour to hold her in ce, the force almost scratching her fair skin underneath! ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Tomin said as his knee bashed into Gertreld¡¯s chest twice, breaking a thing or two before he mmed his elbow into the hunched woman¡¯s back, mercilessly digging her against the ground where she sank almost two meters deep! The ground screamed from the impact and a nasty shockwave blew in Tulnas¡¯ groups¡¯ face. The Guild leader turned his head to the absolutely brutal manhandling of one of his women with a stern expression but¡­ ¡°Unblockable Message,¡± a feminine voice called and without dy, a sharp white light shed with an electric thrum as it shot towards Tulnas at an absurd speed, the Guild leader being a far cry from being able to react because of his partly stolen attention! The menacing melody of the air running away from this streak of light in a thunderous fashion only followed after the lightning had ripped through steel, flesh and bone, its simple path having already caused what seemed like a fatality. ¡°Urgh!¡± Tulnas spat blood as only after a split second did he realise that from his right chest to his right arm, everything was missing, a ck and hot patch of charred skin being the only thing left¡­! Chapter 272 Battle of Brawn! (1) ¡­! Skullius¡¯ eyes opened wide. He had barely been able to track the events which had just happened, from everyone being blown back from their initial advance, to Gertreld being bashed into a crusty oblivion to Tulnas¡­ getting his chest blown away. It was all¡­WAY TOO SOON! Natalika and Ginie shot gazes to Tulnas but instead of losing their emotions, they bit their lips and sank deeper into focus. It was an integral rule of the Guild concerning Tulnas, to not lend him a hand unless he asked for one. The woman who had just conjured the bolt of lightning had a cold expression, her brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders pulsing with the power she possessed. She faced Tulnas while the man at her side walked the other way, having chosen an opponent for himself whom he considered interesting. ¡°I expected more¡­¡± the woman said with an odd tone. The Guild leader fell to his knees as his eyes turned blurry, his teeth gnashing against each other as he tried to stomach the aching pain that screeched at his nerves! The man with the robe gazed at Natalika who lowered her stance and held the hilt to her sword tight, an encirclement of mana covering her figure. The tension rose as the man, the Summoner, locked his gaze with the blind woman¡¯s figure. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Tulnas suddenly burst into a fit ofughter even as his eyes turned bloodshot, his face deathly pale. His eyes focused on the Mage before him and he wore a grin. ¡°You started off pretty strong. I¡¯ll admit, you¡¯ll probably be a handful,¡± he said. ¡°But believe me¡­ you have a LOT to look forward to.¡±. FLSHHHH! A burst of golden light wrapped around Tulnas¡¯ grievous wound, flesh regrowing at an rming fast rate ¨C organs, limb and all! Within two seconds he had recovered everything from his right chest to his arm, no longer having any form of protection as the ck and green armour had done nothing to guard against the earlier attack. ¡®I hope you have a ton of stamina left. We might be needing THAT if things get too serious,¡¯ Tulnas thought as he rose, facing the female Mage who seemed to actually be relieved to see him rise up. ¡°Good,¡± she said as she raised her hand. The moment she did, Bradd dashed towards her while raising up a mini sandstorm that blocked Tulnas from the woman¡¯s view. This exchange was about to begin as Tulnas shook his hand, trying to retain the optimal feeling in this new hand as he wielded his two shortswords while blitzing the distance under the cover of the Bradd¡¯s sand! On the other side, Tomin had turned to the short exchanges happening around him after dealing the final rough blow to Gertreld. His eyes were on Tulnas from whom he sensed a wild air. The type of atmosphere only someone with various pathways to achieve victory had. ¡®Should I deal with him too?¡¯ he thought. He then looked to Guissepo who had withdrawn back to the formation where only 10 of the robed figures remained, powering it. Guissepo wore a slight smile as he watched the goings on. ¡®You must feel very proud,¡¯ Tomin thought as he shook his head, taking a few steps away from the depression behind him when¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± A gauntleted hand popped up, handling the rough edge of the pit she had made, followed by a short figure that leapt out with a dented, crackled and slightly torn battle dress. Blood stained her burgundy hair and her face, with scrapes and broken skin notable all over her exposed parts. Despite this, Gertreld craned her neck and gave Tomin a dangerous look with her true sapphire eyes. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be dead or dying. Looks like I need to put a bit more effort into the hurt,¡± Tomin said as he turned. ¡°Pffft! Hihihihihi!¡± Gertreld giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself. You definitely ¡®hurt¡¯ me way more than when Tulnas took me from behind in that dreaded forest in Maqi but¡­ nothing enough to kill me.¡± Tomin emitted a carefree scoff as he took another set of slow steps towards Gertreld. Gertreld took a stance, her hands under the gauntlets balled into fists before her as she immediately channelled the bulk of her strength over to her entire body. ¡®Judging by the strength of his punches, he¡¯s either a peak Advancement Stage warrior or a beginner Master Stage. Thetter is particrly hopeless to try and fight against, but its highly unlikely. Might as well whip everything out while I have the chance though,¡¯ Gertreld thought as her body exploded with power, a radiant Full Body Aura blooming to surround her body in a thick coating of a light red hue. Strength bubbled furiously from her as the Full Body Aura enhanced Gertreld¡¯s abilities by an enormous degree ¨C 290%! The woman took deep breaths as she focused on her enemy who locked eyes with her. BOOM! The ground shuddered as out of nowhere, Tomin appeared with his knee once again digging deep into Gertreld¡¯s chest before she knew it, the dirt under their feet shattering from the force! The shortdy vomited blood, but this time, she quickly lifted her head and grinned at Tomin who raised an eye brow in light surprise and brought down his fist towards her face, its force like that of thick pir in a mad descent! The shortdy suddenly weaved, her head turning to the side as the punch passed by the side of her face, her hand then going to lock Tomin¡¯s arm under her armpit! ¡°¡­?¡± Gertreld pulled hard on Tomin whose body leaned forward and the moment he did, Gertreld let go of his arm andunched a right hook that brimmed with the full force of her Full Body Aura! BOOM! The punch hit the side of Tomin¡¯s chin, shockingly making him turn his head from its strength, which he hadn¡¯t expected! ¡®That punch was harder than I thought¡­¡¯ he thought. The dark haired man quickly turned and smashed Gertreld with an uppercut in her chin, his two arched fingers leading in the deadly attack! Gertreld flew upwards but as she rose, her head suddenly shook as she focused her gaze on Tomin again andunched a very fast straight punch at his face which he blocked! BAM! BAM! BAM! A flurry of punches rained towards Tomin who blocked or directed them all away before he sped forward, pressed his hand against Gertreld and released a terrifying force of raw mana that crackled like thunder when it met the woman¡¯s belly, flinging her towards the wall at an immense speed! BOOM! Gertreld got lodged into the expansive hardened dirt where she quickly looked up and saw Tomin¡¯s face right before hers as he then proceeded to smash her face deeper into the wall with his palm and then form his fingers into a de gesture! ¡°You weren¡¯t too bad,¡± he said as thrusted mercilessly with a catastrophic force that blew the entire wall as his erect hand bore through Gertreld easily! The woman gritted her teeth as she held back the pools of blood that tried to flood from her mouth, staining her once pristine masticators! Tomin looked at her with an apathetic expression, which turned solemn in the next moment. GRIP! ¡°Hmm?¡± His hand which had gone right through Gertreld was squeezed tight, her abdominal muscles tightening around the man¡¯s limb with an incredible grip. ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to¡ª¡± BAM! The shortdy flung a ruthless punch backed with all her might into Tomin¡¯s chest! Rings of hazy force shredded from Tomin¡¯s back, his short robe fluttering intensely as he slid a few inches from the force! Gertreld who gripped onto his harm with her insides followed along with the movement. She heaved in deep breaths as she then grinned up at Tomin who turned to the side and spat a bit of blood. ¡°Some punch that was, short stuff¡­¡± he said with a condescending gaze. The moment the word ¡®short¡¯ was uttered in reference to her diminutive size, Gertreld¡¯s grin faded. Tomin scoffed. BAAM! Another shocking punch rocked the side of his face, the strength channelled perfectly through the hook punch being extraordinary! Tomin once again spat blood with no real noticeable damage incurred to his body. ¡°You¡¯ll regret that,¡± Gertreld said with sharp eyes. Tomin was about to scoff again and pound Gertreld where it hurt when suddenly¡­ He stumbled a bit, feeling a little dizzy. His body experienced a slight change that he noticed immediately still. His stature¡­ Something had happened after thistest punch. ¡®Did I just grow¡­shorter?¡¯ he asked himself. He forcefully pulled out his hand from Gertreld¡¯s belly, trickles of blood following this action as Gertreld had tightened her shredded muscles. She winced as she staggered back, but then she took a deep breath and then¡­ Visibly, the flesh around behind her torn armour started to push against each other, mending itself seamlessly until only dried blood remained on perfect skin. All the broken skin on Gertreld, as well as all external and internal injuries were healed as after the process, taking out the blood that was still present over her, she actually looked¡­ more beautiful and taller? Tomin noticed all these details. ¡°That¡¯s not just some technique. That¡¯s the effect of a blessing, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked as unlike before, his eyes showed a deep set vivacity. ¡°So what if it is?¡± Gertreld said, her Full Body Aura which still radiated around her with a light red glow, changing to be sprinkled with pink swirls that constantly formed different shapes. Tomin smiled as unlike before, he brought his hands before him in w gestures, his legs spreading out for additional stability as he took a stance for the first time in this fight. ¡°Then I believe I mistakenly chose the best opponent to kill,¡± he said. Chapter 273 Battle of Brawn! (2) As Guissepo had stated, blessings which were given to those who wanted to bebatants before they entered the Foundation Stage never truly became useful unless they advanced very far in their strength ¨C core, ss or stage ¨C or cleared quite the amount of high level Clusters. (A/N: For more rity or if you¡¯ve forgotten, refer to Chapter 158). Gertreld was the only one in the Harem¡¯s Guild to have a blessing that had already be relevant to her fighting style. This was because of her background. She was from the Godrigold Family, a rather wealthy family thatid im to arge region in the North of Pelian. The Family Head had been ¡®cursed¡¯, in his own words, to only have daughters no matter how many women he bedded. Thus, he decided to at least fashion these women to be both upright, smart and strong as he refused to pass his wealth to a bastard or worse. The best way he could find to do this was to bring his girls when his privatebatants entered high level Clusters, having the girls contribute in small ways so that when the Cluster was cleared, they too would have their blessings enhanced. His daughters¡¯ Directions all seemed to gravitate towards them being future powerhouses which worked well for him too. From when the girls reached the age of four, he had repeated this practise until they grew to be in in their twenties, Gertreld¡¯s blessing finally blooming into something magnificent. It even had a magnificent name, Graceden Beauty. After a time, Gertreld left the Godrigold Family, iming to want to explore more about what it meant to be a woman, instead of the rigorous exercises that her father nned for her, trying to make her tough and less, weak, as he called it. She had been forged to embody a man which she didn¡¯t want as her friends were very different, enjoying things she never got to. She had had enough. Regardless of this though, she couldn¡¯t deny that all those years of training had allowed her to be capable of protecting herself and more ¨Cbining herbat technique with her blessing, which created some terrifying effects!. Gertreld once again held up her hands and balled them into fists, her skin which had nearly be shiny and smooth as it glowed from her face gleaming with health! Tomin burst forward with another noise-ridden advance, his speed making him a warping figure that resisted much of the natural friction! He was once more a figure that Gertreld couldn¡¯t clearly see as he swept his leg at a blinding speed, knocking the shortdy off bnce which caused her to spin, her stabilised stance demolished from the single move! Gertreld¡¯s eyes turned sharp as she spun, seeing Tomin¡¯s w-like hand which blurred her way to rupture her torso arrive! Shockingly, her arms darted forward, sessfully clutching it but failing to stop its momentum entirely! BAM! A staggering force sted against her body, prompting her to cough blood again, but Gertreld ignored it as she stepped over Tomin¡¯s shoulder and bashed her elbow into his face! This time, Tomin was visibly shaken by the force and before he could make a snarkyment, Gertreld brought down an overhead punch with a perfect form to exert as much power as was needed! ¡®De-beautifying Fist!¡¯ A brilliant red glow thundered down onto Tomin¡¯s head with a few resounding halos! The young man knelt down as his legs sank up to the knee into the ground! The sensation from this punch was heavy, focusing solely on his body as it refused to tremor through the ground! ¡®Strange¡­ I feel my body is being forcefully altered into a less efficient state¡­¡¯ Tomin thought as he looked down, blood flowing from his noise. He looked up at Gertreld¡­ ¡°I see¡­¡± he muttered in sight surprise. What had once been a shortdy in a long battle dress was now a gorgeous beauty of average height with her battle dress only reaching to her knees! Furthermore¡­ Gertreld swiped away her burgundy way and grinned. ¡°Who¡¯s the short stuff now?¡± she scoffed beforeunching a quick punch that crackled like thunder towards Tomin who instantly sought to react but¡­ Shockingly, his height which had been quite a bit higher than Gertreld¡¯s had been reduced! He had be shorter than her by a few inches! ¡­! Tomin found his limbs to be shorter, which threw him off his regr form a bit. Still though, he dodged the punch as he now realised, that this woman¡¯s blessing forcefully changed her opponent¡¯s physicality while also enhancing aspects of her body. BAM! Gertreld¡¯s greave bashed against Tomin¡¯s chest, pushing him a distance before she leapt up and punched down towards the man who skidded and rolled, dodging before he pushed forward his arm with a raging force and speed that sank right below Gertreld¡¯s throat before she could guard herself. The woman spun before tumbling ten meters away. Tomin breathed out as he full took in the state of his body which made him shake his head. He looked younger solely based off of his height, but that wasn¡¯t all. His face felt a little wrinkly and oddly dry. What manner of a blessing was this? ¡®Tricky. I didn¡¯t think it would be this difficult¡­¡¯ he thought as his mana bubbled with a ferocious storm-like appeal around him. He tore away the robes he wore, being left with what looked like a in vest and tight pants. Tomin was at the Peak of the Advancement Stage and unlike what he portrayed, he didn¡¯t have any specific Form Using technique. Unlike Guissepo who had a clear goal and motivation, Tomin had joined the Evenfall to gain something of the sought. He wanted to have a purpose and a goal, something that his trash life in the folds of the viges further away from cities and the non-existent care of the Royal Family had denied him. As of now, he was pretty satisfied with following behind Guissepo who seemed to have a goal. As long as he had someone with a clear course, he would follow and keep searching for a more solid reason to go on living. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty harsh blessing you have there,¡± he said to Gertreld who coughed vehemently for a full five seconds from thetest attack to her throat before taking up her stance again. ¡°Unfortunately for you, I also happen to have something like that¡­¡± A dark energy started to ooze from Tomin as his muscles bulged. He took his w stance once more and angled his knees. Gertreld immediately got ready to receive whatever wasing but¡­ WHOOSH! Tomin¡¯s movement was¡­ incredibly terrifying! He leapt up as he cocked his fist, his body nted in the air as his brown eyes focused on Gertreld who squinted as she felt the horrifying levels of power that were about to pour from the figure flying five meters away. ¡®Infinite Instance¡­¡¯ Tomin called inwardly as he let loose a single punch from this distance in Gertreld¡¯s direction! This single punch carried with it a force that travelled even after it stopped, pulled back by the muscles on the shoulder! BOOOM! The raw force from the punch travelled and smashed into Gertreld, a massive explosion rocking the ground over a thirty meter distance! And then¡­ VRUUUBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM! Tens! No! Dozens! No! Hundreds of the same explosions as thest repeated themselves, shattering the same spot on the ground with the same amount of power as the first punch, the power generated from these seemingly endless forces ploughing through the hard crust easily! After what seemed like an eternity, a fifteen meter deep crater, forty meters wide was left with vicious heat and dust rising incessantly from it! Tomin reached the ground and took a short breath. ¡®That should have done some irreparable damage at the very least,¡¯ he thought without dropping his guard. Everyone around was engaging inbat as well, this attack of his having pushed other fights a distance away. Unlike with the three Deities, the members of the Evenfall received blessings from Boron. However, because of the limited contact they had with the Deity, only a few of them who were in the Middle Circle and above could receive a blessing. Distinctions such as these didn¡¯t have anything to do with initial strength or status, as even Tomin who had nothing at the beginning had climbed up to be a Middle Circle member. His blessing was called Infinite Instance, a blessing that allowed him to create infinite instances of his actions¡­ theoretically. The blessing needed to grow to eventually reach this threshold as for now, it was very limited, but the young man had raised its initially sub standard effects to this point. As he gazed at the billowing dust, a peculiar sensation suddenly held Tomin down with a mountainous force! ¡­! He immediately knew what it was when he saw the quibbling waves around him in their transparent glory holding him in ce! Right then, with a powerful gust of moving air¡­ Tomin saw a glowing gauntlet preceding a bloody figure wrapped in a dangerously palpating glow with pink swirls shooting towards him, the fingers stretched stiff as they reached his throat! ¡ª -Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora!- Chapter 274 That? ¡­! In that one instance when he was firmly held down, a certain individual took the chance to end him! Gertreld. Her image was far from being gorgeous at this moment as apart from her right arm, leg, neck and head, everything else was in no condition to move freely, her figure being mangled and full of torn flesh from her face and arms which leaked blood! Thedy from the Godrigold Family had tried her best to ensure that her arm and leg would be left for her to move and attack in one swift motion after the blows she received. Her technique, which was moulded around her blessing, ssic Bombshell Beauty, was a Form Using technique that strived to keep her looking beautiful and even progress her beauty ording to what she felt shecked. Of course, this effect was brought about when she dealt blows to enemies, debuffing them through different effects mostly leaning towards the ugly and her own perception of ufortable circumstance, for instance shortened height. The term beauty ording to the technique not only referred to her cosmetic appearance but to even factors like injuries and deadly wounds that impeded her beauty, thus the healing effect she could attain. FSHHH! Gertreld¡¯s gauntlet barrelled forward and ripped through the firmly held Tomin¡¯s throat, edging towards the flesh underneath!. The look on Gertreld¡¯s face was chilling as she looked so focused on this one moment that had been created by her fellow junior who was very proficient at creating such golden opportunities, that it seemed like nothing else mattered! Tomin grit his teeth as he struggled in that split second before Gertreld ripped through her neck entirely with this sudden ridiculous burst of strength that seemed to stem from the gold and grey gauntlets that the not-so-short-anymoredy wore! The gauntlet¡¯s glow was from its special effect as a Rare+ item which more than doubled attack power, with added pration damage that could only be used twice in one day! The gauntlet had thunked Tomin¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple when¡­ ¡°RAAH!¡± A wave of thick aura exploded from Tomin as he roared with an untamed might that chucked Gertreld away while also breaking apart the waves of energy that held him down! Tomin had finally used his Full Body Aura which emitted a bright white glow as it surrounded over five inches of his body with a bold and firm appearance! Tomin breathed out two streams of hot air from his nostrils as he watched Gertreld tumbled on the group in a familiar scene where she skidded, her body mending itself, skin, bones and all to perfection while edging through to be voluptuous on top of its current gorgeous look! Her hair grew to have a beautiful unnatural lustre that wasn¡¯t present a few moments ago, her eyes twinkling with a clear light. Tomin touched his throat, feeling the blood that had been dripping prior to his activation of Full Body Aura. He turned his head, looking a distance away where a youngdy with a serious expression was firmly holding her staff as her body generated visible waves of transparent energy. She was supposed to be the support but so far, she was torn between the three battlefields where ridiculous fights were taken ce. This one, in truth, was the one she felt needed her focus the most but it had been quite difficult to follow Tomin¡¯s movements and create a proper opening for Gertreld until now. Not that it amounted to much anyway. ¡°That was an unexpected intervention¡­¡± Tomin said. Gertreld spat out a lump of blood as she craned her neck. ¡°Was it? I didn¡¯t notice,¡± she responded with firm gaze. ¡®This is bing increasingly problematic. Ack. I can only keep up my Full Body Aura for 9 more minutes if I keep applying it so heavily. But¡­ the damage I¡¯m doing is not too pronounced and neither is it slowing him down. I don¡¯t think I will umte enough strength before I run out of Aura. Using Ginie to cover me might really put her in danger but I don¡¯t have another option¡­¡¯ she thought critically. ¡°Since you¡¯re proving to be stubborn, let me give me a bit more of a challenge,¡± Tomin said as he wrecked the entirend over a radius of ten meters with a simple upwards ascent! He streaked through the air with power that far exceeded what he had demonstrated just a couple of moments ago, reaching Gertreld in an instant before she could even take in his shadow, his hand which was in the form of a w bearing down on Gertreld in a bear chop! Gertreld was actually able to react though in the clumsiness movememt possible, bringing her arms above her head and tanking the attack. Her body sank halfway into the ground with a defeaning explosion, but then, Tomin¡¯s hand blurred as his blessing, Infinite Instance took effect, multiple attacks of the same nature barrelling down on Gertreld! BOOM! BOOM! Gertreld sank entirely into the ground, Tomin remaining in the same stance he had taken in his attack for a brief moment before dropping down his aura covered fist at Gertreld¡¯s head as she descended down the hole! Thedy felt the enormous force which was packed in the strike as opposed to thex one she had just received and her heart raced! ¡®I have to free myself¡­!¡¯ she thought as she kept getting hammered by the Infinite Instance from Tomin¡¯s earlier chop further into the ground! Gertreld bit her teeth as her arms broke from the recurring force, her aura bursting to her arms to try and withstand the imminent force of a fist that seemed to carry the weight of a mountain, causing the aid to whistle and burn before it even reached its target! Surely¡­if this hit¡­ she could die! The bellow of shocking power descended and Gertreld bit her teeth! ¡­ Nothing. ¡°Huh?¡± Gertreld didn¡¯t get pummelled into oblivion as she expected as the attack she thought woulde, never came, prompting her to look up. ¡°Who do we have here?¡± Tomin¡¯s voice echoed, his face turning towards someone Gertreld couldn¡¯t see from inside the hole that only showed his image that that had been punching downwards. Who? Tomin held an arrow in his hand that had been aimed at his head just now which he quickly took a nce at and tossed aside. Apparently, this object had caused him to halt his attack, him judging it as worth blocking which confused Gertreld who hurried to dig herself out of the ground after the barrage of attacks from Infinite Instance ended. She emerged from the dirt and looked to see a figure donning blue and ck armour, the unique looking bow he held suddenly vanishing from his hands. ¡®Festos¡¯ summon?¡¯ she thought as she breathed out. ¡°Hmmm? Only a white core?¡± Tomin said as he raised his brow. Unbeknownst to him, the Apostle before him was evaluating how much of a threat he was and how much trouble he would be for his next moves. After determining that this man was serious threat, a bright golden glow began to ooze from under the Apostle¡¯s armour, leaking out of the joints. Gertreld looked at this scene quizzically as she wondered if this was the best backup she could have received while Tomin couldn¡¯t find it within himself to take this new individual seriously. Ginie turned her sights from Gertreld and Tomin as she looked to support Natalika in her battle which was heating up! The Summoner she was up against wasn¡¯t afraid to get close as when he did, Natalika taking the chance to strike, a strange ghost-like image would appear, coiling around robed man for a second to defend before vanishing as if it didn¡¯t exist. Away from this fight, a certain Discount Human was still trying to find which moves to make¡­ ¡ª -Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora- Chapter 275 Feathers In The Sharp Wind, Throes In The Dark SWISH! A de shed at an incredible speed, aiming at the man who wore the robes! His gaze remained firm even when he couldn¡¯t clearly see the attacking for his life, but that didn¡¯t matter! A greyish, transparent hand darted from around his body and knocked the sword away, the vibration from the solid impact pushing away Natalika whounched the strike with her striped de! She skidded on the ground as she looked at the Summoner, trying to get a full feel of the appearance of the creature that protected him from her collective senses. Once more, the creature that protected the Summoner who scoffed at Natalika¡¯s failed attempts vanished the moment it was done defending him. It truly looked like a ghost. Its body was like a curled cloud that wrapped around the man¡¯s image like a worm, having no head or face but an elongated eye on its midsection that produced a purple glow. Two freakishly long arms would also be iling around when it appeared, ready to block attacks thrown at the Summoner. ¡®That thing appears to only have the ability to interact with physical matter when it shows itself. Does it simply not exist until the time it appears to defend this man or is it merely invisible until then¡­?¡¯ Natalika questioned as she clicked her tongue. Summoners were a troublesome bunch. So much so that their existence had been ouwed. All Summoners were to be caught and killed. In Pelian at least.. The reason was a simple but terrifying matter. Naturally there was a contrast between Summoners and Tamers. Tamers captured known creatures, while for Summoners¡­ No one knew where the creatures they summoned came from. Not even the Summoners themselves. There had been many conjectures about the possibilities, the Summoners themselves trying to defend their case by saying that summons probably came from the one continent on Aigas that no one could ess. Amanas. However, the Royal Family, since old times refused this inference, their schrs and experts iming that Summoners were in fact, summoning the creatures they could, from the ¡®The Under.¡¯ Therefore, all Summoners were dered to be potential Evenfall cult members and to be killed on sight. ¡°I really thought fighting you would be interesting, heh. A blindfolded swordswoman. Very niche. So far you¡¯ve disappointed, heh. Or is it because youck the motivation to kill me? I can give you plenty,¡± the man said as he stretched out his hand with a crooked smile. Natalika rendered the man no answer. She didn¡¯t make it a habit to answer her enemies inbat. It was her self-imposed standard as she aimed to be strongest swordswoman of all. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t going to receive any reply, the Summoner¡¯s hand became saturated with mana as he grunted with displeasure, flickers and sparks popping from the air before him as shortly after, a circr warp appeared with a dark blue tint! It looked like a portal of some kind, swirling with an eerie and unstable element but it seemed functional, being the size of half a man¡¯s body! ¡°Let¡¯s start with this, heh,¡± he said with a grunt and in the next moment, several dark figures shed from the portal at rapid speeds, one after another! They rushed towards Natalika who drew back a little, giving herself a second¡¯s worth of time to fully ascertain the iing hostiles¡¯ shape, strength and potential energy. These creatures, were ravens. Or what looked like ravens. They were as tall as an average human being with dark blue coloured furthers! They zoomed with incredible speed towards Natalika, but she didn¡¯t impulsively swing her sword as she felt the raven¡¯s next move before they even executed it! They suddenly elerated, turning into dark blurs as they then went on to fly around Natalika in a circr formation! The lone blind swordswoman felt the creatures swiftly dart around her so fast that a raging wind started to form, having the intensity of a hurricane that was infused with expert levels of sharpened mana that would start to rip apart her flesh as the birds continued to move at high speeds. Her robe which reached her waist fluttered as she bend her body in a sturdy stance, feeling the umtion of power from within the raven¡¯s charge. ¡®Crude¡­¡¯ she thought as she actually went on to leave her sword¡¯s hilt and extend her hand above her head in a chopping gesture. She then brought down her hand in a slow descent, arcs of mana palpating from it! FLSHH! FLSHHH! FLSHH! Blood and pained bird calls resounded in the air as in an instant, all the ravens were shed into pieces, feathers and flesh falling to the ground! The hurricane they had formed vanished with a shudder of the air, their split corpses falling gracelessly to the ground! ¡°Oh¡­¡± the Summoner said as he nodded his head. ¡°As dangerous as I thought¡­¡± Natalika didn¡¯t bask in this small victory as she knew that the man before her was simply probing. His portal was still open and Natalika could pretty much see that she was in for the long haul but she didn¡¯t intend to tolerate an enemy whose sole capability was to spam summoned creatures. That was¡­ boring in her tastes. ¡°Let¡¯s turn it up, heh!¡± the man said as more mana churned from him, the portal before him opening wider asrger ravens sted from it, their size being double that of the average human being! Their wings were ratherrge and their flight rather impactful and incredibly fast at the same time, their bodies shining with a solid cover of mana from white and blue cores! Hundreds of these appeared, emitting loud calls that reverberated through the ground like tremors. Natalika was unfazed as all this registered in her senses. She grabbed her sword this time as the monstrosities approached in their hundreds, half of them going to start darting around her to a create a catastrophically violent tornado, while the rest remained on stand by, flying stably at a distance as they awaited Natalika¡¯s next move. Within the fierce winds, Natalika remained rtively unscathed as an encirclement of mana was around her, warding off the cruel winds. Her earlier stunt of instantly dispatching the other ravens was proudly sponsored by the basic nature of her sword technique. The ability to manipte vectors of concentrated force that she created or otherwise! Being around these vicious winds wasn¡¯t a threat to her in any way, though in her base, it could be overwhelming if all the ravens set out to attack at once with this wind attack. As she grabbed her sword, ready to attack, she suddenly felt something odd outside the cage of wind. ¡°Hmmm?¡± A ridiculously fast object darted from near Ginie¡¯s location, bolting forward in a straight line as it tore through thirty odd ravens instantly before reaching the Summoner who had noticed the build up and release of this object a little toote! ¡®What?!¡¯ the Summoner thought as his eyes bulged. BOOOWOOOM! The object flew at him so quickly that the only thing he remembered from the moment it reached him was an absurd shockwave that ruptured the ground, sending a chilling and painful vibration around his body as a sh had happened in that very moment without him seeing it! The Summoner flew over three meters away and skidded on the ground with sweat dripping from his body. Around him, the ghostly figure of his protector had appeared, reacting to the quick flying object that hadunched towards him! The Summoner turned his eyes this way and that in a panic, but saw nothing, feeling only faint wisps of something that was flying around erratically in an attempt to confuse his senses. ¡®What on Aigas is that?!¡¯ he thought before turning his hand to the location where the thing hade from! A long distance away, even further than where he had seen a short girl with a staff whom he deemed insignificant, a young man with auburn coloured hair could be seen, extending his hand while in a bnced stance that had his feet spread apart. ¡®Him?!¡¯ the Summoner thought. ¡®Is¡ª¡± Before he could continue his next thought, another explosion rocked the ground with his figure being sent flying forward, as this time whatever the thing was that assaulted him came from the back! The creature around him appeared and tried to swat the dark object away but the result was a ridiculous explosion of force with the oue being survival and not much else! The Summoner leaned forward, his portal closing as he had lost focus, but he didn¡¯t mind that, instead bellowing angrily towards the ravens he had summoned. ¡°Kill him!¡± The hundreds of ravens that weren¡¯t part of the attack on Natalika stormed towards Skullius with blitzful speed! They flooded Skullius¡¯ view as they approached, creating a rather menacing scene! ¡®Good. With this, he probably won¡¯t be able to¡ª¡¯ Once more, the Summoner was interrupted, the dark object smashing into his side as itunched him a distance! However, this wasn¡¯t all. Not by a long shot! He was silenced and perturbed by something else. The reign of brutality he saw before him, over fifty of his ravens that had targeted Skullius getting blown to bloody bits that oozed of flesh and feather, as this young man with auburn hair became covered with a shallowyer of darkness, both his hands swinging quickly as he twiddled his fingers as well, as if he was the Herald of death, directing it to whom he pleased¡­! Chapter 276 This Is It...! The Summoner tumbled on the ground as he heard the flood of innards and blood from his summoned creatures crash onto the ground with stters, his body regaining its bnce a momentter, as he looked forward with bulging eyes. What was this?! As an Energy Former, it was both a disgrace and a unneeded fear to have objects approach without him being privy to them! Wasn¡¯t he supposed to sense such things with rity?! Would he only be reduced to defence, eternally doomed to look to his back like a dog?! Ridiculous! Skullius who was a distance away was giving his all into focusing on the objects he had created. [Beads of Malevolence]! ~~~ [Bead of Malevolence | Lv.3] A high performance orb created bypressing Evil Darkness and sustaining it in a spherical shape. Its primary use is for high speed attacks and its integrity cannot be broken by means that do not scale up to its quality and strength. Mana Requirements: 350 Mana Points Duration: Five minutes. Cooldown: None ~~~ The product of his hellish routine with [Crude World Projection]! Skullius had taken the opportunity to smack the Summoner off his game after seeing that he was focusing on the attacks he was throwing at Natalika. Potent attacks, that he admitted would be difficult to deal with for him as even now, the mighty gust of wind from therge ravens reached even his position, rustling his armour and hair. The [Bead of Malevolence] possessed incredible speed that he exploited to the max, but it was unfortunate that the ghost around the Summoner could react nomatter how fast he made the bead travel.. When the Summoner hadunched the ravens at him, Skullius had instantly summoned more darkness to cover his body, as this, just as he had done before when fighting the Obscene Stalker Ghouls, could partially increase his physical attributes as a watered down version of the effect from [Perfect Night Domain]. He had went on to create a second [Bead of Malevolence] twiddling his fingers as he manipted both beads faster, culling the ravens that were on their way with one, while smacking the Summoner with other! The dark bead darted around the clustered ravens at immense speed, shredding them mercilessly! [You have killed (IV) LV41 Wind Wraith Raven. 689,000 Exp awarded] [You have killed (IV) LV23 Wind Wraith Raven. 567, 000 Exp awarded] ¡­ Many notifications of the deaths of ravens appeared in his view but Skullius didn¡¯t pay them any mind. This wasn¡¯t the time as he was straining himself to keep up with speed of flight of the ravens, which was impossible to deal with entirely as the over half that remained finally reached him in the next moment, squawking with seemingly angry calls as they sought to pierce him with their mana covered beaks! Skullius immediately activated [Bolt Through] as the creatures approached, the skill from his armour saving his null-ish life as it turned him permeable with a transparent look to him! The basis of the effect was that his armour would be moving at rapid speeds to allow him to avoid danger, the effectsting roughly five seconds. Skullius used those seconds ordingly! He moved the [Bead of Malevolence] at shocking speed, the object bursting to work at his fingers¡¯ call as it shredded quite a bit more of the tens of ravens, whichted Skullius more experience! The raging winds from the ravens that bombarded the ground with their masses as they sought to impale him would have definitely fleshed Skullius up if not for [Bolt Through], but he didn¡¯t focus on this! As the effect of [Bolt Through] faded, Skullius hadpletely wiped out these ravens which seemed to only depend on a singr attack with limited intelligence of their own. For Tier 4s, Skullius found them to be very weak. Or rather, they were easy to fight against. However, when he thought about it, it seemed to make a bit of sense. These creatures seemed to be summoned from an odd space where they lived only among themselves. Would they be wise enough to attack with anything outside of their expertise? It also seemed to be an effect of the environment, as stats and attributes could be affected by where one lived. Furthermore¡­ ¡®Is this guy the one responsible for all those creatures we¡¯ve been encountering?¡¯ Skullius thought as he steadied himself, gazing at the rattled Summoner. The Summoner himself had been watching Skullius¡¯ entire massacre with a creased set of brows. He only now discovered that his perception had been poor. ¡®I assumed there was some kind of specialist in the group, heh. Probably either the Tamer over there or the other woman fighting Tomin. However, this man with a white core I saw as insignificant seems to be the specialist who broke apart Gwendelina¡¯s formation up top. Is he also a Mage?¡¯ the Summoner thought as he scrutinised Skullius and his gear. ¡®Did he wear that armour to hide his true ss?¡¯ Indeed Skullius¡¯ clothing didn¡¯t exactly scream Mage and would lead many to believe that he was a Swordsman or an Assassin instead but the Summoner was thinking outside the box. SHHHHING! A prolonged resounding de¡¯s call whistling against the wind sounded, its appearance apanied by a stretch of madly tangling lines that glowed with a white lustre! It came from the literal storm quaking from where the ravens flew around Natalika! And then¡­ Like the parting of a dark sea, the raging winds split open, their murky surge being tinted with a blood red hue that exploded into heavy chunks that fell all around! The ravens were ughtered instantly, Natalika walking out of the rain of blood with her hand on her katana. She then bolted forward, her figure looking like a warped image that extended over to the Summoner instantly! ¡®Demented Blindsword Technique: Sharp Step Kill!¡¯ Natalika sword swung down madly over the Summoner whose loyal defender instantly reacted, pping away at Natalika¡¯s sword! This time though, even as her attack was struck away, Natalika¡¯s figure warped again, curving around the Summoner like an elongated, multi-coloured rubber band andunching another sword strike! The Summoner gritted his teeth as he stretched out his hand, using the time when his ghostly associate blocked this attack once again to focus his mana and summon another portal. Natalika noticed his movement, her de bing quicker and quicker as sparks flew with each and every one of her omnidirectional attacks where she turned into a warped figure and delivered an attack mercilessly! The ghostly remained visible, its hands blurring as it sought to defend against all the attacks from Natalika! The sparks that flew with these countless exchanges almost seems to ignite a fire around the three figures, and with the prolonged attacks from a relentless Natalika, came an opening! The ghost-like figure of the creature around the Summoner started to turn dull with its extended exposure, its grey colour turning darker as the stretched out eye with the purple hue on its mass started to close, as if wiry! ¡®Right there!¡¯ Natalika thought as she sensed the creature¡¯s energy wane, its weakness exposed! Her de tasted the flesh of the Summoner for the first time, shing from his shoulder to his abdomen in a cruel diagonal cut as the Discount Casper finally failed to dodge a strike! The Summoner grunted as the portal he had been about to form behind him, crackled and started to break apart! The ghostly figure around his body suddenly jutted forward with a quick dash, wrapping its arms around Natalika before pushing away in ast attempt at protecting its Summoner! ¡­! The swordswoman was surprised by this sudden move and with this little opening, the Summoner gained more conviction, ignoring his pain from the bloody gash on his torso as he pumped more mana into the red portal behind him! OOOM! A red glow shone from behind him as the portal opened! Space trembled as the portal stabilised, something darting from the gateway which led to another ne entirely! ¡°Kill them all!¡± the Summoner said with his sweaty appearance, showing desperation as he gnashed his teeth! The figure that dashed out of the portal headed straight for Natalika who noticed its overwhelming intensity and its¡­ atrocious speed in foggy detail! The ghostly creature that had pushed her away from the Summoner vanished, making way for five ws that ripped through Natalika before she could even gasp! The swordswoman saw and felt nothing as the sensation of having five deep gashes that cut from the side of her right eye to her right arm only registered after she heard the loud thumps of a heavy creaturending from its atrociously fast movement four meters behind her! Blood dripped from her wounds as she staggered, supporting herself with her sword as she knelt, taking deep breaths! Fast! That was the word that roamed in her mind as her blindfold which had been cut by the ws of the creature fell off! Her robe was also torn off on the right side and it became stained in her blood. Behind her, arge wolf with thick furs of red and ck appeared! It had a height of nearly two and a half meters, its body radiated an energy that warped the space around it right after it settled its feet on the ground from the extreme speed dash! It had a ferocious face with glowing red eyes, a ghastly long scar parading across its face, constantly changing shape as the creature growled! What looked like curved brown horns protruded from its shoulders, a long tail with a steel-like shine swinging from the creature¡¯s end! The Summoner grinned while on the other side, Skullius froze. Not from fear. But because two things struck his mind in the following seconds. He sucked in a deep breath. First¡­ Holy crap! He hadn¡¯t even seen the creature exit the portal and attack Natalika! All he had seen was its appearance a distance from the woman, blood spattering a moment after itnded! ¡®Its too fast¡­¡¯ was Skullius¡¯ verbal reaction as he swallowed hard in one moment, his visage full with shock and apprehension. Then¡­ ¡®Fast¡­?¡¯ Skullius looked at therge wolf and it suddenly clicked in his mind. Yes! Yes it was! It truly was fast! This was it! Finally! It was here! Unconsciously, he performed an action he hadn¡¯t done before in all his Null life. He licked his lips¡­ in greed! Hell yeah! It would be a difficult task but who cared?! Fortune favoured those who fought for it through bitter circumstances! This¡­ was going to be his next Apostle! Skullius¡¯ eyes burned with passion as his arms prepared to swing the flesh out of the [Beads of Malevolence] until he got a corpse from this powerful creature! However, a bright sh of golden light interrupted his thoughts from the distance. The Discount Human didn¡¯t need to turn to it like everyone else as he already knew what it was. ¡®This sockethole of justice really loves rescuing females, doesn¡¯t he..?¡¯ ¡ª -Author¡¯s Note- [Ding] [Ah! Mashu_Berusutora has donated thrice to the novel! I¡¯m heavily inspired! +2 chapters as at 19/07] ! Chapter 277 Prisma Avaris OverMould! A golden light made the figure of a certain individual known as it rose from the ground to the sky! Everyone momentarily had their eyes stolen by this image that refused to let them ignore its existence, yet the glimmering light that everyone except Skullius expected to hold a unique power they could feel, didn¡¯t have anything of the sort. Instead, it only served to show that Red Rage, had activated his skill¡­ [Incandescent Attire of the Omnipotent Pelvis-Hegemon]! Quite the mouthful. Arge cape draped from behind Red Rage, fluttering as if it was blown by the wind. It exceeded his height in length, and along with its appearance came two thick bracers and greaves that even with their semi-corporeal look, seemed heavy, a majestic chest te resting over Red Rage¡¯s chest. The chest te had two shoulder pads that formed the designs of creatures like hybrids of lions and foxes at the centre of the chest te and not the ¡®U¡¯ and ¡®T¡¯ as it was when the skill was still [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire]! Instead now there was a trident-like symbol that reached to the end of the chestte, the same design being over the greaves and bracers. All these parts, still forming an iplete Attire thatcked a helm and other pieces toplete the set, held a beauty as if they were made by neatly arranged golden diamonds with bits of multiple colours swirling within each. Particles like gold-coloured glitter constantly rose in droves from Red Rage, rising upwards as they appeared while a re-like halo surrounded this profound hero. (A/N: Really needed to make the design clear). Gertreld and Tomin who were closest to Red Rage who floated at least ten meters above ground were stunned, especially Tomin who threw away his belittling of this new figure. In the next moment, Red Rage looked down with his blue and ck helm that was sted on the sides with golden highlights from his new armament.. He pointed his finger at Tomin usingly, a surprisingly authoritative voice leaking from behind the helm as it dered with power¡­! With rebuke! ¡°Petty fool with no regard for honour or respect. Even in a battle against a female, you fail to hold back and maintain the sanctity of her figure even in her defeat! For shame, fellow male, for shame!¡± ¡®The hell?¡¯ Tomin raised his brow. His figure which had been shortened and altered by Gertreld¡¯s attacks shrunk a little from the deration. He had already gotten into a stance preparing for a brutal fight but was met with poking words instead. Gertreld cocked her head at Red Rage¡¯s bold statement, confused. ¡°For the crime of failing to keep the sanctity of the breast and curve of my benefactor¡¯s beloved, I, Prisma Avaris OverMould, shall deliver Magisterial Justice without pardon! I¡¯lsoountforyourevilschemeoverthisworldandpunishyouordingly RHAAAAA!¡± another deration was made, the ster light around Red Rage firing all around as he cocked back to charge! Gertreld held her chest, feeling strangely touched by Red Rage¡¯s words. Tomin frowned as he held his hands up in w like gestures, while in his mind, he sought justice for himself. ¡®Seriously? This is a battle of ideals here. How can I not attack with the intent to kill even if its a woman? Wait, I don¡¯t have to justify my actions!¡¯ he thought. Skullius who was a distance away, about to begin with his n twitched as he heard Red Rage¡¯s deration. This wasn¡¯t his first time hearing the new name and the new personality that Red Rage would acquire when he used this skill, but he shuddered when he found this sockethole to truly be eerily like Tulnas. VUUM! A bright re of gold shuttled down as Red Rage, no, Prisma shot towards Tomin below! The Evenfall Middle Circle member roared as mana churned from him in droves, his Full Body Aura, much like everyone else¡¯s which could only be used once a day, firing up with excessive strength! The golden figure of Prisma which emitted kes of gold was incredibly fast, reaching him with two outstretched fists that Tomin firmly held onto in a grapple! SHABOOM! A ringly shockwave blew out, the ground pounding inwards in perfect circle, then again and again and again as the two descended with their staggering force hammering against the hard crust! Tomin opened his eyes wide! ¡®This man¡­ his physical strength is immense! Or is it his weight?!¡¯ he thought as he actually found himself arching back, his figure being overpowered by the flying Prisma whose velocity seemed to support him in this situation! Prisma¡¯s eyes which red with a blue light from behind the helm twinkled with a confident light and when Tomin noticed this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel belittled. This being was still a white core existence! How could be overpowered so casually?! ¡®Infinite Instance¡­!¡¯ Tomin thought as he used his blessing to turn the grapple contest on its head! While his blessing could be said to be overpowered, it was very limited when it came to situations where he tried to createplex instances that broke basic universalws. For example, right now! Tomin¡¯s figure blurred as shockingly, he instantly overpowered Prisma, pushing the golden-caped figure into the dirt underneath with a staggering amount of force! Tomin had created multiple instances when he used the full burst of his strength to push back against Prisma! The effect was akin to multiplying his strength in an instant, or when one used thebination of a quick downward force and full burst of strength at once to win in a game of arm wrestling! The thing was, he could only perform less than ten instances at once with things like this, as it was vastly different from creating multiple instances where he just punched like before. Tomin scoffed at Prisma¡¯s figure he had locked in an arm grapple under him, and prepared to finish this fight when¡­ ¡°Petty fool. You think the star of a y would die in the first act? Think again!¡± Prisma said with a voice that utterly irritated Tomin who ground his teeth. Yet, Prisma¡¯s words were not baseless. The lengthy and beautifully designed trident on his chestte which emitted endless golden kes shone with splendour, lighting up Tomin¡¯s face! No sound came, but a gush of blinding white light poured from the trident, maintaining its shape as it proceeded to st Tomin up at breakneck speed! The body of Prisma sank further into the ground while Tomin flew up, his clothes being ignited by the bright light of this attack! Prisma squinted the socket mes behind his helm as when Tomin smashed into the ceiling of this cavernous space, he found that the man¡¯s body had not taken any damage to fulfill the requirement for his shy skill, [Foolmaker]! ¡®A shame¡­ It seems his strength is a bit more than I thought¡­¡¯ Prisma thought. This was to be expected from a Peak Advancement Stage Form User. Only Tomin¡¯s clothes had beenpleted burnt away, his figure left naked as the man didn¡¯t seem fazed at all, pushing against the tough ceiling andnding on the ground where Prisma also floated from the hole the two had made and stood a short distance away from this opponent. Gertreld couldn¡¯t help but size up Tomin¡¯s body and proportions silently,paring them to Tulnas¡¯. She silently snickered as she gushed over Tulnas being far better than this man but then shook her head, her mind turning to n over how she could exploit the current situation. Prisma on the other hand didn¡¯t keep his opinion to himself. ¡°Hmph! Petty fool! You are so foolish that all your brawn goes to your muscle and none to your feeble mortal serpent? Yourck respect for your third leg as well?! I shall add that to your punishment!¡± Tomin got really annoyed at these words. As someone who had little sense of purpose other than to be a follower, he didn¡¯t care for much else other than getting important things done. Tomin¡¯s body red with a milky white light as he dashed forward with a hook punch prepared, the ground exploding from his selfunch! Prisma bolted ahead, using a short burst of flight to elerate his movement towards his enemy, a hook also prepared at his right hand! OOOM! Even though it was clear that Tomin had a massive advantage in strength, anyone watching the scene would be shocked to find that the golden figure emitting ever-rising kes of the same hue seemed equally powerful! A shockwave of raw power exploded right before the exchange of two full power hook punches ensued! Suddenly, Prisma changed his posture at thest second switching from his offensive posture to using his cape which seemed to influence his flight heavily, to barely dodge the cataclysmic fisting his way as he stepped to the side! ¡­! Tomin frowned. Prisma then turned, grabbing Tomin¡¯s hand from the shoulder while simultaneously kicking up his right leg to throw him off bnce! Tomin found himself in the air from these two short moves that were executed with expert precision, his body being mmed into the ground thereafter! ¡®That¡¯s¡­a genuine technique¡­!¡¯ he thought, but his thoughts were interrupted by a heavy knee that sat over his arm, a weighty punch descending on his face with strange glint of power. A skill! BOOOM! The punch rocked the ground underneath as Tomin¡¯s face sank further in, a golden pulse of energy glowing over the ground! Hero¡¯s Fist! ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] I¡¯ve decided to make this so that it bes easier for those interested in supporting me in a more¡­ financial form to do so and know what they will be rewarded with. A more, organised setup, if I may. ¡ª Gift worth/s 500+ coins | +2 chaps Gift worth/s 1000+ coins | +4 chaps All super gifts | +8 chapters If you¡¯re interested, support for more chapters! Chapter 278 Unlimited Hands! ~~~ [Incandescent Attire of the Omnipotent Pelvis-Hegemon | Lv.2] The Majestic attire of the very First Pelvis Man variant, a true pir of Dictatorial Justice in the ¡®^%#%!¡¯ is summoned with the activation of the skill to further bolster the image and power of the Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s figure. -Effects- ?Greatest Defense ?Greatest Physical Damage Refraction ?+500 Strength ?Limited Flight ?Descent of ¡®Prisma Avaris OverMould¡¯ ¡ª [Skill: Weight of the Hegemon] The attire carries the same weight as that of the Hegemon¡¯s words, making carry corresponding weight and power, while being incredibly light for the Pelvis-Hegemon. ¡ª. [Skill: Foolmaker] ¡­. -The iplete suit is summoned by default when no Null Life Essence is applied- Mana Requirements: None, Null Essence required Duration: 5 minutes Cooldown: 12 hours ~~~ A skill that had reached the very peak! The aspects of this skill, which werebelled as effects, reflected the fact that this skill was in itsst stretch of strength and when it reached level 10, it would be unable to grow any further within the white core category. It had to ascend into a Special one! [Hero¡¯s Fist] which was more geared towards taking down enemy defences pounded into Tomin¡¯s face, wrestling against his Full Body Aura which did its best to resist any damage! And surely, it did well to avoid much of the damage that would have been caused by Prisma¡¯s punch, the golden blow that pulsed on the ground from the attack not amounting to much! Tomin pushed himself from the ground, grabbing Prisma¡¯s armoured thigh which had been pressing on his arm to keep him still so he could swallow the punch. He swung Prisma as he locked his arm to firmly hold the limb, bashing his elbow with a crisp impact into Prisma¡¯s helm which got dented from the force! He then raised the Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s Body, gripping both of Prisma¡¯s thighs before mming the golden figure into the ground! Plumes of dust and dirt rose, but the naked figure of Tomin didn¡¯t stop there, cocking his arm as he then flung a powerful straight punch at Prisma¡¯s chest! BOOOM! Prisma¡¯s chest te cracked like ss, more bursts of golden kes rising up into the air from the damage! Tomin¡¯s increased strength from his Aura was too much for the armour to handle! Ripples of shock ran through the ground but Tomin creased his brow as he noticed a strange phenomenon from the feedback in his fist! ¡®That¡¯s strange¡­ the power from my punch seemed to just¡ª¡¯ Right then, Prismanded a hooked blow at Tomin¡¯s chest with a resounding p of metal against flesh bellowing into the air! BAM! Tomin was sent flying before he could figure out what had happened, his figure pitifully spinning through the air! This time, a bruise could be seen over his chest, blood gushing from his mouth as his eyes opened wide! ¡­! Tomin mmed into the cavern wall, as this battle had finally been driven to the edge! The naked man¡¯s confusion and pain was rudely interrupted by a golden glow that leaked even when he closed his eyes, approaching at an immense speed! Prisma had already flown to his position, his fist arching to abuse the crap out of him! ¡°Petty fool, you cannotprehend the sturdiness of the pelvis nor the unwavering will of my being!¡± POW! Another [Hero¡¯s Fist] was sprung into Tomin, but he didn¡¯t feel much from the attack thatnded on his face. ¡®Huh? His punches don¡¯t carry much power¡­ Then what was that earlier one?!¡¯ Tomin thought as heunched a jab at Prisma, smashing it where his golden armour was already cracking! The moment the punch connected though, a visible ripple travelling through Prisma¡¯s body as he chestte crackled some more, the Apostle flung his own fist simultaneously! BOOM! A horrendous force flew into Tomin, the man feeling once more that he was taking immense damage as his muscles reddened and bruised! ¡®Is this¡­.Is this bastard reflecting the force of my punches?!¡¯ Tomin thought as he bled. Indeed it was true. This was the effect of an aspect of Prisma¡¯s skill, [Greatest Physical Damage Refraction] which exploited Red Rage¡¯s racial abilities as the Pelvis Boar-Man! Before Tomin knew it, Prisma flung him from the wall and to the ground, but before he could taste the dirt again, a figure darted towards him with a red and pink ovepping hue surrounding it! ¡°Hihihi! I¡¯ve really lucked out! De-beautifying Fist!¡± Gertreld came flying in with a cruel knee jab into Tomin¡¯s face, the man shooting away as he grunted only to meet the flying figure of Prisma who tackled him into the ground! Tomin¡¯s height reduced further, his face turning a bit older as his skin lost its youth glow! The two mmed into the ground, Prisma quickly flying away to give way to Gertreld¡¯s figure that dropped from above a chance at the abuse, both thedies knees digging into Tomin¡¯s naked body from her descent! Her gauntlet glowed as she activated its special effect, pounding it into Tomin¡¯s face! The shortened man coughed blood as he felt his body grow immensely weak but he grunted as his eyes red, his Aura roaring with desperate intensity! Tomin saw Prisma on his way down in flight while Gertreld cocked her fist once more! ¡®She¡¯s good. Her blessing might be¡­ just what we need¡­¡¯ Tomin thought as his face which was bloodied and bruised twitched. His eye darted to Guissepo who was merely watching with a calm visage as he was bashed mercilessly like this. ¡®You¡¯re still waiting, huh¡­¡¯ *** Natalika stood with the five deep wounds that traced from her temples to her arms. Her eyelids were closed as she had now stood, throwing away her torn robes leaving only a short, dark purple dress that reached her thighs, the rest of the way to her knees being left to bandages. She breathed out and held her sword up. ¡°I really loathe Summoners¡­¡± she said to herself as she faced therge wolf that growled as it circled around her. The Summoner who had been shed by Natalika¡¯s sword cackled manically as the red portal gleamed behind him. ¡°Heheheheheh! There we go! Your confidence can¡¯t save you from me and my beasts blind girl! Let¡¯s make it even more of a challenge shall we?!¡± the Summoner yelled as multiple creatures poured from portal behind him, bearing appearances like the giant wolf but with humanoid structures. They seemed a bit weaker than the giant wolf that seemed amused by ying around with Natalika, knowing full well that she couldn¡¯t react to its movement. Natalika sighed. To the Summoner¡¯s surprise, she knelt on the ground and ced her sword across herp. She then spoke in a rather chilling voice, an overwhelmingly sharp energy gushing from her. ¡°Full Body Aura.¡± Chapter 279 Play After Play! A light blue Aura rose from Natalika as she knelt. She seemed at peace as she took steady breaths while the wavy energy around her mimicked the rhythm of her breaths. Her Aura was vastly different from that of others, not having a violent appearance that expressed extravagant power. Instead it possessed a silent and serene flow that was the personification of her as an individual. The Summoner looked apprehensively at this woman and frowned. ¡®She has some peculiar abilities that seem to not even involve her sword. I should be careful, heh,¡¯ he thought as he caressed the area before his chest. ¡®My Moonlight Apparition exposed itself for far too long. I don¡¯t think I can summon it again. Ah! To think I¡¯d lose it so soon!¡¯ Summoners had quite the unique ability when it came to their summoning. They would go into a deep sleep and be transported into some kind of hyperdream that led into different dimensions where they would see a variety of monsters. It was said that a Summoner could only ever visit one dimension, once, and thus never be able to return there again. While they were there, they possessed only a consciousness wandering through the endless differentnds , the process of which took some time to master how to prolong one¡¯s stay in said ces. The next step would be to sent one¡¯s consciousness into the mind of the creature one wanted to summon and once sessful, the Summoner ss allowed one to have a chance at having a discussion with the beast to form a contract based on mutual benefit.. The creature had the right to refuse and expel the consciousness of the Summoner as well as make demands that the Summoner would have to abide by otherwise, when they left the dimension, they would never get the chance again. On top of this, a time frame had to be established for the contract and once it was signed, the Summoner could call upon the creature at any time through a portal, a construct which required immense knowledge on how to form one¡¯s energy into the appropriate gateway for the summon. While these conditions did seem tedious, the best thing about being a Summoner was that they did NOT have a cap on the amount of contracts they could make, which was an advantage over Tamers. A hefty advantage indeed. ¡®Still! If I keep my distance and have my Devouring Lantern Wolves keep her distracted while the alpha deals her a fatal blow, I¡¯ll be fine, heh!¡¯ Behind the Summoner, nine wolves that stood on their hind feet growled. They had the same coloured fur as therge alpha wolf which had led the way out of the red portal, short horns growing on their shoulders as they howled and intimidatingly walked forward. Natalika was between therge wolf that scaled up to 2.4 meters and these nine that spread to not give her chance to escape. The blind swordswoman still didn¡¯t seem fazed as her enemies approached. In fact, her next action surprised the Summoner and his beasts! Her Full Body Aura expanded immensely, reaching a diameter of nearly two meters as it still maintained its serene and silent image with a sky blue hue tinting the ground. ..! The wolves grew vignt and took steps back, their snouts creasing up in rage and anxiety. Even the alpha took a few steps back as it sensed danger while the Summoner frowned. ¡®What kind of Aura is this? It seems too¡­calm!¡¯ At the moment when all the focus had returned to Natalika, a dark sphere bolted at breakneck speed towards therge wolf which had also been dazed! It shot from above, its barely perceptible speed showing nothing but the intent to kill! The moment the sphere reached within an inch of the giant wolf¡­ WHOOSH. A soft breeze blew, dust being the only thing that remained as the creature vanished in its entirely, appearing a distance from the dark sphere whichnded with a timid shockwave! Skullius who had prompted the attack furrowed his brow as he moved his hands to direct the another one of the [Beads of Malevolence] he had summoned to shoot towards the wolf which once again vanished as if teleporting, evading the attack! The Summoner saw this and sneered. ¡®He thinks he can act as some kind of support by taking out my Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf? Heh, fat chance!¡¯ the Summoner thought as he willed the wolf to quickly kill off Skullius. ¡®He¡¯s careless. He was a threat before I summoned my wolves, but now, he should have hidden and waited for me to lose track of his presence while fighting the blind girl! Foolish!¡¯ The alpha wolf¡¯s gleaming red eyes turned to Skullius who gave all his focus as he madly swung his arms and fingers. The dark orbs rapidly spun in the air as they darted towards the alpha wolf which vanished and reappeared each time it was about to struck by the orbs! ¡®It¡¯s fast¡­ Too fast even for my beads¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he swung his arms viciously while ayer of [Evil Darkness] coated him. Unfortunately, Skullius couldn¡¯t control the [Beads of Malevolence] without using his hands when it came toplicated routes that includedplex patterns. He had to actively cause the orbs to manoeuvre in said paths, especially when it came to tricky opponents like this. The Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf suddenly bolted towards Skullius, its body vanishing as it moved at an immense speed that was beyond Skullius¡¯prehension! The Discount Human only expected this. It was obvious that he would retain its aggro. The problem was that he didn¡¯t have a sure-fire countermeasure because after seeing its stats, he knew that even his next move wasn¡¯t 100% guaranteed to work. A vicious breeze blew from behind Skullius as he was in the middle of trying to figure out where this creature would pop up and¡­ ¡­. Fizzy blood flew as Skullius found himself and his armour torn with thick ws having literally cut through his body like sharp swords! Ginie who had sensed the precarious situation urring behind her panicked as she turned, seeing therge wolf appear with its ws sticking in the Discount Human after wing him halfway through his abdomen! There was no small amount of blood leaking from Skullius¡¯ torso, and even though his limbs were intact, he wasn¡¯t in a state one would call, fine. Ginie held herself back from helping as she had been told she would be as good as dead if she tried but¡­ She gritted her teeth and focused on the task that she herself needed to take care of whichid beyond the invisible barrier where the hooded figures were huddled. Skullius bled as therge wolf stood on its hind legs while its powerful front leg¡¯s ws slowly sawed through him! It looked to relish in this cruel act as it drooled, its maw opening unnaturally wide to reveal not the conventional tongue and gums, but an unnaturally dark space where three profound lights of different colours shed like torches, illuminating Skullius¡¯ face. Skullius who had seemed to grow limb suddenly looked up at the wolf¡¯s face with an unbothered grin as he pped his bloody hands together loudly! ¡°You¡¯re about to get the fleshing of your miserable life! Perfect Night Domain!¡± he crazily yelled as an abundant storm of [Evil Darkness] flooded from the his torn body and created an expansive cube that perfectly hid the two¡­! Chapter 280 Kill The Wolf! (1) As therge cube appeared, the [Perfect Night Domain], its presence demanded for all eyes to at least give it a nce. One particr party was especially interested in this new development, the Mage who was battling Tulnas, shes of lightning bursting from around her without her making any gestures turned to the scene. The arching loud bolts she emitted sought out Tulnas who dashed to and fro while being covered by Bradd¡¯s waves of sand. ¡®So that¡¯s the Mage. He didn¡¯t seem like much before. What is that? A shadow element affinity? No, this feels different. Less¡­ boring¡­¡¯ the Mage, whose name had been said to be Gwendelina said as she gazed at the [Perfect Night Domain] in the distance. She was slowly losing interest in the game that Tulnas was ying as he had simply been wasting time while monitoring everyone¡¯s battles, making sure everyone was ¡®fine¡¯. He was buying time in a way, but then again, Gwendelina wouldn¡¯t stop him either as she was toozy to engage seriously with him if this was all he had to offer. Now, both Tulnas and her turned to the cube, the Guild leader wondering what Skullius would do next. Gwendelina lifted her hand from under the gold and ck robes, its slender appearance looking particrly beautiful as its movement became traced by an arc of white lightning that she then directed towards the [Perfect Night Domain]! The arc flew unhindered, with its appearance lightning up the area as it reached therge, dark construct in an instant! BZZTT! BZzzz¡­ The lightning bolt smashed into the [Perfect Night Domain] but shockingly, it fizzled out, sparks being the only thing that remained until even those little embers died down. ¡°Fascinating¡­¡± the Mage¡¯s eyes lit up as she smiled lightly. A pir of sand shot towards Gwendelina, however, a magic formation sprung before her and warded away the sand. ¡°It¡¯s not a good habit to divert your attention from your opponent Miss Mage¡­¡± Tulnas said from a distance with his taunting smile online over his facialwork.. ¡°You¡¯ve been ying a boring game. Why don¡¯t you try to make me take you seriously?¡± Gwendelina retorted with an apathetic expression. ¡°Sure¡­¡± Tulnas gave a sinct answer as he started fighting seriously. * Darkness. This was all the that alpha wolf saw. A pitch ck darkness from which nothing could be seen, nothing could be heard and nothing could be smelt. It felt a powerful suppression that sought to trample over its might, limiting its speed and power but it persisted to fight against this, running around the darkness as it tried to somehow find a way to escape. Skullius who was still in a torn state watched from the distance, his vision having much rity to spare. ¡°[Luminous Healing].¡± A surge of energy ravaged Skullius¡¯ body, beginning to heal his wounds as a vast amount of strength almost overwhelmed his being as he was now in the [Perfect Night Domain]. He was empowered by the darkness and he enjoyed the feeling of overwhelming power with a satisfied sigh. Given the circumstances, Skullius immediately rushed to attack the wolf which was not privy to his position as it darted around. He hurried to attack because while his [Perfect Night Domain] was a great trap that dismantled one¡¯s senses, rendering their ability to navigate and perceive danger useless, he was unable to move it. It¡¯s limited size culled his ability to make it an infinitely more perfect trap that would loop an enemies movements. Additionally, the skill wasn¡¯t geared towards holding things within and thus, if the wolf just started to bolt in one direction, even with its suppressed speed, it could eventually reach the outside of the darkness! To all this off¡­ ~~~ [ Name : None ] [ Tier : 5 ] [ Level : 76 ] [ Race : Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf ] [ Inv. Status : Confused ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength (I) : 60 (Empowered) ] [Agility (I) : 170 (Empowered) ] [ Intelligence (I) : 55 (Empowered) ] [ Endurance (I) : 42 (Empowered) ] [ Luck : 58 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 12,000/12,000 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana (I) : 1511/1511 ] ~~~ A Tier 5 creature! This was Skullius¡¯ first time seeing something like this! It was a powerful monster too! This creature¡¯s stats were simply insane and it also had the tag much like the other creatures he had faced, possessing simr enhancements. All this ounted for, Skullius had to take care of the wolf quickly! But first¡­ ¡®Radiant Awakening!¡¯ Skullius entire body turned bright, waves of light emitting from it like a miniature sun, the darkness around not quelling its brilliance! He had activated the cluster of skills that he eventually wanted to turn into a singr skill, his body crackling with power that was further bolstered by the fact that he already had an 80% increase in his physicality! His figure darted like a shooting star towards the ckish-red furred wolf that didn¡¯t sense his speedy approach at all! Skullius leapt up and brought down his fist onto the head of the wolf, the creature grunting in pain as it plummeted to the ground without any additional effects supporting this in the domain! He leapt up once again,unching up high as a red glow bubbled in his palm as he cast a skill that summoned an incredibly dangerous heat! The moment a ball of vicious me fully manifested, he flung it down at the wolf which had been about to stand up! In silence, tongues of fire roared as they covered arge area, madly flowing as they leapt and roiled with their red hue, encasing the wolf at the very centre as for the first time, the creature tasted the [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]! The image below the Discount Human truly looked like hell! Skullius saw the wolf burn in the cruel mes but he wasn¡¯t done yet. He fell into the mes that didn¡¯t have any effect on him and dashed forward with his radiant figure! He grabbed the hilt to [Demion¡¯s Dance] and shed at the wolf that was burning with a basic upward sh that went from the creature¡¯s chest to the shoulder! Once again Skullius felt the sensation of death screaming from the sword as he shed with its green de, his hair rising as all his physical strength was used for the singr sh that seamlessly cut the beast¡¯s defences, its frontal leg almost beingpletely lopped off by the sharp edge! Blood poured and instantly burned from the roaring fire that was already devouring the wolf, burning away its fur without mercy as they left only charred flesh! Skullius felt a wave of weakness like before, but the sensation was mostly held back by the fact that he was supported by the domain. The Swindling Death Dance really took a lot out of him but he still felt like he wasn¡¯t using it the fullest. He drew back from the mes and watched as the wolf bled and screamed silently, its visage making strange expressions as the me took effect. ¡®That¡¯s it?¡¯ he thought as he felt something wrong. Skullius didn¡¯t think he would ever say something like this, but¡­ ¡®That was too easy¡­¡¯ As the me¡¯s scope was limited by the darkness within the domain, Skullius waited, looking intently at the scene before him. Then¡­ ¡®Of course you wouldn¡¯t die just like that,¡¯ he said as he saw from therge wolf¡¯s head, a purple eye opening up as it went on to look directly at him! ¡ª- -Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora- Chapter 281 Kill The Wolf! (2) Skullius backed away further in the dark as the eye sprouted. It twitched with an unsightly squirm as the purple iris constricted and focused on him even in this darkness! ¡®The heck?¡¯ Skullius thought as he reignited his ¡®Radiant Awakening¡¯ preparing to attack, however¡­ The burning wolf suddenly rose and opened its mouth wide. The spots of lights that glowed bright within its mouth had the hues of green, red and white positioned in a triangr formation. They had a saturated glow, lighting up the peculiar dark space within the wolf¡¯s mouth that was akin to a lonely void. The green light shone with a brighter intensity than the other two and in the next moment it overshadowed the others with its luminance, growing into something akin to a bright green gem that revolved within the creature¡¯s maw! The wolf instantly chomped down on this gem, a verdant brilliance covering the entire wolf immediately! What followed was something Skullius didn¡¯t expect, as the wolf went on to jerk and shudder, its body suddenly releasing a unique sh of white mana that pushed the mes away from its body, its flesh that had been burnt and torn by his sword and me ballooning to growth right then! The ckish-red fur regrew and the wolf looked lively again, having driven away the mes.. Skullius frowned as he held [Demion¡¯s Dance], his shy figure bursting forward to decapitate the wolf before it did what it fully recovered! The moment the sword whistled out of its sheath again, Skullius felt more of his strength being used as every grain of power he had was sucked in by the de as he bulleted ahead and swung with all his might! The darkness around him trembled from the aura of death that sprang within Skullius¡¯ body, energising him further! His hair rose and he felt the sword wiggle with glee as it tore through the neck of therge wolf easily, the head of the creature flying off without much resistance! Skullius only stopped in his tracks after he was six meters away from the body of the wolf that was surrounded by his dying me! As he finished his shy attack, Skullius slumped as his ¡®Radiant Awakening¡¯ died down, revealing his detailed image. He felt heavy from the discount exhaustion he felt and frankly, he didn¡¯t feel secure still. He turned to the body of the wolf, the severed neck still leaking blood and saw¡­. ¡®Come on bro?!¡¯ Instead of the slumping body that he expected to see, Skullius saw the stump left in the wake of his sword¡¯s strike tumble and bulge before flesh ballooned from it, rapidly shaping itself from being a nasty lump of pink veiny flesh, into the wolf¡¯s furry head! Regeneration! High level regeneration at that! The wolf this time didn¡¯t dally, opening its mouth while to reveal in the dark space within, two spots of light of the colours red and white, appearing blinkingly in parallel positions to each other! The red light suddenly bulked up, bing what seemed like a red shiny gem which the wolf instantly chomped down on! The moment the wolf did, Skullius had a really bad feeling. To back up this sensation, the purple eye at the forehead of the wolf glowed bright, pulsing with a thick surge of Primus while the wolf emitted visible swaths of glowing steam from its mouth while its belly drooped as if something had suddenly appeared in its stomach! The wolf¡¯s purple eye faced Skullius and before the Discount Human could even think to make a move, the beast opened its mouth unnaturally wide, something flooding out of it with a horrifyingly sinister force! A massive st of energy like a stream of pressurised steaming water erupted from the wolf¡¯s mouth, bearing a dark red hue that foretold of nothing but destruction! As the [Perfect Night Domain] fed Skullius everything that happened within this space, the Discount Human felt the stream of energy that headed towards him plough through the surrounding [Evil Darkness], augmented heavily by the purple eye that supplied to it Primus energy! As Skullius was inplete control of the domain, his intent could prompt the darkness to do his bidding, unlike with the [Bead of Malevolence]! He was catapulted upwards by the darkness and he felt himself barely escape the stream of destructive energy that nearly grazed his legs but destroyed everything else in a clear line! The force he was flung with was so intense that he exited the domain from above, his figure appearing in the outside space where crackles of lightning, waves of sand and shes of gold flickered in his peripheral vision. Below, his darkness suddenly ruptured at its end, a burst of red energy obliterating much of the domain easily! The beam of energy was relentless as it went on to pound on the wall on the other side, demolishing its integrity! The [Perfect Night Domain] started to break down as its source, Skullius, was no longer within maintaining it. But this was of no consequence as Skullius had more moves up his sleeve! He would still hammer on attacks before the wolf waspletely freed from the remnants of darkness. [Crude World Projection]! A dark figure streamed from out of Skullius¡¯ body, tearing through the air as it looked down, it¡¯s shape vaguely looking like a human¡¯s with creases and depression that outlined Skullius¡¯ body. The Discount Human waved his hands in an authoritative fashion, the darkness which remained suddenly bing lively again as it rushed towards the body of the wolf that was starting to get exposed from the disappearing domain! It formed arge encirclement that started topress and nket around the broken domain as Skullius¡¯ dark figure brought his hands together as if he was gripping the distant darkness himself, moulding it as he saw fit! The dark shuddered as itpressed and ovepping on itself, Skullius¡¯ intent being to capture the darn thing he had surrounded with the darkness and figure out a way to kill it in the next few seconds! ¡®Now. All that¡¯s left is to¡­ what?¡¯ ¡­! No way. Impossible. Skullius quivered for a brief moment even in this form as shockingly, he found that the wolf was not in his nket of darkness! He had trapped nothing but air! His senses drew him to turn his head upwards, and for the Null Life of him he could barely believe it when he saw five ws darting down from the red-furred creature that looked down at him with three bloodthirsty eyes! Skullius was frozen for a fraction of a moment from shock but he was prompted to act only when the wolf opened its expansive mouth, steam brimming from it as a stream of energy coagted in its gut ready to fire in the next instant! ¡®Flesh me sideways!¡¯ Skullius thought begrudging. ¡ª -Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora- -Author¡¯s Note- [Ding] [Ah! Mashu_Berusutora has donated greatly to the novel! I¡¯m heavily inspired! +2 chapters as at 21/07] ! Chapter 282 Kill The Wolf! (3) Fast! Absurdly fast! This was all Skullius could think of as he looked at the impending doom that wasing for him! How on earth could this sockethole he had seen to still be trapped in the remnants of his [Perfect Night Domain] be up here with him?! What kind of speed was this?! Skullius knew full well that the stats of those with blue mana cores had ten times more weight than those of white cored individuals but holy crap! He could only watch as the five ws swiped down at him at a speed faster than his ability to call forth the darkness on the ground while at the same time, the st of energy was ready to deal the finishing blow! SWISH! Five steel-like ws dug down as they held concentrated traces of mana within them, and¡­ ¡­! They passed right through Skullius, failing to do him any harm at all! That¡¯s right! Physical attacks, didn¡¯t really work on him. Or rather, this was the first time Skullius had been attacked while in this form so he was also finding this out! The Discount Human¡¯s glee didn¡¯t even register as right after the wolf discovered the futility of its first attack, it released the second as Skullius was starting to descend at his top speed! VOOOM! Like a burst of artificially collected energy firing from a canon, a stream of highly concentrated red power beamed from the wolf¡¯s mouth,aiming for Skullius without pause! ¡®Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind as sweat tried to appear over this Projected form of his! The best that the Discount Human could do at this moment, was try to inch to the side to minimise damage!. Physical attacks may not work, but this one seemed to be able to do him harm, as it had done to his domain, courtesy of the purple eye! FZHHH! Before Skullius had gone and done what he set to in detail, theser-like stream of energy razed through him! The Discount Human actively felt something of his being blown away, disintegrated from existence without the pain he expected! As this urred, the Discount Human pulled his utmost concentration to try and draw himself towards his body which was thankfully, not in the line of direct fire after havingnded just now! Skullius was drawn back into his body, his dark form which was fragmenting as it barely had limbs and a head left, darting in! The st of energy mmed into the ground, causing a ripple of energy that pushed Skullius¡¯ body away, flinging it with bits of damage into the distance as his dark Projected self swiftly got absorbed into it! ¡°Ah!¡± The moment Skullius¡¯ Projected form sank in, his Discount Human form exploded with extreme damage from the chest to his abdomen, blood leaking everywhere as it stained his armour! ¡­! Skullius copsed as he felt his flesh turn into mush, the only thing that remained being his right arm where his torso was concerned! His legs detached from the rest of his body as he plummeted on the dirt and stared wide eyed into the air. ¡®The hell happened?!¡¯ he thought as he blinked, but his mind raced as the urgency of the situation still registered. Right. Now it made sense. One thing that wasn¡¯t rted to his soul as he had thought before was probably his Insurgent Magnus powers. Or rather, the Fruit of World Myths! The darn thing was in his body, attached to his Discount Human form in some way that wasn¡¯t exactly physical. It was now clear to Skullius why using Enriching gems boosted his ability tost longer with [Crude World Projection]! Because it was tied to his physical body in one way channel where increased constitution allowed him to use the Fruit of World Myths more effectively! ¡®Great. This revtion won¡¯t help me though! I only have a few points of mana remaining anyway!¡¯ Skullius bombed himself as he perused over his limited options. It didn¡¯t help that he also felt extremely heavy from using [Swindling Death Dance] and considering the state of his body, he highly doubted that Luminous Healing could handle this amount of damage especially with his limited mana. With his hand which was mostly functional, he gripped [Demion¡¯s Dance] and immediately used the skill that had the weird name. ~~~ [Skill: Irisa You Whore] The remnants of the unfaithful Irisa shower the user with healing light meant for her side lovers each time they sustain an injury, bringing them to full health. This effect only urs once a day. ~~~ The skill was meant to heal all physical damage he umted once a day, restoring him to perfect health. The moment he thought of the skill, Skullius almost thought to cross his fingers and hope it worked as advertised. Wait, what was crossing fingers?! GAH, dammit, this wasn¡¯t the time! With Skullius¡¯ anticipation heavily factoring in, he eagerly waited for the results. Then¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius¡­ found himself standing up. ¡°What the¡­¡± he wondered. His body was fully intact, flesh and bone all healed up with traces of blood staining his Fleeting Ghoul¡¯s Adornment. Just like that? It was as if he was an animated scene that had parts missing from when he was injured to when he was healed. Furthermore¡­ ¡°My mana! It¡¯s.. it¡¯s all back! How?!¡± he eximed. His tank was full again! Didn¡¯t the skill say it healed physical damage? Was this some kind of hidden effect or was this what the skill meant by ¡®back to full health¡¯? Skullius didn¡¯t have the time to wonder more about this as before him, the menacing wolf appearing in all its all height and intimidating mass. It drooled as it looked at him with all three eyes. Skullius gulped. He didn¡¯t have a lot of options and if he didn¡¯t y his cards right, he would be fleshed up again. WHOOSH! FFLSSHH! Skullius saw his arm fly away as the wolf vanished from sight! ¡°Dammit!¡± he cursed begrudgingly. Fizzy blood leaked out as he sustained what would normally be a fatal injury for most. The wolf appeared a distance from him, its mouth curling up as if smiling. ¡®Even with Radiant Awakening, I¡¯m not fast enough to attack this thing. Using [Perfect Night Domain]¡­ probably won¡¯t help as long it still has that eye¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. WHOOSH! A leg flew off, leaving Skullius to fall to the ground. ¡®DAMMIT!¡¯ Skullius had been thinking of ways to boost his mobility so as to dodge the attacks at least but now¡­ The Discount Human suddenly opened his eyes wide. ¡®No¡­ the answer is¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t need something to boost his speed! He just needed to stay still! Just like¡­ That¡¯s right! An idea coiled in his mind as he looked at the wolf that was circling around him with a grin. Bursts of darkness suddenly surrounded him and formed a closely packed stacks of floating bars like a fence! These bars all exceeded him in height and right after making these, Skullius used something that had been frustratingly hard for him to grind all this time. [Just light]! Streams of golden white energy flowed from him in limited amounts, covering every single one of the bars of darkness in faint halos! ¡®Nowe on you flesh head. Come at me!¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked provocatively at the wolf that growled in rage as a response. Did this weakling think he could stop its charge with something like that?! Pathetic! The creature¡¯s purple eye gleamed as it lowered its body, vanishing from its spot as it burst forward with immense speed above what it had been using before! This fool would know just how fast and strong it was! Skullius gulped. This was it. The moment of truth. If his n failed¡­ Before all his thoughts could turn to turn to fueling his terror¡­ BAAANG! A blunt sound akin to something heavy bashing against an immovable wall sounded with the appearance of the wolf, a visible sh of blowing wind exploding outwards! Therge creature had rammed into the collection of closely arranged bars,ing at an extreme speed! The result was that the wolf felt like it had smashed against all the iron the world, formed into a singr wall! The force of collision had been so powerful that Skullius had been pushed back within his own encirclement! The wolf staggered as it bled from its nose, its body shuddering as the recoil of force broke its bones and damaged its brain! ¡®Yes!¡¯ Skullius thought as he immediately formed a [Bead of Malevolence] and shot it towards the creature¡¯s eye while it was still in a daze! The bead seamlessly pra the stunned creature¡¯s forehead where the purple eye was, passing out the back with Skullius himself following with his [Demion¡¯s Dance] as he shed with all his might at its head, splitting the thing into two! Blood sshed as the figure of the creature finally fell, Skullius only breathing out in relief and kneeling on the ground when he finally saw the notification¡­ [You have killed (V) LV76 Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf. 2,347,890 Exp awarded] [Your prey emits¡­.] Chapter 283 One Slash Pheew¡­ Skullius breathed out a sigh of relief. Finally.. His gamble had paid off. As the bars coated in light which he had summoned vanished, his eyes roaming over the corpse of the Tier 5 Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what could have happened had his n not worked. The whole idea of his n had spawned from his earlier fight with the carp in theke. When he had conjured the spots of light to illuminate what was happening in the water, he had noticed that nomatter how much force was applied on them, they wouldn¡¯t budge from their position! Be it the raging waves of mana saturated water, or the Primus coated waves of energy that were emitted by the powerful boss carp, nothing would push them around from the position they were directed to move in by Skullius. If that indeed was a basic trait of [Just Light], Skullius intended to use it to stop the fast figure of the wolf. However, at the moment, his manifestation of [Just Light]cked a tangible attribute. It was no more than simple light that had no substance. Perhaps this was because his affinity towards [Just Light] was still, nil. Thus, Skullius had coated it around bars made from [Evil Darkness], hoping that this would solve the issue. Thankfully, it had worked.. The light gave the bars the immovable attribute that resisted even the incredible force of the speeding wolf! As for the idea of making bars specifically¡­? Well, Skullius had spent seven days in a cell, so one could decipher from that what they would. The Discount Human edged towards the body of the creature and extended his hand, absorbing the Null Life Essence. ¡®Thankfully, I managed to kill it myself, otherwise this whole thing would have been for nothing. Then again, no one would help me even if I was in danger¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. If one recalled, the description for the Vehement Bone Nullmancer skill, [Apostle Summon] was to kill the target for the skill by oneself which meant that outside help was not permitted. This had been one of the reasons Skullius gave Red Rage the consent to help Gertreld as he really wanted to make sure he was dealing with the wolf ALONE. ¡°I hope time isn¡¯t an issue for the summoning¡­¡± Skullius said as he stored the corpse of the wolf in his ring. Luckily, it was already approaching evening and with his experience from raising Red bro, time didn¡¯t seem like an important issue. ¡°ARRRGGKKK!¡± Skullius was torn out of his thoughts by an inhuman shriek! The Summoner who was a distance away stumbled and fell as one of his limbs seemed to have been severed! He held the stump to his right hand which bled profusely and grit his teeth, sweat flowing from his temples as he madly yelled at the retreating six wolves that remained from the nine, the rest being in pieces on the ground! The lone figure of Natalika that remained sitting with her sword on herp before¡­ remained exactly as so. The blind swordswoman hadn¡¯t made any physical motion or gesture but three wolves had been killed! The serene Aura that had expanded before was still radiating around her, creating the illusion that it wouldn¡¯t cause harm if one approached, but anyone with even a lick of IQ could tell that this was not true. ¡°Attack you fools! We¡¯re bound by a contract for Boron¡¯s sake! Kill her!¡± the Summoner screamed as the portal he had been about to conjure disappeared when his hand was severed from nowhere. The wolves rushed ahead, three of them opening their mouthed where a darkness welled within, three radiant lights flickering with different colours in a triangr formation! The vibrant red lights glowed brighter than the others, bing tangible gems that the wolves swallowed as in the next instant, they got down on all fours and emitted slim bursts of energy that hurtled towards Natalika! The other wolves followed from behind the between the beams, going for the kill with their ws. As the beams of energy which rattled the ground with their trailing lights reached Natalika¡¯s Full Body Aura, they¡­ were severed. The beams of bright red energy bounced off Natalika¡¯s Aura as if they had hit a sturdy wall and became perfectly sliced pieces of energy that dissipated after they were detached from their source! The wolves that had shot the attack were shocked but those that had advanced did not stop, the one which led the charge shing with its mana coated ws as it reached Natalika, doing the exact same thing its dead partners had done. As it did, it felt the force of their w attacks¡­ ricochet back to its body, from its paw to its chest clean shes splitting its body! Natalika remained still as this urred while the Summoner¡¯s heart beat quickly as he panicked. What was this? What manner of Swordsmanship was this?! The other wolves that had been about to attack retreated after seeing what had happened to theirpanion. Their steps lead them back to their Summoner who didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡®Seriously?! Was it all for nothing?! All those contracts I made, promising these beasts sustainable use of Master Boron¡¯s power¡­! It¡¯s all wasted! If only I was given a blessing, I could have¡­!¡¯ his thoughts chaotically pounced against the walls of his brain. ¡®No! I¡¯m not done yet!¡¯ The Summoner pointed his remaining hand ahead, a portal appearing before him! This one oozed of a vicious power, its height almost reaching four meters while its girth matched that number as well! Incredible! The power which radiated from the portal was immense and from it, a massive snout started to emerge, with scaly, wrinkled nostrils protruding from the massive construct! Something huge was about toe out! The Summoners trump card! The man pushed all his focus as a look of relief stered his face. Relief mixed with joy! ¡°THERE! Let¡¯s see if your lousy sword can¡ª¡± SHIIIIING! Before the Summoner could finish his sentence, Natalika appeared a meter before the stunned wolves who stood in front of therge portal and shed with her striped sword in a beautiful but cold downward arc! Her sky blue Aura waded from around her and coated her sword¡¯s edge, turning it into a bright, sky blue curve as Natalika used a Technique that was only relevant when she used this once a day aspect of being an Advancement Stagebatant! ¡®Demented Blindsword Technique, Crazy Cleave!¡¯ As Natalika¡¯s sword left a trail of after-images in its descent, multiple shes appeared over all her enemies. Vertical incisions split the wolves into six bloody parts before they even knew they were dead while, shockingly, as Skullius witnessed¡­ The portal was split into twelve perfect strips! ¡­! The energy construct was split by Natalika¡¯s de! The snout which had been in the midst of emerging sustained shallow cuts over it but still, the whole portal started to spark and crackle as it was actually torn to pieces by a sword strike! However, asides from it being shed by Natalika, the portal also started to dissipate because¡­ Its Summoner who was behind had also been sliced into six pieces! ¡°Argh¡­.¡± the Summoner breathed hisst as he fell to his death. Natalika breathed out a sigh as she watched the portal break down, the creature that had been about toe out of it retreating before the portal copsedpletely. ¡®What a waste¡­¡¯ she thought, referring to her use of Full Body Aura. She had thought she¡¯d have to face the Alpha wolf but with her unnaturally keen senses, she could already infer that Skullius had beaten her to it. Her technique which allowed her to manipte vectors of force was unique to her, birthed by her honed senses which she applied to discern forces that she could direct anywhere she wanted. Demented sh for instance, reversed whatever the trajectory of her sword sh would be in order confuse her opponents. With her more advanced techniques, like Crazy Cleave, she could multiply one force, like her sh, into multiple attacks that were far stronger than those of her base. With this technique, she was fairly recognised as the third strongest in the Harem¡¯s Guild, behind Tulnas and Renialid, though that position wasn¡¯t hers alone. Natalika stored her sword as she thought more about what she had sensed from Skullius¡¯ battle more than her own, wondering if she could ask Skullius a million questions regarding it. However¡­ ¡®Looks like this fight is getting heated. A victor should emerge soon¡­¡¯ she thought as she turned in the direction where sand and lightning tangled in a hostile mix. Chapter 284 Mage Vs. Tamer ¡®She¡¯s really trying to fry my ass¡­¡± Tulnas said as he darted left and right, relying on Bradd for cover! It was pretty much evident that he couldn¡¯t effectively react to the bolts of lightning when Gwendelina was really trying to kill him and that fact had gotten quite a bit of emphasis when he had stopped paying more attention to the fights around and him and started focusing on his own! He reverse handled his des as he darted to and fro and rushing over the cold ground as he then ordered the giant sand bear to make a move on Gwendelina. From Bradd, waves of sand exploded, coveringrge radius as they stormed over to the Mage who looked on at this impassively. A bolt of lightning coagted and shot towards Tulnas, but it was notably slower than the one that had got him beforehand. It crackled with power as it curved over the wave of sand, urately heading for Tulnas¡¯ head when a wave of the heavy sand with numerous sparkling blue particles rose and covered him! PTSKKK! The lightning crackled as it left the cover of sand with a red and heated patch that smoked! Beyond that, it did nothing beyond what could remotely be called heavy damage! ¡®That sand. It seems to have some strange energy disrupting properties. My lightning should have done more than just that¡­¡¯ Gwendelina observed. Tulnas who was under the cover of tamed beast remained calm and stop moving. The wave of sand finally reached Gwendelina who raised her slender hand and stretched out her palm in the respective direction!. A torrent of wind sted from her hand, its vicious rotations making it visible as it circled in a spherical shape that covered the Mage as she looked on with confidence. The sand was parted as it rained over her, being unable to prate the cover of rotating wind around Gwendelina! Still though, the Mage noticed the sand pushing back against the gusts of wind which fought it off. This sand truly was unique! At this moment, all around her, waves of flowing sand in a golden-brown hue as well as gem like particles that reached up to her neck could be seen. If she hadn¡¯t protected herself, she would have sank into the sand as it kept rising, trying to overpower her barrier! Suddenly, from behind her, therge figure of Bradd appeared from the vast sea of sand, rising from it like a fish as it went on to bring its arms together in a bear hug! Itsrge arms were writhing with palpable waves of mana that sought to break both Gwendelina¡¯s barrier as well as her body in one fell swoop! ¡®Too easy,¡¯ Gwendelina thought as before the big sand bear could reach its arms around her, an erect bolt of bright lightning shot from the Mage¡¯s body, rising up as it aimed towards the creature¡¯s chest in an upward streak! TZBOOM! Chunk of burnt sand flew after a bright sh of light and thunder, Bradd¡¯s chest being revealed to be blown away all the way to his head as now, only its seated legs and lower torso remained with glowing patches of sand that emitted smoke. ¡®How ruthless¡­¡¯ Tulnas thought as he observed from afar while riding the waves of sand like he was in the ocean. ¡°Is that all you amount to, Tamer?¡± Gwendelina said from thefort of her barrier. ¡°You could say so¡­¡± Tulnas said as he shed her a smile. From beside him, the sand rose as the figure of Bradd appeared, in full health as it continued to summon more sand. Gwendelina was not surprised. She could feel Bradd¡¯s energy situation well enough and thus could tell that the Bradd that had attacked her was merely some kind of double. Furthermore, she could feel a tether of golden energy that linked Bradd to Tulnas. ¡°Let¡¯s try something a bit more fun¡­¡± she said as she raised her hand, mana hanging on her fingertips as it then started to crackle with condensed power. A bolt of lightning shot from her finger and into the air. As it travelled, it created arge orb which hung in the airspace, then another when it flitted in another direction and streaked to another location and another and another! The lightning bolt formed varying sizes of these orbs which were known as nodes all around the space that Gwendelina and Tulnas were battling! Tulnas felt vibrant energy in each of the nodes as they now floated in the air, spontaneously crackling with blue and white energy that promised to kill instantly. The young Guild leader smiled as felt the looming danger. ¡°This will spice things up won¡¯t it?¡± Gwendelina said as she shed a shallow smile. ¡°It sure will¡­¡± Tulnas said as he grabbed Bradd¡¯s arm, sand flowing from the bear¡¯s limb, rapidly forming a simplistic heavy sand armour over Tulnas, helm and all to cover his own, which had been sted over one side earlier. Gwendelina chuckled as in the next instance, one of therger nodes shot a thick bolt of lightning at Tulnas! The bolt almost blinded Tulnas with its brightness, its speed being utterly ridiculous as by the time Tulnas noticed that he had been struck, he had flown over four meters away bumping against the waves of sand! The Tamer slid over the sifting masses, hurriedly standing up over the fluctuating waves as he then looked over his chest where bits of sandy ss had formed, with some of the material having turned ck from the heat! Sand rose from the waves on Bradd¡¯smand and covered the burnt up spot. ¡®Keep supporting me, Bradd¡­ I know you hate violence but this is a reaaaaally bad woman¡­¡¯ Tulnas sent a mental message to hisrge bear which nodded and increased the intensity of the flow of sand! Tulnas then took a stance and darted forward. He rushed over the waves of sand before lightly leaping up and starting to ski over them at a shocking speed! ZAP! A bolt of lightning shot from one of the smaller nodes, thundering down urately at Tulnas head! SMACK! A mini explosion rocked Tulnas¡¯ helm covered head, the young man spinning in the air until he steadied himself and continued to ride the waves towards Gwendelina who smiled diabolically as her dark eyes showed a halfnguid attitude. Bradd therge bear mmed both hisrge hands into the sand, a trail of sand spikes jutting from the flowing sand around Gwendelina, stretching over to the Mage! ¡°Good!¡± the Mage called in feeble excitement. Some of the nodes overhead shot bolts at the spikes that continued to appear, trying to pierce through Gwendelina¡¯s wind barrier but they were all blown to bits! Behind her, a couple of meters away, the invisible barrier that housed the robed figures was effortlessly blocking the wave of sand while Guissepo who had been standing in front of it had moved a few steps back, entering within its protective space to not be buried by the waves. Tulnas noticed this, his eyes focusing over the activity behind this barrier a few meters away as heunched forward. With Gwendelina using the nodes to focus fire over the constantly spawning spikes, it looked like he had some breathing room, but¡­ TZAAAP! TZAAP! Tworge bolts stormed two different directions at the same time, their lights temporarily overpowering the inherent darkness of the cavern as they shot towards Bradd and Tulnas! Two excessive explosions ignited at the two positions, cocking up arge amount of sand and making reverberations over the ocean of sand that caused a loud rumble that shook the cavern! The Mage looked over the two spots, her inherent ability to sense energies notifying her that her two opponents were far from dead. Bradd reappeared over the sand and continued flinging sand spikes while Tulnas¡­ ¡®Hmmm?¡¯ Gwendelina thought as she looked down at the sand. ¡®He¡¯s¡­ under?¡¯ Sure enough, Tulnas was within the ocean of sand, swimming within it at quick speed. In his hands, his short swords sparkled with lightning as they started to activate their unique attributes. What would these attributes be? Tulnas swam in Gwendelina¡¯s direction much to the Mage¡¯s surprise. ¡®Does he n on attacking me up close?¡¯ she thought with a scoff. But¡­ To her surprise, Tulnas¡¯ presence which was underneath the sand passed by her as it continued to rush over in the direction of the invisible barrier! ¡®Un, un. Should I do it now?¡¯ a voice rang in Tulnas¡¯ head. ¡®Yeah. Do it. I¡¯m ready.¡¯ Chapter 285 The Support Character Ginie was the weakest among the Harem Guild members present. Her ranking as per the Guilds Association evaluation was only C+ while Tulnas, Natalika and Gertreld¡¯s were B. However, she had a special set of abilities that made her valuable as a support typebatant. Her unique usage of Mind Casting, the Mage-Form Mimicking Art! This was a collection of Mind Casting techniques that mimicked certain Mage spells that she had witnessed or heard of. Therefore, Ginie¡¯s whole shtick was to create abilities that made her seem like a Mage or produced effective results reminiscent of a Mage! She has cultivated her mind to a degree where she was able to output a lot of mental energy specifically for this purpose while also abusing the resources of the Harem Guild in order to ss Branch into the Energy Forming category, mastering how to better perceive energies even as a Mind Caster, a Form User. Earlier, she had held down Tomin for Gertreld tond a decisive strike on him but unfortunately, when the bastard used his Full Body Aura, that had thrown off her grip. As for helping with Natalika¡¯s situation, she had decided against it as she had seen Skullius¡¯ involvement which could screw her over. Now, she had taken to focusing on the task that was evidently left for her as was the trend with most missions that had a simr setup. Tulnas would be the one to set her up as well.. The robed figures that were around the formation behind the invisible barrier. ¡®Un, un. Should I do it now?¡¯ she sent a mental link to Tulnas, sensing that he was headed over to the invisible barrier. ¡®Yeah. I¡¯m ready. Do it,¡¯ Tulnas gave her consent. All the Harem Guild members knew and acknowledged how Ginie¡¯s abilities worked. The farther the distance when it came to her targets that she was supposed to handle, the more she needed checkpoints that focused helped her focus her strength. These checkpoints were other people¡¯s minds that she could use as points to enhance her Mind Casting abilities. For obvious reasons, she couldn¡¯t just approach the invisible barriers as she could be fried by Gwendelina and thus needed to keep her distance. Therefore, she had to use Tulnas¡¯ mind to act as a checkpoint. ¡®Un. Here goes,¡¯ she thought as she held her staff tight, feeling all her mental energy rush towards Tulnas who was swimming within the sand. She saw her vision rapidly stream over and bolt into the helm-covered head of Tulnas under the brown sand, the moment she did, her consciousness feeling a delightful sensation, as if she was swimming over warm waters. Soon, her vision changed, turning to see ayer of passing sand as this was what Tulnas was seeing. ¡®We don¡¯t have much time. You better make it quick. The barrier is probably supported by Primus, but it should have a limited effect over mental abilities. Screw over as many of them as you can,¡¯ Tulnas said. When Ginie would hop over to checkpoints, the individual being used wouldn¡¯t be unconscious but would rescind a portion of ownership of their minds to Ginie, which in most cases would limit their abilities. ¡®Un, right!¡¯ Ginie¡¯s consciousness rang from Tulnas¡¯ mind as she then sent out a wave of mental energy to more clearly pinpoint how much free reign she had as they neared the invisible barrier. Her mental energy was partially blocked as it stormed over the barrier but part of it managed to seamlessly pass through ¨C weaker portions of it. The energy looked like glowing webs that had interconnecting portions in her vision and this was what Ginie would use to connect to the minds of the men and women in the barrier, though she made it a point to not even try to approach Guissepo whose eyes twitched as if sensing something off. ¡®Un, I have to hurry!¡¯ Her consciousness raced through the weak, glowingworks, passing through the invisible barrier as it immediately settled into the mind of one of robed figures. The obvious question would be, if an invaded individual wouldn¡¯t fight off Ginie¡¯s influence? The answer was circumstantial. In this particr case, Ginie had it easy because her targets seamlessly to focusing on one activity, which left them open to attacks as they left all the fighting and caution to the others. This is why she hadn¡¯t tried this with Tomin and the rest. The person Ginie invaded was a rather tall man with an edgy appearance and he quickly noticed something off but, Ginie who was experienced with mental invasion didn¡¯t give him a chance to fight back as she used her limited mental energy to use a technique from her Mage-Form Mimicking Art. ¡®Exploiting Illusion!¡¯ The man suddenly felt a pulse in his body and turned to his side, his mind beginning to feel distraught as all kinds of thoughts began to roam within. He looked to one of hispanions at his side and strangely, he didn¡¯t see a human being seated in a meditative pose like he had expected, but¡­ arge, red berry! It looked so good, droplets of cool water dripping from it as its supple flesh called to him with a cool sensation he imagined for himself given the visuals. This man, along with the others had been looking over this formation for the past few weeks, their bodies acting as pirs to absorb the Primus that leaked from the connection established by the formation as that was what supported them. But that wasn¡¯t food! These men and women had had denying themselves nourishment for so long! The man¡¯s hunger overtook him as in his mind, he heard his own voice going, ¡®Just one little bite.¡¯ Before long, the man leapt over hispanion and sank his teeth into his cheek! The man at his side screamed as he was bitten and his first instinct was to punch the daylights out of this mate of his! Ginie quickly exited the mind of the raging man and jumped into another where she once again used another one of her techniques. ¡®Combustion!¡¯ She stormed a woman¡¯s mind this time, using her mental energy to instil a rather evil idea that the woman who had been set on one thing for weeks instantly believed! ¡°ARRGHHHH! Fire! I¡¯m on fire! HELP! I¡¯m on fireeeee!¡± The woman screamed as she started to quiver over the ground, her senses which were being manipted believing that the body was actually being devoured by mes! Ginie jumped again, doing the same thing over and over again. Guissepo turned to the madness urring behind him. His mind quickly raced as he weeded out those exhibiting peculiar symptoms as then, in the blink of an eye his body darted towards all these individuals! The four of the ten that remained who had been invaded by Ginie were instantly killed, their heads rolling over the ground as Guissepo confirmed that those that remained were not showing strange signs as well. Ginie immediately rode the webs of energy she had constructed as she returned to Tulnas¡¯ mind. ¡®Un. That man is scary,¡¯ her thoughts echoed in Tulnas¡¯ mind with a hint of fear and disappointment. ¡®I wanted to at least get five of them but¡­¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s more than enough. With this, I should be able to break the rest apart if I use THAT. Leave the rest to me, you¡¯ve done well.¡¯ Ginie felt a wave of happiness. She was once again reminded why she called Tulnas her guiding light. The man who acted as her brother made it easy for her ovee the darkness she feared on a literal level and on a figurative level. With Tulnas¡¯ confidence giving her a shed of optimism, she darted back to her body which retained just enough strength to remain standing. As she returned to her body, she couldn¡¯t help but smile and start sweating. This experience had made her very nervous, but she quickly calmed down, looking towards the inside of the barrier where the chaos had settled. She looked intently at Guissepo whose eyes were looking to her right as if giving a knowing look to someone. Ginie frowned as she followed his line of sight and when she saw what he was looking at, she had a bad feeling¡­ Chapter 286 The Objective: One Down (A/N: Bonus Chapter) Gertreld hurled up the short and naked figure of Tomin from behind, her gauntleted hands locking around his waist as she arched back and mmed the uglified man into the ground in a supplex! Tomin mmed down with his head into crumpled ground with a loud rumble as he grit his teeth, the halo of red Aura from Gertreld sting against his skin! Thebination of Gertreld and Prisma¡¯s attacks were fierce, thedy¡¯s brutal punches and kicks delivering with them the De-beautifying effect that shortened him and warped his bodily features which in turn actually limited his abilities. His strength, speed and overall burst power had been reduced by quite therge amount, his mana bing hard to control as his proportions no longer matched his core! On the other hand, Prisma¡¯s attacks were disorienting and the two blows he had received earlier from [Greatest Physical Damage Refraction] were still aching at his chest. The constantly flight and swinging had left him all but bitter as he found it hard even retaliate against this fiend, as that would only allow the golden Knight to damage his more but returning the fisty favours! ¡®Argh!¡¯ As Tomin smashed into the ground, her found Prisma¡¯s figure shooting down like a shooting star to bear down a punch at him in full force! His face sank deep into the ground, as part of it was even swollen from his Full Body Aura flickering, letting all the damage slip in from time to time! Tomin pulled his head up only to see Prisma cocking back his arm again to fling another knuckle-full punch! His eyes darted to the right, their keen acuity noticing Guissepo¡¯s gaze.. ¡®Of course¡­ you won¡¯t lift a finger as long as I¡¯m here, will you? Extravagant bastard¡­¡¯ Tomin thought as he spat blood, stealing Guissepo¡¯s habit of abusing a particr word. While his mana was harder to mobilise, his blessing was essible so long as he had the stamina to spare, though said stamina was downed in huge chunks for each use, which made it harder to blessing than before as well considering the condition of his body. But still¡­ ¡®Infinite Instance!¡¯ Tomin pulled away from Gertreld¡¯s grip as he then escaped Prisma¡¯s punch! He shot away, tumbling over the ground like speedy tumbleweed! The ground itself which looked like it had been stomaching the effects of arge scale war hurt to slide over and in the next moment, a flying golden figure appeared above Tomin with extreme speed seeking pound him into the same ground! ¡°Not so fast, Petty fool!¡± Prismaunched a punch at Tomin, the gauntleted fist reaching the man¡¯s head when suddenly¡­ Tomin disappeared as if he wasn¡¯t there in the first ce! Instead, he appeared ten meters away, tumbling over as he had done when he escaped the Pelvis-Hegemon¡¯s punch moments ago! Gertreld shed over to his side with a murderous visage, her gauntlet glowing as it dug into his abdomen immediately! However¡­ Tomin vanished once again, appearing ten meters away, tumbling over the ground before he could feel the full impact of the growing attack! ¡­! Both Prisma and Gertreld noticed this strange sequence and rushed towards the naked man, but Tomin wouldn¡¯t tell them that it was futile. His blessing, Infinite Instance, worked by making an action he had already done, turn into multiple instances. Of course, with moreplex actions like dodging attacks which required more than just his input, he couldn¡¯t recreate as many instances as he wanted because of hiscking mastery, but for now, what he was capable of, was sufficient. As the two approached him, his eyes burned with a malicious glint as he suddenly darted towards Gertreld! Prisma flew in toe between the two, the trident-like symbol on his chestte shing to st Tomin but the man cocked back suddenly opened his mouth and spoke. ¡°Infinite Instance, Speed!¡± Tomin¡¯s figure bolted forward even as he felt the unfamiliarity with this speed on his altered body! He zipped by Prisma before the Pelvis-Hegemon could even notice and appeared behind Gertreld who was sensed his presence behind her. Unfortunately, it was toote! Tominunched a quick but powerful jab at Gertreld as he harnessed all his Aura into his fist even as it flickered! Gertreld who had begun to turn her head to him was smashed by the darting punch right in the chin with crippling might! BAM! Gertreld felt a shuddering wave of pain as her body felt feeble from the blow which disabled her cognitive abilities! Her vision wobbled and the basic form of action for her became immensely difficult as her body then turned limb! Tomin¡¯s eyes shed as he immediately slung her over his shoulder and dashed away! Prisma quickly rose up in flight to chase, sting forward at top speed to catch up to Tomin but once again, Tomin ground his teeth as he uttered, ¡°Infinite Instance, Speed!¡± His figure literally soared over the ground as he ran forward, his racing body vanishing from view time after time as he exhibited insane speed to leave Prisma in the dust! Prisma halted in mid-air after seeing that his pursuit was meaningless and instead pulled out arge blow and arrow from his spatial storage ring. The bow had a rough appearance, like rough cast on a wall with a beige colour over it making it look menacing. The arrow was golden in colour with its head akin to a sharpened crystal. Prisma nocked the arrow and drew on the bow to 30% of its capacity, as that was his current capability, and in the next moment, he released the arrow which whizzed through the air at blinding speed! The arrow covered the growing distance between Prisma and Tomin in a blink, emitting a low whistle as it headed for the figure of Tomin that was almost at the invisible barrier! The arrow swiftly caught up and shot right into Tomin¡¯s chest, the naked man growling in pain as he felt strength get sapped from his body! He grit his teeth and leapt forward, being fortunate enough to spill himself and Gertreld into the barrier before he slumped and before Prisma had loosened the second arrow! Tomin stumbled after he entered the barrier, falling over with Gertreld¡¯s body which was twitching as she tried to regain control. Tomin tried to steady himself, but he failed to remain calm. His skin started to turn pale and thick, blue veins popped from his skin, squirming under his skin! He pulled out the arrow that was in his back and flung it away while wheezing. ¡®Damn it. I knew there was something dangerous about these arrows!¡¯ he thought as he thought back to when he had caught one aimed at his head earlier. On top of the effects of the arrow, he felt his body screaming in pain from being restructured by Gertreld¡¯s Form Using ability, ssic Bombshell Beauty. This solidified a theory that had been ongoing in his mind that Gertreld¡¯s ability actually had a terrifying scope, as if she were to evolve beyond her current level, she could end being able to transfigure human beings as she willed. Potentially. Tomin grabbed Gertreld and set her in the middle of the formation where strips of energy suddenly held down thedy by her arms and legs, her red Full Body Aura which was still flickering around her, being incapable of helping her. Tomin looked up with his pale face as he coughed horribly at Guissepo who looked at Gertreld with a somewhat pleased look. ¡°You managed to catch on to the extravagant blessing that this woman has. Didn¡¯t think you could catch her on your own¡­¡± he said as he looked at Tomin¡¯s appearance. ¡°Though with a heavy price. ¡°Of course I did. Though that doesn¡¯t seem to impress you much!¡± Tomin retorted. ¡°Extravagantly so!¡± Guissepo said much to Tomin¡¯s fury as a vein popped up from the side of his head. ¡°Well, now we have to deal with the rest of this extravagant charge.¡± A short distance away, Tulnas¡¯ vision pierced through the barrier as he saw Gertreld¡¯s captured figure. This was beginning to escte dangerously. ¡ª -Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora- Chapter 287 Final Act (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter) Tulnas resurfaced from the sea of sand with his heavy armour, his focus being on what was happening behind the invisible barrier. He narrowed his eyes as he saw what the people in the barrier wanted to do to his woman. However, someone took the chance to attack as he was bouncing above the waves of sand without making a move. A familiar magic formation appeared under his feet before shining in a harsh orange light that produced a firey explosion in the next moment, mes roaring as they pushed away much of the sand on ignition! Gwendelina squinted as she looked at the aftermath of her attack. Bradd had ceased his attacks at the moment when Tulnas had surfaced from the sand as per the man¡¯s silent orders. His figure then sank into the sand sea, disappearing within. Aroused dust and smoke covered Gwendelina¡¯s view of what had be of Tulnas after her attack and when she tried to discern Tulnas position with her senses, she found it to be extraordinarily difficult. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ she thought. As the visibility improved, Gwendelina saw something she didn¡¯t expect! A massive hazy elephant was positioned where Tulnas should have been, its mass of starry lights floating above the sand as its tusks and eyes sparkled with shing light! It blew on its trunk like a trumpet making a sharp call, its cheeks suddenly ballooning up with the sound of bubbling liquid echoing within them! In the next instance, it blew out with its trunk, a continuous stream of condensed water like a sma beam jutting towards Gwendelina! The beam of condensed water struck against Gwendelina¡¯s wind barrier, the colourless liquid sttering against it with a sound akin to spinning rubber against spinning rubber as it was restricted from entering.. The female Mage raised her hands and directed the nodes above her to shoot their charges of lightning against the creature! The air shed as dozens of bolts of lightning assaulted Alphat, the giant elephant remaining in ce as it actually let the attacks reach it and surprisingly¡­ The bolts of lightning entered its hazy starry body, and instead of doing damage, they arched up with their bright and destructive power, speeding up and out of its body as they then went on to smash against the cavern ceiling that crumpled and dropped debris all over! ¡®What kind of creature is this?!¡¯ the Mage furrowed her brows. She was about to try another strategy when¡­ Her eyes shot open! She sensed it! Tulnas¡¯ presence! Her eyes darted to the left as she ignored Alphat, but by the time she turned, the presence she had sensed vanished! ¡®What?!¡¯ she thought as then sent a bolt of lightning towards the spot she had sensed Tulnas¡¯ presence from, thinking that perhaps Tulnas was setting up some kind of trap. The fulgurous bolt smashed against the sand with intensity, but unfortunately it hit nothing but the sea! Gwendelina started to grow anxious. This was impossible. How could a mere Tamer be able to confuse a Mage¡¯s senses?! No way! Once more, she felt a flicker of Tulnas¡¯ energy signature wiggle in and out of her senses and she was left turning her head to nothing but the sand that sloped and dived without rest! ¡®Something like this¡­.¡¯ Gwendelina scowled as she thought. She had only ever experienced something like this when she had faced an Assassin with a advanced ss! The bastard had enjoyed toying with her senses until she had found some backup and finally put him down. Now, the same thing was happening but with someone who shouldn¡¯t even be adept at closebat. What was with this man?! He had battle prowess geared towards Form Using, like he was a warrior. Now he was exhibiting the ability to dampen his presence, like an Assassin! A bloody Tamer?! ¡°You won¡¯t get the best of me,¡± she called as she raised her hands and swung them down, prompting for the dozens of nodes that were floating in the air to brighten up as they hissed with lightning until they spat out bright and quick bolts all over! The terrifying streaks of expelled lightning rained down on the sand with extremely destructive power that burnt up the sand into patches of ss or simply into burnt versions of it! The reverberations echoed throughout the cavern as the power released was simply too powerful! The sand darkened and glowed from the extreme heat, portions of it turning molten with loud explosions that roused the sand into the air, leaving plumes of smoke rising with incredible thickness into the air. Gwendelina remained vignt even afterunching this all out strike, her eyes darting around with anxiety. ¡®I doubt that killed him but¡­¡¯ she thought,menting at the fact that she hadn¡¯t received a blessing yet as she was also fairly new to the Evenfall. The fact that the evaluation didn¡¯t take her initial power and ss into ount was something she was extremely dissatisfied with but she could only swallow it up and move on. It was unfortunate that she had only managed to gain enough coin for the Elemental Patch, the most basic form of Magecraft at an Academy in arge city, the rest of her advanced courses deferred as result ofck of coin to advance further. The Evenfall had promised to sponsor her continued studies and her formations were the newest addition to her arsenal. With this much, she could ignore the fact that she hadn¡¯t yet qualified to attain a blessing, but this situation made her yearn to earn something so significant. As Gwendelina¡¯s thoughts spiralled, something darted in her direction as she was encased in the wind barrier! It was a short sword that darted through the smoking air, aimed at her head! Surprisingly, the sword crackled with lightning over its de as it approached and when it struck the wind barrier, slim bolts of the white energy sparkled on impact! The metallic noise that resounded as the sword was deflected made Gwendelina turn her head as she hadn¡¯t even seen the weapon! The Mage¡¯s confidence waned as she saw that attacks she couldn¡¯t even see were beginning toe! She fiddled with her hands, streaks of lightning dashing from the nodes to wrap around her like a ringed cage above the wind she already had to protect her! ¡°Where the hell is he?!¡± Gwendelina said with fits of sweat trickling down her brow. Right then¡­ Gwendelina felt a sword press at her neck, the cold steel licking her skin! She turned her head and found to her shock, a figure donning heavy sand armour standing in an offensive stance right beside her with both her lightning ring cage and wind barrier opening up weingly for him to pass through without consequence! ¡­! He held both his short swords the other of which had sand dripping from it as Tulnas held it at the ready. From behind the helm that Tamer wore, a chilling voice came out. ¡°Now that your life rests in my hands, would you do a little something for me? It would make my life a whole lot easier if you did.¡± Gwendelina felt the sword at her neck dig deep into her skin, blood leaking out as the de had easily bullied her defences! From this, she inferred that these des weren¡¯t simple weapons! As the weren¡¯t. They probably had attributes that made Tulnas a terrible opponent for her! The Mage was torn as she already knew what Tulnas wanted as she could see it from the corner of her eye, bound to the formation that was surrounded by six figures. To act against her fellow cultists was a serious offence in the Evenfall even when put in a tough position. Furthermore, she had been supported by this group in a way that was different from the rest of the world that would only lust for her ss. She had no reason to betray it. She raised her chin with pride and resolute eyes as she faced Tulnas with the same apathetic eyes she had shown him at the beginning of their fight. ¡°You bested me. You might as well kill me,¡± she said. Tulnas¡¯ eyes shed as the air around him turned murderous. ¡°As you wish.¡± His hand surged with strength as he moved the sword on the Mage¡¯s throat to kill her when¡­ ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t let our Mage die such an unextravagant death by the hands of a heathen¡­¡± the man with ck and purple hair suddenly appeared between Tulnas and Gwendelina with an overbearing energy that drove Bradd¡¯s sand away and, his hand holding the Tamer¡¯s firmly. ¡°Kindly back off.¡± Tulnas immediately felt a palm strike to his chest that he didn¡¯t seeing, shatter not only the heavy sand armour he wore, but the ck and green armour underneath before it bashed against his body, causing him to fly away as he streaked through the billows of sand¡­! ¡ª -Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora- Chapter 288 Final Act (2) Tulnas flew a very great distance, smashing into the wall on the other side as bits of popping colours like fireworks sprang up all around him, spawning from the chest where a powerful palm strike had mmed into him! The distance he flew was quite vast given the fact that three separaterge scale battles had taken ce here without either disturbing the other. Him flying to the other side from where he was initially was a strength feat for Guissepo on its own! Bradd¡¯s sand was blown away with a peculiar burst of force which rushed from Guissepo¡¯s body, the giant bear¡¯s body appearing as it withdrew quickly to Tulnas side, Alphat who had been floating above the sand sea doing the same. Guissepo looked at Gwendelina who stood dazed with blood trickling from her neck, with a subdued smile. ¡°The draw on Primus has been extravagantly reduced because of a few of our own¡¯s deaths. Go and help the others and begin the connection for the sacrifice for that girl with an extravagant blessing. I¡¯ll bring the rest half-alive. Except perhaps one,¡± he said as he patted the Mage¡¯s shoulder. Gwendelina promptly nodded as she came to her senses, rushing back to the invisible barrier where she seamlessly passed through and went to assist. Guissepo then focused on the figures of these heathens, half of them rushing up to Tulnas who coughed blood as he dislodged himself out of the wall he had been imprinted to. The Guild leader dropped and stumbled, his torso nowid bare with his powerful muscles twitching as the single strike from Guissepo had torn both hisyers of armour. He waved his hands to dismiss his two tamed beasts as he groaned. ¡®Argh¡­ my des can perfectly mess with the elements, what¡¯s his excuse?¡¯ Tulnas thought as he held his head. In his mind, he was still hung up on the fact that Guissepo had seemingly ignored Gwendelina¡¯s cage of lightning and the wind barrier to appear between the two and knock him him away without a problem. He could do so because his two sword swords were Unique rarity items that had the ability to sample energies and replicate their signature which then gave Tulnas the ability to manipte a target¡¯s energy-type ability. Because he had been sted multiple times with lightning, both his des had sampled that element and when he had flung his short sword at the Mage¡¯s wind barrier, that had effectively led it to sample the wind element she produced.. But Guissepo¡­ He had just waltzed into the destructive powers without taking damage. ¡®Either my assumption was right or it has something to do with his blessing instead. Though, that would beg the question on what this is then¡­¡± Tulnas thought as he saw the lingering bits of multi-coloured fireworks that were just now dying down from his chest. He forced himself to stand as Natalika and Ginie rushed up to him. ¡°Are you hurt badly?¡± asked Natalika as she supported him. ¡°Un, un, let me help,¡± Ginie said as she was about to use her Mage-Form Mimicking Art. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m fine. No need to waste energy when our enemy is still at full health, uh¡­¡± Tulnas replied as he stood strong despite the several broken bones in his body. His confidence could still be seen. He suddenly shook his head as if responding to another unheard question. ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m fine,¡± he mumbled with a click of his tongue. ¡°Using that for something like this would be a stupid trade off.¡± He then looked at Skullius¡¯ approaching figure along with Red Rage. ¡°d you¡¯re still alive,¡± Tulnas said with a cheeky smile. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Skullius said. ¡°I thought you died from that blow.¡± ¡°Not yet. Though someone will be soon, if we don¡¯t hurry.¡± Tulnas expression changed as he looked to activity behind the barrier. ¡°But¡­.we have to deal with him first,¡± Tulnas pointed at Guissepo who smiled as he took subdued strides towards them, his voice crossing over therge distance to reach the group. ¡°You all seem a little drained after your battles. It¡¯d be a shame if someone were to take extravagant advantage of the situation and put you all down like the heathens you are¡­¡± Guissepo said, prompting for everyone to turn cautious. Tulnas walked forward but he then realised that he didn¡¯t have his swords anymore. He had dropped them when he was struck by the powerful impact of Guissepo¡¯s palm strike. ¡®Dammit.¡¯ From the over two hundred meter distance the Evenfall cultist continued to speak. ¡°Did you know, there are only three steps to an extravagant victory?¡± he said as he stopped moving, his eyes gleaming innocently. ¡°The build-up.¡± ¡°The trajectory.¡± ¡°And¡­. the kill.¡± WHOOSH! As soon as he finished his sentence, Guissepo bolted forward but his movement was¡­ It was¡­ dangerously fast! The air visibly blew air from his speed, washing over the party as he took two steps to cover the distance! And with this movement that he took, no one had seen his advance until he was right before his first victim, his palm already delivering a fatal attack! POW! With an extraordinarily harsh force of impact that razed through the ground and air behind the individual who had been struck, bits of multi-coloured fireworks sparkled around the body as blood flew along with entrails and torn flesh! Everyone¡¯s eyes opened wide from shock at both the speed and sudden movement as well as the fatality that was before them! ¡°You¡¯re an anomaly I¡¯m not willing to tolerate. Be d that I at least granted you an extravagant death,¡± Guissepo said as he pulled his arm out of the victim whose entire torso he had just blown a hole through! He then gently held the individual¡¯s head as they turned pale and twitched, unable to even scream in pain as the light of life instantly started to die out from them! ¡°U¡­n¡­¡± Ginie tried to speak as she was gently ced on the ground while bleeding from her mouth, Guissepo giving her a rather sympathetic look. Two individuals showed expressions with an emotion beyond terror at this moment, as they both felt turbulent emotion but for different reasons. At the same time, a deced in blue light stormed through the air as a bloodthirsty Aura thundered down on Guissepo¡¯s neck! ¡®Demented Blindsword Technique, Crazy Cleave!¡¯ Natalika red with subdued rage as she attacked with her full might. She held herself back from acting solely from anger as she tactfully spammed her sword attacks at Guissepo to give time for someone to do something about the situation! Guissepo easily dodged, his body turning into a hazy outline as he slipped away from Natalika¡¯s Aura covered de. The blindfolded swordswoman gritted her teeth and went for another strike, but Guissepo merely gave a sympathetic smile as his eyes focused on the two figures running up to Ginie, one with a quick pace, the other¡­ with hesitation. Tulnas reached Ginie¡¯s body as his heart raced. ¡®Dammit! Dammit! I should have kept her at her safer distance!¡¯ he thought as he sweated, his hands actually quivering with indecision and fright. Two ofdies were in trouble now and he had a single trump card that could only save one of them when activated but¡­ if he chose to sacrifice it for another one of his cards, he could save the other! ¡°Bro¡­ther¡­.¡± Ginie said as her mouth leaked blood, her tiny hands reaching for him as she convulsed in pain with her eyes dreadfully bloodshot! Tulnas gritted his teeth as one part of him wanted him to let loose his emotions and work by them, but another ordered him to remain calm and rationalise the situation! ¡°I¡­¡± he stammered as he knelt before Ginie whose breaths slowed. His keen ears were even keeping track of Natalika who was trying to keep Guissepo busy. This was Tulnas¡¯ first time being led to such indecision of a personal scale. Was his strength still not growing fast enough to at least allow him to keep his people safe? Was his arrogance getting too inted? Perhaps. The young man¡¯s mind opened wide as even as this experience stung he religious mind fabricated the idea that perhaps, this was set by his Direction. As a believer, he brought his convictions to support him. To tell him that he was perhaps supposed to face such a situation today, to learn to not jump for every opportunity. This was the basis of his arrogance. That everything had a reason in this world judged by the Deities. But¡­ would the Deities he revered truly sacrifice his cherished women for this¡­? Tulnas¡¯ mind churned as his eyes almost lost focus with stress. Perhaps¡­ Huh¡­? Another hand popped up in Tulnas¡¯ view as he was about to make a choice he knew would cause him pain in the future. Someone else crouched down and stretched out their hand. Tulnas turned and saw¡­ Festos? Chapter 289 Final Act (3) As Tulnas looked at the man to his side, he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Festos of all people? His first thought was to push him away as he didn¡¯t know what would happen from his curse but¡­ He found to his surprise that Festos was in some form of a daze as tears leaked from his eyes. A surge of energy wiggled out of Festos¡¯ hand and rushed into Ginie¡¯s body, her broken flesh under the robes beginning to quake as shockingly, an incredible healing factor applied over her! Tulnas was shocked! His eyes turned to Festos once again and he saw the man mumble words to himself as he showed affectionate care for Ginie but the words¡­ as he listened closer, were nothing more than contradictory statements that made his gesture¡­ confusing. ¡°I hate you¡­. I know you loved me too¡­ I don¡¯t regret your death¡­ but I¡­ wish you hadn¡¯t died¡­ Please don¡¯t die! I was wrong¡­ No! You evil wretch, do you have any idea what you have done?! Yes¡­.I forgive you¡­¡± Tulnas was lost for words. He was only brought back to reality when he saw Ginie¡¯s bodypletely healed as the burst of energy from Skullius kept rushing into it ceaselessly, having regrown all her organs and closed up her open torso! At the same time, he heard a loud resounding echo of steel shing against something heavy and sturdy!. Natalika¡¯s de was blocked by Guissepo as he raised his unprotected arm to guard! Guissepo¡¯s gaze turned to Tulnas and Skullius. ¡°Extravagant indeed. So you both have other resuscitative trump cards?¡± Guissepo said as he looked on with a peculiar smile, pushing his arm to force Natalika away. The swordswoman stopped her attacks as she focused her senses on Ginie, finding her to be turning stable. She sighed in relief as her spirited felt rejuvenated. Tulnas on the other hand cranked his mind as he instantly read between the lines while watching Guissepo¡¯s reaction to Ginie¡¯s healing. ¡®So this bastard used Ginie as a way to see if we had more tricks up our sleeve?¡¯ he thought as his eyes turned cold. ¡°Brother¡­ brother Tulnas¡­.¡± Ginie said weakly as she blinked, her face no longer contorted in pain. She started breathing heavily as she looked like she was about to cry. She remembered full well what had happened but not why had saved her. Tulnas started stroking her head as he wore a gentle expression. ¡°You¡¯re safe now,¡± he said, his eye turning to Festos before returning to her. Ginie got the hint as she looked to Festos. The man seemed to look confused as he frowned, looking between Ginie and Tulnas. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn¡¯t find what to say. He was quite distraught as didn¡¯t know what the flesh was happening to him nor understand what he had just done. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ Tulnas thought as he saw Festos¡¯ reaction to his own deed. From this, he inferred that there was probably so much more to the curse on this man. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Huh? What? What did¡­¡± Festos started babbling but Tulnas was already walking forward withrge strides towards Guissepo who smiled at his advance. ¡°I sense extravagant enmity. Did I do anything wrong?¡± Guissepo asked to which Tulnas didn¡¯t render a reply. He simply reached Natalika¡¯s side and patted her shoulder. The female swordswoman immediately drew back as she headed to Ginie. ¡®Let¡¯s do it,¡¯ Tulnas thought, sending his intent to a certain being that nested within him. Thest of tamed beasts. ¡®But first the barrier¡­¡¯ Almost instantly, the ground under his feet shook as his body cooked up a rather strange power that gushed in excessive amounts! The energy released a golden-orange glow, which made Guissepo raise a brow! Tulnas turned serious as his exposed muscles flexed, in the next moment, his body bulging with strength, as it became tougher and stronger while expelled a wave of heat that apanied the bellowing stream of power that started to cause a vicious gust of trouble air to envelope the entire cavern! His eyes turned sharper than before and he hissed from his mouth a breath of heated air as he then made his move! Tulnas shot up to Guissepo who was shocked by the burst of speed and the brightening up golden-orangeyer of light that outlined the young Tamer as he then went on to give Guissepo the punch of his life! The Evenfall cultist was able to raise his arms in a guard before he was knocked away by the punch that turned out to be heavier than he expected, causing a loud and destructive boom when it connected as the sheer force of it then sted him a great distance! Simr to how he had struck Tulnas, Guissepo¡¯s body shed as it zipped through the air, the cultist only being able to steady himself when he had crossed over to near the invisible barrier! He hadn¡¯t sustained any injury on himself at all but he felt the power from the punch still lightly ring in bones. However, critically injuring him wasn¡¯t Tulnas¡¯ goal to begin with, it was to bring this bastard back to his objective so that he could kill two birds with one stone! ¡®Incredible! What extravagant speed and power! Sadly, it didn¡¯te from his body. Something is supplying him with fuel for such a feat!¡¯ Guissepo thought as his body started to ooze with a strange neon light that had a blood-red hue, the substance making the space contract and trembled as it slowly rose from the man¡¯s body. Tulnas dashed ahead, following to where Guissepo hadnded as he saw this phenomenon unfold as the Evenfall cultist looked at him with anticipation! ¡®We were right. It¡¯s as we thought¡­¡¯ Tulnas aired his thoughts. ¡®This man is at the Master Stage.¡¯ However, what stage this man was didn¡¯t matter as action was needed nevertheless. Tulnas could see the invisible barrier seven meters away from Guissepo. And this was enough. It was close enough. ¡®Thanks Festos. I¡¯ll make this opportunity you¡¯ve given me count.¡¯ Finally. Tulnas was free to let loose. At the moment, the Tamer fearlessly faced Guissepo who seemed to be drawing on a power that was known for Master Stagebatants ¨C the light emerging from his back which tinted the entire cavern with a red light. Opposite him, Tulnas scoffed as something also started to emerge from his naked back. It was a peculiar mass, throngs of flesh and hairs growing over it along with bones and teeth as they eventually formed something unexpected. A ck-furred fox! ¡­! Only its head manifested while being linked to Tulnas¡¯ back, the beast GRINNING as one of its eyes began to glow with an orange light, tremendous power flowing from it and into Tulnas body! Skullius who was a distance away was shocked to see this thing as he recalled seeing something like it! Heck, he remembered seeing things simr to both the fox on Tulnas and the neon, rising light from Guissepo! ¡®Is that¡­¡¯ he thought, his memory stagnating. Tulnasid his one hand over the other before his chest in a hand seal that made casting thisplicated skill easier as mad power gushed from him, blowing over the entire cavern as strips of blue and orange energy rotated around him with a powerful, starry visual! His legs spread apart for bnce as his skin only got glossier from the luminous energy he expelled, causing everyone who was spectating to feel the thrum of energy bash through him and cause them to stumble or hold onto something! ¡°Ready?¡± Tulnas asked. ¡°Just do it,¡± the fox replied in a hoarse voice. The Tamer chucked as he finally wore his signature confident grin again while saying out the name of this high-end, Special Skill that require his and the fox¡¯s energybined! ¡°False Territory Expulsion¡­.!¡± Chapter 290 Trump Card! (1) Foundation, Advancement and¡­. Master. These stages were a perfect depiction of rising trend in a body¡¯s growth, with a sharp increase existing between the Advancement and Master Stages. While the Foundation didn¡¯t have much to offer in terms of actual raw power for an individual, at least inparsion to the other Stages, much less when considering special features, the Advancement Stage offered the Full Body Aura as an incentive for graduating from the baby stage of growth. As mentioned before, a wide gulf existed between the Advancement Stage and the Master Stage, with thetter offering its own unique perk that was leagues above the Full Body Aura. However, these perks or features of Stages weren¡¯t gifts that would be received the moment one entered the respective Stage. No. One had to work for them. The Full Body Aura was not that hard to learn as it mainly featured things one wouldn¡¯t have experienced when growing through the Foundation Stage.. What the Master Stage offered was quite difficult to manifest and on top of that¡­ the next Stage guaranteed that what it offered would only be unlocked by someone who understood the flow of energies. Someone who transcended what was called a Master,particr perk that came after the Master Stage being the grander version of what Tulnas was doing now. A loud bellow of zealous power echoed out as Tulnas released incredible waves of energy that made the entire cavern tremble as they coiled and collided in a purposeful mix, sparks of energy swimming in the air as it started to heat up and form dastardly twisted mirages! Of all the spectators, Skullius and the Evenfall cultists were the only ones looking surprised at this phenomenon, as the long standing Harem Guild members looked with a smirk or awe. Skullius who had his eyes glued to Tulnas couldn¡¯t help but spill his shock, his words directed at the thing that came from his back which he recognised. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ just like that wolf-thing that led me from deep in the Tremur?¡± His mind couldn¡¯t help but draw simrities,paring the fox he had seen guarding Fulgardt¡¯sbyrinth to this one, though they had heavily contrasting colours. One white and the other ck! But still, without a doubt, this was a Grinning Jester Fox! ¡°False Territory, Frostbourne Desert!¡± Tulnas called as his eyes gleamed with an orange light, a staggering force jutting out from him in an expansive, crystal sphere that kept growing, outwards as it went on to pull on Guissepo whose eyes were wide open in surprise! The two men vanished as the crystal sphere turned to be covered by vast waves of sand thatpletely changed its aesthetic as it went to bash against the invisible barrier as it continued to expand! The moment of the sh, the two barriers produced sparks of conflicting energy between them as they collided, therge sand covered sphere started to heat up as its sandy exterior turned molten but with massive amounts mana and glimmering Aura rushing over it! Within the invisible barrier, Gwendelina had turned to trying to push out all her mana into the maintaining the barrier instead of continuing with the ritual on Gertreld as she was utterly terrified by the power gushing out of this sphere! She sweated and gritted her teeth as now she truly felt that they had been heavily missing more members for this mission, worse when one took into ount the fact that some of them were dead, a consequence of Ginie¡¯s influence, which made the process of drawing Primus energy to fuel their activity harder now! Tomin on the other hand, could barely give a reaction to the massive sphere that shook the entire cavern with its power! Thick veins tinged in a blue hue were running along his arms and body, as they squeezed the very life out of him! He could barely keep his eyes open to witness everything unfold, as he felt whatever poison he had been injected with wreck his internal built! The man finally copsed to the ground as he took in heavy, raspy breaths. Unfortunately, no one at this moment had the time to tend to him as they focused on the moment where therge hot sphere cracked the invisible barrier! ¡®What is this thing?! How on earth did that mam have such a technique up his sleeve?!¡¯ Gwendelina screamed in her own thoughts as she panicked. With her still limited knowledge of Magecraft, she couldn¡¯t tell what on earth this thing was! ¡®Guissepo! You bettere out alive!¡¯ The man in question stood in a daze while being trapped within the massive sphere where a very unique scape was stered over his eyes. A massive sun was overhead, surrounded a turquoise blue sky with no cast of clouds. The beaming mass in the sky was not the conventional sun with a zing heat however, as it was actually whitish blue in colour, its entire figure radiating a ferocious cold that travelled through the rays of light it produced! Its distance from thend underneath was even too close forfort, as it a brought about abiting cold over the ground with a chilling wind whoosing all around because of it, kes of pure frost dropping down as well. On the ground, an expansive desert of golden-brown sand could be seen. However, many points of white snow could be seen covering portions of the sand, especially the rising dunes, one of which Guissepo stood on. ¡®This is¡­ akin to an Imaginary GeoScape! Extravagant! Am I in a Majestic Territory?!¡¯ Guissepo thought as he looked around with wide eyes, his heart beating at the mere thought of it as if it was true, then this was quite perilous. However¡­ ¡®No. That¡¯s extravagantly impossible. This man is merely at the middle of Advancement Stage. There is no way he could create a Majestic Territory. Then, is it-¡® ¡°Mr Evenfall. Down here,¡± a voice called to Guissepo. It was Tulnas. He stood below the frost covered dune that Guissepo stood on with a smirk. The Grinning Jester Fox on his back was no more as now, there only remained his muscr figure that looked as good as new; no bruises or wounds visible but a fresh body ready to throw some hands. Guissepo looked at Tulnas and squinted his eyes. ¡®I wasn¡¯t able to sense his presence even though he was standing right there. How extravagantly troublesome. Still though. If this were a genuine Territory, given the current circumstances, I¡¯d be dead by now. So this must be some kind of extravagantly made cheap version of a Territory. Hehe! In that case, I¡¯ll just kill him even with all it provides!¡¯ Guissepo thought as he grinned, the neon light that flowed upwards from behind him glowing with a dangerous tint. Tulnas got ready to attack, his thoughts churning. ¡®Is it ready?¡¯ ¡®Now it is. Remember. Two minutes. Get your timing right,¡¯ a hoarse voice said from within him. ¡®I don¡¯t need you to remind me of that,¡¯ Tulnas retorted as he made his move¡­ Chapter 291 Trump Card! (2) Tulnas dashed ahead. However, his movement wasn¡¯t as Guissepo expected. Or rather, what followed wasn¡¯t as the Evenfall cultist expected altogether! He did not see anything else but a fist st into his face with the force of an otherworldly lotive! The cultist¡¯s force ripped from the power as he felt a shuddering shock soar through his body! The entire sand dune that he and Guissepo stood on exploded from the force that was released on contact as the Evenfall cultist went on to beunched a great distance at breakneck speed! He crashed into another sand dune, his whole body feeling an incredible heat that tried to invade his flesh the instant he was submerged! TSSSS! The sand started to melt, its effort being geared towards swallowing him whole and turning him into a charred corpse surprise! ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ Guissepo thought as he felt the sand around him coiling dangerously as it sought to subdue him! He immediately pushed himself out of the sand with a burst of condensed mana and exposed himself back to the surface, but the moment he did, he saw Tulnas¡¯ spinning figure arch andnd a kick to the back of his neck! BOOM! The sheer force brought him down into the sand which fly from his descent at the foot, his figure digging deep into the ground as he found himself held tight by the sand that kept pulling him inside in an attempt to bury him deep enough! ¡®Arghh¡­.extravagantly annoying!¡¯ Guissepo thought as he pulled himself out, but then¡­. An overbearing force hammered through the sand from above, bringing with it such a devastatingly lethal amount of power that it bore arge hole from above while pushing arge of sand down to descend on Guissepo who continue to sink! Tulnas had punched the heck out of the spot where Guissepo was being pulled into by the sand, the entire force caused the entire False Territory to shudder! His raw strength was boosted to a shocking degree! Tulnas¡¯ Territory was vastly different from the real thing. It was, as its name stated, a False Territory, made when he worked with the third and strongest tamed beast he had in his arsenal, the Grinning Jester Fox. In reality, it wasn¡¯t even close to 40% when it came to effectiveness and power whenpared to a regr Majestic Territory, a power whose application and traits were tooplex for the current level of fighters in this battle. It onlysted for two minutes from when it finished forming, but that was usually enough for Tulnas to end a fight. Its basic purpose was to amplify his stats to the point where he could exhibit strength, speed and endurance way beyond his current capacity to demolish any enemies he pulled within the Territory. On top of this, the weather conditions; the extreme cold in the air and the vicious heat under the sand were supposed to give his opponents a rough experience in their two minutes worth of detention within. As for the main purpose of this Territory¡­ Tulnas hoped to keep that unforgiving wraps until he truly needed to use it. That was of course, if it could be helped. The Tamer narrowed his eyes as the sand before him emitted heat, smoke and steam from the temperatures that were rising underneath. ¡®After eating all my attacks, this bastard is still not bruised or even scratched. Heh, the Master Stage really is unforgiving. Though I doubt he¡¯s scaled it up even to Terian¡¯s level,¡¯ Tulnas thought. In the next moment, something he wholly expected happened. Bits of multi-coloured fireworks sparkled from the massive hole he had gouged from the ground with his punch! Guissepo¡¯s figure shot out, his body being unscathed as he even had all his clothes on, his ck and purple hair fluttering as he steadied himself on the surface. ¡°Quite the extravagantly neat tricks you have there. Unfortunately for you. I¡¯ve decided it¡¯s fine if you just die here!¡± Guissepo said before he moved, the wind around exploding from his steps worth of action which was once again, too fast for most to see! Tulnas¡¯ eyes immediately adopted an orange tint instead of their usual ocean blue hue, as when he was about to react, Guissepo flung an incredibly powerful palm strike at his head! With his orange eyes gleaming, Tulnas saw the movement of Guissepo¡¯s palm strike clearly with recurring hazy images of its flow, his instincts causing him hurriedly raised his arms to guard! He made it in time, but¡­ Bits of multi-coloured fireworks struck Tulnas¡¯ arm along with a horrendous force that¡­ instantly blew his arms into a bloody pulp, the raw power emitted from the palm strike carrying over as it minced the skin of his face and exploded his head into chunks when the two touched! Stter! Guissepo scoffed as he saw Tulnas¡¯ headless and bloody body sway this way and that¡­ ¡°Talented heathens have extravagantly more hubris than I imagined¡­¡± Guissepo said as he waved his hands of gore. However, in the next mini-moment, Tulnas¡¯ corpse exploded with a raucous mass of sand spilling everywhere instead of blood, this effect shocking Guissepo as this obviously wasn¡¯t what he expected! From the sand, Tulnas¡¯ figure jutted out with a ridiculing grin as heunched himself forward at breakneck speed with his arm cocked back, veins popping up as he exerted all his current strength! ¡°Try again!¡± Tulnas yelled as his fist tunnelled threw the air, its appearance looking like it was made from frost covered ice instead of flesh, a thick energy, like Aura wrapping around it! The force of impact when the punch touched Guissepo¡¯s face was insane, as the swaths of sand parted and trembled, with Guissepo¡¯s visage twisting from the impact! The cultist wasunched over yonder, this time with a bleeding nose but Tulnas wasn¡¯t done! He bolted ahead with quick steps, his fugue barely showing with his movement as he trailed after Guissepo on the ground! He reached the man in flight and went on to tackle and m him into the ground where the sand weed the cultist by instantly melting, several thousand degrees being reached in an instant as Guissepo started to sink into it! The cultist didn¡¯t feel pain however, as a halo of neon light re-emerged from behind him! ¡°Hahahaha! How extravagantly blessed by your pagans gods you are, boy!¡± Guissepo cackled madly as he pulled his arms out of theva and gripped Tulnas¡¯ neck tightly with an inescapable grip that punctured and clogged Tulnas¡¯ blood vessels! The young Guild leader¡¯s face instantly turned pale with his eyes turning bloodshot but he remained grinning even when Guissepo went on pull him forward and give him a phenomenal head-butt that was heard all around this mini-world, the Tamer¡¯s head turning into chunks once again! ¡°Hit harder, you old coot!¡± Once again, Tulnas¡¯ corpse ballooned and burst into shots of wild sand, a lively Tulnas emerging from within this wave with an even crazier visage of battle-loving joy as he yelled, his hands going on to grab Guissepo¡¯s head as he then nted his knee into it! Another turbulent force blew out, pushing away the vast geographical features within this space! As Tulnas dropped his attack on this older man, spots of multi-coloured fireworks brimmed all around Guissepo. No! All around the two within the entire False Territory as in the next moment, Guissepo struck his elbow into Tulnas¡¯ thigh, breaking apart the bone easily as he then went on to grab his face and nt it into the ground with a deafening noise, the Territory once again shuddering! Around his body, an insane amount of these bits of sparkling, coloured fireworks twinkled as the cultist the went on to bark joyfully in Tulnas¡¯ face! ¡°You¡¯re about as crazy as I am, boy! But youck the conviction to win in one extravagantly fell swoop! Like this!¡± Guissepo said with excited bursts of heavy pants! ¡°Extravagant Jubilee!¡± BOOOOM! The sparkling bits all shone in their respective colours with blinding intensity as they went on ignite in an unforgiving explosion! Tulnas who was held down by Guissepo was incinerated in an instant, turbulent explosions rocking the entire False Territory in such a grand manner that cracks began forming on what was supposed to be the distant dunes and horizons! zing heat and kic force shredded thendscape as even the frosty sun looked to quiver from the impact! What remained on the ground was an open space with charred earth that stretched into the distance, fumes rising from it as only the figure of one man remained. Guissepo. He looked around, seeing the mess he had made with the heated ground all around. Though one would normally wear a triumphant face from causing such destruction, the cultist wasn¡¯t truly convinced that he had sessfully felled his enemy. He remained vignt but only until he saw more cracks form around him as the False Territory started to break. ¡®A wide area attack seems to have done the trick. I must admit that did give me some extravagant trouble though,¡¯ Guissepo said as he wiped his nose clean on the blood that leaked from it. Yet¡­ BAAAAM! An incredibly powerful impact knocked the man on the back of his head as a shockwave blew, forcing him arc forward! Guissepo was shocked as his cleaned nose once again gushed of blood! BAAAM! Another ferocious impact sounded as Guissepo felt a punch lodge into his chest, a leg tripping him so that he fell backwards! ¡­! ¡°I TOLD YOU TO TRY HARDER DIDN¡¯T I?!¡± Multiple voices echoed out as two mirror images of Tulnas stood over Guissepo with one of them then gripping the cultist¡¯s head, his cheeks swelling up animatedly as he then spat out a concentrated stream of sma-like water into the cultist¡¯s face! Chapter 292 Thats It? (1) CRACK! The resounding sound of something shattering echoed as in the next moment, this something shattered in its entirety. The invisible barrier that housed the Evenfall cultists finally shattered, no longer being able to handle the tug of war with the massive sphere which was Tulnas¡¯ False Territory! Gwendelina grit her teeth, as did the people behind her who now didn¡¯t have any protection from the outside enemies! Unfortunately for them, their fate was sealed the instant that barrier shattered, as before they could have three more instances to breath air, a terrifying long sword swept through them in an elegant arc, a shapelydy with a blindfold having already invaded the space as she attacked without mercy! The six who had remained, channelling the formation with Primus, were killed without resistance, as they were notbatants to begin with. Natalika had passed by Gwendelina who had frozen up as she hadn¡¯t been prepared for an instant attack. Natalika¡¯s speed hadpletely overwhelmed her and she who had been focused on salvaging the situation, was left to try and gather enough mana to defend herself when¡­ ¡°My love had given you the choice to save your life, hadn¡¯t he? I wonder, should I do the same?¡± the voice of none other than Gertreld spoke, one of Tulnas¡¯ short swords in her hand as she nicked Gwendelina¡¯s neck with it. Because of Tomin¡¯s sudden punch to her chin, she had been temporarily immobilised and bound to the centre of the formation where her struggles were proven to be futile even with her Full Body Aura which hadter faded. Gwendelina immediately gave up on resisting. She doubted she could pit her activation of a spell against Gertreld¡¯s ability to kill her. Once more, her eyes stealthily looked up to therge sphere in the air. Guissepo¡¯s re-emergence was her best shot. A distance away, Skullius was looking at everything that was happening. He wondered what this skill he was seeing was exactly as he hadn¡¯t seen anything like it before.He didn¡¯t bother to ask the person beside him, or rather the people that had been beside him as Natalika had been standing here a few seconds ago had instantly dashed forward when she saw the massive sphere exerting more force against the invisible barrier.. Quite the vivid and impactful sh it had been, only Skullius truly wished that he could see what was happening inside that barrier which had started to form cracks, strips of blinding light shooting from these. The oue would determine a lot. The Discount Human then turned to Red Rage who had been silently observing. He had once again assumed silence when his [Majestic Attire of the Omnipotent Pelvis-Hegemon] had timed out, a rather unceremonious event which was escorted by nothing but the dimming of his golden armament. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t run ahead to start killing these evil doers,¡± Skullius said as he started to walk forward. Red Rage merely shook his head. The fact that he behaved so differently when he was this aspect, Prisma, that Skullius didn¡¯t know much about, was ridiculous. The Discount Human had tried to peer into the situation on this aspect with his guidance field, but had been unsessful. To find out more about this Prisma, Skullius made a mental note to have Red Rage summon whoever the null flesh that was through the skill, for a chat. Suddenly, Skullius felt something poke his arm. He turned only to realise that the person who had poked him had immediately dashed away. The Discount Human unconsciously raised his brow when the short figure of Ginie finally gathered the courage to say her piece. ¡°Un, un. Thank¡­ you. For saving my life,¡± she said with a nervous smile. Skullius¡¯ expression remained nk for a moment. The incident that happened before. It wasn¡¯t that he had forgotten about it or that he wasn¡¯t aware. He knew full well what had happened as when Ginie had gotten fatally attacked by Guissepo, he hadn¡¯t been conscious, but just without the ability to control himself. He had experienced it all and while it was something to address, Skullius had chosen to ignore it for the time being. He had felt a burning emotion that drove him to rush up to Ginie back then and this¡­ made him ufortable. Such a thing was meant to be left for after a review when the battle was over. Now however¡­ As Skullius looked at Ginie, he didn¡¯t know what to say. She was thanking him, a gesture he couldn¡¯t say he was used to. Even in Deadmand, there was never anything to be thankfully for. That said, Skullius couldn¡¯t be rude. Right? Maybe¡­ ¡°Um¡­¡± Skullius mumbled before simply nodding. Ginie smiled and then circled around him like a gue before rushing forward where seemingly the entire situation behind what had been the invisible barrier had been resolved in its entirety. Skullius sighed. She didn¡¯t forget about his curse. Even while knowing the parameters, Ginie was being extra careful, as was everyone else. Skullius followed after the short girl for a few steps, reaching a short distance from the barrier. He marvelled at its seemingly molten exterior as he vividly felt the enormous amount of energy it produced. ¡®Incredible¡­¡¯ he thought, wishing he had something like this in his arsenal. As Skullius watched what was ahead, something caught his attention. A tug at his senses. Or rather, at his finger. He felt something within his storage beam and emit a peculiar energy. Skullius would never assume this but¡­ It was a beacon. * VWOOOOOSH! Like a condensed waterfall, a mass of water poured from the Tulnas¡¯ creepily erged mouth without pause! The pressured water struck Guissepo with a bright glow not usually seen from water as it beamed from his wordhole! In truth, Tulnas wasn¡¯t aiming to do some heavy damage, but it was worth a try while trying to aplish his overarching goal. With the short amount of time that he had been fighting with the cultist, he had realised that it was virtually impossible to do any decisive damage with the conventional abilities of the False Territory, especially when considering the red neon light which rose from Guissepo. Even now, Tulnas could see the water he was sting against Guissepo¡¯s face being warded off. ¡®Of course,¡¯ he thought. Guissepo¡¯s hand suddenly popped from the water that had now filled up a bit more than a two tenths of the entire Territory, its might being felt as it went on try and grab a Tulnas! Unfortunately for it, Tulnas¡¯ double who was beside him hurried over, held back the arm, pushed it into the water and mmed it on the ground! It took the double two of its hands to aplish this feat and even then¡­ Around Guissepo¡¯s hand, bits of sparkling multi-coloured fireworks suddenly emerged and with an enormous explosion, they gleefully ignited, destroying the double and knocking away the Tulnas who had been sshing the burst of water! Guissepo tore himself from the water with an extravagant force as he fully expected the Tulnas he had demolished with his explosion to suddenly reappear after a burst of sand. Unfortunately, that was not what he was met with. Instead, he found to his shock a more disturbing scene. Four Tulnases stood in the water in a circr formation with their backs against each other, all of them then going to shoot sts of water into the pool that was starting to form in the Territory! The ferocity of the gushing waters which produced vapouring variants of the element was so strong that the Territory was quickly filled up with water in a matter of eight seconds, no space to breathe remaining afterwards! ¡­! Guissepo was perturbed by this as he went on to hold his breath. ¡®My Extravagant Jubilee may just be subdued with this move. Did he already pick up on its extravagance?¡¯ Guissepo thought as he swam, his keen eyesight then zooming in on the Tulnases that burst towards in the water, their eyes gleaming with an orange glow. ¡®It must be that eye. How extravagant¡­¡¯ Guissepo thought as he recalled to when Tulnas¡¯ eye had suddenly switched from its ocean blue colour to the orange ¨C the moment when he first blew up Tulnas¡¯ head in their first exchange. Guissepo¡¯s blessing, Extravagant Jubilee, allowed him to conjure explosions of different scales given a prelude of sparkling multi-coloured fireworks. The intensity and range of these fireworks, along with their colours determined how strong his explosion could be. These wouldn¡¯t work well in water, was the cultist¡¯s sentiment. But still¡­ he would persevere! ¡®Bring it on!¡¯ he thought as the red light which rose from behind him continued to do so while the Four Tulnases suddenly changed as they neared him. Their forms turned from being made by skin and flesh to being transparent human outlines with a blue colour, a starry design being all that could be seen over their bodies! With this transformation, the four started to rapidly swim around Guissepo, the force of their movement generating a massive, disorienting whirlpool that turned deadly as they went round and round! Guissepo was unable to resist the force of the pull and push, his body being spun so quickly that he could barely see around him or notice which direction was where! As this urred, a hoarse voice echoed inside the mind of one of the Tulnases. ¡®We have 10 seconds remaining. Finish it, now!¡¯ ¡®I know. Prepare for option three¡­.¡¯ Tulnas responded. Chapter 293 Thats It? (2) False Territory, Frostbourne Desert. This was a high-end Special Skill that Tulnas devised in order to cover for all that hecked at this current stage. An Advanced ss. The truth of the matter was that Advanced sses for Energy Formers were way harder to obtain than those of other categories. This had led Tulnas to ss Branch, gaining abilities that would otherwise not be his forte as an Energy Former, like swordsmanship, stealth, close range battle instinct and hand-to-hand techniques, most of which he had exhibited in this fight. The False Territory was not his own idea however, but one that he had been given by the Grinning Jester Fox that he had tamed. He had met this creature when he travelled to Maqi, finding it on his venture into a massive forest called Oumior. It was still a cub back then, being roughly six years old, but exhibiting extreme intelligence and strength above Tier 4. The Grinning Jester Fox was not amon creature to stumble upon in any location and this young one, from seeing and appreciating its qualities through a short battle, Tulnas did his very best to try and tame it. From its extraordinary ability to read his moves and tell various aspects of him just by observing him with its orange eye, Tulnas could see that this was a worthwhile creature to strive for. Unfortunately, it was no small task as in the end, he only managed to win it over by besting it inbat after three days and then performing the Taming Rite. Growing with this creature had been a hassle as it took a long time for the two to get used to each other but given the fox¡¯s intelligence, it quickly learnt how tomunicate with him and became more friendly to him, opening up more about what it knew and wanted. The two had gotten along pretty well, Tulnas helping the creature grow and treating it as a friend instead of a pet. After some time, the fox had thought of something about Tulnas and asked the simple question, ¡°How would you like to own a trump card, an ultimate technique that could allow you to use all your tamed beasts¡¯ abilities as your own and with greater efficiency? Excluding mine, of course.¡± Tulnas had found the idea absurd at first as his reply was dismissive. ¡°I¡¯m trying to achieve that by learning how to obtain an advanced ss, you idiot. Are you hungry or something, you can just tell me, you know?¡± ¡°No, you fool!¡± the fox had growled at Tulnas before sighing out its rage to more clearly express its point. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some older beasts use manifestations of hmm, what do you call it again, of space¡­ Territories to enhance their mutations and abilities. Humans do it too, right? What if I told you that I can help you create such a thing, but as a lesser version thatsts only for a short time?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Tulnas had finally paid attention as he looked at the grinning figure that protruded from his back. ¡°That would be pretty handy. It would cover up for my offensive weakness if it could also boost my physical abilities. Interesting. What would I need?¡± ¡°Hmmm. Your Aura. All of it, at once. It possesses information about your tamed beasts and your abilities. I could temporary exhaust all my energy to create a separate space that enhances these abilities and assimtes them into you. But, it will be a one-time use with a limited duration. My healing capabilities will have to be used to a limited effect prior to using this technique, so make sure not to die before then.¡±. Tulnas had grinned after mulling this over. It was way more than worth it to bet on this and his expression had told the fox all that it needed to know. ¡­. At the current moment, the four Tulnases rushed around the water creating a turbulent water vortex that spun at a crazy speed! All their figures in addition to Guissepo¡¯s could barely be seen in this insanity and the cultist grit his teeth. ¡®Extravagantly Intriguing. I can¡¯t tell which way is up or down. It won¡¯t matter even if I could unless I can manage to outmanoeuvre these clones, which I guarantee will be extravagantly difficult. In that case, I¡¯ll use all I have to blow this dimension and ughter all these heathens! I will attract more of them eventually and start over. Tomin¡¯s fears were not unfounded after all!¡¯ Guissepo thought before he curled around himself like a ball, gathering his energy as bits of fireworks started to appear around his body! This time however, they all seemed to be of the same colour. Blue! They started to generate a mass of multiple shades of the colour while illuminating the water which started to boil immediately! The four Tulnases sensed the surge in power and they looked amongst themselves, one of them immediately swimming towards one of therger cracks on the Territory wall while the rest stretched out their hands in their respective positions. Their transparent, starry bodies as well as luminous eyes quivered while Guissepo¡¯s body prepared to release the craziest explosion with a blue tint enveloping everything within the Territory! With this glow came an incredible quivering of not only the Territory, but even the cavern as this was a prelude to a cmitous event! The explosion created no further suspense as it came right after the glow, the water within the Territory rumbling as it was pushed back by the initial impact! Yet¡­ ¡°Now!¡± one of the Tulnases ordered as in the next moment right as the explosion was about to wipe out everything! GRRRRRKCHH! In less than a second, everything froze. Literally. The Tulnases, the water and Guissepo who was the very centre froze up into arge circr white block that had hints of blue originating from its centre where the dreadful explosion that Guissepo had been about to use had begun. As this urred, the Tulnas who had left the others, exiting through the crack,nded on the ground outside therge sphere where his starry body instantly transitioned into his flesh and blood, losing Alphat¡¯s physical traits as he was outside the Territory. He looked around to see Skullius a few meters behind him with a quizzical expression on his face as he looked at his spatial storage ring before turning his head to look at him. On the other side, Natalika and Gertreld were each holding down Gwendelina and Tomin who looked up from his grounded position. ¡®Seems like everything has been settled,¡¯ Tulnas thought. As he was about to pay attention to his Territory, his sharp senses noticed something very odd. Primus. There were remnants of Primus that still leaked through the air even after the formation had vanished from its handlers dying. However this wasn¡¯t had caught his attention as he had felt this before the fight. What attracted his focus was that amidst the small streams that had been flowing out when the Evenfall members were still alive as they channelled Primus from a formation that Tulnas wasn¡¯t sure where it led to, one particr one stood out to him. This remnant of the channels that had been fuelled for the past days or maybe weeks in his perception wasrge and dense. Veryrge, almost to the point where it was asrge asrge river! A massive amount of condensed Primus was being channelled somewhere. If each channel was a potential Cluster being formed somewhere in this region, then the small ones would be white to blue-white Clusters. But this one¡­ Furthermore, the direction which it extended to didn¡¯t sit well with Tulnas. If his directional sense was correct then, it was somewhere in the direction of Inhone! ¡®Are these bastards mad?!¡¯ Tulnas thought before he refocused on the Territory which had passed its time limit. Skullius noticed Tulnas¡¯ troubled expression and asked with bountiful anxiety, drawing away from the issue going on with his ring. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Tulnas rendered an answer which he deemed adequate as he then proceeded with the next step. ¡°Unfortunately, Mr. Explosion I was up against was pretty strong. I can¡¯t kill him with any of my current abilities so¡­¡± FWIP! Tulnas propped up three of his fingers from his right hand as the rest remained nted to his palm, the spherical False Territory beginning to rumble with its cracked and heated mass! ¡°¡­I¡¯ll have to seal him and produce him as living evidence.¡± From Tulnas¡¯ back, the Grinning Jester Fox emerged, its head focused ahead. Its appearance spooked Skullius a bit as it really looked like the insanely powerful fox he had travelled with in the Tremur. ¡°Complete Sand Coffin,¡± Tulnas called, the massive sphere beginning to shrink rapidly as its exterior turned from a heated molten surface into thickets of shuffling waves of golden-brown sand that maintained the perfectly circr shape. At the same time, thick dark chains wrapped around this figure of sand and with a loud nk whose impact vividly depicted thepletion of the seal, the deed was done. Tulnas breathed out a sigh of relief while the fox behind him began to recede back into his body. ¡°I¡¯ll be retiring to recover my energy. Don¡¯t disturb me,¡± it said with a hoarse voice. ¡°You live in my body for Quintess¡¯ sake,¡± Tulnas mumbled in exasperation. He then looked around, reaffirming that he would definitely need to inform Erkus and Silrat about a potential blue Cluster or worse emerging. He stored the floating mass of sand into his spatial storage which was quite pricey with the special effects it offered, which allowed him to store a living individual given that certain conditions were met. Tulnas then walked up to the space where the Evenfall cultists were projecting their formation, his eyes turning to Tomin who looked to be barely alive. His eyes were bloodshot, with thick veins roaming within as he squirmed in pain. ¡°He¡¯s not a threat. Whatever poison was used on him by Festos¡¯ summon is rather potent,¡± Natalika said. Tulnas nodded as he then turned his eyes to Gwendelina who was held firmly by Gertreld, a short sword at her neck. She sweated as she wore a dark face with traces of immense rage leaking from the way she looked up at Tulnas with her dark eyes. Tulnas merely smirked at her in response before speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t think keeping a Mage alive is ideal. I already have more than enough with Mr. Explosion.¡± Gwendelina¡¯s eye twitched. Dying for a cause and dying like this were two different things. It was so¡­ dissatisfactory. Behind them all, Skullius once again turned to his storage ring as the weird tug suddenly happened again. ¡®Seriously! What the flesh is going on?¡¯ Skullius thought as he then passed mana into the ring to see what was causing this strange thing to ur through him. He then found that this was happening in the space within the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation! How could an object do something like this while trapped in a double portion of storage? Only Red Rage could do that. As he peered within, Skullius saw¡­ A small thin, hand-shaped item with a blood red hue. This¡­ This was the crest he had been given by Eobald back in the Tremur Forest along with the Arcane Teleportation scroll and the Universal Gate Key! An item that Skullius had long forgotten about what with how small it waspared to everything else stored in the storage space of the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation! This was the item which was causing this?! Suddenly, the item shook and left the space within the dark armour, then it went on to leave the space within his spatial storage ring as it appeared outside, floating on its own before him. Tulnas felt something weird going on behind him and turned to see Skullius looking with anxiousness at the floating crest. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Tulnas asked as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ uhmm¡­¡± Skullius tried to exin but couldn¡¯t find the words, yet Gwendelina and Tomin who looked at this had their eyes constrict immediately! What was that doing on this guy? Wasn¡¯t that..? To add more fuel to this abrupt change in events, in a silent corner of the cavern too dark and silent for anyone to pay attention to, footsteps were heard. Something inched its way from a space that was hidden by the darkness. The moment it became clearer for all to see, its presence bing abundant for all to sense, all eyes immediately shot open. For Gwendelina and Tomin this turned to be chaotic urrence, for when they saw the colours white and green emerge, they grit their teeth, Tomin especially! For the rest, this new entrant¡¯s energy caused for them to turn extremely cautious. ¡°Haa¡­ You¡¯re the one?¡± a stern and authoritative voice leaked from the hooded figure donning a cracked, dual coloured mask as he looked at none other than Skullius¡­! ¡ª- [Author¡¯s Note] If you¡¯re about to read the next chapter, make sure that you have read the Revia arc from Ch.181-190. If you don¡¯t, your confusion is not on me. Cheers! Chapter 294 And Here We Are... ¡®I knew it!¡¯ Tomin thought as he gnashed his teeth. ¡®Was he watching all along so that he could¡­¡­ swoop in and help, taking that as a favour?! I told them that keeping one of his bodies was a bad idea!¡¯ As he had thought! A hooded figure that looked like it had juste from an intense battle emerged, with a torn, hooded dark jacket and pants, dried and dirtied with blood and dust. The mask it wore looked like it could shatter with a single touch, the green and white colours looking to be fading. The fact that this figure was missing an arm brought on an eerie sense to the onlookers who were none the wiser; Tulnas¡¯ group, giving them nothing but apprehension and confusion as they wondered if this was a sudden hidden enemy to fight or something else entirely. However, it was unmistakable. The hazel glint from behind the mask that this individual wore as well as the heavy presence he exuded which seemingly hardened the air immediately buried everyone in tension. This was it! The body that Tomin and Guissepo had been instructed to keep for Actuass when the man had returned from Evic with Revia¡¯s body! As a favour, he had asked to keep this body here, iming that he would feel better if it was ¡®protected¡¯ by powerful elites as he had a nigh perfect sync with it. This is why Tomin had been upset, ring with frustration towards Guissepo earlier. ¡°¡­Once more¡­ I receive no answer even when I¡¯m standing before the evidence¡­¡± Actuass said with his gleaming eyes looking at Skullius. The Discount Human froze for a bit.. When Actuass¡¯ presence became all but clear, he had sensed itsposition clearly. Undeath! This was definitely Undeath energy! A form he was not used to with thickets of perfectly weaved energy which made an immacte horror in the air! This was no scrub! Was this man¡­ The Discount Human ced his hand on the sheath to [Demion¡¯s Dance], but he hesitated and loosened it afterwards. Would a de made to harness a death flinging technique work on someone who wielded undeath? Gertreld who was at the side kicked up Tulnas¡¯ de which was on the ground over to him, the topless Tamer quickly handling it as he got ready for another brutal fight, mana oozing from his body. Post using his Territory, his tamed beasts would all be recuperating from him having used their abilities. Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t use his Aura as it would have all been used up. He only had himself to work with at the moment. He saw that Actuass was keeping his eyes on Skullius and also¡­. perhaps the floating hand shaped object before the young man but¡­ Was this all? Actuass shifted his view to the two remaining Evenfall members who were looking at him withplicated expressions. ¡°I suppose I could help you before I go on to reap this murderous fellow here. A good enough trade for keeping one of my proxies right?¡± Actuass asked, making Tomin grunt in disgust as he felt his body continuously degrade. ¡®Tsk. This guy is insanely strong¡­I think. I can¡¯t tell where he stands exactly¡­ Our best course of action is to swarm him with attacks. A full scale wave with all we have,¡¯ Tulnas thought before his eye suddenly shifted to Ginie who was sweating, memories of what had happened earlier swirling in his mind. ¡®No. It¡¯s better to take the careful approach. Let¡¯s hold off on attacking aimlessly. Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡¯ Natalika, Gertreld, Ginie and Tulnas felt something peculiar within themselves but not the Discount Human. Skullius was fully swimming in his anxiety as he gulped unconsciously. Memories of his exchange with Eobald raced in his mind and he recalled the message that he had initially been supposed to take to the Green Neolists as per the man¡¯s request. ¡®Find the Green Neolists and tell them that, They are onto us¡­¡¯ As if the Discount Human would have spent his time searching for these guys when his null life was on the line. But now, it looked like that portion of his story had caught up to him, the crest he had in his possession being used to track him somehow. ¡®This is pretty bad¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. Actuass turned from the two captured members and back to the rest. ¡°Do I really have to do this again with you?¡± Actuass deliberated, seeing as everyone was experiencing IT already. Everyone outside the Evenfall captives and¡­ ¡°What?¡± Actuass narrowed his hazel eyes as he looked at Skullius. Because of the natural ability afforded by his powers, anyone he was facing against him would start to lose their life energy aka, their lives immediately. In Actuass¡¯ vision he could see the bodies of the threedies and Tulnas spilling the green life energy steadily as expected but¡­ This was not the case for Skullius! This man leaked nothing at all! This¡­ was an unexpected urrence. ¡®Strange. This is the first time this has ever happened¡­¡¯ Actuass thought. It seemed the people before him were waiting for him to make a move first. Because of this new and strange phenomenon, he was happy to oblige. He wouldn¡¯t mind losing a few shapely jugs of undeath energy if it meant he could take this seemingly more mysterious killer of Eobald before him and study him. ¡®And here I thought it would be an uneventful journey¡­¡¯ Actuass thought as he took a step that prompted everyone he was up against to grow tense as they prepared their strongest moves against this foe. However¡­ A prolongedst fight against this menacing viin wasn¡¯t going to happen, as Direction seemed to have other ns. Actuass was the first to notice it as it was something from his arsenal. A quivering that broke free of his control and summoned itself. A figure promptly appeared before him. A dark green figure, skeletal in stature. Thick bones with deep gashes and cracks could be seen as this image loomed between Tulnas¡¯ group and Actuass who stopped and uttered in confusion¡­ ¡°SoSei?¡± The tool he only used when things when absolutely necessary sprouted from storage on its own! This wouldn¡¯t happen unless¡­ ¡°Haaa¡­.¡± the dark green skeleton opened what would be its mouth and spilled a dreadful air with a mix of terrifying energies. As it did, bright red mes red from its sockets, first as mere wisps that dancednguidly, then as twin ferocious tongues of mad mes that rose and lit the entire cavern in a helish red hue! As this urred, only silence descended as all wills to fight were extinguished, because unlike Actuass¡¯ presence, this one didn¡¯t incite one to fight for survival but to simply¡­ stand there and watch it with horror! Ginie dropped to her knees with a pale face while shivering horribly as the immense waves of power from this skeleton warped the air around everyone! Natalika¡¯s hand trembled as she loosened the hold over the hilt to her sword prior tounching her attack. Gertreld merely stood frozen in ce while Tulnas¡­ The Tamer gulped as he took in heavy breaths, unable to speak or move. What. The. Hell! Gwendelina sensed the enormous palpations of power from the skeleton and could only suffocate under the pressure from her advanced senses while Tomin¡­ Well, he had died immediately from the shock of having the raging powers m into him which allowed the poison in his system to finish him off. All this said and done, one person was terrified beyond everyone¡¯s wildest inference. Skullius. His eyes almost popped from his sockets as the horrors he imagined after seeing the green, the red and feeling this menacing energy, turned out to be true when he felt the gaze of this skeleton over him and no one else as it then went on to speak. ¡°And here we are¡­. against Direction. Against your god-like favour. We meet again, in flesh and bone, Skullius¡­¡± Chapter 295 Scurry Away! ¡­ Skullius consciously took in heavy breaths as if hyperventting. His chest heaved up and down while water leaked profusely from him. Words could not perfectly describe his emotions, nor could his Discount Human body. To make it clear that what he saw was true, Skullius felt his soul tremble! It quivered and shook as if lightning traced over it, bursts of pain and shock erupting from deep within as the fake human looked on ahead in horror. No doubt, his soul was affirming that he was in the presence of the one who lorded over his soul! But how was HE here?! How?! Why?! ¡°S¡­ Somanda¡­¡± Skullius mumbled softly to which Actuass who was watching from behind tilted his head and turned to the skeleton that was addressing the very same person he was after. ¡®They know each other? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ the Green Neolist head couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around this sequence of events. Tulnas stole a nce at Skullius as he figured that this young man was not as oblivious as he was to what was going on despite shaking like a leaf! There was more to this man even after all they already knew?! Actuass took the brief silence to inquire and inform. ¡°I was just about to capture this man and take him in for¡ª¡±. ¡°Leave us,¡± Somanda ordered, interrupting Actuass with his raspy voice as he flicked his fingers at the man who was behind him without looking back, the body of the Green Neolist head bursting into a dark me that swallowed it whole and left charred, smoking chunks that crumbled in less than a second! ¡­! What..?! Everyone blinked and just like that, someone they considered to be a powerful adversary had been eradicated! Yet, no one spoke a word or even gasped. This skeletal body, SoSei, was a treasure that could exhibit partial-sentience yet at the same time be used to carry a portion of Somanda the Arch-Lich¡¯s consciousness to interact with Actuass. Unfortunately, because of certain Universal rules, it had limited usage and now, this was thest time it could function as contrary to Actuass¡¯ intent to use it at a critical moment in the future, it had spawned for personal gain unrted to the Green Neolist objectives. The skeletal body moved as thick mes illuminated the space in red, Somanda peering through Skullius as his teeth went to produce a sound the Discount Human hadn¡¯t heard of in a while but with a different tune. Chachachachacha! Laughter. Unlike theical one he was used to, the tough bones on this construct smacked against each other to produce a sound akin to nks pping against each other. Yet this sound horrified Skullius. ¡°How fascinating the makings of Direction can be¡­ I am a step away from touching them, but here I stand marvelling at how our paths crossed so soon. I expected to see you muchter, but who would have thought that when you ran from me, you fell into my Jurisdiction still!¡± Somanda¡¯s voice leaked with a twisted green identifiable within it. Skullius subconsciously took a step back as he trembled. ¡®No¡­.¡¯ he thought. The red mes that seemed to want to devour all things focused themselves on the Discount Human and just as it had happened on that very day¡­ That fateful day¡­ Skullius was bound by a force he couldn¡¯t see! His body firmly held in ce. The memories that rushed into his head from this experience were by no means pleasant, and the Discount Human found himself losing all his hope. His soul continued to crackle and pop as if it was about to explode as it reacted to Somanda who took steps forward to approach Skullius. ¡°Look at you, donning flesh without a care when you had long forgotten what it was like. And now you forget your deathly roots instead! Don¡¯t delude yourself. Come. Let me send you back where you belong. Let me rip your soul and send it back to that little girl¡­ Surely, your soul yearns for it. Or better yet, I could reforge it to undeath instead and fill its void with the light of the undying¡­ chachachachacha!¡± ¡®No¡­¡¯ Skullius thought with panic. Back to that¡­? Back there when he now knew the truth? About how his bonds with B and the rest were just false friendships born from sorrow?! No! It couldn¡¯t be. It can¡¯t be. To die and be wholly trapped in that ice prison with whoever the heck that girl was?! No! Skullius felt his soul tremble heavily, its build twitching violently as Somanda approached, which made it actively take damage! The pain was immense! It was cruel! Skullius almost buckled as he continously felt his will dwindled, from his eye, a subconscious tear falling from the duct as it expressed his unwillingness to keel! But this wasn¡¯t the thick of it! [An external force assaults your soul. Doom Factor 2 takes advantage. 27%] ..!!!! ¡®NO!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind as a wave of pain acted as seconds over the torment he was already enduring. Yet¡­ ¡°Either way. Whichever you choose. This proves that even Direction knows you¡¯re MINE! Chachachachacha!¡± Somanda said as he started to cackle loudly while extending his hand to Skullius¡¯ face. The Discount Human felt his will finally sink. His silver eyes reflected the dark green bony hand of the beyond legendary treasure SoSei as in his very soul, Skullius felt helpless. He breathed out as he felt his struggles amount to nothing after all this while. It was over. How could he deliver himself from this? SWISSSHHH! Between Somanda and Skullius, a figure suddenly appeared! A figure donning blue and ck armour. It stood before Skullius and held Somanda¡¯s hand with both of its own, a shing blue light flickering from behind the helm! ¡­.! Skullius¡¯ eyes were forced to take this in. Red Rage! Once again, his Apostle stood between him and adversity! Skullius¡¯ mind clicked! Something sparked within him in that moment! Hope! This was the second time Red Rage was giving him this feeling when he was being overwhelmed, a trait of an Apostle, of a Pelvis Boar-Man! The armoured figure bravely stood before Somanda, trying to push back his hand! This was insane! ¡°Hmmm? What is this here? A puppet of your making with your newfound powers?¡± Somanda voiced. ¡°A pity.¡± The Arch-Lich¡¯s fingers arched as they flicked at the Apostle with a seeminglyzy force! Immediately, mes consumed the Apostle in its entirely! ¡­! ¡®NO!¡¯ Skullius¡¯ mind was rocked to action as even when he couldn¡¯t voice his rage and pain in this moment, he expressed it through action! A plume of darkness exploded from his body with a shocking intensity as he activated [Advanced Evil Production], expelling all the [Evil Darkness] he could with all his mana in one go! The [Evil Darkness] which gushed out filled a great portion of the cavern as right after this urred, Skullius immediately called out internally what he considered to be the best move in this situation! Crude World Projection! A dark figure rose from Skullius¡¯ restrained body! It loomed over the sea of darkness that covered everything before willing the darkness to obey his will with its his moving hands! All the darkness rushed to Skullius¡¯ physical body and formed apact sphere that covered it and Red Rage! In the next instant, the terror stricken Projected form of Skullius burst away at a shocking speed, the sphere following after him with the same velocity! Those that remained were stunned, except Somanda who looked at Skullius¡¯ figure that was bolting away with fervent mes that raged with excitement before he followed, cackling and ridiculing. ¡°SCURRY AWAY, SKULLIUS! LET¡¯S SEE TO WHICH END OF THIS WORLD YOU CAN RUN TO! TO WHICH PLANE YOU CAN ESCAPE WITH PATCHED UP RAG OF A SOUL!¡± Chapter 296 The Arch-Lich! Actuass opened his eyes and emitted a long sigh. Thank goodness he was seated down or else the bacsh of power would have made him hit a hard drop. He clutched his mask and took a few moments to settle down. ¡°How was it?¡± Fulina who was standing by his side asked. ¡°Did you find him?¡± Actuass leaned against the backrest of the chair, rxing his body which was sore from the massive feedback. ¡°I did. I did indeed. However, just like Cyne said, Direction just has a way of messing with us. This¡­ character that Eobald spoke of is by no means simple.¡± Fulina couldn¡¯t help but wear confusion as a visage in response to this cryptic reply she got. ording to Eobald, the person he had given his crest was just a scrub who was at the Foundation Stage. How could it be difficult to capture such a man even if Actuass was using a proxy that held a small portion of his powers? ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s just say I was once again reminded that we¡¯re not fighting for justice or the betterment of all life on Aigas. Allying ourselves with the undead simply proves this,¡± Actuass said before he looked up. He thought back to Skullius and wondered. Surely a being that could resist his abilities was special. Special enough to be known even by an Arch-Lich it seemed. Even individuals with Hidden sses that he had met were not exempt from the effects of his abilities. When they faced him, they¡¯d all start to leak life energy. Fulina contemted on Actuass¡¯ words as in her head, she simply disagreed with his statement, but that didn¡¯t need to be said.. Thankfully, it seemed that everyone whom Eobald had told the n was dead. If the world knew¡­ ¡°Is everyone in ce? While we assist the Evenfall, our ns still need to pick up their pace,¡± Actuass asked. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s all ready. All our members have been spread throughout the designated locations. No one has been caught so far,¡± Fulina reported with the tremble of her brow. ¡°Good,¡± said Actuass. ¡°Now it bes a race against who will actualize their ideal first. No that it matters much.¡± *** If Skullius could breathe in his Projected Form, he would have. If he could sweat, he would have as well. The tension was palpable within him as he vaguely felt it. Death! He sped with all the speed he could muster as he rushed through the tunnels that he and Tulnas¡¯dies had travelled to reach the venue for thest battle! In this form, the speed he could now exhibit in flight was tremendous as he was merely a dark shadow that whizzed through the air while a meter from him, a dark sphere also trailed, keeping up with his movement! His thoughts were as chaotic as his soul at this moment, confusion and utter fear colliding in a storm inside his dome of processing! ¡®How the flesh is he here?! Did the undead invade or something?! This is¡­¡¯ Skullius failed to form the next sentence as the frustration, fury and fright swallowed him up and urged him to keep speeding forward! He pushed through the dark, winding paths as behind him, he felt the heavy steps of Somanda as he followed, making the entire underground shake vehemently with each of his moves! The walls would fragment and shatter, the ground exploding into heated chunks that turned into red, glowing versions of themselves with each of Somanda¡¯s movements that pushed him a great distance, the entire sequence depicting his movement to be horrifyingly fast! ¡°CHACHACHACHACHA! WHAT YOU HAVE YOU BEEN FILLING UP YOUR SOUL WITH SKULLIUS?! A MYRIAD OF COLOURS STAIN IT, POORLY PATCHING IT UNEVENLY! YOU HAVEN¡¯T CHANGED HAVE YOU?!¡± Somanda¡¯s eyes red with red mes as he called, his voice making Skullius¡¯ physical body in the dark space shudder violently! Skullius gritted his non-existent teeth in this form! He was probably still taking damage because of Doom Factor 2! ¡®Damn it!¡¯ he thought. This resolve that he had only cultivated by seeing his beacon of hope, Red Rage stand up for him was also beginning to dwindle. He couldn¡¯t escape when his pursuer was just as fast as he was! Suddenly, Somanda who was a distance away roared with a terrifying voice that resounded within the empty space all around, Skullius turning only to see the Arch-Lich open his mouth wide and spew from it dark red mes that instantly flooded over¡­ EVERYTHING! Before Skullius knew it, everything was covered in a depressing red hue that quickly washed over him, all things around him melting in the very next instant! EVERYTHING! The intensity of this me was so devastating that it turned all things to a piping hot sludge, the effect travelling all the way back to therge space within the cavern where Tulnas and the rest were! In mere moments all that remained was a hellishndscape with molten rock everywhere, an evening sky being above the two speeding figures! The entirendscape had been changed! Skullius halted for a moment as he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. They had been deep underground, hadn¡¯t they?! Only Somanda¡¯s voice tore him from his reverie as it made an analysis. ¡°Ah¡­ such fine power. To be able to resist the Olden ze of the Putrid¡­ How much you¡¯ve grown, my little undead¡­¡± the Arch-Lich said with a raspy voice. Skullius didn¡¯t think further and bolted upwards, creating distance through flight. Perhaps altitude would solve his problem! He soared for hundreds upon hundreds of meters in a few seconds, going at full speed to escape his foe! As he continued to shoot up, seeing the figure of Somanda turn into a detailed dot below him that stood menacingly over the harshly heatednds that produced horribly dark fumes, something he hadn¡¯t expected happened. [You have sessfullypleted the Tenth Task, crossing a distance of 10 miles in the Projected form] [You have reached Level 10!] He had finished the Tenth Task without even trying to do so! However, at this moment, Skullius didn¡¯t care! He only focused on rising higher into the sky! OOOMMM! A st of super condensed energy crashed against Skullius and his sphere from below, sending him whirling out of control! Surprisingly, this wasn¡¯t even an attack as the figure of Somanda had dashed a great distance and crossed the miles longva scape, darting over a full six miles with this single movement over the ground into a different portion of thend underneath Skullius¡¯ shocked sight, beginning to exert his power over a vast area! The moment Somandanded, the waves of energy he emitted seemed to call onto something. Some things! ¡°Ah¡­ let¡¯s brighten up this borish world,¡± Somanda said to himself. The ground all round rumbled chaotically, the noise even reaching Skullius who was way up, as with raucous activity, the crust underneath exploded, shuffled and sank in as¡­ Hundreds of rotten corpses and bones arose from the ground and grunted as their sockets red with a mad power! With luminous red mes that shone with the same intensity as mini suns! Their bodies produced shocking power from merely tasting the presence of an Arch-Lich, the effect not discriminating on whether or not they had been powerful in their lifetime! These rose as fervently gazed at Somanda! However, this wasn¡¯t all. The glimmer of an Arch-Liches power wasn¡¯t so shallow. The presence of Somandamanded a dense authority that went on to attract the corpses of the Evenfall cultists across the distance, lying on the ground that had been part of the cavern! The bodies rose, even as they were split in two, their sockets burning with a red me that illuminated the surroundings like extremely brightnterns! Tomin also rose among them, his freshly dead body raging with power that far outssed what he had disyed earlier! Tulnas and the others who had been left as they were, were shocked by this phenomenon, turning to corpses as they prepared for a fight but¡­ The awakened corpses rose into the air, covered by swirls of harsh red light and madly flew in Somanda¡¯s direction! However, the effect Somanda had on the dead wasn¡¯t this shallow! Back in Central and all the towns and viges within the Harem Guilds Jurisdiction, the ground rumbled and sank as things long buried and forgotten from many varying ages rose, bones, old corpses, fresh corpses and all! Men, beast and even¡­ treasures long said to be broken and dead rose! They awakened, terrifying the inhabitants of these settlements who screamed and wailed in terror at seeing powerful vestiges and lost family members rise from the ground wordlessly with extremely bright res in their sockets that burned and blinded them permanently! All these hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands rose from the ground, encased by a bright swirls of red light and flew in one direction! Corpses and bones with bright red lights littered the darkening sky as they soared towards their master at a ridiculous speed that made it so that those looking from below would think that bloody stars were tracing streaks over the sky! This scene turned even more terrifying for Skullius who saw the iing waves from all directions, most of which darted at rapid speed towards Somanda who was on the ground below! ¡­! The awakened beings of different shapes and sizes that blocked his view on all sides except down, all formed what looked like a casing, a halo of light that used their bodies as anchors, this phenomenon looking to be capable of resisting Skullius¡¯ further escape! What happened next rattled Skullius even more as it only took a brief moment! The awakened corpses and bones that had shed to Somanda flooded together, mashing their bodies in a somewhat orderly sequence! As they did, they formed a sturdy-looking tform that remained began to float, powered by the hundreds of heads and skulls underneath that constantly spat out red mes to give it adjustable flight! Over the tform, halberds, spears, swords, falchions, yuans, shields and all manner of weapons and treasures formed a grand throne that was saturated with DEATH and abundant MANA, a seat for the Arch-Lich! Somanda boarded this tform which then zoomed towards Skullius at a speed unbefitting of its size! Somanda¡¯s makeshift aircraft rose up to Skullius¡¯ altitude, the green skeleton appearing in the Projected Discount Human¡¯s line of sight while seated over therge throne of ancient weaponry, his socket mes steadily danced with amusement. ¡°CHACHACHACHA! Ah¡­ it seems this is my limit in this state¡­ Very well. I thought I might leave an impression since it¡¯s been too long. A valid thought, is it not, Skullius?¡± Somanda said with malice. Chapter 297 Trampled Under A Red Flame, Yet... Skullius could only keep his eyes peeled, issuing no response to the Arch-Lich who inhabited the above legendary treasure, SoSei. At this point, his anxiety had peaked. He couldn¡¯t express anymore shock. Unlike most people, he knew what would happen to him if he died as even now, he continued to take damage as his soul was near Somanda. He was slowly edging towards 40% with Doom Factor 2 and he had a feeling that Somanda was aware of this. But¡­ Why was Somanda taking his time? If he truly wanted to kill him, he could have done so already. Skullius highly doubted that his sphere of darkness would hinder this monster if he truly wanted him, as even if it had safely guarded his body against that dark red me, that definitely wasn¡¯t the entirety of Somanda¡¯s arsenal. That much he was sure. Then why¡­? Somanda remained silent for a moment, as did Skullius who knew that running was impossible now. ¡°Hmmm. Even with flesh over your soul, I can tell what you¡¯re thinking. Why haven¡¯t I killed you yet. Chacha!¡± Somanda said as he sat over the floating mass of the dead. ¡°Seeing as you have tangled with my subjects in this world, I¡¯m sure you have connected some of the ring dots. It would be a shame to simply kill you and have you reunite with the rest of your soul. Why go through that when you can choose a third option?¡± Skullius trembled. ¡°Serve under me once more. I will give you a recollection of your past on a silver tter and evenbel you as my Right Hand to the Eminence of Undeath himself.¡± ¡­! What?! Serve Somanda again?! Skullius felt rage built up like blocks within him and finally opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Serve..? Didn¡¯t you say you could just rip out my soul and fill it with undeath?¡± he spoke, his Projected form quivering as the Discount Human was actually shocked he spat back a reply. Growth. That¡¯s what it was. Somanda¡¯s sockets red wildly. ¡°That is indeed true, Skullius. But you see, you have inherited quite the interesting set of powers. From Lifelessness, to this legacy that I dare say is envied by the OTHER Deities and Arch-Liches. I did not expect you to have it. I would lose it if you fell by my hands and furthermore, infecting you with undeath would drive away the power of Lifelessness. There is simply no merit in killing you,¡± the Arch-Lich said. Skullius processed this, however, he didn¡¯t give himself the time to think much of it over as with the more he entertained Somanda, the more he rued damage.. ¡°I know you are in quite a bit of trouble. Your soul which is broken can sense its roots from me it seems. It wills to restore itself and being in my presence presents a challenge, is that not true? Come now, Skullius¡­¡± The Discount Human wore a hard Projected face as he looked at Somanda. The bastard was genuinely enjoying himself! The mes said it all. Skullius surmised that this sockethole may be lying about not willing to let Lifelessness and the Insurgent Magnus powers slip from him by killing Skullius. Or maybe it was actually true but Somanda was having fun by having Skullius think he actually had a choice! He could just capture Skullius anyway, but¡­ it indeed was fairly debatable whether or not he could take the powers from him. Perhaps that was truly why he was asking for Skullius¡¯ cooperation. The Discount Human grounded his teeth. He looked at the unfamiliar yet familiar face of Somanda as he raged within. If this was the end¡­ If this was how he would die¡­ tossed either between eternal bondage in frost or eternal very by the one he hated the most, then he would rather give this whole thing onest shot. Red Rage had showed courage for his sake! Why not him, that golden sockethole¡¯s master?! He could have ast shot at fighting this bastard and deciding his fate even if he died! Heck, dying could be the best part! ¡°What say you, my little undead?¡± Somanda¡¯s mes danced yfully as he sat on his throne. ¡°¡­¡± Skullius pulled on the sphere that carried his main body and Red Rage. He had packed all the mana he had into producing a super mass of darkness that hepacted into this sphere. This was all he had left. The Discount Human opened his Projected mouth to utter what could possibly be some of his final words! ¡°Flesh you¡­ Somanda. I¡¯m not your little undead. And I¡¯LL NEVER BE YOUR UNDEAD AGAIN!¡± Skullius roared as his Projected Form then went on to sp its hands together, the [Evil Darkness] that made up the orb exploding to engulf him and the Arch-Lich who didn¡¯t move a bone! A perfect cube of darkness was formed, trapping only Somanda and his flying tform! Cocoons of darkness appeared behind Skullius, housing his body and Red Rage¡¯s protectively as he floated before them and red at his enemy. Said enemy, the Arch-Lich, appeared in the total darkness that seemed to want to devour him whole and rewrite his entire existence! It was oppressive, but not to him, as he remained rxed while watching what was happening all around, his socket mes being able to perfectly peer through the darkness! ¡­! Skullius felt the red gaze of Somanda over him and he was immensely perturbed. Yet, he didn¡¯t give up just like that! He still needed to fight! He raised his hands, the darkness around him following his mental will to turn into dozens of small orbs that began to spin at a rapid velocity! These orbs then burst at a blinding speed that would have produced irritating whistles in the outside world towards Somanda who scoffed, clearly unimpressed! The Arch-Lich breathed out what seemed like a dark red mass, a thick substance with a disgusting viscosity! The substance rapidly formed a wall that received the speeding orbs and eagerly devoured them within its shifting whole that continued to wriggle nastily! Skullius could only crease his Projected brow. Seriously?! These orbs were faster than the [Beads of Malevolence]! ¡°Is this all you can do with all this power? Have you still not reced those thousand years of stagnancy with something worthwhile? If you intend to fight me, then DO SO properly!¡± Somanda called! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Skullius suddenly heard explosions outside the [Perfect Night Domain]! No! It wasn¡¯t explosions! It was the thousands of undead outside throwing themselves at the Domain, trying to break into it! The reverberation that sounded as the many creatures sought to enter crushed Skullius¡¯ will! The noise! Even in his Domain where he was supposed to control all sounds and sensations, this rumble that made the Domain tremble still peered through without consequence! This noise! Skullius¡¯ Projected form looked this way and that, his mind spinning as he felt¡­ trapped. Soon, the heads and bodies of the undead started piercing through the Domain their burning eyes lighting up with heavily subdued saturation the interior of the Domain that began to look like the inside of some treasure, with thousands of red spots in every direction! ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Skullius emitted a sigh of exasperation even in his thoughts. He had spent all his mana earlier to conjure darkness and then ended up using it for this dense Domain. Yet, it was all for naught. He was outmatched and outssed. With his Projected Form, all he could do was manipte darkness that already existed and this, was the extent of his capabilities. ¡®This is as far as I go¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked ahead where Somanda sat on his throne. He could think of no other whom he hated the beyond this Arch-Lich. This being that seemed to want to take everything from him! All he worked for and gained. All he didn¡¯t even remember. Skullius turned behind him where the figures of his body and Red Rage were encased in dark cocoons. ¡®At least let me die by my terms!¡¯ Skullius thought as he unwrapped the cocoon to his main body, using the darkness to unsheathe [Demion¡¯s Dance]! If he was to lose anyway, he might as well die by his own hand and go to where he could finally reunite with the rest of himself! With that girl who constantly appeared in his mind! It was far better than this. Skullius flung the sword at his body with all his speed and might, his mind aching with pain! ¡°Ah¡­ Intriguing¡­¡± ¡­! ¡°What¡­?¡± Skullius suddenly found himself and his body before Somanda¡¯s throne over the flying tform! The Projected Discount Human gritted his teeth as he looked with hatred towards Somanda! Somehow, the Arch-Lich had stolen him from his position dozens of meters away and stopped his suicide mission! ¡°I can read you like a book, Skullius. There¡¯s nothing you can think of that escapes my sight. Trying to kill yourself so that you can re-join with your lost self? How brave¡­¡± Somanda motioned with his index bone finger to draw the two bodies towards him, his hand going over to Skullius¡¯ flesh body and sinking into it as if it was ethereal! The green skeleton¡¯s hand squirmed within Skullius eerily, making the Projected Discount Human gnash his teeth! The Arch-Lich didn¡¯t touch Skullius¡¯ body, but his soul! Skullius¡¯ soul trembled and shuddered as if struck by lightning, its exterior rippling as if it would fall apart anytime! ¡°There it is¡­ Just as I remember,¡± Somanda said as he looked at Skullius¡¯ Projected form with malice that only one who had been an undead before could detect. ¡°Instead of letting you ride your own Direction. I¡¯ll forge one for you again. That favour that follows you¡­ it will lead you to other fruitful paths that I can reap with time, as it did with Lifelessness. As it did with that marvellous art of chaotic power. Until then, I¡¯ll wipe your te clean and watch you start all over again with your fellow bottom-of-the barrel-undead! CHACHACHACHACHA!¡± Somanda cackled as his eyes red with excitement. ¡­! What? Starring all over again?! Back in Deadmand?! With all that he knew now?! ¡®Again¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. CHOICE. He was barely afforded it! It was afforded for him! Why?! Why him?! The Projected Discount bellowed with rage as he tried to struggle! This was eerily simr to back then¡­ Back then when his CHOICE was challenged in that depth, by THAT individual! ¡°Not back there again!¡± he yelled in frustration! He had escaped for a reason! He had started to recollect details of the past for a reason! ¡°CHACHACHACHACHA! Gnash your teeth well, Skullius!¡± Somanda called, utterly gleeful from seeing Skullius¡¯ expression. The Discount Human felt once more, his soul taking damage while Somanda went on to grip it and begin to pull it out! His Projected Form shuddered as it started to glitch. ¡°NO!¡± Skullius roared in pain as he red at Somanda. Somanda merely cackled. This couldn¡¯t be! In the next moment¡­ Skullius¡¯ soul started inch out of his body! A rather short glowing white figure appeared, its distinct appearance shocking Skullius himself as it looked nothing like what he expected his soul to look like! Not like Discount Human form or any other! It looked heavily crackled like ss, some parts of it missing with spots of gold andrge patches of purple that seemed to cover it from crumbling visible all over! ¡°COME!¡± Somanda called! ¡®NO¡­¡¯ Skullius called in his mind, his strength to struggle fleeing. Why wouldn¡¯t this bastard just him alone?! Skullius felt his Projected Form rush towards his body as his soul almost wholly protruded from his body! No¡­ He uttered words of extreme sorrow and hate as he looked at Somanda who cackled without a care. ¡°Why¡­ won¡¯t you just¡­.¡± he said with a broken voice, his Discount Human body opening its mouth as a tear leaked from it with a rage-filled and sorrow-ridden face. As did his glowing soul¡­ ¡°| LEAVE ME ALONE |¡± Chapter 298 Raucous Laughter In The Wind! (A/N: Bonus Chapter) ¡­! This was¡­! No one could afford to doubt! The speech that came from Skullius¡¯ three mouths; the Projected body, the Discount Human body and the soul echoed out with a terrifying echo that resounded within the domain of darkness! Somanda¡¯s sockets mes ignited with shock as he felt it! ¡°What in the¡­.?!¡± The undtions of a power different from a mere skill activation rocked throughout the space within and outside the darkness with an intensity unbefitting of the young man whose soul he had been about to take! Then¡­ All the darkness that made up the entire domain trembled and then rushed over to Skullius¡¯ mouth, with a sky shattering vigour, the perfect cube space vanishing in an instant as all the darkness was swallowed up into the Discount Human¡¯s mouth, his soul and Projected form sinking into him! ¡°| LEAVE ME ALONE |¡± These words resounded once again as the darkness that had rushed into Skullius¡¯ mouth went to carry these words and actualize them into reality! As this urred, Somanda felt the massive amounts of mana in the treasures that made up his throne get sucked in with an incredibly powerful draw, like a hungry vacuum! The darkness sought after mana as it aimed to actualize the absolutely hateful words that Skullius had told his enemy, seeking not to harm him, but to push him away!. To free himself! As the darkness continuously gushed out, Skullius looked like he was puking the words with all he had, his mouth hanging open in an unnatural manner while his eyes rolled back! The wave of [Evil Darkness] shot outwards, sting Somanda who had raised his hand to deflect but he was struck by unrelenting force nevertheless as he found that against this darkness, none of his defences did anything at all! ¡°Impossible!¡± he growled in shock as his red mes red! This was not possible! Powers like these¡­ on such a weak Discount Human being?! VWUUP! BOOM! Somanda found the st wave of this darkness to utterly break apart his flying tform made of undead, the scantily crafted piece exploding as the thousands of parts sprang away from Skullius at top speed, leaving the Arch-Lich on his own! The darkness, as it spread in an arc, went on to smash against the tens of thousands of undead that had been floating in the sky, creating a trap for Skullius who had been on the run! Their bodies were flung with an otherworldly speed a distance away while the weaker ones were obliterated, smashed into miserable pieces! Somanda¡¯s dark green body started to break with sparks of red me popping all around it as something seemed to tear his hold over SoSei away! The Arch-Lich¡¯s socket me started to dim, with flickers of its luminance blipping here and there to represent Somanda trying to retain his firm control! Unfortunately¡­ it was all for naught! SoSei¡¯s chest exploded while its other parts started to break apart, the skull cracking as it began to leak out an immensely bright red light that released space rending power! ¡°This power¡­IT CAN¡¯T BE YOURS¡­!¡± Somanda said with rage that couldn¡¯t be traced on this face but on the next which couldn¡¯t be identified from this ne. Impossible! In a matter of what? Weeks? This creature that had been under him for a thousand years could now wield a power capable of smashing away a portion of him?! No! Somanda watched as Skullius¡¯ body started to shrivel up like a raisin while the Discount Human remained with his mouth agape, releasing the remains of the shocking power as his figure then began to fall from the height along with a dark cocoon that began to unravel behind him! His skin started to turn dry as if all the moisture was sucked from it, his flesh losing its muscle mass as he fell. ¡°I had you¡­. in MY HANDS¡­!¡± thest of Somanda¡¯s words leaked out as his consciousness departed and left the partially broken and shattered SoSei which began to fall as well. What ridiculous Direction was this?! He had this little man that he had considered insignificant for a long time, keeping him in his collection to see what would be of him in bondage but now¡­. It was all lost. For now. Skullius continued to fall without any hope of him suddenly gaining the ability to hold himself up through any means! His eyes returned to normal as he opened them to see the scene happening before him. He had been conscious through it all, hearing the vicious tone of Somanda¡¯s voice as he had been unable toprehend what had just happened. But he had¡­ He hadn¡¯t intended it, but it happened still¡­ The failure of the Lich in believing that he had been bested in this instance was still resounding against his ears, the undead¡¯s words constantly ringing in his dead. Heh. And just like that¡­. Just like that, a tiny unexpected victory was imed. Skullius wore a big smile on his shrivelling face that now looked like that of a mummy. ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Hahahahaha¡­¡± ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAAAAAA!¡± The Discount Humanughed raucously as in this one instance, he had attained victory. He was happy. Truly happy. While basking in this victory, something grabbed ahold of him to save him from the fall. *** ¡°Dear Quintess¡­¡± Tulnas muttered as he felt the reverberations in the air from the massive shockwave that had just resounded, pushing away all the numerous undead that he had just seen flooding the sky miles away! The impact had been so ridiculous that even from the height where even he and the rest couldn¡¯t see anything clearly, whatever happened there was felt! Furthermore, the cover of the many undead that were crowded around Somanda and Skullius, had obstructed his view. However he was sure something grand had happened considering that there was a mass summoning of undead, or perhaps it was creation? He wasn¡¯t sure, bit in his mind, Tulnas had begun to wonder about the damage to his Guild¡¯s Jurisdiction. It was just a passing thought though. Tulnas looked ahead at the boiling and flowing molten rock that covered a colossal distance as well as the crumbs that kept falling from the sky. ¡°Whatever happened¡­ how on earth was Festos involved in it?¡± the Tamer mumbled to himself, his body shuddering and almost kneeling when he thought back to Somanda¡¯s presence, but he held himself up. ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t read that far. The massive power surge from¡­whatever that thing was, temporarily ¡®blinded¡¯ me and limited my range even after I recovered¡­¡± Natalika said with a depressed sigh. Gertreld who was back to her normal diminutive height had still not fully recovered from the shock. The same was true for Gwendelina who merely knelt down pitifully, taking deep breaths as she was more sensitive to the energies here more than anyone else. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We¡¯ll scour the remains for Festos and then head over to Central to see the extent of the damage. Tsk!¡± Tulnas said as he grumbled with subdued rage. ¡°Just when everything had been settled¡­¡± ¡°What should we do about her?¡± Natalika asked, referring to Gwendelina. Tulnas gazed at the woman as she slowly raised her head with a pale expression, awaiting the man¡¯s verdict with a pitiful expression that seemed to plead for mercy. SWISH! Tulnas swung his de in a clean arc, decapitating the woman. ¡°No more surprises¡­¡± he said as he spread away the blood from his de. *** [Author¡¯s Note] Hey guys. This concludes this arc of the story. It was long, it had ws but I had it all setup. Please, please, please, leave your COMMENTS on what you thought about this. What you liked what you hated or some other things you¡¯d like to say. Yourments help me and brighten my day and I¡¯m starved of some feedback as of now. I¡¯d really appreciate your input. Chapter 299 Unquenched Rage, The Next Moves Deadmand. A vicious red me red with a hot and bright intensity, as it soared from the sockets of an ancient existence donning a hooded robe. The dark green figure of Somanda roared in mad rage as the Arch-Lich seethed with fury, the sides of his skull cracking from the sheer might of the force of his socket me! ¡°RAAAAAAAAAR!¡± His rageful bellow echoed all around the room, as he stood from his seat where he had been performing his ¡®operation¡¯. The Arch-Lich¡¯s body warped with fumes of rend space and death energy that saturated the entirety of this world whichcked much in the way of mana. ¡°What is this?! How can one¡¯s state change so constantly?!¡± the undead spoke as his mes settled somewhat, his cracked skull starting to repair itself. Hey his bony hand on his chin as he looked at a rtively familiar construct a few meters behind him in the expansive room. A magic circle. It was quite wide with an encirclement of hundreds of mana gems powering it. This was the exact same magic circle that Skullius had escaped through, into Aigas.. One would wonder if these small gems around it were even capable of powering up a construct meant to travel between worlds. The truth was one of these mana gems held more mana that Somanda¡¯s total mana capacity. The thousands of gems harvested each day would bebined and condensed into singr gems holding a massive amount of mana over time and used for different functions such as these. The magic circle glowed with a green hue and Somanda couldn¡¯t help but shake his head as he was forced to remember the reality of that day when that little bugger had escaped through this. ¡°It still remains unstable. Even if I use all my strength, I¡¯ll still be transported in a random location within the world¡¯s already under my Jurisdiction. But Welva, Aigas, Riminris, the world¡¯s I¡¯m in the process of iming with my chosen are still outside my reach¡­¡± Somanda mumbled to himself in frustration. He couldn¡¯t travel to Aigas before his messengers, his chosen, actualized the n for his descent! Such a thing could not be worked around even with this special form magic circle that he had been sure would work on that day, ridding his need for those¡­ Green Neolists and now, he still needed him. ¡°Hmmm. I could have imed that one for myself and made the process faster. I could have tried extracting and nting those unique powers into a different vessel! I could have¡­. Ah¡­ it matters not¡­¡± Somanda¡¯s socket me reduced to being a mere dot as he looked up. ¡°Keep him for now. The Eminence of Undeath will strike you down, as will we all, Voices of the Numerous Worlds,¡± Somanda directed his voice towards the Emissaries of a power that rivalled his master¡¯s own. *** Inhone City. Guilds Association building. ¡°Damn those beautiful, sexy, gorgeous, voluptuous¡ª¡± ¡°Get to the point, you idiot!¡± ¡°¡­Right. I mean thosedies have been taking all the requests and clearing the board of any jobs for us! What are we low level Guilds to do if they take away even the white Clusters?!¡± ¡°Well¡­ because of the rise in Cluster activity, shouldn¡¯t you be celebrating that a big Guild like the Harem¡¯s Guild is doing something to help? Don¡¯t you have a family that lives away from Inhone City now that I think about it, you jerk?!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Silence from immense shame. ¡°What was that, Yonka? I¡¯ll be right there¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dodge me you idiot!¡± The Association building was bustling with activity as some mercenaries rushed up to the board which had actually been thinned out of requests because of the fervent desire of these abundant heroes from Guilds to- Actually nope. While there were dozens of mercenaries in the building right now with one to many Conqueror¡¯s Halos around them, no one could dispute the fact that in a single day, no, half a day, a single Guild had cleared at least half of the requests that hade in! To understand how insane this feat was, one needed to first ount for the fact that those responsible had only started raiding the Clusters close to noon, and now, with the descent of the sun behind the horizon of the same day, much of the work had been covered! Another thing to ount for was the fact that a Guild or a mercenary was only allowed to collect another request from the board only after they had cleared the one they took before. This was true even for therge Guilds like the EdgeKings and the Ravend Guild except of course when they were dealing with issues in their designated Jurisdictions within the region. As these culprits had been encroaching on territories they did not have rights over, these being what the smaller Guilds and mercenaries lived on, they had to follow the procedure, but still¡­ They cleared so many Clusters that it was insane, using particrly speedy figures among them to carry the evidence of the cleared Cluster, rush to Inhone to collect another request and so on. Thus, this cycle had gone on. One would also notice that it was about to happen again in this instance. ¡°Oh crap! It¡¯s them again! Why don¡¯t they just go away!¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re literally stealing from us! This is unfair!¡± ¡°I could just¡­I could just¡­ vite them right here!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The mour within the Guilds Association turned louder as three figures entered. They weredies, all from the Harem¡¯s Guild with each carrying twelve halos that stacked over their bodies, giving them a radiant appearance. If these were anything like sr res, it would have been particrly hard to move within the city like this. The halos didn¡¯t outshine the terrifying waves of energy that thesedies emitted though, as in the lead, a fearsomedy with a cold expression moved with impactful steps, her silver hair looking to be washed with mana as it danced up and down. Her armour was covered in blood of different colours and her appearance made most turn away especially when she looked their way. She was Renialid, the First Flower, a title given to honour her as the first to join the Harem Guild and pledge herself to Tulnas and his ideals. She was known as the strongest under Tulnas in the Guild and no one doubted it one bit within the Guild or outside. The threedies reached the reception where a sheepishly smiling woman spoke to them with respect. ¡°Wee back. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d being instead of that.. uhm.. messenger girl to take on the next request. Haha¡­¡± ¡°We decided to switch. She¡¯ll be hunting now instead,¡± Renialid said without the slightest change in her expression, her spatial storage ring spitting out a sacked beast¡¯s head that was asrge as her entire body. The receptionist gulped. ¡°You still won¡¯t take the reward for your cleared Clusters?¡± she asked. ¡°No. We¡¯ll be fine,¡± the silver-haireddy turned as she went on to the board to take another request, the crowd parting for her as no one said anything to deny thedies¡¯ entry. Quite the sight it was. At the same time, quite an interesting meeting was urring between a man and a woman within this same building, deciding the flow of future events¡­ Chapter 300 The Establishment of Powers (A/N: Expansive Lore and Exposition ahead) ¡°You¡¯re asking of me quite the hefty request,¡± Silrat said as he scratched his hair, his eyes gazing at the woman who sat before him. She looked rather different from how she normally looked, her temperament and posture looking more refined than her wild adventurer self. Even her speech was more formal as she was representing something bigger than herself. ¡°I understand that. I¡¯m prepared topensate you heavily for it,¡± thedy said as she sat straight. Silrat sighed as he tapped his desk. This setup of this room was for formal requests to the Guilds Association, different from thevish lounge that he had entertained the City Lord before. ¡°I don¡¯t think you do, my dear. You¡¯re getting me and several parties who are contractually bound to my every move, one more than the others, in danger. This move by House EverSword is calling forth Families from different regions to contend. Surely, you can¡¯t expect me to believe that you canpensate me after half-stealing my client and exposing them to dangerous opponents in this death game,¡± Silrat said, openly concerned with this arrangement. The woman before him shifted as she gathered her words. ¡°Death game is an exaggeration. I can understand your concerns however. I acknowledge the risk of death and I have considered it when ounting for thepensation. As for the issue of joining the Bryne Family, that won¡¯t constitute having any duties at all and he can request as much as he wants from it provided that we manage to win a spot. All the participating Families have signed contracts with many other outsiders with the same parameters. It¡¯s all specified in the use,¡± the woman calmly exined. Silrat once again looked at the papers which were in his hands.. They documented the entirety of the Bryne Family¡¯s proposal, no doubtplied and written by this woman herself as she was desperate to keep the Family alive, given the future concerns. It was a very good deal all things considered and it lined up with all his own ns. However, what made him anxious was the fact that some of the most powerful Families would be participating with their monstrous prodigies. Worse yet, a House would be overlooking the entire event. What was a House and what was a Family? The creation and distinction of these two entities stemmed from the end of the First Grand War, the period between and into the Second Grand War. This time was known as the Age of Patkmas Yujgi, which meant ¡®Emergence of the Pirs.¡¯ As the First Grand War was known for it being a war between everyone and the Giants, it indeed was hailed as thergest scale war in history. However, the Second Grand War was considered the most brutal, because personal stakes were involved. This stemmed from the time humans developed and Advanced and Hidden sses to fight the Giants, spilling into the next years. During this period, the knowledge that the Giants had imparted onto humanity was not forgotten but embraced. First, was the notion of Forests. Sacred Forests, to be exact. Humans had cut downrge forests indiscriminately in their past, ying the young beasts that grew within and plundering the nature wantonly. However, the Giants had informed the humans that all forests were not equal. Some were called Sacred Forests, ces cultivated by a high form of energy which spawned spontaneous creation. From this,rge Forests would bloom, blessed with heavy amounts of mana that partitioned and created a vast array of powerful beasts and grew massive shoots of vegetation that kept the vast areas around them. It was because of these ces that the space which would sometimes be made unstable and corrupt by the collision of the Deities¡¯ powers, would be made stable, keeping away phenomenon like Clusters. Such ces like the Tremur kept the regions around Eofel Cluster free, the temperatures remaining moderate. This detail had been taken to heart by the humans barring a few, as they decided to leave Sacred Forests alone as it was easy to tell them apart once they began following the paths of mana. However, many aspiring to be powerful experts to safeguard their families chose to venture into the Sacred Forests to learn different methods to achieve unique ways of manipting mana and to augment themselves. Some mimicked the animals. Some mimicked the nts. Some delved into mana rich spaces to meditate. Others took in different herbs and poisons to experiment on their bodies. Many died in the process but after many years of cultivating different strengths, monsters were born. Unique humans with peculiar bloodline traits. Powerful men with terrifying techniques. Feared families that held the secrets to manipting aspects of reality but their grew to have conditions that restricted their use. All these spilled into the time before and after the First Grand War and fuelled the whole premise of the following war. As for the distinction between Houses and Families, many still mixed up the two if they lived in lesser areas away from major establishments but those fromrge cities knew the difference. Families were entities that remained in a certain ce because of the long lines of ownership established in the old times due to conflicts over the resource. Naturally, the use of their strengths was used to establish their dominance. They held powerful techniques and bloodline traits that could turn anyone into a C rankbatant or higher using the Guilds Association¡¯s grading system. They often owned portions ofnd that were designated as theirs with even the Royal Family being unable to refute their ownership. Houses on the other hand, wererger scale entities established in old times purely because of the potency of their technique, bloodline or both being extremely dangerous. Families could be born in the new age and acknowledged, but Houses were established during the Age of Patkmas and none had ever been epted to be the next since as they simply couldn¡¯tpare. Till this day from then, only six Houses could be counted in Pelian and the House EverSword was one of them. All these Houses, had contributed majorly in the Age of Patkmas Yujgi hence earning further distinction from mere Families as their strengths even to this day, were nothing short of profound. ¡°¡­¡± Silrat breathed out. Taking all of this into ount, he couldn¡¯t decide whether or not to agree. The thing was, he had to take into ount Festos¡¯ curse. Thus, for this to work, he needed to make sure he was the point of contact as he was under a mutually beneficial Tie of Exchange. Also¡­ ¡°Festos will be back soon. You and your uncle can try to convince him. If he agrees, then I¡¯ll have my answer as well,¡± Silrat said. An elegant smile formed on the young woman¡¯s lips as her red hair moved with her cultured nod. Unbeknownst to these two, the following day would bring about some worrying news. ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] Chapter 300! Ahoy! Thank you all for reaching this goal with me! I appreciate your support and hope you¡¯ll continue to do so! Chapter 301 Evidence Next day. The phenomenon that had happened within the Harem Guild¡¯s territory found its way to people¡¯s ears in a very short time as tales of the dead rising with blinding red lights and family heirlooms and rusted old treasures flying in the sky were spread everywhere. Of course, there were not that many casualties but the incident sparked massive waves of unrest as many were left traumatised and in despair, failing to go about their daily lives. Tulnas had to spend half the day dealing with this as he did his best to give peoplefort and reassurance, a trait he was quite gifted in as soon enough he managed to convince the majority that this threat had been dealt with. The scattered corpses all over had also been a major source of disturbance and rightfully so, as bits of human and beast corpses and bones weren¡¯t what people would normally want to see. Fortunately, Tulnas had managed to deal with much of this with his Guild, giving his people peace of mind. Unfortunately, those outside of Tulnas¡¯ reach spread rumours about the Green Neolists startingrge scale movements, connecting this event to the one that was publicised a few days ago, which was the one in Eofel which caused great unrest around the entire region, the tension bleeding into Inhone City where a meeting was under way. ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡± Dami said with an ugly expression while staring daggers at Tulnas who satfortably on his seat while rubbing his temples. Erkus, Silrat and Terian were also in the room, with the old Mage having aplicated expression. ¡°Did you really not help Festos escape?¡± Terian said with a sharp voice. Tulnas sighed deeply, his dark shirt rising as he took in a breath.. ¡°I did not, old man. Do you really think I¡¯d stage something like that when my entire Territory is in chaos right now?¡± Tulnas asked, shooting back with an aggravated voice. ¡°Then why won¡¯t you let me divine you?¡± Dami asked with a creased brow. ¡°Because¡­ I¡¯ve already made it clear that I don¡¯t want you grubby hands touching me or my soul dammit,¡± Tulnas said as his body red with mana for a moment. ¡°And shouldn¡¯t you be focusing more on the possibility of a blue Cluster that I¡¯ve just told you about?¡± ¡°We can only move on to that after we¡¯ve verified your ount!¡± ¡°Calm down,¡± Erkus intervened as he sat up. He had heard enough for him to pitch in. He turned to Tulnas whom he sensed a very tense atmosphere from. The man genuinely upset. ¡°You mentioned the entire event to us. The Evenfall with their strange formation that funnelled peculiar energies to construct many Clusters. I could believe that, but you said the Evenfall and the Green Neolists may be working together?¡± Erkus said. ¡°City Lord, you make it sound like I said that with uncertainty. I¡¯m sure of it. An extremely powerful masked man appeared to save the cultists that we had captured and from there, that¡¯s when the true CHAOS began,¡± Tulnas said, stressing the word ¡®chaos¡¯ as he simply couldn¡¯t forget the presence of that masked man, much less that terrifying thing. However, Tulnas being Tulnas had not told the full detail. He did not talk about the green skeleton, nor did he talk about how it was after Skullius. This wouldn¡¯t sound good and neither would it help his case. Thus, he hadid forth a different im. ¡°So in the fight against this¡­ masked man, you lost sight of Festos and couldn¡¯t even find his remains in the event that he died?¡± Dami inquired with a disbelieving voice. ¡°Say this is true. Perhaps there truly was some showdown, instead of just an attack by the Green Neolists happening somewhere far from where you were conducting your operation. Would you presume Festos to be dead?¡± ¡°No.¡± This time, it was Silrat who responded, his calm visage hiding the tumultuous emotions he had been feeling since Tulnas told him the entire series of events. Yes. Tulnas had told him the whole story including everything pertaining to the green skeleton chasing after Skullius before this meeting. The man had distressed about his investment possibly bing a vtile variable but after ounting for certain things, he had calmed down. ¡°How on Aigas would you know that?¡± Dami questioned with her harsh expression turning to the Guilds Association Branch head. ¡°Because Festos and I are engaged in a Tie of Exchange,¡± Silrat said with a carefree expression. ¡­! Erkus and Dami were confused by this, waiting for an boration of this concept which was new to them but Terian¡­ The old man¡¯s brows shot up! ¡°Impossible! You did such a thing? How do you even know of that?!¡± he asked with immense suspicion, his mind immediately hurrying to believe. ¡°All I can say is the Association is different from your Capital arrangement. Old information can be acquired with high enough achievements,¡± Silrat replied with a sly smile. ¡°What is this Ti¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exinter,¡± Terian promptly cut off Dami. ¡°Long story short, if Festos was dead, then Silrat would know,¡± Tulnas said as he ced one leg over the other. ¡°Also, if you doubt my ount of the whole thing, go ask the Temple Priests if the man I just described isn¡¯t a famous figure wanted by the Purity already.¡± ¡°You reported this to the Purity before this meeting?¡± Erkus asked as he sighed in resignation. ¡°I did indeed. I need some artefacts from them to help settle things in my territory and thus, I had to give them a full ount,¡± Tulnas said, giving an appropriate response to Erkus who understood the sentiment. In truth, Tulnas had gone to return the Seed of Quintess¡¯ Eye which he had borrowed before anything else. He then told them about the involvement of the Green Neolists with the Evenfall which he advised the Priest to report to the Higher Order Priests immediately. This had earned him a whole lot of brownie points when he found that this man with the green and white mask was a problem the Purity had wanted information on. ¡°This still doesn¡¯t settle your situation with Festos. As he was in your custody, you needed to bring him back alive and because of this, I feel that there is something you¡¯re not telling us. Punishment for failing to hold up to what you bargained is severe. Your territory will be on the line along with all your assets, Tulnas. So I advise you to start spilling the whole story,¡± Dami said as she rose and faced Tulnas with a vicious expression, refusing to back down this time. ¡°The blue Cluster theory of yours also hangs on how much of the truth you can tell us to prompt us into action, otherwise, the casualties that arise from it will be on you.¡± Erkus sighed for the umpteenth time during this meeting before supporting Dami¡¯s point. ¡°It¡¯s true. While I value you more than anyone else in this room, it is true that not being able to produce definitive evidence to Festos¡¯ participation and involvement in helping you solve this case as well as even verifying the veracity of your story warrants punishment. Confiscation of your assets will be the base punishment. If you have anymore to say to support your case, now would be the time.¡± The room fell silent for quite some time as Tulnas closed his eyes to think. He had to liberate Skullius, who Silrat was convinced would be returning as long as he was in one piece, from his crimes as he and Silrat had arranged by proving that he had helped solve a national crisis, without being divined. This would have been easier if things hadn¡¯t turned south back then. Tulnas opened his eyes to look at Dami for a brief moment. ¡®She¡¯s sorta sharp. Of course she is. She finds answers for a living,¡¯ Tulnas thought, but this wasn¡¯t enough to corner him. He had other cards to y. ¡°My dear City Lord. Old man. I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something. I¡¯m not only responsible for dealing with the threat of the continuous Clusters as of yesterday. I¡¯m also responsible for deploying my Guild to help clear the already emerged Clusters, most of which they dealt with. I asked for nothing in return despite the huge undertaking as this was a trying time and given the chaotic state of the Association ofte, I¡¯d say I carried a heck of a burden for you all whether or not you want to consider this as a nned strategy on my part,¡± Tulnas said with chilling confidence. ¡°You cannot debate the facts and I don¡¯t think what I¡¯ve earned through this is such a punishment.¡± No one could refute. The evidence was there. The Harem Guild had saved many lives from the constantly appearing Clusters and frankly, if it truly was as he said that he had dealt with the actual source¡­ ¡°And well¡­ If you want someone to extract the evidence and information from then¡­¡± Tulnas waved his hand, his storage ring spitting out arge spherical mass of sand that was wrapped in dark chains. The Complete Sand Coffin! ¡°You¡¯ll find him inside here.¡± Chapter 302 The First Trial 18 hours ago. Blue mes surged with strength as they zed, ignited within the sockets of the Fulgurant Bone Prator. Traces of an element akin to lightning ran over the dark blue skeletal body of the Null Life spawned entity as rity returned to his vision. Notification prompts vanished from his sight as they signified that he had only now just had the [Flesh It Like You Mean It] skill time out, which was a very fortunate thing it seemed, as he had ¡®unconscious¡¯ before this. The first thing Skullius saw was Red Rage, seated nude beside him. The Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s armour wasid by the side, looking to be nothing more than molten and cooled chunks. Even over Red Rage¡¯s body, Skullius could see dark patches over his silvery bones, a testament to the damage he had received. The Apostle leaned in and patted Skullius¡¯ shoulder. This gesture made Skullius¡¯ socket mes re with emotion as he recalled that his fate had been about to devolve into atrocity. Somanda. ¡°That sockethole¡­¡± Skullius said in the deep voice of his Prator form that contrasted the one from his Discount Human form. Red Rage sentforting thoughts to his master as he saw his lingering distress but Skullius immediately stopped the Apostle. He grabbed the Pelvis Boar-Man¡¯s shoulder just like he had done. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Red bro. I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t know how that bastard came here but¡­ believe me, I¡¯m doing better than you think. Besides it was only thanks to you that I managed toe out on top,¡± Skullius said. ¡®That and¡­ a strange twist of Direction.¡¯ It was true. Skullius had been frozen stiff when the Arch-Lich spread his hand to grab onto him but Red Rageing between him and such a terrible foe had rejuvenated his courage. Perhaps the term Apostle wasn¡¯t a stand-in but one having a meaning yet to be revealed. Red Rage¡¯s own socket mes red wildly as the Apostle gave Skullius a thumbs up. Skullius¡­ raised his hand and gave one back to the Pelvis Boar-Man. The fearless bastard had earned it. ¡°How did you survive that attack anyway?¡± Skullius asked.. That dark me had one shot the masked man who looked to be stronger than all of thembined at that time but Red Rage had survived it with minimal damage. Skullius received his mental response. ¡°Oh. You used all of yours and my reserves of Null Life Essence to wrap around you? Hmm. I really need to learn how to use this stuff,¡± Skullius said. It was no surprise that Red Rage could use his reserves of Null Life Essence too as back then in the Tremur when he transferred his Exp, it became abundantly clear that he and the Apostle were closely linked. Skullius was d that such a thing, was a thing. He had a bro to count every time. As for why Skullius said he truly was fine. He really was. Naturally he had been terrified then and was apprehensive of the consequences of that encounter with Somanda but he felt good. Because he had gotten a win over the Arch-Lich! After learning that his thoughts of Somanda being a simple Lich when he was in Deadmand were wrong through Serenity, Skullius hadn¡¯t been sure on how to proceed with saving himself. How to deal with Doom Factor 2 specifically. Was beating Somanda something he could do? Could he even grow to such an extent? Was he even smart enough to concoct an adequate n for it? These thoughts had gued the Prator but after attaining one small victory¡­ he felt confidence. At least a semnce of it. He didn¡¯t get an inted skull because of this, but the esteem and morale did wonders for him. Furthermore¡­ ¡°My soul,¡± he said to himself. ¡°At least I now know what it looks like. That talk about me being patched up and having different colours¡­ I thought Somanda was just trying to insult me but¡­ it turned out to be true.¡± The Prator had seen his soul in that moment when Somanda pulled it out. Seen was a bad word actually. He experienced it. Because he had been in the [Perfect Night Domain] purely constructed through his Projected Form and not a skill, he had been aware of everything happening within it. Most things at least, barring Somanda. Its state left Skullius bbergasted. It was patched up with gold and purple, the purple being more evident. The cracks over its glowing stature were extensive and as Skullius thought of this, he pulled up his status, and saw what he dreaded the most. ¡°40%¡­ Doom Factor 2..¡± he mumbled with a solemn voice. He didn¡¯t know what this entailed yet as he felt fine for now but¡­ he knew it was going to be an unforgiving son of a¡­ Hmmm, he couldn¡¯t finish the thought. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on something else,¡± Skullius thought. ¡°Can I view the status for my Discount Human form?¡± As he stated this, his status shifted to the Discount Human¡¯s, showing all the stats, oddities and even things like the core colour. ¡°Oh. This doesn¡¯t show when I use my guidance field in my human form. Hmm, is it because my Prator form has evolved and my Discount Human form is still at the Foundation Stage?¡± It was an interesting thought. Without getting an answer, Skullius checked what he had intended after scrolling through everything on the status. ~~~ [ Name : Festos Dawn ] [ Level : 10 ] [ Experience : 0/800,000; ] [ ss : Insurgent Magnus ] [ Race :Discount Human ] [ Inv. Status: Still doomed ?¡ª2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 345 ] [Agility : 225 ] [ Intelligence : 70 ] [ Endurance : 265 ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 625/625 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : 540/540+(250) ] ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 0/6000 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Skills ] [ Elevated Mana Maniption | Lv.21 ] [ Greater Communication (I) | Lv.7 ] [ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv.9 ] [ Revenant mes of Ecstasy | Lv.4 ] [ Artless Dodger | Lv.2 ] [ Manassault | Lv.1 ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Guard Light | Lv.3 ] [ Mana Force | Lv.2 ] [ sh Flicker | Lv.3 ] [ Raw Impact | Lv.4 ] [ Great Rush (I) | Lv.5 ] [ Untouched | Lv.2 ] [ Basic Combat Arts | Lv.5 ] [ Swindling Death Dance (Iplete) ] [] [ Advanced Evil Weaving | Lv.11 ] [ Advanced Evil Production | Lv.13 ] [ Basic Evil Invasion | Lv.2 ] [ Basic Evil Sanction (Special) | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Light Production | Lv.4 ] [ Crude World Projection ] [ Bead of Malevolence | Lv. 3 ] [ Perfect Night Domain | Lv. 4 ] [] [ Pseudo Evil Veneration (1%) ] [] [ Luminant Seed (Dormant) ] [ Binds of Fukal ] [ Fruit of World Myths ] ¡ª- [] [ Evil Darkness ¨C B ] [ Just Light ] ~~~ Quite the bit of growth but it was still weakpared to his current strength as the Prator. Skullius wanted to revel in the fact that he was now level 10 and a step closer towards the Advancement Stage though. After the Tasks came a Trial or in some instances known as a Challenge that decided whether or not he would be entering the next stage ording to Frock. The name itself depicted a level of difficulty above Tasks, but Skullius wasn¡¯t focused on that. All he thought about was how he would be able to use his own Full Body Aura soon! Tktktktkt! Skullius dispelled the tension before with augh as he focused on the aspect of the status. Then¡­ ¡°This is¡­ a joke¡­right?¡± Skullius said with his sockets dimming to be mere dots of blue light. No way. How was this even fair?!! ~~~ Exp: 0/800,000 First Trial: Find a LIVING subordinate from any of three dominant races in Aigas, who will be bound to your service, to help you without question, without proposed benefits to them asides from that you will. One who willmit to your demands for their lifetime until you release them from service. ¡­ Chapter 303 Tomatoes...? Absolute garbage! Trash! Doodoo butter! These were the terms that Skullius would have used if he actually knew them. However, nothing could discount the feeling of hopelessness that he felt in this moment. ¡°Seriously¡­? I have to find a¡­ Ah¡­¡± Skullius gaped as his four sockets resumed burning with blue mes. He slumped andid down his body on the hard ground. Once again. What was this? Atrocious luck? On one hand, he seemed to breeze through tough situations, with a staggering level of difficulty no doubt, but going through nheless. On the other hand, there were situations like these, where he was firmly held down with little to no hope of escape. ¡°UNCoddled won¡¯t allow me to have something like this. I¡¯m sure finding some non-socketholes would be easy enough but¡­¡± Skullius thought, his inferences swimming in his skull. Red Rage saw Skullius¡¯ once ¡®better¡¯ enthusiasm plummet and thought to how to make his master feel better. It was once more, time for the Pelvis Boar-Man to cheer up the Prator. The Pelvis Boar-Man inserted mana into his ring, on the ground appearing something that almost made Skullius leap up! ¡°GAAAAH!¡± Skullius screamed. This was¡­. It was¡­ It was¡­ The remains of the above legendary grade treasure SoSei! The cracked structure of the treasureid before Skullius and it was only after Red Rage expressed to him that it was not functional anymore that the Prator rxed. Its image with the broken skull and limbs was still terrifying to Skullius who had seen this thing as it harboured Somanda¡¯s will, a fact that he wasn¡¯t exactly privy to until now when Red Rage told him some of the finer details. Apparently, it was a treasure and not an actual undead. The material it had was not exclusively bone. Of course, Red Rage could confirm it. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius said as he took a closer look. ¡°You retrieved this? So that means that Somanda was here? Not exactly, at least.¡± He remembered that they had been far above at a dangerous height and if he fell, then this treasure must have been falling too. Skullius felt a bit more relieved with this detail. He hadn¡¯t thought that Somanda could show up as he pleased, but he had been pretty apprehensive of that. This gave him a bigger chunk of peace as well as a great appreciation of the fact that [Pseudo Evil Veneration] had activated in that moment. Now that Skullius thought about it all¡­ ¡°Where¡¯s..¡± The Prator was cut off as his armour, the Fleeting Ghoul¡¯s Adornment and his [Demion¡¯s Dance] fell out of Red Rage¡¯s spatial ring. ¡°Thank you,¡± Skullius said. He had thought he had lost these, especially the sword which he had tried to fling at his body to kill himself. He then refocused on the green bones. ¡°What can we even do with this?¡± Skullius used his guidance field to try and acquire more information about this thing, but most of it was marred with ~~~ [SoSei] ¨C Legendary+ ¨C ??? ~~~ ¡°Of course¡­¡± Skullius remarked as he saw theck of detail derived. He then turned to Red Rage. ¡°You keep it for now. I hope it¡¯s as you said. If it does anything, tell me.¡± In this moment, it was sad that the Fulgurant Bone Prator didn¡¯t know how grand a thread of Direction would be born from this treasure in the future. Skullius watched his Apostle the damn thing when¡­ ¡°WHAT ATROCITY HAVE I BEEN AWAKENED INTO?!! AAAARRRRRRGHHHHHH!!¡± a loud voice called with nerve wrecking intensity! ¡­! Skullius leapt up and struck against the ceiling of the hidden space he and Red Rage were currently in! What the hell?! Skullius looked this way and that in confusion, his blue mes scouring everywhere! Red Rage looked at him confusedly. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear that?!¡± Skullius asked with a high pitched voice. Red Rage shook his head. ¡°Bro, someone just yelled right now? How didn¡¯t you hear it?!¡± ¡°OF COURSE I JUST YELLED YOU UNDEAD BASTARD! WHY AM I HERE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME? WHO¡­ WAIT?! ARE YOU THE ONE WHO THREW THE TOMATOES?!¡± the voice once again red loudly. ¡°Huh?!!¡± Skullius¡¯ gaped as he questioned what the flesh was going on. ¡°OHHHH NO! I¡¯M DOOMED! IT¡¯S YOU! I REMEMBER! YOU TRULY ARE THE ONE WITH THE TOMATOES! I WASN¡¯T DREAMING! YOU REALLY KILLED ME! YOU WERE AN UNDEAD?! HOW THIS WORLD HAS FALLEN! KILL ME DEAR QUINTESS FOR I HAVE BECOME AN ABOMINATION! OR BETTER YET, LET ME TAKE THIS EVIL WITH ME!¡± ¡°Bro, why are you shouting?! First of all, who and where the hell are you?! Second of all, where are you?! Andstly, I¡¯m not an undead!!¡± ¡°OH PLEASE, YOU TOMATO FLINGER! I CAN SEE IT RIGHT NOW! YOU FELLING SOME SICKLY, INNOCENT STRANGER AFTER CHANGING YOUR FORM INTO UNATTRACTIVE MAN! DECEIVER! TO THINK YOU UNDEAD WERE CAPABLE OF SUCH! VILE TOMATO FLINGER!¡± Skullius was about to open his mouth to angrily retort when his memory churned. ¡®Wait. Is¡­ is this guy¡­ in my head?! Also¡­ I killed an innocent stranger¡­.after I changed my¡­ Bro, is this guy talking about Eobald?! Is he seeing my memories?!¡¯ Skullius thought in a panic. This was the only scenario that made sense when he properly thought of it all. While this voice seemed to speak in his ear, he felt a slight reverberation within him! On top of all this. Tomatoes? Tomato. Where had he heard this before?! There was definitely someone who kept using him of this many times over in the past! Someone he had killed before. Someone bound. Someone who¡­ ¡­! The Labyrinth! ¡°You¡¯re the Tower General whatever!¡± Skullius yelled in realisation. ¡°IT¡¯S SILA, THE GREAT TOWER GENERAL, YOU IDIOT! WAIT, WHERE IS THE VISION I WAS SEEING?! IT¡¯S GONE! WHAT DID YOU DO, TOMATO FLINGER?!¡± Skullius was immensely confused. ¡®Vision? Is he talking about the memories?¡¯ Hearing this voice now start to also sound confused and mention that it couldn¡¯t see what it was seeing before made Skullius a bit relieved as he quickly thought of multiple hypothesis. He started to gather his thoughts. It was obvious that conversing with this guy was impossible so he decided to retrace his steps while Red Rage looked at him with atrocious incredulity. ¡®This guy was like the others, right? Tied to that thing made of [Evil Darkness]. I remember he was the first one that I killed. Then what happened¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. (A/N: Refer to Chapter 61 if you don¡¯t remember). ¡°I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU KNOW!¡± S growled. ¡®Right! I gained his soul as a reward and ate it!¡¯ Skullius continued with his thread of thought. ¡°TOMATO FLINGER!¡± That¡¯s right! Under the Labyrinth¡¯s rules, he had managed to kill the guy with evil darkness and absorbed his soul. But then¡­ why was he suddenly hearing his voice? Hold on! Skullius¡¯ socket mes red! Did this mean that he could potentially start hearing Dezrael¡¯s voice too?! Unlike S, Skullius remembered that guy very well! If that was to happen? ¡®No¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he raised his skull, ignoring the noise in the background that was polluting his mind. ¡®I think I know why¡­¡¯ First of all, this tied in pretty well with something he had seen quite recently. His soul! It had patches of gold and purple, with the purple ones being very prevalent! Secondly¡­ ¡®I remember. I used this guy¡¯s soul for something else back then. At least the guidance field did¡­¡¯ Indeed. After entering the Hall of Fulgardt, Skullius hadmandeered the body of Eldris via [Basic Evil Invasion] which ended up getting killed within him still in it, causing him soul damage! As a result, the guidance field had used portions of S¡¯s soul in order to cover for the damage which had been extensive! As Skullius¡¯ thoughts reached this point, he realised that the purple patches of his soul were probably from S¡¯s own soul! ¡°HEY! ANSWER ME WILL YOU?!¡± S¡¯s voice rang out. Skullius¡¯ socket mes burned lightly. Even that sliver of fortune from back then had repercussions it seemed. The question of why this guy only awakened now was still upon Skullius though and he needed to have a discussion with this guy. ¡°I hear you, alright bro?!¡± Skullius said as he emitted a burst of mana from his mouth. He needed to know the full story. ¡°First, answer me this. How are you talking to me just now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 304 Let Us Waste No More Time! ¡­ Silence. A reply seemed to note. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°HMM? SO NOW YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME TOMATO FLINGER?!! I SHALL NOT TELL YOU ANYTHING! WHY WOULD I? YOU¡¯RE A VILE UNDEAD! MY LIPS ARE SEALED!¡± S yelled. ¡°Arghh¡­¡± Skullius grumbled. Seriously?! This was so annoying! Would he really have to live with this guy for all his Null Life? It seemed like it wasn¡¯t a matter of the body too. He had killed S while in his Discount Human form but the bastard had spawned even in Prator form. It seemed like a matter of the soul as Skullius only had one. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! I CAN SENSE YOUR DISTRESS! GOOD, GOOD, TOMATO FLINGER! QUINTESS WOULD BE GLAD THAT THE GREAT TOWER GENERAL SILA HAS AT LEAST SERVED TO PUT THE ENEMY INTO A STATE OF MENTAL TURMOIL!¡± Dammit! That loud voice! The whole situation gave Skullius little hope as he had discovered that this guy was literally a part of him now. He was sort of keeping his soul steady and patching up chips from the construct. As if the Prator didn¡¯t have enough to deal with already! ¡°Gah, can you at least shut up! I can¡¯t think straight with your noise in my head! Don¡¯t you have your own side of my soul or something, bro?!¡± ¡°YOU TO¡ª¡±. Suddenly, S¡¯s voice was cut off and all Skullius heard were greatly muffled noises in the background that barely shook his mind. ¡®Hmm? Wait a minute¡­¡¯ he thought. ¡°You can talk¡­¡± Skullius said. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE SHUT ME OFF AGAIN, TOMATO FLINGER! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WARNED MY WIFE ABOUT! YOU¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Silence. ¡®Ah~.¡¯ Skullius instantly felt relieved. He could shut up this bastard if he wanted to! That was convenient. At least he could live in peace even with this annoying oddity. With more time to think, Skullius began gathering all the thoughts from that time. He still couldn¡¯t get rid of the lingering thought that Dezrael could also awaken within him even if he had worked up a theory that that might not be the case. That wouldn¡¯t be a pleasant experience as he had some really bad conflict with the bastard. However, as the Prator thought to this point, he realised that he might really not have to worry about this solely because of something else that happened back then. ¡®Unlike S, Dezrael¡¯s soul was used for something other than just giving me stat points. Some of it was used to form the Luminant Seed that needs me to reach the Advancement Stage to activate. So¡­ maybe, the parts that remain are not strong enough to awaken¡­¡¯ (A/N: Refer to Chapter 68). At this point, Skullius was made to recognise the incredible power that Fulgardt had. To toy with life, death and souls like this¡­ And this Luminant Seed. He had been looking forward to using it but couldn¡¯t help but grow anxious now. However, he had already taken it into himself, which was, well¡­ anxiety inducing. ¡°Just how many of these people are in the Labyrinth? They must all have been powerful experts and for them to remain alive until now¡­¡± They must all have been significantly powerful. ¡­! The Prator suddenly straightened his spine as his mind reached another conclusion! Jeez, was his Prator form that much smarter than his Discount Human form?! He immediately willed for S to be able to speak again and the mouthful he got was tremendous! ¡°YOU VIIIIILE UNDEAD, TOMATO FLINGER! YOU DARE HOLD ME IN THIS CRAMPED BUBBLE?! LET ME OUT! I¡¯LL FIND YOU, AND I WILL KILL YOU!¡± ¡°Bro, you live in my body!¡± Skullius said with an annoyed flicker of his four sockets mes. ¡°I have an idea. If you¡¯re willing to listen, we can both benefit from it.¡± ¡°HA! AS IF I¡¯D EVER LISTEN TO WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY! FIRST CLEAN UP MY TOWER OF THOSE TOMATOES YOU THREW AND BOW SIX TIMES, THEN I MIGHT LISTEN! HEHEH!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Skullius said slyly. ¡°Even if I tell you that I can give bring you back to life?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Not so annoying anymore now, bro? Kek.¡± He had him! There was no way this bodiless bastard could resist! ¡°HMMM! YOU WON¡¯T FOOL ME, TOMATO FLINGER! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY DO THAT?! I WON¡¯T BELIEVE YOUR LIES!¡± Oh. Skullius grinned inwardly still. ¡°Oh, but I can. You see, the same powers that kept you alive in the Labyrinth are mine now. I can use them to bind your soul to a body and get you back to living again.¡± ¡°HMMMM¡­..LIES! LIES, THE LOT OF THEM! WHY SHOULD I COLLUDE WITH YOU OVER SUCH A THING?! MY LIFE MEANS NOTHING! IT WAS ONLY GIVEN PURPOSE BY QUINTESS HIMSELF! I SHALL NEVER BETRAY HIM! YOU SHALL NOT FOOL ME, TOMATO FLINGER! I REFUSE!¡± S was adamant. His decision seemed final as he even took a pause after his loud reply. However, Skullius wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Oh interesting. You know, this humble tomato flinger would be d to do the same for your wife. Wouldn¡¯t that make you happy?¡± ¡­! ¡®Heheh¡­¡¯ Skullius grinned internally as he felt the tumultuous shock from the freeloader in his body. Well technically, S wasn¡¯t a freeloader as he truly was earning his keep but still. Skullius had decided to y by this man¡¯s rules. He used the man¡¯s words against him to reach what he wanted. He wasn¡¯t sure what a wife was but it seemed to be a person. An important person to this guy. As for why he was trying to rope this guy in, it was a simple matter. ¡®This guy is very old. I remember when I killed him, he gave me more than a million Exp! He must have been strong too and I bet I could get him to help me!¡¯ As simple as that. ¡°HEY, TOMATO FLINGER¡­¡± S said with a chilling voice. ¡°THIS IS MY WIFE WE¡¯RE TALKING ABOUT¡­¡± There was a lengthy silence, but Skullius was patient. He knew that the art of Talk no Bullshit Jutsu required one to be sufficiently opportunistic and calm. One needed to let the facts sink in before telling his victim some more. ¡°MY WIFE¡­ CAN YOU REALLY¡­?¡± ¡°Of course! But you see, I¡¯m not that strong yet and I need ways to grow stronger faster. If I could reach a higher stage of power, I could do what Fulgardt did with his powers to help you and your wife. Fulgardt denied you death and gave you life. I can do the same with your help.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Another stretch of silence. S seemed to be contemting. Twenty minutes passed before S gave a response and the silence almost made Skullius think that the bastard had vanished from his body. Then¡­ ¡°HOW IS IT THAT YOU HAVE FULGARDT¡¯S POWERS?! ARE THEY NOT FOR HUMANS ONLY?! YOU¡¯RE AN UNDEAD!¡± ¡°Like I said before. I¡¯m not an undead. And like you said before, I¡¯m a deceiver. How do you think I managed to get out of that ce¡­ alive?¡± Skullius said. ¡°¡­.¡± S took another leave of verbal absence. The truth was, he was no longer hopelessly trying to annoying Skullius now that there was possible opportunity to be revived even if it still needed verification. And for that¡­ ¡°If you doubt me. Take a look for yourself¡­¡± Skullius said. He was going gamble. His confidence from earlier forward. He was slowly starting to understand the intricacies of the hold he had over his soul. The fact he could freely control what S could see and when he could speak. Since he had been able to cut off the bastard from seeing his memories, he could do the opposite. What was the harm when the man was practically part of him? The benefits of roping him in were immense, though Skullius didn¡¯t know if this would be considered by UNCoddled. Probably not. WHOOSH! S saw the ¡®vision¡¯ of Skullius¡¯ journey with Benzard, Denille, Irlen and Reon through the Tremur and into the Labyrinth along with all the events leading to him exiting it. All the details wereid bare. Then it was all cut off. ¡°Well¡­?¡± Skullius asked with a confident voice. This had to convince the bastard, right? There was another bout of silence as S absorbed this information. ¡°HMMM. A DANGEROUS EXISTENCE YOU ARE. YOU ARE EVEN ALLIGNED WITH A GIANT?! HMMM¡­.¡± ¡°BUT! FOR HER I SHALL OBLIGE¡­ RAAAAH! TO THE UNDER WITH QUINTESS! AS IF THAT BASTARD EVER DID ANYTHING FOR ME! TELL ME, UNDEAD TOMATO FLINGER! WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?!¡± Bingo! Skullius was relieved. ¡°First, keep your voice down!¡± the Prator growled, making Red Rage take a few steps back. ¡°I SEE! Ahem. I mean, I see¡­ what do I have to do?! Tell me! Let us not waste anymore time. The sooner I revive, the better!¡± Skullius grinned. He had this guy where he wanted him. ¡°Alright. As a starter, I guess I need to know the fastest way to get a blue core¡­¡± Chapter 305 Tapping Into Dangerous Powers ¡°HMMM¡­. a blue core?¡± S¡¯s voice echoed in Skullius¡¯ mind. ¡°Ah¡­ you trulyck one, indeed!¡± ¡°Yes I do. How do I get one?¡± Skullius asked with an annoyed tone. S paused as he seemed to be contemting. ¡°Blue cores, my dear tomato flinger, are formed when an individualpounds the mana in their core repeatedly without letting even an ounce of it leak out during a session. A constant cycle of generation andpounding within the core is required over the course of two or three decades for the average person to eventually see the tinge of blue form over the white,¡± S exined. ¡°Wait, what?! Isn¡¯t that like¡­. 20 to 30 years?!¡± Skullius eximed in genuine shock. ¡°Indeed, tomato flinger, it is. The duration is entirely dependent on the quality of mana that one is born with. You can¡¯t possibly expect those from high Families and Houses topare to the footed pieces of garbage everywhere would you? Heheh!¡± Skullius ignored much of what S had just said as he contemted. He couldn¡¯t afford to spend years trying to get a blue core, he would be done for before he could even achieve it! The Prator grumbled as he sank into more thought. He had used [Depths of Core] some time ago to attempt to get a blue core, but that had failed with the long cooldown of the skill taking effect which effectively guaranteed that for his Prator form, it would probably take time to achieve his goal with the use of this skill alone. [The Doom Factor ¡®Disowned¡¯ has caught up] [You have failed-] Skullius immediately fed the damn thing adequate mana, gaining a brief reprieve from the constant pursuit by the Doom Factor. He had managed to deal with it over the seven day period of training montage. ¡°What was that?! What¡¯s that thing?!¡± S asked in confusion. This was his first experience with the guidance field and it greatly perturbed him.. ¡°You¡¯ll learn with time, bro,¡± Skullius said with a sigh as he went on to continue thinking about the blue mana core. S also took some time to digest the sight of the bright screen that had appeared before Skullius and then shook his head, bringing his mentality back to the subject at hand. ¡°RIGHT! HOWEVER¡­!¡± S suddenly shouted, making Skullius shudder. ¡°You could acquire a blue core the same way I acquired one!¡± ¡°Hmm? How?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Whether or not I tell you depends on whether you¡¯re willing to take on the great risk thates with it or not,¡± S said sounding excited which made Skullius suspicious. ¡°It¡¯s especially dangerous. The Prator narrowed his socket mes. ¡°If you get me killed, you¡¯ll be doomed too, you know? Unlike what you think, me dying is much more horrifying than whatever you experience,¡± the Prator pointed out. ¡°I could show you right now.¡± S vaguely felt threatened. ¡°¡­.of course. I wasn¡¯t thinking of anything bad, tomato flinger¡­¡± S said with a strangely low voice. ¡°Really? Now that I think about it, you haven¡¯t answered my first question. How did you just suddenly awaken?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°It¡¯s not anything to do with me, tomato flinger! For some reason. I just found myself shaking an hour ago. I think it had something to do with your own soul that was quivering like a boiled tomato. I only gained the full ability to speak and think a few minutes ago, alright?!¡± S answered with a strangely determined boom. Skullius cocked back his skull. ¡®Is it rted to what I was feeling when in Somanda¡¯s presence? Of course, that would make sense if his own soul woke up because of it,¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡°I can hear you, tomato flinger!¡± ¡°Right, I have to consciously block you,¡± Skullius said with a shake of his head. ¡°Your story checks out for the most part, I guess. Now, tell me. How did you get your blue core?¡± S went silent for a moment. This was slowly turning disadvantageous for him, but for now, he didn¡¯t have a choice. ¡°It¡¯s a ce. A dangerous ce. Under an Eximo tree where a grand pool rests, vibrant waters seated still as they gain a visage akin to that of crystal. Ah, the memory,¡± S said with voice saturated with ecstatic reminiscence. ¡°A ce?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°It is within a Sacred Forest in a far off region. We¡¯d have to travel that distance¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? A Sacred Forest?¡± Skullius thoughts rolled over to harsh memories. ¡­. Inhone City. Present time. Five people stood in front of a small, cube-like cell with iron bars. Within the cell, a ball of cracked ice could be seen, housing the lone figure of man who was curled up in a stationary position. The cell itself was marked with numerous runes whose effect on space could be visibly traced. It was no secret that they greatly constricted the prisoner¡¯s ability to manipte their powers. Therge block of ice was still emitting a nasty chill, one of the five figures who was Tulnas having removed the Complete Sand Coffin from it to unseal Guissepo. What was left was the water his doubles had frozen to trap the explosive bastard. Naturally it wasn¡¯t normal ice as even Terian felt the massive amounts of mana infused within it to give it an insane sturdiness and an absurdly low temperature. For Guissepo to have survived this, it was a testament to his body¡¯s resistance. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Tulnas asked Terian who promptly nodded with a hard gaze. The ice began to rupture under Tulnas¡¯ tamed beast¡¯s will, while at the same time, Terian raised his hand, extending it to the ball of ice as under the spherical object, a scorching heat began to emanate, melting the chunks that fell off gradually. Soon, a creature made of me rose, its wide open maw epassing the entirely of the breaking apart chunks of ice as it then went to chomp on Guissepo who had been released from the frosty setup! The creature, a shark, held Guissepo in ce, having half his body in its mouth while the rest hung limb as he was yet to awaken, his body soaking wet from the melting ice. ¡°So this is the man you faced?¡± Erkus asked with serious gaze. ¡°I can sense incredible power from him.¡± ¡°Hmmm. In terms of power, I¡¯d say he is as strong as you, Terian,¡± Silrat said with a sly smile. The old man kept his focus on the limb body of Guissepo, ignoring Silrat¡¯s remark. However, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder, as from the creature that held down the cultist holding the man down and passing to him information, it did seem like this man could challenge him to a degree. ¡°You¡¯re going to want to strengthen your hold over this bastard. He¡¯s not just some shrub at the Master Stage, he also has a blessing. A powerful one at that,¡± Tulnas pointed out. Terian nodded. Silrat paid more attention to the man who seemed to starting to as his thoughts spawned to what he had had to do to after being told the full information concerning the Evenfall cultists prior to the meeting they had been having. He and Tulnas had made detailed reports for what to look for in different areas for the Guild members engaging in the operations as it seemed that most wouldn¡¯t be as apparent as Tulnas¡¯ case. They had also made note of what to expect if they spotted the huddled cultists as per Tulnas¡¯ experience. ¡®Hopefully it works. If even one case is found and dealt with, then we¡¯ll have won our case,¡¯ Silrat thought. As Guissepo raised his head, regaining consciousness, he looked before him with a soft gaze that didn¡¯t have any trepidation or anxiety whatsoever. ¡°¡­What an extravagant oue¡­¡± he said as he looked to Tulnas who waved with a smile. The Tamer then turned to Dami. ¡°That¡¯s your cue,¡± Tulnas said to the woman who then grumbled before walking forward. ¡°Ah¡­ your extravagant wish to know everything. To divine me. It could get you killed, you know?¡± Guissepo said with a wry smile. Unfortunately for him, Dami was quite eager for the answers. She especially hated how the Capital Service was undermined by a small branch of the Association. Silrat waved his hand over the bars to the cell, the objects rising up to sink into the hard ceiling above, allowing the Diviner entry. ¡°Be careful. Holding down someone at my level is quite difficult. Divining someone a stage above you even more so,¡± Terian warned as his mana bubbled to make sure his grip on Guissepo didn¡¯t slip. Dami nodded before walking up to the cultist andying her hands over his forehead. Immediately, her eyes rolled as she began to discern things about him. She held herself from wholly making use of his soul, as this man was stronger than her with ties to high powers. But she was eager for the truth despite everything. Scenes yed out in her vision as she tried to anchor her sight onto the events of the day before and¡­ She saw it! A group of figures seated around a strange formation! Furthermore, several scenes of conflict bashed against her vision though with ack of rity. She decided to touch Guissepo¡¯s soul a bit to gain more information. The link was like an instant electric sensation over her body which enhanced her vision into the urrences before her. For a brief moment, she saw the entire scape and when she set to explore further¡­ ¡°Dami!¡± Terian called with a voice full of caution. ¡ª -Author¡¯s Note- [Ding] [Ah! Mashu_Berusutora has donated immensely to the novel! I¡¯m heavily inspired! +2 chapters over the daily quotaas at 02/08!] Chapter 306 Uncanny Beliefs Dami¡¯s eyes shot open upon hearing Terian¡¯s voice. Its urgency prompted her to quickly tear herself from Guissepo and retreat to a safe distance as from her wealthy well of experience, she knew to heed cautious warning. As she fully came to, returning to reality from the constant whirls of visions, she found that the old man was looking at her with a hard expression that showed both seriousness and concern. He was looking at her face specifically and this made Dami a lot more self-conscious. She felt something slide down her nose and she immediately touched her face to discover blood flowing excessively from the facial organ! Her eyes were bloodshot and it was only now that the Diviner discovered a feeling of irritation in her head that constantly dipped jabs of pain, as she then went on to clutch her dome while wincing. ¡°It¡¯s funny how some extravagantly arrogant people fail to heed simple advice. That¡¯s what I hate about you heathens with your overconfidence,¡± Guissepo said, even though he too didn¡¯t look too well. He was sweating while taking deep breaths to calm himself. He wasn¡¯t used to Divination and it wasn¡¯t like Dami bothered to be careful. Terian increased the pressure he applied with the me shark, which caused Guissepo to grunt in pain as he felt himself continuously lose all sensations to be point where he felt like would not ever be able to walk again. He looked downnguidly, to see fierce shark that radiated a firey glow that reflected over his face. ¡®Hmph.¡¯. Even in this predicament though, he started to cackle as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. ¡°Hahahahaha! Even now, you all seem to think that we¡¯re some small time group with meaningless resolve and goals! How extravagantly typical of those born under the graces of the three Deities¡­¡± Guissepo yelled with fervour. ¡°Nothing you do to me will ever make me despair anymore! Mine and all mypanions¡¯ death are not in vain! Even if you take my life, I¡¯ll happily continue it in extravagance by his side! By Master Boron¡¯s side!¡± Guissepo expressed his firm beliefs. In this one outrageous burst alone, he expressed why he was not remorseful over the deaths of his fellow cultists. For they had taken the lead in going to what they deemed paradise. Yet, for him, he felt like he hadn¡¯t achieved enough. He still hadn¡¯t gained the recognition he desired. He would have loved to gain it at least once but it was denied him! Dami walked out of the cell as she leaned against the wall, trying to recover. She hadn¡¯t even felt anything happening to her when she was tapping into Guissepo¡¯s soul which was strange and terrifying. She wiped her nose and tried to detect what was wrong with her. Guissepo noticed her actions and scoffed. Pitiful. The cultist continued to spout his belief. ¡°Have you all any idea the extent of Master Boron¡¯s extravagant rage! Being unrightfully imprisoned by his own! Left to breed creatures that can never see the luminance of the sun! He passes this rage unto us, his followers, it instantly manifesting as full fledged blessings for which we shall use to punish this world! What makes you think you can brush it off oh, so nonchntly?!¡± Dami was rmed at these words but the one to calm her racing heart was unexpectedly Tulnas. ¡°Rx. What can he do but try to exalt himself and his so called ¡®Master.¡¯ We cut down a lot of them and nothing came to us as retribution or anything. He¡¯s bluffing,¡± Tulnas said confidently. After another bout of examination on Dami¡¯s part, she didn¡¯t see anything else that could be fatal or be a lingering threat which affirmed Tulnas¡¯ words. Guissepo looked Tulnas in the eye with a mysterious glint. ¡°Says the young and extravagantly talented one, blessed by your false gods,¡± the older cultist spoke before slumping his head and saying nothing else. He had said his piece. If he was to die, he would at least do so after making sure they all knew his resolve was firm. Terian turned to Dami. ¡°What did you find?¡± The Diviner took a few moments to collect herself before answering. ¡°I saw¡­ something like a magic formation and some battles that involved¡­him,¡± she said as she looked at Tulnas. ¡°It¡¯s true that¡­ they had some form of conflict but from the scenes prior, I couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying.¡± Erkus nodded. ¡°I see. Hold off on divining him for more information. It would be more beneficial to inform the Purity about this. They could have safer methods of extracting information from him.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Tulnas said. ¡°You could even share some of the credit, City Lord. I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Erkus sighed in resignation. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t set Festos off the hook still,¡± Dami said with a hard expression, egging the City Lord to not be persuaded otherwise. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything that remotely resembles his participation in my visions.¡± Tulnas rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course you¡¯d say that,¡± Tulnas said with a sigh noting that Erkus didn¡¯t deny this as well. It seemed the College of the Esteemed was still on his back about this and while he was giving the Mage a grace period, his patience was likely to run out soon. One issue was on its way to be solved, while another remained up in the air. Tulnas clicked his tongue as he wondered where that damned Mage was. *** College of Battle Arts. A certain old man hung over Oliviana like a cloud as she walked within the College of Battle Arts. She had long given up on leaving him behind as he always seemed to just saunter back, annoying the living ghost within her. At the moment, she was trying to certify some paperwork that she needed in preparation of her future ns which had be shaky in light of recent events. As she walked to and fro within the College where a significantly higher number of new students were being led by other instructors, she could only grit her teeth as she head the old man¡¯s voice in her ear. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to learn the Regret Technique, Oliviana? It would perfect for you, I guarantee it.¡± ¡°Oh, have you really decided to leave your current job as a gardener to teach martial arts now? I thought you¡¯d remain with the weeds until you were needed. Wasn¡¯t that your ¡®vow¡¯ to the Deities?¡± Oliviana said as she sifted through her documents. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I will always be a gardener in my lifetime. I¡¯m bound to do this much but the essence of Regret in me is just too much! I need to share it with someone. I could die without ever teaching anyone my technique!¡± Olivianaughed. ¡°You¡¯re quite something old man. I have no regrets so I don¡¯t want to learn your technique. My agreement with Silrat makes it so that I don¡¯t have to worry about staying in this city anymore much like you have to,¡± Oliviana said with a smile as her short figure trotted by. The old man behind her grumbled. His frail body looked to almost topple over and this brought a twinge of guilt to Oliviana who stood and gazed at him as he sulked. ¡°That¡­ is another one of my regrets,¡± the old man said as his lips trembled. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up too much. At least you have tens of thousands who remember to depend on you in this city. I¡¯m one of them,¡± the shortdy said with a bright smile. Chapter 307 Remnants of The Evenfall Activity One dayter. A few events had happened within Inhone following the conclusion of Tulnas¡¯ mission. Or rather missions. An observation was made which concluded that surely, there was no longer the constant appearance of many Clusters in wide range aspared to before! After a full day of work, with mercenaries dealing with thest of the numerous Clusters, it turned out that Tulnas had truly resolved the issue with his little excursion, something that was publicly announced by the City Lord to the residents of Inhone City. His hypothesis had been right. Those left with doubt could only believe it as another badge of credit also had to be handed to the rest of the Harem Guild for its service to all the areas in the region that required assistance. Many came to the city to give thanks for the timely response of thedies that came to save them from the emerged Clusters, giving them peace of mind. Of course, this caused some Guilds to turn sour towards the Harem Guild, as while the result was overall favourable for everyone, much of the work had had stolen which meant most Guilds barely got to do anything at all. The other tworge Guilds, the EdgeKings and Ravend Guild couldn¡¯t help butin that they could have deployed their human resources too but the Harem Guild greedily took much of the requests. This was supported even more by the other smaller Guilds which asserted that this was simply unfair.. As for Tulnas¡¯ response to these qualms, the Tamer had it all nned out with the remuneration his Guild was supposed to receive from clearing the Clusters. He calcted all total of the reward coin his Guild had umted with all the cleared Clusters which he had chosen not to take and asked the Guilds Association to share it among all the smaller Guilds! The sum was quite bountiful and it covered for all these entities as this also included the higher level Clusters that had been cleared in the process and the portion of Enriching gems that the Harem Guild would have collected, most of which they wouldn¡¯t need. As a result, Tulnas cooled off some of the heat and left therger Guilds as they were because from his perspective, they simply had no real reason toin. Another event which took ce was contacting the Purity through the Temple in Inhone City to inform them that a member of the Evenfall had been captured, along with sharing detailed information about the possible collusion between said group and the Green Neolists. Such information was met with an instant response as several Purity Knights were dispatched and said to arrive today to collect Guissepo so as to send him back to a higher branch of the Purity for interrogation. This earned Inhone and the Harem Guild better repute with the Purity, which worked well for both parties, especially Tulnas who knew he had opened up a window to ask for more stuff in the future. That said, Tulnas consistently reminded the City Lord of therge Cluster which could potentially appear within the region. It was possible that it had already appeared for a while given that they didn¡¯t know the exact time that the Evenfall had begun their activities. Search parties were sent out by the Capital service and the Guilds Association gave out requests to search for the Cluster which was presumed to at least be blue. So far, no notable results had been dug up and over the course of yesterday and today, the anxiety from this had begun to die down. Perhaps this had had a baseless worry. In spite of these good instances of fortune over the past day however, a problem still remained. For Tulnas and Silrat at least. Festos was still missing. He hadn¡¯t returned still. Silrat had confirmed that the Mage was still alive but since his Tie of Exchange with the young man had no further traits, it was impossible to tell where he was. Tulnas grew anxious as this meant that it was possible for him to lose his assets and authority of the area under his Guild as he couldn¡¯t be exempted from aiding a murderer who was yet to redeem himself even with his achievements. Rather it was possible for him to benefit from the Guilds Association headquarters but he didn¡¯t want to lose what he had here. For Silrat, it was possible that instead of gaining a portion of the great reputation that came with identifying as being part of the operation that ultimately solved the national crisis, he could be charged with supporting a criminal instead. If only the damned Discount Human would return. *** Deep below the ground, in a rocky area away from most settlements, the stoney crust above suddenly ruptured as a bluish purple glow erupted and rose into the sky in the form of a distorted me! It carried with it a massively terrifying pressured effect that blew out the surface and made room for itself and by room, this referred to a space of over to twelve meters in width! Dark fumes rose as the bluish purple glow then went on to vanish, the crackling of burnt rock and dirt around the extensive hole that had been created noisily announcing the destruction that had unfolded. It was dark within the hole that led to deep underground, yet something could vaguely be detected at the very bottom from the surface. A crack in space that danced with a blue hue, tainted by a swirl of purple which forever marked this Cluster as one beyond the scales of normal mercenaries orbatants. There was hardly any space within this hole to amodate the structure as it grew in a cone shaped figure to the surface but the rising glow had been caused by a single creature that popped out of the Cluster that seemed to be ufortable with this. It had been three days since this Cluster had appeared and without anyone being able to see it, there was no longer anything to hold back the Cluster beasts that had been nurtured within from escaping. The beast that appeared from the Cluster was annoyed by the cramped space. It looked up, the harsh afternoon light that spilled from upwards illuminating its figure. It was a tall, grey creature, its body covered by what looked like white boils over its slimy skin. It had upward nted yellow eyes that had purpleteral slits which acted as its pupils, its head like an blown bubble, inting and deting with a bubbling quality as if that was where its lungs resided, much like a squid. Itcked a nose and below its eyes, very long tentacles protruded and draping over beyond where its thick human-like legs were as they acted like robes which covered its entirety! The creature bent its legs as it then went on to exert an incredible force on the ground and leap up into the air! It soared at immense speed, the air releasing a tumultuous shudder with its flight and exited the hole it had made,fortably setting its feet on the surface where a runner grass pervaded. The creature turned this way and that, its narrow eyes seeing way beyond the horizons on all sides. It emitted a sound like wheezing as it took in a massive amount of air, so much so that the area looked staved of it, small grasses and rocks being puller along with the suction! It was one mere breathe however, as after the creature was done, there was a notable difference to the atmosphere. Something wascking and everything remained still. The beast revealed something that hadn¡¯t been visible on its person before. A long staff. It was reddish brown with a shiny sheen and smooth texture that revealed it to be made of something akin to amethyst in an unrefined shape. It had a sharp end, and over its other end, rings of another type of stone which had a dark hue could be seen, barely visible arcs of energy sifting over it as atop this, a diamond shaped white gem settled, fitted over the staff. Unlike the rings of dark stone around the edge of the staff, this white stone which had a rough texture like granite had apparent waves of overwhelming energy, its surface looking like it was made of designs of fire in the same white hue. The creature pointed its staff below, within the hole, a streak of bright white light darting within as it promptly reached the Cluster below and prated it! The Cluster began to quiver as the stream of energy continuously pulsed within with a sound akin to an earthquake resounding! The stream of energy then retreated from the Cluster and shot back to the staff! Surprisingly, what followed was a phenomenon that only appeared when a Cluster lost its General. The crack in space copsed as the Cluster vanished entirely, the ground where the construct had been, trembling from the phenomenon. The creature above grunted as it continued to wheeze. Over the diamond-like gem upon its staff, the design of white fire was reced with the blurry image of a vast and expansive world that held a myriad of living and non-livings. This was a singr ability of this natural treasure that easily scaled up to the Legendary level. Chapter 308 Finally! (A/N: Bonus Chapter) Guilds Association building. ¡°We sure got a sweet deal from the Harem Guild. All that gold and the Enriching gems! Haha, we¡¯ll be set for a while.¡± ¡°Why are you so excited? It was clearly all nned to shut us up.¡± ¡°And we did, didn¡¯t we? That was the point. We practically earned benefits without working for them. To be honest I¡¯m happy with this result. At we didn¡¯t have to risk anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with it too. Even if the Harem Guild hadn¡¯t intervened, we would have been stuck with white Clusters and silvers all the way. Now we get gold coins!¡± ¡°.¡± The Guild¡¯s Association was lively as things seemed to start settling within the region, except for certain parts that had experienced the shy transcendent powers of Somanda. It was business as usual with requests still tricking in, even though at a very slow pace. Jac at this moment was talking to another one of the evaluators of the Association. He seemed to have had been on leave, until the chaotic Cluster situation started that is. ¡°I could have earned a few more gold coins just by being here,¡± the man said as he clicked his tongue, his build which was leaner yet just as big as Jac¡¯s going over to lean by the wall as he shook his head. Jac merelyughed at the older man¡¯s words.. ¡°So that little brat Tulnas solved all this? You¡¯re one lucky son of a fruity bugger,¡± the man said as he sighed, blowing the hairs that made up his greying stubble. ¡°Heheh. You¡¯re dying of jealousy only now when you¡¯re at the end of your bitter life? Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll have plenty of time to find other talents when I¡¯m gone,¡± Jac said, offering no form of constion. The man shook his head and then narrowed his eyes as he seemed to recall something. ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard you managed to find another gem in the ocean of subpar rough. A Mage was it?¡± Jac instantly wore aplicated expression. ¡°Kind of,¡± he said as the young man was a topic he wasn¡¯t sure how to react to anymore when people tied him to the murderous bugger. It truly was derailing into uncharted and unnned territory with this particr topic. Jac who had been smiling sheepishly as he thought up a response suddenly looked past the man he was conversing with as something caught his eye. ¡°Festos?¡± he uttered in disbelief. ¡°Hmm? Yes, that¡¯s the name I heard. Quite the odd name I say. I mea¡ª¡± ¡°No that dammit!¡± Jac bellowed as he pushed away the man and rushed towards the door where a certain young man was just entering. The other evaluator turned and followed. The entrance of this familiar figure through Association building doors attracted quite the bit of attention as his figure which had grown different in stature caused some to raise their brows while hushed chatter began as others recognised him. The new Mage had been out of the public eye for a while and as his crimes had not yet been addressed to the public, most were pleased to see him. Yes. It was indeed the Discount Human. He donned his Fleeting Ghoul¡¯s Adornment which had several damaged portions and holes in it from the attacks of the carp and the Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf. However, this was all covered by something that was attracting the attention of the onlookers. Something akin to robe that covered him. It had a dark bluish ck hue while seemed transparent, yet with the full ability to hide everything it covered. A good set of words to describe it would be partially ethereal. It lightly draped over the ground with Skullius¡¯ movement, its seemingly torn edges making it look like a poor wanderer¡¯s garment. It gave everyone the sense that it was some kind of extremely expensive magical item, this not being a far fetched assumption when one took Skullius¡¯ supposed ss into ount, yet, no one sensed anything from it. Nothing at all. It seemed like a regr robe. Where was this guying from then? A journey of self discovery? Some kind of magical retreat? Jac approached Skullius who looked vastly different from when hest saw him and also wondered about this getup. He was a little perturbed when he saw the neck of the robe move a bit on its own, tightening as if it was a living thing. The burly man decided to dispense with the friendly greetings and express his concerns but with a hushed voice that only Skullius could hear. ¡°You have some guts to only appear now when things were getting bad for your benefactors.¡± Skullius turned to the crowds that were gazing at him instead of rendering a response at first. ¡°Well, with how things look here, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m toote,¡± Skullius said without his usual vigorous tone. ¡°Am I?¡± Jac was a little confused when hearing and seeing Skullius¡¯ posture and tone of voice. The Discount Human seemed a bit¡­bolder than usual in temperament. If he were in his shoes, he would be rushing to meet up with the two people that wanted to help him. ¡°Thankfully you¡¯re right. Follow me. You¡¯ll want to see Silrat first,¡± Jac said as he sighed. A weight was taken off of his chest as well. While he wasn¡¯t exactly the face of the deal that Silrat and Tulnas had made, he was involved. If it were to flop, he would have to waddle in shame for all the preparations he had made. * Silrat was sitting anxiously at his desk, many ns and theories squirming in his mind when the door suddenly opened. He shot his head up and body up as fortunately, his luck practically presented to him with what he desperately needed the most. The Mage he had been waiting for appeared before his eyes along with Jac. The man withheld his rage filled words as he went on to take six full breaths to calm himself before wearing his signature sly smile. ¡°I¡¯d like to say wee back, but our current circumstances require quite a bit of haste. Where on Aigas were you? Seeing your state right now tells me that you were well enough to return right?¡± Silrat sat as he sat back down with a heavy slump. Skullius took a seat before answering, this gesture bing a norm to him. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. But, I can tell you that whatever Tulnas told you was far from the real deal. If you had faced what I did, you¡¯d be dead,¡± Skullius said with a strangely excited and confident voice. This was quite different from his previous demeanour. Silrat wasn¡¯t opposed to this however. ¡°Interesting. I¡¯ll hold off on asking for further details about that. For now, we¡¯ll need to convene with Tulnas about everything else. Your charges are still set and all our livelihoods depend on it. I¡¯d me my greed that led to this but we are way past that point. I¡¯ll brief you on how we are going to y this,¡± Silrat said. Skullius nodded. ¡°I have an idea on how to free myself of my crimes though. If yours fails, mine probably won¡¯t,¡± Skullius said as he wore an unsettling grin. What he had been doing for the past days had been in preparation for this and of things toe. ¡ª -Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora- Chapter 309 Pending Concerns, Known and Unknown (A/N: Bonus Chapter) Towns were abundant in Pelian and the overall poption they held was quiterge. They were normally used as points to buy and sell goods for other people in different establishments, which was their general purpose in most settings anyway. These days, however, there seemed to be quite the bit of congestion as people had developed the notion that it would be best to stock up on essentials in case something like the crisis which had almost destroyed their livelihoods before urred again. It was a reasonable assumption as during the mass Clusters, travel was quite difficult as one tended to see more than one Cluster either close up or from a distance on the way. The uncertainly of whether it would rupture and reveal the creatures it hid or not made it hard for normal people to remainposed and most found themselves staying home. At this time, in this town called Noseye, there was bountiful activity in and outside of it as established stalls, stores and mini stalls were bought from rather quickly. At the entrance where many were going in and out in a clustered manner, a couple that was walking in the direction of the town through the dry and dirt ridden ground suddenly stopped. It was actually the man who held his lover¡¯s hand tight as he then pulled her to a halt her movement. ¡°Dear? What¡¯s wrong?¡± the woman asked with the cute tilt of her head. ¡°Uh¡­¡± the man stammered as he started to backtrack. ¡°Look over¡­ there.¡± The man pointed with a shaky figure to his right where someone¡­ something was approaching. He wasn¡¯t the only one who saw this, however, as one of the Capital Knights that were ensuring fluid motion by the town entrance had sensed this oddity¡¯s presence first.. As the figure approached, the sun bearing down against its figure, everyone who was prompted to turn their heads to see where the Knight was going to, saw that the thing which approached, was not human! It was a tall creature, squid like in its appearance. Extra long tentacles that stemmed from its head seemed to be what it wore to cover itself, its slimy skin marred with boils, creeping the freak out of the masses that immediately began to run away as the Knight called for hispanions! Screams were heard as many rushed back into the town as they cocked up dust with their mass retreat while others ran away from it, not wishing to be trapped inside in case things went wrong! Ten Knights rushed from the city, going towards the slow moving figure of the creature that held a strange looking staff. ¡°Prepare yourselves men!¡± a man who looked like the leader of this arrangement of Knights said as he immediately activated his Full Body Aura! It was extremely clear to him and his fellow knights who mimicked his action that this creature which had suddenly spawned out of nowhere was a terrifying enemy! They couldn¡¯t even tell the full extent of its powers as the tentacles that covered its body, seemed to also mask the bulk of its presence! ¡°Charge!¡± the leading Knight said as he dashed forward with fervour, giving hispanions the courage tounch their attack as well. In response to their charge, the Cluster beast however did not move an inch to defend or counter. Instead¡­ WHEEEZE¡­ A raspy bout of breathing was heard as its tentacles squirmed, somewhere under them, an organ taking in a vast amount of air. A vast, vast amount of it. The Knights felt the peculiar sensation of the atmosphere being starved of air in the next moment, as terrifyingly all the oxygen was drained out of it! CLINK! The leading Knight¡¯s sword fell to the ground as he felt a terrible set of effects from the creature¡¯s breaths which caused him to lose his burning will to fight and in the process, his life. No! It wasn¡¯t only the atmosphere that was robbed of oxygen from the mere breath of the tentacled Cluster beast! Even the air in the Knight¡¯s lungs had been forcefully withdrawn, leaving him to gasp as his face turned unsightly! Furthermore, this wasn¡¯t the only thing that had been robbed, as all the mana he had generated in his body was also stolen through his pores! The Knight along with the others gripped their necks as they buckled down, their eyes turning bloodshot as they skins changed colour! Sadly, this reality fell upon anyone who was within 400 meters of the Cluster beast as the bodies of thousands who had been running far, could be seen on the ground, dead, while only a few who were already a distance away had managed to escape. Fortunately for them, this creature had no intent to pursue. The vast among of air and mana it had pulled within itself visibly danced and twisted around its figure, its tentacles gaining bits of bright white that released popping noises as they became saturated with power. The Cluster beast looked at the town with itsteral slits and determined that there were thousands remaining within it. However, theycked the quality that it desired and were too few in number. The creature turned its head as its eyes honed in on another location where it both saw and felt arger setup. A bigger establishment. A richer atmosphere with millions of waddling humans, many strong ones sprinkled within it. This was tens of miles of away yet it still sensed it all. That is what it desired. It raised its staff with the white gem atop, and pointed in the direction of the town. A stream of while coloured energy, like a continuous river of milk poured from the gem at the tip which looked to reflect a vast world! A misty fog began to appeared where the streak of energynded as within this fog which contrasted the white colour of the pouring energy in a starkly dark grey, figures that looked like this Cluster beast began to emerge! Hundreds and then thousands. The waves of mana they produced in their collective appearance caused the buildings in the town to begin to crumble as they simply exceeded the norm! The tentacled Cluster beast¡¯s eyes turned into crescents as it held very high hopes for its unbound future. *** ¡°I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE SOMEONE LIKE YOU WHO HAS INHERITED FULGARDT¡¯S POWERS IS STILL BOUND BY SUCH PETTY CIVIL LAWS! YOU¡¯RE BEING JUDGED FOR KILLING A FEW PEASANTS, TOMATO FLINGER?!¡± ¡®I told you to keep it down, you idiot! Of course I have to get this over with, I¡¯m under a Tie of Exchange!¡¯ Skullius thought. He didn¡¯t know the full repercussions of not adhering to the ToE but he figured he had enough pending issues that eagerly awaited him to slip so that they could devour him. He wouldn¡¯t give them a chance. This had been the other reason why he had rushed back to Inhone City as quickly as he did. Mysteriously. No one other than him understood how ridiculous the SPEED he had used to return truly was from where he had been, as from the perspective of the rest, it took Skullius days to return but in reality¡­ Kek. ¡°Right! Still¡­ who are they to judge you?! To judge us?! We have a mission you, know, TOMATO FLINGER?! We have a mission!¡± Skullius sighed as he looked ahead. Three hours after his mysterious return, there was once more a gathering to decide his fate. The same individuals who had been present before had gathered around now, with Skullius seated freely on a chair as he wore the casual clothing that had been handed to him by Silrat before. He calmly looked at Erkus, Terian and Dami who had just walked into the room, a practically tangible wave of tension ensuing while he was in an annoying conversation with his new mental inmate. The City Lord took the time to address him, his no nonsense expression giving the weight to the situation that he desired. ¡°Greetings once again, Festos. I¡¯m d you decided to return to the city despite the unfortunate events that urred during your excursion,¡± Erkus said in a stern tone. It had been made known to Skullius that his perfect condition of health, without the slightest depiction of him ever being roughed up at all didn¡¯t help their case at all by Silrat. Skullius could only silently curse his [Luminous Healing] which had even done wonders for Ginie back then. Now it looked like the bastard had been on holiday all along. The Discount Human nodded while Silrat and Tulnas who were seated at the sides couldn¡¯t help but wear expressions of uncertainty. What was going to happen next wasn¡¯t entirely of their own nning as Skullius had introduced to them his own n for settling this situation once and for all. ¡°Good. Let us now formally begin, shall we?¡± Erkus said. ¡ª -Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora- Chapter 310 Once and For All (1) Tulnas and Silrat had had quite the lengthy discussion with Skullius before this meeting, with the Discount Human detailing what had happened to him on a minimal scale. There was absolutely no way he would mention his ties to Undeath but it seemed that a story he had told before, during his first interrogation, about him and Elita fighting off the Cursed Knight, had already brought Tulnas to be suspicious. At least on a level where he thought that Skullius had actually done more to earn the Green Neolists¡¯ wrath than he had testified to. What was worth noting was Tulnas¡¯ reaction and thoughts towards this issue in general. Unlike Silrat, he had been there when Somanda had appeared and the staggering amount of power that the being had shown had left him frozen stiff. His initial thoughts when considering Skullius¡¯ fate were not that positive as he assumed that the Discount Human had probably been killed. The thing was though, he had been told by Silrat about Skullius¡¯ testimony of how he had a scuffle with the Green Neolists so when he saw one after the other, Green Neolist rted entities seeking Skullius (Actuass and Somanda), he assumed that it was because of this. It honestly hadn¡¯t seemed like the Discount Human could survive an encounter with that terrifying creature but he had been proved wrong, his thoughts of Skullius¡¯ perhaps being captured instead being shattered when he saw the Mage here in good health. One must remember that Silrat and Tulnas were under a contract that guaranteed benefits for both. Benefits that they had never specificied to Skullius. However, for Silrat, the main object and propagator of his sessive fortune was Skullius while in the beginning, Tulnas hadn¡¯t seen the Discount Human as anything but an object that the Guilds Association Branch head had an interest in. The one that allowed him to earn the benefits he had agreed upon with Silrat. After seeing his capabilities however, Tulnas had also developed interest in the Discount Human, even thinking of going against his agreement with Silrat to snatch the Discount Human on numerous asions during the excursion to find the Evenfall cultists. However, with the situation getting out of hand, Tulnas¡¯ mind had been set on pressing matters as his subsequent attempts at trying to find Skullius around the scene of thetest battle had produced no fruit.. Now, Silrat and Tulnas were anxiously seated as they heard Erkus say it was time to begin. Dami¡¯s eyes red at Skullius who calmly gazed forward. ¡°I don¡¯t assume you¡¯ll let yourself be divined, just like Tulnas here? Do you have any convincing ount that can lead us to believe that you actually helped in any way, or at the very least dissuade the City Lord from handing you over to the College of the Esteemed?¡± Dami said as she narrowed her eyes, her expression showing that she expected the same defensive stance as the one she had seen from Tulnas. Terian was looking forward to what this man had to say in response while Erkus wasn¡¯t sure he would hear anything worth his time. Surprisingly, the reply they all got was unexpected. ¡°Actually, you¡¯re free to divine me and see how much I contributed,¡± Skullius said with a rather innocent expression that didn¡¯t betray much emotion. ¡°What?¡± Dami said in surprise. Terian raised a brow while Erkus hummed in confusion. All three had simr reactions as they couldn¡¯t believe that Skullius actually agreed. This man simply agreed to getting divined when he shrieked during thest session he and Dami had? Terian¡¯s first thought was that Skullius had something up his sleeve that he wished to use, so he gave the Discount Human a thorough warning. ¡°If you intend to do anything funny, I advise against it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware already, but no magical fluctuations can escape my senses,¡± Terian said with a stern pride that radiated outwards to express his confidence as a Mage. ¡°I know¡­ bro,¡± Skullius said as he kept hisposed temperament. Dami turned to Tulnas, her eyes telling the Tamer that she was suspicious of him but he merely shrugged as he too didn¡¯t know much about what Skullius intended. The ns that he and Silrat had crafted had be backups instead. Dami¡¯s sight fell on Silrat next, the man emitting a sigh and shaking his head, genuinely expressing that he knew nothing at all. The Diviner stood and walked up to Skullius. ¡°I have permission, right?¡± she asked, her question not being directed at Skullius but at Erkus who promptly agreed. Dami looked down at the Discount Human as she raised her hand and ced it on his head. Terian keenly spread his senses to ensure that Skullius wouldn¡¯t do anything to Dami during this process. As soon as the Discount Human had walked in, he had even stealthily scanned his body for any and all objects but he found none except his clothing. At this point, it was obvious that he wasn¡¯t betting on any weapon or tool, right? Then what? Did he simply believe that what Dami saw from him would be enough to clear his case? Maybe. Dami activated her Divining abilities as soon, her eyes rolled as she started to discern things about Skullius. She decided to y by the rules this time as she anchored her sight on things that happened a few days ago, her touch onto Skullius¡¯ soul being gentle. Then¡­ ¡­. Ten full minutes passed with Dami cing her hold over Skullius¡¯ forehead in what would be called the most rxed Divining session of all time! In Inhone. Both parties wore rxed expressions as silence pervaded. Erkus had looked over to Terian several times to infer whether everything was alright or not and the old man had confirmed that he had seen nothing suspicious. Tulnas and Silrat had given each other nces as they too wondered what the heck was going on. After an additional five minutes, Dami finally removed her fingers from Skullius¡¯ forehead and turned to Erkus and Terian before releasing a loud sigh. This was followed by a deration that was¡­ unusual. ¡°It seems that this man is truly innocent¡­no uhuhm¡­ I mean, his story is truthful. He trulynded a hand to Toons and his Guild. So City Lord¡­ I think you should¡­uhm pardon him of his crimes¡­¡± Dami said with an exaggerated smile. ¡°¡­¡± Huh? Erkus raised a brow, this time with grand suspicion. What was going on? Terian also felt that something was off but there was nothing he could refer this to as he hadn¡¯t sensed anything wrong during the session! There no mana fluctuations asides from Dami¡¯s own and even Skullius¡¯ core had been perfectly still. One thing was for sure though, Dami didn¡¯t speak like this. She was as formal as him when it came to speech and was fluid in her pattern. This however, was not. Tulnas and Silrat once again looked at each other, then at Skullius who looked like was holding in a fart. ¡°Dami, are you alright?¡± Erkus asked. ¡°Oh yes, yes,¡± she said with a smile as strangely, she went on to¡­ Fondle her own breasts for a moment before awkwardly standing aloof. ¡­? This made everyone here a bit ufortable. For a grown woman who was well past her forties to be¡­ ahem. An awkward silence ensued which was then dispelled by Dami who continued to speak. ¡°With my Divining I was able to see the full evidence. You don¡¯t doubt me do you?! Hmm?! No one wanted to get closer to the truth than me, right?! I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± Dami suddenly had an outburst before calming herself. Erkus turned his head to Skullius who wore an expression closer to one faced with shame than anything else. At this point, Terian stood up and walked up to Dami who slightly trembled when she met his piercing gaze. The Mage released his mana as it went on to run over Dami¡¯s entirety. It took a few seconds for him to finish this process before he looked at Skullius with a hard gaze that clearly expressed that he hadn¡¯t found anything out of the ordinary, so he was referring to him now for answers. ¡°Well?¡± Erkus asked. ¡°There seems to be nothing outside the ordinary,¡± Terian said. What?! Erkus couldn¡¯t believe this. What on earth was going on? ¡ª- [Author¡¯s Note] I highly apologise for the inconsistencies in the updates. For this week I¡¯ll be keeping up the quota so rest assured. Thanks for reading Chapter 311 Once and For All (2) ¡®Stop overdoing it, you idiot! What are you doing?!¡¯ ¡°WHAT ON AIGAS DO YOU MEAN?!¡± ¡®You¡¯re not behaving like her at all! Don¡¯t you know how to lie?! You¡¯re more stupid than I thought!¡¯ ¡°YOU NEVER SAID IT WAS THE WOMAN WHO WAS THE DIVINER! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!¡± ¡®What part of female did you not understand you sockethole?!¡¯ ¡°WHAT KIND OF AN IDIOT REFERS TO WOMEN AS FEMALES IN CASUAL SPEECH?!¡± ¡®I used the word BITCH too, didn¡¯t I?!¡¯ Within Skullius¡¯ mind, a battle was going on as he tried to salvage the situation. He thought this would go smoothly as he had nned with S who imed to be the expert but things were turning out to be otherwise. To begin with, when Skullius had shown S his ability to attain cosmetic flesh and wander around in a human form, the Tower General had been surprised despite experiencing it through what he saw as part of Skullius¡¯ soul. At that time, Skullius had told him that before they embarked on this journey to find the ce S had prescribed, he had finish off a few matters. He had mentioned in some detail about Dami and her Divining abilities but refused to show anything to S because that would reveal his whole problem with the Doom Factors. This was a sensitive matter he wasn¡¯t sure he should share yet and while he was sure that S could tell that his soul was in a terrible condition, the old soul probably didn¡¯t know the full extent of it. Somanda forbid, if that guy potentially used that information to screw him over somehow!. When he had arrived at this point, he had then wondered if S could do something about this situation. As an old guy from old times, the man probably should have ways to deal with things like divining. It was then that S said something interesting to Skullius. ¡°OH, YOU¡¯RE DEALING WITH A DIVINER?! HAHAHAHA! OF COURSE THOSE BASTARDS CAN BE A PAIN IN THE TWO TOMATOES, TOMATO FLINGER!¡± ¡°Lower your voice, dammit!¡± Skullius had said to which S had obliged and gone on to exin. ¡°Right! I could potentially help you get around that, IF, you allow me some more leeway on our agreement!¡± Skullius had been suspicious of this. ¡°What more leeway do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll want to visit a certain ce on our way to the Sacred Forest I mentioned. If you refuse then I will not help you, tomato flinger.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ Skullius was skeptical about this and had once again reminded the fragment of S¡¯s soul that if he tried anything funny, they¡¯d both be doomed. S acknowledged and ensured that this wasn¡¯t a trap for Skullius but the Prator still couldn¡¯t be sure. He agreed nevertheless as he wanted this matter to finally be over. ¡°Fine. How are you going to help me, bro?¡± ¡°Right! Diviners touch the soul, right?! And from what you¡¯ve told me, this Diviner was particrly rough with yours. Hmm¡­ it even shows over here,¡± S had said, referring to Skullius¡¯ torn soul. ¡°I¡¯ve lived long enough to appreciate the intricacies of a soul! Heh! In my time, I could even manipte it to some extent much like other expects at the Incandescent Stage!¡± Quite the juicy detail that S had spilled. Skullius had been shocked by this reveal as when he recalled the path of Stages, he found that the Incandescent Stage was the one above the Master Stage. S had been at this level?! ¡°You had been at that Stage?¡± ¡°Of course, TOMATO FLINGER! I was unrivalled whenpared to everyone who was at the same Stage! I was a monster, HAHA! With my expertise, manipting the soul of a lowly Diviner in a distant small city, especially when she reaches out to touch us will be child¡¯s y!¡± Child¡¯s y, the damn Tower General had said. Back in the present time, Skullius whose face was scrunched up couldn¡¯t help but emit a barely perceivable sigh. ¡®Get your act together before you flesh us over, you sockethole!¡¯ ¡°IT¡¯S HARD GETTING TO KNOW HOW SHE SPEAKS IN A FEW MINUTES, YOU KNOW?!¡± ¡®What have you been doing for the past ten minutes then?! What else could you possibly be looking for in her body and soul?! Aren¡¯t you supposed to be looking for her memories?! I¡¯ve invaded other people too so don¡¯t lie to me!¡¯ ¡°¡­¡± ¡°TOMATO FLINGER¡­ ARE YOU PERHAPS A NATURAL EUNUCH? PERHAPS I¡¯VE BEEN INSENSITIVE ALL THIS TIME.¡± ¡®What the flesh are you talking about?! Finish the job before they get even more suspicious!¡¯ The conversation between Skullius and S barely took a few moments as it urred within their conjoined souls. The idea behind S¡¯s maniption through the soul was to extend a portion of his will which still had remnants of his former power when Dami touched Skullius¡¯ soul. As he had plenty of experience with this, that one touch was enough for him to invade her and push her into the backseat in a non-hostile manner. This connection could persist even if they were no longer in contact, but for a few minutes before it was automatically cut off. The old General didn¡¯t have the full strength of his soul anymore after all. In that time, he had to make sure he solved the issue by impersonating Dami and make sure that when the Diviner came to, she wouldn¡¯t remember much of this except what she needed to. And thus, the General tried his best to salvage the situation after reading more into Dami. To the onlookers, Dami suddenly wore her signature stern look. ¡°No need to be suspicious, Terian, City Lord. I was merely recovering from taking in all that information. This man was responsible for breaking down a magic formation that barred Tulnas and his group entry into the hiding space of the cultists. He also helped in killing a few creatures summoned by the Summoner that was alligned with the cultists as well as saving the lives of one of Tulnas¡¯ Guild members,¡± she said. ¡°It pains me to say this, but I¡¯ll admit that his contribution is undeniable. As a Mage yourself, Terian, I¡¯m sure you can attest to his value as one as well.¡± Oh. Erkus¡¯ expression softened while Terian¡¯s remained the same. Both still had their misgivings and concerns, mostly because of Dami¡¯s conduct but with thesetest words of hers, both felt like she had snapped out of whatever ungodly trance she had been in. Erkus took a few moments to mull things over before turning to Tulnas. ¡°So this man saved a member of your Guild and you did not even bother to mention that in his defence?¡± he asked. Tulnas who was absolutely astounded by what Dami was saying quickly tore himself out of thoughts and replied. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have believed me, would you? You¡¯d probably think I was just buttering you up with sentiment,¡± Tulnas said. ¡°That is fair. Terian?¡± Erkus said as he turned to the old Mage. Terian took a few moments as he stared at Dami. He finally relented and sighed. ¡°It would seem a verdict has been reached,¡± he said simply to which Silrat wore a hidden smile. Seriously?! This young man had actually pulled it off on his own! He didn¡¯t much care for what sought of craft he had used which even Terian couldn¡¯t identify for now as what mattered was¡­ It worked! His gains were secured! Hopefully. Tulnas also couldn¡¯t believe this as he shook his head, his heart burning with interest once more as he looked to Silrat, having made his decision. This Mage was worth more than he had bargained with Silrat for this whole ordeal! ¡®You were right, after all. We¡¯re keeping him!¡¯ he thought deep within where a hoarse voice responded. ¡®Of course I was right! I¡¯m always right!¡¯ the fox within him chortled. Erkus stood up and walked up to Skullius who promptly stood up too as he tried to wear the most natural smile he coulde up with. The City Lord shook hands with the Discount Human. ¡°As I said thest time we met. You have value, which is one of the reasons you¡¯re alive after your crimes. Though I will have to deal with a lot of steps to clear your name, you can consider yourself pardoned of your crimes in light of the many lives you helped save. This is as far as we go however. Your achievements cover for your crimes. In the Capital Service, you¡¯ll gain no repute from this.¡± Harsh it was but WHATEVER! Finally! Finally, this matterhad been solved. Chapter 312 Changes To The Original Arrangement Skullius sighed in relief as he realised that this ordeal was seemingly over with. Finally. Terian nodded lightly to him doing the best he could to hide that he wasn¡¯t convinced. The only reason he was letting this go was because there were times when Dami would have an intense reaction from Divining other people though this case was rather different. She had seemed like a different person altogether. Then again, when he considered that when she was Divining Skullius was another one of the times when she was subjected to these strange reactions, he swallowed up the matter and decided to confer with Dami afterwards to check if everything was alright. ¡°Very well. I shall take my leave,¡± Erkus said as he set to leave the room. Skullius merely nodded as he then checked on Dami who followed after Terian as the three headed for the doors. The Diviner wore a strange expression as she trailed behind the Mage. She looked uncertain. ¡°Don¡¯t start doubting me, TOMATO FLINGER! I covered my tracks well!¡± S noisily attested within Skullius¡¯ mind. ¡®I sure hope so,¡¯ the Discount Human thought. He had learned to not celebrate prematurely through quite the bit of experiences but he was more inclined to believe that this was a permanent fix. Outside the door, Terian turned to Dami who looked to be contemting deeply. ¡°Anything wrong?¡± he asked. Dami raised her head.. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ no, actually. I¡¯m just surprised,¡± Dami said with an unsure expression that expressed her internal turmoil. ¡°I saw a perfect picture of the battle between Festos and what looked like a wolf with¡­ honestly an astounding rity. It was as if I had suddenly reced him in that particr scene. And that¡¯s including everything else he did. That¡¯s never happened before,¡± Dami said. Terian¡¯s tense expression loosened. He had wanted to question what the whole¡­ self fondling was but decided against it. It seemed his anxiety was unfounded as Dami didn¡¯t show any signs of having been manipted in any way. As she was the one most determined towards things like this, seeing her let this go made him loosen on the issue as well. ¡°Perhaps your constant search for inconsistencies in countless stories has finally been rewarded,¡± the old man said with a lightugh. Dami clicked her tongue and shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s sincere or not.¡± The two briskly followed after Erkus as they went onwards. Back in the room where the three men were settled, Skullius was enduring the gazes of both Silrat and Tulnas as they seemed to want to ask a hulking mass of questions. ¡°I just showed her what she needed to see,¡± was Skullius¡¯ response before either of the two could inquire about every detail. That was all he was willing to say. He hadn¡¯t forgotten that this wasn¡¯t a friendly partnership that he was engaging in with these people. He wouldn¡¯t share excessively. As for what had really happened to Dami, Skullius had showed S everything that had happened during the excursion, barring a few moments that he wished to keep confidential. This information was transferred to Dami¡¯s mind recing it with what would have been the contents of her Divination by S, while the old soul also went on to ensure that Dami¡¯s mind which he had pushed back for him to take control perfectly remembered a fake scenario where nothing awkward happened. Naturally, to fully understand the rtionship between the soul and mind, an intricate exposition about the soul as a whole was needed. ¡°I¡¯ll respect your desire to withhold information. I don¡¯t much care for how you do your stuff since I can never replicate it anyway,¡± Tulnas said as he hung his legs on the table. The Tamer was referring to how Skullius probably managed whatever the hell he did because of his Hidden ss which he assumed was heavily leaning towards Magecraft. Silrat didn¡¯t quite get what Tulnas meant but he ignored it and expressed his opposite intent to Skullius. ¡°If you have capabilities like these I¡¯d have to know, Festos. This could help our case,¡± the Association branch head said with a concerned look on his face. ¡°Hmmm. I might consider it, I guess. But¡­ first tell me. What did you two agree on? I know Tulnas is gaining something by helping you support me this much,¡± Skullius said. Tulnas smirked. ¡°That much I can divulge,¡± Silrat said as he nced at Tulnas with a sly smile. ¡°Our agreement was to use his little excursion to end the Clusters to help you get pardoned which would earn me the right to leave with you,¡± Silrat said. ¡°What do you mean ¡®leave with me¡¯?¡¯ Skullius asked with furrowed brows. ¡°What I mean is, people like me, Branch managers earn merit by introducing extraordinary talents to the Guilds Association. Doing so allows me to get more benefits, one of which is being relocated to a better ce. I informed the Guilds Association of your existence, specified your abilities and potential, and well, as a result they agreed for me to bring you to a Potential Aptitude Evaluation at arger branch. All I needed was to get this stain off your record before we proceeded,¡± Silrat exined. Skullius mind whirled. So that was it. This sounded like it had a ton more benefits to uncover. Relocation really seemed attractive to Skullius. And this Aptitude test. Skullius presumed that he would need to prove his worth heavily in order to gain the most out of it. These benefits were getting better and better. ¡°So we¡¯ll be leaving soon? Where will we be going?¡± ¡°Genhuis City.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Skullius eximed. This was the city that he had been heading for back then with the map Elita had given him! Somewhere along the way, he had decided to make a stop in Inhone which prolonged to a full blown ¡®vation¡¯. So essentially, he was back on track now! Such¡­luc-, ahem¡­fortune! Such great fortune. The Discount Human then turned to Tulnas. ¡°What was he supposed to gain then?¡± Silrat pressed his fingers against his temples. ¡°For him, I have to expand his Jurisdiction. Tsk,¡± Silrat said as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°To do this, I¡¯d have to infringe onmon grounds for smaller Guilds which will bring no small amount of criticism to me. I¡¯ll probably be used of bias.¡± Tulnas burst intoughter as he heard this. ¡°That¡¯s right! Hahaha! I remember you openly asked me to go for a Potential Aptitude Evaluation with you back then!¡± The Tamer cracked himself up as he remembered that day. When Tulnas had first appeared, making waves with his talent and strength, Silrat who had been a greenhorn when it came to tact and principle that time had boldly made an offer to Tulnas in public, promising him riches and everything he could ever ask for in such a cringey speech in an effort to recruit him. The Tamer had tantly refused which utterly embarrassed the Branch manager who thought his boldness would be rewarded. Silrat grimaced as he thought back to that scene. Skullius merely shook his head at this. ¡°Sounds like Tulnas will gain more from figuring out the Cluster thing than this,¡± Skullius pointed out. ¡°If it¡¯s confirmed that the information we dissemonated helped to stop the Clusters in another area other than this one, then yes. I¡¯ll also be riding off of that,¡± Silrat said with a happy glint. ¡°For now, Tulnas will have to make do with a 30% increase to his territory as we agreed on.¡± Tulnas suddenly sat up straight as he lowered his legs from the table. ¡°About that¡­¡± he said with a sharp and cold glint in his eye. ¡°Hmm?¡± Silrat hummed in curiosity as he turned to the Tamer. ¡°I have some misgivings about our previous arrangement,¡± the man said as he finally decided that this small increase in his territory wasn¡¯t worth more that Skullius. Technically, Skullius was already part of the Harem Guild even if one were to consider the ToE which wasn¡¯t exactly something that could be proven physically. Of course a ToE couldn¡¯t be broken that easily, which would be Tulnas¡¯ biggest obstacle in his y but fortunately, his ¡®friend¡¯ had a way around it. Apparently. Tulnas asserted as his blue eyes glowed with a bright ze of mana much to Skullius¡¯ surprise. ¡°I will be keepi¡ª¡± ¡°Oh right!¡± Silrat suddenly cut off Tulnas as he expelled something from his spatial storage ring. ¡°¡­?¡± Tulnas was confused by Silrat¡¯s sudden gesture. The branch head held a sheet of paper in his hand which he thenid on the table and slid over to Tulnas. ¡°In light of mying resignation, I sent the Association headquarters an application with the full list of your achievements and capabilities. After a full review, which took quite a bit of time, they decided that it was usible and passed it as toe into effect the day I leave for Genhuis,¡± Silrat said with an even more sly smile as well as a solemn optical glint full of pure unadulterated cunning. ¡°A few days from now, when the new Branch Head selected by headquarterses to rece mees, you will be the first ever Vice Head of the Association. Should you agree to our pre-established terms, of course.¡± ¡­! Chapter 313 Sh********t! What the hell?! Tulnas¡¯ eyes almost fell out of his sockets as he heard this. His whole body literally trembled as Silrat finished his sentence, his heart beating so fast that one could hear it thrumming powerful in his chest! What was this?! Tulnas opened his mouth to speak but the sheer bbergastiosis that ran through him disallowed words to exit from his mouth! His eyes then darted over to the sheet of paper, which was an Association Deration and he immediately began reading over everything that was written over it. Surely! Truly! Holy crap! A stamp from the Association told of these contents¡¯ legitimacy! What the actual flesh! Many, many thoughts raced within Tulnas¡¯ mind as the first thing he then went on to say as he held the paper up with a folded face was¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t this¡­ isn¡¯t this way too premature?! When did you even apply for this, you bastard?!¡± Silrat merely smiled as he leaned in his seat.. If this had been a certain foreign entertainment medium, he would have dly pushed up his sses. Skullius watched silently as he saw that one of the two had clearly outsmarted the other. His input was not needed here, so he yed the role of spectator. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s something I understand quite well in this world, Tulnas, it¡¯s that I¡¯m not the only one who can recognise the value of something or someone¡¯s worth. I¡¯m not rawbatant by nature. I¡¯m more of a¡­glorified observer. I knew that you of all people, especially with your possessiveness, would pull something like this. Therefore, I gambled on your capabilities,¡± Silrat said. ¡°Are you kidding me?! You gambled on my theory being correct? For that you risked everything?¡± Tulnas asked with a spiked voice. ¡°Of course I did. You were the only channel I could use to get Festos out of trouble. Even the Association couldn¡¯t do anything against someone who was charged against the Capital service,¡± Silrat exined. Tulnas clutched his forehead. Was he overreacting? Was this a normal thing that people that did? Heck no! ¡°And you even decided for quit your position before Festos has been evaluated as worth the Association¡¯s attention?! You realise that being invited for a Potential Aptitude Evaluation doesn¡¯t guarantee that they will ept and reward you, right? You could very well have resigned for nothing?! This is ridiculous!¡± ¡°I know that more than you do. Trust me. I have backup n. But do you seriously believe that Festos would be ignored by the Association with his capabilities?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Skullius couldn¡¯t help but feel weird when being referred to like this. Tulnas even gazed at him as if to fully gauge what the result would be. As someone who had travelled a lot to irrigate his burning hubris by witnessing the true powerhouses of the world, especially with his trip to Maqi, Tulnas didn¡¯t have a biased view. In reality, they were more monstrous talents that he had seen in his lifetime. Some with odd abilities and others with general elemental powers that they utilised in truly innovative and devastating ways. Such individuals weren¡¯t in short supply among the Families in Pelian or the other two nations in Feinheath. Tulnas could attest to that. However, even when considering this¡­ ¡°Probably not,¡± he replied to Silrat¡¯s question. At this moment, his heart finally settled down and he breathed out a defeated sigh. Bing the Vice Head of the Guilds Association¡­ This was huge! This essentially allowed him to potentially be able to being reform to the entire region if he yed his cards right! With his good rtionship with Erkus, this was bound to be a boon and nothing but a boon! With hisrge scale campaign during the past few days when using Renialid and the other girls to storm every Cluster in sight, he was sure his Guild had earned an enough amount of repute in at least half of the regions settlements. Haaa¡­. ¡°You got me. You really poked me when it counts,¡± Tulnas said with a sigh as he slumped. ¡®He did own you like a-¡® the fox¡¯s voice echoed within the Tamer. ¡°Shut up,¡± Tulnas harshly cut off the beast. ¡°What?¡± Silrat asked confusedly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you,¡± Tulnas said as he grabbed the Deration detailing the specifics of this new position with its granted responsibilities. ¡°So a new Branch Head will being too, huh? Hahaha, Inhone is about to be a bit more fun. Make sure to leave quickly. I want to get this started immediately.¡± Silrat chuckled. Just like that, Skullius¡¯ position by his side was secured without hostility. Perfect. Or perhaps not. When ounting for the sheer degree of how things could have gone wrong especially with Skullius¡¯ sudden disappearance¡­ Silrat shivered. Thank goodness it worked out. He wasn¡¯t the only one riding off of Skullius. ¡°Come, Festos,¡± Silrat said as he walked out of the room. Skullius and Tulnas who quickly stored the sheet of paper followed after the Branch Head. The trio climbed down a set of stairs to appear within the Guilds Association hall where the atmosphere was bing bubbly once more as the sun began to set, mercenaries streaming into the building like flies. Among the many clustered mercenaries, some with Conqueror¡¯s Halos and others without, Skullius spotted the EdgeKings Guild members with their dark armours and abrasive attitude that could clearly be felt and seen within the crowded halls along with the Ravend Guild. It seemed that most Guilds would be taking short breaks from activity. Skullius recalled how the members of the EdgeKings Guild had tried to embarrass him after his return from the party-up with Sty and chuckled silently. It felt like forever ago when that happened but look at him now? The Discount Human¡¯s thoughts were rudely interrupted by Silrat who mentioned something that piqued Skullius¡¯ interest. ¡°There¡¯s something else I will share with you in theing days, Festos when it has been confirmed. On our way out of the city, we will leave with another benefactor that I have secured. She wille with her proposal for you soon and I encourage you to think about it carefully before having any thoughts on declining,¡± Silrat said with a serious tone. ¡°Hmmm? Another benefactor?¡± Skullius questioned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s essentially proposing another mutually beneficially contract but in my own opinion, it benefits her a whole lot more than it benefits you. Though I¡¯m sure her terms will attract your attention still.¡± Oh. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Skullius said. Another female sockethole with interest in him? It was funny how UNCoddled was seemingly bing easy to dodge. Or was it because it was meant to strike good-willed people down so as to corrupt the cursed person¡¯s view of the world? Perhaps. Nevertheless was interested in this. Who was this female? Before he could ask some more though, the trio reached the exit to the Association building where, surprisingly, the City Lord, Terian and Dami were standing on the street as they conversed with some individuals donning dazzling silver armours! Two carriages could be seen with avish yet sturdy design, a three pointed star being seen on the side to represent the affiliation they belonged to as naturally, Skullius recognised that these were from the Purity. The Discount Human suddenly stopped when he saw something that made his non-existent heart halt its patterned for a moment. Of the twelve figures that had disembarked from the two carriages, one of the them who seemed to be conversing with Erkus was eerily familiar! This man¡­! ¡°Shiiiiiiiiiit¡­! You have got to be kidding me!¡± It was then, in this instance of intense surprise, that Skullius unlocked a new swear word to apany this seemingly unfortunate re-encounter with this individual¡­ Chapter 314 Strong.... Monster Skullius froze. Before him was a man that he never expected to see again. A man by the name Gin. The same Purity Knight who had been aggressively opposed to hearing Skullius¡¯ case as Elita had judged back during the event where he interrupted the charge of the carriages that were headed into Eofel. The man was smiling as he conversed with Erkus when he raised his head to look at Silrat, Skullius and Tulnas, his eyes immediately going to hone in on the Discount Human. ¡­! The Discount Human opened his mouth in shock as if to scream but held himself back. ¡®SHIIT! If this guy remembers me, then I¡¯m done for!¡¯ Skullius thought with aching distress. ¡°What are you waiting for. Let¡¯s go down there,¡± Tulnas said as he pped Skullius on the back. The Discount Human inched towards the steps that reached down to where Gin was, his eyes squinting at Skullius for a moment more before Erkus decided to introduce the three while indicating each with a stretch of his hand. ¡°These three are from the Guilds Association. Silrat, the head for the branch here in Inhone City, Tulnas, leader of the strongest Guild in the city and this¡­ is Festos,¡± the City Lord said. Gin smiled politely with a nod of acknowledgement. From his short introduction, one could deduce two things. The first was that, Erkus seemed to want to avoid having to speak about the Ideal Ark as if he stated Tulnas¡¯ Guild to be the second strongest, he¡¯d have to deal with being asked on which one was the strongest Guild.. This wasn¡¯t exactly applicable in this situation as Gin likely wouldn¡¯t ask something like that, but the fact of the matter remained that he had had enough of such questions over the past week. The second was, he did not want to introduce Festos as someone worth attention given his circumstances that could very well attract the Purity¡¯s attention because of Festos¡¯ curse. He preferred to not be involved with the Purity no more than was needed. Erkus continued to speak, introducing the Purity Knight next. ¡°This is the head of this group of Purity Knights, Gin. He is here to secure the man Tulnas captured.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you all,¡± Gin said before he looked to Tulnas with an amiable smile. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you are the one who captured the cultist. I expected someone older. I suppose talents aren¡¯t that rare in younger generations as the Deities are so grateful.¡± ¡°It was a team effort, I assure you. I couldn¡¯t have brought down a Master Stagebatants on my own. But I can also guarantee that Quintess had a hand in our sess,¡± Tulnas said with a cheery smile in response. Gin wore an even brighter smile as he heard this. ¡°Definitely. Young and acknowledging of the Deities. Hahaha, a fine young man,¡± Gin said. As Skullius heard the conversations, Gin going on to give a genuine smile as he spoke to Silrat as well, he couldn¡¯t help but want to shout ¡®hypocrite¡¯! Wasn¡¯t this man the same one who smacked him while he was seated in the carriage while being as tough as jerky? Wait? What?! Still¡­ ¡°You truly hate this man don¡¯t you, tomato flinger?¡± S¡¯s voice echoed in Skullius¡¯ mind. ¡®Be quiet,¡¯ Skullius thought while shutting off S as he then focused on what potential danger could be in store. Skullius didn¡¯t know much about Gin truthfully. The man was kind hearted yet bold and enthusiastic. He portrayed a harsh and unforgiving temperament when dealing with individuals that stood at odds with the Purity, which would make such see him as a monster who knew no empathy or mercy. The Purity Knight had perfectly demonstrated this during that day when Eofel was invaded by Fulina who used her to cause despair within the city. (A/N: Refer to Ch109-128) Soon enough, Gin turned to Skullius as his gaze turned sharp with his face showing that something was really eating him up inside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I feel that we¡¯ve met before. Your face looks quite familiar,¡± Gin said with a polite smile. Skullius absorbed these words carefully. Wait. ¡®He doesn¡¯t remember me?! Why¡­ OOOOH that¡¯s right! I look different from before!¡¯ Skullius thought as a wave of relief started to wash over him. Because of his use of Enriching gems, he looked utterly unrecognisable save for a few fundamental features on his face such as his longer hair, its colour, facial structure etc. This was great! He could escape suspicion without any issue! ¡°I don¡¯t think we have. I just have a verymon face that¡¯s all,¡± Skullius said with a respectful tone. It was no shock that everyone who heard Skullius, even S disagreed with this but just didn¡¯t voice out their opinions. Skullius¡¯ voice through off Gin even further as he shook his head and apologised. ¡°I apologise then. It¡¯s a pleasure meeting you still,¡± Gin said as he then turned to Erkus. ¡°I would like to get to the prisoner as soon as possible so we can transport him to a more secure location before the morning, City Lord. Can we get to it right away?¡± ¡°Of course. I will leave you with Silrat to deal with the rest,¡± the City Lord replied as he then exchanged a few words with the Purity Knight and left along with his entourage of two. The Association branch head, Silrat took over as he decided to personally lead the men to Guissepo¡¯s cell, leaving Tulnas and Skullius alone. ¡°Well. It seems like it¡¯s just me and you. How about youe and watch me celebrate the victory at my Guild residence? It¡¯ll be fun. Mostly for me. I won¡¯t lend you any of my women though. It¡¯s a shockingly exclusive party,¡± Tulnas said with a cheery smile as he slung his arm around Skullius¡¯ neck. ¡®Women this, women that¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he shook his head. Instead of answering Tulnas, he changed the subject. ¡°Do you remember what you said two days ago? When you and Silrat told Dami and the old man that you¡¯d be supporting me? That you¡¯d risk even your entire Guild for the whole thing.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Tulnas asked with anguid expression. ¡°This whole idea of risking something you care about for something you want. How does it work exactly?¡± Skullius asked with a serious expression. It would be a lie to say that he fully understood even half of the risks that Tulnas and Silrat made in the name of benefits. He wanted to truly understand what they did it for and how they could be sure of everything going their way. ¡°Oh. Your words make it seem like you truly have nothing that you care about. But I¡¯ll tell you this. I never gamble on something that I¡¯m not sure will work or at the very least have no contingencies for. I had several ns in the background to ensure that me and mydies would be fine even if things went wrong,¡± Tulnas said before he suddenly turned sullen. He recalled the moment when Ginie was sted open by Guissepo and added more to his statement. ¡°I¡¯ll admit though, I did learn that I was growing overconfident and thought I could ount for every little thing when in fact, I could have lost everything instead. So¡­ you could say a risk is only as good as what motivates it. If you don¡¯t have enough desire to attain something, there¡¯s no worth to your risk.¡± Hmm.. This was food for thought for the Discount Human. Ambition. Hecked this in great detail. What he had to work with was what Serenity had given him as well as the need to get rid of the seeds of Somanda that still lingered within him. But what about personal desires? ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like, I have much of those¡­¡¯ Skullius thought before his mind raced over to the girl he constantly saw. Could that be something he could try to uncover? Tulnas saw Skullius getting lost in thought and smirked. The two journeyed for quite a while, talking about different subjects as Tulnas found once more that Skullius was a natural information sucker. He tried to absorb every little detail but Tulnas would evade. He was still cautious of the young man¡¯s curse. It was only when they passed by the city gates that gave a view of beyond the horizons that the Tamer sensed something amiss. From the hordes of people that wished to enter the city as the night descended, there seemed to be some noise going on. A disturbance was urring that pulled on the attention of the Capital Knights who rushed to try and found out what was going. ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Tulnas asked with narrowed eyes as he started to walk over with Skullius in tow. The masses parted to reveal a group of battered and bruised mercenaries that desperately pushed away anyone who stood in their way, while wheezing and stumbling. The Knights held up some while Tulnas immediately rushed to hold up one of them. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong? What happened?!¡± he asked. The man he held looked to be in too much pain to form proper sentences but he managed to say something that put Tulnas on active guard. ¡°Strong¡­monsters¡­¡± Chapter 315 Extravagance Unearned ¡°Strong¡­monsters¡­¡± Tulnas¡¯ brows creased as he thought to the implications. The man he held was wearing dented and torn armour while his skin was bruised, punctured and cut. His entire body was quivering as it tried to suppress a tide of both pain and fear. Tulnas knew that this man wasn¡¯t going to be able to say anything more and thus he turned to one of the other mercenaries that looked a bit more lively. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked in a voice that perfectly captured his caution and anxiety in an attempt to make the person speak quickly. The person he asked was a woman who bit her lips to keep herself from going unconscious before she spilled in detail what had happened. ¡° . We were¡­ in Dise¡­ when a strange¡­ powerful monster showed up¡­ It all happened so fast¡­ Somehow, it summoned thousands of monsters that looked just like it¡­and in a few minutes¡­ the entire town was¡­ wiped out before we could¡­save anyone¡­¡± the woman said as she sucked in deep breaths while the contortion on her face spoke volumes about how much she wished she had been able to do something. Everyone listening couldn¡¯t help but get seriously concerned. An entire town wiped out in a few minutes? When there were mercenaries around? That could only happen if a massively powerful Cluster beast appeared or something strong wandered from a Sacred Forest. Tulnas quickly took in this information as he came to the conclusion that his guess had probably been right. He didn¡¯t know the specifics, but he was certain that this¡­ had something to do with the powerful Cluster he had hypothesised.. ¡°Where are those monsters now?¡± Tulnas asked as he shook the woman who seemed to be sinking into unconsciousness. Her eyes shot wide open as she continued heaving. ¡°They¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ we just¡­.ran¡­¡­ but they¡­ didn¡¯t follow after us¡­¡± she mumbled almost inaudibly in a torn voice. Skullius was listening from behind Tulnas and this seemed to be some serious stuff. ¡°As we were running away¡­. we saw¡­ other viges destroyed in the distance¡­ Whatever these things are¡­ they have been wreaking havoc everywhere.¡± ¡­! This turned the situation even more serious. The fact that word hadn¡¯t spread yet wasn¡¯t as simple or as vague as there being no individuals to spread it, but because no one had lived to tell the tale! ¡®Hmmm¡­ if everyone is dying in these settlements, then why did these monsters spare them?¡¯ Tulnas asked himself as he rationalised everything he heard. Wait¡­ The Tamer¡¯s eyes narrowed as he instantly came to a disturbing conclusion. If these beasts were intelligent, like the ones he had faced before in certain Clusters and Forests. Beasts that turned their instincts into intelligent ambitions then¡­. ¡®Could they be trying to pinpoint the location of the city? Or¡­ if they are intelligent enough, could they be trying to identify where the strong opponents are?¡¯ His thoughts were only half true though, as another agenda was afoot. *** Guissepo knelt down in his cell which had warped space that threatened to swallow him whole if he struggled. This cell was identical to the one that Skullius had been held in but difference was in the type and cement of runes that held down the strength of the individual captured within it. There were a lot of these lined up in a row on this floor which was two stories below where Skullius had been ced, an indication on the danger level that was ced on Guissepo because of his Stage and overall traits. Thick maroon chains with a brown, rusty texture were wrapped around him many times over, binding him thoroughly. They were Unique grade items that suppressed all forms of energy, except divine, their effect stackable to the point where Guissepo felt no strength to even speak. To that point, he could not even use his blessing, Extravagant Jubilee as he couldn¡¯t even muster the juice for a light twitch. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± he hummed. His thoughts spiralled to his past life before joining the Evenfall as in this moment, he had no hope for escape. Still though, he thought this end was way better than the one that was destined from his previous story. A simple life he lived with his mother, father and sister, with just barely enough to eat, just barely enough to drink and a ce just barely big enough to live in. He was thankful for all he had as his parents were kind individuals whose warmth radiated to cover the humble home they lived, their teachings of the grace of Quintess, Listafelle and Suzamete tranting very well into their children. ¡®There¡¯s a n in everything,¡¯ they said. ¡®So be grateful for anything.¡¯ As a result, he and his younger sister grew to be good-natured individuals who grew to be appreciative of the little they had, no matter how hard it became. They didn¡¯t me their parents or anyone for it but learned to enjoy it all withoutint. Such a mind-set made life easy but it squashed ambition and wrought conflict within Guissepo. ¡®At least I ate a piece of bread. Somewhere out there, someone hasn¡¯t eaten at all¡­¡¯ ¡®Lies! I¡¯m so hungry that my stomach is barking like rabid dog!¡¯ ¡®Phew, the roof is leaking, but it¡¯s still alright. At least we have somewhere to call home.¡¯ ¡®I hate this life! It¡¯s as cold inside as it is outside! What¡¯s there to be thankful for?!¡¯ Slowly, the burning desire for more grew in Guissepo as at some point¡­ it all just seemed¡­. Inadequate. For some messed up reason, some people could live in peace, with everything they wanted even if they didn¡¯t believe in the Deities. They had it good without retribution or punishment. They lived their best! In luxury! In abundance! In¡­ EXTRAVAGANCE. Yet for him and his family¡­ His mother thought it was alright. His father thought it was alright. And his sister, who was too young to think of this was forced to also see it as the norm. How was this fair?! The reality of this became painfully clear when he grew to want to ascertain his Direction. It was to fight. To fight the evils that spawned from Clusters. Even with the so-called blessing of the Deities that he grew to attain after he took on the call to be abatant, nothing changed. The blessings manifested nothing except the opportunity to finally begin on the path to strength. The Foundation Stage. He had to work hard for them to be meaningful while for some¡­ those said to have been CHOSEN to stand at the precipice of power for the Deities, they attained power beyond measure in an instant. Divine blessings. The Pdin Champions. The Higher Order Priests. Extravagance without effort at all. It was all so¡­ crass. He could only scoff as his mind-set changed slowly with his growth. Guissepo¡¯s thoughts were torn when he heard the sound of footsteps, his eyes that had been staring at the cold floor turning to see the sparkling silver armour he loathed so much. In his head, he could only grumble at the distastefulness the sight left in his mind. ¡®How extravagantly sickening¡­¡¯ Chapter 316 Chaos Begins! Gin walked up to the cell where Guissepo was ¡®housed¡¯ along with the other Purity Knights as well as Silrat. On reaching it, he stared down the cultist who could barely raise his head to re at him and scoffed, his temperament shifting from the usual polite and well-mannered Knight into a bringer of judgement and disdain. ¡°Why do you even bother when at every turn you will be thwarted anyway?¡± Gin said to Guissepo with a voice that dripped of nothing but contempt. ¡°Your ns do nothing but fail in each Era. Give up already. Even this recent one will be stopped soon.¡± Naturally Guissepo couldn¡¯t answer the question as he didn¡¯t have the strength to but his eyes showed the burning fervour he had to at least burn away at the contempt he was receiving. Nothing brought him more rage that these entitled Knights in his eyes that believed they were so much better than him and what he stood for! ¡®Thwarted?! My extravagant brethren are still causing havoc all around Feinheath as we speak! And even now, you are oblivious to what¡¯sing!¡¯ Guissepo defended himself. Gin shook his head. Everyone could feel the palpable emotion that was raging within Guissepo but they could care less. ¡°Can we borrow these chains? I¡¯m sure he has a whole lot more up his sleeve if we afford even the slightest bit of leeway for him. While we have our own binds, they do not do well with others of different kinds,¡± Gin said to Silrat while referring to chains that held Guissepo. The Association branch head nodded without hesitation. ¡°Of course. We were nning on sending him off in the same way he¡¯s bound now. Though, I must ask. Given the fact that we gave quite the detailed assessment of this man¡¯s power, howe the Purity only sent Knights below the Master Stage? Not to disparage your strength, of course but I¡¯m merely curious,¡± Silrat questioned.. Gin wore a polite smile as he answered. ¡°I see why you¡¯d question it. We are quite conscious of this in fact. A Master Stage specialist could have apanied us but after your report, many Purity Knights have been deployed to help in the search for these cultists as that young man prescribed. Escorting a bound man even at his Stage doesn¡¯t require too much firepower since the Purity supplemented us with high grade equipment for possible raids along the way.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Silrat said with a nod before walking ahead and waving his hand at the cell which made the bars rise up, clearing a way to pass through. Several of the Purity Knights that came with Gin walked forward to grab Guissepo. Typically, the waving gesture used to remove the bars would also cancel the suppression effects of the cell and in this case, the chains that wrapped around Guissepo were meant to ensure his continued powerlessness even without the cell¡¯s effect. The cultist hatefully looked at Gin as he was grabbed on both sides. Such an end was ridiculous. The acknowledgement he had failed to attain gnawed at his chest and made this entire situation even more infuriating for him. Yet, there was nothing he could do but ept the inevitable. ¡®I amounted to nothing much in the end. How extravagantly disappointing. Ah¡­at least I will now join the others who have already descended before me¡­¡¯ Guissepo thought. He could only give up at this point and wait for the eternal peace he admired. That was¡­ until he felt something peculiar. He suddenly felt like he was being watched. With his inability to raise his head and look around, this only served to make him anxious, but only for a moment, as soon, a familiar presence registered in his senses. A familiar presence indeed. It was Primus energy! Highly concentrated Primus with a signature he knew all too well¡­ From the corner of his eye, he spotted something appearing as he was being taken away. It was¡­ Arge purple eye! It sprang forth within the cell and gazed intently at him, its singr pupil quivering as it focused on his body! The sensation it gave was¡­ unnerving but¡­ Within the millisecond that Guissepo stared into the eye that had just appeared, he saw many things. He saw many profound things that enlightened his soul. He felt things within it that rejuvenated his faith. A vast experience that no one was aware of within less than a moment! ¡®Master Boron¡­?¡¯ Guissepo thought as he was lost in his own reality, tears streaking from his eyes. It was evident that no one could see this eye but him. Yet¡­ Something else appeared that everyone else witnessed. This thing put everyone on guard, causing their eyes to grow wide! It reced the giant eye as it merely spawned within the cell with a grand intensity thatcked transition, staff in hand and with an extraordinary amount of mana roaring from its body! *** A minute before¡­ Tulnas oversaw the mercenaries being taken somewhere to recover as he tried to focus his senses in order to pinpoint where the threat could be. He was positive that whatever these things were would be here soon. Or perhaps they already were. ¡°Prepare yourself, Festos. I think whatever these things will be here any moment,¡± Tulnas said as he moved away, thinking that perhaps he should tell the mercenaries in the Guilds Association. Skullius squinted his eyes before looking up where the sky had turned dark. Even though there were lights everywhere within the city, giving much needed luminance, Skullius was focused on something else. ¡®It¡¯s night. I can¡¯t afford to stay here. If I suddenly revert back into my Prator form, I might flesh myself. For now¡­¡¯ Skullius slowly backtracked as simultaneously, he called. ¡°Come on.¡± Immediately, an ethereal robe smothered his figure, around the neck, tiny bones being seen for a split second as they clutched onto each other to ensure that the robe was afortable fit. Skullius continued to walk backwards without Tulnas noticing him, the Discount Human¡¯s presence having suddenly eased out of his senses as he anxiously prepared for an assault. Skullius disappeared into the shadows, his presence evaporating altogether. Tulnas was about to send word to his Guild when he suddenly to see that Skullius was gone. ¡°Huh?¡± The moment he turned towards what had been Skullius¡¯ earlier position, a powerful activation of mana registered in his advanced senses at the same time! The Tamer gave up on the issue with Skullius and focused on this threatening appearance! ¡®I knew it!¡¯ Tulnas thought as he turned to the direction of this surge of power! It was a distance away, near the Guilds Association building! A mist appeared with a grey hue which then went on to cover a vast portion of the area surrounding the building! The people in the streets panicked and they were right in doing so as what emerged from this mist was a multitude of unforgiving masses of chaos! Chapter 317 Seafood Surprise! The instant that the madness began, a certain old man sensed it, followed by his short-haired sidekick. ¡°Something is here. In the city,¡± Terian said with a calm voice, notifying Erkus who stopped and immediately rationalised the situation given the tone of the old man¡¯s voice. As someone who had worked with Terian for a long time, he knew this man¡¯s subtle ways of indicating that there was trouble afoot and thus didn¡¯t waste any time. He understand very well, that this threat wasn¡¯t simple from Terian¡¯s voice alone. The man¡¯s thoughts spurred as he took certain things into ount. Could it be something to do with the cultist? Possibly. Could it something to do with¡­. the Cluster that Tulnas mentioned? Possibly. He hadn¡¯t discounted that idea at all and was still thinking about it. Between the two options however, the man was willing to bet on thetter but it was possible that this could be something else entirely. ¡°One of you go and check on the cultist. The other should do a full sweep of the entire city for where the threat is,¡± Erkus said, Terian and Dami immediately splitting up as they decided without a word on who was going where. Dami rushed towards the Association building while Terian started to glow with mana as he began searching the entire city with his vast sense! It only took a few moments for him to capture the source of the disturbance.. Or rather the two sources of the disturbance, both of which were near the Association¡¯s building. ¡®Is it more Evenfall cultists..?¡¯ Terian thought as he rushed up one of the buildings and saw¡­ ¡®Hmmm¡­. what on Aigas is that?¡¯ *** ¡°Everyone get back!¡± Tulnas yelled as his eyes constricted. Those who heard and suppressed their curiosity back away with some who especially cautious running away as they saw the strange phenomenon ahead. Where the mist coagted and rolled, tall creatures began to emerge! They had muscr builds with grey skin that was covered with what looked like boils all over, their shapes being humanoid but with tentacles that draped from their faces, reaching their abdomen. Two extra long tentacles stretched from their backs being over ten meters long with fleshly barbs on all sides that dripped with a dark grey liquid! VWOOSH! VWOOSH! Such creatures leapt out of the grey mist with great fervour and as they did, visible pulses of energy sted through the air with a shocking force that razed the ground and warped the air while sting buildings and people away with exaggerated animation! Strangely, this didn¡¯t seem to be a conscious action that the beasts did as Tulnas instantly recognised the cause. ¡®Damn! These bastards are either Tier 5 or above!¡¯ Such massively strong creatures were casually spawning in the city! Hundreds of the creatures darted from the mist and spread out with insane speed! They left afterimages with their movement as they seemed to avoid the Association building and rush over to all over Inhone with hurried steps! Some came in Tulnas¡¯ direction with their speed which far exceeded what he was capable of reacting to and the Tamer had no choice but to back away as he used his abilities to get the civilians out of the beasts¡¯ path! Screams could be heard as the monsters that jutted from the mist caused havoc while blindly shattering through every obstacle they saw! One particr beastnded on a popted street like a meteor, the impact of its descent shredding the people who had been close by into mincemeat! One of the tentacles on its back then went on to swipeterally with a harsh intensity, as this one gesture obliterated all things in the street into coarse and fine chunks! The movements and attacks were something that normal people couldn¡¯t even see as before they even realised it, they were dead! Another one of the beasts wed over one of the buildings with a shocking momentum, its tentacles then turning erect as they sprayed a dark grey liquid over everything directly under it! FSSSS! The liquid rained over everything below; stalls, food, men and women alike. Some were cowering under less than protective covers or running for their lives under the darkmon precipitation but this rain did not discriminate. The liquid did nothing to objects, but when it reached flesh and blood¡­ The people stained by this liquid had their bodies contort and roll over as they began to scream, their forms changing from the normal humanoidinto something else entirely! Their limbs lost their firmness and gained a flexible wiggle while their skins became covered in boils, the hue turning grey as their heads turned bulbous! The light of intelligence vanished from their eyes while they also lost the ability to stand as soon enough, all that was left was an inking sight! The transformation took only a few seconds, as the once dozens of people turned into squids! Scenes like these were happening all over city, the speed at which the events were taking ce being overwhelming! Even Tulnas had been partially stunned! These creatures truly had an aim! A drive! The Tamer saw the mercenaries who were in the Association building responding as they rushed out but the mist just in front of the building kept spawning these monsters that avoided the ce altogether! ¡®At this rate, the City will be wiped out before those two show up! Tsk!¡¯ Tulnas thought as without any further deliberation, he burst forward towards the Association building! Tens of the tall tentacled creatures rushed in his direction with a disgusting speed that left him only seeing vague afterimages, but he didn¡¯t intend to confront them directly! The ground underneath his feet shuffled as golden brown sand emerged, exploding with a restrained force as itunched the Tamer and towards the reigning mist! Tulnas flew rapidly while wiggling his limbs, his descent towards the grey shifting mass that spat out these chaos driven beasts being imminent! ¡®Here goes nothing!¡¯ he thought as he instructed Bradd on the next move! Immediately, an encirclement of sand outlined the area around the mist and with a staggering upwards force, torrents of sand with bits of blue burst out from the ground! They rose and spun into a massive pir that held tens upon tens of the creatures that spawned from the mist that was now engulfed by sand, the monsters trying to free themselves! This continued to ur as the sand rose, Tulnas riding above it as he yelled while gritting his teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t ck on my watch, Bradd! More!¡± The rising and rapidly spinning sand pir grewrger as it ascended, carrying a multitude of these beasts along with it, some of which managed to escape! A majority tried to use their overwhelming strength to break apart the pir by to no avail, as it kept on shifting and rising! The pir rose up to 300 meters, with Tulnas looking down in order to see the carnage below! At the very least, he was giving the others time to respond to these threats! One would wonder why he had to endanger himself by even being here. Well, the other drawback of Taming as a normal ss was the fact that since the creature were bonded and sheltered in the body of the user, they could only use their full ability when closest to the Tamer, which is why Tulnas had leapt over to the mist to ensure that Bradd would exhibit his fullest capability! The sand pir kept on rising as the Tamer hoped that the others had begun mobilising and in the next few moments, he saw an indication that it was so. An indication of one of the two he could count on the most at least. A bright gold light shone bright from one of the buildings in the city. No. It wasn¡¯t just a light. It was a bright, neon light that showered everything with a much needed luminance! It was a light that signified the strength of a Master! ¡°Finally! Get to work, old man!¡± Tulnas yelled in relief. Chapter 318 Live To Fight Another Day Gin, Silrat and the others were left frozen stiff as the suffocating presence of the new entrant reigned within the cramped space of the cell and the corridor that led two different ways. The Knights that held Guissepo stopped as the figure of this thing was something they hadn¡¯t expected to see ¨C a tall creature with a bulbous head and nted eyes that menacingly took in the surroundings for less than a moment. Excessively long tentacles ran from below the creatures eyes, touching floor as their quantity and girth made them akin to a robe that the creature wore to cover the entirety of its body except for the arms. The creature held a shiny, red staff in its hand with a diamond-shaped white gem atop which reflected a beautiful image that no one had enough time to properly marvel at or dissect. The cultist between the stunned Purity Knights however, couldn¡¯t hold back his shock! ¡®Dear Boron¡­is this¡­.¡¯ Guissepo wondered as he looked at this creature carefully with his eyes trembling. Immediately, his instincts and senses told him that this¡­. was it! Therge stream of Primus that they had been channelling to produce a powerful Cluster had finally birthed something worthwhile! The robed figures that had been sitting around the formation back then had been drawing Primus from it and through their bodies to distribute it into locations where they designated new Clusters to form. Guissepo could feel the Primus running through this creature but¡­ Why was it here? The whole point of creating the Clusters was to give the entire continent a huge distraction. Was this creature here to kill him along with everyone here?. Guissepo got his answer shortly after as the creature looked at him with its upwards nted eyes and with one fluid motion, it pointed its staff at him, the white gem atop the Legendary object releasing a scintiting burst of calm energy that flushed over him with a milky white hue! ¡­! The cultist felt the energy wrap around him tightly and¡­. Guissepo blinked and he was no longer in the dark space under the Guilds Association! ¡®Wha¡­¡¯ He stumbled and fell to the dusty ground, his senses taking a moment to focus as he felt on himself no more binds! Screams and light sted his eyes and ears which made him turn to see the chaos all over the city as tall beasts raced through the city with incredible speeds while high up, a massive pir of familiar sand that held many of the grey skinned creatures could be seen as it spun while continuing to rise upwards! Guissepo looked closely at the very top, his advanced vision as a Master Stage expert focusing to see a familiar individual that he quite naturally loathed. He turned to look around at the carnage, at the unforgiving beasts that chased after the civilians while destroying all obstacles, mercenaries rushing in from all directions to begin their counterattack! ¡®This is¡­ this is¡­ his will¡­!¡¯ Guissepo thought as he steadily picked himself up with a d expression. It wasn¡¯t all for naught after all! The tentacled beasts passed by him without causing him harm, the cultist ignoring this peculiarity as instead, he smiled, his eyes almost tearing up. As his strength started to pool back into his body with the binds now gone, he thought to join the fray, especially to pay back the owner of the golden-brown sand that rose into the air but¡­ ¡°I have been given a second chance at extravagance. I can aplish greater things¡­ just as I was shown¡­¡± Guissepo thought to therge eye he had seen before. He believed that the creature that had teleported him out of this predicament had something to do with it but even further, it could have been used as a means tomunicate with him by his Master. The thought of it brought him to almost squeal with joy. ¡®I hope you get to see what I aplish, Tomin,¡¯ Guissepo thought. There was nothing for him to do here. Furthermore¡­ He looked up in another direction and saw the golden light that pulled everyone¡¯s attention. There was another Master Stage expert in this city. One that was ahead in his mastery of the power offered by this Stage. This wasn¡¯t the time to think about all this however, as the man finally made the decision to use this chance to flee. * Back under the Guild Association building, the Knights and Silrat looked at what had just happened in pure shock! The chains that had bound Guissepo fell to the ground as the captive had suddenly vanished! The culprit responsible, with its upwards nted eyes dangerously scrolled through everyone here in less than the blink of an eye and suddenly emitted a sound from behind its tentacles that caused no small amount of terror! WHEEEZE¡­.! A dramatic pull exerted itself over the immediate atmosphere with such a grand force that the Knights who had been about to attack from within the cell were drawn towards the creature, from their mouths, mana and air gushing out before a second could pass! The two men became like soulless husks with their chests indenting from the stolen breath, their bodies slumping to the ground instantly! ¡­! Everyone outside the cell drew back in shock, Gin immediately inserting mana into his spatial storage ring in order to pull out one of the artefacts that the Purity had lent him for this mission! Silrat had collected his senses and started to dart forward to enact a possible solution but¡­ The bulb headed creature drew in another breath, this time a dragged out one that instantly began to suck the living breath out of all those around! WHEEEEEEEEZEEE! A powerful suction drew everything in, including dust and pebbles as the Knights and Silrat were the first to get pulled over! Gin felt the air he had in his lungs get pulled out, the same happening to Silrat and the others before they could act! From the time Guissepo had disappeared, to this point, barely five seconds had passed, showing the ridiculous capability of the creature that had just appeared! CLOP! CLOP! CLOP! Suddenly, hurriedly footsteps sounded as a woman appeared from the other end of the corridor, her eyes which had been white turning back to her natural colour as she then yelled at the top of her lungs¡­ ¡°USE YOUR AURA!¡± Her voice echoed in everyone¡¯s ears with a sure audible impact which prompted everyone to heed what she had just instructed! Bright shes of energy stormed the corridor as each and every one of the individuals activated their Full Body Aura, a tremor of power rocking the entire space! Consequently, the colour returned to the skins of all the Knights and Silrat as they immediately felt the suction on their mana get reduced by more than half, their ability to breathe returning as well! Dami¡¯s image with a bluish white Aura over her finally arrived behind the Knights! Evidently, she was the one who had saved everyone¡¯s lives! Her arrival was a sudden surprise as one would think she would have had to pass through the entrance to the Association which was both blocked by sand and popted by the grey skinned creatures that stormed away from the pull of the sand and mercenaries that chased after them. However, just as there were secret passages within the Association building, as demonstrated by Jac before, the same applied outside, as certain entry points were created for emergencies! Dami had immediately begun to feel the horrendous waves of power from the creature that had appeared in Guissepo¡¯s cell when she entered the building and thus, she used her Divining to try to ascertain information about it by ¡®tasting¡¯ the bits of its mana that flooded the corridor, much like she had done back when she investigating the crime scene involving Skullius at the College of the Esteemed. (A/N: Refer to Ch.170) She had felt waves of mana tinged with Primus and her Divination had showed her much useless information save for one important detail that allowed her to salvage the situation. As a result, she managed to pick up on a Unique ability that this creature had. The ability to draw all forms of energy through deep breaths! The tentacled creature narrowed its eyes as it paid attention to Dami. It hadn¡¯t wanted to outright kill these people as it wanted their mana, but their activation of Full Body Aura immediately reinforced their bodies, limiting its ability! Gin immediately pulled out the object he had intended from the spatial storage ring while Silrat hurriedly swiped at the cell, the bars that had risen up to allow entry, immediately dropping down as the runes within the cell activated! The tentacled creature felt the suppression before it could fully activate and it grunted, the gem at the tip of its staff shining bright as it then disappeared from the cell just as fast as it had appeared! ¡°Damn it!¡± Silrat cursed. ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] [Ding!] [Spirit_Tamer has donated immensely to the novel. I¡¯m fired up! +2 chapters above the daily quota as at 09/08] Chapter 319 A Master Works While The Sandy Tide Falls... A golden light attracted the attention of all things in the city as it was set upon a high building, emanating from a single man. It was akin to a neon light, its brightness having a distinct shade that was particrly attention-grabbing! Stages were a form of power that allowed the physical body to be stronger in terms of strength, agility, endurance and potential. The first three aspects could easily be recognised, but the third needed boration. The human body was responsible for drawing out its own potential. This also included its ability to draw potential from the core, regardless of colour as each had a set level of power it could unfurl. The stronger the body became, the more it could utilise the core for many more things other than just mana and skills. The Advancement Stage allowed the body to draw upon an energy that any core could produce whether it was white, blue or of a higher colour. Aura. While the efficacy and quantity differed with each colour, it was possible nheless and once the body reached the Master Stage, it would strain the core to pull on the advanced and perfect form of Aura, different from the basic Aura attainable on the Master Stage, which was dramatically more powerful and flexible! When this was achieved, to maximise this aspect, mostbatants would shape this Perfect Aura into unique forms whichpletely took advantage of the special trait of this Aura.. Yes, it could tremendously boost one¡¯s physical attributes way beyond what Full Body Aura could. Yes, it could dramatically enhance one¡¯s skills, affinities and powers. Yet, the one thing that set this aspect of the Master Stage above the rest, was a bit more interesting¡­ A shriek was heard throughout the entire city as Terian who stood above the building formed his Perfect Aura into a marvellously beautiful shape! A massive bird was formed, different shades of gold highlighting its figure as it pped its extensive wings majestically above Terian! It was a hawk. Its downward curved beak, sharp, reddish golden eyes which were adorned with ck outlines as well as its bulky body which emitted a strange halo, like a re garnered everyone¡¯s attention with its call! This was the manifestation of Perfect Aura into a Master Stage aspect called a Genuine Incarnation! ¡®Hawk of Congration¡­¡¯ This was the name of this marvellous bird made of Perfect Aura. Threads of golden energy could be seen linking themselves from Terian to the hawk as both looked down with rapt attention from their height. The moment this creature appeared, the grey skinned beasts looked up, some backing away in fright at the waves of energy that were being released from the hawk. However, after merely a moment of hesitation, the creatures¡¯ eyes became overtaken with a light of zeal, as if somethingmanded them to continue forward! The octopus humanoids resumed their assault on the surroundings without paying Terian any mind. ¡®Hmm? That¡¯s unnatural. Are they being coerced into ignoring me by something else?¡¯ Terian thought. As he looked at the massive number of civilians either running away or hiding, he knew he couldn¡¯t stall any longer while gathering sufficient information. He raised his hand and focused on all the beasts that were closest to his location. With a harsh breath that emitted a gust of blistering heat, Terian called out a single word. ¡°ABLAZE!¡± The Hawk of Congration above him called magnificently as it raised its wings, its golden glow erupting with a greater intensity as a wild gush of mana poured from Terian¡¯s brilliant blue core and wove itself into a Special quality spell that was simply named ¡®Aze¡¯! The hundred of beasts that raced through the city near Terian suddenly ignited with a sound akin to crumpled paper, orange mes that dyed the surroundings with their tint roaring ferociously as they rose up with an unforgiving high temperature! The old man hiddenly gnashed his teeth, as everywhere these beasts were, civilians could also be seen and thus he had to control the intensity of the me otherwise he would be contributing to the death toll! The horrifying mes turned the ground red in a matter of moments as over 90 of the octopus humanoids were set ame! Terian watched as some died immediately, while others kept swinging their tentacles as their enormous strength demolished entire blocks with but one swiftteral swipe! They were incredibly durable! ¡®Of course, they won¡¯t be that easy to kill¡­¡¯ Terian said as he made a gripping gesture with his arms, as if he was holding a bow and pulling on its string! The Hawk of Congration called once more as with this sound, arge bright orange bow appeared in Terian¡¯s hand with a wispy form, a thin, hot sliver of me acting as the string. A white ming arrow appeared, ready to be fired as it had nocked itself on the bow already! It produced a sigh of terrible heat as the air couldn¡¯t stand for it, and started dancing instead! ¡®Mollifying me Arrow!¡¯ Terian¡¯s mind subconsciously thought as he set the arrow loose, the white hot construct releasing a nerve wreaking crackling noise with its release! The atmospheric temperature instantly rose as the arrow barrelled through the unsuspecting air, and in its flight, disintegrated into dozens of spots of blinding white mes that hissed as they targeted the wildly dashing beasts! FSSP! FSSP! FSSP! Seamlessly and urately, the heads of dozens of the octopus humanoids were melted upon being smashed into by the sparks of white hot me! It had to be noted how ridiculous it was for Terian to perfectly aim at these creatures as they moved at such abnormal speeds! The old man¡¯s keen eyes made sure that each attack hit its target at the very least and in this way, he effectively struck down a few hundred of the enemies! The response from the city was subpar and even though from a certain location, he could see a group of powerfuldies tearing away at the beasts strategically and effectively, this wasn¡¯t true for all the others who were fighting the enemy! This progress was still far from excellent. The old man turned his head to the rising pir of golden brown sand which had reached a height of half a kilometre at this point and he couldn¡¯t be more d to see the troublemaker he was constantly at odds with single-handedly pull much of the weight! Tulnas who was above the sand pir grit his teeth with rivers of sweaty staining his clothes as he struggled to keep the progress he had made. ¡®I think this is enough! Drop them, Bradd!¡¯ he gave the signal to his tamed beast. The pir of sand immediately began to tilt, along with all the trapped beasts as Tulnas switched his position to riding it like a wave as it arched and stormed over in a direction further away from the city! The spin of the sand tornado elerated in order to keep the beasts in a constant shuffling that limited their options for escape and as this urred, the looming figure of the sand pir above the city literally leapt over, detaching itself from the entrance to the Association building! The leaning sand tornado then soared for more than a kilometre away from the city with its weight as it sailed through the air being felt as it from the night sky! Tulnas immediately leapt off, his eyes remaining on the falling pir which then went on to crash over the hard ground with a thunderous boom! ¡®I doubt that killed any of them. If they are not stalled, they will reach the city again in no time,¡¯ Tulnas thought as he looked at the city which was still gued by the monsters that ran around with vivacious intensity! Thankfully though, most of the Guilds and Knights were fighting against the monsters while saving civilians but the unfortunate truth was they were losing. There were simply too many of these bastards! ¡°Damn it! At this rate everyone we¡¯ll all be dead soon! Where the hell is Unbreakable?!¡± * Terian kept firing arrow after arrow while at times using the spell Aze, but the fact that he had to watch out for the damage he caused severely limited his abilities. He had managed to kill tens more of the creatures with the enhancement effect brought on by his ¡®Hawk of Congration¡¯ when he suddenly turned to his left as his instincts warned him of imminent danger! A milky white light rushed towards him through the air with a blinding speed, emitting a ferocious deceiving glow that almost hid its intent to vanquish! Terian had barely managed to turn his head when¡­ BOOOM! Chapter 320 Double Teaming An S.O.B! A ring noise ruptured the ears of the nearby civilians as an explosion of magnificent proportions erupted the moment a bright white glow reached Terian! A blinding sh of radiance had devoured the night sky for a few moments as the building that Terian had been standing above was demolished, degraded into dust and chunks along with everything that was in a 30 meter radius! The casualties were not few as many of them had died painlessly in that single instance! Only arge gouged out space, like a crater remained with intense billows of dust and smoke that rose obscuring the view of what remained! In the distance, an octopus humanoid was standing above the Guilds Association building as it extended its staff. It had noticed this powerful being that had been killing too many of its own at a time and had thus considered it a threat enough to kill. It hadn¡¯t even considered Tulnas a threat as the man was merely dying the inevitable. With his ability, which it discerned from his core, it decided to ignore him even as he took almost half of its fellow spawn outside the city. They would be back soon enough. The beast then sucked in a deep breath, like a raspy wheeze, pulling on the air and mana from the atmosphere and the surrounding mercenaries that were battling against the beasts! Dozens of mercenaries who had been fighting the invaders in their groups of five to ten, suddenly clutched their necks as they felt the breath and mana from their bodies being forcefully stolen! The only exceptions were those with their Full Body Auras active as the rest fell to death quickly! In a few moments, massive amounts mana gushed towards the creature and it swiftly consumed them all behind the tentacles that covered its face! ¡°You¡¯re not very cautious, are you?¡± a voice sounded from behind the creature as its narrow, nted eyes withteral slits turned with surprise, finding Terian to have suddenly emerged behind it, his fist already barrelling towards its face! It was merely an aged fist hurtling through the air, however, a white me that distorted the surrounding atmosphere with a stifling heat and melted the roof encased the old man¡¯s hand as the Hawk of Congration remained as his source of extra oomph to his already monstrous strength above him! The moment the punch connected with the head of the beast, a searing heat bubbled outward and practically erased the top of the Association building, melting it and sting it apart simultaneously as the figure of the tentacled beast flew away while its face was roasted with severe burns! It screeched loudly as it flew tens of miles in a few seconds and crashed horribly over the rough ground with a graceless roll! A majority of its tentacles had been burned into gooey masses of charred flesh that bubbled and boiled, giving it a pathetic appearance! Terian fist died of the terrific white me that he had and he instantly bolted ahead to finish off this creature which had suddenly attacked him. The attack it released was much more deadly than he had anticipated and that coupled with its Tier being possibly higher than any of the others from the little he could sense, didn¡¯t give him a good feeling.. That said, it was feat to consider, how Terian managed to survive the beam of white light that the octopus humanoid had sent his way as it shone a light over the special property of Genuine Incarnations! The ability to NEUTRALISE all mana and basic Aura generated phenomenon to a certain extent! With a Genuine Incarnation active, depending on the core and potential of the individual using it, it was possible to perfectly neutralise all mana and Aura augmented attacks, leaving the user unscathed! This was how Terian had seamlessly escaped death as the Hawk of Congration had instantly reacted even when he had barely been able to! After surviving the attack, the old man had used an ability he had demonstrated to have before, an aspect beyond the base standard of all Mages which was the Elemental Patch. Teleportation! He had manipted space to appear behind the creature and dish out a fine beating! With this partial knowledge on the next Patch of Magecraft above the Elemental, which gave him weight above that of a normal Mage, Terian was a monster in his own right. Shockingly however, it seemed that there were things about this creature that he could not discern, such as its core, but he ignored them for now. He dashed towards the octopus humanoid which grabbed its fallen staff and began standing up when suddenly¡­ WHOOSH! An armoured Knight raced passed him, eclipsing him in speed as he was wrapped up in a vicious force of white-coloured Aura while wielding¡­ Arge bastard sword! The Knight¡¯s movement was ridiculous as he reached the position of the octopus humanoid in a single breath¡¯s worth of time, his sword swinging mercilessly at the thing¡¯s head! The beast quickly responded by mming its staff into the ground which manifested a pristine white cylindrical barrier around itself that tanked the attack! CLANG! The bastard sword shing against the barrier caused a heart-shaking shudder on the ground as the two battling individuals sank a full meter deep into the dirt! The sword wielding Knight was naturally Gin who had pulled out the object he had intended to use on this bastard before! He and his fellow Knights along with Silrat and Dami and exited the Association building only to see the chaos outside. While each had gone to do their part to save the city, Gin had noticed the octopus beast and immediately used rushed forward to finish it off after seeing it in this pathetic state! The bastard sword he wielded had a sky blue de that looked spotless with faint runes etched onto it, a golden hilt and guard allowing for an incrediblyfortable experience during his handling! This sword, the Hollow Culling de, granted him boosts to his speed and strength that allowed him to potentially exceed even those a Stage above him in physical ability! As the sword and barrier reached a stalemate, Gin grinned as his hatred towards this creature knew no bounds. ¡°Your judgement for allowing a heretic to escape is due!¡± he called as the Hollow Culling de suddenly shone with a luminous blue hue, a skill from the sword being activated. The octopus humanoid noticed the looming danger and sucked in a deep breath with a raspy wheezing being heard! Gin felt his mana being drawn upon but he didn¡¯t let up even as this suction by the beast eclipsed any of its earlier ones, the sharp draw pulling on a vast range which prompted ridiculous gusts of mana and air to be called over to it! For Terian however, this experience was different, as the pull on mana that others felt, he didn¡¯t experience at all! He resumed his high speed dash to the creature as the cause of this resistance of his to the creature¡¯s natural unique ability, was because of aplex symbol imbedded in his core ¨C a requirement for all Mages. The Reflective Sigil Matrix! A marvellous construct that set apart Mages from other sses! Gin¡¯s sword trembled as the skill that had been activated from it, Hollow Culling, made short work of the cylindrical barrier around the octopus humanoid! The de sliced at the beast which couldn¡¯t react at all and the result was rather cruel! It wasn¡¯t ateral gash that appeared on the beast¡¯s body as one would expect given how Gin struck, but arge arching hole that reced the creature¡¯s entire shoulder and torso! Red blood sprayed from the creature as Ginnded a few meters behind it with a roll while in the next moment¡­ VWOOOSH! A roaring me devoured the creature that shrieked horribly as the crackling me spun viciously around it with an orange tint while releasing a blistering heat! Terian had wasted no time in activating Aze to finish off the creature! The sizzling of flesh was heard as the image of the creature turned into a dark, hazy swirl under the roaring mes, its throes giving a sense of achievement to the two who had attacked it! Terian rxed a little while Gin backed away, his Aura still flooding around him. After twenty full seconds passed without anything urring to dispel their thoughts of victory, the two finally rxed. Huff, huff! The two men took in breaths. ¡°What a tough bastard,¡± Gin said begrudgingly as he slowly dropped his sword from its stance. ¡°It was too reliant on its staff and it clearly wasn¡¯t adept at close confrontation. We were lucky¡­¡± Terian pointed out as he let out a breath. The mes continued to crackle as the image of the beast continued to burn between the two. ¡°There¡¯s still work to do. Let us both not waste our Aura,¡± Terian said to which Gin nodded. There was still much to do and whatever else remained could he decided uponter. The old man took hurried steps towards the mes to see if he could potentially retrieve the staff that the creature used. It was probably a natural treasure and if he could get it, it would no doubt be easier to defend the city. However¡­ VWOOOOOSH! The mes of Aze that Terian had cast over the beast, roared with a burst of eagerness that made him halt. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ the old man creased his brow. Why was the me growing stronger? If anything, it should have been growing weaker! VWOOOOOOOOSH! The mes suddenly rose high with the sound akin to an muffled explosion, their colour changing from the original orange to an unsettling blue! A sudden arc of wind blew Terian in the face, pushing him a distance away while it called the Knight, Gin, to fully guard! ¡­! The old man did his best to steady himself but on his skin, he felt the irritation of an atrocious amount of mana bloom from the mes ahead as the figure of the octopus humanoid that had been dissolving from his view started to be bigger and clearer! ¡°What in the world¡­?!¡± Gin eximed as he watched a vastly taller figure walk out of the blue mes with heavy, bulky steps! Far different from the image of the tentacle covered beast from before, a hulking muscr creature appeared, staff in hand! It emitted a ridiculous amount of energy that exceeded what it had been emitting before by at least five times! Furthermore¡­ ¡°This is¡­ troublesome¡­.¡± Terian mumbled to himself as he sweated. Also different from before, the tentacles that hid much of the power of this beast were no longer hiding its powers as now, the elderly man could see with rity that this monster¡­ had a purple core! Terian took steps back with the Hawk of Congration pping its expansive wings above him. He felt stifled for breath, much like Gin who immediately dropped to his knees as he sensed the overbearing energy of this beast! The beast emitted a condescending grunt as it lifted its stuff with its now bulky hand and pointed it upwards, a stream of milky white energy racing into the air! It soared to almost a kilometre before it generated a grey mist that expanded to cover an enormous distance! A distance equivalent to half the entire city! The grey dust swirled and squirmed as something began to appear from it, slowly and creepily. Something huge! Something enormous! Bits of dirt began to fall from the sky like rain, from the mist, as with this, Terian widened his eyes as he saw what was emerging! An enormous ind! It cast its shadow over the city as its cone-shaped bottom dripped of chunks of dirt and rock! The grey mist disappeared as soon as the ind appeared in its entirety and then¡­ the colossal mass began to fall. Everyone looked up at this ridiculous phenomenon, the weight of the ind beginning to barrel over the city with a mighty storm of wind blowing everything that was below! The terror in everyone¡¯s eyes was palpable as this was simply beyond everyone¡¯s expectations. An entire ind had been summoned?! From the looks of it, it seemed to have simply been torn from somewhere! An image like this was enough to cause many to fall into despair! As the dirt and rocks rained over the city, filling everyone with a sense of hopeless, one individual looked up with trembling hands much like all the regr civilians. An insignificant-looking hunched old man who had been hiding under the cover of the fruit trees he had grown and the bushes he tended to could be seen looking up as his mouth moved constantly. His heart was quaking but he didn¡¯t stop mumbling to himself. As he trembled, he gnashed his teeth as he persisted in his chanting. ¡°Regret brings Regression, Regression brings Strength. Strength brings Salvation and Salvation brings Peace¡­¡± With this chant that meant nothing to anyone else but him, the old man suddenly to change¡­ Chapter 321 Unbreakable! (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter) As the descent of the ind which had spawned from the stream of light that jutted out of the staff was upon the city, most were crippled of hope! The overbearing force of wind from above gave an unsettling feel that just made everyone stop to gape for a few moments and then start running. ¡°RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!¡± ¡°Cowards! Come back and fight!¡± ¡°DON¡¯T YOU SEE WHAT¡¯S ABOVE YOU, DAMMIT!¡± ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ll die if we stay here!¡± ¡°Save some of the civilians at least!¡± ¡°Do I look like I can carry a weight, fight and run at the same time?!¡± ¡°PLEASE HELP US!¡± ¡°Stop and fight for us you hypocrites!¡± The distressed voices of many echoed out throughout the entire city as mercenaries, Knights and civilians alike rushed towards the entrance from various positions within the massive settlement! It was the natural thing to do when confronted with such a tragic situation. Unfortunately, the hundreds upon hundreds of grey-skinned cmities immediately responded by attacking with even more zeal, their barbed tentacles making short work of normal people while they sessfully stalled the Knights and mercenaries! This attack was too much and the overhead cmity-in-chief would definitely destroy the entire city as well as ughter millions instantly, especially when considering the number of civilians! The top half of the ind couldn¡¯t be seen, but vestiges of nt life could be made out if one was a sufficient distance away. Tulnas who had used Alphat¡¯s water manipting abilities to cushion his fall, could only gape at the falling mass as in no conceivable way could he image how this could be stopped at all. By conventional means at least. He couldn¡¯t afford to gawk at the ind for too long however, as the beasts that he had dropped off through the sand had started rushing back towards the city and he was the only thing standing between them and the hundreds of thousands of lives! If only the mercenaries and Knights that were tied up at the front of the city could get some leeway, they could join him.. Or perhaps Renialid and the others, if they were close enough. ¡®Any ideas?¡¯ Tulnas questioned the fox that dwelled within him. ¡®Maybe if we use the False Territory while suspended in mid-air, we could cause the ind to break apart, mitigating its velocity¡­¡¯ the fox responded intelligently. Tulnas thought about this but couldn¡¯t see it as a sure-fire way to nip the problem in the bud. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t the only one tussling for an answer to the massive riddle as Terian also wore a troubled face as his hair and beard were rustled by the blowing wind. In addition to this, he also had to deal with revamped beast in front of him that looked utterly pleased at the prospect of the colossal waves of damage that were about to ensue! Its new appearance made Terian back away further as it was that much more monstrous! A purple hue now washed over its body instead of the grey while what had been boils over its skin had now be akin to pale marbles imbedded superficially over its flesh, half protruding from it! Its face remained the same, but the tentacles that once draped over the ground now floated up while being parted, divided into two sides over its visage like a flying moustache! A burly body with a toutyers of thick flesh could now be identified as the creature confidently stood, revealing its chest pads and abs that oozed of sparkly slime as if to emphasise its hulking muscles! Terian who had dissected what had urred for it to uddenly change this much was gobsmacked. Nomatter how much he had tried to reject this observation, it still shone above all other theories as the dreadful reality! ¡®Utterly ridiculous! So that¡¯s why it constantly takes in mana!¡¯ he thought. He had witnessed the creature take in extraordinarily deep breaths and in the process draw vast quantities of mana twice. ¡®Its using this natural ability to rece having to actively kill other beings in order to acquire their cumtive mana! This means¡­ it just used all the mana it has absorbed to evolve just now!¡¯ Exactly! As Tulnas had mentioned before when describing Alphat¡¯s powers, certain beasts had unique natural abilities that didn¡¯t require mana, notably Cluster beasts. This was one such ability. In Aigas, it had always been the norm that taking a sentient life allowed for one to acquire the cumtive mana from their body and strengthen oneself, but this creature ignored this entirely through its ability! Terian could barely believe it, and his inner schr yearned to study this, but unfortunately two colossal problems gued his sides! The purple beast suddenly took steps forward towards Terian but the old man did not see anything but a blur before his neck was clutched firmly by the monster¡¯s thick hand, his elderly mass raised into the air! ¡­! This speed! There wasn¡¯t even a sound that he perceived as the creature moved! Gin who had been having trouble standing up in the presence of the creature gnashed his teeth as he used every ounce of strength he had left, firmly holding his sword as he exerted strength in his legs to lunge forward. Yet¡­ Pop! One of the pale marbles over the skin of the octo-beast popped out and shot towards him before he could take his step! As it approached, Gin was only able to try and knock it away with his bastard sword when¡­ BOOOM! SPLURT! A viscous explosion urred as the marble erupted with a highly condensed air force while at the same time, a dark liquid sshed over part of Gin¡¯s face and right arm! The impact shot him away violently while the dark liquid seeped through the gaps of his armour and stained the skin on his arm! ¡°AUUGHHHH!¡± Gin screeched as he flew, his skin started to change wherever the liquid had touched as half of his face instantly turned grey with boils swarming over his skin while on his arm, the limb lost its firmness and started to transform into a long, slimy tentacle that wrapped around Gin¡¯s neck tightly! The man stumbled over the ground as he tried to use his other hand to set himself free but the irritations over his face from the transformation eroded much of his strength and sanity as on top of this, he couldn¡¯t even breathe! Terian eagerly struggled against the beast while also taking short nces to the sky where the brownish-red crust of the ind could be seen! The Hawk of Congration behind him screeched as it pped its wings offensively at the purple octo-humanoid but the creature merely mmed its staff into the ground which released a bright white force that countered the bird¡¯s own, driving it a bit of a distance away! Terian tried to cast another spell but the beast strengthened its hold over him, challenging his nerves¡¯ tolerance! The beast looked at him deeply, as if it was trying to peer through his very soul. It had noticed the high quality of his mana but for some reason, it couldn¡¯t draw it from him with just a breath from its natural ability. With the continued cruel hold, Terian¡¯s eyes had started to be hazy as oxygen ran out from him, his body starting to turn weak as his faculties failed. He blinked as he tried to maintain his focus when he saw¡­ A distance away, where Gin had fallen, the Knight struggling with his own predicament, he saw someone crouching over him! As he noticed this, it seemed like the beast that held him also noticed something and turned. A young man with flowing dark hair held up Gin¡¯s head as he then swiped with his hand at an imperceptible speed, the tentacle which was Gin¡¯s arm being lopped off! The Purity Knight felt his neck loosen and took a sharp breath before sitting up! He looked up at the emerald green eyes of the young man who had saved his life and after a moment nodded wordlessly, the young man rising with a slight smile as his chiselled build revealed by the fact that he wore nothing but a tied up brown cloth at his waist to cover his privates, oozed of power! Terian looked immensely relieved at seeing this man. ¡®Finally¡­¡¯ he thought. Finally¡­ he was here. So damnte but here! ¡°Regression brings Strength¡­¡± the young man with dark hair said as he crunched his hand into a steady fist that became saturated with billows of heavy, deadly and suffocating mana! ¡­! The purple beast was shocked! This man¡¯s core¡­ It spilled voracious volumes of thick mana, like deep waves of the ocean into his body, giving the well toned body of this new arrival a transcendent feel in its senses! His core¡­. It was a light shade of purple like its own! What Frock had told Skullius for a golden price on their first meeting was nowing to fruition! There was only one individual with a purple core in this entire city! And that¡­ was the man who stood before the Cluster beast at this moment! The man¡¯s emerald eyes shed with an outline of horrendous mana, his sunken cheeks bing filled with air as he took in a deep breath! Before what was known as a millisecond could be counted all the way through, the dark-haired man¡­. was already flying past the purple beast with his figure streaking through the turbulent atmosphere, his throbbing vein covered fist which trailed behind sinking into the beasts face with a nasty crunch! POW!!!!! The breeze brought on by the falling ind was nothingpared to the ring of devastation that rippled when the punch from the ck-haired mmed against the octo-humanoid¡¯s face! The ground had rose, flying as it couldn¡¯t take the sudden burst of horrendous power that was released! Within a range of over a hundred meters, the hard crust crumpled and spewed up dust as the Cluster beast that had met this attack was sent piercing through the air and smashing against the city wall only to st out the other end as it kept on going for over a few hundred meters more! WUUUU¡­. Terian had used his Hawk of Congration to keep himself anchored and safe while Gin had plunged his bastard sword into the ground to keep himself from flying with his remaining hand! The aftermath of one punch was this extensive as the young man with dark hair that draped over almost to his waist emitted a hot breath that cleared the dust all around the vicinity! His tanned body got into a forward leaning stance as he seemed to want to rush on ahead, but not towards the beast. ¡°Strength brings Salvation¡­¡± the man said with a soft voice as he¡­ VUBOOOM! The ground was superheated and eradicated under his feet as he lunged forward like the god of speed! A distance away in his course, a battle to survive was taking ce as the tension was visible and audible among the participants! ¡°KEEP IT IN PLACE, DAMMIT! I ONLY HAVE ONE SHOT REMAINING!¡± ¡°Youe and try to hold it ce if you can, bastard!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! Attack!¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing my best!¡± ¡°STOP FIGHTING AND FOCUS ON PILING DAMAGE!¡± Six mercenaries who had been having trouble facing one of the grey skinned beasts, especially when the oppressive force of the ind that was falling was bearing down on them yelled and flung their attacks at the creature while risking their lives. They were on edge seeing as they could easily die, much like theirpanions on the ground. As some used their shields while another shot an arrow, another barely dodging the barbed tentacle swung across the entire street, all six of the mercenaries saw a darting blur pass by them¡­ SPLAT! At the same time, the beast they had been fighting hard against, spontaneously exploded into a mass of blood, organs and fleshy chunks that rained all over them by the time they blinked! ¡°¡­¡± Huh? What the hell just happened?! The mercenaries and Knights who had been battling the beasts in their collective groups while also trying to distance themselves from the city found the same happening to their foes! Masses of flesh would be left flying after the darting blur passed by them, hundreds of the tentacled beasts within the city being dispatched in but a measly FOUR seconds! However, the sheer quantity of these beasts was was too much for this young man to deal with when the threat of the ind was still afoot! He had to address this first. After culling at least half of the monsters in the city, the ck-haired man stormed towards a rather tall building, scaled up its height and then without stopping, hunkered down and leapt up with all his might upwards! The building he had used folded in on itself from the immensity power! The man¡¯s naked upper torso revealed his muscles turning firm andpact as he gathered all his strength and cocked back his arm which radiated with the blinding white hue of mana! Mana condensed many times over what any blue core individual could ever dream of, filled every ounce of the young man¡¯s body, saturating it to the utmost limit! This fist carried an unimaginable force, the young man huffing in air as his cheeks became inted again, his eyes opening wide as he grimaced before heunched a straight punch whose whistle as it soared upwards was heard throughout the city¡­! ¡ª -Sponsored by Spirit_Tamer- Chapter 322 Unbreakable! (2) (A/N: Bonus Chapter) A fist with a mission hammered forward! A punch with a lot of Regretful zeal thundered ahead! A blunt attack with an enormous amount of power and force shot beyond with a sound akin to thunder, tearing through the air as it met the edge of the falling ind! The ck-haired man grit his teeth as he put every ounce of the strength that was generated from his vibrant purple core into this one punch, hoping that he could prevent the total destruction of the entire city! BOOOOOOOOOM! Throughout the entire city beneath, everyone and everything was smashed into by a visible shockwave which held an atrocious force, emanating from the point of contact between the dark-haired man¡¯s fist and the bottom edge of the massive descending construct! It was as if gravity was suddenly in a bad mood , as all constructs without a structurally sound integrity were crumbled under the immense force! A distance away, the beast that had been given the punch of its life watched with a bloody face as a massive shockwave descended from where the man had struck the ind, into city and expanded outwards as it blew rubble and dust away! Then¡­ ¡­.! CRACK! BOOOM!! A second noise erupted moments after as the massive ind¡­ broke apart! Sixrge portions of the ind were torn off as dark dust, rock and dirt flew even higher from the overbearing force, the pieces splitting off into different directions! Mercenaries, Knights and civilians alike all looked up at this in awe as the power of a certain individual whose existence wasn¡¯t exactly a secret in Inhone City was on full disy! Just moment ago, this same man had left their hands free of the many beasts that raced throughout the city and now¡­ Such a level of power¡­! With naught but a punch! The Guilds and Knights below fighting for their lives felt a rush of adrenaline as the hopeless situation didn¡¯t seem so hopeless anymore. With grit, sweat and a little bit of the sacred armour of legends (plot), perhaps they could pull through!. Inhone could live to see another day! For the trump card of the Capital Service, of Inhone City, was here! A littlete, but here nheless. It was the one and only¡­ Unbreakable! The dark-haired man began falling, but on his face, one could see that he wasn¡¯t happy at all. As he looked at the entire thing above him which had even halted its descend as it broke off into six, he was sure that unless something was done, the City would still take immense damage when it inevitably began falling once again! ¡°Salvation brings¡­ Peace¡­¡± the dark-haired man said to himself as he took in a deep breath. At this point, it was clear that this man, was the same old man from the College of Battle Arts. The same old man that Skullius had met on the day he had wished to get enrolled and when he had just finished his seven-day training with Oliviana. The same old man who always emphasised his regret whenever he opened his mouth to speak. He was a trump card offered to keep the city safe in very trying times, assigned to Inhone by the higher Authority in the Capital Service. The man had lived for 83 years but he was still capable of fighting because of his technique which shakily treaded the boundary between Special and Super! The Regret Technique. This was a powerful technique that he had created when he was 67 years old, many years after finding out that he had made a grave mistake. As he had monologued before to the Discount Human at the gate, he had ruined his life with his youthful zeal by doubting the Direction he was given by the Deities. (A/N: Refer to Ch.154) He had called them statues without sentience or omniscience as the Priests constantly dered and went on to power through with his own desires, ignoring his Direction that told of him being of a ss not known forbat. A Healer. This ss belonged to the Energy Forming category but the man in his younger years with boiling blood that sought to tear beasts apart had rejected this, spending his years adopting a Warrior¡¯s training regime instead. Over the years, he had earned himself a purple core because of the high quality of his mana, but¡­ That was the extent of it. He failed to learn any proper technique in his lifetime as everything he learned seemed to simply evaporate after a day or two from his mind. Even after decades, the only thing he managed to gain was the ability to punch and kick with subpar skill! He had even been so unfortunate that the Tasks he received didn¡¯t suit the ss he had chosen for himself and thus, the height he had been able to reach in his life was the early Advancement Stage. Such a treacherous fate he had brought for himself. One that had almost gotten him killed as the only reason he managed to survive up to his sixties was because he had cultivated a basic purple core. As he felt his life fade to wastage by his own hand, he had dedicated himself to forging a Technique that at least allowed him to revert his body to its prime. A technique that allowed him to use his purple core more efficiently, and in the process of forging this technique, the man shockingly achieved an incredible result that somewhat salvaged his life¡­ Unbreakable at the current moment, saw from the corner of his eye a ring white light from the far distance shoot in his direction with a horrifying as he fell! Its milky white glow gave a false pretence of a harmlessness but he could effectively sense the destructive power imbedded within it! Yet, even in the face of this attack, he didn¡¯t guard or feel any sense of impending doom as the ray of energy smashed into his torso! The air was blown away by the horrendous power, some chunks of ind which had been nearby being obliterated into fine dust! The beast which hadunched this attack with its staff huffed as this time, it didn¡¯t prematurely celebrate, learning from earlier events. Surely, it narrowed its eyes as it saw an unbelievable sight. Unbreakable resumed his descent without so much as a scratch on his body! Something that had taken Terian his Genuine Incarnation to deflect, Unbreakable had blocked it with his bare body devoid of any enhancements! Learning the nature of this white beam would make this feat even more ridiculous as the truth behind the Regret Technique was revealed! When Unbreakable had sessfully forged this Technique after decades of work, he had found that when he would chant the mandatory words to regress into his youthful body, the purple core would spill its highly condensed mana into him, giving him a ridiculously sturdy body that had NEVER been injured before! This was not normal at all as no one else achieved something like this with the same method. The dark-haired man had thought that perhaps it was because of the blessing he had been given or perhaps it was a mocking depiction of what he had been meant to be¡­ a Healer,but none of that mattered now. With this incredibly powerful body, the man turned to using it for the greater purpose assigned by his superiors! Unbreakablended back on the ground and when he did, he was swarmed by hundreds of the tall, tentacled humanoids that raced towards him with incredible speeds, strategically arranging themselves as they flung their barbed tentacles at him! Others sprayed the dark liquid from the tips of their slimy tentacles, the nasty ooze raining over Unbreakable¡¯s skin while others leapt over and delivered deadly punches to his face and body! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Yet¡­ None of this, did anything at all. The liquid did nothing to mutate Unbreakable¡¯s body, the punches thrown at him turning into masses of broken flesh and bone as they struck him while the tentacles broke off without doing any damage! Nothing! Absolutely nothing at all! The man suffered no damage at all! Nothing even bruised the man¡¯s perfectly toned body! The octopus humanoids did not relent however as they seemed to not have the luxury of backing away even as they screamed in pain. Unbreakable sucked in a breath and blew out a mana infused gust of vicious wind that flung the hordes of beasts away from him a spherical arc! Immediately after, the dark-haired man pped his hands with a shocking level of concentration as a visible distorted vibration shredded the nearest creatures into chunks while making the others that heard it spew blood from their orifices! Two fifths of the beasts that surrounded him died instantly and Unbreakable stormed over to those that remained as with his bare hands, he mercilessly killed them all in a little more than ten seconds! Blood rained in this gruesome massacre, the stern face of Unbreakable bearing retribution for all the humans that had fallen. When the man was done, his vision darted over to the creature outside the city that was also staring at him with hateful eyes. ¡®Its sturdy¡­ I thought I gave it a good one. As expected. While my body is strong, I can¡¯t output enough power to kill it in one shot without any more progression in my Stages¡­¡¯ Unbreakable thought begrudgingly. Furthermore, the split up pieces of the ind were now gaining momentum from when he had punched them twenty seconds ago. He didn¡¯t have enough time to fly up and punch them all before they fell and this was his immediate concern as he looked over the city. The dwindling poption he saw as his wide senses supported his awareness stretched over the city, clutching onto the fear, anxiety and trepidation that saturated the city. The sense that he had let everyone down gripped him but he didn¡¯t allow it to overtake him as he had had enough regrets for one lifetime. This Technique was supposed to be an atonement for his past mistakes! He had to make the most of it! Unbreakable began to race around the city as he spotted a building he could use tounch himself up to further de-size another one of the falling inds but¡­ Something appeared in the sky as he looked up. Something dark¡­ much like the grey mist that had been emitted by the octopus beast¡¯s staff but with a more natural appearance! It was arge collective swirl of dark clouds that coagted over the dark sky in a tranquil yet menacing manner! As the city darkened even further, many raised their heads once again as they saw the massive thunderclouds that started to glow with a bright blue shes of light! What now?! Where did this cloude fro?! One particr individual who was beyond shocked by this phenomenon was Terian. He hadn¡¯t sensed it with his advanced senses, but had only seen the massive extra darkness it cast overhead which made him raise his head! Even with this however, he still felt nothing from this thundercloud! No massive influx of mana for the visible lightning that it carried within! Nothing! Then¡­ Without a sound, tworge bolts of blue lightning as thick as an adult human shot from the thunderclouds with an eerie intensity that targeted nothing but the tworgest free falling pieces of the ind! ZHRRRR! The only sounds to resound out in a spectacr fashion were from the collision between the turbulent lightning bolts and the inds! BOOOM! The two falling pieces were mostly broken apart as with a peculiar recurring impact that continued to rupture the chunks of mass, one would find that two out of the six looming threats were swiftly taken care off! ¡­! Terian trembled! Only he realised that what he was seeing right now¡­ wasn¡¯t lightning! It didn¡¯t feel like lightning and it certainly didn¡¯t act like it when he focused his senses upon it! As he gawked at this scene, he saw something golden rise up into the sky at a quick speed as it hurtled towards the remaining falling masses! ¡°What¡­?¡± Terian said as he looked closer to see a gold adorned man with a long cape! The old man had to do a double take to ensure that he was seeing this right! What the hell was this?! He then shifted his gaze to where this golden man had flown from and saw a scene that made him shudder for multiple reasons. A tall figure donning a dark armour wrapped in chains sat over arge, terrifying beast as he looked up! While he didn¡¯t emit any presence to note, his appearance as he and his ¡®steed¡¯ stood over the torn down remnants of a building was nothing short of imposing¡­! ¡ª -Sponsored by Spirit_Tamer- Chapter 323 The Second Bro (1) Technically two days ago¡­ ¡°Ahh¡­.it¡¯s finally time, Red bro,¡± Skullius said with a delighted voice as his four burning sockets gazed at the corpse of the Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf that he had killed. He had just pulled it out from his spatial storage ring and now, he could attempt to smile as the prospect of having another useful Apostle to fill the gaping loneliness that threatened to swall- ahem, another Apostle to fight for him. Seeing the split head of the creature and its unimpressive stance as itid down in the pathetic stillness of death made him really wonder if something like this had truly happened to him before. He wasn¡¯t the idiot he had been before. He now knew that at some point, he had lived and died. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it then. I really hope that time passed is not a problem¡­¡± Skullius said with a hint of anxiety in his voice. ¡°TOMATO FLINGER! WHAT HERETIC TREACHERY ARE YOU ABOUT TO CONDUCT NOW?! I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS! I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I AM NOT OFFICIALLY COLLUDING WITH YOU IN YOUR UNDEATH PROSPEC-¡° ¡°Be quiet, will you?!¡± Skullius roared. This bastard just had to ruin this touching moment. ¡°For thest time, I¡¯m not an undead! I¡¯m about to fulfill a goal I¡¯ve had for weeks now and if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like my peace!¡± ¡°HMMM¡­¡± S hummed before resorting to watching the ordeal in silence lest he get pushed back into his silent corner of Skullius¡¯ soul. Skullius sighed. Or at least tried to. His double life led to him trying things in his Prator form that were only possible in his Discount Human form. The Prator extended his bony hand towards the corpse with hope, excitement and just a little bit of apprehension. ¡®Please let this go my way!¡¯ he thought. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to hope. After all, if wishes were milk carts, the skeletons would drink. Skullius focused on the dead wolf and finally said the thing. ¡°Riiiiiiiiise, Second Bro¡­.¡± a solemn voice flowed out of the Prator as he spoke with as much majesty as he could conjure. He had to at least live up to the Vehement Bone Nullmancer¡¯s potential hype. While speaking this phrase that wouldter be used for each of theing Apostles, he activated [Apostle Summon] at the same time and just like the very first time he used the skill, mana rushed out his hand and his vision trailed along with it! The internal structure of the Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf became clear in the Prator¡¯s vision and he felt Null Life Essence wash over the creature in a rather concentrated form that he didn¡¯t normally get to feel even with [Unbound]. He felt the bones of the creature quiver as a spark of me raged within it, making it rise! The bones shed from the flesh, much like with undeath, but they retained a sort of sanctity about them as they appeared spotless. Skullius¡¯ vision returned to his body and he watched the skeletal structure of therge beast that had given him quite the bit of trouble stand, in its sockets a blue me shimmering with intensity!. ¡°TOMATO FLINGER! THIS¡­¡± ¡°Not now you bastard! Oh, that¡¯s right, I can shut you up!¡± Skullius said as he immediately blocked off S from further interrupting his mood and this moment. It would take time until the piece of soul was used to his abilities, worse yet the guidance field. [Congrattions! You have summoned your second Apostle!] [A high quality carcass has been detected. Medium chance bonuses rted to evolution options and original skill retention apply] [Would you like to name your Apostle?] Skullius looked at the bony body of the creature in relief before anything else. No problems there. He then paid attention to the second notification that held information he hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°Bonuses huh? Red Rage gained the blessing for being my first¡­ first Apostle¡­that sounds better. This guy¡­ I guess being Tier 5 differs from how you were,¡± Skullius said, saying thatst sentence while looking at the Pelvis Boar-Man. Looking at the wolf now though, it no longer had any fancy features; the horns that had been on its shoulders, the metallic tail and all which seemed a little¡­ demotivating. Was the high quality really because of the Tier or was it because it had been summoned from an unknown dimension? Or maybe it was because it was a special breed of some kind? This was left in the air for now. As the Prator looked at the creature¡¯s status, he deted. He came to a realisation that had been obvious from the start but difficult to actually pinpoint when the one case study he had, had been low levelled to begin with. ¡°All the creatures I use to create my Apostle are taken back to Tier 0, huh? It makes sense I guess¡­¡± Skullius said as he tried to lift his spirits up. If these creatures had to be modified with Null type abilities, it made sense for there to be a reset but the second notification alluded to the possibility of regaining their previous abilities. Red Rage had retained some of his abilities which he never used, probably a perk from being the first Apostle while this one¡­ ¡°Oh. It seems you gained some of your past abilities. I think I recognise this [Lanterns of the Pure] skill. Good for you bro¡­¡± Skullius said to the now officially named, Null Lifeform Bone Wolf which simply stared at him. ¡°Now¡­ for the good stuff¡­¡± Skullius said as he went on to pump this new sucker with the Experience he had saved to raised it to Tier 1 immediately! The Bone Wolf trembled as its sockets red with mad blue mes as notification prompts began to appear before Skullius! [Apostle ¡®¡­¡¯ has broken past many hurdles and reached LV10. Apostle ¡®¡­¡¯ is now able to evolve into the First Tier of power. Do you ept?] ¡°Yep!¡± [Bonuses apply! Higher quality evolutions are added] [Loading possible evolution options for ¡®Null Lifeform (Bone Wolf)¡¯¡­] [Possible evolution options for Tier 1:¡­] ¡°Hit me!¡± Skullius excitedly yelled. ~~~ [Six-legged sh Dipper] A powerful Bone variant whose main strength lies in speed and spatial travel. The sh Dipper has a powerful body equipped with two additional limbs that help in generating more speed with its eleration. The single most interesting facet of its body however, is the Null core within it, connected to its magic core, an item which gives the sh Dipper the ability to traverse the countless dimensions of the ¡®Null Verse¡¯. The sh Dipper has abysmal levels of raw strength as such things need to be supplemented with mutations. The bulk of its selling point lies in beating opponents with speed and potentially acquiring temporary unique abilities from the countless dimensions it can travel to. (Due to its unique powers, the Six-legged sh Dipper has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Six-Legged sh Dipper MUST be imed and detained indefinitely by a random dimension as a penalty for having the ability to freely traverse the Null Verse. ___ +2000 Mana +150 Strength +4550 Agility +640 Health +70 Intelligence -Sonic Rush -Dimensional Dip -Unstoppable Charge -Dimensional Haul Licence -Dimensional Trailer: Forced Awakening If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to ¡°&#%^!¡±. -The retained skill [Lanterns of the Pure] will be edited ordingly. -Possibility of gaining a random mutation in the next evolutions. ¡ª [Blood-Risen Emperor¡¯s Keeper] A very special bone variant that was created by the Blood-Risen Emperor to safeguard his most favoured Treasure Castle. The Blood-Risen Emperor¡¯s Keeper has a vicious temperament, only being loyal to its master and no one else, as it will attack anyone if not disallowed from doing so. This bone variant has a rather bulky size which offers it absurd strength and the extraordinary ability to split, forming functional doubles whenever it sustains heavy damage. The Blood-Risen Emperor¡¯s Keeper¡¯s doubles have a 10% chance of obtaining different racial evolution traits of other beasts in the Null Demon family upon and during their manifestation as their number cap at 3 at the current level. All the doubles will possess enormous strength as the original but just like the original, they are weaker in terms of all else. (Due to its unique powers, the Blood-Risen Emperor¡¯s Keeper has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Blood-Risen Emperor¡¯s Keeper is UNABLE to manifest full loyalty to the Nullmancer as it is most loyal to the Blood-Risen Emperor. The effect of favourability is thereby inapplicable to this entity as well as the benefits thate with it.) ¨C +1200 Mana +4365 Strength +100 Agility +2000 Health +40 Intelligence -Unlimited Awakening: Double Assimtion -Hulk Out -Continental Howl -Blood-Risen Rage: Unbound Might -Null Fortress If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to ¡°&#%^!¡±. -The retained skill [Lanterns of the Pure] will be edited ordingly. -Possibility of obtaining the Blood-Risen Emperor¡¯s forbidden treasures in future evolutions. ¡ª [Limitless Body Null Demon Hound] An exceptionally unique bone variant that has an astonishing level of creativity both in mind and body. The Limitless Body Null Demon Hound has the natural ability to produce malleable Null Life Essence materials known as Unliving Threads that are unbound by any restriction in terms of what they can create, the only limit being its current level of power. By extension, the Demon Hound can also manipte its bone body as it pleases, the extent of this ability being limited to size regtion and preferred natural form shaping. In terms of physicality, the Demon Hound has bnced stats which lean more towards intelligence and mana as with the right motivation, this bone variant knows no bounds. (Due to its unique powers, the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Limitless Body Null Demon Hound MUST be RESET immediately after any confrontation or else it will forcefully evolve into the world-ending Null Terror, the Full Deck BoneTender. You have been WARNED.) ¨C +3400 Mana +220 Strength +190 Agility +590 Health +400 Intelligence -Limitless Self-Forging -Amorphous Sampling -GENIUS! -Demon Thread Weaving If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to ¡°&#%^!¡± -The retained skill [Lanterns of the Pure] will be edited ordingly. -Possibility of gaining a new type of thread with every evolution. ~~~ ¡°¡­¡± Wow. Skullius was speechless for a moment. These options. ¡°What¡¯s with these options?!¡± the Prator held his head as a choice, was really going to be atrociously difficult with these. Chapter 324 The Second Bro (2) Each of these options had something that made Skullius pretend to salivate. Juicy abilities that would be incredibly useful and fun to y with especially when Skullius looked to the future, where he was beginning to think ofwlessly diving into Clusters. However, as with his and Red Rage¡¯s evolutions, the ws were atrocious! Skullius could wager that the ws on Red Rage¡¯s possible evolutions were actually somewhat more lenientpared to these. Another problem that arose when he looked at these evolutions was the fact that even though he had been garnering towards an Apostle with outstanding speed, the avable speed type evolution wasn¡¯t as perfect as he wanted it to be. The Six-legged sh Dipper had a rather troublesome w. ¡®Indefinite detainment? Bonus my Pelvis!¡¯ The speed aspect was pretty good though and the upside to this variant was that the description seemed to imply that its w responded to the variant¡¯s use of its dimension diving powers, which in themselves were pretty darn cool. So, if he chose to limit its use of this ability, it was likely that he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the w altogether. ¡®I could be wrong though,¡¯ Skullius thought as this was thing that hindered him from choosing this one. The beast was notably weaker in all other aspects and it seemed this Dimensional ability was meant to supplement for its weakness but¡­ GAAH! What if it was detained for a week? Or a year? Or ten years? This was ridiculous! As he re-read through the floating screen before him, he found that another one of these evolutions was likely to be out of the running as per his preference. ¡°This Blood-Risen Emperor¡¯s Keeper¡­ its abilities are incredible¡­undoubtedly even more unique than those of the other two. That is if we take away that ridiculous w!¡± Skullius eximed. This thing had the most ridiculous drawback of all. How on earth was he supposed to call this thing his Apostle if it had a shaky level of submission?! Would he have to evolve into the Blood-Risen Emperor himself to attain its loyalty?! Was that even possible?!. Furthermore, this meant that the bonus he could acquire by having the Apostle reach 100 favourability with him would be gone too! That could do more harm that good! ¡°Ugh¡­ flesh this¡­.¡± Skullius muttered as he scratched his skull. The abilities were really good though! This thing would punish you for harming it and produce other creatures like itself! Thest option, which seemed to be the more bnced was also rather unique. The Limitless Body Null Demon Hound. This thing was said to be pretty smart on its own and with its ability to morph the Unliving Thread that it could produce as well as its own body, Skullius was sure that this was a good option. However, the first thing that ticked him off was how this would deviate from his goal of having a speed type Apostle. That was out of necessity! That had been the n originally. BAH! The second thing that ticked him off was the w. World-ending Terror, the Full Deck BoneTender was it? For obvious reasons Skullius was pretty scared of this. It made him hesitate greatly. If this thing could really destroy the world¡­ What was with this w to begin with?! At the moment, it seemed like the Six-legged sh Dipper was going to be his choice. But still, he couldn¡¯te to a decision on the fly. ¡°Hmmm¡­ wait. Does this guy has a ss? If he does I might as well see what¡¯s in store for that side first,¡± Skullius said. As he twiddled with the guidance field, he found to his surprise that things weren¡¯t as simple. Or rather they were, but he just hadn¡¯t put two and two together. [Apostle ¡®¡­¡¯ is now legible to obtain a mutation. Do you ept?] ¡°That¡¯s right! Mutations.¡± As the Prator had done his fair share of studying on this world, he had learned about mutations, the beasts¡¯ way of attaining additional forms of more refined strength. Skullius had formally learned that the distinction applied ording to which natural evolution a beast had followed. For instance, the goblins he had faced before had sses because they took to the humanoid route that was attuned with sses. The Darewolves he had fought back in the Tremur had mutations because of the fact that they had a different evolutionary path was more geared towards attaining powers that were relevant to their body structures. In this case, he found that his new Apostle was obviously more attuned to thetter. ¡°Hmm. Why did Red Rage transform into a human-like form then?¡± Skullius asked himself while turning to the gifted Pelvis-Boar-Man. The Apostle merely shrugged. ¡°Whatever. It must have been because of your blessing. Or is it because you just wanted to kill more efficiently, you bastard?¡± Red Rage fidgeted which made Skullius suspicious. Skullius shook his head and he focused on the task at hand, looking through the mutations which had shorter descriptions. ~~~ [Avable sses for ¡®Null Lifeform¡¯ Bone Wolf:-] ¡ª¡ª¡ª- [Inorganic Null-Burst Engine] An amalgamation of burst type Null lifeforms¡¯ parts that create a part bone, part flesh organ which can continuously boost the physical stats of any Null lifeform by way of two Pistons. ? Affects all aspects of the user including skills ¨C -Stat bonuses apply- ¨C -Main Piston- Passively grants the user a 350% boost to selected stat. Selection is permanent. (Caution: If selected stat is already high proportionately, boost will be deducted) ¨C -Secondary Piston- Temporarily boosts a stat of the user¡¯s choice by 100%. Usable thrice a day. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- [Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide] A shawl-like hide that possesses a portion of the ss, Spirit Walker. It dwells over the body of the beast that acquires. ?Erases the presence of the user as well as their appearance with their consent, doing the same with all other aspects of the user. ¨C -Stat bonuses apply- ¨C [Spirit Walk] The hide assimtes with the user¡¯s body to allow them to ¡®walk¡¯ within the soul of a target. Usable once a day. (Caution: Level of the target determines effect) ¨C [Spirit Touch] The hide assimtes with the user to allow the swift maniption of the target¡¯s body. A parasitic effect is attached which allows for 2% stat retention after use. Usable thrice a day. (Caution: Level of the target determines effect) ¡ª¡ª¨C [Stern Bone Multi-Carapace] A partially realised hardened shell from one of the infamous Null Badubs of ¡®^#&%#¡¯. ??? -Information acquisition possible after the mutation is chosen- ~~~ Hmmm¡­ Skullius scratched his skull for a moment. Incredible options wereid before him though it was clear that some of the information was not shown. This probably meant that some kind of process of assimtion had to happen especiallywhen considering that the race and mutation were separate. ¡®Kek¡­¡¯ Skullius cackled in his mind before his sockets red. This was truly profound. A path was opened by these mutations! While the decision wasn¡¯t going to be any easier, mostly because of Skullius¡¯ growing caution and choosy nature, the Prator grew excited nheless. Interlinking paths for a satisfactory Apostle connected in his mind and soon, he quickly came to a decision. He had to make concessions in some ces but he couldn¡¯t win it all. *** Present time. The tall armoured man with chains that twisted around his armour disembarked from therge beast he rode. The beast itself had a bulky appearance which was constantly shifting as if made of countless squirming ribbons in a dark blue hue, its front legs looking as beefy as could be while the hind two were as sturdy as they could look. Its deep sockets glowed with a blue light that was different from the me, much like torches lit in its sockets while below its belly where swaths of squirming mass constantly wriggled, masking its skeleton structure, a dull golden-red pulse could be seen, contracting and expanding through the length of the entire beast with the same rhythm as a heart beat! Two horns that grew from the beast¡¯s head, curving backwards resonated with this golden-red pulse as they too would get tinged in the vibrant colour. As the rider who wore a terrifying helm dropped off from this beast, he pped its shoulder before giving it an order. ¡°Let¡¯s get killing,¡± Skullius said, to which therge beast that had initially stood on all fours, rose up to stand on its hind legs, its body shifting to bulk out in a humanly manner¡­! Chapter 325 Go Team! [ Name : None ] [ Tier :1 ] [ Apostle Trait : None ] [ Rank : None ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Race: Limitless Body Null Demon Hound ] [ Inv. Status : Pumped ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 425 ] [Agility : 330 ] [ Intelligence : 500 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : 5 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 815/815 ] ¡ª¡ª. [ Mana : 4200/4200 ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Skills ] [ Null Life Aura | Lv. 2 ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Lanterns of the Pure | Lv. 1 ] [ Limitless Self Forging | Lv.2 ] [ Amorphous Sampling | Lv.2 ] [ GENIUS! | Lv.2 ] [ Demon Thread Weaving | Lv.2 ] [ Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide ] > Spirit Walk > Spirit Touch ¡­. ~~~ Indeed. The Prator had taken a stand and shifted his mind ording to what was avable at the moment. The moment he had seen a mutation with something to do with the soul, he had gone right for it! Furthermore, its name gave him a recollection of something that he hade across some time ago. One of the sses he had been offered before as a Null Lifeform out of the four. The Spirit Walker. When looking at the options that Red Rage had for his sses, the Spirit Walker and the Forcemancer hadn¡¯t shown up, which to Skullius meant that they were probably notpatible with the Apostle or were perhaps not easy toe by due to how special they were. But with this one, while the mutation had the prefix ¡®Pseudo¡¯ to it, Skullius could tell that his new Apostle whom he hadn¡¯t named yet for foolish reasons, had received some insane skills that he decided to nab lest they didn¡¯t show up again which was very much a possibly! As for his earlier goals of getting a speed type Apostle, well, he still intended to do that with this current one but through other means. The [Inorganic Null-Burst Engine] would have been the perfect choice for this, but that would have been a waste. With the [Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide], he could attain abilities that alligned with his goals. Yes, he could. Though the process was quite pricey. The Demon Hound released bursts of hot air upon Skullius¡¯mand and with its upright stance that made it look like a werewolf, it suddenly, quivered as over the countless ribbons that hid its bony body giving it a bulkier appearance, a furry coat appeared! It was surprising beautiful, with a rather dark brown hue that was stained with indecipherable marks that emanated a luminous white light on the chest of the beast! With this cover, the [Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide], the Apostle looked even more beastly! The moment it finishedyering over the Demon Hound, the Apostle turned ethereal and lunged forward. ¡®Heh. I wonder if they will even be able to see him,¡¯ Skullius chuckled to himself as he began walking forward. His head turned to another direction as he finally addressed something. He had been feeling a piercing gaze which he finally paid attention to and as his sockets took in the view, he noticed it as belonging to the old man Terian who stared at him from afar with barely hidden caution. Skullius merely nodded coolly. He hoped that this would send the message that he was an ally, provided that this man wouldn¡¯t tie his appearance with the one that Dami specified back then. He hadn¡¯t seen it, but he could guess, right? On the other side, the Demon Hound darted through the streets with its ethereal form leaving dust andrge marks but the truth of the matter was that no one but Red Rage or Skullius could see it! It freely leapt over much of the debris as it finally reached a rampaging octo-humanoid! The creature didn¡¯t cease the flinging of its tentacles as it caused mayhem in every direction, its beastly strength shredding the earth! The Demon Hound which was currently two and half meters tall at this point after slowly regting its size for convenience suddenly miniaturised to the point of bing the size of ant and crawled up the body of the tentacled creature! The size regtion effect of its Limitless Body was used while its hide made its form imperceptible! The creature then activated one of its skills as it raced along the back of the octo-humanoid. [Amorphous Sampling!] ~~~ [Amorphous Sampling | Lv.1 ] Using Null Life to scan the intended target, the user can replicate the structure of the scanned entity with Unliving Thread, the intricacy of whether it is physical, ethereal or spiritual determining the efficacy and sess with each advanced level. Mana Requirements: Dependent on the target Duration: None Cooldown: 2 minutes ~~~ A circr light gushed from the body of the Demon Hound, tracing along the body of its foe and before long it vanished. However, the deed was done. On the back of the Hound, its hide and Unliving Threads protruded outwards as it seemed that something was building up within its body in a violent manner! Soon, two long, slimy tentacles with a dark blue hue shot from the creature¡¯s back, their sides bing marred with vicious barbs! The Apostle darted towards the creature¡¯s face and immediately put its new limbs to use as it pierced them right into the creature¡¯s soft eye! PCHH! The octo-humanoid screeched and clutched its face but its unseen foe had already created an opening for itself and was already travelling within its body while wing at the soft flesh! The Apostle had determined that these creatures were far stronger than itself and decided to dispatch them in a way it saw fit and most effective! Wrecking them from the inside! While inside the flesh and blood infested interior of the Cluster beast, the Hound suddenly opened its maw where between its sharp teeth from all sides, supported by the Unliving Thread that constantly wriggled, three luminous light appeared! One green, one red and thest white. The red light became brighter than others bing akin to a bright gem that the beast chomped down on! Immediately, its body bulked up as its size grew bigger and bigger which shed against the innards of the creature it inhabited! Its chest became bloated as something hot and powerful built up and in the next second, that particr something was released as the Hound faced up where the creature¡¯s brain was and fired! VWUUUUP! A beam of highly condensed red energy shot out in a particrly violent manner, dismantling anything in its a way in a piping hot manner! Outside where it appeared that this particr creature was screeching horribly in pain while bleeding from its eye as it rolled over the ground, a bright red beam of energy tore through its head from the top, releasing blood and brain matter! The beam didn¡¯t travel for a great distance before it died down, signalling the end of the skill and the creature¡¯s life! [Apostle ¡®¡­¡¯ has killed (V) LV80 Bulk Terror. 4,430,000 Exp awarded] [Your prey¡­] The Demon Hound exited the creature¡¯s body and dashed towards its next foe with rapid speed as it sought to try out different ways to kill its opponents. The experience it received was also good and it seemed enticed by it as well as the 65 Null Life Essence points it then salvaged with [Null Extraction], a skill that it had received after reaching Tier 1. Skullius who watched from afar could only chuckle with malice. This new Apostle of his was going to be particrly useful especially when considered the method of harvesting Experience, Null Life Essence and Mana that he had thought of given his close ties to his two Apostles. ¡®Kek¡­¡¯ The Prator then looked to the skies from the barely twenty second battle he had just watched where the figure of a golden Pelvis-Boar-Man was heaving up a massive chunk of the falling ind! Red Rage had taken to trying to protect the city as he speedily grabbed a block he could handle flew with it a distance as he generated speed and then flung it outside the city! With his Limited Flight which only allowed him up to a height of 300 meters, his progress was hindered quite a bit but the Apostle would use some of the blocks to kill the octo-humanoids below as he threw them at the bastards from his height. ¡®Looks like I¡¯m the only one who isn¡¯t doing anything,¡¯ Skullius said as he grabbed the thick chain around his body and began twirling it as he dashed forward¡­. Chapter 326 All Hail The Fulgurant Penetrator! Terian was shocked. He had just seen an unnerving development just now where an unknown giant of a man who exuded no presence at all had shown up only to disappear behind the many things that obstructed his sight. This man had been astride arge beast which had suddenly stood on its hind feet and vanished from existence immediately after! He had been torn about what to think but when his gaze had met that of this strange Knight, if he could call him that, he had received a nod. ¡®Is he a Stray Knight?¡¯ was Terian¡¯s first thought. Up above, he had seen the golden figure that emitted golden kes as it flew, trying to fling away the chunks of falling rock that remained after the burst of not-lightning eradicated two of the six. Assuming that this golden figure was with the bulky man who set to do his own part, Terian decided that this was much needed help and withheld any further questions he had done until the problem had been dealt with. Despite this decision, something kept gnawing at his brain however, but he ignored it for now. For now, they were allies. The old man then rose, the Hawk of Congration above him as he looked up. Unbreakable¡¯s punch had saved the city, giving both time and fervour to all the human participants. Even now, the man had just flown up topletely decimate another of the falling parts of the indpletely as he prepared to take out another one. ¡®I should also help¡­¡¯ the old man said as he brought his hands together and conjured a spell that brought forth both his exquisite control of fire and his elegant hold over mana to create a giant shark that burst before his hands with a majestic golden-orange hue! The heat it emitted instantly roasted the surroundings while giving out a bright light that turned the area he was in into daytime! ¡®Scorchborne Beast¡­¡¯ The skill bloomed as Terian then directed the seemingly lively shark into the air where its ming body bolted forward and collided with a falling mass the size of three, five storied buildings, obliterating it in a massive explosion of me and light! ***. Skullius with his bulky armour rushed forward, his steps heavy but his movement rtively fast as streaks of blue Silentburn Levin trailed after him! He traced his way towards the enemies that seemed to be chasing after life signatures as they sought out all the humans in the area! Soon, the Prator had encountered his first of six enemies in a rather spacious street that still had more intact that most buildings where his [Elevated Mana Maniption] could sense the presence of multiple cowering human figures. One of the Bulk Terrors noticed him with its eager sight and dashed towards with vigour! It iled its tentacles as it burst with a speed that was far beyond what Skullius could effectively react to while two others followed after it! ¡®Let¡¯s have a taste¡­¡¯ Skullius said as he continued to spin the thick Chains of Damnation that hooked onto the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation. As the first Terror reached him with its horrific speed, it suddenly slowed down as it entered within a 2 meter of his radius as it squinted its eyes! Its slimy skin started to sizzle as if burnt and its steps drew to aplete halt! ¡®Kek¡­ That¡¯s right¡­¡¯ Skullius chuckled to himself. A skill within the armour he donned wouldn¡¯t allow just anyone to reach his presence! [The Forge!] The skill which made all those who approached the armour experience a glimpse of the hellscape from which it was forged! Skullius didn¡¯t waste time snickering as he then flung his chains towards the creature, wrapping it in the binds as it sizzled! He then darted forward as he cocked his fist and smashed it into the creature¡¯s face as arcs of not lightning, but Silent Levin, the power which was constantly released from his Prator body struck the creature! BOOM! Surprisingly however¡­ Nothing happened at all! Not a speck of damage registered on the creature¡¯s face to even indicate that he had hit it! ¡®Huh?! Even a punch isn¡¯t considered pration damage?!¡¯ Skulliusined as he truly hoped that this would have worked to some degree! Unfortunately for him, the other Terrors swiftly arrived and unlike the first, they didn¡¯t stop when they felt a mild roasting sensation over their skins! ¡­! Skullius injected his mana into his spatial storage ring upon seeing the approaching creatures and summoned something he hadn¡¯t used in a while! The Crystalline Hold! A shield bought from Frock that he had upgraded with [Unbound]! BAM! One of the Terrors mmed into him with his mass prompting Skullius to fly off on impact! The shield dented inwards, as was to be expected of a Umon+ item but it did its job, limiting the damage to the Prator. The other Terror followed after the hurtling figure of the dark armoured Knight as it screeched with its tentacles both front and behind iling madly! ¡®They are really fast!¡¯ Skullius thought as he gripped the Chains of Damnation and pulled, using the chained up Terror to reduce his momentum! The moment he did, the other Terror that had been hot on his trail flung its fist at him, the Prator only seeing a blur before he was smashed in the chest and flung once more but with an even more devastating force that sent him twenty meters away! The ground which hadn¡¯t even been touched in the process quaked from the power while sses shattered from the impact! Skullius rolled until he came to a stop, his armour looking dented and cracked from the punch to his chest. ¡®That one is Tier 6¡­. These things are really strong,¡¯ Skullius remarked to himself. ¡®Makes me feel like my Discount Human form has grown stronger than this form now.¡¯ As a result of the activity going on in this street, many other Terrors had been drawn to action. Soon, forty of them raced into the street as they blew up what had been an intact line of buildings yet to be sullied by destruction! They all pushed against each other as they tore through towards Skullius¡¯ lonesome figure. Such a perilous situation. One was enough trouble but forty?! How would a normal mercenary or Knight feel when faced with this?! Instead of feeling despair however, Skullius¡¯ socket mes roared with zeal. ¡°That¡¯s it! Come my bros! Come and face your death!¡± Skullius called with a deep voice that caused those who were hidden within the remaining buildings to shudder. As the creatures approached, Skullius injected mana into his spatial storage ring and out came a beautiful scroll! Who said strength only referred to one¡¯s individual power?! The All Eater scroll was unfurled once again! ~~~ [All Eater Scroll] -Legendary- A scroll created by an ancient group of mages who thought of cultivating their own magic to be a taboo towards their favoured Deity, Suzamete. They chose to master inscription of the highest order, in their years managing to create a sequence of runes that could store any form of attack at the Incandescent Stage and below. -Special Effect- Stored attacks are kept in Stagnant Space and released at the user¡¯s discretion at 10 times the speed and power with a 10% chance to incorporate any of the user¡¯s attributes or traits at the moment of release. ~~~ The scroll said to be able to hold any form of attack and release it with greater power! The scroll lit up and Skullius injected his intent into it with a maniacal eagerness! Since he now had an Apostle with the ability to shoot out energy beams, he could fully use this scroll now even though he would wonder why the description said it could store any form of attack when in his experience, physical attacks were impossible to store. A bright red shed from the scroll and with a ridiculous roar of power, a beam shot out with a staggering speed that rivalled the Terrors¡¯ ability to react! Not only this however, as with the beam shing out towards the tens of enemies, arcs of Silentburn Levin cascaded around it with a menacing effect that further amplified its power several fold! VWUUUUP!!!! The st razed the entire street in a shy show of might that demolished everything in Skullius¡¯ line of sight! ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Skullius threw away the cking of teeth as he emitted a genuineugh that echoed through the night! Power! Power in his hand! Molten rock and crumbling structures were left in the wake of his attack that reached dozens of meters away, taking the lives of most of the Terrors in his sight! [You have killed (V) LV65 Bulk Terror¡­] [You have killed (V) LV81 Bulk Terror¡­] [You have fucking killed¡­.] Skullius watched the notifications stream in one after the other as after this, he tried his best to grin as he raised his hand, activating a certain skill. [Null Extraction]. Streams of bright blue energy started to gush out the bodies of the Terrors he had killed even those that were a dozen meters away while the Prator remained still! It was Null Life Essence! But how¡­? How was it possible for Skullius to do this? Simple. Because he had elevated his mana maniption! Just like the staff he had taken from the goblin in the Tremur which increased his range of [Null Extraction], his levelled up mana maniption allowed him to aplish the same feet as only now, he could do it without the staff. The Essence of roughly thirty Terrors, 65 points each gushed into the Prator as the rest were still alive. The Null lifeform emitted a content ¡®ah¡¯ as he looked at the twitching and crawling Terrors. As for these, Skullius walked over to the beasts, pulling the others that were still barely alive to those that were struggling to stand with lost limbs. After gathering them in one ce, his sockets red as he spoke in a chilling voice. ¡°Don¡¯t die yet bros¡­ you have much to do¡­¡± In the hands of the armoured Prator, a bright red me shed with an eerie intensity as it brought about a terrifying glow¡­! Chapter 327 HELP THE KNIGHT! BOOOOM! Arge chunk of the ind fell down, almost squashing Renialid into paste but she had moved out of the way quickly. ¡°Un! Un! Big sister! Look there!¡± Ginie said as she leapt up and down. ¡°I can see it¡­¡± Renialid said as she squinted. Atop therge chunk that had fallen from the sky, mostly crumbling away on impact, one could see vegetation of some kind. Gelly-like grass grew over the soil while with the movement of the air, it swayed restlessly. Odd nts could also be seen, some like shrubs with different shades of blue, their texture looking watery in nature, as unreal as that sounded. Over their trunks and the slimy leaves it could even be identified as such, these portions of the nt life having the same hue as they oozed of a colourless semi-liquid. A girl with dark hair and sses walked over to this odd patch of vegetation and did not hesitate to rustle her hands over it, getting a feel for what it was like texture wise other than what it looked like. After a brief analysis, she gave a remark in an apathetic way. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like something that can grow in thus region. If I had to render a guess, I¡¯d say it¡¯s some rare mutated patch from up North or some such. Though that would make me wonder how on Aigas it was sunmoned here.¡± This analysis was food for thought to the group that had gained a brief respite after Unbreakable culled many of the Bulk Terrors. ¡°We can always count on you to risk your life for knowledge right, Riyana?¡± a girl with bloody fur all over her arms and legs said as she used her long tongue to lick her lips. She had cat-like ears that wiggled at the top of her head and even whiskers could be identified on her face along with green-coloured eyes that had slits within them as pupils. Riyana rendered her no response and kept touching the peculiar vegetation. ¡°Un, un! You¡¯re always mean when you use your Form technique, Bustifina!¡± Ginie said with a puff of her cheeks, her words directed to the girl covered in fur. The girl who was identified as Bustifina frowned as she folded her arms not bothering to say anything else. This group ofdies had decimated hundreds of Bulk Terrors over a long stretch while also rescuing a lot of civilians who were sent to strongholds within the city. They had systematically divided themselves and had swiftly done more than any other Guild to safeguard the safety of civilians. ¡°Don¡¯t lose focus. Ginie, keep the civilians moving,¡± Renialid instructed as she shifted her gaze to face forward where a horde Bulk Terrors were rushing their way from the entrance to the city while hundreds more were battling groups of coordinating mercenaries and Knights. ¡°Un, un! Got it!¡± Ginie said as she raised her staff and continued using her Mage-form Mimicking Art to influence the minds of hundreds to rush past them as they headed for safety. Renialid squinted as she saw some of the Bulk Terrors trickling into the city from the outside and her mind was instantly jolted. ¡°Listen up. We need to split our forces. The Guild Master is outside the city walls and he needs our support. He¡¯s undoubtedly trying to keep all those beasts he flung out of the city outside but he can¡¯t do it alone. You guys keep up the progress here. I¡¯ll go get Natalika and others to assist me,¡± Renialid said with an urgent tone. She was met with nods of approval and acknowledgement but when she was about to set off¡­ ¡°Wait¡­¡± Riyana suddenly said to which everyone turned to her. As all thedies stared at her, awaiting for a follow-up statement, the girl pointed over the patch of blue. When the gazes turned towards the patch¡­ ¡­! Among the other blue nts, a strange looking one could be seen. It was akin to flower yet to blossom, the sky blue petals covering up the fruit of the thing. Its size was rtive to that of a sunflower and as the girls looked, they saw it wiggle before it started to pour ooze from between the petals that began to unravel. As they did, something fell out of their grasp. Something shiny and spherical. It rolled over the grass and was caught by Riyana who felt the chilling energy that it released, prompting her body to almost buckle down in a momentarypse of self control! This was¡­. an Enriching gem! Renialid narrowed her eyes as a thought began building up within her mind. Riyana who had saved herself from losing control also came to the same conclusion as when the twodies looked at each other they couldn¡¯t help but see the concern in each others¡¯ eyes. The implications of this were nothing short of terrifying. *** BOOOM! BOOOM! As if an earthquake was urring in the sky, rumbles echoed as another one of the falling masses were shredded into vastly smaller pieces ofnd that rained over Inhone City. Only one remained now. The threat overhead was finally seeing its end, but the battle was yet to end. Still however, those fighting for their city could hardly feel as hopeless as they had before because the man who had delivered them from this crisis would probably end it all soon and thus morale was at an all time high! ¡°Left! Right! Duck! Up! Go on for the attack!¡± A short distance from the entrance to the city, Dami called out as she stood at the back whererge corpses could be seen all over as well as chunks of flesh and organs. Before her, a small group of Purity Knights were coordinating their attacks to fight against a rampaging Bulk Terror that would swing both its tentacles and its fists! Silrat was also present in the mix as he would support whenever he could. ¡°Now!¡± the Diviner called to which Silrat saw the opening she was referring to, his arm bing enveloped in a bulkyyer of his Full Body Aura which was a few minutes away from cessation! Heunched himself up and cocked his fist while the Purity Knights continued to follow Dami¡¯s directions to distract the beast as the Association Branch head pumped his fist atop the Bulk Terror¡¯s head! Right before the impact, the Aura gathering over his arm swiftly flowed over to his fist, creating a bulged blue outline that hebined with his raw strength to hammer the creature¡¯s head! BAAAAM! Blood leaked from the creature¡¯s eye as it was momentarily disoriented and in that very moment, all the Purity Knightsunched a synchronised attack, chopping away at its limbs and finally, its head! Dami breathed out a sigh. She too was wrapped in her Fully Body which she had activated to save her mana from being stolen back in the underspace of the Guilds Association building. In this state, it would be a little bit easier for her to divine on the fly by tapping into the flowing mana of her enemies in the air, vaguely discerning from it their next moves. The more mana they leaked, the better the result would be as with this method, she eliminated the risk to her body and soul, the drawback being its difficulty to use. She, Silrat and the Purity Knights had been assisting on this front after exiting the Association building and so far, the progress was increased after Unbreakable speed ran this portion of the city, likely so that everyone could finish quickly and take on the Terrors that had been ¡®escorted¡¯ outside by Tulnas. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± she called to the group as the party then rushed over to where the fighting was thickest. Throngs of Bulk Terrors were faced with tens of mercenaries and Knights, their advance being pushed back and otherwise interchangeably. Among the fighting parties, one could see a group of bulky, ck armoured men mercilessly ughtering the Bulk Terrors while another group with equal numbers of men and women split off continuously only to reassemble in a neat fashion as it quickly dispatched the Terrors a few at a time. These were the EdgeKings and Ravend Guilds respectively. Their strengths could be seen as they dealt with the threats but unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t true for the smaller Guilds. The desperation as they struggled could be seen, their teeth grinding against each other while they sweated profusely, tens of them being needed to deal with a single Terror! The fear and desire for help could be seen while hope seemed to want in every way for them. The current party waded through the chaos with ease however, Silrat rushing up to Dami, sweat and exhaustion palpable over his face. ¡°You look like you could die at any moment,¡± Dami remarked as she took a nce at the man. ¡°Yes, well, I¡¯m not exactly the fighting type. I¡¯m better suited for management,¡± Silrat defended himself. ¡°For someone like me to be fighting, a crisis will be short onbatants. What took Unbreakable so long? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be the ever ready Capital Service trump card for situations like this?¡± Dami huffed in a few breaths before rendering a reply. ¡°He is but while his technique allows him to regress into a younger body, he is still an unnaturally feeble old man before then. It takes a lot out of him to pull out his- Watch out!¡± Dami suddenly ducked followed by Silrat and the Purity Knights as a barbed tentacle raced over them with a horrendous force! Arge Bulk Terror screeched at them as it sped forward towards their location! Along with it, tens more rushed them as they crushed the scattered rubble all over in a messy charge. Dami quickly heaved herself up as her eyes turned white. ¡°Get ready! Don¡¯t falter even for a moment!¡± she instructed as she prepared for a bitter fight along with her party. As the tension grew thick, a millisecond existing between the sh of the these two groups, five creatures suddenly darted in between! Dami instantly halted and pulled back while instructing the rest to follow suit! What on Aigas¡­?! The five beasts that appeared between the two groups suddenly lunged at the frantic Bulk Terrors! ming beasts they were, a ring me with a dark, hellish red hue scorching over their bodies as it fed on their flesh, the reaction creating nauseatingly thick fumes! These creatures were also Bulk Terrors! They looked particrly ravenous as they were set ame, their tentacles immediately rushing out to attack their counterparts! Surprisingly, they split up, one seeming to want a horde of the enemy Bulk Terrors all to itself which heavily confused the onlookers! Of the five newly appeared creatures, one swung its ming barbed tentacles without mercy to which the confused enemies tried to defend. However, the moment the ming tentacle touched the opposing Bulk Terror, the creature screeched as it was also set ame! Wildly enough, the ming Terrors didn¡¯t wait to revel in the melody of their fellows¡¯ death throes nor for the others to catch on, as with their faster and stronger bodies, they made quick work of their enemies! The fighting was brought to a momentary pause as everyone witnessed this! ¡°Grisse, what¡¯s going on? What are those? Are they¡­on our side?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Has someone else showed up to help?¡± All the participating Knights and mercenaries were dumbfounded at this development but quickly cast aside their many thoughts as they attacked their enemies. Wasn¡¯t this the break they needed?! These new arrivals were attacking their enemies! ¡°Terian?¡± Dami questioned herself as she searched for the old man¡¯s energy signature but could not find it. This wasn¡¯t his me? Then whose? And what skill was this? Many wondered the same thing, particrly therge Guilds as they grew more cautious. VWWOOOOOSH! From another direction, another ming Terror appeared! It had an especiallyrger build with an arm missing on its left shoulder. As the mes consumed it, it frantically swished its tentacles destroying everything in sight while screeching weirdly, but from time to time, one could see it exhibiting the will to only target the non-ame Bulk Terrors! The most peculiar thing about this Bulk Terror in particr was how there was arge dark chain around its neck that extended behind it, rising up as it reached atop a crumbled mass of rock where a certain figure was firmly holding the chain with trembles of struggle! As the Bulk Terror quickly wiped out tens of the enemies that everyone was facing, mercenaries and Knights alike followed the chain to where it led to, the figure of arge man in a creepy armour and¡­. a surprisingly, cool helm appearing in their sights! At first, the sight was nothing short of terrifying but realisation set in a momentter for most. Was this the man who caused this timely assist? Of course, it was evident that this man was controlling thisrger ming Bulk Terror, so he had to be responsible for the others, right?! It started with one naive-looking young man from a small Guild who donned a relieved smile as he then raised his sword. p¡¢and a-n¡¢o¡¢vel ¡°Come on! Someone else has appeared to help! Let¡¯s not waste this chance! Iyaaaa!¡± Then someone else, as if affected by the positive funk followed after, giving morale to his team members who had been having a hard time before this! ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t be scared! We must take on all the help we can get! Let¡¯s help the creepy Knight!¡± ¡°Y..yes! Fight on brothers!¡± ¡°This is our chance to save the city!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s help the dark Knight!¡± ¡°FIGHT! FIGHT!¡± Soon, the atmosphere turned livid with burning morale and adrenaline. The sight of the Knight as he held onto the chain with all his might while fidgeting so as to keep the ming Bulk Terror in check inspired many. The smaller Guilds felt the need to support this saviour as others even ran to try and help him pull the chain. ¡°HELP THE KNIGHT!¡± ¡°Pull the chain!¡± This became the theme for the desperate. Amidst this fervour that only seemed to be strongest with the small Guilds however, one short-haired woman looked at this armoured man whom many assumed to be a Knight with a pale face! She choked on her words and her heart seemed to want to explode out of her chest from the sheer shock of seeing this figure! ¡°N..o¡­ No¡­.Stop¡­¡± she whispered as her breathing hastened, Silrat who was beside her looking to her with confusion. As if seeing this dark figure wasn¡¯t enough, her Divination which had been scrambling for answers before, picked up a glimpse of a horrible future only seconds away. But¡­ But¡­. It was already toote¡­ ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] I highly apologise for the inconsistencies in thetest updates. For this week I¡¯ll be keeping up with the quota so rest assured. Thanks for reading Chapter 328 In-Between Behemoths! ¡°Flesh me sideways¡­¡± Skullius muttered as he gripped the Chains of Damnation with all his might. He could feel the impending doom that was a second away as he began wondering¡­ Why the flesh did this have to happen now?! After using [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] which had levelled up, the targets of the skill¡¯s conversion had increased from five to six and upon using it, he had managed to attain six powerful Bulk Terrors as his temporary allies! Unfortunately, one of them which was a Tier 6 was particrly rowdy, as the effects of feeling pleasure through ecstasy and atrocious pain at the same time caused it to be harder to control! Skullius had thus bound it with the Chains of Damnation while forcing it to go where he wanted as he couldn¡¯t afford to waste his skill usage. Why, one would ask? This was because for each Bulk Terror that his frenzied ones killed, he would gain the Experience for himself! Damn it! The Experience was even streaming in right now. Damn it! Skullius had even made an effort to change the state of his helmet in order to not freak out the humans just in case he ended up in a ce swarmed by them. This was something he had learned before his battle with Benzard back then when he had donned it for the first time but disregarded this method of changing the swirling design as he deemed it to be a hassle. To make the swirling red holes that were over the face of his helmet stay still, vastly improving the helm¡¯s aesthetic, he had to chant a rather cringey line, a detail passed to him by the helmet itself into his mind when he wore it. ¡®Let mine sturdy heart which resides in the nothingness, in lifelessness, in the void, manifest a face a stone!¡¯ ¡­was the line. Damn it! With all this¡­ WHY?! Skullius looked on ahead at the excited faces of numerous small-time mercenaries and their zeal as they approached his chains which would do nothing but cause them pain if they touched them! He watched this scene as if in slow motion when¡­ ¡°IYYAAAAAAAAAAAAK!¡± ¡°AUGGHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± ¡°EEEEEEEEEEK!¡± ¡°SCREEEEEEEEEEEE!¡± The collective cacophony of agony sounded from nearly 200 mercenaries as they all felt an overbearing force smash onto them as punishment for expressing their intent to assist their mysterious helper! All these mercenaries at this moment felt their blood rush within their bodies as it then sshed from their eyes and mouth violently while they tried to keep it together. Some rolled, some gripped their faces as they tore their skin in utterly unimaginable torment! Others gnashed their teeth so hard that they shattered while others scratched the ground with their nails! This scene caused everyone watching toe to a stop, humans and monsters alike as in this moment, they unconsciously paid respects to the presence of this power as they looked on at the pained victims who screamed or uttered iprehensible words. The final nail on the coffin, was when on the bodies of these people, their flesh began to sizzle and melt like hot ooze, flowing over their messy bones until not a human being was left, but a skeleton visibly showing despair. Silence¡­ For a few moments no one said a thing. What the actual f- ¡°Uh¡­¡± Silrat¡¯s pale face said all of what he felt in this moment! Terror andplete shock. This was simply too terrifying and everyone around him shared this sentiment! Beside him, Dami was even more pale as she looked at the dark-armoured figure with her mouth agape. She had seen a bit of what would happen before it actually happened a few seconds ago. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s him¡­. The thing I saw back then¡­.¡± she muttered in a small voice. Silrat had already felt a sense of familiarity with this scenario as it had been exined to him before. Dami¡¯s words were the final straw that brought about the veracity of it all. ¡°The thing I saw¡­. when I divined Festos back then¡­¡± the Diviner continued to mutter. Silrat plopped down as he contemted deeply. He and Tulnas had vastly underestimated what this curse was said to be. This was dangerous! Too dangerous! Things could have gone horrible wrong! He could see that now! Over on therge rock, Skullius¡¯ socket mes behind the helm were ring as he wondered about the consequences of this. Literally everyone here had seen UNCoddled at work and while most couldn¡¯t tie to him, some could! There was no way he was getting out of this unscathed! ¡®Damn it! I should at least get Experience whenever this happens!¡¯ he thought with begrudging tone. Every time UNCoddled imed a life, he wouldn¡¯t get any Experience or even a notification for Null Life Essence waiting to be reaped. Nothing! ¡°Shit! What should I do no¡ª¡± BOOOOOOOOOOM! Skullius suddenly felt an enormous pressure m into him with an unparalleled violent force! Thend trembled as it shattered and broke apart causing the mercenaries and Knights who had been in a stupor to im back their senses as they ran away, avoiding the caving in ground! Silrat shook himself and grabbed Dami as he leapt back to safety, his eyes remaining hinged on what was happening before him. The massive swathes of thick dust hid arge crater in which a man with long dark hair and green eyes wore a ferocious expression as he pushed down the armoured head of Skullius¡¯ Prator form! His body caused the surroundings to twist and bubble up with extreme mana-induced heat as the bright sh of the energy radiated from his body! Skullius¡¯ socket mes shed with a panicked me as he hadn¡¯t expected this individual he had watched from afar while wondering who he was to suddenly pop up out of nowhere and pound him into the ground! Terrifying! This man ignored the effects of [The Forge] entirely as instead of him experiencing the hellscape somewhere where the Aegis of Damnation had been forged, his body was the one that was melting Skullius¡¯ armour simply by him exerting himself over the Prator¡¯s body! ¡®Shit! Bro, what are you?!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind. ¡°I sensed it from YOU! The evil that flooded out into the air to kill every single of those people who were fighting for the city! Who are you?!¡± the youthful yet authoritative voice of Unbreakable thundered against Skullius¡¯ skull,pletely suppressing him! The helm to his armour started to crack and melt as Unbreakable¡¯s hand scrunched up over it, peeling its side easily! ¡­.! ¡®Shit! Shit! Shit!¡¯ Skullius thought as he hurriedly opened his hand, the light of mana shing within it only to be reced by the shine of Silentburn Levin which emitted no sound but struck with incredible speed at Unbreakable¡¯s chest! It was the skill, [Ful Discharge], a concentrated streak of Silentburn Levin that was supposed to burn the target along with delivering 10% Serenity Damage! The ground trembled on impact with sparks of Levin running along the crumbling walls of the crater yet¡­ Unbreakable was unscathed! He ignored this attack as he ripped off a portion of the helm which revealed the Prator¡¯s face underneath! ¡­.! Unbreakable¡¯s green eyes opened wide in shock as he saw¡­ A glittering dark blue skull that constantly emitted small sparks of Levin! ¡°This¡­.!¡± What the¡­ ¡®Is that¡­an undead?!¡¯ he thought with his mind spiralling into utter shock. Where were all these weird creaturesing from?! Before he could fully take in the shock of this find however, Unbreakable suddenly turned as he felt a familiar enormous presence sh behind him, a staggering amount of power gathering within it! The purple creature, the evolved octo-humanoid with its rising tentacles appeared as it wielded its staff, its chest inted as from somewhere behind the tentacles, a malicious outpour of pressurised air bombarded Unbreakable and Skullius! WHOOOOOOOSSSSHHH! VWOOOOOM! A bright storm of concentrated air smashed into the two within the crater and went to cascade outwards in a massive exploding hurricane that wrecked everything in its path! Most of those who looked on from a distance were slow to react and were sted away gracelessly like limb feathers! The mercenaries, Knights and Terrors alike shed away a great distance from the force, the spot where this attack had originated being left as a clean and clear space devoid of anything but an even more massive crater! The Cluster beast looked on with anxious eyes as before its view cleared, it already knew that its attack didn¡¯t work. The vibrant presence of an unscathed Unbreakable was palpable as he held onto the figure of Skullius whose armour had taken immense amounts of damage from the wind attack! The creature¡¯s tentacles became encased in a steady white glow that whistled dangerously, evidently being the shine of highly condensed wind! The tentacles swung madly at Unbreakable who didn¡¯t move at all! SHWAAA! SHWAAA! SHWAAA! Sounds akin to sses shattering near a sound amplifier echoed as these tentacles crashed into Unbreakable¡¯s body but¡­ No damage at all. Each of these attacks caused the walls to the crater to explode on either side but did nothing to their actual target! All Skullius could see in this battle was the rustling winds that obstructed much of his view as they tore apart the crust underneath. His sockets red as he focused his vision to see what was really happening. His vision honed in on the purple creature he could barely see and the unclear object that it was wielding, his will activating the guidance field to identify what these things were. First¡­ ~~~ [ Name : MaelStorm ] [ Tier : 8 ] [ Core : Purple ] [ Level : 1 ] [ ss : Mage ] [ Race : Elder Totality Galemonger ] [ Inv. Status : Wants some ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength (II) : 90 (Empowered) ] [ Agility (II) : 69 (Empowered) ] [ Intelligence (II) : 55 (Empowered) ] [ Endurance (II) : 78 (Empowered) ] [ Luck : 38 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 51,340/51,340 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana (II) : 350/350 ] ~~~ ¡°Bro!¡± Skullius yelped in shock. What kind of monstrosity was he up against?! He had felt and seen some terrific energies before Unbreakable suddenly showed up but this was ridiculous! That mana value! That health! That Tier! The guidance field showed it with the double bars to identify this creature as a being that had condensed its stats an additional tenfold over the previous tenfold multiplier by the blue core! The Prator couldn¡¯t even imagine how strong this thing truly was! ¡°I have to get out of here! This is way beyond what I can handle!¡± These were Skullius¡¯ thoughts as his mind instantly opted to run away. A purple cored Tier 8 creature?! That was ridiculous! Thoughts of the many options he would have considered otherwise rushed away from him as he tried to pry Unbreakable¡¯s hand away while his gaze remained glued to the hazy purple image and what it held. But then¡­ ~~~ [ Elimparidis Stone Staff ] A staff made in the very depths of the spatially turbulent mountain at the very centre of the innermost ind of a certain Cluster. The deadly and erratic waves of energy that constantly crash against cooled magma forged this staff which has a natural affinity towards a vast array of energies. -Attack- 70,000-90,000 -Durability- 85,981/97,000 -Special Effects- ? +10,000 Absolute Conversion Mana ? Increases skill and natural ability proficiency and power by 300% ? Can store vast spaces [Dimensions] along with all living and non-livingponents dwelling within it. ? Absorbs excess energy emitted from the stored space [Dimension] to create charges which fuel the innate skills and . ¡ª [ Skill: Jolt Ray ] A bright beam attack made of condensed and diluted spatial energies incorporated into mana capable of immense levels of destruction. ¡ª [ Skill: Jump ] A short range spatial discement ability which maxes out at 500 meters from the user. Can be used on anything the user desires. ¡ª- [ Skill: Jaggered Merger ] The staff merges with the user to grant an additional Absolute Conversion of 4,000 to Strength, Agility and Endurance. Usable once every three days. -Caution- All other skills excluding special effects are disabled when is active. ~~~ ¡­! Chapter 329 Take Down The Galemonger! (1) Skullius gawked at the ridiculous attributes and skills of this Legendary grade natural treasure that was being wielded by the dreadful beast that he had been resolved to run away from just now! The special effects of the staff alone were on a whole other level from many of the things he had seen so far and the skills¡­. The skills! They were ridiculous! [Jump] was particrly attractive to Skullius as the instant he understood its effect, he couldn¡¯t help but fantasise the sneaky destruction he would be capable of! Teleportation over a distance of 500 meters was no joke for someone with the right mind for it! [Jolt Ray] and [Jaggered Merger] were ridiculous too and Skullius couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of power he would be able to use if he got his hands on that stuff! He had yet to even see some of these skills in action but was already excited! His bones rattled as he found himself truly wanting this staff! They itched for him to get that treasure at all costs! Against all odds! Something that he had recently attained surged up once again as the Prator felt his will for self preservation and his will to trudge on sh against each other, but both being eclipsed by this suddden force whichbined both for the ultimate benefit! Confidence! As someone who had survived an encounter with an Arch-Lich, he couldn¡¯t let his ability to try be undermined! The Vehement Bone Nullmancer had to show boldness and audacity as the one the Voice of Worlds said would conquer kingdoms! For now, he just had to find an opening to escape and then await for the slightest slip in the creature¡¯s movements. He didn¡¯t need to overwhelm it or to even attempt to kill it before he acquired the staff! This was doable! Above the Prator, the mini-deadlock sh staredown finally ceased. As the winds sted against each other in a vicious storm, Unbreakable suddenly leaned over, his other hand outstretched as he gripped the Elder Totality Galemonger¡¯s tentacles, pulled the creature over to him and gave the octopus-like creature¡¯s bulbous head a chill-inducing head-butt! A crisp sound echoed at this attack, the Galemonger¡¯s skin breaking apart as blood poured from the where it had collided with Unbreakable¡¯s noggin! This was the second bloody bruise to its head and it seemed more brutal than thest! The creature drew back as its mind spun but Unbreakable¡¯s hold remained firm over its tentacles! The dark-haired man¡¯s body billowed with incredible power, his gaze falling firmly on the creature once again! Traces of fear began to show in MaelStorm¡¯s nted, slit-like eyes as he looked at the figure of the seemingly indestructible man it was pitted against! How was this man so powerful when it had the same purple core as him with a natural treasure in tow to boot?! Away from this visual sh, Skullius who saw Unbreakable¡¯s attention turn to the Galemonger immediately made his move! [Guard Light]! Skullius activated a skill that pushed out mana from his body in a bright sh that created a protective encasing which outlined his entire form! The moment this skill manifested over his body, Unbreakable felt his hand being pushed away by the mass of protective light, relieving the Prator from the vastly overpowered man¡¯s hold by a mere inch! As he felt the release, Skullius activated all the basic skills that formed his pseudo skill, ¡®Radiant Awakening¡¯ as well as [Artless Dodger] to move as fast as he could away from the human monster! Unbreakable didn¡¯t turn his head or pay any heed to Skullius. There was no ce that this creature could escape to anyway. He thus gave his full focus to MaelStorm who upon seeing Skullius¡¯ move made one of his own as he sensed Unbreakable¡¯s attention on him waver for half a moment! Its [Jolt Ray] was ineffective against Unbreakable! Its wind attacks were didn¡¯t work at all! Nothing could break Unbreakable! So, there was only one thing left in its arsenal to try! [Jaggered Merger]! A burst of wind spun around the creature as it activated this skill from the staff. Unbreakable narrowed his eyes and immediately drew back a distance as he felt the strange tangling of energies from the staff and the Galemonger. ¡®Its wind attacks¡­ ¡® Unbreakable thought. ¡®From being able to draw mana and air into its body, to expelling the air as pressured pulses capable of¡­ this much destruction. That¡¯s all its capable of. But¡­ it seems like it has another card up its sleeve¡­¡¯ Unbreakable watched the Elimparidis Stone Staff turned into an illusory outline that glowed with a reddish light, the whole thing then swiftly sinking into the body of the Galemonger! An immediate visual effect over MaelStorm registered within the sights of both Skullius and Unbreakable in the next moment. The tall and purple creature with its floating tentacles suddenly buffed up, its body turning bigger and more muscr with a rising surge in its mana and general presence! Glowing red cracks started to appear over its body; over the arms and legs and some over its face as with their appearance, it emitted a roar of immense pain! Billowing winds raged around the creature as it screeched madly, Unbreakable creasing his brow as he shot forward, not giving the Cluster beast a chance toplete whatever it was doing! His powerful body appeared before the Galemonger, his dark hair that arched with crackling waves of condensed mana swaying every which way, signalling his intent to kill in a singr blow! Unbreakable threw an uppercut right where the MaelStorm¡¯s tentacles began on its face, his punch bearing a sharp force that caused the creature¡¯s skin to ripple intensely while the surroundings were ttened and scattered with a heated ignition! BOOM! This time however, the Galemonger didn¡¯t fly off from the force! It bled from behind the tentacles, but it didn¡¯t look as pained or hurt, as it merely staggered. ¡®It¡¯s be sturdier¡­¡¯ Unbreakable thought with the wrinkling of his facial skin. His opponent¡¯s eyes turned into crescents as it revealed its glee, its arms shooting with an incredible speed as it grabbed ahold of Unbreakable¡¯s wrists, cocked its head back and smashed it into the dark-haired man¡¯s face after a set of after-images! The impact was ridiculous as it prompted Skullius to block the ferocious winds that came of it by crossing his arms! Much like the Galemonger had not rued much damage from getting hit by Unbreakable however, the dark-haired man was the same, except he didn¡¯t rue any damage at all! . He simply red at the Cluster beast with sharp eyes! MaelStorm grunted and sucked in a deep breath with a grating wheeze that resounded within arge range! The air was pulled on with a horrendous suction, the mana also falling prey to this effect! The draw exerted itself upon Skullius and he found the mana in his core seeping out in vast amounts at a ridiculous rate! ¡­! ¡®The hell?!¡¯ the Prator felt his mana being drawn on with him being able to do absolutely nothing about it! The same thing urred with Unbreakable as he felt his mana being pulled from his core but a vastly slower rate than anyone else! This natural ability again! It was a perfect fit for a monster as unlike humans, they could level up and evolve without restrictions which made their environments mostly wild as it was a kill or be killed situation. For humans who had to face Tasks and Trials, the prospect of going around killing each other for cumtive mana experience was beyond them as it wouldn¡¯t matter how much mana experience they had if they couldn¡¯t pass a Task or Trial. Just because of this creature¡¯s ability, Unbreakable knew that if it was left unchecked,it could evolve extremely quickly and be a real threat! Thus, the Galemonger had to be killed. ¡®I put half of my strength into thattest punch¡­ My damage output while I¡¯m holding back isn¡¯t enough to bring it down unless we fight for hours. Unfortunately, my technique can¡¯tst that long¡­ If I use my full strength while on the ground, I might kill everyone in the city. I need support¡­¡¯ the man thought as his gaze turned to Skullius who was a distance away, standing like a statue. The Prator noticed this piercing gaze and grew vignt while shaking himself of the apprehension that came with him being unable to stop his mana from leaking towards the Cluster beast. ¡°You¡¯re the one who helped with that lightning from the sky, right?¡± a voice travelled with the wind over to Skullius. Skullius shuddered as he knew it came from Unbreakable. What was the significance of answering this question? The Prator paused for a bit before nodding. ¡°Then let me employ your help to take down this thing¡­¡± Chapter 330 Take Down The Galemonger! (2) There were several reasons for why Unbreakable was asking Skullius for help. This might have seemed contradictory when considering he could see the Prator¡¯s appearance from where he had torn off the side of the creature¡¯s helmet but the man had considered a lot of things since that moment. One was that Skullius didn¡¯t emit any evil presence. Heck, the bastard didn¡¯t even have a presence to begin with. It was as if he wasn¡¯t there when he used the senses outside his sight. Of course this could be debunked easily but it wasn¡¯t the only thing. The skeleton had Levin running along his bony body, which he saw as lightning, something he couldn¡¯t exactly tie to undead as he knew them. Thest thing was that this skeleton had actually helped in saving the city with that lightning move that obliterated two chunks of the massive ind. This thing had also gone on to assist the mercenaries in cutting down some of the Bulk Terrors with a peculiar skill before the evil presence had suddenly gushed from him and killed hundreds. All this culminated into the man¡¯stest thoughts. He didn¡¯t think that this thing was an ally as such, but it definitely had a reason for mitigating damage to the city and he appealed to that reason. Whatever happenedter could happen, but first, the Galemonger had to be dealt with. Skullius cocked his head in confusion. With how everything was going, he didn¡¯t expect to be sted with such an unexpected call. ¡®Me? Help? Isn¡¯t this guy mad at me for killing all those mercenaries?¡¯ the Prator questioned himself. ¡®Does this bastard even need my help? I barely have mana to do anything anyway!¡¯ Skullius wanted to pose this question to Unbreakable but he didn¡¯t know how as he couldn¡¯t transport his voice through the air. As he was about to issue a reply regardless of whether or not the dark haired man could hear or not, a shot of blistering heat dropped from the sky in the form of a massive ming arrow that red with a bright white light onto the Galemonger! BWOOOOM! The purple creature was enveloped in the fire, its hands letting go of Unbreakable who promptly retreated back. At the same time, the massive pull on all air and mana was cut off, relieving both the atmosphere and Skullius who felt within his core to discover that he barely had any mana remaining but still showed calmness in his four socket mes. Behind the roaring mes that towered over three meters, twisting like a tornado as they engulfed MaelStorm, a robed figure appeared with his aged face showing a stern face saturated with focus and killing intent! The Hawk of Congration above him steadily pped its wings as it called out loudly. The old man pulled back his right sleeve and sank his hand into the roaring mes as the air then shuddered, a horrendous force of mana pouring from Terian as it gathered on his hand that touched the back of the Galemonger within the fire! VWUUUUUOOOSH! A jet-like stream of white fire sted from Terian¡¯s hand in a concentrated manner, firing in a straight line! The stream of me melted everything in its path while leaving a trail of nothing but smoke and molten rock, an intense vibration shaking the area many times over! Skullius looked at this with ring socket mes full of both excitement and anxiety! The ray of me made everything appear dark while highlighting only what it scorched! When it ended, Terian retreated to where Unbreakable was standing while waving his hand which emitted smoke and steam with a slight glow of red. The cooked dust and thick smoke was a testament to the amount of power released but none of the two men were shocked when a wave of concentrated air blew outwards to reveal the unscathed Galemonger. Terian sighed. ¡°I knew this wouldn¡¯t kill it but¡­ to think that there¡¯s not even a scratch¡­¡± he said in exaggerated exasperation. ¡°This creature is sturdy. It absorbed the staff it was using to get a boost to its physicality,¡± Unbreakable exined, his eyes not leaving the creature. ¡°I see. And here I thought I¡¯d seen the worst of it. It evolved when I was fighting against it. It has a troublesome natural ability. For it to have such power, it probably wandered out of a powerful Cluster. That brat was probably right.¡± Unbreakable clicked his tongue. Terian then turned to the oddly armoured man behind, seeing the appearance behind the helm. His eyes almost popped out of his sockets and he was about to ask when¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that for now,¡± Unbreakable instructed to which Terian reluctantly let go of the matter. Unbreakable could probably handle it if he said so. As he took a few moments to recover his mind to the current issue, he then posed a question. ¡°You truly can¡¯t beat this thing with your full strength?¡± he asked, referring to the Galemonger. Somehow, this question bit Unbreakable where it hurt, momentarily shattering his ever focused visage and he did his best to provide an objective answer. ¡°If I use my Full Body Aura I could best it but just one of my attacks in that state could eradicate the city. We can get this thing far away or high up but with its new powers, I wasn¡¯t sure I could do that on my own as my speed¡­well¡­ isn¡¯t anything special, even when factoring in my Full Body Aura.¡± 0???.?0? ¡°It carries itself like a Mage even though it doesn¡¯t have many tricks up its sleeve beyond wind projectiles. I assume the Teleportation is an aspect of its staff which it may or may not be able to use in this new state. That would make this fight harder than it needs to be.¡± Terian nodded. ¡°Then that¡¯s tricky. My own spatial maniption can¡¯t get us beyond 70 meters so the option of pulling it out of the city is off the board. It¡¯s a. Then I suppose¡­¡± the old man said as he cocked his right sleeve again, making sure it wouldn¡¯t untuck itself again. The air cracked like a whip as an ferocious orange me red over it with a rising intensity. ¡°We¡¯ll have to steadily damage it over time¡­¡± Unbreakable finished Terian¡¯s sentence as his body bubbled with a powerful force of mana. At the same time that they took this stance, the Galemonger locked both of its arms as mana poured from its body. Vicious winds blew around it in this open space and the creature with ferocity as they formed three partially visible rings around it that spun protectively. ¡®Hmmm¡­ is it learning new tricks from its new evolution?¡¯ Terian thought. Unbreakable narrowed his eyes in suspicion as well, but this wasn¡¯t going to stop him and the old man from attacking as in the next moment, the two shot forward, reaching the Galemonger before Skullius could fruitlessly try to blink! Terian went high as his ming fist flew in a hook towards the side of the creature¡¯s face while burning the air! Unbreakable¡¯s cheeks became inted as he drew in air and went for a low sweep to knock the creature down, his leg resisting the immense opposing force in the air which intended to reduce his momentum! Shockingly, the Galemonger was not overwhelmed in the least by the sudden attack, and with the same amount of agility as its foes, or perhaps higher, it drew in the rings of air towards itself and then expelled them outwards before Terian¡¯s fist could touch its head! The old man felt all the momentum he had built up get resisted by the winds which generated a massive flow that pushed against his figure! Yet this wasn¡¯t all as the old man found tens of marble-like objects streaking through this wind as they barrelled against him, all igniting the moment they reached within close proximity of Terian! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Explosions ensued, the mes being fuelled by the steady flow of air as they zed around Terian! The Galemonger then quickly exerted strength into its foot before Unbreakable could knock it down and smashed its fist towards the man¡¯s face as he approached from below! ¡­! Unbreakable felt as if he had struck an immovable surface but he didn¡¯t dwell on it, as he brought his hands together to guard against the iing punch! As the fist descended however, Terian¡¯s figure appeared on the Galemonger¡¯s other side with his ming fist smashing squarely into the creature¡¯s face! BOOM! A crisp impact along with the explosion of mes roared on the Galemonger¡¯s face as its fist¡¯s strength died down! At the same time, Unbreakable gripped the tentacles belonging to the creature and pulled hard as he cocked his fist, intent on flinging a deadly punch to keep the flow of attacks going! Skullius watched this was in awe! This monster was being beaten regardless of what tactics it used. Would this battle be over soon then? Would get a chance to nab that staff? Did he need to act now and use his all or nothing move to risk it all? Damn it! Terian¡¯s entrance had shed up his ns! As Skullius began to anticipate what would happen next and how it would affect his next moves, something interrupted his thoughts! A massive purple glow suddenly appeared behind the Galemonger in the form arge eye that trembled as it looked at the octo-humanoid¡¯s enemies! Chapter 331 Take Down The Galemonger! (3) Outside Inhone City. A massive sea of sand stood between Inhone City¡¯s entrance and a literally flood of Bulk Terrors that rushed with a genuine craze and desire to tear apart everything within the city! ,??m The sand swirled at the centre like a whirlpool, tens of Terrors being captured as they failed to escape from this sinking trap! These Terrors were being stormed by attacks from mercenaries that stood atop the wall to the city, using long range attacks of different kinds! Joining in on the sand would be suicide for these people as they all recognised that the tide of Terrors was being kept out by Tulnas¡¯ efforts and thus he wouldn¡¯t be bothered to save them if they rushed in to engage with the enemy over his sand! The horde of creatures that sessfully raced with their overwhelming strength through the thick sands were faced with arge sand bear that swatted them down into the sand sea to inhibit their crossing over to the other side, limiting the number that even reached the whirlpool! As if all this wasn¡¯t enough, up above, a sea of water could be seen, covering just as much of an area as the sea of sand! A massive elephant could be see floating upside down under this sea as its luminous eyes gazed menacingly at the many enemies! Thousands of sharpened and mana-saturated ice shards would streak from the sea, storming towards the tentacled bastards, aiming for their vitals and for specific spots were Tulnas instructed. All this said, one would wonder where the Tamer was in all this. The answer? He was headed into the thick of approaching Bulk Terrors after much of them had been disoriented by the rain of attacks! The man donned a full set of heavy sand armour in a berserker style, making him look twice as big as he actually was. In both hands, Tulnas wielded tworge swords made of hard, clear ice with razor sharp edges to maximise their shing damage! With the weight of both these weapons in addition to the armour, it would be difficult for Tulnas in his base state to maintain his attack and movement speed. Thus, the additional strength was supplemented by his dear friend, the Grinning Jester Fox which he affectionately named Ergin against its will. The Tamer darted over towards his enemies with immense speed, condensed mana wrapping around his weapons in order to strengthen them as they shed against dozens of tentacles and shed against thickyers of flesh that resisted amateur cutting techniques! His movements were incredible and massively more destructive as with his mind sending instruction to Bradd and Alphat tounch specific attacks that would create openings for him, he made quick work of most of the enemies. His battle prowess at this moment was vastly different from what he showed during the expedition to solve the issue Cluster situation because back then, he had been fully expecting to use his False Territory, and thus had limited his tamed beasts¡¯ activity to save their energy. Without such a worry at this moment as he knew Terian and Unbreakable were in the city, he went all out tomit to his role now. Unfortunately, there was only so much he could do about the Bulk Terrors that had invaded before Bradd could erect arge enough sand sea but still¡­ he had held his ground quite well. Tulnas turned his head as he drew back, feeling and hearing rumbles back in the city as well as¡­. a familiar energy. ¡®Primus¡­?¡¯ His eyes as he looked back saw two figures who shed over the sand, moving with super light steps as they reached his position in a few seconds. ¡°Master¡­¡± ¡°Guild Master¡­ You need some help?¡± Tulnas grinned behind the armour. ¡°Natalika, Renia¡­¡± the Tamer smirked at the two who instantly prepared for battle. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have much time to indulge them in pleasantries as the flood of enemies once again stormed towards them. ¡°Not the celebration I had in mind, but it¡¯ll do¡­¡± Tulnas said as he stormed ahead, but a small portion of his mind kept pondering over that familiar energy signature he had felt from within the city. Was it anything significant? *** As the purple eyes emerged behind the Galemonger, everyone involved felt greatly unsettled as the energy it released was extremely thick, almost causing Unbreakable and Terian to copse as they momentarily lost feeling in their knees! Terian immediately recognised this from Tulnas¡¯ report. The purple eye! Primus energy! Skullius was even more rattled by this because unlike Terian, he had a definitive reference point from back then and could tell that this was vastly different from the Primus that was released by the Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf or the Ghouls or carp! This was on a whole other level! ¡®Right! The guidance field said it was Empowered! I was so surprised by its stats that I overlooked it! It¡¯s just like the others! It will probably get stronger now!¡¯ Skullius thought as he backed away even further. The mes that had engulfed MaelStorm¡¯s head died down and mana poured from the Galemonger as it seemed to prepare to use some high level application of its wind! The Galemonger¡¯s eyes shed with a dangerous light as it stretched out its hands, a thick dome of gusty winds suddenly appearing around it, Terian and Unbreakable! The dome covered a vast distance as it went to even catch Skullius within it before the Prator could react! ¡­! ¡°Damn it!¡± Skullius cursed. On the other side, Unbreakable sensed the intricacies of this dome that he was in and as he looked at the Galemonger to see it looking particrly pleased, he knew that this was going to be different! This was dangerous! This could even be troublesome for him! And if it was dangerous for him then¡­ He looked to Terian before he darted towards the old man but the thick winds seemed to battle against his agility, slowing him down severely! He wasn¡¯t sure the old man¡¯s simplistic Genuine Incarnation could handle this attack that, if he was not mistaken, steadily trudged over the shore of the Super, from the mere Special application of mana! Indeed! Something at the level of a Super skill! He wasn¡¯t sure what this thing nned to do exactly but¡­ As he raced forward, the Prator behind them all fumbled over many of his thoughts as he felt the impending doom! ¡®Damn it! I was too rxed! I didn¡¯t see thising¡­!¡¯ he thought as he panicked but quickly tried topose himself. This was it! It seemed it was now or never. The ¡®perfect¡¯ moment to strike he thought he would get seemingly didn¡¯t exist here and he had to make his move now! Gambling on a not-guaranteed way to escape death. This wasn¡¯t new to Skullius however as all he could do was try. His socket mes red. He grabbed onto the confidence he still felt brimming within him in this trying situation where someone like him shouldn¡¯t even be! Therefore, in typical star-of-the-y fashion, Skullius said a line that was both typical and atypical at the same time. One that he spoke while his non-existent heart beat like a drum, the tension getting to him even as he tried to muster his confidence for a cool facade. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to use this so soon¡­¡± he said as he linked his mind somewhere. Millisecondster¡­ VWUUUUUM! A sound akin to a bunch of electronic noises mashed together sounded as the dome of gusty winds brightened up with immense levels of mana bellowing over with a bright sh of light illuminating the area! No explosion cascaded, blowing everything up as the only thing that was meant to ur next was the TOTAL erasure of all things caught up in the dome of wind! Wind, dust, flesh, bone and even mana itself! The only decorum for the skill activation were the sparks of lightning that resulted from the collision of highly condensed and rapidly moving wind! In the next moment, the dome of wind vanished as if it had never existed before. Over the ground it had appeared, a crater in the exact same shape appeared! The ground had been eaten up instantly! What was revealed to be left was the figure of the Galemonger which showed immense joy through its crescent shaped eyes as it dropped to the bottom of the crater, the ground it had stood on having been erased. The other¡­ was the figure of Terian, the radiant figure of the Hawk of Congration above him being reduce to nothing but a violently torn distorted neon light while he¡­ was left as a bloody body with more than half of his flesh missing from his body! It was unsightly! It was grotesque! It had all happened so fast that perhaps, he hadn¡¯t even managed to make a sound yet! A covering of condensed mana remained over this pitiful figure, showing what had been Unbreakable¡¯s attempt to save the old man! The dark haired man himself was also dropping to the bottom of the perfectly carved crater underneath, his state being much better¡­ as onlya few bloody bruises could be seen over his body! Indeed! Something had finally damaged him! It took this much power to simply cause bruises over his body! The Galemonger was pleased that it was finally making progress with this seemingly undamageable bastard but its glee ceased when it saw a third figure¡­ who was unscathed altogether! ¡­! Unbreakable who had been devastated at seeing Terian¡¯s state turned behind him, feeling the outrageous fluctuations of mana that seemed endless ¨C as if they didn¡¯t have an end at all! Or was it because it was just a vastly concentrated pool of power that gave the illusion of being endless?! Regardless of what it was, a guidance field notification was showing in the vision of this figure at this very moment, detailing who and what he was. [Congrattions! You have forged your first ¡®Bringer of All¡¯ by assimting with the Apostle ¡®¡­¡¯ and using the skill ¡®Mana Force¡¯ as a base!] [A wrathful being with immense power and countless possibilities for growth has been born] [Variant andbinations saved] [You are¡­ Ogwulf the Limitless] Chapter 332 Bringer of All Moments ago¡­ The Limitless Body Null Demon Hound had been in the midst of killing its 59th Bulk Terror when it suddenly felt a tug from somewhere. Its master was calling. No. It wasn¡¯t just its master. It was a skill that its master was casting and in this very moment, amand flowed into its head. At this same time, Red Rage who had just been knocked away by a punch from a Bulk Terror screeched to a halt in mid-air. ¡°Hmm?¡± A mental message gave him a clear instruction,ing from Skullius. ¡®Give me all your mana and Null Life Essence¡­¡¯ the message said. The two Apostles immediatelyplied, sending all their mana and Null Life Essence, even though Skullius didn¡¯t need it all. As a result, only that which was needed was taken as the rest remained with the two Apostles, something incredible back where themand for the need for mana and Null Life Essence hade from! * Present time¡­ Unbreakable and MaelStorm looked with surprised eyes to see a unique individual who stood with an air of abundant mana and confidence aftering out of thetest ridiculous attack without a scratch. It was a tall individual, roughly 2,7 meters tall with a bulky build and a humanoid appearance. He had a stern face with a standard masculine structure, above a button nose and ideal lips, two glowing sockets with extraordinarily bright whitish blue lights being seen instead of eyeballs. Above his head, a brown hide with glowing symbols fashioned by the head of a wolf could be made out as it extended over to his broad shoulders that then cascaded down into barerge, muscr arms! Around these arms, thick dark chains tightly wrapped around them from the wrist to the elbow, his bare chest having swollen chest pads and abs at the abdomen where a strange light constantly pulsed. Another brown hide could be seen around his waist,plementing the pair of ck tight metallic pants that he wore along with dark greaves with simrly dark chains around them as well. This figure radiated visible waves of mana in arge radius, the air twisting with white swirls that surrounded him in his sturdy stance. Who the heck was this? Where had the skeleton gone? What was this majestic figure who made the two powerhouses pause to take in his appearance? Well¡­ ~~~ [ Name : Ogwulf the Limitless ] [ Tier : ??? ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Core : White ] [ Race : Bringer of All ] [ Inv. Status : Doomed x2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : Dependent on mana ] [ Agility : Dependent on mana] [ Intelligence : Dependent on mana ] [ Endurance : Dependent on mana ] [ Luck : Atrocious? (Still hasn¡¯t changed, bud) ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : Dependent on mana ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana :Indefinite ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Null Life Essence : 4450/9000 ] ~~~ [ Skills ] [ ] ¡­. [ Skills ] [ ] ¡­. [ Skills ] [] [ Greatest Manamation | Lv.1 ] [ Greatest Manakinesis | Lv.1 ] [ Greatest Manamorphosis | Lv.1 ] [ Greatest Manaosis | Lv.1 ] [ Greatest Manaliths | Lv.1 ] [ Greatest Manabend | Lv. 1 ] [ Manabound Manalific Martial Art | Lv. 1 ] ¡­ ¡­ ~~~ The skill [Bringer of All] had finally been used! The Null Life ss skill that had only been unlocked when Skullius had achieved Tier 1 in the Labyrinth had finally found a spot to shine! (A/N: Refer to Ch.104). With 5000 points of both mana and Null Life Essence, Skullius couldbine himself with one of his Apostles using any non-Null Life skill as a base to create a variant of creatures known as a Bringer of All. One of the countless possibilities of this skill was this current buff creature that had been formed. Ogwulf the Limitless. Its disposition was clearly different from both Skullius and his Apostle but it was thebination of both these two entities and all their abilities as well as features. Ogwulf¡¯s luminous sockets gazed at Unbreakable and the Galemonger before they turned to the bloody figure of the trembling and quivering Terian in this massive, perfectly carved out ditch. He raised hisrge hand which was marred with thick, tough muscles which were not actually made of flesh but countless Unliving Threads with a sandy colour to imitate skin and formed a w gesture! Billows of thick bright mana coagted around his wrist and fingers as he extended his hand towards Terian and then¡­ ¡­! Unbreakable was shocked to see a bright covering of mana envelop the old man and with an insanely quick motion, Terian was pulled over towards Ogwulf! This was¡­ Manakinesis! An incredibly concise maniption of mana to move objects at will using this energy! Ogwulf set down Terian who was hardly aware of what was going on, what with him being at death¡¯s door and all. He wore a grin as his luminous eyes highlighted Terian¡¯s body, crouching down to touch the man¡¯s chest. He opened his mouth, an eerily deep voice saturated with authority and nonchnce flushing out. ¡°Don¡¯t die yet, old man. I have ns for you.¡± An lively yet invisible energy gushed into Terian¡¯s body from Ogwulf¡¯s hand, healing all his fatal wounds in a single moment! [Luminous Healing]! The old man found his body, while mostly naked to be fully recovered! His torn skin and profusely bleeding flesh had been healed, bing as good as new! Terian¡¯s mouth went agape as he felt over himself but Ogwulf didn¡¯t pay him any more attention. He merely turned to Unbreakable who was gawking at what he had done in shock and did something else that gobsmacked everyone who was watching. The Bringer of All suddenly turned into a stream of mana that shot over to right beside Unbreakable! Was this Manamorphosis?! The stream of mana, upon reaching the man rematerialized into Ogwulf who gave hisnguid and bright gaze to the dark-haired man before speaking in amanding tone. ¡°Listen carefully, Freak bro. I won¡¯t say this twice. When I say ¡®Limbo¡¯, attack that thing with everything you¡¯ve got,¡± Ogwulf ordered. ¡°W¡­what?¡± Unbreakable couldn¡¯t process this quite well after witnessing everything that he had just seen. Ogwulf didn¡¯t repeat himself however, as he went on extend his hand in the direction of the Galemonger that hurriedly clutched its hands, the rings of wind re-emerging around it. The Bringer of All scoffed as he thought to himself, ¡®What an idiot.¡¯ ¡°Limbo,¡± he said out loud while activating a skill at the same time. On he hadn¡¯t used in a very long time. [Static Limbo]! A skill that trapped its targets at the corridor of life and death, the duration of this skill depending on the disparity of strength between the user and the target. [You have activated the skill ¡®Static Limbo¡¯. The target has been afflicted by Serenity. Due to the level and Tier difference, effectsts for 1 second] 1 second! This not only showed how powerful the Galemonger was but also how powerful Ogwulf was to even have the skill work despite the gap in strength! A hazy blue light that only Ogwulf could see wrapped around MaelStorm and in the next mini-moment, the Cluster beast was stuck in ce while its eyes turned into a shade of light blue, its skin bing grey! It had been sessfully afflicted! Unbreakable noticed this change and the gears in his brain spun as he didn¡¯t hesitate any further! This was it right? The purple eye behind the Galemonger continued to look this way and that as if it couldn¡¯t believe what was happening but there was nothing it could do. Unbreakableunched forward like a fleeting spirit and enacted once again his previous not-so-sessful attack, an upward hook to the Galemonger¡¯s head! He struck with a little more power thanst time to extend the damage while limiting his strength to not cause excessive destruction! A rippling shockwave madly crashed against everything in the vicinity! Unbreakable wasn¡¯t done however, as he saw the Galemonger not giving any reaction except an unconscious pour of blood from behind its tentacles! Whatever that bizarre man with the hide who called him a freak had done was too good of an opportunity to miss! Unbreakable raised his hands and interlocked all ten of his fingers before bringing down his two hands to smash the Galemonger¡¯s head in! ,??m BOOM! As if one cataclysmic explosion of force wasn¡¯t enough, a second one ensued! Ogwulf transformed into a steam of mana once again as he rose up, the energy that formed him coalescing into a white outline of his face as he grinned! ¡°Good!¡± he called. The Galemonger suddenly came back to its senses, its skin and eyes retaining their original colour as it then screeched in pain! What was going on?! What had happened to it?! It looked utterly confused and so was the bulging eye behind it! The Cluster beast saw Unbreakable before it fling another mad fist and it grew furious, its hand which had a glowing lining of cracks catching the man¡¯s punch before it could reach! Its nted eyes glowed with rage as a sphere of rushing wind started to coalesce around it in an unnaturally bright hue! Unbreakable recognised this immediately as he knew that danger wasing! This again?! This skill that had managed to damage him before! If it was used several more times¡­ WAAA! A bright sh lit from somewhere else, contesting with MaelStorm¡¯s own skill activation! What was this now?! Another surprise?! Before the Galemonger could cast its terrifying skill, it was interrupted! The second sh of light, which was not wind but mana surrounded the entire space! Both fighters turned to the source and found a grinning fully materialised Ogwulf who released this mass of mana! ¡°You know you want to!¡± Ogwulf bellowed as he red at the Galemonger as if it was an idiot! The creature as it saw the flood of mana felt its instincts kicking in forcibly! All this mana. Freely flowing in the air without any use! What was stopping it from taking it all! Having the energy teasing its skin like this¡­ it couldn¡¯t possibly resist! Right then, the Cluster beast drew in a long breath, an unsettling wheeze echoing with the action as mana and air were drawn in! ¡°What an idiot!¡± Ogwulf yelled with a condescending guffaw, his hand raising as he activated another skill whilepletely disregarding its cost! [Greatest Manamation]! Chapter 333 My Core! 0???.?0? One would wonder why Skullius had chosen the [Mana Force] skill to use for [Bringer of All] when he knew that this would potentially lead him to be a big target for the Galemonger¡¯s ability which he had experienced earlier. Well, the Prator hadn¡¯t been too hinged on how all his mana would be sucked out like before but on the fact that potentially, he could have more mana to use if he used this skill as the base. Of course, he had no experience with [Bringer of All] and this was his first time using it but he didn¡¯t see the use in using any other skills which didn¡¯t supplement for the potential mana loss. To his rarely seen fortune, the Prator had ended up bing a powerhouse with an unfathomable assortment of mana rted skills along with an indefinite amount of mana! This along with all of his and the Limitless Null Demon Hound¡¯s skills, he clearly was the same Tier 1 Prator! As soon as MaelStorm took in a breath to suck in all the mana he had released in bulk, Ogwulf grinned as he activated [Greatest Manamation]! ~~~ [Greatest Manamation | Lv.1] With the abundant mana avable, create 10 mana clones of yourself that have a few basic skills from the original and/or sub-skills created from the vast pool of the user¡¯s arsenal. Mana Requirements: N/A Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: ¡ª ~~~ The mana that gushed out of Ogwulf condensed to form ten whitish blue figures that looked identical to him, their appearance causing the air to shudder! With the Galemonger taking a deep breath, these clones immediately used [Manamorphosis] to turn into streams of mana that raced along, joining in on the suction fun! They flowed quickly, as along with the mass of mana that Ogwulf had released, they also travelled into the body of the Cluster beast! The original Ogwulf guffawed from the distance with a cheery grin. ¡®This is already over!¡¯ he thought as he raced ahead in his mana form that amplified his speed and materialised right in front of the Galemonger where Unbreakable was tussling with it! The creature noticed his arrival and shoved Unbreakable away with its great strength, considering this new arrival as a much more terrifying threat as even now as it drew in mana from all avable sources, this beastly man wasn¡¯t fazed at all! Also, he wasn¡¯t even concerned about the quick outflow of mana at all! The purple eye behind the Galemonger constricted, keeping its focus on the Bringer of All. Ogwulf turned to the dark-haired man at his side who looked torn for what to do. ¡°Freak bro, take this thing¡¯s attention for a bit. If you follow my instructions we¡¯ll finish it within the next minute,¡± Ogwulf said to which Unbreakable couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed and yet couldn¡¯t find the time to dispute as nothing he could think of could deny that this strange¡­creature, knew what it was doing. The Galemonger flung a terrible blow at Ogwulf who obviously couldn¡¯t handle it of react to it, Unbreakable being a second toote to block the blow for the Bringer of All! BOOOM! As the fist connected with Ogwulf the Limitless¡¯ upper torso, the entire portion of his body blew up as if denoted by a bomb! This strength of the punch released could easily equal the strength from Unbreakable¡¯s hook a few moments ago! Unbreakable was shaken at first and the Galemonger had even narrowed its eyes in triumph, but then¡­. Thousands of Unliving Threads with a sandy hue emerged from the pulsing red symbol at the belly of Ogwulf as they twisted and weaved to reform the torso perfectly! MaelStorm and Unbreakable were equally shocked by this! What the heck was this man¡­ or creature made out of?! He could transform into mana and now¡­this?! The Unliving Thread was a feature of Skullius¡¯test Apostle, partially sentient matter that could be used to forge a great range of items along with having a vast variety of traits over it. For instance, the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound currently had the Demon Thread, the extra trait of which was consolidating the body of the user by arge margin, usually at a range of up to 50%. Ogwulf chuckled in his own mind. The blow he had just received had actually done some immense damage to the skeletal structure below the Unliving Threads forming his skin! Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t reforge the bones fast enough with the Threads nor with the green light from [Lanterns of the Pure] as this was what he had used to survive being caught up with that deadly wind attack from the Galemonger! Frankly, he couldn¡¯t allow that attack to be used again! At all costs! As the Unliving Thread reformed Ogwulf¡¯s body, the Bringer of All grinned, hiding his thoughts as heunched an attack at the Galemonger! The creature prepared to defend, but this time, Unbreakable gripped its arm and sank his knee into its side with a ferocious force! He did his best to take the thing¡¯s attention while hoping that this ¡®ally¡¯ could actually help! The Galemonger groaned in pain, leaving itself wide open for Ogwulf who extended his hand with great speed towards it exposed abdomen, his fingers lighting up with mana as they then drew aplex construct on the creature¡¯s skin that had an instantaneous effect! The Galemonger suddenly screamed as blood flew out from behind its face tentacles, the mana in its body starting to move erratically! Somehow¡­ Somehow¡­ its mana core was quivering dangerously, irregrly distributing mana through the channels that led from it! While they were channels in the body for food, blood and air, there were also channels for mana to pass through, linking to all essential organs or at least the organs relevant to relevant collective organs. These channels were supposed to distribute mana at a fixed rate but when the flow changed, sometimes massive amounts gushing out at a time, it wasn¡¯t impossible for something¡­unfortunate to ur! The damage that was urring within the body of the Galemonger was insanely disorienting and distracting and with this it was fed a few more attacks from Unbreakable! What was this?! What was going on?! What kind of bullshit skill was this?! Chapter 334 Perfect Game! (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Ogwulf narrowed his eyes as he looked at the results of his attack. It was barely an attack as this skill he had used was still tooplex for him to have fully grasped right after spawning. ¡®A purple core is harder to manipte with the Manabound Martial Arts? Interesting,¡¯ he thought as he watched the creature screech horribly. The Manabound Manalific Martial Arts allowed the user to freely control the flow of mana in the opponent¡¯s core provided they managed to establish physical contact, though the effect depended on the degree of mastery as well the core of the target! The fact that this skill was still level 1, coupled with how the opponent¡¯s core was purple made sure the effect left much to be desired. ¡®No matter. I didn¡¯t intend to end you like this anyway. You may be an idiot but you¡¯re strong. None of my attacks can kill you. However, my creations ought to have been exempted from your core¡¯s pull already. Now, the next step begins!¡¯ Ogwulf thought as malice bubbled in his mind. The Galemonger that was constantly experiencing things other than the usual fire and fist flew into a rage as dozens of the grey marble-like spheres over its body flew out in every direction! The marbles exploded upon contact with anything in their path, Unbreakable facing a flurry of mes over his body from this along with being struck by an outward spinning ring of condensed air! He was knocked back, the Galemonger turning to Ogwulf who had somehow escaped being sted by the marbles and used its speed to the very limit as well as its strength, gathering billows of bright wind for the transcendent skill it had used before to injure Unbreakable and almost kill Terian! ¡®There it is again!¡¯ Ogwulf thought. He remained unfazed however, even as the speed with which the Galemonger approached was too much for his sight! As the Galemonger brought its wind covered hands together with Ogwulf in between¡­ ¡­ Suddenly¡­ Suddenly¡­ the Bringer of All vanished! The creature halted its attack as it then turned behind it, thinking that perhaps its enemy had appeared behind it for a despicable surprise! But¡­ no. He was not there! Heck, he wasn¡¯t anywhere! The Galemonger turned every which way but could not find its opponent! Unbreakable rushed up to it again, paying attention to the white billows around the creature¡¯s hand! ¡®What¡¯s that man¡­ creature¡¯s n? Do I just keep distracting this thing? Where has he gone?!¡¯ he thought with an angry tone even in his mind but did not stop his charge! He kept on with what he had been told, hoping that surely, in a minute¡¯s worth of time, this would all be over. As for the entity that these two sought for¡­ He was right atop the Galemonger¡¯s head! Ogwulf was miniaturised into the size of an ant while sitting over MaelStorm¡¯s head, the effect of the [Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide] taking effect as it perfectly hid his presence! No could see, hear or sense him at all! One of the central traits of a ss that Skullius hadn¡¯t chosen, the Spirit Walker! The Bringer of All satfortably while the Galemonger exchanged blows with Unbreakable, his hand on his chin as if he was bored! His luminous eyes dimmed as he was slowly fading into sleep. ¡®What¡¯s taking so long?¡¯ he thought. Within the body of the Galemonger, ten mana clones of Ogwulf were streaking through with their bodies partially materialised using [Manamorphosis]! When they had been sucked in by MaelStorm, they had been pulled over to the creature¡¯s core but had battled being assimted into the creature¡¯s core by using [Manamorphosis]. Ogwulf had used the [Manabound Martial Arts] to disrupt the Galemonger¡¯s core in order give the clones a chance to escape its pull thus giving them leeway to search for what he had sent them to find! The sh between the two powerhouses outside had to continue for forty full seconds before the original Ogwulf finally perked up, receiving the signal he waiting for. His clones had finally found it! ¡®Do it then!¡¯ he ordered. In the next few moments, the Galemonger which had been battling against Unbreakable suddenly halted, a clean hit smashing into its face because of this pause! It staggered, its eyes bulging as it felt a tremendous difort within its body! Something was happening! Something was messing with something within its body! In the next moment, it screeched in agony for the umpteenth time in this battle, the cracks over its body glowing brighter before they started to vanish and recede! Soon, the body of the Galemonger reduced in size as a red haze withdrew from its body unceremoniously! When the red haze fully exited the Cluster beast¡¯s body, it formed a long staff with a white gem at its tip! ¡­! [Jaggered Merger] had been forcibly ended! What?! The clones within MaelStorm had been searching for the point in the Cluster beast¡¯s body where the staff¡¯s energy caused the merge. When they had found it, it only took a round of attacks like [Manassault] to disrupt the connection, causing the staff¡¯s link with the Galemonger being forced to cease! At the same time that the staff appeared, Ogwulf immediately leapt towards it from the Galemonger¡¯s head and upon touching it in his diminutive form it vanished! Unbreakable was once again shocked by this turn of events. He could hardly understand why the Galemonger was behaving strangely before he saw it shrink and lose its staff! This is what the strange man whom he could have sworn was a skeleton before wanted to achieve all along?! Of course, it was to everyone¡¯s benefit as clearly, the Galemonger had lost much of its endurance and strength, now left unable to contend with Unbreakable for anything in the physical department! Ogwulf once again wore a grin with tangles of Unliving Thread dancing at the corners of his lips! ¡®Now¡­ for the finale,¡¯ he said as the Elimparidis staff reappeared in his hand, his body returning to its normal height! ,?-?-m The staff hadn¡¯t been taken into storage as most would assume. Ogwulf had taken it into his body instead where it was analysed using the both his Unliving Thread and the guidance field. Ogwulf then pointed the Legendary object towards the Galemonger that was yet to recover from having the Elimparidis Staff forcibly taken from it. While in this state of beingpletely imperceptible, the staff he wielded wasn¡¯t however and Unbreakable and Terian who saw the staff floating in midair couldn¡¯t be more confused. Ogwulf, after understanding the functions of the staff through the guidance field then used the skill [Jump] against MaelStorm, the Cluster beast vanishing from where it stood to appear several hundred meters in the air! Ogwulf¡¯s figure became visible once more, his luminous sockets turning to Unbreakable who had lost count of how many times he had to be shocked by this being¡¯s actions. The Bringer of All gave an unfriendly smirk as he pointed up with his finger. ¡°Freak bro. A minute as promised. Finish it off,¡± Ogwulf the Limited said, the meaning to his words being abundantly clear. Chapter 335 Mutual Regrets In The Final Act Above? Unbreakable¡¯s eyes followed where Ogwulf was pointing and he finally saw the Galemonger high up in the sky! Following the trajectory of the spatial discement of the Cluster beast in such a short amount of time was beyond him but now, he saw and sensed it! His ideal n had been actualised, the Tier 8 monster positioned right where he needed it to be for him to finish it off without causing too much coteral damage! The dark-haired man turned to look back at Ogwulf but the peculiar creature¡­ was no longer there! The spot where it had been standing was now void, as if nothing had been there in the first ce, the staff also having miraculously disappeared once again. This time, Unbreakable couldn¡¯t find the strength to expend in shock. He had more or less figured that whatever that thing was, it had attained what it wanted, the staff. Its ability to transform from a skeleton to an overpowered stack of bulk with a dress sense akin to that of the fighters from Maqi was the least of the bountiful pack of surprises he had seen today. And now, all that was left was his part which had been marked for him. He did wonder if Ogwulf had overheard his conversation with Terian about him needing the Galemonger to be away from the city for him to finish it off but that was another concern forter. Little did he know however, that the Bringer of All had only teleported the Galemonger up because he didn¡¯t want to be near the thing if it ever used the shy wind attack again in its rage as this time, with [Lanterns of the Pure] on cooldown, he would die if caught in it. Terian who had been watching the short battle unfold couldn¡¯t help but breathe out a frustrated and anguished sigh. This hadn¡¯t gone how he thought it would and the mysterious creature that had saved his life was something that his mind was starting to get a clearer identification for. It was more urate to say that that nagging feeling from when he first saw that dark-armoured creature had finally been fulfilled. ¡®What has Aigas be¡­¡¯ he thought before he was sted in the face with a fierce light that emanated from the man whose torso was bare. Full Body Aura! The cover of a thick whitish green light devoured the man as he gazed upwards, intent on killing the Cluster beast that was falling from the great height. He crouched down as he exerted a massive amount of strength from his core and body beforeunching upwards in a straight line as he headed for the enemy! His speed was incredible and the force with which he pushed himself off the ground shook the entire city as he blitzed through the air, nearing the descending tentacled creature within a mere three seconds! The Galemonger was the most distressed out of everyone who had been involved in this battle. It had had a straight path towards killing Unbreakable and wreaking havoc to its wanton desire but a unique creature that came out of nowhere had screwed up all its ns! .?O,m It had been undoubtedly weaker but still, through means it couldn¡¯t exin, it had been bested. The rage it felt was unthinkable. It simply wanted to destroy everything just to quench a bit of its fury. Unfortunately, the new ability it had just unlocked with the capability to erase everything was still premature and needed a vast amount of mana. That coupled with how itcked enough time to adapt to this world and itsbatants¡¯ style of fighting had led it to meet this end. Perhaps the praise it had gotten from being the strongest among its kind had given it a big head. Being the only Tier 7 in the Cluster had been a great achievement along with its ss as well as the natural treasure that it imed when it rose to leadership. Now, it had just evolved and hadn¡¯t unlocked everything to do with this evolution on top of all its previous hubris! If only it had more time¡­ Yet, it was unfortunate. There would be no more time afforded to it as a figure sted towards it with a green hue while defying the unforgiving gravity! Unbreakable wore a focused look as he breathed, taking in all the air he could in his lungs and mouth. His mind was in turmoil as a nce to the ground told of the immense destruction to the city. If only he had been faster with his Technique¡­ He could have saved many more lives. Was this the reason why even though he had a purple core, he was considered the weakest among all the City Guardians? Was his return into the hold of the Deities after following a useless path all his life only to be appointed to Inhone for the rest of his life, the best choice he could have made? Who knew? Regret knew. And that was the fuel for his strength! ¡®I can¡¯t heal. I can¡¯t build. I can¡¯t teach. However, with my Strength¡­ I can Save¡­¡¯ he thought as he cocked his fist, his green eyes lightning up with the mes of brutality! The dark-haired man soared as he pushed all his strength towards the Galemonger which screeched as it felt the power from the fist that was ten meters away! It wouldn¡¯t die without a fight however! No, perhaps there was still a chance! The Galemonger sped its hands together as the purple eye behind it shone with a brighter shade, the Cluster beast emitting a burst of winds that shone bright as they crashed against each other, sparks of light popping up as lightning crackled! Now, there was no way that this man could simply- ¡®Fuuuu¡­.¡¯ Unbreakable breathed out as the deadly light didn¡¯t seem to derail his course at all! ¡­! Unbreakable sank into the mass of winds with his fist pushed up at the Galemonger¡¯s head as it screeched, therge oval mouth behind its tentacles finally showing itself as the Cluster beast knew¡­ this was the end! Within the sphere of a skill that barely passed the requirements to be called Super, the air crackled as a massive, visible ripple blew outwards with a thick and deadly intensity! The clouds that were in the sky scattered as a light green colour dominated, breaking apart the white sphere within which a certain Tier 8 was blown into mincemeat that red with horrendous mes easily! On the ground, it seemed like gravity and the raging winds became friends as when everyone heard the deafening Impact, an overbearing collective pressure smashed over onto them, forcing them toy t on the ground! The sands outside the City shivered from the force while everyone and everything involved was forced to sink within it from the pressure that thundered from above! Everyone felt it. The area epassing the city felt it. The power that belonged to the trump card of the city. Unbreakable began his drop after smashing his enemy into nothingness, but on his face, much like his body that now held several more bloody bruises, not a look of satisfaction could be seen but one of determination. The fight was not yet over as now¡­ he intended to end all the other menaces to the city. As soon as the man known as Unbreakable touched the ground, the fate of the terrors to the city turned dark. ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] That ends this battle folks! How did you feel about it? Was it better than thest or worse? Did you hate it or love it? I¡¯d love to hear your thoughts. Chapter 336 The Last Stage Is Set ¡°Phe¡­.¡± Oliviana breathed out a sigh as she plopped to the ground, her short figure not gaining much momentum as she reached the dirt underneath. ¡°This is the most eventful the city has been for a while.¡± Beside thedy, several tutors of the College of Battle Arts much like her who were covered in blood and dirt could be seen breathing heavily. The entire city was now an tad bit more rxed as the threat had finally been neutralised within a few minutes. By a few, this referred to a mere two minutes that it took for Unbreakable to kill every single Bulk Terror that still held in breath! It had been a bitter fight for most of thebatants within the city as they had not only experienced loss and pain but a gripping sense of impending doom that could have possibly overwhelm them, leaving their efforts meaningless. From the constant loud booms of a terrible battle that had been happening near the entrance to the city, to the screams that had echoed along with deadly shes of light, it was hard for normal civilians and the regrbatants to ascertain their fate as it was abundantly clear that it all rested on whoever had been fighting there. Finally however, the mighty blow that had resounded up above had given assurance to those who knew Unbreakable and the relief quickly spread until the city knew some semnce of peace once again. Peace enough to mourn and grieve that is. Now, Oliviana was enjoying this peace with her mates after the fight she had to endure before Unbreakable¡¯s intervention. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you would prefer risking life like this all day rather than living a peaceful life?¡± a middle-aged man with a particrly sweaty face questioned Oliviana as hey t on the ¡°You bet. I¡¯m an assassin. Do I look I¡¯m someone who cherishes times of peace and trains in the way of the sword or whatever only a lonely mountain until I attain titles like ¡®The Greatest Assassin¡¯ or something? I¡¯m young and I want action befitting my ss. Is that too much to ask?¡± ¡°For people my age, it is. Then again, it¡¯s a privilege of the young so I can understand,¡± the man replied before pausing for a bit. ¡°You¡¯ll be leaving soon, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the n,¡± Oliviana said as she looked up into the sky with a soft breath leaving her nostrils. *** Silrat, Dami, Erkus and a few Knights were looking over a big piece of the ind which had fallen to the city with intense scrutiny as discussions weaved among them. A blue patch of peculiar vegetation could be seen over the dirt. Grasses of different kinds grew over along with strange nts that looked like blue variants of sunflowers with their petals cocooned over the fruit, the item being covered already being to everyone¡¯s knowledge. Enriching gems. Red Enriching gems with hints of green. (A/N: Reminder. Ranks for EG is purple, red, green and blue). ¡°So the conjecture is that the creature that attacked was actually a Cluster General that somehow managed to summon a portion of its Cluster to try and¡­ crush the entire city?¡± Erkus questioned with a strange look over his face, his question directed to Silrat and Dami. ¡­ ¡°T¡­that is the most likely conclusion we have heard, City Lord,¡± a Knight who was at the side hastily answered after the two who were supposed to entertain the City Lord¡¯s question, both seemed as if they were lost in thought, each in their own world. Erkus turned to the two who both looked at him as they returned to their senses. The City Lord cleared his throat as he continued to speak, hoping for the life of him that nothing was wrong with these two. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of these spread across the city. Silrat, can you organise for the Guilds Association to collect them all? We can then split them between our organisations. They appear to be high level ones so I¡¯m sure none of your mercenaries will be willing to lose out? I also think they will be better suited for the job anyway. If anything happens to¡­. Did something happen?¡± Erkus had tried to stay on the subject but unfortunately, that didn¡¯t seem possible because as he addressed Silrat just now, he couldn¡¯t find the man¡¯s focus anywhere nearby. Thus, he had decided to ask directly. Silrat had a visibly worried expression. Since Erkus had identified that he had something going on, he didn¡¯t hold back. ¡°There¡¯s something troubling that took ce, but I¡¯m handling it,¡± he said as he tried to maintain his cool. ¡°Are you?¡± Dami questioned as she turned to him with a furious expression. ¡°Admit that you were wrong! Festos¡¯ curse is something you belittled until now. Hundreds are dead because you decided to cradle this cursed man under your protection. You and Tulnas are to me for this!¡± Silrat¡¯s face turned serious as he shot back a gaze at Dami who remained steadfast. What the two had witnessed had impacted them deeply as they had been the only ones who understood what had happened. Silrat¡¯s resolve that had been teetering over morality and fright became steadier as it leapt over to the side that he had always been more supportive of. Benefit! Dami seemed to have the unique power to just cause people enough fury for them to cement their resolve! This is what Silrat felt in this moment. Because of Dami¡¯s words, he found himself questioning why he was afraid at all! Why was he still frozen from the incident?! He was way past that point to be honest! Besides that, he was still alive. He wasn¡¯t dead. With the Tie of Exchange, he was able to remain alive despite saving Festos¡¯ life and helping him many times over! He was ying his cards right so far¡­ right? Silrat had risked too much to simply give up now. Right! Right. The man took a breath as his face rxed somewhat. ¡°Fine. Hundreds died, so what? They were mercenaries who acknowledged that death was a possibility of the job. My stance won¡¯t change. If you¡¯re so eager to guilt me into this, then strip away my hand in solving the mass Cluster incident. I saved more then than I helped kill today, right?¡± One couldn¡¯t dispute that fact¡­ if lives were merely a matter of numbers that was. Dami walked up to the man until she was a mere inch away, looking into his steadfast eyes with her ring own. ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this with words, Silrat. First let¡¯s find Festos and¡ª¡± ¡°Wait,¡± an aged voice spoke. It was Terian who appeared from the masses around the area as he donned a in robe to cover his body. ¡°I believe I have some much needed input as well¡­¡± Terian said. As Silrat, Erkus and Dami turned to Terian, they could all tell from the man¡¯s face that he had been through hell, but there was something else. The old man had finally remembered. As he heard the bickering between Silrat and Dami from afar, he had further ascertained the identity of that creature. And¡­ given what he had experienced during the his fight, he had many thoughts. Erkus was in the dark as these three individuals seemed to know something he hadn¡¯t been fed yet. Unbreakable had not showed himself after taking care of the Terrors and thus his report was still pending. Terian noticed the displeased look on Erkus¡¯ face and promptly acted before the man could speak. ¡°Each of us will have to give our full ounts to resolve this issue. That includes Festos. Is that good enough?¡± There was no way to argue and everyone quickly agreed. Thus, a stage was set. *** Fifty seconds before [Bringer of All] timed-out¡­ Ogwulf sat a short distance away from the city that was haunted by the soon-to-be-deleted from-existence Terrors. With his unique trait of not being perceivable by others, he was rxingfortably by a tree as he looked at the peculiar guidance field notification that was before his sockets. [The mandatory effect known as RESET for Apostle ¡®¡­¡¯ is about to apply] [Because of your conjoined nature, this effect has been altered to amodate the individual known as ¡®Skullius¡¯] [Instead of wiping away all physical experience, rued personality and cunning ideology adopted from the previous battle, the effect of RESET will now RESET all skill cooldowns belonging ¡®Skullius¡¯ and will resume its appropriate function on the Apostle ¡®¡­¡¯] Ogwulf grinned as he read this notification. ¡°Heh. Now this is some much needed fortune, with a little bit of unwanted salt. How interesting,¡± he said as he leaned against the tree, the process of RESET taking ce. ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] [Ding!] [Arcanzer has donated greatly to the novel! I¡¯m hyped! +2 chapters above the daily quota as at 20/08] Chapter 337 Spoils of War! (1) Under the tree, Ogwulf felt a sort of relief gush through him. The effect of RESET cascaded over the two individuals that made up his figure. [The skill ¡®Bringer of All¡¯ has timed out. Separation will now begin¡­] Promptly after, a sharp sensation cut through from the middle of his body and broke apart his temporary individuality, a faint glow washing over his body as soon, it tore into two beings with a bright light, their figures bing two Null Lifeforms. One was naturally Skullius, the other being the nameless Apostle. Skullius couldn¡¯t utter any words for a few seconds as he looked at himself, currently dazed at whether what he had just experienced was a dream or otherwise. The sensation of merging with his Apostle. Bing a singr individual that had the two¡¯sbined traits¡­ In that state, it was as if he was in a dream while being high (not height). Of course, the Prator couldn¡¯t use this analogy but it was how he felt, him being unable to exin it fully. ¡°That¡­was¡­.¡± he said while taking short pauses in between. ¡°AWESOME! Wait! What?! Who cares! Yes! Awesome! Why haven¡¯t I been abusing my Nullmancer ss like this all this time?!¡± Skullius shouted,pletely disregarding the fact that he was no longer imperceptible. The Apostle beside himid down with its pawsying t, a nk look in its face as it looked at the jovially raving Prator. Skullius calmed himself down after this initial joyful reaction, clearly thinking things through. Even after thinking hard, the amazing beauty of this skill couldn¡¯t be disputed. The countless possibilities that he could unlock with it were immense! ¡®It seems everything I can do and what the Apostle I merge with can do is all possible for the Bringer of All that¡¯s created! Furthermore, the real power of this skill lies in the base skill used, which is powered up and split into many different skills at the very peak depending on what core I have!¡¯ Skullius excitedly thought. When he had be Ogwulf, Skullius had experienced many incredible things, above the obvious. One such thing was that he better understood the intricacies of his and his Apostle¡¯s skills now. All of the Prator and basic skills were now things he could use more appropriately with a greater understanding which was a boon. The other thing was¡­ ¡®I can¡¯t believe I have the ability to cheat such things so easily. The RESET¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as his socket mes red wildly. The RESET was a w of the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound. However, because Skullius and the Apostle were merged onto Ogwulf the Limitless, the RESET applied to him too but not as a w! The intricacies that followed after this were still pretty unclear, but they made Skullius consider more about this threat that could somehow summon this BoneTender if his Apostle didn¡¯t RESET. Probably because the conditions that applied to the Hound didn¡¯t apply to him, the RESET effect was morphed into something different for him. And now, all of his cooldowns had been refreshed! This was effectively cheating the system! Skills that he hadn¡¯t thought he would get to use anytime soon, like [Depths of the Core] were now open for him to use and better yet, if he used [Bringer of All] again in the next¡­. uh¡­ 15 days, he could use the core manipting skill again! ¡®Hehe!¡¯ Skullius thought while rubbing his armoured hands. ¡®I won¡¯t need to wait for three hours for [Flesh It Like You Mean It] too. This is too good!¡¯ Indeed it was. All this considered though, this skill wasn¡¯t as overpowered as it seemed as there was a little nook that demanded Skullius to be beware. In fact, it was the same benefit he had just discovered. If he could attain the w of his Apostle while merged with it, then perhaps different ws affected him differently. As he thought, the Hound probably had special conditions that couldn¡¯t apply to him but¡­ what about Red Rage and his w? He could tell that not being able to kill innocents was something he would likely be bound to follow if he merged with the Pelvis-Boar-Man! This, he had to be mindful of. Lastly, on the same subject, Skullius had to consider the effect of the w on the Apostle itself. pAn,dan0vel.c0m The Prator stroked therge Hound¡¯s furry head as it donned the [Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide]. ¡°So that¡¯s really how it works, huh? You lose everything you learned?¡± Skullius said to the Hound that stared at him without making any movement. From its personality, to the new tricks it would have learned all the way from thest RESET, including skills, the Hound would lose them all as it turned into this seemingly mindless machine, ready to learn everything again after every impactful fight. ¡°That¡¯s cruel¡­.¡¯ Skullius thought before his socket mes shed. ¡®I¡¯ll figure out a way to remove that w. What¡¯s the use of having some mindless bro that only responds to everything I order? It would be great if you could be a little rebellious like that bastard Red Rage had been.¡± Red Rage who was hidden in the spatial storage quivered. [Apostle ¡®¡­¡¯ approves of your words. 10 Favourability] Skullius felt¡­ delighted by this. Good. With that all done, Skullius set his mes to the next big thing he had earned. His spatial storage ring lit up as in the next moment, it released¡­ the Elimparidis Stone Staff! The Prator wielded the staff in his armoured hand with glee. How noice it was to have this construct which boosted mana by 10,000 with an Absolute Conversion! This meant that the boost depended on the core colour of the individual. Unlike the mana band that Skullius had bought from Frock, this staff could give the user 10,000 units of mana that corrted to the refinement of their own mana! Of course Skullius was yet to appreciate this change as his core was still merely white but he would in time. ¡°Heh¡­ Gambling your life does make my bones throb in excitement. No wonder Tulnas and Silrat are so obsessed with it!¡± Skullius said. This was his thought process, his thoughts going back to when he had asked Tulnas about this subject of gambling. It sure had returns, if it worked. The Elimparidis Staff gave a wide range of effects to the user along with some incredible skills, all of which had been identified by Skullius when he had been in his Ogwulf form. Oney in the white gem atop the staff, reflecting the vague image of a world within and at this moment, the only who knew the truth about this was Skullius. That truth being that this reflected image was actually a mini-world stored within the gem! He didn¡¯t know the specifics yet as he had to actually explore it first but this was such a crazy concept! The Prator summoned Red Rage from his ring, the Pelvis-Boar-Man looking a bit disgruntled as he red at his master. Skullius ignored this and gave a strict instruction. ¡°When I disappear, collect the staff into your ring. You have your weird Null Life powers so you can tell when I want toe out, right?¡± The Pelvis-Boar-Man slowly nodded to which Skullius gave him a pat on the head. ¡°See you in a few minutes,¡± Skullius said as he willed himself into the white gem, his figure vanishing as with the flickering of his sockets, he appeared somewhere entirely new! Chapter 338 Spoils of War! (2) A whole new world¡­ p-n0vel A new exciting flood of blue¡­ He saw weird things everywhere, no space to spare, but a vast yground which he thought was too cool.. Somehow that sounded vaguely familiar. The view was indeed blue though and Skullius couldn¡¯t help but try to gasp. In a word, what he saw was¡­ beautiful. This world that he was in, seemed to be structured into three different portions that he could see from where he stood. The rising hills that rose into an ever lc sky while glowing clouds full of humidity circled around them as they rose, the blue vegetation that coloured these constructs in different saturation making the viewe to life. In the opposite side of this vast ce, a thick forest could be seen chalk full of rising trees, shrubs and grasses of all assortments, all having the dew dew drops of a wet environment. Frankly, the humid air did not corrte to any tropical climate of any kind as the actual temperature was rather moderate. One could infer that the humidity originated from the vast ocean that separated the dense forest of blue and the hills and mountains on the other side. The only patch of t ground uninhabited by tall green invaders was were Skullius stood now, as merely a nt or two other than the patches of grass could be seen, this whole stretch going for miles in the direction behind him. ¡°Wooow¡­ this is pretty good,¡± Skullius thought. ¡°The staff can store actual worlds? So the Galemonger was actually summoning his bros from this world, huh?¡± Though he said it casually, this was by no means a normal thing for a Cluster beast, even for a Cluster General like the Galemonger. Skullius began pacing over the ground as he studied the ce. He had no intention of fully investigating every inch of this blue scape just yet but he was more than pleased to do so after he had settled some matters. Above the beautiful view that he saw, Skullius was also intrigued by another aspect of this ce. There was abundant mana! Strands of the thick energy in this world kept teasing his mana core, making him just want to sit here and absorb it while practising his skills. He would have enough time for thatter, though. Red Rage probably would as well. As he waded over the beige coloured dirt, Skullius began thinking about the special effects of the Elimparidis Staff. One of its aspects was how it could absorb energy from¡­ stored Dimensions, and that was what would fuel the skills [Jolt Ray] and [Jump]. By stored Dimensions, Skullius assumed that this was such, as it was the only thing that made sense to him. Well, with all the things he had seen so far, it would make sense either way if another crazy thought came to mind, but this was his ultimate conclusion. Skullius suddenly saw something shiny in the distance, which he immediately rushed to pick up. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Right beside a sunflower-like nt which had unfurled its petals in an unnatural way, an Enriching gem was lying on the ground! It was red, with bits of white starry lights swirling within the colour while a hazy green squirmed around to disturb the peaceful harmony of red and white. ¡°This is¡­.But wait¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that mean¡­. I see now¡­¡± Skullius thought aloud as he connected the dots with his higher intelligence. His thoughts had been right but it seemed crazy to him. The Galemonger had stored an entire Cluster into the white gem over the staff! This wasn¡¯t just a random world! That was insane! With his knowledge and understanding of Clusters, the Enriching gem he was currently looking at was of a higher level than the ones he had seen before. Skullius¡¯ sockets red as he looked at the gem that reflected his appearance on its ssy exterior. ¡°Hmm. Now that I think about it, howe I haven¡¯t thought about absorbing these in my Prator form?¡± Skullius focused on the gem as he willed the energy within it to be absorbed into him. However¡­ ¡°Hmm? It won¡¯t budge. Am I doing it wrong?¡± Skullius tried several different methods but as he held the gem but the energy just didn¡¯t react to his pull at all! This strange urrence led Skullius to think.. ¡°Can undead not absorb the energy? Or beasts in general?¡± Along with that line of thought, several things would begin to make sense actually. If beasts could absorb the energy from these gems, they would be¡­ much, much stronger that the humans physically wouldn¡¯t they? Perhaps the Enriching gems were a way created by the Deities to supplement humans¡¯ naturally stronger but slow stat growth in order to bnce out the powers between beasts and man. Well, the word ¡®bnce¡¯ might not be the best one to use. ¡°If I can¡¯t absorb them, I¡¯ll just keep them for my Discount Human body then. I¡¯ll still need to finish absorbing the other gems though.¡± Skullius looked at the world for a bit longer before looking and calling out. ¡°You can pull me out now!¡± His voice soared through the air as it went, intended for a certain Pelvis-Boar-Man to hear him. He was currently stored in a spatial storage ring along with the Staff but his will, intent and voice still reached Red Rage who could detect it with his maniption of Null Life Essence. Shortly after calling out, Skullius vanished from this world and appeared outside again. He was about to go on a joyful raving when he saw¡­ ¡°What the heck happened here?!¡± he asked in surprise as he saw the tree that he had been resting on leaning in an unnatural pose while the ground was too clean of dust and pebbles than it had been before! Red Rage merely pointed at the city and expressed an answer through his mental link with Skullius. ¡°I see¡­. At least he got the job done. I hope¡­¡± It really was undoubtedly Unbreakable¡¯s freakish strength. Skullius shook his skull and retained his focus on what was important right now. He sat down. He didn¡¯t much time left if Unbreakable had finally dealt the final blow to the Galemonger. Soon, he would be wanted for the incident he caused with the hundreds of mercenaries. ¡°Now¡­.¡± he said as he took the Elimparidis Stone Staff and held it firmly within his hands. ¡°High level skills are probably still impossible for me to steal with my current level of mana maniption. But what about this¡­?¡± Skullius¡¯ hand red with Null Life Essence, his vision swimming from his sockets as it sank into the staff! He was about to do it again! He wanted to see if he could actually attain something from the staff to use as his own! The skills seemed too high level and specific to the staff and thus he had decided to let them be. But¡­ how about the aspects, in particr the one that dealt with Increasing skill proficiency by 300?! Null Life Essence bubbled in Skullius¡¯ vision as once again, a vast array ofplex trails, coding for the effects of the staff wereid before him. There were many of them, all being moreplicated than any of the ones he had tackled before. However, it was easy to distinguish between which ones were skills and which ones were special effects, aspects of the staff, because of the degree ofplication, the arrangement that was ced and the traits of the patterns. The aspect for 10,000 mana points in particr was vastly different from the others. It shone brighter than all the others, with Skullius feeling the cool pressure of mana from it. The aspects of storing Dimensions and using the energy from them to power [Jolt Ray] and [Jump] had connecting patterns to two extremelyplicated patterns that the Prator could have sworn would take him years just navigate. All three of these were easy to distinguish and thus the Prator singled out which one was the one he needed. ¡®It doesn¡¯t look too scary¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he saw the pattern for the increased skill proficiency. It wasn¡¯t asplicated as the rest but was no straight line. It would be pretty difficult to speed run while leaving Null Life Essence within it but he was willing to give a long, hard try. Skullius¡¯ vision sank in and he began the ¡®battle¡¯. Skullius swam through the channels but he felt an incredible force that tried to push him back after he made a single sliver of progress within the long channel. The Prator had to put in some heavy work to push further than a few steps. The process was arduous to say the least and this wasn¡¯t exactly a physical contest where Skullius would have infinite endurance and thus it wasn¡¯t easy. The sheer amount of concentration for this exceeded what he needed for [Great Rush] before, which was saying something. Still, Skullius powered through because he knew that the benefits were worth the cost. Minutes seemed to pass. Then hours. Skullius put in all his raw mental oomph while feeling a tremendously ufortable sensation. If one was given a task to walk up a hill but with a sack full of rocks and with the handicap of one step per minute, it was easy to fall into despair. But Skullius powered through while greeting his unseen teeth. Thankfully he had enough Null Life Essence for this task and after he had lost track of how many turns he had made¡­ He finally reached the end. He hit a wall and at first, nothing happened. But then¡­ a surge of energy pushed his vision back as the moment he himself return to his body, he was finally rewarded for his efforts! Unlike what he expected though, something marvellous showed itself. [You have challenged the higher Tiers of mana utilisation from this world and have seeded!] [Your understanding of thepounds of the world and mana increases!] [¡®Depths of the Core¡¯ has reached LV4] [¡®Bringer of All¡¯ has reached LV3] [¡®Elevated Mana Maniption¡¯ has levelled up] ¡°Yes! Finally!¡± Skullius¡¯ sockets red as he saw these notifications. The Silentburn Levin over his bones crackled as he grew excited. However, this wasn¡¯t all. [The Vehement Bone Nullmancer grows¡­] [You have awakened a powerful skill to better crush the bnce and overpower other warriors in thends] [The Nullmancer passive skill, ¡®Epiphany¡¯ has been unlocked] Skullius cackled as he saw the arrival of a new skill! This was something he hadn¡¯t been expecting at all! Finally, his ss was showing some more growth! He immediately delved into the skill¡¯s description. ¡­! Skullius read it an additional time. Then again. ¡­! Afte re-reading it more than ten times, each sessive time causing a ring in his excitement, the Prator roared into the sky as his joy knew no bounds in this moment! ¡°Why I have been ignoring this power is a mystery even to me!¡± he called before he turned to his Hound. This excitement could be revelled inter as there was time to spare. Now, he wanted to get ready to move on with the proceedings. With something like this in his arsenal¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but want to rid himself of this current situation so he could explore everything further. ¡°My bro, how big can your mouth get?¡± Skullius asked the Hound as he stored his staff and activated [Flesh It Like You Mean It]. ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] Sorry. I¡¯ll have to postpone the Sponsored Chapters to tomorrow. 21/08. Something hase up Chapter 339 Aftermath The process to clean up the city began as corpses couldn¡¯t be left to remain overnight. Even though the battle had been won, with the Terrors¡¯ rampage having onlysted for roughly 30 minutes, the amount of damage done was extensive. At least three thirds of the city was inplete shambles. Wails could be heard everywhere as many cried over the dead that were being lined up and covered in cloth before being taken away as my of them could hardly be recognised from either being dismembered or disembowled. Some of the people had been turned into squid-like octopi through the strange poison that was shot from the Terrors¡¯ tentacles, leaving thempletely unrecognisable as they would wiggle about on the dry ground grotesquely. This was ufortable to watch, especially for the family members that could catch glimpses of items that made them recognise them through the remnants of clothing or jewellery they wore. Mercenaries and Knights alike did their best to control the situation but the fact that Inhone City wasn¡¯t the only ce infested with casualties made the atmosphere after victory more sombre than what most would have appreciated. Erkus ordered for some Knights to go and check the surrounding cities and towns for any sign of the Terrors and to search for survivors, the Purity Knights that remained helping in on the effort as well, Gin included. As all these operations were taking ce, a meeting was happening within the Guilds Association. Terian, Tulnas, Silrat, Dami and Erkus were sitting down with a certain individual once again, this setup starting to feel like a glorified court case. The individual they were gathering for was naturally Festos. However, this would be thest time. Silrat wanted to make sure of it. ¡°So, you mean to tell us that you were in the Association building this whole time?¡± Dami questioned with a raised brow. Skullius who was in his Discount Human form promptly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he responded. Tulnas stroked his chin. He remembered that before the battle, Skullius had suddenly disappeared and only when everyone entered the Guilds Association building afterwards while deliberating on the matter about the mercenaries¡¯ deaths did they find the Discount Human sitting down calmly while reading a book. ¡®Did he really just run away so he could sit through the entire incident?¡¯ Tulnas thought. Due to the fact that the Galemonger had ventured into the Association building, the Terrors had avoided attacking the structure from the beginning andter on, the battle between the city¡¯s fighters and the Terrors had been thickest around here thus the building had remained more or less intact. ¡°I decided to avoid fighting with the others in case I identally triggered my curse. It¡¯s the easiest way to get everyone killed after all¡­¡± Skullius added. Erkus, Terian and Dami were forced to think back to the day of Skullius¡¯ first interrogation when he had talked about the curse. Erkus now understood what the Diviner and the Association Branch Head had been fighting about as both had given their respective ounts. Silrat, Dami and Terian had seen the creature that Skullius had mentioned in real time and in the incident described, many had died just by trying to help the damn thing. ¡°You said that thing would ask you something and if you refused it would kill people. Going by that logic, it must have asked you to do something, right?¡± the Diviner asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Skullius said firmly, his silver eyes remaining calm as he stared at his interrogator. ¡°What was it?¡± The Discount Human emitted a sigh before answering. ¡°It wanted me to kill the City Lord.¡± ¡­! Everyone in the room was shocked at this revtion. Skullius himself was chortling inside. This was naturally a big lie that he chained onto the bigger lie that the tall creature they were all frightened of was actually a separate entity. This response was just to spook everyone. Erkus was a bit bewildered. ¡°Kill me? Why?¡± he asked. Everyone¡¯s reaction was exactly what Skullius wanted, though for Silrat and Tulnas who knew more detail about Skullius¡¯ curse, they realised that he was probably bluffing. In that case, he would need support. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We are not exactly friends who can ask each other our motives. After it requested me to do this, I thought it would be better to just settle down. I couldn¡¯t fulfill its request anyway,¡± the Discount Human said. The tension between the Capital Service folks increased. Terian was more concerned with the power he had seen from the tall creature especially after it transformed. If it could easily fight a Tier 8 like that, then it was a very big problem. On top of this, he wondered why he had been spared and why this creature had helped Unbreakable kill the Galemonger. It didn¡¯t make sense at all. The truth was covered in a shadow of mystery. At this point, Terian found it fitting to describe his own encounter with the creature. ¡°I do not want to appear to vouch for this creature, but during the fight with the Cluster beast, it saved my life. Additionally, I can say with confidence that it is the only reason we were able to achieve a quick victory. This does not discount the evil that it did, but I¡¯m sure you can understand what I mean¡­¡± Skullius¡¯ eyes leaked a cunning glint. This is exactly what he had wanted. A seed that would muddy the waters. Dami couldn¡¯t help but look at the old man with confusion. She had wanted to immediately Divine Skullius but hearing Terian¡¯s ount gave her more to think about. Now it was his turn to say things that seemed to contradict their stance. That creature had saved his life? All this being¡¯s actions seemed contradictory and erratic. Did it even have a pattern of attack? Was it really rted to the Green Neolists? Nothing was clear. ¡°I know we¡¯re all adults here but dare I say that this incident was something that I forewarned. While searches for the Cluster were done, I did encourage you to strengthen the defences around the city, advice that you did not heed,¡± Tulnas said, clearly assigning me as he leaned back against the chairfortably. Erkus couldn¡¯t refute this point and neither could Dami as she had outright doubted his words back when he mentioned this. However, their side didn¡¯t seem to want to give up. The City Lord emitted a deep sigh heavily strained with all he had to deal with following the incident. ¡°This issue can¡¯t be dealt with casually¡­¡± ¡°Indeed it cannot,¡± Silrat said, causing everyone to turn to him. ¡°Allow me to give you some sliver of good news then. I¡¯m happy to announce that in a few days, I will be stepping down as the Head of the Association Branch in Inhone City. A recement will being in that time and Tulnas will be his second¡­¡± ¡­! ¡°What?!¡± Terian temporarily lost his cool while Dami turned pale. Erkus merely sighed exasperatedly as he clutched his forehead. ¡°Furthermore¡­ a few other individuals along with me and Festos, will be leaving for Genhuis City for a Potential Aptitude Evaluation. That is after I settle my affairs, of course.¡± Dami couldn¡¯t help but stare at the Discount Human, then at Silrat then back at the Discount Human again. Such a thing¡­. So suddenly¡­. Terian finally reeled in his shock. When he thought about it, thest aspect wasn¡¯t so bad. It was just that Tulnas bing a vice head of the Association¡­ He could see a cheeky smile on the brat¡¯s face. Erkus seemed to also share his sentiment on thest reveal that Silrat had made. ¡°I suppose this might be the best way to continue forward.¡± At least if this troublesome Mage left the City, he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with him and this problem anymore. ¡°Let us keep this matter away from those Purity Knights. I am sure they would not let this go. The arrival of a Grand Priest investigating the matter of this curse isn¡¯t good for the city and certainly not for you. On that aspect, I assume we can agree?¡± Erkus said as he massaged his temples. ¡°Absolutely,¡± Silrat said. None of then wanted to deal with the Purity more than they needed to. Knock, knock. Someone requested entry into the private meeting at this moment, and Erkus gave his consent. The door slid open to reveal an old man who waddled in with bandages all over his body. ¡°Good evening,¡± the man said with a subdued and weak voice. Chapter 340 Second Benefactor (1) As the old man entered the room, Erkus wore a look of relief before turning to Skullius, Silrat and Tulnas. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the matter of Festos here. We¡¯ll discuss the other prospectster on,¡± he said. The three nodded and stood as they walked to the door. Tulnas patted the old man¡¯s shoulder with a cherry grin while Silrat nodded at the man who humbly gave a short bow to both of them. When Skullius was passing by him however, he couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes as he felt something¡­ uncannily familiar. The same was true for the Discount Human who couldn¡¯t help but peruse the face of the old man. He knew the old man as the rambling bro who kept talking about regret and gardening but as he looked at the man now¡­ ¡®Why do I feel weird about him suddenly? Have I met this guy somewhere else?¡¯ he asked himself. Ultimately, the two passed each other without a word, Skullius and the group exiting the building. Erkus gestured towards an empty seat, showing the old man where to sit. The elderly man sat down in a subtly humble manner. ¡°You¡¯ve finally decided to show up,¡± Erkus said. ¡°I apologise. I deeply regret that¡ª¡± ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t start with that again. Just give me a full report.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± the old man said as he went on to narrate everything that had happened. *** ¡°It¡¯s a pretty unfair deal now that I think about it. I was pretty happy when you mentioned it at first but now¡­ the amount of work and convincing that I will need to cement my position is ridiculous,¡± Tulnas said as he looked at how broken everything was. ¡°Well, at least you get to reform the Association if you y your cards right. Though I doubt my recement will let you walk all over him,¡± Silrat said. ¡°If he¡¯s adies man I can always charm him with my wide collection. If not we¡¯ll just have to see who is manlier than the other.¡± ¡°If I were you I¡¯d focus more on using the mercenaries¡¯ support to trump his hold over them. You have plenty of time to work that out.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Tulnas said before he turned to Skullius who was uncharacteristically quiet since they exited the Association building. ¡°You sure know to lie. How did you know that Dami wouldn¡¯t try to divine you?¡± Skullius shook himself of his thoughts to respond. ¡°Well¡­ it was a gamble I guess¡­¡± the Discount Human said, much to Tulnas¡¯ amusement. In truth, Skullius had decided to see if Silrat hadn¡¯t been so spooked by UNCoddled¡¯s effects that he would turn against him. Seeing as the man had still shown up to defend him, he knew he had the support. Furthermore, a Tie of Exchange couldn¡¯t be so easily broken once engaged. ¡°My des won¡¯t be stripped because of this incident right? I still want my share of spoils for solving an ¡®international crisis¡¯ as Dami always puts it.¡± ¡°Of course you will get them. As soon as another case is solved with the information you provided your rewards will be on their way,¡± Silrat answered before he turned to the Discount Human. ¡°You¡¯re free for now. How do you want to spend the rest of the night? There are lots of good rooms in the Association.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll wander around and returnter,¡± Skullius said as he turned to leave. The three men split up for the night with Silrat going back into the Association building while Tulnas headed for his Guild Residence. Skullius sighed. He wouldn¡¯t have to be dragged here or there anymore. His thoughts had been upied by the many gains he had gotten from the Galemonger. After receiving the marvellous boons from trying to replicate an aspect of the staff, he had snuck into the city with the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound. He had the creature bulk up in size and jumped into its mouth so that he too wouldn¡¯t be seen as he entered the city and snuck into the Guild¡¯s Association. With everything going well, the Discount Human walked with a skip in his step and a smile on his face until he remembered something. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said before he unblocked a certain someone. ¡°TOMATO FLINGER! YOU DARE IGNORE ME LIKE THAT?! YOU DARE KEEP ME IN THAT DREADED BUBBLE LIKE A COMMON IDIOT?! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY! I WILL¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time¡­¡± Skullius said with exasperation. Now, it was time to iron out the details of his next little expedition that had S taking the lead. He strolled with the raving old geezer in his head while heading towards a certain Inn he hoped had survived the destruction, though it was highly unlikely. *** Two dayster¡­ The city had made some progress when it came to cleaning up and rebuilding some of the most important structures but in terms of social welfare and individual states of mind, the atmosphere was still heavy. This didn¡¯t stop events from continuing to happen however, as the news that Tulnas and Silrat wanted to hear the most arrived. Two other branches of the Guilds Association had managed to find Evenfall Cultists with the information Tulnas had provided! This effectively cemented both Tulnas and Silrat¡¯s credibility and achievements in the Association¡¯s eyes and soon, the wave would spread! Their rewards were guaranteed and Silrat felt that he now had more reason and confidence when venture to Genhuis City. Furthermore, two expected arrivals finally reached the city. In front of the Guilds¡¯ Association, Silrat, Tulnas,Jac and Skullius could be seen as they waited for the two approaching carriages. One was further in front while the other trailed a bit behind. Soon, the first carriage reached their positions and from the lotive which looked quite sturdy with a red pigment over the wood used to make it as well as a familiar insignia, four individuals came out. Three of them donned incredibly expensive looking armours while their bodies bellowed with suffocating power, the other, who was a man dressed in a sharp suit, not emitting such extreme presence but a stern and strict energy instead. He looked around the city then at the Association building with a disappointed grunt before walking over to the four who waited to wee him. Silrat took the first step, extending his hand which the other man reluctantly shook. ¡°Greetings. My name is Silrat, former Head of this Association Branch. I didn¡¯t expect you so soon.¡± The other man whose brown eyes showed nothing but condescension as he towered over Silrat hummed first before giving what could be considered a reply. ¡°Ednuk,¡± he said. ¡°Indeed. Though my letter should have spelled to you my reason foring earlier than expected. Am I correct?¡± he said. ¡°Of course. It is indeed good to look in on people when they least expect it,¡± Silrat replied with a fake smile while vomiting profanities at this man in his mind. ¡°Allow me to introduce your Vice Head,¡± Silrat said as he respectfully gestured towards Tulnas who wore a chilling smile and shook the new Guild Association Head¡¯s hand. ¡°I look forward to working with you,¡± the Tamer said as the look in his eye was akin to that of a snake. ¡°Hmmm. I wonder if your presence can be justified in the long run,¡± the new Head spat. ¡°Oh it will,¡± Tulnas spat back. Skullius and Jac watched this subdued confrontation in amusement. From the second carriage which only just now stopped and parked at the side, its design being more luxurious in nature with two guards having been riding alongside it for the entire journey, a feminine figure emerged from within. Her red hair which was tied into a Finnish braid as well as her scarlet eyes sparked a light into the eyes of anyone who saw them, her beautiful face capturing everyone¡¯s attention, especially the new Head of the Association Branch who looked particrly smitten by her appearance. On seeing this, Tulnas¡¯ face turned into that of a devil as he had confirmed that this man was doomed. On the other hand, Skullius gaped as he looked he viewed this woman. Not because he had been smitten by her looks or expensive farthingale, but because¡­ ¡°Sty?!¡± Thedy who was indeed Sty smiled as she saw Skullius, her approach as she was encircled by guards being graceful above anything else. Silrat walked over and gave a nod of acknowledgement which Sty reciprocated. ¡°I came over as soon as I heard the news. I¡¯m d you are more or less alive from the looks of it,¡± Sty said. ¡°Indeed,¡± Silrat responded. Sty then turned to Jac who was beside the still shocked Skullius. ¡°You¡¯re looking good too, Uncle Jac,¡± she said in a cheery voice. ¡°Heh¡­ Takes more than the city¡¯s literal destruction to kill me, my dear,¡± Jac said as he pped Skullius¡¯ back. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Festos?¡± The Discount Human promptly tore himself from the shock as he posed a question to Silrat. ¡°She¡¯s¡­she¡¯s the benefactor you were waiting for?!¡± Silratughed heartily before giving a formal introduction. ¡°Indeed. Festos, meet the Sty of the prestigious Bryne Family. Our benefactor.¡± Chapter 341 Second Benefactor (2) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Silrat promptly left with Sty, Jac and Skullius, leaving Tulnas to entertain the new Branch Head. The four entered another one of the rooms within the Guilds¡¯ Association which had been refurbished in preparation for meetings such as these after the damage to city. The four sat down while a few of Sty¡¯s guards stood behind her as a discussion that would decided the course of future events was underway. ¡°So that time¡­?¡± Skullius said as he wished to get the full picture. ¡°Yes,¡± Sty replied as she sipped some tea. ¡°I hade to Inhone looking for some strong fighters to fight for my Family. Unfortunately, after Fore died in that Cluster, Bron rejected my offer saying he didn¡¯t want to be a mercenary anymore.¡± The Cluster which featured the Sage Monkeys had been a major point for Skullius and it seemed like this was even more so for Sty and Bron. It seemed that Sty had had a mission of her own and was only posing as an everyday mercenary. While she was strong, she was looking for prospective fighters of a higher league that would fight for her in the uing event. Who knew that she was actually the daughter of a prestigious family. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Skullius hummed as he processed this information. Silrat decided to chip in at this point. ¡°Sty came to issue out her proposal a few days ago but you weren¡¯t present within the city yet. I couldn¡¯t make this decision for you,¡± he said. (A/N: Refer to Ch.300) Jac pped Skullius¡¯ back again causing the Discount Human to almost topple over. ¡°Come on, kid. Bing a member of the Bryne Family will do you a lot of good. Besides, you are pretty strong already. Are you scared of taking part in a few measly fights?¡± Jac said provocatively while chuckling annoyingly. The Discount Human shrugged off the p and twiddled with his fingers as he thought on this matter deeply. ¡°I still haven¡¯t heard enough about this to make a decision. What exactly is this for?¡± he asked. ¡°A massively wealthy household called House EverSword, one of the six powers of Pelian is hosting an event they have dubbed the ¡®Premium Age Royale¡¯. In this event, any Families participate until a select few who are seen to be worthy enough by the standards of this House will be conscripted into the household as part of the EverSword House, supported financially and in terms of power. This is the first time any House has hosted such an event. For that, I need someone like you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not from your Family. Isn¡¯t that like¡­ cheating?¡± ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to inherently be part of the Family to participate. A few legal documents that will change your name and superficially add you to our Family will do. Many families are doing the same the same thing. Hiring powerful mercenaries or Stray Knights to fight for them,¡± Sty said as she pushed over a paper with the conditions stipted over it. The Discount Human looked Sty in the eye, searching for anything that would make him understand a bit more of her motives. From the sound of this event, it was¡­ dangerous. While Skullius didn¡¯t have any qualms facing strong opponents right now, he had to ensure that this was well worth it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have this guy join in then?¡± Skullius asked while pointing at Jac. The burly manughed his ass off before giving a reply. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I¡¯m an official of the Association in Inhone. Dabbling in these matters would require me to leave this position and, as you can guess, I can¡¯t do that.¡± This to Skullius just sounded like Jac not wanting to be part of the familial hassle and a glint in Sty¡¯s eyes perfectly portrayed how she felt about it. ¡°Believe it or not, it¡¯s hard to find capable fighters. Combatants from Families and mercenaries usually look down on each other. Most mercenaries I tried to recruit rejected me solely because of that which is why I had tried to switch my approach but still¡­ I even attempted to ask those twins from the Harem¡¯s Guild but they turned me down. You¡¯re my only hope at this point,¡± Sty said with a straight face that twitched a bit with emotion. Sty felt that if Skullius rejected, she¡¯d had to withdraw her entry into the event. Skullius turned to Silrat whose eyes didn¡¯t hide the fact that he wanted him to agree. However, the Discount Human was done ascertaining this matter yet. ¡°Why are you so eager to join this House thing anyway if you¡¯re already a¡­ prestigious Family?¡± he asked. Sty sucked in a breath as this question pierced her heart. ¡°Thepetition among Families is rough and joining a House would increase our status and safety. Right now I¡­ we need it. After my brother left the Family, our strength and status took a severe hit, which is why I¡¯ve had to handle much of the responsibility but my strength is not enough. This is our only chance to maintain our standing.¡± Skullius couldn¡¯t rte but he could smell missing details from thus story. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t sweat the sentimental stuff and someone desperate like Sty would surely offer a lot in return. She would have to. ¡°What do I get if Ipete in this? Is it even worth it?¡± he asked as he leaned forward in his seat. This was what Sty had been waiting for. She wanted to give the illusion that she had less to offer from the start and had thus waited until the Discount Human asked for himself what was to be gained. ¡°I have close ties to the Boundless Throne Academy in Genhuis City. I can arrange for you to have private tutge with one of the Elder Mages. Surely, that would help you greatly,¡± Sty said. The Discount Human perked up. This¡­ Frock had told him about this. Academies. They were specialised ces were Mages could learn their craft! Getting private lessons with a Mage did seem attractive, even though Skullius wasn¡¯t a Mage himself. Still, it seemed like something he could try. ¡°Hmmm. What else? This can¡¯t be everything you have right?¡± he asked. ¡°You will have ess to all the wealth and riches of the Bryne Family. Treasures, gold, crystals, knowledge and all. Our full support will also be guaranteed in cases against offending parties and once you decide to join, we¡¯ll protect and defend you as our own. However, this will be offered in moderation until we manage to secure a slot in the EverSword House,¡± Sty exined. She couldn¡¯t just go all in after all. That seemed fair. Treasure, wealth and knowledge. This was also attractive in some ways to the Discount Human but what he was most interested in was support. The events of the past few days had taught him that with sufficient support, it was easier to move about and do whatever he pleased. He had been saved by benefactors who saw his value. For now, with how weak he was, he couldn¡¯t afford to just be moving alone. In this respect, it was pretty worthwhile to join. On the Association side, he would have Silrat while on the Family side, he would Sty. While others looked down on this, being part of either one or the other, Skullius wasn¡¯t afraid to take advantage of both. But, all this begged the question¡­ ¡°Are you aware of my¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Silrat already told me,¡± Sty said as she breathed audibly. ¡°It made sense to me why you insisted on doing things alone and not wanting anyone¡¯s help back then. That¡¯s why this is a contract build on mutual benefit. Like your arrangement with Silrat. He gave me a guarantee it was the safest way to do things. We¡¯ll keep things professional.¡± Skullius narrowed his eyes. Most people seemed to quite fine with dealing with him despite his curse. Sty was gambling on this chance too. That only meant that she had something she wasn¡¯t willing to lose which was on the line. Something that made her unafraid of her life getting destroyed in one of the most cruel ways imaginable. The Discount Human stared at the paper which had been ced before him on the table along with the quill pen. Was this worth it? Certainly! UNCoddled in the richest of ways could be swindled by these kinds of scenarios. It had worked so far, right? The Discount Human grabbed the quill pen and drew a simplistic skull where his signature was required, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. ¡®They said all I need to do is write my consent right? Why are they surprised then?¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked at the odd looks he was getting. ¡°I agree to your terms then¡­¡± he said. Sty smiled and she felt a burden lifted from her chest though this was probably going to be a rtionship where she needed to keep her emotions far away. Silrat also sighed. Now his backup in case the Association somehow didn¡¯t appreciate Skullius¡¯ prowess was cemented. ¡°I have a request, though,¡± Skullius said, garnering everyone¡¯s attention again. ¡°What is it?¡± Sty asked. ¡°There¡¯s somewhere I have to go first before we do this event thing. I¡¯ll need to go alone for a while.¡± ¡°Oh. So you won¡¯t being with us to Genhuis City?¡± ¡°No. I can find my way there after I¡¯m done with the things I have to settle.¡± Silrat, Sty and Jac looked amongst themselves, seeing the vacancy in each others¡¯ eyes. No one else knew of this. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then, alright. I just hope it won¡¯t take too long. The event begins in 9 days. It¡¯s best to be back by then.¡± Sty said as she stood up. ¡°I would prefer to leave for Genhuis by the end of the day. Silrat and Oliviana will being with me as per the arrangement. I only hope we see you soon in the big city.¡± ¡°You should arrive earlier actually,¡± Silrat chipped in. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to make the Association wait for too long after I arrive.¡± Skullius nodded before he cocked his head quizzically. ¡°Wait? Oliviana? She¡¯sing too?¡± ¡ª- -Sponsored by Arcanzer- Chapter 342 Messenger (A/N: Bonus Chapter). THUD! The heavy armoured body of Revia fell to the ground. Her figure looked pathetic as shey down in her worn armour that was riddled with cracks and burns. Her face looked tragic with her once pretty and clean visage that had beautiful grey eyes along with thin lips and soft skin being sullied by dirt and dried blood. A lifeless darkness could be seen behind her eyes as she squirmed weakly on the ground, the many wounds she had over her body not having healed but bled out instead as in her body, not even a bit of blood remained. A raspy breath crawled out her mouth as she looked before her where three figures stood, looking at her without even a shred of sympathy while the same true for six that were changing endlessly around her. Ever since that day when she had fought with the man in the green and white mask and lost, her life, if it could even be identified as such, had be a miserable wreck. Pain and anguish were all she could process as she wished that her sister Elita would somehowe and rescue her. Yet, Direction was a bitch. None of that was destined toe to pass. The words of Valis kept ringing in her mind as she wondered if this was really what her life was supposed to be. Were her parents¡¯ and brother¡¯s death¡¯s really necessary? Was the path she had treaded a wrong one? Was this really the n of the Deities¡¯ over her? For her to now live in the purest form of Undeath, as the man in the green and white mask had said? An undying woman. An immortal who was bound to scream for a normal death and yet fail to find it for the rest of her unlife? As she twisted on the ground, dirt infiltrating her mouth and staining her teeth, she felt hollow inside as something she had struggled to keep, had finally been ripped from her just now after a week and some days of resisting. She had tried her best to keep it within herself but she had finally run out of the strength to do so. ¡°The blessing has finally been stripped from her¡­¡± a man with dark hair and golden eyes said with a solemn look as he looked at the giant formation that floated in the air behind Revia. It had a bright red hue, continuously spinning with its circr shape as it seemed to assimte a golden white streak of energy that tried to resist being devoured. On the ground that everyone stood,rge groves were traced, carving out a massive,plex array in the well lit and enclosed space. This was the Extreme Form. (A/N: Refer to Ch.271). An etching over the earth that was said to be the central binding which kept the Deity Boron away from the rest of Aigas. It was always unguarded and not even hidden as only a few years after searching was it found by the Evenfall. The formation in the air thrummed as it finally swallowed the streak of golden energy, the power of the blessing that Revia had wielded. The source of her immense speed. The formation glowed with a bright golden red hue for a few seconds before it sent a stream of simrly coloured energy into the Extreme Form below! VWUUUM! The energy dropped over the array and for a moment, a white light prevailed over the enclosure space. Then¡­ Nothing. The man with thebed over dark hair and golden eyes frowned. ¡°Not even an inch of progress?¡± he said with wrath building up slightly within his voice. Actuass who stood with Fulina and Cyne saw the dismal result and questioned. ¡°Problem?¡± The dark-haired man shot his gaze towards Actuass and spat out a begrudging reply. ¡°Of course there is a problem! The Form isn¡¯t showing any reaction at all! The blessing was quite potent. There should be some manner of progress!¡± the man growled. Actuass sighed. ¡°I lost one of my proxies for this, you know?¡± he said. ¡°Do you think I care for that right now? We need more Champions! It seems even the power of the 5th ranked Champion is not enough!¡± Fulina and Cyne creased their brows. ¡°We¡¯re not yourpdogs,¡± Fulina said. ¡°That request of yours would require another transaction. One more favourable for us than you this time.¡± The dark haired man looked at the woman with intense hatred. Right now, he could give a damn about all that. This coboration wasn¡¯t built on friendship. As far as he knew the Green Neolists couldn¡¯t back out as they needed them as well! This collision was built out of necessity! He opened his mouth to refute Fulina¡¯s words. ¡°Naturally, we will oblige. This is an engagement built on convenience for both sides, is it not?¡± It wasn¡¯t the Evenfall leader who spoke however as even he, as he had been about to spout his rage, looked towards the source of the voice. A figure appeared a distance behind Actuass and his crew who immediately raised their guard. ¡°Surely that is an extravagant expense we can spare. Right, my dear Leader?¡± As everyone turned, they saw a man with purple and ck hair appear from the dredges of this space. He walked confidently, his grin oozing of a mysterious confidence. Actuass and the others didn¡¯t know who he was but the those from the Evenfall sensed something familiar within him. While they didn¡¯t know him personally, they identified him as one of their own. A blessing was within him, much like most of them with a familiar energy signature. The mam with the dark hair narrowed his eyes as he then addressed this new entrant. ¡°Who are you?¡± The Evenfall leader asked with a deep frown. Guissepo grinned as his eyes showed a luminous light of revtion that made everyone even more hurry. ¡°I am but a messenger with an EXTRAVAGANT message from the Master¡­¡± he replied. ¡ª -Sponsored by Arcanzer- Chapter 343 A Grey Ending! The man with the dark hair couldn¡¯t take this. He recognised that this man was obviously from his side, but he didn¡¯t have time for games. What did some bottom-of-the-barrel scrub want? How did he even get here? Whose messenger was he? ¡°What are you doing here? How did you even know toe here in the first ce?¡± he asked, much to everyone¡¯s curiosity as well. Guissepo maintained his cheerful grin as he gazed at this man who was oblivious¡­ Who was ignorant¡­ Who was no longer wanted¡­. The cheery man opened his mouth to speak, his humble appearance gaining a sacredness about him over the glint in his eye that seemed to put everyone on edge. ¡°I am a simple vessel that has been found EXTRAVAGANT for him. For the MASTER! He saw my efforts and revealed to me a great deal of things that none of you know! Hahaha! I never knew that I, a simple man who was satisfied with dying as fodder in MASTER¡¯S service, could be found worthy of carrying his mantle!¡± Guissepo yelled at the top of his lungs with a crazed look upon his face, a purple glow beginning to suffuse within his pupils, making all the Evenfall members as well as Actuass and his group feel a sense of difort. ¡°He chose me! Erat, MASTER says you have failed! With all your years you have let him down. He grows impatient with your long-winded, monotonous tactics! He wants freedom! And for that¡­. I have been chosen to take your ce!¡± The man with the dark hair, identified as Erat turned pale before he became red with rage. No, it couldn¡¯t be! After all these years¡­?! After all his efforts?! Was it because he allied with the Necromancers? But this had yielded him the best result he had seen so far! So¡­ why¡­? No! It couldn¡¯t be true! ¡°You dare tell such lies?! Only I have been ordained for this task! What would one so young like you know?! Your sphemy shall be punished!¡± Erat said as his golden eyes shone with a purple light, his hand rising as it extended towards Guissepo! While he was still frustrated with how dismal the result on the Extreme Form was, what he needed now was some fool to vent his rage on! The ck and purple haired man showed no apprehension as he felt powers way beyond his own barrel out of Erat who bore a wrathful face! He was calm, for he knew what he had seen. Back then¡­. when that eye had appeared, followed by the creature that was born after the channelling so much Primus into the atmosphere. That creature had been sent with a message that he saw when he looked into that eye! Guissepo had almost gotten so much confidence to go berserk and fight back then but he held himself so that what he learned coulde to pass. Starting with this exact moment. This exact vision he had seen where Erat would try to take his life. ¡®Humph ¡­.someone who has worked enough for this Extravagance should be the one to take carry the burden of leadership for a change¡­¡¯ he thought as in response to the hostility, he extended his own hand, his meagre strength pitted against the flood from the man before him. Erat was about to use his blessing to crush Guissepo, vicious waves of mana flowing to expel atrocious waves of power but¡­ He suddenly stopped. ¡­.! What was going on?! What was this?! His body suddenly felt limb as within him, something just seemed to be unplugged¡­detached from the source of his power. His blessing suddenly resisted his control! As if this wasn¡¯t enough to put him into despair mixed with confusion, Guissepo raised his hand higher while extending it towards Erat, the man¡¯s chin rising as he found his mouth opening without his control! ¡®What¡­ how is he doing this¡­?!¡¯ Erat¡¯s eyes bulged as they became bloodshot. ¡®How¡­?!¡¯ Soon, from the man¡¯s mouth, a stream of dark purple energy was pulled out, the thick waves gathering above Erat who trembled violently as he felt as if his very life energy was being stolen along with his powers! The purple mass pooled overhead only for a short period before it streaked towards Guissepo who held it within his hand like a condensed ball under the shocked eyes of the rest of the Evenfall members. Erat plummeted to the ground lifelessly, his eyes having rolled over while his skin became a sickening mash of colour. Guissepo emitted a grunt as he yed with the energy that danced in his hand. His eyes then turned to Actuass whose hazel eyes peaked from the mask, showing nothing but calm and a bit of curiosity. Fulina and Cyne on the other hand, were quite rattled though as they assumed that something was going to go down, their guard having risen to the peak. Actuass raised his hand to put them at ease though. ¡°Management issues?¡± he questioned with a rxed voice. Guissepo smiled at this man. ¡°Not anymore. An easily recognisable face was needed is all¡­¡± he replied casually before he walked over to Actuass, reaching merely inches away before he continued. ¡°MASTER told me that I should keep you around. You¡¯re the centrepiece of everything we want to achieve. Such high and extravagant praise, is it not?¡± Actuass breathed out an audible breath. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°It is. As extravagant evidence¡­ how about I allow you take the girl. Just as you wanted to do in this first ce.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Actuass hummed as he slightly titled his head, his hazel eyes narrowing a bit. He hadn¡¯t told anyone about that. Curious. Guissepo backed away with a wide smile while gesturing towards Revia who was wheezing for air. The masked man only took a second before he walked towards Revia and crouched down, his hidden face looking down at her. The girl gritted her teeth as diluted rage could be felt from her entire, exhausted visage. Actuass didn¡¯t focus on this though. He stretched out his hand towards her and said a few words that made the girl¡¯s eyes tremble. ¡°You¡¯re the only one in this world who understands that pain can be an eternal phenomenon. You could keep sinking in it and all its cruel variations for the rest of your undeath¡­. or you could be my pawn for a time while you await the day you sessfully kill me and free yourself¡­¡± *** A distance from Inhone City, Skullius walked on a footpath as he looked on ahead. An ethereal-looking yet material robe with a dark blue hue draped over him as it fluttered in the hot wind. Around his neck, a silvery small skeletal figure the size of a fist with horns over its head could be seen as it held together the robe for him, its sockets tinged with a subdued blue torchlight. This was evidently the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound that had miniaturised its body and created a robe with its Unliving Thread for the Discount Human. Skullius looked back one more time at the city he was leaving behind. ¡°Tsk. I forgot to say goodbye to Frock. Hmm? Is that even necessary? That¡¯s a weird thought,¡± Skullius rebuked himself. ¡®I have 6 days to roam around freely. Thats enough, right? Maybe. Silrat can be stingy dammit! I can pick up quite a bit in those days though. Hopefully on clues about these too,¡¯ Skullius thought as he peeked into the storage of his Null Demon¡¯s Aegis of Damnation, looking at two things he hadn¡¯t checked on since the Tremur Forest. Things tooplicated for him to figure out. But this was just an afterthought. The abundant Enriching gems in the second spatial storage on his finger were something he was looking forward to absorbing as well. When he did, he would get to see what [Flesh It Like You Mean It] which was Lv.9 now could do once it evolved. Kek¡­ Bless Silrat! The Discount Human then addressed someone else he was less trusting towards. ¡°You better not screw me over, you tomato-loving sockethole,¡± he said. ¡°RELAX O FLINGER. WE¡¯RE IN THIS TOGETHER, ARE WE NOT? HEHEHEHE! I¡¯LL GET YOU STRONGER IN NO TIME. THOUGHYOUTREATMELIKEGARBAGEBUTFORGIVENESSISONEOFMYSTRENGTHS,¡± S said with a loud grumble. ¡°What was thatst part?¡± ¡°OH, NOTHING TOMATO FLINGER!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Suspicious. Skullius ignored the rest as he set onwards. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m not going to neglect a part of myself like I¡¯ve been doing. While my Discount Human grows, my un-undead self must rise too! Isn¡¯t that right Red bro?!¡± Red Rage who was crammed in the spatial storage grumbled while wondering why he wasn¡¯t just allowed to live in therger space within that mysterious staff his master had acquired. However Skullius wasn¡¯t thinking of this as he simply charged forward! Another journey with promised fortune awaited! ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] End of volume! Thanks for reading this far guys. I reeeeeaaally appreciate it. However, I must say, after 343 Chapters, you must have decided on how you feel about this book right? Right?! Please, please leave a REVIEW on the book. I ept criticism as it helps me grow and I don¡¯t expect everyone to love this book but let¡¯s be professional when expressing our thoughts. You¡¯re not mandated for leave a REVIEW but it would help this book immensely! Thanks y¡¯all! Chapter 344 The Grander Conflict The Second Grand War. The event that urred during the period of Patkmas Yujgi, the Emergence of the Pirs as recorded in the books of the current age. It was an extraordinary event that came after the Giants were driven from Feinheath and Opungale by the powerhouses that arose from the teachings of these behemoths. The irony of it was amusing and then some but it wasn¡¯t limited to merely that¡­ As the Purity took hold, consolidating the belief in the Deities despite the entire war that had risen with the very entities that taught of these sacred beings, a certain peace seemed to wash over the continent. The Purity spread its influence, creatingrge temples formunion with the Deities or at the very least attempts at doing so. The creation of relevant sses like Priests and all was yet to fully be realised in these times. Faith was something that predated theing of the Giants and for some reason, sentient creatures remained with the idea of idtry regardless of how advanced they became. From praying to rivers and trees, they turned to devoting themselves to beings they couldn¡¯t see, but unlike with the natural forces they had given their reverence to, the Deities ¡®spoke¡¯. They gave guidance to all that sought it. Guidance in Direction that most would not want but needed to follow anyway. In this, none could Discount that the Deities were true and thus belief did not wear out. In fact, it exploded and in its grand rise, it gave birth to another group of people who chose not to build temples for worship but to imitate the Giants who built shrines. This group quickly grew, mainly beingprised of men and women who believed that they¡­ were nothing. Their bodies and souls were not profound but held collective importance that needed guidance into the next life after death. They believed all life was created for naught but the mundane work of keeping Aigas as beautiful as it could be, keeping the bodies of the Deities clean and sacred by constantly making known to all things what Aigas was. For that, they discarded the self and embraced a sense of oneness, much like the Giants. They believed the Giants¡¯ calling was to make everyone aware of their lifestyle which was seen fit for them to receive the revtion of the Deities first over the humans and the Sif. This group called themselves, the Unnamed Keepers. The Purity shunned these men and women who were dubbed as cultists instead and warred against them, hunting them down and putting them to the sword. It wasn¡¯t a simple ughter, however, as this group had the means to protect themselves as well. This feud was but a portion of the age that came after the Giants¡¯ departure, unfortunately, as amidst the culling on both sides, a new party entered the fray with a sacrilegious belief that tore the war between the Purity and the Unnamed Keepers apart. Fulgardt. One of those who awakened incredible powers in the Patkmas Yujgi, a Hidden ss. He was a man of great stature and a powerful presence that did not need the fondling of mana. His raw, bodily air was like that of a world when he was merely a scaler of the Stages much like every other warrior on the continent and this sole appearance of his was what demanded everyone¡¯s attention before he made his intent known. His desires and words shook not only Feinheath but even Opungale, as they were a challenge to the world. His message spread far in only three days, everyone who was close to any channel of information hearing the words of the man who would be known as the Immoral. ¡°I have received revtion. Enlightenment. While you quarrel among yourselves about which way to praise the Deities, these beings who were once worms like us, treading on the dry dirt, now masquerading as gods, I have received a message from the one, the true one. The Wanderer Who Seeds..!¡± Such words. Such bold words. Who was this man to dere something like this? A brute from the nation of Maqi with too much strength and naught much brain to think. That was the sentiment that all shared. Yet, his words did not cease and neither did he sit still for long after appearing. ¡°I am emboldened by a vicious power that tugs at my very blood. The purity of light and the evil of the darkness pull me in two, yet they dere the same thing of me¡­ That I y all who bow to falsehoods!¡± Thus were his words. No more a mere verbal expression of intent but a warning of the imminent death and destruction that woulde for those that worshipped the Deities. And surely¡­. death and destruction came. This one man who was thought to be alone cast four more shadows over the world as he wreaked havoc with them in tow. Four more monsters with Hidden powers much like himself. Among these was a man that Fulgardt called his most trusted friend. Quilforg. A man of great power and of simr vision much like the other three thatposed of this order of rebels to what had been determined as the natural order of the world. Quilforg believed that as Fulgardt had said, there was no need to praise and adore the Deities. He believed that his friend had truly been enlightened. That an existence worthy of the title of TRANSCENDENT had shown this man something grand and resplendent! Why was his faith in Fulgardt so strong? Well¡­ The might that this friend of his disyed was easily the barest of answers. Cutting down tens of powerful elites with Hidden sses much like him within a few seconds was as sinister as it could get, especially when considering that all these men and women were further in their Stages than the Incandescent Stage where Fulgardt was at the time. Yet¡­ none of the fights he engaged insted more than a minute whether he was swarmed or otherwise. How he fought, how he brutalised the believers of the Deities whether they were from the Purity or the Keepers and mocked their blessings and belief as heid his feet over their heads¡­ This wasn¡¯t casual MIGHT afforded by any Deity. This was atrocious MIGHT from somewhere else entirely. It had to be. Quilforg relished in their movement as they went, tearing down shrines and temples alike and watching the normal people cower behind each other as under Fulgardt¡¯s oppressive might, they could only denounce the Deities. In a measly year, the entirety of Feinheath was forced to recognise this man as a threat to all things. He and his group of ¡®fanatics¡¯, that was. The death toll in the one year of his debut almost culled the continent of all its newly risen powerhouses who had fought in the First Grand War! Were these people insane?! Why would they actively choose to fight against the entirety of Feinheath and potentially Opungale as well?! Why would they injure the legacy of humanity?! Who was this Wanderer Who Seeds whom they devoted themselves to?! The confusion and chaos called for all those who believed in the goodness of all that they had learned to band together once again for another age of war. A warring between humans! Billions joined hands for the sake of the Deities while thousands chose to join Fulgardt and his movement, for not all believed in the righteousness of the three beings that were said to make up the world. In the wake of this terror that was only yet to fully ripen as the numbers continuously swelled for Fulgardt¡¯s side, ¡®he¡¯ changed his mind. ¡®His¡¯ sudden change afforded much needed help in the next many years that it took for Fulgardt to taste defeat and it is his records that detail the intents of the Immoral as written to this current day and age, beginning with simple words that portrayed his immense emotion. ¡°I only realisedter that what I thought I believed in this friend of mine was false. I did not relish in causing pain and crushing what others held as a crutch as he did. Crushing belief. Crushing hope. I had been manipted by the light and dark he exhumed without even knowing it. Perhaps it was his way of making sure we would not sh on the matter but still¡­ I strayed from him after conjuring all my might¡­ He was to fall at all costs. For Aigas¡¯ sake¡­¡± ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] And I¡¯m back. Sorry I extended my break to be much longer. I had to nab my driver¡¯s licence on the weekend so¡­ But I¡¯m back now. Also. [Ding!] [Arcanzer has donated AGGRESSIVELY to the novel! I¡¯m stupendously hyped! +4 Chapters over the daily quota sometime this week!] Chapter 345 Nine Voices Present time¡­ ¡°Have all responsible parties been awarded for the provided intel?¡± a solemn voice spoke. ¡°We are processing it as fast as we can. The young man who spearheaded the ordeal is in good books with the Purity and is as devout as even our inner members. We want to make sure he and his team arepensated sufficiently.¡± ¡°Good. A young Tamer with a good record formunion and assistance to the local temples. He is deserving indeed. Now that we know the Neolists and the Evenfall are in cahoots, we can have this talk that most of you have wanted to dodge all this time,¡± another voice, much like the first, a bit muffled, spoke. A rather triangr space could be seen, three walls ascending high up to reach the ceiling where a luxurious ss with representations of the olden leaders of the Purity was immactely ced also being visible. The walls that reached that point were as beautiful as could be, an expensive garnish making them glisten with their starry design spelling out the central belief of this faction ¨C three point stars. Seven smallted doors with neat frames were attached to the three walls at different heights, this arrangement depicting the various levels of authority, as only a single one was above the rest. Dark and unclear silhouettes could be made out behind thes ¨C no more than mere smudges of shapes that could not be discerned with most trained eyes to make them out ¨C bringing a rather ominous visual, especially considering that the light from the ss ceiling streamed down to illuminate the figure of a male Pdin Champion who stood in the midst of the room, answering the raining questions and reacting to the words spoken. ¡°What is there to talk about?¡± a raspy and aged feminine voice echoed from one of theted doors. ¡°Tis but another conflict we have to deal with in our imperfect history. Everyone here knows of the undead and everyone here knows of the Traitorous Deity, Boron. Is it that surprising that these two groups would finally choose to collude against us after being thwarted for so long?¡± ¡°There is much to talk about, actually. I have studied these heathens in detail,¡± a younger, male voice was heard. ¡°While these two parties came millenia after we had established our organisation, they are the pioneers of certain events as you already know.¡± ¡°The Neolists¡¯ appearance brought the sudden descent of powerful undead armies that raided our Sacred Forests for Nitros, while the Evenfall brought chaos to our societies. Even after all this, they have failed to prevail against the strength of our Champions and we have attained victory for the most part. But¡­¡± This young man¡¯s sudden pause brought an eerie silence to therge space as a sense of suspense was built up. ¡°Am I the only one who has felt the differences in intent behind these two groups? It is as if, someone new has taken the reigns. We have lost a Pdin Champion to this man whom Valis spoke about who ims to be the leader of the Neolists and now, the Evenfall has caused a great disturbance with the Cluster incident. I feel we need to work together with the Capital Service to stop this problem before it goes beyond our control.¡± An ufortable tension and insufferable silence swarmed the room as the Champion who listened took in a sharp breath to maintain his cool. Working together with the Capital Service? This was something that the second speaker had hinted at only for it to be spelled out without riddle. ¡°Elder Peilin. The Capital Service and the Purity remain as separate entities for a reason. In terms of efficiency, we are vastly superior and muddling us with those fools will only sully our strength. Surely no one else sees this absurd im as valid ¡­¡± the aged and raspy voice sounded. ¡°I also disagree. The Purity has many duties that require us to remain separated from the Capital Service. If that facet was a good enough help, we would have them assist us with the Retention. Because they are unreliable, we¡¯ve had to secretly rely on the Sif to help make sure that no ships or individuals wander beyond the Central Boundary. This should give you some idea of what I mean, should it not?¡± The Central Boundary was a position on the map of Aigas that marked the halfway point between the North and South. Up North was thend of Edagon where the Giants hade from but it was a great distance away from even Opungale which was a few miles to the North East of Feinheath. The Purity, seemingly unbeknownst to all the other nations, was cooperating with the High Family of the Sif to ensure that NO ONE travelled beyond the Central Boundary. There were those bold enough to want to explore further and discover where the Giants hade from and many an expedition had been crafted. Such was the mind of humanity. But it could not be allowed. Many reasons spawned this. Those found to venture up to the forbidden point would either be killed or have their memories altered before being sent back home depending on where they came from ¨Crgely no one from Maqi or Opungale would be killed. The one who oversaw this continuous operation known as the Retention was the strongest Pdin Champion, Boldstar, and under his watch, none had ever crossed the Boundary. ¡°I second what Peilin says,¡± the voice of a middle aged woman defended the younger male who had suggested getting the Purity to work with the Capital Service. ¡°Unless you want to lose another Champion in the top 5, I suggest that we work with them. It¡¯s not a matter of pride anymore, lives are on the line. If our Champions can at least inhabit major cities, our response to the potential threats of the future will be minimised. We have even lost a second Champion because of you lots¡¯ stubbornness!¡± A short pause grew after this new voice spoke, making the Pdin Champion in the midst sigh. This was another cause of debate. The fate of Elita. ¡°Any word of Elita since that day, Ruhrees?¡± the young man whose name was Peilin asked from behind histed door which was near the very bottom. ¡°Unfortunately there is none. She seems to have just vanished and there is no way for us to track her down. Even our best Diviners were not able to find anything,¡± the Pdin Champion, Ruhrees answered. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure why she disappeared? For all we know ¡¯tis the fulfilment of the ministration I received from the Deities! Her blunder in Eofel was the perfect opportunity for us to put an end to her line before it was toote and yet the lot of you refused. Hmph! You thought merely imprisoning her would do, but now, perhaps someone finished the job for us!¡± ¡°Ministration? Fool! Admit it! No such thing was said from the Deities! Her family line should not dictate her fate to death. Imprisoning her and confiscating her title was not a biased decision on our part. She did not deserve death!¡± ¡°That does not matter now, does it?! The deed has been done! You¡¯ll thank me when the stench of her line no longer haunts your sleep!¡± ¡°ENOUGH!¡± a voice boomed from the highestted door, causing the debate to end. The individual behind this door had remained silent throughout the entire discussion and debate, taking in all the information for a final decision. Now, with his powerful voice and intent that demanded silence, everyone spoke no further and listened to what he would dere. ¡°I want to here no more about the Champion Elita. Her fate cannot dictate our direction in terms of how we shall handle the current evils we face. Peilin¡¯s words hold some truth. Will we only discard our pride when Pelian is in mes? The Second Grand War taught us to set aside differences in dire times. We shall coordinate with the Capital Service, nomatter how foolish they tend to be. That is MY decision.¡± The Highest Elder had spoken and his words needed no affirmation for it was final. Those who wished otherwise could only grumble inwardly while those who had supported this from the beginning rejoiced silently. This matter was done. Or so everyone thought. THRUM! The melody of a lute danced from the strings that were strummed at this moment, as a certain man appeared in all his youthful and blonde glory. He sat on the floor a distance from the Pdin Champion who instantly turned with the ferocious powers he possessed gushing out with immense hostility. The tension instantly rose but the man who had mysteriously appeared, strumming his musical instrument charmed it with a soothing bad that quelled all with haste. ¡°Shall I, the Holder of Mysteries, Give you counsel O foolish seven, For you know naught, the truth of the gods, For you know naught, the minds of the divine¡­.¡± Chapter 346 Unknown Collusions Maqi. Large trees rose into the sky, their canopies fettered with the harsh light that bellowed brightly from above. Their thick green leaves barely swayed as there was no wind to make them stray, their barks holding moisture that spoke of the current cool and the recent heavy rain. Below these trees that seemed to be the sole popting species marring this forest, muddy grounds could be seen where reptilian beasts waddled with their scaled bulks while keeping away from a certain radius where monstrous waves of power were diffusing into the air. High up on the branch to a massive Yukione tree that bore apple-like fruits with a blood red hue, their size akin to that of a man, five figures sat upon it ¨C four on chairs that seemed to sprout from the massive branch itself and one who seemedfortable being seated on the moist bark. ¡°Quite the interesting meeting ce. I expected avish room with fine drink,¡± a man donning what looked like a baggy robe said with a light smile, his heavyshes making his eyes twinkle. The man was bald with no facial hair to speak of, but his skin was smooth with a golden tan, contrasting his small pink lips and eerie white eyes. He could see perfectly however, as the white was not of the blind. The robes he wore seemed more like nkets that hid his body and rejected any visual attempt at guessing his physique. ¡°This is not Emeradis or Pelian. We are not biased to such finery. To swords ormon weaponry that do well to make everyone¡¯s capability the same. Do you not know that the finest asses are cultivated from sitting on the raw wet trees and drinking directly from the source?¡± an elderly woman who sat over the branch said with a mocking, yet proud smile. She wore something akin to arge, dry hide with little furs, different shades of grey over it as it was shaped like a dress that covered only up to her bosom. She had a shaved head, with long tufts of white hair only being seen at the very centre, much like an old style mohawk. Her swollen eyes that only revealed her dull blue eyes through narrow slits and her wrinkly skin told of her more than a 100 years of life, as did her words¡­somewhat. One look at her was enough to determine wisdom and power beyond themon bounds. The power of a variant of Mages only cultured by Maqi. Shamanic Mages. The bald man smiled to the old woman¡¯s response as he pulled on therge red fruit overhead, feeling its plumb and juicy innards. ¡°I will not argue with your words. There are no finer women in this world than in Maqi. However, Emeradis has no bias towards themon swords like Pelian. Knights and such¡­ they are primitive concepts. Or have you forgotten? Pelian is the youngest among all the nations in Feinheath. So young that it tends to make the most foolish of decisions. Do you not agree, First Horn?¡± the bald man turned to the giant of a man who sat on thergest and most exquisitely crafted chair made from the hard flesh of the Yukione tree. His thick chest was bare and a well furnished reddish-orange hide was strapped around his waist, over a free pair of ck pants that were made of a material akin to silk. His eyes that looked much like those of a beast with yellow pupils that constantly dted, flickered as he entertained this figure. ¡°It is but the err of a sprout. Pelian has little strength to give it any form of security in the event of a war. Only six households are worthy of any mention in the entire nation. Let us not punish them for their folly,¡± the man said in a voice that transcended the realms of ¡®deep.¡¯ The other three people here dressed much like thisrge man, merely listened to the conversation between the three as they had not right to speak when the Head of the Nation, the First Horn, was present. This was even true for the young man who sat to this man¡¯s right, his appearance being the splitting image of the man on this throne. The bald man hunched over and looked at the First Horn with a pleased look. ¡°I am pleased we are on the same page. I have been sent to deliver a proposal to you by the Monarch. He also does not wish to assault Pelian for this. That would be¡­ counter to our productivity as humans. Therefore¡­¡± the bald man paused as his eyes turned sharp. ¡°¡­is it not better to strike Opungale instead?¡± The First Horn¡¯s eyes did not show any reaction and neither did the rest of his body. ¡°Amusing,¡± the old woman who sat on the branch said with a hideous grin. ¡°You bring the concept of such arge scale war to us so casually¡­ Don¡¯t you know, war is the richest sea from which our people drink and thrive from?¡± The bald man¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°Of course. Aigas has been far too peaceful. Rats who try to instil fear through crude means bore us as they do you. Necromancers and foul pawns. Let us ignore them and strike the real prize. We have plenty a reason to wage a war, many a sailor who return home with distorted minds, many a warrior who lose the taste of war over the seas¡­ and a gnashing annoyance at seeing those filthy long ears¡­¡± The old woman burst into raucousughter while the First Horn remained stern. The tall and bulky man took a few breaths before giving his response. ¡°Why look for reason in it? If blood is to be shed, let it be shed in the purest of ways. With no excuses or pretence¡­. but with raw carnal instinct!¡± *** Genhuis City. A slender figure with just enough fat in the right ces walked out with her moist body dripping droplets of water that halted in mid-air a moment before they touched the floor of the luxurious bedroom. She pulled on her long, cherry hair, squeezing out the humidity within it which manifested as lumps of water that floated from the hair and halted in space. Her naked figure as she elegantly walked over to therge windows that showed the massive city beyond could not have looked more mesmerising as with the curtains open wide, the sunlight made her curves and skin shine. Her long ears twitched as she sighed. ¡°This is so much better than home¡­¡± she said as she stretched her hands while moaning. ¡°I should enjoy this while itsts.¡± As she said this, from her back, two streams of golden peach lights bloomed. They brightened and wiggled like the wings they were, fluttering as their owner desired as if they were being stretched out after a very long time. To one who looked from the side, it would be like seeing an ancient forger grab a hold of two wisps of light and stretch them like pieces of soft wire, watching beautiful peach patterns meld over them. Such a phenomenon of absolute beauty caused a change over the body of Darwel as her identity wasn¡¯t limited to just being a daughter of royalty. The glistening of her skin as the wings appeared, as if glitter had been immactely sprinkled over, as well as the flood of power that burst from her body in this moment represented her mixed blood as a higher form of existence entirely¡­ Chapter 347 The Deity-sent man! (A/N: Bonus Chapter). In a certain living mass that had a bold and domineering design that expressed the might and wealth held by the House, a brief meeting had been organised to initiate a glorious new beginning that was expected to bring forth a new path that couldn¡¯t be forged by the power of the Imagining Technique alone. A red carpet wasid over the dark tiled floor that led up to both ends of the hall, creating a rather sacred look that demanded remembrance and the preservation. A man and a woman were standing behind a young man that was evidently their son, the man looking at him with fervent eyes that showed pride while the woman¡¯s eyes were calm with just a little bit of trepidation. The young man before them was kneeling respectfully in the opposite direction, with his head lowered. He had dark hair with blue fringes at the bangs that draped over his forehead,bed over to the left, a round face withrge honey-coloured eyes and a button nose that had a faint natural brush at the bridge. As he knelt, his left arm which touched the ground to support his entire body could be seen with a dark, thick bandage around it that hid its appearance in a curious fashion, but everyone in the room knew what was hidden. In fact, it was the very reason that the figure this young one was kneeling to was here. As for who this figure was, a green mask with a half white side over the face spelt all about his identity. The shivering hooded figure at his side merely watched without revealing who they were as well, curious as to what the strange man in the mask intended. ¡°Rias EverSword. Do you have any words to say that guarantee that you, as the next heir to the EverSword Household will remain loyal to me, my consorts and ideals?¡± Actuass spoke in a demanding tone that did not emit desperation or haste but authority. The older man behind this young man who had been identified as Rias, wore a grin as he expectantly waited for what his son who was merely sixteen years of age would say to express his allegiance. His talent and mannerisms had allowed him to reach this point. He had faithfully observed the years of solitude required for one topletely hone the House Technique and his power was vastly superior to even his when he was of this age! He brimmed with joy at seeing that the House had not yet failed Actuass. The young man with a straight face raised his head and faced Actuass who donned a long simple brown robe tied with a rope at the waist and spoke. ¡°My words would mean nothing nomatter how bold they are. My actions however, are and will be a better indication of the firm belief I have in your ideals. I¡¯m different from Reon. I havepleted the tasks required for the sons of the House and I have the power required to back the House. I will not stray. Take me and use me as your own.¡± Rias¡¯ father trembled with joy while his mother could only smile weakly. Seeing her son wholeheartedly pledge his fealty to this¡­ man¡­ She felt a strange mix of emotion. A part of her was d that Reon had run away and done what he believed was a better fulfilment of his life, though he gotten entangled in this snare still. Even further, it seemed he had died a lonely death. Her thoughts and sombre emotions were her own however, as she watched Actuass walk up to Rias. ¡°Good. You have much work to do,¡± Actuass said before turning to the older man who looked to want to leap up. ¡°The Premium Age Royale?¡± ¡°Everything is set! Many of the registered Families have already arrived in Genhuis City. In a few days we will begin and at the end, you will have what you seek, Master Actuass,¡± the man hurriedly said. Actuass nodded and turned to the hooded figure behind him that kept shivering. ¡°Do you understand a bit of it now?¡± The figure hesitantly nodded much to the masked man¡¯s satisfaction as the glow of his hazel eyes gleamed behind his facial cover. *** There was a vast region as one went on up North within Pelian from any direction. There would be a chilly breeze at first, a stifling cold next and then colossal cial structures that were constantly pped by dangerously cold winds which carried kes of snow. These extreme conditions were not the current focus however as the main point to follow at this moment was a certainrge town called Harifrast. At this time, thick nkets of snow could be seen all around covering most of what could be seen in a beautiful white camouge that made everything pristine. Not a single soul alive was not donning something to warm their flesh as the slightly vicious winds would blow from time to time. This did not stop the many people who lived in Harifrast from going about their businesses though, as the hawkers sold their products, carriers carried their customers and the baths¡­ oh the baths enjoyed the year long rounds of customers who woulde to the fine establishment to dip themselves in warm currents. Some men and women with well maintained appearances that were identified as attractive to the opposite sex would entertain the customers in various ways, the weight of the pocket dictating the limits of the treatment these customers would receive. This was a high tier business in the Harifrast indeed. Yet, it was only one of the more prominent ones in this town as there was another one that had the potential of grabbing quite a bit of coin with many being none the wiser, if the ¡®enterpreneur¡¯ so desired. To the west of the town, where less of the more economic activity thrived, a crooked wooden shed could be seen, thickets of snow cementing the space between the logs that made it. Icy blocks mixed with the whitepletely covered the roof that looked to want to fall at any moment, but this did not dissuade the column of dozens that waited patiently for their turn to enter this gloomy shed. There were those with missing limbs, those with grievous injuries, those with illnesses among many other conditions that required medical attention all looking to the front anxiously. The Deity-sent man in there¡­. They all hoped he would serve longer. Within this shed which currently had its door closed, a woman was looking in awe at her own hands, turning them in all possible ways. She suddenly started to tremble with tears rolling down her face as she looked at the figure before her, seated on worn stool with a tender smile. This man¡­ She could swear she wouldn¡¯t forget him ever in her entire life. His long, auburn hair, his glistening silver eyes and rich skin that seemed unaffected by the snow¡­ He¡­ he was too good a man to be true. She knelt as she bawled out and gripped his hand. ¡°Sir¡­ sir¡­ thank you very much! I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ my hands¡­ I thought I would never be able to hold anything again! ¡­ May the Deities bless you bountifully sir!¡± she said in a sincere voice. The man cocked his hand in a disgust for only a split second but retained his kind visage again for her sake. He nodded at her words and patted her hands. But it seemed this woman was not done. ¡°Oh kind sir! You have done something too grand for me to simply walk out and forget! Is there anything I can do or he¡ª¡± ¡°SHSHSHSHSHSHHHHH!¡± The man suddenly nted his index finger on the woman¡¯s lips, halting her sentence with a smile that made her blush. ¡°I need nothing for my service, fem- woman. My duty is to help where I can,¡± the man said, making the woman nod silently as tears kept flooding down her cheeks. Deep within however, the man¡¯s thoughts were not so kind. ¡®I already got what I wanted from you. Having you melt on me will get me into trouble you sockethole.¡¯ ¡ª -Sponsored by Arcanzer- Chapter 348 He Likes What? (A/N: Bonus Chapter). As the evening was quickly approaching in this cold town, the recently acknowledged healer closed shed and walked away from his make-shift establishment from the back, hiding from the many who still sought him. ¡°Pheww¡­.¡± Skullius breathed out as he rushed away and slid his hands into his pockets. His hair which had grown to pass his shoulders in the past two days kept getting in the way of his vision, making him constantly have to swing it away by swaying his head from time to time. Frankly, it was quite annoying but from the side, to those who looked at his slightly bulky figure hidden under the thick, sand-coloured jacket he wore, this action of his looked kind of¡­ ahem. ¡®It seems UNCoddled isn¡¯t as dangerous as I thought it was. Well¡­ it is dangerous but as long as someone doesn¡¯t get to express that they want to help me, they won¡¯t have to die an agonising death! Kek!¡¯ Skullius thought as he wore a smug grin. The Discount Human had learned from the time with Ginie and with Terian that him helping people didn¡¯t cause any problems with UNCoddled! Him healing the gaping hole from when Guissepo sted the little girl open and him patching up Terian in his most recent big fight had not caused him any issues. Then what? Skullius decided to take more risks! If he could mitigate the consequences, he could gain many benefits, such as levelling up his skills while using the pretence of kindness! Humans really loved that sort of stuff. Especially the poor. And in the case that many people melted to the ground¡­ well that wasn¡¯t exactly his problem, especially in this town. ¡®[Luminous Healing] is already at level 8. Better yet, I learned a lot of its applications aside from regenerating limbs¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he viewed his guidance field. Many would ask why Skullius had chosen his sole healing skill as the first thing to tackle. Well¡­ that would be exploredter. Ever since he came to Harifrast this morning, Skullius had discovered it to be a more pleasant ce to rx in for several reasons, despite the obvious detriment of the terrible cold which contrasted the heat he wasing from. When he entered this region, he had cursed with each bone expletive he could expel from his mouth! It was terrible! It horrible! It was fleshed up! And yes, he could FEEL it now! Who made this weather?! It had taken some time for Skullius to even decide to continue on as it wasn¡¯t of his own will toe here. ¡°Tomato flinger, are you going to take me to that ce or not? It won¡¯t take that long. I just need to see it! You promised! I helped you get yourself out of trouble back then! Don¡¯t you dare back out!¡± S who had be tame with his volume sted the inside of Skullius¡¯ mind with ring emotion. ¡°Rx, you sockethole. It hasn¡¯t even been a day since we arrived here. Give me some time, alright?¡± Skullius responded. ¡®You aren¡¯t going to that ridiculous establishment again, are you?! You just went there a few hours ago!¡¯ ¡°So what? I¡¯m not allowed to have fun now? Especially when I actually can?! Well flesh your ass bro! I¡¯m going there anyway! Wait! Gah! This again!¡± ¡®What?¡¯ ¡°Nothing! Just don¡¯t talk to me about this anymore!¡± Skullius huffed as he stomped ahead, the voice of S merely grumbling as he said no more about this matter. In truth he just hated to see Skullius rxing while he was stuck in a bubble that disallowed him any sensations at all. Tch. Skullius passed through the town streets were everything was still as lively as ever. As opposed to most towns he had seen, this one had many visitors from foreign cities and viges. Some were wealthy visitors that brought the town astronomical amounts of coin which gave this ce with better standards than most. Aside from it being a simple cold town, there were a variety of frozen sights to see that many woulde to see, such a frozen pool at the very centre of the city which constantly emitted a haze of cold while maintaining the shape of arge ssh. This pool also had a unique trait besides its beauty alone. Apparently it could grant a beautifying effect to anyone who stood still a meter from it for an hour. The limit was roughly a single person a day and the effectsted up to a year, which was artively attractive effect. Naturally, this was something the rich would hunt for as opposed to the less fortunate but still, this icy construction caused a stream of the rich to regrly waddle into the town. This wasn¡¯t the only site however, as there were many other ces around the town with an equal or grander built and beauty, some restricted to ess but powerful Knights. On top of these visitors, at the current time, there were many individuals who had poured into Harifrast while fleeing from the Clusters that gued everywhere on Feinheath. Some were injured and hoping for help as they ran away from their viges in search of closer ces that could offer them help. Skullius had taken advantage of such with his arrival which had limited his exploration of the rest of the city. Before he knew it, he had strategically opened a free medical service booth that was flooded with customers in minutes. After walking for quite the distance, the Discount Human finally arrived at the ce he desired. An expansive wooden cabin with enticing woodwork that teased the services provided inside appeared in view. A neat pathway of masonry led into the ce that Skullius sought once more with a grin. It was indeed as one would think, a hot bath establishment which went by the name ¡®The Hot Swan¡¯. On entering into through the door, Skullius saw the familiar wood and stone interior that had dozens of people walking about in the steamy space as they headed to the great number of pools tens of meters ahead. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Skullius felt a wave of excitement but he hurriedly calmed himself. Things were different now. He couldn¡¯t just get too excited. Still though, thefortable heat fondled his body as he removed his jacket which he had stol- bought from a kind hawker along the road when he first arrived. This was the stuff. He walked a few steps in and found the familiar booth where one would pay for the service they wanted but before he could rush up to it, a curvaceousdy with blonde hair bordering on harsh gold sauntered up to him and wrapped herself around his arm. She wore only a long towel over her body, her short height being a strategic advantage on her part as it forced men taller than her to look down and fall into her glistening cleavage made by two plump breasts that rested over said man¡¯s arm. Skullius looked down at her with a quizzical look. ¡°Hello sir. Wee to our humbly hot establishment. Uhummm~. I¡¯m sure you¡¯vee for a very nice time. I can guide you to the best baths and even personally get you heated up if you¡¯d like. Hmmm~. Would you prefer a more tame service, or¡­¡± thedy said as she loosened her towel, her eyes remaining steady as she stared into the Discount Human¡¯s. Skullius raised his brow and was about to give a reply when¡­ ¡°H-huh?¡± The woman suddenly found herself rising into the air and being pulled away from Skullius forcefully! Something gripped around her waist lightly. Something she couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Huh?! What?! W-what¡¯s happening?!¡± the woman panicked as she couldn¡¯t figure out what was happening, her eyes looking to Skullius who opened his mouth and closed it again after finding no appropriate words to speak. Right then, the woman was flung away towards the steamy ponds beyond Skullius¡¯ vision, disappearing into the waves of steam with a loud ssh! Skullius sighed helplessly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so overprotective, you know. I¡¯m not sure how to feel about this personality of yours, bro¡­¡± Skullius said as he recalled to the mad flurry of events that had happened two days ago. ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] Hey there. I have set up a patreon for the book where you are free to donate and acquire more chapters in return through the various Tiers. Feel free to venture there if you /skulls4life ¡ª -Sponsored by Arcanzer- Chapter 349 Cosmetic Body! (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Two days before¡­ Within the Elimparidis Stone Staff¡¯s miniaturised World. ¡°What? You want to train? Alone?¡± Skullius asked with a brow raised as he slid into his spatial ring two items that he had just upgraded with [Unbound]. One of these items was the Fleeting Ghoul¡¯s Adornment which he had promised himself to upgrade in future and well, the future was now. Red Rage nodded in response to Skullius¡¯ request for rity while pointing downwards. ¡°You want to do it here? Why so suddenly?¡± The Apostle raised his arm and made a muscle gesture while simultaneously sending his intent to his master. ¡°You feel like you¡¯re growing weakpared to me and him?¡± Skullius asked as he pointed at therge dark blue beast that rested beside him. Red Rage nodded. Oh. Skullius hadn¡¯t expected this. Was this the reason why this guy was kind of moody since the fight with the Galemonger? In his opinion, Red Rage wasn¡¯t weak at all, especially when he used [Incandescent Attire of the Omnipotent Pelvis-Hegemon]. Then again, whenpared to the Limitless Null Demon Hound, he could understand why Red Rage felt this way. His new Apostle seemed to have a lot to work with despite the RESET w while the Pelvis-Boar-Man was yet to fully unlock the true potential behind his powers, such as his ss as the Tempered Bone Hegemon as well as the other skills he used. Ever since the Tremur, the Apostle seemed to have lost his rapid growth. At least that was what he felt. Or rather, he had beaten quite a lot as even in Inhone, he had barely managed to kill three Bulk Terrors while the new Apostle had beaten dozens of those easily. ¡°Well, if you need it, I can¡¯t stop you. Might as well put that [Blessing of Serenity] to good use,¡± Skullius said as he patted the Apostle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But¡­ don¡¯t you dare start thinking you¡¯re not good enough for me. You¡¯ve saved me many times over before. Get stronger if you feel you need it. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± The Pelvis-Boar-Man nodded with a bright sh of light piercing from his sockets to show his resolve. [Apostle Red Rage approves of your decision. +10 favourability] ¡°That must really mean a lot to you¡­¡± Skullius mumbled to himself as he checked the guidance field notification. When one thought about it deeply, it made sense. For this once murderous sockethole, having his ability to take care of threats stripped by the continuous growth of the enemies that they were facing was devastating and he was motivated to regain it through a retreat. ¡°I should probably ensure that I¡¯m stronger by the time I have to enter that Premium Age thing too,¡± Skullius said to himself as he recalled the bit of knowledge that Sty had told him above the basics of this event he had to participate in. The Premium Age Royale. ¡®There are three opponents that you should be especially wary of. They are considered to be most challenging people to fight among all the other participants you will see. One of them is considered the strongest, the other is considered the most dangerous and thest is considered the most unpredictable. Their names are¡­¡¯ This was the detail that Sty had shared. Apparently, before all the participants had even arrived, these three well known individuals were already considered as worth looking out for. ¡®Then besides my most powerful skills, I should also have my support abilities in their best forms,¡¯ Skullius thought while scrolling through his skills on the guidance field. ¡®[Luminous Healing] is probably going to be important in the uing fights. If I could use [Lanterns of the Pure] again, it would be even better but unfortunately, I still have 15 more days until [Bringer of All]es off cooldown.¡¯ When considering how much he had to heal up during fights with strong opponents, Skullius decided to level up his sole healing skill out of necessity. [Lanterns of the Pure], the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound¡¯s ability which he had ess to in his Ogwulf the Limitless form was not avable even if it would the best choice and thus his only options for now where [Irisa You Whore], his sword¡¯s skill and [Luminous Healing]. ¡°Alright then. Time to do what we¡¯re for,¡± Skullius said as he looked at the lush forestry, sea and mountain ranges around this ce. He intended to thoroughly explore this world and sea all its hidden perks. There had to be more to it than the Enriching gems. That, and¡­ The Discount Human inserted mana into an extra ring on his hand, and thousands of Enriching gems fell out! From the purple red to red gems, there was a bountiful amount of these that Skullius needed to absorb before he waspletely saturated. As a rule that had been made known to him, he could only absorb energy from a 1000 purple gems before his body refused to draw any more, 2500 purple red gems and 6000 for the red ones. While it seemed like this inted stat figures for those who absorbed such values in Enriching gems, the issue lied in the quantity of the gems. It was harder to find gems higher than red, as their amount even in higher level Clusters was dismal. Skullius brushed all these thoughts aside however and sat down, grabbing two gems in each hand before he started rapidly pulling in the wisps of white energy within the purple-red and red gems. Soon, familiar notifications began to appear over his vision as the powerful energy from the gems worked their wonder over the flesh of the Discount Human. [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 3 applies] [Your flesh and bones are augmented. A factor of 3 applies] [Your flesh and bones¡­] Skullius¡¯ body continued to enjoy minimal changes as he continuously absorbed the energy in the Enriching gems before him under the gazes of Red Rage and the still unnamed Apostle. The Discount Human¡¯s stats soared and at the same time, one of the skills he had levelled up. [¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ has reached LV10. Would you like to evolve it into its next form?] Skullius grinned. This was one thing he had been hoping for and he couldn¡¯t wait to see what he would get. Unlike all the other skills he had, this wasn¡¯t a normal skill. It was a Supreme skill. While he didn¡¯t understand how he had a skill of this level even with his core, given the knowledge he had on the hierarchy of skills in this world, he was greatly expectant. There had to be some really good returns, right? ¡°Yes,¡± Skullius affirmed. The moment he did, his flesh bubbled and ballooned, beginning to shiver intensely! ¡®The flesh?!¡¯ Skullius did not expect his body to suddenly be arge ball that hid all his features, his clothes tearing off as the flesh he held turned stic over the bones underneath! Ripples ran along it as pulses of unknown energy streamed through it vehemently! Red Rage and the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound backed away as they gave space. They did not sense any danger and thus did not rush to any action. As the Discount Human grew, he started to float while a continuous stream of notifications shed before him, giving him peace of mind. No. It was more than just peace of mind. It was excitement and joy. Yes! This skill was definitely worth its rank! ¡ª -Sponsored by Arcanzer- Chapter 350 Cosmetic Body! (2) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). [¡®Flesh It Like You Mean It¡¯ has evolved into ¡®High Cosmetic Body¡¯] [Your body is currently going through reconstruction and grand augmentation] [Please be patient¡­] These were the first notifications that Skullius received as his body started to float. Within him, he felt changes that raced through his entire being, giving him a¡­ vague feeling of familiarity. Soon after, Skullius¡¯ ballooned flesh began to dete, twisting and coiling as it shrunk down to a smaller size. [Your new cosmetic body is nearingpletion!] [You have gained the bodily function, ¡®Sensation.¡¯ You can now perceive contact, temperature and your odd surroundings] FLSSSSHHHH! Skullius¡¯ body downsized to form a slightly taller version of his earlier self that still didn¡¯t have a face or hair but a slightly darker skin tone. On his body that had been a in blob, wriggling movements began to ur as it started to gain contours and marks that depicted which part of the cosmetic body they were amidst the flurry of notifications. [You have gained !] [You have gained !] [You have gained !] [The formation of a bloodwork in your cosmetic body has beenpleted. Your begins to pump into your bloodwork!] [Generation of begins¡­] Skullius felt something burst within him like a river! No. It was like hundreds of little rivers flowing in different directions in his body! They all seemed to connect to something in his chest, to the left. THRUM! THRUM! THUMP! Mana surged towards Skullius¡¯ chest as he felt something start to beat with a powerful rhythm that actually reverberated through everything within his cosmetic body! The new blood vessels! The new sturdy forming flesh! Everything shook with the beat of this including the just formed steady bone frame that was in no way like that of a regr human! Skullius felt everything within him react to this powerful organ in the best possible way! [Your strikes with the energy of forced life!] [+50 to all stats] [Generation of pleted!] [The natural skill ¡®HYPED¡¯ has been awakened!] Over Skullius¡¯ cosmetic body, a magnificent face appeared, fitted with his signature silver eyes. Highlighted skin appeared over his cheeks with thin lips and a roman nose making for a handsome, distinct visage. Light auburn hair grew over his head like silky strings, stretching over past his shoulders as Skullius then took in a breath, his chest rising as it clearly depicted his well-defined muscles of a slightly bulky figure that had a small increase in height. The Discount Human sat down on the ground and looked at his body with a broad grin. A cosmetic body. One with perks that normal people wouldn¡¯t enjoy. This was¡­ incredible. Unlike before, Skullius felt the wind over the little hairs that had appeared over his body. The moisture and cold was apparent to him now as he felt it vividly. Sensation. His body was a bit sensitive now. Such things he couldn¡¯t detect¡­ now he could. However, did this mean he could feel pain now? This thought process was cancelled out by the subsequent notifications that came into view however. [A random skill from the ¡®Fulgurant Bone Prator¡¯ will now be selected for your permanent use in the ¡®Discount Human¡¯ form] There it was! Skullius had hoped levelling up [Flesh It Like You Mean It] would eventually lead to this and fortunately, he was right. [Flesh It Like You Mean It] or now known as [High Cosmetic Body], seemed to intend to eventually bring together Skullius¡¯ two selves! What a profound development! [The skill ¡®Null Life Aura¡¯ has been selected] ¡®Heh, I thought as much,¡¯ Skullius thought as he rubbed his chin with his fingers. It was highly unlikely for him to receive a racial or ss skill from the Prator. Therefore, a general Null Life skill that he hadn¡¯t used before had been selected! Skullius smiled. The skill evolution had ended and the results were magnificent. They exceeded his expectations. He touched his chest and felt the pulsing, the racing within his body as a result. He had also received a skill from this whole phenomenon. The skill [HYPED]. As Skullius was about to look up the details of the skill, he felt the wind blow somewhere on his body. Somewhere peculiar. Somewhere in the middle. The Discount Human set his eyes below to look and found¡­ ¡®What the flesh is that?¡¯ An organ protruded from his body. One that he felt a great sense of familiarity and camaraderie towards but¡­ he just couldn¡¯t put his finger on what it truly was¡­ He poked it like a snake but it showed no reaction. He rubbed it but it still it not move. He strangled it but¡­ nothing. As a bi-product of his actions, he found that he was still incapable of feeling pain as after trying all sorts of shenaniganry over this¡­ third leg, nothing registered in his body. ¡®Guess we¡¯ll see what it doester on,¡¯ Skullius thought as he returned to the task of checking out the skill [HYPED]. ~~~ [HYPED | Lv. None] When the user feels extremely excited, the will supercharge to produce a stream of artificial adrenaline that will jolt the cosmetic body into a hyper state of activity where the user will process all things at ten times their current ability. Mana Requirement: None Duration: None. Cooldown: None ~~~ ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Skullius pondered. A skill without mana requirements, duration or a cooldown. ¡°Allows me to process all things faster, huh? Does this mean I¡¯ll also learn things faster?¡± Such a peculiar ability. The terminology used didn¡¯t exactly make it easier for Skullius toprehend what exactly the skill did. It seemed powerful though, given the right circumstances. Skullius would eventually know what it could really do so he didn¡¯t try to ponder over it some more. Instead, he turned to [Null Life Aura]. ~~~ [Null Life Aura | Lv.2] An expansive influence of the user anchored on their chosen affinity. It bears a Serene but potent effect on enemies and the user. -Effect- None ~~~ Skullius kept looking at this skill¡¯s description. This was the second time he had checked it and this time wasn¡¯t different from thest. ¡®I still can¡¯t figure out how it works. Maybe it needs Null Life stuff to work? But wouldn¡¯t that make it useless when I¡¯m in my Discount Human form?¡¯ he thought. The Discount Human sighed and also put thoughts about this skill away. All in all, this was an exceedingly good experience. Skullius put on some new clothes before he finished absorbing the spots of energy from the Enriching gems until for both types of gems, he had reached his limit. The effects firmly settled as they left the Discount Human feeling as powerful as ever. ¡°Now. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s under there, shall we?¡± Skullius said as he rose and walked up to the shore preceding the vast sea ahead. The vibrant waters awaited as they seemed to hide something that Skullius could vaguely see even from here. An image was constantly obscured by the ripples above the face of the water from the winds. Somethingrge nested below these waters and as the new owner of the Elimparidis Stone Staff, Skullius needed to investigate. This was a home of his now wasn¡¯t it? He had to know every nook and cranny of it. ¡°How about onest adventure before you start your training, Red bro?¡± he turned to the Pelvis-Boar-Man and asked. ¡ª -Sponsored by Arcanzer- Chapter 351 Exploration The deep waters epted three bodies that dived within them with full caution applied. Upon entering into the waters, the Null trio were immediately struck by a vicious wave of greatly condensed mana on their bodies! Palpable thickets of the energy had integrated themselves into the vast waters all around, making each movement of the sea quite literally like a heavy storm that the three had to struggle to swim past. A rather troublesome experience. ¡®Such thick mana! There¡¯s even more in here than outside!¡¯ Skullius remarked with shock and awe. If the outside mana was rich, then he didn¡¯t know what word to attach to the mana mingling with waters abundantly. Skullius, Red Rage and the Hound immediately began their descent but the Discount Human was not quite proficient in moving swiftly within the aquatic waves. Seeing this, the Pelvis-Boar-Man¡¯s body pulsed with the radiant blue energy of Null Life that burst outwards, expelling the water and leaving only air as it created an expansive sphere that covered all three protectively. The sphere gave Skullius much needed stability as with this, he became much morefortable while dropping down with his Apostles. He looked at Red Rage and nodded with approval but deep down he wasmenting his inability to manipte Null Life Essence. He could be utilising it like this himself bit that didn¡¯t seem like something he was even remotely close to achieving. This made the Discount Human wonder if perhaps manipting Null Life Essence required a form that much different from mana. Fortunately, the trio could still see what was beyond them despite the barrier of Null Life Essence, as meters away, the waters kept rippling as if it was being heated, phenomena akin to mirages wrinkling its surface. Also¡­ ¡°Watch out!¡± Skullius warned, Red Rage and the Hound instantly raising their guard! Before them, swimming within the waters, were different assortments of fishes with theirmon organs revealed ¨C fins and gills. From what looked like sky blue coloured bream to luminescent gold pike, these fishes swam without minding the trio within therge sphere as if they didn¡¯t even exist. Skullius narrowed his eyes as he watched these creatures merely pass while enjoying their natural habitat. ¡°They are not going to attack?¡± Skullius questioned himself. Did he overreact? His experience with fish was not very pleasant. He had first met the creatures when he was with Tulnas and hisdies, the once innocently swimming fishes turning intorge beasts that attacked them with extraordinarily power. But now, as he sensed around these fishes with his [Elevated Mana Maniption], he didn¡¯t feel the edgy presence of Primus energy within them. They just seemed like ordinary creatures. It only took a moment for Skullius to evaluate these creatures as harmless after to not pay them any mind. Different variations of them swam around the three, some looking vicious while others were extra cute, invoking¡­ strange feelings within Skullius. His mouth suddenly opened as he analysed these creatures, him uttering words he didn¡¯t expect to. ¡°She¡­ liked fish too, didn¡¯t she¡­? Hmm? What am I saying¡­?¡± The Discount Human shook his head to rid himself of all these thoughts. This wasn¡¯t the time. He needed to be fully focused. This ce wasn¡¯t clean as of yet. The lower the three went, the thicker the mana around them became which made Skullius especially wary and excited at the same time. With this much mana, if he could constantly absorb it, didn¡¯t that mean¡­ ¡®Of course not, tomato flinger! If it were that easy to forge a higher level core from just having an abundance of mana, the whole world would be full of purple core experts! Condensing high level cores requires finesse¡­ and talent!¡¯ S responded to Skullius¡¯ thoughts. The Discount Human could only grumble. He had thought this was an easier way out. Perhaps seeing all those blue corebatants since arriving in Aigas made him think that it was easy to reach that level. Then again, was S implying that he wasn¡¯t talented? The Discount Human bickered with himself and S for a bit before, after twenty more minutes of the increase in the quantity and quality of mana, the bottom of the sea started to be visible. Or at least what he thought was the bottom. Tall structures began to appear in the vision of these descenders. Hundreds of them. They were crude, bulb-shaped buildings that rose from the sea floor to reach great heights. They looked to be made of a substance like mud,algae growing over the sides and top with a strange blue glow that vividly highlighted the locations of these structures. Their clustered arrangement had a sort of soothing effect as it somehow heavily emphasised how close amunity the Terrors had built for themselves. Large poorly gouged out holes could be seen within the bulbs of these structures, obviously being the entrances to these¡­homes. For creatures that were that violent in Aigas, they really seemed to have a peaceful lifestyle, even going as far to create such a close knit homestead. Or rather, it seemed most Cluster beasts changed their character when they met anything outside their environments. That seemed to be the trend. Skullius andpany swam towards one of therger bulged structures and entered via the entrance. Nothing of note could be found inside, there only being an empty space that concentrated the surrounding mana within the confined space. ¡®Interesting¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Indeed! The mana is naturally coagting into these spaces, magnifying itspression!¡¯ S pointed out with hints of excitement. Red Rage¡¯s sockets twinkled as he saw this phenomenon. It was perfect for his training! Skullius had the Pelvis-Boar-Man shift them out to other bulbs, discovering nothing else within the first few. In the next one they ventured, something caught everyone¡¯s eye. Arger space could be seen as the bulb in the structure was rtivelyrge, amodating the things within it. Within said space, hundreds of glowing gems that looked like bright diamonds could be seen clustered around head-sized eggs! Chapter 352 Meaningful Rumours So many eggs! Light spots could be seen over their off-white shells of the eggs as theyy stuck between the many gems that glowed luminously in clumps of tens. On top of the many eggs and gems that were sprinkled all over the floor, Skullius and the others also saw fourrge octopi that stuck themselves to the wall in different directions, their bulbous heads wobbling as they seemed agitated by the entry of the invaders. Their natural colour was grey with blisters growing over them, but as theyid smothered to the walls with their eight tentacles, their shade suddenly turned to a nasty blue with the mana that was filling up the space shivering and speeding towards the tops of their noggins! There was no need for words! All three Null Lifeforms instantly discerned the danger and the first to act¡­ was the Hound. Since it wasn¡¯t equipping its Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide over its body, the many tendrils of Demon Thread that covered its body easily spun and shot outwards, forming four wed arms that burst through the thickened waters that subtracted from their speed and gripped the heads of the octopi! Almost instantly, it pulled on all of them, but two of the octopi managed to shot condensed beams of bright mana mixed in with a special corrosive poison that sted apart the extended arms of the Hound, melting of the Threads to then set themselves free! The Hound didn¡¯t mind this though, as it went on to devour one of the octopi it had caught and for the other, its eyes shed as it activated an ability outside its racial spectrum! [Spirit Touch!] The eyes of the octopus that was firmly held in the receding palm of the hand of Hound lost their colour in response to the skill activation, as it seemed to have been affected! Almost immediately after, the octopus¡¯ head bulged as it drew on the mana within the waters, the Hound releasing it back into the water! The creature swam with its tentacles and then instead of seeking vengeance towards the Hound¡­ it pointed its head towards one of the octopi on the wall and then¡­ FWAASH! A continuous stream of energy gushed out of the creature¡¯s shiny head where mana seemed to be naturally drawn! The attack hit the target smack dab in the head, the new ally rushing towards the other octopus while the Hound finished off the one that had just been hit. ¡®Woow¡­he¡¯s pretty efficient,¡¯ Skullius thought as he saw thest octopi being quickly dispatched. ¡®That must have been [Spirit Touch]. It really gives him the ability to control other creatures¡¯ bodies huh?¡¯ ¡®Treacherous!¡¯ S remarked, referring to the Hound. He still didn¡¯t understand what powers Skullius had as all that was hidden from his ess, him being told only what Skullius required him to know for his own good. As a result, he could only continue specting that this was an undead carcass brought to life. Indeed. From the mutation that the Hound had gotten, it had acquired a soul rted ability and one that was geared towards physical body maniption. Quite handy. ¡®So those things were guarding these eggs¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he floated within the Null Life Essence sphere towards the line of gems and eggs. Even for someone like him, it was easy to identify that these eggs contained the next generation of Terrors but he was less impressed with this. He turned his sight and reached in to touch one of the gems and upon contact¡­ ¡­! Mana! Compounded mana was stored in these gems! Just like¡­.in Deadmand! Skillius shivered intensely. What an unexpected discovery that took him back to weeks ago. He silently cursed at having found such a thing but obviously, he didn¡¯t mean it. Besides the deja vu, these mana gems could be a very useful resource if he used them wisely. However, he didn¡¯t even know the proper way to use them. ¡®Maybe having lessons from an actual Mage is more useful than I thought. I have many resources but I can¡¯t use many of them,¡¯ he thought. Skullius then turned to the eggs. ¡°Let¡¯s burn these with fire,¡± he said as he raised his hand to obliterate the eggs. Suddenly, Red Rage shed before his eyes and protectively extended his hands, clearly defending the eggs! ¡°What the heck, bro? Why are you getting in my way?¡± Red Rage sent his intent to Skullius. ¡°Of course I know that¡­ Wait what?! You want to do what?!¡± Red Rage reiterated and emphasised. Skullius wore an ugly expression as his mouth gaped for a few seconds from what he had heard. Seriously?! *** Present time¡­ The Discount Human subconsciously took in a breath as he felt the magnificent heat of the bath water sooth his cosmetic body. After paying the fee for taking a regr bath in the public pool, he had found himself a spot within the colourless waters that had bursts of steam dancing over them. Groups of men who were also rxing and conversing were sprinkled within the pool, having a good time in the steamy space that was split off from the women¡¯s bath and the reserved baths that were rumoured to hold¡­ more ¡®exciting¡¯ activity. Skullius didn¡¯t care for this however. He merely used this rxing bath to think over everything he wanted to while stroking the mini Hound on his head. ¡°He wants to raise those creatures as beings of Justice. Can you believe that?! That sockethole¡¯s lost his mind!¡¯ Skullius tactically eximed to not draw much attention. He understood that Red Rage had his code of justice sponsored by his heroic race on top of the w that refused him of wanton murder but what was this? Extended charity? After who knew how long he nned to train for, Skullius hoped he would produce some pretty good results or else, he would still burn those things alive-ish¡­ Speaking of Apostles, Skullius had noticed that his Hound was beginning to develop a personality. A rather overprotective one. He thought that perhaps it was inspired by how he heavily praised the Hound for being quick to act when it came to defending him, but if he didn¡¯t correct this¡­ that could be problematic. ¡®I should probably get him a name. Maybe that will help,¡¯ Skullius thought. Defects aside, the four legged thing had already reached Level 5! He didn¡¯t steal its experience after the Terror massacre which allowed it to overtake him in its terms of level. ¡®I¡¯ll catch up and start passing over all those Tiers to Tier 4. We¡¯ll see how strong I¡¯ll be then,¡¯ Skullius contemted with barely veiled interest. As he entertained himself with creating more temtes for his growth, however, his keen ears drew in on a conversation between two men near him in the pool. The art of casual eavesdropping seemed to have evolved within him since the first days of him arriving in Inhone. ¡°¡­exactly! That¡¯s what I said. Damn charitable types think helping every bum that walks by doesn¡¯t have consequences in the long run, but I say they should go back where they came from!¡±. ¡°Right. This isn¡¯t a city that can amodate many people at once. I hope they do something about it before we eventually have to share rooms in our inns!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it will reach that point. They say that there have been cases of people missing. These neers I mean. Someone seems to be taking them away. Mainly the injured and ill.¡± ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t that simple cases of kidnap then?¡± ¡°No. Maybe people from the city have decided to take matters into their own hands by taking out the ones expected to die first. Can¡¯t say I me them. I can¡¯t do something like that myself but I wouldn¡¯t mind some more breathing room in this damn town!¡± Skullius who only heard this portion of the conversation cocked his head. ¡®The injured and ill, huh?¡¯ Chapter 353 Just Find Her ¡®That¡¯s weird. It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with me, does it?¡¯ Skullius thought. People were disappearing? He hadn¡¯t seen any sign of distress, or heard anything of this sort until now, which wasn¡¯t too shocking considering he hadn¡¯t even been here for a day. Also, it wasn¡¯t the locals¡¯ problem it seemed, as it was something only targeting the new entrants to the citying in with hopes of getting healed and finding shelter. Well, Skullius was neither sick nor injured and thus determined this didn¡¯t have anything to do with him. Besides, he would be leaving this town soon as he still had a stop to make as per S¡¯s direction. Again. ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯ After having rxed in the warm water for an hour, letting the heat tickle his muscle as he enjoyed this sensation, Skullius rose from the warm pool and got out. He had enough. Frankly, he mainly enjoyed how the water made it easier for him to think. He put on his clothes and exited the male area, walking through a long corridor that eventually lead to the main junction that separated the entire establishment into male, female and special services. Along the way, he saw many people with satisfied smiles, some even spotting extra pleased grins as they sauntered with their chests out from the special reserved rooms within curvy women in tow. The opposite was also true. ¡®What are those socketholes smiling about?¡¯ Skullius thought as he went on with his business. He passed the booth where he had paid for the bath and exited The Hot Swan, appearing in the street where the general popce was starting to thin out. As the night was approaching Skullius thought that perhaps finding some lodging within an inn was a good choice. But then, he decided against it. There was something else he needed to do in the name of preparations for the Premium Age Royale and should things go haywire, he preferred to not be among factors that could screw him over, that was, people. From where he stood, he could seerge, white structures that stood over most buildings in the town. Seeing their likeness in the shapes of humans, he instantly recognised that these were the statues erected around the temples and Harifrast wasn¡¯t an exception to this rule. For a town of its calibre that amodated many rich individuals, most of which who weren¡¯t local, having the Purity set up a temple here was a must. Out of curiosity, Skullius waded through the streets and reached the location of this temple. Much like in Inhone, arge area was cleared out solely for the temple with there being no building around it in a ten meter radius. A gesture of respect and reverence. Around and within the free space akin to a park near the temple, Skullius saw masses of people, most looking like the ones he had tended to in his shed. Refugees, one could call them. They seemed to want to appeal to the Purity for healing and charity. Most of them could be seen with looks of terror from the trauma of the events that had led them to flee to this ce. For some, it merely looked like they were deeply apprehensive. Seeking nothing but security instead. Surely though, the Priests and Priestesses did not disappoint. Some could be seen leading the injured and ill one by one into therge building while others performed basic treatment outside with smiles and words of encouragement. Skullius shivered once again. One particr Priestess reminded him of thedy he had met when he first went to Inhone, likely a Priestess who thought he was a lost souling tomune for his Direction. She had had a weing smile, a representation of danger. ¡®There¡¯s a lot of them. Good socketholes! Going near there will definitely trigger UNCoddled,¡¯ Skullius thought as he backed away. Multiple other structure could be seen all over the town even from behind other tall structures. So much was in this town and the Discount Human had to admit that his ¡®job¡¯ from earlier had hindered his exploration of Harifrast. By this time, Skullius could also guess it wasn¡¯t just a normal poption hub. Perhaps back in the day, it was something rtively important. Maybe that was why S had brought him here. Skullius removed the invisible duct tape over S who agitatedly grumbled as he was able to speak once more. This repeated treatment brought him no small amount of angst. ¡°Why exactly are we here?¡± Skullius asked S. ¡®I already told you what to look for, tomato flinger! It¡¯s so simple but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s treating this like a vacation!¡¯ S boomed. ¡°I understand that much but what¡¯s the reason?¡± ¡®Hmph! You have secrets, why can¡¯t I have some of my own! We¡¯re only together out of circumstance! We¡¯re not sappyrades!¡¯ ¡°Fine. In that case, I¡¯ll go do something else and get your thing done tomorrow, you sockethole,¡± Skullius before shutting off S. Ungrateful bastard! Skullius walked back to the remote area where he hadmandeered the shed, finding to his surprise that many had gathered around it, respectfully waiting for him to return. ¡®I should have guessed¡­¡¯ Skullius thought before emitting a sigh. If he walked towards the shed, especially with his easily recognisable jacket, he would be swarmed and his objective at this moment, privacy, would be ruined. He swiftly pulled out the Elimparidis Stone Staff and activated the skill [Jump] from it which allowed him to vanish from his spot and appear in the shed! This feeling was too good. It eliminated much of Skullius stress and with this being the second he had used it in the two days prior to this one to manage the charges remaining, he could confidently say he was pleased. ¡®Right. I should probably ce this somewhere normal people wouldn¡¯t look I guess. If these people haven¡¯t even thought to open the shed door, it should be fine. Even if they find the staff I¡¯ll know.¡¯ Skullius organised three broken nks around the staff which he rested on the wall in a dark corner. Perfect cover! He then touched the staff and vanished from the spot, appearing within the world within the Staff. The heavy concentration of mana hit him and he drew it in with a sense of excitement. He set his eyes over the vast sea beyond his view and grumbled. ¡®I hope you¡¯re being productive in there,¡¯ he thought, his mind turning to the image of a focused-looking Apostle that had carefully tended to the eggs back then. This wasn¡¯t his destination for now, however as with the Hound which had been above his head leaping up and materialising into its full form beside him, the two headed to thendscape to their left. The vast mountain ranges. Skullius had explored every inch of the world days before and now he could confidently waltz over to the great mountains where a chilling cold (lesser than the one in Harifrast), prevailed over the blue, rising titans. They differed in the shade of the colour blue, but ultimately stood tall with tufts of vegetation hanging on their sides like little hairs. Others had ploughed edges with others hiding strange shapes and hollows within them, each of these being ces that Skullius had scoured and found a great many things. Of the many mountains however, one stood out. One where baleful streaks of mana coagted above like a cumulonimbus cloud that was too close forfort, beams of spatial disturbances coiling within to create an apocalyptic scape around the mountain! This was the birth ce of the Elimparidis Stone Staff! A mana marvel. And Skullius had ns for it. But not today. As much as the mountain stood out however, it wasn¡¯t the tallest mountain around. Why was this significant? Well, the Discount Human had discovered a peculiarity within this world. Rules andws that applied here. For the sea, the manapounded and congealed further with depth while for the mountains, it applied with height. As a result, for most of mountains here, their tops had a whitish tip, a result of dense mana eroding the blue individuality. Skullius rode his Hound and scaled one of vast mountains while keeping an eye on the short mount that birthed the overpowered staff. The bursts of mana that formed its visage which was partially hidden from him by other mountains rocked him to his core but he wanted to use it in future. If he couldn¡¯t learn space rted skills from the Staff, then perhaps going there would help him, especially when considering the new skill he had as a Nullmancer. [Epiphany]. Speaking of the Nullmancer, with the night having arrived, epassing the time it took Skullius to scale this mountains, the Discount Human swiftly became the Prator, quickly removing his clothes so that they wouldn¡¯t get torn. The Hound and his master reached near the top of the mountain, but powerful howling winds obstructed their continued ascent. Mana aggressively integrated into the winds, creating mini storms that whooped ass. Going higher was risky. Skullius sat himself down and started to absorb the thick mana. ¡°Alright bro. Let¡¯s get this over with¡­¡± Skullius said to his Apostle. He was going to be a sort of battery for what was about to happen next and thus he needed the juice (mana) thickest. The Hound which knew exactly what its master needed looked intently at Skullius while summoning the brown Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide which was covered in glowing markings, a certain ability being used at this moment. ¡°Use as much mana as you want from me. Just found out who the heck that little female is¡­.¡± Chapter 354 Into The Soul! (1) What was the soul? Many denotions and exnations had been written by many schrs, mostly Mages, Healers and even Priests, some with only slivers of truth while others were outright nonsense. The truth was, this concept was controversial, not in the usual logical sense but in a hierarchical and natural sense. Souls tended to differ for many people depending on the Stage of power one had attained and also on theponents surrounding their birth ¨C luck, talent, lineage and such. It took many years for many to discover this but there were also things that weremon or rather were found to be the fundamentals of souls, linking them to the body and how the duo worked together. Then what was the soul? The soul was an amalgamation of the information inbuilt within an individual. How so? It could be likened to a seed. All the potential, talent and biological detail was carved onto the soul. It was a source, or rather a carrier of the source of all things one would attain as they grew including a sense of individuality. However, to better understand the soul, the significance of the body needed to be borated. While the soul was undoubtedly important, it was nothing without a body. The soul was a rather egotistical entity, taking the opportunity to control given the chance and rapidly spreading its information within a captive body. Therefore, for all the detail stored within a soul to bloom, it needed ground for germination, for growth. A body. The body was the food of the soul. For only when a soul met a body was it able to ignite the small details it held into power, an identity and tangible idea. Only when within the body did the soul have the power to groom a core, structure a race and forge a limit ¨C it could not create any of these on its own. Given this knowledge which the mighty Skulliuscked, he wanted to have his Hound use the ability [Spirit Walk] to venture into his soul and find out who the little girl that always gued him was. This was something he had resolved to do right before the Galemonger incident and now, with the abilities that could potentially help him do just that, he was eager to get some semnce of closure. Obviously this was a life he had lived, and this same life threatened to drive him to madness if he couldn¡¯t figure it out before¡­. ~~~ Doomed Factor 2: Existential Crisis Your distinct perception and absorption of mana throughout the years has caused you to start awakening what should have been lost a long time ago. If you fail to recover and remember this in time you will suffer a crisis of your own existence and descend into madness. Time till DF2 : 3 months ~~~ There. Of course, Skullius had checked this out when the percentage of the Factor¡¯spletion increased through various series of soul damage from Somanda. Because of how much the value soared in the Arch-Lich¡¯s presence, he knew that Doom Factor 2 was bound to have reduced the time he had left. ording to VOW, he had to remember everything about his past life to avert this, which required him to venture into Deadmand and battle Somanda, something he was nowhere near strong enough to do. But for now, Skullius was always thrown off by the girl he always saw, so he wanted to know who she was and her significance. For this, he wanted to have the Hound venture into his soul and try to find clues. He couldn¡¯t share the perception of the Hound but the creature was quite intelligent. It could bring him clues through various means when it returned, which was something he was hoping for. Of course he was going to do this multiple more times in the future. ¡°Do it, bro,¡± Skullius said as his four sockets red. It was better for him to be in this body for this, in his opinion, felt more natural to him. The fact he had reverted back when the night came spelled out an important factor, that [Cosmetic Body] did not affect the duration of time he had in his Discount Human form. It was still 24 hours and Skullius was actually d. The Hound nodded as it activated [Spirit Walk], the marks over its body beginning to glow with a bright sheen that eventually overtook its figure which turned into a streak of light that burst into Skullius¡¯ body. Unlike [Spirit Touch] which allowed the Hound to control other creatures¡¯ bodies, [Spirit Walk] required the Hound to fully deck the Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide as to venture into the soul seamlessly required a shell most suitable for doing so. Skullius kept absorbing the chaotic mana around him while hoping that this exercise wouldn¡¯t screw him over. It was unclear whether [Spirit Walk] was meant to be an offensive ability or just a utilitarian ability that allowed for things like this but Skullius crossed his bony, armoured fingers. His mind drifted to the image he had seen in the ice, a part of him that was tethered to Somanda so firmly¡­. He wondered what secrets would be revealed. *** The Limitless Body Hound appeared in a vast stretch of space. It looked around with its beaming sockets to behold bizarre sights and sounds. What it saw a vast stretch of burning, crimson¡­ waters? A sea of blood-coloured liquid being razed by a ferocious me that extended into the far distance. The Hound stood unharmed over this sea as it watched everything apprehensively. Up above, thick, dark green storm clouds constantly moved with bursts of lightning squirming in their builds, bringing split seconds of light to the darkened space between the sea and sky. As for what the creature heard, it was the sound of loud voices that seemed to echo from a distant blotch in its view. Something that seemed rather far, partly hidden by the fuming mes. The Hound was attracted to that blotch. That was most definitely where it needed to be. To find clues, it had to venture there. The creature burst ahead over the sea as it headed for this mark, travelling over this cmity as if it was the most natural thing to do. It streaked over quickly to cover the distance as after a few seconds, what this blotch was became quite clear in its sockets. It was¡­ an ind. A massive ind that was in the most pitiable of states. It was from this ind that the Hound heard the loud voices of multiple individuals and followed through with its journey. However¡­ A thick bolt of blue coloured power shed from the thick green clouds above and hurtled soundlessly towards the Hound which barely managed to dodge to the side before the mass of white mmed into its body! BOOOM! FWOOSH! A torrent of the bloody waters rose, the mes being scattered away as the lightning descended with its might! The Hound which had retreated a distance away after the initial jump out of the way had the brown hide it had sizzling from the shoulder of its front right leg. It had barely been missed by the shot and the power released showed how it could be one shotted if it got hit. As if this wasn¡¯t enough, something started to rise from the waters beside it, the mes parting to reveal a new figure. A tall creature rose from the sea to stand over the chaos with itsrge mighty height and bulky mass that was entirely skeletal. This skeleton behemoth stood with a darker than ck hue that distorted reality around it over its humanoid bone shape, a luminously golden white light shooting from its sockets with a familiar glint. This fiend faced the Hound and pointed its finger. ¡°A physical enemy this time¡­? Hmmm. Much easier to thwart than that annoying probing. Perish!¡± the skeleton raised his bony arm, in the sky, the green clouds amassing what could only be described as a cmitous bolt of blue power that silently surged and aimed for the Hound! Right! This wasn¡¯t lightning. This was¡­ Silentburn Levin! Chapter 355 Into The Soul! (2) The Hound was utterly confused. This thing before it¡­ It had control over two of its master¡¯s powers! The Insurgent Magnus powers and the Null Life powers through Silentburn Levin. What was it? Heck, what was this space?! The creature apprehensively looked up where the bolt of Levin was about to fire. Fighting here probably wasn¡¯t going to help but it barely had any chance to do anything in the way ofmunication before it was obliterated. If it didn¡¯t defend, it would probably die. While adorning its hide, it was difficult to manifest its Unliving Thread to its fullest potential and thus it opted for then next best alternative. It opened its mouth wide and three scintiting lights appeared within the dark space, the red light turning solid as it was then chomped on by the Hound to generate an outrageous amount of power that nested in its belly and then fired up into the sky in response to the Levin that rained down at the same moment! This was the skill [Lanterns of the Pure] in action! ~~~ [Lanterns of the Pure | Lv.3] The user moulds and weaves mana in three forms that represent aplete cycle of Rage, Repulsion and Recovery. ?Rage features an 30% increase in all stats for 5 minutes ?Repulsion features emitting a powerful beam of condensed energy that forcefully pulls apart anything it contacts ?Recovery features aplete healing of all wounds and defected parts of the body including the Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide and Unliving Thread to top health -Caution- Each light requires a 2 minute cooldown to recover its effect. Mana Requirements: 500 Mana Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: ¡ª ~~~ A red beam and a streak of Levin collided to create an outward expulsion of force that rocked the sea and the clouds above, a winner not bring decided by this one sh! The Hound immediately backed away while the giant skeleton¡¯s sockets red as it raised its hand again. ¡°You¡¯re quite strong, but I won¡¯t let you near that ce with just that much power!¡± the giant skeleton said with a loud voice. To it, the Hound looked small despite its tall mass, making it think this was certainly easier than having to defend from previous ¡®enemies¡¯ it had had to fight. The Hound acted quickly. This didn¡¯t make sense. General reasoning told it that the thing before it wasn¡¯t actually an enemy. If it possessed all of its master¡¯s powers, then¡­ Also, didn¡¯t it just say that it wouldn¡¯t allow any approach to the ind in a protective sense? ¡®That ce¡¯ could only refer to that ind right? In that case¡­ The Hound morphed its body, standing on its two hind legs as the ones at its front gained thick masses that gave it a humanoid appearance, much like a werewolf. At the same time, it started to emit an energy it was sure would catch this creature¡¯s attention. Null Life Essence! ¡°Hmmm?¡± the giant skeleton hummed as it halted on any further action. It felt an energy much like the one it had received many days ago. What was this? The skeleton held off on releasing the Levin building up in the sky. ¡°Hmmm¡­ little one. You have a familiar energy on you. Are you perhaps¡­ not an enemy?¡± The Hound d in the brown hide waved its front paws in denial. From its chest, a slit appeared, opening up a section of the Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide. Tendrils of Unliving Threads spilled from it and squirmed to form the dark blue image of a girl huddled against herself. It was more of an outline really. On seeing the image formed before it, the giant¡¯s sockets which were lit up with the power of the purity from [Just Light] sparked with ferocity. ¡°Ah¡­ I see. I should have recognised this from even your presenceless visage. You¡¯re a messenger aren¡¯t you? And seeking that no less?¡± the skeleton said as it then visibly rxed and dropped its hand. The Hound hurriedly nodded and then pointed at the skeleton with its w. ¡°You¡¯re asking who I am? Hmmm¡­¡± the skeleton said as it seemed to enter into conflicted thought for a few moments. ¡°To put it simply, I am just a piece of will serving to protect that ce.¡± The skeleton turned to point at the dpidated ind. The Hound looked, finally getting a better visual. Therge ind was far from deste but every second that passed showed small chunks of the ind breaking off and falling into the sea that roared in me as if excited. Its entirety was cracked viciously, the whole thing looking to be seconds away from shattering like grass. On the outside it looked like simple earthen crust with bits of green vegetation patches but innumerable spots of light seemed toy scattered over its entirety along with a massive gorge that one could see almost splitting the ind in half from a distance. Within this gorge was a hollow light that kept dimming and brightening constantly. ¡°A sad sight, isn¡¯t it?¡± the skeleton remarked as it also turned to the ind. ¡°It wasn¡¯t always like this. This used to be an intactnd filled with so many twinkling lights, more appearing by the day. I was always here. No matter which way I looked, I would always find my gaze drawn back to this ce. In that I concluded that I was the guardian of this ce, forever tasked with protecting it.¡± The Hound morphed back into its wolven form and sat down on its hind legs while listening to the tale. The hostility it had felt from the giant skeleton had faded only to be reced by a calm sorrow. ¡°After a long stretch of time, wonderful things began happening some days ago. I received this power to call mighty beams from the sky, then shortly after, I gained the power to wield this strange darkness and light, no doubt added powers to protect this ce. Unfortunately, even with this power, there were intangible wills that I could not stop from probing and damaging this ce. I could only obscure as much of this ce as I could but that barely amounted to much.¡± The Hound nodded as it digested all this information. Was this skeleton some kind of subconscious will that grew along with the individual? The overgrown wolf raised its head and looked up at the green clouds. The skeleton it could understand but what about this strange sky and contrasting red sea. It jutted its head upwards, the skeleton being prompted to look above. ¡°Ah¡­ this? It¡¯s the influence of the Lich. The clouds and the sea are the biggest problems here. They continuously erode that ce and weaken its integrity by the day. My naive mind once thought they were here to protect, but¡­ they make this ce very easy to invade.¡± Such a tragic fate. The Hound shook its head in angst. Its master was subject to this?! This was even more terrifying than it imagined. No. More than even its master could imagine! It rose and started to walk over, nudging its snout at the ind behind the skeleton. ¡°Right. I¡¯ve rambled quite a bit. You can go to find whatever else you¡¯re looking for. She will be easy enough to find though, but just be careful with your steps, that ce is awfully fragile since a few days ago¡­¡± The Hound nodded before it hurriedly raced towards the ind with quick steps. It didn¡¯t take that much to time reach the ce as upon reaching the shore which was purely scorched by the me while the red waters distorted the sandy tone of the ground, the Hound saw the interlocking lines of cracks that stretched ahead. Around the cracks was a vast field of scatteredrge violet flowersthat held balls of light above their petals! Within these lights came the numerous voices as well as blurry visions of images walking, conversing,ughing and crying. These were¡­ ¡ª [Ding!] [Arcanzer has donated immensely to the novel! I¡¯m hyped! +2 chaps above the daily quota as at 05/09] Chapter 356 Into The Soul! (3) Therge skeleton looked back to the Hound that had reached to the shore of therge ind, the golden white light in its sockets glimmering with strange emotion. It was true, it had been there since the very start, but only for as long as it could remember. As for its point of origin, that would be the day Skullius appeared in Aigas. It was formed as a guard to Skullius¡¯ soul, in ordance to the rules of Aigas. The rules of a world could not be so easily evaded, which was why powerful beings could not easily invade and also why even Skullius¡¯ Null Life powers created ws to adjust to the world, otherwise they would be restricted entirely. As for the rule that allowed for thisrge skeleton to be formed, it was the same that dictated that every individual¡¯s innate self have some form of protection that could only be contended against by advanced forms of power, in particr sses and Stages. An example would be how Skullius¡¯ [Basic Evil Invasion] had to contend against the protection that an individual had on their minds before reaching sess. The various forms Skullius had to fight in an opponent¡¯s headspace with the exception of the Labyrinth of the Yoke which was made by a being who transcended such rules and allowed Skullius to avoid them entirely with the right conditions were an indication. ¡®It must be nice to be on the outside. I tire of trying to keep all this safe and failing miserably at it each time¡­¡¯ the skeleton said, a tinge of envy tangible in its voice. Over on the ind, the Hound took its first step, being ever so careful as to not cause a proliferation of the cracks. One could imagine the image of a drop of sweat over its hide as it truly was terrified by the notion of being a danger to its own master. It adjusted itself and took light steps while crossing over the sandy ground where the violets swayed and paid extra attention to its next step. The Hound was heavily assaulted by the noises from the orbs as well as the faint visuals. One of the small bright balls drew its attention and it carefully walked over, its feet dodging the other flowers around. The Hound leaned in its head and focused on the orb. On the sound. On the sights. Its luminous sockets were suddenly drawn in as the markings over the Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide began to glow, its vision being pulled into the bright light before it! ¡­ ¡°¡­Cam! Get down here! And stop with the loud music for crying out loud!¡± Hmm? The Hound felt a weird presence. It no longer had a¡­ self. Instead, it was as if it was seeing through someone else¡¯s eyes. Someone with¡­ almond skin, on the hands at least as that was all it could see. One of the hands held some kind of dark contraption in the palm which the Hound wasn¡¯t familiar with, dozens of what looked like buttons sprinkled over the object¡¯s surface. What was this? It was in a human body? From the ears, it could hear some really loud noises that truly would have been annoying if it was bothered by such. Apparently, it was music. As it focused ahead, it saw the view a bit distorted with a fisheye perspective that blurred everything at the edges after a short distance. Unfortunately, it couldn¡¯t exactly control where it looked as it seemed that now, whoever it was seeing through was watching several men who wore matching clothes fervently chasing a ball and mercilessly kicking it to and fro. All this was being seen through arge window which emitted a faint light. ¡°Uh¡­ this little brat! I can¡¯t even watch the game in peace. Thementator has some pretty good lines. I don¡¯t want to miss it.¡± The Hound was forced to sense and discern the meaning of what the man was saying whenever he spoke, as thenguage wasn¡¯t familiar at all. Hmmm. This person¡­ There was something about him. Something familiar. He felt¡­ like the Hound¡¯s master. His air and his overall presence¡­ Could it really be? ¡°Damn it! Screw this!¡± The hands of this man pressed one of the buttons and the contraption before him turned nk. The Hound found itself rising and walking out into an expansive ce with trees and grass, yet not scattered in a wild sense. The grass was neatly shaved while the trees were clipped of their lower branches. A sun and a blue sky could be seen above, magnificently announcing its presence to everything around. The Hound tried to force its vision up but the only thing this did was split its sight in two where on one hand, it could still see the forward movement of the body it inhabited while on the other, it saw what was directly above this individual. Arge beautiful¡­ white cloud? The floating mass sparkled and twinkled like crystal, bing blindingly brilliant sometimes. What the hell was this? The Hound couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was something conjured for its sake or otherwise. It continued to float directly overhead, following with the movement of this man whom it assumed was its master! Soon, the vision before it settled as this man crouched down, his sight being set on an elegant garden. Multiple beds were erected in neat order, housing a variety of flowers that grew with their marvellous colours intact. It was quite the sight. The individual the Hound inhabited took in a deep breath, an emotion he expressed reaching the wolf which suddenly felt a heavy sense of sorrow. The almond-coloured hands reached down and rustled over the flowers, leaning in after a while to take a whiff of the sweet scents. ¡°What a legacy you left, mom. I can¡¯t help but feel as if letting these flowers dry up would be the same as letting my memory of you die along with them. Haha¡­¡± There was no joy in these words and the Hound could tell. Several drops fell from its sight andnded on the petals of a pretty orchid but the hands before it quickly wiped away the tears. ¡°Woo there¡­ can¡¯t water them with tears now can I? Let¡¯s get the watering can. Hopefully Cam didn¡¯t misce it this time¡­¡± The vision of this man rose and at the same time, the Hound felt itself being pushed away from the view as shortly after, it was right back in its body, staring at the faint images within the small light that began to rey. The Hound shook its head lightly. It still retained all that it had seen. Quite interesting. So these, as it guessed, were probably its master¡¯s memories! Incredible! For it to stumble on something such as this¡­ Therge creature looked around at the nigh insurmountable lights. All of these really were¡­ The Hound wanted to stare a bit more but felt a tug at the mana that it had and that which it was borrowing from its master. There was heavy consumption from that one dive into the memories it seemed. In that case, it had to act faster and find the little girl as it was told. The Hound looked around, trying to discern from the little it could see while paying mind to where it stepped. Unfortunately, this was pretty much useless as the mash of sounds and the distortion by the light emanated from the balls obscured its sight and auditory sense. Without further thought, it then stared at another random orb where its vision was sucked in. In this one, it saw the familiar almond-coloured hands holding something that left marks on paper. Stacks of books were over a desk that the individual it inhabited sat behind. Right now, it could sense focus and frustration at the same time from this individual. A heavy sigh leaked from the man as he leaned back against the chair he sat in. At that same moment, the door to the right squealed as it swung open, a small figure racing up to reach him. ¡°Hmm?¡± The Hound found its vision descending and focusing on something it hadn¡¯t expected. ¡°Look who it is. My furry little bro. You¡¯ve already learned to open doors on your own? How did you do it?¡± A small creature, like a tiny wolf stood there sticking its tongue out while wagging its tail joyfully, a cute bark being the response it rendered to its master! The fur coat with a beautiful copper shimmer lustre and hue covered it in a shaggy manner, bringing out a truly amazing beauty. This sight perplexed the Hound. What was this creature? A young wolf? Was it really though? It was too small. The little thing was lifted up by the almond coloured hands, and set on the man¡¯sp. The beady eyes and the pink nose that huffed in air excitedly as it looked up was quite the refreshing sight. The Hound felt its vision being pulled to something that was around the creature¡¯s neck. A ck band with a round, silver tag attached to the front with a certain etched into it. Ferex. Chapter 357 Into The Soul! (4) ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The almond-coloured hands reached for the tag that had the name, stroking it gently. ¡°She had one thing to do. It¡¯s supposed to be Ferox, which means fierce. Now it¡¯s just a random name that doesn¡¯t give you credit for the one thing you¡¯ve got going for you.¡± The small thing on the man barked, maintaining its enthusiasm. ¡°You still like this the name Ferex instead?¡± The adorable thing leapt up and down and barked cutely. ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a literal son of bitch. I took the liberty of lettingw drive me into picking out a cool Latin name and you backstab me like this, huh?¡± The little creature nudged the man¡¯s hands as it licked them as if trying to quell its master¡¯s sparkly wrath with the charm of cute. Surprisingly however, it worked. A feeling of joy overcame the irritation, as the Hound felt and focused on this interaction with rapt attention. His master really seemed to love this little creature. ¡°Fine, fine. Do the thing for me and I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± The little thing became even more ted as it heard this, standing at attention and facing its master with a serious visage that didn¡¯t disy even a hint of yfulness. The Hound greatly anticipated what this thing was going to do. What kind of thing did the master look forward to from this thing? What was it? A magic trick? A special skill? After a full five seconds of preparation, the small creature over the man¡¯sp started swaying its ears to the left and to the right in impable synchronicity! At the same time, it got in a lower stance and wore a ¡®fierce¡¯ look that could be perceived as being more adorable than threatening and then it started spinning its tail in a circr motion! WUFF! WUFF! WUFF! ¡°Pffft! Hahahahahahaha!¡± A burst of joyousughter leaked from the man as he hurriedly patted the small creature and ruffled its fur. ¡°That¡¯s never not funny, Ferex. For your sake I¡¯ll forgive my sister¡¯s mistake.¡± The little creature stuck its tongue out again and leapt up and down in circles. The man¡¯s vision focused on it as it did the dance and he began to wonder aloud. ¡°I never thought the day when even animals could understand human speech woulde. The world is changing way too quickly. .¡± The little creature noticed its master¡¯s sudden solemnity and stopped its exhrated bounce. It titled its head, standing on its hind legs as it settled its paws on the man¡¯s chest while huffing hurriedly. The man¡¯s sight did not continue to linger on this pet though. He turned to the books over his desk and where he had been scribbling, as quickly, all his happiness seemed to fade under sullen memories. ¡°Ferex. Do you think dad would be happy that I turned to Law instead of Business like he wanted¡­?¡± The man¡¯s sight turned back to the little creature that halted its expressions of enthusiasm and focused on his words. ¡°I mean, I definitely would have be a bang up Salesman or something but¡­ maybe¡­ maybe this would finally make him proud of me. At least he won¡¯t have to bicker me into it, right?¡± The little thing over his chest wore a determined expression and barked with gusto as if trying to encourage him. ¡°Bro, I know you can understand me but I don¡¯t get a single word you¡¯re saying. . But you¡¯re right! Maybe I was born to be some Salesman-Lawyer hybrid. Swyer man? Syer? Who cares! I¡¯ll do my best in both!¡± WUFF! WUFF! ¡­ The Hound found itself standing within the violets again and looked around. The memory had ended. It took a few seconds to digest the information it had learned, the contents being something it took to heart quite a bit. But there was no time to dwell on it as it felt the mana it had almost bottom out. This seriously drained mana even with its master¡¯s¡¯ continuous supply. However, the Hound was resolved to find the girl. She had to be within some of these, right? The creature refrained from viewing the many visions wantonly and saved its possiblest try as it started to prowl carefully while being sted by noises from all sides. It hurriedly crossed arge distance as its sockets spied around. After a few steps, it suddenly saw something strange and was drawn towards it. It was a violet, much like the others, above it a white orb that housed a memory. However, where it was ced was what caught the Hound¡¯s attention. A deep crack was beneath it and the violet seemed to be growing out of it. Peculiar. Peculiar indeed. However, this peculiarity is what drew the Hound to decide that this was to be itsst memory for this time and if it just so happened to not feature the girl, then so be it. It still a had a lot to show for this round. The Hound reached therge violet and focused its sight on the orb above, all its sensations being drawn to the memory. ¡­ The prominent almond-coloured hands opened a door to reveal arge room that looked rather messy, with clothes thaty scattered on the floor along with an uncovered bed. Even the Hound that did not have much of an appreciation towards neatness disapproved of this arrangement. A small desk was erected in front of the bed, with a chair along with it. These weren¡¯t empty however, as a figure sat upon the chair while writing something over a sheet of paper. No. Rather than writing, she was drawing. And yes. A she. A young girl with dark hair that reached up to her shoulders, its fringes being matted with a brown colour that contrasted her youthful, ivory skin. She wasn¡¯t exactly extraordinarily pretty, but much of her appearance ¨C her hazel coloured eyes, high nose and ideal lips matched beautifully with her oval-shaped face ¨C gave a refreshing feel of her tender age. Her petite figure was rocking to and fro, her head bobbing back and forth as she seemed to be listening from the object slung over her head with two other parts attached to it that covered her eyes. There was leakage of frail sound from this contraption. The Hound was ted to see this however, despite the initial unpleasantness. This was it! This must be it! The girl that master sought! ¡°Cam! Hey! Cami- CAMILA!!!!¡± The little girl almost fell from the chair when the man boomed at the top of his voice. She quickly removed the object over her head and clutched her chest as she fiercely red at the man. ¡°Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!¡± she hissed. ¡°I¡¯d dly hand it to you at this point. It seems like only something like it can drag you out of your shitty music. What do they call it, steel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s metal! And it¡¯s really cool! You wouldn¡¯t know about it.¡± The Hound felt the man shake his head as he sighed. A feeling of pity and love gripped it, as it was what the man felt towards this youngdy. He walked over to the girl¡¯s desk and snatched the paper she had been drawing on before she could react and sat on the bed as he looked over it. ¡°Very¡­ gothic¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s cool!¡± ¡°Yeah, right. A lizard being beheaded by a chainsaw. How¡­ cool is that?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dinosaur!¡± ¡°Pffft!¡± What was this memory? Chapter 358 Into The Soul! (5) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). A rather scary drawing was held in the almond-coloured hands. It was surprisingly detailed with the blood that sprayed from the cartoon-ish lizard- ahem, dinosaur spilling from an acute opening on its neck. The chainsaw was drawn with motion indicating lines over its jagged teeth, giving it a rather menacing image. Apparently no one was holding it. The girl looked at the man with a pouting face as she then folded her arms, as if she felt offended. The man sighed as he looked at her intently. This little brat. ¡°This is how you cope, right? With mom and dad¡¯s death. The horrible art and the¡­ steel music?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The girl didn¡¯t respond at first as she hung her head instead. One could see that she hadplex emotions building up within her in rtion to this subject. The man sighed once again, his expression softening. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing, you know? To feel sad that they are gone. They really loved you and so do I. You¡¯re allowed to cry about it too.¡± The girl slowly raised her head, her eyes which had started to redden showing the bulk of her brimming emotion. Above all else, she looked surprised that this young man before her actually knew exactly how she felt. Probably. The Hound could only guess from what its master felt. ¡°But¡­I didn¡¯t get to say thank you to them¡­¡± The Hound found its vision rolling. ¡°Of course they knew you dummy and they didn¡¯t need to hear it from you. Besides, mom loved your crappy drawings and could always interpret what they meant nomatter how weird they were. You get what that means right?¡± ¡°What? What does that mean?¡± ¡°You figure it out yourself!¡± The Hound felt the heavy atmosphere that had been building up just now dissipating as the girl showed a semnce of a smile while swiping the paper she had been drawing on from the hands of the man and looked at it closely with a, ¡°Is it really crap?¡± She seemed to have understood what the master meant. The Hound couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡­. The master was like this before¡­ At that moment, a speeding figure darted into the room, its small stature seeking attention as it leapt up and down. The girl called for the small creature and held it in her hands. ¡°Ferex. You wouldn¡¯t say this is bad, right?¡± the girl said as she pointed towards her drawing which had been ced over the desk. The little creature she had picked up whimpered lightly as it looked at the detailed drawing. Its eyes perused over the illustration a bit before it reluctantly barked and nodded. Unfortunately, its true feelings were not hidden from either of the two who looked at it and the individual that the Hound inhabited began tough madly. The girl pouted as her eyes met the innocent eyes of the little creature she held, the small criminal imitating a shrug. At this moment, as the Hound heard its master¡¯sughter, it felt a pull on its vision and at its body at the same time. Time was up. However, before it could be pulled away, the creature used a certain skill it had to try and bring something back for its master! This was important! The skill was none other than¡­ [Amorphous Sampling!] While this skill was being cast, therge skeleton a distance away instantly became alert, turning its head quickly only to rx again a moment afterwards as it felt that there was no hostile intent. It was hard to not react to such sensations when this was the first time that it had been subjected to an intrusion such as this. Soon after, the image of the Hound which it was seeing vividly before turned into a streak of light as it then vanished from sight. ¡°Ah¡­ chaotic and lonely this soul is, again¡­¡± therge skeleton said as it lowered its head and sat over the waters. * Skullius felt the mana he was drawing from [Elevated Mana Maniption] and the regeneration of the mana from his core fail to keep up with the consumption of the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound skill. ¡®This is taking quite a lot more mana than I thought it would¡­¡¯ he thought. Forcefully feeding mana into his core from arger mana source had always been something he looked to when the conditions were right. He had learned this from the time with Dezrael and his armour which contained a massive amount of mana that he pulled on to keep Doom Factor 1 from iming his existence. Now, he was applying the same principle to continue feeding mana to the Hound so that its skill, [Spirit Walk] wouldst longer. Its only limit was the single usage per day but the duration, as Skullius discovered relied on the constant supply of mana. As he wrestled with the constantly disappearing mana, a light burst from his body and manifested before him in the form of a brown-furredrge wolf that stood still at first and then looked around. Skullius stopped feeding mana into his core and looked at his Apostle expectantly. ¡°Did you find anything bro¡­?¡± The hesitation and expectancy in the Prator¡¯s voice was thick, easily identifiable for the Hound but it withheld what it had found. ¡°What? Why won¡¯t you respond?¡± Skullius asked in confusion. The Hound resumed its pause until a few minutes after where it walked a few steps to Skullius. ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius was so confused by what was happening that he began to think that perhaps the Hound had been RESET again somehow. The creature suddenly retracted its Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide, its many dark blue Unliving Threads that covered its bone structure being revealed. On both sides of the Hound¡¯s head, ears appeared with the same shade of colour as the rest of the body, along with what could be called a long, fuzzy tail. Skullius¡¯ sockets dimmed a bit. The Hound then started to twirl its ears in unison while circling its tail in perfect arcs, its stance lowering as it then¡­ RUFF! RUFF! A powerful voice rocked the air as the Hound imitated what it had seen from the little creature in the memory, obviously a dog. Skullius¡¯ socket mes dted even more until they became mere dots. Something within him was¡­ pulled on. But still¡­ he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on it. It was simply¡­ vaguely familiar. ¡°Bro¡­ this¡­¡± Skullius said as his hand twitched. He reacted to this quite intensely. The Hound didn¡¯t stop there however, as it thenstarted to draw on the ground with its w. It quickly finished marking the dirt and nudged Skullius to look, the Prator¡¯s sockets actually ring intensely this time. ¡°This¡­ is¡­ this is too¡­¡± That¡¯s right! The Hound felt it! Its master was reacting to this information. He had to remember right? These memories were his right? So he should remember this! As a final card, the Unliving Thread around the creature¡¯s body convulsed as they revealed something akin to a card the size of its head, a rather clear and clean one. On it, was the image of a little girl looking up front with a subdued smile while a blurry and hairy figure with a shaggy copper shimmer fur barely emerged from the corner. ¡ª -Sponsored by Arcanzer- Chapter 359 King and Pawn (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Within a rather simple and fairly neat house¡­ ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know, refusing to answer my question will not be beneficial to you in any way. As someone who yearns to eventually rid yourself of my hold, it would do you some good to figure as much as you can about me, no?¡± A brief bout of silence ensued after this statement. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it. This¡­ is a Creed Seal,¡± Actuass said as he held up a thick green card the size of his palm. It had extremelyplex runes drawn in a spiral formation with a dark colour, the object oozing of a very potent energy that nauseated Revia who donned a clunky hooded robe. Her silver hair had been washed, regaining its past beauty and her skin looked a bit healthier, discounting a slight drop in its usual lively shade. ¡°Its purpose is to either create a set of rules for the individual that it is imnted on, creating a situation where the victim¡¯s soul, body and mind are forcefully bound to the respective conditions attached to it or¡­ to create a set of rules agreed upon by both the user and the target.¡± ¡°The former is the easiest to do, but its results are usually not as potent while thetter produces the best results, but in truth, no one is willing to wager their soul for such. No one ordinary that is¡­¡± Revia red at Actuass¡¯ masked face. ¡°Will you use that on me? It¡¯d be easy if you used the first option right?¡± she asked with a unveiled disgust. Actuass paused for a moment, his hazel eyes behind the mask showing hints of amusement. ¡°You still see me as a monster it seems, even after I washed and stitched you up. Regr healing won¡¯t work on you but I¡¯m sure the unbearable pain has subsided, has it not? Given all this, do you still think I have any interest in having more puppets?¡± ¡°You seem to enjoy using others. Didn¡¯t you use something like that back in the Isise when we fought? It was something like a double right?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Actuass hummed. ¡°Indeed. But, I don¡¯t need you as one such as those. Besides, how would you eventually escape me as you wish if I bound your free will?¡± Revia took several breaths while ring intently at Actuass before turning away, her face all wrinkled up in unveiled fury. This was the worst thing to ever happen to her. Falling to an enemy only to have that same enemy make her his immortal ve. How distasteful. ¡°Come, let me finish¡­¡± Actuass said as he once again brought over the conversation to the Creed Seal. ¡°You¡¯re familiar with the Giants right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes..¡± ¡°Good. They invented many forms of magic, including higher applications that break known and unknown boundaries. Some of these were taught to us as a whole and some were not. For instance, there is the Tie of Exchange, a secret contract technique used by the Giants to protect self interest.¡± ¡°Is that and this¡­ Seal the same thing then?¡± ¡°Not exactly, but the principle is the same. This Seal is imbued with powerful runic orders that im the victim¡¯s soul, body and mind. However , all thises at a cost. To someone like you who was raised with the notion that your talent was unrivalled and that your Divine Blessing could carry you to the top, this would be news to you. However¡­¡± ¡°No one in this world passes certain bottlenecks of power without making a Creed with something or themselves. Giving something so that another can be obtained. Such a thing doesn¡¯t exist in lower forms of magic but when you reach the Incandescent Stage, it bes clear¡­¡± Revia¡¯s eyes narrowed as as she heard things she hadn¡¯t before. Contradictions to what she knew. Did this man mean to say that she had been using lower forms of magic? ¡°So then what? You want to train me to be something like you?¡± Actuass lowered his gaze as his eyes fixated on the Creed Seal. ¡°This Seal is just one of the many that I have prepared. Moving with caution all these years has yielded its fair share of surprises, but my hard work is about to be rewarded,¡± Actuass said ignoring Revia¡¯s verbal spit. ¡°And? What are you going to do with these the¡ª¡± the youngdy¡¯s face turned from confusion to realisation as her mind churned out a possibility. ¡°This has to do with that event you have nned with the EverSword House isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed. That¡¯s part of it. Someone else has entered a Tie of Exchange with me over that event so I won¡¯t be the only one trying to reap benefits from it,¡± Actuass said with a light exasperated breath. Revia¡¯s brow creased. She still had a lot she didn¡¯t understand about that simple trip to the EverSword House. ¡°If you¡¯re so strong that you don¡¯t even need to fight me personally, why not just go on with your ns? Why waste your time with all these convoluted ns? Is help from that House even necessary?¡± the silver-haireddy asked. At this point, she might as well extract the details from Actuass as he asked to clear herself of the curiosity. Actuass looked mildly pleased to hear her ask him these things. ¡°There are a lot more moving parts than you think. I¡¯m not so bold as tounch an all out war on this world. Unlike the Evenfall, we don¡¯t have that much devotion to the one who guides us. I¡¯d rather ally myself with a national powerhouse with vast connections first.¡± Revia scoffed with her visage showing her displeasure and discontent. ¡°Sounds cowardly, doesn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t worry, when it all unfolds, it will be clear that each step has a purpose.¡± The former Pdin Champion frowned further. This man seemed to really be confident that he had ounted for everything. Yet, even after ounting for this, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡­ ¡°What exactly do you wish to achieve? What¡¯s your goal?¡± ¡ª -Sponsored by Arcanzer- Chapter 360 King and Pawn (2) Actuass paused without changing his posture as he sat, making him look like a stationary doll. The question he had been asked was quite an intriguing one that probed at what exactly his goals were. And one would be prompted to wonder what exactly the Green Neolists wanted. As Actuass had stated, unlike the Evenfall, a cultist group that worshipped Boron in the Under and were extremely reverent towards his will and unseen visage, he and his Neolists were different. There was no sense of respect or reverence between them and the one who gifted him this power. The power of Undeath. The inherent power of the Liches and Arch-Liches. It was simply a transactional rtionship and by now, it was no secret that what the undead wanted, particrly the Arch-Liches, was to raid worlds. Yet, this was only Actuass¡¯ primary mandate for fulfilling his end of the bargain. For to gain the power he had now, they had to be given from something that did not exist in this world. His individual goals as the leader of the band of Necromancers was quite detached from simply allowing the undead to descend on Aigas. One should not overthink these goals however, as they were not so much maniacal as they were entric. ¡°I¡¯m the only person on this entire continent who understands the soul to aplete degree. Itsposition, its taste, its feel. Having aplete appreciation of the soul is a prerequisite to mastering the very core of Undeath. To master breaking down these bundles of information just waiting to explode wildly, spreading their hold within a vessel is an intricate process. Slight derailments and mistakes can trigger undesirable effects after all.¡± ¡°What?¡± Revia said as she wore a look of annoyance. ¡°This isn¡¯t what I asked.¡± ¡°Indeed it is not, but it is what you need to hear.¡± Revia couldn¡¯t help but shake her head slightly with a disgruntled curve of her lip. ¡°In all truth, I first learned of how the soul was moreplex than I had initially thought back when I was studying the basic Necromancer ss that I received after devoting myself to Undeath. Above the soul¡¯s immense information storage capacity, it also possesses the ability to replicate information that is not inherently its own. This extends even to blessings.¡± Revia who had barely been paying attention suddenly perked up. She still wore an irritated frown but her willingness to listen further was all but hidden. ¡°Blessings?¡± ¡°Indeed. Blessings do not inhabit the soul but a fundamental part of the body, right, even if they have soul rted abilities?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­ true. So by replicating such information, especially such which has dwelled in the body for prolonged periods of time¡­¡± ¡°Are you trying to say¡­ my soul can ¡­ replicate my blessings?¡± Revia finished off Actuass¡¯ sentence. In meaning at least. The masked man didn¡¯t provide a simple reply, his amusement being pointed out by a muffled ¡®hmmm.¡¯ ¡°Being my pawn for a short while doesn¡¯t sound too bad now doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°If this is true, you¡¯re just grooming your own killer,¡± Revia said with a terrifying glint that red in her eyes. Actuass wasn¡¯t fazed in the least however. ¡°Settle down now. If you do want to be my eventual killer, you better listen to the rest of what I have to say.¡± The silver-haired woman was forced to quiet down and listen as the man she had tried to rattle with words wasn¡¯t intimidated one bit. ¡°In my studies of the soul, learning of the emotions stored as buds within it, the limits they cradle and the potential they house, I stumbled upon the unique Advanced ss of Necromancy, the Profane Necromancer. This in turn led me to the current mastery of the Undeath concept I wield. Reverent Soul.¡± ¡­! Revia immediately took in deep breath as a memory she thought she had digested and epted, welled up and almost caused her to reel back. During her fight with Actuass when the strange effect of his powers had more than doubled her strength, making her ridiculously more powerful than before, she had thought she was going to win. Yet, the man had suddenly used a power than turned the tide of the battle in a heartbeat and on that day, she had heard its name. Reverent Soul Undeath. Hearing it now, she was brought to shudder but Actuass put her at ease. ¡°Rx. I don¡¯t typically use that in normal situations. Under ideal circumstances I¡¯d even use my Territory before my Undeath Concept. Its quite interesting if I do say so myself. Yet, I digress.¡± ¡°In my studies of the soul with my concept, I unravelled the many mysteries hidden within this piece of existence. First, as I stated, that souls did not house blessing. Second that a soul could lose its will and such a soul is a very powerful energy source, one so potent that it rivals a single, fully realised normal blessing.¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, this is the basis of my agreement with that individual that I mentioned earlier and it partly answers your previous question as to my motive. Hundreds of powerful experts gathered in one ce for a death game while bound by Creed Seals. I¡¯m sure you can dissect much of the rest¡­¡± ¡­! Revia¡¯s mind immediately came to a conclusion. What?! Did this man intend to¡­.?! ¡°Indeed I do, as you have thought, but that¡¯s not relevant now. I¡¯m merely fulfilling the courtesy of answering your question.¡± Revia calmed down only after a long stretch of time where she rendered another question, one that she hoped Actuass would answer adequately. ¡°What do you need me for? I¡¯m not as useful as a ¡­pawn, as you said. There are people more powerful than me out there. Why me specifically?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ ¡± Actuass hummed as he then raised his hand and pointed up with his index finger. From the tip of this limb, a greenish ck me came out in the form of a ring and started to expand in the air, as if burning away space itself. As this continued, within the encirclement of me, appeared a strange space vastly different from the contents of the room. It was as if Actuass had opened a doorway to another space! ¡°Do you see anything besides the mes?¡± ¡­! Revia looked pale as the look in her eyes seemed to show that she indeed could see the obscure glimpses at what was beyond the ring of green and ck fire! Strange bodies swirled and shed past while others looked directly at her from the distance through this space that had been opened. ¡°¡­Yes¡­ yes I can see¡­ something else¡­¡± ¡°Good. Such a thing should be beyond someone who is at the Master Stage. The Incandescent Stage allows one to perceive spirits and souls very well but not any Stage below it. Yet, there are rare individuals who are able to acquire this power before then. Surprisingly, this ability CAN be hereditary or inherited under special circumstances but the conditions for such elude me.¡± Revia looked at Actuass in disbelief. Spirits and souls? Souls she knew but spirits? ¡°For that I¡¯ve designated you as an important piece. I¡¯ve heard there is even a name for people with your abilities. Apparently they are called¡­¡± Chapter 361 Vague Recollections Lead To A Name Drop Skullius remained still as he held the card that was in his armoured hands. His sockets had dimmed from the mes that always burned incessantly within them, the size having dwindled to resemble that of little dots. To see the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound turn its eyes and twirl its tail was one thing. To see the name Ferex, which was ridiculously familiar, written on the ground was another thing. But, to see this card that held a face he had seen quite a lottely, even with the differences in rtion to what he recalled seeing it as when Doom Factor 2 closed in on him time and time again, was too much for his mind to merely cast it aside as a familiar joke. This¡­ ¡°¡­ Ca¡­mi¡­¡± Skullius said instinctively as the face with a slight smile, as well as the blurry figure of something darting away brought Skullius to recall. This girl. That smile. This was different from when he had seen her with the background of that cold scape, as if they were on a high mountain. That rage that he always felt towards her¡­ Was it all fake then? Who was he to this girl and who had she been to him? Skullius¡¯ thoughts rewound back to the time when he was prompted to heal Ginie, the little girl in the Harem¡¯s Guild. Was that as a result of this strange development? Was it possible that this girl he had thought had been an enemy to him in his past life or whatever was actually¡­ someone he cared for instead? BZZT! Like an electric shock springing from the very depths of Skullius¡¯ soul, a burst of pain pounded against his mind, the Prator being forced to clutch his head. This unforgiving pain! Doom Factor 2 did not allow for him to simply recall all his memories without iming back all of his soul. The memories that he had tried to draw on remained stagnant and distant even when within the mind of Skullius, shing images of a girlughing heartily while holding a small dog that clearly expressed its joy, zoomed past. The Prator grunted as he stumbled to lie t on the ground. The Limitless Body Null Demon Hound hurriedly rushed up to Skullius andid its paw on his back, trying tofort him. It didn¡¯t know whether what it had done had prompted more harm than good or the other way around. By using [Amorphous Sampling], it had managed to create a detailed image of what it had been seeing so that it could show Skullius in hopes of jogging his memories for some much needed closure. Creating shapes and colour with the Unliving Thread was not an issue for it after all. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Skullius said as he rose. His socket mes burned bright again and he sat without any other mourns of difort, as if nothing had happened. The Hound knew its master couldn¡¯t have simply recovered so easily but it could not bring itself to continue dwelling on the matter. Skullius looked down at where the Hound had written down the word, or rather the name Ferex. He turned to the Hound that towered over him as he sat and asked, ¡°This is a name, right?¡± The Hound paused for a second while locking eyes with Skullius, and then nodding. ¡°I see¡­ I remember it means something to me. At least a little. Do you want it?¡± Skullius had not given his second Apostle a name yet because of the simple reason that he did not have the ability to provide cool names. For his first Apostle, he had initially thought the name Red Rage was cool, but with his progress as a Discount Human while getting more or more in touch with society, with basic norms, he had discovered that the name, was not as good as he had initially thought. He had delegated the names of the skills [Perfect Night Domain] and [Bead of Malevolence] to Oliviana solely because he had recognised his inability to give proper names. With such an opportunity before him, he wondered if the Hound would want this name, as asides from its mission in his soul, it was clear that this name was written down for some other reason. The Limitless Body Null Demon Hound nodded eagerly at Skullius¡¯ question which amused the Prator. He was right after all. At this moment, this Apostle knew more about him that himself. He could only trust it with this decision. ¡°Alright then. From today onwards, your name is Ferex.¡± [Congrattions, you have named your second Apostle!] [Apostle ¡®Ferex¡¯ approves your decision. +50 favourability] ¡°Looks like it won¡¯t be long till you reach 100 favourability at this point. At that time we¡¯ll be able tobine some of your skills,¡± Skullius said as he patted the head of the Hound which had been lowered to his height for that very purpose. The Prator wiped his mind clear and stood, facing therge mountain in the distance. The short but dangerous looking height that oozed of tremendous power. ¡°Well, we got this done quicker than I thought. Might as well get started with some other aspects of my power.¡± The Prator and the Hound descended from the mountain and reached the foot of their target. Bellow it where barely any green and barely any soil could be found except for rock which were continuously being ground to bits of smaller particles, one could barely withstand the currents of mana and wind. Above this fact, the air was saturated with elements that Skullius wasn¡¯t exactly familiar with, at least in the logical sense. Spatial waves sted against his armour, some of the sensation seeping through the adornment that he wore. [Elevated Mana Maniption] helped the Prator have a better sense of this energy that constantly struck against his body. Mana that was mingling with spatial properties, the result of which could conjure the skill from the Elimparidis Staff, [Jolt Ray]. To get a better appreciation of this, he had to climb higher up the mountain and see for himself what conditions created the Legendary staff had been made in. This was also the perfect time to bring the Nullmancer exclusive skill [Epiphany] to good use. Chapter 362 Epiphany (1) Prator and Hound scaled up the mountain which roared with immense waves of power that almost seemed intent on washing down the two. The search for a boost in power and understanding of this mini world and the more powerful applications of mana could not be quelled however, as Skullius and Ferex continued to push through. The lumps and humps they had to go around or climb over seemed infinitelyrger as simply talking steps as they ascended became a massively inconvenient chore. ¡®Jeez¡­ I can¡¯t even see the top even though this mountain is shorter than the others¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked ahead where billows of whitish clouds that were actually created from thepounding of mana were swirling, their visibility diminishing with the steep ascent. Ferex decided to take action to make the journey easier. His body tripled in size as he grew to tower over his master. The Vehement waves that blew from above were instantly depowered for its bulk and numerous Unliving Threads swiggled from its body and pulled Skullius, setting him on therge creature¡¯s back. ¡°Nice bro!¡± Skullius gave his Apostle some praise. The Hound dug its pass into the ground and pushed forward with all its collective might. It wed forward, resisting the waves of eve growing power that thrummed, Skullius holding on to the Unliving Thread on the creature¡¯s back tight as he could easily be flung away if he wasn¡¯t careful. The journey didn¡¯t take long after this as soon, the duo seamlessly pierced through the veil of white clouds, an expansive space different from the peak they erred expecting emerging in their vision. Arge, t hound could be seen, the ferocious waves of mana that were here being a lot more tame but extraordinarily thick as they evidently melded themselves into the environment ¨C air, ground and sparse vegetation made up of lightly glowing tufts of grasses. Even gravity seemed to be affected as upon reaching this ce, Skullius and Ferex found taking firm steps in any direction phenomenally difficult. ¡®The mana here is even thicker than in the water¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he passed his hand through the light winds that howled with the white energy. Aesthetically, this ce looked like some tourists attraction. Remnants of massive rocks that had existed here, in the form of massive, tall pirs that rose into the sky could seen with shattered and broken edges. Crumbs and chunks of burnt rock littered three-time ground for the entirety of the more than 600 meter stretch. On top this, lightning crackled from the air from time to time, some of it shattering the rocks before fizzling out. BZZZT! Skullius saw from the roiling mana that surged in the air a bolt of grey-ish lightning sparking and propelling itself towards one of the rising remnants of old blocks in the blink of an eye! At the moment of impact, where the lightning struck did not shudder with a impactful explosion as the element would usually do. No. The bolt actually¡­ ZWUUUP! It devoured a chunk of the pir, the construction being left with a circr curve! Skullius was intrigued as his expectations had been betrayed. What kind of lightning was this? Was it some kind of special element like his Silentburn Levin? The answer did not evade Skullius for long as soon¡­ BOOF! In the next instant, Skullius turned, attracted by the sound of something falling a few meters behind him. ¡®What?¡¯ Two chunks of rock with a circr shape appeared out of thin air and fell to the ground near each other! While they were separate, one look was enough to affirm that both could be brought together to fit into a whole! It didn¡¯t take Skullius two seconds to connect what had just happened here. ¡®That lightning¡­ Did it just¡­?¡¯ Even though he asked himself this, he knew full well that it was as he thought. This lightning didn¡¯t destroy, rather it manipted space, exhibiting teleportation effects to boot! That said however, the effect wasn¡¯t something one would use for mobility as there seemed to be something extremely wrong ¨C the two-way effect that would make it easier to move from one ce to another was distorted somehow. It broke things in two! ¡°If that¡¯s really the case, this ce is extremely dangerous. I should move faster befor¡ª¡± BZZZT! A streak of lightning shot directly at Skullius while he was muttering his n to himself! With a dark ripple that caused an animated wiggle around the surroundings, the Prator vanished from his position! ¡­ ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Skullius asked himself. He could see nothing but a darkness dabbed with hints of grey gradient. It was all around, devouring his sight. All he could see was his armoured body and nothing else while at the same time, he felt restricted in his movements. ¡°Where am I? Gah! I cant move! What is this?!¡± [¡®Epiphany¡¯ detects high level concept, Stagnant Space. Would you like to invest and learn?] ¡°Stagnant Space? Hmmm. Wait, I think I¡¯ve heard that before.¡± Surely, Skullius could attest to the fact that he had seen this term before, albeit not knowing what the flesh it meant. He had seen it on something he had used after appraising it with the guidance field. He sank into thought, thinking about this and how perhaps, he would be let out at any moment. But unfortunately, it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case. For him it was difficult to perceive the time but a full minute passed without any changes. ¡°How long is this going to tak-¡° VWUUUP! Once again, Skullius was cut off as suddenly, he felt himself spinning, colour returning to the world around him! His body smashed against the ridiculously hard ground with a noisy impact that rmed Ferex! Skullius¡¯ armour cracked , his bones reverberating from the immense force. ¡°Wow. That was unexpected. A high level concept huh? I should probably see how much it costs. Hmm? Why do I feel so different? Wait! Bro! Where is the rest of me?!¡± To Skullius¡¯ surprise, in a clean, diagonal blitz from his right shoulder to his left side, everything below was missing¡­ Chapter 363 Epiphany (2) Cleanly split. This was the best way to exin the way the Prator looked at this moment. The seamless slice that ran diagonally across his severed body was immacte and clearly powerful as simply being able to cut through the armour he wore as well as the hard dark, blue body he had was a feat upon itself. ¡°How did this happen?!¡± Skullius questioned himself while looking at his other half that was eight meters away. He wasn¡¯t exactly fazed as unlike his Discount Human body, the Prator body had a unique way of regenerating. And no, [Luminous Healing] wasn¡¯t one of them. Ferex rushed over to Skullius, dragging the other half of his body to him. The Prator didn¡¯t integrate with himself just yet as he was trying to put together how that dark space, apparently called Stagnant Space, was rted to the teleportation effect that he had experienced. How long had really been stuck in that dark space anyway? Time was hard to perceive in the dark. This question, he decided to pose to his Apostle. ¡°Huh? I just disappeared and reappeared?!¡± Skullius eximed in shock as he received an answer. Seriously? His time confined in that space was more than just barely any time at all, as Ferex detailed. ¡°Is it like a ce where time doesn¡¯t pass?¡± Skullius asked himself while wondering but ultimately, the answer was beyond him. ¡°Let me fix myself first.¡± The Prator drew on his mana as he activated a skill he hasn¡¯t used before. [Silent Revtion of the Bright King]! With its activation, a massive, pitch ck cloud appeared mysteriously over the Prator, its thickness being obscenely obvious with how each lump of its existence almost seemed tangible. Tinges of blue sparked within it as twelve sky blue, star shaped lights with an intense sparkle began to drop silently in slow motion, their radiance being almost holy. These star shaped lights surrounded Skullius and began brimming with energy, their glow greatly intensifying as they then shot bursts of Silentburn Levin towards Skullius without a sound! The collective release of the shocking power in the forms of thick bolts created a magnificent spectacle that was nothing short of appealing and magisterial! Skullius¡¯ two pieces rose under the hold of the ring bolts that rippled their might over the figure of the Prator like water waves, the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation falling off the Null lifeform¡¯s bone body. Shortly after the steady rise of the body, the two pieces meshed together while the Levin brightened and melded where the damage had been done! This scene was actually reminiscent of how the Prator had regenerated his arm during his evolution into this form for the first time. ~~~ [Silent Revtion of the Bright King | Lv. 2] Using a conjured storm cloud, the Fulgurant Bone Prator can continuously replenish and mend his body while at the same time super charging it, which grants a 100% increase in damage and 70% Serenity Damage. The ability to seamlessly meld Silentburn Levin also bes as easy as blinking socket mes. Mana Requirements: 2500 Mana Duration: 5 minutes Cooldown: 10 minutes ~~~ This skill was very offensive in nature but its usage right now was only to heal Skullius as he wanted to continue forging ahead until he found a suitable ce to use his [Epiphany] for maximum benefits. Skullius stood while being bathed in the storm of Levin, his figure that already generated small sparks emitting a brilliant luminosity with streaks of the power splitting off his visage. ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± he said but as his socket mes settled on the Null Devil¡¯s Aegis of Damnation, he felt a bit sullen. The armour had been split in two and on top of this, many marks of where it had been dinged up were visible, spelling out how much it had been through despite its little usage whenpared to some of Skullius¡¯ other¡¯s equipment. The Chains of the Damnation weakly rose, as if reaching for Skullius who extended his hands for them toe to him. The chains hurriedly leapt and wrapped around his torso desperately, firmly settling over the Prator¡¯s body. ¡°I guess it was time for a change anyway. At least for my human form is covered,¡± Skullius said he set his sights ahead. ¡°Come on, Ferex bro. We still have to go further.¡± The cloud over Skullius remained while the stars around him continued to release the streams of energy towards him that made him feel like he was invincible. The Prator and Hound trudged on, their journey around the many pirs and clustered rocks being slowed by the threat of the grey lightning which smashed into both of them multiple times. Skullius healed with the [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] while the Hound which also experienced the ¡®splitting¡¯ recovered with [Lanterns of the Pure]. Crossing a distance of sixty meters took over five minutes, rendering Skullius defenceless but he finally saw a semnce of what he needed amidst the continuously growing turbulent atmospheric conditions. With his advanced sight, he saw shorter stone pirs in the distance but the firing bolts of lightning grew thicker while the winds blew in a spherical arc that cordoned off the way to what lied ahead, the barrier like construct that was created being very much capable of shredding both the Hound and Prator into dust. Within this space, Skullius saw six staves made of different coloured stone, roughly carved with different designs. They floated in the air while below them, ck and white stones the size of fists could be seen lying around with a pristine glows! ¡­! ¡®Those are¡­ Could all of them be like the Elimparidis Staff? And those stones¡­¡¯ Around the perimeter of these objects, Skullius also saw small spheres with a dark and grey hue appearing at random only to disappear along with whatever they touched! The Prator¡¯s sockets red with excitement. This was definitely Stagnant Space popping up at random! ¡®The atmosphere here is saturated with this chaotic mana. Getting closer to that barrier thing will get me killed so I might as well take the slower road.¡¯ With the raging waves of spatially corrupted mana all around, it was probably possible to learn. ¡®Let¡¯s do it,¡¯ Skullius thought as he used the active effects of [Epiphany]! Chapter 364 Epiphany (3) [Epiphany | Lv.1] The very core of a Vehement Bone Nullmancer. The user gains boosts to his current capabilities and channels to learn concepts with ease. ?+90% to all skill proficiency and power ?Constantly analyses concepts around the user with a chance of generating lesser fundamental knowledge on said concepts. Allows the user to learn the fundamentals of any mana-rted concept using specified quantities of Null Life Essence. Mana Requirements: None Duration: None Cooldown: ¡ª ~~~ While being exposed to the chaotic conditions, Skullius applied the active effects of [Epiphany] which immediately called for the response of the guidance field which gave a proper evaluation of how much Null Life Essence Skullius would need. [High level concept detected. ¡®Distorted Gravity¡¯. To learn the lesser fundamentals, an investment of 15,100 Null Life Essence is required] [High level concept detected. ¡®Spatial Lightning¡¯. To learn the lesser fundamentals, an investment 24,900 Null Life Essence is required]. [High level concept detected. ¡®Stagnant Space. To learn the lesser fundamentals, an investment of 31,700 Null Life Essence is required] ¡°Hmmm¡­I see¡­ I don¡¯t expect anything less from such concepts I guess. I did expect the lightning to be more expensive than the Stagnant Space thing though¡­¡± Skullius thought. He didn¡¯t gripe about the high costs that currently exceeded his maximum individual storage of Null Life Essence as he knew that with time, he would be able to learn any skill he wanted, as long as it was mana-rted. This skill was exclusive to his Null Life ss, the Vehement Bone Nullmancer, and with how it worked, Skullius had spected that it was like an advanced version of the nameless trait of his ¨C extracting skills from weapons. After having extracted an aspect of the Elimparidis Stone Staff, this skill had emerged and while it didn¡¯t offer as much skill proficiency and power as it originally did in the Staff, Skullius was happy with all it had to offer. The Prator cautiously took a few steps forward while feeling the passive effect of the skill draw in the chaotic waves of power that contained so many concepts. His end goal to eventually prate the spherical barrier that housed the floating staves and the gems as he knew that all these concepts that had been identified were thickest there. For now though¡­ Skullius sat down and focused on the ground which was reinforced by mana. ¡°I feel it. Even though it¡¯s very vague, [Epiphany] is pulling on the mana in the air. This passive effect must be really slow but I¡¯m sure it will help in some way,¡± he said. ¡°Now¡­ I might as well increase the levels of my skills while I wait. Let¡¯s continue with this one.¡± Skullius raised his bony hand as he pushed out enough mana for a rather hot skill, [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]! With the cast of the skill this time however, the mana saturated space sizzled and roared, a burst of strange steam blowing into the air as a me with a golden-orange hue shot out in the form of arge orb over Skullius¡¯ hand! It quivered while exerting an immense weight that made Skullius¡¯ seated body dig a meter deep into the ground! ¡°Wooo¡­. Almost forgot about that,¡± Skullius said as he struggled to carry the weight of the me that seemed to burn even mana itself! This vaguely reminded him of Terian and his me shark which could detain people and their abilities. Ah. Old times. The Prator had actually gotten used to this skill¡¯s effect over the past few days as during the evening, he would transform and get to see it affect every skill he used. ¡°Now, where should I throw this?¡± Skullius asked himself as his sockets shed around the area. The entire space was hardened by the dense mana making casual blows of force less likely to do any damage to the ground. Any ce seemed fine to chuck the mass of scorching fire as the damage wouldn¡¯t be as bad. Probably. Skullius threw therge fireball up and away, its huge mass causing the thick air to produce an intense vibration which resounded over all things in the area as it flew the distance! The fireball dropped and upon touching the ground, a golden re burst into Skullius¡¯ vision with archaic visual violence! The re rose up in a beautiful light and stretched across the distance parallel to the ground with a light thrum andthen¡­. A much expected explosion of golden-orange erupted with a force akin to that of a volcano! The entire mountain top shook as the power from the skill cascaded beyond and buried Skullius and his Apostle before a second could pass! The Prator was awed even though this was not his first time seeing this! ¡®It¡¯s pretty powerful with the effect of [Epiphany]. I wonder how much more powerful it will be when I evolve it,¡¯ Skullius thought as billows of dust rose in the shape of glowing mushroom. He was unaffected by the skill¡¯s power as always and so was Ferex who still stood before Skullius protectively despite knowing this. When the intense heat and dust cleared, Skullius found an astounding result. ¡°Jeez¡­¡± Aside from the superheated air that created exaggerated mirages in the air, everything else here was barely affected by the me! The small pirs, the ground and especially the spherical barrier that housed the items that he wanted so badly. Nothing at all. ¡°Well¡­ this just makes it the perfect ce for me to level this skill up!¡± Skullius said with enthusiasm. *** Next day. The morning light that was always partly shielded by the clouds and cold barely announced that morning hade. Still, everyone¡¯s biological clocks told them which time of day it was. With a quick blur that barely had any effects to it, Skullius reappeared in the shade. He donned a jacket as usual with his human face depicting a genuine smile. ¡°Now, for my part-time job. Wait. What does that mean? Gah, flesh it!¡± The Discount Human took the Elimparidis Staff from where he had hidden it ¡®securely¡¯ and stored it in his ring. Ferex sat atop his head in a miniaturised form, hidden within the locks of light auburn hair. His preferred hiding ce. Skullius made sure that he looked presentable before he wore a wide smile that tried to give the feeling of care while hiding his true intent. He swung the door open and found dozens of people, some who were shivering in the snow as they sat near the shed, clearly awaiting his return. Skullius had sensed this the moment he came out of the mini world in the staff. Frankly, he was hoping for it. Many pawns for his use. Unlike his [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] which was now at level 12, eight short of an evolution, [Luminous Healing] was at level 9 and thus he was eager for the final push that would lead him into the next evolved state of the skill. Upon seeing the face of the man who had been said to be capable of healing people already inside the shed, the people were astonished and awed. They had been here all night and hadn¡¯t seen him go in! ¡°Good morning. Please make an orderly line and I¡¯ll help you all one by one,¡± Skullius said with a soothing voice. The people outside immediately responded with action as soon after they had done as they were told, the person in the front walked into the shed. Skullius sat opposite the person and smiled warmly. It was a middle aged man whose most notable feature was his imperial style beard and mismatched hair length. He looked to be about to break into tears as he looked firmly at Skullius. ¡°S-sir, can you help me? M-my foot. I haven¡¯t be able to move it for the past week. I thought the cold in this region was something I could easily handle¡­ but I was wrong. Please, please help me. I will leave this town immediately afterwards!¡± ¡®No crap. Are you one of those bros who don¡¯t know that there¡¯s a hot bath in the town?!¡¯ Skullius thought while on the outside, he retained his smile as he nodded, his hands reaching for the man¡¯s own. ¡®Oh well. As long as I get m¡ª¡± ¡­! The Discount Human suddenly turned his head, a strange sensation that ran along his skin causing him to be alert! His [Elevated Mana Maniption] stormed towards his left past the walls of the shed! Even Ferex whoid on his head turned in this direction! Something¡­ Someone¡­ was watching! Chapter 365 The Desired Place What was that?! Skullius frowned. An intense sensation had suddenly coursed through him, making him feel ufortable. This was a perk of his new cosmetic body that heightened his sensitivity to his surroundings and right now, it was warning him of hidden eyes paying attention to the shed. Skullius¡¯ [Elevated Mana Maniption] caught nothing as by the time he had activated it, the sensation had already disappeared. ¡®What was that? Have I already attracted attention?¡¯ Skullius wasn¡¯t oblivious to the fact that his actions would undoubtedly cause suspicion. This was a lesson he had learnt the hard way from the incident he caused at the College of the Esteemed. City authorities paid attention to stuff like this. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± the man before Skullius asked with a concerned look. Skullius reforged his fake smile and reassured the man. ¡°Not at all. Let¡¯s begin,¡± he said as he activated [Luminous Healing]. ¡®I just need to tend to a few more of these people and then I¡¯ll stop. Two or three should be enough,¡¯ he thought. In the spirit of taking more risks, Skullius was willing to entertain this for a little longer. He had means of escape if it got too hairy after all. And yes. Flesh S¡¯s request if need be. The healing skill washed over the man who felt the invigorating energy swamp his being, almost immediately after, his leg which he hadn¡¯t felt in what seemed like ages, regaining sensation! ¡°Ah¡­¡± the man stammered as he hurriedly stood up, seeing as the effect had done its magic. Sob. Finally! It was back! The sense of feeling in his leg! ¡°You really did it! Thank you so much sir! Thank you very much! I can¡¯t believe I can move without any problems again!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, haha,¡± Skullius said in ssic human fashion, while the real him wanted this man gone for another customer hurriedly, even though he wouldn¡¯t be able to heal them immediately. The man leapt a few times before shaking Skullius¡¯ hand vigorously and once again, before he could say he wanted to help the Discount Human he was stopped in his tracks. The fake human wanted nothing else from him after all. After a happy round, the man surprisingly sat back down again. ¡®Bro, leave!¡¯ Skullius thought begrudgingly while even his face was showing confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked. The middle aged man looked nervous as he scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish look. ¡°No-nothing. Actually there¡¯s something. You see¡­ I was wondering if you could help me¡­us¡­ with another issue,¡± the man said with a small voice that showed how embarrassed he was to be asking another favour from the man who had just healed him for free. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Skullius asked with a tone that slightly leaked his impatience. ¡°You see¡­ there¡¯s been a lot of incidentstely. Incidents of concern. People like me who haven¡¯t been in the city for long¡­ migrants from their hometowns¡­. we are being hunted. Many of us are just vanishing little by little, in particr those with illness or injuries. We¡¯ve had to bunch up to protect ourselves but even then¡­ I¡¯m sure you have heard this sir and¡­ I wanted to ask if you could help us.¡± ¡®This again?¡¯ Skullius thought. Yesterday at the Hot Swan he had heard something about this. Was this something to do with internal affairs or something else entirely? Depending on what it was, he wasn¡¯t willing to have any part in it. ¡°Yes. I have heard of this. Hmm¡­¡± Skullius said while deliberating on what to tell this man. ¡°I¡¯ll have to think about it. Now please, there are other people waiting in line.¡± ¡°Alright sir! I¡¯ll be here waiting for your answer. Thank you again!¡± the man said with vigour before he rushed out the shed. Skullius sighed. He did not think he wanted to get tangled in this. ¡®Could that someone who was watching me be one of the people taking away these guys? Well, I just arrived into the town so I may be a target. Hmm. Which is it, I wonder?¡¯ After the man left, Skullius invited another person and waited for the cooldown of the skill while asking and pretending to care about their backstory. When the cooldown timed out, Skullius healed this person and then the next¡­ along with an additional one. Only then did he see the notification that he was yearning for. [¡®Luminous Healing¡¯ has reached LV10. Would you like to evolve it into its next form?] ¡°Flesh yeah!¡± Skullius responded. [¡®Luminous Healing¡¯ has evolved into ¡®Great Saint¡¯s Invigoration¡¯] ~~~ [Great Saint¡¯s Invigoration | Lv.1] All limbs will instantly regenerate, the rate of regeneration depending on the length of the limb lost. The user can fuse mana and other forms of energy to heal ALL kinds of ailments and minor curses. Even critical injuries can be healed with an appropriate amount of mana or other forms of energy. Mana Requirements: ¡ª Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: ¡ª ~~~ ¡°Wow¡­ this one is ridiculous. It doesn¡¯t qualify to be a Special skill?¡± Skullius remarked, clearly shocked by its effects. Furthermore, its name had changed in a direction he wasn¡¯t expecting. The individual that he healed had left which gave him the freedom to speak his mind. ¡°This will be handy still. Now, I have to get out of here.¡± The Discount Human rose from his seat. He looked outside at the people who were eagerly waiting for him to call out another person in. Their faces carried hope and respect, both genuine and otherwise. Unfortunately for them however, Skullius couldn¡¯t care less. He summoned his staff and immediately activated [Jump], his face showing nothing but a nk expression that was unaffected by the pitiful look on everyone¡¯s faces. All these people saw was the figure inside the shed vanishing as if he didn¡¯t exist in the first ce, their hopes bashed against a stone instantly. Skullius appeared right where he had been standing yesterday before he teleported into the shed and sped away. Using [Jump] to appear within the crowded streets of the town would be a bad idea after all. The Discount Human walked randomly within the town for a while in order to determine if he was being followed but after a few minutes, it didn¡¯t appear that this was the case. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m safe for now but I can¡¯t count on it. I should find what I was here for in the first ce and leave,¡± Skullius said before thinking about something for a short while. ¡°He gave me directions, there¡¯s probably no need to let him loose, right?¡± The Discount Human clearly did not enjoy S¡¯spany. Skullius¡¯ agenda right now was to fulfill S¡¯s request. ording to the piece of soul, the ce he was supposed to look for was pretty easy to find, or so S thought. The man was not sure himself if the ce still existed but he proudly imed that at the very least, it would be preserved as a treasure. The directions unfortunately did not detail where this ce was in the city, but possible means to find it. ¡°A tall building that should be covered in dreadfully cold ice, is it?¡± Skullius mumbled to himself as he looked up and started walking around the town. Frankly, he doubted that he could have missed something like this but perhaps there was more to it. He walked for some time, treading through the cold streets that were crowded with esteemed figures passing with luxurious carriages along with the locals who went about their business. The Knights who walked within the streets keeping the order in this tourist attraction of a city seemed different to those Skullius had seen. The reason was that they were not free Knights of the Capital Service but hired Knights whose specific duties were keeping the many people from different ces that congested in the town in line. Therge amounts of coin that Harifrast made allowed for such a feat. Skullius¡¯ every didn¡¯t lead him anywhere close to what he wanted but soon, after discarding S¡¯s instructions and simply following the stuck up, fancily dressed individuals to the various spots they wanted to visit, Skullius finally found. Near the edge, on the other side of town was arge field cleared of any residential ormercial structures. A short, wooden fence was erected around the entire ce in the snow, as if to give the feeling of both imed territory and sacred ground. A crowd of wealthy people stood behind the fence while listening to a finely dressed man who described the remnants of the magnificent, yet scattered structure behind him. Skullius who stood a distance away from this group finally let S loose from his lonely ce in his soul. Surprisingly, the man didn¡¯t say or better yet shout anything foul as he normally would which surprised the Discount Human who had prepared for it. ¡°S?¡± Skullius questioned, almost beginning to doubt that he ever had a voice screaming in his head to begin with. ¡°¡­Quiet, tomato flinger¡­¡± S responded with a chillingly calm voice, his attention being on the objects ahead. Before the two, a grand introduction was underway as the man who led the tour announced, ¡°¡­With that said,dies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to this town¡¯s greatest relic from tens of thousands of years ago. The Grim Tower!¡± ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] Hey there. I have set up a patreon for the book where you are free to donate and acquire more chapters in return through the various Tiers. Feel free to venture there if you /skulls4life Chapter 366 Legends Millenia ago. ¡­ Before a grand man-made mark that rose from the ground, a legion of powerful warriors stood at attention while gazing solemnly at a man with a tall frame standing in front of them. He oozed of so much power that the weather was beginning to change just by him standing somewhere outside the chamber that he was supposed to reside in before theing sh. The clouds were swirling directly above, the snow flying around to swat against the faces of everyone present. A heavy downpour began, unjustly moisturisong the legion below, a strange transition from the rtively silent skies and calm weather that had prevailed just seconds ago. The army of powerful warriors did not mind all this however. They retained their cool as they awaited what was about to be announced. After a full minute, the man before them finally opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Men of war. Men of vigour. Men of great power. Today, is not a day for celebration. Thepletion of our tower is but a tragic marker in time. It is meant for us to sink our minds into the reality of who and what we are. We are murderers. Killers of our own kind. Nothing can justify the way we draw extensions of ourselves in violence. For this very purpose, this mountain, this obstacle, this fortress has been built up! For them! For us!¡± ¡°All those fiends that disgrace the glory of the Deities shall fall here! Regardless of their humanity! Regardless of theirck of it! Let the shadow cast by this fortress be a reminder to you all that this ce, is where blood shall fall and stain the thick of the world for generations! Not for the love of war! Not for vain victory! But for hatred and ideal!¡± The soldiers felt the voice of this man as he spat words after word ripple through them. These words were meaningful. They were cruel but real. The man¡¯s image as he stood before the fifty meter tall and thirty meter wide towerplemented this image greatly. ¡°Let these words be etched into your very soul, as you may very well lose it following what you¡¯re about to see and experience!¡± Gulp! The dread inflicted was nothing to scoff at. ¡°I shall appoint one of you as Master of the fortress, as General of the Grim Tower. Look at this man as you do me and listen to his words without stutter or stagger.¡± BA-DUM! BA-DUM! ¡°S Oinhold! Rise and take the helm to your legion!¡± the man said with authority, prompting someone within the rows of perfectly organised stationed warriors to shoot forward with his gaze showing both trepidation and zeal! *** A five meter tall structurey on the ground, its torn and jagged edges digging into the snow and then further into the ground while the whole thing leaned on its side. Its thirty meter girth gave it a grand appearance despite its cracked visage which was smothered by a thickyer of ice that hid the reddish blocks used to make it. The white and colourless portions on the surface of the tower, the different appearances of ice, released a chilling steam that was undoubtedly mixed in with thick bursts of mana. Atop this tower was a cone-shaped roof whose construction was nothing short of legendary and immacte, giving the piece an expensive visage while a torn g erected on the pole above it gave a glimpse of past glory. The image disyed on the pale g could no longer be seen but one individual among those around could remember every detail and clearly express what each meant. The piece of soul thaty moulded into Skullius¡¯ own could only see through the Discount Human¡¯s eyes. The Grim Tower. It was once a formidable fortress build to withstand a heavy charge of powerful experts. It had been equipped with the finest runes. It had been equipped with the most powerful arrays in Pelian. It had housed the most powerful warriors in that war. But now, it was one tenth of its size, frozen by the frost gathered over tens of thousands of years. The rest of it was there behind the wooden fence as blocks that were scattered around haphazardly, giving it a visage like that of old junk. ¡®¡­¡¯ S¡¯s voice echoed in Skullius¡¯ mind. For a moment, he felt the deep frustration in S¡¯s voice as the man no longer irrationally blurted everything on his mind. For once, he didn¡¯t sound like a madman. Bits of his memories surged as S recalled the blood that stained the Grim Tower back then. The battle thatsted 146 days¡­ The final bout where he tried to coordinate with his Grand Commander to beat the waves of enemies. Enemies of the Deities under one man who had begun on the path to Divinity. ¡®My honour¡­ This is what became of it after all these years?¡¯ S said in a deep voice, a mncholic breeze brushing past the Grim Tower to match the feeling of emptiness he felt. ¡®Pathetic¡­¡¯ Skullius squinted his eyes. Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t really thought about S beyond their cooperative rtionship. He hadn¡¯t even considered where the man came from, his story. All he knew was what he required at the moment, that S was a well of knowledge. Skullius was about to appraise the tower when¡­ ¡°This Tower existed in its peak state tens of millenia in the past during the Second Grand War. Many legends surround this construct and these remnants prove some of them. For instance, the interior and exterior of the Grim Tower is coated with thousands of defensive and offensive runes that are still functional even until now, which is why the Tower isrgely unexplored and untouched. Even moving it physically or through spatial means is impossible and studying the runes that make it so dangerous is beyond the knowledge of everyone who has ever tried,¡± the guide exined with a voice that demanded attention. The rich men and women who listened to his words nodded and took down notes with sophisticated cursive while others discussed in low voices among themselves. ¡°Grand Commander Jusfic Doeson along with an unnamed General who was supposedly the Tower Master are said to have led the charge against one of the Unions of Fulgardt the Immoral but unfortunately, they were outmatched. Apparently, when victory seemed so close, one of Fulgardt¡¯s Chosen Four appeared on the battlefield and changed the entire course of the battle.¡± Skullius felt a tremor of emotion that ran through his soul. S¡¯s soul burned with fury, but only for a few moments. ¡®Unnamed General, is it? Hmmm. It was not enough that my woman was lost¡­ but my pride too? Pathetic,¡¯ he said in a broken voice that disallowed Skullius from interrupting with any remark. ¡®PATHETIC!!!!¡¯ Skullius was startled by S¡¯s anguished shout. He could feel that the man was buried in tumultuous emotion. ¡®Tomato flinger. I have seen enough. Walk away¡­¡¯ S said in amanding voice that made Skullius hesitate only for little bit before he turned around. He took onest look at the remnants of the tower and walked away. When they were a sufficient distance away, Skullius was about to ask S the hundreds of questions he had but then¡­ ¡­! The Discount Human felt it again! Someone was watching him! Unlikest time, he didn¡¯t release a burst of mana to scour the area as that could be bad for him if he was to stumble upon an irritable powerhouse in the city. Instead he quickly turned his gaze to where he felt the piercing gaze from and¡­ ¡­! ¡®Tomato flinger¡­ that man is bad news. You better run,¡¯ S said in a voice that wasn¡¯t as loud but dank in cautionary warning. In Skullius¡¯ eyes was reflected a man who stood atop the roof of a building ¨C an inn presumably from the homey decor that invited all toe and dine. The man was quite a distance away but Skullius could see his figure clearly, especially the shiny thing on his shoulder. Indeed, this man seemed dangerous. Skullius didn¡¯t take any more time to think. He activated [Great Rush I] and burst down the corner at incredible speed! ¡®Shit! I better get out of the city first! I¡¯ll figure out how to deal with him then!¡¯ The Discount Human zoomed past the streets and leapt over people and small buildings alike, exhibiting a shocking level of flexibility with his manoeuvres! He zig zapped through the town as he headed for the entrance to the town, covering a vast distance within a few seconds! At this point, Skullius activated [Elevated Mana Maniption] to try and scout whether or not he was being pursued. His sense didn¡¯t pick up anyone who was running at a quick speed which baffled him greatly. ¡®I have a really bad feeling about this¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he turned down the corner into another street. ¡°Stop.¡± Skullius¡¯ entire body shook, a tremendous force staggering not only his body but his soul as well as right after, the Discount Human found himself unable to move! ¡­! Along with the sudden voice, the pain that came with hearing it and the image of a man who stood before him, a guidance field notification popped up in Skullius¡¯ vision. [An external force assaults your soul. Doom Factor 2 takes advantage. 41%] Chapter 367 He Is One of Them ¡­! ¡®I can¡¯t move!¡¯ Skullius thought as his eyes bulged, almost threatening to spill from his sockets. He turned to look at the figure before him in shock. This man¡¯s single word had caused him to stop immediately! Furthermore, he had experienced a 1% in Doom Factor 2! This guy¡¯s speech had caused that much damage?! Why was his body listening to the man¡¯s words?! And how in the world did he get here so fast?! Did he teleport?! What did he want?! Skullius¡¯ mind was jumbled with all these questions and he looked at the figure before him with barely veiled hate and apprehension. Yet, at the back of his mind, he was caught by a strange thought. This sensation. It was really familiar. He had felt it before! ¡°Hmmm. Your soul just cracked quite a bit. It¡¯s especially fragile¡­ and torn horribly. I wouldn¡¯t have had to be so rough if you didn¡¯t take off running,¡± the figure before Skullius said. It was a middle-aged man. He looked at Skullius with his chestnut brown eyes that, despite their colour, seemed lifeless and dull with a hint of apathy vivid within them. The sunken cheeks as well as unkempt and dirty anchor beard at the base of his heart-shaped face did not make his appearance look an livelier as his dark hair that clearly showed his clean sculp hairline through the buzz cut made things all the more worse. The man wore casual clothes ¨C a long sleeved ck shirt and a pair of brown leather pants ¨C the only feature on his body that seemed out of ce being the silver pauldron that covered his shoulder, its appearance bearing a slight sheen with a mark crudely carved into it that looked like two crooked strokes meeting at one point. Skullius couldn¡¯t quiteprehend what this man meant. From his words, it didn¡¯t seem like he was trying to be hostile. But then again, when had things ever been that simple? Also¡­ At this point, he was done pointing out every instance that was conjured from his unfavourable luck. ¡®The hell? What does he mean my soul just cracked? How did he know?¡¯ Skullius thought, his apprehension growing with every second. Atop his head, it seemed that the Demon Hound was not caught up in his paralysis but it did not simply lunge at this opponent as it seemed to have sensed something different about him. Something beyond just raw power. And thus, itid in wait while keeping its presence imperceptible. In this state, even Skullius couldn¡¯t perceive it and thus after seeing the opponent before him remain in one piece, he could only assume that his Hound noticed something he didn¡¯t. Slowly, Skullius felt his ability to move return but the man before him didn¡¯t seem to want to make a follow up. The Discount Human dashed backwards, keeping his vision on the enemy. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty idiotic thing to ask first. If I were you, I¡¯d ask what I want with you before asking such,¡± the man said as he stroked his beard while looking around. ¡°Besides, this isn¡¯t a good ce to chat.¡± All around, in Skullius¡¯ peripheral vision, he could see the crowds looking at the two curiously. The sudden idiot who hade rushing into the street only to be stopped by a figure who suddenly appeared before him with speed that bordered on teleportation¡­ This somewhat drew people¡¯s attention. Before Skullius could offer up a reply to the rude response he had gotten, he felt a tight grip on his jacket and then¡­ VWOOSH! With a skittering of feet of that barelysted for two seconds, Skullius felt his vision be a mash of colour with a harsh breeze ring against his body then¡­ PCH! The Discount Human found himself in a different location. He dazedly stood over thickets of snow that wereyered before a wide frozenke with strange trees growing from it to rise high up withnky branches. ¡®What the¡­¡¯ Skullius looked around only to find a familiar town a mile¡¯s distance away from where he stood with people converging towards it in different directions through various means. They had¡­ left Harifrast¡­ just like that? That was¡­.fast. Beside Skullius, the man with a pauldron over his shoulder stood beside him looking at the six trees that grew from the frozenke, their branches bearing purple leaves that had ckish ends. Several people were also standing or sitting around theke while admiring the purple reflections on theke¡¯s surface and yet they didn¡¯t seem to notice the unnatural appearance of Skullius and this man. Or rather, some just ignored it. ¡°Sit.¡± Skullius¡¯ body shuddered and he found himself dropping to the ground and sitting down with a heavy thud. This time however, a notification presenting him with a higher figure in Doom Factor 2 didn¡¯t show up. ¡°You should thank me. I was gentler this time,¡± the man said. Skullius woke himself from the shock of his body just casually obeying what this man said and shot a response to his sentence. ¡°And I should thank you for that?¡± ¡°You should. I could easily report an unlicensed Healer taking advantage of refugees for own benefit. Would you like that?¡± the man said, his dead eyes giving Skullius a chill. ¡®Damn it! He¡¯s definitely the one who was watching me before. How is he able to do this? My body is just giving in to his words as soon I hear him speak. This feels like¡­¡¯ Skullius thought, forcing his mind to recall what this sensation felt like. It didn¡¯t take long for him to remember however as he narrowed his eyes. ¡®Ah¡­ that¡¯s right¡­¡¯ Dezrael. The winged bastard trapped in the Labyrinth of the Yoke. The man had been able to just say something and Skullius¡¯ body had obliged. The same had happened with Sause who seemed to have done something simr with Benzard and Reon back then. Was this the same thing? What even was it? ¡°I thought so,¡± the man said with an indifferent look on his face. ¡°For you to be that much of a fool to conduct healing in the town so casually, you must be aplete moron or just confident in your strength. I sincerely hope it¡¯s thetter,¡± the man said. Skullius had much to say to this man but he couldn¡¯t help but ask what the man said would be a better question. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± Skullius asked. The man chortled lightly before sitting down beside Skullius, keeping his gaze over the trees. ¡°Finally, a less foolish question¡­¡± the man said. ¡®You just said it was the better question to ask bro,¡¯ Skullius grumbled inside. ¡®Tomato flinger. If you let your guard down, we¡¯ll both die. Don¡¯t take him lightly¡­¡¯ S suddenly spoke from Skullius¡¯ mind. The Discount Human in this moment realised that he hadn¡¯t packed away his baggage and to some degree he wasn¡¯t quite happy with himself about it. ¡®Bro, if this guy wanted to kill us, he would have done so. He obviously wants something from me. If I hadn¡¯t run like you said, I probably wouldn¡¯t have suffered another 1% in Doom Factor 2!¡¯ ¡®What in the world are you talking about, tomato flinger?! What is Dum Fuckta 2?¡¯ ¡®Nevermind!¡¯ Skullius thought as he rolled his eyes internally. ¡®I am serious, tomato flinger. Be careful. He¡¯s not just a simplebatant. I felt it when he spoke. He¡¯s one of them¡­¡¯ ¡®One of who?¡¯ ¡®A Spirit Warden.¡¯ Chapter 368 In Exchange... A Spirit Warden? This was the first time Skullius had heard such a thing. In fact, for S to divulge information like this, it meant that he generally felt threatened and what he was saying was true. Thus, Skullius stacked up extra caution against the man before him. The man gave a short pause before giving the true response that Skullius desired. ¡°First off, let¡¯s start with somemon courtesy. Even an idiot like you would require trust before we exchange demands, right?¡± the man said as he turned to Skullius. ¡®Bro, what¡¯s with all these insults? And weren¡¯t you the one who said asking who you are was a stupid question?!¡¯ Skullius griped internally, but even on his face, a contortion could be seen which the man beside him actively ignored. ¡°My name is Bek Dworth. A former Capital Order Knight. I suppose you could use the more astute term to refer to me. A Stray Knight,¡± the man whose name was Bek said. ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡± Skullius felt his body tremble at the question Bek had posed, his mouth opening to reveal an answer without his permission. ¡°My name is Festos Dawn¡­¡± ¡°Festos. Hmm really exotic,¡± Bek said with interest. ¡°Pardon my reflex. I tend to not trust people with the truth.¡± Skullius felt the oppressive energy leave him and he was left to act freely again. Yep. This guy was dangerous. If he got even a little more curious of Skullius, he could probably just ask him to spill everything and the Discount Human didn¡¯t know if there would be anything to guard him from that. He only grumbled for a short second though, before asking. ¡°What¡¯s a Capital Order Knight?¡± The man raised a brow and looked at Skullius as if he was an absolute fool. ¡®Here ites¡­¡¯ ¡°For an Energy Former you sure are stupid. I was wondering why a Healer would choose to look for coin from the poor in a town like Harifrast. Are you some kind of retarded backwater Healer?¡± Bek asked genuinely. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid!¡± Skullius spat. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Bek hummed. ¡°Well, I might as well oblige. Capital Order Knights are Knights selected as outstanding from the vast pool of Capital Knights. They are esteemed elites in power and intelligence. They only rank below the Highest ranks of Capital Service, the Honoured Knights and Mages.¡± ¡°If you are from small cities and towns I¡¯m sure you have never met any Capital Order level personnel let alone Honoured level ones. Of course a town such as Harifrast which has denounced both the Capital Service because of the Royal Family as well as the Guilds Association because of their greed, opting to hire Capital Knights for certain intervals instead wouldn¡¯t have higher level units. Perhaps that¡¯s why you¡¯re so ignorant.¡± Skullius listened to Bek while also trying to pinpoint what he wanted as the man hadn¡¯t given even a semnce of what he wanted in wording. But, the information he had gotten so far was crucial. It seemed there were levels to Knights, something he hadn¡¯t considered given the fact that all the Knights he had seen were all just the same. ¡°Are you now going to tell me what you want or not?¡± Skullius asked with impatience. ¡°Right.I shall oblige,¡± Bek said. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for an Energy Former around the area. Someone adept at discerning energies. I can handle the perception of ethereal beings but even with all my ss Branching, I¡¯m still a swordsman, I cannot reach the same level as that of an Energy Former.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Skullius narrowed his eyes. ¡°Ethereal beings?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I just said you brain empty idiot.¡± Skullius swallowed hiseback, which mostly had to do with him admitting that in fact, he didn¡¯t have a brain but that wasn¡¯t important. Skullius linked what this man had just said to what S had said before. ¡°So¡­ are you a Spirit Warden?¡± Bek¡¯s dulled eyes showed a spark of interest as he gave Skullius more attention. ¡°You know what I am?¡± he asked. ¡°Uh¡­ yes. Yes, I do,¡± Skullius sloppily lied. Bek sized Skullius up before losing his interest and looking back at therge trees. ¡°That¡¯s a lie even a moron wouldn¡¯t tell, especially when they know they are before someone like me. I know you¡¯re not alone in that body. Your own damaged soul is tangled with another aged piece of soul within you. I assume you have a somewhat non-hostile arrangement?¡± ¡­! Skullius¡¯ HEART almost jumped from his chest as he heard this! The hell?! This man¡­? Skullius looked himself up and down, then at Bek who shook his head. Could this guy see his soul or something?! ¡°How¡­¡± Skullius stammered with a hard expression. ¡°So I was right. You wouldn¡¯t be questioning what I am if you knew yourself. Frankly, I don¡¯t fully understand myself either, nor do I know which name to describe myself. I¡¯ve heard of so many. Soulspoken, Spirit Warden, Soulritter¡­ but all of it doesn¡¯t matter. I only care for my continued duty, which brings us to why I need you¡­¡± Skullius gulped. Within him, he felt S turn tense. Ferex grew more anxious, but he couldn¡¯t attack Not yet. Bek pointed forward towards therge trees with his index, his thumb sticking out as it pointed towards the sky, a gesture he had grown much too used to. ¡°Many neers to Harifrast have been vanishing, disappearing without a trace. This has slowly begun to cause the brewing of conflict, giving the locals a reason to fight the neers and drive them out while thoseing into the city demand the permission to stay as the town is under the Capital Service.¡± Skullius¡¯ eyes brightened. Again. This matter. It somehow found its way into his day didn¡¯t it? ¡°While most think that the locals have suddenly gained the balls to kidnap and or kill the neers, this is a foolish conclusion. I know who is behind this¡­¡± This man knew? Who was it then? ¡°Who is it?¡± Skullius asked, feeling that Bek wanted him to ask, as that could potentially be the better question to ask. ¡°Another ridiculous question. If I were you, I¡¯d ask the reason why first?¡± Bek said much to Skullius¡¯ frustration. ¡®That doesn¡¯t even make any sense!¡¯ Skullius gritted his teeth and just went along with the flow. ¡°Fine. Why?¡± ¡°Good question. Sadly, I don¡¯t have the answer to it. I¡¯ve only been tracking them for a few weeks and they are extremely slippery,¡± Bek remarked as he sighed helplessly. Skullius¡¯ eye involuntarily twitched as he pressed all his anger down.. ¡®This bastard¡­!¡¯ ¡°So what do you need me for?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°Simple. These people have unconventional means of escape, mainly rted to tempering with natural rules of the world. They mess with energies quite a bit. For that, I need someone with good senses to said energies. Regardless of how popr Harifrast is, Energy Formers don¡¯t usually stroll in to waste time sightseeing. To my good fortune, you just happened toe here and start fooling around.¡± Skullius sucked in a deep breath. This was quite the enraging conversation. This was a demand on top of it all, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Hmmm¡­ I see. There¡¯s only one problem though. Why should I care about this? Will you force me to do something I don¡¯t want to do?¡± Skullius asked in rebellion. He didn¡¯t want to help or to get in on any part of this. All those people could be killed for all he cared. He just wanted to get to his goal before time ran out. ¡°You¡¯re right and predictably wrong. I won¡¯t allow you to refuse but I can give youpensation for your help. That¡¯s as much as the remains of honour in me will go,¡± Bek said before standing up. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Skullius asked with a frown. ¡°I can purge that aged soul that¡¯s tangled within you. Or better yet, sever it and allow you to use it separately as you see fit.¡± ¡­! ¡®TOMATO FLINGER! YOU WOULDN¡¯T DARE!¡¯ S boomed within Skullius¡¯ soul. ¡°I must have struck quite the cord,¡± Bek said with a lifeless smile while gazing at Skullius intently. The Discount Human¡¯s eyes brightened! Another fortunate encounter had dropped out of nowhere for his sake! Maybe. He didn¡¯t trust in simple good fortune at all bit this¡­ seemed legit. This fateful encounter with this man that seemed strangely sudden and out of ce¡­ Perhaps it was exactly what he needed¡­ or otherwise. ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s a nice offer,¡± Skullius said, much to S¡¯s continued raging. ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? Besides, you won¡¯t need to do any fighting,¡± Bek said while pointing up with his index finger for absolutely no reason. ¡°Having only yourself and a loved one behind you is better than to rely on a retard for strength.¡± The Discount Human fumed intensely but Bek ignored and chuckled while continuing to gaze deep into Skullius. ¡°Having your soul tethered to someone else¡­ I¡¯ve grown numb to such¡­¡± Chapter 369 BekStory (1) A slender finger poked at the thick skin of a man who had just slumped into his seat, evidently very tired. A man with a sweaty but bright visage smeared with two chestnut brown eyes and full cheeks that showed good health turned his head, his dark locks of hair that covered his forehead in messy bangs turning along with his noggin to look at the figure of a thin woman who kept poking his arms. ¡°Quit it, you overgrown weasel,¡± the man said with a low voice that had a hint of annoyance. To this, the woman stopped but leapt up only tond on her butt right onto the man¡¯s chest! The man barely reacted as he was much stronger than the average human, but he shook his head helplessly. The woman giggled, her subtly pretty face that revealed its uniqueness when she smiled, dimples emerging from her cheeks brightening up as she turned to poking his face now. ¡°Your vile tongue won¡¯t hurt me anymore. You¡¯re all bark and no bite. When ites to me at least,¡± the woman said as she leaned in, her face being a shallow breath away from that the man she loved. Once again, she poked at him. This one gesture was something that had annoyed Bek in the beginning of their rtionship but with time he had grown to ept it. ording to the woman, for every rude word he spoke, she would poke him as revenge. And sometimes, she would just do it for fun. ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re right,¡± the man said. The small but well furnished house they were in felt like home to both. It wasn¡¯t much but a wise man once said, ¡®Love does not conform to material on its own.¡¯ Here in Okenden, a smaller town than Harifrast but equally as cold, these two had been born and bred. Bek had been born with the desire to be a Knight and had seeded after giving it his all, the status of Capital Knight being one he received at the age of 29. He was quite skilled and managed tond a few hires in Harifrast over his normal duties. He had even been to the esteemed Genhuis City but the costs of living there had led him to return back home. While the Capital Service took care of their own, luxuries and upgrades in standards depended on one¡¯s own effort. Therefore, Bek had firmly settled in Okenden before meeting a girl that lit a fire in his soul. Sera. The pure soul with a taste for realism and no tolerance for pretense. As Bek looked at her now, he found the fire hehad for her dissipate, something he had never thought could happen. Could love just be washed away by the seas of time? Was his desire for growth leading him to aim higher in terms of women? Did THAT finally start to bother him? On the face of Bek¡¯s beloved, her face that was lightly dotted with pimples still brightly pronounced her beauty, but her eyes¡­ No. Rather, her right eye which was blind, slightly discoloured to a paleness in contrast to her other one which was a nice shade of satin grey, tended to draw pity when taken with the woman¡¯s overall thin body that was quite curvaceous butcking in what most men fantasised about their ideal women looking like. Bek couldn¡¯t help but try to avert his gaze. Was he no longer feeling love but¡­ pity? No. It couldn¡¯t be? That was what Sera hated the most. The feeling of being seen as weak because of it. Being treated like an egg. She hated such. That was not why she loved Bek. It was the opposite. Bek stroked the woman¡¯s brown hair which reached up to her shoulder, Sera¡¯s eyes closing as she sank into the mesmerising hold of his touch with a delighted smile. Yet, Bek felt nothing. He was supposed to marry this woman soon but¡­ Bek held Sera¡¯s head from the back and pulled her towards himself, a slightly desperate huff being detectable in his breath. He shared a passionate kiss with Sera who slung her arms around him, her body which was covered by a light blue silk dress sliding closer to Bek¡¯s own and rubbing against it. Yet¡­ Bek felt nothing. It was no different from kissing a warm meat. Why? What was this weird sensation? To feel care for someone but to not feel fulfilled when you caressed them and affectionately locked lips with them. What cruelty was this? Sera drew back from the kiss and her eyes stared at Bek with subtle concern. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ colder today,¡± she said. ¡°Your words and your body¡­ they are, stiff.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m just tired. I¡¯m close to getting a promotion so I have been overexerting myself. Don¡¯t start getting weird thoughts.¡± Sera nodded, but she could feel it. An odd sensation that had begun growing from Bek since a month ago. It was like he was growing distant. Bek had always had this rude way of speech which was cultivated as he grew, raised in a family where mannerisms weren¡¯t taken all that seriously. His mother and father didn¡¯t mind such. Apparently, they had lived in a secluded vige way down south before moving to Okenden. That was as far as she knew, but still, she learned to tolerate the way Bek talked. But now, she could notice the subtle hints and undertones in his naturally vile speech, something only she could understand and pick up on. The inferiority that she had felt because of her eye started to regrow with the insecurity she felt now. ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked Bek for rification while softly poking her finger against his lips. Bek smiled and nodded. ¡°We¡¯re about to get married for Listafelle¡¯s sake,¡± he said, his cheek rippling with the re of anger he had just suppressed from being asked such a question. This doubt that Sera propounded didn¡¯t help at all. The woman on top of him felt this subtle emotion with her finger which was on his lip, her apprehension rising. ¡°Alright. I trust you¡­¡± Sera said but this was the beginning of a decline in their rtionship. Slowly, Bek began sinking too deep in his training for the promotion. He would clear his mind of everything and even neglect to go home for days on end. His dream called and he answered, ferociously working to build up the brightest blue core he could and breaking into the Master Stage after fourteen months of uninterrupted focus. With this level of power came not just a promotion to the level of a Capital Order Knight but many prospective contracts for hire from many local and external rich establishments and nobles. Such a glorious fate it was. Such a beautiful reward. Yet.. Sera who was left home, slowly withdrew into her shell. She had always been treated differently because she was blind in her right eye. The pity, the false kindness, the special treatment¡­ It had sickened her. It proliferated her self-consciousness, causing her to be more insecure instead. People noticed it and showed fake smiles or in the worst of cases refused to interact with her, at least when she was younger. Children were usually that simple-minded. In adultsy all the falsehoods in expression and distasteful pretense and that was the most vile a human could ever be to her. This had remained the case until she met Bek, whose words were like thorns, but actions and intent being nothing born of pity or falsehood. He was like a poem that she had to unravel as she found that below theyers of indifferent speech and faces, he was quite caring. Someone like him who made her break out of her shell and smile genuinely¡­ For someone like this who did not hide his feelings, she learnt what he meant despite what he said and greedily absorbed everything there was to know about him. To Bek who was often misunderstood, this was a first as even his family was incapable of reading him so well. The more he interacted with Sera, the more he felt himself being open despite hiding under his words. This was the foundation of the twos rtionship. Sera devoted her all, shaping herself in such a way that she would always make what Bek built as beautiful as possible. The house he built for them. The clothes he bought for her. His heart which he eventually gave her. All of it. Yet now¡­ She felt it. His words were growing false. He was distancing himself. He started to feel cold¡­ like everyone else. He started to be a lie¡­ like everyone else. She felt his pity when he came back from his work, kissing her only to dy having to talk to her. Such vileness. The anxiety that had been dead in Sera for years tore down her hopes. Nomatter how much she fought, a voice that sounded much like hers would always tell her what she didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡®It¡¯s dead! The beauty he had is dead!¡¯ ¡®He was just like everyone else and only tolerated you when he was a small time Knight! Now that he is growing, he will never look back!¡¯ ¡®They willugh at you when he leaves you and they won¡¯t pity you anymore!¡¯ ¡®He doesn¡¯t love you anymore!¡¯ Such thoughts brought tears to stroll down Sera¡¯s eyes. Day after day, Sera wrestled with them and yet¡­ She could only fight so much. On one fateful day, Bek returned home after a three day absence, his mind and heart joyous as all he had wanted and more was constantly knocking on his door. Unfortunately, upon reaching his house which he intended to leave behind for a bigger one, an unsettling sight showed itself before him¡­ Chapter 370 BekStory (2) Ah¡­ Something was dangling a few paces in front of Bek in mid-air. It swung with limb motion, swaying with a serene yet sorrowful pattern that oozed of a heavy and intense presence. Sera was dead. She had hung herself with a rope from the tie beam on the ceiling, her face with her eyes open that stared at the doorway with a sort of guilt-inducing look that immediately struck Bek, relieving him of all his joy. The pale face of Sera as she swung made Bek feel, a little numb in the senses and for a moment, the scene before him overcame his sense of reason. He emitted a sound somewhere between a chuckle and a sharp breath. Yet¡­ He felt nothing. Nothing pricked at his heart, no thick sensation like vomit attempted to rise from the pits of his stomach, from depths of his heart, to emerge as a shower of tears and great pain. Nothing. Bek merely stood there and breathed out a sigh. In this very moment, he realised that love was fickle and it could die. And when it died, it took something away. ¡­ Three yearster¡­ Bek had moved from Okenden and started a new life in Genhuis City as a Capital Order Knight. He lead his own charge of Capital Knights that were loyal and submissive, the bond between him and them being woven over two years. There was an abundance of Capital missions and assignments that he and his crew had toplete, which gave Bek a sense of fulfilment , the memory of Sera having been buried in the prospects of his sessful life. Since that day, he had never turned back, moving forward with what he wanted without stopping to reminisce about incidents that would only bring him a shallow sense of guilt and bog down his lively days. With that strategy, he had lived to his fullest and intended for more. That was until¡­ He died. Or rather, he was thought to be dead. During an assignment that involved chasing down a certain band of thieves that had stolen an important treasure from Genhuis City, Bek and his Knights had not expected the leader of the bastards to be someone at the Master Stage! The man had overpowered them with both his technique and high grade weaponry, sting through Bek¡¯s Knights as if they were nothing before he ultimately pierced Bek¡¯s heart after a brutal fight! The other thieves had long gone after their leader bought them quite a lot of time, making the assignment a failure even before Bek had been stabbed. The leader of the thieves who was exhausted after the fight with the Capital Order Knight, fled as soon as hended a fatal blow on Bek, fearing having to deal with reinforcements. The Capital Order Knightid down while convulsing before he felt his life sh before his eyes and when he inevitably saw the dwindling of his sight into ck, drawing a close to the chapters of his life, he felt himself drawn somewhere. Somewhere windy. Somewhere cold, but different from the usual drop in temperature. When Bek opened his eyes, he was shocked and terrified by the vast world before him. Unlike the mana-filled environment of Aigas, this ce had a thick and heavy type of energy that felt dank and rancid. One that was not a simple flowing power that rested in the world. This energy immediately started to invade his body. Instinctively, Bek had tried to guard against it with mana, but s, he had no core. He was simply a powerless man with a hazy form here and nothing he could do could stop the invading energy which caused him so much pain that he copsed and screamed at the top of his lungs. As hemented while lying down, the image of a green and ck sun far up in the dark blue matted sky was imprinted in his mind. It looked to be made of luminous clouds of the aforementioned colours as its image danced constantly, almost mesmerising Bek who was in agony. This state of immense pain did not stop but Bek slowly started to get used to it with time. Enough to stand and walk around that was. The sky that housed nothing but the green and ck sun which did nothing to colour the surroundings afforded no means to tell the time and it almost drove Bek crazy. What held off his descent into madness however, was his first sighting of a terrifying creature within this world. Its appearance had been so horrific and enormous that Bek had frozen stiff from seeing it. Unfortunately for him, it wasn¡¯t the only one that dwelled in this ce. An innumerable number of creatures popted this world with hideous or beautiful images, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind his presence. In fact, they ignored him. Bek went from awed to getting used to seeing these monstrosities while walking without end. He never tired. He never hungered. But the pain was something that became a part of him. His once conscious and aware mind slowly eroded as he moved through the ce endlessly, its infinite horizons continuing to cascade in his vision and slowly drive him to insanity. It was so for what could be considered 91 years in the human world, the living man bing an empty husk that walked for eternity. Such was man when pitted against the grander design of the world. A husk that could barely handle it all, in the process receding to afortable shell. And yet, it was not over for Bek. The third fateful day of Bek¡¯s lifetime arrived. As he moved, he picked up on a voice that hummed. A voice that he was much too familiar with. This voice swimming into his mind from somewhere jolted him back into awareness as Bek¡¯s eyes immediately turned to the image a short distance away from him. As bizarre as it was, his mind that was already ustomed to this strange ce epted and interpreted it. A hazy figure that stood at thrice his size, its right side having a hideous and pale visage while its left, a light green and pretty form that was enticing to the eyes floated above ground while holding hands with a massive, bulky and atrociously revolting figure whose mass was nothing short of terror-inducing. Even with all his years here, Bek had never seen something so ugly. The two seemed to be dancing, as even on the obscure face of the hulking mass was a smile, the same being true for this half hideous half beautiful floating existence. What drew Bek here, was the voice still. Whatever this thing with a split body was, it emitted a voice that he knew all too well. The voice of Sera. Only the Deities knew how much turmoil the thought of this brought to Bek. The emotion that hecked when he saw Sera¡¯s dead body back then, quickly arrived this time. The grief. The anguish. The pain. Bek opened his mouth and called her name from his distance while stumbling towards the creature. ¡°Sera!¡± With a slight dy, the tall figure that was dancing with the enormous mass swiftly turned and looked to Bek who burst into tears as he knelt down, his eyes not leaving the visage of this creature. For a moment, nothing showed in the creature¡¯s eyes but then, both halves of its face contorted in rage and it screeched in a loud voice that caused the area for thousands of miles to rumble! ¡°LIARRRRR!¡± Chapter 371 Weve Been Outsmarted The cold breeze flushed away the bits of sunlight that had been prevalent through the day, the Discount Human and the man with the pauldron on his shoulder feeling the full brunt of it while sitting over the roof to one of the more of the expensive inns in Harifrast. The cold town looked beautiful with the many variations of light that were sprinkled all over it, with some much brighter ones illuminating the abundant sights in the town, highlighting them even in the night to attract customers. Fully milking such things was not a foreign thing after all. ¡°Is it really alright for us to be here, bro?¡± Skullius asked as he looked down where the crowds were still skittering around even though the cold had grown several degrees stronger. Before Bek could answer however, Skullius quickly corrected himself. ¡°Stop! Stop! I know. Its the wrong question right?¡± Bek turned to Skullius with a nk face that barely showed any life. ¡°I was about to praise your shockingly convenient question but it seems you haven¡¯t yet grown from our short experience together. Your life essence must be wasted on your looks than your actually brain,¡± he said with a blunt tone. Skullius gnashed his teeth. It had been quite some time since he and Bek had met. Frankly, while they had had many conversations in between their time of meeting for the first time and now, it seemed like Skullius had barely scratched the surface to this guy. To be fair however, the same was true for him. After quite a lot of trust building exercises (mostly including arguments and threats), Skullius had decided to ept Bek¡¯s proposal, following his shutting up of S who kept raving madly in his mind of course. Given how Bek was though, Skullius decided to hold off on telling him about his curse. Two reasons supported this. First, because the man was generally unlikeable and less likely to help him in any way. Second, because the man didn¡¯t throw away his honour as a Knight it seemed. If he identified Skullius as some sort of threat or abomination with now cruel his curse could be, he might as well purge the Discount Human. Besides, he already knew too much about Skullius and telling him about UNCoddled could lead the man to pry every secret that Skullius held. Or rather that Festos held. Now, the two were on a stake out on a position that Bek imed to be the best for watching the areas were most of the refugees were living in. Apparently, the Town Leader had reluctantly allowed them to upy the open spaces away from relics and important sites in the town. Mild social responsibility, one could call it. ¡°I will indulge you,¡± Bek said as he shifted his feet on the snow covered roof. He decided to still answer Skullius¡¯ question. ¡°It¡¯s rare for Harifrast to hire a Capital Order Knight or higher. In most cases, they do not have the funds to sustain the employment of such for long. However, while they denounced the Capital Service, they still hire quality Knights that are more capable than pathetic pigs who swing swords these days.¡± ¡°In short¡­ yes. We are safe.¡± Skullius sighed. Was this guy a loner? He tended to drag out answers for simple questions with a lot more fluff. Solitude was probably his friend for some time and he was just churning out word after word unnecessarily. Wait! Was his interjection of how Skullius¡¯ questions were wrong a ploy to make Skullius ask more open ended questions for longer conversations?! Who knew?! ¡°You sure are confident in your strength. If you¡¯re this strong, then howe you¡¯re no longer a Capital Order Knight?¡± Skullius asked while ying with the snow he had scooped in his hand. ¡°Reasons that someone like you can¡¯tprehend. My evaluation of you is terrible so far. Try to make an effort,¡± Bek said before he raised his hand and extended it outwards, pointing forward with his index finger. Another meaningless gesture when Skullius looked at it. ¡°Do you know where people go after death?¡± Bek asked. Skullius didn¡¯t expect this sudden change in the topic. Where did people go after death? That was tricky, especially for him who had lived in death for quite a long time. Sort of. For where the Discount Human was supposed to go though, it was brutally clear. Eerily clear, so much so that he didn¡¯t want to think about, but now he wondered, where would people in Aigas go after death? ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he replied. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Bek said as he withdrew his hand. ¡°Neither do I.¡± The dull eyes of the former Capital Order Knight strolled over the souls that pulsed in the streets, shrieking with happiness and enjoyment. ¡°The doctrine of the Deities says that each person goes to the pure space of the Deity that gave them their Direction and blessing at the start, if they lived a good life, that at some point followers of the three Deities will meet in a singr ce and be happy while those who refuse the will of the Deities and those who shy from the doctrine will be cast out in the dark and empty Tunatsche, the space outside the influence of the Deities¡­¡± ¡®Is that so¡­?¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®That sounds infinitely better than my fate if I were to die.¡¯ ¡°Do you believe in such a thing?¡± Bek asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It could be true.¡± ¡°Is that so? If that¡¯s what you think, then I have answered your earlier question¡­ partly.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius questioned in confusion. ¡°Your earlier question. The better one. About why these strange people are abducting the sick and injured. Their objective lies in something rted to this. That is my theory.¡± So this guy was doing it again¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are but their purpose is a bit clearer. Their souls are d in simr blessings, shielding me from ascertaining anything about them.¡± The Discount Human nodded while taking this in. ¡®So he really can see souls. At least I get to confirm it. The bastard won¡¯t spill anything about himself and his weird powers consciously,¡¯ Skullius thought. He currently had his [Elevated Mana Maniption] spanning a vast area so as to see if it pick up on anything else. Any fluctuations in energy, weird mana signatures and all. At the same time, he had instructed Ferex to scout around for anything weird. Truth be told, he didn¡¯t want to have to do this any longer than he needed to. There were objectives he had to fulfill. Time passed as the night crawled deeper intoreality, the people loitering around disappearing with the minutes and hours. The view of the town was clear with both individuals¡¯ higher level sight emboldened by their strength and yet still, nothing was happening. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bek suddenly hummed as he stroked his beard, his eyes beaming with focus. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°What?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been outsmarted it seems,¡± Bek said as he stood from the roof, his hand gripping Skullius ¡® jacket. The two vanished from the roof top as it seemed that Bek had found something. Chapter 372 Short Glimpse VWOOSH! With a gentle breeze, Skullius found himself looking at a wide corridor with beautiful decor ¨C a red carpet on the floor and what seemed like a white and gold wallpaper on the wall which was stered with multiplerge portraits. Multiple doors were scattered on either side of this corridor, all of them with tags that represented themercial service provided in this building that the two had just burst into. Indeed, it was an expensive inn. The Discount Human only took a second to collect himself as the sudden speed he had been exposed to was way beyond what his body could get used to within a short span of time. Beside him and Bek who removed his tight grip from his jacket, Skullius saw that there was arge, closed window, quite the mundane thing to stare dazedly at but for the Discount Human, it led him to specte all kinds of crazy things. ¡®Did we just pass through the window without breaking it?¡¯ Skullius thought, gobsmacked by this inference. He didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on it however, as Bek¡¯s whisper flowed into his ear. ¡°Don¡¯t say a word¡­¡± This wasn¡¯t amand that forced the Discount Human¡¯s body to act ordingly like before however. Skullius didn¡¯t question this and kept his mouth shut. He fully concentrated on his [Elevated Mana Maniption] which spread wide and collected all sorts of information from the surroundings. Naturally, he wasn¡¯t a Healer as Bek thought and he definitely wasn¡¯t some powerful Energy Former with transcendent perception towards energies of different kinds. He had let Bek keep thinking he was one because he didn¡¯t want the man to pry. How else would one be able to heal people of many different kinds of diseases and injury besides using skills rted to a Healer ss¡­ or from having a powerful blessing, which to be fair was pretty distinguishable from a skill. Still however, Skullius was determined to y his part. SQUEAK¡­ A door approximately nine meters away emitted a low squeak as it opened wide, Bek bing alert. ¡°Stay close,¡± he whispered to Skullius as a strange burst of energy covered the corridor up to the halfway point from where the door which was opening was located. A man emerged from the door, dressed in casual winter wear. His emergence from this room would have appeared normal¡­ if he didn¡¯t have the body of a woman in a silk dress slung over his shoulder! The man¡¯s eyes immediately darted to his left where Skullius and Bek were positioned, showing a hint of wariness. The presence of these two was muted to an unnatural degree and only his peripheral vision had alerted him to their presence. The man took action immediately, flicking his hand up to reveal a white marble-sized stone which he flung at the wall on the other side! The moment the marble hit the wall, it dissolved into the immacte decor on the hard surface, creating a warp of sorts with a whitish tint that retained the designs on the wall but with creepy curves and distortions! Skullius¡¯ [Elevated Mana Maniption] picked up on the unique signature of this phenomenon. The Discount Human guessed this was some sort of spatial effect but¡­ with how he had experienced space maniption himself on the mountain in his mini-world, he could tell that there was quite a big difference when this effect he was seeing was concerned! The man with the body of a woman over his shoulder hurriedly shot towards the warped space but before he could finish taking his first step, he felt something grab his throat tightly and raise him into the air! Bek had already crossed the distance and caught the man! The body of the woman fell to the floor and Bek, with his awareness washing over her, confirmed that she was still alive from the pulse he sensed. ¡°Sneaky. I¡¯ve seen many of your friends use these to escape me. It¡¯s not going to work this time,¡± Bek said as he concentrated mana into his hand and sliced off the man¡¯s arms! SHWP! SHWP! The limbs came off swiftly but then¡­ ¡­! ¡°This is new.¡± As Bek diced off the limbs, the blood he expected to flood out from the severed parts didn¡¯te. What urred instead was eerie and unexpected. The entire body of the man slowly transitioned in colour from a beige tone that was dominant over his skin to a white one, his features turning rigid and hard as soon, a doll remained. It had marks and balls at the joints with no features on its face at all. Bek narrowed his eyes. ¡®They have such things too?¡¯ he thought before his senses picked up something else. ¡­! The former Capital Order Knight dashed back at an incredible speed, his eyes squinting over the body of the woman. He had sensed something below him. The red carpet started to warp and get painted with a whitish hue, the floor turning into warped space around the unconscious woman who immediately began to sink in! ¡°Bek!¡± Skullius called, ignoring the ¡®don¡¯t say a word¡¯ rule. ¡°There¡¯s more below us!¡± The former Knight nodded as he darted away from the current circumstances, grabbed Skullius and shed into the floor below, near a downward stretch of stairs. On this corridor, four individuals were swiftly exiting from line of doors, carrying bodies of unconscious men, women and children, two having already created warp spaces on the walls while one had created one above where the body of the woman from before was emerging! ¡°Go downstairs and handle the others,¡± Bek instructed Skullius while pushing him down the steps that descended. This time, Skullius¡¯ body quaked as it was not a mere suggestion. The Discount Human wordlessly followed the instruction, his body carrying him forward only for the first few seconds! ¡®Damn this!¡¯ Skullius thought before he whipped out the Elimparidis Stone Staff. Strangely, his steps which had been silent before started to gain a crisp p as they met the floor. He was outside of Bek¡¯s range of effect. Apparently, the man had active some strange power that erased most of their traces, including sound. Upon reaching the corridor to this floor, Skullius saw two men who looked shockingly simr to the one he had seen first on the floor he and Bek emerged on, dragging four bodies! Their attention was drawn to Skullius the moment he appeared and they looked to prepare to escape instead of fighting. The Discount Human didn¡¯t give them any time to react as he immediately used [Jump] to appear behind the two men! The Staff immediately disappeared into Skullius¡¯ ring and he quicklyunched a heavy punch to the back of the head of one of the two men, the impact sending him flying with his head being smashed apart! Before the other could show any kind of reaction to this, the Discount Human was already upon him as well, dishing a high kick to his neck! The man mmed into the wall, his neck having bent unnaturally, but his face didn¡¯t show any signs of pain or shock. Instead, his body lost colour and turned into a white doll, much like the one from before. The same happened to the other man. ¡®What are these?¡¯ Skullius thought as he reached out to touch them. Bek shed before Skullius and looked at the two dolls. He had quickly finished off the bastards he was facing and locked the people who were being dragged away in one room. ¡°This is different from what I¡¯ve been up against. They seem to be changing strategies,¡± he said. ¡°Also, it just urred to me that these people are not just attacking the refugees. The locals are targets too. The rumours that led us to believe anything other than that was probably part of their strategy to cause some kind of internal conflict while they took advantage of the situation.¡± Skullius¡¯ brow rose. ¡°So even the locals too? But why hasn¡¯t anyone mentioned it? Shouldn¡¯t there be rumours about that too?¡± ¡°They are obviously covering it up. Even in such a tense situation, you still find the time ask foolish questions.¡± Damn it! Skullius swallowed a lump and let this insult pass. ¡°So what shall we do, smart man?¡± Skullius asked with a roll of his eyes. ¡°Do you sense any traces of their activity?¡± The Discount Human closed his eyes and expanded his senses with [Elevated Mana Maniption]. His skin tingled as it also seemed to sense oddities as always. Then.. ¡°Again?!¡± Skullius said out loud and immediately, white coloured warping shapes appeared over the dolls and the four bodies on the floor, quickly sipping them into the distorted spaces! Bek could have rushed to grab the victims but he figured that these space warps were not stable as there was the possibility of him ripping them apart due to them already being held firm by the dancing space. ¡°Can you sense where they lead to?!¡± Bek bellowed. ¡°No,¡± Skullius replied with a tight expression. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else in the entire building.¡± The former Knight hurriedly gripped Skullius and the two appeared outside with a single burst of speed! Bek expanded his senses to see if he could catch a glimpse of any other activity but there was nothing. He couldn¡¯t clearly sense the intricate makings of spells and high level skills like an Energy Former but he could discern the basics as well as soul rted signatures! Yet¡­ Nothing. Once again, Bek sped with Skullius, the two appearing outside the town. ¡°Anything?¡± Bek asked to which Skullius strained his sense. ¡­! ¡°Yes! Yes there is!¡± Skullius said but the problem was¡­ ¡°There¡¯s seven different energy signatures like those space things, in seven different directions! They are escaping!¡± Bek expanded his own senses only to find the remnants and traces of mana around the exterior of Harifrast. These people were escaping indeed, but¡­ ¡°Not yet. They can¡¯t get far, even with spatial means. Let¡¯s pick one and follow in that direction,¡± Bek said before he once again dashed away with Skullius¡­ Chapter 373 Uh Oh! Skullius had thought that Bek was fast before but this time, as he felt and saw the surroundings shing past him with incredible speed, he couldn¡¯t help but be awed all the more. He had tried using his guidance field on Bek but much like he had expected, he could not see his stats. The difference between their strengths was too great, though Skullius thought he could probably see his stats if he was in his Prator form. As they shed through the snow covered road with rich vegetation that grew regardless of the cold, Skullius felt Bek stop, the man holding the Discount Human firmly so that he wouldn¡¯t fly off or experience any internal damage. ¡°We are far from the town but I wager that these people won¡¯t stop just because they have been caught. They won¡¯t retreat for the night,¡± Bek said. Near the two was a small woond with tall pine-like trees that created a dark space underneath them regardless of their spaced arrangement. Beyond this woond was a small hill and then high ground on which a few clustered viges could be seen, smokeing from the chimneys of the houses within these settlements while bright lights heavily pronounced the presence of civilised life. Apart from this, Bek saw nothing else and even his senses didn¡¯t tell him anything else. For the past few weeks, he had two encounters with this strange group of people and on both asions, they had managed to escape him. These two events happened in two separate areas but both locations were near Harifrast, which is why Bek had been patrolling around the area, looking for clues. One would ask why he bothered when he was no longer a Capital Order Knight. Weren¡¯t his duties unrecognised and unrewarded? Well, it was true. Bek had no reason to continue trying to solve problems everywhere he went, especially with something asplex as this. However, what else was a Knight to do? A Stray Knight was still a Knight. A dream couldn¡¯t be quelled so easily and even if it could be trampled on, Bek was willing to push through. It wasn¡¯t a matter of righteousness at this point, but one of finding a purpose. After the incident that had urred 7 years ago, he was more than willing to keep his mind upied until he settled and found what he wanted to do with his life. His new life. And now, there seemed to be something¡­ ¡°Do you have any OTHER means to scout ahead? Surely you don¡¯t stupidly invest all your focus in healing, right?¡± Bek said as he turned to Skullius. The Discount Human was annoyed, but when his eyes met Bek¡¯s, he was surprised to see a sort of eagerness within the man¡¯s eyes. He seemed¡­ desperate. But why? Skullius¡¯ck of knowledge on this man was allowing for this anxiety and curiosity but he didn¡¯t intend on pursuing it. ¡°No,¡± Skullius said. ¡°They are probably gone.¡± The Discount Human really didn¡¯t want to get mixed up in this anymore. The dolls, the weird space warps¡­ He felt like it was probably not a good idea to see what was at the end of all this. This whole situation had the word ¡®danger¡¯ written all over it. If possible, Skullius wanted to dodge having to deal with it if he could. Bek scoffed. ¡°Is that right? Let me ask properly then,¡± the former Knight said before he gave Skullius a sharp look, his mouth opening to ask again. ¡°You have another way to scout around the area, don¡¯t you?¡± Skullius¡¯ body trembled as he felt an authority shake him down, squeezing an honest answer out of him. ¡°Yes,¡± the Discount Human promptly said. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Skullius cursed inwardly. This guy! ¡°Use it. Now,¡± Bek said with his dull eyes showing a weird mix of indifference and zeal. Skullius gnashed his teeth, trying to resist but it was futile. ¡®Damn it! Ferex was left behind in Harifrast! This would definitely be the best time to attack!¡¯ Skullius thought recalling how Bek¡¯s speedy departure from Harifrast had left him without his trusty Hound. His body moved on its own, a certain skill being activated that he didn¡¯t want to show as he feared it would definitely peak Bek¡¯s interest. [Crude World Projection!] A dark image burst from Skullius under the gaze of Bek who showed mild surprise as he watched it ascend with all its humanoid glory and clear features. It halted in mid-air and Skullius found himself free from Bek¡¯s hold. The Discount Human¡¯s body slumped to the ground,ying motionless in the thickets of snow. ¡°I see,¡± Bek said as he stroked his beard. ¡°You¡¯re not a simple man after all.¡± Skullius red at Bek with furious eyes but the man didn¡¯t seem intimidated. He didn¡¯t even show much interest in Skullius¡¯ Projected form. ¡°Rx, idiot. I don¡¯t care about your secrets. Hurry up and see what you can find up there,¡± Bek said as he noticed the hostile and anxious gaze of Skullius. While he was a bit interested in how this form didn¡¯t possess any traces of Skullius¡¯ soul, it wasn¡¯t anything he would be shocked by. Hmm? The Discount Human was surprised by this. This man didn¡¯t care? He wasn¡¯t interested his powers at all! ¡®Seriously?¡¯ Skullius thought with a sprinkles of apprehension. He couldn¡¯t quite see Bek¡¯s expression clearly as his vision was just a mix of ck, white and grey which obscured contours to the face, but this man seemed to legitimately not care about anything other than finding the people behind the dolls and kidnappings. In that case¡­ Skullius shot up into the sky at high speed. He stopped only when he was a bit over four hundred meters in the air and started to scout around. The wider world was expressed in his eyes as he could see far beyond. He looked around in all directions, wondering if he would find anything suspicious at all or if this was just a waste of time and mana. The only thing that he could see was the white snow, the trees, the hill and¡­ Wait. What was that? Skullius¡¯ vision honed in on a certain image. Of all the things he had been looking at, this was the darkest around. So dark that it looked out of ce, demanding attention for its appearance! He hadn¡¯t seen it at first because it was quite far, roughly 30 miles behind the cluster of viges and the hills. This image¡­ it also seemed to be moving! Moving was an understatement actually. It was speeding away at a ridiculous speed! It was hard to tell what it was exactly but it was humanoid from what he could tell and behind it, it drew arge carriage that housed¡­ human bodies! The details weren¡¯t clear but Skullius could tell a human shape when he saw it, especially with how it was clearly outlined with grey and ck! This visual image though¡­ ¡®This seems awfully familiar too. A moving dark image¡­.kind of human¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Bro, why do I feel like these exact circumstances have happened before¡­.¡¯ Once again, Skullius felt a rtively familiar feeling with this. This adventure was just marred with things to recall, wasn¡¯t it?! ¡®Right! That time¡­ back when I wanted toplete the 10th Task!¡¯ Skullius realised when he had experienced this. (A/N: Refer to Ch.233). ¡°Are these the same people?!¡± Skullius started to descend as he saw that wasting time would only result in whatever he was seeing getting further away and thus, he had to hell Bek. He was halfway in his descent down to the snowy ground when¡­ ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FINALLY! FINALYYYYYY!¡± A loud voice reverberated through the air, drawing Skullius and Bek¡¯s attention. ¡­! ¡°You have got to be fleshing with me¡­¡± Skullius muttered in utter terror at what he was seeing. He hadn¡¯t expected it at all. He thought dealing with Bek¡¯s mission would be the only obstacle for him to face but now¡­ Bek also expressed mild surprise as he turned his head. ¡°TOMATO FLINGER! FORTUNE HAS DECIDED TO TURN TO ME AT LAST!¡± The voice of S echoed out boisterously as it came from¡­ the Discount Human body which now stood with billows of mana ring from it! The Grim Tower General had found his time to shine! Chapter 374 Aggression! The piece of soul of an old general swam in an endless pool of ecstacy. Several conditions had lined up perfectly for him without his knowledge, allowing for him to attain and take control of Skullius¡¯ cosmetic body! Another opportunity to relish in the sensation of livelihood! This body he had attained however, was unusual, but he could care less for such trivialities. Just a few seconds ago, he had been trapped by the WILL of this unnatural existence that had somehow bonded a piece of his soul to its own, shutting him off from the body¡¯s senses and experience. Being shut off for him was akin to being trapped in a dark room where nothing from the outside could prate. It was void of any and all forms of information, making it a space where one could easily go insane. Tragic it was. And yet, the WILL of the unnatural existence he was tied to, the one whose soul he was patching up like an organic stitch, vanished. The moment it left, it was as if the dark room he had been left in suddenly gained a doorway, as the pressure that usually bore down on him within it disappeared, leaving him¡­. free. And now¡­ ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!¡± the voiceing from the Discount Human body had a low pitch to it, giving the impression of a manlier being. Of an ancient being. ¡°IT¡¯S ALL FLOODING INTO ME! ALL OF IT!¡± S called as he spread his arms and raised his head up to the sky, the expression on his new face being that of a madman ¨C eyes bulged with a wide grin that was watered with saliva that flew off whenever he expelled his words! ¡­! Skullius couldn¡¯t help but tremble! ¡°I SEE! I SEE! THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO HIDE?! THESE MYSTERIES! THESE POWERS! THESE¡­ SECRETS!¡± S yelled, something happening to him that Skullius immediately caught onto! ¡°NO!¡± the Projected form of Skullius eximed! This¡­ S was extracting everything about him! All his memories! All his experience! All his knowledge! EVERYTHING!! ¡®SHIT!¡¯ The olden Tower General lowered his head and firmly set his gaze on Skullius. ¡°HOW EUPHORIC! ISN¡¯T THIS VERY SCENE IRONIC, TOMATO FLINGER?! HAHAHA! OR SHOULD I SAY¡­. SKULLIUS!¡± ¡­! ¡°Damn it!¡± Skullius cursed, but then, he recalled. He could just return to his body and stop all this madness before it proliferated into something worse! The momentary shock almost prompted him to forget such an obvious solution! Skullius¡¯ Projected form darted towards the cosmetic body with immense speed, reaching within a meter of it in less than a second! He reached his hand out towards his cosmetic body, but then¡­ ¡­! With a staggering amount of unseen and imperceptible force, like a powerful maic repulsion, Skullius was pushed away! His dark form spun as it sped away from S, twirling in the air for dozens of meters before Skullius forcibly stopped himself with controlled flight! The expression on his dark face was one of unparalleled shock! How?! How was he rejected from his own body?! If anything, it was easier to return to his body while in his Projected form! Bek who was witnessing all this without as much as a word raised his brow. What a fascinating development. S guffawed as he pointed at his chest. ¡°IT SEEMS YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO USE THIS! QUITE FITTING! RELICS LIKE THESE BELONG IN THE HANDS OF LEGENDS LIKE MYSELF!¡± S mocked Skullius before turning his gaze to Bek who stood without doing anything. He ha been mindful of this man¡¯s movements and now he was sure the former Knight would intervene. The Tower General dashed back, creating a distance of more than 40 meters between him and this man whom he had warned Skullius against, his back to the expansive woond. Spirit Wardens, as rare as they were, were a troublesome bunch to deal with. ¡°Are you done with your lover¡¯s tiff?¡± Bek asked with his dull eyesnguidly resting on S. ¡°YOU COULD SAY THAT. THOUGH I WILL NOT BE TAKING ANY FLOWERS AFTER THIS DIVORCE,¡± S said with a wide grin and keen eyes. ¡°Witty,¡± Bek said as he turned his gaze to Skullius who came to float beside him. ¡°You were stupid enough to let this one take over your body?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know this would happen!¡± Skullius growled in frustration while gazing at S who remained with a grin in the distance. ¡°I have to get back into my body!¡± The Discount Human felt brimming emotions as he saw his own body being used, half of it being white with the other being ck in his vision. He didn¡¯t know how this had happened, but from his inferences, it definitely had to do with him leaving his soul in his body whenever he used [Crude World Projection], something he noticed during his encounter with Somanda back then. (A/N: Refer to Ch.297). As for why he wasn¡¯t able to return to his body.. ¡®Is S using the Fruit of World Myths to keep me out?¡¯ he thought with a sliver of terror running through him just from thinking about this. ¡°Rx,¡± Bek said interrupting Skullius¡¯ thoughts. ¡°Even though he¡¯s possessing your body, nothing has changed. The strength within your body remains the same. His soul is too weak to effect any increase in power.¡± Skullius turned to the former Knight as hope started to build up within him. Bek raised his hand and pointed at S in the distance, his index erect in that direction, while his thumb pointed to the skies. This seemingly meaningless gesture was used once again, only this time¡­. it wasn¡¯t without meaning. A very pale blue glow shrouded Bek as henguidly gazed forward, something eerie beginning to take shape from this glow of energy! Skullius backed away immediately as he felt a horrendous threat, S donning a serious visage as he prepared for what was toe. ¡°I agreed to purge you of this little soul in exchange for assisting me. You wouldn¡¯t mind me rewarding you a little early, would you?¡± Bek said. A hazy, distorted, humanoid image with a distinct appearance, half of it hideous and the other beautiful with its entirely not too clear to Skullius, appeared! Its long hands traced Bek¡¯s own and firmly gripped them, the man¡¯s skin turning pale from the elbow all the way to his index finger which started to generate a pale blue orb of light that unsettled the unliving shit out of Skullius! ¡®What the heck is this¡­?¡¯ Skullius thought as he drew away even further, greatly perturbed by this creature and the small trace of unique power currently pointed at S! SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! A deafening shriek suddenly boomed from the odd silhouette around Bek making Skullius¡¯ Projected form, the air and the snow vibrate horrendously to the point that the entire area looked like it had been smeared with a gaussian blur effect! At the exact same moment, the glow at the tip of Bek¡¯s finger brightened up and then vanished immediately after! ¡­! S¡¯s eyes bulged! BOOOOOOOOOM! A turbulent force that was both spiritual and physical hurtled forward following the disappearance of the orb of light that was nurtured at the tip of Bek¡¯s finger! It hadn¡¯t been erased out of existence, but it merely turned invisible at the moment ofunch, the horrendous power packed within it causing even Bek to be pushed back! The hazy creature around him steadying him to the ground so that he wouldn¡¯t fall! The catastrophic impact reached S before anyone could blink and upon contact, half of the entire woond behind S was obliterated, snow and dirt flying in a radius of over 200 meters! Skullius¡¯ view was covered by the white and brown of frozen water and hard ground that rose up to thirty meters from the shocking explosion of unseen force, multiple outward rings of shockwaves ploughing through everything they touched! This level of destruction¡­! There was no mana to be traced, no conceivable energy form that Skullius was familiar with! Nothing! And yet what ensued was jaw dropping! The Discount Human simply looked at the catastrophic scene before him with trepidation and fright! His thoughts had shifted to something else aside from the power released however¡­ His body¡­ His beautiful cosmetic body¡­ Was there even a trace of it left after this¡­? It took a full two minutes for everything to settle, the flying snow pping the ground from the height while dirt desecrated the sanctity of the pure white. ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯m still not very good at precision,¡± Bek said while looking ahead. Skullius merely gaped as he didn¡¯t even know what to say. Since he was still alive, it meant that at least his soul survived the st but¡­ ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! INTRIGUING!¡± S¡¯s voice bellowed out! ¡­! Skullius looked to where the voice wasing from to see something emerging from the piles of snow and dirt! It was his Discount Human body! The jacket and shirt he had worn waspletely destroyed, his torso being left as a bloody red fleshsickle with chunks of flesh missing along with all the skin! The face was the same, with the bone being visible along with bloody meat mince and bulging eyes, the scene being made more grotesque by the absence of hair over this figure! The body¡¯s hands up to the elbow were missing, S heaving in deep breathes but not with traces of panic and fear, but sheer enjoyment! Almost immediately, skin began to weave itself over the Discount Human body, flesh being moulded through bubbles of flesh that repaired and restored it to its peak condition within seconds! S closed his eyes and stretched his arms out once more with an ecstatic grin. Bek on the other hand had a sudden shift in the glint within his eyes. ¡°I see,¡± he said as he turned to Skullius. ¡°You should have told me that you were housing a soul at the Incandescent Stage, you idiot.¡± Chapter 375 Raw INSANITY! (1) A soul at the Incandescent Stage? Skullius looked at S in the distance who was half buried in the snow, his chest rising up and down as he huffed in breaths while the body he inhabited rapidly regenerated, courtesy of [Great Saint¡¯s Invigoration]. Right¡­ S had said that before. This man was past, esteemed warrior. Bek shook his head. ¡°That was a pretty stupid thing to leave out. Nomatter, I¡¯ll just have to try harder. Getting a bit closer for a concentrated hit will do,¡± the former Knight said as he refocused his attention on S. The aged piece of soul was high in the clouds. The attack just now was powerful but by utilising the utmost limit of the current strength of his Incandescent Stage soul, he had managed to resist getting destroyed in one blow! It wasn¡¯t easy and even now, he could feel his soul quivering from the impact. ¡®As expected of a Spirit Warden. What a powerful spirit attack that was. He¡¯s still fairly weaker than the ones I¡¯ve met in the past however. And that spirit around him¡­¡¯ S thought. Indeed, with his soul now taking the helm of this body, he could see the creature around Bek clearly. A Spirit. Something normal humans couldn¡¯t see even if their strength scaled up to the Master Stage. ¡®My soul is already exhausted from resisting that one attack. Luckily for me, I have a power source to nourish my soul,¡¯ S thought, feeling the dormant soul of Skullius. A soul without a WILL! The best nourishment for another soul and a powerful, pure energy source! The Tower General sifted himself out of the snowy dirt, his hands shifting up the snow a little as he smiled coyly. ¡®There¡­¡¯ He then faced the two people before him. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe over here and let me purge you? You don¡¯t have enough power to fight or escape me. Besides, me and this idiot are kind of in the middle of something. We¡¯re short on time, you see,¡± Bek said while making some rather expressive hand gestures. He took steps towards the cosmetic body as he spoke, the image around him seeming to flicker out of existence, leaving his lone figure bare. ¡°YOU ARE RIGHT! THE PEAK OF MY STRENGTH IS LONG GONE BUT¡­ DON¡¯T YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON ME, BOY!¡± S said as his body flooded out with mana from the Discount Humancore. As he did this, Bek frowned. He felt a bit uneasy. S¡¯s soul started to gain a brighter shade of colour, inching its way over Skullius¡¯ own soul bit by bit. Within S¡¯s consciousness, he decided to properly arrange his first set of cards to y to escape this predicament. ¡®Hmph! I only have three CREEDS within this small piece of soul I have. It should be enough. I will not be disgraced by that tomato flinger anymore. I will keep this body.¡¯ The old soul then opened mouth and spoke in a chilling voice. ¡°This is my CREED. I give up my sight permanently IN EXCHANGE for a permanent increase in my alternate sense and spatial awareness!¡± OOHM!! Skullius¡¯ flesh body rippled, a lowly wisp of power blowing outwards from it! ¡­! Skullius reeled back as he sensed and saw IT! The vibrant silver pupils on his cosmetic body lost their lustre, bing indistinguishable from the white of his eyes! ¡®What¡¯s happening?!¡¯ Skullius thought in a panic. ¡°This is my CREED! I sacrifice my mana core and all its potential growth IN EXCHANGE for equivalent physical attunement of the highest order!¡± ¡­! The Projected form of Skullius felt the core that was in his cosmetic body shrivel up, decrease in size and in its white shine before dissipating like kes of light! His mana core¡­ It vanished and there was no longer any traces of it in his body! But his flesh¡­ VWOOOSH! [Your mana core is destroyed] [+650 to STR, AGI and END] ¡­! Two notifications appeared before Skullius and S at the same time, the Tower General grinning with glee while Skullius¡¯ trembled with a sombre expression! The cosmetic body that S inhabited released a shocking st of energy as ever so slightly, it grew more muscr, but the real desired change, physical attunement, urred inside the body, cords that connected intricately to every single part of the muscles and blood cells were created! At this moment, the snow was parted as Bek shed right in front of S with a serious expression, his finger viciously jamming onto the Discount Human body¡¯s temple! SCREEEEEEE! The creature that had been around Bek before, the spirit appeared, grabbing his hand and turning it pale! Bek¡¯s movement was so fast that Skullius hadn¡¯t even seen it and when he finally saw Bek with that devastating attack he had seen before at the ready¡­! ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!¡± he yelled as he darted forward. Bek ignored him as the glow from the tip of his index finger grew! S unexpectedly didn¡¯t struggle to escape but finished stacking his first deck a shot breath before Bek¡¯s attack was released at this very close range, with greater strength and an unstoppable desire to obliterate him! ¡®This is my CREED! I sacrifice the¡­ skills [Artless Dodger], [Manassault] and [Greater Communication (I)] to bolster the skill [Untouched]!¡¯ Thest CREED was made within S¡¯s mind, the effect being instantaneous as an astounding result bloomed, shocking both Skullius and Bek! The former Knight who had been about to end S was suddenly blown away, his figure shing across so fast without rity or stability and crashing into the snow over a hundred meters into the distance! Skullius was awed by what he saw, a stream of notifications popping in his vision that added to his ¡®what the actual flesh¡¯ streak! [¡®Greater Communication (I)¡¯ has been sacrificed] [¡®Artless Dodger¡¯ has been sacrificed] [¡®Manassault¡¯ has been sacrificed] [The skill ¡®Untouched¡¯ evolves twice, bing the skill ¡®Revered¡¯] Skullius didn¡¯t have the time to analyse these notifications however as¡­ BOOOM! Where Bek has tumbled to, the ground shook and exploded upwards as the former Knight rose from the snow which he had been pushed through, his finger once again aiming at S as snow fell off his body! The olden Tower General whose blind eyes showed an ugly ferocity with his wide grin growing wider as blood leaked from the corners of his lips, emitted a provocative energy in response, his next cards being yed! The atrocious attack from Bek wasunched once again, this time, its unseen might degrading everything in its path like a hungry beast with astonishing speed as it went, razing away the snow and dirt with a shrieking vibration that turned everything into a disgusting blur! At the same time Bek attacked, S reached into the snow with his hand, his every move producing hazy after-images as it had shockingly reached the epitome of fluidity! His hand retreated from the snow, barely having taken a quick breath¡¯s worth of time, a green, curved de with a golden hilt being seen firmly held within it, its shiny glint even in the night being mesmerisingly immacte! Demion¡¯s Dance! S wielded the de with a powerful grip and shed with a beautiful upward sh that drew a luminous diagonal line in the air at a speed that was almost impossible to perceive! The movement! The stance! The power! The elegance! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! EVERYONE felt it! The presence of death in the hands of a true master of the sword! The shriek of true power which sought to dice all things in a neat slit! Bek¡¯s attack which was inches away from S by the time he swung Demion¡¯s Dance collided with the deadly sh! ¡­ ¡®¡­Ah¡­¡¯ Skullius stammered as he saw the absolute insanity that was revealed in front of him! The world turned a few shades darker, the snow EVERYWHERE around the three turning ck as the cmitous sword sh whose steel ring in the air continued even after the attack was executed! This one shpletely silenced Bek¡¯s spirit attack, the earth shuddering as it was gouged into cleanly, the air along with it as a meter wide gash was opened deep in the ground and into the air all the way up to six miles away!!! GRRRRRRMMM! The ground trembled as it was split, the air blow in opposite directions after being shed apart! FSSSS! FSSS! FSSSH! The arm on the Discount Human that had cast such a dreadful sh, exploded into chunks, blood leaking from it as the power released was just way beyond what it could take! Yet¡­ S¡¯s grin grew even wider as he cackled eerily into the air, a flurry of notifications sting his and Skullius¡¯ vision continuously at this moment! [You are HYPED!] [You are HYPED!] [¡­HYPED!] [¡­HYPED!] [¡­HYPED!] ¡­ ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] For your own sake, I hope you¡¯ve read the chapters King and Pawn 1 & 2 otherwise you won¡¯t understand what the flesh is going on here. Also, those with keen memory and interest could connect something between Revia¡¯s backstory and Bek¡¯s story. Just sayin¡¯. Thanks for reading! Chapter 376 Raw INSANITY! (2) BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM! The beat with vigorous intensity within the body of the Discount Human, S feeling a grand rush of excitement from having a body again! One that didn¡¯t experience pain! One that didn¡¯t have the hideous downsides of a natural body! This was perfect. The [HYPE] blood cells within the cosmetic body started to glow, multiplying rapidly and colliding with each other as they produced a strange form of energy that gave flesh a wild sense of drive for activity! The skill [HYPED] was in effect, following the sheer joy that S was experiencing, giving the boon of him experiencing everything at ten times the norm! ¡®What a waste! All this power and you squander it, barely using it to its fullest capacity, tomato flinger. Hmmm. Still, I mustmend what you have achieved in such a short amount of time. However, I shall do much, much MORE!¡¯ S thought as he looked on ahead. He was blind at this point, no longer being able to see anything but in exchange, his other senses were bolstered greatly and his spatial awareness was incredible to the say the least. With his feet on the ground, he could ascertain the shapes of everything attached to it, feeling motions and sensations through his skin which had already be sensitive following the upgrade of [Flesh It Like You Mean It]. But of course, this wasn¡¯t enough. There was something else that we could use to make the detriment brought by his lost sight very much worth it. His feet kicked away the darkened snow and dirt, revealing something other than Demion¡¯s Dance which he had hidden in the snow after extracting it from the spatial ring. The Elimparidis Stone Staff! This was a nned ploy he had made before he lost his mana core and after this and Demion¡¯s Dance, there was one other¡­ S flicked the staff with his foot and bit on it, the staff now wielded from his mouth. The moment this urred, the cosmetic body which now didn¡¯t possess a core with the dry mana channels that ran from the now void ce at the base of his abdomen thirsting for energy, lightened up, the mana from the staff connecting itself to the Discount Human body! 10,000 Mana Points were at S¡¯s disposal now! Under normal circumstances, unless a magical item had skills that it could cast on its own, an individual without a core couldn¡¯t use the mana it had for their own convenience. However, because the Elimparidis Stone Staff was a high tier natural treasure with absolute conversion, burning past the weaknesses of weak artefacts was too easy! This was something the Tower General had ounted for following his absorption of all of Skullius¡¯ memories his mind whipping out different ns for attack in seconds! S felt the mana channels in the body burn with power and immediately took action. [Great Saint¡¯s Invigoration!] [Elevated Mana Maniption!] Two skills gained the fuel for functionality, S¡¯s arm which had exploded before regenerating while a vast pool of mana flooded the area over hundreds of meters! The Tower General found his ability to trace through everything within the area vastly easier and more intricate as with his mana swiping over all objects, he could identify everything that could have been missed by his alternate senses onnd and in the air! This was it! The true ¡®vision¡¯ needed by the warrior! Demion¡¯s Dance which had fallen after the cosmetic arm exploded from the power released was picked up again as S watched his enemy emerge from the distance. Bek had a more serious look to him now. He had been fast enough to dodge the insane sword sh but this had just served to make him recognise how much of a problem this man before him was going to be. He turned to Skullius who was in the air, palpable waves of rage and fear flooding his Projected form. ¡°He¡¯s using your abilities right? I¡¯ll need you to tell me the ones I should look out for the most. Including the one he just used to push me away,¡± Bek said. Strangely though, Skullius looked at the man with a look of confusion. ¡°What? I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re sayin- Oh, damn it!¡± Skullius said, recalling midway through the sentence that his means formunication,[Greater Communication I] had been sacrificed! Bek also looked at Skullius¡¯ figure with narrow eyes, realising that he couldn¡¯t understand thenguage to floating Projected figure was speaking. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this mighty perfect!¡± Bek said before feeling a chill on his back, his head quickly turning to the left where a figure had shed to, staff at the teeth with Demion¡¯s Dance, the dreaded sword leaving a white trail as it cut through the air at a mad speed! Bek¡¯s eyes shot opened as he ducked with even greater speed and¡­. SHIIIIIIIIING! BBBBBBOOOOM! The world almost lost colour as total decimation followed everything behind Bek, including the dark snow with callous cruelty! The former Knight¡¯s body regained its pale blue cover like a surge of controlled energy and with ridiculous speed, Bekunched several jab punches to S¡¯s face! The Tower General felt the mana and exotic energy brimming within them, each with the capability to blow his torso into a mince factory with ease and to stop such a thing from bing an eventuality, S activated the newly formed skill [Revered]! An opposing force immediately roared from body wrestling against Bek but this time, he was expecting it. ¡®There it is again!¡¯ Bek thought. Opposite him, S was expecting him to expect this, knowing full well that it might not be sessful! Thus the force emitted by [Revered] only managed to slow down Bek¡¯s punches, allowing for S to dodge, his movement rippling with after-images that showed how efficiently every bit of his expanded stats were being used! ¡®He¡¯s be much faster. No, its more than just that. It could be his de amplifying his power¡­ especially when considering that earlier sword attack¡­¡¯ Bek thought as he drew back, his hand reaching into his pocket to retrieve a small navy blue cube. His mana flowed into it, a light streaking out of it to reveal two objects. Rapiers! Bek held them both in his right hand, their thin, shiny, silver des resting in-between his fingers. The rapiers had sky blue, cone-shaped guards with outward bulging dotted patterns over them. The former Knight held a rapier in either of his hands and swished them through the air. After he was done feeling them out¡­ ¡°Sera. Come,¡± he said in a low tone of voice, the pale blue energy around him growing bright, reforming the creature that had been around him before. This time however, it appeared not with a hazy image, but a rather clear one, its distinct appearance with the different halves bing more vivid. The pale side which was hideous had long hair, its appearance wild as if someone had violently ruffled it, a face withnky, droopy skin that formedyers below a hollow eye socket being seen. The other half had a face with supple, youthful skin and pink lips, a beautiful blue eye with shiny twinkles like those of stars swimming within it. ¡°Bek¡­¡± a sonorous voice with recurring echoes following after it sounded came from the creature whose lower half faded into a ghostly tail. ¡°Split for me,¡± Bek said. With his words, to everyone¡¯s shock, the spirit behind him pulled itself apart, the hideous side and the beautiful one being torn to form two parts that swiftly darted into the two rapiers that Bek held! ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Skullius grunted inwardly. S grinned without a care. ¡°A LOVER, IS IT? YOU TWO BRING A WHOLE DIFFERENT MEANING TO THE WORD COMPLICATED,¡± he taunted, the words barelying outprehensible with his teeth biting the staff. ¡°It ISplicated,¡± Bek said, a luminous pale glow tinting his rapiers. On top of this, a neon golden orange light exploded from Bek, causing a thunderous rumble on the ground! ¡­! ¡®Genuine Incarnation,¡¯ S thought with a scoff. The light formed two revolving rings with floral patterns over both of the cone-shaped guards on the rapiers, a harsh outline elegantly highlighting Bek¡¯s body with his raw power increasing by a staggering amount that far exceeded that of Full Body Aura! ¡°This should be enough to cut down an arrogant soul like you, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± Bek said, the pale blue glow over the des of his rapiers brightly shing! ¡°A SPIRIT CANNOT HELP YOU ESCAPE DEATH. THEY ARE NOTHING BUT LIES THAT REALITY TELLS TO THE LIVING TO QUELL THEIR FEAR OF THE INEVITABLE!¡± S boldly dered through his clenched teeth, a broad ridiculing grin stered on his face as he raised Demion¡¯s Dance. His first strategy for victory was proving ineffective. The skill [Epic Memory] form Demion¡¯s Dance which currently only allowed the user to borrow a fraction of the strength of Demion along with his sword technique was the one he was using to produce such devastating shes. With his strengthened body, born from the sacrifice of a mana core, he could perfectly coordinate and effectively use every bit of his new speed and strength to draw more strength from the sword! Furthermore, with [Revered], the evolved version of [Untouched], a skill he had learn and fashioned after the battle with the Monkey Sages who used a simr skill to mitigate damage to their bodies, he could limit the potency of Bek¡¯s attack and even disallow him from reaching within his range. Admittedly, he had never used it before. (A/N: Refer to Ch.212) ~~~ [Revered | Lv.1] Call upon a repulsive force that draws away living and non-living targets depending on the level of mana they possess. An addition of 1800 Mana Points may be used to select a single target to keep away for a 5 minute duration. -Caution- Difference in strength between user and opponent affects the skill. Mana Requirements: 800 Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: 30 seconds ~~~ The aforementioned strategy could be rendered ineffective now that Bek had used his Genuine Incarnation, bing stronger as a result. And surely¡­ FWOOSH! The brilliant figure of Bek with his rapiers burst behind S who was mid blink, the weapon in the former Knight¡¯s right hand vibrating with an astonishing frequency that made a terrible ringing noise! WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! S had only barely started to realise that there was an enemy behind him when his entire body was sted with the vibration! ¡­! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± S grunted as he felt the vicious quivering wave affect him, sweeping away the snow while make everything in his body, including his soul shiver! No! It wasn¡¯t merely shivering! It was¡­ As S¡¯s soul trembled, he felt something off! ¡®Is he trying to break down my soul?!¡¯ S thought as he truly felt the integrity of the piece of soul dwindle, and entire ethereal structure starting to¡­.fragment! Bek didn¡¯t stop there, as with his left hand, he shed down with his other rapier, the iparable might that thundered down on S crushing his body and soul into the ground with a screeching noise that emanated from the weapon! SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! The noise was so unbearable that blood flooded from the cosmetic body¡¯s orifices, the legs getting smashed down as bones and tissue burst apart, half of S¡¯s body bing anything but solid! S felt his soul start to emit kes, his face tearing apart even before the rapier had actually made contact and yet¡­ ¡®HAHAHAHA! HOW BRUTAL!¡¯ he thought, the blood rushing through him making sure that he took in each y of this scene! Right before the rapier stomped him into oblivion however¡­ FWSH! S appeared a distance away, his body rolling as a blood mess stained the snow. Without psing even three seconds, S used [Great Saint¡¯s Invigoration]¡¯s active effect to immediately heal every part of his body, his new feet steadily standing on the snowy ground. The moment he raised his head though, the point of a rapier was already touching the skin of his forehead, a dismantling screech exploding from the sword! And yet¡­ SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! With a swift movement and horrendous speed as well as power, Demion¡¯s Dance shed through the air, striking at Bek¡¯s rapier! PWAAAAAA! The collision of a weapon meant to deliver death and a Spirit infused rapier with the strengthening of a Genuine Incarnation ensued, the chaotic rupturing of air, the ground and the mana around following it! Skullius rose up, escaping the devastation thatpletely devoured the entire area, the remnants of the woond included! ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯ Skullius thought as he watched the darkening of the snow proliferate while an intense vibration broke down matter outside the range of a st that obscured what was happening next! Within the chaotic hurricane of dark snow and dirt, S¡¯s body looked shredded but it was intact, his hand regenerating from having exploded once more and yet the aged soul still grinned! He looked at Bek who was just now, steadying himself after being blown away by the enormous force but without damage over his body. ¡®Let¡¯s move on to this¡­¡¯ S thought, his hand swiping over the hilt of Demion¡¯s Dance to its pommel and then to beyond! As he did this, a chain of darkness¡­ of [Evil Darkness] was created, linking Demion¡¯s Dance¡¯s pommel to something that was still buried under theyer of sandy snow a distance away¡­ The final piece that S had prepared beforehand from one of his strategies¡­! Chapter 377 Raw INSANITY! (3) As the dark snow flew around, yet to settle from the sh three seconds ago, Bek twirled his rapiers, preparing to use this chance tounch another attack. ¡®He¡¯s durable and it seems my speed won¡¯t remain an advantage for long. He must have done something to his sight given the look of his eyes. All his reactions start before he even sees me¡­¡¯ Bek analysed. His rapiers shed with their glow, the man¡¯s eyes turning softer. ¡°I won¡¯t make you do this for long. Just endure a few more seconds, Sera,¡± Bek whispered to his rapiers. Suddenly, a billow of force traced the flying snow and dirt with ridiculous speed, Bek raising his guard as he twirled his rapier to defend. But¡­ When the object that was hurtling towards him was revealed, he knew he had to switch tactics! Evasion was better! A long andrge spear was flying towards him! Its form was partially hidden as with its movement through the wisps of obstruction, ayer of all the flying matter was created around it! ¡®Its slow¡­ I can dodge. But he knows that¡­¡¯ Bek thought as the spear approached with its shocking speed! His eyes darted behind the spear where he expected a dangerous follow up. ¡®I won¡¯t fall for it,¡¯ Bek thought, his mind set on this second wind and his hands ready to dish out a lethal blow. He moved to the side, getting out of the way of the attack when¡­ ¡­! The former Knight¡¯s senses red with caution against fatality, Bek raising his head where to find S grinning in mid-air with Demion¡¯s Dance raised above him, promptly shing the curved green sword down with elegance and cruelty! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! Bek frowned intensely as he brought his rapiers together in a cross guard, the refined Aura from his Genuine Incarnation being pumped into defence from the iing attack! S grinned! ¡®Fool!¡¯ The cataclysmic sh pounded against Bek¡¯s defence, another cmitous eruption digging out the ground and mutting the space! Bek gritted his teeth while handling the crushing power but then¡­ ¡­! His senses once again warned him of a fatal attack, his head turning behind him where he found S now on the ground with his sickening grin on full disy again as looked released another swing of Demion¡¯s Dance! How was he moving so fast?! This speed! Even Bek with his advanced speed wasn¡¯t able to keep up! Be it movement or attack speed! He was being bested! No! That wasn¡¯t it! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! The arm of the cosmetic body rippled as the flesh couldn¡¯t handle this swing which wasced with even more power than thest! BOOOOOM! The result was terrifying! The obscurity that the two were fighting in was parted with the raw power that came with the iplete [Swindling Death Dance], a slick trail of the power shing through a great distance! A bright golden orange hue flickered intensely in the way of the seemingly insurmountable force that was packed into the strike! It was Bek who was buried within his neon light of Genuine Incarnation, maxing out his output of Aura to barely managed to defend and dodge the full brunt of it so as to ensure his survival! Unlike the previous times when he managed toe out unscathed, several gruesomely deep gashes could been seen all over his torso, face and legs! S backed away as he yanked the chain which was made of darkness, the weapon he had just flung for a two pronged attack returning to his hand. It was a spear almost twice his height which rested in hand, its thickness about the same size as his arm. It had a maroon shaft littered with thorn like protrusions, a thick, sharp-edged silvery blue de that had two shorter, curved des at its side at the head. Over its rather¡­ terrifying appearance, there was something that would catch others¡¯ attention when looking at it. A veil of blue energy could be seen at the spear¡¯s head, rustling over the three des¡¯ edges as it gave the impression that it was constantly sharpening the weapon! ~~~ [Hedoness Easper¡¯s Lord-yer] A grand spear forged for Hedoness Easper, the second Foregeneral under the Null Devil, a masochist who thrived on feeling pain and instilling it while in battle. -Attack- 30,000-45,000 -Durability- 60,000/60,000 -Special Effects- ?50% piercing damage ?35% chance to ignore defences ?+20% to Strength ¡ª [One Sight] The spear rues speed with each sessive throw at the target. Subsequent increase ranges from 5-40% depending on the result of each throw. Usable five times a day. ¨C [Eversharp (Passive)] The edges of the three des constantly undergo refinement, such that they remain extremely sharp and capable of a constant flow of damage. ~~~ S held the spear in one hand, its thorns digging through his hands. The chain which connected to Demion¡¯s Dance was in his other hand and he twirled the de around casually while keeping his senses focused on the surroundings. ¡®Let¡¯s see how you will deal with this. If I can get rid of you, I will be free to do as I wish,¡¯ S thought. Within him, his meagre soul had grown quite a bit from feeding on Skullius¡¯ own, slowly repairing the damage he had rued from the earlier hit. S took a step forward, intent on attacking Bek who was well prepared for it when¡­ FLSHH! FLSHH! FLSSH! ¡­! From the [Evil Darkness] chain he was twirling, tens of long spikes viciously protruded, rapidly impaling his hands, then into his body anding out the other side! Several were aimed at his head but S quickly ducked it to the side! ¡®Damn you, tomato flinger!¡¯ S thought in distress. Skullius who had taken the opportunity to deal damage to S wore a determined face. ¡°YOU THINK I DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT YOU¡¯RE DOING TO MY SOUL?!¡± he bellowed. The moment he had seen [Evil Darkness] appear, he had gone straight for the kill, after all, his Projected form was more proficient in manipting [Evil Darkness] than his Discount Human body! In this contest, he was going to be the winner! Furthermore, the aged soul had just provided him the means to fight with as all this time, without [Evil Darkness], he couldn¡¯t do anything! While S was busy wrestling his own chain that was obstructing him, a horrendous vibration bashed into his body, catching him off-guard and sending him flying! While he was still air born, the radiance of Bek¡¯s rapier as it sped through the air emanating from the floral ring of a Genuine Incarnation around it illuminated S¡¯s body! The rapier had already reached and prated his chest by the time he thought to use [Jump] again and as such, he appeared a distance away with the sword stuck within him! WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! An intense vibration coupled with a loud noise stormed through S¡¯s body, once again bringing an unwanted dose of fragmenting damage to his soul! ¡®This bastard! I see¡­ His technique involves disrupting the soul through sound and vibration! Urgh¡­!¡¯ S thought before he grabbed the hilt to the rapier to pull it out! [Revered] was starting to fail him as to use it, he had to be capable of reacting to his enemy! Furthermore, its secondary effect was not guaranteed to work on Bek who was much stronger! As if the current predicament wasn¡¯t enough, the chains he had fashioned darted towards him and bound him firmly! Skullius who was in the air made sure that his hold wouldn¡¯t slip in case S had other surprises and while the old soul was held down, Bek¡¯s second rapier jammed into the Discount Human body, a shriek of noise making S growl in pain! Right after stabbing S, Bek¡¯s hand flooded with mana as he prepared to purge the old soul! ¡°HEY! YOU¡¯LL KILL ME TOO!¡± Skullius bellowed but Bek ignored. His sense of duty, his senses and his instincts told him that it was better to erase these two right here, right now otherwise¡­ ¡°NYOT YHET!¡± S roared through his mouth that still had the staff in it. Mana stormed from the cosmetic body, [Revered] being released but much toote as Bek was much faster in his chop which zed with ring mana, the Spirit within his rapiers rushing out to cover his hand and grant him the full ability to erase the soul that inhabited the Discount Human! Bek¡¯s hand mmed into Skullius¡¯ head, the skull rupturing with bloody chunks as the soul within it started to disintegrate! At the same time, a flood of [Evil Darkness] tore madly out of S, rapidly covering him and Bek, with thetter finding that his hand grew terribly slow in this mass of darkness! The Discount Human body¡¯s head had been crushed halfway, but the persistent soul within it was still alive! [Jump] was used once again as S appeared outside the rippling cloud of darkness that he had created to save his life. His head rapidly healed through [Great Saint¡¯s Invigoration] but his soul did not. Both he and Skullius who was furious looked at the notification in front of them, disying that Doom Factor 2 had reached¡­52%! ¡°YOU SOCKETHOLE!!!¡± Skullius bellowed from the sky, S looking at him with a mocking re. The Projected form of Skullius rapidly wove the darkness that was trapping Bek within but he wasn¡¯t fast enough as a golden orange figure darted out but with slower than normal speed! Bek took in deep breaths as the Spirit around him screeched! He had immediately used his speed to escape the darkness that had tried to erase all his physical capacity. He settled his heart which had been made to panic a little at seeing the vast darkness and then faced S. ¡°How long do you want to do this? You¡¯ll lose sooner orter. I¡¯m only going to keep piling on damage to your soul,¡± the former Knight said as the Spirit behind him split up once again and inhabited his two rapiers. ¡°Give. Up.¡± Nothing happened. As he thought, hisst words which were meant a amand didn¡¯t do anything to S. ¡®It doesn¡¯t work on an Incandescent Stage soul, it seems. Even if they are very weak.¡¯ The brilliant light around Bek grew brighter as he fully expended his Aura, the rings of Genuine Incarnation around his rapiers¡¯ guards expanding to show it. Skullius couldn¡¯t understand what Bek was saying but he had already caught on to the man¡¯s intentions. He was madly furious at both these individuals but there was nothing for it. He had to fight. ¡°It looks like its every man for himself now,¡± he said, moulding the [Evil Darkness] into tens of orbs that surrounded him. All three men stood in the different directions, the tension of what was about to ur thickening. A one v. one v. one! ¡°FAILURE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL BURN OUT MY WILL TO FIGHT, BOY,¡± S said to Bek as he spread his hands apart, a chain of [Evil Darkness] rapidly forming to connect between Demion¡¯s Dance and the Lord-yer which were a distance away from him and each other. Before Skullius could take advantage of this, a stream of [Just Light] covered the chain, immediately cutting off the Projected individual¡¯s control! ¡­! ¡°You can¡¯t weave this light proficiently now can you, TOMATO FLINGER?!¡± S bellowed, the chain reducing in size to bring the two weapons to his hands. ¡°DAMN IT!¡± Skullius cursed while Bek got ready to attack in the next moment. S grinned once again as he yed his final card! A stream of SERENE energy flowed from him and expanded in a two meter radius around him, with a blue glow. It softly whirled with beautiful visuals, like a cloud taking a vortex shape. ¡­! ¡± [Null Life Aura]?!¡± Skullius eximed in surprise. However, this was not the thick of it. What came next both enlightened and gobsmacked the hell out of his mind! A red me burst with a bright light that tinted everything in a bloody hue,yering over the blue aura that surrounded S with grand ferocity! The heat! The me! The power! It caused a cascade of steam to rise with crackles, the heated ground rumbling madly underneath it! The mes burned in a vortice around S whose figure became distorted by a mirage! What was this?! Skullius was shocked! Bek¡¯s forehead wrinkled! ¡°WATCH CLOSELY, FOOLS!¡± S said before a RADIANCE overtook his already illuminated image, giving a white luminance that spelled the start of a thrilling climax¡­! Chapter 378 A Shady Twist The Revenant mes of Ecstasy! Seeing themyered over the light blue circr area around hismandeered Discount Human body, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but gain a shocking revtion! Or at least a glimmer of it! ¡®[Null Life Aura]¡­ this is how you use it?¡¯ he thought while analysing. On top of this, the light of Skullius¡¯ Pseudo skill ¡®Radiance¡¯ also covered the Discount Human body, making Skullius turn from intrigued to nervous. S had truly decided to use everything he could at this time and Skullius didn¡¯t let the aged soul manipting his body out of sight! ¡®I was never able to use Demion¡¯s Dance to draw out that much power for my own use but S can now. It¡¯s probably because of whatever he did to my mana core. That and Radiance could unleash so ridiculous speed but¡­ Tsk! If Doom Factor 1 catches me without a core and with the mana from the staff running out¡­¡¯ Skullius thought with perilous horrors hanging on his shoulder. On the other hand, Bek narrowed his eyes as the red me before him reflected in his eyes. A ferocious heat wave red from the brimming mes that partially hid S¡¯s luminous form, burning the air and creating exaggerated mirages all around while the ground quickly melted intova! ¡®This heat. I don¡¯t think getting close is a good idea, even with my Genuine Incarnation. So¡­¡¯ Bek thought as he pointed his rapier forward, its blue tint blinking multiple times as it released a low hum. S behind the mes grinned. ¡®I won¡¯t be falling for that again.¡¯ S released his grip on the Lord-yer spear and held the chain attached to its end instead, his other hand holding the hilt to Demion¡¯s Dance firmly! With lucrative motion, he started to spin the spear through the chain he held, the entire weapon rotating at an angle in the air at rapid speeds that caused a powerful gust of wind to blow over from him! A scorching gust of wind! Following this burst of moving air, S dashed forward, but his movement was beyond ridiculous! From the ring of fire that was surrounding him, to the luminous light that covered his body, S vanished for fractions of a second before he turned into a ferocious, long exposed ray of light that charged towards Bek! ¡­! The former Knight was shocked to see that even he had lost track of S before he turned into that streak of light that was hurtling towards him now! The scorching wind and the noise from something whipping against the air reached him just after he blinked and a spear moving so fast that it was blurred, dropped from the air along with a red hue that carried an atrocious amount of heat! Bek¡¯s first instinct was to block but he quickly changed his answer to the assault in the next moment, his body drawing back as the rapier he had extended forward released a loud noise! WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! The spear was still descending fast enough to catch up to him but he bet on attacking S whom he knew wouldn¡¯t recklessly rush into danger ¨C the soul damage from the vibration! The ring heat came, instantly turning the a around the former Knight into a hellscape! Bek shed with his other rapier towards the iing streak after making sure his timing was right! Unfortunately for him¡­ ¡®I get it now! The blood in this body is rushing around in a frenzy and the flesh is tingling madly. The purpose of this¡­ skill, [HYPED]¡­ I get it now!¡¯ S thought as with Demion¡¯s Dance, he parried Bek¡¯s rapier perfectly! The green de gained a hot, hazy outline and in striking against Bek¡¯s rapier, madly lit sparks bloomed with noisy sputters! Bek gritted his teeth as he felt the heat rising with the instant appearance of a ring of fire around him as he was in S¡¯s range! Strangely, as he looked at S¡¯s bright image, he found the man¡¯s leg bulging and exploding into bloody chunks, the same happening to the thighs and arms but they instantly regenerated immediately after! This body simply couldn¡¯t handle all the stacked stat amps! Bek quickly bolted three meters away but as he stepped on the ground, the Lord-yer which also sizzled with a wave of unforgiving heat as it swung with a [Just Light] covered chain attached to it, razed through the airterally towards him! The former Knight ducked in a hurry, the spear passing above him but S had already prepared another attack with Demion¡¯s Dance, shing up with great power! Bek¡¯s eyes shed as he advanced close to S, his rapier striking against Demion¡¯s Dance before it could properly strike! ¡®Heh! Smart!¡¯ S thought before he drew on the Lord-yer against, swinging the chain of darkness andunching a flurry of attacks with the spear attacked to it! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Eruptions urred over the ground and on S¡¯s body as he seemed to cruise over theva building around him, racing over the moltennd as if running on a smooth hard surface! Each time the me covered Lord-yer touched the ground, it would cause a deafening explosion with a red me rising up, towering into the sky without a care while an expansive shockwave demolished everything it touched! Bek countered every strike from S, but the heat¡­ It strangely prated his Genuine Incarnation! The former Knight suddenly moved his hands quickly, the half of Sera in one of his rapiers rushing into his hand with Bek promptly pointed it at S who¡­ ¡­! The aged soul grinned as he had alreadyunched a high kick towards Bek¡¯s hand before the man even pointed steadily at him! As a result, Bek¡¯s form was disrupted for but a fraction of a second and prior to him countering with his other rapier, Demion¡¯s Dance was already halfway to his neck, stuffed with every bit of the Discount Human body¡¯s strength! Bek felt a phenomenal chill right up his spine as the de licked the air, already beginning to cut him before it reached! SHIIII- ¡­! Yet¡­ S abruptly halted his sh midway and bolted backwards with extreme speed, Bek being confused at first but also leaping out of the way the moment he felt IT! BRRRRRRRROOOOOOM! Tens of orbs made of [Evil Darkness] shed from the sky and abused the ground that had already been punished by the intense battle, its integrity shaking immensely! The Projected form of Skullius waved its hands, tens of the orbs that he had made speeding through the air as they attacked both Bek and S! ¡®That was too fast! I can¡¯t believe he can move that fast with my body,¡¯ Skullius thought in awe. He had barely seen S move as a bright streak before explosion after explosion rocked the ground with his and Bek¡¯s figure barely being discernible in the flying dirt and snow! ¡®Damn it! How on earth do I stop this?! I feel my soul getting devoured slowly!¡¯ Bek breathed out the tension he had felt just now as he gathered his focus. ¡®That¡­was dangerous!¡¯ he thought, sweat dripping from his brow intensely. ¡®My attacks aren¡¯t working on him anymore. It¡¯s like he knows mybat habits! But¡­ figuring that in just a few short exchanges¡­?¡¯ The former Knight swished his rapiers as he warded off the orbs of darkness darting erratically towards him! S who was facing the same twirled the chain on the spear side and used it to strike away the orbs, his figure flicking up Demion¡¯s Dance which had fallen after his arm exploded again and darting forward while reverse handed the de with a newly formed limb! His target was naturally Bek once again and his speed as hepletely struck away the darkness orbs was incredible! ¡®I¡¯ll use the cover of these orbs tounch a decisive strike. The mana from the staff is quickly being depleted and probably takes quite some time to recover. Ha! Fascinating! If taking this man down proves too difficult, I¡¯ll just have to go for the more out-of-box solution¡­¡¯ As S darted forward, Skullius ground his teeth as he found that the man was barely hindered by his attacks! In some instances he dodged and deflected before the orbs even reached a considerable distance from his body! The aged piece of soul weaved through with incredible mobility as when he was a few meters away from Bek who kept darting around, dodging and blocking¡­ ¡®What..!¡¯ WHAAAAAAAM! A massive force bashed against him with overwhelming might, knocking S tens of meters away! Bek and Skullius expressed their dumb faces of surprise as they saw the Discount Human body roll and crash into the remnants of shattered trees! ¡®What happened?¡¯ Skullius thought with a frown. He hadn¡¯t done this and from the looks of it, neither did Bek. However, barely a millisecond passed before he realised what this was! S quickly rose as his senses scoured around the area, looking for the location of this new threat but¡­ ¡®I can¡¯t sense it. It¡¯s that Hound isn¡¯t it?¡¯ he thought as he drew back. Surely, the massive figure of a dark brown wolf-like creature cautiously moved over the ground while keeping its eyes on S. Of course no one could see or sense its mass and by extension the extra limbs it had grown. Ferex had immediately rushed over when he felt his master sh from the town. To increase his speed, he had maxed his size and grown two additional limbs, the result being his arrival on the scene rather quickly. At first seeing his master¡¯s Projected form, which was a first for him, and on the other side, his master¡¯s body which was moving at the same time was peculiar, but his deep instinct as well as rationalisation of the situation ¨C judging between a grinning maniac and a desperate humanoid figure of darkness ¨C he had ascertained the Discount Human body to house the enemy. The ring mass of me around S remained ever bright and ever hot but it was no longer an advantage for him. Naturally, as an Apostle of Skullius, Ferex wasn¡¯t affected by the me and geting in close range for an attack was very easy, especially with the effects of the mutation. S frowned and drew back. ¡®At this point, I might just be wasting my time. Even with my advanced senses, I can¡¯t pick up on that damn creature¡¯s presence. Thest thing I need is an unwanted wild card roaming around with an absolute advantage,¡¯ S thought as he drew Skullius¡¯ spatial ring from the pocket of his tattered pants and stored the Lord-yer. He had salvaged the ring earlier after his hands blew up the first time. ¡®These twos¡¯ agenda here was probably to find THEM, though I¡¯m sure they do not know who they are dealing with. Haha. I¡¯ll have to confirm that for myself too. Skullius using his Projected form was to follow on that lead so¡­ from the looks of it¡­¡¯ S thought as his mind raced over to when his consciousness had emerged from the space where he was sent to each time Skullius didn¡¯t want him to speak. Upon seeing through the Discount Human¡¯s eyes following the freedom he felt, S had seen Skullius¡¯ Projected form looking at a certain direction for a prolonged period before it hurriedly raced down, probably to notify Bek. ¡®Judging by the position he was in earlier in ordance to where I was standing¡­¡¯ S thought, his senses and [Elevated Mana Maniption] acting to familiarise him with the environment. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ FWOOSH. Under Bek, Ferex and Skullius¡¯ eyes, the Discount Human body suddenly vanished! Evidently, this was [Jump] being utilised again and Skullius frowned. ¡®Is he running away?!¡¯ Skullius immediately sent a mental message to Ferex. ¡®Can you find him?¡¯ The Hound responded by showing his full figure that was covered in the Pseudo-Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide and bursting in the direction that it felt the Discount Human body. Skullius immediately bolted through the air as he followed after Ferex. Bek on the other hand creased his brow as he saw therge figure appear out of nowhere and dart in a random direction. ¡®Is that another one of this man¡¯s hidden cards?¡¯ he thought as he quickly dispelled his shock. ¡®Nomatter, I must follow anyway.¡¯ Bek immediately rushed after the two, his speed being much faster. He immediately caught up to them before they travelled far. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it has turned to this but then again, I can only me you for foolishly unleashing such a dangerous terror,¡± Bek said as he faced Skullius¡¯ Projected form which quivered in rage. ¡°Whatever happens, I owe the honour of my old life your soul¡­ and that fiend¡¯s.¡± Without giving Skullius a chance to reply, Bek shot forward. Having ascertained the direction in which S went from where Ferex was going, seemingly leading Skullius there, he felt Skullius¡¯ absence from the new battle could help. Now, he just needed to change his tactics which S had seemingly gotten used to. ¡°Damn it!¡± Skullius cursed. Far beyond them, the figure of S was dashing at mad speed towards the location of a certain individual who was part of something bigger than most people of this different could even fathom. Something old and dangerous. ¡®Perhaps if I provide THEM with some precious items from Skullius¡¯ ring, they¡¯ll grant my wish,¡¯ S thought. He suddenly turned his head, seeing a bright golden light fast approaching his position. ¡°How tenacious. Unfortunately for you, I won¡¯t be dying that easily,¡± S said with a grin, the staff which was now wielded with his hand brimming with light as he used another one of the limited charges on the skill [Jump] to further the distance between him and his enemies. Chapter 379 New Enemies? S resumed his mad sprint immediately after appearing arge distance away from Bek, his collection of skills bolstering his movement speed as he dashed across. The mes around him as well as the [Null Life Aura] had died down following his shuttling speed as he didn¡¯t need them anymore. For now he could depend on [Jump]. Naturally, he was well aware of the limited amount of [Jumps] he had left. The Elimparidis Stone Staff didn¡¯t grant unrestrained teleportation after all, instead gathering the energy within Dimensions, or magical structures that were stored within its gem to power [Jolt Ray] and [Jump]. Unfortunately for Skullius, he had only managed to attain the staff after the Galemonger had spammed these two limited skills quite a bit. S kept his eyes forward as he searched for a trace of the individual or individuals he was searching for. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t track the memories of Skullius in his Projected form and as a result, he wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the younger soul had seen. Behind him, a luminous golden streak was already beginning to show, Bek being relentless in his goal. S scoffed and used another [Jump], his figure vanishing and appearing dozens of meters away. This time, upon focusing his sights ahead, he finally saw it! ¡®There we go!¡¯ S thought. Quite a distance away, a nd-looking carriage, barely decorated with anything that showed any kind of love for woodcraft could be seen behind a certain woman who donned a red and green cloak with a hood over her head. Her face was hard to identify from the distance and also, there seemed to be something shrouding her figure, obscuring certain details while others remained vivid. S¡¯s eyes honed in on this woman and he delightedly prepared to use another [Jump] when¡­ ¡®Oh, I¡¯ve used up all of them¡­¡¯ he thought. [Jump]¡¯s charges were finished. Instead of dwelling on this however, S raced ahead eagerly. The woman he saw before him seemed to look in his direction without a change of expression and pulled out¡­ a knife from her cloak. The object was small but intimately decorated with strange marks that were simr to simplistic waves of water or rather wind on its silvery de while the handle was of an off-white colour. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything special about this knife at first nce, but it was more than special. The woman seemed to feel the air with her dark and slender hand, rustling over a small space before she suddenly stabbed the knife forward! She stabbed the air?! The knife she held sank into the world before her and the woman carved with it downwards, a crooked skit being relieved on the dark spot of the air that mirrored the night! She had opened a tear in space and immediately after she carved it out, it started to lengthen upwards on its own, its figure bing a crack in space that stood tall and slightly wide! A blue hue flooded around the crack, brimming with micro streaks of white that highlighted the edges of the cracks in the space. A blue Cluster was casually formed! The woman then pulled on therge carriage behind her with the bars attached to both its sides and sank into the Cluster! S who had watched all this merely narrowed his eyes and halted when he reached the crack to the Cluster. ¡®The ability to open premature Clusters with tools. Ferrying around bodies both dead and alive. Men and women without the slightest traces of magic within their bodies. It is indeed them,¡¯ S thought with a serious expression. He touched his chest and breathed out a sigh while feeling his growing soul. ¡®I¡¯ll stack it all on them,¡¯ he thought before entering the Cluster. Bek showed fifteen secondster, his brightly lit figure hesitating only for a bit before he leapt in as well. *** Skullius and Ferex followed in the direction that the Hound felt its link to Skullius originate from. They had travelled a great distance when suddenly, Ferex sent Skullius intent through their mental link. ¡°Huh? My body just disappeared somewhere?¡± Skullius asked with a hint of panic. The only reason he didn¡¯t flip out entirely was because he felt that his soul was still intact but beyond that, he was afraid that perhaps Bek had done something. In all truth, he was rooting for S to somehow escape so he could at least clear the chances of obliteration but even if that happened, he still didn¡¯t know how to deal with regaining control of his body. For now, he had his orbs of [Evil Darkness] flying around him to ensure he had the means to fight off both S and Bek. It was his best shot. After what felt like a minute and then some, Skullius and Ferex finally saw a Cluster in the distance much to their shock. ¡®Could that be why S suddenly disappeared?¡¯ Skullius thought. It made sense that if S was running away, he¡¯d rush into a Cluster to muddy the conditions of his confrontation. It also seemed like his only option when Skullius considered that he didn¡¯t have limitless mana to spend. Without wasting time, Skullius dashed into the Cluster, Ferex following afterwards. He didn¡¯t have the time to think too deeply into the more cautious concerns he had. ¡­ What was revealed to Skullius upon entering into the Cluster was¡­ a vast world with some peculiar oddities. First was¡­ ¡°KILL THEM! THEY ARE NOT SMARTER THAN US! WE ARE SMARTER THAN THEM! YOU HEAR?! WE ARE SMART! FLING YOUR HOLDERS!¡± A loud voice along with chaotic noises of violence sted into Skullius as he looked on. Second, the ground wasn¡¯t a steady patch ofnd that wholeheartedly amodated two-legged creatures. Rather, it was a massiveyer of sludgy mud that flowed this way and that over a rather enormous, uneven tform that ended in falls at the edges where the semi-liquid dirt was spilled into the third strangest thing that Skullius could ever behold. A crazy mash of colours that constantly emitted a dangerous hum could be seen over the edge and beyond the tform as well as over some parts of the sky, creating abrupt changes to the design that this world was taking! It was like an unfinished painting as beyond this tform where semnces of shrubbery and trees were sprinkled in, too immature to even show themselves from the mud, weak looking structures could also be identified, likerge igloos made of mud! Skullius could only guess that they belonged to the strange¡­creatures that he was seeing battling against Bek and S ahead. These twos humanoid creatures. They had light blue skin with white natural tribal markings over their chests and arms. They were bald, with their physiques being eerily simr, except for a special group of three that Skullius coul see, but the main takeaway, as far as their forms were concerned, would be their lower halves. Below the abs and the chest pads that were indistinguishable from human sets, thick worm-like tails could be seen, having a pale and almost transparent tone that was¡­disgusting to say the least. Think veins, tubes and all sorts of fleshy organs could be seen without blockage, which was nauseating. ¡®Urgh¡­ hideous,¡¯ Skullius had a side thought as he grimaced. Hundreds of these creatures were rushing around the far-from-level tform that mimicked hills and mountains in other areas as they battled the two individuals Skullius was here for! It seemed they were having some difficulties with mobility. One of the three creatures that Skullius had seen to have bigger builds and wiser looks suddenly turned his way and bellowed with gusto. ¡°ANOTHER MINDLESS INTRUDER HAS SHOWN UP! HAFUMAN, KOTAMAN, SHOW HIM HOW SMART WE ARE!¡± The two creatures beside this one, a bulky blue humanoid with an especially long wormy tail and a seemingly feminine one that covered her chest with a dull cloth rushed towards Skullius while slithering through the mud at astonishingly fast speed! Both reached to their sides where¡­ books appeared, attached to strips that wrapped around what seemed like belts around their waists which had also spontaneously appeared! Skullius frowned and looked behind him where the crack could be seen now closed, waiting for the Cluster General to be defeated to reopen. To his side, Ferex had disappeared, probably having gone into hiding for a surprise attack on the many creatures. ¡®Argh¡­ do I have to waste time with these?¡¯ Skullius thought as he prepared his orbs while checking the status of the bulky creature which was yelling out orders left and right. ~~~ [ Name : Bragmaster ] [ Tier : 6 ] [ Level : 78 ] [ ss : None ] [ Race : Bookworm ] [ Inv. Status : Feeling particrly smart ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength (I) : 760 ] [ Agility (I) : 320 ] [ Intelligence (I) : 905 ] [ Endurance (I) : 200 ] [ Luck : 76 ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 34,470/34,470 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Mana (I) : 1200/1200 ] ~~~ Chapter 380 Hype Build-Up, Trash Payoff The Bookworms. A race of humanoid worms with incredible natural aptitude for magic that rivalled even those titled as the most talented mages. The only thing that limited them was how they were not born with an innate understanding of magecraft. Their race allowed them to automatically ess powers that they had no right of choice over. As a result, most of them didn¡¯t have a ss as their abilities were centered around the same thing, though extraordinarily unique per each individual. When Bookworms matured to a certain age, a belt would appear around their waists. With it, a Bookworm could conjure an unlimited number of mana saturated books. These books were called Innate Holders, though by this point, they were not imbued with any specific magical properties except the ability to discharge the mana they held all at once. With further growth, a Bookworm could finally gain a signature magical property exclusive only to them. They would have to select an Innate Holder of their choice to imbue this property, focusing on the nk pages of the Holder for varying periods of time for something wondrous to be effect. Sooner orter, depending on talent, the pages of the Innate Holder would be imprinted with arrays, one per each page, with every single one being a spell that can be used. All the spells generated would be governed by the magical property awakened though and they did not all appear at once. All this said however, the Bookworms could have been a powerful race, if someone had not opened their still developing race and Cluster to monsters that far outssed them in strength and skill. S and Bek stood in the thick of the chunky mud, their feet being submerged within it. Both could agree that the biggest obstacle to them right now was this sticky sludge instead of the raining attacksing from the Bookworms! Hundreds of white paged books with thick covers of different colours were being flung from all directions by Bookworms who yelled out expletives! Most them were yet to mature enough to develop a magic property and thus, they could only fling their holders! The books struck S and Bek, the mana within them igniting for bright explosions that released vibrant bursts of noise! Bek was unaffected by these attacks with his Genuine Incarnation nullifying the attacks entirely as they were mana-based. S on the other hand was slicing the books into pieces with incredible speed, stopping them from exploding in his face. As said before, the never-ending storm of books wasn¡¯t the problem for these two. The problem was the thick mud that they were standing in. It wasn¡¯t merely ordinary mud. It was thick, reinforced by mana tremendously to such an extent that when both S and Bek had entered the Cluster, their legs had eventually be stuck, movement with their legs bing an impossibility without any form of intervention. The Bookworms however could move freely, their lower halves rushing over the mud quickly as some of them raced towards the two enemies! ¡®Weaklings!¡¯ S thought while looking at the swarm of Bookworms. He held Demion¡¯s Dance firmly and swung viciously, a trail of light following the tip of the sword! SHIIIIIIING! Bloody bodies littered the ground with the one sh, the mud gaining a dark hue, different from its natural brown colour! The storm of unending attacks had prevented S from doing this sooner. At the same time, with the staff he was now once again biting onto, S channelled the mana into his body, an encirclement of light blue energy covering his body! A red me gushed out with great ferocity over the light of [Null Life Aura], the heat it produced burning the muddy sludge around S¡¯s legs! The mud hardened quickly, allowing for S to break free. He then dashed ahead with the ring of mes following after him, burning the mud and turning it hard enough for him to run over! ¡®I can¡¯t find that woman anywhere even though I entered this Cluster not muchter than she did,¡¯ S thought, his eye darting to Bek who was a bit of a distance away. ¡®I¡¯ll find an opportune moment to cut him down after scouting for that woman.¡± Bek on the other hand looked agitated. His focus wasn¡¯t on the Bookworms but on S who had freed himself of the muddy binds. ¡°Sera¡­¡± S said, the Spirit inhabiting his hand and rapier streaming out and appearing above him whole. Sera wrapped her arms around Bek and started pulling him out. Bek focused the Aura around his feet to push away the mud, making Sera¡¯s job all the more easier. Soon, Bek was free and he grunted in displeasure as he saw the Bookworms bolting towards him. With just a single rapier, the former Knight swished rapidly, arcs of golden light making an effort to trace the movements of his sword. The result was theplete decimation of any of the Bookworms that came within five meters of the man, their bodies being ripped apart without the rapier even touching them. Bek refocused on S who was cutting down enemy after enemy ¡®If I can attack while he is distracted, I could pile on damage,¡¯ he thought but¡­ ¡­! His senses suddenly picked up on a familiar presence, forcing him to turn his head. Nearly a mile away on the enormous muddy tform, arge carriage with two extended bars on both sides appeared in his sight. A dark-skinned woman wearing a cloak with a hood was pulling it along, her feet and the wheels of carriage not sinking within the mud like him and S! What? As Bek eyed this woman, noting the familiar visuals he could see from her ¨C ayer of abstruse protection shielding her soul from his eyes ¨C he narrowed his eyes uponing to a realisation. ¡®She¡¯s¡­¡¯ he thought, his mind hopping off the ¡®Kill S train¡¯. The woman also turned her head, a strange, unsettling smile etching itself on her face before she turned back to where she was going. Beyond the muddy tform and towards the expansive mash of colour at the end of it! ¡®You won¡¯t escape from me again!¡¯ Bek thought. Unlike S who was a recently emerged threat, Bek decided that capturing a member of this mysterious group was vastly more worthwhile. Besides, he hadn¡¯t been searching for them for no better reason other than to appease his honour as a former Knight. If what he had heard was true then¡­ ¡­ Skullius¡¯ vision which was set on the two enemies that he was supposed to fight, temporarily got drawn away by a red me that roared from the distance. ¡®He¡¯s using [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] again? How? It has a long cooldown!¡¯ he thought. With S¡¯s rampage there was also a constant stream of notifications that kept blinking in Skullius¡¯ sight. He didn¡¯t have the time to entertain more of these distractions however, as the first of these stronger looking [Bookworms] reached him. The Bookworm had dark hair and golden eyes, its masculine look being quite fierce. This was the one that had been called Hafuman by the Bookworm that was flingingmands everywhere. It held a somewhat thick Innate Holder the size of a smaller tome, an old orange cover over it. Hafuman opened the Holder and tore a page from it which he held between his fingers as he eyed Skullius who floated in mid-air. ¡®These two are Tier 5. I better not waste my time on them. They probably can¡¯t harm me anyway,¡¯ Skullius thought before raising his hands to direct his orbs for an attack. Hafuman beat him to the punch though, as he flung the page he had torn towards Skullius. ¡°Random Magic¡­..whatever happens next!¡± The page glowed bright before dispersing into glitter that flooded in all directions, with a beautiful array of colour! The visuals were incredible¡­. and that was it. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Skullius said with confusion. Hafuman who was stuck in his throwing stand had droplets of sweat trickling from his brow. Yes. That was it. This spell¡­ was just the simple conjuration of glitter¡­ Chapter 381 See How Smart I Am?! Skullius shook his head in disbelief. ¡®And here I was expecting something extraordinary,¡¯ he thought before swinging his arms, multiple orbs of darkness shing towards Hafuman! Behind the Bookworm, the feminine figure of hispanion, the one who had been called Kotaman rushed up to him with ridiculous slithering motion before the orbs could arrive and opened up a purple cover Holder twice the size of that of Hafuman! She ripped from it a page and threw it in the air above them, her voice calling out in anguage Skullius couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Reinforcement Magic, Mighty Shell!¡± The page shone, the array imprinted on it glowing with a bright blue intensity. The wave of light fashioned from the bright light then shaped a transparent dome of neatly arranged pentagons that covered the two! Skullius¡¯ orbs struck heavily against the dome but asides from shaking it vehemently, no damage was done to it! ¡®Its sturdy,¡¯ Skullius thought. Within the dome, Kotaman looked to Hafuman with an enraged expression before growling at him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your Holder have any useful magic?!¡± ¡°My magical property is creating random spells! Deal with it!¡± ¡°Whatever, just use another spell!¡± Hafuman grunted before tearing another page from his Holder. ¡°That better be a good one,¡± Kotaman said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is! That¡¯s the whole point!¡± Hafuman flung the page at Skullius, the object brightening up with a stream of light before vanishing into thin air with a smooth transition! Skullius who had been drawing away from the page suddenly felt a peculiar sensation wrap around his Projected body. ¡®What¡¯s this weird feeling?¡¯ he thought. Strangely, his body then started to spin, his Projected image swirling in the air with ever growing speed! ¡®What the- Am I going somewhere?!¡¯ Skullius thought with his vision whirling into a mess. He could barely seen anything with his body seemingly having lost the ability to steady itself and rotating while stuck in one position! ¡°What kind of magic is that?¡± Kotaman asked with a weird expression. ¡°What part of ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ don¡¯t you understand?!¡± Hafuman grunted as he tore another page from his book. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this¡­ hopefully. He threw the thick page which hurtled towards Skullius and shone, revealing its effect on the target. Therge¡­ intable¡­ thing was conjured. It appeared almost weightless with a simplistic see-through body that mimicked the appearance of a human but with no fingers or toes. This giant creature only had two ck spots on its face and a simple arching smile at the base of its head. It floated behind Skullius who kept spinning and stretched its hands around, beginning its descent to the ground thereafter with the Projected form of Skullius following obediently. Skullius who kept spinning couldn¡¯t even tell what was happening and the same was true for his enemies. The dome around the two shattered with the Bookworms who were under its protection looking at the floating figure of Skullius that spun with amusement. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that¡¯s pretty funny,¡± Kotaman said with a giggle. ¡°I know,¡± Hafuman said with a smug look, owning up to credit he didn¡¯t really deserve. Suddenly, Kotaman felt a heavy force crash against her lower worm half from the front, her figure flying off far as blood sprayed from where she had been struck! Shended violently over the mud, her body feeling a dangerous vibration all over. ¡­! Arge gash that bled had been formed on her transparent worm tail and yet Kotaman didn¡¯t even know how she had been attacked. Instead of panicking, Kotaman ripped two more pages from her book and dropped them to the ground. ¡°Reinforcement Magic¡­ Big Clunky Armour! Reinforcement Magic, Fortified Skin!¡± With two bright lights that wrapped arojnd Kotaman, arge, brown bulky armour with balled joints and loosely attached parts that made noise which each movement appeared over her entire body, her blue skin turning rough to the extent that its shade grew lighter! Even as she bled with her face showing the agony she was feeling, Kotaman tried to save her own life! ¡°Kotaman! Are you alright?!¡± Hafuman who was a distance asked with concerned as he ripped another page from his Holder but¡­ Unfortunately for him, darkness covered his vision, blinding him from everything else. ¡­! ¡°Hafuman!¡± Kotaman screamed as she saw herpanion be devoured in a cube-shaped mass of darkness! She was about to rush over to him when another burst of horrific force hammered her into the sludgy ground with atrocious might forcing up dirt and watery ooze! While her armour did shield her from much of the force, Kotaman was still bleeding from the nose when her body crashed against the hard ground underneath! Because of how sudden the attack had been, her Holder had fallen from her hands and onto the muddy surface a few meters away. Two seconds after it fell through, dark blue strings that emerged out of nowhere wrapped around it, twisting unnervingly for a couple of seconds before withdrawing from the Holder! Kotaman tried to reach out of the hole she had be pummelled into but another bout of force smashed into her, then another and another and another and¡­ It barely took ten hits for Kotaman to be crushed under the force and weight of whatever was attacking her, her life being squeezed out of her body. At the moment of her death, the Holder half-sinking into a small distance from his exploded into cute spots of light. On Kotaman¡¯s side, his sudden appearance in the cube of darkness rattled him quite a bit. He immediately felt a horrendous weakness that stunted his ability to move and fought against his magic! He wasn¡¯t aware, but a spinning Projected figure was with him in this mass of darkness, now being aware of any and all things that were touched by [Evil Darkness] within this domain! The puppet behind him was instantly destroyed by three orbs of darkness, leaving him free! The Projected Skullius had utilised all the orbs he had to create this cube of darkness after seeing his visual capabilities being impaired and it was working like a charm! Having to spin in one ce was detrimental only to those with physical bodies as it would disorient them by confusing their bodily fluids. This wasn¡¯t true for Skullius in his Projected form but he preferred to know what was around him. Hafuman gnashed his teeth as he tried to summon the strength to move but ten objects which he couldn¡¯t even perceive within the darkness arouund shed through him without remorse, turning him into a bloody mess! Immediately after, the domain of darkness was dispelled and Skullius regained his steady, flying stance. ¡®That was easier than I thought..¡¯ he mused in his mind. Seeing that the other Bookworm had been taken care of as well, Skullius rushed towards S who was massacring the weaker Cluster beasts. However¡­ ¡°YOU DARE KILL MY TWO GENIUSES?!¡± a loud voice bellowed from a hilly pile of mud, a powerful Bookworm being seen as it wore a ferocious expression, a crude but chilling wave of mana storming in every direction from its body! It was the Cluster General, Bragmaster! S halted his massacre as he looked at the creature that bellowed, opening up its Holder which had a dull golden glow around it, a beautiful mix of gold and red adorning the cover. ¡°IT TOOK YEARS TO CULTIVATE SUCH SMART STUDENTS! HAVE YOU ANY IDEA HOW SMART I HAD TO BE TO TEACH THEM HOW TO USE THEIR HOLDERS?! THIS SMART!¡± Bragmaster tore two pages from his Innate Holder and flung one into the mud and the other into the air. Two powerful spells had just been used. Two spells from a rather powerful source. Transmutation Magic! Both pages glowed bright, one in the mud and the other in the air with two phenomenal aspects urring after! Transmutation Magic, Floodful Vortex! Transmutation Magic, Vile Poison! The mud within a 400 meter radius swiftly turned into a flood of clear water, beginning to swirl around as first, it created a whirlpool and then rose while forming a massive vortex! The still air within the same range started to gain a dark hue, promptly turning into a corrosive poison that was drawn to the water vortex that had been conjured! S and the other Bookworms within range were swept up by the ferocious vortex of water, their bodies being flung into the thick of the poison. ¡°YOU SEE?! YOU SEE HOW SMART I AM?!¡± Bragmaster called. Chapter 382 Still Not Over Yet Therge water vortex swirled with great strength while lifting up the Bookworms who screamedand S who looked intrigued more than anything, even while the ordeal of being raised up high posed threat. Bragmaster¡¯s face did not hide how he felt about the death of his two treasured students. With how he had been the sole Bookworm with a fully useful Innate Holder for the longest time, he couldn¡¯t describe the joy he felt when Kotaman and Hafuman were able to learn their first spells under his tutge. Grooming them so that they began shaping up as proper, powerful Bookworms afterwards was a chore, but it was worth it and he had thought that with time, hundreds more would follow. Sadly, such a thing would likely not happen, given how the majority of his Bookworms had been killed by the individual with the green coloured sword, others being ughtered by Ferex while the rest were panicking in his poison infested water vortex. ¡°I HONOUR YOUR SACRIFICE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! MORE OF YOU WILL BE BORN AS LONG AS I REMAIN, STANDING BY MY SIDE ONCE AGAIN!¡± Bragmaster said, addressing the Bookworms caught in the flood and poison. At this point, he couldn¡¯t bother with his weak peers. Skullius shot towards the powerful Bookworm who already had three more pages in his hands, actively anticipating the worst from the foes he was facing. Only two remained of the three, one of them with a golden glow around him rushing in the opposite direction as if chasing something. Something that Bragmaster could not see. Three orbs of darkness rushed towards the Cluster General at extreme speeds as per the Projected Skullius¡¯mand, but Bragmaster narrowed his eyes as he activated one of the spells in his hands. Transmutation Magic, Self Spiritualisation! The page imbued with this spell shone, the hidden light it produced rushing through Bragmaster within an instant! The result shocked S who was swirling in the vast waters after having deactivated [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]yered on top of [Null Life Aura]. This was incredible! As someone who understood to a degree the ssic intricacies of ethereal beings, he was fascinated by the concept presented by Bragmaster! The Cluster General¡¯s blue body became hazy, the colourful vibrance over it bing muted in an unsettling way. It now looked transparent, with the shocking development of steady flight apanying this change! ¡®Has it be a Spirit?¡¯ S thought with narrowed eyes. Skullius orbs passed right through the creature that turned to grin at him, its Holder and the rest of the pages it had torn floating above its hand. ¡°DO YOU SEE HOW SMART AND SKILLED I AM?! DO YOU?! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR CULLING MY RACE, RIGHT HERE AND NOW!¡± Bragmaster called in a loud voice. In truth, this new form was different from a Spirit, contrary to what S thought. It was actually merely changing to a transparent and permeable state of being. While this couldn¡¯t exclusively be chalked up to transmutation as most knew it, it went to show how advanced the Cluster General¡¯s powers were, nearing a breakthrough into a different realm of power entirely! ¡®If I use my [Perfect Night Domain], will I be able to hit him?¡¯ Skullius thought, very much doubting the prospect. He looked to S who hadn¡¯t made a move yet, merely riding the waters that were now littered with dead Bookworms as a result of the poison. Such a thing couldn¡¯t affect him when he was hidden in his [Null Life Aura], the convenience of this skill being proven all the more. Another page from Bragmaster¡¯s Holder shone, the Cluster General grinning wide as another spell was activated. Transmutation Magic, Turn light into dark! As if some switch had been turned off, the world around the Cluster General, epassing the swirling water vortex and Skullius who floated turned dark! ¡­! Skullius gaped at this unexpected move! Given how he understood that [Evil Darkness] and mere darkness were different, he knew he was at a disadvantage. He couldn¡¯t see jack! His ck, white and grey vision was seemingly ineffective in the presence of basic darkness! How ironic! ¡®Well, I don¡¯t think that thing can attack me I any way still. The only problem is, I don¡¯t have a way to retaliate. If only I could do some dam¡ª¡± SHIIIIIIIIING! ¡­! Skullius heard a familiar sound. The cutting apart of air by a sword meant to harness death! ¡°ARGHHHHHHH!¡± the Projected Skullius heard the Cluster General shriek in pain. It had been hurt by Demion¡¯s Dance?! Quick movements over the raging waters sounded as S, who with his incredible senses and use of [Elevated Mana Maniption] could actually still ¡®see¡¯ the Cluster General in the darkness, rushed over the swivelling tide as if it was the most natural thing to do! He focused on the Cluster General which had the hand holding the pages it had torn from its Holder sliced clean off and wielded the Elimparidis Stone Staff, pointing it at the creature! Bragmaster gritted his teeth. As the caster of the spell, he could see everything despite the veil of darkness and the image he saw was terrifying. This man who didn¡¯t even have a worm tail had managed to attack his ethereal form sessfully?! ¡°RIDICULOUS! WATCH ME! I¡¯LL SHOW YOU THE HEIGHT I HAVE REACHED WITH MY TRANSMUTATION MAGIC! AFTER BEHOLDING IT, YOU WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO KNEEL!¡± the Cluster General said as he nted mana into the veryst page at the end of his Holder, the page glowing bright as it activated the spell buried within its face! This was another way to use the spells etched into the book¡¯s pages but it was more convenient for spells that did not have any need to be directed manually. As such, this new spell did not need to be directed at a specifical point as it affected everything within Bragmaster¡¯s range! Once again, the Cluster General grinned as it truly believed that it was checkmate for its enemies! ¡°TRANSMUTATION MAGIC, ENERGY RECONFIGURATION!¡± Bragmaster bellowed out the name of the spell with an immensely presumptuous sense of triumph! The page on which this spell was etched popped into spots of light, a vicious peculiar force, like thick, moving jelly exploding outwards! ¡°Hmmm?¡± S hummed in great surprise as the effects of the spell reached him! The mana¡­. The mana all around bubbled as if boiling, all things that held this energy starting to warp like mirages, bending in every which way uncontrobly, including the Elimparidis Stone Staff! Skullius was just as surprised at this phenomenon as while he didn¡¯t have ess to [Elevated Mana Maniption], he could still feel some changes all around! ¡®The mana is changing! Its turning into¡­.!¡¯ he thought as he felt the resulting change being something he knew but didn¡¯t expect at all. Primus! The spell cast by Bragmaster changed all mama in the vicinity into Primus, a low level divine energy form! ¡®Casually using such power¡­ This Cluster General would have been a dangerous being to deal with given more time¡­¡¯ S thought, his surprise waning. The Elimparidis Stone Staff in his hand started to curl unnaturally as the mana it was supposed to provide changed, bing Primus instead which was hard to handle for the weapon! S dropped it, resuming his charge toward Bragmaster who floated higher, avoiding S. As the surroundings warped around the Bookworm, Bragmaster frowned, noticing something he hadn¡¯t before S let go of the staff. ¡°You don¡¯t have a mana core?!¡± he questioned with an incredulous look. S grinned as he leapt up, his body floating at an angle from the jump. Demion¡¯s Dance in his hand was raised, the look upon the aged soul beingnguid. ¡°This was an unexpected detour. Unfortunately, it ends here,¡± S said as he brought down the sword. SHIIIING! A diagonal sh crossed the distance between him and Bragmaster, cutting the ethereal form of the Cluster General cleanly! ¡°ARGHHHH!¡± the creature eximed with wide open eyes, a hateful expression etched onto its visage. Its ethereal form did nothing to protect it from this sword that tonnes more mystery than most expected! How cruel! How unfair! Life quickly faded from the Cluster General¡¯s body which started to reform back to its original state. The Holder that had floated in its hand shone bright and popped into specks of light, signalling the death of its owner. The Primus recing mana all around also receded, bringing back stability to everything around. The waves fell down, their shape and form bing muddy again while the air turned normal from its poisonous state. The darkness transitioned into a clear view of the space as it was before, affording back Skullius a chance to see everything perfectly again. He saw the body of the Cluster General falling from a height, a clean slice separating it diagonally from the shoulder! Soon after, a series of notifications appeared in his vision. [You have killed (VI) LV78 Bookworm. 36,543,000 Exp awarded] [Congrattions, you have killed a Cluster General] [The Cluster General fueling this space has been killed. Cluster willmence copse. Please exit immediately] These notifications appeared before both Skullius and S but the aged soul wasn¡¯t focused on them. He dropped as the vortex died down, picking up the Elimparidis Stone Staff which had recovered its shape after the effects of Bragmaster¡¯stest Transmutation spell had worn off with Bragmaster¡¯s death. He turned as he noticed that Bek wasn¡¯t anywhere near vicinity. His senses stretched out, covering arge distance but because of howrge the muddy tform was, he couldn¡¯t cover it all. ¡®Without a doubt, he is probably still here. As for that woman, finding her will be difficult now that the Cluster General has been defeated. She probably has a way to escape this ce though,¡¯ S thought as he then focused on Skullius who was floating high up. ¡°Here we are again, tomato flinger. How shall we settle this?¡± he asked with coy smile. Skullius frowned. He honestly didn¡¯t know how to fix this and return to his body. A distance away, the imprable crack on the space tore open, revealing an exit out of the Cluster but none of the two moved. ¡®I don¡¯t know if he has any charges remaining with [Jump] but he can still easily create distance between himself me with this new speed of his¡­¡¯ Skullius thought the worst. S could just run away and keep manipting the Fruit of World Myths to keep Skullius out of the Discount Human body. Between the distance created and what S was somehow able to do with the treasure left behind by Fulgardt¡­ Wait. Skullius suddenly had a thought! Distance! Creating distance! That¡¯s was it! At that same moment he came to a realisation, a mental message coursed through his mind from Ferex who had sessfully evaded the chaotic rush of spells by the Cluster General, mainly by staying outside of its range, a feat he had managed after studying the range of Bragmaster¡¯s first two spells! Skullius was delighted to hear from the Apostle and he immediately gave an instruction. ¡®Don¡¯t lose sight of my body, no matter how fast he runs. I¡¯ll back soon. Hopefully.¡¯ With that Skullius bolted out of the Cluster at full speed under the surprised gaze of S who had been prepared for a fight, his experienced mind expecting Skullius to not be his only opponent. ¡®Where is he going?¡¯ he questioned himself with genuine surprise. Away from this suspenseful urrence, Bek had finally reached within range of the woman with the carriage. She seemed to have purposefully waited for him, which made him vignt. Her smile irked him but he didn¡¯t have the slightest thought to let her leave without answers. Chapter 383 Odd Soul Traversing through the sludgy mud had been annoying for Bek. Even with his speed, he would get caught in the mud trap at several points with Sera having to pull him out each time. The inconvenience-ridden journey for him to catch up to the dark skinned woman who was merely four meters away from him now, made him wonder how on earth she had reached the end of the mud tform so fast and without sinking. Such mysteries had to be delved into at some point. Behind him, he felt the massive wave of mana flowing erratically into a body, a powerful beast evidently having been in but he didn¡¯t pay it any mind. Even if this meant that the Cluster would soon be destroyed, he was sure this woman before him had ways to escape danger. This group of people had many strange abilities and tools. Like those dolls from before. And surely, he was proven correct. The mash of colour that constantly hummed, as if showing the edge of this world which was yet to be painted with the rest of the image of the Bookworms¡¯ world, something that now would never be seen, suddenly opened up to reveal an oval shaped breach with nothing but abstract lights tainting a widespread fine darkness within. Seeing this spontaneous change, Bek grew even more vignt but he didn¡¯t back away. Instead, he decided now was as good time as any to probe for answers. ¡°Who are you people?¡± The woman didn¡¯t render Bek an answer. Instead, she grabbed the bars at the sides of her carriage and pulled, her face turning to the former Knight once more before she entered the oval breach to the colourful space! ¡°Hey!¡± Bek yelled as he rushed forward, hesitating only briefly before he jumped in after the woman. Entering into the dark space sprinkled with lights was a more terrifying ordeal than Bek had initially thought. His dull eyes showed a lively fear as what he beheld seemed to once again paint over a new picture from what he knew! Just like that time when he had ¡®died¡¯. WHOOV! WHOOV! WHOOV! His body and even Sera¡¯s was pulled by a shocking suction, the lights around the two turning into colourful elongated disys that kept thempany all the way through the seemingly endless journey! After a certain chunk of distance travelled, Bek would feel something akin to an electric jolt of power painfully wash through him, as if spelling how he wasn¡¯t supposed to be here or that he had crossed some sort of boundary! There seemed to be many such boundaries as each caused Bek so much pain! This was beyond terrifying. The woman and her carriage were nowhere to be seen and before Bek, the only thing that could be viewed was a white light that kept getting brighter and brighter, its shape like that of an obscure multi-point star! WHOOV! WHOOV! The jolts kept growing more and more painful, Bek gnashing his teeth as he held back an agonised scream! When it felt like this trip would keep going on forever, Bek felt his firmly feet set on solid ground, his eyes which had grown ustomed to the lights quickly focusing to take in everything around him. It was a new space that he had appeared in. Somewhere different. Somewhere far and yet near. Yet to him, all he could say to describe the aesthetic of this ce was¡­ SKY. The next thing Bek saw was the dark-skinned woman and her carriage. She wasn¡¯t looking at him as he expected. Instead, she faced the opposite direction, her figure¡­. bowing down on both knees. Right after this second worth time from Bek¡¯s arrival and his notice of the woman, the former Knight felt his body willingly buckle down, kneeling in what he felt was involuntary reverence. His head rose on its own to gaze upon something that literally took his breath away. A gigantic figure sat in the air of this space! It remained perfectly still but it exuded a presence that eclipsed that of a world, something that made Bek feel extraordinarily insignificant. His life, his powers, his experiences, even of that ce from before. All of it. It all felt¡­ like nothing. What was this? Who was this? No amount of words could do justice in description or inquiry. The figure, as enormous as it was, was even harder to perceive at a basic level or wrap one¡¯s mind around and for a few moments, Bek was for the most part thoughtless and speechless, his mind trying to convince him that this was just a dream. After all, what else could be the exnation for all this! All around this space, men and women with carriages and carts behind them were bowing to this gigantic figure without a word but Bek didn¡¯t even register it. It wasn¡¯t worth diverting his attention from this..this¡­ marvel. Surely, it had to be dream. A voice that sounded like the echo of a song being sung by the world¡¯s greatest female bards sounded, its melodious tone almost pulling out Bek¡¯s soul! Literally! Bek would know! Yet the man couldn¡¯t find the words to say back, if they were any. Bek¡¯s body immediately vanished from his position and appeared right before the massive figure¡¯s face, all of its features being so imposing that he would have lost consciousness several times over if it weren¡¯t for some kind of intervention that he could feel. That was right. The powers of a Spirit Warden were as such. With the little Bek could hear as he summoned focus, he expressed his shock silently. Bek¡¯s mind whirled. Indeed. What had started as a simple excursion to find missing people had developed into a hopeful chase to correct something he felt was his fault for a long time. He had heard rumours that these people who abducted the sick and the healthy, locals and outsiders alike, were masters in their understanding of the soul, something he had confirmed after seeing one of them for the first time. How even his eyes which could clearly see the soul of an individual were barred from seeing the souls of these people. Even though he didn¡¯t understand what was happening here or what or who this gigantic figure was, he still held hope after hearing it speak about him as if it knew him very fondly. It wasn¡¯t a conscious reaction all things consiered. Bek felt as if he was speaking to a distant mother. Sera who was floating above Bek was suddenly yanked from him, her hazy figure being drawn towards the enormous being Bek was facing! ¡­! ¡®Sera¡­!¡¯ Bek thought instinctively. A massive hand grasped onto the Spirit of Sera, its entirely being hidden in the palm of this hand. As he saw this unfold, Bek strangely felt a sense of relief. These words felt like a breeze that gushed into Bek, entering his body through every pore that could be found on his skin. The world around him began to turn bright, his vision of this world, like a giant sky full of pristine clouds beginning to vanish. ¡­ Bek¡¯s mind was overwhelmed with emotion and memory. The remnants of the what he could still remember from this odd space before it would be deleted from memory, linked quite heavily to what had happened before. Memories he never thought back to for the sake of moving on with his life. ¡®LIAR!¡¯ These were the first words he had heard Sera say to him when he found her after his death as a Capital Order Knight. When she had been dancing with an atrociously ugly Spirit in that strange ce. He could almost see it right now, as if it was happening again. He had wept bitterly at seeing the woman he had loved being reduced to¡­ this. Half of her ugly and the other half beautiful. It was as if after death, Sera had failed to let go of the thoughts crammed into her by the people she grew with. That her blind eye made her look weird. That it sullied her beauty. That if only it could be rectified, she could be seen as eptable by everyone else. When Bek had stood before her, he couldn¡¯t handle the feeling of guilt anymore. Part of this was his fault. He was the one who had left Sera in that state of doubt which focusing on his merit. She had been all alone as she tormented herself with insecurity. That pain lead him to kneel before Sera and apologise with his eyes shooting tears down the ducts nonstop. A genuine plea of forgiveness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sera¡­¡± Bek did not know himself at the time but he doubted that his simple word formed apology could be what warranted what happened next. Sera¡¯s rage at that time, in that space, had immediately died down and she had rushed over to him to cradle him, her words soft as she begged for him not to cry. ¡°Bek¡­.don¡¯t cry¡­ please. I didn¡¯t mean it. You¡¯re not a¡­liar. No. You¡¯re not a liar. You came back for me. You found me here. Just like¡­ you did before¡­¡± she had said, making Bek tremble as he felt a pang of pain. He had held the hands of the Spirit for the first time, feeling the cold that traced through it with an aching heart before responding. ¡°Yes. Yes I found you again.¡± This was as far as he could remember that memory going however, as after that, he had found himself lying on the ground with the dead bodies of his fellow Knights strewn about, his previously pierced heart beating with a lively thrum. At this current point in time, Bek opened his eyes, finding himself standing at the entrance to a ce he knew very well, his mind configuring his memories hurriedly. ¡°Urgh¡­ What happened? Did they escape my grasp again?¡± he said as clutched her forehead, feeling a sensation akin to a hangover. He felt hollow. As if something was missing. His emotions were all over the ce but before he could fully recall what he had lost, he wondered¡­ ¡°Hmm? Am I in Okenden?¡± Chapter 384 Never Again Pat. Pat. S exited the Cluster, finding himself standing on the snow again as the crack behind him vanished. A Conqueror¡¯s Halo was around him, its light thick, almost blinding to an ordinary eye but he paid it no mind as it meant nothing to this body as long as he had the Binds of Fukal. S felt around but couldn¡¯t ascertain the shape of Skullius¡¯ Projected form. ¡®I know he didn¡¯t just run away. There must be something he realised that could potentially lead him to back into his body. Hmmm. With all these memories, most of them being a thousand years worth of nonsense, I can¡¯t pinpoint what that tomato flinger is thinking. Still, the Fruit of World Myths should buy me some time for a while. No matter what he is thinking, it won¡¯t work!¡¯ S thought with a determined balling of his fist. The truth behind his ability to take over Skullius¡¯ body and inherent use of the finer things that the Null Lifeform possessed like ess to the guidance field and memories all spawned from two things. The stage of his soul and the simple fact that S¡¯s soul was patched onto Skullius¡¯ own. Unlike the Master Stage, as broad as it was in rtion to the two stages prior to it, the Incandescent Stage started to refine one¡¯s soul in preparation for the power they would then receive. Taking over a body was child¡¯s y for a soul at the Incandescent Stage especially when it was practically one with the original soul of the body it possessed. Streaming in some of the power in the soul into this body was also easy, just like what S had done with the Creeds but he wasn¡¯t able to expand his soul¡¯s information into the Discount Human body because his soul was damaged. That added to the fact the the Discount Human body couldn¡¯t use some of the higher level concepts he knew without getting smashed to pieces governed S¡¯s limit. The aged soul had used the words ¡®my body¡¯ in the process of his deration of Creeds because he technically qualified to be the owner of the body as a result of the aforementioned circumstances. Now, with Skullius¡¯ soul which he was feeding on. One without a will, he could revive himself with these new powers all left for his use, though some factors were rather unfavourable. Like having to im the rest of Skullius¡¯ soul by fighting an Arch-Lich. Tsk! ¡®Still. There¡¯s no need to be nervous. There¡¯s that card that the tomato flinger has in his reserve. I will just use it for myself. Haha. There¡¯s no way that he will repossess this body. Now, I should probably head for a safe ce to retire for the rest of the night. This cosmetic body will revert to that¡­ Prator form soon,¡¯ S thought. He stored the Elimparidis Stone Staff and Demion¡¯s Dance in his storage ring which he wore on his finger before shooting towards the North. WHAM!!! A familiar force bashed against the Discount Human body right then, causing S to fall down on his back with a harsh boom! ¡®Ah. That damned Hound!¡¯ S thought as he kipped himself up and drew away. His inability to sense this creature was very detrimental to him escaping and there didn¡¯t seem to be a way around it! ¡®Seriously?!¡¯ The staff was summoned once again, S using the item to shoot a few [Jolt Rays] all around him in an effort to try and pinpoint the creature¡¯s location! Milky white streams of energy that contained distorted mana mixed with chaotic spatial effects caused horrendous explosions over the snowy ground which hissed intensely as billows of smoke and tendrils of steam poured upwards! Yet¡­ Nothing. S¡¯s blind eyes moved around, moreso showing where his focus was than anything else. He waited, expecting another whacking but¡­ Still nothing. ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯ With caution, S darted in another direction, hurtling forward at full speed to ensure that he would at least create some semnce of a distance between himself and the Hound. His incredible speed echoed through rapid steps over the snow as he turned into a dark shadow that ran without pause. For a full minute, S didn¡¯t experience any opposition. ¡®Did I lose it? Probably not. I wouldn¡¯t be able tell. Apparently these¡­ Apostles are better at pinpointing my position than I am theirs. Pathetic, tomato flinger! Pathetic!¡¯ S raged. Unbeknownst to him, Ferex was obediently fulfilling the task he had been ordered to by Skullius in the simplest way possible. He merely settled in the auburn locks of hair on the top of Skullius¡¯ head in his miniaturized form while waiting for his master who seemingly had a n to return to his body. Said master right now was flying through the air at rapid speed, creating distance between himself and S. The same could be said by thetter though. ¡®The distance that was between us before when entered the Cluster was probably less than 10 miles. With how I used up all those Enriching gems days ago, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m able to travel greater distances away from my body. Now¡­ I just have to exceed that distance limit!¡¯ Skullius thought. It had urred to him that there was a way to forcefully return to his body. Something that had happened before on an asion he had thought back to earlier. This was during his attempt at clearing the Tenth Task which was to cross a distance of 10 miles in his Projected form! (A/N: Refer to Ch.233). At that time, he had failed, over a certain distance, a powerful force dragging him back to his body! If it worked the same way, then distance must be one of the heavy influences for his prolonged duration in his Projected form! Skullius at this point had crossed a distance of over 21 miles, his dark figure still going on strong! ¡°More!¡± Skullius boomed with a hard expression. Several minutes passed by, another stretch of distance being covered. ¡°More!¡± Another stretch, amounting to distance of 40 miles! Still, the tug that Skullius expected was nowhere to be found! ¡°Moooore!¡± The Projected form shed over 55, 56, 57 miles then 58 and 59, the imagery beneath him turning wild and white when¡­. CLINCHK! ¡­! Both S and Skullius felt it! To S who inhabited the Discount Human body, he felt a massive dark chain spontaneously jut out of his chest, its origin being the Fruit of World Myths! As he saw this thing, the relevant memory attached to it surfaced, making him realise what Skullius was up to! ¡°TOMATO FLINGER!¡± S screeched with anguish. Skullius on the hand felt the chain which had crossed the vast distance between himself and S in an instant sink into his back and yank him backwards! The Null Lifeform couldn¡¯t be happier! He was pulled back with the same speed that the chain had travelled, his figure reaching S in an instant! ¡°NOOO!¡± S screeched as he tried to manipte the Fruit of World Myths again, something that he was he was able to do because he had tinkered with many treasures at Legendary rarity and above in his olden days! Unfortunately, this didn¡¯t work. The item he thought was simple to understand refused to listen to him, bringing the dark figure of Skullius into the Discount Human body seamlessly! As soon as Skullius felt himself enter his body, he fought back! S¡¯s soul which had grown roughly 25% bigger from consuming and integrating with his put up a fight, with the aged soul¡¯s will wrestling for control! ¡°TOMATO FLINGER, I WILL NOT YIELD! I AM WAR DRIVEN SOUL, UNLIKE THE LIKES OF YOU! I WILL NOT FALL LIKE THIS AGAIN!¡± S yelled. His pride which had been reaffirmed by his temporarily showcase of the power and knowledge hidden in his soul was slowly getting overwhelming again! Why?! He was a soul at the Incandescent Stage, so why was Skullius¡¯ weaker soul able to smother him and his will?! Why?! Was he truly some unnamed General whose worth was merely overstated?! ¡°Shut up you, sockethole! I¡¯ll lock you up for who knows how long and you¡¯ll never use this body again!¡± Skullius hissed as he once again detained S who screeched hateful words until his voice was no more. Then, silence. Skullius opened his eyes. A lot of good that did. He couldn¡¯t see anything. However, in exchange, things were different. So much was different with his other senses. ¡°So this is who I am now, huh?¡± Skullius begrudgingly said with a frown. Blind and without a core a few days before the Premium Age Royale. What luck this was¡­ ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] Hey. First off, I apologise for the erratic uploads. I could give a thousand excuses but I¡¯ll just say this will be scheme for the rest of this month but expect more than seven chapters a week. Anyway this concludes this arc of the story. Feel free to leave your thoughts whatever they are. As you know, I appreciate the feedback greatly. Thanks ya¡¯ll. Keep the supporting. I¡¯ll improve on the mandatory uploads but do not know discouraged from supporting to attain extra chaps. Chapter 385 Allies and Bastions Genhuis City. ¡°What a journey,¡± Oliviana said as she disembarked from the carriage, her short figure stretching out to release the physical tension that had built up in her body from having to sit through a rather long, journey to get here. A very bright sun that looked almost too close forfort could be seen directly overhead, almost taking the shine away from the distant, ¡®real¡¯ sun that provided limited light and heat to the cold region. Besides the curiosity over what this phenomenon was, Oliviana couldn¡¯t be happier to be in another environment. One where she could start afresh and not be tied down by the confines of the word ¡®small.¡¯ Silrat followed after the female assassin and took a deep breath. The air was different. The mana was different The tension was growing along with great opportunity. This was his kind of environment and he had a history with it. Once again, he had created an opportunity for himself to rise, a gamble that had paid off, as opposed to the one he had made a long time ago,ting him a fair share of misery. ¡°I¡¯d say what a view instead. We¡¯re here. Better not focus on anything else,¡± Silrat said, his eyes hiding caution and a plethora of ns. Oliviana gave Silrat a strange look. ¡°Loosen up, will you? You dodged the heavy duty of having to oversee most of the reconstruction of the Inhone along with dealing with the aftermath of that terrible incident. If I were you I¡¯d do more to celebrate,¡± she said with a quick punch to Silrat¡¯s arm. The man didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry when dealing with this carefree attitude. Was this payment he had agreed to for training Festos to Oliviana going to be beneficial? ¡°Well, I¡¯ve noted that in times of premature celebration¡­ atrocities usually follow. Maybe it¡¯s just that we have different motives. You¡¯re finally free from having to sit burdened by small duty and can see the bigger world while I on the other hand¡­¡± ¡°Have arge role to y,¡± the voice of Sty who exited out the side of the carriage reached the two, finishing Silrat¡¯s sentence. ¡°Precisely,¡± Silrat said with a shallow smile. Two guards walked with the youngdy as she approached Silrat and Oliviana, joining in on their conversation. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the option of where you¡¯d like to start with you. You¡¯re wee toe to our estate with me and formally introduce yourself to my Family as a partner or settle some of your affairs first,¡± Sty said. Silrat nodded. ¡°How generous. I believe our collusion isn¡¯t going anywhere so I might as well start with the Guilds Association. I have a few records to set straight,¡± the former Guilds Association head said before turning to Oliviana who was still stretching. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Hmm? I¡¯ming with you, of course. Nothing spells freedom quite like the Guilds Association. I¡¯d like to see how I¡¯ll fair in that environment not as some small time tutor with barely anything to do,¡± Oliviana said while looking with shining eyes at the high structures all around. This ce was huge. ¡°Good then. I can at least count on somepany while my ace is out there probably endangering his life,¡± Silratmented, noticeably causing himself stress. Sty partook in that thought as well, wondering when Skullius would arrive. She had given him a token which would make passage through the strict city security much easier but that was an element she could only focus on when she knew Skullius was alright wherever he was. She much preferred to have all the pieces she needed under her control but¡­ ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed to say this but I barely know Festos on a personal level or even on a professional one. Ourst meeting made me realise that he¡¯s not the same person I once raided multiple Clusters with and frankly, I¡¯ve had quite the bit of trouble trying to convince myself that this is the only card left for me to y,¡± the youngdy from the Bryne Family said as she emitted a nervous sigh. ¡°Festos is¡­.reliable, right?¡± Oliviana and Silrat looked at each other for a bit, thetter giving his honest and most sincere answer. ¡°Eh¡­¡± he shrugged. *** ¡°To think this day would actuallye,¡± a middle-aged looking man wearing a fine, formal suit said as he looked at the figure standing in front of him. It was a familiar man with a face he had seen only thrice before. Now, the circumstances were different, literally dictating that both of their forces be rallied together. The man who had just spoken shook his head while rubbing the monocle on his left eye which seemed to block a fierce reddish gold light that brimmed from the respective socket, his right eye being focused on the Pdin Champion he faced. ¡°Yes, yes how surprising. The Purity has finally relented. We will be working together to protect this city. Hopefully you don¡¯t mind too much,¡± the Champion decked in the distinct, shining armour said with a false smile. ¡°Relented is a strong word, Ruhrees. I wouldn¡¯t even use it to describe the chaotic process that lead to this¡­ coboration being deemed as valid by the Governor and the emissaries from the Royal Family,¡± the man with the monocle said with a refined chuckle. ¡°A bunch of emissaries? Try having to deal with overconfident old crones debating over the fate of the continent by measuring hubris. If the Evenfall and the Green Neolists did not decide to collude, our next meeting would probably be in the Tunatsche.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Interesting assessment,¡± the man with the monocle said with another chuckle. ¡°I am a believer of the gospel of the Deities. Why would you bundle me up with you, a chosen Champion of the Deities who already sees himself being cast aside?¡± ¡°We both know why. No matter how good you are, there¡¯s no such a thing as a reward after death. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to rest after my journey. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t need me take over babysitting the great city in your stead this soon.¡± ¡°Ha. d you¡¯re aware of that fact. What use is a City Guardian if not to be the first line of defence for the city?¡± Ruhrees grunted as he walked past the man with the monocle and into avish building where a line of guards and maids stood respectfully at the sides. He was truly serious about resting andzing off for the day. For the bright sun in the sky, wasn¡¯t a mere decoration, but a symbol of the might that Genhuis already had, a bastion of hope that he didn¡¯t bother to rece. Chapter 386 Worldly Matters Tremur Forest. A seemingly endless ne littered with all manner of abstract shapes that trembled randomly as if struck by bolts of lightning,covered the vast space. These shapes took on many different colours as they floated by, as if spectators, swimming in the darkness around them with no sense of direction. The tranquil presence within this ne was so intense that one could go insane just by being set within it for a limited amount of time, but luckily, shapes and darkness were not all that popted this ce. While the owner of this space valued silence, he was wee topany, provided it was worth his time. A massive ck-furred ape could be seen within the space, a mass of light above its head in the form of a simplistic, revolving crown. It had a thick mane around its neck, golden streaks of lightning sparking from its bulk. In addition to this, a thick golden glow covered it, as if warding off the darkness from the ne as it sat with its arm over its knee. Opposite the ape was arge aquatic serpent with resplendent blue scales that took every opportunity they could to show off their shine, above its coiled body a crown also being seen with a thick blue energy matting around its mass. Its green eyes looked reverently to its right where a somewhat less imposing animal figure could be made out, sitting over a pile of some of the abstract, colourful shapes that were bountiful in this ce. This figure was short but with long arms, thick ck and white fur in strips covering its entire body. ¡°Az. State your purpose,¡± the figure that sat upon the mound of shapes said, its voice rippling through the darkness authoritatively. The Ape nodded as it released a mana-saturated breath, its sharp eyes turning to the forth individual within this meeting space for a brief period. ¡°Weeks ago, I encountered a strange creature that wandered into my Territory. An undead. Or at least I thought it was at first,¡± Az said, his mind springing forth that bothersome encounter. ¡°Its presence was thick with the energy of Undeath at one moment and in as air in the next, leaving me torn for what to believe. Then, this creature told a tale that ultimately lead me to leave it alive.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the forth figure expressed mild surprise. ¡°You tend to overthink matters at times, Az. What could a creature with the presence of Undeath possibly tell you for you to let it leave?¡± the boisterous voice of the figure mounted on the pile of shapes said, its arms that hung over its thighs rippling with strange muscle spasms. Az sighed before looking at the creature opposite him, the Aqua Ripper which he shared a portion of the Tremur to defend. The massive serpent merely shrugged, clearly not interested in helping the Ape postte his case. ¡°Elder Karima,¡± Az said. ¡°This little creature imed that it was sent on a mission to investigate thends of the dead under the guise of one. It said that it had escaped from its Lich and had returned to report to the important personage that had sent it.¡± Az¡¯s gaze once again fell on the forth figure within this domain, a man with long, silky light cool brown hair that wasbed back, settling at his shoulders. He wore a long sleeved white shirt, its texture strangely like mithril with a pair of reddish brown pants that could easily have been identified as part of a leather armour set. As he sat in the darkness, slung around his shoulder a sword sheath with a leather strap, a dreadful red nket of energy around him pushed away the influence of this space. ¡°An important personage, is it?¡± the man said with interest. ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone in this world brave or strong enough to send their forces to Deadmand for simple information gathering. Could it be someone from outside Aigas? Hmmm. Did he give a name?¡± ¡°He titled this personage Emperor B. In truth, I was under the impression that this individual who could mask away the presence of Undeath even in my Territory had to be a real figure at the very least,¡± Az replied. ¡°Was I fooled?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. I understand your dilemma though.¡± ¡°Is this even worth looking into, Elder Karima?¡± the Aqua Ripper said, its green eyes shining as it beheld the figure of the owner of this ne. ¡°One measly undead infiltrated the forest but that doesn¡¯t mean anything grand does it? Shouldn¡¯t we be talking about something that actually matters? Like that wild fox that has finally been let loose?¡± ¡°Leave him be. The forest will replenish in a few years. I owe him this much at least for what he had to endure. What I am more interested in is who imed the legacy he was guarding. Hopefully, he will tell us after his childish tantrum,¡± the being known as Karima said, his voice intimidating the darkness once more. ¡°Back to the previous subject, how should we conclude it?¡± Az turned to the man with the white shirt. ¡°There¡¯s an additional detail. Perhaps I sensed wrong but I am confident in my ability to perceive such powers,¡± he said. ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± ¡°This little skeleton I encountered, was bound by the Voice of Worlds¡­¡± ¡°Hooo¡­.¡± the man in the white shirt said while nodding with a light in his eyes. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°That is quite the im, Az. Are you sure? If that is the case, we have a veryplicated matter on our hands.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sure, Elder Karima.¡± ¡°Hmmm. You should have continued to monitor this little creature for as long as possible then.¡± ¡°I intended to, Elder, but you see¡­ I have reached THAT limit.¡± ¡­! The figure atop the pile of shapes trembled, its flesh spasming with excitement! ¡°Is it really so, Az?!¡± a burst of exhration boomed from the creature. ¡°Indeed, Elder. That was the main reason I came today. I can no longer walk freely in the world, even for limited amounts of time without using my Territory. I am ready to ascend,¡± the Ape said with pride. ¡°Hahahahaha! And here I thought you had only brought spection and conspiracy! Good! I shall prepare everything within the day!¡± The Aqua Ripper showed jealousy while the sole human in this space stood, evidently excusing himself. ¡°The matters of beasts aren¡¯t my concern so I¡¯ll leave you. I¡¯ll keep an eye out for the Emperor B and the little skeleton you spoke of. With luck perhaps I¡¯ll be able to sniff them out,¡± the man said before his figure vanished. He appeared within the dense vegetation that had rivers of white flowing in air and breathed out a sigh. The air was rich, energy condensing beautifully. ¡°Allies like these are always troublesome. They are ultimately concerned with personal matters over the bigger picture. Looks like I¡¯ll be acting alone for now.¡± Chapter 387 Not As Upset As You Think One hour. One whole hour had passed with the figure of the Discount Human down on the ground as his head was set forward, his nk eyes seeing nothing of the beauty of the waters in the world held up on the Elimparidis Stone Staff. A soft breeze brushed past him and his body picked up its velocity and consumed everything there was to know about it. The sensitivity possessed by the Discount Human¡¯s flesh now was ridiculous as with this same breeze, he could identify everything within a 100 meter radius, everything this same breeze smashed into. Grass, soft bursts of dust, the ground¡­ Every slight movement, every little vibration on in ground, told him everything about most things in this hundred meter range, his ears perfecting the image atop all of this through the soft and hard sounds. This was phenomenal¡­ but Skullius didn¡¯t pay it any heed. At least at this moment. He subconsciously took in breathes as he thought back to everything that had urred. How S used his Discount Human body. How he had used these strange things called¡­Creeds, to sacrifice his core, his sight and some of his important skills, like [Greater Communication I] for gains that were probably meant for short term purposes. The other sacrifices were quite troublesome but for Skullius, losing his core was quite the blow. He didn¡¯t know much about the core but he understood its importance. Feeling it vanish as if it was never there during that fight with Bek had been a tragic experience. Almost tragic enough for Skullius to rage out and yell bone expletives into the sky. Yet, he did still feel a raging sense of unfairness. He had lost quite a lot, disrupting what he thought was a phenomenal path to growth. His own path to growth. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Skullius clicked his tongue. In all honesty, he wasn¡¯t as upset as one would think. Heck, he wasn¡¯t even as upset as he would have liked. At this point, expecting things to somehow go wrong was his daily bread and now, it was starting to stick. His life was never going to be easy. Whether it was atrocious luck behind it or something else, Direction seemed to dictate that hardship was his portion. Even something VOW had said to him way back rung in Skullius¡¯ mind, making him scoff and feel like that was some nasty foreshadowing. ¡®¡­True strength is forged when one is alone and resolute¡­¡¯ (A/N: Refer to Ch.12). That¡¯s right. Because of UNCoddled, the feeling of loneliness was always drilled into Skullius and he was forced to grow alone for the most part. Even his new goals, like risking more and digging into his past through different means were things that he had set to do himself. All alone and resolute. ¡°Yeah¡­ all alone¡­¡± Skullius mumbled. The memory of Doom Factor 2 reaching 52% scaled up in his mind but he quickly suppressed it. He didn¡¯t even want to know how much time he had left. At least not now when he was trying to figure out how to move forward. At this moment though¡­ [The skill ¡®High Cosmetic Body¡¯ has timed out ¨C 00:00:00] Skullius¡¯ flesh began to recede, his frame growing taller as the Prator emerged, four zing sockets being lit ame by a fierce blue fire. Skullius¡¯ vision returned and the sensation of mana rushing through him palpably brimmed through his body. ¡°As I thought¡­¡± Skullius said. His Discount Human body was an additional body he had, with its own characteristics even though he shared things like Null Life Essence and some skills between it and the Prator body. Whatever had happened to the cosmetic body did not apply to the Prator. What a unique state of existence this was. Skullius could truly appreciate this right now of all times. Still¡­ he felt sullen. There were a great deal of things that he needed to wrap his mind around first as he didn¡¯t really have the luxury of sulking in what he had lost. ¡°So using [Crude World Projection] isn¡¯t an option anymore, huh?¡± This skill which had been quite important to him had suddenly be something he couldn¡¯t use now. If he did, he would probably be met with the same circumstances he had had to suffer through for past few minutes. ¡°My awareness goes with my Projected form and I leave my soul and body without any control. That¡¯s fleshed up but I get it now. Though this one mistake caused me a lot of problems.¡± Yes. The biggest one, besides losing his mana core was that S knew everything about him now! Skullius¡¯ privacy was nowpletely gone while he barely knew much about S, which could be even more detrimental. All that said, Skullius was already in the process of digesting it all. There was no going back now. An internal enemy had ingested all his memories. It was a frightening thing indeed. However, once again, Skullius didn¡¯t have the luxury of dwelling on it. Instead¡­ Skullius inserted mana into his spatial storage ring, two objects falling to the ground. Demion¡¯s Dance and the Lord-yer spear! One was a de meant to sh with death while the other was a weapon Skullius had crafted with [Unbound] in order to use as his Prator body¡¯s signature weapon. This along with another item he had used arge chunk of Null Life Essence on were two items he had been looking forward to using in the uing battles between his two bodies. The Lord-yer spear was meant to cover for his inability to inflict any other damage outside of pration damage while the other item would ensure he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer from losing armour after armour. These aside though, S¡¯s use of Demion¡¯s Dance and the spear in the previous battle had been insane, especially the green ded sword which Skullius had not been able to use even half of what S had been able bring out. If there was a way to put what had happened behind him, Skullius thought it would be by mimicking S and making the most of what he had set. ¡®Now that I think about it though, would S really resort to fighting without a mana core for rest of his life. I mean¡­ he probably responded to what he needed at the time to defeat Bek,¡¯ Skullius thought. This seemed like a safe assumption or rather, the Discount Human was trying to figure out a convincing argument towards possibly restoring his mana core. ¡®I should be able to do it, right? I don¡¯t know how long it will take, but it should be possible!¡¯ There was no way S intended to live the rest of his life without a core! While this had been a concern of Skullius¡¯, he decided to cast it aside and believe that his mana core could be reforged! Skullius balled his hand into a fist with determination, casting his worries aside. He had to do it! He had no other choice! From his side, the figure of Ferex leaned against him as strings of Unliving Thread streamed from its body and wove themselves into¡­. a book! No. It wasn¡¯t merely a book! It was an Innate Holder! The cover and the old pages that constituted this unique item immediately drew Skullius¡¯ attention and he couldn¡¯t help but be awed. ¡°How did you get your hands on this?¡± he asked as he touched the book, feeling the rough cover and sensing the profound, intricately woven mana within it. After a quick mental message, Skullius grasped the basic idea of what had happened. Apparently, Ferex had used [Amorphous Sampling] along with another one of his racial skills called [GENIUS!] which granted him a temporary ¡®enlightenment¡¯ into unclear or abstract concepts. The moreplicated they were, the harder it was for Ferex to understand them. However, if the Hound understood it, the Unliving Threads could, to some extent, mimic the effects! For such an innate ability like creating magical books from which spells could be spammed nonstop, [Amorphous Sampling] was not enough, and even when coupled with [GENIUS!], Ferex did not get all the spells in the book he had sampled. Within this Holder with a dark blue cover and yellow orange pages, only five pages had the imprint of an array for a spell. ¡°This is really good, Ferex. Great work. At least one of us got something good out of this,¡± Skullius said as he patted therge creature¡¯s head. While Skullius was awed, he couldn¡¯t really say he was shocked. Red Rage was able to do something simr with his obscene blessing, copying skills from Advanced sses with ease. Ferex¡¯s ears swayed this way and that, his hollow but luminous sockets lighting up brightly. This wasn¡¯t merely an expression of excitement from the praise but an indication that the beast had several ns it aimed to execute, all of them geared towards making life easier for its master. By the time Ferex was indulging in his thoughts, Skullius was already conjuring the necessary resolve to begin reforming a way ahead that incorporated the aftermath left by S. ¡°This could be an opportunity in disguise if I keep the right attitude. Maybe it will help me find some insights about the mana core and for that¡­¡± For this, a certain skill which hade off cooldown way before its time because of a strange technicality was needed. If Skullius intended to reforge his core, he needed¡­ [Depths of the Core]. Chapter 388 Opportunity In Disguise! (1) The mana core was different from the soul. It was quite important, no, very important and essential, but at the end of the day, it had the tendency to grow rigid and basic from the most mundane of uses. In fact, for most humans and beasts, their cores were formed naturally, having basic traits that usually involved the same general formation of mana and the function of storing said energy crudely. Such a start was already non-indicative of a powerhouse in the realm ofbat. Mages and skilled fighters from powerful Families and Houses were groomed from their cores, avoiding this basic setup of the core that would eventually stick with time, bing difficult to change. Once a specialised flow and formation was created, specific techniques could be used along with more advanced applications of mana. For Skullius who had devoted himself to the ¡®study¡¯ of mana for a thousands years, such a thing had obviously slipped his notice because of the conditions he had grown in but now¡­ [Depths of the Core]. A skill Skullius had only ever used once before was activated, but¡­ ¡°OH!¡± Skullius eximed as he hadpletely forgotten an important detail! [Epiphany]¡¯s passive effect of a 90% increase in proficiency and power to all used skills washed over [Depths of the Core]! VWOOSH! A wild gush of mana poured from Skullius¡¯ core! The Discount Human¡¯s vision shifted from the world atop the staff, digging deep as it sank within him, through bone and other substances before arriving at his core! Only this time¡­ ¡­! ¡°Is this really¡­ my core?¡± Skullius thought as he saw a massive construct below him in a unique sectional view. This wasn¡¯t how he had seen his core before! Last time it was as if he had been seeing a puzzle of seemingly innumerable joins that he had toplete before the then time limit of [Depths pf the Core] ended. He had struggled to achieve a blue core within a short span of time, hanging on the description of the skill but to no avail. Now, the view was vastly different. What he saw was a three-sectioned sphere that had numerous paths connecting to it and spreading outwards towards a vague, dark mass that Skullius thought to be his body. At the very centre, on the innermost part, was an extremely bright small white sphere that surged with super condensed mana! Next came arger sphere that held what Skullius could only identify as parallel rings of white mana with the outermost part being a thin, shell with a silvery hue. These segments to the core were open for Skullius to see through, though he imagined that this was ayout that most people wouldn¡¯t be able to see unless they could dissect a core. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡± Skullius said as he looked ahead. It was a gorgeous view and he felt a rush of power tumbling within him eagerly! An effect of this empowered [Depths of the Core]! The numerous paths linking to the vague darkness connected to the silvery outer shell of the core, seemingly drawing mana from it to supply to the body in a controlled manner. Actually, no. This wasn¡¯t a mere assumption or spection. Skullius could feel it! The more he looked at the core, the more information about it naturally stormed into his mind, making him understand every aspect of it! The effects of [Epiphany] were incredible! Skullius couldn¡¯t even imagine just how much levelling he¡¯d need to get [Depths of the Core] to this level otherwise. ¡°I see¡­ I understand¡­¡± Skullius said as he dug deep into the detail that was brashly exposed before him. The Centre of the mana core. A sort of origin where the purest mana of an individual was concentrated. This pure mana¡¯s purpose was to act as the raw material for all changes and attributes that an individual would want to attach to their mana after it exited the Centre. It was like a nk canvas. One was free to draw on it as they liked but if a canvas which was already something drawn on was used, amendments and corrections were either extremely difficult to input or t out impossible! ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s what it is. But then, there¡¯s also levels of purity to the mana. I can¡¯t imagine that when my core finally formed in Deadmand, it was anything good. There¡¯s barely any mana in that ce so all. It took so many years just to get it to the size of a fist,¡± Skullius said to himself while indulging in these bits of information that he crammed into his own theories, further making his churning mind understand. The Refinery. The section between the Shell and the Centre where Skullius could see the tightly packed rings of bright mana. This was where any modifications to the mana exposed from the centre would be made. The nk and clear mana was morphed into a malleable state, its shift by external means being very possible. As Skullius looked at this setup, he understood exactly what was wrong. ¡°This is¡­ way too simple¡­¡± he said as he gazed at the rings. There was nothing special about them. Their form was basic, meaning that this was simply a naturally formed mana core without anything unique (he knew this). The limitations were boundless as a result and it was only now that Skullius was noticing it. ¡°These rings are the ones that carry basic mana which is then fed to the paths that lead to my body, huh? I see now,¡± Skullius said with piles of disappointment weighing his voice. The Shell enclosing the Refinery and the Centre was in charge of both containment and distribution. It literally spelled the entirely of the core in a nutshell. This was it. The setup of the core. Skullius sighed. After all that he had learned right now, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like losing his core wasn¡¯t something to cry over anymore. ¡°This basically means that both of my cores didn¡¯t have anything special about them at all,¡± Skullius said. If cores weren¡¯t just batteries as he was learning now, then¡­ ¡°I was right¡­ Maybe losing my core wasn¡¯t such a bad thing after all. S probably knew this and intended to form a better one after escaping from Bek.¡± This was merely a thought though as Skullius didn¡¯t intend to ask S about it. The old piece of soul was probably still angry from losing his freedom again and probably wouldn¡¯t answer his inquiries. Skullius¡¯ vision descended, reaching the Refinery where the multiple rings were arching around the Centre. These rings weren¡¯t merely piles of energy. They actually had a distinct signature and pattern, different from the pure mana flooding from the Centre. Still however, this signature and pattern could only be described as basic as well. Skullius scoffed. How pathetic. ¡°Its clear now. This wasn¡¯t a loss. This just served to show me that if I want to grow stronger, I need to forge a better core!¡± Skullius said as he red with resolve. Chapter 389 Opportunity In Disguise! (2) With the renewed resolve, Skullius breathed in, further studying the mana core for a few more minutes before he came to a realisation. ¡°This issting a lot longer than I thought. Should I try to push my core to blue again?¡± he thought. Given how his trial of the activity had gonest time, Skullius had doubted that turning his core from white to blue would be something he could do with two or even three tries of [Depths of the Core]. Up until now, he had been so enthralled by the information about his core which he had been gathering at the moment that this thought didnt even cross his mind until now. The fact that there were no interlocking pathways within this core that he had to connect likest time had also driven his mind further away from the thought. However, as soon as Skullius¡¯ mind whirled to this, a familiar field of criss-crossing blue lines, some that met at one point and some that didn¡¯t, their number in the thousands, appeared over theyout of the mana core he had been seeing this whole time. ¡°There it is¡­¡± Skullius said, his words dragging on as he lost himself in the beautiful and chaotic arrangement. While gazing at it, he could even tell that there was a continuity from when hest tried as some of the lines he had joined were depicted here in the order he recognised fromst time. Seeing this as an open invitation to give going for a blue core another try, Skullius dug in, his consciousness drawing onto the lines and exerting a non-physical force over them that tried to pull them together. As Skullius expected, this wasn¡¯t an easy process even with the effect of [Epiphany] but the difficulty had been toned down from nightmare to hard. As such, the motivated Null Lifeform worked, putting his proverbial and hypothetical back into it. At the back of Skullius¡¯ mind, he kept expecting there to suddenly be a convenient timer that ran out when he was starting to get into the mood for this but surprisingly, that turned out to not be case! He strenuously pulled on the rigid lines ovepping the structure of his core with all his might, making sure to go in a systematic manner this time so that wherever he left off, he could pick up from there. The blue lines were connected one after the other, creating thrums of power with each link! The progress was exhrating! Skullius had gone over a little more two hundred of these when¡­ Nothing. No timer, no push, no hurry. ¡°Can I just keep doing this forever then?¡± Skullius thought as he kept joining the lines over and over again. With time, he started to note a change while also gaining an understanding over the effects of some of his skills through this experience. This line work wasn¡¯t an inherent part of the mana core. Instead, it was a mechanism conjured by the skill [Depths of the Core] in order to make the process of obtaining a blue core easier! The same was true for other skills like [Spirit Walk]. Sure it was tough but it definitely beat having to condense mana repeatedly mana for a decade or more. Skullius linked a hundred more, his pace getting faster as under the line work he was working on, his mana core started to glow with a brighter shade! ¡°Am I getting close?¡± Skullius asked himself, but the evidence of hundreds more lines left clearly told him that this wasn¡¯t exactly the case. Unfortunately for Skullius, his vision suddenly drew away rapidly, the image of the ground he sat on being what wasid before his sockets. Finally, [Depths of the Core] had finally timed out. ¡°This skillsts a few minutes instead of one now?¡± Skullius said as he balled his bony fist which crackled with sparks of Silentburn Levin in excitement. With the progress he had made so far, he was sure that he could obtain a blue core the next time he used the skill, which was after he used [Bringer of All] with Ferex again to remove its cooldown. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what to do to change an already existing core but for a new one, there¡¯s room to experiment. At least I now know how the mana core works. Wait¡­ It¡¯s actually simr to THAT, now that i think about it! Could it be that the same thing applies?!¡± Skullius wondered before rising up and looking to his right where an expansive forest wasid bare. ¡­ Three hours¡­ and a few minutester¡­ The image of a Discount Human stood in the thick of literal wends, his feet almostpletely submerged in a sludgy mud that oozed of fine porridgely dirt. A very cold breeze sifted through massive trees that rose for dozens of meters, their girth being hundreds of times that of Skullius and more. They had bulky barks and firm exteriors that gave the impression that they never missed trunk day, the leaves and variety of fruit they produced being so muchrger than the norm that it was freaky. Skullius took in a deep breath. FUUU! ! ! ¡­! This single breath caused Skullius to emit a chilling cough and his body to kneel in the muddy ground, his body quivering violently. ¡®Yeah¡­ I was right. It¡¯s almost the same thing,¡¯ Skullius thought as he staggered to a stand. Even though he couldn¡¯t see, his hyper sensitive body felt the absurd amount of mana casually worming around this ce like rivers. Vast rivers with a thickly white mass. This was the very centre of the forest within the world atop his Staff. Vibrant and heavy waves of mana ran through everything, giving all things living or not a rather, fresh vibe. The cool mud at Skullius¡¯ feet was the same, the chill it invited into his body being an indication that therewas an abundance of pure mana here! ¡®All three ces within this world possess their own rules, I guess. In the water, mana gets denser with depth. In the mountains, mana experiences the same but with height instead. And then here¡­¡¯ Here. The concentration of mana grew as one approached the centre! Asides from the coolness that was propounded with this phenomenon, Skullius felt something else other than mana. Something that encouraged LIFE. What was the mystery behind this? ¡®Well¡­ if this really is pure mana, then I guess I can try to make the Centre to my new mana core. I wonder if it will be as hard as I imagine,¡¯ Skullius thought as he felt for the void in his body in need for a mana core. With this body of his, he could sense mana at a more advanced level without [Elevated Mana Maniption] unlike before. However, that skill was still needed. ¡°I¡¯ve never had to use skills without my own mana. How do I use the Staff¡¯s mana when its out there?¡± As Skullius mentioned this, it seemed as if the staff heard his conflict and it responded to his will, giving him what he needed, the mana pathways in his body that reached over to the void where his core was supposed to be flickering as mana eventually lit them up! ¡°Oh¡­that¡¯s convenient,¡± Skullius said as he felt this strange sensation for the first time. Mana that did not originate from his core! With him being able to activate his skills now, a passing thought coursed through Skullius¡¯ mind. Where did the skills he learned inhabit then? Was it the soul? Was there another construt that made up a body? He didn¡¯t know. It was merely a thought as with what he needed ounted for, Skullius got to work. ¡°Hopefully this works¡­ [Elevated Mana Maniption]!¡± Chapter 390 Opportunity In Disguise! (3) Deep within Skullius¡¯ soul, the will of a certain individual was held captive in what most would likely call a bubble. A cute word, though. Prison was more astute. There was nothing to be felt and nothing to be seen from within the bubble. Whoever would be sentenced to such a fate of being stored as a mere consciousness was bound to grow insane or writhe in negativity until they snapped. Anyone but this man, however¡­ S silently coiled within the silence. If he hadn¡¯t been imprisoned for thousands of years prior within the Labyrinth of the Yoke, a darkness that seemed to carry boundless evils being hispany for the longest stretch of time, he could have gone insane. No. Perhaps not. That was an unfair assessment. To live that long without needing sustenance, his body having been relieved the need to excrete waste, was naturally credit that belonged to the master of the Labyrinth, Fulgardt. S in his inaudible rage and pain was forced to think back to the good, the average and the really bad times during the course of his actual life. Growth. Belief. Love. Defeat. Misery. The age he had lived in had plenty of these. Because of the horrors of war, people loved like there was no tomorrow. Because beliefs were warped by behemoths with the power to topple continents, cults flourished. Because no one pitied the weak, or even considered them in the grand scheme of collective life, growth was more prominent. And yet, to those who were not in Fulgardt¡¯s camp, misery and defeat seldom missed its mark. S was unfortunate to still be alive even after that humiliation from the day the Grim Tower fell. Worse yet, what preceded it was a torn heart as a bold and unwavering sense of grief which was constantly portrayed in the form of blood mixed with pale red juices of fresh tomatoes¡­ For him, the worst loss of his life. ¡®I am bottled up once again. Hmph! Pathetic! Will I slowly grow mad once more?¡¯ S thought. THRUM! ¡®Hmm?¡¯ THRRUUUUUM! S¡¯s thoughts were disturbed by a loud boom that seemed to bang against the dome of the bubble he inhabited! THRUUUUM! Waves of energy sted against it, but to S, only a muffled shudder reached his consciousness. Such a thing. What was Skullius doing? S¡¯s thoughts went over to how he had temporarily attained freedom earlier. Thatplex treasure within Skullius¡¯ body¡­ If he had had more time with it, perhaps he could have worked something out. He had sacrificed Skullius¡¯ mana core because there was little to gain from it if he were to fight Bek whom he had estimated to be at the Master Stage. Basic mana attacks wouldn¡¯t work against him but immense physical prowess would. ¡®His core¡­ is he trying to restore it?¡¯ S thought. A reverberation that reached even to the soul. Indeed. It had to be Skullius reforging his core and his soul spectating to etch the action deep within it. ¡®How fortunate you are, tomato flinger, that we are separate existences. Otherwise, you¡¯d have been unable to forge it alone,¡¯ S thought before resigning himself to listening to the dull tunes of the banging against this bubble for the rest of imprisoned time. A Creed with oneself forbade the reversal of what one sacrificed with another Creed. For that, an external Creed or something of an equivalent level of influence was needed. However, Skullius was not S. And with the aged piece of soul now buried in Skullius¡¯ own soul, it was as if he never existed. A special circumstance ured where S¡¯s actions were seemingly ignored in addition to him not being counted as the same being as Skullius. Therefore, Skullius could reforge his core as if it was the first time for his body to contain one. S settled in the silence as he waited once more, the record to his life apanied by the thrum against the barrier to his bubble. * Therge forest within the world atop the staff was mesmerising to behold. From its fringes where the vegetation was sparse to the tangled mess that existed at the centre, one couldn¡¯t simply look away from this marvel, especially when visible ¡®rivers¡¯ of condensed mana could be seen cruising between and above the trees, nourishing all things. Spots of reddish green could be seen, rare gems mounted within strange nts or growing over the barks of trees. Enriching gems of a higher calibre. The blot to this scene however, was therge indentation near the edge of the forest where this world ended, a big chunk of this ce having been gouged out without tact. Yes. This was indeed the portion of thend that had been taken off by the Galemonger back when it attacked Inhone, though it had barely amounted to anything consequentially important. Back to the mesmerising centre of the forest however, Skullius who stood with his torso bare took in a breath consciously, this action being something he was doing while absorbing mana in order to see how it interacted with his body outside his pathways. He was no longer choking on it like before, his body having grown a bit tolerant to it. The result was not exactly anything ground breaking though, or so he thought. Because the mana was pure and condensed, his muscles screamed and tightened which he imagined would have been painful if he were anyone else. After that reaction, nothing else would ensue. This wasn¡¯t his main objective so Skullius didn¡¯t mind as what he cared for the most was what was happening where his pathways met. It had been five hours since he had begun absorbing the pure mana within the forest, the process being dreadfully annoying and cumbersome. The pure mana he absorbed was¡­ heavy and wild. To Skullius, this exined the mess of vines, tall grasses and behemoths of trees that clustered around this ce. The fuel for such was evidently abundant. The first hour of his exercise had been the worst as Skullius had spontaneously been nted on the ground with his knees sunken in the mud the whole time! He had been unable to lift himself up because of the sheer weight of the mass of mana he was carrying. How it turbulently resisted his control with [Elevated Mana Maniption] had also been tremendously difficult to deal with, leading the skill to level up six times following his struggle from then on! Skullius¡¯ torso had ruptured multiple times, but obviously, it wasn¡¯t anything worth crying over as he regenerated promptly. Even though after prior heavy usage, the Elimparidis Stone Staff had a little more than 2000 mana points left before it had to recharge back to 10,000, it was more than enough to heal Skullius for the next bursts of damage he would receiveter on. Said next few hours of this exercise of drawing mana had led to the Discount Human gradually improving in his control and by the third hour, he had been able to stand again. The mana stormed towards one point in his body, creating a bright light the size of a pin head. When this had finally appeared instead of an unsteady vortex that constantly tried to escape his grasp, Skullius had been ted, however, anypse in his focus promised to disassemble the hard work he had suffered through. Now, after two additional hours, Skullius breathed out a sigh. ¡®Finally. Its stable. It seems there¡¯s parts to the Centre of the core too. This little thing needs to be established otherwise you can¡¯t gather mana properly. The centre to the Centre, I guess,¡¯ Skullius thought with relief washing over him. He halted his absorption of mana to this small structure and surely, nothing went wrong. It remained ever bright without showing any signs of dispersing. Finely condensed mana that formed a sturdy point where the rest of mana would cloud around perfectly! ¡®Good. Now I just need to create the rest of the Centre. Gah, this is going to take quite some time, but there should be a limit.¡¯ Mana was drawn in droves once again, the masses of white hurrying to devour the small point that calmly sat in the void where all of Skullius¡¯ pathways met. As Skullius began this, it became a more natural thing to do as he could even focus on other things while pulling on the mana which is was very much abundant. Focus wasn¡¯t needed when there was literally highly condensed mana everywhere. ¡®Now, I guess while I gather the mana necessary for my Centre, I can try to understand the limits of this body of mine,¡¯ Skullius thought as he stretched his fingers. There were a lot of intricacies attached to his body now and it was best for him to understand them as aside from him not being able to see, he was extraordinary gifted with his physical stats now being extremely high on top of other properties that were now a part of him. ¡®Hmm¡­ let¡¯s see my status.¡¯ Chapter 391 An Attuned Body [ Name : Festos Dawn ] [ Level : 10 ] [ Experience : 0/800,000; ] [ ss : Insurgent Magnus ] [ Race :Discount Human ] [ Inv. Status: Still doomed ?¡ª2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ Strength : 1895 ] [Agility : 1775 ] [ Intelligence : 70 ] [ Endurance : 1815 ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ Health : 2175/2175 ] ¡ª¨C [ Mana : ¡ª (1300) ] ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 0/6000 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Skills ] [ Elevated Mana Maniption | Lv.27 ] [ Great Saint¡¯s Invigoration | Lv.3 ] [ High Cosmetic Body | Lv.1 ] [ Revenant mes of Ecstasy | Lv.12 ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Guard Light | Lv.6 ] [ Mana Force | Lv.5 ] [ sh Flicker | Lv.7 ] [ Raw Impact | Lv.5 ] [ Great Rush (I) | Lv.4 ] [ Revered | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Combat Arts | Lv.5 ] [ Swindling Death Dance (Iplete) ] [] [ Advanced Evil Weaving | Lv.11 ] [ Advanced Evil Production | Lv.13 ] [ Basic Evil Invasion | Lv.2 ] [ Basic Evil Sanction (Special) | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Light Production | Lv.4 ] [ Crude World Projection ] [ Bead of Malevolence | Lv. 3 ] [ Perfect Night Domain | Lv. 4 ] [] [ Pseudo Evil Veneration (1%) ] [] [ Luminant Seed (Dormant) ] [ Binds of Fukal ] [ Fruit of World Myths ] ¡ª- [] [ Evil Darkness ¨C B ] [ Just Light ] ~~~ ¡°My stats have really shot up. It¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Skullius said as he looked over his status. With the exception of luck and intelligence, all his other stats were above a thousand, much of that credited to the Enriching gems, most of which he had absorbed being the purple red ones, finishing off what he could ever gain from them. The rest was due to the Creed S had used but that hadn¡¯t merely tranted to raw physical power. S had sacrificed Skullius¡¯ previous mana core and all its future potential in exchange for equivalent physical attunement of the highest order. This meant that S wanted all that power converted or rather adjusted into physical prowess. It didn¡¯t merely corrte to Strength, Agility and Endurance getting arge increase, but a profound capacity for his body to utilise this new strength to the most efficient degree, his body adapting to this dual effect immediately! Now as Skullius felt his muscles, he could feel this Discount Human body of his responding rather perfectly. He had mostly been focused on its sensitivity before but now, as he shifted to its overall physical capability, he noticed that it was vastly more phenomenal than what he had before. As for his senses, once again, he could discern shapes and overall, his surroundings through everything his skin came into contact with. It was even better when he had a specific target to zoom in on, as the sensation of the shape of the target would rush through his and then be transmitted into his mind. In every sense of the word, this was the perfect body! To top all this off, if Skullius used [Elevated Mana Maniption] he could bepletely aware of everything around him on a basic level and on a physical level at all times! ¡®This is incredible! No wonder S¡¯s movements just seemed to refined!¡¯ The way the old soul had moved while equipping his flesh could not chalked up to his experience alone. How he reacted to attacks as well. ¡®Awareness¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he recalled lesson he had learnt from Oliviana. The key to adapting to attacks was increasing one¡¯s awareness! ¡­! ¡®OH!¡¯ Skullius had a thought. A rush! ¡®My mana maniption already has a great range and if I couple that with my physical senses, I could create an area where it¡¯s impossible to get the jump on me! Hmm. Get the jump? That¡¯s a weird thing to say. But that¡¯s expected!¡¯ Skullius thought as he got quite excited. Instead of simply using this new sensitivity of his over vast ranges, wouldn¡¯t it be better to apply more focus on a specific zone around him effectively making sure that nothing went in or out without his knowing?! Skullius immediately tried it out! He reeled in his hundred meter natural sensory range, bringing it down to roughly 20 meters, the winds, the sounds and vibrations in it being his target! The falling leaves and the swaying branches became perfectly clear to him as he strained his focus, every shift of the mud within the range as well as the barely existent vibrations it caused that ran under ground being made known to him. Even though Skullius was yet to discover any semnce of life in this forest, everything that could move was subject to his senses. Because [Elevated Mana Maniption] was being used to pump him full of mana, Skullius didn¡¯t go all in whenyering its effect over his already incredible senses. He merely exerted his reach lightly, tracing through everything that possessed mana and taking in the motions. Even with this much, it was perfect! ¡®It¡¯s easier now because there¡¯s not a lot of information to cycle through but I¡¯ll get the hang of it soon. I can have Ferex help me to learn and perfect it. Oliviana taught me that awareness is important as abat skill, so I guess this is one way to build up to it,¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Still, I shouldn¡¯t forget about the wider range outside this one. I¡¯ll put 80% of my focus on the inner area and 20% everywhere else. Yes, that should work. Though, I¡¯ll probably need names for these two areas.¡¯ In the spirit of having clear distinctions towards everything that Skullius was learning, the Discount Human started brainstorming for names. He didn¡¯t aim for anything tooplicated, but this did not appeal to his superior ability to name things¡­ because it didn¡¯t exist. At the end of a three minute stretch, Skullius decided to temporarily name these two zones of focus, the Inner Domain and the Outer Domain. How creative! Where these names were derived could not be more obvious. The rest of Skullius¡¯ day was spent doing nonstop mana consumption and developing the two zones of focus. During this long and draining schedule however, the Discount Human was forced to take breaks to feed as his body demanded that he take in food even if he stillcked the ability to taste it. There was quite a lot of food which he had stocked up before leaving Inhone and quite a LOT of it still remained. Passing the time by munching on tasteless items helped quite a bit when Skullius grew bored of doing the same thing over and over again but that was just about it. By the time [High Cosmetic Body] timed out though, Skullius was confident that the Centre to his core was at least a quarter finished, the marker for this, the limit as he hypothesised, being that he felt a light constrain on his abdomen, like how a normal human would feel when a stomach-ache was announcing its arrival. To Skullius, this meant he was probably going to finish the centre in the next two days or so, leaving the harder part for the next stretch. With his skeletal body forming, Skullius exited the forest as he crossed the distance towards the mountains. The hours he had spent in that one spot, and forest, weren¡¯t wasted. His mind had been active, trying to figure out what else this disguised opportunity could hold and one could bet that 24 hours allowed Skullius to get an idea or two. The Null Lifeform had been trying to figure out how to make a non-generic core that was different from the simplistic design that normal people had. Sure the progress was ttering but he still needed to make a powerful core. One with special capabilities. One with unique attributes. How so, one would ask? Well¡­ The answer he had glimpsed,y with the three high level concepts that nested at the peak of the stout mountain where Skullius had climbed before. Between Distorted Gravity, Spatial Lightning and Stagnant Space, one of these had to be relevant to his Discount Human¡¯s mana core! Somehow¡­ Chapter 392 Just A Spark The storm that preceded the view of the floating staves was before Skullius once again as his sockets red with a mix of thinly veiled excitement and apprehension. The possibilities were what drove him but the dangers and or hazards of what he was about to try attempted to park him at the side. Still, in the name of risks, he had to at least see what would happen. As thepounded gravity within this space littered by shorter stone pirs bore down on him, [Epiphany]¡¯s passive effect kicked in. The effect essentially made sure that for every magical effect Skullius was subjected to, little sprinkles of information, the bare minimum knowledge on said effect would be transmitted into his mind. This sounded incredibly powerful, but no, it wasn¡¯t. Time as well as degree of exposure were two important factors that made the skill a patience generating phenomenon or simply an invitation to get oneself killed while trying to learn something. So far, with Skullius¡¯ experiences, from being shot by the Spatial Lightning to being mmed by the Distorted Gravity and suffering short term detainment in Stagnant Space, he was yet to get an inkling of what any of these concepts were. When it came to [Epiphany] though, it had an active effect that essentially cut off the worstponents of this passive effect. By paying a certain amount of Null Life Essence, Skullius could attain knowledge on high level concepts. The only problem currently was that even for the weakest concept on this stout mountain, the amount of Null Life Essence points was vast and for the Prator, even if he maxed out his reserves of Null Life Essence and added even those of his Apostles, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough. His maximum capacity fell short. But this didn¡¯t discourage the Prator. Skullius inched his way through the vicious and chaotic mana that raided every pocket of this ce, lightning smashing into the stone pirs to disce them into disfigured forms. ¡®I¡¯m not sure if getting hit by that lightning is the best chance I have in speeding up the learning process but¡­ to get that Stagnant Space concept needs me to willingly get zapped. This is definitely fleshed up,¡¯ Skullius thought. It was extremely risky. Ferex walked beside Skullius in hisrger form while wrestling the gravity, the excuse for his size being how he wisher to protect his master. The light within his sockets fondly showed his determination towards this goal. With the spells he had attained from the Innate Holder wielded by Kotaman, he was sure he had augmented his arsenal quite a bit for that very purpose. After proceeding for a few meters, Skullius¡¯ body suddenly dropped and pounded into the ground, half of its bony entirety digging deep into mana-reinforced dirt! ¡­! The Distorted Gravity! Strangely, at the exact same time that Skullius sank deep, one of the pirs near him, its cold, grey and fractured mass sitting firmly on the bald ground suddenly shot up at a speed that made it look like a metallic blur! BOOOM! The sound of its movement was akin to thunder as rings of gusty air exploded from itsunch! Skullius¡¯ four sockets red! ¡®This¡­!¡¯ Skullius¡¯ mind was immediately thawed of the surprise from falling into the dirt, his thoughts lighting with intrigue. The density of the mana increased once again, which was why the effects of the concept was so much more pronounced but¡­ ¡®Ohhhh¡­. the mana here¡­ it¡¯s different. It¡¯s not pure¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as [Elevated Mana Maniption] was used, his mind churning to discern a great many things. His exterior control of mana was tested as the erratic and rebellious waves of mana around him smashed into him while others slipped his grasp with the skill. This shit was hard! It was like trying to contain a burst of steam with a steel spoon for hours! The mana-focused grasp of Skullius was challenged once again as it wasn¡¯t merely the problem of trying to capture and discern the mana but also distinguishing which stream held the properties he was looking for. The property and form that induced Distorted Gravity! To make his job a whole lot harder, a spark ignited in the air, along with a milky sh of light and then¡­ BZZZZZZZT! Six thick bolts of lightning erupted in six different of directions with aggressive heat and power, one of these directions that they attacked just happening to be where the Prator was struggling to heavy lift himself out of the ground! ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Even before Skullius saw the lightning that gushed towards him, his profound mana sensing had already told him that this was different from the bolt that had attacked him before which simply transported him to Stagnant Space before slicing him in half! This one had furiously destructive spatial energies on top ofpletely horrendous raw power that would probably st him to pieces before anything else! This power that caused the air to look as if it was reverently parting and discing around the lightning! The beam of blinding light produced in the process also¡­! BOOOOM! An eruption of force along with a powerful reverberation ran through the ground with a deafening noise that sublimely told of extreme damage numbers even though the ground was deceivingly more or less intact! The light died down as heavy tufts of mana billowed around the scene. The ground barely showed any semnce of damage, not just in this spot but also in those where the other five bolts had struck. The ground was profoundly reinforced by mana to such a degree! At the scene where Skullius had been however, an unexpected scene urred. The figure of the Prator unharmed emerged, his sockets fiercely roaring with me as he looked entirely confused on what had happened. A momentter¡­ THUD! Therge figure of Ferex appeared out of nowhere, mming onto the ground on his feet but with a disfigured and profoundly charred body! Its mass above the skeletal structure that was made of Unliving Thread could barely be seen and most parts of its body seemed to be¡­ misaligned, disjointed or¡­ switched. Ferex¡¯s head was attached to his rear instead, with his frontal bodycking a coordinating limb! Over the dark matter that was burnt Unliving Thread on his body, glowing patches of heat along with an expansive blue array that flickered with mana for a few seconds before disappearing could be seen! ¡°Bro!¡± Skullius eximed as he used every bit of his strength to dig himself out of the ground and hunch his way towards the Apostle, emotion tugging at his bones. Skullius was lost for words. Ferex had undoubtedly acted before he could to shield him from the damage! The result was ultimately¡­ Skullius rustled his hands over the Apostle, seeing the light in its socket luminously glow fervently. Ferex was mostly alright. Skullius slumped in relief. The creature before him then opened its maw wide and devoured a light that immediately induced rejuvenation over its mass, bringing it back to its normal state in a few breaths! ¡®Lively¡¯ Unliving Thread covered the Apostle once more as it then reduced its size, evidently avoiding the gravitational consequences of arger bulk. Ferex seemed enthusiastic as he manifested ears, swaying them this way and that in unison while gazing at Skullius with¡­ happy emotion. ¡°Bro, why are you excited? You almost died! Or I guess got erased. But still! I could have lost you!¡± Skullius said as he staggered and stood. Ferex maintained his enthusiasm however and stood on his hind legs, from his mouth a tongue of Unliving Thread emerging with a rather lengthy mass. One of his front legs rested on Skullius¡¯ shoulders for a¡­ pat. ¡°Is this encouragement?¡± Skullius said as he shook his head. This bastard was trying to reassure him despite what had just happened! ¡°Fine. I wasn¡¯t nning on giving up anyway. Thanks for covering my mistake. I should have used this first.¡± [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] was cast as a thick storm cloud along with sparks of Silentburn Levin that constantly revolved around Skullius emerged. ¡°This should help for the next five minutes while you recover your cooldown,¡± Skullius said while trudging on. Ferex followed also, in the Apostle¡¯s mind an evaluation of the sole reason he was still nulive right now urring in his mind to determine how best to apply it. Reinforcement Magic. The two pushed on, Skullius only being able to cover a meter per every fifteen minutes as the force bearing down on him was immense including the mana sifting through the air which continued to grow profoundly thick. The ride wasn¡¯t smooth as in the next hour, Skullius was struck by two thick bolts that he and Ferex had tried to react to but ultimately ended up getting st by and suffering atrocious damage. Luckily, [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] had saved him after it went on cooldown and had to be cycled with Ferex¡¯s [Lanterns of the Pure]. The constant risk was phenomenally dangerous, but with Skullius sensing through the mana continuously as he tried to learn its pattern along with him trying to withstand the gravity, a reward for the effort soon showed. A teensy bit of a reward. Skullius had advanced quite the bit of distance over four hours, unable to continue on ahead where bolts of lightning his body¡¯s size raged while the weight on his body made it impossible for him to move. With the mana now obscuring the view quite a bit while also gaining a slightly corrosive effect, Skullius finally felt it. Just a spark of knowledge. Of information. Just enough to achieve a tiny bit of his goal. Chapter 393 Progression On All Fronts! In Skullius¡¯ mind, a bit of information that wasn¡¯t there prior, one that wasn¡¯t gathered from his restlessness in using [Elevated Mana Maniption] to a more refined level which resulted in its increased levelling speed, spawned in his mind. Shockingly, this information wasn¡¯t about what he thought would be the most likely candidate, Spatial Lightning, which had intimately kissed him to near oblivion a couple of times. Instead, it was about Distorted Gravity. What appeared wasn¡¯t its origin or the intricacies behind what it was or the exact conditions that spurned it. It was merely a slightly hazy pattern, like a mix between a terribly yed field of tetris with innumerable holes and a jigsaw puzzle¡­. in another distant reality of course. It seemed random to Skullius at first but then¡­ ¡®Hmmm¡­. The mana here keeps getting fiercer and more concentrated but for the most part, I can recognise that there are patterns¡­ though I can¡¯t tell which is which. Could this belong to¡­¡¯ Like that¡­ Skullius and his mind had matched a portion of the pattern to one that seemed to belong to Distorted Gravity. How could Skullius tell? While [Elevated Mana Maniption] on its own clearly wasn¡¯t enough to allow him to blitz through this like a genius, it did allow Skullius to recognise two things. The form mana took as well as its arrangement. For instance, mana could be pure which seemed to have specific connotations and effects attached to it, or it could be muddled with certain ¡®spices¡¯ that allowed it to produce different effects when it followed a certain flow. In the current situation, whenever the weight bearing down on Skullius increased, he noted that a certain flow increased along with it around him but with the endless sparks of lightning that were everywhere, he hadn¡¯t been able to distinguish if the high level concepts in this ce shared this flow and their form or if they were just soplicatedly woven that it was hard to tell. It was annoying. This was why trying to distinguish which flow and form of mana was which became such a painfully intricate process that required Skullius digging into the foundation of the mana itself. Ah¡­ Such a thing had regurgitated the memory of Skullius having to draw bits of mana from the mana gems mined in Deadmand, the origin story for this now evolved skill of his. Such growth. Such continued relevance. It was too profound! Having reached this stage, Skullius while being washed by the mana on his bones steadily digested this bit of information. ¡®Alright. Now at least I can trace the mana for Distorted Gravity. Argh¡­ this only gets moreplicated from here¡­¡¯ With the storm cloud above and Ferex fervently waiting to intercept any lightning bolts, Skullius let all his worries about the potential harm fade away as he wholly focused on tracing the flow and form of the mana that induced Distorted Gravity. *** Below, in the depths of the water within the world atop the Elimparidis Stone Staff, way beyond the organised bulbous living quarters that had belonged to the Bulk Terrors, a certain figure could be seen practically buried in the dark waters that touched upon the very floor of the ocean. It was a golden figure. One with a lengthy cape, the rising kes which it produced providing a very dim lighting that barely managed to illuminate the hundreds of eggs that were arranged before him. The darkness of the waters was an effect of mana being so highly concentrated that it added to the darkness resulting from the depth, preventing light from escaping. Normal light at least. If a regr human was to be ced within these waters, they would not be able to move a muscle. Heck, even if an average individual in the Foundation Stage were to be ced here, they would be locked in ce from the sheer density possessed by these waters! The profound effect of mana was uncontested. The golden figure seated here was obviously Red Rage. He had requested Skullius to not kill the eggs left behind by the Bulk Terrors that time and now, he had moved every single one which he had found here. Unlike what Skullius thought, this wasn¡¯t the Apostle reacting the w he had which restricted him from killing innocents. In fact, his killing of Cluster beasts could be considered a violent act against the guiltless as the creatures within Clusters could be argued to be ¡®innocent¡¯. But that was not the kind of strict criteria the w he had used. Killing unborn creatures himself would be a vition of what that however, and yet that wasn¡¯t Red Rage¡¯s purpose in keeping the little things alive. From the Pelvis-Boar-Man¡¯s chest, the ¡®U¡¯ and ¡®T¡¯ shaped symbol lit up with a bright light then unleashed a vibrant beam of energy over the eggs! Each egg which was touched by the light attained a faint glow, bing a partially luminousntern for a few seconds. The light only vanished after a full five second run, the eggs losing the glossy shine thereafter as they returned to normal. This wasn¡¯t the first time that Red Rage had done this over the past few days. This was actually the 102nd time! Red Rage used every opportunity to beam up the eggs with a skill he had once attempted to use on Tomin during the expedition to solve the mass Cluster incident. The skill [Foolmaker]. It didn¡¯t go by this name anymore though, as with continued use, it had evolved even as it was merely part of arger skill. Red Rage looked over the eggs with care before nodding his head. He rose from his seated position and shifted his focus to a facet of his no-nonsense training. The Apostle was determined to make the most out of the retreat he had requested from Skullius. This time spent away from his master must be paid off with extremely promising results. This was his sentiment. The harshly thick mana around him was drawn in droves, its mass and concentration causing Red Rage to buckle down but ultimately withstand it. ¡°I¡­ can¡­take it!¡± a manly voice leaked out of Red Rage. He was determined! The amount of progress he had made so far was already shocking but that was not enough. He could feel his master¡¯s efforts even from the distance. He was doing his best and so should he, using everything at his disposal. As the first Apostle, he had to remain relevant! Yes. He had to. As the Pelvis-Boar-Man nurtured his resolve, a slight crack was heard from one of the eggs! The gaze of the Null Lifeform immediately turned, his focus shifting once more! It was beginning! The birth of his little beauties was beginning! And just like him, this first one just had to have significance! ¡°Wait for me O, Emissary of neither Death nor Life. When I, your prodigy returns to your side, I wille bearing the strength of a thousand Null Badubs!¡± Chapter 394 Winging It Knowledge. Such a thing was precious in any setting that anyone could imagine, whether it be business, pleasure,bat or an amalgamation of all three. Knowledge was amonality as far as the separatemunities of beasts and humans were concerned, though beasts as they were groomed to learn that brutal reality of life earlier and with a robust touch of cruelty. Knowledge wasn¡¯t readily afforded to them. They had to fight for it to unlock the chance to ascend into something higher and better than their previous meagre existence. It was all about moving forward. Skullius had learnt this in the same way from the Tremur Forest, though in a harshly unlucky setup where his numb mind had to be forced to awaken. Unconsciously, the way the goblins he had met struggling for life against each other, their power being borne against him, had gotten Skullius through the earlier processes of jolting his mentality for what was toe. Lucky or unlucky enough, he had pushed through but regardless of what caused him to pull forward, one could NEVER discount the fact that Skullius himself worked hard to get here. If he didn¡¯t act, struggling to remain intact, he would have lost his two states of existence. Perhaps it was a perk of knowing where you¡¯d go after dying¡­ again that motivated him. With weeks having passed after his struggle in the Tremur, as a Discount Human his Direction swinging him in the hands of strong human beings, Skullius had been forced to grow once more and taste another degree of growth in a frustrating sense. Add that to histest experience and one would find a Skullius who was slowly approaching a permanent state of mental rigidity. A firm mindset. ¡­. ¡°Fuuuu¡­.¡± Skullius breathed out¡­ consciously. ¡°It¡¯s finally done.¡± Yes. It was done. The Centre to the new mana core was done. As a ridiculously condensed point of pure mana twice the size of a pinhead within Skullius¡¯ body, it was eerily powerful. Skullius had hypothesised on ount of how he felt a strain in his abdomen, theyer of his body ovepping the core, that there was a limit to how much the initial size of a core could be. He had been right. A day and a half since he began his rigorous routine of absorbing pure mana from the forest and exposing himself to danger on the stout mountain with a mix of Distorted Gravity, Spatial Lightning and Stagnant Space, he felt that he couldn¡¯t grow his Centre anyrger than it was already. This to him meant that he had reached the limit, officially marking that it was time to move on to the Refinery. During the aforementioned time period, Skullius had thought about this concept. Why there was a limit and how cores were formed in humans and beasts. How did they gather pure mana when they were young? From his first time seeing a collection of normal humans with cores in Namu, to now, this spawned a great deal of curiosity for him. A brief exit into the real world had lead Skullius to feel with his growing [Elevated Mana Maniption] that the air possessed different types of mana. With what he had been learning and experiencing in the past few days, he could easily distinguish the various types of mana that roamed in the different ces he roamed. This led him to believe that asides from Energy Formers and high tier ss Branchers, the majority ofbatants probably didn¡¯t know the finer intricacies of the energies around them. Unless they studied aggressively, they wouldn¡¯t know just how manyponents were in the air they breathed. Mana was naturally friendly to living things, with the opposite arguably being true as well. The result was essentially that mana naturally flowed into humans and beasts topound different effects. Onemon method that mana invaded humans through was air, which, as Skullius had discovered contained pure mana as well. It depended on where one was at the time but generally nt life gathered and cleansed mana into pure mana just as it did when it took in air to expel a substance that humans needed for life. Essentially, ces with great quantities of vegetation bore the greatest reserves of pure mana. Over the course of a normal human¡¯s growth, pure mana would steadily continue to build within them until it formed a Centre, then the rest of the core with time. The limit, as Skullius hypothesised, likely had to do with their own growth and for Skullius, this became a weird thing to think about as he thought he should have been able to construct arger Centre given how he was stronger and all. Perhaps, much like the average human growing their first core, he was treated as being a new born. As if the natural first limit of everyone else was the norm for him to begin at as well. ¡°Hmm¡­ there should still be ways around it, right?¡± Skullius said as he stood in mud. With the Centre done, Skullius understood the mechanism with which an entire core followed. The Centreposed of the small point in the middle with an encirclement of not-as-condensed pure mana around it, anchored into the body and created a firm reaction with Skullius¡¯ soul! It wasn¡¯t exactly a turbulent sensation but Skullius had felt it briefly. A link was formed when the Centre had been finished, leading him to believe that the mana core was a dangerous thing to lose under normal circumstances. ¡®I see now. Whatever the Creed thing was, it safely sacrificed the mana core in order to not kill me instantly¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®The Centre is linked to my soul and body, huh? That¡¯s actually terrifying.¡¯ Skullius shivered before making sure that everything was alright with his Centre. He now had to move on to the next step. SPLSH. Skullius sat down in the cool mud. ¡®I honestly don¡¯t know how to tackle this one. The Refinery isn¡¯t what I thought at first. It¡¯s an area where I have to carve out a way in which my mana moves and what kind of properties it will get. The problem is, I have to do it quickly, otherwise¡­¡¯ After the Centre was done, Skullius discovered that while it was stable, capable of existing on its own, he had to keep mana from softly flowing from the damn thing. It wasn¡¯t some strange leakage. No. It was the Centre fulfilling its purpose. Producing mana to feed into the Refinery. The intricacies of this were still not exactly clear to Skullius but he was at d it wasn¡¯t some kind of defect. Now, he had to act quick otherwise the mana would naturally start forming a generic Refinery! ¡®Gah¡­ The other problem lies in the fact that even after more than a day, I still can¡¯t perfectly replicate the mana that causes Distorted Gravity.¡¯ With each stretch of time Skullius had spent exposed to the high level concept, he had managed to get bits of knowledge on Distorted Gravity. Vaguely significant bits. Much of it was small hints at the pattern of the mana that created the concept. The ¡®spices¡¯ in the mana that gave it its effect were not something that Skullius¡¯ core could produce. Even if he pulled the Gravitational mana into his unfinished core, asides from being useful for his skills, it didn¡¯t generate anything extraordinary and eventually faded. Skullius couldn¡¯t replicate it. The flow was the easier part. It was like watching water run through aplex canal. Such a thing Skullius could imitate with at least 70% uracy. For the mana¡¯s texture, Skullius wasn¡¯t sure. Perhaps this was something Mages were very good at. ¡®Well, I can¡¯t wait any longer. If I just create a normal core in the end, what was the point of all this?¡¯ Skullius thought with a frustrated frown. ¡®Dammit! If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll just try to copy the mana strand by strand! I probably won¡¯t seed in creating the same thing but¡­ at least it will be different somehow right? Maybe I could get a less effective version of the mana that causes Distorted Gravity. Or maybe something different¡­¡¯ The Refinery essentially governed the type of mana one would be producing. After pure mana streamed from the Centre it was Refined into a individual¡¯s signature form, its texture and feel along with what attributes it could potentially gain being governed here along with how it flowed. Though this exnation would then cause one to ask if Skullius had been cheating by learning elemental skills from simply extracting all th- yes! Yes he was! After having felt that mana for so long, he couldn¡¯t forget how it felt when he grasped it with his [Elevated Mana Maniption]. Its feel. Its texture. Having experienced handling mana for many years, Skullius was at least adept at that much. Like how a master forger could recognise mineralponents with a touch. Skullius was far from being a master, but his fond rtionship with mana allowed him to be just a teensy bit gifted. Chapter 395 The Long Awaited Chat (1) Skullius couldn¡¯t go to the stout mountain at this time as he would be obliterated by the conditions there. For that, he needed his Prator form which he couldn¡¯t use if he wanted to forge his new core. But that was not important as the Discount Human had already begun to weave the mana softly flowing out the Centre. This was a tremendously arduous process that required Skullius¡¯ entire focus. The mana he weaved, the edges, crevices and bumps he created to mimic how Gravitational mana behaved was rough at best. What he was creating now was like a temte for all theing mana which would surround the Centre in a circr coat and act like a copier that churned the mana expelled from the Centre into a knock-off that Skullius put his heart and soul into. He finely etched his focus and skill that he progressed at a such a horrendously slow that effectively made a snail¡¯s stroll on the ground look like super speed inparison. Perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration but the idea was understandable enough. [Elevated Mana Maniption] levelled up quite a lot during the hours that Skullius buried himself in the focus, his brow actually beginning to leak sweat (still water) as he focused. His soul constantly pulsed as he fine tuned this mechanism that would ensure that his mana would transform into¡­ whatever this he whenever going to create was, whenever it streamed from the Centre. This skill was an anomaly that most wouldn¡¯t recognise. If one were to recall, [Elevated Mana Maniption] had evolved from the skill [Mana Sense], which had been the only skill Skullius had which had had the tag, ¡®Permission to evolve¡¯ when he first came to Aigas. Back then when he gave the go ahead, it had transformed into [Basic Mana Maniption] which seemed like quite the leap from merely being able to sense mana. The reason this culminated as such was because Skullius¡¯ proficiency at feeling mana had advanced to him being able to draw it from the mana gems in Deadmand but for the skill to grow further and actually show hispetence in handling mana, Skullius had to grow out of his limiter. His race, the Moronic Undead. After that, Skullius¡¯ thousand years of experience had been taken into ount, evolving the skill to [Basic Mana Maniption]. Now, it was uncontested that this skill was definitely a reflection of the beauty of the path he had taken, casting away what the other Moronic Undead religiously followed. His efforts weren¡¯t wasted. The hard work that followed, with Skullius feeling even his body burning and his soul churning, would be something that the Discount Human and Prator would look to in pride, UNTAMED pride, using it to move on as he forged a path ahead. Skullius employed [Mana Force] which had also been levelling up crazily topound the mana that slowly streamed from his Centre to the limit, as he then shaped it. The mix of [Mana Force] and [Elevated Mana Maniption] created the perfect mix of skill that Skullius required for his task yet the result after thirteen hours was a whopping 2%pletion rate! The progression was firmly cut off by [High Cosmetic Body] timing out, which led to the Prator appearing. Fortunately, when Skullius used the skill again, he would continue from where he left off as continuity was assured each time he switched between bodies. ¡°Ah¡­ That was intense,¡± Skullius said as he stood. ¡°I wonder how long it will take for me to finish. I really need to get that core before the Premium Age Royale otherwise Silrat won¡¯t let me hear the end of it.¡± Skullius began his walk out of the forest, his mind deep set in thought when he suddenly injected mana into his spatial storage ring. Like a whip, the Chains of Damnation swished through the air to rapidly wrap around his body! ¡°I had almost forgotten about you, bro,¡± Skullius said as he patted the chain which wriggled, clearly happy to be out again. Since the Aegis of Damnation had been split into two diagonal halves, Skullius had salvaged the Chains as he figured they would be a pretty great weapon to use. As the Prator, they were hard for him to wield because the moment he did, he¡¯d have to use them to pierce and stab which was ridiculous. Thus, the chains normally acted on their own when he was in his Prator form. Skullius thought they would be a better fit for his Discount Human though. Speaking of dark chains, Skullius recalled the time during S¡¯s take over when the bastard had used an [Evil Darkness] to link the Lord-yer and Demion¡¯s Dance. Did S not think to use the Chains of Damnation or was it that he thought the chains would reject him. Unlike a body, the chains were pretty sentient after all. And as far as that subject was concerned¡­ ¡°Hmmm¡­ Maybe it¡¯s time I talked to the sockethole,¡± Skullius said. He had confirmed that he had full control of S¡¯s soul before so there was no harm in having a conversation especially now when he made sure to focus his all on the task. Skullius slowly left a window for the piece of soul trapped in his own and spoke. ¡°Hey sockethole¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s something we need to talk about.¡± Silence. Skullius had begun to wonder whether S was sulking or something but then¡­ ¡®What do you want, tomato flinger?¡¯ a hoarse and sullen voice echoed within the Prator¡¯s mind. ¡®Hmmm? Is this really S? He sounds¡­ different,¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡°So you are in there?¡± the Prator said as he made doubly sure that there wasn¡¯t anything wrong. ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point. You and I don¡¯t like being in this situation and we clearly can¡¯t trust each other. So, instead of focusing on how badly we want to get rid of each other, how about you tell me where that ce you said could grant me a blue core is, so that I get stronger, faster.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ S did not give a reply. At least not immediately. Skullius waited. As strange as it might sound, after the initial rage, and with him finding out that he could reverse his core situation, Skullius had actuallye to reflect on how terrible of an experience this was for S. He could kind of rte, after all. When considering that he had also brought some of thattest disaster upon himself by taking up Bek¡¯s deal, he knew there was only so much he could say to rightfully justify himself. ¡®Hmph. After all that, you expect me to help you?¡¯ S said with a scoff. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re innocent either. Besides, helping me is helping yourself too. Now that you know about me I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen that I wasn¡¯t lying about anything we agreed to back then. If I get strong enough, I could bring your wife back and even get you a body.¡± The previous agreement with S and Skullius had involved thetter taking advantage of S¡¯s fondness over this person called a wife, lead to a sealed deal. On S¡¯s part, now that he had seen through Skullius¡¯ memories, he knew the extent of power that the Insurgent Magnus possessed, but bringing back the dead was merely a possibility at best. ¡®¡­ You say so as if it is some kind of leverage. I have eaten my fair share of a dark reality. Perhaps I should perish and meet my wife on the other side instead.¡¯ ¡®The heck!¡¯ Skullius was once again shocked by S¡¯s new demeanour. He was no longer loud and rambling every damn second. However, he wasn¡¯t willing to give up just yet. ¡°You¡¯re just going to give up when you lived such a terrible life? Didn¡¯t you get defeated before and get locked up for many years? I know how that feels. At least now I do. I have been given a chance at making myself¡­ someone, anyone other than another skeleton¡¯s minion. If I can understand that, why can¡¯t you when you¡¯ve spent ten times the amount of time living in even worse conditions?¡± Skullius said with an uncharacteristic tone and energy. Yes. For what seemed like the first time, Skullius was encouraging someone. S felt these words. He would have argued against them but¡­ he knew Skullius¡¯ story now and he certainly couldn¡¯t believe that he was being lectured by a former undead right now. Chapter 396 The Long Awaited Chat (2) A subject that hadn¡¯t been explored was how S felt about Skullius after literally experiencing all that the Discount Human had ever went through. Leaving his soul without a will had caused S to essentially have ess to the information about him and his powers in its entirety, which had been a terrifying thing to think about for Skullius. The way S saw Skullius had changed back when he first took it all in but he had been facing a powerful opponent, thus couldn¡¯t stop and settle his thoughts. The aged piece of soul was quite shocked by the revtions. The fact that Skullius was formerly an undead, even part of tragic group of skeletons that roamed Deadmand and worked for a powerful Lich was definitely not what he was expecting. While Skullius had tried to exin it, there was a significant difference between the insane S from just after his awakening to the S now, who had consumed a portion of Skullius¡¯ soul in order to nourish his own, granting him both a mostly grounded mind and restoring part of his strength. It was tragic to be honest. The constant stream of danger. The curses. The powerful being chasing after Skullius along with the mystery of the Null Lifeform¡¯s previous life. All this was sympathy inducing, but thest of aforementioned was the part that touched S quite the most. This man¡­ Even from the glimpses that Skullius had unlocked through painful means, S could feel the tragedy of humanity from this undead¡­no from this former undead. He pitied him. However, this didn¡¯t make him turn into some ¡®sapling¡¯ that would devote himself to helping Skullius andpletely abandon his own objectives. Frankly, while S¡¯s intent had been to help Skullius grow as they agreed, he wasn¡¯t concerned with assisting the bastard in bing a refined, transcendentbatant. He had wanted to make sure that Skullius would grow the powers of Fulgardt to a sufficient degree before the Null Lifeform reached the Incandescent Stage. That could at least ensure that he wouldn¡¯t have the strength to purge him. And now, as they were having a soul to soul¡­ ¡®Mere words. They are cheap, tomato flinger. There was a man who was good with words back in my day. He was a powerful warrior with so much charisma that I fondly believed that he could sway the sun to take a day off if he could give it one of his speeches. I admired him. I confided in him. I heeded his words, believing with every fibre of my being when he bolstered us with confidence. Yet, when one of the Chosen of Fulgardt came, he died a pathetic death,¡¯ S said with a grumble that traced back to the past. Skullius paused for a bit. Indeed, words were cheap but what else could he do other than try to convince him as such. Speaking with S about this ce he had mentioned before, was something that had risen to the top of his list during the past days¡¯ events. It was fuelled by how the Discount thought to manage his time. He had been given six days to finish up his business before heading to Genhuis City. He had something else to do in the big city other than to participate in the Premium Age Royale after all . The Potential Aptitude evaluation. Taking this into consideration along with the growth of his core, Skullius thought that S¡¯s method may do him some good. Perhaps he could finish creating his core faster if it had other effects above bolstering the core colour. ¡°Look, like I said it before, focusing on how much we have to get rid of each other isn¡¯t beneficial to us at all. I¡¯ll admit, taking up Bek¡¯s offer was wrong. After considering it, we probably can¡¯t safely be separated through normal means anyway. Your soul is patching up damage that I received in the past so just hacking you away would flesh me over. My previous assumptions were wrong. As for you, well¡­¡± Skullius said thinking to use another card he had up his sleeve. While S said he was fine with dying, Skullius didn¡¯t buy it. He just to appeal to the bastard some more. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know Null Life is different from Undeath. It¡¯s a possible path that we can use. Besides¡­ maybe you¡¯ve given up on your wife, but don¡¯t you want to at least inhabit your original body one more time?¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ A barely noticeable grunt leaked out of S. That¡¯s right. S came to a realisation. This bastard had the key to the Labyrinth of the Yoke with the freedom to return whenever he wished! And with the power of Null Life¡­ ¡®I see¡­¡¯ S said. ¡®You are appealing to the old warmonger inside of me, is it? Make no mistake, tomato flinger. What I said before, that was from rage. While I am a war driven soul, there is no longer any of my enemies to fight. It is better to resign to peace now and meet with the woman I love on the other side. The Tunatsche be damned! I served the Deities enough to earn a spot in their graces.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s true, bro. But¡­ have you ever considered that some of your allies might still be alive. Just like you were captured, what if some of your friends were also bound in the Labyrinth as we speak? Maybe you can¡¯t focus on the dead but what about those who are alive?¡± ¡­! This¡­! S¡¯s soul trembled. That¡¯s right! Hisrades! What if¡­ what if they were alive and bound like he was?! The old soul felt a burst of guilt! Over the course of thousands years, his memory was vivid when it came to certain special moments in his life but when considering therger picture, much of it was murky. Was he the only survivor of the battle at the Grim Tower?! Perhaps but also¡­ perhaps not! He couldn¡¯t be sure! The history from this Era was muddled with many details that he had read from Skullius¡¯ mind being false! Maybe he had thought about his allies during his captivity but after slowing descending into madness before¡­ ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you managing to escape only to kill yourself, leaving them bound for eternity, be a sign of weakness as a¡­ Tower General?¡± Skullius added spice to the injury while his sockets red. Silence pervaded. The Prator was very much aware of the powerful bond of camaraderie. ording to Somanda, he literally thrived on it to fill up the missing piece of his soul back in Deadmand so he knew how powerful it was especially when someone was like a ring leader. The Prator had thought about his gang. B, Mono Socket, Fractures and the others. He had imagined going back to save them in little bouts of time over the past weeks and while the first time he had arrived in Aigas had seen him almost give up on himself, he hade to realise that he had more to do than he thought. He intended to save his bonerades! When he eventually went over to battle Somanda, he was going to redeem them! This determination that fuelled him must also fuel the aged soul¡­ was Skullius¡¯ thoughts. Definitely. After a short period of silence, S grumbled but he was evidently set ame. ¡®Tomato flinger¡­¡¯ he said, once more feeling the frustration of being won over. ¡®If we¡¯re doing this¡­ I¡¯m taking the whole benefit, my wife included!¡¯ ¡°Of course bro,¡± Skullius said with a hint of smugness. Once again, words won the war for him and he couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡­ ¡®What was I in my past life?¡¯ *** Somewhere between the boundaries. Revia¡¯s eyes shot wide open as she watched a scene that made everything she had known and believed, be insignificant. Her existence and the doctrine she had been funnelled with¡­ Was it a lie or simply a colossal misunderstanding? ¡°This is it. Don¡¯t be afraid. They don¡¯t bite,¡± the man beside her, Actuass, highlighted with a green and ck hue from what seemed like a portal before them, said. Chapter 397 The Deeper Secrets They Never Tell Before the two was a massive space that stretched for what could be thousands of miles, with the most outstanding feature about this ce being therge tombstones that were erected all over. They were made of one of three colours; pitch ck, dark green or a dull grey. Beneath therge tombstones was a rocky ground where not a single piece of vegetation grew. It was dry, with pebbles and barren dirt, a dusty wind blowing over everything. High above, the sky was a shade of blue that didn¡¯t induce any form of familiarity with the sky from Aigas at all, giving off an otherworldly sense. Amidst all of this gloom, what truly stole the show, were the entities that stood before the tombstones. Pale figures with transparent properties, their bodies having to human shape could be seen. Asides from their faces which were very detailed even in this form, the rest of their bodies were simplistic caricatures that only showed their shape vividly, determining whether they were male or female, the rest of being obscure. Each one of the thousands that could be seen stood at attention while hugging their bodies with their arms like sarcophagi, their heads hung low. This was the standard posture, with not even a sliver of movement. That said, the overall image given, especially when one factored in how silent this ce was, save for the howling wind, was terribly frightening. ¡°This is the Outworld Attic. A ce that retains the souls of members of our order,¡± Actuass said as he took steps forward, his hand motioning for Revia to follow. The youngdy looked at the scene before her with a pale face, half doubting what she saw. As she did, something within her strained her eyes and she found these two parts of her feeling strange as they remained glued to these figures that hugged themselves in front of the tombstones. ¡°These are¡­ souls?¡± Revia asked with a shallow voice, her breathing hastening. ¡°Yes,¡± Actuass said as he looked over to the tombstones. ¡°Fascinating isn¡¯t it? When the human being is stripped bare, this is what remains. Glowing bulbs chock full of information. You sense a variety of things from them, don¡¯t you?¡± Revia slowly nodded. To her, around these souls, vaguely discernible scenes began ying out, each different from the other. On top of this, her ears picked up whispers that she couldn¡¯t entirely make out. Was it the souls? Were they speaking? ¡°What do you think happens when a person dies? Where do they go?¡± Actuass asked her. He stopped walking and turned to Revia whose eyes immediately met his. ¡°Uh¡­ those judged to be evil and disobedient to the Direction of the Deities are cast into the dark space of Tunatsche while those judged to be good and obedient are taken to the safety of the Deity who gave them Direction¡­?¡± Revia replied, unsure of the answer herself. ¡°Hmmm. I did not expect you to have such a standard answer for one who barely believed in the Purity¡¯s cause. But then, I suppose you are that young.¡± Actuass suddenly pointed below them, the dry ground under the two¡¯s feet starting to rumble as dirt and rock began to dig themselves in, creating a depression that kept going deep down! At first Revia was rmed but she found that even when the ground sank in, her feet remained stable, standing over an unseen tform that kept her and Actuass stable. Soon, the ground receded to form a hole that showed an unexpected scene! Revia was once again shocked by what she saw. A great distance below her, there was¡­ ¡°What¡­what is that?¡± Revia asked as she couldn¡¯t even begin to wrap her mind around it. It was something akin to ginormous star with constantly rippling edges like an audio spectrum! It was so vast that Revia could not even determine where it ended with its strangely coloured mass. Yet, this wasn¡¯t even the thick of it as her eyes were drawn in, itching as they drew her attention to things that were moving over this massive mass. Odd creatures. Their bodies were like those of souls but different as the variety of their shapes and colour was immense. ¡°Spirits,¡± Actuass answered simply. ¡°They are like souls but we¡¯ll get to thatter.¡± ¡°What you see down there is a ne of existence outside Aigas, like this one. That, is just oneyer of nine, eachrger than thest going by descent. Your organisation, the Purity knows of it, along with the Six Houses. Isn¡¯t that interesting? Much like any other ce thought to be a myth or entirely unknown, it has many names but the generally used one is Yormuness.¡± The term Yormuness was derived from a dominant dialect in Maqi, the term itself meaning ¡®forgotten apparitions¡¯. ¡°This is where one goes when one dies,¡± Actuass said with a glint in his eye. ¡­! Revia stared at the revealed space below her with quick breaths. This was it? This was where one went? But¡­ there were these Spirits too. How did this work? Was it a ce for atonement or a ce for relief? Why were they able to casually see it if it was something so sacred? All these questions bounced inside Revia¡¯s head yet she couldn¡¯t find the right question to ask. While she had been arrogant and unresponsive to Actuass¡¯ words before. Now, she felt like she needed them to appeal to her sanity. ¡°Your father was a Spirit Warden, much like you, though since he wasn¡¯t as powerful as you turned out to be, I imagine his powers werecklustre. You might meet him on our way,¡± Actuass said. ¡­! Revia immediately turned her head to the masked man while trembling. ¡°On¡­ our way?¡± ¡°Yes of course.¡± The former Pdin Champion backed away in fright as she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it. This madness had already driven away the little faith she had in the Purity. Now she was supposed to go down there? Actuass ignored her frightened gesture and went on to spout details that Revia didn¡¯t quite understand but would soon link together in the next few days. ¡°The Second Grand War, a tragedy that funnelled millions of souls into the Yormuness was a grand event that I unfortunately missed. But, I dide to learn quite the intriguing information. Do you know how the Chosen Four of Fulgardt were defeated, save for one at least?¡± Revia obviously wasn¡¯t going to answer as she simply looked at Actuass as if he was a madman. ¡°They were so powerful that three volunteer experts above the Incandescent Stage, ones from the Purity, bound the souls of these three to theirs with the use of a powerful artefact. They were then killed, effectively leaving Fulgardt without his loyalpanions.¡± Actuass lifted his head up and looked at Revia who drew further back. ¡°I¡¯m interested in this piece of history. Come. you¡¯ll learn to hone your Warden abilities well while we move through the Yormuness and even that requires your powers. . This and all the inside information I have fed you since a few days ago should fulfill my Creed. We both win at the end of the day.¡± ¡­! While Revia didn¡¯t understand much else of what Actuass actually intended, when she heard thest bit of what the masked man said, she turned even more pale. With all that she now knew about Creeds¡­ ¡®That¡¯s why he¡¯s been telling me all this important stuff?! He¡¯s¡ª¡¯ Before Revia could finish her thought, a mass of greenish ck me bound her as well as Actuass, the two speeding through the opening below them¡­ Chapter 398 Final Destination (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). iken. The town was also a snow and ice covered settlement with quite therge number of people within it much like Harifrast. The general activity with the high of the gloomy sun behind the cold, was as one would expect, the clothing and textile businesses doing well along with eateries that fumed with delectable scents that gathered crowds. So many of these were sprinkled in everymercial corner, gathering small groups of people, local and otherwise. The smell of fish pointed out what was most unique about this town; the sale of fish, a particr type of fish. The Deadneck Oartail. While it certainly was unbelievable that a town in such a cold ce could be well known for exquisite fish, the trade and sale of the scaly mass was factually the best business that iken had. North of the town was arge, crescent shapedke, almost triple the size of the town, which was quite strangely unfrozen, the waters within as calm as theidness of the male third leg. The reason for the unusual phenomenon was naturally the Deadneck Oartails that dwelled within. They wererge, five meter long fish, their heads that arched down at a peculiar angle giving the impression that they had broken necks (of course they don¡¯t technically have necks). Their greenish white scales spotted dark marks, with their ends featuring broad tails, like the ends of oars, hence their name. Skullius was crouching beside theke in his Discount Human form. He donned a new jacket, much thicker and furrier than thest one along with hairy pants that wrapped around his fit body nicely. Around the pair of pants was a dark chain that wound multiple times around his waist, giving Skullius a rather edgy look. ¡°Interesting. These things are actually expelling mana containing a mild heat from their bodies with some incredible levels of control,¡± Skullius said. While he couldn¡¯t see the fish in theke, his senses told him a great deal. The light movements of the water spawned by the wind ran through the ground also, the swimming of the fish creating vibrations that helped him make out their shape. The mana they produced was also tingling on Skullius¡¯ skin, making him quite aware of their presence even without the use of [Elevated Mana Maniption]. At this moment however, he was using the skill while applying it to the twenty some meter Inner Domain of his where everything was reflected to him perfectly. ¡°This was a nice detour, I guess. I should probably get going,¡± Skullius said. S had finally relented, divulging the location of the Sacred Forest where the ce he had promised could be found. Upon getting the directions, Skullius inquired from strangers where this ce was. Given how he couldn¡¯t understand anyone anymore, S who was familiar with the region, having lived in it before, had to chip in, assisting Skullius with forming simple sentences in the native dialects that people would understand. This didn¡¯t always work though, as thenguage had vastly evolved over tens of millennia and un some cases, UNCoddled had slushied the hell out of people Skullius asked as he hadn¡¯t expressed his questions with the right intent and wording to not garner sympathetic help. What usually followed when he asked sessfully however, was people giving him a weird look, borderline hostile which was great for obvious reasons but bad because for some strange reason that Skullius hadn¡¯t learnt yet, it gave bad face to seek this ce. Still, he had won the battle to attain the right directions, making a stop here as it was in the direction of his destination. Skullius had immediately set off after [High Cosmetic Body]¡¯s cooldown ended, his journey leading him to this town where he bought some clothes (pointing at what he needed from stalls), this time quite a bit of them as he wanted to have spares for emergencies. While in town, he had felt the presence of mana from theke and decided to investigate. At the moment, Skullius held the Elimparidis Stone Staff as even now, he couldn¡¯t afford to let the Centre to his core keep randomly sending mana off into the Refinery for a simplistic flow. On the way here by paid carriage, he had been extremely focused as he continued weaving mana with [Mana Force] and [Elevated Mana Maniption], his pace in creating the coil around his Centre increasing by a bit as he got used to it. It seemed to Skullius that this task was so difficult because hecked some kind of stimulus. Something to jolt his body to awaken and make it readily elerate his capabilities. After all, this process wasn¡¯t exactlyplicated once he got a hand of it, it was just so slow. If only he could use [HYPED] as he wished, he bet it would be faster as it had done wonders for S but that was impossible. He couldn¡¯t just get himself extremely hyped about something. ¡®Hmm? Who are these guys?¡¯ Skullius thought as he felt horses approach him from the distance. Four men rode these horses, their sleek armour which had a purple design with a golden insignia at the chest ce nking as the beasts they rode galloped to reach Skullius in the next few moments. ¡°You there. What are you doing here?¡± one of the men said with a furious look. Skullius naturally couldn¡¯t understand a word of the man saying. He rose and stared nkly at the man with his white eyes, his focus going to the men¡¯s cores which had different shades of blue, their body brimming with power that Skullius was unintimidated by. ¡°Speak! Didn¡¯t you hear what he asked?¡± another of the four men bellowed while reining in the horse that neighed and strutted under him. ¡°Even if you are not a local, attempting to fish during the day and with the sanctioned quota reached no less, is a punishable offence, whether you knew it or not!¡± These men did not belong to the Capital Service. They were Monitoring Officers for the Family that owned this part of thends. The Faras Family. As stated before, Families had the privilege of owning Territory within the nation and governing it as they saw fit. iken was one such example. Because the town made quite the bit of money by selling the Deadneck Oartails, the Faras Family had hurriedly stepped in to ensure that the fishes were not dined on to extinction. Rather, they started breeding projects inside and outside iken while also putting a limit on how much fish could be taken from theke at the given time. Skullius titled his head, finding his inability to understand these guys quite interesting as well as their fury which he could feel without even sensing the contours of their faces contort. Their mana and the air around them as well as a more natural energy that flowed from them told him much of this. ¡®Are they upset because of that thing you said you heard those guys say?¡¯ Skullius asked S internally. ¡®That can¡¯t be true, right? Is that really why no one is here?¡¯ he thought. ¡®Probably so,¡¯ S replied. While in the town, Skullius, and S by extension, had overhead with his sharpened senses that the locals believed the Deitess Listafelle to inhabit the fish from theke once a day until the night, blessing the fish. Before then, no one was supposed to even attempt to touch the fish. Thus fishing was only done in the night-time. Apparently the local temple priests confirmed this and proliferated the belief. ¡®Well, flesh that¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡°Let¡¯s take this fool away! He¡¯s obviously looking down us,¡± another of the men drew his sword as he edged his horse forward. Skullius shook his head before his figure turned into a blur. He shot past the men with brisk motion that prevented the four of them from even catching a glimpse of his figure at all! Just like that, the three were left gaping as they couldn¡¯t even find a trace of the Discount Human in the white of snow around. * ¡­ Skullius sighed as he looked below, his beginning to beat at a quick pace. He was a vast distance away from iken at this time as after making his escape, he had taken to the journey for hisst destination with sturdy steps while weaving the ridiculously intricate ¡®coding¡¯ for the Refinery around his core¡¯s Centre. The sun was setting now, and while it had also been part of Skullius¡¯ strategy (travelling at a slower speed to drag out time) so that he would at least have his Prator form to count on, he couldn¡¯t have guessed that he would be having second thoughts about this whole thing. This was because of the scene he was looking down to right now. He had reached the ce that S had talked about but instead of excitement, much of what he felt was apprehension. ¡®Well¡­ it¡¯s definitely different from the Tremur. In fact, it looks more like a Sacred Forest inparison that ce,¡¯ Skullius thought while gathering courage. Chapter 399 Final Destination (2) Skullius¡¯ nk eyes looked down and then to his right. Strangely, while he couldn¡¯t see, he was just too used to his sight that even though he was just sensing his surroundings, his eyes would follow in the direction he was focusing his senses. With the Outer Domain of his sense, Skullius felt thendscape through the wind, his body moving to the right in order to expand his view and fully take it all in. It was a pity for him though as he couldn¡¯t appreciate the visuals which were rather exquisite. From where he stood now, the edge of snow coverednds with more trees and grasses than he had expected, thend abruptly dipped, creating a cliff which actually had a steady, angled downslope instead of sharp one, going on for a vast distance of several miles. This was merely the width of where Skullius was facing directly. Before this slope, the cliff went on for quite a distance in both directions, up to almost a two hundred miles, before thend arched and circled back to Skullius¡¯ right. On the curve, thend sloped once again, but formed what seemed like a trough that amodated a flowing river that streamed from miles away and spilled the water from the cliff, like a waterfall. No. This part wasn¡¯t actually urate. Instead of painting the picture of flowing water in the minds of everyone who was curious about this, it was better to say this was a river of fog, with blocks of ice within it as one actually couldn¡¯t see the water even when it fell off the cliff! Only a mass of cloudy white spilled into the area of recession after the cliff, which was a tremendously thick forest! Much of it was obscure, as this fog which emitted ferocious waves of pure mana, by some form of unrecognisable theory of flow, blew to cover much of the hundreds of miles worth of resilient flora that maintained its colour within, along with the beasts hidden inside. Ice variants of trees could be seen at some points with other sections of this forest genuinely making it seem like thend persisted before the inevitable dump into the massive body of water thaty beyond this forest when this fog covered area of recession came to an abrupt halt. This was the Sacred Forest Urja, another one of the pirs of stability as even now with people¡¯s faith in the Deities dwindling, it was still believed to cast a stable veil that disallowed Clusters from forming over vast distances. Evidence of this truth was enough for most people to stay away, with those that approached being looked upon with disdain. ¡°So uh¡­ you said the ce we¡¯re looking for is like the Labyrinth of the Yoke? A ce where a legacy is being kept, right?¡± Skullius asked as he sat down. He wasn¡¯t going down there until the night fully came, restoring his sturdier form. ¡®It is a ce where a legacy was left behind yes but it¡¯s not nearly asplicated as the Labyrinth of the Yoke or many others structures like it. I can still remember that a key isn¡¯t needed,¡¯ S replied. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s good. But hey didn¡¯t you say something about this thing that can help me beingke or river or something? I feel and hear a big body of water down there. Are they rted somehow?¡± ¡®Yes, but that¡¯s merely the starting point,¡¯ S replied with a gruff tone. It didn¡¯t feel normal to have a conversation like this with Skullius, while disseminating information no less. He was used to exchanging pieces of hate. But well, the old soul was capable of embodying the saying, ¡®It is what it is.¡¯ ¡°I see. What should I expect it?¡± S did not reply immediately. His thoughts churned as memories he was fond of, the few that were still clear to him resurfaced, linking to the ce he and Skullius were about to venture into. ¡®Hmmm¡­ Thousands of years ago, many cults were formed and morality took a dive, what with Fulgardt ughtering those that believed in the Deities. This forced many people to turn from faith, the continent changing into a chaotic hub of immorality. You could say one of the more prominent believes that certainly grew stronger from the chaos was misogyny. Hmph. That¡¯s actually a more tame word. It was certainly more like a devilish lust, spearheaded by depraved men who believed that since the world was turning so cruel, there was no need to uphold certain moral standards.¡¯ ¡®Women had not been as involved inbat these days. Few undertook the mantles of power inbat form. The majority of those that chose to even step on battlefields were those with sses that gave their more natural abilities shine, making life easier, like hospitality and care.¡¯ ¡®Thus healers and priestesses were the more standard sses that women took. Many took advantage of this and raided temples and viges, capturing and viting women as they pleased. The practice was not followed upon by authorities as obviously they had much to deal with.¡¯ Skullius scratched his chin as he listened. By that logic then, people like Sty, Elita, Dami, the girls from the Harem Guild as well as even Denille were rare in those days. This was a strange concept to Skullius. ¡®With the prevailing loss of morality, a shift was spawned in the form of a cult that rose in this time, led by twelve powerful women who decided to fight against the immorality, particrly the injustice against women,¡¯ S continued, his words seeming to have a lot of emotional investment in this story. ¡®They called themselves the Order of the Trodden Rose.¡¯ ¡°Oh. That sounds like a cool group,¡± Skullius said while nodding his head. ¡®If only,¡¯ S said. ¡®What started with the intent of righteous belief, quickly turned to be an atrocity of my age. From saving enved women who were used as toys, the Order of the Trodden Rose turned to brutally massacring all men they came across, and not in the enticing way. Grown men and young boys were stripped down, yed and med where it really hurts and then hung on poles thereafter, as the Healers within the Order kept them alive for a standard of three hours before killing them. Powerful male experts were never seen again as they seemed to serve a grander purpose.¡¯ ¡®This Order repeated the same thing with every vige, town and small city they passed, sending a message, as they said. Many quickly realised that Fulgardt¡¯s influence was causing even those thought to be righteous to turn immoral, getting lost when they had created a way forward themselves. People shunned this Order, including the women of the age, experts from all over Pelian hunting them down.¡¯ ¡°Brutal¡­¡± Skullius said with a grimace. However, he was more concerned about how he was about to enter a ce made by this group of women, which seemed so¡­ ¡°You said you¡¯ve been here before right?¡± ¡®¡­Yes,¡¯ S said with a slightly cracked tone. ¡®Multiple times.¡¯ ¡°Oh. Then you must remember everything in that ce, right?¡± ¡®Not everything, tomato flinger. My memory is full of holes. I¡¯m not my full self after all. For the sake of survival I¡¯ll mention the bitter parts when we arrive to their locations.¡¯ Skullius had expected better but having S cooperate was definitely more than he could already ask for right now. Unfortunately, the backstory he had gotten wasn¡¯t nearly enough to kill much time as he then started to focus on forging more of the Refinery. At this point, he was a little more than 3,5% done, Skullius seeing astounding results at least when it came to how the pure mana from his Centre reacted to being led along, told how to flow by what he hadpleted of the Refinery so far. His pace was increasing, which was good, but after a little less than 30 minutes, it was time to get back on track with the matter at hand as [High Cosmetic Body] timed out. Skullius had already removed his clothes, his tall form sparking with Levin as he rose from the mild dredges of snow he had sat on. With his sight restored, Skullius appreciated the view before him in greater detail before nodding his head. ¡°Ferex. Do the thing,¡± Skullius said, his second Apostle appearing in its miniaturised form around his neck and instantly forming arge, dark blue hooded cloak that almost seemed ethereal. It covered Skullius nicely, obscuring his bony appearance to the feet. ¡°Thanks bro,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Be sure to have your hide at the ready for emergencies.¡± Skullius had learned from the Tremur that his appearance didn¡¯t grant him any favours with beasts or living things in general, so he decided to hide it. Sure the four socket mes of his still red menacingly out of the hood, but who would immediately think of him as an undead? No one, right? Right?! With such preparations, Skullius walked forward, his feet shuffling through the snow (dead give away) as he prated the foggy weing. His sights honed on what was ahead, and frankly, it wasn¡¯t anything unexpected. Trees stood half frozen, with their colours of brown and green persisting even in this treacherous cold that Skullius was d wasn¡¯t a detriment to him. Urja was a lot darker from the inside, but it didn¡¯t prevent his progression as he wished to hurriedly reach his destination. Apparently, when he reached the waters at the end, that was when it would truly begin. Within the heavily humid atmosphere with a mix of pure mana, Skullius¡¯ [Elevated Mana Maniption] which he was keeping active as a habit now caught something. ¡­! SHF! SHF! Deceptively light sounds echoed while arge mana signature registered in Skullius¡¯ sense with his descent down the slope. From a distance, he saw a hulking mass trudge through the snow casually before it too turned towards him. Chapter 400 Reverent Lights Grace A Future Goat! As with the goblins and Vine Prowlers, Sacred Forests held many areas where beasts spawned, as the Grinning Jester Fox had alluded to. (A/N: Refer to Ch.28 & 106). Usually these spawning areas were best for the beasts that grew within them, having friendly conditions that aided in elerating their growth. ¡°That¡¯s one ugly sockethole,¡± Skullius said as his socket mes red. The beast that gazed at him from the sloped distance was arge humanoid creature with a pale face full of pimples, bumps and boils, a thick nose and massive eyes coloured with a hollow ck. It was bald but with greyish silver fur growing from its hunched back all the way to its ankles where exaggeratedlyrge, hideous feet finished the rest of an ugly tale. Its body was muscr under the fur, with chunks of ice growing on its shoulders and chest in a weird manner but it didn¡¯t seem bothered by it, only a little weighed down as evidenced by the hunch. The beast lugged a thick, bloody club that settled over the ice on its shoulder, theplete scene being capable of terrifying a normal human out of their mind. ¡®It couldn¡¯t have sensed my presence. Is it my socket mes? Ah¡­ living a double life really makes me forget that I can fix that,¡¯ Skullius said before prompting his fierce socket mes to turn into light blue spots within his dark sockets. This was the equivalent of squinting for the Prator. Unfortunately, the damage was already done as the hulking creature before him turned its body and started to walk over to him with its three meter tall mass. With his guidance field, Skullius ascertained the name of this creature as well as its strength. It was called a Burdened Ice Troll and it was a Tier 4 beast, though with only a white core, albeit a very bright one. The Troll wore a ferocious look before opening its wide mouth that had jagged teeth oozing with dark, putrid saliva and calling in a loud noise that sounded like a cross between cow¡¯s moo and the roar of a lion! ¡­! Almost immediately, Skullius felt his [Elevated Mana Maniption] tug at him, alerting him of sixteen figures whose mana cores throbbed in his sense from arge distance and¡­ Wait! Skullius came to a screeching halt with his immediate thoughts. ¡®Wait! Wait! Wait!¡¯ What he had sensed just now didn¡¯t wait for him to think about the anomaly he was currently experiencing though, as soon, sixteen Ice Trolls rushed from the cover of trees and circled around him, some hiding and some openly showing themselves with arrogance. As all this happened, Skullius wasn¡¯t actually focused on the beasts as he grasped his chin between his fingers. Strange¡­ Seeing the enemy not showing a reaction, the first Troll to identify Skullius dashed towards him with fury painted over its ugly mug, its figure crossing the distance in a breath as it then made a light leap, club overhead and swung down with all its might! The air roared as the club descended, a testament to the creature¡¯s raw strength! Yet¡­ ¡°I¡¯m thinking about something right now, dammit!¡± Skullius said with annoyance as his hand sparked with Silentburn Levin, a bolt of the silent destruction storming upwards to meet the club which was ripped to shreds instantly! ¡­! Skullius¡¯ socket mes shed with an intense fire, evidently an expression of how the Prator just internally said ¡®Flesh It!¡¯. His hand shed over to touch the shocked Troll¡¯s chest and a skill that Skullius had never used (on page) was activated. ~~~ [Fulgurous Virulence | Lv.3] Infect a target with a condensed infestation of Silentburn Levin, causing an implosion from the inside. This attack deals 80% Serenity Damage. -Caution- Limited effects on stronger opponents or reinforced physiques and constructs. Mana Requirements: 800 Mana Points Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: 3 minutes ~~~ The skill was currently being empowered by [Epiphany], causing its usually 30% Serenity Damage to skyrocket to 80%! Sparks flew from Skullius¡¯ hand and a vibrant line was traced over the skin of the Troll as shockingly, after a certain checkpoint over its skin that the line ran over, arge white blot of Levin would swell, growing brighter and brighter with time! Before the span of two breaths could even arrive, forty of these had appeared on the body of the Troll which screamed in pain before¡­ BOOOMZZZTT! It imploded intopressed burnt chunks that lit up with sparks of Levin before falling to the ground with a hiss! Experience was funnelled into Skullius, but he wasn¡¯t focused on it as he was more intrigued by what he had discovered, the effect of [Epiphany] on [Elevated Mana Maniption]! The other trolls were shocked by the instantaneous death of one of their own by strange means they couldn¡¯t understand, their eyeballs bulging at the harsh reality! This same reality seemed to tell of fortune for Skullius instead however. ¡®This is crazy! With [Epiphany] on, I can sense more than just mana and the colour of cores!¡¯ Skullius thought. Just now, when the now dead Troll had called its fellow beasts, Skullius felt the loud thrum of mana from the cores of these sixteen other creatures from the varying distances they were, even if they were outside his effective range! Their emotion and reaction, as well as how they funnelled mana into their bodies through their mana pathways, the reactions of their flesh as a result, the direction they woulde from based on the flow of their mana¡­! All of this was told to Skullius just from [Elevated Mana Maniption]! What was even crazier was that if Skullius focused enough, he could practically see the inner workings of the cores of the Trolls, their Centre, their generic Refinery and the Shell¡­ all of it, in addition to feeling a very faint connection of this core to their very existence! This¡­ was ridiculous! ¡®I didn¡¯t think the boost to the skill would be this much. Though I guess that my understanding of mana cores and mana in general now helps me use [Elevated Mana Maniption] more effectively,¡¯ Skullius thought. The Trolls around him growled as they gathered courage and pounced on him all at once! Their bodies red with icy chill, some even exuding a frosty air as they seemed to have ice-rted abilities! Frankly, each one of these Trolls had physical stats that were way higher than those of Skullius, at least in terms of endurance and strength as Skullius could augment his agility with Levin to at least not be too far behind. However, this did not matter as Skullius had the upper hand in skills. And now, it terms of skill¡­ The Prator raised his hand, a thick coil of mana rushing around it as he imbued 100% of his focus on what he was about to pull! ¡°Die, you ugly mugly socketholes,¡± Skullius said with a chilling voice and¡­ ¡­! ¡­! RAAAAAAAAAARRR! The collective pained roar of the Trolls echoed throughout the space as they halted mid attack, their eyes wide open in shock and tremendous agony! Every single one of them felt it! A sturdy grasp on their mana cores! No. A cruel hold that choked their mana cores! Then¡­. VWOOOOOOOSH! The mana within their cores started to flood out with reckless fury through their mana pathways with atrociously high output that didn¡¯t match the size of these channels! As a result, the Trolls growled horribly, bitterly, as their pathways ruptured and in turn their bodies, as the light of mana red from their orifices with a cruel brightness! The collection of three openings on the faces of the sixteen Trolls, all lit up like whitenterns illuminated the image of the cloaked Fulgurant Bone Prator in an unintentionally majestic reverence, the Nullmancer foreshadowed to conquer all kingdoms relishing in his power and in the death of the enemies not worthy of evennding a blow on him¡­ ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] We have passed another milestone with the story. It¡¯s good to see another 100 added. I¡¯m happy that I¡¯ve gotten this far and it¡¯s all because of your support. If you¡¯re reading this, or rather if you paid for this chapter and then read it, you FLESHIN¡¯ rock!!! Heavy thanks from this side! Chapter 401 Lowway To Hell Once more, bursts of experience flowed into Skullius as the more than a dozen Trolls died horrific deaths, their mana flowing into the atmosphere without pause. The cold sensation of abundant mana over his body made Skullius¡¯ sockets re wildly and he emitted a chuckle. ¡°Perfect¡­¡± Hurriedly, the Prator absorbed the Null Life Essence from the corpses, getting a haul of 55 points for each. After that was done, Skullius took the opportunity to use [Elevated Mana Maniption] to scout the area some more and further explore what else he was capable of. He made sure to ¡®squint¡¯ once again in order to not invite more creatures to the party and took quick steps ahead into the dark forest. Since this was the territory of the Burdened Ice Trolls, there were many more of the beasts scattered around, with some quickly approaching his previous location where the harrowing screams had echoed. With his superior senses, Skullius also discovered certain things about this forest. Perhaps the same principles had applied to the Tremur but he just hadn¡¯t been sense them at the time. ¡°Wow, just within range of my [Elevated Mana Maniption] to a far right, the mana keeps getting thicker. Then again, I purposefully avoided going through what looked like the centre to this ce in case I met powerful monsters,¡± Skullius said as trudged on while making sure he was aware of the position of everything that breathed. To his right, where he felt the cascading waves of mana get a tinge of spice as they turned from being pure to gaining a heavy frosty influence, the trees only grewrger, their moist trunks starting to grow what Skullius could only call ice branches. Further away, as Skullius focused his vision, he could even see white trees that grew from the snow, on their branches¡­ blue fruits that looked like pineapples but with a blue colour over them hanging from high branches. ¡®Hmm¡­ that¡¯s right, I have things like this in my Cluster world. Maybe I should investigate them,¡¯ Skullius thought. He quickened his pace as he descended down the slope, leaping over fallen threes and rising over small icy hills. The Discount Human didn¡¯t want to waste any time as just like he said, he was on a time crunch. Since this was the shortest straight stretch from the cliff to the waters at the end of the area of recession, he had dly taken it for said purpose. Luckily, the creatures he met even after exiting the Troll territory were not that strong and he killed them all with the same trick he had used to kill the ugly mugs before. With each time he did this, he refined his control of condensed mana, taking a few moments to feel the texture of mana in some enemies just for practise before killing them faster so that they didn¡¯t call others to the disco, gig, ughter fest¡­ whichever was fine. When Skullius had crossed over half of the way¡­ ¡®Hmmm¡­ Did it just get colder?¡¯ he thought to himself. Before him was big trough that led into an area popted by more ice rather than snow. Within it, Skullius sensed a few presences, much of them being Tier 3 with the rest being Tier 4. ¡®Jeez, are there any weak creatures in this forest at all? It¡¯s ridiculous how each one is Tier 3 or above. At this point I¡¯m half expecting a Tier 8 to just pop for the fun of it,¡¯ Skullius thought while shaking his head. The Prator in his hooded cloak crossed over the trough while making sure he didn¡¯t get dragged off by gravity to tumble on as a result of the descent which grew steeper. Twenty more some presences instantly appeared in Skullius¡¯ senses, their body shapes confusing a freak out of him. Along with this came a weird phenomenon, one that he saw. Snow kes. Not ordinary ones but ones infused with vast amounts of ¡®spiced¡¯ mana. They flew overhead in clustered that curled and climbed up the atmosphere with a sense of patterned flow that would make one go, ¡®Aww¡¯. But for Skullius who had been waiting for the catch to this halfway point in his journey, this was was from enough to fool him. Instead of powering through¡­ ¡®Ferex¡­ I have a bad feeling about this. Let¡¯s go with the emergency n,¡¯ Skullius sent his intent to the Apostle around his neck who promptly nodded and manifested hisrge body covered in Unliving thread. Over the thread, a shaggy hide of brown with glowing white marks appeared. Ferex doubled in size before opening his maw where Skullius jumped in. The two were using the same trick they had used to sneak back into Inhone City after the defeat of the Galemonger back then. Ferex¡¯s presence vanished and he moved forward with his mouth slightly open for Skullius to see ahead. After they had travelled a distance, the two were faced with a clearing made of ice, where Skullius saw the creatures he had been sensed. ¡®That¡¯s¡­ weird¡­,¡¯ he thought. One word. Snowmen. Twenty six snowmen, with threeyers of balled up snow in descending order from the bottom were moving over an ice tform within a depression surrounded by snow covered trees! Rather than simply moving, they were sliding, their wooden hands waving around with glee. On the smallest ball of snow, which was their heads, joyful faces could be seen with gouged out sockets as eyes and traced curves at the bottom to resemble smiles. Crooked sticks were nted in the middle, acting as the nose,pleting what a man looked like. Definitely. ¡®So stupid¡­¡¯ Skullius remarked as he watched the creatures have fun. ¡®Hmmm?¡¯ Once more, snow kes with unbelievable bursts of mana within them streamed above in a calm manner, but this time, there were many of them swirling above the ying snowmen! ¡®Ferex, stop!¡¯ Skulliusmanded to which the Apostle immediately came to halt. He had sensed something from a distance! A massive presence that had suddenly shown up from the blue! It was so massive that Skullius withdrew his prying mana senses to a limited range to ensure that nothing went wrong and¡­ FWOOOOO! The air gushed outwards as the streaming snow kes spun over the ice tform within the depression, a massive figure spontaneously bursting into existence as it levitated high up! A massive snowman that was¡­ It had the exact same features as the smaller ones on the ground but with a six meter mass as well as¡­ a hat? A wooden one! The fun came when guessing what Tier it was, and Skullius didn¡¯t even need the guidance field for it as even at a rough estimation of power, this thing had the same presence as the Galemonger! ¡®Tier 8¡­ Great!¡¯ Skullius thought as he skull palmed. Evidence that this thing was bad news came from the fact that around it, the space seemed to turn into rhombus shaped ice tes that glowed, reflecting an unseen shine for over three meters give or take. Theplexity of whatever shit was going on there was just asplex as things like Spatial Lightning and Stagnant Space. Skullius didn¡¯t want a piece of that. ¡®Let¡¯s just wait until it leaves. I¡¯m not taking any chances,¡¯ Skullius thought. Thus the wait begin. A wait of four hours! The cold, hat wearing, white covered bastard watched the masses of snow below it endlessly perform a dance the whole time! Skullius seethed with fury. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t do anything to daddy snowman and when the thing eventually left, he waited for a few minutes just in case. He and Ferex finally went past these creeps, with Skullius having to half a mind to kill these snowmen out of spite but no, it wasn¡¯t worth it. The two crossed the distance while avoiding any clustered cuties as Skullius reassumed his [Elevated Mana Maniption] to its maximum range. It didn¡¯t take long until Skullius and Ferex finally reached the edge and looked over the waters that had hints of the fog spilling from the fall far to the right. The water wasn¡¯t frozen but it was horrendously cold. Fortunately, no creature from the forest wanted to dance with these temperatures, which was great for Skullius who didn¡¯t want anything more than to get on with finding what he needed right now. On the other hand, Skullius noticed something in the water. It was faint but it rubbed him the wrong way. A chilling energy. He decided to ask S who had grown so used to being cut off by him that he developed a habit of going quiet on his own. ¡°Do you remember anything else I should be aware of?¡± Skullius asked. ¡®Hmm¡­ let me think. Hmm, that¡¯s right. You cannot enter that ce in this form. Monsters are not tolerated after all, especially if they look like undead,¡¯ S said. ¡°Right¡­¡± Skullius said as immediately activated [High Cosmetic Body]. ¡°I should probably wear my new gear for this too.¡± The Discount Human had begun taking out the item he referenced from his spatial storage ring, Staff in hand, when S suddenly recalled something else. ¡®Ah, there¡¯s another thing. To think I¡¯d forget this¡­¡¯ S said. ¡°What?¡± ¡®This ce¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯s within a powerful beast¡¯s Territory. A Majestic Territory.¡¯ ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] I wanted to try andplete Win-win this month but I have a tight schedule. Mondays remaina a one chapter day. Weekends man. Chapter 402 Guardian (1) ¡°Say that again,¡± Skullius said in response to S¡¯s words. ¡®I know you heard me, tomato flinger. Much like most of the spaces meant to hold a legacy within them, this one also has a beast of a high tier that guards it and filters who enters and who doesn¡¯t,¡¯ S said. Skullius sighed as he felt within the waters. That was the peculiar sensation he had felt with his senses before using [High Cosmetic Body] just now. A Territory was erected somewhere within these waters and he had enter straight into it. Fantastic! Once again, in the spirit of epting things as they came, Skullius swallowed his spite for the current situation and instead focused on what he was going to do. He had interacted with a beast that guarded a legacy holding spot before but it was obvious that they would all probably be different. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what he was going to face. Skullius donned a unique set of light armour that had a strange, dim bluish halo around it. It was a sleek, perfectly silvery blue armour with small criss-crossing design groves all over it, from the thin but sturdy chest te which traced along Skullius¡¯ body perfectly, to the pauldrons on his shoulders which were diamond shaped, the groves over these glowing lightly. Light bracers with glowing, diamond shaped centres could be seen around his arms and whenever Skullius moved, the groves along the bracers and the entire armour shed with a silvery blue light! A darkyer of leather was visible underneath from between the joints of the armour, the most prominent features it had being the leather hood behind Skullius¡¯ neck which had glowing silver lines that traced all over it as well. This was evidently the Fleeting Ghoul¡¯s Adornment which Skullius had upgraded with [Unbound]! The effects it had attained as a result of the upgrade were rather fascinating and the Discount Human was looking forward to keeping it for a long time. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get this over with,¡± Skullius said with a sigh. ¡°Oh right, could the beast notice us in its Territory if we continue using your Ferex¡¯s hide?¡± ¡®Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I only know as much as you do on that part, tomato flinger. Perhaps the hide is strong enough to bypass the powerful awareness granted in one¡¯s Majestic Territory, or perhaps not,¡¯ S answered, thest bit of what he said having a hint of sarcasm. Skullius had expected more of an answer than added spection but oh well¡­ While it seemed reckless to deep dive into a Majestic Territory with all Skullius knew and had seen about them, the interaction between Benzard and his group that time in the Tremur was still fresh in his mind. Benzard has said that the fox guarding the Labyrinth of the Yoke was merely there to evaluate those who wished to enter and not fight against them. Provided it wasn¡¯t provoked that was. If the same rules applied to this ce then¡­ ¡®At most, it should just evaluate our strength, right, in the event that it does notice Ferex in his hide?¡¯ Skullius thought before deciding to cast away all worries and dive in. They were already here anyway. The Discount Human casually hopped into Ferex¡¯s mouth and the creature leapt into the waters. On entering, Skullius noticed the spike in the amount of mana around. Unfortunately, much of his insight was limited but he could identify quite a bit of information. While he didn¡¯t have the impressive sensory capabilities of an empowered [Elevated Mana Maniption] through [Epiphany], the vibrations through the water along with the activation of the aforementioned mana maniption skill told him a fair amount of detail. For starters, he was immediately alerted to the fact that there were no living creatures even close to his sensory ranges, the Outer Domain of his expanded sense included. The reason was incredibly obvious. Whenever there was a powerful beast¡¯s Territory nearby, weaker creatures steered clear. And as for this Territory¡­ The strange feeling that Skullius had felt before diving into the water grew stronger. To him, it felt like a growing bulb of prickling heat against his skin which annoyed him as it grew from a mere sensation to a shiver inducing pressure if he paid too much attention to it. They were drawing close. Ferex who was swishing his legs as he descended deep into the dark waters that changed colour by virtue of the thick mana, could actually see what was ahead. The dark blue waters, contending with light and detaining much of it, turned to an nigh indistinguishable shade of light green against the natural, mana infused colour of the sea. The hue became more pronounced as one drew closer and closer, finally able to see that¡­ ah¡­ A vast, clear dome of vibrant yet subtle green nested deep within the waters while causing it to bubble as if it was boiling. Its size made Ferex look like an ant, basically insignificant to the might of the beast who had made it. ¡®The amount of mana radiating from this thing is ridiculous,¡¯ Skullius thought. At this point, he had retracted his expanded senses, fearing that they could be what gave them away in the end. While feeling the screeching power that bellowed from the sphere, Skullius gave Ferex the go ahead. The Hound swam, heading for the bubbly green. The moment it prated the sphere¡­ [Congrattions, you have royally screwed yourself by entering a powerful beast¡¯s Majestic Territory!] Once again, the same notification that appeared before Skullius every time he entered a Territory popped up in front of him. Funny enough, Skullius had already gotten over the fact that he could still see the notification despite being blind. But he could care less about it now as the surroundings had changed greatly, stealing his attention. He couldn¡¯t tell much, but a suffocating presence that almost made him keel even while within Ferex¡¯s mouth pounded against him while the Hound came to a halt, its body quivering. Once more, a space filled with extraordinarily thick liquid was what met Skullius and Ferex. It was so thick that Skullius didn¡¯t know if it was water or something else and the little sense he was exerting to try and make out a few things was actually nullified by¡­ a deep set ¡®darkness¡¯. The Demon Hound saw a literal darkness that refused to reveal anything about this ce however, making the situation a bit more tense. Ferex was hard pressed on how to proceed as a swing of his leg didn¡¯t actually get him even a meter¡¯s worth of distance forward. What was this? Skullius took a few seconds to calm down before starting to churn out possible ways to get out of this and analysing what he could. However¡­ ¡°I see you there, Vermin! You dare casually invade my Territory, and with deceptive powers no less?!¡± A thunderous voice coursed through the vibrant waters with a creepy vibration that ran through both Ferex and Skullius, etching what had been said into their very bones! The words rang through the two over and over and over again in such an ufortable manner, the appearance of this voice alsoing with a flood of light that illuminated the surroundings! They had been caught! ¡®Is this beast hostile?!¡¯ Skullius thought as he prepared for whatever encounter was afoot. He didn¡¯t understand what the beast had said but a violent emotion that evidently came from the beast had washed through him, giving him this sentiment! Just great! The best way to deal with this though, as Skullius thought, was with words, as it would be more fitting to respond with affability and respect as someone snared within the Territory. He held the staff tight, a bit apprehensive that even after so long it had barely started to recover its mana, the amount it granted him still at 4,670 points from the 2000! This would have to do however. As the tension increased, the view of the terrifying owner of the voice that had boomed appearing¡­ ¡®Right.. I remember the bastard who owns this Territory, tomato flinger. He¡¯s¡ª¡¯ Before S could finish, the truth was revealed without his help. ¡°KIKIKIKI! It¡¯s a jest! Look at you getting all tense~. It¡¯s fun watching you humans cower at my flippers! Rx! Let¡¯s have a nice chat, shall we?¡± ¡­ Chapter 403 Guardian (2) Contrary to the overbearing presence that had pressed Skullius and Ferex before, even going as far as to somehow imprint itself in their bodies for a short time, a friendly and weing voice that gave relief to the two gushed out. This relief was in more than one way however¡­ [You have been granted free mobility within the Majestic Territory by the Grand Moon Flipper, ¡®Fuwin¡¯] Skullius and Ferex felt the tension on their bodies resulting from the thick waters lessen as traversing through the water became a whole lot easier. A whole lot, as if they barely existed at all. Luckily for them and all other aspiring entrants, the agreement between the Grand Moon Flipper and another party dictated such. Ferex who was able to see the figure of the owner of this space could only gawk in surprise. It was¡­ a dolphin! A massive glowing dolphin with an overbearing whitish gold shine around it that made the appearance of its Territory very clear. Much of it, or rather all around, was what looked likerge, swaying green-coloured coral that made up the shell for the inner space that stretched for quite a bit of distance. At least a mile. Asides from this, the prominent features of the Territory itself were shiny floating ms and shells along withrge rocks in the distance below where algae and sorts of matter festered over to create a rather simplistic design. ¡®Woow¡­ this Territory seemsrge,¡¯ Skullius said while loosening up a bit, the restrictions on his senses having been lifted with the appearance of the light. He didn¡¯t let his marvels overtake his focus on the master of the Territory though, as despite the friendly tone propounded, this could still go sideways. ¡®It is,¡¯ S chipped in. ¡®This beast is very friendly. He entertainspany and likes to chat so indulge him. Hmmm. He should be able t¨C¡® ¡°KIKIKIKI! Now, show yourself to me~. I can get really mad with you if keep hiding~,¡± the massive dolphin said, its loud voice cutting off S even with its friendly tone that still didn¡¯t make Skullius understand a damn thing it was saying. (A/N: Please note, the sound Fuwin makes isn¡¯t meant to directly resemble the sound that a dolphin makes). Yet.. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been so long I¡¯ve almost forgotten not to talk to myself like this~.¡± As the dolphin said this, Skullius felt a powerful connection hook itself into his mind, firmly anchoring onto his consciousness. A friendly voice then echoed in his mind. ¡°KIKIKIKI! Humans rarely visit this ce anymore so I¡¯d almost forgotten how to interact with them. You hate the sea after all, don¡¯t you? KIKIKIKI! You should be able to understand me now, right?! I hate that Known Language nonsense those humans tried to make me learn! A chat should be close up and invasive, riiiiight~¡± ¡°Uuuuh¡­¡± Skullius didn¡¯t know what to say. The beast surely was acting friendly but the breach in boundaries had totally caught him off guard while hearing what it actually said threw him off. ¡°Come on! Show yourself. I can vaguely make out both of your appearances! KIKIKIKI! To think a human can actually obscure my senses in my own Territory,¡± Fuwin said with enthusiasm. Skullius, while taking note of S¡¯s words, decided to acquiesce to the request. He could vividly understand the dolphin¡¯s intent instead of experiencing it throughnguage, a bit like how he and his Apostles spoke, but without the voice. Skullius came out of Ferex¡¯s mouth while the beast retracted its Pseudo Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide. ¡°KIKIKIKI! Good, good! I¡¯m happy you¡¯re not so difficult! So different from this one human who kept trying to kill me~. So rude! I entertained him a few times before I had to put him down. . I thought we could be friends but he just wanted to swing his weapon against me. Tragic!¡± Fuwin said with a mild sullenness that creeped through Skullius¡¯ mind from the voice. Skullius figured that this was his cue. He hoped this was a two-way thing though. ¡°Uh¡­ I didn¡¯te here to fight¡­ Fuwin,¡± Skullius said. ¡°KIKIKIKI! Yes, yes, that¡¯s my name! How did you know?!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­.¡± Skullius froze. He had just said it after seeing the notification from before and in the tension hurriedly stated it to try and give a false sense of familiarity. Subconsciously. However, since he had already made the y, he might as well finish the game. ¡°Uh¡­ you see, I read about you from this book written by this one man who once came here looking for a certain hidden ce. He died sometime ago but he wrote about you being a friendly beast who allowed him to find what he was looking for,¡± Skullius weaved up a lie on the spot that also did the job of ttering and trying to see how much he could milk from throwingpliments at Fuwin. S would have face palmed if he could. This was only his second time watching Skullius perform the sacred art of bullshit after all. ¡°Oh! Yes, yes I am friendly! KIKIKIKI! Now that I think about it, I only shared my name with two humans. It was a very long time ago! Ah¡­ I wish I could see those two again but¡­ if one of them even indirectly directed you to me, that must mean¡­ my friendliness is being appreciated! KIKIKIKI!¡± Skullius was afraid to mention how weird this while encounter was as that would be rude. Even entertaining a thought of that was uneptable as if the creature somehow caught onto it¡­ ¡°Yes that¡¯s right! I¡¯m already feeling safe andfortable as we speak,¡± Skullius said. S shook with irritation. While this beast had basically not changed at all, it was shocking how simplistic its mentality was. Or at it seemed that way. Perhaps that was the side effect of being trapped by duty for thousands of years with little interaction. His experience was different though. ¡°KIKIKI! Of course, I¡¯m friendly after all. Though I guess you didn¡¯te here just to talk to me. As depressing as that is, I know what you¡¯re here for.¡± Skullius gulped. ¡°We can still talk. I just need to see if I can find what I¡¯m looking for first.¡± ¡°Oh~? Really?¡± Fuwin asked with a happy voice but soon, he turned sullen. ¡°You might die in there, though. Actually, as weak as you are, you¡¯ll die for sure.¡± Skullius smiled sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I can handle myself.¡± The Discount Human barely believed this himself. ¡°No can do,¡± Fuwin said, his massive body slowly swimming around Skullius. ¡°My agreement with those twelve humans forbids me from being too friendly to the point of neglecting the rules and evaluations they set up. . I wish I could give you favours.¡± ¡®Ah¡­.there it is,¡¯ Skullius hiddenly thought. It either seemed that Grinning Jester Fox that guarded the Labyrinth of the Yoke had not been given too many instructions by Fulgardt on evaluation or was just t outzy. This guy on the other hand, seemed rigid on this matter. He was friendly, but strict. ¡°Alright. What kind of evaluations are we supposed to do?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°KIKIKIKI!¡± the water trembled as Fuwin quakes with excitement. ¡°You¡¯re interesting! Even though you¡¯re weak, you still want to try!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good, good! Alright, the first evaluation is a question.¡± Skullius tensed as he prepared. What kind of question could this possibly be? It didn¡¯t take long for him to find out however, as Fuwin promptly asked. ¡°Are you male or female?¡± ¡­. Chapter 404 An Intriguing Evaluation ¡°Say that again,¡± Skullius said as he waspletely confused by the question. This was an evaluation? Wasn¡¯t it obvious what he was? ¡°Can¡¯t you tell what I am?¡± Skullius asked with a strange tone that clearly spelled how he felt about this whole ordeal. It was beyond weird. ¡°KIKIKI! Funny story. Apparently I¡¯m terrible at differentiating human gender. For some reason, you all look too simr to me and besides I haven¡¯t seen that many of you,¡± Fuwin said with what Skullius could only guess was his thoughtful look. In truth, it would be easier if Fuwin imposed his senses on his targets but he was too polite to do so, which is why he hadn¡¯t noticed Skullius¡¯ core situation and his blindness. Skullius was halfway through gobsmacked by this. Humans looked too simr? What kind of crap was that?! He decided not to make a big deal out of this and simply state his gender to clear everything up. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m male,¡± Skullius said. ¡®Hmph! Barely!¡¯ S scoffed from within, hisment making a thick vein throb on Skullius¡¯ temple. With the Discount Human¡¯s answer, a weirdly sullen emotion flowed into him from the connection with Fuwin. ¡°Oh¡­ I see. Your life must be hard then and it¡¯s about to get worse if you truly want to enter the ce those twelve left behind,¡± Fuwin said. ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± Skullius asked in a profound mix of confusion and apprehension. ¡°Well, your gender decides the treatment you will receive in that ce, after all, the human supposed to inherit the legacy left behind must be female.¡± Skullius narrowed his eyes. Really? Well it wasn¡¯t a surprise that such was the arrangement for this ce that he had yet to even glimpse at, probably because Fuwin was hiding it but¡­ the fact that treatment was different rubbed him the wrong way. Still, the fact that there was probably a lot of men who also journeyed here to give it a try meant that there was probably a great many things that could be salvaged other than the legacy itself. ¡°I understand. I still want to do it,¡± Skullius said firmly. Fuwin¡¯s body darted at an imperceptible speed within the waters, the motion strangely not generating horrible waves as one would expect. ¡°I see. At the end of the day, it really seems like humans enjoy challenging death,¡± therge dolphin said before pping its flippers in the waters. ¡°Very well! KIKIKIKI! Since we have cleared up your gender, I will move on to thest evaluation.¡± ¡®That question really was an evaluation then?¡¯ Skullius thought while sighing internally. Without transition or warning, a sh of light greater that the dolphin¡¯s glow sparked before him,rge objects appearing in the millisecond when the light disappeared. Twelverge objects. They were neatly arranged in three rows of four, their forms eerily identical. As for what they were¡­ ¡°What the heck are these?¡± Skullius asked with a frown, his senses jabbing at the objects. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ S expressed realisation but prevented himself from speaking much as he didn¡¯t want the dolphin to pick on his presence. Yet, he knew all too well what the test entailed. Rather, he was more concerned about a hurdle inside the ce he and Skullius sought, rather than this preliminary. The twelve objects before Skullius¡­ were hard y figures in the likeness of women. Barely covered women. Actually, naked women. Whoever had done his work on these was incredibly obsessed with details as if there had been any distinguishing colour work, it would be difficult for most to instantly realise that this was not real! The curves, the contours, the bust. It was all phenomenally refined! And yes, this ounted for more than just the appearance as these twelve women-shaped y figures also had mana cores, or at least something like that. Above this oddity, the figures also emitted a powerful allure, a nigh irresistible charm that tingled on the skin, influencing the body in subtle or tant ways depending on the person. ¡®They remind of Betsy,¡¯ Skullius thought as he felt the shapes. (A/N: The owner of that Inn in Inhone where Skullius had stayed). ¡°KIKIKIKI! This is the test given to all males. Apparently, and I quote, ¡®This is to ensure that vile filth doesn¡¯t find its way into the sacred ce.¡¯ Those twelve really hated men,¡± Fuwin said. ¡°Now¡­ this is the test. If you can find the figure that is different from the rest, I will allow you into the ce you seek. Oh, oh! Asides from damaging any of these, anything else goes in your attempt to find the one.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius was intrigued. Given how Fuwin had talked about him being weak, the Discount Human had thought that the evaluation would be more geared towards determining his strength but it seemed that that notion was wrong. He was actually expected to disy something else. Skullius pushed himself forward towards the twelve objects. However, the moment he advanced a few meters closer, a strange grip tingled over his skin, giving him a peculiar feeling. ¡®Hmm¡­ these things are emitting some kind of pressure¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he focused on re-establishing his Inner Domain, his senses and [Elevated Mana Maniption] making up a dome of over twenty meters that included most of the figures! Ferex protectively swam around his master as he wondered what he would do. With the constant motion of the waters, Skullius felt his senses get enhanced as the collision of water on the y figures made him notice a bit more about them, but¡­ The feeling that Skullius had gotten from these y figures grew stronger, seemingly using his senses as a way to connect to him even more. Soon, Skullius started to experience things that weren¡¯t actually real. In his ears, amidst the soft sounds of water creating soothing ambience, heavy breathing started to echo in his ears, soft voices that sounded almost too weak to hear also included. ¡°¡­¡± Strange. Skullius felt his body quiver ever so slightly. What was this weird sensation. All of sudden, his sensitive skin felt a warm touch and soft press against him that weirdly gushed a powerful feeling into him! Fuwin watched closely. ¡®He¡¯s starting to get affected. Is he just like those I had to expel from my Territory? I thought he was one of the good ones~,¡¯ the dolphin said with unveiled disappointment as it watched Skullius¡¯ nk eyes stare at the figures but his body still. ¡®. The seductive pressure distracts the target from noticing the obvious, appealing to their hidden desires that then cloud their judgement. It¡¯s truly a brutal evaluation.¡¯ Fuwin thought back to the time when one of the aspiring entrants stripped before rushing to nail himself onto one of the y figures. In a way, he then understood why the twelve were very critical about who entered their sacred ce. A few more seconds passed with Skullius remaining in ce and at this point, Fuwin had lost hope. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s another failu¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s that one!¡± Skullius suddenly said as he pointed at a y figure in the second row that looked just like the rest. ¡­! Fuwin paused for a bit. His massive figure tilted its head as it watched Skullius nod as he continued to point at the specific figure. This little man was unaffected by the charm? His eyes brimmed with determination but it wasn¡¯t directed toward the figures before him in a lustful way as most of the individuals of the same gender would. It wasn¡¯t even a matter of resisting it seemed, he just t out ignored the effects! ¡°KIKIKIKI!¡± Fuwin pped his flippers with great might, causing ripples that consciously avoided Skullius and Ferex to burst through the water. ¡°Marvellous, marvellous! I was starting to doubt you there but marvellous! You noticed the obvious without sinking into desire!¡± Skullius inwardly sighed in relief. In truth, he was shocked that this test was so simple. In the time he took, he had hypothesised that this was just an undignified test granted to men as women probably had a more¡­ formal evaluation. The only reason he had taken so long was because he wanted to confirm if such a mundane thing was really the whole objective behind the evaluation. A small spark of condensed mana shaped in the form of a heart, barely the size of a finger nail was what he was to look for. It was hidden just above the strange construct that gave the impression that these figures had a mana core within them to cause just a bit of confusion but it was ultimately easy for him. All he had experienced as a distraction was nothing more than that. A distraction. Skullius had not been enticed by the erotic collection one bit, perhaps annoyed but not enticed. ¡°Do I get to enter now?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Fuwin said, arge ripple coursing through the waters to dispel what could be said to be an illusion that had masked the appearance of a massive structure a distance below the two! Chapter 405 Heed The Bias A temple. A rather massive temple showed itself. It had a dodecagon shape, its entirety gilded extravagantly as its aged mass almost wanted to glow amidst the cold and smooth waters. While it had different sections on its singr build; individual structures that did well to separate themselves from the others with more than just size and jewelled aesthetic, one could appreciate that it was all melded into one magnificently. The temple did not sit at the base of the Territory but was anchored on a white tform that looked like a sturdy pedestal, sculpted with wavy shapes that resembled water movement. The alternating shades of gold, along with the asional brown brought one to appreciate it all the more, especially Ferex who was able to see this. Strangely however, the Hound couldn¡¯t help but feel a deep set apprehension. This was not only caused by the subtly overbearing energy that the massive construct expelled, but the symbol at the entrance to the temple. Arge eye with multiple irises carved with a curve that almost made it seem like it could jut out at any moment surrounded by eleven smaller others¡­ Ferex emitted a low growl. Skullius couldn¡¯t see the building but he could sense the ferocious waves of power from it. ¡®That¡¯s some nasty energy and I can tell it¡¯s being subdued,¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡°KIKIKIKI! You can go now~. If you doe out of there alive, make sure toe and chat with me like you promised,¡± Fuwin said while pping his flippers. ¡®I don¡¯t remember promising though,¡¯ Skullius thought before responding with a smile. ¡°Of course I will.¡± With that, the dolphin spoke no more as Skullius and Ferex found themselves standing on top of the white pedestal which outssed the temple in size in order to sturdily hold it up. The light within the Territory proudly sponsored by Fuwin suddenly disappeared as the massive creature¡¯s body also faded, leaving a deep set darkness over everything again¡­ but only for a few moments. The twelve eyes etched onto the front of the temple all started to glow, giving sufficient light for navigation. They all had different colours and designs, the energy they emitted which the Discount Human sensed vividly, making him wonder what kind of messed up stuff he was about to see inside. A straight path of old tiling led to an expansive set of double doors that were carved with beautiful patterns which when one took the time to analyse had several meanings, but neither Skullius nor Ferex was interested. It was pretty intriguing to Skullius how even though there was the sensation of water on his skin, it didn¡¯t hinder any of his movements at all as if it wasn¡¯t there in the first ce. With said smoothness and ease, the Discount Human and Demon Hound reached the doors. ¡°Now what?¡± Skullius asked while curiously sensing around. He didn¡¯t know if he was supposed to push the doors and reveal what was inside or something else. Given how the animosity seemed brutally real, he¡¯d rather not act rashly in this ce. ¡®I remember only a few things from this ce. This is not one of them. I doubt you¡¯re expected to let yourself in though, tomato flinger,¡¯ S said, finally breaking his silence. Skullius shook his head as he made careful deliberations but fortunately for him, he didn¡¯t need to act without instruction. Thergest of the twelve eyes imprinted on the wall to the temple glowed with a bright golden hue, a stream of bright gold leaking from it and flowing like a serene stream over the bumps and bulges of the building, reaching the double doors in a few seconds. As it did so, the golden liquid formed a like-coloured nk parchment that floated before the double doors, facing Skullius and his group. Skullius took a few steps back just in case while Ferex hurriedly darted before his master. The two¡¯s fears turned out to be unwarranted however, as the parchment meant no harm. Instead, from its centre, a set of pink lips protruded without smile nor frown and addressed the new aspiring entrants. ¡°Heed me, dear child, for I speak only once. All are wee to the Temple of Unlusted Tears but all are not equal. All may roam but not all may see the wonders set by this righteous ord. To guarantee your life in this nest of passion and justice, heed my piece of three¡­¡± A melodious voice, much like the early chirps and song from the birds on a spring morning was heard but while Skullius could appreciate the sound, he couldn¡¯t appreciate the words, as he didn¡¯t understand them. ¡®S¡­¡¯ Skullius referred to his presumed freeloader. ¡®Let it finish first. I don¡¯t remember this, but yes I can interpret it,¡¯ S said, paying rapt attention. The aged piece of soul spected that his iplete soul had some bits of this experience missing. The lips on the parchment continued, as they spoke the important detail of note. ¡°Limit where your fingers roam, for until you find the gift we speak, nothing here is owned. Pay respects where due and maintain the sanctity of the Ground of Communion even when you are put to the test¡­¡± the set of lips said before arching up into a ridiculing grin that made the atmosphere several degrees sombre. ¡°And if you are of the glorified manhood, open your eyes and bear witness to the Slurred Grounds with despair. For that is the only reason this benefit of entry is granted to you!¡± Right after that was said, the parchment rolled itself up and broke apart into fragments of sparkling light. The double doors rumbled as they opened, inviting whoever stood before them toe in. Skullius had a really bad feeling about this. He couldn¡¯t mistake malice when he felt it. From the parchment to the gushing waves of atrocity that spilled like a torrent of vicious me when the doors opened, this was¡­ all but positive. Then again, Fuwin had said that treatment was vastly different depending on the gender. If that was the case even during the evaluation conducted by the dolphin, then it was definitely the case here. ¡®Well, tomato flinger. Fortunately, even though that menacing voice spoke in an ancient dialect moremon in the North, I was able to figure out much of what it said. First, there are three rules¡­¡¯ S went on to exin everything to Skullius who mulled it over. ¡°So the only reason men are even allowed here is to¡­ bear witness? I have a feeling that¡¯s going to be fleshing disturbing. They really drive home what they hate with that name though,¡± Skullius said as he took the first steps into the temple along with Ferex. The beginnings to a mysterious experience. Onest experience before the Discount Human was to head to Genhuis City was afoot. An experience in the Temple of Unlusted Tears. Chapter 406 Just A Tour A dark corridor that gave no homely feel stretched before Skullius and Ferex.r From the white of the tform that held the entire temple up to the thick block tiling beyond the double doors, its grey giving no warmth as it only showed a narrower than expected prelude to its fullness, the transition was pretty much as heavy as one would expect.r Except for a dry fountain that was stationed between the tens of meters distance between the double doors and the next doorway into an even darker room, nothing else could be seen or felt but the Discount Human perceived the sting in his senses from prying magical constructs.r Arrays.r The two passed through this space and entered the next spot to their journey. r Arge room.r Strangely, the term room didn¡¯t seem to suit it as when Skullius entered, he found that above, there wasn¡¯t a ceiling like he expected but several square shaped windows that actually invited a very dim light from an unknown source to illuminate what could be found below them.r And what could be found here was¡­r ¡°Jeez¡­¡± Skullius said as his senses picked up on the atrocious elements within this ce.r ¡®I¡¯m sure these are the Slurred Grounds,¡¯ S chipped in.r Rows upon rows of human corpses were tied to the walls, their hands bound by thickly woven rope which hung from the ceiling!r All of them were stripped of their clothing and mutted in an unsightly manner, gashes and the bloody work of sharp tools evidently carved into them.r Not a single part of them was untouched and at some point, Skullius began to think that this wasn¡¯t exactly torture without purpose.r Twomon features shared by the corpses was how their crotches were devoid of any genitalia whatsoever, what remained there being either a charred patch or carved out hollow and the fact that arge slit could be seen over their abdomens.r The dried blood on the ground and walls discoloured the floor to an unsightly colouration that would have nauseated a normal human being to a mind-numbing degree but¡­ this wasn¡¯t all there was in this ce.r Large goblets with a bronze hue could be seen every four meters down the extensive room where multiple rows of these ¡®decorations¡¯ were hung, within them blood that barely looked like blood.r ¡°Is this really still just to send a message? To me it seems like these women were doing something else here,¡± Skullius said.r ¡®That is the case, tomato flinger. Of course this was more purposeful than what this order did outside.. I would have wept as I did ages ago from just knowing that some of my friends and acquaintances met such a cruel fate for such an unholy cause,¡¯ S said with a distant voice.r ¡°Your friends?¡±r ¡®Yes. Apparently my memory still recalls where each of those I remember are hung even now, though I couldn¡¯t even remember the name of this ce. Pathetic. At least they left this life behind in the end. For that, I shall weep no more tears.¡¯r Quite the dark line.r Skullius couldn¡¯t help but wonder if his statement for drawing S would start losing value if more of his friends¡¯ corpses were strung up in ces they visited.r Probably¡­ if that yed out exactly as such as.r ¡°So what was the purpose behind cutting them up like this?¡± Skullius questioned as he continued moving, his [Elevated Mana Maniption] noticing bits of mana clinging onto meaningful groves between the goblets and behind the corpses on the wall.r ¡®My assumption is that it was to extract the information from their bodies. Information about their techniques. Everyone on this wall was special in some way back in the day,¡¯ S replied.r ¡°Body information? So you mean¡­ skills and techniques are found within the body? I thought they were stored in the soul?¡± r ¡®When you learn a technique, it is imprinted on your body. The move set, the degree of physical application required, both are carved into the flesh so that they interact with the manaing from the core. The soul merely replicates this information with time, as it does with everything one does, making it easier for one to perform anything they learned with greater levels of uracy,¡¯ S said. ¡®Do well to remember that detail when you face stronger opponents. I won¡¯t hear any excuses when we¡¯re lying in a ditch somewhere because you forgot.¡¯r A little hostility was postted with thest thing that S said, making Skullius scoff as he walked past this illuminated space, his Hound in tow.r They soon exited and came to a branch that led in two separate paths.r Skullius chose one at random, as S imed to not be sure which was the right one.r Following the path which wound and turned, the decor on the walls of unlit torches and wilted bouquets that had housed special flowers which had produced a calming scent in the past were all Skullius could sense along with arrays impeded within the walls.r After a full twenty minute stretch, Skullius came to find small room along the path with an open door.r Shelves of books could be peeked from the outside.r Skullius inched his way closer to them when¡­r ¡®Don¡¯t,¡¯ S warned. ¡®Keep moving.¡¯r Skullius narrowed his eyes before backing away and walking past this room.r He hadn¡¯t sensed anything wrong but he spected that perhaps a hidden array too advanced for his senses was there. S hadn¡¯t borated further as with his asional bouts of silence, one could infer he was trying to recall every detail he could.r Another stretch strung Skullius and Ferex along until they by another extensive space foreshadowed by a single, but not nearly asrge as the Slurred Grounds as what was amodated wasn¡¯t that ¡®extravagant¡¯.r It was merely a fine dining space with arge table made of now rotting wood with the twelve chairs that surrounded it experiencing the same fate.r Strangely, the table which held fine cutlery and other dining ware was split into two.r From the walls, arge and crooked gash disfigured the room which was littered with little luxuries that made a dining experience more enjoyable; a firece, what seemed like souvenir tes ced around the room on shelves along with a beautiful wallpaper that was now old and torn.r The gash from the wall seemed to have been from a ridiculous force that had carried itself over from the outside to crash against the table.r ¡®We must be getting close. I don¡¯t recall seeing this before but it is undoubtedly linked to the incident that caused the end of the Order of the Trodden Rose,¡¯ S said. ¡®Keep moving.¡¯r Skullius withdrew from the room and walked on in the wide corridor. This was nothing like the Labyrinth of the Yoke. It was more like sightseeing but the Discount could feel that whatever S said was approaching, was going to be a pain in the pelvis.r ¡°Close to what?¡± he asked.r S didn¡¯t reply immediately as he seemed to be piecing together the fragmented story in his mind.r ¡®I believe I found this out in one of my numerous visits here. What ultimately led to the fall of this Order was a feud. Or rather a doubly profound betrayal between the woman hailed as the founder of the Order and the rest of the members,¡¯ S said. ¡®This links back to what we have to face in the end. The twelve guardians to the legacy of the Trodden Rose.¡¯r ¡°Twelve?!¡± Skullius gaped.r ¡®They were, but not anymore. Only a few should remain. Besides, that is not even relevant.¡¯r Skullius frowned.r His only temte for what a space holding a legacy was like seemed vastly different from this.r Where he hade looking forward to an arduous fight from the beginning, he was met with a tour and now, there were guardians that he was supposed to fight? r The way S said it didn¡¯t exactly tickle his jewels.r ¡®For that eventual battle, I advise you to give me control of your body. I can utilise your powers more efficiently. Bes¡ª¡¯r ¡°Forget it, S!¡± Skullius didn¡¯t even entertain the suggestion.r ¡®I will relinquish control after I defeat the guardians! This is not the time to be stubborn. We could perish here, tomato flinger!¡¯r This bastard!r ¡°You really think I will just hand over my body after what you pulledst time?! Was this your intention all along?!¡±r ¡®Believe me, tomato flinger. If it wasn¡¯t so hard to make an external Creed, I could have scrounged up enough strength to make one with you here guaranteeing that I return your body but I¡ª¡¯r ¡°I said forget it, bro!¡± Skullius said firmly before clicking his tongue.r This slimy bastard was really shameless.r He would never make a mistake like that again, even if S was genuinely appealing for this!r Once was enough.r He was only able to tolerate the aged piece of soul right now because his little charade had given Skullius incredible boons but now¡­.r ¡®Hmph! Pathetic! Nomatter! You¡¯ll soon be begging for my help when you witness the strength of those things! We¡¯ll see if your resolve to live is as fickle as you let on!¡¯r Skullius didn¡¯t render a reply.r This guy was mad!r Honestly, he was beginning to wonder if S had been acting all along to which he had to give props but¡­r ¡®I won¡¯t lose. Nomatter what it is.¡¯r Ferex beside him grew determined as he felt the fire from his master¡¯s will.r This same will continued to burn incessantly when Skullius soon saw a long stretch leading to what he instinctively knew wasn¡¯t a random ce but THE ce where an atrocious obstacle was waiting.r Chapter 407 Ground of Communion Indeed, the Temple of Unlusted Tears did not seem as menacing as one would expect when one entered as a gold digger, searching for things to loot or to honourably challenge for the legacy. However, this was because most of the important spaces were shut off from any entrants that weren¡¯t part of the twelve, with the more insignificant spaces left for everyone to explore. This didn¡¯t mean that one couldn¡¯t die from them as some were generally protected even while they didn¡¯t have much in the way of secrets but more of bits of sentimental value. This temple truly was a simple temple, where a determined group practised their belief. Asides from the Slurred Grounds, Skullius had noted that this was more of an immactely arranged living quarters than anything else. Yet now, contrary to that belief, the Discount Human couldn¡¯t help but force up his guard as he looked to the far end of a corridor that held rows of small, multi-coloured obscure ss windows that also administered light into the space between where a carpet with intricate weavings much like a tapestry of gold and red wasid. The cold grey remained the same on both the walls and floor but an aged, arched ceiling curved overhead, webs and dust sprinkling from it. At the end, another set of double doors could be seen, with a rocky texture that gave a feeling of ancientness ¨C always a bad prelude. Skullius continued to hold the staff firmly. He was wondering if he should use his must-be-yed-early trump card right now, or wait till he arrived behind those doors. The risk of thetter option was obvious as he might not get a chance to use it but if he used it now¡­ ¡®You know, don¡¯t you?¡¯ S¡¯s voice sounded with a ridiculing tone. ¡®Even I didn¡¯t use it against that Spirit Warden because I knew your body would likely not be able to handle it for a long time and afterwards, certain side effects would most definitely follow. The fact that you¡¯re considering this is a reflection of how much you can¡¯t even see beyo¡ª¡¯ ¡°I won¡¯t be losing this one,¡± Skullius said. The brimming of the mana core slowly forming in his body gave him hope and determination. If anything, this core that he was crafting on his own, to him symbolised the start of a streak of growth and wins! Something that represented an upsurge and a turn in the tide. The hardwork he had injected for this thing toe into existence, thebour in body and thought, was real. This truly felt like something he was earning rightfully. No one would take it away from him! The confidence from having technically beaten an existence he thought was far beyond his level was still palpable in his body. This and his policy for gambling for the better benefit gave Skullius a rush that he had never gotten before, asides from running for his life over the course of his life in Aigas so far. Well, no more. Insurgency. Null Life. He wouldprehend it all and topple everything for his yet to fully be realised goal. For now, all he needed was growth, as Serenity said. ¡®Hmph! Spout all the prettiest ideals you can, Skullius,¡¯ S said before growing silent. Skullius didn¡¯t put him away. He had a feeling that the bastard would continue to taunt him into relinquishing control of his body but in the process continue to divulge important details. It didn¡¯t take long for Skullius to reach the doors. As he did, they ufortably scratched against the floor while opening wide on their own, fully revealing a space triple the size of the Slurred Grounds in width, length and height. Unlike everywhere else Skullius had been, there was abundant light here that lit every crevice and corner without being too overbearing. Fuuuu¡­ Skullius took a breath as he felt with his expanded senses that didn¡¯t reach the ends of this ce, his body moving through the doors which promptly closed behind him. Ferex could see it all however. In the chilling silence, twelverge statues could be seen imbedded into the walls seamlessly all around, each one having the basic design of a woman in specific clothing that represented the individual depicted more than the facial details and overall figure shape. Bulky armour, leather armour, lengthy robes with cors and sashes ¨C different variations of these were the clothing styles carved over the white marble that made the statues. The floor was less rough here. At least it must have been originally as now, an atrocious amount of gouges and holes littered it, defacing its sanctity. In fact, splinters and broken wooden chunks evidenced that there was supposed to be a very religious set up that was probably destroyed by the violence that took ce here. The walls were also cracked, with some of these cracks extending to the statues, breaking apart certain sections of them. ¡®There are groves here too like in the Slurred Grounds, but unlike before, they are still burning with mana,¡¯ Skullius noted as he moved to familiarise himself with the ce. Ferex grow Chapter 408 A Challenge Chapter 408 A Challenge "Face me, Vile Filth." A voice that sounded much too pure to be saying such a provocative statement leaked from the once stone body that now faced Skullius. The Discount Human gulped unconsciously as changes appeared on his body, but he hadn''t been able to sense the build his opponent yet, thus hecked much of an appreciation of her. From being the intricate carvings of white marble, this being that identified as Bassbion had changed to attain more lively features. Lively feminine features. On her rather tall figure, approximately 1.97 meters, a helmet that looked more like a white cap covering up to the bridge of her nose could be seen. Where it covered her eyes, a hollow oval shaped socket could be seen, holding nothing but darkness as it awaited something specific to fulfill it. The rest of the helmet overhead and beyond was shiny as if scrubbed and polished, with the part that covered up to the back of Bassbion''s head having several tassels that rose and fell behind her along with her flowing dark hair. These tassels had golden leaf-like protrusions on both their sides, making the back of the helmet look more like a strange set of beautiful vines. An erect shark fin-like protrusion rose from the direct centre of the helmet, also with a golden hue that gave an intimidating feel. As for her armour, there was nothing much to say. It could barely be seen. What was more visible when looking at Bassbion was the dozens of small, glowing and pristine white chains that wrapped all around the white-coloured armour, as if restricting the guardian immensely. They hid much of the detail of what exactly the entirety of her armour''s appearance was supposed to be, which was a little disappointing. At her side, a sheath grasping a rather long sword, approximately 1.85 meters, was attached to it, unbound by these little chains. ''There''s something off with this...'' Skullius thought. Yes, he could feel the atrocious waves of mana and theyered powers that came with the armour Bassbion wore but... something still felt off. Perhaps it was so because he had a reference that he was failing to recall. Ferex also noted that there was something peculiar. Below the helmet that Bassbion wore, the lower half of her face showed light red thin lips and eerily pale skin that bordered on transparent. ''Tomato flinger! Stop with your stubbornness and let me take care of this! She is leagues stronger than the other guardians I have fought in the past! She''s likely the most powerful of them all!'' S growled from within Skullius. Skullius didn''t respond as instead, while appraising Bassbion, he felt the changes from his body post activation of his trump card. [Jaggered Merger]! A skill from the Elimparidis Stone Staff that allowed one to merge with the staff and gain 4000 stat points to Strength, Agility and Endurance individually with absolute conversion applied! Skullius was feeling the brimming energy from having these stats more than doubled, red cracks appearing on his body which was under his new armour. His figure bulked up quite a bit, his muscles bulging with refined mass to contain the power he had gained. Two lengthy cracks rose from his cheeks and ran through sockets, crossing over to his forehead as they visually depicted the effects of the skill. ''Yeah... it''s heavy. I won''tst long,'' Skullius thought. This wasn''t the first time he had attempted to use this skill and during his earlier tries, Skullius had discovered that the skill forcefully pushed the body to attain more strength while restructuring bodilyponents to allow for better reception of the power. As a result, it wasn''t a surprise that his body wouldn''t be able to handle it for lengthy periods, as the effect was caused by the means to attaining the strength rather than the strength itself. "Instead of yammering why don''t you tell me what she is saying instead? I might just die for no reason, you know?" Skullius responded to S with a half taunt. Words could not express how frustrated S was, but he had no choice but to acquiesce, as it didn''t seem like Bassbion was done talking. "Many a challenger has reached this ce through being graced with the undeserved mercy of my masters, women and vile filth alike, though much of you vile filth we have had to cull so that you never see the ends of the chambers where a sacred power is born," the white armour d guardian said with a dull tone. "Rejoice, vile filth, for after tens of thousands of years, the Diverse Oculus has finally found a host and you by your lonesome, should you defeat me, will be the first of the vile filth to enter into the long hidden chambers as a challenger and not an escort." ...! S who understood what was said, spoken in the same dialect as the one used by the lips on the parchment at the entrance of the temple, was shocked. A host was already found?! So... why was the temple still here along with Fuwin''s Majestic Territory? Heck, anyone could still enter this ce as a challenger. Why? For what purpose then? "What''s it saying?" Skullius asked S to which the aged piece of soul begrudgingly responded. As he tranted, he couldn''t help but also think about how this served as an opportunity. His n before, at least when Skullius had rejuvenated his spirits, was to enter the Temple regardless of the danger and the unlikelihood of being able to beat a guardian while being a male challenger because of the difficulty, as he figured he could attempt to pressure Skullius into giving him his body. He now knew what would happen if Skullius dies. He was a part of the bastard so he would suffer the same fate but he gambled on how much Skullius didn''t want to be drawn to that icy scape. A lot of good that did, though. At the very least, he hoped they could get the blue core if that n failed but now, there was a different guardian, one stronger than all the others he knew almost everything about! "I see," Skullius said after hearing the trantion. If he understood this correctly though, didn''t it mean that men couldn''t get past this particr space to get to the legacy before now? If he was being allowed to pass provided he could defeat Bassbion, how did S get past then? Had he been lying? The item that S had been talking about was pretty obviously beyond this point, right? "I have never had to fight before, but with all the others worn and torn through battle, I, the most powerful among my peers will be your opponent," Bassbion continued as if she was reading argely spaced strict. "Vile filth, I shall be generous. If you cannd three strikes on me, regardless of their effect on my armour or body, I shall let you pass." With that, Bassbion''s power red, making Skullius gnash his teeth as he felt its overbearing force. If he was topare, it was more like Unbreakable''s raw pressure but league''s ahead in terms of refinement and control! That wild! Yet, Skullius remained steadfast. ''I won''t lose,'' he thought, encouraging himself. With the pressure piling on, Bassbion took a step forward as she delivered herst words before attacking. "Be at ease. Most of my power is bound by these chains and I can only exhibit a twentieth of its entirety at this moment along with merely two unimpressive techniques that are at my disposal. If you cannot handle this much, you truly are a disgrace even among vile filth." ''Hey, that''s unfair!'' Skullius thought while drops of sweat sped down his brow, his focus growing to maximum. It was going to be extremely difficult to keep his Refinery in check while also battling Bassbion but he had no choice! Ferex immediately vanished from his spot, evidently using his hide. For Skullius, four [Beads of Malevolence] appeared around him as he felt the mana from the Elimparidis Stone Staff stack within his mana channels in its limited capacity. He was ready. Yet... SNAP! A metallic snap of the fingers rang out within the space, which was the Ground of Communion, Skullius feeling a horrendous straining force that seemingly sted from all around him and pressed him on the floor cradling his figure! ...! The Discount Human grit his teeth as he was forced to kneel despite all the effort he inputted to avoid such a thing, his hands moving on their own to grasp tightly against themselves while removing to part! ''What in the world?!'' Skullius thought with rm but the paralysis wasn''t the worst of it, as another effect kicked in almost simultaneously! ...! ''My senses!'' Skullius felt his advanced alternate senses get wobbly, even his [Elevated Mana Maniption] beginning to ''malfunction'' when it came to its sensory purpose! His only means of perception waspromised! This was what Bassbion casually achieved with but a snap of her fingers! The guardian casually walked forward, entering within range of Skullius'' Outer Domain. ...! Skullius was again bbergasted when the image of the guardian finally entered his ''view'' but because of the effect of this strange technique she was using, there wasn''t one of her, but seventy two! All of them as they appeared in his senses, with the vibration of their greaves on the floor, had different mana signatures and power! ...! This was one of Bassbion''s ''unimpressive'' skills, Scramble Binding. Skullius was prompted to panic now as he couldn''t even discern the position of his enemy! How was he to deal with such a thing?! "Hmm?" Bassbion noticed something strange as she quickly turned her head to the side. With the quick swish of her hand, a cmitous burst of mana raged, cross a long distance in a short time as it seemingly sted the open air! BOOOOOOM! An atrocious force rammed into the wall on her far side, breaking it while causing rubble to fall! Soon after, the image of Ferex appeared, dropped from the high point where he had smashed into the tough construct and crashed to the floor! Everywhere from his neck to his hind legs was punched in with sizzling smoke that seemed to be constantly burning away at the Unliving Thread he produced as well as his body showing! ...! Bassbion''s image shed softly over to Skullius who had just had a bad premonition and she raised her hand, balling it into a fist that practically exploded with mana and hammering it down on Skullius who was kneeling, his prized senses in the Inner Domain not doing jack to help him sense which of the seventy two Bassbion''s was his real enemy! ,m BOOM! CRACK! CRACK! With attack speed that Skullius couldn''t even perceive, Bassbion smashed both of Skullius'' shoulders in, the bones and flesh on these parts indenting and cracking into pieces as they brutally mashed with everything else inside! With barely any dy, Bassbion''s armoured hand pierced through Skullius'' throat, gripping everything within it and ruthlessly pulling it out! Blood sprayed out, staining Bassbion''s armour, the guardian looking down on Skullius who choked, spewing a red fountain from his mouth with great disdain as she spoke. "How abysmally pathetic." At this moment, the agitated voice of S boomed within Skullius'' mind, revealing something he had wanted to withhold! ''HAND OVER THE BODY NOW! SHE''S DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER GUARDIANS! SHE''S A SPIRIT!'' ` Chapter 409 Trodden Under Overwhelming Might Yet... S''s loud voice directed his words to Skullius'' mind quite easily but the Discount Human could care less about the aged soul''s ramblings, though he did hear the bit about Bassbion being a Spirit. He still didn''t understand what they were! The guardian loomed over Skullius, but the Discount Human sensed a multitude of the feminine figures all around him, still, his body even then being incapable of telling him of these bodied him! Skullius was panicking but he quickly calmed himself down as he knew this could be the determinant factor of how everything turned out next. He was far outssed in power and this enemy even had the ability to somehow see Ferex despite his hide! The Apostle had even been taken out ofmission in one hit! Logically, there should be no other option besides death or handing his body over to S but... ''I won''t lose!'' Skullius thought as his mind churned, his momentarilypse that had led to him slipping in his control of the Refinery to his core fading ever so slightly as instead of weaving the mana from the Centre, he focused on holding it all back! Whatever was happening to [Elevated Mana Maniption] was screwing up with his ns for his core! The majority of his focus was funnelled to Bassbion who still looked on at him as he bled out profusely with a cold face. With Skullius'' mind that was working hard like there was no tomorrow, as there could very well not be one, an important detail was quickly noticed! Bassbion wasn''t finishing him off! ...! Skullius immediately realised why! "A standout like you deserves nothing more than to die slowly for daring to intrude with such weak and unrefined strength," Bassbion said with incredible apathy. The Discount Human she faced held back the flood of fear and uncertainty he had in this moment as this was his chance! Yes! It was an opening! Bassbion thought he was dying, but actually, Skullius was perfectly fine. He could just use [Great Saint''s Invigoration] to mend his body but not yet. He had to make the next move count while the guardian was still lost in the thought that she had got him but this also depended on whether this ability, [Scramble Binding] would wear off, allowing Skullius to move again. Still though, he could attack with some of his more amodating skills as his mind wasn''t bound! And what was Skullius'' next move? [Perfect Night Domain]! A flood of [Evil Darkness] burst out of the immobile Skullius as it covered quite a bit of ground, trapping Bassbion within it! The guardian didn''t seem phased or surprised but rather... a tad bit intrigued. The thick of the pitch ck bore down on her but she remained standing, staring into the dark with her covered eyes. Skullius immediately healed himself while feeling the rush of energy that increased his stats by 80%! At the same time, [Scramble Binding] was conveniently deactivated, allowing Skullius to move freely again! The Discount Human didn''t even question why the ability had suddenly shut off with impable timing as with his mobility returning, he quickly attacked! The [Perfect Night Domain] supported its master with strength and awareness as Skullius immediately pulled out Demion''s Dance and shed before him in a lengthy diagonal arc, all his might stuffed into the strike! Yet... ...! Skullius was dumbfounded! Even though he was in his domain where everything was shared with him constantly, with even a bit of enlightenment added on top of it, he... he... Skullius still felt the presence of seventy two Bassbions! ''How?!'' To make matters worse, the moment he shed with Demion''s Dance, he cut apart nothing as the seventy two images shed out of his sense for a brief moment and appeared a distance away in the darkness! Bassbion could move freely without restriction in Skullius'' own domain, and it seemed she wasn''t the least bit affected! "I thought something was peculiar. Your life energy, as different as it is from that of other living creatures wasn''t dwindling one bit. It looks like such an injury is not enough to kill you," Bassbion said as she lowered her stance. Seeing as she was talking to him, Skullius couldn''t help but wonder if she could see him as well! "OF COURSE SHE CAN SEE YOU, TOMATO FLINGER! SHE IS A SPIRIT! SHE CAN PERCEIVE SOULS!" S hissed. "SHE IS CLEARLY BEYOND YOU! JUST HAND OVER THE BODY AND I WILL DEFEAT HER!" Skullius'' hand trembled as he momentarily feltpletely defeated. The domain was something he had pushed all of his faith into, hoping that it would allow him to trace which Bassbion was the real one, on top of granting him more strength! Yet he was wrong! The domain even failed to hide his own presence from Bassbion! Why?! Was he just not thinking of better ways of attack with what he had? How could S have so much confidence in defeating her when he would be using the same abilities and the same body?! What was Skullius missing?! Was he simply ipetent?! ''No! I won''t lose! I''m giving it my all this time! Luck, convenience! Throw all that aside! I can do this! I just have to¡ª'' BOOOM! A staggering force bombarded Skullius from his abdomen to his chest, causing a gnarly depression, the Discount Human beingunched at disgusting speeds out of his own domain and into the wall six meters high in less than half a second! Blood involuntarily gushed out of Skullius'' mouth from the impact and he dropped to the ground gracelessly! A distance away, the [Perfect Night Domain] was dispelled and Bassbion appeared with an unimpressed half face, her gaze towards Skullius who staggered to a stand while maintaining a firm grip on Demion''s Dance being sharp.please visit "I admire your persistence. I thought your will would be broken by this much but you are proving to have above average resilience, vile filth," Bassbion said. "For that much, I shall give you a partially honourable death by the swing of my de." Bassbion crouched down and ced her right hand on the dark hilt to her sword that had small blue squares along its length, the guard clinking as she tightened her grip while her left hand held the sheath. The sword in this sheath was called the Spirit de of Cessation, a beyond Legendary item that turned an opponent''s life force into strings that would be visible to its wielder, giving them the ability to hack them apart with the result being the death of the target. It could also do the same with souls, but to a limited degree, though a casual strike was enough to injure the body and soul if no defence was rendered. That said, the armour Bassbion wore was called the Spirit Epassing Adornment, another beyond Legendary treasure in this set that allowed Spirits to interact better with physical matter without relying on spells or ethereal means. This revtion begged the question of what exactly were Spirits in the first ce however, and to that, the most basic yet sufficient answer would be that Spirits were overseers of the realms where the souls of the dead roamed. The rtionship between the two was rather intricate, with the properties of both more simr than otherwise, but this was a discussion for another time. VWOOOOOSH! Around Bassbion, a torrent of mana suddenly burst out, creating a thickyer that shone bright but with immense refinement and finesse! The mana that flooded from her body started out smooth before spiking out in all directions, creating serrated skewers that had a strange spin at their ends, like a whirlpool, a pointy whirlpool! The floor under Bassbion''s feet got skewered as it was sted by mana, the guardian''s second andst technique avable to her at the moment ready to strike! This technique was called, Hyperfocus Motion Counter! Skullius even from a distance and with Bassbion, or rather the seventy-two Bassbions, just barely within range of his Outer Domain, could feel his skin being pricked! This technique was deadly and this wasn''t even ounting for the fact that she was about to draw her sword. [Jaggered Merger], Skullius'' trump card had barely been used and now, as he felt the mana he had left, barely 2500 points, he couldn''t imagine what skill he could use to escape this. Would his resolve still trudge on? S who was within Skullius'' soul could feel hints of depression and despair from the Discount Human. ''Good!'' he thought. While he was still at an incredible risk, with a little pushing and encouragement, he could convince Skullius to let him take the driver''s seat. He just needed to y his cards right. Skullius remained looking nkly at Bassbion, his thoughts hidden from everyone but him. S approached his consciousness like the devil, his voice reaching Skullius'' mind with half baked urgency. ''Come now, tomato flinger! Weren''t you the one who said that we should put away our mutual hate for each other and work together to achievemon goals?! I''m willing to cooperate, but you need to give me your body so that I can save us!'' S yelled but no response came from Skullius. ''You have a lot to do, don''t you?! Don''t you want to find out who that girl is without being trapped by Somanda first?! Don''t you want to find VOW again and speak to him?! Don''t you want to help your friends in Deadmand?!'' S bit on every sore wound and hopeful moment that Skullius had but... Still... There was no response! ''FOOL! Have you already given up?! If so then give me the chance to fight for my life!'' "I''ming, vile filth!" Bassbion''s voice suddenly echoed from the distance as the spiking mana around her raged up and out like a voracious beast with whirling thorns, her figureunching forward with the explosive force of a volcano! The Ground of Communion shook as Bassbion turned into a white streak that travelled at well beyond perceivable speed, her darting image revealing another short streak that had begun to slide out of the sheath at her side! ''TOMATO FLINGER!'' S growled with immense hate and animosity, foreseeing a tragically cruel end. As it was. ... And yet... Right after Bassbionunched at a jaw dropping speed, Skullius... did the same... The Discount Human burst to meet Bassbion! The REAL one! At the same speed! ...!!! The Discount Human''s figure was set alight, even the new armour he wore as a fierce me devoured his flesh and skin from the absolutely ridiculous speed he had unceremoniously, unexpectedly and shockinglyunched himself at! A speed way beyond what his stats could afford him! ...! Bassbion, for the first time in this fight, no, for the first time in millenia, was shocked! This pathetic challenger somehow matched her speed?! Before she could unsheathe her sword, she had already encountered Skullius whose sockets red, chock full of darkness that fumed horrendously, Demion''s Dance in his skeletal hand which was burning incessantly with nauseating smoke rising from it, swinging sloppily at her and scratching the side of her armour! ZWUUUUP! Skullius'' figure burst past Bassbion as he hurtled, crashing into the wall on the other side, beside one of the twelve statues! BOOOOOOM! A thick me coupled with the dark smoke of charring flesh sizzled as Skullius then protruded from the wall, his face barely a face as a dirty skull with sockets that med with [Evil Darkness] showed, fire illuminating the rows of teeth partially darkened by the heat! Skullius stood, ignoring his current pathetic state as he... beganughing maniacally! Bassbion who had gracefully halted a meter before hitting the wall turned to look at her opponent. Skullius'' armour was beginning to somehow reform, covering his ming body, but the Discount Human did not heal his own flesh, keeping it as it was. "IT WORKED! IT ACTUALLY WORKED! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Skullius roared in exhration, his sockets turning to face Bassbion as he could actually SEE her now! "That''s ONE, right?!" Bassbion didn''t give a reply, but it was all but hidden what the answer was. And as Skullius revelled in this feeling of achievement just before facing death, his boiled, his beating at an astonishing speed! Yes... Skullius was HYPED! Chapter 410 Awakening! Huff, huff! Skullius unconsciously took breaths as the skill [HYPED] activated, his beginning to beat ridiculously fast while the in his burning body started to rapidly boil with the cells within it multiplying and banging against themselves! This phenomenon alerted Skullius of the fact that he couldn''t keep his body burning now, as he needed more of his flesh for this skill, and though he had wanted to maintain this look for convenience, he used a bit of his remaining mana to heal himself passively through [Great Saint''s Invigoration]. Flesh reformed under the regenerating armour he wore, giving [HYPED] more to work with as Skullius'' perception in all its forms grew more refined and intricately more... intricate! His [Elevated Mana Maniption] became more concise, picking up on even the most minute detail while his natural senses tingled at everything that inched anywhere in his Domains! As for whatever he could SEE, it all became all the more clear! Despite the effects of [Scramble Binding] persisting, those that scrambled his senses at least, making it difficult to perceive Bassbion, Skullius was holding on just fine with his newly developed way around it. ''Heh.... that was insane, and having [HYPED] activate now is just what I needed,'' Skullius thought, his eyes never leaving Bassbion who slowly turned to him all the way. ''Unfortunately, I used IT all up. I don''t know if it''s possible to even build up some more so fast. Though, maybe with my blood rushing like this...'' Just maybe, it was possible! S within was still gaping. Even while he was literally within Skullius, he didn''t know what the flesh this little Null Lifeform had done just now! He had taken off with a speed that far exceeded what he was supposed to be capable of! ''Tomato flinger...'' he voiced but Skullius was in too deep. He ignored and kept his focus where it mattered most. On the other side, Bassbion slotted her sword back into her sheath as her mind processed what had happened while she prepared for another attack. There was no need to rush anymore and with how this was devolving in a way she didn''t expect, perhaps she could treat it as a more thrilling detour while the Temple waited. While she waited! ''From the moment I wielded my de, I discovered he doesn''t have any strings depicting his life energy, though those reaching into his soul are clear. On that subject, he also possesses peculiar soul. Are they supposed to be so ugly? Maybe leaving my duties back home has crippled my ability to perceive this better,'' Bassbion said as she felt over the scratch on her armour. ''Still, that caught me by surprise. He seems different from before. Was it a fluke or some kind of awakening? Hmph. Vile filth, let''s find out.'' Bassbion crouched again, her mana spiking with incredible refinement as it covered every direction around her once again! [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] was activated! Bassbion held onto her sword as she prepared another charge. One where she wouldn''t let shock slow her down again! Skullius felt the intensity from the distance and grinned while his sockets hurled out darkness that rose in wisps. He strengthened his grip on Demion''s Dance and breathed out a burst of hot air. In his sight, a greyish figure, more like a detail less human shape, with small dots of darkness was crouching while holding onto a pristine white sword. This was what he saw! How? Well... Skullius hadmitted to something he had wanted to test out since the day he started to appreciate his new attuned body! To expand his senses, he needed something more than his fleshly senses and mana sense. And that was obviously through the sight provided by [Crude World Projection]! While using it was dangerous for obvious reasons, Skullius had decided to attempt using it while withholding his Projected form, a feat he had managed to perfect just now, while gambling on his life, as he then retained the vision that was avable to him as the dark floating figure but... without having to be a dark floating figure! It was thrilling! He had actually done it! This one perception was untouched by [Scramble Binding]! As for the speed he exhibited earlier... Well.... funny story. The Discount Human had all his emotion out as he analysed the grimness of the situation. ''This is still bad. I managed to scrape through one attack, but as I am now, it''s impossible for me to even pick up on her figure when she starts moving. This could be myst chance. So...'' Skullius drew in on most of the mana he had left, conjuring [Evil Darkness] that covered a small range of almost ten meters,pounding itself as it formed a sphere around him! This was a spherical variation of [Perfect Night Domain], a skill that had failed him earlier but he refused to lose faith in it! With [HYPED] active, Skullius was experiencing everything around him at ten times how he usually perceived it. As a result, with everything he was thinking and nning, his body and mind demanded perfection and profoundly focus! This included all the work he was doing in his core! While encased in the darkness, Skullius breathed out and crouched, mimicking Bassbion''s stance from he had seen it earlier. As she was out of his range due to both of them being at the far ends of the vast Ground of Communion, he could only sense her mana. Since he didn''t have a sheath, he simply performed the same drawing stance that the guardian was using but with his left hand an inch over it! "I''ming, vile filth!" Bassbion said from the distance. BOOOOM! The guardian once againunched herself towards Skullius, the air parting for her while it exploded with a thunderous noise, [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] countering friction, mana and any type of resistance before Bassbion at an astonishing level! Skullius felt the massive surge in mana, but instead of despairing, he grinned while paying his full focus into the Domain. A myriad of thoughts shed through Skullius'' mind, most of them being about how very close he was to DEATH but he didn''t push them away! He embraced them. He was likely to fall, despite him currently weaving all the ns he could to survive! S felt the imminent danger as well, and growled. ''You stubborn fool! Are you really going to let us die!!!'' Skullius didn''t respond and only paid all his focus on what came next with a entranced grin. ''Not yet! Even if deathes! I won''t lose!'' Skullius said as he cast away his fears. This motivation. This drive. It seemed to have bloomed from nowhere and even Skullius was not sure why he suddenly became emboldened to this degree, but none of that mattered! WIIING!! None of it mattered. WIIIIING!! Demion''s Dance rang lightly in the Discount Human''s hand but Skullius didn''t pay it any mind. But even if that was the case... VWOOOOOOM! Bassbion with her ridiculous speed sted through Skullius'' [Perfect Night Domain], her technique, [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] ripping through the condensed darkness as it also went on to rip through Skullius'' body which was stuck in a stance! Half of Skullius'' torso, part of his head, his left hand and thigh were blitzed into mince by the technique even before Bassbion unsheathed her sword for a quick draw! CHIIIING! And when she slid her sword out of its sheath for a final strike against the Discount Human who still remained in stance with the curved green sword in his right hand.... "Not yet..." Skullius said as... SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.... ...!!! With a mad, thick aura, one akin to the darkest form of blood that almost looked ck, a thin line traced by the sword in the Discount Human''s hands was produced when Skullius unexpectedly responded to the 1.85 meter sword that was on its way to slice his head in two, with an incredible parry! CLANG! Bassbion found her move countered, her sword losing most of its momentum from being struck away, but the strength carried in the parry was nowhere near hers! This time she didn''t let her surprise cloud her battle intent as with an experienced move of her hands and arms, she turned the sword and shed from another angle! Fuuuu.... Skullius'' body twitched, the cracks over it sparking as the Discount Human seemed lost in the moment, Demion''s Dance in his hand showing a light bloodlike aura over it that funnelled into Skullius and activated the skill [Epic Memory] in a more grandiose manner! A portion of the strength and skill depicted by this sword when it was used in a legendary tale, an epic battle, sted into Skullius allowing him to understand the technique that he hadn''t been able to utilise even vaguely efficiently until now! The Swindling Death Dance sword technique buried in Demion''s Dance! Demion''s Dance was responding firmly to Skullius who in this moment had left the fear of DEATH behind, solely embracing the fact that some victories transcended TIME and SPACE! He COULD die but he WOULDN''T lose! That''s what he believed! CLANG! Skullius'' hands throbbed with veins as he swung the sword in an elegant arc at an attack speed that matched Bassbion''s! And this time, HE didn''t stop! Like watching a seasoned butcher swing his cleaver under the limited light from a window, the edges of Demion''s Dance produced sparks and reflections of what seemed like excess movement, a sword technique that brought Bassbion to take Skullius seriously as the first swing came after a set of moves that seemed more like a juggler''s routine than anything else! CLANG! Bassbion parried by wielding her swordterally, Demion''s Dance hammering twice over hers in a split second before its wielder shed out of sight for another fraction of second, a series of reflected lights from the sword appearing soon after as Skullius burst forth with a series of quick moves that Bassbion couldn''t quite read! ''What kind of sword technique is this? Every movement seems so excessive but... No! Not only is each swing meant to create a variety of possibilities in handling options, it''s also creating openings purposefully... creating the risk of being killed in a single hit!'' Bassbion analysed as she found herself shing madly against Skullius who continued to get faster and stronger with each strike! A series of leaps, twirls in footwork and handwork were produced from Skullius using the Swindling Death''s Dance, Bassbion parrying all of them as she briefly indulged her curiosity of this technique. Yet... after tens of shes, she found Skullius repeating the same swings without being able to match her physicality, if it could even be called that! ''This is going nowhere. I thought there was something impressive here but...'' Bassbion suddenly drew back and.... SNAP! Her fingers snapped, Skullius being subjected to paralysis once again as his body fell to its knees, his arms colliding as they stuck together! "It''s over. You were not so disgraceful in the end, vile filth, I''ll give you that," Bassbion said as she shed down with such a quick strike that blood didn''t show on Skullius'' body, depicting that he had been split in half diagonally until a breathter! Promptly after, the st of mana knocked him a distance away, as he then hurtled over the distance and rolled over with his two chunks going separate ways! Bassbion looked at the pathetic sight, scoffing as she saw that Skullius'' upper half still had the right hand holding firmly to Demion''s Dance. "Perhaps I should cut his soul also, so tha¡ª" ...! Bassbion paused midway through her sentence, her lips frowning as shockingly.... The man who had just been hacked in two just now... was whole once again! It was as if she had been watching a full sequence which then abruptly cut away to when everything was fine from tragedy! Skullius was standing, his body reattached cleanly and his mysterious armour reforming over him again. The Discount Human had used his once a day lifesaver, [Irisa You Whore], repairing his body as he saved the bits of mana he had left. He raised his head, the dark red aura from Demion''s Dance still coursing through his body as it actually went on to grip his ! "You know..." Skullius said with a subtly hollow and yet jovial tone in his voice. "I just remembered that I died once..." Bassbion held her sword once again as she prepared to take care of Skullius once and for all, ignoring his ramblings which she couldn''t hear anyway. Yet... "But now, it looks like I''ll be dying every time I wield this sword..." The dark red aura around Skullius suddenly red and with all his might, he shed at Bassbion, this time in a vertical arc from top to bottom, his left hand following the sword from the side as if to protect it! A different result from any other was produced in this moment, allowing a suffocating pressure that bellowed towards Skullius'' enemy! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! Chapter 411 For Good Measure! Demion¡¯s Dance whistled through the air as it descended, Skullius pushing in his focus as a steady straight sh bore down on the far from innocent space, slicing the air while releasing a dreadful amount of power at an equally dreadful speed that rocked the Discount Human¡¯s entire body! This was it! What he had been half-assing when he used this sword against the carp and the Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf (Ferex) back then! What he had thought was the limit of this sword imbued with death, yet it hadn¡¯t been! This was freaking IT! A clean sh that bore all the strength he could muster, his own and that afforded by [Jaggered Merger]! One that he felt suck up more than just his stamina, but also grip tightly around his and soul! S grunted at the grip! What was this?! Even when he had used Demion¡¯s Dance, it wasn¡¯t like this! ¡®What happened to this bastard?!¡¯ the aged piece of soul wondered in angst. This suddenly awakening of resolve that was responded to in kind by Demion¡¯s Dance¡­! It wasn¡¯t sponsored by anything that had happened since Skullius reached the Sacred forest or during his lengthy walk to the Ground of Communion. No, S was certain. Was it something else then? Something Skullius had been doing for the past few days that prompted this? Something he had been exposing himself to? In Bassbion¡¯s view, a darting straight line shed for a brief moment, carrying with it a vengeful howl of the air which she promptly prepared for with a serious visage! However¡­ ¡­.! The ridiculously quick line carved by Demion¡¯s Dance rushing towards her with absolute greed was followed by the desecration of the Ground of Communion! All around Skullius who was puffing his cheeks while his sockets med with darkness, his movement which was carried out at super speed with after images leaving a trail of magnificence, a dark red flow of darkness spewed out, tarnishing the air and tainting the ground with the sickening hue! This sacrilege painted over a hundred meters within a breath, Bassbion who had maintained much of her calm until now gritting her teeth as her mana red with fury! She sessfully put up her sword as the mad iing rush of power rammed against it with mildly refined finesse that forced her back while causing the ring of colliding steel to sound when it shed with the Spirit de of Cessation! CLAAANG! The bellowing force exploded out, the wall behind Bassbion shuddering as it was finely carved from top to bottom, the statue in the way also meeting the same fate! The guardian stumbled when the cruel force finally died down. She had managed to block it but not without consequence. Drip! Drip! From her jaw to her neck, all the way to the first half of her chest te, a thin line could be traced, what seemed like white blood dripping from the wound on her pale skin! Yet Bassbion didn¡¯t pay this any heed as she instead faced Skullius whose hand popped like a balloon after this attack! ¡°Vile filth, you dare sully this sacred ce?!¡± she called out in fury as her mana red, causing the Ground of Communion to tremble. Skullius ignored her outrage. Rather, in his mind, he kept count. ¡°That¡¯s two.¡± He then solemnly gazed upon Demion¡¯s Dance, running his hand over its green, curved de. Back when this fight began, when Skullius had first erected the [Perfect Night Domain], he had attempted to mimic how S used Demion¡¯s Dance against Bek, but had failed as all he did was sh with all his mortal might. During the week in Inhone when he had refined most of the skills he was using now, he had learned swordsmanship from Oliviana but his skill in it wasn¡¯t enough to allow him to get the [Basic Sword Mastery] he wanted. Now, however¡­ [You have acquired ¡®Basic Sword Mastery¡¯] After the very short exchange with Bassbion, with [HYPED] active, Skullius had finally qualified for the most basic of mastery for the sword which was prompted by Demion¡¯s Dance giving him a taste of another level to [Epic Memory]. A different look shed in Skullius¡¯ eyes as the red aura around the de continued to funnel into him, bringing with it innate knowledge on how to Swindling Death¡¯s Dance worked. Each strike was packed with an aversion of death as a requirement, or rather the embrace of the possibility of death. As only when one epted that they could die, could they evade death. Skullius was growing to understand this. Sure he had dreams. Sure he was doomed to a horrific fate if he died. But what if he fought without fear of that eventuality, letting all the power and potential he had run wild while testing out every single idea he had without a care?! After all, just like S had said, he was wasting all this power! Fuuuuuu¡­. Yet, this was also not all. ¡°I think I have more than enough for onest attack,¡± Skullius thought as the 30% focus which he had apportioned to his core all this time since [HYPED] activated finally bore fruit. ¡®Tomato flinger! Your body i¡ª¡¯ ¡°Be quiet, I¡¯m on a fleshing roll right now!¡± Skullius cut off S who was giving a warning. He already knew what the aged piece of soul wanted to say. His body was finally reaching its limit with [Jaggered Merger], the red cracks over his flesh starting to widen as they broke apart his body. This didn¡¯t matter to Skullius though, as he knew this was going to end with the next move. Either he would fall or he wouldnd thest move hit on Bassbion and win! Still, regardless of what happened, he knew¡­ he wouldn¡¯t lose, even if death fell on him. It was illogical to think this way, but to the skeleton donning flesh, it made all the sense in the world! Bassbion was still in a fit of rage as she saw the mess that tainted the sanctity of the Ground of Communion. The previous battle scars were excusable but this¡­ She ground her teeth as she lost her cool, a set of the pristine white chains that held her armour snapping breaking apart, a ferocious wave of power like an abrupt storm igniting from her body as a result! Skullius squinted his eyes. In his sight, the image of the greyish, ck spotted Bassbion became more contrasted, matching the prickling feeling of her growing power that he felt through his senses. ¡®Her strength is growing. She broke some of those chains over her armour. Heh. Isn¡¯t that cheating?¡¯ Skullius thought as he felt hisst option reaching its peak, almost ready for use. ¡®The rules did say not to mess with this ce. Assuming it is the Ground of whatever. That¡¯s probably why she¡¯s angry.¡¯ With Skullius taking in all that was happening at ten times the speed, the final sh was merely a breath away. And¡­ FWOOOSH! BOOM! Bassbion¡¯s mana red as she used [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] again, but this time, she barely took a second to charge it up andunch herself towards Skullius who didn¡¯t see her figure until the Spirit de of Cessation had already lopped off his right arm which held Demion¡¯s Dance! The speed was atrocious and way grander than what Bassbion had exhibited moments ago, as in addition to striking away Skullius¡¯ powerful weapon, her [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] began mutting his body brutally! The Spirit guardian pped away the hand which still held firmly to the green sword and watched the Discount Human carefully. ¡®This time I¡¯ll purge his soul!¡¯ Bassbion thought with a fierce expression that leaked malice, her sword which moved faster than her initial attack slicing off the rest of Skullius¡¯ limbs while her overbearing might mmed into Skullius, burying into the hard ground without mercy! She didn¡¯t go for the kill just yet, as killing this bastard instantly would be waste giving what he had done. She wanted him to know how he died. Absolutely dominated to death! Skullius¡¯ felt the sensation of being pounded down thoughroughly by heavy mana at rapid speed vividly, but a grin etched itself on his face as he truly felt alive! ¡®I felt my soul shiver! I could have died right there!¡¯ he thought. This expression unsettled Bassbion but after a brief pause, she held her long sword erect for a stab, a staggering murderous intent bursting over her as the sword¡¯s effect on the soul fully activated! ¡°You¡¯ll pay for desecrating my master¡¯s memory!¡± Bassbion proimed before thrusting down at the limbless Skullius who kept getting dug into the floor! The sword brutally tore through the space between Bassbion and Skullius, the entire Ground of Communion quivering at the wrath propounded by the raging guardian! SHHHH¡ª ¡­ Yet.. The Spirit Sword of Cessation came to a halt. Only for a brief moment. ¡­! Bassbion donned a look of shock as even with her bearing down all of her current might, her sword simply stopped right before piercing Skullius¡¯ skull! The Discount Human whose body was breaking down with the cracks over his body growing more severe, shedding a light on some abnormal damage, spontaneously grew his legs and arm back in the blink of an eye, using up almost all of the remnants of the mana he had left! [Scramble Binding], at least its paralysis effect, once again wore off, this no doubt being a limitation on the technique as a result of how Bassbion was currently bound to only a small portion of her strength! Indeed, being able to indefinitely paralyse the entrants to this ce would be unfair, after all. Skullius¡¯ legs stretched with thick veins as in an unnatural motion he lifted off the ground without the support of his arms, a strange halo of mana that constantly produced a sound akin to crumpling paper and crumbling rock flickered over his body! His dark sockets gazed at Bassbion in this brief moment as he eximed. ¡°I¡¯m really not going to lose, am I?!¡± BOOOOOOM! The guardian who couldn¡¯t make sense of what was happening suddenly felt a stubborn push that could more aptly be described as ¡®the area around Skullius rejecting her¡¯! ¡­! Her figure sped so fast away from Skullius¡¯ body that she couldn¡¯t even process where she was for a fraction of second as her surroundings were an indecipherable mash of ooze during her souring journey up! ¡®Wha¡ª¡¯ BAAAAAAM! Bassbion smashed into the face of the statue she had been nested in at the beginning of the fight, the visage of the rock humanoid exploding and sinking in as Bassbion herself shook when she realised it! As if this wasn¡¯t enough of a shocker, a figure darted before her only to halt in mid-air a distance away as if floating, or slowly rising, she couldn¡¯t tell. His body was upside down as he stretched out his hands with a jovial and partially manic look on his face! No, it wasn¡¯t a face! It was ming skeleton! The Discount Human was moving at a speed his body and armour couldn¡¯t take again, his figure igniting with me as a result! But he didn¡¯t care! He fully took the wondrous feeling of being suspended as crazy waves of mana that were close to dwindling, lingered in the paths from his core where¡­ his Refinery had grown! From a bit more than 4% to 15%! Pure mana streamed through this small finished Refinery, the little that remained, as it coursed through the channels that were empty, gushing into where Skullius needed it to be! His fist! ¡®What in the world is this, vile filth?!!¡¯ Bassbion thought in fury at the rapid session of events that continued to anger her, another set of chains breaking from her armour! Mana had begun to re from here body as she extricated a bellow of genuine fury, her sword ready to devour Skullius when¡­ BOOOOOOM! Skullius¡¯ figure zipped out of existence and appeared right into the thick of Bassbion¡¯s zing mana where his body promptly started to get shredded, his burning skeletal fist that glowed with an unusual signature of mana hitting its mark without fail! A nasty hook sted Bassbion¡¯s face from the side, knocking her helmet off in the process as her head was forced to tilt from the force, the wall behind her cracking from the point of impact all the wall to the ceiling where mana reinforced stone ruptured and started to copse! In the thick of this, Skullius¡¯ voice echoed as he spoke without triumphant glee¡­ ¡°That¡¯s four. For good fleshing measure¡­¡± Chapter 412 Resolution? GRRRRRMMM! The Ground of Communion shook heavily as the powers that had been fighting here, despite the huge disparity between them, had tested its integrity quite a bit. This wasn¡¯t built to be battleground per se, especially when this Temple served as a home for the Order of the Trodden Rose. After the passing of the twelve, it now served as an execution ground, as with the staggering amount of bias as well as the clearly depicted favour of a feminine host to inherit the legacy of the Order, leniency was to be expected on female entrants while for the male ones¡­ One could guess. The challenge they had to face was clear. Skullius, after making his snarkyment, let the flood of mana released from Bassbion¡¯s figure push him away, his body flying from the guardian as it crashed onto the ground! The Discount Human quickly rose as he felt [HYPED] die down. He also cancelled [Jaggered Merger], the Elimparidis Stone Staff appearing in his hands once more with a little over a 70 points of mana remaining. Skullius didn¡¯t focus on this however, as he gazed up high at where the torrent conjured by a mad guardian kept streaming forth. ¡®Fuuuu¡­ I ran out again,¡¯ Skullius thought as he felt within his core, but with a smile on his face. If the status quo from the beginning of the battle had been maintained, he would be rxing right now as he had actually won ording to the stipted rules. In fact, he had gone above and beyond, as him sting Bassbion across the Ground of Communion was the third clean hit, with hisst punch on her helmet covered face counting as the fourth blow. Unfortunately, he was sure even when hended the third blow on Bassbion that she was really pissed off and expecting her to stay true to the earlier rules was probably a stretch. Before considering all this though, one would probably be more inclined to wonder, how on Aigas Skullius was able to win! The speed. The power. All that ridiculous power that matched this Spirit. Where the hell did ite from?! Well, Skullius had utilised the makeshift properties of the mana he was developing in his Refinery. Distorted Gravity! In all truth, he barely had knowledge about this high level concept and the way he mimicked its flow was wed to say the least, but¡­ his efforts had been rewarded! The feel of Distorted Gravity was at his fingertips, at least with how best he had interpreted it. The flow of it grew more familiar the more he had tasted its might on the stout mountain and now, upon unleashing it for the first time, he had discovered that as long as long as there was a surface that he could use, he could draw himself towards it at ridiculous velocities! Weight constituted attraction and repulsion effects towards a selected solid surface, and that was all he had been doing all this time! Containing the unique mana in his body caused an attraction towards a selected surface while pushing out the mana created a repulsion effect! Seeing that he had been in pinch, the Discount Human had decided to bank all his hopes on what he could achieve with the 4% finished Refinery, funnelling pure mana into it and emptying some of his mana channels to give it room to work its magic! The result was an uncontroble pull that had dragged him in what he had thought was a random direction at first after he distributed the unique mana in his body, his entirety speeding so fast towards said direction that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hit Bassbion that time if weren¡¯t for [HYPED]! After the first hit, Skullius grew more confident, giving some of his focus towards continually building the crown-shaped Refinery around his Centre, the process of which was way faster with the blood rushing skill, as he had surmised earlier. If he weren¡¯t fighting a dangerous guardian at the same time, he would have even advanced further! Fortunately, Demion¡¯s Dance had acted as his supplementary means of attack while he waited for mana to pool from his Centre, allowing him to have a reserve that he then channelled into his Refinery to obtain the current result, though it quickly dried up as there was only so much he could do with a such a small Refinery. At the current moment, Skullius had [Elevated Mana Maniption] active as he didn¡¯t want his work to go to waste with the constant expulsion of mana from his Centre. ¡°YOU!¡± the voice of Bassbion boomed, gushing out with the support of her mana which matched her current emotion as it washed over Skullius like a hurricane! Bassbion, who had her helmet blown off, her delicate Spirit features that were no different from a human¡¯s, asides from being eerily pale and partially see-through, dug her armoured hands into the wall as she pulled herself out! Her eyes were revealed, having a turquoise blue hue, the almond shape of their make, as well as the pointed nose she had turning ugly from her fury! BWAAA! Shended on the ground with the force of a meteor, her gaze remaining on Skullius as she firmly held her long sword. ¡°You think you have won?! You think I¡¯ll allow your insolence to be rewarded after you release your murky filth onto this sacred ground?! You were warned of this and I will not forgive it!¡± Bassbion growled. ¡®It¡¯s just a dark stain. Though I guess the statues are a different story,¡¯ Skullius thought as he sighed inwardly, his mind churning for more ideas. Yet, he wasn¡¯t afraid. First, his dark sockets turned to check over Ferex but the Hound was no longer there. Skullius narrowed his eyes as he then sent a mental message to his Apostle, only to sigh in relief a momentter. Because of the dangerous battle ongoing, he hadn¡¯t had the luxury of checking on Ferex¡¯s state. Now he could rest assured. For that concern at least. With that done, Skullius slipped some mana into his ring and a scroll appeared. He doubted he could catch Bassbion with it now that all his buffs were gone, with Demion¡¯s Dance out of reach, but he was determined to try his best anyway. ¡®Are you watching S?¡¯ Skullius thought while unfurling the scroll which was naturally the All-Eater scroll, yet to his question, he received no answer. Bassbion hastily set to attack at the same moment and¡­ ¡°Hold yourself¡­ Sister Bassbion!¡± a voice called from a distance, demanding both Skullius and his opponent¡¯s attention. The moment the fair Bassbion saw where this voice wasing from, the ring mana around her died down instantly and she huffed her rage inward, culling it for the time being. ¡°Yagrina¡­¡± Bassbion murmured in a soft voice as she shed away and appeared at the base of one of the twelve statues, her hands tenderly holding the face of a broken stone figure, much like she had been before she started this battle, but this one had a series of cracks that while not as excessive as the ones on the others, spelled that she had been greatly injured. ¡°Why have you awakened? I thought I told you to rest and I would take care of everything else.¡± The figure of Yagrina, which was also feminine (obviously) but with a slightly plump build along with thick armour over it, coloured white from this state she was in, did not move at all. Not even its lips. ¡°You and I are all that remains. But with you taking on a burden left for the twelve of us, I couldn¡¯t help but open my eyes to see if anything had changed. Thankfully, I did just in time,¡± Yagrina¡¯s voice sounded with a mellow hint of sorrow. ¡°You¡¯re losing your honour faster than this Temple is falling apart. Even if you are angry on our master¡¯s behalf, this Ground was meant for blood to be spilled. Such damage was eventually going to deface it. But for you to break your word and even forcefully break your bindings in a fit of rage¡­ it is not indicative of what you represent.¡± Bassbion had a lot to say, but she withheld her words. She didn¡¯t feel guilty one bit and a sense of agitation could be detected on her face. ¡°Besides, we are merely waiting for the host to return. We are guided by hope after all. We should strive to keep it, lest we end up like our masters. The host is supposed to represent the fullness of what the True Rose Mother intended. Keep that in mind before you lose yourself.¡± Yagrina scolded. Skullius watched at this dumbly, his figure inching towards his severed hand which held Demion¡¯s Dance and retrieving the weapon. ¡®Hey S,¡¯ Skullius called to the aged piece of soul in his mind that had grown silent since he had told him to shut the flesh up. He got no response though and he didn¡¯t continue pursuing the matter. ¡°You.¡± Skullius turned as he heard the voice of Yagrina call to him, even if he didn¡¯t understand it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bassbion questioned Yagrina with a dissatisfied tone. ¡°Let him pass. What harm can he do? He earned that much, as vile as he may be. As¡­ strange as he may be¡­¡± Yagrina had witnessed much of the battle and she had to admit that seeing Bassbion being sted into the wall so suddenly had caught her off guard, along with thatst hit. This little vile filth was either very talented or deviously conniving. She couldn¡¯t tell if he had an awakening right here or if he was hiding his powers before. Still, it didn¡¯t matter. No matter his motive, no filth had ever escaped without following the rightful procedure that allowed so. If he misbehaved, he would be dealt with by the Temple itself as he could not even begin to fathom the dreadful things hidden within it just for such circumstances. After calling for Skullius¡¯ attention, Yagrina was about to speak when¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t think he can understand us. He speaks a foreignnguage I¡¯m unfamiliar with,¡± Bassbion said with a hard face, relenting to Yagrina¡¯s logic. She was older and wiser, after all. For this, she decided to trust her judgement. ¡°That¡¯s right. I did feel that you were notmunicating well. How about a gesture then? Let him continue to Depth. He might just get tempted like the rest and be punished for it. Even among those favoured, some couldn¡¯t contain their greed. You would love to see him fall, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Yagrina said to Bassbion who grumbled before snapping her fingers. Skullius grew alert at this gesture as he knew it to be for an entirely different purpose but¡­ GRRRK! From behind Bassbion, ayer of the thick rock used to make the walls, chock full of intricate mana weavings, rose, creating arge arched doorway into a dimly lit corridor. Bassbion then moved to the side and gestured for Skullius to pass with a threatening look. This threw Skullius off for a few seconds but he then realised that if this monster wanted to kill him, she would have done it already. His guess was that she was being reprimanded by the other weird figure that had called to him, as perhaps that was the purpose of her frown. ¡®Are they letting me through to wherever I can go next?¡¯ Skullius thought. Without S, he couldn¡¯t be sure but heck, he really wanted to get the flesh out of here. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what¡¯s next then,¡± Skullius said as he walked forward, his steps ringing around the silent space until he reached the doorway, facing Bassbion who gave him a murderous re. The Discount Human merely smiled with his burnt and crackled body, before passing through and entering into next atrocity. Or was it? Chapter 413 Drawing Close To The Edge (A/N: Bonus Chapter). With a loud thud noise, the opening behind Skullius closed and he was only too happy to see the face of Bassbion looking constipated as she really didn¡¯t make a move on him. Well, she wanted to, but she could only watch this burnt up bastard walk away free. Skullius appeared in a narrow corridor that had small lights overhead, like micronterns, their illumination so weak that if Skullius relied on sight alone, he might not have noticed that there was a steady downslope as the path went on. Fuuuu¡­ Skullius breathed out. And then, he slumped to the ground. ¡®Gaaaaaaaaaaah! That was insane! And fun!¡¯ he screamed in his mind as a wave of both relief and apprehension blew from him. ¡®I did it! I can¡¯t believe I actually did it! Though with some minor inconveniences at the end there but I did it!¡¯ A wide smile etched itself on Skullius as he reyed everything he had done. The battle he had fought. This wasn¡¯t one of those times he simply needed to kill. He couldn¡¯t even do that as the opponent had been way beyond his capability to kill, though strangely not having an Aura or Genuine Incarnation to show for their absurd strength. If they had such, the ending might have been different, especially considering thetter. Skullius had noticed this detail and thanked flesh for it! This was probably something to do with how Bassbion was a Spirit, but the Discount Human didn¡¯t know much about that in general and thought he¡¯d research more after exiting this ce. Hopefully he would. His skeletal hand which he had yet to heal, with the deadly red glowing cracks over it as a consequence of [Jaggered Merger], rose to scratch the tiny Ferex over his head who vigntly looked ahead. ¡®I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect you that time, bro. But I¡¯m working on fixing that,¡¯ Skullius sent a mental message to the Hound. The little thing raised its head, its sockets producing a dull light of what Skullius mistook for innocence. Given how short his fight with Bassbion had been, he hadn¡¯t actually noticed that Ferex had recovered after the horrendous blow to his body rather quickly. In fact, the Hound had finished repairing himself with [Lanterns of the Pure] right before Skullius used his Distorted Gravity for the first time, as the damage he had received merely took longer than normal to heal given how the remnants of the mana he had been sted with kept eating away at his Unliving Thread. Front that point though, he had been free to intervene and help his master but¡­ he didn¡¯t. Through their link, Ferex had felt it. His master¡¯s switch and shift in drive. The Discount Human had been having a breakthrough, which to Ferex wasn¡¯t a surprise as he knew why, for only he had been with Skullius for the past few days and thus knew why this man was suddenly starting to breaking free from his constant fears and limitations. From the moment Skullius decided to take more risks, it had been a limited habit that he practised only when it was safe to do so. Like in Harifrast when he opened up a shed for healing people under the pretence of genuine kindness. That had been his whole theme. But, Skullius had taken it up a notch since¡­ the stout mountain. He took the risk and gambling a step further and walked into a field of dangerous elements he couldn¡¯t fully understand, at first taking it safe when he discovered the existence of how powerful these concepts were. After losing his core though, Skullius had turned even bolder and determined, taking Tulnas¡¯ idea of gambling for the better result even further, as after discovering that his mana core as a Discount Human had been garbage, he had the conviction to make a better one¡­ By walking further into the nest of powerful and deadly concepts, all of which punished him from time to time yet through hacks from his Fulgurant Bone Prator form, he found himself surviving, Skullius had started to get used to living on the edge even if it was for a limited amount of time. Now that the Discount Human had been thrusted into another life or death scenario, something in his mind had just clicked, switching him to his attitude on the stout mountain where he¡¯d either go bigger or go home¡­ to Somanda¡¯s prison. This was why the Limitless Null Demon Hound didn¡¯t interfere. To not distract his master. Now that he had been discovered twice while covering himself with the Pseudo-Spirit Walker¡¯s Hide, Ferex had lost a bit of confidence. His master had experienced a mental awakening while Red Rage was busy powering himself up. Yet he, was yet to prove how unique he was. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t sulking as he knew his weaknesses. His body had limited functions even if he could go full blown werewolf. There was only so much he could do, especially when he was discovered by a powerful opponent. His defence was weak and his current use or Unliving Thread left much to be desired. But he was working on it. He wouldn¡¯t be a generic wolf Summon that was only good for rides for long. He was going to mix it up soon and given the fact that this and the previous battles could barely count as ¡®hard battles¡¯ for him, he didn¡¯t need to RESET, losing all this insight and his skills. Growth was to be expected. At this point, Skullius himself was starting to understand his shift in mind-set and he greatly appreciated it. This experience was going to stick to him. In fact, he was already prancing with a skip in his step. He finished his apologies to Ferex who obviously didn¡¯t feel that he needed them and sighed. He held Demion¡¯s Dance and found the sword to emit a light, thick aura around it as soon as he paid his attention to it with his blind white eyes that swiftly returned once he shut off [Crude World Projection]. As the coil of energy wrapped around the weapon, Skullius felt a tight ribbon of energy grasp around his and his soul. It seemed with his usage of the real [Swindling Death Dance], even though it still said iplete, something akin to a bond was established between him and the sword. ¡®Hmm. I didn¡¯t think you had as much value as you do now. But then I guess it¡¯s fitting,¡¯ Skullius said before swishing the sword around. It felt a bit more natural to wield now that he had learned [Basic Sword Mastery]. The charred Discount Human faced ahead as he took a step, ever vignt towards what he could find. His armoured body strutted through the darkness with his senses stretching up and about to take in the surroundings. As for this armour he wore¡­ ~~~ [Stacked Series of the VergeRider] An armour made by a famous traverser of the Null Verse who crafted this piece in order to cater for the varying degrees of battle and diverse levels of power needed for said battles. A fitting armour for those that wish to stay at the boundary of life and death. -Defense- ¡ª -Durability- ¡ª -Special Effects- ?Can repair itself from damage through the use of Null Life. ?Adjusts to the body of the user. ?Can change the signature of its presence. ¡ª [First Set: Casual VergeRider] A more casual set within the series that morphs into the likeness of whatever clothing that the user has seen or wishes to wear, as long as it is only casual. Not much is offered in the way of defence, as this set mainly supports disguises. Defense: 1000; Durability; 3000 ¡ª [Second Set: Diehard VergeRider] A sleekbat armour that allows for better mobility with improved defence granted to the user through thepressed ting while also being stylish at the same. It is more suited for assassination, as it is equipped with traits that assist with the appropriate line of murder. Defense: 23,000; Durability; 30,000 [Skill: Zero Face] A mask is afforded to the Diehard VergeRider which blocks magical probing and makes being perceived without the aid of powerful appraisal nigh impossible for enemies up to a certain level. Can be equipped twice a day, with each usesting two hours. [Skill: Instant Clipper] A hidden de can be called upon from anywhere on the armour. It has a 30% chance of inflicting the effect on the target. ¡ª -Caution- Thest two sets require Null Life Essence to call upon. ¡ª [Third Set: Demented VergeRider] Requires 10,000 Null Life Essence ¡­. ¡ª [Fourth Set: Boundless VergeRider] Requires 20,000 Null Life Essence ¡­ ~~~ This armour was something else. Skullius currently was using the Diehard VergeRider as he didn¡¯t have enough Null Life Essence to call for thest two sets. Unfortunately, this armour wasn¡¯t exactly suitable for confrontations with powerhouses but it had been all that he had at the moment. Skullius forged ahead down the lengthy corridor that didn¡¯t have anything in particr other than the arrays on the walls that seemed designed to respond to anything at all that could ur within the Temple. Luckily this duty seemed to be left for the guardians in the Ground of Communion, otherwise the nasty patch of dark red he had left in the ce would have gotten him screwed. ¡®I really wonder how this is a Temple. It¡¯s way too creepy. Or is it different for females who enter this ce,¡¯ Skullius said, clearly not appreciative of the silence or the sombre atmosphere. As he trudged on, his Refinery once again growing at a slower rate, he came across a circr opening where the corridor passed through, continuing on the other end. ¡®Hmmm?¡¯ Skullius voiced in his mind. This circr space while not very big, was not empty. ¡ª -Sponsored by Ammo Zi- Thest one will being up soon. Chapter 414 Loot! Bountiful Loot! (A/N: Bonus Chapter). A light that seemed to have been paid to do its job well, unlike the previous ones lining the corridor that Skullius had been walking through before reaching this ring-like section on the Temple, swooped down from above, giving sufficient visibility. Not that Skullius needed it, but Ferex surely did. It came from a window high up, designed to match the exact shape of this space. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius murmured in surprise, his senses picking up a variety of shapes within this spot that housed beautiful patterns of mana! Numerous full sets of armour and robes were neatly arranged in a circle, some having toppled over but in great condition nheless, before them a plethora of weapons and tools that brimmed with power and various effects on disy to show that they were not some hunks of junk! One particr robe drew in Skullius¡¯ attention immediately, dragging his focus from everything else around. It was made from a thick, rich fabric that vibrantly exhumed a charming yet powerful authority, the mana in the walls and air seeming to constantly be drawn to it. In front of this set of robes, a lengthy staff which had double the charm and authoritative presence bellowed with power while floating in mid-air, with a faint halo over it that traced its build all the way to the orb dug into its end, as if to show both dominance and holiness! ¡°Woow. This is¡­ beautiful¡­¡± Skullius said as his blind eyes sparkled. He couldn¡¯t appreciate this with sight but [Elevated Mana Maniption] did an equally impressive job in making sure he did. In front of the other sets of protective regalia were powerful weapons as well, some dug into the clean floor while others floated like this staff, the rest being wielded in the hands of the armour sets. There was so much here! Skullius could even sense a magnificent crown that didn¡¯t release bursts of mana but pure Aura! Thickets of golden, suffocating Aura that created multipleyers around it in a gorgeous, rainbow fashion. Ferex¡¯s lit sockets flickered. Even he was TEMPTED. Skullius couldn¡¯t help it as well. After the hard fought battle, to see this glorious set of loot presented readily before him surely made him smile. This was a grand reward. One could even say TOO grand. ¡°Let¡¯s see this staff first!¡± Skullius said with his usual enthusiasm. ¡°I can¡¯t appraise it without using [Crude World Projection], but¡­ screw it, I want feel how the mana is woven inside it!¡± Skullius reached for the staff, his grubby hands tou- ¡°STOP YOU FOOL!¡± The Discount Human shook as he hadn¡¯t expected to be interrupted by the aged piece of soul who had been ignoring his calls since he exited the Ground of Communion! Skullius almost stumbled to fall on the staff and robes before his attuned body caught itself. ¡°What the flesh is wrong with you, S?!¡± he barked. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the problem, tomato flinger! You were just about to doom our fate! You trust that bloody mana maniption skill of yours too much! It¡¯s not so powerful that it can¡¯t be fooled!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?! I just saved us back there, didn¡¯t I?! And also, where on earth were you all this time?!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± S grumbled silently, rage puking out of his soul. ¡°Saved us your tomato flinging ass! You were reckless! We could have died because you suddenly threw away all reason!¡± ¡°Well yeah! Of course I did, bro! If whatever I do, whether hidden or not gets me in trouble, wherever I go something just has to follow up because of this damned atrocious luck, then what¡¯s the point of acting safe?! Unlike you, I¡¯ve had to walk around fearing death since I got here, and guess what? It works best when I just dive in without fear! So bite me, you sockethole!¡± ¡°Wh¡­ bite you?! Forget it, tomato flinger. You¡¯re as stubborn as ever. However, you should know we could have died countless times over in that fight. Maybe you couldn¡¯t see it because it is so much easier to regenerate your flesh but our souls could have been destroyed by that damn Spirit¡¯s de from the very first moment it touched us.¡± This revtion caused Skullius to pause. In truth, it wasn¡¯t oundish and Skullius had thought that he wouldn¡¯t get off without a few more percentages in Doom Factor 2 but now¡­ ¡°Really? How are we alive then?¡± he asked S seriously. ¡°Hmph! For that, you have the Reflection of your soul to thank,¡± the Tower General said with a scoff. ¡°My what?¡± ¡°Right. You don¡¯t know this. Of course! And I have to be the damn teacher,¡± S shook with annoyance. ¡°The Reflection of the soul is an entity in your soul that resembles you and grows along with you. It protects the soul against external influence, or at least it should. Everyone with a soul has one, but it¡¯s not something you can consciously groom.¡± Oh. To Skullius this was news. And indeed, one would recall that this was what Ferex came across when he was charged with founding out details about Skullius in his soul. Ferex couldn¡¯t quite articte his experience with the thing, as mentalmunication wasn¡¯t image sharing or inherently more apt whenpared to speech, especially when considering that Skullius¡¯ Apostles were a boar and a wolf. Mentalmunication dealt with intent, at least as far as the specific Apostle to Skullius channel was concerned. Yet, indeed. The burly skeleton with both the powers of Null Life and Insurgency¡­! That was Skullius¡¯ Reflection! Of course, its state back then was insufficient when it came to even dealing with the invading will of Dami for instance, allowing her to extract much information. As such, it seemed inconsistent to assume that this same Reflection had negated soul damage from a beyond Legendary weapon, but then, hadn¡¯t Skullius changed? Hadn¡¯t his soul been quivering, copying the progress that he had been making all this time and imprinting it on itself as seeds of information that couldter be replicated? Would his Reflection remain weak when it was the first to devour this progress? Obviously not. But how strong had it gotten? Well¡­hehe. Furthermore, the Spirit de of Cessation dealt with souls to a lesser extent than it did with life energy, cutting off an individual¡¯s life. Thus this effect wasn¡¯t as exaggerated. S exined much of this to Skullius who mulled it over, finding the concept interesting. ¡°I had thought that hiding with your Reflection would be safer than to indulge your reckless charge but¡­ that bastard¡­ Anyway, don¡¯t touch anything you see here, tomato flinger!¡± S warned. ¡°You still haven¡¯t mentioned why,¡± Skullius said. ¡°It¡¯s obviously not real! It¡¯s a cheap trap to take advantage of your recklessness after the victory from the Ground of Communion! It¡¯s another cruel test to see if the sessful entrant is not obsessed by outward beauty or material treasures! You¡¯re still underestimating this order of psychopaths, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not real?¡± Skullius focused his senses on every single detail. On the treasures that were lined up and those that had fallen. It all felt real to him. Even his [Elevated Mana Maniption] told him so. Was S fleshing with him? Skullius couldn¡¯t tell, but the cons of it turning to be true after he stubbornly resisted the warning were too great. Thus he let it be. ¡°. You have much to learn, tomato flinger,¡± S said with a pitying sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from the sockethole who tried to backstab once again! You really thought I¡¯d give you my body if you pushed me far enough, didn¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°I could have! Besides, you are very well aware that we¡¯re enemies! Expect a knife in the back of your soul from an old relic like me every time!¡± S hissed. ¡°Now get moving, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Shameless! Skullius pped his forehead before he and his roasted self trudged on, continuing with the narrow corridor after giving onest nce at the many treasures he could have salvaged. Unfortunately, S was right. It was all a lie. The arrays on the walls made sure to hide traces of the blood and bodies of those that fell for this trick to remove a certain degree of suspicion from new entrants. Most fell for it. For those that managed to see beyond this, a greater reward awaited ahead and Skullius had finally reached it after a short, nearly pointless interlude. ¡ª -Sponsored by Ammo Zi- Chapter 415 Hope and Shock A clearing of the throat.r A hoarse voice cracked.r And then the tune.r ¡­r ¡°Food itself, is life itself,r Feed yourself, don¡¯t eat yourself,r Guts may pull, but I¡¯m no fool,r Yet here I drool, I drip a pool,r ¡­¡±r A brief sob.r Then the tune continued.r ¡°Drink itself, is life itself,r Drink yourself, don¡¯t¡­ No that¡¯s not right¡­ I¡¯m so hungry.¡±r The song that had been echoing from beyond where Skullius was currently, suddenly stopped as a voice with a sad tone rang.r Skullius stopped his advance through the narrow, dark corridor temporarily.r ¡°What is that?¡± he asked the aged soul within, his question being about what he was hearing and where it wasing from.r ¡®I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s obviously a song. A terrible one at that, but¡­ Hmm. Just keep moving,¡¯ S responded.r The Discount Human wore a look of suspicion before treading tightly through the darkness lit up by azy circr luminescence.r Forty minutes of travelling without a sound or a change in what appeared in his senses had stripped him of the edge he had before, but now, the tension had been restored.r With a bit more of the mana in the Elimparidis staff being restored, barely 40 points, Skullius had healed some of the damage he had sustained before but the red cracks from overusing [Jaggered Merger] persisted.r It really seemed like a hefty price had to be paid for such power that had not helped him much but S assured Skullius that it would probably fade with time.r A normal human would have been damaged for life though, especially if their body didn¡¯t have any special properties.r Skullius tread further ahead into the darkness when finally, he felt the corridor that had temporarily receded its slope when he had reached that spot with the fake treasures, as S had said, be t as it led to what was definitely the destination that he was striving for.r The experience of entering into arger space from a narrow one reminded him of the journey to face the Evenfall cultists, at least where theyout of the venue was concerned.r Skullius¡¯ senses spread as soon as he was free from the cramped space.r ¡°Anotherrge ce¡­¡± Skullius said without much excitement or surprise. Open spaces were bing quite annoying for him for some reason.r This time however, he couldn¡¯t say he was annoyed per se, but acutely intrigued.r The hard floor made of hard tiling that was rapidly degraded over the years, the colour taking a dive into brownish grey from a healthy granite¡¯s hue and with deep, lengthy cracks over its mass disyed its sturdiness.r Faint groves in aplicated shape could be seen on the floor starting from at least fifty meters away from Skullius, a detail that the Discount Human missed while focusing on everything else in this ce as no mana could be sensed from it.r To the side was what Skullius thought was previously argeke as an extensive hole that stretched quite the distance from the centre of this ce and beyond could be seen.r The only indication that this was once a water body was a pitifully small puddle of sparkling water that remained in the shallow depth, its visage as it was struck by thezy light that stemmed from the window strategically ced far above to barely show anything around here, mystical to say the least.r ¡®Well this is problematic,¡¯ S remarked at this specific detail. A puddle remained? How¡­ inconvenient.r ¡°What?¡± Skullius asked.r S¡¯s response was sadly, a simple sigh.r All this was pretty interesting, but whatid directly in front of Skullius however, jolted the Discount Human¡¯s senses into realising that this was quite an important space.r A set of steps rose at the very edge of this enclosed space, leading up to what seemed like an altar, a stage surrounding it in a semi-circr shape, atop it a stone pedestal that attempted to stand out with jewel-like stone ounting for its build.r On the wall, acting as a background to the human sized pedestal was an immactely design of twelve eyes ¨C onerge one surrounded by eleven others with their respective colours glowing to give a sense of distinction.r Yet, this wasn¡¯t the thickest of it all.r Once again, a voice was heard.r ¡°Food itself, is life itself,r Feed yourself, don¡¯t eat yourself, r Here my gut, is now my heart,r Fill it up, I want to far-¡­ No that¡¯s not right either¡­¡±r Skullius¡¯ senses picked up on more than just the voice now.r A figurey face down on the stage, on the altar, beside the stone pedestal.r A live figure.r However, there were multiple others around this individual.r Thousands of them.r Most of them were dry skeletons that looked aged beyond belief, the rest looking like mummies with greyish hairs over their heads, their expressions showing a sad glimpse of their demise.r These were sprawled over the altar and all over the floor up to a hundred meters away from the altar, covering up the likeness of the floor from this point in their piles.r These were all corpses, one way or another, but their presence didn¡¯t hinder Skullius from detecting the vibrant air and mana produced by the living being among this unmoving entourage of the dead.r When looking at this being among the corpses, one would see very long, dirty lime coloured hair that covered its extremely thin naked figure.r As the individualy face down, it was hard to see their face but the misery they had was all but hidden, as this was obviously the source of the atrocious song.r ¡°What the heck is that?¡± Skullius said with a brow raised.r ¡®Hmm¡­ if I am correct, tomato flinger, then this is the host. The one who received the legacy of the Trodden Rose,¡¯ S exined.r ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius voiced with confusion and doubt .r At his reaction, which brought a much needed change in acoustics to this ce which had been silent for quite a while, the naked figureying t on the floor with the only covering to them being the long hair, shook.r The head of this individual rose as it followed the sound of the voice, its face revealed to be a dehydrated mess that barely showed much flesh but advertised the bone underneath it instead.r Dry lips that looked like they could fall off at any moment, a nose deprived of moisture so much that it looked like it would turn into a raisin sooner rather thanter and cracked facial skin used to draw shock, was evident.r Tufts of hair covered much of the face but this much could be appraised and grimaced upon.r This was a feminine face.r Obviously it was, if one took S¡¯s conjecture as true.r If this was the host, then it was naturally so.r ¡°Thank the Deities!¡± the female figure said, the effort she put to yell these words being vivid, but the result dismal. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe it! Someone finally reached this ce!¡±r Skullius waited for the old piece of soul to trante, to which he did but also showing his confusion towards this.r ¡®It seems she¡¯s been here for a long time. From the way she speaks, it seems that she hasn¡¯t met another person in a while but then¡­ What are all those corpses?¡¯ S said. ¡®Some of them are fresh.¡¯r ¡°Hmmm¡­ that is strange¡­¡± Skullius said.r The female figure crawled from the top, her thin body which barely showed any femininity instead embracing the universality of the insides of humanity through bone, scraping against the steps as she pulled her way towards Skullius through the mess around her.r ¡°Is this really the one with the legacy?¡± Skullius asked, unsure of this.r S shared the same sentiment.r ¡°Mister Sir, Can you please help me get out of here?!¡± the woman pleaded.r ¡®Mister sir?¡¯ r ¡°I know you have your own mission here but please¡­ spare me some of your strength. I¡­ I willpensate you in the future.¡±r The woman shook quite a bit as a firm determination was brimming within herr Determination and desperation.r Determiration!r After S tranted, Skullius wasn¡¯t all that interested in this.r There were too many unknowns and even S was still evaluating the whole thing from his experience.r ¡®Hmmm. Let¡¯s see. Go to that altar there and see if there¡¯s something you can find,¡¯ S said to Skullius.r The Discount Human wasn¡¯t in favour of this, but he was at the mercy of S in terms of information.r The Discount Human took steps forward with caution.r The being before him grovelling for mercy had a vibrant blue core that seemed like it was condensed to its limit so he wouldn¡¯t get careless but his instinct whispered that she wasn¡¯t a danger to him at all.r Was she really the host if she was in such a pathetic state? r Didn¡¯t bing a legacy holder guarantee that you¡¯d have a Hidden ss?r Oh well.r Skullius continued on when¡­r ¡°Mister sir! Don¡¯te any closer, I beg of you! You¡¯ll be killed!¡± the woman screamed with all she had as a look of dread appeared in her visible eye.r She wasn¡¯t oblivious to the state of Skullius; his burnt skin, the cracks over his body and all else she could see which he had suffered.r She desperately wanted this man to help her, but these wounds, in her mind were from his struggling to reach this ce.r Beside the self benefit she sought from Skullius, her innate personality drew hints ofpassion.r For this man to die just like that after facing such impossible odds to reach here for whatever reason¡­r It would be too cruel.r Skullius immediately stopped, but his foot was already hovering over the dry groves woven into an expansive array that partially ate into the extensive crater that he presumed was ake!r With merely his foot over it, a change was prompted, a bright light igniting in each of the curves of the groves that made a four-pronged array around the altar, almost covering half of this space!r Skullius was quick to react, his attuned body reacting immediately after he noticed this!r The terrified tone of the woman as she warned had alerted him quick enough.r A terrifying amount of power had been gathering in this brilliant array that had gone past his notice with its previous mana dry state!r Fortunately, it died down again as it seemed Skullius had avoided certain death!r ¡°Keep going forward, huh?! Are you insane S?!¡± Skullius bellowed with irritation, having almost been led to death by S¡¯s instruction.r ¡®How was I supposed to know that would happen?!¡¯ S barked back.r The woman who remained unharmed, her body lying on the ground, sighed in relief.r She had managed to save this man in the nick of time and-r ¡°ARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± a gruelling scream shot out of her mouth, startling Skullius who had begun bickering with S!r The woman wriggled as she emitted an inhuman scream, her body beginning to sizzle.r ¡°Oh this is just perfect,¡± Skullius said, evidently realising that this woman was biting the big one from UNCoddled.r ¡®¡­¡¯r The Discount Human watched the woman melt, only her bones remaining along with a faint echo of her horrible scream afterwards, a pool of human soup oozing toplete the disgusting scene.r ¡°Now I just lost a more believable source of information than you,¡± Skullius grunted.r ¡®Like I said before, it¡¯s not my fault!¡¯ S hissed.r Skullius grumbled while pping his face.r ¡°Fine! Where¡¯s the ce I¡¯m looking for then? Let¡¯s get this over with. This is obviously thest ce I can reach right?¡±r ¡®Ummm¡­ about that¡­¡¯ S began, nervously dragging his words while the hot headedness he had disyed a few moments ago ran out a metaphorical window.r This was awkward because it wasn¡¯t exactly a hopeless situation, but an uncertainty ridden circumstance.r ¡°What?¡± Skullius asked, fuming.r ¡°Aaaaah! I¡¯ve never died like that before! Mistsr sir, what did you do?!¡± r A familiar voice suddenly burst the conversation between S and Skullius, the two turning shocked at the figure among the thousands of corpses, lime coloured hair draped over her body¡­.!r Chapter 416 The Puddle ¡­! Skullius couldn¡¯t believe it! S couldn¡¯t believe it! How?! The Discount Human shifted his focus only to find a sizzling puddle of human flesh right beside the lime haired woman who seemed rtively shocked but not rmed. Her demeanour hadn¡¯t changed, and even the feeling she gave off told Skullius this was definitely the same person! But¡­ that didn¡¯t make any sense! No human he knew, especially those whose presence didn¡¯t tell anything of grand strength and power, had ever survived UNCoddled! Helping him with the intent to benefit him had culled quite a lot of good people on his journey! Hundreds! Hmmm. Hundreds? Skullius looked around the woman, his mind churning to think¡­ ¡®Are all these¡­ her corpses, then?!¡¯ This was a dreadful thought, especially when he saw that her previous body, with molten flesh and bone was still there! ¡°Mister Sir! I¡¯m not that gifted in sensing energies but¡­ I felt it. Why did you kill me, just now?¡± the woman asked innocently, her head rising to look straight into Skullius¡¯ with anxiety and trepidation while at the same time, her other eye which had been hidden behind her tufts of hair showed. A blue eye with a golden slit as the pupil! ¡°What is she saying?¡± Skullius quickly asked S. ¡®What do you think?! Obviously she is wondering why you just killed her!¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t! She yed herself!¡± ¡®Tell that to her not me! The words are-¡® ¡°Shut up!¡± Amidst the bickering between S and Skullius that definitely looked weird to any third party, as it was just Skullius arguing with himself in a foreignnguage, the woman struggled with her thoughts. ¡®He can¡¯t understand me, perhaps? I better not ask more meaningless questions. I just need to get out of here and figure out the restter!¡¯ Skullius frustratedly looked at the woman after having an ugly exchange with S. ¡°So¡­ she¡¯s definitely the host right?¡± he asked. ¡®Undoubtedly. If that weren¡¯t true, she wouldn¡¯t have survived the Arch-Lich¡¯s curse,¡¯ S responded. ¡®She¡¯s valuable.¡¯ Skullius thought the same. His attitude towards this woman had just now shifted because of this odd scenario. He was starting to take her more seriously. It turned out she wasn¡¯t just some coteral damage from an epic battle as he had thought. ¡°Please Mister sir! Forgive me for questioning you! Please get me out of here! I¡¯ll do anything! I don¡¯t want to die from hunger and thirst again!¡± the woman begged, her figure crawling closer but remaining within the bounds of the now dimmed array. Skullius noted that this woman was probably restricted from leaving by the array given that she couldn¡¯t just crawl out. At the same time, he was restricted from entering its bounds. So essentially, the array prohibited entry and exit. That sucked. On the other hand, S grunted as he had a wild thought from what the woman had just said. ¡®Did she drink the entireke, then?!¡¯ ¡°What?¡± Skullius questioned the rambling piece of soul. ¡®Argh! Tomato flinger, let¡¯s not focus on this woman for now. What we¡¯re here for, is thankfully still here but in very limited supply,¡¯ S said, directing Skullius¡¯ attention towards the puddle. The Discount Human shifted his focus over to the small water body, giving a blind nce towards the woman whose heart was beating so fast as the suspense in rtion to the result was killing her. What would be her fate in the end? Skullius walked over to his right, dropping into therge, wide hole as he soon reached the puddle. Because part of the formerke prated into what was the bounds of the array, S hypothesised that she had been able to drink half a city¡¯s worth of water! This was insane to think about at face value! ¡°Uhmmm¡­ Mister sir, you can take your time¡­ I will be right here¡­ whenever you¡¯re done¡­¡± the woman said with a feeble voice. Skullius on the other hand crouched besides the puddle. The water twinkled, having this distinct attention pulling charm in his senses that also carried with it a heavy and firm feel. He couldn¡¯t sense mana from it but something that gave the impression that it was greater than mana. Yet he couldn¡¯t tell what it was. The only problem was, there was so little of this easy-on-the-senses water. ¡®During the one time I was able to reach this ce with¡­¡¯ S paused. ¡®¡­ this used to be a vibrantke that almost seemed to want to overflow and cover this entire space. Bathing within it, drinking from it, whichever you chose, would swiftly condense the mana you produced to the bare minimum of the next progression. I was weaker when I came, but this one boon groomed my power many times over.¡¯ S reminisced of old times. He indeed did note here alone which is why, different from how Skullius was pardoned by Bassbion because the legacy was already imed, he had been allowed to reach this ce. He had been a mere escort for a special someone. Theke back then had spotted arge tree that grew from it. An Eximo tree. Its branches had partitioned the light from above over the waters, giving the illusion that there were crystals over the water. (A/N: Refer to Ch. 305). Now, the tree couldn¡¯t be found and he was tempted to think that the woman behind the array had eaten it too. If only he knew¡­ Skullius listened without a word. ¡®Now, I am not sure if the same effect can be achieved with a puddle.¡¯ The Discount Human took a deep conscious breath. This was quite the predicament but¡­ He swiftly reached down and scooped up some of the water, watching it twinkle in his hands from the dull light above. ¡°Will this affect my unfinished core in a bad way?¡± he asked. ¡®Probably not. The source of your mana in the core is what is getting the fundamental change after all. The¡­ Centre, as you call it,¡¯ S exined. This made sense to Skullius even though he dissected it critically given the source. The Centre, as soon as it was anchored to his body and soul had started funnelling out pure mana on its own nonstop, so it was obviously the most important piece for this. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that all of this wasn¡¯t for nothing then,¡± Skullius said as he brought the water to his lips. Over behind the array, the woman with lime-coloured hair looked at what Skullius was doing with immense focus. ¡®Oh, this is what he was here for. Now that I think about, my core did change after I started drinking the water¡­ I hope he doesn¡¯t leave immediately afterwards¡­ Please¡­¡¯ the woman pleaded in her mind as the tension in her thin body grew. Skullius gulped down the water and drew in his focus to the potential changes in his body. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to change. He scooped up more water and swiftly drank it, the feel of the liquid down his throat being indistinguishable from drinking regr water, which was aplete turn off, as there were no special effects. What was the problem? Was it just not enough? Skullius swooped down for another scoop. ¡®Hey! Take it easy, will you, tomato flinger?! While I did say I didn¡¯t know if this amount is enough or not, the water is still potent! Bathing and drinking are two different experiences. I did both for the fun of it. You should be careful,¡¯ S warned. Skullius paused for a moment but drank anyway. Still, no change. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s really not enough!¡± Skullius grumbled as he scooped up more water and sshed it on his face. Nothing. Seriously? ¡°Flesh this! Ferex!¡± The Apostle who had been strangely quiet and inactive all this time leapt off of Skullius head and manifested as arge wolf, beside him! The woman beyond the unseen array was shocked by the Hound¡¯s appearance as she feebly yelped, yet no one paid her any mind. ¡°Can you store some of this water? I won¡¯t give up on this aftering so far,¡± Skullius said with a deep frown. Ferex nodded as the Unliving Thread over his body formed a container that he used to scoop in all the remaining water in the puddle. Skullius patted the Hound while wondering if the water would be shrunken down when he miniaturised too. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to deal with this when I reach Genhuis. Maybe someone can help me use i¡ª¡± Skullius, while in the middle of speaking about future prospects, suddenly plopped to the ground! VWOOOOSH! Within him, a deep torrent of highly condensed mana dragged his body down! His Centre! It grew bright and shook vehemently! [Elevated Mana Maniption] that had been constantly holding back the pool of mana produced was driven away by the force of powerful energy that raged from this tiny blot at the centre of his unfinished core, Skullius losing focus for a bit! ¡°This¡­.!¡± A change was happening rapidly as if rushing to reward him! His mana was¡­ condensing! Chapter 417 Core Progression.... and Dignity FUUUWAAA! It wasn¡¯t extravagant. It wasn¡¯t explosive. It was merely a transition. The Centre of Skullius¡¯ core changed swiftly after nothing more than a minute of blinking, shifting from super bright white to the same colour but with a dull andzy vibrance. Just like that. For Skullius though, it was a different experience as he had seen the gradual change in colour of the Centre. A light, dull shade of blue could now be seen over it. His mana had condensed into the next stage of its progression! Perhaps it wasn¡¯t an extravagant change because his core wasn¡¯t finished yet but none of that mattered. The most basic blue core had been achieved! Finally! Skullius felt his body tense up, quivering as ALL his stats changed. They grew, but not in the sense of numbers! No. His strength, speed, endurance and intelligence¡­ their collective worth grew by ten times, each individual point of these also gaining elevated value! It wasn¡¯t as simple as him being ten times as fast or ten times as strong. It was a fundamental shift in what each stat meant. It was akin to evolution! Skullius¡¯ muscles reacted splendidly, growing ridiculously tougher than just a minute ago while his senses screamed, picking up finer details in a wider range that neared a kilometre in distance on their own! Of course they lost acuteness the further away they went but this was a huge boost still! Skullius didn¡¯t lose his focus as he made sure to appreciate this change in all its fullness, as it would probably have certain connotations to his cosmetic body, especially when he finally had a constant supply of mana that wasn¡¯t about to vanish. His seemed to have also been affected as it releasing a stronger thrum that the woman before him heard clearly, though it was still bound by what felt like a ribbon of red energy. Demion¡¯s Dance still had a hold over him, something he didn¡¯t fully understand yet, but it wasn¡¯t a detail to focus on right now. ¡®Hahahaha! Do you still doubt me now, tomato flinger?!¡¯ S chortled to which Skullius didn¡¯t reply. For some reason, the Discount Human wasn¡¯t as ecstatic as even he had expected to be. Maybe it was because he had somehow expected¡­ more. Still, when his cosmetic body finished processing this change, his hold over the condensed mana that was pulling over his Refinery returning, he looked grateful. He didn¡¯t know this, but his cosmetic body had very rapidly processed such a huge shift to his foundation withoutpromising anything he had from before, different from regr humans who had to be mindful of the effects to sensitive body elements of such a shift in strength. ¡°A blue core, huh? This should be the bare minimum of what I need to participate in the Premium Age Royale,¡± Skullius said, his hand balling into a fist to grasp the ridiculous amount of strength he owned now. He felt like he could disy a higher degree of strength with just his base than if he used ¡®Radiance¡¯ and the amplification from [Perfect Night Domain]bined! That was crazy! ¡®Indeed. You¡¯re likely going against some pretty powerful Families so there will be strong opponents in terms of ss, cores and Stages. An invitation to join a House is a great honour after all,¡¯ S said with hints of excitement. ¡°Irritating,¡± Skullius said, expressing the opposite. The fact that he had grasped a little of a high level concept was what made his hopes take a leap of faith but beyond that¡­ ¡°Congrattions, Mister sir!¡± a feminine voice called from behind Skullius. He turned to see the pitifully thin figure of a woman who couldn¡¯t even stand try so hard to show a smile as she gazed with desperation towards him. She even tried to p. Was she attempting to congratte him on his new core? ¡°Right. There¡¯s this one,¡± Skullius said as he walked over with Ferex in tow towards this anomaly. He was still surprised that someone could remain alive after UNCoddled reached them but he was starting to ept it. Eventually, he was going to meet someone like this, right? Skullius stood just before the boundary to the array, his focus that even the woman could feel like a light touch over her body now that he had gotten a blue core making her shudder, but she didn¡¯t withdraw her gaze. ¡®Tomato flinger. This is your chance,¡¯ S said. Skullius knew exactly what the aged piece of soul was alluding to. The thought had crossed his mind after the unsettling revtion of this individual¡¯s odd ability after all. The First Trial! ~~~ Exp: 0/800,000 First Trial: Find a LIVING subordinate from any of the three dominant races in Aigas, who will be bound to your service, to help you without question, without proposed benefits to them asides from that you will. One who willmit to your demands for their lifetime until you release them from service. ~~~ This was it! Who else could he find that could meet these conditions?! Heck, this woman had already demonstrated that she could assist him without dying. Well, permanently at least. This was too good! ¡®Am I really going to progress in my core and Stages in the same day?¡¯ Skullius asked himself as he started to get excited. But first, he had to confirm this. It was just too good to be true. With S¡¯s help, he first asked this woman a few questions. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked. The woman was surprised to hear Skullius speak in anguage she could understand as she had assumed he couldn¡¯t. S knew thenguage she spoke after all. With it, he had even confirmed that she was from just outside the region. While stealing a nce at Ferex for a moment, the woman gulped as she hurried to answer. ¡°My name is Yuyui Yuyui Yuyui, Mister sir.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, I apologise for the confusion. First name Yuyui, second name Yuyui, surname Yuyui.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s really your name?¡± Skullius asked with a weird look. ¡°It is, Mister sir.¡± ¡°Why do you keep calling me Mister sir?!¡± ¡°Oh, does it offend you? I thought¡­ it would give a feeling of¡­ double respect. I invented it.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Skullius sighed. Was this worth it? Such an entric character and name. ¡°How long have you been stuck in here?¡± he asked, genuinely curious. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I lost count at 124 years. The hunger was driving me insane then, nomatter how many times I died. I had to eat arge tree just to keep myself from going insane¡­ . I was so hungry!¡± the woman who identified herself as Yuyui sobbed lightly. ¡®I knew it!¡¯ S eximed. Skullius ignored and kept directing the interrogation. ¡°So, these corpses and bones. This is all you?¡± ¡°Yes. Whenever I die, the Inhumane Eye restores my soul with another body. The corpses don¡¯t disappear but they do age pretty fast,¡± Yuyui said, making sure to answer adequately. She would spill everything if she had to. ¡®Inhumane Eye? It¡¯s probably something I can¡¯t see on her,¡¯ Skullius thought. If further confirmation was needed, then this was it. Yuyui Yuyui Yuyui was the host, the legacy holder! ¡°Why are you trapped here? Did you do something wrong?¡± Skullius questioned. If he was going to do this, he didn¡¯t want atrocious ends that came to bite him in the ass as a result of recruiting Yuyui. In his mind, he didn¡¯t even need her but the First Trial needed to be aplished and from the looks of it, this was going to be a long term rtionship. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember much about what happened after I reached this ce. My memories are mostly about¡­ being so hungry¡­¡± Yuyui said with a pitiful face¡­ over her pitiful. Skullius sighed. It seemed that this was as much as he could extract from Yuyui right now. He wanted to know how she got these powers exactly but he could do thatter. He needed no more confirmation. There was probably not going to be another chance like this, especially with someone so desperately begging for freedom and at his mercy. So¡­ ¡°Alright then. I can help you but that depends on whether or not you¡¯re willing to do as I ask,¡± Skullius said while narrowing his eyes. ¡°ANYTHING!¡± Yuyui almost leapt up at this, her eyes showing more and more desperation that bordered on psychotic. ¡°I¡¯d do anything to taste anything that isn¡¯t wood and water!¡± ¡®Jeez. Talk about intense.¡¯ ¡°Really? Are you willing to be my servant for as long as you¡­ ¡®live¡¯ then? To respond to anything I want, to help me with anything I need whenever I need it? To unquestioning do my bidding without expecting praise orpensation? To be what I want, when I want?¡± Skulliusid forth the ultimatum while wondering if the wording S was using was correct and not. He didn¡¯t to appear too edgy. ¡°¡­¡± Yuyui grew silent for a moment. Skullius expected this and so did S. He knew that this woman probably had some self respect left beyond her strange obsession with food. Being asked to ept such a fate was no easy even if it was in exchange for freedom. Wasn¡¯t it just trading one captivity for another? Skullius actually sympathised. Maybe he could tweak what he said a little as this whole scene almost gave him PTSD. Given his background, the fact that Yuyui considered this deeply even gave him a little respect for he- ¡°I¡¯D SELL MY SOUL FOR WORSE, MISTER SIR! TAKE MEEEEE!¡± Yuyui suddenly screeched, shouting at the top of her lungs. ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª- [Author¡¯s Note] Rx. This is not a generic meet cute or something. I feel you¡¯ll like Yuyui and appreciate her purpose in the story. Chapter 418 Unlimited POWEEEEEEEEER! (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). ¡°¡­¡± Wow. Skullius and S were both rendered speechless. For real? Yuyui gazed intensely at Skullius, her eagerness pinching at Skullius¡¯ skin which was rtively sensitive to this kind of thing. There was no hesitation in her eyes. Truthfully, it seemed that the only reason she paused before answering was because she really did expect worse than this, whatever that was! There was only a solid devotion to a cause that could be detected within her right now and she cared for little else. A delicious cause, with freedom as the side dish. ¡®She¡¯s crazy,¡¯ Skullius thought aloud for S to hear. ¡®Is she now? While leaping at the opportunity like that isn¡¯t¡­ dignified, I can understand it, tomato flinger. Though you should also consider that she may have hidden motives. She still has the legacy after all. Don¡¯t let your guard down,¡¯ S responded. Skullius¡¯ opinion on Yuyui kept slurring down the disappointment hole as he once again wondered if this was worth it. From his point of view, the instinct in him that made him guess that Yuyui was probably as simple as she looked seemed to be selling more truth than S¡¯s. But hey, at least this woman wasn¡¯t useless. She was pretty much immortal from the looks of it. That said though, even as Yuyui had agreed to his terms very quickly, Skullius had yet to see his guidance field show that the First Task had beenpleted. ¡®Why isn¡¯t the Task done? Is she not fullymitted after all?¡¯ Skullius asked S. ¡®I¡¯m assuming there needs to be evidence that she is willing to be enved by you, tomato flinger.¡¯ Skullius grimaced. No, he cringed. ¡®Please don¡¯t use such a word.¡¯ ¡®That is essentially what¡¯s going on here, tomato flinger,¡¯ S said with scoff. ¡®I propose using a Tie of Exchange.¡¯ ¡®Oh,¡¯ Skullius mentally voiced with intrigue. Once again, a Tie of Exchange was brought up as the solution to this problem, but another problem rose from this solution. ¡®I don¡¯t know how to use that. And I¡¯m certainly not handing my body to you if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not that shallow with my scheming, tomato flinger. I can would teach you how it¡¯s done, but it would likely not work because of certain elements about you.¡¯ ¡®What elements? What do you mean?¡¯ Skullius asked. ¡®The Binds of Fukal for instance. They essentially eradicate the root of what a Tie of Exchange stands for. Also, you¡¯re not even born of the Deities. You¡¯re a foreigner, so this poses a challenge.¡¯ Indeed. The Tie of Exchange was said to originate from the crust of Aigas, the Giants having imed to have learnt it from the Deity Quintess. As such, it was inherited from Divinity, with humans and Giants whom Quintess had a hand in creating being the prime users. But Skullius¡­. ¡®I see,¡¯ Skullius said. He felt Yuyui grew more nervous as from her viewpoint, Skullius was just silently standing there with hisrge wolf keeping its eye on her. But she remained patient, though wondering if she had showed too much desperation. Perhaps she should have been subtle. Toote though. ¡®What do we do then?¡¯ Skullius asked. ¡®Humans and Giants possess the innate capacity to use the Tie of Exchange rather easily. At least that was the case back in my day but from the looks of it, people of this age doubt so much that their belief wanes even towards the Deities,¡¯ Sined. ¡®So, I will do it. You just have to follow what I tell you,¡¯ S said. ¡®What exactly will you do?¡¯ Skullius asked sceptically. ¡®Rx. Just cut off a few locks of your hair and hold them out.¡¯ Skullius pondered for a second before doing as he was told. He held out the locks of auburn hair, much to Yuyui¡¯s confusion and waited for the next step. A strange feeling suddenly rippled in his soul, evidently being from something S was doing. It was faint and weird, going to somehow link to the ground under his feet too as with this confusing phenomenon, a part of him became rock solid temporarily. Firm and immovable. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ ¡®Quick! Inject your mana into the hair!¡¯ S directed, ignoring Skullius¡¯ anxiety. Skullius funnelled bit of the mana from the staff, coiling it around the lock of hair and¡­ [You are initiating a ¡®Tie of Exchange¡¯. Please select the target] ¡°Oh,¡± Skullius voiced in surprise as he saw the notification. ¡®Don¡¯t waste time, tomato flinger. Give her the hair.¡¯ Skullius gazed at Yuyui who also gazed at him. He didn¡¯t know if this would work because of the array but he tried it anyway. He threw the bundled stands of hair towards Yuyui and thankfully, the array didn¡¯t activate, allowing the hair tond before the woman. ¡°If you agree to my terms, take that and inject some of your mana into it,¡± Skullius instructed ordingly. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Yuyui held the bundle of hair and looked at Skullius again, not sure what this was exactly. ¡®Is this some kind of contract?¡¯ she asked herself while puckering her dry lips. Still, she followed the instructions and inserted her mana into the hair. She had epted her fate already. Anything was better than this cruel, seemingly meaningless bandage. ..! Almost immediately, a powerful, unseen grip made her shudder and grunt in pain! Deep within her, in her soul, she felt something akin to a searing imprint get nted, the sensation being something she couldn¡¯t shake off even after a few moments! It was a constant reminder that she truly had sold her soul. Yuyui firmly touched her chest as she breathed out, taking in this reality. ¡®I guess this is it. I really sold my soul in the name of food,¡¯ she thought with a hint of regret that travelled way back to more than a century ago. None of that mattered now however. Skullius on the other hand was looking at the details of the Tie of Exchange that were depicted on his guidance field. ~~~ [Tie of Exchange: Hair from Festos Dawn] The individual Festos Dawn has pledged locks of hair coated with his mana as a medium for the exchange. He is the prime attendant for the Tie of Exchange and is not bound by any rules stipting any fair terms. The lesser attendant, Yuyui Yuyui Yuyui has agreed to offer herself in his service for life in exchange for freedom under Festos Dawn¡¯s stiptions. ~~~ It was done. This was Skullius¡¯ third Tie of Exchange but it was different from the rest as unlike the others, he was the prime attendant. The initiator. Whatever S had done had not undermined the fact that the aged piece of soul was a part of Skullius and thus, the Discount Human was now Yuyui¡¯s master. The moment this was finalised¡­ [Congrattions, you have sessfullypleted the First Trial!] [You have reached LV11!] [You have passed arge milestone, transitioning from the Foundation Stage and into the Advancement Stage!] [A phenomenal change has begun¡­] ¡°Yes!¡± Skullius eximed while brimming with excitement. A wide smile showed on his face as he felt a sense of achievement. Things were going as he had initially thought. A twofold progression in a single day! A powerful feeling rushed through his body, beginning a magnificent switch in his power when¡­ [Interruption detected¡­] ¡­! Skullius¡¯ almost stopped at this! In his experience, when this happened, nothing good ever came of it! [The ¡®Luminant Seed¡¯ buried deep within you awakens!] [Progression into the Advancement Stage has been postponed] [The ¡®Luminant Seed¡¯ begins to adjust the ¡®Discount Human¡¯ body] [Please wait¡­] Skullius gulped hard. This was far from the atrocity he expected. This was going to be¡­ glorious! Chapter 419 Unlimited POWEEEEEEEEER! (2) The Luminant Seed. This was a reward that Skullius had acquired after defeating Dezrael back in the Labyrinth of the Yoke, apart from the choice at the skills that he had been given. Its description had also been interesting. ~~~ [Luminant Seed] The soul of Dezrael has condensed the essence of his race and it has been passed to you. As a higher ranked existence, Dezrael¡¯s peak strength in rtion to his racial abilities has found its way to you in the form of a seed from which you can extract the benefits of being a Luminant to a very limited degree. ~~~ He had absorbed the Seed into his body only to find that it would only awaken, bearing its full benefits, when he had reached the Advancement Stage. This was something Skullius had been looking forward to, at least before he had received the First Trial which had gunned down his hopes of ever advancing from the Foundation Stage. Now, as he suddenly got the opportunity to finish the Trial, he was reminded of this motivation of his as he saw the blinking notification¡­ as well as the blinding golden light that erupted from his body, pumping him full of an outrageous amount of energy! Without warning, Skullius¡¯ body started to disintegrate as the light washed over him, the Stacked Series of the VergeRider falling off of him as his flesh and bones turned into a mass of red matter that coiled around the radiant luminescence! ¡°Mister Sir!¡± Yuyui called with concern. She was just getting used to the feeling of swallowing her pride, stuffing it down her throat when her master¡­ suddenly broke down! Literally! After a few seconds of watching this unfold though, she got the sentiment that this wasn¡¯t as she thought. Perhaps her new master was doing something beyond all she could understand. He was a man powerful enough to seemingly battle a guardian and win after all. At least ording to what she could vaguely remember what the tests to reach this ce were, it was so. As the bright light stormed her vision, she saw something appear amidst the chunks of her master and the golden brilliance. A mana core? It floated amidst the red matter, a lens re like tiny dot of blue light being surrounded by what looked like a partially finished crown. It pulsed with strange power, a sound akin to crumpling paper and crumbling rock echoing from it! ¡°Woow¡­¡± Yuyui marvelled, her blue eye as well as her normal one reflecting the scene before her. On the other hand, Skullius, who had just had his entire body destroyed and reduced to unfamiliar shit stuff partially sank in the feeling of seemingly endless power that roiled from Luminant Seed. He felt his mind get clearer. His awareness of everything around him grew infinitely more robust. With all this, he recognised that he was currently only existent as a soul. His short figure, patched up with other coloured pieces of soul showed but no one here could see it other than him. ¡®Unlike before¡­ I feel¡­ free¡­¡¯ Skullius thought,paring this to when Somanda had pulled his soul out. The Seed seemed to be gushing energy into his soul as he could feel certain bits of information being integrated into him while his soul nourished. They were not memories or anything of the sort, but like brief sh with a sense of individuality about them that rang all across his soul with resounding fury, etching themselves onto it! With this came a feeling of freedom and strength that Skullius had never known. It was refreshing. After revelling in this, Skullius turned to his core which was suspended above ground, waiting to be told how to proceed. He felt every inch of it without the obstruction of his body, something he thought his [Elevated Mana Maniption] was currently able to but frankly, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡®Phe¡­ I can feel the pure mana yearning to be wound and weaved. Unlike with my skills, it seems so¡­. obedient¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. His core and the mana he produced were harder to control before but now, it seemed like they submitted to his soul¡¯s will especially with the outpour of energy from the Seed. When he thought over it for a while¡­ the Luminant Seed¡­ It was created from the remnants of the soul of Dezrael. Dezrael who was at the Incandescent Stage? With all that he knew now about the soul, he could at least guess what was happening. Some of this being¡¯s power, along with all the potential he held in his soul was condensed into this Seed and used to elevate Skullius. Those at the Incandescent Stage were very much aware of their soul and proficient in manipting and using it. Skullius could swear he felt a little of what this entailed, a grand boon indeed. With that came this temporary feeling of freedom and satiation that he would absolutely not waste! Skullius moved his soul form, bringing his hands around his unfinished core. With what he was capable of now with the energy funnelling into him, he was sure his proficiency in wielding his core was vastly superior to his [Elevated Mana Maniption]! The mana that leaked from his Centre was grasped under his control firmly as he willed, this bringing Skullius quite the surprise and quite the bit of wonder. ¡®The core anchors itself to my soul and body, right? If its the body part, I can guess that it has to do with its rtionship to my skills and techniques that reside in my body but what about the soul?¡¯ Skullius questioned. Seeing as an answer wasn¡¯ting, with S once again uncharacteristically quiet during such a momentous asion, Skullius went on to forge his core. He was going to finish it this time and with a vastly more elegant level of design and finesse! After having tasted what the mana formed with the specification for Distorted Gravity was like in practise, he could fine tune it as he wished even more! The pristine mana was moulded elegantly as Skullius even began making adjustments to the portion of the Refinery he had alreadypleted, his hands going as far as to even finish up with a portion of the Shell of wherever he was done. When he reached this part of the core however¡­ ¡®I see. The Shell determines how much mana leaves the Refinery and into the mana channels¡­¡¯ Skullius thought, his mind taking him back to what he had been able to do to the first creatures he had met in this Sacred Forest, the Burdened Ice Trolls! He had caused their mana to rage out of their cores at absurd quantities which ruptured their mana channels as well as their bodies. This was definitely terrifying as he witnessed it first hand but, for a brief moment, the bodies of these creatures had screamed of toughness and relief, as nourished by the abundant supply of mana before it got too much for them to handle. Hmmm. ¡®What if I can channel all that outputted mana into strong mana channels that can handle that much power in one go?! Reinforcing my body with a lot more mana than normal would give me a greater edge in defence as well overall ability if I consider just the effect of Gravity!¡¯ How Skullius had caused the ground to reject Bassbion came to mind. If that effect, as well as the one that pulled him towards other surfaces at ridiculous fair speeds was heavily determined by how much output of mana he could muster from his core at one time then¡­ Skullius¡¯ chibi soul grinned. With more time spent in this form, he had rapidly realised that his body was about to be reformed anew with grand features from what the Luminant Seed had to offer. What was likely causing the dy was how he was apportioning some of the power given to tend to his core manually and he was d that was the case. With this idea in mind, Skullius would only want his new body to be as per his own specification! ¡®Let¡¯s do this!¡¯ Skullius roared in the silence! Chapter 420 Unlimited POWEEEEEEEEER! (3) ¡°Sss. Fuck, it¡¯s cold!¡± ¡°It is, sir.¡± A carriage was trudging on the cold snow that stained the road to Genhuis City along with several others that were equipped with ster designs as well as heating contraptions. Within this particr carriage was a man who looked quite a bit younger than his actual age, over his body a freakishly thick nket-like jersey that served to shield him from the cold¡­ on top of the premium grade magic arrays that heated the interior of the lotive to a perfect set of degrees. Yet, this man with a particrly pale face and long, white hair with streaks of blue on both sides of his head tied into a ponytail, shivered as his body seemed to be on the verge of freezing over. Opposite him in the luxurious carriage was a beautiful but sterndy with brown, braided hair coiled into a bun at the back of her head. She was dressed formally, her hands on herp as they grasped onto a cup of tea. She paid excruciating attention to the man before her as she took a sip. ¡°I hope this isn¡¯t the asional anxiety kicking in, sir. The Premium Age Royale is bound to be full of strong opponents garnering for a position in the EverSword House. If your enemies manage to seed in getting a ce in the EverSword House and you don¡¯t, that would be disastrous, would it not? This isn¡¯t what¡¯s bringing on this seasonal excessive shivering, is it?¡± ¡°Fuck no! What¡¯s bringing about this shivering, isthe cold!¡± the man lightly lost his temper before he blew into his hands pitifully. ¡°I beg to differ, sir. I know quite a bit of your odd behaviours and this isn¡¯t an impossibility,¡± the woman said with a caring yet still stern gaze as she leaned over and lightly rubbed the man¡¯s oversized jersey. ¡°Do calm down, sir. You¡¯re hailed as the strongest after all. No one will touch you or your Family.¡± ¡°Yeah? You¡¯d think that¡¯de with some degree of immunity to this Boron-sent cold, especially for a native to the region like me. Sss. Is it my age? I¡¯m barely in the category of old and look at me. It¡¯s like I¡¯m a reptile!¡± ¡°Actually, you ARE quite old, sir,¡± the woman said with blunt tone. The white haired man red at the woman as he shivered but she didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°Fuck you too, sir,¡± the woman said casually as she sipped her tea with dignified mannerism. The man with the outrageous jersey scoffed and turned to side. ¡°Sss. I better not havee here for nothing. If not for the promise of that Diviner that I will meet someone like me here, I wouldn¡¯t bother with this¡­ and YOU!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d still have to deal with me, sir. Consider me the lovely pair to your strong manhood,¡± the woman said with a rarely seen smile. ¡°It would hurt to rip me off.¡± *** Six hours had slowly passed. They were extraordinarily agonising for Yuyui, interesting for Ferex who kept watching the entire time while keeping his master¡¯s belongings ¨C spatial storage ring and armour ¨C and extremely fulfilling for Skullius! He had taken his time, understanding the intricacies of his core and the taste of his mana, along with freely interpreting everything that had to do with this power of his as he wished. A few days ago, he hadn¡¯t thought that he would sculpt his mana core with this level of uracy and speed and¡­ rightfully so. Skullius estimated that he would have taken until the beginning of the Premium Age Royale, which was supposed to start three days after the designated time for his return given by Silrat, to finish his Refinery and Shell,pleting a sub par version of what he wanted. Now, however, he had taken infinitely less time and while producing a vastly better result! It wasn¡¯t a spot on imitation of Distorted Gravity as he didn¡¯t even have the lesser fundamentals of the concept, but it was¡­ quite something. At least Skullius had made it ording to his own interpretation and he was¡­ Satisfied. [You havepleted your mana core] A guidance field notification bloomed in front of his vision which was avable in his soul form. ¡®Finally¡­¡¯ Skullius said while taking his time to offer a silent ¡®Thank you¡¯ to S who would never hear it. The old soul¡¯s deeds was what birthed this eventuality and from here on out, Skullius would never be the same. [Reconstruction of the body begins¡­] [Taking note of special traits¡­] [Special mana property detected ¨C Inferior Distorted Gravity] [Special body property detected ¨C basic level attunement] [Special body property detected ¨C enhanced alternate senses] [Special property detected ¨C hold of Death] [Resource distribution into augmentation and integration of detected properties begins¡­] After the flurry of notifications gushed before Skullius, the swirling pieces of red matter that were his body halted theirckadaisical swim in the air, the golden light that had been prevalent all of this time bing dim as it transferred a huge amount of its power to the production of a new body! ¡®Hold of Death, huh? Must be from Demion¡¯s Dance. Let¡¯s see what this will do,¡¯ Skullius thought. The red matter crunched and curled as it started to form a shape. A skeletal shape. Before the shape fully formed, thepleted mana core exploded with immense power as its build, which had been very small suddenly grew to almost five times its size! What had been the pin sized Centre grew to be an bigger blue orb that pulsed with not a dull blue but a vibrant blue light while the elegant Refinery, weaved up to the Shell looked like a work of art! [Mana increases by 4500] A portion of the power from the Luminant Seed was granted to the mana core, shooting up its capacity immensely! With that, the skeleton started to form. It was pristine white, the mana from the core flooding into it to enhance its properties as it appeared! It gained a powerful and sturdy build, one that could be ascertained just by looking at it! Over this, a mesh of flesh hurriedly started to form, creating nerves and muscles that strung around where they needed to be, blood vessels being forged along with them. [The previously termed has be ] [The previously termed has be ] [You have attained as a result of previous basic level attunement] ¡®Oh,¡¯ Skullius thought as the coil of flesh and bone covered his soul! Blood vessels that carried blood with a very, very dark red pigment within them appeared, coursing through every inch of his formed body while aplex pattern of nerves ran through his flesh and touched over his bones. Amidst all this, the Fruit of World Myths could be seen being buried in all of it, and making sure its hold was firm. A heart began to form, its beating quite powerful as it thrummed menacingly, bringing a rare vivacity to the body! [The previously termed has be the ] [The previously termed skill , forcibly evolves to ] The rush of power from the Seed continued as it finished the limited number of innards and then started to form the skin! ¡®Right here! Let¡¯s make the adjustments!¡¯ Skullius thought as he got to work. He had made quite the fine piece with his Shell, but creating with veryrge outlets of mana from the Refinery. Now, he needed the mana pathways to be capable of holding such amounts of mana. He appropriated arge amount of energy into manipting the manawork that was forming within his flesh at this moment, first growing the size of each individual path to three and a half times what was currently being forged! This caused his flesh and muscles to make the necessary adjustments to amodate this, which was good! Next, he started working on the interior, pulling on some of his mana and mixing it with the golden energy to create pathways that understand the mana they would carry and had the durability necessary to handlerge bursts of the mana! ¡®That should do it!¡¯ With this finished, Skullius¡¯ flesh wriggled as over it, ivory toned skin stered over the flesh of Skullius as it was also pooled by the mana from the core,pleting this perfect image of a new entity! Skullius¡¯ body, which was more athletic than bulky, chest pads and abs visible in an enticing show was then wrapped by two dark chain tattoos that crossed over his torso. The Binds of Fukal. On his head appeared an abundance of clean, light auburn hair that streamed over his shoulder, almost reaching his waist. Over his face, his eyes which had had some semnce of irises and pupils became almostpletely white, giving the image of more than just a blind man, while full cheeks, thin cherry lips and a button noseplemented them nicely. [Your body isplete] [You have gained 5000 to all stats] [The grants an additional 1000 to Strength and Endurance] [Your muscture grants an additional 800 to Agility] Skullius was taken aback by all these notifications. Considering that he had a blue mana core now, these stats were¡­ extremely relevant unlike before! [The basic effect, , applies to your mana] [You have gained the skill, ¡®Edos Summoning¡¯] ¡®Oh, I also got a skill?!¡¯ Skullius thought in surprise as he wasn¡¯t familiar with unearned skills anymore. Thest time he gained a bunch of skills was after epting the legacy of Fulgardt and¡­ ¡®Wait a minute! This skill¡­ isn¡¯t this-¡® Before he could finish, Skullius was interrupted by a phenomenon that he hadn¡¯t seening which caused his body to jerk back and forth against his will as the remaining golden light around him gathered on his back! ¡®Huh?!¡¯ The stream of light formed something Skullius wouldn¡¯t have imagined. Detached from his body, the stream of golden energy remaining from the Luminant Seed formed¡­ the shape of a wing! Like individual strands of light that were stretched out by some divine forger, the makings of this wing were breath-taking! This wing didn¡¯t leave room another, as with its golden white luminescence, faint blue symbols etched onto its almost ethereal structure, it rested directly at the centre of Skullius¡¯ back, announcing that it was the only one. With its appearance, traces of small lights, like glitter were seen over Skullius¡¯ skin, a ferocious wave of power gushing from him as a result! [Your race has been finalised] [You have manifested a , a feature that confirms your race] [The previously termed has be the ] Chapter 421 Unlimited POWEEEEEEEEER! (4) The Hybrid Luman was born. A being with the mix of a Luminant and of¡­ a Discount Human. The manifestation behind his back was proof that Skullius had been conjoined with aspects of a higher existence! This [Wing of Embrace], it jolted up what he had thought was the current maximum of his new strength to a higher degree, so much so that Skullius felt that in this moment, he could scrap with Bek at equal footing despite what he had seen the former Capital Order Knight to be capable of. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯ Skullius felt the presence of the wing and marvelled. He couldn¡¯t see it, but it was a part of him so he understood it quite a bit, yet most of its mysteries were hidden from him. ¡®I¡¯m no longer a Discount Human, it seems,¡¯ he thought while smiling. Once again, as if all this wasn¡¯t enough to swallow already, two more shocking pieces of news were reported by the guidance field, along with their effects promptly bursting through Skullius! [¡®Just Light¡¯ has deemed the profound enough totch onto, changing it to the ] [¡®Just Light¡¯ affinity has been promoted to ¡®D¡¯ rank] [You have acquired the skill ¡®Basic Light Weaving¡¯] ¡°No way!¡± Skullius eximed. From within his body, from the Fruit of World Myths that was etched in him, a serene light crept up and imbedded itself into the [Wing of Embrace], making it grow a meter and a half longer! It now stretched at a length of 3.2 meters! Skullius¡¯ body shuddered from the additional strength boost that came from this, the glittering lights over his body bing more bountiful while gushing out an array of colour! Yuyui looked at all this with gaping wonder as she didn¡¯t know what the flesh was going on! Skullius groaned. He couldn¡¯t even think properly from the burden of strength as well as the crippling sense of weakness that came with it! Yet, as stated before, there was one other thing that was let loose, freed because Skullius had grown much, much stronger! [The remnants of Fulgardt within you gush with light apuse] [You have inherited the ] [You have inherited the ] [You have inherited the ] [You have inherited the ] ¡°Auuuughhhhhhhhhh!¡± Skullius screamed at the top of his lungs! This.. This was unbearable! Between the crushing might provided by the [Wing of the Just] and the series of , Skullius felt an outrageous feeling of suffocation! There was his body which grew incredibly stiff from the storm of power and his soul which grew tense as if it was slowly being squeezed between massive pirs of pressure! What was this?! His advancement had unlocked too many things at once, giving birth to a circumstance where all of this could actually¡­ kill him! What was most terrifying about this experience was the ! They were not inherent boosts to his strength but more like raging voices that caused his soul to ripple withmands that he couldn¡¯t understand! Masculine voices that each had the strength to rattle his soul! Each pulled Skullius here and there, flooding Skullius with their intent which he couldn¡¯t grasp! This was bad! This was really, really bad! ¡®Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! What do I do?! S are you there?! SILA!!!!¡¯ Skullius called within, but there was no answer. ¡®Great! Am I really going to lose this way?!¡¯ Skullius cursed his chibi soul! He clearly felt it get overpowered! Was he just weakened from the constant damage he had been taking to his soul?! Is that why all this was too much?! Right when he had attained a victory against an impossible opponent¡­! Right when he had finished his First Trial through the simplest, entirely self-serving contract through the Tie of Exchange with Yuyui¡­! Right when he had unlocked all these powers, he was about to be crushed by all of theming together at once¡­! This was tragic! This was¡­ WAIT¡­! ¡®The Tie of Exchange! Of course¡­!¡¯ Skullius screamed in his mind as he hurriedly gave Ferex a mentalmand. The Apostle had rushed over to its master at the first sight of his difort but had not been sure what to do as it didn¡¯t know what exactly was guing him! Now, however, it received an order. Finally! ¡®Give me the ring!¡¯ Immediately, Ferex did as he was asked. Skullius felt his will wane and drown under the voices that uttered in an unfamiliar, powerfulnguage as he injected mana into the ring and pulled out something he hoped would work. Yuyui watched this with her mouth agape, wondering if this was because of the Temple or something else. Was someone fighting her finally appeared means of escape? ¡°COME ON, MISTER SIR! YOU CAN DO IT!¡± she cheered in fury and anguish, hoping for Skullius to get over this! Skullius copsed under the might of power, kneeling down with a distraught expression that showed his pain while he screamed bitterly! On his hands, weird tufts of string-like darkness started to form as well as over his ankles! His face started to get covered with a golden white cover that could be described as anything between a mask or a second face! Something was overtaking Skullius¡¯ control of his own body! His long auburn hair started to get tinged with a ck hue that rushed over all of it within a breath while the Hybrid Luman¡¯s eyes turned dark, with furious wisps of darkness bursting from them! Over his midsection, a kilt-like object appeared, its colour dark with one piece over its centre that extended beyond the lining, words of golden white etched onto it! Skullius¡¯ guttural scream quickly turned into a hoarse howl of pain and then¡­ into a roar of power! A roar that reverberated through this entire space. Through the entire corridor Skullius hade from. Through the entire Temple of Unlusted Tears with a heavy sense of dreadful power that turned Bassbion and Yagrina alert. The waters of Fuwin¡¯s Territory rippled as well, the giant dolphin narrowing his eyes as he also grew tense! This power. It was¡­ ¡­. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Skullius forcefully opened his eyes. A veil of darkness had suddenly covered his awareness, locking him out on everything happening around him. Now¡­ His sight, which he didn¡¯t expect to have, focused on his body to see that he was¡­ in his skeletal form. Not the impressive one from the Prator, but his old skeletal form from Deadmand! ¡°What?! Why do I look like this? What¡¯s going on?!¡± Around him, a beautiful but damagednd filled with violets could be seen. Every piece of thisnd was cracked, its integrity rather shaky even as it held a fine level of beauty. The sky was dark green, with a menacing view that would make the weak of heart give out theirst embers of hope while beyond thend was ming red sea that also induced a certain level of pressure. The flowers around Skullius had small orbs of light that produced images and sound, scenes taking ce within them. It was a marvel that Skullius felt so familiar with. Thisndscape, the sky, the sea¡­ It was all too familiar. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d call for me only when you were on the brink of perishing, aha ha,¡± a boisterous voice spoke, making Skullius turn with both relief and hesitation. Chapter 422 An Old Chum The image of a familiar face appeared before Skullius with several changes whenpared to what he remembered. The voice that had just now spoken belonged to an individual whom he knew as a giant. One particrly terrifying one. Sausifillis, otherwise known as Sause. Skullius narrowed his eyes. Luckily, hisst-ditch attempt at saving himself from being crushed under pressure had worked, but it hadn¡¯t been a certain, sure-fire method. He had called on the nail that acted as the medium of Tie of Exchange between himself and Sause, calling for the giant to appear as stipted by the mutual agreement! ¡°We¡¯re not friends. Why would I call you any other time?¡± ¡°Fair enough, aha ha.¡± The giant was no so giant at this time, his height being merely a full head taller than Skullius. On top of his head which had been baldst time the two met, patches of blonde hair had begun to grow but just barely so. Furthermore, unlike how Sause had been naked before, this time around, he was adorned in a thick dark blue cloak with hairy tassels at the ends that hid everything else he wore, revealing only his thick arm which had a steel brace that oozed ofpounded mana. His skin looked healthier but faint red veins still ran over it, giving him an unnatural look while sharp, close set eyes with a bright red hue showed his mood. ¡°You have quite the lovely inner soul space,¡± Sause said as he looked around at the field of violets and then beyond Skullius. ¡°And quite the intriguing Reflection.¡± ¡®What is this guy talking about?¡¯ Skullius thought. His bones rattled as he turned to where Sause was gazing with surprise that was reflected in his zing sockets. ¡®Reflection..?¡¯ Skullius thought. In the distance, over the ming sea was as a tall, burly skeleton decked in darkness. Its sockets red as it looked over in this direction silently, a massive green scimitar in its hand that billowed with waves of dark red energy. The amount of mana it spewed was ridiculous as Skullius could feel it even from here, but there was no threat or killing intent in it. At least for him. ¡®Is this what S was talking about? The Reflection of my soul?¡¯ Skullius questioned before turning to the violets around him that held orbs of light from which Skullius could vaguely hear and see scenes ying out. ¡®What are these? Memories?¡¯ The skeleton¡¯s bony hand reached out to touch one of the violets when¡­ ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that. Normally someone at your level can¡¯t even visit this ce. You¡¯re not supposed to aha ha. I brought you here so we could have a clearer conversation that is not riddled with mighty roars or screams. Your current state is less than desirable after all,¡± Sause said with a smile. Skullius withdrew his hand from the flower. Was that right? Given what Sause had just said, he assumed that this was where Ferex appeared that time he asked the Apostle to extract information about the girl he kept seeing. He gave onest nce at the field and the Reflection a distance away before turning back his attention to Sause. ¡°So¡­ what is happening to me?¡± Skullius asked the giant. Sause sat down,ying his arm over his knee. He patted the ground next to him, motioning for Skullius to sit as well. The bony un-undead hesitated only for a brief moment before sitting beside Sause who then spoke. ¡°First of all, I should advise that you be more careful with the Tie of Exchange,¡± Sause said with a cautionary smile. ¡°If you perish before our exchange isplete, undesirable consequences will eagerly visit my house.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Wasn¡¯t our deal that in exchange for your freedom, you¡¯d help me with my Arch-Lich problem? I thought me dying would release you from the Tie of Exchange?¡± ¡°Aha ha. You¡¯re still green, little one. A Tie of Exchange is more than a simple contract. It is an absolute transaction. At least that¡¯s what it has be from old times. I already attained my freedom as you promised in ordance with the exchange but you have yet to gain what you desire from me.¡± ¡°I am bound to pay it even if you die, though in that case, things will grow a little moreplicated, aha ha. On top of this, I am the one who initiated the Tie of Exchange so I bear a heavier burden.¡± Skullius¡¯ socket mes red. It was this serious? He didn¡¯t realise. An exchange had to happen nomatter what! This put the one who initiated the Tie of Exchange in a rather rough position! ¡°I see,¡± Skullius said while scratching his chin. ¡°Hmmm,¡± Sause hummed as he traced his finger on the ground to this field. ¡°As for what is happening to you¡­ my guess from what I have observed is, you somehow awakening the power of a Luminant triggered a variety of changes in you¡­ quite a lot of them. Of these, uh, changes¡­you gained ess to another of Fulgardt¡¯s power. One of the 9 seeds of Fulgardt¡¯s masterpiece, the Fruit of World Myths. I believe he called this particr one, Seramoro, Oblivion¡¯s Edge.¡± Skullius¡¯ sockets dimmed. The seeds of Fruit of World Myths¡­ He knew about these. He had attained one of them before, [Crude World Projection]! Now, he had unlocked a new one? ¡°Aha ha, I remember how that form caused the pitiful armies of his enemies to shudder and bow. It was the perfect embodiment of the damn tyrant, which is the problem for you. Such a thing isn¡¯t meant to be wielded by you in its current form and, that mixed in with how Fulgardt¡¯s WILL sinks its fangs into you the stronger you grow, this has put a tremendous burden on your soul.¡± If Skullius could frown, he would do so at this moment. So another seed, as well as the WILL of Fulgardt¡­ ¡°Does this mean I will eventually lose myself and be¡­ him?¡± Skullius thought while recalling the notification he had received after inheriting Fulgardt¡¯s powers back then. ¡®You have taken up the power of a legend who died before his story ended. You shall finish his story. A remnant of Fulgardt is engraved into you permanently.¡¯ (A/N: Refer to Ch.90). Something along these lines. Now that it seemed to being to fruition, he couldn¡¯t help but take it seriously and thus the question he threw at Sause. ¡°I¡¯ve found that to be the objective of many humans who left their powers behind for others to find. To somehow carry over bits of themselves while overtaking the one who inherits their abilities. It is quite distasteful, if you ask me,¡± Sause said as he spat on the ground. ¡®Hey, you¡¯re spitting on my soul!¡¯ Skullius cried inwardly. ¡°You say that as if the giants are any different. Wouldn¡¯t you do the same,rge bro?¡± It seemed natural to Skullius that some of these freaks of nature would do such a thing. Heck even he would do it! ¡°Of course not! My entire race believes in epting times past and letting those favoured for the near and far future to live as they wish. Our anatomy makes sure we ept that fact. You would be surprised by how much my race desires to give, aha ha. We once gave to all other races EVERYTHING after all.¡± Skullius scoffed. ¡°And then you turned on everyone and then got beaten back to wherever you came from.¡± ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Sauseughed raucously while pping his knee a couple of times. ¡°That tale gets me every time I hear it. I¡¯ll let you believe whatever it is the Sif and the humans think to be true.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius was caught off guard. What was Sause insinuating? Was what he had read not the truth? Before he inquired further, the giant changed back the subject which had derailed. ¡°My time is valuable so let us hurry this up,¡± Sause said, immediately after, a bright re shimmering over this entire ind of violets with a silvery hue that discoloured everything else! This light seemed to scan everything on this ind before itstnded on Skullius¡¯ skeletal body, giving him a shimmering silver highlight. The skeleton didn¡¯t feel any different from before even as he was decked in this light, which prompted him to ask¡­ ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°I always had something prepared and on my person in case of this inevitable situation ¨C you summoning me. Also, Fulgardt was incredibly overbearing and that was bound to be the case after his death. It was a given you would be squashed eventually so I prepared for that. I¡¯m currently suppressing the WILLS manifesting within you from the outside as well as Seramoro but¡­. there¡¯s something you need to take care of first before I proceed.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Skullius was so confused. What did Sause mean by suppressing? And what was this something he had take care of? The giant briskly stood as something like a colourless string sprang from his body and shot towards a certain direction. Whaty in the direction the string rushed to was rather eye-catching as it showed more of the pathetic state of this ind than just the cracks over the crust. It was a gorge. A very deep one. From within, multiple lights kept shing erratically, making Skullius anxious. Sause began to walk in this direction and Skullius followed, the two reaching it and looking down to what it held in the deep. A figure was bound within it by golden chains, its likeness being blurred out such that it was hard to recognised. Skullius instantly recognised what this was however. No. Who it was. ¡°S?¡± Chapter 423 Integral Choices ¡°S?¡± Skullius voiced in surprise as he looked down to where the two slopes that reached deep into the ground met. The crust of this depth was torn to a grander degree as no greens could be seen unlike with the area above. Strange billows of colour would sometimes glow from the walls of the depth of the gorge as if to show how dire the situation was in terms of the integrity, especially at the base of the ind where parts kept falling off. This gorge stretched out to cover the ind like a gash, but it could still mostly be considered a giant pit where a hazy blue figure with the outline of a muscr man could be seen kneeling down while golden chains that pulsed powerfully, as if reemphasising how screwed he was, sank into his torso! The expression of the aged soul couldn¡¯t be discerned and neither could his more definite features but Skullius knew it was him. It was definitely S. After pushing away the surprise, Skullius flung a question into the deep, the echoes of his voice racing down the walls. ¡°Hey! S! What happened to you?!¡± The aged soul turned his head up and gazed at Skullius and Sause. ¡°Hmph, tomato flinger¡­¡± the old Tower General murmured. Skullius could see that he was in pain. The golden chains that sank into him seemed to betched on so hard that the experience was equivalent to having meat skewers dug into one¡¯s torso. It was dreadful. ¡°Oh. Is this another new development, aha ha? You were housing another soul in you?¡± Sause asked with intrigue as he leapt up and descended into the gorge! Skullius cursed and followed along. The two came to face S who kept his focus on Sause, evidently wary. ¡°Tomato flinger¡­ who is this?¡± S questioned. ¡°Answer me first. What happened to you?¡± Skullius answered with his first question. S drew silent for a while, apparently not pleased with the sass and the torture to his soul. ¡°That golden light from earlier. As soon as it appeared, it bound me and dragged me here. I can¡¯t¡­ move,¡± S finally answered with a furious tone. The power from the Luminant Seed had seen him as an impurity and bound him. This was a more merciful oue though as little did S know that if Skullius hadn¡¯t hogged much of the energy inpleting his core and adjusting his mana pathways, he would have been purged, the rest of the energy used to patch Skullius¡¯ soul in his stead! Skullius himself was surprised to hear this. From the looks of it, this binding was different from his own way of locking up S in a ¡®bubble¡¯. It was more¡­ absolute. ¡°Poor soul. I sense you are from an era long passed, brought back to nothing but an open space where you don¡¯t belong and where nothing is saved for you. Such a shame¡­¡± Sause said, his smile turning into a stern visage that showed genuine pity. This feeling would have been amplified if he knew that S had also been in the Labyrinth. ¡°Sadly, your fate lies in the hands of this little one, though I assume you two have a favourable rtionship at best, aha ha.¡± Skullius gazed at S while thetter gazed Skullius. Favourable? That was hrious! ¡°He¡¯s the thing I have to take care of before you help me with the thing?¡± Skullius asked with keen socket mes. ¡°Indeed. The wills infecting your body are mostly automatic. At least at this stage. They are not as vibrant with the presence of Fulgardt and thus they activate after certain periods of time without any input. What I can do for you is to assist in integrating these WILLS with your soul. To absorb them, essentially. You make them your own while denying their ability turn you into the Second Fulgardt. The Second Immoral. I trust you would also see that as a good approach to your future. I know, I would,¡± Sause exined while looking up where the skies were dark green. ¡°If he is bound like this, your inner soul will consider him as an anomaly that needs to be removed when the process outside fully begins. Thus, the choice of whether to keep him or get rid of him lies in your hands. Aha ha.¡± Sause had recognised the presence of the Arch-Lich in this space, slowly creeping up to devour this ind that was shockingly still standing. This affirmed that truly, he was going to have to fight an Arch-Lich in the future but also, it gave him more hints as to what he could stand to gain besides being released of his end of the bargain. This individual with two unique powers¡­ Asides from aplishing his obligation to the Tie of Exchange, there was more he intended to explore with this special existence. Skullius on the other hand went into deep thought. It was pretty convenient that Sause knew that he would be having problems containing Fulgardt¡¯s powers, or rather, he didn¡¯t know the full scope of the rtionship between Fulgardt and Sause. But none of that mattered to him. What he thought was¡­ ¡®So I can take in all these WILLS and merge them with myself? Understanding, Brutality, Cunning and Bloodlust? What do I gain from them though?¡¯ Skullius thought. If he took these WILLS to do literally as they were titled, CUNNING was easily the best among them, followed by UNDERSTANDING, though he didn¡¯t know exactly what it entailed. BLOODLUST and BRUTALITY were a little¡­ edgy but he didn¡¯t know if leaving them within him would be a good idea. But if he were to take them in, what would he be? Skullius raised his head and faced Sause. ¡°How do I know that this will even work? Weren¡¯t you captured by Fulgardt in the Labyrinth too? How would you be able to suppress the WILLS of someone stronger than you?¡± Skullius fired a bombardment of questions that Sause snickered at. ¡°That¡¯s a trade secret. I¡¯m not some benevolent mystic library. I¡¯m doing the bare minimum required to keep you alive, little one. Nothing more,¡± Sause said ¡°Now, make your choice.¡± S who was shivering at spaced intervals because of the pain turned to Skullius who gazed at him with ming sockets. The skeleton was deliberating on whether keeping S was the best option, as opposed to eliminating him right here. Thetter would give Skullius a lot more breathing room along with literally purging his anxiety on being ambushed with another scheme from S while the former would maintain the status quo with their¡­ rtionship. Skullius sank in thought as he considered these options deeply. There were many factors he intended to make sure were made clear so that he could make a final decision. Quite a bit of them. His main concern was with the WILLS however as they were a bigger deal. This could lead to another version of him that was better or worse. Merging with all these¡­ Hmmm. What would be born? Skullius thought about this and his internal affair with the Tower General for twenty minutes before opening his mouth and.. Chapter 424 The New Anomaly Yuyuiy shook on the ground which popted by corpses, most of which were agape as if just as shocked as she was when looking at the scene before her. Today was definitely one of the days she would pin to memory till the day of her death, her real death, as the number of urrences that had spilled into thest seven-ish hours has dribbled between astonishing and insane. The current thing which she was looking at with her two, different coloured eyes took the whole freaking cake however. It was something she had believed to be a myth. Something society had discarded as a mere folktale, causing theplete disregard of the First Grand War of legend as mere such. A legend. A giant was standing a short distance from her. The poordy had to crank her neck up to see where the behemoth¡¯s head was as his whole figure easily reached the ceiling of this space. The massive cloak this giant wore made her even more anxious, while its red glowing eyes made her shiver. Luckily, asides from the giant smiling at her briefly with a wink weird wink added on top, he hadn¡¯t paid her much attention. Instead, his gaze remained focused on the figure nted the ground, roaring with a soul crushing pressure while bound by hundreds of strings that came from the giant¡¯s fingers. RAAAAAAAAAAH! The air, space and mana rippled and rumbled as it was run through by this horrendous force, threatening to break apart as a result! No one was exempt from the crushing feeling propounded except the giant. Ferex, the ever protective Hound was currently held firmly under the giant¡¯s foot as he also struggled to free himself from its grasp but a stream of intricately woven manaing from under the giant¡¯s expansive boot kept him and even his Unliving Thread in check! Yuyui¡¯s eyes refused to blink. She was that frightened. The sequence leading up to all these events had been brutal, as it didn¡¯t ease her into the abrupt shift. All she knew is that her master pulled out arge finger nail, infused it with mana and then in the next few seconds that followed him losing control, this giant had appeared. Him binding Skullius and trampling Ferex who had instantly lunged at him, thinking him to be a threat, had been the giant¡¯s first course of action on arrival. He had then ced something akin to a golden medallion on Skullius¡¯ back, the end of which glowed with a silvery light that lit up the roaring figure¡¯s back! Calmly, seriously¡­ The giant continued to watch over Skullius¡¯ body with its menacing red eyes, the transition that slowly began to take ce reflecting in his eyes. Yuyui watched silently as the creature that roared, causing her heart to quake in immense fright was culled of its intimidating presence, its shout turning into a murmur then into silence. Her new master had finally calmed down, his bodyying on the ground silently on its belly. The giant withdrew its strings from Skullius¡¯ body but kept its eye on him. ¡°That should do it,¡± he said in a voice that caused Yuyui to swallow hard. ¡­. Skullius opened his eyes which couldn¡¯t give him any visual information as expected. He felt for his body, his limbs and senses instantly reacting to his desire to stand, as it was obvious that he was currently lying down. ¡°Haa¡­.¡± Skullius took a light breath. With his arms, he heaved himself, the contours of his flesh and its well sculpted edges showing as he exerted energy, his glittery ivory toned skin amodating every movement with grace. His long dark hair which neared his waist swept his back as he rose, the tufts of darkness around his wrists and ankles like hairs starting to recede. The kilt of darkness around his waist, designed with symbols of light started to disappear as well, leaving him naked. The [Wing of the Just] behind his back fragmented into light particles, his skin turning from its glittering state back to its normal hue. In his dark vision, a set of notifications kept shing in his eyes, ones that had been disyed long before he got sucked into his Inner soul space. [You have sessful unlocked another one of the 9 seeds of the ¡®Fruit of World Myths¡¯] [Number 7, Seramoro, Oblivion¡¯s Edge] ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯ Skullius hummed in his thoughts at this. He fully rose, his senses vibrantly showing him everything around him with immense rity along with [Elevated Mana Maniption], whose performance was augmented to quite a shocking degree. SSSSS¡­. Mana started to leak from Skullius, creating a haze of bright white around him! The thick covering extended up to a meter and a half from the Hybrid Luman, a testament to how much mana he could output¡­ when he wasn¡¯t even trying to pump out much mana! BOOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The ground under Skullius¡¯ feet couldn¡¯t handle the special property of his mana as it went and dug in on itself thrice, indenting deep into the stoney floor with impactful grandiosity while dust flew along with a harsh breeze. Sause gave a whistle of amazement as he watched the little thing with long dark hair that had started to change from ck to light auburn, exude a marvellously unique presence. Skullius raised his head as he then went on to look up at the giant. Swiftly, he floated from the four meter deep and six meter wide hole he had made andnded on the still intact floor. His empty gaze made Sause smile while Yuyui and Ferex could note a great difference in their master. The Hybrid Luman turned to Yuyui who couldn¡¯t utter a word, the white eyes that stared at her giving her a dreadful sense of fear. Her heart started beating ferociously, the saliva she kept in her mouth drying¡­ What was this¡­? She felt so nervous and her body started to exert the little water it had left just to sweat! The few seconds worth of time that Skullius looked into Yuyui¡¯s eyes were enough to almost cause her to die from shock. ¡°Dear Quintess what a gaze, aha ha,¡± Sause said with a cheery grin. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d sat you were one of Fulgardt¡¯s Chosen at the very least.¡± Skullius didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t understand what the giant was saying anymore as they were no longermunicating as souls. Instead, he gripped the long, light auburn hair behind him, gathered mana around his hand and sliced it off! This effectively left him with medium length hair which he trimmed a bit further. Sause¡¯s grin grew wider as he saw this. This wasn¡¯t a simple haircut, it was a gesture that let him know the result of his work. Skullius pointed at his mouth and then his ear before shaking his head, the giant taking only two seconds to realise what he meant. A small string stemmed from Sause¡¯s finger and reached Skullius¡¯ chest, a connection being formed immediately as the Hybrid Luman curiously looked at the length thing. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that you¡¯d suddenly lose the ability tomunicate even in the Known Language, little one, aha ha. How have you been getting by?¡± Sause said, Skullius being able to hear him now even though he was still speaking from his lips and in the samenguage. What an interesting ability. ¡°Many events happened in-between this moment andst time we met,¡± Skullius said with a slightly deep voice that differed quite a lot from that which he had previously. ¡°I see you¡¯ve gotten bigger rather than stronger.¡± ¡°Hahahahahahaha!¡± Sauseughed, his voice causing a low tremor to shake the space. ¡°What can I say, size is one of the defining features of a giant.¡± ¡°Good for you,¡± Skullius as he quickly donned the Stacked Series of the VergeRider. His eyes sharplynded at Sause¡¯s feet before he spoke in a chilling voice. ¡°Now get your foot off my Apostle¡­ bro.¡± ¡°Oh, scary,¡± Sause said in amusement. The giant followed Skullius¡¯ request with unveiled intrigue, Ferex who had been caught under the creature being let loose as he then rushed to Skullius. ¡°I see you¡¯re doing well with the WILLS within you, aha ha. Make sure you¡¯re ready for the next batch. I likely won¡¯t be able to help you as easily with those and all those thate after that. I can¡¯t contend against Divine WILLS casually after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Skullius said as he walked up to where the array around the frozen Yuyui began. He pointed at itnguidly and turned to Sause. ¡°There¡¯s some kind of obstruction here. Mind breaking it for me?¡± he asked in a tone that sounded moremanding than pleading. ¡°Oh? You have taken a liking to this young miss? Sadly, I¡¯m not a wingman, you know, aha ha,¡± Sause said with chuckle. ¡°Yes I have. She has a high likelihood of keeping me alive in the future. Freeing her will add a certain amount of¡­ assurance that I won¡¯t end up being a pain in your pelvis,¡± Skullius said as he raised his brow. ¡°Sound good enough?¡± Sause gazed at Yuyui who was just about to recover from her previous encounter with Skullius¡¯ frightening eyes. The poordy grew stiff once more as therge eyeballs of the tall giant zoomed in on her. ¡°Interesting. I¡¯d only heard about those cruel witches¡­¡± Sause said. ¡°Very well.¡± The giant swiped his hand over the array that held Yuyui within its borders. The magical construct shone bright with destructive luminescence but then the shes of light shattered as if they were physical, leaving the groves that made the construct¡¯s entirety on the floor as simple carvings devoid of anything unique about them! Just like that¡­ Just like that, Yuyui was free. The lime haired woman hadn¡¯t even realised it yet but Skullius did. He collected the fingernail for the Tie of Exchange and stored it back into his storage ring which he had once again equipped. ¡°Ferex, carry her,¡± Skullius gave the order and the Apostle rushed to grab Yuyui in his upright form. The Hybrid Luman then turned to Sause. ¡°It seems I¡¯ll be exploiting everything I can from this exchange. Look forward to it,rge bro,¡± Skullius said with a smirk. ¡°Hahahahaha! To think you¡¯d start growing this cocky, little one. Very well, I¡¯ll y along just a little until it¡¯s time to reap MY reward,¡± Sause said as a bright ring of red energy burst from under his feet and with a massive rising force like a gushing wind, he vanished, leaving an empty spot. Skullius sighed. ¡®That went well,¡¯ he thought. ¡®I feel different but I guess I can at least be happy that I now understand what the WILLS do.¡¯ The Hybrid Luman sat down. He had a lot to digest. For one, he had been wrong. The WILL OF UNDERSTANDING was the greatest asset among all the WILLS he had gained this time. Even saying that was an understatement. ¡®Let¡¯s see if I¡¯m right¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. But¡­ ¡®Tomato flinger¡­¡¯ S¡¯s voice interrupted him. ¡®What is it?¡¯ Skullius replied casually. ¡®Why did you spare me?¡¯ the aged soul asked in a bitter voice. Chapter 425 Secrets of The Immoral! (1) ¡®Why did you spare me?¡¯ The result was as such. In the end, when presented with the choice, Skullius had chosen not to permanently remove S from him. Granted, the medallion Sause had used was quite the unique item that could repair whatever the damage S was patching up just like the Luminant Seed would have, but the Hybrid Luman had chosen differently. Many would have chosen to remove this pain in the pelvis from their lives for good, considering that S had even confessed that while he was helping Skullius to enhance his powers, he would still scheme against Skullius. This seemed self-destructive for S as a deration as it wasn¡¯t impossible for Skullius to find another possible way to get rid of him. And it was. S was a torn soul. He had been serious about dying and he was serious about living enough to find if some of hisrades had survived. Heck, he knew that Skullius had the opportunity to do that whenever he wanted but¡­. his emotional and mental state wasn¡¯t what one would call stable. He was broken soul. Skullius had known this as well, noting the shift in S¡¯s thoughts from his madness to after he had taken his body. Knowing this would surely encourage anyone to get rid of S but¡­ But that was no so for Skullius who had spared S for different reasons before and after absorbing the WILLS. Skullius had spared S because of his invaluable information before Sause did his thing but after he merged with the WILLS, he came to a rapid realisation¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not sure you will like the response, S. I advise you to ept as it is. Or better yet, believe that you¡¯re still here because of my whim,¡¯ Skullius said nonchntly with just a tinge of ridicule. S was taken aback. This wasn¡¯t the response he had expected. At least not from the Skullius he knew. He thought the bastard was just putting up a front against Sause just now and he had even decided to shut up in case he attracted more of the giant¡¯s attention but¡­ There seemed to be something more. Still, he was displeased. This feeling of being looked down upon. He didn¡¯t like it. ¡®I¡¯m not in the mood for your jests, tomato flinger! Do you think I will suddenly be subservient just because you spared me?! Is that it?! You will not get any gratefulness from me! You might as well have had my soul destroyed!¡¯ S growled from within Skullius. The Hybrid Luman didn¡¯t flinch though. Instead, he inserted mana into his ring as if he didn¡¯t hear S¡¯s ramblings, drawing something from within it. Right after this action, he decided to indulge S for a bit. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter to me how you feel about it. Even if you choose to not be the well of information I have been relying on anymore, I can manage pretty well without you. Besides, that isn¡¯t the only reason I kept you intact. If you knew, you¡¯d be begging for a swift death¡­¡¯ Skullius said with a briefugh that added to the condescending vibe he gave off. S shuddered in fury¡­ and a bit of fright. What on earth was Skullius talking about? From the looks of it, he was dead serious! He didn¡¯t need him anymore?! Bullshit! ¡®You¡¯re bluffing!¡¯ S boomed with rage. ¡®You barely know anything about this world! What are you without the knowledge I give you?! Where would you be if I didn¡¯t tell you where this ce was?!¡¯ Despite the words S said bearing quite the bit of truth, Skullius didn¡¯t show any reaction. He merely looked at the objects he had extracted from his spatial storage ring. Threerge ques. They were made of a certain hardwood with a dark brown colour that wished to cross over to ck, their lengths almost half of Skullius¡¯ height. Their borders were adorned with beautiful frames that had simr designs of alternating dark and light colours, giving off the sense that they were merely decorative. That was what Skullius had thought when he had first found these. These were the other objects that were stored in the first chest he had found in the Labyrinth of the Yoke within the room that held the Fruit of World Myths! Within the chest had been the All Eater scroll as well as these objects whose description held the , effectively proving tooplicated to discern. (A/N: Refer to Ch.104 & Ch.343). Yet now, things were different. Before he dove into these, he granted S ast response before locking him within the ¡®bubble.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re right. I reached this stage because of you. But that doesn¡¯t mean anything to me just as me sparing you means little to you,¡¯ he said. That was how Skullius felt. As for what he truly intended to do with S, the more important reason why he was keeping him¡­ Well, the aged piece of soul was a failsafe against¡­ death. ¡®Heh,¡¯ Skullius chuckled as he thought of this new outlook he had gained. Perhaps the WILL OF CUNNING was already working a bit too well, gathering all he knew and making sure he used it all wisely and efficiently, as it should. The Hybrid Luman had discovered that this batch of WILLS didn¡¯t affect his stats, but merely used what he had to bring about the best results! ¡°Right. Let¡¯s see now,¡± Skullius said as he held out his one hand while holding one of the ques with the other. His palm shed with [Evil Darkness] the element wrapping around his arm like mes while distorting everything in its immediate surroundings. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I was so short-sighted with this. Darkness and Light. They aren¡¯t limited to what I was using them for before¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he felt the element clearly. Its sensation. Its power. It was alive. It had greater purpose than being forged into orbs and domains. This was what the WILL OF UNDERSTANDING was funnelling into him. While gaining a new perspective of his abilities, Skullius had thought to these mysterious objects that he didn¡¯t understand. They exuded faint wisps of darkness and light but beyond that, he hadn¡¯t been able to decipher what they held. Were they weapons? Precious auxiliary artefacts? Random tools? He was about to find out. Skullius waved his hand over one of the ques using darkness and¡­ ¡°I see¡­¡± A trail of words started to appear. Actually, it was more fitting to say symbols. They crept up over the surface of the wood from the left to the right, creating rows of these strange symbols with gaps in-between like absurdlyrge paragraphs. Each symbol had wisps of darkness ring lightly over them, as if on fire. ¡­! To Skullius¡¯ surprise, it seemed he could understand what these symbols expressed, as they seemed to be simr to the ones he had seen in the Labyrinth back when he had attained [Pseudo Evil Veneration]! It was an understanding that one could understand through reading. No. That wasn¡¯t it. It was like hearing what each symbol expressed through the darkness he had on his hand and that which red on the que! Weird! Swallowing the surprise, Skullius dove right into it. Skullius was taken aback. Was this¡­ Fulgardt? ¡­! Chapter 426 Secrets of The Immoral! (2) The power to GIVE ANYTHING? Skullius stroked his chin. This was interesting. He had gained some insight on the two elements that made the Insurgent Magnus what it was just from the WILL OF UNDERSTANDING which he could feel opening up his mind even now, but this¡­? ¡®Partly respectable?¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®Only when I reached a connection¡­ an affinity of B with [Evil Darkness] did I truly start to feel that it could restrain and bind. So if partly respectable is B, does that mean that respectable is A and thest one above that is S?¡¯ The Hybrid Luman cranked his mind. Ferex held Yuyui silently, giving the woman a signal to not make any sound that would disrupt his master. The lime haired girl did so while continuing to gaze at Skullius with mixed feelings. She couldn¡¯t forget that gaze which she had received before. If she was going to be seeing that throughout her entire life¡­ ¡®Sigh¡­. I¡¯ll write songs to keep myself at peace,¡¯ Yuyui thought while licking her chapped lips. ¡®And maybe the food will make it better.¡¯ After the first set of words which were zing with darkness, arge space could be seen, or in Skullius¡¯ case, felt, between it and the next. However¡­ ¡®There are traces of light in this gap,¡¯ Skullius noted. He quelled the darkness burning on his hand and switched to covering it with light instead, the process of which was much, much easier than before. A small smile appeared on his face as he swiped over the nk space, symbols made of light appearing with a smooth transition while they also burned with wispy me-like [Just Light]. Skullius immediately read over them. ¡®These really are just instructions, aren¡¯t they?¡¯ Skullius thought. As far as he understood, the Seeds of the Fruit of World Myths were better used with these Phantasmic Retainers that were stated. He didn¡¯t know what they were, but he was inclined to believe this statement. Considering that so far, he had unlocked only [Crude World Projection] and recently, [Seramoro, Oblivion¡¯s Edge], both of which had humanoid forms or were at least rted to that, Skullius was lead to believe that the rest were probably incredibly¡­ strange abilities. The next set of symbols was a continuation of the dark characters which seemed to carry on from where they left, with the ability to give granted by the darkness and light. As Skullius read on, he discovered that the ck characters spoke about [Just Light] and [Evil Darkness] in general while the golden white spoke of abilities stemming from the Fruit of World Myths exclusively. Most of what followed from these symbolic texts was more of light gushing towards [Just Light] and [Evil Darkness] with bits of more essential information in the dark paragraphs such as¡­ The WILL OF UNDERSTANDING had glimpsed this particr information to Skullius. The depths of the darkness that he hadn¡¯t caught onto fully. Now it was reaffirmed through this text. Thest bit of information that Skullius received was at the very bottom of this que from the bright characters that would sting the eye. ¡­! Skullius was once again taken aback. This statement no doubt referred to the second chest that he hadn¡¯t been able to open. He had tried a couple of times with both elements but it refused to budge. Now it was clear why¡­ he should give up on that for the time being. If his theory was correct, then respectable was an A rank affinity and this needed to be with both elements! With [Evil Darkness] maybe it was possible, but with [Just Light]? Even these texts admitted that the light was harder to wield and for Skullius to advance [Evil Darkness], he had to go through some perilous times! Naturally, he didn¡¯t fear death anymore and was more than willing to jump into dangerous situations while readily epting the possible dangers but¡­ That wasn¡¯t a wise thing for now with where he was going to be hanging out. It was all too much for this¡­ ¡®handle¡¯ that Skullius guessed to be wearing of some kind. Fulgardt¡¯s true weapon. Nevertheless¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t need to stick to one thing. I said I¡¯d advance my Prator form to Tier 4 like Serenity said. I should focus on that now that myDisc.. Hybrid Luman side has gained quite the sizable boost,¡¯ Skullius thought as he took another que and repeated what he had done with the first. The elements lit up the hidden messages. ¡®Oh¡­ so these are the Phantasmic Retainers?¡¯ On this gue, there was barely any symbolic text. What was on it were three images, one at the top, the other in the middle and thest at the bottom. The first, as Skullius felt through the dark wisps that marked it, was¡­ a tree? Its name was ratherplicated to pronounce as Skullius was sure he was still juvenile when it came toprehending this¡­nguage. A set of words below it, under its name described how to¡­craft it with specific proportions and construction lines of darkness and light as well as the affinity required for the feat! ording to some standard here, this was the easiest to craft but the instructions on how to build it were not as simple as systematic as those for building a house. What Skullius could perfectly understand from the text for this was that it could hold 2 Seeds from the Fruit of World Myths. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ Skullius thought as he looked below. The next thing depicted here was incredibly ridiculous as Skullius couldn¡¯t really tell what it was exactly. The only thing he could see were sets of long arms locking their hands and even that was not truly clear. In terms of difficulty of craft and affinity required, this was definitely a few leagues more difficult andplicated. Furthermore, it could also only handle 2 Seeds. Thest piece was showed in a grandiose fashion, as it seemed to be. Its depiction covered the entire base of the que, the wisps of darkness and light producing some kind of¡­ humanoid mutant? It seemed to be most powerful and mostplicated as it could hold 3 Seeds with its construction requirements being absurd! Skullius couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around these shapes and all at once. What exactly were these and their effects? He sighed and put this que down to check out the veryst one. Luckily for him, this carried a bit of history in symbolic text that he could understand. Once more, it was partitioned like the first, but there was no light here, only dark wisps that told a story in three simple parts. It was far from the whole story, but these three bits that were very meaningful. Chapter 427 Secrets of The Immoral! (3) Skullius nodded slowly as he re-read this third of the que. So much was divulged. If this really was Fulgardt¡¯s writing, he was extremely curious to know how this man fell when everyone acknowledged his existence millenia to follow! Who were these Chosen that were written here and how much did they contribute to the Second Grand War? So many questions assailed the mind of the Hybrid Luman and unfortunately, what followed when he set out to read further was not a continuation of this part of the story but something else entirely¡­. Heavy ambitions were thick in this symbolic text. It seemed this was something akin to a diary detailing events that Fulgardt took down, perhaps to ease his stress and celebrate as well as motivate himself. Skullius could understand quite a bit of it, but it was hard to wrap his mind around the actual idea of it. Did Fulgardt just imply that the Deities used Human beings as shells for themselves? As far as he knew, or rather put together, the Creeds, as S had used, were a form of power that allowed for one to safely gain extra benefits at the cost of something else. If this was used, he could somewhat understand it as well as the fact that Fulgardt was not at the peak of power when he began the assault on humanity. Additionally, he had help. The hall he had visited as part of the test in the Labyrinth, filled to the brim with powerhouses that med that Fulgardt had locked them there for helping him, their livelihoods changed to fit a celebratory aesthetic, came to mind. Perhaps the individuals Fulgardt imed helped him in this text were in there as well. ¡®That would be interesting¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. ¡®But was this guy really just trying to bring down the Deities for this¡­ Wanderer Who Seeds¡¯ sake? Also, who the flesh is this guy?¡¯ Once again, with added light came additional mystery that hid in the corners of darkness, weaving in and out to not be discovered. Thest third of the que also contained a different story that engaged Skullius on more of the thoughts of the Immoral. There was a gap as the statement continued after as nk spaces, no doubt meant to convey silence after a lengthy outburst. Skullius breathed out. He ced the que down along with the others and meditated on the words. There was more emotion in thatst part than he expected.. Even Fulgardt had been subjected to betrayal, it seemed. Skullius wondered if that was perhaps one of the reasons why he chose to trap everyone who ever helped him inside that hall?! Who knew? ¡®I¡¯ll have to go through these again and see if there¡¯s anything I missed,¡¯ Skullius thought as he stored the three ques in his spatial storage ring. He stood up and gazed at Ferex who held Yuyui, the lime haired woman who looked to be tearing up as the Apostle¡¯srge paw covered her mouth. ¡°Let her go, you¡¯ll kill her at this point,¡± Skullius said with a sigh. Plop. Yuyui was dropped to the floor and she pitifully curled on the ground as she looked up at Skullius while sobbing lightly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­.so¡­ hungry¡­¡± she squealed. ¡°Right¡­¡± Skullius said as he realised. This woman was starving after not eating for so long. From his spatial storage ring, he pulled out two loaves of bread, spiced fish and two jugs of cider, cing them before Yuyui. The Hybrid Luman didn¡¯t even have to say anything for Yuyui to muster all the strength she had to lunge at the food, devouring it in a manner that gave one the impression that she was the spawn of a demon and a rat! The bread, cider and fish was cleared within less than a minute, Yuyui raising her head as she felt nowhere near satisfied, her eyes pleading with Skullius who looked at the scene left in the wake of her massacre of the meal with slight disturbance. Yet¡­ In the next moment, Yuyui choked, coughed blood and¡­died. Chapter 428 Two Souls, One Dark Tale Once again. In the loneliness that came with ethereal captivity, a wall of darkness on all sides that impeded sound and sights, S could only sigh in self pity and rage. He was frustrated and confused. His war-driven soul, built as such from the experiences preceding his capture and imprisonment into Fulgardt¡¯s prison, couldn¡¯t make peace with his previous story as well as this one. What was right? Was he even in the correct mind to make this choice? Pathetic! He wanted to me it all on Skullius but¡­ That would be foolish. His tale was written in the annals of Direction long before the tomato flinger came to be in Aigas. If he was seeking someone to me, it would have to be existence itself. ¡®Magra¡­¡¯ S called in the silence, nought but a vibration giving proof as to the fact that he had actually spoken. This word¡­ This name. It belonged to the woman he had loved and devoted his entirety to for the longest time. A woman who was obsessed with growing tomatoes. Having grown in a time that came after theing of the Giants, mankind and Sif kind having driven them away with a rush of evolution and power, palpable emotion was vibrant everywhere. Religion was strongest. Focus was at its purest. Everyone could feel metaphorical sets of chains torn from their bodies, alleviating the tension that was felt even by those who had been born after the First Grand War. This was even more so for those that lived in Pelian, a nation that was young and new, birthed and groomed by a single man with a vision that quelled the mutual wrath of Maqi and Emeradis. They all felt it. A palpable sense of freedom. S had felt the same. He was born into a rather ordinary family. Nothing toin about, nothing to cry about. One would even call it the perfect family. With the reverence of the Deities given by everyone, his family did not fall short in this praise. They visited the temples everyday to hear the words from the Deities preached by the Priests, carriers of the message. They delighted in it. When it came time to pick their Directions, S who was the second child among four boys was found to be more suited as abatant, a bright future being promised by the sagely voice of the Priest who attended to him. The family was overjoyed. The Capital Service was very weing of young aspirant fighters, especially those called for such, the whole facet going as far as to bepletely subservient to the Purity which had set up their base in this nation. Knighthood came for S when he reached eighteen years and it was quite the duty. Entertaining, thrilling and exciting. Clearing Clusters, hunting down thieves and bandits and so on. It was true. The ministration of the Priest for his Direction was true. Things only got better when in the time of his service, S found a pretty woman, humble by nature, simplistic in mind and attitude but gloriously fair. She had absolute faith in the words of the Deities, trusting them when she was told her prosperityid in gardening and farming. Magra, as was her name, epted it joyfully. And it turned out to bread the truth. Many people flocked for her crops, especially her tomatoes which she paid much more attention to than the others, watching them grow up to the size of an average human¡¯s head! People in the town she settled in said she had blessed hands but she denied it with a smile, tirelessly devoting herself to her work. S had appreciated her simplistic nature. Such an age of peace pushed him to desire someone of the same mind-set. Someone who took things as they were and made them their life. S won her after constant rejection, her work being the excuse most of the time yet he eventually wore her down, for one with his persistence and for another, by proving he shared a simple motive for life. Enjoying all that came, good and bad. The love between them was blissful. There were no qualms or quarrels between them, and for the most part, they understood each other perfectly, making a beautiful home anchored on service to the nation through duty and tomatoes. Yet, things would take a turn when a looming darkness would spread over Feinheath to announce theing of a second age of terror, one longer than thest. Society copsed in a few months. The once peaceful continent turned chaotic, death and immorality reigning as everything that everyone believed was challenged by a single man. The lovely peace that S and Magra enjoyed tried to persist, keeping its innocence intact but¡­ The world grew too brutal. What had been an enjoyable experience for S as a Knight,ically chasing tame bad men like in the old fantasy folktales while barely mastering the truth about a de, bloodshed, was burnt to the ground. S was forced to hone his sword for true kills, in war, and even in society where even the best of men turned hysterical and mad. He slew hundreds in the first three months, what had been loving next door neighbours bing scraps of barely recognisable human on the ground before him day after day. He turned cold and distrusting, taking away Magra from the town they lived in and to a better ce where S deemed fit for temporary settlement. While S divulged into darkness, Magra tried to keep a positive mind, doing her best to maintain her calm by growing tomatoes. To her, watching them grow even in this cruel reality meant that there was still hope. The would wouldn¡¯t burst into me. The Deities wouldn¡¯t allow that to happen¡­. right? Unfortunately, S believed otherwise. Seeing Magra keep to the old had driven him to fury. He grabbed Magra but the hands and spoke with the most meaningful angry tone he could conjure. ¡°This isn¡¯t a world that can be harvested of any good anymore. Leave this, it will only get you killed! Instead¡­¡± S ced a knife in Magra¡¯s hand, the poor woman quivering. ¡°From now on, we fight. Maybe¡­somewhere in the future, when this is over, we can nt your tomatoes again. For now. Let¡¯s survive.¡± Of course, for the woman who knew only the simplest of tasks, it was hard to transition to this ¨C forcefully dragged onto a path that wasn¡¯t hers was difficult. Learning to fight, grooming her body through mana and Enriching gems, spilling blood¡­ The colour red held sacred meaning to her but when it flowed from the severed neck of a man or woman, it warped her view. Decades of this life of running and fighting still did not turn her into a fighter and she couldn¡¯t be much use to S who always had to cover for her, making sure she remained alive. His words offort barely scraped the darkness that coated her heart, making her burst into sorrowful tears from time to time, even during a tense battle. She wasn¡¯t a fighter. She was a gardener, a farmer. Only growing tomatoes brought her happiness. That and living with the man she loved peacefully. It was cruel, but S refused to leave her behind even as she constantly screamed, ¡°I can¡¯t do this! Please just let me die! That way, at least you won¡¯t have me as a burden!¡± Roughly a century after the start of Fulgardt¡¯s campaign, S had heard about a ce that could grant power, a promise propounded by the infamous Order of the Trodden Rose secretly to those in Pelian. To S, this was a chance. He didn¡¯t care if that Order of women was despised or not. He didn¡¯t care if it could be a mere rumour, a lie. All he knew was that it was the only choice he had. If these women chose to give out power to anyone who wished, he would make sure that Magra got her break through this. He didn¡¯t even ask for permission from Magra as he followed every lead he could over six years to reach the Temple which was buried underwater in the Urja, an expansive magic array around it then, before what it had now. Against the woman¡¯s pleas, S with good intention had dove right in with Magra for the first attempt at getting the legacy of one of the most vile group of humans in that age. This was the first of multiple attempts that only led to bitter effort without the payoff that S sought for his beloved¡­ Chapter 429 Back Here Again Ground of Communion. ¡°You must be rejoicing in your heart right now, Sister Bassbion,¡± Yagrina said whileying within the hollow of the statue upright. ¡°I don¡¯t think that man withstood the temptation.¡± ¡°Quit it, Yagrina! Isn¡¯t it more important to inquire what that powerful force was? I did not like the sensation that power gave me from within. What if it was that man?¡± the figure of Bassbion with her cap-like helmet on and chain covered armour leaned against the wall while addressing Yagrina¡¯s statement. ¡°Perhaps, though I wanted to believe that it was the host who is yet toe back releasing such power but it¡¯s unlikely. Anyway, what is the use in trying to inquire what it is. We cannot investigate it and even if we could, we can¡¯t unlock the full force of our powers through sheer will alone to defend against something like that. At least I can¡¯t. Not until the hostes,¡± Yagrina said, her stone figure not moving at all. ¡°Well it certainly won¡¯t be that vile filth. It can¡¯t be.¡± Bassbion murmured with a scoff. ¡°It¡¯s been 157 years since the host attained the legacy, the temple¡¯s many arrays shed with green as my master said they would when someone finally seeded, so what is taking so long?¡± A sigh was heard as even the ever patient and optimistic Yagrina couldn¡¯t help but feel like the wait was taking way too long. ¡°Perhaps the test left behind by our masters was too..difficult for the host? Your master did particrly stress that she wanted a quality host in body and mind,¡± she said. ¡°How hard can it be to harness the unique power you are given without any cost to awaken three of the twelve eyes and gain enough strength to shatter the binding array on your own?¡± Bassbion grumbled while folding her arms, speaking of the solution to what Yuyui failed to do as if it was too simple. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know since you were in slumber then, but¡­ the host isn¡¯t exactly a¡­ fighter. I wondered how it was possible for someone like her to be the one but¡­ I suppose the rules are absolute and so is luck.¡± ¡°Is that so? What exactly happened during th-¡° BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!! Arge chunk of the wall beside Bassbion was sent flying while a turbulent thrum caused the floor and ceiling far above to rumble with a tremendous intensity! Dust from the hard wall material flew while the object to fly off, as well as baby chunks of the dry wall followed, crashed fifty meters away gracelessly! This chunk was the same spot where Bassbion had given Skullius passage, the Spirit retreating a split secondter while doing her best to hide her surprise. She held her sword and looked to the wreckage while waiting for whoever wasing with caution. Hope gushed within her, as well as in Yagrina whose stone body actually moved, the head turning to the opening which had been violently created, with hints of expectation. ¡®Yes!¡¯ She could sense it. Semnces of their masters! The host..! She was finally here! Bassbion threw a quick nce at the cover to the wall that blocked the passageway, her eyes discerning the imprint of a fist on its surface imbedded deep, with a depression that then turned to cracks as it reached the edges of the structure! ¡®Remarkable! But¡­¡¯ She too sensed the presence of the host, but her presence was much weaker. It was overshadowed by a ring presence that demanded everyone¡¯s attention, tearing away their programmed minds from the connection they naturally shared with the host and forcing them to acknowledge it! Tap! Tap! This vibrant, heavy presence grew closer with the sound of resounding steps, a figure appearing beyond the dust that made Bassbion¡¯s mood sink and descend to the Under! She clutched her sword as rage brimmed within her eyes along with utter disbelief! A man appeared! THE man! He wore not an armour, but a casual jacket in a dark blue colour with ck leather braces on the arms, a hood at the back, as well asces to promote a snug fit on his slightly bulky, athletic figure. He was also adorned in fitting pants that had a dull ck gleam, being not entirely leather but more like a mix of it and a thin hide. Thick dark chains wrapped around his waist,pleting the edgy gothic look he gave off while his short-ish light auburn hair was slicked back to eliminate any bangs,plementing this new theme. Bassbion almost couldn¡¯t recognise Skullius as upon seeing him, she had grown angry before taking a perfect look. And as far as looks went¡­ Skullius turned his white eyes to Bassbion and¡­ ¡­!!! Reflectively, the Spirit held her sword firmly and shed at full power at the air, generating a sharp gust of wind that hurtled towards Skullius! This was purely based on instinct! Just from Skullius¡¯ gaze, Bassbion had detected a threat so great that her body automaticallyunched a counter for whatever it was! Skullius¡¯ hand zed with concentrated mana and with a sharp and precise movement, he hacked away at the iing attack with his fingers which formed the shape of a de! GWAAA! The visible but impably fast burst of sharp wind, nd and empty as Bassbion had not coated it with mana or refinement because of the urgency, disappearing right after! ¡°Ahhhhh! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Yuyui¡¯s voice was heard as from the dust behind Skullius, she appeared, casually sitting on Ferex¡¯s arm, her face showing a brief respite to disy shock, different from the happy gleeful visage she wore while stuffing her face with a chunk of greasy meat just now. At the moment, the long-haired girl was wearing a shirt and pair of pants clearly too big for her thin state but it was better than having her move around naked. She curiously looked around to see the familiar room behind the wall her master had just punched through and felt sentiment rising up her throat like vomit! Memories started to flood her mind about a time that had passed. That time with her ¡®friends¡¯ as she challenged this ce but¡­ ¡°What¡­.?!¡± Bassbion eximed. Many questions and thoughts raced through her own mind as a result of the current situation. Was this really the same man who hade in a few hours ago?! What was this pressure he exuded?! How did he just brush away her attack with ease?! What was he doing with the host?! ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡¯ Yagrina had the same thoughts as Bassbion, only she digested them quickly, discerning the situation from what she was currently seeing. Thefort she saw from Yuyui as she was moving behind Skullius while hitching a ride on Ferex¡­ Her one eye which was blue. .. How she did not exude an air befitting of the legacy holder of her masters¡¯ power¡­ ¡®Was she aided in getting around her test by this man?!¡¯ Yagrina thought in horror. But.. that was cheating! Bassbion pointed her sword at Skullius who merely raised a brow. ¡°What did you do?! Why are you with the host?!¡± Bassbion spewed question after question even though she hade to the same conclusion that Yagrina had. Yuyui who had seized stuffing her face felt the tension rise along with a strange feeling that crept in her body, driving her towards Bassbion and Yagrina. Suddenly, her blue eye with a golden slit as the pupil shone with a sky blue luminescence, her body which was rxing on Ferex¡¯s arm (leg) dropping to the floor. Shended on her feet and with a semi-brave demeanour, she walked forward with strong but shaky steps. The air around her grew thick, a pressure that made even gazing at her feel more like a chore engulfing her figure. Yuyui stood before the tall frame of Bassbion with a slight temble from her weak legs, the crumbs and grease staining her mouth distracting the Spirit she aimed to address, even as she began to speak. ¡°I¡¯m..I¡¯m the one you¡¯ve been waiting for!.. I¡¯ve been chosen to carry the Diverse Oculus! You must uhm¡­ obey me!¡± Yuyui said while nervously licking her lips of the meaty oil. ¡­. Silence prevailed as everyone here couldn¡¯t help but feel underwhelmed, a single word crossing through their minds but for different reasons. ¡®Seriously?¡¯ Chapter 430 Rejected The stance. The shaky resolve. The wobbly figure. Nothing about Yuyui spelled any form of charismaticpulsion to anyone. Even Skullius who couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying could feel the dull intent. Yuyui was both surprised and embarrassed when she saw no reaction from Bassbion who towered over her, the half a face visible from the Spirit turning into a frown as she actually felt insulted. Above all that she could see right now, the greasy meat that Yuyui still clung to in her hand as she audaciouslymanded the powerful guardian to obey her was¡­ infuriating. Drip, drip. The oil from the stewed thigh broke the silence. Yuyui would have blushed intensely if she could. Bassbion¡¯s ragepelled her turn away from the new Skullius and take a step to intimidatingly lower her face over to Yuyui¡¯s own. ¡°Are you serious? You daremand me when you failed to attain a basic level of control over your powers in over a century and conveniently emerge, submitting to this¡­ vi-¡­.man?!¡± Bassbion growled as her mana flushed out like a hurricane, causing a brutish torrent of air to brush through the atmosphere. Yuyui shrunk. She didn¡¯t even know what was going on. Just now, when sheid eyes on Bassbion, a foreign sense even making her notice that Yagrina¡¯s stone figure was also ¡®alive¡¯, the Inhumane Eye in her socket had caused her to jerk forward and demand the Spirits to follow her instinctively! Of course she had failed and now, she didn¡¯t know what to do. Skullius hung back and watched the show even without much of the verbal context. When taking into ount what Bassbion had said about the host and all, he figured that Yuyui was probably supposed to have these two guardians as servants or at leastpanions who would be loyal to her. It didn¡¯t look like it now but he was sure he was right. The Hybrid Luman wasn¡¯t really interested in much of all this as there was time to get to know it allter, especially when he used some of the more obscure gains he had attained. Frankly, he hoped this show had a quick ending, otherwise he¡¯d have to intervene. Yuyui continued to shrink as Bassbion didn¡¯t hold back with her intimidating presence. ¡°Well, speak! Tell me! What gives you the gull?!¡± Bassbion boomed. ¡°Enough, Sister Bassbion!¡± Yagrina came to Yuyui¡¯s rescue. Her stone head moved to look at Yuyui with a calm inducing visage. She smiled, creating cracks on her face. Bassbion scoffed and drew away from Yuyui while taking a sharp nce at Skullius and Ferex. Yuyui could at least breathe after the pressure from Bassbion subsided but being looked at by a stone statue that could speak was¡­ creepy. She swallowed hard and remained rooted in ce while quivering as Yagrina addressed her. ¡°I am pleased to meet you, host. I¡¯m d you have finally returned from your test. I and Sister Bassbion are supposed to be your guardians along with ten others but I¡¯m afraid only us two remain, and the others cannot be awakened anymore because of the damage they have taken in previous battles,¡± Yagrina exined warmly. ¡°It is also unfortunate that we cannote under your service as you have notpleted the test left for you by our masters. You fooled your way out of it, ignoring the vital lessons that you were supposed to learn. Patience, focus, preservation and hope. We are only assigned to submit to you when you gain three of the 12 Diverse Eyes and as such¡­¡± It was as such. Yuyui felt stung by the words. Patience, focus, preservation and hope. Did she have any of that? Patience? She had started crying after only four days of being trapped in the binding array. Focus? She hadn¡¯t even realised that her passing out shortly after being skewered through the head by a thick light that came from the symbol of the twelve eyes in that ce had led to her receiving extraordinary powers until after eight months! Preservation? She had eaten an entire tree and drunk from¡­ ahem¡­ She didn¡¯t have a sense of preservation even after a century passed, much less hope. This stung. ¡°So¡­¡± she began. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡± ¡°Indeed you are!¡± Bassbion cut in with a growl. ¡°Your very disposition reeks of weakness. I can¡¯t believe you are all we could salvage after all these millenia!¡± ¡°Sister Bassbion!¡± Yagrina rebuked. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. We can finish this upter,¡± Skullius¡¯ voice also cut in. To everyone here, he was speaking an unfamiliarnguage that they didn¡¯t understand, but his actions soon told of what he intended. With a sh, he had reached Yuyui and grabbed her by the nape of her shirt, casually flinging her at Ferex who caught her like a bag. ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Skullius said as he began walking towards the double doors that he hade in from when he first came here. ¡°But¡­ Master! I have to¡­ I¡¯m not done yet. Shouldn¡¯t I try to¡­¡± Yuyui with a choked voice said even as she knew Skullius couldn¡¯t understand her, tears leaking from the sides of her face. While sobbing from the hurt tacked on by the words from Yagrina, she took a bite of the meat she had in her hand, slobbering grease over her mouth some more. ¡°YOU! Where are you taking her?!¡± Bassbion huffed with fury. While she didn¡¯t acknowledge Yuyui, the woman was still what was truly left of her masters! How dare this vile filth take her?! Even Yagrina was displeased as she didn¡¯t intend to stop Bassbion from taking back Yuyui nomatter the cost. The tall guardian was about to attack with full force after noting that this man she had fought was no longer the same but¡­ SNAP! Skullius who kept walking towards the double doors without looking back snapped his fingers, an unbelievable wave of mana covering the entire Ground of Communion in an instant! The sound of crumpling paper and crushed rock emanated with the appearance of the mana and at the same time¡­ ¡°HU¡ª¡± Bassbion felt herself get pulled by ridiculously powerful force, her body mming into the hollow where she hade from previously when Skullius first entered this ce! ¡­! The powerful pulling surge resisted her desire to pull herself put, keeping her nailed to the statue! Bassbion growled in rage as she struggled to no avail, her voice causing a stubborn rumbling to ur! ck! Another set of the chains on her armour broke and she felt another portion of her strength drown her, giving her a sense of omnipotence! She yanked herself from the statue and found her strength be enough to resist the drawing force quite a bit! Good! Just a little more and she would be free! Unfortunately, Skullius was already in front of the doors. Instead of focusing on the raging storm behind him, he instead mused at a seemingly minute but ironic detail. ¡®Snapping your fingers does look cool as a gesture to overpower people. No wonder she did it so often. I should use it more.¡¯ As he looked at the doors before him, Skullius confirmed that what he had felt some time ago was indeed the case. ¡®I see. Most of the arrays in the entire temple went off as soon as the array keeping Yuyui bound was destroyed. That means¡­ THAT is possible,¡¯ Skullius thought as he ¡®nced¡¯ at Yuyui who was still sobbing while munching away. He pushed the doors and exited with his Apostle and servant, the two structures closing behind them. Skullius took Yuyui from Ferex and princess carried her while giving the Apostle an order to miniaturise and hop onto his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the array that keeps those two still remains active but it¡¯s better to get a head start anyway,¡¯ Skullius thought with a smirk. ¡®Might as well get used to the properties of my mana too in the process.¡¯ Unfortunately, Skullius¡¯ control over his mana in the Ground Communion faded as soon as he exited the ce and thus his reasonings collided to the aforementioned thought. The Hybrid Luman leaned forward andunched ahead, bright mana shing from his body for a split second before he shot up the corridor with speed that made it seem like he was skipping certain known motion rules in his dash! Skullius rushed past three long corridors within two seconds and continued to burst forward while causing the walls and floor to tense up after he passed! This was Skullius¡¯ agility without any skills superimposed. He was indeed incredibly fast! * It only took fifteen minutes for Skullius to navigate through the entire Temple and emerge in the terrifying Slurred Grounds full of yed yet well preserved men. Yuyui had almost puked all she had eaten when she saw this scene but thankfully Skullius didn¡¯t stop by for a gorey tour. Once more the huge doors at the front of the temple were opened and the group of three emerged in the waters that didn¡¯t feel like waters. Waters that seemed more like cool winds around the body. Waters that refused to enter the Temple. ¡®I guess I was worried for nothing. She still can¡¯t exit the Ground of Communion,¡¯ Skullius thought addressing the tail he thought he had. Apparently, he was safe. He instructed Ferex to take care of the constantly eating package again, keeping her close. Even though Yuyui had died fifteen times already from eating such tough foods after years of not eating, she still persisted until her body relented. Skullius could only sigh as he focused on something else. ¡®Alright then. Let¡¯s check if this works¡­¡¯ From his spatial storage emerged the Elimparidis Stone Staff. Chapter 431 The Promised Chat The Elimparidis Stone Staff had a special ability. The ability to store [Dimensions], as the guidance field termed them. This did not refer toplex spaces exclusively, like Clusters and the like. No, this also referred to literally any structure magical or otherwise. And guess what else could be stored in the Elimparidis Stone Staff right now? Indeed! The Temple of Unlusted Tears! Skullius hadn¡¯t been sure at first because he knew of the protective arrays protecting this ce. However, after feeling the din in the power of the arrays that covered the walls the moment Yuyui was broken free, Skullius had assumed this was the case for most of the temple¡¯s defences. If he had to guess, then that area along with the Ground of Communion was were all the reserves of energy were going to. Now that he could confirm after racing through much of the Temple, Skullius decided to give it a go. He pointed the Elimparidis Stone Staff at the Temple. ¡°KIKIKI! What are you doing there, friend? Oh!¡± The massive figure of a dolphin suddenly appeared above Skullius with its eyes honing in on him, what could be said to be freakish focus visible as its mana shrouded him. Fuwin had appeared. He had created a link to the Hybrid Luman, asking him what he was doing when he noticed¡­ ¡°Ohhh! KIKIKIKI! That¡¯s the one isn¡¯t it?! Human male, are you the one who helped her?!¡± Fuwin questioned with immense enthusiasm. The situation within the Temple was supposed to be secret so he wouldn¡¯t tell outsiders but he knew of the goings on in the Temple by inquiring from the guardians Bassbion and Yagrina over time, especially with individuals he was particrly interested in. For Skullius who had only entered for a couple of hours and returned with the host who had gotten the legacy of the Diverse Oculus, but was stalling everyone¡¯s freedom, it was¡­ shocking! ¡°Yes. Yes I did,¡± Skullius said with a light smile while Yuyui gaped at the massive creature which she recognised, the same being true for the dolphin! Neither directly showed any gesture of acknowledgement however. ¡°KIKIKI! This is interesting! I really liked this one and her music! Good, good~!¡± Fuwin said. ¡°And now, I¡¯m freeeeee~.¡± The conditions for the dolphin to remain werepleted, though Bassbion and Yagrina would say otherwise as they hadn¡¯t achieved their purpose. Fuwin wouldn¡¯t care though. The host was found and secured safely as far as he could see. The entire Territory burst like a mute bubble, revealing the cold waters that wrestled against everyone¡¯s bnce with raging portions of mana, contrary to the lovable atmosphere within Fuwin¡¯s demesne. Yuyui hugged Ferex tightly while doing her best to keep her eyes open. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind now if I do what I want with the Temple?¡± Skullius asked the giant dolphin which remained staring at them with excitement that ran through the waves. ¡°KIKIKI! Not at all! I¡¯ll be waiting here~,¡± Fuwin replied. Skullius nodded with a smile as he activated the Staff in his hand, a powerful beam of milky white energy going to wrap around the Temple and the pedestal it was set on which had begun to sink when the Territory disappeared. The light rushed over the entire temple in a matter of seconds, tingling it white and zipping back to the white stone at the end of the Elimparidis Stone Staff. Just like that. The entire thing was stored! Skullius almostughed at how easy it was. He had been right. At least he could take his time discovering this ce¡¯s secrets. He could deal with Yuyui¡¯s issues on the road to Genhuis, which was why he was in a hurry, even going as far as to antagonise the two guardian Spirits by cutting their conversation with Yuyui short. ¡°Uuuuuu~! That¡¯s interesting! The whole thing disappeared!¡± Fuwin said as he pped his fins, the force released from it creating cataclysmic shock waves that avoided Skullius, Yuyui and Ferex. Skullius stored the Staff and turned to the beast as he curiosity asked. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°KIKIKI! Have you already forgotten? You said you¡¯d talk to me after you were done! You¡¯re still alive, which is good for me and you changed quite a lot! I want to hear everything! You aren¡¯t going to back out of that deal we had, are you~?¡± Fuwin asked as he swam ridiculously fast and appeared behind Skullius who had to wiggle his feet and turn to once again face the eye of the massive creature. ¡°Of course not. I remember now. Let¡¯s have our talk,¡± Skullius said with a not-what-I-signed-up-for look in his eyes. What the heck was he supposed to talk about with arge dolphin that couldn¡¯t even tell the difference between human males and females without technicality being involved? This was going to a terrible conversation that didn¡¯t turn out as Fuwin expected it to. It would probably onlyst a few minutes. ¡­. Several hourster¡­ ¡°Woow, that was more enjoyable than I thought,¡± Skullius said as he trekked through the safer regions of the Urja forest. The night was thick, signalling that more than a day had passed since Skullius had dove into the waters. He had finished his talks with Fuwin just a minute ago and a smile could be seen on his face. Turns out, the two had a lot inmon and Fuwin was a great conversationalist! Fuwin knew how to draw out information and topel who he was talking to spill more details voluntarily. Skullius found himself rting to the giant dolphin¡¯s tales of its activities alone in the past millenia whenpared to what it did before its deal with the Order of the Trodden Rose. Talking to himself. Creating objects that he could interact with. The loneliness. Skullius clung onto the topics with a ¡®That¡¯s right!¡¯, ¡®I know right! and ¡®That¡¯s so true!¡¯ as he truly felt the dolphin¡¯s pain. Of course he couldn¡¯t share intricate details of his life in Deadmand for obvious reasons but he did mask the undead parts with¡­ alive human friends. The Hybrid Luman felt a bond with this lonesome dolphin only to feel it tested by a sentiment of his that refused to detach from what S had said. His yearning forpanions was just an effect of his soul missing its other half. It was depressing but Skullius didn¡¯t let it keep him down. He had parted with Fuwin reluctantly, happy that he had lead the conversation in a safe direction (making sure Fuwin didn¡¯t melt) while also enjoying talking to someone who understood and was willing to listen. It was a strange feeling, yet it brought Skullius joy. At this moment, he was soaking wet and so was Yuyui had started to walk on her own, slowly. She looked around curiously like a child while grabbing another snack which was wet under her armpit, but she didn¡¯t care. She had a lot to say to Skullius but since she couldn¡¯t understand him now for some reason, something she had discovered when they were still in that depth, she could only keep to herself. Until¡­ Skullius started taking his clothes off! ¡°Master, what are you doing?!¡± Yuyui cried as she covered her eyes. This was a ridiculous action as she had already seen Skullius naked before but back then, so many things had been happening and she hadn¡¯t truly thought about it. Now, she was self-conscious! Skullius ignored her screaming as he focused on the blinking guidance field notification before him. [High Cosmetic Body] had timed out. Indeed, the time had moved quite a bit, Skullius having to remove his shifting armour out of habit even though it could trace both his bodies with ease. The Prator emerged while the Hybrid Luman took a backseat, Skullius emitting another sharp breath of mana. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah. I really am weaker as the Prator now. Hmm. Well, I guess I should put raising my Tier as a priority. Still though, I really got plenty of new abilities with this new boost. I can probably learn them on the way,¡¯ Skullius thought, immediately beginning to devise his next moves. ¡®That¡¯s right! I should also¨C¡® ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! MONSTEEEEEEER!!!¡± Skullius turned to see Yuyui stumbling and running away as she had a horrified look in her eyes and on her face that spelled the incredible fear she was suddenly hit with! ¡°Oh, I almost forgot about that,¡± Skullius said,realising that he hadn¡¯t ounted for Yuyui just now. He was going to have to get used to it. Her too. ¡°Ferex! After her!¡± *** Somewhere far and vast¡­ With a ring of red light and a heavy thud, as if something had distorted space, directly appearing in the encirclement of this magical construct, a figure appeared. Arge figure that towered several meters in height. A scorching breeze brushed against his face and body, making the cloak he wore with its stylish tassels blow back. ¡°Nmmm, that is hot indeed, aha ha,¡± the voice of this figure leaked as hemented on the harsh weather conditions in this ce. Of course it was just any ce, it was home. Sause¡¯s home. Aicallyrge mountain with bursts of steam covering it with a coil from the midway point up, a growing red tinge depicting the heat building up at its tip showed a distance away beyond the red soiled ground,y ahead. It covered Sause¡¯s entire view, giving off an intimidating pressure that threatened to overwhelm anyone whoid eyes on it. ¡°Where did you suddenly disappear to?¡± a voice called to Sause from the side, a man seated on the ground addressing the giant. He had long Havana brown hair and sugar grey eyes, red tattoos stering half of his face while emitting a light red glow. His build was bulky, but not overwhelming so, covered by a dark cloak with visible runes that disyed their presence with faint lights of activation. ¡°Oh, I was answering the call of a friend. Nothing much, aha ha,¡± Sause said with a dismissive chuckle and a sharp gaze that spoke many hidden truths. The man with brown hair merely met Sause¡¯s gaze with his own while trying to decipher the truths hidden within the giant but it was useless. ¡°Come now, my dear Benzard. Today is a special day. You want to meet HIM, don¡¯t you? We better not dally here if that¡¯s the case, aha ha.¡± The man, who was Benzard, morphed to a greater version of himself shifted his gaze and nodded. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m curious to see if HE looks anything like I imagined in my fantasies,¡± Benzard said as he started moving forward. ¡°I am curious of that too, aha ha,¡± Sause spoke as he followed. The two walked towards the looming mass ahead, a track of reality opening up as it spelled something in the new future. ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] That concludes this arc. What did you think about it? How do you rate it? as I¡¯d really appreciate the feedback. Also, please consider leaving a formal REVIEW for the novel as it greatly helps with exposure AND please support the novel as it greatly helps my poor soul. Thanks for reading! Chapter 432 Ambitions of The Weak (1) The period that followed the victory of humanity and the Sif against the Giants had a lot of developments. Rebuilding, remodelling and reconciliation. A lot had to be done and thankfully, Aigas supported man to achieve many of the their dreams with long life. Mana was thick in the air, so thick that it nourished the bodies of man even before they left their mother¡¯s wombs, their physiques bearing stronger traits than those found in the current time. With this abundant nourishment came long life and great strength, the average life expectancy of even the most tainted man being over 400 years. The strength that clung to the bones and flesh, built on by the pure mana that traced through the air naturally, was profound. Better yet, the purest of mana clung to man¡¯s souls, giving them vibrance in thought and spirituality to a incredible degree. The mana that nested in their souls was much more condensed and refined than that which ran through their bodies and it further enhanced their potential. With this potential came the bestial nature of man when it came to battle. In this time, when war pervaded, savage was fitting of a word describe it. It was brutal yet spotted with skill because of the long life that gave opportunity for honing of different raw styles ofbat. These different styles were ultimately decided by which nation one came from. In Feinheath, there were three nations. Maqi, the nation hailed to have the purest blood of men, untainted by the fishes and beasts of the jungles. The strongest and most aggressive of man could be found in thisnd and their air permeated into all things, making theirnd the splitting image of its people. Emeradis was known to have the smartest of man. Ingenuity, craftiness, shrewdness ¨C these weremon among the natives of thisnd and they took pride in it, making of theirnd what they could with their creativeness and innovation. Then, there was Pelian. The history behind this nation was fascinating but riddled with controversy. Pelian did not exist until after theing of the Giants. As all stories involving the human race, Pelian had originally been a vastnd that Maqi and Emeradis fought over. After establishing themselves in their respective corners in the past at roughly around the same time, thends left behind had been a subject of constant wars. Numerous battles has been waged with different victors who imed thend each time, ownership of this space that would get swallowed by Maqi and Emeradis interchangeably over centuries never being settled. Maqi¡¯s fearsome brute strength and Emeradis¡¯ formidable strategy shed without producing the ultimate winner for longest time before theing of Giants. When therge creatures had finally set foot on Feinheath, the war over thisnd had reached a pause, no definite inhabitants living in it as a gesture ofying im, as those that settled there were either the poor or refugees. The end of the First Grand War brought about a calm to Feinheath after the alliances built, the issue of the vastnds that remained without definite rule being left alone. At this time, eighty and some millennia before the current time, a certain ambitious man from Emeradis took the chance toy im to thisnd. A man by the name, Philemen Royan. He was not gifted inbat and was not the brightest mind of the time, yet, those who wrote about him in the future, described him as a man with strength of will that pushed past the limits of man. Ambition. Direction. He had secured these for a grand move that would leave a legacy thatsted millienia. He gathered a small group of men and women with potential in various aspects ¨Cbat, leadership, technological innovation among others and left the nation of Emeradis to unite all the scattered individuals who dwelled illegally in the unimednds. He formed a small city that had a poption of roughly 200,000 people whom he governed with word and action. They wanted food? He gave them the means to secure it. They wanted homes? He taught them how to build. Each of the men and women he ran away with from Emeradis grew to head the varying facets of daily life that were required to keep the city which was made of vagrants, bandits and the weak into a powerful hold. Naturally, when this establishment kept growing, Maqi and Emeradis could no longer remain still. After 10 years, they sent their armies to destroy this new prospering space which they thought was a simple gathering of ambitious thieves, yet to their shock, their armies came back bearing news of defeat! Against a small city, the might of armies of 500batants bearing the power of the steadily growing ranks of power were defeated and with rtive ease but few had actually died. Before the wrath of the two great nations could wash over his city with stronger force, Philemen requested an audience with the ruling parties of said nations, to which he was met with messengers instead, sent to hear his plea. Philemen requested that the two nations allow him to form a nation of his own. The third human stronghold which would have a different culture, set of values and strength from the pre-existing two. Another bastion for the race in case another threat from the Giants came. Philemen was met with scoffs and ridicule as an expected rejection followed his plea, but he was not done yet. Philemen challenged the two great nations. He proposed, vowing with his life and soul that if he could produce a 100 Incandescent Stage experts within 10 years, Maqi and Emeradis would leave thesends to him. If he could not, then he would personally ughter every single one of the men and women within the walls of his city on top of handing himself to the two nations afterwards. It was quite the shocking proposition, not to mention preposterous! Over the 8000 years that the Giants settled on Feinheath and Opungale, the Universal power system had been established. Mana cores, sses and Stages. Stages were known to be the most difficult to progress through and reaching the Incandescent Stage was no trifling matter. With long life in these days came stringent attention to one¡¯s foundation as abatant. As such, a Foundation Stage expert of this Era could kill an Advancement Stage expert of the times that cameter. Beyond this, it took more than five years on average for one to scale the Foundation Stage, Tasks from different Deities ounted for, with even more time needed for the Advancement and Master Stages. Taking ten years to reach the Incandescent Stage, even if one breezed through the Tasks without care for their foundation, was impossible! All this said, Maqi was the first to agree to this ridiculous proposal but after adding another stiption, mostly for ridicule. Provided that these 100 Incandescent Stage experts could be produced, they had to battle 100 Incandescent Stage experts from Maqi and Emeradis in a death match and only by having at least half of them win, could Philemen be considered the new ruler of the vastnds warred over by the respective nations. Quite the interesting rule. What would Maqi stand to lose either way, after all? It was good to entertain such ambition. The result was an inevitable resounding failure and the show that followed this failure would be entertaining to watch. Emeradis, with their decision followed after, agreeing to this proposal as after noting that this man was from their nation, they promised to punish him brutally for this deed after he eventually butchered his followers. As such, by Philemen¡¯s request, the deal was sealed with a magical contract that was created by an external party to ensure that none would back out. Then¡­ Ten yearster¡­ On the day of enquiry, when 50 Incandescent Stage experts from Maqi and 50 from Emeradis walked into the unnamed vastnds, grins and sneers showing on their faces¡­ 100 Incandescent Stage experts sprung forth from the small city ruled by the seemingly unremarkable man who had started this bet! ¡­! Their presence was nothing short of extraordinary and their bodies depicted no weakness, as if they had carefully sculpted themselves over hundreds of years! Shock was palpable. Disbelief was abundant. Gaping mouth holes refused to close at this shocking development. Philemen had done as he said! In only 10 years¡­ Yet still, there was the bout! There was no way these experts were as strong as those seasoned over hundreds of years! It couldn¡¯t be! It was impossible! Instead of the one on one that had been intended, the ruler of Maqi proposed a match of 100 against 100! There was no time to waste! The illusion and trickery borne by Philemen was to be revealed immediately! The man behind it all did not struggle against the decision but fully agreed, with the match beginning thereafter in a dry in of no significance. The experts from Maqi and Emeradis were equipped with the powerful weapons and armours while those from the small city only had subpar equipment and protection. Yet, to them it mattered not. When the match began, many expected a brutal blood bath with the weaklings from this small city being trampled by carefully woven might. Yet¡­ It was not so¡­ The battle ended before anyone could see a single sword slice through flesh. All the 100 Incandescent Stage experts from the small, insignificant city in the wilds roared two words that manifested something that everyone else did not seeing. Something that was considered terrifying and sacred. A glimpse of the wrath of the wild! Majestic Territory! Chapter 433 Ambitions of The Weak (2) Majestic Territory! 100 Incandescent Stage experts formed a magnificent art that devoured an area of over 30 miles, engulfing everyone present. Within this Territory, they were free to kill anyone they wanted. The might of the Majestic Territory crafted by 100 Incandescent Stage experts bore down on everyone like a dreadful tide, crippling their pride and power! Rarely was it seen for one to exceed the Incandescent Stage as the Tasks grew incredibly difficult, the cumtive mana experience to reach the next level also extremely difficult to acquire as more powerful beasts needed to be hunted. The sses and Cores of those present could not do anything against this formidable might either, as it was overbearing and new to them. No human had ever wielded this power! Common counters against it were not discovered¡­ YET. With this, Maqi and Emeradis could only admit defeat. Somehow¡­ Somehow, Philemen had achieved the impossible! They didn¡¯t know his methods and were extremely curious to know how a power only known to beasts could be acquired by man. It was very fortunate that a magical contract had been sighed beforehand, otherwise Philemen could have killed all the opposition on this day! This was what the two nations thought, but Philemen never intended to do that. Instead of instigating more war, he preferred a safer path ahead. One that took advantage of what he saw before him. The greed that was palpable in the eyes of Maqi and Emeradis. The battle was only half won. The next step to ensure that his newly imednd would remain as his, was to divulge the secret to this new power that his experts had learnt! Naturally, Philemen had learnt this from the beasts of the Sacred Forests. While in this Age, the Patkmas Yujgi, men learned a variety of powers through beasts but there was seldom anymunication, as entry into Sacred Forests was rarely weed with care from the more and intelligent of these creatures. Philemen had only achieved his shocking feat by tracking a certain powerful beast with his men. The Trueworth Bill. A powerful bird that ventured from its Sacred Forest many a time to interact with humans. To his fortune, Philemen had stumbled upon a two men now under his care who hade into contact with this beast while traversing thends in poor health. They had imed that the beast had offered to cure him in exchange for their life in 30 years time, a deal they saw to not be as bad if they could live those years in peace. In desperation, these men had agreed, to which their disease was cured and lengthy, healthy lives lived ever since. It had been 21 years since the event when they shared the tale to Philemen and the man had invested his time in searching for this beast before making his crazy proposal to the two nations. He analysed the intricacies of the Trueworth Bill¡¯s desires in this trade it made with these two man and formted several ns that lined with his goals. When he eventually found the creature, he made a deal with it. In exchange for granting 100 of his men power equivalent to that of Incandescent Stage experts as well as an edge to help them win a bout with twice the number of opponents, he offered something only known to his advisory council. In addition to this, he made another deal with a treacherous offer in return. The 100 experts he selected were told to make the most of the opportunity. To learn as much as they could and absorb all possible detail when the Trueworth Bill took them away for a year eagerly to aplish its end of the bargain. Philemen¡¯s anticipation of what Maqi and Emeradis would stipte when heid out his proposal worked wonders for him in the end. The greed of the two nations was quelled as the secrets of producing a Majestic Territory were shared and spread to humanity, a great contribution to man very much worthy of allowing for the birth of another nation. As for the other deal Philemen made, it was to secure the Royan line for as long the Trueworth Bill lived. Regardless of the method. Regardless of the civil wars toe. The Royan line was to thrive no matter what it became. The Trueworth Bill obliged as in return for safekeeping Philemen¡¯s legacy, the 100 Incandescent Stage experts that had built the foundation for Pelian became the objects of exchange. *** ¡°My King¡­¡± a middle-aged looking man said as he bowed before the figure that sat upon a regal throne made of smooth ck stone. The figure perched upon the royal symbol leaned on the back rest whilezily supporting his head with his hand, his ocean blue eyes which contended against the sunflower blonde bangs falling from the top of his headnguidly gazing upon the Knight that bowed before him. ¡°Rise¡­¡± the man on the throne said with a deep voice that contrasted his young looking face. His demeanour was befitting of royalty despite what many others would say against him. He was not as grand or as phenomenally renown as the one who came before him, or even before that, but he did carry the Royan blood in him. The blood of Philemen Royan. This man was Edricus Royan II, the seventh ruler of Pelian. ¡°What news have you for me, Rayn?¡± Edricus inquired. The man known as Rayn showed a look of difort as he proceeded to answer. His jade green eyes looked up at the King, his golden armour nking as it responded to his slight movement. ¡°My King. Our fleet is about to converge with the enemy in the Tattered Serpent¡¯s Throat. Are you certain we do not need me to rush to their aid? I alone could go,¡± Rayn asked with determination lighting up in his eyes. ¡°What for?¡± Edricus questioned without a shred of urgency or care. This once again drove Rayn¡¯s emotions to flicker like a mask over his face, but he retained his cool. ¡°My King, Prince Holt is out there, leading a charge against a Union in your stead. Do you not wish to see hime back alive?¡± Edricus emitted a short breeze from his nostrils, hints of a smile creeping on his face only to disappear from it. ¡°Why would I send my most powerfulbatant, the Head of my Royal Knights out there to support foolish and overly ambitious spawn? My son chose to go against me and rally a private army for the assault. His Direction is his own,¡± Edricus said with a fierce tone that subtly disyed his anger. ¡°But My King¡­¡± Rayn began when¡­ ¡°Rayn¡­¡± Edricus interrupted him, ¡°¡­ a sword has no need for a mouth. The talent I saw from you when I picked you from the rotten streets was your impressive battle intellect and callous killing intent. I do not care for the rtionship you have with my son. What I care for, is your rtionship with the nation atrge.¡± The King¡¯s words bit at Rayn who was shocked that Edricus would actually be so indifferent to the fate of his son. Unfortunately, he could do nothing. He owed the King a huge debt. A debt of service. It was fortunate that he was would do more than simply serve, as his actions in the future would be imperative to the survival of Pelian. As for the battle of fleets about to take ce at the Tattered Serpent¡¯s Throat however¡­ ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] The shback arc won¡¯tst for long. I know most readers don¡¯t care much for it but this is a world and it needs its lore. Chapter 434 Naught Ambition The sea between Feinheath and Opungale was called the Krassos, its waters dubbed the Thicker Deep as many a sailor imed that they would turn as thick at honey at dense waves. Because of the ferocity of the waves as they wrestled against thend, a path had been dug ind, tearing through a remote part of the continent up to dozens of miles where it narrowed into a stream. This passage from the sea into thend was what was named the Tattered Serpent, as because of the waves that had created it, masses of fertile and infertile crust could be seen floating within it before sumbing to erosion, the meandering of this ¡®serpent¡¯ breaking into Emeradis and Pelian. At this moment, two fleets could be seen slowly pushing in opposite directions against each other merely four miles in through the Tattered Serpent, this far into these waters being called the Tattered Serpent¡¯s Throat by many sailors. One fleet had ships that had a dark colouration with the asional golden white on the sails and keels while the hull and every other part of the ships remained with the colour of the night sky. These ships had a rather bulky mass, with sturdiness that could be discerned with the mere sighting of them. Even the waters below these ships seemed to sense the might carried by the vessels as no living thing could be seen within them. The other fleet had blue, red and white coloured ships, their build seemingly focused on speed as they were leaner with the craftsmanship emphasising a narrower shape up to the forepeak. This fleet belonged to those who were defending their home. An ambitious young prince and his army who had rushed over to the Tattered Serpent¡¯s Throat upon hearing word that a Union of the treacherous Fulgardt had finally reached Pelian led the charge through water. Who was this prince? Bold couldn¡¯t even begin to describe him as he was true to the Royan line, as was everyone born during and after Philemen Royan¡¯s time. It was rare for a single Royan to rule over Pelian for more than a century as the ambitious blood that ran in the family lead to internal schemes and plotting. Brother against brother. Blood against blood. Yet, the line lived on. On arge ship leading the 64 on Pelian¡¯s side against the 52 on the opposing one, a young man with wide set ocean blue eyes, scarlet blonde hair tied into a ponytail and a square face, stood on the bowsprit of vessel. He was adorned in a blue armour that sparkled under the sun¡¯s grace, its grade higher than Legendary and its defence higher than that of any other in thend save for that belonging to three individuals. He scanned the ships a distance away and breathed out, expelling hesitation and inhaling courage. This man¡¯s name was Juulicus Royan, the second son of Edricus Royan. ¡°Logma. Can you predict how they may choose to act? The Purity has been supporting the three nations to fight against the Unions since the war started after all. Any Intel?¡± Juulicus asked without turning his head, his words directed to a dark-skinned man who stood behind him on the deck. The man did not reply immediately as he considered his answer carefully. ¡°The Unions are bold. Just as you have seen, despite knowing that we are aware of their movements, those on this fleet are still calm. The energies from their forces have yet to even turn hostile,¡± the man said. ¡°They are incredibly confident.¡± ¡°I see. Even when there isn¡¯t one of those¡­ Chosen among them? I heard that only those four are the true threat,¡± Juulicus said. The man who had been addressed as Logma smiled bitterly. ¡°Only the fighters from Maqi can say that with confidence. The forces from your nation can¡¯t take that im to heart. The poption has barely grown and the same is true for your strength as a whole,¡± Logma said as he blew away the braided brown hair that turned stiff as it fell from his scalp, making angled falls on both sides of his head. His small, angled eyes with a hazel hue were taking inrge bursts of information while he was entertaining the young prince¡¯s questions, enormous bursts of energy streaming from his golden armour that represented his affiliation. The Purity was dividing itsbatants between the three nations, supporting the fight against the heretic believers that followed Fulgardt¡¯s belief. sphemy against the Deities? Needless massacre? This had to be stopped! It went against the divine Over a hundred and fifty years had already passed since the beginning of the Second Grand War and Pelian was only now getting assaulted by a Union. This confused many but it wasn¡¯t as if anyone was going to walk up to Fulgardt and ask why Pelian wasn¡¯t getting some. This man, Logma, was a Pdin Champion sent to Pelian to ry information and assist with the war effort but his stationing had almost been forgotten since Pelian had been somewhat free for the past century. Everyone else was busy and he wasn¡¯t. ¡°Prince Juulicus, why hasn¡¯t your father deployed Rayn to lead a charge? Does he truly intend to selfishly keep his strongest soldier at his side?¡± Logma threw a question of his own. ¡°Hm. That¡¯s exactly what he is doing,¡± Juulicus said with a chuckle. ¡°Commander Rayn would havee with me but¡­ he is loyal to my father. No doubt with his strength, he could fight a Chosen or two by himself without dying.¡± The pride in Juulicus¡¯ voice was free for all to notice. The few besides Logma who heard what Juulicus said nodded with grins as they also felt a sense of pride, knowing a bit of the lore surrounding Rayn but the Pdin Champion behind the Prince couldn¡¯t help but frown. Indeed, Rayn was terrifyingly powerful. Even he as a Peak Incandescent Stage fighter with the full force of his Divine blessing wasn¡¯t at all confident that he could even manage a clean hit on the man. If the hierarchy of the steadily growing Purity could be considered, Rayn would only lose to the most powerful Pdin Champion the Purity had at this time. Truly, the man was an anomaly. But the statementid forth by Juulicus was a bit exaggerated. Logma shed up to the bowsprit and carefully dragged Juulicus to the deck. ¡°We¡¯re dangerously close to our enemies. Though unlikely in our circumstance, if a Territory battle were to spontaneously break out, you wouldn¡¯t be able tost, even with your armour,¡± Logma said. Juulicus felt insulted but he swallowed up his retort. He watched as Logma carefully looked across the rapidly closing gap between them and their enemies, ascertaining their number and power. ¡®None of them seem to be above the Incandescent Stage but even those that aren¡¯t at that level are emitting ridiculous levels of energy! Where did all these powerful expertse from?¡¯ Logma questioned. Those at the Master Stage on these ships all seemed to be on the cusp of reaching the Incandescent Stage, which was insane. None of the fighters in these Unions had been reported to be weaker than this in all battles that had taken ce so far. ¡®That said¡­ she¡¯s the most dangerous¡­¡¯ Logma thought while focusing on a certain woman whonguidly sat on the figurehead of the leading ship that was shaped like a grotesque dark creature from the pits of the Under! She locked her eyes with his, her demeanour showing nothing butplete indifference towards his scouting. Behind Logma, Juulicus turned to the men on the ship and shouted in a loud voice. ¡°Men! The day hase! You, just like I saw it unfit to remain sitting on our heads and strength instead ofing to meet the fiends that have started an uprising against the order the world! Let us be the first to engage and im an uncontested victory against these overconfident bastards!¡± The men on the ship, upon hearing the invigorating words spilled by their prince, cheered as their collective power, drawn about by their excitement, caused a dull light to shine on the ship! ¡°YEAAAH!¡± they called. ¡°Let¡¯s show them the power that the Royan line has birthed in full! Let us wrangle their innards over the Tattered Serpent¡¯s Throat and disdain their cheap attempts at invasion!¡± ¡°YEAAAH!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s prove that quick action bears result! Result and rewar¡ª¡± Blood. Blood sprayed as before a quick breath could be drawn, Juulicus¡¯ head was severed from his head, the bodies of the forty ralliedbatants on this vessel being shattered into bits before the brisk blink of an eye. And¡­ Before a sound could be heard, the figure of an armoured Pdin Champion flew off like a blur, battered by an enormous force as it streaked through ten of the ships in this fleet which exploded as if ignited by tonnes of gunpowder¡­! Chapter 435 This Vessel... Huff! Huff! Logma heaved deep breaths while blood and sweat oozed from his brow and left eye socket that had been carved with jagged finesse, destroying his eye and hacking at the side of his skull. His armour was cracked pitifully and he ground his teeth as he pulled out some of its pieces that had dug into his body. The light around him, shaped like a three point star faded and he hurled blood from his mouth as he struggled to get up. All around him, all he could see was me, me rising from the oval shaped view over him. The me was so bright that it made it seem like the bright and sunny day had subbed in the night. From this distance he could see the true scale of the devastation that had urred in the minute or two that he had been knocked out. At this moment, he was within a massive crater carved into the side of a hill. This was where he hadnded after the sudden strike or strikes¡­ he didn¡¯t know, which he had taken, carrying him sixteen miles away from the fleet! Cough! Cough! Logma coughed in an unnerving manner before spitting out blood. ¡®This¡­ If I hadn¡¯t used Star Counter¡­¡¯ he thought, dreading what could have happened if he hadn¡¯t used his auxiliary technique in time. Yet a lot of good that did. He had barely seen what had hit him, but he was sure it was the woman who had been sitting on the opposing ship¡¯s figurehead. How on Aigas she moved that fast and how she had bested him so badly despite being at the same stage as him, with the same coloured core, was beyond him? A unique ss? But still, his Divine blessing was proficient when it came to bolstering his Durability! So¡­ how?! Logma crawled out of the crater and came to fully face the raging me and the scene of utter destruction. The time he had been unconscious for wasn¡¯t lost to him as he could ascertain it from the state of his body, this detail being what led his one remaining eye to bulge in shock when he saw that all 64 ships on his side were no more. They were either sinking scrap, or burning wrecks over the Shattered Serpent¡¯s Throat which didn¡¯t deserve the name anymore. The narrow way of waters had been expanded upon somehow, bing a bloated pass that the full fleet of ships from the Union steadily crossed through as they continued their journey further into Pelian. None of the men and women on the ships seemed to have moved or engaged at all which led Logma to have a horrifying thought. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that woman¡­!¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re still alive, huh? Master Minobu was right. You bastards are hard to kill,¡± a voice came from behind Logma who ground his teeth. He hurriedly turned to find a woman crouching beside him while gazing at his face with a mix of pity and surprise. She had long leather ck hair that wasbed over to the right side, the left part of her head being almostpletely bald. She was quite pretty, but it was evident that she didn¡¯t particrly care for her own looks. She wore only a cover around her chest, made from a hard dark shell that didn¡¯t look to be steel, a rough hide under it to providefort to her flesh. She also wore something simr from her waist to her thighs like tight shorts and from her knees to her feet as boots, this scanty set of armour shockingly graded higher than Legendary! A ck machete-like weapon half her height was in her hand, coated with ayer of her terrifying mana. Logma leaked blood from his mouth as he attempted to create distance between himself and this woman but he knew it was impossible in his state. She may only allow it on a whim. ¡°I¡¯m d I get to kill a Pdin Champion on my own. It serves to reinvigorate my belief, hmph,¡± the woman said as she stabbed her weapon into Logma¡¯s calf! ¡­! The Pdin Champion felt an intense wave of pain gush through his body, almost driving him to unconsciousness! He emitted a subdued grunt as he balled his hand into a fist and struck the ground under him with great might! The hill he had rested on exploded into fine dust, Logma finding an opening to dash away from the close encounter! He rolled on the ground beyond the mile¡¯s worth of destruction he had caused with a single punch to the ground before steadilying to stand on his feet. The machete that had been in his leg had already been retrieved, a testament to how fast his opponent was and how she was aware of every one of his moves. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Logma thought as his eye darted this way and that, searching for the woman. He couldn¡¯t sense, see or hear the woman at all! It turned out she was incredibly proficient at hiding her presence! ¡®If I use my Territory, I¡¯m likely to die in the sh. I¡¯m nowhere near my peak condition right now¡­¡¯ Logma ran through his options as once more, a three point star shaped light engulfed him, flickering as it depicted that his strength was waning. The Pdin Champion felt his heart constrain with regret and yearning. He hadn¡¯t served the Purity long enough. He hadn¡¯t served the Deities long enough. He wasn¡¯t that high ranked among the twelve Pdin Champions and since the war started, he hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to do anything till now. He had been eager to show his will for service with regard to his belief, but he was taken out in a few quick blows without exacting any change. Without protecting anything. How could he die with pride when his life amounted to nothing even with the Divine Blessing he had?! Logma grit his teeth once more in anguish. From the dust and dirt flying ahead of him, he saw a shadow and then the full image of the dangerous woman that had put him in this dreadful state. She held out her machete as her eyes shed with a power that exceeded Aura. ¡°Your flimsy counter can¡¯t stand against my strikes. I thought the disy earlier would show you how true that is,¡± the woman said with a scoff. ¡°Still, struggle well. I¡¯ll hack off your limbs and parade your body on the mast of my ship. Hmph. Then we¡¯ll see if anyone Divine wille to rescue you.¡± Logma stumbled. He was definitely going to die. There was no way around that with his strength and ording to Juulicus, expecting reinforcements was a waste of time. The Champion sucked in a deep breath as he swallowed all the regret and pain. ¡®If I am going to die worthlessly anyway, I might as well try this out,¡¯ he thought as he knelt down. His dark skin illuminated by the mes around him made him look solemn, though he did not intend for this. He hung his head and focused deep within his soul. Several hundred spots of light swam within it, leaving multi-coloured trails of utter beauty. With the refinement of one¡¯s energies into an aspect of power greater than Aura, came its passive crystallisation and off shooting into something unique. Creeds. ¡®I¡¯ve never had to use these as I thought my strength was enough for the duties I had. I¡¯ve saved 342 Creeds in hopes of being able to save the lives of individuals that matter in the long run at a critical point or better yet, trade them in return for something else bigger than me¡­¡¯ Logma thought. ¡®Now¡­¡¯ Perhaps this was it. This was the time for that. ¡°This is my Creed¡­¡± he whispered in a very low voice that could hardly be heard even by the sharpest ears. ¡°¡­that my body be a vessel for the ones I serve to use as they see fit. My blood, my body, my soul¡­ make it fitting enough for whatever they deem.¡± OOOOOOM! The first to feel it was the woman before Logma, a hot sensation burning at her skin with a disturbing itch. The ground trembled. The sky quaked. Logma¡¯s figure became like a mirage while the mes burning away at thends and trees died down without transition, his body seemingly taking up the tremendous heat that had been suffocating the environment! A pir of light stormed from above for a brief moment, too fast for anyone not as strong as Logma and the woman to perceive! Then came a voice that only the Pdin Champion could hear. It spoke with an intensity that cracked Logma¡¯s soul, but relief and joy manifested on his face as a genuine smile, blood oozing from his remaining eye. . *** OOOOOM! The continent trembled and so did the sea. The reverberation coursed through everything in existence but few could understand what this meant. Among these few, one man who sat on thevish floor to an exquisitely made mansion raised his head, his long hair softly cascading down against his thick, bare muscles that held untamed might. ¡°There it is. I was doubtful, but it happened as you said. Who would have guessed?¡± he said in a voice that was difficult to describe. A figure at his side chuckled. ¡°I did. You have spilled a lot of blood onnd and on the sea. These are the bodies of the divine, you know, aha ha?¡± The man who sat down, letting his senses which covered the entire continent in a breath hummed as he turned to face therge figure in hispany. The only one of his kind on the continent at this time. ¡°That was the entire point of it,¡± the long haired man said. ¡°Now tell me, Giant. Do you truly know how to reach Divinity?¡± ¡ª [Author¡¯s Note] This concludes the shback sequence of the Second Grand War for now. This chapter also effectively marks the 1/4 way point through the story. We have a lot of ground to cover and no rush at all. Please support your boi. It really helps! Chapter 436 Final Preparations (Bonus Chapter). A me of green and ck bellowed in a well lit andrge enclosed space, zing with a circr arc as it spat out two figures, one of whichnded on its feet while the other gracelessly pped against the floor with a loud p. These two figures were Actuass and Revia respectively. Thetter immediately started to throw up with her eyes giving off a dreadfully terrified emotion as the skin around them was tinged in a dark purple hue. She retched and hurled, causing a disgusting echo to permeate through this hidden ce where many figures could be seen. The more prominent figures here, not being fazed by the two¡¯s sudden appearance as they had been waiting for it, were Cyne and Fulina. The rest? Well¡­ Revia sobbed bitterly as she raised her body with her trembling arms. She shot a re at Actuass that turned into a fearful gaze a microsecondter as she stuttered in terror. ¡°You¡­ What did¡­ what have I¡­¡± ¡°I think you understand more than you let on. It¡¯s a habit of yours,¡± Actuass said as he sighed heavily. He was tired. That was a lot more difficult than he expected even with all he had taken into ount. Fortunately for him, it had worked. Revia quivered with a tumultuous mix of emotion, her face contorting into an ugly mash of muscle. ¡°You used me¡­!¡± she shrieked, unable to propound what she true wanted to say. ¡°Of course I did. You are my pawn,¡± Actuass responded while brushing away the ethereal dust on his robes. ¡°You don¡¯t realise how rare of a catch you are. Spirit Wardens are extraordinarily scarce on Aigas, especially those who are conscious of the fact.¡± ¡°You were my only ticket into the Yormuness. One can normally only go there either by dying or reaching Divinity. Luckily for me, because the Outworld Attic is outside Aigas, I have a clear view of the Yormuness.¡± Revia could barely hear what Actuass was saying as her mind was trying to process everything she had seen. The weird, the strange and the atrociously bizarre. All of it. ¡°In exchange for letting you in on sensitive information about me and essential information about yourself that you would have never known, I enhanced the effects of your inherent power to interact with matter and individuals outside the normal cycle of life, though only for a short amount of time.¡± Thud! Revia couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Even if she couldn¡¯t die anymore, her mind could only take so much in a short amount of time. She lost consciousness. Actuass kept his gaze on her body for a while before turning to the figures of Fulina and Cyne who were waiting for him to finish speaking. ¡°Done?¡± Actuass asked them. ¡°. It¡¯s done but I lost quite a bit of my men,¡± Cyne replied with an agitated frown and a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll revive them soon,¡± Actuass said while gazing at the two objects ced at the very edge of the room. They looked like sarcophagi but without any particr religious or cultural markings on them, a ckish purple hue glittering over their surfaces. Cyne followed Actuass¡¯ line of sight. ¡°I only managed to secure two of the three in Emeradis. As for the third, the Mages that guarded the ce were particrly fierce. It wasn¡¯t worth it,¡± Cyne said with a sigh. ¡°No matter. They are only a contingency for after my deal with that man after all. Do we know his whereabouts at this time?¡± Actuass asked, turning to the person most likely to know. ¡°He¡¯s out recruiting a specific group of Energy Formers. He says it¡¯s part of what he saw and all. Should we let him continue to amass more forces? I mean, after your deal, things are going to go crazy in Aigas,¡± Fulina replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have it under control. The main piece I¡¯m counting on against any mishaps has already been stationed at the venue of the Premium Age Royale,¡± Actuass said, alleviating Fulina¡¯s concerns. All this concluded the preparations he had wanted to make. All that was left was for the Royale hosted by House EverSword to begin and¡­ ¡°You got some interesting pickings,¡± Actuass said while shifting his sight to the hundreds of men and women lying down on the floor. Every single one of these men and women was¡­ aged quite heavily. They were old but powerful, even the subconscious leak of energy from them causing the air to turn heavy. They were all asleep with the exception of one man who sat on the floor with his legs tucked against his chest. Fulina looked at this sight withplicated expressions. She and her subordinates scattered all across of Aigas had managed to nab all these men and women who were mostly retired from their previous duties, bringing them to Actuass. Some of them were partially senile while others were so old they could barely remember they were living beings. Fulina felt ufortable performing this atrocious deed, so much so that she had dyed quite a bit. (A/N: This is the mission they were given in Ch.109). ¡°Yeah¡­¡± she said, responding to Actuass¡¯ statement. The masked man walked up to the group and stared at the one man among everyone here who remained awake, looking at him with keen eyes. From his dressing, it was quite clear where he was from. ¡°This man didn¡¯t struggle when we took him. He said he wanted to see something interesting before he died and since he didn¡¯t give us any trouble, Cyne didn¡¯t use his Undeath Concept on him,¡± Fulina exined. ¡°Fascinating,¡± Actuass voiced. He was intrigued by the man. The waves of power he produced were horrendous! His senses that stretched to outside this hidden ce could discern dense clouds beginning to gather over it, acknowledging his strength despite his age. ¡°Hmm. Wake them up,¡± Actuass ordered Cyne. The man given the simple order snapped his fingers, the hundreds of people who were asleep before starting to wake up. Fulina and Cyne backed away as this was going to be brutal and they did not have any part to y in this, fortunately. As the others woke up, confusion and frustration hitting them over what was happening, Actuass spoke to the lone old man huddled at the edge of therge space. ¡°Would you like toe at me first? It¡¯s the only way to get out of here as you are.¡± The old manughed as he slowly stood up. His eyes were calm but cautious. He knew this man before him, unlike the other two, was a problem. ¡°I will oblige. Though, I must ask, will you alone take on all of us?¡± the old man asked. ¡°So it would seem¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± the old man said with his presence ring menacingly. ¡°My interest in this little charade grows¡­. Hmm?¡± Something interrupted the old man as he spoke. At the same time, everyone else felt it too, a strange tug at their bodies! Something like having the innards pulled from the inside. ¡­! Everyone, including the old man urgently investigated within their bodies, but there was no need, as what was happening to them was clearly defined by Actuass. ¡°Ah, it seems I must exin once again,¡± the masked man said. ¡°Everyone who faces me will feel their life energy leak from their bodies. In other words, you could die before engaging me inbat.¡± ¡­.! The tension further increased as while others were inclined to doubt, others believed this was true. The group then felt another strange sensation within them, the life energy that had started escaping from them swiftly being contained as with this¡­ came an exponential growth in their power! Sensing that everything was set with the troublesome Creed he had ced on himself, literally having to empower an opponent before fighting them, Actuass¡¯ body bellowed with power. ¡°Now we begin,¡± he said as he stepped forward. It was time for thest preparation ¨C gathering a vast amount of Undeath energy. Chapter 437 Brewing Danger, Troublesome Stalker The Isise. ¡°The Extreme Form, you say?¡± ¡°Extravagantly so.¡± ¡°So this¡­ array that is etched onto the surface of Aigas somewhere, is what you want to undo? And it just so happens to be the one thing holding back Boron in the Under?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Hmmm. What makes you so sure that the Purity doesn¡¯t know about it? Or as you said, that you were told that even the three Deities wouldn¡¯t interfere with you breaking it?¡± ¡°It is too early for me to be saying this, but trust me. If the Purity knew, they would have guarded it heavily until now. Originally, the Extreme Form was not visible on the crust of Aigas. It remained as an extravagant, invisible marking that no one could see or sense. But over the past millenia, Lord Boron has grown extravagantly impatient and due to his efforts, its location was revealed to the former leader of the Evenfall. Through him, may his soul rest in ce, its etching on Aigas was eventually made visible to us all. Only we know about it.¡± Silence. Then solemn consideration. ¡°Hmmm¡­. Very well. There are still many missing details however. Tell me. You seem confident, so why do you need us? And why do you think we will help you?¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no harm in adding extravagant quality to the mix. The Evenfall has never been a true threat to the world since its founding two millennia ago. Poor leadership and strategy as well as extravagantly weak members being the cause. Your conscription will change thetter for the better¡­¡± ¡°As for why you would help us¡­¡± A cheerful grin. ¡°Well, it¡¯s mainly for two extravagant reasons. For one, no one on Aigas will ever ept you and your littlemunity.¡± Tension and rage rise. ¡°Calm down, calm down. I mean it in a matter of fact way. Summoners are to be captured and killed in Pelian by order of the oh so extravagant Royal family, so you aren¡¯t exactly a good fit here. Maqi keeps to its own and doesn¡¯t take to foreigners lightly, especially if they do not match up to the standards of strength they require. This doesn¡¯t usually include calling strange creatures from unknown ces, hahaha.¡± ¡°Then Emeradis¡­ While it is weing of talent, it has made it a point to crude identify Pelian citizens as ndly cultured. As the progenitor of the extravagantly respected Mage ss, I do not think they would be all excited to have you on board.¡± ¡­ Only the truth was said. It wasn¡¯t that they were Summoners, it was that they were Summoners from Pelian. There was the grinding of teeth and heavy breathing. ¡°Fret not. This is exactly why I¡¯m here. Instead of creating a reclusive society of your own that does not interact with the world, join me. Soon, none of these extravagant racial, stereotypical and historical ssifications will be relevant. Everyone will be same.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± Another grin explodes to the surface. ¡°No one will have the time to worry about all that when there is extravagant chaos that turns back the clock, reforming everything to how it was supposed to be. Believe me, Master Boron is extravagantly open minded.¡± *** Emeradis. Two men with bald heads bowed before an elderly woman who was also shaved of hairpletely. All three wore thick, navy blue robes that hid their shapes, going over to pool at their feet with their excessive sizes. It was excessive but traditional. An Emeradis Mage did not need anyone to appreciate their body. Only their mind and skill. ¡°What was taken?¡± the elderly woman who stood aloof with her eyes sharply gazing at the two men bowing at her feet, questioned. ¡°Lady Stern-Mage, they took two olden relics, coffins holding the remains of the heroes who sacrificed themselves in the olden Era,¡± one of the two Mages said with a deep voice that cracked just a bit from the pressure he felt the woman before him exude. ¡°Two?¡± ¡°We managed to stop them from stealing thest one, Lady Stern-Mage.¡± ¡°Is that so? Which one remains?¡± ¡°The one belonging to both our own, Lady Stern-Mage.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The woman looked around the courtyard leading up to the grand storage. Numerous dead bodies were sprawled everywhere, bleeding on the white tiling. The operation to collect the corpses had already begun but the mood was sullen. This was a very bold move but it was also surprising. What was the motive of the attackers? What could they possibly hope to achieve by stealing these coffins. What was inside was either rotten and dried or close to it. The bald woman carefully looked around, feeling the strange tangling of energy. It was Undeath. The Green Neolists. Her eyes moved down to the ground. A dark patch, one obviously made by the explosion of me on the white tiles could be seen. From this, the Stern-Mage noted that it was likely the use of the signature travel tool of this infamous group. The Arcane Teleportation scrolls. ¡°How bold,¡± she said before turning to the two who still remained bowing. ¡°Report to the Monarch. He¡¯ll need to know of this.¡± *** Inhone City. The enticing view of the city was slowlying back with a refreshing re, the new Guilds Association building as a prominentndmark rising in construction well while the different districts,mercial and otherwise were springing up nicely. The city was bustling with life even after the recent attack as at this point, people had already grown past the destruction. It came and went. Such was life. On the streets were many faces ¨C happy and those trying to be, as well as unbidden emotion. In this expressive atmosphere, a man wearing a shirt that looked to be made with mithril-like texture as well as reddish brown pants passed through with a passive gaze. His nose kept twitching as he kept sniffing up the air, his expression changing after short bursts of time. The strap to the sword sheath which he slung over his shoulder had had enough of his grip which also changed with his expressions, the swing of his body now and then as he seemed to be searching for something causing the object to jangle. Suddenly, the man came to aplete halt as he drew in a sharp whiff of the air. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s an undead curse alright. Probably from an Arch-Lich. Argh, a really foul scent,¡± the man said as he swiped his hand before his nose. ¡°Looks like Az was right. There¡¯s something to look into, after all.¡± Chapter 438 Picking The Worst Target 438 Picking The Worst Target The branches covered in snow did their best to obstruct the view but Healon¡¯s sharp eyes were unhindered. Even as the dense assortment of trees tangled and twisted, almost masking themon road to the more popted areas of the region as they formed a vast woond of immense natural beauty, he remained with his arrow nocked on his bow, following the target with incredible uracy. ¡°You got a nice shot, right?¡± Trevis, who was over the branch which Healon was using as the perfect sniping spot in thisrge tree withrge blue leaves that resisted the cold, asked. ¡°Yes. Just say the word,¡± Healon said. His arrow pointed to two individuals who were walking on the road a little more than a mile away. One was a man with slicked back auburn hair dressed in a rather stylish leathery get up, thick chains wrapped around his waist as he walked on with his hands in his pocket. ¡°Is he some powerful frence mercenary or some idiot dressed to impress and putting up a cool front for the girl?¡± Healon asked his friend Trevis who held a saber in his hand while also looking ahead. ¡°Probably thetter. That¡¯s some edgy fashion there. I can¡¯t tell if the girl likes it or is just tolerating it,¡± Trevis replied with the shake of his head. The girl these two were referring to was the woman walking beside this man. She had lime-coloured hair that reached her shoulders, giving off a naturally wild look because of its unkempt nature that wasn¡¯t at all off putting. It flowed from her scalp to cover one of her eyes, giving her a timid visage. What added to this was how thin this woman was. The clothes she wore made this fact more noticeable than it would have been otherwise, her skin having a slightly pale tone that somehow matched her up with the surroundings. ¡°On any other day I¡¯d take on anything that isn¡¯t male but¡­ what¡¯s with her? It¡¯s just like she hasn¡¯t fed on anything since she was born.¡± ¡°Well we¡¯ll never know until we get the job done, Healon. That guy has to be packing something in that ring on his finger. Just incapacitate him and we¡¯ll probably find something good enough to not get our asses beat by leader.¡± These two men¡­ were bandits. Both had blue cores, with Healon having the Archer ss as a Arma User and Trevis having the Warrior ss as a Form User. Of the two, Trevis was the stronger and more experienced one. He was even branching from his ss to try forming a proficiency in basic sword y. In the small organisation they were from, these two were among the lowest ranked both in scores and skill. Each individual in the group was supposed to bring contributions in the form of valuables, termed as scores, every day in order to stay, as they were supported with a ce to sleep and food to eat. The increase in scores was what progressed your standard of living and rank in the organisation as well as the skills you honed, which was why Trevis had begun diversifying. Today, they were lucky enough to find two unassuming travellers who seemed to not be aware of how dangerous this road could be. No one used such public roads anymore unless they had a powerful escort and Healon and Trevis had just been passing by when they caught sight of this prey. This was an easy catch that none of them were willing to pass up. ¡°Hey, Trevis. They are arguing all of a sudden. Should I still take the shot?¡± Healon asked. ¡°I can see that. Wait a moment,¡± Trevis replied. In the distance, the man and woman had stopped moving and the woman seemed to be crying. She knelt down and gripped the man¡¯s pants, begging. She was shedding tears! ¡°The hell?¡± The man on the other hand looked irritated. He tried to push away the woman but she hugged his leg and kept weeping buckets. Trevis and Healon were taken aback. Did they misunderstand the situation? ¡°Just take the shot. The details have nothing to do with us,¡± Trevis said as he subconsciously increased his grip on the saber he was holding. For some reason, as soon as he gave Healon the instruction, his body grew tense. ¡®Come on. Why am I getting nervous? If she¡¯s fawning over him, he must have something worth clinging to him for,¡¯ Trevis calmed himself down. Healon confirmed his aim on the man and was about to shoot his mana covered arrow when¡­ ¡­! ¡°WHAT THE HECK MAN?!¡± Healon eximed in shock. He didn¡¯t know how or why, but the woman who had been clinging to the man, begging for something suddenly exploded from the waist up! Her blood stained the snow covered road, everything from her waist to her legs which remained intact falling to the ground while spilling torn guts and juices! Healon and Trevis grew exceedingly rmed! What the hell was that?! Could it be¡­? No, it was definitely the man who did this but¡­ They hadn¡¯t even seen him move! From the distance, it was hard to ascertain his strength but he couldn¡¯t be that strong considering that he hadn¡¯t noticed them. If he was an expert of a higher level, he would have, and they should know since they were experienced enough at picking their targets carefully. Maybe it was his gear? Was it not some casual get-up after all? The man with the slicked back hair swiped his hand, started to cleaning off the blood on his pants. Then¡­ He suddenly turned his head¡­ over to Healon and Trevis¡¯ position. ¡­!!! The two men almost choked at how this man was seemingly looking at them as if they were right in front of him and then came the unsettling feeling that crept from the man¡¯s eyes! A creepy and disturbing sensation that caused every cell in their bodies to jolt and start warning them of terrible danger! It didn¡¯t help that now, with a clear view of the man¡¯s eyes, they saw that he had no irises or pupils, which added an even more terrifyingyer to this horrific scene! Healon¡¯s bow and arrow fell from his hands as he turned pale while Trevis grit his teeth with a shudder coursing through his body! Even with this mass of fright however, he refused to drop his weapon! WHOOOOSH! SPLAT! Something phenomenally quick suddenly sted from the terrifying man¡¯s position, tearing apart the trees and branches in the way within the blink of an eye as it then smashed into Healon¡¯s head, shattering it into a gorey mess! ¡­! ¡°Ah¡­¡± Trevis stuttered as blood sttered on his body. That was way too fast! Right before Healon¡¯s body could drop¡­ WHOOSH! Another one of these projectiles flew at Trevis! The man¡¯s hand suddenly darted before him as he swiped with his sword subconsciously, a massive stroke of luck applying as it allowed him to partially deflect the oing attack! Perhaps it wasn¡¯t luck but his anticipation of an attacking for him too, as well as the fact that his long practises with the sword day and night jolted his hand to swing! Who knew?! Something hard knocked against his saber, causing the weapon to ring and vibrate vehemently, the following result being Trevis getting knocked off the branch he stood on! The rapidly flying objectnded a few meters away and Trevis who quickly recovered to his feet on the ground couldn¡¯t help but turn to see what it was. A fist-sized stone?! Ayer of mana swiftly died down from it, bringing the bandit toe to a realisation but he didn¡¯t dwell on it. ¡®I have to RUN!¡¯ Trevis thought as he immediately took to his heels, pushing his body to the limit with mana while rushing in the opposite direction! At least he thought to do so¡­ BWOOF! The bandit suddenly fell on the snow covered ground with a puzzled and horrified expression. He had intended to run but¡­ he just fell down. ¡°I was waiting for that arrow for five minutes, bro. And it never came,¡± a voice spilled into his ears. Trevis was about to turn to see if the nightmarish thoughts he was having were true but a burst of pain beat him up first! He quickly looked down to his lower body and saw the reason why he had suddenly fallen over just now! His legs were severed! From his knees and below, there was nothing there! His legs were neatly packed side by side in the snow right beside the tree he had been stationed in! ¡°AGGGHHHH!¡± Trevis screamed in pain, his blood staining the frozen innocence pooling over the ground in this eternal season. His eyes brushed against the view of the same man he had been targeting from the distance standing a meter before him, his image obscured by tears than started to flow down his cheeks. The man held his saber which he thought he had been gripping tightly all along! Trevis¡¯ thoughts could hardly focus on the details of what and why. He could only feel the pain. Something like this¡­ had never happened to him. Losing limbs was a mortal fear of all man! ¡°Looks like we won¡¯t be having a brief talk like I imagined,¡± the man before him said as he walked up to him and crouched down. Trevis trembled as he looked at the man¡¯s face with a pool of emotions. He wanted to hurl his hate and put up an unfazed front like his thieving peers but he was past that point. Even if he could, the image of the man¡¯s handing down to touch his face as his white eyes lit up with what looked like a dark me caused him to quiet down as he felt his whole body turn stiff! The same dark substance leaked from his hand as it started to sink into him without pause, Trevis¡¯ eyes growing bloodshot as he reached the climax of his fear. Soon, the bandit found his consciousness fading, thest thing he would ever remember being the words of this man which echoed in his mind vibrantly. ¡°Let¡¯s see what a sockethole like you can teach me.¡± Chapter 439 Sanctioning Darkness! 439 Sanctioning Darkness! The Hybrid Luman loomed over his victim, [Evil Darkness] leaking from his hands as it invaded without limitation. His eyes that were full of the darkness as well because of the partial activation of [Crude World Projection] which he had mastered during the heat of the battle with Bassbion, saw the full image of Trevis but with a darkness tainting his outline. A ssh of grey and a small cloud of white could be seen over him as well, the Hybrid Luman who now had an understanding of what all these colours meant and how to take advantage of their meaning in each individual, rejoicing at having found another catch. ¡°Let¡¯s see what a sockethole like you can teach me,¡± he said as he activated a Special skill which he had for a long time but had been unable to use because of the insufficiency of his core. [Basic Evil Sanction!] The darkness that leaked from Skullius¡¯ handtched onto the darkness which he saw in his vision! At the same time, the stream of his darkness which touched the spots of grey and white on Trevis instantly dissipated as if it didn¡¯t exist! Through the darkness that cradled that within the bandit, Skullius felt sounds and experienced images that he had never experienced before. They were all distorted. It was like watching a scene from a far away distance with the sounds of what was urring being obscured and the images themselves warped by darkness, giving representations more than real details. No mental image could clearly be built for Skullius, but it wasn¡¯t about all that. It was about what the darkness he expelled was able to explore from the darkness from his target. Each action and its intent. Be it what his victim learned, or was subjected to. Murder. Anguish. Sick glee. Determination for an unjust cause. [Evil Darkness] pulled on everything it could, drawing away the darkness from Trevis. Devouring it. Soon, Skullius lost touch with this sensation that felt like he had just devoured someone whole, absorbing everything to do with what was considered the ¡®evil¡¯ within them. The darkness ring in Skullius¡¯ eyes died down as once more, he was left optically blind. ¡°As I thought, he didn¡¯t have much to offer,¡± Skullius said. ¡°At least I gained some insights about the sword. They should help me a bit with [Basic Sword Mastery].¡± The Hybrid Luman looked at Trevis¡¯ body while rising to stand up straight. The man was still alive but when he woke up, he would be¡­ lost. In a way, he would be left as a saint, as the darkness within him, the majority of his being was stripped away. But he also wouldn¡¯t be himself anymore. This skill, [Basic Evil Sanction], a skill which he had gotten at the same time as [Basic Evil Weaving] and [Basic Evil Invasion], was quite powerful. Its effects when not as powerful as they should be yet but it was definitely very useful. ~~~ [Basic Evil Sanction (Special) | Lv.1] Using the inherent darkness within, grab ahold of all material and representational darkness, pulling out what it hides and everything attached to it within yourself. The stronger the skill grows, the more concepts can be drawn and shaped as the user wills. Mana Requirements: ¡ª Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: ¡ª ~~~ This skill was the reason why Skullius could now speak well enough in the Known Language and in several dialects of this region. The description of the skill could be interpreted in many different ways, but once Skullius used the skill itself, he grew to understand it more. As for how hee to learn so much in a short amount of time, it was because¡­ There were so many goddamn hooligans in this region! He hade across three separate groups of thieves and bandits in the past eight hours, which grew irritating. After having received the WILL OF UNDERSTANDING back in the Temple of Unlusted Tears, Skullius had intended to test out all his darkness and light skills which led him to stumble upon this Special skill he had never used. In activating it, he had discovered that it was more effective on scumbags. People who were identified as evil or bad, a concept which Skullius could fairly understand but was yet to fullyprehend. The more darkness within a target he could see with [Crude World Projection] vision, the more effective it was. Now, this discoloured sight of his had more meaning. Alternatively, if an individual was considered good or even sttered with grey, the skill would be more or less useless. Again, at the basic level, Skullius understood what good, meant. This wasn¡¯t [Basic Evil Sanction]¡¯s main use however, as [Basic Evil Invasion] could aplish something somewhat simr on this aspect, but Skullius didn¡¯t use that skill often for obvious reasons. Speaking of these reasons, Skullius has discovered something else phenomenally more profound than much else he had unlocked with his awakening. He didn¡¯t know if it was the Luminant Seed¡¯s doing or if it was because of Sause¡¯s interference but¡­ his soul, had been partially repaired! From the 52% that was read through Doom Factor 2 because of how fractured his soul was, the figure had gone down to 35%, clearly depicting that Skullius¡¯ soul wasn¡¯t as tattered anymore! With that, Doom Factor 2¡¯s descent was dyed by nearly 4 months ording to the guidance field which caused Skullius much tion! Naturally, as was the guidance field¡¯s habit, he didn¡¯t get a notification for this, unlike with a rapid progression to his Doom and he had to look into it because of how¡­ different he felt post awakening. What a good life it was¡­ If this was Sause¡¯s doing, it definitely felt like he was being fattened up before being devoured though. But who cared?! For now, it was a heavy boon! ¡°It would be too cruel to allow you to continue existing, wouldn¡¯t it bro?¡± Skullius asked solemnly as he gazed hollowly over Trevis¡¯ body. His mana softly red from his body, moving under his impable control to cover the bandit. Then¡­ BOOOOM! As if a massive boulder had fallen from the sky at breakneck speed, Trevis¡¯ body was squashed into nothing more than a spot of ground blood, the crust beneath it digging wildly into itself! The unique property of Skullius¡¯ mana was on disy. Weight maniption. [You have killed LV13 Human. 15 EXP awarded] ¡®Yea, killing these guys doesn¡¯t give me much. Well, at least I no longer have to look at therge number of experience required for each level. This will definitely be useful for my Prator form,¡¯ Skullius thought with a sigh. A perk of getting a new coloured, especially when transitioning from white to blue, was the expanded range of where cumtive mana experience was drawn from. Unlike with how the white core functioned, blue cores and above could extract mana from not only body of the victim but the soul as well! This discovery had answered some of Skullius¡¯ questions when pertaining to why the core anchored itself to the body and soul. Both took mana from the core but the difference was in the quality! The soul was also nourished by mana! Additionally, the required experience waspounded into smaller but more meaningful figures, like a reset of sorts, this being helpful to Skullius who could see visual depictions of his stats. ¡°Master! Master! Where are you?!¡± a voice called from the distance. A throbbing vein popped on Skullius¡¯ temple. It was Yuyui. Just now, as they were walking towards their destination, she had suddenly started begging for food, bleeding tears from her eyes as her stomach growled like an animal. Skullius had been seriously pissed off. This sockethole had watched as his food supply ended to her bottomless pit of a mouth, worse yet when he had just discovered that he now had the ability to taste! Indeed. Finally! He could taste instead of considering every food the same, yet the guidance field didn¡¯t tell him of this too, as with many small details! Unfortunately, Skullius couldn¡¯t explore this some more as the food he had was cleared out by the pain in the pelvis he was travelling with! Yet Yuyui kept begging! In a fit of rage, Skullius had killed her to shut her up and now she had revived to be a bigger yap in his ear. ¡°Is this servant thing supposed to an eternal thing or just temporary? If she keeps this up, I¡¯ll probably have to research on ways to kill her permanently. Those two ought to be of some help if I probe hard enough, right?,¡¯ Skullius thought half-jokingly as he walked up to meet Yuyui. Chapter 440 A Weird Relationship 440 A Weird Rtionship ¡°Master, did you have to kill me? I¡¯m just hungry,¡± Yuyui said while rubbing her hands against her arms. She still felt the sensation of being blown to bits by her master, a new way of dying she wasn¡¯t used to. It was pretty terrifying. But her hunger was even more so! ¡°You finished all my food stock. You know that, right? You¡¯re just fleshing with me at this point, aren¡¯t you?¡± Skullius asked the woman who was standing a distance away from him, scared that she might be killed again. Granted, she knew her master was really strong and fast but it was better to try and avoid death. ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t it your duty to feed me? You rescued me, after all,¡± Yuyui said in a very small voice while shrinking. She half-heartedly wanted Skullius to hear this though. Fortunately for her, Skullius heard every word with his keen senses, a vein throbbing on his temples again as he suddenly wore a ¡®kind¡¯ expression, his hand stretching out to Yuyui and gesturing for here. ¡°You know what? You¡¯re right. Come closer. Lemme feed you your own feet,¡± Skullius said with a menacing, deep voice that made Yuyui shriek and back away in fright. ¡°I¡­ I was joking!¡± Yuyui yelped. The dreadful presence that her master had been attempting to put under control for the past day and a half was unbearable. It had almost killed her the first time she sensed it. Now, her master could freely let it loose, especially from his nk eyes. Skullius shook his head. ¡°I would have loved to stop by in some of the small towns we passed by to take care of that nasty hunger of yours but taking detours would be problematic to our schedule. Also, it was too risky to do with how I wasn¡¯t able to control much of my new self before,¡± Skullius said. There were many aspects of Skullius¡¯ new strength that he was hesitant to expose before he had everything under control, which was why he had stayed away from congested areas. Speaking of Skullius¡¯ new strength¡­ ~~~ [ Name : Festos Dawn ] [ Level : 11 ] [ EXP : 95/450 ; ] [ ss : Insurgent Magnus ] [ Race : Hybrid Luman ] [ Inv. Status : Still doomed ¡Á2, Cursed ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ STRENGTH (I) : 6120 ] [ AGILITY (I) : 5912 ] [ INTELLIGENCE (I) : 5001 ] [ ENDURANCE (I) : 6118 ] [ LUCK : Atrocious? ] ¡ª¨C [ HEALTH : 13,295/13,295 ] ¡ª¨C [ MANA (I) : 14,500 ] ¡ª¨C [ Null Life Essence : 400/6000 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Skills ] [ Elevated Mana Maniption | Lv.78 ] [ Great Saint¡¯s Invigoration | Lv.4 ] [ High Cosmetic Body | Lv.1 ] [ Revenant mes of Ecstasy | Lv.19 ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Koten Machi | Lv.4 ] [ Guard Light | Lv.7 ] [ Mana Force | Lv.15 ] [ sh Flicker | Lv.9 ] [ Raw Impact | Lv.10 ] [ Great Rush (I) | Lv.14 ] [ Revered | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Combat Arts | Lv.5 ] [ Basic Sword Mastery | Lv.2 ] [ Beyond the Hype | None ] [ Swindling Death Dance (Iplete) ] [] [ Advanced Evil Weaving | Lv.14 ] [ Advanced Evil Production | Lv.12 ] [ Basic Evil Invasion | Lv.2 ] [ Basic Evil Sanction (Special) | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Light Production | Lv.4 ] [ Basic Light Weaving | Lv.1 ] [ Crude World Projection ] [ Seramoro, Oblivion¡¯s ¡®Edge ] [ Bead of Malevolence | Lv.3 ] [ Perfect Night Domain | Lv.4 ] [ Wing of the Just ] [] [ Edos Summoning (Special) | Lv.1 ] [] [ Pseudo Evil Veneration (1%) ] [] [ Binds of Fukal ] [ Fruit of World Myths ] ¡ª- [] [ Evil Darkness ¨C B ] [ Just Light ¨C D ] [ Distorted Gravity ] ~~~ Skullius¡¯ stats had grown exponentially! The additions to stats he had gained as the Luminant Seed rebuilt him were all in absolute conversion to the blue core he had, which was why he was so much stronger. His previous stats were condensed,pressed and added to the massive figures of stats he now owned, each point having a higher value than that of the stats from a white coredbatant. The change in the core also affected the individual¡¯s other stats as well as what Skullius had been seeing on other stronger opponents before was the same with him now, his stats having the (I) to depict that they were at the blue core level. ¡°How far does the map say we are from Genhuis City?¡± Skullius asked the lime haired girl. Yuyui hurriedly checked the map that Skullius had given her, the one Elita had gifted to him back in Eofel which showed his and Yuyui¡¯s position in ordance to the main locations of Pelian. ¡°We are almost there. It might take half a day to reach there at our pace though,¡± Yuyui replied. ¡°Good,¡± Skullius said. He couldn¡¯t see the map so he had Yuyui read it. But unfortunately, this caused a certain problem. ¡°ARRRRRRGHHHHH! NOT AGAIN!!¡± Yuyui screeched at the top of her lungs, her flesh melting off in a true terrifying way as she died in agony. If any normal human being had seen this, they would have thrown up endlessly. UNCoddled had recognised how she was helping Skullius with the map again and she was subjected to a brutal death. Fortunately, beside the pool of human goo, Yuyui promptly appeared like a fade in transition, her body trembling as she held the map in her hands. She sobbed softly as the sensation of dying for the seventeenth time to UNCoddled was still fresh. ¡°Why ¡­ every time?¡± she asked cruel fate with a tear. Skullius breathed out another sigh. It was tragic indeed. But on the bright side, when Yuyui died, there was a marvellous by product. Over the course of the past day and a half, Skullius had witnessed how strange Yuyui¡¯s body truly was. She wasn¡¯t just immortal. Everything she had on her was essentially the same too! If she died with clothes on, she would reappear with those same clothes in the same state they were in before her death! The same was true for artefacts as well. As long as they were on her person, they wouldn¡¯t be lost! Of course, as Yuyui had described before, her corpses rapidly aged and the same fate fell on the objects her corpse had, which meant creating duplicates by killing her was impossible. As for her overall current strength, Skullius had had to use [Crude World Projection] vision to get a visual on her outline and then appraise it with his guidance field, otherwise while blind, he couldn¡¯t do so. ~~~ [ Name : Yuyui Yuyui Yuyui ] [ Level : 6 ] [ EXP : 0/200 ; ] [ ss : Pinnacle uluthon ] [ Race : Human ] [ Inv. Status : Atrociously Hungry ] ¡ª¡ª- [ Stats ] [ STRENGTH (I) : 70 ] [ AGILITY (I) : 45 ] [ INTELLIGENCE (I) : 89 ] [ ENDURANCE (I) : 52 ] [ LUCK : 44 ] ¡ª¨C [ HEALTH : ¡ª ] ¡ª¨C [ MANA (I) : 122/122 ] ¡ª¡ª [ Skills ] [ Bading | Lv.124 ] [ Greater Voice | Lv.98 ] [ Broken Mind (Special) | Lv. 34 ] [ Greatest Soft Tune | Lv. 150 ] [ Greatest Music Tool Art | Lv. 11 ] [] [ Body configuration (Special) | Lv.1 ] [ Inhumane Eye ] [] [ Inhumane Eye ] [] [ None ] ~~~ There were many aspects about Yuyui that Skullius wanted to explore but that was all in due time. At least she wasn¡¯t actually that weak. Skullius pulled out the Elimparidis Stone Staff. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break. I think we should finally visit those two and have a chat before we reach the city. I don¡¯t want any surprises from you,¡± Skullius said as he pulled himself and Yuyui into the world within the staff. Soon, the two appeared on the bare high ground that overlooked the ocean, the forest and the mountain range. To Skullius, this ce was bing more like home. It would be pretty great if he developed it some more, adding many items that would make it a perfect secret residence. Yuyui took deep breaths, enjoying the fresh air. It hadn¡¯t been that long since she had been set free and though she had been here before, the fresh air was always good to take in. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful,¡± she said while looking at the sea and forest again. She really liked this ce. To the side, was arge, white stone pedestal on top of which was perched the Temple of Unlusted Tears. This was where it had been positioned after Skullius had sucked it into his staff and now, he was ready to go back in and see what he could salvage information and material wise before entering Genhuis City. Skullius grabbed Yuyui by the nape of her shirt and sted up the stone pedestal at incredible speed, reaching the entrance to therge structure atop it soon after. GSSSHHHK! The massive double doors to the Grounds of Communion opened, revealing once again the familiar space marked with twelverge statues. The instant Skullius set foot in with Yuyui, a torrent of wind infused mana burst outwards from one of the statues that had its face destroyed, a reminder of the battle between Skullius and Bassbion. The ferocious waves of power were unweing and so was the voice that boomed afterwards, its words now being kinder to Skullius¡¯ ears. ¡°Look who is back! I¡¯ve been waiting for you, host and you¡­ vile man!¡± The voice of an enraged Bassbion echoed as her body which had been nested at the base of the statue in the form of a rock turned into armoured Spirit clutching its de dangerously. Chapter 441 Cursed Man of Fortune 441 Cursed Man of Fortune Yuyui yelped and hid behind Skullius subconsciously. The Hybrid Luman was not fazed by the rage leaking from the guardian at all. Instead of backing away, he walked forward without any shift in his expression. Yuyui grabbed onto his clothing and followed, keeping to her position of using her master as a shield. As Bassbion appeared, her hatred and anger towards Skullius unveiled, Yagrina could also be seen, her broken stone body¡¯s head turning to the two. Unlike Bassbion, she didn¡¯t show any ferocious expression but carefulness. Last time, when Skullius had taken away Yuyui she would have rushed up to attack him if she could but now things were different. Because she hadn¡¯t known what Skullius¡¯ intentions with Yuyui were, and still didn¡¯t know right now, the fact that he came back with her made her curious. She needed to employ reasonability and patience to find out what exactly was going on since the full picture wasrgely unknown. Unfortunately, Bassbion wasn¡¯t about that. ¡°Give her back!¡± the guardian barked as she stomped her greaved foot, the chains on her armour nking! Skullius didn¡¯t render a reply to her. Instead, he turned to Yagrina whom he knew to be less abrasive from their previous encounter. Perhaps he could have a more rxed discussion with her. ¡°You said that Yuyui was supposed to take some kind of test and she failed, right? Can you tell me what these eyes she was supposed to unlock do exactly?¡± Skullius asked. After attaining his ability to speak and understand other individuals, he had asked Yuyui everything about what was said between her and the Spirits in the Temple of Unlusted Tears, thus his knowledge of this. Yagrina and Bassbion were taken aback as they heard Skullius speak in anguage they could understand, different from before. Themunication barrier was cut down and they could hold a conversation. This, to Yagrina was a relief and a bigger sign that she should be calm about this as now, she could understand the full picture and possibly help the host more. This was her intent. It was also Bassbion¡¯s intention but well¡­ ¡°It¡¯s good that we canmunicate now. But before I answer that, would you mind telling us why and how you took away the host of our masters¡¯ legacy?¡± Yagrina asked carefully. Bassbionid off a little of the heat and waited for Skullius¡¯ response. She also wanted to know. The Hybrid Luman produced a soft smile on his face as he sat down, forcing Yuyui to do so as well. ¡°I can answer that, but you won¡¯t like my reply,¡± Skullius responded, much to the two guardian¡¯s apprehension. ¡°In exchange for her freedom, Yuyui is bound to me. She is my servant for¡­ the foreseeable future. Ah, nice words for formality,¡± Skullius chuckled at his own wording before continuing, ¡°As for how¡­ You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you.¡± ¡­! ¡°Servant?!¡± Bassbion hissed as her power red once again. ¡°Sister Bassbion, wait,¡± Yagrina said. She too was quite shaken by this revtion but in all honesty, it wasn¡¯t oundish. Given how she had analysed the host¡¯s nature to be, it wasn¡¯t a surprise that she would sell herself for freedom. She wasn¡¯t the strong and determined type. Yagrina even wagered that she didn¡¯te here back then for the legacy. She was merely, additionalpany. ¡°I see,¡± Yagrina said as she turned from Skullius to Yuyui. ¡°Host, will you truly follow this man and serve him even if you are bound in some way? Are you able to live the rest of your life like this?¡± Yuyui puckered her lips, her face turning sullen for moment. Following someone¡­ That was the core theme of her life, wasn¡¯t it? Evening here was because she had been asked to follow someone else. Now, her life was devoted to someone else¡¯s and she wasn¡¯t surprised. Yuyui faced Yagrina. ¡°I¡¯m used to it. I¡¯m not very good with finding my own path. So¡­ I think I can do this. Besides.. Master does feed me,¡± Yuyui said with a subdued smile. Though she said this however, she had one HUGE gripe about serving Skullius asides from the recentck of food and it was unfortunately that she had been warned never to speak of it! Ever! ¡°Yagrina, you are simply going to ept that the host of our masters¡¯ legacy is under someone else?! A man to boot?! This goes against everything our masters believed!¡± Bassbion growled with ferocity painted on her face. Yagrina didn¡¯t say a word in reply. She understood this too but¡­ ¡°What would you have us do, Bassbion? Even in the event that we were able to kill this man and somehow break the binding he has on the host, then what? The host we have is not the one we¡­ expected,¡± Yagrina said with solemnity. ¡°If she were detained here with us, it would benefit her nothing. We cannot teach her how to awaken the Diverse Eyes and we cannot leave this ce until she attained at least three. She was unable to attain more than one eye after a century and frankly, I don¡¯t think on her own, she is capable of doing that or keeping her own life.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bassbion was lost for words. She hadn¡¯t thought about it like this. Of course she had exploded in rage at Yuyui before because of this but adding Yagrina¡¯s thoughts on top made her cool off. This was the reality of the matter. Yuyui and Skullius heard this, thetter nodding as he understood the reasoning while the former shrunk. It was painful to hear these words. They were¡­ true. Yagrina looked into Yuyui¡¯s eyes for a time before emitting a soft sigh from her stone lips. ¡°If the host is epting of you and her circumstances then I¡­we have no say,¡± she said as she turned back to Skullius, ¡°As for your question. The host is supposed to acquire twelve eyes that all grant different unique abilities. Each one was designed by our twelve masters purposefully to embody what they thought an ideal woman should be.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Skullius said with the nod of his head. ¡°So this eye that Yuyui has now, the Inhumane Eye. Does it guarantee that she will never die?¡± This was something that the Hybrid Luman had been thinking of for a while. Immortality, was a strange concept. ording to what he had learned, Fulgardt who reached the level of Divinity, actually¡­died. So how could Yuyui be immortal? What were the principles behind this power? ¡°She can die,¡± Yagrina said with a serious tone. ¡°The Inhumane Eye preserves her life and everything she owns, but if the eye itself is harmed with energy from a high level source, she will die¡­permanently.¡± Yuyui gulped. So¡­ she could ¡®die die¡¯ after all. ¡°I thought so,¡± Skullius said. This made a lot more sense. Hidden sses weren¡¯t divine or invincible after all, and he should know. ¡°And the rest? You wouldn¡¯t happen to know what they do or how to unlock them, would you?¡± ¡°Unfortunately no. I do not know what the rest do. That is for the host to know. All I do know is that each eye strengthens the host physically above the unique effects it gives. How to specifically acquire the eyes is also not for me to know.¡± Skullius nodded. It seemed there wouldn¡¯t be many surprises with Yuyui. Except perhaps her dying and reviving in the middle of the street, which was¡­ undesirable. Skullius was trying to make sure that he didn¡¯t screw himself over in arge city. ¡°Good then. What else is in this Temple? I find it hard to believe that all that is here is dead bodies and a few unimportant rooms,¡± Skullius said. There had to be more important stuff here. Before Yagrina could answer this time, Bassbion was the one to rain on Skullius¡¯ parade. ¡°You would love that, wouldn¡¯t you? Sadly, only the host can reach the inner parts of the Temple that hold our masters¡¯ treasures. And to do that, she has to awaken three of the Diverse Eyes. The test was THAT significant,¡± Bassbion said with a scoff. It all went back to the fact that Yuyui hadn¡¯tpleted the test. The lime haired girl shrunk once more, feeling disappointed in herself. It seemed everyone held expectations of her that she didn¡¯t have for herself. It was pressuring. ¡°That¡¯s alright. She will awaken them soon,¡± Skullius said as he grasped Yuyui¡¯s head. Yuyui was surprised. She turned to look at Skullius with a look of incredulity. Did he really mean that? Yagrina and Bassbion were surprised by Skullius¡¯ words, particrly Bassbion. ¡°Is that right? What makes you so sure?¡± the spirit asked with a frown. Skullius smirked. ¡°You see, I¡¯m a cursed man, burdened with misfortune. However, a certain me told me that a part of me counters all that misery to redeem me sometimes. It¡¯s rare for something I want to fall in myp, but when it does¡­¡¯ Skullius said with a grin, ¡®¡­I make the most of it. Besides, I can¡¯t have someone weaker than my Apostles who are working their pelvises off burdening me. Fashioning this thing into something worth keeping is inevitable.¡± The thing in question was indeed Yuyui. The lime haired woman¡¯s eyes opened wide. She felt a strange feeling. A sharp throb sprang from her heart. It was something she hadn¡¯t heard or felt in a long time ¨C a slice of faith without judgement¡­ing from the same person who had made her his ve. In the past day and a half, Yuyui had yet to fully understand Skullius and the same was true for the Hybrid Luman as well. But in this moment, putting aside Skullius¡¯ responses to her whining for food, Yuyui felt that perhaps Skullius intended for Yuyui to be more than just a ve. He had said it before but how could she have fully taken in all he said when she was just yearning for freedom. Bassbion felt a semnce of guilty from what Skullius said. Now she looked like the bad guy instead of this vile man! Skullius stood up with a sigh. He had attained the part of the answers he wanted from here. So much for those material gains he was expecting though. ¡°If that¡¯s all there is, then I¡¯ll be leaving,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Wait,¡± Yagrina hurriedly stopped Skullius. ¡°What is it?¡± Skullius asked. ¡°I first sensed some time ago, but I feel that we are in a different space since you left. Where are we?¡± ¡°Oh. About that¡­.¡± Skullius said casually, ¡°¡­we¡¯re in a small world of mine. Hmm. I guess I should finally give it a name.¡± Yagrina and Bassbion were puzzled by what Skullius said but he didn¡¯t shed more light, instead focusing on the name to give which came to him rather quickly, considering¡­ ¡°Ah, symbolism is more important, I guess. Fortune works well,¡± Skullius said. This world which he had won from a tough battle back then was certainly turning out to be a bright way forward, against the atrocious luck and misery. It was fitting. Chapter 442 Finally, Genhuis City! 442 Finally, Genhuis City! ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± a sophisticatedugh echoed within the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m sure this visit to one of the biggest cities in the nation will be absolutely ster, ahaha!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, mdy. I never thought I¡¯d get to see so many people flooding into the city at one time. The event we are in for this time will likely be most memorable.¡± ¡°Ahahaha! You don¡¯t have to tell me twice. It¡¯s unusual for one of the six Houses to make a move like this. Do you reckon it¡¯s in response to the tension regarding the Royal family¡¯s decision to ally with the Sif?¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯d say that¡¯s reasonable. Or perhaps it is a way to quell the rising tension with a good show.¡± At the gate to Genhuis City, nine queues could be seen, all with people impatiently waiting to enter into the enormous settlement that was hidden behind giant walls that seemed to have been built yesterday! They had a dull brass colour with hints of gold on them, something that would keep bumpkins who were new to travelling outside the smallermunities out there, staring in awe. The wall rose up to ny meters with a width of almost sixty meters, patrol camps and sturdy towers steadily perked on top of it with several Knights standing aloof and looking down from them. Getting pass this wall, even at a micro legal level was no easy feat, but for these past few days, the security was a bit lenient. House EverSword had stressed that they wanted as many people as possible to get a chance to participate and even more people to get to spectate. That said however, everyone, regardless of status had to wait in line first, each one having a designated purpose and demographic that made it. The first two lines, if one looked from the gate, were reserved for very important figures whose rank outshone nobility like individuals from renown Families. There weren¡¯t that many of these ORIGINALLY, but in this case, given the context and in terms of the initial announcement given by House EverSword, quite a bit of them have shown up as it was merely three days before the beginning of the event. The next two lines wereprised of nobility and important benefactors. Nobles in this world were not among the Families or Houses. They were more like small groups ordained by either High official Capital Service members like Governors or by the Heads of Families to run the micro aspects of apportioned areas. They were essentially delegated parties lifted in name as a result. In truth, Pelian was sorge that all the current Families and Houses could not im all thend and resources to leave nothing behind, especially when considering the PHENOMENON that stopped the progression of all living things for several millennia after the Second Grand War. This ensured thatnd apportionment and developmentgged so much that it barely seemed like time passed between the ages. The nobles helped to cover for therge burden that still existed, their purpose being integral to the workings of Pelian. The rest of the lines were reserved for the general majority and overseeing the swift movement and vetting were the top notch Capital Service Knights of the City who were adorned in gold and silver armours, white capes draping behind them. Each held a formal and serious temperament that demanded to be taken seriously and with at least six present along every line, there was no room for disorder ormotion. Between the lines were spaces for people exiting the city or those who were deemed ineligible for entry due to various reasons, thus smooth flow of all activity was permitted. ¡°Hey, I heard that the venue for the event hasn¡¯t been disclosed yet. Does this mean that the Maul Dome isn¡¯t where this thing is happening?¡± ¡°Hmm. Where else would they hold such arge scale event? We¡¯re taking almost all of the Families in Pelian gathering here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess we¡¯ll find out.¡± ¡°Ay. Who do you think we¡¯ll see in the event? Some prestigious Families who have been in hiding, new ones?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s both. I¡¯m sure everyone wants to get into the EverSword House. Ah¡­ I wish I had been read to be a fighter. I probably would have been a good one. . Direction can be so cruel.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably not true considering you¡¯re a damn good carpenter.¡± ¡°¡­yeah.¡± ¡°Ah, excuse me. If you don¡¯t mind my asking, why does it seem like the City is a little bright from here?¡± At this moment, a scrawny man who looked to be in his sixties asked this random group of chatting young men. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know?¡± one of them asked. ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s always best to see for yourself when you enter the city, hehe.¡± Hourster. ¡°Hello, good sir. May I have your full name please,¡± a pretty woman who sat on avish desk at the massive gate asked with a smile. There were up to six of these desks with formally dressed Capital Service representatives who admitted people in after asking some questions and taking payment where necessary. Two Knights were stationed by each desk, protectively standing guard and monitoring all movements. ¡°Festos Dawn,¡± came the reply from a man who donned a simple yet fashionable white shirt and dark pants. His nk eyes locked against those of one of the Knights at the desk, a strange brewing of tension urring for a second. The woman nodded,pletely oblivious to this as she scribbled down in her book rapidly and turned to the man¡¯s side. ¡°Is she with you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the man replied with a rather ufortable smile while giving a quick stab to the lime haired girl at his side¡¯s ribs with his elbow. The girl winced and wore a smile, tearing herself from the stupor she had been in. Her lime hair was a bit ruffled up, showing that her journey here hadn¡¯t been¡­ conventional. ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± she randomly said as she focused on the woman at the desk. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Yuyui Yuyui Yuyui.¡± ¡°What?¡± the woman at the desk asked quizzically. ¡°First name Yuyui, second name Yuyui, surname Yuyui.¡± ¡°R..right¡­¡± the woman said as she noted down, the Knights at her side looking closely at Yuyui before looking at each other. The woman then turned back to the man who was Skullius and asked, ¡°Are you a permanent resident of Genhuis or is this a visit?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a visit.¡± ¡°Have you been here before?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you have any forma¡ª¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Skullius cut off the woman, ¡®¡­I have this.¡± Skullius said as he pulled out a fist sized red and blue disk with an insignia branded onto it. The moment the woman at the desk saw it, her visage shifted from portraying general politeness to showing a look of understanding. ¡°I see. You are the one from the Bryne Family. Someone is already waiting you,¡± the woman said as she turned to one of the Knights at her side, giving him a message. The Knight turned, walking into the gate almost ten meters behind the desk before returning five minutester with a tall but thin man who wore a pair of ck rimmed sses. He had light grey hair and an anchor style beard that matched the shape of his face well, his demeanour with his hands behind his back showing respect. The man reached Skullius, his eyes fixated on the disk Skullius had as he then gave a nod of acknowledgement, though drops of sweat trickled from his brow. He felt ufortable about something. ¡°Master Festos, it¡¯s good to see you in person. Please,e with me,¡± the man said a barely noticeable tremble that was quickly hidden by his training. Skullius expressed mild surprise as he and Yuyui who was not sure what was going on followed the man, slowly approaching the vast opening to the city. ¡°My name is Daggs. I am an attendant in the Bryne Family household. I will escort be escorting you to the Family¡¯s residence in the city,¡± the man exined. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Skullius said. ¡°Let me guess, Silrat told you toe here didn¡¯t he?¡± Daggs smiled awkwardly. He had been tasked with waiting for Skullius at the gate for the entire day. ¡°Yes, Master Silrat did say so. He said you have habit of arriving at thest minute.¡± Skullius chuckled at this. He and Silrat were starting to understand each other pretty well. Chapter 443 Dont Flesh Up So Soon! 443 Don''t Flesh Up So Soon! It had taken a while for Skullius to reach the front of the line. He and Yuyui had had to wait for roughly four hours, which in truth was quite fast considering how long the queue was. Arriving here this quickly could only be attributed to Skullius sprinting the rest of the distance from where he had been. What a sprint it was. Yuyui could barely believe the speed Skullius was moving at as even seeing the view of her surroundings during the speed run was impossible for her. The service at the gateway into Genhuis City was pretty efficient, a feature Skullius noted to be a sign of how different this city was. A sense of deja vu smote him as he stood in line, making him think of the first time he had reached Inhone City. It was just a little while ago, the circumstances he had been in being vastly different that time. Sigh, harder times. Standing in the line that fed into the small city back then while eavesdropping on conversations happening all around him had been his pass time and the same applied in this situation. Though Skullius¡¯ natural sight was missing, he could pretty much ¡®see¡¯ everything through his extraordinary senses though with a lot of deficiency when it came to detail. Skullius had thought of using [Basic Evil Sanction] to collect information from some of the individuals blurting out pinches of detail that he needed but the Knights standing guard had discouraged him. These Knights were different from the ones he was used to. They had a certain air about them that was¡­ dangerous. If Skullius had to guess, some of these guys were the Capital Order Knights that Bek had talked about, their strength greater than that of ordinary Knights. Given the fact that [Basic Evil Sanction] was a Special skill, he doubted its activation would go unnoticed. Therefore, Skullius continued eavesdropping while making sure Yuyui didn¡¯t get into trouble. For some reason, he just got the feeling that it was necessary to keep a close eye on her. To ensure that he didn¡¯t look suspicious, Skullius had worn an ordinary get up, the design sponsored by the first set of his armour, the Casual VergeRider which could morph into any type of clothing he desired so long as it was¡­ casual. The thickets of snow nketing over the ground as well as the visible white breaths leaking from everyone around, disyed that the cold was ever strong here as well. However, many people within the queues did not wear overly warm clothes as most of natives to this region were not afraid of the cold. It was a staple of their home, after all. Skullius decided to dress casually as well to blend in. Yuyui was covered as she didn¡¯t look anything but ordinary with her oversized clothes. Now, as Skullius chuckled at the prospect of seeing Silrat¡¯s face when he noticed how different Skullius was, he felt something strange. He, Yuyui and Daggs were approaching the entrance to the city, a wide gap where people were entering and exiting freely. But¡­ Skullius stopped. He frowned. Daggs stopped to turn to Skullius, Yuyui instantlying to a halt as she dashed over to her master while clinging to his arm. She knew to trust her master when it came to noticing things that many others wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Master Festos¡­?¡± Daggs said with concern¡­ and apprehension. ¡°Daggs¡­ what¡¯s going on? What¡¯s this¡­ presence over the city?¡± Skullius asked while turning his white eyes to the man sharply. He could feel an unusual¡­ pressure that lightly bore down on the city, starting from just a meter ahead of him. Daggs¡¯ eyes narrowed for a moment. So far, his impression of Skullius was turning out to not be as Silrat said at all. The question that Skullius posed served to make him consider two things. ¡®Is he truly blind?¡¯ was the first thing he thought and then¡­ ¡®Strange. I thought only powerful individuals could sense the pressing effect of the Daylight Dominion? It¡¯s only possible to see the sun once you enter the bounds of the city too so¡­?¡¯ Anyone entering Genhuis City for the first time would notice the odd brightesting from above and not the pressure this object bore down unless they could interpret the weavings of the make to some degree. So Skullius¡­ These thoughts haunted Daggs only for a brief moment, with his enquiry over whether Skullius was blind or otherwise stemming from the simple fact that his eyes looked strange ¨C white with a nk feel to them. There was proving to already be that much mystery behind this man, even more than Silrat summarised. Unfortunately, in response to Skullius¡¯ question¡­ ¡°Please forgive me, Master Festos. Master Silrat warned me about your¡­ condition. I cannot provide you answers myself. However, in anticipation of what you might want to know¡­¡± Daggs said as he reached into the breast pocket of the suit he wore and pulled out a piece of paper folded immactely, handing it to Yuyui instead of Skullius. ¡°Master Silrat wrote down the basics of what you need to know immediately after entering the city.¡± Yuyui grasped the paper before looking to Skullius who shook his head with a subdued smile. ¡°I see,¡± he said but refused to move before having this sensation exined to him. ¡°Yuyui, read it,¡± Skullius instructed to which the lime haired girl promptly went began doing so. ¡± ¡®I¡¯m sure you have been developing ways to get around your curse during your short journey. Well, I have been too. Filling you in on this information could have been done when we meet but unlike in Inhone, we can¡¯t afford to be careless here¡­''¡± Yuyui read. ¡± ¡®Festos, the sun you see above the city is a surveince technique of the City Guardian of Genhuis City, Daylight Dominion. Everything the light touches in the city is ryed to him, so make sure you do nothing to attract attention. Additionally, if you look around, there are seven tall towers scattered around the city. They belong to seven powerful Diviners who constantly monitor the situation within the city as well, so once again¡­ I stress, don¡¯t do anything funny.''¡± ¡± ¡®As if that isn¡¯t enough, arge power should be visible to the East of the city from the gate. The one that looks like it is made of diamonds. That¡¯s the Academy. The ce where special individuals are trained, in particr, Mages. These guys are not like Terian. They are incredibly dangerous. Keep to yourself until you and Daggs reach the residence. And for the love of Quintess make sure he doesn¡¯t die.''¡± That was it. Skullius hummed as he swallowed up all this information. There was a sun above the city and it was someone¡¯s technique, huh? Seven Diviners and an Academy with powerful Mages? ¡®It seems like Frock wasn¡¯t wrong. Inparison to this, Inhone might as well be a temte of the real deal. Ah, I miss that sockethole,¡¯ Skullius thought. As he was lost in his sentiments for a brief period, a set of heavy footsteps came from behind the three, approaching them. ¡°Is there a problem here? Please move out the way, you arepromising the order we set up.¡± A Knight decked in a slim silver and gold armour spoke. It was a woman. Vibrant waves of energy swam around her, leaking from her topel the three to move. ¡°There are no problems, Lady Knight, we will be moving along,¡± Daggs said respectfully. ¡°Master Festos?¡± Skullius nodded as he took a step forward. ¡®This is just surveince, right? So it shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡¯ he thought as he entered the bounds of the city. The moment he and Yuyui entered, Skullius grit his teeth lightly, Yuyui looking up as she was prompted to by a soft light in the air. ¡°Woooow¡­¡± the lime haired girl marvelled as she understood what she had been reading now. The sun. It was less ring than she thought. Outside of the bit of light it produced, it was more like a nicely painted image on a canvas. A smaller sun giving a light peach coloured heat and hardly any heat. It was magnificent. Skullius, unlike Yuyui felt the pressure from the sun a bit more clearer. This was definitely a high level technique. It was profound. He truly felt like he was being watched. Chapter 444 The Full View 444 The Full View The innards of Genhuis City were spectacr. The city was sorge that the entry and exit activity at the gate didn¡¯t feel as crowded or stifling as one would see from small cities despite the rough poption of this city being, at an estimate, close to sixty million. Disorderly arrangements of hawkers and merchants at the front of the city were not evident. The Capital Service made sure that distinguished guests wouldn¡¯t have to be met with that when first entering into the city. Neat streets paved well with stonework and concrete could be seen branching into the systematic districts, yet their beauty was masked by the snow. Everywhere one went, there wasn¡¯t a shack where some hooligan made a base of operations but a formal shop or cabin at the very least where one would sell their wares, the ones one would see here being some of the more renown stores. Among the low built stretches of buildings,rger ones could be seen standing out in different locations all the way up to the very centre of the city a vast distance away where one could see a massive mansion. This belonged to the Governor, along with the caterednds around it. Yuyui, unlike Skullius who couldn¡¯t see anything, was witnessing everything that Silrat had written with vibrantly glowing eyes. ¡°Master! There¡¯s the seven towers that this rat person you keep talking about wrote! Oh and the other tower¡­ wooow it¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Yuyui said with a cheer while also gazing up. The sun¡­ She finally saw it! The seven towers she saw were tall but very lean, evidently not made for the habitation of multiple people. They were scattered about, their positioning being strategic as they covered equal portions of the settlement. Seemingly ordinary bricks and blocks made them, giving a mundane visage to their look but no one actually believed such a face value analysis. As for the building Silrat said was the Academy¡­. It was indeed quite beautiful. It stood out, to say the least. Its girth was perplexing. The shiny exterior which looked like it was made up of shield like pieces of diamond that sparkled in the light with a silvery blue hue, was more than enticing, causing a strange glittery effect that attracted people¡¯s eyes. The shape of the tower in its almost 300 meter ascent was like that of a screw, woven up on its mass from a broad base as it went, up to the sharp peak. Unfortunately, Skullius couldn¡¯t see all this. While his sensory range had vastly increased, it couldn¡¯t cover much of this vast city, not that he had expected it to in the first ce. Right now, to ensure that he was aware of everything happening in his immediate surroundings, Skullius was using a skill he developed using his Inner and Outer Domains as a temte. Actually ¡®developed¡¯ would be an overstatement as the skill only came into existence after Skullius used the repetition card unconsciously. This skill was called [Koten Machi]. Just like with most of his cases of repetition, a skill was formed, though unnamed, as was the case with [Perfect Night Domain] and [Bead of Malevolence] when he first attained them. Skullius had to name the skill himself, which he did by borrowing the words meaning ¡®near¡¯ and ¡®far¡¯ from a local dialect he had learned from one of the bandits he met. He had taken a liking to it. ¡®Koten¡¯ was near and ¡®Machi¡¯ was far. The skill description also made sure these ranges were specified as Koten was Skullius¡¯ absolute zone of sense, maintained at a radius fifty meters while Machi was a whooping mile. What was unique about this skill was that it forcefully incorporated [Elevated Mana Maniption] into Koten to ensure that Skullius could pick up on anything and everything. Still, all this didn¡¯t measure up to having sight when in this specific circumstance and Skullius was not sure using [Crude World Projection] was a good idea. ¡°If I may, Master Festos. Are you perhaps¡­ blind?¡± Daggs finally decided to throw out the question he had been meaning to ask since he retrieved Skullius from the gate. The Hybrid Luman turned to him. ¡°Yes I am. But don¡¯t worry, bro. I¡¯m aware of my surroundings,¡± Skullius replied. ¡°Yes! Master might be blind, but he can see everything! He even notices things right before they happen!¡± Yuyui said excitedly while bouncing up and down like a child. One had to wonder¡­ How old was she before the Temple fiasco? ¡®Master?¡¯ Daggs wondered. What was the rtionship between these two? Also, was Yuyui implying that Skullius was precognition? Yuyui wasn¡¯t lying. Even if she was quite lost in the times, she could tell when some things were¡­unnatural. Skullius often noticed a lot of things. Too many things. While fighting some of the bandits, it almost seemed like he had precognitive abilities at times because of the way he fought. Or perhaps he was just fast? Yuyui didn¡¯t know exactly but she knew it was weird. The answer though, was¡­ ~~~ [Beyond the Hype | None ] -Passive- Every aspect of the user¡¯s being naturally processes all information fed into it at twice the normal capacity. -Active- When the user is excessively excited, the will be supercharged, producing an artificial form of adrenaline that allows the user to process information with every aspect of their being at fifteen times their current capacity. Mana Requirements: ¡ª Duration: ¡ª Cooldown: ¡ª ~~~ The skill, [HYPED] which forcibly evolved after being funnelled with energy by the [Luminant Seed], was responsible for this. ¡°I see,¡± Daggs said as he sweat lightly. This was one of thebatants hired and signed into the Family for the Premium Age Royale. So far, all he knew was that he was freakishly sensitive and¡­ he was blind! Why was he blind just three days before the event began?! The attendant breathed out the frustration he felt inside and nodded. He didn¡¯t have anything else to say or ask lest he get a heart attack from it. The feud within the Bryne Family was going to get even more monstrous. The three passed through various corners and streets of the city, Yuyui enjoying the abundant sights that she hadn¡¯t gotten to see in centuries. Things had changed quite a bit. Time waited for no man, they said and for a brief moment, the woman felt a bit disheartened to know that while she was trapped, no one cared. Everything and everyone moved on as if she never existed in the first ce. The sorrow bore down on her as she silently bit on her lips, but when she looked at Skullius, remembering what he had dered to Bassbion¡­ ¡®I¡¯m someone¡¯s convenient solution,¡¯ Yuyui thought. As Skullius had put it, he had found her right when he needed her. She had purpose. She was needed. A smile bloomed on her face once more. A rather lengthy walkter, characterised by lots of turning, bumping into strangers and grabbing Yuyui before she could assault food stalls, the three finally reached an area less popted by the majority. Only those with ss could be seen, carriages moving up and down a clean street decorated withrge houses and fountains. It was like a district for the wealthy. When sensing the many carriages going in and out, Skullius couldn¡¯t help but wonder why he hadn¡¯t been received by carriage as well. He would have loved to explore the city, if that was the idea but it was of little use to skim through the surroundings when he couldn¡¯t see. It didn¡¯t take long for Daggs toe to a halt before a rather beautifulpound with a nicely cutwn and a expansive mansion within its bounds. Though there were many of these, they came in different shapes and sizes, brief distances between them to allow for some amount of privacy. ¡°We are here,¡± Daggs said with afortable sigh. That long, awkward journey was not pleasing at all. Fortunately, someone hurried to deliver him from the continued depressing presence he had had to ¡®enjoy¡¯. On one of the stone benches on thewn, a young girl who looked to be between ten and twelve years old rushed up to meet the three. ¡°Lady Terese,¡± Daggs gave a short bow to which the girl waved him off, her eyes remaining nted on Skullius and Yuyui. Suddenly, the girl broke into aughing fit while pointing at the two, much to their confusion. ¡°Hahahahaha! One of these two is big sister Sty¡¯s fighter?¡± she asked mockingly with a squeaky voice that stabbed Skullius the wrong way, more than even her words which showed a clear cutck of respect ever could. ¡°Big brother¡¯s fighter is waaaay better!¡± the girl said with a childish snort. Chapter 445 Luxuries, Templates and Gasps! 445 Luxuries, Temtes and Gasps! Terese found no reaction from the two whom she had knowingly provoked, much to her disappointment. She wore a funny frown as her lower lip made an upwards arc that caused the skin beneath it to get wrinkled up, her arms folding in annoyance. Skullius chuckled inwardly. ¡®This city will probably be dishing out socketholes for free. If it turns out that way, I won¡¯t have to worry about people dying left and right,¡¯ he thought. The figure of Terese kept its childishly upset visage while ring at Yuyui and Skullius begrudgingly. It was obvious from the girl¡¯s appearance that she was rted to Sty ¨C the uncanny resemnce they shared in their facial features barring the hair. Unlike Sty¡¯s firey hair, Terese¡¯s was ash blonde and tied into pigtails that entuated her young age pretty well. She donned a long blue dress that reached her knees, revealing her healthy limbs that spotted neither blemish nor bumps. One could tell from a single nce that she was a spoiled brat. Wishing to dispel the advent of an even worse atmosphere than the one he wasing from sinking in, Daggs hurriedly chipped in, whipping up some quick introductions. ¡°I present Lady Sty¡¯s younger sister, Lady Terese,¡± Daggs addressed with a bow to which Terese puffed up her t chest. Skullius nodded half respectfully while Yuyui awkwardly gave a clumsy curtsy, much to Terese¡¯s displeasure. Uncultured fools! ¡°I¡¯m sure you have already guessed but this is Master Festos and his¡­uhmm.. associate. He will be representing the Family as per his agreement with Lady Sty,¡± Daggs continued, pretending as if he wasn¡¯t once again drowning in a stale atmosphere. ¡°Hmph!¡± Terese harrumphed with a sharp look in her light blue eyes, her high nose, which was raised naturally depicting how she already didn¡¯t like Skullius. A grown man¡¯s first impression in front of a child was to entertain each sentence of what they said dammit! ¡°Festos, huh? That¡¯s a weird name. And you? What¡¯s your name?¡± Terese asked Yuyui after jabbing at the unresponsive Skullius. ¡°My name is Yuyui Yuyui Yuyui,¡± came the reply. ¡°What?¡± ¡°First name Yuyui, second name Yuyui, surname Yuyui,¡± Yuyui said proudly. ¡°¡­Right¡­¡± Terese gave a weirded out one worder. Before any more words could be spoken¡­ ¡°Lady Terese, is everyone here?¡± Daggs respectfully inquired. ¡°Hmm? No. Sister Sty went out and Mister Silrat and that midget went to the Guilds Association,¡± Terese replied. ¡°I see,¡± Daggs said. ¡°Allow me to take our guests inside.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Terese said. ¡°Carry on.¡± The girl finally gave up on this interaction as she returned to her bench. Daggs sighed and motioned for Skullius and Yuyui to follow him to the mansion. A fresh atmosphere could be smelt and felt, with a cooling effect that promoted a sense of ease. This line ofpounds and mansions were the residences of Families that lorded overnds within this region built by the Capital Service as a gesture to promote the continuation of a good rtionship. The Governor oversaw the entire region as a whole but it was owned and controlled by the Families within it after all. The rights and rules he had over thend were divided between him and the Families to a reasonable degree, more of the micromanaging of intrinsic affairsrgely being stripped from his grasp while the macro side was his own. These mansions andvishly bigpounds that bordered on estates, were to distinguish the Families from everyone else while they were in the city in cases of events such as the Premium Age Royale where extended lodging was required. Upon reaching the entrance to the mansion which was a four story building with a cross like design from an aerial view, the four guards at the entrance nodded in acknowledgement to Daggs, Skullius and Yuyui before one of them opened the double doors hiding the interior. The three¡¯s steps echoed in the quiet space that was spic and span, polished and shined floors, vases and chandeliers being what one would first see. Large windows that invited the natural light inpleted the beautiful aesthetic, making Yuyui marvel once more, the carpets and fancy furnitureplementing everything in a ssical manner. ¡°I will arrange for food and drink while you wait. Please take a seat,¡± Daggs said with a smile while his heart pounded. Having to ensure that he picked his words well each time was such a challenging affair. Not as challenging as the prospect of dying for being nice though. Skullius and Yuyui took their seats onvishlyfortable couches, with thetter smiling intensely at the idea of food and drink from this expensive looking household. What would it taste like?! While Yuyui was upied with these thoughts, the Hybrid Luman had begun dissecting what Terese had said, as it opened his mind to the idea that he wasn¡¯t fed the full detail about his participation. ¡®That girl said there¡¯s someone else signed into this Family other than me, right? So multiple participants really cane from the same Family, huh?¡¯ Skullius thought. It seemed there was going to be endlessparisons between him and this other person if something wasn¡¯t done about it. Soon, two women dressed in maid outfits came with trays of food. One wasid before Skullius on the table before him while another was ced before Yuyui. The maids promptly left after bowing respectfully. ¡®It feels weird to be treated like this,¡¯ Skullius thought. A bow? If he told the version of himself that had just been imprisoned after an interrogation with Dami that he was being bowed to and served food like this, that Skullius would probably call him a lying sockethole. On both his and Yuyui¡¯s tes wererge sulent pieces of roasted meat smothered in a piping hot cream coloured stew. On the side was a small bowl with mashed potatoes that gave off a lovely aroma, much to Yuyui¡¯s grin and Skullius¡¯ indifference as he didn¡¯t quite have the sense of smell yet. He didn¡¯t know why he couldn¡¯t have everything all at once. He wasn¡¯t a Discount Human anymore damn it! Yuyui started drooling intensely, her body seemingly about to dive into the te when Skullius grasped her shoulder. ¡°Behave. The food isn¡¯t going anywhere¡­¡± he said while releasing a presence that caused Yuyui to shudder. ¡°Yes master,¡± she said as she grabbed a fork on the side and started eating. Skullius didn¡¯t have much experience with cutlery and as weird as it was, he was forced to copy how Yuyui used the fork to eat. Eating while imprisoned and on the run was rather¡­ inconvenient and didn¡¯t support lessons on etiquette. Skullius stabbed the meat on the te and ced in his mouth, his teeth sinking into it. ¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± The Hybrid Luman sank into his seat while emitting a hum of pleasure. His eyes closed as he let the hot juices wash over his tongue, the favour contaminating the stale taste that was in his mouth before. This was fleshing delicious! Skullius almost felt the desire to apologise about looking down on flesh! Who knew it was this divine in the mouth?! Certainly not anyone from Deadmand! Yuyui at his side was already close to finishing the meat as well as the potatoes on the side. She enjoyed the taste but was more enthusiastic about filling her stomach. ¡°Master! Hmmm¡­ hmgnh¡­ this isf sfo goodm¡­hmmm¡­¡± Yuyui said as she stuffed her face, her words barely understandable. She grabbed therge ss of cider at the side of her te and chugged it down, Skullius following suit. The Hybrid Luman savoured the taste. Since he didn¡¯t have any point of reference it was hard topare but, his body reacted positively to this. This was the life. The two continued to eat, with Skullius almost calling the phrase ¡°Prator who?!¡± in his mind, yet he soon tore himself out of the bliss. He wasn¡¯t a glutton and he didn¡¯t even finish the food in his te. Eating was just an activity to drive away the side effects his cosmetic body would punish him with in the name of acting¡­ natural, after all. ¡®Right¡­ Since I¡¯ve reached Genhuis City, I should probably get my objectives straight. Besides going for that Aptitude whatever with Silrat, I¡¯ll need to register at the local Guild¡¯s Association. Wait, is it needed since I have an identification already? I¡¯ll have to ask,¡¯ Skullius thought while the sounds of a fork hit a te bore on his ear from the side. He would have loved to get it done today but the sun was looking to jump over the horizon in an hour or two. It was probably not a good idea to wander without anyone who knew the city. ¡®This time, I think it¡¯s more efficient if I raid Clusters as the Prator. My Luman body has experienced enough growth for now and I¡¯ve only ever needed it to hide from humans. Now I have a little more freedom. Level 4 shouldn¡¯t be too far if I hunt several blue Clusters and above¡­¡¯ His goal of levelling hard was about toe to fruition and he was looking forward to it. There were many things he was aiming for with his Prator mostly. For one, besides the levelling, he wanted to get a blue core for this form and while he was at it, see if he could get an affinity with Spatial Lightning. His Prator form was already proficient with Lightning¡­ kind of, so maybe¡­ ¡®There¡¯s nine days till [Bringer of All]es off cooldown. The Premium Age Royale will have begun by then sadly¡­¡¯ he thought. ¡®On top of this, I have to meet a Mage who can teach me more about the core and possibly how tobine skills. ¡®Radiance¡¯ should be something I have ess to without having to activate all those skills individually.¡¯ Fortunately, Sty had promised Skullius an opportunity to have some form of tutge with a Mage and that was his solution, provided nothing went wrong. Thest agenda on Skullius¡¯ list was the evolution of two particr skills of his that were nearly ready to experience the change. [Elevated Mana Maniption] and [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]. The former was the one he was most interested in. He could feel it. Unlike with its basic and advanced form, this skill was about to experience a truly qualitative change! He could only imagine what he would be able to do with it then. As Skullius was in the middle of stacking his thoughts, the double doors to the mansion were opened and two familiar figures¡­ two familiar mana signatures, registered in his Koten. A man with crushed ga coloured hair that reached his shoulders, satin grey eyes ced over an oval shaped face and an athletic build stepped in, followed by a shortdy with blonde hair tied into a fish tail, her dark eyes that mismatched against her hair turning to the figures of Skullius and Yuyui ahead on the couches. ¡°Ah. Look who it is. Late, as expec¡ª¡± Silrat who had worn a look of relief upon seeing Skullius, began when¡­ ¡­! Both he and Oliviana suddenly dashed back, their bodies burning with their respective Full Body Auras! What¡­ what was this monstrosity?! Chapter 446 Hybrid Troll ¡­! FWOOOSH! Both Silrat and Oliviana were suddenly put on edge by something that sprang out of nowhere! A menacing pressure, like a harsh mix between the chill from a mountain height and a swift shock from a spark of electricity sted against their bodies, flesh and bone quaking at its presence! All this came from before the two in a mad rush, temporarily turning their bodies from manual to autopilot! Was it¡­? Silrat was the one who had recognised Skullius despite the major differences in his appearance all because he had been heavily anticipating his arrival today. His statement which was cut short was the one that alerted Oliviana by his side that this was Skullius but then¡­ Their defences had been triggered by this vicious and terrifying presence that threatened to devour them whole! The billowing of their power as it was rapidly increased by the activation of their Auras caused a change in the air that was picked up on by the guards at the door! The armoured men rushed into the mansion as well, only to back away as they felt an immense sense of threat! What¡­ what was this?! How could one feel as if their armour was frozen from a terrible cold, yet at the same time worn out from an unreal source of heat?! One of the four trembled as he looked to the source of the threat which was sitting on the couchfortably, unable to even draw the sword at his side! Everyone turned stiff, much to Skullius¡¯ delight. Of course¡­ it was all the doing of the Hybrid Luman. ¡°Haha,¡± Skulliusughed lightly, dispelling the deadly presence he had released just now. Yuyui who had been stealthily reaching for her master¡¯s left overs on the table was confused on what the tension was about. Everyone was looking constipated and ready to fight for their lives! What was wrong? Soon, the guards as well as Silrat and Oliviana felt the tense atmosphere which almost felt rock hard, lighten up with the Hybrid Luman¡¯s shortugh. ¡°The hell?!¡± Oliviana yelled with a sweaty, scrunched up face while Silrat breathed out and rubbed his temples. ¡°It was only six days¡­¡± the man mumbled, the words barely leaking from the gaps in his teeth. ¡°You were only gone for six damn days! What could have possibly happened?!¡± the former Guilds Association head bellowed at Skullius who smiled even more at this. ¡°A whole lot more than you can imagine,¡± the Insurgent Magnus said. ¡­ It took a bit of time for the guards to rx and even Daggs hade running after hearing themotion. He had wanted to avoid spending more time with Skullius than needed but that seemed impossible. Now, he was seated with Silrat, Oliviana, Skullius and his mule. The Hybrid Luman was narrating briefly what he had been through, but only the parts that he knew would freak Silrat out. ¡°YOU LOST YOUR MANA CORE TOO?!¡± Silrat shouted while shooting up from his seated position. ¡°Yeah, bro. It was insane. I mean, I don¡¯t know why that man was so intent on fighting me but¡­whoooo¡­ he was really strong. If I had been even more unlucky, I would have had my soul crushed¡­¡± Skullius said with a sigh of relief, ming everything that happened to him on Bek. Exining that a soul within his soul had temporarily taken over his body would have been¡­hard to digest for Silrat and everyone here after all. The former Branch Head didn¡¯t know just how much he was gambling with Skullius¡¯ existence as a whole, as he didn¡¯t know much about him. Skullius intended to feed him more details about his powers now that they were in it for the long haul together. Also given that he understood a bit more about the Tie of Exchange now from his conversation with Sause, he thought he might as well start trusting Silrat a bit more. For now however, he would troll. ¡°So¡­ how on earth are you¡­ What did you¡­¡± Silrat stammered with a pale face while Oliviana had on a look of disbelief. Daggs was speechless. In all honesty, he was quite pleased that Sty wasn¡¯t here to hear this, else she would keel over. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time. ¡°That¡¯s not even the thick of it, Silrat,¡± Skullius said while holding back a chuckle. ¡°On top of all this, I can¡¯t even see. I¡¯M BLIND!¡± Silrat pped his face as he sat back down. Sweat was practically flooding from his skin as he wondered how much was true and how much was obviously a joke. Skullius¡¯ eyes which were something he had been keen on asking about though, were white, which meant that this was one of the truths. Did this bastard not know how much he was risking?! He wasn¡¯t betting aimlessly! When he told Tulnas that he knew that he wasn¡¯t the only one who could recognise the value of individuals like Skullius, he had meant it. He could tell that this man was special and was gambling on him, but¡­ This game was growing more and more dangerous. He had some sleepless nights worrying over how Skullius had been doing while doing out there. He knew the man was a ma for trouble but he had entertained the idea of letting him explore whatever he wanted to. He didn¡¯t really have a choice. Now¡­ ¡°Rx, Silrat,¡± Skullius said with a smile. ¡°While I¡¯m not lying about all this stuff, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Fine? FINE?!¡± Silrat anxiously boomed. ¡°Festos, nothing you say reassures me that everything will be fine! You skimmed through the details of all that happened within this week and even after all that, you still haven¡¯t mentioned who this woman beside you is?!¡± Yuyui whom Silrat gestured to sat up straight with a nervous look. She had been silently listening to everything without making a sound while dreading bing the object of conversation. A lot of good that did. ¡°I know. There¡¯s no need to tell you everything right now, is there? Besides. I mean it when I say I¡¯m fine. As I am right now, I can ensure that what you¡¯re getting out of me is better than what you were going to get before. You and Sty that is¡­¡± Skullius said as he sipped on his cider, which was the only thing remaining of the food he had left.. ¡°Really? A few days ago, I¡¯m confident I could have smashed you into the ground before you could use all those weird skills you have but now, you feel like apletely different person. Even if you tell us to calm down, we still need to know the truth. No one just¡­ changes like that,¡± Oliviana chipped in a sharp look on her face. Just based on that terrifying presence that Skullius had released earlier, she was sure that he was more than what he was letting on. Skullius folded his hands and considered Oliviana¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess,¡± he said. ¡°Well, I suppose I could tell you two fundamental changes I went through. For one, yes I did lose my mana core but I forged a better one in the past few days. Also, I managed toplete my Trial and break into the Advancement Stage¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Oliviana and Silrat were lost for words. Say what now? ¡°Let me get this straight¡­¡± Silrat said while clutching the bridge of his nose. He needed a bit more rification on this. Were he just an ordinary man, what he had heard in just the past couple of minutes was enough to give him heart attack but this¡­ this would reanimate him long enough to inquire what the actual flesh was going on! ¡°Your core was destroyed in these six days and you reforged it within this same stretch of time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Skullius confirmed. ¡°And also, during this same amount of days, you managed to finish a Trial?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Oliviana shook her head and stood. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m going to grab some ale. I can¡¯t deal with this while my mind is sober,¡± she said as headed off, Daggs attempting to escape by saying he would grab her the ale but she refused. Silrat sighed. ¡°Alright, alright. This is a good thing¡­ this is good thing¡­ this is a good thing¡­¡± he said to himself as he took deep breaths. He was ready for a long journey ofmitment until Skullius reached his full potential but sheeesh¡­ Skullius wanted to add that he now had a blue core as well but¡­ that was enough surprises for one day. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this out for now. Who is this girl?¡± Silrat asked while gazing at Yuyui. Skullius turned to Yuyui who nervously cleared her throat, getting the hint to introduce herself. ¡°My name is Yuyui Yuyui Yuyui,¡± she said. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°First name Yuyui, second na¡ª¡± ¡°Her name is Yuyui,¡± Skullius cut in bluntly, growing tired of this girl¡¯s signature introduction. ¡°I found her in a certain temple. I¡¯ll show you soon.¡± ¡°Really? Does she know about your¡­situation?¡±Silrat asked with concern. ¡°Oh yes she does. In fact¡­¡± Skullius said before raising his hand as he made a chopping gesture which instantly alerted Yuyui to the danger! ¡°NOOOO, DON¡¯T KILL ME LIKE THAT AGAIN, MASTER!¡± the poor girl screamed as she guarded her face with her hands. Skullius chuckled while retracting his hand. A demonstration would probably clear up why he was with Yuyui but given where they were, it would be inconvenient. ¡°Kill you?¡± Silrat asked with a puzzled expression but Skullius waved him off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ll understand it all soon,¡± Skullius said as he leaned in closer. ¡°Right, I was going to ask Sty but I should probably run this through you first. How soon can I gain ess to the weapons and treasures she talked about?¡± Chapter 447 Familial Conflict, Gullible Mule Silrat was a bit taken aback by this request. Already going for the weapons and treasure cache? Skullius did have a kind of interest in weaponry that he vaguely portrayed at times but it didn¡¯t seem like a form of greed to own plenty of weapons. He himself barely used then, as far as Silrat knew. The former Branch Head could wager that there was something he didn¡¯t know but he couldn¡¯t pry as the Tie of Exchange he signed with Skullius didn¡¯t supportplete transparency. ¡°That¡¯s not hard to arrange but unfortunately, Sty probably won¡¯t be back until tomorrow. If you¡¯ve met her younger sister then you¡¯ll know that she quite¡­insufferable,¡± Silrat said with a sigh of hidden hatred. He was still releasing the tension from before on top of having to think about that brat. ¡°The brother on the other hand, probably won¡¯t take to you very well considering that there have been disputes between him and Sty.¡± ¡°Is it because they are shing on which representative is better?¡± Skullius asked while leaning back. ¡°Something like that. Sty neglected to mention in full that her Family is currently in a dire situation. The division in the household is¡­ dramatic. There¡¯s already a bitter fight about who should be entrusted with the Family and that¡­ is the root of it all,¡± Silrat said. ¡°One of the only rules known about the Premium Age Royale as of now is how each Family can have up to twenty representatives. If possible, the younger sister Terese would have employed her own fighter for some more friction.¡± The rule Silrat mentioned had been spread out by the messenger who had announced the Premium Age Royale two months ago. Skullius scratched his chin. ¡°What¡¯s causing this? Why are they fighting?¡± he asked. There had to be a deeper reason, right? ¡°Apparently, the Head of the Bryne Family, their father, is ill with an unknown ailment. As a result, managing the Family has been left to Sty and her brother and thus this result.¡± ¡°An unknown disease? Even a Healer or something can¡¯t cure it?¡± ¡°Yes, apparently multiple Healers from the Temple failed to dispel it. And I say dispel because some of these Healers imed it felt more like a curse. Now what¡¯s risen from this is the rumour that one of the rival Families might have hired some band of renown criminals to get the father cursed,¡± Silrat exined. ¡°A band of criminals?¡± Skullius muttered with a frown. ¡°I met quite a few groups of thieves and such on the way here. Why are so fleshing many of them?¡± ¡°Get used to it. Those low level thugs you met don¡¯t evenpare to the real deal. In these parts,panies of criminals aremon, somon that the Guilds Association has to work in tandem with the Capital Service to hunt them down.¡± ¡°Really? Then howe that wasn¡¯t the case in Inhone City? Clusters were the main problem, right? ¡°That¡¯s because Inhone is in an isted region, ces where the Royal Family has dered free from ownership by Houses and Families. The history behind it is a little convoluted so I¡¯ll spare you the details but¡­ the idea is there won¡¯t be many thieves when there¡¯s barely anyone rich to steal from. Besides no one can hire any of those guys in that dreadfully poor region,¡± Silrat said before changing the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s chuck that whole discussion aside, shall we? I need you to get ready for the Aptitude Evaluation Test tomorrow. People have already started doubting that you actually exist since you decided once again, on ast minute entry.¡± Skullius nodded with a smile as he then looked to Yuyui at his side who was fiddling with her fingers. Due to his ns, he began wondering if he should incorporate Yuyui into his ns so soon. She was a nonbatant with essentially no skills geared towards offence. He would have to groom her but only if she had a Talent for anything other than devouring the world as some kind of hidden boss. While thinking of this, he posed another question to Silrat when he thought of the word ¡®talent.¡¯ ¡°What differentiates a regr evaluation in the Guilds Association from this one? Are there additional benefits for me specifically that I should be aware of if I impress?¡± Silrat answered while standing up, depicting that he clearly had something else on his agenda. ¡°Well, there are certain privileges granted depending on the rank you attain after the assessment. I know what you¡¯re thinking. You probably want your freedom, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Skullius hummed in response, neither denying nor agreeing. The truth was from the vibe he was getting from Genhuis City, it was impossible to do anything with guaranteed privacy. ¡°You¡¯ll be allowed such if you get a high enough ranking in the assessment. For now, I have some issues to handle, but I¡¯ll fill you in on the whole detail tomorrow. In the meantime, Daggs here can arrange for you your living quarters,¡± Silrat said as he gave a sigh and walked out, going up the flight of stairs while rubbing his temples. This short discussion with Skullius had already done a number on him and Skullius found this infinitely amusing. ¡®A good enough evaluation, huh? That¡¯s interesting,¡¯ the Hybrid Luman thought. ¡°Please, follow me. I¡¯ll show you to your rooms,¡± Daggs said with a defeated wind from his lips. Skullius and Yuyui followed the poor man who was still sweating quite a bit, the three going through a long corridor, turning down multiple paths before reaching one of the bedrooms. It seemed strange to Skullius that this mansion wasrgely so empty. Were these the only people living here? A few guards, a few maids and this sorry guy? Really? Skullius wanted to probe but unfortunately, he would not receive an answer for obvious reasons. A scan of the entire mansion with Skullius¡¯ Machi had told him that indeed Sty and her brother were not here. Perhaps he would get to meet her tomorrow as he had to sate his curiosity over multiple things. ¡°This will be your room, Master Festos. I will apany your¡­guest to her own,¡± Daggs said. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Skullius said as he grabbed Yuyui¡¯s hand, pulling her over. ¡°I¡¯ll need her for the night.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Daggs froze. Need her for the night? Had he failed to get some hints about these two¡¯s rtionship? Could it be based on profanity or worse yet¡­ love?! These thoughts whirled in the poor attendant¡¯s mind only for a moment as he hurriedly nodded, bowed and rushed away. Skullius and Yuyui entered the room which was quite big. All things necessary for one to feelfortable here could be found. Arge bed with warm and fragrant sheets, a neat and wall and nice lighting from the ceiling, all this plus arge window to expose the view of the outside. It was perfect. Skullius breathed out in relief at the luxuries he could sense, sitting on the bed. Yuyui gawked at therge bed before diving onto it, her figure bouncing up and down while Skullius took out his ring. The sun was yet to set but there was evidently nothing left to do but rx. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t an option for Skullius. With how he had structured his growth n for the future, he might as well use all the free time he could afford. The WILLS of Fulgardt were helpful in this regard. The mind-set and niche way of thinking required to make a powerhouse out of himself quickly was something Skullius hadcked before. Now, he had opened a way towards it with the WILLS, the WILL OF CUNNING helping him understand the most efficient ways to use the resources and time at his disposal. And for now¡­ ¡®I¡¯m still yet to get aplete grasp on Distorted Gravity. Even if my mana contains the properties of it, and that of weight, I can¡¯t use any skills rting to that high level concept at all. I need [Epiphany] for this as well as¡­ a good sacrificialmb,¡¯ Skullius said while turning his head to Yuyui. The lime haired girl felt her master¡¯s piercing gaze and quickly turned, quitting her repeated bounce. ¡°Yuyui, how do you feel about acting as my human shield for at least two hours? It will be hard though. You¡¯ll probably be dying by getting zapped by lightning or squashed into the ground by Gravity¡­. buuuuut, it won¡¯t be so bad~,¡± Skullius said with ¡®kind¡¯ smile. Yuyui froze and shrunk back. She obviously didn¡¯t want to. Dying by lightning? That was too new! ¡°Uhmmm¡­I¡­¡± she stammered. ¡°If you do this, I¡¯ll take you out to eat for half a day in the city as a reward. How¡¯s that?¡± Skullius said to sweeten the deal. Though Yuyui was human, Skullius subconsciously started to soften up to her. He was used to being surrounded by Apostles whom he eventually grew appreciative of and the same was inevitable with Yuyui. Still though¡­ no one would ept something so ridiculous! Who would agree to dying an unknown number of times over hours?! That was insan- ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Yuyui instantly responded with a rarely seen look of seriousness. Chapter 448 A Prediction of Note! The depths of night finally shrouded the massive city whose mour didn¡¯t cease. At night, in the snow covered streets, the only change to ur was the bright lights that would create an epic spectacle in every street and corner, highlighting the images of moving people going about their business.r The second sun in the sky was nowhere to be seen as with theing of the night, its owner would give it much needed release, leaving the City underneath without light nor aerial surveince.r Yet, none dared to aimlessly start majormotions within the city as many factions¡­many powerful factions were on the lookout.r The caped Knights would be patrolling the streets, their presence garnering both order, a few nods of respect as well as the skittering ofmon thieves into dark, hidden spaces like rats.r The same was especially true for those who lived around the base of the massive tower that maintained its beauty even in the night.r Even regr people could feel the billowing waves of mana arching around it, as well as see the distinguished people going in and out of it.r No one caused trouble anywhere near this tower as the rapid response to any form of offense here was something that was impossible to escape.r Apart from this, the lean towers strategically ced around the city were also active, lights being seen at the tops to show that the people nesting here were very much alive and well.r And as one would have it, it was in one of these towers that a rather serious meeting was taking ce¡­or rather, it was about to.r A youngdy with curly red hair, adorned in a cloak to cover her appearance and status entered the inviting door before her with her head lowered.r As soon as her full figure passed through, the entrance behind her was closed as the individual who let her in gestured silently for her to sit on a bench pped against the wall.r The youngdy did so as she then looked ahead of her where the figure she was here to see took a seat on a small stool that seemed to want match the small room.r Cracks weremon on the walls, with the sounds of vermin chittering echoing behind them, cretins of different types and portions rushing about.r This wasn¡¯t the same for all the other rooms in these lean towers but only this one fit for the meeting taking ce at this moment.r ¡°I see you are relentless in your need to know the Direction designated to your Family. To think you would wait for me for a whole month¡­¡± the individual who sat on the stool, facing the youngdy said, ¡°¡­Is it desperation?¡±r ¡°Desperation, depravity, desire¡­ I don¡¯t care what you call it. If I wanted judgement I would visited the Temple and publicly disdained the teachings of the Deities. All I need are answers,¡± the young woman said with a hard expression.r ¡°. I see,¡± a hard cough escaped the mouth of the figure who sat before the woman ¨C an old man with what one would call strings of white hair falling from his head to massage his wrinkled forehead, his eyes shockingly still vibrant with a brown hue that told of naught apse in his sight at all.r ¡°Yet, Lady Sty¡­ do you know that there is a price for peering too deeply into the secrets of what lies beyond our eyes? Some prefer the mystery and surprise thates with not knowing¡­.Truthfully it causes one to try harder and chase after a dream with vigour. Do you not yearn for that feeling?¡±r Thedy, who was Sty, adjusted her sitting position, shuffling her legs under the cloak.r ¡°You would say this to me when you know that I¡¯m doing all this for my father? What adventure can I go about looking for when someone with the ability to evade even your eyes set their sights on my family, starting with my father? No one can cure it. No one even knows where to start¡­¡± Sty said with a bitter expression.r The old man scratched his cheek with a sigh.r That was indeed an odd situation.r Gosh it felt like his wise words were misced.r No! More like ill-timed!r Even his advanced Divinity caught nothing of this evasive individual who cursed the Head of the Bryne Family.r It was strange to him. Such a minor character¡­r Why waste the effort?r Why try so hard?r His thoughts were his own though as he continued to converse.r ¡°Your words are true. It is perhaps not the exciting kind of mystery¡­¡± he said.r ¡°It is not,¡± Sty shot with a huff. ¡°I tried turning myself into something I¡¯m not, confused on whether I would really have to lead the Family even with my limited potential in the Family Technique. I thought about¡­ participating in the Premium Age Royale as a representative of the Family but¡­¡±r ¡°That would be unwise. You and your brother were not blessed with enough talent for it. Your father may very well be thest one capable of exhibiting a great resonance with the Twin Contrast Technique,¡± the old man said. ¡°A shame. As a fourth child in the Family, to have to bear this after three of your own siblings deserted¡­ It must be hard¡­¡±r At the mention of this, Sty secretly gritted her teeth and took on a serious visage.r ¡°I came here to ask whether my representative has a chance. Winning¡­ however that is decided by the rules, is not what I¡¯m looking for. As long as his disy is enough to get us noticed by House EverSword¡­ that is enough for me. Maybe then¡­ with arge pir of the nation as support, I could help my father,¡± Sty said with an unshakeable resolve.r The old man wore a smile.r ¡°What of your brother? Have you no faith in him and his choice?¡±r ¡°Please answer my question,¡± Sty said with impatience, her soaring fury indicative of how she felt about her sibling.r ¡°Very well¡­¡± the old man said as he stretched out his hand. ¡°May I?¡±r Sty was already used to this. r Sheid her hand in the old man¡¯s and took a deep breath.r Divination was a special practise where one could look backwards and forwards in the trajectory of the string of events in the world.r With growth, using items that could aid in gaining a foothold of exactly what one wanted became unnecessary but looking to a future result was always challenging.r Still, the old man before Sty was a master at his craft.r He had been in Genhuis City for more than five decades as one of the Grand Diviners protecting the city, never once considered to be reced.r How Sty was even talking to an esteemed figure like this was not because of her own connections, but her ill father¡¯s and even with that, she had had to wait for a month before getting a second audience with the man.r The old man held Sty¡¯s hand gently, his focus immediately taking him far, whisking him into the trajectory of Direction ahead where he felt the calls of many paths.r Yet, as a veteran, the only man quickly reeled himself in, not sumbing to immense curiosity but to the task at hand.r His eyes closed as he twitched, soft trails of condensed mana leaking from him, wrapping around him and Sty in a magnificent fashion.r It was beautiful to behold and mesmerising to see all these lights and¡­r ¡­r The old man suddenly sucked in a deep breath and started to cough vehemently!r ¡­!r Sty was alerted as she hurriedly tried to ask what was wrong but¡­r The old man gripped her hand firmly, applying a tremendous amount of pressure.r ¡°I¡­ I see¡­I see¡­.!¡± the old man stammered as his eyes shot open, their colour now being foggy grey!r Sty hurriedly concentrated all her mana into her hand which was nearly crushed by the old man¡¯s sudden exertion of force on her!r He was seeing something!r What was it?r ¡°What do you see?!¡± Sty asked in a panic. ¡°Is there a chance?!¡±r The old man¡¯s face turned dark.r ¡°No¡­ not that! Not such triviality!¡± the old man bellowed. ¡°You.. Oh.. I see you and that man¡­oh Quintess! I see a¡­ a¡­ magisterial creature behind you¡­! A¡­a King¡­ is about to descend! I¡­I do not understand¡­ but¡­ it is a King¡­ one¡­ with no renown of this world! I see it! Through this man you have invited¡­ a¡­ a King will descend!¡±r Chapter 449 Certified Guinea Pig ¡°GYAAAAAAAAAAAA! Master! Master don¡¯t throw me like that! That¡¯s not safe! That¡¯s dangerous! I¡¯ll die again!¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of the point!¡± WHOOOSH! The figure of a terrified Yuyui rushed through the air but only for a few brief moments before smashing hard into the ground! On the top of the stout mountain, the Distorted Gravity would not allow such insolence. Who would dare rise into the air without copping a feel of the ground?! Preposterous! Yuyui grunted as the force pulled her harshly against the hard ground, dragging her deep as if to rein her in! At the same time when she fell with a such a force, one of the stone pirs around shot up into the air at a ridiculous speed, blowing off a shiver-inducing shockwave that could be mistaken for a harsh tremor! ¡®She didn¡¯t get sted by the lightning this time¡­¡¯ Skullius whose four sockets zed with a blue me said as he analysed what was beyond him.. He had flung Yuyui just now in order to analyse the effects of the high level concepts on this mountain on the Pinnacle uluthon, the lime haired girl of glutton legends. This was one of the many tests he had been carrying out with her as her being a meat shield was not necessary this far from the dome that housed the mysterious natural treasures he was after. Instead, Skullius wanted to aid his use of [Epiphany] with some visual aid on the effects of these concepts. It wouldn¡¯t exactly help much when he knew the damage they caused to him. He wanted to see a fleshy human bag get sniped by the effects for a better understanding. ¡®Strange¡­ I¡¯ve seen it before but¡­ what is that effect. Every time a powerful gravitational force applies on something, one of the pirs shoots into the sky¡­¡¯ Skullius thought. His skeletal body was hunched over to disallow the gravity from taking advantage of him so crudely, his finger scratching against his chin. ¡®Is it some kind of exchange? No, that doesn¡¯t make any fleshing sense. Why would the pirs go up then? Gah!¡¯ The depiction on the guidance field that showed Skullius to have an affinity with Distorted Gravity but without even a rank, was rather annoying for Skullius. It was worse when he realised that the affinity he had, the effect of his mana which he had worked hard for, was stuck on being regr Gravity without any special traits. Perhaps they were yet to manifest¡­? Who knew? Skullius trudged his way to Yuyui who remainedying t on her face. Transforming back into his Prator form now was harrowing as he could feel the sense of weakness that came with it. His Hybrid Luman body was so much stronger now and the roles were reversed in an unfunny manner. Also, although he had assimted the WILLS of Fulgardt in his soul, he found much of the effects subdued when he turned to his Prator form. Skullius pulled on Yuyui from the waist, adjusting the grip of both his hands to below her arms as he raised her up. Now, it seemed like she was a kid being held by a tall monster. Yuyui who had a bloody face and several fractures sighed in resignation as she looked into Skullius¡¯ sockets. ¡°You¡¯re even more cruel in this form, Master,¡± she said. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I was kind enough to offer you a reward in exchange for your sacrifices, wasn¡¯t I? It¡¯s a cheap price when you think about it,¡± Skullius responded, genuinely praising himself for his thoughtfulness. Yuyui rubbed her sore nose. ¡°Well yeah¡­but you seem to enjoy killing me. You never do that when you¡¯re in your handsome form.¡± Skullius paused for a bit. Handsome, huh? ¡°I do enjoy venting with a little violence. On you that is¡­ But look at the bright side. At least you get to die in a variety of ways and quickly get used to it.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s only good for you!¡± ¡°Well yeah, bro.¡± As mentioned before, Yuyui only had one gripe with Skullius. That was this monstrous form. After she had been captured by Ferex following her terrified sprint on seeing the Prator for the first time, she had slowly started to get used to it. Of course she didn¡¯t exactly believe the im Skullius kept pushing to her brain¡­ that HE WASN¡¯T AN UNDEAD, but with time, it seemed usible. It¡­ SEEMED usible. She wasn¡¯t fully used to seeing it yet as she much preferred the more human form that she took to be kinder. ¡°Nowe on, prepare for another throw,¡± Skullius said as he carried her like a nk. The lime haired girl sighed. Her master was fully taking advantage of the fact that she had powerful mind, supported by the Special skill she cultivated within the Temple, [Broken Mind]. It was one of the reasons she had managed to retain her sanity, asides from keeping herself busy with singing and tree eating of course. Once more, Yuyui was airborne, her body vited in a violent way. This time, a bolt of grey lightning darted from the sky and smashed into the poor girl, her figure turning bright before she vanished. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ Will there be any difference?¡¯ Skullius thought, his skill [Epiphany] passively taking in the information about the surroundings concepts. A short momentter, Yuyui appeared, dropping from the sky as she was pulled onto the ground violently! ¡°OOOWWWW!¡± she screamed on hernding, and started rolling around while holding the back of her head. ¡°Huh?!¡± Skullius was surprised to see her in one piece. He rushed to her through the weight of the world and picked her up, retreating with her to a less burdensome space. This was the first time Skullius had seen this. Every time he was smitten by Spatial lightning, he would be taken into the Stagnant Space for a time before being spat back into the world but either with intense burns or sharp fatal cuts, some that cleaved him in half. For Yuyui toe out unharmed this time when she had been ughtered multiple times by this phenomenon earlier¡­ ¡°You¡¯re alright?¡± Yuyui turned to Skullius with a half pouting expression, her eyes showing shadows of tears. ¡°No,¡± she replied. Skullius¡¯ sockets red. He didn¡¯t care for Yuyui¡¯s response right now as the fact of the matter was¡­ ¡®This is an interesting concept. It¡¯s more than just an element for offense or traps! Can it be used for¡­ transport?¡¯ Could it indeed. Chapter 450 Eccentric Is A Woman! A distance from the stout mountain where a Prator was having illuminating thoughts, a certainrge Limitless Body Null Demon Hound was standing on its two hind legs.r Its body, adjusted for this fiendish look as always, was taking in thick bursts of pure mana from the verdant forest, its feet submerged in the mud.r Over its Unliving Thread which formed a bulky mass over its skeletal structure, giving it a beefy visage, droplets of water could be seen. The humidity here was unreal.r On its abdomen a red pulsing light kept lighting up and dimming, as it kept up the continuous production of Unliving Thread, the current version of this which could only reinforce the Hound physically.r The Limitless Body Null Demon Hound had the capability to attain a new kind of Thread with every evolution but they all had a malleable nature to them by design.r Ferex was ying around with this, along with the abilities he learned from a certain race of beings that would have be a problem if left to grow and worse yet¡­r Escape their Cluster.r The Bookworms.r Unliving Thread spurned from the Hound¡¯s body, tangling and tying itself into uniform wisps that forged a book that was held within one of Ferex¡¯s hands.r This was the Innate Holder that Ferex had used abination of [Amorphous Sampling] and [GENIUS!] on in order to copy. The one belonging to the Bookworm known as Kotaman who used [Reinforcement Magic].r Even with all this said however, only a few spells from the actual holder were replicated as the powers that the Bookworm race were too unique.r Their continued existence could have triggered an evolution of Magecraft but sadly, that ship had sailed.r The spells that Ferex had managed to salvage were¡­r [Malleable Junk Cover], [Brutish Grunt¡¯s Gauntlet], [Firm Rage], [Boost] and [Edged Clunk].r Three of these spells, which were represented by arrays on the pages of the book, were armours while the rest were spells geared towards enhancing physical attributes like strength and toughness.r The convenience of using these was that there was no need to focus on casting, as the array produced the effect. Also, there was no cooldown or limited duration, as the only thing one needed to worry about was the supply of mana!r Using one would be spectacr but for Ferex, his aim was to create a body that wasn¡¯t so easily susceptible to damage. A body apart from his Hound form that was capable of steadily dealing damage as well. His upright form wasn¡¯t that different from his original form, which was disheartening.r His race was supposed to be innovative and clever but with only roughly nine days since his birth, the advent of these new ideas was quite slow.r The Hound wanted to be more useful and to be true to the name of his race.r And thus¡­r WHOOSH¡­r As mana coursed through his body, like stters of light over its bulk, miniature arrays started to appear over its body!r They appeared in the dozens at first, covering its limbs and then its torso, giving a harshly powerful reinforcement!r With enough mana, Ferex could create an unlimited number of arrays over his body, continuouslypounding something like the simple array [Boost] which granted him a 10% to all his stats on top of himself to give a theoretically limitless boost in power.r s, it wasn¡¯t that simple.r A level up was required as Ferex was yet to fully coordinate the resources and power needed to create something like that, but it was only a matter of time.r Despite the obstacles, despite its FLAW that demanded a RESET after each and every intense fight that Ferex was involved in, erasing all his skills and experiences in the process¡­ he would find a way.r The lit sockets of the creature turned to the distance.r A ¡®veteran¡¯ Apostle was working hard to ensure he remained relevant as well.r Well, Ferex was doing the same thing, hoping he would remain useful.r ***r ¡°This is not all your father can offer, is it? In my¡­ proud opinion, this is the epitome of tasteless junk masquerading as the ssy touch of a rich home,¡± a young looking woman with long navy blue hair said with an unimpressed gaze.r The twodies that sat on couches at both her sides, their hair also having varying shades of blue, merely nodded in agreement as their opinion was not required. Only concurrence was needed of them.r These twodies were donning long, white dresses with a turquoise blue coloured insignia of a sea horse-like symbol with white spots going through it. The addition of these glorified holes honestly gave it an appearance akin to fancy cheese but no one cared.r This pious dressing was in stark contrast to how the woman who had just spoken was dressed however, which was surprising.r ¡°I¡¯m sorry if the mansion doesn¡¯t meet your standards but we can¡¯t tear it down and build a new one when the city is already packed with visitors here for the event.¡±r Opposite the three women, sat a man with brown hair made into a quiff, his handsome face which had a generic, yet traditional masculine jawline, showing a fierce determination that refused to buckle under the weight of the status of this woman.r This man was the Governor¡¯s son and even if the woman before him, with all her sexual and intellectual charm, fought back against his authority, he wouldn¡¯t budge.r ¡°You¡¯re quite stubborn for someone who came here to advise against my participation in the Premium Age Royale. If you don¡¯t want me to participate, why don¡¯t you start by showing a little¡­ favouritism?¡± the woman with the navy blue hair said with an alluring smile, her body leaning in as she crossed her legs, which were barely hidden by the skirt she wore.r The man opposite her breathed out without allowing his gaze to wander. That would be¡­disastrous.r ¡°The Kinn Family is an important part of Pelian. If needed, I doubt it would truly be hard for your Family to be made into the seventh House. No other bloodline on the continent has the capability to continuously produce Energy Formers without fail. Your Family is essentially thergest producer of Healers in Aigas. So yes, your participation in a death game as the Head of the Family is not advised. There¡¯s too much risk.¡±r A smile crept on the woman¡¯s face.r Amusing.r ¡°What if it¡¯s the thrill of risk I want? Not from retarded bands of assassins that want to wipe out my entire line or from some horny fuck who wants me to birth a ¡®special¡¯ child for their Family. I want to taste something uniquely dangerous,¡± the woman said.r ¡°Why don¡¯t you challenge Aurolio Vnqi then? Isn¡¯t he the most powerful man you could ever fight at your level?¡± the young man asked with a brow raised, hints of frustration surfacing through his voice.r ¡°That¡¯s a different kind of risk,¡± the woman said with a bored sigh. ¡°A duel is too ordinary. That¡¯s why I look forward to fighting him in the Royale. ¡®Fight¡¯ is a bit much. Maybe I¡¯ll poke. I don¡¯t want to die after all.¡±r At that moment, a dog rushed into the room, leaping into this woman of repute¡¯s arms.r It had ck, silky fur andnky ears that dropped from the sides of its head. r Its tail wagged as it barked with joy at its master who patted its head but with far less enthusiasm.r The young man was distracted by the strange affection between the Head of the Kinn Family and her dog for a second before he asked once again¡­r ¡°So I cannot dissuade you from this?¡±r ¡°You cannot. Unless¡­¡± the woman said as her gaze then turned to the ceiling and the walls, ¡°¡­ you tear down the walls, that Quintess forsaken ceiling and rece it all with a wall of attractive, well endowed nude men instead. Yes, that would be entric enough. A better start to our discussion.¡±r Chapter 451 Unexpected Baggage The light of morning came with vigour, bing a re that annoyed the freak out of Yuyui who squinted.r Shey sprawled on the bed with a heavy sensation of weakness crippling her usually vibrant and energetic self.r ¡°Urghhh¡­¡± she moaned, feeling terrible through everything that made her up ¨C flesh, bone and a gaping gullet.r ¡°Good morning,¡± Skullius¡¯ voice drilled into her ear, giving her a sharp jolt of adrenaline that allowed her to heave herself from the bed.r ¡°I¡¯m up!¡± the lime haired girl yelled with a groggy face, the fatigue she was experiencing being ungodly to say the least.r She would never forget the rough eight hours of being used as a test subject for Skullius¡¯ experiments. She had passed out after a while and now, her being sprawled on the bed had probably been Skullius¡¯ doing.r While that could be seen as a sweet gesture, Yuyui saw it as no more than Skullius treating her like a undying pet.r Then again, she couldn¡¯t reallyin when that was what she signed up for.r ¡°Come on,¡± the figure of the Hybrid Luman said while donning his hood and leather/hide pants. ¡°I have an important test today and I think I¡¯m alreadyte.¡±r Yuyui sighed. r She was already dressed in her clothes which were also just as unkible (technically) as she was so they were good to go but¡­r As Skullius saw Yuyui yawning endlessly as she moved up with heavy steps, his brow twitched.r ¡°If you¡¯re that tired, you can stay here and sleep. I don¡¯t really need you there anyway,¡± the Hybrid Luman strangely said, turning his back to Yuyui who was zapped by his words, her cheeks puffing up as she felt emotion.r ¡°Wait!¡± the lime haired girl yelled.r Skullius stopped and turned wondering what she wanted.r ¡°What?¡±r ¡°Oh, uhmm¡­ since I¡¯m getting more time to sleep, can I sleep in Fortune?¡±r This request surprised Skullius, who frowned. r ¡°Why?¡±r ¡°Uhmm¡­ master, you promised me food today remember?¡±r A throbbing vein popped on Skullius¡¯ temple.r Seriously? He never said it had to be today!r He thought he was being charitable here but this undying food hole was thinking ahead¡­ in terms of food!r She wanted to stay on his person so that she could annoy him for something to it when she woke up!r Skullius breathed out a hot breath chock full negative emotions.r ¡°Fine,¡± he said as he whipped out the Elimparidis Stone Staff, zapped Yuyui into it and returned it into his spatial storage ring.r The Hybrid Luman then wordlessly shook his head before exiting the room and following the path he had been taken by Daggs yesterday back to the lounge.r Upon entering, he saw a short figure with pigtails being attended to by several maidservants who brushed her hair and served her biscuits while she sipped on a cup of tea.r Skullius¡¯ entry caused everyone to turn their heads, with the girl, Terese giving the Hybrid Luman an indifferent nce.r ¡°Finally decided to show up, have you?¡± Terese asked with a mocking tone.r Skullius wasn¡¯t provoked so easily, especially when he had employed a green haired parasite to do so unknowingly. He was on his way to cultivating the Super Dao of Anti-tolerance to Clich¨¦ Young Mistresses from Yuyui¡¯s nagging at this point.r He was growing invincible!r ¡°Did you need something?¡± Skullius asked.r Terese frowned deeply, her brows furrowing.r She pushed aside the maidservants tending to her hair and stood up.r ¡°Are you serious? I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± r ¡°For me? Why?¡±r Terese fumed at this.r This bastard was acting all casual when she had the patience to frustratingly wait around calmly for his ass?!r ¡°What else? Your evaluation, you idiot!¡± the girl yelled.r Skullius nodded in acknowledgement, an ¡®Ah, I see¡¯ expression written all over his face.r ¡°No one told me you would being with me. Why do you care?¡± he asked with a straight face.r A few minutes ago, Daggs had informed him that he needed to get to the Guilds Association as soon as possible but he hadn¡¯t mentioned this detail about a pigtailed piggy backing spectator.r In all truth, Skullius thought that this test would be taking ce earlier than this time.r If he hadn¡¯t bumped into the terrified attendant in the corridor, he wondered if he would mustered the courage toe tell him this at all!r Terese narrowed her eyes. r This guy wasn¡¯t easy to see through. He didn¡¯t respond the way she wanted. He behaved as if he was talking to a tree.r Terese clicked her tongue before indulging Skullius¡¯ question.r ¡°My sister chose you because she has faith in your¡­ talents, which may very well be extraordinary or because you were thest averagely talented fighter she could find beforeing to Genhuis City. Whichever it is, I want to see if there¡¯s any worth in entertaining you at all.¡±r ¡°Oh¡­¡± Skullius said as he rubbed his chin.r He hadn¡¯t thought about this quite as deeply as he thought but he was willing to wager that Sty didn¡¯t have any other choice.r Perhaps Silrat even slipped in a word for him to advance his own fortune, which was currently working wonders.r ¡°If you aren¡¯t at least half as strong as the man my older brother employed, I¡¯ll have you hanged,¡± Terese said with a fierce expression.r Given the reactions of the maidservants who were waiting quietly behind Terese, Skullius imagined that this little girl was serious.r A smile came up on his face as he said with rxed eyes, ¡°As you say.¡±r Using [Elevated Mana Maniption] to hide any leaks in his strength was working just as he wanted. r This was why Silrat and the others couldn¡¯t tell much about him aside from a vague¡­unease.r Terese scoffed and stomped back to her seat.r She had heard that this man was blind from Daggs which made her opinion of him plummet even more. r It wasn¡¯t that she was discriminant towards blind people but¡­r What a waste?r Why not use all the resources they had to just appeal to any of the Houses for help with their father¡¯s condition?r It was highly unlikely that even all their fortune was enough for this but¡­ what else could they do?r No organisation did things for free and those that were cheap didn¡¯t have the means to cure the curse.r Terese felt frustrated.r Their only hope seemed to be to invite strangers into the Family and hope they did well enough in the Premium Age Royale. Theck of powerful allies finally showed detriment for the Family.r Great!r Daggs walked into the room with an exaggerated smile, giving a light bow to Terese and a nod to Skullius.r ¡°Master Silrat will be waiting at the Guilds Association. I have been charged with escorting you there before noon. Please, let us make our way there,¡± the attendant said to which Skullius smiled.r He was starting to look forward to this.r Chapter 452 Wisp of Danger On The Road The ride was a bit bumpy, especially with the hired carriage. Since the custom Family carriages that had been brought to Genhuis City had been taken by Sty and her brother who were going about their individual business, Daggs had had to resort to finding a recement. One that was above a certain set of standards at least. Skullius was fine with it, but Terese¡­ She kept throwing a fit, cursing at Sty and her brother. The two guards in the carriage could only remain silent and wear serious expressions to mask the ufortable presence that this spoiled brat leaked with each and every one of the gripes she hurled at Daggs about the carriage. The poor man could only nod while epting that it was his fault. It was indeed his fault that he made do with what he could find for this trip to happen. It was his fault for trying his best to do a job he felt he wascking in. Yes, he was at fault. As an attendant, his duty was like that of a steward but morex. What he was doing currently wasn¡¯t his inherent job in the Family as managing the affairs of the house and those of the children of the Bryne Family, was the duty of a middle aged man whom they had left at the Bryne Family estate to tend to the bunch of pending matters. It was a sad experience to be underqualified for a post but luckily, there were two other attendants that were with Sty and her brother.r This alleviated Daggs¡¯ pain somewhat. Contrary to the attendant¡¯s pain, Skullius enjoyed the view outside. From what he could sense, it was quite lively out there, and as the carriage went on, he began to understand a bit more of the structure of this city. From the entrance onwards, only the most credible and visually pleasing buildings were erected to give a better first impression of the city, an illusion of aplete beauty being propounded. However, after a few hundreds meters of this, came a transition into the lesser, more unrefined districts that sprang from here, spreading their roots into the inconspicuous parts of the city, but they didn¡¯t taint the streets as much because of the patrolling Knights. Still, they remained atrge but hidden from main streets that would normally be treaded by important personages. Within Skullius¡¯ Koten which kept moving as the carriage barrelled on, many individuals with blue cores and strange energy signatures kept getting scanned, the Hybrid Luman testing the uniqueness of the different forms of mana, with some that seemed evolved from the same generic setup that most people had. Even as he felt the differences however, Skullius felt that his current level was far from adequate. His [Elevated Mana Maniption] wascking in giving him some of the more hidden details he desired. He really needed to evolve it into the next version of itself. When he did, everything of his would be drastically more powerful. He was sure. It was actually surprising how many people in this city had general presences rivalling those of the mercenaries from the Guilds Association in Inhone City. Most of them were probably lone wolves with a variety of reasons fo¡ª ¡­! Skullius suddenly jerked up from his rxed position in the carriage, his mana almost exploding out as he sensed¡­a threat. An incredibly dangerous presence suddenly peeked out from a certain man who was walking on the street thirteen meters away from the carriage! His slowly moving figure entered a small shop, bing masked by the passers-by but not to Skullius. This man¡­ Skullius, furrowed his brows as he condensed his Koten to get a better feel for this individual, his mind instinctively drawing out a memory of something he had been warned about by Sty. There were three individuals he had been told to be wary of in the Premium Age Royale. Even before all the other participants had been decided, the rules and venue for the Royale still unknown, there were rumours going on about these individuals participating in the event. One was known as the strongest. One known as the most dangerous. Thest known as the most unpredictable. Skullius was almost led to believe that the presence he had felt just now belonged to one of these three. However, that was too presumptuous. What were the odds? ¡®Whoever that man is¡­ I hope I¡¯ll get to meet him at least,¡¯ Skullius thought. It wasn¡¯t because of a hostile sentiment. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t do that so suddenly! You almost gave me a heart attack!¡± Terese who had been startled by Skullius¡¯ reaction yelled. The guards had also been prompted to high guard as they thought that something was wrong but it didn¡¯t seem that way. Skullius didn¡¯t pay Terese any mind. His focus was on the remnants of a dangerous air that slipped from his Koten as the carriage went on.r ¡­. Daggs, Skullius and Terese disembarked from the carriage along with the guards,ing to face the massive building with a very weing board on its face reading ¡®Genhuis Branch, Guilds Association¡¯. A reddish hue was stered over the building with white adorning the frames of every door and window in sight. Arge set of steps preceded the expansive doors to the building where hundreds of men and women decked in powerful armours were spat out or fed in. To Skullius, this was reminiscent of the Association Branch in Inhone, but this was much better as a fortress for mercenaries. It gave them more dignity and pride just from how magnificent the building was from the side. ¡®It feels a bit more intimidating,¡¯ Skullius remarked. Daggs led the way in, a colossal space being exposed, its size as ifpensating for a possible Giants¡¯ visit. A clean shiny floor in a pale yellow colour and white walls in the foyer, which was the mostmon ce in the Association could be discerned, civilised mour sounding from all around as hundreds of mercenaries went about their business. At the very end of this foyer was a wall made of something akin to light wood, behind it dozens of men and women who sat on desks tending on the mercenaries on this side with all their enquiries and requests. There were organised queues where mercenaries received remuneration, where they handed in requests for dealing with various issues, formally known here as quests, and some that dealt with registration in general. ¡°Hmm?¡± Skullius hummed quizzically when he felt some coins in the pouch of one of the mercenaries. ¡°Is that¡­mana?¡± These coins emitted hints of mana like pixie dust and they were not exclusive to this man who chuckled to his friends as stored the coin pouch. Many people had them! ¡°You¡¯re still going to persist on beingte, Festos?¡± Silrat¡¯s voice came from the side, the former Branch Head of the Guilds Association walking towards the group with another man in tow. Skullius¡¯ attention was immediately drawn to this other individual but shockingly, when he tried to probe the man¡¯s mana core¡­ he was pushed back! ¡°Oh?¡± Skullius said while raising a brow. ¡°He¡¯s as curious as you said, Silrat. I wouldn¡¯t dream of letting my guard down in the presence of a Mage,¡± the man said with a smile under his moustache. Chapter 453 Evaluation Officers The man walking with Silrat had quickly drawn Skullius'' attention. Being resisted like that wasn''t something that had happened to the Hybrid Luman a lot, if ever. In most cases, he was able to probe the mana core of his opponent without any obstruction, which had made him rx, not ounting for situations where he couldn''t. This was a dangerous level of confidence in his skills. When it came to mana cores, everyone with abat capacity above the mundane level could identify what kind of core another person had simply by feeling the innate domination or suppression that their core had in rtion to another in close proximity. Every trained individual was naturally aware of their core and the cores in their surroundings but the intricate details were hidden from them. For Skullius who had [Elevated Mana Maniption], his perception of the core was a lot more established but now, even with that, he was still pushed back. ''Another reason to evolve this skill,'' Skullius thought. "Let''s get this over with immediately before you cause me trouble," Silrat said to Skullius before turning to Daggs and Terese. "Lady Terese, you... really came?" "Of course I did. I never go back on my word!" the young girl said. "I was going to attend because it''s a family matter but I''m getting even more curious with you and Sty giving this blind man so much attention." "Blind man?" the man beside Skullius asked with a strange expression as he scrutinised Skullius. Silrat, as if shaking himself out of a reverie, gave a swift introduction. "Festos, this is ris, one of the Guilds Association''s evaluation officers. He will be spearheading the Aptitude Evaluation Test," he said. "ris, this is Festos." "I see..." the man identified as ris said, the friendly look in his eyes dimming somewhat. Skullius gave most of his focus to this man, his Koten making sure every aspect of ris was vibrantly clear to him. The most notable feature on ris was his handlebar moustache made of well kempt caramel hairs and the topaz blue eyes of his that had a masculine allure to them. His figure was full of distinctive contours of taut muscles against honey coloured skin, a beige, short sleeved loose shirt covering his torso while being tucked into tight dark brown pants. ris also wore ck steel greaves over his legs that reached up to his knees, this being his signature clothing style as every regrly visitor the Guilds Association knew. He was highly ranked and highly regarded among all the executivebatants of the Guilds Association, a trait that led him to have many benefactors in Inhone City. "It''s good to meet you, Festos," ris said as he stretched his hand to shake Skullius'', the Hybrid Luman doing did the same. "Follow me. I had other errands to run since you were a bitte but I''m also intrigued by Silrat''s choice, as the young girl said." Silrat nced at Skullius before smiling, praying silently in his heart for there to be a positive oue to this. The group, led by ris, ventured from the foyer and headed up a flight of stairs to the fourth floor. They passed entire floors dedicated to different things, one for storing trophies of in Cluster beasts and another for detainingmon thieves before they could be punished. On the fourth floor was a wide space with vacant rooms that looked to be quite small. Several individuals who nodded to ris as they passed, with what looked like amateur mercenaries behind them could be seen on this floor, Skullius guessing that this floor was reserved for evaluations only. This certainly beat that shabby cramped space he had been taken to by Jac that time. As they moved through the passage on this floor, seemingly going to a predetermined space, two individuals joined them. One was a fit woman with an athletic body, her hair brown tied up into a messy bun. She didn''t have a face that would strike most man as beautiful, but her presence was very vivid, as if to make up for it. She wore leather armour on her torso, but a in pair of pants below, thisbination emphasising her body immactely. The other was a haughty looking man with spiky ck hair cut into a fade at the sides. He looked agile because of his tall and lean frame, his long arms that had braces like steel rings on them folded before his chest. These two were Lemorine and Stephin respectively, the other evaluation officers for the Aptitude Evaluation Test. ris introduced the two after leading everyone into an extraordinarily massive room that certainly didn''t look so from the outside. On average, it could fit up to six hundred people with tons of space to spare! "Lemorine and Stephin are going to be helping me evaluate your potential and whether or not you are fit to enter the exclusive circle of mercenaries along with your recruiter, Silrat," ris exined as his gaze remained nted on Skullius. "Unlike normal evaluations, as I''m sure you''ve already been told, Aptitude Evaluation Tests measure how far above the standard of high quality mercenaries you are ¨C your potential, your attitude and even your goals. All this can be ascertained through this evaluation where you will fight all three of us separately." ''Silrat didn''t mention any of this!'' Skulliusined internally. ''I was busy!'' Silrat screamed in his mind as if hearing Skullius''in, justifying himself righteously. "Additionally, unlike normal evaluations, you have to win against all three of us. That is the official setup but it can be overruled by special circumstances. You''re supposed to be special in some way considering you''ve been regarded for this test and nothing short of a win is required. Outside of fighting to kill, every one of us will be battling seriously, so make sure to give it your all," ris concluded to which Skullius nodded. This was going to be interesting. As ris no longer spoke, Skullius guessed that this was all he was going to receive in terms of information. sses, Stages and Cores... All this was probably left for him to guess. Of course! If one wanted to be regarded as an elite, they had to be aware of their opponent without receiving a monologue! Daggs, Silrat, Terese and the guards were led to one end of the room where apartment, like a very thick reflective ss with sparkling texts glowing on it could be seen, its size amodative of only a few individuals. These texts were runes and thispartment was meant for spectators. On the other end of the room was anotherrgepartment, but within it, dozens of weapons of different kinds could be seen hung on racks, as if on disy. One could freely choose whatever they wanted to use in the test. "Who would you like to fight first?" ris asked Skullius. He was concerned that Skullius would need help but... With barely any dy, Skullius pointed at the long armed man with an arrogant look on his face that shifted to a sneer a secondter. "I''ll flesh this one up first," Skullius said with a smile that leaned towards being a smirk. The tall man cackled while shaking his head at this. He didn''t understand the phrase, but he could tell it was a taunt. A horribly misced one. "Ha. I don''t know whether to feel ttered or grossly underestimated," Stephin said while walking to the centre of the room. The first bout was about to begin. Chapter 454 Show Off! One could tell from a nce that this room was made specifically for explosive battles. There were no flowery decorations to make it look pleasing to the eye nor was there a design to give a sense offort, aside from the safetypartment. A dull grey shade was what made up the entire room, its entirety made with refined rough cast in order to not waste resources on giving it touches of beauty. Forty eight bulbs on the ceiling produced vibrant bursts of light that made sure every nook and cranny of this ce was untarnished by darkness,pleting the indoor battlefield. Skullius and Stephin stood at the centre of the room while ris and Lemorine stood at the edge. This first bout would start only after ris dered so. The evaluation officer had felt something about Skullius. Something vague that he wasn''t sure if it was good or bad. The fact that he was blind was already something he deemed to foretell that this man had his secrets and was probably unique as a fighter in his own right. ''Let''s see if Silrat picked up something worth noting this time,'' ris as he got ready to announce for the battle to begin. Silrat had his hand over his mouth, breathing nervously as he watched the two figures of thebatants. He was burdened by the thought that maybe he had been too desperate. Maybe he was risking all this for nothing... Maybe Skullius would lose terribly and be deemed nothing special, his gamble not paying off at all... There were some outrageous talents out there after all. Damn it! The anxiety was thick. ''I was banking on the fact that even if Skullius loses, if he shows his talent as Mage, with his unusual abilities, he might be considered for something else!'' Silrat thought. ''But now...'' He wasn''t sure. Damn it! Again! He was feeling stiff again just like...st time. All he could do was watch. "Hmph! How is someone blind supposed to fight people like this? Won''t he just get pummelled silly without doing anything? Mister Silrat, your Festo- whatever will probably get beaten up and you won''t be able to free load at our house," Terese said with mischievous smile. Silrat ignored as he huffed in air. Damn brat! If he had enough status, he would bash her head in! This wasn''t the time to yank the strings that kept his cool online. As the tension had begun to grow, ris'' voice finally came. "BEGIN!" ... Skullius and Stephin remained rooted in their positions, a gap of nine meters between them. Stephin''s body started to ooze of condensed mana that rose in swirls above him, like smoke. His eyes looked rxed as he gazed at the figure of Skullius that also paid close attention to him. Stephin smiled inwardly. People often mistook him for an Assassin because of his body but he wasn''t. He was the owner of an Advanced martial ss. The Configured Warrior! ''I''m sure this man can sense my presence very well despite being blind. Hmph! That could be a heavy disadvantage if he assumes me to be an assassin and focuses on where I might scurry to for an attack from behind. Heh! I prefer confrontation!'' Stephin said as his body bellowed with frightening waves of mana that caused a turbulence in the air! His slim body started to grow muscr, his arms and legs growing to be twice their size while his mana exploded out all the more! Who cared about hiding his strength so that his examinee could slowly figure it out? That was boring! Stephin''s neck grew thick with veins bobbing from it, the spiky hair on his head rustling upwards as if blown by a rising draft! FWOOOOOOM! A halo of protective mana clearly disyed itself over him, a thick body with muscles stacked upon muscles dripping with sweat and might twitching under it! FWOOOOOOOOOOOM! A ring of misty mana caused a rough thrum through the room, blowing Skullius'' clothing and hair back. This show of strength was incredible! This was the Configured Warrior ss on disy, the boons provided by this man''s Stage yet to even be used as for now, to test what this blind man could do, it was enough. His ss allowed his body to trade physical points for others ¨C extreme speed, extreme strength or a bnced fit! This bulky size with mana flooding from it was enough to frighten most, the endurance packed into it being even more so. "You better not be intimidated. I''m just getting started. I want to see where that confidence of yours is¡ª" Suddenly... Like a wave of overwhelming cold suppressing the persistent heat and light from a me... Like an avnche burying an entire nation under its cascading descent... ...! Everyone''s hair stood on end. Everyone''s eyes almost leapt out of their sockets! A terrible suction draw in everything for a brief moment, then came an atrocious pressure! It manifested as a mere vague feeling at first but then became a soft breeze, along with a deafening noise that normal people like Terese and Daggs mistook for thunder! BWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! A heavy st against the solid material that made up the room caused the nonbatants present to scream as their bodies involuntarily left the ground for a moment! Something had crashed into the wall at a speed so fast that even ris couldn''t quite follow. It wasn''t that it was impossible for him to have seen it if he really tried, but the sequence of events had been so unexpected that he hadn''t been able to keep up! Dust jutted from the wall where someone was imbedded in, crumbs of the rough surface hitting the floor. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Blood trickled from this figure... pooling on the ground. It was Skullius... who had given a one shot punishment to this man, Stephin, who was lodged rooted to the wall, unconscious. His body which had bulked up was still as so, but theyer of mana that had protectively hugged his figure was all but gone. Right below his twitching chest pads, was a deep depression the shape of a fist, the skin around it having been bruised to a ckish-purple shade, its surface broken to leak blood. Stephin''s mouth was the major source of the pouring blood however and his eyes were rolled back in a shiver-inducing manner. "...Ah..." Daggs was the first to make a sound, his voice cracking as he almost stumbled to the ground in horror, buckets of sweat leaking from his brow. Dear Quintess... Terese shook like a leaf. Her eyes were bulged ridiculously and she could barely breathe, her face turned pale from fright. She reached out to grasp one of the guards for reassurance, this guard who quickly tried to retain hisposure as he sweated, gulping up a load of saliva. The little girl stared nkly at the figure of Skullius that now stood where Stephin had been standing, his body oozing softly of condensed white mana. He seemed to be gazing at his own hand, thinking about something, but just this visual creeped out Terese. "Well I''ll be Boros''cousin..." Silrat who was also shocked beyond belief said while stering his hands on the ss before him, his eyes alternating between Skullius and Stephin. BWOOF! The wall crumbled a bit, Stephin''s body falling to the floor. As it did, the stifling air in the room finally seemed to vanish. "Hmmm... remarkable..." ris'' voice rang as he walked towards the unconscious Stephin, picking him up. "Simply remarkable..." This was remarkable indeed. Stephin was an expert in reinforcing his body, adjusting it for extreme strength and durability or ridiculous speed and agility. He was also at the Master Stage, nearly at its middle phase, meaning his body had started to approach the REFINEMENT. Yet... he was beaten in a single punch? By a Mage for that matter? The fist shaped depression on Stephin told ris a lot. He was right. Skullius was anything but ordinary. ris turned to the Hybrid Luman who also turned to him. ''He''s sharp and so is his mana. His control over it is incredible, as expected of a Mage, but... hecks the presence of one at the same time,'' ris thought. On the other hand Skullius was assessing his attack just now. ''So that''s my limit for now, huh? Maybe I can push a bit more but that''s probably as far as I can go,'' he thought. The limit he was referring to was the amount of weight he could muster with his mana''s special property, the effect he had used just now, along with a few skills to break through Stephin''s defences! At the moment, It seemed that something like 30,000 tonnes was his limit! As for how he speed blitzed Stephin.. Hehe. Skullius refocused on the task at hand. He wanted to speed run through this thing so he could get to raiding a few Clusters before the Premium Age Royale began. "Let''s begin the next one," Skullius said, much to no one''s surprise. There wasn''t the arrogance one would expect though, but urgency instead. "You." Skullius pointed to Lemorine. ris put Stephin against the wall before sighing and turning to Lemorine. The woman had a bit of an apprehensive look on her face but she walked up to face Skullius immediately. "You have me feeling a bit nervous here," she said with a friendly smile as she got into stance. "Mind taking it easy on me?" Unlike Stephin, Lemorine did not have a habit of looking down on people. She had already intended to fight Skullius while giving her all and showing that she was doing so. Skullius smiled at her words and brought both his hands in front of him in a casual fighting stance. The moment his fistnded on Stephin, he had surmised that this man was above the Advancement Stage as he was incredibly sturdy. With that reasoning, Lemorine and ris were probably at the Master Stage too. "Begin!" ris called, signalling for the second bout to begin. Immediately after he said so, Lemorine''s body exploded with mana, her eyes turning sharp as she fixed them on Skullius, her right hand rising quickly as on its palm, a bright golden orb emerged! ...! Skullius drew back a bit. This woman was going all out from the beginning and from how the texture of her mana felt ¨C less brutish and raw ¨C Skullius imagined she was definitely... VWOOOOOSH! A burst of golden me hissed from the golden orb on Lemorine''s palm, from within the fire, a giant lizard emerging! ...An Energy Former! The massive creature just now appearing, rushed behind Lemorine and hugged her torso with its front legs before turning its head to Skullius and producing a vicious hiss! Following this, Lemorine pointed at Skullius with her other hand, from her palm arger orb of gold appearing as it glowed brightly as with another burst of me, a towering figure emerged! Its one step into this room caused a loud shudder, a suffocating presence burning from its body as it bore down on Skullius! The Hybrid Luman smiled at this. Now this was a challenge! Chapter 455 Real Challenge The summoned lizard that hugged Lemorine had thick green scales that could be mistaken for stone at a nce, its most distinctive feature being the thick red, webbed fins on the sides of its neck! Its yellow eyes kept their slit pupil focus on Skullius, as was its master''s orders, its primary duty being to guard her. As for the hulking mass that had been second in Lemorine''s summoning, it was a marvel among marvels. A humanoid figure with pitch ck skin and thick hairy arms it was. It stood at over three meters with a hideous face stered withrge, red eyes, a bun-like nose and a mouth from which tworge canines rose up, climbing over its upper lip. It had fairly long dark hair and red tattoos on its chest, on its waist a piece of dirty white cloth covering its privates. ''Oh, she is already using that? She only recently tamed this creature,'' ris thought. The spectators had barely recovered from the limited but explosive action of the first bout when they were exposed to this massive monstrosity with a dominant presence that red at Skullius and growled, balling its hands into fists! "Go," Lemorine ordered, the massive beast shooting forward suddenly as unlike one would expect, it was rmingly fast! ''Well, shit. Is she a Tamer?'' the Hybrid Luman thought. Skullius was surprised at the speed the creature burst with towards him, its full figure which was reinforced with mana being clear in his Koten! ''Interesting...'' he thought as he used [Elevated Mana Maniption] to try and intrude into its core which, as he expected, was blocked from his influence. ''Ha, of course.'' Skullius'' body suddenly shed bright for a brief second before.... VWOOOOOOOOSH! ...! With the loud sound of crumpling paper and rock, the Hybrid Luman''s body burst with the white energy essential for all living things to evolve, its untamed shroud extending to over four meters around his body! The mana caused a mini storm as shot out freely, its intensity causing those who felt it to subconsciously move back! This amount of mana... all at once? Was this man emptying his core?! "What is that man...?" one of the guards beside Terese found himself murmuring. The usually uptight girl couldn''t even find the words to scold the guard as she too was wondering the same, Daggs who was at the side swearing to himself that he wanted nothing to do with Skullius again. Silrat didn''t say a word, refusing to jinx it. He wouldn''t celebrate, or curse until this was over! The ck humanoid from Lemorine''s mysterious me reached within a two meters of Skullius who didn''t move an inch, its gaze turning serious as it brought its arms together in a meaningful gesture. ''Hmmm?'' Skullius felt mana pooling into the creature''s arms as it then crossed them against its chest and... ...! Skullius'' nced behind himself and found... A second creature like the one approaching him suddenly appeared in his Koten, barrelling towards him at the same speed that the first one was rushing to him at! This one was white skinned, with long white hair over its head as well but with ck tattoos and a ck cloth tied around its waist! ''Where the hell did that onee from? Is this a skill?'' Skullius questioned himself. The white creature also crossed its arms against its chest as it lowered its body in its run and charged faster! Lemorine gave a smirk at this, as now, her flurry of nonstop attacks to keep her opponent from one-shotting her began! Pooling mana signalled the activation of an ability that was anything but ordinary as in the next moment, Skullius felt a restriction imposed upon his body! As if he was suddenly trapped in a confined, box-shaped space, Skullius'' body felt pressure piling on from all sides nonstop, his flesh and even his mana being squeezed against him! ...! What was even more terrifying about this affair was that even though the two enemies he was supposed to face were moving at a speed that should have allowed them to reach Skullius in less than a second, the Hybrid Luman felt like they were moving merely an inch with each breath! Yet, the pressure stacked on as Skullius'' mana, his senses and even his skills were included in this uncannypression, as if to make him implode! This was a dangerous skill! At this rate, the Hybrid Luman would be squished into paste before these bastards reached his position, which seemed to be the point of the skill. ''Brutal...'' Skullius thought while feeling his mana which had extended four meters from his body be pushed back to just a meter away from him! Yet... ''But that''s not enough.'' Suddenly, Skullius'' mana burst rebelliously with a rippling edge, creating multiple spike like shapes at its ends that pointed in every direction even as it was being pushed back! The Hybrid Luman increased his output even further, his mana bombarding from his body as he fully exercised therge mana channels he had created for himself! The spikes all over his raging mana grew with this temporary outburst of mana that lit up the room like a white re causing surprise and fear! This was Skullius'' first attempt at using this technique but he more or less achieved it well enough. [You have learned the skill ''Hyperfocus Motion Counter''] Yes! A familiar mana technique that the Hybrid Luman had seen and experienced multiple times while under the influence of [HYPED]. A technique used by the Spirit guardian, Bassbion, one that could even dispel his [Perfect Night Domain] casually! Lemorine''s eyes went swollen in her sockets. ''What is that? An auxiliary technique?'' she thought. The restraining effect that had been stomping over Skullius was pushed back at the same time as well, the two creatures rushing at Skullius having nothing but shock in their eyes! The Hybrid Luman''s mana found enough leeway to spread out in arger range with just this, and as right then... VWOOOOOP! Both man shaped beasts were suddenlyunched up high at breakneck speed, their backs mming onto the ceiling with a crisp p that once again caused the entire room to shudder! The ck creature growled in pain, as did its white counterpart, its senses yet to evenprehend how it had flown to the ceiling just now! Unfortunately, that answer would remain a mystery as within its vision, a grinning man with white eyes blurred from the floor, from his body, mana flooding out in frightening levels! Skullius sent a deadly straight punch to the ck creature''s face, with the horrifying amount of mana funnelling into his balled fist! BOOOOOOM! A terrible weight squashed the creature''s entire head and part of its torso into nothing but a red skid mark on the ceiling, the carnage only noticed a few seconds after it had happened by the audience which was gaping after every second! [You have killed (V) LV81 Dark Matted Ogre. 200 EXP awarded] [Your prey emits the Essence of Null Life. Would you like to extract it? Remaining time 59 seconds] The white man beast which remained, still stered to the ceiling as well, vanished, as if it had never existed, Skullius nodding as he moved, crouching upside down on the ceiling as if it was the most natural thing to do. The remains of the creature he had just killed fell to the floor for dramatic effect as silence ensued. ''As I thought. That other creature was summoned as part of this ugly bro''s skill. If I didn''t have something to counter with, it would have been problematic. I''d have to reveal cards I don''t want to show yet. Fortunately, that mana skill works in the same way that I imagined,'' Skullius thought. [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] was a mana technique that was used to counteract the effects of skills and techniques in a single dash of movement. It mainly relied on speed, but even without motion, one could temporarily counter the effect of an imposed technique with the edged mana, a characteristic of the technique, which what Skullius had done, giving room for his mana to spread out to arge range! As he had done against Bassbion, Skullius'' mana which contained gravitational effects, had spread onto the floor, causing rejection, in a way, a reverse gravitational effect that shot the two creatures away from the floor and onto the ceiling. Skullius could also do the same with himself, attracting himself on any surface that had been touched by his mana or the opposite, which is how he had moved so fast that Stephin hadn''t had the opportunity to even react! He had also used his mana''s additional weight property to make himself light as well as attaching [Great Rush I] on top for good measure. The Hybrid Luman suddenly turned his head as within his Koten, arge creature skittering rapidly on the ceiling where he was appeared, dashing at what was literally super speed! The green lizard that Lemorine had called upon was fast approaching, on its back the Tamer who was holding out both of her hands as a dazzling golden light was being prepared. "Mage my hairless ass!" she yelled at Skullius with a genuine look of ''this is ridiculous''. How was this man a Mage?! Evenbat Mages weren''t this vicious! The lizard she rode shot open its mouth as with blinding speed, several dozen ck beetles flew from it while releasing shrill noises from their wings! Immediately after they were released, the distance of the closest one merely a meter from Skullius... POOOF! POOOOF! POOOOF! The beetles exploded, releasing a pale powder that Skullius felt a horrendous danger from! The powder covered the view as it spread rapidly, but from within, Lemorine''s figure darted out as she left her amphibious mount, a golden light gathering in her hands! ''How many of those does she have?!'' Skullius thought as he passed his mana into the ceiling. The moment, it reached beneath Lemorine who was ''airborne'' and her lizard which was wing at ceiling behind the powder, Skullius activated the rejection effect of his gravitational mana! Yet, in the moment he did so, an expected yet unexpected urrence caused him rm! A neon light shed around Lemorine, in the shape of a tall golden box with glittery swirly lines like fancy window! This was something Skullius recognised! A Genuine Incarnation! Refined Aura that far eclipsed Full Body Aura, its shape being malleable enough to produce a variety of shapes that the user willed, and with the special property of countering mana and basic Aura effects! The lizard Lemorine had summoned was shot to the floor where it mmed hard, releasing a pained screech as a result! But Lemorine... she remained afloat while in her box! Her Genuine Incarnation had countered the effect of Skullius'' mana! Chapter 456 Not Down Yet! ''I knew it! It''s his mana. He can apply some weird effects with it! I''m guessing that''s how he defeated Stephin so easily. The arrogant idiot didn''t bother to take him seriously,'' Lemorine thought as she sweat, her figure fast approaching Skullius from her leap! As an Energy Former, Lemorine was sensitive to energies and she had immediately activated her Genuine Incarnation when she got near Skullius. The box shaped Genuine Incarnation around her expanded to cover Skullius within it as well, Lemorine''s figure reaching the Hybrid Luman as she wrapped her long legs around him and hugged him tight with her glowing hands! The Hybrid Luman instantly felt his mana get suppressed, thought it struggled to break free. Lemorine also felt the push of the mana, which wasn''t surprising. She wasn''t exactly sure what Skullius'' mana could do specifically, but it wasn''t basic and she could only keep its effect on her and the surroundings suppressed by giving her full focus! ''Well, I thought my mana would be able to resist this but I guess it isn''t technically a high level concept like Distorted Gravity. The Master Stage is a problem...'' Skullius thought. Him and Lemorine finally started to fall to the floor, the weaker individuals who were spectating now being able to see what the heck was happening from the beyond fast events on the ceiling. Therge glowing box descended while Lemorine hurriedly extended her arms behind Skullius, a golden me being spat out which struck the floor, swirling in its firey might as it started to spin rapidly. Skullius grasped Lemorine''s arms but she quickly set herself loose, her strength being higher than Skullius'' without his mana reinforcement! "It''s toote," Lemorine said with a smile that assumed triumph. "Just remember, I did take it easy on you." With those words, she kicked down Skullius who flew out of the falling box and into the golden me swirling on the floor! Within this me, a huge maw suddenly appeared, jutting up to meet the falling Skullius who barely got even half a second to rest between being ejected from the Genuine Incarnation and being swallowed whole! Lemorine spun in the air andnded a distance away. The mes on the floor cleared to reveal a giant toad! It was bluish purple in colour, its skin riddled with warts and bumps that oozed of dark pus. The creature gulped disgustingly, and remained in ce, its five meter tall mass justzily standing there. Lemorine calmed her heart. Even though she hadn''t confronted Skullius for that long, just being in his presence had been intimidating. Right now, despite knowing the extraordinary natural ability of the toad she had summoned, she was still unconvinced that Skullius was down for the count. During the fall just now, she felt like the Hybrid Luman hadn''t even put up a fight. As if he wanted to see what Lemorine would do. ''I''ve been using beasts that I was sure would counter his abilities ever since I heard he was a Mage but... if by some chance he manages to escape... My other heavy hitters can''t even fit in this room,'' the Tamer thought as a golden light started to gather in her hand. Within the belly of the massive toad, Skullius was constantly being squeezed by tough muscles that forced him down, rivers of ooze trying to make him slip in well. It was disgusting. At the same time, he also felt his mana being sucked into these juices! It freely flowed from his body at a rapid pace, flooding into the walls of whichever organ he had started to slide through now, and in the process, as it gushed out, controlling it became progressively harder! ''No wonder I felt so much mana in this thing''s body. Anything trapped inside it will lose its mana as time passes,'' Skullius thought while narrowing his eyes. This was truly a predicament. The Tamer he was facing was definitely prepared. In just the few seconds he was trapped in here, Skullius could already feel 30% of his mana gone. He needed to act. ''Well... since I decided not to use my Magnus abilities...'' Skullius said as he grinned, his handsing together as he cast a skill while forcing his mana to obey. Indeed. That was one of the things he had decided on before engaging in the evaluation. Using darkness and light was too risky, for a variety of reasons he had thought out, mostly to do with the history between Fulgardt and the three nations that he was slowly dissecting. Lemorine had begun to rx when she suddenly felt from within her tamed beast, as she was linked to it, a sudden ignition! ''I knew it!'' she thought as her Genuine Incarnation grew bright once again. She extended her hands, a golden glow pulsing within them, tamed beasts ready for summoning at her finger tips. On the toad''s belly, an orange hue manifested with a light sizzling sound in the shape of an oval, spreading rapidly as the giant toad croaked in the next moment! The creature stomped down with its legs in pain, smoke jutting from its mouth as it gurgled and spat out a voracious red me that dyed the entire room in its bloody hue! The heat warped the air as the me seemed to want to engulf everything in sight! The figure of Skullius shot up also from within the me, finally freed, as the fire had no effect on him, the Hybrid Luman looking down at the grumbling toad the he was a sufficient height!. ''This thing is incredibly durable! I thought [Revenant mes of Ecstasy] would be enough to fry it from the inside but clearly not!'' he thought as he brought his hands together again. The mes that brushed against everything in sight were pulled to the hands of the Hybrid Luman, under themand of an expansive aura that no one but him felt! An aura of Null Life that he had witnessed S use to spam and mould the fires that dwelled within extreme pleasure and excruciating pain! They were all pulled in as Skullius brought them between both his hands, shaping them as he desired. Skullius truly loved having a blue core! Since the mana generated by such a core could support the activation of Special skills, normal skills barely cost any mana to cast and with each cast, they were slightly stronger! For the Hybrid Luman, because he had such a godly output of mana, this effect was further increased as each activation of a normal skill was akin to an explosion! As the mes gathered, Skulliuspressed them into a ball shape with simplistic wings at the sides! The me bubbled and bobbed, its colour shifting madly as it seemed to be trying to resist capture but Skullius held it firmly. He had always been casting this skill while in his Prator form on the stout mountain, [Epiphany] passively increasing its efficiency and power by 90%. (A/N: Refer to Ch.364). As a result... [''Revenant mes of Ecstasy'' has reached LV20. Would you like to evolve it into its next form] "Flesh yeah!" Skullius roared as he nced to his side in a slight rm and immediately let the me which started to change loose! [''Revenant mes of Ecstasy'' has evolved into ''Ungodly Passion of Debauchery''] The once red me, midway towards its enemy red, bing thrice asrge with a blinding golden centre between the red which turned to a creepy bloody crimson, its descent calling upon a heat so great it sucked in the air and mana violently! Lemorine who had been on her way towards Skullius, riding her lizard on the ceiling again, screeched to a halt! She had thought there was a chance to save her toad, but that me... She watched as it descended onto her tamed beast with blinding light and atrocious heat that licked at her skin even from here! She and everyone here, including Skullius were bbergobgastersmacked when... ...! Chapter 457 Harbinger Of Passion! [Ungodly Passion of Debauchery] had evolved from the skill [me Shot], which was then upgraded with [Unbound] to form [Bitter-sweet Hell''s Inferno]. After that, it had been upgraded once again as it became [Revenant mes of Ecstasy]. Skullius hadid off on upgrading skills with [Unbound] because he had had many uses for the Null Life Essence before. He had sought protection through armour, he had had to help Red Rage recover that one time and he had also needed enough Essence for [Bringer of All]. When [Ungodly Passion of Debauchery] evolved just now, he was reminded that anything attained through [Unbound] was leagues above anything of the same level in this world and this skill was no exception. Even this evolution was no joke as when the blinding gold centre of the winged me touched its target, everything within a twenty-meter range instantly melted! The floor hissed as the same runes that were on the sspartment which shielded the spectators appeared, shining with astounding brightness to depict how they were fully activated! At the veryst second, the integrity of this room was kept intact but the radiation produced made Lemorine and her tamed lizard back away quickly as ungodly fumes roared from the molten side of the room that now looked like the diseased insides of a volcanic mountain! This, alongside the thick ck smoke that raged from the glowing, bubbling and molten floor and ceiling with bits of golden sparks within it gave the visage of true horror. This smoke was also dangerous. It would likely insta-kill even an Advancement Stage expert if they were careless. All this considered however, Skullius who was on the ceiling after causing the devastation didn''t look away from this scene. This wasn''t the limit of this new skill. No. Far from it. There was something else buried within the smoke. Something huge! Something powerful! ris who had been watching silently from the side took a step forward. This new skill had caused him no small amount shock but... Something was off. His keen eyes could see the vague image of something massive in the cloud of smoke but strangely... He couldn''t sense its presence at all. And its sheer size was a problem. Everyone held their breaths while Skullius received an unexpected notification from the guidance field. [The HillyKilly Glutton Toad has sessfully been baptised to the ''Passion of Debauchery''. Its racial features have temporarily shifted] "What?" Skullius questioned with surprise. Baptised? BOOOOM! ...! Before Skullius could wrap his mind around what this notification meant, a huge creature emerged from the smoke! No! It was the one emitting the pitch ck smoke with golden sparks from its body! This enormous creature resembled something of a cross between a lizard and a toad, its skin tinted with a sky blue hue! Warts and zits were all over its lengthy body which spammed to almost fourteen meters, the crazy feature that was its twenty extremely long limbs that pressed against the walls of the room on both sides causing Terese to scream in horror! The creature''s bulged eyes spun in its sockets insanely while saliva constantly spilled from its mouth, sizzling when it fell to the hot floor. The behemoth released a shrill scream that prompted Lemorine to cover her ears! The spectators were safe from this effect but Stephin who had been unconscious was jolted awake as he grunted at the ring noise. Skullius was unaffected but his eyes opened wide in shock. This shrill noise... It wasn''t just a scream. It was a sound amplified with... Null Life Essence?! The heck! Even before considering this however, the moment this toad lizard thing appeared, he had felt a sense of... kinship with it! ''Shit! Is this creature from...?'' Skullius dreaded the thought. What was he to do now?! The creature didn''t seem subservient to him. From the looks of it, it was thoroughly enjoying itself in some weird way however. The enormous thing suddenly darted ahead, causing the integrity of the room to crumble partially, while its move generated a storm! At the same time, Skullius felt the damn thing shroud itself in Null Life Essence, though quite superficially. EEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAIIIIIII! Like a sheep''s bleat but with a strangely distorted acoustic tune, the creature shrieked, the smokeing from its body filling up the room! This smoke had a scorching heat to it, that started to melt off the different parts of the room! ris darted forward instantly while activating his Genuine Incarnation which manifested with a green hue. This wasn''t within the bounds of a simple test anymore! Something was terribly wrong! Unfortunately, while he, Lemorine and the spectator crew were safe, the same couldn''t be said for Stephin who had just started to make sense of what was going on before being sted by the smoke! The moustached evaluation officer bolted in front of Lemorine who had been about to summon a tamed beast to protect her, a silver sword, a dius, appearing his hand which became decked in the green neon light of his Genuine Incarnation. Tssss.... ris exhaled a stream of hot air before he swung up his sword in an elegant arc, a jade green after-image left after each frame of movement the dius'' de made! ...! Skullius'' senses tingled! A sh of green light quicker than the luminance of lightning sted everyone in the face, disappearing as fast as it appeared even from the thick smoke that covered the entire room! Skullius who was the only one capable of ''seeing'' everything happening at this moment, was amazed to feel the enormously beast he had unintentionally called upon be split in half before he could draw a quick breath! Its scream died as its two pieces that slogged down began to burn away! ris stood straight from his executed stance just now, and narrowed his eyes. ''Strange. I didn''t get even an ounce of mana from it...'' he thought. He chalked this up to the weird nature of the ability Skullius had used and moved on to more important things. The smoke within the room started to disappear, leaving the clear but unsteady structure of the room visible, its charred and molten state on full view. ris breathed out as he looked at Skullius who dropped from the ceiling andnded on the floor. "Let us stop here. I have no doubt in my mind that you qualify as a special existence," ris said before turning to Lemorine who was still dazed and quite frankly, terrified. "Don''t you agree?" "Uh... of course," the Tamer said as she broke her Genuine Incarnation. "Good. When Stephin recovers we can ask for his opinion but please consider yoursel¡ª" "OOOH YEAAAAAHHHHH~" a disturbing moan that came from a corner of the room tore everyone from ris and his words. When everyone turned, they found the figure of Stephin shaking vibrantly while its hand held a long protrusion from his crotch. Something flowed out of this protrusion as the man moaned and groaned disgustingly. After he was done, he felt the gazes from behind and with eyes that rapidly spun like wheels within his sockets, he wore a fierce expression and shouted. "The fuck are you looking at?!" Chapter 458 Request A man without the look of shame or worry was a terrifying existence to see, especially when his body was partially set alight, with burns and dark patches over his skin.r Who knew beating off in front of a group of people couldn''t bring one to even show some level dignity by hiding themselves afterwards?r The juices were gone after all.r Within the safety of the ss, one of the guards hurriedly covered Terese''s eyes while the other rushed in front of her as backup. This wasn''t child friendly content after all, and they would rather suffer the consequencester. Inevitably.r ris gaped in subdued shock while Lemorine grimaced while vehemently shaking her head. r She gave amand to therge lizard, the creature opening its mouth as it spat out three ck beetles that rushed in the done-jerking-off jerk''s direction and exploded into fine powder that rapidly spread through the air!r Instantly, the image of Stephin was engulfed in the powder, being obscured from view while a secondter, his gut wrenching scream was heard.r The lizard followed after the beetles it had sent towards the evaluator''s way and stomped its foot at the man!r Lemorine fully expected Stephin to resist but surprisingly, as the powder cleared, Stephin''s body was revealed unconscious under her lizard''s suppression.r ''He didn''t fight back?'' she thought while rxing, a portion of her thoughts wandering to the hope that she hadn''t squashed the tall man''s erect gentleman.r ? "Thank you, Lemorine," ris said as he sighed out in relief.r Unfortunately, he couldn''t say this with a smile as this... was unprecedented.r What the heck was that?!r A quick analysis told him that this probably had to do with the smoke that the creature he had just killed released and also, with the image of that enormous creature having spinning eyes...r It was definitely connected in an unsettling way.r But all this wasn''t the thick of it.r ris turned to Skullius who also looked to be surprised, but with no concern whatsoever.r His white eyes were as nk as could be and right now, he was deep in thought.r ''The effect of this weird skill seems to have evolved again and I really don''t know if its for the best or the worst...'' Skullius thought while looking at the description of the new skill of his with the guidance filed.r ~~~r [Ungodly Passion of Debauchery | Lv.1]r A me generated for the righteous goal of granting a blurred line between agony and ecstacy rests at your fingertips, with the capacity for unimaginable destruction.r Every use of the skill can generate up to 40 allies out of the burned targets, with a 50% boost to their overall power. In addition, among the affected allies, there is a possibility for one who epts the prodding will of DESIRE to be baptised to the Passion of Debauchery, attaining a temporary shift in their racial characteristics to that of a FITTING denizen of the Null Verse.r -Caution-r Differences in strength and level of skill determine sess or failure.r Mana Requirements: 3000 Mana Points.r Duration: 10 minutesr Cooldown: 30 minutesr ~~~r This was certainly a peculiar technique.r One geared towards increasing the army of burning allies he could create and even inviting a creature from the Null Verse.r It had a longer duration of effect and a halved Cooldown, which was definitely a big improvement.r ''Even with this exnation, I still feel like a lot is missing. The guidance field just won''t give me the entire detail,'' Skullius thought while analysing everything he could.r Still though, among all the things that happened in the end there, he was more interested in ris'' sword move than this new skill of his.r "Would you happen to know what happened to Stephin?" ris asked, breaking Skullius from his vault of thought.r He had a concerned yet... intrigued look on his face.r Frankly, bringing Stephin for the Aptitude Evaluation Test wasn''t so much based on deep rooted sense of camaraderie than it was strategic, for Stephin''s benefit and, or for the examinee.r With the long armed man''s personality, he was more likely to be caught by surprise or beaten outright, though such was yet to happen, until now.r ris felt that being walloped one time would be good.r Perhaps that would break his prideful streak.r "I''m not sure. I didn''t intend for that to happen. I too was surprised," Skullius answered truthfully.r ris paid attention to his facial details. r "I see. And that giant creature...?" r "I don''t know either..." Skullius said.r "Hmmm. Very well," ris said.r ''Maybe I should have asked that young Mage to join us after all. Perhaps an battle between Mages with such different strengths would have benefitted both of them,'' ris thought as he turned.r One might find his casualness when dismissing the atrocity that Skullius had ''summoned'' just like that weird, but he had every right to.r In truth, Mages who focused on the Transmutation Patch could do worse and ris attributed this... to that.r If the young Mage who was more talented than he thought wanted to keep his secrets then so be it.r Lemorine turned to Skullius and gave a smile that spelled that she was d to have battled against him, though regrettably losing some of her tamed beasts in the process.r "Wait..." Skullius suddenly said, causing ris to turn. "Can I have an exchange with you?"r The evaluator was surprised and frankly, a little disappointed.r "I''ve already announced that you have passed. Is your ego sorge that you won''t ept a win like this?" the man said.r "That''s not it," Skullius responded. "I''ve taken an interest to your sword movements. Can I have one exchange with you... in swordsmanship?"r The group within the frame of ss had been in the middle of getting out, a certain spoiled brat screaming at the guards iming that there wasn''t anything shown that she had never seen when Skullius'' words reached themr Silrat''s mood had been soaring, his juices rising up when he stopped, his heart almost leaping from his chest.r What the heck was this man trying to do now?!r ''You''ve passed damn it! You''ve passed! Leave it be!'' Silrat called in his mind while giving an intense re to Skullius.r ris was dumbfounded.r "An exchange in the sword?"r "Yes," Skullius said as his figure shed to the other side of the room, over to thepartment with the bunch of weapons.r He grabbed three swords and shed back to where he had been standing under everyone''s gaze.r Among the three swords he had taken, was one double edged one and two curved ones.r He gave the double-edged sword to ris and held one of the curved des.r "I have assimted many sword movements and tricks into my mind and body but I have yet to see them produce any effect I want..." Skullius said as he held his sword in both his hands, its ded length in his palms.r ris couldn''t tell whether Skullius was serious or not.r Incredible reflexes.r Good form.r Outstanding awareness.r Willingness to engage in closebat.r And now swordsmanship?r This wasn''t a recipe for creating a Mage!r Lemorine couldn''t believe the Hybrid Luman''s words.r This was absurd!r ris said nothing to discouraged Skullius however. r Now, if Skullius would show him anything remotely close to elite swordsmanship, he would now fully understand why Silrat supported this man.r "Very well," ris said. "One exchange."r Skullius smiled as he backed away with both swords.r The tension rose once again with Lemorine warning the spectators to get back behind the ss.r Skullius held out his sword and breathed out.r With one hand holding the handle, he swiped his other hand over the de of the sword as he coated it in mana.r The white energy hissed as it engulfed the weapon, saturating it.r But then...r PWAAAA!r Like a ss breaking, the entire de shattered into bits.r ...!r Everyone looked at this with a weird expressions. Most didn''t know what had happened but ris did. r He chuckled briefly.r ''I knew it,'' Skullius thought. ''This isn''t Demion''s Dance. I''ll have to learn proper mana appropriation for lesser weapons.''r Correcting himself from the earlier mistake, Skullius grabbed the second sword and swiped his hand, mana pouring over it.r This time, the sword didn''t break, as the mana applied seemed just enough.r ''This is beyond fascinating...'' ris thought as mana started to billow from his body, on his face, an excited smile appearing under his moustache.r Skullius focused ahead, his breath sting from his mouth as he crouched down, handling his sword at his side with his right hand firm on its hilt while his left hovered over its de.r His senses which experienced everything at twice the norm passively as a result of [Beyond the Hype], focusing on nothing but the man ten meters ahead of him.r With his stance and control set, Skullius finally let it loose before the approaching sh - a dark crimson hue that poured from his and , coursing through his arms and hands until it infected the simple sword he held...r Chapter 459 Severely Lacking Ever since Skullius had felt the sensation of a deathly grip that had wrapped around his back during his fight with Bassbion, his flesh had never felt the same. Even without wielding Demion''s Dance, he felt the coil that promised death whenever he was using the [Swindling Death''s Death]. Each one of his strikes couldn''t becklustre, otherwise he could suffer dreadful consequences. When his body was reforged with Luminant Seed, it seemed that this deathly energy that manifested as a dark red, borderline ck ooze which leaked from the green sword, was now a part of him, tainting his flesh and bone. This was something that primarily came with the [Swindling Death''s Dance] technique. The and were products of this and ultimately, without even holding Demion''s Dance and even with [Swindling Death''s Dance] being iplete, Skullius could wield this pure death energy to a limited degree. Even if he could manifest it though, it was not very strong, but it did give him a little bit of a boost. VWOOOOSH! Skullius'' mana spiked insanely, leaking out to cover over five meters around Skullius in an epic white show, yet the Hybrid Luman kept the flow constant on his steel, curved sword. Sharp edges began to form around Skullius'' mana, in all directions as he nned to fully exploit [Hyperfocus Motion Counter]. His senses focused on ris who didn''t budge or show any reaction on his face. Yet, in response to Skullius'' preparation however, the officer''s figure zed with his own mana which leaked from a super bright blue core that shone with a luminance that put Skullius'' to shame. This man had lived longer and a had a steady foundation after all. He was renown for a reason. The mana that jutted from his figure didn''t wash over him for maximum reinforcement. No. Its pristine light morphed to create a thin film around him that outlined his figure while numerous protrusions, cylindrical in nature and with t, bulb like ends formed on this thin film. Skullius narrowed his eyes. This was a very purposeful shaping of mana. Was it something like [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] too? This peculiar design of the mana could also be found on the man''s sword which he held without a stance, his arm merely extended to hold the double edged weapon. This was something Skullius had yet to learn about. An auxiliary technique. ''Nomatter. I''ll just have to use my speed to quickly close the gap and strike,'' Skullius said as stters of the thick, red energy billowed over his sword along with controlled flow of mana. ''When I reach him, I''ll increase my weight for additional strength. Until then...'' Skullius'' mana which was flowing rapidly began to manifest its weight property around the Hybrid Luman. Soon Skullius grew lighter and lighter until he was almost starting to float. This was it. He was ready. Keeping ris'' figure within his focus, he crouched even further, gathering up the energy for extended movement and then... VWOOO... Skullius sted ahead... But stopped. His right hand which was ready to strike with his sword felt numb as with two horrendously powerful impacts that ran through his frame, it lost its strength. A cold sensation rested on his neck, a sharp and prickly itch of mana tingling over his sensitive skin with the peculiar moulding of mana. ris'' sword was already at his neck. Skullius sighed frustratedly as he gazed nkly at ris, the figure of this man not showing an ounce of sophistication in his stance. Just like that. Just like that... it was over. The Hybrid Luman didn''t even know what to attribute this to. Timing? Strength? Speed? Maybe speed. Right now, he was merely holding the handle to his sword as he couldn''t quite tell how his sword had been shattered at all, even from his Koten. It probably had to do with how much his arm had turned numb. "It''s certainly not about speed," ris said, as if answering Skullius. Actually, he was. Skullius frowned. "It''s obvious from the look on your face that you think that what just happened is because I was faster. If that was all there was to it, you would have stood a chance." ris withdrew his sword from Skullius'' neck. "Are you satisfied?" the evaluation officer asked. "It''s my loss. I can swallow that," Skullius said as he threw down the handle he was holding. "That''s a good trait. eptance is a rather difficult stage for many people to pass. I thought it would be difficult for someone like you who seemingly wants to touch upon well... everything . You''re very greedy." Skullius gave a shortugh. That he was. "If you turned out to be prodigious in the sword, I would have had to re-evaluate myself as an individual. But your talents are extraordinary all the same. In my books, you can qualify for Rank 4 easily but that''s not for me by my lonesome to decide," ris said as he motioned for Skullius to follow. Rank 4? Skullius didn''t quite understand this. As they approached Lemorine, ris swiftly gave her an instruction. "Please get Stephin some to the Healers and do warn them about his...situation," he said. "Sure thing," Lemorine said as she in turnedmanded her lizard to carry the unconscious Stephin. She then turned to Skullius and wore a friendly smile. "It was nice meeting you. Hope to see you around often." Skullius nodded to her while ensuring her inwardly that he wouldn''t do that. She was a non-sockethole from a nce and a peak with his [Crude World Projection] vision which he had aptly named Crude Vision, he was proven correct. The crew from the ss finally exited again as they all looked at the Hybrid Luman differently. Even Terese didn''t run her mouth. She simply stared at Skullius while her heart rate increased, her eyes blinking every second. Skullius noticed her piercing gaze but ignored it. Instead, he focused on Silrat who breathed out a heavy sigh as he held the Hybrid Luman''s shoulder. "You had me there. I can''t believe you pulled it off," he said with an exhausted visage, as if it was him who had been fighting. "I thought you were the one who believed in my strength for this in the first ce," Skullius said with a strange expression. "Yes well, I didn''t realise how the weaker areas pf the nation polluted my view of talent and strength. It''s been a while since I have settled here and had the time to follow up on REAL levels of strength," Silrat said while once again rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Wait, what do you mean it--" "Festos, Silrat..." ris'' voice interrupted Skullius'' inquiry, "...Please go to the fifth floor. I have to hand in a report for the repairs to this room." "As for your entourage, I''ll have someone lead them to the first floor and offer them refreshments while they wait for you." Silrat nodded and gestured for Skullius to follow. They exited the room and were met with many faces all looking towards this room with concern and curiosity. It seemed the destruction caused by Skullius'' [Ungodly Passion of Debauchery] had called for quite the attention. Silrat who was quite familiar with theyout of the Guilds Association building led Skullius to the staircase hurriedly, escaping the gathering evaluation officers and the likes. "You''re sure to be well known around here with that," Silrat said. "That''ll be very bad. I didn''t think that room would buckle so easily," Skullius said with shrug. "Easily, huh? You''ve changed quite a lot," Silrat said with a drop of sweat trickling down his face. "Why didn''t you use your more...unique abilities? That is what I was counting on the most." "I just recently learned that it might not be a good idea to use them, though I''m in the process of confirming whether I''m right or not." "Is that so? Well, as long as you passed. Though your ranking will be a bit lower. All you did was show the power of abat Mage with unique perks." "About that. What did ris mean by Rank 4?" "Ah, right. Grading of mercenaries here is different from what you''re used to. I should exin it from the top. The Guilds Association grades the grading system itself ording to where the Association Branch is. For instance, having the rank of B here is very different from having the rank of B in Inhone. If Tulnas were here, he would be considered a C rank or perhaps lower depending on the circumstances. The idea of having the grading system differ between regions is to raise morale. If within a Branch, no mercenaries even qualify for a B or C rank, that would be tragic. Thankfully, there are next to no events that require mercenaries from different Branches toe together." Skullius nodded. This made sense. Mercenaries were mainly random individuals looking to make money. They could easily be motivated by ranks. If the Association grew too strict for them with uptight grading systems for even those in poor areas, it would be disastrous. An increase in rank meant more than just prestige after all. Money was involved. The Capital Service and the grading system created by the Families and Houses were different though. They remained the same. "As for the Rank 4 ris assigned to you, it''s for the exclusive mercenaries chosen through Aptitude Evaluation Test. It goes from 1 to 10. 10 is the weakest, 1 is strongest. Your rank isn''t bad at all." Chapter 460 Perks And History Fifth Floor of the Guilds Association. A rather formal space with onerge desk near the entrance which was open, on both its sides a beautiful door with an arch where it peaked could be seen. A pretty woman with caramel hair that fell to her shoulders could be seen writing on a clean sheet of paper on an elegant, curved desk, a thick, beautiful ss in the shape of a cube surrounding it. Further into the floor were numerous individuals walking about, going in and out or speaking to the variety ofdies who served them from these cubes. Skullius and Silrat sat on the other end of the First desk one would see when entering this floor, with the Hybrid Luman receiving the basics of knowledge of what he was about to be signed into, as Silrat had promised before. "Your showcase earns you quite a bit of merits. Assuming your Rank is finalised as ris said, you will get a payment of 100 sma coins in an addition to getting to choose anything from the first treasury as a gracious wee. After that, you will earn a consistent flow of 60 sma coins each month," Silrat said while sipping on the cool refreshments that were set on the nice table before the two. "sma coins?" Skullius asked while sipping away at his drink too, his eyes showing a pleased look. The sweet taste was still new to him. "They are coins more valuable than gold ones. Each is worth a 100 gold. They are made from high level beast dead cores." "I see," Skullius said recalling the coins he had seen that one man from the foyer carrying. Those must''ve been sma coins. "That''s pretty good. And the first treasury?" "It''s one of three treasure caches of the Association. The one ranked least among all of them." "Oh. Hmmm. I''m not getting all this for free right?" "Ha. Of course not. As an exclusive mercenary, you get permissions into imed jurisdictions and get the support of the Association in tough situations. To continue earning this, you''ll be given one mandatory high ranking mission every month which will have an equivalent rank of rewards. You may also receive other missions but you can choose to ignore. So no. It''s not for free," Silrat said. "High ranking missions, huh?" "Among these missions maye the call to act as a Designated mercenary. You''ll be dispatched to other regions to take care of threats that no one there can. Tulnas was gambling on the effort of such mercenaries when he withheld the detail of how to deal with mass Cluster incident from the Capital Service back then." (A/N: Refer to Ch.237). "I see," Skullius said while stroking his chin. He truly did see. This was a pretty good deal. "Can I get Legendary weapons as well among these rewards?" he asked. "Legendary? Those are the standard for any true powerhouse in Aigas. Legendary items aren''t that rare and frankly, they aren''t too valued. Blue Clusters and above are guaranteed to have one or more of those and more as natural treasures. It''s Mythical and Transcendent items that are rare and dangerous. They can shift the scale of a battle instantly," Silrat exined with a scoff. "They are practically illegal to use without a licence or special permission." Skullius raised a brow at this. They were that dangerous huh? He had yet toe across such, or rather he hadn''t seen such a title on any item yet. Silrat''s exnation exined a lot. His first Legendary item was handed to him pretty early on this new journey of his. The All Eater Scroll. Though he hadn''te across a lot of Legendary items, they didn''t seem as sacred as one would expect them to be, though their usefulness couldn''t be debated. "So what do you get out of all this? You said something about it being a long time since you''ve been here," Skullius asked with a hint of suspicion. The perks and benefits for him were more or less clear but those for Silrat were not apparent yet. Silrat sighed and leaned back on thefortable seat. "Well, I guess this does help with our rtionship moving forward," Silrat said, looking reluctant to share. "My father was one of the executives in the Guilds Association Headquarters. His...methods, when raising me were unusual. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. ''Focus on the strong. No one with enough power and potential to stand at top of the whole of Aigas will hide themselves. They are all selfish bastards who will demand respect. Leech off of them and rise alongside them,'' he would say." "I disagreed. Since he raised me in the Guilds Association, I got to see a lot of people. Those considered strong, those considered weak. I thought there was a fine line between the two. My father didn''t see it that way. He insisted that I stay and learn instead of going home to see my mother on most asions. Slowly I got used to it, and thus came my ideology that differed from his." Skullius listened silently, trying to empathise. This half of the story exined a part of Silrat''s personality at least. He was also surprised that Silrat didn''t even seem toe from a wealthy background. He didn''t act like it. He seemed more like a sneaky rat. Was it simply humility? Did anyone else know? "What finally drove us apart was me wagering that I could recognise buried talent even from the most remote and unimpressive area in Aigas and well... he took it more seriously than I thought, throwing me away from the luxuries that I was used to. In the end, I couldn''t prove him right or wrong. He passed on a few years ago before I could have a chat with him." "Must''ve been difficult..." Skullius scrounged out words offort from his cache of stolen knowledge through [Basic Evil Sanction]. He did feel a bit sorry for Silrat but much of it didn''t even mean anything. "Yeah it was. Bastard didn''t give me a chance to prove myself," Silrat said as he exhaled a slightly frustrated sigh. "As for what I get from all this, it''s the chance to build myself to his level and try out my ambitions." "That much is obvious, bro," Skullius said with a smirk. "You''re very greedy." Silratughed at this. At that moment, from the door to this formal space, a fine gentleman in expensive formal wear entered. Behind him was ris and the woman sitting at the desk stood and gave a short bow when the two entered. This man reached where Skullius and Silrat were, his eyes scanning over them. "Festos and Silrat, I trust?" the man in the formal wear inquired. Silrat promptly stood while Skullius rxedly did the same. "Indeed," the former Branch Head replied as he quickly appraised the man. He had fine vani coloured hair andrge bottle green coloured eyes. He had a rather tall frame and his demeanour reeked of experience and seriousness. "I see. Let''s get to business," he said. "Silrat, I hear you were involved in the operation and intel verification process to solve the... mass Cluster incident as it hase to be known?" "That''s right," Silrat replied with a serious expression. "However, I had that achievement stripped from the Capital Service record, so it''s value is practically non-existent on my part." "Is that so? I suppose that is problematic. However, it was merely a detail of note," the man said as he then turned to Skullius. "You were involved too, were you not?" "I was," Skullius replied. "Hmmm," the man hummed as he gauged Skullius in his own way. "ris tells me that you arebat Mage. A unique one." "I suppose," Skullius said, his nk eyes narrowing. ris smirked under his moustache. Mages were all so arrogant. Did this young man know who he was talking to? The green eyed man didn''t seem to mind Skullius'' rxed attitude however. "I trust ris'' evaluation along with Lemorine''s confirmation of it. You have joined the ranks of exclusive mercenaries as a Rank 4. You may learn all the corresponding benefits and perks from any one of the officers along with meeting your mates. Sadly, most of them aren''t present." "I will have ris handle your introductory remuneration if he doesn''t mind..." the formally dressed man said as he nced at ris. "Of course," the evaluation officer said. "Good. Your identification should be ready in a few minutes. Rist will hand it to you on your way out." With that, the tall man briskly but stylishly walked out, taking his strict atmosphere with him. ris watched him leave before he turned to Skullius and Silrat who were obviously wondering about what this man''s deal was. "Forgive his attitude. He values his time. If you were Ranked 2 or 1, he would have been more polite," ris said with a chuckle. "Shall we handle your remuneration now?" Chapter 461 One Item Sixth floor of the Guilds Association building. Each floor seemed to have a desk at the entrance and or further into the floor where logs and formal administrations were taken care of. It usually depended on how much importance was ced on the floor and the level of additional security involved ¨C this determined how much administrative staff was required. In the case of the treasury, there was only a single reception individual required for the whole floor in additional to one guard at the doors that so openly depicted that they led to the treasury. These doors were extremely thick and over them was a luminous glow that tainted their dark hue, giving them an archaic feel and visual. Runes. These were different from the ones found within the evaluation room. These were more potent and they encircled the entirety of the floor in general though most could not be seen so as to give the illusion of vulnerability. There was a distinct difference between arrays and runes, as arrays could only carry a lessermands while taking up arge space while runes had a lot more authority to them in a condensed form that didn''t waste the avable space given. Any Mage could learn how to form an array with practise but runecraft... it was a whole different game. In the empty space that proceeded the lonely reception a few doors behind the three, ris stepped forward and ced his hand on the doors. His mana sifted through from his hand and into the doors, a loud but short lived thrum echoing within the room like a tremor. The evaluation officer then closed his eyes as he focused on the door''s specific configurations. Six runes with different vibrant colours that almost blinded Silrat showed, their order rotating and zipping around over the surface of the doors. A green rune shed over to ce itself in front of ris'' hand and with another loud thrum, it expanded over the surface of the doors, prompting them to creak open. This showcase showed how much security was ced on the treasury, though Skullius who had been told by Silrat on their way here that the treasury was obviously guarded couldn''t help but wonder, where this guard was. His Koten and Machi didn''t detect anyone besides the lonely receptionist. As the doors opened, to Silrat and Skullius, was revealed a luminous swirling dark green image that the former Branch Head visually identified as a portal while Skullius identified it as such by feeling a sense of familiarity with the spatial properties he had tasted on the stout mountain in Fortune. "Come," ris said as he walked through the green mass, shortly followed by the duo. With a tickling feeling akin to being kissed in the sensitives, the trio were quickly transported into a dark room that stretched for tens of meters. Lights immediately came on when they appeared and Silrat took in deep breaths. He wasn''t used to this kind of travel. Behind them, contrary to what most would expect, was nothing, as once an individual entered the treasury, the doors on the other side would be sealed once again. The room itself resembled a narrow corridor with protrusions from the sides that held up the numerous artefacts. Numerous was an understatement in all honesty. Abundant was more urate. Swords, spears, staffs, shields, halberds, ives, polearms, armour, berserker armours, spiked gauntlets, capes, robes, axes, scrolls.... Scrolls! Skullius'' senses tingled. "This is the first treasury. You are free to choose a single item from here," ris said. " Though I should say there isn''t anything too impressive here. A few Unique and Legendary items of note is the best you''ll find. Because of the shortage of Mages and other Energy Formers, most of this stuff remains without an owner." The Hybrid Luman was barely listening. While he was interested in the armours, robes and staffs, the scrolls were a new addition to what he knew as established in this world. He was curious as to what they held. He hoped that they were something like the All Eater Scroll. Only four could be seen and he was determined to see what they were, so much so that he hiddenly ignited Crude Vision. As he turned his back to the two behind him, walking up to the items, his hands touching the scrolls, ris titled his head in a bit of surprise. "You''ve taken an interest in the Prompt Spells? Most people don''t value them since they are one time usage items. At least the ones of this quality. Those ones are at the peak of the Unique rarity at most," ris said, informing Skullius to which Silrat gulped, hoping that wasn''t enough to get him killed. Thankfully, It was his duty to inform and his words conveyed just that. Unlike most evaluators, he wasn''t biased enough to market a few items out of the treasury or to give advise to his favourites. He had seen enough talent to not be swayed so easily. His perfunctory information dump didn''t seem to get through to Skullius however, as with a slight tremble, the Hybrid Luman turned, his vision nk once again, but with an uncontroble smile on his face. Many thoughts were racing through his head right now as he processed them all quickly with [Beyond the Hype]. "I''ll take this," Skullius said while raising his hand which held one of the scrolls. A beige coloured one tied with a dark string. A strong scent of mana could be felt from it but ris could already tell that it was a Unique item. "Are you sure this is what you want?" ris asked with a strict visage. There were no take backs. "I''m sure," Skullius said. Silrat didn''t air out his view as he was getting used to the idea that the Hybrid Luman had a different outlook, arger perspective and a grander goal. He would trust him with this. Although among the items here were Enriching gems of great value too, he didn''t try to dissuade Skullius from his choice. "Very well," ris said as he asked nothing further, motioning for the two follow him out. He extended his hand in the open air and the green portal emerged once more, leading all three men outside. "It seems so underwhelming to havee all this way for one item," Silrat said with a bitter look on his face. "Well, you get to know theyout of the Association in the process," ris said with a smile. "I appreciate that," Skullius said while suppressing the smile that sought to explode over his face. What he had just casually gained was really more than he could have imagined. And it was just the beginning. If he could get all the other scrolls...and those in the second and third treasury... The Prator would be so happy. Chapter 462 Missions Of Utmost Importance (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Fortune. "What is this creature doing here?" Bassbion said in an authoritative voice that lightly rattled Ferex. She remained in her stone form, fitted within the hollow at the base of the statue of her master. Her eyes settled on the figure of therge beast that looked at her and then at Yagrina, tendrils of Unliving Thread whipping over its bulk. It was Ferex. He was here for an important mission. He quickly stood on his hind legs, his figure morphing into a humanoid form that stood in ce cautiously. "Well...?" Bassbion questioned, waiting for the creature to express its purpose. Because of themunication barrier, Ferex had to resort to gesturing to get his points across. The Pseudo Spirit Walker''s Hide quickly covered his entire figure, devouring the Unliving Thread over it. Soon, Ferex vanished from sight but... "What are you doing?" Bassbion angrily questioned. Did this thing want to fight or something? In the next moment however, Ferex reappeared and pointed at Bassbion with his w. "Huh?" The Hound then punched himself in the face, and spread his arms out as if in confusion. "What in the world is that supposed to mean?" Seriously? Ferex expelled a shot of heat from his nostrils in annoyance before performing the sequence of gestures once again - using the Hide to erase his existence, pointing it at Bassbion and then striking himself in the head. Bassbion was about to angrily question Ferex once again what he meant when... "Wait, Sister Bassbion," Yagrina said, cutting off Bassbion. "I think he''s asking how we can see him even when he is invisible." "What?" "Don''t you remember? You pummelled him when he was trying to defend that man back then. He seems to not be used to getting spotted in that form. Poor thing." During the battle between Skullius and Bassbion, Ferex had attempted to sneak up on the guardian but was bashed easily as he had been seen despite his ability to erase every aspect of his presence. Ferex of course couldn''t understand what the two guardians were saying but he was hoping to get some insight. "Do you honestly think I would remember that minor detail amidst all the crazy set of events that happened during the past few days? I hardly recall it," Bassbion said. "And why should I dignify this thing with a response?" "Come now, Sister Bassbion. He is merely asking. Besides, he is an ally, is he not. We best ept that reality sooner orter." "..." Bassbion didn''t offer a retort asing to terms with all this was still a problem for her. She preferred to have a master, a host, who was independent and dominant, just like their masters. She was willing to follow such a host even if they took an even darker path that ended this world. But this...? "Hmmph. It''s not like its some grand revtion. It''s peculiar how his ability to escape any notice works but as spirits we see a whole lot more of the world than any others," Bassbion said before she turned to Ferex, realising something. "Can he even understand us?" "I doubt it," Yagrina said as she looked at the Hound who didn''t show any reaction to what they said at all. No show of understanding. No nod. Nothing. The creature scratched its head as it then turned to the two with a new request. On its wed hand, it formed the image of a long sword with Unliving Thread and then pointed at Bassbion again, gesturing for the guardian to give it to him. "My sword?" Bassbion said as her body started to emerge from the hollow in the statue. She attained vibrant colour as she came out, instead of the rigid creaking, her movement bing smooth while her gaze focused on the Hound who actually stepped forward to meet her fearlessly. The guardian was surprised to see Ferex requesting the same thing, repeating it over and over like a machine without considering the threat from Bassbion. "Just give it to him, Sister Bassbion. He can''t use it anyway and he isn''t fast enough to escape you from close range. If worsees to worst I''ll even intervene," Yagrina said. Bassbion wasn''t too epting of this idea. For her, just thinking about this creature before her being ackey of Skullius shut off any kind ofpassion she could possibly feel. Yet, she was pretty curious. What did this beast want with her sword? *** "Here you go Mister Festos," Rist said with a smile. She was in charge of all formalities regarding evaluation officers and executive mercenaries on the fifth floor and while trapped in her cube, she dished out an identification card for Skullius from the slot aligned with the top of the desk. The identification card was designed with small reflective cubes that alternated their colouration between blue and gold as one turned them to different positions from the light. Over it, was Skullius'' name, ss and Rank which were sculpted in with the intent to show that the Hybrid Luman was in fact, special. It had to be known that he was different from the rest. "Thank you," Silrat imed the card and handed it to Skullius behind him, along with a pouch that had the 100 sma coins. He turned back to Rist and politely asked, "Could we see the mandatory missions avable for exclusive mercenaries?" Rist smiled politely before shuffling a few files and documents within her shelf and pushing them out to Silrat through the slot. The former Branch Head then turned back to Skullius as the two sat down and shuffled through the missions. "Some of these are pretty dangerous. You are allowed to start a Guild without paying the fees that most other Guilds have to pay, you know?" Silrat informed. "You already mentioned that but that''s not what I need right now," Skullius said as he set his eyes on the missions. There were six of them with general descriptions over location, the situation and hazard level in addition to the rewards one would get when they finished it. They seemed to be ranked ording to the grading system for exclusive mercenaries, the ones Skullius had been given ranging from Rank 4 and below in terms of difficulty. Generally, Rank 4 would be more or less equal to the lowest B ranked mercenary, by this Branches standard, so Skullius was intrigued. Among the six missions, three caught Skullius'' eye in terms of reward and general description. The first was to venture to a famous tourist sighting at a ce known as Creeping Chill, a hill said to have been sanctified by a Priest from old times. An abnormallyrge blue Cluster had appeared there and it seemed it had roughly two days before it was estimated to open ording to what was known about Clusters. The reward was 200 sma coins along with the two items. One Unique and Legendary, both of which were the choice of the mercenary. The second was a mission to travel to the Belvion Union, a group of four towns that formed a haven for the people of that part of the region. A notorious group of bandits named the Ascendant Hunters were threatening the peace there and they were a rather elusive bunch. The reward was 500 sma coins along with an item said to only be disclosed when the mission waspleted. Thest one involved a Cluster as well but the beasts within it had already escaped and were upying arge woond to the South of Genhuis City, iming it as their territory. The reward was 280 sma coins along with something called the Simmering Cloud. It was identified as an artefact and Skullius was interested to see what it was. All of these missions were intriguing. Skullius looked up and called for Rist without turning to Silrat. "I''ll take these three," he said with determination, hints of urgency noticeable in his nk eyes. --- ~Sponsored by Mashu_Mashu_Berusutora~ Chapter 463 Chasing A Scent (A/N: Bonus Chapter). In the carriage outside the Association, Terese, Daggs and the guards were eagerly waiting for the return of the two who had remained in the building. At first it had been silent, but soon, Terese started yammering Skullius'' praises, going on and on about how cool he was, easily fighting against the might of the Association''s evaluation officers and defeating them as if they were nothing. Her indifference and apparent dislike towards Skullius had turned into infatuation so quickly, her mindpletely erasing the memory of Skullius'' ''exchange'' with ris which ended in total defeat. The guards wanted to discuss the matter too but unfortunately while on duty, they weren''t allowed to gossip and giggle like little girls. While they were trained professionals, they couldn''tpare to what they had seen Skullius do. Most of them were mid-level fighters that Sty and her brother insisted on taking while leaving much of the entire Family force back at the estate. They had decent strengths of their own and only needed a few guards and the ones that were left for Terese were the majority. Besides, there were Capital Service appointed to protect them within the City as well, though a few of them who insisted on moving with Sty and her brother. "I always knew that young man had potential! It turns out I was right! We''ve recruited a powerful man into the Family!" Terese said whileughing, this foresight of hers which she imed to have gotten making everyone in the carriage nervous. Young man, she said. Always knew, she said! We, she said! The guards as well as Daggs swallowed the hypocrisy Terese was dishing out. She was a child, they might as well let her revel in her spoiled nature. Daggs sighed for the umpteenth. He was genuinely scared of facing Skullius again. Had he known that the man he had been escorting was even more terrifying than he thought, he would have declined Silrat''s order to go pick him up. By nature, he was a very fidgety person though he was willing to push through rough situations for good causes and no¡ª "Damn it!" Daggs almost ducked away from the window of the carriage before realising where he was. "What is it?" Terese frowned as she gazed at him, clearly not appreciative of these continuous jump scares. "Nothing, at all, Lady Terese," Daggs said in a hushed tone. "It''s just that Master Festos and Master Silrat areing out now." Terese hurried to the window, her eyes bulging a she took in the figure of Skullius that descended down the steps to the entrance. In her view, he looked much too cool and her young heart burned with the passion of infatuation. She watched as Skullius and Silrat stopped at the base of the Guilds Association building, the Hybrids Luman saying something to Silrat as he then turned and walked away in the opposite direction with his hands in his pockets. "Huh! Where...where is he going?! Why isn''t heing here?!" Terese cried out as Silrat approached the carriage and boarded. She crawled over to the former Association Branch on the seat and shook him with her eyes bulging out in desperation. "Where is Mister Festos going?! Why are you letting him walk off like that?!" Silrat was taken aback by this attitude change. Was she really fawning over Festos now after seeing his disy? He sighed. Just now Skullius had expressed haste. After inquiring from Rist what a Simmering Cloud was, the reward for the third mission he chose and without getting an answer as thedy had stated that information was not hers to divulge, Skullius had promptly asked Silrat to leave. The former Branch Head wanted to tell Skullius to first get to know the many details attached to his new title including how many of his peers they were but Skullius was in a hurry. Frustrating. As tense he was now, thest thing he wanted was another problem. Silrat gazed at the child beside him. ''You were a perfect....sockethole, as Festos puts it. Now I have to protect you too. Tsk.'' *** Skullius walked from within the crowds while following the trail that the carriage hade from before. He turned down multiple roads filled with many people going about their varied business, sensing their airs and mana types as he went. The bright sun in the sky did not seize to light up all things. To ordinary people it barely had any effect and the little they could feel from it was all but positive. For people like Skullius who were sensitive to minute changes in mana and energies, it felt like constantly being watched. It was annoying. ''It shouldn''t be a problem right? ris makes it clear that Mages do all kinds of crazy in this city, so this should be that strange,'' Skullius thought as he entered into a crowded bar. The name of the bar perfectly encapsted the mood within, a que which hung from not having enough support to stand proud depicting it in a semi-pleasing font style, the words ''ALL DAY LONG'' showing. Themotion and hubbub within this establishment masked much of the micro activity happening within and this was exactly what Skullius was hoping for. However, he did wonder how long all these people had been here. They looked tired but happy. The party seemed to never end. He blended within the drunk and drinking men and women, pulled out the Elimparidis Stone Staff and shot a milky ray that shed for a brief second as it called upon the figure of a lime green haired girl who looked around confusedly. "Huh? HUH?! Where am I?!" Yuyui called as she spun around before Skullius grasped her head. "Where are you looking, you sockethole?" he said, garnering Yuyui''s attention. The girl looked pleased to see Skullius, at least in this form. Her opinion that her master was nicer when he looked human remained unchanged as she wore a big smile as she saw him. Skullius grimaced as he pushed the girl through the crowd and exited the bar. "What are you smiling for?" "Oh nothing, Master. Why did you call me out?" Yuyui asked as the two walked. Skullius narrowed his unseeing eyes as he looked down the street they had travelled whening to the Association. That presence he had sensed.... He hadn''t been in the Association building for long so he hoped that he could find that man again. He couldn''t recognise which shop he had entered but if he hadn''t gone to far, catching a whiff of his deadly presence should be possible with [Koten Machi]. This, he didn''t share with Yuyui however as instead, he spilled what the glutton wanted to hear. "Your n worked. Let''s get your appetite sated," Skullius said, not believing his own words. --- ~Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora~ Chapter 464 Dreams And Meat Skullius and Yuyui entered into an eatery with thetter having a big smile on her face. She looked at the immacte arrangement of hardwood tables where many people sitting in twos, threes and fours were dining on a variety of dishes from expensive to cheap. Yuyui couldn''t help but lick her lips. She couldn''t wait! She hadn''t eaten anything except for perhaps the many fruits from the trees in the forest in Fortune which had peculiar tastes that she wasn''t used to. This was evidently different though. She had the opportunity to eat her fill without pause and to entertain NONE of the vegetable and fruit crap. This wasn''t about nutrition! This was about living to eat! As the two entered, a man approached them with an amiable smile but Skullius hurriedly pushed Yuyui to the front. The lime haired already knew why. "Hello my dear guests, would you like to dine in the Grubby Hands this afternoon?" the man asked as his eyes alternated their focus between Skullius and Yuyui. He was evidently a waiter. The Pinnacle uluthon smiled deeply and took a step forward as she answered. "Yes we would." "For you and your..." the man said, ncing at Skullius who didn''t spare him even his nk gaze. "Yes. For me and my... friend," Yuyui said as she made sure she was in the waiter''s line of sight, blocking the view of Skullius. "Right away," the man said as he briskly turned and motioned for the two to follow him. He showed the duo to a free table and waited for them to sit down. "What would you like to eat?" the man naturally asked the most vibrant of the two, Yuyui. "Ummm....what do you have when ites to your meats?" Yuyui asked enthusiastically while pping her hands. The waiter stated all the various meats they had ording to their pricing per apportionment, with each statement he said, Yuyui''s eye darting over to Skullius who didn''t seem to be focusing on the interaction at all. She wanted to know whether money really wasn''t an object but given how Skullius had already confirmed that he would spoil her for her ''service'', she loosened up... and ordered. "Can we have a full portion of every type of meat you have?" The waiter stiffened. What now? A full portion of... every meat? That was... "Is this to carry back home? We have packages designated for that sor¡ª" "No. I.. ahem... we need to eat it all now," Yuyui said, correcting herself. The waiter tried to stir his mind, thinking that perhaps there was something he was missing but, that didn''t seem to be the case at all. "But... some of these...portions may not even fit at the table..." "Oh. Then bring the portions that can fit in as many tes as the table can hold. Oh! We can even borrow another table!" The waiter''s brow started to pump out sweat as he could only relent. Yuyui ironed out some of the more intricate details with him as she ced a few more orders for drinks as well. The man walked away as he went to bring the orders. Thankfully, no one had heard the discussion here or at least no one who could hear it paid it any mind. This wasn''t a fancy establishment after all,so strange fetishes were eptable. Skullius didn''t show any reaction to the scene that had been happening before him. At this moment, he had [Koten Machi] active as he searched for that dangerous presence once again but a portion of his focus remained on all the details of the Guilds Association that he had chosen not to indulge in for now. His mind had been so set on taking on the missions he had chosen that he didn''t bother with most of the other details. At least for now. He hadn''t even bothered to ask who that sharply dressed man was as soon after ris had been tasked with having him choose anything he wanted from the first treasury, such thoughts had been packed to the back of his mind. With only two days, excluding this one, remaining before the Premium Age Royale began, Skullius wanted every assurance he could get from any kind of situation he was going to get himself involved in during this event. Enough strength for flexibility. He could check everything else he had left behindter. At this moment, he wanted to kill two birds with one stone, feeding his glutton while searching for this individual he was drawn to. He didn''t have much hope but it was worth a try. "Master, the food is here!" Yuyui said as she tapped Skullius'' forehead while leaning over the table. ''That''s bold,'' Skullius thought while reeling in his mind from the several facets it was sinking itself into. Several individuals brought about multiple tes chock full of nothing but meat! Braised, roasted, stewed, grilled... Bitter smiles could be seen over the individuals serving this food. Some of them had been under the impression that perhaps a ratherrge noble had suddenly emerged to try their cuisine but.. all they could see was a twig with colourful hair and an attractive man who betrayed their expectations with how gluttonous he seemed to be. The drinks were servedter, the idea of taking another table to amodate all the dishes having firmly been denied by the owner of the eatery who peeked at these customers from a distance. As the servers departed, Skullius confirmed with the waiter who hade before that yes... yes, he could pay for all of this. "I have full faith that you''ll want to eat somewhere else after this so do make it quick," Skullius said as he only took something to drink from the food pile. Yuyui smiled as she dug in. It made her feel much better to know that Skullius understood her very well. Her body digested food at an atrocious rate. It was as if it was trying topensate for that century and some of starvation! It wasn''t that she wouldn''t get full after this meal. She would but she could eat more! Yuyui began to eat, her rate of swallowing... no, devouring everything in the dozens of tes causing a spectacle that drew the attention of everyone in the eatery. Skullius ground his teeth. He didn''t think there would be eyes on him as well, some of them clearly asking for him to stop Yuyui. To save this poor girl before she killed herself! Yet hepletely ignored. After six minutes and forty-three seconds, the final bone struck the te as nothing that could be called flesh remained. Skullius immediately stood up as Yuyui was clearing her mouth. He called for the waiter who remained dazed for a few moments before answering his call, bringing the bill which Skullius swiftly paid with the gold coins he had looted from some of the bandits he came across. He wouldn''t use sma coins for this. The two left the joint under perplexed and horrified eyes, Skullius leading the enthusiastic glutton down the street as he searched for the powerful presence again. After ten minutes, he went with Yuyui into another eatery, one that specialised in baked goods. Confectioneries. The lime haired girl walked with a skip in her step as she ced another dreadful order that made the servers turn pale. Another cycle of food mowing ensued along with a bbergasted audience who watched it all happen. This cycle kept going on for two hours, with Yuyui continuously finding something new to sink her teeth into while Skullius was left to sigh as he couldn''t find what he wanted. Seeing that time was running out as he wanted to get on with his missions starting today, Skullius only allowed Yuyui one more stop. He intended to have her go back to the mansion as right now, she wasn''t that useful. As they sat down, Yuyui didn''t ask for another outrageous amount of food. She asked for a somewhat normal portion that she sat down to. She had begun to eat when Skullius asked her a question. "Do you have an other goals besides stuffing your face?" The lime haired girl who shockingly looked the same despite eating hundreds of people worth of feed, looked into Skullius'' nk eyes and puckered her lips. "Well..." she replied. "I don''t really remember what I wanted to do before I got trapped but now... I did develop three simple dreams in that horrible ce." "What are those?" Skullius asked with a brow raised. Did this meathead actually have an honourable set of ideals and goals? "Instead of dying of hunger, I...I want to die from eating too much! Instead of living in that stale... maddening silence and loneliness, I want to die byughing too hard because I''m happy! Instead of feeling so scared that I can''t even close my eyes, I want to find so muchfort that I will... I will sleep to death! These are my dreams Master!" Yuyui said them with firm resolve, her serious face only being distorted by the swelling of her cheek as she chewed the food from her te. Skullius was stunned. He couldn''t really call her dreams stupid. He could identify with her loneliness at least. It was like having a different variant of the conversation he had had with the dolphin Fuwin. The Hybrid Luman folded his arms. "It''s fine to want to explore pleasure but do you have to do while dying?" Skullius said with the 34th sigh of the day. "It''s not the time to be too rxed. There''s danger everywhere. For someone like you, it''s best to grow your strength first." Yuyui shrank a bit. Skullius wasn''t wrong. She didn''t know much about what was happening in the world so she tended to rx because everything was spoon-fed to her by Skullius. Instruction. Food. But... His words... ''There''s danger everywhere....it''s best to grow your strength first... ''There''s danger everywhere...it''s best to grow...'' These words... They were oddly familiar... Someone in her past that was unclear had said something like this... What was it...? A not-so-distant memory was pulled from her mind because of Skullius'' words, a memory from a dangerous time... Chapter 465 Bitter Memory "Yuyui, is this really what you want to do?" "Yes mother." "Are you sure? These are dangerous times. Evil lurks everywhere. Music won''t save you. Why don''t you learn something? Anything to defend yourself?" "Father..." A scrawny man sat by Yuyui on her bed. His eyes showed nothing but love and concern as he embraced his girl who had now grown up. His soft ck hair which was pushed back by the tides of balding from the forehead up, made his face clearer to the girl, his words more meaningful. The woman who remained standing, looked at the father and daughter duo and almost wept. Their good-natured child, too good for scolding or whipping had just announced that she wanted to journey to the Belvion Union to find a renown musician she had heard about and follow in her footsteps. Such a rxed dream. All she wanted was to bring melody to the world. "I''m not good at fighting father. Singing and... strumming a lute or ying a flute is all I can do. And it''s all I want. I mean... even the Deities think so. I''m a Bard and... it may not be much but...I like it," she said as he puckered her lips and gazed intently at her father. The man buckled under his daughter''s gaze. She had never disobeyed him. Or at least his bias which rose as his little girl grew up into a kind-hearted angel clouded his mind from all the bits of mischief she hadmitted in her earlier youth. Still... "I know my dear," Yuyui''s father stroked her chin softly while brushing away the tears she was about to spill. "Your music is bliss. To me and your mother. The whole town thrives on it. But... out there, without status or strength, everywhere you go, they''ll be nothing but evil that wants to consume you." "At least wait until the rain blows over, then we''ll organise a carriage to go on a safe travel route. Alright?" Yuyui had been gripped by the passion of youth to explore everything she could. To travel to all the towns and cities while ying her songs. It was simplistic but it meant the world to her. A visit to the local Temple had revealed her Direction to be tied to music. Even now, Yuyui recalled the aged priest''s words. ''Your Direction will tremble and spill a dramatic change in your path when you sing a song from the heart. A song of great pain. A song of great happiness. A song of great triumph. It may be in this order, it may not, but the Deitess Listafelle will be with you.'' Yuyui favoured the Deity Listafelle of the waters. She dreamed of travelling across the seas one day to which she hoped Listafelle would protect her on her journey. That was a distant goal though. As her parents insisted that she stay the night, a plea made with nothing but love and care, Yuyui relented. To ensure her parents didn''t think she was upset, she helped her mother cook a lovely meal. It was rather fun with the downpour outside that gave a cool and noisy aesthetic which beat away the boring silence of the evening. The two giggled as they cooked, with Yuyui asking her mother, "Mother, have you remembered why our hair is green yet? I want to tell some epic story to Lalliana when we meet. She''ll definitely ask why I have such unusual hair." Yuyui''s mother wore a cheeky smile. Unlike Yuyui''s lime green hair, hers was a lot darker, being a forest green colour that seemed a bit more natural. "I still don''t remember, Yuyui. Your grandmother once told me but I don''t quite remember. It was beautiful tale but sadly, your mother didn''t take it to heart." "That''s not what you saidst time! This is a different excuse! You''re lying!" Yuyui pouted. "No its not!" her mother defended herself as she teased Yuyui with a big hug. The rest of this night ended with smiles after a hearty meal and when the morning came... sadly the rain did not cease. Yuyui was a bit distraught. She had thought by today, the rain would allow a window for her leave as per her parents'' request but it seemed that was not possible. Yuyui didn''t want to upset her parents by insisting on leaving again so she decided to just wait it out. The rain wouldn''t pour forever. It wouldn''t. It certainly wouldn''t. *** Yuyui was lost in a torrent of memory that spun chaotically in her mind. It had been smooth sailing to recall a bit of everything that had happened but now, her memory got jumbled. Mother. Father. Home. She remembered this but... Huff! Huff! Yuyui started to breath heavily as she huffed in air, her emotions running amok under Skullius'' gaze. The Hybrid Luman was alerted to Yuyui''s sudden shift through his senses, his focus getting drawn to her as he wondered what was happening. The lime haired girl puckered her lips as shes of memories that she vaguely remembered sparked in her vision. That day. That morning. It wasn''t just the rain. No. There was something more. She remembered the sky turning dark. She remembered the town getting wrecked. Screams, gurgles, screeches. Rope tied on people''s necks as some were taken, some killed. This... This chaos.. Yuyui''s eyes started to water as the figures she had just now remembered... Mother. Father. She saw them. They were with her. Urging her to run through the pouring rain as they fled... As they bled... But... In the end, she ended up alone. What happened?! What caused this?! She couldn''t find them. These two most important people in her life?! Where was the rest of this? Where was all of it?! Yuyui felt a rush of rage, a burden of sorrow and a swelling in her chest that dragged down the tears that had started to brew in her eyes. "Yuyui... what''s wrong?" Skullius asked. The girl in question shut her eyes, one of which was always covered by the bangs to mask its secret. Her face swelled and moulded together around her features as she clutched her chest and exhaled a deep mourn, tears streaming from her eyes. "Yuyui!" Skullius lightly called as he rose and clutched her shoulder. The moment he did, Yuyui felt a sense of relief, as she was brought back to the living reality. But the sorrow didn''t go away. She felt the skin on her forehead hurt from the bitter face she made, her inner pain drawing her to lean in on Skullius. As she did so, with grief painting over her formerly cheerful face, the skin on Yuyui''s forehead split, making way for something Skullius hadn''t expected at all while the lime-haired girl seemed oblivious to it! An eye popped up within the fleshy space that emerged, its pupil turning to the nearest individual around! ...! Skullius felt a sweeping wind that blew over him from the sharp gaze of this eye, this wind shredding something on him effortlessly like dust being carried away in a storm! ...!!!! What in the world?! This something that was blown away... What was it..? What was... "Oh shit bro..." Skullius murmured to himself in shock. The Prator stood tall within the fine eatery. Chapter 466 Dispersion! Two seconds. It took two seconds. As the Hybrid Luman was unceremoniously reced with the Prator, the VergeRider''s first set catering for the dramatic change in size and shape, Skullius both expressed and swallowed his shock! The ice blue iris and dark pupil that gazed at him firmly, releasing a surge of wind-like force that only he could feel barrelling against his figure was definitely the cause of this! [High Cosmetic Body] was still a few hours from its time out and the sensation that he felt, a reaction from [Epiphany] as a result of this phenomenon that bore down against him, prompted him to realise that the unique ability of this eye was utterly ridiculous! The fact that it could forcibly cancel out [High Cosmetic Body] which was a Supreme skill, spoke volumes about its power! The only time this had ever happened was with the man known as Remos, back in the Labyrinth of the Yoke! Another anomaly, Skullius was sure. Skullius didn''t have too much time to specte as in the two seconds it took for him to make out what the flesh was happening and sense that escaping this gaze was probably the solution, he shed behind Yuyui, denying this dark eye a victory. Surely, as soon as Skullius got out of the eye''s line of sight, the gust which blew against him vanished and his skin was reforged, his body returning to normal! The Hybrid Luman''s beat pretty fast as many horrendous ideas passed through his brain but he cast them away. Fortunately, the fact that he had been in a situation like this before helped him react ordingly as he knew... "Dear Quintess! What...what was that?!" "Eeek! I could have sworn...!" "Whooah!" Several people in the established eximed, grew pale or fell from their seats! Even if it had only been for two seconds, Skullius knew that he was bound to have been seen. Yuyui didn''t put all this happening around her in her sights as she continued to weep while wincing slightly from the pain the eye on her forehead caused. It started to bleed profusely as it moved rapidly, as if searching for Skullius, but there was no other extraordinary phenomenon for it to DISPERSE. Skullius quickly struck the back of Yuyui''s neck, the girl being knocked out. With his speed, he grabbed the girl and exited the establishment faster than anyone there could blink, his figure in addition to the mule''s appearing in a corner of a shop full of people. It seemed like some sort of hardware shop for vehicle parts and horse essories. Skullius'' swift appearance didn''t alert anyone and the moment he stopped moving, he whipped out the Elimparidis Stone Staff and sent Yuyui back to Fortune. As soon as this was done, he focused his senses on the outside, trying to figure out if there were any changes. Not in the establishment he had just left, but in the sky. Changes in the second son! ''Could something like that have been noticed?'' he thought. It was hard to tell how this sun worked. How powerful did the individual who created it have to be to see every single thing happening in the city, if he ever could? Surely he didn''t notice something as minute as this, right? It seemed so. After a few minutes, Skullius didn''t notice anything strange. Nothing at all. "No change," he said as he stepped out of the shop and started to walk slowly through the street while exercising caution. ''What the hell happened to Yuyui? She unlocked another eye just by crying, or...perhaps she just remember something important?'' Skullius thought. This sure seemed like a stroke of fortune, but that could have ended badly if he was slow to act. He didn''t know how this eye worked. For all he knew, it could permanently cancel out [High Cosmetic Body] for the rest of the day! That would be... disastrous. ''Hmm... I should probably take her with me. I''ll find out what this is all about when I''m out of the city,'' Skullius said as he calmed himself down. Part of his newly established mind-set was to ept misfortunes as they came to forge ahead when and if he was still breathing after any mishap. Since he sessfully escaped much suspicion, as not everyone had seen the glimpse of his true self, there was no way this incident would develop the same way as the one at the College of the Esteemed did. (A/N: Refer to Ch.168-170). ''Well... I''ll leave it up to Direction or whatever when ites to meeting that person. Whatever is drawing me to them... will eventually lead me where it wants ,'' Skullius thought as he rushed towards the gates to Genhuis City. .... Within Fortune, Yuyui''s regained focus to her surroundings. For now, she had digested the grief and pain, ploughing it into something she could handle. She saw that she was back in Fortune, which didn''t surprise her as while she didn''t know what exactly happened, she could feel that something bad had urred. On her forehead, something felt cool as it was lightly beaten by the wind. It winked, its vertically ced mass looking around. The ice blue iris and the ck that surrounded it took in all that was around - forest, sea and mountain range - without ceasing to dart to and fro, this rapid movement tickling Yuyui, but she didn''tugh. Something else took the bulk of focus. Her flesh shifted ufortably, as if maggots were squirming under her skin, yet the result of this was astounding. Her skin grew rich and her wilted body grew fuller, her limbs growing to look healthy as overall, her stature no longer looking pitiful. Her normal eye turned vibrant, as if an additional spark of life was added to her body and reflected through it. Yuyui felt stronger. Physically and even mentally. She took in a deep breath and mana started to slowly bleed out from her body as it rose. Even this was changing. *** Bryne Residence, Genhuis City. Sty entered the mansion while escorted by her guards along with a Capital Knight decked in silver armour, a cape following after him. He wore a strict face that showed his determination to duty, even though he hadn''t slept for two days while catering for Sty''s trips to some rather unsafe ces in the city. The redhead looked tuckered out as a lot was fed to her within the span of a day and a half. She sat down on thefortable seat while massaging her temples and shortly, the figure of Daggs briskly appearing to greet her. "Where is everyone? Did Festos arrive?" Sty asked with a dull visage that featured bags under her eyes. "Yes, Master Festos safely arrived but he has left the city, ording to Master Silrat. He has taken up missions from the Association," Daggs exined. "I take it that means his Evaluation Test went well then?" Sty asked. "Yes, Lady Sty. It went... very well..." Daggs said while thinking back to the dreadful power he had witnessed. "Good then. I won''t count on anyone to keep mepany. Frankly I''d rather be alone right now," Sty said while dismissing Daggs with her hand. However... "Uhmm....Lady Sty..." Daggs began, but he couldn''t find the words to express himself well enough. "What is it?" The attendant intended on warning Sty... but how could he do it tactfully? "Don''t bother hiding it, Daggs old pal. It''s no mystery that there''s bad, bad blood between me and my sister now is it?" a voice came from the stairs as another redhead scaled down. Sty''s forehead wrinkled. She really didn''t want this right now. "It seems big ol'' sister has been running around the city trying to make a few final touches for Premium Age Royale. How cute," the man to appear said with a smirk on his face as he sauntered over to Sty. The look on Sty''s face as she turned her sharp eyes to him spoke volumes of her feelings. There was no sibling bond between these two. Chapter 467 The List "Sss.... its so fucking cold. More nkets here," a rather pale man with long white hair with blue streaks on both sides of his head said in annoyance while holding arge cup of piping hot tea. On the table ced over hisp as he sat in bed, wrapped in thick nkets like a giant worm, was a te full of treats ¨C biscuits, muffins, hard choctes among other stuffs. The man gracefully picked up one of these at a time and expressed ss while eating them with his tea, profanities following afterwards as heined about the ungodly weather. "It is sir," a formally dresseddy said while sitting on a chair at the side of the bed. "At least for you." "You don''t need to retort every time. I''m perfectly fine grumbling to myself," the man said. The woman seated at the side of his bed shook her head, the brown, braided hair of hers that was tied into a bun shaking as well to emphasise how she thought about her master''s words. "Instead of insisting on murmuring to the obvious, shall we review the list you asked me topile, Master Aurolio?" the woman suggested. "Only after you add another nket, Idline," the man identified as Aurolio said while pointing a shaky finger at the woman who was named Idline. A sigh and a set of footstepster, another thick nket covered Aurolio from the head to the shoulders and back. The white haired man expressed some semnce of relief that was reced by a light quivering once again. "Go on," he said to Idline. The woman nodded as she pulled out a sheet from what seemed like a t file, many texts being methodically written along with symbols used to distinguish each point. "Of the individuals I have verified, to some degree, to surely be participating in the Premium Age Royale, I have noted eight figures, three of which you know, rest you do not," Idline said. "Start with those that I know." "Very well. At the top of the list is Vali Kinn of the Kinn Family." Aurolio continued to sip his tea before adding another spoon of sugar to it. "She already announced her interest in the game a while ago. d to know she hasn''t changed her mind. I have no interest in that nasty freak unless... Wait. She can''t be the one that fucking swindler, could she? He likes gender bending in his predictions to confuse people, doesn''t he?" Aurolio asked Idline with a light frown. "I highly doubt it, though I wish she had been the one. When was thest time you even entertained the idea of a woman in your bed, Master Aurolio?" Idline said with a teasing tone on her stern face. "Don''t start with me, Idline. I''ll fuck you up this time and take away your PRIVILEGES," Aurolio said while narrowing his eyes. Idline smiled and continued her report. "Very well. The next one on the list is Nexius Oldd of the Oldd Family. My sources confirmed that he intends to join the Premium Age Royale to impress his fianc¨¦ with his... incredible prowess." "If it weren''t for our alliance, I would have killed that womanising fuck. Am I the only one who sees that you lot are severely overrated?" Aurolio said while munching on another biscuit. Idline sighed and ignored Aurolio''sst question. "Thest one you should know is...." Idline paused. "...him." "Right. Multiple rumours said that he confirmed that he would join if this Royale was real, right? He''s somewhat interesting but I doubt it could be him either," Aurolio remarked while yawning, his tongue cleaning the sugar from his teeth. "He signed himself to a wealthy Family from the East. Don''t know its name yet. He''s been on a rather excessive killing spree though. Six fairlyrge families from the south were wiped out in one hour as soon as a bounty was setup for their heads. Apparently these Families were created by several bands of bandits for the Royale and someone didn''t like it. I heard everyone there died the same way, a deepceration from the shoulder to the side. Men, women, children and all." "That''s a killer for you. He hates wasting time. I like that about him. And the ones I don''t know?" "Well, it seems someone from the Academy has also signed a contract with a Family to participate in the Royale. A Mage." "Ha. Didn''t expect that," Aurolio said with a shortugh which made Idline smile for a brief moment. When this man wasn''t having panic attacks, he really reeked of confidence. "The rest are Maxim tbed from the tbed Family. Bonoli Fisher from the Fisher Family..." .... *** EverSword Estate. "The Venue is ready right?" "Yes. It is ready. Everything has been prepared. "The beast is secured? Firmly?" "Yes. The beast is firmly held down and gagged." "Good. Nothing must go wrong." A man with a look of pride on his face said. He dismissed his steward after getting the details to the finalisation of the elements surroundings the Venue. Many problems could arise from this, namely scrutiny by the Capital Service and the Purity. A Pdin Champion had been ced in Genhuis City to aid the Capital Service against possible attacks from the Green Neolists and Evenfall. This could be problematic, but Actuass had told him to be at ease. He knew the risks. Divination and Divine intervention itself. No one knew for sure if perhaps the Deities would intervene, but most people had lost faith. They only believed in the system and not these gods themselves. This man, the head of the EverSword House remained standing, staring intently at a mural that was on the wall. It wasrge, its height being 4,5 meters while its width was roughly half of that. It depicted the image of and that was ruptured, releasing a blood red glow like moltenva while a sea of green me poured down from a sky untainted by clouds. In between these two was the vague image of a man floating between the two eerie depictions. Surprisingly detailed it was, showing not a distraught face but one of... gratefulness. Chapter 468 First Mission Site (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Fortune. The ever brightnds of Fortune shone on Skullius who was in his Prator form, his four sockets gazing down upon Yuyui who didn''t shy away from his luminous mes. The Limitless Body Null Demon Hound, Ferex, rested itsrge body behind Skullius as it watched the two. They all sat on the free patch ofnd that could be found away from the forest, sea and mountain range, a silence having persisted around them for a while. That was until Skullius spoke. "You probably should have taken the test seriously then," Skullius said as he rested his bone arm over his knee. "You would have been stronger by now." Yuyui puckered her lips as she sat with her legs crossed. It had been quite a shocker for Skullius when upon reaching the destination for his first mission, he was greeted with a different Yuyui. The scrawny Yuyui had gained some mass, her figure looking more feminine and healthy. If not for the facial features, as well as the hair that remained the same, Skullius would have thought that an intruder had invaded. Yuyui had narrated the changes she had gone through to Skullius, to which he had noticed, among other things that Yuyui''s mana had spiked up. A quick look with his guidance had him realise that her physical stats had increased three fold, and the second eye which she had awakened earlier, the one that came close to dispelling his [High Cosmetic Body], was called the Eye of Dispersal. At this moment, it was dormant, the vertical slit on Yuyui''s forehead where it spawned from closed up, leaving a thin line. "I wasn''t... really thinking about that Master. I didn''t even know there was a test," Yuyui said with a hollow expression. "I''m just not a fighter..." The lime haired girl wanted someone to tell what she had just remembered but as she saw the Prator, she felt a great distance, keeping to herself. She wasn''t some orphan taken in by a new father, after all. "Is that right?" Skullius said, his socket mes burning viciously. Not a fighter, huh? "What do you think being a fighter is?" Yuyui didn''t know the purpose of this question but she gave her own interpretation of the word. "Doesn''t it mean having the courage to fight against your enemies?" she answered. "Hmmm," Skullius hummed. How shallow, was Skullius'' thought of such a definition. An enemy. That was a very broad term. He had recently realised that there was more to the word enemy than meets the eye. It wasn''t simply a tangible person hindering your path. It wasn''t simply an antagonist, but an antagonistic force. Skullius unknowingly oveing his fear of death and his overthinking of what his atrocious luck might do, what any wrong move he did could lead him to and so on, had lead him to learn that he had never been weak at all. He had the capacity to exceed his limits. It was the same with Yuyui. Repression. She had a powerful Hidden ss, something objectively known as something that could make someone stand at the top of Aigas, but she hadn''t used it. She wasn''t using it. ''Perhaps she just hasn''t been in as many life threatening situations as I have,'' Skullius said. ''For her though, death isn''t really the threat. It''s a pastime. That''s where we differ maybe.'' The Prator shifted the point of the conversation at this juncture. "Can you use this... Eye of Dispersal as much as you want?" Yuyui shook her head. "After that time, it just closed up. It hasn''t opened since," she said while wearing her disappointment on sleeve. Her father''s words echoed in her mind again. These were dangerous times indeed. Skullius was also disappointed as he thought this eye was very useful. Its description on the guidance field, as with the one for the Inhumane Eye, was ''?'', but he knew part of its effects. "Hmm. Well, I''ll take that chance. We''re already at our destination," Skullius said as he stood. Even if Yuyui didn''t know how to use her new eye, he would take her along. "Let us out." As Skullius said those words, he, Yuyui and Ferex appeared in the snowynds of this region, a vicious cold whipping Yuyui who shivered. Upon discovering that the Elimparidis Stone Staff reacted ording to his will back when he was forging his mana core, Skullius had discovered additional benefits which he earned because of this right. For instance, instead of having to walk to his destination, he could simply teleport there as he wished without using any of the charges in the Staff. This was something he only discovered on the day he reached Genhuis City though. The three saw a unique geographical feature with a small town built over it. The Creeping Chill. It was akin to arge mountain that was cut in half, the litter of houses that made up a town running roughly from a mile away from the peak going downwards. The t surface of this halved mountain was the ce that many came to see, an extensive stretch of ice so hard and pure that it looked like diamond. It was said that only someone with strength at the peak of the Master Stage could shatter a piece of this the size of a fist but most believed it was a cringey tale crafted by some random nonbatant. At the base of the mountain, a thick white fog rose softly from what many would call a cold geyser, or rather a collection of them, carrying a crackling sound as it beat against the t mountain surface. Thick spikes emerged on the surface of the mountain here at the base, the fog continously licking it. The generation of these spikes was so fast that by the time Yuyuimented on the beauty of this structure, fourrge human sized spikes had been formed. "Woow..." Yuyui said as she looked at this marvel. "It''s beautiful." "Look beyond that," Skullius said as his sockets red, to which Yuyui tried looking past the fog of cold. "Oh..." A vast crack could be seen behind the billowing fog, itsrge, dark blue coloured stretch which spanned for almost three hundred meters over the spiky base of split mountain up, ced diagonally. A dense energy signature was masked by the horrendous cold that licked Skullius even from this distance, but that didn''t detract from how unusual this Cluster was. "We''re going to be entering that?" Yuyui asked with hints of fear smothering her face. "Of course," Skullius said with barely hidden enthusiasm. The town waspletely deserted, the civilians having been evacuated on ount of the imminent danger, something Skullius had confirmed with Ferex''s help. This had lead him to wonder what the reason and judgement for leaving such threats untended to was? The Cluster was just left here and he even had a mission that required him to dispatch Cluster beasts that had escaped a Cluster and nested in a woond. How was all this decided? Wasn''t it dangerous to leave things in this state? Oh well. This wasn''t the time to think about this. "Come on, we''re going in!" Skullius said as he pulled Yuyui to himself and wielded the Elimparidis Stone Staff. Ferex miniaturised leapt up to sit on his bald head. "What are we¡ª" Before Yuyui could express her concerns about how they were going to enter the Cluster, she and Skullius vanished from the spot! The three appeared in mid-air, about 500 meters near the split mountain with all its glory, the cold from the fog that kept rising past this height instantly beginning to act on them as they started to freeze! "Master...!" Yuyui called as she saw Skullius'' bony image turn white with heavy frost! She too experienced the same fate as she froze over in a few seconds! Skullius'' sockets burned bright as he gazed at the massive tear on the mountain that was the Cluster, muchrger now that he was closer, its staggering presence bearing on him in full force. "There''s definitely something atrocious in there! Let''s go meet it!" Skullius said as he forced his right arm in the opposite direction and used [Mana Force], arge chunk of his mana being expelled from his body in a white streak that caused the fog to part, his figure being propelled towards the Cluster rapidly! The three individuals, all frozen, sank into the diagonal streak on the mountain wall! --- ~Sponsored by Earth546~ Chapter 469 The Penetrator Dominates! (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). PCHT! PCHHT! Ice fell to the rather dry ground with a pulse of mana. Skullius who had just appeared within a different space broke apart the white ice that had umted over his bones with a burst of mana, his figure shaking to vacate the rest of the pieces from his bony surface. The ice barelysted a second though, as it seemed even if he left it, it would have been removed from his, Ferex''s and Yuyui''s person. A terrifying heat sted his body, the Prator noticing his bones turning wet then dry within the same breath''s worth of time. It was so hot here that the air couldn''t afford to stay still. It was constantly burnt, its shape twisting as between two objects, the imagery was distorted. Yuyui and Ferex''s ice was molten off rather quickly and before they could feel the sensation of being wet, this little moisture they gained was stripped by the scorching atmosphere! The lime haired girl grimaced as she felt the ufortable heat, her blue core powered body being able to survive the high temperatures but her clothes... not so much! They immediately burst into me leaving the girl her naked! Yuyui was surprised but she didn''t try to cover herself. The sense of decency had yet to return to her fully after all those years of solitude and besides that, she knew Skullius was uninterested in what riled up most men. The Prator turned to her and threw her the VergeRider. "Is it alright for me to wear this?" Yuyui asked as she carefully handled the form shifting first set of the armour. "Of course it is. I don''t have any use for the first two sets which I can use right now. I also can''t unlock the others since I don''t have much Null Life Essence," Skullius said. He was going into this bare boned and he was confident in winning still. Yuyui hesitated only for a second as she then wore the first set of the VergeRider, its form growing to fit her figure well. Skullius scouted this new ce. Behind him was a hazy, small crack that they couldn''t get through until the Cluster was cleared while before him was a vast...world. It looked like the inside of a volcano, a massive cavern-like space with dark soils where streams and rivers of orange-pink coloured magma flowed everywhere, thendscape turning down after a few hundred meters at a cliff as beyond this, was where an expansive, unique view began. Skullius gazed at his staff, his guidance field telling him that the charges he had umted for [Jolt Ray], the milky st released by the staff and [Jump], the teleportation skill he had used just now to appear in mid-air, were to be used only when truly necessary. The Elimparidis Stone Staff used the energy it received from spaces absorbed into the white gem at its top to power [Jolt Ray] and [Jump]. When he had taken in the Temple of Unlusted Tears into Fortune, a small amount of charges had been generated for both skills, more specifically four for [Jump] and six for [Jolt Ray]. "Let''s go," Skullius said while sending an order to Ferex. The Hound increased its size with Skullius leaping to ride on its back, his hand grabbing onto Yuyui to bring her up as well. The three walked up to reach the cliff against the scorching wind, the full view of this entire ce emerging in their sight. A zing utopia appeared! Right after the cliff, the massive descent below presented arge boiling pool of magma that spanned for roughly 600 meters. It was followed by a rocky, unevennd which was somehow merged with trees and shrubs that grew on literally everything! These trees had dark barks, almost as dark as the ck soils, the leaves on them being wisps of extremely hot mes that also had the orange-pink hue! After this strange forest that featured over multiple spots within the miles worth of pure new world here, was a civilization! Dome shaped houses made of ck bricks with what looked like a chimney over each of them that spat out fumes. As for the residents... They were ck scaled humanoid creatures with tall, skinny frames. Most had two or three off-white horns growing from their foreheads with pointed tails and a pair of webbed wings on their backs mainly featuring a ckish red hue. These creatures were happy to live naked as their expansive settlements strewn over this world consisted of various sizes of their kind, those with some distinction donning burning armours which were made from carved rock. "Bro... there''s so many of them," Skullius remarked while Yuyui was utterly creeped out by these creatures. At a rough estimate, there were over 300,000 of them! In such situations, most mercenaries would focus on finding the Cluster General and killing it to copse the Cluster which would be the most effective way to deal with such scenarios featuring high numbers but... Skullius had a different n in mind. Since this was a blue Cluster, there were likely to be arge number of Tier 4 and higher monsters. While most of them would most likely outss him stat-wise, Skullius had a few tricks to spam that were going to give him the advantage. Definitely. "Alright, Ferex. Time to go with the Eat-Me-Up strategy again," Skullius said as he disembarked from Ferex along with Yuyui who looked quizzically at the Prator. "What''s the Eat-Me-Up strategy?" she asked. The Prator''s sockets red as he emitted a chuckle. He didn''t answer as instead, he looked to Ferex who immediately followed his master''s order, his size building up as he grew over five meters tall, the Pseudo Spirit Walker''s Hide covering his Unliving Thread. The Hide released light bursts of smoke but didn''t burn away fortunately. Skullius jumped into Ferex''s maw which was opened wide while dragging Yuyui who was once again dumbfounded at the things her master casually did. Soon, Ferex disappeared, his unseen figure scaling down the cliff silently. Within the pool of scalding hot magma below, roughly twenty of the dark scaled creatures could be spotted, swimming leisurely as they seemed to have a high tolerance to extreme heat. They chatted in their ownnguage, some ying games as young and old among them could be differentiated by height and the growth of the horns. Two of these creatures who seemed to be having a swimming contest around the pool swam past the others with great fervour and joy on their faces. They went arc after arc as they sshed magma over themselves for several minutes, some of the other fellow Cluster beasts watching them while the rest went about their business. Then, it happened. A long, thick ck chain sprang up from somewhere on the dry grounds, wrapping around the neck of one of these two! Immediately, the Cluster beast was pulled him over while gasping! ...! The other Cluster beasts upon seeing this were rmed, their eyes turning to their peer who had just been dragged across the dark soils over to a space a distance away where tangled shrubs and trees met, creating a cover! The moment this terrified creature seized being dragged about, the chains that kept strangling it having stopped pulling, a tall skeletal creature appeared in its sight, its four sockets burning fiercely with a blue me! ....! The creature tried to scream as a great sense of horror overcame it but Skullius didn''t stop it from trying. "I guess I was wrong. The chains still work well with my Prator form," he said with a chuckle, his hand resting over the abdomen of this Cluster beast he had captured as it brimmed with mana. "Now let''s see what kind of core you have." --- ~Sponsored by Earth546~ Chapter 470 The Penetrator Dominates! (2) It was true. The Prator was leagues weaker than the Hybrid Luman. In all truth, if Skullius was using the Hybrid Luman form, he could clear out this Cluster and its General easily before even running out of his natural reserves of mana. Yet, as he had set out to do, Skullius decided to grow the Prator''s strength through these three missions. He wasn''t up for making things easy for himself. "Stall them for me. Both of you," Skulliusmanded both Yuyui and Ferex. The rushing footsteps and pping of wings could already be heard as the twenty-some Cluster beasts who had been in the pool rushed to save theirpanion and see who was doing this. Was it one of their own? Was it some kind of invader? They didn''t know. The Prator who started to sink into focus only needed a minute. Just a minute and everything would be fine. The scales would be shift dramatically! As his bony palm rested on the captured creature''s abdomen, the activation of a skill in progress, a terrific event was near the horizon. Yuyui trembled at Skullius'' words while Ferex immediately shot out from the bushes they were using as cover and went on to meet the enemies! "But...what am I supposed to do? I can''t fight" Yuyui asked with a distraught face. "Just do anything you can," Skullius said beforemitting his focus to the creature he had bound by the Chains of Damnation. With a quick appraisal using his guidance field, he saw the name of these creatures. They were simply named the Fire Breeders. The one Skullius had captured was pretty weak and was one of the few out of the bunch that had a white core, albeit a very bright one, which was why he had targeted it. As was the passive effect of the Chains of Damnation around this Fire Breeder, this poor Cluster beast felt a tremendous amount of pain just from being in contact with the thick, ck items. It screamed and struggled but this did not hinder Skullius'' work. He activated a skill that was near its evolution. One that he knew was going to create monumental opportunities for him. [Elevated Mana Maniption]. ... Ferex retained his invisibility but with the Pseudo Spirit Walker''s Hide on, he could only exercise a limited degree of power and flexibility with the Unlimited thread. Most of his enemies here had blue cores which meant regr attacks wouldn''t work against them as their bodies were stronger. But that was alright. His duty was to stall. The Fire Breeders shot in Skullius'' direction, most of them pping their ckish red webbed wings as they flew while the rest merely ran! One of these Fire Breeders which were undoubtedly some of the weaker ones, puffed it''s cheeks, its face distorting ¨C its red eyes getting smothered by its inted cheeks which glowed a bright orange as it filled up with something hot! The creature spat out a voluminous amount if boiling magma that shed through the air as it hurtled towards Skullius who was utterly focused on his guinea pig''s core! He didn''t move at all. Ferex dispelled his invisibility, retracting the Hide of his body as he rushed up ahead, leapt into the air and let his Unliving Thread run wild, a massive, sturdy shield being formed that blocked the magma! The shield held tens of tiny sparkling arrays that glowed blue, an additional boost to defence granted to the construct as a result! Sadly, it was still burnt and Ferex''s appearance caused the many different Fire Breeders to split, some going after Skullius while the rest rushed to the Hound while generating shots of magma within their bodies! Ferex''s glowing sockets red with light as he dispelled the shield he had formed and manifested additional legs on his body before rushing in the opposite direction! His speed was nothing to scoff at as he crossed a vast distance within seconds but the blue cored monsters he was facing against easily caught up and shot down at him, one of themnding a clean hit on the Apostle! Its hand zed with heat while turning red, fire spitting from its dark scales! The punch it gave to Ferex sent him flying but midway through the air, another Fire Breeder caught the Hound and sted at full speed towards the ground while yelling iprehensible words! The two pounded into the ground heavily, causing a shudder in the immediate surroundings! At the same time, some of the Fire Breeders that rushed to Skullius were faced with Yuyui in their line sight. In their minds, they had to get through her to reach Skullius but the Pinnacle uluthon was merely standing there while quivering! She looked at the flying and running Cluster beasts that looked human, their mouths open as they hurled what one could safely assume were insults with angry visages! They all barked aggressively and Yuyui was greatly affected. She wasn''t used to this. She couldn''t fight but.. "WAIT!" she called out in a loud voice while stretching out her hands. Her face and gesture as she yelled prompted a reaction from the Fire Breeders. Given the universality of facial expressions and gestures that came with having arms, legs and simr facial structures, the Cluster Beasts halted for a bit. In their minds, Yuyui was trying to negotiate or surrender. Something always sparked amusement in all creatures when seeing a vulnerable face and these creatures were no exception. "Um..." Yuyui said, shocked that her desperate attempt to fulfill her master''s words worked. "Uh...I..uh..." The creatures got closer to Yuyui who swallowed gallons of saliva in fright. "Do you...like music..?" she asked with a constipated smile, receiving no answer to her question as only aggression met her halfway. This didn''t stop her from assuming that her hostile audience in fact wanted to hear a song though, as she cleared her throat and began to sing in an awkward voice. "The bowels that I know go round and round, Round and round, Round and round, The bowels that I know go round and round, All to the...uhm..." Yuyui''s flow was cut off by her immense fright...on top of how the reception to her song was terrible, to say the least. One of the Fire Breeders grew impatient and angry. Unlike most of the others, it had two thick and long horns and was a full head taller. Itsrge hand which had tough nails at the fingers darted forward and ripped into Yuyui''s throat, gripping whatever it could as it then pulling it out! Blood sttered everywhere as Yuyui''s torn neck leaked ''function juice'' everywhere. The girl''s eyes bulged as the atrocious pain caused her to fall, her mind losing focus of any goal she had at this moment. Yuyui writhed on the ground before dying secondster, the Fire Breeders she had been holding off chuckling or scoffing as they rushed to Skullius who was a few tens of meters ahead behind the shrubbery. Was this an attempt at hiding? How pitiful! The Fire Breeders soon arrived behind the shrubbery to see the figure of a... a skeleton?! A walking skeleton had captured theirpanion?! What was this?! Some of them drew back in caution and fright. They may not know what an undead was, but a pile of walking bones in any culture wouldn''t be considered anything good! This skeleton was doing something to their peer! What was it? A vengeful spirit? A angry and deceased father brought back by some ritual? What?! "WAIT, PLEASE!!!" a voice called from behind the Fire Breeders. The Cluster beasts turned behind them, attracted by the familiarity of the sound when... ...! Huh?! They all looked at each other, then at the ground! The corpse of the girl they had just killed was there! Bruh...! So...what in the Cluster...? "It''s...it''s weird, I know," Yuyui said with a cheesy smile, obviously sympathising with the Cluster beasts'' confusion. They all lost the urgency they had in this moment as suddenly, everything was turning on its head. None of this made a modicum of sense! Fortunately for them, this confusion didn''tst long. VWOOOO.... ...! With a serene hold and casual overwhelming intensity, a sudden shift gripped everything within a mile''s radius. VWOOOOOOO.... The ming leaves on the trees and shrubs within this forest suddenly burned fiercely, giving the poorly lit world a bright saturation and highlight of sunset light! VWOOOOOOOOOOOOO..... The air turned still, like one giant block of ice, battling the grip of breath from all living creatures in this moment. It rebelled. It resisted. FWUUUUUUUUUU... All this was being caused by the mana. Someone...had gripped ALL THE MANA that was within a mile''s radius firmly.... Chapter 471 The Penetrator Dominates! (3) Indeed. ALL THE MANA was held firmly in ce. The shrubs before Skullius illuminated his figure that still knelt on one knee while holding the abdomen of the Fire Breeder bound by chains with their orange-pink hue. But this soon ended as the Prator stood, his sockets ring madly. "I was right. This is different..." Skullius said, his voice being very clear. Everything around him was silent as with his ''grip'' on the mana that was all around, every living creature was also firmly held down. EVERY CREATURE! The Fire Breeders and even his own allies. The Nullmancer raised his head as the newly evolved skill he had attained was further amplified by [Epiphany], gaining a 90% increase in efficiency and power! The four sockets of the Prator gazed at the Fire Breeders. The dark scaled creatures gaped. They couldn''t move. They couldn''t breathe. This... vengeful spirit that had suddenly appeared had got them in their clutches too! But... it clearly had a core... A white one. So... how was it able to overpower them so easily? What was going on?! The tall Fire Breeder trembled as it looked at the figure of Skullius who was a finger''s length taller. At the same time, the Prator gazed at it, causing its heart to beat furiously. "Ah... you''re the one who decided to earn a kill for my noisy brat aren''t you, bro...?" Skullius said as he walked up to the Fire Breeder which struggled but only felt all the mana around it pushed against its body with a deadly force that it caused it let out a scream! It was as if a giant was squeezing it between its palms! The Prator nced at Yuyui who looked at him while also being unable to move and breathe, his finger swiping in her direction as this was enough for her to be freed! The lime haired girl gasped in air and knelt down as she watched her master reach the Fire Breeder that had killed her and touch his abdomen. "Let''s start with you," Skullius said in a chilling voice that a hollow tone. An Inhumane tone livid with brutality. With this, the Nullmancer firmly held the Cluster beast''s mana core with this new skill of his and... Squeezed. CRACK! "AAAARRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Fire Breeder screeched in horrendous pain, its mouth opening up so wide that it nearly tore apart! The other Fire Breeders shuddered at this scream. This wasn''t pain that only torture to the body could spawn. No scream they had ever heard was this guttural and meaningful. No death throes they knew caused such a chill to run up their spines like this. The Nullmancer''s sockets red once again, his four blue socket mes roaring as he felt a dull sense of ecstasy from hearing the Fire Breeder''s scream. Ahhhh.... A cackle escaped his teeth. He squeezed again. CRAACK! "AAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAA!!!" Another screech echoed as some of the Fire Breeders started to lose their hold over themselves. Yuyui was the same. What was her master doing to this creature? Skullius cackled once again as he removed his hand from the Fire Breeder''s abdomen. He was done torturing this fool who had started to leak blood and saliva from every orifice on his body. Now followed a harrowing death that came with a snap of the Prator''s finger along with a single word that leaked from his mouth. A word that carried over to every spot where his hold over mana was present. Everywhere within the mile. "BREAK." PWAAAAAA! Sounds akin to ss breaking apart could be heard only in the Nullmancer''s ears. The mana core of every Fire Breeder within Skullius'' range... shattered! With this came a cacophony of agonised howls of pain. The Fire Breeders screeched with everything they had, their vocal cords rupturing as they sung the distorted melody of death together, the shattering of their mana cores causing a phenomenon that Skullius had grown to know with his own experience. The cutting off of the anchor to the soul and body which was forged when one created a mana core! The shock within the body and soul from losing their core like this caused a dreadfully pain death! The orifices of all the dying Fire Breeders shone with a luminous light as with the shattering of their cores, their mana, condensed as it was from the blue or white cores, was not lost. The Prator was greedy, and the small bits of the WILLS of Fulgardt that showed in this form would not allow any of it to go to waste. ALL THIS MANA was collected. It seeped from the corpses as they dropped while circling around the Nullmancer in a super bright ring! "Hehe..." Skullius chuckled as he reached out towards this abundant mana, guidance field notifications raining in his vision of the sessful culling of enemies stronger than he was. [You have killed (IV) LV45 Fire Breeder. 3,560,120 Exp awarded] [You have killed (III) LV20 Fire Breeder. 2,000,345 Exp awarded] [You have killed....] .... In addition to this, the notifications for Null Life Essence also rose, to which Skullius raised his other hand, his vast range for collecting the essenceing into y as it was ALL pulled towards him ¨C 65 points for each Fire Breeder! "Now," Skullius said as his other hand which stretched towards the abundant mana swirling around him cast [Mana Force], the skill evolved from [Mana st]. It was forged when he continouslypressed mana in his tiring training after the Eofel incident. (A/N: Refer to Ch.134-136). Now... the same concept applied, but with greater efficiency and power as all the mana around Skullius was suddenly sucked towards a point in his palm! As this urred, the atmosphere trembled this the action was done almost instantly, a small but shockingly bright spot of light being left. ALL the mana just now, waspressed into this, an eyeball sized sphere that shone with extreme radiance. Skullius chuckled once again. "Let''s save this forter and see if my other ideas will work for sure..." Skullius murmured to himself. He pulled the orb of mana towards his core which was shining bright behind his rib cage, part of it showing below it, along his spine. The orb of superpressed mana softly floated beside his core, waiting for its call to action which was going to be soon. Yuyui gazed at Skullius, horrified. She didn''t know much about mana but this... This was unnatural! Ferex reappeared, rushing towards the two as he gazed at his master with reverent sockets. The figure of Skullius never looked more domineering in his view. He appreciated the Prator form more than he did the Hybrid Luman, so seeing the father of bone show utter dominance was quite the sight for him. The enemies he had been having trouble with had been dealt with by his master so easily. One would ask the question of how though? What was this skill that Skullius had unlocked and how had he done so? Well, with [Elevated Mana Maniption] only two levels behind its evolution, Skullius had decided to engage in one activity he was sure would cause the skill to level up. Manipting a mana core! [Elevated Mana Maniption] had levelled up from the thirties to the sixties just from the days he took recreating the Centre, Refinery and Shell for his mana core. Now, if he did so to an external core... he was sure he could get two levels and he had turned out to be right! The mana core wasplex and its attachment to the body and soul was something he had learned from creating one himself. (A/N: Refer to Ch.390). With the evolution of [Elevated Mana Maniption] came a new skill that gave a dignified title to Skullius for his achievement and not a verb for the action it allowed him to do. [Greater Mana Crafter]! ~~~ [Greater Mana Crafter | Lv.1] The user gains a deeper connection with mana and all its forms inside and outside their body, the ability to wield it and shape it as they desire granted to them. Mana Requirements: --- Duration: --- Cooldown: --- ~~~ The ability to wield and shape mana and all its forms as one willed! Mana in their air. Mana in the user''s body. Mana in another person''s body! With [Elevated Mana Maniption] and all its predecessors, Skullius had had greater control over his own mana than the mana in the atmosphere, as the limits of what he could do with it mainly revolved around drawing it to his core or using it to sense his surroundings. The former had been able to invade the cores of others, butplete control had never been something it could give him even when the owner of the core had no means of resistance. Now... things were different. Skullius could even grasp a mana core as he wished. Destroy it as he wished. Manipte it as he wished. This had so many implications! And as with all mana maniption skills before this one, it had no specific requirements for mana, a duration or a cooldown which allowed the Prator to always have it for use even in dire times. How it had the ''Greater'' tag was a shock to him though but would find out soon. As for this skill''s capacity, how much power it gave to Skullius for his hold over the atmospheric mana... How far did it go? How much could he control? To what degree was he proficient in this? Well... "Come on. There''s a whole lot more left to kill," Skullius said as he extended his finger towards Yuyui and Ferex. The mana within the atmosphere formed a nket around the two, lifting them off into the air! Skullius then gathered mana under his bony feet. A massive amount of it! At the same time, the skill he relied on in his Hybrid Luman form, [Koten Machi], which was enhanced by [Epiphany] showed him the nearest settlement within the Cluster, which was his next target! It wasn''t as useful as its purpose was to exploit the Hybrid Luman''s abnormal senses but for now, it worked. BOOOOOOM! The mana under Skullius'' feet exploded in a shocking spectacle that eradicated everything within a ten meters radius, gouging out a deep pit that continously caved in! The Prator shot up at a controlled angle with Yuyui and Ferex following after him in the nket of mana! ? The speed they moved with was ridiculous, and Yuyui who felt a sense of deja vu, spawning from her experience with the horrendous agility of the Hybrid Luman form, yelped! The trio descended after a long, angled flight, Skullius gathering mana below him to safelynd on the ground... on the vast street, popted by thousands of Fire Breeders! They had arrived within the first settlement in this Cluster! The three''s arrival caused shock, gasps and hostility. But all of it... didn''t matter. All of it was inconsequential in Skullius'' eyes. The Prator felt the presence of the thousands of cores in his [Koten Machi] powered by [Greater Mana Crafter]. All this hatred. All the high tiers. They all weren''t jack. The Nullmancer, the Prator... raised his hand as he snapped his finger, a gesture he was carrying over from his fight with Bassbion. A single word leaked from between his teeth. A single word that ended it all. "BREAK." Chapter 472 Resisting Arrest! (A/N: Bonus Chapter). "BREAK." Skullius said with a gleeful yetmanding voice as his invasive hold over the mana around gripped the cores of every living thing in his range which covered the entire small settlement he had justnded in. PWAAAPWAAPWAAPWAA! The expected noise came as the mana cores of thousands of Fire Breeders exploded, those that were within the dome shaped houses, those that were outside walking about, those that were casually flying in the air and those that had begun to rush over to him as he appeared... ALL OF THEM had their mana cores shattered! Horrific noises sounded with a blood curdling tune of chaos, Skullius feeling his bones quiver from this in excitement as millions upon millions of Experience points were funnelled into him, level up notifications rushing in his view! The Prator raised his hand at the same time as he absorbed the Null Life Essence which quickly filled his Essence bar! "Perfect," Skullius said as he then used [Greater Mana Crafter] to pull on the mana from exploding mana cores, rivers of bright mana flowing towards him only to bepressed into six small orbs that shone so much brighter than the first he had floating around his mana core! Skullius pushed them to orbit around his mana core as well and looked around in satisfaction. "Ferex. Make sure to absorb all the Null Life Essence you can to," Skullius gave the order and set to move on to scout around when... BAAAM!! The Prator was bashed by a speeding tall figure, his bones shattering as he sted past the houses and into the forest at an insane speed! ...! Ferex and Yuyui who had been by his side did not even see the hurtling figure before their attention was drawn to the ming trees in the distance that had parted with a gouged track through the ground where Skullius had flown through! "Master!" Yuyui called in horror. Fragments of the Prator''s body could be spotted on the ground and this to her, didn''t spell anything good! Before the two, the culprit behind their master''s flight floated in mid-air as it turned to them. It was flying with itsrge wings that had a span of roughly three meters, its frame that was almost nearly the same measurement looking swollen with tough scales that sparkled with a light red hue over bulged muscles! Two curved horns that hissed with a searing heat could be spotted on its forehead along with a chestte that carried the same characteristics while releasing billows of smoke! Ferex and Yuyui could tell, this was a different kind of Fire Breeder! It wasn''t weak at all! Unfortunately for them, there wasn''t one of it but three and this one merely grunted with a vicious expression before it stormed at an astounding speed towards where it had sent Skullius flying, the others descending down to the Apostle and Pinnacle uluthon! At the same time that this was happening, Skullius pushed his body to stand. "Well... I was pretty careless that time..." he said with a self-mocking tone and a chuckle. "I got a little too lost in the moment that I didn''t notice that guying." The Prator''s tall frame was fractured heavily. His rib cage had six of the ribs torn away while the rest were cracked, his skull being chipped on the right side. All this was after his natural 50% damage negation had kicked in to relieve him of the additional stress that would have probably killed him. (A/N: Refer to Ch.10 if you have forgotten). What a thrill! Skullius immediately sent a mental message to Ferex before he prepared his next move. Unlikest time, with his [Koten Machi] which was infused with [Greater Mana Crafter], he sensed the zigzagging presence that sted towards him. "Come on!" the Prator said with excitement. He could have died. He could die. But so what?! Escaping death was what made one stronger! It was the thrill of life! No! The thrill of Null Life! The Fire Breeder that had knocked him this distance zipped through the air and came to a halt a few meters above Skullius. It wore a vengeful expression as it quickly stretched out its hand, a bright orange re in the shape of a pole lightning up within its palm! It wasn''t light, but ming magma that hardened into a ck spear full of glowing red cracks, orange-pink sputters of me flicking from its surface! The Fire Breeder hurled the spear towards Skullius faster than he could manipte the mana around him, the object whizzing through the air to urately smash into Skullius'' chest and explode as it released a mass of boilingva and me! BOOOOOM! An area of a hundred plus meters was instantly levelled by the explosion of me and consumed by the magma! The Prator''s body buckled under the crippling pressure as wide volumes of the hot porridge smothered him, immediately beginning to melt his body along with fumes and mes! A hissing shockwave that blew out gave the scene a more devastating image, spelling the approaching doom of the Pene¡ª "HAHAHAHAHAHAH! BRO, THAT WAS DANGEROUS!" Skullius'' voice spawned from the searing goop along with four luminous lights that showed from its orange hue! A melting arm jutted from theva hurriedly made a w gesture, the activation of [Greater Mana Crafter] ensuing! OOOOOM! Every tree and shrub in the vicinity arched down as if in a bow as the ferocious wave of atmospheric mana was borne down, creating an outrageous downward force that pulled on the Fire Breeder suspended in the air! The creature gritted its teeth as mana pooled around it with a heavy grip, dragging it to the ground with astounding weight! PUUUU! The Fire Breeder created a shockwave with its harsh, involuntarynding and as it quickly struggled to stand.... In the dark sky, a thick cloud appeared directly over the creature while it frothed from the mouth, slowly getting a grip! Then... Silent. Serenely. Luminously. A thick bolt of Silentburn Levin shot down rapidly, its mass that carried hundreds of smaller bolts wriggling around it smashing hard into the downed Fire Breeder! A bright light shone over the body of the creature, with a burst of noise and dust rising up! This was the Prator exclusive skill [Fulgurous Space Virulence]! In the crater that remained, the Fire Breeder, grunted in pain, but... there was barely any damage to its body! At first it rejoiced while looking at Skullius'' melting body with a mocking grin! None of Skullius'' racial skills in this form had been levelled up to the point that they could do damage to a Tier 5 Cluster beast like this and none had evolved either. But Skullius wasn''t aiming for normal damage. The Fire Breeder wrestled to break free from Skullius'' grip, in its red eyes a fervent desire to escape this and kill him brutally if it was at possible! However, a dreadful sense of weakness suddenly oozed within its flesh as slowly, its hostile and riled up emotion was overtaken by a calmness that made it take in deep breaths at lengthy intervals. Huff. Huff. Its will to fight was being stripped away and death was creeping in the most unthreatening way possible! This was Serenity damage! "Heh!" Skullius who was in the midst of meltingughed as he activated another skill from his racial cache! [Silent Revtion of the Bright King]! Numerous sparks of Silentburn Levin, thirty two in number, along with a dark thundercloud, immediately appeared around the lump ofva that was devouring him and shotrge bursts of the Silent lightning into it! The Levin stormed through the lump and struck Skullius'' body in a shy disy, recovering the bones of the Prator! A secondter Skullius blew through the lump ofva as he dashed towards his downed enemy and grasped his head! "BREAK!" The Fire Breeder''s mana core burst and with a screech of pain, the creature died. This bastard. Skullius had learnt the hard way when manipting the mana around that casually breaking its core from a distance wasn''t that easy like with the fodder. It made sense considering his skill was still new though. The Prator turned his head as he felt another immense threat, but it was toote! VWOOOBOOOM! Like a dark, darting arrow, Skullius was once again nabbed from the scene, but this time, he wasn''t smashed into! He was carried! One of the two Fire Breeder''s that had remained behind streaked and tore through the vast distance to a far away destination with Skullius! The Prator grunted and was about to invoke the wrath of [Greater Mana Crafter] when the Fire Breeder suddenly tossed him into the air! Skullius spun through the air unsteadily as he bolted through the empty mass! ''Heh! This guy was able to sense that I was about to use my skill. That''s clever, I guess. Just like the other one, it''s hard for me to break his core from a distance too... This will be tricky,'' Skullius thought. The wind blew against the Nullmancer as he spun, but with his ability to sense the mana in a vast radius which was evenrger than [Koten Machi]''s, he somewhat urately sensed around him. A massive settlement that was muchrger than thest could be seen, like a vast town with these dome shaped houses! Skullius sensed the mana cores of over fifty thousand Fire Breeders, and some of them were really strong! Some of the stronger ones withrger bodies and big horns had already begun to fly in his direction, multiple bursts of powerful energy storming his way. Tens of Tier 5s and 6s wereing for him! They rate of mobilising was atrociously fast! FWWOOOP! BAMM! The Fire Breeder that had dragged Skullius high up flew up to him and gave him a good whack, shattering some of his bones with blistering heat that glowed over its body as it sped past in the air! Then again! And again! Skullius couldn''t even react. But he wasn''t brought to despair! The numerous points of blue Levin from [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] circled around him as they shot bolts of energy to recover his body! "You brought me to a ce with stronger allies and many more fodder to kill, huh? Good! You''ve just doomed every one of them!" Skullius said with his sockets ring like fuellednterns! The Elimparidis Stone Staff appeared in his hand and with but a thought... WHUP! ? WHUP! WHUP! Skullius used three charges of [Jump] in session as he rose higher and higher into the air, the image of his enemies and therge settlement withrge clusters of domes within bing smaller! The wind caused the Nullmancer''s socket mes to dance. The mana was thick, allowing him to feel omnipotent. The odds were against him power and number-wise. But the Prator couldn''t be happier! "Let''s get creative then. It''s time to use these," Skullius said while pulling on the seven orbs of mana rotating around his mana core... --- ~Sponsored by Earth546~ Chapter 473 Wrath Of The Penetrator! (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Skullius had a question that bothered him ever since he had started to gather around all the mana. Was it possible to use mana that wasn''t from his core to cast HIS skills? The closest thing he had to an answer to this question, was the time when he used mana that he had condensed outside of his body to spam [Basic Evil Production] and [Basic Evil Weaving]. (A/N: Refer to Ch.134-135). But this was different. As far as he knew, skills ¨C techniques and all ¨C were etched into one''s body and when mana came from the core and into the mana channels, it would ignite the etching of the skill in the body to activate its effects inside or outside. But what about mana that hadn''t passed through his core? How could he use it for skills without just pumping it into his mana core? Was it that possible? The Prator took a second to think as he was airborne, looking down on dangerous enemiesing for his life. Then, an idea came. A theory in fact. First, the Prator drew upon a weapon he had never actually used, except for when his soul counterpart S had taken over. The thorny spear, Hedoness Easper''s Lord yer! ~~~ [Hedoness Easper''s Lord yer] ? A grand spear forged for Hedoness Easper, the second Foregeneral under the Null Devil, a masochist who thrived on feeling pain and instilling it while in battle. -Attack- 30,000-45,000 -Durability- 60,000/60,000 -Special Effects- ?50% piercing damage ?35% chance to ignore defences ?+20% to Strength --- [One Sight] The spear rues speed with each sessive throw at the target. Subsequent increase ranges from 5-40% depending on the result of each throw. Usable five times a day. - [Eversharp (Passive)] The edges of the three des constantly undergo refinement, such that they remain extremely sharp and capable of a constant flow of damage. ~~~ It was a spear with a thick, maroon pole asrge as a man''s arm with sharp thorn-like protrusions all over its body. A blue de that branched twice a both sides could be seen at the head, a veil of blue energy swirling over it. The mana that Skullius had been gathering wrapped around the spear as it started to follow its shape, exceeding it in all proportions as it produced crackling noises of thepressed energy! "I''ll use the spear as a reference and then...shape the mana around it," Skullius said as around the Lord yer, a massive length of super bright mana was forged, its appearance caused a sound like thunder in the sky! But this wasn''t all. Far from it! Quickly, Skullius tested out his theory. He ignited one of his racial abilities in his body, [Ful Discharge], a skill that allowed him tounch a concentrated streak of Levin that dealt 10% Serenity Damage, but with [Epiphany] acting on it, the value was much higher. As the skill ignited within Skullius'' body, the Prator stretched his hands around the pir of mana around the Lord-yer as it caused a turbulence in the air! "What if I..." he said as strands of his own mana that were sparkling with Levin from [Ful Discharge] connected to the massive pir. Then... Like a lit match being flicked on oil, the humming mass of mana that formed a tall pir was set alight! Silentburn Levin spread along its mass and created a gigantic stretch of its own, a blinding pole-like thicket of arching energy in a light blue hue being formed! It was huge! It was bright! It was atrociously domineering! Every single creature within the Cluster saw it as with the sess of this construct, Skullius'' sockets zed furiously, his hands going on to shape it as he wished with [Greater Mana Crafter]. Tendrils of this silent lightning as thick as a man body shot out as mere offshoots from this huge bolt that was crafted to have a pointy end, with its back spitting Levin endlessly like a massive root-likework of power that painted the skies! The space contorted around this massive construct as Skullius fell down with it, his hold over it slipping bit by bit! Some of the bolts sted against his body, bit luckily, he was immune to this element as his body passively produced it too. Yet, Skullius wasn''t done! He wanted more! He wanted to reach out to his very limits! Skullius cackled as he added on another skill with mad glee. [Ungodly Passion of Debauchery]! Along the pir of Levin, the bolt swelled as another blinding mass appeared with a golden re, this skill being enhanced too as the overall weight of this atrocity grew, a thunderous pressure bearing down towards the enemies below! What kind of madness was this?! What kind of enemy was this?! This kind of mana....! The Fire Breeders that had been rushing to Skullius halted as they felt the tension rapidly increase. The Prator looked down at them with nothing but malice and one would be surprised to know that all that Skullius had done ¨C preparing this attack - had onlysted for 55 seconds. No mercy could be seen in his eyes as he uttered. "GET FLESHED, SOCKETHOLES!!!" And he let the mass loose! Contrary to what most of the Breeders believed, the mass blurred as it literally cut down the air in its way, storming towards the Fire Breeders settled in their tens of thousands! Before it reached them though, it shot down ALL floating or flying Fire Breeders within a mile''s radius with its hundreds of shoot offs that smacked the creatures down or erased them with brutal incineration! Right before the massive bolt could touch the ground, a notification appeared in Skullius'' vision as he looked down, expectant to the results of his work! [You have acquired the skill ''Wrath of the False god''] BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! It started with unnervingly thick web-like shots of Levin that brewed from the point of contact as they scattered all around in a great distance, in the air, on the ground and under it, setting everything alight! Then came the first shockwave that disintegrated everything outside of the spot where the giant arrow hadnded, stripping thend bare to leave an enormous bald patch! Then.... a mix of golden red me shot from the sky while exploding in a never ending show of light, extraordinary heat and a preposterous doses of pressure that caused the Cluster to rumble with a grand impact ensuing! This was peak devastation, an atrocious show of power that not a single Fire Breeder was expecting and it was nothing short of... "Beautiful," Skullius who saw all this ur with ash and dust flying around his falling figure said, only wishing he could grin at this spectacle. He didn''t wait for the chaos to settle, as with [Greater Mana Crafter] which was levelling up already, he shot down to the ground with a push from the atmospheric mana! Hended tens of meters away from the damage which spammed six miles, his attack having taken down another small settlement as well, the burning and sparking scene lighting his image. He sent a message to Ferex while relishing in the thousands of notifications for Experience he saw. Skullius swiped them all away after a while before checking his level. "Not too far now," he said with enthusiasm. He was level 14! Six more levels before he could evolve! "Hmmm? Oh, right. I almost forgot," Skullius said to himself while turning to the mass of me that was the destroyed area a distance away. Several figures could be spotted rushing in his direction. Some flew, some ran and one particr one among them didn''t follow to reach Skullius. It seemed to be in the process of transition. With the use of [Ungodly mes of Debauchery], came the boon of having forty of the victims caught in the me being pulled under the will of the user with a 50% boost to their powers. Additionally, one of the victims could be baptised to the [Passion of Debauchery], their race being changed, and this was what Skullius was witnessing. The forty Fire Breeders, most of which had been damaged quite a bit, had burnt visages, but they reached Skullius and looked at him reverently, wild expressions on their faces. These thralls of his couldst longer than before and Skullius'' socket mes zed as he thought to how he could use them to his advantage. That was easy. "Go. Kill every one of your kind in sight. Leave nothing alive. Go, my bros!" the Pratormanded to which the forty Fire Breeders burning in golden me and with thick fumes scattered, rushing at full speed to execute Skullius''mand. All of them except thest one to remain. Among the stream of notifications, Skullius saw one that alluded to this particr Fire Breeder. [The ''Greater Fire Breeder'' has sessfully been baptised to the ''Passion of Debauchery''. Its racial features have temporarily been altered] --- ~Sponsored by Earth546~ Chapter 474 Bold Thoughts Skullius gazed at the Fire Breeder that was releasing a plume of smoke from its body which was starting to change, its form shifting as the once dark scales it had started to turn into tough, sky blue coloured skin. Its body turned bulky in the torso, the sizzling horns it had vanishing while its eyes turned dark. From its ankles and wrists to the toes and fingers, its skin was an unsettling shade of white that caused Skullius to narrow his eyes. This creature definitely felt like the one he had ''created'' from the massive toad that had been summoned by Lemorine. What was it exactly? The creature when it finished its transformation drooled from its mouth, the fumes filled with glowing gold sparks that gushed from its body billowing wildly to around the area! Just like the multi-limbed creature Skullius had summoned back then as well, this one was not subservient to him. It was self serving. Its dark eyes spun in its sockets and with sonic speed, it shot into the sky with a sound akin to a thunderp, its destination being beyond the mes where multiple civilizations still stood, waiting to be culled... or converted. "I need to see what it''s going to do," Skullius said. At that moment, the figure of Ferex appeared out of thin air, opening its mouth to allow Yuyui who was inside to heave in deep breaths. "This...is... ufortable..." she said with a sharp draw of breath each time. Back when Skullius had been battling the first of the stronger Fire Breeders, he had sent a message for Ferex and Yuyui to go incognito so that they wouldn''t get killed. At least here, none of the Cluster beasts seemed to be able to see Ferex, so the Apostle could finally feel good about himself again from his partially torn pride within the Temple of Unlusted Tears. Skullius urged on Ferex to make room for him as well while dispelling [Silent Revtion of the Bright King]. The moment he entered, he gave the order, "Follow that thing." With the plume of smoke the blue creature had made, a trail to follow led the trio over to where the creature had headed, using its limited time of existence to do whatever the heck it intended to. Notifications of millions more Experience pointsstarted to flow once more as it seemed the heralds of pain and pleasure were executing Skullius''mands well, killing everything in sight. Some were weaker, some were stronger, but they worked as fast as they could to Skullius a huge bundle of kills. ..... 3 minutester. Ferex who had shut off his presence passed through what could be described as a city, arge city following the smoke. "Jeez..." Skullius remarked while Yuyui covered her eyes. "What the hell did that thing do?" Within this entire city of Fire Breeders, the dome shaped houses were obliterated, the wall that had been built around it demolished as even now, the chaos was yet to settle. Certain things were happening. Certain lewd, unsightly and unspeakable things. The inhabitants of therge city ahead were all alive and somewhat well but... they moaned, they cackled and they gleefully cried out in pleasure. EVERY single one of them without any exception. The smoke was still thick within the city and it seemed to be the cause of this horrendously inappropriate scene that made Yuyui shake her head furiously. Was this what it meant to be baptised to the Passion or Debauchery? Being able to spread around this ''epidemic'' simply by passing through? That was ridiculous! It seemed whatever creature he had summoned had already passed, satisfied with how it left its many victims with spinning eyes, drooling mouths and aching desires. Skullius snapped his finger after exiting from Ferex''s mouth. The cores of roughly a bit more than forty thousand Fire Breeders exploded, killing them while pulling on the mana that made them to form four small orbs of condensed mana that he pushed to float around his mana core. While the cores of stronger Fire Breeders were harder to manipte, especially from a distance, that was mostly they were conscious and actively using them as their control over their cores wrestled against Skullius''. After making sure that this city waspletely wiped out, Skullius scaled up to the tallest dome he could find which was around four hundred meters tall and looked around. From the aerial flight he had taken before, he had pretty much seen the wholeyout of the Cluster. There were eight settlements here, four small ones, threerge ones and an enormous one that looked to be as big as Inhone City. So far, Skullius had destroyed three, onerge one and two smaller ones, with two of the smaller ones being taken care of by his lustful thralls. Then there was this one, which had been destroyed by his insubordinate creation. Skullius however, didn''t n on continuing to raid the popted areas as many, more powerful Fire Breeders were now scouring thend, searching for whoever was causing the chaos and the Prator was sure that it was only a matter of time before this weird summon was killed along with his thralls. His n now, was to attack the ce where the Cluster General was located. This was his chance. The Prator hadn''t know that the Cluster General lived quite a distance from all the settlements. It lived nearly three miles away from one of the remaining cities, alone and unresponsive to the chaos going on for some reason. This hadn''t been what Skullius was aiming for in the beginning as he assumed there would be a specific area where the General would be, perhaps in one these settlements. Now however, since he could waltz around unhindered with Ferex here, this was the perfect opportunity to spring up on the General and kill it. The experience it would give him was insane he was sure, as from what he learned further about Clusters, therger it was, the more mana the General had. With his level now at 17, Skullius couldn''t imagine that he couldn''t find three levels from the Cluster General. This was easier said than done though, killing the Cluster General that was. Skullius'' [Greater Mana Crafter] could vaguely tell extraordinary presences even if they were outside its range. And he could tell that the Cluster General was nothing scoff at. The simple fact of the creature''s mana core, which was definitely beyond blue, was the main issue and one of the things that drew on [Greater Mana Crafter]. The other thing was the presence of three powerful artefacts around the location of the General. Skullius was interested in this. At the very least, he had to see what these were. "If I''m going to kill that sockethole, I''ll have to be prepared," Skullius said as he sat himself down and settled his thoughts. There was a skill that he had attained from the scroll he had been very happy to receive. A scroll containing an array that released an already prepared spell for use on the fly. One of the Prompt Spells, that had been mentioned by ris. Skullius had used his innate ability to steal the within the Unique grade item, his level of mana maniption back then being found sufficient for him to safely aplish the task with little difficulty. The spell within wasn''t what Skullius had been hyped about. No. It was fairly strong but not quite something he would rely on in a Cluster like this. Nevertheless, it was a tremendously good base for what he wanted to do. ~~~ [ughter Fence | Lv.1] Release a wave of carefully woven mana with intricate and precise sharp edges capable of cutting apart objects and living things, even when they guard with other skills. It uses thin surface areas on impact for the improved attack power. Mana Requirements: 8000 Mana Points Duration: --- Cooldown: 2 minute ~~~ The cost was definitely high for Skullius but it was worth it. Yet, Skullius was more interested in that this was just aplex mana attack. On some days he would be dedicated to exploring this skill, but he saw it fit to use [Unbound] over it to see how the mana aspect of it would be enhanced! He had been interested in something like this for a while and now was his chance. He couldn''t risk upgrading [Greater Mana Crafter] for this experiment as it was too important but this... he could definitely give it a try! "Let''s use the entire 6000 points of Null Life Essence!" Skullius said with glee as he activated [Unbound]. [What would you like to Upgrade with ''Unbound''?] "ughter Fence," Skullius said. [6000 Null Life Essence points expended for ''Permanent Random Upgrade''] .... [''Permanent Random Upgrade'' decided] --- [Author''s Note] This is thest arc before we head into the Premium Age Royale. By this arc, I mean all of Skullius'' missions. The rest of them will be a lot shorter. This is the only one with significant importance. Kind of. Chapter 475 Cluster General | Deadly New Skill A dark hill stood attached to the wall of the ginormous cavern that was the Cluster, holding a sense of sacredness that exhumed breath-like sounds of heat and steam. A pool of boiling magma that was excessively hot, writhing and zing in mini-swirling mes of orange-pink that leapt in and out of the mass like fish taking a dive out of the water circled this hill, with a radius of at least sixty meters. The heat that circled around the hill was constantly sucked onto the hill with an unforgiving suction, a unique treasure bringing this about. Perched on the side of the hill was a t tform looking to be dug out cleanly as it was t and big enough for several figures to settle on. At the very end of this tform was a another small pool of magma, its fiendish heat warping the air for distorted imagery that obscured the real proportions of what could be seen. Within this smaller pool, a simplistic thronefortably settled in. It was pitch ck with glistening patterns on the armrests and back that sizzled with diabolic heat. On this lengthy backrest that rose high were three items that looked like stones, two smaller ones and one that was triple the size of the others. The throne as a whole wasrge, sorge that the figure that sat on it could barely match it despite his body being huge, yet he could still reach the armrests. This throne was a natural treasures at the Legendary level, one of the three Skullius had sensed. The dark feet of this creature were in the pool of mana,fortably enjoying a bath in the torridity. Its scales were extremely thick, with curves that shone, steam seeping from under them every minute. A bulky, rocky armour, a chestte that was set ame adorned this creature''s torso, its image being lit in an orange-pink hue that frizzled, giving it a frightful picture. On its face wererge yellow eyes and a wide mouth that released a raspy breath while shut, on its head fourrge, curved horns that that were white hot while over the creature''s head was a golden crown that pulsed with heat and untamed mana, sizzling pink patterns streaming around it and its eight peaks. This was the another natural treasure at the Legendary level. A massive sword that was dug into the pool of magma, its height being almost three meters and with a girth of at least a meter, pulsed with the same astounding presence as the other two items. Naturally, it was the third natural treasure at the Legendary level in this beast''s possession. Three tall Fire Breeders with sizzling armour stood around this pool and throne, gazing upon this beast with worried eyes. They were all Tier 7 beasts with radiant blue mana cores that drummed with power, the Cluster General''s guards. One of these beasts bowed to the Cluster General and posed a question respectfully. "My lord. Shall we truly do nothing while our people die out there?" There came no reply. At least not immediately. The beast upon the throne merely stared into the distance without an expression. After thirty whole seconds, it finally spoke. "Your duty is to serve me." Sinct. That was the reply that the guard got. One it couldn''t argue with. "That... is so, my lord but there truly seems to be a powerful enemy. If we can handle it quickly, we can save many," the guard stressed with worry. His fellow guards remained silent. They felt the same way, but it was better for one to speak at a time. Another bout of silence ensued with a replying after the same amount of time as thest instance. "If the enemy is powerful, then you should guard ME." The guard felt frustration welling in his chest. Their lord as they had known was a selfish existence but they hadn''t figured that he would neglect his subordinates at a time like this. The guard to pose the question to his lord felt a rush of rebellion within him. He could just rush off to save the others and pay the priceter. His lord was currently at an important phase in his transformation after many decades, seven shy of the next merging. There was no way he wouldpromise his growth just to stop him right? "Take a step and I will kill you." ...! The guard froze. What? Who was his lord talking to? "Your duty is to me. Any ideas you have against that will be punished with death." The ming pupils within the Cluster beast yellow eyes med as it focused on the guard who was petrified. The hell? Was his master able to read thoughts now? How? Since when? The Fire Breeders did not have reproductive organs. They reproduced by gathering the me essence they were naturally able to produce, pitting the energy of two or more of their kind to create an egg that would eventually hatch into a Fire Breeder. But...stronger Fire Breeders could aplish this on their own, the me essence they could produce alone being enough to form their own eggs. The Cluster General was one such example. The throne he sat on was capable of pulling all kinds of energies, condensing them and improving their quality. As such, the heat which was prevalent in the Cluster would be drawn and used to nourish the eggs that the Cluster General gave birth to. After every 100 years, the Cluster General would merge with the unborn me Breeder inside the egg ¨C the young one inside was forbidden froming out by the General as he didn''t need it to hatch for the merging to be sessful. The me Breeder younglings were capable of absorbing the me essence in its purest form, making it phenomenally convenient for the General. Now though, for the past 100 years, the Cluster General had not risen from his throne or spoke much about anything. So his ability to read minds was something the guards were just now discovering. Did this ability work on every living creature, one would wonder? The guard who had been about to rush to the rescue of his brethren cancelled out those thoughts. His master had gotten stronger again after another merging. He could probably kill him in an easier mannerpared to before even if he was unwilling to move. "Your service is needed against THAT." The Cluster General said with a sharp tone that caused all the guards to involuntarily turn behind them where a plume of dark smoke with golden particles was sting towards them. *** [''Permanent Random Upgrade'' decided] Skullius'' socket mes ignited with a crazy me. He was anxious. It wouldn''t turn out to be a trash skill right? Things had turned out pretty good so far, shockingly. Why would they take a turn now? Skullius had funnelled 6000 Null Life Essence points into this to ensure that he got a decent skill after all. 6000 Null Life Essence points allowed him to get a Unique weapon with the Hedoness Easper''s Lord yer which could be considered to be as powerful as a basic Legendary level weapon. Sadly, the spear was gone, but it had served its purpose. Now, Skullius hoped he could get something good too. [''Permanent Random Upgrade'' Complete] [Your skill ''ughter Fence'' has been upgraded to ''Serration Zone: Baneful Edge''] ~~~ [Serration Zone: Baneful Edge] The user, as long as they are a Chosen Null Lifeform, can draw upon the malefic Null Life Essence that gathers in the contaminated, sodden and aphotic depths of the Dreg Valley, to and apart anything within its zone. -A minimum of 1000 Null Life Essence points is required to cast the skill for tremendous damage. -A maximum 40,000 Null Life Essence is required to cast the skill for apocalyptic damage. Mana Requirements: --- Duration: --- Cooldown: 4 minutes ~~~ "Hooo!" Skullius eximed in surprise and joy. This skill... It didn''t require mana for its casting! As he was jovial quivering at the seemingly incredible quality of this skill, on his arms small circr rings began to appear with a white glow in various sizes before dimming down but leaving their groves on them. "What is this?" Skullius said as the process happened so fast before he could express his shock. The key word he took note in the description of the skill was ''Chosen Null Lifeform''. What did that mean? A mental message interrupted his thought process as he was drawn to something in the sky. Ferex was showing him something unexpected. The Fire Breeder that had been baptised to the Passion of Debauchery left a trail of smoke as it headed towards the location of the Cluster General! "Huh? Why is it headed there?" Skullius thought as he then hurriedly mobilised Ferex to take them there with his Hide''s effect. Chapter 476 Kin... (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Yuyui had been feeling quite useless throughout the entire course of this trip so far. She had yet to fully recover from what she had had to experience through the risen memories of hers and now... This memory made her feel even worse in this moment as the words of her father were simr to what Skullius had told her, the only difference being that one expressed concern and the other just expressed urgency. She was constantly reminded that shecked something. The inability tomit to violence, in its different forms, for what she wanted. Even freeing herself had taken the influence of another as if that individual, Skullius, hadn''te, she would still be dying of starvation every half a year for eternity perhaps. What shecked was something that even the owners of the power she now wielded demanded. How angry they must be that she had received their power. This was Yuyui''s thoughts. Seeing Skullius wreck through the Fire Breeders easily even though he was technically weaker than her in his Prator form was... also another demotivating fact. She hadmitted to Skullius now but she couldn''t do anything but not die (permanently), which did precious little to help Skullius. Despite the mixed emotions that scratched at her throat and chest, she still tried to... do something. She tried to open the eye on her forehead, the Eye of Dispersal but it did not budge. It didn''t react to any of her efforts and nomatter what she did, nothing changed. After Skullius had been bashed into the forest, attaining considerable damage, Yuyui had been flustered. The Prator was clearly not very considerate towards her but he was still her master and even cutting that part aside, if Skullius died, there was probably no way of getting out of here so either way, she had to help in some way. Yuyui was yet to develop a true sense of loyalty towards Skullius but the facts remained. Ferex also felt the same, in terms of feeling insufficient that was. However, his main stress was with trying to protect Skullius from the immediate dangers that he could also sense from this Cluster. Beyond that, he was almost there. His second and morebat oriented form that he had been working on was close topletion. If he could just get that finished, he would no longer be a simple means of transport. He would be much, much more. He could fight with Skullius side by side. For now though, both Yuyui and Ferex would focus on what they could do now to help Skullius. *** The trio travelled hidden from the surveince as they headed towards the end of the line of smoke within the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound''s mouth. Less than two minutes remained before [Ungodly Passion of Debauchery]''s duration ended and Skullius wanted to see if this bastard could do anything to help his case or otherwise. Worst case scenario he would have his kill stolen but he wasn''t counting on it. From what he had tasted of the Cluster General of this ce, he was in for a bitter fight. The trio crossed the vast distance to the location where the Cluster General was located and... BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "The battle has already begun?" Skullius questioned himself as he urged Ferex to run faster. Soon, the high ground on top of which arge hill rested on became visible and Ferex carefully approached while opening his mouth enough for Skullius to see. "I knew it," Skullius said. "Get closer, Ferex. Climb up that slope." "Master, are you sure?" Yuyui asked with a concerned look. Her blue core allowed her sense the power of whatever was ahead and it was facing suppression. "I won''t be able to act unless I''m that close at least." .... One of the guards of the Cluster General who continued to sit without moving on the throne flew into the sky and halted when he was ten meters away from the sky blue creature that pped its wings in ce, its dark eyes that spun focusing on the Cluster General. At least that''s what it looked like. The guard analysed this unique looking creature. Some of its features resembled those of a Fire Breeder while some, like the white on its hands and feet did not, definitely did not. ''This thing... its not even looking at me. It''s only keeping its focus on lord,'' the guard analysed. ''It''s underestimating the rest of us.'' The guard wasn''t at pleased to be dismissed. He was one of three ordained from birth to protect the Cluster General! He wouldn''t stand for this! Candle mes lit up behind the guard, six inches away from its back, twelve of them, dotted up to form a circle like a birthday circle with scattered candles! These mes, with their orange hues suddenly red as if fuelled up, their ferocity shooting out like jets as they propelled the guard forward with blinding speed that caused his image to vanish from view, zipping towards the smoking enemy! BOOOM! A sphere of storming heat with a visible effect on the air bubbled with a fierce force that caused Ferex''s Hide to start to smoke, burnt up even as the Apostle was a distance away! The figure of the guard only reappeared when it had gone past the blue creature, the sound of impactingter! The guard Fire Breeder, upon reappearing from his eleration, shook his head a little. Just now, he had punched the living hell out of the enemy, but... He felt like he had barely done any damage as his enemy didn''t show any reaction at all! The hell! He packed a lot of power in that attack! On the other hand, things were so fluff for him. The guard shook his head lightly. ''What is that smoke? I barely touched it but already feel... strange,'' he thought. On the ground, Skullius who was watching marvelled. His sight honed in on how the Fire Breeder guard was utilising the mes on his back to elerate his movement. He didn''t even use his wings anymore. ''That''s an interesting technique...'' Skullius thought. This applications of fire could be really useful to him. Beyond that though, he was more impressed by how the blue creature he had created had tanked an attack from this guard who had a super bright mana core! When it came to Skullius'' influence over mana cores with [Greater Mana Crafter], it lessened the more conscious one was of their core as when an expert grew stronger, they were naturally able to control elements of it. These guards were such experts and yet, the blue creature he had summoned had survived an attack from it? He couldn''t quite feel anything even close to reinforcement around this creature. No mana. No... ''Wait a minute...'' Skullius thought as he came to a rapid conclusion. He was going about this wrong! His excitement for [Greater Mana Crafter] was blinding him towards the very real obvious reality that this creature.... didn''t use mana! It was using Null Life Essence to guard its body! This wasn''t something Skullius could sense very well with mana maniption skills. It relied on his innate ability as a Null Lifeform which was garbage as he hadn''t exercised it much! He still couldn''t even control his Null Life Essence at a basic level as the only way he could use it was through already established skills like [Unbound]. But this thing... Now that he thought about it, outside of [Unbound] and perhaps [Bringer of All], only [Null Life Aura] could be said to be a simpler application of Null Life Essence than some of his other skills. Could he use it to try to understand the energy form? Preferably right now? He wouldn''t risk acting now as the Cluster General wasn''t even focusing on the fight in the air. He was definitely on guard. ''Alright then. Before this thing disappears, I might as well try to learn how it''s using Null Life Essence with [Null Life Aura] active,'' Skullius thought. No one but him, Ferex and that blue creature could sense Null Life Essence after all and that thing didn''t give two flying sockets about him so it would be fine. Back to the fight in the air... The guard with the mes behind his back saw the blue creature still only gaze towards the Cluster General who didn''t even spare it a nce. The General knew, after all. This wasn''t the real enemy. The real enemy was probably hiding somewhere. The guard elerated once again andnded six punches on what he thought were the vitals of the creature, each punch causing a heated rumble in the air! Yet, his enemy''s body still didn''t react at all! Another one of the guards stormed into the sky as well as he growled, "What''s taking so long?! You can''t kill this one enemy?!" "Why don''t you give it a try?" the guard who had been fighting before hissed back as he floated aside giving room for his peer. The other guard scoffed as on his skin, glowing orange markings formed along his arms and chest which hissed with heat! The guard''s body was set ame after as it set to attack the blue creature with its wings unfurling for a rapid flight towards the target. BOOOM! ...!!! Unfortunately, the same scene of an unprogressive battle didn''t happen. The enemy that the guards were fighting suddenly vanished from sight with a crackling of the air, its wings having beat against it so hard that it shot ahead to catch the guard who had set himself alight off guard! The creature grinned as it sank its wed, white hands into the guard''s face, its finger piercing cleanly through its eyes! The guard screeched from both the pain of being vited like this and from the fumes that instantly began to affect it! However... Its pain slowly turned dull, a weird sensation building up in its brain and heart that caused it to feel... ''happy''. The other guards grew wary when they heard their mate start tough maniacally, its sockets that remained with the blue creature''s fingers in them, bleeding profusely. What manner of horrific shit was this?! Were they so weak that each of them could be done in with one attack?! The guard with the mes behind its back drew back as it retreated to the tform on the hill to liase with the remaining guard who also looked ahead warily. This wasn''t something they could handle casually. This was in the realm of the unknown! To their surprise though, the creature finally showed a strong reaction suddenly, its head swinging to the left as it was...drawn to something. A field of something familiar opened up a distance away and of everyone around, only it could see. Something with a serene presence. Something that felt more like home. The creature stopped drooling as it turned to this direction, its wings beating against the air with crisp p again as... ...! "What the... why is iting here?!" Skullius who had just activated [Null Life Aura] eximed. The blue skinned creaturended within the Aura and...emitted a sigh of satisfaction. It felt at home, its instincts of a new born kicking in. It couldn''t see Skullius but it kept gazing around, looking for his traces. "SHIT!" Skullius'' sockets red. They were too close to the Cluster General for such surprises to happen willy nilly! Why did this damn thing have to act so damn unpredictably?! This unpredictability could cost him his Null life! He didn''t want to go out like that! Right then, as if to prove a point, the fiery pupils of the Cluster General finally moved from the horizon as they followed the blue skinned creature. "There," the huge creature said in a chilling voice that drew its guards'' attention towards what they were already looking at. ...!!!!!! As the piercing gaze of the Cluster General turned to this spot, Skullius felt it! This was bad! Thrillingly so but very bad! He hypothesised and thought but within a limited span! The Cluster General still probably couldn''t see him and Ferex but... TCHT! Therge hand of the Cluster General wrapped around the hilt of the massive sword dug into the pool of magma around it, a surge of unbearable torridity zing as if to melt the air itself! A skill was being used! A terribly powerful one from the sword! ....!!!! Everyone felt it. The immense level of threat. "FLESH IT!" Skullius called as he leapt from Ferex''s mouth and used cast a skill at the same time. At this very same time, the blue skinned creature twisted its head to focus on him who was now visible to it... It had found the user of this, finally! Its dark eyes that spun calmed and it opened its mouth fractions of a second after this ''same time'' where multiple things urred. "Kin...Your enemy is strong," it saidprehensibly to the Prator. And then the deleterious devastation ensued.... --- ~Sponsored by Earth546~ Chapter 477 Not So Simple (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). The Cluster General on the throne didn''t stand. He did not swing. He only gazed at his target and clenched the hilt of his great sword with his powerful hand. When he did... Skullius... Ferex... Yuyui... The blue skinned creature... All four existence were sted apart. No. It was more like melted apart. The blue skinned Null Lifeform was deformed into sludge that flew everywhere. Skullius was melted from the middle, his bones being slogged off like porridge in different directions as only hints of it remained, barely identifiable as bone. The same happened to Ferex behind and Yuyui who was in the Apostle''s mouth! None of these four had seen what had happened at all and neither could theyprehend when they were being broken down. The sword had throbbed with scalding passion at being held by its owner, releasing a velocious heat that traced through the ground from where he sat, opening up the ground as it travelled to its enemies! This trail that dug deep was the one that carried fearful heat that melted all the Cluster General''s enemies within divided fractions upon divided fractions of a second, its effect being so potent that it travelled through thend up to the cliff Skullius hade in from within a few short breaths, the leaking red from this narrow, lengthy depth hissing with nasty fog! The guards of the Cluster General were awestruck. Not because of the power on disy but because their master had made a move, and had even caught hidden figures that they hadn''t! "Do not rx. It is not over." The Cluster General then turned to the horny idiot, one of his guards who had been converted by the blue skinned creature and in a fiery show, the Fire Breeder''s head exploded into chunks, much to the other guards'' shock. "Keep your eyes peeled ahead." The two guards heeded as they looked at the continuous cleave on the ground that travelled into the distance. If thisnd wasn''t already so hot and with creatures and nts that were besties with the heat, a hellish forest fire would be billowing everywhere right now! But then, this just served to show their master''s might! The molten goo that was their enemies with barely any parts of them remaining; part of a head with a molten furry side and sizzling threads of what looked like a four legged beast, roasted flesh, charred bone and oozing fat for a peculiar humanoid like them andstly, parts of a dark blue arm and chunks of a skull with a torn socket that blinked with a dull blue light for the skeleton that had just appeared. What was there to look at, the guards wondered. Waa. Waa. WA! The Cluster General turned to be right. Thirty two lights started to silently blink with power around the molten walking skeleton, growing brighter as they then shot massive bolts of lightning at the body! The process was rapid. [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] which had been cast right before the ughter fest just now by Skullius on instinct, quickly recovered the Prator''s body, the Null Lifeform appearing on his feet with his sockets flickering to eventually produce a me. At first, Skullius was confused on where he was but then it all came rushing to him. "Right. That was close. I thought I heard Somanda calling just now..." the Prator said with a soft voice as he checked his ribs. Only his white core remained. His saved orbs of mana were gone. Typical. ''At least we''re petty durable,'' Skullius thought while gazing down. On the ground, on the maw of what remained of Ferex, a green light shone as the maw softly clenched on it, the molten body that tried to fight back bubbling and contorting as it rapidly started to rebuild itself! At the same time, as if a fade in transition was in y, Yuyui appeared sitting down on the ground, her figure jittery as she looked down at her molten corpse and shivered. The simmering guts were a bit much. One of the guards of the Cluster General rapidly flew up as he got ready to finish off this trio. "Stop. Let them get up." The voice of the Cluster General reached the guard, making him stop. Ferex and Yuyui carefully stood and rushed to Skullius'' sides, the Prator looking up at the Cluster General with a steady me. His thoughts were unknown as his face didn''t give it away, but his followers knew nowhere was safer but with him right now. The Prator himself was trying to settle a lot of thought. One particr subject being what he had just heard. ''Kin... Your enemy is strong.'' Thest words of the blue skinned creature. "Fascinating," a powerful voice spoke. The crown atop the Cluster General''s head shone, its golden hue with patterns of orange-pink causing a mirage. Then Skullius heard it. A voice in his head that he couldprehend. The Cluster General wanted to talk. ''You fascinate me. Three different creatures. Three different ways to escape death.'' Skullius'' socket mes flickered ever so slightly. ''What about it bro?'' he asked nonchntly as if unfazed. ''Hmmm? You have no fear?'' ''Why should I be afraid, bro?'' ''Because... I can dictate whether you live or die.'' ''...'' ''Hmmm?'' ''Hahaha. That''s fleshing hrious bro. Even if you kill me, I''m afraid it won''t be your win. Someone else already...called dibs. Oh, nice phrase.'' Skullius said with a rxed voice, his mind coughing up another phrase he wasn''t familiar with...until now. ''Hmmm?'' ''Do I look like a normal creature to you?'' ''...'' The Cluster General was little confused. This enemy seemed a little... too rxed. And what was with his statement? Even if he killed this creature, it wouldn''t be his win? What the heck was that supposed to mean? ''Do you perhaps mean a binding?'' ''A binding?'' Skullius asked, it being his turn now to be confused. The Cluster General leaned back on its throne as the crown atop its head shone bright once again. A pulse of barely seen energy bloomed, streaming outwards in all directions. Skullius could feel it. It was weird. This item, the crown. It seemed to be amplifying something! Shortly after this pulse went out, a shocking scene urred! Even the guards were shocked beyond belief as well! From the direction of the settlements, thousands upon thousands of Fire Breeders appeared, all of them either flying or running over the ground. Their red eyes seemed nk, their faces showing no expression. Within no time at all, the masses of Fire Breeders gathered at the base of the hill, away from the pool of magma and gazed sternly at the Cluster General. ''This is binding. Every one of them is bound to me now. Their lives and all. I have used a special method over the years to grow my strength. To mutate myself and gain different abilities while making those I already have stronger,'' the Cluster General exined. ''Unfortunately, I can only amount to this. I cannotst another hundred years and I will not be able to reach the next Tier.'' ''This prison... is nd. I know there is another world beyond this one. My aging bones yearn for it. But even if I see it, I might not live long enough to enjoy its entirety. My strength also leaves much to be desired when there are strong enemies.'' Skullius'' socket mes danced. ''This guy knows that he lives in a Cluster?'' he thought. The subject wasn''t something they Nullmancer''s had explored. Whether Cluster beasts knew from the beginning that they lived in a different world, only finding out about Aigas when the Cluster crack ruptured was a mystery to him. Was this normal for Cluster Generals or was this guy an exception? The Cluster General''s guards couldn''t believe their eyes. Their lord had the ability to forcefully control their entire race, probably rted with how he could read minds as evidenced earlier. Their lord... ''Oh. If you''re asking if what I''m talking about is the same, well then, sorry to say, it''s different,'' Skullius said while grinning hiddenly. He thought this would boil down to just a brutal fight but... This was better. ''I have a master who owns my soul. If I die, he can resurrect me as he wishes and give me power as he wishes through a special technique.'' ''Hmmm,'' the Cluster General hummed with intrigue. ''Amusing. I am not so foolish as to believe such a silly lie. If your ''master'' has such strength, why give you the means to escape death and not the means to give it freely to any calibre of an enemy?'' Skullius scoffed. This bastard dared to call him weak when he wiped out so many Fire Breeders without breaking much of a sweat? ''I am but a messenger. I have been tasked with finding relics. Powerful relics. My duty is to bring back information when I die and bring my master treasures when I find them,'' Skullius said as he then yed a card he had just churned up while following the trajectory of this conversation. ''For instance, a throne that draws on unique energies, a crown that amplifies skills and abilities and a sword that can both attack and nullify techniques. These would interest my master greatly.'' ...! The Cluster General''s eyes shot open, its pupils ming wildly. ''How do you know that?'' it asked with a threatening tone, the sword it held by the hilt vibrating while shining with a bright orange-pink hue. ''My bro. My body doesn''t react to torture and I''m definitely more scared of my master than I am of you. So those two won''t work on me. As for how I know all about your weapons... well, like a said. I''m a messenger. Fighting is just a pastime. My main duty is collect information and relics and bring one or both back, either by foot or by death.'' Skullius'' body took a few steps towards the hill where the Cluster General was. He reached just before the pool magma and his socket mes red. ''You still have a bit of time here. Maybe a little more than two days. I can afford to wait. I can afford to die. Either way, my master will being for these treasures. So, me bro. What will you do with me?'' --- ~Sponsored by Earth546~ Chapter 478 Not So Simple (2) "Master, is this really a good idea. Don''t you need to participate in the Premium Age Royale in two days? How.. how are we going to get out of this before then?" Yuyui said with a constipated face, her eyes darting to and fro. "It''s fine. If everything happens as I think, this should all end a few minutes after the Cluster opens up." "...." "Hahahaha! I''m just kidding. We''re probably going to die. At least me and Ferex will. You''ll probably be a ve to that Cluster General and never get to eat a single piece of food again. That is, of course, unless you manage to outlive the bastard and his bros." "...." Yuyui''s stomach growled. Skullius'' words caused a dreadful chill to run down Yuyui''s spine. She trembled. Skullius was joking right? He couldn''t possibly mean what he said right? The lime haired girl turned to Ferex and found the Hound sitting down silently, bound as it was. Hey hey hey! Was everyone just giving up?! The girl then turned to look up at the hill beyond the magma pool. The Cluster General sat down without a word but the increased difort from the worsening temperatures in the atmosphere told of how frustrated he still was. Earlier when he was conversing with Skullius, he had been left with a dilemma. He had shared a summary of his life with Skullius because he didn''t believe the invader could escape him, intent on linking his method of growing stronger with how Skullius and his crew got their interesting skills. If he could attain them somehow, he could be even stronger. Unfortunately, what should have been petrified prey before him turned out to be a nightmare that dropped a few bombs on his head. Killing him. Not killing him. These choices seemed to be much of the same! One would be inclined to think this was a bluff but the Cluster General was well aware of the mystery behind the other side of the world he lived in. A bigger world full of its own dangers. How could he not believe it? At the very least, he couldn''t dismiss it. In the end, he had Skullius, Yuyui and Ferex stationed right before his throne. If he couldn''t kill them, then he''d just keep them with him to dy whatever demise was going toe eventually. He had thought that perhaps Skullius would try to kill himself but the confidence this skeleton and hispanions disyed made him realise that he was probably enjoying his conflict. Still, he had Skullius andpany bound. Something akin to thick ropes with cracks that glowed red could be seen wrapping around Skullius and his crew individually as they sat down, the ends of these ropes nailed down to the ground. These ropes were extremely powerful and wouldn''t even allow Skullius, Yuyui and Ferex to budge. Yet that was all they could do. Several hundred Fire Breeders patrolled in the skies, all their eyes gazing on the enemies at all times. "Master..." Yuyui said as she found her emotions going awol once again. She understood that the Cluster General had some kind of mind rted powers that it had used tomunicate with Skullius, but it didn''t seem like he could brainwash or harm Skullius with them. Was her master just being cautious with his words? "Make sure to keep my ring safe for the next thousand years," Skullius said before his socket mes red and then died down. ...! Yuyui at first was rmed but then she realised that this was probably the equivalent of Skullius closing his eyes. But... "Keep the ring safe?" The girl wasn''t used to this kind of stress. Was this a coded message or something? Was there something she was supposed to derive from this? Yuyui gritted her teeth. Skullius had given her the spatial storage ring after his grand attack earlier. Apparently the ring was hard to keep safe when he was fighting and he had had to userge quantities of mana to keep it from melting when he first fought that powerful Fire Breeder that could manifest exploding spears. Now, his choice turned out to be right as he would definitely lost everything within it if he had been wearing it when he was molten away by the sudden attack from the Cluster General''s great sword. Since Yuyui and whatever she wore woulde back to life along with her, the ring would always be safe in her possession. Skullius had even told her to eat it if she could avoid suspicion by doing so, but she declined, opting for another, more mundane way of hiding it from the Fire Breeders. Now, with Skullius having shut his vision and with Ferex resting under the binds as if without a care, Yuyui was left to her own. All she could do was rey the memory that she had awakened. She recalled how her parents wanted her to be safe by being able to protect herself. She even boldly made an excuse for herself, that she couldn''t fight. That it wasn''t a part of her. She justified her weakness by turning to music. The Deities said so, so it was probably alright, right? She didn''t need to fight, right? Then, was she really able to just let herself livea lengthy life of very then? ''Arrgh!'' Yuyui frustratedly screamed in her mind. Alone, she just couldn''t see a path ahead. All she could see was her own uselessness. Even if she couldn''t die, it seemed less and less of a superpower than it was a mere trait about her. The girl felt herself devolving, her mind-set going towards being sheltered like back in that lonely ce. Perhaps that was all she meant to amount to. Perhaps... that was all there was. If she just rxed and let everything divulge in the way it was supposed to... It would be fine. *** CRACK! A resounding echo travelled through the entire Cluster. It was time. Approximately two mostly uneventful days had passed. On the high ground from where Skullius and friends hade from, a light could be seen. Space tore on itself as it invited the Cluster beasts held within to exit, entering the world of Aigas, finally. "The time is finally ripe," the Cluster General said. The opening to the Cluster was grand, like a massive white circr gate that didn''t show what was on the other side, just like how the mercenaries saw the Clusters from the outside. Yet now, it was weing to the Cluster beasts for a change and even those who would have entered would be free to leave now, despite not being able to clear the Cluster. The Cluster General rose, hisrge body rising for the first time in decades. He gripped the hilt to his great sword and pulled on the nigh three meter long weapon from the pool of magma around his throne, his feet that had also been in the liquid hell pushing through as he set them on hard ground. "Let us go. I wouldn''t dream of leaving you behind as I venture into your world." The face of the General was a little tense. There were too many mysteries with this bone creature. While he hadn''t done anything but wait patiently for the Cluster to open, as his inborn instincts foretold, he had witnessed this creature change shape twice in the past days! Its presence changed dramatically when it transformed into the shorter, more... ''normal'' looking form that he assumed was how the creatures on the other side would look like, a calm yet deadly air revolving around it that put the other to shame. Yet... Contrary to what the General had assumed, even in this new form, this creature still did nothing, remaining in the binds that adjustedter to his size. It was suspicious. Only this kept him on edge. Fortunately, Skullius wouldn''t take the easy way out. The Prator''s sockets lit ame as he exhaled a burst of mana. Indeed, it was time. Chapter 479 Dont Disappoint The Cluster General along with thousands of Fire Breeders stood tens of meters before the massive shattered white space that was supposed to lead them into Aigas. On both the General''s sides stood two of his remaining guards and roughly fifty Fire Breeders from thergest city Skullius could be seen forming an encirclement around the three. The presence of these fifty was almost the same as the guards but it was evident that the difference lied in the quality of their abilities. The fire essence that Fire Breeders brewed from within them was not the same as fire voured mana or general me formed through non-magical means. It was a natural sort of me. Biological even. Pure fire that could be considered to be the natural ability of these Cluster beasts. To put it more borately, water wouldn''t be able to counter it. The fact that the guards could produce purer forms of this fire essence was what lead them to have a higher status than the rest. Other lower level Fire Breeders flew above as they gazed forward. The Cluster General no longer controlled their minds so with the bits of freedom they had, they appreciated the fact that they would get to see something new. Within the ring of protective guards and high level Fire Breeders, Skullius, Yuyui and Ferex could be seen still tied up, at least up to the arms. The lime haired girl could be spotted taking heavy breaths as she looked around while Skullius and Ferex didn''t show any fluctuation in their emotions at all. After two whole days, Skullius still hadn''t talked to her, leaving her to wallow in her self pity and fear. There really didn''t seem to be some kind of n. The Cluster General wanted them close as he left room for this same thought ¨C that there could be an escape attempt. "Ten of you. Go and scout ahead," the Generalmanded, ten of the Fire Breeders flying out into the white opening. They sank in and disappeared, the Fire Breeders behind waiting for the feedback. One minute. Two minutes. Ten minutes. The Cluster General''s eyes showed an ounce of trepidation. He turned to Skullius who didn''t say a word. The Cluster General had made sure to keep a link on Skullius'' mind in order to detect anything funny, he did or said. He had acquired a unique natural ability to infiltrate and control the minds of all Fire Breeders as he had evolved past that name himself with his merging technique, taking a different path even though he was a Tier 7 like his guards. The crown of his head amplified his natural abilities and skills but even with that, doing the same thing he did with the Fire Breeders to every other race wasn''t something he could do. At best he could detect external interferences from the outside, which is what he had been doing for the past two days with Skullius. So far, he hadn''t discovered anything strange, except for how Yuyui was trembling. Unlike Skullius, she was the one he was convinced least about, but he had seen her revive, regardless of the points he could make against this. Of course, he didn''t get careless. Now though, he was tempted to ask. "Are there beings from your world already waiting for our arrival outside?" the Cluster General asked. "Who knows?" Skullius replied hollowly. The Cluster General hurled the great sword he had over his shoulder and scoffed, refocusing ahead. The crown atop his head pulsed once again, two hundred of the Fire Breeders in the sky getting manually controlled to sour towards the sky as they headed towards the Cluster exit. Unlike before, he linked what the Fire Breeders saw to his own sight, an advanced application of his natural ability and his crown. FWOOSH. Four steady mes red. This was it. The socket mes of the Prator red. There it was. He sensed it. The Prator casually opened his mouth and spoke. "Yuyui. Are you afraid of dying?" The lime haired girl was jolted out her cluster of emotion as she turned to see Skullius gazing at her. Afraid of dying? Why was she being asked this? "I... I don''t know. Not really, I suppose. Maybe it depends on the type of death." Pat! Arge hand gripped Skullius'' shoulder. "You dare converse in my lord''s presence?" a particrly angry Fire Breeder growled but Skullius didn''t care. "Good," Skullius said while in the background, the Fire Breeders controlled by the Cluster General sank into the exit. There wouldn''t be too long of a time before the Cluster General figured out the convenient setting that had swallowed the ten scouts from before. He had to act fast. "Then if I gave you death itself, would you still be afraid to fight for what you want?" Skullius asked. "...." "Hey!" the Fire Breeder butted in again, but he was ignored. Yuyui couldn''t wrap her mind around what Skullius had said, but... Death. She tasted it every other day of the week. Her ambitions were to die in different, morefortable styles. One could say he knew death quite a bit. If she could wield death as a weapon, would she be afraid to fight? What was her greatest fear anyway? Dying continuously without meaning? Yes. Starving to death? Absolutely. Losing pieces of her self with each death? Right. Dying for naught a cause? Aha. It even seemed like her history contained much of this. Yuyui felt something creep under the ropes that bound her and funnel into the ring she held tight in her hand, Skullius'' spatial ring! "You said you''d be whatever I needed, when I needed it. I''m giving you death itself, so don''t disappoint me. When you hold it, just SWING with all your might, then we''ll see if you really aren''t a FIGHTER." These words would have been a load of bull to anyone who heard, but the rapid series of events that followed made Yuyui understand what Skullius meant before his words faded from her ear. ...! The Cluster General who had sent out his Fire Breeders expressed a light burst of fury. "I see. So that''s why," he said as he saw what was on the other side of the exit. The threat to his kind. A natural one. Did that waking bunch of bones know this all along?! At the same time, however, the Prator made his move with the General still upied. [Null Life Aura] was cast! The serene field spread around Skullius unnoticed by any of the Fire Breeders then, with a burst of golden light, a shot me ignited on the ropes that bound him while another streaked towards Yuyui and crashed into her, tearing the ropes that bound her as she was sent flying a few meters away! As shended on the ground, the chill she had been feeling on Skullius'' spatial ring magnified. It was Skullius'' mana activating the ring to release... Demion''s Dance! The sword fell to the ground and Yuyui''s eyes met it. At the same time that this was happening, a powerful fist bashed into Skullius'' face sending him flying to crash into the wall of the cavern a distance from the exit! "I knew he would try something!" the same Fire Breeder who had been interrupting Skullius and Yuyui''s conversation growled. He had punched Skullius just now but held back as their lord wanted the walking corpse alive. The Prator''s jaw was shattered and so was half of his skull but he hurriedly stood as the thousands of Fire Breeders turned to him menacingly, some of them hurrying to bind him and Yuyui again! The Cluster General narrowed his eyes, returning to himself. He focused on Skullius but the Prator wasn''t dismayed. "Hehehehehe..." he cackled as he saw the enemies before him. The odds were stacked against him. He didn''t make a move yet however, as he turned to the distance where Yuyui was slowly rising, in her hand, Demion''s Dance. Unlike most people who saw the weapon, she felt it. Death. She had tangled with it too many times to not recognise its scent, its feel, its power. The beauty that lied in losing life. It then clicked in her mind. What Skullius had just said. ''When you hold it, just SWING with all your might...'' This was the Death he meant! Yuyui saw the enemies rush to apprehend her from the sky in their thousands. They were going to take away the new life she has started where she could eat anything she wanted, even if there were several stiptions. These monsters were going to make her a ve and keep her under their feet, taking away the fortune she had won a few days ago. This is what her father was trying to say. ''These are dangerous times. Evil lurks everywhere...'' Yes. Right now, evil WAS everywhere. And... Huff, huff. Yuyui took in deep breaths as emotion welled in her. If she wanted to live afortable life, she had to SWING! If she didn''t want to disappoint her master, she had SWING! Her grip on the sword tightened tremendously and she grit her teeth. "I won''t disappoint!" she called out, putting all her strength into the sword. It was a clumsy diagonal swing. It had no form or ss. But it was packed with the emotion of someone who didn''t want to remain the same anymore! And thus... SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!! Chapter 480 It Ends Outside! (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). A familiar sound rang in the air, a dark line swiping through the it as Yuyui shed from top to bottom diagonally at the hundreds of flying Fire Breeders! This whistle of Demion''s Dance''s edge as it cut the air spelled the carving up of all the Cluster beasts that were touched by the dark line which sped forward eagerly! Blood flew and the dozens of enemies fell, some spinning wildly in the air as their rhythm waspromised, the dark coloured sh going for the kill in a radius of over forty meters! The lime haired girl who still remained in her stance had bulged eyes. Her hands trembled and she swallowed a lump of saliva! This... The dead bodies thaty before her along with the carved earth from her swinging Demion''sDance with all her might... This was her? "I... I actually... did it?" she questioned herself in disbelief at the carnage that brought a temporary pause to the rest of her enemies. Did she just FIGHT? The cumtive mana experience she felt rushing into her as it awaited for herplete her Task... The rush in her blood, a reaction from taking the lives of her enemies... It was evidence that she had just fought! "Wooaa...'' the girl expressed as she breathed out, shockingly, her forehead twitching multiple times. The way a dark streak emerged with her using the de was just like how S used this green sword back then, opening a way for Skullius to see how to effectively wield this weapon that one half of a deathly whole! But there was clear difference with how it appeared when Skullius used it and the Prator, who was watching this unfold was also surprised! This wasn''t how he had thought this would devolve at all! It was even better, but suspiciously so. ''She doesn''t have the [Swindling Death''s Dance] though. How did she... Wait. Is it because she...'' Skullius thought with his four socket mes zing madly but he decided to not waste time on thinking anymore. This was a time for action! The Nullmancer raised his bony hand and called for the mana and Null Life Essence from the corpses! This had been his aim, and with this unexpected show by Yuyui, he got more than bargained for! The Cluster General in this moment turned to give a nce over to where Yuyui was with curiosity. What was that power? Was it from that sword? Where did that sword evene from? ''There are too many unknowns,'' therge creature thought. Still it didn''t seem like there was much of a threat with these captives. They couldn''t run around as they did before with him here. Unless it was that form that the skeleton creature took at the same time of day twice before, he didn''t need to take these three seriously. All this was a desperate attempt at nothing but failure. One of these three was still bound and¡ª ....! The General''s attention was nabbed once again. What was it now? Streams of white burst from the corpses that were spread all over, rushing over to Skullius who immediately condensed them into two floating orbs that started to float around his core. Then... The Prator''s mes cruelly zed as on his hand, the circr groves that were etched there since he received a certain upgraded skill, shone luminously! Pfssss! The Nullmancer emitted mana from between his teeth! Skullius swung his glowing hand down while uttering with malice the name of his new skill! "Serration Zone: Baneful Edge." 6000 Null Life Essence points were immediately prepared for the foretold carnage! ....! Null Life generally went unnoticed most of the time, but right now...this version of it, caused every creature in the vicinity to gnash their teeth as their bodies instinctively stiffened! This was an unnatural skill with an effect that appealed to instinct! No. Rather than a skill, it was a whole phenomenon that was not of this world! And Skullius aimed it right in the direction of the Cluster General whose face grew vicious, finally showing aggressive emotion for the first time! ''You can move now bro,'' Skullius told Ferex who remained in ce, bound by the ropes as he had been instructed not to miniaturise by Skullius right after he had had the conversation with the Cluster General back then. They had needed to remain as captives back then but now... Ferex grew tiny, the ropes remaining to bind nothing. He shot off as he went to aplish his own mission. His part of the fight that Skullius wasn''t privy to. No one cared about him at this moment though, as in the split second that had passed, all the high level Fire Breeders and the guards rushed to protect the Cluster General, congregating in one ce! Unfortunately, the Cluster General, his body brimming with power from the dull purple core in his body, blurred, eclipsing all the guards in speed shot towards Skullius to stop him from casting the skill! Before the effects of his dreadful ability could activate, the greatsword of therge creature blurred, its speed being so fast that it became an orange streak in the air! The sword hammered through Skullius'' torso and nted itself into the ground with a resounding boom that reverberated throughout this t ne, causing it explode as if ignited a miniature sun! Everyone who had been standing here fell to thends before, some propping in the pool of magma here, like Yuyui...who screamed the whole way as she met a ming demise only to resurrect multiple times as she crept closer to the ground with each revival. Skullius had been spit in half, his arms also torn away, the greatsword that the Cluster General having now gone through his spine. Unfortunately, this spread away the two floating orbs ofpressed mana Skullius had saved up. The two were on the pile of debris that floated over this pool of magma that Skullius recognised. The Cluster General didn''t look as rxed anymore, his body emitting a vicious presence that began to melt everything around, including Skullius. A weird halo with beautiful pink patterns swirled around the two,ing from the sword and the Prator knew exactly what it was. This was an effect of the greatsword that nullified the casting of skills and abilities! "That didn''t go well..." Skullius said self mockingly. ''I see you''re still enjoying yourself," the Cluster beast said as he established a connection with Skullius'' mind. ''You knew there was a natural enemy of my race outside didn''t you?'' The Cluster beast had seen it. The harsh cold outside that formed the popr tourists'' site, the Creeping Chill. A cold so powerful, Skullius, Yuyui and Ferex had started to freeze the second they got into contact with it. The two hundred and ten scouts that exited the Cluster had all been frozen, despite the fire essence within them. ''Of course I did. I hoped you''d jump out immediately but I guess I was wrong.'' ''Hmmm. You think I will fold just like these weaklings?'' the Cluster General asked. ''Your provocative words spurn me to believe that there is falsehoods to many of your ims. And even if they are true...'' The Cluster General paused his line as from behind his back, fire zed in two streams that eventually formed two red hot webbed wings! The General grabbed Skullius and his greatsword, his crown pulsing with power as two of the high level Fire Breeders'' eyes turned nk, and followed after their lord. "Capture the other two," the Cluster General said before sting through therge open space into Aigas that was up above! "Master!" Yuyui called with a look of concern as she reappeared from another death, Demion''s Dance in hand. Her forehead twitched again, a small opening beginning to show as if reacting to her emotion. Her bangs that covered the Inhuman Eye on her face moved out of the way as for the first time, Yuyui actually showed aggression. Her breathing elerated again as she felt frustrated. Skullius had helped her find a part of herself she didn''t know even know she had. Her impression of the skeleton had shifted greatly as a result of this and to lose him right now would be devastating. One of the guards of the Cluster General wore an annoyed face as he turned to his fellow guard who had the same look on his face. They were upset that even though their lord stressed that they were there to protect him, he up and left them behind every time they tried to do their job. One of them, with mes lighting from his back burst with incredible speed towards Yuyui and gripped her by the hair, making her kneel. He kicked away Demion''s Dance which was picked up by one of the Fire Breeders and scoffed at Yuyui who puckered her lips as her chest rose up and down rapidly. He then turned to the other Fire Breeders with a fierce expression and gave an order. "Find the other one. He must be here somewhere!" Yuyui''s forehead twitched once more. The sword her master had entrusted with to her earlier had been nabbed. Her glorious shift...or what should have been, was trampled by... evil. Yuyui couldn''t help but gnash her teeth. This was a dangerous time but now she knew to fight. She knew she could. She just needed something to fight with. Her forehead twitched again. ''Come on! I was just starting to like my new self. I won''t let it end here!'' she thought as her face contorted. The Fire Breeder that held her hair pulled on it quite hard as he dragged her to the others without mercy, garnering a death stare from Yuyui who struggled. The girl ground her teeth, her good nature slowly being clouded by dark thoughts. But what could she do now? Well... "Huh?" the lime haired girl felt something slide into her hand. Her eyes couldn''t see it but she felt it. It was heavy. The moment she welded it, it started to suck up a whole lot of her mana, which caused some rm but this changed for the girl pretty soon. Within the blink of an eye, a message that streamed into her mind from this sword calmed her down and made her tremble in excitement at the same time. Her wish had just been granted and it would start with the bastard pulling on her hair. *** The moment the Cluster General and Skullius exited the Cluster, the monstrous Cluster beast shot high up, avoiding the foggy cold. They soared a good few hundred meters into the air as the tall creature and the Fire Breeders behind it took in the view - on his behalf as well. Hmmm. It was nothing special. It was merely an opposition of what he and his kind saw everyday. But perhaps there was more, further out there. "So this is your world..." the Cluster General said to Skullius whom he held by the torn spine, a scoff that followed from his mouth releasing a puff of steam. As the Cluster beast attempted to move forward, he felt a shiver from his body. A shiver of instinct. He turned to the exit from the Cluster. "If I go any further away, my world will be destroyed," he said to himself. It was a choice he could make. A choice each Cluster General could make. "In that case, I might as well make myself at home right here..." The Cluster General reduced his altitude of flight and opened his mouth wide, the heat that was spread out from his volcano-like mouth causing a loud hiss in the cold, snowy air. Within the extraordinary gap that opened from this creature''s face, shes of red lightning and me flickered, a natural ability on the level of a high tier Special skill being used. me Storm Gullet! ~~~ ~Sponsored by Earth546~ Chapter 481 It Ends Outside! (2) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Within the blink of an eye, what had been an ice coveredndscape turned into a hellish ground with all the moisture drained from over a seven mile radius. Barely ten seconds had passed from when the General opened his mouth to release a dreadful storm of fire to now, yet... Skullius was shocked by this level of power as hepared this to the feats that he had seen from the Galemonger back in Inhone City. In terms of genuine threat, he didn''t know which to scale above the other as this bastard was definitely a contender. The Cluster General could sense Skullius'' surprise and this helped him deduce a few things. "I''m starting to realise that I was a fool to believe your lies. You may not be afraid of dying but you certainly serve no higher power if the likes of this is enough to surprise you," the Cluster beast said to Skullius. The orange halo with pink patterns still revolved around him and the Cluster General who, as the wielder was immune to the Nullification effect. Hence him using any skills was still impossible. "You can believe whatever you want," Skullius said. The Cluster General seethe within. He couldn''t tell if Skullius had some other n or not. He seemed too... nonchnt. Of the Fire Breeders behind the Cluster General, one of them was torn from the control of his lord as afterwards, he was given an order. "Go and notify the others that it is safe toe out now." The Fire Breeder nodded as he flew down. "Before whatever you n to does to pass, I''ll ughter everything in sight and reach a higher Tier. Then, we''ll see who will be able to stop me." Unlike within the Cluster where there were no varied means of evolving except by simply being groomed by the chaotic energies that made up the Cluster to begin with, here... there was bound to be many creatures to kill. Yes. The Cluster General believed that he would grow much faster, perhaps inventing a better way of merging with the eggs he produced in the process. Maybe he would even¡ª "Lord! Loooord!" the Cluster General shifted his gaze down to see thousands of his Fire Breeders flooding out of the exit to the Cluster. What? His messenger was yet to re-enter the Cluster and tell everyone that it was safe toe out, so what was this? Panic could be sensed from the faces of the Fire Breeders and the Cluster General couldn''t help but wonder what it was now! "LOOORD!" one of his guards shot to his position with a terrified expression. The Cluster General was about to search for what was wrong by using his control over the Fire Breeders but, what had them all panicking quickly showed itself! From the giant gaping hole on the t surface of the sliced mountain, a figure with lime haired shot out, her figure zipping through the air as she stepped on the crowded Fire Breeders that were flying haphazardly through the air, ascending with every step on the unsuspecting Cluster beasts! She wore a half vicious, half terrified expression, her movements looking undecided and clumsy, but she steadily rose, her speedpletely stunning the stronger Fire Breeders which she was targeting! As for what she did to them... This girl, Yuyui, zipped over the back of fourteen Fire Breeders in an instant and a half, leapt up high towards one of these targets of hers with her hand that was balled up and swung down! There was nothing in her balled hand though! She swung as if she held something, with a distance remaining between her hand and her enemy! What the hell?! Demion''s Dance was in her other hand, but she wasn''t using it! But, this seemingly void-of-logic move worked well still, because... FWIIISH! The Fire Breeder in Yuyui''s sights was split in half! Yuyui kicked off this dead body in the air and started to race on the backs of the Cluster beasts that had finally started to have half a mind to split up. Unfortunately, before they could, Yuyui killed dozens of them as she swung her hand with spectacr speed that dazzled the onlookers, Skullius included! Even if she had a blue core, she couldn''t be that quick on her feet! ''What the flesh is going on?'' Skullius thought as his sockets zed. He was beyond surprised at this visual, but in the next second, he was even more so! Yuyui looked right up to where he and the Cluster General were, the harsh winds blowing away hair from her forehead. ...! A dark coloured eye with an ice blue iris opened wide, its pupil looking at the Cluster General and his sword. *** Five minutes prior.... The moment Yuyui felt something slide into her hand, a mental instruction of what to do flowed into her mind. To her surprise, this was from Ferex! A part of what the Hound was preparing was finished. Something to integrate into his new body. But for now, he would use it to help his master through Yuyui. At first the girl hadn''t know what the heck it was that she was made to hold in her hand, but rity soon came. If what had been fed to her could be expressed in words, it would be... ''It''s me, Ferex, master''s Apostle. I''m going to use your mana to make myself stronger and you have to use me to kill these enemy bros. Trust master. Just SWING me. I''ll tell you how to move and extend some of my magic arrays to you as well. Make sure to keep moving.'' Hooo.... Just like this, Yuyui had both been enlightened and encouraged. What she wanted had justnded in her hands! A means to fight. ''Thank you,'' she said as she built up her resolve some more. A cute, angry look shed on her face as she did as Skullius had said before. She SWUNG what was in her hand towards the guard that was pulling on her hair! The Fire Breeder was sliced in half at an angle! Hot blood was spilled, the creature screeching horribly as its torso was split in two! Yuyui huffed in breaths with her mouth open while she gazed down at her kill. Huff, huff. Killing from up close was much different from how she had done it before with Demion''s Dance but epted it. Also, she was pretty surprised by the strength of this sword. How was it so easy to slice through such a powerful this Fire Breeder with this weapon? Wasn''t he that strong Cluster beast that had fought the blue skinned creature two days ago? Despite this, Yuyui kept her eyes on the prize. The Fire Breeders around her were startled by the sudden death of a guard, the rest of the higher levelled Cluster beasts rushing her as they angrily sought to stop her. Unfortunately for them, Yuyui felt hundreds of littleplex weavings of mana crawl into her body, empowering her with miniscule amounts of power individually but collectively... "YAAAAAA!" Yuyui screamed as a mind-boggling burst of power filled her flesh, almost making her lose control of herself. This was the best thing she had ever felt! Right then, in her mind... ''There are eighteen enemiesing towards you. Don''t worry about the number or their strength. This form of mine doesn''t just harm the body. It is also geared towards damaging the soul. If I exert myself I can also harm multiple targets at a time. So don''t be afraid to use me. Now, as for how you attack...'' What would have been a dialogue of a few seconds m was cut down to a mere split second as Ferex used a speedy mental depiction of how Yuyui was supposed to attack! And despite how terrifying this was, it was true! Ferex had turned himself into a weapon, one that could harm the soul! It wasn''t him simply using his Hide which had an ability like that. This was linked to his visit to the Temple of Unlusted Tears. His visit that ended with him asking Bassbion to take a look at her sword! A sword that could injure the soul and body! One didn''t need a book to understand the rest. With renewed vigour and the requirement of a supreme level ofbat art beingpletely unnecessary, Yuyui immediately set to attack her iing enemies all at once, raising the unseen weapon in her hand under Ferex''s instruction and outputting as much mana as she could! A pulse, like a wind that ran through atmosphere blew outwards, smacking every one of the iing enemies! "EEEEEEEAAAAAAAAKKK!" Horrendous screams were heard as hidden under the flesh, the souls of eighteen Fire Breeders had been smitten by an unforgiving, unseen force. An unblockable, intangible ability beyond their level of tolerance! Though only fractures appeared on their souls and in great number, the Fire Breeders copsed, convulsing on the ground, powerful and weak alike! Yuyui''s face lit up! This was incredible! She felt this FIGHTING SPIRIT that had been awakened by Skullius continue to grow, her forehead twitching violently as a result! Her emotions were acting up in ways she hadn''t thought they could outside what she was used to. The eye on her forehead felt and reacted to it. As the Fire Breeders remained a distance from her, apprehensive as they felt and saw a dangerous threat from this green haired woman, Yuyui rushed to pick up a sword that had been dropped by one of these Cluster beasts. Demion''s Dance. She would be damned if she left her master''s sword here. There was too much she felt from just seeing this sword now, and all of this culminated into one thing. A final twitch from her forehead as the Eye of Dispersal pushed away the skin that covered it and showed itself fully! *** Back to the present. As soon as Yuyui''s Eye of Dispersal gazed at the Cluster General, the beast felt the energy from his great sword immediately die down, the halo around him Skullius vanishingpletely! Just like that, effects of a skill at the Legendary level merely faded! ....! "You too." the Cluster General was shocked as his face turned feral while gazing down at Yuyui who was fast losing footing! "This wasn''t how I was going to go about this but I''ll y along with this one..." Skullius'' voice sounded from the Cluster General''s hand, thirty two spots of light immediately lightning up the air as they shot bolts of Levin! The Cluster General scoffed madly as he returned his focus to Skullius, his thick hand exploding with a recalescent me that blew up some of Skullius'' bones, turning them to dust while his skill continously struggled to reforge his body! ''I''m no fool,'' the Cluster General said as it looked at Skullius'' socket mes with indignation. Even though it spoke with Skullius in the mind, it still opened its mouth to exhale. "Master!" Yuyui down below called at the top of her voice. Quickly, the lime haired girl swung the unseen weapon she held with all her might! The object shed, crossing the distance towards Skullius and the Cluster General! Skullius'' body continously broke down from the heat and me, but he wasn''t discouraged at all. He stared down the General without flinching. ring against his mind, a familiar mental signal caused him to focus on something that remained out of everyone''s view, his sockets ring excitedly. ''I have had enough of you. Burn to ash here and I will await your return with your so-called master,'' the General growled in Skullius'' mind while the me that spurned from its hand reached a baffling temperature! Skullius'' body started to crumble rapidly! This wasn''t something his bones could handle! But would it all end here? ''Not today!'' Skullius shot back at his opponent, the thirty two sparks of light focusing their Levin on his arm which regrew instantly, just quick enough to feel the handle of something heavy reach his hand with decelerating motion, perfectly positioned for him to thrust at the Cluster General''s mouth in the next split second...! --- ~Sponsored by Earth546~ Thank you once again for the support Earth546! Hope to have you till the end! Chapter 482 It Ends Outside! (3) The unseen form of Ferex remained so while lodged into the wide mouth of the Cluster General who looked absolutely shocked! Unfortunately, shock was the least of what he was feeling at this moment, as with the edge of the transformed Apostle which had crudely sank into his flesh, drawing blood, came a frightful reaction from his soul! Gruesome agony! The frown and grimace of the Cluster General as he howled madly in excruciating pain was mirrored by the scream of Yuyui who died by melting while in the air, UNCoddled punishing her for a wholesome deed! The Cluster General felt fractures in his soul that temporarily took away his ability to think properly as he could only focus on the horrendous pain that threw his mind into disarray! When he had been a Fire Breeder, he had experienced all kinds of fleshly pain. But this...! Like an inborn itch that one couldn''t scratch...! Like the sensation of bones snapping within but with no means of stopping their torn mass from scraping against the flesh...! The Cluster General ground its teeth as one of its ming pupils red at Skullius hatefully while its body trembled vehemently! ...! Skullius who had been fast fed all the detail about all Ferex''s features while in this form the moment he had caught the Apostle in his hand, was astounded! His stab to the creature''s mouth was supposed to be fatal to all the other Fire Breeders as they had no way of defending their souls, but this creature... it was still standing or rather... floating! Wasn''t it supposed to die like the rest?! ''Damn! He''s tough!'' Skulliusmented begrudgingly. Fortunately, the Cluster General wasn''t attacking as the pain was too great for it to handle. It was barely able keep itself afloat with its red hot wings so continuing to assault Skullius right now was impossible. Skullius thought fast! If this wasn''t enough, then the many schemes which he had been concocting for the past two days would surely work! At least one of them had to! Before sorting through them however, Skullius, as he recognised that Ferex was in a sword form, pulled out the Apostle from the Cluster beast''s mouth and flicked him up, pulling along the crown on the Cluster General''s head! ...! The Legendary item fell into the hands of the Prator who was currently being sted by thirty two bolts of Silentburn Levin which repaired his body! Skullius immediately wore the golden artefact decorated with pink patterns around it and... WHOOOOOOOOOOM!!! The Prator''s four sockets shed with mes that threatened to overwhelm the hot, night skies with a fierce blue glow that signified the horrendous boost to Skullius'' might! Levin silently burst over the surface of Skullius'' dark blue bones as everything about him was enhanced many fold, his body being recovered in a instant! "Hooo..." Skullius hummed with a breath of excess mana blowing from between his teeth while the Cluster General seethed, his hand that still held on the Prator''s spine, slowly increasing its grip as me rebelliously flickered from it powerfully! Yet... BOOOOM! Mana gathered under Skullius'' feet andunched him up forcefully, the Prator escaping from the Cluster General''s hold as he flew ten meters above it and gazed down while halting his ascent! Skullius had created distance between himself and the Cluster General to ensure that there would be no surprises. "Let''s see you handle this!" Skullius bellowed as his body bubbled with mana, his right hand shifting the unseen Ferex to his left as with the former held out towards everything beneath him, something churned and roiled! The crown filled him with power, elevating what he was already capable of! It amplified range and power and that was about toe into y. It brought much to light, and gave a sense of omnipotence to the Prator! ~~~ [Incalescent Mountain Breath] A crown naturally formed by the igneous conditions under the darknds of arge Cluster and fed the rich mana and fire essence of all dead and buried Fire Breeders over the millenia. -Durability- 67,000/85,000 -Special Effects- a€¡é Increases Intelligence by 1500 with absolute conversion a€¡é Increase Mana by 4000 with absolute conversion a€¡é Increase all skill and natural ability efficiency by 150% --- [Skill: Incalescent Synch] As per the will of the user, all equipped items are granted the , to increase defence and damage by 70%. --- [Skill: Reign of Heat] The user is able to draw on the heat within a six mile radius and condense it into a singr point for one extremely hot attack. Usable once a day. ~~~ An increase in skill efficiency by 150% was the only thing Skullius was interested in from this crown as from when he had seen its effects with the guidance field two days before, he had decided to take it the moment he got the chance. Everything was good and all, the skills and the stat boosts but... None of it mattered in this moment, as the circr groves carved into Skullius'' hands lit up with a white light again... A moment that had been robbed of him earlier was about to be regained! A skill was cast, boosted by 90% from [Epiphany] and this newly attained 150%! The deadly feeling it gave was amplified all the more as not only did the Cluster General who shot his head up as he felt its dreadful presence again, but the tens of thousands of Fire Breeders that were chaotically flying around a few hundred meters below it also felt it! An extra terrestrial threat that meant only to harm! A twisted form of death that only sought to cut apart! Skullius, filled with confidence and malice as his sockets red incredibly called out... again. "Serration Zone: Baneful Edge!" The shuddering Cluster General growled as it forced out all its might, its figure blurring as just in the nick of time, it shot away from the Skullius'' line of sight, flying disorderly as it crashed into the side of the t hill! A fraction of a millisecondter however, all the creatures that felt the mad presence of this skill were stunned in fright! Over a span of a hundred meters that grew in a conical shape to extend over a mile and a half, a light, turquoise blue stained everything! The air... The Fire Breeders... The ground from where a creeping chill was trying to resist the hot conditions cast by the Cluster General... This blue hue tainted everything and froze it ce momentarily! The Fire Breeders caught in it while flying remained suspended in the air despite not pping their wings... The air grew still, being unable to move, the flying ashes and sparks within it also held in ce... It seemed like everything caught by this hue was forcefully suspended in timeless space for a second and then... "," Skulliusmanded, as the skill wanted to know which method of cutting he wanted between the two avable options a€¡° rabbet and sh. As he spoke with naught a care for the Cluster General or the Fire Breeders out of range, Skullius felt a torrential wave st out like a condensed, heated gust of wind that charged towards everything caught within the light turquoise hue! Then... The Fire Breeders.... grew bloody, as groves appeared on them with the pressurised expulsive force that blew them away, their body parts revealed to be severed into rectangr shapes! All of them! Neat stacks of rectangr flesh sted into the ground in the millions, some belonging to powerful Fire Breeders and the others to the opposite as it seemed none of these Cluster beasts came even close to being able to resist! Experience was funnelled into Skullius who was amazed at this while falling from the sky, but he didn''t neglect the fact that he wasn''t done fighting. The Cluster General wore a ferocious look on his face as he looked down at the mess on the ground from his wedge in the hill, his body slowly getting used to pushing through the pain. Skullius kept his sense on this creature and on the few thousand Fire Breeders that had been outside his range, their masses flying away to watch from a distance! Mana gathered at the Prator''s feet as he propelled himself down, reaching within the range of where he could extract the abundant Null Life Essence as well as the mana from the cores of these dead beasts that was yet to dissipate! With so many Fire Breeders dead from his attack, Skullius had managed to reach level 18 and harvest a total of 10pressed orbs of mana that rushed to his side as hended on the ground and looked to his enemy above. "Unfortunately, my odds still aren''t too good..." Skullius said to himself as he suppressed his excitement. He was still outmatched. Even evolving right here and now wouldn''t change this fact, especially when the Cluster General still held that problematic great sword in his hand! In truth, over the past two days, he hadn''t been concocting a super specific n of escape. Instead, he created a variety of potential routes to victory and survival, all of which stemmed from one thing. Null Life Essence. As the Prator looked up, around him circling an over twelve meter radius of serene blue was created by the activation of [Null Life Aura], Skullius scrolled through his options, especially one particr one. "This is my only hope. Either it works or it doesn''t," Skullius said as his socket mes continued to ze, mirroring his emotions. During his silence during the two days, Skullius had been trying to finally master his control over Null Life Essence, but that was easier said than done. While seeing the blue skinned creature he had summoned use it to tank heavy damage easily had spurned him to try the same, it was no easy feat to merely make the energy budge outside of his body. Unless he was merely delivering it to a weapon he wanted to steal a skill from, it was nigh impossible. He had made zero progress over the first day as nothing helped him understand how to tame this elusive power. It was different from mana. It was different from a mere element. Mastering it wasn''t entirely reliant on talent. However, on the second day, Skullius had changed his way of thinking. If there was anything he knew most of the ins and outs to, it was mana and while it was different from Null Life Essence, the two had simrities, one of which allowed Skullius to gain insight into how to manipte the Essence of Null Life. Variation. With [Serration Zone: Baneful Edge] Skullius had discovered that there was more than one type of Null Life Essence, and the one tied to this skill was very violent. The same applied to mana which could be shifted to different forms as demonstrated by the Stages Skullius had witnessed first hand. The Advancement Stage where mana could be condensed to form Full Body Aura. The Master Stage where this Aura in turn could be fashioned in a more perfect form, a Genuine Incarnation. By condensing mana, these could be attained. But what about condensed Null Life Essence? While it was hard for Skullius to mobilise Null Life Essence out of his body, it was easier to tumble it within his body,pounding it within himself. What did this do? It made Null Life Essence thicker and by extension, gave it a more... ''tangible'' form that he could grasp! At this moment... Slowly... Silently... Serenely... Null Life Essence started to leak from Skullius'' body to cover him! Watching the blue skinned creature he had summoned had granted him hope. If enveloping himself with enough Null Life Essence could allow him to tank powerful blows like that thing had done then... "It''s worth a try, I guess..." Skullius thought as from within the [Null Life Aura] bursts of sparkling Silentburn Levin shot out with incredible thickness and power! Naturally, Skullius wasn''t a master at wielding Null Life Essence now. He was extremely slow in using it as he had to condense it first and then push it from his body which took nearly a minute! More than enough time to die many times over! On top of this, he could wield Null Life Essence at this poor degree ONLY when [Null Life Aura] was active! Thankfully, this wasn''t the entirely of his n. It was just the start! The Prator, with the especially luminescent bolts of Silentburn Levin that roiled within the [Null Life Aura], extending his hand forward and shot a massive stream of the element towards the Cluster General which was wedged into the hill! In an instant, the bolt in all its glory had lit up the night and the hill, causing a monstrous explosion that gouged out a massive portion of the geographical feature! Yet... The Cluster General could be spotted hundreds of meters in the air with a furious expression, the light from the explosion highlighting its dark scaled body with the curved greatsword in its grip ming as if as angry as its wielder! Skullius was not at all surprised. This was a Tier 7 Cluster beast with a dull purple mana core. This was the least he could expect. It was the end indeed... but only a touch away from the finale where one died and one lived. Despite the clear disparity in power, one was better in skill and the oue was anyone''s guess! Chapter 483 It Ends Outside! (4) ''This little creature... He''s the opportunistic sort. A dangerous breed for... whatever he is,'' the Cluster General thought while shaking its head to brush the pain it felt tremor within its soul away. It hurt! It burned! It itched! This little bastard had to die an agonising death for this! Even if pain was something that it could not feel, as it had imed, he would make it a possibility somehow! The Cluster General''s body began to turn red as a shimmering bluish red me exploded from its body without warning, warping the space and bearing down on Skullius and everything around him on the ground! The excessive pressure that was also released along with the overpowered mana from a purple corepletely squashed the hill where abandoned houses were set up, lighting them ame before turning them into ash! Fire lit on everything, igniting the air, burning the ground and its intensity digging onto the t surface of ALL that the Cluster General saw, as if a massive ball of over seven hundred meters had suddenly been flung down on this ce! Skullius'' body, even from the distance between them was squashed into the ground and he grit his skeletal teeth! ''Damn! This guy doesn''t want toe close to me anymore because of Ferex''s form! He''ll keep using long range attacks until I''m dead!'' Skullius surmised as his already dark bones turned darker while brightening up from the atrocious heat! Rocks began melted and thisnd slowly turned to avascape! ''This is brutal but not enough to put me down!'' Skullius thought! The mana from the orbs he had condensed was channelled to the thirty two sparks of blue light from [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] that shot out massive bolts of Levin to recover his body! The Prator went on to add more fuel to these, ensuring that he wasn''t killed in one attack, his rate of recovery speeding up dramatically! To give an epic visual for this effect, bolts of Levin the size of Skullius'' full body were shot from each of the thirty two sparks of light, burying him a whitish blue highlight that caused him to recover so fast it didn''t look like he was taking damage at all! Theyer of Null Life Essence around him was also working but the amount of damage he was taking far exceeded the tolerance it gave! At this point, it was merely an add-on. Skullius seemed invincible! However... The massive greatsword of the Cluster General was suddenly pointed to the ground, in the Prator''s exact location. "Cross," the Cluster General said, to which therge sword reacted, its hissing orange de that had patterns of pink over it releasing an unnerving shudder and then, with a sound akin to thunder and a white shockwave that blew across the sky, an orange blur left the sword''s tip! "Huh..." Skullius had barely begun to process what had just happened when everything around him exploded into flying debris! Within a six hundred meter radius, the hard crustyering over Aigas was shattered, the ground bing piles of broken rubble, most of which flew as a massive cross shaped gouge simultaneously carved itself on the surface, as if flung from the unknown darkness! The gouge extended from Skullius whose body had been shattered without warning, his defences having aplished nothing as his bones were torn apart! ''Damn it!'' Skullius cursed as he struggled to keep himself from falling into the huge depth that was the ming cross gouge. The hundreds of arrays from Ferex, attributed to one of the spells he gained from the Innate Holder he had stolen, [Boost], had been lit up on his body, cushioning some of the damage however. [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] also didn''t disappoint, as it didn''t stop spitting out the thirty two bolts of Levin to recover his body that was nothing but bone scrap at this moment! ''I need to increase my output of Null Life Essence!'' Skullius thought as he used more of his racial energy to shroud his body that was recovering rapidly. 6000 units of Null Life Essence seemed like a lot when he used it all with [Serration Zone: Baneful Edge] which was amplified by two different skills but when it came to protecting his body, it was barely sufficient. Ferex''s body in his hand was damaged quite badly, but with Skullius surging a huge of mana to cover the Apostle, it wasn''t in as bad a state as he had been seconds ago. The Nullmancer''s sockets gazed at the lengthy mass of damage that exuded a frightful heat in the shape of a cross and wondered how much more of this he could take. He was right. The Cluster General was keeping its distance. If that was how this fight was going to go down until the end then none of his ns were going to work. And as if to affirm his frustration... "Double Cross," the Cluster General called, the greatsword he pointed down releasing another shudder that reached all the way to Skullius along with another rocking explosion which abused the ground, creating another cross shaped pit against the formerly created one, an eight point cross shaped depression being made! Skullius'' body was torn again, but this time, the damage wasn''t as bad and with [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] active, he was quickly restored to full health but... The orange hue that rose from the gouge glowed bright as a simrly coloured heat wave rose like wisps which formed arge yet thin figure, its likeness like that of a thin serpent withmbent orange-pink mes burning over it! This creature coiled around Skullius who immediately began to burn once again while bound tightly, bolts of Levin persisting over his figure to deny his demise! ''Damn it!'' Skullius cursed again. While it seemed like he was invincible even now, there were only about three minutes remaining until [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] took a hike. After that... It wasn''t hard to figure out the oue. Things really weren''t going his way! The [Null Life Aura] around Skullius gleamed only to the vision in his sockets as he garnered dozens of thick bolts of Silentburn Levin to be produced from the abundant mana he had, all of them hurtling towards him and the serpentine ming figure! This skill, [Null Life Aura], allowed Skullius to use elements born from the concept of Null Life such as his Levin and the mes from [Ungodly Passion of Debauchery] freely and without limitations of time. However, the only caveat was that the specific effects of these elements when used as skills would not be essible to Skullius. For instance, the Prator could not enjoy the effect of creating thralls when using the mes of Debauchery. They were merely an extremely hot me when used under [Null Life Aura] which is why he hadn''t been abusing them in this fight. Presently, his dashing bolts of Levin did absolutely nothing to the serpent that bound and burnt him with fierce heat, only passing through it as if it didn''t exist! Bruh! The Prator was about to curse again when he felt Ferex inch his way into his mind, exposing an idea. "What?!" Skullius eximed. "Are you sure you can do that bro?" A mental affirmation strolled in his mind, the Apostle he was conversing with giving reassurance. Really? Ast minute n? Would it work? Skullius'' mind churned fast. This was feasible and if used in conjunction with his own n... There was a chance! Unfortunately... "That all depends on whether or not this guy will decide toe closer..." Skullius said as he gazed up. That was up to chance. The Cluster General wordlessly looked down at the Prator, but a scoff could be pictured from his visage. "Pathetic. Even if you are not a warrior... I am d you are this durable. I will savour your slow death..." the Cluster General said to himself. The bolts of unfamiliar energy that constantly repaired Skullius'' form were troublesome though. They dyed the inevitable a little too much. Perhaps this needed a little speeding up. The Cluster General''s index finger pointed towards his enemy. "Enhath." A Special skill was cast with a word ¨C one from the Fire Breeder tongue which meant ''Incinerate.'' A fireball that shone with a blueish, red hue, pulling on the atmosphere as an audible breath escaped from it, its weight unbearable especially for Skullius who sensed its true might, emerged! ...! Once again, this was bad! ''Ferex! You might want to use your recovery trump card now!'' Skullius instructed while preparing to take the hit, though in all truth, it was probably impossible! He would try still! If he was to die, he would die trying! The fireball spun with the Cluster General grinning as his body continued to exude an awesome heat, ready to finish off Skullius. This was going to be gloriou¡ª PTSSSS! At that very moment, an unexpected sound and visual cancelled the momentous asion. The intimating fireball fizzled out and disappeared as if it had never existed in the first ce! ...! The Cluster General was taken aback and so was Skullius and Ferex! This clearly wasn''t intentional on the General''s part! So what or who could have done this?! All three individuals subconsciously looked in the same direction. A wobbly legged Yuyui stood on the ground with her head looking up at the Cluster General, an ice blue iris from the eye on her forehead looking steadily at the beast! The Eye of Dispersal and all its vague glory had cancelled out the Cluster General''s skill! "This one..." the Cluster General growled, its body blurring from its spot in the sky and appearing on the ground before Yuyui who yelped and took steps back. The overbearing presence of the creature momentarily watered down the lime haired girl''s resolve but she soon regained it, donning a brave face! ''FIGHT!'' In the girl''s head, the word echoed and she firmly held the hilt to Demion''s Dance and shed at the powerful beast! The sword hissed once more as a dark line was traced through the air but... WHAM! With a speed faster than the girl''s sh, the Cluster beast punched at Yuyui''s head, sending it flying clean off her body! Yuyui''s headless corpse copsed to the ground and shortly after, she appeared out of thin air again, with bulged eyes overflowing with shock and terror! "Hmph. You are the most peculiar..." the Cluster General said as it looked at her third eye. This odd organ didn''t have any effect on him as he looked at it, but seemingly only affected abilities and skills, even high level ones. Fascinating. The General grabbed Yuyui by the head and dragged her along as it shed over to Skullius who was crumbling and reforming ceaselessly under the bolts of Levin. He stood a distance away, watching the Prator who desperately kept the Incalescent Mountain Breath on his skull gaze at him with his fiercely burning sockets while keeping up his recovery with the rate of damage he took. "It seems we can do this for a long time. Your special abilities allow you to recover even from the worst of the minor attacks I throw," the General said as it threw Yuyui down and stepped on her face to block her eye. The girl fidgeted madly with her limbs but to no avail. The Cluster beast then raised hisrge greatsword with a chuckle, from his distance, extending it over to Skullius'' shoulder. As it reached the Prator, an orange halo glowed, with pink patterns around its circr circumference. Immediately, the thirty two spots of light that continuously funnelled Levin to heal Skullius vanished and in the Nullmancer''s hand, a cracked, blue ded sword appeared. It was a jian. Its guard was decorated with a miniature skeleton that hugged it, along with brown, shaggy furs that circled it. The Cluster General''s greatsword had nullified all skills, including Ferex''s Pseudo Spirit Walker''s Hide''s ability! The serpent remained still though, burning Skullius as it pleased. "Haa!" the Cluster General chortled. Now Skullius had no means of recovering against the damage. He could have the satisfaction of watching him burn even if it wasn''t with a scream! "I will keep this unique toy. Come fetch it when you... if you return," the General said with a light mming of its foot into Yuyui''s face. Soon, Skullius'' body turned red, fumes leaking from it. His bony hand shivered as it touched the greatsword on his shoulder that imposed this dreadful effect on him and Ferex, his socket mes blinking rapidly. It didn''t matter that he still wore the golden crown. Even the Null Life Essence around only dyed the inevitable. The Cluster General watched Skullius'' pitiful face with a chuckle. He was truly and utterly doomed. With the Cluster General keeping its distance still, even as it could finally see the weapon that had caused it that treacherous level of pain, there was nothing Skullius could do to it. That was how it seemed. But... WHOOOSH... "Hmm?" the General hummed in surprise. His sword... Something... happened to it. A light breeze was expelled from the near three meter long mass, as... something was definitely rapidly pulled from it! "What is the meaning of this?" the General narrowed his eyes before beholding a shocking phenomenon. Levin roiled over the surface of the Prator''s bones again while his sockets red madly! Mana gushed in his direction, pulled upon by... a skill?! But... that was impossible! The greatsword''s natural ability of nullifying all skills... It was gone?! The orange-pink halo around Skullius dimmed and vanished, along with Ferex who was in the Prator''s hand! A snaking darkness swirled around Skullius before forming a lengthy, torn hooded cloak that barely looked material, its edges intricately sown with an extended glowing blue pattern! It hadrge sleeves and a simrlyrge hood, it''s form seemingly made for a cruel hag or powerful Mage, whichever imed it first! Its unannounced emergence over Skullius caused the serpent that had been binding him to shatter into small fragments of heat that were dissolved into the atmosphere, a billowing wave of power, of Null Life Essence, oozing from it! Along with this, the socket mes of the Nullmancer watched a series of notifications stream in! [The Nullmancer grows tremendously!] [You have acquired a new skill, ''Defiant Raiment of Perversion''] An absolutely ridiculous skill was awakened... but Skullius didn''t care for it at this moment! His n didn''t even ount for it and for now, killing this son of a femur was all that mattered! The Cluster General frowned as it saw that something was wrong. Was this creature finally using that trump card of his or was this another unforeseen trick? ? Its confidence remained erect. As long as it wasn''t that itching damage, it was confident that this would amount to naught. Before any of Cluster General''s questions could be answered, however, therge creature felt a stinging pain that pierced its eye! Something unseen! Something sharp! Something quick had sunk into its eye, bringing about not only pain to its flesh but another burst of pain to its soul! "ARRRRGHHHHH!" the General screamed and so did Skullius who pushed his crumbling body over to the beast and touched its abdomen! "It''s a beautiful day to fleshing die, sockethole!" he bellowed. Chapter 484 It Ends Outside! (5) What had happened? What had led to this contrived set of events, one might wonder in confusion. Well... The n Skullius had, had borne incredible fruit! What was this n? The one that hinged on him having Null Life Essence in reserve? The one that needed the Cluster General to get near him? Well... It was to get rid of what Skullius considered the biggest pain in the pelvis ¨C the nullifying ability of the greatsword! This skill was a problem to Skullius as it threatened to dispel any of his skills, thus cutting off his possible channels of victory. Just as it had portrayed, the greatsword''s halo had dispelled Skullius'' [Silent Revtion of the Bright King] leaving him susceptible to the atrocious heat belched up by the serpent which was also summoned by this damn weapon! To solve this, Skullius wanted the Cluster General to get close enough for him to extract it with his Null Life Essence! And he had done so sessfully and quickly! With his new level of mana maniption that allowed him to im higher level skill from items and the fact that he could now control Null Life Essence in general, the extraction of the skill from the greatsword had been faster than when Skullius extracted the skill enhancement feature of the Elimparidis Stone Staff! The fact that the Cluster General couldn''t see or sense Null Life Essence gave Skullius a beautiful edge, the Cluster General''s slow reaction to the events that followed after bearing even more delicious fruit for the Prator! Right after the extraction, Ferex had executed his own n after Skullius hurriedly affirmed, the conditions now being perfect for it! The Apostle shifted his form once again, producing a whip of Unliving Thread that travelled along the Cluster General''s greatsword which was still on Skullius'' shoulder, its end sharp like the tip of an arrow! This tip was the one that sank into a vulnerable organ of the Cluster General, its eye, and along with this, a skill was cast from the Pseudo Spirit Walker''s Hide that covered Ferex''s whip to make it invisible to the senses! [Spirit Walk]! ~~~ [Spirit Walk] The hide assimtes with the user''s body to allow them to ''walk'' within the soul of a target. Usable once a day. ~~~ "ARRRRGHHHHH!" the Cluster General screeched in pain while Ferex vanished from where he had lodged himself, his figure appearing in apletely different space! It was an ind with ck coloured soil. All over its wide mass, dark, scaled eggs could be spotted on the ground which seemed barren. Above was a red sky overcast with dark clouds that blocked the source of the light while also inducing a sense of vertigo. A thick smog covered everything on the ground except for the glowing cracks that were noticeable over different portions of the rising slopes on this ind, all of which met in one ce, a peak from which a throne could be seen! Upon this throne, which was strikingly simr to the one in the Cluster, sat a thin,nky armed dark creature that resembled the Cluster General! Ferex who was in his Hound form grinned. He had done it! He had pushed his way into the Cluster General''s soul! As he fed his sight the figure seated on top of the throne, he couldn''t help but make aparison to something simr that he had seen - tall, dark boned skeleton in his master''s soul! This dark figure on the throne was the same; the General''s Reflection of the soul! "Who dares to intrude here?!" the creature screamed with a boisterous voice that caused the smog to disperse, giving a clear visual of Ferex! The Hound ignored however, as within its maw, a red light was chomped on, a heavy st of energy gathering in its belly and promptly being shot out from Ferex''s mouth towards the base of the peak where the General sat! "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" the thin creature shrieked as it hurriedly sped from the throne and rushed to meet the iing st with a replica of a greatsword that the Cluster General held! The attack was deflected into the sky but when thenky armed creature turned to look down at Ferex once again, he was different from before! He was... massive! The Hound had grown to up to three times his original size, his figure upright as it manifested six thick arms of Unliving Thread and mmed them down at the ind! BOOOOOOOM! The eggs near the Hound''s surroundings popped like balloons while the ground was smashed in, exploding into chunks! "YOU FOOL! HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT YOU ARE DOING?!" the dark creature iling its greatsword growled in fury as its figure darted towards Ferex! The Hound couldn''t be happier. The Clusters General had never been attacked from the soul before and its Reflection was unable to react ordingly, clearly unused to this kind of assault! Perfect! Of course, the Reflection itself was strong, stronger than Ferex, so the Apostle couldn''t wreck havoc as he pleased. Fortunately, his aim wasn''t topletely demolish the creature''s soul anyway. It was to provide his master adequate support while he was outside. With this much, the Cluster General should be writhing in pain, unable to even pay attention to what Skullius was doing! * As soon as Ferex attacked the Cluster General, Skullius ced his brittle hand on the creature''s body and activated [Greater Mana Crafter], his hold over the mana focusing on his enemy''s dull purple mana core! The Cluster General at this moment shrieked in agony as its remaining eye rolled back! Ferex''s efforts were provingextremely effective! Now it was Skullius'' turn! ''It''s hard to manipte an external mana core when the owner is fully conscious of it. But for you in this state...'' Skullius thought as with his skill that was enhanced by 90% and 150% from two separate skills along with his full focus... CRACK! A small crack appeared on the dull purple mana core! A fleshing small crack, damn it! "It''s sturdy!" Skullius remarked in shock! Even if the core was a dull shade of purple, it was still extremely condensed and difficult to break in a single hit even with his advanced skill in mana! Holy mother of all bones! "YOU!" ...! As a result of this attack, the Cluster General''s fleeting consciousness was restored somewhat, the sharp pang of pain in its core jolting its body up! The creature drooledva from its mouth as with its quaking body that could barely move from the pain, it reached for Skullius with a fiercely ming hand! Unfortunately for the beast, the Prator was unfazed. "Ferex!" Skullius called, a radiant light flying out from the Cluster General to wrap around his bony hand! The Prator formed a fist and with the amount of mana at his disposal, he activated all the offensive skills he could think of while funnelling man into Ferex''s form which was neither a whip, nor a sword at this moment. It was a bony gauntlet with a hard blue cover made of Unliving Thread, glowing [Boost] arrays all over its surface! The Prator threw a straight punch with all his might while pushing forward his incredible control of mana, his fist aimed at the General''s abdomen! POOOOW! A bright sh ensued along with a howl of the surrounding mana and air as Skullius'' punch smashed into his opponent! The ground shook from the force and the Levin that smacked right onto the General, a low rumble echoing from the exhausted ground! The Prator''s hand crumbled with sparks of me immediately afterwards as it had been made brittle by me beforehand! The scaly body of the Cluster General was left undamaged from Skullius'' effort but after the beautiful show of power, the scaly Cluster beast shrieked so loud that its subordinates that were spectating from the air felt a chill in their bones! What was happening to their lord? Did he... lose? The body of General was left intact but its core.... its core was massively fractured! Its soul was worse, fissured so gruesomely that one would be left to grimace when looking at it. The amount of pain and shock brought by these two damaged parts was too much for the General to bear. Withva leaking from its mouth, it fell backwards and breathed itsst! [You have killed (VII) LV110 Grand me Bringer....] A massive amount of experience was funnelled into Skullius as he earned an additional level and a half, just shy of his target. The 3x required Experience per level led to the figure needed for thesetest levels being astronomical! The Prator didn''t think too much about it thought, as he immediately plopped to the ground with relief. "I almost didn''t expect toe out alive..." Skullius said. Unfortunately, after [Silentburn Revtion of the Bright King] was nullified by the greatsword earlier, it had gone on cooldown and he couldn''t repair his body. This little piece of information was especially annoying when Skullius heard the pping of thousands of wings descending towards him! Thousands of angry and fierce looking Fire Breeders rained on his position with nothing but malice. They wanted to tear him apart. They wanted vengeance. Unfortunately for them... The Prator raised his torso and extended his one unbroken hand towards this flying horde. "Give me a break already... [Serration Zone: Baneful Edge]." [Serration Zone: Baneful Edge] hade off cooldown! Four damn minutes! Another burst of dreadful energy invaded the atmosphere, Skullius giving the skill he was using the Null Life Essence he had been using to defend himself. ALL of it. The thousands of enemies within the wide range of [Serration Zone: Baneful Edge] froze for a few moments, a rippling pressure sting them in the opposite direction while applying the effect Skullius wanted! ! Every enemy, regardless of their Tier and core were shredded into vertical slices that flew high up in a bloody mess, creating a beautiful, bloody art piece in the air before falling down! With all these enemies dead, experience that was in excessive of what Skullius needed rushed into him andnded at the sweet spot! Level 20! "I wish I could be happier about this..." Skullius said hollowly with his sockets ming. Many notifications speaking to the experience he had just received showed in his vision as well as those spelling the Null Life Essence avable. The Prator raised his hand and drew in the Essence from the falling bodies, quickly filling his bar. It was finally over. Yuyui who had a roasted face stood from where she had trampled over by the Cluster General''s foot and walked up to Skullius. The Prator saw her visage and expressed disapproval with a groan. "Kill yourself and wipe away that disgusting look on your face," he said. "That''s not how it works, Master," Yuyui said with the puckering of her lips slightly. She wasn''t mad at what Skullius said at all. A burst of joy could be seen in her eyes as she felt that she had grown from this experience. She extended a hand for Skullius to help him stand up and the Prator obliged, the cloak over his body rustling as if blown by the wind. "What is this thing, Master?" Yuyui asked curiously. "I''m not really sure. I''ll find outter," Skullius said as he kicked the gauntlet on the ground which was Ferex who had yet to return to his original form. "Get up already. We won," Skullius ordered, to which Ferex unfurled himself and grew to his original size and form. He seemed to have attained extensive damage that he hadn''t yet repaired, just like Skullius and as he restored his figure he looked at corpse of the Cluster General with greed. This was potentially thestponent he needed for his long awaited n. "Woow, Master! Look, the Cluster is closing!" Yuyui said while pointing at the gaping opening on the mountain! "WHAT?!" Skullius eximed with noticeable urgency and realisation! Right! The General was dead! Of course the Cluster would close! "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! Give me the ring!" "W..what?!" "The storage ring, you sockethole! Give it!" Yuyui fumbled as she pulled the storage ring from her finger and passed it to Skullius who took it and immediately activated [Great Mana Crafter], propelling himself into the closing hole ahead at breakneck! Hopefully! Hopefully, he would get there in time! If he missed out on collecting that THING, he would punch himself all night! --- [Author''s Note] That concludes this arc. How did you feel about it? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Do leave ament and if you have time, a REVIEW on the novel page. Thanks for reading. The Premium Age Royale finally begins! Chapter 485 Participation (1) Governor''s Residence, Genhuis City. A man with a kingly air about him sat on a soft couch reserved for his bottom and his bottom alone, while gazing at the guests he had invited. To his left sat a young man with a face that looked just like his, with the facial hair they had being simr, the only difference being the absence of a moustache on this visual chip off the old block. "You''re right. We should have had this meeting sooner, but I figured there was no stopping you anyway. Still, I must stress the huge amount of attention that you have garnered towards yourself and the City as well as the implications it bears," the man who sat regally on his chair, the Governor, said with a sharp glint in his eye that spoke of disapproval. Unlike Families, Houses put themselves on pedestals, some of which were very much deserved because of contributions made over the centuries to the millennia but still... The order in major cities such as this one would be threatened whenever these organisations made big moves and that was something the Governor didn''t look favourably to. "This was the perfect time to hold this event. It''s for nothing more than strengthening the nation in preparation for any expected attacks. You know Maqi and Emeradis'' silence won''tst for long. This is merely the calm before the storm," the man who sat on the opposite end of the room, across from the Governor and his son said. He had a confident and arrogant demeanour that showed not in his words but in his posture and tone instead. He was the current Head of the EverSword House. "Strengthening the nation you say? Have you any idea how many thieves and bandits you have just granted free passes to do as they please during this... event of yours? The chaos is already starting to show and I have had to increase patrols for Capital Order Knights in every street! To make matters worse, we may have spies infiltrating the city to observe us! I do not see how this is ''strengthening'' the nation!" The Governor lost his cool a bit but asides from lightly raising his voice, he didn''t lose his firm visage. "All that you have said are givens in such events and yes, I too do not condone the existence of this hoodlums. The arrangement and rules for the Premium Age Royale, as well as the Venue, are meant to mitigate much of these. I had an emissary of the Royal Family review both and they were deemed spectacr in every sense. So please, rest assured." The Governor shook his head, his eyes showing an incredulous glint as he gazed at the man opposite him. Rearren EverSword. This man had grown bold. Everyone knew that the word of the Royal Family barely mattered as they hardly cared for Pelian and the intervention by the Houses was what was taken more seriously. This could be taken the wrong way by the other five houses which had a greater standing in Pelian than the EverSword House. Then again, this event was announced months ago. Surely they would have acted against it already. Whichever was the right answer, the Governor couldn''t help but feel that this event was hosted on ount of one thing. Insecurity. This was wrong. Many of the nation''s powerfulbatants would be participating as previous criminal records were not considered at all by the EverSword House and this was especially terrifying when considering that the majority of the stronger participants would be Master Stage experts, the main forces when a nation''s military was taken into ount. At this juncture, the young man beside the Governor intervened. "Forgive me if I happen to speak out of turn, but your event is causing some of the most... important, albeit entric individuals within Pelian to act. The Kinn Family for example, is adamant about their participation, their Family Head to boot. I''m sure you don''t need to be reminded that if this Family were to somehow fall by the window you have created, you would be an enemy to many of the Families in Pelian regardless of what the Royal Family says...." The Governor gave a stern gaze to his son who immediately stopped speaking, realising that he did indeed speak a bit out of line. "That sounds more like a threat to me. I''m not forcing anyone to participate and if the Kinn Family is to perish, it would not be the EverSword House''s fault. That could only happen if somehow incited such an oue," Rearren said with the narrowing of his eyes. "If your purpose is to recruit giftedbatants into your House, then why even allow for figures such as a Vali Kinn and Aurolio Vnqi to participate in this event? They are already talented enough, aren''t they? Announce them publicly to already be worth a ce in your House," the Governor said with visible puzzlement. The Houses were purists who generally wanted to keep their bloodlines clean. This was why no other House had hosted such an event as they were more concerned with preserving their lines. The Governor just couldn''t understand what game Rearren was ying here. "Everyone will be granted equal chance to join the House. Indeed these two are exceptional and that is a marvellous thing. They will only need to PUBLICLY prove their worth and inevitably win a spot for their Families, is that not right?" Both father and son couldn''t help but feel that this was inadequate as an answer and it seemed Rearren knew that, but didn''t care. They could tell something was wrong. At this critical time... In such a strange fashion... If the Royal Family had backed them in denying the EverSword House the right to do this, their hearts would feel more settled. Yet it was unfortunate. "I''ll take your silence as approval," Rearren said as he got up, the guards behind him opening up a way. "Right, I almost forgot. This was announced to be the day the event began, but I suppose most took it the wrong way. That was only for the participants. I felt that those putting their lives on the line deserved a chance to get ahead of everyone else. I''m sure everyone relevant is dering their participation in the event as we speak." "Is that so? There has been a lot of controversy and spection about the venue of the event. What did you have in mind?" the Governor questioned, hoping to gain an answer to another one of his burning queries. "Don''t worry yourself over that. Everyone will understand the rules and venuee tomorrow," Rearren smiled mysteriously. *** Within a massive tower well respected and seen as a grand symbol of magical strength, a master and his student were having a serious discussion. No. It was more like a master giving stern instruction to his student before he sent him off on a perilous journey "You will likely be the only Mage in the entire event and many a criticism will be flung at you, disparaging your honour and questioning your motives. This may be seen as... ttery in some instances but DO NOT grow overconfident because of it. Finishing the Elemental Patch and finding your niche, which just so happens to be rare does not mean you will not encounter powerful opponents that rival your strength," an aged man with silver coloured hair said sternly to his disciple who heeded his words with a somewhat reluctant nod. "I haven''t forgotten your teachings, Arch-Mage Verys. As you always say, ''Magecraft was founded thousands of years after the three categories for sses had already been established.'' That''s enough for me to not get a big head," the disciple said with a sigh. "I would like to see that you understand in practise, not in wording. Whates from the mouth is most likely vain. Words can be knotted into fine lies but actions... actions cannot be mistaken of their intent by keen eyes." "I understand," the young disciple said, firmly nodding his head to show that he understood. Only when the foggy eyes of his master had zed over him for a full minute did the elderly Mage finally pull out from a shelf a fine piece of ck paper that had an vast number of runes that glowed over it. "Very well. You may dere your participation." Chapter 486 Participation (2) Bryne Family Residence, Genhuis City. Silrat was fuming. On this night that most would call excitingly chaotic, full of carnal anticipation and perhaps a dash of confusion as the event everyone was waiting for hadn''t begun as they had pictured, the former Association Branch Head was burdened by fury and worry. Again with this bastard! Why did he like to not be present when important things were set to ur? Did he enjoy seeing this man almost get a stroke from anxiety? At this point, Silrat was more concerned with his investment going up in mes. Even now, if Skullius was to perish somehow, the position he had earned himself, which was formally termed Appraiser, the lowest rank among those in the executive circle of the Guilds Association, would not be stripped from him. The Association had already acknowledged him as being capable of finding and grooming talent. If that wasn''t the case, it would be dug up as time went on. This was not what he worried about. Silrat worried about Skullius himself. The Hybrid Luman had questioned himself on whether Silrat knew the inner intricacies of his Tie of Exchange with him, the answer to which was... to some degree. As someone not born in Old times, Silrat only knew that invoking a Tie of Exchange demanded quite a lot from the initiator in terms of the safety of who and what it was invoked for. One may call his concern genuine worry for a friend. Others may call it bloodlust to strangle Skullius for his impudence. But none of that mattered. If he had a damn leash, he would skilfully wrap it around Skullius'' neck and turn him into a pet instead. "Please calm down Mr. Silrat. I''m sure Festos will be here soon," Sty said while seated on one of thefy couches in the lounge. She had been watching Silrat''s journey less rush for the better part of two minutes and decided she had had enough of this looped show even though it distracted her from the third individual seated beside her. "This is the ninth day for crying out loud!" Silrat growled. "Yes but the Royale hasn''t even begun yet. Whether that is by dumb luck or something more... that gives him and us a bit more time, " Sty tried to reason. In her thoughts though, she wasn''t worried about this in the least. Over the past two days, her mind had been preupied with digesting a bombshell she had received in ce of the news she desired. Apparently, the Premium Age Royale was trivial whenpared to something else that Festos would be involved with in the future. The words of the old Diviner hadn''t left her ears. He had dismissed much of what had to do with the Premium Age Royale and gone on to repeat the same words. Words that Sty couldn''t understand the meaning of. A king was to descend by Festos'' doing. What did that even mean? When she had tried inquiring about Festos'' performance in the Royale, the old man had simply said a single line that left much to be desired but guaranteed that she wouldn''t be stressed about Festos'' tardiness having an effect on anything. ''He will contest fittingly.'' Sty grumbled inwardly. Talk about vague. "If this... Festos doesn''t show, will you finally reconcile with me by epting my own candidate?" the third individual in this room said with a smirk on his face. Sty''s face instantly hardened. "Can we not have this conversation again?" she turned to the redhead she called brother with cold eyes. "Oh, I like that look of yours, sister. It gives the illusion that you may actually swallow me whole with nothing but your eyes. Haha," the young man said with a chuckle. "It''s quite alluring you know?" This man''s resemnce to Sty was uncanny. His chestnut coloured eyes and long red hairbed back with a dash of what seemed like gel which gave it a subtle gleam under the light from the chandelier above, brought on an pretty boy vibe. He was sharply dressed in a formal white shirt that hugged his well trained figure and tight fitting pants which gave him a handsome look as he crossed his legs. "Did your little ''stroll'' in the streets of Genhuis leave that much to be desired on your crotch? Your continued flirting won''t help you bed me, Setkh," Sty barked with an angry me burning in her eyes. Silrat who was caught in the middle of this verbal exchange couldn''t help but sigh and finally sit down. This was an ongoing theme in this residence, with this man who was known as Setkh Bryne going on flirt sprees with his own sister that he couldn''t properly identify as mere yfulness or outright attempts at incest. Whatever it was, he didn''t want to know. "Come now, we don''t have to go into that detail with Mr. Silrat here," Setkh said slyly. "I am serious about discussing this debate about our respective candidates though. If yours doesn''t show, will you support mine for the sake of our Family?" "Do you really have to ask?" Sty immediately shot at Setkh with a deep frown. "Don''t brush off the past few months of conflict between us just because you happen to feel that you have the upper hand now. Are you even doing this for father anymore or for some other hidden agenda?" "I could ask you the same, sister. As far as I''m concerned, we''ve been going about saving the Family the same way. With pure rivalry. You cannot judge me for that. And now I''m asking, whether we continue that trend or it ends here. I would appreciate your support for my candidate. It would increase OUR chances of winning after all." Sty could only retain her displeased visage without voicing any objection. What Setkh said was not exactly false but it wasn''t true either. As far as she had heard, Festos'' prowess had increased by leaps and bounds and Silrat who knew quite a bit about Setkh''s candidate as well had given Sty, without a shadow of doubt, the assurance that Festos was much stronger. At that, she had regretted not being there to witness his strength personally but it was only a matter of time. "It''s not my ce to speak on matters rting to your Family, but Festos is a lot more valuable than your candidate. His value is recognised by the Guilds Association''s executive board and I have a few friends who can add more proof of this if you find it insufficient. If this is about supporting the best candidate, then we can easily vouch for Festos as you do your own candidate as a viable option," Silrat chipped in, packing away his worry temporarily. "Hahaha. That''s rich. The word ''friends'' doesn''t exactly rub me correctly when ites to authenticity. I''ll believe it when I see it," Setkh said with a scoff. At that moment, the doors to the mansion were opened as a guard entered while holding a wooden que carefully in his hands. He walked straight up to Sty and Setkh and gave a bow before handing the que to Sty. "A package has arrived for you Lady Sty, Sir Setkh," he said. As Sty received the que, noticing the fine wood it was made from which exuded a delightful scent of mana and wood, she felt the gravity of what this before even knowing what it was about. On this que was print in bold, the word ''EVERSWORD'' branded onto it. Sty''s eyes shot open and she ced the que carefully on the table. Setkh gazed at the object curiously only to turn serious, as did Silrat. "It really begins it seems," Setkh said. Sty analysed the que carefully, and saw that it had a space within it from which a dark sheet of paper was stored and could be drawn. She pulled it out, her eyes and those of Silrat and Setkh being drawn to the innumerable number of glowing runes of this sheet of paper. She ced the sheet down, finding to her surprise that though thin, this paper was reinforced many fold to be extreme tough, a blinking light hovered over it as it formed characters that could be recognised. ''PLEASE DECLARE THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS FROM THE BRYNE FAMILY TO CONTEND IN THE PREMIUM AGE ROYALE.'' Sty swallowed a lump of saliva. This was it. While it was trivial to someone else, it was important to her. She gazed at Setkh and Silrat who gave her different expressions that spoke different things before speaking... "Two." Immediately, the light hovering over the sheet of paper vanished, reced by another which formed two swirling spheres of bright blue luminescence. With something akin to a breath, two objects plopped over the ck sheet of paper from the two spheres of light. They were thick green cards withplex runes drawn over them in a spiral shape and dark colour, a vibrant energy flowing out of them! A keen one would recognise what these were while reading over the early events in Aigas. A keen one definitely would. Another sh of light sprang from the sheet of paper, another set of words appearing before the S trio. ''A BRUTAL GAME OF MIGHT, DEATH AND CHANCE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN, THE ROYAL PRIZE OF WHICH BECKONS FORTUNE, RECOGNITION AND POWER. YOUR SOUL, BODY AND MIND WILL BE PUT TO GRAVE RISK IN THIS EVENT, AN INEVITABILITY IN THE GRAND SCHEME. IF YOU DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE REGARDLESS, PLEASE DECLARE YOUR NAME INTO THE CONTROL SEAL.'' --- [Ding!] [Mashu_Berusutora has donated GENEROUSLY to the novel!] [+2 Chapters above the normal quota as at 22/11/2022] Chapter 487 Three Little Things (A/N: Clich¨¦/Not clich¨¦ at the end of the chapter). "We make a great team, don''t we Ferex?" Yuyui said with a big smile on her face while trying to get a high five from the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound. Ferex''s sockets dimmed as he seemed to be contemting on whether or not it was worth it to be all buddy-buddy with this woman. Just because she was his master''s servant didn''t mean that they had to be friends, right? Yuyui started to sweat while trying to maintain her big smile, but time slowly passed with Ferex looking at her nkly, even going as far to transform into his humanoid form and sit down with his ''hands'' on his chin as if really giving this some much needed thought. ''Seriously?! We made a good team, didn''t we? I was hacking and shing left and right! I thought we were bonding!'' Yuyui thought while waiting for the response. Skullius was sitting down a distance from them, watching this ''exchange''. He had been sessful in retrieving what he needed from the Cluster, the throne on the mountain where the Cluster General had been seated, right before it closed, though it had been too close forfort. The Prator had had to lose his lower half to the copsing Cluster but he soon restored it with [Silent Revtion of The Bright King]. At the moment, Skullius was digesting three things. First was the unexpected boon he had received from extracting the nullification ability of the greatsword that the Great me Bringer had used which was now in his possession, the skill called [Defiant Raiment of Perversion]. ~~~ [Defiant Raiment of Perversion | Lv. 1] An ancient robe is summoned, one fitted with a unique type of Null Life Essence. The capabilities of the raiment are a bane that the Nullmancer wields against any form of magic grown in distantnds. ? Nullifies any low to middle level Special Skills and below ? +5000 Mana with absolute conversion ? +2500 Intelligence Any skill or concepts the userpletely understands with the use of bes ineffective against them. Mana Requirements: None Duration: None Cooldown: None ~~~ This was a Nullmancer exclusive skill, just like [Epiphany]! One with ridiculous effects as well! This was pretty much a free ticket against normal skills and some subpar Special skills! It now made sense to Skullius why the me serpent that had been summoned by the greatsword, which was called the [Cross Pyre] was instantly broken into fragments when this robe had appeared! By all ounts this was a ridiculously good boon for Skullius and it added to the unique aesthetic he had. This robe he wore as a result of [Defiant Raiment of Perversion] was said to be made from a different type of Null Life Essence, which confirmed his theory that stemmed from the skill [Serration Zone]. Null Life Essence was a much more broad concept than he had thought before. That aside, the fact that the active effects of this skill allowed him to progressively grow, continuing to break apart concepts he had alreadyprehended through [Epiphany]... ''That''s way too good!'' Skullius thought with his bony hand rubbing against his chin. ''Still, it requires a lot of Null Life Essence toprehend just a bit of a high level concept, so there''s still a long way to go.'' The abilities of the [Cross Pyre] which heavily focused on me had even prompted [Epiphany] to activate but Skullius wasn''t too hot on gaining a greater understanding of normal fire at the moment. He still had three high level concepts to deal with, after all. The second thing that had Skullius thinking was Ferex''s w, which kept blinking in his sights through a guidance field notification. A rather troublesome one. [The mandatory effect known as RESET for Apostle ''Ferex'' is about to apply. Do you ept?] Ferex''s w, which was that he had to RESET after every intense battle, was shing before his eyes. With it came Ferex losing the experience inbat he had gained, along with the personality traits and insights he had obtained to bnce out his overwhelming potential in Aigas. As Skullius thought about it, he realised that Ferex had never been in a rough battle until now. With the Bulk Terrors, he had been killing them easily while miniaturised, most of them dying without knowing how. With the Bookworms, he had targeted Kotaman and killed her without conflict. In the Temple of Unlusted Tears, he had been one shot by Bassbion. But now, he had had a bitter fight in the hands of Yuyui and then in the hands of Skullius. ''This time, I''m given the choice to choose whether to do it or not to do it, huh?'' Skullius thought. It was different when he had merged with Ferex to create Ogwulf the Limitless, as that time, it had been a RESET that didn''t ask his permission, probably because they were merged. Now, with him holding the decision of whether or not to clear Ferex of his growth... Obviously, he didn''t want to but the w had a consequence. There was a CHANCE that Ferex would turn into the world ending Null Terror, the Full Deck Bone Tender! Whatever that thing was, Skullius could tell it was bad news. Fortunately for him, the silver lining was... there was a CHANCE that this Bone Tender would be summoned. It wasn''t something definite. ''I can''t have Ferex losing all that he has worked hard to achieve. He''s working hard to get stronger and seeing him start from scratch again...'' Skullius thought as his socket mes turned to Ferex who in this moment finally gave a pat to Yuyui, acknowledging that indeed, within the few minutes of badassery they had made a good team. Skullius just couldn''t do that to Ferex. For now, he bit down on his teeth and... "No," he ordered against the RESET, his core cringing at the immediate side effect of the w that... didn''t happen. Ferex and Yuyui who wiped the sweat off her brow continued with their conversation, the lime haired girl pointing at Skullius from the distance as she seemed to be making fun of him. How carefree. The Prator wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. This scene was contrary to what he thought. He expected an explosion to erupt right where Ferex stood because of his atrocious luck but as the trend seemed to dictate, nothing of the sort urred! Things were going fairly well! ''I dodged another one!'' Skullius eximed in his mind. Thank the father of all bones! He would try to ensure that a solution to this anxiety inducing w was found before he had to face that dreadful notification. Phe. The third thing that had Skullius thinking was Yuyui. Her Eye of Dispersal which could seemingly disrupt skills even at the Supreme level like his as well as her ability to use Demion''s Dance effectively without having the [Swindling Death''s Dance] technique. The former was something he could dissect with time but thetter... Skullius'' theory on why that was, was that it probably had to do with how Yuyui was constantly dying. Perhaps her understanding of death allowed her have a subconscious understanding of the inner workings of Demion''s Dance which manifested as the dark thread from the tip of the sword that slew enemies beyond her level! The Prator was sure this was it. During the past two days, Skullius'' n for Yuyui had only been for her to use her raw strength to cut down a few Fire Breeders for Null Life Essence required to use for [Serration Zone: Baneful Edge] that time. His speech to her which worked a lot more than he intended, had lead to a spectacr oue where his guinea pig now had the will to fight! It was as if she was reborn! "Speaking of being born," Skullius said as he cradled the object that he hadid on the ground minutes after exiting the copsing Cluster. An egg. This was one of the three eggs that were on the throne, absorbing the fire essence in preparation for adsorption by the Cluster General! With the spawning of creatures catalysed by his Null Life skills, these strange beastsing from wherever he got his Null Life powers from, especially thetest one... The blue skinned creature that had actually said a set of words that he understood, another mystery that bugged him, Skullius was very much interesting in seeing if possibly... Possibly... Maybe... Was there a way to [Unbound] the flesh out of this egg and summon a creature from the ''other side'' that was subservient to him?! The Apostles were cool and all but... the mystery of Null Life... it was enticing. His Apostles couldn''t teach him more, after all. It wouldn''t hurt to try right? What was there to lose?! Skullius grabbed the egg, his sockets ring. The criteria was probably the same as with upgrading an object so... if he funnelled all 6000 units of Null Life Essence he had right now... [What would you like to upgrade with ''Unbound''?] "This egg," Skullius responded. [6000 Null Life Essence points expended for ''Permanent Random Upgrade''] [Permanent Random Upgrade decided] "Here goes." ... Skullius watched in silence as the dark egg he held, one of the two smaller ones that had been on the throne, be suffocated with a light blue hue, its size beginning to rapidly expand, its shell starting to crack! This was it! Yuyui and Ferex were drawn by what their master was doing. Though Yuyui couldn''t perceive Null Life Essence, the erging egg that rapidly cracked, releasing a sharp blue light from within it drew her attention. Skullius was anxious. Maybe this was where his atrocious luck would finally catch him. Maybe something incredibly dangerous in the Null world or whatever would suddenly appear and swallow him whole! That was a possibility, right?! The Prator stood and took a defensive stance as the egg finally shattered, releasing a concentrated burst of Null Life Essence... something emerging from it! What monstrosity...! What cmity...! What... cuteness?! "Aaaaaaaaaa!" Yuyui''s eyes sparkled as a figure was reflected in her eyes, its mass seated atop the shards of the shattered egg. Skullius looked at the creature with incredulous mes while Ferex was indifferent. Whaty before them all... was a chubby... baby. A bold humanoid child with colourless slime oozing over it, its skin a light shade of turquoise blue, its muscles looking so fat and squishy one couldn''t help but want to squish them (if they weren''t an undead or former undead of course). Skullius couldn''t understand what this was supposed to be. The nk eyes of the child as it giggled without a voice, a big smile on its face as it sat uprightpletely naked, though with no EXPECTED organs, gave him a weird feeling. Yuyui rushed over to grab the child in her arms with a nurturing touch, the way she carried herself growing soft from the tough she had earned during the fight. Skullius couldn''t help but feel like he was duped. There had to be something more to this. He narrowed his socket mes as he searched for the description of this thing with his guidance field and... Just the first line of description lead the Prator to yell out a never before heard bone expletive! ~~~ [Chubby Remnant Child of Prity] A living consumable item that grants EXTREME.... ~~~ "CONSUMABLE????!" Chapter 488 Eat The Child, Dont Eat The Child! "What in the never-ending spinal...!" Skullius began when he carefully read the entire description, his sockets inhaling every detail. His hands eventually covered his mouth as his mes red wildly, a tremble that nearly made the Incalescent Mountain Breath atop his head fall off running through his dark blue bones. "This..." Skullius said, his reaction drawing the attention of Yuyui and Ferex who asked the same question in different ways. What was wrong? Well... ~~~ [Chubby Remnant Child of Prity] A living consumable that grants EXTREME, STUPENDOUSLY DESIRABLE LUCK in one instance, in exchange for another instance of FIENDISHLY ABBHORRENT LUCK. -Caution- Remnant Child must be chewed and consumed whole for maximum effect. -Caution- Remnant Child must be consumed within an hour upon summoning, otherwise it will perish and disappear. The effect after consumption also exists within the same hour. -Caution- The instance of FIENDISHLY ABBHORRENT LUCK will im the user at an opportune time. ~~~ "Bro...." Skullius said as a dark shade of gloom and uncertainty covered his eyes. What the flesh was this? A change to turn his luck around to the extreme in one instance for another instance of luck that was clearly worse than what he had been dealing with?! This sounded like a bitterly sweet scenario! If his luck got any worse... just what would he be in for? Also, there was an hour time limit. "Damn it..." This was unfair. Skullius absolutely didn''t want to risk getting caught in whatever this FIENDISHLY ABBHORRENT LUCK had in mind... as no one would but... The allure of STUPENDOUSLY DESIRABLE LUCK... What was that? What did it feel like? Was it that incredibly good? Would it feel like the world was revolving around him for a change? Would that one instance make his Null Life worthwhile? The Prator had the vague thing that Serenity mentioned which turned his bad luck around from time to time but... This was more enticing! Yet... The FIENDISHLY ABBHORRENT LUCK...! What if upon activation Somanda would just appear out of nowhere, donning a cloak of extremely bad writing and convenience that allowed to him to ignore the rules of the world established by the Deities and do whatever he wanted?! What if Skullius literally just vanished from existence by some inexplicable reason that defied all logic, sending him to some alternate world where B was Somanda and Somanda was B, his best friend?! What if Somanda.... Skullius breathed out a husky false breath. Enough with Somanda. There were so many bad things that Skullius wouldn''t just risk giving a free ticket towards him. This was extremely attractive but... the Prator was literally looking for a reason to do it. A reason and a way to ensure he wouldn''t regret it! ...! A thought crept inside Skullius'' mind. What if... What if... by using this Chubby Remnant Child of Prity, he attained extremely good evolution choices right now as he was about to evolve?! Wouldn''t that count? "Gah this stupid time limit! I don''t have anything that I can do with this luck on such short notice!" Skullius barked while plopping to the ground. Maybe he could go to the stout mountain and waltz his way through the Spatial lightning and Distorted Gravity all the way to the dome where those treasures he desired were stored? That felt like a waste. What else could he do within an hour''s time? Gah! Yuyui could see that Skullius'' stress wasing from the baby in her hands but she couldn''t see what was so bad about it. At least in terms of the presence it gave off, there was nothing peculiar or particrly dangerous. However, if there was something of note... ''This ooze on the baby''s body... it''s disappearing bit by bit...'' Yuyui thought. The slime or ooze that covered the Remnant Child had been quite abundant when it appeared but it was slowly vanishing, as if reacting to the open world. It seemed like some form of protection for the Remnant Child and Yuyui couldn''t help but wonder what would happen when it ran out. She wanted to point this out to Skullius but he seemed to have a lot on his te. Twenty minutes passed... There were so many angles to look at this for the Prator, but he dreaded the consequences. Each minute was spent debating the pros and cons, the cons and pros. Back and forth. Solutions to the issue of the bad luck were abundant but he didn''t know if they would work. Actually, he didn''t even know if this would work either! His atrocious luck was a curse from an Arch-Lich! Could it really be dispelled by a Unique grade... Child, even if only temporary? Maybe this was a reason to try! If the STUPENDOUSLY DESIRABLE LUCK effect didn''t activate then... didn''t that mean that FIENDISHLY ABBHORRENT LUCK factor also wouldn''t work?! But that logic... Gah! There were too many consequences if it did work and they were much too potent! But... "Flesh this!" Skullius yelled as he stood. "I have two fail-safes for even if I die! What am I afraid of?! Let''s do this!" the Prator roared. As he had told S back then, the aged soul was a contingency against what could possibly happen here, though he hadn''t told him the whole thing. And if that didn''t work, there was a more, difficult route he could go through to try and disperse the FIENDISHLY ABBHORRENT LUCK before it even activated. Bottom line was... Skullius desperately wanted this luck effect! He was willing to gamble on it! To at least taste it! Maybe he wouldn''t be able to get the Remnant Child again, after all, these were Random Upgrades and never had he gotten the same thing twice! The Prator walked up to Yuyui who was firmly holding the oozing child and grabbed the thing from her and began walking away. "Master... what are you doing...?" Yuyui asked with nervous eyes and a reluctant attitude. "What must be done..." Skullius said with a hoarse, heroic tone as a shadow loomed over his eyes, masking his emotions as he held the fiddling Remnant Child in his hands. Looking at it closely, Skullius couldn''t help but feel weird. Could he even eat this thing? He was used to consuming food in his Hybrid Luman form but his Prator form? He hadn''t eaten anything as a skeleton! Oh well! He had already made a choice. Skullius opened his mouth and bit on the head of the Chubby Remnant Child that retained its silent giggling and cheerful expression! "AAAAAH! Master what are you doing?!" Yuyui screamed with extreme shock as she dashed towards Skullius. Midway though, Ferex caught her and restrained her with his weight as he grew twice his size, numerous runes appearing over his body to boost his prowess! Yuyui yelled and groaned as she pulled away from Ferex with ease, the strength from her blue core helping her overpower Ferex as she continued to rush towards Skullius with a firm grip extended from her fingers! Once again, Ferex attempted to stop her, his body morphing into arge nket that wrapped around her and firmly dug into the ground! "Master, don''t you dare eat that child!" Yuyui screamed but Skullius ignored her as he munched on the Remnant Child''s head! ...! The texture! The softness! Such a profound feeling it gave to Skullius'' teeth! A dense amount of Null Life Essence sted into Skullius'' mouth with an intense pressure, the Prator beginning to feeling less and less weird about eating the Remnant Child! Slowly, he chewed the smiling Child''s head off and ground it into.... vicious blobs that soon turned into thick wisps of Null Life Essence that swirled around Skullius unlike how food usually descended down a gullet! Yuyui continued to gnash her teeth and wrestle with Ferex but to no avail as she watched in horror, the Remnant Child get masticated into mush! Soon, Skullius was saturated with a dense and unique type of Null Life Essence, his body emitting a bright blue light that teased Yuyui''s iris! The Prator revelled in the feeling of this energy. It was... definitely unique. Nothing he had encountered so far held a semnce of a qualityparable to this energy and as Skullius checked his status to see if there was a change... ...! It...it was real! "It happened!" Skullius yelled. This was phenomenon! It had worked, against all his apprehension! ~~~ [ Luck : STUPENDOUSLY DESIRABLE (Temporary) ] ~~~ ... For the first time... He had finally changed his luck from its atrocious tag to... STUPENDOUSLY DESIRABLE! Skullius was excited. So excited that his sockets were flooded with a bright me as out of his mouth came a boisterousugh with mana ring out of him! "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! THIS IS FLESHING AMAZING! MY LUCK HAS CHANGED!" This was a momentous asion for the Prator! Flesh Somanda! At least for the limited one hour window! A limited window that Skullius wasn''t going to waste! It was time for evolution! While ignoring Yuyui''s inted cheeks and intense gaze, Skullius went on to focus on his long awaited evolution. [You have broken past many hurdles and reached LV20. You are now able to evolve into the Second Tier of power. Do you ept?] "Of course bro!" Skullius gave a reply. Immediately, his vision darkened and he felt his will and consciousness dive out of his body and pass through what felt like a powerful barrier and disappear into a new space. This sensation was familiar. Ah... of course. He had almost forgotten about this. "Serenity..." Skullius said to the blue me that stood flickering before his sight. "It''s good to see you again, Skullius," a sweet voice responded to the Null Lifeform''s consciousness. Chapter 489 Serene Choices! (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Skullius found himself before a blue me that was very much ''alive'' in the most simple sense. Serenity. His first benefactor. Behind her, as Skullius remembered, was a ginormous sphere with alternating shades of blue over it, its entire mass blurred out of Skullius'' focus. It was definitely a world that he still wasn''t allowed to see. "I have been waiting for quite a while for our second meeting. You''ve finally evolved into the Second Tier," Serenity said with what Skullius assumed was a cheerful tone. "Well... it''s taken quite a while to blend and fit into the human world. I barely had time to level up my Prator form until now," Skullius said. "It''s not easy when I have to fight bad luck." "I know. But you have persevered. As you and I desire, you are growing stronger regardless," Serenity said. Growing stronger, huh? That seemed to be the only thing Serenity was interested in about him. Just as she had emphasised during theirst meeting. Skullius had gotten more knowledgeable with his weeks long stay in Aigas so far. He had grown and he had learned a lot. That said, with this growth came... suspicion and paranoia. UNCoddled had made Skullius realise that for him to gain benefits, he had to offer something in exchange, otherwise there was no such thing as a free lunch. For him it was that simple at least, not so much for the victims of UNCoddled. There was an endgame here. Naturally he knew this even when he first encountered Serenity and was curious about what this was all for. Heck, Serenity has already mentioned that there was a purpose to all this but refused to tell him until he had reached Tier 4. Be that as it may, Skullius felt that he was owed the full exnation of this. He had suffered and toiled to survive and while he could somehow understand that Serenity, much like Somanda couldn''t directly interfere in this world, he still felt that such crucial information didn''t need to be hidden. What was out there that he was being prepared for? He knew about the concepts of other worlds from his time in Deadmand but there needed some expansion. He didn''t know if it was popr knowledge in Aigas or not as the only example of someone who even mentioned another world, was Dezrael when he had mentioned his backstory back in the Labyrinth of the Yoke. All this said... "After all I''ve been through, I feel like I deserve some... you know... knowledge about what exactly all this Null Life thing is about. There''s definitely some conflict out there that you want me to participate in. What is it? I need to know," Skullius tested the waters. Serenity remained silent for a while. Whether she was contemting telling him the truth or simple pausing for dramatic effect was lost to Skullius. He could only wait. "As I said before, you''ll need to reach Tier 4 before I can tell you that. There is no other circumstance where I will share with you any of this before then," Serenity finally spoke. "Why?" Skullius asked. "What''s the difference?" "You''ll need to wait until Tier 4 to know that too," Serenity said, much to Skullius'' displeasure and slight anger. Serenity noticed Skullius'' distress and she softened her tone. "I understand that this is hard for you but the same is true for me. I wish we could cooperate as I wanted but there are Rules that bar me from such. Deities are powerful, TERRITORIAL entities, physically and immaterially as well," Serenity exined with hints of sombreness in her tone. Before Skullius could continue to show how annoyed he was by the wait, Serenity changed the subject. "You may think it is a terrible choice to wait, but I can see you''re unravelling mysteries about Null Life on your own with the abilities you earned. There''s a tremendously positive luck factor around you right now. I assume you found a way to reach one of the many luck based entities that a Null Lifeform can get their hands on?" Skullius was conflicted as he knew that she was using this as a way to avoid his prying but he answered anyway. "Yes. I just...ate something called the Chubby Remnant Child of Prity. It gives me great luck but in exchange, I will suffer some terrible luck in the future," Skullius replied. "Ah, I see. The Remnant Child. It''s quite the rare item and it does give significantly potent luck. I''m surprised you would choose to risk gaining much more in the way of horrible luck in exchange for a single instance of good luck though," Serenity said with what Skullius could only assume was a curious chuckle. "Well, I really want to see what good luck feels like not the vague thing from my past you said counters my bad luck. Besides, even if things go really bad, I have a few ns against that," Skullius said with a partially confident tone. "By the way, how is the Remnant Child powerful enough to fight against Somanda''s atrocious luck curse though? I half expected it to not work." "Hmmm. How indeed. You see, everything that exists in Null Life, like the Remnant Child is bathed in a form of immunity to what many may see as significant threats. This mainly applies to natural living objects like the Remnant Child which have absorbed significant forms of Null Life Essence. When one lives within that kind of purity, sweet existence thates after death but untainted by life as well, defiant properties are born that skirt by anything that isn''t Divine. Youck such a thing because you have to consciously dissect Null Life until you reach this point." "..." This was hard for Skullius to wrap his mind around. The Remnant Child was a naturally forming ''object''? It could bypass Somanda''s powers because.... "I see you''re having trouble understanding it. My words will do you no good for now. Reaching Tier 4 will also help you draw closer to the truth." An imagination vein throbbed on Skullius'' brow. Seriously?! "I''ll have to warn you though, Skullius. When inviting Null Life creatures into that world, do exercise caution. There are many channels to do so and some of the creatures you summon may cause more problems for you than bring." Skullius sank into thought. He had thought about this. He was aware that bad things could happen with him continuing the trend of calling Null beasts over with the various means at his disposal. This Null Terror thing which was part of Ferex''s w, was something he particrly dreaded. The Prator was about to ask about this creature when... "I''m sure you greatly anticipate the fortune thates with taking a bite off of the Remnant Child so I shall leave you to it," Serenity suddenly said much to Skullius'' shock. "Don''t we have more time to talk?" he asked. "We do, but we have little to converse about unlike during our first meeting. I feel your intense desire for knowledge which I sadly cannot satiate. That cannot sustain our conversation for long. Hasten your pace of growth if you can. The others are already set and I... well, I am quite patient." "What?" "Goodbye, Skullius." Just like that, with a scurry of the blue me before his eyes into the background, this conversation ended. As if forcibly retracing his steps, Skullius was pushed back into his body via the same experience he had felt when meeting Serenity just now, leaving him with a bitter taste in conscience. That was barely enlightening at all even when considering that he had forgotten that each evolution warranted a chat with Serenity. Well, whatever. Skullius'' sockets red with might as he returned to the scene where Yuyui was shaking her head, desperately trying to find a word to describe Skullius'' atrocity. Paedophile or child killer certainly didn''t cut it! "I wasn''t counting on that anyway. Let''s focus on what really matters. I hope this STUPENDOUSLY DESIRABLE luck works," Skullius said while focusing on the guidance field again. Flesh Serenity for now. He''d get to Tier 4 soon enough anyway! [Loading possible evolution options for Fulgurant Bone Prator:] [Oh! For some, UNKNOWN reason, three possible evolution options from higher Tiers up the Prator series have decisively appeared!] [Possible evolution options for Tier 2:] "Is that supposed to be surprise on the guidance field''s part?" Skulliusmented with a grimace over the second notification. Acting oblivious was it? ~~~ [Elder Sage of Pration] A revered variant of the Prator series that is entirely devoted to the mastery of absolute forms of magic. The Elder Sage forgoes the enlightenment brought on by skills and begins to use Mana and a greater version of Levin, Silentriddle, to forge GRAND and MYTH level runes forbat and utility. The channel of a THOUSAND RUNIC STAPLES of each type of rune, which when fully mastered can rival DIVINITY is opened, along with a path to receive a fitting Veneration art to support this practise. While learning singr GRAND or MYTH runes may take a year or more, the Elder Sage is capable of being patient as the result exceeds any Special skill in power and efficiency. The Elder Sage''s form is altered to a leaner shape in order facilitate funnelling of all excess mass and power into vast reserves of Mana and high intelligence. (Due to its unique powers, the Elder Sage of Pration has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Elder Sage of Pration CANNOT inflict any damage with themon forms of attacks. Only attacks with the intent to prate deal any damage. Above this, the entity in question cannot develop any more skills asides from those it already has). -If you choose this race, you will have multiple other evolution choices within this series all the way up go the "#%!$%#!" -Possibility of gaining a Supreme skill in further evolutions -Possibility of attaining a WORLD CREATION rune in future evolutions -Possibility of attaining an ORIGIN SOURCING rune in future evolutions -Possibility of attaining a KILL rune in future evolutions -Possibility of attaining an ANTI-MANA rune in future evolutions ___ +45,000 Mana +3000 Agility +4400 Strength +38,000 Intelligence +6000 Health +5000 Endurance -Rune of Beginning (GRAND) -Rune of the FIRST (GRAND) -Rune of the wise (GRAND) -Cardinal Rune (MYTH) --- [Eternal Storm Veil Prator] This is an incredibly favoured bone variant that embraces the true essence of Levin as well as what it means to see the gale, the storm and turbulence conjured in the sky. The Eternal Storm Veil Prator possesses the sharpest and most condensed form of pure Levin and is capable of existing as and in a massive storm cloud that has a great many utility and attack functions. The Eternal Storm Prator thrives on living in the sky where it is safe and can overseer an area of over five miles even as a juvenile practitioner. As it amasses power, it can create avatars of its self that share copies of its abilities. The avatars have an unlimited range and can amass strength and knowledge which is fed to the Eternal Storm Prator wherever he may choose to nest storm cloud form. Due to the huge undertaking of maintaining a vast form, the Eternal Storm Prator has a small chance of awakening a Veneration art to support its practise. (Due to its unique powers, the Eternal Storm Prator has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Eternal Storm Prator CANNOT inflict any damage with themon forms of attacks. Only attacks with the intent to prate deal any damage. Above this, this entity can NEVER form more than FIVE avatars in the entirety of its evolutionary series). -If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to the "#%^!". -Possibility of gaining a second Veneration art in future evolutions -Possibility of attaining a Legendary Prator exclusive weapon in future evolutions. -Possibility of bing a TITAN WORLD STORM in future evolutions ___ +25,000 Mana +6000 Strength +9000 Agility +7500 Intelligence +5500 Endurance +10,000 Health -Storm Rider -Brisk Storm Avatar (Special) -Levin Dominance, Veil Storm Lance -Vivid Firmament Canvas (Special) (Previous Prator skills will be handled ordingly) --- [Archfiend Warlord] An atrociously aggressive bone variant hybrid born when a Null Badub and a Prator are conjoined. The Archfiend Warlord has an extraordinary natural physique which allows it to excel in all physical attributes dramatically. Due to its source, it possess three unique forms of Levin as well as a unique element known as Dreading Spatial Haze which allows it to create a separate space where it can enter and exit as it pleases regardless of magical restrictions. Each Archfiend is born with a unique FOND CALAMITY, a weapon thatplements the Archfiend with the average rarity of it usually being Legendary and above as well as the capability to AWAKEN into a second form. The Archfiend also has a high chance of earning a Veneration art to support its practise as its body is usually incapable of handing its physical might. (Due to its unique powers, the Archfiend Warlord has inherited a w to bnce its existence among the natives of different worlds. The Archfiend Warlord requires quadruple the amount of experience for the final level before each evolution). -If you choose this race, you will have multiple evolution choices within this series all the way up to "#%^!". -Possibility of obtaining a mutation in future evolutions. -Possibility of attaining the AUTHORITY of a Null Badub in future evolutions. ___ +20,000 Mana +32,500 Strength +42,650 Agility +27,000 Health +5000 Intelligence -Fond Cmity: Release -Hidden Terrene: Sub-manifestation -Hidden Terrene: Imposition (Special) -Concussive Bluster (Special) -Just Pride (Super) ~~~ Once again Skullius was left bbergasted. He plopped to the ground. He was right. These definitely weren''t normal evolution paths. --- ~Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora~ Chapter 490 Second Evolution! (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Skullius hadn''t expected stuff like this to be honest. He expected the STUPENDOUSLY DESIRABLE luck he had gotten to earn him some form of convenient evolutions but this was much more than that. Each of these three evolutions were capable of turning his life upside down in a very good way. Weakness? Inadequacy? What were those?! Under specific circumstances, any one of the options before him could make him stronger than even his Hybrid Luman form when it had realised its full potential! At least that what Skullius thought after reading the descriptions to these evolutions over and over again. With this came a predicament. "How on earth am I supposed to choose between any of these?!" Skullius thought. He scooted away from Yuyui who pouted directly in his face as she was still yet to get over Skullius devouring a cute child. This wasn''t the time for that! An important decision had to be made here! What Skullius could say made his life a little easier was the fact each of the evolutions options had amon benefit. Each offered a Veneration art! Or at least a chance at earning it. The first two options had additional ws above the one he was used to as Prator, as they were part of the series while the third option had its own type of w that was pretty infuriating. These didn''t help Skullius still as he was left to dissect each option critically. The Elder Sage of Pration was very attractive. It offered a huge amount of mana and intelligence, which Skullius wanted as well as a different path for growth. Runes. By the looks of it, these runes were different from the ones he had seen being used here in Aigas. The words GRAND and MYTH didn''t exactly strike him as referring to the ordinary. The description said that each rune was more powerful than any calibre of Special skill at the very least, which was a very big deal considering Skullius had witnessed some pretty powerful Special skills. Even his own Special skill in the form of [Basic Evil Sanction] was extremely powerful and using it as a benchmark, this meant that any rune of the mentioned THOUSAND RUNIC STAPLES he could learn was stronger than that! The description also said something about rivalling DIVINITY and this was the runes alone, not even ounting for the overall strength Skullius would cultivate after all that! This evolution offered a lot and the future gains were also ridiculous! Skullius drooled in wonder at what a WORLD CREATION rune could be! What an ANTI-MANA rune could be! These could be some world-breaking runes! However, the fact that each rune could take a year or more to learn was... ''That''s ridiculous. I don''t even have that long until Doom Factor 2 strikes. Maybe thebined power of [Epiphany] and some legendary artefacts can increase my rate of learning these runes but... even if I solved that, I can''t learn any more skills if I choose this evolution. I won''t probably won''t be able to extract skills too...'' Skullius thought. That wasn''t too bad but... The Prator moved on to the next evolution. The Eternal Storm Veil Prator. Now this was a very attractive choice through and through. Skullius rubbed his bony hands in excitement. Apparently, this evolution had the finest mastery of Levin and could exist as a massive storm cloud or even live within it while sending out avatars that could act on its behalf! This was insane! The most attractive part was that Skullius could learn all of what his avatars learned and have all their power added to his! This suited his temtes for growth very well! Too well even! The only problem was that some of the skills belonging to this evolution required him to have a blue core, which wasn''t really an issue since he would have his blue core for his true form in about six days when [Bringer of All] went off cooldown! If he could have an avatar, or two or three roaming around Aigas while hunting Clusters and learning new skills... The thought made Levin spark wildly from the Prator! ''How would an avatar work with [High Cosmetic Body] though? Would it also be capable of using my Insurgent Magnus abilities? Could me and the avatar use these skills at the same time? If not, that would just make the avatar''s life a reclusive one, which isn''t bad if its job is to gather knowledge and power I guess,'' Skullius thought. Though there was a small chance of earning a Veneration art for this evolution, Skullius still liked this one. Lastly was the Archfiend Warlord, an evolution that brought him to question... "What really is a Null Badub? I''ve seen this name so many times..." Skullius said to himself as he stroked his chin. Its abilities were extraordinary. The physical attributes, the fact that it could use different variations of Levin and this Dreading Spatial Haze that allowed it to have its own pocket space... This paled inparison to the fact that it would have a weapon of its own though. A Fond Cmity! A weapon that would either be Legendary grade or above! While Legendary items were not very special in Aigas, their strength changed drastically when they were dubbed so in the Null Verse as evidenced by how even a Unique grade item generated from [Unbound] could rival the effects of a Legendary weapon in Aigas! There was also a possibility of the Fond Cmity being above Legendary! Skullius shuddered at this. Just how strong would that be?! If his luck extended to this as well, then he could get a Mythical or Transcendent weapon right off the bat! As if this wasn''t enough, this weapon could be AWAKENED for another form, which was ridiculous! The future prospects for this evolution which had a mutation was surprising to him as this suggested that a Null Badub could be a... beast? A Prator certainly wasn''t one right? At least in the conventional sense. And what was this AUTHORITY that he could earn? It was attached to the Null Badub side of the Archfiend Warlord too. Skullius didn''t know. These were the things he wanted to learn from Serenity but she imed she couldn''t tell. Still, this was thrilling. Skullius went deep into thought, digging into his future ns and schemes. What he really needed right now... What he wanted... What would be best in the long run... The Prator raised his head as he went with the one that excited him the most. He wasn''t going to take centuries deciding. It was clear that any of these would work for him. Defense. Versatility. High chances of immense future growth. Skullius made a choice. It had to be... "I choose Eternal Storm Veil Prator," Skullius thought. This was it! This was what he needed! The guidance field immediately responded appropriately with a flurry of notifications while Skullius felt a massive surge of power rumbling in his bones! [You have chosen ''Eternal Storm Veil Prator'' as your race] [Your race is being upgraded, changes in progress...] GRRRRRMMMMM! Mana surged over the cloaked Prator. High above, a cluster of pitch ck clouds that distinguished themselves cleanly from the night sky appeared, forming a thick, expansive cone shape with a gaping hollow where Levin shone within the misty clouds! A radiant type of Levin that was so bright that each of its shes made thends beneath experience a beautiful slice of summer light for fractions of a breath, showed! It roiled within the hollow as the Fulgurant Bone Prator looked up with excitement! It had been too long. This feeling of being elevated was more thrilling than the more advanced fashion in which humans did it. Evolution was more intriguing and animalistic. Wild yet orderly! He loved it. Yuyui and Ferex looked up at the sparkling lights in the sky, wonder stered on their faces, the Prator a distance from them opening his arms wide to receive it all. Then, in a manner of shy, critous manner, a massive bolt of the sharpest and most condensed Levin in existence silently bore down on the Prator who happily weed its grace...! --- ~Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora~ Chapter 491 Second Evolution! (2) Contrary to everyone''s expectations, no sea of mass destruction ensued from the heavy blow thatnded right on Skullius! All that followed was a brilliant light that consumed Skullius'' figure and began to spit out arcs of Levin, super condensed Levin that made Yuyui shudder each time it streaked out, striking an object hundreds of meters away! Its intensity was unrivalled. The throngs of beautiful blue below the vibrant white mass etched a breath-taking experience to whoever saw it, the silent lightning continuing to craft the Fulgurant Bone Prator into something more profound. The massive cloud above continued to hurl out Levin in a continuous stream, its appearance giving a fitting foreshadow as to what was possible when the Eternal Storm Veil Prator was fully realised. There were many reasons as to why Skullius didn''t choose the Elder Sage of Pration or the Archfiend Warlord. Despite the allure of having a mastery in runes.... Despite the draw of having an above Legendary weapon and a Super skill, high stats as well as a new element, Skullius knew that with the Storm Veil Prator, he could attain the equivalent of all this in a matter of a month or two as long his avatar focused solely on raising his strength! If he had two or more avatars, he would remain hidden in his storm cloud territory in the sky and have them do all the heavy lifting for him, which would be extremely convenient. The best defence wasn''t offense. It was avoiding the fight entirely! Three and half months were good enough for Skullius to grow his strength significantly. Perhaps not quite enough to face Somanda, but he wouldn''t be alone. Ferex felt a little intimidated by the power his master was receiving. This was only the second Tier. All things constant, if he attained enough experience to jump into this Tier as well, he wouldn''t be anywhere near as strong as his master currently. This was why he was so desperate to grow. He had urged Skullius to store the Great me Bringer''s corpse and as he watched the show in front of him, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of urgency. Yuyui on the other hand was getting exposed to a feeling she hadn''t really had before. The desire for power. With her will to fight awakened, she was also made to realise that she was extremely weak. No skill. Unutilised strength. Weak resolve. She was still in the baby stages of her transition and she knew. The words of the Priest she had spoken to back then rang in her mind again. ''Your Direction will tremble and spill a dramatic change in your path when you sing a song from the heart. A song of great pain. A song of great happiness. A song of great triumph. It may be in this order, it may not, but the Deitess Listafelle will be with you.'' Her life was changing and she had to get ustomed to it. Yuyui wagered that the first change, as said by the Priest, a song of great pain, was when she first met her master. She had been singing a song about how immensely hungry she was then. A song of pain. That had to be it! By that logic, the next events that set off massive changes in her life would happen in such a way as well. Great happiness? Great triumph? She could only earn these when she grew stronger than she currently was! Watching the scene before her made her realise. It wasn''t about the Inhumane Eye or the Eye of Dispersal which had closed soon after the battle with the me Bringer or any other Eye she would awaken. It started with her making a bigger effort! ''I can do it, right? There''s no turning back from this point after all. Maybe... I can learn to take care of myself just like mother and father wanted.'' Yuyui thought. The brilliant bolt of Levin that stormed down however made her eyes bulge out as she was forced to focus on her master''s silhouette which started to show through the radiance! A new Skullius sauntered out of the pir of Levin which finally began to dissipate, his form causing a weird distortion to the air ¨C wind rapidly beginning to rage around him as intense shes showcased themselves proudly within this affected space. A 1.8 meter tall skeleton emerged from the light, its stature looking as beefy as flesh... literally! Dark bones nearly devoid of the blue hue they had before showed on this skeleton with a menacing pizzazz despite the reduction in height. Each of the new Prator''s bones were thicker than those of a normal human being, four sharpspike-like ones protruding from its cor bone and around its neck to rise up to a height high enough to reach the new Prator''s eyes. A spark of ridiculously quick, radiant Levin shot from the tip of one of the spiked bones, then to the other and the other in a never ending cycle that illuminated the Eternal Storm Veil Prator''s skull face! Four sockets still showed on this face but instead of the familiar blue mes within it, super bright white mes that were nigh impossible to look at for the likes of Yuyui zed, the lime haired girl noticing in her squinting that one of these mes dwindled to form a text! A text of bright white me that flickered within the Prator''s top right socket! A text that she couldn''t understand but dreaded as it made her buckle down unconsciously. Over Skullius'' head, a pristine white cloud followed his movement, its appearance looking as mundane and meaningless as ever. Yet it was anything but. Aside from Skullius'' bulky bones that seemed to insinuate heavier physical hits, hundreds of pure and condensed Levin bolts that shone so bright with their brief appearance over Skullius'' body that his immediate surroundings became unclear, showed. With their brief appearance, their zing in the area around Skullius, a mini storm cloud would be formed only to disappear secondster after proudly showing a burst of light within it. This urred every second, the full figure of Skullius being hidden by a cluster of clouds for brief moments at a time. PFFFFSSSS! A sharp breath of mana shot from Skullius'' mouth as the rush of power bore down on him madly! [Congrattions, you have evolved into Tier 2, bing an ''Eternal Storm Veil Prator''] [You have gained 25,000 Mana] [You have gained 6000 Strength] [You have gained 9000 Agility] [You have gained 7500 Intelligence] [You have gained 5500 Endurance] [You have gained 10,000 Health] [You have acquired ''Eternal Storm Veil Prator'' exclusive skills] [The skills ''Fulgurant Space Virulence'', ''Fulgurant Virulence'' and ''Iridescent Levin Tempest'' from the Fulgurant Bone Prator have been absorbed into ''Vivid Firmament Canvas''] [All standard Null Lifeform skills have levelled up!] "Woow... master..." Yuyui voiced as she watched the walking storm that was her master reach near her. He looked... invincible. For Skullius who stood wordlessly, merely appreciating his new look, the notifications had yet to stoping. [Congrattions! You have acquired a Veneration Art against all odds!] [The unique authority rests in your... eye] A Veneration Art! Skullius had attained one! Despite not knowing what exactly a Veneration art was, just by using [Evil Veneration] as a benchmark, it was easy to get excited about it. The Eternal Storm Veil Prator revelled in this new sensation while also gazing up at the thick clouds above that began to dissipate. "That and the battle minutes ago ought to have drawn attention. We should probably get going," Skullius said. "Oh... that''s... that''s right..." Yuyui said with a quiver while lifting her self up. Ferex''s luminous sockets shone with agreement. It was true. Thend around here had been damaged in quite the variety of shy ways. There would be probably someone arriving soon. As Skullius considered this, another notification popped up, one that rocked his calm demeanour. [The guidance field has recognised your growth] [The Voice of Worlds has elevated the functions of the guidance field to Patronage Rank 1] [The Guidance Code information packet has been received] "Huh?" Skullius'' sockets flickered for a brief moment, expressing how shocked Skullius was. "The guidance field has been elevated?" The Eternal Storm Veil Prator immediately opened his status to see these new changes. ~~~ [ Name : Skullius ] [ Tier : 2 ] [ Level : 1 ] [ Exp : ... ] [ Core : White ] [ ss : Vehement Bone Nullmancer ] [ Race : Eternal Storm Veil Prator ] [ Inv. Status : Doomed ¡Á2, Cursed ] ----- [] [ Strength : 6305 ] [ Agility : 9310 ] [ Intelligence : 7620 ] [ Endurance : Infinite ] [ Luck : Atrocious? ] ------- [ Health : 10,700/10,700 ] ------ [ Mana : 29,400/29,400 ] ------- [ Null Life Essence : 12,000/12,000 ] ------ [] [ Greater Mana Crafter | Lv.9 ] [ Great Saint''s Invigoration | Lv.4 ] [ High Cosmetic Body | Lv.4 ] [ Ungodly Passion of Debauchery | Lv.5 ] [ Null Extraction ] [ Unbound ] [ Static Limbo ] [ Koten Machi | Lv.4 ] [ Guard Light | Lv.7 ] [ Compact Mana | Lv.24 ] [ Wrath of the False god | Lv.1 ] [ Serration Zone: Baneful Edge | Lv.1 ] [ sh Flicker | Lv.9 ] [ Raw Impact | Lv.10 ] [ Great Rush (I) | Lv.14 ] [ Revered | Lv.1 ] [ Basic Combat Arts | Lv.5 ] [ Basic Sword Mastery | Lv.2 ] [] [ Apostle Summon | Lv.3 ] [ Apostle Armament | Lv.3 ] [ Depths of Core | Lv.5 ] [ Bringer of All | Lv.4] [ Epiphany | Lv.2 ] [ Defiant Raiment of Perversion | Lv.2 ] [] [ Storm Rider | Lv.1 ] [ Brisk Storm Avatar (Special) | Lv.1] [ Levin Dominance: Veil Storm Lance | Lv.1] [ Vivid Firmament Canvas (Special) | Lv.1 ] [ Silent Revtion of the Bright King | Lv.1 ] [ Ful Discharge | Lv.1 ] ----- [] ... [] ... [] ... ... ~~~ The Prator had grown and his status which showed a variety of new options that he immediately dug through was a perfect indication. There were multiple new functions disyed. The Prator didn''t know it yet, but these functions would introduce a gargantuan change to how he was going to be handling himself from here on out. Skullius nodded with a chuckle as he looked through these functions, realising that there was a lot he had gained. It was unclear whether the luck effect which had ended, reced by the atrocious tag, had also spawned this, but Skullius could care less. Seeing his intrigue through the blinding sockets that shot out white Levin, Yuyui apprehensively voiced... "Master...?" "Don''t worry. Everything will be fine," Skullius said as he snapped his finger, activating two of his new Prator skills. [Levin Dominance: Veil Storm Lance]! [Storm Rider]! Something akin to a blindingly bright javelin made out of pure, heavily condensed Levin that oozed a beautiful blue mist from it appeared with a suffocating pressure within the Prator''s hand! It was at least three meters long, its thin girth as sleek as bamboo shoot! At the same time, a dark storm cloud manifested high above, moving in the direction that the Prator directed! Skullius gestured for the nervous Yuyui and the excited Ferex toe closer, both doing as they were told. Skullius held Yuyui from the waist while Ferex hung around his neck. "Let''s have some fun with this, first. There''s too much to do," Skullius said as he flung the Veil Storm Lance towards the cloud in the sky, its lengthy mass stretching up to reach the height! Something akin to a bright chain of Levin remained within Skullius'' hand and as he yanked it, he and his subordinates were pulled towards the storm cloud at breakneck speed in the form of a streak of Levin! Chapter 492 Thats My Mule... Guilds Association, Genhuis City. "I''d say that went well," ris said with an exhausted breath. While he was a powerfulbat expert at the Master Stage, having intense verbal back and forths with business minds was especially draining for him. "I hope that''s sarcasm," the sharply dressed man beside him said with a stern expression as the two along with a third individual exited the doors to an expansive conference room. "Somehow I knew our opinions would differ," ris said. Once a year, a general meeting would be held in the Association Branch to review the collective performance of the branch and to discuss directives issued out by the higher management. There had been a heavy debate in this meeting, mostly concerning the decision from the higher ups about a morale boosting event that they wanted to hold for their mercenaries. Most mercenaries wouldn''t be participating in the Premium Age Royale and the decision to hold an event that paralleled the Royale for the free spirits managed by the Association was the biggest announcement so far. One that seemed more like a challenge. "This certainly appeals better to your dilemma about joining the Premium Age Royale or not doesn''t it? Or perhaps it''s the opposite. Which would you prefer tomit to? The Association or your Family?" the sharply dressed, serious man probed. ris gave it some thought. Not that he hadn''t before but his decision right now was the one that would determine what route he took. "I''m not looking to fight for a higher title. I have prestige, I have pride and none that is worth losing over a death game for more than I was destined to achieve," ris said with a proud smile. "That''s pretty self righteous..." the third individual among the three said. It was a tall young man with a handsome face and tanned skin. The smirk he wore spelled confidence and a dash of haughtiness while the beautiful bow behind his back, with all its rare glory gave some insight into more of his style of life. "Only established people like you can say something like that. I''d go for more any chance I get. The phrase ''biting off more than you can chew'' was designed to keep simple idiots in line. Not sure why you would be afraid of rising further when you''ve been doing so all this time. How else can you grow if not by being greedy?" Both ris and the sharply dressed man didn''t entertain the man''s enthusiasm. Since he was inducted into the exclusive circle, given the Rank 3 position for his prowess and potentialbined, he had grown more and more ambitious. The two couldn''t help but feel the unjust nature of reality. Giving someone like this more freedom and more resources was... "Wrong..." "What?" ris asked the sharply dressed man. "Nothing. By the way, I heard that neer took three high level missions all at once. Was he that zealous or did you egg him on?" "I did no such thing," ris defended himself. "He seemed to be... impatient." "Most of them are. Has he returned?" "I doubt it, but a mere blue Cluster and a bandit group wouldn''t trouble someone like him." "Really? You have that much confidence in him?" The sharply dressed man asked with a brow raised while the tall young man looked at ris with a frown. To receive so much praise from ris... one had to be extraordinary. But the neer of all people?! Thest to join the exclusive mercenary circle was said to be a Rank 4 and it was ris who gave that Rank. So why would he still hold him in high regard? "It''s not confidence. It''s just the simple fact that he was holding out on us," ris said. "He was holding back, as if he was the one evaluating us. He even challenged me to a one and one but he still held out on me. I gave him a Rank befitting what he showed. I can''t ascertain potential when the person in question doesn''t show their full strength." Holding out? Who would hold out on ris? The duo that the evaluator was walking with asked themselves this question, but with vastly different emotions on the matter. As they all scaled down the stairs, a contemtive silence ensued. "That''s surprising. I thought it would take a considerable amount of effort to cause that much damage to someone like Stephine. If that is indeed the case then I should pay more attention to him," the sharply dressed man said, recalling thenky armed evaluators wounds and his mind that was yet to get fully restored. ''Hmm. Right. They said he was Mage. Tsk. The bastard probably used a high level spell to spook ris and earn a spot here. Damn it! He''s stealing the spotlight without evening showing if he''s worthy to join this side of the mercenary prestige. That''s unfair!'' the mercenary said with bitter jealousy. The conversation about this neer carried on until the three reached the fifth floor of the Association. "Well... speak of the devil," ris said with chuckle while gazing ahead. In front of a serving desk, a young looking man with slicked back light auburn hair and a tough looking getup was handing in arge sack with a couple of heavy items inside it. Behind him was a lime haired girl who kept looking at everything in wonder, a big smile etched on her face. The woman behind the desk told Skullius to ce the sack down on the ground where it was covered in a light and disappeared from sight. "Oh..." Skullius voiced in a bit of surprise. Rist, the woman behind the service ss counter smiled proudly. "I almost forgot you aren''t from here. In this branch we have a system that automatically matches the energy signatures from the corpses you bring and the readings we would have taken from emerging Clusters beforehand. From the looks of it..." Rist paused while looking at something akin to a sheet on her desk, "...you onlypleted two out of the three missions you took?" "Yes. The fire spitting socketholes from the Cluster and a bunch of giant ants that had made a forest their home. Annoying bunch," Skullius said, referencing the second mission which he hadpleted within two minutes on the way here. Only one mission remained. "Oh, that''s alright. If you found some valuables on your missions, you''re permitted to keep them. It''s one of the perks of being an exclusive mercenary," Rist said with a reassuring cheer. ''I wasn''t nning on handing them over regardless,'' Skullius thought. ''Hmm. I should also get out of here before this non-sockethole gets too friendly. I almost forget there are a bunch of good ones here and there. Disgusting.'' There was a system in ce to ensure that mercenaries returned the treasures they found within Clusters or in bandit hideouts. Ensured was not the right word, but the system attempted to retain control on such. An incentive was given per every item handed in, though this applied less to stronger experts who didn''t care much for gold or even sma coins, to which the Association couldn''t do anything but use the power of the Capital Service to regte usage of such powers within the city and their own outside the city. So far, regardless of how many Legendary weapons were outside their clutches, their use were controlled. That was the power of the Guild''s Association in Genhuis City. "Festos..." ris called to which Skullius turned, his white eyes focusing on the evaluator. He already knew the man and hispany were there. "Ah, ris," Skullius said before turning to the other man and nodding, pretending their arrival was a surprise. The sharply dressed man reciprocated, his eyes judging Skullius by his demeanour and the fact that he seemed to be done with some of his missions. "Are incentives in order after your missions?" the man asked Skullius. "No. I''lle back for themter. I have some urgent matters right now," Skullius replied. The exclusive mercenary next to the two almost boiled in rage as he was thoroughly ignored! Worse yet, ris and the other man were conversing so casually with Skullius, as if they were acquaintances! So what if he was a Mage?! Really strong Mages wouldn''t be trying to make a living as mercenaries! This was... This was....! "So you''re the neer," the tall man, pushed by jealousy and a false sense of superiority, said as he walked forward. He reached Skullius and held his shoulder with his head raised, his eyes looking down at the Hybrid Luman. "I''m Tomace, a Rank 3 mercenary," the young man said. "I see you''re still green. How about having me be your mentor? Maybe in three... or four years you''ll rise up to Rank 3 with my assistance. Sound good?" Tomace said while exuding a sharp presence to intimidate Skullius, his face turning to sh a smile at Yuyui who waved her hand in greeting innocently. "Hello ther¡ª" Tomace was about to speak to Yuyui when... ....! BOOOOOM! "Argh!" Tomace suddenly kneeled down on the ground while groaning in pain! What the hell?! His body had felt heavy all of a sudden and before he could react, his knees had sunken deep into the floor! Tomace gritted his teeth while wondering what had happened. He hadn''t sensed anything. He still couldn''t sense anything. But the words that were spoken from the young man before him made everything clear. "That''s my mule. Go find your own, sockethole." Skullius spoke in a chilling voice while pushing Yuyui back, extending his left hand to Tomace''s face and flicking his index finger at the man''s forehead! WHAAAAAAAM! A dreadful force smacked Tomace''s face and he screamed in pain as his torso arched back and smashed into the floor in a blur, his body left roiling in an unnatural position! Rist''s eyes bulged. She hadn''t seen much but a blur before Tomace was smashed into the floor! ris and the sharply dressed man however looked unfazed. Surprised but unfazed. "I see your point now, ris," the sharply dressed man said. --- [Ding!] [Mashu_Berusutora has donated IMMENSELY to the novel] [+4 Chapters above the daily quota as at 26/11] Chapter 493 Undesired Interests Governor''s Residence, Genhuis City. The Governor sat in his seat with his regr dignified posture and stance, but deep within, he was barking so loud his inner walls were a minute away from breaking apart. What was with this one night?! It was as if he was destined to be met with a recement for the dilemma and trouble he thought he had evaded or thwarted with wit and grit over his tenure in this position! First came Rearren EverSword in all his prideful schmack to boldly defend the hosting of this event of his which was riddled with ulterior motive. And now... "She ising, sir..." a Capital Order Knight who stood at the door informed to which the Governor rose and silently cursed onest time under his breath. ''Those two clearly ran away and left me to deal with all this on my own didn''t they? Tsk. Let''s just get this over with!'' The doors to the spacious, well furnished room were opened and three figures entered with graceful steps, the Knight who opened the door bowing to them in respect. Three fairdies with long ears they were, two of them wearing veils as they walked on either side of the gorgeousdy who carried herself with a regality that far exceeded the Governor''s own. His was more or less standard considering his position, hammered into him from a somewhat young age. However that which oozed from thedy with vibrant crimson gold coloured eyes and smooth skin as well as a slender body that had just enough curve and thick in the right spots, was natural, cultivated from the womb. From blood. "Governor, it is good to see you again," Darwel said with a sweet smile as she took a seat before the man before her could offer it. A grimace shed only for a split second over the face of the Governor. Seriously?! After the talks that the Royal Family had with this woman, a princess from the High Family of Opungale, the equivalent of royalty for the Sif, they hadn''t bothered to keep her within the biggest and most luxurious city in Pelian. They didn''t even offer her an escort! They didn''t stop her from travelling around Pelian despite the dangers until she nested in Genhuis on her own! Now it was his problem, and he had to entertain someone so esteemed! "It''s good to see you as well...Your Highness," the Governor said as he sat. What manner of absurdity would being out of this now? If those who didn''t agree with the Royal Family''s decision to ally with Opungale knew she was here and where exactly she was living, there would be trouble, especially with the state that the city was in! "How may I help you, Your Highness?" Darwel smiled and titled her head, one of her legs resting on top of the other under her silver, off shoulder dress. "I have a simple request, Governor. It hase to my attention that a grand event is about to be held. Something akin to a.... tournament. I am quite fond of such arrangements. After seeing your kind flocking into the city, I thought I should inquire about it. Thankfully it turned out to be something very interesting," Darwel said with a delighted expression. No! Please no! The Governor while wearing a stern but impressionable visage was crying inside. No way! Please don''t be... "I would like to participate in this event as well." She said it! The Governor''s face visibly turned dark. He had hoped... but Direction didn''t give him an ear. It clearly had other ns. "Your Highness... this isn''t something I am able to organise. You see, this event is being hosted by one of the six Houses in the nation. I have no say in any of its rules nor do I have the administrative authority to allow you to participate. Above this fact, the rules of this event have some very specific connotations that I am not sure..." Darwel waved her hand. "I''m aware that is the case. I wouldn''t want to inconvenience you at all..." The Governor wanted to breathe a sigh of reliefbut... "But I''m sure someone of your authoritative stature can ''persuade'' the... host of this event to squeeze me in, right? You ARE the Governor after all." The Governor swallowed a lump of saliva while his eyes were shaded with a darkness that masked his emotion. Of course he would be pushed like this! Darwel probably knew that the Houses held authority over his own, their say only being overruled by the Royal Family''s only. In other words, she didn''t give a flying fuck about the how or why! She just wanted to participate! "Since we''re going to be allies, I reckon my inclusion will tie our knots of friendship even better," Darwel said while resting her chin over her slender hand. Tch! Sprinkling in a dash of reason! How brutal! The Governor sighed helplessly, his visage showing calm consideration, but deep inside... ''Damn you, Rearren!!!'' *** The doors to the Bryne Family Residence opened to reveal Skullius and Yuyui who walked over to the lounge, their images being presented to three figures who responded differently to their arrival. Sty expressed a relieved smile. Setkh showed surprise and intrigue. Silrat... "You..." he growled while smiling menacingly. "So this is the infamous Festos?" Setkh beat Silrat to the punch, rising to meet Skullius with a smile on his face while appraising the Hybrid Luman. He had a nice figure. Handsome, sturdy and... "Oh, you''re blind?" Setkh asked dumbly while sauntering around Skullius and Yuyui who looked at the new faces with surprise. Sty and Setkh had an uncanny likeness that nearly... moved her. "I assume you''re the brother?" Skullius said while also sensing with his Koten over Setkh. He couldn''t say if Sty and Setkh looked alike per se but their bodily energies were definitely simr. "That I am. My sister seems to have strange tastes. As do I," Setkh said while chuckling and drawing much closer to Skullius than what everyone wasfortable with. "I''ve often heard that blindbatants can be very dangerous because they do not rely on the mundane sensitivity of the eye which is limited. Hmm. I believe it now!" "Huh?" Sty voiced in confusion. Festos'' blindness wasn''t something she bargained for! It came with rebellious voucher which came with the man! She didn''t have strange tastes! Skullius was also confused. What did this guy believe in now? Setkh gave a shortugh after seeming as if he had been carefully considering something. "Sister. Perhaps I was speaking out of my ass earlier. For the good of the Family? Hahaha! What a joke. Rivalry is definitely the best way to ensure that we solve our problems, and our differences! If we''re really going to bepeting, let''s make it fun! I was wrong! I believe this candidate of yours has a good chance to shake things up! Karrun, show yourself," Setkh said as he then called for someone. Sty rolled her eyes. There he went again! Her brother had two main quirks in his personality - going back on his word and having some weird sexual tastes. She expected this much out of him. Yet... From an empty seat within the lounge, a figure suddenly appeared, the colour on the couch looking to be peeled away dramatically as he was revealed, wearing a partially bashful and partially confident face! ...! Silrat and Yuyui were shocked! Had this guy been here all this time?! Skullius was mildly surprised at this literal revtion. He hadn''t sensed this guy, even with his Koten! He hadn''t applied [Greater Mana Crafter] to it because the skill had a heavy presence that could attract attention in the city but still... This newly appeared figure looked at everyone with hisrge eyes before speaking in a small voice. "Oh... I didn''t scare anyone did I?" Chapter 494 It Begins! A bowl shaped haircut on vani coloured hair, big, downturned chartreuse coloured eyes, a rather thick button nose and thin lips ¨C these made the unique face of the man named Karrun. He had a short figure and his seated position while in the lounge with everyone stood on a thin line between confident and nervous. "Oh... I didn''t scare anyone did I?" Karrun asked while looking around. "What the hell?! You''ve been here this entire time?!" Sty barked to which Karrun nervously scratched his neck. Sty hadn''t been shocked by the man''s appearance. She was more so annoyed. Silrat breathed out a burst of frustration. As someone who had a mild controlplex that was slowly growing because of Skullius'' wanton behaviour, having someone be present around him for an extensive period of time without him knowing was... infuriating. "Don''t take it too seriously, Sty," Setkh said with a partially seductive voice, his eyeszily resting on his furious sister. "We both have entric tastes, don''t we? You know Karrun here is a bit shy and has a habit of hiding his presence to better fit in crowded ces." Karrun rose and stood beside Setkh, evidently unwilling to have an independent stance in this conversation. He looked over to Skullius and Yuyui and smiled in a friendly manner. "Hello. I''m Karrun. I guess we''ll both be fighting for OUR Family," Karrun said as he extended his hand to Skullius for a handshake. Yuyui wanted to reciprocate the friendliness Karrun was postting but as she saw Skullius being unresponsive, she held herself. An awkward silence ensued. Karrun kept his hand erect in Skullius'' direction but the Hybrid Luman remained still like a statue without any semnce of a shadow of potential movement to shake the man''s hand at all. Yuyui prayed for this poor soul in her heart. She had recently experienced the same with Ferex but the difference was, there was a happy ending to her story. Karrun nervously took back his hand with a wide smile, the look in his eyes turning ice cold for a second as he asked himself... ''Did he figure out my intention? No, no one but Setkh knows this one...'' "Ooff. It looks like we''re off to a rough start," Setkh said as he patted Karrun''s shoulder. "I suppose this is a fitting introduction. Nothing more is needed. We''ll retire for the night in preparation for tomorrow. I assume you have many things to catch up on anyway and would prefer us to leave wouldn''t you?" No response came to Setkh''s question but it was obvious he was right. ''Tomorrow?'' Skullius wondered. What was tomorrow? Karrun and Setkh walked out of the lounge, disappearing upstairs as they left the group. With them gone, the atmosphere turned lighter,. Sty slumped on the couch while Silrat was reenergized, his fury returning. "What the hell took you so long this time?!" "I apologise." "Wh... I don''t care! I need answers!" Silrat boomed. Skullius walked over to Silrat and smiled while patting his shoulder. "It''s all going to be alright, dear friend," he said to Silrat''s furious face''s confusion which twitched a couple of times. Silrat felt like he could have keel over just about now. The Hybrid Luman turned to Sty and asked, "What''s happening tomorrow?" Sty sank further into her seat as she then answered without much dy. "The Royale. It starts tomorrow. Officially at least. I don''t know if that was the original timing or if some manner of luck just happened to waltz by for your sake... but apparently, participants have the first priority to this." "I see," Skullius said. ''Luck, huh?'' He wiped his mind of unnecessary thoughts before asking again. "You''re not nervous at all about it?" Sty gave a short subduedugh. "I have many other things to worry about now," she said. "Unfortunately for me, you remain my single worry," Silrat chipped in while removing Skullius'' hand from his shoulder. "We have a lot of things to discuss." "I know. I have things to discuss with you too, as Ipromised. This is probably the best time for that." "Hmmm?" Silrat didn''t quite follow. "Ahem..." Skullius cleared his throat, a gesture that had infiltrated his mind from having absorbed many memories through [Basic Evil Sanction]. He turned to Sty and then said, "...could we have a moment alone?" The redhead was surprised at first but quickly rose from her seat. She epted that Skullius'' rtionship with Silrat would probably be stronger than her own with him for a while. It was a given. As far as she was concerned, they were only business partners for now. For good reason. "Very well. You''re part of the Family so feel free to be more direct. I''ll also retire for the night," Sty said before disappearing up the stairs. Skullius and Yuyui sat down, the Hybrid Luman activating [Greater Mana Crafter] which changed the air within the room as mana formed a hazy, condensed cube. Silrat looked around with narrowed eyes and breathed in. The mana had suddenly turned thick, nearly bing tangible, like water in the sea. "What.. is this?" "Insurance. What I''m about to tell you is very sensitive. If we are going to continue with a mutually beneficially rtionship, you''ll need to know more about me and my abilities." "I... see..." Silrat paid attention. Skullius was dreadfully serious right now and he could tell that what he was about to be told would revolutionise their entire rtionship. To be trusted with this information was a big deal too. However... "Before that..." Silrat said as he passed something to Skullius. It was a green object, like a card with ck texts in a spiral shape. "You need to dere your participation with this seal. You can tell me everything after you have registered for the Royale. There''s a time limit for participants. It''s best not to miss it." Skullius epted the object, holding it in his hand. This thing? The moment he held it, a string of words emerged within his mind, stating and inquiring important details, mainly his consent first. *** Next day. The early morning was blissful and full of activity. Under the vibrant suns in the sky, a bustle could be felt within the city. Literally, if one was in the midst of it. There was overall a positive atmosphere but the enthusiasm demanded the attention of the Capital Service. Hundreds of Knights had to ensure that there was order. Unlike everyone else, those who were participating in the Premium Age Royale had been informed that the event was to begin today and they in turn notified their respective Families of that and other details. For the general public however, all over the vast city, many had woken up to see hundreds of small stalls where friendly individuals calmly presented them with green cards that had dark text written over them in a spiral design. Control Seals. In order to qualify as a spectator, one had to have one of these and they were free of charge. Thousands of people lined up before these stalls, the individuals that served them pulling out these cards one after another endlessly. The more, the merrier. Unlike with the participants, the issued Control Seals for spectators were to be given out freely and without limitation in time. For the participants, as soon as the number of candidates dering their position in the Royale was filled, there would be no room for anymore additions past the night of the day before. That was the rule. The orderly yet chaotic scene of these events were being overseen by two individuals perched on top of a tall building ¨C one who sat down, the other standing aloof as he seemed to be filtering things in his ''sight''. The one who sat wore a special silver armour with a three point star over the chestte. It was the Pdin Champion Ruhrees, the one stationed in Genhuis City to assist the Capital Service. The other was a man who wore a monocle that covered his left eye, a powerful light hidden behind the ss. A seriousness could be felt from him as he was truly suspicious of this... event. It was his duty as City guardian. A duty that someone else from another distant city had. Unbreakable. "It''s beginning," Ruhrees said with anguid expression. "What do you think?" "What do I think? It''s too early to tell. I escaped having to chat with the Governor over his numerous troubles as a result of this event yet... I''ve found nothing suspicious," the man with monocle said. "That''s demeaning." "The old geezers in the towers found nothing?" "Some dere so, some dismissed me and some refused to tell. They aren''t obligated to tell me anything, after all." "Some guardian you are." The man with monocle sighed with the click of his tongue. "One of them did say something interesting though..." "Hmmm?" "Apparently, the venue for this event was POSSIBLY set wherever it is... to hide from my Daylight Dominion." "I see. That''s not enough to prove anything though. It''s at least enough for us to keep a keen eye. Either way, we''ll just have to split up and see if there really is much to concern ourselves with here." The man with the monocle paused for a bit before nodding. Down below, a man was literally shaking in excitement as it was finally his turn to receive a Control Seal. Everyone who had gotten away scurried away as they waited by friends and family, zoning out for a few moments before they came to with even more excitement up their gullet. "Focus on the spiral on the seal for a couple of seconds and give the information required," the man behind the stall instructed while giving out another Seal. The man next in line happily received the green card and walked away to a safe corner. He took a deep breath, calming himself and did as the stall keeper had said. First came words that sprang in his mind, asking for consent and then... Almost instantaneously, rules and regtions for the event swarmed in...! Chapter 495 Rules And Regulation (A/N: Bonus Chapter). OVERARCHING REGULATIONS OBJECTIVE- The goal of this event can be summed up in three simple points: To seek talent that can be groomed under the EverSword Household. To remedy the growing conflict between established legal and non-legal powers that have clumped up into scattered organisations. To showcase the various styles ofbat born within Pelian and to inspire aspiringbatants who are indecisive over which discipline to pursue. CLASSIFICATIONS- During the course of the PAR, participants will be identified as CONTENDERS while spectators will be identified as WITNESSES. STIPULATIONS FOR CONTENDERS- A liberty has been afforded by the EverSword House for the convenience of involved parties. An aspiring group can be a Family by registering with the Organisational Authority Registrar in any of the prominent cities in Pelian. Indecent or criminal backgrounds will not be considered during this procedure or the event, however said established Families must be at least 45 days old by the time the PAR begins. Any aspiring CONTENDER can sign with a Family of their choosing to formally be a member in order to participate in the event. All Families are allowed a maximum of 20 CONTENDERS who will participate in the event. Once a CONTENDER deres their participation, withdrawal is forbidden. If said CONTENDER is insistent, a window for withdrawal will be opened but with fitting consequences. REWARDS- The EverSword House will setup three Circles of conscription; the Outer, the Inner and the Chosen. Performance within the Royale by Family representative, CONTENDERS, will determine if a Family is worthy of being conscripted into any of the three and their varying degrees of benefits. THE CONTROL SEAL- The Control Seal is a mechanism designed to first and foremost inform and ensure the individual attached to it understands the risks of participating and spectating. With notable differences for CONTENDERS and WITNESSES, the message, ''A BRUTAL GAME OF MIGHT, DEATH AND CHANCE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN, THE ROYAL PRIZE OF WHICH BECKONS FORTUNE, RECOGNITION AND POWER. YOUR SOUL, BODY AND MIND WILL BE PUT TO GRAVE RISK IN THIS EVENT, AN INEVITABILITY IN THE GRAND SCHEME. IF YOU DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE REGARDLESS, PLEASE DECLARE YOUR NAME INTO THE CONTROL SEAL,'' will appear, requesting consent. Upon getting consent, the CONTROL SEAL will qualify an individual as a CONTENDER or a WITNESS. The Control Seal will attach itself to an individual right before the first official collective transportation to the Venue and begin executing its secondary functions which are as: To transport the CONTENDER or WITNESS to and from the venue of the event. To ensure that CONTENDERS and WITNESSES remain unharmed within the atmosphere of the venue i.e. mind, body and soul, outside the Rules of Engagement. To protect WITNESSES from the effects of high level battles. To give visual aid for WITNESSES during the high octane and speedy battles to take ce. To source out basic information about CONTENDERS. To provide established degree of information on the CONTENDERS to the WITNESSES. To monitor whether or not CONTENDERS and WITNESSES have adhered to ALL the stiptions and regtions. -- ESTABLISHED RULES AND STATISTICS TOTAL NUMBER OF CONTENDERS- A total of 71 Families have registered for the event. A total of 234 CONTENDERS will be participating in the event. INTRINSIC EVENT SETUP- The first portion of the event will consist of the PRELIMINARY ROUNDS; 1V1 battles that will take ce in two batches. Each CONTENDER is mandated to have at least two chances in the PRELIMINARY, thus two rounds of these battles will take ce with those who lose in the first round eligible to try again in the second round provided they do not die. A total of SEVEN matches will be held within a single day, followed by a TWO day break for both CONTENDERS AND WITNESSES in order to keep activity outside the venue stable. The purpose of the PRELIMINARIES is to allow weaker CONTENDERS a chance to showcase their capabilities in order to potentially get selected for even the lowest ss of conscription. The evaluation of potential will be handled by selected personnel from the EverSword House. The main event, the Royale, will be held after the two PRELIMINARY ROUNDS, those that remain being left to battle it out ording to the rules that will updated at that time and further exined by the GAME MASTER. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT- Within the arena for the PRELIMINARY ROUNDS: Fatalities are eptable and a KILL is counted as a win. Surrender is also eptable and will not discount a CONTENDER for the next PRELIMINARY ROUND. Each match has a time limit of one hour which upon being exceeded will prompt a draw. In the case of a draw, both CONTENDERS will be disqualified from the event but withpensatory CONSEQUENCES. If CONTENDERS have any queries orints, they may take them up with the GAME MASTER. RULES ON TOOLS AND ARTEFACTS- Each CONTENDER is allowed only ONE LEGENDARY grade tool or weapon and nothing beyond that in grade or quantity. Each CONTENDER is allowed only THREE UNIQUE grade tools or weapons and nothing beyond that in quantity and below in quality. Outside of high level personnel, no WITNESS is allowed to carry an artefact of LEGENDARY grade or higher. If any of the above are not adhered to, the CONTROL SEAL will be prompted to confiscate all the individual''s possessions on top of thepensatory CONSEQUENCES designated in the rules. VENUE- A variety of convenient facilities will be offered within the venue for the basic and advanced needs of all CONTENDERS and WITNESSES. The services offered will have assured quality and top notch performance, catering to the maximum number of individuals carried within. Exit and entry will be dictated and managed by the Control Seals as well as the GAME MASTER, with wanton movements beyond boundaries dubbed intolerable. --- ~Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora~ - [Authors Note] Please do read these rules carefully. They are extremely relevant to this arc. I figured adding them here instead of in the auxiliary volume would help with navigation. Chapter 496 Venue (1) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). From the brightness usually afforded by the great city of Genhuis, the many, many enthusiastic civilians who had decided to go and watch the Premium Age Royale suddenly appeared in a dimmer space. Strangely, they were already seated. Comfortable seats with a bouncy plush to them were under their bottoms while above, a blue, sunless sky could be seen, devoid of clouds. In this space, thick swaths of mana, like nkets could lightly be felt but they did not harm the witnesses. They were all well protected. Millions of rows of seats stacked up in rows that rose high while pushing forward as they formed a curve towards the central space in this oval structure! Millions! This was... A ginormous stadium! All the civilians who had received their Control Seals from the stalls found themselves here after hours of waiting for most of the others to be served! "What? Where are we?!" "Wait! Is this the venue?!" "What''s with the sky? There''s no sun." "Are... are we in danger?! Where are the Knights?!" "Hey, everyone rx! The rules said these things are supposed to keep us safe... right?" Amidst the mour, fear, anxiety and trepidation, one of the many said with sweat dripping from his head. Indeed, the rules that had been funnelled into their minds did say this. The man pulled on the sleeve to his right arm and found... A tattoo. A dark tattoo of text in a spiralling fashion that was printed on his arm! The rules also specified this. Right when they were all transported to this venue, the Control Seals etched themselves onto their bodies and began functioning! "Woow.... Now that I look at this ce. It doesn''t feel like any ce in Pelian..." an old woman remarked as she looked at the sky, the only natural thing she could see. The rising arrangement towered over a massive distance high up and no matter how someone looked, they couldn''t see what was beyond. After a certain point, only a few seats with a morevish design could be seen at the highest point, but even they had behind and above them, an extended wall that covered everything outside. Thesevish seats were empty as those whom they were meant for had not yet arrived. The same was true for the two rows of seats below them, that seemed to also be reserved for high standing personnel. Contrasting this high position, at the very bottom of the stacked rows of seats, a beautiful tent of sparkling gold and silver was erected, following the oval shape of this arrangement, the seats here also being different whenpared to those offered to the general public. They were also unupied, as with the seats at the very top, with harsh distances ced between them. A great stretch of purple, well mowed grass extended from this tent, beyond a smooth light blue ss that could be said to be a barrier against whatever was ahead. As for what was ahead, an expansive square-shaped tform that spanned for roughly nine kilometres was at the centre of focus. ? It had a solid white colour with its build looking extremely thick and sturdy, raised about a hundred meters above ground, small orbs of mana fizzing from its surface in a gorgeous show. A silvery barrier that danced lightly, looking to be as thin as a fly''s wings surrounded it, making everyone marvel. The twoplemented each other divinely! This was where the battles would be held! The Preliminaries, as mentioned in the intrinsic setup! CREEEEEEEEEE! High above, arge shadow was cast over this ginormous stadium, a massive dark bird, its likeness akin to a ck feathered pelican, pped its wings as it looked down with a furious glint in its eyes! Several of these massive birds flew down from seemingly nowhere, bearing down their atrocious natural might that caused everything to tremble with an electric shiver on the everything! Everything but this stadium! "Arrrrrghhhhh...wait," one woman had begun to scream when she saw the massive birds but realised... No sound reached her ear from the giant birds that angrily screeched from high up! No vibration. No suppression by mana. Not even a change in the fluctuations of the wind. Nothing. If they didn''t see these birds, it would almost be like they didn''t exist. Something disallowed these birds from simply flying down. "Incredible. It really is safe here. Haha... wait, wait, wait...!" "I think I know where we are...!" "It couldn''t be....!" The collective thoughts of millions manifested as a thunderp, a realisation dawning on everyone here! They were... in a Cluster?! A Cluster was the venue of the event?! As if to answer the lingering doubt within the hearts and minds of the witnesses here, a thrum rumbled from underneath, along with the unsettling nging of massive chains. Unlike the screeches and scrawls of the giant birds that had left, these low vibrations and faint sounds rung. Something powerful was emitting a defeated and pained grumble that made everyone shiver, just the might of it groans bypassing the soundproof rune system applied on the stadium! The sounds of chains that came along with this seemed to have the same level of power behind it! Those that had been curious over what was outside the stadium suddenly had second thoughts. It was best not to know. The crowd began to settle, some growing a bit morefortable in the seats. What was there to worry about? The whole arrangement allowed for there to be at least a meter''s worth of space between seats from the front, back and sides therefore the atmosphere was not stuffy. In fact, a cool sensation destroyed the conventional heat that would normally be expected from having such a lot of people in one ce. Columns ofrge free space could be seen between every five thousand seats, these being spaces for people to walk through. Additionally, in these spaces, floating doors stood mysteriously in mid-air, their colour a bright silver. The information fed to the masses alluded to this as well. These doors led to the restrooms which were designed to be convenient and sufficient for the millions and potentially more. Above that... Millions of shes of silver light appeared right before everyone seated ¨C a small table manifesting with a tray of food and drink on it. Various assortments of dishes, from quality roasted and stewed meats, fresh bread, sds and freshly cut fruit, the collective aroma which should have been chaotic actually meshing very well. A hot beverage as well as a cold one were offered inrge sealed sks toplement the buffet and everyone couldn''t help but marvel! This...! "Dear Listafelle! All this...!" "Did wee here to drink and eat?!" "I could get used to this!" "Hahahahaha! I''m so d I came! Though I wish a couple of sexydies were serving us. . That would have made this perfect." "Tell me about it. I''d like an interlude that jiggles from time to time. I haven''t been getting any action recently." "I feel your pain brother. Nothing beats having to¡ª" "SHUT UP YOU DEGENERATES!!" The anxiety which had slowly been cooling off was brought down another notch as some took a swig of the beverages while others dug into the food. Utter bliss. To construct such a massive stadium... To ensure that millions could be catered for withoutpromising quality... This was the power of a House. The EverSword House! As time slowly ticked by, the WITNESSES chatting and eagerly anticipating the proceedings leading up to the beginning of the event, more bright shes of silver light sprang forth from high above, on the seats at the very top of the arrangement. Several individuals appeared with this silver light. Over the five seats of the topmost row, three figures, two of which had a striking semnce, sat. One was a man with a fierce gaze, his dark hairplementing his hazel coloured eyes perfectly. He donned a thick cloak with fine, silver colouring and golden fringes. He looked over the masses with pride and nodded mysteriously. To his left sat a shapely woman with a smile on her face, admiring the filled up stadium on all angles. Despite her emotions on everything else, she was proud of what was aplished by her husband. She had to. She moved her hand to hold the dark haired man''s own which rested on the armrest and gripped it tight. "This is it, Rearren," she said in a low voice, to which the man beside her, responded with another nod of his head. "Indeed," Rearren said as he turned to his right. "Direction is in our favour. Don''t you think so too, Rias?" The third of three figures was a young man with dark hair like his father''s but with streaks of blue at the fringes of his bangs. His honey coloured eyes that remained focused on the millions of witnesses here, with some space left to spare where the seats were concerned, held a cold, unfeeling energy about them. "Yes father, I believe so as well," Rias said while sping his hands together, one of which had a dark bandage around it from the shoulder to his fingers. --- ~Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora~ Chapter 497 Venue (2) (A/N: Bonus Chapter). Following the appearance of these three esteemed figures, on the row below theirs where ten seats could be spotted, multiple individuals with high standing spawned. The Governor''s son, two of his daughters, a burly man with a wild visage, his arms crossed over his expansive chest, three figures donning exquisite Mage robes and Ruhrees who leaned forward in his seat. "Hmm...incredible," the Pdin Champion remarked as he took in the scenes below and above. Such wealth... On thest row, where twenty seats could be spotted, other well-respected persons were present ¨C several dignified men with crests belonging to highly regarded Families, several Guilds Association officials, including the evaluator ris and a few others. Below, under the massive tent that obscured the view of who sat in that veryst row, several shes of silver light appeared as well, the 234 Contenders having appeared. Large spaces existed between them under the tent and as they sat, most of them marvelled at the stadium and the crowds above. Phenomenal! Among them, Skullius could be seen adorned in his VergeRider which took the usual form ¨C a dark blue jacket with ck leather bracers and dark fitting pants. His senses spread wide in an attempt to take in the full surroundings but that was insufficient. As a result, he switched to using Crude Vision, his eyes bing ignited with a darkness. The view became clear. "Damn..." This ce was big. The concentration of mana was ridiculous but it didn''t bear down on him as he thought, not that he minded. Skullius ran his fingers over his arm, feeling the imprint of the Control Seal on it. Right, this was Seal''s doing. The rules and regtions had been very clear. He turned to the individuals on his sides but didn''t get a chance to fully take it all in as a booming voice interrupted him. It came from high up. Rearren had stood up. "Wee all!" With these words, the noise died down and everyone paid attention, most attempting to turn behind them so that they could see who was speaking. However, for everyone''s convenience, three hundred gigantic rectangr screens made of a clear ss materialised at the very centre of this stadium, amodating the pre-established apportionments of all the viewers from top to bottom. Over these screens, the face of Rearren showed, making the crowds sigh in relief. Everything seemed well thought out! "My name is Rearren EverSword. I''m sure most do not know who I am, at least you did not until now and for good reason," Rearren said, garnering many cheers and apuse from the crowd. So this was the host! Rearren gestured for the two at his sides to stand. Rias to his right and the woman to his left rose up and he went on to introduce them. "This is my only son, Rias EverSword and this, is my wife, Millisa EverSword. We are part of a long line of bastions of strength for Pelian, much like the other five Houses. However, you do not know us because we mainly keep to ourselves. We only respond when needed. We are satisfied with being trump cards in the shadows. No. We were." "That changes from today. The Royal Family chose to expand the reach of Pelian and its people to ces overseas, allying itself with the Sif. This is a powerful decision in the long run that will cause a wave of diversity over our nation. Truly. Yet before that, I and my House wish to see Pelian groom herself from the inside." The crowds maintained silence as Rearren''s speech continued. They already knew the objectives of the Premium Age Royale but hearing it from the horse''s mouth was much more invigorating and possibly, moreconvincing. "We, as the bastions of Pelian dating back tens of millennia are responsible for being toofortable, letting this nation remain stagnant and failing to teach and groom with what has been passed down to us. It is our very nature. Greed. Sadly that doesn''t change a simple fact. A fact that you and I share. Weck. Weck passion! Weck drive! Our blood has turned cold! It no longer hisses with the fire of challenge! Be it forbatants, for nonbatants! We have grown stale, gettingfortable in the long years inactivity!" "We writhe in conflict with one another instead of teaching ourselves how to sharpen our skills! Those who desire to fight, to their fists! Those who desire to build, with their bricks! But even still, any profession can grow boring without something to look forward to at end of the day!" "Do you not yearn for it, excitement of this kind?! Exchanging blows! Trading feet! Showcasing what Pelian has groomed in a marvellous setup so it can be enhanced! This is it! A break from normalcy! A cure for the cancer you all know! To forge a powerful nation and to strip ourselves of misguided collusions! This is it! You were born to witness it! However you benefit from it!" Slowly, a wave of excitement began to permeate through the millions. Yes. It had been boring. Yes. It had been growing stale. People needed something to look forward to. Something to go and watch that also had a grander purpose in mind. It would be great if the wandering bandits were taken care of. It would be great if many got inspiration from watching the fights here, though the concern of fatalities being permissible was palpable. Still... one couldn''t help but anticipate. "I do not know what this event will spurn. Sess, failure, excitement, sorrow, fear... But at the end of it all, at very least, ensure that you can say this to yourself or your loved one at home..." Rearren paused. "....''I had a great FUCKING time!''" "YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHH!" The crowds cheered! Many stood as they apuded, feeling a rush! Rearren knew how to rile up the crowds. They didn''t want to have the objective of the PAR reiterated and exined in a political fashion. They wanted the more explosive and informal exposition that tickled their primal fancy! They had been given what they wanted! Indeed, this was better than they imagined! Ruhrees scoffed. As did the Governor''s son. ''No wonder the Royal Family agreed to let him host this thing,'' he thought. "Now, allow me to hand over the mantle to the one who will be taking the reins to this event. The Game Master!" Rearren said. Suddenly, the screens that aided everyone visually vanished and on the central tform, the square-shaped arena, a silver light shed, a tall man appearing. Despite the vast distance, the many witnesses found their eyes zooming in on this man and getting a clear, defined picture of everything on and around him. The Control Seal was at work again! Multi-coloured spheres of light burst from this man, shing in different directions as they rose up before exploding in a beautiful light show of jubilee! Music began to y, the type that made the heart race! This man had dual coloured hair, part of it ck and the other purple. He wore a grin as he raised his head and spread his arms wide while being bathed in the residue of the colourful explosions ¨C sparks of light that rained over the tform. UUUUOOOOOH! Everyone was pumped! This Game Master sure was shy! The man opened his mouth and spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen! Contenders and Witnesses! The most glorious event to ur in the past millennia is about to begin, a highlight to be remembered in theing generations! Let me hear you scream in EXTRAVAGANCE!" "YEAAAAAAAAAH!!" ....! --- ~Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora~ Chapter 498 Game Master! (A/N: Bonus Chapter). ...! Skullius almost stood up in shock! He quickly held himself back as that simple move if noticed could have dire consequences. This man... That voice! That face! It was... him! The man from that cavern where he and the Harem Guild battled the Evenfall cultists! ''I thought he was captured! Did he escape?!'' Skullius thought in confusion. Silrat hadn''t told him of this. It probably slipped his mind because at the time that it happened, the Galemonger hadid waste to the city right after with its Bulk Terrors! Following that, he had witnessed the consequences of providing wanton assistance to Skullius without mutual benefit in real time, which rattled him even further. Following that came arranging the agreement with Sty and after that, Skullius had departed from them, iming he would meet them in Genhuis City. So yes, that had slipped Silrat''s mind. Speaking of the former Branch Head. He was seated in the rows just below the topmost three which were reserved for witnesses with direct ties to the Families, alongside Sty, Setkh, Yuyui and Daggs. The expression on his face was also ugly! What had been an event that he had deemed insignificant now that he had moved to Genhuis City and had greater concerns, had turned grave once again! Silrat squeezed the armrest with both his hands. ''Damn it! What''s the meaning of this?! Does this entire event have the Evenfall behind it then? And potentially the Green Neolists too?!'' Silrat thought in anguish. After Tulnas had returned from the mission, he had pretty much confirmed for everyone that the two groups were in cahoots. Given that logic... ''Should I have Sty and Setkh withdraw? No, the rules forbid it. Festos and Karrun will likely be killed. No doubt that''s the.. consequence, or maybe something worse!'' Silrat brought his hands to his mouth as he breathed nervously into them, his mind churning. Skullius on the other hand, reyed everything to do with this man while his mind also spun. Back then, a masked man had shown up in the cave to save the cultists that remained. No. That was secondary. He was lead there by the crest that Skullius had in his possession, the one he had been given by Eobald in the Tremur Forest. After that, Somanda suddenly showed up and killed off the masked man before pursuing him. ''This goes deeper then. If I mess around, I might end up getting involved with Somanda again. I still don''t know how all these guys are rted after all,'' Skullius thought while scratching his chin. He slowly calmed down. He needed to cool off. Once again, he paid attention to his Control Seal. Now, his thoughts concerning this thing changed for the worse. Perhaps what the rules said wasn''t the thick of it. Maybe his very thoughts and intent was being monitored. In the worse case scenario, the minds behind this event already had contingencies against someone like him who knew a bit about them! ''Me and Silrat need to have another talk it seems,'' Skullius thought with a heavy sigh. The man whom the witnesses and some Contenders apuded for remained with a cheery grin, his eyes darting to and fro as colourful explosions rang out in the sky in a beautiful shower! Before him, small ss tforms began to appear in a floating staircase arrangement as the music died down, the man, Guissepo, climbing them to reach a great height. As the mour began to die down, he bowed and continued to speak. "My blessed, extravagant audience. It is good to have you all here. I hope your minds, bodies and very souls will paying extravagant attention to the unique arrangement we have setup for you for theing months. It may seem like an extravagantly long time but I assure you, it will all pass in a heartbeat." "Sadly, I must also mention that today, is but a formality and an exhibition to get the extravagant rules and regtions across, as well as to get you all ustomed to this arrangement. We only have a single match prepared for your enjoyment at this time." Disapproval and concern rung from all around Guissepo but he retained his smile. "Come now. There is no need rush. Those who relish in extravagance have to show patience as a virtue, haha," Guissepo said, his voice ringing out wildly. "Before any of that however, allow me to borate a bit more about the event and the venue." The Game Master''s carefree and affable smile drove the masses to quit their reverse hurrah. It wasn''t all that bad after all. Having an exhibition should be fun. These were usually designed to hype up the main events. "As I am sure many of you clever minds have extravagantly deduced, this is a Cluster. A purple Cluster." Skullius frowned. A purple Cluster? In order, Clusters went from white, blue, purple and ck; some mixtures existed in between but going on the colour coding, purple would be atrociously dangerous. The scale of the world within the Cluster along with the monsters it harboured... Skulliuspared the Cluster Generals he faced from Jackpot, to Guddhar the Sage Monkey to the Galemonger then to the Grand me Bringer... None of these should hold a candle to what a purple Cluster had to offer! So this was where they were? No wonder the mana here was so absurdly thick. The civilian witnesses would definitely need protection from such an environment. "It is indeed surprising for you extravagant lot isn''t it? Yet, that pales inparison to the might of the host. To ensure that the Cluster remains extravagantly stable, the Cluster General has been bested and imprisoned instead of being killed, so you need not fear. Most of the powerful monsters here have all been taken care of as well. Haha! And all this, is the work of one extravagant young man. The young master of the EverSword Household. Rias EverSword!" The ss screens appeared once again to show the indifferent face of the young man who sat next to his father and mother. ...! Him?! This time, most of the Contenders were led to furrow their brows. That was... absurd! This... boy didn''t look a day older than sixteen or perhaps seventeen! Skullius was also gobsmacked but kept his surprise under the cover of flesh. ''Seriously?'' If that were true... Guissepo cleared his throat to get everyone''s attention again. "All that said, I hope you can get a bit more assurance as to your safety. Beyond that, following the Preliminary Rounds, the extravagant main event, the Battle Royale, featuring those who remain will begin will begin. You wouldn''t want to miss it! The location will not be something as extravagantly boring as this stadium, but another prepared region in this extravagantlyrge Cluster! The rules will be exciting and the finale will be exquisite. Yet it is too soon for that. Let us celebrate the current set of events!" "Let the exhibition match begin!" The ss stairs that Guissepo sat on moulded into a singr t piece that he sat on which floated higher into the air. On the white tform beneath, two silver lights shed, revealing two Contenders who faced off against each other with unveiled enthusiasm a€¡° one, a slim but busty woman with long pure diamond coloured hair, the other, a slim man with short, cinnamon coloured hair. The eyes of the witnesses vividly sucked in every feature of these Contenders, the adrenaline within every one of them literally boiling! At the same time, floating text appeared above the two Contenders in the eyes of everyone gazing at them, showing select details about them... --- ~Sponsored by Mashu_Berusutora~ Chapter 499 Exhibition --- Name : Ijjit a Stonof Stage : Second Phase Master Core : Blue Family : Stonof - Name : a Ben Ekkel Stage : Second Phase Master Core : Blue Family : Ekkel --- All witnesses and contenders saw the floating text above the two on the tform and gained a better understanding of how the Control Seal worked. Name, Stage, Core and Family name... These were the details the Control Seal showed. Ijjit was the woman with the expansive bust while a was the man. The two stared at each other, their visages disying different attitudes towards the battle they were about to engage in. Both wore simple clothing, with Ijjit donning a confident smile while a bore a serious face as he got into stance. The crowds were hyped! The distance between the two opponent was no less than four hundred meters and from the tform to every witness watching, the distance was greater, yet it seemed like their eyes were bolstered by an unseen force that allowed them to see with astonishing rity! Tomon folk, this was amazing. To those who were already strong enough to see all this though, it wasn''t enough to garner surprise. The text was very informative though, which was much appreciated. A detail to be noted was how the two Contenders both had middle names. These in actuality, were their originalst names, with the surnames at the end being the names of the Families they were signed into. This notation was meant to ensure that there was a clear distinction between original Family members and otherwise just for the sake of it. Exposing this didn''t make much of a difference to the overall game after all. For Skullius who had his sockets burning with a thick darkness as he saw all shapes in a mix of grey, white and ck, the same applied. He could also see the text but... ''Something is not right here...'' he thought. His extensive senses and [Greater Mana Crafter] helped him catch traces of something peculiar about these twobatants that leaked partially. Something was forcibly subdued within their bodies. Something sinister. Something familiar. An energy that he had felt before. On top of this, the two''s presences had a distinct simrity to those of the Energy Formers he had met! High above, someone else felt most of what Skullius felt. ''Hmmm. I''m rarely off when ites to sensing something like this...'' Ruhrees thought while leaning forward, his armour nging lightly with his movement. These two individuals. Their presence... Something about them... He couldn''t quite put a finger on it but he had an obvious theory. For now, he would keep it to himself however. It was not worth it to run around spouting baseless usation after all, especially not when he was who he was. Besides, if it was as he thought, the old geezers in the towers would have said something... probably. The boisterous cheer from the crowd suddenly exploded as Ijjit made the first move, her figure darting forward whileyered with bright mana! The tform below her enhanced the light of her footsteps ridiculous for dramatic effect and she rose over a with a fierce dropkick, the shrieking air around her also red in the spectators'' eyes! a released a great amount of his mana and smothered it over his hands which guarded above his head to cushion himself from the blow! The impact birthed by this one exchange shot outwards ravenously and smacked against the thin, rising around the tform which blinked! Skullius instantly narrowed his eyes as he noticed something interesting. The harsh mana which raged from the two''s sh was barred from leaving the area within the barrier but bits of it that wouldn''t even hurt a child were let out to spray outwards over the stadium like a breeze! This was all to enhance the experience! ''It''s still apetition where you can kill. This match is probably meant to mask the hundreds that will die hereter,'' Skullius thought while scratching his chin. Ijjit rapidly moved away from a before rushing towards him again and throwing three significant blows that were packed with atrocious force! a easily weaved and swiped the attacks away before rising up andunching an ugly kick at Ijjit''s neck! The woman ducked down and swept down right when a was descending but the man gathered the majority of his mana into his feet to reinforce them, preventing himself from getting knocked down! Unfortunately, while he was sessful in avoiding getting knocked down, he was temporarily left unable to react to Ijjit''s next move which employed quick thinking and flexibility. The woman chest bobbed as she pulled in legs and pushed her feet at a''s chest which wasrgely unguarded by mana! BOOOM! The man was sted several dozens of meters back before, with a hard face, he rolled and hurriedly stood only to see Ijjit blitzing her way towards him and flinging tens of punches! An crazy physical exchange began and the regr witnesses roared in excitement, some standing as they whistled, no doubt supporting Ijjit a€¡° many of them were from the degeneratemunity! Ordinary men, women and children could follow the rapid movements and the finer details of the fight they would have been unable to perceive otherwise, which pumped up many to a much greater degree. To the Contenders and the witnesses seated at the top however, this was nothing. It was a show that could only excite the normal people. At least this current point. After several minutes of back forth, Ijjit and a created some distance between them again, their mana bubbling. They both exhaled hot air, the sound of this amplified by the stadium to cause another burst of excitement. Something wasing! These two were about to get serious! From Ijjit, a storm of cobalt blue, neon energy rose from her body, lighting up a huge portion of the stadium! It seemed the thin barrier around the tform also amplified the various intense colours that manifested within it, a low level feature but enticing to the audience nheless as it made Ijjit using her Genuine Incarnation a treat to watch! a did the same, a bright white light bursting up from him too with a simr level of radiance and power to Ijjit''s! Above the man, something formed. The Aura he expelled from his body moulded itself into something intricate. It formedrge pir! One could call it a pole that was about twice the size of full grown man, at the ends of its pristine white cylindrical shape two ck caps with sparkling white patterns! The pir moved and fell right beside a who hold its surface while his eyes refused to leave Ijjit. The woman smiled as above her, what formed with the perfect Aura was... Arge feminine figure! The details were not as clear cut, but they weren''t meant to be. The outline of blue woman with features just like Ijjit''s appeared, her size being thrice that of the original and with a minimalist design of femininebat armour over her! Aside from a pair of radiant white eyes, a nose and a simplistic mouth, nothing too surprising could be seen on her face, but her outlined figure held a deep sense of authority and power that didn''t need demonstration! It oozed from this Genuine Incarnation, tainting the surroundings with sprinkles of blue dust! The Genuine Incarnation descended to float serenely behind Ijjit, the blue hair on its head rustling about beautiful! UUUUUUOOOOOOH! Excitement was palpable all around. How would this battle unfold? Skullius and every other contender looked at this development with keen eyes. The Hybrid Luman essed the knowledge he had gained from one of the bandits he had thought, one who had been somewhat capable. Apparently, the Master Stage different immensely from the Advancement Stage. While the Advancement Stage had 10 levels, the Master Stage had 20 each ten that made it up being a different phase. Those in the first phase could not bepared to those in the second, as thetter had two major advantages. One of these was the ability to forge their Genuine Incarnation into either a Living type Incarnation or an Object type Incarnation a€¡° the Living type Incarnations were able to borrow the characteristics of their user, including technique, unique ability or blessing, bolstering them and using them incredibly well offensively. The Object type Incarnations doubled down on defense, enhancing Genuine Incarnations'' ability to counteract mana and basic Aura attacks to an extremely high degree! Naturally, both types of Incarnations were still capable of attack and defence but their areas of speciality were well... more specialised. All that said, as Skullius saw the Incarnations, it was obvious which was what. In fact, he was forced to remember Bek who had Genuine Incarnations that formed rings around his rapiers, their solid form proof that he was probably not in the second phase yet. As many expected Ijjit was the first to show the intent to attack with her Incarnation while a raised hisrge pir defensively before him while his body glowed with excess Aura! The masses were expectant but even with this, all the Contenders knew this wasn''t going to be an exciting match. It would pretty much end with a generic show of nd power... Chapter 500 Entitled Brat The Living type Incarnation that belonged to none other than Ijjit rose fiercely, its hair rustling serenely in the windless atmosphere as it shot towards a. The cautious man narrowed his eyes and twirled the Object type Incarnation in his grasp, pushing it ahead of him to block the fierce punch that stormed from the valiant,rge and luminous outline of a voluptuous woman! After a crisp impact, a drew back, creating more distance between himself and Ijjit but the busty woman dashed towards him, her Incarnation following along. As the chase began, it was abruptly cut off by a making a sharp turn and suddenly swinging his pole behind him, which prompted Ijjit to make the split second decision to defend. As she did, a followed up with a series of thrusts with his blunt ended pole, all of which were expertly blocked by Ijjit''s Incarnation. The witnesses cheered but the Contenders got bored quickly. In general, Living type Incarnations, because they employed intricate characteristics of living things and the abilities of their user, especially for more advanced Master Stage experts, were limited in their range. They could not go too far away from their Masters, else the would lose their forms and special offensive effects. The idea behind them was to mimic the flexibility of life and techniques and that was hard to do when the user was projecting their Aura far from themselves. Object type Incarnations were easier to maintain at a distance because they incorporated the basics of Genuine Incarnations in general and were less flexible, thus their usability at varying ranges. Ijjit had been chasing around a because of he limitation of her Incarnation which put her at a disadvantage when it was a''s turn to attack. This was where the boring part came. Both of thesebatants were not doing anything special with their Incarnations. Ijjit''s Incarnation didn''t do anything other than punch hard and a didn''t do anything other than swing his pole. No special effects were applied. No techniques. No blessings. Nothing. The Contenders began to wonder whether these two were even actually participating at all. It was possible that they were just putting on a show but... something was not right about it. None other than Skullius and Ruhrees could pick up on this. As most of the Contenders would expect, a dragged out battle of fists and blocks ensued for a little less than twenty minutes with sh and bouncy fan service before a decisively raised his hand. "I give up." He surrendered. Apparently, Ijjit''s unrelenting attacks despite his ability to dodge and defend was too much for him. In the eyes of everyone present, a blinking red light started to sh around a while a blue one swirled around Ijjit, naming them loser and winner respectively. This needed no exnation to anyone who saw and the witnesses cheered, having enjoyed this exhibition that disyed a glimpse of what they were in for. The figures of a who sighed disappointedly and Ijjit who had begun to rile up the crowds by bouncing up and down while cheering vanished, transported away by the same silver light that had brought them here. Guissepo, who had been floating up, descended onto the white tform once again which remained without a scratch after the battle. He wore a grin as he addressed the crowds that apuded, the cheering from every direction. "Indeed! That was a rather extravagantly...tame show of power but it will do for the day!" he said as the noise died down. "Go out there and invite as many as you can to join. Toe and enjoy this extravagant showcase of talent and power which will go on for months! Surely, one other might want to indulge in it and sit next to you, overlooking the extravagant experts of Pelian!" The crowd concurred. Even now, there were many, many seats left for more witnesses to sit on. In fact, the stadium could be expanded to amodate more people if needed. The gaze of Guissepo shifted from the heights where most of the cheer came from and settled on the individuals sitting with distances between them in the tent. His eyes showed a glint of excitement and intrigue, though most of that was not reciprocated by the Contenders. It didn''t matter to him either way. "For our Contenders, Master Rearren EverSword has prepared an informal, introductory gathering that will be held tonight. Introductions and understandings are of extravagant importance. The establishment of these will be necessary before the beginning of the real battles tomorrow. Feel free toe and dine," Guissepo informed. ''A gathering, huh? Not suspicious at all,'' Skullius narrowed his eyes. It didn''t seem like Guissepo had noticed or even recognised him but he remained vignt still. A gathering, or rather, a party, seemed pretty normal but Skullius couldn''t help but attach every bit of his suspicion about this Game Master to everything else he said or implied. Rearren EverSword''s gaze fell on Guissepo with a knowing glint and the man finally announced... "Let us gather once again when the real, extravagant me begins to burn..." Guissepo bowed and with the force of his will as the Game Master, he dismissed everyone. Millions of silver light tore through the space for fractions of a second, leaving the seats in the stadium empty. A silence bore down on the expansive, city like stadium. It all surrounded the man left on the tform, bowing as he wore a subdued smile. A burst of calm breath was expelled from his nostrils as he sat down and rxedly looked up. The visions he had seen through the eye of the Galemonger back then constantly shed in his head. He yearned for what he had seen to finallye true. (A/N: Refer to Ch.316). This was the beginning of it and he couldn''t be more proud. Who knew someone like him would be seen fit to take the reins to a millenia old belief that had been thwarted consistently, taking it hundreds of steps closer to its goal. Certainly not him. VWOOOSH! Suddenly, an explosion of bright orange me burst a distance from Guissepo, the light being amplified by the thin barrier around the tform. Guissepo turned to it while maintaining his jovial mood. Three figures walked out from the rapidly disappearing luminescence of the fire, reaching the Evenfall cultist secondster. Fulina and Cyne stood on both sides of Actuass who wore his usual getup, their eyes locking onto Guissepo with barely veiled hostility. "Any trouble with your role?" the masked man said in a hollow voice, the glint of hazel from his eyes piercing towards Guissepo''s visage. "Recruiting men and women deemed ouws in Pelian for the extravagant strength they wield took longer than I thought. Other than that, everything is extravagantly marvellous." "That is not what I meant but very well," Actuass said as he looked around, the synched thrum of distant massive chains and a guttural roar echoing at this moment. "I''m sure I do not need to reiterate the stiptions of the Creeds we are under." Guissepo rested his cheek on his hand as he shifted his sitting position. "Yes, yes, roles and all. I am not to leave this ce until the very end of the Royale. I know. As the anchor for Master Boron''s Primus, it''s only extravagantly natural but..." Guissepo paused. "...If I may ask. You so simply agreed to be a part of this, yet I do not see how this benefits you. Even with all I was shown, I still have no clue. What is your extravagant goal? Do you simply wish to perish alongside everyone who opposes Master Boron''s extravagant release during that inevitable day? When this lengthy event ends, our alliance will expire after all. We may as well be enemies then." Fulina and Cyne turned to Actuass. It was true. Back then, when Guissepo killed the former leader of the Evenfall, Actuass had agreed to the cultist''s n without much hesitation. This puzzled them, but they trusted the masked man''s judgement, though, this had to do with a literal god who seemingly showed Guissepo the right path to take for his release which involved Actuass himself. After a brief silence, a less than astute answer followed Guissepo''s question. "You grew up in a normal household, one that feared the Deities, thankful for the littlest of good to grace them, if I recall." Guissepo narrowed his eyes. The two had had a brief conversation about their ideals in which Guissepo had mentioned his background but Actuass had barely shared anything about himself. Where was this going? "Sadly, I cannot rte to your grievances about how you were treated by society and perhaps even the Deities themselves. However you felt everyone else lived while you suffered, is foreign to me. I nevercked anything since I was born. Iwas spoiled, brash and greedy. You could say... I was an ungrateful devil." Guissepo scoffed. "Maybe I''m still the same even now." Actuass said with a distant voice before his keen eyes bore down on Guissepo with a crazy light. "When your god eventually erupts from under the world, I will greedily ride off his chaotic vengeance like the entitled brat I am." --- [Author''s Note] Sorry for the dy. Had some stuff to deal with. I intend to do a mass release over the weekend to make up for it. Please continue to support this work in the meantime! Thanks ya''ll! Chapter 501 Living Solutions Within the Bryne Family Residence, bright shes of silver light tainted the space briefly as seven individuals appeared in the lounge, standing where they had been before they were transported to the Venue. They all looked around, most of them at least, Setkh going on to ruin the silence. "Well, I''d say that was a sight I didn''t expect," the redhead said with a jovial tone while pping Karrun''s back. Everyone else felt the same way but agreeing with Setkh verbally felt... wrong. Skullius instantly turned to Silrat who also turned to him. They were on the same wavelength. In the rarest of scenarios, both were being choked by the same paranoid sentiment. How were they tomunicate safely about what they had just witnessed? Was there surveince? Did the Control Seals have information gathering functions which obviously hadn''t been stipted in the Rules and Regtions? This was tricky. Before more than a few seconds could pass as the two thought about this though, Skullius found something in his hand. "Hmmm?" He could have sworn he wasn''t holding something a moment ago. A beige envelope was between his fingers, and strangely... "Oh! Where did thise from?!" Karrun eximed as he raised an identical envelope to the one that Skullius was holding, up! The Hybrid Luman''s senses grew keen. There actually wasn''t anything unnatural about the envelope. In fact, it was a perfectly normal, soft piece of paper, with another clean sheet within it that seemed to have writing on it. Skullius passed the paper to Yuyui who stood by his side, the girl who was used to this already aware of what her master wanted. "It''s an address. I think," she said, reading the lines of text over and over again. "Indeed. It seems to be where the gathering will be held and everyone closely rted to the Contenders is allowed to go," Setkh said while reading the paper he had taken from Karrun. "Do we really have to attend?" Sty asked as she plopped on the couch. Silrat took the paper from Yuyui and began reading, his brows furrowing as many thoughts collided in his mind. "I''d say it''s a must to go. This is being hosted by the EverSword House and since there''s a possibility they are in the city, they may show up at this party," the former Association Branch Head said with a conflicted voice. Sty''s perceptive on the matter changed instantly. She understood what Silrat was implying. Her goal was to have the EverSword House help her with the issue with her father. If by some chance her or Skullius'' absence was registered, it was possible that they could jeopardise the entire n before the Hybrid Luman even had a chance to show what he was capable of in the Royale. "Ugh..." Still, it was a drag. Sty wasn''t the type of enjoy gatherings filled with posh and prideful versions of lesser royalty and nobles. Such a shame. Silrat suddenly held Skullius'' shoulder. "Excuse us for a moment," he said as he dragged Skullius out of the lounge leaving the others to their individual concerns and thoughts. * Skullius and Silrat sat opposite each other in thetter''s bedroom ¨C the former on the bed, thetter on a chair. "So...?" Silrat voiced. Skullius'' nk eyes didn''t show much emotion or concern but he was doing a lot of thinking. More than usual. "It shouldn''t be a problem if we speak vaguely right? Unless this thing detects our actual intent and thought instead..." Skullius said. "Right..." Silrat concurred even before Skullius finished speaking. Either way, they needed to talk about this. "What happened with that man?" the Hybrid Luman inquired. "Well..." Silrat began while swiping his face with his hand, removing the bits of sweat over it. He gave a brief exnation of the situation with Guissepo without stating any names orying some obvious implications or usations, most of which Skullius caught on to. "That''s... unexpected," Skulliusmented. The Galemonger seemed to have been a more important piece than he thought. It hadn''t been a simple Cluster General. Could that thing''s purpose have been to save Guissepo all along? But then... that implied that a predetermined set of events were anticipated from the very beginning. All that said, this meant the Premium Age Royale was most definitely another one of the pieces closely linked to these predetermined set of events that Guissepo was linked to, right? "We can''t withdraw from the Royale and I reckon informing someone from the Purity about this will be unwise too. The safest bet would be to see this through to the end. If the EverSword House is involved with the Evenfall and potentially the Green Neolists then.... you''ll have to fight your way to bing someone they can value," Silrat said while his gaze remained stuck on Skullius'' white eyes. Unfortunately, even attracting the attention of the House wasn''t guaranteed to work. Who knew what the victors were going to be used for or even the loser?! "The EverSword House, huh...?" Skullius said. He couldn''t help but recall the ss panels that showed Rias EverSword. He couldn''t see the details of the boy''s face clearly but he etched what he could in his mind. That boy was said to have cleared the Cluster beasts in the purple Cluster on his own! That was just the power of that one kid. What about to other members in this Family? The uncles, the aunts, the cousins... the Household Head? If everyone had power simr to that... it definitely wasn''t worth it to antagonise this House in any way or be found out to have attempted to do so. Above the general strength, it was clear that the EverSword House had the backing of someone who was extremely proficient in runecraft, not to mention the two groups they were associating with. If anyone else knew this, all they could think of was how to suck up to this powerhouse andy low. It would be better to act oblivious and give it your best in the rounds, right? Right?! Yet... Skullius grinned. Silrat was greatly unsettled. This should be a very undesirable situation for them so why was Skullius rxed? "What do you think?" Silrat asked nervously. "This event is supposed to take a few months, right? That should be enough time." "Enough time for what?" Silrat questioned, very lost on what Skullius thought. "I told you about the Labyrinth of the Yoke, didn''t I?" Silrat silently nodded. Indeed. He had been told a lot about Skullius, his journey and his powers, the Labyrinth included, yesterday. It had been a lot to digest and saying that he slept well the previous night would be a grand lie. He was still trying to process all of it even now. The revtions that had beenid before him cleared up a lot of questions he had but also made a doorway for a swarm of more questions. "There are hundreds, if not thousands of LIVING solutions there. It may take a while but I''m sure they can be of great help with some persuasion," Skullius said. The intricate details were lost to Silrat as he hadn''t been told every single bit of information there was and frankly, he didn''t want another dump of convoluted knowledge just yet. "Fine but if these solutions of yours require time, how will you participate in the Premium Age Royale while also simultaneously dealing with them?" Silratunched a very good question which had a very good answer. One that he wouldn''t receive yet. That line of knowledge was still lost to him. There was no way he would be told about Skullius'' double life. Not yet. "I''ll take care of that," Skullius said with a mysterious smile. "For now, you''re the better of us two when ites toworking and collecting information. You should be able to gather some details that can help us in any way. You could hint at how bad this is to Sty too. She needs to know." "Right," Silrat said as he felt like boulders rested on his shoulders just now. "And what will you do?" Skullius clicked his tongue, a little annoyed with his next immediate mission. "I have to deal with a certain chance at horrendous luck." Chapter 502 Temple Run (1) The bustle, chatter and excitement over the still fresh memory of the Venue and Premium Age Royale in general, resounded vibrantly within Genhuis City. All of sudden, most people couldn''t help but lose the motivation to continue with the day''s activities as all they could do was look forward to the matches that would begin in kind tomorrow. The convenient setup of the Royale was what made those who had initially been reluctant to join eager, as the fact that Control Seals would simply teleport everyone to the Venue at a predetermined time gave the witnesses no reason to not attend. Delicious food was offered. Comfy seats were abundant. There were several measures of protection. Why would one even choose to not go? Rearren''s speech at the very beginning of the event was rather impactful as even now, many of the witnesses were determined to truly enjoy the experience even without appreciating the greater goals involved. All over the city, Control Seals on the arms were like a fashion trend as nearly everyone had them tattooed on their bodies. In the span of a few hours, it quickly became a taboo to not have a Seal of your own. The stalls where the kind and smiling servers were still dishing out Control Seals could be spotted throughout the city, disying the fact that indeed, the windows to join the event as a witness were still open. Thus, why wait? Why stall? All of a sudden, the idle minds had something to think about, talk about and get excited for instead of sitting on their butts. This could definitely be designated as a plus for the Governing parties. Under the dual light of the suns in the sky, the adrenaline and mour, the Hybrid Luman could be seen heading towards a familiar building. A pristine, towering structure with a three-point star on its white face. Three faceless statues were erected before it as usual, with an extensive set of steps that lead into its entrance. It was almost unnerving how each Temple for the Purity was the same in every city and town, along with how there was always an upied space of more than 50m around each Temple as a show of reverence for the Deities. Still, Skullius couldn''t afford to pay much attention to this as it was merely a passing thought. Right now, he woreyers of clothes of cover Jo''s figures and a hood to partially cover his face. Small groups of people were entering and exiting the Temple through the expansive entrance with polite, pretty and smiling Priestesses giving out free and heart-warming greeting as if it was a Friday. ''They all look the same,'' Skullius thought as his Crude Vision sparked for a second, allowing him to get a better view of the path ahead, as well as the people. Ever since Inhone, his mind couldn''t feel at ease whenever he saw ady wearing the sacred raiment of the Purity. He always knew what woulde next. As Skullius reached the entrance, he figured burying himself in the groups of people would minimise his chances of being singled out by the good intentions of these holy maidens, either by some manner of grace or some manner of atrocious luck. His strategy had been bearing fruit when... Skullius felt his whole body grow stiff when he was an inch away from the entrance! ...! It became harder to move. His muscles and bones grew heavy. ''Damn it!'' On his chest, a searing heat bloomed with the force of a geyser, nearly ripping his clothes apart! The Binds of Fukal that were tattooed over his chest... They radiated defiance and a powerful WILL that sought to pull him away from the Temple. All of sudden, Skullius stood out, contrary to how he had been fitting in just fine with the crowd, standing firmly at the entrance to the Temple. Unfortunately for him, this garnered the attention of the four Priestesses on both sides of the entrance, two of them rushing up to him. Skullius frowned. ''I anticipated some resistance, but not this much. The Binds react even to a Temple?'' Skullius said as he forced himself to move, finding it extremely hard but not impossible. He pulled up his arm as he expected to thwart an inevitable y that could lead him into some trouble. "Sir! Are you alright? Can I h¡ª" A finger quickly stered beautiful Temple Priestess'' lips together. "Ah, there you are," Skullius said as his hand wondered over the Priestess'' face. At first the pretty woman was bewildered but when Skullius turned his face so that she could see his eyes clearly... "Bless the skies! You''re blind, sir!" the Priestess eximed, garnering the attention of the other three. "What''s wrong?!" "What is it, Sister Fey?!" "Oh dear!" The other Priestesses had varying reactions but they all stemmed from seeing Skullius'' eyes. Instantly, their hearts were driven to feel pity for Skullius, a proverbial axe appearing over them as they felt the urge to help this man. However, the Hybrid Luman wouldn''t allow it. He staggered to the side, drawing himself from the entrance and to a distant corner, away from the excess attention. The Priestesses followed him but before they could do or say anything else... "Please do not pity me. It is not what you think. I was... a vile man. I was punished... lightly, if I might add, for doing atrocious deeds," Skullius said with a trembling voice as he leaned against the wall. The Priestesses looked at each other before the first, who had rushed up to Skullius before the rest spoke. "Sir, we will not judge you for your past. Whatever it was, the Deities forgive and so do we in the light of their teachings. Pleasee an¡ª" "No," Skullius said with palpable guilt practically leaking from his tone. "The Deities did not forgive. They punished me. My sins were too grave. I.... I... I was once in league with the heathens... the Evenfall, after all." ...! The moment Skullius said this, all the kind and warmpassion that had been watering him from the hearts of the four Priestesses vanished. All of them looked at him in shock. The Evenfall? The enemy of all that they stood for?! This man... "You dare set foot on holy ground when you carry such a foul sin on you?" the chilling voice of one of the Priestesses boomed, as a serene energy fumed furiously from her, reflecting her emotion. She was genuinely upset, disgusted even, as were the others. "Leave..." another one of the Priestesses said with an ugly frown, her face dark. "Or else we will be forced to take action." Hmph. ''Action, huh?'' Skullius thought. "I know... I know..." the Hybrid Luman said, with a self depreciating stance. "But please, hear the rest of my story. I have grave sins but... is it not your job to help those who want to turn away from evil? Is that not what the Deities want?" The Priestesses did not reply. Nearly all of them had experiences with the Evenfall and they were not pleasant. Losing themselves in the moment wasn''t oundish. No retort came and neither did any of them spill more usation. Skullius took the chance to borate on his situation. "I was never a member of the Evenfall but I assisted them by... leading innocents to them for their sacrifices..." Skullius paused, showing immense guilt on his face. The look on the Priestesses'' faces turned darker as all sympathy and pity vanished from them, a terrible hatred overtaking their usually kind airs. "A few years ago, as I was continuing my deeds, I was suddenly struck with blindness. My sight was gone without warning. I couldn''t continue my work without the ability to see. I thought... this must be the judgement of the Deities but, my life only got worse from there. The cultists I worked with came for me. They were angry, as I wasn''t giving them what they wanted and theyid a curse on me. A curse that... Ah... AGHHHHH!" Skullius suddenly screamed, his body convulsing! A shuddering presence suddenly blew out from him like a storm! It was manifested as a ckish red aura that spurned from him, rising eagerly from his flesh while emitting a terrifying bloodlust that caused everyone to freeze! One of the Priestesses almost rushed up to attack Skullius on instinct as this... this presence was truly evil, prompting her subconscious to want to purge it! After a few seconds, Skullius returned to normal, slumping on the ground as he took deep breaths, his face which was partially covered showing unlimited terror! The Priestesses drew back, most in horror and some of the others in caution while the civilians that had been streaming in and out of the Temple bore the worst of it. Some had fallen on the ground, sted out of consciousness while others were still shuddering in fright while lying on the ground. "Please... please... help me remove this curse..." Skullius murmured. The Priestess who had first turned her attention to Skullius sweat buckets. She swallowed hard, her face ashen as she turned to one of the others. "Call the Grand Priest immediately!" Chapter 503 Temple Run (2) In the hierarchy of the Purity, at the very bottom were the Priests or Priestesses, then came the Grand Priests and at the very top, only behind the pinnacle of the entire organisation, were the Higher Order Priests. (A/N: Refer to Ch.181). Valis, the old man Revia had gone to protect in the Isise, was a Higher Order Priest, gifted with a treasure that held a Divine Blessing within it. Grand Order Priests under Valis could borrow the treasure for limited amounts of time or beckon to the Higher Order Priest for other treasures with effects required for a specific task. All this bled into the purpose of the Priest ss. It was an Energy Former ss that demanded one to be capable of handling Divine energies in the lower forms from the get go. Things such as Primus would quickly be a part of a Priest once they chose the ss, but to gain the full functionality of this ss, one had to be ordained by the Deities for it or else they would be stuck with the Priest ss by name only. In this case, one had to believe in the Direction of the Deities and stick to it. The criteria to be a Priest was as strict as that of bing a Mage, as severe, mostly uncontroble stiptions existed to weed out the unworthy or incapable. Thus choosing either of these sses depended on either Direction or talent. At this moment, the doors to the Temple were closed, all those who had beening for varying reasons temporarily turned back as an issue needed to be attended to. An aged man with a sharp and wise look in his eyes stood before Skullius who hugged himself against the wall, surrounded by the Priestesses. The old man wore arge robe and held a cane in his hand to support his body - not that he was excessively weak due to age, but more or less due to habit. "This man..." the old man said. "... is indeed cursed." "Grand Priest...?" one of the Priestesses voiced with concern. The old man, who was indeed the Grand Priest had an unsettled look over his face that caused the proliferation of more wrinkles than he already had. "There is something around him, warding off all the light from the Temple and the energy from my body," the Grand Priest exined. The Temple was a sacred ce, its exterior and interior overflowing with serene energy that was meant to put everyone at ease. Dull hints of Primus energy that the Grand Priest exhumed also had the same purpose, an effect of his ss. Even though the man was quite powerful, wielding Primus energy that flowed from his ss, channelled from the Deities presumably, took a huge toll on his body. Most of the Priests had to have a powerful tool around them to handle the power that grew as they served within the Temple andpleted Tasks. "Please... help... me," Skullius murmured once again. The Grand Priest failed to churn out sympathy from his old heart. He had been told about what this man had done. The fact that he was covering himself, hiding his face because of shame told the Grand Priest quite a lot. "Do you truly wish to be saved?" the Grand Priest asked Skullius with a serious tone. "Y...yes," the Hybrid Luman eagerly agreed. The old man held a scoff. Such desperation... It feltcking. False even. He knew a sorry and troubled soul when he met one. This wasn''t one such soul. ''Strange,'' the Grand Priest thought. ''I cannot hear anything for this man. The Deities have gone... silent.'' This feeling was unsettling. High level Priests or Priestesses could ascertain the Direction of any individual as well asmunicate with the Deities. Unfortunately,munication did not mean a two way channel, as most only heard a voice that spoke in their heads. This usually urred when a Priest could handle enough Primus. Enough Divine Energy. The more they could hold, the more they could hear. This strangework was why some Priests had gone rogue, proliferating the belief that there was no such thing as the Deities, but merely a supernatural system that mechanically gave instruction without emotion, hence theck of proper divine punishment. This was why many were quickly losing belief. This Grand Priest still believed however, even as he couldn''t hear anything at the moment. "I see right through you. You are only desperate to get rid of the curse the cultists cast on you. You have no desire to change at all," the old man said with an using re. "Despicable," one of the Priestesses spat. Sadly, letting someone like this go, with his curse in tow... "For someone like you, I will not grant your salvation for free. I will give you a task to aplish before I remove your curse. Something befitting of a hypocrite who only calls on the Deities when they have nowhere else to go," the Grand Priest said. "Only after you aplish it, will I remove your curse." *** "Jeez. Talk about harsh words. Not what I expected at all but it will do," Skullius said as he moved through the streets. His hands were slotted in his pockets as he strolled along, the rigidness in his steps disying how he felt that exchange was a resounding sess despite the old bro''s task and words. All he had done was to secure a chance at culling the horrendous luck before it showed using the information he had gained from Tulnas some time ago. The Harem Guild Master had told Skullius sometime after their expedition that the artefact he had used to cleanse the disease from the people in the town and also by extension, attempted to use to get rid of Skullius'' curse ¨C the Seed of Quintess'' Eye - belonged to the Purity. (A/N: Refer to Ch.254). He exined that the Purity could lend such objects to someone, especially if they had a good rtionship with them. The artefact had almost worked on Skullius but the Binds of Fukal hade in clutch, refusing to allow any of Skullius'' curses to be purged. While this had been unfortunate, Skullius had thought long and hard about it and discovered a loophole. If he used an artefact like that while in his Prator form, it was highly likely that it would work, as he wouldn''t have the binds restricting him! Naturally, the impending doom with the horrendous luck aspect wasn''t really a curse but given its source and nature, it should be considered adverse by all ounts and thus qualify as a target to be quelled by an oh so good high level artefact! As simple as that. Sadly, Skullius didn''t have the time to cultivate a rtionship with the Purity, so he improvised. As he had nned, he turned himself into a crude viin with a bullshit story in order to ensure that none of the Priestesses would feel the urge to help him initially. He then made sure that this curse story was convincing by using the strange ability that came with his flesh bing entangled with the death energy from Demion''s Dance, the ckish-red energy which he could summon and imbue into weapons even without the green sword. The feeling of this power did feel like a dreadful curse and Skullius using it out in the open, in spite of dreading the second sun in the sky, was a gamble on his part to ensure that the Purity Priestesses would still consider it dangerous enough to warrant intervention. His n had worked. The do-gooders, enved by the chains of duty to assist anyone who sought for help, were forced to attend to him, the Grand Priest having given Skullius a task outside the city to do first though. ''There was a tragedy in the Isise not too long ago. Many people were killed. A dangerous man toyed with thousands of lives and kidnapped one of the Pdin Champions. Of course, you wouldn''t care,'' the Grand Priest had said. ''The Temple in the Isise is highly revered but it was subjected to heavy damage. The cities and their residents there also are in need of assistance of any kind. I will send a message there and register you as a volunteer. If you serve hard enough and earn the merit of Priests and people there, I will help you.'' That was the task. While at first, sending someone with a curse to a recovering city was strange, the Grand Priest had borately cleared on that concern. A Pdin Champion was stationed in the Isise just in case and his ability fit perfectly with Skullius'' nature. ''It shouldn''t be a problem to get such merit. I''ll rebuild the entire Temple myself if I have to,'' Skullius thought with intense determination. He had wanted to send Sty to do this for him but unfortunately, thedy wasn''t really pious and neither was her brother. If they asked for something that could cure a curse, they would probably get something generic. Silrat wouldn''t be any better as the only connections he had were in the Guilds Association. Yuyui would be a much worse candidate. If she were to kill herself and revive, iming it was a curse, she would probably be captured and purged. In the end, all this was left to Skullius'' wits. ''I''ve added this to the long list of things I have to do. Procuring my rewards at the Guilds Association, the Premium Age Royale, re-checking my spoils from thest battle with that fiery bastard and then...'' Then came the objective Skullius was most excited about. In just more or less three days, [Bringer of All] would be off its cooldown and he could achieve two things. Finally getting his hands on a blue core for his Eternal Storm Veil Prator form and getting an avatar that could move all around Aigas separately from him! From then on, he expected his progression to be insanely fast! "Speaking of objectives..." Skullius said as he summoned his guidance field to check his new Task for Level 12. Right as he was about to focus on the text... ...! His body quivered! A familiar, dreadful presence registered in his Koten! It was... it was the same he had felt on the way to the Association before! It had showed up again! --- [Author''s Note] I fixed an error on how many days till Bringer of Alles off cooldown. I had missed the passage of two days after the Galemonger''s attack. Chapter 504 Him Once again! The dreadful presence of an individual that Skullius had spent hours searching for two days ago had resurfaced! The Hybrid Luman''s brow couldn''t help but twitch as he expanded his senses, trying to pinpoint the exact location of this individual whom he could tell was moving. He wouldn''t let whoever it was get away this time! The Hybrid Luman zipped from his position and stormed towards where he felt the presence of this figure. He strayed from paths that had heavy patrols of Capital Order Knights and continued to tail his target, this whole endeavour leading him on into the sunset. At the end of it all, his target settled into one of dozens of taverns that were lined in a narrow district within the city, its streets chock full of drunks and whores, some of whom were powerful despite the depravity. Skullius stood before the half closed doors to the tavern that held what he desired. What was all this for? It was a force of attraction. In this establishment was someone with a presence that caused Skullius to pursue without knowing why. It was clear that this individual wasn''t in a habit of controlling their terrifying presence, at least the residue of it, otherwise many like him would be felt moving throughout the city while releasing bursts of bloodlust, but this further characterised this person as someone of interest. At least to Skullius it did. The Hybrid Luman opened the door to the tavern. Contrary to what he expected the overall atmosphere to be like, there was a subdued atmosphere, hushed tones and normal voices dabbing the air. It was almost like a civilised setting, with the scantily dressed waiters that would have been seducing the customers walking around with stiff steps while those who had clearlye here for a good time took controlled sips from their cups instead of the chugs they would have on any other day. A serving booth was directly positioned opposite Skullius from the door several paces away, a nervous man behind the arched table where an assortment of drinks were ced drawing further and further away from the sole existence that sat on the abundant stools ced for customers'' convenience. One existence. One man. Tables and chairs had been moved away from him, making his seated figure stick out like a sore thumb. It was clear why. Ordinary or not, no one could entertain the suffocating energy this man leaked which couldn''t exclusively be tied to bloodlust, now that Skullius was close enough to examine it. Skullius was intrigued all the more. He took a few steps towards the man on the isted stool before a hand whipped from behind him to clutch onto his wrist! A rather gruff and skinny old man who donned a horrified expression pulled on Skullius. The Hybrid Luman turned to him with a passive visage, having allowed this since he didn''t detect any hostility. "Boy. Where are you going?!" the old man eximed in a hushed tone, looking to have dreaded in Skullius'' stead this bold action of his. "Isn''t it obvious?" Skullius asked. "To get a drink." "Are you daft?!" The old man tried to forcefully draw Skullius back but was shocked to find the young man not budging an inch. His mates who sat around the table with him gave Skullius a strange look, one of them adding on. "I advise against it, boy. Can''t you feel it? Ever since this man came in here... the air just changed. By Listafelle''s tears, no one besides the waitresses has had the gall to stand up and move about. I fear that if we do..." The man didn''t finish his sentence but he and his collective group stole a nce at the man who sat on his lonesome, his presence dictating the movements of hundreds of men, some of whom were powerful experts. Skullius narrowed his eyes and pulled his hand away from the old man who squeezed on it. The group thought the change in the Hybrid Luman was him understanding the situation but unbeknownst to them, it was something else. "Let me go about my business," Skullius said as to the group''s surprise, he began again, walking towards the arched bar table. "Get back here! You could get us all killed!" the gruff old man barked, keeping his volume down but to no avail. Skullius rxed upon hearing those words. Thank goodness these guys were only looking out for themselves. As he moved forward, many gazes darted towards him, some utterly stupefied, some incredibly furious and others pitying him. All the men and women watching as he reached one of the stools at the bar and sat on it trembled, anticipating the worst. The barkeep wore a hopeful but anxious look as he saw Skullius arrive. Maybe... just maybe... Skullius didn''t turn to the man that had everyone petrified immediately. Instead, he whisked out a gold coin, nted it on the table and pointed towards a bottle behind the barkeep. The barkeep being experienced at his job quickly took the bottle and silently poured its contents into a ss for Skullius despite wondering, with how his new customer looked, how he was able to see. The Hybrid Luman took the bottle and finally turned to the man a stool to his right. His Koten which was continuously refined with constant usage picked up on the man''s features. He was a bit bulky, his size beingrger than Skullius'' own by a bit. Medium length hair draped over his temple somewhat gracefully, its leather ck colouration which was lost to Skullius, looking smooth under the light from the crude, candlelit chandelier high up. Simrly coloured, small, nted eyes rested on his face, fully focused on the task he was engaging in at this moment as his thin lips rapidly moved while seeping small bits of sound. He wore a thin vest that showed his powerful, well contoured arms that were riddled with callouses and scars. With his left hand, he was scribbling in a small book thoughtfully, while his other kept scratching unsettlingly on the table. Over all this, Skullius shockingly discovered that this man was producing an extraordinarily constant stream of mana from every part of his body, a ridiculous feat! This was something he had discerned from anyone before. Every single part of his body harmoniously carried the same flow of mana, save for one. Mana coiled around a spiral shaped tattoo on his arm which made Skullius grow vignt. A Control Seal! Was this guy a witness or a contender? The Hybrid Luman raised his ss and took a sip from it. A bitter yet satisfying taste washed over his tongue, bringing a special, overpowering choking effect that didn''t actually affect Skullius. The Hybrid Luman merely raised his brows in surprise and nodded his head. ''This is good,'' he thought. "Ah, friend. Mind reading this for me?" the man to Skullius'' side said, passing his notebook to the barkeep. The man''s words caused the entire tavern to turn silent as everyone was drawn to his voice. Dark eyes which didn''t show any wisp of emotion rested on the barkeep who was temporarily frozen in utter terror, dictating that this ask wasn''t actually an ask. The barkeep gulped hard and secretly turned his gaze to Skullius as if calling for help but the Hybrid Luman didn''t lift a finger. The man was left to hold the little book up with trembling hands, lubricating his rapidly drying throat as he read out loud what the seemingly emotionless customer before him had written. "The mistress of the emptynds called me to her dry bed, She adorned herself in silky red that bled on her skin, I was forbidden from racing on her curves and abiding in her warmth, She had none suchfort after all, yet her cold heart had a soothing beat, Her fingers five were pressed on my lips as she raised her silky veil, Underneath was naught but the dark and a wee that drew away my breath, A taste and sight than now hangs on my de, In my hands, In my eyes, On my tongue, The mistress with silk''s unending voice is constantly on my ear, O how she loves my brisk dance that sends more silk red to her veil, O how I yearn for her tide that favours me and me alone, For me and me alone that she favours has she prepared a grand stage, One with ambitious cloaks that loathe my mistress and her veil, Yet I remain to abide by inevitable veil, feeding it for eternity." ... As a freakish silence ensued, Skullius couldn''t help but feel like he was drawing closer to why he was pulled to this man. Chapter 505 Friend And Tasks It was strange. The tension had grown as the barkeep read more and more of whatever it was that was written by the dark eyed man seated next to Skullius. What was even more strange was how everyone more or less understood who this mistress in silk was, even Skullius. The realisation even for the slowest of minds brought a chill up the spine as everyone was now even scared to breathe. The man with dark eyes took back his book from the barkeep when he finished and exhaled a seemingly proud breath. He then then turned to Skullius, his eyes, tone and mana not flinching or fluctuating even slightly. "Beautiful, isn''t it?" he asked. There was a genuineness in his words that caused Skullius to both raise and lower his guard, reaching an optimal state of vignce that wasn''t provocative. "It sure is," Skullius said with a half-meh tone. "Hmm," the man hummed as he raised his ss emptying whatever was inside and pushing it towards the barkeep. The poor man who had been standing for several dozens of minutes without much activity quickly refilled the ss. "You''re a Contender, aren''t you?" Skullius asked a question of his own as he sipped on his own drink. "As are you," the dark eyed man replied with a slight, unsettling smile... directed towards his little book. The Hybrid Luman scoffed under his breath. It was really hard to ascertain how strong this man was and what exactly made him tick but one thing was for sure. ''It''s the WILL of BRUTALITY...'' Skullius thought. He had sort of figured it out. What kept drawing him towards this man. It was one of the WILLS he had received upon reaching the Advancement Stage. The WILLS of Fulgardt. Of these, the WILL of BRUTALITY was the one responsible. It didn''t take a genius to dissect this man''s written thoughts. This man had written about a mistress from the emptynds. Death, as he characterised it. It was no secret that he might even go as far as to idolise... death. Such hidden and deep nuances were something Skullius could only read because the WILL of UNDERSTANDING helped him to. As mentioned before, the WILLS didn''t boost his stats or even his body, but edged him towards concepts that were relevant to what their names specified, especially in rtion to anything to do with Fulgardt. Subtle hidden meanings could be discerned therefore. "You have some interest in me," the man stated as he started to write down on his book again, his dark eyes following the thread of scribbles from left to right. "Yes. Kind of," Skullius said with a breath. "That''s unusual. Most people steer clear of me. I have only ever gotten along with corpses... or soon to be corpses," the man said, giving Skullius a dead nce. The Hybrid Luman wasn''t fazed but he had to admit that line had some unsettling implications. Instead of indulging the provocative air, Skullius instead inquired. "What is your name?" "Gabel," the man said without hesitation. "Though my birth name has long been overshadowed by the many nicknames Pelian has given me." "Nicknames?" "Yes," the dark eyed man said as he chugged the contents in his ss. "Of the many, I am especially fond of the least popr one. Restless Mute. Hmmm. Mute." Skullius nodded his head as if understanding. The dreadful presence he had been feeling from this man, Gabel, grew weaker and weaker as he conversed with him. He wasn''t sure if Gabel was doing this or if he was just getting used to it. "Restless Mute, huh?" Skullius said as he also drank. ''Mute my flesh!'' There was a silence between the two, everyone else in the joint seeming to hold their breaths as the chilling atmosphere did not wane one bit. Skullius and Gabel continued to drink in silence for a few minutes before Gabel sniffed, another look of pride appearing on his face as he looked at the page he had been writing on. He ripped it up from the small book and then turned to Skullius as he slid it his way. "How''s that?" he asked. The Hybrid Luman couldn''t help but wonder what this guy''s deal was. It seemed he was morefortable with writing than he was speaking. Maybe that was why he liked the name Mute? Skullius took the paper and sighed as he prepared to tell his ''friend'' that he couldn''t read but he was interrupted by a fairly powerful presence that rapidly broke apart the stale and chilling atmosphere in the tavern. With loud nging and heavy steps, a Capital Order Knight entered the establishment. It was about time someone noticed something was wrong. The customers all seated and otherwise cheered within their hearts, their bodies going on to quiver with relief when the Knight spoke. "Please, may you all leave." The hundreds of drunks and sobers quickly rushed out of the joint, even the barkeep. When all had gone out, the Capital Order Knight walked up to Skullius and Gabel before focusing his sight on thetter from behind his helm. "Please exercise restraint with your presence. As powerful as you are, you may cause harm to the ordinary men and women who share this city with you. Are we clear?" the Knight said authoritatively. It looked like he knew who Gabel was and from how he held the hilt of his sword with every drop of strength he had in his body, prepared for a fight, it seemed he also knew what he was capable of. Gabel''s feeble smile copsed, only to be reced by an indifferent and frosty visage. He stood up, Skullius discovering that this man was way taller than he had initially thought. Gabel ignored the Knight and instead faced Skullius. "Let''s meet again on the new stage," the dark eyed man said as he packed his little book and walked off, his overbearing dread diminishing until there was none. The Knight who was now left with Skullius only rxed when Gabel had left. He then turned to Skullius with a questioning gaze. The Hybrid Luman pocketed the page he had been given and gave the Knight a shrug. * ''That was strange. I guess I was right. This guy definitely had the presence of a contender,'' Skullius thought. Still, Gabel hadn''t been what he had thought. He was certainly a bit more tame than the aggressiveness he had expected. But that was probably a facade, a persona that hid the true characteristics that earned him the moniker of Restless Mute. He marked the man as a potential danger as he continued to wonder why the WILL of BRUTALITY had drawn him to Gabel, besides the obvious answer that they perhaps shared... killy tendencies. Also, was he right about him being part of the three Sty had warned about? In any case... "Let''s see those Tasks," Skullius said as he switched focus, pulling up his guidance field. ~~~ EXP : 500/500 Twelfth Task : Absorb 1,000 pieces of darkness. Sub Task : Create your own Precept of light. ~~~ "Oh." Skullius scratched his chin. ''Sub Task?'' he thought. So this was why it was so hard to rise up in the Stages. The existence of Sub Tasks. ''1000 pieces of darkness? Does this mean I have to use [Basic Evil Sanction] to collect... anything rted to darkness?'' This must be it. [Basic Evil Sanction] could collect anything that was dark and extract whatever it had. If that was what the Task meant then this wouldn''t be difficult. The real problem was the Sub Task. ''A Precept of light?'' What was that? This Task was looking to finally force Skullius to invest more time in [Just Light]. The element was just so hard to learn and with time pressing him, he had temporarily given up on investing time in it. But here he was. A precept in general was something of a doctrine or a rule of conduct. If this was rted to light... ''I really have my work cut out for me this time,'' Skullius said as he neared the Bryne Residence. He would focus on this after the hosted gathering which was about to begin. Chapter 506 Attendance! (A/N: Bonus Chapter). "You''re bold, Rearren," a young man with a quiff, his almost square, masculine jawline that was brought to the spotlight by his scowl and constant trembling, said. "Let it go, Brenn. There''s nothing we can do about it now," a young beauty at this man''s side said as she nudged him. "This bastard organised a party in my father''s house without letting him know!" the young man, whose name was Brenn shouted before holding himself back and taking a deep breath. The two stood in a veryrge hall with a polished floor that looked like a still blue sea. Chatter was prevalent as many were already in attendance, sitting on the lovely chairs and dining on the expensive food and drink ced over the small but numerous circr tables or standing by therge pirs in this hall as they held refreshments. The diamond crusted chandeliers above gave beautiful light and a few dashes of ss that many of the individuals in this hall would have never imagined to see. It was exquisite. "This is not right!" Brenn angrily said as he drank the fine, green wine in his ss. Why was this young man angry? Well, that was because this was his father''s house. The Governor''s house. Finding out that Rearren EverSword had issued out invitations to all the contenders and their respective Family members with this address as the venue for the gathering that the Game Master had mentioned, was a heavy blow. All the decorations and foods were supplied by the EverSword House but this... this... "Let it go, Brenn. Father already epted it and you should too," the girl beside Brenn, his sister said. As of now, only ten Families had registered their attendance and the great hall was barely filled up to the eighth mark. Still, the night was young. The sun retired to its nest behind the horizon merely twenty minutes ago. Most were going to show in time. Brenn turned his gaze to the man responsible for this and his family. They were all seated on raised tform at the end of the floor, their sitting arrangement being the same as it had been back at the venue of the Premium Age Royale - Rearren at the centre, Rias to his right and his wife Millisa to the left. A few extra seats could also be seen on this tform, their owners yet to arrive. The three EverSword House members sat while overlooking the still fairly silent hall, with many choosing to avoid locking gazes with them. Such a powerful family was difficult to approach. At this moment, the Knight stationed at the vast entrance that looked like it was made to amodate a giant, spoke in a boisterous voice. "The Bryne Family... in attendance!" The Bryne siblings walked in at this moment with Karrun and Skullius following on either of their sides. Yuyui and Silrat also followed from behind, the entourage that they all hade with being left behind at the entrance. It was customary for most events involving people of high standing to announce the arrival of each and everyone expected toe, though differences in status applied, modifying the nature of presentation. This was an informal event so dressing wasn''t something strictly stipted but as well groomed children of the Family, Setkh and Sty dressed formally. Karrun followed Setkh''s example while Skullius wore what he usually wore. In fact, the Hybrid Luman was barely concerned about clothing and more so focused on the green haireddy walking a few steps behind him. ''If she dares...'' Skullius thought, keeping track of Yuyui''s roaming eyes as it seemed whenever food was involved, this undying brat''s brain would be reced with a food voured vacuum. Skullius wasn''t that concerned with appearances, but given the fact that Yuyui''s powers seemed to be triggered by her emotions, as shown when she awakened the Eye of Dispersal, he was convinced that one of her other eyes woulde from her orgasming over some food vour. The six walked into the hall while feeling several dozens of eyes stabbing at them keenly. This was natural. The whole point of this gathering was to know who was who after all. Names could be inquired or discerned through the Control Seal when they had returned to the venue which a major plus also. As they all approached one of the tables, Skullius pulled on Yuyui and dragged her aside. She was wearing a dress that Sty couldn''t fit in anymore ¨C frankly it had had to be worked on for a few minutes to fit her still fairly frail structure as well ¨C and it looked good on her, its make revealing her knees and sandal wearing feet. By all ounts she didn''t deserve to be manhandled while in this attire but Skullius could care less. "Behave yourself. I don''t want incidents that will cause more work for me than necessary," the Hybrid Luman ordered. Yuyui nodded while her eye quickly darted towards the splendours erected on the table. "I''m serious. I won''t hesitate to kill you otherwise." "But master, you can''t kill me here. There''s too many people. And besides, you don''t want anyone to notice that I cane back to life right?" Skullius'' eyebrow twitched. This little... She was growing bold. "Let me eat as much I want. I won''t do anything embarrassing," Yuyui said as she patted Skullius'' shoulder reassuringly. This only served to make Skullius angrier as he swatted her hand away. "Is that right?" Skullius said as he inched towards Yuyui who backed away. "I promise, I promise! Can''t you just trust me, master?" "Not when ites to food!" "Well then... I also can''t trust you when ites to cute babies!" "What the flesh are you talking about?!" "You know exactly what I mean!" "That CHILD was meant to be eaten! If I didn''t it would have been a waste!" "That''s just an excuse!" "Is this why you''re starting to be rebellious? I eat one baby and all of sudden I''m the bad guy?!" "Yes!" As this heated but hushed discussion went on, Silrat who heard bits and pieces of it couldn''t help but shudder. Whatever it was these two were talking about, he didn''t have the stomach to even attempt to digest it. "Fine! You can eat as much as you want BUT I''ll be monitoring you," Skullius finally relented. It seemed Yuyui was still upset about him eating the Chubby Remnant Child of Prity thus her questions and refusals. What an annoyance. "Fine evening to dine with the beacons of Pelian, isn''t it?" a young man who looked to havee from getting a breather appeared next to Skullius and Yuyui, his voice garnering the attention of Silrat, Sty and Setkh. The three rose and reached Skullius and Yuyui, evidently having recognised this man who had just arrived. "I''d like to extend my wee. I hope everything is to your liking," the young man who was Brenn, said with a kind smile. "Thank you for the hosting. It is an undeserved pleasure to have the Governor''s son weing us personally," Sty quickly chimed in as Skullius and Yuyui who were at the forefront failed to entertain the man''s kind words at all. "Ah, please. I have nothing to do anyway. The EverSword House has practically taken over at this point. Haha," Brenn said. "Still, it is refreshing to see someone of your status walk among us. The hall is exquisite. Never thought I''d dine in it all my life actually," Setkh joined with refined delivery as he wore a pristine smile. ''Neither did I, ''Brenn thought begrudgingly with a gnash of his teeth. Skullius was reminded that the two Bryne siblings were born in luxury and high custom as the way they spoke, entertaining the Governor''s son contrasted their behaviour behind doors. They were really good. Amidst the casual chatter Brenn turned to Skullius, noticing his nk eyes. "Who might this fine man be?" he asked. "Ah, this is Festos Dawn Bryne, Lord Brenn. He is a contender in the Premium Age Royale," Sty hurriedly introduced Skullius. "Oh, I see. Pardon me if I maye off rude but¡ª" "Yes. I''m blind," Skullius said with smile, culling the rest of Brenn''s sentence. "Fascinating. I''ve been told many a time that one lost sensepensates the others. With the way you walk and talk, I''m tempted to believe it," Brenn said with a friendly tone. Setkh, not wanting to be bested in this mundane setting called on Karrun who had been seated on the table as he dined (elegantly) on the food and introduced him. "Lord Brenn, this is also a contender for our Family, Karrun Niel Bryne, recently signed into our fold. Prior to joining us, he was stationed at the Carpet Keep near the Isise as a Contract Knight." "Really?" Brenn showed genuine, pleasant surprise. "It is, Lord Brenn," Setkh said proudly while eyeing Sty who gave a roll of the eyes. The Carpet Keep was a fortress erected by a neutral facet of the Capital Service that handled Contract Knights. As opposed to Capital Knights, Contract Knights were individuals that signed contracts with the Capital Service for short bursts of time in order to deal with specific threats and attain rewards before safely returning to whatever business they were doing prior. This system was indeed copied from the mercenaries but it was also different as strict screening and vetting was involved. The Carpet Keep housed and gave duty to thousands of Knights and it had been responsible for aiding the various settlements near the Isise during the mass Cluster incident. The fame of the Carpet Keep extended beyond this as they also helped with defending against the recurring attacks of the Evenfall around the Isise. "Remarkable. The Carpet Keep has no shortage of renown," Brenn said with a big smile. "You tter me, Lord Brenn," Karrun responded with a small bow. The boisterous voice of the Knight at the entrance to the hall rang once again as an esteemed figure seemed to have arrived. "Trueborn of the High Family of Opungale, Her Highness Darwel, in attendance!" ... Chapter 507 Strongest. Unpredictable (A/N: Bonus Chapter). The entire hall seemed to turn silent as the presence of a gorgeous figure walked in,pletely disregarding the gazes of everyone and taking dainty, graceful steps from the short flight of stairs and onto the beautiful floor. Her crimson-gold eyes and long cherry hair that hung on her naked back, entuating her fair skin that was revealed by the especially unusual dress she wore ¨C open at the back to the waist, was tantalising to the eyes. Her slender, curvy figure and upright stance was both provocative and confident, cancelling out the half-assed wills of most men in the hall that had started to get the intention to walk up to her. Another deterrent to this was the two veiled guards on both of Darwel''s sides. Their eyes were sharp and so were their sheathed swords. Only Darwel had had the honour of bringing in her guards into this ce. Her status was so much higher than that of others, so much so that the many arriving Families behind her had been pushed aside for her to get her share of shine. Brenn unravelled himself from the Bryne Family bind and briskly approached Darwel who wore a look of familiarity as the two met. "I feel vited," Setkh said with a drink, his discussion with the Governor''s son having been axed as soon as Darwel appeared. "What did you expect? We don''t hold a candle to her in terms of importance and potential influence after all," Sty said while taking a seat. "Who is that?" Skullius asked with a frown. The long ears he sensed were the first things to throw him off along with the vastly different way in which Darwel''s energy flowed. It was as if she was from a different world altogether with how her mana seemed to seep from her skin and create a cascade of condensed spots around her. "That, is Darwel. Daughter of the High Family of the Sif," Silrat exined, repeating what the Knight at the entrance had said. "I see..." Skullius said. The news of the alliance with Opungale was not lost to him after all. He had just never ''seen'' a Sif before. "Why is she here though?" "Why wouldn''t she be? She was probably invited as a privilege to scout interesting contenders. Analysing us must be intriguing for her. I''ve heard that her parents are a special breed of Sif unlike the others. Something special and unique. She might be interested in seeing the contenders up close for the fun of it. Then again we haven''t shared ties with Opungale in millenia so who knows? Maybe it''s all a lie." "She''s so beautiful," Yuyui remarked with wonder while munching on a golden brown biscuit that no soul here had seen her retrieve. Even Skullius was a bit perturbed. "The way her mana flows is so different from what I''m used to seeing," Skulliusmented while folding his arms. "Of course it is. Remember how in Inhone most mercenaries and Knights prioritised their cores over their Stages? The opposite is true in Genhuis. If we make the scale a bit bigger, Pelian, Emeradis and Maqi have different ways of harnessing strength despite the basics being the same. It stands to reason that on an evenrger scale, things are even more so when different races and continents are concerned," Silrat pointed out. "Fair enough," Skullius said. If he remembered correctly, Oliviana had mentioned something simr. Speaking of... "Where is Oliviana by the way?" he asked. "I have no clue," Silrat responded. As everyone was distantly fawning over Darwel who was speaking to Brenn and his sister who had hurried to join, more Families began to arrive. The Kreaim Family. The Dodj Family. The tbed Family which was represented by a profoundly t chested woman whose gaze darted to and fro with a menacing swish, daring anyone who ogled hollowly at her chest to try and make ament. The Bust Family. The Oldd Family which was represented by a rather expressive middle aged man who carried himself like a celebrity, waving here and there while hugging the waist of a woman he proudly announced as his fianc¨¦e without anyone asking. The Goard Family. The Tret Family. The Jill Family represented by a group of very short individuals ¨C gics ¨C save for one man who had an indifferent gaze, on his body a long robe that painted him as someone not to be taken lightly. A Mage. Only a few names and faces garnered the attention of the ever growing crowd. At some point, even Skullius had gotten bored of trying to keep track of everyone and having to guess who was the contender and who wasn''t. After all, everyone had the Control Seal on their arms. He was also looking for Gabel among the many arriving individuals. As this continued, another name and presentation garnered the attention of everyone in the hall. "Pelian''s pride in restoration and quality, the Kinn Family, represented by Lady Vali Kinn, in attendance!" Shortly after the announcement, five figures walked into the hall, two on either side of one individual who looked and dressed differently from the rest. While the other feminine figures were dressed reservedly in humble robes that disallowed any part of them to be guessed save for their faces, the drop dead beauty at the centre, with her long navy blue hair that was tied into an exquisite Dutch braid that reached her thighs, wore a dangerously seductive minidress. Every single one of her trained motions drew the end of the dress to reveal more of her unblemished thighs, her signature step which stood somewhere between whorish and Queenly causing a few weak minds to fantasise depravity. Thankfully, a stylish cobalt blue cloak that reached down to her knees saved everyone from the snare of her plump cleavage but the damage was already done. Her steps were powerful yet ssy and her rxed gaze as she slid her eyes left and right exuded a quality seductiveness. "I hoped I''d steal the show. Looks like someone beat me to it," Vali said with a sweet smile on her ideal pink lips. "It''s so lively already." Swarms of men that recognised her and her Family and the few that didn''t, fawned over her. Some offered drinks, some offered a seat while smile asked for permission to simply stare at her from a distance. Such behaviour from the weak willed was nauseating to say the least but nothing could be done about it. "She''s the one," Sty drew close to Skullius and said while swirling her ss. "Oh?" Skullius raised a brow. "Of everyone here so far, you should be mindful of her," the redhead warned. "She''s the one you say is called the most unpredictable?" "Yes. Besides her bloodline, she''s really crafty and extremely powerful. Only a handful of Families are raised on a pedestal above all the others and her Family is one of them." The strongest, the most dangerous and the most unpredictable. These were the titles that Sty had told Skullius about some time ago, along with the names of the individuals attached to them. He had finally ''seen'' one of them. Save for one name, Sty had notified Skullius of the identities of these three. This exception had a moniker instead of a real man. One down. Skullius wandered where Gabel fit among these. Surely, that man... if he was contending, he had to have a title of his own, right? It only made sense. He had asked Sty about Gabel after arriving at the mansion, mentioning his real name and nickname, Restless Mute, but she imed she didn''t know it. As if to indulge Skullius'' restless curiosity, another announcement was made. "The most esteemed and respected among all the Families, the Vnqi Family, represented by Lord Aurolio Vnqi, in attendance!" A respectful lull ensued as many acknowledged the presence of someone who was regarded as uncontested in terms of strength among all the Families in Pelian. Someone who had never tasted defeat since his birth in any circumstance ¨C duel or ambush. A man with long, white hair tied into a ponytail, its pristine colour tainted with blue streaks on both sides of his head, walked in. He wore a white, oversized nket-like jacket with a fuzzy exterior, his figure shivering under it. He had a hunched posture that depicted ack of confidence and his furrowed brows as he anxiously looked at everyone disyed unease. Next to him, a formally dressed woman with a straight posture and calm gait turned to him, already expectant of... "Idline. Look at them! Some of them are so strong! Far stronger than me! They could fuck me up very easily if they wanted to! I told you we should have investigated some more!" Aurolio nervously eximed while leaning over to his attendant. ...her master''s panic attacks. ''Here we go again,'' Idline sighed. Everyone made way for the two with some giving respectful greetings, verbal or nod. Others even shuddered a little but the general vibe was of respect. "That man..." "I get it," Skullius cut off Sty. He immediately attached the name to this individual as soon as he heard what the Knight had announced. Furthermore, Skullius had grown wary of individuals whocked any form of a presence. Aurolio was the same. There was practically nothing to discern energy-wise from him. No mana. No Aura. Nothing. That said a lot. ''So this guy is the most powerful, huh?'' Skullius thought as he sensed Aurolio and Idline getting a seat on a less attention-grabbing table. Interesting. The rhythm and mour continued as many continued to arrive while others continued to enjoy themselves. Unfortunately for Skullius, it seemed that Gabel wasn''t going to show. It fit his personality from what he had seen anyway. After tens more minutes, the sharp ring of a ss echoed as Rearren EverSword stood from his seat and gathered everyone''s attention. It was time to begin. Chapter 508 Hidden Regulations, Surprise Contender Rearren standing from his seat warranted everyone to start moving to their own seats if they weren''t seated already. The tables were ced for groups of four to sitfortably after all. Soon, the hall had grown silent as everyone keenly paid attention to what the Head of the EverSword House would want to say. What was this gathering for anyway besides the obvious introductions and conversing? At the end of the hall where the prestigious host Household members sat, Darwel could also be seen, along with Brenn and the veiled guards. They couldn''t be mixed in with everyone else, after all. "A fine evening, isn''t it? I have every reason to believe that many of you will remember this night quite fondly, regardless of the results at the end of the Premium Age Royale," Rearren said. "No doubt however, for some, the next stretch of days will be theirst. There are many feuds among your Families that many of you will no doubt seek to settle in rather... blood ways. As stated by the rules, that is permitted." "That aside, besides fellowship, I organised this gathering to speak about the hidden rules and regtions of the Premium Age Royale. Rules that have no reason tond in the minds of civilians." Most Contenders had thought about this. Surely all that they had received in the way of rules wasn''t the entire package, right? Besides some reveals, the rules didn''t specify details about some very, very concerning matters. One such matter was... "First, allow me to borate on the barring of all experts above the Master Stage from participating. As you know, the poption of powerhouses at that level rests only at a measly few hundred or even less in Pelian. Something that I would say is owed to the Ashing of Time. But I digress." "As there are so few, ourmunity is close knit. Bandit, Mage, Family Head, whatever they are, we have our appetites in check. The only ones to control us is us. I ensured that my peers understood. As such, that is why you will find no Incandescent Stage experts or higher in this event. That would be unfair wouldn''t it? Hahaha," Rearren exined. Many nodded. This made sense. There were a few Family Heads that were actually at the Incandescent Stage and they were barred from being anything but witnesses in the Premium Age Royale. The others were among the ranks of the Capital Service as Honoured Levelbatants, a rank above Capital Order Knights. It was sad to see that throughout the years, the number of mighty powers that transcended Master did not grow by much, but then again, as Rearren had stated, this was owed to a phenomenon that only a handful of individuals in the entirety of Aigas understood. The Ashing of Time. "Beyond this, I also wanted to formally introduce a contender in the Premium Age Royale that has not been given proper wee, Her Highness Darwel of Opungale," Rearren said as he gestured towards the gorgeous Sif who sat on this tform. A lull ensued in the hall as the previous topic had caused hushed discussions to ur but this... As Darwel stood with a smile on her lips, everyone was shocked! "She''ll be participating?!" "What! That''s absurd!" "Why?! That just makes the event unfair! Who would risk fighting her?!" "Damn it! Is this some kind of joke?!" It wasn''t a secret that most humans did not favour the Sif at all. Racial issues were prevalent in every continent. For the most part, everyone could tolerate Darwel''s presence as a witness but the fact that she was participating... "Well that, is so... very... interesting." Vali Kinn who sat on one of the tables said with a sly smile as she set on leg of hers over the other while sipping on her drink. She was one of the few who wasn''t really shocked, but more so intrigued about this revtion. Her reaction was closely followed by Aurolio''s. Somewhere between the frames of this reality, he had gotten a grip of himself. He breathed into his hands while quivering as he eyed Darwel calmly. "What a surprise but she isn''t the one either. I''m running out of surprise contenders to pin THAT identity onto. Tsk. I sincerely hope this wasn''tall for nothing. I hate public spaces," Aurolio growled to himself. "Please be patient. You can take your time scoutingter," Idline who sat beside the white haired man said. Silrat had nearly choked on his wine when Rearren announced this shocking burst of news. What he had told Skullius earlier was blown out of the water, proven to be false. Darwel was a contender not a witness! Skullius folded his arms. Thepetition kept growing and growing. "Please calm down," Rearren struck his wine ss with a spoon, the ring causing everyone to hush down. "I know how it seems, but I assure you no one wille to harm simply by trading blows with Her Highness Darwel. I give you my word. Instead of counting her out as abatant since she is of a very high standing, I would take her seriously if I were you." The crowd seemed to rx a tad bit but everyone noticed how Rearren phrased his statement. No one woulde to harm simply by trading blows with Darwel. That meant doing anything else, perhaps wounding her would cause problems?! Obviously! Unfortunately, Rearren did nothing to quell the concerned hearts of the contenders above this and many started to wonder... Who were the unlucky fools that would have to face off against her in the Preliminaries? "Thest issue I would like to address is the match ups. Unlike the popr method of random selection, the Game Master will decide who will battle against who in the Preliminary rounds. Granted, he does not know most of you by name, so it might as well be the same as random selection." This announcement didn''t bother many as much as there was nothing to draw from it. Bottom line, all matches were going to be pre-nned by the Game Master but ultimately it was all left to the mercies of one''s Direction whether or not they would face up against someone absurd or not. Unlike the case with Darwel, most were willing to ept that they could be unlucky enough to battle with Vali or Aurolio or perhaps even the other individual that everyone had not spoken about who had publicly announced his interest when this event was announced months back, at least the rumours said so, since win or loss didn''t have nearly as much terrifying external consequences. "Ah. Enough with the sombreness. All the formal talk ends here. Beyond this, please enjoy thepany," Rearren said. Everyone was relieved. At least there were no more hidden surprises. The EverSword House Head turned to his right where Rias was sitting. "Go on, son. Socialise and mingle with the other. You deserve it," Rearren said with a fatherly smile, if it could be identified as such. "Yes father," Rias said as he rose, everyone gazing towards him with a mix of emotion as he began walking among them. Chapter 509 Insecurities The figure of Rias which wasn''t at all as one would expect from a teen ¨C tall, firm and strangely assertive ¨C moved with a sort of rigidness that unsettled most. This boy had a sharp presence, as if knives were exhaled with his every breath and from every one of his pores. As Rearren had alluded to, the Houses were very secretive, mostly stuck in the tradition that they only had to show when things went wrong. ? As such, nothing much was known about the Houses. Perhaps some minor details about their techniques and some of their customs which had been documented in history books but those questionable and insufficient bursts of detail left much to be desired. The name of the EverSword House technique was known though. The Imagining Technique. Very few knew how it worked but everyone would imagine it transcended all the crazy stuff the Families could pull off. Rias didn''t make an attempt to socialise as he simply poured himself a drink and strolled around, appraising everyone he saw. A distance from him, someone else was doing the same. Aurolio was shivering as he sat on his table, his eyes roaming about with a calm, purple glow. Surprisingly, in his sight, everyone he could see had strands of green flowing from their bodies, some rising up to even touch the ceiling above. There were variations in amounts and even the shade of green, but pretty much the results left him cursing the cold and his dumb luck. "Fuck, its cold! I can''t find whoever this person is supposed to be. Maybe I''m overthinking. Maybe that''s not what that old bastard meant. Could he have wanted to tell me I would meet a special, regrbatant instead?" Aurolio questioned. "I doubt it. He isn''t exactly astute in speech but I doubt he would lead you off that badly. Gender? Maybe. But not this," Idline said as she maintained her straight sitting posture, her eyes also appraising everyone here. "None of them have any unique traits, sses or names though. Perhaps this individual didn''t attend?" Aurolio furrowed his brow. The green glow he could see right now, was life energy. Some had outrageous amounts of it, somewhat corrting to their strength while some had limited amounts of it. Curses, illnesses and sometimes even unique techniques caused such variations. "Tsk. No Void type. Definitely no Undeath type either... I hate this." On the other side of clustered attendants, Skullius was looking over Yuyui as she elegantly stuffed her face. She looked very happy while eating, her face contorting in ways that made the Hybrid Luman wonder where her mind belonged exactly. Mature or childish. "Hurry up. We''ll have to leave soon. My time is almost up for the day," Skullius said to the green haired girl who nodded without turning her head. Surprisingly, Silrat had already gone to start mixing and mingling with the crowd. Apparently, this was a perfect ce to gather information, as they had talked about before. Setkh was also doing some mingling but forpletely different reasons. Flirty reasons. Skullius noted his position in the crowd, monitoring how he was behaving and turned to Sty who was seated as he and Yuyui were, looking disinterestedly into the chatty crowds. "What''s the deal with your brother? We haven''t gotten to talking about that," Skullius asked. Sty nced at him before twisting her lips andzily raising a ss. "He''s an idiot whoremonger. An entitled one who thinks the past is the past and all can easily be forgiven," she said. "Must''ve done something really terrible for you to hate him that much," Skullius said. "Terrible is an understatement. He''s the prodigal son who even when he abandoned the Family, leaving me to tend to the tragedy of father''s incident alone, was weed with open arms when he returned. I got no such privileges unfortunately. Apparently, running the Family from a young age in father''s stead didn''t count as deserving to inherit the Family. We still have to fight for it," Sty said with calm but broken tone, her eyes sinking into her wine. "...I see," Skullius said. He couldn''t rte unfortunately but he could see that there was a heavy burden on Sty and a deep grudge that she didn''t bring up nearly as much as one would expect. "Oh my dear. I pity you," a voice sounded from behind Sty. The redhead turned to see ady who looked her age but was clearly older, her presence having a texture akin to liquid as it brushed against her. She had pink hair and vibrant downturned purple eyes that in this moment showed pity. Her oval face with high cheekbones that made it look like she was about to smile every time anyone looked at her, made her visage addictive to gaze at but... Her chest... "Do you mind if I sit?" thedy asked Sty who nodded. After taking a seat, thisdy introduced herself with a radiant, borderlineical smile. "My name is Maxim tbed. Pardon me for eavesdropping but.. I have a simr history with my brothers so, you know? My mind quickly picked up on your story. Silly me," thedy named Maxim said with a flurry of hand gestures and giggles that made Sty smile. "It''s no problem at all. I appreciate anyone who can understand," the redhead said. "I''m Sty Bryne and this is¡ª" Sty was cut off as she was gesturing to Skullius across from her, Maxim''s face suddenly turning ugly with fury, a jagged, dagger-like frown appearing on her face as she pointed at the Hybrid Luman. "THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?! YOU OGLING MY CHEST?! YEAH? YEAH?! WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT, HUH?!" Maxim exploded with a bunch of questions all directed at Skullius without room for answering them all save for one! Her other hand which had been ced on the table burst with mana that rapidly covered everything over it ¨C food, drinks, decor ¨C and... ZWAAAAP! With a strange noise, the table and its contents all turned... t. PWA! The table which had been standing on a single leg that branched at the base, turned into something akin to arge disk, or rather a glossy picture of a cloth-covered table with food, drinks and vases that then fell to the floor! Skullius frowned. He had pulled Yuyui away at the first sight of aggression. This flow of mana caught him off guard though. It was extremelyplex, culminating into something as strange as... this. The yelling and noise drew much attention. Frankly, it wasn''t that oundish to find conflict at gatherings like this but people were a bit surprised nheless. Maxim still red at Skullius, looking to bepletely oblivious to everything else around her. Sty hurriedly chimed in as she pieced what was wrong together quickly. "Uhm, hey Maxim. It''s just a misunderstanding. Festos wasn''t ogling. He''s actually blind," she said, making sure to choose her words carefully. Thankfully, Maxim heeded Sty''s words and checked Skullius'' eyes. She blinked a few times before smiling innocently as her murderous intent vanished. "Oh! I''m so sorry about that, hahaha. I misunderstood the situationpletely. That would have been soo embarrassing. Thank goodness you''re blind ahahaha," Maxim said in a cheery voice. ''Riiight...'' Skullius thought. Thank goodness indeed. Chapter 510 Marked "I''ll be taking my leave," Skullius said as he patted Yuyui''s back. The lime haired girl was snapped out of the trance she had been stuck in for a couple of seconds as she gazed at the atrocity done to the food she had been enjoying, a slight burning emotion that made her forehead twitch tingling within her body. Maxim tilted her head, her smile growing wider as she was ever so happy that Skullius had decided to leave, ''clearly'' intimated by her prowess. Her technique. Sty wore a strange face. She didn''t want Skullius to go. To be left with this... lunatic.. The bastard was also pulling Yuyui away so that she had to endure this newly arrived character alone and with the crowd that was gazing this way, bunching her and Maxim together in their gossip... ''Kill me,'' Sty said to herself as she wed on her dress. Yuyui regretfully stood and followed after Skullius. The Hybrid Luman had had enough of this. ''I think I''ve gotten just about everything I can salvage from this gathering. Besides, it would be no good to risk transforming back into the Prator here. I''ll let Silrat finish up on the rest,'' Skullius thought. As he walked, he felt someone walking in the opposite direction, going towards Sty''s table. He and this person passed by each other and Skullius was led to frown for the umpteenth time. ''How many dangerous people are in this damn ce?'' he thought. He paused. It took a bit of focus but he eventually recognised who this figure was. It was Rias. He had never actually been close to him before. The young man walked up to Maxim who had begun to chat with the annoyed Sty as if they were old friends and looked at the table which remained t, it and its contents like a high resolution photograph lying on the floor between four chairs. Maxim and Sty turned to the young man, with the former gazing warily at Rias. "Can I help you?" she asked. Rias ignored her and moved his foot, nting it over the ttened table. The attention towards this area that had begun to wane was restored as everyone curiously turned back to it again, their eyes focusing on this mysterious young man from the EverSword House. What was he going to do? There was small burst of mana from Rias'' foot and... With clinks, a rough scratching noise and a crude wobble, the table, the food, the drinks and the vase over it were restored to their original, forms! ...! A few gasps were heard but in actuality, very few could appreciate what this really entailed besides the shock factor. At the top of the list was Maxim who furrowed her brows as a bit of colour was lost from her face. ''That shouldn''t... That doesn''t make sense!'' she thought. ''My technique is different! It can''t be dispelled! Unless... unless...'' As her thoughts reached some conclusion she shuddered a bit. The crushing sensation of both defeat and shock was further reinforced when Rias finally gave her some attention. "Try not to vandalise our property next time. Father and I will not forgive any more than this," Rias said with an indifferent and cold look in his eyes. No. That was an overstatement. It was too generous to say. That would imply Rias even saw Maxim as someone of interest. It seemed more like he was perfunctorily warning Maxim without the slightest bit of seriousness. As if she was way beneath him. Skullius who had paused to watch this felt an even moreplex weaving of mana being released for the briefest of moments when Rias set his foot on the table. His mana unravelled the effects of Maxim''s technique easily! ''That''s terrifying,'' Skulliusmented internally as he turned. He was one of the people who could appreciate howplex the feats urring were. Then again, he needed to face the techniques he was glimpsing at to fully understand how mana was being implemented here. It was like how his new core worked. As if these people''s mana already had effects from their techniques. Mana cores forged to be proficient in specific techniques... this was Skullius'' conclusion. ''We should be thankful that this kid isn''t participating in the Premium Age Royale otherwise...'' Skullius thought as he pulled on Yuyui who cast a mncholic reach with her arm towards the restored food she had left behind. She then helplessly drew it back with a forlorn expression and murmured to herself. "I''m sorry. It''s toote for us..." On the other side of the attention, Brenn could be seen walking over to the seated Vali Kinn who greeted him with an unnaturally seductive gaze. The man took a deep breath and imprisoned his desires that tempted him to let his gaze wonder over Vali''s body and instead, he spoke. "You chose to participate in the end it seems." "You didn''t offer any incentive for me not to," Vali casually replied, bringing a wine ss to her lips. "Unfortunately, my father had bigger concerns at the time. He sincerely hoped you would see the bigger picture." "That says quite a bit about your priorities and where I fit among them, doesn''t it? Besides, I don''t like the bigger picture. Responsibility, for the greater good... those are concepts only people with a shallow sense of self would strive for. People like me have a big ego, you know? You should have put in more effort," Vali said with a ''mature'' giggle, her gaze that remained on Brenn''s face not flinching as she spoke. She genuinely believed of what she said. To some extent, Brenn even felt like she would have preferred that he and his father begged her not to join the Royale than offer her literally anything else. Meanwhile, a disappointed, pale skinned man in a nket-like jacket contemted leaving as the social spree wasn''t doing it for him. "I''ve had enough. Let''s go," Aurolio said to Idline who nodded. "Should we...?" "No. I''m too tired to walk. Use the ," Aurolio said with a tired yawn. Being around people was exhausting, especially when all of them were irrelevant. As Idline nodded once again and prepared the means of their leave, the white haired man looked around for thest time and caught sight of a young man with light auburn hair walking towards the entrance with a lime-haired girl. ''Hmm?'' The two''s life energies caught his eye. The girl''s was ferocious, zing like a torrent of green me that would never to burn. Frankly, this was among the top ten strongest life energies within this room and possibly because of where Aurolio sat, along with the even more ridiculous pirs of life energy that he had been keeping track of that stole his attention, he had missed this girl. ''Interesting. Oh, is that a Hidden ss?'' Aurolio asked himself while his eyes continued to follow her. ''Who is handing these out for free?'' Weird. The man''s gaze then turned to the other individual. His life energy... Aurolio''s eyes narrowed. His body stopped quivering and he paid extra attention. There was barely any life energy leaking from this man. Furthermore... "Hybrid what?" Aurolio thought before Idline interrupted him. "It''s ready. Shall we leave?" she asked. The white haired man watched as the two peculiar individuals walked out of the hall, disappearing from sight. He then remained silent for a few minutes. Why did something interesting only have to appear when he was about to leave? "Wait," he finally replied before rolling in his thoughts. ''Peculiar...'' Aurolio stood up from his seat. Tp. With a single step he had reached right before these two individuals outside the hall and with another step he was back in his seat. Idline blinked a few times, not sure what her master was up to. "We can leave now," Aurolio said as he rested his table pivoted hand on his cheek, his wandering eyes showing that he was in deep thought. The formally dressed woman by his side cast aside her curiosity and held her master''s shoulder, the two vanishing into thin air. * A millisecondter. Skullius came to a sudden halt as his entire body grew stiff, mana leaking dangerously from him without warning! There were many Knight outside the hall, most of them Capital Order Knights that formed rows to the entrance while others organised things beyond the hall. One of the Knights who was closest to Skullius and Yuyui looked their way and questioned. "Anything the matter sir?" "Uh...no," Skullius thought as he retracted the mana that had been oozing from him. Yuyui also turned her master as she saw a strange expression on his face. "What''s wrong, master?" she asked with concern. Skullius resumed walking while pushing Yuyui to do so as well so that they wouldn''t continue to attract attention. "You didn''t see or feel anything just now?" "Huh? See what?" Yuyui responded with a confused, duck face. Nothing? The Hybrid Luman upon hearing this response didn''t press any further. Just moments ago... No. For less that a fraction of a breath... Even though he couldn''t see... He could have sworn someone had been standing in front of them. And maybe because his mind was always actively trying to paint an image of what he sensed, it had forged an picture of two pairs ofrge eyes that had been staring right at him in that very moment... Chapter 511 Hes Gone?! Fortune. "Impossible!" Skullius cried out loud. There was just no way. "How does that even work...?!" Ferex who was at his side shrugged, unable to find a response. Even he was surprised but not more than Skullius. How could something like this happen right under his nose?! The Hybrid Luman could not believe it. As his senses stretched out over a vast region, his dark sight prating the into the depths of the sea within Fortune, he was forced to believe it but... "He''s really gone?!" he eximed in shock. Indeed. Red Rage was gone. * Fifteen minutes ago. Skullius eventually cast aside his suspicions over the peculiar feeling he got after leaving the hall. He was still convinced that he wasn''t mistaken. Something had happened and it made him vignt. His first thought was that perhaps the horrendous luck was starting to manifest and he had started to mobilise his prepared card which was the patch on his soul but... Nothing followed after that strange feeling. Slowly, he had put a pin on this and warily rushed back to Bryne Residence and entered his room with Yuyui. Since Yuyui was clueless about anything rted to this issue, he decided that alerting her would not do him any good. If anything, making her worry would be to his disadvantage. Therefore, after arriving at the mansion, Skullius had instantly jumped into Fortune, Yuyui following after him as she said she also had matters to attend to, no doubt in the Temple of Unlusted Tears. The two had left Ferex in Fortune, the Elimparidis Stone Staff being kept in a safe spot within the room, when attending the unch'' of the Premium Age Royale as he seemed to be really interested in the corpse of the Grand me Bringer. Even as they appeared minutes ago, the Limitless Body Null Demon Hound was still staring at the corpse. At least that was what he looked like he was doing. "I need to talk to Bassbion about something," Yuyui said with a serious face. Skullius was the control freak type and for good reason, so she had to state where she was going. Not to mention he literally owned her. "Alright. Don''t forget that you''ll be teleported to the venue tomorrow. Don''t get caught off guard," Skullius instructed sternly. "Right," Yuyui said with a nod before she rushed towards therge building erected atop the white pedestal. Skullius then turned his attention to Ferex as he asked. "What are you doing?" The Hound turned to him with its luminous sockets before releasing tendrils of Unliving Thread from its body that wrapped around one of the scales of the ck corpse before it. With the activation of [Amorphous Sampling], the Hound was able to create a replica of the scale but then came the wait. "You''re waiting for the cooldown of the skill?" Skullius asked before checking the Hound''s status. The skill [Amorphous Sampling] and [GENIUS] were closed to evolving while all the others were past the halfway mark. This may have seemed slowpared to how Skullius had consistently levelled up but given the timeline, Ferex was fairly quick. He was roughly eleven days old after all. The Apostle also seemed to have some grand ns that upied his time so he decided to leave Ferex to his own devices. He had his own ns, after all. Ande to think of it... "Speaking of Apostles with grand ns, there''s that little bastard who has been in retreat. What''s he still doing down there?" Skullius said as he walked over to the expansive sea that reeked of condensed mana. Ferex followed after him. He was really interested in seeing his senior after all and without permission he wouldn''t just swim down to the bottom of the sea where Red Rage just to take a look. He could disturb important activity. As Skullius was about to call out his first Apostle, he suddenly realised... His link with Red Rage... was severed. The flesh?! This would only happen when the Apostle was too far away or if perhaps if he was dead but Skullius doubted something like that would happen without him getting a notification. Also, given how close he was to where Red Rage was before i.e. the sea, there was no way he wouldn''t be able to register the presence of the damn Pelvis Boar-Man! "No way!" Skullius said as he dove down into the sea, his mana bursting out as he used his special property of weight to make himself extremely heavy, his figure sinking rapidly until he reached the bottom. After a quick and thorough search, Skullius found nothing. Red Rage wasn''t there. Furthermore, the eggs the Apostle had sought to protect were gone too! A dreadful thought suddenly swam into Skullius'' mind. Did Red Rage leave Fortune then? But how? Not only would he have to get out of Fortune, he would also have to leave the spatial storage ring that the Elimparidis Stone Staff was stored in! Skullius exited the deep waters and stood on the dry ground. His mind churned as he thought of possibilities upon possibilities. The only thing that he knew about Red Rage that gave him peculiar abilities beyond his understanding was his control of Null Life Essence! With it, he had been able to, as he exined it, ''watch the outside world through Skullius'' eyes while within the spatial storage ring''. Surely that was unique but breaking the rules of spatial storageworks within the Staff and ring purely with Null Life Essence... "Impossible!" Skullius tried to convince himself. "How does that even work...?!" * In the current time Skullius pped his face. Just thinking about that golden bastard marching as he pleased within Genhuis City... With those Diviners... With the second sun which would rise in the morning... He shuddered. Maybe Red Rage was still in Fortune...somewhere. Maybe he just couldn''t establish a mental link right. Skullius zipped from ce to ce within Fortune at a ridiculous speed, with each spot he searched leaving with a darker expression on his face than thest. Red Rage wasn''t here. Skullius''st stop was the mountain range. At this point, he hadpletely given up on Red Rage being here but... Hope. With a furious expression he exited Fortune and was about to race outside, searching the streets thoroughly when... His Hybrid Luman form gave out with the notification that [High Cosmetic Body] had timed out. The fearsome form of the Eternal Storm Veil Prator emerged and Skullius cursed as he sank himself back into Fortune, ring me dancing in his sockets! His appearance in the already well lit space of this mini-world, made the area around him four times brighter as the glowing sheen in his sockets dominated! Levin in its most condensed and sharpest form raged as storm clouds appeared and disappeared around Skullius, his lone, powerful presence painting him as the exalted of this space. The partially ethereal robe he wore, tattered around its glowing blue rims and billowing in a non-existent wind, contrasted Skullius'' fury right now. The Prator looked up and furiously roared into the skies... "RED RAAAAAGEEEEE!!!" Chapter 512 The Kindling Heath Skullius found it difficult to calm down until a considerable amount of time had passed. Seriously, he didn''t think he would have another blob of worry to pester his peace of mind, especially from his own abilities. What were the repercussions of this? While the second sun in the sky was absent, the Diviners could possibly track down Red Rage. Or maybe they could not. Perhaps the job of the Diviners wasn''t a twenty four hour gig. But the night... The night was when most of the heinous activity took ce right? The Eternal Storm Veil Prator pped himself in the skull. "Is this it? That lovely stroke of horrendous luck?" Skullius asked himself. Maybe. Maybe not. The Prator looked around and found himself on the stout mountain. He had appeared exactly where he had been before he exited Fortune in order to go and look for Red Rage seconds ago. With his mood simmering down from a rage filled high, Skullius decided to use this time in a more beneficial way than figuring out ways to chew out Red Rage whenever he eventually found him. "I had rechecking my spoils as part of my objectives. Didn''t get enough time to properly appraise them all. Might as well do that now," he said as he shot out a burst of hot air that coiled in the atmosphere while releasing thin bursts of Levin. The Prator began to scale the stout mountain in order to reach the top which was saturated with multiple high level concepts. During the night of the previous day, before the Premium Age Royale''smencement, he had setup and researched superficially all his gains from the battle with the Grand me Bringer. Right now though, before the three hour cooldown of [High Cosmetic Body] came off, he intended to explore two, lessplicated spoils that came from that. It would do well to pass the time. As Skullius reached the top of the mountain, on his bones cold mana heavy with unnatural effects registering, familiar prompts began to appear from his guidance field. [High level concept detected. ''Distorted Gravity''. To learn the lesser fundamentals, an investment of 15,100 Null Life Essence is required] [High level concept detected. ''Spatial Lightning''. To learn the lesser fundamentals, an investment 24,900 Null Life Essence is required]. [High level concept detected. ''Stagnant Space. To learn the lesser fundamentals, an investment of 31,700 Null Life Essence is required] The skill [Epiphany] registered the high level concepts present atop this mountain, one of which Skullius could now learn the lesser fundamentals of provided he drew Null Life Essence from Ferex and coupled it with his own; if the Apostle had the full 3000 he could hold right now that is ¨C with an additional 100 on top. Skullius had recognised this opportunity when he came here yesterday and it was only a matter of time before he made his Hybrid Luman form stronger by learning more about Distorted Gravity but that wasn''t what he was looking to focus on right now. With another stretch of steps, the gravity that used to bully the Prator being significantly less aggressive because of his higher stats, Skullius reached IT. His fury was quelled just by seeing this thing. This was undoubtedly a contender for the greatest thing he could have looted from histest Cluster raid. Arge, magnificent throne surrounded by a pool of ever boilingva stood before his sight, looking to not fit as well with the chaotic atmosphere and messy design of this tform ¨C the fractured and torn pirs of stone, some of which shot into the sky randomly around thick bolts of lightning that caused the disappearance of some of them. This Legendary object, along with therge sword stuck within the hot pool around it... these two misfits gave a powerful presence. On the back rest of the throne, two dark scaled eggs could be seen wedged within its thick, solid material ¨C one of the eggs twice the one to its left and evidently the one that would have been to its right. Skullius emitted a proud burst of hot mana. He walked up to the pool and used [Greater Mana Crafter] to lift himself up with mana and sit on this throne that he didn''t fit on at all. Still, his arms reached the armrests. That was enough. The Pratornguidly rested his back and rxed, Levin bursting from the mass of clouds that would spontaneously appear around him, its streaks smashing against the throne constantly. "Ah...." As he sat, he felt it. A massive surge of familiar essences being drawn, condensed and fed into him in rtively safe proportions. Tinges of white, light blue and grey ran over the surface of the throne and streamed to Skullius and the eggs above, feeding them the essence contained within four concepts ¨C Spatial Lightning, Distorted Gravity, Stagnant Space and Grand Fire. The thick mass of power within the boiling pool was yet to wane and it was the source of thest, one which wasn''t on the level of the other three given that it wasn''t exactly a concept. The unbelievable resilience of the energy within this pool was exactly why Skullius had looted it along with throne after all. Speaking of the throne... ~~~ [Kindling Heath] A throne forged from the remnants of the voracious mes spat out of thend, their pursuit to devour everything fused with the sediments of the power of gods to form a seat for a long awaited king. -Durability- 71,230/120,000 -Special Effects- ? Increases any affinity by one rank. ? Increase Mana by 12,000 with absolute conversion ? Absorbs any energy form nearby and feeds it to the user with cautious guide ? Increase ability to receive andprehendplex energies by 50% --- [Skill: Genuine Womb] The throne is a protector of its user and the perfect bearer of his new kin. The throne will nourish anyone the user wills with the essence it absorbs. --- [Skill: Unlimited Utility] The throne saves 20% of absorbed essences to use for other functions that the user may desire ¨C flight, defence, attack and per the user''s will, giving allies a boost along the lines of the aforementioned aspects. ~~~ The more Skullius thought about this throne and its previous owner, the more he realised that it was underutilised. Or maybe it was just that the Grand me Bringer hadn''t used the throne in the final battle. He couldn''t. Whatever the case may be, Skullius was going to use this thing to the fullest. In fact, the concentrated surge of mana with ''spices'' made him feel a little overwhelmed but this feeling was offset by [Epiphany]''s passive ability to slowly dissect these concepts. The process was much faster now as the essence wasn''t scattered anymore. In a few minutes, Skullius could get the equivalent of what he had attained days ago when trying to find the core of Distorted Gravity but for all concepts that he was exposed to. The only problem would be that he didn''t have a convenient conduit to exploit in order to utilise the little he gained from these concepts like before - with a new core that wasn''t imprinted with a Refinery. He needed to work harder. Looking up, Skullius saw the egg directly above him. Thergest one. The space between its scales was beginning to turn from the bright shade of red to a greyish white hue. It seemed the creature within was slowly graduating from Grand Fire to one of the high level concepts contained here on the stout mountain. ''Whatever the creature born from this is must be really greedy. I probably shouldn''t use [Unbound] on this egg otherwise I may impede the birth of something phenomenal,'' Skullius thought with hints of excitement burning in his four sockets, one of which held an absurd power that he was proud of. One that he wouldn''t expose unless absolute necessary. Piggy backing on his growing enthusiasm that slowly chased away his anger, the Prator focused on the next thing on his agenda. The new guidance field functions. Chapter 513 New Guidance Field Functions! Following Skullius'' evolution, the guidance field had shown a notification depicting how it had changed. The specifics were that it had reached a threshold called Patronage Rank 1. Thankfully, Skullius didn''t have to figure this out himself as an information packet, something he hadn''t seen in a very long time, was also gifted to him in order to exin more about the guidance field in general. This information packet was called the Guidance Code and simr to the information packet he had received from VOW bro long ago, it was a golden text on the guidance that Skullius just had to poke in order to activate. (A/N: Refer to Ch.12). As such, the Prator did just that, the Guidance Code text brightening up to sh with immense light. The Prator had held off on using this as the night before the Premium Age Royale had been packed with too much already. Between talking to Silrat and nning his steps in the grand event, he had decided to not oversaturate himself with information. That was simple logic. ''Now, let''s see what this is all about,'' Skullius said as a stream of light rushed towards his skull and prated, turning into a vast well of information that was greedily absorbed by his mind. The first thing Skullius was fed, was the basics in a simplistic order. This was not news to Skullius. VOW bro had mentioned it when he first dropped into Aigas. The exact criteria for one to be chosen remained hidden from Skullius even with this though as even as his mind hurried to draw a conclusion, he couldn''t discern what he and Elita hadmon. They both had guidance fields but... nothing.