《The Bridge To Forever [Progression][LitRPG]》 Chapter 1 - The Plan Somewhere, there is a mountain of pure diamond. It takes an hour to climb and an hour to walk around. Every hundred years, a little bird sharpens its beak on the mountain. And when the whole mountain has been chiselled away, then the first second of eternity will have passed. You may think that''s a hell of a long time. But personally, I think that''s a hell of a bird.
For as long as he could remember, Lan had lived in its shadow. So did everything else, of course, but as he glared at the monolith that towered over the very earth itself; he couldn''t help hating it. He tore his gaze away from the bridge and shook his head, reminding himself that it was impossible to do what needed to be done. He was weak and helpless, just like so many before him. Someone walked past him on the street, an armoured shoulder slamming into his chest and sending him sprawling. "Hey¡­" The shout died in his throat. A huge man loomed over him, the shadow of the bridge behind him. The man grunted and walked away, not even bothering to interact with someone so far beneath him. Anger burned in Lan''s chest, but he smothered it. It was anger that got people killed. Careful, excruciating planning was what kept him alive. He couldn''t afford to be rash or impulsive, and starting a fight with a pathfinder was a surefire way to get himself killed. Everyone had a story, a tragedy, really. A sorry tale of how a pathfinder had hurt or killed someone they knew. One wrong word and a pathfinder could lash out and rip out your heart. It''s not like there was anyone who could stop them. He stopped himself; that line of thought always brought his gaze back to the bridge, which relit the burning fire in his chest. And he couldn''t afford to lose his cool today; he needed to remain calm. Honestly, he didn''t know if his plan would work or was even possible. But he needed to try; every day that passed where he lived in fear was excruciating. He felt like a rat in a maze, searching for the cheese pathfinders deigned to hide for him. But today was different; he had found a way out. Running over the plan in his head, a wave of nausea overwhelmed him; all the pieces made sense. It just remained to be seen whether or not those pieces fit together. The backpack he was wearing felt heavy, weighed down by the knowledge he was carrying everything he and his family had ever owned in there. Not literally, of course, but he had no choice but to sell everything he owned to buy what was in his pack. Picking himself off the ground, he glared at the back of the enormous pathfinder and blended back into the crowd, joining the stream of people that flowed towards the city centre, the gate, and the bridge. No matter how much he hated it, the bridge had become central to every aspect of human life. It gave resources, strength, eternal life, wealth and opportunity. Not to him, of course, but others undoubtedly benefited from it. He didn''t fully understand how it did any of that, even after studying the bridge for years. The government locked all information on the bridge tightly and only let those they trusted or could control have the key. Lan was neither. He had once had a master, who promised to get him onto the Bridge, but after failing the psych evaluation and being judged a ''threat'' he had been denied entry to even the worst academy. Perhaps he could have broken that barrier with the almighty hammer that is money, but Lan had none of that. There weren''t any powerful relatives to get him in through the back door, or friends in high places, so Lan was left adrift. He couldn''t really fault their decision however. Lan certainly didn''t have good intentions on entering the Bridge. The problem was that far worse people than him got accepted into the academies, far worse people got superpowers, and far worse people than him ran the government. He was getting side-tracked, pulled along with the flow of the foot traffic. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked out for the approaching gate and, when he saw it, stepped into a coffee shop just before the turn. The hustle and bustle were gone the second he stepped off the street, replaced by soft music and a peaceful atmosphere. It smelled like old wood and coffee. Walking up to the till, he noticed the price of the coffee and winced. ''80 credits! That''s what I earn in a week,'' he gritted his teeth as he paid and sat down in a supremely comfortable leather chair by the window. It was perfect. From here, Lan could see when the new arrivals showed up. From where he was sitting, he had a direct sightline to the bridge and one of the massive buildings beneath it. Specifically, the building he watched was the smallest and least impressive of the cluster, standing almost a kilometre tall and built from white marble. While that might sound daunting, compared to some others, it was nothing. The tallest building of the bunch, the pathfinder headquarters where the A-Ranks stayed when they actually returned from the Bridge. Was almost 5 kilometres tall and nearly a kilometer wide. It was entirely hewn from some grey-black mineral that glittered slightly in direct sunlight. He needed to get into the smallest building. Built for new arrivals from the academies, this building was where everyone entered the bridge for the first time, and today, whether or not the government allowed him, the young man was going to do just that. He looked down at his battered old watch. The black plastic was scratched in so many places it was a wonder the thing still worked. "Five minutes," he mumbled after checking the time. Now that it was so close, his heart was beginning to pound. He had nothing to lose, but somehow, he was still terrified. He had seen the wrath of a pathfinder before and knew just how dangerous his plan could be. Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself and grabbed his backpack, bringing it to the coffee shop''s toilet. On his way, he noticed more than a few people sitting in seats near him that looked distinctly suspicious. Their gazes were shifty and nervous, all trained in the same building he had been in. ''So, I''m not the only person to come up with the idea of breaking in,'' The young man mused, stepping into the bathroom and immediately opening his bag. ''Good, they should be an excellent decoy,'' He brought out plastic bags and waterproof trousers from his backpack, putting on the trousers and stuffing the bags into his pockets. Then, he closed the backpack tightly, making sure to seal it and looked up at the bathroom window. It was small, but he could fit, if only just. Over the past month, he had visited every coffee shop and restaurant on this street, and this was the only window he found that he could squeeze out of. Throwing the backpack out first, he wriggled through the window, glad for once that he was so skinny. If he wasn''t, there''s no way he would have fit. He tumbled into the gated alleyway at the shop''s side, the street''s hustle and bustle a distant light at the end of a dark tunnel. Grabbing the backpack from where it landed, he ran back into the alley, scouring the ground for a manhole cover. Soon enough, he found one and immediately came across his first problem. It was locked, and a thick metal bolt ran across it. Smiling evilly, he reached into his bag and brought a glass vial filled with neon orange liquid. This little vial had cost him half his life savings, but not without reason. It was made from a strange opaque material, and despite looking like glass, it was incredibly strong. Even if Lan jumped on the vial, it wouldn''t break. He had bought it from the black market, and although you could never really trust anything you bought from there to work perfectly, he had faith that this was the real deal. After a week of research, he had figured out he needed something corrosive, and it needed to be at least D-rank if he wanted it to burn through anything inside the new-arrivals building. This vial was filled with venom from a D-rank Fire Adder, and when it appear on the black-market last month, he jumped for joy. Lan honestly couldn''t believe anyone had been stupid enough to sell it for the price they did. Normally, even a lifetime of savings wouldn''t be enough to buy something like the venom, but he wasn''t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Carefully, he dripped a single drop of the venom onto each end of the bolt and listened to the glorious sizzle the metal made as the orange liquid ate through it. While waiting for that to finish, he brought out the plastic bags from earlier and tied them around his feet while placing his rucksack into another one. He needed everything to be waterproof where he was going. Eventually, the manhole stopped smoking, and the bolt was ruined. The venom had eaten clean through it and burned a few feet into the ground. He marvelled at the terrifying power a few drops of venom could have from a mere D-rank creature. ''Imagine if I had gotten that on my skin,'' He shuddered at the thought. With a grunt, he bent down and hoisted the cover-up, slipping beneath it and climbing down the metal rungs in the wall to the sewer below. The smell hit him first, a rotten stench that made it difficult to breathe, almost suffocating him. He had been expecting the sewer to reek, so it wasn''t a surprise. It''s just that knowing and experiencing are two different things altogether. Wishing he had brought something to plug his nose, he sped up as he walked through the dark tunnel, only lit by a faint strip of neon light that ran along the centre of the ceiling. As he walked, he took himself through the next step of his plan. It was by far the most dangerous but also the most important. It would have been easy if he could just climb up into the alley beside the new arrivals building and then sneak in, but if nobody had tried that before, he would lick the shoes he was walking in. Someone would be posted there on such an important day, the children of the academies were the lifeblood of the pathfinders, and they were protected fiercely. No, he needed to think outside the box. So, he walked by the ladder leading up to the alley beside the new arrivals building, continuing to the next ladder that led up to an even bigger building. It was suicidal, he knew it was, trying to sneak into the new arrivals building through the E-Rank headquarters. His whole plan relied on it being so suicidal that no one would ever think to do it, and thus it wouldn''t be defended against. It was dangerous because while the new arrivals building housed G and F Ranks, the E-Rank headquarters contained E and D ranks. While the difference between an average human and an F rank is vast, it is nowhere near the cataclysmic gap between a mortal and a D-rank. Any person in that building could sneeze, and he would die. But he had already made up his mind, and something like death wouldn''t stop him, not when he''d come this far. His father had used to say, ''Don''t stop when you''re dead. Stop when you''re done,'' and he lived by that mantra. He clenched his jaw and climbed the ladder up to the street, each rung brought him closer to death, but he kept going, dragging himself up one step at a time. Reaching up, he pushed at the manhole, but it didn''t budge, locked from the other side like the first one. Expecting this to be the case, he reached into the bag, bringing out the glass vial full of venom and a long thin piece of glass that looked like a straw. He placed the straw into the vial and sucked out a drop of venom, allowing the orange liquid to hang out the end of the straw precariously. ''If this fall''s on me...'' Tracing around the edge of the manhole with the straw, he left a sizzling trail of the venom all around its circumference and then quickly backed off down the ladder, not wanting any of it to fall and land on him.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. With a bang that stopped his heart, the manhole fell into the sewer, and all he could do was pray nobody up above had heard the racket. He climbed halfway back up the ladder and stopped, taking off the waterproof trousers covered in muck and removing the plastic bags he had tied around his shoes, Steeling himself, he took a deep breath and climbed into the alley above. He was wearing cheap leather armour that even a G-Rank would be embarrassed to be seen in public with, but he needed to look the part. Hopefully, from a distance, nobody would realise he wasn''t a pathfinder¡­ hopefully. The first thing that struck him about the alley was that it was precisely the same as the one beside the coffee shop, if a little cleaner. He wasn''t sure what he had been expecting, but Lan supposed he had thought the alley would be¡­ fancier. Shaking his head, he looked up at the towering building beside him, a massive monolith of steel and cement, a monument to the combined technological might of humanity. If he wanted to see the top, he needed to crane his neck almost ninety degrees, and even then, the building seemed to stretch forever into the sky. Swallowed by distant clouds. It was dwarfed by the bridge, of course, but so was everything, and he didn''t like looking at the bridge. Even if its shadow loomed over him at this very moment. At the end of the alley, he saw an open door that led into the building. From within, curse words flew, and people screamed vicious slurs at each other. ''The kitchen doesn''t change no matter where you are,'' Lan thought with a grin. Having worked as a bellhop in a crummy hotel for most of his life, he had plenty of experience dealing with insane chefs. He reached into his bag and brought out a white robe that the chefs in this building wore, slipping it on over his armour and striding towards the backdoor purposefully. As long as he looked like he belonged here, Lan shouldn''t get asked too many questions, especially if he looked like a chef that would scream at you for the slightest mistake. Which they were known to do. He looked rather uncomfortable in the white robe, skinny and gaunt. If anyone looked even remotely close, they would notice he was extremely young, only around 18 years old. But he hoped they wouldn''t, not if he acted the part anyway. Striding into the kitchen, he did his best to look furious, scowling like a thundercloud was hovering overhead. His fists clenched, and his jaw set grimly. Lan power-walked through the back of the kitchen towards the exit. A few people looked confused about where exactly he had come from, but noticing his fury, they decided it wasn''t worth the hassle of getting screamed at and left him be, sending out a prayer to the unlucky soul he was about to berate. He left the kitchen, leaving the heat and noise behind and stepped into one of the maintenance hallways the workers used to get around the building without being noticed by the pathfinders. Apparently, pathfinders would rather not have to look at the people catering to their every need. He supposed they were too busy trying to get the stick out of their ass. Making a beeline for the toilet, he strode inside, stripped off the robe, and got back into his leather armour. Only this time, he took out a neon orange workers jacket and a clipboard, donning it and walked out of the room after smearing some dirt on his face. As he walked down the maintenance hallway, he looked intently interested in the piece of paper on the clipboard, which was actually just a menu he had grabbed from the coffee shop. He made it to the end of the corridor and pushed open a heavy steel door, finding himself in a vast car park, countless exotic car models that probably cost more than his old family home were parked there, gathering dust. It was a tiered car park that went halfway up the side of the building. Apparently, most pathfinders were rich enough to have one, if not multiple, cars; for the most part, they kept them here. Checking that the coast was clear, he noticed a few people washing an already sparkling sports car and slipped back into the shadow of a thick pillar, making sure they hadn''t seen him. He crouched down and began to creep through the gathered cars, making sure to stay out of sight. He was heading towards the open end of the giant structure that faced out onto the New Arrivals building. When he peered out, he saw another car park beside him. It was slightly smaller, but then, so was the New Arrivals building It belonged to. Looking up, he guessed how far the distance between them was, maybe 10 meters, and decided he would need to go to the 15th floor if he was going to make the jump. Behind the car parks, he noticed long roads stretching off towards the foot of the bridge, cars flying up and down the road constantly, some moving so quickly they were little more than a blur. While the city had been built around the bridge, it couldn''t be too close. It wasn''t safe. No one was safe near the bridge. Or so the government said. He rechecked his watch, and ten excruciatingly short minutes had passed. Usually, the induction ceremony took half an hour, giving him only twenty minutes to find his way over to the new arrivals building and find the busses. Grinning wildly, he relished the challenge. It was hard but not impossible. He could see the path forward and knew the only thing standing between him and what he wanted was a ten-meter gap between two buildings. Grunting, he picked up his speed, grabbing his clipboard and striding as purposefully as his nerves would allow towards the nearest stairwell the workers used. Flinging open the door, he began climbing the stairs. His heart was racing now, jackhammering in his chest like a rabbit on crack. He was worried he might collapse from a heart attack before reaching the 15th floor. ''AH! Why don''t the service staff have an elevator?'' he roared internally, panting as he climbed the never-ending stairs. Halfway up, he bumped into a group of men wearing hard hats coming the other way. Heart in his throat, he nodded cordially, stepping to the side to let them pass. "Fuck these stairs, am I right?" One of the men laughed, wiping sweat from his brow. "You said it," Lan laughed along nervously, his back drenched. "Where you headed?" Another man in a hard hat asked him. "15th Floor" All the men whistled and shook their heads, "Sorry to hear that, buddy. There''s some crazy D-Rank on that floor, giving all the workers a hard time. Prick scratched his own car and is trying to blame us for the damages." "Ha! You''d think a fancy fucking pathfinder could park, eh?" another man chimed in. Lan thanked them for the information and continued up the stairs, his back slick with sweat. If he had gone to the 15th floor, he would have been screwed. Thanking his lucky stars, he stopped at the 14th floor and, checking that no one was there, made his way to the far end and out to the edge. Looking down at the building opposite him, the steep drop made his stomach churn, but that only hardened his resolve. He reached into his pack and brought out the final thing he had brought. A length of black rope with a simple hook at the end. Despite looking normal, this rope was even more expensive than the venom for the simple fact that it was extremely tough and had a minor enchantment that allowed it to return to whoever threw it. He had no idea why someone would sell such an incredible tool, but Lan didn''t question his good fortune. At this point, he felt he was owed some good luck. Squinting, he looked across to the other car park and listened intently. He could hear shouting from above him and winced, knowing that some asshole was making some poor worker''s life difficult for no reason other than that he could. But that was why he was doing this, risking his life to get into the bridge, and spending every penny, his parents left him on some rope and venom. It had started years ago when his parents died. Every time he looked for something to blame, the colossal shadow of the bridge was there, looming over him. Everywhere he went, even in his dreams, it was there. Everpresent and indestructible. It took people, and it twisted them into something unrecognisable. He had seen it happen before his own eyes. Rechecking his watch, he noticed that he only had ten minutes and clenched his fist around the rope, his knuckles turning white. The hook flew out over the chasm between buildings, and his heart stopped. Watching the single piece of metal that would decide his fate, the world stood still. It sailed through the air and began to dip, falling forwards and towards the ground. To his dismay, the hook streaked down and clattered against the side of the car park wall, bouncing off ineffectually. Cursing, he pulled the rope back, rewinding it with the enchantment. This time, he took a few steps back before he threw it, running forward to give the throw more momentum. Flying through the air, the hook clattered inside the 10th floor of the car park, and he yanked on it feeling it catch on something sturdy. He tied the rope on his end around a pillar and, seeing that he only had 7 minutes left, burst into a run. In his hand, he held the high-visibility jacket and right before he jumped off the edge of the car park, he looped it over the top of the rope and used it to zipline across. Wind rushed through his dark hair, blowing it out of his face to reveal the glee in his gloomy eyes. He hadn''t felt this excited, this free in a long, long time. The cold wall of the car park rushed up to meet him, and he let go, tumbling into the tenth floor and rolling to a stop. He held his breath and prayed no one was there, praying that no one had seen him enter. The shout he was expecting never came, and eventually, he clambered to his feet, wincing slightly at his grazed knee and banged wrist. Reaching down, he grabbed the end of the rope hooked under the front bumper of an expensive-looking sportscar and pulled it out, thanking the heavens it didn''t break. Activating the enchantment again, the rope unwound itself from the pillar, snaking through the air and into his grip, where he coiled it into a loop. He placed it in his bag and started walking. Without time to catch his breath, he noticed he only had five minutes left and took off in a run, putting on the high-visibility jacket once again as he did so. He bounded down the stairwell two steps at a time, checking each floor for buses as he did so. And the closer he got to the bottom, the more nervous he became. What if they were parked on one of the top floors? There were almost 100 levels to this car park, and he would never be able to check all of them in time. His heart was in his mouth again when he reached the bottom floor. If they weren''t here, it was all over. Reaching out with trembling hands, he pushed open the door and stepped into the car park, more nervous than he had ever been in his entire life. A tidal wave of relief washed over him when he walked onto the ground floor and saw hundreds of buses packed like sardines into the car park. They were futuristic, beautiful and sleek in their design, with leather seats and massive tyres for a comfortable ride. Rumour had it that these sorts of buses could take a hit from a missile, and the students still wouldn''t be late for school, and now that he saw them, he believed it. Each bus was painted in bright school colours, with its crest proudly displayed on the side. And each school had tens, some even over one hundred buses. And, to his delight, the buses lay empty. A few people milled about each one. Presumably, drivers or caretakers, each smoking or chatting, not paying attention to him. He hid his grin behind his clipboard and marched over to the nearest bus with purpose. Now, more than ever, he needed to look like he belonged here. Thinking he might stand out near the edges, he strode past the first bus he came across. Heading to one somewhere in the middle of the parking lot where there would be so many people, no one would notice one extra person. Finally, he arrived at a massive bus with high road clearance. The driver and teachers were chatting on the other side by the bus door, giving him the chance he needed. Scanning his surroundings, when he was sure nobody was looking, he dropped to his belly and slid under the bus, another moment where he was grateful for his skinny frame. Thankfully, the bus had offroad tyres and was almost half a metre off the ground. Meaning that what he was about to do next wouldn''t get him killed. Careful not to make too much noise, he removed the rope and began to loop it around his waist and legs, ensuring it was tight in place. Then he reached up, tying the rope around the undercarriage of the bus, once again eternally grateful to whatever idiot decided to sell such a great tool. It wasn''t as valuable as the venom, but still pretty rare. Frankly, it was a miracle Lan had managed to buy either, nevermind both. Lan tied the knot loosely enough that he could use it like a pulley to winch himself up, and then he moved the bag from his back to his stomach before pulling himself up until he was strapped tightly to the bottom of the bus. It wasn''t long before he heard footsteps, thousands of them. And then he felt the engine rumble as the bus driver turned the key. He could only be glad for the bag between him and the rapidly heating metal. Turning his head to the side, he saw countless feet walk past the bus and heard the chatter of excitement from happy teenagers. It felt so alien to him, covered in grease and sweat, clinging to the bottom of their bus like a drowned rat. He was the same age as they were. But he was a parasite, stealing scraps from their table. Time trickled by and the buses around them were fully loaded. A queue of people lined up beside his bus as names were read out, and they responded with a shout before stepping into the vehicle. ''Why is it taking them so long?!'' He cursed, begging them to just hurry up. ''What if¡­'' to his horror, he heard the clatter of a dropped phone. His head snapped around to the source of the sound, where he noticed a more petite figure surrounded by three larger ones. It appeared they had hit the phone from the person''s hands and were now stamping on it. ''Even the academy kids aren''t free from it¡­'' he thought, watching the ruined phone with bated breath. If the kid bent down to pick it up, they would see him. ''Just leave it! It''s only a phone!'' he screamed internally, hoping his thoughts would somehow reach the other person. But they didn''t. Names were called, and the three bigger people left, leaving the smaller person standing quietly above their ruined phone. He slowly watched his life crash around him as the figure bent down, crouching as they picked up the pieces of their broken phone. They had short white hair and three circular scars on their cheek. All he could do was watch in horror as their dull eyes flickered up for a moment and made contact with his. Time stood still, and he couldn''t even think, let alone breathe. What would they do? Should he run? Should he say something? Beg? His mind spun wildly, trying to come up with a way out. But the person did nothing. They looked into his terrified face, and he looked into theirs, confused and tired. Neither said anything, but the person nodded, finished picking up the pieces of their phone, and walked onto the bus. The last person to board before it took off. Beneath the bus, Lan''s face was sheet white, and his stomach was doing somersaults. He couldn''t believe what had just happened. An insane grin began to spread across his face, and he had to force himself not to burst into laughter. He had done it! He had actually done it! Thanks to the high-tech bus, the journey to the bridge was short. Lasting a little more than 5 minutes, they travelled around 10 miles to where the towering bridge lay. When the wheels screeched, and the buses stopped, he waited until the crowd had moved on from his bus and then untied himself, dropping out from under the scorching hot engine. He managed to wriggle his way out from under the bus and took a deep breath of air, it was the best air he had ever tasted, and even better, it didn''t stink of petrol fumes. And then he looked up, staring directly into the eyes of an all too familiar pale figure with white hair. "Hi," they said with an awkward smile. Chapter 2 - Weapons are my Weapons Lan''s heart was in his mouth as he looked up at the sickly pale, white-haired person opposite him. ''Bo?'' He looked closer, noticing their appearance was very androgynous, with close-shaved white hair. Making it impossible to tell whether they were a boy or girl. ''No, it isn''t him,'' They were slender and wore an ill-fitting, black blazer with a school crest stitched into the sleeve and chest. Time stood still as they stared at each other. Lan searched their face, trying to figure out what they would do. Far away, a teacher shouted, "Roll Call!" "Hi," The person said with a weak smile, looking even more nervous than Lan. "H-hi," Lan croaked, his throat raw from the fumes he''d been breathing in beneath the bus. "I''m Morgan, I don''t have a second name since the academy took me right after I was born, so it''s just Morgan," ''Well, it''s definitely not Bo then,'' Lan thought. Covered in grease and sweat, he must have looked like a wreck, but he still reached out to shake Morgan''s hand. "I have no name, but you can call me Lan if you want," Morgan looked down at Lan''s hand covered in oil and hesitated for a moment before sticking out their own and shaking it. "So¡­" Morgan trailed off. "What the hell are you doing?" Lan grimaced, trying not to get angry at the other person. It was pretty fucking obvious what he was doing, "I''m trying to become a pathfinder," He grunted. Morgan frowned like they simply couldn''t understand that reasoning, "Why not just join an academy?" They asked like it was obviously the solution. Lan shook his head, "I didn''t get in. It''s a long story. Anyway, that doesn''t matter right now. I need to know if you''re going to turn me in," Morgan shrugged, "I dunno. I don''t think I''m going to turn you in or anything. I was just curious. I''ve never seen someone under a bus like that before and wanted to meet you," Lan couldn''t believe it. Was this person stupid? "Well, I need to know! My life kinda hinges on you not exposing me," Nodding, Morgan looked thoughtful for a second and then snapped their fingers." I''ll get you something that can help," They shouted as they ran around the bus disappearing into the futuristic vehicle. They returned with a towel and a bundle of clothes a moment later. The uniform was identical to what Morgan was wearing, a black blazer, a white shirt, grey trousers and a striped tie with the school crest emblazoned. "Where did you get these?" Lan asked as Morgan thrust them into his hands. Morgan turned away as Lan got changed into the clothes, "Apparently, by the time we leave the tutorial, our uniforms will be destroyed, so the school brought loads of spare uniforms," Lan nodded, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt and the tie. He had never worn anything even remotely close to this, and it all seemed alien to him. Turning around, Morgan noticed he was fiddling with the tie and walked over. They reached out a hand to fix it, but Lan flinched back, not letting their hands get close to his neck. Lan took a deep, shaking breath, "Sorry, I just don''t like anyone going near my neck. Personal stuff." He didn''t feel any need to elaborate, and thankfully, Morgan didn''t ask. In the middle of getting dressed, Morgan disappeared to take roll and returned a moment later. "If you want to be awakened, come with me," they said. Time stopped for Lan as he tried to figure out his next move. Did he trust this stranger and hope they didn''t screw him over? Or did he take this disguise and go it alone? What if they got angry that he didn''t trust them and turned him in? Hundreds of anxious thoughts flitted about in his head, each worry competing to gain supremacy. But in the end, Morgan decided for him, grabbing his hand, which he had wiped clean with the towel, and dragging him out from behind the bus. "Where are we going?" Lan hissed, too anxious to talk any louder than a whisper. All around them, thousands of children their age milled about in huge groups around teachers. They were all dressed smartly and stood in orderly lines, but that didn''t change the overflowing excitement Lan could feel almost bubbling off them. The buses had parked at one end of a massive field. And when Lan looked to the other end, his poor heart almost stopped again. He had to crane his neck back to get a fuller picture of it, but even that didn''t do the bridge justice. It defied the words large, or even enormous. Some myths said that it was built by the titans, and perhaps titanic was the best word to describe it. It was monumentally large, made from a strange purplish black stone with no cracks or cement. The whole bridge seemed to be carved out of a single piece of stone, which should have been impossible considering its immense size. Stretching up into the sky, the bridge tore through the clouds and kept going, dwarfing the pathfinder headquarters. It was so tall that its far end simply disappeared into a single point in the sky above, but even then, Lan knew this was nothing. The bridge was almost one hundred kilometres wide, its floor lying perpendicular to the ground in a shear cliff. All around its base, thousands of pathfinders waited patiently for the student''s arrival. They were sitting on folding chairs on the outskirts of a small city. That looked to have sprung up around the base of the bridge. Although Lan noted that rather than coffee shops and restaurants, the city had stores that sold weapons and armour. Apothecaries, beast tamers, and huge stadiums were built in the style of the Colosseum. The city itself gave off the vibe of a travelling market rather than a permanent domicile, although Lan supposed that almost all the shops here were temporary. Simply a place someone set up to sell their loot and then move on. Morgan led him through the crowds of teenagers towards a group of students wearing the same clothing that he was. Realising their intention, Lan grabbed their wrist, "Wait, won''t they know I''m not from your school?" He whispered, trying not to draw attention to them. Morgan shook their head, "They''ve already finished roll, and the head teacher is a researcher who couldn''t care less," "While the teacher might not care, the other students will probably notice that I''m new," Lan pointed out. Frowning, Morgan nodded, "You''re right. Especially if you arrive with me. Fine, we''ll wait until the groups start setting off towards the bridge and join the back," Lan bent down and pretended to tie his shoe, only now realising they were old, battered trainers that looked incredibly out of place in his smart uniform. He ignored Morgan''s comment, already having seen them picked on earlier. That wasn''t his problem. "Anything I should know?" Lan asked to break the awkward silence that had formed between them. "About the bridge¡­ hm," Morgan mumbled, scratching their head with an ashen hand. "Not really¡­ Our induction was mostly just them telling us we needed to ''Be strong!'' and ''Believe in yourselves!'' you know?" "They kept all the essential information to themselves, is what I''m saying. From what I understand, going into the initial part of the bridge completely blind is a rite of passage that all pathfinders are supposed to go through. It lets them experience the dangers of the bridge early on when there''s less chance of truly getting hurt," Lan nodded and was internally fist-pumping that he wasn''t completely lacking in information. It wasn''t nice to start incredibly far behind his competition. "Although I can tell you this. While my teachers haven''t explicitly stated it, from what I can gather, we will be taken into a place called the tutorial when we first step on the bridge. And only half of all participants leave the tutorial," Morgan shuddered when they said this, their eyes growing distant, "I think¡­ I think all the people gathered here will be competing for something¡­ and if you lose, you die," Looking around at the thousands of excited students gathered around the entrance to the bridge, Lan couldn''t help but pity them. Even if he hated the arrogant tyrants they would become, that didn''t change how cruel sending half of them to die was. He supposed this was the sort of event that twisted your personality, making it darker and more vicious. Perhaps accrued trauma was why most pathfinders were quick to lash out in anger, even at helpless ordinary people. Ultimately, the whats and the whys weren''t really that important. Lan was preoccupied with the weapons most teenagers had attached to their hips or slung over their backs. "Hey, Morgan," He whispered, "What''s with all the weapons?" Morgan frowned and then facepalmed suddenly, "Oh shit! How could I forget? When we step on the bridge or the path, as fancy people like to call it, we get whisked away to this tutorial and given access to the system. The system starts everyone off at level 0 and Rank G, giving them a unique talent. Then, pathfinders attain a class at level 10, which most people reach in the tutorial. A class which is usually based on their Talent. Now, people are bringing weapons with them in the hopes that their Talent will relate to those weapons." Morgan grinned and brought their sleeve closer to Lan, allowing him to see a wide variety of hidden blades tucked away inside the sleeve. "I''m looking for a talent related to assassination or maybe throwing knives. Anything that helps me use my preferred weapons better, really," "And that works? Bringing something with you affects your talents?" Lan asked glumly, realising he only had a rope and some venom. "The weapons you bring are said to have an effect, but a big part of it is your personal experience. If you are someone who''s fought with a sword since they were young, chances are, you''ll get a sword talent," Lan thought about what his Talent might be then. Would he get improved Bellhop abilities since that had been his job? If his Talent were to wait tables faster, he might kill himself there and then. Somewhere up ahead, a loud voice boomed out, "Advance!" Like a cloud of locusts, the students descended on the city. Blowing past it, they headed straight for the base of the bridge. Along the way, Lan noticed how well-guarded the bridge was the closer he got to its base and was incredibly thankful that Morgan had offered to help when they did. After roughly ten minutes of walking briskly, they passed the outer edge of the city, where the stalls looked ramshackle and hurriedly put together, entering the inner region. Here, the buildings were permanent, and instead of stalls and temporary shops, some massive armouries and forges belched clouds of smoke into the sky. Hundreds of regular pathfinders wandered in and out of the shops in the city centre, glancing at the mass of students as they passed but not reacting much. Although, if Lan wasn''t mistaken, there was pity in those glances.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. He began to feel increasingly nervous about what was waiting for him in the tutorial, but the nerves did little to dampen his determination. Instead, he only grew more and more excited. Finally, they arrived at the base of the bridge, a surreal experience for Lan, who had never expected to get so close to the thing he hated most. While others gasped in awe and reverence towards the ancient structure, Lan only felt disgusted. This thing should not have existed. Chaperones instructed the students to line up along the base of the bridge in a single file. Each of them was told to hold the hand of the people next to them and only step onto the bridge when instructed. Thanks to its massive width, it was effortless for the almost ten thousand students to line up along the bridge, and in only five minutes, everything was ready. Lan stood breathlessly before the Bridge, grinning ''Fuck you Kin, I got in by myself!'' He cursed. Behind them, a deep voice began to call out a booming countdown. 5¡­ Lan''s heart pounded wildly. To his left, Morgan gripped his hand, his expression a strange mix of anxiety and excitement, 4¡­ On his right, a girl with short black hair and a sword at her waist mumbled a prayer. ''I wish I had a better weapon,'' Lan thought. 3¡­ The rope at his waist felt heavy. If he got a rope talent, he hoped it would be helpful. 2¡­ What fucking Talent could you even get with a rope? Scratch that. He better not get a rope talent. 1¡­ In unison, the students stepped forward and up simultaneously. The second their feet tapped the surface of the bridge perpendicular to the ground, they all disappeared, vanishing into nothing. The second the students disappeared, their chaperones gathered around a large man wearing a pinstriped suit and carrying an ornate cane. "Ladies, ladies, please calm down," He laughed as he spoke, "I will have time to take everyone''s bets, so there''s really no rush," ***
Initialising... Success! Scanning for suitable Talent... Talent found... Possible threat to the system: Continue? Confirmed! Penalty applied, Talent delayed. Finding Suitable talent substitute... Talent found! Begin porting. Warping begins in 3... 2... 1...
For a terrifying moment, his vision had gone black. But thankfully, that passed quickly, and now he was standing, not on the bridge, but in what looked like a massive hotel lobby. Soft red carpets covered a marble floor, and ornate glass windows allowed colourful light streams to pour into the massive hall. Lan felt hands holding his and quickly let go, stepping back and away from the massive line of students still coming, disoriented by the sudden jump in space. Almost immediately, he noticed something disconcerting. The hall was quickly divided into two types of people. One of the groups was striding confidently through a wide wooden door at the far end of the hall, and the other was standing dazed and confused, still recovering from the warping. "Lan, you okay, buddy?" Morgan''s voice came from his left. Lan nodded, finding his bearings pretty quickly, "I think we should follow them," was the first thing he said. Morgan scowled but agreed, "Yeah, those lot are second-generation pathfinders..." Seeing Lan''s look of confusion, Morgan elaborated, "Basically, they are the children of pathfinders. They had training before joining the academy and already have pretty good equipment. As well as advice from their parents who''ve already gone through all this," "So even in the academy, normal people are at a disadvantage..." Lan muttered, running to catch up with Morgan as they followed the second-generation pathfinders out of the hall. They stepped out onto a cobbled road that stretched towards a giant bulletin board before splitting into two separate paths and continuing into the distance. One road sloped down the side of a cliff and disappeared, and the other climbed up the side of a steep mountain blanketed in a forest. Hundreds of students had already gathered around the bulletin board, reading it with intense concentration. As they walked along the road, Lan noticed that a lot of the people near them were staring into space, their eyes intensely focused on empty air. "What''s up with them?" He asked, nudging Morgan. Morgan took notice of the vacant stares and facepalmed, "Oh my god, I am such an idiot. How could I forget about the most important thing?" "View profile," After saying that, their eyes grew similarly distracted, staring at things that weren''t there. "Morgan," Lan got no response. "Morgan!" Lan grabbed the kid and started to shake. "Huh? what is it? what''s happening?" Morgan grunted, snapping back to reality. "What are you doing?" Lan asked, cautious not to make it obvious to passersby that he was confused since everyone from the academies seemed to already know what was happening. Morgan facepalmed again, and Lan was beginning to wonder if they would get brain damage from doing that all the time, "Sorry, I forgot you didn''t know already. To view your stats in the system, you just have to say: View Profile. After that, take a look at your Talent so that you can decide your next move," Lan nodded, a little embarrassed about saying it aloud, but since everyone was doing it, it wasn''t a big deal, "What am I looking for?" "There are two types of talents usually, those that help with combat, and those that help with crafting or academic stuff. Depending on your Talent, you can decide which path to take up there by the bulletin board. One of those paths will be for non-combat pathfinders, and the other will be for combat-type people," Morgan explained before opening their profile again and reading it absentmindedly. Steeling himself, Lan spoke, "View Profile," A holographic box displaying a list of his stats and attributes appeared in front of him, glowing softly. Looking around, he made sure that no one else could see his information before delving into it himself.
Name: Unknown Title(s): None Age: 18 Race: Human - G Class: None Talent: Weapons are my Weapons - G Health: 35/35 Mana: 30/30 Level: 0 Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Endurance: 7 Vitality: 5 Mind: 11 Intelligence: 3 Luck: 11 Free Points: 10 Skills: None
''What the hell sort of talent is that?'' Was Lan''s first thought after he had read through his profile. It was easy enough to figure out he would be going down the combat-oriented path with a talent like that. Now he just needed to figure out what exactly it did. For now, he looked at his stat distribution and winced. If these stats were meant to reflect an average person, ten out of ten being average for a grown man, then he was lacking in every physical stat. In fact, his only impressive stat was luck, which he had to admit, had gotten him out of many a tight spot over the years. Even today, it had only been through sheer luck that he bumped into Morgan or those workers that warned him not to go to the Fifteenth floor. Since he needed to learn the best way to distribute his stat points, he decided to wait until he figured out his Talent before allocating anything. On initial inspection, it seemed that Intelligence correlated to mana, with him having three and thirty in each one, respectively. So he assumed that adding one point to Intelligence would add ten to mana. He suspected his Vitality was related to health since it made sense that it would be, but he couldn''t understand how. "Hey," Morgan elbowed Lan, who jumped back, startled out of his revelry. "What does your talent do?" Lan shrugged helplessly, "I have no idea. How do I find out?" "Oh, that''s easy, just say Talent: Identify," "How did people even figure this stuff out to begin with?" Lan muttered as he viewed his Talent in more detail.
Weapons are my Weapons: Someone truly mighty does not have a favourite sword. They do not need a powerful tool to be strong, as they themselves embody strength. In the hands of an expert, even sticks and stones can be weapons of mass destruction. Effects: Adaptable: In your hands, even a feather can become sharp. Anything you touch becomes a weapon you can use to the best of your abilities. Heretic: You despise enchantments. Any weapon crafted with a skill attached or special effects is unusable.
"Shit!" Lan spat. Morgan placed a hand on Lan''s shoulder comfortingly, but Lan flinched away again, not liking anything to go near his neck. "Is your penalty bad?" "Is the penalty the part of the talent that restricts you?" "Yeah, some can get really brutal. For example, I''ve heard of people who have armour talents that can never remove their armour. They can''t bathe or sleep without it on! Although I think talents become more flexible at higher ranks," Morgan explained. "Mine''s pretty bad then. It says I can''t use any weapons that have been enchanted," Just to test it, Lan brought out his rope. The long black coil had a weak enchantment that allowed him to call it back to him. He tried to activate the enchantment, but it was futile. His mana refused to enter the array. Although he could still physically hold the rope, his Talent restricted him from using the skills attached to weapons rather than the weapons themselves. Lan sighed and stashed the rope back in his rucksack. "So, can you explain to me how stats work? I''m sorry if I''m being an inconvenience, but I''m really in the dark about all this," Lan was genuinely grateful for Morgan''s help and even more thankful that they hadn''t asked him any questions about why he was here. Morgan shook their head and laughed amiably, "Nah, don''t worry about it. I''ll just explain it as we walk to the board," As the pair set off, they noticed that the crowd gathered around the leaderboard had grown to over a thousand students, all of them excitedly discussing its contents with passionate gestures and shouts. "Okay... so stats aren''t an absolute science, but for your purposes right now, this is what''s most important: There are 6 stats that you can change with free points, Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Endurance, Mind and Intelligence. Luck is the exception, as it can only be upgraded through titles and lucky encounters. It''s also the least understood stat, so I''ll ignore it for now. Strength relates to your physical strength... which sounds kinda obvious now I''m saying it out loud, but it''s mostly your explosive power. Dexterity affects your agility and balance. It''s a vital stat for balancing strength. Too much of one without the other makes you useless. Vitality and Endurance are linked stats, with Vitality dictating your health pool and regeneration and Endurance deciding how strong your body is. For that reason, the combination of those two stats determines your health. Think of it like this, Vitality increases the quantity of health, and Endurance improves the quality. Mind is all about your thinking speed and how quick you are at learning skills. Intelligence directly relates to mana, the higher your Intelligence, the higher your mana reserves and regeneration. It also lets you learn spells quicker," Morgan scratched their head thoughtfully, trying to think of other essential aspects of stats. "I guess that''s pretty much it for now. The only advice I can give you is the same stuff the school told me. Don''t put all your points in one stat, especially early on. It''s important to be balanced. Until you get your class anyway," By now, they had reached the giant bulletin board with WELCOME! Printed on the top in a massive font. Seeing all the excitement around the board, as students milled around its base discussing it animatedly, Lan and Morgan quickly pushed to the front and began to read its contents. Chapter 3 - Leaderboard Welcome to the tutorial, prospective pathfinders. We look forward to your progress and growth in these hallowed grounds. And while only half of you may leave this place and truly become powerful, as is the way with the path, those who succeed will surely be rewarded handsomely. In the tutorial, a pathfinder''s job is to gain as many points as possible. Points can be viewed from within the system or on the leaderboard below. Points are earned by completing quests and dungeons, gaining rare titles and killing beasts. There are other less common methods listed in the ascension index in town. A pathfinder must finish in the top 50% of points to pass the tutorial. The higher you rank, the greater your rewards. Killing fellow pathfinders is impossible in the towns and on the road to them. Points will be deducted for those that have been killed. If a pathfinder dies outside of a safe zone, all their points will be removed, and they will respawn in the entrance hall. For crafters, take the path right down into the port town. You will gain points by creating and selling weapons and armour you have crafted. For combatants, take the path on the left to the sheer steps. There, you will have to defend a town from escalating beast waves while also having an opportunity to challenge the sheer steps. Best of luck, and we''ll see you on the other side. Lan finished reading the bulletin board, and his stomach started turning. He felt nauseous at the thought of fighting an endless wave of beasts, especially when he was woefully unprepared. What chance did he have when everyone here had years of training? Morgan nudged him in the ribs with their elbow, "Hey, you alright?" "What? Oh... Yeah, just nervous, I guess. I''ve never really killed anything before," Lan admitted sheepishly. He had fought in plenty of bar fights in the hotel, but he had never taken another animal, let alone a person''s life. "Ah, don''t worry about it. Look at me. Do I look like I''ve killed anything before?" Morgan gestured to themselves, their skinny frame and wide brown eyes the picture of innocence. Lan frowned, "I''m sure they had you practice at the academy," They rubbed their shaved head uncomfortably, "Yeah... there was some stuff with a... Animals... But I''d rather not talk about it," they mumbled, eyes downcast and ashamed. All around them, people were making their decision quickly, waving goodbye to each other as they split off down different paths. Morgan and Lan decided to follow the crowd going up the hill since they were both combatants with their talents. As they walked up the hill, Lan decided that, for now, he wanted to get a better understanding of how the stats worked, specifically health. "Is there any way I can view something like health in depth?" He asked Morgan. Nodding, Morgan explained that all Lan had to do was say, ''View health,'' and an in-depth breakdown of the stat would appear.
Health: 35/35 Modifiers: Vitality = 50 health Endurance multiplier = 0.7 50*0.7 = 35
Now that he could see his health in detail, it was pretty clear to Lan that he needed to upgrade both endurance and vitality simultaneously to get the best out of either of them. With that in mind, he placed three free points into endurance, bringing the multiplier to 1. He used the remaining free points to bring strength and Dexterity to 10 and vitality to 6.
Name: Unknown Title(s): None Age: 18 Race: Human - G Class: None Talent: Weapons are my Weapons - G Health: 60/60 Mana: 30/30 Level: 0 Strength: 10 Dexterity: 10 Endurance: 10 Vitality: 6 Mind: 11 Intelligence: 3 Luck: 11 Free Points: 0 Skills: None
Perhaps it was his improved endurance, but the remaining walk up the hill was nowhere near as brutal as it would have been a few days ago. Instead of panting for breath, Lan talked with Morgan as they walked, asking them questions about life in the schools and how they had been prepared for the tutorial. "So, is there anything I need to watch out for?" Lan asked. Morgan looked over their shoulder to ensure no one in the nearby crowd was listening before talking. "Yeah, watch out for second-generation kids. They have way more training than everyone else and aren''t afraid to use it," Lan frowned, "The gap can''t be that big¡­right?" Morgan shook their head, sighing, "It''s even bigger than you think. If it was just them having better weapons and training, that would be one thing. But they learn all the tips and tricks about the tutorial from their parents before coming here. I''ll bet everyone who makes it above the sixth step is a second generation. And the majority of people who pass the tutorial will definitely be second-generation scions¡­ this¡­ what I''m about to say next is purely speculation, but I think that the real reason the academy takes in orphaned kids like me is to increase the odds of survival of second-generation scions in the tutorial," Morgan''s face was grim when they finished talking, and Lan wasn''t any better, "Is it the odds? If more than half the people they bring are poor kids, and second generations do way better than us, then most of them will survive," Lan muttered, working it out as he spoke. "Honestly, for us normal kids, getting out of here with our lives is a success. And if you make it out with a decent title and class, that''s a downright miracle!" When Morgan said the words title, their eyes were glazed slightly. "Titles?" "Yeah, they give bonus stats to those who accomplish difficult things. For example, the first person to reach level 10 and get a class here will probably get a title. But nobody else will get one for reaching level 10, only the first person," Lan nodded in understanding, "Is there any way to get titles that don''t rely on time constraints?" "That''s what I was going to say next. In the tutorial, there''s this set of challenges called the sheer steps. They get progressively harder, and the more you complete, the better because you''ll be awarded titles based on how many steps you climbed," Lan thought everything over and felt at even more of a disadvantage than he had expected. Everyone here had such a big head start on him, and the only way he could see to catch up was to work twice as hard as they did. But if there was anything Lan was good at, it was working hard. As long as he was smart about it, he was sure he would survive this and finish in the top 50%. Seeing how far behind he was, Lan was itching to catch up as quickly as possible. He couldn''t wait to fight something and level up. And it wasn''t long before he got his chance. *** The town they finally arrived at was ramshackle at best. It was almost an insult to city planning that this haphazard collection of wooden huts could even be called a town. It looked like every building had just ended up here by accident. The cobbled road ran through its centre and continued towards a colossal cliff with massive cliffs carved into its granite rock. The enormous steps were far too big for any human to use, looking like they had been designed for giants. Each one was big enough to build a house on. And not the shitty little wooden huts in the village, not the rundown apartment Lan lived in either.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A proper house. On either side of the road was a collection of huts surrounded by a short, spiked wooden barricade that encircled the entire town. The barricade was a random collection of wooden stakes driven into the ground, some so old they were rotting. The second they set foot into this town, Lan and Morgan got a notification from the system.
Alert: Quest Assigned Defence: Once a day for the next month, this town will be attacked by rabid beasts spawned from the twisted forest. Enlist the help of crafters and improve the town''s defences, holding the beasts at bay until the tutorial ends. Contribution to protecting the town will be awarded points. Rewards: Special titles for critical contributors. See additional rewards on the leaderboard. Points will be released on the completion of the final wave. Failure: Death for all.
Lan gulped when he finished reading that, realising he might be a little glad for the rich kids being here. He could already see them near the barricade, organising teams to prepare for the coming waves of beasts. He was just about to ask Morgan what to expect from the beast wave when a booming gong sounded from the centre of the town. All at once, everyone glanced around, trying to find the source of the sound. Only to be greeted by another message from the system.
First wave. Begins.
Like swarming locusts, thousands of young people that had been casually milling about in the town burst into action immediately. Grabbing their weapons like well-trained soldiers and marching towards the barricade confidently. Their faces were set in grim determination, a look Lan had rarely seen where he had grown up. People were never that assured or confident in the District. Running alongside Morgan, Lan felt distinctly out of place. It was at least some consolation that Morgan didn''t seem to be faring much better. Their march was far less measured and confident than most of the other teenagers. The skinny teenager looked awkward and ungainly amongst their well-built fellows. Lan felt his heart pounding as he neared the wall. Strangled snarls and the clashing of weapons rang out from past the barricade. Strangely enough, it wasn''t fear that set his heart racing, but excitement. He had been in plenty of bar fights over the years and knew how to take a punch, but this was his first time in a real life-or-death battle. The atmosphere here was different, the air smelt bloody, and the crazed look in people''s eyes was almost manic. Quickly, Lan began to get drawn into the madness, soaking in the blood and screams of the fighting. Seeing that he was in a big group of people, he quickly realised he would only have a little to do when the fighting started. One of the stronger kids would take care of most of the monsters, and he would be left without a chance to level up. ''I need to push myself! I need to take more risks than anyone else, work harder than anyone else, and I can''t do that if I''m in a big group like this,'' he realised, affirming that he needed to separate and search for his own battles. Lan tapped Morgan on the shoulder and shouted across the din of fighting, "I''m going off on my own!" Morgan shook their head and tried to grab Lan''s arm, "No! That''s a bad idea. We have no idea how strong those monsters are!" Their voice quavered, almost pleading. Grinning, Lan brushed off Morgan''s hand and slipped out of the group. He felt almost naked outside the protection of the big crowd. The only thing keeping him alive now, was him. A thought that while it should have been nerve wracking made his blood boil. The barricade was only a few metres away now, and he could hear the animalistic snarls more clearly. He wasn''t able to determine whether they came from people or beasts. Deciding to head to a less defended area, Lan circled the barricade halfway around the town until he found a spot on the edge of the forest where only a few people were fighting. Steeling himself, he slipped between a gap in the barricade, grabbing one of the wooden stakes that made up the makeshift barrier as he passed through. Right now, he had no weapon, so this would have to do. It was about to be the first time he put his Talent to the test... maybe a heated battle wasn''t the best time to do that, but when else would he get the chance? Immediately, he felt the difference. The battle was raging out past the barricade, and now, instead of an observer, he was part of it. The sensory overload hit him like a wave, with screams and growls slamming into him and making his ears ring. Almost instantly, something jumped at him, its snarling mouth wide open, displaying wickedly sharp teeth. It flew through the air like a furry torpedo and slammed into him, the momentum sending both of them sprawling to the ground with the wolf on top. Lan gasped; the air knocked out of his lungs. But the wolf wasn''t giving him time to collect himself. It kept snapping at his throat, its eyes bloodshot and stained with madness. Lan stuck an arm up beneath its throat, desperately holding off the drooling jaws. Grunting, he hauled the wolf off himself, launching a vicious kick at the side of its head as he did. His arm ached from a gash the wolf had gnawed through his clothes, but he grimaced and ignored it. All it would take was a second of distraction, and he would end up in the wolf''s mouth. He stared directly into the creature''s rabid eyes and saw nothing behind them. There was no reasoning or complex thought in those eyes. Fury and rabid hunger fueled the creature''s relentless assault. And Lan could take advantage of that. Raising the stake in front of him, his hand shook slightly as he forced himself to maintain eye contact with the wolf. He knew the second one of them blinked or looked away. The wolf would attack. It reminded him of a similar situation he had been in with a feral street dog many years ago. Readying himself, he felt the comforting shape of the coarse wood in his hands. He understood the weight of the stake and the way its centre of gravity made it fall towards the ground. Somehow, every aspect of the stake clicked together at that moment like a perfect puzzle. Its balance made sense to him, and Lan instinctively knew how to use it. Everything just made sense: the right way to hold it, the right way to thrust and stab with the stake. Happy to see his Talent at work, he could only hope it wasn''t placebo as the wolf pounced at him, blurring through the air in a rabid rush of claws and teeth. Lan grunted and thrust forward, inspirations flowing into his mind for how he could use the stake to kill the wolf. The inspirations appeared as an endless chain in his mind, each link connecting possible moves together. He made his first move, gripping the spear with both hands at its base and tensing his shoulders. In response, thousands of links in the chain shattered and reformed, creating new possibilities from his current position. He followed the next link in the chain, crouching down and tensing his legs, ready to explode. More possibilities shattered, and those that remained were reinforced. His following action was more apparent now. He could already see the picture forming in his mind. The wolf was almost upon him now, and the second it got into range, he burst into motion like a coiled snake, leaping up while driving the stake forward with every ounce of strength he could summon. In his hands, the simple stake felt like the most perfectly balanced spear, its wooden tip carving through the air and piercing the wolf''s throat. For a long moment, the wolf hung limp and stunned, its body impaled on the stake a few inches off the ground. It clawed at the chunk of wood in its throat feebly before collapsing, a fountain of blood gushing out of its mouth. Lan panted for breath, gasping for air as the battle raged on around him. That may be the strangest part. He had just done the most dangerous thing in his life, and nobody cared. Clashes of life and death were commonplace on the battlefield. He glanced around and noticed more people had joined this side of the barricade, tens of students slashing wolves in the side with swords or stabbing them with spears. Calming himself a little, he tried to take the stake out of the wolf''s throat, but it was stuck firmly. Grunting, he relinquished his stake and was just about to move on when another wolf leapt at him. Compared to the previous wolf, this one was skinnier and more feral, its brownish-grey fur matted, with random patches missing. One of its eyes was dull and unseeing, the pupil glassy. But its teeth were just as sharp, and its claws just as vicious. Lan''s eyes widened, and he searched the ground for a weapon, finding nothing of any use. He didn''t have time to grab the rope from his backpack, not that it would do any good. What could a rope do against a wolf? As the wolf grew closer, Lan looked down at his feet where the dead wolf lay and had an epiphany. Inspirations bubbled up in his mind like a spring. His Talent funnelled possibilities into his mind, showing him the way forward. He grabbed the end of the stake still stuck in the wolf''s throat and growled with the effort. He felt the weight of the wolf still hanging on the end of the stake and understood how it affected the balance of the stake. Instinctively, he knew how to swing it and the proper steps to take. Everything just clicked. First, he grabbed the stake with both hands and braced it against his leg. Then he levered the wolf up and swung in a wide arc, blood spraying as he moved. The corpse flew off the stake, and careened into the side of the living wolf, knocking it out of the air. Breathlessly, Lan ran over and stabbed at the wolf, struggling to get up, grunting as his stake found its way into the wolf''s side, where its fur was the weakest. This time, he made sure to scan his surroundings carefully before he made his next move, not wanting another wolf to jump on him before he had time to figure out what was going on. A couple of metres to his left, a girl struggled to hold off the advances of two wolves, sweat dripping down her face and into her eyes as she tried to fend them off. Although she was on the defensive, her sword glittered as it lashed out, carving bloody gashes into the wolves. Lan darted over and lunged at one of the wolves, stabbing its hind leg with a thrust of his stake. When the girl saw him using part of the barricade to stab the wolf, she gave him a funny look but said nothing, too preoccupied with surviving to care what kind of weirdo was helping her out. Getting one of the wolves'' attention, Lan jumped back away from its snapping mouth and launched a kick at the side of its head. He wasn''t sure where that inspiration came from, but his Talent seemed to let him use any method that would help him fight with the stake, even if it didn''t involve the stake itself. The wolf yelped and sprawled into the dirt, struggling to get back up on its injured leg. Not giving it a chance to recollect itself, Lan rushed over and finished it off. His stake reaping another life. He looked back up from the corpse just in time to see the girl finish off her wolf and move on to another, her jaw set and determined. She hadn''t even paused to check if he was okay. Everywhere he looked, something similar was happening. Nobody was taking a breather after they fought, simply jumping right back into another fight the second the first one was finished. Seeing the burning determination in their eyes, Lan gritted his teeth and ran towards the nearest wolf, the muscles in his arms and hands burning. He couldn''t let them get any further ahead. *** By the time the fighting was finished, Lan could barely see straight, completely drained of energy. He collapsed in a heap by the corpse of his final opponent, his chest heaving and his whole body aching. He looked up at the sky, there was no sun, but regardless, the light seemed to be coming from somewhere since it was daytime. Only then did he truly feel how alien his world was. Everything was choreographed, the attacks of the beasts, the light in the sky. It all worked on some weird schedule that Lan couldn''t understand. ''Why would anyone make... Any of this?'' he wondered. ''It all feels like a dream¡­.'' While fighting, he had discovered that perhaps the academies had been right to turn him down. He enjoyed this just a little too much. He had completely lost himself in the battle, moving on only instincts and the desire to kill. It had been far too easy for him to disregard everything and just throw himself into life-or-death clashes. Each time he claimed another life, the rush of experience brought him to a high he had never experienced before. Every time he overcame an opponent, he got this¡­ rush of adrenaline that was euphoric. The feeling of winning was addictive, and, in the end, he had been one of the last people to stop fighting, only collapsing in exhaustion because there was nothing left to fight.
Alert: Wave completed, a grace period of 24hrs has been awarded.
Across the battlefield, there was a collective sigh as exhausted teenagers read the system message and finally relaxed. That message had attracted Lan to another message the system had given him.
Level up!
He had managed to do it somewhere towards the end of the fight and remembered feeling a rush of strength around the time it happened. At the time, he had thought he was just catching his second wind, but now he suspected otherwise. The level-up must have strengthened his body or improved his stamina, letting him fight on. So it turned out he wasn''t just a maniac fueled by blood and fighting... As much as he hated to admit it, the system from the bridge was very useful, ''But that''s why it''s so easy to abuse! People gain power too quickly and lose themselves in it,'' Lan reminded himself, determined to not do the same. Deciding now was as good a time as any. He allocated the ten points he had gained from levelling up. When picking what to put the points into, he decided to base it on his Talent''s strengths. Since he literally could not use enchantments, he felt like mana was pointless and thus ruled out Intelligence. Internally, he was having a debate about whether or not Mind affected the inspirations he had in battle. It made sense that it would, but how profound the change would be remained to be seen. What was clear to him was how much weaker he was physically than some of the other students he had seen fighting. He was ruthless and efficient, but he lagged far behind the rest in training and physical prowess. He decided the best thing to do would be to assign 3 points to both Strength and Dexterity while placing 2 points into Endurance and Vitality. When he had finished, he felt strength well up inside him, his muscles reinforcing and his mind sharpening. His reactions felt fast and more acute thanks to his increased Dexterity, which just about allowed him to see the hooked blade as it slammed through his chest and ripped out his heart. Chapter 4 - Punching Up Death wasn''t much like Lan had expected; it was sudden and abrupt, passing as soon as it arrived. One moment he was a corpse, gutted like a fish on the end of a hooked blade. The next, he was standing right where he had first arrived in the tutorial, wooden stake still clenched in his fist, his knuckles turning white. The last thing he remembered hearing before darkness swallowed his vision was, "Shit, I didn''t get a single point for that one either!" He stood in the vast hall, too stunned to react. His stomach dropped, and a wave of nausea overwhelmed him, black spots filling his vision, and his knees buckled. "I just died¡­ J-Jesus Christ! I just died¡­." Lan stuttered, the realisation hitting him like a sledgehammer. In the hall, at least three hundred collapsed students were all wearing an extremely basic cloth robe tied with a red sash around their waists. Some of them lay in a heap, shivering, clawing feebly at wounds that weren''t there anymore. Others rocked back and forth, holding their knees tightly against their chests. Groaning and disoriented mutterings filled the hall. Lan checked himself and noticed his clothes had also been swapped out with the same beige cloth robe with the red sash around his waist. He ran his hands over the rough material. It felt¡­ cheap compared to the luxurious black uniform he had been wearing earlier. Running through his memories as quickly as he could, Lan tried to figure out what was happening. Just how had he survived? Quickly, he remembered the prompt on the bulletin board. If you die outside the bounds of the town, all points will be removed, and the pathfinder will be returned to the starting area. Or at least, that was the gist of it. He couldn''t quite believe that reversing death was possible. That the bridge was capable of such things was¡­ terrifying. Mostly, the people around him had begun to collect themselves. Some only seemed to get worse over time, devolving into sobbing messes. But most picked themselves up and stumbled out of the hall into the harsh artificial light of the tutorial. They had work to do, after all. If they had already died on the first day, when the monsters were weakest, they needed to level like madmen before the next wave came. Likewise, Lan clambered to his feet and lurched onto the cobbled road, quickly finding his way back to the bulletin board that now displayed a glowing leaderboard, on which thousands of names flickered, each with their own number of points beside them. Lan searched for his name, and his gaze fell, plunging down the leaderboard to the bottom, where almost three hundred names were outlined in red, with zero points by their name. Even then, he couldn''t find his own name. He checked his profile to be sure and realised his name was still listed as Unknown by the system. Lan was just his nickname, so perhaps he didn''t have a valid name yet. On a whim, he muttered, "view name," and a detailed notification popped up in front of him.
Name change available (1 of 1) ¨C Designate name as ____
His finger hovered over the blank spot where his name¡­ his identity would go. Should he go with another alias, one that, if he made an enemy of other pathfinders, couldn''t be tracked back to ''Lan''? He figured that was the best move since he was particularly frail right now. ''What name should I go with?'' Every name he could think of was embarrassing or stupid. In the end, he decided to wait until he could think of a good alias and closed the screen. For now, he contended himself in knowing that the person called ''Unknown'', with precisely zero points, was him. *** Can you smell it? The rot and maggots writhe in a twisted and glorious dance. Can you hear it? The screams¡­ the pitiful cries of agony that ring out in torment. Look down, peek beneath the veil, at the bridge''s foundations, and you will see them. The bodies¡­ Oh, the bodies, how they writhe and squirm, chained by eternal undeath. Each one a copy, each one desperate for the embrace of nothing. They make up the bridge''s foundations, and the number only grows, always more, never less. Thorn was born there, plucked from a stray thought, the wisp of a dream long forgotten, drifting in the endless flow of consciousness. He was wrenched from the stream and dragged into existence, gaining both sentience and a body. The bridge needs guardians, and he would be one of them. Clenching his fist, he marvelled that motion was possible. Being able to move, think, and feel were genuinely unique gifts. An experience that could only be felt, never described. Gazing out at the foundations where the endless bodies lay, he became lost in the wonder of sight itself. Before now, he would never have imagined such a thing was possible. Before now, he would never have imagined anything at all. The landscape was twisted and black, the same dark granite colour as the bridge. All around him, billions¡­ no, trillions of tombstones marked the endless lives lived and died on the bridge. Above him, if there was such a thing in this place, flickering red lights glittered like stars, dancing and twirling in the murky gloom. Some shone brighter than others, while some barely gave off any light. They were flickering like oil lamps on the verge of running out of fuel. Beneath each light lay many tombstones with the same name attached, each one a different, more ornate style than the last. The brighter the light, the more tombstones Thorn could see beneath them. Far off, in the outer reaches of the foundations, he felt a change ripple across the fabric of reality. It was minor and inconsequential, but still, he felt it. The bridge was an extension of his body, and nothing escaped his notice within its bounds. "More¡­ New Pathfinders and some have already died¡­ For fuel, they are but a pittance, but the bridge will never turn down challengers," Thorn muttered, not understanding how he knew the things he knew. "Best of luck, fight hard and die harder," *** Lan had finally collected himself and was left at a crossroads of sorts. He was going to get even with whoever gutted him; that was already certain. The question was, when and how? Right now, he doubted he would be strong enough to do anything. So, he needed to put that plan on the back burner. For now, he needed to focus on what he could do, which was relatively straightforward, if a little boring. "Getting stronger it is," Lan mumbled, looking out into the forest sprawled out on either side of the path. The wolves had come from there and, worse still would appear within the next thirty days. He needed to be ready for them, needed to get ahead of the curve, and this was his ticket. Steeling himself, Lan stepped off the path and began pushing his way through tangled brambles and clustered branches, forging into the deathly quiet forest with grim determination. Frustrations had overwhelmed him; he was so angry that he might explode if he didn''t fight something¡­ or kill something. ''How did I let my guard down like that? I should know better. I even ended up as fodder for some sick bastard''s experiment.'' For years, he had survived alone on the edges of the district. He had learned not to trust, not to let his guard down and never to relax. And at that moment, he had broken every rule he had ever learned. He was alert to the point of paranoia as he clambered his way through the forest, leaving the cobble path far behind him. Not quite sure what he was looking for, Lan kept walking, scaling fallen trees twice as wide as he was tall and fording streams that glowed silver and gold. The forest was practically prehistoric, countless enormous trees tightly packed together in a desperate fight for sunlight, their branches stretching up towards the sky like claws. An idea crossed his mind, and he reached up and grabbed the end of a long-pointed branch. As he pulled on it, it bent like a willow; it was a far more malleable type of wood than usual. With a bit of effort, Lan broke the long branch off the tree and swung it around, getting a feel for how it flew through the air. His talent gave him ideas of how to use it, and he did as it suggested, cracking the end of the branch like a whip. Grinning, he imagined what would happen if he slammed the branch into the back of whoever killed him. Eventually, he calmed down and began to walk through the forest again, using the branch to cut away brambles and spiky bushes like they weren''t even there. Finally, he arrived at a gurgling river that carved its way through the forest floor. He didn''t know much about monsters, but he was sure they had to drink water. Deciding to follow the river until it reached a pond where monsters might come to drink, Lan walked alongside the river downstream, his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding forest. After walking for almost half an hour, he found his way to a small pond, where he could see signs of animals having been there. Tracks in the dirt around the pond''s edge and deep gouges claws had carved into nearby trees gave him an idea of what to expect. Seeing as the claw marks were incredibly far up the tree, he gathered that whatever had made them was much bigger than a wolf anyway. ''I need to come up with a plan¡­ a way to catch whatever attacks me. Since dying doesn''t really matter, the worst that can happen is I have to make the walk back here and get my¡­'' Lan froze, realising his backpack hadn''t been brought with him after he died. Somehow it had slipped his mind in his confusion, but that made two things clear. The only thing that came with you after you died was you, and he definitely needed to kill whoever killed him. The D-rank venom and rope were worth everything he''d earned in four years of working. Everything. Every penny he''d scrounged, every meal he''d stolen to save on food, every night he''d worked instead of sleeping. Everything. And he wanted them back. He could already imagine what he would be capable of with venom that could burn through steel if his talent helped him use it. Shaking his head, he realised that all his plans had gone up in smoke. He had been hoping to use the rope as a snare to trap monsters, but he wasn''t sure what to do since he didn''t have it.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He glanced around the clearing and only saw the willowy trees, stream and pond. Nothing popped out to him. Curiously, he walked over to the pond, staring into its still, reflective surface. The water was so clear he could about make out the bottom where smooth rounded rocks had gathered. An idea struck him, and he bent down, reaching towards the rocks. The very second his hand touched the water''s surface, it exploded. The rocks were thrown aside, and a creature Lan couldn''t put a name to shoot out of its hiding spot like a torpedo. It had dark grey, scaly skin, the same hue and texture as the rocks it had used to hide. Its head was flat and streamlined, jutting out above its head, and two bulbous eyes almost glowed as they locked onto Lan. Continuing the trend, its body was also flat and streamlined, with four short legs and a long flowing tail. Lan threw himself back from the pond right as the water''s surface exploded, very thankful he had put those points in dexterity earlier. He couldn''t take his eyes off the creature as it rose almost entirely out of the pond and snapped at the air where he had just been. Rows of sharp serrated teeth slammed shut where his head had been seconds ago. Grunting, he crawled backwards, just managing to avoid the creature''s second attack, as its long tail whipped out and gouged a tract in the ground between his legs. With a splash, the creature fell back into the water, and the ripples on the pond''s surface quickly died away into stillness. The only sign it had ever been there was the long trail it had gouged into the earth. Lan blinked in shock and readied himself for another attack, his heart racing wildly from the stress. But the attack never came. Eventually, he just accepted that the creature, whatever it was, wouldn''t or couldn''t come out of the pond to get him. As if on cue, a message from the system appeared.
Alert: Turn on creature identification. Yes/No
"Yes, of course. Why isn''t this always on?" Lan cried as he reached out and pressed yes. The second the alert faded away, tens of messages appeared in front of him, and he started to understand why the system kept it off.
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference) Alert: Killed lvl:1 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference) Alert: Killed lvl:2 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference) Alert: Killed lvl:1 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference) Alert: Killed lvl:1 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference) Alert: Killed lvl:2 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference) Alert: Killed lvl:1 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference) Alert: Killed lvl:2 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference) Alert: Killed lvl:1 Wolf ¨C Experience gained Alert: Killed lvl:2 Wolf - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference)
He was overwhelmed by the messages and had to rush to dismiss them as they blocked his vision. He imagined something like that would be perilous if it happened in the middle of a life-or-death battle¡­ but it was also vital to know what exactly you were fighting. If he knew the creature in the pond outclassed him, Lan would just leave. But if it wasn''t too much stronger than him¡­ he might give it a go. After taking note of the bonus experience he gained from fighting creatures of a higher level than himself, he figured that was the best way forward. ''I should be able to level quicker and more efficiently if I''m punching above my weight.'' He looked back at the pool and frowned. He needed the rocks in there for the ambush he wanted to set up¡­ but the guardian in the pool was in the way. ''Ah, who cares? I can''t die anyway, so I might as well give it a go,'' Lan decided, creeping up towards the pool and staying as far from the edge as he could. He reached out with the long branch and poked at the water''s surface. The ripple from the tap of the branch quickly turned into waves as the creature exploded out from the water again, snapping his stick as it did so. Lan scrambled away from the water and made sure to get a good look at the creature as it hung in the air briefly. The system dinged, and a glowing name appeared above the monster.
Boulder Salamander ¨C Lvl 6
Seeing the massive difference, Lan almost wanted to give up and leave, but something stopped him. If he looked at the situation logically, he was meant to fight a Lvl 6 at Lvl 6. Meaning he would have 50 more stat points than he had now, almost doubling his stat total. The power difference between them was clear as day, but so was the opportunity for growth. ''The bonus experience for killing something that much stronger will surely be immense,'' Lan''s mind whirled as he tried to figure out a weakness the creature had. He didn''t have much information to go on. The only thing he could say for sure was that it didn''t like leaving the water, even if it could easily kill him if it did. ''The question is¡­ how do I get it out of the pool?'' Lan wondered, carefully examining the clearing. The pool was in the centre, beneath a rocky gully where the water fell down a miniature waterfall into the pond. Another stream carved its way through the forest on the other side of the pond. His first thought was to somehow divert the stream that fed into the pond, letting the water drain away until the Boulder Salamander was left stranded and with no option but to come out and fight him. It was almost the size of a horse, so he doubted it would be able to fit through the shallow river that led out from the pond. At worst, he could stand at the river''s mouth and ambush the creature as it passed by. The question was, how should he go about diverting the water? He climbed up the slope to the mouth of the waterfall. The floor of the river was rocky, and the water was so clear it could be seen from the surface. Lan was just about to stick his arm in to check how deep the river was when he had a horrible realisation. Jumping back, he eyed the rocky riverbed closely, trying to discern whether more salamanders were lurking beneath the water''s surface. Unfortunately, it was fruitless. The salamanders'' scales were almost identical to the rocks they hid within; no matter how hard Lan looked, he couldn''t tell the difference between them. Cautiously, he reached out with his stick, which was far shorter after being bitten in half by the giant Salamander and poked at the water. Nothing moved. Gritting his teeth, he pushed the stick all the way down to the riverbed, a depth of almost a full metre. By the time he reached the bottom, his arm was submerged up to the elbow. He kept stabbing at suspicious-looking rocks until he poked one spherical rock that shuddered before opening, revealing a bulbous eye that stared back up at him through the water. Inspiration hit Lan like a truck, and he stabbed in the eye as hard as possible before throwing himself away from the river. Seconds later, the water exploded into the sky as the Salamander barrelled out of the river, blue blood flowing from one of its eyes. Lan gulped nervously as he saw the creature completely leave the river and begin to waddle towards him, its body looking ungainly and awkward now that it wasn''t in the water. Its working eye glowed with unbridled fury, and its mouth was wide open, releasing a high-pitched hiss that rattled Lan''s eardrums. He backed up until they were a reasonable distance from the river before stopping beside a big tree almost twice as wide as he was. He turned back to make sure the monster was still following him.
Boulder Salamander ¨C Lvl 4
It was slow moving out of the water, and he could outpace it easily, causing the gap between them to grow. But driven by fury and pain, the Salamander refused to give in, chasing after Lan with single-minded determination. He stood beside the tree and watched it grow closer, keeping an eye on its tail as it closed in. He had already figured out that the tail of the salamanders was their real weapon, and he wasn''t going to make the mistake of underestimating it. It finally got within striking distance and lunged. It looked clumsy compared to when it was in the water, but that didn''t change the fact that he would die if it caught him. Side-stepping, he slid behind the tree, causing the Salamander to slam headfirst into the sturdy trunk when it tried to change direction mid-lunge. Lan rushed around and kicked at the creature''s head, aiming for its working eye. It was too stunned to react with a block, but it simply didn''t need to. It closed its scaly eyelid, and Lan felt like he had just kicked a boulder, not an eye. Grunting, he raised his foot and hovered over the closed eyelid, waiting like a viper for his moment to strike. He didn''t have to wait long either, as the Salamander shifted and shook its head, opening one good eye. Lan stomped down with everything he had and felt something crush and then pop beneath his boot. He had to fight the urge to throw up as the Salamander hissed and screamed, its tail thrashing uncontrollably as it flailed at empty air. Jumping back, Lan wished, not for the first time, that he had an actual weapon and not just a stick that had no chance of breaking through the Salamander''s rock-hard skin. ''I could wait for it to bleed out, but who knows how long that could take? I want to get this over with now and move on to the bigger one,'' Leaving the blinded Salamander where it was, Lan ran over to a fallen log a few metres away. It was thicker than his leg and a couple of metres long, looking to have fallen recently. He bent down and grabbed it, instinctively understanding how to lift it and swing it just the right way. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that the Salamander had managed to calm down and was now snapping its head towards the source of every little noise in the forest, searching for Lan through sound instead of sight. "Hey! Over here!" Lan shouted, tightening his grip on the heavy log as he did so. The Salamander spun and immediately started charging toward the source of the noise, ramming straight through smaller plants and sticks as it did so. Lan grunted and lifted first with his legs, then with his shoulders, hefting the huge log above his head like the hammer of God, waiting to smite down the Salamander. His arms twitched from the strain, but he ignored them, his jaw set tight with single-minded determination. The Salamander was upon him in a flash, and he swung with all his might. Following the instructions of his talent, he arched his back just the right way and burst into motion like a coiled spring. The log sailed through the air and hammered into the Salamander''s head with the splitting crack of bone and wood. Its charge faltered, and its legs collapsed. Stumbling, it fell to the earth in a cloud of dust. It tried to raise its head, but Lan didn''t let up, increasing the log again and bringing it down on the back of the Salamander''s neck this time, where something broke with a sickening crunch. Like a switch had been flipped, the Salamander went limp, and a notification appeared from the system.
Alert: Killed Lvl:4 Boulder Salamander ¨C Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference)
Title Gained ¨C Punching Up
Lan froze, staring in disbelief at the notification. He had gained a title. How was that possible? Morgan had told him it was incredibly difficult to get titles. But while killing the monster had been challenging, it wasn''t as impossibly hard as he had been led to believe. Breathless from the intense battle, Lan managed to shout, "View Title!" and was greeted with another message from the system.
Title ¨C Punching up Description ¨C Everyone loves an underdog. Kill something 3 levels above your own. Effects - +3 in all stats
Stunned, Lan felt strength flow into him, he felt his muscles grow denser and more explosive, and his mind sharpen. "I definitely need to kill that other Salamander!" He decided. Chapter 5 - Rachel With thoughts of new titles crowding his mind, Lan tried to figure out a way to kill the stronger Salamander. ''I won''t be able to use a log to kill that massive thing; its skin is too tough. I''ll need something sturdier and sharper¡­ definitely sharper,'' He looked around at the surrounding forest but found nothing useful. There were plenty of branches and rocks, but they didn''t fit his criteria. Just remembering how tough the Salamander he had just killed had been¡­ Lan turned his gaze towards the Salamander, ''What if¡­ I use it as a weapon,'' he wondered, slowly stepping towards the corpse. When he arrived beside the body, he reached out with one hand and felt the rocky scales that covered the Salamander''s skin, ''It''s almost like I''m touching a real boulder,'' he marvelled. ''My stick will be useless if I want to break this,'' so he set to work. He broke the creature''s skin with more than a little effort, using a sharp rock like a chisel and a heavy log as a hammer. His hands and shoulders ached, but as he looked over his rewards, he felt everything was worth it. ''All I need to do is sharpen this,'' Lan held up a long-curved rib that was tougher than steel, ''And that Level 6 chump is as good as dead,'' "There''s got to be a title for beating something 5 levels above your own," He muttered. And so, he set to grinding the side of the rib bone against a boulder, trying to sharpen the end into a point capable of piercing the Salamander''s rocky defences. After finally sharpening the rib bone down to a point, Lan was forced to stop. A chill had begun to creep into the forest, and the light levels were decreasing drastically. He raised his head and watched curiously as the sky that glowed with artificial light dulled and was bleached of all colour. Overwhelming darkness settled on the tutorial, smothering all light within its oppressive grasp. In the depths of the forest, Lan held his breath, startled by the sudden change. Just a moment ago, it had been daylight, and now it was complete darkness. ''I suppose that since there is no sun, the change between night and day won''t be gradual but instantaneous,'' During the day, the forest was quiet, as if holding its breath¡­ Waiting for the night to usher in... The first thing Lan heard was a strangled chirping. It seemed to come from all around him, sounding extremely close one second and then distant the next. The sudden burst of noise in the forest was startling and made his skin crawl. Clenching the sharpened bone in his hand, he scrambled backwards, stopping when his back hit the rough bark of a tree. ''Nothing should be able to attack me from behind here,'' he figured. Since he couldn''t see his surroundings, this was his only way of defending his back. All around him, the chirping grew louder and more agitated. It reminded him of crickets, but no cricket could possibly make a sound at that volume. It was too loud, far too loud. ''What''s that?'' Lan touched his cheek with his hand, feeling a warm liquid drip onto his fingertips. Since there was no light, he couldn''t figure out what it was other than... Taste. He placed his finger in his mouth, and his blood ran cold. It tasted like iron. He was bleeding, ''Shit, when did something cut me? I-'' A sharp pain ran up the side of his arm. It hurt like a papercut if the paper was made out of vinegar and lemon juice. Swallowing a shout, Lan grimaced and covered the cut with his hand, squeezing hard enough that he managed to stifle the flow of blood. "Ah, shit!" He cursed; another stab of pain had just lanced up his shin, and the fresh flow of blood made his robe stick to his leg. ''Something''s attacking me, but I can''t see it. If I could just figure out where it was¡­ Then maybe I''d have a chance of skewering it with my spear. Sight is useless right now, so I need to¡­ I need to try and hear it coming,'' With sheer willpower, he forced down the urge to run and ignored the pain, closing his eyes and listening as closely to the chirping as he could. Like a cascading wave, they grew closer, rushing towards him and then, another sharp pain shot out from his forehead where a fresh gash had just been cut. ''I just need to get the timing down. Was it five or six chirps before I got cut?'' Focusing intently on the sound, he refused to give in to fear, to succumb to the pain. As it grew closer, he focused everything that he was on the chirping. The first chirp split the night air. It was distant, like muffled music heard from another room. The second and third chirps were far closer, as if an instrument was being played near you. The fourth chirp was like someone ringing a gong beside your head. Just Before the fifth chirp, Lan exploded into motion. Waving his spear in a wide ark that swept from below his leg to above his head. The fifth chirp never came; instead, the sickening crunch of bone breaking bone rang out, and something heavy smashed into his flailing attack. Stumbling forward, Lan tried to kill the thing as quickly as possible, but it was too late. As his bone spear pierced the creature''s chitinous skin, it released a deafening screech that sounded like nails dragging along a chalkboard. The sound echoed around the forest for a long moment before another joined it in response.
Alert: Killed lvl:1 Night Drone ¨C Experience gained
A second and then a third chirp flowed out of the darkness and were quickly joined by more and more, rising into a crescendo as the sound of death rushed towards Lan. "Shit!" Lan grunted, yanking his weapon from the Night Drone''s body and feeling a warm liquid douse his new robe. Immediately, the smell hit him like a fist. Must and rot overpowered his senses, and his mind blanked for a moment. ''What the hell is that smell? Is it the creature''s blood? But how can it possibly stink this bad?'' Holding his breath, Lan burst into a sprint, running towards the river where the Salamander had just come from. He couldn''t see where he was going in the darkness, but the splash of water guided him, ''These things should be insects of some sort, so hopefully, water can slow them down,'' As he ran, his feet snagged on unseen branches and thickets while brambles grabbed his robe, trying to drag him back towards the ever-growing cacophony. He stumbled as his foot hit a rock, but somehow, he managed to stay on his feet and gritting his teeth, he arrived at the river, the cold water seeping into his shoes and sending shivers up his spine. The sound of water splashing was like angels singing to his ears, and he was just about to lie down in the shallow river when a deafening squeal split through the chirping like breaking glass. Suddenly, he couldn''t feel his toes, and then his hands and legs grew numb, "It-sss..." Lan spluttered as his head landed in the river with a splash of both blood and water. His body landed with a louder splash shortly later, falling in the opposite direction.
Alert: Death has occurred, respawning in 3... 2... 1...
*** Lan gasped, and his eyes snapped open, taking in the all too familiar entrance hall. Immediately, he was hit by a wall of sound. Thousands of people were gathered here, all in the same beige robes as him, shouting and crying angrily. The one key theme of their collective complaints was chirping. ''There are far more people who died during the night than during the first wave,'' Lan immediately noticed many unfamiliar faces. "Hey," A soft voice came from behind Lan, along with a tap on the shoulder. He whirled round and found Morgan, still in their school uniform, smiling weakly, "Morgan, what are you doing here? It doesn''t look like you died," Lan asked. He had figured out that if someone wore the beige robe, they had died at least once. Which meant that anyone still in the fancy school uniform was either lucky or strong. "Uhm, yeah, I didn''t, but my hunting team stayed out too late and well¡­ they ended up here," Lan nodded, "Ah, right, but why are you still here?" Morgan shuffled awkwardly, looking at their feet, "Well, to be honest, I don''t want to go out at night. Just look at how many people have died already, and it''s only early into the night. There''ll definitely be twice this number by the end of the night," Lan raised his hand to scratch his chin and almost impaled his head with his bone spike, "Jesus!" He swore. "Careful, things in your hand come with you when you die, but nothing else," Morgan explained. "Right, my bad, I guess I thought since I lost my backpack earlier¡­ That I would lose this too," Lan gestured glibly with his dangerously sharp piece of bone. "You lost your backpack earlier¡­." Morgan muttered, grabbing the collar of Lan''s robe and dragging him closer, "Did the vultures get you?" "Vultures, if that''s what you call the people who killed me¡­ Then yeah. Right after the battle ended, I was gutted like a fish," Lan finished with his jaw clenched tightly. Morgan clenched their fist tightly, "I''m sorry that happened, those bastards are a plague to the tutorial, but they always exist. Instead of hunting monsters, they hunt people," "Hunt people! Can you even get points like that?" Lan asked, wide-eyed.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Yeah, for some stupid reason, you can. Not just a few points, either. If you kill someone outside of a safe zone, you get half of all their current points. That excludes the potential points they might get when the final beast wave ends on the 30th day. Those points are released all at once to stop that happening," "How do people just let this happen?" Lan growled. Morgan raised their shoulders in a helpless shrug, "There''s nothing we can do. If we don''t focus our attention on the beast waves, then we might all fail the tutorial in its entirety," "Don''t those ass-holes care about that?!" "Nope," A woman replied, walking up beside Morgan, "They know that we can''t afford to be cautious of them if we don''t want to risk losing the tutorial. They''re banking on us doing all the hard work for them," Lan assessed the new arrival. She had dark brown hair and blue eyes, with a very pale complexion, "And this is¡­?" "Oh right, Lan, meet Freya. She''s part of my hunting group," Morgan nervously gestured towards their companion. Lan had noticed how every motion Morgan made was skittish and uncertain and was beginning to worry that they just weren''t cut out to be a pathfinder. "Hi!" Freya said with a bright smile, sticking out a calloused hand towards Lan. He could tell from her tight grip and rough skin that she wielded a blade of some kind. "Nice to meet you," Lan shook the hand, and for a moment, when their eyes met, competitive spirit flashed in the girl''s blue eyes. "Likewise, I hear you''re friends with our little Morgan here," She grabbed Morgan around the shoulder and dragged them into an uncomfortable embrace. "Aren''t they just the best scout you''ve ever met?" ''Scout¡­ I thought Morgan used hidden weapons. Maybe their talent forced them to change professions,'' "Yeah, I''m sure they are," "It''s incredible! Morgan can slip by any enemy undetected. I mean, look at me. I ended up dying with everyone on our team, but not Morgan!" The woman patted Morgan''s shoulder affectionately. "Huh?" Morgan started to blush, scratching their pale head awkwardly and not meeting Lan''s eyes. "Yeah, it''s your talent, right?" The girl pressed. Morgan nodded, "Basically, my talent stops things from seeing me as a threat," Lan''s eyebrows shot up, "That''s a handy power you''ve got, much more useful than mine anyways, seeing as only one of us ended up dying to those bugs," "Right, isn''t Morgan just the best-" Freya paused, interrupted by a loudspeaker''s crackle. "Testing, Testing, 1,2,3¡­ Hello~ and welcome to the bridge newbies!" A voice boomed out over what sounded like old, run-down stereo equipment. Lan scanned the crowd, roughly half the people looked just as confused as he was, while the other half was grinning excitedly, practically fidgeting in anticipation. "Right~ on to the explanation. I am the tutorial administrator, and thanks to a deal signed with the great factions of the bridge, you will all be presented with an opportunity." ''An opportunity?'' Lan wondered, ''Judging by how excited some of the people here look, it must be good,'' He could practically smell the anticipation in the air. "You may have wondered why the entrance hall was so uselessly big when you first arrived, but fear not, everything in the tutorial serves a purpose, and so does this empty space. Observe as your futures change before your eyes," The hall began to rumble, and some invisible force pushed thousands of the gathered pathfinders towards its centre. Clearing a massive swath of room on either side of the hall. "Just what is hap-?" "Shh, just watch," Impossibly, the seamless marble floor split and pillars began to rise from the ground. Each was of varying thickness and height, but every pillar had one thing in common. A brand or a symbol emblazoned on its surface. On top of the pillars, blurry figures of people materialised. Almost every person who appeared atop the pillars wore clothing with a similar brand as the pillar itself. "On either side of the hall, you will find recruiters for the two great factions. The Conquerors and Grey Thought. Each pillar represents a clan or sect that aligns with that faction, and they are taking recruits. Best of luck~" Lan turned and looked over the pillars, seeing nothing more than a bunch of meaningless symbols. But clearly, he was alone in this. Because the second the administrator finished talking, the thousands of people gathered began stampeding towards either side of the hall. Everyone was pushing and clawing at each other in a race to get to their chosen pillar. Or any pillar at all, it looked like. Nobody was being very picky, from what Lan could tell. "Only the dregs!" A thunderous voice boomed, silencing the hall. Everyone in the hall froze, like someone walking across a frozen lake who had just heard the ice crack. "You peons died on the first night and expect to join a faction off that! Ha! Don''t make me laugh! Come back whenever you''ve gotten to the third step at least," Lan was forced to cover his ears as the rumble of thunder filled his head. His ears rang even after the voice finished speaking. He glanced up and found a massive man with a stormy, grey and black beard glaring down from what was by far the most prominent pillar on the Conqueror''s side of the room. The brand on his pillar read FORWARD. Unsure of what to do, the gathered pathfinders were caught in indecision. "I agree. Although we are currently accepting applicants until you have reached at least the fourth step, the terms will be less than favourable," A dull, monotone voice cut the confused silence. Lan whirled around to face the other side of the hall, where a slight man in a grey suit stood atop a pillar branded PROGRESS. "So, you''re here too, Leon!" The man with the beard boomed. The slight man nodded slowly. Every movement seemed perfectly measured and calculated, "I am here¡­ unfortunately," "You''re a boring bastard if I''ve ever seen one! Anyways, run off and get stronger so we can actually judge you lot!" Boomed the bearded man. Everyone in the hall stared blankly at him, not understanding what he wanted them to do. "Agh! I said, FUCK! OFF!" His roar was like a hurricane running rampant through the hall. Raging winds picked up every single pathfinder and flung them out onto the cobble path, dumping them on the ground. Lan glared at the bearded man as he flew helplessly out onto the cold hard stone of the path. "One day¡­ one day no one will be able to¡­." He muttered grimly. Pathfinders complaining about their hurt bodies and pride filled the night, echoing along the path and out into the forest. Lan was happy to find at least some light here, coming from the cobbled path, which glowed a faint blue, barely illuminating its close surroundings and nothing more. Eventually, he followed the crowd as the procession of pathfinders followed the faint blue glow up the mountain, returning to the village they would need to protect in the morning. Feeling despondent as he walked, Lan wished that he could talk to someone. The last day and a half had been overwhelming and he really wished he had someone to confide in, someone he could talk to. Scenes of his own death swirled around inside his head, building up like steam that would explode if the pressure wasn''t released. He would have liked to talk to Morgan about his worries, but they had run off to town before he got a chance. Freya had demanded they get back and find a good house, but Lan couldn''t bring himself to tag along. He felt cripplingly uncomfortable in their group of already-established friends. He already felt like an outsider, owing to the fact he was the only person here who didn''t go to an academy. Never mind trying to barge his way into inside jokes. Perhaps it was fate then, that led him to spot the girl, keeping a large gap between her and the pathfinders returning to town. Her head was downcast and she walked as though she bore the weight of the world on her shoulders. And somehow, Lan sensed a kinship in her lonely figure. A gloomy malaise settled over the girl like a shroud. From the outside, it almost looked like a forcefield, warding off any human who dared approach her. So, when he approached her, no one was more shocked than Lan himself. *** Rachel followed far behind the crowd as they walked towards the town. She staggered alone on the path, keeping the distance between her and the rest of them as big as possible. She didn''t want to be near them. Didn''t want to hear the mocking laughter, the taunts that never ended, the snide remarks that cut deeper than any knife could. A lump formed in her throat, and she almost sobbed, but she forced it down. She had been told enough times by bullies that she was an ugly crier. ''Well, maybe I''m just ugly anyway, whether or not I''m crying,'' She thought glumly, rubbing her chubby arm so hard it felt like she was trying to tear it off. Footsteps came from behind her, and she flinched at the sound, stepping out of whoever was coming''s way. A boy close to her height sauntered past, his dark hair hanging down his face in lanky strands. Not many boys were close to Rachel''s height. As she was often reminded, she was freakishly tall for a girl. "Are you¡­ alright?" The boy asked suddenly, turning to look intently at her. "H-Huh, I''m, I''m fine," She stuttered, hating her voice and speech impediment with a burning passion as she did. ''Did he hear me crying?'' She tried not to make eye contact, but he just kept staring at her, his blue eyes blazing with fiery intensity. Rage and unwillingness bubbled up in there, crashing into her like a wave. ''Stupid talent,'' she groaned internally, hating her talent that was forcing her to see just how much people hated her.
Talent: The Eyes Are The Window To The Soul Ability: When making direct eye contact with someone or something, the user can read their emotions and surface-level thoughts. Using mana, the user can convey thoughts and feelings of their own into a target''s mind. Penalty: The user''s emotions grow more potent and overwhelming.
Since she received this talent, her self-loathing had only grown deeper and more entrenched. Now, all it took was one look into someone''s eyes to see the true hate and disgust people had for her. "You don''t sound alright. Did what happened in the hall there shake you up?" The boy asked. "I-I''m¡­ Yeah, I-t was pret-ty sscary," She stuttered. The boy frowned and she braced herself, the disgust was coming, she was inferior, a defective person who couldn''t even talk properly. "Are you sure? I know I''m a stranger, but you can tell me if anything is bothering you. From my experience, it''s easier to talk with people you don''t know than friends¡­." He was staring into her eyes, and she sensed genuine concern. That was rare. Only a select few of the academy''s teachers ever offered her anything remotely like pity. "I- am n-ot v-very g-good at ta-lking," She replied, wishing he would just go away and leave her alone. The boy nodded, "Fair enough," They walked beside each other in awkward silence, Rachel praying for the boy to leave her alone and the boy¡­ he was looking down at the piece of bone in his hands thoughtfully. "Can you listen?" He asked quietly. "P-pardon?" She stuttered. "Do you mind listening while I talk then? I just want to get some stuff off my chest," "S-sure," she nodded reluctantly, not wanting to aggravate the boy in case he hit her or mocked her, just like the others did. He took a deep breath, readying himself and began to talk, "Since I''ve come here to the tutorial, I mean. I''ve felt so incredibly out of my depth. Everyone knows way more than me; all I can do is keep fighting, but it feels like I''m swimming upstream. And every time I die, it''s¡­ it''s terrifying. I know I have to do it. I have to grow stronger and¡­ never mind. It''s just that whenever I''m fighting something, in that moment, it''s fun, and I lose myself in that rush of adrenaline," He was gripping the bone so tight his knuckles turned white. "I don''t like that feeling, though. It''s not right. I shouldn''t enjoy fighting and killing¡­ If I do, I''ll end up becoming like all the other pathfinders who live only to fight and kill," Rachel found herself getting caught up in the story and couldn''t help but ask, "W-hy d-on''t you w-want to be-e l-like every-o-one else?" She would kill to be like everyone else. All her problems would disappear if she could just have that. The boy loosened his grip on the spike and relaxed a little, his intense blue eyes growing distant, "It''s hard to explain, but I hate what the pathfinders represent. They abuse their strength and treat ordinary people like dirt to be tread on. When I was young, I remember my father saying, ''power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,'' I wanted to think that I would be the exception, but I don''t know anymore," Rachel nodded along with what he was saying. "M-most of t-the pathf-finders who t-teach us at the ac-cademy treat the sservants terribly, ev-en the less t-talented sstudents get walked over like they aren''t t-there," He shook his head sadly, "I had thought it would be different in the academies, but even there, strength is the only thing that matters," He finished with a sigh, and Rachel could tell he truly meant what he said. His eyes were sombre and melancholy. Taking another deep breath, the boy looked out over the dark forest, "I''m sorry for oversharing, I just don''t have anyone to talk to about this kind of stuff, and you seem like a nice person," He muttered. "D-don''t y-you ha-ve an-y c-classmates?" The boy looked over at her and winked, "I guess not, don''t you?" Rachel shook her head, not meeting his eyes, "I-I''m a sspecial sstudent. M-my classes were d-different f-from e-everyone e-else," "Huh¡­ so you''re in a similar situation as me then. If you ever need someone to team up with or talk to, I''m your guy. My only condition is, if we are going to fight together, you need to put in as much effort as I do," Rachel wasn''t sure why, but the urge to just show this guy her secret bubbled up inside her, and on impulse, she opened her mind and sent her thoughts to him. My name is Rachel, and I''m a telepath. The boy jumped back with a start, "Shit, that was insanely loud!" Sorry, I still need to improve at controlling the volume since I have no one to practice on. "No, don''t worry about it. I''m Lan and if you ever need someone to practice on, give me a call," Rachel smiled for the first time since coming here, and she meant it. She really meant it. Chapter 6 - Class of Your Own Perhaps it was the darkness that gave her confidence, maybe the knowledge that he couldn¡¯t see how hideous she was gave her strength. Or perhaps it was the way he looked at her like a person, not the freak she really was. Whatever the reason, Rachel didn¡¯t mind walking the whole way back to the town with Lan, and when he offered to help her with practising telepathy, she accepted. Immediately after she regretted that, but it was too late to take it back. So, after dawn broke and the beast wave was pushed back, she would see him again. As she lay on the rickety cot in her run-down hut, her stomach churned just thinking about it. And she fell asleep in a mess of anxiety and excitement. *** Lan woke up on the wrong side of the bed. His bed was very particular like that. One side was perfect, maybe a little damp, but he had slept in worse. The other looked like it had been put inside a blender. Springs and sharp pieces of metal jabbed out through the ancient mattress and despite his best efforts, he had ended up waking on this side. With a wince, he got up, feeling his robe snag on a twisted bed spring and tear slightly. The room was gloomy, with only a single barred window, it felt more like a cell than somewhere a person should sleep. But Lan could only regret that he walked behind the rest of the crowd on his way to the town. By the time he had finally arrived all the good huts had been taken and he was left with¡­ this thing. It looked like a bunch of mishappen pieces of wood had just happened to fall on top of each other at just the right angle to form a box shape. And then there was the smell, it wasn¡¯t the worst thing he¡¯d smelt, but it was close. His hut was right beside the barrier, which was handy since he could be one of the first people to respond to the beast wave. But as it turned out, the bodies of the wolves didn¡¯t just disappear after they were killed. Instead, they were pushed into a huge pile at the edge of the forest and that pile had begun to reek of rotting flesh and blood. There was no wind in the tutorial, and the smell sort of sat there, permeating the surroundings in a toxic miasma that had begun to creep into the town. It just so happened that Lan¡¯s hut was on the same side as the pile of bodies. ¡®Maybe I should just burn them, I¡¯ll have to see if I can find something to light them on fire with first,¡¯ Lan clambered off the death trap he called a ¡®bed¡¯ and stumbled out into the cold artificial light of ¡®day¡¯. The town was already buzzing with energy as people ran to and fro, the crafters frantically trying to reinforce the barricade before the next wave and the fighters trying to make the most of the daylight. Last night, everyone had learned the hard way that going out when it was dark was almost suicide. Which made the meagre hours of daylight all the more precious. Yesterday, he had decided that while his bone spear, which he refused to let go of, was a decent weapon, it could use some company. If all he used was a spear, he wouldn¡¯t be taking full advantage of his talent and he needed to increase his arsenal in both diversity and size. His first thought was to steal someone else¡¯s weapon, but that was proving harder than he had expected. Like him, almost everyone walked around with their weapons tightly clenched in their hands, so that if they died, their weapons would stay with them. ¡®The salamander has tough skin, and its eyes are the only real weakness I¡¯ve found so far. If I want to target something like that¡­ then I need a weapon I can throw,¡¯ He noticed that one of the crafters repairing the wall had a toolkit full of heavy metal bolts and as quietly as he could, sneaked over, grabbing a fistful as he walked by. Without turning around to check if his theft had been noticed, he strode out of the village and onto the cobbled path, constantly scanning his surroundings for any vultures that might take him as an easy target. Right now, he was taking a risk. By leaving the town behind, he would most likely miss the beast wave entirely, and a lot of points and experience. But he needed to get that salamander while he was still level 1. And if he ended up levelling while fighting the beast wave, he would miss out on his chance to earn the title. ¡®Besides, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t miss me during the beast wave. I¡¯m probably one of the weakest people here,¡¯ Walking along the road, he did his best to remain inconspicuous as he tried to find the place where he had first left the path yesterday. The pockets of his robe were heavy and clinked as he walked, the bolts rattling freely. Eventually, he managed to retrace his steps and after a slightly easier trip through the forest this time round, he arrived at the river, following it to the pool. Back where he had died the day earlier, he looked for the level 4 salamander¡¯s body but found only bones that gleamed a bright white. Its skeleton had been picked clean by something overnight. Shaking his head, he remembered the deafening chirping and compared it to the serene quiet of the forest now. ¡®At night, it¡¯s like it becomes a completely different place. I wonder if my body is still there...'' Morbid curiosity led Lan to the river which bubbled peacefully, hiding the monsters beneath its tepid surface. But no matter where he looked, his body was gone. Not even bones remained. ¡®That''s weird, maybe my body was healed rather than creating a brand new one,¡¯ he figured that would be cheaper for whoever ran the tutorial. For some reason, he found that he was actually kind of disappointed that he couldn¡¯t see his own dead body. ¡®It would have been kind of cool just to know what I look like,¡¯ He took a step back from the river and followed it down to the waterfall that fed into the pool where the level 6 stayed. The river itself was quite wide but shallow, only a few feet deep at most. While the riverbed was the same rocky colour as the salamanders that hid in it. Setting to work, he began using one of the salamander¡¯s leg bones to dig a trench from the top of the waterfall, around to the stream that ran from the pool. As he dug, he began to wonder just how this environment had come to be. ¡®It makes sense that the salamanders would stay underwater all the time, to avoid whatever the hell comes out at night. But did they evolve that way, or is that just how the tutorial was designed?¡¯ Everything about the tutorial felt artificial and curated. And now that he was thinking about it, the administrator had said that the empty space in the hall had a purpose before the factions appeared to fill it. ¡®Perhaps everything is more layered than I think. But the question is, what can I gain from figuring this all out? I¡¯m sure most people come here and focus entirely on clearing the beast waves, so maybe only the second-generation kids know what sort of opportunities hide beneath the surface in the tutorial,¡¯ The river began to be diverted, flowing through the trench he had dug around the waterfall and joining up with the stream further down. Gradually, the water level of the pool began to lower and as Lan widened his trench, the rate at which water left the pool only decreased. As he waited for the water level to fall low enough that the level 6 salamander was forced to leave, Lan went about setting up a trap. Thankful for his increased strength, he managed to dig a shallow pit and covered it with fallen branches and leaves, making sure to memorise exactly where he had put it, so he didn¡¯t end up catching himself. He was just putting the finishing touches on the trap when he heard water slosh as something huge slid out of the pool. It was huge, bigger than a horse even and the first thing it saw when it left the pool was Lan, staring right into its bulbous eyes. The salamander growled lowly and glared at him. But neither made a move to attack nor run, simply standing in deadlock on opposite sides of the pit. Lan reached into his pocket as slowly as he could manage, cursing the shitty material of his robe as it rustled while he pulled out a few heavy bolts about as thick as his thumb. Time stood still as his breathing slowed and Lan''s mind was filled with inspirations. He knew how to grip the bolt just right and how hard he should throw it. He knew when he should let go and he knew exactly how to move his arm so that he didn¡¯t overextend himself. Everything came together in his mind like a giant jigsaw puzzle and like a baseball pitcher, he put one foot forward, winding back his arm and letting the bolt fly. He held his breath as the metal streaked through the air and smashed into the salamander¡¯s wide-open eye. Blood flew and the monster screeched, furiously shaking its head as it tried to dislodge the bolt. Lan didn¡¯t have any time to celebrate, as he was just barely able to grab his spear from the ground when the Salamander threw itself at him. Just like the previous one, instead of its extreme speed while in water, on land the salamander was clumsy and sluggish. Its long, flat tail was little more than weight dragging it down out here. But it was still a level 6 creature that had at least double Lan¡¯s stats. And what it lacked in finesse, it made up for in pure strength. It barrelled through fallen logs, pushing away anything that got in its way aside with frightening ease. Cursing, Lan stood rooted to the spot, praying it wouldn¡¯t notice the trap and would simply fall into the pit he had dug. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to run but he had come this far, ¡®Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll actually die,¡¯ The salamander was almost on top of the trap and Lan could only watch on with his heart in his mouth, as it placed a huge, scaled foot onto the leaves and plummeted through, landing in a twisted heap in the pit. ¡°It actually worked¡­¡± Lan stood stunned for a moment, not quite believing it had been so easy. In the pit, the salamander had gone deathly quiet, but he knew it wasn¡¯t dead since he didn¡¯t receive any notifications. To check, he threw another bolt, but it bounced uselessly off the creature¡¯s rocky back, pinging into the forest. Gritting his teeth, Lan tiptoed over to the edge of the pit and looked down just in time to see the tail whip towards him like grey lightning. He threw his head back, just barely avoiding decapitation and rolled away. Springing to his feet, he glanced at the pit where the salamander had begun to slowly climb out. ¡®Shit, shit, shit, I can¡¯t let that thing escape!¡¯ Desperately, he ran over to the pit, where the salamander had stuck its head over the edge and was now clawing at the loosely packed earth, raising clouds of dust and dirt. He threw another bolt, but it bounced uselessly off the creature¡¯s closed eyelid, joining the previous one in the forest. ¡®Why the hell is its skin so tough?!¡¯If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He contemplated just throwing the bone spear at the closed eyelid and praying that worked, but if that didn¡¯t kill it, he would be completely unable to hurt the salamander at all. What he needed to do was get close enough to stab the salamander, but if he did that, he would also be close enough to get hit by its tail. Gritting his teeth, Lan ran up to the struggling beast and before it could swing at him, kicked dirt in its bulbous eye, forcing it to flinch closed. Then, he followed the instructions of his talent, twisting his whole body as he stabbed out with the spear, sending the bone spike a few inches into its closed eyelid. The salamander¡¯s tail lashed out and caught him in the hip, shattering the bone and sending him sprawling into the dirt. In the pit, the creature roared and thrashed, raising so much noise Lan became terrified it would attract the attention of more beasts. He tried to stand but his legs gave out, screaming in pain from his ruined hip. Helplessly, he was forced to watch as the salamander crawled from the pit and slowly advanced towards him, blood streaming from both of its ruined eyes. It hissed and spat as it stumbled towards him, and Lan could feel the ground tremble from each step that it took. ¡°Agh!¡± He screamed, rolling over and grabbing the bone spear that had fallen beside him. The Salamander growled in response, opening its mouth wide enough to bite his torso in half. When Lan looked down its gaping maw, he could see bits of flesh stuck between its cruel, serrated teeth, ''Its breath stinks,'' Suddenly, Lan¡¯s mind which had been clouded with pain became crystal clear. A single inspiration overwhelmed him, and he lent back and launched the bone spear forward. It flew like a javelin and somehow, Lan knew it would strike true before it had even landed. The piece of bone flashed white as it tunnelled into the salamander¡¯s open mouth and impaled straight through the back of its head. Lan was just about to celebrate when the salamander toppled forward, its massive bulk crushing him as it fell. Pain like he had never quite experienced before exploded out from his entire body, before the whole world went black and he was, once again, in the great hall. The soft red carpet beneath his feet was becoming worryingly familiar and he wondered if maybe he was taking his inability to die a little bit too lightly. For the moment though, he didn¡¯t care about anything other than the notifications that had just appeared on his screen.
Title acquired: Class Of Your Own Description - You have spit in the face of convention and levels, managing to defeat something 5 levels above yourself. Continue on this path and you will be rewarded. Reward: +5 in all stats
No matter how hard he tried, Lan couldn¡¯t hold back the grin that surfaced as he looked at the title, and this only became more difficult when he read the next notification.
Alert: Killed lvl: 6 Boulder Salamander ¨C Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference)
Alert: Level up [1->2]
Breathlessly, he opened his status and couldn''t help but laugh triumphantly at what he saw.
Name: Unknown Title(s): [Punching Up] [Class Of Your Own] Age: 18 Race: Human - G Class: None Talent: Weapons are my Weapons - G Health: 192/192 Mana: 110/110 Level: 2 Strength: 21 Dexterity: 21 Endurance: 20 Vitality: 16 Mind: 19 Intelligence: 11 Luck: 19 Free Points: 10 Skills: None
Thanks to the +3 bonus from his first title and the +5 bonus from his second, all of his stats had nearly doubled since arriving and he could feel this change far clearer than any numbers could possibly show. His body was practically exploding with strength and he felt like he could crush rocks with his bare hands. He had already decided that dexterity, strength and endurance would be his key attributes since his talent was all about flexibility, and being able to use any weapon whenever he needed, he felt like improving his physical strength was critical. Lan had decided he wanted to be extremely lethal, but perhaps not robust. He was forgoing mana entirely and focusing on his physical stats, since strengthening his body was key if he wanted to wield his talent to the best of its potential. And if he had learned anything from the previous few fights, it was that he needed extremely lethal power that was capable of breaking through anything. The tough skin of the salamanders had proved a more difficult hurdle to overcome than he liked. In the end, he placed 4 points in dexterity, 3 in strength and 3 in endurance. Once again marvelling at the rush of energy that filled his body. When he was done, Lan opened his eyes and was shocked to find that the hall was incredibly busy. Hundreds of pathfinders were strolling between the marble pillars and haggling with the people that stood on top of them. The pillars themselves seemed to have changed a lot since last night. Each of them had been decorated like a stall at a job fair, with a fancy table and a wide variety of merchandise that related to whatever organisation ran that pillar. Lan watched in awe as an eight feet tall giant bent down from his pillar and handed a pretty girl a colourful knife with the emblem of his faction on its hilt. Finally, he couldn''t help his curiosity and walked over to a stall that tens of people had crowded around. When he arrived, he looked up and saw a man wearing beautifully ornate armour pointing at a PowerPoint presentation with his sword. "As you can see here, depending on how far along the bridge you manage to go, you will gain an increased yearly stipend of credits and an annual opportunity at our world-famous spring of truth," The people in the crowd nodded along and issued gasps of surprise at appropriate moments, like when the man in the suit of armour flourished his sword to make a point. Shaking his head in disbelief, Lan wandered over to another pillar where a short man with a fiery red beard was explaining the benefits his clan would give to any blacksmiths who joined. After watching a few other presentations, Lan felt like he had the gist of what was going on. ''So these factions want us to sign contracts with them and work for a certain length of time while on the bridge. In exchange, they offer assistance in the form of resources, guidance and teammates. But how do I know which clan to join?'' In a daze, Lan, who was feeling overwhelmed, walked over to the corner of the hall where a woman was sitting on one of the shortest pillars, she looked incredibly bored and when he walked by, her eyes lit up and she shouted, "Hey, hey kid! anything I can help you with?" Lan looked over at the woman, she had short blonde hair and green eyes that kept changing what shade of green they were. And after thinking about it for a moment, he shrugged and approached her pillar. The crest on her pillar read, (Cece''s goods and services). "Are you... Cece?" He asked curiously. "Yep, that''s me," the woman patted her chest proudly. "Right, and what do you do?" "Eh, you know, goods and services, that sort of thing," Lan nodded slowly and went to turn and walk away. "Hold on, hold on, I know that doesn''t sound glamourous but I''m basically a bounty hunter. Now your more interested eh?" She waggled a finger at him enticingly. Turning back around, Lan nodded again, this time he meant it, "Okay, then I guess my question is, why should I work for you?" "Huh?" Cece frowned like she had just been stung by a bee, "No, I think the question is, why should I hire you?" "What are you talking about? I still don''t even know what it is you want me to do," Lan felt like this lady might not be all there. "Oh right, my bad. Basically, I''m someone who gets people things. I run a shop that sells all sorts of weird and wonderful treasures that can only be found on the bridge. And If someone comes into my shop and says ''Hey Cece, I want the tears of a blood Kraken'' and I check the shop and we''re all out of those, then I will pay you to go get me them," "That makes sense, but wouldn''t you rather get someone with a talent that helps them find treasure or something like that?" Lan asked pointedly, he doubted he would be much help to her. "Well... yeah, ideally that is who I would be looking for. But the big clans and sects scoop up all the really good talents like that," she gestured over to the man in the ornate armour who had nearly 30 people around her pillar. "So you''re saying that I''m not good enough to be scooped up?" Cece grinned and arched an eyebrow, "I know a bumpkin when I see one. You definitely have no idea what''s going on here and that usually means your talent wasn''t good enough to get you a spot in one of the academies," "Pardon?" "C''mon, don''t tell me you didn''t sneak in here. There are always a few who don''t belong. Whether they got in through bribes or special circumstances," she laughed playfully and Lan''s blood ran cold. Was it really so obvious he didn''t belong here? "Do you- do you think I''m in any danger?" "That depends on whether or not you manage to join an organisation. Take me for example, I''m not gonna accept anyone who hasn''t passed the eighth step at least. But if you do manage to join an organisation and they vouch for you, I''m sure the academies will let it slide," "The eighth step! Are you crazy?" The man on the pillar next to Cece''s shouted. "Oh shut up, will you? I have my standards!" Cece shouted back. "Standards are one thing, but reaching the eighth step is something only a few manage, maybe fifty from the ten thousand here. And those that go that far will definitely get snapped up by a bigger sect or clan, not some shop that sells trinkets!" He shouted. "Hey, come over here boy, if you sign this temporary contract, I''ll accept you when you pass the fourth step," Lan walked over and glanced at the piece of paper the man had just passed him, "I would read that carefully if I were you," Cece warned, glaring at the man. "Oi, don''t interfere with my business and I won''t interfere with yours!" The man snapped. "You just did interfere with my business, you stupid bastard! Now he thinks I''m crazy because of my requirements," Cece shot back. "You are crazy if you think a single person good enough to get to the eighth step will apply for your shitty store!" Lan followed Cece''s advice and didn''t like what he saw. Ignoring the bickering, he read the contract all the way through, even bothering to check the fine print, and then the even finer print, hidden away in the corner. "Hold on." He said, silencing the two pathfinders, "This is basically slavery. If I sign this I''ll have to spend 500 years as a mercenary for your team," "Yeah, that''s pretty much standard," the man muttered awkwardly. Lan turned to look at Cece who nodded, "That''s why my requirements are so high. Since the contract I can give you is really favourable to you, I only want talented people to apply," "Can I see the contract?" "Sure," Cece clicked her fingers and a scroll appeared in Lan''s hands. Before he read the scroll Lan glanced at the man on the pillar, who had just handed him a piece of paper. The man blushed in embarrassment and avoided Lan''s gaze. Opening the scroll, Lan began to read and the more he read, the more he liked what he was reading. "This seems like a pretty good deal," He muttered. ''It says here I have right of refusal. So if I sign this and then change my mind, I can back out at any time... There''s practically no reason not to accept this,'' "I know right," Cece smirked patting her chest self-congratulatingly. When he finished reading, Lan decided to sign the contract. Since even if he reached the eighth step and actually completed its requirements, he still had the right to refuse or select a better offer. He didn''t really see any downsides. Following the instructions on the scroll, he bit his finger and allowed a drop of his blood to fall onto the parchment, watching in a daze as it perfectly soaked into the pristine paper without leaving a blemish. "I look forward to working with you," Lan smiled at Cece. "Fat chance of that happening, there''s no way you''ll reach the eighth-" The other man on the pillar was interrupted by the deep boom of a gong.
Alert: The second wave has begun
Chapter 7 - The First Step Lan froze, still holding the scroll in his hand. ¡®Can I make it to the town in time?¡¯ ¡°Pst,¡± Cece whispered. ¡°What? I¡¯m kind of in a hurry,¡± Lan snapped. ¡°Can I give you some advice?¡± All around the hall, hundreds of the gathered pathfinders were scrambling to collect their gear, running off towards the town that was weathering the second wave at that very moment. Lan was itching to join them, but since he might end up working for this lady in the future, he decided to hear her out. ¡°Sure, but can you make it quick." ¡°Great, you won¡¯t regret it,¡± Cece leant down towards him and covered her mouth conspiratorially, ¡°Don¡¯t bother with this wave,¡± ¡°Huh? But I need to get some points, I don''t have any at the moment," ¡°Yeah, I know, but the points you get for the first few waves aren¡¯t worth much compared to the final few,¡± ¡°Still¡­ It¡¯s a good opportunity for me to level up,¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but I can give you a better opportunity,¡± ¡°Is that even allowed?¡± ¡°Technically, I¡¯m just giving you advice, not any specific directions¡­ if anyone asks,¡± Cece eyed the fuming man on the pillar next to hers. Lan shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll take all the¡­ ¡®advice¡¯ I can get, thanks,¡± ¡°Right, then like I said, ignore this beast wave, and while everyone is distracted with earning points and topping the leader board, go challenge the sheer steps,¡± Lan turned the thought over, ¡°Hm, so you¡¯re saying I should take the risk that they will succeed without me and selfishly build up my personal strength and accolades,¡± Cece grinned, ¡°Exactly,¡± ¡°But there must be some reason that people want to top the leaderboard, won¡¯t I be losing out on those rewards?¡± Lan could tell from the way some of the second-generation kids had been fighting in the previous wave, coming out on top must be worth a lot. Cece glanced at the two tallest pillars where the bearded man and Leon were sitting in silent meditation, ignoring any pathfinders that tried to approach them. ¡°The top two places join their clans, it¡¯s a pretty big deal for up-and-coming pathfinders to have that kind of support system,¡± ¡°Right, but you think I¡¯d be better off climbing the steps?¡± ¡°Exactly, aside from the fact you need to reach the eighth step if you want to fulfil our contract, there are plenty of titles and skills to be won by climbing them,¡± Lan was definitely tempted to give it a shot, just to see what all the fuss was about, ¡°What exactly are the sheer steps anyway?¡± Cece winked at him, ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± *** Taking Cece¡¯s advice, Lan avoided the town and passed through the forest, heading directly towards the huge steps carved into the mountain behind the town. In the distance, he could hear the muffled screams and swords clashing, along with bestial growls and roars. He could practically smell the blood drifting off the battlefield. The sounds of fighting made his blood boil, but he steeled himself and ignored them, continuing to the foot of the mountain. Rejoining the path, he craned his neck up at the peak of the mountain that seemed to meld into the sky. Low clouds obscured anything above the ninth step and what could be seen was confusing, to say the least. Now that he was closer, he could vaguely make out that the steps, which were carved from black granite, were covered in indistinct carvings that flowed and twirled, somehow both stationary and in motion. Each carving seemed to tell its own distinct story, and the further up the steps Lan looked, the more detailed and fantastical the carvings became. His footsteps ground to a halt at the end of the path, where granite stairs led up to a massive stone platform surrounded by ancient basalt pillars. At the far side of the platform, he could just about make out the wall of the first step, but he couldn¡¯t quite figure out how he was supposed to climb it. It stood tens of metres tall and was a sheer face that couldn¡¯t be scaled. Right as he was about to step onto the platform, muffled talking drifted over from behind a nearby pillar. ¡°What a waste of time, there¡¯s no way anyone will try to climb during the second wave.¡± ¡°Shut-up Mark, this is the fourth time you¡¯ve said this already!¡± ¡°Yeah but¡­¡± ¡°Yeah but,¡± the second voice repeated mockingly, ¡°You know how the prince gets, she doesn¡¯t want anyone getting an advantage, no matter how small,¡± ¡°Ha! An advantage? She¡¯s already reached the seventh step and it¡¯s the second bloody day, how the hell is someone even meant to catch up with her?¡± ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s the principal of it¡­ Sh did you hear something?¡± Lan froze where he was standing. He had been trying to creep around the side of the pillars to reach the steps without them noticing. ¡°Hold on, let me just¡­¡± The first voice muttered. Lan felt something wash over him and he got the prickly feeling that someone was watching him. ¡°Shit, Mark there¡¯s really someone there!¡± ¡®Look¡¯s like sneaking in won¡¯t work,¡¯ Lan thought glumly, flicking up the hood of his robe so that his face was covered. He could hear the clatter of weapons and armour as the pair rushed out from behind the pillar. One was a tall girl with long brown hair and strange eyes, the pupils of which were abnormally large. The other, presumably Mark, was a shorter man with a heavy axe resting on his shoulder. But perhaps the most important thing Lan noticed was that they were both wearing school uniforms. It was a luxurious red blazer with purple lapels and a pristine white shirt that looked freshly pressed. ¡®That means they haven¡¯t died yet¡­ they must be strong,¡¯ Lan readied himself for a difficult challenge. ¡°Oi, you there,¡± the girl shouted. Lan pretended he couldn¡¯t hear them and started striding purposefully towards the granite wall decorated in carvings. He wasn¡¯t sure what he would do when he got there¡­ but running away when he literally couldn¡¯t die felt like a waste of time. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you, stop pretending you can¡¯t hear me!¡± She shouted. In response, Lan sped up and he heard muffled curse words behind him as the pair started sprinting towards him. Breaking all pretences, Lan also burst into a run, moving a lot quicker than either of his pursuers could, thanks to his 25 dexterity his feet practically glided along the ground. ¡°Shit! He¡¯s pretty quick, do something, Mark!¡± The girl shouted at the shorter boy. ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do?¡± Mark huffed and puffed as he ran, the heavy axe on his shoulder like an anchor holding him back. ¡°I don¡¯t know, throw your stupid axe or something!¡± ¡°¡­ Oh yeah,¡± Mark mumbled. Lan didn¡¯t know if he should be grateful, they just announced their plan to him, or annoyed that they were this motivated to stop him from reaching the step. He waited until he heard them stop running and then threw himself sideways, just barely managing to avoid the axe that scythed through the air at frightening speeds and slammed uselessly against the cliff wall up ahead. Seeing that the axe didn¡¯t even make a scratch on the carvings, Lan wondered just how hard the rock the steps were carved out of was. But he didn¡¯t have time to think about things like that now. He put on a final burst of speed and grabbed the fallen axe as he ran up to the cliff, almost slamming into it from his momentum. ¡°No! My axe!¡± Mark roared, digging deep and accelerating towards Lan. Desperately, Lan reached out and touched the rough granite wall, feeling the carvings shift and move beneath his fingertips.
Alert: The first step is at 67/100 capacity. Join [Y/N]
¡°Yes! I¡¯ll join!¡± Lan shouted desperately.
Accepted
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Suddenly his body started to tingle, and he began to melt into the wall, disappearing into the endlessly moving carvings. Right after he disappeared, Mark slammed into the wall with his shoulder, bouncing off and landing on the ground in a heap. ¡°Agh, why did I listen to you?!¡± He yelled at the girl who had just caught up with him. Unable to hold back her laughter, she doubled over, wheezing. ¡°AHAH, the Prince is soo gonna kill us,¡± ¡°Nah¡­¡± Mark muttered glumly. ¡°What do you mean? She hates useless people, remember what happened to Jen?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not gonna kill you, because I¡¯m gonna do it first!¡± Mark shouted, grabbing the girl¡¯s ankle and dragging her down to the ground, where a brawl ensued. *** Welcome, challenger. The first step is yours to overcome. Lan flinched, a deep voice booming in his head like hammer blows. ¡°What¡­ What is this place?¡± He muttered, gazing at his strange surroundings in a daze. All he could tell for sure was that he was somewhere underground, a claustrophobic tunnel surrounded him on all sides. On the ceiling of the tunnel, a strange purple moss glowed softly, providing the only light in the gloomy underground. This is the inside of the first step, your challenge Is to complete the first trial of the giants. Fear. To complete the trial simply reach the door at the end of this tunnel. As if in response, the moss that lit the roof of the tunnel went dark, and the faint light was swallowed by darkness even more absolute than night itself. Lan held his hand right in front of his face but couldn¡¯t see it no matter how close he put it. And suddenly his breathing became more difficult. It was like the air got heavier and harder to move. His heart sped up, but his mind stayed clear. The dark had never been a huge fear of his, in fact, it was almost comforting. On some of the worst nights living in the District, when he was forced to sleep on the streets, being in the dark meant you were safe, it meant people couldn¡¯t see you. So, he put one foot forward and then another, moving steadily until something brushed against his leg. He couldn¡¯t see it or hear it, but he felt it. It was so sudden he almost yelped in surprise, but he swallowed that, and flailed out with his axe¡­ Or Mark¡¯s axe, hitting nothing. Once again something brushed against his leg, it was leathery and rough, scraping his robe like sandpaper. But no matter how he swung, his axe never hit anything. His heart started to race now, his inability to hit whatever was attacking him left him feeling helpless and lost. Something pricked the back of his neck; it didn¡¯t hurt, but the fact that he couldn¡¯t see what it was sent alarm bells ringing in his mind. ¡®I¡¯ve got to keep moving,¡¯ Lan gritted his teeth and ignored the cloying darkness that made his skin crawl. ¡°It¡¯s in my head, it has to be,¡± Right, when he opened his mouth to speak, something wet and leathery forced its way inside and Lan¡¯s calm and collected thoughts evaporated into an explosion of panic. He grabbed at his open mouth but couldn¡¯t feel anything, even though it was right there, choking him. Tears ran from his eyes and he bolted forward, his shoulder slamming into the wall of the tunnel painfully. In desperation, he closed his mouth and bit down. Whatever was in there exploded, sending a wave of filthy blood down his throat that tasted like bile. Lan gagged and threw up what remained of the creature, keeping one hand on the wall so that he always knew where he was. When he was finished, he stood up and kept the other hand tightly clamped over his mouth, refusing to let anything else sneak in. Every time he felt something brush against his skin or robe, he just repeated in his head, ¡®It¡¯s not real, it can¡¯t hurt you,¡¯ And after what seemed like an eternity of fumbling in the dark, blinding light flickered on in the tunnel, forcing him to squint painfully against the glare. He covered his eyes with his hands so that he could get acclimatised to the light better and sat down, exhausted. Wind rustled his hair and robes, blowing the dark lanky strands off his face and¡­ "Wind? How is there wind underground?¡± Lan¡¯s eyes shot open and all he could see was blue, an endless sea of blue. He looked down and he wasn¡¯t sitting on a rock anymore but a cloud, it was much harder than he had expected clouds to feel, it was cold and damp, like sitting on a block of ice. But by far the most eye-catching thing was the red door on a distant cloud. He could see it from here and instinctively knew that if he wanted to pass this trial, he needed to reach it. ¡®Trial, I¡¯ve got to remember that this is only a trial, it¡¯s not real,¡¯ Lan reminded himself again, staring intently at the red door. He walked over to the edge of the cloud and peered down below him, there was nothing but an empty sky, there wasn¡¯t even any ground to fall towards. Taking a deep breath, he double-checked that the next cloud was close enough for him to jump to and leapt across the abyss, landing on the cloud with a thud. ¡®Heights aren¡¯t that bad, I used to sleep hanging off the side a¡­¡¯ Suddenly the clouds were gone, and Lan found himself in a place he had hoped never to return to. Below him, he could hear the never-ending roar of traffic and neon lights lit up the street. Above him¡­ was the night sky. ¡®Is it reading my thoughts and trying to put me in the situations I would fear most?¡¯ He wondered after seeing the sudden change. ¡®Still, even if I know it''s not real, I really want to get out of here,¡¯ Lan was lying in a ragged sleeping bag on the corner of metallic fire stairs that ran up the side of the hotel he worked in. Before one of the cooks had found him here and offered him a job and a tiny room, Lan slept out here, with nothing but the stars as company. It was cold and noisy, but safe, which was more than could be said for a lot of places. The rats couldn¡¯t get up here either which was always a bonus. Here, he was out of view from the roof of the building and had managed to set up a tarpaulin to keep off the rain, living in relative peace from the elements. As far as he was concerned, if he didn''t get frostbite or trench foot, it wasn''t a bad spot. He poked his head around the side of the stairs where he could just about make out the roof of the building and the big red door that stood at its centre. Just as he was about to move to reach the door, all the energy was sapped from his body and his stomach became a gaping cavern that had never known food. Cold and hunger washed over him, and he grabbed the sleeping bag tighter, wrapping it around himself so close it felt like he was trying to make it a part of his skin. This is how he had spent many nights up here and even if he knew the feelings were artificial, that didn¡¯t change the fact that they felt real. It wasn¡¯t so long ago that he had spent his nights like this, hungry and cold and alone. Perhaps the trial had truly figured out his greatest fear because he was rooted to the spot in abject terror. Shivering and starving, he would rather wait for death to come than leave the meagre warmth of his sleeping bag. ¡®It¡¯s not real, I. Need. To. Move.¡¯ Lan shuffled slightly and did his best to throw off the sleeping bag, but it was wrapped around him like a boa constrictor. ¡°Get off,¡± he grunted, trying to shake off the sleeping bag that had somehow become a straight jacket, trapping him in that wretched stairwell, where he would rot for eternity. ¡°I won¡¯t go back! I will change this world for the better!¡± He yelled, straining against the bag and fighting off waves of hunger that felt like a knife in his gut getting twisted. ¡°I swore to myself that I would avenge them!¡± Lan screamed and managed to wriggle one of his arms free, grabbing the axe and shredding the bag. He staggered to his feet, wobbling on weak legs. All the strength from the stats had been stripped away and he was left with a frail body that came from eating leftovers from bins. ¡°Move!¡± He grunted, putting one leg forward. ¡°Again.¡± Another leg, he was out of the stairwell now and onto the roof, he could see the red door so clearly, he could make out the grains of wood on its surface. He moved again, inching closer, he was almost there now and felt like the further he got from the stairwell, the stronger he grew. ¡°I can do this, I am stronger now, I am¡­¡± Lan froze where he stood, the door had just turned and then it swung open. A man stepped out, he wore a beautiful white suit that was stained red. His hands were drenched in blood and gore, but his face was empty and uncaring like he had been pruning plants or washing dishes. Lan started to shake uncontrollably, and the man took a step towards him. Lan wanted to fight, he wanted to rip his throat out, but he couldn¡¯t move because more than anything, he wanted to run. In front of this man, he was still that little kid that watched his parents die helplessly. The man looked down at him and scowled like somehow Lan was at fault for being upset. ¡°Will you stop shaking and shut up!¡± The man snapped coldly. Too frightened to disobey, Lan forced himself to stand still, his face was sheet white and his stomach churned in fear. ¡°Ugh, look what your parents did to my suit, this will cost a fortune at the dry cleaners,¡± The man groaned, flicking blood from his hands onto the floor of Lan¡¯s living room. ¡®How¡­ How am I here? He took the house after they died, he took everything, he¡­¡¯ Lan''s mind was collapsing and he couldn¡¯t stop it with just willpower, this was primal, there was nothing in the world he feared more than this man, nothing even came close. He knew not to look at the broken window his mother¡¯s body had fallen through, or at the coffee table his dad¡¯s corpse was splayed out on, those images were already so ingrained in his mind that he would never forget them. And he had sure as hell tried. With wide eyes, he stared at the red door behind the man in the white suit, it was so close, but he would never make it there in time, the man was too strong, too fast, he was a pathfinder and Lan was¡­ A pathfinder¡­ His heart started beating again and he summoned every scrap of will and courage he had, using them as fuel to power his first step. He stumbled forward. ¡°Stay still, will you? I¡¯m trying to think!¡± The man snapped impatiently. Lan ignored him and kept moving, brushing past the coffee table and making sure not to look at the unseeing corpse that lay there. ¡°I said stop moving!¡± The man bellowed, slamming his fist straight through the wall of their house in rage. ¡®Now¡¯s my chance,¡¯ Lan bolted, ducking under the man¡¯s swinging fist and barrelling through the door. The last thing he heard before passing through, was a roar of anger and fury that shook the very frame of the door. Outside, he felt strength rush into him, or return to him, whichever it was didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was that he was away from that man, he was free. Still shaking in fear, he looked up and saw that it was completely dark in the tutorial, no stars twinkled in the artificial night sky.
Alert: The first step has been passed, and all five fears were conquered: +3 to all stats. Challenge the next step? [Y/N]
Lan took a shuddering breath and declined, still reeling from the shock of seeing that man again. A lot of memories he had been trying to bury were getting dredged up and he didn¡¯t want to experience something like that again, not so soon anyway. He picked himself up off the ground and looked around, he was lying just beside the platform that contained the first step. Now that it was night, the platform was packed full of people, all of whom seemed to be standing in lines that snaked around from the first step to the edge of the platform. Curiously, Lan walked over to a girl standing at the back of one of the lines. She was fidgeting nervously and had a staff clenched tightly in one hand, with a book in the other. ¡°Why is everyone queueing?¡± Lan approached her and asked. She glanced up at him, ¡°Because only 100 people can challenge each step at the same time, duh. Didn¡¯t they teach you anything in your academy?¡± ¡°Oh, right, I remember seeing a message like that,¡± Lan muttered, he hadn¡¯t read the message carefully since he didn¡¯t have time, what with him being chased and all. ¡°You remember¡­ have you already challenged the first step? How far did you get?¡± Her face lit up when she saw that he had passed. ¡°How far?¡± Lan echoed. ¡°Yeah, there are stages, right? At least that¡¯s what my teachers told me,¡± the girl asked nervously. Once again, Lan cursed that everyone seemed to know more about the tutorial than he did. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ll have to be more specific,¡± ¡°Well, I was told that you have to face five fears. If you overcome the first fear, you pass and can challenge up to the third step. If you overcome the second fear, you can challenge up to the sixth step. Beat the third fear and you can reach the ninth step. And if you somehow manage to overcome the fourth fear, you can challenge up to the twelfth step,¡± ¡®I suppose my fears were, darkness, heights, hunger and cold,¡¯ Lan figured, ¡°Then what about the final fear?¡± ¡°Ha, the final fear. Some maniacs try to overcome that but why bother? It''s not like they¡¯ll be able to reach the twelfth step anyway so why put yourself through all that?¡± The girl laughed. ¡°Yeah¡­ why would someone put themselves through that¡­? It would probably be traumatic,¡± internally Lan was cursing Cece, ¡®Why the fuck didn¡¯t she warn me!?¡¯ ¡°Exactly, anyway, how was your challenge?¡± Lan shrugged, ¡°The first two fears weren¡¯t that bad, they were kind of impersonal. But the next two were really bad,¡± The girl sighed in relief, ¡°Thanks, for the heads up and well done on reaching the fourth fear, by the way, best of luck on the rest of your climb,¡± When she had finished talking, she seemed to have relaxed a little, looking more confident and assured. Lan shook his head, leaving the girl behind and heading off to catch some sleep. Just as he lay down on his death trap of a bed that reeked of blood, he heard a knock on the door. Stifling a curse, he shouted out, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°U-um, ssory t-to b-bother you, It¡¯s m-me, Rachel,¡± ¡®She sure picked a shit time, ah well it might be nice to get my mind off¡­ things. I¡¯m sure If I went to sleep now, I¡¯d end up having the nightmares again,¡¯ ¡°One second,¡± Lan shouted back, clambering up out of the bed and opening the door that creaked on rusty hinges. Hi, Rachel waved awkwardly at him. Lan smiled wearily and waved her in. Chapter 8 - The Second Wave Lan ushered Rachel into his hut, talking over his shoulder as he went, ¡°So, how did the second wave go?¡± After spending the day in the first step, he wanted to get caught up on how the second wave had gone. ¡°I- uh, I n-need t-to b-be looking y-you in the e-eye f-for this t-to w-work,¡± Rachel stuttered. ¡°Oh, ok,¡± Lan brought Rachel over to the side of his bed and they sat down on the safe part, opposite each other. He made sure to look her in the eyes, they were brown with flecks of green, that complemented her auburn hair. The light in the gloomy room was low, almost non-existent if not for the soft glow a lamp in the corner emanated. Thanks, my telepathy doesn¡¯t work unless I¡¯m looking you in the eye, he heard her voice in his mind and could feel the emotions behind it. She was nervous. ¡°Am I making you uncomfortable or something?¡± Lan asked, worried that he had done something wrong. Sorry, I¡¯m not very good around people. It¡¯s nothing you did though. Rachel looked down at her feet and Lan couldn¡¯t hear her thoughts anymore. ¡°Right, well, first of all, you don¡¯t need to apologise, you haven¡¯t done anything wrong,¡± Rachel nodded meekly. ¡°And secondly, why don¡¯t you tell me how your day went? It¡¯ll be easier once you get talking,¡± Rachel took a deep breath and began, Ok, um I woke up this morning and went to check out the sheer steps, but there were over 1000 people in the queue so I left. ¡°It was that bad this morning huh?¡± Lan was finding it hard to believe that anyone would be that desperate to get traumatised like he had. Yeah, well everyone wants to get the title for reaching the third step. Apparently, it gives a +5 to all stats which is pretty cool. That¡¯s like 4 levels. ¡°Does that mean you know about the rest of the challenges? I know the first one is fear, but the rest of them¡­ I¡¯m not too sure,¡± Rachel nodded, I only know the next two for sure, since they¡¯re common knowledge. The second step is about willpower and perseverance through pain, while the third step is called imagination, to pass it you need to improve an existing skill or make a new one for yourself. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know we could just make skills like that,¡± so far Lan hadn¡¯t managed to get a single skill and didn¡¯t really know much about them. Well¡­ it¡¯s technically possible to make a skill from scratch but only super-talented people manage that. For most of us, it¡¯s easier to just improve the skills we already have. ¡°I see, but where are we supposed to get these skills? I haven¡¯t seen any opportunities to get them,¡± I think that¡¯s another part of the third step, you get given a skill that¡¯s compatible with your talent, and then, to pass, you need to combine your talent and that skill, improving it. But if you want to get the bonus rewards, then making your own skill is better. ¡°That makes sense, then I¡¯m guessing the reward for passing that step is the skill itself.¡± Lan still wasn¡¯t entirely sure how skills functioned, but from how rare they seemed to be, they must be powerful. Pretty much, but most people just take the skill the trial gives them and give up. Since even just upgrading a skill is super difficult. I remember my teacher telling me only half of the pathfinders in a tutorial are able to pass the third step. ¡°But that¡¯s roughly the same number that passes the tutorial altogether!¡± That¡¯s why it¡¯s so important, the third step is a real watershed mark between average and excellence. ¡°Okay, well thanks for the heads up.¡± Lan¡¯s mind was already spinning wildly, trying to figure out what skill he could make in order to pass. ¡°Is there any other way to get skills? Maybe having more would make upgrading them easier,¡± There is one way¡­ once you reach level 10 you will have the opportunity to select a class. That comes with bonus stat points and most importantly, a few class skills. That¡¯s why a lot of people don¡¯t challenge the third step until after getting their class. The more skills the better, I guess. Lan was starting to understand something about the tutorial. There seemed to be an easier, more straightforward route he could take or a harder but more rewarding one. ¡°But if you¡¯ve already reached level 10, won¡¯t it be more difficult to collect titles?¡± Rachel shrugged, not really, since there¡¯s plenty of titles to be earned after that point that couldn¡¯t be gotten before. Things like completing class quests and evolving class skills usually reward titles. ¡°Okay, but let¡¯s say I want to get the titles for killing things of a higher level than myself. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier if I was lower level?¡± I don¡¯t think so. Trying to kill something above level 10, while below level 10 is incredibly difficult because after that point beasts will have skills themselves. There¡¯s a massive difference between something that has a class and something that doesn¡¯t. Lan still wasn¡¯t too sure about how classes worked ¡°What about classes then? Are there different types?¡± There are¡­ I suppose that would be why certain people, like the Prince, for example, want to collect as many titles as possible before reaching level 10. You see, your choice of classes is affected by a few things. Your life experience and your talent, as well as titles. ¡°I think I get it now, so while it''s better to get as far in the steps as possible before reaching level 10, it isn¡¯t necessary.¡± Rachel nodded, pretty much. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to know, thank you.¡± Lan was pretty glad she had come over or he would still be completely clueless about all this. ¡°So, how did the second wave turn out?¡± Rachel sighed and looked down at the floor. When she finally looked up again her eyes were distant, It was a bloodbath. *** During the second wave, while Lan was taking his trial. Rachel wasn¡¯t even sure what was going on anymore. She ran through the jumbled events in her head, but none of it made any sense. She was standing along with thousands of people in the entrance hall. Every single one of them had just died. The second wave had begun normally. Normal for a horde of monsters attacking a town anyway. She ran out of her house and found wolves pouring out of the forest, just like the previous day. Except for this time, they looked stronger and more robust. Their fur was cleaner and better kept, their teeth sharper, claws longer. ¡®Damnit, I lost my sword yesterday,¡¯ Rachel cursed the vulture that had killed her for the umpteenth time and tried to figure out a way to fight without her weapon. It seemed a lot of people were having the same problem because she wasn¡¯t alone in her confusion. Hundreds of pathfinders were milling about near the barricade, unable to go out and defend the town without becoming fodder. Suddenly a few hundred pathfinders ran towards them. They all wore school uniforms and most dragged wooden carts behind them. These carts were piled high with weapons and armour. A boy ran in front of the group, ringing a bell and shouting, ¡°Crafter-made weapons for any who need them! Free of charge!¡± The huge group came to a stop near the barricade and was immediately swarmed by pathfinders in robes. Everyone was desperate to find a weapon and Rachel was one of them. Thanks to how tall she was, she managed to reach through the throng and grabbed a light longsword that had no guard. Normally she would never have used something like this, but it was about the right size and since she was fighting wolves and not other swordsmen, it would have to do. She slipped out of the crowd and backed away, getting a feel of the sword¡¯s balance. It was a bit off, and nowhere near as centred as she would have liked, but it was better than nothing. Honestly, she wasn¡¯t very good with the sword. Even though she had trained with a blade since she was young, she had never been particularly talented. It¡¯s not like she was useless, but she was nothing like the Prince or the Farmer. Steeling herself, she ran out onto the battlefield, feeling the madness wash over her. As a telepath, she could feel the deranged bloodthirsty nature of this place so clearly, it hurt. She scanned her surroundings and found a smaller wolf that would be her first target. Running through the fighting, she felt like she was dodging deflected swords and spears more than the attacks of the wolves themselves.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Eventually, she arrived at her target and stared directly into its eyes, trying to reach its mind with her telepathy. She sent images of pain and suffering towards it, trying to overwhelm the wolf¡¯s primitive mind. This was her first idea on how to use her talent in a fight. It was a pretty blunt usage since all it involved was screaming as loudly as possible directly in the mind of her enemy, but she figured that would be pretty off-putting. It must be hard to concentrate on a fight with a splitting headache. Sadly, her first attempt didn¡¯t have the effect she wanted. The wolf shook its head like it was clearing water from its pelt, and then pounced at her, snarling furiously. It seemed that she had only managed to anger it with her mind attack, fuelling its fury. But it was only a wolf in the end, and after dancing around it with her sword, she managed to take its head off, getting the alert from the system that it was dead. She moved on to her next target and tried again, producing slightly better results this time. It seemed that rather than how loud she screamed, the attack was more potent if she projected it deeper into her opponent¡¯s mind. This required more concentration, which was harder to do on a raging battlefield but was far more effective. ¡®Maybe it works like sound. If I shout at someone from across the room, it won¡¯t hurt their ears. But If I shout right into their ear, that¡¯s a different story altogether.¡¯ And so, she drifted through the battlefield, growing more confident in her ability to stun an enemy before attacking it. As it turned out, it was far easier to fight something when it couldn¡¯t move. After a few hours of this, she heard the oh-so-precious alert from the system that meant she had levelled up and she joyously placed the skill points into mind and intelligence, hoping that her mental attacks would only grow stronger. By that point, the battlefield had changed subtly. The wolves had begun to group up around bigger, more intimidating wolves with darker and thicker pelts. These beasts had eyes that glittered with intelligence. These groups of wolves were sticking close together, rather than splitting up and getting picked off one by one like the rest had. And this made them a far harder target. The larger wolves that led these packs were the biggest threat of all, as they leapt out to defend any wolf that looked like it was in danger, making it exceedingly difficult to cause damage to their pack. Rachel was quite close to one of the larger packs and watched helplessly as it ploughed bloody trenches through the battlefield, tearing through anything that got in its way. A man ran past her, shouting, ¡°I¡¯ll get the alpha, you lot pick off the rest of them!¡± The first thing she noticed was that he was still wearing his school uniform, and, in both hands, he held a long scythe that looked ancient and covered in rust. It didn¡¯t look like a weapon, but a tool a farmer might use to cut wheat. Immediately, Rachel recognised him as the Farmer, an incredibly talented first generation from Wargrave academy. She remembered hearing that the Farmer and the Prince had a massive rivalry since they were both considered the most talented in their year. ¡®I can¡¯t remember who won when they fought in the last martial competition, but I think they met each other in the finals,¡¯ she hadn¡¯t gone to the match since there would be too many people there, and she didn¡¯t do well in big crowds. But her classmates didn¡¯t stop talking about it for weeks after. The Farmer had golden hair the colour of hay and stood far taller than even Rachel at almost seven feet. He had the sleeves of his dark green blazer rolled up to the elbows and his forearms were incredibly tanned. He charged towards the large pack of wolves fearlessly, his scythe reaping the lives of any wolves that neared him like barley. Nothing could put up a fight in front of that blade and as he neared the pack, the alpha wolf leapt out, blocking his way. They faced off against each other and Rachel could just about make out the level of the wolf. ¡®It¡¯s level 8! There¡¯s no way he can beat it, especially not when it¡¯s surrounded by its pack,¡¯ But the farmer wasn¡¯t alone either. Another group ran past Rachel and started attacking the alpha¡¯s pack, keeping them distracted while the Farmer took care of the biggest threat. Even just watching the clash made Rachel feel small and helpless. Every blow the Farmer and Alpha threw at each other was enough to end her life and she shrank back away from the conflict, negative thoughts overwhelming her. She was spiralling. ¡®They won¡¯t need my help anyway, I would just get in the way,¡¯ she told herself as she stumbled back to the barricade. In the distance, she could just about make out a girl with black hair tied up in a bun, wearing only a white school shirt, fighting off an alpha all by herself. Rachel immediately recognised her as the Prince and for some reason this only made her feel worse. She hated that she was inferior to everyone here, but she also hated that she felt that way. She¡­ A wolf jumped towards her, and she stared into its eyes, screaming out the anger and frustration, unloading everything into its helpless mind. It stumbled, faltering in its attack and standing in a daze, unable to move or even think. Rachel didn¡¯t give it the chance to recover and ran her sword through the wolf¡¯s neck, hating the way the blade felt in her hands. Its balance was all wrong, and her hands kept getting scratched because it had no guard. She couldn¡¯t understand why she was so annoyed by something so trivial. She knew that it was the work of her talent, the penalty caused her emotions to become overwhelming and uncontrollable, so why couldn¡¯t she just ignore these feelings? Why wasn¡¯t she stronger? Why wasn¡¯t she in control? Anger and helpless fury rose inside her and she turned and ran towards the nearest wolf, stunning it with a mental attack and taking its head off in a clean stroke. She moved on to her next victim and repeated the process, her overpowering emotions only seemed to make her mental attacks stronger which annoyed her all the more. ¡®I don¡¯t want to be a mess! I want to be in control!¡¯ Swing after swing, attack after attack, she didn¡¯t stop when her hand started bleeding from holding the sword so tight. Neither did she stop when the ding that she had levelled up sounded, or when blood trickled out of her ears and nose. Even running out of mana didn¡¯t stop her, she just stopped using mental attacks and threw herself at the wolves, her sword containing all the anger and frustration she couldn¡¯t express verbally because of her condition. What finally stopped her was the arrow that went through her back and came out from her stomach. Reaching down feebly, she tapped the bloody tip of the arrow. That was her blood¡­ that was her stomach. ¡®Why would someone shoot me?¡¯ She turned around to see who had fired but was greeted with a flash of silver as another arrow lodged into her throat. The impact pirouetted her and she spun and landed in a heap on the ground, choking on her own blood. In the distance, she could just about see the Farmer and the Prince fighting each other, while a maimed alpha lay between them. Most of their companions were dead and the rest were limping away into the forest, avoiding the rain of arrows that came from inside the city. ¡®Inside the city¡­?¡¯ Rachel managed to turn her head and saw that every crafter was now holding a crossbow and was firing relentlessly at the fighters, protected by over one hundred kids still in uniforms. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­? Why would they-¡® Rachel never finished the thought, because another arrow burrowed into her skull and sent her back to the tutorial entrance hall. *** ¡°Wait a second, why the hell would the crafters do that?¡± Lan shouted, not believing what he was hearing. That¡¯s exactly what I was wondering, and I think I figured out why. Lan nodded eagerly, gesturing for her to continue. So, the crafters don¡¯t fight in the battles, they probably could and I¡¯m sure some do, but most don¡¯t, since their talents don¡¯t help with fighting. Instead, they get points when someone kills something with a weapon they have made. Lan could already see where this was going. ¡°Are you saying¡­?¡± Yeah, I think that in order to force people to use their weapons, the crafters kill them and then steal their stuff. Sure, we can kill them in revenge, but they won¡¯t lose any points, since nobody gets any from the beast waves until right before the tutorial ends. ¡°And we need them,¡± Exactly, we need them, and they know it. So, they¡¯ve teamed up with the vultures to make sure that everyone has to use their weapons. And once they¡¯ve gotten rid of all the old weapons that people brought with them, then they¡¯ll start competing with each other to see who can make the best gear. ¡°That¡¯s evil¡­ but what did I expect from pathfinders?¡± Lan asked himself glumly, honestly, he was surprised that he could even be surprised by them anymore. Rachel shrugged, It¡¯s cruel, but everyone¡¯s life is on the line. Only half of us can pass the tutorial remember? Lan took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, trying to release his frustration in one big sigh, ¡°I know, I¡¯m no better really. I went and challenged the sheer steps when the second wave was happening,¡± Rachel stared back at him with wide eyes, Aren¡¯t you worried about getting enough points? ¡°I already got 50 points for passing the first trial, how many do you think I would need to pass?¡± Lan asked. The girl frowned, holding up her fingers as if counting, Well¡­ on the thirtieth wave, most of the beasts are at least level 10, and each kill will grant 10 points. If we assume that on average, a pathfinder manages to kill maybe 20 to 30 beasts each wave, then on the final wave alone, they would earn nearly 300 points. ¡°And if there are thirty waves, then maybe we could assume that in total, they will earn close to 6000 points, just during the beast waves,¡± That sounds about right, but as you said, pathfinders earn points for clearing the sheer steps. I heard that the Prince got 1600 points for passing the sixth step, so we can assume that the actual number needed to safely pass is more than just 6000. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯m going to throw out a guess and say that to pass the tutorial with 100% confidence, we will need at least 10000 points¡­ holy shit that¡¯s a lot. I have literally none right now,¡± Lan looked down at his feet glumly. Rachel smiled slightly, Hey, that¡¯s pretty easy, all we need to do is pass the ninth step and we¡¯ll get 12800 points. Simple as that. ¡°Are you joking? What are the odds we pass that step?¡± Lan wasn¡¯t entirely sure how difficult it would be, but he imagined that since the big clans would accept anyone who passed the eighth step, the ninth must be incredibly difficult. My teacher told me in confidence that no one in my school was capable of completing the ninth step. She said that I would be lucky to pass the third and that most of my class would be lucky to get near the sixth. ¡°Wow¡­ she sounds like a bitch,¡± Lan really didn¡¯t like his impression of the academies. From what he had heard from Morgan and Rachel, they seemed like a pretty horrible place. No, she¡¯s right, I¡¯m not very talented at fighting. I mean look at my talent, all it lets me do is talk to someone. ¡°That¡¯s not true, you used it to stun the wolves, right?¡± Yeah¡­ but that¡¯s all it''s good for. I doubt it would work on people. Besides, what if I stun something but¡¯m too weak to kill it? Rachel avoided Lan¡¯s gaze after she finished. ¡°Then I guess you¡¯ll just need someone to kill it for you,¡± Lan grinned. He could already imagine how easy his fights would be if his enemy couldn¡¯t move. *** The Foundations: Thorn looked at his handy work and smiled proudly. Oh, the joys of having a mouth and something to smile about. He had been here, on the bridge for a while now and had finally gotten the hang of things. His official title was a guardian of the bridge, but honestly, he felt more like a shepherd. The dead bodies floated down to him, bathed in that eery red glow, and he led them to where they belonged. Every pathfinder had their own plot, marked by a white tombstone that glittered within the dark of the foundations. When they died, Thorn led the bodies to their grave, burying them by their tombstone. He found it fulfilling work, if a little confusing. Because each tombstone had more than one body. And he had to order them. Burying the endless stream of corpses on top of each other. What he couldn¡¯t understand was how the pathfinders managed to die more than once. He knew for sure that if he ever died, if his soul ever collapsed, that would be it. He would be done for. And yet these pathfinders died every day, floating down to their graves over and over again. He wasn¡¯t sure how this was possible, or why the bridge even wanted the bodies, but he did as he was told. There was no point biting the hand that feeds you. His sector was new, the tombstones here were still fresh, their plots only containing a few bodies each. Some even had none at all. According to his supervisor, every time a tutorial started, and ten thousand new pathfinders stepped onto the bridge, a new guardian would be created to manage their bodies. And Thorn was that guardian. He looked up, gazing towards where the red lights came from. Thorn wondered what the tutorial was like. He wondered what was worth dying over and over again for. But most of all, he wondered what the owners of the bodies were like when they were still alive. One day, he hoped to meet them. Chapter 9 - Spider Eyes Lan and Rachel talked long into the night. Their conversations weren''t about anything important or even memorable. It was more the company that they both enjoyed. For a long time now, Rachel had suffered from isolation and Lan never really got to hang out with kids his age. It was nice, just chatting with someone who was happy to listen. Lan hadn¡¯t had anyone he could talk to since the old cook that hired him had quit. The old man was getting on in years and wanted to retire to take care of his family. It was only after he left that Lan realised how much the old man really meant to him. He had been about 12 when they first met. Shivering in a torn sleeping bag, pressed up against the wall of the hotel roof. Lan was sure he must have looked more like a drowned rat than a human, but the old man never seemed to care. Lan remembered hearing the footsteps close in his hiding place, his heart had been in his mouth, but he was too tired and too cold to move or run. He had sat there helplessly as an old, bearded face poked around the corner of the stairwell, a half-smoked cigarette still in his mouth. The pair didn¡¯t exchange any words, the old man simply finished his cigarette and left. Returning moments later with a hot water bottle and a flask full of warm soup. To this day, it was the nicest food Lan had ever eaten, and he doubted anything could ever top it. Nothing beats hunger as a seasoning. Shortly after, Lan started working as a bellhop for the hotel, all on the recommendation of the cook. He owed that man his life. Without his kindness, Lan would have died long ago, frozen to death on the cold streets of the District. That night, after Rachel had left, Lan dreamed of the cook and the hotel roof where his life had changed. He dreamt of the hours he spent late after his shift ended, helping the old man clean the kitchen, just to spend time with him. And when he woke up, a tear ran down his face, as his last memory of the old man drifted by elusively. Lan was 16 when the old man retired. He had never found out the cook''s exact age but, the man was far too old to still be working. Lan half suspected that the old man had only stayed at the hotel to keep an eye on him. But eventually, his back hurt too much, his feet ached, and his hip creaked. Age and a life spent without rest got the best of the old man and on a clear autumn afternoon, as golden leaves tumbled from dying trees, the old man walked out of the hotel for the final time. His final words to Lan were, ¡®Good luck kid, you¡¯re stronger than you know. So don¡¯t let the world hold you down¡­ keep your head up,¡¯ Since then, Lan had tried his best to live up to those expectations. On the nights when his belly ached from hunger, or a difficult customer had taken their anger out on him, as he lay bruised and alone in his tiny room, Lan dreamed big. He dreamt of the day he could hold the world down and lift all the kids like him up from poverty and loneliness. And it all started here. On the bridge. Lan clambered out of bed, skilfully dodging the spiked bits of metal sticking out through the battered mattress. Fool me once as they say. Hunger pangs hit him like a freight train, and he realised he hadn¡¯t eaten since arriving at the tutorial. ¡®I suppose I did die a few times, so maybe that reset my hunger, but at the very least, I haven¡¯t eaten since yesterday,¡¯ He was used to going long periods without eating, but that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to. For a moment, he considered killing himself so that he could avoid eating altogether, but he quickly stopped thinking like that. ¡®I don¡¯t think I should view death so casually, if I do¡­ It will become all too easy for me to kill other people without a second thought¡­ Even when I¡¯m not on the bridge,¡¯ Lan warned himself The more time he spent here, the more he was beginning to understand why his parents were killed. Or what drove that man to do it anyway. It was simply a complete lack of regard for life itself. If death meant nothing to you, after a while, life would lose any meaning. Lan decided to check out the town first, hoping to find some food there. The second he opened his front door, acrid smoke billowed in. ¡°Is the town on fire?¡± He coughed, covering his eyes as he ploughed through the putrid cloud of smoke that reeked of blood and burnt meat. ¡°But who would be stupid enough to light the town on fire right before a beast wave? If this place gets destroyed, we all fail,¡± After walking for what felt like hours, he stumbled out of the smoke, heaving breaths of fresh air. Now that he was out of the cloud, he could see that it wasn¡¯t the town itself that was on fire, but the massive pile of beast corpses that had only grown since yesterday. ¡®Looks like someone had the same idea as me¡­ I just wish they had moved the pyre further away so that my hut doesn¡¯t smell like shit,¡¯ He looked around and found himself in the town square, an empty dirt field in the middle of some of the nicer huts. At its centre stood a huge, bronze gong and surrounding that, men and women stood beside enormous cast iron cauldrons. They stirred them with long wooden ladles, sweating from the heat the boiling liquid within gave off. On the far side of the town square, many pathfinders were gathered, eyeing the cooks with open distrust and hatred. Lan looked over at the group and glimpsed the top of a shaved white head, ¡®That should be Morgan,¡¯ He made his way across the square, catching the pungent smell of the broth in the cauldrons. His stomach growled hungrily but he ignored it, striding over to where Morgan stood. Now that he was closer, he could spot Morgan in the crowd more clearly. They were standing beside a tall man with short, tightly cropped brown hair and bulging muscles that threatened to burst through his robe. ¡°Morgan!¡± Lan shouted over the din. They looked over at him, their eyes widening slightly. ¡°Lan, where have you been?¡± Lan arrived beside the pair, shrugging, ¡°Oh you know, here and there. I managed to beat the first step yesterday but other than that, nothing much has happened,¡± Morgan¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Wow! Only like 600 people have managed that so far, congratulations!¡± ¡°Only 600? That sounds like quite a lot,¡± Lan pointed out. ¡°Yeah, well that is a lot of people, but there¡¯s 10000 of us, so the fact that it¡¯s the third day and only 600 have passed is a bit worrying¡­ honestly I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll even get the chance to attempt it before the 30 days are up,¡± Morgan looked glum when they finished. Lan frowned, ¡°Is it really that hard to get in?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, me and Luke went this morning,¡± Morgan gestured to the tall boy beside them, ¡°But there were over 1000 people in the queue,¡± ¡°How does the queue even work? When I went it said there were 67/100 people in the first step,¡± Morgan eyed Lan suspiciously, ¡°I¡¯m not sure when you went for there to be that few people, but basically when you step onto the platform that the first step is on, you can go and register a place in the queue by touching the wall,¡± ¡°Why not just do that and then go hunt in the forest for a while?¡± Morgan sighed, ¡°Yeah, I wish, but the problem is, you lose your place in the queue the second you step off the platform. It¡¯s a real nightmare for some of the weaker kids here. I saw this one girl get to the front of the queue, but she had a disagreement with this ex-boyfriend, right? So, when he found out it was almost her turn, he grabbed her and threw her off the platform,¡± ¡°Shit! That¡¯s terrible,¡± Lan could imagine just how pissed that girl would be after. ¡°Well, she did kill him a bunch of times after to release her anger, but the damage was done,¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s tough out here,¡± Lan shook his head sadly, ¡°But anyway, what¡¯s going on with those cauldrons? I¡¯m starving but since I saw nobody was eating¡­ I thought I should see what the problem was first,¡± ¡°You know what happened yesterday with the crafters right?¡± ¡°Crafters¡­¡± The boy called Luke, who hadn¡¯t spoken until now growled, rubbing his neck as though a wound was still there. ¡°Yeah, they turned on everyone after the beast wave ended,¡± Lan nodded, glad Rachel had gotten him caught up last night. ¡°I noticed you¡¯re in a robe now, did they get you?¡± Lan asked Morgan, who was no longer wearing a school uniform, and instead an ill-fitting beige robe. ¡°They got me alright,¡± Morgan shuddered slightly, ¡°Shot an arrow right through my back,¡± ¡°Jesus, I¡¯m sorry,¡± ¡°Nah it¡¯s ok, at least I died quickly since they hit my heart. Luke¡­¡± Lan looked up at Luke who practically had a thundercloud hovering above his head. The boy was looking at the cooks how a wolf looks at rabbits.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Luke didn¡¯t succumb to his wounds for hours,¡± ¡°Well, that sucks and all, but I haven¡¯t eaten since yesterday so¡­ I might have to forgive them,¡± Besides, Lan hadn¡¯t even been there when the betrayal happened. ¡°Forgive them¡­ I¡¯d rather eat glass than their food. Those scumbags probably poisoned it,¡± Luke spat. ¡°Either I¡¯ll eat some food and stop being hungry, or I¡¯ll get poisoned, die, and stop being hungry,¡± Lan said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. The mood was not lightened. Luke looked at Lan as though he had just tried to defend Hitler and Morgan kept making a shushing motion, as though they were begging Lan to stop. ¡°Okay, my bad. It¡¯s not funny I guess,¡± Lan muttered. ¡°But if no one is going to eat their food, then why are we all gathered here?¡± ¡°In case they try something,¡± Luke grunted, staring intently at the cooks. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Lan trailed off, not sure what to do in this situation. He was still hungry after all. And he was almost 100% sure the food wouldn¡¯t be poisoned. The second a single person dropped dead after eating it, the cooks would be swarmed by the angry mob just beside them, so they had no reason to do anything as stupid as poisoning people. Lan sighed helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m going to go check out the queue for the second step, I¡¯ll see you guys later,¡± He waved goodbye to Morgan and Luke and slipped into the crowd. Flipping up his hood, Lan doubled back and walked straight to the nearest cauldron. ¡®Hopefully, Morgan won¡¯t recognise me,¡¯ Lan thought to himself as he neared the cauldron. He didn''t care about any betrayals... at least he didn''t care about betrayal more than he cared about food. A short girl with strong forearms and bright red hair stirred the cauldron furiously. She wore a white apron covered in stains and her concentration on the broth she was making was absolute. ¡°Hi,¡± Lan spoke up. The girl jumped back, so startled she nearly dropped the ladle into her cauldron. ¡°Hi, would you like some food?¡± ¡°Yeah, do you mind? I don¡¯t have a bowl or anything though,¡± ¡°No worries, I¡¯ve got plenty here,¡± The girl bent down and grabbed a roughly carved wooden bowl from beside the cauldron. As Lan left the square, he felt the angry gazes of the gathered pathfinders burning holes into the back of his neck. To make a show of it, he tipped the bowl of broth back, drinking the whole thing in front of the spectators. When he didn¡¯t die, there was actually a murmur of disappointment. ¡®Why the hell would you be sad that someone wasn¡¯t trying to poison you?¡¯ Lan wondered, not quite believing how dumb these guys were. He supposed they were just looking for an excuse to fight. He left the square and headed towards the path. He was planning on challenging the second step during the next beast wave, but not before he gave Cece a piece of his mind. While walking towards the entrance hall, it occurred to him that he had never actually gone there intentionally. Every time he had ended up there was because he had died. For some reason, this made going to the hall by his own will feel strange and out of place. It felt like putting milk in the bowl before the cereal. It just wasn¡¯t the way things were done. Still, he arrived at the leader board in a matter of minutes, walking incredibly fast thanks to his now 28 agility, his walking speed was like sprinting for a normal person, and if he tried running, he could probably outpace a cheetah at this point. He took a look at the leaderboard, finding his name within the top 3000 for points. Unknown ¨C 100 ¡®I need to get my name sorted out,¡¯ Lan decided, running through some of the ideas he had come up with. But all the names he could think of were either too pretentious or embarrassing. He didn¡¯t want to blush in shame every time he introduced himself to someone. Caught in his own thoughts, he strolled towards the entrance of the hall, weaving through the hundreds of pathfinders that poured in and out of the hall¡¯s entrance at all times. ¡°Hey!¡± A person grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Lan whirled around, ready to fight, only to find a skinny young man with inhuman eyes. He had long brown hair tied back in a bun and wore the same robe as everyone else. His appearance would have been fairly forgettable, if not for those eyes. They were completely black, with golden lines that ran in a grid across their surface. They looked more like the compound eyes of a spider or fly than a human. ¡°Jesus Christ, what the hell is wrong with your eyes?¡± Lan hissed, slapping the boy¡¯s hand away from his shoulder. ¡°Ouch, that hurts,¡± The boy acted like he had been struck by a great blow, clutching his chest in agony. Lan rolled his eyes at the over-the-top performance, ¡°Alright, alright, I get it. My bad, what do you want?¡± The boy straightened his back, and put his arm around Lan¡¯s shoulder, guiding him through the crowd to the side of the door by the hall¡¯s entrance. Here they could see everyone who entered or exited the hall without being in the way. Lan looked the boy up and down, trying to figure out what he wanted. Ignoring Lan¡¯s open confusion, the boy placed his hand around Lan¡¯s neck, leaning in conspiratorially. From the outside, the pair must have looked like they were exchanging a great secret, but when Lan heard what the boy had to say, he was sure everyone who saw them would be disappointed. ¡°How many babies?¡± The boy whispered. ¡°Huh?¡± Lan responded. It was more of a sound than a word since he was too stunned to form such things. ¡°How man babies do you think you could beat in a fight?¡± The boy asked, his face a mask of seriousness. ¡°What- what the fuck are you talking about?¡± Lan stuttered, not believing what he was hearing. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m serious. Have you never asked yourself ¡®How many babies could I beat up at once? Like if they swarmed you,¡¯ Most people get cocky and say, infinite babies, I mean they are only babies, right?¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Lan tried to back away, but the boy was holding his shoulder tightly, his spider eyes creepily watching him like a fly trapped in his web. ¡°Wrong, eventually you would get tired. The endless wave of babies attacking you would overwhelm even the strongest fighter until they lost. Which is to say, everyone has a specific number of babies that they could beat,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re telling me this,¡± Lan answered honestly, too confused to lie. ¡°I¡¯m telling you because I can see how strong someone is with these eyes of mine. That girl over there,¡± The boy gestured to a girl leaving the hall, still wearing a school uniform. That was a rare sight these days and usually meant one of two things. She was very strong, or very lucky. ¡°She could fight 3000 babies, maybe 3500 at a push,¡± ¡°And¡­?¡± Lan thought this was a kind of grotesque way to measure strength. ¡°You can do more than that. A lot more. Out of everyone I¡¯ve seen leaving and exiting the hall today, you look like one of the strongest,¡± ¡°Are you saying you can see my stats?¡± Lan asked cautiously, forcefully untangling the boy¡¯s arm from around his neck but not letting go of his wrist. ¡°Not the exact stat distribution, I can only see the rough total number of stats. You already have the total stats of someone near level 10, so either, you have a lot of titles, or are already insanely high leveleld,¡± The boy grinned predatorily as he spoke. Lan frowned, not liking the way the boy looked at him, ¡°What does it matter? And what has anything got to do with the number of babies I could beat in a fight?¡± He grabbed the boy¡¯s robe and dragged him closer, glaring into those inhuman eyes. ¡°It matters because I need someone strong to join a little group I¡¯ve been putting together.¡± The boy completely disregarded Lan¡¯s anger and forged ahead. ¡°Ha! And why would I join your shit little group? You seem fucking mental!" The boy smiled widely, revealing slightly pointed teeth, ¡°You¡¯d join because it will help you pass the third trial¡­.¡± He left the end of his sentence hanging, like a guillotine over Lan¡¯s neck. ¡°Are you serious¡­?¡± Lan replied after a long pause. ¡°Completely,¡± the boy replied calmly. Lan took a deep breath and let the boy down gently, brushing imaginary dust from the lapels of his robe. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? I''ll never turn down a free lunch,¡± The boy laughed at Lan¡¯s switch in tone and handed him a slip of paper. ¡°Read this and then burn it. We¡¯ll meet here tonight, and I¡¯ll tell you the details.¡± Lan nodded, stowing the slip of paper in his robes. When he looked back up, the boy was gone, vanishing into the crowd that continuously entered and exited the hall. Shaking his head, Lan still couldn¡¯t quite believe what had just happened. ¡®What a creep,¡¯ he thought to himself as he walked into the hall, making a beeline for Cece¡¯s stall. She wasn¡¯t there, and neither was the man who had been on the pillar beside hers. Instead, two new stalls had sprouted up here overnight. Lan stared at the stall labelled, McKnight''s special investigations. Not quite believing what he was seeing. He turned his head, examining the rest of the hall to see if he was in the right spot. And what he found was that besides the bigger factions near the centre, many of the pillars had changed owners. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Lan walked over to the pillar that Cece had been on. The lady on the pillar looked at him coldly, ¡°How can I help you?¡± From her tone of voice, it was clear she didn¡¯t want to be there. ¡°Sorry to bother you, I was just wondering if you knew what happened to the person who used to run this stall,¡± Lan asked, trying to be as polite as possible. The lady sighed, as though she had been asked this question a lot already, ¡°Oh that¡­ the smaller pillars are for rent and they aren¡¯t cheap either, so once a recruiter finds enough people who are suitable for them, they usually give up their spot here and move on to another tutorial,¡± ¡°There are other tutorials?¡± Lan asked curiously. Rolling her eyes, the lady replied curtly, ¡°Of course there are, did you think your little planet was special? The bridge has ports all over the universe,¡± Lan nodded gratefully. He still had a lot of questions but could tell the woman was sick of answering them. In any case, he was definitely not going to work for her. For the next few hours, he decided to drift around the entrance hall, asking probing questions about the bridge while he read over many other contracts. Lan found that once he revealed he had already passed the first step, most recruiters were more than happy to tell him a bit about their organization and offer him a deal. Although he was yet to see a contract as good as Cece¡¯s. Every contract he had been shown so far had lacked one key thing, and that was freedom. For example, he had just finished rejecting a mining company that wanted pathfinders to protect their miners from the beasts that roamed the caves they worked in. The pay wasn¡¯t terrible, and he would even get to keep some of the minerals the miners gathered, but if he signed this contract, he would have to live on-site with them for 20 years. Seeing as Lan wasn¡¯t even 20 years old, that much time was unfathomable to him. And no matter how good the contract was, he simply couldn¡¯t accept those terms. Many other contracts he was shown were similarly restricting. A private army wanted him to live on base for 50 years, a hotel wanted him to act as a porter for high-level pathfinders, living as little more than a mule for 30 years. Even hospitals that needed paramedics to rush into dangerous regions on the bridge only offered really good healthcare plans as their big incentive. ¡®I hadn¡¯t really thought about how society on the bridge would work, but it seems like the threat of monsters attacking is prevalent no matter where you go. I¡¯m guessing the crafters have more varied job offers, but no matter where I work, I¡¯m going to end up being the muscle,¡¯ Honestly, Lan was tempted to just not get a job at all, but the threat of the academies finding out he had sneaked on with them loomed over him. He really needed a backer and so far, Cece was the only backer he had found that looked any good. The problem then, was that he needed to somehow reach the eighth step. The first one had already been incredibly difficult, so he could only imagine what the rest would be like. And imagination was truly his only option, because matter who he asked, none of the recruiters gave him any useful information. There seemed to almost be an embargo of sorts on the sheer steps. Where no one outside of the tutorial could talk about them. ¡®That guy from earlier should definitely know a thing or two,¡¯ Lan thought, feeling the slip of paper still in his pocket. He pulled it out, unfolded it and began to read. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was being intentionally cryptic or if whoever wrote this had done so during an earthquake because the handwriting could be called chicken scratch at best. Still, he managed to figure out roughly where he was supposed to show up and stuffed the slip of paper back in his pocket. The boy had told Lan to meet him there by nightfall and by now it was barely noon. ¡®The beast wave usually shows up around now, so maybe I should give the second step a go. From what I¡¯ve been able to gather this next one shouldn¡¯t take too long,¡¯ Lan started walking towards the sheer steps, joining a growing procession of combatants that were streaming towards the town. Barely suppressed violence pervaded the air. A lot of these pathfinders had been killed by the crafters yesterday and were looking forward to relieving their anger on the unsuspecting beasts. Lan almost felt bad for the next beast wave¡­ almost. Chapter 10 - The Second Step Mark was ready this time. He just knew the bastard who stole his axe would return today. He just knew it. Every fibre of his being was telling him that there was no way the prick could resist. He already had the lines all mapped out. And when the time finally came, he would be ready for revenge. ¡°Hannah, we went over the plan, right?¡± Mark snapped at his companion, still not over the fact that it was on her advice that he threw the axe. The tall girl waved dismissively, ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know the shitty plan like the back of my hand,¡± ¡°Derick?¡± Mark called out to empty air, drawing a couple of confused looks from the gathered pathfinders. Ignoring them, he gazed towards a distant pillar right beside the step. A shadowy figure stepped out from behind the pillar and did a strange hand gesture, before spinning flamboyantly and disappearing behind the pillar again. ¡°Every time he does those little dances, I want to kill myself,¡± Hannah muttered grumpily. ¡°They aren¡¯t dances, it¡¯s- it''s part of his talent. He told me it¡¯s called the way of the ninja or some shit,¡± ¡°Right¡­ But why does he need to throw up gang signs every time he does something, Ninja-like?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ maybe it¡¯s like a confidence thing? Or it could be his penalty, he gets cool ninja powers but has to look like a child dressing up for Halloween,¡± Hannah shivered, ¡°I¡¯m glad my penalty isn¡¯t that embarrassing,¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ wait, I thought your penalty was pretty bad¡­ wasn¡¯t it-¡° ¡°Nope. Don¡¯t. Say. It.¡± Hannah spat, stopping Mark from finishing. ¡°Okay... My bad,¡± The pair stood in awkward silence, milling around the busy platform and watching the gathered crowd hawkishly. ¡°Still¡­ you don¡¯t think she¡¯ll find out, do you?¡± Mark asked quietly. ¡°Who? The Prince?¡± ¡°Shh, don¡¯t say her name aloud, I don¡¯t want to get reported for talking behind her back,¡± Mark hissed. ¡°Damn, what are you? Twelve? She isn¡¯t the boogeyman, she¡¯s a kid just like the rest of us,¡± Hannah sighed, rolling her eyes at Mark, the big man so afraid of what boiled down to a little girl. ¡°She¡¯s not like the rest of us, and you know it. Remember when we had that assembly on how to¡­ take a life,¡± Mark whispered the last part. Hannah shuddered, rubbing her shoulders as though a cold breeze had just passed through. ¡°Yeah¡­ I remember,¡± ¡°Her face when she did it- I mean¡­ it was just so cold, you know? It wasn''t like a person, but a robot,¡± ¡°I said I remembered, geez, don¡¯t bring that up anymore,¡± Hannah said angrily. ¡°Sure, sorry¡­¡± Mark looked around, checking no one was listening, ¡°But seriously, you don¡¯t think she¡¯ll find out, do you?¡± ¡°How would she find out, unless we told her? The guy only made it past the first step and he¡¯s barely on the rankings. She¡¯s hardly going to notice someone that far below her moving up to rank 700,¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Mark nodded eagerly like he was hearing exactly what he wanted to hear. The pair were leaning against one of the massive pillars, on which hung a huge scroll, suspended by what looked like a spear that had been stabbed into the black rock. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a normal scroll. The parchment was aged and torn slightly at the edges, with splotches of colour that looked like coffee stains spread out along its surface. It was ancient. It certainly looked ancient, but both Mark and Hannah knew that its appearance was only the beginning. Legends say that this scroll is as old as time itself. It was there during the first tutorial when the first planets bore life. And it will still be there when the last star is snuffed out. Much like the bridge, it is unknowably old and permanent. On the scroll, in red letters that almost drip like wet blood, names appear, accompanied by a number. In first place ranks the Prince ¨C Seventh step Second ranks Kyle (the Farmer) ¨C sixth step Other than those two, nobody else had yet passed the fourth step, which is a testament to their sheer excellence. ¡°You know, I heard a rumour those two cheated on the fourth, fifth and sixth steps,¡± Hannah muttered. ¡°Really? I heard those steps are a competition between pathfinders though.¡± Mark frowned, his father had briefed him on everything up to the seventh step and he wasn¡¯t sure how you would even cheat on those. ¡°They call those steps The Train, right? Well anyway, since three people have to attempt it at the same time and only one can pass all three stages, the rumours are that those two brought supporters in and had them throw the match. That¡¯s how they climbed up the steps so fast,¡± Mark stroked his chin thoughtfully, ¡°It¡¯s definitely possible, but why would they even do that?¡± ¡°The titles, duh.¡± ¡°Oh right, the first person to pass each step gets a better title, right? I wonder just how many stat points those two have at this point. I mean they¡¯ve been running around doing all those hidden dungeons like crazy,¡± Mark couldn¡¯t help burning with jealousy. More than anything, he wanted to be out there, levelling up and challenging the dungeon his father had told him about. But he knew that was short-sighted. If he could get on the Prince''s good side now, then she might let him join her clan and if that happened... then his future prospects would be far better than someone with a couple of extra titles. ¡°Tell me about it, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they end up with epic classes even,¡± Hannah sighed wistfully. She could already see her common class staring her in the face, it would be something boring, like scout or¡­ The gong thundered and all the listless people gathered on the platform looked like they had been resuscitated. In unison, they grabbed their weapons and started sprinting towards the town, hoping to get even the smallest head start on their peers. They poured out of the platform in their thousands, an endless stream of people flowing down the cobbled path. Swimming upstream, was a lone figure, with a hood covering his face. He was quite tall and slender, walking with a slightly hunched back. Mark squinted, glaring at the approaching figure venomously. ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± He grunted, reaching over his back and grabbing the axe a crafter had given him. The handle was rough and splintered, and he could feel the cheap quality of the wood beneath his tight grip. This axe was nothing compared to¡­ ¡°Where is it!?¡± Mark shouted. His nemesis carried no weapons. ¡°Huh?¡± Hannah grunted. ¡°Look over there, it¡¯s the guy from yesterday!¡± Mark spat. Hannah closed her eyes, sensing that the figure''s height and weight were the exact same as the person they had been waiting for. ¡°Shit, that really is him! But he doesn¡¯t have your axe with him¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Mark spat loathingly. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to beat it out of him,¡± Hannah rolled her eyes, ¡°Sure you will, just make sure not to kill him before you see his face. Once we have that, we can make his life a living hell,¡± Mark didn¡¯t even bother replying with words, simply grunting in response. His hands were gripping his new axe so tightly the wood was creaking. ¡°Hold on,¡± Hannah grunted, closing her eyes again. ¡°There¡¯s more coming,¡± In the distance, another figure appeared, followed by a few more. ¡°It looks like people got fed up getting betrayed by the crafters every time and decided to try their luck here,¡± Hannah muttered. ¡°They¡¯re out of luck today if I have anything to say about it,¡± Mark grumbled, taking off towards the approaching pathfinders. He ignored the newcomers, zeroing in on his nemesis. ¡°Fancy seeing you here again, we are truly fated-¡° Mark never got to finish the line he had been preparing because his nemesis put on an outrageous burst of speed and breezed past him. All he could do was turn around and watch as they ran towards the wall, moving so fast they were almost a blur. ¡°Shit,¡± He grunted, wanting to turn and chase the fleeing figure. ¡°Mark, wait. Help me stop these guys first!¡± Hannah shouted, having already begun grappling with a short girl wearing a makeshift balaclava. ¡°Argh! Fine.¡± Mark roared, throwing himself at the oncoming deserters. ¡°Derrick better not fuck this up!¡± *** Lan ran past the angry man with the axe, not quite hearing what he said. ¡®He didn¡¯t say we were fated lovers, did he? Nah, there¡¯s no way,¡¯You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Over the past day, he had gotten used to his increasingly high stats and was able to put them into full effect right now, running so fast his eyes watered. The wall of the first step zoomed up to meet him, and right as he slowed down so he would crash into it, a figure dressed all in black leapt out of the shadows behind a pillar. No words were exchanged before the figure threw out its arms, tens of shuriken flying out of their baggy sleeves. ¡°Shit!¡± Lan cursed, throwing himself back from the deluge of weaponry and away from the wall. Giving Lan no time to rest, the figure ran towards him, producing a nun-chuck from within the baggy folds of their dark robe. Lan didn¡¯t have any weapons on him right now, since the axe was too heavy to lug about everywhere he went. ¡®I really should have grabbed a weapon from one of the crafters,¡¯ All he had in his robe was a mug he had gotten from one of the clans and a few pens with the logos of different clans and sects on them. He grabbed the mug, ¡®Talent, do your thing,¡¯ he prayed, pulling it out of the pocket of his robe and thrusting it out towards the ninja. The ninja froze, still spinning the nun-chuck. ¡°Are you serious?¡± They croaked, their voice hoarse and raspy. ¡°Deadly,¡± Lan shot back, running towards the stunned ninja holding the mug up high as a distraction. Concealed in the sleeve of his other hand was a pen that he was hoping would do some damage. Making a big show of bringing the mug down like a hammer, Lan jabbed out with the pen, stabbing the ninja in the thigh. ¡°Ah!¡± The ninja cursed, jumping back. ¡°You tricked me!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ and?¡± Lan shouted, charging towards the reeling ninja. ¡°This was supposed to be an honourable duel between- fuck! Stop hitting me with that mug!¡± The ninja swore, lashing out with his nun-chuck. The steel nun-chuck made a violent whoosh as it flew towards the side of Lan¡¯s head, and he just barely had time to duck and roll under the strike, before another blow was aimed at his back. He desperately lunged at the wall, but the ninja was ready for that, throwing a kunai into the back of Lan¡¯s hand. Gritting his teeth, Lan''s fingers grazed against the wall and the notification sounded.
Alert: The second step is at 46/100 capacity. Join [Y/N]
¡°Yes!¡± Lan shouted, sighing in relief as his body melted into the wall, flowing into the ever-changing carvings like ink onto paper. ¡°Bastard!¡± The ninja roared. ¡°Derrick! Why the fuck did you let him get away?!¡± Mark bellowed like a wounded animal. ¡°Guys, help me!¡± Hannah screamed, getting overwhelmed by the almost ten assailants. Muttering about honour and pride, Derrick ran over to help his companions fend off the rest of the deserters. He wasn¡¯t about to get on the Prince¡¯s bad side by letting any more of them in. ¡®But I will have my revenge,¡¯ He swore. Holding his throbbing leg where the pen had stabbed him. *** Welcome! Challenger, your fate is your own, and the second step is yours to overcome. Already expecting the booming voice, Lan wasn¡¯t as bothered by its insane volume, instead concentrating on what it would say next. Long ago, the first giant was born in the depths of the earth. She travelled for many years in the dark, searching for a way to escape the prison she was born into. And one day, she found it. Lan looked up; he was inside a deep crater that seemed to extend up into the sky forever. The sides of the crater glowed red from the heat and beneath them, magma boiled and rumbled, containing all the fury of the earth. He was standing on a rocky ledge that jutted out over the magma, the heat from the glowing walls washing over him in waves. Climb to the summit and escape as she once did, the exit lies there, but so do more trials. The ancestor of the giant''s actions displeased the great mother Gaia. ¡°More trials my ass!¡± Lan spat, ¡°I bet that climbing out of this volcano is the first difficulty and then there¡¯ll be even more horrible stuff to come,¡± ¡°But¡­ But if I really want to make a change to the bridge, I need to be strong enough to do that. Since I''m already at a disadvantage, knowing so little. I need to milk every opportunity for all its worth.¡± Lan assured himself. He reached out tentatively and touched the rock of the volcano wall, ¡°Holy shit that¡¯s hot!¡± He yelped, his hand made an uncomfortable sizzling sound when it and the wall had connected. ¡®If only I had gloves or something like that,¡¯ Lan wished. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to make do,¡¯ Grabbing the ends of his sleeves, he ripped the arm of his robe off, tying the fabric around his hand as a cover. ¡®At the very least, my palms won¡¯t be burned, although my fingerprints will probably be gone by the time I reach the top,¡¯ Lan thought morosely. ¡°Hey, no more criminal record,¡± He grabbed onto the wall again, suppressing a scream as his fingers instantly began to smoke. It was like he was holding onto red hot coals, only he couldn¡¯t let go or he would die. With a grunt, he swung his leg up and began to climb, thanking both his increased endurance and strength for the ability to lift himself and persevere through the pain. The climbing was hard, agony even, but perhaps the most difficult part was the monotony. His endless, repetitive actions were like a stick that beat against his psyche. He breathed in, choking on the fumes from the volcano. His head felt light and airy like it used to when he breathed in too much spray paint. His hands were balls of fire, spreading searing waves of pain throughout his body. And he had long realised that the key to passing this was speed. Glancing back, he noticed that the ledge he had started on was gone. Magma had bubbled up, swallowing the ledge as it rose towards the surface. ¡®It¡¯s going to erupt!¡¯ Lan screamed internally, increasing his climbing speed by a notch. The wall of the volcano was steep, but there were plenty of grooves and notches, wounds left there by past explosions for him to use as handholds. ¡®The further I climb, the cooler the wall gets, but¡­ my hands are¡­ numb¡¯ Lan was gritting his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. It felt exactly like how frostbite felt, only in reverse. His hands were numb and distant like he was trying to move somebody else¡¯s body. They scrabbled feebly at the rock wall, desperately grasping for purchase and it was only through sheer willpower that Lan managed to hold on, outrunning the rapidly rising magma beneath him. The glare from the sun was getting closer now and he could almost taste the air getting fresher and less sulphurous. Along with the fresher air, his head cleared up and he soldiered on, finishing the last push and throwing himself over the lip of the volcano¡¯s crater. He sighed in relief, gulping in lung-fulls of fresh air as he gasped like a fish out of water. Below him, the volcano sloped down towards the sea, where waves of lava crashed against waves of water, forming new land. When the ancestor made it this far and felt the light of the sun on her back, she wept tears both of joy and sadness that she had been deprived of this all her life. But her journey was not over yet. Soon, the volcano would erupt. ¡°I hate you!¡± Lan yelled into the void. His hands and feet were numb and clumsy, he couldn¡¯t even feel them anymore. But the rest of his body was in enough pain to make up for their absence, screaming at him to just lie down and rest. But the longer he waited on the cusp of the mountain, the hotter it became. The temperature out on the side of the volcano was skyrocketing and jets of lava were blasting out of vents in the side of the rock, running in rivers towards the sea. ¡°I¡¯ve got to move!¡± Lan groaned, ignoring the protests of his body and standing on shaky legs. He took a step forwards, and almost collapsed, his feet crying out in pain once again. Growling in pain, he took another step and then another, repeating the gruelling process as he stumbled down the side of the volcano, feeling the temperature rising all the while. Jets of superheated steam exploded out of the ground at unpredictable intervals and only sheer luck kept Lan from being boiled alive. ¡®I suppose my luck stat is pretty high though,¡¯ He kept walking, but his progress was quickly impeded by violent tremors that ran through the ground. The volcano seemed to creak and groan, expanding and contracting under the immense pressure of the magma that had built up within its core. The land itself felt like it was breathing, expanding out in certain places before a wave of lava would explode out, relieving some of the built-up pressure. Lan¡¯s robe had long been ruined from soot and sweat, so he tore it off. Wrapping a strip around his mouth to try and prevent some of the fumes from getting in. ¡®I¡¯m glad the tutorial gives me underwear every time I respawn,¡¯ he thought gratefully, as he stumbled down the side of the volcano as close to naked as possible. As he was picking his way around a river of lava, a molten fragment of rock whistled past his head, burying itself a metre deep in the ground. Lan peered into the crater, wincing as he saw the smouldering rock that glowed dark red. Slowly, he looked up, seeing a cloud of ash billowing out from the top of the volcano. And then the whole world shook, like Gaia herself was letting her fury be known. The mouth of the volcano crumbled and then collapsed in on itself before all hell broke loose. An ear-rending explosion split the sky, as fire and rock began to rain down the earth¡¯s furious judgment. Gaia would not accept her child leaving the earth where she was born. So, in her fury, the mother of monsters sought to kill her firstborn. ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Lan coughed weakly when he tried to yell, noxious fumes had scorched the back of his throat. He was near the ocean now, running for all he was worth as burning boulders rolled down the side of the mountain towards him. From the sky, tiny meteorites crashed into the side of the volcano, dashing against the rock around Lan¡¯s feet. All it would take was one stray piece of debris and he would be dead. A river of lava blocked his way, but he didn¡¯t have time to go around it. Behind him an ocean of blistering flames deluged from the broken volcano, racing down towards him at breathtaking speeds. Lan spotted a piece of rock floating in the middle of the lava and jumped, barely skipping past a bubble of fire that popped, spraying liquid death onto the ground where he had just been. He landed on the floating rock, wobbling but managing to find his balance. His heart stopped; the rock was drifting away from the shore. When he landed on it, the rock had sped up, plunging down the river towards what looked like a waterfall, but glowed red. Cursing his bad luck, Lan clenched his teeth, ignoring the pain, ignoring his light head, his numb hands, and his burning feet. He pushed it all aside and focused on the jump he was going to have to make. ¡®At the edge of the lavafall, there¡¯s a rock that juts out. I can push off that and land on¡­¡¯ Lan stopped helplessly. There was nowhere else to land. The river of lava ran into the sea and before him, there was only ocean. Behind him¡­ he turned around in horror, seeing that something was coming down the side of the volcano. It looked like an avalanche but was made of ash and burning rock. Moving at unbelievable speeds down the side of the volcano, far faster than even Lan could run. ¡°Shit!¡± Lan cursed, taking off his shoe and using it as a paddle to push his floating rock towards the edge of the lava fall. His only hope was to hide underwater, then maybe he wouldn¡¯t be cremated by what was coming. Right as the rock was tipping over the edge, Lan grunted, jumping towards the ledge that jutted out beside the lavafall. The rock was searing hot, but he was used to it by now. Ignoring the agony in his now barefoot, he leapt off the side of the cliff. He plunged towards the waiting sea, flaming meteorites peppering the water all around him. The thunderous rumble of the debris pouring down the mountain sounded from right behind him. And a wave of heat washed over his back as he dove into the waiting sea. Without pause to marvel at how cool the water felt against his skin, or how quiet the sea was compared to the mountain, Lan dove down. Behind him, tonnes of ash and flaming rock crashed into the sea, creating an island of sorts on the surface of the water. The collected debris quickly began to block off the light of the sun, smothering everything beneath the water¡¯s surface. Lan quickly realised his mistake, desperately swimming up to the surface, his lungs screaming for air. But salvation only got further away. The lava and debris kept blocking his path to the air, trapping him beneath the waves. ¡°I¡¯m going to make it¡­¡± Lan¡¯s head felt faint, his thoughts distant and immaterial. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± His arms lost strength, his lungs gave out and water rushed in. ¡°I¡­¡± Death has occurred, completion of the trial (81%) But fear not, only 33% was required to pass. You have done well, now sleep. ¡®Fuck you,¡¯ was Lan¡¯s final thought before the darkness grabbed him, whisking him away into the unknown. *** The foundations Thorn reached up, grasping the red light delicately and guiding it to the correct plot. He truly did feel like a Shepherd, guiding lost souls to their rightful place. From the way the light glowed, its intensity and its shade of red, he could tell many things about the life they had lived, or specifically, how they had died. ¡°This one died in too much pain¡­¡± He muttered sadly, his lonely voice echoing out across the endless plane. ¡°How can such suffering be worth it? I don¡¯t understand,¡± The more souls he ferried, the more desperate he became to learn more about people. He wanted to see what their lives were like, he wanted to see what was worth dying for. ¡°Maybe someday, but for now, rest little one,¡± Thorn laid the soul gently into its plot, pausing as his gaze swept over the tombstone. There was no name on this stone, only an empty spot where one should have been. ¡°Interesting¡­ I look forward to learning more about you, the nameless one,¡± Thorn muttered, drifting back up into the sky where more red lights flickered listlessly, waiting to be brought home. Chapter 11 - Archie Lan was alive¡­ again. He knew that for sure. He could feel air currents brushing against his skin and hear the inane chatter that signalled one sobering fact. Once again, he was in the entrance hall. He didn¡¯t even need to open his eyes to check. And he was beginning to get sick of this place. ¡®I suppose I can get to the meeting point quicker from here,¡¯ Lan consoled himself, remembering that he was supposed to meet the weirdo from earlier that day soon. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and surveyed the hall. It was emptier than usual, with only a few hundred pathfinders roaming between the marble pillars like ghosts. ¡®I¡¯m guessing the third wave hasn¡¯t ended yet, that would explain why there are so few people here. Perfect,¡¯ Lan needed to meet the weirdo right as the third wave was ending. For whatever they had planned, the weirdo had very specifically noted that they should meet at that time. He took off, striding past the meditating pathfinders, sitting peacefully on their pillars. Occasionally, a desperate recruiter would shout out to him, but he ignored their attempts to sign him up for what amounted to slavery. Having viewed hundreds of contracts by now, Lan had come to view Cece¡¯s offer as too good to be true. If he worked for her, he would retain all his freedom and work on commissions. Not only that, but she had also guaranteed him access to various hidden areas on the bridge that would otherwise be blocked off for people like him. Of course, he was only supposed to use those hidden areas as places to gather treasures for the shop. But if some otherwise unobtainable goodies slipped into his pocket¡­ who would know? As he left the hall and walked towards the leaderboard, Lan checked his notifications log, seeing what gifts the second step had granted him.
Alert: The Second step has been passed, with an 81% completion rate: +8.1 endurance. Challenge the next step? [Y/N]¡­ No option was selected ¨C defaulting to No.
¡®What even are my stats at this point?¡¯ Lan wondered, pulling up his character profile.
Name: Unknown Title(s): [Punching Up] [Class Of Your Own] Age: 18 Race: Human - G Class: None Talent: Weapons are my Weapons - G Health: 255/255 Mana: 140/140 Level: 2 Strength: 27 Dexterity: 28 Endurance: 34* Vitality: 19 Mind: 22 Intelligence: 14 Luck: 22 Free Points: 0 Skills: None
Having already gained 8 points in endurance, Lan decided to put his free points into just strength and dexterity next time he levelled up. Not that he didn¡¯t appreciate the growth in his endurance. His body felt denser and more robust than it ever had before. Although much to his annoyance, his superhuman strength and muscles did not translate to a superhuman physique. Looking down at his skinny body, Lan hated that he still looked like the malnourished kid he had always been. ¡®I need to do some strength training or something. Maybe I can improve how I look that way,¡¯ Lan decided. And while a lot of his motivation was the selfish desire to look good, he simply told himself that, ¡®A man who overthrows the bridge should look intimidating, not like he would stop you on the street to ask you for spare change!¡¯ His mind overrun by thoughts of how incredible he would look with a six-pack, Lan strode past the leaderboard, ignoring that his position had jumped up thousands of spots. And for the first time, he didn¡¯t turn up the hill. Instead, Lan strode down the other path that led to the crafter village. The path here was the same as everywhere else, and honestly, Lan wasn¡¯t sure what he had expected. With everything he had heard about the scumbaggery of the crafters, he half expected demons to try and tempt him off the path, luring him into evil and whatever else demons did with their spare time. Stepping into unfamiliar territory, he kept an eye peeled on the scenery, ¡°Bush that looks like a shaft¡­ where would that be?¡± Lan muttered, going over the words the weirdo had written on the slip of paper. He didn¡¯t have the original piece, of course, having lost it when he died. But he could remember the instructions clearly. ¡®Turn at the shaft, and then 200 paces off the path,¡¯ Lan reminded himself, as he analysed every bush he passed with a discerning eye. ¡®What exactly constitutes a shaft?¡¯ He wondered, not even sure what he was looking for. After rounding a bend in the path, Lan spotted two boys, still in uniforms, pointing at a bush and laughing. A sinking feeling, like he had just swallowed a ball of lead formed in his chest. ¡®I see where this is going¡­¡¯ Lan came to a stop beside the laughing boys, ignoring their grins as he stared at the bush in a mixture of disgust and disappointment. ¡®Why is it so detailed?¡¯ He bemoaned. Unlike the path to the town currently under attack, the crafter¡¯s path only bordered the forest on one side. On the other, the ground plummeted down into an endless blue ocean. Lan heard the waves crashing against the cliff beneath him and wondered if he should just throw himself off the side. ¡®Well, obviously this is going to be a waste of time!¡¯ He began pacing beside the bush, trying to decide whether to follow the instructions and head into the forest or just die and get back to the entrance hall quicker. Lost in his thoughts, Lan nearly walked straight into the tall young man who had appeared right beside the bush. ¡°Oh, sorry. I didn¡¯t see you there,¡± Lan apologised. The young man smiled warmly and waved his hand dismissively. His whole visage was warm and comforting, with slightly curly auburn hair and a bright smile that seemed to say more than words could. He moved his attention away from Lan and began staring quizzically at the bush. His thoughts were as clear as day on his face, he was frowning. After pulling a similar slip of paper to the one Lan had been handed, the young man read it over before checking the bush again. The frown stayed firmly attached to his face. ¡°Is that¡­¡± Lan¡¯s attention was grabbed by the slip of paper, ¡°Did a guy with weird eyes give you that?¡± The young man nodded, rolling his eyes at the mention of the guy. ¡°Same,¡± The two stood in awkward silence beside the bush for another minute before finally, Lan couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°So, what¡¯s the deal with you not talking? You deaf or something?¡± Shaking his head, the young man made a zipping motion across his lips. And then shrugged helplessly.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Alright, well... Do you want to go in or what?¡± Lan gestured towards the overgrown forest behind the bush. The young man looked thoughtful, biting his lip slightly as he mulled it over. In the end, he just shrugged and then nodded half-heartedly. Lan took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, before steeling himself and stepping off the path and around the bush. ¡°One, two, three¡­¡± Lan counted steps as he walked, grabbing a fallen branch off the ground to use as a makeshift sword... Or pointy stick. Hacking at the foliage in his way, Lan and the quiet teen arrived outside the mouth of a cave. A trickle of smoke poured out from within, along with the flickering glow of a fire. ¡°It¡¯s here¡­¡± Lan muttered, ¡°Last chance to turn back,¡± He glanced at the mute teen, who was squinting into the cave. The boy simply pointed at the cave and nodded, walking in past Lan. Reluctantly, Lan followed him in, stepping into the shallow cave, hidden by fallen boulders and overgrown shrubbery. Lan¡¯s eyes quickly adjusted to the gloom as he walked through the cave, allowing him to get a clearer picture of his surroundings. The rock walls were black, giving Lan flashbacks to the volcano he had just escaped from. But the cave was cold, the little warmth in there coming from the crackling fire that sat in the centre of a hollow opening. Three figures were crouched around the fire, holding up their hands for warmth. One, Lan recognised immediately, the inhuman eyes a dead give-away. Silhouetted against the flames, the other two figures were tall and short respectively. One of them was a huge man with a fully-grown beard. ¡®How the hell is he 18? He looks like he could be my dad!¡¯ Lan thought. Honestly, Lan was more than a little jealous of the beard that he still couldn¡¯t grow. His was patchy and made him look homeless rather than masculine. The other figure was smaller, hunched over the fire so close she was in danger of falling in. Her dark red hair seemed to shimmer in the firelight. And most importantly, both of them were still wearing school uniforms. ¡®They must be strong,¡¯ Lan judged them cautiously, making sure not to underestimate either of them in the future. ¡°Hello!¡± Spider eyes clapped his hands in delight, ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure you would really come,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m going to stay,¡± Lan replied tersely. ¡°Me either,¡± The big man rumbled, his voice like an earthquake. ¡°Yeah, come on, you¡¯ve had me sitting in a cave for 10 minutes already. Just tell me this ¡®opportunity'' you have for us!¡± The girl snapped. ¡°I was waiting¡­¡± Spider eyes gestured to Lan and the mute boy, ¡°For everyone to come. I don¡¯t like repeating myself,¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re here now, so let¡¯s get on with this,¡± The girl grumbled. ¡°First, let¡¯s do introductions. My name''s Archie and I can see how strong people are, only in stats mind you, but that¡¯s usually a good signifier,¡± Archie, the boy with compound eyes like a spider stood up and bowed as he introduced himself. The girl rolled her eyes, not bothering to stand, ¡°The name¡¯s Thea, I like blood... a lot,¡± ¡°Ehhh¡­ ok,¡± Lan looked at the girl¡¯s dark red hair in a new light, it seemed sinister now, ¡°Hi, it¡¯s nice to meet you guys, you can call me Lan. I''m a... a weapons expert, I guess,¡± What followed was an awkward silence as neither the giant of a man nor the mute boy offered any information. Archie facepalmed dramatically, ¡°Oh yes, how could I forget? This handsome young man is George, he¡¯s¡­ mute.¡± Thea arched an eyebrow, looking George up and down, ¡°What can he do?¡± She asked coldly. ¡°Honestly, I have no clue,¡± Archie laughed, ¡°But I can tell you this, in terms of stats alone, he¡¯s the strongest person here,¡± Lan turned to look at George, not quite believing someone with his innocent appearance would be stronger than the giant who still hadn¡¯t introduced himself. Thea whistled appreciatively and dropped it, turning along with everyone else to stare at the giant expectantly. After a long moment, the giant reached behind his back and picked up a huge wooden club that looked like it was made from an entire tree trunk. ¡°I crush things¡­¡± The giant rumbled, ¡°Call me David,¡± Archie coughed awkwardly, ¡°Wow¡­ you¡¯re a talkative bunch aren¡¯t you,¡± ¡°Ugh, just tell us what¡¯s up man! I¡¯ve got places to be, people to kill,¡± Thea groaned, pinching her brow like just being here was giving her a migraine. ¡°Alright, alright, everyone should sit down while I fill you in,¡± Archie walked over, guiding Lan and George to their spots around the fire. ¡°So¡­¡± Archie glanced at the expectant gazes of the other four, seemingly impervious to the pressure, ¡°I know where we can find an extremely valuable hidden dungeon-¡± ¡°How many people?¡± Thea interrupted. ¡°It can take all of us. The limit is 20 but if we want the best rewards we need to go with as few as possible,¡± Thea nodded, returning to silently stoking the fire. ¡°This hidden dungeon grants the title: Creative Thinking-¡° ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Thea interrupted again. ¡°Oh, would you shut up and just listen!¡± Archie snapped, losing his cool for the first time. Thea grunted, narrowing her eyes at Archie. ¡®This is going well¡­¡¯ Lan thought morosely. He had some idea of what a hidden dungeon was, Rachel had mentioned them last night. Supposedly they were the biggest advantage second-generation pathfinders had over newbies. They function much like the boss levels of a video game, with puzzles to solve and monsters to fight. And much like video games, when you were done killing those monsters, they dropped loot. ¡°No more interruptions!¡± Archie glared at Thea before continuing, ¡°The title, Creative Thinking is the reward when cleared with 20 people. But, I have it on good authority that when the dungeon is cleared with 5 people, the title gets an upgrade. As you know, the third step is a big stumbling block for a lot of us pathfinders. Simply because it relies on luck just as much as skill. One single moment of inspiration can make or break whether or not we succeed in making our own skill, and the title this dungeon helps with that.¡± Thea looked like she wanted to speak, but Archie stared her down, stopping her from talking. ¡°It¡¯s called, Epiphany. A title that helps connect the dots, a title that clears the smog, a title that makes geniuses.¡± Archie waved his hands grandly, and Lan had to admit, he was quite a good storyteller. ¡®He certainly has a touch of dramatic flair,¡¯ ¡°So, what exactly does this title do?¡± Lan asked. ¡°Basically, it helps you have epiphanies. You know when you have all the pieces to a puzzle, but they just aren¡¯t fitting together. The title helps you figure out what goes where,¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s insane!¡± Thea shouted, ¡°How could something that valuable be hidden from the strongest people in here?¡± George was staring wide-eyed at Archie, and even the giant had sat up straighter, listening intently. Archie grinned, ¡°Call this dungeon, a family secret. For generations, only the eldest child has been told where it is and how to open it,¡± Thea leapt to her feet, ¡°What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s do this thing!¡± ¡°Yess¡­ well, as you can see from my robe, I have died already,¡± Archie coughed awkwardly. ¡°Yeah, and?¡± Thea glared at Archie. ¡°I had the key on me when I died¡­¡± Archie mumbled. ¡°You what!?¡± Thea yelped. ¡°Seriously?¡± Lan shouted. Archie held his hands up defensively, ¡°Look, it wasn¡¯t entirely my fault. How was I supposed to know some asshole would gut me right after the first wave?¡± Thea held her head in her hands, massaging her brow fiercely. ¡°If you lost the key, then what is the fucking point of this conversation?¡± ¡°Ah-ha! I¡¯m getting to the point,¡± Archie exclaimed, ¡°Basically, I know I was killed by one of those scumbag crafters, and ever since then, I¡¯ve been investigating their base. I followed the strongest people around until eventually, they led me right to where they store all the stolen stuff they can¡¯t smelt for resources,¡± ¡°Wait a second! You know where the stolen stuff is?¡± Lan butted in. He was still hoping to find that D-rank venom. ¡°I do indeed, my robe-wearing friend. And if you help me steal back the key, we can head straight to the dungeon,¡± Archie grinned wolfishly. ¡°So that¡¯s why you wanted us to meet you during the third wave,¡± Thea nodded in understanding. ¡°Oh right, the crafter village will probably be deserted right now,¡± Lan realised. ¡°Exactly, so, are you in?¡± Archie stared intently at the group, the firelight casting twisting shadows across his face. ¡°Of course!¡± Lan exclaimed, itching to get his stuff back. He was sure he could turn the venom into a weapon of mass destruction with his talent. *** Lan didn¡¯t like the plan. It was straightforward and would probably work, which was why he didn¡¯t like it. Something had been gnawing at him, he couldn¡¯t help but worry that Archie was exactly as untrustworthy as he looked. ¡®I¡¯ll have to keep a close eye on him,¡¯ He decided. But right now, his eyes were occupied. Their group had followed the path down the side of the cliff, and they had just rounded a corner, with the crafters'' village coming into full view. A thick blanket of smog hung over the town like a perpetual thundercloud. Thanks to the hundreds of forges that belched smoke up into the sky endlessly. ¡°Are all crafters¡¯ blacksmiths?¡± Lan asked because so far, he hadn¡¯t seen any other types. Thea gave him a funny look, and, in the end, it was Archie who responded. ¡°Of course not, there¡¯s alchemists, woodworkers, tailors¡­ all sorts really,¡± ¡°Okay, but how does a woodworker end up passing the trial? It¡¯s not like they get points when people sit on a chair they made,¡± Lan pointed out. ¡°Actually, they do get points for reinforcing the barricade around town, and you can even pay a woodworker points to improve your hut if you''re so inclined,¡± Archie added. Lan immediately tried to figure out how much that would cost. He was desperate to stop living in what could have passed for an outhouse. ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point. Most crafters pass by getting carried.¡± Archie finished. ¡°Carried?¡± ¡°Yeah, if an organisation likes them¡­ Let¡¯s say a clan wants a new tailor, they will give that tailor a contract that stipulates, if the clan helps the tailor pass the tutorial, the tailor will work for them for a certain number of years. Then, the clan will go offer contracts to strong pathfinders. Saying that if those pathfinders help the tailor pass by protecting them and helping them level, then the clan will reward said pathfinders.¡± ¡°I see, that makes sense. But what if someone has a talent no clans want?¡± Lan asked. ¡°Then they better work twice as fucking hard,¡± Thea answered for Archie. They were nearing the crafters¡¯ town now and Lan could see the buildings in better detail. He felt like he stepped into heaven¡­ at least, compared to the fighters¡¯ town. Everything was clean and well-kept. People didn¡¯t live in huts, instead, simple houses lined the streets, mostly built from logs found in the nearby forest. Although it was quiet in the village now, Lan could imagine these streets would be bustling with activity whenever the third wave ended. ¡®Which shouldn¡¯t be long now,¡¯ Lan noted. Although there were no obvious signs that night was coming, he could tell it would only be half an hour until the light went out. ¡°I wonder why the third wave is taking so long this time¡­¡± Lan muttered to himself. Thea grinned evilly, ¡°I imagine it¡¯s taking so long because many people are refusing to fight, they¡¯ll stop the barricade falling, but that¡¯s all. Besides, the waves will only get harder from here. I¡¯ve even heard of cases where people didn¡¯t manage to clear one wave before the next one started,¡± Lan shook his head, feeling somewhat guilty that he was doing nothing to help anyone. ¡®Ah well, I¡¯ll help out later when I¡¯m strong enough,¡¯ They strode into the town, following Archie¡¯s lead through the winding streets as he brought them through twisting alleys and along narrow roads. The sounds of clanging metal and roaring fires echoed throughout the entire village and every time they passed a blacksmith¡¯s forge, Lan would catch a glimpse of a person drenched in sweat, hunched over an anvil and holding a variety of unusual hammers. By now, Lan could tell that Archie was leading them towards the part of the town beside the cliff. Here, the houses simply stopped a few feet from the sheer drop down into the ocean below. The crash of waves joined the clang of metal, roaring in Lan¡¯s ears. ¡°This is the spot,¡± Archie whispered, pointing to a small hut on the edge of the cliff. Thea took one look at the hut and snorted, ¡°I hardly think they would hide the stolen goods from thousands of pathfinders in a garden shed,¡± Archie just rolled his eyes at Thea and walked up to the door of the shed, pulling it open. Much to Lan¡¯s surprise, despite looking ancient and rundown, the door opened silently, as though the hinges were freshly oiled. Following Archie inside, the group crowded into the tight hut. The ceiling was low enough that Lan could touch it with his head, never mind David, who was forced to crouch. Archie walked over to one of the corners of the hut and stamped on the floorboards. His foot went straight through and with some difficulty, he lifted it again and repeated the process. By the time he was done, Archie had managed to open up a hole in the floor, wide enough for all but David to squeeze through. ¡°I need you to be look-out,¡± Archie whispered to David, who nodded slowly. The giant found a corner of the hut and sat down, fiddling with his massive club like a child¡¯s toy. Lan followed the remaining three down into the hole, where a ladder descended deep into the earth. At the bottom, he could see a faint red glow, but he couldn¡¯t tell how far away that was. As he climbed down the ladder, the deeper he descended, the hotter it got. It was like descending down the chimney of a lit fireplace. By the time he reached the bottom, Lan was sweating profusely from the heat. ¡®Why the hell aren¡¯t these robes a bit lighter?¡¯ he bemoaned. Down at the bottom of the chute, he surveyed the room along with the other three. It was bathed in a soft red glow that came from a sparkling orb of amber set on top of an ebony staff. The rest of the room was filled with school uniforms, most of which were ruined by blood from stab wounds. Set into the wall behind the school uniforms were grooves of various sizes that housed all manner of strange artefacts. Lan spotted hundreds of grooves at least, ¡®My venom better be up there somewhere¡­ and you know what? I¡¯m taking my rope back with me as well,¡¯ Thea walked out of the ladder chute towards the wall of treasures. ¡°No, wait,¡± Archie hissed, but it was too late. ¡°Oi! What the hell are you doing down here!?¡± A gruff voice shouted. Lan, Archie and George whirled around, only to be met by the glares of ten pathfinders, all still in school uniforms. ¡°I actually hate you, Thea,¡± Archie muttered, reaching to his side and drawing his sabre from its sheath. Thea ignored him, continuing to grin as she licked her lips wolfishly at the men. ¡°You''re trapped, so just tell us what is going on!¡± One of the Pathfinders shouted, waving a spiked mace threateningly. Thea threw her head back and laughed evilly, ¡°I¡¯m trapped! I¡¯m trapped he says!¡± She flexed her fingers, her nails turning dark, blood red and elongating into claws. Lan held up his stick sadly, comparing his weapon to Thea¡¯s claws and Archie¡¯s sabre. ¡°We¡¯ll see who¡¯s trapped!¡± Thea yelled, throwing herself at the group of pathfinders. Her clawed hands swiped towards the nearest man¡¯s throat. Archie did similar, running towards a pair of pathfinders¡¯ holdings spears. His sabre whistled through the air in a deadly arc, a flash of silver in the red glow. The rest of the pathfinders looked at Lan holding only a stick and charged. Chapter 12 - Escape Route ¡°Of fucking course, they picked me,¡± Lan grumbled, tightening his grip on the stick that now felt woefully inadequate. Inspirations filled his mind, and he could already see the best way to position himself, his path through this fight was clear. Presented to him in dots that he just had to connect. He took a step forward, lunging out with the stick and jabbing the closest pathfinder in the eye. The man wailed, grabbing his face and dropped his flail to the ground with a clang. Lan rolled under a sweeping longsword and grabbed the flail, smashing it into the injured man¡¯s knee. The man collapsed to the ground, blocking the thrust of a spear with his chest before disappearing in a red glow of light. ¡®So that¡¯s what happens to my body when I die,¡¯ Lan noted, wrapping the steel chain of his flail around the outthrust spear and using his superior strength to drag the weapon from his opponent¡¯s hands. Put off balance by the sudden loss of his spear, the man toppled forward, his chin connecting with the sweeping head of the flail as Lan spun it forward. Lan caught the man as he fell limply, using his body to block a knife that was thrown at Lan¡¯s chest. Just like the previous one, after the knife landed in Lan¡¯s shield, the pathfinder disappeared. Leaving behind only a faint red glow. Turning his attention to where the knife had come from, Lan looked over just in time to see Thea pull out a girl¡¯s throat, blood drenching her uniform. Lan¡¯s eyes widened; the gory sight was so striking that he almost let a sword swinging towards his side hit him¡­ almost. At the last second, he twisted his body, receiving only a graze from the blade as it sliced through his robe and just barely broke his skin. ¡°Watch out!¡± Archie shouted from behind Lan. Throwing himself forward, Lan felt wind whistle down his back. He turned around, finding the man with the Mace had crept up on him. ¡°Shit, these guys are too strong!¡± The man cursed. ¡°What should we do?¡± His companion with the sword asked, nervously backing away from Lan. The man glanced over at Archie, watching grimly as one of the spear bearers was impaled by the glittering sabre. And as for Thea, her opponents were in an even more desperate situation. ¡°Ring the bell!¡± The man spat through clenched teeth. ¡°Yessir,¡± The sword bearer nodded, running back towards where they had been sitting when Lan first arrived. ¡°Stop him!¡± Archie yelled, rushing towards the swordsman. ¡°On it!¡± Lan shouted, rushing after the swordsman. His chase was ground to a halt when a heavy mace smashed into the ground by his feet, cracking the rock. ¡°Not so fast,¡± The Leader growled, throwing himself in Lan¡¯s way. ¡°Ugh,¡± Lan groaned and shifted his weight. "I don''t have time for this!" He shouted, throwing the flail at the running swordsman while he bent down and grabbed the fallen spear. The flail spun through the air, arcing like a cannonball, and it crashed into the swordman¡¯s back. Sending him sprawling to the ground in a heap beside a rope that hung through the ceiling. Using the spear, Lan jabbed at the leader, hitting him in the chest. Blood bubbled up from the leader¡¯s mouth and yet he grinned madly. ¡°Too late!¡± He spat as a red glow enveloped him. Lan felt a sinking feeling and he glanced over, just in time to see the swordsman pull on the rope with all his strength. ¡°Shit!¡± Archie spat, putting on a burst of speed and beheading the swordsman. A minute later, Thea and Lan finished getting rid of the rest of their enemies and stood breathing heavily in the centre of the room. ¡°Did we get them in time?¡± Lan asked through deep breaths. Archie shook his head, his mouth set in a grim line. ¡°No, they managed to ring the bell. We¡¯ve just got to hope David is as strong as he looks. Because half of the village will be rushing here any time now.¡± Lan nodded, ¡°We need to be quick then. Where¡¯s the key?¡± ¡°Right here,¡± Archie walked over to the ebony staff that cast a reddish glow across the room, grabbing it fondly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look much like a key to me,¡± Thea muttered. ¡°Technically, a key is something that overcomes obstacles,¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t¡± Thea interjected. ¡°Well pretend that it is. This is something we need to reach the dungeon, so I¡¯m calling it a key,¡± Archie snapped. ¡°Look we don¡¯t have time for this. Stop bickering and help me steal stuff,¡± Lan interrupted. He was already over at the grooves in the wall, looting the shiniest things he could find. ¡°What am I looking for?¡± He shouted, his hands blurring as he stuffed everything, he could get his hands on into his pockets. ¡°Anything that looks like a map, or a scroll is probably valuable,¡± Archie explained rushing over to the wall himself and grabbing things seemingly at random. Lan took note of everything Archie grabbed, trying to get as many of the same things as he did. He was pretty sure that Archie knew better than he did what was valuable. The sounds of clashing metal and sharp screams echoed down the ladder, sounding warped and distant. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s our Cue, let¡¯s get going,¡± Archie grunted, his pockets bulging with all manner of treasures. Lan followed him towards the ladder, grinning as he pocketed a vial of neon orange liquid that he hadn¡¯t seen since he first died. The group of four quickly began ascending the ladder. ¡°Hey, how come George didn¡¯t do anything in that fight? Is he really as strong as you said?¡± Thea asked sceptically. Her face and clothes were now completely spotless, all the blood having disappeared. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time, Thea. We can discuss that when we get out of here,¡± Archie snapped, leading the group up the shaft. As they climbed higher, the temperature finally began to cool, and the noises of fighting grew louder. Lan could make out a strangled scream, followed by the snap of wood. ¡°Faster,¡± Archie shouted, speeding up until they finally jumped out into the hut¡­ Or where the hut had once been. Lan looked up, noticing that he was now beneath the pitch-black sky that signified it was night. The only light around the hut came from the faint glow the path gave off, and the reddish hue of Archie¡¯s staff. Painted by the red glow, David looked like an evil bear. Picking up a boy by his throat and flinging him through the wall of a hut with ease. A devasting spray of splinters and blood flew into the air. ¡°Are you okay!?¡± Archie shouted. David turned around and nodded slowly, his school uniform still unscathed. ¡°Over there!¡± A bellow came from down the street, followed by the thud of boots. ¡°Quick, follow me. Their reinforcements are coming,¡± Archie hissed, bursting into a sprint as he ran along the edge of the cliff, skirting around the edge of the crafters¡¯ village. ¡°And keep quiet,¡± He threw a pointed glance at Thea who flushed angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do,¡± She hissed back, her attempt at whispering barely quieter than a shout. ¡°Oh. My. God. I hate you,¡± Archie whispered, slipping between two huts to avoid a crafter that rushed by. ¡°You took the words right out of my mouth,¡± Thea shot back. ¡°Guys, do me a favour and shut the fuck up. Why can¡¯t you take a leaf from George¡¯s book?¡± Lan whispered angrily, pointing to George who was keeping up with them easily. ¡°If I took a leaf from George¡¯s book, we would still be trapped beneath the hut. That guy didn''t lift a finger to help us!¡± Thea grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s not important right now. What is important, is how the hell are we going to get out of here?¡± Lan glanced at Archie pointedly. ¡°Haha, I have a plan for that of course,¡± ¡°Good, because for a second there, I was worried that you hadn¡¯t realised we wouldn¡¯t be able to escape through the forest because it¡¯s night,¡± Thea¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Oh shit, yeah. Even I am not dumb enough to think I can take on those insect things,¡± ¡°Not to fear, I have an escape route planned out,¡± Archie smirked confidently. As they ran, Lan couldn¡¯t help marvelling at how quiet David was when he moved. ¡®How does he run that quietly?¡¯ The big man barely made a sound as he slipped between the crowded houses of the town like a ghost. They followed the coast around the town, hearing more and more crafters rushing in panic towards the hut they had just escaped. Suddenly, Archie raised his fist and turned to face them. ¡°Shh,¡± He placed one finger over his lips and pointed forwards slowly. Lan nodded, and they followed him as quietly as they could. Voices drifted out across the night air. ¡°What should we do sir?¡± ¡°Split up into two groups. One goes to the treasury, the other need to get to the path as quickly as possible and block their escape.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Yessir,¡± ¡°And remember, Do. Not. Kill. Them!¡± ¡°But sir¡­¡± ¡°I said don¡¯t kill them. Even if you have to die to do it, detain them. If they escape and tell everyone where the treasury is we¡¯re finished,¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. Let¡¯s get going guys,¡± Lan crouched behind a nearby hut as the group of what were presumably vultures split up and ran past them, making a beeline to the only path leading out of the village. ¡°This escape route better be good,¡± Lan muttered ominously. ¡°Just wait,¡± Archie thumped his chest confidently. They darted across the street and continued sneaking between the houses. All the while, they were nearing the forest. Outside the faint glow of the path, it was a pit of darkness. And as they got closer, Lan began to hear it¡­ The chirping. He rubbed his neck uncomfortably, remembering how he had died the last time he heard that noise. Finally, they reached the edge of the houses, grinding to a halt in front of the waiting forest. ¡°So¡­ Where¡¯s this escape route?¡± Lan said grimly, turning to glare at Archie. Archie smirked and gestured grandly towards the forest. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me!?¡± Thea screeched, grabbing him by the collar of his robe and shaking. ¡°Nope, but- can you stop that for a second!¡± Archie shouted, pushing Thea away. Smoothing his robe angrily. Archie grabbed the staff from behind his back, the red glowing amber was covered by a scrap of cloth torn from an old uniform. Slowly, he began to unwind the cloth, the red glow intensifying. It seemed to beat back the darkness as it grew brighter, and the chirping quieted. Grinning madly, Archie pulled the final strip of cloth off the staff and shouted, ¡°Follow me, or die!¡± Lan watched anxiously as Archie strode into the forest, hacking at low-hanging branches with his sabre. ¡°Shit!¡± He said through gritted teeth, following after Archie. Thea turned her head, the noise from the town was only growing. ¡®It looks like the third wave ended already, more will be coming soon,¡¯ she realised, turning back to the red glow that was fading into the forest. ¡°Agh, fuck it!¡± She yelled, running into the forest. George glanced at David who nodded. Without words exchanged, the pair reached an agreement and ran after Thea, chasing down Archie. Lan caught up with Archie quickly, grabbing the boy by the shoulder, ¡°Does that staff do what I think?¡± He asked nervously. ¡°If what you are thinking is, holds off the bugs, then yeah,¡± Archie smirked, flourishing the staff. Shaking his head, Lan crept closer to the staff, not wanting to be outside its area of effect. ¡°Hey!¡± Thea shouted as she caught up to them, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us about the staff before we got here?¡± She punched Archie in the arm, making him stagger. ¡°I didn¡¯t want one of you to steal it and run off,¡± Archie explained, glaring pointedly at Thea. ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t do that¡­ probably,¡± Thea didn¡¯t meet his gaze, looking down at her feet. Leaves rustled behind them, and the trio whirled around, brandishing their weapons in expectation of a fight. So, when David¡¯s huge, bearded face broke through the foliage, they heaved a collective sigh of relief. George followed shortly after and the group was reunited, setting off into the forest. ¡°You looked pretty scared there,¡± Thea teased. ¡°Shut up,¡± Archie snapped. ¡°I bet you thought your little night light wasn¡¯t working,¡± Thea grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not a night light, it¡¯s a cool staff. Also, this is unrelated, but I hate you,¡± Archie sighed, looking up at the sky as though he were asking God¡­ Why? ¡°So where are we headed, anyway?¡± Lan asked, interrupting them before they could start bickering again. ¡°The door to the dungeon only appears in one specific spot, during the night. Which is why we need the staff to get there. If we follow the coast for a few miles, until we reach the rock with two faces, then we should turn to where the second face¡­ Actually, you know what, I¡¯ll just explain when we get there,¡± Archie stopped himself. ¡°Oh, come on, why not just tell us,¡± ¡°Because you might kill me if you know the way to go,¡± Archie pointed out. ¡°No, I- I wouldn¡¯t do that¡­¡± Thea licked her lips, her eyes shining ¡°Right guys?¡± David suddenly found the ground incredibly interesting, whistling as he stared at his feet. While George began examining his nails closely. ¡°Lan?¡± She looked at him with puppy dog eyes. ¡°You would totally kill him,¡± Lan said, his face stone cold. ¡°Yeah, I would. Still might¡­ Actually-¡° ¡°Stop that, just come help me cut through the bushes, will you?¡± Archie grumbled. ¡°Yessir,¡± Thea saluted and giggled, running up ahead of the group. ¡°Archie,¡± Lan muttered. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Could you not have found someone less annoying?¡± David and George nodded in agreement, shooting questioning glares at Archie. ¡°If only¡­¡± Archie once again looked up to the sky, his eyes questioning. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± *** The Fighting Town, Third Wave. The prince pulled her sword from the lizard¡¯s corpse, blue blood splattering the ground around her feet. Her face was blank, almost robotic. ¡°That big one sure was tough! I can''t believe Milord killed it after such a tough battle!¡± One of her companions exclaimed. ¡®Was it? I suppose I should look tired then,¡¯ She realised, feigning that she was out of breath. But no matter how she pretended, her pristine uniform betrayed how easy the fight had been for her. It hadn''t suffered a stain or scratch since she arrived here. And it would not receive a single ounce of damage while she still lived. This uniform was a symbol, a direct signifier of her excellence. She would not damage it like that brute with the scythe ¡®The farmer,¡¯ She thought grimly, just imagining his face soured her mood. One of her henchmen approached her nervously. ¡®I suppose this one wants something from me as well,¡¯ ¡°Um, Milad- A thousand pardons... Milord. What shall we do with the prisoners?¡± The henchman wiped the sweat from his brow furiously. ¡°Ah, the crafters¡­ Release them. We need our weapons serviced after all,¡± The Prince said with a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°Of course, Milord, I will get right on that,¡± The henchman bowed graciously, as though it was an honour to receive such a task. ¡®I suppose I should appear grateful,¡¯ The Prince smiled faintly, patting the man on his shoulder. His face lit up and he ran over to where the crafters were tied up, skipping like he had just won the lottery. ¡®For how long I have been pretending?¡¯ She looked at her sword. The blade was pristine, flawless steel that was so clean it looked as though it had never been used. Her blank face was reflected back. Black hair tied in a bun, brown eyes, her skin was smooth¡­ not like a boy¡¯s, not like it should have been. Ever since she could remember, the Prince had been¡­ Pretending. Probably even before she could remember. Perhaps that was why her talent wasn¡¯t with the blade that she so treasured. The system had given her the talent of, Actor. ¡®I suppose it¡¯s ironic, that the strongest fighter here is actually a crafter. Still, as far as talents go, it has its uses,¡¯ ¡°How¡¯s the leaderboard?¡± She asked her aide. ¡°You still top both the points and sheer steps leaderboard Milord,¡± Her aide appeared behind her, pushing glasses up his nose. His face was narrow and bookish. ¡°Any changes?¡± ¡°It would appear, someone conquered the second step. They broke into the top 100 in the sheer steps rankings,¡± ¡°During the beast waves?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Their name?¡± ¡°Unknown. That¡¯s their name I mean,¡± ¡°I see, what of the guards I placed?¡± ¡°They stopped 23 deserters in total, but this, Unknown fellow managed to sneak through.¡± ¡°Remove them, and find someone else,¡± The Prince said, her eyes cold and unwavering. ¡°But Milord¡­¡± The bookish man tried to object. ¡°Do I accept anything less than perfection from myself?¡± The Prince stared into the aide''s eyes. ¡°No, Milord,¡± ¡°Then why should I expect anything less than that from my henchmen?¡± ¡°Of course, Milord, I will find someone else,¡± The prince nodded slowly, sheathing her sword and turning her attention to Kyle, the Farmer. He was celebrating with his companions, or as he called them, farmhands. They were grinning and hugging each other, standing over a lizard corpse around the same size as hers. ¡°Did he kill that by himself?¡± She asked, her gaze intent. ¡°Y-Yes, Milord,¡± The aide stuttered, knowing that Kyle really got on her nerves. ¡°I see¡­¡± The Prince turned away from them, gripping her sword¡¯s hilt in her sheath. ¡°Then I will be heading to the steps now,¡± ¡°But Milord, you haven¡¯t slept,¡± The aide called out weakly. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep when I¡¯m done,¡± She replied, striding through the carnage of the battlefield, her brow furrowed. There was but one question on her mind ¡®How does he keep getting stronger? He has none of the advantages I have¡­ so how?¡¯ *** Rachel knocked on Lan¡¯s door. She had been standing outside his hut nervously for a few minutes before eventually working up the courage to go up and knock. No response. ¡°H-Hello?¡± She called out weakly. No response. She knocked again, louder this time. Nothing. ¡®Maybe he¡¯s not in,¡¯ she figured, hoping he wasn¡¯t simply ignoring her. Her mind wandered, showing her images of Lan sitting in his hut, pretending not to be there so she would go away. Rachel took a shaky breath and calmed herself down, ¡®I am in control,¡¯ She repeated over and over again. That was her mantra. Whenever negative emotions overwhelmed her, she repeated this to herself until she had them under control. ¡°Hi,¡± A quiet voice appeared from right behind her. Rachel was so shocked she nearly jumped into the air like a cartoon character, whirling in the spot to find a young¡­ Boy? Girl? She wasn¡¯t sure. They had extremely short white hair and their skin was pale and soft. It looked like they¡¯d never worked a day in their entire life. The eery glow the path cast upon their face should have been sinister or intimidating. But for some reason, Rachel couldn¡¯t bring herself to be scared. ¡°H-hi¡± She stuttered. ¡°Are you looking for Lan as well?¡± They asked, pointing to Lan¡¯s hut. Rachel nodded. ¡°Is he in?¡± Morgan asked softly. Shaking her head, Rachel knocked on the door again, getting no response. Morgan sighed and kicked a stone across the street, ¡°Ah well, I was going to ask for his help with something,¡± ¡°W-What I-is it?¡± Morgan glanced around nervously, checking that nobody was listening, ¡°Recently I got really close to this second-generation pathfinder. And she let it slip that she knows where a dungeon is,¡± Rachel¡¯s eyes widened cartoonishly, ¡°D-Dungeon!?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Shh, keep your voice down. If someone hears us talking¡­ It won¡¯t end well,¡± Morgan hissed. ¡°Well anyway, I have this feeling that tomorrow morning, she¡¯s going to go to the¡­¡± Morgan glanced around before saying the next word, ¡°Dungeon. And I have reason to believe this dungeon needs two people to complete.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll go with y-you,¡± Rachel blurted. Morgan¡¯s eyes widened and they looked at her gratefully, ¡°You would do that? It might be dangerous you know,¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s ok, I¡¯m ssstronger t-than I l-look,¡± Hesitation passed over Morgan¡¯s eyes and Rachel¡¯s heart stopped. She knew just how valuable a hidden dungeon was and this might very well be her only opportunity to enter one. Finally, Morgan nodded, and Rachel let out the breath she had been holding. ¡°Fine, but what¡¯s your power?¡± Morgan asked. Rachel looked him in the eyes, sending her thoughts directly into Morgan¡¯s brain. I can do this, as long as I¡¯m looking into someone¡¯s eyes. Recently I¡¯ve been able to stun beasts with my telepathy, and then I can kill them before they fight back. ¡°Does that work on humans?¡± Morgan asked, morbidly fascinated. I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never tried. ¡°I see, well that certainly is an interesting power. Let¡¯s do this thing. Follow me if you dare,¡± Morgan spun on their heels and began walking towards another part of town, Rachel following close behind. She felt slightly guilty that she hadn¡¯t told Morgan she could read emotions. But people seemed to be put off by the knowledge their thoughts and feelings weren¡¯t private. And when she had felt Morgan¡¯s emotions, they hadn¡¯t felt nervous like she had expected. Despite their small frame and weak appearance, Morgan was excited. *** The deeper they went into the forest, the less effect the staff seemed to have. At first, they had been standing a few metres from Archie and were safe, bathed in the glow of the light. But after a night drone nearly took off George¡¯s head, they collectively decided to huddle together like penguins. This meant that they were safe, but was also incredibly awkward. In a last-ditch effort to relieve the tension, Lan asked Archie a question that had been on his mind since earlier that day. ¡°I know this might not be the best time but tell me this. How many babies could I beat in a fight?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Thea rolled her eyes dramatically. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m serious. I wanna know.¡± Archie scratched his chin thoughtfully, looking Lan up and down. ¡°I would say¡­ 11000 babies. But the number could fluctuate depending on if you have eaten well or not,¡± ¡°11000¡­ that¡¯s a lot of babies,¡± Lan muttered, trying to imagine a situation where he would ever need to fight a singular baby, never mind 11000 thousand of them. ¡°Psh, 11000 babies, I can take on 14000 easily,¡± Thea waved haughtily. ¡°So, you already asked him,¡± Lan pointed out. ¡°Ah, well. You see¡­ I was in the cave with him for ten minutes, and there was nothing to do, do¡­¡± Thea mumbled. Lan laughed, fully believing that she was stronger than him, for now anyway. The gruesome way she had killed those vultures in the treasury was chilling. ¡°Is there anything else your power can do Archie?¡± Lan asked curiously. Archie sighed, ¡°Not right now I¡¯m afraid. All I get is a basic idea of how many stats someone I¡¯m looking at has. But in the future, when my talent evolves, I will be able to see a lot more than that.¡± ¡°Talents can evolve?¡± Lan asked dumbly. ¡°What rock did you crawl out from under?¡± Thea asked. ¡°Eh, I slept through that class I guess,¡± ¡°Leave it be, Thea. It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± Archie said, ¡°Talents are an extension of our life experience and the more we use them, the more we experience them, and the stronger they get. Eventually, there¡¯s a watershed moment, where your talent will improve drastically and rank up,¡± ¡°Will the Epiphany title help with that?¡± Lan asked thoughtfully. ¡°It will actually,¡± Archie said smugly. ¡°When my talent ranks up, I will eventually be able to see stat distributions in detail, and then people¡¯s talents and then even their weaknesses,¡± ¡°Wow, that sounds really useful,¡± Lan said appreciatively. ¡°It is a useful talent, but it¡¯s not without its drawbacks. Because my family can see people¡¯s weaknesses, we are feared and hated throughout the bridge. As a precaution, once I leave the tutorial, I will have to wear a blindfold. So that people know I¡¯m not prying into their deepest secrets as I walk past them on the street,¡± ¡°I guess I could understand why it would be upsetting to know that someone had figured out your greatest weakness at a glance,¡± Lan mumbled, ¡°But surely you don¡¯t need to wear a blindfold, why not just sunglasses? As long as people can¡¯t see your eyes, they won¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing,¡± ¡°¡­ Ehhhh,¡± Archie almost stumbled in excitement. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± ¡°Shh, I hear something,¡± Thea cut off Archie who was fist-pumping the air in celebration. In the distance, a thundering rumble echoed. Its source was hidden within a tight grove of trees. ¡°We¡¯ve found it,¡± Archie grinned manically, rushing towards the sound. Chapter 13 - Moon Strider Lan followed the sound, carefully picking his way through the dark undergrowth. Breaking through a dense ring of trees. His feet found nothing but air and he plunged into a lake hidden behind the tightly packed shrubbery. ¡°Shit! It¡¯s cold!¡± He yelped, swimming to the shore while cursing. Standing on the shore, his robe was drenched, clinging closely to his skin. ¡°Ahaha!¡± Lan turned his head slowly, glaring at Archie who was doubled over laughing. ¡°You could have fucking warned me!¡± Lan yelled, grabbing a handful of water and preparing to fling it at Archie. ''Huh?'' Lan froze. A strange jolt had sparked in his mind. When he held the water in his hands, with the intent to attack, his talent seemed to short circuit. ¡®Is it trying to turn the water into a weapon?¡¯ He mused, watching as the water drained out of his hand and back into the pool. ¡®I had no idea something like that was even possible¡­¡¯ ¡°Hey, where did you g-¡° Thea strode through the ring of trees behind Lan, following in his footsteps as she plunged into the lake. Swearing and spluttering, she dragged herself out of the water, looking like a drowned rat. Noticing Lan was also soaked, she shot him a venomous glare, ¡°You could have warned me, asshole!¡± Lan smirked and ignored her, trying to focus on that fleeting feeling from earlier. ¡®I need to test something¡­¡¯ He reached down, grabbing a handful of sand from the bank of the lake. There was no reaction. It lay inert in the palm of his hand. ¡®Perhaps my intention is important. Maybe I need to try and attack someone for my talent to activate,¡¯ Lan figured, glancing up at Archie who was gazing across the pond. He drew his hand back, preparing to throw the fistful of sand at Archie and his talent sparked into life. ¡®So, I should blow the sand into his eyes, huh?¡¯ Lan could see how that would be effective, and he could also see that until now, his definition of a weapon wasn¡¯t broad enough. He had been wasting his talent. ¡®I need to think outside the box,¡¯ He decided, promising to look into using something like water as a weapon at some point. For now, he followed Archie¡¯s gaze across the pond. His eyes were drawn to a huge waterfall that thundered down from a cliff. Spraying a faint mist out over the lake. The waterfall was hard to make out with only the light from Archie¡¯s staff, but he could hear it clear as day. The crash of water falling from a great height was incredibly loud, smothering the other noises in the forest. Even the chirping insects were drowned out by the waterfall, their haunting calls a distant memory. Behind him, Lan heard twigs snapping and branches breaking. Turning around, he found David and George carefully emerging from the forest. George was in the lead, his foot hovering above the pond before he stopped himself. He tapped David on the shoulder, and the big man nodded. ¡°How can they communicate without words?¡± Lan wondered aloud. ¡°Damnit! They didn¡¯t fall in,¡± Thea cursed, hitting the ground like a spoiled child. The pair skirted around the edge of the pond, arriving beside Lan and Thea who were dripping wet. Although George couldn¡¯t speak, his grin and twinkling eyes as he looked at them said everything that needed to be said. ¡°So, what are we doing here?¡± Lan asked, trying to switch the attention away from himself. Everyone turned to Archie, expecting a response. But the boy didn¡¯t reply, simply pointing to the distant waterfall. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the dungeon is in there?¡± Thea blurted. ¡°No, it''s beneath the waterfall,¡± Archie muttered, his tone more solemn than usual. ¡°No wonder, no one else has found it,¡± Lan muttered. ''Who would think to look beneath a waterfall?'' ¡°But how are we supposed to get through there? The water is coming down so fast, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it crushed us,¡± Thea pointed out. Archie stared intently into the dark waterfall, his gaze expectant. ¡°Have you ever heard of the Moon Strider?¡± He asked quietly, his gaze distant, as though seeing things that the rest couldn''t. Thea froze, looking at Archie in horror. ¡°T-The Moon Strider?¡± She stuttered. Lan began to feel uneasy, if something had Thea this worked up it had be dangerous. Even David and George looked uncomfortable, shifting on their feet nervously. ¡°What¡¯s t-¡° Lan began to speak before Thea interrupted him. ¡°Let me guess, you slept through that class too?¡± She snapped. ¡°Either you are the dumbest pathfinder ever¡­ or you didn¡¯t really go to an academy¡­¡± Lan froze. And then remembered that he didn''t care if they found out. ¡®Is there even a need to keep up the charade?¡¯ He wondered. Coming to a decision, he sighed, taking a deep breath before he spoke, ¡°You¡¯re right, I didn¡¯t go to an academy,¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± Thea ran over to Archie, jabbing him in the ribs. ¡°I fucking told you!¡± She gloated. "Pay up," ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know you¡¯re excited, but can you keep it down?¡± Archie hissed. ¡°Ooh, someone¡¯s a bad loser I bet you just want to get out of our bet,¡± Thea wagged her finger in Archie''s face. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Archie ignored her provocations, taking a deep breath and without warning, jumping into the pool with a splash. Thea froze, her finger still raised, ¡°Huh? It¡¯s time, what time? Why does he have to be so cryptic?¡± She shouted. ¡°Hey, I still don¡¯t know what the Moon Strider is,¡± Lan interrupted, still unsure what had them so uneasy. Thea froze, glancing at David and George. ¡°You don¡¯t think...?¡± David and George looked around nervously, real fear in their eyes. ¡°Is it just me? Or is it getting darker?¡± Lan muttered, watching the red glow of Archie¡¯s staff travel underwater towards the waterfall. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Thea yelped, jumping like a cat whose paw had just been trodden on. Without another word, Thea ran and jumped into the water. David and George exchanged another look, diving into the pool right after Thea. Left by the rapidly darkening shore, Lan stood in confusion. He couldn¡¯t tell if the cold chill spreading down his spine was from his soaked clothes or something else, something more sinister. Archie¡¯s light had reached halfway across the pool by now and it barely reached Lan on the shore. Chirp. His head snapped around; the noise had come from the forest behind him. Chirp, Chirp¡­ A sinking feeling dawned on Lan and without waiting for another second, he jumped into the pool, the fading light disappearing just as he entered the water. The second his head sank below the surface, the forest burst into an uproar. Thousands of chirps echoed across the pond''s surface and the wind from many wings battered against the water, creating countless ripples. Lan swam as fast as he could manage, following the faint red glow underwater. He swam through the water at breakneck speeds, his mood calming the closer he got to the light that twinkled like a beacon in the murky darkness of the pond. ¡®Just how deep does this place go?¡¯ He wondered. The closer he got to Archie, the brighter the light became and the more he could see of the pool. It was deep, unimaginably so. The dark waters seemed to descend into the centre of the earth itself. Lan¡¯s imagination conjured Lovecraftian horrors as he stared down into the depths of the lake. He couldn''t begin to imagine what manner of creatures could reside in those depths. Up ahead, he glimpsed four dark figures floating together beneath the edge of the lake. Above them, water frothed and bubbled as the waterfall crashed into the surface of the lake. He swam to meet them, gesturing angrily at Archie for leaving him behind. Archie grabbed his arm, bringing one finger to his lips and pointing to a patch of shadow even his staff couldn¡¯t light. It was directly beneath the waterfall and when he looked at it, a chill ran up Lan¡¯s spine. It was an instinctive feeling that he was in danger. Thea shook her head violently, and even David reached out a hand, trying to pull back Archie. But he slipped past them, swimming closer to the stubborn patch of darkness. Gritting her teeth, Thea looked between the water¡¯s surface, where thousands of night drones were waiting and the dark spot on the rock wall. It seemed both were equally intimidating. Finally, she grabbed Lan¡¯s arm and dragged him down after Archie. David and George following closely behind. From how tightly she was gripping his arm, Lan could tell just how frightened she was. ¡®But since none of them told me what this Moon Strider is, I don¡¯t have a fucking clue what¡¯s going on,¡¯ He ground his teeth, hating the feeling of being left out. ''I''m going to go to a library when I get on the bridge for sure. Then I won''t be forced to run around like a headless chicken,'' They quickly arrived beside the dark spot in the wall of the lake and even though the glowing staff was right beside it, it remained wreathed in shadow. Thea looked like she wanted to object, but Archie didn''t give her the chance, holding up his staff he muttered a phrase Lan didn¡¯t understand. The staff began to glow brighter, changing colour as it did so. The red amber was bleached, becoming white.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Lan floated, transfixed by the ethereal light. ¡®It looks just like a piece of the moon¡­ Moon Strider¡­¡¯ It struck him then, something bad was going to happen, something very bad. David and George stared wide-eyed at the staff, backing away from Archie who held it up. From the way they were looking at Archie, you would think he was holding a grenade, or maybe a nuclear bomb. With a roar, he thrust the staff at the spot, and for a single blessed moment, everything was still. And then the lake began to tremble. In its unknowable depths, something began to flicker, like an old light bulb finally being turned on. It kept glowing brighter and brighter. So bright that Lan could no longer directly look at the light for fear of hurting his eyes. The walls of the pool were gradually illuminated, revealing countless underwater vines that all seemed to converge on one point at the centre of the pool. Amid the vines, a glowing half-moon of white rock hovered peacefully. Occasionally, it pulsed with brilliant white light that seemed to drive back the night itself. Lan¡¯s attention was ripped from the magical display by Archie, who had swum to the side of the black spot and was hugging the wall like his life depended on it. ¡®That bastard never tells us anything!¡¯ Lan cursed, swimming over to the wall beside Archie. The pool began to rumble and shake violently, waves getting stirred on its surface. The chirping above only grew more violent, the night drones getting more and more agitated. Finally, the half-moon of rock below them began to rise. Each pulse of light attacked the vines twisting around it, and blowing them apart. Archie raised his hand slowly, holding up five fingers. ''Is he counting down?'' The rock broke free from the vines and rapidly rose towards the surface. He put down one finger, four remained. The insects above began diving directly into the pool, suicidally trying to reach the source of the light. Three fingers left. Lan¡¯s chest began to tighten, his nerves fraying, as his lungs were starved of oxygen. Two fingers left. The black spot cracked, a chitinous limb pushing through the rock wall like it was made of styrofoam. One finger left. The glowing half-moon surged out of the water, thousands of insects swarming to it like moths to a flame. Archie placed down his final finger. And the black spot exploded, fragments of rock flying out like grenade shrapnel. Lan¡¯s mind froze. The creature that emerged from the spot defied description. Its six armoured limbs were excruciatingly thin, disproportionate to its grotesque, bulbous body. It skated through the water so fast it left a jetstream in its wake. And when it reached the surface, it unfurled four enormous wings, each one with a hypnotic half-moon pattern that seemed to follow you no matter what angle you observed it from. The group were too stunned to react, watching with open mouths as the creature floated into the sky. ''Moon Strider,'' Thea mouthed, disbelief and terror plastered across her face. With one graceful movement, it swam through the sky, soaring towards the glowing rock that had only continued to float higher, ignoring the countless bugs clinging to it. A piercing screech split the night and another equally large bug flew from within the darkest corner of the forest. It hovered opposite the first insect, beating mothlike wings. Its body was long and thin, like a centipede. At one end was a forked tail that dripped with venom, and at the other were three sets of luminous eyes that almost glowed in the darkness. Lan and the group watched in awe as the two huge insects hovered opposite each other, floating beside the glowing rock in tense silence. Finally, the second insect made its move, lifting its tail and shooting venom towards the Moon Strider. But the venom never reached its target. The glowing rock pulsed violently and a wave of burning moonlight incinerated the night drones clinging to it. The moonlight surged onwards, scorching the venom into nothing as the rock continued to climb up towards the sky. The moth insect was blown back into the forest by the wave of moonlight, burning like a meteorite as it crashed into the densely packed trees and out of view. In contrast, the Moon Strider was unaffected, floating beside the glowing rock in peaceful harmony. Lan stared at the picturesque, twisted beauty of the scene, burning it into his memory. He would never forget this as long as he lived. Suddenly, Archie startled him, grabbing his arm. The boy had covered the staff again and was gesturing towards the hole in the rock wall urgently. The dark spot the Moon Strider had emerged from had turned into a tunnel that water was rapidly flooding into. Lan half swam and was half dragged into the tunnel, getting carried by the current deep into the earth. He had never been to a waterpark before but imagined this was what a slide felt like. The tunnel twisted and wound through the earth, a freezing rush of water carrying Lan deeper and deeper. Behind him, he could hear Thea yelping with delight and in front, Archie was grinning like a madman, his blonde hair swept back by the wind. The tunnel walls which were dark, almost black, gradually began to shift in colour. As if someone had spilt red ink, the rock became red, inlaid with glittering specks of gold. Eventually, the whole tunnel transformed into an arid red, streaks of gold crisscrossing along its surface like veins. Lan felt as though he had entered another world entirely, falling as he did through the tunnel. Just ahead, Archie disappeared. Dragged below the water''s surface into a whirling cyclone. Lan wanted to shout or try and escape but the current was too strong, dragging him in after Archie. His whole world was flipped on its head and then flipped again as he was sucked into the cyclone. ¡®This must be what my goldfish felt like when my parents flushed it down the toilet,¡¯ he mused sardonically as he reached the eye of the whirlpool. A terrifyingly strong suction force dragged him down and he shot out of the water entirely, falling through the ceiling of an enormous cavern and plunging into a huge underground lake. Spluttering, he surfaced from the water, just in time to see Thea falling towards him. ¡°Watch out!¡± He screamed, just barely managing to throw himself out of her way as she fell into the lake. She floated to the surface, heaving for breath and staring at the cavern ceiling. Two shadowy figures fell from the ceiling shortly after, One huge, the other slender. ¡°Look out! David might cause a tsunami when he lands!¡± Archie shouted from another spot in the lake. Thea and Lan began to swim frantically, but it was too late. The giant crashed into the lake, the wave from his entrance swamping them. When they eventually made it to shore, David was scowling fiercely, water dripping from his beard. ¡°I heard that,¡± He rumbled, speaking for the first time since he introduced himself. ¡°Heard what?¡± Archie asked, doing his best to look confused. ¡°Next time I¡¯ll land on you, little man,¡± Was all David said, turning away from a panic-stricken Archie. They had climbed onto the shore by the lake and after wringing water from their clothes, they collectively turned to Archie. ¡°Mind explaining yourself?¡± Lan asked coldly, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Ah, well- You see... The thing is-¡°
Alert: Moon Strider awakened. The conditions to pass the tutorial have been changed accordingly. Time limit: 30 days -> 15 days Difficulty increased Rewards doubled See the leaderboard for more details...
The gazes towards Archie grew more hostile. ¡°What. Did. You. Do?¡± Lan asked grimly. ¡°Listen, guys, I needed to do this to get the title, we all understand how rare the title is right?¡± Lan rushed over, grabbing Archie by his robe and lifting him off the ground ¡°I need to pass the eighth step before this ends or I¡¯ll die! You¡¯ve just halved the amount of time I have to do that,¡± He yelled. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°How am I supposed to get the titles I need with so little time!?¡± Thea screamed. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Little man.¡± David rumbled, ¡°Was it worth it?¡± ¡°Yeah! Give me a reason not to kill you right now!¡± Thea yelled, pacing angrily in front of Archie, who was still being held by Lan. ¡°This was the only way to get the title,¡± Archie spluttered. ¡°I¡¯m going to need more than that,¡± Lan snapped. ¡°With double rewards, the sheer steps become far more valuable to pass and levelling becomes easier,¡± Archie explained hurriedly. ¡°But what about the new clear conditions?¡± Thea asked. ¡°There¡¯s no point in worrying about them right now. But I¡¯ll say this, if we clear the tutorial on this difficulty, we will all be rewarded with a skill upgrade,¡± Archie spat. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Thea said slowly. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s harder for a reason. So of course, the rewards have to be better,¡± ¡°Hmmm, let him go, Lan,¡± Thea said. Lan dropped Archie whose face had gone red. He landed in a heap on the ground, panting. Ignoring Archie who looked like he¡¯d just met death itself, Lan turned to inspect the cavern. It was stupidly enormous. Golden moss clung to the ceiling and walls in patches, glowing with almost holy light. Bathed in the golden glow, massive black ants crawled in their thousands, blanketing the floor around an enormous mound. The ants constantly disappeared into holes that covered the mound, endlessly carrying pieces of what looked like, metal and gemstones into the depths of their anthill. ¡°What is this place?¡± Lan whispered, ducking out of view from the mound. ¡°It¡¯s the dungeon. When we step onto the anthill, we will have accepted the challenge and the ants will start attacking us immediately.¡± Lan remembered the thousands of enormous ants the size of a small horse, frowning. ¡°How exactly do we beat all of them?¡± He asked doubtfully. ¡°We need to kill their queen of course,¡± Archie said like it was obvious. ¡°Of course¡­ but how exactly do we do that?¡± Lan asked. ¡°Ok, so here is where the hard part comes in. The queen always has five incredibly powerful ants protecting her, called the royal guard. From what I learned of previous expeditions, the royal guards are usually around level 10 and the queen will most likely be close to level 15, so once we are done killing the ants out here, we should be high enough levelled to kill the queen,¡± ¡°But there sure are a lot of them¡­¡± Thea pointed out. ¡°Yeah, this might take a couple of days,¡± Archie said slowly. ¡°A couple of days!? Jesus Christ!¡± Lan yelled, joining Thea in pacing in front of Archie. ¡°Don¡¯t have time for that,¡± David rumbled. ¡°There''s no other way,¡± Archie said meekly. ¡°And what if one of us dies?¡± Lan pointed out. Arche shrugged, ¡°Sucks to be them I guess, there¡¯s no way back in once the dungeon starts. The water level of the pool will plummet since the whole thing will drain into here. And then the Moon Strider will start using the pool as its home,¡± Lan remembered the Moon Strider¡¯s insane strength and shuddered. ¡°So, it¡¯s all or nothing,¡± He shifted on his feet, scuffing the ground with the toe of his shoe. ¡°What? Are you nervous or something?¡± Thea asked with a snort. ¡°Not nervous¡­¡± Lan clenched his fists tightly. ¡°Excited,¡± Lan turned to Archie, ¡°So, is there anything else we should keep in mind?¡± Archie shrugged, ¡°Not really. Since this is just a tutorial dungeon, it¡¯s pretty straightforward. We kill the worker ants; the fighters will come. Kill the fighters, then the royal guard shows up. Kill the royal guard and her majesty will appear,¡± ¡°What is this, a video game?¡± Lan blurted. ¡°Hah, I wish,¡± Archie sighed, ¡°As I said, the dungeons in the tutorial aren¡¯t particularly complex. Most of them will be very choreographed with little room for change,¡± ¡°Is there a reason for that?¡± Lan wondered. ¡°It¡¯s because the tutorial resets at the end of this month, and since the bridge seems to want everyone to have the same experience in the tutorial, nothing ever changes,¡± Archie explained. ¡°Except when you release some crazy Moon Strider and screw everyone over,¡± Lan pointed out. Archie held up his hands, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the first person to do this. On average, the Moon Strider gets released 1 in every 100 tutorials,¡± ¡°There can¡¯t be that many tutorials¡­ that¡¯s like one every ten years,¡± Lan muttered. Thea rolled her eyes at Lan, ¡°Wow, really don''t know anything do you? There are hundreds of tutorials happening as we speak, all over the universe,¡± ¡°Really!? I had heard there more planets than earth on the bridge, but I had no idea it was that many¡­¡± He finished quietly, realising just how daunting the bridge really was. ¡°Anyway, we should do some scouting first,¡± Archie interjected, changing the subject. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Lan asked, happy for a distraction. ¡°I¡¯m thinking¡­ We find a smaller group of ants on their own and take them out. Just so we can get an idea of how strong they are,¡± Thea sighed dramatically, ¡°Ugh, but won¡¯t that take forever? I thought we agreed to finish this as quickly as possible,¡± ¡°When did we agree to that?¡± Archie asked angrily. ¡°We agreed,¡± Lan said. ¡°Agreed.¡± David rumbled. George just nodded. ¡°Damnit. Fine. But don¡¯t come crawling to me when one of you dies and ends up missing out on the title,¡± Archie threw his hands up and stormed off, heading straight for the nest. Lan followed closely behind, being careful not to trip on the twisted red rock pieces of rock that looked like bits of a coral reef jutting from the cavern floor. The golden lines that ran through the rock made him feel like he was walking through an evil motherboard. It wasn¡¯t far to the nest and with their superhuman bodies, they arrived quickly. Crouching down behind a rock, they peeked over at a nearby group of ten ants that stood motionless beside the entrance of a tunnel. ¡°Are they guards or something?¡± Lan hissed. ¡°Yeah, that must be a tunnel they use to gather resources,¡± Archie replied. ¡°Right, so¡­ Should we just go out and¡­ Kill them?¡± Thea asked. Lan thought it over, unable to come up with a better plan, ¡°Uhhh, sure. I don¡¯t see why not?¡± And so all five of them leapt out from behind the rock and charged at the group of ants. Lan was still carrying the spear he had stolen in the treasury and his talent told him exactly where to aim. He knew how to use the wooden shaft of the tool to generate additional force, and he knew just how to twist the spear to cause the most damage. He picked his first target.
Sentry Ant Lvl: 2
It was on the edge of the group and should be easy to pick off. He ran over, thrusting his spear between one of the ant¡¯s chitinous legs with a sickening crunch. The creature squealed, clashing its mandibles madly at Lan who had jumped back and away from the snapping jaws. Jabbing out again, he managed to slip the spear between two of its armoured plates. The metal spear screeched as it slid in, but the ant screeched louder, writhing in pain. It scurried towards Lan, driving the spear deeper and deeper into its body the closer it got. ¡°Oh shit! One more thing!¡± Archie shouted. ¡°What!?¡± Lan yelled, levering the spear against the ant¡¯s head and using it to rip off the ant¡¯s exoskeleton. ¡°Don¡¯t let any of their blood get on you!¡± Archie roared, thrusting his sabre cleanly through an ant¡¯s eye. The ant Lan was fighting¡¯s exoskeleton exploded, drenching him in blood. And to his left, Thea stood with both her arms deep inside the corpse of an ant. Her clothes were drenched in blue blood. ¡°Could you not have said that sooner!?¡± Lan yelled, trying to get the blood off him to no avail. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen?¡± Thea asked nervously. The ground started to tremble violently, and the clicking of hundreds of mandibles echoed throughout the cavern. Lan looked over in horror, watching as countless ants poured out of the hive and rushed towards them. ¡°That¡­¡± Archie said with a sigh, rolling up his sleeves. Chapter 14 - George Lan was drenched from head to toe in blood, but no matter how he moved, he couldn''t get it off. It stuck like glue to his robe, smelling like petrol. The blood was an almost neon blue, coating him like paint. "Shit! What''s going to happen?" Lan yelled, running over to the ant''s corpse and pulling off one of its legs. Archie had his jaw clenched tightly, his face as a mask of fury, "God damnit! Of course! Of fucking course!" The ants were swarming them like locusts. A wave of black so thick they couldn''t even see the ground between the tightly packed ants. The ants clicked their mandibles as they skittered across the floor, the sound growing louder and louder as they neared. Archie threw himself at a nearby ant, using his sabre with pinpoint accuracy to take out its legs and kill it. Lan felt like he was watching a surgeon using a scalpel rather than a boy with a sabre. The way Archie used the sabre was frighteningly precise and calculated. He could only imagine just how many times Archie had swung that sabre to be able to use it with such proficiency and robotic precision. When Archie finished killing the ant, he took a deep breath. Then, after shaking his head silently, he turned his back on the oncoming horde of ants facing the team. "Here''s the situation. Ants release a pheromone when they die. This pheromone tells other ants, ''Hey, I''m dead,'' And then those ants take the corpse to the graveyard," "Does tha-"Lan started to say. "Shut up! No talking till I''m finished." Archie yelled. "Once these ants are taken to the graveyard, they will be buried. The pheromone is in their blood¡­ So, that''s where you two will be going," Archie finished, glaring at Thea and Lan. "This is your fault, Archie!" Thea shouted. "Yeah, you didn''t tell us not to do it!" Lan snapped. Archie looked to the heavens again, taking a deep breath before continuing to talk, "Well, it''s too late now. So, here''s what''s going to happen: We will stay and fight through the horde. While you two need to take care of the crypt keeper." The horde was almost upon them. The clicking had become deafening. Lan wanted to ask more, he wanted to know what the crypt keeper was, but he didn''t have time to ask. Archie turned to face the oncoming flood of ants, his hand tightening around the sabre. David hefted his enormous club onto his shoulder, his face stone cold as he stared down the ants. George remained quiet. A large metal cone hung from his waist and his hands. He held two daggers that glittered in the golden glow from the moss. The ants crashed into them like a wave, the group quickly being swallowed by countless bodies. On the ground, the bodies of the ants disappeared. They were swept away by their compatriots to the graveyard, along with Lan and Thea. At the moment the ants arrived, the dungeon officially began.
Alert: Dungeon trial ¨C The Queen Challenge - Kill the ant queen and her brood Time limit ¨C None Reward ¨C Dependent on performance and number of participants Participants - 5
Clinging onto one of the corpses, Lan''s knuckles were white. He had never felt so tense in all his life. And the only thing that eased his mood a little was seeing Thea on the ant next to him. Her face was sheet white, and he could see her muttering either prayers or curses¡­ Maybe both. The swarm quickly swallowed the other three. Disappearing beneath hundreds of black shells that seemed to want to smother them with sheer numbers. The last thing Lan saw before being carried through a tunnel was David''s huge figure carrying George and Archie towards the lake. "Lan," Thea hissed as they were carried through the winding tunnel. It was wide enough for a few of the horse-sized ants to walk side by side in, and that strange golden moss clung to the ceiling, providing meagre light with which to see their claustrophobic surroundings. "Yeah, what''s up?" Lan whispered, careful not to raise his voice too loud, in case he attracted some unwanted attention. "Do you feel like Archie doesn''t like us?" Lan closed his eyes, trying to figure out why that even mattered right now. "No, I don''t think he does," Was what he finally said. "Good." Thea growled, "Because I really, really don''t like him," The tunnel wound and snaked through the earth, the only constant being that they were going down. They were carried for what seemed like hours down into the earth, the light from the moss changing colour the deeper they went. The gold gradually dyed blue, the same neon colour as the ants'' blood. Casting the tunnel in a strange, almost alien, glow. Eventually, the ants carried them out of the tunnel and into a vast cavern completely blanketed in moss. The ceiling, the cave walls, the ground, all of it was smothered by the blue moss. Just ahead of Lan and Thea, an ant dropped another ant''s body onto the ground at the edge of the moss. It sank into the fungus, like quicksand, disappearing in mere seconds. "Oh, no." Lan muttered, "We need to get the hell out of here!" "I''m way ahead of you!" Thea shouted, jumping off the back of her ant and landing in the tunnel. Lan followed suit, and they stood quietly beside each other, staring at the ants behind them. The tunnel was filled with hundreds of ants, and they all seemed intent on carrying Lan the final few yards to the moss. An ant skittered towards Thea, and she lashed out, her hand breaking its exoskeleton like an eggshell. It fell to the ground limply, and Thea grinned, pulling her hand from its head. Suddenly, an Ant rushed forward, picking up the corpse and running to the cavern, depositing the body into the moss. Seeing the body sink into the moss, Lan shuddered. The moss dragged the body down like a sea monster would a sinking ship. And when it was done, no sign of its victim remained. Another ant came forward, and Lan held up the chitinous leg he had grabbed earlier. He swung it like a baseball bat, using the barbed feet as a hook to pry open the ant''s armour before stabbing it with the leg. This time, all hell broke loose. Tens of ants rushed forward, jostling and fighting over the body. The remaining hundred or so ants swarmed towards Thea and Lan, clicking their mandibles in a deafening cacophony. Thea was the first to move. She raised her hands like she was conducting an orchestra, and the dead ant''s blood was pulled from its body, hovering above the creature formlessly. "Wow¡­" Lan muttered, watching the neon blue liquid hover in the air. ''So, this is magic, it''s¡­ Beautiful,'' With a flick of her fingers, the blood rushed towards her, covering her body like armour. And then she ran towards the nearest ant, moving like she had been given a shot of adrenaline. The armour was formless, flowing over her like a liquid as she moved. When she jumped, it shifted to support that. When she punched, it reinforced her fist. Whatever she did, the armour helped. Lan watched in awe as she ripped an ant in half, its blood being siphoned from its body and into her armour. Sadly, he didn''t have time to watch the show. Ants were swarming him from all directions, and he needed to move. Bending down, he picked up a rock and threw it with pinpoint accuracy through an ant''s eye, killing it instantly. He ran over, ripping off two of its legs, using them to attack other ants while they still dripped with blood... neon blood. Something clicked with Lan, and he froze, putting the pieces together in his mind like a jigsaw puzzle. "Thea!" He shouted over the din. "What is it!?" She yelled back, ploughing through the ants in her blood armour.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Can you control blood? Is that your skill?" He yelled. "No shit Sherlock, what''s your point?" "Instead of fighting them, throw blood on the ants! Then they''ll fight each other!" Lan shouted, crushing the head of an ant with a heavy stomp. Thea paused mid-swing, realisation dawning on her face. "You''re right!" She shouted, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "Protect me while I do this," She instructed, running over to Lan at a blistering speed. "I''ll try," Lan muttered, holding up his two ant legs glumly. Thea began moving her hands again. They gracefully weaved invisible patterns in the air, dancing a beautiful, unknowable dance. The blood on her body shifted like a magnet was pulling on it. It rose towards her head and then above it, congealing into a vast spinning ball of neon blood above her head. The sphere spun like a planet, collecting more blood from the ants Lan killed. And he sure as hell was killing a lot of ants. Lan felt like he was juggling plates. An ant would rush up, and he would fend it off, or kill it, just for another to take its place. And then another, and another, and another. It was never-ending; they wouldn''t stop. More and more ants kept pouring into the tunnel from above, forcing Lan and Thea backwards. They were slowly nearing the mossy cavern that could only be the graveyard, and Lan''s heart began to tighten. "Thea!" He yelled, bashing an ant away with another ant''s body. "Almost!" She screamed, her eyes bloodshot from the strain, her teeth clenched, and her jaw set. Lan redoubled his efforts. He tore off a segment of a dead ant''s exoskeleton and used it as a shield, battering back the crushing mandibles that never stopped snapping at him. Behind them, more and more corpses were being carried into the cavern, quickly disappearing beneath the moss. Or it was quick¡­ At first. As though the moss couldn''t keep up, it gradually slowed down. The bodies disappeared slower and slower each time, giving Lan a chance to glimpse what looked like a root shoot up and wrap around a corpse, dragging it beneath the moss. ''Is that the crypt keeper?'' he wondered quietly, his face white. "Ready!" Thea yelled. It was all Lan could do to duck. And then it rained blood. A never-ending cascade of neon blue fell like torrential rain, covering every inch of the tunnel for hundreds of metres. It stained everything. The ants froze, painted by the blood of the brethren. One by one, they started to click, staring at each other in a mix of confusion and unwillingness. But their instincts kicked in, and as one, they moved. They could smell the pheromone on all the ants around them, but most importantly, they could smell it on themselves. Deep within them, a primal instinct as old as their very species commanded that they go to the graveyard. Moving like zombies, the ants'' steps were robotic and stilted. As they quietly walked into the graveyard of their own volition. In their mind, an ant could only give off that pheromone if it was dead, and since they could smell it on themselves, they must be dead. Some tried to fight back, trying to stop themselves and beat back their instincts. But it was no use. They trudged into the cavern one by one, slowly sinking beneath the moss. Lan watched in awe as they walked to their deaths, unable to understand how their minds worked. "I didn''t expect it to work that well¡­" Thea murmured, watching the funeral precession with a slack jaw. "Neither did I," Lan watched as more and more ants stepped onto the moss. "Hey, that one isn''t sinking," Thea pointed to the nearest ant. It had just stepped onto the moss, and there was no reaction. Even the ant itself looked rather bemused by the situation, as though it couldn''t understand why it hadn''t sunk beneath the moss yet. "That one isn''t sinking either," Lan pointed at another ant that was similarly standing on top of the moss. "Maybe it''s full¡­" Thea said absentmindedly. "The graveyard?" "No, the crypt keeper," Lan looked out at the moss, imagining what lay beneath it. "Archie told us to kill it¡­ Right?" "Be my guest. I''m not going onto that weird moss," Thea said with a frown. "Who knows¡­ Maybe it will come out if even more corpses go on there," Lan thought this might work. If anything, the crypt keeper, whatever it was, might come out to see where all the bodies were coming from. "But where are we going to get even more bodies from? Every ant that was in the tunnel is already¡­" Thea froze mid-sentence. An ear-splitting scream thundered down the tunnel and crashed into them like lightning. It was loud and violent, leaving them winded after just hearing the noise that was like a punch to the gut. The tunnel started to rumble in the silence that followed, and she could hear the clicking again. It rushed towards them like a tidal wave, heralding death. She could only imagine how many ants would be needed to make such a noise. *** The ants were endless in number, swarming David, George and Archie in wave after deadly wave. They were slowly pushed back to the lake, both Archie and David slick with sweat. Time After Time, David brought his club down in the head of an ant, crushing it like the bug it was. Time after time, Archie ran his sabre through an ant''s eye or a chink in its armour. Countless ants fell but more still attacked. Whenever they killed one, two more took their place, and they quickly began to feel desperate. "George! We could really use some help here!" Archie yelled over the din, his sabre drenched in neon blue. "I know you''re strong, but we need you to do more than wave those daggers about right now. I can tell that isn''t your real talent!" George paused mid-swing, his face thoughtful. He closed his eyes, and his face took on a serene quality as though he were above the carnage surrounding him. Finally, he opened them again, nodding. Their backs were against the lake, already standing ankle-deep in the water. The ants couldn''t swim, so they only had to focus on attacks from the front, but they were crumbling under pressure. Reaching into his pockets, George brought out four rubbery balls, handing two to Archie and David each. He gestured to their ears, and the pair tentatively placed the plugs into their ears. The noise of the fighting vanished. In fact, all noise disappeared. And Absolute silence settled over David and Archie. George gestured behind him, and they walked deeper into the water, creating distance between them and George. Finally, While the ants surged forwards, a wave of black shells and clicking mandibles poured down upon them. George opened his mouth... And screamed. *** When George was seven, he lived in a gated district north of the B-Rank building. He felt like he was growing up inside a fairy tale. Magicians and superheroes lived in the same street as he did, and his parents could do magic with the flick of a finger. Ever since he could remember, George was curious. His mind would wander, asking his parents inexplicable questions that even mighty pathfinders like them struggled to answer. He loved exploring the magical world he lived in, dreaming up adventures where he became a hero on the bridge. Together, he and his friends whiled away countless hours with nothing more than their imaginations. Not all was perfect, of course. His parents spent most of their time on the bridge, as leaving the bridge was dangerous for pathfinders. Only outside the bridge can they die permanently, and many take advantage of this. George peered out the balcony window on one of the long nights he spent home alone. He craned his neck, trying to see the top of the bridge as he always did. But as was always the case, it was impossible. The bridge had no top. There was no end. For his fifth birthday, he had asked for a telescope. Using it, he hoped to peek at the end of the bridge, but it simply disappeared into the sky, continuing forever into the stars. And on that night, as he peered up at the endless majesty above him, George chanced upon the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. It was like a choir of angels were singing just for him. The beautiful song drifted through the night air like smoke on a breeze, finding its way to him. For a long moment, he was stunned. Transfixed by the ethereal beauty of the song, he couldn''t help but stand at the window and listen. His mind was cleansed of all worries and fears by the melody. The terror of his parents never returning from the bridge was no more. The song had smothered it. And when the song finally ended, and his worries and fears rushed back in to fill the gap it left, George felt sadder than he ever had before. He felt like he had lost a little piece of himself when the melody left, an important piece. A piece He could not live without. Frantically, he leapt onto the balcony and grabbed the drainpipe, shimmying down it like a monkey. Halfway down, his hands slipped, and he fell hard, his knee bruising badly on the fake grass in his garden. Everything here was fake, from the majestic trees to the dirt they grew from. No one who lived here had time to mind their gardens. Some spent years, even decades, on the bridge and couldn''t afford to bother about things like plants. Picking himself off the ground, he scampered to the garden fence and, using a tower of precariously balanced plant pots. He managed to clamber over the fence. Rolling out onto the street, George was breathless, but that didn''t stop him from running. He ran for all he was worth, his mind clouded with the desperate desire to hear that song again. If he could listen to it one more time¡­ He would do anything. Eventually, George arrived at a small pond in the middle of their communal park. Plastic trees swayed and fluttered in the night breeze while robotic birds and insects chirped. It was a beautiful place at a glance, but when one looked closer, it became creepy and unnatural. Its beauty marred by the fakeness of it all. But when George arrived at the park, he couldn''t help but stare, slack-jawed at the otherworldly beauty of the scene. It was like someone had plucked the perfect painting from the mind of the world''s best painter. There were no flaws. None. Beside the pond sat the most beautiful woman George had ever even imagined. He was so young that he didn''t know what love was, but instantly, he knew he felt it when he saw her. Her raven black hair seemed to dance in the night sky, her pristine white robe almost glowed, and her teeth were like perfectly cut ivory, blindingly white and flawless. And her smile was¡­ Addicting. When she smiled at him, a little boy with a bleeding knee and bright eyes, he knew he would never be able to forget this moment. "Wh-"He tried to speak, but the words wouldn''t come. "Oh, dear¡­" The woman laughed, raising a finger and drawing George forward. Wind rushed up and carried him to her side, where his mind froze up. What should he say? What even could he say? "Your poor knee," The woman tutted, her hand glowing gently as she swept it across his leg. He was too spellbound to even notice that the cut had closed without leaving a trace of its existence. He would die before he took his eyes off her. "What''s your name, sweetheart?" The woman asked, her voice sweet like honey. "G-George," He stuttered. Words caught in his throat, his tongue like lead. She effortlessly lifted him onto her knee, smiling softly. "What a pretty name. You can call me Lori," "It''s nice to meet you, Miss Lori," George managed to squeeze out, unable to look away from her perfect face. "Did you hear my singing, George?" She asked him, her eyes sparkling like gemstones. "I-I did. It was amazing," The song was still reverberating through his mind, its beauty immaculate. She looked up at the sky, her gaze travelling along the length of the endless bridge and seeming to see further than George could, even with his telescope. "To think¡­" She muttered, her voice barely a whisper, "When I returned here after so long, I would find another reason to stay," "Are¡­ Are you leaving?" George asked, aghast. If she left, he would never hear that melody again. She smiled softly at him, "Not anymore," From then on, George learned to sing. Lori only appeared during the night and was always at that park. At first, she sang, and he listened, letting the music wash over him. But soon enough, he joined her in song. It came as naturally to him as breathing, and before long, he would sing whenever he got the chance. He mourned whenever he was accepted into an academy, for there were fewer chances for him to sing and make music. The classes only taught fighting and killing, not what really mattered to him. But nevertheless, he paid attention. He never let his mind wander. He knew that he would step onto the bridge one day. And when that day came, he couldn''t let Lori down. *** The scream left George''s mouth and rushed towards the ants in a wave. A hurricane was unleashed, throwing water and ants into the air like ragdolls¡­ or regular ants. A sonic boom shattered the very air itself, and a cone of sound and air pressure shredded every ant in its path like they were made from cardboard. Neon blood rained down on every remaining ant, the raindrops hitting the ground the only sound in the ensuing silence. Even through the earplugs, Archie and David winced at the sheer volume of the noise. It seemed to pierce right through their eardrums and into their very soul. Amidst the falling chunks of flesh and blood, George stood alone, his figure sad. ''How can I sing¡­?'' He wondered, watching the sheer carnage his voice had caused, "When I am like this¡­" Chapter 15 - Crypt Keeper A torrent of ants flooded through the tunnel towards Lan and Thea. Clicking and snapping, they marched to their doom, much like the previous ants had. Their black carapaces were painted neon blue, their eyes glassy. Each step was robotic and unnatural, as though they were being puppeteered. Lan turned around, checking the cavern. Half the ants had sunk beneath the moss, but the rest remained. Frozen like sculptures above on the neon fungus. "If¡­ If it''s already struggling to deal with that amount¡­." Lan trailed off, pulling Thea away from the edge of the cavern. They watched in a twisted mixture of horror and awe as the ants ended their march. Tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of ants the size of a horse crowded into the cavern like sardines in a can. "Maybe this is our chance," Thea whispered, her gaze transfixed on a slowly sinking ant. Long, blue tentacles wrapped around the ant''s body, slowly dragging it beneath the moss. Despite this, it remained still, patiently awaiting its own death. ''Or does it think it''s already dead?'' Lan wondered. "To kill the Crypt keeper?" He asked, checking the tunnel behind him. Thea licked her lips, nodding, "Yeah, maybe it will come out with these ants here. Then we can smash its head. It''ll be like playing whack-a-mole!" "I don''t suppose you have a more detailed plan than whack-a-mole?" Lan asked hopefully. "Where did plans get us so far?" Thea pointed out. "It''s only because Archie made those plans," Suddenly, he froze, realisation hitting him, "Hey¡­ Why do we even need to kill the crypt keeper?" Lan asked doubtfully. Thea frowned, knitting her fiery brows together, "Don''t we have to kill it to clear the dungeon?" Lan checked over the dungeon conditions, reading them carefully.
Alert: Dungeon trial ¨C The Queen Challenge - Kill the ant queen and her brood Time limit ¨C None Reward ¨C Dependent on performance and number of participants Participants - 5
"Reread it," He muttered, squinting closely at the notification. "It says to kill the ant queen and her brood¡­." Thea frowned, not getting it. Lan gestured grandly at the moss-covered ground, tentacles breaking its surface, almost like a giant sea monster beneath was trying to escape. "Does that¡­ Look like an ant?" "But if¡­ If we don''t need to kill the crypt-keeper. Why would Archie send us here?" The room started to rumble as the moss began to seethe and groan. Pulsating like a living creature, it gave off wave after wave of entrancing neon light. "And why didn''t he tell us about the blood before we got it on ourselves?" Lan added. Without needing to exchange another word, Thea and Lan bolted up the tunnel. Their faces flushed bright red with both anger and terror. "He''s trying to get rid of-"Thea never finished her sentence. Tentacles sprouted from the moss, lashing out like a whip and wrapping around her waist. She was yanked back, the extreme force snapping her head forward. Her eyes glazed over as she was dragged back, sinking beneath the moss. "Oh shit!" Lan leapt to the side, tentacles flying past where he had been moments before. He rolled, hitting his elbow off the tunnel wall and springing to his feet. Turning around, Lan watched as the Tentacles hovered in the open air. Somehow, they reminded him of cobras, ready to pounce the second he moved. But he didn''t have many other options, so moving was all he could do. Lan sprinted up the tunnel, leaping over a lunging tentacle and ducking under one that swept towards his head. It was so close to hitting him that he felt a gust of wind pass over the back of his neck. ''That bastard!'' He seethed, picturing Archie''s weird face. He imagined all kinds of wickedly sharp things finding their way into that face. First, a fishhook, then a pizza cutter, or maybe a hot poker. The possibilities were endless. He sidestepped a tentacle, stumbling over a rock and sprawling onto the mossy tunnel floor¡­ ''Has the tunnel always been this mossy?'' Lan wondered. ''When I first arrived, only the cavern floor had moss. When did?-'' He froze. Tens of tentacles sprang up from the moss all around him. "Looks like I''ll be respawning soon," He mumbled. En masse, the tentacles pounced. Lurching towards him at blinding speeds, he could barely dodge them using his increased reflexes. But no matter how he looked, the tunnel ahead was impassable. Tens of tentacles crowded the only exit, making an impenetrable barrier. Glancing behind him, Lan noticed far fewer tentacles in the cavern now. ''It must have a limited range, which means it''s not eating the rest of the ants right now,'' Thinking of the ants, a lightbulb switched on his head, and he burst into another sprint. This time, towards the cavern. His movements were deft as he nimbly dodged the pursuing tentacles breathing heavily as he focused on the rapidly approaching cavern. He could see hundreds of ants standing like statues above the moss. ''Since they didn''t react even when that thing pulled them under¡­ Surely they won''t mind if I get some experience first,'' Lan slid under a sweeping tentacle and lunged towards a fallen rock, grabbing it as he ran. He clutched the rock in one hand, inspirations flying through his mind as he burst into the cavern. He could see it. The path was laid out before him. One step. He was on the moss now, his foot sinking slightly into the springy fungus. He swung, his rock finding the weak point on the back of an ant''s neck.
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Level up! [2->3]
''I suppose I did kill quite a few ants earlier,'' Lan realised, adding every free point he had just gained into strength without a second thought. When he swung the rock this time, it was like a sledgehammer, snapping an ant''s shell like brittle glass.
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
One hit was all it took now. Only one, and he could kill an ant. Which doesn''t sound like much of an achievement... If these were ordinary ants, but these weren''t ordinary ants. These ants would crush a car if they fell on it. Breathlessly, he dodged a lunging tentacle and crushed another ant with the rock, and another, and another and another and another and another and another¡­
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
¡­ It never ended, and he never got tired. His endurance was too high. As he swung, blow after blow, he began to feel robotic. All he had to do was follow his talent''s instructions, and his rock would crush another ant. There was no complex thought, no planning, no skill.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. He just did what he was told and¡­
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Easy as that. But despite the ease, it left Lan feeling uncomfortable. He didn''t like feeling so useless, like a passenger in his own body. His frustration only made him swing faster, his arm blurring as he snapped steely carapaces like dry twigs. The tentacles were beginning to get desperate, but it was too late. Lan was building unstoppable momentum.
Alert: Level up! [3->4]
Once again, he put every single point into strength. This time when he swung the rock, it cracked. Slamming through an ant like a hot knife through butter, it split down the middle from the shear strength of the swing. Thrashing at him in an endless barrage, the tentacles desperately tried to slow him down, crushing ants that he got close to. Neon blue blood sprayed down on the cavern like rain, and Lan was drenched. Head to toe, he was covered in blood, reeking of petrol. ''If an ant saw me now, it would surely think I was the deadest thing ever,'' He mused, ducking under a tentacle and lashing a vicious kick at an ant''s carapace. The ant''s mangled corpse took off like it was shot from a cannon, barrelling into another ant and sending both into the cavern wall.
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
Alert: Killed lvl:2 Ant Drone - Experience gained
"Double kill," Lan laughed, rolling under another tentacle. Suddenly, the ground beneath him shifted, and hundreds of tentacles thundered towards him at once, wrapping around his waist like an anchor. Just before he was dragged down into the moss, Lan took off his shoe and threw it at the nearest ant. The shoe spun in a beautiful arc, the heel landing square on the ant''s head and flattening its skull with a sickening crunch.
Alert: Level up! [4->5]
And then the world was blue. Lan''s world flipped, and he fell, plummeting through the thin layer of moss and landing on a pile of dead ants. His surroundings were dyed a stark blue by the moss above, making them seem all the more twisted. The pile wasn''t huge, disturbingly small, in fact. Considering just how many ants had been dragged under the moss. "Thea!" Lan shouted, jumping off the pile and landing in a shallow puddle. "Ah, shit!" He yelped, jumping out of the water. It burned like acid, and his foot had been burned since he was only wearing one shoe. Hopping on his boot, he jumped on top of an ant''s body. It slowly dissolved into the pool, giving off a sickening black smoke. He glanced around the cave, gasping at what he saw. A withered red tree was growing toward the ground in the centre of the ceiling. Its branches were twisted and gnarled as though recently struck by lightning. The branches stretched towards the ground and into the pool, evil black flowers growing on them. ''Were those tentacles its roots?'' Lan wondered, staring at the upside-down tree growing from the blanket of moss on the ceiling. On first inspection, there was no way out of the cave. Besides the pool of acidic water on the ground and the slowly dissolving ants, the cave had no other features. None. No tunnels, no cracks to crawl out of, no escape¡­ Lan sighed, "It feels as though I''m inside the tree''s stomach," He muttered, jumping from ant to ant like lily pads. "Thea!" He shouted No response came, so he kept searching. He tried to remember where she had sunk into the moss and made his way in that general direction. There, he found a heaping pile of ants and¡­ an arm. With a grunt, Lan threw a few ants from the pile and grabbed the arm, pulling on it. The pile shifted and groaned, but Thea remained lodged beneath the mountain of ants. "Fuck. Archie." Lan swore, tossing ants from the pile like driftwood. "Oh yeah, I levelled up right before I fell in," Lan remembered. Since it had worked so far, he put another 10 free points into strength. He had a feeling that killing this tree would rely on that stat more than anything else. The pile slowly decreased in height until Lan managed to pull Thea from the heap after a big heave. Her dark red hair clung to her scalp, slick with sweat and blood. Her uniform was in tatters, and multiple gashes bled onto her once pristine white shirt. "If her body is still here, then she must still be alive," Lan leant in, putting his ear against her mouth. A faint whisp of breath fluttered out. ''Would she be better off dead?'' Lan wondered, positing the thought. If she was suffering right now, wouldn''t she be better off if he just killed her? He moved his hand towards her throat and then froze. ''I''ve never killed a human before¡­ Even if it''s not a true death, I swore to be different. No. Better than other pathfinders,'' Decision made, Lan tossed her over his shoulder and leapt to the largest pile of ants, placing her on top. Looking back up at the ceiling, Lan glared at the tree. The longer he waited, the more the flowers on its branches began to bloom. He had no idea what would happen when they finished, but he was pretty sure nothing good would come of it. "Now," He rubbed his hands together before turning to look at the piles of ants. "Let''s find out if these things are still alive," *** George closed his mouth, his voice echoing off the cavern walls and assailing his ears. It may be correct to say that George suffered more than anyone else who heard his voice. ''It''s hideous¡­'' He sighed, trying to paint the smile back on, trying his best to stay positive. If he looked at it one way, his talent was extremely powerful.
Talent: Amp Ability: There is no such thing as good music or even a good sound. Everything is based on personal preference¡­ Or so you tell yourself. You speak with the explosive power of a cannon. The louder you shout, the more damage you cause. Penalty: Amp is uncontrollable. It cannot be turned off.
With this talent, George had practically flown to the sixth position of the point rankings. In the tutorial, he was almost invincible. Just then, he killed hundreds of ants and finally hit level 13. Levelling was easy for him. It was like reaping wheat or cutting grass, and that made the fact he wasn''t first on the leaderboard terrifying. What scared him more than anything were the people above him. It was the fourth day of the tutorial, and he was level 13. Level fucking 13! And he was sixth. Worse still, the top two places both had more than triple his points. He could massacre countless monsters by talking, so how could they¡­ How could- George was getting sidetracked and stopped thinking about the points he didn''t even care about. Instead, he turned around, finding Archie and David standing behind him. David waded through the water and placed a big hand on George''s shoulder, smiling softly beneath his big beard. George peered up and smiled back, feeling as though he had to crane his neck even further to make eye contact with David than when they first met. He liked David because the other boy was easy to communicate with. Although they couldn''t talk¡­ Or at least, George couldn''t. They could pick up on each other''s body language easily enough. Next came Archie, his face sheet white. His compound eyes were almost bugging out of their sockets as he stared at George like he was looking at a monster. George didn''t like Archie. The guy never meant what he said and never said what he meant. He had always been good at reading body language, and Archie was a crook if he had ever seen one. Archie nodded to George and walked past, clenching his jaw as he did so. The trio arrived back at the shore, watching as the distant horde of ants covered in blood crammed into the tunnel Thea and Lan had disappeared into. Wordlessly, George and David turned to Archie, who was staring despondently at the tunnel. Neither spoke, and eventually, it was Archie himself who shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "We need to move quickly, and we need to move now!" He said matter of factly, marching towards the barren hive. George glanced at David. The boy was squinting back at the tunnel with a thoughtful expression. They made eye contact and exchanged a knowing nod before deciding to follow Archie. Picking their way through the massive, coral reef-like pieces of rock jutting out from the ground around the hive. Archie''s face was grim, and he kept glancing back at George in not-so-subtle attempts. If it was any other time, George might have suspected Archie was in love with him. But right now, he could tell something sinister was afoot. George''s best guess was that he was far stronger than Archie had expected, which had thrown off his plans somehow. ''Good,'' To be fair, George was far stronger than even he expected. He had never been exceptionally talented at fighting and usually placed as average in the academy rankings. So, when he arrived at the tutorial and rocketed to the top immediately, he was more surprised than anyone. Occasionally, an ant would poke its head out of the hive and rush over to them. Not much ever came of these attacks except the trio noticing the ants were rising in level. As the ants grew more powerful, their appearance became more diverse. And their names changed. Until then, they had been exclusively fighting ant drones and maybe the occasional soldier. But as they climbed the vast anthill, ants of all shapes and sizes beset them on all sides. Some had wings, others disproportionately enormous mandibles or spikes that gleamed with venom. One had an unusually thick carapace that even David had struggled to crack. Finally, they came to a stop at the foot of a tunnel. It was lit by the soft golden glow of the moss above, allowing them to see deep into the recesses of the ant hill. They strode into the tunnel, which was more than wide enough to fit all three of them side to side. As he walked, George felt a strange pressure settle over him. He began to feel uneasy and knew anything that could make him, a level 13, feel that way was ridiculously strong. The anthill was oppressive, and the deeper they sank into its depths, the stronger the suppression became. It was almost like they were being smothered. Archie paused at the end of the tunnel, raising his fist and gesturing for them to stop. Then, he took a deep breath and pointed forwards. "Royal guards, there are four, so we will take one each, and David can take the extra," He whispered. ''David? Why would he take the extra ant? Aren''t I stronger?'' George wondered, glancing over at David, who nodded without any complaints. ''Four royal guards¡­ Not five. So, we never needed five people to complete this dungeon. But if that''s the case, why did Archie send both Lan and Thea away?'' George thought it over and could only come up with one solution. ''Archie didn''t expect both of them to get the blood on them,'' They stepped out of the tunnel into a spacious cave. Glowing amber stalactites hung from the ceiling, stretching toward four pillars of different colours. Behind the pillars, a grand doorway encrusted with gemstones continued deeper into the hive. The first pillar was rich green, as though it was made entirely of jade. It reminded George of the sorts of throne a great eastern emperor would sit on. On this pillar of jade sat an ant of similar colour¡­ If it could even be called an ant anymore. It looked eerily humanoid, sitting cross-legged on the pillar.
Royal Guard: Lvl: 12
Its face was still distinctly ant-like. However, the carapace covering its whole body resembled something like a medieval suit of armour rather than an ant. It had four arms that looked like a cross between human and ant limbs, and a magnificent pair of golden wings sprouted from its back. The next pillar glowed fiery red and looked like it was entirely made from ruby. A similarly humanoid ant, red in colour, sat on this pillar. Instead of wings, it was covered in glowing red tubes pumping fiery liquid throughout the ant''s body. After that was a pillar of pure, brilliant gold. George could only imagine how much such a pillar would be worth as he stared at the beautiful ant above. Just like the previous two, its appearance was distinctly humanoid, disregarding the antennas. Instead of wings or tubes, this ant had gleaming black scythes growing from all four humanoid arms. Finally came an ant sitting on a pillar of what looked like black glass. The glassy substance glittered and sparkled beneath the reddish glow from the stalactites. The ant above was enormous, its armour far thicker and sturdier than the other three. George had no idea how he would even hurt such a creature, deciding to fight a different one. As they entered the room, all four humanoid ants turned to stare at them, insectoid compound eyes gleaming with intelligence. "I''ll take the green one, George, you get the red ant, and David can deal with the other two," Archie whispered, beginning to stride forward. George''s hand shot out, gripping Archie''s shoulder like a vice. The boy froze, slowly turning to face George and David, who were looking at him like he was an idiot. George pointed at Archie''s chest and then over his shoulder. Archie followed the finger, his gaze landing on the armoured black ant. "No, no, no, I can''t¡­ I can''t kill that thing," Archie protested, squirming as he tried to break free from George''s iron grip. But no matter how he struggled, George''s hand didn''t budge. The stat difference between levels only increases the higher a pathfinder gets, and George was far higher level than Archie. "Can''t you just scream, and the ants will drop dead?" Archie asked desperately. George shook his head, writing words in the dirt with his foot. No. Only. Good. For. Weak. Things. Archie sighed and looked at David, who loomed over him like death''s spectre. "Alright¡­ I''ll deal with the black one. You guys take the rest," He muttered begrudgingly, finally escaping George''s grasp. Archie walked towards the armoured ant like a man walking to the gallows. His shoulders were hunched; his hands clenched unwillingly. George could help but smirk at the show before he turned to look at the other ants. ''I only have daggers, but since I reached level 13 and put a few free points in strength and dexterity, I should be able to hold up against the red one,'' He decided, walking towards the red pillar. The room was bare other than the pillars and jewel-encrusted door. Nothing stood between George and the ants. There was no cover, nowhere to hide if things went wrong. The second he was halfway across the room, the red ant''s head snapped up and glared viciously at George. Blazing murder shone in its inhuman eyes. With each step he took closer, the tubes began pumping the glowing liquid faster and faster, causing its body to glow bright, fiery red. With a leap, it jumped down from the pillar, landing on the reddish cave floor with a heavy thud. George swallowed hard and gritted his teeth. Clenching his only melee weapons, the daggers his teacher had gifted him, he readied himself. And burst forward. Chapter 16 - Disciple of David Lan hopped from ant to ant, crushing their armoured skulls like they were made from paper mache. They never moved, tried to dodge, or squirmed as their life left their bodies. It was eerie, to say the least, but Lan wasn''t complaining. He was on a time crunch. The longer he waited, the more ants the acid dissolved and the stronger the tree got. He looked up at the ceiling, checking what level it was now.
Crypt Keeper: Level 16
Lan was only level 5, which meant if he got to level 6, he could still earn the title for beating something 10 levels above his own. And he really wanted that title. As he moved mechanically across the acidic swamp, he tried to devise a way to kill the monster above him. The cave was enclosed on all sides, so the only way he was getting out of there was through the Crypt keeper and from what he could tell, it wasn''t too keen on letting him escape. He had covered half the cave by now, crushing ants every step of the way as he walked on top of them like lily pads. "I need something that can hurt the tree," He mumbled. Sure, he was strong. His strength must be nearly a hundred now, but that tree was level 16 and had skills and a class. Just sheer force wasn''t going to cut it. Pausing in his massacre, he looked through the pockets of his robe. ''Hopefully, something I stole from the crafters'' village will be useful,'' The first thing he pulled out was a fruit that looked like yellow strawberry with purple splotches on its skin. ''Can I eat that?'' He wondered, setting it aside and grabbing the next thing. He pulled a black, shrivelled mushroom from his pocket and then a bright red root of some kind. From what he could see, he only grabbed small and edible things. At the time, he had been taking whatever Archie took, so he wasn''t really paying attention to the details. He regretted that now. Finally, he reached the bottom of his pocket and fished out the glowing glass vial. It was full of viscous neon orange liquid. He held the vial tightly in his hands, taking the utmost care not to drop it. Not that it matters if he dropped the vial. It was made from a material stronger than steel, and even if a truck drove over it, the vial wouldn''t break. But still, he wasn''t about to risk his life by trusting what the guy from the black market told him. For all Lan knew, the vial was faulty somehow, which could be why it was sold in the first place. D-rank acid. His acid, in the vial he had brought with him from Earth. Even though it had only been five days since he was running through the sewers, it felt nostalgic in a way. So much had happened in so little time. Acid¡­ Lan lowered the vial and looked beneath him. Everywhere he turned, there was acid. Sure, it wasn''t as strong as D-rank acid, but there was a hell of a lot of it. ''Will it work, though?'' He wondered. His foot still hurt from where it was burned, so he knew the acid was strong. But the tips of the tree''s branches were completely unaffected when dipped into the deadly pool. Lan had figured out roughly how this whole cave thing worked. First, the crypt keeper used its roots to drag prey down into the cave, where they were trapped. Then it allowed the acid in the bottom of the cave to slowly dissolve them. Once in the cave, it was like you were inside the crypt keeper''s stomach. Finally, its branches absorb all the valuable nutrients from the acid. Like massive, twisted straws, they sucked up the essence of the crypt keeper''s prey. ''That means its branches are definitely immune to the acid. But hopefully, the tree works like a snake. A snake''s fangs may be immune to its venom, but if it gets bitten, it will die all the same.'' Thinking like this, Lan was hoping that the tree''s branches were its fangs. While they may be immune to acid, what if the acid got on its roots or trunk¡­ ''Now that I''m thinking about it, there must be a reason the crypt keeper stopped attacking me with its roots. Maybe it''s too scared to send them down here in case it gets acid on them. If that''s the case, this is definitely a weakness I can exploit!'' Lan looked down at the bubbling pool of acid, possibilities appearing as he did so. If he could just get that acid up to the tree somehow¡­ He was suddenly reminded of the way Thea controlled blood. Even though it was a liquid, she could manipulate it however she desired. And then he remembered how the lake water had reacted to him. If he considered the acid a weapon. Why wouldn''t he be able to control it like Thea did? Pausing mid-jump, he changed directing, bounding towards the tallest pile of ants, where Thea was lying unconscious. He arrived in a hurry, his face flushed as he sprinted up the side of the hill of ant corpses. In a flash, he was beside Thea, looking down at her unconscious face. "It''s a good thing I didn''t end up killing her," He muttered. Reaching down, he gently slapped her face, getting no response. Again, he slapped her, a little harder this time. Still no response. Again. Nothing. Again. She stirred a little, her eyes flickering beneath her eyelids. Again, even harder this time. With a gasp, she woke up. Racking coughs tore at her throat, and her eyes were distant and unfocused. ''Is she concussed?'' Lan wondered nervously, trying to get her to look at him. "Thea," He said softly, not wanting to scare her. She looked up, turning her head agonisingly slowly. When she finally made eye contact with him, Lan was sure she was concussed. "Can you tell me how you control blood?" He whispered, trying to mime how she had done it. "Blood?" She mumbled absentmindedly; her words were slightly slurred. Lan nodded eagerly, "Yes, blood. How do you move it?" "I- I just¡­." She trailed off, gesturing vaguely with her hands. "Sorry, but I''m going to need more than that," Lan said softly, patting her shoulder, "Can you do that for me?" Thea nodded, frowning as she tried to think, trying to pick thoughts from the slurry in her mind. "I- with the mana¡­ I just¡­ It all flows together," Lan nodded, repeating that to himself. "Mana, mana, it all flows together¡­ Are you saying I should combine mana with the liquid?" He asked, excitement growing. Scrunching up her brow even more, Thea''s face twisted into an intense frown as she thought over Lan''s words. Finally, her face brightened, and she nodded. "Y-Yesh, that''s it," She slurred. "Brilliant!" Lan exclaimed, almost jumping for joy. He patted Thea on the head and ensured she wasn''t in danger of falling off the pile of ants before running down to the pool. ''I have to see the acid as a weapon and then fill it with my mana... Now that I''m thinking about it, I don''t actually have a huge amount of mana. Maybe I should reach level 6 and put the free points into intelligence before I try this," Changing direction, Lan burst towards the far side of the pool and began slaughtering ants like a farmer reaps wheat. He was so used to the notifications from the system that he could completely tune them out by now, focusing only on the crunch the chitinous armour made. Crunch, crunch, crunch, and then a new sound. A heavenly sound.
Alert: Level up! [5->6]
Lan rushed like a kid opening their present on Christmas day. His fingers blurred as he put all 10 points into intelligence, meaning he now had 240 mana. He wasn''t sure how much mana he needed to do this since he had never really used mana before. But there was a first time for everything. He leant over the edge of the ant he had just killed and slowly placed his hands into the acid, ignoring the sizzling his skin made and the searing pain. With a glance at the ceiling, he found his target and with that, his talent was activated. His talent was like a tyre in the snow, trying to find traction on something, trying to find a way to use a liquid as a weapon. At first, there was no success. The acid slipped through his fingers or ran down his arm, scoring his skin with angry red marks. But when he added mana into the equation, the tyre stopped spinning uselessly. It was like covering the tyre in snow chains, and the car took off. The second he channelled his mana through the water, his talent almost exploded, sending countless inspirations into his mind. From what he could tell, the way he had been channelling mana was all wrong. He needed to send it out in a specific shape, enclosing the acid within a container formed from his mana. Slowly, he lifted his fist out of the acid a rough cube of clear fluid went with the fist. It hovered around his hand like it was solid, but the acid within still moved. It looked like he was holding a glass cube full of water. Except this water would melt steel if they touched.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. He looked at the crypt keeper again and then back at his fist. All he had to do now was get the two to touch. ''Come on, Talent! Let''s do this thing,'' Lan ran towards the centre of the acid pool, an area he had avoided like the plague until now. Hopping from ant to ant, he arrived in no time and not daring to slow down, he sprinted towards the nearest gnarled branch. With a grunt, he jumped towards a branch, his vastly increased strength making him fly through the air like he was jet-propelled. He crashed into the side of a branch, grabbing it and swinging like a monkey to a higher branch. As he climbed up towards the trunk, he felt a weird sense of vertigo. The higher he climbed, the thicker the branches got and the closer the ceiling became. Unfortunately, the crypt keeper was much less passive than the ants, not just sitting and waiting to die. Countless black roots descended from the glowing ceiling, writhing angrily above him. The crypt keeper didn''t dare lower its roots too close to the cave floor for fear of the acid. Instead, it kept them halfway between the ground and the ceiling, an impenetrable barrier between Lan and his target. Lan smirked as he climbed the tree nearing the waving black tentacles. He was in their range in a flash, and they beset him on all sides, lashing like whips down towards him. Swinging through the branches, Lan used the tree''s own body as cover, weaving his way up and between its gnarled limbs. Roots got tangled between the densely packed branches, trying desperately to get through to Lan, who, despite the crypt keeper''s best efforts, refused to stop climbing. Again and again, he swung, and he swung, nearing the tree''s twisted body all the while. Occasionally a root would slam into his legs or a trailing arm, but he ignored the throbbing pain and kept climbing. Finally, he reached the tree''s main body. It was twisted and black, looking like it had been carved from stone. Heaving a sigh of relief, Lan was just glad he managed to make it here before his mana ran out. The cube of acid was wobbling dangerously. It looked as though it could fall apart at any time. As he placed one hand against the trunk and felt the rough bark beneath it, the tree started to scream. Or rather, its flowers began screaming. They were almost entirely open now, on the very verge of blooming and with their petals spread wide, the tiny skulls in their centre started to make the most horrific noise Lan had ever heard. He felt like his ears were getting torn off, and even breathing was difficult as his mind swam like it was trapped in honey. ''I just need to get the acid a bit higher up,'' He told himself, gripping the tree for all he was worth as he weathered attacks from both the roots and flowers. Lan clawed his way up the withered trunk in a superhuman effort of will. By the time he reached the centre, his ears were bleeding, and his teeth were clenched so tight they had almost shattered. But it was too late. He had won. With a scream that almost matched the flowers, Lan smashed his empty hand into the side of the trunk. His fist sank a few inches into the tree''s tough bark before stopping, and searing pain ran up his arm. Then, he pulled out his fist, which dripped with blood and moved the hand coated in acid into the hole. When the acid touched the inside of the tree, it gave off a sizzle like cooked meat. And the tree began to scream and writhe in madness and pain. The roots lashed Lan''s back, but he refused to let go of the trunk. If he fell from here and landed in the acid, he would probably wake up in the entrance hall. Seconds trickled by, and the sizzling intensified in unison with the screaming. The tree began to shake and wobble as though it was trying to escape from the cavern''s roof. And then a thought occurred to Lan, a terrifying thought. ''If it dies, how will I get out of here?'' The cave walls were too steep to climb, and there weren''t any footholds. His stomach churned as he realised he was living on borrowed time. He looked down through the tangled mess of branches and roots at Thea''s helpless figure. Like someone marooned on an island, she sat lonely and afraid, clutching her ears in pain from all the noise. "Shit, shit, shit!" Lan cursed, letting go of the trunk and falling towards the ground. He used branches to catch himself as he fell, descending to the ground at breakneck speed. In a moment, he was back on the heaping pile of ants, reaching out to grab Thea with his hand. It was the same hand he used to punch the tree, and the second he tried to close it around her shoulder, a stabbing pain ran up his arm and assaulted his psyche. "Oh shit, I think it''s broken!" Lan cursed, trying and failing to close the bloody hand. "Is it because my strength is too high?" He hadn''t checked in a while, but after putting so many points into strength, he was pretty sure his endurance wasn''t keeping up. With a grunt, he took off the sash of his robe and tied it around both his and Thea''s waist, praying it would be strong enough to keep her from falling. And then, using his good hand, which was, ironically, the one burned in acid, he climbed back up the tree. The thrashing roots didn''t even bother to attack him as he climbed this time. The crypt keeper seemed to have gone beyond the point of caring. It just flailed and flailed as the hole made from the acid in its trunk gaped wider and wider. The agony from being eaten alive from the inside was driving the monster insane, and it had no time to spare on Lan anymore. His face beat red from the strain; Lan ignored the pain in his burned hand and climbed. It was hard for him to concentrate on which branch to grab next with all the screaming, but somehow, he managed it. Eventually, he reached the trunk again and kept climbing, finally arriving back at the spot being devoured by acid. As he passed by, he lashed a kick at the hole. With the creaking splintering of a rotten floorboard, the trunk cracked, and part of it fell down into the acid, sending a wave of acid out over the remaining ants below. Lan swallowed hard and climbed the rest of the way out into the cavern covered in moss, heaving for breath. By all rights, he should have been exhausted and miserable. The agony in his hands was overwhelming and made even thinking straight a desperate trial. But he couldn''t help smiling when he saw the notification.
Alert: Killed lvl:16 Crypt Keeper - Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference
Alert: Level up! [6->7]
Alert: Title gained: Disciple of David
Lan wasn''t an idiot, so he dragged his exhausted body to the tunnel''s edge before eagerly checking his profile.
Title acquired: Disciple of David.
Description ¨C Levels are nothing but mere decorations to someone of your strength. Just as the weak David slayed the mighty Goliath, you have overcome considerable odds to show equally colossal strength.
Reward: +10 in all stats
Name: Unknown
Title(s): [Punching Up] [Class Of Your Own] [Disciple of David]
Age: 18
Race: Human - G
Class: None
Talent: Weapons are my Weapons - G
Health: 180/477
Mana: 340/340
Level: 7
Strength: 67
Dexterity: 38
Endurance: 44*
Vitality: 29
Mind: 32
Intelligence: 34
Luck: 32
Free Points: 10
Skills: None
He quickly decided to put his remaining 10 free points into endurance, feeling the pain in his broken hand ease from a piercing agony to a dull throb. With a sigh, he felt his new body. It was stronger and more robust than before. His muscles twitched, reacting to his every thought, while his bones were as strong as if he cast from steel. He would have liked to lie in the cavern and rest for a million years, but a single thought gnawed at the back of his mind, settling in his stomach like burning coals. "Archie¡­ You thought it would be this easy to get rid of me?" He muttered, using the wall to support himself as he clambered to his feet. With Thea still strapped to his back, Lan trudged up the now-empty tunnel. Not a single ant remained. He had killed them all. *** George ducked under one of the humanoid ant''s red arms, the pointed barbs on its armoured skin flying over the top of his head. He lashed out, his superhuman speed making his daggers sing as they sailed through the air, flashing silver as they dug into a gap in the royal guard''s armour. It squealed, opening its mouth and sending a stream of sticky, liquid flames coursing from the back of its throat. This was its ability, as George had quickly come to learn. The tubes that pumped fiery red liquid throughout its body carried some sort of liquid flames. When the ruby ant opened its mouth, flames gushed out like a dragon''s breath. The searing fire scorched the ground where George had been standing seconds before. He just barely managed to roll out of the way in time, wishing he had spent more points in dexterity and less in intelligence. The problem was his talent required mana to work, and as such, he placed most of his stat points into intelligence and mind. This resulted in his sonic shockwaves being incredibly powerful, but he was basically crippled inside a cavern. His shockwaves would do more harm than good, possibly even collapsing the cavern down on top of their heads. George suddenly had an idea. If the ruby ant used those tubes to get its fire, what would happen if he cut them? Dashing forward, he swiped out with a dagger, slicing through tubing like butter. Liquid fire spilled down the side of the ant, bubbling like lava when it hit the ground. The ruby ant screamed, breathing a tidal wave of flames a George, who was desperately scrambling backwards and out of its range. It pursued him doggedly, launching wave after wave of fiery breath every time George tried to attack. ''I need to use my ability... if I can just whisper, then maybe it won''t cause too much damage,'' George waited until the next wave of flame crashed down on him, and when he was sure, the ruby ant couldn''t see him anymore. When he was sure he was buried beneath the fire, he opened his mouth and let out the softest of whispers. "Split." If it was anyone else, it would barely have registered as sound at all, but when George spoke, things were different. Like Moses parting the red sea, the fire split down the middle and the ruby ant was flung back like it had been hit by a train. It slammed into the cavern wall, sending cracks shooting along the rock face all the way up to the ceiling that was trembling from the impact. It was like a bomb had gone off in the cavern and while the other three ants were distracted, David and Archie made their moves. David brought his club down on one of the green ant''s wings, producing a sickening crunch as the beautiful butterfly wing was snapped like a twig. While Archie finally managed to find a chink in the armoured ant''s impenetrable defence. His sabre screeched like nails on a chalkboard as it slid into the gap, blue blood gushing out. George didn''t waste the opportunity either, surging forward and cutting another couple of the ruby ant''s tubes. Flames filled the cavern, along with the pained screech of wounded ants that echoed back down the tunnel they had come from. At the bottom of the ant hill, Lan heard the sound and looked up, eyeing the tunnel the noise had come from. While George was undoubtedly having a tough time dealing with ruby ant, David was genuinely struggling. He had to juggle the golden ant and its razor-sharp limbs, as well as the flying ant¡­ Although now it could only flutter helplessly in erratic circles thanks to its wounded wing. All things considered, he was doing a surprisingly good job of it. By keeping the golden ant at a distance, he could avoid its most dangerous attacks while focusing on the flying ant. It was finished as long as he got one good hit on its wings. A strategy that paid off, considering he was now standing over the helpless jade ant, both its wings now crushed. Just as David was about to collect his experience from the wounded ant, the golden one threw itself in the way, losing one of its wickedly sharp arms to David''s merciless club. The giant man pressed forward, not letting the golden ant recover as he crushed another one of its limbs. The problem with this ant was that while dangerous, it didn''t have much in the way of defence. So to be matched up against David was a death sentence. David''s bearded face was solemn as he crushed limb after limb of the terrified creature. He didn''t like doing this, didn''t like killing things, not really. But if he didn''t¡­ If he didn''t level up quick enough, didn''t get enough stat points¡­ His talent would kill him. It was with no joy that he snuffed out the golden ant''s life and levelled up. And when he finally crushed the green ant''s head, he only felt empty in his chest. A gaping hole where his heart should have been. If not for his talent¡­ He might have been an ordinary boy.
Talent: Growing Boy
Ability: The tallest tree weathers the storm and gets the most sunlight. You will never stop growing in both size and strength, always becoming stronger and more outstanding.
Penalty: Your own strength will become dangerous to you, if not managed properly
The only way for David to stall his growth and reinforce his body against his immense strength was to put every stat point he had ever gotten into endurance. He sighed, looking over at George as he finished off the red ant. Every tube had been cut and flames leaked from its ragged body. With a swipe, George''s dagger separated the ant''s head from the rest of it and then walked over to David, nodding at the big man. They both turned to watch as Archie finally managed to sneak his sabre into a gap in the armoured ant''s chest, wrenching the handle of his sabre like a crowbar as he tore through its insides. The black ant dropped, joining the rest of the royal guard in death. Archie looked up, frowning when he noticed both of them were still alive before he quickly tried to hide his expression. He walked over to them, just about to start speaking, when he heard footsteps echoing down the tunnel. They weren''t the clattering steps that ants took but the sound of human feet on rock. Archie froze, mouth wide open as he stared at the tunnel. There were only two other humans in this dungeon. "H-how can they be¡­?" He mumbled, staring into the dark tunnel. His expression was a mix of horror and wonder. "Archie." A voice rasped from the darkness. "You''ve got some explaining to do," Chapter 17 - The Queen Archie felt cold sweat run down his back as he stared down the dark tunnel. The footsteps were getting closer, and the louder they grew, the faster his heartbeat pounded. ''Maybe I can pretend I didn''t know what would happen¡­ No, Lan isn''t stupid. I could try to fight him, make the numbers smaller, but¡­'' Archie looked at George and David. They were watching him the same way a cat watches a mouse, ''The other two would get in the way,'' Tap, tap, tap, the footsteps echoed down the dark tunnel, ringing like explosions in the back of Archie''s mind. ''Should I just come clean? Tell them about the title? But if I do, they''ll just kill me,'' He rubbed his hands together, fidgeting obsessively. ''I''ll have to trade them something of equal value. As long as they don''t get rid of me before I complete the third step, I don''t care about the title,'' Tap, tap, tap, the footsteps were almost in the cavern now, and Archie squinted into the gloom, trying to make out Lan''s figure. Slowly, like he was walking bound in chains, Lan shuffled out of the tunnel. One of his arms hung limply at his side, blood dripping onto the floor in dark red droplets. The other was raw and bright red. It looked like he had been skinned alive. His robe was in tatters, drenched in blue blood with little holes missing where the acid had burned through. His black hair hung over his face limply, making him look like a drowned spectre. He raised his head slowly, his gaze fiery when it settled on Archie, who squirmed uncomfortably. Behind his back, Thea hung limply, slouched over the red band around her and Lan''s waist. The second he stepped into the light, Archie gasped. Somehow, since the last time he had seen Lan, the boy had managed to almost double his stat points, maybe even more than that. He nearly had as many stats as George now, glowing like a bright star in Archie''s eyes. "Listen, Lan," Archie began. "No¡­ I don''t want to hear it," Lan muttered absentmindedly. "Wh-" "Shut up," Lan said quietly, his voice cold. He turned and looked across the cavern finding the jewel-encrusted door on the far side, "Is the queen through there?" He asked. George and David nodded. "Were you two in on it?" They shook their head, looking at each other and then shrugged helplessly. "The little man did not tell us his plans," David boomed. "Look, my plans are necessary-" "I said, shut up." Lan pinched his brow, like just hearing Archie''s voice gave him a migraine. "I am going to ask questions, and you will answer with one word. Got it?" "I just-" "Got. It?" "Yes," Archie nodded meekly. "Did you attempt to get rid of Thea and me?" Archie frowned, looking like he wanted to say more, but in the end, he just sighed and said, "Yes," "Is It because only a certain number of people can get the title?" Lan asked slowly. "No, well, not exactly," Lan frowned, "What do you mean?" "The title we all get is the same as I described to you. It will help everyone pass the third step with no problems. But it isn''t permanent," Archie spoke so fast it was a wonder he didn''t sprain his tongue. David and George frowned, "Isn''t permanent?" David echoed. Archie smirked self-depreciatingly, "Yeah, a title that good, no way multiple people from the same tutorial could keep it," Lan nodded slowly, "I think I get it. Only one of us gets to keep the title, right?" "Yeah," Archie nodded. "And how exactly is that decided?" Lan sounded out each word like he was talking to a deaf person. "We¡­" Archie paused, "We- we have to kill each other. The last one to survive keeps the title," Now it was Lan''s turn to frown. He looked over at David and George. He hadn''t known them for long, but they were nice guys. Killing them and taking their titles might make him feel bad¡­ a little. George and David looked at each other grimly, taking a few steps back. "See, this is why I didn''t tell anyone!" Archie exclaimed, pointing at George and David, "The ant queen is hard enough to kill on a good day, never mind when nobody trusts each other," "I''m pretty sure you are the last person who should be talking about trust," Lan spat. "Sorry¡­" Archie mumbled, looking down at his feet. "Is there anything else we should know before I kill you?" Lan asked coldly. "Yes, I would like to offer you a deal. In exchange for my life and letting me get the title, helping me pass the third step, I will offer information," Lan looked like he had just sucked on a particularly aggressive lemon, "No harm to you, but I''m pretty sure you are one of the people I would least want information from." "What if it''s good information? I''m talking, really good information," "About what?" "The new clear conditions." Lan frowned, "I''m listening," Archie took a deep breath, readying himself. "Okay, for the new clear conditions. To beat the tutorial, we need to kill either the Moon Strider or the Night King," "Are those¡­?" "Yeah, the two big bugs we saw last night," Archie nodded. "And I''m assuming you have more information than that," "Of course I do. My middle name is information, after all," Archie patted his chest confidently, "So, there are two tried and tested routes to complete this task. The first is to just straight up kill one of the two bugs. Some crazy people even manage to kill both. The problem with this route is that it is really fucking hard. The second route is to get the two bugs to attack each other, and then when they are weakened, we swoop in, and bam. The top spot in the tutorial is ours," "The second route sounds right up your alley," Lan added sardonically. Archie gave Lan a knowing look, "I know, right. And it''s this second route that I can help us complete, getting everyone here the top spots in the tutorial," He spread out his hands grandly when he finished speaking. Lan exchanged a long look with David and George, turning back to Archie. "We have a few conditions." "Go ahead," Archie nodded eagerly. "First, tell me what the hell these do," Lan produced a wide assortment of fruits from his pocket. "Oh, those, most of them give a stat point of some kind. However, there are a few that do other things. For example¡­." He pointed at the yellow strawberry, "See that one? It keeps monsters away from you for thirty minutes. It''s like a kind of beast repellent. The only other one that doesn''t give stats is that purplish thing that looks like liquorice. That lets you breathe underwater for four hours," Lan nodded, stashing the fruits back in his pocket before he continued talking. "Second condition. We want your entire plan in writing before you step onto the third step. If at any point you deviate from what is on the written plan, we will immediately kill you. Without hesitation." Lan emphasized the ''immediate'' part. Archie frowned, muttering softly to himself before he raised his head and nodded. "Finally, we want the location of three¡­." Lan looked back at Thea, who was still unconscious, "No, four dungeons," "Four Dungeons! Are you out of your mind!?" Archie yelped "Do you want the title or not?" Lan asked firmly. "I¡­" Archie took a deep breath. "I do." "Same conditions as last time, then. We want those four dungeons'' locations in writing, and we want it before you step onto the third step," "Very well¡­" Archie sighed, deflating like a popped balloon. Lan shook his head, "And we need some insurance. What''s to stop you from killing yourself the second this dungeon ends and running to the third step?" "Ha! Kill myself and lose the title? I don''t think so. I don''t plan on dying until after the third step. By then, it won''t matter," Lan frowned. He didn''t have any way to verify what Archie had just said, but it would be wasteful to kill him right now when leaving him alive for now could earn him so much more. He glanced at George and David, who nodded slowly, "Well. Those are the terms then," Archie let out a deep breath he had been holding and smiled, "Pleasure doing business with you,"A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Shall we get going then?" Lan asked, gesturing at the jewel-encrusted door. He was still furious at Archie, whether or not he had decided to kill him right now. The queen would be an excellent chance to let his anger out. "Ah, should we just get rid of her first?" Archie pointed at Thea, who was still unconscious, lying sprawled against one of the precious pillars. Lan frowned, not because he was angry at Archie for suggesting it, he considered the very same thing himself. But he did owe Thea his life. If she hadn''t taught him how to control acid, he might still be trapped under the Crypt Keeper, waiting to dissolve into a puddle. Finally, he shook his head, "Nah, let her get the title. She''s been through a lot," Archie laughed harshly, "Hah! Your loss. That girl is harder to deal with than you''ve realised," "And that will be my problem when the time comes," Lan snapped. He didn''t want to hear Archie''s voice again, so he started striding towards the jewel-encrusted doorway. George and David followed close behind, leaving Archie behind in the cavern. His fists were clenched as he stared up at the golden moss on the ceiling. Finally, he took another deep breath and followed them, disappearing into a gaping tunnel. *** The queen watched her children die in the thousands; their blood painted her home. The home she had spent hundreds of years carving from the rock. Rock so hard that her claws bled while she dug. She watched them die, treated like playthings, like accessories. To the invaders, they were nothing but obstacles to overcome. Next came her beloved royal guards. She granted each one an ability that made them kings among the ants. She loved them with all her heart but could only helplessly watch as the invaders slaughtered her beloved children. Finally, there was her. Trapped in the throne room for all eternity. She could not leave until the invaders opened the door. Which should be soon, from the looks of things. Considering all this, you might think the queen was sad. Maybe she was¡­ Once. She used to despair at their deaths, wept tears of bloody rage and brought down righteous vengeance on the invaders. But that was then. That was¡­ Well¡­ She didn''t know how long ago. It had been so long she had lost count of the number of years that had passed, the number of times she died. It was all the same anyway. The queen didn''t care anymore. The invaders would come. They would kill her and leave. And then she would be awake again, trapped in this room. Forever. In the past, she had tried lying down and letting the invaders kill her. Just so that it would be over quicker. But the system wouldn''t allow that¡­ The bridge wouldn''t allow that. Now, she was little more than a puppet that moved on unseen strings. And as the door to her beautiful prison slid open, the strings began to move, jolting her upright. *** The corridor to the royal bed-chamber had been short and magnificent. Every imaginable gemstone and rare mineral could be found on the golden walls of the tunnel. And at the end stood a mighty door hewn from marble. In front of the door, a system message hovered lazily. Floating like a leaf on a gentle spring breeze. It read. Welcome! To access the boss room, touch the door with all living team members'' hands. They followed the instructions, placing one hand each on the door. For Thea, Lan had to prop her up against the door, her hand limply brushing against the smooth, cold marble. With a low rumble, the marble door began to sink. As slowly as a turning ship, the door sank into the ground, revealing the bed chamber piece by piece. The first thing they saw was the chandelier. Each piece was made of raw gemstones of every imaginable colour. As though someone had crystallised a rainbow and hung it on the cavern ceiling. Above the chandelier, the familiar golden moss glowed, sending holy light through the multicoloured gems. Next was the top of the throne. It was pristine white, made from some sort of see-through gemstone. Like a solid chunk of cloud had been turned into glass. At perfect intervals on the throne, purple gemstones inlaid with gold stuck out, creating a pattern that resembled a crown. The walls of the cavern were black and reflective. Along with every other piece of it, they were opulent and extravagant. But Lan supposed this was similar to building a log cabin in a forest. To someone in a desert, a log cabin would be extravagant. How could somebody waste so much wood on a mere house? The same thing probably applied here. Gemstones were rare above ground, sure, but beneath the earth? Maybe it wasn''t such an extravagant thing down here. Sitting on the throne was a creature that could be best described as grotesque. Its thorax was bulbous and huge, dwarfing the rest of its goliath body. On its head, eight thin pieces of diamond were stabbed through its scalp. Arranged much like the sections on a crown. "Guys, to kill her, we need to push those diamonds down into her head," Archie whispered. Receiving a muttered affirmation from Lan and David. Instead of mandibles, it had a humanoid mouth, the lips of which were blood red. Around its neck was what looked like a rich velvet robe, swooping down the things back. Each humanoid arm was a different colour. One ruby red, the other jade green, then rich gold and pitch black. "Aren''t the arms the same colour as those pillars?" Lan whispered. "Not just the pillars, the royal guards were the same. Look at its arms closer, and you''ll see the correlation. The red one shoots out fire, the black one has a shield, the yellow arm has a scythe, and the green arm has that strange cannon thing that shoots out air," Archie whispered back. Lan nodded, remembering to keep track of the red and yellow arms with special care. He was still pretty wounded and didn''t want to end up dying from a single, stray blow. As the door was almost lowered, a thought struck Lan, "Shit, I don''t have a weapon!" He cursed. "What?" Archie yelped, glancing nervously at the marble door that was almost entirely lowered. "Hold on, I''ll be back in a second," Lan shouted, running back up the tunnel towards the royal guards. Archie stared wide-eyed at the almost lowered door, regretting that he had invited Lan. If that guy hadn''t survived¡­ He shook his head. There was no use thinking over what might have been. Instead, he focused on the giant insect that looked like it was ready and able to swallow him whole. Its eyes were murky and distant, just like he had been told they would be. But what came next¡­ Well, he had a hard time believing it would go exactly like his dad had said. ''I mean, it makes no sense for an intelligent creature to attack in the exact same pattern every single time.'' Still, he would give it a try. Turning to David, he pointed at the golden arm, "Can you take that arm? You should already know how to deal with it, right?" David nodded affirmatively. "And George, can you deal with the fire arm? Just try not to hit any of us in those sound blasts if you are going to use one," George nodded that he understood and clenched the daggers tightly in his hands. "I''ll take the black arm and Lan¡­." Archie turned and looked back down the tunnel. He could hear footsteps getting closer. "Lan can deal with the green arm!" He shouted, loud enough for Lan to hear him. They left Thea by the door and sprinted into the room, hopping over the still-opening door. The second their feet touched the ground of the royal bed-chamber, the queen lurched from her throne like a puppet on strings. Her head snapped to look at them¡­ or at least, it looked like she was looking at them. Her eyes were vacant and unseeing, but they were definitely turned in their direction. Lan burst into the throne room, holding two golden scythes he had ripped from the royal guard''s body. Archie gave him a weird look but didn''t comment on it. He was too busy moving towards the black arm. Lan ran across the room, sprinting towards the green arm as the queen extracted her massive body from the throne. She was as big as a bus, and the ground trembled when her massive bulk settled on it. They split into groups of two. Lan and George went round one side, where the green and red arms were. While David and Archie went to the other side, immediately hacking at their respective targets. Lan threw himself recklessly at the green arm. He had tied the sash around his broken hand, strapping the golden scythe to his palm. The other hand was burned badly, but it could just barely hold its scythe without the strap, so he left it be. The royal bed chamber was bare. Nothing except the throne marred its abundant beauty. A week ago, Lan would have been salivating over all this wealth in one place, but now, he had loftier sights. His gaze was set higher at the end of the bridge. And it all started with this title. The green arm lifted up and began to glow. To call it an arm is possibly stretching the definition of that word. It was long and thin and, up to about halfway, looked like a larger version of a typical ant''s limb. But the second half, the half that was currently pointed at Lan, was hollow and wide, shaped like a bazooka. He could see straight through the centre of the arm, but only darkness lay there. "Duck!" Archie shouted from the other side of the ant. Lan glanced at the raised arm and threw himself to the ground. A sonic boom ripped across the cavern, and the wall behind Lan splintered like it had been hit by a cannonball. "Holy shit!" Lan blurted, scrambling to his feet and running towards the queen. The green arm was still glowing but much less than before. Clearly, it needed some time to recharge. Next, the red arm spewed fire, blanketing the cavern floor and forcing George and Lan to leap onto the queen''s huge body to dodge the blaze. As David and Archie clashed with the other two arms, Lan and George scurried over the queen''s back, rushing towards her head. The queen reared up on her hind legs, trying to buck them from her back as they scrambled up the last section of her head. Lan was almost thrown off and had to stab the two golden scythes into a gap in her armour, clinging to them as she tried to dislodge him. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Lan used the scythes like a rock climber, hacking his way up her back. George did the same thing to his left with his daggers, and they arrived at her head in no time. Both of them grabbed one of the diamonds and, with a grunt, shoved it into her head. The queen thrashed wildly, throwing George off her back. But Lan managed to hook a scythe under her cloak, clinging on as she squirmed and writhed. With a guttural roar, Lan hauled himself back up the side of her neck and stabbed his scythe into one of her eyes, the force ripping it out of his injured hand. What made Lan uncomfortable was that she hadn''t made any noise yet. Even when the tip of his scythe gouged out her eye, she didn''t react¡­ at least not audibly. With a grunt, he reached her head again and, this time, used both hands to drive two diamonds through her scalp, leaving only half remaining. He was expecting an outburst as the queen writhed in agony. Or something along those lines. But she was still, eerily still. He froze on top of her head, turning to see what was happening. She wasn''t attacking anyone. Instead, she held up the golden scythe Lan had stabbed into her eye. As she examined it, her humanoid mouth twisted into a vicious snarl. "Is this my child''s arm?" She hissed. Her voice was raspy and inhuman, like that of a forty-year smoker. Lan felt impending doom wash over him and hurriedly stabbed two more diamonds through her scalp, but she didn''t react, staring transfixed at the arm in her hands. Suddenly, she screamed, "You would use my own child''s arm to kill me¡­?" Her voice was like gods'' judgement as she rose on her back legs flinging Lan from her back. What Lan had first thought was a purple cloak on her back unfurled, forming a cocoon as it wrapped around her. "What the fuck is happening?" Lan shouted. "It''s not good!" Archie yelled over the din, "She''s not supposed to do this," "What do you mean not supposed to do this!?" Lan screamed. "The queen always does the same things every single time. I''ve never heard of her using the cloak." Lan looked like he wanted to strangle Archie, "Well, what does the cloak do!?" "I-I have no idea," Archie said lamely. Lan glanced at the hovering cocoon that had risen to the height of the chandelier, wrapping the glowing rainbow in its purple cloak. Rainbow light glowed from within the cocoon, and Lan gradually began to feel uneasy. "I don''t think this will end well¡­." He muttered, looking up at the glowing cocoon. "Do we have anything that could kill her!?" Lan yelled. Archie glanced at George, "I¡­ George might be able to. But it''s the last resort. If he makes his move, we are all as good as dead," "I don''t care! If it comes to that, it is what it is," Lan replied, clenching the single scythe strapped in his broken hand. Up above them, the cocoon began to unfurl. A figure far smaller than before stepped out. She was humanoid with a disgusting face that crossed the boundaries between insects and humans. Her body was one sleek piece of purple armour with no visible gaps; instead of four arms, she had two. One blazing red, the other a greenish gold. Within the greenish-gold arm was what looked like a harpoon. "Shit!" Archie swore, "Take cover!" Behind the queen''s back, black wings unfurled, and she divebombed towards them, raining down fire from her arm. The room was bathed in blazing flames, the air choking any stupid enough to breathe it. She zeroed in on Lan, plummeting down towards him like a flaming meteor. Lan felt scorching heat rush towards him and lunged backwards, just barely dodging the sweeping attack. Pivoting in mid-air, the queen spun and fired the harpoon from her arm. It spiralled through the air, propelled by the sonic boom that shattered the ceiling above. The harpoon lodged between Lan''s legs, and he gasped as blazing fire rushed towards him in a seemingly endless cascade of burning fury. "Split", whispered George. A whisper that would silence the world. Like the rumble of thunder crashing against a hurricane, George''s soundwave smashed into the ball of fire, creating an ear-splitting explosion. In the distance, Thea moaned, covering her ears against the thunderous cacophony. She half stumbled, half ran down the tunnel and away from the fight. Lan caught George as he was blown back by the blast, and both of them sprawled across the ground, landing in a heap on the other side of the room. But the queen seemed unaffected by the explosion. She pursued them furiously, ignoring David''s club that glanced against her wings and brushing past Archie, who tried to catch her with his sabre. She was laser focused as she bore down on Lan and George, blazing fire trailing behind her like the tail of a meteorite. "George¡­" Lan muttered. It was hopeless. They had realised that after the first exchange. George looked apprehensive but seeing the queen almost on top of them and knowing they would be dead if she got too close, he had no choice. "NOOO!" Archie screamed desperately. "BE. GONE." George screamed with everything he had. And the ceiling above shattered like brittle glass. Boulders of gold and mountains of gemstones raining down on them. Buried beneath inestimable wealth, Lan heard a faint ding and couldn''t help grinning as the earth collapsed on top of him. Chapter 18 - Chase The earth folded in on itself, sending countless tonnes of crushing rock and gemstones down towards Lan. George had been blown back by the impact of his own shout, buried beneath a different pile of rock. The golden glow from the moss disappeared as the cavern lost its ceiling, and darkness overwhelmed Lan as he was smothered beneath the ground.
Alert Killed lvl:24 Ant Queen ¨C Experience gained (Bonus due to Level difference)
Alert: Level up! [7->8]
Alert: Level up! [8->9]
Alert: Dungeon completed.
Reward: Title ¨C Epiphany (Temporary)
Description: Genius is not born but made.
Effect: The chance of experiencing an epiphany increases drastically.
Clause 1: Title becomes permanent when only one pathfinder remains to carry it. (1 of 5)
Clause 2: Loss of title on death.
As Lan was being buried alive, he couldn''t help grinning. He had levelled up twice and was probably close to level 10, judging from just how strong the ant queen was and how much exp he should have gotten from her. Without too much thought, he stuck his now 20 free points into dexterity and vitality at a ratio of 1:1 He felt his bruised wrist and broken fist healing exponentially faster as his vitality increased. His head cleared, and the fog of pain lifted. For now, he was alive, he had been beside the wall when the cavern collapsed, and the debris was big enough that it had formed a barrier above his head. One huge boulder of gold was wedged between the floor and the wall, protecting him from most of the falling debris. But that was temporary. He needed a way out and fast. The shattered room was creaking and groaning as rocks ground against each other, shifting as they slowly collapsed in on themselves. ''I need to make it to the exit,'' Lan grabbed the golden scythe and began to crawl. He was once again grateful for his slender frame as he slipped between tiny gaps in fallen boulders and the jagged edges of shattered crystals. If it were David in his shoes, he wouldn''t have been able to go anywhere. ''I wonder if David survived?'' Lan was about to shout and call out to the big man but thought better of it. One big noise could cause the tense equilibrium in the room to crumble. ''The title says 1 of 5, so everyone else must still be alive one way or another. And that bastard Archie! Shit, I need to get out of here as quick as possible to stop him from getting to the third step. If he gets there before me, I''ll have no leverage on him anymore,'' This realisation spurred Lan on as he scraped his belly against sharp rocks jutting out from the cracked floor. With his jaw set tight and his hands bloody and raw, he finally managed to claw his way out of the collapsed room, finding a trail of blood leading down the corridor. ''It''s fresh,'' Lan recognised. ''It can''t be more than a few minutes old. Maybe I can still catch him,'' When the cavern had collapsed, Archie had been nearest the exit, and Lan was confident Archie was the only person who could have gotten out of there before he did. His knees were scraped, bleeding as he scrambled to his feet. The crawling had only made his hand throb with more intense pain, and his legs felt like jelly. But whoever had gotten out of here before him was bleeding quite badly. And Lan would catch the bastard. He just had to. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he followed the trail of blood down the splendorous tunnel and out into the royal guards'' chambers. He didn''t pause as he half staggered, half ran through the chamber, stumbling his way out through the winding tunnel that led out of the hive. Each step was excruciating but also rewarding. The blood was getting fresher. He could feel it in his bones. Archie was getting closer; the gap was closing. The oppressing tunnel ended, and he was once again at the peak of the sprawling hive. Now that cavern was empty, and the ants all dead, it felt apocalyptic. It was similar to walking city streets in the dead of night. There should be people there, and the fact that there weren''t was unsettling. Wrong even. He scanned down the side of the hive, following the faint bloody trail to the foot of the hill. There it suddenly turned to the right and disappeared down one of the indistinguishable tunnels. Lan grunted, picking up the pace as he ran down the side of the hive and into the tunnel. For whatever reason, this tunnel had no moss in it. It was entirely dark. Only the faint golden glow from the cavern behind offered a feeble light source. Because of this, Lan was forced to slow down in case he tripped on a hidden rock or worse. Who knew what lay in the darkness? At best, there could be monsters like the crypt keeper down here. At worst, Archie would kill him, and he would die hearing the smug bastard laughing. For what felt like an eternity, he stumbled through the dark, catching his clumsy feet on hidden rocks and banging his elbows on the increasingly narrow tunnel walls. After a while, he lost all sense of direction and just kept travelling forward, wherever that was. But there was one thing he sensed clearly. The tunnel was going up. Not steeply, but it was rising. Suddenly, in the stillness, Lan heard two faint noises. The first and loudest was shuffling footsteps. They were irregular and hurried as feet dragged across the pitch-black tunnel floor. The second sound was the rush of running water. The further he travelled, the louder water grew. Blossoming from a quiet trickle into a roar that drowned out the footsteps. ''I''m so close!'' Lan dug deep and pressed forward, feeling the tunnel walls narrow as he did so. As the water grew louder, he felt a faint cooling mist blow against his face. And then, just up ahead, he saw light. The water was glowing, or rather the things in the water were glowing. Countless luminous jellyfish glided through the rushing water, illuminating a faint stretch of the tunnel. Just up ahead, a hunched silhouette paused at the lip of the rushing water. "Archie!" Lan shouted. The figure''s head whipped around. Archie''s face was bruised, with a deep gash running from his forehead to the bottom of his chin. One of his feet was mangled beyond repair, blood dripping from it onto the floor. Without responding, Archie thrust his hand into his pocket, grabbing something small and stuffing it into his mouth. Then he turned around and threw himself into the water, getting whisked away by the violent current. "Fucks sake!" Lan cursed, stumbling to the edge of the underground river. The roaring waters seemed to rush upwards, although he had no idea where it led. But he wasn''t about to let Archie get away after all this. He wanted those four dungeons and needed that asshole''s plan to top the tutorial. Staring down into the glowing waters, Lan realised something. He reached into the pocket of his robe and grabbed a fruit. It was the same fruit Archie had said would let him breathe underwater. The same fruit Archie had grabbed from the treasury. ''Was he planning this all along?'' Lan popped it into his mouth and swallowed. And then, without another pause or time to talk himself out of it. He jumped. Swallowed whole by the current. *** The day previously: Rachel Rachel arrived at their meeting point feeling anxious. Although that was nothing strange. She always felt anxious, nervous, confused, or scared¡­ Or maybe even a wonderful concoction of them all at once. She was standing beside the western edge of the barrier, or what was left of the barrier anyway. The battle against the beast wave had been so drawn out, and lasted so long, that almost nothing remained of the barricade. A few snapped sticks and pieces of splintered wood were all that remained. She shifted on her feet uncomfortably. For her, the beast wave had gone incredibly well, all things considered. Since she hadn''t bothered striking, there were plenty of beasts to kill and even more experience to be had. Honestly, she wouldn''t be surprised if she ended up relatively high on the point leader board. Plenty of pathfinders had given her dirty looks for fighting back, but they always did that. And she was used to those looks. She wasn''t about to let someone else''s opinion stop her from surviving. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. After waiting for about five minutes, Morgan arrived. They wore a robe that didn''t fit quite right and seemed even more diminutive than when Rachel had last seen them. "Hi," Morgan raised a pale hand in greeting. Hi, Rachel replied. She had been getting better at communicating telepathically recently. Now it wouldn''t sound like she was screaming directly into their mind. "Were you waiting long?" Morgan asked, walking past Rachel and beyond the ruined barricade. Rachel couldn''t respond since Morgan had to be looking into her eyes for the telepathy to work. Eventually, Morgan turned around, and she explained how her talent worked. "Ah, I see," Morgan nodded slowly, "Penalties are a bitch," Rachel nodded in agreement. Amen. Morgan gestured for her to follow, and so she did. Out past the barricade and around the perimeter of the city. "I''m sure you''ve been wondering what this meeting is all about," Yes, I¡­ I''m not exactly sure why you needed me, of all people. "Well, first of all, Lan trusts you and Lan doesn''t trust many people, so you must be alright. Second of all, I need someone to help me with a ''heist'' of sorts," Heist¡­ "To make a long story short, I have been working as a scout for a big party over the last few days. Recently I overheard our party leader talking with her closest confident about a hidden dungeon that they would be raiding tonight," Rachel''s eyes widened as she leaned closer to Morgan, hanging on to their every word. "I''m sure you know just how valuable an opportunity this hidden dungeon is, so I won''t explain it to you. But from what I''ve been able to gather, it is a two-person dungeon. That is why the party leader only told her right-hand man," Do you mean for you and me to challenge the dungeon? "I do indeed. Sure, I will probably get kicked out of the group, but who cares. There will always be another group, and if this dungeon gets me a decent title, I can aim even higher next time," Rachel took a deep breath, processing everything as she reappraised Morgan. At first, they seemed, for lack of a better word, meek. And even though she had just witnessed their ambition first-hand, she couldn''t really change that image of them in her head. The two sides of Morgan just weren''t clicking together. Where is the dungeon? Morgan scratched their shaved head awkwardly, "That¡­ I don''t exactly know. All I know is that they are going there tonight. And since it''s at night-time, they must be passing along the road." True, nobody would be crazy enough to walk through the forest when all the night drones are out. "Exactly, so we will stake out their house and follow them to the pot of gold. Easy as that," Rachel felt her heartbeat accelerate as the thought of going to an actual dungeon became possible. She had never in a million years dreamt something like this would happen. But here she was, sneaking along the city''s edge towards a brighter future. Morgan led her through a gap in the barricade and between partially destroyed houses on the city''s outskirts. They finally arrived at the inner city, where a modestly large house stood on a street corner. Morgan dragged Rachel into a nearby alleyway, and they lay there, waiting for their targets to leave. The streets of the town were quiet during the night. Most people were either sleeping or trying their luck at the sheer steps. There hadn''t been any massacres there yet, but soon¡­ The riots would start. As the pressure mounted on those who had yet to climb even the first step, they would be increasingly desperate. In class, Rachel learned that this desperation was the most common cause of an entire tutorial failing. If too many pathfinders gave up on defending the town against beast waves and focused only on the sheer steps, then there was cause for alarm. Even today, some houses on the city''s outskirts were severely damaged thanks to beasts that snuck through the ruined barricade. If not for the Prince taking control¡­ Rachel shuddered to think what would have happened. She didn''t mind the quiet streets at night, though. It was peaceful, comforting even. The knowledge that no one could see her face or how much of a freak she was, was freeing. "So, how did you meet Lan?" Morgan gossiped. Rachel shrugged. He just came up to me and started chatting, I guess. "Really?" Morgan raised their pale eyebrows, "That doesn''t sound like Lan¡­ I wonder if he''s okay," Frowning, Rachel tried to think over Lan''s emotions that night. She didn''t like to read too deeply since it felt like an invasion of privacy, but that night, he had seemed a little¡­ lost. "What academy are you from, then?" Morgan asked. The King''s Thumb. Rachel replied begrudgingly. She wasn''t a massive fan of her academy. "Oh sweet, so you''re a God-hand academy as well. I mean, I know most academies are, except for the really elite ones, but it''s still cool," What about you? "Oh me? I went to the crimson knuckle. Not the best place, as I''m sure you''ve heard. They are very harsh when it comes to¡­ Human life," Rachel shuddered; she had heard bad things about that school. Although hers wasn''t much better. It was just bad in a different way. The bullying in her school had been so severe she was forced to take private classes. But in the end, that only left her isolated and with a stutter. Do you ever wish you could have just been a normal person without any powers or anything? Rachel asked. It had been a thought on her mind for a while now. "No," Morgan replied without a hint of doubt, their gaze distant. The door to the house across the street opened just before Rachel could respond. Out walked two figures, both of whom Lan would recognise if he were here. One was a tall girl with black hair tied into a ponytail. Sarah. The other was the huge, brooding man that Lan had bumped into at the food stall the other morning. Luke. "Let''s go," Morgan whispered, ushering Rachel forward. "Oh, and if you need to talk to me, just tap my shoulder, and I''ll turn around, okay?" Rachel nodded, following after Morgan. As they snuck through the quiet night streets after the pair, Rachel felt like she was alone. It was almost like Morgan wasn''t even there. Their presence was so weak and unnoticeable that she overlooked it entirely. Even when Morgan was right in front of her, and she knew they were there, she almost forgot about them. They followed Luke and Sarah out of the city and along the glowing path headed towards the sheer steps. Rachel tapped Morgan on the shoulder. What if they are just going to the steps? "They won''t," Morgan replied with unerring confidence. It was slow going, as Sarah kept checking behind her every few hundred metres to ensure they weren''t being followed. Luckily, they were holding a large enough distance between each other that she hadn''t noticed them yet. "Would she keep checking behind her if she was just going to the sheer steps?" Morgan whispered. Rachel nodded; they had a point. Luke and Sarah walked along the path, and about halfway to the sheer steps, they stepped off into a gap in the shrubbery. Morgan sped up, running the rest of the distance to where the pair had disappeared. Poking around in the undergrowth, Morgan found footsteps leading off into the forest. Feeling apprehensive, Rachel gritted her teeth and followed Morgan through the trees. In the distance, they could hear a faint chirping, but it wasn''t close enough yet to be of any concern. Branches and vines tugged at her robe as she tiptoed through the forest, listening out for any signs of the other pair. They couldn''t be going too far into the forest. Otherwise, the bugs would get them. So they must be nearby. Morgan took the lead, crouching low to the ground and following the footsteps through the forest like an expert hunter. They led Rachel down into a short ditch and then along the bottom towards a distant tree on the side of a hill. Beneath the tree, Luke and Sarah stood in solemn silence. Morgan froze, and Rachel followed suit. They both stood quietly in the ditch, listening intently for whatever conversation the pair were having. "Which branch is it?" Sarah whispered, her voice carrying across the still night air. "Didn''t you say it was one of the bottom ones?" Luke asked, bending down and examining the thicker limbs at the bottom of the tree. Morgan turned to look at Rachel, "They''ve found it," Should we go now? Rachel asked nervously. Turning back to look at the pair pulling on the tree''s lower branches, Morgan nodded. "I''ll take the guy; you take the girl. How does that sound?" "Hey, what was that?" Sarah whispered, turning to look in Morgan''s direction. Morgan stood up slowly, shaking as they walked towards the pair beneath the tree. "Oh, it''s only you, Morgan," Sarah sighed in relief, the tension rushing out of her. Still in the ditch, Rachel was stunned. Why were they so calm? Morgan had followed them into the forest in the middle of the night, and they didn''t exactly sound worried. "I got lost," Morgan whispered, their whole body shaking like a leaf. No way they''ll buy that. Rachel couldn''t believe what she was hearing. "Why doesn''t that surprise me?" Sarah laughed, her guard completely dropping as Morgan walked past her towards Luke. "Now, Rachel," Morgan stuttered in that same frightened tone. "Rachel? Who''s Rachel?" Sarah asked, her expression twisted into confusion that didn''t change when Morgan produced a knife from the folds of their robe and drew it across Luke''s throat. "Morgan! Why did you do that?" Sarah shouted, like a confused mother scolding her child. Luke''s body dropped limply to the ground in a heap, disappearing in motes of red light that were whisked away by unseen winds. Rachel burst from the ditch, rushing towards Sarah. "Hey, you! What are you doing here!?" Sarah shouted even louder than when Morgan had killed her companion. ''What the hell is wrong with this woman?'' Rachel wondered as she ran into range. She was holding her longsword in both hands and staring intently at Sarah. Their eyes met in the forest''s gloom; by then, it was all over. Rachel sent what she liked to call an ''overload'' directly into Sarah''s brain. It was a culmination of thousands of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that completely overwhelmed the target''s brain for a brief moment. From her testing with Lan, she had learned that the higher her target''s mind stat, the less effective this psychic attack was. Clearly, Sarah''s mind stat was not particularly high. She doubled over, throwing up. And wasn''t even able to stand upright before Rachel''s sword was buried in her neck. Morgan whistled appreciatively, walking up towards the tree and fiddling with the branches. "You''re better than I thought," Thank you, Rachel fidgeted awkwardly, allowing herself to smile a little. After fiddling with the branches for a couple minutes, Morgan finally found the one they had been looking for. It was identical to all the others. Only this one could be twisted. It turned with a satisfying click, and a tunnel suddenly formed in the ground beside the tree. Steep earthen steps descended into unknown depths. Rachel fished about in the dead pair''s belongings, finding a red flare. She struck it against the tree''s bark, producing an orange glow as the flare spluttered into life. Morgan looked down the endless stairs and back at Rachel, "Shall we?" Rachel nodded nervously. We''ve come this far. "True, let''s get going then," Morgan took their first step down the stairs and quickly disappeared into the darkness below. Following quickly behind, Rachel couldn''t help feeling excited as she descended the steps. The steps ended almost as soon as they had begun, stopping surprisingly shallowly and turning into a tunnel that sloped gently upwards. For almost an hour, Morgan and Rachel travelled through the tunnel. It was cold and damp, the earth pressing down around them on all sides. By the time they eventually reached the surface, Rachel was so grateful she didn''t even bother to check her surroundings. Gulping in lungfuls of fresh air. She looked up at the bare night sky, where a brilliant moon sparkled¡­ "M-Moon?" She stuttered, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. "Moon?" Morgan turned to where she was looking and froze. "You don''t think?" Rachel felt a sinking feeling in her gut. She really didn''t want the upgraded difficulty tutorial. That only benefited the truly elite. Beside the new moon, two huge shadows clashed against each other, one sending the other crashing into the forest floor. "Oh no," Was all Morgan could think to say.
Alert: Moon Strider awakened.
The conditions to pass the tutorial have been changed accordingly.
Time limit: 30 days -> 15 days
Difficulty increased
Rewards doubled
See the leaderboard for more details...
"Shit!" Morgan cursed, kicking the ground, gouging a furrow in the grass. Rachel shook her head and sighed. This tutorial had just gotten a lot harder, which only made the dungeon they were standing outside all the more precious. Come on, we should hurry and try to complete this while we still have time. Rachel encouraged Morgan, as much for herself as it was for them. Morgan nodded, shaking their head angrily. "When I get my hands on whichever asshole did this¡­." Rachel ignored the empty threat and looked around. The whole tutorial seemed to be below them. They were standing on the cusp of what looked like a Colosseum. It was hollowed out from the peak of a hill too steep to climb. In the centre, an arena stained with dried blood waited for them. They had arrived on the cusp of the hill beside the entrance, and after Morgan had finished cursing Archie (Although he didn''t know it was Archie at the time), they entered the arena. It was so spacious it was overwhelming. And since they had no idea what to do or where to go. Eventually, they decided to make their way to the centre of the arena. "I don''t like the look of this," Morgan muttered. Rachel nodded, following timidly behind them towards the centre, where a floating notification hovered in the brand-new moonlight.
Alert: Dungeon Trial - Freedom fighter
Challenge - Clear as many waves as you are able
Time limit - 5 days
Reward - Granted upon the number of waves cleared
Participants (0/2)
Touch the screen to enter.
After a final nod of agreement, Morgan and Rachel reached out simultaneously, touching the glowing box and flowing into it like streams of data. When they woke up again, they were inside an ancient gladiatorial arena. The crowd roared in bloodthirsty anticipation, and a vast gate was slowly opening on the opposite side of the arena. From within, snarls and strangled screeches could be heard, silencing even the most passionate of the crowd. With bated breath, Rachel watched as the first of many monsters emerged from that gate. Chapter 19 - Clear Conditions Lan felt like he was being flushed down a toilet, or maybe he was being flushed up a toilet? He wasn''t too sure what the hell was going on as the current dragged him through an endless expanse of twisting tunnels.'' It was serenely beautiful in its own way. The glowing jellyfish twisted and writhed within the stream, pulsating in an ethereal array of blues, purples and dark reds. But perhaps the strangest feeling was that of breathing underwater. He didn''t inhale water, per se. Whatever fruit he ate didn''t suddenly make his lungs capable of breathing water. Instead, he extracted the oxygen directly from the water through his skin. The fruit simply eliminated the need to breathe altogether. It was calming as he drifted like a log on a stream, lying back and allowing the current to carry him after the little bastard. However brief, having a moment to relax was a gift in times like these. For he knew the second he arrived in the land above, he would have to get right back to fighting and killing. Only now, he couldn''t afford to die. Not once. He had been seriously considering killing himself so that he would just respawn with a healed hand, but if he did that. The title would be gone. The title that he had come to realise was infinitely more valuable than his first impression of it. For everyone else, an increased number of epiphanies would be invaluable, sure. But with the way Lan''s talent worked, something that made his inspirations more frequent would vastly increase its effectiveness. ''What are my options?'' Lan wondered, taking the time to think everything over. ''I can focus on trying to kill the others, then I won''t have to worry about dying. But¡­ after seeing George''s ridiculous strength, do I think I could actually kill him? No. Never mind David and Thea, whose strengths I don''t fully understand yet. Right now, my best option is to get the skills from the third step, which should make me stronger. Then, I reach level 10, get a class and vastly increase my strength. From there, I should focus on the steps and whatever Archie''s schemes are.'' Lan certainly hadn''t forgotten about Archie. No, far from it. He was just up ahead, and when this little water slide ended, Lan would be on him like a tonne of bricks. For how long he floated, Lan wasn''t sure. But the general trend was upward. He was gradually nearing the surface, and his best guess was that he would surface around the crafters'' town since that was beside the ocean. ''Hm¡­ since there aren''t going to be beast waves anymore, will I still be able to access the steps as easily?'' A thought struck Lan. ''Hopefully, fewer people will be attempting the higher steps, making it easier to get a spot. If not¡­ I can do a little cleaning," The tunnel took a sudden, sharp turn upwards and narrowed down drastically. Lan felt like he was getting squeezed inside the barrel of a canon as pressure built up around him. He accelerated rapidly, the water building up behind him and blasting him out of the tunnel. He shot into the open ocean and continued barrelling upwards, firing out of the water''s surface and skidding across the waves like a skipping stone. After almost ten seconds of this, Lan began to slow down as he neared a pristine sandy beach surrounded by towering cliffs that¡­ If he wasn''t mistaken, Archie was in the midst of climbing. "Archie!" Lan screamed, swimming rapidly to the shore and running up to the side of the cliff. Looking straight up, he watched as the boy struggled to climb, his mangled foot holding him down like a leaden anchor. The boy looked down, and his already pale face went sheet white. "Shit," He cursed, clenching his teeth as he looked up at how much further he still had to climb. Lan began scaling the wall rapidly, his experience climbing up the inside of the volcano helping immensely as he jumped from foothold to foothold. "Oi! I''m going to catch you, and when I do, you''re going to give me what I''m owed!" Lan bellowed, blurring up the side of the cliff. "No, you''re not. And no, I won''t," Archie snapped back, taking out his sword and using it like a pick. He drove it into the rockface and began hacking his way up the side of the cliff. "Two can play at that game," Lan muttered, using the scythe to haul himself up the cliff at blinding speed. The cliff was huge, sure, but the people climbing it were barely human at this point. They were unbelievably strong, and their reactions were superhuman. In barely half a minute, they were neck and neck, nearing the top. "Get the fuck away!" Archie cursed, hacking off a chunk of rock and throwing it down at Lan. Lan batted it away with the scythe and dragged himself another few metres higher, grinning like a madman as he neared Archie. "Jesus Christ, will you just stop running away, man. Why can''t you just hold your end of a bargain!?" Lan swore. "Wait¡­ Is that your penalty or something?" "Nah, I''m just a selfish guy. My penalty is actually pretty straightforward," Archie replied. By now, he had almost reached the crest of the cliff. "Oh really? Tell me more about this weakness of yours," "Sure, it''s a big secret, so don''t tell anybody about this, but my penalty is actually getting my head cut off," "Wow, what a unique weakness! I actually will also die if my head gets cut off, isn''t that such a coincidence?" Lan laughed, nearly reaching the top of the cliff himself. Archie glanced over at Lan, "You and me are like brothers in this aspect. We shouldn''t fight. Let us make peace, brother!" Lan smiled warmly, "I will make peace with you, brother¡­ After I get my payment," Archie''s face fell, and he finally hauled himself over the top of the cliff, Lan following barely a second later. Arriving at the top of the cliff, Lan''s face was bright red as he stared at Archie. The boy was defeated and collapsed in exhaustion on the grass at the top of the cliff. He just stared at the monotone sky. ''Should I just kill him now? No, if I kill him right away, I won''t get the dungeon locations. But can I even trust those, considering they come from him?'' Lan was conflicted as he tried to decide what he should do. "I hate it here¡­" Archie muttered glumly. "Huh?" Lan glanced down at Archie, frowning, ''I know. I''ll wait until he gives me everything, and then right before he enters the third step... I''ll end him,'' Lan walked over slowly, methodically. He sat down beside Archie and smiled. "So, about that payment¡­." Archie rolled his eyes, "You''ll get your shitty payment, Jesus!" Lan patted Archie''s shoulder and smiled like a shark, "I knew I could count on you," The pair sat in silence, then. Catching their breath on the lonely clifftop. "It''s nice to be out of the cave¡­." Lan thought aloud. He wasn''t sure why he said it, but it felt nice all the same. "Is this any different?" Archie gestured at the manufactured world around them. The fake sky, the ocean that hadn''t changed in a million years, the trees that had never grown. "¡­No" "I just want to be out of here, you know? I just want to be free to do my own thing. Back on earth, I never got that chance. Every day was, study this, fight with this weapon, eat this, go to bed at this time. I never had the chance to do anything I wanted," Archie blurted, lying flat on his back and facing the artificial sky. Lan sighed, "That freedom can go too far, though," "How so?" Archie asked. "If nobody is there to care about you, to tell you when to do your homework, what to eat, what to wear¡­ It''s awfully lonely," Lan muttered. "I suppose¡­" "Besides, there are only ten days of the tutorial left, right?" "Only ten days¡­ Jesus, I have so much to do." Archie groaned, sitting upright. Lan followed suit, staring at the bruised and battered boy. "First things first. Pay up?" Archie nodded grimly. Staring out over the vast ocean before getting to his feet, "I will," *** The first thing Lan noticed when he arrived back on the path that led to the entrance hall was the people. They were everywhere, and every single person was in a hurry. Nobody walked. They ran. "I guess the time crunch is a bigger deal than I thought," Archie commented. "Ha, you don''t say, who''s fault was that I wonder?" Lan glared at Archie. Archie looked down at his feet awkwardly. Lan rolled his eyes; he had already had enough of Archie''s bullshit. It didn''t take long to arrive back at the visitor centre, on his own feet this time, which was a nice change. Far more people than usual were milling about the hall, and the clan representatives were acting with a palpable hint of desperation. Shaking his head, Lan walked past the hall and up the path, where he arrived at the bulletin board. By now, few people were checking the rankings or reading the new tutorial brief. They were too busy fighting for their lives from the looks of it. They walked up to the board and began to read.
Tutorial difficulty ¨C Hard
Rewards ¨C Doubled (includes experience, title bonuses, and class unlock)Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Trial ¨C Kill the man on the moon.
The Moon Strider has awoken and is waging war against the King of the Night. Pick your sides and fight. Only the winning side passes the tutorial. (Although exceptions will be made for the top 100 fighters on either side)
Moon strider ¨C 5000/5000
King of the night ¨C 3456/5000
Archie''s face dropped the second he saw the board. "What the fuck is this? Why are we picking sides now? This isn''t how the tutorial is supposed to work!" Lan looked at Archie with hitherto unseen levels of frustration. "Why did I actually believe you knew what you were talking about?" He wondered aloud, staring up at the sky. "This isn''t looking good," Archie muttered, pouring over the trial repeatedly. "Oh really? I wonder who''s genius plan caused this? It wouldn''t be you, would it?" Lan groaned. "No, but seriously, this looks terrible. The only reason everyone would be on the side of the Moon Strider is if the Prince is on that side," Archie fidgeted furiously, his eyes darting about rapidly. "Just who is this Prince guy?" Lan asked. He had heard their name a few times now. In fact, it was currently number one on the leaderboard. Archie''s face palmed, "Not a guy, the Prince is a she." "Huh? How does that make any sense?" Lan asked, ''Sounds like some of his usual bullshit,'' He thought privately. "That''s what everyone else would like to know. But the last person who asked her was used as a target for her archery practice," "Jesus," "We won''t win if it''s against her. I can tell you that for free. She''s far and away the strongest young pathfinder earth has had in a long time, except maybe the Farmer. But he isn''t quite as strong individually," "Well, is the farmer on our team then?" Archie pinched his brow, concentrating intensely, "Probably, those two are always competing for the top spot." "Great, if he can compete with the Prince, we are sorted," "Nope, he can compete with the Prince on his own, sure. But the Farmer is just that, alone. He''s some average kid from the farming districts. He has no status or connections. On his own, he''s tough as shit, but he doesn''t have the same backing as the Prince. I heard a rumour her parents are actually A-rank. A fucking Rank! And if I have heard that rumour, you better believe everyone else has heard it too." Lan frowned. It wasn''t looking good, "So are you saying that all the strong people will side with the Prince to suck up to her?" Archie nodded slowly, "Pretty much," "That''s brilliant!" Lan exclaimed, looking wildly relieved. "How the hell is that brilliant!?" Archie shouted, pulling his hair nervously. "If all the strong people are on the other team¡­ Won''t it be way easier to get into the top 100?" Archie froze, his face lighting up with a toothy grin, "You''re right!" Despite his injured foot, Archie began dancing a jig around the leaderboard, which was now divided into two sections. On one side was the Moon Strider team, and on the other was the King of the night. Without wasting much more time, Lan and Archie registered for their team.
Unknown ¨C 27th ¨C 967 points
Archie ¨C 88th ¨C 455 points
"Would you look at that? I''m already near the top," Lan grinned, turning to look at Archie, who was busy scowling. "What''s wrong with you?" Archie looked over at Lan, "How the hell do you have more points than me?" Lan looked at Archie like he was an insect before replying, "Oh, I don''t know, maybe it''s because some prick trapped me in a pit with hundreds of fucking ants!" "Oh, yeah," ''Fuck, I hate this guy. I know it''s a bad idea to kill him, since he''ll definitely go after me when he respawns, but I can''t help myself,'' "I''m definitely going to kill you after the third step by the way, I just want to remind you of that," Lan dragged his eyes from the leaderboard to the other side, where his jaw nearly hit the floor.
Prince - 1st ¨C 7680 points
"How¡­" Lan was lost for words. He had no idea how something like that was even possible. Archie shook his head solemnly, "I told you, she''s unbeatable. Even the Farmer only has 5000 points," Lan sighed and looked off towards the distant fighter town. "So, when am I getting the goods?" "I''ll write up those guides, and then I''ll go to the steps," Archie replied. "Sure," Lan nodded. He wasn''t really sure what to expect from the next step. It seemed convoluted and extremely difficult. They first walked along the path, noticing the suspicious glares from everyone passing by. The tensions in the tutorial seemed to be growing to a dangerous point. "I don''t like this," Archie whispered. "Me neither. I mean, we saw how injured that moth insect was. There''s no way it can beat the Moon strider when it has that glowing rock," Lan grumbled. "That''s got to be our first priority, then. Get rid of the rock, and then the Moon Strider will be crippled," "Easier said than done. You saw how it blew away all those insects surrounding it," Lan pointed out. "Hm, if we go after it during the day, we might stand a chance," "You''re right¡­ I''ve just had a thought, actually," Lan paused mid-stride, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "What?" Archie asked. "Well¡­ Now that we are on the same team, maybe the night drones won''t attack us anymore," Archie also paused, mulling it over, "I think you might be right. Why don''t you try it tonight?" "Nah, I think you should be the one to give it a go. Since you don''t care about dying and losing the title," Lan snapped. "Who said I don''t care about losing the title?" "You did," Archie smirked, "That was only when George and his big mouth were around. I could take you," Lan almost laughed out loud, "Ha! Sure, you could! And pigs could fly," Archie frowned but didn''t press it. They walked the rest of the way to the fighter town discussing possible ways to kill the Moon strider and the weaknesses it may or may not have. Half an hour later, they were standing outside of what remained of Lan''s house. Being on the outskirts, it had been destroyed in the previous beast wave that the fighters hadn''t bothered defending properly. "I''m sorry about your house," Archie mumbled. Lan looked down at the collapsed heap of rotten wood and couldn''t even muster an ounce of sadness. He felt like a great weight had been lifted from his chest or a chain removed from his ankle. Now he wouldn''t have to sleep on a bed with nails poking through the mattress! If he looked at it that way, this was actually a good thing. "I''m not sorry. Not one bit," Lan turned to face Archie, grinning. "Besides, I don''t want anyone to know where I live. If they find out¡­ they might just try and take my title in my sleep," He looked at Archie pointedly. Archie coughed into his fist, hiding his face awkwardly, "I would never do something like that..." Lan rolled his eyes, "Let''s get going to the steps?" "Yeah, sure," They had to walk through the city centre to reach the path to the steps, and Lan once again found himself at the square. "Hold on, I''m going to grab some food," He pointed towards the big bubbling pots of broth in the centre of the square. "Same; I can''t remember the last time I ate," Archie licked his lips eagerly and followed Lan over to the nearest pot. There were a few people lined up, but they quickly arrived at the front of the queue, where a baby-faced young man wearing a stained apron held a wooden ladle over his shoulder like a baseball bat. "Which side are you on?" He asked with a sigh. "Uh¡­ Does it matter?" Lan asked. "Well, I''m not about to serve food to the enemies, am I?" The boy pointed out. "Hm, that''s fair. We are with the King of the Night," The boy looked at them like they were beggars, "Kindly, piss off," Archie looked like he wanted to argue, but Lan grabbed his raised arm and dragged him to the next pot, and then the next pot, and then the next one after that. "It looks like there aren''t many cooks on our side," Lan grumbled when he finally held a bowl of soup in his hands. "Yup," Archie didn''t offer much response. His face was buried within a roughly carved wooden bowl. With a great sigh, Lan finished the soup and pocketed the bowl. He already had a few ideas for using it as a weapon. "What''s going on over there?" He asked, pointing to two big groups of pathfinders that had gathered on opposite sides of the square. Archie finished his food and looked up, glancing at both groups dismissively, "Looks like those are the two team representatives, so to speak. They are probably giving people their missions and things like that," "I see; I suppose there does need to be someone to coordinate everything for us," Lan commented. "It doesn''t look like the Prince or Farmer are there, though. They''re probably off in some dungeon or trying to clear the steps," Archie added Lan nodded, "Speaking of the steps, we should get going," In his hands, Lan held the plans Archie had drawn up. A lot of the stuff to do with the Moon Strider was useless from the looks of it. But the dungeon locations were priceless. Somehow, after reading them a few times, he could remember them perfectly. ''Maybe it''s my increased Mind,'' He decided to hide these plans in the forest on the way to the steps. Even if he wouldn''t forget any of them, it was still nice to have them in writing. If nothing else, he could roll up the plans and use them to beat Archie to death should he trick him again. The walk to the steps wasn''t long, and with their vastly increased Dexterity, they could run faster than most cars. Add to that the fact that their wounds were healing rapidly, and they reached the sheer steps in barely five minutes. There, they found thousands of people sitting in two distinct groups on opposite sides of the stone platform. One group was obviously smaller than the other, which Lan assumed meant that the group was on their side, what with their lower numbers and all. A few people took appraising glances at their shredded robes and bloody scars, but most just passed over them. Being obviously wounded was certainly not a sign of weakness. Who knew what level person they were attacking? They walked between the two divided groups up to the sheer steps and pressed their hands against the cold surface of the rock.
Alert: The Third Step is at 230/200 Capacity. Join queue [Y/N]
Lan scowled and hit yes, seeing a notification from the system that he was now placed 231st in the queue. ''I''ll wait until just before I go into the trial, and then I''ll do it,'' Archie wore a similar scowl on his face as he and Lan went to sit down on the side with fewer in number. They picked a spot near the edge and sat down together. "I suppose it''s not the end of the world. At least now our wounds will heal before the third step starts," Archie pointed out. "Yeah, true. Why don''t we start prepping for the trial now?" Lan asked. "How so?" Archie lent in, clearly intrigued. Lan fiddled by cracking his knuckles as he spoke, "Well, I was thinking, if we talk about what skill we want to make, it could help speed up the process. And maybe if we listen to each other''s perspective, we could glean something from the process," Archie scratched his chin thoughtfully and nodded, "I see. That could definitely be helpful¡­ If you knew a single fucking thing about skills," "Hey, no need to get mean. If you just explain it to me, I''m sure I could offer a fresh perspective on it," "Ugh, ok. It''s not like I have anything else to do," Archie groaned, settling himself in for a long bout of explaining. "Right, well, the first thing you should keep in mind is that all skills use mana. The best way I can describe them is that they work like muscle memory but are activated by mana. You know how something like playing an instrument becomes second nature after you do it long enough. Or, if you want to get even more simplistic with it, think of breathing. You aren''t thinking about each breath you take; you just sort of¡­ Do it," "I get that," Lan nodded. He had been reminded of the difference very recently when he had eaten the fruit that stopped his need to breathe. It was a jarring experience. "Well, a skill is like a pre-programmed muscle memory activated by mana. And most skills are easy enough to learn since, like breathing, they come naturally to us. We never had to figure out how to breathe; it''s second nature. And skills gained from your class or from special events like dungeons, quests, skill crystals, etc. Work the same way. You will be able to use them instinctively. However, creating your own skill involves a profound understanding of the muscle memory you have to learn. Imagine trying to learn to breathe, having never done it before. You need to thoroughly understand the act itself, whatever that may be, and then watch how the mana moves through your body when you complete it. This is called a skill signature or array. Keep note of this array in your mind; once you fully picture it, you can make the skill." "But if you can do whatever you are trying to do anyway, why make a skill in the first place?" Lan asked. "Because skills make it easier and more efficient to do that thing. Whether in time or mana. And skills can be upgraded," "I see¡­" Lan nodded slowly, "So, what skill are you hoping to make?" Archie scratched his chin, squinting as he thought it over, "My plan was to adapt my talent, which allows me to see how strong something is. I want to make a skill that allows me to see weaknesses," "Oh, I see. And how would that work exactly?" "First, it is technically possible for me to see something''s weakness if I use my talent to look for the absence of strength. Which is basically like trying to read back-to-front writing from my perspective. I just need to understand how that process works and then encapsulate it inside an array." "Do you think you''ll be able to do it?" Lan wondered. Archie looked down at his hands thoughtfully, "I will. I have to." "What about you? Do you have any idea what skill you might make?" Archie asked. Lan remembered the feeling of using the acid to attack the tree. Channelling mana through a liquid would probably constitute a skill. "I do, and if it works, you''ll be the first thing I kill with it," Chapter 20 - Decision "Urgh, I''ve been here for so long," A restless pathfinder groaned. Lan looked over. The pathfinder in question was a tall boy with a shock of orange hair. He was lounging listlessly on the ground, glaring at the other side of the platform. Suddenly, a group of six boys walked over to the ginger kid and started talking in hushed tones. By the time they left, his expression had gone from agitated and bored to excited. Now that the group had Lan''s attention, he followed them as they stalked through the waiting pathfinders. Every once in a while, they would stop and talk animatedly with a particularly bored or frustrated kid. "What are they doing?" Lan whispered, elbowing Archie. Archie looked up and, after watching the group for a couple of minutes, sighed. "Hahh, it looks like we won''t be waiting peacefully for much longer. What place are you in the queue?" Lan checked, "227th." "We need to kill 26 people then," Archie muttered. "Kill people? What are you talking about?" Archie gestured to the group of boys with his chin, "They are inciting a riot. You see, it''s bad enough that we have to wait in the queue for 27 spots, but what if you were still on the first step? You might be 5000th in the queue." "I see¡­ So, they are trying to thin the numbers down," Lan glanced over at the boys. He noticed that each person they finished talking to clenched their weapon just that little bit tighter. "Same things happening on the other side as well." Archie pointed at a similar group on the Moon Strider side of the platform, "Honestly, I wouldn''t be surprised if the two groups are working together," Lan cracked his knuckles in anticipation, "Well, it sure beats waiting here," Archie smirked, "That''s exactly what I was thinking," "But how are they going to do it? It looks like most people here don''t want to fight, even if tensions are high," Lan pointed out. "Easy. If someone swings at you, what would you do?" "Swing right back," Lan nodded in understanding, gripping his scythe. His hand had mostly healed thanks to the wonders of Endurance and Vitality, and his health was almost full again. If Lan had to describe the process, it was like dominos falling in slow motion. The two groups went from person to person, riling them up. And then moving on to their next target. After gathering maybe one hundred fighters on each side, the chaos began. The first attack to fly was a single arrow. It blurred through the air and landed in a girl''s belly with a sickening thunk. She looked up in confusion, not understanding why she had been shot. But it was too late. Another arrow landed in her eye, and she disappeared in motes of red light. All was still for what seemed like an eternity. Both sides eyed each other with naked aggression as hundreds of pathfinders hauled themselves to their feet. And the more that stood up and grabbed their weapons, the more followed them. This was a fight they couldn''t afford to abstain from, not that they would have wanted to. Lan held his breath, feeling like he could cut the tension with a knife. Counting down the seconds until all hell broke loose. Tens and then Hundreds of arrows rained down on the platform, and scores of screaming pathfinders barrelled into each other. Their superhuman strength bent weapons and snapped armour as they tore each other apart. Lan stuck close to Archie, staying near the edge of the conflict. "Who looks the strongest?" He asked the boy. Archie''s compound eyes widened as he surveyed the battle with blazing intensity. Finally, he stopped and pointed at a boy holding an axe. "He should be strong enough," Lan nodded and slipped through the crowd, dancing between sweeping blades and flying knives. He appeared behind the boy, who seemed familiar for some reason. "Mark, look out!" Another boy dressed like a ninja shouted, suddenly appearing between Lan and his target. The axe wielder turned around, glaring at Lan. "Thought you could sneak up on me, huh?" Lan frowned, trying to place where he had seen this guy before. The Ninja looked even more familiar. In fact, he was pretty sure he had fought a ninja just before the second step. "Hold on, aren''t you guys the guards?" Lan asked, causing Mark to scowl. "Not anymore¡­ We were fired after¡­." Something registered in Mark as he squinted at Lan. "We were fired after you got past us, right?" Lan smiled awkwardly, rubbing his neck. "My bad." Suddenly, Mark started to chuckle and burst into manic laughter, throwing himself at Lan. The axe came crashing down, hammering against the indestructible floor with a dull ringing, like a bell being tolled. Likewise, the Ninja blurred, becoming a shadow that hacked and clawed at Lan, flinging tiny blades and shuriken every time he was off balance. Weaving between the joint attacks, Lan felt a strange sense of serenity. He wasn''t desperately dodging like he had before. Instead, he seemed to flow in the gaps between strikes. It was almost effortless. ''Is this the difference in strength between them and me?'' He wondered, marvelling that he even had the time to think like this in the middle of a fight. Just two days ago, the Ninja had almost killed him, but now he couldn''t even touch Lan. It would be all too easy to just kill them and be done with it. But if Lan let the sense of superiority take over, if he let it control him, he would be no better than the man that killed his parents. He should only do it if he had a proper reason. There was no use in the strong picking on the weak. "Are you two waiting for the third step?" Lan shouted over the din. Mark stopped swinging, panting furiously. His face was bright red from the strain, and sweat poured down his back. He was scared, terrified even. Not one hit had landed on Lan. It was like fighting a ghost. "Y-yes," He stuttered. "Then I''m sorry, but I can''t let you go," Lan sighed. His scythe blurred, and a gory red line tore open Mark''s neck. Lan pirouetted like a ballerina, dragging the scythe along the ground and producing sparks as he swung it towards the Ninja. The boy in the black robe was fast, far faster than Mark had been. But he wasn''t quicker than Lan. With almost no resistance, the scythe tip went through his chin and out the top of his head, ending his life instantly. As the pair became red light and floated away on the breeze, Lan checked his status. Now he was 223rd in the queue. Grinning, he slipped back through the raging battle to Archie, helping him finish off a guy with a metal staff. "This is even better than I expected. I''m flying up the queue!" Lan shouted. ''It won''t be long now...'' "I know, sadly, we don''t gain any points for this since the steps are a safe zone. Otherwise, we would shoot straight to the top of the leaderboard!" Archie yelled, wiping blood off his sabre with the corner of his robe. "Are they still losing points since we killed them in a safe zone?" Lan asked, forgetting what the board had said. Archie nodded, scanning the crowd for their next targets, "Yeah, but only half," Finally, he settled on the group of inciters. The six boys who had started this whole brawl were grouped tightly together on the edge of the fight, letting everyone else do their dirty work. Lan followed Archie''s gaze and nodded. Together they ran around the perimeter of the fight, dashing between crashing hammers and lashing chains. In a moment, they were on the boys. Lan barrelled into one of them and punched the guy in the throat. While Archie ran one of them through with his sabre. The other four didn''t react until their two companions disappeared in motes of red light. And then they charged, bearing down on Lan and Archie furiously. Lan pushed a fist aside as if it wasn''t even there and gutted the first assailant like a fish. The golden ant''s scythe was unbelievably, impossibly sharp. He blurred, appearing behind the next boy. Before the guy even realised what was happening, his throat was a tattered mess leaking blood, and he was back in the entrance hall. Archie''s fights were similarly quick and just as bloody. When all was said and done, Lan had moved up to 216th in the queue. "Soon..." He muttered, keeping a close eye on Archie as he wove between blows. The intensity of the brawl only increased the more people died. Because the fewer there were, the higher they got in the queue and the closer they were to winning. Lan and Archie flitted from pocket to pocket, Lan''s scythe acting like the grim reaper as it claimed life after life. It wasn''t long before he had moved all the way up to 201st in the queue, and since the capacity was 200, that meant he was next. Now, he just had to survive. "Don''t get any funny ideas," He glared at Archie, otherwise known as Mr 202nd in the queue. Archie rolled his eyes, backing away from Lan. ''I need to get him away from the fight so that he has nowhere to run,'' Lan looked around, finding a spot on the platform''s edge where no one was fighting. He walked over and sat down with his back against a pillar, doing his best to look relaxed. As he leaned against one of the pillars, surveying the battle, Lan realised something. ''I am stronger than all of them,'' It wasn''t hubris. He just was. The people gathered here were weak. "Where are all the stronger people?" Lan wondered. Archie, who was leaning against the other side of the pillar, laughed, "There''s no need for them to queue. The truly strong are already past the third step, and there aren''t enough people yet for them to queue. Besides, a lot of them are probably off in dungeons," Lan sighed, nodding, "I get it, but how can everyone here be so¡­." "Weak?" "Yeah," "Bad luck and hubris mostly. A lot of kids think that just because they went to an academy, they are guaranteed a spot on the bridge. So, they end up taking their foot off the gas and falling too far behind," Lan shook his head sadly, "What a waste,"This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "I don''t see it that way. It''s only thanks to the weaklings that we can be in the top 100. If everyone was as strong as us, it would be way harder to stand out," Archie added "The punishment for being weak shouldn''t be death," Lan snapped Archie scratched his neck awkwardly, "Only the strong get to make that decision," "Yeah¡­" Lan took a deep breath, releasing his frustrations in one big burst of air. "That''s the problem with the harder difficulty tutorial," Archie said, eyeing the raging battle. "What?" "The time crunch makes people desperate and do desperate things. Like this, for example. Now, for the strong like us, we can capitalise on this chaos. But we aren''t the only ones who benefit. Some thrive in turmoil, and sometimes, a monster is born from the madness," "A monster? Like the Prince?" Lan asked. "No. Worse. At least the Prince is fair." Somewhere in the crowd, buried beneath swinging blades and screaming bodies, an unknown boy died for the first time. He could hardly be blamed for dying, he was weaker than everyone else. Perhaps even the weakest person in the whole tutorial, for he was the only person without a talent. Until he died.
Alert: Talent awakened ¨C Fool me Once
Fool me Once ¨C Fool me once, shame on you. There will not be a second time.
Effect: Upon death, the user learns all there is to know about what killed them. Its weaknesses, its strengths, its uses. Everything.
Penalty: Death places a greater strain on the mind. Dying too frequently can drive the user mad.
Lan felt a chill run up his spine, but the system dinged before he could ask Archie any more questions.
Alert- Queue 200/200 enter the third step [Y/N]
Trying not to show any outward signs, he looked over at Archie. The boy was in arms reach and wouldn''t have time to dodge if he killed him now. With one swipe, one swing, one cut, he would have his revenge. But since escaping the dungeon earlier that day, Lan had time to cool off. ''It''s one thing for me to get my revenge and kill him. If I fuck him over now, he''ll lose out on the title and his advantage in the third step. But will I really benefit from that?'' Lan glanced at Archie, rubbing his finger on the shaft of his scythe. ''He''s annoying and untrustworthy, sure... But one thing is clear to me. He knows a hell of a lot. Whether it be skills, dungeons or details about powerful pathfinders, there''s a lot I could still learn from him. It''s a risk, but if I let him live, I could benefit greatly in the long run. And that''s what I''m here for,'' Taking a deep breath and trying his best to stay calm, Lan made his decision. "I''m going in," He said, making a show of clicking yes on his notification. Archie took a big step back when Lan said this, but after nothing happened, he blushed sheepishly. "I thought you were going to betray me..." He muttered Lan laughed heartily, smiling as he began to fade into the ground, "Why would I betray someone who owes me a favour?" "How can you trust I''ll pay you back?" Archie blurted. He seemed stunned that things were going the way he had agreed. "Who else have you got?" "What do you mean?" "Other than me, is there anyone else you could even remotely call an ally?" Archie frowned, watching Lan become one with the carvings on the ground. "See you around, Archie," Lan melted into the ground and flowed like ink towards the first step. He became one with the moving pictures carved into the stone, joining the endless stories that never ended. ''I hope that was the right decision,'' *** Welcome, Challenger. The third step is yours to overcome. The enemy is yourself. Lan let the booming voice wash over him, taking in his surroundings as he waited for the following announcement. He was standing in front of a marble pillar, on which sat an ancient book. Its pages were yellowed with age and crinkled at the edges. Looking up, he realised he was in a perfectly circular room. A spiral staircase snaked around the outside, climbing up into infinity. Dotted along the staircase were black doors with a white plaque in the centre. On this plaque was a simple number, going from 1 to¡­ Well, Lan couldn''t see how far up the numbers went. But the doors seemed endless. Knowledge is strength, or so the intelligent say. Here, In the library of Aegis, we like to combine the two. Behind each door is a location. Within the book is the directory. Find the place you believe would be most conducive to creating your skill, and enter the door. Lan gazed up the spiral staircase, praying his door wasn''t at the very top. Please prepare yourself, as we will now implant a suitable skill for you to study. The process may be painful. Just as Lan was wondering what skill he would get, a wave of pain like nothing he had ever felt hit him. He slumped to the ground like he had just been hit on the chin with a tonne of bricks, writhing and contorting in pain. It was like someone had poured lava into his veins, as mana bulged in places it never had been before. Stretching and ripping his body from the inside out. He writhed on the ground in agony, clenching his teeth so hard they almost cracked. In the eye of his mind, an image appeared. It was illusionary at first but slowly burned its way into his very being, becoming clearer and easier to understand. Lan was in too much pain to recognise this as an array. But if he paid attention, he would notice that mana was circulating throughout his body in the same pattern the array described. After aeons of suffering, Lan rolled over, gasping for air.
Alert: Skill gained ¨C Strengthen.
Effect ¨C Channel mana through a tool of your choice to reinforce it.
Cost ¨C Initial cost: 25 mana Cost per second: 2
Lan sighed in blissful relief when the system notification arrived. The pain had vanished like it had never even been there. And he could sense something inside him. Something new, something magical. It was like an extra limb that had always been there. His connection with it felt slightly shaky at first, but the more he prodded it, feeling the array with his mana, the stronger the link became. Finally, he managed to activate the array, feeling mana rush through his body in a way he had never quite experienced before. It followed the path set out by the array, and without any effort at all, Lan was able to channel mana through his scythe. The golden scythe glowed slightly, pulsating with a magical blue hue. ''Is that it strengthened then?'' Lan wondered, tapping the scythe on the ground. It certainly felt sturdier than before, if only slightly. ''Maybe it''s because the scythe is already so strong. I''m sure if I use the skill on something weaker, the effect would be more pronounced,'' Lan reassured himself. The skill was undoubtedly valuable. In fact, if he had the skill up until now, he would have been far stronger. But he wanted more than just upgrading it. He wanted to make his own skill, and there would never be a better opportunity than now. The library of Aegis seemed to be a veritable treasure trove. The amount of potential here could only be imagined. Lan wandered over to the ancient tome and began flicking through its weathered pages. ''I''m looking for something with water and maybe ice.'' As soon as Lan had that thought, the book''s pages began to turn independently. He watched in awe as it opened on a page with countless numbers and descriptions. Immediately, a single room number popped out of the page. The second Lan saw the number, it just felt right. Like he belonged there. 2370 ¨C The gulf of Dref A freezing land covered in ice and snow. The creatures who live there learn to manipulate the ice and snow, allowing them to extract drinkable water. In particular, the Dref, a species of scaled penguin, are cable of propelling themselves through the water using jet streams they control. ''If I could control water like that¡­.'' Lan imagined wistfully. ''No, when I control water like that. I''m going to do it,'' Lan began his long¡­ Long climb up the stairs, winding and twisting all the way up to room 2370. Every door he passed looked identical, and soon the rooms began to blur together. The steps he walked on were carved from ancient wood, smoothed from countless footsteps. As he walked, he kept well away from the side of the stairs. Since there was no banner, if he tripped and fell, he might fall straight down the middle of the vast cylindrical room. Step after step, he finally arrived at the room in question, and after cracking his knuckles, he twisted the handle and stepped through. A gust of icy air blasted his face as he appeared directly on the edge of a steep chasm between two icebergs. A roaring icy river crashed into the sea in the middle, causing a ghostly mist to fill the chasm. ''Where should I go?'' Lan wondered, peeking over the chasm''s edge. Beneath him, pristine steps sculpted from ice scaled down the side of the cliff. Seeing no other options, Lan began walking down the icy steps. The blistering cold stabbed at his foot, which still had no shoe to protect it. But he had felt colder. The streets at night were relentlessly baltic, and sometimes warmth was little more than a dream you escaped to when your toes started turning stiff and purple. After descending the steps for a while, Lan was nearing the river between the two icebergs. There, he found two great hollows on opposite sides of the river. On his side was a group of tiny, scaled penguins. Their reptilian scales were a pale green, and he assumed they were the Dref. They huddled together in their icy cavern, safe from the battering wind. On the far side of the cavern was a different group of the Dref, presumable a rival flock. This group had black scales and slightly pointier beaks. Even as Lan walked through their cavern, the Dref took no notice of him, as though he wasn''t even there. "They mustn''t be able to see me," Lan muttered, waiting to see if they would react to the noise. But no such thing happened. The Dref remained ignorant of him no matter what he did. Even when he picked one up, the others did not react. "How strange," Lan sighed, sitting down at the side of the cavern. He was pretty sure what skill he wanted to make. The problem was how did he make the array? "I should just try it out and see how the mana feels," Lan decided, wandering over to the edge of the cavern and placing his hands inside the freezing water. It was far harder to channel mana through moving water, but Lan supposed that was part of the challenge. If he couldn''t complete the skill under any circumstances, it would be ineffective. He clenched his teeth and focused all his attention on his hands. Suddenly an idea struck him, and he decided to face his palms towards each other and channel mana between them like poles of a battery. This allowed him to trap the mana and water between his palms. When he finally took his hands out of the river, the water between his palms came with them. But that was it. He couldn''t do anything with that water unless he wanted to put out a fire or drink something. "Was that an epiphany?" Lan wondered, trying to remember how he had the idea to face his palms towards each other and channel mana the way he had. It was an idea that had just suddenly sprung up in his mind. Although he may have been able to figure it out on his own, it might have taken him far longer. "I really need to keep this title," Lan swore, marvelling at the feeling of holding a liquid in his hands. After a few minutes of studying how the water reacted to different amounts of mana flowing through it, Lan''s mana was exhausted, and the water lost all shape. It splashed to the ground, and Lan sat back, exhausted. He only had 340 mana, which was probably on the low to average side. On the plus side, it wouldn''t take long for his mana to fill up again. He was regenerating roughly 6 mana per minute, meaning it would take an hour for his mana to fill up completely again. "Hm¡­ I wonder if that is how mana regeneration works. If it always takes an hour for your mana to regenerate completely, then the more you have, the faster it will regenerate," Lan mused. Sitting back against the cave wall, Lan rested and watched the Dref. He had obviously felt a connection to this place because of these little creatures. And perhaps if he observed how they used mana, he could learn something vital from them. After watching for a while, he noticed something about the Dref. They seemed to hunt in pairs. One from either cavern would leave simultaneously and compete for food while the rest watched. This turned their hunt into a duel of sorts, as they fought over which Dref would get the fish. In particular, the way they fought was fascinating. They gathered water around their beaks and fired it like a laser beam. Although this water wasn''t particularly harmful, it distracted the opposing Dref enough for the attacker to grab the fish and flee. "But how are they doing that? How do they get the water to focus down like that?" Lan wondered, watching them intently. For some reason, as he watched beam after beam of water fly, he was reminded of his experience in the tunnel. When he was chasing Archie, the tunnel had narrowed drastically at the end, forcing the water to fire him like a cannon. Lan wasn''t sure, but he thought he was onto something. ''Does that mean the narrower I make the nozzle, the stronger of a beam I can fire?'' After his mana had replenished, Lan ran to the water''s edge and tested his theory. First, he gathered water between his palms and then¡­ what? He wasn''t sure where to go from here. So, he tried to think back over what the Dref did. ''Their beaks are cone-shaped, so maybe they use that cone to focus the water down to a narrow point,'' Lan mused. Unfortunately, he didn''t have a beak. But his hands would surely do. Pressing his palms together, he allowed the water to fill up between his arms. Then he tried pushing the water through the gap between his palms. Thinking of it like a cannon, his palms were the barrel, and the mana was the gunpowder. The more mana and the narrower the barrel, the further the water would go. The principle was sound, but how did it work in practice? Lan soon found out when he sent a beam of water hurtling into the opposite cavern''s wall, scoring a deep hole in the ice. Seeing his success, Lan couldn''t help laughing hysterically as he collapsed in exhaustion. Before he passed out, he had one final thought. ''Next time, I shouldn''t use all my mana at once,'' Chapter 21 - Mana String Lan woke up shivering, which was nothing strange considering where he was. The ice he had slept on melted slightly while he slept, meaning he got to experience the joys of waking up inside a puddle. "Is this really the grand life of a pathfinder?" He bemoaned, extracting himself from the puddle. All things considered, he was used to the cold. So, his numb fingers and dull toes didn''t frighten him. Instead, he felt a twisted sense of nostalgia. It brought him right back to the times he slept on the street. Not that being homeless was a fond memory for Lan. It''s just that no matter how bad it was, that was still his childhood. He couldn''t help reminiscing. ''It feels so long ago now¡­ Why? Just why did he do it?'' A man in a bloody suit flashed across his vision. A shudder even more substantial than his shivering ran through Lan''s body, and he shut that line of thought down. Locking it up tight and throwing away the keys. Despite doing his best to block the thoughts, his neck still ached. Lan rubbed it uncomfortably; he could still feel the hands there. The grip like steel, the dead eyes he had once known, the blood¡­ "Fuck, I need to get started," He roused himself. One thing he had found over the years was that doing something, anything, helped far more than moping about whatever had gone wrong in your life. And so, he did something. Walking to the edge of the cave, he placed his hands in the river. Cold water rushed over his numb hands, stinging slightly. He looked down through the crystal-clear glacial water. At the bottom of the river, strange, prehistoric shelled sea creatures scuttled across the sea floor, nibbling on dark green strands of seaweed. Out of curiosity, Lan reached down through the water, trying to touch one of the alien creatures¡­ Like lightning, another thought hit Lan over the side of the head. "What if, instead of just using my ability to shoot water, I make it more adaptable. If I could control water like a limb, I could use it to enhance weapons or even create them if I could turn it into ice." ''Okay, first, I need to understand my talent better. It says that anything I touch, I can use as a weapon. Could I expand that to something my mana was touching? Seeing as mana does kind of feel like an extension of my body,'' "It''s worth a try." Lan began by pushing mana out of his arm, but the rushing water current ripped it away as soon as he generated it. After a few failed attempts, he decided his approach must be wrong. ''Instead of just pushing mana out of my arm, I should try and give the mana some structure, something that will keep it together when it''s out of my body,'' What that structure would be remained to be seen. While trying to think of something, the image of a rope got stuck in Lan''s head. Although each strand isn''t particularly strong, they become greater than the sum of their parts when woven together. ''The problem is, how do I weave mana into a rope?'' For the moment, this stumped Lan. He had no idea where to even begin with something like this. A few hours into the testing process, Lan looked up. He could hear flippers slapping on the ice in the cavern behind him. Turning around, he noticed that the whole flock of Dref was on the move, and the same was true on the other side of the river. As one, the Dref walked to the side of the river, pausing at the banks. Instead of getting in, they began to organise into orderly rows, one behind the other. ''What are they doing?'' Lan wondered, taking a break from experimenting to watch the proceedings. He had been at it since early morning, and by now, the sun was directly above him. As the temperature rose, the plants on the riverbed began to bloom, a process as breath-taking as it was surreal. Pink and red flowers blossomed on the dark green seaweed, making the riverbed look like an ornamental garden. But contrary to this beauty, the scuttling sea creatures that scoured the riverbed were fleeing in their droves. It seemed the arrival of these flowers struck fear into the underwater creatures. ''Why are they running? Or what are they running from?'' Lan shifted his gaze upstream, where a faint foam could be seen rising on the water''s surface. Further upstream, the whole river was frothing like boiling water. At the riverbank, the Dref stood at the ready, silently watching the disturbance grow closer. And when the bubbles were within a few hundred metres of the Drefs'' Cave, they sprang into action. With well-oiled precision, they slid into the water. Lan felt like he was watching an army march as they swam in perfect unison through the water, gliding in formation towards the centre of the river. The Dref had picked a spot in the middle of the seaweed and began swimming in formation across the river''s width. In the middle, they met their rivals, but instead of fighting, they joined hands¡­ Or flippers in this case. ''What are they doing?'' Lan craned his neck up the river, trying to see what exactly was coming. With the bubbles bearing down on them, the Dref started floating in place, only swimming to fight the current. As one, they opened their beaks, leaking a dark green substance from within. Instead of dissipating in the water, the dark green substance behaved like seaweed, waving like the plants when buffeted by the current. As more dark green filled the river, each Dref''s little string joined together, creating a vast net across the width of the river. A net that was almost indistinguishable from the seaweed that filled the riverbed. "Oh, I see," Lan muttered, scrambling to get closer to the water to see just how the Dref were getting their mana to move like that. Clenching his teeth, Lan stuck his head underwater, trying to get as close to the mana as possible. Thanks to this decision, he got a full, first-hand view of what came next. Beneath the bubbles, thousands upon thousands of newly hatched, bright pink salmon swam furiously towards the blooming flowers on the orchard of seaweed. Like passing locusts, they devoured the flowers in a matter of seconds, moving from plant to plant in a furious feeding frenzy. Their momentum was unstoppable, until they reached the net. It bulged, straining against the massive force but stubbornly refusing to break. Endless salmon swam into the net, desperately trying to break through to no avail. ''Are the Dref moving?'' Lan wondered, noticing that the net hand began to enclose at the edges. It seemed the salmon had noticed this as well. The closer the net got to closing, the harder they swam. Thrashing their bodies with every ounce of life they had. At that moment, while the net was bulging and straining to the very limit of breaking, Lan saw it. Like an oasis in the desert, he figured it out. Just to confirm, he sent out a few tendrils of mana, using the water as a medium. But before the tendrils could be blown away, he wound them together as tightly as he could manage. He could only create about 50 tendrils before his head started throbbing violently, but it was enough. The rope wouldn''t hold up any bridges, but for now, it would do. He sent it through the water towards a nearby salmon. His movements were clumsy initially, but the more practice he got, the nimbler his control became. With a deft flick of his hand, the rope of mana and water snaked around a salmon, gripping it tightly. That day, Lan had salmon for lunch. He felt contended as he sat beside a crackling fire in the alcove, stoking it with dried tinder he had dug from the snowy forest upstream. He was close, so close. Right now, he had the blueprint for his skill, the foundations. What remained was to decide how high he should build. ''I could make it more intricate, possibly even stronger, but that would take time. With only nine days left now, I don''t want to spend all my time making a skill. I still need to complete five steps, the dungeon I got from Archie and make sure I end up with enough points to get into the top 100,'' For now, Lan''s skill was basic, but that straightforward nature left a lot of room for growth, which he fully intended to take advantage of when he had the time. As he watched the flickering flames, a thought occurred to Lan. ''Does the medium I channel mana through have to be water? Why not air, fire, earth, even space could work.'' Immediately, he tried to weave a mana rope in the air, and it worked to an extent. But for the rope, what gave it strength wasn''t the mana but the water. It was like trying to build furniture entirely of wood glue. In this case, the water is the wood, and the mana the glue, binding the individual parts together and giving them structure. To remove the solidity and flexibility a fluid gave to his rope, Lan was left with something that could barely move a pebble. Even when he gritted his teeth and poured half his mana reserves into the rope, the most he could do was pick up the salmon he had half eaten. It wobbled unsteadily in mid-air before falling after a few seconds. ''I can''t see that doing much damage in an actual fight, but if I work on it¡­ This could be deadly. Imagine I''m fighting someone, and it''s a really close battle. How would they react when a knife floated up behind them and started attacking all on its own?'' Just thinking about it got Lan excited, but that was all it was in the end. A thought. Deep down, he knew he couldn''t execute this right now. Sighing, he shook his head and focused on the feeling the mana rope made when he created it. Every time he created one, a fleeting rush of mana passed through his body, always in the same way. If he could just capture that sensation and analyse it, his skill would be as good as made. Hours passed, and his mana continuously ran out, but Lan created rope after rope without fail. With every rope he made, he learned something new. The next rope was always better than the last, always more flexible or stronger or faster to cast. He wouldn''t stop. He couldn''t stop until he was done. Time slipped by at a blistering speed as the noon sun began to settle below the horizon, sinking deep behind the glacial ocean. Through the night, Lan cast his rope over and over again. Practising on the Dref by trying to capture them while swimming. Each successive casting was more accurate, and bit by bit, he was learning. When he applied what he had learned from the Dref, narrowing the rope and increasing the water pressure. It took on a sharp, almost cutting quality like a high-pressure hose. Lan had seen those cut through steel and knew just how dangerous they could be. As the stark morning sun rose again on the glacial paradise, Lan finally figured it out. What followed was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Ding!
Alert: Skill created: Mana manipulation (String)Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Effect: Binding mana strings together creates a flexible and sturdy medium to carry objects. The resultant stings are almost as effective as an additional limb, with added range. (Adding a medium to conduct the mana strengthens the strings)
Cost: Initial: 1 ¨C 50 mana (Dependent on desired strength of the rope) Cost per Second: 10% of the initial cost.
At that moment, Lan felt like the blazing morning sun was dwarfed by the subtle glow of the system. That notification was his entire world. His painstaking efforts had been worth it! He had done it! "Let''s go!" Lan yelled, laughing as he activated the skill for the first time. A blue stream of mana flowed from his hand, separating into 50 individual strands before weaving together seamlessly. What resulted was an ethereal rope floating in the breeze above his hand. Thanks to it officially becoming a skill, Lan felt as though the casting process was smoother and the result more complete. The first thing he tried was his scythe. With a flick of his wrist, the rope wrapped around the base of the scythe, pulling it towards him. ''It''s so slow¡­ and it can barely pick the damn thing up,'' Lan bemoaned, not that he hadn''t expected that to happen. Walking over, he grabbed the scythe and continued on to the river. The rope sank into the river, and water flowed up all 5 metres of its length. Concentrating, Lan began to apply pressure, condensing the rope. As he bound the individual strings tighter, the rope went from its original thickness of an inch to half a centimetre. Lan decided It was ready when the water on the rope''s surface began to shimmer, vibrating back and forth with a low hum. "Let''s see how strong this thing is," Lan muttered, flinging back his arm. He picked his target, a log floating down the river, and his talent kicked into gear. Lan shifted his weight onto his backfoot and leaned back, twisting his body to generate the most force possible. Like a coiled spring, he unwound, lashing out with the rope like a whip. The blue whip tore through the space between Lan and the log in barely a second, cracking as it obliterated the metre-thick chunk of wood. The initial cut was clean, surgical even. But the resulting impact blew the log into splinters that splashed back down into the river. "Wow¡­" Lan held up his hand in shock, looking at the whip with a mix of fear and awe. "It''s¡­ It''s even stronger than I expected¡­."
Congratulations on a successfully created skill ¨C Time taken: 37 hours 45 minutes (Below average)
Skill quality ¨C Above average, bordering on excellent. Grade ¨C B
Reward: 8 Mind stat points.
"Why Mind? Does Mind have something to do with creating and using skills?" Lan wondered. ''It seems like every damn stat point is useful,''
Porting begins in: 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­
Lan waved goodbye to the Dref and disappeared into nothing, not a soul having known he was there to begin with. For a moment, the world went black. But as fast as it came, the feeling passed. Once again, Lan had returned to the tutorial. "Home sweet home," He sighed, taking a deep breath of the stale air that was crying out for a breeze. ''I wonder how long I have left,'' Was Lan''s first thought the second his feet landed on the forest floor. As much as he would have liked to relax and take it easy, he couldn''t see that happening any time soon. The time crunch was just too pressing, and he needed to know exactly how much time he had left.
Time remaining ¨C 8 days, 5 hours 35 minutes
"Well, shit," While he was using the system, Lan decided to check up on his profile.
Name: Unknown
Title(s): [Punching Up] [Class Of Your Own] [Disciple of David][Epiphany(Temp)]
Age: 18
Race: Human - G
Class: None
Talent: Weapons are my Weapons - G
Health: 676/676
Mana: 340/340
Level: 9
Strength: 67
Dexterity: 48
Endurance: 54*
Vitality: 39
Mind: 40
Intelligence: 34
Luck: 32
Free Points:
Skills: [Strengthen ¨C F][Mana String ¨C B]
"Damn, that sure is a lot of stat points. The problem is that they are fairly balanced right now. If I want the mana string to be my primary weapon, I need to put more points into Intelligence and Mind. But if I do that, I will lose out on all the points I could put into Strength and Dexterity. Is it a waste of my talent to move away from physical fights and use mana more instead?" For the moment, Lan was stumped. He decided that before he allocated any more skill points, he would ask Archie, Morgan and Rachel how he should move forward. ''Actually, where are Morgan and Rachel? I haven''t seen them in days. Hopefully, they are okay.'' *** Morgan and Rachel were not okay. *** Lan wished them well and stepped out of the forest. One thing he had noticed was that whenever he returned from a trial at the steps, he never arrived at the same place. Presumably, that was a measure to stop ambushing someone right after they reappeared, but it was also a pain in the ass trying to find the path back to the town. Exhausted from the night spent relentlessly practising his skill, Lan wandered through the forest, deciding to grab something to eat before he made his next move. It wasn''t long before he found the path and, with it, the smell of war. Blood stains spattered the path, beginning to fade into dark brown stains on the cobbles. ''Is this the aftermath of the riot? But that one fight couldn''t possibly have caused all this damage¡­ Unless there were more after I left,'' Lan took a second to figure out which direction he was headed and set off, walking towards the town. Every person he passed heading towards the sheer steps looked grim. Locked jaws and tight grips on their weapons showed they were ready to kill, not wait in line. He could practically feel the tension in the air as he neared the town. The town looked like it had recently suffered a meteor shower, with hundreds of buildings having disappeared since Lan was last here. In particular, the buildings around the town square had been torn down, leaving only scraps of wood and ash. Lan walked through the gates into the city, feeling searching gazes land on him the second he stepped foot in the town. He was certainly a fascinating figure. Standing over six feet tall and rail thin, Lan looked like a ghoul with his blood-soaked robe hanging off his body in tattered shreds. Perhaps this image stopped people from approaching him, despite the naked greed he saw in their eyes as they stared at his scythe. On his way to the city square, he took a detour, checking on Rachel''s house. When he arrived, he was greeted with a heap of splintered wood, collapsed in a pile where she had used to live. Shaking his head, Lan moved on. He wasn''t sure how to contact Morgan, who was probably off with his party, so he decided to leave them be. As for David, George and Thea. He would be glad just to avoid them for as long as possible. If they ended up killing each other, he would be the winner in the end. After finishing his detour, Lan made his way to the city square. As he grew closer, the smell of broth and the incessant hum of conversation drifted over. ''There are more people than I expected,'' Lan noted, keeping an eye open as he stepped into the square. It was far larger than before, fire having razed many of the surrounding houses to the ground. In the centre were the ever-present bubbling cauldrons of broth, around which a dozen or so pathfinders queued for food. Facing off on opposite sides of the square, the two factions shot threatening glares at each other. The Moon strider, led by the almighty Prince. The King of the Night, Led by the Farmer. ''Maybe I should make my name like theirs. I could be¡­ The Homeless, The Bellhop, oh, what about The Stow Away?'' Lan joked to himself, making his way to his side of the picket fence after grabbing a bowl of broth. There were about 30 people in all on the King of the Night''s side. They all looked rugged and, for the most part, wore school uniforms, which were worse for wear. They were standing around a large oval table and pouring over various maps of the tutorial in almost religious fervour. Noticing Lan''s approach, they scowled, tense hands reaching for weapons. "Woah," Lan raised his own hands in submission showing he wasn''t carrying a weapon.. "Stop right there," A girl shouted, getting up from the table she had been sitting around. Lan nodded, finishing his bowl of soup and sliding the wooden bowl into his pocket, "I''m stopped." The girl raised an eyebrow at his odd actions but left him be. She turned around and gestured towards a short boy on the edge of the table. "Edgar, come with me," The girl ordered. Edgar, a short, rather frail-looking boy with pale brown hair and freckles, nodded, getting up. He followed the girl, a rustic redhead with tanned skin, towards Lan. They stopped around 10 feet from Lan, where Edgar stood sheepishly behind the girl. "I am Niamh; this is Edgar. Edgar doesn''t like lies. In fact, he hates them so much you could say he''s allergic. If he so much as hears a lie, he''ll break out in hives¡­ If you catch my drift," The girl looked pointedly at Lan. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. No lies from me. I wouldn''t want to hurt Edgar," Lan said with a smile. "That''s what they all say," Edgar mumbled glumly. Niamh rolled her eyes at Edgar before asking her first question, "What faction are you a member of?" Lan smiled, trying and failing to diffuse the tension, "The King of the Night," Hearing this, Niamh glanced at Edgar, and when he remained blissfully free of hives, she relaxed a little. "What is your business with us? I can assure you now the Farmer needs no more farmhands. If you were looking for a free ride to the top 100, I''m afraid you''ve come to the wrong place," Lan frowned, "Aren''t you guys supposed to be the faction leaders? Why are you already planning for failure? Isn''t there a plan to kill the Moon Strider or something?" Niamh laughed sharply, "Killing the Moon Strider? What do you think this is, a charity?" "Huh?" "The Farmer has one goal: to be number 1 in the tutorial. He cannot waste his time on this useless endeavour. Just let the Prince handle it, the little perfectionist she is," When she spoke of the Prince, scorn almost dripped off Niamh''s tongue. ''So, they only care about individual points and not what happens to our faction¡­ As long as they get into the top 100, they couldn''t care less who goes down with the ship.'' Lan recognised, feeling glad he hadn''t fallen out with Archie. He would need that little bastard''s schemes if he wanted a hope in hell of killing the Moon Strider. "Fair enough, what I have come to talk about isn''t related to that whole issue anyway." "Oh, please tell me more," Niamh drawled. "I need two people to enter the fourth step with," Immediately, there was a change in Niamh''s expression, and the people behind her began to listen closer. "I overheard the cooks talking about your¡­ Situation." Niamh scowled, "Yes, that. It can''t be helped that nobody is willing to enter a group battle with the strongest people in the tutorial," "I can help," "How?" Niamh asked excitedly. "Like I said, I am looking to enter the fourth step and need two people to accompany me," Just as she looked eager to agree, a tall boy with raven black hair ran up and grabbed Niamh''s shoulder, "Hold on a second, why would you be so eager to go in with us? You know there''s no chance you win, right?" "I have my reasons," Lan said evasively. The boy squinted, looking Lan up and down, "What level are you?" "9," Lan replied shortly. The boy checked with Edgar, who remained hive free, "I see¡­." He muttered, looking Lan up and down again. "Are you okay going in with two level 12s? We will definitely have a massive advantage," "I am," Lan nodded; level 12 was nothing compared to his stats. Although, he wasn''t 100 per cent sure how strong a class made someone. When he was reminded of George''s insane strength, he wondered whether that was a result of his class working or his talent. The raven-haired boy nodded grimly and motioned for another man around the table to stand up, "This is it, Nate. Only one of us is going to win this one," Nate, a pudgy boy with short brown hair and the beginnings of stubble, stood up, his expression similarly grim. "It''s just you and me, Reed," Nate cracked his knuckles as he walked towards the raven-haired boy. "No offence," Nate added, glancing at Lan, "It''s just that there''s no chance of you winning," "None taken," Lan smiled broadly, looking for all the world like he had just opened a Christmas present. ''Being underestimated is a gift in its own right,'' Lan mused, following the two boys out of the square and to their doom. Chapter 22 - Fire Wyrm The walk back to the steps wasn''t long, if a little awkward. Nate and Reed were treating Lan like a terminally ill patient, walking on eggshells around him. "I just wanted to say thank you. I know I''ve already said it, but seriously you are doing us a huge favour," Reed smiled, patting Lan''s shoulder. Lan glanced at Reed and shrugged, "Don''t worry about it. I''ll take my chances, however slim," "What a good attitude to have!" Nate exclaimed. "But seriously, since you are such a nice guy, I just want to let you know something. The fourth, fifth and sixth steps are one continuous challenge. Two of us will pass the fourth step, and one will pass the fifth. But there''s something you should know." "What?" Lan asked, raising an eyebrow. "The time for each step is a maximum of one day each, meaning by the time you complete the sixth step, 3 days at most will have passed," "3 days¡­" Lan echoed, doing the math in his head. That would leave at least 5 days to climb the final two steps, do the dungeon and whatever other stuff popped up. Of course, what was the worst case scenario, but it was best to be prepared. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind. ''One step at a time, and the next step is the fourth one,'' "Not that you will be in there for that long," Nate laughed, patting Lan on the back with enough force to dent a car. Lan didn''t budge. Reed smiled self-deprecatingly, "Honestly, I''m not even sure either of us will make it to the end. Since the sixth step is a three-way battle against three other winners¡­." He trailed off ominously. "Wait¡­ So how exactly does this work," Lan interrupted, trying to get a clear picture of what would come next. "Ok, so the fourth, fifth and sixth steps have one unifying through line. It''s called the train. We will not be physically fighting against each other. Rather, it is a race to complete challenges and advance our trains down the track. Every round completed, I.e., after each step, the weakest of us will be eliminated. Finally, three winners will face off in a physical confrontation on the sixth step. Only one person comes out of that victorious," Reed explained. Lan nodded, picturing the process in his head. "I would like to explain more to you, but we should really get going," Reed apologised, leading Lan and Nate onto the platform and towards the first step on the far side. The platform was a bloody mess, and Lan left footprints in the sticky red liquid as he slipped between violent skirmishes. Everywhere he looked, someone was killing someone else. In one particularly gory case, he watched a girl get her arm chopped off. Without a moment of hesitation, she suicidally rushed her opponent, landing a blow before being beheaded. ''It won''t be long till she''s back,'' Lan noted morbidly. Seeing the nasty scowl on her opponent''s face, it looked like this wasn''t the first time he had fought her. Perhaps his companions'' battered uniforms kept people away as they walked across the platform to the wall. Everyone knew what that meant. These two had not died once. In unison, they placed their hands on the stone wall littered with carvings.
Alert: Fourth step: 99/300 capacity ¨C Enter with a group [Y/N]
"On the count of three," Nate said, holding up his other hand to show three fingers. "Three," Lan breathed deeply, tasting the bloody stench of iron in the air. "Two," Reed shifted, moving his free hand to the bow over his shoulder. "One," Nate finished, pressing yes. For the second time today, Lan''s world went black and then quickly blinding white. ''Here it comes,'' He groaned internally. Welcome, Challenger, to the fourth step. Your task for this step is to find suitable cargo and deliver it to the train before 24 hours pass. The two challengers with the most cargo will pass this trial¡­ GO! ''And there it is,'' Lan sighed morosely, ''But seriously, is that all I get? No locations, no nothing?'' He looked around, trying to get his bearings. What he saw shocked him to his core. A mountain like nothing he had ever imagined loomed over him, dwarfing the very sky. Rugged snowy peaks pierced through the cloud cover, scraping the stars. Surrounding the mountain was five distinct biomes. They were segmented into equal parts, each posing its own unique challenges. "Now, where is this train?" Lan muttered, looking around for any nearby train tracks. Unfortunately, he came up short. ''Of course, it wouldn''t be that easy,'' Standing at the foot of the mountain, Lan could just about make out two of the nearest biomes. One was a tangled, overgrown jungle that seemed to be growing in on itself. Its dense leaves and creeping vines looked impenetrable from where he was standing. The other was a volcanic wasteland devoid of all life. Geysers exploded at random intervals spewing boiling steam into the air, creating an otherworldly blanket of mist over the hellish landscape. The only colour other than black rock and white mist was the occasional splash of red as lava bubbled to the surface. ''I have two options. Either I start looking for the train immediately and run off into the jungle or lava land. Or I climb the mountain and hope to spot the train from a higher vantage point,'' One of those options seemed more efficient than the other, so Lan began climbing. The mountain was alpine, spotted with green outcroppings of fir trees, the boughs of which sagged heavily under the weight of thick snow. Understanding that he was on a timer, Lan couldn''t afford to relax and enjoy the picturesque scenery. It blurred by as he sprinted up the mountain, running at full pelt. He shot past the first cloud layer after barely a couple of minutes running, but from there, the going was tougher. Ice covered rocks that were quickly becoming too dangerous to run across. And the mountain only grew steeper the higher he climbed. It was around the second cloud layer that Lan started to struggle to breathe. His breath came in short gasps, straining desperately to extract oxygen from thin air. From here, the ground shrank away. Giant jungle trees looked like models a child could play with. Lan was so high up he could almost see the curvature of the world he was on. With some perspective, he quickly came to a realisation. ''I can''t just keep climbing like this. I''ll die. I''m not even halfway up the damn thing, and breathing is already this hard,'' "This should be high enough," He wheezed, turning around and trying to get a good look at the lands below. From here, he could see it all, every biome, every plant, every rock, everything. It was all laid out before him like god''s sandbox. The two biomes closest to him were roughly the same size as the other three. All of which posed their own challenges. After the jungle came the desert. Golden sand piled in rolling dunes that appeared to centre around an ancient red Pyramid in the middle of the desert. A colossal stone sphynx watched guard quietly beside the pyramid, its visage so life-like that Lan half expected it to get up and walk away. Shifting his gaze from the desert, Lan arrived at a creepy swamp. Hanging vines reached down towards murky waters hiding spine-chilling creatures. Once again, Lan noticed that the swamp was centred around something. A vast patch of trees was missing in the centre. Within this bald patch, a single tree towered above all else. Beneath it, a small hill covered in unreadable patterns rose from the murky swamp. Finally, he found signs of the train. A white marble line disappeared into a gaping tunnel at the foot of the mountain. Lan could just barely make out railway tracks on the marble. Tracks that he followed to an old-fashioned, green steam train. Stationed beside the final biome, the vibrant green train stood stark against the pristine snow. A world of pure white made up the final biome. It looked like a chunk of the arctic circle had been transplanted there. Like all the previous biomes, this region also centred around something. In the middle of the snowy planes lay a frozen lake. The ice was a pale blue, and a black totem pole stood in the middle of the lake. Lan was too far away to make out the faces carved on the pole, but his vague impression was that they were demonic to the core. Beneath the blue ice, something shifted slightly, not enough for Lan to notice, but it moved. ''The other two biomes must also have something in the middle,'' Lan reckoned, shifting his gaze back to the original two regions. In the centre of the jungle was an overgrown Aztec temple, slowly being smothered by ivy. An ancient tree grew straight through the centre of the temple. ''Huh?'' Lan frowned; he could have sworn something colourful had just moved on the tree branches. "If those objects in the centre are where I find my cargo. I wouldn''t expect something valuable to be unguarded¡­." Lan trailed off, squinting towards the branches of the mighty tree. Something moved again. It was hidden by densely packed green leaves, but it was there. Bright reds and vibrant yellows popped out between the gaps in the leaves. Before he could get a better look at whatever it was, the thing stopped moving, returning to its cover behind the branches. "Damn, if the temple is guarded, then I bet the other ones are as well," Lan cursed, turning his attention to the final region. In the middle of the volcanic region was a stout volcano. Lava poured from its molten centre, dripping down to the land below. In the centre of the volcano, a grey obelisk poked through the pool of lava, reaching towards the sky. Try as he might, Lan could not find the obelisk''s guardian anywhere¡­ ''Unless it''s below the lava¡­ I''m going to stay away from that one,'' Lan sat down on a rock, catching his breath and coming up with a plan. He knew where the train was and had an idea of where to find the cargo. The question was: How should he go about this? And how much cargo was enough? The announcer had said the pathfinders with the most cargo would pass, but how much was enough? One piece, two pieces, all of them? Lan wasn''t sure. ''If I want to play it safe, I should aim to get every piece available. Now¡­¡¯ He looked down the mountain at the sprawling regions surrounding it.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ''Where should I begin?'' After deciding, Lan began running back down the mountain towards the volcanic region. He would progress clockwise around the mountain. First, visiting the volcano, then the jungle, then the desert, the swamp and finally, the snowy region where the train was located. ''I know I said I would avoid the lava monster¡­ So, I really didn''t expect to come to blows with the damn things so soon. Whatever it is,'' The volcanic wasteland was tame as far as volcanic wastelands went. A geyser here, an explosion of magma there, nothing too dangerous really¡­ "Shit!" Lan spat. He had barely felt the vibrations that time. Only managing to dodge a steaming pillar of death by the skin of his teeth. There was a trick to walking on ground that could explode at any moment, and that was listening. If Lan listened closely, right before an explosion was due to happen, he would hear it. A low rumble building up strength in the bowels of the earth. Like this, he managed to avoid the never-ending barrage of geysers and magma, skipping from safe spot to safe spot as he crossed the desolate landscape. Comparing the volcanic region to the mountain, it was like Lan had stepped from inside a freezer to an oven. Boiling sulphurous air choked him, and he would have removed his robe due to the extreme heat¡­ If he had any robe left. Black lizards that resembled komodo dragons sat quietly by the mouths of geysers, relaxing while they absorbed the heat. By avoiding these groups, Lan succeeded in dodging both geysers and a fight. Not that he minded a fight, he just didn''t have time right now. Crossing a gully with a molten river running through the bottom, Lan craned his neck up at the volcano. It was active. Bubbling lava poured from the rim of its crater in pulsing rivulets. But it wasn''t erupting, and that was a fundamental difference. ''I''ve had enough erupting volcanos to last me a lifetime,'' Lan winced when he remembered getting cooked alive by magma and peppered with volcanic debris. "Not long now," He muttered, beginning to climb the side of the volcano. It was slow going at first. Due to the irregular nature with which the magma had cooled, Lan''s way was constantly blocked by massive outcroppings of basalt and little rivers of fire flowing down the mountain. But thankfully, he had some experience climbing volcanos and quickly got the hang of it again. Jumping from outcropping to outcropping, he scaled the flaming mountain in barely ten minutes, arriving at the top. There he crossed over the lip of the crater, being greeted by a bubbling lake of fire. The heat alone would have killed a normal person who didn''t have Lan''s endurance. Never mind the occasional spurts of lava that shot out of the lake without warning. "Jesus, it''s hot up here," Lan wiped his brow, adding another layer of dirt to his ''robe''. At the centre of the lake, a grey obelisk covered in golden carvings rose from the magma, unperturbed by its extreme heat. Lan could make out a titanic lizard curled around a rustic campfire carved onto the obelisk. The carving was so realistic Lan could almost hear the flames crackling¡­ Or maybe that was the volcano. A drop of sweat fell from Lan''s brow and landed on the dark basalt. It sizzled the second it landed, spitting steam back up at Lan. He felt like he was walking on burning coals, and the faster he got this over and done with, the better. Black rocks barely poked up through the lake of fire, presenting precarious steppingstones Lan could use to reach the obelisk. He walked over to the edge of the lake and squinted, trying to figure out what route he should take to cross the lake. After picking his route, Lan clenched his teeth and jumped. The shore slipped away, and he flew towards the nearest steppingstone, landing heavily. He teetered on the verge of falling, barely finding his balance at the last moment. Taking a deep breath, Lan calmed himself and jumped again and again and again. Over and over, he hopped from steppingstone to steppingstone, all the while ignoring the agony in his feet touching the scalding rock. In the lava, something moved. It only let a faint hiss as it slid through the viscous molten rock, but Lan heard it. He whirled around, trying to catch the source of the sound. Nothing. The surface of the lake was perfectly still. ''Shit, I don''t like this.'' Spurred on by the unknown creature, Lan jumped again, lava flying by beneath him. This time he caught it. Out of the corner of his eye, something moved, something huge. A burning red spine cut through the lava like a shark''s fin in water. Before Lan could look closely, it sank back into the lake. But he had seen enough. Whatever it was, it was headed right towards him. This time when he landed, Lan didn''t bother steadying himself before he made his next jump. As his feet touched the burning steppingstone, he immediately jumped again, flying to the next one. Behind him, the spine rose through the lava, slicing towards Lan at breakneck speeds. He was almost halfway to the obelisk, and the closer he got; the more desperate Lan became. His skin crawled as he bounded from steppingstone to steppingstone, straining with everything he had to stay ahead of whatever monstrosity lay below the lake''s surface. When only a few jumps stood between Lan and the obelisk, it struck. He was mid-jump and had nowhere to go, helplessly falling towards the monster as it lunged out of the lava. Its head was like a Komodo dragon''s, lava dripping from black scales as it burst from the lake of fire. On its back, a flamboyant spine like that of a Spinosaurus glowed the same colour as the lava. Time slowed for Lan as he fell towards the gaping mouth packed with wickedly serrated teeth. He could see his own death at the back of that throat. It would be gory. The monster was lunging straight towards him, rising from the lava like a breaching whale. Contorting his body in mid-air, Lan managed to avoid the jaws, pushing off the monster''s foreleg and jumping with all his strength towards the obelisk. It roared furiously, turning and snapping at Lan as he flew across the lake, landing on the small outcropping that housed the obelisk. The second he landed, Lan turned around, desperately searching for where the next attack might come from. But there was no sign of the creature. It had completely vanished beneath the lava. ''I knew I should have avoided the damn thing. I didn''t even get a chance to see what level it was,'' Lan shook his head like a dog, clearing his thoughts. Now, he would have to keep one eye on the lake as he searched for the cargo, whatever that was. He quickly scoured the platform around the obelisk, searching for¡­ anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied the spine sliding through the lava. The creature circled him like a shark would stalk a stranded surfer trapped on a reef. A thought occurred to Lan as he watched the creature swim through the lava. Wouldn''t it also work as a medium for mana? The beginnings of a grin crept across his face as he watched the creature swim. The next time the damn thing attacked him, he would fight back. The platform wasn''t big, not compared to the obelisk, anyway. It was circular, about ten metres across and rose half a metre above the lake. This meant that it didn''t take long for Lan to explore it in its entirety. There was nothing, no cargo, no treasure. ''Did I come to the wrong place?'' Lan wondered, a sinking feeling constricting his chest. ''No, there must be something here, something to do with the obelisk,'' Testing his theory, Lan reached out, brushing his hand against the rough stone. The golden carvings were smooth to the touch, and a weird gut feeling emerged as he traced them with his finger. ''I should channel mana into these,'' He wasn''t sure where it came from, but after he tried it, he knew it was right. Brilliant light travelled up the carvings as mana entered them, quickly encapsulating the entire obelisk in a magical radiance. At the centre of the carving, the bonfire began to shine brilliantly, projecting a fiery red radiance onto Lan''s chest. Cargo retrieved; the train is waiting.
Alert: Temporary title acquired ¨C Embers
Effects: increased affinity and resistance to fire and extreme heat.
Note: Blessing removed on failure to pass the fourth step.
''It''s perfect!'' Lan was always happy to earn more titles, especially when it was a title that helped him resist fire and he was inside a volcano. ''Now, the monster will be less of a threat. Maybe I could even just run past it and...'' As it turned out, the monster thought differently. The second the engraved fire began glowing, it surged through the lava towards Lan, leaving rippling waves of lava in its wake. Lan jumped back, shocked out of his thoughts of pacifism by a hulking monster throwing itself at him. It lurched out of the lava, crashing down on the suffocatingly small platform. As it burst from the lava, it sent specks of molten rock spraying in all directions. Some landed on Lan, but thanks to his new title, he could ignore them for the most part. What would have previously burned a hole through his skin only left an angry red welt. Now that it was entirely out of the lava and he could get a good look at the damn thing, Lan felt slightly more confident in his ability to win. Firstly, there was its level.
Fire wyrm ¨C Level: 13
He had killed stronger before, even if the circumstances were slightly different. It towered over him, looming almost 5 metres tall at its head and at least 30 metres long. The fire wyrm was so massive that its tail and back legs dragged through the lava, unable to fit on the platform with the rest of its body. Deciding to take the initiative this time, Lan ran up to the obelisk and jumped, pushing off it and soaring towards the creature''s back. He landed there, grabbing its protruding spine to anchor himself as the colossal lizard writhed beneath him. With a grunt, Lan stomped down on the fire wyrm''s back, making a loud crack like splintering wood. The wyrm opened its mouth and screamed, belching fire from its gaping maw. The fiery spines on its back began to heat up, glowing so brightly Lan couldn''t keep looking at them. It was like staring directly into the sun. ''What is it doing?'' Lan felt an ominous sense of growing danger as he watched the spine glow more intensely. Too preoccupied with the spine, he didn''t notice that the tail still dragging in the lava had also begun to glow. A low rumble spread from the wyrm''s belly, growing in intensity as it reached the monster''s spine. Lan felt like he was standing on a broken pipe on the verge of exploding, extreme pressure building up beneath him. "Shit," Lan frantically stomped on the monster''s back, digging his heel between the overlapping black scales as he tried to stop the thing from doing whatever it was trying to do. But his struggle only made the wyrm angrier, roaring loudly as its spine glowed blindingly bright. In a last-ditch effort, Lan grabbed his scythe, and after strengthening it, he began hacking at the bony spine running across the creature''s back. But it was like chopping wood with a blunt axe, and his scythe kept getting stuck uselessly in the spine, causing the beast minor damage. ''I bet your head isn''t this tough!'' Lan abandoned the spine and picked his way along the monster''s back, trying desperately not to be thrown off into the lava. He finally arrived by the wyrm''s neck, taking a deep breath as he stared down at the glistening black scales. ''Let''s do this!'' Lan hyped himself up, activating mana strings. Strands became a rope, and that rope was quickly lowered down into the lava below, turning from transparent blue to solid red. He held two ropes, one in each hand and followed the inspirations that came to him in a flash. Joining the roped together at either end, he created what resembled reins of fire, looping them under the Komodo dragon head and tightening the loop around its neck. The fire wyrm bucked wildly, but Lan held tight, increasing the pressure on the noose he had formed around its neck. The wyrm roared, a deep, throaty thing, vomiting flames onto the platform in a messy deluge and finally, it attacked. All the pressure building up in its spine exploded in a terrifying supernova of lava. Its tail funnelled lava from the lake into its spine, which spewed liquid fire into the air, raining down a cascade of death and destruction. Lan looked up wide-eyed as the wave of flame fell towards him, ''Please work new title!'' He prayed, clenching his teeth and tightening his grip. For what felt like an eternity, they struggled inside the flames, Lan refusing to let go and the wyrm refusing to die. The final victory would be decided by who died first. Would Lan burn, or would the wyrm be suffocated? Horrific burns marred Lan''s skin as the magma landed on his back, incinerating what remained of his robe and leaving agonising third-degree burns on his back. He stifled a scream and pulled tighter, hearing the wyrms bone''s groan in response to the added pressure. Suddenly, a crunch rang out, and the wyrm screamed no more. Its body went limp, and Lan did something similar, collapsing in a heap on its back as it slumped halfway out of the lake. Its huge body looked like it would capsize the platform the obelisk was on.
Alert: Killed lvl:13 Fire Wyrm ¨C Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference)
Alert: Level up: 9->10
Alert: Class options available!
Too tired to care, Lan had but one wish. ¡®Let the other guardians be easier to kill,¡¯ he prayed. Chapter 23 - Man of many talents No rest for the wicked, or in Lan''s case, no rest for someone with four monsters to kill in the next 20 hours. Although, that doesn''t roll off the tongue quite as well. Lan lay on the ground for a good 20 minutes before finally finding the nerve to stand up. His body felt raw; the very breeze scraping against his burnt skin felt like screws being turned. He ground his teeth as he stood up and, without hesitation, put the 10 free points he gained after levelling up into vitality. ''Hopefully, that lets me heal faster,'' After doing this, his head felt a little clearer, so he decided to look at his class options. ''The skills better be able to help me take care of the rest of these monsters,'' His voice shook a little, the nerves getting to him as he said, "View class options,"
Alert! Available class options: 3
Lan checked the first option, grinning when he saw it was rare.
[Argonaut] [Rare]
A special type of lunatic thrives off of killing monsters far stronger than themselves. In the heat of the battle, the higher the pressure and the smaller the odds, the harder they fight.
Stat points per level ¨C Intelligence: 4 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 3 Endurance: 5
Free points: 8
"So, I get a total of 25 stat points for this one. I heard the average was about 20, so this isn''t a bad option. It''s a shame I can''t see the skills before selecting the class, though,"
[Master of None] [Rare]
Jack of all trades, master of none. Weapons are, but a means to an end and the master of none has no true weapon. They can adapt to any circumstance and use every tool at their disposal with frightening proficiency.
Stat points per level ¨C Strength: 8 Dexterity: 8 Endurance: 8
Free points: 3
"This one looks like it leans into my use of weapons, so all the stat points are heavily biased towards physical stuff. It''s definitely a good option seeing as it has 27 stat points, but the lack of mana is concerning,"
[Fringe Bodhisattva] [Rare]
The buddha holds the entire universe within the palm of his hand, and the Bodhisattva controls everything within their grasp. Weapons, mana, people. All is one, beneath the authority of the enlightened.
Stat points per level ¨C Intelligence: 6 Strength: 6 Dexterity: 6 Mind: 6
Free points: 4
"This one seems more my style, although I don''t know much about Buddhism. For one, it has the most skill points and seems to be more well-rounded. It looks like I sacrifice endurance and vitality for vastly increased attacking prowess¡­ But seeing as I can''t actually die, this seems like less of a penalty than it could have been," Lan didn''t have much time to think his decision through, so he went with his gut. The Fringe Bodhisattva presented an excellent opportunity for growth and, most importantly, allowed him to use both weapons and mana. If he hated the whole Buddhist aspect of it, he could always change his class further down the road when he levelled up again. Except, when he went to click on the option, the system stuttered, glowing a sickly red.
Error. Error. Error¡­ Additional talent found. Taking talent into consideration ¨C New class option granted.
[Trochilus] [Unique]
Due to the never seen before talent of ¡ê%$^&¡ê A unique class has been offered to: Unknown. A little bird stands in the crocodile''s mouth, eating the scraps between its teeth. In doing so, it cleans the crocodile, so the beast allows it to stay there. Their relationship is symbiotic, but one wrong move from the little bird will spell its doom.
Stat points per level: Strength: 10 Dexterity: 10 Intelligence: 10 Mind: 5 Endurance: 5 Vitality: 5
Free points: None
"Huh?" Lan froze, finger hovering over the glowing red class option. He had never seen the system turn another colour before, and it made him uncomfortable. Besides that, the class itself just seemed off. "45 stat points!? That''s insane. And that class description¡­ Just what does it mean? I don''t remember having a second talent¡­." He frowned, scouring his memory for any recollections of such an event. ''I do vaguely remember something as I was entering the bridge¡­ Something about my talent getting replaced. But surely that means it''s gone for good. If not, what could my other talent possibly be that warrants this sort of treatment from the system?'' His first reaction was to avoid picking a class with such ominous warning signs attached, but 45 stat points was a ridiculous number. That would mean each level, for him, was worth two for an average pathfinder. ''Won''t that make getting titles far easier?'' Lan was beginning to get excited by the potential this class brought. Its rating was also a mystery to him. Until this point, he hadn''t even heard of a unique class. Rachel had told him classes went in this order: Common -> Uncommon -> Rare -> Epic -> Legendary. She had mentioned that there were, in fact, classes rarer than these, but there was no point even talking about them. "It''s definitely a risk to take this one, but the rewards are plain as day. This could be the opportunity that propels me to number one in the tutorial. And the rewards I will get from that speak for themselves. Not only that, but If I finish high up in the tutorial, I might have the chance to join a proper clan rather than work at a shop. The resources a clan could give me would help massively as I progress along the bridge," "Is it worth the risk¡­?" Lan mulled it over. He would have liked to spend days thinking about it, but time was short, and he wanted every advantage he could get when it came to killing these guardians. The fire wyrm had almost got the better of him with its lava attack, and if he wanted to keep his title, the more stat points, the better. "Let''s do this," Lan reached out, his finger landing on the glowing red box.
Class option selected. Confirm [Y/N]
"Yes," Lan murmured, readying himself for the agony that came with new skills. He hadn''t forgotten the torture he''d experienced when the system gave him Strengthen.
Confirmed. Class installation begins in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­
Lan felt a fuzzy, warm sensation all over his body like he was in a sauna. The heat kept increasing and building as time passed, making him sweat profusely. He felt like he was being boiled alive, buckets of sweat falling to the ground as he wiped his brow and grimaced, fighting back the urge to scream. His burns were being aggravated by the feverish heat of his body, and his mind was slipping. ''No. I need to stay awake for this. It''ll help me understand the skills better if I see the array form,'' Lan steeled himself and hunkered down, weathering the storm of pain that battered him in growing waves. Like a tiny boat in a monsoon, all Lan could do was hold tight and wait for the storm to blow over. After what felt like hours, he could breathe again. The skills had formed, and both were burned clearly into his mind. He had managed to stay awake for the whole process, so now, he would be able to wield them more effectively. Not having to learn to use the skills properly, like he had with Strengthen, was a blessing when he was in such a rush and needed to use them right away. But he immediately noticed something. Both skills had unfathomably complex arrays and were nothing like the two skills he currently had.
[Karmic threads - ??]
When the bridge needs a threat taken care of, it will send you. Fighting those who have sinned heinously and committed crimes against reality increases your strength.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Mana cost: None. Skill is passive.
[Boon of Trochilus - ??]
After fulfilling ^¡ê%^% conditions with your talent, the user can ¡ê" %!^& from their victim.
Mana cost: All remaining mana (Unconditional)
"Well¡­ Both of those are useless," Lan sighed, lamenting that he hadn''t gone with a straightforward class. "What does it even mean that my skills are ?? rarity? This damn system never helps me when I need it most!" "Fucks sake," Lan groaned. He had gotten his faculties back after getting the class. The whole process had been excruciating, but afterwards, his body felt like new. Every little cut, scrape and bruise had vanished, and most importantly, his burns were gone. ''I should get going,'' Lan reluctantly crossed the lake of fire again, running down the side of the volcano. Besides being healed, his body didn''t feel much different than it had before. But that in itself wasn''t a bad thing. Constantly growing in strength made it easy to underestimate yourself. Perhaps after adding a bunch of points into strength, he would try and open a door, only to accidentally pull the entire thing off its hinges. Sprinting down the side of the mountain posed the same dangers as before, namely the geysers and explosions of lava. But Lan was used to them now and could avoid the blistering pillars of steam with some degree of confidence. By the time he arrived at the border of the densely packed jungle, he had only received a few burns and a singed eyebrow. A great success as far as he was concerned. ''I''m just glad to be leaving lava land. The jungle can''t be worse than that¡­ No. Wait. I take it back!'' But it was too late. As Lan often did, he had jinxed himself. From the outside, the jungle looked like a solid block of green. Every tree, vine and bush seemed connected in some way, growing into and on top of each other in a complex, interwoven mess. There was no path for explorers to tread, so Lan would have to make one. ''I guess I can try out a new technique,'' Lan decided, grabbing his scythe and walking over to a nearby vine. It was an earthy dark green colour and about three metres long. Taking the vine, he wrapped it around the hilt of his scythe. When he was sure the knot was firm, Lan wrapped the other end of the vine around his hand, letting his scythe drop to the ground and dragging a few metres behind him. ''For my next trick. I will not move my arm!'' Lan imagined himself as a magician, activating strengthen and mana strings. As though possessed, the vine lifted itself off the ground hovering by Lan''s shoulder, the scythe eagerly waiting like a leashed dog that wanted to go on a walk. Its wickedly sharp blade baying for blood. Using nothing but his mind, Lan manipulated the vine, sending it forward. The scythe slashed down and tore open a gap in the impenetrable barrier that was the jungle. "It works!" Lan laughed, ordering the scythe to clear him a path to the temple in the middle of the jungle. Slash after slash, he was getting more comfortable manipulating the vine to do his bidding. It required a deft touch and constant attention, but with his talent''s assistance, he instinctively knew just the right way to do this. Scything his way through the jungle, the flash of his golden blade cut both plants and wild creatures alike. Anything that got in his way was on the chopping block. The vine moved like it had a mind of its own, creating a perimeter of destruction around him. Nothing could get within a metre of him, be it plant or animal. For the most part, the creatures in the jungle were colourful and fast. Darting from tree to tree at blistering speeds. Parrots with wickedly sharp claws and bright blue frogs; Flying snakes and big cats with almost perfect camouflage. If there was one thing Lan noticed these creatures had in common, it was cunning. None attacked him head-on. Instead, they lay in wait behind fallen logs or jumped from above, raining attacks down on him. But like an umbrella, his scythe soaked up these attacks one after the other, effortlessly protecting Lan from the onslaught. Of course, he had to concentrate to make this happen, and in the process, he was burning mana. But the speed he could travel when he moved like this was stunning. As a precaution, he took a break whenever his mana went below half full, just in case he was attacked by something he would actually struggle to kill when he had no mana. Vibrant noise in the jungle was a constant and perhaps its most outstanding feature. Squawks and screeches, high-pitched roars and the rustle of leaves as unseen things passed between them. Everything was loud and present, overwhelming him with the dense liveliness of it all. Finally, he found a break in the trees. As he stepped through, he felt like he was walking into no man''s land. The familiar mossy earth gave way to ancient carved stone, split and cracked by invasive roots. Craning his neck, Lan looked up, taking the temple in. He was looking for something like the obelisk, something that would have a carving he could activate. But nothing obviously presented itself. Most of the ancient Aztec temple was buried beneath the very jungle itself, smothered by vines and moss. This made it impossible to figure out where he needed to go at a glance. ''I suppose the cargo is probably in there,'' Lan remarked, focusing on a vast stone door held ajar by a massive tree root growing out from inside of the temple. He climbed the cracked steps and squeezed through the door, finding himself in a long stone corridor. The floor of which was damp and slippery, covered in black moss. Lan made his way down the corridor, finding himself at a set of stairs. Following the stairs, he began to climb in a winding circle up and around the enormous trunk of the tree. For what felt like forever, he went up and up, climbing hundreds of stairs in the dark, until finally, he saw salvation. A faint golden beam of light shone down into the cramped stairwell, bringing life with it. Lan rushed up, running out of the stairs and onto a raised stone platform. The platform was circular and about big enough to land a helicopter on. It was wedged into the tree trunk and supported by the ruined temple walls, precariously hanging above jungle canopies. From here, Lan could see the distant volcano, as well as the rolling sands of the desert he would soon be visiting. But none of that stood out to him. Like a magnet, his attention was drawn uncontrollably to a rough stone slab in the centre of the platform. It looked unimaginably ancient, with long dried blood sticking to the top in brown splotches. Grooves were cut into the side of the slab, running down onto the platform and carving intricate patterns in the stone, where blood from the altar would flow. Atop the altar, a notification from the system hovered patiently. Lan walked over, examining the message with a discerning gaze.
Alert: Sacrifice required for activation
''Hm¡­ I''m not about to sacrifice myself for this. And as far as I can tell, I am the only person here. So where would I find a sacrifice?'' Something rustled in the tree above him, the tree''s vast limbs bowing slightly under the creature''s weight. Lan looked up, spying something vibrant and colourful slipping between the branches. Its movements were jumpy and rapid, flitting between branches at blinding speeds. ''Could that be it?'' Lan wondered, ''That the Guardian is the sacrifice¡­ That''s sort of poetic, in a twisted kind of way.'' Lan trained his eyes on the creature, following it as it travelled between the branches. No matter how far apart two branches were, it covered the distance in a split second. It was bright red with splashes of yellow and blue mixed in, reminding Lan of the exotic birds that had attacked him on his way here. He looked at the scythe on its long vine and grinned. ''If that thing really is a bird, then I can''t think of anything better to deal with it than this¡­ Hold on, I''ve just had an idea,'' Lan paused, thinking over whether it was possible. He would have to be quick and, most importantly, precise, but he could do it. ''Hopefully, this doesn''t take too long to set up,'' Lan thought, glancing at the sun beginning to sink towards the distant horizon. ''Judging from that, I have about 19 ¨C 20 hours left,'' After spending twenty minutes preparing his trap, Lan pinpointed the bird''s location and took off. Jumping from limb to limb, he scaled the tree with practised ease, weaving between branches and leaves like a monkey. His ascent brought him further up the tree and into its canopy, where, after some searching, he found it.
Archaeopteryx ¨C Lvl: 14
It looked for all the world like a feathered dinosaur. Bright colours and vicious claws. Its wings were short and stubby, making Lan doubt whether or not it could actually fly. But he had seen for himself the way it glided from branch to branch with effortless grace uncharacteristic of its immense size. Huge for a bird, the Archaeopteryx was twice as tall as Lan, its long neck ending in a small lizard skull, where, instead of jaws, it had a beak full of serrated teeth. The whole thing looked like a confused mismatch of different animals that had been stuck together by some mad scientist. Lan positioned himself below the bird, and when it was mid-air, gliding towards a nearby branch, he struck. His scythe whipped towards the creature, scoring a bloody red mark on the back of its leg, sending colourful feathers into the air like shrapnel. The creature squawked, thrashing its wings and twisting in mid-air. Its beady eyes focused on Lan, blazing with fury. "Oh, shit," It flapped once, sending a powerful gust of wind blasting through the boughs of the tree. Leaves were ripped from branches, and it was all Lan could do to hold on for dear life. He grabbed a branch, flailing in the mini hurricane as the wind battered him. Thankfully, the assault didn''t last long, but to Lan''s disappointment, instead of following him, the bird had fled. It was using its oversized claws, like that of a velociraptor, to run up the side of the tree. Lan took off after it, scaling the tree as fast as he could, unwilling to let the bird out of sight. Its right leg had a deep wound, and although it looked fast, there was definitely something off about its cadence. The way it ran was unsteady, leaning heavily on its good leg for support. Due to this impairment, Lan was able to catch up quickly enough. His scythe shot out like a striking cobra, hooking into the creature''s back where it remained, stuck fast. Like this, Lan could allow himself to be dragged up the tree after the monster, but he had other plans. Digging in his heels, he hauled on the vine, praying that Strengthen would hold as he tugged with all his might. The Archaeopteryx squawked furiously, flapping its wings so hard Lan was almost lifted off the ground. But he refused to let go, holding tight to the vine. Finally, it gave up trying to escape and turned around, glaring angrily at him. In that gaze, Lan could sense frustration, fury and fear, the latter of the three being subtle but there. ''Why would it be scared?'' He wondered. The beast stepped back and kicked out, its clawed foot hurtling towards Lan''s throat. He barely managed to jump to the side, dodging the deadly attack and following it up with a strike of his own. He wrapped the vine around the creature''s outstretched leg, yanking the beast off balance. It screeched, falling onto a broad branch in a heap of feathers and blood. Lan ran forward, planning to finish the beast, when he felt a sense of impending doom wash over him. He lurched to the side just in time to dodge a volley of razor-sharp feathers indistinguishable from the rest. They landed in the tree trunk behind him, sinking a few inches into the tough tree bark. Thinking that the attack was done, he went to move forward again, but a different attack met him this time. In the time he had taken to dodge, the Archaeopteryx had gotten to its feet and was flapping its wings, raising gust after gust of wind. The force of the gale just kept growing, and the only thing that Lan could do was hold on tight to the vine, praying it wouldn''t snap. He dangled in mid-air, his feet flailing over nothing as the hurricane grew stronger, snapping branches and blasting leaves out over the jungle. Lan tried to drag himself forward along the vine, hoping to grab onto the creature and stop its attack, but when he moved his hand, a sharp snap shot out. The vine had broken under the strain, and he was buffeted back, hitting off a tree branch and falling tens of metres down through the dense canopy. Time slowed as he fell, his head hitting off a branch and his vision becoming blurry. All he could do was concentrate on the sensation of falling. He was actually kind of grateful for whatever he hit on the way down because they at least slowed his fall. Finally, he landed on his back on a particularly colossal limb, splayed out like a starfish. He didn''t know how far he had fallen, but it had certainly hurt. Groaning, he picked himself off the branch, frowning as he heard desperate screeching in the tree above. It was getting louder and closer, ''Why is the Archaeopteryx coming down here? It didn''t seem like the kind of creature to pursue a strong opponent,'' Lan looked around, trying to find a reason for the beast''s apparent desperation. He quickly found it. A huge nest, big enough to park a car in, lay beside him on the branch. Within was a single, enormous egg, sat atop heaps of moss and leaves. It was speckled with vibrant red and yellow dots and was far bigger than even an ostrich egg. The screeching was getting closer now, almost on top of Lan. Making a split decision, he ran into the nest, grabbed the egg and took off through the tree. Behind him, he heard a pained screech followed by furious pursuit. Despite only being able to use one arm, he swung agilely between branches, darting through the dense canopy as little more than a shadow. Finally, he arrived back at the platform, panting as the Archaeopteryx snapped at his heels. He laid the egg down on the altar and disappeared into the undergrowth, watching the stone pillar intently. Mere seconds later, the Archaeopteryx burst into the clearing, recklessly charging towards the altar the second it saw its egg. ''I feel kind of like the bad guy here,'' Lan noted, activating his trap. Ten vines, each one controlled by five mana strings, snapped closed, ensnaring the Archaeopteryx in a complex net. Before the creature could break free, Lan cast Strengthen, making the vines sturdier than steel. ''I don''t have much time till my mana runs out, so I need to make this quick,'' Lan darted out of his hiding spot and lunged towards the confused bird, his scythe flashing as it raked across the beast''s throat.
Alert: Killed Lvl: 14 Archaeopteryx ¨C Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference)
Level up! [10->11]
As the creature''s blood splashed across the altar, it filled the grooves, spilling onto the patterns and glowing an evil red. A small glowing tornado formed in the sky above the altar, rushing into Lan''s chest much like the campfire had earlier. He sighed in relief when he got the notification that this was, indeed, the cargo. Cargo retrieved; the train is waiting.
Alert: Temporary title acquired ¨C Wind Watcher
Effects: Increased affinity and resistance to wind and air.
Note: Blessing removed on failure to pass the fourth step.
"Next is the sphinx¡­." Lan muttered, gazing across the jungle canopy towards the rolling desert sands. Chapter 24 - The Prince and The Fool Lan didn''t much like the desert. There was nothing to see, nothing to do, except trudge through the shifting sands. He felt like the more effort he put in and the harder he tried to walk, the more difficult making progress became. He set foot on a nondescript patch of sand, which erupted. A black scorpion tail lashed towards him like a streak of dark lightning. ''Again¡­ There''s got to be a better way to do this,'' He batted the tail away and stomped on the scorpion that had only half emerged from its hiding spot. It was not the first time Lan had killed one of these things.
Alert: Killed Lvl: 5 Pit Scorpion ¨C Experience gained
It wasn''t even enough experience to shift the scales, negligible to the point of uselessness. ''Maybe I''m just used to getting loads of Exp from killing higher levelled monsters. But if that''s the case, I want to keep hunting like that. Fighting loads of little monsters is too slow. Unless I get a skill like George''s, I''m going to stick to things around my level, if not higher,'' "It would be quicker if I could avoid these things altogether. Come on; there must be a way, think," Lan continued walking as he pondered possible solutions. "It would be fine if I could just run past them, but the sand slows me down a lot. And although they are pretty weak, they''re quick as shit, making them impossible to completely ignore," "Gah, there''s got to be a better way to do this," Lan scratched his head, trying to figure out a way to avoid the scorpions, "Or¡­ what if instead of avoiding them, I provoke them early, before I even get there. The same way people deal with landmines. If I could find a way to set off the scorpions in advance, it would be much easier to avoid them." He thought about using sand as a medium to conduct mana, but it didn''t work out how he wanted. The sand had nothing connecting the individual grains, meaning it was even more challenging to manipulate than pure air. However, Lan didn''t see the experiment as useless since he was always happy to learn more about his skills. The problem with deserts is that there is nothing in them: just sand and the blazing sun. Lan had no mediums to manipulate, whether or not he wanted to. ''I could cut my robe into strips and use that¡­ But I would rather not walk about naked in a desert. The only other thing I have to work with is the scorpion''s body, but that isn''t really of much help to me,'' He took a deep breath and readied himself, "Looks like I will be using air this time," After he began walking again, Lan created invisible strings of air, using them to lash the sand a few metres in front of him. Which immediately became more of a hindrance than a help. The impacts blew sand into his mouth and eyes, raising dust clouds into the air. "Fuck this," Lan spat, throwing caution to the wind. "I''ll outrun the bastards!" Taking off in a dead sprint, Lan stuck to the tops of the dunes where there were fewer scorpions. Any that he did come across were destroyed with a swift kick. Like a skipping stone, he skimmed across the surface of the desert, practically flying towards the distant pyramid. The golden tip of the red pyramid peeked out over the tops of even the tallest dunes. On the enormous sandstone slabs, Lan could make out ornate carvings. Carvings that were all too familiar. ''That must be the next cargo; if it goes by the previous trend, it''ll probably be another elemental title. But what could it be here¡­ Is sand an element?'' He arrived at the pyramid after a few more minutes of travel, gazing down into the valley atop a towering dune. Beside the red pyramid, an enormous sphinx carved from golden sandstone waited patiently, its eyes following Lan along the top of the dune. "There you are¡­." Lan locked eyes with the Sphinx and waved. It released a low rumble, shifting its colossal bulk. The force rushed through the ground like an earthquake, dislodging sand from atop dunes and creating mini avalanches throughout the desert. "Challenger, you have come¡­." It growled. Its voice was deep and scarily human. "You speak?" Lan asked, shocked. The last monster he heard speak was the ant queen. ''Shit, it''s not as strong as that thing, is it?'' He anxiously checked its level, heaving a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only one level higher than the Archeopteryx.
Alert: Lvl: 15 Sphinx
"I have a riddle for you, challenger," It boomed. "Uh, huh," Lan nodded, ''Did it just ignore me?'' "What-"The Sphinx began. "Oi, I said something to you!" Lan shouted, checking to see if it would react. But its stony gaze remained placid, robotic even. It simply began its riddle again. "What goes on four legs in- " "Ugh, I''m not answering some riddle," Lan grunted and began running down the side of the dune, darting towards the Sphinx. He stopped before the hulking statue and gazed up at its eerily human face. As he neared, the beast got to its feet, standing on four feline legs. Every aspect of its body was so intricately carved that Lan had trouble believing it wasn''t a living creature when it was moving. "What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in- " Lan dashed past the Sphinx, running towards the nearby pyramid. "I did not say you could pass!" The monster bellowed, turning its massive body to chase Lan. "And I didn''t say I''d do your riddle!" Lan snapped back, quickly arriving at the foot of the pyramid. He placed his hand on the hot, red stone, warmed by the blazing sun. Nothing happened. Even after channelling mana, the result was the same. "Great," Lan grumbled, turning to glance at the Sphinx that was barrelling towards him. Its huge lion paws were like an excavator, scooping vast mounds of sand out of the desert floor as it ran. ''Where could it be¡­?'' He glanced up at the top of the pyramid, where the final block was obscured by the sun, ''Let me guess, it''s up there. The system never makes things easy, does it?'' Lan bounded up the side of the pyramid, leaping two huge blocks at a time as he skipped towards the top. Behind him, the Sphinx stopped at the foot of the pyramid, gazing up at him. "You cannot be there!" It roared, receiving no response. Ignoring the Sphinx, Lan continued to climb, quickly arriving at the peak. Coated in a thick layer of gold, the cap was opulent beyond imagination, shining lustrously beneath the bright desert sun. Seeing the familiar carvings inlaid on the gold, Lan smiled, discharging his mana into the pyramid cap. Just like the obelisk, the gold began to shine, blue lines of mana running down its surface and covering the pyramid in a beautiful array. The rays of light converged again at the top, projecting a sparkling diamond into the cloudless sky. "Wow," Lan stood in awe, stunned by the multicoloured light distorted by the diamond. Suddenly, the diamond began to spin, focusing the glowing light on his chest. ''Here it comes,'' Lan readied himself, trying to guess what the title would be. Cargo retrieved; the train is waiting.
Alert: Temporary title acquired ¨C Gaia''s brood
Effects: Increased affinity and resistance to earth.
Note: Blessing removed on failure to pass the fourth step.
When it was done, Lan turned and looked back down the pyramid, smiling at Sphinx, which hadn''t budged from its spot. Its stony gaze was fixed on him, unmoving, unblinking. "Now, let''s get this over with," He cracked his knuckles as he began to sprint down the pyramid, picking up speed as he went. The Sphinx made eye contact with him, beginning to repeat its riddle, "What goes on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the evening¡­." "Fuck you! I didn''t go to school," Lan yelled as he jumped from the pyramid and crashed down onto the Sphinx''s back. Fractures ran across its craggy back as a sharp, splintering crack rang out. "Wrong." The Sphinx rumbled, opening its mouth. "The answer was-" "Shut up!" Lan bellowed, pounding his fist on the giant monster''s back. Every blow caused a deep fracture to run through its rocky body. "Man¡­" Another blow landed on the back of its head, shaking the colossal monster''s body. "Since the riddle was answered incorrectly, your life is forfeit!" Its mouth agape, an endless wave of pitch-black scorpions poured from its face, spilling from its mouth and eyes onto the sands below. The clacking claws and snapping teeth were deafening as the scorpions attacked everything that moved. Nothing escaped their claws, not even other scorpions. Lan activated mana strings, attaching fifty to the base of his scythe. Even fifty mana strings conducted through the air weren''t as strong as ten through water or five through the vine, but they didn''t need to be strong. They just needed to keep the scorpions off him long enough to get rid of the Sphinx.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The scythe whirled around him like a helicopter blade, eviscerating any insects that got close. Notifications quickly piled up as he fought, countless scorpions falling beneath his hooked blade. Not that Lan cared. He was too busy stomping on the back of the Sphinx''s neck. Time and again, he rained down blow after blow, widening the cracks in its rocky body. When the fracture was large enough to put his hands in, he reached down, grabbed both sides and pulled. With a heave, Lan wrenched at the crack, roaring as he pulled it apart with all his strength. In response, the Sphinx bellowed, sending an abhorrent torrent of scorpions crashing down on him. While his scythe took care of its newest attackers, Lan pressed his feet against the crack pushing it wider with everything he had. Finally, he heard splintering rock and a mighty crash as the huge head landed on the ground below, crushing countless scorpions into a paste. "Finally," Lan heaved for breath, surveying the carnage around him.
Alert: Killed Lvl: 15 Sphinx ¨C Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference)
Level up! [11 -> 12]
"It''s about time," Lan grinned, "I''m looking forward to those forty-five extra stat points!" As Lan thrived in the deadly trial, the tutorial ground was in turmoil. A new threat had emerged. *** The Fool liked the look on people''s faces when he returned the second time. It was always the same. A sprinkle of confusion, a dash of disbelief, and a pinch of terror. They combined into a beautiful, addicting recipe he couldn''t get enough of. It was about to happen again, and he just couldn''t wait. Dashing between the shadows of houses, he followed his killer. The memory of the arrow ramming through the side of his head was excruciating, seared forever into his brain by the endless times he relived it. His talent was valuable, unimaginably so. It had let him rise up in barely a few days, growing at unheard-of speeds. But it sure as hell hurt. Fool me Once let him learn everything about whatever had killed him. But that process wasn''t as simple as just suddenly attaining the information. His death was repeated endlessly in his mind, showing all the possible ways he could have died and all the pain he could have felt. He relived this death over and over, again and again, until he could beat it. This time, it had taken him thirty-three tries to beat the man with the bow. Twice as long as any other. But that was because Mr bow had a secret weapon. Of course, The Fool knew this. He knew everything about Mr Bow. The unsuspecting bowman was heading out for the night, taking a trip through the forest while the night drones were out. ''He must be on the King of the Night''s team, same as me. Perfect. The second he leaves the safe zone, I''ll get back my points... With a little interest,'' Night wasn''t as dark as it used to be in the tutorial, thanks to what the pathfinders had taken to calling the Moon. The glowing silvery rock hung motionless above everything, shining stark, white light down on the whole tutorial. Beneath the Moon, a grotesquely colossal insect hung down from a silken string. It was motionless, still as a statue, wrapped in a pristine silken cocoon. ''Just how the hell are we supposed to kill that thing?'' The Fool wondered, shaking his head. Everyone already knew about the Farmer''s complete lack of interest in the actual tutorial objective, so for the most part, people on his team had given up. All anyone seemed to care about was getting into the top one hundred, which had, in its own way, become a massive handicap for their team. Betrayal was the name of the game as anyone in the top one hundred had a gigantic target painted on their back. Everyone had given up... except for George. The Fool had only seen him once, from a distance. He was shadowed by a hulking giant of a man, laying waste to a vast swathe of trees, ripping them up like twigs in a tornado. His voice was like an angel that doomed sinners to hell. ''Oh, I really want to fight him,'' He was itching to try but knew his limits, ''How many replays would I need? Thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, if it''s even possible at all. No, it would be a waste of time as I am now. I need to level up first, take everything I can from the dregs and move my way up the ladder. George is the peak of the mountain, and everyone else is just the stairs I''ll use to get there,'' It was simple, really, the more times the Fool died, the more weapons he mastered, and the better he got at fighting. He didn''t care about a fight he could win easily because he had nothing to learn. The way he saw the Archer he was chasing was like an exam. His death and subsequent revisions of it were a practice run. Then, to prove that he had really learnt how to beat the Archer, he had to do it for real. The man had now stepped out of the barricade, making a beeline for the tree cover while constantly checking for an ambush. He was good. Hiding his tracks and sticking to the shadows, anyone who didn''t know he was coming would never see him. But the Fool did; he had been following the Archer for half an hour and wasn''t about to lose him after all that time. ''I can''t wait to see it~'' He had to hold back giggles as he drifted between the trees closing in on his prey. Finally, the man arrived at a clearing and turned, he glared angrily back into the pitch-black forest. "I know you''re there; you''ve been following me for five minutes," ''Wrong,'' The Fool smirked as he gleefully watched the idiot look the completely wrong way. The Archer shifted, going for his bow. Like a bolt from the blue, the Fool broke from the tree cover, hurling a rock at the man''s head. Of course, the Archer dodged the rock, but that was the point. If he was dodging, he couldn''t get to his bow. ''Just like I practised, I''ll get in close, and when he goes for it, I''ll step off,'' They tumbled to the ground, rolling to a stop by a boulder. The Fool got up first, burying a kick in the man''s stomach. Groaning, the man grabbed the foot before it could retreat, yanking the Fool forward. ''Idiot, that''s what I want,'' As he fell down towards the man, the Fool produced a rock, slamming it into the fist coming up to greet him. ''He won''t be drawing a bow with that hand anytime soon,'' Cursing, the man reached into his robe, "I didn''t want to use this," He shouted, glaring up at¡­ nobody. The Fool had vanished, and the Archer was left holding a live grenade. Not a mechanical grenade but one formed from mana. When it exploded, it would obliterate anything within five metres, and most of the times the Fool had died, this grenade was the culprit. So, he hid, ducking into the forest. Standing dumbfounded, holding a ticking time bomb, the Archer spun, desperately trying to find his target. If he couldn''t find his enemy before the grenade exploded, he would have to throw the damn thing away, wasting his surprise weapon. It took half an hour to make just one, and this was all he had left, having used up his arsenal on the sheer steps platform. As the timer ticked down, he got progressively more desperate, roaring, "Come out and face me, you coward!" "What do you think I am?" A voice drifted from the dense forest, the location impossible to pinpoint, "Stupid?" "I said come out and face me!" Screamed the Archer, his eyes bloodshot. He knew he was outside the safe zone, which meant that if he died, he would lose every single point. Being someone who barely scraped the top five hundred on the King of the Night''s side, he couldn''t afford to lose any points if he wanted to make it to the top one hundred and survive. This was the part the Fool loved the most. Watching his prey fumble blindly, unable to do anything after he had nullified their every move. Time marched relentlessly forward, and the Archer had no choice but to throw the grenade, taking a wild guess and chucking it into the trees. A bright blue explosion ripped apart the silence of the night, lighting up the dark forest like a mini sun, but there was no one there. The second the archer had thrown the grenade, while he was distracted by the flash, the Fool had snuck up behind him. He grabbed an arrow from the Archer''s quiver, driving it into the back of his neck just like he had practised. As the Archer disappeared, fading into red motes of light, the Fool bent over and picked up the bow and quiver. Next, he would use this to fight. And soon¡­ George''s time would come. Even the Prince, he would devour them all. "Soon¡­" He muttered, fading into the shadows in search of his next prey... His next teacher. *** The Prince has walked a path carved from stone since the moment she was born, perhaps even before then. It was a path she did not carve. Her mother and father were geniuses, and leaders of their generation. Having made it all the way to B rank before turning fifty, they could be considered talented even in the broader universe. Some said this was sheer luck, that they just happened to be born that way. But this is not the case. The Prince''s parents are a product; they were designed to be talented, cultivated by clans in such a way that they would meet the expectations set upon them from birth. In this regard, she is like them¡ªa plant in a greenhouse. Where they separate, where her parents'' path divulges from hers, is that she is defective. The Prince is a faulty product. She, should not have been born. It began twenty-two years ago, when they met. Her mother, a sect maiden and her father, a clan heir, were ordered to the first layer of defence¡­ The Moon. There, a perimeter had been set up to intercept extra-terrestrial threats from reaching the earth. This encompassed everything from cosmic terrors and stray demons, to raiding parties from nearby systems. On the Moon, caution is thrown to the wind, and pathfinders fight with their actual lives on the line, as there is no respawning there. In the heat of a battle, the two fledgling B-Rank pathfinders were separated from their team and forced to hide underground during a bombardment. It was cold and lonely in the dark tunnels beneath the lunar surface. All they had was each other, however forbidden that may be. A month later, when the bombardment ended and they finally emerged, they walked closer together than was proper, blushing when their hands touched. Romance had blossomed down in the tunnels, but romance was something the man''s clan could not allow. Driar, the most talented of their younger generation, was selected as the heir with little to no opposition. He was just that talented. However, Driar didn''t care much for the responsibilities that came with that title; he had his sights set higher than his clan, higher than the earth. He would have it all, and that was only possible on the bridge. So, he made a decision. A decision that would doom his daughter''s life. "Father," He said, "I bring you a proposal. Although I know it is forbidden to marry outside the clan, I have found a woman of equal talent, and we are with child. If our talents are to be combined, then surely our son would be the most suitable candidate for an heir?" His father objected, not wanting to place such a massive burden on his grandson before he was even born. But Driar did not care. He went to the tribunal with his proposal and it was granted. Driar did not tell the tribunal the truth about his child. He didn''t even tell his father his grandchild''s true gender before it was too late. Months passed, and the clan grew nervous as their heir''s birth swiftly approached. They prepared celebrations and parades, fighting over who would give gifts first. The position of godfather was hotly contested, but Driar''s own father threatened anyone who competed against him with extinction. He swore to shelter the child from the crushing weight of the clan''s expectations and none could argue. Eighteen years ago, on a frosty winter morning, she was born... the heir. None celebrated or cheered, and the feasts were cancelled. They had been tricked. Driar, and his wife Elaine vanished in the night, abandoning their helpless child to pursue strength and power. Rather than rejoice, the clan mourned. For this child could not be the heir. She¡­ was not a man. Only one person stood fast, fighting the waves of discontent back by himself. The child''s grandfather, Roaran, refused to give up on her. *** The Prince winced, wrapping a bandage around her broken arm. It just wasn''t healing the way she wanted. Any other time she would have just killed herself and fixed it automatically, but she couldn''t afford to lose the points, couldn''t afford to drop off the number one place on the leader board, couldn''t afford to look weak. Her clan demanded more than greatness from her. They demanded perfection. One slip-up, one failure, and her grandfather''s reputation would crumble. She took a shaky breath and clambered to her feet. The carnage before her was biblical, blood dripped from trees like melting snow, and thousands upon thousands of night drones lay in scattered pieces, blanketing the forest floor so thick the earth could no longer be seen. At sundown, she stepped into the forest, and at sunrise, she left. It had been days since she slept, and the only thing that kept her going was him, the Prince. Many saw the Prince as infallible, especially her. He had to be. That, was how she pictured him. As the path neared, she closed her eyes and prepared herself. Once there were other people around, she would have to slip into character again. The others didn''t want her. They wanted the Prince. For a moment, she relished the feeling of being alone in the forest, taking in the solitude and just being herself. She didn''t have to live up to anyone''s expectations or play a character; she could be free. But that''s all it was, a moment. A pounding drumbeat in the back of her mind whipped her, spurring her forwards. She could not rest. She would not. ''Who are all these maniacs!?'' She complained, remembering the constantly changing leaderboard that loomed over her like a guillotine, ''It''s one thing for the Farmer to compete against me. He''s a genius; I get that. But now this George guy has almost caught up to us. And some bastard called the Fool has been shooting up the leaderboards. As for who Unknown is, nobody knows. I have no idea how normal people are growing this quickly. Why can''t they just stop and let me rest?'' She hated them more than words could describe. All her life, she had pushed forward and trained harder than anyone. When her knees gave out and her bones creaked, they healed her, and she trained some more. It just wasn''t fair that someone with a good talent could come along and destroy everything she had worked for all her life. "No, I won''t allow it," She mumbled, slipping on the mask as she stepped onto the path. It wasn''t a physical mask but rather a persona she put on. Her talent, Method Actor, allowed her to seamlessly play characters of her own creation. Her performance was so convincing that even she often forgot who she really was. She only had one character; she only needed one. The Prince. He was everything she wasn''t, a rightful heir, talented, hardworking, reliable¡­ a boy. All her ideals and responsibilities, everything she should have been, he was. In him, she could give the people what they wanted. Her expression hardened, her back straightened, her hands stopped shaking, and her breath came steady. She was ready. The Prince was her, and she was him. When she played the Prince, she was perfect, better than that even. And the Prince would not lose to anyone Chapter 25 - Unvisible Lan groaned as he stretched out, his joints clicking audibly. He was on the home stretch now, eagerly waiting to move on to the next step as the sun sank below the horizon. He double-checked with the system, and it said he had twelve hours left before the trial ended. More than enough time with the way he had been churning through these monsters one after the other. His next target was the swamp, although he didn''t remember seeing any monsters or guardians there. As he thought about it, he began the trek back across the desert. It was just as tedious as the first time, with him constantly having to avoid scorpions springing from beneath him, except this time, there were more of them. It seemed like they had multiplied since the Sphinx''s death. One thing he noticed, and he couldn''t tell whether it was from his newly added mind stat points or his title''s bonus affinity with earth, was that controlling the sand had become much easier. It wasn''t easy, just easier. Where before, he had struggled to make a connection. Now he could somewhat string together strands of sand. The ropes weren''t as long or strong as usual, but they worked. Which was better than nothing. ''Any progress is better than none, I suppose. I wonder what the next title will give me. So far, I''ve gotten earth, wind and fire. What remains is the swamp and snowy tundra, so maybe water and ice? Nature and Water? I''m not too sure, but it will be fun to find out. By the way, I wonder how those other two guys are doing¡­.'' ''Reed and Nate both work for the Farmer, and he''s pretty strong, so they probably aren''t weak. If anything, getting all five Cargos is overkill¡­ But better safe than sorry. I need that job with Cece if I want someone to stick up for me after they find out I snuck into the tutorial, and I need to make it past the eighth step if I want that job, so it''s all or nothing right now. I don''t think I will have time to retry all these steps if I fail.'' Lan didn''t mind the pressure; if anything, it pushed him forwards. It acted as motivation. He could imagine that pathfinders might become lax without the threat of death. What could possibly drive someone immortal to get stronger? He wasn''t sure yet. ''Sure, the pursuit of strength itself is attractive to some, but not all. Plenty of people get rich for the sake of getting rich. And even when they have money, they only care about getting more of it. But there are also even more people who just want enough money to get by. Once they get the house and car they wanted, they stop working as hard and stop pushing themselves. Everyone needs a goal to keep them pushing forward; right now, mine is to survive. That''s as good a motivation as any.'' The swamp crept up on Lan, lost in his thoughts as he was. One moment it was distant; the next, he was standing right in front of it. The first thing that stuck out was the smell. Fishy with a hint of rot, the smell was so thick Lan could almost taste it at the back of his throat. Everything about the swamp seemed like it wanted to keep him out. There were Gnarled trees that looked like they would move if he didn''t pay close attention. And murky water blanketed in green algae, only broken by the occasional bubbles, born from hungry mouths of things unseen. On the tree boughs, creeping vines hung from sagging branches waiting to snare anything that walked too close. ''I don''t like trees,'' Lan shuddered, remembering his run-in with the crypt keeper. If the guardian was anything to do with trees this time, he would be pissed. Lan took a deep breath and jumped. He had no plans to wade through the vile swamp water. Instead, he decided to resort to his default tactic at this point. Jumping through the trees. What scared him more than anything was how good he was getting at it. ''If I''m not careful, I''ll end up with a monkey talent or something,'' As he passed over a patch of brownish-green water, a monstrously large crocodile burst from beneath him, jaws agape. Lan could see all the way down its throat and into the depths of the beast, where countless swamp creatures had met their end. "Anywhere but here, and you might have had a chance," Laughed Lan, grabbing a hanging vine. It shot out, binding the creature like a hog waiting to be roasted on the spit. With its mouth still wide open, Lan broke off a tree branch and threw it like a javelin, spearing the thing straight down the middle and completing the look. Its body hung motionless, suspended by the vine in deathly stasis until Lan relinquished his control and the crocodile unravelled, splashing into the waters below. Blood stained the green algae red, and the water began to froth as though the whole swamp was boiling. Thousands of reddish, green tails thrashed madly, battering each other as they tried to reach the corpse.
Lvl 3: Piranha
"I better not fall in," Lan gulped as he held tighter to the tree he was perched on. ''Wait¡­ how did the crocodile survive before now if those monstrous fish were in the water?'' Curious, Lan continued on towards the centre of the swamp, keeping an eye peeled for any piranha activity. When he found none, he was forced to think that perhaps that area was where all of them resided. Until another crocodile was dealt with and dropped into the water. Once again, the swamp boiled, and Lan was left baffled. ''There must be some sort of trigger. Is it the splash when the crocodile falls in? No, because then it would never have jumped out to get me. It must be something else, like the blood¡­.'' Lan had a eureka moment when he figured it out. And his mind was sent into overdrive as he quickly devised a plan to deal with whatever monster guarded the cargo. After half an hour of laboured travel, he arrived in a clearing. The usual densely packed twisted swamp trees gave way to an enormous circle of gnarled roots that rose from the swamp like hills from a plateau. In the centre of the clearing, an enormous tree grew. It was so twisted and contorted that it looked like it had grown in ten opposing directions at once, looping and entwining over its own branches so densely that, in places, Lan could see its branches were tied into knots. Beside the tree, a vast scaly hill rose from the swamp, at least ten metres high, if not more. The only reason Lan could tell it was a creature and not a feature of the landscape was from the floating system identifier.
Lvl: 16 Infant World Turtle
"What part of that is a turtle? It''s a five-story building!" Lan gawked at its massive size, wondering how he was supposed to damage the damn thing. The scales on its back looked nigh impregnable. He wouldn''t be surprised if they could stop a tank shell without getting scratched. He tried to pretend the problem didn''t exist by ignoring it. Instead, he gazed up at the towering tree, looking for his cargo. ''It should be on there somewhere¡­.'' He scanned its many limbs and enormous trunk, looking for carvings of some sort. The closest he came was the wrinkled, black bark, but that wasn''t going to net him any titles. Until, through blind luck, he spotted a glimmer of gold within the mess of green and brown. It glittered slightly in the waning light as the last embers of twilight died out. ''I need to get a closer look,'' Lan decided as he began to run towards the giant tree. He glanced behind him, expecting the turtle to react like the Sphinx had, but it didn''t. It remained stoic and unmoving beneath the heaviest bough of the tree¡­ Right where Lan had seen the speck of gold. He quickly arrived at the tree and clambered up the trunk, stopping when he reached the relevant branch. When he squinted and looked towards where he had seen the speck of gold, he finally saw what it was. Glittering and ripe beyond imagine an oversized apple hung from the very end of the branch. Its flawless skin was marred by an intricate collection of carvings that Lan couldn''t help but grin when he saw. He ran along the branch without pause, balancing with experience he was embarrassed to admit to. The swamp blurred beneath him until he arrived at the apple, and then it wasn''t the swamp beneath him anymore. It was the turtle. From here, he could see that the scales on the top of its shell were a slightly lighter green than those at its edges. In fact, the very topmost scale looked uncomfortably pale. ''A weakness? It could still be growing, and the scales start there before getting pushed aside by new ones. That would explain why the colours are different since those scales still need to develop. That would mean that this is definitely a weakness. Although a weakness for this turtle doesn''t necessarily mean it will be easy to break,'' Lan paused, thinking it over, ''But that''s okay. I only need to make one cut, and then it''s free reign for my buddies, the piranhas,'' Just as he was about to reach for the apple, he paused. ''When I touch this, it will probably move and attack me. I should deal with it first while it''s still passive. Now¡­ just how am I supposed to break through that shell?'' An idea occurred to Lan, and he grinned just thinking about it. He immediately began stringing together the vines that hung from the tree, braiding them into a sturdy rope and pulling it between two huge tree limbs. He pulled until the rope was taught before tying more and more vines onto it, not stopping until he was sure there were at least twice as many as he needed. Next, he went to look for a suitable branch. It had to be thick and pointed at one end. The ideal shape was something like a stake, which he eventually managed to find. With some difficulty, he sawed a branch from the tree and brought it back to his rope positioned directly above the turtle, sharpening the branch with his scythe until it ended in a dangerous point. "Let''s do this," Lan muttered. He tied several vines around the stake and brought it to the centre of the taught rope, strung between two heavy boughs. When he had the stake roughly in the centre, positioned right above the turtle''s weak point, he threw the end of the vines tied to the stake over a nearby branch before running to where they landed. He grabbed the vine and pulled, checking that everything would hold. It did. "Yess!" Lan placed Strengthen on the vines in his hand and began to pull in a steady rhythm. As he pulled down on the vines looped over a heavy bough, acting like a pulley, the stake rose up, increasing the tension on the vines behind it. What Lan had created was effectively a crossbow, and the harder he pulled, the more taught the rope became.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The vines creaked and groaned in protest until Lan couldn''t take it anymore. He clenched his teeth and let go, watching the stake blur as it was shot back down towards the ground by the tension in the vines. A thunderous, splintering crash sounded along with the twang from the elastic vines as the wooden spear bombarded the impenetrable shell. Lan peaked through the branches and winced when he saw the splintered spear sticking halfway out of the turtle''s body. Since the spear had plugged the hole, not a single drop of blood had spilt from the wound. "Shit," Lan cursed. He could see the turtle shifting its massive body as it struggled to stand up. Vines and algae that had grown around it began to shift and tear as it moved, while waves of vile swamp water washed against the great tree, stirred by the giant''s movements. ''Will it try to run like the archaeopteryx? Or will it go mad and attack me like the fire wyrm? If it''s the first scenario, then I need to make my move now, before it finds its bearings,'' Lan looked around for something to use as a hammer. He needed something that would drive the spear further into the shell. Suddenly, the turtle groaned in a low rumble that shook the very swamp itself. It had stood up, shaking unsteadily on its enormous feet. Now that its head was above the swamp, Lan could get a better look at it. Its head was like that of a snapping turtle; instead of teeth, it had a razor-sharp beak. Attaching the head to its massive body was an impossibly long neck. It twisted its neck, and the head snaked out and stared up at its own back. "Oh fuck¡­" Lan stared wide-eyed as the colossal head neared the spear. ''It''s going to pull it out!'' Without any time to find a suitable hammer, Lan jumped, throwing himself at the thick pillar of wood. He would be the hammer. As he fell, inspirations flew through his mind at breakneck speeds. He knew just the right way to hold his arms. How close to put his legs and how straight his back should be. Everything, down to the tiniest detail, was perfectly streamlined as he fell, streaking down towards the turtle''s back like a bolt of human lightning. He landed with a thunderous crash, slamming into the wooden spear and burying it within the turtle''s back. After the impact, his whole body vibrated from the shock, shaking like a tuning fork. The turtle''s head snapped back like it had been shot, and its enormous legs folded beneath it. As it crashed to the ground, a tremor ran through the swamp, washing waves of water in every direction. Lan glanced at the huge hole in the turtle''s shell, waiting for blood to pour out, "Did it work?" He mumbled, adrenaline pumping through his body. As if on cue, an explosive fountain of blood exploded from the shell, nearly blasting Lan off his perch entirely. The murky green swamp was quickly dyed a bloody red as the turtle bled out, and the smell of iron filled the air. The nearby swamp water began to froth and bubble as though it was boiling, ''That''s my cue,'' Lan jumped off the shell and flew back up to the tree, staring down at the collapsed turtle. All around the giant creature, countless piranhas bit and gnawed at its body, driven mad by the blood in the water. In response, the turtle snapped viciously at the fish, killing hundreds with each ruthless bite of its enormous jaws. But, even if it was comparable in size, no turtle is an island. Overwhelmed by countless numbers and relentless attacks, the turtle began to sink into the swamp, swallowed by countless ravenous jaws. Lan couldn''t quite take his eyes off the horrific scene. He had done this. Not once did the turtle attack him or even retaliate. For all he knew, it was peaceful. And now¡­
Alert: Killed Lvl: 16 Infant world Turtle ¨C Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference)
Level up! [12->13]
It was dead. ''Did I really have to kill it?'' Lan wondered as he watched the gruesome scene beneath him. The turtle''s body was quickly being devoured by the endless piranha. Soon, its indestructible shell was all that would remain. "Somehow, this doesn''t sit right with me. Was there any other way, I wonder?" Lan felt a little sick. He wasn''t sure if killing a helpless creature that didn''t put up a fight was the type of person he wanted to be. ''No. On the Bridge I will have to do things far worse than this to survive, to succeed...'' However, he wondered how he was any different from other pathfinders if he was capable of things like this. How was he any different from the man in white? ''I can worry about this later. For now, I need to get moving. The cargo won''t collect itself,'' Lan grabbed the golden apple and began to fiddle with it, trying to figure out how to activate the carvings. Whenever he sent mana into the fruit, there was no change, leaving him stumped. "Perhaps... I should take a bite?" Lan thought. He had eaten his fair share of scraps and rotten food on the streets, so eating this strange apple presented little challenge for him. As Lan brought the golden apple to his lips and tasted the delicious juices that flowed from within, a message appeared. Cargo retireved; The train is waiting.
Alert: Temporary title acquired ¨C Adam''s Apple
Effects: Increased affinity and resistance to nature
Note: Blessing removed on failure to pass the fourth step.
*** Dungeon ¨C The Ring "Welcome, one and all, ladies and gentlemen, gods and ghosts! Today''s challenger is a girl we all know and love..." The spectator seats were deathly silent as the announcer spoke. "Rachel, the Mind Breaker!" Screamed the announcer, her voice cracking under the strain. As the arena erupted into a deafening cheer, only two people weren''t joining. Rachel and Morgan sat silently in their waiting area, staring blankly at the unbreakable brick wall. They knew it was unbreakable. They had tried more than once to escape. When will it end? Rachel thought, her exhaustion leaking into her telepathic communication. "Never¡­" Morgan trailed off, sounding too exhausted to even finish their sentence. "Hey, it''s your turn to fight this time. I can hear them cheering your name," Rachel groaned, covering her ears and pretending it wasn''t happening. I wish they would just stop! Morgan looked at her and rolled their eyes. ''At least she gets cheers,'' Will we ever get out of here? Rachel moaned. Outside the waiting area, the announcer continued screaming, "Yes! Today Rachel and her sidekick Morgan will fight one of our most notorious gladiators¡­." When the crowd heard Morgan''s name, aside from ignoring their mention, a few booed. "He calls himself Harry Cross, but we prefer the name Blood Shield! Everybody, raise your hands and cheer for today''s fighters!" Morgan visibly recoiled at the mention of them being a sidekick, "Why does everyone hate me? It''s not like I''m weak or anything. I have a better record than you," Rachel shrugged; she didn''t get it either. Surely, it''s got something to do with your talent. I''m pretty sure they just aren''t taking you seriously. "Of course, I know that. It''s just annoying. Even when I win, they tell me it''s a lucky blow," Come on, there''s no use moping about it now. Maybe this will be the time they recognise how great a fighter you are. Rachel was doing her best to console Morgan. "Yeah, you''re right. This time. I''ll show them what I''m made of," Morgan perked up, stowing their hidden weapons back into their ill-fitting robe. The oversized sleeves and pockets were perfect for hiding knives and shuriken within. Now. Rachel rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. What''s the plan? Morgan bit their lips and rechecked their scores, "Well, on our fighter card, it says we need¡­ Jesus Christ, we need 10000 reputation to pass this shitty dungeon," Rachel checked their card and frowned. ''It''s because I entered with Morgan, and their talent makes it really hard for us to build up any reputation since we keep getting overlooked,'' Well, at least we already have 6000, so it won''t be long until we''re out of here. Morgan shook their head, "We need to get out as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we won''t have enough points to pass the hard-difficulty tutorial. How many points does it say that Bloody Shield is worth?" Rachel scrolled down to his character, wincing when she realised she didn''t have to scroll very far. The higher up the list a gladiator was, the stronger they were. 450 points. Rachel didn''t transmit this next thought; she knew it would hurt Morgan''s feelings. ''Although it says he would usually be worth 1000 reputation, if not for a certain person''s penalty,'' Morgan grinned wickedly, "Perfect, now that we are finally fighting strong opponents, it won''t be long before we get out of here," Yeah, I can''t wait to leave this shitty place. Maybe now I''m finally strong enough to help Lan out. "Why do you care so much about Lan anyways?" Morgan asked. Rachel shrugged. He''s a friend¡­ I don''t have many of those, so I want to do what I can to help. I thought you liked him too. Morgan frowned, thinking hard, "Yeah, I do like Lan, but he''s not the first thing on my mind when I think about getting stronger, you know?" Suddenly, the impenetrable wall shook, rumbling as it slowly rose, revealing a sandy arena. The roar of bloodthirsty spectators echoed within the Colosseum, rumbling like thunder. "Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!" Rachel and Morgan squinted, holding their hands over their eyes as harsh sunlight entered their dark prison. Across the arena, a similar wall was rising, revealing another dark, windowless room. Within, a hulking figure shifted, picking up a silver shield the size of a car door. He wore almost no armour at all, with barely a few straps of leather covering his privates and a grotesque, detailed mask of some sort of demon. "Bloody shield¡­" Morgan muttered. Same strategy as always? Rachel asked, picking up her sword from where she had left it on the floor. Blood and rust caked the blade. "Yeah¡­ It always works," Morgan sighed dispiritedly. Rachel nodded and strode into the arena, her arrival accompanied by the frenzied roar from the crowd. No one noticed that Morgan had already left the room. No one noticed Morgan at all. As Bloody Shield left his waiting room left his waiting room and growled, the crowd screamed once again, baying for blood. None of them noticed Morgan. Bloody Shield roared and threw his silver shield. The shining slab of metal spun as it flew towards Rachel. Its edges were razor sharp and stained brown from all the blood they had spilt over the years. Rachel grunted and slammed her sword against the Shield, batting the thing away. The jarring impact shoved her a couple feet back, and Bloody Shield used that moment of distraction to rush her, moving surprisingly fast for someone so huge. By this point, even Rachel was finding it hard to pinpoint Morgan. She knew they were nearby. Knew they were there. But no matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn''t focus on them. Her attention just slid off them like water off a duck''s back, making them impossible to pinpoint. But even if she couldn''t see Morgan, she knew they were there and what she had to do next. As Bloody Shield bore down on her, she stared into his eyes. He was furious, consumed by rage and¡­ exhausted. He had been fighting in this dungeon for an eternity, never resting, never dying. And Rachel could use that. She captured those feelings of exhaustion and amplified them, sending them back at Bloody Shield, who was barely five metres away. He stuttered, his eyes drooping within their slits in the mask. For a moment, he looked like he might break free from her thrall and shake off her control, so Rachel poured more mana into her talent, increasing the intensity of his exhaustion. As this was happening, not a single person noticed as Morgan paced around the edges of the arena, staring up at their bloodthirsty eyes and screaming faces. Not one of them noticed as Morgan strode towards Bloody Shield. Whenever Bloody Shield swayed, exhausted and unable to focus on the fight. Not a soul noticed that it was Morgan who walked up and slit his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Gods and Ghosts, can you believe it!? Rachel has managed to distract her opponent long enough for even her sidekick to land the finishing blow! It''s incredible; I''ve never seen someone so talented in distraction and subterfuge that they could make up for such a useless teammate. Magnificent!" Rachel shook her head as the crowd roared, chanting her name in an uncontrollable frenzy. I''m sorry, Morgan. She thought as Morgan stared at her across the arena. "It''s okay," Morgan muttered, turning away from the gladiator they had just killed. Morgan would show them soon. They would be so strong that no one would ever forget their face again. ''I will be number one¡­. Then, they will notice me.'' Chapter 26 - Kitsune of Five Lan stared down at the icy tundra, his gaze drifting across an endless expanse of white. There were no features, no obstacles, and no creatures. Only snow, so thick and soft that merely stepping on it posed a challenge. The wind blowing across the tundra was cutting. It whipped across his face as though furious he dared to enter its domain. Whatever direction Lan walked, the wind always seemed to be blowing the opposite way. Even when he turned to face away from the tundra, the wind still blew into his face, stubbornly refusing any movements he tried to make. Not that the wind could do very much to Lan. His stats were more than enough to ward off a breeze.
Name: Unknown
Title(s): [Punching Up] [Class Of Your Own] [Disciple of David][Epiphany(Temp)][Embers (Temp)][Adam''s Apple (Temp)][Gaia''s Brood (Temp)][Wind Watcher (Temp)]
Age: 18
Race: Human - G
Class: Trochilus
Talent: Weapons are my Weapons ¨C G, ********* - Unique
Health: 1177/1177
Mana: 640/640
Level: 13
Strength: 97
Dexterity: 78
Endurance: 69
Vitality: 64
Mind: 55
Intelligence: 64
Luck: 32
Free Points:
Skills: [Strengthen ¨C F][Mana String ¨C B][Karmic Threads - ??][Boon of Trochilus - ??]
''Surely, I''m close to the top of the tutorial regarding stats. For the average pathfinder, these stats would be the equivalent of, like¡­ level 20? Maybe a bit higher. But I suppose I''m not just trying to be better than your average pathfinder. I''m trying to be better than the best there is. And for that, even these stats aren''t enough,'' "With all these added Mind stat points, maybe I should have a crack at improving my control of mana strings. When I made the skill, I only had around 30 Mind, and now close to double that. Also, my mana has increased drastically since then, so improving the skill shouldn''t be too hard." Lan checked the timer, seeing that he still had eight hours before the fourth step ended. "Eight hours should be enough time for me to refine my use of Mana Strings. If I walk slowly, I should be able to finish acclimatising to my new Mana and Mind before I get to the final boss. Then, I''ll have a chance to try them out in battle." Lan began his journey from the edge, walking slowly as flurries of snow circled him like icy spirits. One and then two strings of snow wound together, and a third, then a fourth joined swiftly condensing rope. Quickly, there were ten, then twenty and thirty strings of snow braided together in a tight rope. Usually, it was about this point that Lan got a headache. Without his complete concentration, controlling that many different objects at once, especially with such precision, was incredibly taxing. ''It seems like Mind helps with that in some way. Even now, with forty-five strands in the rope, I feel as though I can keep going,'' So, he did. In groups of five, he created added additional strands, and the ethereal rope grew thicker and more substantial. Its presence gradually became more pronounced as its flickering form solidified the more strands that were added. Lan didn''t stop adding strands until he felt the familiar tug in the back of his head that told him he was going too far and stretching his Mind too thin. When he was done, there were 93 strands in all, and the rope itself was far sturdier than ever before. ''But at a certain point, it doesn''t really matter how sturdy the rope is. I don''t need it to suspend bridges or lift monstrous weights. The best use for the rope is as an additional limb. And now, I should be able to make two ropes of about equal strength, and with my added mana reserves, fuelling them isn''t a pipe dream,'' Imagining the scene put a smile on his face. He could stride through a battlefield with blades in both hands and shields hovering around him, effortlessly deflecting arrows and spears alike. "Until someone like George comes along and blows me the fuck up," Lan added, ruining the beautiful scene with an unstoppable explosion. As he practised with the rope, thinking of all the different applications he could use it for, night sank deeper over the tundra. His goal was to speed up the casting process, ''I need to be able to summon it at a moments notice,'' But the only way to improve his casting speed was repetition. As he crossed the snowy plain, he constantly cast and then recast the rope, getting more and more familiar with the process and the unique strain it placed on his mind. When he finally arrived at the final cargo, it wasn''t with apprehension that he strode across the frozen lake. He was confident, his footsteps falling measured and steady on the blue ice beneath him. Under the ice, the water was so crystal clear that Lan could easily watch the single, sleek, black Eel as it swam in lazy circles, orbiting the centre of the lake where a solitary wooden totem pole stood proudly against the white backdrop.
Lvl: 17 Great Eel
On the totem pole were many demonic faces carved in a brutal mixture of grotesque faces. Each carved face had horns and teeth that jutted from their inhuman mouths at odd angles. Lan could make out a groove for his hand on the base of the totem pole. It was smooth, worn beyond the point of splinters being a danger. He couldn''t see inside the hole no matter how hard he tried, so in the end, he had no choice but to place his hand in. Whenever Lan looked down at the Eel, he was reminded of the turtle. It had never even got the chance to attack or defend itself before Lan ended its life with the help of a few thousand pirahnas. He wondered if he would also regret killing the Eel. But as he watched the creepy thing swim, he doubted it. ''There''s no way it isn''t violent,'' He decided that his best course of action was to collect the title first, and then use his bonus resistance to deal with the Eel. Lan sent mana flowing into the pole, waiting patiently as golden veins ran up and down its wooden surface. The eyes of the carved faces began to glow an intense blue, the same hue as the lake. It was almost crystalline in its purity. The glowing totem pulsed as it gathered up mana, focusing everything into a single, white cloud that hovered above Lan''s head. The cloud hung there, unbothered by the biting winds, in perfect stasis. Lan watched eagerly as the blue glow from the totem filled the cloud. Before his eyes, a lone raindrop formed, glowing a deep blue. It slowly descended towards him, landing on his head and passing straight through, disappearing within him. Cargo retrieved; the train is waiting¡­ All Cargo has been collected. Therefore the Bonus Cargo will shortly reveal itself.
Alert: Temporary title acquired ¨C Neptune''s Wish
Effects: Increased affinity and resistance to Water and Ice.
Note: Blessing removed on failure to pass the fourth step.
"Huh?" Lan frowned, "Did I hear that right? Bonus-" A splintering crack ran through the ice as an enormous black head slammed against the underside of the frozen lake. Beneath the water, the Eel was writhing furiously, hammering its sinuous body against the barrier between it and Lan. Lan grunted, "I mean¡­ I kind of knew it would get violent like the others did. But at least this way, I won''t feel morally corrupt about killing the damn thing," He had a plan to kill the Eel, which didn''t involve any traps or schemes. All he needed was his rope and some ice. As he tried to string together the rope formed from mana and freezing water, Lan noticed that the process was going much smoother than before. ''It must be the title; maybe I can even get one hundred strands now,'' The Eel circled beneath him, hammering its tail against the thick ice so furiously it began to crack. Lan stared down through the frozen barrier, watching closely as the creature suddenly dived deep into the lake. He began to get his weapon ready, and this time, he had a new idea. Directly beneath him, the Eel reached the bottom of the crystalline lake and turned. With the explosive force of a tightly wound spring, It burst back up towards him, blowing through the water like a torpedo and leaving a jet stream behind its streamlined body. It charged up towards Lan, mouth wide open revealing an endless black abyss. Lan cracked his knuckles, concentrating as he finished making the two mana ropes. They shone a silvery blue from the mixture of snow and water, hovering by his side like ghostly jellyfish tentacles.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As the Eel neared, Lan began to rotate the two ropes, spinning them clockwise like a drill. The faster he turned the ropes, the more strain was put on his Mind, but he couldn''t afford to slow down. They were travelling so fast that the silvery strings became little more than a cone-shaped blur in front of him. A cone that would shred anything it came into contact with. The swiftly approaching Eel neared the ice, and Lan looked down, staring into its open mouth. ''What a big target,'' He readied himself, crouching down like a tiger waiting to pounce. His muscles and sinews twitched anxiously as the Eel slammed into the bottom of the ice and burst up towards him. Right before the ice beneath his feet cracked and gave way to the Eel''s assault, Lan jumped, flying almost twenty metres into the air. He hung there, suspended as the Eel exploded from the ice beneath and continued up towards him, its black body glistening in the moonlight. As Lan began to fall back towards the Eel, he positioned his cone of spinning ropes beneath him, aiming straight for the Eel''s open mouth. They collided mid-air, and Lan disappeared directly into the Eel''s mouth. The spinning ropes shredded every inch of the monster from the inside out. He drilled through the creature like a screw through wood, and it wasn''t long before he burst out the other end of the Eel, having tunnelled the entire way through its long body. He landed back on the ice, and blood rained down on him, splattering into red puddles on the blue ice. It was over in a flash, but he supposed that by now, his stats were probably equal to a level 17. It would almost be strange if he truly struggled to kill it.
Alert: Killed Lvl:17 Great Eel ¨C Experience Gained (Bonus due to level difference)
Lan took a deep breath, sighing as the tension left his body. "I did it¡­ I can''t believe that drill thing actually worked." He checked his timer, "And there''s still a few hours left before the tutorial ends. That''s plenty of time to head to the train," Just as he was relaxing, a low rumble shook the whole tutorial. "Huh?" He turned to the source of the noise, noticing an apocalyptic avalanche was occurring on the peak of the mountain that scraped the sky. An endless wave of snow poured from its unreachable heights, washing down the side of the mountain in an unstoppable, white wave. All Cargo has been collected, and All Guardians have been dispatched. Bonus Cargo unlocked. Guardian unleashed ¨C The Kitsune of Five. "What? There''s more?" Lan groaned, squinting at the peak of the mountain. ''Maybe I''ll just not bother. I don''t think I have the time to go kill another guardian, and I imagine collecting five cargos is more than enough.'' Having decided, Lan tried his best to ignore the crumbling mountain peak and made his way towards the train. The journey back wasn''t long, but it left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Besides the fact that he was somewhat of a completionist and didn''t like the feeling of leaving uncollected cargo behind, Lan felt somewhat uneasy. It was almost as though something was watching his every move. Even when the old-fashioned, green steam train came into view, he couldn''t shake the feeling that something was watching him. Something predatory. The feeling reminded him of how security guards watched him when he entered a shop, and subconsciously, he sped up, first speed walking and then breaking into an all-out run as he made a break for the train. ''It''s probably nothing,'' He kept telling himself, stealing the occasional glance at the mountaintop. Obscured by clouds of mist and snow from the avalanche, he couldn''t see anything up there but could feel the gaze. Something up there was watching him. He just knew it. "Shit!" Lan started sprinting the final few kilomeres to the train, feeling the gaze on him intensify all the while. It sent chills crawling down his spine. As he began cross the final stretch, the mountaintop exploded in a wave of rainbow light. He whipped around, watching as a golden figure streaked down from the distant height. It was floating on a single cloud and leaving five trails of blazing light in the air behind it. ''What the fuck is that?'' Lan glanced back at the train and then up at the rapidly approaching figure. ''I can probably make it in time,'' He thought hopefully. But just as he was about to move, a tornado whipped up behind the golden figure, blowing it forward at insane speeds. Five streams of colourful light trailed behind it like the tails of a comet. They were Fiery red, Cloudy white, Earthy Brown, Vibrant green and Deep blue. Each trail, irrespective of colour, seemed to pulse with energy and life. Lan watched the figure blur towards him, rooted to the spot. When it was barely half a mile away and closing fast, he managed to rouse himself, ''Shit, I''ll never make it to the train before that thing gets here. I don''t have much time before this trial ends, so if I''m going to fight the damn thing, I''d better make it quick,'' He scrambled to create a 100-strand thick rope from nearby snow, twining the individual strings together in record time. He gripped his scythe tightly in one hand and held the rope in the other. While he would have liked more time to prepare, the final guardian wasn''t going to give him that time. It slammed into the ground between him and the train, leaving a dusty crater like that of a meteor impact. Clouds of dirt and snow filled the space between Lan and the creature, obscuring it. As the dust slowly settled, a golden fox came into view, staring intently at Lan with strange eyes. One was pitch black with a white pupil, and the other was completely white, save for a regular black pupil. Instead of one tail, it had five, each made from its own element. ''Those must have been what was leaving those trails in the sky,'' Lan figured, frowning at the five magical tails. From what he could tell, they corresponded to the five titles he had received in this tutorial. Fire, Wind, Earth, Nature and Water. ''It lines up too perfectly to be a coincidence.'' Its fur was completely golden and covered in swirling black tattoos, which Lan noticed seemed to resemble the carvings he had seen before getting the previous Cargo.
Lvl: 20 Kitsune of Five
The Fox eyed Lan like he was prey already destined to be devoured. Its tails floated behind it like ghostly apparitions, waving back and forth as though they had a mind of their own. But Lan wasn''t one to sit around and wait for his attack and get the advantage, so he didn''t marvel at the beast''s lustrous fur and jagged claws. He burst into a violent sprint, thundering towards it. Or at least, he tried to. The Kitsune stuck its brown tail into the ground, and it was like a magnitude nine earthquake had gone off. The earth tilted drastically under his feet as fissures opened up on the earth''s surface, dropping into oblivion. From within the cracks, Lan could feel an overwhelming heat and see a faint tinge of red as magma slowly bubbled to the surface. Lan frantically jumped from rock to rock as he continued towards the Fox, but even that was obstructed. The Fox''s green tail glowed bright, and the grass sprouted at insane speeds, lashing up towards his ankles and trying to drag him down into the fiery abyss. And when he managed to dodge the clawing grass, a massive gust of wind would batter him like a tiny sailboat in a storm. Meanwhile, the Fox sent gouts of flame at Lan, burning away the thick layer of snow and creating billowing clouds of steam. It gathered the steam beneath itself and floated up into the sky on a cloud, looking down on Lan with derision. ''Jesus Christ, this thing has every base covered! I can''t even get near it!'' he was forced to use his rope like a grappling hook by attaching his sickle to the end. But even as he got closer to the Fox, it floated above him, seemingly unreachable. Lan grunted and jumped, throwing off the reaching claws of grass and tumbling boulders. He soared up towards the Fox, flying up towards its cloud. As he barrelled towards it, he lashed out with the sickle. But it dinged harmlessly off the Fox''s golden fur. When the blade returned to him, it was dull and bent at the edges. And then he was falling again, tumbling down towards the waiting ground. Although, to his relief, it seemed to have stopped shifting. ''Maybe it''s because the fox isn''t as close to the ground anymore, making the element harder to control,'' He suspected this was the reason because his earlier attack forced the Kitsune to fly higher above the ground to avoid him. ''If proximity is important for it controlling an element, I need to keep it up there,'' He gazed up at the flying Fox while an idea stewed in his head. ''I''m not sure if I can pull it off... but it''s worth a try,'' Lan jumped again, throwing every ounce of strength into his legs as he practically took off. He rushed up to meet the Fox that continuously blew cutting gusts at him, trying to knock him off course. When that didn''t work, it sent down a billow of flames that it generated from its glowing red tail, although after the fire left its body, the Fox looked drained, as though creating the element was far more strenuous than simply controlling it. Lan punched through the flames and kept rising, ignoring the smouldering remains of his robe and skin almost lobster red from the burns. The Fox''s eyes widened when Lan burst through its wall of flame, and it soared higher, yipping at him before sending another wave of fire. The fire consumed Lan, and he disappeared within, emerging from the other side a changed man. Somehow, after his robes had been burned beyond the point of repair, they had magically been replaced by a brand new pair. ''If I had known that would happen, I would have replaced that piece of shit robe ages ago...'' Lan thought, slightly annoyed he hadn''t been informed of this. ''Then again, I suppose people are prone to dying so often that their robes never truly get that damaged,'' With his new robe and sickle at the ready, he crashed into the Fox, hammering a kick into its sternum. The Kitsune squealed, clawing at his arms and chest. The claws drew blood, splattering onto the cloud in red splotches. Lan winced as he started to fall back down towards the ground, but he wouldn''t let it end like this. As his feet touched the cloud, he imagined mana travelling down through his legs and dispersing into the fine water droplets that formed the cloud. He imagined the water droplets condensing beneath his feet, giving him something to stand on. And to an extent, it worked. His fall paused for a brief moment, and he was just barely able to send a brutal punch into the Fox''s face, making it reel back. But he quickly lost his balance and tumbled down to the waiting ground below. He landed hard, his legs and back shaking from the impact. Glancing up, Lan noticed that the Kitsune''s cloud was wobbling slightly. The Fox looked tired, perhaps from the fire it kept creating or perhaps from flying for so long. Whatever the reason, its cloud was slowly sinking back down towards Lan. Taking advantage of its lull in energy, Lan dug deep and jumped once again. The Kitsune almost looked scared as he soared up to meet it, growling at him. It began to spin its white tail, forming a tornado between Lan and it. Lan stared blankly at the howling winds he was rushing towards, scrambling to think of a way to avoid them. But the Kitsune wasn''t done yet. It began to pour flame into the tornado, changing its colour from a greyish black to hellish red. Lan felt like he was flying towards a blender that was on fire. The oxygen from the wind kept stoking the flames, making them burn brighter and more vigorously. ''Shit... This doesn''t look good,'' He crashed helplessly into the blazing inferno, getting sucked into the maelstrom and spinning in dizzying, scorching circles. Time and again, he whirled helplessly around, his robe getting shredded and then reforming just as fast, only to get shredded again. Thanks to his fire resistance title, he wasn''t getting cooked alive, but it still hurt like hell. He felt as though his entire body was getting rope burned, over and over and over again. As Lan was tossed helplessly in the scorching winds, he wondered if this was how salad felt. He had seen chefs do similar things to helpless vegetables in the kitchen before. He noticed that as he spun, he was slowly rising up the tornado, getting nearer to the floating cloud in the eye of the storm. When he was close enough to reach it, he swung out with his rope, wrapping it around the fox''s ankle. In a blur, he climbed up to the Fox and hammered it with tired fists. He was already drained mentally from all the fights that day and didn''t have much left to give. It seemed as though the fox was equally drained. Its clawed swipes didn''t have the same aggressive bite they used to, and its legs shook slightly. As Lan desperately hammered it with blow after blow, it lost control of the flaming tornado, and the roaring winds collapsed in on themselves. The Kitsune desperately bit at Lan''s arms, scoring bloody marks on his flesh. Lan ignored the bleeding and kept hitting. Eventually, it would give out and collapse from exhaustion. It had to. When the Kitsune pushed him off or managed to dislodge him, all he could do was desperately cling to the rope and flail almost a hundred metres above the ground. Lan noticed that the ground was coming up to greet them as the Kitsune, in its exhaustion, slowly lost altitude. It sent out another gout of flames, but this time it was weak and ineffective, barely giving Lan pause. Lan grabbed the Kitsune''s ankle, throwing himself up and onto its back. He hooked his legs under its belly and his arm around its throat, squeezing with everything he had. The Fox squealed, shaking wildly in a desperate effort to dislodge him. But Lan held fast, stuck to its back like a barnacle to a ship''s hull. A small section of the cloud dislodged, floating up and around Lan''s head. When it had completely covered him, the cloud condensed into a water bubble. Neither of them could breathe, but Lan had a head start. He ignored his screaming lungs and aching arms. He ignored the ground rushing up to meet them. All that mattered was that his arm stayed firmly around the Kitsune''s neck. Nothing in this world would get him to let go. Eventually, the Fox''s struggles grew weaker and desperate. It gnawed on his arm and sent tiny waves of flame onto his back. The attacks had no effect, but it was all the fox could muster in its exhausted state. In a final, desperate attempt, it released the cloud beneath them, and they tumbled down towards the waiting ground, both refusing to release their hold on the other. They landed with a heavy boom, forming a smouldering crater. Even then, Lan didn''t let go. He didn''t stop until the bubble popped, and as his black spots swarmed his vision, he revealed a bloody smile.
Alert: Killed Lvl: 20 Kitsune of Five ¨C Experience Gained (Bonus due to Level difference)
Level up! [13->14]
Final Cargo retrieved! All Cargo has been collected. Trial completed.
Alert: Temporary title acquired ¨C Eutierria
Effects: Increased affinity and resistance to the elements. (Replaces all individual elemental titles.)
Note: Blessing removed on failure to pass the fourth step.
Crawling onto the train was the last thing Lan could do before passing out from exhaustion. His body was battered and bruised. But he had won. Chapter 27 - The Threat At the same time Lan entered the fourth step. Archie breathed heavily as he stared into the cave. He could smell the smoke that drifted from within, but the conversation he would expect to accompany it was absent. Of course, considering the two people inside, this was not unusual. He clenched his fist and walked in. George and David sat languidly around a crackling fire at the end of the shallow cave. David somehow looked even bigger than before, looming over George, where they sat beside each other. While George looked much the same. He was still wearing his school uniform without a scratch, although his curly, auburn hair looked a little bedraggled. It had been days since he showered, after all. When Archie walked in, they both squinted at him, exchanging a thoughtful glance. Archie could tell they weren''t nervous or the slightest bit afraid of him, just wary. ''That hurts; you could at least pretend that I''m a threat,'' Although, if he was honest with himself, he wasn''t. Just at a glance, he could see how many stat points George had. It was insane, impossible even. The boy was closing in on level 20, by the looks of things. ''I bet if I had a talent like his, I would be high levelled too,'' Archie thought. He liked his talent; it was useful in its own way. But it gave him little agency. He could see an opponent''s strength or even weaknesses when he eventually improved his talent. But he still wouldn''t necessarily be strong enough to beat them, even if he knew all this. That was why his clan were informants and spies, masters of subterfuge. He had previously said that all members of his clan had to wear a blindfold, but that wasn''t strictly true. That only applies to active members, the ones on the record. There a plenty of others that hide out of sight, gathering intel and waging wars of information that the common man isn''t even aware are being fought. ''That was never going to be my role in the clan, though,'' Archie sighed, shaking his head. As a child, he had dreamt of being a super spy, one that could overturn nations and collapse corrupt governments with a word. But growing up is learning that your dreams are just that, dreams. Archie will never be a spy. He will never be a shadowy informant leading rebellions. Archie is the heir, and the heir''s job is little more than a mascot. A puppet that the clan makes dance on whatever strings it decides to pull. "I come in peace," Archie held up his hands and smiled, doing his best to disguise his nervous jitters as confidence. ''Why am I so worried? I came here to die,'' David and George frowned, but eventually, they just shrugged dismissively. David gestured towards a log opposite the fire, and Archie sat on it, letting the heat soak into him. He stared across the fire at the pair, hoping they would start the conversation. It would be much easier if they could just give him a way in. ''Bah, what am I expecting from these two?'' In the end, it was little more than wishful thinking. Archie took a deep breath, running over the script he had written one last time. "Hi," He said, his voice shakier than he would have liked, "I am here to propose a deal," George frowned, glancing at David as though he had just heard a bad joke. "Listen, I know you don''t trust me. Why would you?" Archie almost tripped over his own tongue as he spoke. "So, I will tell you the deal, and after, I''ll make you trust me. How does that sound?" David scratched his thick, black beard thoughtfully, "Alright, Little man. We will listen," Archie felt like a great weight had been lifted from his chest, and words began to spill out, "Okay, so I know you guys have been going on a rampage of sorts recently. You''re killing everything from here to kingdom come, and as a fellow team member, I appreciate that. But here''s the deal, if we want to win the tutorial and get properly recognised. If we want to shock the world. We need to beat the Prince," Archie was solemn when he finished talking, staring intently at the silent pair. "Impossible," David rumbled, his blue eyes twinkling in the firelight. "Ah, but that''s where you''re wrong. If, and this is a big if, I can find a way to kill the Moon Strider. Would you two be capable of holding her and her insane possie off? George can do crowd control and get rid of all her little minions while David guards your back. How does that sound?" Archie knew this was a hard sell, and he wasn''t expecting them to agree immediately. David scowled, "We get nothing from that plan," "I know-" "Listen, Little man. If we do not benefit from your scheme. We will not participate." Archie smiled nervously, "No, of course, I get that. And I can''t offer you anything for killing the Moon Strider since that reward will go to whoever deals the final blow. But I was thinking of offering payment in a different form." David and George nodded, encouraging Archie to continue. "I can tell you the coordinates of an ocean temple. The number of monsters there is extravagant beyond belief, and I believe it may even be possible for you two to hit level 25 before the end of the tutorial if you go there," "We were already promised a dungeon location from you," David rumbled, his voice deep and unforgiving. "Of course, of course, I get that. Which is why I will give you the location whether or not you guys help me. But¡­¡± David and George narrowed their eyes. "Since the temple is underwater, you will need certain resources to take full advantage of it," "Resources?" David echoed. ''I''ve got them now!'' Archie flashed his signature grin before continuing, "For example, a title that lets you breathe underwater." George frowned, closing his eyes and thinking deeply. Eventually, he nodded, and Archie continued. "The location of that title is also within a dungeon, and I am willing to offer it to you along with the water temple as long as you agree to hold off the prince." "And why should we trust you?" David boomed, his deep voice echoing throughout the cave. "Because¡­" Archie produced his sabre from behind his back and stood up. David reacted quickly, jumping to his feet. But Archie made no move to attack. He knew that David and George wouldn''t trust him as long as he had the title. So, he just had to die. With a grunt, he drove his sabre through his chest, not stopping until the hilt touched his sternum. As blood dripped from his open mouth, he produced a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it across the campfire. "I''ll see you in a week," Archie''s words came out gurgled as he bled out, disappearing into motes of red light. George and David exchanged a glance before picking up the piece of paper and reading it. Their expressions almost glowed, and without a word, they left the cave and headed East, disappearing into the forest. *** At the same time, elsewhere in the tutorial. "Mark, are you listening to me?" Hannah snapped. She was standing precariously on the edge of a chasm, staring straight down into oblivion. "Huh?" Mark shook his head, trying to ignore the heart palpitations. "Jesus Christ, man! I don''t care if you''re scared of heights. If you drop me, I will haunt you forever!" Hannah yelled, glaring at Mark. Mark took a shaky breath and tugged on the rope around Hannah''s waist. "I won''t drop your fat ass, so just get going. Why am I even friends with you anyway?" Hannah''s eyes widened, and she kicked Mark in the shin, "Because you don''t have any other friends, that''s why!" "Hey, that''s not true. There''s Derick, and¡­ yeah¡­ that''s it," "Where the hell is Derick anyway? It should be him doing this sort of crazy shit, not me!" Hannah almost growled, glaring down at the abyss beneath her. Mark swallowed hard, remembering the insane look on Derick''s face when they had respawned. The fact that his rival had killed him seemed to drive the boy mad. He kept muttering, ''Speed, speed, he beat me for speed.'' While pacing in abstract circles. "He said he was going to train somewhere¡­." Mark said lamely, not even sure what that meant. "When I get my hands on him," Hannah mimed, strangling someone, shaking her head in exasperation. Mark could tell this aggressive outward appearance was a front. She was nervous, terrified even. And he couldn''t blame her. What they were doing was dangerous to the extreme, and even the knowledge that their death wasn''t permanent didn''t change the inherent fear of the activity. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, "We''re on the Prince''s team, so we don''t even need to try that hard. She''s going to beat the King of the Night either way,"If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Yes, I''m sure!" Hannah grunted, "What use is getting through the tutorial if we don''t show any ability? We must prove to everyone, including ourselves, what we are capable of. Also¡­ If we do this, then maybe, just maybe, the Prince will have us back," "You know she doesn''t give people second chances," Mark pointed out glumly. "I know that, but even if we can''t be part of her group anymore, she can still put in a good word for us when it comes time to do our mandatory service. Would you like to get stationed on the asteroid belt, or god forbid, we end up as invaders?" Mark shook his head. "No, I didn''t think so." Hannah took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "Just remember to pull on the rope three times if anything goes wrong!" Mark reminded her. "Is that so I can pull you down with me?" Hannah laughed nervously. Mark chuckled, "No, it''s so that I can get a head start when I run away," Hannah rolled her eyes and stepped out over the edge of the chasm. Her feet found nothing but air, and she began to fall. Mark hurriedly grabbed the slack in the rope and pulled it tight. It was the longest rope they could make, woven from hundreds of vines that had gathered over the last twelve hours. They could only hope it would hold Hannah''s weight and pray. Little by little, Mark lowered Hannah down the side of the chasm. She was quickly swallowed by the darkness under the earth. She could just barely see the walls of the pit. They weren''t smooth but covered in deep pockmarks, inside of which rested things she would rather not think about. ''I need to be quiet. If I wake the night drones up¡­.'' She shuddered just thinking about it. Every time the rope creaked or groaned, a little bit of her soul died from the fear the sound spawned. ''Will it really work?'' She wondered. Of course, she wasn''t going to admit this to Mark, but Hannah highly doubted the Prince would forgive her. Especially when the person they let into the tutorial had gone on to be in the top 100 of the points rankings. Not only that, but since he was called Unknown on the leader board, all they had to go off of was Mark''s vague recollection of his face and abilities, which wasn''t much help to anyone. ''We screwed up, big time,'' Hannah held onto the rope so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her breathing was shallow and seldom, if at all. In her mind, she kept repeating the phrase, ''I am invisible. You can''t see me,'' It was wishful thinking, but it seemed to be working. As she was slowly lowered into the nest, where the King of the Night resided, her intrusion did not wake up any of the night drones. This might, of course, be due to the fact that, in recent days, the Prince had culled a vast number of their population. It may also be because, during the day, the night drones hibernate. Or perhaps It was just blind luck. Whatever the reason, she made it to the bottom without a scratch, landing softly on the tightly packed dirt. While the walls of the chasm were absolutely covered in hexagonal holes, like that of a beehive. The floor was smooth and untouched. On one end of the chasm, a huge hexagonal tunnel drove deep into the earth, guarded by four enormous night drones, the likes of which Hannah had never seen before. Thankfully, they seemed not to have spotted Hannah. But she could see them clear as day. Or rather, she could see their system tag. It glowed in the dark like a venomous flower, the bright colours warning her not to go near if she wanted to keep her life. Lvl: 15 Knight of the Night Hannah gulped and tugged on the rope once before untying it from around her waist. With this, her lifeline vanished, pulled back up by Mark. She watched it disappear above her and sighed. ''It''s a good thing I don''t need a certain number of points to complete the tutorial now,'' She thought morbidly. Hannah''s ability was straightforward as far as talents came. She could sense things in a method not dissimilar to echolocation. When she stomped on the ground, she could send out vibrations that bounced off things and returned to her, allowing her to map out her surroundings. The reason Mark and Hannah had come to the belly of the beast itself, and the reason Hannah had dived headfirst into the final boss''s nest, was to make this map. To someone like the Prince, a map of the King of the Night''s nest was invaluable. Hannah pinched her arm and took a deep breath, calming herself. She needed to be calm for this to work. She stomped the ground as quietly as she could, sending out a wide pulse of mana into the surrounding rock. As It flared out and washed over the pockmarked walls and down into the guarded tunnel, the night drones began to stir. They may not have heard her before, but they could feel her mana. It was like a slap in the face. The first chirp sent a chill down her spine, and she burst into a run, barrelling headfirst towards the guarded tunnel. ''I need to get as much of this place mapped out as possible!'' Thousands upon countless thousands of insects the size of a dog, some even larger, crawled from within the holes in the walls. It looked as though the entire chasm was alive, as every inch of the walls was covered with chirping insects. Hannah breathed heavily, panting as she sprinted towards the tunnel. The four guards that were almost five levels above her cocked their insectoid heads and hissed. Each one was about the size of a horse and had the tail of a scorpion, with the body of a sleek, more streamlined ant. ''Holy shit!'' Hannah wheezed as she neared them, going against her every instinct and speeding up. The four scorpion tails blurred as they lashed towards her, but through some miracle, she managed to avoid them, ducking between two sweeping blows and racing down the tunnel with death on her heels. The deeper she went, the harder it became to complete a map of her surroundings. It seemed as though the rock this far down was so dense It became harder to penetrate. ''I''ll just get closer then!'' She kept running and running, her feet pounding on the rocky floor. Behind her, hissing and chirping echoed throughout the tunnel, deafening her. Up ahead, she could sense a thick barrier that, no matter what she tried, her echolocation couldn''t penetrate. When the end of the tunnel finally came into view, she gasped in horror. And that was the last thing she ever did. A forked tail blurred from the darkness and impaled her against the wall. Hannah woke up in a cold sweat in the entrance hall, gasping for air. "I need to tell them¡­." She muttered, eyes wide and terrified. *** Mark stood nervously beside Hannah as she presented the endless maps she had drawn to the Prince''s aide. He was a slender boy who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before pouring over the plans. "And you say these are accurate?" The aide muttered as he quickly flipped from page to page. "Yes. They are accurate to a degree. I can''t say for sure that the final room contains what I suspect it does," Hannah said clearly, wiping her brow. "How certain are you," The aide asked grimly, his jaw clenched. "90%", Hannah replied without pause. She knew what she had seen. The aide scratched his head and cracked his knuckles, frowning. "This isn''t good. If what you say is true, the plans will need to be changed," Hannah and Mark nodded dumbly, unable to offer anything to this conversation. They didn''t even know there were plans, never mind what they might change to. The aide looked like he was having an internal debate before he reluctantly opened his mouth again, "Would you be willing to infiltrate the nest again, this time with proper guards?" Hannah took a shaky breath, "Yes¡­." She managed to squeeze out. Mark nodded as well, his expression solemn "This time, I will come with you," "Thanks," Hannah whispered, calming a little. After nodding thoughtfully, the aide leaned back on his chair and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was suffering a migraine. "This tutorial just won''t go like I planned, huh? First, the difficulty changed, then all the extremely fierce opposition, and now a second boss¡­ Somehow, I''m not even surprised anymore," He looked back at Hannah and Mark, "Tell me, what do you think this squad needs," They exchanged glances before Hannah spoke, "We need you to track down our friend Derick. He''s incredibly stealthy and will be invaluable for this mission. Besides that, I think the most important thing we could use is a distraction," The aide frowned, "A distraction, yes, I suppose that makes sense. The more drones we can lure from the nest, the easier the infiltration will be. If only we had someone like George on our team, he could clear out all those little bugs with a shout." He shook his head, lamenting that most of the Moon Strider team were useless idiots who had been close to the leaderboard when the Prince selected her team. ''All the truly strong people were busy with dungeons, and weaklings filled up our roster,'' "Tell me," He said, "What do you think is a suitable distraction?" Hannah smiled slyly, "Well, we know the bugs don''t like light, so I was thinking a big fire should do the job," "There''s plenty of tinder in the nearby forest," Mark chimed in, fingering the blade of his axe. The aide smiled thinly, already planning out everything in his head. "Yes, that should work perfectly, *** The foundations Thorn collected the body; its face was one he had seen many times recently. A boy with greyish hair and a sickly complexion. He hadn''t always looked like this though. Just a few days ago, the boy''s hair had been black, and he didn''t look malnourished. Then again, just a few days ago was the first time the boy died. Since then, Thorn had seen him ten¡­ twenty times, maybe more even. He brought the body to its plot and buried it beneath the tombstone titled ¨C The Fool. "Why does he keep dying?" Thorn wondered aloud. Recently he had gotten into the habit of talking to himself. It helped pass the time and, more than anything, kept him sane. He had a few habits like this. The main one was imagining how someone died. Since their bodies were healed perfectly, all he had to go off was their expression, but sometimes that was more than enough. For example, the Fool. Every time Thorn had buried him, he was grinning like a madman. It made no sense to Thorn why someone would revel in their own death. But he supposed that was the difference between him and a human. A sudden tingle ran up his spine, and he stopped what he was doing, facing the boundary of his territory. ''Someone is here¡­.'' Their presence was massive. It weighed down on him like a tonne of bricks. Every movement they made shook his very soul, making him want to curl up in a ball and cry. But he held it together, his curiosity winning out over fear. ''Just who could it be? I''ve never met someone else before¡­ Not someone alive anyways,'' All Thorn''s knowledge was inherited. From the moment he came into being, he already knew everything he would ever need to know. Which was a fairly limited number of things, considering his whole reason for being was to bury people. "Thorn, come!" A soft voice echoed throughout the lands, drawing Thorn to its source. Involuntarily, he followed the instructions, gliding through the currents to where a man who was completely white, save for his glowing red eyes. Every part of him, from his white leather shoes to his pristine tuxedo was spotless and white. He was standing on a tombstone. It was a tombstone that Thorn had taken particular notice of. Because this tombstone had no name. "Sir?" Thorn croaked. Although he didn''t know the man''s identity, he inherently knew the man was superior to him. It was ingrained in his very being. "I am a representative of the maintenance crew. Do you know what this means?" The man asked, narrowing his red eyes. "I do not, sir. Please enlighten me," Thorn asked, eager to have a conversation about anything at all, really. "We deal with¡­." The man swilled the words in his mouth, tasting them to see if he liked how they fit, "Threats¡­ To the Bridge." "Can the bridge even be threatened?" Thorn asked, not understanding how such a thing was possible. From everything he knew, the Bridge was a constant like time. It was hard to even interact with, never mind threaten. The albino man nodded solemnly, "It can, and it is, often threatened. That is the purpose of the tutorial. We use it as a trial run of sorts. If any participants are found to house a talent or skill that could possibly damage the integrity of the Bridge, they are dealt with, here and now," "I see, and there is such a person in my tutorial?" Thorn asked curiously, glancing at the tombstone labelled Unknown. "There is. And it is your job to see to it that this person is removed before the tutorial ends. Think of this as your initiation. Do not fail me." The Albino man finished his part and turned to leave. Thorn rushed after him, "But how should I deal with him? What should I do?" The albino man smiled slyly, displaying pointed teeth. "That, is for you to figure out. Farewell." After the man had left, and the pressure was lifted from Thorn''s shoulders, he could only stare blankly at the tombstone labelled Unknown. ''I need to do some research¡­.'' Chapter 28 - The One, True, King He had been on the Bridge for a week, and for most of his time there, Lan had been unable to sleep. But when he did manage to sleep on the Bridge. Lan always had the same dream. Social services were taking him to the orphanage again. He would sit on the end of a rotting bed he had to share with six other children, every one of them a victim of a pathfinder''s greed to some degree. Lan couldn''t stay there, in that place where they all suffered silently the same way he did. The desolate acceptance of their fates was crushing. The children there didn''t even have the will to fight back. The dream always ended with him leaving the orphanage, weighed down by weight a child should never have to bear. He walked out onto streets that were grey and washed out, with people that shuffled in a zombie-like trance. If he didn''t look too close, Lan could almost fool himself into seeing the city as it first appeared when he was a child, a bustling metropolis that never slept and never stopped growing. Almost... Ever since the man in white woke him up, and showed him the world as it really was, Lan saw things differently. He saw the sallow faces and hunched backs for what they were. The People in his city did not live. They survived. Day by day, they eeked by, bowed under the shadow of their one true king.
Welcome, Challenger. The Fifth Step is yours to overcome. Lan was shocked awake by the booming voice, sitting up and slamming his head off a coal shovel hanging from a hook on the train''s wall. It rang with a low thrum as he clutched his head and curled up in a ball. The train has much distance to cover, and time is pressing. Deep within the bowels of the earth lies the first giant''s throne room. To pass on to the next step, reach her throne room before any other. There is but one way to get there. The Train. Lan picked himself up and looked at his surroundings. He had managed to crawl into the front of the train before passing out. It was an old-fashioned thing with a glowing furnace for coal and hundreds of knobs and dials for changing... Well, Lan had no idea what they could possibly change. Weighed down by the weight of your cargo, the journey will be slower than you imagined. But all is not lost. The first giant left many traps behind as she fled the earth, and you need only activate them to slow your opponent''s advance. "Shit, maybe I shouldn''t have gotten every single title," Lan murmured, scratching his head. He glanced about the cabin, looking for coal or something to start the train. The train''s fuel can be found deep beneath the earth, swimming through stone like water. They are the first giant''s oldest enemy, the Skoliki. ''Is it saying that the fuel is a living creature? Do I need to kill it? Or... how will this work?'' He clambered to his feet and poked his head out of the side of the train. His stomach dropped as he looked down into a gaping chasm barely a metre from the side of the train tracks. ''Is that...'' When he squinted hard enough into the darkness, he could just about make out another green train on the other side of the chasm. A tiny figure was already running ahead of it towards a cluster of distant tunnels in the rock wall. "Shit, he''s already got a head start!" Lan swore, jumping out of the train and running down the tracks at full pelt. He put every stat point of strength and dexterity to use as he ran, although his legs couldn''t help but wobble slightly. The exhaustion from the previous day of fighting was catching up, and now he was starting to regret not pacing himself better. Just up ahead, he could see a similar cluster of tunnels, and without time to think twice, he barrelled inside. It was dark in the tunnel, and as he travelled along its length, the thing that bothered him most was the smell. It was earthy with a hint of rot or perhaps mould. The ground beneath his feet was slightly damp and a bit slimy, although he couldn''t see why that was. The only light underground had previously come from lanterns hung from the ceiling above the train, but that faint glow didn''t extend to these tunnels. He was reminded of the time he chased Archie through a similar tunnel; it had the same suffocating feeling of being buried alive. Lan almost felt like he was running through his own tomb. Suddenly, his foot hit something and it shattered like a pane of glass, followed by the tinkle of something crystalline hitting the floor. For a brief, fleeting moment, there was silence. And then something started to screech and wail like a banshee. Lan hurried back to where the noise was coming from and stomped on what felt like glass until the thing stopped screaming, but by then, it was too late. When it finally died, he got the notification.
Alert: Killed Lvl: 2 Skoliki - Experience gained.
What remained of the Skoliki was a small crystal that began to glow like a firefly trapped in a diamond. The light it gave off was faint, but it was enough to illuminate the body of the Skoliki. The creature was halfway emerged from the tunnel floor, its long crystalline body hanging limply from a hole it had burrowed. For all intents and purposes, it was a worm. A massive, fucking worm. However, unlike a regular worm, this one had fins and a mouth so wide and packed with teeth that it was a wonder it could even close the damn thing without shredding itself apart. Now that there was light, Lan could see that the wet, sticky substance on the floor wasn''t water but slime of some sort. From behind him, Lan heard a noise like an angle grinder. It sounded as though something very sharp was rubbing against the rock, and as the sound got closer, he figured out what it was. In the dim light of the glowing crystal the Skoliki left behind, Lan glimpsed a worm formed from greyish crystal as it burrowed along the ceiling. Its endless supply of razor-sharp teeth allowed it to glide through stone like water. It was spinning its whole body like a drillbit, bursting through the ceiling and down towards Lan in a shower of dust and falling stones. Lan glanced up at it and reached behind his back for his sickle. His hand found nothing, aimlessly grasping at the empty space where the sickle used to be. ''Shit, did I leave it behind during the fight? I don''t remember how I got to the train, so it''s possible.'' He didn''t actually need the sickly to kill something like this worm. In fact, he was able to swat it aside with a flick of his wrist, sending the creature careening into the tunnel wall, where it shattered into a million pieces. All that remained was a similar glowing crystal to before, if slightly bigger in size.
Alert: Killed Lvl 3 - Skoliki (Experience Gained)
"It looks like the higher the level, the bigger the crystal." Lan went to pick it up, and the crystal suddenly vanished into his hand. Fuel acquired: 8 "Oh shit, I see how it is," It didn''t take a genius to figure out that these worms would drop fuel when he killed them. Now all he needed to do to get his train going, was kill as many of the little things as possible. He ran down the tunnel in a blur, his feet pounding on the rock. As he moved, he listened intently for the sound the worms gave off. He quickly found another and crushed it with his palm. Fuel acquired: 16 He was like the grim reaper, if worms even had such a thing. Hounding them down one by one. But he quickly realised that doing it this way was inefficient. ''If I could get them to attack me, that would make this whole process far easier. But what do worms like?... I remember hearing that normal worms come up to the surface when it rains because of the vibrations on the top of the soil. Could I repeat that in here?'' Looking around at the cramped tunnel, he didn''t think he would find water or rain anytime soon, but he should be able to replicate the vibrations using mana strings. If he let all 100 mana strings tap the ground independently, he should be able to attract some fuel. Lan took a deep breath, ignoring the stuffy air and claustrophobic darkness. His skills activated better when he was calm, so he tried to find some semblance of internal peace. He triggered mana string and tens of glowing tentacles made purely from mana stretched out from his hand. Since they were made from pure mana, the strings weren''t particularly strong, but they didn''t need to be. He just needed them to tap the ground, and that''s exactly what he did. The glowing tentacles started to tap a regular rhythm like rainfall on the tunnel floor and walls, beating out some abstract beat into the rock. Vibrations travelled deep through the earth, disturbing sleeping worms that stirred from their slumber in droves.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Lan first realised that this might not have been a good idea when he heard the sound. Distant at first, the grinding squeal of rock being crushed by countless teeth, and the rumble of the passage was a dead giveaway that he had gone too far. ''Oh fuck, if this many come at once, the tunnel will collapse!'' Realising not a second too soon, Lan sprinted back down the tunnel as the worms exploded from every conceivable nook and cranny. The earth groaned under its own weight, and the tunnel began to sag, narrowing the space Lan had to run in. He was forced to duck and eventually crawl the rest of the way out, barely escaping before the whole thing collapsed behind him. He whirled around, staring intently at the collapsed tunnel. Just because he had gotten out didn''t mean he was safe. The distant rumble and screech of shearing stone continued its relentless march towards him. Lan cracked his neck. He had plenty of space to work on the train track, which was almost eight metres wide. In the tunnel, he had been constricted by the tight, enclosed space, but out in the open, he could let loose. "It''s been a while since I crushed some bugs," Lan muttered, remembering how countless ant shells collapsed beneath his fist. ''This time won''t be any different,'' He rolled his shoulders and stretched as the overwhelming sound bore down on him. He sighed, remembering he no longer had his weapon, "Ah well, it was just a blade. There''s no need to get too attached. With my talent, finding something else I can use shouldn''t be hard. Let''s see, what has the train track got to offer?" It was a fairly desolate track, diving deep into the earth on a steep slope. Further down the track, Lan could see a huge white building that somewhat resembled a train station if it was only used by royalty. For the most part, the route was bare, save for a few scattered pebbles and the hanging lanterns... Lan peered up at one of the glowing lights. It looked to be made of some sort of black iron with a ghostly flame flickering in the centre. Each lantern hung from the ceiling by a rope tied to a heavy steel hook driven into the roof every few hundred metres. Lan grinned, but before he could make his move, the rock wall exploded, and two worms threw themselves recklessly at him. He noticed that their teeth spun so fast their mouth was a jagged blur, and he almost felt like he was getting attacked by a blender. They were level 4 and 5, respectively, not even worth Lan''s time. He kicked one midair, launching its body into the other, where they shattered into shards of greyish glass.
Alert: Killed Lvl 4 - Skoliki (Experience Gained)
Alert: Killed Lvl 5 - Skoliki (Experience Gained)
He quickly ran over and grabbed the glowing crystals they dropped, beaming when he saw how much fuel he had gotten. Fuel acquired: 16 Fuel acquired: 32 It seemed as though the amount of fuel he could get doubled every time the worm''s level increased. The rumble of grinding rock was almost deafening by this point, and Lan knew he didn''t have much time until the horde was upon him. With a grunt, he jumped up and grabbed onto the rope the lantern hung from. In a flash, he had shimmied up to the hook in the ceiling and freed the lantern, dropping back to the floor and wrapping the rope around his palm. Hanging by his side, the lantern looked like a flaming, medieval flail, but Lan had bigger plans than using it to bash something''s head in. Although he would definitely be using it for that as well. He sent tendrils of mana down the rope, and right as the wall exploded spectacularly, sending shards of rubble in every direction, the lantern flared up. Lan stoked the flame using his mana as fuel, feeling an inherent connection with the fire thanks to his title. Right as the rock exploded and tens of worms shot out as though fired from a cannon, the lantern suddenly belched a wave of fire onto the incoming swarm of worms. For the most part, the worms could ignore the flame, owing to their crystalline bodies, which, while fragile, were incredibly resistant to heat and pressure. But what they couldn''t ignore was the heavy iron lantern that crashed into their bodies like a wrecking ball. Shards of glass rained on the floor, and the notifications began to pile up. Lan spun like a ballerina, whirling the lantern around the top of his head in a wide arc that swept up any worms that got close. Whenever a worm tunnelled through the rock from beneath him, he could feel it coming, and all it took was a well-timed stomp to end that threat in the cradle. He was like a whirling dervish, sweeping up any worms that got too close and revelling in their destruction. Perhaps it was because they were so far from human, or maybe it was because he had no choice. Whatever the reason, Lan felt not a shred of guilt as he mowed them down. In fact, he enjoyed it. It was such a release to just crush an inferior... Lan suddenly felt a little sick; he was doing it again, becoming like them. He stuttered mid-fight, slipping and missing an incoming worm. He scrambled, just barely managing to knock it aside with his elbow before it reached his neck, but it had been close... Too close. Another few inches, and he would have been respawning. If he had been just a second slower, he would have died and lost his title and the chance to reach the eighth step. Everything could have come undone in single moment of hesitation. If guilt wormed its way into his heart, he was done for. Cruel, self serving murder was what the people he hated did. And Lan was wary of becoming like them, he hated the idea of turning into an inhuman immortal, disconnected from earth and the people that lived there. But, on the Bridge, a single moment of hesitation could get him killed. ''I can''t afford to die because of a moment''s pause or a guilty conscience; it''s just not sustainable,'' Lan spun in a circle, battering worms with the sharp crunch of shattering glass. Lan spun as he dashed two worms against each other in a brilliant explosion of crystal. Over the past week, he had experienced so many new things that his world was practically flipped upside down. Just ten days ago, he had been hauling luggage for rich assholes, and now he was fighting monsters. He pummeled a worm into the ground, feeling its body shatter into countless uneven pieces beneath his relentless fist. ''I came here for a reason, and I can''t afford to turn down an opportunity because of my conscience.'' Lan knew that it might be selfish and cruel, just like the pathfinders he detested, but... From the beginning, was he any different? He wanted to destroy something used by trillions across the universe. If that wasn''t selfish and cruel, then what was? Lan accepted this; it was the truth. He couldn''t change how he felt or what he believed. He knew that if he genuinely wanted to destroy the Bridge, there were sacrifices he would have to make. He couldn''t reach the Bridge from an ivory tower. ''What if the next time I slip, or pause in a fight, It costs me my life?'' He thought, lashing a kick into a worm so hard that it exploded into shimmering dust. The Bridge was a ruthless place; he knew that all too well. On the first day alone, he had been stabbed through the back by a blade he never even saw. ''The only way to come out on top is to fight fire, with fire,'' He grabbed a worm and threw it at two others; all three exploded in a shower of shattered glass. Another worm lunged at him, and he kicked up a rock, sending it straight through the creature''s open mouth and out the back of its tail. It died with a muffled screech that only served to spur on the remaining worms, although there weren''t many left at this point. It was clear to him, that if he wanted to destroy the Bridge, he had to become stronger than anyone else on it. He had known this since the beginning, ''No-one has ever offered me any pity, so I won''t give any to them,'' "To get it done..." He paused, crushing a worm in his vice grip, "I have to do whatever is necessary." When Lan finished off the final worm, his mouth was set in a thin line. The fight had been exhilarating, but he didn''t necessarily enjoy it. With every worm he killed and crystal he picked up, Lan was one step closer to his goal. It might be a small step, insignificant even, but forward was forward, no matter how far he travelled. And that was all that really mattered. If Lan imagined the imagined the type of person he might become, the type of mentality the Bridge would force him to adopt, he would be happy. Not because he had become a monster, but because he was proved right. As he Collected the crystals, it was almost therapeutic. There were hundreds of them blanketing the train tracks, to the point where he could barely see the ground anymore. In the distance, he spotted his rival, whoever it was, running back towards the train from the tunnel. Lan smiled. Now, he understood his true feelings towards pathfinders a little better. He didn''t hate them because they were evil. He didn''t hate them at all, actually. They were simply selfish, and Lan was no different. ''Rachel and Morgan seem nice, or as nice as any of the people I''ve met anyway.'' It''s not that there weren''t good people on the Bridge. It''s the fact that the greedy people, have the abilities of a god and no one to stop them. ''No one should have that kind of strength, not even me,'' Unfortunately, he knew the only way to beat the strong was with strength. Strength wasn''t something he could get by being fair and just. Strength was something you stole from others, strength was selfishness. As he ran back to the train and jumped up into the cabin, he took a deep breath, letting the weight of his own expectations settle on his shoulders. Recently the tutorial had humanised pathfinders and made him forget what was important. "It must be destroyed..." he mumbled under his breath, fists tightly clenched. *** Thorn winced. He had heard everything Lan said, and the maintenance guy seemed to have a point. Although he wasn''t a sentimental person, and didn''t care much for the Bridge. He would rather his home not be destroyed. Where else could he live? After some experimentation, Thorn had learned that he could connect to the boy by using his tombstone. When he did this, Unknown, who he later learned to be named Lan''s sensations, were his own. Everything Lan could see, hear and smell, Thorn could feel as well. It was a magnificent experience to feel alive and brush up against death. Now, although only a little, Thorn kind of got it. He almost understood why they would be willing to die over and over again. This meant that Thorn had been there watching as Lan fought the Kitsune. He had felt every sensation, every overwhelming input as though they were his own. And after the fight, Thorn discovered something. When Lan was ported to the next step deep within the mountain, there had been a moment, however brief, where Thorn could have interfered if he wanted. What stopped him, was a feeling deep in his gut that something was off about all this. ''Why would the Bridge give him powers if he is so intent on destroying it? It doesn''t make sense to me...'' Thorn thought, having learned from Lan that he should keep his more radical thoughts to himself. He stared out over the graveyard he called home wistfully. Something didn''t line up, and he couldn''t quite pinpoint what it was. That man didn''t seem... trustworthy. And as Thorn thought about it, as he really picked it apart, he figured out why. ''The Bridge doesn''t have a consciousness, motives, or goals. It just is. I only exist because I am necessary for the function of the Bridge. The Bridge is not sentient, at least as far as I know. It doesn''t make mistakes. The way I see it, the Bridge seems to push people in a certain direction. Whatever talent it helps pathfinders discover within themselves, they always have a catch. The penalty makes them act a certain way, but what is it for?...'' He looked around at the sprawling graveyard that was only growing by the day. If Thorn looked further still, he would find another, and then another, each one bigger than the last. ''Growth, the Bridge wants to grow. It always has.'' He frowned, ''But if that''s the case, it should never have given the boy access to a talent that can harm it... which means... it didn''t do that. Because the Bridge doesn''t make mistakes.'' The realisation hit Thorn like a tonne of bricks. ''The Bridge would never harm itself, which means his talent shouldn''t be able to put this place in serious danger. What his talent does endanger are the people on it. People like that albino,'' Now Thorn just had to figure out how the man in white came to know of such a ''Threat'' and what it all meant. ''The question is..." he glanced back at Lan who was holding his hand in the train''s glowing furnace, ''What should I do about him?''
Chapter 29 - The Station Lan held his hand in the furnace and watched as his fuel ticked down. He had killed so many worms that it was an insignificant change, and he wasn''t worried about running out of fuel anytime soon. After the first 1000 units of fuel disappeared into the train, the furnace started to glow, and a notification popped up.
1000 units of fuel deposited ¡ª 5000 are required to reach the station due to the added cargo.
1000/5000
However, This didn''t worry Lan in the slightest, as he had over 30000 units of fuel to burn. Each worm gave more as its levels increased and its core became more valuable. He had even killed a level 11 worm that had given him a whopping 400 fuel, so after mowing down hundreds of the Skoliki, he had more than enough to spare. Fuel kept pouring from his hand into the furnace, and as the number rose, the train creaked and groaned to life. It slowly began inching down the track, and Lan couldn''t help but look out the window. On the opposite side of the ravine, his opponent''s train was already well ahead of him and speeding up far quicker than he was. ''There must be some way to make it go faster,'' He thought, concentrating on the hand in the furnace. As if on cue, the furnace roared to life, and more and more fuel poured from Lan into it, stoking the flames that could not burn his hand. The train''s ancient iron wheels squealed, grinding against the rails in protest of the sudden jump in speed. Steam billowed from its black chimney stack as the train shuddered forward, straining to catch up to its distant counterpart. Lan smiled, ''I see. The more I add, the faster it goes,''
5000/5000 Units reached, any additional units added will only affect the train''s speed, not the distance it covers.
"Thanks for the clarification," Lan muttered, running to the door and jumping off the train. He was going to kill more Skoliki and then catch up to it further down the track. But The second his feet touched the ground. The train screeched to a halt.
Warning, the driver must be on the train while it is in motion!
"Shit," Lan cursed, jumping back on. He tapped his foot impatiently on the metal floor, silently urging the train to go faster. Their speed was now on par with the leading train, but they weren''t gaining. All he could do was watch it move ahead in the distance, unable to catch up. Impatiently, Lan stuck his hand in the glowing furnace again, pumping another few thousand units of fuel into the bottomless pit that was the train''s engine. He smiled wolfishly as he suddenly sped up, finally starting to gain on the distant train. He found it annoying that he couldn''t do anything while the train was moving. For the past week, Lan had been incredibly active, so being forced to stare through a tiny window as a dark tunnel wall whizzed by was not much different to watching paint dry. It was equally as dull, anyway. Lan passed the time by checking his profile, only now realising that he seemed to have levelled when fighting the worms. Their levels hadn''t been high, but sheer quantity seemed to have done the job.
Name: Unknown
Title(s): [Punching Up] [Class Of Your Own] [Disciple of David][Epiphany(Temp)][Eutierria]
Age: 18
Race: Human - G
Class: Trochilus
Talent: Weapons are my Weapons ¨C G, ********* - Unique
Health: 1404/1404
Mana: 840/840
Level: 15
Strength: 117
Dexterity: 98
Endurance: 79Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Vitality: 44
Mind: 65
Intelligence: 84
Luck: 32
Free Points: None
Skills: [Strengthen ¨C F][Mana String ¨C B][Karmic Threads - ??][Boon of Trochilus - ??]
"Oh, it looks like Eutierria replaced all those other temporary titles," Lan noticed. He was actually kind of glad he didn''t have as many titles to keep track of. With nothing to do on the train but wait, he passed the time by wondering where exactly his stats came from. He was stronger than ever, faster too. When he got cut, it healed far quicker, and even a blade would have trouble cutting his skin. But how did that work? Until then, he had never really thought about it, but where did he get those stat points? Where did they come from? ''Every time I level up, strength flows into me from... Somewhere. Is it the Bridge? But what could it possibly gain from handing out strength?'' Lan wasn''t sure, but he decided to keep an eye on it. The next time he levelled up, he was going to pay close attention to the sensation when his stats increased. He would never miss a chance to learn more about how the Bridge worked. Halfway to the station, his train had almost caught his opponent, and by the time he arrived at the magnificent white building, he had left the other train far behind. Of course, this was at the cost of a lot of fuel, but he had plenty to spare.
The train has arrived at the station. Pay the toll to advance.
As he pulled into the station, a giant barrier was lowered across the track, settling in front of the train. It resembled the type of barrier found at a train crossing, and as Lan stared dully at it, he was starting to get fed up. It had been days since he slept, and one thing after another was getting in his way. ''This better not take long,'' He thought ominously. When he clambered out of the train and jumped up onto the station platform, Lan was reminded of an airport that had been abandoned. The train station was too clean and empty to exist in the real world, and yet it did. There was no graffiti, and it lacked that strange smell that never seemed to leave the subway. Somehow, the fact that there weren''t any crying, lost children or sweaty businessmen running late to work made Lan uneasy. He felt as though he had stepped into a ghost town. His footsteps echoed loudly on the pristine marble floor of the platform, the only sound for miles around. In the centre of the platform, Lan noticed a small ticket booth where a bored woman sat aimlessly, spinning a pencil between her fingers. "Hello?" He said, unsure if she was an enemy or part of the test. He didn''t want to rush to kill her and then find out she was who he paid the toll to. The woman jumped, suddenly dropping her pencil and looked up at him. She was wearing a tight blue blazer and had her dark hair tied in a bun. "You''re here quick," She blurted, bending down to pick up the pencil she had dropped. Lan nodded, she didn''t look like a monster, but he kept his distance from her all the same. "And you are?" He asked cautiously. "Doesn''t matter who I am," The woman''s voice came from below the booth window as she rummaged around for the pencil. "Well, I would rather know who or what I am dealing with here," Lan pointed out. She finally emerged from under the booth, triumphantly holding the pencil with her face flushed red. "Fair enough," She said, leaving the pencil in a holder by the window. "My name doesn''t matter, but I can tell you what I am." Lan nodded eagerly, and she continued. "I work for this station, or rather, I work for the Bridge... I don''t get paid, of course." She sounded depressed about that last part, "My job here is to collect fares and distribute challenges to the opposing tracks," "Challenges?" Lan echoed, not liking the sound of where this was going. "You are currently halfway to the throne room and far ahead of your rival. But collecting fuel is only part of this step. I''m sure you heard about the first Giant''s traps from the introduction," Lan nodded, "I remember something like that, yeah," "Well, I have administrative control over all of them. For a certain price, I can activate traps to slow your opponent," Lan frowned, "But if I am already ahead, what''s the point? Couldn''t I just pay the fare and beat that guy to the finishing line?" "Yeah..." The lady trailed off, looking kind of deflated. "How much does the Fare cost?" Lan asked. "10000 fuel," She said, looking kind of smug. As though expecting he couldn''t pay that. "Is that it?" Lan walked over to the booth with an air of careless opulence he had never possessed before. ''Is this what it''s like to be wealthy?'' He wondered. The lady sighed, "You''re not even going to attempt one of the challenges?" She asked hopefully, "It''s really boring down here, and they are great fun to watch." "Nah," Lan said dismissively. He didn''t have time to mess about underground, "Why are you down here anyway? I didn''t know people worked for the Bridge," The woman groaned, "I was created by it, so I kind of have to work here. But hopefully, if I perform well during this tutorial, I can get a promotion to the main structure as an administrator. Wouldn''t that be something?" "The Bridge can create living things?" Lan asked, taken aback. "Yeah, although we aren''t humans. In general, the Bridge constructs two types of creatures. Monsters and the Andrei. I am of that second type." "But you look like a human to me," Lan pointed out. Everything about her seemed normal, and there was nothing that gave away her actual species. She blushed as though flattered, "Oh, thanks, but we Andrei only look like humans. We weren''t born, and we don''t age. One day, whenever the Bridge needs us, it just drags us into being and poof, here I am," ''The more I learn about the Bridge, the more questions I have,'' Lan thought. He would have liked to stay and ask her more, but he had places to be and throne rooms to reach. "Thanks for the help," he said, waving her goodbye. "Hey! Are you seriously not going to challenge the other guy? Not even once?" Lan shook his head before jumping off the platform and directly into the train''s cabin. "Don''t have time!" He yelled back, sticking his hand in the furnace again.
Fuel Required - 5000
0/5000
The number quickly shot up, and the train crept out of the station, chugging down the track ever so slowly. Lan watched as the fuel filled up, and even when it was done, he didn''t stop. He poured every last drop of fuel into the engine and sat back as the train tore down the track. The woman returned to her seat glumly, hoping that the guy on the other side of the tracks would be more fun. As the train ploughed deeper and deeper into the earth, Lan smiled. He hadn''t been able to put as much fuel in as previously, but he was still going quick enough that if the other guy stopped to do a challenge, he would never be able to catch him. ''Although, to be fair, I have no idea how challenges work. If he does end up doing one, I wonder what trap it will activate.'' He sat with his back against one side of the cabin door and his legs wedged up against the other. Cool air rushed past the side of his head, blowing his lanky black hair out of his face. It had been days since Lan showered, and his hair was starting to clump together in even thicker strands than usual. He had never been able to shower much before working at the hotel, but when he had stayed there, he had been forced to maintain a certain standard of cleanliness for the guests. Nobody wanted a bellhop that reeked of smoke and sweat. This meant that he had gotten into the habit of being clean over the years. Thankfully, his ruined robe had been replaced after being seriously damaged, which helped his image somewhat. But the grime under his fingernails and dried blood at the ends of his hair left him looking like a wraith. An image he hadn''t possessed for quite some time. On earth, besides being feared, Pathfinders were seen as glamorous, almost celebrity-like. They were gods among men. But Lan didn''t remember them mentioning how disgustingly dirty he would get when he applied to one of the academies. ''They must have left that out of the brochure,'' He supposed sardonically. With his thoughts drifting and the cool wind blowing against his face, Lan was rocked by the steady rise and fall of the train into dreaded sleep. Where he could not run from the dreams that plagued him. Chapter 30 - Meanwhile, In The Throne-Room Sleeping was hard for Lan. He had never particularly enjoyed it, owing to the fact that most of his dreams were plagued by visions of things he couldn''t have. Money, a family, a childhood. He had always kind of wanted a dog, but that wasn''t possible. Not for him. And when he would wake, and his desires disappeared into the night, leaving him with the harsh reality of his life, Lan always felt empty. Almost like he had been cheated by his own imagination. He supposed that it wasn''t dreaming he hated. Lan hated waking up. This time when he awoke, it was no different. The train rocked like it had been hit by a missile, tipping off the rails on one side and swaying precariously towards the chasm. "What the hell was that?" Lan was dumped out of the doorway and onto the tracks, receiving a familiar notification.
Warning, the driver must be on the train while it is in motion!
He picked himself up off the track, thanking his superhuman endurance for curbing most of the injuries he would have gotten. About fifty metres ahead, the train had ground to a halt, with clouds of smoke rising from its protesting breaks. Beside the train, a dark shadow loomed large, battering the side of the huge vehicle. Each time it slammed its body into the carriage, the train shook, and metal screeched as it resisted the immense strain. Lan started to run towards the figure, getting a better idea of what was going on as he did so.
Lvl: 18 Skoliki Champion
He wasn''t sure if this beast was a challenge sent to him by his opponent or something that had happened upon him by chance, but experience was experience all the same. Since he had already beaten a level 20 monster with ridiculous abilities, Lan was confident he could take a giant worm. Which is exactly what the Skoliki Champion was. A worm the likes of which Lan had never even imagined. It looked like a mixture between a maggot and a shark that had been carved from crystal. Its body was divided into bulbous sections, each with its own fins that ended in sharp hooks. On one end of its body was a tail like a fish, and on the other was a mouth with more teeth than it could possibly use. Even beside the huge steam train, the Skoliki looked big, towering over the tracks in an ominous shadow. Compared to the other worms, Lan noticed that it looked less fragile. It didn''t seem to have noticed him yet, too busy battering the train and trying to throw it off the tracks. So Lan jumped up and grabbed a lantern from the ceiling. He had left his other one in the train''s cabin and didn''t have time to sneak in and get it. He unhooked the lantern and glanced over at the giant worm, wondering how he should go about this. After sleeping briefly, he felt refreshed, and his mind worked smoother than it had earlier that day. ''In hindsight, it was a little careless to avoid delaying the other guy... But I''m confident I can take this thing out quick enough. Besides, he probably had to waste a bunch of time doing the challenge, giving me an even bigger lead,'' To test the waters, Lan snuck up behind the worm, although he wasn''t exactly sure where that was. It had no eyes or face, just a gaping hole filled with teeth. The worm paused its assault on the train when Lan got within ten metres of it, whirling around towards him. He barely had time to react before its massive tail slammed into the tracks where he had been standing moments before. Its hooked fins gouged deep divots in the stone as though it were butter, and Lan tried not to think about what would happen if he got hit by one of them. ''How can it see me?'' He wondered, jumping up and onto the worm''s body. When his feet touched the worm''s smooth, crystalline skin, he realised it felt slightly weird to call it a worm since it wasn''t slimy or soft. The exact opposite, in fact, the crystal beneath his feet felt like it could stop bullets. He activated Strengthen on the lantern and bent back, using his whole body to leverage force and swing it over his head. The lantern swung in a wide arc and smashed down on the worm''s smooth carapace, barely making a dent. "Huh?" Lan jumped immediately, avoiding being crushed into a paste as the worm rolled over.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Thankfully the lantern wasn''t damaged, but neither was the worm. If he wanted to break its incredibly tough skin, he needed something heavier, something bigger. But there was nothing to use in the tunnel. The worm had burrowed out of the rock wall further down the track. But there weren''t any boulders for him to use there. The hole was smooth and without rubble, making it seem as though the worm had swallowed everything... "Hm," Lan glanced at its gaping mouth as he dodged another attack, sliding under its sweeping tail. For a brief, insane moment, he considered jumping into the worm''s mouth and taking it out from the inside. But he quickly decided that this was one of the worst ideas he had ever had. He didn''t have to go in himself. Lan had his lantern. While dodging attacks and landing occasional blows to keep the Skoliki distracted from the train, Lan tried to figure out how to turn his lantern into a bomb. He understood, in theory, how this should work. Pump the flame full of mana and chuck it inside the worm. But in practice, this was harder to pull off. The worm wasn''t cooperating. First, he had to compress the mana and flame together, so that they didn''t explode immediately, which would defeat the purpose of his attack. He already knew the outside of the Skoliki was impervious to fire, so he needed the lantern to explode inside the beast. The technique for compressing the fire was somewhat similar to water, but fire was far harder to work with since it was way more volatile than water. If not for his title, he wasn''t sure this would even be possible, but as he kept trying, he saw a glimmer of hope. Keeping the worm distracted, while simultaneously trying to concentrate on the lantern was incredibly difficult, but Lan finally managed to create a casing of sorts for the flame. Made entirely of mana and spherical in shape, the flame inside was fuelled solely by Lan''s mana. But this was only the beginning. Next, he had to compress the sphere without letting the fire go out. Which wasn''t dissimilar to juggling while spinning a plate. Every time he shrunk the sphere down, the flame inside would flicker precariously on the verge of being extinguished. When this happened, Lan''s only choice was to pump more mana in, but he didn''t have an infinite amount, even if he had a hell of a lot. Gradually, the glowing ball of fire began to change colour. As it got smaller and more mana was added, it glowed brighter and changed from red to orange. When Lan added even more mana and compressed it for the final time he was able, the sphere had shrunk from the size of a watermelon to an apple, and inside, the fire was a ghostly yellow flame. Just maintaining the sphere was putting immense pressure on Lan''s mind, and he knew he needed to be quick before the bomb went out of control. ''I hope this works,'' Lan thought. Making the sphere had taken longer than he would have liked and used up almost half his mana. He couldn''t afford to make another one, and his only option to beat the worm if this didn''t work, was to try and slowly push it off the edge of the ravine. Something he knew would be challenging considering its enormous size. Lan took a deep breath and stopped dodging the worm''s attacks. Its huge tail crashed towards him, and he jumped, landing on the other side of the worm near its head. With its mouth open wide, the massive worm launched itself at him, while the jagged teeth within its gaping maw spun like a washing machine full of razor blades. Spinning the lantern with the bomb inside around his head like a shotput thrower, Lan released the lantern and ran. It sailed into the open mouth, and barely a second after it disappeared down the worm''s throat, it started to breathe fire. Yellow flames exploded from the worm''s mouth in a violent wave of heat that cooked the very air it touched. Lan just barely managed to dodge the pillar of fire by ducking behind the train and covering the top of his head. His heart was racing as he felt the heat sear the back of his neck. ''Even I would have died if I got hit by that!'' He realised in a mix of excitement and nervousness. The train rocked back and forth on the track, the force of the explosion almost blowing it off the rails. Bits of scalding crystal started to rain down on the ledge, and Lan got a new notification from the system.
Alert: Killed Lvl: 18 Skoliki Champion - Experience Gained (Bonus due to level difference)
''No level? I suppose It''s only three levels above me, so I can''t expect to level up from just killing that.'' Lan suddenly had a wave of panic hit him, ''Oh shit! I hope the train wasn''t damaged by that explosion,'' He ran around the side of the train where the explosion had gone off and froze, staring blankly at the carnage. Bits of the worm''s body were embedded deep into the walls in a crystal, corpse mosaic that documented just how powerful the explosion had been. The rock that the yellow flames had touched was glowing softly, on the verge of melting. "This... this could be a skill!" Lan realised, trying to remember every aspect of his creation of the bomb. ''If I can repeat it without the lantern as a case, I could throw bombs without a second thought!'' Somehow, despite the utter destruction of the worm, the tracks and train remained untouched. Lan chalked this up to some Bridge bullshit and left it be. The train was probably indestructible for all he knew. With nothing else to do here, Lan jumped back onto the train, and it started up again, continuing deeper into the earth. In the distance, Lan could just about make out a door carved from solid stone. It was so pointlessly massive that he could only picture a giant needing such a thing. The first giant. *** Thea groaned as she waited in the throne room. It had been three hours since she passed the fifth step, and since then, she had been waiting for her final opponent to arrive. "Why do we need to wait for a third person?" She asked, "Let''s just fight, you and me! I''m sure I''m gonna win either way," She was standing on a marble podium on the edge of a vast crater. In the centre of the crater was a bubbling pit of magma, and rising from this cauldron of flames was a magnificent throne carved from a single block of obsidian. Another girl sat patiently on a nearby pillar with her legs crossed. Over one shoulder, she rested a simple steel sword with no sheath. It was covered in notches and scratches that told tales of many battles. Perhaps what stood out about her most was the school uniform that was still mostly clean. She hadn''t died yet. "You know we can''t fight until the third person shows up, so why ask?" She said, her voice steady and stern. Her brown hair was short, cut to just above the neck and tied back in a functional ponytail. Everything about her was functional. Even her shirt was tucked into her trousers and her tie was still firmly around her neck. "You''re no fun," Thea pouted, "I''m just trying to relieve my boredom with some trash talk," "That''s stupid," The girl said bluntly. "Why would I talk with someone who I will defeat either way?" Thea grinned, clapping her hands. "Oh, not bad!" The girl paused, "No. That wasn''t-" "I''m gonna fuck you up. The sixth step is mine!" Thea shouted over her, licking her lips. The girl rolled her eyes and went back to ignoring Thea, but that didn''t stop her from talking. "I wonder who our final opponent will be..." Thea mumbled, itching to fight someone, anyone. "Do you think they''ll be strong?" "It doesn''t matter." The other girl said quietly, "I''ll win." Chapter 31 - The Sixth Step The train thundered on down the tracks, gradually drawing closer to the two massive stone doors at the end of the tunnel. The doors slowly opened wide as it neared, and the train passed through, barrelling on into oblivion. When he passed through the doors, Lan vanished. His whole world went dark, and suddenly he was ported to the next step. It was a feeling he had grown accustomed to lately, so the strange, weightless limbo didn¡¯t scare him as much as it once had. But as he travelled through the nothing, he felt a soft tug on the corner of his robes. It was so light he almost missed it, but there was no wind in the blackness and nothing for the robe to snag on. ¡®What was that?¡¯ Lan reached down and pulled on his robe, untangling it from whatever was grabbing him. Before he could investigate any further, the current took him, and he was whisked away. Space blurred, and suddenly, he was in a vast throne room lit by the reddish glow of magma.
Alert: Fifth Step Completed! The Fifth step tested speed and decisiveness. The reward will reflect this. Reward: Based on time elapsed, 6 hours / 24 hours. Therefore, 18 dexterity will be rewarded for a quick finish.
As Lan felt the strength flow into him, his nerves became more sensitive and his muscles more responsive. He focused on where this strength was coming from. But even when he paid attention, he couldn¡¯t figure out how it was happening. The strength seemed to rise from within him, but how that was possible, he couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°Hey!¡± He heard a girl shout and stopped focusing on his rapidly increasing dexterity. Lan looked up and was shocked to find Thea yelling at him. She stood on a distant stone pillar above a colossal crater filled with stone spires. Lan was standing atop an identical pillar on a distant side of the crater. From up above, the crater looked like a bed of nails, with barely any gaps between the huge stone spikes. ¡°Thea?¡± Lan shouted back, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He felt stupid asking. What else could she be doing in the sixth step? ¡°I¡¯m having a picnic with my best friend, Harriet!¡± Thea joked, pointing to another pillar where a girl was meditating with a stern expression. Harriet opened one eye slowly, ¡°I¡¯m not her friend,¡± she said firmly. ¡°Right¡­¡± Lan¡¯s mind raced as he tried to figure out if Thea being here was good or bad. On the one hand, he was killing two birds with one stone. Killing Thea would mean another person lost the title and help him pass the Sixth step. On the other hand, he knew Thea¡¯s ability; even before getting Epiphany, she was strong. He could already tell she wouldn¡¯t be an easy bird to kill. ¡°No hard feelings, Thea!¡± Lan shouted. ¡°Why would there be hard feelings? I¡¯m going to win!¡± Thea yelled back. Lan smiled and got ready to fight. He wasn¡¯t sure how the sixth step worked yet, so- The ground rumbled, and the pillars slowly lowered down into the crater. At the same time, the voice boomed once again. Welcome, Challenger, The Sixth Step is yours to overcome. The first giant was born from this pit, and her throne remains here. She once ruled over all beneath the earth, but after fleeing to the surface world, her throne lies empty. In a final act of spite, the first giant destroyed the crown her mother gave her and hid the pieces within this room. She placed guardians before the five parts, which must be assembled for the crown to be whole again. Lan groaned, ¡®Nothing valuable is ever just left alone. There¡¯s always some annoying guardian. I¡¯m getting sick of this formula,¡¯ To complete the sixth step, a sole Pathfinder must wear the crown and sit on the throne for five minutes. This must be completed within 24 hours, or all participants will fail. Hidden within this room, beneath the stone spikes, are paths that lead to parts of the crown. Time is short. Happy hunting.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. When the voice had finished talking, the pillars were completely lowered into the pit, and Lan couldn¡¯t see the other two anymore. He had a rough idea of where they might be, but the crater was vast and impossible to see across because of the forest of stone. At that moment, Lan was conflicted. ¡®Should I go after the girls now or let them collect the crown pieces and steal them later? As long as I have at least one myself, they will have to come to me at some point.¡¯ He considered just hiding and letting them collect every piece of the crown but decided this was a bad idea. ¡®If the guardians are high level, then the girls will probably level up after defeating them, making it far harder for me to kill them. I should probably get at least one piece of the crown myself and see how much I level up before I make a decision.¡¯ Time was pressing, both inside the sixth step and outside it. Lan had spent close to a day in the fourth step and six hours in the fifth. This meant that he had less than six days until the tutorial ended. With a lot still on his plate, he couldn¡¯t afford to waste time waiting for the others to get the crown. Every hour he bought here would pay dividends down the line. With his decision made, Lan started to wander through the forest of stone spikes. He could hear the distant sound of shattering stone, ¡®That must be Thea¡¯s approach to finding the crown pieces. She¡¯s just going to break the spikes till she finds one¡­ but I feel like there¡¯s a better way to do this,¡¯ Lan thought it over, he had an affinity with earth now, so perhaps he could use that in some way. Every time Thea destroyed a distant spike, vibrations would rattle across the basin, through the rock and up Lan¡¯s legs. From the vibration alone, Lan could get a sense of how far away she was, which gave him an idea. If he could replicate that, would it be possible to sense his surroundings using his affinity to earth? He gave it a go, infusing a minuscule amount of mana into his footsteps as he walked. The mana travelled along with the vibrations of his steps and bounced back when it hit something, namely, a stone spike. ¡®I should be able to find the entrances quicker with this method!¡¯ Lan grinned and began increasing the mana he infused in his steps. The more he put in, the more comprehensive a range he was given of his surroundings. After acclimatising to this skill that resembled echolocation in a way, Lan began sprinting between the many stone spikes, feeling intently for any signs of an entrance. He noticed that every time he walked past one particular spike, his mana, instead of bouncing back to him, disappeared. Lan hurried over and crushed the stone spike with his fist, obliterating it after half a minute. When he was finished, a black pit remained where the spike had once been. Lan couldn¡¯t see what lay at the bottom of the hole, but the cold draft creeping out sent shivers crawling up his spine. He checked behind him, but it seemed the two girls had similar thoughts to him. They would rather collect all the crown pieces first and then fight for them at the end. ¡®I don¡¯t want to get ambushed when I come back out, though¡­¡¯ Lan stared into the dark hole, suspecting he would be returning after a hard-fought battle. If someone was waiting for him when he clambered back out¡­ Lan searched for something to cover the hole, but the pit was bare besides the stone spikes. ¡®Hm¡­ Would that work?¡¯ Before entering the pit, Lan tried to break a separate spike off at its base and use it to plug the hole. After some fiddling, he managed to rip one out of the ground and moved it beside the pit. As he jumped in, he used mana ropes to drag the spike into place, hoping that nobody would notice he was in this particular pit until he wanted them to. He dropped the pit for what felt like forever, endlessly plunging down into the darkness. The deeper he descended, the colder it got, and after falling for five minutes, he could safely say it was colder than the glacial land he had fought the Eel in. Far colder. While falling, Lan fumbled with his lantern, lighting it after some difficulty. The lonely flame did its best to light the desolate chute walls that had never seen anything but darkness. Thick sheets of ice coated the walls, and as Lan fell deeper, the ice got thicker. Eventually, his shoulders were chafing on the sides of the chute as it narrowed, and he began to panic. If he got stuck here¡­ what then? Would he be forced to kill himself to get out? Perhaps his prayers were heard because the chute suddenly opened up into a vast cavern filled with icy-blue water so clear it looked like glass. ¡°Shit!¡± Lan cursed, there was nowhere to land, and he didn¡¯t want to get his lantern wet. Just before landing in the water, he threw the lantern above his head. The second he crashed into the icy pool, his whole body shuddered involuntarily, but he ignored it and swam back to the surface as quickly as possible. He got there just in time to catch the lantern and sighed when he saw that the flame remained lit. To be trapped underwater in the darkness was surely a death sentence. Before he did anything else, Lan formed a spear from ice and jammed it into the cavern wall, hanging the lantern from the icy pole. After that, he formed four water ropes and used them to scale the wall. He knew that hypothermia was a real possibility if he spent too long in the water. This should have been impossible, considering his insane endurance and vitality, but the water in the cavern was cold to the point of impossibility. Lan had no idea how it hadn¡¯t frozen yet. He looked down into the endless pool, seeing nothing but dark green seaweed. There were countless tentacles of the stuff, waving slightly in the underwater current. It was as though a forest had grown underwater, and no matter how hard Lan tried, he couldn¡¯t penetrate the dense wall of green. Squinting, Lan peered through the tangled net of seaweed. The water was so clear and crystalline that he would have been able to see all the way to the bottom of the pool if not for the foliage. At the base of the overwhelming mountain of seaweed, Lan glimpsed something blue. It shimmered in the flickering lantern light hundreds of metres below the surface. Lan looked closer, trying to figure out what the shining blue thing was. It was difficult to tell from outside the pool, but he was pretty sure he was looking at a flawless blue pearl. ¡®Could that be part of the crown?¡¯ Lan wondered. It certainly did look opulent, ¡®But knowing the Bridge, it would never make something like that easy to get.¡¯ He sighed and prepared to dive into the pool. Fighting off both hypothermia and a monster was tricky but doable. Chapter 32 - Doing the Double Before letting go of the wall and jumping into the icy water, Lan wanted to try something. So far, he had succeeded in containing fire and water within mana, so logically, the same should be possible with air. Since, despite his affinity with water, he couldn''t breathe under it, having extra air when he went and fought whatever was down in the lake could be key. As he tried creating a sphere to contain air, he found it relatively straightforward. The only problem was that he couldn''t actually keep much air. If he made the mana sphere too big, it would cost too much to keep running. Looking at the softly glowing orb in his palm, Lan estimated he had about ten minutes underwater, but that could vary wildly if he ended up fighting something. With this ready, he practised breathing through the sphere. Placing the orb to his lips, he pushed through the mana and took a breath. ''It works!'' Lan grinned and refilled the sphere. He looked down at the icy pool with more confidence than before. "Let''s do this," Lan''s words echoed throughout the silent chamber, reverberating off every icy surface in an endlessly growing wave. With a final shout, he jumped off the Ledge and dived into the pool. Immediately, the icy water slammed into him, but having experienced this sensation already, he didn''t lose his cool. Since time was a pressing issue, as it always seemed to be, Lan dove straight down into the pool. He brushed passed innumerable strands of rough, dark green seaweed that dragged against his robe and entangled his legs, making progress harder than it should have been. But Lan forged ahead, squeezing through the dense underwater forest and swimming deeper. At about halfway down the pool, the seaweed got denser, which presented its own set of problems, but frankly, Lan was more preoccupied with his air bubble. The deeper he dived, the harder it became to maintain, forcing him to divert more concentration and mana to the process. ''What''s going on?'' Lan wondered, trying to figure out why the bubble would become harder to maintain the deeper he went. In total, the pool was around three hundred metres deep, and at close to two hundred metres in depth, Lan was getting a better picture of the pearl. It was the size of a fist and shone like a lantern in the dark depths of the pool. In the centre of the blue pearl was a hollow black spot, and it appeared as though something was supposed to go inside this empty hole. Lan assumed another piece of the crown went in this spot, but he wasn''t sure. When he had reached a depth of two hundred and fifty metres, Lan started to feel uneasy. Aside from the brutal temperature and annoying seaweed, where was the monster? Usually, by now, he would have fought a guardian and its entire extended family, so the pristine calmness of the pool left him on edge. He felt like an underwater goliath would jump out and fight him at any moment. But to his surprise, he reached the pearl uncontested. ''What''s going on here?'' Lan looked around at the bottom of the pool for a hidden boss but saw only seaweed growing from dirt. Perhaps his vision was obstructed, and the monster was hidden elsewhere, but so far, this trip had been blissfully, unnervingly stress-free. The huge pearl resided inside an equally colossal clam. Covered In algae and moss, the creature''s massive shell looked so old it could probably be classified as a fossil. Lan swam up to the clam, feeling almost relieved. He was sure this thing was the final boss, and he was also convinced he could beat a clam. But looking at the ancient mollusc, he was disappointed not to find any creature tag by the system. It had no level or name, making him wonder if the massive thing was even alive. ''Whether it''s alive or not doesn''t matter. Since it has the pearl, I''m going to need to grab it one way or another,'' Lan motioned to reach into the clam with his arm but thought better of it. Instead, he opted to send in a mana rope. The rope wrapped around the pearl, and when Lan had moved back as far as the rope would allow, he yanked the pearl out of the clam. The pearl shot out of the clam just before it slammed shut emphatically, sending a wave of current rushing out in all directions from the force of its mouth closing. ''Good thing I¡­'' Lan didn''t finish that thought, as the entire pool had started to rumble. Since he had gotten pretty good at reading ques like this recently, Lan immediately started to swim away. ''The big boss should be appearing any moment,'' He franticly swam up towards the surface, quickly stealing a breath of air before the fight began. After rising barely fifty meters, Lan felt a sharp tug on his ankle. ''Huh?'' He turned to look, finding a thick piece of seaweed had entangled his ankle, apparently not by accident. It was wrapped tightly around his foot and squeezing harder by the second. Lan kicked at the seaweed and managed to break it easily enough, but when he looked around and saw thousands, tens of thousands of similar strands, he knew his uneasy feelings were warranted. ''I see what''s going on here,'' It started with just a few pieces, and Lan could deal with them. They snaked through the water like eels and wrapped around his limbs, constricting like a python. Lan managed to deal with these using a well-placed punch or simply tearing the seaweed apart bare-handed. But that quickly became impossible when hundreds of the dark green tentacles rushed him in an endless wave of seaweed. Lan quickly formed four high-pressure mana ropes and as the seaweed slammed into him, he began to slice it apart. Spinning the ropes like helicopter blades, any unruly piece of seaweed that got too close was shredded into a million pieces. After a couple of minutes inching his way towards the surface while obliterating thousands of pieces of seaweed, Lan felt a sudden sense of danger. Perhaps It was instinct, maybe it was luck, whatever the reason, his gut was telling him he needed to move. Grabbing a piece of seaweed, Lan hauled himself out of the way, barely avoiding something huge as it blew past him, exploding tens of pieces of seaweed in a cloud of green debris. ''What the fuck!?'' Lan looked desperately for whatever had just attacked him, but it was hidden behind the wall of plants. In fact, the seaweed almost seemed to move to cover the creature. Using this brief reprieve, Lan began to swim upwards again, having the bright idea to spin a rope above his head and use it as a propeller to pull him through the water. He soared up towards the surface, blowing seaweed apart like it wasn''t even there. Occasionally, a piece would sneak past his guard and entangle his arms or legs, but he was only slowed for a moment before breaking free and piling on more speed. It seemed his sudden burst of speed agitated the creature as the next attack came shortly after that. The seaweed opened up like curtains parting, and a beam of high-pressure water ripped towards Lan in a white blur. He could barely raise his arm in time and take the brunt of the attack, but afterwards, his skin stung like it had been burned. With a numb arm, Lan stole a glance inside the gap in the seaweed. He was shocked to find that what had just attacked him was, in fact, the clam. Somehow, it had detached itself from the ground and swam up to steal back its pearl, which was safely clenched in Lan''s uninjured hand. But what shocked Lan wasn''t that the clam had moved on its own, or that it had attacked him. He wasn''t even surprised by its ridiculous level. What shocked him was that the colossal clam had countless green tentacles growing from beneath its ancient shell. It looked as though the algae and moss that grew on the bottom of the clam''s shell had taken root in the floor of the pool and developed into the endless mass of seaweed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Seaweed that it could control. The clam disappeared behind another curtain of green, moving at blistering speeds by taking in water through its mouth and expelling the water behind itself in short high-pressure bursts.
Lvl: 22 ¨C Pearl Watcher
Lan stole another breath of his dwindling air and tried to figure out how to catch the clam, never mind hurting it. He had already decided to kill it since he needed the experience. The question was how? Its shell looked stronger than stone, and his arm still stung from the clam''s attack. He would be helpless if it just hid behind the seaweed and fired off high-pressure beams of water. Of course, that was only if Lan let the clam do what it wanted. Since it controlled the seaweed and was using it as cover, he would just have to destroy all of it. Lan quickly stopped trying to swim upwards and instead combined all four of his mana ropes into one huge strand. With all the pieces combined, he made a rope almost fifteen metres in length. For a brief moment, as he got the lengthy mana rope under control, the seaweed launched its next attack, entwining his arms and legs with hundreds of strands. As one, the strands began to pull in completely opposite directions. Lan felt like he was getting rope burn on his entire body, but he endured it and began to spin the massive rope. It started slowly at first, taking a while to get up to speed. But when it finally started spinning quick enough to cut the seaweed, it was over. Hundreds and then thousands of strands of seaweed were ripped to shreds by the rope as it blurred through the water like a blender. Once again, the clam fired off a blast of water more powerful than before, which Lan managed to block with his injured arm. The part the beam touched turned a deep red and began to swell up as an ugly bruise quickly formed. ''Fuck, that hurt!'' Lan growled and pressed on with the rope, eviscerating any piece of seaweed that got near him. In the chaos, he managed to steal another breath, but he was quickly running low on air and knew he needed to get to the surface soon. Now that the seaweed had thinned, drifting down to the bottom of the pool in a bed of dark green after being cut, swimming was far easier. Taking advantage of this, Lan piled on the speed and swam another fifty metres upwards. As he neared the surface, the light from his lantern became more pronounced, and he could almost taste the fresh air. Another beam of water slammed into him, this time hitting his left leg. Ignoring the throbbing pain, he kept swimming, drawing nearer the surface all the while. As the number of seaweed depleted to the point that Lan could see the clam no matter where it was, he could predict its attacks to a certain extent and dodged them clumsily, lacking grace owing to his injured arm and leg. Until suddenly, with no warning, the clam stopped attacking, and the seaweed went still. Lan kept swimming for a couple of seconds before he stopped. ''Is it my imagination, or is the water getting sucked towards the clam?'' He turned to see a maelstrom of water pouring into the clam at an alarming speed. So much water was entering the creature that the level of the pool was dropping drastically. Another uneasy feeling hit Lan, and he suddenly had the premonition that he wouldn''t be able to dodge this attack. It was nothing more than a gut feeling, but since his gut had been right earlier, he was going to trust it again. Dispelling the mana rope, Lan started creating shields in between him and the swelling clam. They were crude sheets of ice that he froze by injecting mana into the surrounding water, but something was better than nothing. While he certainly did have a lot of mana thanks to his new class, it was a limited amount, and all these successive skills had overdrawn his supply. He had barely a third of his mana left, and with each shield he created, his tank ran closer to empty. After he finished creating the fourth shield, a metre-thick layer of ice, the clam exploded into action. The whole cavern shook as an enormous wave of water blasted out of its mouth. The wave crossed the distance between them instantly and shattered the first shield, losing barely any energy. The roiling mass of water ripped apart his second shield, slowing only barely as it relentlessly shredded his third shield. ''Oh fuck.'' His final and thickest shield managed to curb the wave to some degree but quickly met the same fate as the previous three, collapsing under the immense pressure of the wave. Lan was picked up like a ragdoll and flung helplessly against the cave wall. Rock cracked and splintered as he impacted the wall and stuck there, embedded in the stone. Lan''s air bubble had been destroyed in the impact, but luckily, his bones had somehow remained intact. Not that his body was in good condition. Every single part, from his lungs to his legs, were screaming in agony, jostling and arguing about which part was in the most pain. Groaning, Lan dislodged himself from the pool wall and glanced at the clam. Behind the drifting wreckage of the seaweed, it floated listlessly, clearly having taken some damage from releasing such an intense attack. Lan glanced up. The surface of the pool and clam were about the same distance away, and he couldn''t hold his breath for much longer. If he attacked the clam and failed, he might drown. But if he went for breath and the clam recovered, he might end up worse off since he was practically out of mana. Gritting his teeth, Lan swam straight for the clam. Risks were made to be taken, and he wouldn''t get anything as a payout if he never placed a bet. In its stunned state, the clam didn''t react much to Lan''s approach. It just barely mustered the energy to swim sluggishly away, but it was nowhere near as fast as it had been before. Every part of Lan''s body screamed in protest as he swam up to the clam. It took him one glance at the shell to know he wouldn''t be able to break it. When he got close enough, the clam simply closed up, shutting its mouth firmly and floating motionlessly as though dead. Lan had a sudden thought as he swam up to the clam and rapped his knuckles on its rocky shell. After cutting off the last bits of seaweed growing on the bottom of its shell, he started to push the clam up to the surface. Holding the clam above his head, he could only kick with his legs, but he still quickly arrived at the surface. Gasping for air, Lan held up the clam, which was roughly 3 metres across. Even when they broke the surface, the clam remained unresponsive. It was shut so tightly that Lan would never be able to break its shell. If he didn''t think outside the box, that is. He gently lowered the clam below the surface of the water until it was entirely submerged. Then, he began to freeze the monster, using all his remaining mana to turn the water he touched into ice that crept across the clam''s shell like morning frost. Within a minute, it was entirely frozen, and Lan doubted whether it would ever be able to open its mouth again. When this was done, he jumped on top of the frozen clam, which was now floating on the pool''s surface and paddled over to the wall where his lantern hung. Shivering from the cold, Lan grabbed the lantern and huddled around the flickering flame, greedily soaking up every drop of warmth it had to offer. For an hour, he sat like this on the clam. His body ached from the cold and his bruises, but it was recovering rapidly. When the hour was up, his mana had recovered completely, and he was ready. Lan lifted the clam out of the water and froze a small patch for it to sit on. Then he stood atop the clam and opened up the lantern. He quickly began to pour mana into the fire, stimulating the little flame until a roaring inferno engulfed the clam''s top half. The ice that had once covered the entire clam melted in seconds under the intense flame, but this didn''t slow Lan down. He amplified the amount of mana he was pumping into the flame, but instead of keeping the range wide, like a flamethrower, he narrowed it down. In his hands, the Lantern looked more like a welding torch, with a flame that blazed a blinding white. Putting one hundred mana per second into the flame, Lan pressed the searing beam of fire against the joint between the top and bottom of the clam''s shell. The ripping hot lance of fire melted through the shell like it wasn''t even there, and in less than a second, Lan had completely separated the top and bottom halves of the clam. He tossed the top half aside and scorched the inside of the clam''s shell until he got a notification.
Alert: Killed Lvl:22 Pearl Watcher ¨C Experience Gained (Bonus due to level difference)
Level up! [15->16]
Level up! [16->17]
"Holy shit!" Lan collapsed, exhausted on the floating island of ice. The entire cavern smelt like a burnt clam and his mana was utterly exhausted again. This time, he was too tired to even pay attention to the sensation as two levels worth of stats rushed into him. All he wanted to do was rest again. The cold seeped into his bones, sapping his strength away, reminding him of a time long ago. A time before he came to the Bridge, a time when Lan was still young. When he had lived in the District, and slept in stranger, colder places. The all too familiar chill lulled him into a deep sleep, where he dreamt of times long past and a friend he hadn''t seen in years. Chapter 33 - The Price Of A Smile (Part 1) The District ¨C 7 years before the tutorial began: Lan and Bo had a secret spot that only they knew. Past the edge of the District, in the boneyard, where the skeletons of vehicles are left to rot after being picked clean. Their secret spot was a bus tipped on its side and stripped of its engine and seats. It was a bus that would never move again, considered broken and worthless. But to them, it was home. The ancient glass windows creaked as Lan walked over them. There wasn¡¯t far to fall if they broke, only an inch between the window and the ground, but Lan didn¡¯t want to slice his leg open on shards of glass, so he moved carefully. At the back of the bus was a heaping pile of rotten blankets, pushed together to make a mouldy nest of sorts. In the nest sat Bo, A thin boy with short hair so pale it was almost grey. He had piercing blue eyes that didn¡¯t look as bright as they ought to and skin so pale it bordered on see-through. Lan looked at his friend¡¯s gaunt, almost skeletal frame, and his heart ached. He wanted to bring Bo food and a blanket that didn¡¯t smell of ammonia. He would kill to let the boy even younger than he was know warmth, but Bo was like him. An Orphan. An Outcast. Abandoned. ¡°Bo,¡± Lan called out softly as he got closer to their nest. He didn¡¯t want to startle the weak boy, so he tried to keep his voice as quiet as possible. That, and it never hurt to be discrete when their next-door neighbours trafficked children for a living. Bo weakly raised his head from the blankets, squinting at Lan, ¡°Lan, is that you?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. I managed to steal food from Mary again,¡± Lan giggled as he produced a fist-sized package wrapped in old newspaper. ¡°No!¡± Bo cried out, ¡°Mary needs that. Her kids-¡° ¡°Shh¡± Lan hissed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Bo looked down, not daring to meet Lan¡¯s gaze. His growling stomach did the talking for him, and as Lan unwrapped the newspaper and he got a better look at the baked potato, he couldn¡¯t help but sit up straighter. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Lan chided, ¡°It¡¯s not like I can return this now,¡± ¡°Yes, you can-¡° Bo started to say before Lan licked the potato. ¡°Hm?¡± Lan grunted, taking a big bite. ¡°But¡­¡± Bo shifted uncomfortably, trying not to let the steaming potato drag his gaze in with its almost magnetic pull. Lan sighed and walked closer to Bo, waving the potato In front of his nose until he finally gave in. By the time they were finished eating, the newspaper had been licked clean. But even then, one potato could hardly be enough for two boys. They lay together on the musty pile of blankets, looking up through the bus window at the fuzzy stars above. It was impossible to see them clearly because of all the dust and grime on the windows, so they let their imaginations do most of the work. In the distance, a looming shadow blotted out half the sky and continued on into the cosmos, but neither discussed this massive structure. It hurt too much. As Lan moved over to his side of the blankets, he bumped his knee against a small piece of slate. ¡°Ow, why¡¯d you leave this here?¡± He held up the black slate for Bo to see. Bo turned bright red and tried to snatch it off Lan, but his skinny arms couldn¡¯t move quick enough. He ended up falling feebly before Lan with his arm outstretched. ¡°Please give it back,¡± Bo said in a voice so desperate it was almost a whine. ¡°Uhm,¡± Lan turned the seemingly ordinary piece of slate over in his hands, not understanding why Bo was so desperate. On the other side, he found a picture of a cartoonish rabbit scratched into the slate using some sort of sharp object. It was fat, with big buck teeth and an eyepatch over one eye. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Blushing, Bo reached up and grabbed the piece of slate, holding it tightly against his chest. ¡°Nothing,¡± He said quietly. Lan frowned, ¡°Nothing?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He sighed, ¡°Okay.¡± For as long as he had known Bo, the boy had secrets. That wasn¡¯t a rare thing in the District. Most people did. Even Lan himself had plenty of lockboxes he would prefer buried. So, when he saw how unwilling Bo was to talk about the subject, he dropped it. ¡°It was a good drawing, though,¡± He added. Bo looked up at him meekly, ¡°Thanks¡­.¡± His voice shook a little when he spoke, and that night, as the dogs in the boneyard howled and the strange, alien creatures rifled through long-forgotten garbage, Bo hugged Lan a little tighter than usual as they slept.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Sun streamed in through the bus window, ripping Lan from the grasp of sleep. He crawled out of their nest and tiptoed his way along the bus. To reach the door on the ceiling, he had to climb a rope they had found in a nearby heap of trash. The rope creaked and groaned as he pulled himself out of the bus and jumped down into the desolate boneyard. Everywhere he looked, twisted metal and rotting wood littered the cracked asphalt. While the skeletons of vehicles stripped bare of anything useful dotted the land like strange, apocalyptic museum exhibits. Lan dropped down from the bus and ran immediately. He knew that speed was key since only the slowest kids got caught by the roving child ¡®collectors¡¯. Weaving between mountains of rusting metal and ruined plastic, Lan darted from cover to cover, moving as though he were always being sighted by a rifle. As he arrived at the edge of the District, where the junkyard became a slum, he didn¡¯t lower his guard but, instead, heightened it. He had heard enough stories about kids getting sold to brothels or unlicensed, experimental laboratories to know he was never safe in the District. Lan followed the same route he always did, running through alleyways when it was safe enough and clambering over rooftops when it wasn¡¯t. He made sure to watch out for any exposed nails, after an old man he knew died of something called tetanus recently. He eventually came to a flashy shop with a glowing pink neon sign that read: Luxury Ladies! Out the front of this shop was a haggard-looking woman with limp brown hair and a stare that never looked closer than a thousand yards. She had two brats sitting on the steps beside her. One was gnawing on a stale piece of bread, and the other sewed a hole in a piece of lingerie shut. ¡°Morning, Mary!¡± Lan shouted as he ran past, ¡°Am I on time,¡± Mary looked up at him and smiled weakly. ¡°Just barely,¡± She said, watching with a sad gaze as Lan ran past and headed deeper into the District. ¡°Mummy, why does Lan go to the wall every morning?¡± The kid sewing asked curiously. Mary watched as Lan disappeared into a distant alleyway, ¡°For the Drop, sweetie.¡± The girl wrinkled her nose, ¡°Ew, isn¡¯t that smelly?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Mary sighed, ¡°It is,¡± Lan made sure to avoid the streets with open sewers as he ran. He had learned, through much trial and error, that while these streets were usually safer since nobody wanted to walk down them. It wasn¡¯t worth dealing with the horrific stench. He would literally rather die than walk down Stockman¡¯s lane ever again. As he grew closer to the wall, the streets started to fill up. People began to head towards various drop spots in their droves, thousands of grimy faces and shoeless feet stampeding to the very thing that kept them at bay. Lan had already picked his spot for the day. A little west of the night district, where Mary worked, was a perfect spot that hadn¡¯t gotten too popular yet. And thanks to its proximity to a residential area on the other side of the wall, there were usually plenty of good finds. Not that Lan did any of the finding himself. He arrived at the Drop spot a few minutes early and hung back. To get a better view of the area, he climbed onto the roof of a nearby liquor shop and lay flat against the rusty corrugated iron. From up there, he could see the top of the wall, and the twenty or so soldiers, in their spotless military gear, rushing to get the drop bags ready. From up on the roof, he could also get a better look at what went on at ground level. Beneath the wall, a wide spot had been cleared, about 10 metres in all directions. And crowding around this spot were twenty to thirty people in rags, with faces caked in grime and sweat. These were the early birds, as Lan liked to call them. They had bought into the lie that since they were early, they would get the worm. But this wasn¡¯t the case. From experience, he knew it wasn¡¯t the first bird to get the worm but the most cunning. So Lan waited atop this roof every day and watched as the huge, black plastic bags were winched out over the wall. He watched as the bags split open and rubbish cascaded down onto the empty patch. Before the last bag had even split open, the people jumped on the rubbish like starving hyenas. Each of them desperately dived into the puddle of garbage, hoping to emerge with a catch of their own. Whether it be food or a valuable tool. Perhaps out-of-date drugs or, and this was only a legend, but Lan had once heard about someone finding money in the trash. The story went that since the rich family were so wealthy, they couldn¡¯t be bothered dealing with their change and simply threw it away. Whether this was true or not, Lan seriously doubted, but he liked to hope that it was. As Lan watched the people fight over rubbish, he eyed them like a hawk watches a group of rabbits. In the past, he had been down there, like them. But every time he found something good, it was taken by an adult or someone stronger than him. Now, he was that stronger person. He would take, not be taken from. ¡®Her,¡¯ Lan spotted a young girl about his age, discretely hiding a stale loaf of bread in her baggy jumper. She made sure no one was looking and squeezed out of the throng, carefully backing into a nearby alley. Lan followed her along the rooves of buildings, waiting until she was far enough away before dropping down in front of her with a twisted piece of metal clenched In his grip. The girl froze, her eyes wide. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have anything,¡± She stuttered, doing her best to conceal the loaf of bread in the folds of her oversized jumper. It was so washed out and stained that the jumper¡¯s original colour might have been beige, but Lan wasn¡¯t sure. What really caught his attention was the faded little character on the front. ¡°I saw you take the bread,¡± Lan said coldly. ¡°My mummy needs-¡° ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Lan cut her off. The girl looked like she was about to cry, but Lan shushed her, ¡°I¡¯ll make a deal,¡± He said softly. The longer he stared at the character, the more familiar it became. The girl was wearing a jumper with almost exactly the same rabbit as Bo had drawn. ¡°A deal,¡± The girl echoed, a flash of hope lighting up behind her eyes. Lan nodded, ¡°Give me half the bread, and tell me what that thing is,¡± He pointed at her jumper. ¡°Half!?¡± The girl exclaimed, ¡°But-¡° ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take all the bread then,¡± Lan said coldly. The girl gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She looked up at Lan, her gaze burning, but there was something in his eyes that told her this was a fight she couldn¡¯t win. In the end, she unclenched her fists and nodded, tearing off half the stale loaf of bread and handing it to Lan. ¡°Are you happy?¡± She asked glumly. ¡°And that?¡± Lan didn¡¯t reply, instead pointing at her oversized jumper. The girl looked down at the little character and laughed, ¡°This isn¡¯t mine. It¡¯s my mummy¡¯s. I¡¯m not giving it to you.¡± She bared her teeth, almost growling. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want your ugly jumper.¡± Lan shook his head, ¡°What is that on it?¡± He pointed at the cartoon rabbit with an eyepatch. ¡°This¡­¡± The girl looked down at the rabbit, bewildered. ¡°It¡¯s Thumper,¡± She finished, looking up at Lan questioningly. ¡°What does it do?¡± Lan pressed. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ a rabbit.¡± The girl answered, ¡°He hops¡­ I guess.¡± Lan shook his head, ¡°No, I mean, where is he from?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The girl¡¯s eyes widened in understanding, ¡°My mummy said he was in a tv show she liked. I don¡¯t remember what it¡¯s called,¡± Lan frowned, scratching his chin as he tried to figure out what this meant. Why would Bo draw such a character and act so possessively of the drawings? He didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Can I- Can I go?¡± The girl asked nervously. ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Lan lowered the piece of metal, and the girl sidled past, continuing on down the alley. ¡®Later,¡¯ Lan stuffed the piece of bread down his trousers and ran off, heading back to his nest to share today¡¯s spoils with Bo. Chapter 34 - The Price Of A Smile (Part 2) Lan and Bo devoured the bread in seconds, too hungry to savour it. Even though the bread was stale, it tasted like ambrosia. Every mouthful was heaven, every bite a miracle. It was around midday, so the bus wasn''t as cold as the previous night. But even then, their breath fogged up as they sat huddled together. Neither could remember the last time they were truly warm. Or rather, they didn''t want to remember. "Did you steal from Mary again?" Bo asked suspiciously, only feeling guilty after he had eaten his share of the bread. Lan shook his head and grinned, "No, I managed to grab it in the drop." He raised his head up high as his ego inflated like a balloon. "Wow¡­" Bo smiled, but it was half-hearted at best. "What''s wrong?" Lan asked, "are you still hungry? I can try and find-" "No, it''s not that," Bo lied, he was hungry, but that wasn''t why he was down. "I just-" "Yeah?" "I just wish I could help you¡­." He trailed off glumly, looking down at his bony hands. They were so thin that every muscle, bone and sinew could be seen at a glance. Lan shuffled over, pushing through the blankets and hugging Bo, "You are helping me," He said with a smile. Bo wouldn''t meet Lan''s eyes, "You''re stealing from Mary and giving me half the food. And I just sit here." His hands trembled. "But Bo, it''s not your fault," Lan hugged him tighter, as though afraid Bo would disappear. "Okay¡­" Bo never once looked at Lan. He just trembled with uncontrollable frustration and self-loathing. Lan took a shaky breath and tried to change the subject. "Is the rabbit you''ve been drawing Thumper?" He asked softly. Bo''s eyes widened, and he suddenly looked up at Lan, "Thumper? You know the cartoon?" "Yeah, a girl I met at the drop told me about him." Lan sighed internally, relieved that he had managed to change Bo''s self-destructive train of thought. "Cool! I love Thumper! Mummy and da¡­." Bo trailed off, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Bo! What''s wrong?" Lan had never seen Bo this emotional. The boy was usually very reserved when it came to things like this. "I''m never going to watch Thumper again," Bo sniffled. "Mummy always watched it with me and¡­." He choked on the words like a lump of steel lodged in his throat. Lan teared up himself and hugged Bo tighter than ever before. He was so fragile Lan was scared the boy would snap in two If he squeezed any harder. "Do you think my Mummy will ever come and get me?" Bo asked quietly, his voice a meek whisper that shook with the desperate desire to hear an answer he knew wasn''t true. "I-" Lan ground his teeth, feeling the omnipresent shadow of the Bridge looming over him. "I don''t know¡­." "Yeah," Bo deflated like a burst balloon, losing all his energy to cold, detached apathy. Lan jumped in, "But even if she doesn''t come to find you, we can track her down ourselves!" Looking up at Lan, Bo''s eyes were that of a drowning child seeing a rope tossed into the water. "But I''m too weak," "For now," Lan muttered, "But if we get accepted into an academy, and they train us to be big and strong, imagine how easy it would be to find your mum then!" Bo''s eyes flickered, "Yeah, but I can''t apply for another year since I''m only nine," Lan paused; he knew that the academy only accepted students at 10 years old. He was already 10, and he probably would only get in if he applied soon. But if he got in and left Bo in this bus on his own, would he survive? Lan took a deep breath and decided to lie, "I''ll wait for you to turn 10, and we''ll apply together," He said shakily, knowing he had just blocked his one and only chance of becoming a pathfinder. "Thanks," Bo sniffled, smiling sheepishly. "We''ll be Pathfinders together!" ¡­ "Yeah¡­" This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. *** Days passed, and weeks turned into months. Lan watched his eleventh birthday pass by without any fanfare. He never told Bo the truth. It was the first birthday he spent without them. That night, he left the bus and cried alone on the shattered hull of an abandoned ship. The Bridge eclipsed the moon and a vast portion of the stars, so he sat mournfully in its shadow, weeping for what might have been. In the time since then, Bo''s health had improved thanks to Lan''s best efforts to get him more, better food. Every day that Lan woke up and Bo looked healthier was like an angel''s blessing. He couldn''t say when he first started genuinely caring about Bo, but now he viewed him as family. However, Bo''s tenth birthday approached all too soon, a looming spectre that haunted Lan''s dreams. Soon, Bo would be leaving him. He just knew it. *** The night before Bo''s birthday, Lan couldn''t sleep. He had never been a great sleeper, but the past few weeks had been hell. Soon, he would be alone again. Alone. Forever. He glanced at Bo''s peacefully sleeping face and couldn''t bring himself to wake the boy up. Beside Bo was a stash of drawings he had done. The earliest ones were of Bo and his parents, but as time passed, Lan appeared more and more frequently in the pictures, taking their place. Lan glanced at the drawings and smiled. Bo trusted him. Bo needed him. He hadn''t let Bo down. But still, there was an uncomfortable, gnawing thought at the back of Lan''s mind. ''What if he forgets me?'' It was horrible to think, but as he looked at Bo''s sleeping face, Lan felt a slight sense of despair. He almost wished Bo wouldn''t get accepted to the academy. Then they could spend- ''No.'' Lan took a shaky breath, ''Bo''s future is more important than mine. I''ll just¡­'' he scrambled for some sort of consolation, for anything that would make the loneliness feel better. As he did so, his eyes were drawn to one particular picture. A small rabbit with an eyepatch and buck teeth. Suddenly overtaken by some primal desire, Lan crept out of their nest and climbed the creaking rope out of the bus. The boneyard was haunting at night, with twisting shadows that shifted and creaked, groaning in ghostly wails. Creatures scuttled to and fro, sifting through the darkness for food scraps, and if there were none, they ate each other. The eerie groans were occasionally punctuated by a strangled yelp or a ghastly, tortured screech as some¡­ thing breathed its last. Lan wrapped his ragged cloak around him, warding off the darkness as much as the cold. He quickly bounded into the night, following a route so familiar that he could do it with his eyes closed. The only deviations he made were a result of distant footsteps or human voices that floated through the night air. Anyone out at this hour wasn''t doing honest business. Neither was Lan, for that matter. He left the boneyard and slunk into the District, making his way straight for the wall. In the past few months he had been in the District, he hadn''t seen anything related to the rabbit, which meant there was only one other place he could look. ''Over the wall¡­.'' Lan flitted between crumbling buildings and ramshackle huts on the brink of collapse. Since it was late, he knew to avoid where Mary worked. She had warned him time and again about visiting the night district after dark. Never, under any circumstances, should he go there. Heeding her advice, Lan was left with no choice but to walk through one of the dreaded sewer streets. It was the fastest way to the wall and also the most unpleasant. ''I''ll just take it as a practice run,'' After a thoroughly rotten journey, blissfully free of any child traffickers, Lan arrived at the wall. It loomed over him, impassable and unscalable. Its smooth, grey surface had no places for footholds and standing over five metres tall, there was no building high enough to jump across. It was impenetrable. In theory. Lan wasn''t planning to climb it but instead, pass under it. When he walked over to the open sewer, some primal instinct rejected his idea outright. He couldn''t do this; it would be insane. Every fibre of his body screamed at him to stop, but he didn''t listen. Lan slowly took off his rags and stuffed them under the floorboards of an abandoned building. Wearing only his faded underwear, he walked over to the open sewer. It was two metres deep and equally as wide. The bottom was filled with gunk so foul it''s better left undescribed. But that didn''t stop Lan from climbing into the sewer and staring along the tunnel that ran under the wall. ''So, it''s true!'' He thought excitedly when he noticed the sewer block was broken. A long time ago, he had heard a rumour that the sewer block, a metal grate that stopped people doing what he was about to do, had been broken on this particular pipeline. ''Thank you, drug smugglers,'' Lan thought for the first time in his life. He had chosen this method for that exact reason, and after forcing down bile from the smell of the sewer, he began to wade under the wall. It wasn''t far to travel, maybe ten metres through the muck, until he reached a platform he could climb up onto. But those ten metres had been the longest of his entire life. The second he climbed out of the sewer, Lan took off towards the nearest exit. He quickly found metal rungs leading up to the street above and climbed them, eager to escape the rotting stench. Unfortunately, he was met with a solemn, harsh reality when he reached the top. It was locked. Helplessly, Lan climbed back down the ladder and moved on to the next sewer grate and then the one after that. Each time, he climbed them with hope and each time, he climbed back down into the putrid smell, dejected. Every single grate he came across was locked. ''Please, drug smugglers, all I''m asking for is a way out!'' Lan fell back on the people who broke the sewer block, to begin with. He felt like there was no way they wouldn''t have arranged an exit. And he was right. He opened an unlocked grate with trembling hands, tears brimming in his eyes. ''Thank you, drug smugglers,'' He thought for the second time in his life. Not only had they been kind enough to break the lock on the grate, they had even left a change of clothes hanging in a plastic bag on one of the rungs. They were far too big, with the shirt almost reaching Lan''s knees, but it was better than no shirt at all, so he was happy. ''Next time, I should put my clothes in a plastic bag¡­ although hopefully there won''t be a next time,'' Lan clambered out onto the silent streets with trepidation. He didn''t know exactly what he was looking for, a toy shop? Where else would he find something, Thumper-related? His original idea had been to steal a tv and some Thumper DVDs, but he quickly realised that wouldn''t work. Besides the infeasibility of carrying a tv through the sewers, there was no electricity in the bus to power it. His next best idea was a Thumper-related toy that Bo could remember him by after he had moved into the academy. All Lan had to do was find one. Chapter 35 - The Price of A Smile (Part 3) Something about the quiet city streets was almost scarier than the boneyard. Where there should have been people, there was nothing but desolate silence. In the dead of night, as Lan strolled through the city, he was alone. It was almost apocalyptic; there was no nightlife, bustling bars or late buses. Everything was quiet and shut down, which presented a massive stumbling block to Lan. ''How can I steal something if all the shops are closed?'' He wandered between towering blocks of flats, occasionally glancing up at the ugly concrete buildings. Everything looked the same. The scale was impressive, daunting even, with buildings that scraped the sky. But they all looked much like each other. The city felt cold and heartless to Lan. It was without personality. ''It''s not how I remember it¡­.'' He thought glumly. Growing up in the residential area, his parents lived in a flat like these. At the time he had felt wonder at the sheer scale of the buildings, but now they seemed drab. Perhaps he was comparing them to the District on the other side of the wall. In which case, it made sense that the city lacked personality. But even then, it felt lonely. Every shop he passed was closed and functional. Even if they had been open, he probably wouldn''t have bothered going in. All they sold was food, clothes and the bare necessities. ''It''s so¡­ bland,'' Lan couldn''t help feeling a little sad. The city wasn''t much better than the District if a little cleaner. Then again, he had never been to the inner city, where the Pathfinders lived. ''I''d bet they have Thumper toys,'' A sudden urge to do something monumentally stupid overtook Lan, and he decided to press deeper into enemy territory. As he did, his footsteps echoed on the cold pavement, bouncing off the many high-rise buildings and fading into the night. He passed over a bridge spanning a murky brown river and froze. A distant, flashing red light was moving slowly up the road towards him. With his heart racing, Lan dived behind a bin and huddled down to make himself as small as possible, waiting with bated breath as the light drew near. The seconds seemed to crawl by until, eventually, a hovering bike drove past. It had a flashing red light attached to the front and made no sound as it moved. What caught Lan''s eye was that the person riding it had an enormous gun strapped to their back. ''Patrols? I don''t remember those¡­ although mum never liked to go out after dark,'' Lan''s heartbeat calmed, and he waited a couple of minutes until the coast was clear before stepping out from behind the bin and continuing deeper into the concrete jungle. As he walked further in, the patrols got more frequent and the buildings nicer. Instead of skyscrapers, he found beautiful mansions in ornate residential areas with actual gardens. Most of these buildings had their lights off, but a few didn''t. Lan glanced at a few of these residential areas and was tempted to sneak in, but the high, spiked fences warded him off. He had a hunch that there would be more security than just a fence and didn''t want to test that theory. The further he moved into the city, the more prevalent the Bridge became. The city was built in a massive ring around the Bridge. At the centre was an enormous array of high-rise penthouses and fancy hotels, generally only frequented by pathfinders returning from a long trip. These were accompanied by fancy shops and top-of-the-line businesses. Further out was the pathfinder residences, a sprawling, synthetic suburbia, slap bang in the middle of a city. Pathfinders generally owned a house there and returned once or twice a year, for nostalgia more than anything else. Which meant the area ended up abandoned most of the year, feeling like a ghost town. This was also where most of the academies were located since they used up a lot of space for training. Then came tightly packed blocks of flats, squeezed together so that not an inch of space was wasted. For the most part, ordinary, working-class people lived in these flats and commuted into the inner city or out of the wall to do manual labour. The apartments weren''t cheap, and a guarantor was required to buy one, making it incredibly difficult for someone trapped in the District to move into the city. In general, people were hesitant to vouch for anyone as they ran the risk of getting evicted into the slums themselves. Finally, came the wall. A five-metre-high slab of featureless stone ringed the entire city, keeping out the unfortunate. Another red light flashed in the distance, and Lan dived into a bush beside one of the residential district fences, wincing as the fake plastic leaves scraped him. While he waited for the patrol to pass by, he glanced at the fence, taking a closer look. Something told him he wouldn''t make it back to the District if he touched the fence. Lan couldn''t really explain why he felt this way, the fence looked relatively normal after all. There weren''t any obvious booby traps or signs that read GET OUT in big, bold letters. It was just an instinct he had that if he touched the dark metal fence, he would regret it. The bike passed by slowly, and Lan waited until it was out of sight before moving deeper into the residential District. He was moving to satisfy his own curiosity more than anything else, having almost lost hope of finding any Thumper toys. All he wanted to was get a better look at the city since he might never have another chance.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Suddenly, a white light split the night, and Lan threw himself into another bush, cursing these people who weren''t sleeping. He waited nervously as the soft thrum of an engine neared. ''The bikes don''t make a sound though¡­'' Lan peered out through the bush, watching carefully as a long, black sedan rolled up to a gate in the fence. The car stopped barely ten metres from him, rolling down its window and flashing a white card at a scanner. The gate slowly swung open without a sound, and the car cruised into the residential District, silently disappearing over a small hill. Before the gate could close, Lan followed some hitherto unseen suicidal instinct of his and sprinted out from behind the bush and through the closing gate. He had never felt so exposed as when he stood blankly in the open space. There was no cover, nowhere for him to hide. He almost felt naked. Desperate to get out of sight, Lan ran up the road and after the car. He passed over a grassy hill, where the grass was plastic and the dirt synthetic and stopped beside a patch of fake trees above a small cul-de-sac. There were ten houses in total, each magnificent in its own way. Some had marble statues out front, and others had shining supercars or beautiful pillars. ''This was a bad idea.'' Lan realised. He almost wanted to turn back, but since he had come this far, he might as well return with some spoils of war. Out of all ten houses, only the one the black car pulled up to had its lights on. The rest were silent and abandoned. ''Only a house with kids would have a Thumper toy,'' Lan reasoned, examining the dark street. He noticed that one house had a collection of children''s toys on the front lawn, ranging from a bicycle to a rubber baseball bat. Lan quickly made up his mind to try that house first and slunk around the edge of the cul-de-sac, making sure to keep his distance from the house with its lights on. He finally arrived at the house and almost exploded from happiness when he noticed its backdoor was lying open. ''No one would ever do something like that in the district,'' Lan crept up to the ajar door and peered into the gloomy house, ''But they don''t have a giant fence around their houses, so¡­.'' Lan suspected a kid lived in this house and had left the door open after playing on the lawn. The fact that it hadn''t been closed meant that there shouldn''t be any adults with the child, which was perfect. He pushed the door open and slipped through, finding himself in a spotless, white kitchen. Marble tabletops, a fridge that made ice, and a cooker that looked like a poorly disguised transformer made the kitchen seem otherworldly to Lan. He suspected every plate in the room cost more than he would. Unable to stop himself, he walked over to the tall fridge and opened it, feeling cool air wash over his face. Presented before him was heaven, an endless array of delicacies that would make god weep. He stuck his hand in and grabbed a block of cheese with his fist. It was kind of soft and smelt extremely pungent. Lan bit into the cheese like an apple, moaning as he swallowed the mouthful. "So that''s what cheese tastes like¡­." He grabbed something else from the fridge, taking a swig from a hot sauce bottle and washing it down with pickle juice. There was no rhyme or reason to the things he grabbed. As long he could get his hands on it, he would eat. Lan was so wrapped up eating that he didn''t hear the soft pitter-patter of feet on the hardwood floor. While biting into an onion, Lan heard a soft squeal. He whipped around and found a young girl sitting on the kitchen floor, staring up at him with wide eyes. The onion slipped from Lan''s stunned grip, and he stared, transfixed, at the girl. She looked like she was about to scream, and he suddenly wished he had shut the door before coming in. If she made a sound, the entire neighbourhood would know something was wrong. A neighbourhood full of pathfinders. "Wha-"The girl started to say, but Lan leapt forward, covering her mouth with his hand. He was crouched over her like a big cat, breathing heavily. "Please don''t scream," He hissed. The girl bit his hand. "Ow!" Lan recoiled, feeling pain shoot up his arm. "Hel-"The girl opened her mouth and started to shout, but Lan threw himself on top of her, sending them both sprawling on the kitchen floor. "Please!" Lan begged, "They''ll kill me!" The girl didn''t stop struggling, bucking, and thrashing with everything she had. From the looks of things, her age was about the same as Lan''s. She was a little shorter than him and had light blonde hair with pale green eyes. There was also a birthmark on her cheek that looked kind of like a spider web. "Get off me!" The girl wheezed, scratching Lan with her nails. He ignored the pain and grabbed her neck, squeezing. "Please stop, please!" He had never killed someone and didn''t want to start now, but the girl wouldn''t stop. She kept struggling and thrashing, kicking at Lan viciously. Strangled yelps escaped her throat as Lan squeezed tighter, "I''m begging you, please stop!" Lan croaked desperately. But she wouldn''t. Even when he knelt on her arms, she started trying to bite the hands around her throat, snapping like a wild animal. "Stop! Please," As the light left her eyes and her struggles dimmed, Lan felt a horrible, sickening sensation loom over him. He was going to murder someone, and they weren''t a pathfinder. She wouldn''t stop struggling, and if he let go, she would scream. But if he didn''t stop soon, she would die. He suddenly felt a rough hand on his shoulder. Its grip was so firm it made steel look flimsy. "That''s enough," said a soft male voice. And that was that. The girl passed out, and Lan''s hands left her throat involuntarily. He couldn''t muster the courage to turn around and look at the person who was about to kill him. But from the strength in the man''s hand alone, Lan knew he was a pathfinder. "Quite a performance you put on there," The man said softly. "I''m impressed you managed to get In here," Lan clenched his teeth, "Just kill me," He spat. "Wow, I like the attitude," The man''s voice had a tinge of mirth like he was enjoying this. Suddenly the hand on Lan''s shoulder clamped down, and he was picked up off the girl and whisked through the air before being plopped down on the kitchen''s marble counter. Before him was an old man, or a young man, Lan couldn''t tell. On the one hand, the man had stark white hair and a long scraggly beard. On the other, the man''s skin was flawless, and his back was straight. He looked more like a young man pretending to be an elderly person than someone truly old. Even his eyes twinkled with youthful exuberance. Lan felt dread as he looked at the man. He knew what came next. First, the mockery, then the torture. The man suddenly smiled, peering so deeply into Lan''s eyes that he may as well have been able to see through them. "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you," he said gleefully. "You won''t?" Lan echoed, not understanding what the man was saying. "Of course," The man fixed Lan''s rumpled shirt, brushing it with his smooth hands. "I would never kill a talented student," Chapter 36 - The Price Of A Smile (Part 4) "Student?" Lan spat out the word like it was revolting to the taste. "Do you really think I would be your student?" The old man smirked, "Of course." He said it with such absolute confidence Lan almost believed it to be true. Lan glanced at the unconscious girl, trying to figure out the old man''s angle, "What¡­." "You want to ask why, yes?" The old man said smugly, pulling out a chair and sitting opposite Lan, who nodded half-heartedly. "It''s simple, really. I saw you sneak in here, and I like your bravery. That sort of thing can''t be taught. The rest... Well, I''m a good teacher," "Bu-" "But how does that qualify you to be my student?" "No, that''s not what I was going to ask." The old man laughed, waving dismissively, "Ah well, I''m not a psychic. Anyway, I''ll just explain the situation, and you can make up your own mind. How does that sound?" Lan frowned at the old man, feeling it was futile. "But I''m going to say no," "Are you?" The old man cocked an eyebrow quizzically. "Yeah." Lan didn''t like pathfinders, so why would he ever apprentice himself to one of them? "Even if I could get you anything you wanted, money, women, power?" Seeing that Lan wasn''t responding to these offers, the old man frowned, "What about... an opportunity? How does going to an academy sound?" Lan froze, "What do you mean?" His mind whirled at a mile minute. If what the man said was true, perhaps he could also help Bo. The old man smiled, "I have friends in high places," He tapped his nose secretively. Lan struggled to get up off the kitchen counter but found himself almost glued to the marble. No matter what he tried, he couldn''t escape, couldn''t even move. He was like a fly stuck to a piece of tape. "Relax," The old man''s word were more of a command than a suggestion. The second Lan heard it; his body went limp. "Can you get my friend in as well?" Lan asked weakly. ''If I can''t escape, then... I''ll have to go along with this,'' "Oh, so it''s the academy you want," The old man arched his eyebrows, "Where is this¡­ friend?" "He''s¡­" Lan paused, "I''ll tell you when you show me some proof," "Proof of what?" Lan snorted, "Proof that you can do what you say," "Fair enough," The old man nodded and brought out a phone. He quickly rang a number and held it to his ear. ''Is he calling the police?'' Lan thought anxiously; his skin crawled as he tried to find a way out. But he couldn''t even move, let alone escape. "Hello?" The old man answered his phone, nodding slowly as the person on the other side spoke. "Yeah, listen, are there two spots in Greenwood''s quota this year-" He paused, listening to the phone, where Lan could swear he heard shouting. "Uh-huh, no, I get it¡­ Look, it won''t be like last time." He seemed almost exasperated. Lan watched, bemused. The old man felt far less intimidating than seconds before. "No! You listen to me! I saved your skin twice in the last decade, and you won''t do me this one favour?" Shouting came from the other side of the phone once again, even louder in volume. "What do you mean I used up all my favours? Maybe I should pay you a visit! I heard Greenwood has a fancy new training facility¡­ wouldn''t it be a shame if something were to happen to it?" He paused, turning to wink at Lan as though he had just done something cool. "Ah, that''s what I thought. You''ve changed your tune pretty quickly!" He said smugly. He put the phone to his chest and glanced at Lan, "It''s almost done," He said. Lan couldn''t help but feel like he was overhearing a very private and embarrassing conversation. He felt like he was listening to exes argue or something of that level Picking up the phone again, the old nodded along as the other side spoke, "No, it won''t be like last time. I''ll give you their names first. It''s a kid called¡­." He glanced at Lan, "Name?" Lan frowned, "My government name?" He would have liked to lie, but if he did and something went wrong, there was no getting away. Despite his carefree appearance, the old man was obviously extremely powerful, and Pathfinders weren''t known to have particularly long fuses. "Yeah, obviously I don''t want your bloody nickname." ''Bo hasn''t fully recovered yet, so he might fail the entrance exams.'' Lan clenched his teeth, ''If this man can help¡­.'' He glanced at the old man, ''I can''t say no,'' "It''s¡­" Lan paused, realising he hadn''t said his real name aloud since his parents died. That was the name they gave him, and when they died, it died with them, "It''s... Anord Hall," Even just saying it felt strange. He wasn''t Anord anymore, hadn''t been for a long time. "Great, and your friend?" "Bo Lyle," Lan replied, hoping he had done the right thing. He doubted the old man could do much with just their names anyway. The old man turned to the phone and asked, "Did you catch that? Anord Hall and Bo Lyle¡­ Yeah, I''ll wait," He put the phone down but left the call running. "What now?" Lan asked, not fully understanding what was going on. He couldn''t tell if he was in danger or winning the lottery. "He''s going to do a background check, and when that clears, we''re all set," The old man leant back in his chair and smiled wryly, "Must be some friend you''ve got," "Yeah¡­ He''s pretty great," Lan still remembered arriving in the District alone. He had nowhere else to go. The orphanage was hell, and he didn''t have any living relatives, at least, none that he knew of. His first night there had been the worst. He had spent hours fleeing from a gang of traffickers, desperately running down the cramped, grimy streets that seemed to have no end. Lan had run for all he was worth, but no matter what he tried, he couldn''t lose them. At the last moment, as the strength left his legs, Bo had been there, pulling him into a hidden alcove. When the gang ran past, and Lan was sure he was safe, he almost collapsed from exhaustion.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He would never forget the way Bo hugged him. It was gentle, so kind. He hadn''t been hugged like that in a long time. At the time, Bo was in far better health but he was still only a child. If the men had caught him, he would have been just as helpless as Lan. Bo didn''t need to save him, In fact, he probably shouldn''t have saved him, but he had. And Lan would never forget that. Even as Bo grew sick from the rotten food and terrible environment, Lan was happy to stay and help him. After all, Bo was a friend, and Lan didn''t have many of those. "I still don''t know your name¡­." Lan said nervously. The old man laughed, "Oh, of course. You can call me master," Lan looked at him with thinly veiled disgust and made a solemn vow never to do that. "Okay, okay, call me Kin." The old man muttered begrudgingly. Lan nodded, and they waited awkwardly for the person on the other side of the phone to return. "So, why do you even want me as a student?" Lan asked finally, curiosity getting the better of him. "Simple, really-" The old man smiled, "Kids from the District are tougher than the spoiled brats who live around these parts. They adapt to what the Bridge throws at them quicker and generally make better soldiers. Now, there is a risk that they resent the government and plot against it, but I don''t mind taking that risk, not when we are so desperate for troops," "But why me specifically?" Lan couldn''t see himself as anything special. There were hundreds of kids just like him in the District. "Well, I guess it comes down to chance. I was flying back home after¡­ Well, that''s top secret. You were the one I saw sneaking through the streets and avoiding patrols, not any of the other kids." Lan''s blood ran cold. If Kin had seen him, he clearly hadn''t been doing a good job at sneaking. "I was impressed by your initiative. I rarely see a kid attempting something like that, let alone succeeding. Say, what were you even looking for in here anyways?" Lan blushed slightly, "A toy¡­." "For yourself- No, your friend?" Lan nodded. "And you settled on stealing something from her." Kin gestured at the sleeping girl. Lan nodded again. "Well, why don''t we have a look while waiting for this slow prick to do his job?" Suddenly, the force holding down Lan vanished, and he was free. For an instant, he considered running, but if the old man could fly, there was no way he would escape. So, he climbed down from the kitchen counter and walked over to the sleeping girl. "Let''s bring her to her room. That''s probably where we''ll find the toys anyway," Kin added. And so, they did. Lan grabbed her feet and the old man her arms while they hauled her up the stairs to her room. The house was so unbelievably extravagant that Lan was lost for words. Everything from the chandeliers to the ornate staircase was a piece of art that felt untouched by human hands. But something about the house felt lonely. Perhaps it was the occasional toy scattered on the stairs or the frisbee caught on the chandelier. It was too big for a child, too cold, and too empty. The house resembled a museum, not a home. The girl''s room was bright pink and packed to the brim with toys and posters of various singers. She had a bed that a princess would be jealous of, and the floor was littered with unfinished jigsaw puzzles. "Wow, what a room!" Kin whistled appreciatively. Lan burned with envy and threw the girl down on her bed a little more forcefully than was needed. It wasn''t fair that she had this, and he didn''t even have... anything. But he took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. Thumper, he needed to find Thumper. Starting at one side of the wall, there were boxes piled high with stuffed toys. They were filled so completely that teddy bears overflowed onto the floor, mixing with scattered jigsaw pieces. While Lan ran over to the nearest box and pulled it apart, looking for a rabbit with an eyepatch, Kin hung back, talking on the phone. After speaking for a while, he placed it on his chest again and spoke up. "Looks like Bo''s application went through already; kids even got a decent talent potential!" Lan nodded over his shoulder, concentrating on finding Thumper in the second box he was looking through. The old man smirked and lifted his finger, pointing at the boxes, "What are you even looking for?" He asked. "A rabbit with an eyepatch," Lan replied, moving on to another box. "Gotcha, I''ll show you how it''s done!" Kin waved his hand, and the boxes rose into the air before turning over and dumping the contents onto the ground. Lan froze, watching the hovering boxes with wide eyes. This was magic, pure and simple, magic. ''Will I be able to do that?'' He wondered, awestruck. It was only just hitting him that he might actually be able to enter the Bridge himself! He could be a Pathfinder, maybe even find the man in white. Anything was possible as long as he got this one chance. He could stay with Bo, he wouldn''t have to be alone. It was like a dream come true. Next, the stuffed animals started to separate and float up slowly, as though filled with helium. "Wow," Lan gasped. One by one, the stuffed animals fell back down to the ground. This continued to happen until there was only one remaining. A single toy rabbit. "Is that it?" Kin asked. Lan grinned giddily, "Yeah!" The rabbit floated down into Lan''s outstretched arms, and he hugged it against his chest as though scared it would come to life and hop away. Its fur was so soft it felt like he was embracing a cloud. He couldn''t even remember the last time he had felt something like this. Even when his parents were alive, they could never have afforded such a nice toy. While Lan hugged the rabbit, Kin picked up his phone again, listening intently to what the other side had to say. From time to time, he glanced at Lan, his face transforming from a frown to a wide smile. He looked at Lan as though he were a gold mine. "Are you sure?" He whispered. "Yeah, I get that¡­ but there''s really no way around the ban?" He sighed, shaking his head, "No, I understand his talent potential is dangerous. Believe me, I do... But is there really no other way?" Kin listened to the phone intently and grunted in acknowledgement, "No, It''s not your fault; you did your best," He watched Lan and frowned again, "When they take the test, let the first kid in any way. I''ll¡­ I''ll figure something out for the other one," Lan watched Kin walk over and smiled, "Thanks!" He grinned, hugging the rabbit tight against his chest. "Yeah¡­" Kin glanced at Lan and smiled gently, "I''ll take you home now. We wouldn''t want to wake the spoiled brat up," "Okay," Lan nodded, "But what do I have to do to get into the academy?" "Easy," The old man grinned, "Take the test. Leave the rest up to me," Lan smiled sincerely for the first time in a long while and followed Kin out of the girl''s bedroom and down the hall. They walked out through the kitchen after Lan had finished pillaging the fridge, and stepped out into the back garden. "Should I run back?" Lan asked anxiously. He knew that if the old man had seen him on his way there, it was almost certain he would get caught on the way back. Kin laughed and grabbed Lan''s shoulder, "Don''t worry, I''ll have you home in a minute," For some reason, Lan couldn''t really remember the details of the journey back. He couldn''t even remember telling Kin where he lived. His mind was foggy, but he had a vague feeling they flew back; he just didn''t know how. One moment, he was standing in the garden. The next, he was beside the fallen bus. It all happened in an instant. When he regathered his wits, he checked for Kin and found that the old man had disappeared into the night, leaving Lan alone in the Boneyard. A distant dog howled into the darkness, its lonely call echoing through the skeletons of massive shipping tankers that had fallen into disrepair. On another day, Lan might have felt depressed. Having seen how some children lived, to return to this was cruel. But in that moment, he didn''t care. His belly was full, and clutched in his arms was a teddy bear so soft it made him want to cry. He could already imagine Bo''s face when he woke up on his birthday and found the bear. It would be priceless. ''Should I tell him about the deal?'' Lan frowned, suddenly realising he had no idea what the deal even was. Now that he thought about it, had he lost anything? ''Kin made me his student¡­ I think. But I don''t know what that means. If only he were here so I could ask him,'' But in the end, there was no use worrying about that. The sun would rise soon, and Lan wanted to steal a few hours of sleep before taking the test the next day. Exhausted by the whirlwind he had just experienced, Lan clambered back into the bus and crawled into the nest. He sidled up to Bo and hugged him tightly, placing the teddy between them. With his belly full, and his future bright, Lan drifted off into the best night''s sleep he''d had in a year. *** The Present - Sixth Step Lan woke up in the gloomy cavern, lit by only the faintest of glows from the damaged lantern, and sighed. All things considered, the dream hadn''t been too bad. Or at least, there were far worse things he could have dreamt about. It always improved his mood when he remembered that Bo had made it out¡­ Even if he hadn''t. He still didn''t know whether the deal had ever been completed or not. Bo had ended up getting into an academy, but whether that was through Kin''s intervention or Bo''s own talent, Lan didn''t know. Although Lan was almost 100% certain he wasn''t Kin''s student. The last time he had even seen Kin was the night they met, so there definitely hadn''t been a student-teacher relationship going on there. Shaking his head, he sighed, ''I don''t know why I''m surprised that a pathfinder couldn''t be trusted,'' He should have been used to such things already. Pushing Kin and Bo to the back of his mind, Lan stood up and glanced at the roof of the cavern, finding the narrow chute he had arrived in. ''Now, which piece of the crown should I take next?'' Chapter 37 - The Path Of Least Resistance To say climbing back up to the throne room was difficult would be the understatement of the century. Lan was forced to wedge his knees against the freezing, icy rock and squirm up the tight shaft for over half an hour before finally reaching the top. When he eventually arrived at the exit, his legs were scraped raw, and his hands stung when he even thought about moving them. After pushing the cover aside, Lan peered out into the empty cavern. The densely packed stone spikes growing from the floor had been utterly decimated, leaving only about half standing. And the two girls were nowhere to be found. He glanced across the empty cavern and squinted. ''There''s three of us and five crown pieces. Assuming we each went to grab one and succeeded, that would mean only two pieces remain. So¡­¡¯ Lan clambered out of the hole and slowly began stalking through the stone spikes. Each of his footsteps was accompanied by a soft ripple of mana that pulsed through the floor. The steady rhythm was like a heartbeat. This time, he wasn''t just looking for the next hidden passageway, but another person. It was only a matter of time before someone tried an ambush. ''Who is going to take the chance?'' Would it be him? Honestly, Lan would rather kill another boss in peace. He had gained two levels from the previous one, which was worth 90 stat points. Or the equivalent of four levels for an average pathfinder. Which is to say, the more Lan levelled up, the more significant his advantage would become. But he still didn''t know Harriet''s abilities. If she ended up ambushing him after he killed the final boss, he would be left high and dry. Lan mulled it over, thinking deeply. ''What if I kill steal?'' He wondered. He would rather be the one doing the ambushing if it had to happen. ''If I wait until someone goes for one of the crown pieces and follow them in soon after, I could take both them and the boss out,'' With a plan in mind, Lan increased the range of his mana pulses and checked to ensure there wasn''t anyone hiding nearby. Then, he began to search for the remaining paths to the crown pieces. Along the way, he came across two open holes, which he assumed belonged to Thea and the other girl, but he couldn''t discern if they were still occupied. Further on, he discovered one of the remaining shafts, still covered by an untouched stone spike. ''This one hasn''t been entered yet,'' He noted. It wasn''t long before Lan found the final shaft, and what he saw left him feeling uneasy. The stone spike had been obliterated, and the tunnel lay open, begging the question, had it been entered yet? The way Lan saw it, there were three possibilities. One. One of the four open shafts was currently occupied by one or both of the girls. Two. Someone had killed their boss before him and destroyed one of the entrance-blocking spikes, but instead of entering the shaft, they hid somewhere in the throne room, waiting to follow him inside. Three. There was the distinct possibility that the girls had teamed up and were waiting for him at the bottom of one of the holes. If that were the case, he didn''t like his chances. If the girls were capable of killing the bosses, then Lan could only assume they were around his level of strength. ''I don''t think I could take on both of them at once, even if I''ve levelled up twice,'' He ground his teeth and tried to think of a way to know for sure where the girls were. But they could be in any number of the open shafts. Only the single, unopened one held a degree of certainty. If he went in there, he knew exactly what he would get. A boss. And experience. If someone followed him in, they wouldn''t be leaving. Lan wasn''t about to give up his initiative and let the other two level up while he sat about waiting for them to come back. When Lan arrived at the blocked entrance, he sliced off the sharp spike using a thin mana string and covered the hole after climbing in. This shaft was different to the previous tunnel. Rather than plunging straight into an icy abyss, it took a sharp turn a few metres down and gently sloped deeper into the earth. Lit by Lan''s lantern, the tunnel was filled with eerie shadows that stretched distorted as though possessed. He followed the slope down into the suffocating depths of the world once more, walking for what felt like days. The only change in scenery was the surrounding rock taking on a reddish hue. It was like strolling down into hell. While walking, Lan thought about his dream. Since Bo left for the academy, he had never been the same person. Bitterness and loneliness overwhelmed him, like how vines strangle a withered tree. The years he spent in the District were isolating, and the years he spent waiting for Bo at the hotel were even lonelier. All he had was the vague hope that one day when Bo became a pathfinder, he might choose to stay there, and Lan could meet him again. Lan saved up money for nothing. He had no hopes, no dreams, and no future. He simply had nothing to spend it on, nothing he enjoyed. Until one day, at a guest''s request, he looked through the black market. Lan''s future was reborn that day, the possibilities expanding from the cramped broom closet he slept in to an infinite night sky of endless possibilities. For the first time since his parents died, Lan looked up at the Bridge and saw a chance to get rid of it once and for all. A chance to be something bigger than himself. Lan still didn''t know how he had managed to afford the venom. He considered it the most enormous stroke of luck in his miserable life. ''But now I''ve got¡­'' Lan whipped out his profile to check his stats.
Name: Unknown
Title(s): [Punching Up] [Class Of Your Own] [Disciple of David][Epiphany(Temp)][Eutierria]
Age: 18
Race: Human - GLove this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Class: Trochilus
Talent: Weapons are my Weapons ¨C G, ********* - Unique
Health: 1640/1640
Mana: 1040/1040
Level: 17
Strength: 137
Dexterity: 118
Endurance: 89
Vitality: 84
Mind: 75
Intelligence: 104
Luck: 32
Free Points: 0
Skills: [Strengthen ¨C F][Mana String ¨C B][Karmic Threads - ??][Boon of Trochilus - ??]
''32 luck. That isn''t half bad,'' Lan thought, ''My next big break will be even bigger,'' His wandering thoughts had helped distract him as he continued deeper beneath the earth. But he began to notice a gradual increase in temperature. It was subtle at first but quickly blossomed into a sweltering, suffocating haze. Lan could brush the immense heat off to a certain extent, thanks to his title, but it still bothered him. When his sweat hit the floor, it sizzled, and the walls had taken on an almost molten glow. ''I reckon I can guess which element this is,'' Lan mused, putting two and two together. ''I suppose each title corresponds to one of the five bosses here.'' If he assumed the clam was water and the scorching oven he was walking into was fire, then chances were, the other bosses were wind, nature and earth. ''It''s a good thing I ended up getting all the titles,'' Lan wiped the sweat from his brow and walked deeper into the earth, finally emerging in a room on fire. Every wall, every rock, every shrub... burned. Even the air smouldered. But the flames weren''t real. They were ghostly apparitions that produced no smoke and flickered and swayed in an immaterial haze. Even when burning on a rock, with absolutely no fuel at all, the flames showed no signs of going out and, in fact, gave off such an extreme heat that even Lan baulked slightly at the idea of entering the cavern. He glanced around the flaming cavern, noticing that the walls were actually covered in a layer of sticky black tar that seemed to be dripping down from the ceiling. It was this substance that burned with such fervour. The entire room was coated in the stuff, but Lan couldn''t see where it came from. Aside from the flames and tar, the room was bare. He couldn''t even spot the crown piece since it was obscured behind the wall of fire. ''What should I do?'' Lan wondered. He had already given up on his current set of clothes since they would likely be burned to cinders right after he entered the room, but he didn''t want to lose the blue pearl. If he dropped it amidst the black tar, it would be a nightmare to try and find again. Lan decided to hide the pearl somewhere in the the room - since he didn''t want anyone sneaking up behind him and stealing. And stepped out into the inferno, where he was greeted with... Nothing. The flames felt like nothing. The heat hit him like a tonne of bricks, but it was never beyond anything he could handle. It was simply unpleasant, not deadly. Even his clothes remained unbothered by the hungry licks of fire. Wherever he walked, the flames seemed to part as though he and it were the same poles of a magnet. Something occurred to Lan, and he fished the blue pearl out of his pocket. It was cold, almost icy to the touch and shone a deep blue that pushed back the orange glow. He quickly figured out that it wasn''t him the fire was avoiding, but the pearl. Going off his earlier assumptions, if the clam was the water element, and this pearl was also water, then it clearly had some restraining properties on fire. In particular, he noticed the empty hole in the centre of the pearl and suspected that this was exactly where the fire part of the crown would go. The two contrasting elements would keep each other in check, one mutually restraining the other. With a bit more confidence, Lan stepped further into the room, parting the flames like curtains and searching for the next piece of the crown. His search quickly led him to the centre of the room, where a dark, misshapen stalactite hung from the ceiling. Tar dripped from its end into a flaming pool in the centre of the cavern, falling in molten drops that splashed in a fiery puddle. Lan glanced up at the oddly shaped stalactite and squinted. He was pretty sure he could make out a system tag through the haze. Lvl:22 Vesper Inferno ¡®Shit,¡¯ Luckily the creature, whatever it was, hadn''t noticed him yet. It seemed to be sleeping on the ceiling and remained blissfully unaware of Lan''s presence. ''Still, I know where the boss is, but where is th-'' Lan tried to breathe and couldn''t. The room wasn''t large, and it had only taken Lan a few seconds to reach the centre, so this was his first time trying to breathe since stepping in. But when he opened his mouth and tried to take in air, he was met with a mixture of fire and what smelt like petrol fumes. ''What the fuck!?'' He sprinted for the exit and jumped out into the tunnel, taking deep breaths. ''How did I overlook that?'' He shook his head, cursing his short-sightedness. ''Of course, I can''t breathe in a room full of fire. It''s no different to trying to breathe underwater,'' After taking another deep breath and finding a semblance of calm, Lan created a sphere of clean air and brought it with him as he stepped into the room, making a beeline straight for the stalactite. He wanted to make this quick. The longer the fight dragged on, the higher the chances of him getting ambushed became. *** After her plan went off without a hitch, Harriet managed to kill the boss. She had picked her target perfectly. It was a big, clumsy thing that couldn''t keep up with her speed or nimble grace. And with her flawless execution, the earth monster, a giant stone boar, died after a long, drawn-out battle. No movement was wasted, and no risks were taken. All told, there wasn''t a single moment in the battle where she wasn''t in complete control. Even as the monster tired and Harriet gained the upper hand, she didn''t lunge in for the killing blow or throw caution to the wind. That just wasn''t how she operated. Harriet carved piece after piece, sliver after sliver, off the monster, spending hours chipping away until the thing was finally dead and the crown was hers. It almost looked like she was painstakingly carving a statue from the colossal stone boar, shaving off tiny fragments of stone with her sword. Except usually, rocks don''t scream in pain while the sculptor chips away at them. She had emerged into the throne room and quickly assessed the situation. Every tunnel had been opened by the time she got there, which didn''t bode well. That meant the other two had managed to kill their bosses ahead of her, and if she let both of them kill a second boss, they would both gain a considerable level advantage. She couldn''t let that happen and needed to quickly make a decision before things spiralled out of control. But even though she was pressed for time, that didn''t mean she would make a stupid decision. Harriet didn''t like taking risks. In fact, she never took a risk. Her talent, Path Of Least Resistance, let her understand and calculate probabilities. Since receiving it, she had never made a poor decision, never died, and never lost. She was always ten steps ahead, and that never changed. So, as she looked down at one of the entrances that had been covertly covered, she made up her mind. This wasn''t a risk. Harriet didn''t take risks. She made the best decision, the only decision. She chose the path of least resistance. And so, she moved the spike out of the way and stepped down into a gently sloping tunnel, following it deep into the earth. Chapter 38 - Terrible Odds Lan had often wondered what exactly the monsters in the tutorial were. Did they respawn like humans did? Could they level up? Could they die? He glanced up at the Vesper Inferno and wondered about these things. So far, he had yet to meet a monster with sentience or initiative. Although the ant queen had come close, she had still remained in her little throne room, waiting for their arrival. And this thing was no different. Even though Lan stood less than five metres from the mishappen, black stalactite, it didn''t react to his presence. Lan''s best guess was that there was some sort of trigger. Something that had to happen, criteria that had to be met, before the monster could move. ''Although, it does seem like the dungeon and sheer step monsters are different to those found out in the tutorial,'' Or at least, Lan felt like the salamanders had a little more initiative. They acted more like animals than pre-programmed robots. He wondered if he could take advantage of this unnatural behaviour. It was perfect for setting up traps¡­ if he''d had any. Perhaps that was the biggest advantage that those with inside knowledge gained. The ability to prepare and strike pre-emptively was incredibly valuable. Lan licked his lips and looked up at the black thing, watching tar drip down onto the floor. Now that he was looking closer, the stalactite''s appearance seemed less like a rock and more ¨C leathery. It was too smooth and shone a little in the omnipresent fire light. It also seemed like the tar was coming from the creature itself rather than dripping down it. Lan might''ve spent more time examining the room if not for the fact that, at any moment, someone could creep up behind him and launch a pincer attack. Unfortunately, as seemed to be the norm, he was left with but one option. Attack. It only took a glance to know that the beast was immune to fire. But Lan didn''t have much else in the way of weapons. In any case, he didn''t hold high hopes for his lantern doing much damage. He glanced around the room and saw numerous flaming stones sitting in the black filth. An idea popped into his head, and he ran over, grabbing a few rocks and examining them closely. Charred black and tough nails, the stones were almost indestructible. ''Perfect,'' Next, Lan created a rope, using roughly thirty mana strings, and wove each piece tightly together. When he was done, he gripped the rope in either hand and set the rock in the centre. So far, he had managed to create a magical slingshot of sorts, but he had no way to pull the rope back. Lan felt the connection with the rope in his hands and concentrated on it. He tried to sense how it all fit together and if he could control the rope with his mind. But his attempts were fruitless. ''Damnit,'' he didn''t have endless time in this room because of his difficulties breathing, so spending an hour or two figuring out how to draw back this slingshot wasn''t on the cards. He glanced down at his feet and sighed, ''I didn''t want to have to do this,'' Bending over, Lan tied both ends of the rope around his feet and then lay on his back. He raised his legs, placing the stalactite roughly in the centre of the rope tied to his feet. ''This is humiliating,'' Lan groaned, placing the rock in the centre of the rope once more and pulling back with both hands. As the tension rose, he strained to, with both body and mind, keep everything intact. If he didn''t focus on keeping the mana strings tightly wound together, everything would come undone. But if he didn''t pull back far enough, the stone wouldn''t even scratch the enormous monster. ''I just hope nobody''s watching,'' *** Harriet watched Lan''s embarrassing display from her hiding place within the tunnel - with a mixture of confusion and disgust. Was it yoga? Was he having a stroke? She couldn''t tell. *** Lan finally released the stone, and it left the rope with a twang, tearing across the room and slamming into the centre of the Vesper Inferno with enough force to knock the monster off the ceiling. ''Yes!'' The monster dropped from the ceiling and splashed into a pool of flaming tar, sending droplets of fire in all directions. It released a high-pitched squeal as it fell, sounding like a pig to be slaughtered. And when it landed in the pool of tar, it started thrashing like a drowning man. Some of the tar landed on Lan''s robe and burned straight through it, sizzling when it touched his skin. ''Ow, fuck.'' Lan grimaced, ''It looks like even though the flames can''t touch me, the tar will still do damage.'' Now that he knew he could get hurt, Lan stayed well back from the pool of tar ¨C where the monster flailed and squealed in agonised fury. It slowly dragged itself from the flaming pit, letting the sticky burning substance fall off its leathery skin in thick globs.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. When it began to unfurl its two enormous wings, Lan couldn''t help celebrating the fact he had shot it with the stone first. Both wings had a gaping holes in them and looked ragged and torn. He doubted whether it would be capable of flying with those anytime soon. Its body was both leathery and furry. In spots, its skin looked like an old handbag, and in others, it resembled a brown bear. Of course, Lan had seen such a creature before, just never of this size. He gawped at the gigantic bat, which was bleeding from a deep wound in its concave chest. He saw ribs poking through its fur and dark red blood trickling down from the massive hole in its sternum. It had two huge ears, which swivelled like satellite dishes towards him. At which point, the bat stopped screeching and took off in his direction. Both its eyes were glassy and utterly dark, but its blindness didn''t stop it from moving with unearthly grace. Lan watched it near and frowned. He could let it bleed out from the wound in its chest, but that might take hours. He dodged a sweeping wing and ran under the bat, darting across the room. Before he made any decisions, he needed to get more¡­ Air. Out of the corner of his eye, he had just seen someone in the tunnel. They were hiding well, very well, in fact, but Lan could spot a stray dog in the boneyard at night, and their attempts at hiding were ultimately futile. He quickly changed direction and ran across the room, acting as though looking for the crown piece. ''What should I do?'' He wondered. Committing to killing the bat was no longer an option. If he engaged in an all-out fight, his attention on the third party would slip. Which was probably what they were waiting for. The bat screamed in frustration at Lan''s continuous evasion, opening its mouth wide. From within came a stream of black tar. It poured out like a hose, streaking across the room and landing by Lan''s feet. At least he knew where the tar had come from. Lan began to feel slightly overwhelmed. The blazing room, the feral bat, the ambush. What could he do with these pieces? As he dodged a flashing claw and rolled through a puddle of tar that stuck to his back, he began to come up with a plan. *** Harriet watched the fight intensely, calculating at every moment who was most likely to win. For the moment, it looked like the boy was on top, but whether that would last was up for debate. He had yet to use many skills, which left her feeling a little uncomfortable. She liked to know exactly what she was up against ¨C since it made her calculations more accurate. But all she could tell so far was that the boy could make a rope of sorts from mana and had ridiculously high physical stats. The best way she could describe how he moved and fought was ¨C shameless. There were no lengths he wouldn''t go to survive. Whether it be throwing himself to the ground or clawing at the bat''s wounds, he fought more like an animal than a human. Unfortunately for her, that made him unpredictable. She caressed her sword from her hiding spot, running a finger along its flawless blade. In the firelight, the metal surface shone slightly, reflecting her stoic face. All she had to do was wait for the killing blow. Whether bat or man, when they finally overcame their opponent and moved in for the kill, she would strike. Right when they lowered their guard, thinking they had won - She would tear them apart. The fight had a lot of give and take. In one moment, the boy was ahead. He would stomp on the bat or rip at its wings, easily manoeuvring his far smaller body around the hulking creature. And in the next, the bat would spew burning tar onto him, scalding his skin red. It even managed to land a few hits on him, drawing faint lines of blood with its razor-sharp claws. As the fight dragged on, Harriet felt her time to attack grow near. Both the bat and boy were waning in strength. Their blows packed less of a punch, and their dodges had grown languid. She could tell from the way they moved that they were exhausted and operating at only 60% of their combat potential. This gave her a 70% chance to defeat both of them. But she would rather wait than take the risk. She watched the number go up, and finally, when her odds of winning had grown to 85%, she struck. By this point, the bat had managed to win the upper hand - throwing the boy against a wall and scoring his back with garish wounds. He was curled up in a ball, cradling a wounded arm against his chest with his back to the tunnel. Harriet jumped into the room and bolted towards the pair, skipping across the burning tar with the grace of a ballerina. She moved so fast that the fire never even had time to touch her clothes, not that it could have done any damage. All academy uniforms with flame-retardant as standard. She zipped across the room, running up behind the bat so as to finish it off. Just as she brandished her flawless sword and prepared to land the killing blow, she saw the numbers change. Her probability of winning dropped from 85% to 70% again. Then 60 and 40 and 30 and 10. Harriet''s ability only worked based on knowledge she knew. So, as she stood at the entrance, gauging both the boy''s and bat''s abilities, her probability of winning was based on this gathered data. But, as she jumped through the air towards the bat, she learned something new, something that changed her chances entirely. The boy wasn''t cradling his wounded arm. He was holding what could only be described as a mana bomb against his chest. The glowing orb of compressed fire pulsed with such sheer, terrifying force that Harriet knew she was dead the instant she saw it. As the boy turned and threw the orb of fire at her and the bat, with far more energy than he should have had; she could only stare wide-eyed as the entire world went red. *** The second after throwing the compressed ball of fire, Lan closed his eyes and braced himself. But it wasn''t good enough. The explosion ripped the room apart, eviscerating both the girl and the bat.
Alert: Killed Lvl: 22 Vesper Inferno
Alert: Level Up [17->18]
Alert: Skill Created ¨C Compression Bomb
It was only thanks to the blue pearl that he survived. It allowed him to ride out the scorching heat wave with only terrible burns rather than fatal ones. But as soon as it arrived, the scorching heat passed, and Lan was left alone in the burning room as bits of bat rained down on him. He heard the sharp ring of something metal falling to the ground behind him, along with a gem-like tinkle. Lan turned around and found a giant patch of the floor had been exposed. The tar had been blown away by the explosion and in the centre of the clearing sat a sword that had been scorched black. Beside the sword was small red crystal that twinkled like a star in the murk, and a golden circlet made from metal untouched by the blast. He managed to crawl over to the crown pieces and sword, which were all that remained of the girl and the bat, picking them up. Lan proceeded to drag himself the rest of the way out of the room. In the hallway, he could finally breathe again, and Lan sat there - panting like a dog. "Only¡­" He paused for breath. "Only one more left,"