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 SAVANNAH
©2023 SUNRISECV

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 CONTENTS

Also in Series

Prologue
1. Savannah
2. The Crown Hotel
3. Location, Location, Location
4. Dwarven Smith
5. Renting Property
6. Getting Paid
7. Thomas and Shae
8. Ranking Up
9. Test
10. My Turn
11. Onyx
12. Roman
13. Fast Friends
14. Debriefing
15. Materials
16. Bidding War
17. Good Will
18. Alchemy
19. Potion Testing
20. Potion of Physical Permanence
21. Rayna and Jacks
22. Construction
23. A Royal Audience
24. Home Sweet Home
25. Visitors
26. Attack
27. Somewhat of a Prince
28. Reunion
29. Zephyr’s Fury
30. Preparations
31. News from the Crown Prince
32. Golem Dungeon
33. Wind Golem
34. Earth Golem
35. Boss
36. Grind
37. Crown’s Decision
38. Edgar’s Dilemma
39. Upgrade
40. Void Farm
41. More Questions than Answers
42. Edgar’s Breakthrough
43. Return
44. Maniac
45. Alanah Swan
46. Presentation and Tiers
47. Elite Gathering
48. Gerald’s Return
49. Confrontation
50. Three Versus One
51. Reinforcements
52. Holding On
53. Solving a Problem
Epilogue
Derek’s Final Stats
Thank you for reading Savannah

Groups
LitRPG

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ALSO IN SERIES

System Change
Torith
Savannah
Trials of Cydaria

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PROLOGUE

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FIVE YEARS AGO—KINGDOM OF INDRIA

I t was a normal morning for Sabrina. She woke, bathed, was dressed by
her servants, and left her room to have breakfast with her father, the
duke, her mother, and her younger brothers. When she arrived at the
dining room, only her father was there waiting for her. She looked around
and could find nobody else, not even a servant.
“Father”—she bowed—“is there something wrong? Where is Mother?”
Her father smiled at her. “They will join us later. There is something we
must discuss first.” He snapped his fingers, and a barrier went up around
them. This way, nobody would be able to listen in to their conversation.
Sabrina frowned. This was weird. She had never been in a situation like
this with just her and her father. It felt almost like an ambush. What was
going on? What was so important that they needed a sound barrier around
them?
Her father let out a long sigh. “The king has sent for you.”
Sabrina felt the weight of the bombshell her father had dropped on her.
She had met her uncle, the king of Indria, only twice in her life, and she was
much too young to remember the first time. For him to summon her out of
the blue like this, she was at a loss for words.
“B-but why?” she managed to squeak out.
“Honestly, my daughter… I do not know. I can think of a few reasons,
but I dare not speculate. He wants to see you in the Throne Room this
evening. Therefore, you will be there,” her father said.
“I… Very well,” Sabrina said.
“Remember your etiquette. Do not speak unless spoken to,” her father
cautioned. “He is your uncle, and he loves you, but he is also the ruler of
the greatest kingdom on this continent. Do not embarrass him or me.”
Sabrina nodded slightly. “I will do my best, Father.”
Her father nodded. “Good.” He snapped his fingers once again, and the
sound barrier disappeared. He clapped his hands, and their servants began
bringing in their breakfast. Sabrina’s mother and brothers soon joined them.
“Eat well. You have a big day ahead of you.”
A big day, indeed… Sabrina thought. She did not eat well that morning.
She lost her appetite the moment her father told her about the summons.
Her father only met with the king, his own brother, a few times each year,
and that was to report on the lands that he ruled as a duke. Sabrina had no
clue what the king could want with her.
She wasn’t going to take over once her father stepped down. No, that
position would go to her older brother who was in the army. If it was him
being summoned, she would be able to wrap her head around it, but she was
non-important.
As the daughter of a duke, she had more status and opportunities than
most, but really, her job should be to marry into a strong family in the
kingdom to strengthen the bonds between the royals and the other nobles. It
was one of the reasons she focused more on her studies and propriety than
her own strength.
Sabrina picked through her meal. Maybe this is about marriage, she
thought. I am thirty-five-years-old this year… That’s not too young to be
given away. She was still young by Elven standards. Her race was
notoriously infertile, but they made up for it with their lifespan. Even
without increased vitality and endurance from the Great System, a
pureblooded elf could live for hundreds of years. That was more than long
enough to produce an heir or two, especially with the addition of alchemical
potions.
Just look at her parents. Sabrina was the second oldest of four siblings
and the only daughter. Her eldest brother was already in his late seventies,
and her younger brothers were twins and both sixteen. Her eldest brother
wasn’t even born until her father was in his two hundreds…
Maybe it is time… It wasn’t the worst thought. She’d prepared for it for
most of her life. In fact, the longer she thought about it, the more she was
looking forward to it. If it was a match that even the king was involved in,
then maybe she would meet the perfect suitor.
Sabrina retired from breakfast in a much better headspace than
previously. As she pushed open the door to leave the dining room, it
knocked into one of the servants carrying tea.
Sabrina snapped at the servant: “Watch where you’re going!”
“Y-yes, milady.” The human fell to her knees and frantically gathered
up the spilled tea.
“Hmmph.” Sabrina snorted. “I should have you flogged, but you’re
lucky I’m in a good mood today. Get this mess cleaned up… and I better
not see you again today.” She half-skipped to her bedroom. Not even an
inept slave could ruin her good mood today.

Sabrina and her father arrived at the palace later that day. Throughout
the day, she had convinced herself more and more that today was going to
be the day that she met her betrothed. She could barely keep the smile off
her face, no matter how many times her father told her to remove it.
Her father led her to the Throne Room to finally meet her king—and
hopefully, her intended. Once they stepped into the hall, she noticed a
problem. It was quiet… There was nobody there to announce their arrival.
She looked up and around. There was only her uncle, the King of Indria,
sitting on the throne. There were no advisors, no commanders, no guards…
just him, her, and her father.
About that time, her father nudged her, breaking her out of her thoughts.
She hurriedly gave the king a proper bow, then waited. The king looked her
up and down. She waited. His eyes met hers, and he smiled. She waited.
Finally, after what felt like an age, the king spoke. “Brother.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” her father replied.
“You are dismissed.”
Her father opened his mouth but couldn’t find any words. Finally, he
bowed once again. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Sabrina was in a panic. Her father had abandoned her alone in the
palace with the king. She wasn’t prepared to meet the king alone. What
would she say? What should she do? Why was she here? Obviously, it
wasn’t to meet a suitor. Or maybe it was, and her uncle only wanted to ask
her about it in private before arranging it. She could only hope.
“Sabrina… correct?” the king asked.
“Y-yes, Your Majesty,” she replied.
The king nodded. “Good… very good,” he said. “I have not seen you
in… what has it been? Twenty years? You have blossomed into a fine
young maiden.”
“T-thank you, Your Majesty.”
“I am sure you have many questions about this meeting. Rest assured,
you are in no trouble. In fact, the kingdom needs your help,” the king
explained.
Sabrina looked at the king, confusion written all over her face. “My
help?” she asked, then stammered. “Your Majesty.”
 “It is just the two of us. There is no need for such propriety,” the king
said. “You are my niece, after all.” He smiled a brilliant smile.
King Elras of the Indrian Kingdom was one of the most stunning-
looking elves Sabrina had ever seen. For being centuries old, the man
looked no older than herself. He had the same silver hair and emerald-green
eyes that were prominent among the Elras lineage, but his hair glistened and
his eyes sparkled just a bit more than any other she had seen. It could have
been just her imagination because of his status, but she doubted it.
Sabrina gave a shy smile and looked back up at the king. “Yes…
Uncle.” She waited for the reprimand, but it never came. It still seemed odd
that someone of such status, who was known to be a champion of propriety,
would allow such a casual shift, even if they were the only two. She didn’t
question it, though.
“We have been in talks with the Kingdom of Cydaria and have come to
the conclusion that it is time to send a royal envoy to strengthen our ties.
The mission will last for around five years,” the king explained, then
motioned Sabrina to come closer. She hesitated but stepped forward. Soon,
the king erected a soundproof barrier around the two of them. “Of course,
that is just what you will be doing on the surface.”
The king then went on to explain that he had assets in the Kingdom of
Cydaria, ones that would report to her. It was hard to get proper reports
because messages via crystals could be easily intercepted by certain figures
and were never secure. He explained that there was a human who played a
big role in supplying the kingdom with its servants, and he would be her
inside source. Her role would be to gather as much information about the
inner workings of Cydaria, then report back.
She was chosen for this task because of her status within the kingdom.
She was the niece of the king, an important figure in the Indrian Kingdom.
Sending someone of her status would show how seriously Indria was taking
the situation.
Sabrina was taken aback. Becoming an envoy, no… a spy, was the last
thing she thought she would be summoned for. Still, it was a mission from
the king himself, and she could not refuse. Well, she could, it would be
allowed. The king made sure to emphasize that she didn’t have to take it on,
but she would accept it. For herself, her father, and her king… she would do
it.
“I accept,” she said.
 “Wonderful,” the king said. “Now, there are some very important things
you must know.” He flicked his hand and summoned a necklace. “First, you
must wear this at all times.”
She took the necklace. It was quite mundane, just a round emerald
sitting on a silver chain. Nothing fancy. She carefully placed the necklace
around her neck.
“That necklace is a powerful artifact,” the king explained. “There are
two people who live in the Cydarian Kingdom that you must be wary about.
The first is Natalie Savannah. You will be spending much of your time in
Savannah, so it is only natural that you will come across the city lord.”
Sabrina nodded along as she listened with rapt attention.
“She has some kind of appraisal skill that allows her to see the history
of objects and people. The necklace will protect you from that kind of
invasion.”
Sabrina clucked the emerald in her hand as she listened.
“The second person is a half-elf. Not much is known about her other
than the fact that she settled down in Cydaria decades ago and started up the
most popular and successful business in the entire kingdom. Even her
passive voice controls weaker people. If she actively uses her skills, then
even the strongest have to comply with her demands.
“Her name is Alanah Swan. She is the owner of the Crown Restaurant.
Hopefully, the necklace will protect against her as well. Though, I don’t
suspect you will have many, if any, interactions with her. It is best to avoid
her as I do not know what protection the necklace will provide against her,”
the king explained.
Sabrina took everything in. Five years. She needed to gather
information for five years. She would complete this task to the best of her
abilities.
The king kept Sabrina for a few hours longer, giving her information
that she would need. She also had to swear a system oath, but that wasn’t a
big deal for something as important as this. By the time they were finished,
it was past midnight. She stayed in the palace that night.
The next morning, she met her guard. They weren’t the strongest
fighters, but they were some of the most loyal. She happily informed her
father of being selected as an envoy to another country and expressed her
excitement at being chosen.
 Three weeks later, she entered the capital of Cydaria and was greeted by
the crown prince and princess of Cydaria. She held back the disgust she felt
at greeting humans as equals and fell into her role. She would make her
king proud.

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 1 SAVANNAH

A light blue light flashed before Derek’s eyes. He blinked, and it was
over. Derek looked around at his surroundings.
While he was still standing in a teleportation circle identical to
the previous, the room was vastly different. Instead of a couple dull
counters with a worker standing behind them, Savannah’s teleport room
was lavishly decorated.
The entire inside of the building was finely polished. Not a trace of dust
could be seen. Turquoise banners trimmed in red with a golden scale in the
middle hung around the building. It was quite impressive. The inside of the
building itself was at least double the size of the one in Wilmette.
“Move off the platform, please,” a bored voice called out.
With the command, the group walked forward and down three steps to
stand on the base level. As soon as they were all off the platform, a young
girl scurried behind them and started sweeping the platform. Derek did
another take and realized that there were multiple boys and girls, all dressed
in the same color as the banners, standing in different corners of the
building.
No wonder everything’s so clean, Derek thought.
Soon, the same voice called out. “Please move to the counter.”
Stella led the group up to the closest counter. Behind it was a tall,
skinny man, with a hooked nose and sharp green eyes. He was dressed the
same as the children, with the exception of him wearing a beret-style cap on
his head.
“Please be ready to answer any questions when asked,” the man said.
 “I thought teleporting on the schedule took care of that,” Brandi said,
confused.
Stella looked behind her and smiled. “Savannah isn’t quite like the rest
of the cities. With so much trade taking place, it’s imperative for them to
document everyone and everything,” she explained, then walked up to the
counter.
“Please remove your cloak.” The clerk gestured to Stella, and she
complied. Now, place your hand here. He touched a handprint-shaped spot
on the counter, then placed his hand on an identical one on the opposite
side. “This will record your features and answers.”
Stella smiled. “I’ve done this before. You can begin.”
He nodded. “Name?” he asked.
“Stella Brighton,” Stella answered.
“Place of residence?”
“Capital City, Cydaria.”
The man nodded. “Previous city?”
“Wilmette by way of Torith,” she answered.
“Reason for coming to Savannah?”
“Escorting some friends and checking in on the Crown Restaurant.”
“Planned length of stay?”
“Undetermined.”
The man nodded and took his hand off the counter. “Thank you. Please
stand to the side.” He motioned to an empty place next to the counter and
Stella moved. “Next.” He gestured to the next person in line, and Jacks
walked forward.
“Name?” The clerk repeated the process.
“Jackson Herrett, no current place of residence, came from Wilmette.”
Jacks rattled off all the information at once.
The man looked up at him, and Derek could almost swear the man was
forcing himself to keep from cracking a smile. “Reason for coming to
Savannah?”
“Traveling with a friend,” Jacks answered.
“Planned length of stay?”
“Not sure. Maybe a week, maybe permanent.”
The man nodded and removed his hand again. Jacks left without being
prompted. “Next.”
 This continued for everyone. For the most part, all the answers were the
same as what Jacks answered. Finally, it was Derek’s turn.
“Name?”
“Derek Hunt,” he answered.
“Place of residence?” the clerk asked.
“None.”
“Previous city?”
“Wilmette.”
“Reason for coming to Savannah.”
“Hmm… let’s see…” Derek muttered. “To meet Natalie… start a
business… kill some things… change of scenery… get to know the
locale… I think that’s it for now.”
The clerk looked at Derek oddly. “Okay…” he said. “Length of stay?”
“Dunno. Depends on how things work out.” Derek shrugged.
The clerk nodded and lifted his hand. Derek went to stand to the side
with the others.
The man turned to them. “Alri…” he began to speak, but something
exploded out of Thomas’s travel sack, causing the man to jump back.
Stella put her hand on her forehead and shook her head, and Derek
facepalmed. “And things were going so well,” Stella muttered.
In an instant, Silvi’s small body was sitting on the counter, and her right
paw was placed on the handprint. Her left paw was placed on a temporary
communication crystal, and another was lying to the side.
“My turn.” Her childlike voice rang out of the crystal.
The clerk looked at the group, then at Silvi, then back again. Unsure
what to do.
“Go ahead,” Derek said.
The man cautiously approached the counter and placed his hand on it.
“Uh… name?” he asked.
“Silvi… uh… Hunt. Yeah, Silvi Hunt,” the voice chimed.
“Place of residence?”
“Kitchen!” she answered with such enthusiasm.
Derek couldn’t help himself and snorted out loud. Brandi began
giggling in the back.
“Uh… okay… previous city?”
“Torith… no… that’s not right… is it still called that? What was the
other one… Oh! Wilmeat.”
 “Reason for coming to Savannah?”
“Ingredients and cooking!”
“Length of stay?”
“Until we leave,” she answered.
“Okay… you can go to the side.”
Silvi removed her paw, and the crystals shattered. In an instant, she was
sitting on Thomas’s head. Then she looked around and hopped onto Stella’s
shoulder. Still uncomfortable, she hopped over to Derek’s shoulder, where
she finally settled down.
Finally, the clerk turned and walked over to the group. Everyone in the
building had their eyes attuned to the odd commotion.
The man let out a breath, looked at Stella, and smiled for the first time.
“Miss Brighton! It’s good to see you again and nice to have you back here
in Savannah. You’ve brought… interesting company this time.”
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Tavors.” Stella smiled back. “And you don’t
have to tell me about them.”
Mr. Tavors turned to Jacks. “And if it isn’t The Crimson Blade himself.
What are you doing with this group, Jackson? You finally get off that leash,
or are you just out running errands?”
Jacks scoffed. “It’s not really any of your business, but yes, I’m off my
leash.”
The clerk snorted. “It’s not like that man to let go of his toys.”
“He didn’t have a choice this time.” Derek cut in.
“Derek Hunt,” the man said. “I’ve heard a few things about you. Do try
to behave while in the city.”
Stella laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“So, what’d you do to get off your leash?” he asked Jacks.
Jacks glanced over at Derek before answering. “I’m sure you’ll find out
soon,” was his only reply.
Derek glanced over to the counter to catch a boy cleaning the crystal
dust off it. “What’s up with all the kids?”
“Hmm?” Tavors looked around. “Oh, they’re orphans of previous
residents in the city. If they want to work and make something of
themselves, the city will help find them something. Don’t worry, they get
paid well and aren’t made to do anything shameful. With a job like this,
they can save up and buy equipment to start an adventurer’s life, or they can
choose another route. Production, adventuring… the Great System provides
many opportunities for those who work for it.”
“That’s awfully generous,” Derek said.
“It is, but it isn’t,” the man said. “The orphans here have to have a
certain status. Like I said, previous residents, and ones in good standing
with the city. An orphan can’t just wander in from the outside and expect
special treatment. Plus, entry to the city costs, and it isn’t cheap.”
“Ah. I get it. Seems like another good reason to live in Savannah,”
Derek said.
“Indeed,” the clerk agreed. “Speaking of costs.” The man pointed to a
counter farther in. “She’ll take your entry fees. I’m afraid I need to get back
to work,” the man said as the teleportation circle began to glow. “Miss
Brighton, always a pleasure. “Jackson, let’s get a drink sometime. You can
tell me what happened. Silvi… it’s been interesting meeting you.”
Stella nodded, and Jacks waved. Tavors went back to the counter with
his face deadpan as the circle flashed.
“Move off the platform, please,” the group heard as they walked to the
other counter.
“Separate or together?” the woman at the counter asked.
“Together,” Stella said.
“You don’t have to keep paying for us,” Derek commented.
Stella looked at Derek and chuckled. “Do you really think I’m paying
for you?” She shook her head. “Every coin I’m spending will be deducted
from your next payment.”
“Oh…” Derek said. “In that case, go ahead.”
“45 gold,” the woman said.
Stella tossed the gold on the counter. Rayna and Malorie raised their
eyebrows, and Derek winced. An entry fee of five gold per person was not
cheap. Tavors was right.
With the payment complete, the group continued out of the
transportation building. When they got outside, everyone but Stella, Jacks,
and Derek was struck with awe.
The surroundings were really impressive, but Derek had seen too many
cities on Earth before the system, including New York, so it was easy for
him to accept what he saw.
“So, what was up with that guy?” Derek asked Stella while the others
were still stunned.
 “Mr. Tavors?”
“Yeah. He was so robotic, then friendly all of a sudden.”
“Oh, that. It’s his job. Everyone gets the same treatment. Once you’ve
gained entry, his job is done, and he can be himself,” she explained.
“You know him well?” Derek asked.
She shook her head. “Not really. We’ve met there five or six times.”
“What about you?” he asked Jacks.
“We did a few missions together back in the day before he came here
with his family, and before I met Torith,” he spat.
“I see,” Derek said. “Well, what should I do next? Where’s Natalie’s
residence?”
“You can’t just go barge in like you did with Malcolm,” Stella said.
“You’re going to have to get an appointment, and unless she finds you or
your proposal interesting, it will be a while before you’re able to see her. It
would probably be better to go to the City Building and look for places to
rent or buy. Until then, Mistress Swan has agreed to let you stay in our hotel
until you find a place. I’ve reserved three rooms. I hope that will be enough.
They are doubles.”
“That’s nice… What’s that going to cost me?”
“You have a membership, so it’s heavily discounted. It won’t be much
more than one of the cheaper inns in the city. Well, there aren’t really any
cheap inns in the city.”
“Fine,” he agreed. “It’s late. Let’s go to your hotel first, and we’ll work
on getting everything sorted tomorrow.”

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 2 THE CROWN HOTEL

A s the light from the day faded throughout the city, strategically
stationed lamps illuminated the streets. Derek studied his
surroundings. Savannah was truly a different beast from Torith and
from what he had seen of Wilmette.
Derek whistled. “Are those made from Runesmithing?” He pointed to
one of the street lamps.
“The lights?” Stella nodded. “A combination of Gemsmithing and
Runesmithing is needed, but from what I understand, a Gemsmith is only
needed for looks and efficiency. If truly needed, a capable Runesmith could
slap a rune on a brick, and it would have a similar effect.”
“I see. I take it most of the buildings here have lights after dark?” he
asked.
“Yeah. It would be harder to find a business without proper runes than
one with them,” Stella said.
Finally, Derek got to the question he had been eagerly wanting to ask.
“How easy is it to hire a Runesmith here?”
“Quite easy. The market is very competitive, so, for the right price,
you’d be able to find a capable one fast,” she replied. “When you’re ready,
you can just go to the Employment Center beside the City Building. You’ll
be able to find workers and their contact information, and you can post job
opportunities and missions if you can’t the proper worker to complete your
task.”
“And the cost?”
Stella shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends on what you are asking and if
you have the materials. Every job is different.”
 Derek nodded.
“We’re here,” Stella said. She pointed to what was at least a twelve-
story black building.
With a quick Identify, Derek was able to tell that the slick, black brick
that the building was constructed from was actually Dragon-Formed
Obsidian. Naturally, he didn’t have a clue what any of that meant, but based
on what he knew of Alanah and Stella, it was probably expensive.
The building was very minimalistic on the outside. Other than the
banners representing Alanah and the Crown, and a balcony in each room on
the sixth floor up, there was nothing else. Derek frowned.
“What?” Stella asked.
“I just thought your hotel would be… I don’t know… lavish?”
Stella laughed as they approached the doors. When they got to them,
instead of going inside, she took her fist and knocked on the obsidian brick.
“Oh, it is lavish.” She gestured all around their location. “Look around. Do
you see any other buildings made like this?”
Derek looked, and in fact, he did find another building made out of the
obsidian. Unsurprisingly, it also had the same green and gold banners as the
hotel. That must be the restaurant, he thought.
“Watch this.” Stella pulled a red liquid out of her storage ring and tossed
it onto the brick. Instantly, the liquid fell to the ground, not leaving a drop
on the stone. “It’s black because it’s impossible to paint,” Stella said. “But
you never have to worry about it getting dirty, and it’s nearly
indestructibility.”
Derek raised his fist as it glowed purple. “Can I punch it?”
“I’d rather you didn’t.” She quickly pushed his hand down. “It’s quite
expensive, and I’d rather not test it.”
‘Can I headbutt it?’ Silvi mentally asked Derek after he was rejected.
‘No, I’m sure she wouldn’t like that, either.’ Derek chuckled as he
rejected Silvi’s idea, then went back to speaking with Stella. “By the way,
why were there no banners at the restaurant in Torith?” He pointed at the
golden-trimmed, green banner with a jeweled crown made out of vines in
the center.
“It’s not an official restaurant yet. Yes, it’s a Crown Restaurant, but it
doesn’t have the same standards as others, therefore it’s only our sigil, not
the banners,” she explained.
Derek shrugged. “Oh, gotcha.”
 “Come on, let’s get you all settled.” Stella finally opened the door and
ushered the group inside.
The inside was what Derek would expect from a five-star hotel. Since
paint was apparently unable to stick on the obsidian brick, fixtures and
decorations were bolted into it to give the inside of the hotel some life.
“I thought the brick was supposed to be ‘nearly indestructible,’” Derek
said.
“We have skills that allow them to work and shape materials.
Remember?” Brandi answered this time.
“Oh, yeah… you did say something like that.”
The lobby consisted of a lavishly designed giant rug leading towards a
receptionist’s desk at the end. The rug was emerald green and white with
different designs. Overall, the emerald green meshed well with the
occasional white. The inside of the hotel kept with this theme. It was likely
the best they could do when they had to work with the obsidian brick.
Two sets of stairs led up to the next floor. I wonder if they have
elevators, Derek thought.
“How many rooms on each floor?” he asked.
“Twenty on all floors except the top three,” Stella responded as she led
them over to the receptionist’s desk.
“Uh, is this the first floor?” Derek asked, remembering that some
countries back on Earth counted the bottom floor as the first floor, while
others did not.
Stella looked at Derek oddly. “It’s the lobby.”
So that means eleven floors, minus the three top floors. So, that’s one
hundred and sixty rooms, minimum. Derek nodded. It was a pretty decent
number for the size of the hotel. Granted, the building from the outside was
rather large. He couldn’t help but think about the cost of maintaining the
hotel in a city like Savannah. One hundred and sixty rooms was still quite
large, even for Earth standards.
Of course, it was pretty much guaranteed that anyone who could afford
to stay in a hotel like this, in a city like Savannah, would also already have
storage rings. This would massively decrease the space a customer would
need for their things.
Finally, they reached reception. The receptionist was a very straight-
backed young man dressed in formal attire of green, gold, and a touch of
white. Just what Derek would expect from an employee at the Crown Hotel.
 The man nervously cleared his throat. “Mistress Stella. Welcome back
to Savannah. Your suite and your friends’ rooms have been prepared.” He
slid three green cards and one gold card across the counter toward her.
Stella nodded. “Thank you.” She kept the gold card and handed Derek
the three green ones.
Derek took the cards. On them, the numbers 704, 705, and 706 were
imprinted. He kept one and handed one to Rayna, and one to Jacks.
“Thomas can room with me. Jacks and Rudy are together, and Rayna,
Mal, and Brandi can have a room. That okay with you all?” he asked.
Jacks looked at Rudy and squinted, causing the man to squirm. “That’s
fine.”
The three women looked at each other and smiled.
“Alright, that’s settled. Do I need to pay now or…”
“It will be deducted.” Stella smiled.
“Of course, it will.” Derek snorted.
“Follow me.” Stella motioned to them, and they followed, letting a man
and woman who came in behind them move up to the counter.
Derek noticed Stella leading them to the stairs. “You don’t have an
elevator, do you?”
Stella furrowed her brow.
“A lift?” he asked.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied.
“Like a platform to stand on that will lift you up and down between
floors,” he explained.
Stella shook her head. “No, why would we need something like that?”
“Convenience? Because I’m lazy? I don’t know,” he said. It made some
sense, at least. First, they didn’t have to worry about dragging luggage up a
ton of stairs. Second, with the system strengthening all the people, they
didn’t have to worry much about people being unable to climb or even
diseases making people incapable. If I ever make a hotel, it will have an
elevator, he thought.
Derek and the group followed Stella up the first flight of stairs, which
wrapped around and continued up. They continued up the stairs until the
seventh floor. Then she led them to their rooms.
“These will be yours while you stay.”
Derek walked forward and opened the door to room 704. Inside the
room were two full-sized beds and two desks with chairs. There was also a
big double glass door that opened out onto a balcony. The room was well-
decorated but bare. It was to be expected. Cydaria didn’t have television or
internet, so there was no need for anything like that.
What Derek was surprised about was another small room inside leading
to a small bathroom with a tub. Multiple runes were on the tub itself.
Stella walked up to the tub and chuckled. “I just realized that everyone
here but Jacks and maybe Rudy have probably never seen something like
this,” she said before placing her hand on one of the runes, causing the tub
to fill with water from the bottom up. “Inject mana into this rune to fill the
tub. It pulls mana from the air and fills it.”
Once the tub was filled, she moved to another rune. “This one increases
the heat.” Then she touched the one under it. “This one decreases it.” Then
she touched one more rune. “When you are finished, this will drain the tub,
and a Cleaning spell will clean it.” Finally, the tub drained, and a white light
flashed over it.
Seeing the runes in action, Derek had the blueprint of a shower in his
mind.
“That’s so neat!” Brandi exclaimed.
Derek nodded. “Yes. Yes, it is.”
Stella chuckled. “Welcome to the Crown Hotel. Breakfast is at eight in
on the bottom floor on the opposite side of the lobby. It’s complimentary.”
She turned to leave the room. “Now, I have some business to take care of.
Have a good night.”
With that, the woman turned and walked out. The room went quiet.
“I get the bath first!” Brandi said as she stole the card out of Rayna’s
hand and took off to her own room.
Brandi and Mal laughed and followed behind.
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Jacks commented and walked out. Rudy
followed so he wouldn’t get shut out of the room.
“I’m going to take one, too,” Thomas said.
Derek pulled him back by the collar of his shirt. “Be respectful of your
elders.” He walked into the small bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Once he was relaxing in a nice warm bath, Derek checked his status for
the first time in a while.

Status
Personal Information
Name: Derek Hunt
Age: 30
Level: 102
Experience: 1,355,6000/7,000,000
Class: Legend of the Void (Legendary)
Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 16500
Mana: 5000
Stamina: 16500

Stats
Strength: 700
Dexterity: 500
Endurance: 1100
Vitality: 1100
Intelligence: 500
Wisdom: 500

Stat Points Remaining: 63

Contracts
Alanah Swan (Crown Restaurant): View Contract
Silvi (Bonded Beast): View Status
Stella Brighton (Crown Restaurant): View Contract
Francesco Jaccobs (Torith Adventurer’s Guild): View Contract
Rudolph Mckinney: View Contract

Skills
Absolute Nullify Lv. 1, Chain Lightning Lv. 13, Channel Void Lv.
10, Cleaning Lv. 5, Cure Toxin Lv. 4, Dismantle Lv. 12, Greater
Meditation Lv. 4, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 15,
Magic Resistance Lv. 10, Multi-Strike Lv. 3, Physical Resistance
Lv. 9, Rejuvenation Lv. 9, Sweeping Slash Lv. 18, Time Prison Lv.
1, Unarmed Combat Mastery Lv. 9, Void Call Lv. 2, Void Sense Lv.
2, Void Shift Lv. 3, Void Steps Lv. 1, Void Storage Lv. N/A
Skill Points Remaining: 16
Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 4

Achievements
Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Dungeon Explorer, Lesser
Dungeon Traveler, Lesser Enigma, Lesser Enforcer of Oaths, Lesser
Repetitive Dungeoneer, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Lesser Solo
Diver, Magical Glass Cannon, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer,
Offensive Powerhouse

OceanofPDF.com
 3 LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

D erek stretched and yawned as he woke from a good night’s sleep.

The beds in the hotel were much more comfortable than any other
he’d slept on while in Cydaria. Though he didn’t sleep often, it was
quite refreshing when he chose to do so instead of using Greater
Meditation.
Looking to his left, Derek saw Thomas still in a deep slumber. It was a
guarantee that the boy had never spent the night in such a comfortable
place. The previous night, the boy had fallen asleep in the tub. He was so
tired that he could barely make it to the bed after Derek woke him to
prevent him from drowning.
Derek quietly got up and washed at the sink in the small bathroom. The
sink was a miniature version of the tub but attached to the wall with a small
mirror above. It was more than enough to wash his face. There was also a
‘toilet’ in the room. But really, it wasn’t much more than a stool with
a Cleaning rune on it.
Another thing Derek missed, other than a shower, was proper dental
products. The system already made it so that anyone with just a little
increased endurance would never have to worry about plaque or cavities,
but he still missed toothpaste as part of his daily routine. He’d run out a
while ago. Still, he did what he could with his toothbrush and some mint
leaves. If nothing else, it left his mouth feeling refreshed.
Derek left the room card next to Thomas before quietly slipping out.
Silvi had chosen to stay with Brandi and the girls, so he didn’t bother
waking them either. When he closed the door and looked down the hall, it
surprised him to see Jacks slipping out early as well.
 “Early riser?” Derek asked.
Jacks nodded. “Always have been. Even more so during my time as the
guard captain.”
The two chatted while making their way downstairs to the lobby. The
duo went to the side of the hotel lobby they hadn’t visited yesterday. It was
littered with tables and chairs, not unlike the first floor at the Crown
Restaurant.
As soon as they sat, a young lady was at their side, taking their order.
They had a few things to choose from, but Derek went with the classic
bacon and eggs. Of course, the bacon was from a high-level boar-type
beast, and the eggs were from a bird Derek had never heard of.
Surprisingly, coffee was on the menu, so he didn’t have to settle for
some off-the-wall juice or hot tea. It made sense as the restaurant was part
of the Crown.
“So, what’s the plan today?” Jacks asked.
“First, I need to go to the City Building and scout out some land. I
would also like to talk with Stella about some of our prior business once she
gets settled,” Derek replied. “You’ve been here before, right? I wouldn’t
mind a bit of a guide if you’re down for it.”
“Might as well,” Jacks agreed. “I need to go to the City Building to send
a letter to my son, anyway.”
Derek nodded. Soon, the young lady arrived with their meals, and the
two ate in silence before heading out.
“So, where exactly is this City Building?” Derek asked as the pair
walked out of the hotel.
To answer Derek’s question, Jacks pointed. “It’s just over there. We’re
basically at the center of the city. That’s where all the most important
businesses are. The Adventurer’s Guild is there…” He pointed in a slightly
different direction. “The Savannah Mansion is right there.” He pointed to a
building about the size of the one Walter lived in.
“It’s… not very big. Where’s the giant courtyard? Or the guest
mansion?” Derek asked.
“Bigger doesn’t always mean better,” Jacks said. “The cost of a
residence in the center of the city is astronomical. They pay for their
residence the same as everyone else. There is no special treatment, even for
House Savannah themselves. Of course, most of them grow up with much
more business knowledge than anyone else, so it’s not hard for them to
obtain money.”
“What’s the point of being the city lord, then?”
“Technically, if Natalie Savannah wanted to make her residence free of
charge, she could. She is able to pass whatever regulations she wants in the
city. Different lords do different things. The previous city lord didn’t pay
taxes or rent on the mansion, but I think the current one likes the extra
pressure,” Jacks explained.
“Just don’t forget… she does rule this city. She also has one of the top
forces in the entire Cydarian Kingdom,” he warned. “And that’s including
the Cydarian Army.”
“Got it,” Derek said. “What’s the deal with the layout of the city? It
doesn’t seem the same as Wilmette or Torith. I thought the cities all
followed that style.”
“That’s the basic blueprint that most cities follow,” Jacks confirmed.
“You won’t find many sub-cities with different layouts. The capital and
Savannah are different. As a city of commerce that cares more about
business than separating the classes, this layout works best. The closer you
are to the center, the more expensive everything is.”
“Of course, it is also where all of the government buildings are located
as well. That’s not to say that there aren’t any great shops outside the city
center—there are. In fact, a very popular Blacksmith owns a shop at the
edge of the city. But that’s because of his personal preferences. In
Savannah, it’s easier to grab attention closer to the city center, but if your
product is good enough, it doesn’t matter where your business is,” Jacks
explained.
Derek nodded. “Let’s go to the City Building.” He walked in the
direction Jacks had pointed out.
The City Building wasn’t too far away from the Teleportation Building,
just a few buildings over. After entering the City Building, one of the
running themes of the ‘governmental’ buildings, Derek noticed, was the
lack of aesthetics on the outside but the lavish decorations on the inside.
That’s not to say that the outside wasn’t kept well, it was.
The inside of the building was decorated in Savannah’s colors. Other
than the light fixtures, carpets, and waiting areas, there were four counters.
On the back wall, splitting the four counters, was a twenty-foot by twenty-
foot map of the city.
 It being quite early in the day, there weren’t many people in the place.
Derek looked above each counter and read the labels. To the far right was
‘Business Registration’, then ‘Property Management.’ Then was the map,
followed by ‘Send/Receive’ and ‘Citizen Registration.’
“Guess I’m going there.” Derek pointed at ‘Property Management’, then
lined up behind one person.
Jacks nodded and walked towards ‘Send/Receive.’
Derek waited around five minutes before the man in front of him turned
around in a huff and stormed out. He took a step forward.
“What was that all about?” Derek asked the gray-haired old man
wearing spectacles behind the counter.
The man snorted. “Just another person trying to get around taxes,” he
said before looking up. “How may I help you today?”
“I’m looking to buy, rent, or lease some property,” Derek explained.
The man nodded and adjusted his glasses. “Have you already found a
vacant lot or building?”
Derek shook his head. “No, I just arrived here yesterday for the first
time. A friend suggested I start here.”
“Very well,” the man said. “Are you looking for residential or
business?”
“Both? Does it make a difference?”
The man nodded. “Very much so. The business property taxes are more
expensive than residential, and there are regulations when it comes to
residential properties.”
“Such as?”
“If you are caught conducting business in a residential building, you
will be evicted.”
“Ah, I get it,” Derek said.
The man flipped a book open and muttered some things to himself
before speaking again. “Alright, I’ve eliminated all of the residential-only
properties. What size property are you looking for? Would you prefer a
vacant lot or one with buildings already on them?”
Derek had done a lot of thinking about this. He was hoping to make an
underground facility with noise suppression and airflow runes with different
workstations. Up top would be a General Store that sold all the created
goods, storage, and a Contract Store for Rudy. Then, he wanted another
floor for their living quarters.
 “I think it would be best for it to be vacant,” Derek said. “I’m thinking I
can get away with 2,500 square feet.”
The man whistled. “You’re not asking for much, are you?”
Derek shrugged. “It’s what I need.”
The man flipped some pages in his book, injected some mana inside,
and muttered quietly again. “Alright, that’s narrowed the search down quite
a bit,” he said. “Now, do you have a part of the city you would like to build
on?”
“Is there a lot of property for sale?” Derek asked.
“There is, and there isn’t. We just expanded the borders two years ago,
so there is a lot of land ready at the edge of the city.” Saying that, the man
walked out from behind the counter and over to the map. Instantly, a pointer
appeared in his hand and adjusted its size. He moved it in a circle around
the edge of the map.
“As you may know, many business ventures fail, especially in a city like
Savannah. There are some recently cleared lots here, here, and here.” He
pointed at three locations on the map. One was close to the center, one was
in between the center and the northeast edge, and one was at the very
northeastern edge.
“This”—he circled much of the western part of the map—“is the main
residential area. Businesses are restricted from this area, aside from a few
designated areas for restaurants and other types. Many famous adventurers,
merchants, and nobles live in this area, at least, those who don’t live in their
businesses. “This area”—he circled the southeastern part of the city—“is
for businesses only. You may not reside in the buildings. But it is slightly
cheaper. Most successful merchants have a building here and a house in the
residential area.”
“I see.”
“Which leads us here.” He circled the northeastern part of the city. “This
is where all the businesses that double as living quarters are. You will find
the hotels and inns in this part of the city.”
Come to think of it, even though it’s in the center of the city, the Crown
Hotel was on the northeast side. I was wondering why the restaurant wasn’t
beside the hotel, he thought. “So, what will these places run me?”
“Well, this one was recently demolished, and the materials were sold to
pay off some of the previous owner’s debts.” He pointed at the spot closest
to the center. “The cost would be 35,000 gold a month, plus 7% taxes on all
sales.”
Derek’s jaw almost hit the floor after hearing the price. That was five
times his projected monthly coffee revenue. Talk about location, location,
location, he thought. But Derek stayed calm and continued on. “And the
others?” he asked.
“This one”—he pointed at the second one he showed—“is 21,200 a
month, and this one”—he pointed at the one on the edge of the city—“is
5,000 a month.”
“That much of a difference?” Derek asked. “What about a place that
hasn’t been built on yet?”
The man pointed to the spaces around the last lot he showed. “8,500
gold.”
“Why not 5,000?”
“Because this one had a failed business on it already, and there are open
lots around it, so it’s already got a reputation.”
“So, are the other lots cheaper than other lots around them?” Derek
asked.
The man shook his head. “No. That’s because there aren’t any open lots.
Everything other than the new land is prime real estate. There aren’t many
lots left on the edge, either. Soon, there won’t be any discounts out there.”
Derek sighed. I need to talk to Stella later. It’s time for my monthly
percentage of coffee sales. This will be the first real month’s pay I get from
it. That was why he planned on talking with Stella later. “I think I’ll take a
look at the 5,000 gold one later.”
“It’s lot number 33,801,” the clerk nodded and replied.
Derek nodded and said his thanks. The man smiled and walked back
behind his counter to help the next person in line.
Jacks and Derek walked out of the City Building after acquiring the
information they needed, having spent around half an hour inside. Within
that half-hour, more and more people poured into the building.
Outside, the city was beginning to come alive. The foot traffic was at
least double what it was when they first left the hotel. Derek did a quick
look around to get his bearings before pointing.
“It’s this way, let’s go.” He began walking.
Jacks nodded and followed.
“So, did you get your letter taken care of?” Derek asked.
 “Yeah. He should get it in the next few days, depending on what he’s
doing,” Jacks said with a trace of excitement in his eyes.
“You can finally talk with him without the burden of Torith hanging
over your head,” Derek said.
Jacks nodded. “I just hope he isn’t too angry with me after all this time.
I almost cut him off completely to keep him out of everything. I only
secretly checked up on him over the years.”
“Well, you’re not bound by oath anymore, and he’s an adult. If you need
to, you could always explain things to him. Surely, he would understand.
Hell, he probably already does. You trained him up and got him into the
academy. If nothing else, you set him up on a path to success.”
“Hopefully,” Jacks muttered. “I’ll just have to see.”
Jacks wasn’t his slightly sullen self when he talked about his son. The
man had come out of his silent shell since getting out of his oath. Derek was
sure that behind his rough and tough exterior, there was a chatty adventurer
just waiting to get out.
Derek and Jacks made their way northeast through the city. Savannah
was huge. At their current walking pace, it could be hours before they made
it there. Of course, Derek wasn’t in a rush. He didn’t have to get everything
done in one day.
As they moved deeper into the northeast part of the city, they had to
dodge more and more people running around—mostly, young men and
women. After what seemed like the fifth near collision with one of the kids,
Derek grabbed the boy by the arm.
“What’s the rush?” he asked. “You should be more careful.”
The boy looked up, surprised and flustered. “Ah, sorry, sir. I’ll be more
careful.” The boy looked at Derek’s hand on his arm with pleading eyes.
Derek sighed and released the boy. “What’s with all these kids?” Derek
asked Jacks.
“The Runners?” Jacks asked. “Well, this is one of the business sides of
Savannah. You heard Shelby talking about the city helping orphans and
younger kids. Becoming a Runner is another occupation for them.”
“Oh, so they’re deliverymen?” Derek asked.
“Yeah. Though they are only recommended by the city, it’s up to the
business owner whether they want to hire them or not. It’s also one of the
jobs that orphans who are lucky enough to pay the entrance fee or find a
less savory way into the city are able to get,” Jacks said. “Like Shelby said,
those children aren’t supported by the city.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Derek agreed. Now, he looked at the flood
of Runners in a different light. It also made him see the city in a different
light. It was so early in the morning, yet dozens, if not hundreds, of
deliveries were already being made.
After some time, the pair made it closer to the edge of the city. Still, the
buildings and businesses there weren’t anything to scoff at. Even the worst-
looking business was multiple times better looking than anything Derek had
seen in Torith. The same went for all the inns and restaurants. Though, he
supposed, the Crown Restaurant in Torith could compete.
“I don’t know,” Derek suddenly said, getting Jacks’ attention.
“What?” the scarred man asked.
Derek shook his head. “I’m not sure about having a place this far from
the center of the city. Just look how long we’ve been walking to get here.”
“If the quality of your items is good enough, an extra hour or two of
travel won’t matter. Besides, you can always change locations,” Jacks said.
“I guess that’s true,” Derek said. “I just don’t want to waste money
building just to move to a different location.”
“You could always hire someone to deconstruct your building and get
the materials back. You would just have to pay labor fees to build it again.”
“I guess…” Derek said.
Finally, the pair walked over a patch of very smooth stone that stretched
out through the city as far as Derek could see.
“What’s this?” Derek asked.
“It’s where the old wall was. Before they increased the size of the city.”
Derek whistled. “That must have taken a long while.”
Jacks shook his head. “Not really. Just a couple of days. A lot of work,
maybe, but not a lot of time. With Savannah’s money, they can afford it.
Constructing a wall and tearing one down is very easy with a few good
earth users.”
“I guess the foundation is kind of a sidewalk now?” Derek asked.
“You can think of it like that. You’ve walked over a few of them already
from previous expansions, but they’ve been seamlessly integrated into the
city,” Jacks answered.
“Ah. I guess all the streets and alleys are curved.”
 Finally, after over two hours of idly walking, they made it to a less
populated part of the city. Before making it there, it was rare to see an
empty lot or abandoned building. Now, although he wouldn’t say that the
area was littered with vacant lots and foreclosed businesses, there were
vastly more of them than before.
Derek kept his eyes vigilant as he looked around, searching for the lot
he planned on buying. “Look for lot 33801,”
The two searched around for another fifteen minutes before Jacks found
the plot of land.
“33801.” Jacks pointed. “It’s right here.”
Hearing Jacks, Derek moved over to him. The clerk at the City Building
had said that because the previous owner failed to pay, the materials had
been repossessed.
Derek could tell where the previous building had stood. There was some
rubble from the foundation and an imprint on the land. Surprisingly, the
outline of the building took less than half of the allotted space on the lot.
Whatever business was previously here wasn’t a large one.
Maybe they planned to build onto it once profits started rolling
in, Derek thought. The lot was even a little bigger than the 2,500 sq ft he
had wanted. That, and taking into account the cheaper price, he could see
himself buying it.
There were also other vacant lots on both sides. If he needed to expand,
and he was making money, they could also be purchased. Well, until they
were bought up by others.
“What do you think?” he asked Jacks.
“Well”—Jacks stomped on the land—“it’s pretty level, and from what I
heard, the price is much cheaper than anything else around here. If you
believe in whatever it is that you plan on doing, it wouldn’t be a bad start.”
“I think so, too.” After seeing the lot and the surrounding area, Derek’s
worries had subsided. Besides, with the people he brought with him, it
would be better to find a place for them to live sooner rather than later.
Staying at the hotel was just eating money that Derek wasn’t even sure he
had.
Derek nodded. “I think I’ll buy it.” After that, he checked his storage
bracelet and ring. He had enough gold for the first couple of months—
possibly enough to commission the building as well. This came from the
generous donation he received from Malcolm Torith. He hoped to have
more, but the two assassins were pretty broke for being so well known. No
telling what they spent their money on.
He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. “Didn’t the clerk say a
popular blacksmith lives around here?”
Jacks nodded. “He’s close by. His shop is at the previous edge of the
city. It’s where I got my current sword. You know, the one that barely left a
scratch on you. Want to have a look?”
“Sure. Maybe he has something useful,” Derek said. “There’s no
penalty for running through the city, is there?” Derek asked. There
shouldn’t be, considering all the Runners they passed along the way.
“As long as you don’t injure anyone.”
“Let’s go.”

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 4 DWARVEN SMITH

F ive minutes later, the pair arrived in front of a big shop. There was a
banner with a glove crossed with a sword hanging above the entrance.
There wasn’t anything special about the outside of the building. After
looking around, Derek and Jacks went inside.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t anything special about the inside of the
building either. It was a large open-floor room with shelves, counters, and
display cases.
“Aye! How can I help ya?” a very short, robust woman with messy
blonde hair greeted them as they walked in. “Well, if it ain’t the Crimson
Blade back at our little store.”
Derek stared at the woman for a moment longer than he should have
before realizing that the woman wasn’t human. She was a dwarf. He knew
Cydaria had other races and was told that they were much less rare in the
bigger cities, but he had all but forgotten that fact.
Jacks elbowed Derek in his side before speaking. “No, we’re just
looking around today.”
Derek coughed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“That’s aright. Just let me know if ya need me,” she said and walked
away.
Jacks chuckled. “First time seeing a dwarf?”
Derek nodded dumbly. “I think I made a fool out of myself.”
“She’s already forgotten it. Dwarfs are thick-skinned people. She’s the
smith’s wife.”
Derek half-laughed before walking deeper into the store, excited to see
what one of the better smiths in Savannah had in stock.
 The gear inside the store was better than anything he had ever seen. Of
course, back on Earth, nobody had even hit level 100 before he was trapped
in the void. His old armor and glaive were actually top of the line at that
time.
Unfortunately, most of the gear in the shop, although high, was for
adventurers with much lower stats than himself. If Derek was a regular
person with a rare class at level 150, the items would have been great.
However, his skin, muscles, and bones were already more durable than any
armor he had examined in the shop.
After sighing for the umpteenth time, Derek spotted a glaive in the
corner. Walking over, he grabbed it and closed his eyes. It felt good in his
hands. He did a couple of practice swings and thrusts as a smile broke out
on his face. He had to admit, the glaive was much better than his old one,
but it was still unsuitable for his stats.
“You like glaives?” Jacks walked up next to him.
Derek nodded. “Yeah, it’s where my mastery is at.”
That caused a surprised expression to appear on Jacks’ face. “You’re
saying that you’re better with a weapon than you are with your fists?”
Derek chuckled. “Yeah, much better. Unfortunately, I haven’t run across
anyone who can make something that meets my requirements,” he
explained. Hopefully, that will change once Alanah auctions off the Void
Beasts. At the rate my stats increase, I don’t know how long anything will
last me.
It was one of the downsides he encountered because of his cheat-like
stats. It was also the reason he had taken up fighting with his hands instead
of any weapon. Derek sighed and put the glaive back on its stand.
“What, my weapons not good nuf for yas?” a deep voice sounded out
from behind the pair.
Derek looked over to see a dwarf, this time male, walking over towards
them in a huff. The dwarf had a black beard that extended all the way down
to his belly that was knotted in the end and braided black hair that split into
two tails to fall over his shoulders. His tunic was stained with charcoal,
along with the parts of his face Derek could make out.
Derek plastered a smile on his face and nodded. “I’m not bashing your
work. It’s truly of great quality. Actually, it’s some of the best I’ve ever
seen. Unfortunately, nothing in here can provide me with more protection
than my own skin, and nothing can increase my offensive ability more than
what my fists already do,” he explained.
“That true?” the dwarf asked Jacks.
“I believe so.”
The smith snorted. “Don’t blame me for not believing ya.”
Derek laughed and held out his arm. “Go ahead.”
Without asking a question or anything, the dwarf grabbed the glaive
from the shelf and swung it down at Derek’s forearm… hard. The blade hit
his skin, bit in slightly, then cracked. When the dwarf pulled the blade
away, a single drop of blood fell from Derek’s arm before healing before his
eyes.
The dwarf snorted as he examined the slight crack in the glaive. Then,
he tossed it across the room, and it landed in a bucket that said ‘Failed and
damaged weapons, 75% off.’
Finally, the dwarf turned back around, all smiles. “Ye must be a helluva
tank.” He reached out to Derek for a handshake. “Me name’s Carrie. Nice
to meet ya.”
Derek took his hand and shook it. “Derek, Derek Hunt.”
“Aye…” Carrie sighed. “Yer a bit out of my level, I’m ’fraid. Nothin’
here’s gonna suit ya, and I can’t make ya anything custom cus I ain’t got the
right materials or expertise.”
Derek smiled. “No need to apologize. I wasn’t expecting to buy
anything, anyway. I just heard you were a great smith, so while I was in the
area, I decided to come check out your shop. Do you make all your items
here?”
The dwarf nodded. “Sure do. The smithy’s downstairs.”
“You mind if I take a look?”
Carrie eyed Derek. “What for?”
Derek waved him off. “I’m buying one of the new lots and plan on
putting in a basement. I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just wanted to see
what a professional blacksmith’s smithy looked like. If it’s too much,
pretend like I didn’t even ask.”
The dwarf narrowed his eyes, then smiled. “Ya know, it’s rude to ask a
dwarf to see his smithy.” He then waved it off. “But I don’t mind so
much… long as I’m not makin’ something secret or whatnot.”
“That’s great,” Derek said.
 “Aye, Cindy!” the dwarf yelled to the female dwarf at the sales counter,
causing her to look up from placing a dagger in a display case. “I’m
showin’ our guests the smithy. If ya need me, holler.”
“Like I’d need yer crusty arse up here helping me. Yer more likely to
cause problems up ’ere. Should get back down there where ya belong!” she
yelled back.
Carrie smiled. “That one is crazy for me,” he whispered so his wife
couldn’t hear him. “Follow me.”
The dwarf let the two men through the shop and into a room at the back.
“Planned on movin’ farther into the city once we started makin’ a profit but
ended up not needing to. Had a whole plan for another floor an’ everything.
Turned out, all I needed was to sell quality weapons and armor, so we didn’t
need more space.” He talked while he led them to the stairs to the basement.
“Still got plenty of room since it’s jus’ Cindy an’ me. Even got an extra
room if our son chooses to grace us with his presence,” he continued. “It’s
down ’ere.”
Derek and Jacks followed the smith down a short flight of stairs, only to
end up in a basement that was much smaller than expected. It couldn’t have
been much bigger than twelve by twelve feet. In fact, Derek only had a
couple inches of clearance between the ceiling and his head.
“That’s good,” the dwarf said. “Wasn’t sure if the two of ya would fit.”
He laughed. “There weren’t no sense in making something more than what
I needed since we planned to move and still ain’t had a reason to expand it
since we decided to stay.”
“Makes sense,” Derek said.
“Whelp, waddaya think?” the smith asked.
Derek looked around the small room. In the corner was a forge that was
slightly shorter than he was used to seeing. A couple feet from that was an
anvil. There was also a workbench close to it. To Derek’s surprise, the room
was well organized.
On the wall were multiple smithing tools, from hammers to tongs, all
hanging in order from small to large. Other than that, there wasn’t much
else in the room.
“How do you not suffocate?” Derek asked. Obviously, the fire and
smoke produced by the forge would not do well in such a small space.
“Pretty basic runes,” the dwarf said as he walked past Derek and to the
forge. Then he placed his hand on the wall beside it. A rune lit up, and blue
lines traveled up the wall to a larger rune on the ceiling. “This rune cycles
the air. Pulls the smoke out and pushes fresh air back in. It’s connected to
another rune on the roof of the shop.”
There really is a rune for everything. Derek didn’t bother to ask about
the lights as he already recognized them as working the same way as the
lights he’d seen on the streets yesterday. Only, instead of being connected to
a timer, he was sure there was a rune somewhere on the wall that could
toggle them on or off.
“It’s nice,” Derek said. “I mean, it’s a lot smaller than what I expected,
especially considering the number and quality of items upstairs. If it’s good
enough to craft all of that, then I don’t see a problem.”
Jacks nodded. “Indeed.”
“That’s what I keep sayin’, but Cindy keeps naggin’ me to expand it.
Don’t see the need myself,” the dwarf said.
Derek walked over to the wall holding all the smithing tools. He didn’t
dare touch them. Instead, he leaned in and examined them. “What would it
cost for you to make me a full set of smithing tools?”
“Well, I don’t normally do that,” the dwarf said. “It’s always best for a
smith to craft their own tools.”
Derek nodded. “I understand that, but don’t you need tools to craft
tools?”
“That’s not necessarily true, but I get what yer sayin’.” The dwarf
walked over to his workbench and began rummaging through what Derek
only suspected was a junk drawer. “There it is.” The smith pulled out a
storage ring.
Soon, a full set of tools, not nearly as good as what was hanging on the
wall, were lying on the floor. “That’s it, ’ere we are,” he said as he finished
pulling out a pair of tongs. “I knew I hadn’t thrown ’em away yet,” the
smith said. “These are my tools I used to get to level 50. 60 gold an’ they’re
yers.”
“You sure?” Derek asked. “They don’t hold any sentimental value?”
The dwarf scoffed. “What value would a smith’s third set of tools hold?
I just forgot to melt them down. Wifey says I got a bad habit of tossin’
things I don’t need in storage rings, then forgettin’ ’bout them.”
Derek wondered what was in the other storage rings inside the junk
drawer. Also, how many storage rings did this smith have? Derek glimpsed
at least seven inside the junk drawer. He put the thoughts out of his head
before pulling out 60 gold and laying it on the workbench.
The dwarf scooped the gold up before laying out a mat on the floor and
rolling the tools up in it. He handed the bundle of tools to Derek. “Thanks
for doin’ business.”
The bundle disappeared inside his bracelet. “Thank you,” Derek said.
“Well, we should probably get out of here. Got to buy that property before
someone else snatches it up.”
“Aye,” the dwarf agreed. “Never know how long something’s going to
last.” With that, the smith led them back to the store. “Don’t be a stranger,”
he said before seeing them out.
“Don’t worry. I’m about to send a kid to the academy,” Derek said. “I
plan on getting him some gear before sending him off. He’s been wearing
and training in makeshift armor for now. Going to need to find a good
Leathersmith for that, but I’ll come back here to get his weapon.”
The dwarf’s eyes shined. “Lookin’ forward to makin’ it. Might want to
order it sooner than later, though. I have a backlog of custom orders.”
Derek nodded. “I’ll be back soon.”

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 5 RENTING PROPERTY

T he pair exited Carrie and Cindy’s shop and made haste back to the
City Building. Having to dodge all the Runners again made Derek
cement the idea that making a bicycle and selling it in the city would
only lead to complete chaos. The Runners already bumped into others and
each other sometimes, so adding a vehicle to the process just wouldn’t
work.
Before long, the two were back at the city center and walked into the
City Building. Once inside, Derek rolled his eyes. The place was packed.
Instantly, he realized that he was basically waiting at the DMV. Derek
hurried to the right line and waited… and waited.
The clerk was fast in his job, and from what Derek heard, the people
were mostly in his line to make monthly payments on their property. Only a
couple of people in front talked about buying property.
Derek continued to wait. Humans weren’t the only species inside the
building at the moment, either. He had just seen a dwarf for the first time,
but now there were multiple people inside, paying bills and sending letters.
There were even a couple of elves. At least, Derek guessed that they were
elves.
There were two of them, both male, however, neither of them was
waiting in any line. He expected pointier ears. Not to say that their ears
weren’t pointy, but they were mostly round with a pointy tip. Maybe I’m
just holding onto stereotypes, he thought.
Just as Derek’s turn came up, the doors to the establishment swung
open, and the two elves rushed over to greet the new arrival. Derek took a
quick peek to see what the fuss was about. Ah, now I get it. Those are elves.
The other two must be half-elves.
At the door was a silver-haired lady that was even more beautiful than
Stella. She had striking emerald-green eyes and a slightly pointed chin. Her
dress of different greens accented her eyes well. The only problem Derek
could find with the elf was her resting noble face.
She walked into the room like she owned it, and two elven guards in full
metal gear with spears followed her in. Once inside, she made her way to a
counter—the counter that Derek was standing at. As she moved, everyone
in line stepped to the side to allow her to pass.
Derek rolled his eyes and turned to the clerk. “I need to buy that land. I
took a look at it, and it’s good enough.”
The clerk gave Derek an odd look. “Right… maybe it would be best to
wait a moment and let Serina conduct her business first?” the man
suggested.
Derek looked at the elf slowly approaching and snorted. “If she keeps
walking that slow, we’ll be finished before her haughty highness gets here.
Besides, I’ve been waiting for at least an hour. I’m not waiting one second
longer.”
“Very well,” the clerk said. “You said you would like to buy lot 33801?”
Derek nodded. “Yes, that’s the—”
“Move aside,” a deep voice bellowed out from behind him.
Derek turned to see one of the elven guards standing there. Derek had to
look up slightly to meet his eyes. “I’m almost done,” Derek said, then
turned back around.
“Yes. Lot 33801,” Derek said.
The clerk bend down and began gathering some things from behind his
counter. “There we go.” He laid a small stack of papers down on the
counter and started filling in parts at a rapid pace.
Just then, Derek felt a hand land on his shoulder and squeeze. He
glanced over to see Jacks rubbing his temples as if he had a headache
coming on.
“I said move out of the way for Milady,” the voice rang again.
Derek turned to look again. This time, the female elf was standing
behind her two guards. Her beautiful pale face was now a shade of red. It
suited her.
 Derek turned back to the clerk. “I thought this was supposed to be a safe
city. I heard that Natalie ran a pretty tight ship. What’s the deal with these
thugs?”
“That… no one would dare kill in the city or permanently injure. But
small scuffles do happen. The perpetrator, that is, the one who initiates the
scuffle, is punished a bit more severely than they would be in a different
city, too,” the clerk answered while keeping his focus on the document
before him.
“Would his hand on my shoulder, squeezing quite hard, I might add,
count towards initiating a scuffle?” Derek asked.
The clerk looked up. His eyes widened when he saw the bulging
muscles and strain from the guard’s hand on Derek’s shoulder. “That…
would.”
“And releasing one’s aura to diffuse a situation… how is that looked
upon?” Derek asked, all the while the guard was yipping behind him.
“That would be a preferred method of solving an issue as it shouldn’t
leave any sequelae. But… most people here wouldn’t have the aura
needed…” The man paused as he watched Jacks shake his head and slip out
the door.
“That’s good. You should brace yourself. I’ll direct it at this idiot, but
you know how aura is.” Derek winked at the clerk.
“Idiot? You called me an idiot?”
Derek finally stopped tuning out the ranting guard’s words as he turned
to look at him. First, he grabbed the elf’s wrist and squeezed. His strength
was about the same as the guard’s. It was just enough to remove his hand
from his shoulder. Then Derek turned the rest of the way around.
While holding the elf’s wrist, Derek channeled the void and mana inside
his body, slowly increasing the amount so as not to lose control. He wanted
to direct his aura at the group of elves and do his best to not hit any
bystanders. He wasn’t the best at controlling his aura, but if he increased it
little by little, it should work.
Seeing Derek’s plan, both guards snorted and released their aura.
“Please step back, Milady,” one of them said, and the female elf took a few
steps back.
The aura flooded over Derek, and he heard a grunt from behind him.
The clerk was hit as well. The auras were stronger than his at the moment
because they blasted them out all at once. Derek increased the speed he was
releasing his own, and soon, the sluggish feeling of being in one’s aura was
no longer affecting Derek.
He smiled as the guards’ eyes widened. “You really shouldn’t fuck with
random people. Especially in a city like Savannah,” Derek said.
Then, he doubled the rate at which he released the aura. The haughty
highness behind the guards was the first to fall to her knees.
“Mi…lady,” one of the guards spoke.
Derek did his best to pull some of the aura off the female elf and push
everything onto the two guards. He still had a lot left to release, but he
settled for bringing them to their knees. Once all three elves were down, he
drew the aura back in and stopped releasing it.
He looked around the room. He was proud of himself. One man who
was standing directly behind the haughty elf had fallen to one knee, but the
rest of the room was all left standing. Some were sweating bullets, but they
were still on their feet.
Derek stepped between the two guards and stood before the elven lady.
He snapped his fingers, causing her to look up. The haughty expression was
no longer on her face.
“Now… Milady. Do you mind if I finish purchasing my property?” The
elf only stared at him. “No? That’s good.”
He turned and walked back to the counter. “Now, where were we?”
“Ah… yes…” the clerk mumbled. “Sign here. This says you are to
receive lot 33801. This… says that you are to pay 10,000 gold now, for the
first and last month, then 5,000 gold per month after.” The clerk flipped a
few pages. “This agreement states that the property tax is included in the
monthly rent, but the city will receive 13% of profits reported at the end of
each quarter.”
Derek whistled. 13% was quite a lot. Of course, at the beginning, 13%
of nothing would still be nothing. He would worry about that when he got
to it.
“Is there no way to buy the lot outright?” he asked. That would be his
preferred method, but the way everything sounded, most, if not all property
in the city, was only rented out.
“We have other options, but none to own the property. We can, however,
rent the property out for a year, or even decades at a time, if you prefer.”
Derek shook his head and signed a few more pages of the agreement
before finishing. For now, month-to-month would work. Depending on how
things worked out, he may look at the other options.
“Great. That will be 10,000 gold or items of equivalent value plus
10%.”
Derek held his hand out, and a small mountain of coins fell onto the
counter, causing the man to widen his eyes and shake his head. He inwardly
winced. While pouring a mountain of gold onto a counter looked cool,
spending all that money at once was rough. He hoped he would have
enough left to build one the property. He would hate to have to wait for
more income from the Crown to roll in.
“You should visit the bank,” the clerk said. “There are much better ways
to store currency.” Still, as he was talking, the man waved, and the
mountain of gold vanished from the counter.
He then put the signed documents on one part of the counter and
injected some mana into a rune. In a flash, another copy of the papers was
sitting beside the original. The man picked the documents up and handed
them to Derek. “Here you go. You should keep the agreement well. If you
lose it, the replacement fee is 1,000 gold.”
Derek took the documents and stored them in his bracelet.
“Congratulations on your purchase,” the clerk said. “You are now the
owner of lot number 33801. Good luck on your ventures.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else I can help you with today?” the clerk asked.
“Nope, that is all,” Derek said. “Have a good day.”
Derek turned around to see the guards back on their feet and the female
elf standing behind them. The guards wouldn’t look Derek in the eyes, and
their charge seemed to be very interested in a certain spot on the floor.
Derek put his hand on the one guard’s shoulder and gave it a light
squeeze. “You all have a nice day,” he said before walking out.

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 6 GETTING PAID

D erek left the City Building and met back up with Jacks, who was
waiting for him a small distance away from the commotion.
“You make friends everywhere you go, don’t you?” Jacks asked.
Derek shrugged. “There’s a special place in hell for those who cut in
line at the DMV or places like it.”
Jacks frowned. “A DMV?”
“It’s kind of like the City Building where I come from. Except the wait
can be even harsher. And the people… well, let’s not talk about the people,”
Derek replied before changing the subject. “Why’d you leave in such a
hurry?”
Jacks snorted. “There was no way I was sticking around to be hit by that
aura of yours again,” he said. “How did everyone inside deal with it,
anyway?”
“I did a pretty good job of controlling it this time. Only the three
troublemakers got hit with the majority, and only one bystander, who was
too close to that female elf, was a victim of a bit of the splash damage. He
should have moved away like everyone else. Also, I didn’t release it fully
like I did back by Wilmette,” Derek explained.
Jacks nodded. “That’s good.”
“Who was that elf? Do you know?” Derek asked.
Jacks shook his head. “It seemed like most people knew of her, but she
must have gotten here sometime since the last time I was here. With the
way she looked and acted, in Savannah no less, I wouldn’t put it past her
being a foreign noble from a different country.”
“You think?”
 “Yeah. Cydaria has its fair share of elves and dwarfs, but humans make
up the vast majority of the country. It’s the opposite of some other
countries. Currently, we are at peace with Indria and Vallum. Indria is elven
lands, and Vallum is dwarven. We are at a standstill against Astrus. We
aren’t really at war, but you can’t call it peace,” Jacks explained. “Those are
the three kingdoms that border Cydaria to the west. The sea borders us to
the east.”
“I see.” Derek didn’t really care about the war status of Cydaria as long
as it didn’t get in the way of his plans. It was nice to know some of the
structure of the continent, though. When he first arrived, he had wanted to
find a library to learn more about the kingdom and continent, but Torith was
ill-equipped, and he only learned that there was a Great Library in the
capital. He kept the idea of going to a library in the back of his mind, but it
was at the bottom of his list of things to do.
Derek checked the system time. He and Jacks had been out for a few
hours already, especially after the wait in the City Building. “Let’s go grab
some lunch.”
A few minutes later, Derek was handing his Crown Membership card to
a hostess, and he and Jacks were being led up to a dining area.
After being seated in a luxurious private room, the hostess took his card
away before a different woman came back with it.
“Mr. Hunt, it is our honor to have you and your guest dining here with
us today. My name is Rose, and I will be your personal waitress today.” She
held his card in her hand. “There is a free meal still available on your
membership card. Would you like to use that today?”
Derek smiled. He would not be eating here if it wasn’t for the free meal.
“Sure.”
“Very well,” she said as another card appeared in her other hand. She
placed the card beside Derek’s and injected some mana before handing his
card back to him. “Your free meal has been removed.”
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome,” she replied with a smile. “Now, today’s tier-one
meal is a glazed level 175 Sumu, with our freshly harvested herb salad and
a loaded tario. Do you have any dietary restrictions, or will this meal be
adequate?”
Derek, of course, had no clue what anything other than a salad was, but
from the way Jacks was trying to keep himself from slobbering all over the
table, it seemed to be good. “That is fine with us,” he replied.
“Great! Now, what can I get you to drink?” she asked.
“Coffee… black,” Derek said.
The lady raised her eyebrows. “That has been a most popular choice as
of late,” she said. “And you, sir?”
“Same,” Jacks replied.
“I’ll be right back with your beverages,” the lady said.
“Are you sure you want to use your membership with me?” Jacks asked.
“Eh, you’ve been running around the city with me all day, not to
mention it’s free. You ever eaten in one of these restaurants?” Derek asked.
Jacks shook his head. “Only the bottom floor—and only once. That was
back when I was an adventurer. I saved up and brought Emily… my wife…
out for our anniversary. It was the best meal I ever had, and I don’t even
remember what we ordered.”
Derek gave Jacks a sad smile. “I’m sorry about her.”
“Thanks,” Jacks said. “It happened a long time ago.” He clenched his
fist. “Besides, I finally have a target for my revenge.”
“Mhm…” Derek agreed. “But you need to be careful.”
“I know.”
After that, the two sat silently until the waitress brought their beverages
out. “Here you go.” She set the coffee in front of them. “Your food will be
ready momentarily.”
Not long after, she brought their food. That was when Derek realized
that they were actually having chicken with a loaded baked potato and a
side salad. He inwardly chuckled to himself as he examined the food.
The entire meal was eaten without a word said. They were both too
engrossed in the hot food for any idle talk. Finally, Jacks pushed his plate
away with only bones left on it.
“Delicious.” He sighed and patted his belly.
Derek agreed. The food was delicious, but he had to admit, the meal he
had with Walter back at Torith was actually a little better. Still, both meals
gave temporary stat increases.
“Dexterity this time,” Derek said.
“And a nice increase to it as well,” Jacks agreed. “So, where to next?”
“While I’m here, I need to talk with Stella about some things—if she is
also here.”
 Derek raised his hand, and soon, the lady that served them the meal
appeared. “Is Stella in yet?” he asked.
“Uh… yes, Mistress Brighton returned an hour ago. She is currently in
her office. Would you like me to notify her of your arrival?” she asked with
a frown.
“Sure. I’ll come with you. She’s probably expecting me.” Derek stood.
“I’ll be outside,” Jacks said. “I can find my way,” he told the waitress
before she could offer her assistance.
“Please, wait here,” the lady said.
“That’s fine, too, I guess.” Derek chuckled.
Two minutes later, the woman reappeared. “I’m sorry for the wait.
Mistress Brighton will see you now.”
Derek followed Rose to Stella’s office. When he entered, he was
surprised to see a near replicant of her old office, only bigger. I guess Stella
isn’t one for showing off, he thought.
Stella nodded at Rose, and the waitress closed the door behind Derek.
“What brings you here?” Stella asked before sitting down. “I’ll be back
at the hotel later.”
“Well, I figured it would be best to discuss business at your actual place
of business.” Derek took a seat in front of her desk.
“I see… What do you need?”
“Well, it’s been a while, and I was hoping to collect on my portion of
the coffee sales,” Derek explained.
Stella smiled. “I was wondering when you were going to get to that.”
She pulled a big book out of her storage ring. “This is a book of all the
sales, profits, losses, and such of the restaurant. All restaurants. When it is
updated by a manager, all existing books are updated as well.”
“That’s cool…” Derek said. I’ll have to get a couple of those for our
business, he thought. “What happens if it gets stolen?”
“Each book is linked to a specific person. Only Alanah can open or use
each one. If someone else tries to tamper with it, it will destroy itself. It also
makes it easy to catch anyone trying to steal from the business. Every mark
I make will leave my mana signature, so if I input something false and
someone finds out, it will be easily traced back to me,” she explained.
Stella began flipping through the pages of the book. Derek could swear
that the book was even bigger once she opened it. Finally, she put her finger
on a page.
 “Here we go. How long do you wish to pay for the stay at the hotel?”
she asked.
“Go ahead and put us down for a week. If I need more, I’ll pay then.”
“Okay.” She injected some mana into the book. “So, with the cost of the
hotel, the skill books, and everything else, your current total comes to…”
She let her words hang in the air.
“Well?” Derek asked. He was hoping for at least 5,000 gold.
Stella smiled. “Let’s just say that your coffee has exceeded both
Alanah’s and my imagination in terms of sales. We’ve also extracted the
stimulant part of the coffee, increased its effects, and have begun selling it
as well. You obtain the same percentage of those sales as well as the coffee
itself.”
“And how much is it?” Derek asked again.
“Your first payout is 13,465 gold.” Stella grinned.
Derek whistled. “That’s not bad.”
“No. No, it is not,” she replied. “I suggest you open a bank account.
Have you heard about that yet?”
Derek nodded. “I have. The clerk at the City Building told me about it
after I put a mountain of gold on his counter.”
Stella chuckled. “So, you already found your land?”
“I did. It’s in the new part of the city, but I don’t need it to be close.”
Stella nodded. “It’s probably for the best. That land is much cheaper,
and no matter where you are in the city, if your product is good, people will
show up.” Shifting the conversation, she continued on about his payment.
“Now, I don’t have that much gold on me, and you don’t have a bank card
that I can transfer it to. You can either wait for me to go get the funds, you
can go open an account and come back, or we can go together.”
“If you’re not busy?” Derek agreed to go with her.
“Ha. I’m just a floater right now until I go back to the capital city. I
don’t actually have any proper work that I need to do here. We can go right
now.”
“Lead the way.”
Derek and Stella passed Jacks on the way out. After explaining what
they were up to, Jacks left to go see what the rest of the group had been up
to all day.
The walk was short as the bank was only a few businesses down from
the Crown Restaurant. Derek followed Stella inside a building almost as tall
as the hotel but just as grand. Inside, there were multiple desks with
workers and one big counter at the back with people lined up.
“Do you have at least 1,000 gold on you right now?” Stella asked.
Derek nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good. Follow me.” She led Derek to one of the desks with a worker
seated behind it.
The worker looked up from the desk to see Derek and Stella
approaching. “Ah, Miss Brighton. How may I help you today?”
“Jared, this is Derek Hunt.” She motioned to Derek. “He needs to open
an account with the bank today. We are in partnership, and it would make
our lives much easier if he had one.”
“I see,” Jared replied, then motioned to a seat across from him. “Mr.
Hunt, please have a seat, and I will get you taken care of momentarily.”
Derek sat. “Thank you.”
Stella put her hand on Derek’s shoulder. “I’ll be back shortly. There are
some accounts I need to take care of while I’m here.”
“Okay.”
Soon after Stella left, Jared finished signing some documents and put
them away. “Good afternoon, Mr. Hunt. Do you know what sort of account
you would like to open today?”
“What kind of accounts do you have?” Derek asked.
“We have business and personal accounts, with varying tiers of each.
So, to get started, would you like your account to be business or personal?”
the man asked.
“Personal, but I may open a business account at some point. Am I right
to think that I can give access to the business account to multiple people.?”
Jared nodded. “That is correct. Any party indicated by you would have
access.”
“That’s good,” Derek said.
“Now, what tier account would you like? Tier one accounts are for those
who wish for an easy place to safely store what little money they have. The
limit to this tier is 100 gold, and it costs 50 silver a year to maintain,” Jared
explained.
“I’ll be dealing in the tens of thousands of gold,” Derek said.
“I see. That leaves tier three and tier four accounts, but being in
business with the Crown, I suspect you will want to open a tier four one.
The minimum you must have to open the account is 1,000 gold. There is
also a 1,000-gold insurance and maintenance fee. However, there is no
maximum limit on the account. The account draws a .5 percent annual
interest for the holder, so, with enough funds, it is possible to negate the
account cost,” Jared explained.
Derek did some quick math in his head before replying. “Do you have a
lot of customers with almost 200,000 gold in their accounts?”
The man nodded. “We do, as we are the only bank in the kingdom, and
we are backed by Savannah. You are paying for the safety and insurance of
your money, along with ease of use.”
Derek nodded. He knew how banks worked, and this one didn’t seem to
be all that much different. It didn’t seem like they had a savings account,
though. Derek decided to ask. “Do you not have a savings account?”
The man frowned. “I’m afraid I’ve never heard of something like that.”
Derek nodded. “That makes sense. I’m from another… kingdom. I was
just checking to see the differences in the banks.” Of course, there were
multiple kinds of savings accounts that just weren’t possible for a world like
this one to have. Especially those that involved combination savings and
investment accounts.
“Could you explain this ‘savings’ account?” Jared asked. “I have to
admit, I am quite curious about how other kingdoms manage money.”
“It’s simple, really. There are multiple types of accounts. Savings
accounts have a higher interest yield for the customer and are usually better
secured. But it seems that your regular accounts are already quite secure.
Some accounts have penalties for using the money in them within a set time
period or using them too often,” Derek explained.
“One of the reasons savings accounts are good for banks is that it allows
the bank to have more money on hand to lend. You do give loans, correct?”
Jared nodded. “We do.”
“So, savings accounts make it where people don’t want to take their
money out, whether it is because they want the increased interest on their
account or because they don’t want to incur penalties or fees. Therefore,
you have more money for loans. So, if the savings account draws one
percent interest on 5,000 gold, then you turn around and give out a 5,000-
gold loan at eight percent and profit well. Of course, there are other factors,
but I’m not too versed in those. I’m sure someone in the banking industry
could figure that out,” Derek finished explaining.
Jared sat silently for a moment before speaking again. “Interesting.”
 “Though, since you have a monopoly on banking in the kingdom,
savings accounts may not benefit you as much,” Derek said.
“Oh? You have more than one bank where you come from?”
Derek nodded. “Yeah. Dozens, if not hundreds.”
“How interesting. May I ask, what kingdom do you come from?”
Derek laughed. “The United States of America,” Derek said. At least
what’s left of it, he thought. “I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.”
“You are correct. I have not.,” Jared confirmed. “Thanks for the
information. Now, should we get back to business?”
Derek nodded. “I’d like to open up a tier-four account. We’ll start
small.” Derek dumped 5,000 gold on the desk. “Take a thousand for the fee,
then deposit the remaining.”
“Very well.” Jared moved the pile of gold over to one side of his desk,
then pulled out some papers. “This is the typical bank contract for a tier-
four account. Please read, sign, and inject your mana signature here.”
Derek did as he was told. There wasn’t anything in the contract that
wasn’t explained beforehand, other than the termination of the account if
sufficient funds were not available to cover the fee within six months of
owing it.
“Thank you.” Jared made a copy of the papers and gave it to Derek.
“This is for your records.” Then, he pulled a black card out of a locked desk
drawer and placed it on a rune on the desk before injecting his mana into
the rune. “I have activated your banking card according to the contract.
Please place your mana signature on the card via the rune.”
That’s what that was. There was a card in the ring he took off Malcolm.
He had scanned over it but didn’t pay it any attention. Now, he knew why
the city lord didn’t actually have that much gold on him. Derek injected the
card with his mana.
“You may now take the card.” He slid the card across the desk to Derek.
“For your first deposit, I will handle it, but for future deposits and
withdrawals of 1,000 gold or less, or if you need information about your
account, please use one of the tellers over there.” He pointed at one of the
lines of people. “If your deposit or withdrawal is greater than 1,000 gold
use that counter.” He showed Derek a counter with many fewer people in
line.
“Okay,” Derek said. “If I die, what happens to the card?” he asked,
thinking about the city lord’s card.
 “When you die, your mana signature disappears, and we are notified.
After which, your account goes to your next of kin or someone you have
designated. If you do not have any kin, it would be best to designate
someone just in case you die.”
Derek nodded. There goes that idea.
“If you would like to open a business account in the future or take out a
loan, you can come back to me or one of the other workers here,” he
explained. “Same for adding others to the account.”
“Will do,” Derek said.
“Please wait here for a moment.” Jared took the pile of gold and stood.
He walked past one of the counters and into a closed room. Two minutes
later, he came back. “I have deposited your gold. Inject your mana and look
at the side of the card.”
Derek did so. Instantly, the mana was absorbed, and a blue 4,000
appeared on the side of the card, near the top.
“The top row is gold, the middle is silver, and the bottom is bronze. If
you lose your card, there is a 200-gold replacement fee for tier-four
members,” the man said.
Derek nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Now, this card has built-in runes to transfer the balance to other cards.
Take a look at the other side when you inject your mana.”
Derek did, and multiple strange symbols appeared on the other side of
his card.
“When you wish to transfer, all you have to do is activate the card’s
runes, then, while touching the other person’s card with yours, you need to
will the amount to be transferred. Both parties must be willing the same
amount or the transfer will fail,” Jared explained.
“That seems easy enough,” Derek said.
“Congratulations! You are now a member of the Savannah Bank.” Jared
smiled.
Derek put the card away and reached out to shake the man’s hand.
“Thanks for all your help.”
The man took his hand and shook it. “It was my pleasure. Please come
see me if you have any questions or concerns.”
With that, Derek stood and walked back outside. He waited against the
wall for Stella to come out. After around ten minutes of waiting, she finally
appeared through the doors of the bank.
 “Sorry about that. It took longer than expected,” Stella said.
“No worries.”
“So, did you get everything you needed?” she asked.
“I set up a personal account. I’ll come back if or when I need to make a
business one,” he answered.
“That’s good. Did he teach you how to transfer?”
“Yeah.” Derek pulled out his new card. “How much was it again?” he
asked.
“13,465 gold,” she answered as she pulled her own card out and
activated it.
Derek activated his card and placed its rune side against the one in
Stella’s hand. He thought about taking that amount from her card, and
instantly, both cards glowed blue, then stopped. When he checked his
balance again, the number read 17,465.
He let out a breath. “That’s going to make life a little bit easier.”

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 7 THOMAS AND SHAE

N ot long after Derek and Jacks had their breakfast, Thomas rolled
over and stretched. He couldn’t remember the last time he had such
a comfortable sleep. After some time, he willed his eyes open.
Instantly, all he wanted to do was close them again and go back to sleep. He
had nothing to do today, so it really wouldn’t matter if he slept in.
Before deciding to resume his slumber, he checked his system clock. To
his surprise, it was already well past the time he usually awoke. Then he
remembered that there was a free breakfast, made by an offshoot of the
Crown Restaurant no less, waiting for him below.
Finally, after weighing the pros and cons of sleeping versus eating, he
decided to get up. The outcome was close, but he knew that breakfast was
not served throughout the day, so if he went back to sleep, he would miss
out. Thomas didn’t know if he would be able to forgive himself if that
happened.
He threw the blanket off his lazy body and saw something fly through
the air. Walking over to the floor where the item landed, he realized it was
the keycard for the room that he and Derek were staying in. Thomas looked
over to the unkempt bed on the other side of the room. When did Derek
wake up? I didn’t hear him at all.
Thomas then looked at the small room with the tub inside.
Remembering what occurred the previous night, embarrassment fell over
the boy’s face, and his cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Thomas looked
down and realized he was only wearing a pair of lower undergarments, and
to make things worse, they were on backwards.
 He rushed to the bathroom to relieve himself and wash his face. He was
tempted to hop in the tub again, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he had
until they stopped serving the free breakfast. Surely, they will keep serving
until noon, at least, he thought and hoped.
After making himself presentable and putting on his best set of clothing,
Thomas stored the keycard and left his room. Before rushing down to the
lobby, he knocked on the doors to the others’ rooms. There was no answer
from either of them. Either they all woke early, or they are also still
sleeping. Thomas sighed and headed downstairs.
Once downstairs, he cautiously approached one of the dining tables in
the hotel. He wasn’t actually sure what to do. He was used to the service
from mediocre inns and eating at bars. Luckily, a beautiful girl saw his
hesitation and came over to greet him.
“Are you a guest at the hotel?” the woman asked.
“Uh… yeah,” Thomas squeaked out. Looking at the garb the woman
was wearing, it was safe to assume that she was a worker at the hotel. “Is
breakfast still being served? Or did I sleep in too long?”
The woman laughed. “There is still an hour left until noon, so you are
right on time. Please, have a seat.” She pointed to an empty table.
“Thank you.” Thomas sat down.
“What would you like to drink?” the woman asked as she handed him a
menu.
Thomas browsed the options, his eyes stopping on ‘coffee.’ Isn’t that
what Derek sold to the Crown? Derek had told him about his business with
the Crown, but the boy had yet to try the beverage. If it was already on the
menu at a hotel such as this, then it had to be quite popular. “I’ll have the
coffee.”
The woman’s eyes furrowed. “The coffee? Are you sure?”
“Yes?” Thomas answered cautiously. Why would the lady be so hesitant
about him ordering coffee? Thomas couldn’t understand.
“Very well,” she said. “How do you take it?”
How do I take it? What does she mean? Thomas wasn’t sure of her
question. Maybe they serve beverages differently in a hotel like
this. Accepting that as the reason, Thomas answered, “In a cup.”
The woman’s lips tugged into a smile, and she used her hand to cover
her mouth. Doing her best to keep herself from laughing, she spoke. “Of
course, it’s served in a cup.” She moved her hand away from her face,
revealing a bright smile. “I assume you’ve never had coffee before. It can
be served plain or with sugar, or cream, or milk, or a combination of
different ingredients,” she explained. “Some people even enjoy it with mint
or ale mixed in.”
No wonder it’s so popular, Thomas thought. His embarrassment over his
answer was brief due to all the different ways the beverage could be
prepared. “I guess I’ll just try it regular.”
The woman nodded. “Please look over the menu, and I’ll be right back
with your drink.” She turned and left.
When she came back, she set a cup of a black liquid in front of Thomas.
She also set a small plate with sugar cubes and some cream on the table as
well. She smiled. “Just in case.”
Thomas nodded. When asked for his order, he ordered the ham and eggs
as it was what he was most familiar with. While the waitress was away, he
tasted the coffee.
He was happy he had put some points into his endurance stat because
the drink was piping hot. If not for his stats, he wouldn’t be able to taste his
upcoming meal, no matter how delicious it was. After the bitter taste of the
coffee, he worried that he still would be unable to taste his meal. How can
people drink something like this?
After his first drink, he eyed the sugar and cream like treasure. He
began frantically mixing them with the coffee, taking a sip after every cube
and every small bit of cream he added. By the time he was able to get the
bitter drink tolerable, it was gone.
“Well, well. It looks like you rather enjoy the coffee.” The waitress
appeared, holding his food. “That’s surprising as most younger gentlemen
such as yourself don’t seem to have much of a taste for it.” She set the food
before him on the table and picked up his now-empty cup. “I’ll get you a
refill. Please, enjoy your breakfast.”
Thomas did enjoy his breakfast. It was delicious. He also found the
perfect combination of cream and sugar to make the coffee tolerable for
him. If he had to, he would rank it towards the middle of the pack of the
different teas he tasted while in Torith.
It was still before noon, and Thomas didn’t have anything to do. He
didn’t know where anybody was, and he was alone in a new city. So,
because of all of that, he decided to do the one thing he knew how to do. He
would go to the Adventurer’s Guild to train.
 Before leaving the hotel, Thomas got information about the
Adventurer’s Guild in Savannah from the nice waitress. It actually wasn’t
too far away from the hotel. As one of the main buildings in the city, or in
any city in Cydaria, it was usually in a very populated place. Which, in
Savannah, just so happened to be near the hotel.
Thomas left the hotel and made a beeline to the guild. It wasn’t in the
direct center of the city like the hotel or restaurant was, but it was close. It
was only one row back, and, like all Adventurer Guild buildings, it was
huge.
Thomas walked inside and was relieved to find that the layout of the
guild was almost identical to the one in Torith. He only hoped the prices
would be the same. Thomas got in line behind a couple of people. After a
short time, he approached the desk and the woman behind it.
“Welcome to the Savannah Adventurer’s Guild. How may I help you
today?” the pretty brown-haired woman greeted him.
“Ah… yes… I’m new to Savannah and would like to rent a training
room,” Thomas answered.
The woman nodded. “We can do that. What tier room would you like?”
“Tier?” Thomas asked.
“You must have come from a guild from a sub-city.” She smiled. “At
the main guilds, we have different training rooms available, among other
things.”
“Oh… um… I don’t think I need anything special,” Thomas answered.
She nodded. “Very well. What is your weapon of choice?”
“Why do you need to know that?” Thomas was confused.
The woman frowned. “Even if you are going to rent one of the lesser
training rooms, I still need the information to find the one that would suit
you well. I wouldn’t want to put a tank class in a room with only ranged
training, you see?”
“Oh…” Thomas replied. “I use a spear.”
The lady nodded and jotted something down on some paper. “Would
you like a room with a mixture of close and midrange training?”
Thomas thought for a second. He had no idea what the room would
consist of. He did need to work on his midrange fighting, though. He
nodded. “That would be good.”
“Alright. Let’s see.” She wrote something else down, then shuffled
through the papers. “Room 37 should suit you well.” She continued. “The
price is 27 gold an hour. Would you like to pay by the hour or upfront?”
Thomas did his best not to show his surprise at the price of the room. I
could train for two days in Torith for the price of one hour here, he thought.
Thomas hesitated to say anything. He had enough money for a few hours,
but he hated to use it. As he was preparing to buy one hour of training time,
a rough hand gripped his shoulder.
Thomas’s eyes followed the hand all the way up to a grinning man’s
face. He was dark-skinned with a completely shaven head. He had brown
eyes and a small vertical scar on his left cheek. He was built like Derek. He
was a little taller than six feet, with very toned arms. The most surprising
thing about the man, however, was the coal black badge pinned to his arm.
“Can I help you?” Thomas asked in a low voice. If he wasn’t mistaken,
this man was an onyx-ranked Adventurer.
The man’s smile grew wider. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you use
a spear,” he said. “Spears are typically used by lowly guards and soldiers.
There aren’t actually that many adventurers that choose to wield a spear of
their own volition. Not with so many other fancy options available.”
Thomas nodded. He had seen many spear users in Torith, but they were
mostly part of the guards. From what he gathered, it was because basic
spears were easy to mass produce with little need for metals and time.
Because of this, many adventurers had an innate dislike for spears and
preferred to use other weapons.
“It is especially rare to see a youngster like you already using a spear.
You wouldn’t believe the number of people I see avoid using the spear,
even though they are obviously best suited for the weapon,” the man
explained.
Thomas blushed. Did he not do the exact same thing that the man was
describing? What does an onyx-ranked adventurer want with me? he
wondered.
“Sorry, Judy,” the man apologized to the woman behind the desk, “but
I’m taking your customer from you today.”
The woman frowned. “Whatever,” she said, then looked back at
Thomas. “Be careful.”
Be careful? What’s going on? For the first time in a long while, Thomas
wished Silvi was with him.
“C’mon, kid. Let’s see what you got.” The unknown man pulled
Thomas behind him as they disappeared through the training doors of the
Adventurer’s Guild.
The unknown adventurer dragged Thomas through the Adventurer’s
Guild until they came upon a certain room. Once outside the room, the man
placed his hand on the door for identification, and the door opened up.
Then, he pulled Thomas inside and closed the room behind them.
Thomas immediately fell to the ground and struggled to get to his knees, an
odd pressure was weighing him down. Needless to say, Thomas was
terrified. When he woke up that morning, other than some light training at
the guild, he hadn’t expected anything else to happen.
“Don’t tell Judy I told you, but the hourly rate they charge newbies is a
scam. You’re better off finding an empty courtyard or area outside the city
to train. Though, it’s not safe outside the city. Every time you rank up your
badge, the cost goes down,” the man whispered to Thomas.
Thomas, still stunned, finally managed to say something. “T-that’s not
fair.”
“The world ain’t fair, kid. Hell, I just dragged you away basically by the
scruff of your neck, and not one person said or did anything. That’s
basically kidnapping.” The man scratched his bald head. “Though, I guess
most of them knew nothing too bad would happen to you… and it’s not like
Judy doesn’t know where I took you.”
The man then walked over to the runes on the wall. “This room is
basically free for me, and it’s the top room in the guild. Do you know why
that is?” he asked as he placed his hand on the wall.
Immediately, the pressure on Thomas disappeared. Finally, he was able
to stand. “What was that?”
“Gravity rune,” the man said nonchalantly. “The increased pressure
from the outside helps increase some resistance-type skills. It also lets you
get used to auras. Of course, there is more to auras than just pressure.”
“Why did you… kidnap me?” Thomas asked as he leaned against a far
wall.
The man laughed. “Because you’re interesting, kid. Like I said, young
adventurers that choose to wield a spear are hard to find. And I don’t
suppose your dream is to become a low-level guard, right?”
Thomas shook his head. “No.”
“Good,” the odd man said. “Now, why did you choose to use a spear?”
Thomas hesitated before answering. He wasn’t sure if he should answer.
He didn’t know the man. Was he just supposed to trust a stranger who
basically kidnapped him? I did trust Derek, though, he thought. Finally, he
chose to answer the man. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to give out a little
information about himself. “I chose the spear because I was… shit with
daggers.” The boy remembered one of the phrases Derek had used to
describe his ability with daggers.
The man burst out laughing. “That’s the most honest answer I think I’ve
ever heard. That’s good. Honesty is good in certain situations,” he
complimented. “Did you have someone help you make the decision?”
Thomas frowned. He didn’t want to talk about Derek without him being
there. Heck, he couldn’t say much about Derek without breaking his oath.
Thomas thought about the proper way to word his answer. He nodded.
“A… friend tried to get me to use the spear at level 10. He said I was made
for it.” Thomas lowered his head. “I ignored his suggestion and chose a
stealthy class. I changed to spear at level 25.”
“Everyone makes mistakes, kid,” the man said. “The goal is to learn
from them and not make them again. It seems that you learned from that
mistake. Now, what did you say? You were made for the spear. We’ll see.”
The bald man stepped forward and summoned a spear. “Attack!” he
yelled at Thomas.
The shout surprised Thomas, but he was used to sparring sessions with
Derek. Thomas pushed himself off the wall and summoned his spear. The
man was an onyx-ranked adventurer, and Thomas knew not to hold back.
“No abilities,” the man suddenly said as Thomas made his approach. “I
want to see your skill only.”
Thomas slowly nodded. Then, he stepped forward within reach of the
man. Thomas thrust his spear towards the man’s midsection. The man
parried Thomas’s attack with his own spear.
Instead of falling back, Thomas let his spear move with the momentum.
Instantly, the spear was behind his neck. He grabbed it with both hands and
jabbed forward at the man’s head multiple times. Unfortunately, the man
was fast. With small, subtle moves, he dodged each thrust.
After Thomas’s third thrust, using his own neck as leverage, he bent the
spear and let go of it with his left hand. The spear orbited around his neck in
a wide arc. Using the spear’s momentum, Thomas swept out at the man’s
legs. The man hopped over the spear.
Thomas grabbed the middle of the spear with his left hand and drew it
back, ready to strike again. He fell back. In the short exchange, Thomas was
parried and dodged multiple times. It seemed to be a bad outcome, but
instead, the man was grinning ear to ear.
“That’s damn sure not something you pick up by being a guard, and
you’re quick for your level,” the man praised. “It’s good to go with the
momentum but have to be careful when facing someone faster than you.
That’s why you have a spear. You can gauge your opponent’s strengths
while keeping a distance.”
Thomas agreed. “I know.”
“Then why didn’t you do that?”
“Because I already know that you are far stronger and faster than I am.”
“That’s true…” the man said. “Go again. This time, pretend that I am a
random enemy that you know nothing about.”
Thomas went forward and did as commanded. This time, instead of
rushing forward, Thomas circled his opponent, throwing out an irritating
thrust occasionally.
“Good,” the man said as his spear vanished and was replaced by a short
sword.
The man ‘rushed’ towards Thomas. Of course, his speed was even
slower than what Thomas had displayed earlier. For every step the man took
forward, Thomas took one backward or to the side, attacking all the while.
Thomas made sure not to forget his surroundings. The worst outcome in
a situation like the one he was in would be becoming cornered and letting a
sword user close in. When he would get pushed close to the wall, he would
maneuver his retreat to take him closer to the middle of the room.
After some time, the man put his sword away. “Great,” he praised. “If
you keep fighting like that, your opponent’s bound to get so mad he makes
a mistake.”
Thomas nodded. Derek had called the technique ‘kiting.’ Thomas had to
agree. Retreating and peppering the enemy with attacks while they got
angry and wasted their stamina was a good battle strategy. It worked well
on beasts as well.
With a big smile on his face, the man held his hand out for Thomas to
take. Thomas hesitated, but finally put his spear away and took the man’s
hand.
“It’s so good to meet another natural-born spear user,” the man said.
“My name is Shae. Shae Holmes. As you can see…” He pointed to the
badge on his upper arm. “I am a veteran member of the Adventurer’s
Guild.” He smiled even wider, if that was even possible, then leaned in
conspiratorially. In a low voice, he said, “Actually, I’m the head of the
Savannah Adventurer’s Guild—the Guild Master.”
Thomas’s eyes went wide. He thought the man was some renowned
adventurer or even an instructor of the guild. He never in a million years
would have thought the man before him was the actual Guild Master at the
Savannah Branch.
Savannah was the most popular city in the kingdom other than the
capital. That would put the man who was standing before Thomas close to
the top when it came to influential figures in the kingdom. Thomas audibly
gulped.
He took a step back and bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
Shae waved off his honorific. “Just call me Shae. We’re friends, after
all.” Shae gave him a toothy grin.
“We are?” Thomas asked.
“Of course we are,” Shae said. “Us spear users have got to stick
together. We’re an endangered species in this kingdom.”
“R-right,” Thomas muttered.
“Now, you’re very talented with the spear. Maybe even more so than I
was at your age. With the proper resources and training, you will do well.
What are your plans? Why are you in Savannah? I don’t recall ever hearing
of anyone like you. By the looks of your spear and clothes, you have
money. Who are your parents?” Shae asked.
“T-that…” Thomas didn’t know how to answer. Finally, he shook his
head. “I don’t have money,” he said. “I’m from a village near Wilmette.”
Thomas gave a self-deprecating smile. “I’m just a poor villager who got
lucky.”
“No matter how you got here, you got here. Being a villager is nothing
to be ashamed of. Maybe that’s why I took an interest in you to begin with.
I didn’t grow up in a village, but I wasn’t well off. Most people get
opportunities or ‘lucky’ breaks in life. What matters is how you take
advantage of them,” Shae said. “So, I’ll ask again, what are your plans?”
“My friend… the one who gave me the spear and helped me choose my
class, he asked me if I wanted to join the academy. So that… that is my
current goal.”
“I see…” Shae rubbed his chin in thought. “Well, there’s some time
before the next enrollment opens in the academy,” he said. “I’ll tell you
what. You can use this room as much as you want while you’re here. I’ll let
Judy make the arrangements. I’ll be here at this time every three days to
train you. That’s the best I can do because I have other responsibilities.”
Thomas was stunned. Why did this man pick him? He didn’t deserve
such a boon. He didn’t know what to say. What would he tell Derek?
Training with a spear master would have to be better than training with
Derek, right? So many thoughts went in and out of his head.
Finally, Thomas nodded and bowed again. “Thank you.”
The man smiled again, and this time his teeth showed. The grin was
more feral than happy. “I wouldn’t be thanking me yet,” Shae said. He
jumped back to the middle of the training room and drew his spear.
“Again!”

OceanofPDF.com
 8 RANKING UP

D erek and Stella parted ways after transferring his money and
discussing a few other things. He felt he’d been quite productive on
his first day in Savannah. He had scouted out some land before
actually buying it. He opened a bank account, and he even completed some
business with the Crown Restaurant.
He couldn’t help but wonder what everyone was doing today. Of course,
he had left Silvi with the girls, so he wasn’t worried that any harm would
come to them. In fact, he was more worried that Silvi would do something
and end up hurting someone else.
He wasn’t, however, sure of what Thomas and Rudy would be up to. He
didn’t worry about the contract maker because the man could take care of
himself. Thomas could, too, but he still worried for the kid. Eh, he’ll be
fine, he thought.
Looking at the system time and seeing that it was only mid-afternoon,
he realized that there was still plenty of time left to accomplish another big
task. Derek got his bearings and looked for the Adventurer’s Guild.
Back in Torith, he wasn’t able to get a badge higher than gold-ranked.
Today, while he still had some time, he planned on remedying that problem.
He had seen how efficient it was to have a higher-level adventurer badge.
At the platinum rank, the guards they passed along the way to the teleport
building did their best to mind their own business.
The guild wasn’t hard for Derek to find. He just looked at the biggest
buildings close to the city center. It didn’t hurt that the building looked
almost the same as the one he went to in Torith, only bigger. Derek smiled
and walked towards it.
 I wonder if they offer anything higher than platinum. They said you
could only get onyx and higher at the capital, but Savannah may be
different. That was the question Derek had on his mind. He knew he should
be able to easily obtain the platinum badge; it was for those with power
capabilities between levels 150 and 200. What he truly wondered about was
the onyx badge or even a badge of a higher level.
He also wanted to know what kind of test he would have to pass to
obtain onyx rank. Surely, missions at the platinum rank weren’t easy to
come by, even in a city like Savannah. In Torith, the majority of missions
on the mission board were bronze. He expected a lot of gold missions at this
guild.
Finally, he made it to the entrance of the building and walked in. He
nodded his head at the familiar layout. It was good to have a blueprint for
all of your businesses to follow. It made things much easier.
Derek slipped into line behind some others. He was half a head taller
than anyone in line, so he had a good view of the receptionist. He was a bit
disappointed at being in an Adventurer’s Guild and not seeing Nia as a
receptionist. She was a bookworm who was all about business, but she was
fun to tease.
Soon, Derek made it to the front of the line.
“Hello, Sir. Welcome to the Savannah Adventurer’s Guild. How may I
help you today?” The brown-haired woman greeted him. She had beautiful
brown eyes and was sporting a lovely tan.
Derek put on a chipper smile. “Hello. My name is Derek Hunt. It’s nice
to meet you.”
Derek watched as the woman did her best not to roll her eyes at his
enthusiastic greeting.
“As nice as it may be,” the woman spoke, “there are still adventurers in
line behind you,” she answered in a flat tone. “Now, how may I help you
today?”
Derek inwardly chuckled. He was in a good mood today with all the
tasks he accomplished. He even got to see some dwarfs and elves. Nothing
could bring his spirits down, not even the receptionist’s outright refusal to
acknowledge his flirting.
Derek clicked his tongue. “What a shame,” he said, mocking extreme
disappointment. “Well, I guess while I’m here, I do actually have a couple
questions that I need answering.”
 The woman let out an exasperated breath. “And those questions are?”
“How nice of you to ask,” Derek replied. “First, what is the highest rank
the Savannah Adventurer’s Guild can give out?”
The woman scrunched her eyebrows. “What rank are you?” she asked
instead of answering his question.
Derek pulled his badge out of his storage bracelet and flashed it. “I’m
just a lowly gold is all.”
The woman nodded. “We can help you upgrade your rank to platinum
rank if you meet the qualifications.”
Derek shook his head. “That’s not what I asked. I asked what the
highest rank you can give out here is.”
The woman furrowed her brows even deeper. “I don’t know why that
matters, but we can issue onyx-ranked badges under certain conditions, as
long as the Guild Master is available. If you would like to register for a
diamond rank, you would have to go to the capital.”
Derek nodded. “I guess that’s good enough for now,” he said with a
slight disappointment in his tone. “One onyx-ranked badge, please.”
Finally, the frown of the woman turned into surprise. “But you’re only a
gold-ranked adventurer.”
“Exactly,” Derek said. “That’s why I’m here. I need to increase my
status.”
“Do you mean platinum?” she asked.
“Did I say platinum?”
The woman frowned again. “Do you know how to use aura?”
“Of course.”
She nodded. “In that case. I’m a platinum-rank adventurer. Please direct
your aura at me so I can confirm that you’re not wasting our time. The
Guild Master is busy.”
“All of it? Are you sure?” Derek asked.
The woman nodded.
Derek turned and looked at the people behind and around him. “It
would be best if you all stepped back for a moment,” he said. Seeing
nobody move, he continued, “It’s always best to be cautious. Don’t say I
didn’t warn you.”
I guess it would be best to release it quickly and withdraw it, he thought.
“Brace yourself.”
 In a manner much quicker than ever before, he opened the floodgates
and directed all the energy at the woman behind the counter. To his surprise,
an invisible shield came into existence in front of the woman.
As Derek’s aura hit the shield, the runes on the shield glowed a bright
green before rapidly switching yellow, then orange, then red. Every time the
runes changed color, an increasingly surprised look appeared on the
receptionist’s face. When the color switched from orange to red, her look
changed from surprised to horror in an instant.
“Stop!” she yelled out.
And like that, the aura was gone. It was like it had never been there. If it
wasn’t for his earlier experiences with the elves in the City Building, he
would have never been able to control his aura so competently.
Derek looked behind him to see the two people closest to him on their
knees, panting and pale. Everyone else he had warned had a look of fear
and… respect? Hmm… I guess that’s one way of getting someone’s
attention, Derek thought.
Finally, he shifted his gaze back to the receptionist. She wasn’t worse
for wear, but she was drained of her color and having a hard time catching
her breath. Derek pointed at the slowly disappearing shield in front of the
woman.
“That’s a neat trick,” he said.
“Y-yes…” the woman replied.
“So, do you need any more proof that I’m being serious?” Derek asked.
“N-no…. I don’t,” the woman answered, trying to calm herself down. “I
can help you get…” she began, but before she could finish her sentence, a
door shattered into splinters, and a blur appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Holy shit! Derek cursed inwardly. I thought I was fast, he thought as the
blur stopped beside the pale woman.
“Judy!” the figure yelled out. “What’s wrong? What happened? Did you
feel that aura?”
Derek examined the man while he was rapidly firing questions at the
receptionist. The man was dark-skinned and completely bald. He had
questioning brown eyes and a scar on his cheek. He was about an inch
shorter than Derek.
What intrigued Derek the most was the spear in his grip and the onyx
badge wrapped around his upper arm. Derek squinted his eyes. This is
someone important in the Adventurer’s Guild. The way the man’s first
reaction was to check on ‘Judy’ made Derek believe that he could be either
her boss or… boyfriend. He may be the Guild Master here.
Torith didn’t have a Guild Master, only a manager. It wasn’t a big
enough city to need one. It would make sense if the intimidating man in
front of him ended up being a bigwig in the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Sha… Guild Master,” the receptionist finally said, getting the man’s
attention.
She was about to call him by his name. Derek inwardly smiled. Maybe
he’s both her boss and boyfriend… or even husband.
“Everything’s fine,” Judy said. “I was just conducting a test.”
“A test? What kind of test requires someone to project an aura of that
level?” he asked.
Judy’s eyes shifted to Derek, which was unable to escape the Guild
Master’s attention.
“You?” the man asked. Confusion fell over the man’s face as he
examined Derek, and his gaze landed on the gold-ranked badge in Derek’s
grip.
Derek shrugged and pointed. “She told me to do it. It’s not my fault
nobody wants to listen to me.” Derek pointedly looked at the two men still
struggling to stand upright.
“Explain,” the man said to the woman.
Judy took a deep breath, getting ready to explain what happened, but
before she said anything, a small male voice was heard.
“Derek?”

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 9 TEST

D erek looked from Judy and the Guild Master and at the voice that
was coming from where the door had been shattered.
“Thomas?” Derek saw a very tired-looking Thomas. His clothes
were ripped, and he was panting. He could see multiple bruises and cuts on
the boy’s body. “What happened to you?” The boy was in an utterly
disheveled state.
Before Thomas could answer, the Guild Master cut in. “You know the
boy?” he asked Derek.
What the hell is going on? Derek swiveled his head between the man
and Thomas. Derek glanced at the spear in the man’s hand, then back at
Thomas. He furrowed his brows. The picture was getting clearer, but he had
his doubts. Why would someone like the Guild Master train with Thomas?
Derek looked the big man in the eyes. “Of course, I know him. I’m the
one that brought him to Savannah,” he answered.
The man looked back at Thomas. “This is the man that helped you
choose the spear?”
Thomas nodded. “That’s Derek.”
Finally, the man smiled, and the tense atmosphere he created vanished.
“Smart man,” he said. Then, turning his attention back to Judy, he began,
“Why, exactly, did you tell this man to release his aura in a room full of
adventurers?”
“He wanted to go from a gold-ranked adventurer straight to an onyx
rank,” Judy answered matter-of-factly. “How was I supposed to know he
was being serious and wasn’t just a cocky adventurer? Besides, we don’t
give onyx out to just anyone. We’re not in the capital.”
 The dark-skinned man eyed Derek up and down. “You wanted to skip
an entire rank? I would ask why you thought you would be able to do that,
but after being able to feel your aura from the training room, I don’t doubt
that you may be able to.”
“May?” Derek asked.
“Well, we would have to see if you are qualified. Unlike the other ranks,
the onyx rank can only be tested and given out by a higher authority in the
guild, and those authorities are usually only in the capital. Since I am here, I
can give out the rank if I deem you fit to receive it. Diamond, however, can
only be given out by the Guild Leader in the capital,” the man answered.
“And the missions?” Derek asked. Before he was able to get his gold
rank, he had to complete a number of silver-ranked missions. He hoped that
it wasn’t the same with the onyx rank. There weren’t that many platinum-
ranked missions available. Plus, he still couldn’t even accept a platinum
mission because of his current ranking.
Fortunately, the Guild Master waved his question away. “Those are only
a formality given to the lesser ranks. Once you have the approval of a Guild
Master, you won’t have to worry about those.”
“So, when can I get started?” Derek asked.
Judy cut in at that moment. “I’m sorry,” she said. “The Guild Master is
currently busy and should be getting back to work.” She glared at the man.
“If you would like to increase your ranking to onyx, please schedule an
appointment for a later date.”
Derek tilted his head as he looked from the woman to the man, then to
Thomas. “Really?” he asked sarcastically. “So, the Guild Master’s business
is training my…” Derek thought for a second. What would I call Thomas?
He’s not my apprentice, definitely not my kid. Calling him a friend would
make me sound like a weirdo… Ah, I got it. “My charge.”
Thomas’s grandparents had trusted Derek to take care of him up to a
point, so considering the boy one of his charges made sense.
Derek narrowed his eyes at the man before continuing. “You were
training him, I hope. Not just using him as a punching bag.”
“Of course,” the man replied.
“If he were actually harmed, we would be having an entirely different
conversation. In fact, we wouldn’t even be having a conversation. You
would be dead, and you wouldn’t even know it,” Derek said.
The Guild Master stepped forward.
 “Shae.” Judy put her hand on top of the Guild Master’s should. “Calm
down.”
“That’s not something to joke about,” Shae replied.
Derek grinned. “I wasn’t joking.”
Judy rolled her eyes. “Here we go…” she muttered.
At that time, a malicious grin appeared on Shae’s face. “You said you
want to be tested for an onyx rank? It’s your lucky day. My schedule just
cleared.”
“How kind.” Derek smiled back.
“You really do have work to do,” Judy said to Shae. “You’ve already
wasted enough time on your new project.” She gave Thomas a glance.
“This won’t take long.” He shrugged her hand off his shoulder.
“Fine, but don’t come running to me when the Guild Leader comes
asking for your report. It’s your job. I’m not doing it this time.”
Shae winced at her words. “But you love paperwork,” he said, cowed.
“Besides, if I get in trouble, you will, too.”
Judy rolled her eyes again and stepped back from the confrontation.
“Next,” she said, summoning the next person in line… well, the third
person in line as the two people directly behind Derek were still trying to
stand.
“Shall we go conduct your ‘test?’” Shae asked Derek.
“Let’s.”
“Follow me. The room’s already ready.” Shae turned and walked back
towards the entrance he had abruptly made. When he took a step next to
Thomas, he put his hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go, boy. I’ll show you what
a real spearman can do.”
Derek snorted as he trailed behind. He was looking forward to a good
fight. Bones and Ogre were interesting but predictable. Apparently, they
had assassinated some higher-level people throughout their careers, even
some over level 200, but Derek doubted the actual strength of those people.
He was especially interested in the speed that the man in front of him
displayed before. Derek doubted he could keep up, but that was the fun
part.
Soon, the trio arrived at a room with an open door, which Shae led them
into. Derek looked around. It was a typical training room that he had seen at
the other Adventurer’s Guild. Well, except for the runes and the quality of
the room itself.
 Shae placed his hand on the wall beside the door, and it closed. “This
room is capable of containing a battle between two onyx-ranked
adventurers. You don’t have to worry about holding yourself back.”
“Fine by me.” Derek placed his hand on his shirt and sent it into his
storage bracelet. Then he removed his jeans and replaced them with a pair
of knee-length shorts. Finally, he removed his boots. No sense in ruining my
clothes when I can prevent it. Especially my jeans.
Shae gave Derek an odd look. “Are you done?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You’re not going to put any armor on? You’re going to fight half-
naked?”
Derek laughed. “I didn’t want to ruin my clothes. That style is hard to
come by. Plus, I doubt armor will help much.”
Shae shook his head. “Whatever you say,” he commented. Then he
pulled a document out of his storage ring and handed it to Derek. “Here,
place your mana signature on this. I don’t want the guild to be liable in the
case of an… accident happening.”
Derek looked over the document. It did just as Shae said and kept the
Adventurer’s Guild from being responsible for any harm that may come
during the test to rank up. Derek injected his mana into it and handed it
back.
Shae stored the document back in his storage device, then looked deeply
at Derek. Suddenly, he furrowed his brows. “Interesting.”
“What?”
Shae smiled. “The headache that comes with trying to use Identify on
you, and what I get back in return.”
Derek smiled. He had turned on the skill he received from his
Achievement when he walked into the Adventurer’s Guild. He still didn’t
appreciate people using the skill on him, and there may actually be some
people in the city that would be able to do it. Including the man in front of
him.
“So, what does it say?” He was truly curious. All the description for the
Lesser Enigma Achievement said was that the block ability was increased.
Shae snorted. “Your level is in the 100s, and you are a Human.”
Derek tilted his head. “Not my exact level?”
“You could be level 101 or 199. All I get back is a one and a bunch of
nonsense. That’s why it’s interesting,” the Guild Master replied.
 “That’s good.”
“How did you do that?” Shae asked.
Derek laughed. “I tell you what, if you beat me, I’ll tell you. How does
that sound?” Derek rolled his shoulders, getting ready for a fight.
Shae smiled the same malicious smile he had shown in the lobby.
“Sounds good to me. Let’s just hope you can still talk when we’re finished.”
He spun his spear in his hand before slamming its butt on the ground.
Derek looked over at Thomas. “Stand as far back as possible.”
Thomas scurried away from the center of the room and hugged the wall
beside the door.
Seeing that the kid was in the clear, Derek set his feet and launched
himself at Shae. He swung his fist at Shae’s head, but the man only had to
tilt it back to dodge. Then, Derek launched a blow at the other’s body, only
to be sidestepped. Derek jabbed at the man a few more times, missing each
punch.
Then Shae retaliated with the blunt end of his spear. The attack was
driven into Derek’s sternum, causing him to slide back five feet.
Shae looked Derek in the eyes. “Oh, come on. That can’t be all you
got.”
Derek laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s not like
you’ve done anything to me. What good is being fast if you can’t injure
your opponent?”
Shae narrowed his eyes as he looked Derek’s body over from the
bottom up. Usually, a hit to the sternum would at least make the other
person lose a little breath. “Fine,” Shae finally said.
Derek moved into a boxing stance and prepared for an assault. He had a
sinking suspicion that by the time the spar was over, his Physical
Resistance passive was going to level up multiple times. Derek smiled and
motioned to Shae with his hand.
Shae launched his attack. The man wasn’t so fast that Derek couldn’t
defend against him, but he was fast. It was very hard to counterattack. It
was all Derek could do to block his attacks, and the occasional one landed
somewhere on Derek’s body.
This was fine, though. Derek didn’t know how much of Shae’s full
strength was in the attacks, but it wasn’t enough to do Derek much harm.
Sure, the attacks were breaking his skin, but they weren’t piercing too
deeply into his muscles.
 Derek could tell that Shae was beginning to wonder about Derek, as
even though he had been hit and cut multiple times, he didn’t flinch. His
body was covered in blood, but Derek kept his usual smile.
Finally, Derek found his opportunity. In a thrust to his side, Derek
stepped forward and trapped Shae’s spear with his arm. Then he grabbed it
and pulled forward, causing Shae to finally enter his range. With his free
left hand, Derek punched.
Shae tilted his head to dodge, but Derek already knew he wouldn’t be
able to hit such a hard target. Instead, he changed the trajectory of his punch
and hit the man in the center of his chest. The punch basically used all of
Derek’s strength.
When the hit landed, Derek released the man’s spear and took a step
back. Shae stepped back a few times with the momentum from Derek’s
attack.
Shae looked Derek over with a frown. “Is that your strategy? To take a
beating until you can get a single counterattack that doesn’t do anything.”
Derek smiled, knowing that if he had been channeling the void, that hit
to the chest would have been critical. He doubted it would have been fatal,
but it was definitely something that would be hard to recover from.
Derek’s grin got even wider as he took his hand and wiped at some of
the blood on his abdomen. As he did so, everyone realized that there wasn’t
a mark left on his body. His torso was the same as it had been before the
spar, minus the blood.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What beating?” Derek asked.
In all actuality, his health was at 100%. The ‘beating’ he was taking wasn’t
anywhere worse than what the last void beast he fought had done. Not to
mention that this time, it was after he upgraded his vitality and endurance
stats and went through another breakthrough.
Shae groaned. “You’re a tank?” he said. “I hate fighting tanks,” he
muttered under his breath.
Derek shrugged. “All I know is that you’re going to have to do a whole
lot more than lightly poke me if you want to do any damage.”
“Fine!” Shae snorted and bent his knees slightly. A yellow glow
overtook his figure, then, before both Derek’s and Thomas’s eyes, the man
was gone. To Derek’s credit, he could see the blur moving towards him.
However, just because he could see the man didn’t mean he could react
well.
 Shae thrust out constantly while moving around Derek. Each thrust hit
Derek’s body. Clearly, Shae was aiming to not overly injure Derek as his
blows still only aimed for his sides and appendages. The man didn’t aim for
anything vital. His attacks were piercing deeper into Derek’s muscles than
before, but it still wasn’t enough to do much harm.
For Derek’s part, if he focused well, he was able to protect his vitals if
needed as long as he kept his turtle-like posture and didn’t have to make
any big motions. Derek focused hard as the other man attacked over and
over.
Soon, with all the ‘wounds’ he acquired, Derek was able to make out a
bit of a pattern. No, it wasn’t enough to call it a pattern, but since the man
wasn’t attacking any of his organs or other vitals, it wasn’t hard for Derek
to estimate where he would attack next.
Finally, Derek tried to trap the spear with his arm again. Just as he was
about to succeed, the spear disappeared out of his sight, and he felt a hard
impact on his chin. Inwardly, Derek chided himself for thinking Shae would
let the same thing happen twice.
Derek had said it multiple times throughout his fights, but he couldn’t
help but think it again. Blunt damage is really the type of damage I hate the
most. His brain was reinforced with all his endurance, but that didn’t mean
that a blow to his chin with the blunt side of a spear didn’t hurt.
Well, it didn’t hurt, per se, but it did cause his head to spin. Because of
the hit, Derek stumbled back a step in his dizziness. Derek rubbed his head
and looked up at a smirking Shae. Derek laughed again as he
used Cleaning. As the spell washed over him, it took with it all the blood
that accrued on his body and shorts.
Again, Derek was standing there in pristine condition. He looked at
Shae. “I use my Cleaning skill more often than I use my healing one.”
Shae’s eyes widened at Derek’s casual words. “Just how much
endurance and vitality do you have?” he finally asked. “How much of your
health have you lost?”
Derek watched his health tick up from 92% to 100% and smiled. “Not
nearly as much as you think I have,” he vaguely answered.
Shae spat. “Just because you can take a hit, it doesn’t mean you’re
worthy enough for an onyx badge. Not many people make it to this level, so
you have to depend on yourself more than on your party. What happens
when you run out of Stamina? Or if you don’t have enough damage to
actually kill whatever you’re fighting?”
Derek shrugged again. “Isn’t all this what you’re supposed to find out?
So far, you’ve given me no reason to attack. Just a couple bee stings,” he
provoked. At this rate, his Physical Resistance was never going to level up.
Shae took the insult personally. A blue glow washed over his spear,
along with another yellow one over his body, which Derek guessed to be a
type of hastening skill. Then he disappeared again.
This time, the hits came heavy, and Derek’s health disappeared in
chunks. This is what I was looking for, Derek thought. Derek’s movements
slowed as he slipped into Greater Meditation to keep up with the blood and
health loss. With the skill active, it was almost pointless for Derek to
protect anything other than his head.
Each time the spearhead stabbed Derek, it took with it a chunk of at
least three percent of his HP. Still, the barrage of attacks kept landing, and
Derek’s smile never left his face. Occasionally, an attack would land that
would pierce all the way through his muscle and even penetrate his bones
slightly.
Derek finally guessed that the blue glow that fell over the man’s spear
was some kind of skill that increased penetration. Still, it didn’t matter as
the bone healed as soon as the spear was removed, and the muscle soon
followed.
If this part of the spar lasted much longer, the entire room was going to
end up under a pool of Derek’s blood.
Two minutes later, Derek received a surprising notification. Both
his Greater Meditation and his Physical Resistance had leveled up. It’s
about damn time. Derek thought about Greater Meditation. He couldn’t
remember the last time his favorite skill had leveled.
The notification was a happy event for Derek, and he let it show on his
face. His smile was even brighter. Apparently, Shae noticed his smile as
well. That, and the fact that Derek was moving slowly and not even trying
to block anymore must have irritated the man to no end.
Suddenly, Shae screamed, and another glow washed over the blur.
Unlike the hastening and piercing skills before, this glow came with the
activation of an actual combat skill.
Derek felt the attack more than saw it. Three blows in his abdomen. He
felt as the spear both penetrated the front and blew out of his back. The first
attack pierced through, missing all of his organs, but the second hit the
bottom of his left kidney, right below his ribs, causing a massive gash on
the organ.
That was enough for 30% of Derek’s health, but the real damage came
with the third blow. It broke through his rib cage and directly penetrated his
liver before coming out the back.
This caused Derek’s eyes to widen as he weakly grabbed the spear,
which was still penetrating his body, with his right hand. His health had
fallen to 23% and was dipping even lower as his vitality worked hard to
repair all the damage.
“Derek!” Thomas screamed from across the room.
Derek looked up at Shae, who looked to be in a sense of panic. That’s a
nice, ‘Oh, shit! What did I just do?’ face. Derek thought. Luckily, once his
kidney was healed, with the combination of his vitality and Greater
Meditation, his health was already shooting back up.
Derek chuckled as his grip on the spear tightened. Then, he moved his
left hand as if it were a blade and activated both Sweeping Slash and Multi-
Strike. He could have gone with the void, but he didn’t want to kill the man.
The blows came rapidly as the man let go of his spear and jumped back
with his arm in a cross shape. Derek clicked his tongue as Sweeping
Slash just wasn’t as good as it could be with a weapon. Still, the
combination of the skills cut the man’s forearms deeply through his bracers
and even caused him to grunt in pain.
Derek ripped the spear out of his liver and cast Rejuvenation on himself.
Then he looked over at Thomas. “You should leave the room. It’s my turn.”
His fingertips began glowing blue as lightning flowed throughout his body.

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 10 MY TURN

“G o on,” Derek said to Thomas.

Thomas didn’t argue. He walked across the room, avoiding as
much blood as possible. Finally, he made it to the door, opened it,
and left.
Derek nodded once Thomas was gone. Looking at Shae, he asked,
“What’s your stance on not revealing any information about my skills other
than that they are good enough to pass for onyx?”
Shae frowned but answered. “I like to think everything I see in here is
confidential unless the Guild Leader directly asks me about it,” he said but
frowned even deeper. “I won’t lie to you. You’re a mystery, so I wouldn’t
doubt the Guild Leader asking me about you.”
Derek’s fingertips stopped glowing blue as his brows furrowed. “No
chance of you taking an oath or writing a contract, is there?”
Shae shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“That’s pretty shitty,” Derek said. “How is someone supposed to do this
without revealing their best skills? Especially when up against someone like
you.”
Shae laughed. “Oh, after that last showing, you’ve definitely passed.
Anything else is just entertainment.”
Derek snorted. He’d learned a lot during this test. Like, if Shae had
seriously been wanting to kill him, he could have hit Derek in the head or
the heart when he activated his last skill. Derek mentally put those at onyx
or above on his ‘kill quickly’ list. Surely, there would be assassins at that
rank as well. He’d have to be more careful than he had been.
 Savannah was supposed to be safe, but Derek still wasn’t completely
sure about that. He would have to make it a point to ask Natalie once he
could get a meeting.
Now, the question before him was, ‘should he stop here or keep going?’
To be honest, Derek wanted to continue. He hadn’t been pushed like this
since the first Void Beast he fought after arriving in Cydaria. He thought
back to the people who already knew about his abilities. Most of them were
under oaths. None of them knew exactly what they were, though. Except for
maybe Alanah, and she was not under oath.
“Your Guild Leader,” Derek said, pulling Shae’s attention back to him.
“Is he a good person?”
Shae didn’t hesitate even a second before nodding. “He’s a very decent
person. He’s somewhere around the top five strongest in the kingdom, so he
doesn’t answer to anyone.”
“But will he answer to someone?” Derek asked. “Like the king.”
Shae snorted. “That old fogie? I don’t even answer to him. Sure, he’s
also very strong in the kingdom and controls a powerful force, but for the
last decade, he’s been too hesitant to take any action against anyone at a
certain power level.”
Shae continued. “With your skills, it may be good to let some of them
be known. Strength is a pretty good way to wash a target off your back.”
Derek nodded. “Maybe, but I doubt it.”
Shae frowned. “Do you mind telling me who you offended?”
Derek laughed. “It’s not really a secret. I killed Gerald Torith’s son after
I found out he was involved with child trafficking. Though I would have
killed him either way,” Derek clarified.
Recognition flashed through Shae’s eyes. “That was you?” Then he
broke out in laughter. “That man really kicked a hornet’s nest, didn’t he?”
Then his tone got serious. “Do you have proof of the child trafficking?”
Derek shook his head. “No. When he admitted it, he broke an oath.
Afterwards, I killed him. I don’t even think he actually knew much. Only
enough to get sent to that backwater city and just that there should be no
link back to Gerald.”
“That’s a shame. I never liked the guy the few times we met. Always
seemed… off to me,” Shae answered. “I don’t do much work in the capital.
I prefer Savannah. Judy and I have built a pretty good life for ourselves
here.”
 Derek nodded. By the way they interacted with each other, even though
they were pretty formal, he had made that guess.
“Hmm… pissing off Gerald is definitely not something that some
strength would deter. Maybe if you were to meet the Guild Leader and
become a diamond-rank.” Then he shook his head. “No… You’re good but
not diamond-rank yet.”
Derek made his decision. “Keep everything between us unless
specifically asked by your Guild Leader. Sound good?”
Shae’s teeth showed with a feral grin. “That, I can agree to.”
“Have your skills cooled down?” Derek asked.
Shae’s smile got wider. “What cooldown?”
That surprised Derek. As far as he knew, all skills had some sort of
cooldown. He was very intrigued about the class the man across from him
had.
Derek slipped back into his meditation before the tips of his fingers lit
up again. Before making a move, he tossed Shae’s spear back to the man,
which he caught and nodded, then cast his skills again, including one he
hadn’t previously.
With that, Derek clapped, and the room filled with lightning. The
lightning slowed Shae down. Not a lot, but enough. The problem was that
Derek couldn’t move quickly when in meditation. So Derek ended his
meditation just before each attack from Shae. This allowed him to dodge
some of the blows and take less damage on the ones that connected.
At this point, both men were having tons of fun. Occasionally, a streak
of lightning would connect with Shae and cause wherever it hit to become
partially paralyzed for a short moment.
“Can you heal through another real attack?” Derek heard the voice
come from his side. Derek only smiled.
Apparently, Shae took his smile as a ‘yes.’ Soon, the same glow
appeared after the man sidestepped a couple streaks of lightning.
Just as the blow was about to connect, Derek stopped all skills and
slipped into the void with Void Shift. Everything stopped. When he looked
down, the tip of a projected spear was only a few inches from his abdomen,
and there were two more lagging just behind. Surprisingly, the projection
was still moving closer.
Derek reached for a ripple in the void and pulled himself to the side.
The whole time, he was looking at Shae’s face. Surprise couldn’t explain
what he saw. Shae’s eyes were slowly following Derek as he moved. The
man’s foot even began to pivot to the side that Derek had pulled himself to.
The biggest downside of Void Shift was the fact that Derek couldn’t
attack until he ended the skill. However, he had a plan for this occasion.
Derek reached out and grabbed the man’s spear just above his own
hands. He channeled what void he could into the blunt end and came out of
the void. With a light glow on the butt of the spear, he pushed forward, and
it lightly connected to Shae’s abdomen. A kidney for a kidney. Derek
thought.
Derek had suspected that the man’s skill that skewered him before was a
projected skill because of the speed at which all three attacks hit him. He
was correct. When Derek grabbed the shaft of the spear, the man had
already begun withdrawing it. All Derek had to do was give it a little force
to make it connect.
As the tip of the spear connected, Shae looked at Derek in shock. Then,
he raised his foot to take a step a vomited a mouthful of blood. His eyes
opened even wider as he stared Derek down. Derek still had the same smile
on his face.
With the way Derek used his skills, there was no real way for Shae to
figure out what happened. Sure, he was able to track Derek’s movement
while he was in the void, but Derek didn’t believe the man had even seen
the glow on the butt of the spear because he was too busy staring at Derek’s
body.
“What was that?” The man finally broke the silence.
“That was for me to know,” Derek answered.
“My kidney is gone, and I have damage in my stomach,” Shae said as a
red vial appeared in his hand, and he drank it. “Was that as hard as whatever
skill you just used can hit?”
Derek shrugged. “What do you think?”
“I doubt i—” Shae stopped as his eyes brightened in remembrance.
“When you hit me on the chest at the beginning?”
Derek chucked and bobbed his head in confirmation. “Can you survive
without a heart?”
Shae frowned. “Maybe,” he said, to Derek’s surprise. “You have to have
high endurance to move as quickly as I do,” Shae answered Derek’s
unasked question. “And you don’t get very far without at least some
vitality.”
 “I see.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t know. Never lost my heart before. At least now I
know that I can survive a kidney exploding after some minor lightning
damage.” Shae chuckled.
“That liver shot earlier was brutal,” Derek said. “Did more damage than
the first two strikes together.”
“At least you took some damage.” Shae laughed. “I think that’s enough
to confirm your onyx rank. I’m not sure about diamond, and I’m not even
going to ask you where you went for that split second.”
“Wait, what?” Derek asked. “What do you mean, ‘where I went?’”
Shae frowned. “You disappeared.”
“But you were tracking me,” Derek argued.
“I was tracking whatever ripple you were making.”
That was something new he learned about his skill. When he used Void
Shift, he actually disappeared into the void. That was useful knowledge.
“You’re the first person to track me. It was surprising. I hope you can keep
those last skills to yourself the best you can.”
“I already said I would, and I’m a man of my word.” Shae held his hand
out, and Derek accepted it.
“Now, let’s go get you a badge,” Shae said. “After that, I need a drink,
too. What do you think?”

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 11 ONYX

D erek frowned at the mention of a drink. The ale he had drank didn’t
do it for him. Of course, he didn’t actually need to drink it. He
laughed. “Sure, why not?”
Shae nodded and walked over to the wall with all the runes and
activated one. In an instant, a glow washed over the room, and all the dirt,
grime, and blood was washed away with it. It was as if the two had never
even been inside.
Derek made sure he was properly clean before throwing his original
clothes back on. Before leaving the room, Derek glanced at his gains.
Physical Resistance had increased to level 12, and he received a level in
Greater Meditation earlier.
Huh… Getting organs destroyed by a level 200+ spear master seems to
be the way to go if I want to increase my Physical Resistance skill. Derek
unconsciously ran his hand over his abdomen. Unfortunately, if I want to
increase my Unarmed Combat Mastery, I’m going to need to do better than
landing one punch. At least I got another level in Chain Lightning, he
thought as the skill was now at level 13.
Derek sighed. I need to find a way to train my void abilities better.
Looks like I’m going to need to get a list of dungeons from Shae.
Derek patted Shae, who was waiting by the door, on the back. “Let’s get
this badge situation over with.”
When the door opened, Thomas jumped in front of the pair and heaved
a heavy breath. “Oh, good. You’re both okay,” he muttered.
Derek tussled the boy’s hair. “Of course, we’re fine. We were only
sparring. I was just using an area attack, so I didn’t want it to hit you.”
 “Exactly,” Shae agreed. “We’re not brutes.”
Both Shae and Derek cracked up at the joke while Thomas eyed them
oddly.
Soon, they were sitting in another room, Shae across a table from
Derek. The Guild Master pulled a box out of his storage ring. After
injecting some mana into the box, it clicked and opened, revealing three
onyx badges inside.
“There aren’t many onyx-ranked adventurers,” Shae said. “So, we only
carry a few at a time, and they have to be stored properly, as well.” Shae
took one of the badges and placed it on the table. Then, he closed the box
and locked it with his mana, storing it afterward.
“Let me see your current badge,” Shae said.
Derek took the badge out of his storage ring. He hadn’t put it back on
after getting dressed. He then handed it to Shae.
Shae held the gold badge in one hand and the onyx badge in his other.
Then, both badges began to glow blue with mana. The glow lasted for more
than a minute. Finally, the glow on the gold badge dulled until it vanished,
and the glow on the onyx badge became more brilliant.
Soon, the gold badge crumbled into dust before Shae retracted his mana
from the onyx one. Shae slid the newly imprinted onyx badge towards
Derek. “I’ve transferred your mana signature from the gold badge to the
onyx badge,” he explained.
“Inject some mana into it to activate it,” Shae said.
Derek did as he was told. Instantly, the mana he injected was consumed,
and he was linked to the badge.
“Congratulations,” Shae said. “You are now an onyx-ranked adventurer.
I would suggest you always wear that badge. You’ll end up with a lot of
benefits, and there aren’t really any downsides. It’s a great way to keep
from being pestered by people, too. Who wants to risk offending someone
with an onyx badge?”
Shae then pulled out a small stack of papers before filling them out and
signing them. After a few minutes, he straightened the papers and stored
them. “I hate paperwork,” he said. “Judy usually does most of it, but I have
to personally do it when it’s related to a new onyx-ranked adventurer.”
“I see.” Derek placed the badge on his upper arm, wearing it in the same
fashion as Shae. “I guess it won’t hurt to keep this one on.”
 With that, the trio left the room and walked back to the lobby of the
Adventurer’s Guild. When they arrived back up front, the lobby was as full
as ever.
Judy noticed the trio coming out from where the door used to be. After
giving them a quick scan, her eyes fell on the newly placed badge on
Derek’s upper arm. Her eyes widened in shock, then quickly resumed their
normal appearance.
Shae and Derek walked up beside the woman. “We’re finished with our
tests. Mr. Hunt passed with flying colors,” Shae said.
“Did you…” Judy began.
“Yes, I’ve already filled out the paperwork and transferred his signature.
You don’t have to worry about that,” Shae answered.
Judy nodded before turning to Derek. “Mr. Hunt. I once again apologize
for my earlier display. Congratulations on becoming an onyx-ranked
adventurer. We at the guild look forward to all of your upcoming
accomplishments.”
Derek smiled. “No harm, no foul.”
“Now, Judes,” Shae said, causing the receptionist’s eye to twitch, “I’m
going to treat our new onyx adventurer to a drink. It’s the least I can do.”
“But your reports…” Judy began.
“Will still be waiting for me when I get back.”
Judy snorted and whipped her head back around. “Next,” she said,
ignoring Shae and Derek.
Shae looked at Derek with a grin. “Let’s go.”
Derek chuckled. “You’re going to be paying for that later.”
Shae shrugged. “I’m still paying for the last time.”
Derek just smiled and shook his head while following behind Shae.
As the trio left the guild, Derek noticed another trio approaching the
building. Two elven guards were leading a beautiful female elf.
The second the guards recognized Derek, they stopped dead in their
tracks.
“Why did you stop?” an annoyed voice chimed out from behind them.
The surprised guards did not answer the elf. Instead, their eyes were
drawn to the onyx badge on Derek’s arm and Shae.
“Have you met Sabrina Elras?” Shae asked in a quiet tone. “She is a
foreign dignitary from Indria.”
 Hearing another voice, the elven lady peeked out from the side of her
guard. Instantly, her eyes locked on to Derek, then fell to the ground. Her
face flushed red as she grabbed at her dress.
“We met before, in the City Building,” Derek answered, not bothering
to lower his voice. “She and her retinue were quite rude. Everything’s fine,
though. I took care of it.” Derek kept walking past the elven group. He
stopped just beside the female elf. “Milady,” he said, then continued
forward.
Shae hurried back to Derek’s side, and Thomas scurried after.
“What are you still standing there for?” Derek heard the shrill scream of
the lady behind him. “You’re both useless!”
Derek held back his chuckle as the elven trio vanished into the guild.
“That was… interesting,” Shae said.
Derek shrugged. “It is what it is. What’s so special about her, anyway?”
“Well… She’s a duke’s daughter, and the king of Indria’s niece,” Shae
answered.
“So, she’s a spoiled brat?” Derek asked.
Shae snorted. “Isn’t that exactly what I just said? Though she’s much
too old to be called a brat.”
“You can be a brat no matter your age, race, or gender.”
“True enough.”
“Now, you wanted to have a drink? Where?” Derek asked.
“Yup, I got just the place,” Shae answered before turning to Thomas.
“Sorry, kid. It’s not a place for kids.”
“I’ll see you back at the hotel later,” Derek said.
Thomas ducked his head but eventually answered. “I should check on
Brandi and the others anyway,” he replied.
Derek nodded. “Good idea. I’m sure I won’t be long.”
With that, the onyx-ranked pair split off from Thomas. Derek followed
silently behind Shae without making conversation.
Eventually, Shae brought Derek to a run-down-looking building close to
the edge of the city.
“Here we are,” Shae said. “Best drinks in the city.” He led them inside.
Derek scanned the room when they entered. It reminded him of an old-
fashioned saloon. Its image was the exact opposite of something from the
Crown. He ran his finger along one of the tables, and it came back covered
in dust.
 In the back were two rough-looking men slugging it out while others bet
coin on the winner. Derek shook his head.
“When you said the boy couldn’t come with us, I was expecting
something… different,” Derek said.
Shae slapped Derek on the back. “What do you mean? I’m a happily
married man. When I say I want a drink, I want a drink.”
“And this place has good drinks?” Derek asked with skepticism.
“The best,” Shae answered. “Now, let me show you.”
Shae led Derek to the bar, and they both sat on a stool. Derek looked
around for someone to serve them, but no one came. Soon, a loud cheer
came from the boxing match. Derek looked over to see one of the rough-
looking men sprawled out on the ground, while the other had his arm up in
victory.
At that time, a short, stout man broke off from the crowd and made his
way to the bar. Derek couldn’t tell if the man was a tall dwarf or a short
human. Maybe he’s a half-dwarf, he thought.
“About damn time, Roman,” Shae said.
“Zip it, lest I be out of your brew,” Roman said. “Now, who do we have
here?”

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 12 ROMAN

“R oman, this is Derek Hunt. I just gave him his onyx badge and
decided to treat him to a celebratory drink,” Shae said. “Derek,
this is Roman. A little halfling dipshit who is getting a little too
big for his britches.”
Oh, so they have halflings as well? This day keeps getting more and
more interesting, Derek thought as he watched the banter between the two.
“You’re calling me a dipshit? I wasn’t joking! No drinking today,”
Roman spat.
Shae waved the halfling off. “Yeah, right… you know you’re going to
cave. It’s too much money to go towards supporting your habit.”
The halfling ground his teeth but relented. “Fine! But you’re buying by
the jug!” He pulled a small jug out of his storage ring and slammed it on the
bar. Then, he slammed down two small shot glasses, not even half the size
of regular ones, that were surprisingly crafted from the same obsidian that
he had observed at the Crown Hotel.
“You sure your new friend can handle it?” The halfling eyed Derek up
and down. “I would hate to get on the bad side of an onyx.”
Shae slapped Derek on the back. “You’ll have no problems with him.”
The halfling nodded. “Good. Payment upfront.” He stuck his card out.
Shae grumbled but soon pulled out his bank card and transferred the
money. “Little runt.”
Roman clicked his tongue and walked back to the makeshift fighting
arena.
“Interesting guy,” Derek said. “Old friend?”
 “Something like that.” Shae reached up and grabbed the small jug to
pour them each a shot.
They both took one of the glasses and drained it. Derek didn’t know
what to expect, but he certainly didn’t expect what happened. Battery acid
was the only comparison Derek could think of as the liquid slid down the
back of his throat.
If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought the liquid took half
of his tongue down with it. He slammed the glass on the bar. “What the
fuck was that?”
Shae gave Derek a toothy grin. “It’s some good stuff, huh?”
“I don’t know about that. You could have at least warned me,” Derek
said as he watched his HP tick down faster than his innate healing could
bring it up. “Holy shit! Is it a poison or a venom or something?”
Shae’s grin got wider. “Nope, just a drink… one that actually works on
folk like us.”
“Folk like us? You mean people with a death wish?”
“Nope, people with a high enough endurance and vitality to drink it.
People who are past the stats that allow normal drinks to have any effect,”
Shae explained.
“So you’re saying that this will get us drunk?” Derek asked.
Shae snapped his fingers and pointed at Derek. “Exactly.” Then he
grumbled. “For 25,000 gold a jug, it better.”
“25,000 gold? For a jug that small?” Derek stared at the jug like it was a
priceless treasure. He picked it up. “It’s not even full!” There was less than
a liter of liquid in the small container.
“The prices we pay for luxury,” Shae said.
“Luxury, my ass,” Derek said. “I don’t even like being drunk.”
“You do today,” Shae said as he poured another drink.
Derek may have voiced his concern, but he still took the glass and
drained it, making sure not a drop of the liquid gold was left inside.
“So, what’s the dungeon situation like around here?” Derek asked.
“Depends on what you’re looking for.” Shae filled their glasses back up,
then pulled a map out of his storage ring. He straightened the map out over
the bar as they both took another shot.
Derek looked over the map and realized that there weren’t any markings
or a legend. “How is this supposed to help?”
“What level dungeons are you looking for?” Shae asked.
 “Level 50+,” Derek said. “I have other people with me who may want
to run a dungeon or two later.”
Shae nodded as he injected some mana into the map. Instantly, multiple
marks appeared, with the level written beside them.
“That’s cool,” Derek said. “Can you filter out the popular dungeons?”
Shae nodded, and over three-quarters of the dungeons disappeared.
“Nobody likes to run these dungeons. Either the monsters inside are too
hard, or the rewards aren’t any good,” Shae explained.
Derek nodded. That was exactly what he was looking for. Derek
examined the map. There were dungeons of every level after 50 remaining.
Finally, his eyes came across a level 170 Golem Dungeon. He pointed at it.
“Tell me about this dungeon.”
“The Golem Dungeon?” Shae asked, and Derek confirmed. “Well, it’s a
dungeon that rewards potions at the end. There’s a small chance of
receiving something amazing, but mostly it’s just health and mana potions,
with an occasional Resurrection Potion.”
“What about the Golems?” Derek asked.
Shae nodded. “It’s a five-level dungeon. The first floor has Water
Golems, the second has Fire Golems, the third has Wind Golems, the fourth
has Earth Golems, and the final area is the boss area. The first floor starts at
level 155, and the final floor ends at level 175,” he explained.
“The Golems are considered elite monsters. The only way to defeat
them is to destroy their cores. Otherwise, they just keep rebuilding
themselves,” Shae explained.
Derek nodded. “Seems like a good place to train your skills.”
“Maybe for a crazy person,” Shae said. “Contrary to popular belief,
these elite Golems aren’t slow. Even the level 155 Golems pack a punch.
My magic defenses aren’t the best in the world, so, even as I am now, I
would prefer not to be hit by it. Of course, I was already faster than they are
years ago when I stopped the overflow.”
“You stopped the overflow?” Derek asked.
Shae nodded. “Yeah. Nobody likes to run the dungeon, so it only ends
up completed when the guild sends the order down, which is always just
before the overflow happens.” Shae took another drink. “I was just under
level 170, so I decided to tackle the dungeon.”
“Alone?” Derek asked.
 Shae nodded. “That’s one thing you’ll find about onyx-ranked
adventurers,” Shae said. “We always end up pulling away from our parties
and running dungeons alone. You get to the point where you can complete a
dungeon easier by yourself than having to look out for others. There are
only a few situations where we come together for a dungeon, and that’s if
it’s completely unknown, extremely difficult, or the pay and reward are
worth it.”
“I can understand that,” Derek said.
“It happened to me at around level 150. I got a great class at level 100,
then the extra stats and skills started adding up, level by level, until I
outranked everyone in my party by a giant margin. My party members
started getting more daring because I was there to save them. They kept
pushing for harder and harder dungeons, even though they were barely able
to kill a single monster together.” Shae drained another shot.
“Judy saw what was happening and told the party off. Told them they
were only using me. After that, she left the party. We went on for a bit
longer. Finally, we lost Jeff. That opened my eyes, and I realized that Judy
was right,” Shae said.
“Sorry,” Derek said.
Shae waved him off. “It was bound to happen. I broke off from the
party, then. The Golem Dungeon was the third dungeon I did solo and the
first elite one.”
“I see.”
“It was easy,” Shae said. “My class was practically made for it. I was
fast and precise, and I went through the whole dungeon in less than an hour.
I was powerful enough to break a core in one hit and fast enough to dodge
any attacks. Of course, I was dancing on a tightrope the whole time,
dodging the core explosions. I’m sure I would have been finished if I got hit
one or two times. Luckily, I was out to prove myself, and I took my training
very seriously.”
Derek laughed as he took another drink. “I could tell. I couldn’t hit you
to save my life if it weren’t for my skills.”
Shae took another drink. “’Ere we go,” he slurred. “Whew!”
“Huh?” Derek asked.
“The brew,” Roman said as he walked back over, cleaning a mug with a
rag. “The toxins build up with each drink until one more takes you over the
edge, then BOOM! You’re shitfaced. I haven’t worked out how to make it a
slow build, yet.”
“I see. So no buzz, just straight-up drunkenness?” Derek asked.
“Nothin’ wrong wit’ that,” Shae said.
The halfling laughed. “Shae seems to like it.”
Derek frowned and took another drink, then another, then another. “I
guess it’s going to take more than the usual for me.” He took another three
drinks.
“Looks that way,” the halfling answered.
Shae took another drink as well before Roman took his shot glass away.
“That’s enough for you. Judy’s already going to kill you for buying a whole
jug. Better not risk blacking out.”
Derek held his hand out. “Give me the mug.”
Roman shook his head. “That shit will eat right through it.”
Derek sighed. It had been years since the last time he’d even had a buzz,
much less gotten drunk. He was sure he’d be fine if he did get drunk; plus,
he had Cure Toxin if he needed it. Not to mention the skill would probably
level.
Derek took the jug and tipped it up, taking two big gulps. His HP
rapidly diminished, but nothing else happened. “I guess it’s not strong
enough for me,” he said.
Roman clicked his tongue. “You’re the first.” He looked over to a now-
passed-out Shae and smiled. “He’s going to shit a brick when he realizes the
whole jug is almost gone, and he only got drunk once from it.”
“I guess you don’t have anything stronger.”
“Stronger than that? Nope. Never thought I’d need it. Would you drink
enough to cover the cost of me making it stronger?” Roman asked.
Derek snorted as he thought about the price of the previous jug. “Not on
your life.”
“Didn’t think so. I got plenty of customers for the onyx stuff. Shae’s
been good about introducing them to me.”
“How did you get into doing this, anyway? What made you want to
brew alcohol for high-level people?” Derek asked.
“Brew alcohol?” The halfling laughed. “You got it all wrong. I’m an
Alchemist.”
“Wait. What?” That made little sense to Derek. “Why would an
Alchemist own a bar that caters to high-level adventurers?” he asked.
 Roman put the now-clean mug away under the bar counter. He laughed.
“Easy. By complete accident,” he answered.
“Accident?” Derek asked.
“Yup. Back in the day, we”—Roman pointed between Shae and himself
—“used to run together. Came up together, actually. While Shae was busy
sticking his spear in everything that moved, and not in the fun way, I made
the potions that kept him and his team alive.”
“You see, I was never much of a fighter, so I was happy when the Great
System gave me the choice of a crafting class. Of course, Shae was
disappointed with me because he always wanted us to join the Adventurer’s
Guild together and move up the ranks, but it was a relief to me. That
asshole was… is a battle maniac, so he provided all the resources I needed
early on, which let me supply him with potions at cost,” Roman continued.
“Seems like a pretty good deal,” Derek said.
“It’s a great deal when it works. I know a ton of crafters who make the
same deal with adventurers. The problem is that either their craft stalls and
falls behind the adventurers, or the adventurers die or quit after some losses.
Not everyone has a friend as talented as Shae,” the halfling said. “Don’t tell
him I called him talented, by the way.”
Derek snorted. “I won’t,” he said. “That still doesn’t explain how you
ended up here and not at an alchemy shop.”
“No need to be impatient. I’m getting there,” Roman said. “You know
about his story?” he asked. “He usually doesn’t take that last shot to knock
him out… unless he’s reminiscing about the past.”
“Yeah. Basically, he outgrew his team, and they used him up until they
lost a member. Then he went at it solo,” Derek said.
Roman nodded. “That’s pretty much the gist of it,” he said. “Well, once
he reached a certain level, he became the perfect test subject.” Roman
grinned. “It’s nice to have someone with a vitality and endurance on your
side when you’re an Alchemist.”
Derek shuddered at the halfling’s grin. “What do you mean?”
“Well, the Great System is very helpful when it comes to identifying
most concoctions, but sometimes, you either make one that it has never
seen or the Great System chooses to limit the information it gives. I haven’t
figured out which one it is yet. You get back information like ‘Unknown
Health Potion’ or ‘Unknown Poison,’ stuff like that. Sometimes you get
even less information than that,” Roman explained.
 “Interesting,” Derek said.
“It is, but it also creates a problem. Sometimes, you create an ‘Unknown
Health Potion’ and you end up killing somebody. Like, it’s technically a
healing potion, but if the user happens to have a certain constitution, it ends
up being fatal. Well, the Great System doesn’t give the creator the full
information until the potion is tested… by an intelligent user of the system,”
Roman explained.
“That’s harsh,” Derek said.
Roman shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“So, you ended up making this ‘brew’ and Shae tested it?” Derek asked.
“Oh, heavens no,” Roman chuckled. “If he would have drunk what’s in
the jug back then, it probably would have killed him instantly. We were all
much weaker back then. I have perfected this brew over the years.
“No, Shae and his team had chosen a certain mission from the
Adventurer’s Guild back then. There was this dungeon that nobody liked to
complete because the monsters were a pain in the ass. They’re called
Nightmares. They wield darkness and have a pesky little debuff skill called
Fear,” Roman explained.
“Ah, yeah, that can be a pain in the ass for sure.” Derek had seen the
skill in action back on Earth. Just like some of the RPGs he played as a kid,
Fear affects the psyche and causes the target to have an unusual amount of
fear towards the caster, causing the target to make moves that they wouldn’t
usually or even try to run away in the middle of battle. Potions, buffs, or a
certain amount of wisdom were all counters to the skill. Of course, killing
the caster worked as well.
“Well, potions to counter the skill are never in high demand, so when
you do need it, it’s expensive,” the halfling said. “So, I heard about them
taking the mission and decided to create a potion to counter the skill.”
“Eventually, the potion I made had the description of ‘Unknown Buff
Potion.’ I thought I had done it, so I called Shae over to give it a test. Of
course, I also made proper preparations just in case it had unexpected
results. We had their healer on standby, along with multiple health potions
and antidotes,” he explained.
“So, we’re sitting in my lab talking about the potion and the upcoming
mission. Finally, Shae takes the potion and drinks it. For a second, nothing
happens, then… BANG!” Roman hit the counter, causing the glasses and
jug to shake. “Blood flies out of Shae’s mouth, ears, eyes… basically every
orifice. It was like an illusion brought upon by one of the Nightmares,
except it was real.
“We panicked. I grabbed the potions, and the healer channeled some
spells. Before we were able to do anything, Shae stopped us. The man was
half-dead and slurring his speech, talking about how great of a potion I had
made. He said, ‘What’s a little blood when a potion makes you feel this
good?’” Roman shook his head.
“After that, the information on the potion came through. It was called
‘Toxin of Courage.’ A fuckin’ toxin that left the user with a buff.” The
halfling laughed. “After that, Shae forced me to keep working on it until I
was finally able to get rid of the blood. Sure, it’s still a toxin, but at least it
doesn’t make a mess.”
Derek chuckled. “You literally made liquid courage.”
Roman’s eyes brightened. “Liquid Courage! What a name. We’ve
always called it and all the lesser versions the ‘brew.’ I may steal that for
my next updated brew.”
“Go ahead,” Derek said.
“The thing is, it’s a pretty expensive potion to make. Even more so
when I need to make it for higher-level people. But I control the market on
it,” the halfling explained. “You asked me why I don’t have an alchemy
shop… well… I do!”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Roman confirmed. “I run this bar to get the money to run
experiments and create new potions.” The halfling’s eyes brightened when
he talked about creating potions.
“Ah, so your unique potion allows you to do what you love,” Derek
said.
“Exactly!” Roman said. “And with Shae bringing in high-level
adventurers occasionally, the really expensive stuff sells out easily. I don’t
have to rely on any rich bastards to fund my experiments because of it.
Most Alchemists—hell, most crafters in the kingdom—are beholden to
someone else. My brew provides me with everything I need.”
“That’s great!” Derek said.
Roman seemed to be really excited when talking about the process.
“Even when there’s an ingredient that money can’t buy, I can usually trade
for it with some of my brew. Or I can do a three-way trade with it. The
seller of the ingredient may not want my brew, but they may want
something that Shae or some other customer has.”
Derek nodded. “So, getting a drink with a new onyx adventurer is
basically a scheme to get you more business?”
Roman waved Derek off. “It’s nothing as sinister as that. I mean… well,
that might happen, but it’s in everybody’s favor. I get a new customer, the
customer gets a free drink, and Shae gets a referral fee… it’s a win-win-
win.
“Well, it’s usually a win-win-win.” Roman sighed. “Sometimes, people
don’t like to drink. Twice now, the brew hasn’t affected a person, and
neither you nor the other person like it enough to justify the price of me
upgrading my formula.”
“Oh. There was someone other than me that didn’t get drunk?” Derek
asked.
“Yeah, the leader of the Adventurer’s Guild. You two are monsters.
Shae is going to be terribly disappointed when he wakes up. He’s not going
to be getting his referral fee to help pay for that jug of brew he bought this
time.” Roman snickered. “Judy’s going to kill him. I wish I could see it.”
“Well, I’m sorry about my monster-like constitution,” Derek said, “but I
may be interested in some of your other alchemy products. I wouldn’t mind
having a look.”
“That’s fine with me. It’s called ‘Roman’s Potions and Brews.’” The
halfling smiled.
“You really like using that word,” Derek said.
“Well, it made me who I am today. It’s my good luck charm. Liquid
Courage may sell and sound better, but it’s always going to be my brew.”
Derek laughed. “No sense trying to fix what ain’t broken.”
“Damn straight,” Roman agreed.
Derek looked over at the snoring Shae. “You think he would be mad if I
cut his nap short?”
Roman snorted. “Probably. What do you have in mind?”
“Well, you said your brew was a toxin. Right?” Derek raised his hand
and prepared Cure Toxin. Shae had tried to trick him into becoming a
customer in his little scheme. Sure, he was going to be hurting after the
price of that jug, but he might as well take it a small step further.
Roman laughed. “Go ahead.”
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 13 FAST FRIENDS

W ith the Cure Toxin skill activated, Derek slapped the back of the
sleeping Guild Master. His skill was still at a low level, so it
didn’t have immediate effects. He waited for the cooldown to
finish and used it again.
After the second hit, Shae woke up in a drowsy state. He was still drunk
but no longer passed out. The man looked around with confusion in his eyes
before Derek hit him again. The third hit did it. His previously glazed-over
eyes became sharp, and his confusion disappeared.
“What the hell, man?” Shae called out.
“Just wanted to sober you up before you had to go home,” Derek said.
“Yeah, it won’t be any fun for Judy to lay into you while you’re drunk.
It’s better for you to take the beating sober,” Roman said.
“What beating?” Shae asked.
Roman snorted. “The beating you are going to get once she finds out
how much you paid for a jug of brew and that you aren’t going to make any
of it back with your typical referral fee.”
Shae looked at Derek. Derek shrugged. “It’s not my fault that it doesn’t
have any effect on me,” he said. “You took a gamble and lost. It’s a shame,
huh?”
“Such a shame,” Roman agreed.
Derek reached over and grabbed what was left of the jug of brew. Only
around a quarter of it remained in the jug. He held it up to his mouth and
turned it up, polishing off every last drop. The large amount of the toxin put
a dent in his HP, but it wasn’t enough to warrant any intervention.
 Derek slammed the jug down and let out a breath. He turned to look at a
shocked Shae. “See, no effect. Nothing at all. I’ve drunk over half of an
entire jug by now, and I’m still stone-cold sober. It’s a pity.”
Roman burst out laughing at Derek’s antics. “What a pity.” He looked at
Shae. “I have an idea, Shae. Why don’t you order another jug full, and we
can let Derek drink the whole thing and see if it works on him? Who
knows, he may become addicted and end up being a customer? That way,
you will get your referral fee.”
Shae was blankly staring at the empty jug sitting on the counter in front
of them. “Why?” he asked in a low voice. “Why did you have to drink the
whole thing?”
Derek slapped him on the back again, this time without any active
skills. “Well, you tried to set me up by getting me hooked on this brew, so I
decided to take a little revenge. Besides, what’s a little prank between
friends?”
“That’s right! We’re all friends here,” Roman chimed in. “I have to
thank you for introducing me to Derek. We became fast friends while
waiting for you to finish taking a nap.”
Derek reached over the counter to Roman, and the halfling clasped his
hand and pulled him in. It was awkward, as there was a counter between the
two of them. Also, if the floor wasn’t higher on the opposite side, Derek
doubted Roman would even be able to see over it, much less enact a
makeshift shoulder hug. Still, they got it done.
“That’s right. Fast friends,” Derek said as they broke their awkward
embrace.
Shae put his hand on his forehand and shook his head. “Judy is going to
kill me,” he said. “Why did you let things go so far?”
Roman placed his hand on his chest and gasped, offended. “Whatever
do you mean? I’ve just been playing along with your plan all this time. How
was I supposed to know that Derek wouldn’t be affected by it?”
Shae snorted. “Whatever. You can find somebody else to test your
potions from now on.”
Derek raised his hand. “I’ll do it.”
Both men looked at Derek, surprised.
“What? It sounds interesting. I mean, I won’t do it for free, but I have
something else in mind for that. Plus, with my constitution, you won’t have
to take as many precautions as before,” Derek explained.
 Roman’s eyes lit up. “I have just the poison… ahem… potions that you
could help test. I’ve been afraid that they would be too much, even for
Shae, so I haven’t tried them out. Plus, with that skill you used to sober
Shae up, it will be even more helpful.”
Derek nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”
Shae cut in. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait… I was just messing around.
I’ll still test your potions for you. Just increase the amount of brew for me.
In fact, how about I clear my guild schedule and test all this week?” Then,
in a conspiratorial tone, he said, “That way, I won’t have to tell Judes that I
spent all that gold on an empty jug. I can show her a full one.”
Roman laughed. “I think she’ll be more offended at you not doing your
job than spending some coin on some brew. Taking a week off? Do you not
cherish your balls?”
Shae furrowed his brows and frowned. “You’re right. Maybe I could get
by with taking another day off if I work late tonight. I’ll tell her I’m
showing the new onyx adventurer around the city. He’s important enough.
What do you say?” he pleaded with Derek.
Derek shook his head. “I think it would be best for you to come clean to
your wife. The longer you drag it out, the deeper of a hole you’re digging
yourself. Besides, apparently, you won’t miss anything with the testing. I’ll
be testing these ‘poisons’ that you wouldn’t be asked to test to begin with.
I’ll leave the regular stuff to you so you don’t miss out.”
Shae let out a defeated sigh. “You’re right. I can never hide anything
from that woman. She knows me too well, and I’m a terrible liar. Her damn
class gives her a stupid amount of attention to detail.”
Derek patted Shae on the back one last time. “Happy wife, happy life.”
He quoted the cheesy line he’d heard so many times back on Earth.
“Happy wife, overworked husband.” Shae snorted. “Overworked but
still happy, I guess.”
“That’s the spirit,” Roman said. “Now, about buying another jug.”
“Fuck off!” Shae shouted, then stormed out the bar.
“How rude!” Roman laughed as he picked up the already clean mug and
started polishing it again. “It was nice to meet you. Don’t forget about the
testing,” he said to Derek. “Now, I have to go make sure those idiots don’t
destroy more shit than they can pay for.” The halfling walked away from
the counter and back to the makeshift fighting arena in the back of the bar.
 Derek waved to Roman. “Don’t worry. I’ll swing by your alchemy shop
sometime tomorrow. Or the next day at the latest.”
Derek smiled and looked at the empty jug. Maybe I went too far, he
thought before shrugging it off. No… he’s a big boy, he can handle it. Derek
cast a quick Rejuvenation and Cure Toxin on himself to dispel any lingering
effects of the brew.
Derek stood from the barstool and dusted off his black shirt where it had
caught dust from the bar during the odd hug he had given the halfling.
Today was a pretty interesting day. I guess I’ll go see what the others were
up to all day. I’m sure they’re fine. They had Silvi with them, and she hasn’t
tried to communicate with me all day.
With that thought, Derek left the seedy bar and headed back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, Derek looked around the lobby to see if any of his
party members were having dinner. Derek winced when he thought about
that. Thomas was the only person he had given any gold to. The others had
spent the entire day penniless, in a city all about trade and commerce. Plus,
they had Silvi, a veritable black hole when it came to food.
Jacks probably has gold of his own, and I’m sure someone as sly as
Rudy would do fine, he thought, but he still hated that he forgot about Rayna
and the others. Finally, he shook it off and went upstairs to their rooms to
see if they were there. They probably spent the whole day holed up in their
rooms because all they could do was window shop.
When he got to their floor, he saw Jacks leaning against the wall outside
their rooms.
“You on guard duty or something?” Derek asked.
Jacks smiled when he saw Derek. “Nope, just waiting for you. Dinner’s
ready, and Mal wanted to wait until you got here before we all ate.”
Derek was taken aback. “Really?”
Instead of answering, Jacks knocked on the door beside him, and
Thomas opened it. “He’s here,” the boy said after turning his head around to
shout in the room.
Derek followed Jacks into the women’s room and looked around. It was
a little cramped but still large enough to fit the whole party inside, at least
for a gathering or meal. If needed, they could all cram inside and sleep
even.
 With Derek and Jacks inside, Malorie began divvying out plates and
eating utensils before placing steaming food on each one. Everything she
put on the plates came out of her storage ring.
Derek looked down at the food, then back up at Brandi, Rayna, and
Mal. “So, what exactly did you all do today? I just realized I forgot to leave
you with any gold. I’m sorry about that.”

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 14 DEBRIEFING

E veryone’s day wasn’t as bad or rough as Derek had suspected. The

girls all woke up late and barely made it down in time for breakfast.
According to Brandi, they had to fight hard for the hotel to recognize
Silvi as a guest and not just a pet.
The hotel staff refused to let Silvi have her own breakfast initially. It
took the bunny pulling out two of its few remaining communication crystals
and talking to the staff herself for them to allow it. However, after the
confusion was cleared up, news of Silvi was spread to the rest of the hotel
staff, and it shouldn’t happen again.
After breakfast, they went out and walked around the city for most of
the day. They basically window-shopped since they didn’t have enough
money to buy much of anything. The three had barely ever seen any city,
much less one as big as Savannah.
According to Rayna, who was the most observant of the bunch, most of
the residents who saw them were nice enough, though there were a handful
that stared at them in disgust as though they were offended that villagers
dressed as them were breathing the same air.
Derek nearly facepalmed at hearing that. Before he left Torith, he had
visited a shop and bought the women a bunch of clothes, mostly for travel,
but they still looked much better than the village garb they were all
wearing. Also, Brandi was more worried about making Derek shirts when
she could than updating the clothing they were all wearing.
Derek walked over to one of the empty beds, and while holding his food
in one hand, he reached over with the other and dumped the clothes he
bought for them on the bed. He also put the clothing he had looted from
Katrisha on the bed as well. Most of it looked rather expensive and quite
beautiful.
He placed the dead woman’s undergarments in another pile and said,
“Burn those.” Afterwards, he went back to the group and sat on the floor.
“I’m sorry that it slipped my mind I had bought you all some new
clothes before I left Torith. I was preparing to give them to you as traveling
clothes, but the Katrisha incident happened, and I completely forgot that I
was carrying them,” Derek apologized.
Brandi ran over to the bed and started going through all the clothes. She
was giddy with excitement. The classes she had worked on the most were
Leatherworking and Tailoring, so clothing was her thing.
Before long, the girl came back to her senses and resumed her meal
with the rest of the bunch.
“What do you think?” Derek asked her.
“A lot of it is too big, but I should be able to fix that easily enough,”
Brandi replied. “The pretty clothes should fit Mom almost perfect. To fit
Rayna, I will need to let it out in a few places,” she said, matter-of-factly.
Rayna and Mal both blushed a little but didn’t comment.
“Okay, so what else happened today?” Derek asked.
The group continued eating while recounting their day. Nothing overly
exciting had happened to them. They came back to the hotel and enjoyed
the lunch that Mal had already prepared before going back out and
exploring more of the city.
Rayna told an interesting story about what she called a ‘spoiled elf
maiden’ commanding all those around her and throwing a fit when
something she didn’t like happened. Derek was sure it was the same elf he
encountered multiple times throughout the day. It was hard to miss her.
Finally, the group came back to the hotel and waited for Derek to get
back.
“By the way, I don’t have much more food prepared. Maybe enough for
three more days—five if we stretch it. We have plenty of ingredients but no
place to use them, and I’m not about to start a fire in the middle of this hotel
room or the street,” Malorie explained.
Derek nodded. “I had some thoughts about that as well,” he said. “I
bought… well, technically rented a plot of land today. It’s where I will put
the building, and where we will live in the city, as well as do business. I’m
hoping the builders work fast, and we will be able to have all the living
functions of the building in a few days.
“I don’t think I need to care too much about aesthetics. I plan to make
the design simple and easy to build. Just a two-story building with a
basement. The top floor will be used for our personal things. I’m thinking
of nine small bedrooms on one side. Then, a kitchen, dining room, and two
bathrooms on the other,” Derek continued.
“That sounds good,” Mal said. “Once the kitchen is complete, Silvi and
I can cook and save a lot by not having to go out to eat.”
Derek nodded. “I’ll try to have the kitchen furnished before anything
else,” he said. “Now, for the first floor, we’ll just go with an open-floor
design with a counter at the side—like one of the shops I visited today.
We’ll have any products we sell out in the open. That may change based on
Brandi, but I think it will be good for now.” Derek took his last bite of food
and set his plate down.
He looked over at Rudy. “How big of a space do you need for your
contract store?”
Rudy looked up in thought. “Not very big. Just enough for a place to
work and a few seats for customers. It doesn’t take me long to create
contracts.”
Derek nodded. “Okay, I’ll make it about the size of a bedroom or two
and go from there.”
Finally, Derek looked over at Brandi. “Now, for your crafting space.”
He got her attention. “I think I’m just going to go with a fully open area,
and you can arrange all your tools and things as you need. I’ll install some
basic runes to keep the air clean and at a decent temperature, and then some
lights so you can see what you’re doing.”
“Okay!” Brandi said with a glimmer in her eyes. “What about the
crafting stuff? I have a lot of material but nothing to work with.”
Derek smiled. “Well, I’m going to put everything you need for
Blacksmithing in first. I already bought you a set of smithing tools today.”
He bent forward and dumped out all the hammers, tongs, and other
smithing tools he bought. “Once the smithy part is up and running, you can
start making your own tools and crafting gear. I’ll check my finances at the
end of the month, then give you gold so you can buy any materials you
need for it. You’ll have to keep track of the expenses yourself.”
Brandi nodded seriously.
 “I’ll go and run some dungeons and bring you whatever materials I
obtain while doing so,” Derek said. “Also, I found an interesting Alchemist
today. I want you to come and meet him with me either tomorrow or the
day after. Maybe he can give you some tips. I’ll try to find some books for
Runesmithing as well, but I don’t know how much they will cost.”
“I know some basic runes,” Brandi said. “When I took my class, I ended
up with all kinds of basic information about different crafts. It’s… hard to
sort through what I know. There’s just so much.”
Derek laughed. “That’s to be expected. I can’t even believe that a class
like that even exists. To be frank, I’m jealous.”
Brandi smiled. “I’ll do my best.”
Derek turned to Jacks. “The shop is definitely going to need a guard or
two, and you have the experience and power. So, if you don’t mind, I would
like you to do that. Of course, we’ll work out the pay and time off. You
definitely need to see your son if possible. There should be enough room
for him to stay with us if he decides to visit. I know he’s probably busy.”
The scarred man smiled. “Hopefully, he gets back to me soon.”
Finally, Derek looked over at Rayna. “I’m not sure about what you want
to do. I figure Mal will help out around the shop and help Brandi, but what
about you? What do you want?”
“I want to get stronger,” Rayna said with a spark in her eyes. “I don’t
want to feel helpless like I did in the village ever again.” She clenched her
fist.
“You should join the Adventurer’s Guild first,” Derek suggested. “You
already have a decent quality class, so you will be stronger than most once
you gain some more levels.”
“I planned on doing just that,” Rayna agreed.
“The problem is how to get levels safely. It’s hard for me to trust
random teams from the guild. Especially with what happened to Thomas in
Torith.” Derek ran through different options in his head before settling on
one.
“Jacks, would you mind helping Rayna get to level 100 or so? You
know, keep her safe while she kills things. I’m sure there are plenty of areas
around the city she could level in,” Derek asked.
“I’m fine doing whatever you need,” Jacks answered. “It should be fun
adventuring again, even if it is just to protect Rayna.”
 “Great, I’ll talk to Shae—Savannah’s Adventurer’s Guild Master—later.
I’m sure he has a map of grinding areas.”
“You met the Guild Master?” Jacks asked.
Derek nodded. “Yeah. He’s a decent fellow. I sparred with him as a test
to receive this.” He pointed out the badge on his upper arm.
“That’s… onyx!” Jacks muttered.
“Yes. Yes, it is.”
“I didn’t think you could rank up to onyx here. How did you manage
that?” Jacks asked.
“The Savannah Guild Master is onyx-ranked, and when he’s here, he
can issue the test. I doubt he does that very often, though, even if there were
more people ready to rank up,” Derek explained.
Jacks leaned back and sighed. “I knew you were quite a bit stronger
than me, but I didn’t think you were that much stronger.”
Derek waved him off. “You would probably be at least onyx if it
weren’t for your circumstances these last few years.”
Jacks gave a self-deprecating smile. “Maybe…” he said. “But we’ll
never know at this point.”
Derek shrugged. “You’re plenty young enough to keep going. I’m
certainly not going to do anything to hinder your advancement. You may
choose to guard the shop once it’s up, but if you feel like adventuring, you
only have to let me know so I can make other arrangements. Besides,
Savannah is supposedly a peaceful city.”
Jacks nodded. “Thanks.”
Finally, Derek looked back towards Malorie. “Was I right to assume you
wanted to help out around the shop?”
Malorie nodded. “I’m not letting Brandi out of my sight for a good long
while.”
Derek nodded. “I would suggest you spend whatever skill points you
have remaining on some general skill to level. I noticed you seem to have
much more fun cooking and looking after Brandi than you do hunting and
fighting.”
“Is it that obvious?” she asked.
“Not necessarily,” Derek replied. “Back at the village, hunting was
something you had to know how to do in order to survive and provide for
your family. Now, you don’t have to worry about that. You haven’t hit level
50 yet, so there is plenty of time to change your class to something you
enjoy. But, like I was saying, you should level some other skills that you are
fond of so you have a chance to receive a decent class.”
Malorie agreed with Derek. “That sounds fun. Silvi and I make a good
team when it comes to cooking. We can learn and level the skill up
together.” She smiled when Silvi hopped over into her lap.
“That’s great,” Derek said. Before he came to Savannah, he had
promised Silvi to look into getting her a place in the kitchen in the Crown
Restaurant. However, Silvi seemed to be looking forward to having her own
kitchen more than anything else.
“I’ll see if I can find some more recipes for the two of you to share.
Also, don’t feel bad about experimenting with your own recipes. Who
knows, you may end up creating something delicious.” Derek smiled
widely. She was, after all, Silvi’s beautiful, delicious lady.
Derek clapped his hands. “Alright, we all have plans now. All that’s left
is to actually get them done.”
“What about Thomas?” Brandi asked.
Derek looked over at Thomas, who was slightly blushing now that he
was the center of attention. “Well, Thomas is going to be training his ass off
for the foreseeable future. He happened to catch the eye of the Guild
Master.”
“That’s so awesome!” Brandi squealed.
Thomas smiled shyly as he looked at her. “Thanks.”
“He’s also planning on enrolling in the academy here in a few months,”
Derek informed.
“So cool!” Brandi jumped up and down in excitement for the boy. “Do
your best!”
“I’ll try my hardest,” Thomas said. “I’ll also come back to visit
whenever I can.”
“We still have a long time before any of that happens,” Derek said. “We
just have to focus on the day-to-day right now and try to build something
for ourselves. Got to have a place Thomas can always come back to.” Derek
smiled.
Everyone in the room nodded seriously. All of them had a gleam in their
eyes when he mentioned that it was for everyone.
Derek stood. “Alright. We all have our plans. I’m going to go get some
rest. I know it’s not too late, but I have a big day tomorrow.” He looked at
Thomas. “Could you give me the room card?”
 Thomas gave Derek the card and he left. He walked over to his own
room and opened the door before returning and tossing the card back to
Thomas. “Have a good night.”
Once he was inside his room, he headed straight for the bathroom. The
bath he took the previous night was fresh in his memory, and he needed
another. It wasn’t long after that he was sitting on his bed, meditating. He
did so for a while before finally going to sleep.

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 15 MATERIALS

T he next morning, Derek awoke to the sight of Thomas already out of

bed. All the regenerating from the previous day must have tired Derek
out if the boy was waking up before him. Derek laughed and sat up.
“You going to the guild today?” he asked.
Thomas nodded. “Right after breakfast.”
“Don’t let this opportunity slip,” Derek said, seriously.
“I won’t,” Thomas said as he finished dressing.
Derek completed his morning routine, and the two left the room
together. Surprisingly, the whole group was already waiting for them in the
hallway.
“How long have you been up?” he asked.
“Not long,” Rayna replied as she yawned. “We just came out.” She
motioned to Mal, Brandi, and Silvi.
Derek looked at Jacks.
“A couple hours,” the man answered before Derek even asked. “I’ve
never slept much.”
Derek smiled. “I see… Shall we go for breakfast? I think I saw a table
or two that were big enough for all of us.”

Towards the end of breakfast, Rayna spoke. “I’m going to join the
Adventurer’s Guild today. The sooner I get it done, the better.”
Derek nodded. “I agree.”
“I’ll come with you,” Jacks offered, and Rayna graciously accepted.
Then, turning to Derek, he said, “I’ll see if I can find a map of locations and
dungeons. It’s best not to bother the Guild Master.”
 Derek chuckled. “Well, if you can’t, just let me know.” He held his hand
over the table and dumped out a bunch of gold. He didn’t have a lot of free
gold, most of it was on his card, but there was enough to give each member
some walking-around money. “Take some gold each. I don’t want you to be
broke again today.”
“I have all I need already.” Jacks refused to pick any up.
Thomas and Brandi didn’t stand on ceremony. They both grabbed a few
handfuls and moved them to their storage rings. However, nobody else did.
Derek looked at them. “What?”
“We’ll be with you today, so we don’t need any,” Mal said, looking
sharply at Brandi.
Derek rolled his eyes. “Just take it. Either that or I’m leaving it on the
table as a tip. Either way, I’m not picking it back up.”
Finally, everyone but Jacks took some of the gold. It made Derek feel a
little better.
Derek stood. “Alright. I’m off to the Employment Center. If you plan on
coming with me, let’s go. Everyone else, I’ll see you later.”
Malorie, Brandi, Silvi, who was being held by Brandi, and Rudy all
followed after Derek.
Noticing Rudy behind him, Derek spoke. “Oh, you’re coming with us
today?”
Rudy nodded. “You’ll be hiring people, right?”
Derek nodded. “Most likely.”
“That’s great!” Rudy said. “It will be an opportunity to make some
contracts… unless there is an official way to do it.”
“Good point,” he said as they made their way.
Soon, they walked inside a room oddly similar to the Adventurer’s
Guild lobby. I guess it’s the same thing with missions and stuff. Why fix
what ain’t broken? It was still early in the morning, so the center was quite
empty.
Instead of going straight to the counters, Derek headed over to look at
one of the job boards. After reading the first few job descriptions, he
realized the exact purpose of the board.
Most of the requests offered a rather low payment. Derek figured that
the only workers who would take on the requests on the board would be
those new to their professions or those in dire need of some quick money.
He could nearly guarantee that no high-level workers were going to take
such basic requests for such small payments.
As he was thinking this, the door opened and a young dwarf walked in.
He, too, went straight to the job board. When Derek glanced at him, he
noticed that the dwarf was going through the requests much more seriously
than Derek did.
Derek kept his eyes on the dwarf. Soon, the dwarf’s eyes widened, and
he ripped one of the requests off the board. Derek snuck a quick peek at the
request and noticed it was for ten sets of basic daggers. The poster provided
the material, and any extra daggers would be bought at a small price.
Before the dwarf went to the counter with the request, Derek spoke up.
“You a beginner Blacksmith?”
The young dwarf looked up at Derek. “Yes, sir.”
Derek smiled. The dwarf couldn’t be too much older than Thomas or
Brandi. “Requests that provide the materials are a good way to level up,
huh?”
The dwarf nodded fiercely. “That’s why I come so early every morning.
If I don’t, they will all be gone.”
Derek nodded. “Good luck. You better get to it.”
“Thanks, sir.” The dwarf bobbed his head and ran over to one of the
counters.
Derek watched the interaction between him and the man behind the
counter. The young dwarf was all joy when he walked out of the building. I
wonder what happens if he fails to craft the weapons and uses the
materials.
Derek put those thoughts out of his head and walked over to a different
counter than the one the dwarf used. Before he even made it to the counter,
three more people came inside and rushed over to the job board.
When he arrived at the counter, a halfling woman with a pair of black-
rimmed glasses and black hair in a ponytail looked up at him. “How can I
help you today?”
Derek flashed the woman a smile. “I’m looking for some Builders and
Runesmiths. Hopefully, ones who are available and who work quickly.”
The woman nodded and began flipping through a thick book. “Let me
see who is available.”
The halfling woman continued through the thick book before stopping
and finally looking up. “Would you prefer an all-in-one company that has
everything, including Builders and Runesmiths? Or would you just like to
look at both occupations separately?”
Derek frowned. “Uh… both, I guess.”
The woman nodded. “Is your request a large one?”
Derek nodded. “I plan on constructing a new building.”
The halfling closed the book and smiled. “Please follow me to the
back.”
Derek shrugged and followed the woman out the back and to a small
room. Malorie, Rudy, and Brandi followed behind.
“Have a seat, all of you. Someone will be with you in a moment. I must
get back to my station.” The halfling excused herself, then walked out and
closed the door behind her.
Derek waited a short while before another woman walked through the
door. She was a cheery woman with golden blonde hair.
“Hello,” the woman greeted them all with a large smile. “I’m Wendy.
I’ll be helping the four of you today.”
Derek stood. “Thank you, Wendy.”
The woman nodded and sat, dropping the same book on the table
between them. “Okay, so I hear you are looking for a contractor to build an
entire building and facilities. Is that correct?”
Derek nodded. “Yes, it will be for both business and residential in one.”
Wendy nodded and placed her hand on the book in front of her. The
book glowed for a moment, then stopped. “And you are only looking for
contractors who are available immediately?”
“Yes, either today or tomorrow at the latest,” Derek confirmed.
Wendy injected the book with mana again.
Derek was intrigued by what she was doing. “What are you doing when
you do that? Injecting your mana, that is.”
Wendy smiled. “I’m sorting through all the listings in the book. Moving
the ones that meet your requirements to the front, while shuffling the others
to the back.”
“That’s convenient,” Derek said.
Wendy nodded. “Do you have the material readily available?”
Derek shook his head. “No, I was hoping the contractor would provide
that.”
“Do you know what material you would like?” she questioned.
“No.”
 “Would you like to look at a list or just wait for the meeting with the
contractor?”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing a list. It would be good to learn a bit about
materials.”
Wendy pulled a piece of paper out of her storage ring and handed it to
Derek. “This list has all the most common building materials and their
average price per basic building. As all materials have different weights or
shapes, it is hard to compare prices otherwise.”
Derek nodded as he moved his gaze to the list. He looked at the
description of the ‘basic building.’ It was a single-floor, 500 sq ft building.
It was a good enough example for Derek to get the general price of the
materials he was going to end up having to buy.
The list included different stones, ores, woods, and other types of
building materials. At the bottom of the list was the Dragon-Formed
Obsidian that the Crown Hotel was built with. After viewing the price, he
immediately adverted his eyes to something else. 50,000 gold for a single
small building. And that doesn’t include the cost of actually building it, just
the materials needed.
With that visual, he started thinking about what it must have cost
Alanah to build her hotel and restaurant in the material. The thought was
staggering. Derek immediately crossed the Dragon-Formed Obsidian off his
list of possible materials.
The obsidian stuck out like a sore thumb. Nothing else on the list was
even close to the cost of the material. The next expensive was wood from a
Bone Willow tree. Still, it was only half the cost of the obsidian.
“Is it possible to mix and match materials?” Derek suddenly asked.
“Of course. That’s usually the preferred method as sometimes it’s harder
to get large quantities of rare materials, and not many people need the same
defense on the inside as they do on the outside,” Wendy answered as she
watched him study the list.
Derek nodded. He would go with a type of stone for the entire basement
and foundation. Then, he wanted to choose a nice wood for the rest. Derek
had a little more than 20,000 gold to his name, so he would need to watch
his spending.
“Do any of the other materials have a problem holding paint? Like the
Dragon-Formed Obsidian,” Derek asked.
“No. That particular type of obsidian is special,” Wendy answered.
 Derek’s eyes moved up the list, towards the less expensive materials.
“How does the Pixy Yew look?”
To his surprise, the woman pulled a small piece of lumber out of her
ring and placed it on the table. It was a dark piece of lumber with a slight
blue sparkle to it. In Derek’s mind, it was quite nice.
“Why is it so inexpensive?” Derek asked. “Is it that much worse than
the other types?”
Wendy shook her head. “No, but the sparkling blue tends to keep buyers
from it.”
“Why is that? It doesn’t seem too bad to me.”
“You are looking at a piece that has been kept in the dark for a long
time. The longer it absorbs the sun, the brighter it sparkles. It makes it hard
to sleep when your room is bright. Also, even in the day, it will cause the
light, both natural and unnatural, to have a blue tint to it,” she explained.
“So, can’t you just paint over the wood on the inside?” Derek asked.
She shook her head. “It’s not that easy. You can paint over it, but,
depending on the paint, the light will eventually bleed back through. People
find that it’s too much trouble to paint their buildings so often. Also, it
doesn’t do well in residential areas because of how bright it can become.”
“If it wasn’t for all that, where would you place it on the list?” Derek
asked.
“The strength and durability could place the Pixy Yew somewhere
around… Sun Oak,” she answered after a few moments of thinking.
Derek looked over the list and was surprised to see the Sun Oak close to
the bottom of the list. “That’s one of the best woods on here.”
“It is,” she agreed. “The supply of Pixy Yew is so abundant that its price
has fallen to what it is. As of right now, it is only used by some crafters to
make decorative weapons or items.”
Derek nodded. The cost of the Pixy Yew was 650 gold. If he used it
both for the first and second floors, it would cost him maybe 6,000 gold. He
would find a way to use it. Derek found a more durable stone for the
basement. Hopefully, it would hold up to any explosions or wear and tear
that Brandi may cause.
“Do you have a piece of the Bola Stone?” Derek asked.
Wendy nodded and placed a dark gray piece of stone out of her ring. It
looked like a slightly darker concrete.
Derek picked up the piece. “What would I owe you if I crushed this?”
 Wendy narrowed her eyes. “Why would you need to do that?”
“To test the durability.”
She glanced at the onyx badge on his arm, then back to him. “50 silvers.
I’ll need to replace it.”
Derek put 50 silver down on the table, then tightened his grip on the
stone. It wasn’t terribly easy to crush, but he didn’t have to overly exert
himself before the stone broke under the strain. Strength wasn’t exactly his
forte, so the stone wasn’t terribly durable. He thought for a moment before
deciding that it would do for now.
He nodded. “I would like a contractor that works with Bola Stone, Oak,
and Pixy Yew. Runes can be attached to those three materials, correct?”
Wendy nodded, then sorted through the book once again before finally
opening it. “I have arranged the book in order from all-in-one contractors to
individuals. Their price is in descending order, from most expensive to least
expensive.”
Derek took the book and chuckled. The prices were listed as cost to
complete the same building that was on the list of materials. He
immediately skipped the most expensive contractors. His blueprints were
simple and hard to mess up.
Finally, he picked out three all-in-one contractors. He went with the all-
in-one because they offered other furnishings as well, such as bedding and
kitchen.
“I would like to meet with these three contractors,” he said as he
pointed out the ones he had selected. He wanted to make sure that
whichever one he picked had a decent Runesmith.
Wendy took the book back. “I’ll get in contact with Vanguard
Construction, Alabaster Homes, and… Billy’s Crew.”
Derek nodded. “I would like to meet with them all at once.”
Wendy was not surprised. “That can be arranged. Is there a time that
works best for you?”
Derek shook his head. “The sooner, the better.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Please wait here for a few minutes.” She stood
and walked out.
“What’s the Oak for?” Malorie asked.
Derek smiled. “I figure we can just cover the outside of the Pixy Yew
with regular Oak. That way, we should be able to keep it from absorbing the
sun. If it doesn’t work, we can always put a layer on the inside as well.
Either way, it should get rid of the lights at night and keep it from lighting
up our rooms when we’re trying to sleep.”
Malorie nodded. “It will cost extra to build, but if the wood is as good
as Wendy said, it would be worth it.”
Derek nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”
A few minutes later, Wendy came back in with her trademark smile.
“Great news. All three contractors will be here in twenty minutes.”
“That’s great!”

OceanofPDF.com
 16 BIDDING WAR

D erek, Rudy, Mal, Silvi, and Brandi all sat in the small room and
waited for the contractors to arrive. A little while later, Wendy came
back in.
“The contractors have started to arrive. I am sending them to another
meeting room as this room is a bit too small for such a meeting,” Wendy
announced.
Derek smiled. “Thanks.” He was a bit concerned about the size of the
room. There was enough room for the current people, but it would have
been very cramped if any more were added.
While Wendy was there, Derek decided to ask her a question he’d been
wondering about for a while. “Wendy.” He got her attention. “Why are you
going to such lengths to help us? Isn’t it enough to just introduce us to the
contractors, then send us on our way?”
Wendy smiled. “Of course not. Everybody in that book is contracted
with Savannah. Every job that the contractor gets through the Employment
Center is recorded. How well the job is completed is logged, and it helps
determine the contractor’s price and standing. The city also gets a portion of
the fee. It is in the city’s best interest to make sure any client gets the best
service possible.”
“I see…” Derek said. “Are the contractors able to work outside of the
Employment Center?”
Wendy nodded. “They are, but those jobs aren’t rated or endorsed by the
city. If something goes wrong, neither the client nor the contractor will
receive any assistance from the city.”
 Derek nodded. So, going through the Employment Center is kind of like
getting insurance for a job. I could arrange for someone to build the
building outside the Employment Center for cheaper, but any disputes
would have to be settled without the city as a mediator.
“So, if I commission a foundation out of Dragon-Formed Obsidian and
the job is completed, only for me to find out that the obsidian has been
hollowed out and replaced with a cheaper material, what would happen?”
Derek asked. Back on Earth, he’d heard stories of companies replacing one
material for a cheaper one without the knowledge of the client.
Wendy’s eyes widened. “That would be a serious offense.” She let out a
breath. “Though… I can’t say that something like that has never happened.
For the most part, contracts allow those situations to be avoided, but
someone always seems to be looking for a loophole.”
Rudy snorted out of nowhere. “Ain’t that the truth?”
Derek realized that he hadn’t introduced his entourage, or even himself,
for that matter.
He cast a self-deprecating smile. “I’m sorry, Wendy, I seemed to have
forgotten my manners.” She was so cheerful and helpful that it had slipped
his mind. “I’m Derek Hunt, and these are my associates, Malorie, Rudy, and
Brandi. The bunny that Brandi is holding is my companion, Silvi. Rudy is
my Contract Specialist.”
Wendy flashed a big smile towards Rudy. “Now I understand your
reaction. You must deal with loopholes all the time.”
Rudy smiled back. “I’m damn good at finding them if that’s what you
mean?”
She nodded, then focused back on Derek. “Of course, I already knew
who you were.” She nodded at the badge on his upper arm. “You caused
quite a stir at the Adventurer’s Guild yesterday. There may not have been
many people around when everything happened, but something as big as a
new onyx adventurer will spread like wildfire—no matter how few
witnesses there are.”
“I guess I should have expected that.” Derek sighed.
Wendy gave a slight chuckle. “Now, cases where the contractor has
purposefully been dishonest with their clients, even though they didn’t
technically do anything wrong according to the contract, we take very
seriously. Not only is it a slight on the client, but it is a slight on the city as
well. It is very harmful to the Employment Center’s reputation.”
 Derek nodded. “That makes sense.”
“That last time something like that happened… if I remember
correctly… the contractor and his crew were expelled from the city, and
their information was spread to all the major cities in the kingdom. It is a
serious offense as harming the city is tantamount to harming the kingdom,”
she continued.
“That would definitely make it hard to get a job.”
“Nearly impossible,” she agreed. “I would imagine that someone with
such a stain on their record would have a better chance moving to a
different kingdom.”
“Well, that eases my mind a little,” Derek said.
“I’m happy I could help,” Wendy replied. She stood again. “Let me go
check if everything is ready.”
“Please.”
A few minutes later, Wendy came back to their room. “Everyone is
ready. Please follow me.”
Derek’s group stood and followed Wendy deeper into the Employment
Center. They soon arrived at another room with a table long enough to seat
at least twenty people. To Derek, the room looked like a conference room
he would see on Earth.
Already seated at the table were two men and a woman. The man
closest to the door wore what Derek would consider a business suit in this
world. He had slicked-back silver hair and the face of a model. Everything
about the man made caused Derek to instinctually recoil.
The other man was the exact opposite of the sly businessman. He was
rough-looking in every way. His black hair was short but not shaven. He
had an uneven, full beard that Derek could tell he didn’t put much care into,
and the tunic he was wearing had the sleeves ripped out. Derek
automatically assumed that this man was Billy, from Billy’s Crew. He
didn’t look like the type to try to find a fitting name for his outfit.
While the two men kept sending glares at each other, the lone woman
was sitting quietly away from them. She was dressed in an adventurer’s
tunic and pants, not unlike the ones many of his group wore. The only
difference was that her clothing was of a higher quality. Other than that,
nothing really stood out to Derek.
She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and some freckles on her
cheeks. Overall, Derek would say she was pretty but in a tomboyish way,
different from Stella or Rayna. The sly businessman had features that
looked more girly than she did. She had an air around her that made one not
want to disturb her with stupid questions.
Wendy cleared her throat, and the three contractors looked in her
direction. “You have all been briefed on why you have been called here.
This is Derek Hunt and his associates, Malorie, Rudy, and Brandi. He has a
large job that requires quick work.”
Then she turned to Derek. “Mr. Hunt. Let me introduce you to Geoffrey
from Alabaster Homes, Lewis from Vanguard Construction, and Billy from
Billy’s Crew.”
Derek did his best to hide his shock. The man in the middle wasn’t Billy
like Derek had expected. It was the woman on the end.
“Now, all three of you work with the material that Mr. Hunt wants to
use, so I will let you get to it,” Wendy announced as she moved to the head
of the table. She would apparently be the mediator just in case negotiations
went sideways.
“Please have a seat.” She motioned to the side of the table opposite the
contractors.
Derek and his entourage moved over and sat down. Wendy sat just after,
taking out a writing utensil and some paper. “You may begin.”
“Nice to meet you all,” Derek said before explaining to the contractors
the specifics of the job he needed done.
He began with the two stories and the basement, then moved on to the
different furnishings he hoped the contractors could provide. “I was hoping
you could set up a full kitchen suite, a dining area, nine bedrooms, and a
smithy in the basement—if possible.”
Geoffrey raised his hand to ask a question. Getting Derek’s okay, he
started, “The runes to ventilate an underground workshop are not cheap. I
am assuming you would like those included as well?”
Derek nodded. “I was getting to that.” He smiled. “As Geoffrey said, I
am also looking for ventilation runes, cooling runes, lighting runes, and
some others for a special project I hope to accomplish. Though, that will be
at the end, and I could just hire a specialist for it if need be.”
Billy asked the next question. “Why do you need the Oak?”
Derek smiled again. “Well, I was hoping to use it on the outside of the
Pixy Yew to help block the sunlight. I have heard that painting isn’t a great
option, so I thought about just building over it.”
 Billy nodded at his answer. “It has been done before but not often.
Doing so will at least double the construction fee of the top two floors, and
you will still be left with at least the basic sparkly light on the inside of your
building. It is usually more convenient to take the cost of the extra
construction and choose a wood to work with that is less of a hassle. The
durability may still be less in the end but not by too much.”
Lewis chose that time to speak. “That may be so on a smaller scale, but
with a bigger building like this, the Pixy Yew may be worth it. Besides, the
natural lighting provided from the wood won’t bother the majority of the
inside—only those rooms in which they plan to sleep.”
Geoffrey spoke up. “I hate to agree with a brute like you, but the
lighting provided by the Pixy Yew could very well become a boon to your
shop. I would provide an almost mystical feel to the open-floor area. Plus,
you could always just paint or build over the Pixy Yew inside your
bedrooms. The cost of that won’t amount to much extra.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Derek said. “Though, I didn’t
think about the lighting providing a gimmick to the store. That is indeed
interesting.”
Wendy sat her pen down and gathered everyone’s attention. “Is that all,
Mr. Hunt?” she asked. Seeing him nod, she continued, “Well then, shall we
begin the bidding?”
After waiting for Derek and the three contractors to give their consent,
she began. “Very well. Let me explain how this is going to work to the
client.” Nobody protested, so she continued. “You have met each contractor.
Are you confident about hiring any one of them?”
Derek nodded. “I am.” Even the sleazy guy in the suit seemed to be
serious enough about the build. He would trust the man not to try to pull a
fast one because of the contract with the city. Looks and personality didn’t
matter, only skill.
“Great,” Wendy said. “Each contractor has been given the materials and
general blueprints to review. They will bid against one another until the
lowest bid wins or until you find an acceptable bid by a contractor you want
to work with. If there is a tie, you will choose between the contractors. Is
everything understood?”
Derek nodded. “Simple enough.” The only thing that Derek was
worried about was the cost. The materials and building costs were going to
cost him an arm and a leg. He only had a littlebit over 20,000 gold, and he
would hate to have to go to Stella and beg for a loan. He would hate it, but
he would do it. If he needed to, he could renegotiate for less of the Void
Beast meals or blood.
With the layering cost of the Oak, the building cost was going to be
even more. Derek sat back, not showing his anxiety on the outside, hoping
the bid would go in his favor.
“Please begin.” Wendy grabbed her pen and waited.
Billy was the first to raise her hand. “The cost of the materials should be
around 13,500 gold, more or less. So, with the layering, cost of manpower,
and the speed at which you need the building completed… you need it built
within the week?” she asked.
Derek nodded. “If at all possible.”
Billy looked at the ceiling as if doing some mental calculations, which
she most likely was. “We can do it for… 36,500. It will be completed in
four days.”
The quote wasn’t unexpected, but it still made Derek’s gut churn. Still,
he didn’t show any expression.
“Bah! You’re overcharging on the layering. I’ll do it for 30,000 even,”
Lewis cut in.
Derek felt the urge to jump out of his seat and cheer at the huge price
cut. Billy seemed to be just as surprised as Derek was. She stared at Lewis
with wide eyes.
Derek examined the facial expressions of Wendy, Lewis, Billy, and
Geoffrey. Wendy appeared uninterested, writing down everything she heard.
Lewis was looking at the surprised Billy with a smug grin on his face.
Geoffrey, however, was acting as if he wasn’t even part of the discussion.
He was looking at Derek with a sly smile on his face. The man didn’t seem
like he even planned on joining the bidding war.
Billy hit the top of the table with a clenched fist. “Fine! 28,500.”
The number was slowly approaching affordable. Derek was happy he
decided to call in multiple contractors at once. There were so many in the
book that there were clearly people who would take even a slim profit
margin.
Lewis narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth. He stared daggers at the
woman. “I don’t think your crew would be able to complete the job in four
days. Are you sure you can do it?”
“Of course we can!” she huffed.
 Lewis smiled. “28,500 and I will have the building complete in three
days.”
“That’s low!” Billy yelled. “Just because you have more workers than
me…” She took a deep breath. “I cannot offer less than four days.”
“Ha!” Lewis exclaimed in victory.
“I didn’t say I was finished!” Billy said. “I may not be able to complete
it in less than four days, but I can do it for cheaper.” She clenched her fists a
few times before letting out a breath. “26,000!”
Derek mentally went through everything he had on him. I think I can
afford 26,000. I have a bunch of junk on me that I could probably sell for a
few thousand, and with what I already have, I should be able to afford that
without taking out a loan or waiting for the income from this month’s coffee.
He could almost sigh in relief.
“You!” Lewis began. “Will your crew even be willing to work for such
a margin?”
Billy went as far as sticking her tongue out at the rough man. “Like I
said before, I don’t have as many workers as you do, therefore, I don’t have
to split the profit as many ways. They’ll do it, and they will be happy. Can
you say that for your own employees?”
Lewis snorted. “Of course I can. They get paid a rate based on work.
I’m the employer, and they are the employees. We don’t split the profit like
your ‘crew.’”
Derek could see the wheels turning in Lewis’s head. He was hoping the
man would decide to drop the price even more. It would be for the best if he
could have some walking around money once everything was said and
done.
Still, Derek noticed Geoffrey sitting to the side like he wasn’t even
listening. What is up with this guy? The sleazy man already gave Derek the
chills, but his current demeanor was causing Derek to be concerned.
“26,000 and three days,” Lewis finally said.
Billy hit the table so hard that it cracked.
“Careful!” Wendy chided. “You will repair that before you leave.”
Billy cast a spell, and the crack slowly disappeared. “Sorry,” she said. “I
can go to 23,500.”
“You’re insane,” Lewis said. “You could go to the job board and find
something that pays that much.”
 Billy smiled. “But then I wouldn’t get to see that look on your face. It’s
priceless.”
Are all bidding wars like this? Derek wondered. This is more like a
giant argument with them constantly trying to one-up the other. It’s kind of
childish… which is good for me. I like it! A smile almost broke out on
Derek’s face.
“That’s 23,500 gold with completion of construction four days after
beginning. Is that correct?” Wendy asked.
“Yes…” Billy spoke quietly like her bid was finally setting in.
“Your crew’s going to be so pissed,” Lewis said.
“23,500 going once… going twice…” Wendy began.
“That’s if I was going to let you have it.” Lewis let out a feral grin.
“Same price, but in three days.”
Wendy actually widened her eyes at that. “Really?” she asked.
Lewis nodded. “Yes.” He didn’t bother to explain himself.
Wendy shook her head. “Very well…” She began the count again.
“23,500 with three days of construction going once… going twice…”
“You must be wondering why they are trying so hard to outbid each
other.” A new voice, directed at Derek, finally spoke up, stopping the count.
Surprised, Derek looked at Geoffrey. “Not really.” It was true. He
wasn’t wondering what was going on, he was just happy that it was
happening. In fact, he hoped that they would do it some more. The more
they argued, the more he gained.
Geoffrey snorted. “No… I guess you wouldn’t be…” Then, he looked to
his left at the two arguing contractors. “Are the both of you finished?”
“What’s it to you? Jeff.” Lewis bit back.
“I was just checking to see if the entertainment was over or not. It is fun
watching the two of you bicker at one another. I didn’t even know you
knew each other so well,” Geoffrey commented.
“Don’t lump me together with him. He’s just an asshole,” Billy snorted.
“I can’t argue with that,” Geoffrey said.
Lewis sent a glare at Geoffrey, just like he had been before the meeting
began. Geoffrey did the same, then scoffed. “I don’t even understand why
you would even think to compete with me after my last job.”
“Bastard,” Lewis said.
Geoffrey looked back toward Derek. “Mr. Hunt, I have to thank you for
providing today’s entertainment.”
 “You’re welcome?” Derek was utterly confused.
“Please get to the point, Mr. Tate,” Wendy ushered the man along.
Geoffrey chuckled and waved his hands. “Fine, fine,” he said. “The
reason that this was entertaining was that I was able to watch them both
fight so hard for the contract, even though I knew the whole time that
neither one of them was going to end up with it.”
“What?” Billy and Lewis spouted at the same time.
“You’re saying that you’re going to offer a price lower than 23,500?”
Wendy said.
“Hmmph…” Lewis snorted. “22,000… Let’s see you beat that.”
Billy sat back in her seat, not even bothering to bid again.
Geoffrey smiled. “You see… I knew what I was going to bid before the
bidding even started. Therefore, I knew that you would never be able to
win.” He turned back to Derek, showing the same creepy smile he had
during Billy and Lewis’s bids. “Mr. Hunt… I am willing to build your
business at cost.”
Derek raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
Geoffrey nodded. “Yes. I will build it for the price of materials at
market value, and it will be finished in two to five days. I cannot guarantee
the time until we get started.”
Derek frowned. “Why would you do something like that?”
“For the same reason that these two were willing to go so low,”
Geoffrey said, then pointed to Derek’s arm. “That badge.”

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 17 GOOD WILL

“M y badge?” Derek asked.

Geoffrey snorted. “Of course, your badge. That’s an onyx
badge. Do you know what a contractor would do to get in good
with an onyx-ranked adventurer?”
“Apparently, make a very low bid for a shop,” Derek replied.
“And then some,” Geoffrey replied.
“I see…”
“Listen, Mr. Hunt”—Geoffrey leaned forward with his hands resting on
his chin, elbows on the table—“I know, and I’m sure everyone else in here
knows, that you do not currently have a lot of gold, and you are new to
having an onyx badge.”
Damn… I was doing my best to hide my excitement at the bids, Derek
thought. “Was I that obvious?” he asked.
Geoffrey smiled broadly. “No, not at all. In fact, you barely had any
reaction to the bids while you were here. The reason I know all this is that
you are here at all.”
“What do you mean?” Derek asked.
“Well, you chose materials that, while good, were on the cheaper end.
You also chose contractors that are midrange in the Employment Center’s
big book. That lets me know that you are not flush with gold. The problem
is that badge,” Geoffrey said.
“What about it?”
“Not including the gossip that someone passed the onyx-ranked tests in
the Adventurer’s Guild yesterday, most onyx-ranked adventurers would
know some of the benefits that are included in that rank. Now, I’m not
talking about actual benefits given out by the guild, but unspoken benefits
by the public,” the sleazy man continued.
“Now, when we were all contacted today, we didn’t know we’d be
dealing with someone of your status. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m
sure they were just as surprised to see that badge on your arm as I was. For
your building, if you were a regular person, the bidding would have started
at 50,000 or more, and there’s no way it would have gone below 30,000
unless you brought in contractors who really hated one another. I mean, we
are dealing with 2,500 or more square feet.
“Instead, Billy started the bidding at what it would have sold for to
anybody else. Unfortunately for both Billy and Lewis here, they do not
have the finances to offer you a huge discount. In fact, the best I can do is
construction at cost. If Wendy here really wanted to help you, she would
have told you to go with someone from the front of that big book they
always lug around,” Geoffrey explained.
“Why is that?” Derek asked.
“Simple,” Lewis cut in. “Those guys can afford it. Getting on the good
side of such a powerful person is more than enough to cover their fees.”
“That’s right.” Geoffrey shot Lewis a glare. Obviously, he didn’t like
being interrupted by the gruff man. “I imagine most of the top guys would
have done the job for free, even. Hell, they may even do it with better
materials than the ones you chose. Of course, if they do the job for free, the
Employment Center wouldn’t get their typical percentage, would they?”
Geoffrey looked over at Wendy. “Wendy, what is two percent of zero
gold? I’m sorry, I’m just not that great at math these days.”
Wendy scoffed but did not refute.
“Now, if I were you, I would take that badge and head to one of those
bigwigs. You already have a contract guy”—he pointed at Rudy—“so you
don’t really need the city’s help in the matter. I mean, really, who in their
right mind would be daft enough to offend someone as powerful as you
over a measly few thousand gold?” Geoffrey said. “Well, other than the
city.”
Derek’s mind was racing. He knew that the onyx badge was something
that was very rare in the kingdom, but he didn’t think about the hidden
benefits. There wasn’t any lay or rules governing them, it was just the
people wanting to get in good with someone powerful.
 Derek sighed. I guess this is the part in the story where I lean on my
honor and choose to pay full price, not occurring any debt or owing anyone
any favors, he thought. “Geoffrey, thank you for explaining everything. As
you guessed, I am the person that took the test yesterday. The funny thing is
that I basically did it on a whim.” Screw that! I need to pinch a few pennies.
He stood from his seat and reached over the table with one hand.
Geoffrey stood and shook his hand. “Billy, Lewis, it was very nice to meet
you.” The other two contractors nodded. “Wendy… thanks… I guess.”
Derek and his followers all walked around the table to the door. As he
made his way around the table, he placed his hand on Geoffrey’s shoulder.
“Geoffrey, would you follow me out? There are a few more questions I
would like to ask you.”
“It would be my pleasure.” The man turned and followed behind.
As they walked out of the Employment Center, Geoffrey spoke. “Mr.
Hunt, what is it I can help you with?”
Derek smiled. “Well, you were right that my current gold balance is
quite lackluster. However, I would have found enough to pay for a
contractor if I absolutely had to. I hear that storage rings sell for a good
amount, and I happen to have more than I need.”
Geoffrey nodded. “I see.” The sleazy man was walking with Derek,
shoulder to shoulder.
“You didn’t have to tell me all of that in there. You could have made a
slightly lower bid than the other two and left it at that. I would have chosen
you, and I would have been none the wiser,” Derek said.
“Until you were,” Geoffrey replied. “Eventually, you would have
figured out your worth. What would happen then? Would you hold a grudge
against me for not notifying you?”
Derek paused to think. “Actually, I don’t think I would have. Everyone
needs to make money to live, and it’s not like treating me well is an actual
law or rule, just a consensus. Already, I’m not holding any grudges against
the Employment Center or Wendy. She did help me out quite a bit before
you all came.”
“I see.” Geoffrey sighed and shook his head. “Then you are better than
many.” He ran his hand through his slicked-back hair.
“Why do you dress like that?” Derek suddenly asked.
Geoffrey gasped. “Whatever do you mean? Do you not like my outfit? I
believe it makes me look like a proper businessman.”
 Derek snorted. “It looks like I’m going to see your face plastered on a
bench on the side of the road,” he said.
Geoffrey frowned for the first time since they met. “Why would there
be a bench on the side of the road?”
“Public transportation,” Derek answered, deadpanned.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Derek waved him off. “Anyway, here’s the deal. Are you
still willing to do the job at cost? I’m tired of discussing it today, and
you’ve earned a little trust because of what you told me.”
“Of course, but like I said, you will get a much better deal from
someone else. Plus, I will have to stick to the materials you requested
instead of any upgrades,” Geoffrey replied, rather surprised.
“Good, then we’ll do that… Follow me to the hotel so we can draw up a
contract.” He then looked at Rudy. “Rudy, I expect a decent contract from
you.”
“Of course,” Rudy beamed happily. “My contracts are always great. I’m
alive, aren’t I?”

Soon, they were all sitting at a table in the hotel. Rudy was magicking
away at a contract in front of everyone, and Geoffrey had called his own
contract writer to look over the details for him. After some time, Rudy put
the final touches on the contract and slid it over to Geoffrey’s man.
The weasel-like man with brown hair and a pointy nose took the
contract and began reading. The longer he read, the bigger the frown was on
his face. Eventually, he looked up.
“Boss, are you sure about this?” he asked Geoffrey.
“What’s wrong?” Geoffrey asked.
“Well… technically, nothing is wrong, but are you sure about the price?
Just the cost of materials? Is this a favor? If it is, why are we even making a
contract?”
Geoffrey snorted. “Judd, you are making too many assumptions. Is the
contract good or not?”
“It’s good. Sorry, boss,” he slid the contract over to Geoffrey.
Geoffrey put his hand on it and injected his mana signature into it
before sliding the contract over to Derek.
“We good?” he asked Rudy.
 Rudy nodded. “Of course. It’s a pretty basic contract, no special clauses
needed for anything. We’re not trying to pull a fast one on Geoffrey here,
and I don’t suspect him to try to pull a fast one on us.” He looked at
Geoffrey. “Well, I don’t think he’ll pull a fast one on you, at least.”
Geoffrey clicked his tongue. “Now, I do not understand why everyone is
always so vigilant around me.”
Like it was arranged beforehand, everyone at the table, including Judd,
Brandi, and Mal, all chimed in at the same time: “Your clothes.”
Geoffrey stared at everyone, aghast. Before long, Brandi broke out in
laughter, and everybody followed suit.
Calming down, Derek sent his mana signature into the contract and
stood. “Geoffrey, I look forward to seeing what you can do.”
Geoffrey nodded. “I’ll have my guys at your lot within the hour. You’re
welcome to oversee the building process yourself. Actually, I prefer it. You
may see something you want to change, and it’s easier to do so while in the
construction process than after it’s finished.”
Derek nodded. “I have to swing by an alchemy shop first, but I’ll be
there after.”

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 18 ALCHEMY

D erek and Geoffrey shook hands. “Thanks for all the information,
Geoffrey.”
The sleazy-looking businessman showed a smile that actually
increased his sleaziness. “It was the least I could do for a person of your
stature.”
Derek nodded before turning his head and calling out to Rudy.
“Yeah?” the contract writer answered.
“Go with Geoffrey to the build site,” Derek said.
Rudy nodded. “Alright.”
Turning back to Geoffrey, Derek said, “It’s not that I don’t trust you.
Actually, I probably trust you more than I should. I just like the idea of
having someone watching over everything at all times. Plus, Rudy has a
vested interest in the building as he will be conducting business there as
well.”
Geoffrey nodded. “No need to explain. It’s actually a good idea.
Knowing that someone from the client’s side is there watching will give my
workers a little more motivation. I’ll be sure to let them know exactly who
the client is this time.”
Derek chuckled. “You do that. I’ll be around sometime later to check in
on the progress.”
With that, Geoffrey left the hotel, two contract writers in tow. Left at the
table were only Derek, Mal, Brandi, and Silvi, who had shifted from
Brandi’s arms over to the table. Derek could read Silvi’s mind. She
expected food, but he would have to disappoint her.
‘No lunch here,’ he said to her.
 ‘When?’ she asked back.
‘Soon. We’ll pick up something on our way to the Alchemy shop. I’m
sure we can find some vendors or something,’ Derek explained.
Silvi didn’t answer back. In an instant, she was back in the girl’s arms,
waiting for their next move. She was playing the very role of a lazy bunny
today.
Derek clapped his hands. “Alright. I’ve made some plans for us today,
other than just getting the ball rolling on the building. There’s somebody
that I need to introduce Brandi to. I think you’ll like him.”
“Who’s that?” Mal asked.
“Just someone I met yesterday. I told him I’d swing by his shop in the
next few days. I didn’t expect everything with the contractors to go so well,
so I’ve got some free time on my hands, and we can go today,” Derek
explained.
Derek had everyone follow him out of the hotel and to where Roman
had told him his shop was. Brandi’s class would help her with the basics of
most of the crafts she could do, but nothing would help as much as a good
mentor.
After a small trek through the city, stopping at a few street vendors to
grab Silvi something to satiate her, the group came upon ‘Roman’s Potions
and Brews.’ To Derek’s surprise, the Alchemy shop seemed to be the exact
opposite of the bar that Roman owned. While the bar was seedy, and in an
equally seedy location, the shop was in a good part of the city and was more
than well-maintained.
The shop had a proper sign that was even more vibrant than other shops.
Derek did a quick Identify to check on the materials used for the building.
He was flabbergasted at the cost the halfling must have paid for the
materials. While the shop didn’t use the same materials as the Crown did, it
wasn’t too far off.
How much did Roman pay for his? Not to mention where the building is
located. This is prime real estate. Everything he was seeing today was far
out of his expectation after getting to know the halfling yesterday.
Derek let out a breath. “This is it.”
“Alchemy!” Brandi nearly shouted. “Is the person you want me to meet
an Alchemist?”
Derek nodded. “Yup. Like I said, I met him yesterday, and we hit it off.
I agreed to do something for him, and I plan on having him help you get
acquainted with Alchemy in exchange.”
“Thank you so much!” Brand exclaimed.
Derek smiled. “It’s not a problem. Now, follow me.”
He opened the double doors into the shop. Once inside, he gave the
lobby a quick glance. Multiple guards were stationed around each door.
Most of the vials of potions were in display cases that Derek only assumed
were warded with runes. There were many customers staring at potions
inside the display cases.
As soon as he walked in, he was noticed by one of the store employees.
“Welcome to Roman’s Potions and Brews,” an older gentleman with
ashy black hair welcomed.
Derek caught the man quickly glancing at the badge on his arm and
smiled. “Thank you.”
The old man smiled back. “How might I help you today? I’m sure we
have some potions that you would be interested in. Anything you want, you
need only ask, and I will help.”
“Actually,” Derek began, “I was talking with Roman yesterday, and he
told me to drop by. I had planned on coming sometime later, but some of
my time opened up today, so I decided to come by.”
A spark of recognition flashed in the old man’s eyes. “You must be Mr.
Hunt.”
Derek nodded in confirmation.
“Well, it is an honor to meet you, sir. Master Pascal told me to be
expecting you. Please follow me. I’m sure he wouldn’t want to keep you
waiting,” the man said.
Derek nodded and followed behind the older man. Malorie and Brandi
followed behind Derek. The way the man treated Derek grabbed the
attention of some of the customers in the store, but they could only watch
on as Derek and company were led to the back of the store.
The store employee soon opened a door into a room that had a smell
that almost knocked Derek down. It wasn’t a particularly bad smell, just
odd. Inside the room was a halfling who was intensely concentrated on a
cauldron on a workstation in front of him.
The old man gave Derek, Mal, and Brandi a serious look and placed his
finger over his mouth, gesturing for silence from them. Derek nodded.
They all watched the man, especially Brandi. Roman grabbed a pinch of
some power laying to the side and slowly sprinkled it in the pot while his
other hand was covered in a green glow and placed on the side of the
cauldron.
Roman closed his eyes and made a swirling gesture with his now-free
hand. The liquid in the cauldron turned. Soon, Roman’s eyes shot open and
his free hand turned glowed red. His other hand moved from the cauldron
and glowed red as well.
With both hands above the cauldron, Roman slowly pushed them
together until they touched. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief as he flicked
his hand, and a small amount of liquid flew from the cauldron and into a
glass vial to the side.
The halfling wiped the sweat from his brow as he glanced to the side
where Derek was standing.
A bright smile formed on his face. “Derek! I didn’t expect to see you
today. How nice!”
Derek smiled and walked over. When he reached the workstation, which
wasn’t very tall since it accommodated the halfling’s height, he glanced into
the cauldron. It was empty.
“Was that vial all you made in such a big cauldron?” Derek questioned.
Such a giant cauldron of materials had turned into such a small amount of
liquid.
“This?” Roman held a vial containing a magical green liquid up. “It was
a special order. The customer provided the ingredients for one vial, so that’s
what I made. This little potion is worth 8,500 gold.”
Derek widened his eyes. “Damn… Maybe I’m in the wrong business.”
Roman snorted. “I don’t know about that. It took me decades to get to
the point where I could make a potion like this without failing. Those
ingredients aren’t so easily obtained. Each set of ingredients costs 4,000
gold or more, depending on the market. If I wasn’t confident in my skills, I
wouldn’t take on a task like this.”
“I see,” Derek said. “So, what does it do?”
Roman smiled oddly, then looked at Brandi and Malorie standing at the
entrance. He looked back at Derek and motioned him closer, causing Derek
to bend down to lend an ear. Lowly, he whispered, “It… increases stamina,
virility, and competence.” He chuckled silently. “It looks like a noble is
planning on making another heir.”
Derek stood back up and shook his head. “I see. I guess a potion like
that would sell for such an outrageous price.”
 “Indeed,” Roman said. “So, what brought you by today?”
“I just happened to have some free time on my hands and decided to
swing by and pay you a visit. Maybe even do some of that work we
discussed yesterday.”
Roman’s eyes brightened. “Really? If you’re serious, I have some
potions ready right now. What do you want as compensation? How about
5,000… no… 10,000 gold per vial?”
Derek waved Roman off. “I told you I had something else in mind for
compensation.” He then pointed at Brandi. “She is an aspiring Alchemist. I
was hoping you could help her learn more about the craft. I’m not asking
for you to take her as a disciple. Just guide her here and there. She’s a quick
learner.”
Roman narrowed his eyes, then walked over to Brandi. He walked
around the girl, inspecting her. “Hmm… such a low level, yet you already
have a crafting class.” He took a step back and eyed her suspiciously. “How
old are you? Did you just unlock the Great System recently?”
Derek watched, amused. Brandi was actually around a half-inch taller
than Roman, which made his inspection seem quite funny to Derek.
Brandi nervously answered the man’s questions. “I do have a crafting
class… I’ve only had access to the Great System for a short time. Umm…
Derek helped me get to level ten and unlock my class.”
“And what class is that?” Roman asked, interested.
“Her own,” Derek said, causing Roman to turn back toward him in
interest. “It’s not for you, or anybody else, to ask about. Just know that is a
rare class, and I have high expectations for her.” Derek’s tone showed that
there was no room for negotiations.
Roman nodded. “I understand. I’d be more than happy to lend the girl
my expertise… as long as you’re willing to lend me yours,” he said with a
sly smile.
“Of course.” Derek cracked his neck like he was preparing for a fight.
“Shall we get started?”
Roman nodded. “One second. If I’m going to teach… What was your
name again?” he asked Brandi.
“Brandi,” she answered.
“If I’m going to teach Brandi Alchemy, I’m going to do it right.”
Roman walked back over to his workstation and stuffed everything into his
storage ring. Then he walked over to a desk and pulled a ring out of a
drawer.
Back at his workstation, he began laying out different items and
materials. There were beast parts, plants, and other components. Once
finished with the materials, he summoned a different cauldron out of the
new ring.
“This is a beginner cauldron. It can handle potions and poisons good
enough for those at level 40 or so. It should be just about perfect for
someone just on the path—like you,” he said to Brandi. “Now, are you able
to recognize the materials here? How much information has your class
given you?”
Brandi walked over to the workstation. She ran her hands over the
different materials laid out. Finally, she nodded. “I know most of them. The
materials over here are used in basic health potions, right?” She pointed at a
set of materials. “Those are for stamina, and those are for mana, right?” Her
eyes sparkled as she asked Roman.
The halfling nodded. “Exactly. It seems the information provided by
your class is good. The materials are all for the basic versions of the
potions. Now, are you able to see anything else of note?”
Brandi focused hard on the materials. Finally, she picked up a plant and
moved it closer to her eyes. “This… I feel like I should be able to use it
along with the other materials.” She furrowed her brows. “It’s like… if I use
this, I could make more than one potion at a time?” She looked up.
Roman smiled. “Close. That is the root of a Furgrave Plant. If you use
it, you can actually combine everything here to make one low-level basic
potion that restores health, stamina, and mana. Of course, the effects are not
as good as using a single potion—about 80%. Still, sometimes you only
have enough time in battle to take one potion.”
“Anyway, I’m surprised that you were able to guess anything about the
root.” Roman walked over and put away two materials. “Those didn’t have
anything to do with these materials. I added them as a test. They were
actually high-level materials, used for potions for those well over level
100.”
“Now, let’s get started.” He motioned for Brandi to stand beside him.
“Do you know the basics of using a cauldron to make potions?”
“I do. I need to process everything first, then control the heat as I add
and combine the materials, right?” she asked.
 “Putting it simply, yes,” he answered, then waved his hand over the
workstation. He set multiple copies of the previous materials out. “This is
enough materials to make twenty of each potion. What I want you to do is
practice making each potion. Stop after using five sets, and I will come and
view your progress. After that, I’ll see what you need help with. You are
free to use my workstation.”
Finally, Roman turned back to Derek. “Please wait a moment while I go
fetch Freia.”
Roman walked through the door Derek and the gang had been brought
through. Not long after, he reappeared with a tall, dark-skinned woman with
purple hair pulled back out of her eyes. A pair of purple-framed glasses that
matched her hair covered her hazel eyes. As she trailed behind Roman, she
wore a bored expression on her face.
“Derek, this is Freia, my assistant. She’s quite the Alchemist herself, but
she’s more interested in researching and Herbology.” Roman introduced
her. “Freia, this is Derek Hunt, a new onyx-ranked adventurer. He’s here in
Shae’s place to help us with some testing.”
Derek carefully watched the woman’s face. Even when Roman
announced that Derek was onyx-ranked, she didn’t change her bored
expression. However, when he told her that he was there to help with
testing, her eyes lit up.
“Is he as good as Shae?” she asked in a hopeful tone.
“You know, it’s rude to talk about me like that when I’m in the room
with you,” Derek commented.
“Don’t mind her,” Roman said. “She’s very… tenacious when it comes
to her research.”
Derek wasn’t actually offended. He just wanted to see her reaction.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “Are you as good as Shae in testing?”
Derek shrugged. “I should be pretty good. I’ve never done it before, so I
can’t tell you for certain. We are about to find out, though.”
“Great!” She flashed a smile. “Let’s go.”
“Hold on.” Roman forced the woman to calm down before turning back
to Brandi. “Remember my instructions. I’ll be back soon. I’ll know if you
slack off.”
Brandi nodded sharply before looking at Derek. “What kind of testing
are you doing?”
 Derek waved her question off. “Oh, it’s nothing to be worried about. It
won’t take too long. Don’t squander this chance. You heard how much gold
that potion he created was, right? You’ll be able to do something like that
soon.”
“Come on, I have a testing room in the back,” Roman told Derek before
heading through another door.
Derek turned and looked at Mal, who was holding Silvi. “You two make
sure she doesn’t blow herself up.”
Malorie smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t let her out of my sight.”
‘Then we go get dinner,’ Silvi chimed in.
‘You just ate a bunch of street food before we got here. Besides, it’s not
even close to dinner time. It’s barely lunchtime,’ Derek said.
‘We missed lunch?’ Silvi half-screamed inside his head. ‘We have to get
extra to make up for it.’
Derek rolled his eyes and followed through the door behind Freia. Silly
gluttonous rabbit, he thought.
Derek followed the Alchemist and his assistant through a short hallway
and into another room. When he entered the room, he examined it.
Surprisingly, the room was made out of the same obsidian the hotel was
made out of. The room was pretty bare. There was nothing but a table in the
center, surrounded by chairs, and a shelf on one wall. The shelf held many
vials of different colored potions or poisons.
“Surprised?” Roman asked. “I had a lot of gold on hand when I moved
from my previous location to this one, but not enough to make the whole
building out of the stuff. Besides, it’s just not a material that is practical,” he
said. “So, I only used it to enforce this one room, which eventually became
my testing room. The Dragon-Forged Obsidian is able to handle a lot of
abuse that may come from potions that just happen to… explode.”
“Wait, are you saying that there’s a possibility of a potion exploding
inside me after I drink it?” Derek asked hesitantly.
“No, no. That would never happen… probably.” Roman hesitated. “I’ve
already given the potions ready for testing the drop test, so unless you have
something that hasn’t been digested in your stomach that interacts with the
components of the potions, you should be fine… probably. Besides, are you
really afraid of a little explosion?”
“Yeah! If it’s inside of me,” Derek answered.
 “Nonsense.” Roman walked over to the table, which was also made out
of the same obsidian material as the room, and sat down. Derek had to hide
his laughter as the man jumped into the chair and let his feet dangle like a
little kid. Finally, Roman pulled three different vials out of his ring and sat
them on the table. “We’ll start with these.”
Freia walked over and sat beside Roman, taking one of the vials in
hand. The liquid inside was a bright blue, almost neon. “This possible
potion has some ingredients that are used for intelligence and wisdom.
We’re hoping that we were able to increase the effects of those materials.”
She then took the next potion, which was a brown color. It looked like
tap water that had come out of a faucet with rusty pipes. “This… may
increase your endurance.”
That’s reassuring, Derek thought. Nothing is more encouraging that
‘may increase.’
Finally, she grabbed a potion that was actually changing colors on the
fly. “This potion may do something.”
“Something?” Derek asked. He couldn’t believe that they didn’t even
have an idea about the rainbow potion.
“Well”—Roman put his hands up—“I created this potion four years
ago, but I haven’t been able to talk Shae into testing it. I had a bunch of rare
ingredients left over from some orders. The problem was that anything
ingredients that I didn’t use within the timeframe would have to be returned
to the clients. I couldn’t let that happen, and I didn’t have a lot of time left
to make multiple potions. So, I combined them all into this one potion.” He
grinned. “It was successful.”
“And you want me to test it?”
“Very much so,” Roman replied. “If you do, I’ll treat that girl in there as
if she’s my own disciple.”
Derek frowned and ground his teeth. “We’ll see,” he finally said. “First,
let’s start with the wisdom one. It shouldn’t be too bad. I’ll make my
decision once I’ve tested the other two.”
“Great!” Both Freia and Roman shouted at the same time.
Derek walked over and grabbed the ‘possible potion.’ Here goes
nothing.

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 19 POTION TESTING

D erek stared intensely at the near-neon blue potion in his hand. So,
this one is supposed to work on my mind. It seemed to be the one
that they were the most confident about, so it shouldn’t be too hard
on me. Still, they were hesitant to give it to Shae, so I should at least make
some preparations.
I guess the first thing I should do is increase all my recovery just in case
it’s powerful. With that thought, Derek slipped into Greater Meditation. It
was his failsafe if something bad happened. He hoped that his increased
health recovery while in a meditative state could counter any possible
damage he would receive from the potion.
After he used Greater Meditation, Derek pulled up his stats so he could
see what effects the potion was having on him. Then, he could report his
findings to Roman and Freia. Derek looked at the potion, then at the two
Alchemists. He released a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”
Derek popped the top of the potion and brought it to his mouth. In one
swift motion, he tilted his head back, and the potion flooded his mouth. The
potion had a very light taste, almost like water with a hint of coconut. If he
had to describe it, he would say it was refreshing. It would be better if it
were cold.
After sloshing the liquid around in his mouth for a moment, he
swallowed. Immediately, he focused his attention on his stats, waiting for
any type of increase or decrease. Nothing happened… Just as he was about
to voice his concerns, the pain hit.
The pain was bad. It took him back to when he first arrived at this new
world but was much worse. It felt like his brain was being stabbed
repeatedly all over. Instantly, he knew exactly what was happening. He was
having multiple aneurysms at the same time. After the vessels burst, they
would heal, only to burst again. It was torture.
The worst part was that Derek couldn’t focus. His meditation had failed
after a few moments. There was too much going on to stay in the meditative
state. Not being able to meditate meant that his recovery was only a fraction
of what it should have been.
Derek did his best to focus on his health, which was rapidly decreasing.
It had only been moments, and his health was at 70%. Each time a vessel
burst, a chunk of his health went with it. It seemed like it was a critical hit
with each successive rupture. Instinctively, he knew that if his health hit
zero, he would die. There would be no second chance. He wouldn’t enter
the ‘Dying State,’ he would just die.
It would be the same as somebody getting their head chopped off. If the
hit was critical enough, the ‘Dying State’ would be skipped, and you would
just end up dead.
At 50% health, Derek was finally able to focus enough to cast
Rejuvenation, but it wasn’t enough to do much. Then, he cast Cure Toxin
and barely muttered, “Health potion.”
Immediately, Freia was beside him, pouring a red potion down his
throat. Derek was so out of it that he wouldn’t have been able to stop her,
even if he wanted to. Luckily, the health potion she used seemed to be a
good one. Soon, his health was back up to 60% and battling against the
damage.
His HP kept fluctuating between 55% and 60%. The worry in his mind
lessened. He cast Cure Toxin again once it was off cooldown. He still had a
while before he could use Rejuvenation again, though. Actually, Cure Toxin
didn’t do anything. Apparently, the potion wasn’t a toxin or poison.
With the panic gone, Derek soon got used to the small explosions
happening throughout his brain. He was finally able to slip back into
Greater Meditation. With that, his health slowly moved its way back up to
99%. Derek closed his eyes and focused on his increased regeneration as he
waited for the effects of the potion to wear off.
After what felt like a long time—which, to Derek’s surprise, turned out
to only be a few minutes—the pain lessened, and the vessels in his brain
slowly stopped rupturing. He could only compare what happened to
popcorn. It was like the vessels were kernels and rapidly popped until there
weren’t any more left. The pain was as excruciating as the calm after was
relaxing.
Once he could properly breathe again, Derek took a look at his stats.
Both his intelligence and wisdom had exactly a 10% increase. His analysis
was further confirmed when he noticed a notification waiting for him. With
a thought, he viewed it.

Unknown Potion Ingested

+10% increase to intelligence and wisdom for the next 30 minutes.

That was 100% not worth it, he thought.

Finally, he opened his eyes and glared at the two Alchemists that were
looking at him like he was a ghost. “That potion… was a failure,” he said.
“What was wrong with it? What exactly happened?” Roman asked as he
handed Derek a clean cloth.
That was when Derek noticed his current state. He looked down, only to
see a giant puddle of blood. He went to wipe his face with the clean cloth,
only to see that it was already stained with blood that had covered his
hands. After looking at the cloth, he looked at Roman. “Really?”
Roman shrugged, then smiled. “It’s the thought that counts.”
Derek’s entire body, from his eyes down, was covered in blood.
According to the two Alchemists, when the potion activated, blood poured
out of every orifice in his head. They too were stunned and only came back
to when Derek requested a health potion. The blood from his ears had run
down his shoulders onto his hands, and the blood from his face ran down
his chin, to his torso, then finally down to his feet.
Luckily, Derek had the perfect skill for the situation. Quickly, he cast
Cleaning until he, his clothes, and the floor were blood-free.
“Well?” Freia asked.
Derek shook his head. “If anything, I would call this a Potion of
Assassination.”
“What do you mean?” Roman asked.
Derek went on to explain everything he experienced. From the
aneurysms and pain to not being able to focus enough to use his skills and
then the increase in stats once everything was over with.
 Roman nodded at Derek’s explanations. “Assassination indeed.”
Derek’s health was sitting at 16,500 HP. It had gone all the way down to
8,000 HP before he tried to heal himself. It still decreased afterward due to
the potion and was only able to restore itself because of the potions he was
given.
“What was that potion you gave me?” he asked.
“Potion of Greater Restoration,” Freia answered. “It restores 90% of
your health over the course of one minute.”
Derek thought about that. Once he took the potion, he was able to
meditate and relieve the effects of the test potion. Finally, he shook his
head. “That potion dealt over 20,000 points of damage to me in those few
minutes.”
Both of the Alchemist’s eyes widened in disbelief. Finally, Roman
asked, “How big is your health pool?”
Derek shook his head. “That’s only for me to know. Just know that it is
big, and I have a lot… and I mean A LOT of regeneration. And it still did
over 20,000 points of damage, probably way more than that. So, all that for
a 10% increase in those two stats… it’s not worth it. But I don’t believe
there are more than a handful of people who would be able to survive
taking it.”
Roman nodded. “I agree.”
“So, the potion is actually worth a lot. I would say that it would be
worth more than whatever you were trying to make. It’s basically a
guaranteed kill for almost anyone or anything in the kingdom… assuming it
works on beasts the same way it works on humans,” Derek explained. And
Modified Humans at thate thought, remembering his status.
“You are correct, but I don’t think I’ll be selling something like that,”
Roman added. Then, he gave Derek a huge grin. “I just leveled up.”
That stunned Derek. “Really?”
Roman nodded. “That’s the thing about Alchemy. You get XP for the
process, but you also get a chunk of XP for creating something original.
The XP is based on the rarity and power of the creation. I just received a
notification about successfully creating a ‘Potion of Greater Mind
Destruction,’ and enough XP to increase my level from mid-way through
211 to a quarter way through 212.”
“That’s crazy!” Derek exclaimed. “Not just the amount of experience
earned but that you just casually told me your level.”
 Roman chuckled. “I’m an Alchemist. It’s to my advantage to advertise
my level—unlike you sneaky warrior types. The more people that know my
level, the more business it generates. Especially since they know how
leveling a crafting class works. Knowing that my level increased from 211
to 212 in such a short time allows them to know that I have achieved
something incredible. Which, in return, will generate even more business.
Which will give me more money and materials. There is no downside to it.”
Derek shook his head. “I guess…”
“Plus, they all know that I have the backing of an onyx-ranked
adventurer who just happens to be a Guild Master. I’m not exactly a good
target,” Roman continued.
Derek smiled. “Well, congratulations… I guess.”
“Thanks!” Roman said. “Now… time for the next potion.” His eyes
sparkled as he stared at the next potion.
Derek gazed at the brown potion on the table. Inwardly, he wanted to
grab Brandi and Mal and leave the shop. However, he had made a trade, and
he planned on sticking to his word.
“How about we wait until the effects of the previous potion wear off?
We wouldn’t want them to interfere with the new potion, would we?” Derek
said to buy himself some time. He seriously doubted that any part of the
Potion of Mind Destruction would cause any interaction.
“Hmm…” Roman touched his hand to his chin before nodding. “Yes, I
suppose we should,” he said. “I’m going to check on the girl and make sure
she hasn’t blown herself up.”
With that, Roman disappeared from the room. Derek let out a deep
breath and sat down at the table. He was free to recover his mindset for
thirty minutes. He closed his eyes and meditated. Occasionally, he opened
them and stole a glance at Freia, who was madly writing notes in her
notebook. It seemed like nothing else in the world mattered to the woman.
Thirty minutes passed much more quickly than Derek would have liked.
Exactly thirty minutes after Roman left, down to the second, the door
swung open, and the halfling entered. “It’s time!” he announced.
“How’s Brandi doing?” Derek changed the subject.
Roman waved Derek off. “Plenty of time to talk about her later. Now
it’s time for the next potion.” He put his hand on the vial and slid it to
where Derek was sitting.
 Derek sighed. “Fine.” He picked up the nasty-looking brown potion. If
the last one was supposed to increase intelligence and wisdom, yet made my
brain explode, I wonder if this endurance one is going to cause my bones to
break. The memory of his bones cracking and his skin itching from making
a breakthrough in his endurance was still at the front of his mind. He could
handle the breaking bones, but the itching…
“Do you have another one of those Healing Potions? It doesn’t have to
be as strong as the one you gave me earlier, but I wouldn’t mind some
increased regeneration at the beginning after that last potion.” Derek
realized that potion testing was the most dangerous thing he had signed up
for since arriving in this new world.
Roman pulled another red vial out of his storage ring and handed it to
Derek. However, before Derek was able to drink it, the halfling stopped
him. “Wait until side effects from the potion kick in before you take the
Regeneration Potion. We wouldn’t want the potions to mix, now, would
we?”
He’s evil! The halfling Alchemist used Derek’s reasoning against him.
Derek squinted at the Alchemist. “You’re lucky I like you.” Then, before
saying anything else, he tilted the vial back, and the potion flooded his
mouth.
If the previous potion was like a light refreshing drink, then the current
one was like drinking mud. It was thick and slimy and very hard to
swallow. As it went down, it scratched the roof of his mouth and throat. It
was like a blend of sandpaper and water.
“Ugh,” Derek moaned.
“What is it? What did it do?” Roman excitedly asked.
Freia, on the other hand, was standing close to Derek, staring deeply at
him with her notebook at the ready.
“It’s nasty,” Derek commented.
“That’s it?” Roman was disappointed.
“Not all potions have immediate effects,” Freia pointed out.
Still, the three waited. The previous potion worked quite quickly after
Derek drank it, but the new one was going on thirty seconds with no
apparent changes to Derek.
Derek shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you,” he said, but he
realized that his shoulders felt weird when he shrugged.
 He stood from his chair and moved his body around. “Actually, I’m
feeling pretty stiff.” He continued stretching, his movements became slower
and slower. His eyes widened. “What the hell?”
“What is it?” Roman asked.
“I’m not sure.” Derek frowned. “It’s like there’s another layer under my
skin, but it’s less flexible and doesn’t account for my joints. And it’s getting
less and less flexible as time goes by.” He moved his arms in a circular
motion.
He hadn’t gotten any notifications yet, but he also hadn’t received any
from the last potion until he survived the mind destruction part of it. He
figured that was because the system wasn’t in the charity business of
notifying people that they had been poisoned. After taking regular potions,
he didn’t receive notifications, either. Maybe it’s a one-time thing with new
potions, he thought.
Derek waited for the process to continue within his body. None of his
stats were changed during the process, and he wasn’t losing any health, so
he was more than willing to ride the effects of the potion out.
Finally, after a few minutes of stiffening, a weird substance formed on
top of his skin, forming a layer over the top. The layer was a pale gray
color. Derek’s best guess was that the same substance was covering his
muscles and bones as well as organs other than his skin. Before long, he
realized what the potion was causing.
“It’s like petrification,” he spoke, even though it was a task to even
move his jaw.
“That’s not good,” Roman said. “But I guess it makes sense.”
“Why does it make sense?” Derek asked.
Roman shrugged. “Some of the ingredients came from a beast that
causes petrification but nothing like this. It’s definitely a mutated version.
My hypothesis was that the material would provide some hardening to the
skin, not unlike what happens when you break through in endurance.”
Derek nodded. “Look like it’s a failure, though.” He flexed his arms and
some of the substance crumbled from them. “I can’t think of any scenarios
where this would be convenient. I would guess that the process would even
shut down the organs of a person with less endurance or vitality. I’m sure
Shae could handle it, but I don’t know about others.”
Freia scribbled some notes in her book. “A failure, but not without
information gained.”
 “Indeed,” Roman agreed.
Derek waited for the potion to wear off. The substance disappeared just
as it had appeared. It was like everything was reabsorbed back into Derek’s
body. The system didn’t even give a notification about the potion once
everything was complete.
Roman chuckled. “I just got a notification about an ‘Incomplete Potion
of Petrification.’”
Derek nodded. “Well, at least that one wasn’t too bad.”
“That’s usually how the testing ends up. The last potion was a rare
occurrence,” Freia replied.
“How much experience did you get for that potion?” Derek asked
Roman.
Roman shook his head. “Maybe one percent of my bar. Incomplete
potions don’t do much. If it wasn’t one that used such high-level
ingredients, I wouldn’t have even gotten that much.”
“I’m going to wait thirty minutes just to make sure everything from that
potion is out of my system before I take this rainbow potion,” Derek said,
giving the same reason to wait as he had after taking the first potion.
Roman nodded. “I’ll go see if the little Alchemist improved in her next
batch after I pointed out a few things.”
Derek was glad that it seemed like Roman was taking his mentorship
with Brandi seriously.
As if reading his mind, Freia spoke. “You don’t have to worry about that
girl. One thing Roman doesn’t joke about is teaching Alchemy. If he agreed
to it, then he will give his all. He taught me, so I would know.”
Derek nodded. “Thanks.”
Freia put her head back in her notebook without replying.
Thirty minutes quickly passed, and Roman reappeared in the room. He
clapped his hands. “I’ve been waiting for a long time to have someone test
this potion.”
Derek smiled. “Well, let’s get to it then.”
He still gripped the red potion in his left hand, just in case. Roman
gingerly picked up the rainbow-colored potion and handed it to Derek.
Derek took it and uncorked the vial.
“Here’s to not dying,” he toasted as he turned the vial up and poured it
into his mouth.
 The flavor was… nothing. It had less of a taste than water. It was just…
wet. How weird, he thought as he swallowed it. Not even a few seconds
after drinking the potion, he felt something. It seems like this is one of the
potions that activates instantly.
Derek braced himself for the pain. He slipped into Greater Meditation to
prepare for the worst. But no pain came. Instead, he felt a slight buzzing
throughout his entire body. It was almost like the feeling of his arm waking
up after having fallen asleep, except it was happening everywhere.
Derek kept an eye on his health to make sure it wasn’t decreasing
without him feeling it. Instead, he was stunned by what he found. His HP
had actually increased by 75 points. He looked down at his vitality stat only
to see that it had gone up by five points. Finally, he looked at his other stats.
Strength, dexterity, endurance, and vitality had all increased by five points.
Derek frowned. Such a small increase in my stats… that wouldn’t help
me at all in a battle. He couldn’t help but think about how useless the
potion was. Then again, I’m spoiled when it comes to stats. It is 20 points…
that’s two entire levels for some people.
Soon, though, all his disappointment in the potion disappeared when he
focused on a notification that had appeared.

Unknown Potion Ingested

+5 Points to Strength
+5 Points to Dexterity
+5 Points to Endurance
+5 Points to Vitality

There’s no time limit. He realized that the stat increases from the potion
were permanent. His eyes darted to Roman, who just happened to let out
what Derek could only describe as a squeal of joy.
“What?” Freia couldn’t contain herself as her gaze rapidly flickered
between Roman and Derek while waiting for an answer.
Derek smiled. “Did you use parts of a Void Beast in this potion?”
Roman looked up until his eyes met Derek’s before his face shifted into
a giant grin. “May…be.”

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 20 POTION OF PHYSICAL
PERMANENCE

D erek inwardly smiled and shook his head. The Void Beast seems to
be the prime ingredient in anything that permanently increases stats.
I also have the cheat that allows me to provide said ingredients.
However, I need to get stronger before taking that chance again. In the few
times I’ve seen Void Beasts, one was intelligent. With such odds, it would
when, not if, I summoned one even stronger.
“What parts of the Void Beast did you use?” Derek asked.
Roman frowned. Recipes and formulas were precious treasures to
Alchemists. It made sense that Roman would be hesitant to give Derek the
exact ingredients.
“Don’t worry,” Derek said. “I’m not going to swear an oath, but rest
assured, anything I learn will most likely benefit you.”
Roman let out a sigh. “I suppose you remember the prince hunting a
Void Beast a while ago?”
Derek nodded. He had heard about the prince and his team hunting
down a Void Beast that was wreaking havoc on some villages.
“Well, many formulas have interchangeable ingredients. Especially
things like claws and teeth. If the formula calls for ground claws of a beast,
you can usually experiment a little with the formula until you find an
acceptable balance for a substitute ingredient,” Roman explained.
“I guess that makes sense. I’m not much of a crafter, so I will take your
word.”
“Well… the prince had a bunch of claws and teeth from his Void Beast
but nothing to use them on. He wasn’t in any need of any weapon that could
be crafted with those ingredients, so he decided to try Alchemy. I’m known
for my… experiments,” Roman said.
Derek chuckled. “I can see that.”
“Most Alchemists didn’t want to touch the ingredients for fear of letting
the prince down. Me… not so much. I’ve met the prince, and he has a pretty
decent character. He wouldn’t harm a crafter for failing an experiment,” the
halfling explained. “Now, Void Beast parts do not appear on the mark
almost ever. So, obviously, I volunteered for the project.” He flashed a
smile. “I may have taken advantage of a loophole in our contract, which
was quite loose, by using the remaining ingredients on a personal project
after successfully creating the potion I was tasked with.”
“So, you changed a formula for the prince and succeeded easier than he
would think, then took the remaining claws and teeth to experiment with
your own projects. I guess the prince thinks you used all the materials on
his potion?” Derek asked.
Roman looked at his feet in embarrassment. “I did give him three
potions. They were great potions, too. The loss of ingredients was more
than acceptable to him. He even offered extra compensation for the potions,
but I humbly rejected him.”
Derek snorted. “Yeah… humbly.”
After Roman’s explanation, Derek thought about some things. The
claws, teeth, and hide of three Void Beasts are owed to me once Alanah’s
people prep the beasts. The difference between the materials will be vast,
though. The baby Void Beast’s materials won’t be nearly as good when it
comes to providing those stats through Alchemy, but at the same time, the
intelligent Void Beast materials may be too much to work with.
Still, it may be worth it to allow Roman to have some of the materials
for his potion. Stella once told me that the extra stats the Void Beasts gave
were more personal than the stats given by the Great System. I’m not sure
what that means, but it couldn’t be bad, he thought. Maybe Roman could
help Brandi with a recipe that uses the lesser ingredients.
“How common were the other ingredients you used?” Derek suddenly
asked.
Roman tilted his head in thought before speaking. “Without the cost of
the Void Beast Material… I could get the remaining ingredients for around
14,000 gold.”
 “How much do you think you could sell one of those ‘Rainbow Potions’
for?” Derek asked.
“How much?” Roman scratched his chin. “It’s hard to put a price tag on
something that gives permanent stat boosts… however, I know that the
meals the Crown prepare only increase strength, intelligence, and
endurance, so the increase in dexterity, and especially in vitality would
increase the price… even if it is just by five points.”
“So?” Derek asked.
Roman shrugged. “I don’t know… 60,000 gold per potion? More even?
You could probably trade for some good stuff as well. It’s not like it
matters. You can’t grow Void Beast claws and teeth, and you certainly can’t
farm them. With the scarcity of Void Beasts and ways to gain permanent
stats, you could probably sell the potions for well above what they are
worth.”
Derek mimicked the halfling by rubbing his chin. Finally, he spoke. “I
have a deal with the Crown,” he said, grabbing Roman’s attention. “What if
I could get you the claws and teeth from three Void Beasts? How many
potions could you create with that? How hard would it be to come up with
the other ingredients? What is your success rate in creating the potion?”
Roman’s eyes shined at Derek’s statement. “I had heard that the Crown
plans on having another Void Beast meal auction in the near future. There
were also rumors that someone had pulled a Void Beast out in the middle of
one of their restaurants, but you know how rumors are.”
Derek smiled. “Yeah, I probably should have been more subtle than
that.”
“So, it was you! And you really did that?” Roman said.
Derek shrugged. “Yeah.”
Roman shook his head. “You are something.” He was giddy with
excitement. “If you can get me the materials from three beasts… hmm… I
could make at least five potions… nine if luck favors me.”
If that was the case, Derek wouldn’t have to worry about rent for a long
time. He was still promised 18% of the profit from the Crown’s auction, but
he had no clue when that was happening. He believed that if he requested
the materials from Stella, he would have them soon. Before, there was no
rush, but after chatting with Roman, he may need to talk with her.
“How long does it take to make one of those potions?” Derek asked.
 Roman shrugged. “Eight hours or so. The more I make, the easier it will
become.”
“Okay, so I’ll get you the materials of the three beasts. One of the
beast’s materials may not be up to par with the other sets. Those sets of
claws and teeth will probably be more suited for lesser potions. If that’s the
case, will you help Brandi make use of them? I know it would reduce the
number of potions a great deal, but I think the ingredients from the
strongest beast will make up for that.”
Roman frowned. “I would rather not give such a priceless formula
away.”
Derek shook his head. “Oh, I’m not talking about that. I was thinking
you could help her create new potions like the ones you made for the
prince. It should be good for her level and experience.”
Roman nodded. “I can do that, but I want to use the set to try the Potion
of Physical Permanence first.”
Derek agreed with his suggestion. “Is that what it’s called? The Potion
of Physical Permanence? Talk about alliteration.”
“I’ll give her some formulas I’ve come up with for beginner Alchemists
to make up for her loss if the material proves useless. Since I’ve never made
those potions, she’ll be recognized as the creator by the Great System and
given the extra experience,” Roman said.
Derek nodded. “That’s great. If you want to just do that, then go ahead.
That should be worth more than just a couple of attempts to create
something with the Void Beast materials.”
“Very much so,” Roman said.
“Speaking of experience, what did you get for creating that potion?”
Derek asked.
Roman’s smile was wider than ever as he answered. “I got a whole
level’s worth of XP for it and an Achievement that lessens the instability of
my potions while brewing by 5%.”
Derek’s eyes widened at that. “I didn’t expect that.”
“Neither did I,” Roman replied. “But that’s what you get when you
create something amazing that nobody else has done before.”
“I guess so.” Derek nodded.
“Hypothetically,” Roman said, “if you were able to get the materials for
me, how would we split the potions?”
 Derek smiled. “I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “I want the two
best potions, then we can split the profit of the rest 50/50, after taking the
cost of the ingredients out, of course. Also, I may be able to get more
materials later, and we could continue with that deal. What do you think?”
The halfling alchemist nodded. “That’s… acceptable. The experience I
should gain with each success and failure should still be good because of
how rare the potion is. So, I’ll still be gaining more than just the profit. We
will still need to talk about the split if someone wants to offer a trade. The
value of the item traded may be different to the both of us.”
Derek nodded. “Agreed. Also, we will jack the prices up in the
beginning just to see what we can get out of them.”
Roman’s teeth shined through his grin. “Oh, that was a given,” he
agreed. “But like I said, this all hinges on whether or not you can provide
the materials.”
“Trust me, you don’t have to worry about that. The only problem is how
soon I can gather them, not if,” he answered.
Roman stepped forward with his hand out. When Derek took it, he
spoke. “Very well. I’m looking forward to doing business with you.”
“As am I.”
A light cough from the side of the room caught both of their attention.
“Are the two of you finished now? I would like to get back to my office so I
can document what I’ve seen today,” Freia interrupted.
Roman rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. They had
completely ignored the third person in the room. “Of course… you’re
dismissed.”

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 21 RAYNA AND JACKS

E arlier that morning, after Derek left the hotel with Rudy and the
others, Jacks and Rayna found themselves standing near the hotel. He
was tasked with keeping an eye on and helping the woman who
seemed so keen on making herself useful. When she talked about not
wanting to be weak, he felt her determination.
He knew exactly what it felt like to be in a helpless situation. Of course,
his wasn’t because of his strength but because of that godforsaken contract.
Still, he could take some solace in the fact that he was able to get his son
out of the dangerous situation created by Torith.
Jacks felt a fire burning inside him. He had been cooped up, doing
nothing but standing guard and occasionally projecting his aura. Sure, when
he was under contract for Torith, and he was called captain, but that wasn’t
in his contract, so he didn’t take it too seriously. The last thing he wanted to
do was help a group of pawns to be used by House Torith grow stronger.
That’s not to say he didn’t enjoy training people, he did. He had helped
with the training of some of his old party members. Then, he had put
everything he had into training his son before sending him off to the
academy. He actually enjoyed it… not as much as he enjoyed fighting
beasts and testing his own skill but close.
Now that he was tasked with helping the lady in front of him. She was
one of Derek’s trusted companions, so he would give it his all. He owed the
man with the purple eyes everything, and if he was eventually able to see
his son again, he would owe him even more.
“Let’s go,” he said with his scratchy voice.
“Where are we going?” Rayna asked.
 “I have to see what you’re made out of first, so we’re going to the
Adventurer’s Guild,” he explained.
The walk to the guild was short, and soon, they were at the front of the
line. A brown-haired woman with a tan greeted them. “Hello, sir. Welcome
to the Savannah Adventurer’s Guild. How may I help you today?”
“One gold-ranked room without any extra amenities. Two hours is
good.” Jacks put his badge on the table in front of the woman.
“30 gold,” she replied.
Jacks placed the money on the table, and after the woman examined his
badge, he took it back, strapping it to his shoulder.
“Go ahead.” The woman motioned them to an opening that should have
had a door but didn’t.
Jacks nodded and led Rayna through the doorway, taking a turn down a
hallway until they arrived at a room. He placed his hand on a rune, causing
the door to open.
“How did you know which room to go to?” Rayna asked.
“This hall has the gold-ranked rooms,” he answered.
“How did the rune know to open to you?”
“The attendant marked my badge before giving it back. The room is
linked to my mana signature for the next two hours,” he explained.
Rayna didn’t ask any more questions and followed him inside the room.
Once in the training room, Jacks motioned the woman to the center.
“We’re going to spar,” he said. “Well, we’re not going to spar. You’re going
to go all out against me. I need to see your exact strength.”
Rayna nodded and walked to the middle of the room, taking the sword
Derek gave her out of her storage ring along the way. “Ready?”
“Go ahead.” Jacks didn’t draw a weapon. He knew she was only level
53, so, even if she had a rare or epic class, she would be no threat.
A green glow fell over the blond woman’s feet as she dashed forward.
She was quick for such a low level, even if she was using a skill to up her
speed.
Jacks took a step back, causing the sword to miss his face by inches.
Then he sidestepped when she swung back around, aiming for his leg.
Soon, she jumped back. Instead of landing on the ground, she was floating
in the air.
Jacks felt a light breeze begin blowing around the room. Soon, the wind
picked up, causing the woman’s long blonde hair to blow in every direction.
A light green glow fell over her sword, and she swung.
A green crescent of energy flew sharply at him. He jumped over the first
one, hearing a crash as it landed on the ground behind him. Before he even
landed, another blade of wind was nearing. He smiled before shifting his
body in the air, dodging it. A third appeared right behind the second. Before
it arrived, he managed to land and move to the side.
If she was able to fire off the blades rapidly, he wouldn’t risk jumping
over it again. It was never a smart idea to leave the ground while fighting a
wind user unless you had a good way to counter it, which he didn’t.
The spar continued like this for a while before Rayna came down,
panting. Jacks released a toothy grin when he saw her state. “Looks like you
finally ran out of mana. I was surprised. You lasted longer than I expected
and definitely launched that skill more than I thought would be possible.
Have you invested a lot in your magic stats?”
Rayna shook her head as she panted. “No, I just trained the skill up as
much as possible.”
Jacks nodded. “That’s good. Do you have Meditation?”
Rayna snorted. “Yes.”
Jacks didn’t understand why the question drew such a response, but he
didn’t linger on it. “What level?”
“Seven.”
That was actually pretty good. “That’s good. Go recover a bit, then
we’ll talk about what you did wrong.”
Rayna removed herself from the center of the training room and rested
against one of the walls. After around ten minutes, she opened her eyes.
Jacks walked over and sat in front of her. “You’ve trained the spells you
used against me well, but you’re overusing them. From what I can make
out, you’re some type of Elemental Swordsman who uses wind as your
element.”
Seeing Rayna nod, he continued, “That’s well and good, but you have
been neglecting your physical skills. You were nowhere near as good when
you fought me physically as you were when you were using your magic.
That’s the first thing we’re going to have to focus on. Sometimes, you run
out of mana or the enemy is resistant to your magic type. In those
situations, you need to be ready.”
“I understand,” Rayna replied.
 “Good,” Jacks said. “I assume you have Weapon’s Mastery and some
other skills that were given to you with your class?”
“I do,” she answered.
“Great,” he replied. “You are level 53, but you fight way above your
level. This means you have at least a rare class, and you’ve had a rare class
since at least level 25. Either that, or you somehow got your hands on an
epic class at level 50, but it feels more like a rare class.”
Rayna’s eyes shot open. “How did you know that?”
“Experience,” Jacks replied. “I’ve been fighting for over 50 years. You
tend to learn a thing or two about classes and people.”
“You don’t look that old,” Rayna replied.
“Good vitality and endurance will do that for you. You’ll also have to
increase your endurance alongside your other stats so your body doesn’t
break with the speed you’ll end up having. I suspect you’ll end up with
some passive movement boosts at level 100. That, or the chance to change
to a lightning-type class,” Jacks explained.
“Lightning?” Rayna asked.
Jacks nodded. “Wind-based classes aren’t as common as fire, water, and
earth, but they are more common than lightning, ice, light, molten, and
others. Lightning is a natural advancement from wind, just like ice is from
water. I had a chance to change to a molten-type class, but I chose to go the
pure fire type. I’ve never regretted my decisions. I would have lost skills
that I love if I would have switched.
“That’s not to say that one shouldn’t switch. Sometimes, just the jump
in rarity is worth it. In my class, the rarity was the same, it just came with
extra skill points and skills. Like I said, I’m a purist, so, unless you can get
one of the special elements early on, or it increases your class rarity,
providing you with more stat points, I don’t think it’s worth it.”
Rayna nodded. “I don’t think I’ll ever switch from wind. I would for
sure lose my Wind Blade, and I’ve already invested such a long time into
the skill that it wouldn’t be worth it.”
“I agree. I’ve faced some people who became arrogant because they
changed to a rarer element when they upgraded their class at level 100.
Most bumbled around, trying to use their new element the same way they
used their other element. Besides, there are cases when a water blade or
mage gets ice skills, or an earth or fire user gets molten skills,” Jacks
explained.
 Rayna remained silent, obviously thinking about the information he had
provided her.
Finally, Jacks stood. “Come on. I know what we’re going to do now. I
hope you’re not opposed to getting your ass kicked.”
Rayna frowned. “As long as it makes me stronger.”
Jacks chuckled for the first time. “Oh, you will definitely come out
stronger for it.”
If he was going to train someone, he was going to do it properly. He
would give the woman the training he wished he had at her age. Training
that was too harsh to give his son. He saw the resolve in the woman’s eyes.
She could handle it.
He took her hand and pulled her up. “Let’s go.”

Jacks led Rayna out of the Adventurer’s Guild. He had seen all he needed to
come up with a plan for the woman. A plan she would come to hate, but he
guessed that Derek would be all for the plan. If you had the correct mental
fortitude, nothing would help you get stronger than getting your ass kicked
over and over.
His next destination was the teleport building. Now, he wasn’t planning
on taking her to a different city. He just needed to confirm something.
When they got there, he had Rayna wait outside while he went in.
Jacks waited for Shelby to finish instructing a group entering the city,
then walked up.
“To what honor do I owe The Crimson Blade for his visit today?”
Shelby asked with a cheeky smile.
Jacks rolled his eyes. “Are those apes still in the same spot as the last
time I was here?”
“Apes?”
“The Cudgel Apes. You know, those level 120 beasts that nobody wants
to clear because of their health and defense,” Jacks explained.
“Oh… those apes. As far as I know. There’s always a quest to cull them
on the Adventurer’s Bounty board. Never gets picked up, so it ends up
becoming a mission,” Shelby explained.
“Thanks.” Jacks turned and raised his hand in farewell.
“Wait!” Shelby called out. “What about those drinks?”
 Jacks looked back. “I’m busy for the next few days. I’ll come by
sometime after and we can go.” Without another word, the former captain
turned back and left.
“C’mon,” he said to Rayna when he came back out. “Two more stops,
then we’ll get you trained.”
“What is my training?” she asked.
“Just some beasts outside the city. We need to start today before that
bastard starts sending goons after us. I’d guess we have a week before it
isn’t safe to go outside the city without Derek.”
“What?”
“Just because that old bastard won’t do anything to Derek and his
companions inside Savannah, it doesn’t mean he won’t send people to wait
outside in ambush. We need to get you capable of defending yourself… and
quickly. There aren’t many assassins like Bones and Ogre, so if we can get
your stats to upper gold rank or platinum rank, we shouldn’t have to worry
too much about it. But we have to be quick. You don’t want to rely on
Derek for everything, do you?” Jacks said.
“Of course not. That’s why I want to get stronger. He’s already saved
my life twice. Once from a dying state.”
Jacks nodded. “Then we need to hurry. We’re on a clock.”
Jacks led Rayna to an Alchemy shop that he remembered being
competitively priced. Again, he went inside and left Rayna waiting in the
street. After dropping a mindboggling amount of gold, it wasn’t long before
he was leading Rayna through the city once again.
As they approached the edge of the city, they stopped at an empty plot
of land with people all around, taking measurements. Jacks breathed a sigh
of relief. “Good, now I won’t have to go find anybody.”
Jacks found Rudy talking to a guy with a hooked nose and walked over
with Rayna. “Rudy!”
Rudy turned in the direction of his voice. “Jacks. What are you doing
here?”
“I was hoping to find Derek, but you’ll do,” Jacks said. “Rayna and I
are going out to train. We probably won’t be back for a few days. If we’re
gone longer than a week, then you should start to worry. I just wanted to let
Derek know. I should have bought a communication crystal, but it’s too late
for that. Just let him know. Okay?”
“Umm… sure,” Rudy said. “I’ll tell him when he gets here.”
 “Great.” Jacks looked at the land. “I take it discussions went well?”
“Well, indeed.” Rudy grinned. “Having an onyx badge sure does go a
long way in getting things done for cheap.”
“I guessed as much.” Jacks had a good amount of money saved up after
not spending anything in years. Even though he was basically under a slave
contract before, he made sure he had a great salary for if he ever broke free.
He had planned on giving some to Derek if he’d needed it for the
building, but he had doubted it would come to that. And, as he could see, he
was right.
Rudy nodded. “Yeah. They’re building everything at cost. The boss
even said that Derek could have gotten everything built for free if he would
have contacted a bigger contractor.”
Jacks nodded. “He did good by not doing that. Nothing is ever ‘free.’ At
least by doing it at cost, the favor he owes won’t be too great,” he
explained. “Anyway… I’m done wasting time. We’re off. See everybody in
a few days.”
With Rayna trailing behind, they soon exited through the gates of
Savannah. “There is a hunting ground not far from the city. It’s very
populated, but few adventurers hunt the beasts there. They are too
troublesome.”
“Then why are we going there?” Rayna asked.
“Multiple reasons,” Jacks answered. “But first and foremost, there most
likely won’t be anyone else around, so we can train without worrying about
giving away any secrets. Another reason is that the beasts only have
physical damage, no magic, so they make good sparring partners. Plus, you
don’t have to worry about a critical hit instantly killing you.”
“I… see.”
Two hours of hiking later, the pair arrived at the hunting zone. The zone
was a forested area, but it was sparsely populated with trees. It was more
plain than forest. Sure enough, there wasn’t another adventurer in sight.
The Cudgel Apes were king of the area. No other beasts were around,
either. The problem with the Cudgel Apes was that they were considered
pests, but they were still vital for a small variety of alchemic potions. Plus,
though there were many beasts that provided better materials for armor that
were much easier to deal with, the armor that could be crafted from the
Cudgel Apes was still decent.
 Of course, it wasn’t decent enough for adventurers to hunt the harder
beasts instead of the easier-to-kill ones. And the potions made by the
materials weren’t as good as other potions from easier-to-hunt beasts.
The apes were just as Jacks remembered them. After a quick use of
Identify, he could see that most of their levels were between 110 and 135.
The apes were just under chest high and had extremely thick skin. In fact,
he wondered if Rayna’s wind would even be able to do more than just leave
a mark.
Their feet were shaped just like any other ape’s feet, but it was their
hands that gave them their name. Instead of normal hands, they had
abnormally clubbed fists. The apes could barely grip anything with these
club-like fists, but they made up for their inflexibility with their sheer
strength. They swung their hands like cudgels.
“Those are what I’m going to be fighting?” Rayna asked with doubt.
Jacks nodded seriously. “Yes, make sure you fight one at a time. Be sure
not to pull more than one.”
Rayna summoned her sword from her storage ring. “I guess there’s no
time like the present.” She stepped forward, towards the closest ape.
“Wait.” Jacks stopped her. He reached his hand out. “Give me your
storage ring.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t have you relying on anything inside it. I want you to
fight without leaning on anything.”
She shrugged and put her ring in his hand. “It’s not like I have anything
in there that would help me.”
“Now you can go.”
With that, Rayna walked forward until the ape was in range. Catching it
off guard, she launched one of her wind skills at it. The blade of wind hit
the ape on the back of the neck.
Good aim, Jacks internally praised. Then he smiled as the ape turned
around and charged the woman. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be enough.
Surprisingly, the blade did cut the beast. A small amount of blood dripped
down its back as it charged at the woman.
The ape closed in on her in a matter of seconds. In that time, she
launched two more wind blades at the beast but only caused minor damage.
In an instant, the ape was on her. It swung its heavy fist at the woman’s
midsection, causing her to sidestep.
 The clubbed fist missed her by inches. Rayna jumped in the air to rain
wind down on the beast. Unfortunately, the ape jumped as well. It couldn’t
stay in the air like the woman could, but the flexibility and power from its
legs were enough for it to keep up with her.
Plus, she had to make sure not to drag other beasts into the fight. Her
flying didn’t work as well when surrounded by trees, even if there weren’t
many of them. The ape, however, was in its natural habitat. It leaped from
tree to tree, swinging its fists at the woman every time they crossed paths.
She soon realized that fighting in the air wasn’t going to work against
the beast. She would run out of mana well before she could whittle its
health down if she continued to waste it on floating. Rayna soon landed on
the ground, and the ape followed.
Jacks’ eyes never left the battle. He stayed at the ready just in case
something happened.
After some time, many of the cuts on the ape had healed, and Rayna
was heavily panting. This was what Jacks expected to see. The woman’s
reactions were becoming worse and worse until soon, one of the fists
connected with her thigh.
Jacks heard the bone snap and the pained yell that followed behind it.
Throughout the entire fight, he could tell that Rayna was fighting with
expectations that Jacks would step in if it got to be too much. And he
would. Only… his definition of too much was different from hers.
Rayna fell to the ground with the ape towering over her. “Jacks!”
Still, Jacks did nothing, but he very carefully watched the actions of the
ape with a held breath.
The ape raised his cudgel-like fist, and Jacks released a sigh of relief.
The ape brought its fist down, and with a sickening crunch, it crushed the
woman’s ribs in one blow. Instantly, Rayna’s state changed to ‘dying.’
Jacks quickly acted. The ape’s head separated from the rest of its body,
leaving a bloody trail behind. Jacks lifted Rayna’s head and poured one of
the potions he picked up from the Alchemist down her throat. A while later,
she coughed and grasped at her ruined midsection.
“Why?” she muttered.
Jacks handed her a healing potion. “So you stop relying on others and
rely only on yourself. It’s holding you back. Now, drink this.”
She drank the potion, causing her injuries to lessen in a short amount of
time.
 “Meditate,” he commanded, and she did.
A couple hours later, she was back to fighting condition.
Jacks pointed at another ape. “Again.”
“But…”
“Go!” he shouted.
She got up and went in for her second fight.
Time blurred, and two days passed. Jacks poured another Revival
Potion into Rayna’s mouth and waited for her to wake up. It was the ninth
time this had happened. The woman managed to defeat multiple apes in the
two days, but occasionally, one got a lucky hit. That’s all it took for it to
win.
There were a couple of instances where Jacks had to interfere to keep
the ape from hitting Rayna with a critical hit and causing instant death. But
he kept a close eye on the fighting, so there was never any real chance of
her dying.
Soon, Rayna woke from her forced slumber. She stared incredulously at
Jacks. “Really?”
“What?” he asked with a toothy grin.
“You could have just told me we were doing this to gain an
Achievement.”
Jacks chuckled. “Do you like it?”
Rayna snorted as she gulped down a healing potion. “Why does it have
to be called Damsel?”
“Because that’s what you have been,” he answered. “Now, hurry and
meditate. You’ve got more apes to hunt.”
“Wait! What?” Rayna shouted. “I thought we were just getting the
Achievement.”
“What gave you that idea?” Jacks answered. “You’re killing apes until
we have to leave. The more you kill, the higher level you get. Even with
your failing, your levels are increasing rapidly. If you hurry, you’ll be able
to get to level 100 before we have to go. Now, meditate.”
Rayna huffed. “You’re evil.”

OceanofPDF.com
 22 CONSTRUCTION

D erek walked out of Roman’s shop by himself. Brandi chose to stay

there and learn from the high-level Alchemist, and because she
chose to stay behind, Malorie did the same. Silvi also chose to stay
with Malorie.
Both Mal and the bunny liked to cook, and Silvi knew she would learn
more by staying at the woman’s side than by Derek’s. Plus, Malorie still had
some fresh food in her storage ring that Silvi would be able to con out of
the woman.
Knowing the girl had a mentor in the Alchemy craft allowed Derek to
breathe a little easier. Everything would go better if Brandi didn’t have to
learn everything by herself. The only problem was finding people he could
trust to mentor Brandi. If she slipped up and accidentally let her class be
known, it was better for it to be to someone like Roman… someone who
would be relying on Derek in the future.
He had a good feeling about the halfling. His gut instincts rarely led him
wrong. If their cooperation in the future worked as well as he believed it
would, he wouldn’t have to worry about the man at all.
Derek wished he could find Brandi a mentor in Runesmithing. It
seemed to be one of the most flexible crafts. For now, he would settle on
finding some books for the girl to learn from. She was smart. It wouldn’t be
as fast as learning from a teacher, but she could do it.
Derek sighed. With all of that settled, it was time to see the construction
of his own shop. He turned on the street and began the journey to his part of
the city.
 A little later, Derek arrived at his plot of land. Construction was already
in full swing, so he looked around until he found Geoffrey standing with a
clipboard, overseeing the project.
“How’s it going?” Derek asked.
Geoffrey jumped before turning around. “Oh, you scared me.” He
wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Yes… the project is coming
along quite well.”
“That’s good.”
Derek looked over at the current construction. Currently, there were
multiple people standing in a giant pit. It seemed like Derek had gotten
there after the earth mages did their thing.
One person was walking around the dirt walls with his hand dragging
along them. As he moved, the dirt packed itself and hardened. Every step
the man took caused the wall behind him to perfectly straighten, becoming
ready for the next process.
Another man was doing the same, except with the dirt floor. Derek
quietly watched as the pit turned into a perfect square.
“It must be nice for a construction company to have earth mages,”
Derek muttered.
“You aren’t considered a real company unless you employ at least two,”
Geoffrey said.
Derek nodded. “I can see that. It’s like they are laying the foundation for
the foundation,” he said. “Do people ever forgo the extra material and rely
only on the hardened dirt and mud for their basement?”
Geoffrey shrugged. “Not in this city, but it’s common for adventurers
who have earth mages in their team. They can construct a makeshift
building underground pretty quickly. It’s more comfortable than sleeping
outside in the elements.”
“Gotcha,” Derek said. “What’s next?”
Geoffrey pointed at a third person in the pit. She was leaning against
one of the completed walls, watching the other two work.
“That’s Terri. When Ron and Phillip finish what they’re doing, they will
begin laying the Bola Stone atop the ground. Terri will come in behind them
and form the stone together, creating one smooth stone foundation,”
Geoffrey explained. “Unless you would prefer her to meld the pieces
together. Some people prefer to see the separate stones instead of one
smooth structure.”
 Derek shook his head. “One structure is fine. It’s probably faster as
well.”
Geoffrey shook his head. “It’s quite a bit slower. It’s much more mana
intensive, so Terri will have to take breaks in between.”
“Is there a difference in structural integrity?”
“A little. The fused stones will be better than those joined together,”
Geoffrey explained.
“Then that’s good.”
At that time, the two earth mages finished their job and started laying
down the Bola Stone. That process was fast, but Terri’s job was
painstakingly slow. She put one bare foot on one stone, her other on
another, and closed her eyes.
Derek watched on as the two stones magically fused into one complete
stone. Terri then did the same with the next two stones. Each fusion took
over a minute, so she would be at it for a while.
“Not many earth mages have the fusion skill, so she is a real talent. I
was lucky to find her,” Geoffrey praised the mage.
“I see… It looks like the basement is going to be deeper than I
originally planned.” He noticed how deep the pit was and how the stone
foundation wasn’t thick enough to make up the difference.
“Yeah, I made an executive decision.”
“How so?”
“Well, the forge I plan on installing is taller than you may have
expected. So, to have enough room for it, I made the basement taller. I hope
you don’t mind.”
“Oh, that’s fine then,” Derek said.
“We have the forge and anvil. I guess you have everything else you
need? Hammers, tongs, vices?” Geoffrey asked.
Derek nodded. “For the most part. I wouldn’t mind if you had a spare
workbench lying around.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“Hey, boss!” a voice called out from the side.
Derek turned his head to see Rudy jogging towards them. “Hey, Rudy,
what’s up?”
“Nothing much. I’ve been talking business with Judd… the contract
maker you met earlier today. The man knows his stuff,” Rudy answered.
 “I doubt Geoffrey would have hired him if he didn’t,” Derek said, and
Geoffrey nodded.
Rudy smiled. “I guess so.” Then, the contract writer snapped his fingers
as if remembering something. “Oh, yeah… Jacks and Rayna stopped by
earlier.”
“Oh? How’s their training going?” Derek had wondered what kind of
help Jacks would offer to Rayna after seeing them earlier.
Rudy shrugged. “How should I know? All I know is that Jacks told me
to tell you that they would be gone for a few days, so don’t worry about
them unless they are gone for longer than a week. Then, they took off out of
the city.”
“Is that so?” Derek shrugged. “I guess Jacks has a plan.”
“I guess.” Rudy nodded. “Oh, boss. Jacks said something about
communications crystals before he left. I think we should look into buying
one for everybody. It would be good to have in case something happened,
don’t you think?”
Derek nodded. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I just haven’t
gotten around to doing it yet. I didn’t expect Jacks and Rayna to leave the
city so quickly.”
“Red or blue?” Geoffrey cut in.
“I prefer red, but blue would work,” Derek answered.
“How many do you need?”
Derek thought about it. He could mentally communicate with Silvi from
a good distance, but it would be a good idea to get her a couple of blue
crystals since she was running low on green ones. It would probably be
worth it to look into buying a skill scroll with a telepathy skill on it. He was
sure he could find one somewhere.
“Three red and eight blue would be for the best,” Derek said.
“Phew!” Geoffrey whistled. “That’s going to cost you a good chunk.
The blue should be manageable, but the red will cost you.”
Derek nodded. “I don’t need the red ones any time soon.”
“I know a guy who can give you decent prices on blue crystals,”
Geoffrey said. “I’ll stop by his shop on the way home today and have a
quote for you tomorrow.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
Derek and Geoffrey stood watch over the construction of the building
for the next few hours. Around sundown, the earth mages had finished the
entire floor of the basement and two walls. The process was slow with only
a single mage like Terri, but Geoffrey reassured Derek that once the
basement was finished, the construction speed would ramp up.
So far, everything was well done. Derek thought the fused Bola Stone
looked much better than if the pieces were held together by a type of clay or
putty.
“We should finish building the basement by midday tomorrow. After
that, we’ll begin with the Pixy Yew. We’ll build fast and go directly to the
living quarters after making the base building. By the day after tomorrow,
you and your people should be able to stay in the building,” Geoffrey
explained.
“That would be great. Hotels are expensive.”
Geoffrey nodded. “Once we finish with that, we will layer the oak onto
the yew. Then we will furnish your building with all the essentials. Finally,
we will draw all the runes that you need. The total time should take four
days or fewer. If you had chosen the other option for the Bola Stone, we
could have finished in two more days.”
Derek nodded. “That’s fine. I like the look better this way. Plus, you’re
doing me a favor as it is. I have no reason to complain.”
“That’s good,” Geoffrey said. “We will end work here. I’m not one that
likes to work my people too hard. Terri has to be suffering from a mana
headache by now.”
Derek nodded. “Do what you need to.”
Soon, all of Geoffrey’s people packed up and left, leaving Derek and
Rudy alone at the job site.
“Go back to the hotel and make sure everyone got there safely. You
might want to pick up something to eat on the way. I’m sure Silvi will be
pissed because I didn’t take her to get a big lunch. Though I haven’t heard
anything from her, so I’m sure Malorie has kept her satiated,” Derek said to
Rudy. “I’m going to stay here. Make sure to let everyone know that we’ll be
able to move in here in a couple of days.”
Rudy nodded and ventured off into the night.
Derek smiled and began meditating. He was glad that everyone had
something to do now. He was also happy that he was going to have a place
of his own. A place to rest. A place to come back to when he finished an
adventure.
The next few days went by in a flash. Nothing overly exciting happened
with the construction of the building. The total time taken was just over
four days. Derek had to admit, the efficiency of those with a system was
outstanding.
The most interesting things he learned during the construction were all
about Geoffrey. Apparently, the businessman was part of a medium-sized
noble house from the capital. His family didn’t approve of his business
practices, so he eventually left and came to Savannah to work on his own. It
was impressive, to say the least. He built his construction company from the
ground up, with no help from his family.
When Derek asked him about his ‘business practices’ that his family
didn’t approve of, he told him that his family was all about taking the
customer for as much as possible, no matter how shady. Geoffrey preferred
to be truthful with his customers. To his credit, it proved successful. Those
who know him, and who were able to get over his slimeball-like exterior,
seemed to come back for repeat business.
However, the most interesting thing that Derek learned about Geoffrey
was that he was quite the accomplished Runesmith. Immediately, Derek
thought about using him as a mentor for Brandi, but he decided against it
for now. The girl would be spending a lot of time in Roman’s shop. Besides,
Derek liked Geoffrey well enough, but his connection, although seemingly
severed, with a sleazy noble house made Derek want to be more cautious.
At the moment, Geoffrey’s crew were packing all their things into their
storage rings, preparing to leave. Soon, everyone but Geoffrey had left the
location.
“Time for the grand tour,” Geoffrey said.
“Let’s do it.” Derek had already been inside. He and his had group slept
in the building the previous night, so he didn’t really need a tour.
Geoffrey led him through the shop door. The open floor plan was the
way to go. There was a checkout counter immediately to the left by the wall
as soon as they walked in. Shelves and displays were scattered along the
walls and throughout the shop. Of course, Derek didn’t have anything to
sell yet, but he could imagine what it would look like once they got some
things in stock.
The walls inside the shop portion of the building were not as covered by
the Oak as the rest of the building. The Pixy Yew shined throughout the
store, giving it an almost magical feeling.
 “If the glow from the Pixy Yew isn’t to your liking or if you want a
change, you can come to me any time, and we’ll get it handled,” Geoffrey
said.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem,” Derek replied. He was still in
awe at the ambiance caused by the wood. He rather enjoyed it.
They continued through the shop area before going through a door.
Inside the door was a small room with stairs going up and down.
“This is a little private room separating your shop from the contract
shop. It’s best not to have access to the basement and top floor out in the
open,” Geoffrey explained.
Derek nodded as they kept walking to the next room.
Rudy’s contract room was different from the open floor shop. The walls
were completely covered with Oak because Rudy didn’t want the odd
lighting shining on his papers when he was writing up a contract. It was too
distracting.
The room was about a quarter of the size compared to the shop. In the
middle of the room, facing the door to the outside, was a long counter. Part
of the counter was raised so one could walk to the other side if needed.
To both the left and right of the outside door were sitting places. There
were two small couches and two chairs on each side for waiting customers.
There was another door behind the counter, and Geoffrey led Derek
through it. The room was a basic office for Rudy. It was a simple design
with a desk and some chairs.
Next, Geoffrey led Derek down to the basement. There wasn’t much to
see there, either. Other than the corner where they had installed Brandi’s
forge and smithing equipment, the rest of the basement was bare.
The Runesmith pointed to the ceiling above the forge. “These runes take
in all the smoke and polluted air and release them through another rune at
the top of the building.” He pointed to another rune close to the center of
the basement. “This rune pulls in clean air from the outside and releases it
inside.”
He went to a rune right beside the stairs. “This rune controls the
temperature of the air released inside, and the one beside it controls the
lights. You can make the room as dim or as bright as you need.” To
demonstrate this, Geoffrey placed his hand on the rune, and the dim
basement lit up enough that it made Derek squint. Then the light dimmed
back down, and Geoffrey moved his hand.
 “These are the most basic of runes. I can’t think of much else to add.
Some forges use runes to control the temperature, but the best blacksmiths
avoid things like that. They would rather feel the forge with their own mana
and manually control everything… at least I did when I was working on
becoming a Runesmith,” he explained.
Derek nodded. “This is fine.”
“We installed the same light runes on each floor in each separate room,”
Geoffrey explained. “If you think of any other runes you need, let me
know.”
After that, the two went upstairs to the living quarters. The stairs led up
to a long hallway with nine doors on one side and four doors on the other.
“It was a tight fit, but we were able to make nine bedrooms work.” He
opened the door to the first bedroom. Inside was a small desk and chair, and
a full-size bed. “We can’t fit much else than what we did unless we wanted
to make the kitchen and dining area smaller. If you need a bigger bed, then
you will have to remove the desk.”
Derek was surprised. He didn’t expect to see a full-size bed. He was
expecting a small twin-size at most. “This will do just fine. It’s better than
what I expected.”
Geoffrey nodded. “That’s good. The light rune is beside the door,
there.” He pointed at the rune. “And we made sure to cover each room in an
Oak layer as requested.”
The two backed out of the room and closed the door.
“Are all the bedrooms the same?” Derek asked.
Geoffrey nodded. “Yes. They are identical,” he replied. “Down to the
same chair and rune placement.”
Next, Geoffrey led Derek to the end of the hall, to a room opposite a
bedroom.
“This is your bathroom. The one on the other end is the same as this
one.” Geoffrey opened the door and walked in.
The room had an oversized tub, sink, and a toilet that the hotel had. The
width of the room was the same as one of the bedrooms, but the length was
longer, and the sink and toilet were next to the walls, opposite one another,
with the tub at the end of the room, running along the three walls.
“We made the tub oversized and fitted it to the walls like you asked.
You can still use it in the same way,” Geoffrey explained as they walked
closer to the bathtub. “I also installed a rune on the floor to dry up any
water outside the tub.”
“That’s great!” Derek could see his plans for a shower coming to
fruition.
“I’m still not sure why you need such a big tub,” Geoffrey commented.
“You can think of it as more of a walk-in shower. Once you learn what a
shower is,” Derek explained.
He then went on to describe his plan for a shower using runes. He
wanted to fit a tank with water, pressure, and temperature runes on the wall.
Then, he explained the concept of a shower head coming off the tank and
using the pressure built up by the rune to shoot the water out. Thus resulting
in a shower.
Geoffrey scratched his chin and hummed. “We don’t need such a big
tank or the pressure rune,” he explained. “I could just put an advanced
water rune that fills a small tank up fast enough to create all the pressure
you need.” He looked up in thought. “That would make it easily portable as
well… Adventurers could attach it to a tree in the wilderness, and it would
be less of a hassle than taking a bath.”
Derek watched as all the possibilities raced through the man’s head.
“I think I have a workable design in my head. I’ll have to experiment
with this ‘shower head’ to get it to properly spray, but I could have a
prototype ready tomorrow,” Geoffrey said. He shook his head. “Such a
simple concept.”
Derek nodded. “It’s also easier to think in a shower. At least to me. A
bath is more relaxing, but I prefer showers.”
“We’ll do that,” Geoffrey agreed. “This will be our product. If you wish.
We can sign a contract. I’m not sure if people will think of it as a novelty
item, so I don’t know how sales will be. What do you think about a 65/35
split? You get 35% of the sales since I will provide the item itself.”
“Fine by me.” Derek didn’t think there would be too much profit in the
item.
“Yes, we can make multiple types. Portable ones, permanent ones,
higher pressure ones…” Geoffrey mumbled to himself as he led them out of
the bathroom and to the dining room.
The dining room was a basic open room with a dining table able to fit
twelve people. Even more could fit if they moved the chairs closer to each
other.
 The dining room was connected to the kitchen. The kitchen was basic
but huge. There was a big kitchen island in the middle of the room. It had
two sinks in it. There were two stoves and two ovens. Well, oven-like
appliances. They were basically big boxes with temperature control runes.
The kitchen was outfitted with the same runes as the basement.
“They will love this,” Derek said.
He had kept Mal and Silvi away from the kitchen while it was being
built. It ended up being the last room to be finished. He felt kind of bad
since he told Silvi it would be one of the first ones he focused on, but she
would forgive him once she saw it. It was as good, if not better, than the
kitchen at the Crown Restaurant in Torith. Only a bit smaller.
Silvi was going to be able to chop as many onions as her heart desired
soon.
“This is it,” Geoffrey said. “If you need anything else, please contact
me.”
Derek nodded. “Will do.” They exchanged communication crystal runes
days ago when Derek spent what gold he had left on blue crystals.
“It would also be for the best if you thought of a name for your shop
sooner rather than later.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Derek replied.
“I’ll take my leave now.” Geoffrey shook Derek’s hand and
disappeared.
With this done, I need to make some money and hit up a couple of those
dungeons. But first, I need to show everyone around and wait for Rayna
and Jacks to get back. I hope they’re doing well.

OceanofPDF.com
 23 A ROYAL AUDIENCE

T hree consecutive knocks sounded from the door to the office. Alanah
brushed her emerald-green hair to the side and raised her head from
her accounts. A strand of hair fell in front of her eyes, tickling her
nose, so she scrunched her face and blew the hair to the side.
The knocks sounded again, grabbing her attention from the unruly
pieces of hair. She brushed her dress down and sat upright. She weaved her
hand back through her hair, removing the unruly strands from her face.
“Enter,” she said in a singsong voice.
Avery stepped in and closed the door behind him.
“Oh, it’s just you,” she said, looking back down at her accounts.
“Mis—” Avery began but was cut off by a glare from Alanah’s piercing
green eyes. “Alanah.”
“That’s better.”
Avery sighed. “The king has requested your presence today at noon.”
Alanah frowned. “What does that bag of bones want from me this
time?”
Avery shrugged. “The messenger did not say. I suspect it has something
to do with your new business partner. Perhaps the coffee has gotten his
attention.”
“Perhaps Derek has gone and done something stu… impulsive again?”
“Perhaps…” Avery agreed.
“Stella hasn’t mentioned him taking any actions lately. Her last report
had him building a shop in Savannah. It should be finished sometime
today.” Alanah leaned her chin on her hand, thinking. “Maybe Derek
making it to onyx rank has caught the king’s attention.”
 “Your guess is as good as mine,” Avery said. “Maybe he wants to talk to
you about the upcoming auction. The rumors have already started
spreading.”
Alanah smiled. “Of course they have. I can’t have a proper auction until
every person with a membership can attend. Where’s the fun when there’s
no bidding war? The rumors will prepare the members for the upcoming
announcement.”
“I see…”
“Oh… about the auction.” Alanah suddenly recalled her plan. “We’ll be
auctioning the meals from the lesser Void Beast and part of the baby Void
Beast at Savannah.”
“What? Why would we do that?” Avery asked.
Alanah smiled again. “So I can finally meet my new friend, of course.”
“You want to meet him that badly?”
“I would like to,” she responded. “There’s no sense in letting Stella
have all the fun.”
Avery shook his head. “Whatever you want.”
“We’ll use the auction in Savannah to prepare everyone for the big
auction here in the capital. It should generate quite a lot of buzz if we
announce that we have even more powerful meals prepared for another
auction. Especially after seeing the quality of the meals at the Savannah
auction,” she explained.
Avery nodded.
“You will be in charge of everything here in the capital while I’m
gone.”
“Naturally.” Avery smiled.
“How are the boys doing?” Alanah changed the subject.
Avery’s eyes sparkled at the mention of the boys. “Zac and Luke are
both very gifted. Once they unlock the Great System, I expect great things
from them.”
“As do I,” Alanah said. “Have either of them gravitated towards an
element or weapon yet?”
Avery grinned. “Both have,” he said. “Zac has been infatuated with the
lightning room. He even sleeps in it most nights when he isn’t with Luke.
As for Luke, he is going to be a natural tank. He’s been drawn to every
great shield he’s come across, even though he can’t even lift one. He started
with the earth element but eventually found that he was more attracted to
the metal particles inside, so I believe metal will be his element. I can’t wait
to see what classes they end up with in two years.”
Alanah smiled warmly at Avery. “You will take good care of them.”
“Of course.”
“Don’t forget to prepare the Achievements that give skill points for
them. When they can unlock the General Skills, you must make sure they
have enough skill points available so they can level the skills before they hit
level 10,” Alanah explained.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already prepared for them to receive multiple
Achievements. It’s just a matter of time now.”
“Good.”
After talking, Alanah dismissed Avery and went back to her accounts.
They were the most boring part of her businesses, but she preferred to
handle them herself. Both Avery and Stella had better things to do, and they
were the only ones she trusted enough with them.
Not long after she closed the books, another knock rang from her door.
“Enter.”
Avery stuck his head in. “Alanah, it is almost noon. Are you planning
on visiting the king?”
Alanah stood and brushed her hands along the sides of her formal black
dress. It was closer to business attire than a regular dress. She looked down,
making sure she was presentable. This will do. It’s only the old man.
She let out a breath. “Let’s go see why that old man wants a personal
visit from me. I have a perfectly good communication crystal he could have
called me on.” She shook her head. “You’re coming with me.”
Avery shrugged. “Very well.”
On the way out of the restaurant, they passed the host counter. “Jessica,
you have the restaurant until we get back. We have a meeting with the
king.”
“Y-yes Master Swan… Mistress Swan.” The attendant performed her
most formal bow.
The duo walked out of the restaurant after. Avery shook his head. “I see
why you don’t like being called Mistress. Master leaves a much worse taste
in my mouth.”
“Exactly,” she agreed.
Before long, the two came upon the Royal Palace.
 “It’s just so gaudy,” Alanah said. “If I ever mention building my own
palace, please slap me upside the head.”
Avery snorted.
“That was an order.”
“Fine. I will slap you upside the head if you ever want to build a palace.
How much strength would you like me to use?” Avery asked, faking
seriousness.
“However much is needed to set my mind right because if I’m
suggesting it, there must be something wrong with my brain.”
The two walked up the steps and met with two guards.
“Lady Swan, Lord Avery,” the first guard said. “The king is expecting
you in his Throne Room.”
“Oooh, the Throne Room. This must be serious,” Alanah said.
The other guard said something through a communication crystal, and
soon after, the giant door they were guarding opened wide. One of the
king’s attendants appeared and greeted the two from the Crown.
“Lady Swan, Lord Avery. If you would please follow me.” The man
turned and led the two through the doorway and straight to another large
door, the one that led to the Throne Room.
“I’m starting to feel a little underdressed,” Avery whispered to Alanah.
Alanah snorted. “Our business attire puts all those nobles’ formal attire
to shame. If anything, we are both overdressed. Remember, the king asked
if I would come today. He did not order it.”
The attendant opened the door and walked in. In a loud voice, he said,
“Lady Swan and Lord Avery.” He slid off to the side and motioned them
forward with a formal bow.
The duo walked forward on the overly long red carpet. I hate the
palace. It’s all just tacky. Alanah stared forward at the man sitting on the
throne.
He was wearing his crown and regalia and an overly embellished tunic
with a surcoat embroidered with his family crest. Wrinkles adorned his face,
and long white hair flowed down onto his surcoat.
Edwin must be very serious today. I know how much he hates wearing
that surcoat. To the left of the king stood Alanah and Derek’s favorite
person, Gerald Torith. On the King’s right was his other advisor, Phillip.
Both Torith and Musgrave today. The gang’s all here, she thought. The
four generals of the Kingdom’s army were all in attendance as well. They
lined the right side of the Throne Room, parallel to the carpet, behind their
commander, Crown Prince Edward. On the left were Princess Elouise and
her Royal Guard.
We’re missing two princes. If they were present, we’d have the entire
immediate royal family here. I don’t see what the reason for such an event is
unless Derek has somehow taken over the entire city of Savannah and I’m
not yet aware of it. She did her best not to sigh as she stood in front of the
king and gave a slight bow. Avery followed suit.
“Impudence!” Gerald shouted.
Alanah glared at the advisor, daring him to take a step forward.
“Enough, Gerald,” the king commanded.
“Alanah, do you know why I asked you here today?” King Edwin
asked.
“I have been wondering,” she answered.
“You know the man, Derek Hunt, correct?” the king asked.
“Of course.”
“I have heard that he has murdered Advisor Gerald’s son and grandson,
along with all the guards stationed in Torith. Is that correct?” the king
asked.
“That is incorrect,” Alanah answered.
“You dare!” Gerald shouted again.
“Enough!” The king shot Gerald another look. “What do you mean by
incorrect? I have it on good authority this Derek Hunt murdered Malcolm.”
Alanah smiled. “You see, you asked if he murdered Malcolm and his
guards stationed in Torith. He did not do that, as Malcolm, his son, and all
the guards were not in Torith at the time. They were running, and running
fast because, and excuse my language, my king… they royally fucked up,
and they knew it.”
“What do you mean? Please explain,” King Edwin prompted.
“Ahem…” a voice sounded from the side.
The king turned his head. “Yes, Edward, do you have something you
would like to add?”
The prince stepped forward and gave his father an odd smile. “I just
thought it would be better to wait for the room to adapt to Mistress Swan
before we continue. As of right now…” He looked around. “It seems that
only Your Highness, Advisor Gerald, myself, and Lord Avery have heard
anything since Mistress Swan first spoke.”
 “Ah… yes… she does have that effect on people. Very well. We will
wait until Advisor Musgrave and the princess are able to take part,” the
king said.
Gerald continued to stare at Alanah with daggers. He was strong enough
that his recent visit to the Crown had allowed him to somewhat withstand
Alanah’s voice. Alanah shot Gerald a look and rolled her eyes.
“King Edwin,” Alanah spoke, “while I am willing to wait for a short
time, I am very busy preparing auctions currently.” She thought now would
be the perfect time to tempt the royal family.
“Auctions?” King Edwin asked. “As in… more than one?”
Alanah released a charming smile towards the king. “Exactly. We plan
to hold the initial auction in Savannah before the second, which will be held
here in the capital.”
“May I ask what the difference between the auctions is?” The king
leaned forward.
Alanah knew that what the king had the least of right now was time. He
had a high vitality, everybody knew that, but he was pushing three hundred
years of age and was already as high a level as he could manage, so he
could no longer obtain stat points to increase his vitality towards max.
Though the meals didn’t provide vitality, they provided endurance.
Endurance would help, not as much as vitality, but it strengthened organs,
bones, and muscles, so it did help in terms of living a longer, healthier life.
Every extra stat point he could find was a possible increase to his
already long life. Therefore, Void Beast auctions were of utmost importance
to the royal family. It was also why the crown prince didn’t hesitate to give
the Void Beast to Alanah in exchange for one meal. Obviously, she was on
the winning end of the deal, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Of course, King Edwin didn’t fail to use his membership to attend that
auction to get hold of another meal. Alanah was sure she would see the king
again at both the auction in Savannah and the one here in the capital.
“Of course, King Edwin.” Her smile deepened. “I have recently come
into possession of multiple Void Beasts,” she said. As soon as she
announced the auction to the public, everyone would know about her
having more than one beast, so there was nothing wrong with her telling the
king and his people here. If anything, it may prove useful by tempting the
king into a good mood.
“Multiple Void Beasts?” The king was ecstatic.
 Alanah nodded. “Yes, multiple,” she confirmed. “That’s not all. The
first auction, the one to be held in Savannah, will provide a beast that was
slightly stronger than the one brought to us by your son, the crown prince.”
“What?!” the prince exclaimed. “I’ve heard nothing of another Void
Beast of that level appearing in the kingdom.”
Alanah shrugged. “Yet, I have one.”
“And the other Void Beast?” the king asked.
Alanah went as far as showing her teeth, almost in a predatory smile.
“Was intelligent. The stats that it will provide are second to none. The price,
however… will be second to none as well. It is the first beast of intelligence
I have obtained and the one with the greatest possibilities.”
The king shot up from his throne. “You must allow me to purchase the
meals.”
“Please, King Edwin. Sit… you will have the same chance to obtain a
meal from that Void Beast as everyone else. I am opening the auction to all
members, not just those of a higher tier.” She smiled. “But that’s still not the
main course.”
“There’s more? More than a Void Beast so strong that it had
intelligence?” the prince asked.
“Yes.” Alanah nodded. She had both the king and prince hooked. Off to
the side of the king, Gerald could do nothing but grit his teeth and fume in
silence. “A third beast was delivered. This Void Beast has a… peculiar
constitution.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, though its meat and most other organs provide minimal increase
to stats when consumed… its blood and heart are different. Just one sip of
its blood will increase your vitality.”
“Amazing,” the king muttered.
“Indeed…” She took a step forward and leaned in, almost as if she was
whispering where only the king could hear it. “And that was without me
refining it.”
The king’s face turned red as he breathed heavily in excitement. Alanah
took a step back to stand beside Avery. She hoped the excitement the king
was experiencing didn’t cause him to injure himself.
“That’s great, Father!” a melodic voice chimed from the side. It seemed
that Princess Eloise was the first to break out of her daze.
 Alanah hadn’t noticed how long she had been listening, but it was still a
surprise to see her gain control back so soon. Her willpower and wisdom
must have been on par with Stella’s.
“Princess Eloise,” Alanah said, “it seems you have gotten much
stronger since last we met. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Lady Swan.” The princess bowed.
The king smiled at the princess. “It is great. I hope I can obtain some
blood from this unique Void Beast.”
The king calmed down, and the group went silent for some time.
Finally, ten minutes later, Advisor Musgrave broke out of his daze.
Surprisingly, all of Crown Prince Edward’s generals snapped out of their
daze before the advisor.
“This has been all well and good, but can we please get back to the
topic at hand?” Gerald broke the silence. “I do not believe we need to wait
for a bunch of lady’s maids to ready themselves before we continue.”
King Edwin shot Gerald an annoyed look. “I guess we do not,” he said.
“Alanah, will you please continue?”
Alanah smiled. The king had stopped being formal and shifted to casual
talk. It was what she wanted. “Of course, Edwin.” She glanced at Gerald in
victory. “As I said before, Advisor Gerald’s son and grandson brought
everything that happened on themselves.”
Gerald snorted but didn’t speak after the king shot him a disapproving
look.
“Please, continue.”
“You see, I have been in contact with Derek Hunt for almost as long as
he has been in the kingdom,” Alanah explained.
“And you are able to talk with him? Personally?” the king questioned.
“Oh, yes. Derek’s ability isn’t any less than that of anybody in this
room,” she said.
“He’s only a gold-ranked adventurer!” Gerald cut her off.
Alanah rolled her eyes. “Idiot.” She didn’t bother to hide her disdain for
the man. “He was a gold-ranked adventurer only because that was the
highest rank he could obtain in Torith. Since arriving in Savannah, he has
already received his onyx-ranked badge, and it’s only a matter of time
before he arrives in the capital and becomes diamond-ranked.”
Gerald closed his mouth shut and stared wide-eyed.
 “Really, Gerald. It isn’t like you to not know who you’re messing with.
You’re usually much more careful than this,” Alanah chided. “What did you
think happened to Bones and Ogre after you sent them to take care of
Derek? It was like sending children who hadn’t even unlocked the Great
System up against King Edwin. You should be ashamed.”
Gerald’s face turned red in anger. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about. I would never associate with the likes of those assassins.”
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you,” Alanah answered.
“Well, Derek has done the kingdom a favor in culling the two assassins, no
matter who sent them.”
“Indeed,” Crown Prince Edward agreed. “I will have to meet this man.”
Alanah smiled at the prince. She knew that he held a particular disgust
for assassins. They had made more than one attempt on his life as he grew
up. “If you find yourself in Savannah, my manager, Stella, will introduce
the two of you. He’s just taken up residence.” She told the prince, and he
nodded back.
“What did all of this have to do with the advisor’s son and grandson?”
the king asked.
“Well, Derek is a peculiar man. When he arrived in the kingdom, he
rescued a young boy and became somewhat of a mentor to him. He brought
the boy with him to Torith, where they met Gerald’s grandson.” Alanah
continued on to tell the king about the events that happened between
Thomas and Clay. “You see, I thought he was very generous in letting
Malcolm and his son off with a warning.”
The king looked at Gerald. “Yes… it would seem that way.”
“Imagine my surprise when I heard about what happened next.” Alanah
then went on to explain about the kidnapping of Brandi and Malorie,
leaving out the details she had already gathered about the girl. She made it
seem like a genuine revenge kidnapping to get back at Derek.
“Is that true?” the king shouted at Gerald.
“N-no… of course not,” Gerald muttered.
“I will send my own people out to get the truth. If I find out you are
lying…” the king threatened.
“W-wait…” Gerald pleaded. “I… I heard about the kidnapping. I didn’t
know that they were Derek Hunt’s companions, I swear.”
“What makes you think you have the right to kidnap someone in MY
KINGDOM!” The king was furious now.
 “I… I didn’t,” Gerald pleaded. “I-It was my son who did it. I had no
knowledge until after the fact.”
“And you still have the gall to plead your son’s case. If he were still
alive, I would kill him myself.” The king looked back at Alanah. “Alanah,
thank you for your explanation. You are dismissed. Gerald and I have many
things to discuss.”
Alanah nodded. “Very well, Edwin.” She smiled. “I look forward to
seeing you at the auction later. I will send someone with the details soon.”
She glanced at the prince and princess. “It was good seeing you both
again.”
With that, Alanah and Avery turned and left the Royal Palace.
When they got back to the Crown and to Alanah’s office, she spoke,
“Honestly, how did that man think that was going to go? I used to think he
was at least a little competent, but it seems that his emotions have taken
control of him.”
“It would seem that way.”
“Everything is up to Edwin now. I wonder how he will handle Gerald
after that farce. I hope he won’t disappoint me. Luckily, the prince was
there to witness as well.” Alanah leaned back in her chair. “I’m sure your
students are anxiously awaiting your return. You can go.”
Avery bowed. “Thank you.” He turned and left.
Alanah stared at the closing door. What an interesting day.

OceanofPDF.com
 24 HOME SWEET HOME

D erek summoned his blue communication crystal out of his storage

bracelet and started making calls to have his members meet at the
site. It wasn’t long before Rudy made his appearance. He was
already waiting around the area. The man couldn’t wait to see his part of the
shop.
A little after, Malorie, holding Silvi, and Brandi filed in. Brandi had
been making phenomenal progress under the tutelage of Roman. The
halfling had taken a real liking to the girl. She had a good grasp of Alchemy
and didn’t require him to explain many things more than once. She was the
perfect student.
Thomas was the last to arrive. He came stumbling in with a tired and
bedraggled look. Shae had not been taking it easy on the kid. Derek had to
wonder if the man may have been taking some of his frustrations about
Derek and Roman’s prank out on Thomas. Any way he looked at it, though,
Thomas was progressing well under Shae’s guidance.
Unfortunately, Rayna and Jacks were still not back from their training.
Derek couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing and how much the
woman would change while out. He wondered just how seriously Jacks was
taking her training. He hoped they made it back okay.
“Oh… thank you, thank you, thank you,” Thomas said when he got
close enough. “We were just about to spar again. I don’t think I would have
made it another round with that monster. The training’s worse than the
dungeon training you had me do when we first met,” the boy complained.
“But you’re stronger because of it, right?” Derek asked.
“Of course I am. I just don’t know if I can survive much more of it.”
 Derek ruffled the boy’s hair. “You can survive it, and you will. Then,
when you enter the academy, you will show all those petty nobles what a
brat from a small village can do.”
Thomas’s eyes shined with a spark when Derek mentioned the academy
and his status as a villager. The boy grinned. “They’ll never think of a
commoner the same way again.”
“That’s the spirit.” Derek laughed.
“Yeah! You show ’em, Thomas,” Brandi cheered the boy on while
Malorie smiled at them.
“See. You’ve got all of us rooting for you. You can’t let us down,”
Derek said.
Thomas blushed but nodded his head in the affirmative.
Derek clapped his hands. “Alright! Who’s ready to see the building?”
The group gathered around anxiously as Derek led them through the
main door. “You’ve all seen this part of the building, so we won’t spend
much time here. What do you all think about how we used the Pixy Yew?”
“It’s so pretty,” Brandi said.
“It gives the place a magical feel,” Malorie agreed.
‘Show me the kitchen,’ Silvi chimed in Derek’s head. He ignored her.
“I quite like it. It gives the shop a bit of something that stands out.
People may come for the uniqueness of everything, but when that wears off,
they may end up staying for the contents of the shop. It was a good idea,”
Rudy commented.
“I thought so, too. Though it came out better than I had hoped,” Derek
agreed. “Now, follow me. I’ll show you all the basement.”
Derek led them down the stairs into the basement. As soon as they took
a step onto the cold, hard stone, Brandi let out a squeal and darted towards
the forge. Derek smiled and walked over with her.
“This was one of the best forges Geoffrey could offer us. It will allow
you to work well into the later levels of your class. Once you are at a high
enough level, you will be able to make your own forges and equipment to
suit your new skill level. This is all for starting out. Do you like it?” Derek
asked.
“Do I like it? I love it. I love it so much.” Brandi was already
summoning the tools Derek had given her out of her storage ring and
putting them where they were supposed to go. She placed some on the
workbench and hung some up on the wall beside the forge.
 “Oh, no!” Brandi suddenly called out.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Malorie rushed forward to see what
happened.
“What am I going to tell Mr. Roman? How am I going to divide my
time between this and Alchemy? What am I going to do? There’s just so
much that I want to do,” Brandi fired out question after question.
“Isn’t that a good problem to have?” Derek asked. “Roman won’t need
to teach you every day. I’m sure he has other things to do. Plus, when you
make your Alchemy tools or borrow some from Roman, you can do
Alchemy in here as well. I tried to make the basement big enough for all
your crafts. If it isn’t big enough, let me know, and I can have Geoffrey’s
team come in and make a second level.”
Brandi looked around as if noticing the size of the room for the first
time. “It’s all for me?”
“Yup. We don’t have any other crafters. This basement is basically all
yours. Of course, I plan on using it when I need to access my skill… you
know the one. It’s better that I don’t let anybody else see it.” Derek was
talking about his prison. As far as most people knew, Bones, Ogre, and Clay
Torith were all dead, not being held captive.
“I put the smithing stuff in first so you could use it to create the tools
you need for your other crafts. It will be good for you to do so. I suggest
you start on Alchemy and Leatherworking tools first as those are the two
you are most familiar with. I’ll find you some Runesmithing books
sometime in the near future, so you can focus on that, too,” Derek said.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Brandi wrapped her arms around
Derek in a great big hug.
He tousled her hair, which had grown out a little since her run-in with
Thomas and the Mana Clippers. “Besides, I can’t wait to see what you can
do by combining Brewing and Alchemy. Roman already showed me what
was possible with Alchemy alone. If you’re able to combine them well, I’m
afraid you’ll end up taking most of his business.” Derek grinned.
Thinking about that was odd for Derek. He had a hard time wrapping
his head around a 13-year-old girl brewing alcoholic products for
adventurers. Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter as much when everyone has a
system. If you’re old enough to become an adventurer and all… Besides,
she’ll be making it, not drinking it. I’ll do the testing…
Brandi heard Derek’s words and nodded seriously.
 “Well, it’s yours to do with as you like. Now, let’s go see the contract
shop.” Derek led the group back upstairs. Brandi kept glancing at the stairs
to the basement as he led them. He could understand her excitement.
A small girl from an unknown village that had only dreamed of
becoming a basic Leatherworker so she could help out in the village was
now given an entire space to practice her crafts. It was more than she ever
dreamed of. More than she thought she had the right to ever dream of.
Derek was happy for her.
Soon, Derek opened the door and led them into the contract shop. “Is
this good enough?”
Now, it was time to see Rudy acting like a kid on Christmas. He ran to
each corner of the room and felt the cushions on the benches and chairs in
the waiting area, going as far as to sit on them himself. Then, he fast walked
to the counter and lifted the counter flap to walk to the other side.
Rudy ran his hand along the polished countertop, even laying his face
and ear to it. It was a spectacle, watching the man examine the room.
Finally, he opened the door to his office and walked inside, closing it
behind him.
Everyone stared at the door, not knowing what to say.
“Should have I looked over the basement better?” Brandi questioned
herself quietly, but Derek heard her.
“You did fine. What you’re looking at now is a true, seedy professional.
It’s better that you don’t act like that,” Derek answered.
Rudy burst through the door. “It’s exquisite!” he said as he walked back
through the counter, lowering the flap after crossing. “When can I begin
business?”
“As soon as you think of a name and figure out everything you need to
do as a business. Remember the taxes. Always remember the taxes,” Derek
said.
Rudy nodded twice. “Yes,” he said. “I’m going to need a secretary!”
“That’s all on you. I got you the space and opportunity. The rest is up to
you. Though I’m sure you can find one of the orphans that Tavors told us
about helping out. It will be up to you to work things out with the city,”
Derek said.
“I had nearly forgotten about them. Maybe I can find one who is
interested in contracts. It could be cheaper… ahem… better for them if I
have something to teach them,” Rudy said.
 Derek chuckled. “Just don’t do anything to get on the bad side of the
city. I still haven’t met Natalie, and I don’t want our first discussion to be
about one of my people doing something stupid.”
“Of course, of course,” Rudy said. “What do you think about Rudy’s
Contracts? Or Contracts by Rudy?”
“What?” Derek asked.
“For the name. I must have a catchy name. That’s half of the contract
business.”
Derek shook his head. “Just figure something out.” He turned back to
the group. “Now, I know you have already seen the bedrooms and
bathrooms, but I have kept you out of the kitchen and dining area. Time to
show them off.”
Silvi darted atop Derek’s shoulder. If Derek was leading to the kitchen,
then he would be the first one through the door. Of course, she didn’t want
to wait a second longer to see her work area.
Derek led the group up the stairs to the second floor. Once there, he
walked down the hall and placed his hand on a door. “Are y’all ready?”
He pushed slightly, but before the door opened even an inch, Silvi
jumped off his shoulder and slammed into it, causing the door to swing
wide open.
Derek shook his head and walked in behind the impatient bunny, who
was now sitting in the middle of the dining room table with her head facing
down. She obviously thought Derek would take them to the kitchen first.
Unfortunately for the anxious bunny, he wanted to show off the dining
room.
“As you can all see… this is not the kitchen. It’s the dining room.” He
walked to the side and placed his hand on a rune. A light fixture hung on
the ceiling in the middle of the room, giving it a classic feel. “We can adjust
the lighting however we want with this rune. We can adjust it at percentages
instead of just on or off.”
At the center of the room was a luxurious dining room table made of
fine mahogany that Geoffrey had thrown in for free. Derek knew the man
did him a solid because he’d seen that particular mahogany when he was
viewing materials, and it was not cheap. In fact, if the Pixy Yew building
was destroyed, the table might yet survive.
As for seating, Derek had chosen comfort over formality. Instead of
going with the typical wood chair, Derek selected a set of cushioned chairs
with great back support. Geoffrey begged him to go with something that
would fit the table more regally, but he refused. He did eventually cave and
let Geoffrey change the upholstered material to a material that matched the
mahogany finish on the table.
The chairs looked slightly out of place, but not by much, and not
enough to embarrass him as a host if the time came. Plus, they more than
made up for it with the comfort they provided.
There were twelve chairs in total—five on each side of the table and one
on each end. Derek walked up to an end chair and pulled it out. “Sit.” He
motioned Malorie over.
Malorie let out a slight chuckle, then sat in the chair. Her eyes lit up.
“Wow… that’s much more comfortable than I expected.”
“Right?” Derek agreed. “It seems like every meeting or dining
experience I’ve had while in this kingdom has been marred by
uncomfortable seating. It all started in Rayna’s village. Even the Crown
Restaurants prefer quality over comfort. It just isn’t right.”
“I never thought about that,” the woman said.
Derek nodded fiercely. “Every ass needs a proper cushion… at least at
home. How else are you supposed to properly enjoy your dining
experience?” he said. “I can forgive Stella, Alanah, and the rest of the
Crown for it, though. It’s a restaurant that gets its profits based on the
number of customers. If they had comfortable chairs, too many people
would stay far longer once they finished their meal. It could become a
problem.”
“I want to try it.” Brandi ran over and pulled out a chair of her own and
hopped in. “Wow! It is comfortable.”
Derek smiled and nodded. He glanced at Silvi and noticed her
giddiness. The lazy bunny had become even more impatient. “Alright…
enough about chairs. Who’s ready to see the kitchen?”
Out of nowhere, Silvi appeared back on Derek’s shoulder. He chuckled
as he walked to the door separating the dining room from the kitchen and
opened it. Again, Silvi was through the door before anyone else.
It was an entertaining sight. They had all just watched Rudy run around
his shop and office. Now they were watching Silvi do the same thing.
Except with Rudy, they physically saw him move from one place to the
next, but with Silvi, she would disappear before reappearing next to a
different appliance.
 Out of the corner of his eye, Derek could see Malorie fidgeting. She,
too, wanted to examine the area. She would be spending a lot of her time
here if she could receive a proper class change the next time she leveled.
The level 50 class change wouldn’t be too late for her to do what she
truly wanted to. He knew she enjoyed cooking and also seemed to be drawn
to the managerial side of things when he mentioned it. She would be the
perfect storekeeper. Plus, he trusted her.
“This is yours, too,” Derek told her. “Go, have a look.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. She was much calmer than Silvi and
Rudy as she walked over and examined everything. Brandi giggled, seeing
her mother act like this.
Derek gave them a rundown of everything in the kitchen. From the
ovens and stoves to the sinks and runes, the kitchen was amazing.
Soon, their group had calmed down, and everyone was standing around
the kitchen island.
“Silvi, come here,” he said, and the bunny hopped across the kitchen
island, landing in front of him. “So, I figured the green crystals were getting
expensive, and you’ve been going through them so quickly that you needed
an upgrade.”
He flicked his wrist, and a purple collar with two blue crystal-like studs
appeared in his hand. “While meeting with Geoffrey’s jeweler to get
communication crystals, I thought of this.” He placed the collar around
Silvi’s neck.
“One of the crystals is connected to everyone else’s crystal, so you can
call on any of us when you want. The other crystal is only connected to the
crystal next to it. So, when you connect the two of them, you can talk out
loud. Just like with the green crystals, but these won’t break,” he explained.
“Try it out. It may be difficult moving mana through your neck like that, but
it just takes practice.”
It turned out it wasn’t difficult for the bunny. She’d been using Mage
Hand and Telekinesis so much that controlling the pure mana was child’s
play for her. In an instant, her childlike voice sounded out.
“Like this?”
“Exactly like that. What do you think?” Derek asked.
“It’s easy. Don’t have to use paws. Can talk while cooking,” the voice
chimed.
“Good. Do you like the kitchen?” Derek asked.
 “I love it, I love it, I love it. We need to cook now. This instant. Missed
lunch the other day… have to make up for it. It’s late outside, dinner time.
Come, Mal… let’s use our kitchen.” Silvi hopped up and into Malorie’s
arms.
“I guess we’re going to make dinner,” she said.
“Do you have the ingredients?” Derek asked.
She nodded. “I spent most of the gold you gave me on different
ingredients. I stuck to cheaper items, but we should be able to make some
good food for the next couple of weeks.”
“Actually,” Derek interrupted, “if you plan on changing classes to
something that involves cooking, you need to rapidly increase your
Cooking skill. Which means working with higher-level materials. I’ll be
hitting some dungeons soon, so there’s that, but you’ll need other
ingredients as well.”
“What do you suggest?” she asked.
“I’m going to bring you to the bank soon and give you access to my
account. Other than the rent that has to be paid monthly, you will have full
access to everything. The Crown will automatically deposit my earnings at
the beginning of each month,” he said. “You can manage the shop and all
the business here. Essentially, being my Stella.”
Malorie stared wide-eyed at Derek. “Really? You would trust me with
all that?”
“You’ve done nothing to lose my trust, and you want to do everything
you can for Brandi. She’ll need someone with access to the funds to help
get her material, too. I would suggest looking for whole carcasses. She can
Dismantle them for the materials, then you and Silvi can use the meat to
cook,” he explained.
“It would be my pleasure,” Malorie said.
“Good. I also suggest spending some skill points on any business-
related General Skills you can find. Do you have skill points available?” he
asked.
She nodded. “I have a couple left from the dungeon we ran a while
back.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah… I didn’t spend any of them because of how many skill points
the last class skill cost me,” she said.
 “I see.” He laughed. “Then that’s good. I’m sure business skills will
grow extremely well in this environment. Once you have raised the skills to
your satisfaction, I’ll take you somewhere to level you to level 50 for a
class change. Hopefully, something good comes out of it.”
Malorie nodded. “That’s good. I just hope I can get a class as good as
the one I have now. It would be terrible to go from an uncommon growth
type class to a basic lifestyle class.”
“That’s why you really need to focus on your General Skills,” Derek
said.
Malorie nodded.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Silvi repeated.
Derek dismissed everyone. “Go ahead.”
A little over an hour later, Derek and company had their first meal
together at their new place. They were only missing Rayna and Jacks, but
those two were scheduled to be back soon.

OceanofPDF.com
 25 VISITORS

T he next morning, Derek opened his eyes to a knocking on the front

door of the shop. Maybe they’re back? he wondered. Nobody else was
awake, and he had chosen to meditate for the night. He walked down
to the shop and looked out the glass pane on the door.
Two figures wearing cloaks stood outside. However, the hoods weren’t
covering their heads, so they weren’t hiding, at least not from him.
Derek opened the door.
One man had shoulder-length white hair and intense blue eyes—not the
deep blue Derek used to have but a lighter blue that seemed to contain
electric currents. The other man stood with neatly shaven brown hair. His
eyes were a fierce crimson.
The man with brown hair looked familiar.
“Can I help you?”
The familiar-looking young man stepped forward. “Are you Mr. Hunt?”
he asked.
Derek nodded slowly. “I am.”
The man reached his hand out for a handshake, and Derek took it. “My
name is Jake Herrett. My father is Jackson Herrett. He wrote to me about a
week ago saying that, thanks to you, we could see each other again.”
“Oh…” Derek said, finally knowing why the young man looked
familiar. If the man had the scar on his face, he would look like a younger
version of Jacks. “No wonder I thought you looked familiar. It’s good to
meet you. Please… come in.” Derek moved to the side and held the door
open, allowing the two men to come in.
 “So…” Derek said once the two men were in the shop. “You and your
friend…”
“Edgar, but you can call me Eddie,” the white-haired young man said.
“We’re members of the same adventuring team.”
“Edgar, then,” Derek said. “Did the two of you come to Savannah just
to visit your father?”
“For the most part,” Jake answered while looking around. “In his letter,
he said he had a lot of things we needed to talk about.”
“I imagine he does,” said Derek.
Jake’s eyes jerked to Derek’s. “Do you know what he wants to tell me?”
“I think I do, but it’s something the two of you should discuss. It’s not
for me to say.”
“This is a very interesting décor,” Edgar noted. “It’s Pixy Yew, correct?”
“It is…” Derek replied. “I wanted something durable that wouldn’t
break the bank. The Pixy Yew fit the bill. It also gives kind of a magical
feeling to the shop, don’t you think?”
Edgar nodded firmly. “It does… but if you don’t mind my asking…
why not use better materials? With your status”—he nodded to the badges
on both his arm and Derek’s—“you could have gotten a much better deal at
the same or even lower cost.”
That was when Derek’s gaze shifted to the onyx badge that was on
Edgar’s arm and the platinum badge on Jake’s. I bet Jacks is going to be
even more surprised than me about that. Jacks had stopped adventuring and
gaining levels when he was contracted to Torith.
Jacks had told Derek that he hadn’t seen his son in over five years, yet
the young man was already at the same level as Jacks.
“I could have gotten everything for free, but the contractor I hired was
very forward about everything, including telling me about the favors I could
get because of my rank. I like people like that. I would rather not owe some
scumbag a favor if at all possible,” Derek said.
“Well spoken,” Edgar replied.
Derek looked over at the Adventurer’s Guild Badges adorning the duo’s
arms again. “I heard the academy produced competent people, but I wasn’t
expecting onyx and platinum badges from people who look so young.
You’re what? Almost twenty now?” He directed the question at Jake.
Jake nodded. “In a few months.”
 “I’m older than I look,” Edgar said. “I’m in the back half of my
twenties.”
So we’re basically the same age, Derek thought. “I see,” he said. “So,
how did the two of you meet? I imagine the age gap would keep you from
the same classes.”
Edgar shrugged. “I was graduating the same year he joined the
academy. I took note of Jake during that year. He was headstrong and
talented. He also didn’t have servants waiting on him hand and foot, nor did
he yell out his father this… his mother that… you know the type?”
“Oh, I know the type,” Derek said.
“So, after I graduated, I… moved my way through the ranks of the army
and adventured on my downtime. When he graduated, I was high enough
ranked to move him to my company. Eventually, he joined my adventuring
party, as well. Now, here we are,” Edgar explained.
“So, are you here on official business, then?” he asked Edgar.
“Me? No. I have leave,” Edgar said.
Derek didn’t fail to notice the slight eye-roll Jake gave Edgar when he
mentioned having leave. Edgar was an interesting one. He seemed a bit too
excited to answer questions, and he kept looking around the shop for no
reason.
“Is there something I can help you with, then?” Derek pointedly asked.
“Oh, no… I’m good,” Edgar answered. “You… just don’t have much
for sale, do you?”
“We literally finished the building yesterday…”
“Oh… that makes sense then.”
“Is my father around?” Jake cut in.
Derek shook his head. “I’m afraid not. He went out to train someone a
few days ago and hasn’t come back yet. He left before I could give him a
communication crystal and should be back sometime today. It’s the seventh
day since he left. He said not to worry unless he was gone over a week.”
Derek saw Jake shiver when he mentioned training. “Who is he
training? Does he have strong willpower?” Jake asked.
“She, but yes, she does have quite the strong willpower. Why?” Derek
asked.
Jake shrugged. “Fath… Dad isn’t the easiest on people when it comes to
training them.”
 “Well, that’s fine. It’s best when you’re hard on people. They live
longer… and DON’T choose a class they are unsuitable for.” Derek
whipped his head around to see Thomas peeking out from the stairs. “Do
they? Thomas?”
Thomas finished walking down the stairs and rubbed the back of his
neck, a crimson glow appearing on his face. “No…”
“Thomas, this is Jake, Jacks’ son.” He pointed at the young man with
red eyes. “And this is Edgar, a part of his adventuring team.”
Thomas walked over and politely introduced himself.
“They are both graduates of the academy,” Derek added.
The boy’s eyes sparkled. “Really? How is it? Is it tough? I’m supposed
to go there in a few months. I just have to get some more levels before I
qualify.”
Edgar stepped forward, crouched down, and put his arm around
Thomas’s neck. “It’s easy as pie. Do you want to know a secret of making it
in the academy?”
Thomas bobbed his head up and down. “I do.”
“You just have to be stronger than everyone else. If you get picked on,
kick their ass. If someone doesn’t like you, kick their ass. If you find
yourself outnumbered, find other strong people and form a group. Then you
know what to do next?” Edgar asked.
“Kick their ass?”
“Exactly… you’re going to do fine.”
Jake rolled his eyes again. “Don’t listen to him. Keep your head down,
do the work, and train as much as possible.”
“Says the guy who lit half his class on fire the first week you were at the
academy,” Edgar said.
“I kept my head down after that, though.”
“Yeah, because you didn’t need any more fame after the incident.”
Derek smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with being stronger than
everyone else. It’s worked pretty well for me.”
“See, this guy gets it,” Edgar said.
“What about the nobles?” Thomas asked. The boy was always worried
about what nobles would do. Especially after the incident with Clay and
Alicia.
“Your status doesn’t matter in the academy, only your strength and
willingness to learn,” Edgar said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a high noble,
low noble, or a beggar that came in off the street. The nobles can say this
and that, but they can’t do anything. Not unless they want the entire
kingdom against them. Differences are worked out between the students;
family doesn’t matter. Even a prince or princess will be treated the same.”
“What about after the academy?” Thomas asked.
“Then you join the king’s army. It’s less protection than the academy,
but by that time, you should be able to fend for yourself. Look at Jake, here.
He’s only a couple years out of the academy, but he’s already a high-ranked
platinum adventurer,” Edgar explained.
“That’s actually good to hear,” Derek said. He wasn’t sure about the
whole joining the army, but it’s good that the kid will have a good amount
of protection while in the academy. Especially if he comes out at a higher
level and is well-trained. About that…
“How well does the academy train skills?” Derek asked.
“They’re the best. They focus more on skills training than on leveling.
Anyone can get power-leveled, but it doesn’t mean shit unless you know
how to use your skills. We… ahem… they have craftsmen that make
training dolls that mimic real beasts. They don’t help skills level faster than
a real battle, but it is faster than sparring,” Edgar explained.
Derek squinted. “That’s… good.”
At that time, Malorie came down from upstairs. “Oh, we have guests?”
Derek nodded. “We do.”
“Silvi and I were just about to get breakfast started,” Malorie said.
“Join us for breakfast?” Derek asked the two young men.
“I don–” Jake started.
“Of course, we will,” Edgar answered.
“Great. I’m sure Jacks will be back sometime soon. Might as well hang
around until then… If you have enough leave, that is,” Derek said.
“I’ve plenty,” Edgar said.
Derek led everyone to the dining room as he didn’t actually think about
making a living room. The dining room would have to work.
“Oh… these chairs are great,” Edgar commented.
Derek smiled but didn’t say anything. The group continued chatting
while Mal and Silvi prepared breakfast. Thomas was milking Edgar for as
much information as he could about the academy. Derek didn’t think
Thomas had noticed the onyx badge on the man’s arm yet, either.
 During their time waiting, Rudy joined them, and Brandi ventured
through. She went to the kitchen with Malorie to help.
About an hour later, Malorie came in with a generous spread. Eggs,
bacon, toast, ham… Everything one would need for breakfast littered the
table. She also served some coffee and placed different creams, sugars, and
honey on the table.
“This looks fantastic!” Edgar said as he grabbed a biscuit and stuffed it
into his mouth.
Jake shook his head.
Soon, everyone was seated, including Silvi. She was at the opposite end
to Derek. “Let’s dig in,” her voice chimed through the necklace, causing
Jake to shoot a look at her, and Edgar to choke on a biscuit.
“She… ahem…” Edgar cleared his throat. “She’s not a pet?”
“Not at all,” Derek said.
Edgar shrugged and began stacking a plate full of food. Everyone else
did the same. Silvi, unfortunately, didn’t have opposable thumbs, but she
made up for it with Telekinesis and Mage Hand. Soon, strips of bacon were
flying to her plate as a blue hand-gathered eggs and biscuits.
“That’s awesome,” Edgar commented.
The group didn’t take their time eating. Soon, the table was empty.
Edgar sat back and patted his belly. “That hit the spot… and these
chairs… I could fall asleep right now.”
He gets it… Derek was starting to like this outspoken man.
After breakfast, Brandi scurried to her basement. Rudy moved to his
contract store, still trying to think of a proper name. Thomas ran off to train
with Shae, and Silvi and Mal went back to the kitchen to increase their skill
levels. This left Derek and the two young men alone in the dining room.
Not long after, the shop door crashed open, and Rayna’s voice blasted
through the air.
“Derek!”
Instantly, Derek was down the stairs in front of a disheveled Rayna.
Edgar and Jake followed closely.
“It’s Jacks… he’s surrounded!” she cried out.
Seeing Rayna in such a state, Derek ran up to her. “Woah, woah,
woah… take a breath… calm down… then tell me what’s going on.”
Rayna took a deep breath and let it out. “Jacks… we… were finishing
up training and about to come back when we were ambushed. They’re not
that strong. I think Jacks is stronger than any one of them, but there are a
lot. He sent me back here and stopped them from chasing after me.”
“Where is he?” Jake stepped forth.
Rayna only then saw that there were others there besides Derek.
“Who… It doesn’t matter…” She shook her head. “We were training at the
apes…”
“The Cudgel Apes?” Jake asked.
“Yes,” Rayna confirmed. “We were just inside their territory when we
were ambushed.”
“Do you know where that is?” Derek asked Jake.
“I do.”
“Good. Can you lead the way?”
“I can. Let’s go.” Jake was already moving towards the door.
“Malorie!” Derek yelled upstairs. “Take care of Rayna… we’ll be back
soon.”
Derek ran out the door and followed Jake, who was already a good
distance away.
“I’m coming, too!” Edgar shouted as he caught up with Derek in an
instant.
Fast! Derek thought, seeing the man move.
Soon, all three of them were together, with Jake in the lead.

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 26 ATTACK

D ammit! Jacks spat out a mouthful of blood as a fist-sized rock struck

him in his chest. Twelve, there were twelve hooded figures who
ambushed him and Rayna. All of them had the strength of someone
in the platinum ranks at the Adventurer’s Guild.
He had blocked them all from pursuing Rayna with a giant wall of fire
surrounding them. It lasted long enough for the woman to get away. Since
she was a wind user and had increased her level so much over the last few
days, there wasn’t much of a chance of her being chased down. The group
that attacked seemed to know this as well and chose not to chase once the
wall of fire calmed down.
Unfortunately for Jacks, the skill had taken a large portion of his mana
to cast, and the mana potion he drank immediately after wasn’t able to keep
up with his current expenditure.
The question he kept asking himself was “why?” At first, he thought the
group that attacked was sent by House Torith over his feud with Derek, but
that changed when one of his strikes knocked the hood from the ambusher’s
head.
He was a half-elf. Jacks got a good look at another, and he was also a
half-elf. Why would a group of platinum-ranked half-elves be ambushing
him and Rayna? He couldn’t allow his mind to linger on this question as
more and more attacks landed.
Three half-elves already lay on the ground, unmoving, and two more
clutched at their wounds and let out agonizing cries. They were three close-
ranged attackers who didn’t expect Jacks to explode with his fire mana
when he did. He used Blazing Fury—the same skill he used to attack Derek.
 Of course, he didn’t dump all his mana into his sword attack this time.
He used the skill in a balance between his sword and body. The surrounding
flames kept close-range attackers hesitant, or it would have had he not
timed the activation perfectly and injured a whole group of them.
The flames also reduced the incoming damage of other attacks. It was
great against the two half-elves who apparently specialized in wood magic.
Two other half-elves were seeing to their wounded, which left three
attacking.
One was an earth user, who was causing the most damage to Jacks. The
flames over his body kept the stones from becoming lethal, but that was it.
The water mage kept launching attacks, but her water wasn’t as strong as
Jacks’ flames, so when they met, her attacks turned into steam, causing an
even more blistering atmosphere around the battlefield. One that Jacks
preferred. He was almost immune to heat-based attacks.
Finally, the last half-elf was a bow user. There was another bow user,
but he was caught up in Jacks’ initial blast and was having a hard time
dealing with his charred arm. He had been the loudest. Serves him right.
Regrettably, the remaining bow user had not moved in closer at that
time, leaving her fresh. Also, she seemed to deal with poisons and toxins as
one arrow had made it through his flames and nicked him in the leg. The
toxin was slowly eating away at his remaining stamina.
Jacks thought about fleeing, but he realized he wouldn’t be able to. His
stamina would run out before he got too far, and the toxin wouldn’t allow it
to build back up. He would essentially be a sitting duck. His body would
enter the paralyzing state of stamina fatigue once it hit zero. His potions
slowed the stamina loss but didn’t recover any. The toxin was strong.
He had two other options. He could go all out, hoping to defeat them all
before he fell unconscious, or he could bide his time and hope Rayna
alerted Derek. If Derek came, they wouldn’t stand a chance. He hated
relying on people, but that’s what he ended up choosing. It was the only one
that, if worked, guaranteed his chance at survival and therefore, his chance
to meet his son again.
Though, once his stamina reached a certain point, he planned on putting
all his mana into one final attack. There was no sense in saving mana if his
stamina was exhausted.
Something felt odd about the attack like they didn’t want to kill him,
only greatly injure him. He didn’t know if this was for kidnapping or to
send a message, but it allowed him to stall.
He had already held on for quite some time, and Rayna should have
made it back to the city. If she could give Derek proper directions to the
Cudgel Apes, Derek would arrive in a matter of minutes. But this was all
based on the half-elves not having anyone else in their party to intercept
Rayna.
Another arrow darted towards his head. He raised his flaming sword
and blocked it, letting another stone crash into his gut. It was a tactic that
caused him to lose stamina faster, but he had to block his head.
The archer was able to shoot four arrows in the time it took the mage to
summon a stone and launch it at Jacks. Jacks was fast enough to deflect one
attack at a time, but when they both came, he had to allow one to hit him.
As a flame user, speed wasn’t his strong suit. On that front, he envied
Rayna.
The ambushers continued to wear Jacks down. He did his best to
preserve his stamina, but the toxin showed no signs of letting up. As time
passed, his stamina pool dwindled. In minutes, he would be under five
percent and have no other choice than to hit the remaining half-elves with
one last attack.
Seeing his stamina tick under five percent, Jacks sighed. Sorry, Jake…
Sorry, Derek… I won’t be able to repay you. His grip tightened on his
sword, and the flames began transferring to it from his body. His sword
slowly began taking the shape of a greatsword.
The remaining attackers grabbed their fallen comrades and backed
away, causing Jacks to release another sigh. It looked like his final attack
would fail. Who in their right mind would stand still for an attack like the
one he was charging? Who except for Derek?
The attackers spread out. Jacks’ eyes locked on one of the half-elves.
The archer that hit him with the toxin. Since he could only go after one, he
chose the archer. If Jacks was going out, he would take that bastard out with
him.
Jacks shifted his weight to his back foot and prepared to launch himself
forward. With a vast amount of effort, he pushed off the ground… but
didn’t move. He couldn’t move. A weight had fallen on his shoulder—one
that held him down.
“Looks like we made it,” a voice that struck joy into Jacks’ heart
sounded in his ear.
 Jacks turned his head only to see a set of cold purple eyes staring back
at him. Jacks heaved a sigh and released all his skills. He fell onto one knee.
“She… made it, then?” he managed to ask between pants. His stamina
was dangerously low.
“She did,” Derek answered. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked in a
concerned tone.
“Toxin… eats stamina,” Jacks gasped.
A wave of… something then fell over Jacks. Healing? No… this is a
curative skill… Jacks glanced at his status to see his stamina slowly going
up. The skill didn’t completely remove the toxin, but it slowed it down
enough for his potions to recover some. In any case, Jacks was no longer at
risk of losing consciousness.
Another wave of mana fell over him. This one is healing. He still
managed to have a decent amount of health left, so whatever skill Derek
used only topped him off on health. It was his mana and stamina that were
critically low, but they were recovering.
“They’re running,” Derek’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.
“No, they’re not,” a voice Jacks didn’t recognize came from above.
That’s when he realized that more than just Derek had come.
Jacks tilted his head up to see the newcomer. An attractive young man
with white hair floated in the air above them. Small charges of lightning
shot out at different angles from his feet. Crown Prince Edward? Jacks
thought, then immediately dismissed it. The man looked like the crown
prince, but he was younger.
It had been over a decade since Jacks caught sight of the crown prince.
He already looked older than the man above him. He’s definitely related to
the Cydaria family.
The young man clapped, and Jacks’ ears nearly exploded. Thunder
reverberated for miles around the area.
Jacks turned his head towards his attackers. Multiple small bolts of
lightning fell from the sky and struck them. They had no chance to escape.
Jacks was sure that none died, though. He moved his eyes back to the man
in the sky, then shifted to behind the man.
A young man who he hadn’t seen before stood in the air behind the
Cydarian Royal. Flames covered his feet, combusting to keep him in the air.
It was a skill Jacks knew all too well. A skill he also had.
 But Jacks ignored all that as his eyes fell onto the young man’s face.
“Jake!”

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 27 SOMEWHAT OF A PRINCE

D erek removed his hand from Jacks’ shoulder as the man shouted for
his son. Edgar and Jake floated down beside Derek and Jacks.
“Father,” Jake said.
Jacks walked over and took the young man in his arms, swinging him
around in the process. “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you so
soon.”
“They had leave,” Derek said with a snort.
Jacks let the squirming young man out of his embrace and turned
towards Edgar and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your help, Prince…”
Edgar rolled his eyes. “Edgar, but don’t call me prince.”
“Ah… so you were a prince. No wonder you did all that flashy shit,”
Derek said.
“What do you mean?” Edgar asked.
“Like you really needed to clap your hands like that before releasing
that skill. How long do you stand in front of a mirror each day practicing
that? Huh? Tell me,” Derek said.
Edgar’s pale face became a slight shade of pink. “Ahem… it helps
control the skill.”
“Sure it does. You keep telling yourself that…” Derek said.
“Well, it doesn’t matter, does it? It knocked them all unconscious, didn’t
it? That’s what matters.”
“I guess…”
Derek turned to look at the reunited father-son duo. Jacks had dragged
Jake off a small distance, and they were talking. Derek shrugged.
 “Doesn’t look like any of them died. A couple are critical but not dead,”
Derek said after scanning the fallen bodies around them. “I wonder if Jacks
held back or if they just got lucky.”
“With burns like those, I don’t see how I could call it luck,” Edgar said.
“They aren’t dead, and a decent healer can fix all that. Plus, you came
along and knocked them unconscious. I don’t know if I would have been so
generous,” Derek said.
“As you know now, I’m somewhat of a prince. Diplomacy and all
that…” Edgar said.
Derek shrugged. “I’m going to go gather them up. Do you have a way
to carry them back to the city? I’m going to have some questions to ask
these elves…”
Derek had his Time Prison that he could use, but he didn’t want to use it
around Jake and Edgar, especially Edgar. The man seemed decent enough,
but Derek held little respect for the royal family after everything that
happened with Torith.
“Half-elves,” Edgar corrected.
“Half-elves, then.”
“I don’t know… there’s what? Twelve of them? I’m sure we can think
of a way to get them back to the city,” Edgar replied.
“Well, think about it.” Derek walked off and made his way to the body
lying the farthest away from them. He grabbed the half-elf by the ankle and
dragged him back, grabbing another body along the way.
After a short while, he had gathered all twelve half-elves together.
“You think of anything?” he asked Edgar.
Edgar waved his arm, and an extravagant rug fell to the ground. “This
work?”
“You sure you want to dirty up something so… royal?” Derek asked.
The prince shrugged. “I never really liked it, anyway.”
“Whatever. Your choice.” Derek turned back to the father-son duo.
“Hey! We’re heading back. Y’all can catch up when we get back to the
shop.”
The two walked back over. “Half-elves?” Jake asked.
“Looks that way,” Edgar answered.
“A little help,” Derek said as he laid one of the unconscious bodies on
the rug. He pulled a red vial out of his storage bracelet and force-fed it to
the next half-elf before he moved. He was in a critical condition, and Derek
didn’t want him to die… yet.
“Any idea why they attacked you?” Derek asked as they moved bodies.
“I’m not too sure, but I can think of a reason.”
“That elf chick?” Derek asked.
Jacks nodded. “That’s the only thing I could come up with. You
embarrassed her in front of a lot of people.”
Derek snorted. “Nobles and their brittle skin.”
“Elf chick?” Edgar cut in.
“I’ll tell you about it later. Let’s get these dipshits back to the city before
they wake up.”
Dragging the ambushers back to the city took much longer than getting
to the scene of the battle. The group also got a lot of strange looks when
entering the city, but everything was settled when Edgar introduced himself.
Two onyx badges being in the group didn’t hurt, either.
Still, the guards had to report the matter to their higher-ups. Derek told
them if they needed to discuss anything, they’d be at his shop. Then he
explained where his shop was. He figured he may end up meeting Natalie
Savannah sooner rather than later after this ordeal.
The group soon dragged the twelve half-elves through the front door of
the shop, drawing gasps from Brandi and the others.
“Oh, thank goodness. You’re okay.” Rayna ran up and hugged Jacks.
Jacks awkwardly pushed the woman off him. “I am. Thanks for getting
back here fast enough that they could come save me. I was almost out of
time.”
Rayna stepped back and looked between Jacks and Jake. She moved her
head back and forth. “The two of you really do look similar,” she turned
and said to Mal.
“That’s good and all,” Malorie said, “but why did you bring all these
bodies back to the shop? Isn’t there a better place for that?”
“They’re still alive,” Derek answered.
“What?” Both Rayna and Mal took a second look at the half-elves.
“Yeah, we’re going to get some information out of them. Since the
basement’s mostly empty, I’ll take them down there.”
Not long after, the twelve bodies were sprawled out on the basement
floor, and Edgar put his rug away. Brandi wasn’t too happy about being
kicked out of her crafting space, but she left them to it.
 “So, how long does it usually take for your shock treatment to wear
off?” Derek asked.
“Depends on their endurance,” Edgar answered. “Or, I can just go up to
someone and”—he snapped his fingers, and a current of electricity shot out
and zapped one of the attackers—“tada!”
“You didn’t have to snap, did you? It was for effect as well? Wasn’t it?”
Derek asked.
“Oh look, he’s awake!” Edgar called out, ignoring Derek’s questions.
“It’s best to question him now, while he’s still foggy. He might let
something unintentional slip.”
“You interrogate a lot of people?” Derek asked.
“The normal amount.”
“Would the two of you concentrate?” Jake snapped.
Derek walked over and picked the man up by the scruff of his shirt.
“Why did you attack my people?”
The half-elf snapped. “You shamed Lady Elras! You deserved it.”
“So it was because of the elf chick,” Derek said.
“How dare you call her that!” the half-elf spat.
“Elras?” Edgar said. “Sabrina Elras?”
“That would be the one,” Derek said. “She’s some foreign dignitary
from India or something.”
“It’s Indria,” Edgar said. “And why would she want to harm you or your
people?”
Derek shrugged. “She wanted to cut in line. I didn’t let her.”
“That’s it?” Edgar asked.
“I may have released my aura against her goons, but I didn’t leave any
lasting damage. It was just a warning. Why do people around here take
warnings so poorly?”
“It still doesn’t make any sense. She would know better than to mess
with an onyx-ranked adventurer. She is a dignitary… very political. She
wouldn’t do something like this, especially in a city like Savannah,” Edgar
said.
The prince looked at the half-elf again. “Were you acting under Lady
Elras’s orders?”
“As if the lady would speak to someone as lowly as me.”
“Ah… I get it now,” Edgar said.
“You do? I sure as hell don’t. What’s going on?” Derek asked.
 “First of all, I don’t think they planned on killing Jacks,” Edgar said.
“Did you?” he asked the half-elf.
“Of course not. That would taint the lady’s name. We were teaching
them a lesson in respect,” the half-elf said.
Edgar sighed. “What we have here is a group of fanatic half-elves
wanting to impress Lady Elras. It is possible that she could put a good word
in and have them accepted as full citizens of Indria.”
“Doesn’t that place treat half-elves like crap?” Derek asked.
Edgar shrugged. “People want to be with their people. Plus, they will be
treated better if a high noble recommends them. A noble such as Lady
Elras.”
“So stupid…” Derek said. “What do we do with them?”
“Let them go?” Edgar suggested. “It’s not like Lady Elras has anything
to do with them. I doubt they’ll act again, knowing that they were caught by
two onyx-ranks… one who just so happens to be a prince of this
kingdom…” He looked pointedly at the half-elf, whose eyes shot open.
“Will you?”
“N-no… Your Highness,” the half-elf muttered.
“What do you think?” Derek asked Jacks. He was really the only one
affected by the poor decisions of this lot.
“I’m fine. You can let them go,” the man said. “I’d rather spend the time
that Jake is here catching up, not dealing with a bunch of idiots. Plus, I
think they’re going to be feeling their bad decision for a while. It’s going to
take a lot of mana to heal those burns. That wasn’t regular fire.”
“Did you hear that?” Edgar said. “These nice people are letting you and
your friends go. Also, don’t think Lady Elras won’t find out about your
transgressions. Don’t do things like this in the future.”
Derek let the man fall to the ground. “Get your goons and get out.”
“Th-they’re unconscious…”
Edgar rolled his eyes, then snapped his fingers. Multiple currents of
electricity ran through the bodies of the half-elves. The one that was already
conscious let out a yelp.
“Whoops,” Edgar said.
Soon, the half-elves were all moaning and clutching at their wounds.
“Shut up!” Derek yelled and released some aura with it. The
whimpering stopped. “I’m letting you leave this time. Your friend here has
some information that I suggest listening to,” Derek said. “Now… GET
OUT!”
The less injured half-elves gathered up the more heavily injured ones
and looked around the room.
“Up the stairs to the left, then out the door. You are all banned from my
shop, so don’t think about coming back,” Derek said. They looked one last
time, then left.
“That’s that…” Derek said and followed behind the fleeing group.

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 28 REUNION

O nce everything with the half-elves was settled, Jacks and Jake
wanted some time to catch up. There were many things Jacks had to
tell Jake, and he preferred to do it in private. Luckily, Rudy wasn’t
using his office at the moment, so they were able to move there to have
their conversation.
Once seated, Jacks spoke. “Jake… you don’t know how long I’ve
wanted to see you.”
“You could have fooled me… not contacting me once since you moved
off with the Toriths,” Jake said. “I know they’re not the greatest of nobles,
but that didn’t matter to me. You didn’t have to shut me out. A letter here
and there would have sufficed. Five years! It’s been five years, and you
haven’t so much as written!”
Jacks winced at his son’s accusation. “I know… and I’m sorry.
Malcolm… Gerald… I wanted them to have nothing to do with you. I kept
you from them as best I could before I was able to send you to the academy.
There’s a reason for that. They aren’t just ‘not the greatest of nobles,’ they
are despicable, the lot of them.”
“What do you mean? You said in your letter that you had many things
you wanted to tell me. Is it about them? House Torith?”
Jacks nodded. “That’s right… Do you remember the day you were
taken?”
“How could I forget?” Jake frowned. “You were off in a dungeon. Me
and… me and Mom were at home, waiting for you to get back. I had just
gone to sleep when our front door was broken down. Mom di… She wasn’t
even able to get an attack off before she died.” Jake clenched his fist and bit
his bottom lip. “They put a bag over my head and took me.”
“And you remember how I found you?” Jacks asked.
“You said Gerald Torith used his resources to help find me in exchange
for your cooperation.”
“I’m afraid there’s much more to the story that we… I never pieced
together,” Jacks said with a sigh.
“More to the story?”
“Yes,” Jacks confirmed. “When I got back from the dungeon and found
your mother on the floor, I was distraught and angry. Then, I realized I
couldn’t find you. I looked and looked, used all my contacts and favors, but
I couldn’t find any trace of you. Then I was contacted by one of Torith’s
men.”
“And?” Jake asked.
“Well, I never thought about it because he was able to find you. I
counted my blessings that you were alive and well and never questioned
anything. Whatever the price, it was more than worth it to have you back,”
Jacks explained.
“But now, something doesn’t add up?” Jake asked.
“Exactly,” Jacks said. “I’ve watched that noble house do truly atrocious
things, and I couldn’t interfere because of my oath and contract. All I could
do was not help. There were times when I had to do terrible things because
Malcolm got himself in trouble. I truly regret those moments.”
“Now, why would such a terrible noble house come to me and offer to
help find my son?” Jacks asked rhetorically. “I think it was because of who
I was.”
“Who you were?”
“Yes. I was a commoner on my way to onyx rank. I held no ties to any
noble house, and I was known to do the right thing. What happens when a
new power rises in a place controlled by the few?” Jacks asked.
Jake closed his eyes. “They either take the power or eliminate it. They
won’t let it grow.”
“That’s right,” Jacks said. “And since I didn’t have any ties, I didn’t
have any backing. Most adventurers like me end up working for the
Adventurer’s Guild. Nobody wants to piss off that man. It’s what I should
have done, but I wanted to be free.”
 Jake nodded. “Or you go to the military and work for the kingdom…
like me.” Jake’s fist tightened around the arm of the chair he was sitting in.
“So, since you had no backing, the noble houses went for you. Torith…”
“Exactly. And I’m not the only one. I’ve seen more than one promising
person working under contract for Torith. I’m sure other houses are the
same in this regard. I’m just not sure how far the other houses are willing to
go. As for Torith…” Jacks did his best to control his rage. “It was all a
setup. In one move, Gerald got rid of the new power, and his son obtained a
moderately powerful bodyguard who was in their debt.”
“Torith killed Mom?” It wasn’t hard for Jake to connect the dots after
what Jacks told him.
“I believe they did,” Jacks answered.
Jake took in a deep breath and calmed down. “What made you think
about this after all those years?”
“Derek,” Jacks answered. “He killed Malcolm and broke my oath and
contract. Before he killed Malcolm, he made the man give up some
information. Information that rendered Malcolm an Oathbreaker.”
“What information?”
“There’s no proof, but according to what Malcolm said, the reason he
was shipped out to be city lord in Torith, instead of it continuing to be run
by an overseer from the family, is because he stumbled onto a secret of
Gerald’s,” Jacks explained.
“A secret worth sending his son far away for?”
Jacks nodded. “If it would have been anyone other than Malcolm who
discovered it, they would have died.”
“And what was the secret?”
“House Torith deals in trafficking, even children… and probably more,”
Jacks said.
Jake’s eyes widened. “Do you trust Derek? Do you believe him?”
Jacks nodded slowly. “I do… more so than most anyone else I’ve met. I
haven’t known him long, but he does everything he says he’s going to, and
he has been upfront with everything to me. He’s strong enough that he
doesn’t need me, either.”
“What about the king and the royal family?” Jake asked.
“It would make sense that Prince Edgar doesn’t know anything about it.
He seems to be the type that avoids politics wherever possible. He’s not the
crown prince, and it doesn’t seem like he wants the position, anyway. Does
that sound right?”
Jake nodded. “He only cares about his military troops and having fun.
I’ve only seen him serious a handful of times, all when members of his unit
are in trouble. He rarely talks about noble families, and when he does, it’s
not always pleasant.”
“Derek thinks the problem is with the king,” Jacks said. “He hasn’t said
so directly, but I can tell that he has no respect for King Edwin. And I can’t
blame him, after knowing what I know now. Either he knows what Gerald
Torith is doing and turns a blind eye, he actively avoids finding out, or he
actually doesn’t know anything.”
“None of those options sound good.”
“No… they don’t,” Jacks agreed. “Though Gerald Torith may just be
that good at keeping things hidden.”
“Any way you look at it, they need to know,” Jake said. “I’ll tell Edgar.”
“But you don’t have proof, and House Torith may have almost as much
control over the kingdom as the royal family does. I don’t believe they will
investigate the matter without first having proof.”
Jake half-shouted, “And how are they supposed to get proof without
investigating?”
“They can’t.”
“Then what do we do?” Jake asked.
Jacks shrugged. “I’ve decided to become stronger and help Derek. Since
Derek killed Malcolm, there is no way Gerald will let him off. I’ll be right
behind him when he makes a decision.”
“I’ll be here, too,” Jake said.
“No.” Jacks shook his head. “You stay with Prince Edgar. Grow
stronger. Keep your backing.”
“She was my MOTHER!” Jake slammed his fist down on the table in
frustration.
“And she was my wife!” Jacks said back. “I will not have you throwing
your life away when there’s nothing you can do. Your mother wouldn’t
want you to. This is something I have to do. You only need to worry about
yourself.”
Jake gritted his teeth. “I’m still telling Edgar.”
“Do what you want with the information. Just know that there’s nothing
the royal family can do right now. As for now, I think the best bet is on
Derek. He’s strong,” Jacks said.
“He’s still only an onyx rank,” Jake said.
Jacks snorted. “That’s as high of a rank as the Adventurer’s Guild in
Savannah is able to give out, and that is only because the Guild Master here
made an exception. I believe his strength is at the diamond rank.”
“You’re saying he’s already as strong as the king and the Siren from the
Crown?” Jake asked.
“Don’t talk badly about Miss Swan. She and Derek seem to be good
friends,” Jack’s cut him off.
Jake was taken aback. “Friends with the Si… with Alanah Swan?”
Jacks nodded. “He keeps both low and high company, and he didn’t
move to Savannah for his own safety. He did it for those around him. So
they would have a safe place to grow.”
Jake went quiet, thinking. After a few minutes, he spoke. “Fine… I’ll
leave House Torith up to you and Derek for now. But if you fail, I’m going
after them.”
“That’s good.” Jacks sighed in relief. He sat back in his chair. “Now, tell
me about the last five years. I’ve only been able to get a few reports about
you in secret. How was the academy? Did you fit in?”
Jake’s face flushed. “Well, I didn’t fit in from the start. I… uh… I
caused an accident the first week I was there…”
The father-son duo continued their conversation late into the night. Jake
recounted all the fun and troublesome times he had at the academy and his
adventures with Edgar.
A very difficult day had blossomed into one of the best nights Jacks had
in a decade. He listened with rapt attention and took in everything his son
had to say. He could finally be a father again.

OceanofPDF.com
 29 ZEPHYR’S FURY

D erek watched Jacks drag Jake through the shop and into Rudy’s
office. They have a lot of catching up to do. Back in the shop,
Rayna, Mal, Silvi, Brandi, and Derek chatted with Edgar about
some things. Brandi was super excited about being able to talk to an actual
prince.
Edgar didn’t actually know too much about the political side of the
kingdom. He preferred fighting and adventuring. Even though he was
considered a general of the king’s army, and he had worked his way up
from one of the lower ranks, he didn’t particularly enjoy that, either.
The kingdom had been peaceful for over two decades at this point, so
the army mostly patrolled the borders. Cydaria was bordered by Vallum and
the dwarves, Indria and the elves, and Astrus, which was a kingdom made
up like Cydaria, one accepting of all—to a certain extent.
Edgar told them stories of patrolling the borders and the state of
everything. The borders with Indria and Vallum were lax, as both countries
had multiple trade deals with Cydaria and had a good relationship, even
though the elves of Indria had a very elitist attitude towards humans.
Apparently, they even allowed a certain amount of slaves—as long as they
weren’t elves.
Derek didn’t like that, but it seemed common. When he asked about it,
Edgar told him that only Vallum and Cydaria frowned on the tradition. The
dwarves of Vallum despised slavery because they thought a person should
be able to do everything on their own, with their own hands. Derek liked
that attitude.
 As for the border with Astrus, it was more heavily guarded. They had
been at a standstill since the last war ended twenty-three years ago. Neither
country came out for the better. It seemed like a bit of a Cold War situation
to Derek.
The Rampant Sea bordered the entire eastern side of Cydaria, which
required as much, if not more, of the army’s attention. There were many
monsters that appeared from the sea onto the land and occasionally attacked
villages and cities close by. If Derek would have continued east after
arriving at Wimette, he soon would have run into the sea.
Derek still didn’t understand the size of the continent they were on, but
from everything he gathered, it was massive. Cydaria had as much
landmass as Russia, and the three kingdoms that bordered it weren’t much
smaller. The planet had to be at least ten times bigger than Earth.
When Derek asked about the population of Cydaria, he was surprised to
learn that it was over half a billion. It didn't make a lot of sense to him.
From what he’d seen so far, Savannah, with its size, had maybe ten to
fifteen million citizens living in it.
Then he remembered the fee to enter and all the businesses. When he
asked about it, he learned that there were over two hundred and fifty million
people in and around the Cydarian capital. The villages around the capital
were more like sub-cities than the actual sub-cities were. Because of the
presence of the army, and even though the area and dungeons around the
capital were dangerous, it was still the safest place to live in the kingdom.
It all blew Derek’s mind. He couldn’t wait to see the capital city. But he
wanted to see it from the outside.
During their discussion, Thomas dragged his disheveled body back to
the shop. Shae really didn’t take it easy on the kid. Derek was happy for
him. Shae was a much better mentor than Derek could have ever been.

Once Derek finished getting information about the kingdom out of

Edgar, he left Mal, Brandi, and Thomas with the prince to keep him
company. He then dragged Rayna downstairs to discuss her training.
She followed him down to the basement. When they got there, Derek
activated the soundproofing runes Geoffrey installed for Brandi so the
racket wouldn’t reach upstairs. Derek hopped on top of the workbench, and
Rayna took a seat on the anvil.
 “So, other than being ambushed by a crazy cult, how was your training?
When I mentioned that Jacks was training you, Jake asked if you had strong
willpower. Was it pretty harsh?” Derek asked.
“Harsh?” Rayna visibly shuddered. “I received an Achievement for
dying…” she said.
“What?”
“Yeah… Jacks went to an Alchemy shop before we left to fight the
apes. I didn’t know what he was planning, but he must have spent tens of
thousands of gold in there. He bought resurrection potions. A lot of them,”
she explained.
“And the Achievement?” Derek asked.
Rayna’s face blushed. “It’s called Damsel… Apparently, after entering a
dying state and being pulled out of it ten times, you get the Achievement. It
significantly decreases the chance that a critical hit will kill you instantly.
While in a dying state, it dramatically increases the countdown timer. And,
it has a slight chance of auto revival once the timer depletes. It’s one of the
most versatile Achievements I’ve ever seen or heard of.”
“Wow, that’s great,” Derek said. That sounds like something everyone
needs to have. “I wonder how many people know about it.”
“I asked Jacks, and he said he learned about it from a noble he
adventured with back in the day who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. One of
those types that are always bragging about what they have that others can’t
get.”
“It would be a very hard Achievement to get. You would have to have
the money to buy enough potions to revive somebody ten times, which
would cost more than this shop probably, or you would need a high-level
healer who happened to have a resurrection spell, which I hear is rare unless
the class is of higher rarity,” Derek said.
Rayna nodded. “I owe Jacks a lot.”
Derek shrugged. “Maybe… maybe he’s looking for a good partner to go
adventuring with. When I mentioned it earlier, his eyes lit up like a child’s.
It seems he really enjoyed the life back when he was able to. If he can build
you up into something great, the two of you could make onyx or even
diamond-rank together.”
And by the time that happens, I will have made my presence known
enough that nobody will want to fuck with my people. He didn’t say it out
loud, though, he only smiled. “He’s going to be especially motivated after
seeing that his son has already caught up, if not surpassed him.”
“That… would be great. I never thought about that,” Rayna said.
“Speaking of being strong,” Derek said. “Did you level well? Upgrade
your skills?”
Rayna’s eyes brightened. “I did, but I haven’t been able to go over
everything yet. I hit level 100 for my class upgrade, but I was going to wait
until I got home to do it. But then the half-elves attacked, so I did the
upgrade without viewing anything. Just to get the extra points so I could
rush back.
“After that, I spent all my time worrying if you were going to make it to
Jacks in time, so I haven’t had a chance to see anything other than the fact
that it upgraded to epic rarity,” she answered.
“Oh, that’s amazing! I had hoped it would upgrade for you at level 100.
That means you may even have a shot at legendary at the level 200
upgrade,” Derek said.
“Legendary…” she mumbled. “I can’t believe I’m going to have a
chance to get a legendary class. It’s kind of overwhelming.”
“Well…” Derek prodded. “C’mon, what’s your class like?”
Rayna closed her eyes. “The name changed. It’s no longer Zephyr’s
Gale, it’s Zephyr’s Fury. It’s still a ranged wind swordsman-type class. I get
three points in endurance and vitality per level. Two points into strength.
And five points into dexterity, wisdom, and intelligence.”
“Oh? A total of twenty-three stat points per level. That’s not bad,”
Derek said. Brandi was the first anomaly with odd stat points, but her class
was crazy. It was rare, and she almost got epic class stats. Three more
points than a normal epic rarity class made more sense.
It seemed that growth-type classes received a bit more of a push than
regular classes. Derek inwardly cursed at the system. He had only received
twenty points when his class was epic, yet it was a growth-type class. He
did have the ability to put the points wherever he wished, though, so he
couldn’t complain much.
“What did you get?” Derek asked.
Rayna closed her eyes again. “There are three skills, but I haven’t
bought them yet. I’ll need to buy and test them later.” She scoffed. “One of
them is a passive increase in movement speed. It’s called Swift Footing. It
doesn’t have any requirements; it’s always on. I could have used that when
running away.”
“Hindsight…” Derek said.
“One is called Cyclone… and it makes tornadoes I can control. It’s an
area of effect spell,” she said. “The last one is Wind Bolt. It charges wind
on the tip of my finger, or sword, then shoots it out at high speed. The speed
and density of the bolt increase as it levels. It doesn’t cost a lot of mana,
either.”
“Sounds like pretty good skills,” Derek said. The Cyclone skill is
probably the same as the one that the Canis Cyclonis used back in that
early beast dungeon… the one that I used Void Shift for the first time to kill.
“By the way, did anyone tell you that your eyes are different yet?”
“What? What do you mean?” she hurriedly asked.
“I think it has something to do with obtaining a certain amount of skill
in an element. If you look closely at Edgar, you can see the lightning
currents running through his eyes. Remember when I upgraded my class
and my eyes turned purple? I don’t even have black pupils anymore,” Derek
explained.
Rayna nodded.
“Well, congratulations. You don’t have pupils anymore, either. And
your eye color is now a bluish-green. The same color as your Wind Blade
after you changed to the Zephyr class at level 50,” Derek said.
Rayna frowned and asked in a worried tone, “Do they still match my
hair?”

OceanofPDF.com
 30 PREPARATIONS

F or the next few days, everyone spent their time together, catching up.
Derek took Rayna to the Adventurer’s Guild to both train her new
skills and get her a gold adventurer’s badge. She easily completed her
testing missions to obtain the rank.
Normally, Jacks would be the one to help Rayna, but he was busy with
his son. They also had a lot of catching up to do. Derek knew Jacks had let
Jake know about everything that had transpired and was glad to see that the
two of them ended up having a decent relationship.
Prince Edgar was a bit of an oddball. He mostly just sat around,
listening and giving his two cents on topics that interested him. More than
anything, the man seemed to be happy to be where he was, and not where
he obviously should have been. The prince turned out to be a very patient
man, as well. There was a never-ending stream of questions flowing out of
Thomas’s mouth about the academy.
Derek also found time to take Malorie to the bank and set everything
up. She would be the manager at their shop, so he gave her access to
everything, including his finances. He wasn’t worried about money. If he
needed it personally, he could just go on a hunt for something big. He also
wasn’t worried about her stealing. He trusted her and trusted that she
wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize Brandi’s future.
Rudy finally got over his excitement and decided that his business
didn’t need a flamboyant name. He was in the contract business. It was
better to be straightforward. Eventually, he settled on Contracts by Rudy.
Derek helped with the slogan, ‘Always get it in writing!’ After a short
conversation with Geoffrey, the sign and slogan were mounted above the
entrance to his part of the building.
Finally, Derek talked with Stella about the Void Beast materials and was
able to get everything within two days. Apparently, Alanah had made an
official announcement and was beginning to prepare for the auction, which
would be the first of two and be held in Savannah. Thus, the Void Beasts
were already in the process of being prepared when he made the request.
Roman was ecstatic when Derek delivered the materials—as was Rudy.
It was the first contract he made under his new business. Overall, the
contract was in Derek’s favor, but Roman couldn’t complain. He would not
only be making an absurd amount of money, but the experience he would
get for crafting the potions would be no joke. He even redoubled his efforts
to teach Brandi when she went over for lessons.
As for Sabrina Elras, if everything was as Edgar said, then she didn’t
have anything to do with it. He did see the elf around, though. He even
caught her staring in his direction a couple of times when he was in the
central part of the city. She would quickly turn her head and act as if
nothing had happened.
He still heard nothing about or from Natalie Savannah. Apparently, the
incident with the ambush didn’t warrant her involvement as everything was
settled without death. A prince being there probably helped the matters, as
well.
Which led Derek to today. He was standing outside the Crown
Restaurant waiting for one last meeting with Stella before he left for a
dungeon. In his storage bracelet sat one vial of the Potion of Physical
Permanence.
The auction was a month away, and he was looking to add an extra layer
to it. He hadn’t planned on rushing out the product so fast, but with the
auction happening sooner than he originally thought it would, he decided to
show off his new product.
“I don’t know why we’re here. I have more than enough clout to
advertise the potion for myself.” Roman clicked his tongue.
“I trust Alanah’s clientele much more than I trust yours. Hers is very
selective, yours… not so much,” Derek said. “Plus, it may be better for you
to keep your name hidden. You may attract some unsavory characters once
it becomes known that you can create such a potion.”
 Roman spat on the street. “I already attract unsavory characters. They
pay the best.”
“Yeah, but none of your previous potions would be worth killing for,
and I don’t think you’re as strong as Alanah is. I don’t think Shae’s backing
would be enough to keep you safe after announcing something like this, and
my reputation isn’t high enough yet. It will be one day, possibly soon, but
for now, I think it’s best to rely on Alanah and the Crown,” Derek said.
“Whatever… we’ll try it your way. But the costs are coming out of your
half,” Roman said.
Derek chuckled and led Roman into the Crown Restaurant. They were
quickly ushered upstairs to Stella’s office. She was waiting for their arrival.
“Stella!” Derek walked in and grabbed a seat.
Roman followed his lead and hopped in a chair of his own.
Stella didn’t seem to mind their casual attitudes. “What can I help you
with, Mr. Hunt?”
“No need to be formal around Roman… you know Roman, right?” he
asked Stella, making sure they had already been acquainted with each other.
“We’ve met in passing before, but we’ve never had business.” Stella
looked at Roman. “It is a pleasure to formally meet you, Mr. Pascal.”
Roman clicked his tongue. “Call me Roman. Mr. Pascal was my no-
good bum of a father.”
“So that’s why it’s called ‘Roman’s Potions and Brews’ even though
‘Pascal’s Potions’ would sound so much better.” Derek chuckled.
“Well then, Roman… Derek… to what do I owe the pleasure?” she
asked.
“Well, about that.” Derek flicked his wrist, and a vial with liquid that
was rapidly changing in color appeared in his hand. “Roman created this
neat little potion, and I was hoping we could auction it off under the guise
of the Crown.” He held the potion out for Stella to take.
Stella frowned as she received the potion. “The auction is known for
only selling permanent stat-boosting meals from Void Beasts. We wouldn’t
want to taint that by adding…” She trailed off as she examined the potion.
“Permanence?” she asked.
Derek smiled. “Yup. It’s a potion that increases stats permanently.
Thought it would work well as a… refreshment to your meals.”
Her eyes widened. “What’s the increase? How much? Which stats?” she
asked.
 “Well…” Derek teased. “It increased my strength, dexterity, endurance,
and vitality by five points each. It’s also a potion, so I don’t think it will
have the same problem that the meals have. You should be able to drink
them back-to-back without waiting a long time between… Of course, the
potions are rare, so we haven’t actually tested that yet.”
“So it gives dexterity and vitality… that will be a big draw. Especially
the vitality, small as the boost may be. The king’s excitement over the blood
from the baby beast giving extra vitality was palpable. Most people cannot
cheat death by old age, whenever that is, so every point in vitality or
endurance, especially vitality, matters,” she said.
“So, what do you think? Can we use the Crown as a platform to sell the
potion on? I would rather know that these permanent stats are going to
somebody vetted by Alanah, than a random person who may or may not be
an enemy,” Derek said.
“I think we can work something out. What kind of deal do you two
have? What do you bring to the table, Derek? You aren’t an Alchemist last I
checked,” Stella said.
“Who said I wasn’t an Alchemist?” Derek asked with a confused look.
“What?” Both Stella and Roman shouted.
Derek snorted and waved his hands. “Just kidding. I don’t have the
patience for something like Alchemy. It seems like a fun craft, but it’s not
for me.”
Stella rolled her eyes.
“As for your question. I provide the materials. Just as I did with your
meals… well, I provide the main materials.”
Everything seemed to click for Stella after that. “So this is what the
Void Beast leftovers went towards. Of course it is. I only know of one
ingredient that can be used to increase stats permanently, and it’s the Void
Beast. Why would it be any different for potions?”
Stella turned to Roman with a glint in her eyes and smiled. “We do have
a few extra sets of Void Beast materials that we’ve accumulated or haven’t
sold over the years. Would you be interested?”
Derek snapped his fingers in front of Stella’s face. “Hey… I’m still
here.”
Stella snapped back. “Oh… sorry about that. I got ahead of myself. We
may not even have all the correct materials needed, anyway. I don’t know if
we have any claws left in our stock, as they make for great smithing
materials… hides as well.”
“So, what do you say? Can we work with you?” Derek asked.
“I’m sure we can work something out. I’ll contact my mistress about it
later,” Stella answered and held the potion out for Derek to take.
“Keep it. You’ll need to test it to verify its worth. Just remember,”
Derek said, “we’ve provided the entirety of the product. You will only be
advertising and selling it to your client. A product that doesn’t necessarily
need your advertising or selling. Only your backing… if that.”
“I am well aware,” Stella said.
“That’s good,” Derek said. “Call me on the communication crystal once
you figure something out. I may be out for a couple of weeks, but we will
be able to work something out before the auction.”
“Oh? Where are you going?” Stella asked.
Derek shrugged. “Around,” he said. “Anyway, we need to get going.”
Derek stood, as did Roman.
“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you again.” Derek reached out
and shook Stella’s hand.
“Always.”
After that, the two left the Crown and began their trip back to Roman’s
shop.
“You sure were quiet in there,” Derek said.
“I don’t like doing business with business-minded people. I like to set a
price, then they pay it or leave. Negotiations make my skin crawl.”
“So that’s why you didn’t put up much of a fight with our contract?”
“They weren’t bad terms, either. You didn’t seem like the type to rip me
off,” Roman said.
“Indeed.”

After Derek left Roman’s, he went back home. With everything he could
think of taken care of, he planned on leaving for a dungeon the next
morning. He asked Silvi if she wanted to go with him, but once she learned
they would be fighting against stone golems, and that rocks weren’t in the
least bit tasty, she decided to stay home and practice cooking.
Thomas wanted to go, but he still had his training with Shae. He could
be power leveled anytime, but he wouldn’t be able to get the training of a
true spear master often.
Only Silvi knew exactly where he was going. The others only knew he
was heading to a dungeon.
At the end of the day, Derek lay on his bed and checked his stats.

Status
Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 30
Level: 102
Experience: 1,355,6000/7,000,000
Class: Legend of the Void (Legendary)
Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 16575
Mana: 5000
Stamina: 16575

Stats
Strength: 705
Dexterity: 505
Endurance: 1105
Vitality: 1105
Intelligence: 500
Wisdom: 500

Stat Points Remaining: 63

Contracts
Alanah Swan (Crown Restaurant): View Contract
Silvi (Bonded Beast): View Status
Stella Brighton (Crown Restaurant): View Contract
Francesco Jaccobs (Torith Adventurer’s Guild): View Contract
Rudolph McKinney: View Contract
 Skills
Absolute Nullify Lv. 1, Chain Lightning Lv. 13, Channel Void Lv.
10, Cleaning Lv. 6, Cure Toxin Lv. 4, Dismantle Lv. 12, Greater
Meditation Lv. 5, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 16,
Magic Resistance Lv. 11, Multi-Strike Lv. 3, Physical Resistance
Lv. 12, Rejuvenation Lv. 9, Sweeping Slash Lv. 18, Time Prison Lv.
4, Unarmed Combat Mastery Lv. 9, Void Call Lv. 2, Void Sense Lv.
4, Void Shift Lv. 3, Void Steps Lv. 2, Void Storage Lv. N/A

Skill Points Remaining: 16

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 4

Achievements
Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Dungeon Explorer, Lesser
Dungeon Traveler, Lesser Enigma, Lesser Enforcer of Oaths, Lesser
Repetitive Dungeoneer, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Lesser Solo
Diver, Magical Glass Cannon, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer,
Offensive Powerhouse

With his constant use, failure or success, of Identify, it had gained a

level. Most people didn’t know or have the Enigma Achievement, so he
didn’t worry about being found out.
His Greater Meditation also increased a bit. It made sense as he did
more meditating than he actually did sleeping.
Void Sense was always active, thus slowly increasing in level. When he
really tried to look at the ripples and the void all around him, it was clearer
than before. Derek felt he would be able to use his void skill more easily the
higher his Void Sense skill leveled. He tried to keep it in mind to try to
actively level the skill, but the sensory overload he received when he
focused on it was still annoying.
Speaking of void skills, he gained a level in Void Steps when he rushed
to help Jacks a few days ago. Everyone else was ignoring the ground as
they rushed over, so he did, too. It had gotten a few odd looks, as nobody
was able to tell what element the skill was using. It was blatantly obvious
with Edgar’s crackling lightning trail and Jake’s exploding steps what
element they used, but other than Derek’s eyes, nobody he didn’t want to
know knew about his void attribute.
Time Prison was the skill Derek was most interested in at the moment.
It had leveled to level 4. That, plus the fact that his prisoners’ sentences
were going to be up soon, drew his attention.
I suppose I need to go in and settle all that before I leave tomorrow.
Derek hopped up from his bed and moved down to the basement below.
When he opened the door, the clanging of metal rang out. He smiled at the
girl, still hard at work, and walked over to an unused section of the
basement.
When he ripped the void, the clanging stopped.
“Derek? What are you doing down here?” Brandi asked.
“Nothing much. I need to check on some things in here before I leave
tomorrow. Sorry for distracting you,” he replied.
“Oh… it’s fine. I was just practicing my hammering. I wasn’t making
anything,” the girl said. “Is it the… people that you’re checking on?”
Derek nodded. “Yes… the prisoners.”
“You’re not letting them out, right?”
“Nope. Definitely not,” Derek said.
“That’s good. Jacks said they were all bad people. And the one even
tried to kill Thomas,” Brandi said.
Derek nodded. “Yup. You don’t have to worry about them. I just need to
make some adjustments. You can get back to work. Don’t let me distract
you.”
Brandi nodded, and soon the clanging of metal sounded again.
Derek reached forward and grabbed the handle of the door to the prison.
He pulled. Once again, he stepped into the dark lobby. He still hadn’t
looked for any temporary light fixtures to brighten the room. It wasn’t
something he currently needed.
Derek stepped forward and moved to the door containing Clay Torith.
He reached out and placed his hand on it. As of now, it showed that just
under three weeks were left. The timer was still counting down one second
for every two seconds that Derek felt.
With the skill at a higher level, with a thought, Derek adjusted the
countdown timer. Soon, for every five seconds that passed, the cell only
ticked down one second.
 There, that will make sure I don’t have to worry about it for a while. If I
have the need to talk to either Clay or one of the assassins, I can always
speed the time up. At the rate he adjusted the prison cell, it would be almost
four months before the timer expired.
Once he finished adjusting Cell #003, he moved over and adjusted the
other two active cells. When he was finished, he also noticed the addition of
more prison cells than before. By his calculations, once the skill leveled to
20, he would have exactly 100 cells available. He doubted he would ever
need so many, but there was a chance that the time served in the
nothingness of the void could possibly change someone. The possibility
was slim, but it was there.
Having put the Time Prison out of his mind for now, Derek walked back
out into the basement and closed the door. Then, he reached out and pulled
the void back together and watched the space heal itself.
After that, he walked back over to Brandi, who was currently looking at
a piece of some metal.
“I’m finished in here,” he said. “I’m going to go sleep. You should, too.
You don’t want to worry your mother too much.”
Brandi nodded. “I will soon. Just a bit more and all the durability of
this”—she flashed the metal piece at Derek—“will be gone. I want to finish
what I started tonight, so I can work on something else tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Derek said. “Good night.” He tapped the top of the girl’s head
with his finger.
Brandi reached up and put her hand on her head and rubbed. “Good
night.”
Derek walked out of the basement and back up to his room. After going
through a mental checklist, he decided that he took care of everything that
required his immediate attention, and he wouldn’t have to worry about
things while he was gone.
He sat on his bed, then laid back and closed his eyes. Soon, he drifted
off to sleep.

The next morning, Derek awoke to the smell of freshly cooked

breakfast. After a quick trip to the bathroom, and the hope that Geoffrey
would have a working shower prototype ready for when he got back, he
moved on to the dining room, where Malorie met him at the door.
“You’re just in time,” Malorie said.
 “Huh?”
“Silvi and I woke up early to make a big breakfast before you left. We
wanted to send you off on a full stomach.”
Derek looked past Malorie and saw Silvi sitting at the table, drooling
over the freshly baked bread, sausages, eggs, and other food.
“Mhm…” he said. “I’m sure that’s all Silvi had on her mind when you
were preparing everything. She looks really concerned about me right
now.”
Malorie smiled and shook her head. “Well, it was the plan until the food
was ready. Once she’s finished cooking, everything else goes out the
window until she’s eaten,” she said. “Now, come on and eat. The others
won’t be up for a while, so you don’t have to wait.”
Derek did as told and had a great meal. Surprisingly, Edgar arrived in
the dining room not long after Derek. He asked if Derek needed any
company on his trip, most likely so he could stay away from the political
side of things for as long as possible, but Derek refused as he didn’t want
others to learn of his actual level yet.
If everything went well, he would raise his level high enough that he
wouldn’t have to worry about hiding it. He could just reduce the power he
showed to others, making it seem like he was still onyx-ranked.
Nobody else arrived during his breakfast. He said his goodbyes to Mal
and Edgar and patted his crazy kitchen bunny on the head before leaving.
He took out a map, then hopped into the air with Void Steps and took off
towards his destination: The Golem Dungeon.

OceanofPDF.com
 31 NEWS FROM THE CROWN
PRINCE

E dward hurried through the palace, moving towards the king’s library.
He planned on setting off to inspect the border before he received
news he’d been waiting the last six months for. News that his father,
the king, needed to know.
Without waiting, he threw the door to the library open and made his
way straight to his father. Upon arriving in front of the king, he bowed.
“Your Highness, Advisor Musgrave,” Edward greeted.
“What is it, my boy?” the king asked. “No need to stand on ceremony.
For you to rush in like this, it must be important.”
Edward glanced at his father, then at Phillip Musgrave. Usually, Gerald
Torith would be advising the king here in the library, but since the audience
with Alanah Swan, Gerald had fallen out of the king’s good graces—though
his father still couldn’t decide what to do with the man. Gerald had obtained
too much power in his time as advisor, so the king couldn’t act rashly.
Edward cleared his throat. “Father, it’s about the dungeon.”
“Dungeon… the one you found six months ago? Off the coast in an
underwater cavern?”
Edward nodded. “Yes,” he replied. “The very same.”
“What about it?”
“They’re back…” Edward answered. “The squad.”
“What did they find out?” The king sat forward.
“As you know, the dungeon is a level 250 unstable raid dungeon with
time attributes. I sent Lieutenant Truss and his squad in with escape scrolls
to investigate. We haven’t heard from them in six months, but the dungeon
status continued to be occupied,” he explained.
 The king nodded heavily.
“The squad reappeared today after using their escape scrolls,” Edward
said.
“What did they find out?” the king asked.
“Not much, other than the time distortion. According to Lieutenant
Truss, they were only in the dungeon for just under a week. Yet, on the
outside, over two months had passed. So, it’s safe to assume that the time
distortion is around twelve times. One month inside may be a year or more
on the outside,” the prince said.
“Troublesome.” King Edwin scratched the scruff on his chin. “Did they
report anything on the enemies within?”
Edward shook his head. “As you know, Lieutenant Truss and his squad
of five are only upper platinum-rank. As it is a raid dungeon with room for
a party of twenty-five adventurers, I commanded them to keep safe. During
their stay, they barely left the safe zone. As it was a time dungeon, I felt the
first priority was to find out how distorted it was.”
The king nodded. “So, we have an unstable dungeon that could
overflow at any moment. On top of that, it’s a level 250 raid dungeon with a
time distortion of at least 1:12. Not to mention the fact that the border with
Astrus is becoming uneasy… What to do…?”
“Father,” Edward said, grabbing the king’s attention. “Let me select a
team and lead them through the dungeon. It must be completed… and soon.
Level 250 monsters would wreak havoc in the kingdom if we don’t do
something about it.”
“Prince Edward,” Advisor Musgrave spoke, “we cannot have the
commander of the kingdom’s army disappear into an unknown dungeon
with such unrest at the border. Everyone is already on edge. If you
disappear, it may be seen as a sign of weakness.”
“But…”
“No, Phillip is right,” King Edwin said. “We do not know how long it
will take to clear the dungeon or if it is an elite dungeon or not. The
dungeon must be cleared, but you cannot be the one to do it.” Edwin tapped
his finger on his desk.
“Then who?” Edward asked.
The trio grew silent in thought. Whatever decision they made would
affect the kingdom as a whole. It was a twenty-five-man dungeon, which
meant that whatever choice they made, twenty-five of the kingdom’s
strongest would be gone for as long as it took to complete the dungeon.
“What about Prince Edgar?” Advisor Musgrave asked. “We must send
someone from the royal family. If neither of the two of you can go, it must
be Prince Edgar or Princess Eloise. Princess Eloise would be my first
choice, but she is… indisposed at the moment.”
Edward snorted. “She is betrothed, Phillip, not indisposed.”
“It is all the same, Prince Edward.”
“Phillip is right. I hate to say it, but Edgar is our only choice…” King
Edwin said. “However, he is still only at onyx rank. With that, plus his…
work ethic… I don’t know if we will be able to have other onyx and even
diamond-ranked adventurers follow him.”
“Hmm…” Edward scratched his chin. “Give me a month with him, and
I’ll have him at diamond-ranked.”
“He won’t like that,” King Edwin said. “He detests power-leveling.”
“It doesn’t matter. He will do what he must for the kingdom, even if I
have to make him,” Edward said.
“If you can make him,” King Edwin pointed out. “Edgar may be the
outcast among your siblings, and overly lax in his duties, but when it comes
to his own values, he is hardest on himself. The two of you share in the
lightning attribute, but Edgar assimilated before you. I would bet that of the
skills you share, his are at a higher level.”
Edward nodded. “Which is why once he becomes diamond-rank,
nobody, not even the old man from the Adventurer’s Guild, would have a
problem with him leading the expedition.”
“Very well. You will prepare Edgar to lead this expedition in two
months’ time. You, along with Edgar, will choose who will accompany him.
As we do not know the dangers inside the dungeon, multiple diamond-
ranked adventurers, including Edgar, will be needed.”
“Yes, Father.” Crown Prince Edward bowed.
“Good…” The king scrunched his eyebrows. “Where is that brother of
yours, anyway?”
“Uh…” Edward was at a loss. They had just made a decision that would
affect the entire kingdom, a decision that would rely on his black sheep of a
brother. Yet neither Edward nor his father knew where Edgar was. “He…
took leave…”
“Leave? From the army? Again?” Edwin rolled his eyes. “How long?”
 Edward looked at his feet. “Two months ago…” Edward, as the
commander of the kingdom’s army, had tried and tried to get Edgar to
behave, but after years of failing, he stopped. Edgar would do whatever he
wanted, and nobody would stop him because not only was he a royal, but he
was noble. Not a noble, but noble in character.
Edgar would use his status to his advantage, but never if it was to the
detriment of another. He was an embarrassment in court but respected
amongst the commoners. Any harsh reprimands on Edward’s brother would
be confusing to the commoners and would similarly enforce many noble’s
thoughts that they were above others.
Any private reprimands fell on deaf ears. As Edgar didn’t cause any
damage, they finally gave up and let him do as he pleased. This also meant
Edgar had taken a liking to promising military recruits and formed
adventurer teams. Edgar led an elite military unit that he personally
selected. One that he was neither given permission to make nor did he ask.
But now, it would be Edgar and his hijacked military unit that the
kingdom had to rely on.
“Two months ago? He’s been missing for two months? Have you heard
anything about him?” the king asked.
Edward shook his head. “According to some of the officers who talked
with him before he left…” Edward paused. “Edgar… went on vacation.”
“Have you tried to contact him through his crystal?” the king asked.
“At least once a week. Either he is in a dungeon… or he’s ignoring me.”
Edwin snorted and summoned a red crystal from his storage ring. “Let’s
see if he ignores me.” He poured mana into the crystal, causing it to glow a
bright red. The light shined for some time before dimming. The king
released the crystal from his grasp. “He must be in a dungeon,” the king
said matter-of-factly. Who in their right mind would ignore a call from the
king of an entire country?
“That must be the case,” Edward said. He also pulled out a crystal and
tried to contact Edgar. Just like what happened with his father, the crystal
did not connect.
“Uh…” Advisor Musgrave cleared his throat.
“What is it, Phillip?” the king asked.
“It’s about Prince Edgar,” Phillip said.
“What about him?”
“That’s…”
 “Spit it out,” the king commanded.
Phillip Musgrave let out a deep sigh. “Your son… Prince Edgar… was
seen two days ago in Savannah.”
“There must be a mistake,” the king said. “Are you saying my son is
ignoring me? The king.”
“I’m sorry, sire. That seems to be the case.”
“I’m going to kill him. I’m going to go to Savannah and kill him,”
Edward said.
“Not if I get to him first,” the king said. “Phillip, tell me everything you
know.”

Edgar was disappointed that Derek didn’t allow him to go with him. On top
of that, the red crystal in his hand kept glowing, showing that both his
father and brother were trying to get into contact with him. Edgar snorted
and put the crystal away. He was tired of constantly being scolded by his
family. They just didn’t understand.
Jake was sitting across the table from him. Soon, the young man
frowned, and a red crystal appeared in his hand.
Abruptly, Edgar jumped to his feet. “Don’t answer it!” he screamed. But
alas, it was too late.

OceanofPDF.com
 32 GOLEM DUNGEON

U sing Void Steps, Derek crossed over the city wall. The Golem
Dungeon was in the complete opposite direction of where the
ambush occurred. Some guards hollered at him as he crossed, but he
ignored them. That’s probably gonna cost me another toll to get back into
the city. Still, he didn’t want to answer any questions.
According to the map, the dungeon was in between Savannah and
another big city. Minutes after leaving the city, Derek came upon another
city. Confused, he hovered in the air and pulled the map back out.
This… is a village? The village in front of him was about half the size
of Torith. It looked more like one of the sub-cities than a village. When he
first looked at the map and saw all the villages in the area, he thought they
were going to be like the one he picked Thomas and the others up from.
Instead, they were more like big towns or small cities.
Compared to Torith and the surrounding area, this was vastly different.
Derek shook his head and went around the town. Instead of heading straight
to the dungeon, he made a detour to the next closest village marked on the
map. Sure enough, it was another giant town with walls and everything. I
wonder if this is just because Savannah is such a popular city.
He heard about the millions of people who lived in and around the
capital. Now, seeing all the towns around Savannah, he understood how that
could be.
He put the new information out of his head and moved back on course
to the Golem Dungeon.
Derek actually moved faster on land than in the air, but this trip was
about leveling his skill. He wanted to use this time to level his Void Steps
and Void Sense, so he continued using them. When he would run out of
mana from Void Steps, he would stop and use Greater Meditation to refill it.
Soon, half a day had passed, and he closed in on the dungeon’s location.
He slowed in the air and scouted his surroundings, looking for both the
dungeon and other people. He was a fair distance away from any towns or
villages.
Actually, the farther he moved from the city, the smaller the towns
became. He even passed one village that was only a bit bigger than Rayna’s
former village. He doubted more than a couple thousand people lived
inside. This layout of towns and villages reminded him of back home.
Every couple dozen miles, there would be another city or town with tens of
thousands of residents.
Derek hovered over a lush, flat grassland with multiple small rivers and
streams flowing through. The surroundings were clear of obstructions for
miles. Well, there was a bunch of random beasts wandering around, but
they didn’t count. According to Identify, they ranged from level 80 to level
155. The dungeon was supposed to be level 170, so it made sense that the
beasts in the surrounding area would be close to that level.
Derek pulled out his map one more time. After studying it for a
moment, he nodded and moved to the east. Sure enough, in minutes, he saw
the dungeon orb. The area around the orb was clear, and there were actually
walls around it.
A sentry tower was erected on the corner of each wall, but as Derek
inspected each one, he found that they were empty. I guess they’re here in
case of overflow or something. That, or for adventurers to easily make a
camp around the dungeon…
After verifying that nobody was around, Derek approached the dungeon
orb and placed his hand on it. Because of his Solo Diver Achievement, he
didn’t have to wait for the countdown timer or a max number of
participants.

Participants: 1/5
Derek Hunt: Level 102
Please Choose an Option Below
View Dungeon
Enter Dungeon
Leave Dungeon
 Derek checked the status of the dungeon.

Dungeon Status
Dungeon Level: 170
Dungeon Type: Rock/Elemental
Dungeon Status: Stable
Dungeon Rewards: Potion
Max Participants: 5

Derek dismissed the Dungeon Status window and entered the dungeon.
A bright light fell over him, and he disappeared.
In the next instant, Derek appeared in the safe zone, which happened to
be a small wooden room. Derek approached the door and opened it.
Instantly, the biggest wave of humidity he’d ever felt hit him. The air was
thick; it felt like he was pushing through water while walking.
After leaving the room, he turned and saw that it was a small shack.
Seems about right, he thought. Then he turned around and looked ahead.
In front of him was wetland with puddles, rivers, and ponds. Multiple
boulders were scattered around the area—boulders that Derek figured were
the golems because he couldn’t find any other enemies.
Derek walked up to the first boulder. When he was fifteen feet away, it
started shaking. Soon, it rose and formed into a twenty-foot-tall humanoid
figure. It was like every stone golem he’d ever seen and read about. Gray
stones connected together with magic. Water and magic wrapped around
and flowed through the golem’s body, up to its torso.
The thing was much bigger than he expected. Shae had said as much,
but Derek didn’t believe they would be three times his size. In the center of
the golem’s chest was another stone, but it had cracks with a blue light
shining through. That must be the core. Derek used Identify on the golem.

Water Golem
Level 155
A golem formed of stone and connected by the water element. This monster
has high defense and strong physical and elemental attacks
 Sounds about right, Derek thought. He viewed the other boulders and
noticed that they were all Water Golems. I guess the other golems come
after I clear the area of these. Derek cracked his neck and kicked off the
ground, aiming his fist at the core of the Water Golem.
When his fist connected… nothing happened. The core stayed
completely intact. Derek was able to pull back his fist and raise his
forearms just in time for the backhand to connect. He flew backwards
through the air at an incredible speed before finally landing… and rolling
on the wet ground dozens of feet away before coming to a halt.
Well… that’s to be expected with my mediocre strength stat. He brushed
some of the dirt off and frowned at the mud stuck on his clothing. Looks
like channeling the void is going to be the only way for me to beat them.
The attack by the golem didn’t do any real damage to Derek. It knocked
off a few hundred health points, but that regenerated before he even stood
back up. Derek walked forward, towards the golem.
Instead of waiting around for Derek, the golem made its move. The
rocks that formed its arms all broke off from its body and moved. Soon,
multiple stones were on each side of Derek, floating in the surrounding air.
The blue aura of the stones intensified before forming into a point and
shooting. A jet of steaming water was released from each stone and aimed
directly at Derek.
Derek wasn’t sure of the damage each beam would cause, so he dodged
the jets, letting one catch his hand in the process. After noticing the damage
done to his hand, he sighed in relief. The damage was there, but it wasn’t
great.
He quickly removed his shirt, then let the jets of water fall onto his bare
skin. The skill was like the Geyser skill he was hit with back in Torith, only
much hotter and deadlier. Each jet of water removed over 50 health points
per second. They also cut into and seared his skin, stopping at the muscle
and bone.
His natural regeneration wasn’t able to keep up with the damage, so he
slipped into Greater Meditation. The skill lessened the damage by a
substantial amount. For every 400 damage, which was one second, the
golem did to him, Greater Meditation helped him heal a bit over 300 HP. He
also cast Rejuvenation every time it came off cooldown.
This was a trip to increase his skills, and already, the first enemy he
found was a prime target to increase his Greater Meditation, Void Sense,
Rejuvenation, and Magic Resistance.
Derek allowed the magic to continue until he fell to 50% health.
Because of his fight with Shae before, he decided to play it safer than he
used to. He knew that there were still many things out there that could one-
shot him if he wasn’t careful.
Derek canceled his skills and hopped out of the water jets. The beams of
water followed him as he channeled the void and made his way back to the
Water Golem. The Water Golem tried to pull its arms back in for a physical
attack, but Derek was already at it.
He jumped up and shot a fist covered in void at the core in its torso. The
attack hit, and Derek flipped backwards, away from the golem. Soon, the
golem stopped moving. Then, the shining blue light from the cracks in its
torso began pulsing slowly, then rapidly.
After a moment, the core exploded, and shrapnel flew everywhere
throughout the area.
Derek watched as all the remaining golems formed into humanoid
monsters. Nine Water Golems stood. The blue aura surrounding them was
almost suffocating. Derek frowned. He wanted to fight them one on one to
get as many benefits as possible.
Oh well, he thought. I should at least go through the entire dungeon
before figuring out the best way to do it. He cracked his void-covered
knuckles and leaped forward.
With his fists covered in void, Derek kicked off a ripple using Void
Steps and flew at the closest Water Golem. With precision, he launched his
fist directly into its core. Using the impact, he flew backwards, away from
the now-pulsing core of the Water Golem. He kicked off the void once
again and landed far away to avoid the explosion.
Once again, a golem exploded and sent both big and small shrapnel
flying everywhere.
By that time, the Water Golems had gathered, and Derek could no
longer pick them off one by one. He also knew that if he allowed all of
them to use their geyser-like skill at the same time, it wouldn’t be good for
him. He would most likely have to use Void Shift to cover for himself.
Derek didn’t have the same speed as Shae did and most probably didn’t
even have the same speed that the man had when he was at the level of the
dungeon. Shae was fast. He did, however, have the same destructive single-
target damage as the Savannah Adventurer’s Guild Master. That, and he
could get hit without becoming meat paste on the ground.
There were eight golems left. Derek picked his next target. If they’re all
going to stand around one another like this… He launched himself into one
of the golems in the center of the formation. He used Void Steps to adjust
his position in midair, avoiding being hit by the wide swings of the multiple
golems.
Immediately after his void-covered fist made contact with the golem, he
changed his target and launched himself straight into the other center
golem. In an instant, the cores of the two Water Golems in the center were
pulsing blue.
Derek made a mad dash away from the upcoming explosion. The force
of the explosion from one golem core was already big enough. Derek
trusted his vitality and endurance, but he would rather not risk being in the
center of two at once.
Again, a booming explosion rang out, followed by another a split
second later. Then another explosion resounded, then another. As Derek
expected, the magic and physical damage of the core explosion was enough
to set off a chain reaction between the golems. Derek watched with a smile
as the golems blasted off, one by one.
It’s never a good idea to stand directly beside a walking bomb. He
shook his head. Unfortunately, after all the explosions, one golem still stood
tall. “Dammit…” Derek muttered. “It would have been so satisfying if they
all popped at once.”
He shook his head and propelled himself to the last remaining Water
Golem that he could see. Instead of channeling the void, this time, he
stopped himself in midair, a few feet in front of the core of the golem. He
swiped out with his fist, activating both Sweeping Slash and Multi-Strike at
the same time.
He was in this dungeon to level skills. Everything else came second.
A blue arc of mana landed perfectly on the golem’s core. Derek jumped
back to observe the damage. Unfortunately, his Sweeping Slash skill didn’t
have the increased power it would have if it were augmented by a weapon,
so its destructive power fell greatly. Still, when it hit, combined with Multi-
Strike, the cracked stone surrounding the core crumbled.
It didn’t do enough damage to instantly destroy the core, but it did much
more damage than his fist alone. The results satisfied Derek. He made a
mental note to use Multi-Strike as much as possible. Since he could
combine the skill with any of his others, including Channel Void, it was the
perfect support ability to increase his single-target damage.
Since there was only one golem left, and he had tested out his other
skills on it. Derek hung back and waited for the golem to set up its geyser
ability. It took some baiting and some time, but the golem finally
dismantled its arms and surrounded him.
This time, when the geysers went off, Derek used Absolute Nullify. It
was the first time he’d tried the skill. He hadn’t run into anything he felt
comfortable testing the skill on, yet, so the water jets, which he knew he
could handle both physically and magically, were the perfect targets.
Instantly, a purple wall of void appeared in front of Derek. It was bigger
than the man himself. Void aura rippled off the sides, visible to the naked
eye but extremely vibrant to Derek with his Void Sense turned up to the
maximum.
With his current mana, he could keep the skill active for just over six
seconds. As the geysers approached, only six of the eight water jets were
aligned with the void wall and would be blocked. To Derek’s surprise,
though, the two beams behind him, which should have fallen directly onto
his body, bent and were sucked into the wall.
Derek stared in shock as the water geysers poured into the wall. It was
like trying to fill an infinite void. It wasn’t possible.
Derek kept the skill up as long as he could, but he soon ran out of mana.
The skill was taxing on his mana pool, costing 800 mana per second at level
1.
He was pleased with the results of his tests and skills… especially
Absolute Nullify. To the best of Derek’s knowledge, the skill made of pure
void not only consumed any magic-based attacks that hit it, but it also
warped the surrounding space to draw in any close attacks. Almost like a
magnet. Once I level this skill up, the casting cost will reduce exponentially
and be more than worth it.
His first thought when he read the description of Absolute Nullify was
that it was an overpowered defensive skill. Now, after testing it against
eight magic attacks at once, he confirmed it. It was an extremely
overpowered defensive skill.
With the testing finished, Derek rushed the final Water Golem and
ended it with a void-covered fist.
 As the final debris fell to the ground, Derek prepared himself for the
next wave of enemies. He waited, but they never came. Instead, the
dungeon orb appeared before him in the center of the marsh. Derek
frowned. He didn’t receive a notification about completing the dungeon, nor
did he expect to. One wave of Water Golems wasn’t what Shae described.
Of course, he didn’t go into much detail about the dungeon with the Guild
Master.
Derek walked to the dungeon orb and carefully placed his hand on it.
Instantly, a new notification popped up.

Area Completed
Participants: 1/1
Continue to the next area?

Oh… that’s pretty cool. This was the first dungeon he’d done that had
this feature. Something like this would allow a party to rest up in between
waves without worrying about making it back to the safe room. In fact, if it
was like it seemed, the entire area turned into a safe room. I wonder what
makes a dungeon do this.
Derek had a guess, but he would have to move on to the next area to
find out. If he wasn’t mistaken, the next area would be one with the same
attributes of whatever golem type he had to face. There’s only one way to
find out. He kept his hand on the orb and mentally chose to continue.
Moving to the next area in 3… 2… 1…

The same blinding light appeared, and Derek vanished. When he next
opened his eyes, he was in a cavern. The cave was about the same as the
first one he and Thomas entered on this world. It was a small room with a
sliding stone door blocking the exit.
Derek walked up and pushed the door to the side, revealing a giant
volcanic area covered in molten lava. Again, multiple boulders were
scattered throughout the area, which Derek could guess were Fire Golems.
Putting his suspicions to the test, he moved to the closest one. Soon, the
giant rock gathered the stones around it, forming into another humanoid
golem. This time, the magic that joined each stone was crimson red and fire
flowed around it. Now, Derek was certain that it was a Fire Golem. Still, he
used Identify.

Fire Golem
Level 160
A golem formed of stone and connected by the fire element. This monster
has high defense and strong physical and elemental attacks

The description was almost identical to the Water Golem, other than it
being five levels higher and the monster being held together with the fire
element.
Derek backed away, careful not to aggro more than the one golem. He
wanted to test its skills just as he did with the Water Golem.
Apparently, the Fire Golem didn’t have the same type of attack as the
water one. Instead of splitting and forming jets of fire, which is what Derek
thought would happen, the golem covered its limbs in flames and rushed
Derek.
The golem was fast. It was a little slower than Derek, but not by much.
Derek kicked off the ground, then landed in the air using Void Steps. The
other golem was able to use its water attack to hit Derek from a distance,
but it didn’t look like the Fire Golem had ranged attacks.
Derek floated in the air, slowly exhausting mana but surely leveling his
Void Steps up at a rapid pace. He was in combat, and all skills leveled faster
when something was trying to kill you. Unfortunately, it seemed this area of
the dungeon was designed with the golem’s attack in mind.
The ceiling of the area stopped Derek from hovering completely out of
the range of the Fire Golem’s attack. The explosion that came off the fist of
the golem was able to just reach the ceiling. That, coupled with its speed,
made it hard for Derek to dodge while in the air.
Hard but not impossible. Derek’s Void Steps were like having multiple
platforms all around him to jump to. So, while it looked like he was
hovering or floating in the air, he was actually standing directly on void
ripples. As the skill leveled, the ripples became more tangible to him,
allowing him to find and stand on them easier and longer.
The cost of using the skill slowly decreased as it leveled as well. At
level one, it cost 100 mana/s, but after using it so much in the previous
days, it was already level 3, causing it to cost 90 mana/s. By level 20, the
skill would either be free or cost so little that it didn’t matter.
In his head, Derek was forming a training plan for all his skills. Now, he
just needed to check out the remaining areas of the dungeon.
He dashed forward and landed his punch on the unsuspecting golem. He
would make quick work of this area.

OceanofPDF.com
 33 WIND GOLEM

D erek avoided the final shrapnel from the last Fire Golem. Soon,
another orb appeared in the middle of the cavern. One leading to the
next area. Instead of immediately warping to the next area, he
checked some of his notifications. Dismissing most of the kill notifications,
he pulled up the last one.

You have killed level 160 Fire Golem

11,787,500 Experience Gained

Level Up
1,524,300/20,000,000 Experience to Next Level

Derek let out a breath and smiled. He knew doing a level 170 dungeon
while being around level 100 would be lucrative, but in two areas of the
dungeon, he had already leveled up 11 times. Of course, as he leveled, the
amount of experience he would need for the next level dramatically
increased as well.
Not to mention the fact that he would only earn half the experience from
each enemy once he completed the dungeon once. Still, it would give him a
chance to both level his Lesser Solo Diver Achievement and his Lesser
Repetitive Dungeoneer Achievement.
He wanted to level his skills as much as possible in the time before he
had to return to Savannah, but towards the end, he would work on speed-
running the dungeon to push his level to the dungeon cap. The rewards
wouldn’t be great, but it was a dungeon with few enemies that he could run
many times.
If he could level up the Lesser Repetitive Dungeoneer Achievement
multiple times, it would make things better for some of the dungeons with
better rewards that he saw. He only hoped that the bonus for the
Achievement kept rising. Right now, he had a five percent chance of
receiving a reward after completing a dungeon after the first time. If he
could get that to twenty or more, he could farm skills or equipment in high-
ranked dungeons.
Derek also checked on the skill notifications that he received during this
fighting. His Absolute Nullify was level 2, Void Steps had risen to level 5
already, and he even got another level in Magic Resistance, Void Shift, and
Channel Void. This was all in the first two areas of the dungeon.
Finally, he dismissed the notifications and walked toward the dungeon
orb. Placing his hand on it, he moved on to the next area.
Derek looked at his surroundings. Damn, this system really enjoys
sticking you in a cabin. Again, the safe zone he appeared in was another
cabin. He opened the door and walked out.
The third area of the dungeon was a completely open field with waist-
high grass. The sky was cloudless, and the sun was high. It was the perfect
sunny day. A constant light breeze fell on Derek’s face. It was the most
beautiful area he’d seen in a dungeon. And… there won’t be any ticks in this
grass because it’s a dungeon and only dungeon monsters spawn.
Derek walked through the flourishing flat lands. The only problem he
had with the area was that the tall grass was too tall to see the boulders that
made up whatever type of golem he would be fighting. Fortunately, that
was quickly solved by using Void Steps.
Derek kicked off the ground and jumped from ripple to ripple until he
was high in the sky, looking down on the land. Sure enough, he was able to
find the multiple places where the golems were resting. He jumped off a
void ripple and landed next to the first golem.
As soon as he destroyed this golem, the rest would most likely come to
life, and he would no longer have to look for them.
As he inched closer, the golem roared and began building itself. Derek
used Identify.

Wind Golem
 Level 165
A golem formed of stone and connected by the wind element. This monster
has high defense and strong physical and elemental attacks.

As expected. If this is a Wind Golem, then the next area must be Earth
Golems, he thought. Derek waited for the golem to build itself, then backed
up. He needed to see what kind of skills the monster would use.
Once the golem was finished, it attacked. Derek was still close to it, so
it only chose to attack physically. He quickly used Void Steps to jump into
the sky.
The Wind Golem continued punching even though Derek was out of
range. Only, at the end of each punch, a Wind Blade shot out. It was about
half the size of Rayna’s Wind Blade, but they came at Derek much more
rapidly.
Derek jumped away, ducking and dodging the blades. Finally, he let one
hit him so he could estimate the damage. The blade actually cut through his
skin and into his muscle, stopping about midway through. He immediately
took Wind Golem off his list of potential Magic Resistance training
partners.
However, because of how fast the golem attacked and how much space
there was for him to dodge, it seemed the golem would be the perfect
partner to train his Void Steps.
That was until the Wind Golem split itself into multiple stones and
floated in the air. Four stones created each limb. The stones began spinning
rapidly in four separate parts. Soon, each set of stones sent out small
cyclones in Derek’s direction.
At the same time, the head and torso of the Wind Golem floated behind
the attacks, under the cover of the cyclones. Occasionally, a giant Wind
Blade flew through the cyclones and at Derek. Everything that was
happening made Derek wonder if the other golems had more than one
elemental attack as well or if it was just something that was special about
the Wind Golems.
Any way he looked at it, he would not be using this area as a training
area… at least not initially. There were too many moving parts, both
figuratively and literally. Plus, with all the racket being made by the Wind
Golem, the others began to stir. Soon, he would be fighting ten golems
instead of just one.
 Derek jumped up and over the tornadoes and dodged an incoming Wind
Blade before stopping in front of the torso of the Wind Golem. With the
void channeled into his fist, he struck at the core. However, the core quickly
moved, and his fist landed on the torso a few inches away from the core.
Derek waited, but nothing happened. There was nothing vital in the
area, so the void didn’t harm wherever it hit. The other golems were pretty
slow at moving their whole bodies, so he didn’t expect this one to be any
different, even though he should have.
The wind element made whoever was using it much more mobile, and
considering the Wind Golem had no problem flying, he should have
expected it to be more elusive. Still, it didn’t matter. The thing was huge,
and after dodging another incoming Wind Blade, he punched out again.
This time, much faster than before.
The punch connected, and the surrounding winds immediately ceased.
The green-blue aura glowing around the golem flickered, and the core
pulsed. Derek kicked off a void ripple and headed straight for one of the
other awakened golems.
It would be a mess if all the golems in the area powered up at the same
time. He needed to finish as many as he could before they all split and
started sending tornadoes and giant Wind Blades at him.
He jumped from golem to golem, even using Void Shift in between to
not allow them to have any offensive. At the end, with an almost depleted
mana pool, Derek landed beside the cabin. Because he was using Void
Shift, there was almost no time between the nine explosions.
This time, the shrapnel was propelled forward at a speed that made it
hard for Derek to track. The extra wind behind it must have increased the
speed. Derek wasn’t expecting that, so he failed to dodge one of the pieces.
He looked down and saw a jagged rock sticking out of his side. It had
pierced his skin, gone through his muscles, and even penetrated his liver.
He was sure his bones would have stopped it, but unfortunately, it just
missed his rib cage, passing less than an inch under.
Derek cursed at the scene of the jagged rock protruding from his
abdomen. He grabbed the stone and pulled it, ripping it out of his body. A
jet of blood followed but soon stopped. He cast Rejuvenation on the wound
and slipped into Greater Meditation to speed the healing process.
Having an organ directly damaged took a chunk out of his overall
health, which he learned about when Shae destroyed his kidneys. It wasn’t
too much this time, only 15%, and he was still sure that none of the
shrapnel would have been able to pierce through his bones, but he made up
his mind to hide either inside or behind the cabin the next time he came to
this area.
Maybe I’ll put some more points into dexterity and strength soon. It will
give me some more speed to avoid things like that. Still, he could have used
Void Shift, but he was unsure if the small amount of mana left in his pool
would even be enough to activate the skill.
Yeah… I’ll do that. If vitality and endurance were his primary stats, then
strength and dexterity were his secondary ones.
Still, he waited to allocate the points. He wasn’t sure how precise skill
leveling was, but they were leveling quickly at the moment, and making the
dungeon easier for him would surely slow down the leveling process.
After making his decision, Derek moved to the dungeon orb and
touched it. He disappeared.

OceanofPDF.com
 34 EARTH GOLEM

R eappearing in the fourth area of the dungeon, Derek looked at his

surroundings. Looks like another cave, he thought. Unlike the
previous cave from the second area with the Fire Golems, this cave
wasn’t stuffy and humid.
He walked forward and pushed a boulder, which was blocking the exit,
to the side. When he walked out, he took note of the area. It was a
mountain-like terrain with moss-covered rocks scattered throughout. The air
was cool with a refreshing breeze. It was the most comfortable area he’d
been in since beginning the dungeon.
He couldn’t tell which stones were stones and which were golems.
Again, he preferred to fight a single one first to figure out what he could do
with it before going to the rest. All the countless boulders and stones truly
looked the same. Nothing stood out.
He knew from the other areas that the closest golem should be at least a
certain distance away from the safe zone, so he moved out. He used Identify
to scan any boulders he thought may be golems but was having a hard time
finding one.
Eventually, he stepped close to a boulder and heard the normal roar of a
golem. He sighed in relief. The golem built itself in front of Derek. Identify
provided the same information as the previous times, except for the level
now being 170 and the golem being an Earth Golem.
Derek jumped back to give the Earth Golem enough space to attack.
Finally, after putting itself together, with a yellow-brown glow, the
surrounding stones and boulders rose from the ground. Ah, so it’s going to
control the surrounding rocks and earth.
 And just like Derek’s thoughts, the Earth Golem did just that. Stone
after stone was launched at Derek. He trusted his body against common
stones, even though his least favorite type of damage to receive was blunt
damage. With his current stats, he doubted any blunt damage would be able
to induce a critical hit, instantly killing him.
Still, he put his arms up to guard against the stone. He wasn’t stupid
enough to try to block it with his head. The first stone bashed against his
crossed arms, with the impact tossing him back a few feet. The pain wasn’t
bad, and the damage was minimal.
His skin, bones, and muscles were strong enough to absorb the damage
from these normal stones, even if some of the Earth Golem’s magic
enhanced them.
On the bright side, after blocking the fifth stone, he had enough time to
quickly view and dismiss a notification stating that his Physical Resistance
skill leveled to 13. He smiled. This area would be the perfect one for
training that skill.
He fought against the Earth Golem for another couple dozen minutes,
waiting for it to attack with a different method. When it didn’t, he decided
to end the fight. He jumped forward with a fistful of void and launched an
attack at the core of the golem.
However, just before he made it within attacking distance, a wall
appeared before him. A wall made of stone and earth. Of course… why
wouldn’t the Earth Golem have more defensive-type moves than the other
golems?
His fist landed on the wall, but it only slowly sunk into it. It was like a
wall made of quicksand. Derek clicked his tongue as he tried, and failed, to
remove his hand from the quicksand wall. The earth had closed in and
formed around his fist once it pierced it.
An adventurer would have to be someone with speed like Shae to avoid
becoming trapped in this thing. Derek thought and considered a way to get
his hand free while being pummeled in the back with stones. Though his
back could take it, and each stone only caused a minimal amount of damage
to his HP, it added up.
Just before he decided to add a bunch of stat points into strength, he had
another idea. He punched forward with his free hand, directly beside his
stuck one, immediately using Void Shift afterward. He smiled. The skill
almost completely paused the earth reforming around his fist. He withdrew
his hand, then pulled on his other.
It came free. Okay… so no close-range attacks until I’m certain I want
to end the fight. He maneuvered around the earth wall and channeled the
void into his fist before releasing Void Shift. Just for a little extra
precaution, he imbued his punch with the Multi-Strike skill.
Sure enough, the same earth that formed the earth wall appeared in front
of the golem’s core. It wasn’t thick and would for sure be easily pierced by
a weapon, but it would be able to slow down a fist… well, one not covered
in void and not one that hit multiple times instantly.
The fist hit, and the earth scattered, creating a basketball-sized hole in
front of the core. The momentum of the fist carried on until it struck the
core. Derek kicked off the torso of the golem and fled a distance, not
wanting to be caught up in the explosion.
The core shined brightly like all the others before, then it shined
brighter and brighter… Finally, it… went dim. The yellowish aura
surrounding the golem disappeared, and it fell apart. Derek saw the
notification icon flash in the side of his vision, so he knew it was dead.
Still, he cautiously approached it. He dug around through the rocks
before finding the dead, but totally intact, core of the Earth Golem.
I… um… what? Why did this one not explode? He thought back to all
the other golems he had massacred on his way here. The only outlier was
the fact that he hadn’t combined Channel Void and Multi-Strike together
before. He had only used it in combination with Sweeping Slash back in the
Water Golem area.
It has to have something to do with the massive amount of damage
being hit by the void three times must have inflicted. If one hit is enough to
cause the core to surge and explode, then is two enough to eliminate the
surge and destroy the magic build-up? He couldn’t help but wonder.
I wonder if Brandi will be able to do anything with the core. It should
work as some type of mana storage or something. Maybe she could use it as
a generator or something. She’d have to find out exactly how it works,
though, and that may be dangerous. He thought about the different ways the
core could be implemented in crafting.
Derek shrugged his shoulders. It may be worthless… When he used
Identify on the core, he didn’t get anything concrete.
 Mana Core (Earth Golem Lv. 170)
A successfully retrieved mana core used to power an Earth Golem.

All I know is that it is used to power the golem, and it was successfully
retrieved. He shook his head and stored the basketball-sized core. Maybe it
would be worth something, or maybe it would be great material for Brandi
in the future. He wouldn’t know until he got back to Savannah and asked
around. For now, he decided on a new method of destroying the golems.
He would combine the void and Multi-Strike to shut them down, then
farm their cores. They weren’t too big, and even if he ran out of storage in
his ring and bracelet, he could always toss them in his Void Storage.
Now I just need to figure out how to aggro all the other Earth Golems in
the area. Usually, the explosion from the first golem would aggro the rest of
the golems, but since that didn’t happen, he either had to hunt them one by
one or find another way to draw their attention.
Derek laughed and cast Chain Lightning. His hands shined the blue of
lightning as the skill activated. Let’s see if this works or if there’s more to it.
He spread his hands, then clapped. A slightly amplified clap sounded out,
but it was nothing like what happened with Edgar.
Edgar’s element was lightning while Derek’s was void. Derek only had
the one lightning skill and didn’t have close to the proficiency in it as Edgar
would have. It was worth a shot, he thought as he went over his skills, but
he didn’t have anything major he could use to wake them all up at once.
Next, he decided to try using his aura. If he couldn’t make a loud
enough sound or physical explosion to wake the monsters up, maybe his
pressure would.
Without even trying to focus or control his aura, Derek let it out. The
surrounding area glowed a deep purple, and the whites of his eyes changed
to the same purple as his irises. He pushed. He didn’t know how far his aura
would extend, but just a brush of it should be more than enough to wake a
sleeping golem.
Sure enough, seconds later, multiple roars broke out.
Three… Derek retracted his aura and counted the number of rising
golems. He kicked off the ground and punched the one closest to him before
it had a chance to fully form. The earth still appeared in front of the core,
but the wall did not.
 He didn’t use Multi-Strike for the punch, though. After the strike
landed, he jumped back and moved toward the mountain cave that doubled
as the safe room. Soon, the Earth Golem exploded, and Derek smiled.
The remaining golems in the area all roared, and soon, the remaining
eight golems were standing. Derek covered his fists in the void and shot
forward. It was time to farm some materials.

OceanofPDF.com
 35 BOSS

D erek gathered the final core from the last fallen Earth Golem. The
process took longer because he had to wait for the Multi-Strike skill
to come off cooldown, but he also didn’t have to worry about being
beheaded by a chain explosion. Plus, he got to level one of his best skills at
the same time.
He looked at the remains of the Earth Golems. Only the cores seemed to
be useful. Once they ran out of power, the remaining stones turned into
regular rocks. They wouldn’t work as a material at all. Derek put the core
into his storage ring and moved to the dungeon orb.
The next area should be the boss room. I wonder how different the
bosses are going to be from the regular mobs. Derek shrugged and placed
his hand on the orb, willing it to take him to the next area.
When he opened his eyes, he was in another cabin. It’s always cabins
and caves… well, there was that one tomb… he mused. Opening the door,
he realized that the environment was a combination of all four previous
areas.
Boiling lava flowed in streams that would usually carry water, while
actual pools of water littered the ground. Strong winds carried the steam
from the lava to his face, and rocks lay scattered along the streams and
ponds.
Derek was sure that the rocks were just rocks this time because the
boss… or bosses, were already standing. There was a single golem of each
previous element. The only difference was that they were each twice as big
as the ones before.
 I doubt I’ll spend much time in this area, he thought. He would
probably struggle to train his skills while fighting four boss monsters at the
same time. It would be better for him to power-level his skills in the other
rooms. At least, until the returns weren’t worth the effort anymore.
Derek cracked his knuckles and walked forward. Soon, the golems
noticed him and started making their moves. Each golem tossed out the
same skills as their lesser counterparts. Only, the skills were of a higher
quality.
The Wind Blades were longer and flew faster, the fire fists caused
greater explosions, the thrown stones were much more durable with a
thicker coating of the yellowish mana around them, along with the earth
walls, and the water jets were both bigger, more powerful, and boiling.
I really need to talk to Shae and see how he managed to complete this
dungeon. He didn’t go into too much detail, but after doing it from start to
finish, it’s hard to believe he completed it with no problems, Derek mused as
he looked at the super golems in front.
Whatever… Derek shrugged. He didn’t plan on spending too much time
on the bosses. Without any bullshitting, he used Void Shift and headed
straight for the boss Earth Golem. It was the biggest pain in the ass.
Not only did it block for itself, but it also put walls up in front of his
attacks on the other golems. It was obvious that he needed to deal with it
first.
Derek pulled himself through a void ripple, appearing in the air directly
in front of the giant Earth Golem. He coated his fist in the void and made
sure he would have a firm footing once he released Void Shift. Finally, he
released the skill, cast Multi-Strike, and launched a fist at the center of the
boss golem.
The golem wasn’t even able to get the normal small shield up in front of
its core before his attack landed.
Derek kicked off the ground, just avoiding a Wind Blade in the process.
Soon, he was in the air, retreating. He watched the Earth Golem closely as
he backed away and avoided attacks from the other bosses.
Luckily, his attack, amplified by Multi-Strike, was able to deal enough
damage to the golem to take care of it. Unfortunately, there was not enough
damage to prevent the core from self-destructing. Derek clicked his tongue.
He wanted to farm some level 175 boss cores along with the others, but that
would have to wait until Multi-Strike leveled enough to add another hit or
two. The boss cores were just too strong at the moment.
Soon, the yellowish energy in the core pulsed rapidly before exploding.
And it was an explosion unlike any of the others. Derek thought the chain
explosion from the Wind Golem area was bad, but compared to this
explosion, it was child’s play.
To his surprise, before the Earth Golem’s core exploded, the other
bosses hunkered down into giant boulders. The explosion didn’t have any
effect on them.
The explosion caused the entire area to shake. The ground rumbled, and
the earth quaked. A giant fissure formed in the ground and split the land in
two. Is it because it was the earth element? Derek wondered.
He climbed into the air to wait out the earthquake. There was no sense
risking anything at this point. Soon, the aftereffects of the explosion died
down, and the other golems reformed.
Then, to Derek’s shock, the remaining bosses made a B-Line to each
other. At first, their actions didn’t make sense, but soon, he realized what
was happening.
When they approached each other, the surrounding aura disappeared,
and the cores popped out. First, the blue water core floated beside the red
fire core, then they slowly combined.
“Oh… fuck that! I am not fighting Voltron today!” Derek quickly
entered Void Shift, even though his mana hadn’t recovered from the first
time. He pulled himself to the remaining wind core and released the skill.
Currently, Multi-Strike was still on cooldown, so he could only toss out
a void-covered fist at the core. At the moment, it was defenseless, but
Derek was sure that would change very soon. With his Channel Void and
Void Sense being higher level than before, he had much better control.
So, without any previous practice, as soon as his right fist hit the core,
he moved the void through his body, transferring it as quickly as he could
from his right fist to his left fist, which was already in motion towards the
core.
The void arrived on the fist just before it made contact with the core.
Then, with minimal mana remaining in his pool, he jumped into the air and
launched himself to the cabin. He didn’t want to stick around to watch what
happened without any mana in reserve.
 His mana pool hit depleted just as he landed beside the cabin. The
headache from mana fatigue hit him as he reached for the door. He pulled
the door open and took a step just before an earth-shattering explosion rang
out, and a heavy wind hit him in the back and launched him into the back
wall of the safe room. The door slammed shut behind him.
If the Earth Core caused an earthquake before, it only made sense that
the wind core would create such high winds. However, what he wasn’t
expecting was another, even louder, explosion to ring out just after the first.
While the first two explosions with the wind and earth cores were
already stupendous, they were nothing compared to the next explosion. The
entire safe room shook. If Derek didn’t know any better, he would have
thought it was on the verge of collapsing. It’s a safe room… it can’t
collapse… right?
Soon, Derek got his answer. Multiple dents formed in the front side of
the safe room and door, but nothing got through. Derek breathed a sigh of
relief once everything went silent. He cautiously walked up to the door and
opened it a crack.
He poked his head out and looked around. His chin nearly hit the
ground. The previous conglomeration of water, fire, earth, and wind was no
more. In its stead was a scene out of an apocalyptic horror movie.
A massive crater formed where the three cores had been. No… massive
didn’t even begin to explain it. The crater was the size of multiple football
fields. In fact, after looking around, the edge of the crater ended just before
the safe house.
Lava flowed at the bottom, into water from the now-destroyed ponds.
Obsidian formed where the water and wind rapidly cooled the lava.
Derek jumped into the crater and examined the material, thinking it
would be something magical like what the Crown Hotel was made out of.
Unfortunately, it was a regular, run-of-the-mill obsidian. He grabbed a piece
of the glass and it sizzled in his hand. With a little pressure, he crushed it
into dust. He thought he had something great, but it turned out to be fool’s
gold.
Derek believed he had completed the dungeon. The four notifications
waiting for his review had to be kill notifications from the boss. However,
he didn’t see the dungeon orb anywhere. He couldn’t receive the rewards
until he found it.
 Finally, he looked directly up, and his eyelid twitched. The orb was
floating perfectly in the middle of the area… which would have been fine if
the area was like it was before and not a giant crater. How are people who
don’t have flying or floating skills supposed to leave? Eh… I guess there are
always ways… I doubt everyone who fights those things makes such a mess.
Now I REALLY want to know how Shae fought them.
Derek felt like he was missing something, but he didn’t dwell on it.
Instead, it was time to complete his first of many runs of the dungeon.

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 36 GRIND

D erek jumped up into the air with Void Steps so he could access the
dungeon orb. When he got close enough, he placed his hand on it.

Dungeon Complete…

Assigning Rewards…

Congratulations, you have received one Major Health Potion

Derek let out a sigh. Well… I guess that was to be expected. Shae said
that the rewards were pretty shit. Still, there are a few potions that could
come in clutch if I were to get them. Derek shrugged and stored the red vial
in his storage bracelet.
Next, before leaving the dungeon, he put a shirt on and wore his low-
level leather armor. He also pulled his facemask out of his storage and put it
on. That way, if someone was waiting outside the dungeon, he wouldn’t
stick out like a sore thumb. He couldn’t imagine what reaction someone
would have if they saw a half-naked man pop out of a dungeon orb.
With a game plan in mind, Derek selected ‘Leave Dungeon’ from the
dungeon interface, initiating a countdown. Soon, the countdown hit zero,
and he disappeared.
In the next instant, he was back outside. He scanned his surroundings…
he was still alone. Without hesitation, he touched the dungeon orb again.
 Participants: 1/5
Derek Hunt: Level 122
Please Choose an Option Below
View Dungeon
Enter Dungeon
Leave Dungeon

In one dungeon run, Derek had leveled twenty times, from 102 to 122.
Of course, he figured the next run wouldn’t net him more than 7-12 levels
because of the experience penalty he would get from already having
completed the dungeon. By the time he was level 150, he most likely
wouldn’t even get a level per run. Hopefully, the dungeon could last a few
dozen runs and allow him to level up his Achievement.
Derek chose to enter the dungeon. He vanished, then reappeared in the
first area safe zone. The area with the Water Golems. Also, the area he
planned to spend a ton of time in. This area was the perfect place to level
his Magic Resistance, Greater Meditation, Void Steps, Rejuvenation,
Absolute Nullify, and Void Sense.
The golems in the area were only level 155. While they hit hard, it was
something he was sure his current body could withstand easily enough if he
was careful.
Derek removed his armor and shirt, even opting to store his jeans and
replace them with a pair of shorts before opening the door and walking out.
Instantly, he recognized all ten golems scattered around the area. For his
training plan, he would begin with two golems.
He hurried to the first golem. When he got close, it roared and formed
into a humanoid creature just like before. Unlike before, however, Derek
didn’t wait for anything. He covered his fist in the void and attacked its core
with Multi-Strike.
Instantly, the golem lost all power and fell. Derek picked the core up
and blew some of the dust off before sticking it in his storage. “One down,”
he said. Then, he moved to the next golem.
Soon, Derek was eight level 155 Water Mana Cores richer, and there
were only two remaining enemies. Enemies that were still inactive because
of the way he had dealt with the previous golems. It took some time
because he had to wait for Multi-Strike to cooldown between kills.
 Even though he could have struck near-simultaneously with both fists
like he had done in the boss dungeon, he chose not to. He would rather
spend a little extra time to level a powerful skill like Multi-Strike.
Finally, Derek approached one of the two remaining Water Golems and
drew their aggro. The golems swung their arms wide, causing Derek to leap
backwards, out of their physical range. He was there to train his Magic
Resistance. If he wanted to train his Physical Resistance, he would go to the
Earth Golem area and have them toss rocks at him.
Eventually, Derek baited the Water Golems enough that they finally
split their limbs to utilize their water jet skill.
Soon, stones circled Derek. Each emitted a blue aura as they charged.
Finally, the water jets shot out at Derek.
Derek slipped into Greater Meditation and let the beams fall on him.
The whole time, he kept a careful eye on his health. Eventually, when it fell
below 75%, he cast Rejuvenation, then Absolute Nullify. For Absolute
Nullify, he had to break his meditation as the skill required too much focus
to use.
Still, the skill created enough of a gap in the damage that his natural
regeneration was able to heal him back to at least 90% before his mana ran
low. Once he canceled the skill, he went back into Greater Meditation and
rapidly gained his mana back while slowing the depletion of his HP.
Derek kept up with this delicate balance between skills for hours,
ignoring any notifications that may have popped up. He wasn’t exactly sure
how long had passed since time didn’t feel the same when he was
meditating, even if he was actively doing it.
At some point, the water beams stopped. Derek raised his eyebrows as
he looked around at his opponents. He shook his head. The glow from the
mana core in the torso of the Water Golems had significantly dimmed.
Derek checked the system time. So… it seems the Water Golems can
keep their spells up for around four hours before depleting all the mana in
their mana cores. I was hoping for more than that, he thought.
The Water Golems reformed into humanoid creatures and tried to rush
him physically, but their moves were slow and clumsy. It seemed that they
relied on the mana from their cores for all aspects of their attack.
He waited for half an hour before giving up on them regaining their
mana. It would be faster to complete the dungeon before fighting a fresh set
of Water Golems. With that decided, Derek channeled the void into his fist
and hit one of them with Multi-Strike. The dim core stopped glowing
altogether, and the golem fell.
He waited for the cooldown to disappear before finishing off the
remaining one. The dungeon orb appeared in front of Derek, but instead of
moving on to the next area, he paused to check his notifications.
He dismissed all the kill notifications and level-ups. With the level 155
Water Golems only giving half the experience as they did before, and his
level being higher than it was previously, he only leveled twice off them.
He now sat at level 124.
Next, he viewed his skill notifications.

Congratulations
Absolute Nullify has reached level 4

Phew… Derek sighed. After all that, Absolute Nullify only leveled twice.
It’s still leveling faster than Greater Meditation, but at this rate, it’s going to
slow down drastically towards the later levels. Still, Absolute Nullify was a
great skill he planned to keep focusing on.
Derek dismissed the notification and moved on to the next.

Congratulations
Greater Meditation has reached level 7

Derek smiled. Receiving a level in Greater Meditation already was more

than he imagined he would get. But seeing how long he used it while
constantly being under attack, it made sense. He moved to the next
notification.

Congratulations
Magic Resistance has reached level 14

Magic Resistance finally passed his Physical Resistance. It was the

main skill he wished to level in the Water Golem area. Towards the end of
the ‘fight,’ the Water Golems weren’t causing as much damage as they were
previously. Derek wondered if it was because of their depleting mana cores
or if it was because of the two new levels he gained. He shrugged… He
would find out next round.
Currently, he wanted to know if there was a special skill he would get
when Magic Resistance hit level 20. Unfortunately, he still had a long way
to go before he got his answer. He moved on.

Congratulations
Multi-Strike has reached level 4

He was happy to see that. Multi-Strike would most probably level up

slower than the other skills he wished to level… well, slower than
everything other than Greater Meditation. He could only properly use the
skill ten times per area. I guess I could use it on the limbs of the golems
instead of the cores. He shrugged. I’ll worry about that once I’m finished
with everything else… He dismissed the notification.
Unfortunately, Rejuvenation didn’t level, even though he used it
multiple times. I bet it levels faster based on how bad the wounds are that
it’s healing. He remembered how fast it leveled when he had the acid from
the Acidic Ghoul eating away at his chest. Anyway, he wasn’t worried
about the skill.
Next, he was happy to see that Void Sense had leveled.

Congratulations
Void Sense has reached level 7

It seems that everything really does level much faster when you’re in
battle. Derek had gone around with his Void Sense turned all the way up for
a while, but it leveled during his four-hour-long ‘fight’ with the Water
Golems.
Finally, he expected to see Void Steps gaining a level, but it didn’t. He
traded using Void Steps constantly for using Absolute Nullify. He would
work on his Void Steps in one of the next dungeons.
Derek had used over half a day so far, and he planned to keep it up for
two weeks. He promised to be back in time for the auction, so he needed to
push on. He wouldn’t rest until the two weeks were up. Derek dismissed the
last notification and placed his hand on the dungeon orb.
OceanofPDF.com
 37 CROWN’S DECISION

W hile Derek was busy training in the golem dungeon, the whole
upper echelon of the Cydarian kingdom was in an uproar over the
news of the level 250 dungeon with a time distortion. The same
was true for Alanah and the rest of the Crown Restaurant.
Alanah leaned back in her chair and sighed. I came to Savannah early to
meet Derek before the auction, yet he was already gone by the time I got
here. I should have talked to him before I left the capital, but I wanted to
surprise him… I wonder what kind of trouble he’s getting himself into right
now…
Alanah sighed again. She had been doing a lot of that during the last
day. She was just informed of the specific details of the time dungeon that
was discovered months ago, and what she learned wasn’t good… especially
if it turned out to be an elite dungeon.
Not only was the dungeon bad for the kingdom, but it was bad for her as
well. With the royal family gathering raid participants, many people with a
Crown membership would be raiding the dungeon by the time the second
auction began.
This caused her to consider all her other options, finally deciding to
combine the two auctions and host it here in Savannah. The auction would
be in three weeks, just before the high-level raid party had to leave for the
new dungeon.
She still needed to discuss it with Derek, but she wanted to open the
auction up and allow each member to bring two Crown-approved people. It
was unprecedented that someone without a membership would be able to
attend the auction, but she would make sure to vet any and all guests that
the current members brought. Plus, if one of her members brought someone
despicable like Gerald Torith… well, it was easy enough to revoke a
membership.
“Stella.” Alanah raised her voice, and the door outside her office
opened. Stella walked through. “Have you adjusted to my presence yet?”
Stella nodded. “The tick is still there, but I can withstand it as long as
you don’t put any will into your words. I’ve adapted enough to work.”
“That’s good.” Alanah smiled. “It seems you’ve gotten a little quicker
while you’ve been gone. Avery’s going to have to watch out, or you may
catch up to him soon.”
“I very much doubt that.” Stella scoffed. “Have you decided what to do
yet?”
Alanah nodded. “Unfortunately… we’re going to have to call off the
auction in the capital.”
“Call it off?”
“Yes, and no. Really, we’re going to hold a mega auction here in
Savannah. I’ll head over and talk with Natalie about it later, but I’m sure
she’ll welcome the extra business… you know how she is,” Alanah
explained.
“So, what are we going to do, exactly?” Stella asked.
Alanah went on to explain everything to Stella. Stella would be the
person in charge of everything in Savannah. Alanah couldn’t do much
because of her… condition, so it would be up to her third in command. She
would also have to talk to Avery and let him take care of everything in the
capital.
The king was already planning on coming to Savannah for the first
auction, so he would welcome being able to do it all at once. She only
hoped that everyone would have enough time to prepare for the auction.
She didn’t plan to let anything go if the price wasn’t right.
“You’re really going to allow members to bring in outsiders for the
auction?” Stella asked.
Alanah nodded. “Yes. As long as they are approved by us. Which means
you’re going to be extremely busy for the next couple of weeks. You need
to have every member submit their guest list for approval within the next
two weeks. Can you handle it?”
Stella sighed. “Do I have a choice?” She chuckled.
 Alanah smiled. “You always have a choice. I’ll never make you do
something you don’t want to do. Do you think I would have allowed you to
leave me and go to that backwater village if I did?”
“Hey… me going to that ‘backwater village’ allowed me to meet and
introduce you to Derek,” Stella said.
Alanah shrugged. “With his growing reputation, I would have met him
sooner or later.”
“Yeah, but you have to agree that it was much better to meet him sooner
rather than later.”
“Maybe… hopefully. We’ll see,” Alanah replied. “Still, if you don’t
want to handle it all, you can get some help. It’s about time you picked
someone to be your Avery or Stella.”
“As if I could find anyone willing to do for me what Avery and I are
willing to do for you. It’s not like I’ve saved anyone from fates worse than
death… I’ve been too busy running your business to make those kinds of
connections.” Stella smiled.
“And you’ve done a great job of it. Do you know how hard Avery’s
been working since you took your vacation? I don’t think he’s slept in
weeks.”
“That’s his own fault.” Stella chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take
care of everything. If there’s something I have any trouble with, I’ll let you
know.”
“Thank you.” Alanah nodded. “Are you sure you don’t know where
Derek ventured off to earlier?”
Stella shook her head. “I have no idea. I’ve tried contacting him, but it
won’t go through. I suspect he’s in a dungeon, or possibly”—Stella looked
around and leaned forward—“he may be doing something with his…
element.”
“Mhm,” Alanah agreed. Who knows what kind of effect the void would
have on communication crystals? Hopefully, he is just running some
dungeons. There is no telling what kind of trouble he will get into messing
around with that element. Though, it would be nice to have another Void
Beast or two for the auction…
“I’ll go to his shop later and have a talk with his friends. Maybe they
know something,” Stella said.
Alanah waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. He’ll be back whenever
he gets back. He probably wouldn’t appreciate us putting his friends in a
difficult position.”
Stella shrugged. “I still have to go to his place later to let them know
about the auction details so they can inform Derek when he gets back. Plus,
I think I should give Malorie some pointers.”
“The super-crafter’s mother?” Alanah asked.
Stella nodded. “Yeah, it looks like she’s going to take care of all the
business aspects of Derek’s businesses. I’m sure Derek will appreciate the
help.”
“Do what you want. Just be careful,” Alanah said.
“Now, I have a surprise for you.” Stella pulled a vial containing a
rainbow-colored liquid out of her storage ring. “Derek came with another
proposition for us before he left this morning. I knew you were coming, so I
didn’t bother reporting it. It’s better to see for yourself.”
Alanah sat forward, staring at the odd potion in Stella’s hand. “What is
it?”
“It’s called a Potion of Physical Permanence. It’s a potion created by
Roman Pascal.”
“The halfling Alchemist that doesn’t care about a Crown membership?”
Alanah asked.
“The very same,” Stella answered. “Anyway, he and Derek came in
earlier and gave me this. Asked if we would sell it at the auction. He said
we could use it as a refreshment.” She rolled her eyes.
“So… a Potion of Physical Permanence… I take it the potion gives
permanent stat boosts? What kind? How much?” Alanah’s heart was
beating faster. Her Void Beast recipes were the only thing she knew of,
other than a couple dungeon rewards, that could give permanent stat boosts
upon consumption.
“According to Derek, the potion he took—” Stella started but was cut
off.
“Derek drank one of them?” Alanah asked.
Stella nodded. “I don’t know the exact details, but he said it increased
his strength, dexterity, endurance, and vitality by five points each.”
“Five points…” Alanah’s brain was racing. “And vitality…”
“Yes.” Stella nodded. “Unfortunately, we don’t know the quality of the
potions without testing. They are made from Void Beasts… I’m not sure
which parts exactly, but the quality of the potion is most likely affected by
the quality of the Void Beast materials.”
 “I see,” Alanah said. “And you trust this Roman?”
Stella shrugged. “I don’t have a reason not to. Plus, Derek seems to trust
him, and I trust Derek.”
Alanah held out her hand, and Stella gave her the potion. “What do we
do with this?” she muttered to herself, not actually asking the question to
anyone. “I want to save it for the auction, but in order to make the correct
oaths, you need to consume it.” She held the potion back out to Stella.
Stella pushed it away. “I still have plenty of levels left for improvement.
Five points won’t benefit me as much as you. You should take it.”
Alanah shook her head. “It’s for the auction. You know as well as I do
that I cannot be the host of the auction. It would never finish if that were the
case. Also, as this will be the biggest auction we’ve ever had, I only trust
you or Avery to be host, and since Avery is stuck in the capital, it’s up to
you. Just take it. We have to know everything.”
Stella reluctantly took the potion back from Alanah, then uncorked the
potion and poured it into her mouth.
She frowned. “Odd… it’s like… there’s no taste. It’s like liquid ai—”
Her eyes shot open, and she visibly shivered.
Alanah rushed to her feet. “Are you okay? Stella!”
Stella shook her head. “I’m fine. It was just a very uncomfortable
sensation.”
Alanah let out a breath and sat back down.
“Well… Derek was right…” Stella said. “Whichever Void Beast was
used to make this one must have been of higher quality than the potion he
took.”
“Oh?”
Stella nodded. “Yeah. I just got seven stat points in strength, dexterity,
endurance, and vitality.”
“Looks like you need to add drawing up another contract to your list of
things to do,” Alanah said.
“That seems to be the case.”

OceanofPDF.com
 38 EDGAR’S DILEMMA

E dgar clapped his hands and let lightning fall on all the surrounding
beasts. He hated this. This was the one thing he never dreamed of
doing. Every time he used a skill, it felt dirty. Oh, how he resented his
brother and father for making him do something he was so against.
Why did Elouise have to go and get herself betrothed? She would have
been perfect for this task. She didn’t care about how she got her power. She
was more than happy to be given the strength without earning it, without
learning how to use it. But, no. She had found love… at least, that’s what
she told everyone.
If only Edgar could have stopped Jake from answering his
communication crystal three days ago. He tried. He just wasn’t fast enough.
He never thought his brother would go so far as to contact his squad and
find Jake.
Still, Edgar agreed to it. He understood the ‘why.’ It still didn’t change
the fact that he hated everything about what he was doing.
So, here he was… in the dungeon that made his entire royal family
hypocrites. The dungeon that the royal castle was built around. It was the
easiest level 250 dungeon in the kingdom, maybe even the continent. That’s
not to say that the dungeon was easy. No, it was just the easiest of the
bunch.
No level 250 dungeon was easy. One mistake and almost anyone could
die… even in a dungeon such as this. It was a beast dungeon with a
maximum of three party members and extremely paltry rewards. All the
beasts in the dungeon were small. Creatures that would be found in low-
level forests and plains. Horned Rabbits, Squirrels, Felines, Canines… the
works.
Yet every beast in the dungeon was level 250. While any common,
uncommon, rare, or even some epic classes would struggle in such a
populated dungeon, the royal family’s… his royal family’s lightning classes
were perfect for it.
Now, why did all this make his royal family hypocrites? Well, one of
the most well-enforced laws in the entire Kingdom of Cydaria was the
division of dungeons. No one was allowed to keep a dungeon for
themselves. Everyone got their fair share. Many popular dungeons had
waiting lists. There was no cutting in line or buying positions. If a person
was caught doing so, there was hell to pay.
But that didn’t apply to the dungeon Edgar was currently in. The
dungeon he never wanted to step into. No, the royal family kept the
dungeon to themselves, using it to bolster their own family and a few loyal
knights. It wasn’t a secret. Everyone knew, and they just… accepted it.
But those who used it came out weak. Their high level and stat points
made it forever harder to level their unleveled skills. They didn’t have the
time to hone their skills and get better classes and upgrades. They took one
path—the path of the weak. The same path his sister took.
Luckily, Edgar spent more time than anyone working on his skill
leveling. Even when he came out of this at max level, he would still be
well-rounded with his skills. In fact, some of his skills were close to max.
One skill even hit level 20 and became an upgraded version of itself. Of
course, he never told anyone, not even his brother, about any of that.
Most people, his brother and father included, thought that he spent his
time goofing off in dungeons with his handpicked adventurer team. But
they couldn’t be farther from the truth. If anyone looked closely, they would
see that he and his team always went to dungeons and areas with monsters
that were typically more trouble than they were worth.
They went to the perfect places to train. Edgar learned long ago from
his father that it was easier to gain skill levels during fights. So, he and his
group fought. They didn’t kill… well, they did, but not until they were
finished. Fighting and training against monsters that were at or above your
level was the best training for skills.
Recently, Edgar had taken a liking to Jake. The young man had wanted
to be strong and had a personality that just fit. Jake would always roll his
eyes and complain when they were doing anything except for training or
whatever military task his brother had him doing.
Edgar would be the first to admit his reputation was well deserved.
When anyone saw him or his team in a city, they were always relaxing or
goofing around. But nobody knew, really knew, that all that lazing around
came after days or weeks of fighting near-equal opponents who never held
back while not killing them.
Still, everyone on his team was like him. That’s why he picked them.
They also kept their mouths shut. Though he never asked, they all reached a
mutual agreement that what happened in dungeons, stayed in dungeons.
Edgar sighed. He wouldn’t be taking any of his team into the new
dungeon with him. He couldn’t do that to them. He wouldn’t risk their lives
unless they were at least close to diamond-ranked, and he wouldn’t cripple
them with power leveling.
Most of them still had at least 40 levels to work with. Jake wasn’t even
level 200 yet. He was still at an optimal level for increasing his skills. So,
he would put Akeem in charge and have him lead their training until he got
back. Actually, since his level was going to be max soon, it may even be
better if Akeem would take control full-time. He knew what he was doing
and would lead well.
Edgar broke free from his thoughts and watched his brother.
With the paralysis caused by the lightning and their reinforced speed,
the small beasts of the dungeon were all basically sitting ducks. Even
Edgar’s Thunderclap skill was enough to disorient the creatures long
enough for his brother to clear the wave, and Edgar was only level 207.
Edgar sighed as Edward zipped through the level 250 beasts,
decapitating them in one slice. Edgar winced as level-up notifications
appeared in the corner of his vision. It hurt, but he agreed to it… for the
sake of the kingdom.
Edward walked back to Edgar, holding a half-dead rodent of some sort.
“So, how’s the first wave?” he asked.
Edgar spat. “Three levels…”
“Don’t be that way. You’re our only choice right now. Hell, don’t think I
didn’t see the power of your Thunderclap skill. You’re in the low 200s, and
your skill paralyzed them almost as long as mine would have. And I know I
have much more invested in intelligence than you,” Edward said.
“Forty levels wasted…” Edgar muttered.
 Edward squinted his eyes. “Don’t think I don’t know what you and your
little team get up to. I have a pretty good idea. I’m not so stupid to not
follow the pattern. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had maxed out skills at
this point.”
Edgar’s eyes widened. “You know?”
“Of course I know. You’re my little brother. I keep track of my family.
ALL my family. If I’m to take over once Pops steps down, I have to know
everything,” Edward said.
It made Edgar feel a bit better that Edward wasn’t just power-leveling
him without knowing he’d be able to take it. Wait… if Edward knows…
“Does Dad know?”
Edward smiled and shook his head. “I think he has an idea, but I don’t
think he really knows. I think he’s of the mind that you just like to fight and
party. He knows that you must have good experience because of all the
dungeons you complete, but you also take longer rests than most
adventurers. He… ignores you for the most part because while you may
kick up some commotions here and there, you never actually cause any
problems.”
Edgar snorted. “You’re lucky you didn’t have to come here to level. It
makes me sick that we’re doing this.”
“I know… you keep telling me that. Still, when you reach my level, I
know I won’t be able to hold a candle to you. Hell, you could probably
clear this dungeon yourself,” Edward said.
Edgar shrugged. “Maybe… but it would take some time. Time that we
apparently don’t have. Besides, using Thunderclap on so many creatures
should be great training for it. Don’t think I’m just sitting here letting you
kill everything. If I’m going to be here, I’m going to get the most out of it.”
Edward nodded. “Thank you…”
Edgar rolled his eyes. “Like I had a choice. I still think El should be
here instead of me. I don’t even think she’s going to go through with that
stupid wedding.”
“She won’t,” Edward said, getting his attention.
“What?”
“She doesn’t like him, and he doesn’t like her… at least not like that.
But both of them are tired of everything. Neither one of them wants
marriage, so why not have a fake engagement and put the wedding off
indefinitely? It gets rid of all the people asking for their hands. Once one of
them finds someone or decides it’s time to get married, they’ll call
everything off,” Edward explained.
“That little shit! Then why am I here?”
Edward looked at Edgar sternly. “Brother… I have a bad feeling about
this dungeon. I… I don’t think Elouise can handle it. I’m not even sure if I
can handle it. It’s a raid. It’s going to take months on the inside, but
outside… years are going to pass. You know how hard non-specific enemy
dungeons can be. I really do believe you’re the best choice.”
Edgar stared at his older brother, stunned. Finally, he sighed. “Fine…
but I’m handpicking everyone who’s going with me. I won’t leave my back
to anyone I can’t trust, and since none of my team is coming with me, I
need to make sure whoever goes is strong enough.”
Edward nodded. “I agree. I already have a list of those I recommend.
Nobody is below onyx-ranked, and you’re going to need to take some
diamond ranks as well. Do you have anyone else in mind?”
Edgar smiled. “I do… but I’m not sure how strong he really is.”
“Oh?” Edward said. “Well, I guess we should hurry up and get you
leveled so you can go see.” Edward took a dagger and pierced the rodent he
was holding with it. The beast died, and a new wave of enemies appeared.
Edgar sighed and clapped his hands. Oh… I guess this really is good for
Thunderclap, he mused as his skill hit level 19.

Edgar dismissed another level-up notification from his vision. He was level
243 now and only had a few more to go before he could quit running the
damn dungeon. He had overly surprised his brother when he stopped him
from going into the dungeon with him.
He was only level 234 at the time. Edward worried about him, but
Edgar told him it would take too long if he had to split the already halved
experience with him. Plus, he had watched and helped Edward deal with the
entire dungeon so many times that he could probably run it with his eyes
closed.
He was right, of course. When he went in alone, it took a little longer to
clear it, but he was never in any danger. That, plus not having to split XP
with someone who couldn’t even earn XP, basically caused the sky to rain
levels upon him.
Edgar also had skills he didn’t desire to show anyone, even his brother.
They both had lightning-based classes, and while many skills overlapped,
he did have his own, unique skills. Ones that he would rather work on
without anyone else around.
One of those skills was Ethereal Spark. If one saw it, they would think
that it was a skill not unlike the one that Jake and his father use, only
lightning-based. Every high-level elemental class had something like that.
But Edgar had that skill as well. It was called Lightning Shroud. It was the
same one his brother used.
Now, Lightning Shroud allowed Edgar to channel the lightning into his
body to reinforce and amplify it. It greatly increased his already great speed
and multiplied his offensive prowess. The skill also enhanced any other
skills he used in tandem with it.
Ethereal Spark, however, was not Lightning Shroud. When he activated
Ethereal Spark, everything happened almost identically to when he used
Lightning Shroud. The whites of his eyes changed color, his hair floated,
and sparks of electricity formed around parts of his body.
But, with Lightning Shroud, he channeled and used lightning, whereas
with Ethereal Spark, he became lightning. He no longer had to walk, run, or
dash. He zipped. He was a lightning bolt that shot between enemies. The
offensive power was immense, but so was the mana cost. However, what
Edgar found most appealing about the skill unique to his class was that it
made him incorporeal.
He was intangible. As far as he had found, nothing could touch him
while he was using the skill. If a sword cut him in half, he reformed, same
as if a spell scattered him, the lightning bolt just pieced itself back together.
And the offensive power… well, the form almost ignored all defenses.
Beasts and monsters almost never wore anything to protect them against
lightning. Hell, most people wore metal armor… a great conductor of
electricity. Sure, some armors were layered with materials that insulated and
thus protected against lightning, but all Edgar had to do was touch an
unprotected part. Then he was in.
It was also the perfect skill for a strategic retreat. He was fast and
invulnerable. Nothing could harm him if he didn’t want it to.
 Edgar looked at the skill and smiled. It was level 15, and he couldn’t
imagine a better place to use it than a dungeon with small beasts so densely
packed. Edgar closed all his status windows, then walked out of the same
room and onto the field.
The dozens of level 250 beasts all turned their heads at once. Edgar
snorted as they began their charge. He clapped his hands, and thunder
roared in the air as small bolts penetrated each creature within his range
who he deemed a threat.
As soon as all the beasts were stunned, lightning flashed through his
eyes, and he disappeared. Instantly, a bolt of lightning appeared before the
first beast. It hit it, going through its body, the bolt aimed for the heart, and
with a shock, the heart fluttered and stopped.
As soon as the bolt touched the beast’s heart, it left its body and jumped
to the next beast. One by one, beasts fell before they could even move a
muscle. In less than thirty seconds, Edgar materialized in front of the last
remaining beast—a badger of some sort. An elemental sword materialized
in his hand, and he slashed down, splitting the small creature in half before
it had a chance to move.
With his near-exhausted mana pool, Edgar quickly used Lightning
Shroud and moved to the safe room. He closed the door behind him and
winced at the headache that came with mana exhaustion.
He wanted to make it back to the safe zone before the next wave came.
That way, the enemies would be spaced out and not already waiting for him.
His Thunderclap worked best in that situation.
The reason he took longer to complete the dungeon than his brother
wasn’t that he wasn’t as strong or fast, it was because he meditated in
between each wave of attacks.
Edgar closed his eyes, readying to use his level 16 Meditation, the skill
he had used most of all. Damn… it’s so hard to level Meditation. I wonder if
it will max out at 20 or if it will upgrade to another, better form of the skill.
Because of the skill, and the toughness of leveling it, Edgar hadn’t had a
real night’s sleep in years, choosing to work on the skill instead.
Out of combat, Meditation was better than any health or mana potion,
and it only cost one skill point. It was the most essential skill for an
adventurer. That skill, combined with safe rooms in dungeons, made it one
of the most overpowered skills, and anyone could get it.
 Edgar had a plan, though. He had two skill upgrade points from
Achievements waiting to be used. As soon as Meditation hit level 18, he
would use them. Then, he would find his answer. But for now, he just
relaxed and let the skill take over.
Soon, his mana pool was full, and the headache was gone. He took a
quick glance at his notifications and clicked his tongue when he saw that
Meditation leveling up wasn’t one of them. It had to be getting close. He’d
been stuck at level 16 much longer than level 15. But, because his level was
increasing rapidly, he knew all his skills would slow down.
He only hoped that General Skills weren’t affected as much as Class
Skills were. Edgar let out a sigh and stood. He opened the door and walked
out, clapping his hands. The same slaughter played out once more, and then
he was back in the safe house.
Three more times, the scene happened. Nothing changed. Not even on
the final wave when the boss appeared. It was a giant bear. It towered over
the entire area. It was weird that you had to fight through four waves of
small beasts, only to fight a 30-foot-tall and half as wide bear at the end.
Still, it didn’t matter. In his ethereal form, all Edgar had to do was zip to
the beast and enter its heart. The only difference between the big beast and
the small beasts was that he had to stay inside the bear’s heart for five
seconds for it to succumb instead of the instant it took to kill the small
beasts.
Once the bear died, the dungeon orb appeared. Edgar meditated to get
his mana back before placing his hand on the orb to leave.
Edgar snorted. Instead of the option to leave the dungeon, he got a
notification of receiving the dungeon reward. He looked at the small stack
of gold coins that appeared on the ground beside him and rolled his eyes
before storing them in his ring. It was the sixth time something like this had
happened.
His Lesser Repetitive Dungeoneer Achievement rarely procced, but it
had happened six times in this shitty dungeon already. Why does it have to
work so well in this damn dungeon? He didn’t often run dungeons more
than once, to keep from leveling, but he had run two or three times after
getting the Achievement, yet he never got a second reward with the meager
5% chance the Achievement gave.
The Achievement, Lesser Repetitive Dungeoneer, was one that all the
royal family members got. They actually received it before they did a class.
It was easy to get and sometimes useful. All they did was wait in the safe
zone while strong guards completed the dungeon for them. When one set of
guards out-leveled the dungeon, a new set appeared.
Edgar clicked his tongue and dismissed all notifications. Once he was
able to clear the dungeon on his own, he even stopped allocating his stat
points. He wasn’t completely sure if it was the level that hindered skill
growth or if it was the stat points—or maybe a combination of both—but
until the time came, he would keep his hundreds of stat points.
He put his hand on the dungeon orb again, then vanished.
This time, when he appeared in the dungeon room, his brother was back
waiting for him, leaning against the wall.
“How goes it?” Edward asked.
Edgar rolled his eyes. “I’ve made over 6,000 gold.”
Edward’s eyes widened. “Maybe I should retire from the army and just
run that dungeon for the rest of my life.”
“Yeah, and ruin the economy.”
“Look at you, thinking like a king,” Edward said.
Edgar rolled his eyes again and touched the dungeon orb, instantly
disappearing.
Edward stood there with a frown on his face. “What happened to the
countdown?”

OceanofPDF.com
 39 UPGRADE

W hile the higher-ups in the kingdom were scrambling because of

the new dungeon and upcoming auction, Derek continued his
training. As soon as he left the dungeon, he would repeat it,
spending almost no time outside. He didn’t want to waste a moment.
In the almost two weeks since he started, he had finished running the
dungeon dozens of times. His skills improved at a speed he didn’t know
was possible. Now, Derek was sitting in the boss area of a completed
dungeon, going over his stats and skills. He had a ton of decisions to make.

Status
Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 30
Level: 165
Experience: 649,350,250/1,800,000,000
Class: Legend of the Void (Legendary)
Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 16575
Mana: 5000
Stamina: 16575

Stats
Strength: 705
Dexterity: 505
Endurance: 1105
Vitality: 1105
Intelligence: 500
Wisdom: 500

Stat Points Remaining: 1953

Contracts
Alanah Swan (Crown Restaurant): View Contract
Silvi (Bonded Beast): View Status
Stella Brighton (Crown Restaurant): View Contract
Francesco Jaccobs (Torith Adventurer’s Guild): View Contract
Rudolph McKinney: View Contract

Skills
Absolute Nullify Lv. 11, Chain Lightning Lv. 13, Channel Void Lv.
16, Cleaning Lv. 9, Cure Toxin Lv. 4, Dismantle Lv. 12, Greater
Meditation Lv. 9, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 16,
Magic Resistance Lv. 20, Multi-Strike Lv. 10, Physical Resistance
Lv. 20, Rejuvenation Lv. 14, Sweeping Slash Lv. 19, Time Prison
Lv. 4, Unarmed Combat Mastery Lv. 14, Void Call Lv. 2, Void
Sense Lv. 15, Void Shift Lv. 7, Void Steps Lv. 13, Void Storage Lv.
N/A

Skill Points Remaining: 16

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 4

Achievements
Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Dungeon Explorer, Lesser
Dungeon Traveler, Lesser Enigma, Lesser Enforcer of Oaths,
Repetitive Dungeoneer, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Solo Diver,
Magical Glass Cannon, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer, Offensive
Powerhouse
 Holy shit. As Derek went through his stunning status sheet, he couldn’t
help but be amazed at what he was able to do in almost two weeks.
First and foremost, he had begun this training specifically for his skills,
but the staggering amount of stat points he ended up saving almost blew his
mind.
Absolute Nullify, as a skill that was very hard to level, had actually
made it to level 11. Now, the size of the wall was almost double the size it
was before, and the mana cost was down by a third. It was truly a skill he
could use well now.
Of course, Channel Void was a skill he combo’d with pretty much any
and every physical skill he used, so it had gained a respectable five levels in
training.
Cleaning had even had a couple of breakthroughs because of how many
times he used it to clean his body after completing an area.
Greater Meditation, the hardest skill he had to level, and the one he used
the most, had almost broken into double digits. With each level, he could
feel his ability to use it along with doing other things was made easier and
easier.
Derek did frown when he viewed Magic and Physical Resistance. He’d
hoped the skills would upgrade once they reached level 20, but they didn’t.
Still, his body had a full 30% resistance to literally everything other than
mental attacks. He couldn’t complain. They were the two skills he planned
on training the most when he came to the Golem Dungeon, so the fact that
they were level 20 meant it had been a successful trip.
Multi-Strike was a pleasant surprise. It had started causing an attack to
hit twice, but now the attack hit four times. It was truly amazing. Every five
levels the skill gained, it added another attack. So, once it hit level 20, the
attack would land six times. Plus, the cooldown had been significantly
reduced after leveling so many times.
Rejuvenation was Rejuvenation. It now healed for 70% of his health
over 30 seconds and had an even smaller cooldown window. It was a very
useful skill to have. He’d been using it off cooldown pretty consistently to
get it to level 14.
Derek even managed to throw in some Sweeping Slashes with his
attacks a few times. It worked much better once Multi-Strike got a third
attack. That, combined with Channel Void, had let Derek get some multi-
kills a few times on golems. It was quite satisfying. One more level and the
skill would be 20. Still, it was a skill that worked much better with a
weapon than fists alone.
Void Sense was a skill he learned to utilize the most. During all the time
training, he never dampened the intensity of the skill. He found that the skill
not only showed him different aspects of the void, but it allowed him to
control it better. Derek considered Void Sense a skill that led to greater
attunement to his element. Before using it so much, he had considered it a
distraction, but now, he considered it one of his most relevant skills.
Void Steps made some leaps, as well. It was his most fun skill. Who
didn’t like flying or floating in the air? He could now maneuver seamlessly
with the skill. He wasn’t sure how much of that was because of Void Steps
leveling or how much was because of Void Sense.
Finally, his Unarmed Combat Mastery had really been boosted. Derek
wasn’t sure if he was ever going to get a chance to have another worthwhile
glaive, so he was happy to have a backup passive skill he could use for the
time being.
After going over all his skills, Derek finally took a look at his
Achievements. Lesser Repetitive Dungeoneer had actually gone up two
levels and become Repetitive Dungeoneer. Now, every time he completed a
dungeon more than once, he had a 10% chance of obtaining another reward.
Lesser was a 5% chance, Minor was 7%, and normal was 10%. If he could
get the Achievement to Major, he would have a 15% chance of being re-
rewarded.
Solo Diver had also risen by two tiers. It had come with a 4% increase
in stats while solo diving, which he could feel but wasn’t evident in his
status sheet. He could still instantly begin a dungeon while alone. What he
was surprised about was a new perk that was added with the latest upgrade.
His level could now be hidden when accessing dungeon statuses.
People who chose to go it alone could be considered private people. So,
the Achievement would help them hide their personal information when
they had to form impromptu parties with other adventurers. Derek was
happy with the Achievement.
Finally, after going over everything else, his eyes fell on his stat points.
What the hell do I do with over 1,900 free stat points? Derek started
weighing the pros and cons of each primary stat.
Right now, he felt that his physical attack had fallen behind because of
his strength and dexterity, but at the same time, he made up for it with his
Channel Void ability, which was stronger based on wisdom and intelligence.
Still, he knew that endurance and vitality were his primary stats. It
would never hurt to increase those two. Well, I do have almost 2,000 points.
I could keep my focus on my endurance and vitality, then spread some
around my other stat points…
Finally, Derek decided to do just that. Let’s see… I have a breakthrough,
which is rather painful, every 500 points. I could pump up my endurance
and vitality to 1,500 each, then spend the remaining 1,100 or so on the rest
of the stats. Derek grunted. The itching is going to be so bad…
First, Derek spent 788 points to get his two main stats to 1,499. He
shivered as he felt the minor changes in his bones, skin, and organs. He also
had some shortness of breath as his lungs and heart adjusted to his newly
increased vitality.
Okay… that wasn’t too bad. I should have done something like this
before when my stats hit 1,000. It would have given my body a little time to
adjust before the horrifying itching and lava in my veins, he thought.
Next, while making sure to save two stat points so he could push his
vitality and endurance to 1,500, he divvied the remaining points out among
the other four stats. First, he brought all his stats up to 825.
With those changes, Derek felt a slight increase in his mind’s acuity and
processing speed. He also felt a deftness in his muscles and tendons. His
body became slightly more toned as well. He didn’t feel much in the way of
increased strength, but that was mostly because he didn’t actually increase
his strength by much. While everything else was increased by 300 points or
so, his strength only went up a little over 100 points.
With his stats divided, he was ready to pump his others to 1,500. Then,
he would feel safer calling the void again, and he could work on his last
skill for the remaining couple of days.
Derek removed his clothes and sat cross-legged. He took in a deep
breath, then decided to increase his endurance first. Even though increasing
endurance had felt much worse at 1,000 points than vitality did, he knew
that the vitality threshold had a much higher chance of causing real damage
to him.
He prepared himself, then put one stat point into endurance. He waited
for the skin crawling and itching, but it never came. Derek snorted. I guess
1,500 points isn’t a threshold or breakth— Instantly, the pain hit.
 It started at the bones. At once, they cracked, and he felt as if they
turned to dust. From his seated position, Derek fell onto his back. It was as
if he had nothing to hold his body together. The pain… it was pure agony.
Derek did his best to keep breathing, but he couldn’t take in a breath. It
was like his lungs had collapsed. Soon, however, Derek felt the rebuilding.
New bones replaced the old, still agonizing as they formed and moved the
muscle and organs back into place. Finally, the bones were back in place,
and Derek was able to gasp in a breath.
A single breath was all he was able to draw as his muscles were next.
Just as the bones had, his muscles collapsed and turned into jelly. The pain
wasn’t nearly as bad as with the bones, but it was a different feeling
altogether. He was paralyzed but could still feel. It was like he had sleep
paralysis for an extended time.
Slowly, the muscle reformed, and he could move again. Derek took in
another breath, then closed his eyes. He knew the skin would be next. Sure
enough, a burning sensation fell over his entire body. Light invaded Derek’s
eyes as he realized his eyelids had disappeared. Curious, he raised his
forearm to take a peek.
What he saw was something straight out of an anatomy book. No skin
covered his muscles, his taut, dark, almost metallic muscles. The pain was
bearable. He never thought that he would say that having no skin, along
with no sense of touch and feel, would be bearable. But, compared to
everything else, losing his skin wasn’t bad.
Then the itching started. It started at his feet and worked its way up.
Metallic skin weaved itself over his bones and muscle before tightening and
changing to his natural skin color—one that didn’t shine in the sun. Derek
recalled the itching to be worse at his previous breakthrough. Though, it
could have just been that his mind was too fascinated by what was
happening in front of him to care much about the itching sensation.
He watched as his skin formed over his feet, then legs. Soon, the skin
was forming over his forearms, which he brought close to his face to take
an even better look. It was like he was seeing millions, if not billions, of
molecules forming together to create his skin. It was something he
imagined having nanobots healing a cut would look like.
Soon, the skin covered his hands and fingers, creating new nails in the
process. Then he blinked. That was when he realized this part of the
breakthrough was finished.
 Derek curled his hand into a fist and grinned. His body was stiff,
extremely so, but the flexibility would come with time.
Then, it felt like he got the wind knocked out of him as his remaining
organs began the process. Next came his kidneys, then liver. When it
happened to his heart, it was scary. Luckily, instead of disintegrating his
organs, then rebuilding from the ground up, it seemed that it was more of a
reinforcement.
His heart stopped beating for a minute—or beat extremely slowly,
Derek wasn’t sure. He was just happy when it started up again. Finally, the
reinforcement came to his brain. Dizziness washed over him. A dizziness
he’d never experienced, not with concussions or with anything else. The
entire dungeon was spinning… until it wasn’t.
Finally, he went blind for a few moments. That wasn’t too bad as he had
lost his senses before during meditation. Derek waited, then he was able to
see again.
Then he waited. He wanted to make sure that the breakthrough was
completely finished before he chose to do anything else. After five minutes
of nothing happening, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Derek hopped up and did some stretches, loosening up. After a half-
hour or so, the stiffness receded, and his control of his body was back to
normal… no… it seemed his control was even a little better than it used to
be. He couldn’t wait to see his control when he broke through with
dexterity.
Derek looked back to where he was sitting, then lying. There was a
small puddle of blood, much less than he thought there would be. I guess
it’s because the process worked from the inside out. Derek shrugged, then
found a new, clean piece of ground to sit on before starting the process all
over again.
He tossed a point into vitality, then waited for the process to begin, and
soon, it did. Just like before, he could feel the blood pumping through his
heart and vessels like a flood on a river. A heaviness settled over his chest
as his heart thundered.
It felt like his heart was a balloon and the blood was filling it up. That,
on top of the burning inside, made for a very uncomfortable feeling. His
breathing was very shallow as the blood flowed through his lungs, as well.
The veins in his arms threatened to burst through the skin as they
inflated to keep up with the blood flow. Derek winced as a sharp headache
came over him. It seemed that everywhere that blood flowed was tested.
Again, he was happy in his choice to upgrade his endurance before his
vitality.
The whole process was only a little uncomfortable for Derek, but he
expected it would have been another story if his body wasn’t as strong as it
was after the upgrade.
Soon, the flow calmed, and his heart began pumping at a more regular
pace. Derek took a deep breath, and his headache also went away. It was
amazing how one second everything was like a rising storm, then the next,
it was over.
Derek hopped up again and jumped around. He didn’t feel much
different from the vitality increase. The biggest change was that he felt
more energetic like he’d drank too much coffee or had too much sugar and
needed to work off the excess energy. He would have liked to see what his
blood actually looked like at the moment, but he doubted he would be able
to leave more than a scratch on himself.
He chuckled at the thought, then looked at his new stats. His eyes fell
on his health and stamina and widened. They were both crazy high, sitting
at 37,500 points each.
When his vitality passed 1,000 points, he had received 15 HP per point,
but now, after doing some quick calculations, he realized he was getting 25
HP per point of vitality. The same was true for his stamina, as well.
At this point, he even wondered how badly a critical hit would injure
him. Would he be able to survive getting his head blasted off? Could his
brain rebuild as fast as it was destroyed? Well, neither of those things was
something that Derek would want to test… ever.
He dismissed his stat windows and looked at some of the notifications
that had appeared after spending his points. He was excited, thinking about
how he had gotten new skills and Achievements before. He quickly pulled
the first notification up.

Congratulations

You have brought your endurance to the maximum system allotment. You
are at the top of users of The Great System in endurance. Be proud of
yourself as few users ever reach such heights.
 What? Derek stared at the message for some time. He couldn’t believe
what he had read. There’s a cap on stats? What is this shit? Was there a cap
on the other system? Derek thought back. He couldn’t recall anyone ever
talking about any level or stat caps, but Earth was new to the other system.
They were still in the tutorial phase when he left the planet and the
system. For all he knew, the cap could have been the same there as it was
here. Derek didn’t know how he should feel about the shocking news he
just learned. He would have to ask somebody about it later. Alanah should
be coming for one of the auctions… I’ll talk to her about it when I get back.
Derek waved the notification away and moved to the next, already
knowing what it was going to say.

Congratulations

You have brought your vitality to the maximum system allotment. You are
at the top of users of The Great System in vitality. Be proud of yourself as
few users ever reach such heights.

Yup… just as expected. Derek looked again to make sure there weren’t
any other notifications hidden. There weren’t. He sighed.
Just to make sure what the system said was true, he tried to add a stat
point into endurance. To his shock, the point went in, and one of his stat
points disappeared. However, the 1,500 didn’t increase. Instead, it changed
to 1500 (???). Confused, he tried adding another, then another. After adding
five stat points, it no longer accepted points anymore.
Since it was only five stat points, Derek did the same with vitality.
Again, it accepted five points but no more. He looked over his stats.

Stats
Strength: 825
Dexterity: 825
Endurance: 1500(???)
Vitality: 1500(???)
Intelligence: 825
Wisdom: 825
Stat Points Remaining: 63

Derek shook his head. “What the fuck is going on here?”

OceanofPDF.com
 40 VOID FARM

D erek pushed all the questions about his stats to the back of his mind.
It was something he would have to talk to Alanah about later, and
there was no sense dwelling on it when he still had things he needed
to do.
One of those things, of course, was using Void Call. After going through
another breakthrough in his endurance and vitality stats, he felt much safer.
The last Void Beast he fought was aware, and Derek didn’t know where it
was in strength compared to the other ones. Thinking back to the fight, he
would put it at the lower onyx rank.
He was sure that Shae could have beaten it, but it still would have been
a pretty tough fight. Speaking of Shae, after Derek’s bout with the man,
Derek had become more careful. Instead of letting his health get down low
during his training, he made sure to keep it at a reasonable level.
Thinking back to some of his previous antics, he could only call himself
dumb for purposefully letting his HP drop to such levels. It would have
only taken one surprise attack to finish him off. If either Bones or Ogre
would have had such an attack, it would have been the end.
So, from when he sparred with Shae until now, Derek had made the
conscious decision not to be stupid. It’s why he tested each golem and their
attacks for as long as he did before settling on a training regimen, and it’s
why he didn’t feel comfortable rolling the dice with more Void Beasts until
now.
He was still a bit worried about the Void Beasts because of his current
offensive ability, but he was much more reassured in his survival with his
endurance, vitality, and overall defensive ability.
 Derek dismissed his stats and prepared to use Void Call. He walked out
into the open in the final area of the dungeon. He cracked his neck and
closed his eyes before channeling the skill through his body.
He felt the void building as the skill activated. His entire body felt full
of the element as it surged up. Then, the purple energy exploded from him
and shot toward the sky.
Derek was more conscious of the skill this time as it was easier for his
body to handle the effects now than it was before. The skill was still
extremely draining on his mana as it took over two-thirds of his entire MP.
He quickly began Greater Meditation so he would be fresh for when the
Void Beast made its appearance.
However, as he watched the purple beam of energy shoot into the sky,
he saw it break apart and sputter out instead of casually disappearing. Derek
frowned and waited. He waited for ten minutes, then half an hour, but
nothing happened. No cracks appeared in the sky, no thundering sounds of a
beast beating on the void… nothing.
Derek hesitated, then launched the skill again. Once again, the beam
petered out before entering deep into the sky.
What’s going on? Derek thought back to the other times he cast the skill.
It had only been at Leon’s decimated village and the lonely mountain far
outside of Torith. The only change from then until now was that he wasn’t
in a dungeon when he used the skill.
Is the system actively preventing me from calling into the void while in a
dungeon? Why would the system give me a skill I can’t use in a dungeon? It
can’t be because it’s the void because I can still see the ripples and use
other void skills. He continued to think before coming to a conclusion.
Maybe it’s because dungeons are separate spaces created by the system,
and the same force that keeps others from entering while it is in use is also
keeping my skill from pulling in other enemies.
He decided to go with that logic. His Void Call was different from skills
used by Summoners. They either used their own energy to make a summons
or pulled them out of their specific summoned space. Either way, they were
friendly and matched the user’s level.
Void Call, on the other hand, called for a being not able to be controlled.
One that was not part of the system. Bringing a Void Beast into a dungeon
would basically be like breaking the rules.
 That thought left Derek with another question. If I changed the
distortion in the Time Dungeon, could I pull a prisoner out while in the
dungeon, or would the system block me from doing it? If I capture a
dungeon creature and put it in my Time Prison, would it prevent me from
finishing the dungeon?
Derek rubbed his temples with his hands. If the system hadn’t made him
super healthy, he was sure he’d be experiencing a migraine by now. Well,
there’s only one way to find out…
He flicked his wrist, and his map appeared in his hand. Derek unfurled
it and began going over the surrounding area. Compared to Torith, the land
surrounding Savannah was crowded with people and villages. It was going
to be hard for him to find a place far enough out of the way, away from
prying eyes, to use Void Call.
Eventually, he settled on a place east of the Golem Dungeon. The
Golem Dungeon wasn’t patrolled much, as it was very unpopular, so if he
really wanted, he could risk bringing a Void Beast down there, but there
weren’t any other dungeons immediately to the east of the Golem Dungeon,
and villages didn’t come out this far away from Savannah, so going a short
distance east would be his best bet.
There was nothing much in the area east of the Golem Dungeon. There
was another dungeon very far east, but it wasn’t considered one of
Savannah’s dungeons as it was closer to a different city. It looked to be a
slightly more popular dungeon than the golem one but was still on the
unpopular side. Plus, it was a much lower level.
If Derek moved about a third of the way between the two dungeons, he
should be in an area nobody patrolled and rarely visited. Nodding his head,
he put the map away and exited the dungeon. As soon as his feet hit the
ground, he jumped into the air with Void Step and moved east.
With his speed, which was even higher than before because of his
increased stats, he was able to get to his destination in just over an hour.
During the time he spent traveling, he received a communication request
from Malorie, which surprised him.
She wasn’t in any trouble, but she informed him that Stella had visited
and Alanah was in Savannah already. She also let him know that for some
reason, the auctions were combined, and they were going to happen at the
same time in Savannah in just over a week.
 I wonder what changed. It didn’t concern him too much as he was sure
one auction would sell just as well as two. He still planned on using his last
few days to train. He would also run the Golem Dungeon a few more times
to hit level 170.
Derek settled in the middle of a small forest. It had a good cover from
prying eyes. He also tossed a ski mask on just in case someone happened to
wander close to him.
Derek wasn’t a big fan of fighting in a forest. He preferred open areas,
but it would work. He once again used Void Call.
This time, instead of the beam of energy being rejected, it continued
into the sky until it slowly disappeared. So it was because of the dungeon.
His guess was correct.
Sure enough, not five minutes after using the skill, he saw it. With Void
Sense amped up as high as possible, he saw the movement in the void
before the pounding began.
The pounding was loud but not as powerful as the last Void Beast he
fought, so he jumped into the air and helped. If anything was going to draw
attention, it would be the thundering noise created by escaping Void Beasts.
With his Void Sense, Derek was able to see the cracks in the sky’s
structure, making it easier for him to dissect. Covering his hands in the void
allowed him to tear the pieces out with ease. Before long, a Void Beast-
sized hole appeared, along with the menacing glowing red eyes and razor-
like claws.
Derek reached in, grabbed the Void Beast’s wrist, and yanked. The beast
came tumbling out of the void tunnel and crashed through some tree
branches below. Derek canceled Void Steps and fell to the ground beside
the beast.
With his Void Sense, Derek could see the energy radiating off the beast.
He felt like he could almost reach out and grab it, but he couldn’t. If Void
Sense and Void Call level are higher, maybe I can use the energy around the
beasts like a puppeteer. He shivered at the thought of controlling the beasts.
It wouldn’t be like a real summons because I would have to focus my
attention on controlling it, though. Any slip-up and I would lose control… if
it works like I think it will. No wonder that last beast was so pissed at me. It
could feel I was getting closer to controlling the inherent void inside of it. I
probably would have noticed as well if I was using Void Sense at the time.
 Derek thought about the possibilities as he watched the Void Beast
struggling to its feet. Before giving it a chance to stand, he combined Multi-
Strike with Channel Void and hit it in the head with a palm, ending its life
then and there. All things considered, the Void Beast would have been about
as strong as the one he fought back at Leon’s village.
He figured most Void Beasts would be at or around that level. Strong
enough to reign terror and destruction down on most villages and escape
afterwards, but not strong enough to contend with powerful system users.
Derek believed the Void Beast legends were mostly because there were so
few of them.
Though, he was sure if a sentient one appeared, it could wreak havoc on
most cities in Cydaria, especially the smaller ones like Wilmette. Plus, he
was sure that there would be beasts that could be considered as strong as
diamond-ranked adventurers as well. The luck was in the draw.
Derek split the space in front of him, opening his Void Storage. He had
filled his ring and bracelet up with mana cores and had actually had to use
Void Storage to store the rest of them. He tossed the Void Beast’s corpse
inside and closed the space.
Derek sighed as he stared at the sky, readying for another Void Beast.
He would be fighting a lot in the upcoming days.

The next Void Beast to come out was slightly above average. It seemed to
be on the verge of intelligence but was still a monster, through and through.
Derek wasn’t entirely sure about the Adventurer Guild rankings as the only
onyx-ranked Adventurer he’d fought was Shae, but he would put the Void
Beast at lower onyx or upper platinum… solely based on Shae’s
capabilities.
It was the strongest Void Beast he’d faced other than the intelligent one.
Instead of quickly killing it with a void palm to the head, Derek opted to
subdue it by hitting its non-vitals. After what happened in the dungeon, he
had some questions that the Void Beast would allow him to solve.
After capturing the beast, Derek opened the Time Prison. While
carrying the beast, he moved to an empty cell and tossed the creature in.
Sentencing a Void Beast would be the ultimate test of the Time Prison.
First of all, the Void Beast was not a part of the system—or any system
that he knew of. So, the test would allow him to know if all the
functionality worked on enemies not of the Great System.
Second, if the Time Prison worked, he would be able to set the
sentencing timer low so he could go back to the Golem Dungeon and try to
release the beast there. If he could do so, then it would almost be like
cheating. It would mean that he could take as many people into a dungeon
as he could fit in the Time Prison, rendering the ‘max participants’ part of
the dungeon useless.
Hell, if it worked, he may even be able to bring in participants who out-
leveled the dungeon. If that were the case, he would be able to bring in Shae
or someone to run the dungeon for him while he sat back and enjoyed
watching his Repetitive Dungeoneer Achievement go up.
Of course, he doubted the system would let anything like that happen. It
already had precautions against Void Call, so he didn’t think it would
overlook something as simple as bringing in another through Time Prison.
I wonder if the system would give me some reward for finding a bug.
Derek shook his head. No… that’s doubtful. If anything, the stingy Great
System would probably find a way to punish me for finding an exploit. Still,
it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. He would definitely try.
Derek set the timer on the dungeon cell low, so he would be able to
speed it up and open it within a couple of days if he needed to. Then, he
quickly checked on the other occupied cells. He changed the time on the
cell that Clay Torith was occupying as well. It would be better if he ran the
test with both a human of the system and a beast not of the system.
He would have much preferred to use Bones or Ogre for the test, but he
had originally sentenced them to a year in prison. Even with his control of
time, he could only drop the time to a couple of months. However, Clay
was in for just 28 days and he’d already served almost two weeks’ worth,
with the time distortion.
After making the arrangements, he walked out of his Time Prison and
closed the rift behind him. Finally, he prepared himself and launched Void
Call once again.
Derek got into a rhythm, farming Void Beasts. He took breaks between
each beast so he could assess his surroundings to make sure he hadn’t
drawn any attention to himself. The breaks used up a bit of his time, but
they were necessary. After a day of farming, he finally took a rest.
He checked inside his Void Storage and smiled at his haul. He had two
storage devices full of mana cores with a lot more in his Void Storage. Now,
he had over thirty Void Beast bodies lying inside as well. In those
encounters, three were like the small one he fought before. They should
have the same vital qualities that the one before had. Alanah and Stella
would go crazy.
Other than that, there was another with intelligence and awareness. It
was actually a bit stronger than the one he fought before. Without his void,
he couldn’t even leave a scratch on its skin. It was even able to take a full
void-covered fist to the back of the head and not die.
It was also faster than Derek, causing him to have to use Void Shift,
coupled with Channel Void and Multi-Strike, to finish it off.
When it appeared, it looked almost scared of Derek. It could sense his
control over the void. Derek, on the other hand, could see and feel the void
running deep within the Void Beast. It was a weird sight to see. The beast
didn’t try to talk, only run.
Derek, however, didn’t let it, and once it saw that he wasn’t hurting it
with his physical attacks, it tried to fight back, leading to its demise. Derek
still didn’t feel great about the possibility of consuming a creature that
could be considered intelligent.
It made his skin crawl, but it was not only accepted but generally
coveted by those of the Great System. Maybe he would just choose to
receive recipes created by the other Void Beasts. He shrugged and shut his
storage. Next, he checked his notifications.

Congratulations

Void Call has reached level 4.

He nodded and moved on.

Congratulations! You have succeeded in slaying 25 creatures unknown

to the Great System

Achievement Updated
Derek raised his eyebrows and checked his Achievement.

Minor Slayer of the Unknown

You have slain 25 creatures unknown to the Great System. This is a rare
feat only achieved by a few people. Not only are Unknown Entities strong
and unpredictable, but it is rare to encounter one. You are awarded with the
following:

2 Skill Points

40 Stat Points

3 Skill Upgrade Points

Slay more Unknown Entities to earn more rewards.

Derek smiled. He wasn’t expecting anything like that. In fact, he had

almost forgotten about the Achievement. The extra skill points were
whatever, and the stat points were great, but the skill upgrade points were
amazing. He’d been saving his four skill upgrade points for a long time
because of how rare they seemed to be.
If he could upgrade the Achievement more by fighting Void Beasts, he
could upgrade those pesky skills like Absolute Nullify and Void Call. Or he
could push some of the close skills to level twenty. How many Void Beasts
would I have to kill to get to the next tier? If the second was 25, then the
third may not come until I kill 100.
After receiving the points, he had a sudden desire to toss four points
into Channel Void, but he held back. No, he would wait until his leveling
slowed to a crawl or until he found himself in a situation that called for a
quick upgrade. Otherwise, using the skill upgrade points would be wasteful,
very wasteful.
Derek dismissed the notifications and prepared to go back to the
dungeon. He still had a couple of tests and five more levels to gain before
he was finished with his training. He turned back to where he came from
and hopped into the air before taking off.
Soon, he arrived back at the dungeon and scanned the area. Seeing that
there still weren’t any signs of activity around the dungeon, he walked up to
the orb and went inside.
Derek made short work of all the areas in the dungeon, storing the extra
mana cores in his Void Storage in the process. With the cores and corpses,
his Void Storage, which grew in size based on his own level and
intelligence, was beginning to fill up. He may actually have to use his Time
Prison as a makeshift storage device, depending on how many more times
he needed to run the dungeon before hitting level 175.
In the final area of the dungeon, Derek opened his Time Prison and
went inside. He placed his hand on the door of the cell he stashed the Void
Beast in and increased the speed at which it counted down. He had chosen
the minimum sentence of one week earlier, but after changing the flow of
time, there were only a few hours left.
He walked over to the cell that Clay was in and checked it. It would be a
day and a half before he could come out.
Derek left the prison and continued running through the dungeon.
While in the process of clearing the third area of the dungeon, a
notification appeared to the side of his vision. Derek finished off the last
golems and viewed the notification.

Cell #002 Alert:

Prisoner in cell #002 sentence approaching completion. Prisoner will be

released in:

6 Minutes 27 Seconds

Derek watched the timer countdown in his notification. He opened his

Time Prison and waited.
Once the countdown hit 0, one of the cells on the left side swung open.
The room was dark, but Derek could see in because of the light shining in
from outside. The Void Beast rushed out of the cell and smashed into the
cells on the opposite side of it. The ones that the humans were in.
 Then, the beast saw the light and turned toward Derek. Derek took a
fighting stance, readying himself to be attacked by the beast.
The Void Beast launched itself forward as Derek prepared for impact…
but the impact never came. The beast slammed into an invisible wall where
the door would have been before staggering back. Derek walked inside.
He punched the beast, causing it to fall to its knees, then picked it up in
a bear hug. He tried to walk back out but couldn’t. The Void Beast was
trapped inside.
Derek let go of the beast before leaving the Time Prison. He shut the
door behind him and focused on completing the dungeon. When he got out,
he would open the prison again.

OceanofPDF.com
 41 MORE QUESTIONS THAN
ANSWERS

S oon, Derek finished the boss area of the dungeon and stored the mana
cores before leaving. Once outside, he checked his surroundings,
making sure there was still no one around. After doing so, he reached
out to open his Time Prison once again.
Derek pulled the void apart, revealing the door to the Time Prison. He
reached out and grabbed it and pulled. The second the door was ajar, the
clawed hand of the Void Beast reached out. That answers that question,
Derek thought.
He grabbed the hand and pulled as he swung the door open wide. The
Void Beast stumbled out but didn’t get a chance to make a move before
Derek clocked it in the temple with a void-covered fist amplified by Multi-
Strike. I need to find some other beasts to store so the Time Prison levels
faster. It’s not going fast enough with just the three cells occupied.
After stuffing the corpse of the Void Beast in his increasingly full Void
Storage, Derek decided to run the dungeon a few more times while waiting
for Clay’s prison cell to open.
Once again, a notification from the Time Prison appeared in front of
Derek midway through the dungeon. After finishing off the last Wind
Golem, Derek went inside the prison and waited for the timer to run out.
Soon, cell #003 unlocked and opened a crack while Derek waited.
Slowly, a hand appeared between the door and the frame. Then, the cell
door gradually inched open, and Clay Torith appeared in the same
bedraggled state he was in before he was sentenced.
The teen’s once pristine golden hair was tangled and dirtied. His eyes
were red as if he’d been crying. He took a step forward and staggered out of
the cell.
Derek watched the teen emotionlessly. There was no telling how many
young men and women had ended up dead in unmarked graves or in some
beast’s stomach because of the young man. Any fate the boy got, he
deserved. It was clear to Derek that what he had planned to do with Thomas
was something he’d done before.
He was sure that Jacks would confirm his suspicions, but Derek didn’t
need to drag the man into it.
“Have you enjoyed your stay?” Derek asked.
Clay’s head shot up as he looked for Derek’s voice. Eventually, his eyes
landed on him. Clay sniffled and fell to his knees. “P-please… d-don’t put
me back in there. I’ll do anything. Just don’t put me back in the darkness.”
Derek snorted. “Was it really that bad? You were in there for what? A
few weeks?” How long was Derek trapped in the darkness of the void? Was
he in the same state as Clay after a couple weeks? No… he was nowhere
close to that state. I guess that’s the pampered noble for you. Take away
their silver spoon and they can’t survive a week.
“It’s awful! There’s nothing… I can’t feel anything. It’s torture,” the
teen cried.
“Torture? How many people have you tortured? Do you think it’s worse
than the pain and suffering you’ve caused?” Derek snorted. The Time
Prison regulates the prisoner’s metabolic system, so he hasn’t even had to
deal with the starvation I experienced. The experience of my body eating
itself while it healed. Derek nearly shivered at the thought of what he went
through.
“Th—” Clay started. “That’s different. I didn’t torture them.”
“Oh? But you killed them?”
Clay sniffled. “Y-yes.”
Well… looks like there really isn’t any reason to feel sorry for this
bastard. “So, what do you think I should do with you?” Derek asked. I
could use him to see if all of Malcolm’s holdings from the bank transferred
to his kid upon his death… no… the auction’s going to be soon, and I’ve got
more than enough Void Beasts to be rich many times over.
With watering eyes, Clay looked into Derek’s. “Y-you could kill me.”
Derek was taken aback. “Kill you? Why would you want that? Wouldn’t
it be better to lock you back up? You may have a chance at living that way.”
 “N-no, no, no… don’t put me back in there,” Clay mumbled. “I… I
know there’s no way you let me go free… not after what I’ve done.”
“But you still have hope. Your grandfather is still out there,” Derek said.
Clay actually managed a snort, even in his current situation. “He doesn’t
care about me. If he did, he wouldn’t have sent us away. He would have
helped me level and grow stronger.”
I always did wonder why this kid was so weak. I guess most people in
sub-cities that aren’t close to any real city all have the same problem.
Walter had to send his son out for him to have a chance. I never asked or
pried into how strong Walter was, but I doubt he’s stronger than Jacks.
Derek shook his head.
“I heard that Gerald created a bit of an uproar when he found out about
you and Malcolm dying.” Derek smiled.
“No… he’s probably just putting on an act of what he should be feeling.
To gain sympathy and favor. That’s who he is. We’ve only met three times
that I can even recall. I’m trash in his eyes,” Clay explained.
“Well, none of it matters now, I guess… follow me.” Derek pushed
himself off the wall and walked out of the Time Prison. Clay followed
behind with his head down like a beaten puppy.
When the teen stepped through the threshold of the door, a whole slurry
of questions popped up in Derek’s mind. He had walked through the door
into the dungeon with no problem. Now Derek had even more questions
than answers.
Is it because he’s part of the system and the Void Beast wasn’t? Would
he be able to come out if his level was higher than the level of the dungeon?
Does he count as part of the ‘Max Participants?’ Derek hoped the teen
would be trapped inside the prison and not let through. Unfortunately, the
Great System threw him yet another curveball.
“Come on. I’ll figure out what to do with you later.” Derek walked
forward and place his hand on the orb to the next area. Ah… so he does
count as a participant in the dungeon. That probably means that he
wouldn’t have been able to get out if he was at a higher level or the party
was full.
“Kill me,” the teen said.
Derek looked at Clay and frowned. “I’m not killing you. Now hurry up
and get over here.”
“You’ll just put me back there when you’re finished.”
 I can’t put him back for a week, but I’m not sure I would even want to
after seeing him in this state, Derek thought but didn’t say out loud. “Just
get over here. I can’t advance the dungeon until you do. I haven’t made my
mind up on anything yet.” Derek rolled his eyes and wished he would have
been able to let Bones or Ogre out instead.
“D-dungeon? We’re in a dungeon?” It seemed Clay finally looked
around and realized where they were at.
“Yes! Now hurry or I’ll toss you in the prison!” Derek was losing his
patience.
It seemed the threat of going back to the prison was more than enough
to cause the teen to act. At his fastest speed, Clay was next to Derek with
his hand on the orb. They vanished and appeared in the next area with the
Earth Golems.
“You stay here in the safe zone while I clear the area. It’s not safe for
someone like you,” Derek said and walked out without checking on the
teen.
He walked up and kicked the Earth Golem, which caused it to form and
let out a roar. Derek waited for all the golems to form, then hit the first one
with a void-covered Multi-Strike. Afterwards, he moved to the next and
gave it a void-covered one-two combo. Both mana cores turned dim and
deactivated.
Derek wasn’t rushing, instead, mechanically taking out each golem. He
didn’t even remember how many he’d destroyed. On the fourth golem,
however, he noticed a figure with bedraggled golden hair in a sorry state
standing before the golem that was the farthest away from Derek.
The golem was already in the motion of attacking when Derek noticed.
Its fist was within a fraction of an inch of the teen’s skull. Instantly, Derek
slipped into Void Shift and moved in their direction. Unfortunately, he was
too late. In the fraction of a second it took Derek to activate the skill, the
golem’s fist moved that fraction of an inch.
By the time Derek pulled himself through a ripple and appeared before
the golem, he got a clear view of the golem’s fist connected with the teen’s
skull. And, since Derek couldn’t attack while shifted, and there wasn’t
enough room to put himself in front of the hit, there wasn’t anything he
could do to save Clay.
Derek sighed. I guess it’s better this way. I couldn’t just let him go free
and didn’t want to kill him. If he felt the prison was such torture after only a
few weeks… he made his decision. Still, Derek pushed his feet onto the
ground and gripped the arm of the Earth Golem. There was a small chance
of saving the teen, and he would still try.
Derek canceled Void Shift and pulled hard. Still, the fist of the golem
moved forward. It was fatal. Derek sighed once again. Then, he
mechanically finished off the remaining golems before looking at the body.
There was no reason to keep the body, so Derek gathered the cores and
moved on to the next area. A quick death in a dungeon was probably more
than the young man deserved. There was nothing Derek could do about it.
He made a mental note to himself to adjust the time and check on Bones
and Ogre as soon as he could.
Surely, Clay was just an outlier, having such little willpower. Derek was
locked away for years before he tried to do anything extreme. And he had
the torturous experience of being eaten alive from the inside to deal with.
Perhaps he’d see if one of his friends would like to run an experiment
by being locked in a cell for a few hours. But before doing so, he decided it
was best to avoid locking away humans and other intelligent beings. Sure,
being locked away was torture, but if it was so torturous that one lost all
hope within a couple of weeks, he wasn’t sure he wanted to use it unless the
crimes were truly atrocious.
I guess Gerald would fit that bill, Derek thought as he finished off the
last boss in the area.

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 42 EDGAR’S BREAKTHROUGH

E dgar wiped the sweat off his brow as he sat in the empty dungeon.
The last levels to 250 took way longer than he ever thought they
would. It ticked him off that his brother was closer about how long it
would take than he was. Though, Edward’s predictions were based on
Edgar having an epic class, not legendary—Edgar had kept that nugget of
information to himself.
He had just maxed his wisdom out, and it felt like his brain exploded.
When that happened, he honestly wasn’t sure he was going to survive. He’d
been through pain before, like at the previous 1000 stat point thresholds, but
the 1500-point breakthrough in wisdom took the cake.
He thought nothing would have been as bad as the breakthrough in
endurance with the skin crawling and itchiness. It was awful. But he never
thought it was going to kill him. He only hoped that he made the correct
decisions for his stats… at least the couple thousand that weren’t decided by
his earlier classes. He pulled up his stats one last time.

Stats
Strength: 500
Dexterity: 500
Endurance: 1230
Vitality: 1230
Intelligence: 1000
Wisdom: 1500
 Stat Points Remaining: 0

His class was a wisdom-based class, through and through. Before he got
his legendary class at level 200, which let him distribute his stat points at
his own discretion, the wisdom stat was heavily favored by each level he
received.
Edgar was lucky when it came to his class. He received a special epic
class at level 25. He gained 23 stat points for each of the 175 levels he
gained while having an epic class. Of those 23 stat points, 7 were auto-
assigned to the wisdom stat, while 5 were auto-assigned to intelligence. 3
points were assigned to both vitality and endurance. Which left him with 5
points to assign himself.
With all the experimenting he did with his class and abilities, he came to
the conclusion that strength and dexterity weren’t much needed. He had
both passive and active skills that offset his lack of those stats. So, with
some of his free points, he chose to only push those two stats up to their
first breakthrough.
Wisdom, however, was the stat he both needed and used the most. It
gave him better control of his skills, along with a much higher mana pool,
which he was currently wide-eyed staring at. I can’t believe I have 37,500
mana. Breaking through in wisdom was definitely the correct decision.
He definitely used intelligence. It augmented his skills and made them
more powerful. However, since he didn’t have enough stat points to push it
to the 1500-point threshold, he chose to leave it at 1000. The sustained
damage from his active and passive skills were worth more than the slight
increase in power a couple hundred points would have given to intelligence.
Endurance and vitality, on the other hand, were both needed, and every
point counted. One point in vitality could be the difference between dying
and falling to critical health. And endurance increased his stamina, which
some of his skills ate through, just like they did his mana. The extra
addition to his natural defense wasn’t bad either.
Overall, Edgar was happy with his new and improved stats. At this
point in his growth, he would have to search for Achievements that give stat
points or even go adventuring while looking for stat point dungeons, which,
although he had never seen before, he believed existed.
His only complaint was that he was unable to level some of his skills
while he was at a lower level. If he knew that damn dungeon was going to
appear, and he was going to be chosen to lead the raid, maybe he would
have pushed his party a little harder and celebrated less.
Edgar tore a handful of grass out of the ground and let it blow away in
the slight breeze while thinking. Getting to max level was the easy part.
Now that he was level 250, he had to focus on picking the right raid
members.
Other than himself, he had twenty-four slots to fill. He would need a
blacksmith for sure—someone able to fix weapons and armor if needed. He
had an idea of whom to ask for that role. A few people at the diamond rank
would also be needed. Unfortunately, taking five or six diamond rankers
was going to leave the kingdom vulnerable, but that was why Edward was
not selected to lead the raid.
He also had an idea of the diamond rankers he would ask. And ‘ask’
was correct because there was no way he would be able to command a
diamond ranker to go, and he wouldn’t want to if he could. That left fifteen
or so slots he needed to fill with strong onyx rankers.
The first thought he had was a few members of his party. But they were
like family. They were strong, and he trusted them, but he wouldn’t choose
them. No, he would choose from dedicated military personnel who had
oaths to the kingdom and no one counting on them to come home within a
few years.
However, there was one face that Edgar couldn’t shake. He thought
about choosing the weird shop owner with a good personality, but he wasn’t
sure if he would choose to go after just opening a shop in Savannah. Surely,
he had plans for the shop that required his attention. Edgar shrugged. I’ll
ask him. It’s up to him if he chooses to come.
With his mind made up, Edgar stood. The big auction was in a week,
and maybe he would be able to guilt trip his father or brother into buying
him one of the precious meals made out of Void Beasts. There was no harm
in trying. He had already prepared the words.
In two weeks, he and his team would be wandering to the Cydarian
coast to venture into the Time Distortion Dungeon. Which meant that he
had two weeks to choose said team and get them prepared.
Edgar let out a breath and walked up to the dungeon orb and left.
Suddenly, he was back in the palace’s dungeon room. His brother was
leaning against the wall, waiting for him.
“Did you do it?” Edward asked with a smirk.
 Edgar snorted. “You got lucky.” He flicked his hand, and a giant stack
of gold coins fell before Edward’s feet.
“Luck has nothing to do with it.” Edward waved his hand, and the gold
disappeared inside his storage ring. “Besides, you’re not going to need any
money while you’re raiding a dungeon for a few years.”
“A few years on your end. It will be months for me, at most,” Edgar
corrected.
“Well, whatever. Are you ready to see Father?” Edward asked. “He’s
been waiting for you. You’re on his guest list for the auction in Savannah.”
“What about my team?” Edgar asked.
Edward flicked his wrist, and a stack of papers appeared. He handed
them over to Edgar. “This is a list of all the onyx-ranked military personnel
who meet your conditions. They have all been informed that they may be
chosen and are waiting for your decision. I didn’t include those who wanted
to opt-out. It will be their choice to enter, just as you asked.”
Edgar took the papers and began flipping through them. “Hmm… 67
people. I didn’t think there would be so many.”
Edward shrugged. “Not all onyx rankers are strong. Choose carefully.
Their stats are all there. We allow them to keep their skills hidden, though.
There are only vague descriptions of their skill sets.”
Edgar nodded. “As it should be. Everybody deserves to keep something
secret.”
“Now. Come on. Father’s waiting.” Edward pushed off the wall and led
Edgar through the palace and into King Edwin’s study. Their father was
sitting at his desk, alone.
“Father,” Edward said, causing King Edwin to look up from whatever
document he was reading.
“Ah, Edward… Edgar… I trust your training went well?” Edwin asked.
Edgar snorted. “No, actually. It didn’t. You see, I was forced to forgo
my training that I spent years perfecting and do some shit I swore I would
never do.”
“Edgar, language,” Edward scolded.
The king waved it off. “No worries. It is only the three of us here. I
know you didn’t want to do it this way, but the kingdom is in your debt
because you did.”
“Oh, the kingdom’s in my debt? Are you in my debt?” Edgar asked.
 “If the kingdom is in your debt, then of course I am also in your debt.”
The king squinted his eyes.
“Good… good,” Edgar said. “The auction begins in a week, correct?”
“Yes,” the king answered. “Alanah has allowed each member to bring
up to two guests with them.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind allowing me to have first dibs on any meal,
would you? You know, debt and all.” Edgar smiled.
“Edgar! Father needs the stats,” Edward rebuked.
“It’s just one of the meals,” Edgar said. “Those won’t increase his
vitality, and endurance only gives a small boost in life expectancy. In the
long run, a few weeks won’t matter. I wouldn’t even ask if it wasn’t for the
rumored Void Beast that provided vitality instead of other stats. Surely,
Father would be willing to give up a meal for his son who is risking his life
in a never-before-explored Time Distortion dungeon if he is able to get his
hands on the vitality product.”
“Still…” Edward started.
“That’s fine,” Edwin said. “If the opportunity presents itself, you shall
have the stat-boosting meal, and I will take the vitality product. Think of it
as congratulations for reaching max level.”
After that, King Edwin stood. “Now, my boys. What say we get to
Savannah? There are a few people I would like to visit before the auction
begins.”

OceanofPDF.com
 43 RETURN

D erek sat in the middle of the final area of the dungeon. He was
finally finished. With his most recent run through the dungeon, he
reached level 171. Finally, being past level 170, he would no longer
be able to enter the dungeon.
He rubbed his temples. That wasn’t near as bad as that mind potion that
Roman had me drink. Derek had just finished going through the
breakthrough for what he considered his third most important stat: wisdom.
I guess with my endurance and vitality like they are, I shouldn’t expect
much at the 1,000-point threshold. Derek shrugged and looked over his
stats.

Stats
Strength: 825
Dexterity: 825
Endurance: 1500(???)
Vitality: 1500(???)
Intelligence: 825
Wisdom: 1000

Stat Points Remaining: 108

With the new breakthrough in wisdom, his mana pool was sitting at
15,000 points. He’d be able to go all out for much longer now. Well, if I
meet something that can put me to the test. So far, Greater Meditation has
been more than enough to keep my expenditure at a minimum.
Strength and dexterity turned out to be his most useless stats.
Unfortunately, Derek didn’t have any passive or active movement skills that
he could use during battle to increase his speed, so he had to rely on his
basic strength and dexterity stats for his speed. Fortunately, his ‘low’
strength and dexterity didn’t affect his battles too much as he could always
use Void Shift to slow down his surroundings and surprise his enemies.
Derek’s next plan was to get intelligence up to its threshold. Because
everything he did used elements, intelligence would help his attacks pack a
bigger punch. He hadn’t needed it thus far, but since his two survival stats
hit what seemed to be a hard cap, he could focus more on his other stats.
Derek checked his skill points. I have 18 skill points… I guess it
wouldn’t hurt to take a near-useless skill now. He received the Lesser
Explorer Achievement a while ago, but because the reward that came with
it wasn’t too useful, and he wasn’t sure about how rare skill points were
going to be for him, he chose to let the skill reward sit. Now, he decided to
take it.
I probably should have picked it up a while ago, but that kind of speed
has never been an issue, he thought as he focused on Lesser Traveler and
the notification popped up.

Enhanced Movement Speed

The ability to move at a faster pace while out of combat. One percent
increase in movement speed per level.

Cost: 1 Skill point

Would you like to learn Enhanced Movement Speed?

Derek used the single skill point to learn the skill.

 Enhanced Movement Speed Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 17

Well… that’s that. There were now no more skills other than General
Skills that Derek could learn.
Derek stood from his sitting position and dressed. Since he was going to
go through a breakthrough, he had stored his clothes before adding the stat
points. With how his body acted with vitality and endurance, he hadn’t
wanted to take any chances.
For the final time in this dungeon, he summoned his mask and wore it,
just in case someone finally made an appearance outside. He checked the
system time. I guess it’s time to get back. If I hurry, it will have been exactly
two weeks. Besides, I guess there are some people waiting for me.
During his short conversation with Malorie, he had found out about the
auction moving up and Alanah already being in Savannah. Derek was
actually quite nervous about meeting the powerful woman he had only ever
communicated with via crystal.
After placing his hand on the dungeon orb, he disappeared. The next
instant, he was back outside. Derek did a quick check of his map and
plotted his course. He was going to head straight home without any
detours… Hmm… Home… I guess I can really consider it home.
With that thought, Derek kicked off the ground and made his way back.

Derek made good time on his way back. Before, he was able to get from
Savannah to the Golem Dungeon in a little over half a day because of how
often he had to stop to refill his mana so he could continue using Void
Steps.
This time, though, with a much bigger mana pool, and his Void Steps
skill at a higher level, he didn’t have to take near as many breaks as before.
When he arrived at Savannah’s front gate, he had only been traveling for
seven hours. Still, because of his late start, night had already fallen.
Leaving the city was an entirely different thing than entering. When he
left Savannah, he had jumped over the wall and took off, much to the
dismay of some of the guards. If he were to enter the city the same way,
without checking in, it may end up being troublesome for Derek.
So, instead of continuing with Void Steps and hopping over the wall,
Derek touched down and walked. He made sure his onyx badge was well
placed on his shoulder, where it was easy to see, and headed toward the
gate. Luckily, because of the time, there was nobody else trying to get in.
“Sir!” one of the guards greeted Derek.
Derek nodded, noticing the guard’s eyes on his badge.
“May we see some identification?” the guard asked.
Derek frowned. “Identification? What kind of identification do you
need?”
“Ah…” the guard stammered. “Have you been to Savannah before?”
“Yes. I left two weeks ago and am just getting back now,” Derek said.
“That’s easy, then. Just show us the papers you received before
leaving.”
Derek scratched the back of his head. “Well… uh… something came
up, and I had to leave in a hurry, so I didn’t exactly go through the gate…”
“Ah!” Another guard pointed at Derek. “You’re the man who jumped
over the wall and left. You had that purple aura underneath you.”
“That would be me.” Derek smiled. “Actually, I own a shop here in
Savannah. I have the papers. Will that work?”
The guard shook his head. “Unfortunately, because of the way you left,
you will have to re-register and pay the fee before entering the city again.”
If I had Edgar with me, I could have just come back in like last time.
Derek clicked his tongue. “Fine.”
The guard nodded, then took out a stone tablet. “Please place your hand
on the tablet and answer any questions to the best of your ability.”
“This is just like the teleportation building,” Derek said, getting a nod
from the guard. He placed his hand on the tablet.
“Name,” the guard said.
“Derek Hunt. I currently live in Savannah,” Derek said. The tablet
glowed blue.
“You can remove your hand now,” the guard said.
“That’s it?” Derek asked. The last time he did this, he had to answer a
lot more questions.
The guard nodded. “Yes. As you are a resident of Savannah, we just had
to confirm the truth.”
 “That’s great,” Derek said.
“The entry fee is five gold,” the guard said and reached out his hand.
Of course, Derek thought. He waved his hand, and the gold coins fell
into the palm of the guard.
Along with the gold coins, the guard placed his hand on the tablet. The
tablet glowed, then faded, then disappeared along with the currency.
The guard looked up and smiled. “If you stop at the gate next time, you
can get a pass and won’t have to pay the entry fee again.”
“Noted,” Derek said.
“You may enter.”
Derek nodded at the guards around the gate, then walked inside. It was
late, so meeting Alanah was going to have to wait until the next day. Derek
started running at a brisk pace. The city was big, so it was still going to take
him a bit to get home.

When Derek arrived at his shop, he unlocked the door and opened it. As
soon as he stepped inside, a purple blur hit him right in the solar plexus.
Derek lost his breath and coughed. I didn’t even think it was possible to get
the wind knocked out of me after my upgrades.
Derek looked down at the little murder bunny on the floor, staring
daggers at him. “Ugh… Silvi… what was that for?”
‘Asshole!’ Silvi’s voice chimed inside Derek’s head.
‘What? What did I do?’ Derek was confused.
‘Increased your vitality and endurance at the same time. I thought I was
going to die,’ Silvi complained.
Derek thought about what she said. Oh, no. I put both of my stats to
1499 at the same time originally. That would have put her stats over 1000
each… at the same time, Derek thought about the struggle he went through
when his stats hit 1000. ‘I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.’
‘Asshole,’ Silvi chirped again. Then she hopped onto Derek’s head.
‘Don’t do that again.’
‘Next time, I promise to give it some time after I increase a stat to the
point it will put you past the threshold,’ Derek comforted her. He thought
about it. That would be just over 1100 points.
 ‘Fine. You owe me tasty food,’ she said.
‘Then I’ll have to get you some tasty food tomorrow. I hear Alanah’s in
town.’
‘Beautiful, delicious lady came by asking when you’ll be back. Wants
you to meet the boss. Mal told her,’ Silvi said.
Derek nodded. ‘Where is everyone?’
‘All asleep except maniac. Maniac in basement.’
‘Maniac?’ Derek asked.
‘Brandi. She’s a crafting maniac. And it’s not even Cooking. How can
she do so much without a tasty reward? She’s a maniac,’ Silvi explained.
‘I… see,’ Derek said. I guess I better check on her. Derek closed and
locked the door behind him. He would make sure Brandi was doing well
before calling it a night himself. He hadn’t rested in two weeks, and sleep
sounded very good.

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 44 MANIAC

W ith Silvi on his shoulder, Derek headed downstairs to see what

Brandi was up to. As soon as he opened the door to the basement,
he could hear the clanging sound of metal on metal. Must be
smithing, then. Sure enough, when he made it to the bottom of the stairs, he
could see Brandi’s small figure standing in front of her blacksmith station,
banging on a small piece of metal.
That was when Derek noticed that the girl was dressed from head to toe
in protective gear. She wore an apron, gloves, some sort of headgear, and
even goggles. Actually, Derek doubted if there was even a piece of skin
exposed on the small blacksmith.
The girl was concentrating hard on the process, so Derek waited for her
to finish before interrupting her. Soon, with tongs in hand, she took the
metal and quenched it in the water beside her forge. After that, she let the
piece of metal rest on the anvil.
Brandi took the leather headgear off her head, along with the goggles.
Then she removed her gloves and tossed everything on the workbench in
front of her. After that, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel
and sighed. Finally, she turned around and let out a yip.
Derek laughed. “Sorry… I didn’t want to interrupt you.”
“Derek!” She ran over and hugged him around the waist. “How long
have you been back?”
“Not long.” He ruffled her short hair. It was growing, but it would be a
while before it was back to what it once was. “Silvi… greeted me when I
came in. She told me that everyone was asleep but you, so I decided to
come see how you’re doing.”
 Brandi took a step back from Derek and gave him a toothy grin. “Oh!
I’m doing so, so, so, so good!”
“Oh, yeah? What happened with you in the last two weeks?”
“Well… you left Mama in charge of everything when you left. The
Crown people made a… what did she call it… a deposit, so there was a
bunch of gold. I told Mama you said I could have a bunch of materials to
use to level my skills, and after some… negotiating, I got her to let me go
shopping for some,” Brand excitedly explained.
“Is that so?” Derek didn’t think it was time for his next deposit from the
Crown, but he could talk with them about it later. He pointed at the outfit
Brandi was wearing. “What’s all that about?”
“Oh…” She clicked her tongue. “It was the only way Mom would get
me the materials. I burned myself the day after you left, so she wouldn’t let
me blacksmith until I was fully protected. I don’t like it. It makes it hard to
move. But it’s worth it since I can craft as much as I want now.”
“Speaking of which,” Derek said, “why are you still awake? Everyone
else is asleep.”
“Meditation,” Brandi said with glowing eyes. “I’m so glad you had me
buy it. Now, I don’t need to sleep. I can just Meditate for a bit, then I can
craft again. It’s the best skill ever. I can’t sleep anyway because I’m always
thinking about the new and exciting things I can make.”
“Ah…” Derek rubbed the back of his neck. He was just as guilty of
using Meditation instead of sleeping as she was, so he couldn’t say anything
about it. However, at a lower level, he knew it wasn’t a perfect replacement
for sleep. “Your Meditation is still low-level, so you need to work some
sleep into your schedule to stay healthy.”
“I know I do. I just slept the day before yesterday… no… the day before
that. Yeah… I slept then.”
Derek’s jaw nearly dropped. “Have you been doing anything else?”
She nodded her head fiercely. “I go to Roman’s to learn more about
Alchemy a lot. When I’m not here, I’m there. It’s so much fun.”
“Have you at least been eating?”
Brandi frowned for a moment. “Mom makes me go up and eat three
times a day. I told her that I could just bring some bread down here and I’d
be fine, but she won’t let me do that.”
Yeah, because you would never show your face again unless you ran out
of materials, Derek thought. “Well, anything else exciting happen?”
 “Yes!” Brandi buzzed in excitement. “My class upgraded! It’s epic
now!”
That hit Derek like a bag of bricks. “Wait… go back. You said your
class upgraded? What level are you? No… exactly how much crafting have
you done?”
“Everything I do that involves crafting gives me experience, so I’ve
been leveling pretty fast. I’ve been Blacksmithing—both armor and
weapon.” She pointed at her smithing area. “Doing Alchemy,
Leatherworking, and I even tried Painting! I don’t like Painting.” Brandi
pointed to different workstations she had set up that hadn’t been there
before.
“I… see.” Derek shook his head. Silvi wasn’t kidding. Brandi was a
crafting fanatic… a crafting maniac. It was almost scary. “So, what about
your class?”
“I’m level 27 now.” Brandi smiled. “I get four stat points in all my stats
every level now, instead of four, three, two. I didn’t get any new skills,
though. Instead, I got some things called Skill Upgrade Points. They seem
pretty neat. I didn’t spend any. I wanted to ask you about it first.”
Damn. Four points per stat each level. That’s between epic and
legendary. If her class upgrades to legendary at some point, she’ll be even
more of a monster. Derek shivered. Who knew a crafter could become so
powerful? Though, it will all be physical power since I don’t think she has
any attacking or defending skills.
Derek shrugged. “How many upgrade points did you get?”
“Twenty!” Brandi answered.
Derek’s eyes widened. “Twenty? That’s a lot.” He thought about the
points and her class. “Though, with all the skills your class has, I can see
how it would be hard to level them all at once, causing your skill leveling to
lag behind. And I assume you’ll get more upgrade points down the line, as
well.”
Brandi nodded. “I think so, too. I have so many skills, and I can
combine some skills from some crafts with other crafts, as well. Roman
said that the Alchemy skills I have are really advanced skills.”
“You haven’t told him about being able to do multiple crafts, have
you?”
Brandi shook her head. “No, nobody knows but us.”
 “Good.” Derek nodded. “As for your upgrade points… I would save
them for now. Your skills are probably leveling pretty fast right now, right?”
“Yes. It doesn’t take too long when I focus on a skill to level it.”
“What’s the level of your highest skill?” Derek asked.
“Other than the General Leatherworking skill… level 8,” she replied.
Derek nodded. “I wouldn’t spend any of the points on a skill that wasn’t
at least level 10. I would also use the points on the most useful skills first,
especially the ones that can be used in multiple crafts. Then, I would
probably not worry much about some other skills, like the Painting ones,
unless it has some of those multi-use skills.”
“That’s what I was thinking. I was also thinking about Meditation. It
takes sooo long to level it up, even though I use it constantly,” Brandi
complained.
Now there’s a thought. Derek rubbed the stubble on his chin in thought.
I don’t know if I should encourage her, though. She could literally max out
Meditation, get Greater Meditation, and work with almost no downtime. I
would do that if I was her and enjoyed crafting so much. Hell, if she burns
out on one craft, she can switch to another and go back to the first later.
Derek was in a pickle. He knew that the instant he told her what she
could do with Meditation, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it. Well, with the skill
leveled, it seems to work just as good, if not better than sleeping, so it
would be healthier for her right now.
“I don’t know,” Derek said. “Leveling Meditation may be the best idea
for you, but you are already overly addicted to your crafting as it is. I think
it’s something we may need to discuss with Mal.” But it is ultimately her
decision. This system must pick that age to unlock it for a reason. “Really, it
will be up to you, though.”
Brandi nodded seriously.
“So, you know all about Meditation, right?” Derek asked.
“It lets me get my mana and stamina back quickly and makes me less
tired,” Brandi said. “It also seems to help with my mental exhaustion.”
Derek nodded. “That, and the higher you level it up, the better it
functions. Faster regeneration, and it works better at relieving tiredness. At
higher levels, I’ve meditated for… well… for a really long time, all in one
sitting.”
“Days?” Brandi asked.
Derek sighed. “Months… years even.”
 “Really? Why?” Brandi asked.
“That’s something for another time.” Derek avoided going into his past
inside the void. “What I’m getting at is that it can be a perfect replacement
for sleep, and at a higher level, you would end up with almost no downtime.
So, using the points on the skill, may be… no… is probably the best
option.”
Brandi nodded.
“The other thing is that the skill upgrades once it hits max level,” Derek
said. “It turns into Greater Meditation. I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about
it before.” Derek wasn’t exactly secretive with the skill. He had told Leon
and others about it.
She nodded again.
“Well, with Greater Meditation, you’re able to use the skill while
moving. My Greater Meditation is at level 9, and I can move almost half as
good while using it as I could without. My guess is that when it hits level
20, you can basically use it like a passive regeneration skill that has no
adverse effects on your movement.”
“Does it still help with sleeping?” Brandi asked.
Derek furrowed his brow. “It does… I think. When I need to relax but
not sleep, I still meditate while still and lose some of my senses. I’m never
fully in the trance where I lose all my senses anymore, though, so I think it
works.”
“I need it,” Brandi said.
“I think so, too, but I also think we should talk to…” Derek stopped as
he watched Brandi close her eyes, then open them and reveal a big grin.
“What did you do?”
“I have Greater Meditation level 3 now,” she said cheekily.
Derek facepalmed. I’ve created… no… I’ve evolved a monster.
‘I told you. Maniac,’ Silvi’s voice chimed in Derek’s head.
‘Indeed,’ Derek sent back to the bunny.
‘She’s scary.’

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 45 ALANAH SWAN

D erek woke up the next morning after discussing multiple things with
Brandi. The kid was going to grow to be a monster, that was for
sure. He also wanted to find a way to help her separate her stats a
bit, so she wouldn’t have to experience the pain of facing multiple
breakthroughs at once.
Luckily, with her first ten levels, she had skewed her stats more toward
dexterity and endurance, so those two stats were separated from the other
four. Endurance was most likely the most painful and unbearable of the
bunch and also the best stat to break through to prepare for the other
breakthroughs, so she already had that going for her.
Still, he would have to see about helping her get an Achievement that
gave free stat points so she could space other stats apart. Some of the small
Void Beast’s blood and a meal from the Crown could also help, too. All in
all, it shouldn’t be too hard of a task.
Derek sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was a good night’s sleep, but he
still woke early. He got out of bed and moved down the hall to the
bathroom. When he opened the door, he smiled. His shower was installed.
Geoffrey does quick work, Derek thought. The door closed behind Derek,
and he locked it. He hadn’t had plans to shower, but… when in Rome.

The shower was glorious… no… it was beyond glorious. Geoffrey had
outdone himself. The heat adjustment runes were much more potent than
Derek ever dreamed of. If he were to sell these showers, they would have to
come with a warning. The water was actually able to reach such a high
temperature that it was almost as hot as the golems from the dungeon.
 Geoffrey had also made it where one could reverse the rune and turn the
water cold… freezing cold, even. That was perfect. Nothing was better than
a long, hot shower, followed by a blast of cold water to wake one up.
Once Derek dried and dressed, he headed to the dining room and
kitchen. Sure enough, Malorie and Silvi were already hard at work making
breakfast.
“Welcome back, Derek,” Mal said, not too surprised to see him. “Silvi
told me you made it back last night. Was your trip successful?”
“Very much so.” Derek nodded. “Is Brandi still in the basement?”
Malorie’s eyes flashed in frustration. “She pulled another all-nighter.
What do I have to do to get her to realize that her body won’t hold up if she
doesn’t get some proper sleep?”
Derek rubbed the back of his neck and looked off to the side. “Well…
about that…”
“What?” Mal asked.
“Well, we discussed some things about her class and such last night
when I came in,” Derek started.
“And?”
“And we talked about resting and skills and such,” Derek said.
“So? What does that matter?” Malorie asked with a confused look.
Derek tilted his head. “She didn’t tell you about her class upgrade?”
“She did. I was very proud.” Malorie beamed. “But I didn’t push for
details. Classes and advancements should only be told to those who need to
know. As long as she’s doing well, I won’t pry too much. Why?” she asked
worriedly.
“Ah… I see. It is her choice,” Derek said, a little relief in his voice.
“Let’s just say she now has a skill that… well… pretty much eliminates the
need for sleep. She’ll probably go weeks without sleep and still have more
energy than most people.”
Malorie lowered her head in defeat. “What do I do now? She’s growing
so fast.”
“Malorie…” Derek said. “She’s going to keep growing… even faster.
She has the drive and passion for her crafts, and now, she has resources.
And after today…” Derek said. “There will most likely not be a limit on the
resources that can be provided to her.” He thought about all the Void Beasts
he was currently carrying.
 Malorie looked at Derek quizzically but didn’t ask what he meant. “I
just wish I could do more for her.”
Derek laughed. “You’re her mother. You’ve already done and will
continue to do more for Brandi than anyone else in the world,” he said with
a twinge of sadness. “Nothing means more to a child than the support of
their parents.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Don’t mention it,” he said as he glanced behind Malorie to see multiple
Mage Hands cracking eggs over a mixing pot while their shells
unceremoniously floated into a trash bin. Silvi’s Mage Hand and General
Telekinesis skills had grown tremendously. “Unfortunately, I have a long
day ahead of me, so I don’t think I’ll be able to grab breakfast.”
Malorie flicked her wrist, and a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast
appeared. “We tend to make too much, so we always have some food
stored. Take this with you.”
Derek took the plate. “Thanks! I’ll see you later. Tell Thomas I’m
looking forward to seeing how much he’s grown with Shae’s training over
the last couple weeks.” He turned and left while munching on a piece of
bacon.
By the time he made it to the first floor, he had already finished
everything on the entire plate. After casting Cleaning and putting the plate
in his storage ring, he pulled out a red crystal and sent mana into it. I hope
it’s not too early.
‘Derek! It’s so good to hear from you. I’ve been looking forward to
seeing you. When will you be back?’ Alanah’s alluring voice popped into
Derek’s head.
Derek smiled. ‘I got back last night, actually. I thought it best we meet
this morning. I have some things to discuss with you and Stella. Are you free
now?’
‘For you? Always,’ she sent back. ‘You haven’t done anything to upset
the entire kingdom this time, have you?’
Derek thought about the possible economic repercussions that
introducing numerous Void Beast products into the world all at once would
have. Who says we have to release them all at once? he thought. ‘No?’ he
sent back.
‘You don’t sound so sure of yourself.’
‘Well, where can we meet?’ Derek asked.
 ‘Private meeting?’
‘Very.’
‘Very well. Come to the hotel,’ she said.
‘See you soon.’ Derek stopped transferring mana to the crystal, and the
connection cut off. He put the crystal away and headed toward the center of
the city, where the Crown Hotel was located.

It wasn’t long before Derek made it to the city center and was walking
through the doors to the Crown Hotel. Surprisingly, as soon as he stepped
inside, he was greeted by one of the workers.
“Master Derek,” the young lady said. “Mistress Swan has instructed me
to bring you to her. If you would follow me, please.”
Derek nodded and followed the lady through the lobby and up the stairs,
then up more stairs, then more. Before long, they had walked all the way up
to the top floor of the building. I bet it’s the suite reserved for when the big
boss comes to town. Derek chuckled lightly, which caused the young lady to
shoot him a confused look. Derek waved her off.
Standing in front of one of the few doors on the top floor, the young
lady straightened her posture and made sure she was as tidy as could be
before she lightly knocked on the door. Derek watched her closely as she
proudly stood before the entrance. Soon, the knob on the door slowly
turned, and a look of excitement flashed in her eyes.
The excitement in her eyes was immediately drained when Stella’s form
appeared before them. Ah, she was hoping to make an impression on the big
boss, but instead, she only got to see the little boss.
“Derek, come in.” Stella motioned to Derek. “Thank you, Jen. That will
be all.” She dismissed the young lady just like that.
Derek walked through the door as Stella closed it behind him. The room
was magnificent. It was almost as big as his entire shop. It was completely
open. There was a sitting area, what looked to be an office area, and a full
kitchen that looked as good, if not better, than the one in his shop. Along
with that, there were two doors leading to what Derek assumed would be a
bedroom and bathroom, respectively.
Derek could do without the emerald-green and white designs throughout
the room, but it was the official color palette of the Crown, so it made sense
to be there. It wasn’t a color scheme that he would personally use, but it
wasn’t bad on the eyes. His thoughts began to wander as he thought about
what logo and colors he should use on his business. Well, I guess we still
need to name it first. I wonder if Brandi and the others have come up with
anything yet.
“Alanah will be out momentarily,” Stella said to the gazing Derek.
Derek broke out of his thoughts and nodded at Stella.
“You can sit anywhere you want,” Stella said.
Derek looked all around the room. He didn’t see any seats that looked
particularly comfortable, so he chose to go sit on a couch. It looked to be
the most comfortable thing in the room, yet it was still pretty
uncomfortable. I’m going to have to provide Alanah with some of my dining
room furniture, he thought.
After just a few minutes of sitting, Derek heard the click of a door
opening. He turned and looked over his shoulder as he watched one of the
most stunning and beautiful people he’d ever seen in his life walk out.
“Derek, dear! It’s so good to finally meet you.”
Derek stood from the couch and openly gawked as Alanah walked out
of her bedroom. Finally, he knew why the Crown chose emerald green as
the primary color for its palette. The woman’s lush green hair flowed just
down past her shoulders. Derek could just make out a pointed ear hidden
underneath. An ear that reminded him almost of the elves he saw but more
closely resembled a half-elf.
Alanah was taller than most women he’d seen, human or otherwise.
Derek may have been taller by an inch or so, but that was it. Her sparkling
green eyes matched her hair and gave off an aura of mischief. She wore a
sleeveless white mini-dress with straps on the waist tied to fit her form. The
dress was simple, but Alanah made it look priceless.
“Derek, dear,” the beautiful woman spoke again, “are you finished
staring?”
Derek snapped back to the real world. “S-sorry,” he said. “That was…
rude.”
“Not at all. It’s actually a little flattering,” Alanah replied as she stepped
forward. “Sit, sit. We have so many things to discuss.” She walked past the
couch and sat on the chair across from him. Stella followed her lead and sat
on the other.
Derek waited for both ladies to sit, then sat back down on the sofa. “It is
nice to finally meet you in person, Alanah. I have to say, you look a little
different from the picture I had of you in my head.”
 Alanah giggled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Derek nodded. “Very much so.”
“Now, first of all”—Alanah leaned forward—“tell me, are my presence
and words having any adverse effect on you right now? Do you feel a pull
or the need to do anything I say?”
Derek thought about the question. When he first began chatting with
Alanah through the communication crystals, he would occasionally feel a
tug on his consciousness. But after so many conversations over the last
month or so, that had completely gone away.
She had also told him that meeting her in person would cause the effect
to be amplified. However, it seemed like he didn’t have to worry about that
now. He shook his head. “No, actually. It feels like I’m just talking to a
regular person.”
“Oh, that’s just wonderful.” Alanah clasped her hands together and
pulled them to her chest. “Finally, someone I can talk to without having to
wait. Someone other than Edwin and Avery.”
Derek smiled. “I’m glad.”
A light shined in Alanah’s eyes. “Derek, dear. Would you mind if I used
a skill on you? Just to see the extent that you are able to withstand my
ability?”
Derek hesitated but shrugged. “Just don’t make me do anything
embarrassing like strip naked and hop on one foot.”
Alanah covered her mouth and chuckled. “I would never.”
Stella rolled her eyes and muttered, “Yes, you would.”
“Well… I won’t right now,” Alanah said. “Are you ready?”
Derek nodded. He was staring deep into Alanah’s eyes. Soon, her irises
expanded, and the whole of her eyes turned green. It was like when Derek
used his aura. Then he felt something trying to invade his mind. The
pressure was intense. He fought back, eventually even using Greater
Meditation to focus and clear the hold trying to form on his mind.
“Stand,” Alanah commanded.
Instantly, all Derek could think about was how much he wanted… no…
how much he needed to stand. But, with his focus and willpower, he was
able to force his legs to stop moving to stand up. It was hard—insanely hard
—but he was able to keep it from happening.
Soon, the pressure went away, and Derek relaxed. He looked back up at
Alanah to see her eyes back to normal.
 “Oh. Now, isn’t that something? Either your willpower is terrifying, or
you’ve had a second breakthrough in wisdom… or both, actually. I’m quite
sure that command would have been hard to counteract with just wisdom
alone,” Alanah said, then turned to Stella. “You can sit now, Stel.”
“Ah… sorry.” Stella sat back down.
It took Derek a moment to gather himself. “That was intense,” he said.
“What happened to you?” he asked Stella.
“Because she was so close to us, she was caught up in my aura. She
didn’t get hit with the ability, like you, but she still has a way to go before
she can function ideally beside me,” the half-elf explained in her stead.
“I see.” Derek had a thought just then. “Alanah, I believe you are most
probably the most powerful person I have met, correct?”
Alanah smiled wryly. “You are most likely correct.”
“Would you allow me to use a skill as well, just as a test? I need to
know its limits,” Derek said.
“Oh? I would be delighted. Does it have to do with your… element?”
she asked.
Alanah was one of the few people who knew that Derek used the void
element. She had put everything together after he brought the Void Beasts
to the Crown.
“It does.”
“Then, by all means.”
Derek prepared himself, then entered Void Shift. He had used it against
many beasts, but he had yet to find its limit. Shae had been able to
reflexively track him while he used it, but he was unable to do anything
about it.
Derek pulled himself off the sofa and moved toward Alanah. As he
slowly moved closer, he focused intently on the woman’s face. Hmm… it
looks like she doesn’t sense anything… that can’t be right.
When he was only a few feet away from the woman, her head turned.
She looked him dead in his eyes and smiled brightly. He watched, terrified,
as she slowly brought her hand up and snapped her fingers. A sonic wave
blasted out in a circle just big enough to encompass herself and Derek.
The moment it hit Derek’s ears, he lost control of his skill and moved
back to reality. It was a shock to his senses. Usually, when he entered Void
Shift, all sound was muddled like he was moving underwater. How Alanah
was able to direct such sound into Derek’s ears while he was shifted, he
didn’t know.
When Void Shift broke, Derek had quickly righted himself so as to not
fall. Whatever Alanah did only messed with his active skill, it didn’t affect
his balance. It did, however, leave him with ringing ears, and if he hadn’t
already broken through in endurance, he was sure he’d be bleeding out of
them.
“That…” Alanah said, “was a most fascinating skill.”
Even though his pride was a little hurt, Derek was thankful to Alanah.
Now he knew that Void Shift wasn’t the be-all end-all of skills. It was better
to find out that there were those who could counter it while in a friendly
setting than while in battle.
“I would love to know how it works,” she said.
Derek walked back over to the sofa and took a seat. “That was
unexpected,” Derek said. “But thank you.”
“What happened?” Stella asked. “You were just on the couch, then you
were falling in front of Alanah. What exactly did you do? Was it
teleportation?”
“No,” Alanah answered. “It wasn’t teleportation. He was… between.
Here without being here.”
“That’s…” Derek said, “probably a good way to explain it. Actually,
I’m not sure if I could explain it better. I just wanted to see what type of
limitations it may have against someone with a high strength. Thank you for
showing me.”
“Well. I don’t think you have to worry about too many people or beasts
being able to truly dismantle your skill. Like I said, it was quite fascinating.
I just so happened to be one of the few equipped with a way to… deactivate
certain skills,” Alanah explained. “Of course, there may also be those with
pure stats that can forcibly interrupt your skill.”
Derek nodded. “I see. I used it against Shae—the Savannah
Adventurer’s Guild Master—and he was able to keep track of me, but he
wasn’t able to do much else.”
“Yes, he would be able to. With his dexterity, he would certainly have
the reflexes, but he would still be defenseless… depending on how your
skill works when you attack. It’s those with high wisdom or intelligence
that you will have to worry about. They would truly be able to see you. That
skill of yours would be the bane of physical-based classes, but magic-based
classes could find their own ways to counter.”
Derek agreed. He was still unsure of Alanah’s power, and whether he
would find others as powerful, but he would keep this experience to heart.
“Well, I know why I wanted to see you,” Alanah said. “But why have
you requested a meeting so early this morning?”
Derek looked at Alanah, then at Stella. Stella didn’t exactly know what
his element was unless Alanah had told her. He thought about it for some
time before coming to the conclusion that he was strong enough to protect
himself, and he trusted Stella enough.
“As you know…” he said to Alanah, “I use the void element.”
“I knew it,” Stella said, garnering her a look from him. “What? It just
makes too much sense.”
Derek shrugged and stood. He walked over to the side of the sitting area
where there was some free space and put his hands together. Then he ripped
the void open, showing the contents of his Void Storage to the room.
“I happened to come across a few extra materials.”
“Oh, my god. Derek… what the—” Stella said.
“Language, my girl,” Alanah chided before giggling. “Derek, my dear.
You really know how to make a presentation.”

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 46 PRESENTATION AND TIERS

D erek smiled and sat, leaving his Void Storage open. Inside it was the
over thirty Void Beasts he hunted, along with dozens of mana cores
from the golems.
“So, this is what you were doing while you were gone?” Stella asked.
“More or less,” Derek answered.
“How many?” Alanah asked.
“There are thirty-five Void Beasts in total. They range from weak beasts
to strong ones. I would say silver-ranked to onyx-ranked, with one being
intelligent and three being small ones with the vitality-boosting quality,” he
answered.
“So many…” Stella muttered.
Derek shrugged. “I had some free time, so I decided to go hunting.”
“What do you plan to do with them?” Alanah asked. “I’m not sure we
have enough time to prepare all the Void Beasts for this auction, but I doubt
you would want to do that, anyway.”
Derek nodded. “It would be best to space them out. We wouldn’t want
to flood the market, even though demand will most probably not drop even
if there is a lot because of what the meals offer. It’s best to keep the product
scarce.”
Alanah agreed with Derek. “So, how would you like to play it?”
Derek smiled. “Well, I’ll give you most of them. Of course, you will
strip the material from each one and provide Roman with what he needs for
his potions. Then, it’s up to you to auction and sell them as you see fit. Of
course, I would like to receive a good portion of the meals created.”
 “That can be arranged,” Alanah said. “Is there anything, in particular,
you would like us to trade for?”
Derek thought about the question. If all went well, he would be
commissioning a high-quality glaive from one of the top Blacksmiths in the
kingdom after the auction. Other than that, he couldn’t think of anything
that could directly benefit him. In actuality, the meals and potions that
would provide him with extra stats would be worth more than just about
anything else to him.
Then he thought about Brandi. Once she leveled enough, he would
basically have the kingdom’s best crafter in his corner. He also thought
about the early payment Malorie said they received.
He looked at Stella. “I was told that you deposited a payment while I
was gone. Wasn’t it a little too early for that?”
“That would be because of me,” Alanah said. “I felt the need to
compensate you a small bonus because of the changes made to the auctions.
We were set to use one auction as an advertisement for the bigger, but
because of the changes, there is a chance that not all members will be able
to attend.”
“Ah… I see,” Derek said. “In that case, I need materials.” He looked
deeply at Stella and Alanah. He’d never openly explained the situation with
Brandi to either of them, though he did give Alanah some details a while
back. But he did, however, trust both Alanah and Stella as business
partners, but more importantly, he trusted their character.
“We can do materials. What kind do you need?” Stella answered.
If he was going to have them provide a stream of materials for Brandi,
they would need to know about her. “What do you know about Brandi?”
“The crafter girl?” Alanah smiled. “The one who does Alchemy,
Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, Tailoring, and I’m sure many other crafts?
That girl?”
Derek’s jaw dropped slightly. “You knew?”
“Well, you already told me she was special. Then there was the
kidnapping debacle, though I’m sure they didn’t know the extent of her
crafts. Also, you’re wearing a fine shirt made by her, as well. She studies
under Roman Pascal, yet her mother has bought a decent amount of
materials for Blacksmithing. For someone close to you, it is not hard to
figure out,” Alanah explained.
“Have you told anyone?” Derek asked.
 Alanah shook her head. “Of course not. Only Stella, who came to the
conclusion on her own, myself, and Avery know about the girl.”
“I see…” Derek said. I guess I don’t need to tell them about Brandi after
all… he thought. “In that case, I need a steady stream of materials for crafts
level 25 and up. Plus, books on Runesmithing would be great, along with
any other books on different crafts that you know of.”
“You are investing a lot in the girl,” Alanah said. “Is she worth it?”
Derek nodded. “Yes, one hundred percent. She has the work ethic and
passion to be the greatest crafter in the kingdom.”
“In that case, I will see to it that she gets all the material she needs. We
will keep everything between myself, Stella, and Avery. If anything specific
is needed, your manager, Malorie, can ask Stella any time,” Alanah said,
and Stella nodded.
“That’s great!” Derek smiled. “Now, do you have space available to
take these Void Beasts off my hands?”
“Of course,” Stella said.
Derek stood back up and walked over to his storage space. One by one,
he pulled the Void Beasts out while Stella stored them in her own storage
rings. He chose to keep a few beasts for Roman. “I’m going to keep these
three beasts for Roman to work with. He’s never worked with a whole Void
Beast, yet he was able to create such a good potion with just leftovers.” The
beasts he kept were the most average Void Beasts he fought.
“Fair enough,” Alanah said.
“I’m going to go get started on these Void Beasts. The window is tight,
but we should be able to prepare a few extra between now and the auction.”
Once Stella was finished collecting the Void Beasts, she left the room to
Derek and Alanah.
Derek closed his storage space and sat back down.
“What were those round objects inside your storage space? I believe the
void was interfering with my Identify skill and would not allow me to get a
read on them,” Alanah asked.
“Ah, those? Those are mana cores.” He didn’t explain how or where he
got them from because it would be like him admitting his low level.
Alanah shrugged and didn’t ask anything else about them.
“Now, I have a very important question for you,” Derek said.
“Oh? What might that be?”
 “What do you know about the cap on stat points and the question marks
that appear when you add more to the stat?”
Alanah’s eyes widened. “So, you have actually hit 1,500 points in one
of your stats? That is impressive.”
Derek saw the genuine surprise in her eyes. “Is it really that surprising?”
“It is. I’m sure you received the notification that very few achieve that
feat.” She waited for Derek to nod. “It is not an exaggeration.”
“So, do you know about the question marks?”
“I am among the few who do.” Alanah smiled. “Through the Great
System, one can only boost a stat to 1,500 points. Of course, this is
extremely difficult because in order to get a stat to 1,500 by max level, most
will have to neglect their other stats, which can be deadly.”
Derek nodded for her to continue.
“Unless someone is extremely lucky and obtains a mythic class early
on, it is impossible to get each stat to 1,500…” she started, but Derek cut in.
“Mythic class?” he asked. He had his suspicions that legendary wasn’t
the highest class rarity, and now Alanah had confirmed it.
“Yes, it is the highest class rarity ever recorded,” she explained. “Now,
theoretically, someone who receives a mythic class at level 50 could max
out every stat, depending on how many stat points he received for his
beginning levels. Though, nothing of that sort has been recorded. At least
nothing that I’ve heard of.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Derek said.
“Now, you must understand that most people who obtain max level
have epic classes toward the end, usually obtaining them at level 200—or,
in some lucky cases, level 100. Which is why those who can attend the
academy are so special. An early rare class is highly sought after, and an
early epic class… well, there are few.”
Derek nodded along with her explanation.
“Now, take King Edwin, for example. He has a good mixture of stats,
which is needed, but it also leaves him looking for extra endurance and
vitality stats to increase his lifespan. That’s where the meals and now,
Roman’s potion come in,” she explained.
“That still doesn’t tell me anything about the question marks beside my
stat,” Derek said.
“Patience… I’m almost there,” Alanah said. “The meals and that potion
come from a Void Beast, which is a creature not made or enhanced by the
Great System. So, the stat increases are from outside the Great System, as
well. The Great System will show the stat increases up to 1,500 points
because that is the max that can be obtained through the Great System.
Anything extra will have question marks because it can no longer be
calculated by the Great System.”
“I was able to put five stat points into my stat after it reached 1,500.
Shouldn’t the system have stopped me?” Derek asked.
Alanah shook her head. “I assume the five points came from the potion
you tested from Roman?” She asked and got a confirmation. “Then, no. You
can consider those five points as filler for stat points given by the Great
System. They work the same and even work with breakthroughs and
thresholds, but the stats are still power granted by something other than the
Great System.”
“So, if I had 300 stat points in say, vitality, just from consuming
products made from those small Void Beasts, and my vitality was at 1,500, I
could still put 300 system-given stat points into vitality, essentially giving
me 1,800 points?” Derek asked.
“Essentially, yes. But those extra stats may not work the same after
1,500,” Alanah said. “Though, I am unsure.”
“What do you mean?”
“There isn’t much research done on the subject. Very few people hit the
stat cap, and even fewer find a way to increase their stats outside of the
Great System. For stats such as vitality, endurance, and wisdom, you can
see the numerical changes through your health points, stamina pool, and
magic points. However, when you hit the cap, then go over it, those
numerical values do not increase any longer. This has people questioning
how much you are actually affected by the extra points. It may be the same,
it may be different.”
“What about you?” Derek asked.
Alanah covered her mouth in faux shock. “Now you wouldn’t be asking
a lady about her stats, would you? That could be considered very rude.” She
waved the comment to the side. “The best way to understand would be for
you to experience it yourself, which you have already begun. Plus, you
seem to have no problem finding non-system material… How frightening.”
Derek shrugged. Everyone had their secrets, and he was no different.
“Just know that every entity of the Great System can be strengthened by
the Great System, up to the strength displayed by 1,500 stat points. That’s
ANY entity—whether it is beast, human, elf, modified entity… any entity.
So, if you have max stats with some points not given by the Great System
and you use given stats to increase your stats, the Great System will
essentially replace those stats, leaving you with extra, incalculable stats.
“Think of the extra stats as placeholders until the Great System stats
arrive if you get them early,” Alanah explained. “You would think that once
the Great System replaces the non-system stats, the non-system stats would
disappear, but for some reason, the Great System allows, and maybe even
helps, you absorb the non-system stats.”
Derek shook his head. “I feel like my brain’s going to explode.”
“Basically, I don’t even think of the extra points in terms of stats. I think
of them as extra, unidentifiable strength. It’s easier to wrap your head
around it that way,” Alanah explained.
“So you do have some max stats,” Derek smiled.
She smiled back. “I never said I didn’t.”
Derek sat back and thought for a bit, but he still couldn’t quite wrap his
head around the system and its stats. Maybe this system isn’t as stingy as I
thought it was. He shook his head and inwardly sighed. It’s just something
I’ll have to figure out for myself—just like Alanah says.
“So,” Derek shifted the conversation, “I know you’ve moved the
auction up and even combined them, but nobody has told me why. What
happened?”
“I was wondering when you were going to bring that up,” Alanah said.
“This is only known to a few of the higher-ups in the kingdom, but there is
a new dungeon that needs to be cleared.”
Derek shrugged. “What’s so special about that? Why all the secrecy
over a dungeon?”
“It’s because of the type of dungeon. It is both a raid-type dungeon and
time distortion,” Alanah explained. “If it were just one of those, then there
wouldn’t be much of a problem, but combined, we end up in this situation.”
“How many people?” Derek asked.
“Twenty-five people,” she answered. “But that’s not the worst part. The
time distortion in that place is big. By the calculations of those who went in
before, it’s at least one to twelve. With each day spent inside, twelve pass
on the outside. Because it’s a max-level raid dungeon, it could take months
inside to finish.”
 The reason why it was a big deal clicked for Derek. “So twenty-five of
the kingdom’s elite have to run a dungeon that could take years on the
outside. Which means Cydaria will lose much of its military power while
the dungeon is being completed.”
“Hence all the secrecy,” Alanah said.
“And you pushed the auction up because they plan on starting this raid
soon.”
Alanah nodded. “Exactly. The team plans to enter the dungeon a week
after the auction.”
“I see…” Derek rubbed his chin.
“Mhm. The times are quite interesting,” Alanah said. “Now, hand me
your membership card.” She commanded out of the blue.
“Huh?”
“Your Crown membership card. Hand it to me.” She reached out with
her hand.
“O…kay.” Derek searched through his storage bracelet until he found
the white membership card Stella had given him. With a flick of his wrist, it
appeared in his hand. “Here.” He handed the card over to Alanah.
Derek watched as Alanah looked over the card, then began injecting her
mana into it. He saw as the card changed from white to blue, then
eventually purple before finally settling on black. The golden logo of the
Crown shined brightly against the black background. Alanah flicked the
card back to Derek. He fumbled with it before he finally caught it.
“Congratulations.” Alanah smiled. “You are one of the very few who
has a tier-four membership. Now you can enjoy heavy discounts on lesser
tier services, including hotel stays, along with being able to book suites and
dine off the upper tier menus in the restaurants. You get VIP treatment in all
Crown locations and auctions.”
“Thanks?” Derek shrugged and put the card away.
“You know that people would kill for that, right?”
“Aye, but killing for a membership card would be a sure way to not be
eligible for a membership card.” Derek smiled back.
“True.”
Derek stood. “Alanah, it has been a pleasure finally meeting you. But I
have to go give a halfling a heart attack, and the sooner I do it, the better.”
Alanah stood as well and nodded. “Oh no, the pleasure has been all
mine.” She gave him a radiant smile. “It’s not often I get to talk with
someone without holding back my emotions. It’s freeing. You can come by
anytime.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Derek turned to leave.
“Oh, before I forget.” Alanah stopped him. “I’m holding a pre-auction
dinner with a few guests in two days. I hope you will attend.”
“Just send me the details. I wouldn’t miss it.”
After that, Derek left his first meeting with Alanah and headed over to
Roman’s shop. He was right, and the halfling almost had a coronary after
receiving the whole Void Beast carcasses. Then, when Derek told him that
the Crown would be supplying him with multiple sets of materials for his
new potion, he freaked out even more.
The glint in the halfling’s eyes when he received the whole corpses was
scary. Derek couldn’t imagine what kind of experimentation the man was
going to get up to in the coming days and weeks.
After visiting Roman, Derek dropped by Geoffrey’s business to thank
him for the showers. The seedy-looking man was more than happy to
discuss them and the business he thought they could bring. Unfortunately,
there was nothing like copyrights and trademarks in the kingdom, so they
were both sure that it wouldn’t take long for the design to be copied by
competitors. Still, it was always better to be first to the market.
Once he was finished with all his tasks for the day, Derek spent the rest
of the day relaxing in his shop and talking about managing the business
with Malorie. Rayna and Jacks came back late after training for the day.
Jacks was much happier since his son visited. Rayna was as focused as ever
on becoming stronger.
Thomas dragged his tired body back to the shop just in time for dinner.
Shae was still driving the teen hard.
“Shae told me that he was only going to be able to train me for a couple
more weeks,” Thomas said.
“Why is that?” Derek asked.
Thomas shrugged. “He wouldn’t tell me. He told me I was ready to go
to the academy, though. I just need to gain the extra levels to be qualified.”
Derek nodded. It wouldn’t be hard for him or Jacks to help Thomas gain
the extra levels. Though, the two weeks’ notice is oddly specific. I bet Shae’s
going to be part of the team that raids the dungeon. I wonder what Judy has
to say about that. His leaving her alone with all the paperwork for the guild
for that long isn’t going to make her happy.
 The more Derek thought about the dungeon, the more interested he
became in it. What would the rewards for such a dungeon be like? Even the
stingiest of systems would have to reward something like that with
something great. Derek shrugged. Oh well… it’s not like it concerns me. I’m
more concerned about that meeting in a couple of days.
Who is important enough for Alanah to invite them for dinner? Better
yet, who is strong enough that they won’t be affected by her passive…
charisma? Maybe I’ll finally get to meet Natalie. Surely, she is important
enough… being the city lord of Savannah and all. Derek snapped out of his
thoughts and continued his conversation with Thomas and the others.
“So, what have you been working on while I’ve been gone?” he asked
Thomas.
“Shae has had me focusing on my main skills. Mostly my Soul Spear
and Flurry. Spear Specialist levels up as long as I’m using a spear. He said
that the skills will level up much slower with just our sparring but that it
was good to learn to fight against other people,” Thomas explained.
“He’s right,” Derek agreed with Shae’s assessment. “You’re equally
likely, if not more, to die by another person than a beast in this world.
That’s just how it is.”
A distant look flashed through the boy’s eyes. “Yeah…”
After dinner, Derek went down to the basement to check on the
noticeably absent Brandi. Again, he waited for a break in her crafting so as
to not distract her.
“You missed dinner,” he said.
The girl startled and turned around. “Oh, was it dinnertime already?”
Derek rolled his eyes. “You’re going to drive your mother crazy.”
“I know. I already talked with her today.” Brandi ducked her head in
shame before raising it, eyes brightening. “Greater Meditation is
amazing…”
“It is, but don’t forget about everything else.”
She nodded. “I won’t. It’s just so good that I can keep going as long as I
have materials.”
“Speaking of which…” Derek said, “I made another deal with the
Crown, so you will have all the materials you need. You just need to tell
your mother what you need, and she’ll get it for you.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up.
 “Yup, but Malorie is in charge of it, so you better listen to her.” Derek
laughed at Brandi’s pout. “That’s right, no more skipping dinner. You need
to be at least a little sociable.”
“Fine.”
Derek flicked his wrist, and a spherical object appeared in his hand. It
was one of the mana cores from the golem dungeon. He tossed to the girl.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Derek went on to explain to her what it was and how he got it—
including how it powered the golems of different elements. Her face
brightened more and more as she listened. Then, when she found out he had
thousands of the cores, she went giddy with excitement.
“Thousands? You have thousands of them?”
“Yes, and they’re all yours. But you have to be careful. In fact, it would
probably be best if you didn’t work with them until you level up more… a
lot more. They are all from golems at level 160 or higher, and they pack a
punch when they explode,” he explained. “It may even be a good idea to
talk with Alanah about getting some defensive runes installed down here
that could withstand an explosion of that sort.”
“I’ll be careful,” Brandi said.
“You’d better,” he said. “Though I don’t think they are dangerous until
they are filled with mana. And I got the notifications for killing the golems,
so I don’t believe they will reform an enemy golem if you can get them
working again. Though it would be best to have someone powerful down
here, just in case.”
Brandi nodded hard and stored the core inside her ring.
“When I get some extra storage rings, I’ll give you the rest,” Derek said
before turning to leave. “Remember, be careful.”
“I know, I know. You don’t have to keep telling me.”
“Yes, I do.” Derek smiled. “I’m going to sleep.”

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 47 ELITE GATHERING

“A re you sure this is a good idea?” Stella rushed back and forth,
making sure everything in the room was prepared for such
company. They had decided to use the top, most private, floor in
the Crown Restaurant to host such an evening.
“Oh, no.” Alanah smiled. “It’s most definitely a terrible idea. But it will
no doubt be fun and eventful.”
“Why not just wait until the auction? At least, then, they will have
something else to focus on. You know very well how Derek feels about the
king,” Stella asked.
“That’s why we’re doing it tonight. I know you couldn’t tell, but Derek
is strong… very strong,” Alanah explained. “It’s better to get the
introductions out of the way now since everyone is already in the city.”
Stella shook her head. “But… the city lord is also coming. That means
that, including yourself, three of the people who control the most power in
the kingdom are going to be under one roof, in the same room, having a
meal.”
“Mhm.” Alanah nodded. “It should be quite fun. I haven’t been this
excited in a long time.”
Stella rolled her eyes and continued preparing the room. She could only
pray the evening stay peaceful, but with both Alanah and Derek there, she
knew that wouldn’t happen.
Derek stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom. He was wearing his
finest T-shirt, jeans, and boots—which was to say, he was wearing his usual
clothing. There was no way he would be dressing up in one of those itchy,
uncomfortable tunics and pantaloons, even if his endurance was way past
allowing something so minor to actually cause him any discomfort.
He had been invited to a gathering by Alanah. He had no idea who
would be there, and she was being cheeky and not telling him. She only told
him that it would be ‘fun.’ He trusted her, so maybe it would be fun. Still,
he wasn’t much of a fan of formal gatherings, no matter how much he
might have changed since being trapped in the void.
He could honestly say that he was looking forward to meeting Natalie
Savannah and hoped she would be there. From everything he heard about
her, and what he’d seen in the city so far, she was a great city lord—much
more capable than that incompetent king.
Derek ran his hand through his hair one last time to make sure it wasn’t
a complete mess, then walked out of the bathroom. If he left now, he should
be able to get to the gathering a little early. It was always best not to arrive
late when you didn’t know what company you were going to have.
He walked downstairs, told everyone he was leaving, and asked Silvi if
she wanted to join him. However, the bunny was too busy with a baking
project and didn’t wish to leave. Not even the allure of Crown-prepared
food could get her to leave her home and kitchen. She had become a house
bunny. A very dangerous, deadly, house bunny.

Just like he planned, Derek arrived at the Crown Restaurant a bit earlier
than requested, and he was soon led up to a floor that only tier-four
members were usually allowed to access. Tier-four members like me. He
smiled, remembering his membership card Alanah had updated two days
ago.
“This is as far as I can go.” The man who led him to the floor stopped
before the door to a room. Derek noticed the nervousness he displayed the
entire time he was walk walking behind the man.
Derek nodded. “Thanks.”
The man nodded back, then practically disappeared from his sight. If
Derek didn’t know any better, he would have thought that the man used
some movement skill to get away from him… or the room at a faster pace.
 Derek shrugged it off and opened the door. The first thing he noticed
was that the room was nowhere as big as he was expecting. That’s not to
say it was small, but inside, there only sat a single dining table with six
chairs—two on each side, and one on each end.
The walls were covered in runes that Derek didn’t recognize, along with
a few he did, like the light and air-cycling runes.
There were already four people inside the room when he entered. Two
of which he already knew. An old man with gray hair and a pristine robe sat
at the head of the table. He and Alanah were chatting when Derek came in.
A sullen-looking, but well-dressed Edgar was leaning against the wall
on the left side of the room. It looked like he was being pestered by a man
who looked almost just like him. If Derek had to guess… no, he didn’t need
to guess. He was sure the two people he didn’t recognize were the king and
the crown prince.
He hadn’t expected the king, though he should have. Of course, he
would be here for the auction. And after seeing how old and frail the king
looked, Derek knew there was no way the man would miss a chance to get
any extra endurance and vitality.
However, the person he was expecting, Natalie Savannah, was not there.
At least she wasn’t there yet.
Everyone glanced at Derek as he stepped inside and shut the door
behind him. Edgar’s face brightened, and he hurried forward to greet him,
completely ignoring his brother in the process.
“Derek! I didn’t know you were going to be here. This dinner may not
be so bad, after all.” He walked forward and slapped Derek on his shoulder.
“When did you get back? Were you successful in doing what you needed to
do?”
Derek smiled at Edgar. It seemed that even being in the presence of the
king and Alanah didn’t affect the man. Though why would it? He was a
prince, after all.
“I got back a couple of days ago,” Derek answered. “And yes, my trip
was quite successful.”
“That’s good!” Edgar said. Then, he got in close to whisper, even
though everyone in the room could no doubt hear him. “That guy with the
stick up his ass is my brother, Edward.” He pointed at Edward, whose jaw
slightly dropped when he heard the introduction. “And he—” Edgar began
to introduce the king, but was cut off by Derek.
 “He must be the king I’ve heard so much about,” Derek said as he
shrugged Edgar off and walked forward. “A man who is second to none in
the entire kingdom.” He pulled out the chair opposite the king and sat
down. “Second to none in incompetence.”
Edgar was fine. Derek liked Edgar. The man didn’t seem to be
politically motivated, and from what Derek could discern, he did what he
thought was right. Derek couldn’t say anything about the crown prince as
he had not met the man until now.
The king, however… anyone who would allow someone like Gerald to
become his right hand, yet not see what he was doing behind the scenes or
knowing what he was doing and not taking issue with it, was a man who
Derek held no respect for. And it wasn’t in Derek’s nature to feign that
respect and be a kiss-ass.
Derek looked at Alanah as the king’s pale face began gaining color. She
shot him a look back, not one of anger or shock but one of amusement. She
planned the meeting to go this way. What a sly seductress, Derek thought.
Derek quickly glanced at Edward, who had started to walk over toward
the king. His smile had vanished and turned into an angry frown. Then
Derek glanced over his shoulder at Edgar.
He was staring in rapt attention with a twinkle in his eye. He was also
doing his best to fight a smile—doing his best but losing. Derek could see
the beginning of a grin breaking out on his face. The only thing he needed
to complete his look was a bucket of popcorn.
“What… Did… You… Say…?” the king spat out each word, one by
one.
“What?” Derek asked with a confused look. “Did I say something
wrong? Are you not incompetent?”
“Incompetent?” Edward was now standing beside the king. “Who are
you to say such things?”
Derek looked over at Alanah, in faux shock. “Is this man not the king?
Did I get it wrong?” Derek shot a look back at the king and bowed. “I’m
sorry, sir. I thought that since both Prince Edgar and Crown Prince Edward
were here, the only possibility was that you were the King of Cydaria. I’m
sorry for mistaking you for such a fool. I have disrespected you.” Derek
acted completely sincere with every word he said.
“You!” The king’s face was now completely red in anger. He jumped to
his feet, sending a pulse of lightning out of his body in the process. The
chair he was sitting on completely disintegrated from the lightning that hit
it.
That’s when Derek realized the king was already pouring out his aura,
directing it entirely at him. It… tickled.
Derek glanced at Edgar again, in concern. He was standing almost
directly behind Derek, so he would be subjected to the aura almost as much
as Derek was. However, to Derek’s surprise, and actual shock, Edgar had at
some point summoned a beverage and was sipping on it as he watched
the… festivities. The aura of his father did not affect him at all.
At that point, he also saw another figure standing behind Edgar, quietly
closing the door behind herself. Derek had to rub his eyes because if not for
seeing the door move, he would have completely missed her. She was short
but not a halfling or dwarf.
She was maybe five feet tall or even shorter. She had hair that was as
dark as Derek’s own that came down to her shoulders. A pair of big, red-
rimmed glasses sat on her cute button nose. But what drew most of Derek’s
attention was her eyes. They were white. White like his were purple.
Derek’s thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sizzling sound of
electricity. He turned his head back to the king, only to see a ball of
electricity gathering in the man’s palm. Derek glanced at Alanah once
again. The woman didn’t seem to think anything of the situation.
“You should stop, Edwin,” the feminine voice came from behind Derek
as all attention fell on the short, scholarly woman. She continued to walk to
the side of Derek and take a seat beside Alanah. She stared the king up and
down, her eyes glowing slightly, then she looked at Derek.
Her eyes traced his body. For the first time in this world, he felt utterly
exposed. He felt naked in front of her gaze. Though, when she finished, she
frowned slightly and turned back to the king.
“That’s a fight you will not win,” she said.
The room went silent, though, other than the buzzing sound of
electricity coming off the king, there wasn’t much noise to begin with. The
king only shifted his gaze from Derek to the recent addition to the
gathering.
“Miss Savannah.” The king composed himself but still narrowed his
eyes. “What do you mean?”
The small woman tilted her head sideways while looking at the king.
“It’s just as I said. It’s a fight that you will not win. You must face it, King
Edwin, when it comes to aura”—the woman’s gaze shifted between
everyone in the room, her eyes lingering on Edgar for a moment longer than
everyone else—“you and the crown prince are the weakest in here.”
“That means?” The king fished for more details.
“That means that you have fewer stat points than anyone in this room
other than your son, the crown prince. How they are arranged, I do not
know, but trying anything with Mr. Hunt would be a big mistake… and I
would think that Mistress Swan feels the same way about fighting in her
restaurant as I do about fighting in MY city,” Natalie explained.
Alanah just shrugged, not giving a clear agreement one way or another.
Natalie shifted her gaze back to Derek. “Mr. Hunt—”
Derek cut her off. “Please. Call me Derek.”
She stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Derek… was it not
immature and impulsive to provoke the king of the kingdom you currently
reside in?”
Derek looked Natalie in her white eyes, eyes that were beginning to
give off a subtle glow. “I don’t know. Is it not incompetent to allow a
trafficker, of both adults and children, to not only live but be one of the
most influential people in the entire kingdom?”
“Interesting,” Natalie muttered after a moment before looking back at
the king. Without saying anything, she took out a blue communication
crystal and placed it on the table in front of her. She placed her hand on top
of the crystal.
“What are—” the king started but stopped when a voice came out of the
crystal.
“Your orders? Miss Savannah,” the voice said.
“Marcus,” Natalie began, “from henceforth, Gerald Torith and all
immediate relations are banned from entering or doing trade with those
inside the city. If a business is caught in a relationship with them, they will
be immediately exiled from the city. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Ma’am, I will relay your orders and send the notice out to all
citizens of Savannah.”
“Good. You shall give them two weeks to end all relationships with the
family.”
“Very well,” Marcus said.
“That is all.” Natalie removed her hand from the crystal, ending the call.
She then placed it back in her storage.
 “What?” the king stared at the woman, mouth wide open. “Why would
you do that? Do you know the consequences of what you just did?”
“I will not have my city or its merchants associated with a child
trafficker,” she stated succinctly.
“He has bad blood with House Torith. How do you know he is not just
making things up?” the king questioned again.
“I felt the truth in his words,” Natalie said with glowing eyes. “And I
saw where the truth came from. Do you doubt my evaluation?”
“I… n-no…” the king finally managed to say. “I… didn’t know.”
“You didn’t want to know,” Derek spoke up. “Hence, incompetence.”
“I am sorry, Edwin.” Alanah finally spoke of the situation. “I have to
agree with my friend Derek on this one. Your blind faith in the man who
once saved your life has caused you to trust in him too much and has
allowed him to gain enough power to be a threat to both you and the
kingdom. Though, his actions are discreet and near impossible to unveil
unless you are specifically looking into him.”
The king, deflated, fell back into his seat. A seat that, if not for Crown
Prince Edward’s fast maneuvering, appeared underneath him just in time for
him to collapse in.
Derek looked at Alanah. Was this her plan all along? And Natalie…
how scary must her ability be to see what I envisioned when I spoke?
Alanah knew that getting the three of us in a room like this would end this
way. She read us like a book.
At that point, Edgar walked around Derek and sat in the chair next to
him. Ignoring the situation his father found himself in, he changed the
subject. “So, you are stronger than both my father and brother? I never
knew. That’s great!”
“And you,” Natalie said quietly.
“What was that?” Edgar asked.
“His aura is also stronger than yours,” Natalie spoke aloud.
“Oh…” Edgar looked over Derek, studying him from head to toe.
“Well, that’s even better!” he finally said. “So much better, in fact. There is
something we need to discuss in private once this… gathering is over.”
Derek shrugged. “Okay.” He still felt Edgar was a bit odd. Not in a bad
way, just odd. His lack of reaction, or completely opposite reaction to what
Derek said about the king, his father, was interesting. He would have to
bring it up when they spoke in private.
 “Father,” the crown prince finally spoke, “what are we going to do
about Gerald Torith? I do not doubt Miss Savannah’s intuition, but we do
not have any evidence. Still, we must do something.”
The king took in a deep breath and sighed. “You are, of course, correct.”
The king turned his gaze upon Derek, this time, not angrily. “Mr. Hunt, I do
apologize for my outburst. I have made a fool of myself, both today and in
my dealings with Gerald.”
Derek kept his eyes trained on the man across the table from him,
waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, Derek spoke, “I’m not going
to disagree with you if that’s what you’re waiting for. Get on with it.”
Edward clenched his fist, but the king stopped him from saying
anything. “You are correct in your bluntness. I have previously suspended
Gerald from his duties after finding out about his… harassment of your
friends. Now, it seems I must order his imprisonment while we search for
his wrongdoing. Though, that will be hard to do with the power he has
gained. I’ve still no idea how he has so many nobles on his side.”
“Blackmail,” Derek said. “It’s pretty obvious. Learn about everyone’s
dirty little secrets, secrets that would ruin an entire Noble House, then use
them as blackmail. Set up some failsafes that will leak any and all
information you have if something were to happen to you, and make sure
those you have blackmailed know of them. That way, you have people who
will both follow your orders and do whatever is possible to keep you safe
from harm.”
Everyone, even Alanah, stared at Derek, dumbfounded.
“What?” Derek said. “Like I said, it’s obvious.”
“It is,” Alanah said. “I just didn’t expect you to talk about it so
thoroughly or casually.”
“It’s bad guy 101,” Derek said.
“What?”
“You know. A bad guy blackmails a bunch of lesser bad guys, creating a
bad guy alliance that does bad guy things and tries to protect the interest of
the main bad guy. That is until one of the more motivated, lesser bad guys
finds out where the main bad guy is keeping all the blackmail. Then, the
lesser bad guy steals the blackmail and gets rid of the main bad guy,
becoming the new boss of the bad guy alliance,” Derek said.
Well, that’s daytime television for you, Derek thought. Hell, I can’t even
count the number of times I’ve seen that exact scenario happen on a TV
show. Derek shrugged. “The cycle continues until the hero comes along and
cleans house, resulting in the complete collapse of the bad guy alliance.”
“And you’re the hero in this scenario?” the king asked.
Derek shrugged. “Not really. I’m just a guy that the bad guys
accidentally pissed off. A guy that doesn’t care about the consequences,”
Derek said. “Also, if you are going to do something about Gerald, you
should probably get to it. You won’t have much time once Miss Savannah’s
command is carried out. He’ll probably know something is up the second
the command goes out.”
King Edwin’s eyes opened wide, and he nodded. He quickly took a red
crystal out of his storage and injected mana into it. After a moment, he
frowned. As time passed, his frown grew wider and wider. Soon, he put the
crystal away and sighed.
“What?” Derek asked.
“He’s gone,” the king said.
“Where did he go?”
“I’m not sure. He was seen leaving the castle hours ago and has yet to
return,” the king said.
Derek frowned. “So, now you have a boss bad guy in hiding. One who
will find out soon that the kingdom is on to him. He surely has back-up
plans upon back-up plans for situations like this. Now I’m going to need to
be extra vigilant with my friends.”
“They are safe as long as they are in my city. I’ll see to that,” Natalie
said and took out a red crystal. After a moment, she nodded and kept the
crystal. “Marcus was still drawing up the orders to the citizens. They have
yet to go out. I have delayed them.”
“Did you tell the person you talked to about the situation?” Derek asked
the king.
The king shook his head. “No, I only asked about Gerald’s whereabouts.
I have yet to give the order to search for him.”
“Good,” Derek said. “Maybe there’s still a chance. If you capture him,
don’t bother with your prison or dungeon. According to you, he has too
much power. Hand him over to me. I have the perfect place to hold him.”

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 48 GERALD’S RETURN

T hree cloaked and hooded figures walked out of a warehouse located in

one of the city-sized villages outside of the Cydarian capital. Left
behind in the warehouse were two men. One stood tall in plate armor,
lingering half a step behind the other.
The other was a middle-aged man with long, flowing golden hair. He
had half a smile on his face, almost a smirk. Gerald Torith looked as
complacent as ever as he watched his ‘guests’ leave the warehouse. His
elven contact had arrived with others in tow this time. Presumably, a higher-
up from Indria. Unfortunately, that person did not speak, and he didn’t dare
use any identifying skill on them.
Ever since his bumbling idiot of a son had stumbled in on one of his
meetings, he had been even more careful. It had taken months, but he had
finally managed to make a properly concealed teleportation circle
connecting from inside the capital to this village outside. The hard part was
finding the proper runes to conceal any mana fluctuations both in the
village and in the capital.
Then, he had set up multiple teleportation circles within the capital to
keep his movements a secret. The whole process was a costly one.
However, since doing so, his meetings had been even more secure. And
everything would still be going as planned if not for his idiot of a son once
again. Just the thought of his incompetence was enough to cause Gerald’s
blood to boil. If that madman, Derek Hunt, hadn’t killed him, Gerald would
have done so himself.
Hell, Gerald hadn’t even been able to receive any benefits from the
idiot’s death. He ended up embarrassing himself in front of Alanah and was
then suspended from his duties by the king. The suspension was the real
killer.
Because of it, he had to speed up his plans. But he had found out about
the dungeon only yesterday, by chance. If he weren’t suspended, the king
would have sought his advice on how to handle it long ago, but instead, he
had to find out about it from one of his informants who was picked as one
of the members of the raid party.
Still, because of it, he was able to get away with moving his plans
forward. And if all went well, Torith wouldn’t be the name of some
backwater city at the edge of the kingdom anymore. No, it would serve as
the name of the ruling family of the entire kingdom.
And as for heirs… the loss of his son and grandson didn’t mean much.
There were many potions available that he could easily get his hands on to
conceive more. Once he was king, he would have all the time in the world.
“Come on, Cliff,” Gerald said to his bodyguard as he turned to go deep
into the warehouse, underground, to a secret room concealed by multiple
runes. He needed to get back to the castle before he was gone long enough
for his absence to turn into suspicion. He ignored the shouting and crying
coming from the cages as he stepped into the teleportation circle and
activated it.
He had already set the ball rolling. All he needed to do now was sit back
and watch as everything unfolded.

“While I appreciate the sentiment, I don’t think it would do us well to allow

an enemy of the kingdom to be placed in the hands of someone not of the
kingdom.” The king shot down Derek’s request for Gerald. “But I see the
reasoning behind holding him somewhere other than the royal dungeons. As
we all know, he may have many people behind him that we may not even
know of, including guards and soldiers.”
“In that case, might I make a suggestion?” Natalie drew the attention of
the room. “I prefer to avoid sticking my nose in matters unrelated to my
city. However, I believe there is a good chance that this matter affects
Savannah, as well as the rest of the kingdom. Therefore, it is perhaps
something I should see to.”
 “Then you…” the king said.
Natalie nodded and adjusted her glasses with her pointer finger. “We
shall imprison him here, in Savannah. Then, I will see to it that any and all
information he has becomes ours. We’ll start with the blackmail, if any,
then work our way through everything else.”
“And you’re capable of doing that?” Derek asked.
Natalie turned her head toward him and smiled. “Of course. It will take
some time, but within a few months, I will have all the important
information, and within a year, there will be nothing about Mr. Torith that I
will not know.”
Derek shrugged. “I guess that’s fine, then.”
Natalie turned her attention to Alanah after that. “That is unless you
would like to do it instead.”
Alanah shook her head. “No, that’s fine. Your way will get results and
possibly even better ones than I may get. We must remember, Gerald may
not be the strongest in the kingdom, but that is because he is solely focused
on his longevity. I am sure he has maxed his vitality stat by now.”
“Oh? You think?” the king asked.
Alanah nodded. “I may have made him slit his own throat recently, and
at the rate that it healed, it’s definitely a possibility.”
Derek looked over at Alanah and sneakily gave her a thumbs-up.
“Besides, unless I convert him to a Deathsworn, it would take me just as
long, if not longer, to get all the information out of him that I can. And I am
unable to get around oaths and contracts as easily as Natalie,” Alanah said.
“I only make it look easy. It is by no means an easy thing to do,” Natalie
replied.
“Wait, you both can get around oaths and contracts?” That was news to
Derek. Was nothing sacred?
“There are ways,” Alanah said. “They tend to be more trouble than
they’re worth, though.”
Natalie nodded. “I can peer into the time when the oath or contract was
created. If I am lucky, I may be able to see the reason for said oath or
contract. Sometimes, it takes multiple tries, and it is very draining. Which is
why I’ll start with information about the blackmail, then information not
locked away via oath or contract.”
“The kingdom will be in your debt,” the king said.
 “The kingdom is already in my debt.” Natalie looked at the king with
glowing white eyes. “Please be sure not to default on your loans.”
The king sat back and blushed a bit from embarrassment. “I… ahem…
that goes without saying.”
“If that’s so, why do you attend an auction which you know will have
bids in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of gold? Shouldn’t you put
that gold to better use like paying me back?”
“Well… the thing is…” the king started, but Natalie waved him off.
“It is fine. It is better for me if you continue your monthly payments,
anyway. Interest and all that,” Natalie said.
Derek nodded fervently at that. Interest was something he knew well.
And the fact that Natalie had the king over a barrel when it came to finances
made him happy. He was truly beginning to admire the small, scary woman.
He couldn’t help but wonder about how much she had seen when she
used those glowing eyes on him. Hopefully, it was only of the scene where
Malcolm was spilling his guts out. That’s how it sounded when she said she
had seen it, anyway.
“Alright,” Derek said. “So, the matter is settled. You will capture that
bastard, then Natalie will lock him up and extract information. And at the
same time, my friends won’t have to look over their shoulders at all times
because of him, and I won’t have to do a thing. I like those kinds of plans—
ones that allow me to not have to do anything. Though I would still like a
piece of the man.”
Natalie looked at Derek when he called her by her first name, but she
didn’t protest, so he took it as her allowing him to do so. Everyone around
the table nodded in agreement.
“Now that we have that matter out of the way, let’s get to the more
important dealings.” Alanah quickly used a red crystal, and the doors to the
room opened, revealing multiple waiters pushing in tons of dishes spread
out on carts. “It’s time to eat.”

With a flash, Gerald and his bodyguard appeared atop a teleportation circle.
They walked over, activated another circle, and disappeared again. This
routine happened multiple times before they finally stopped and exited a
basement.
The teleportation sequence was a sort of maze that allowed Gerald to
get around without having to worry about being caught.
After the two walked out of the basement, Gerald made sure Cliff
properly hid the entrance to the teleportation room. It was impossible to be
too cautious in his type of business. After that, the two moved to the lobby
of the building, which happened to be a restaurant where many people,
including noble, were regulars.
It was a place that no one would think twice about if they saw Gerald or
Cliff exiting. Hell, along with Gerald, many other nobles had their own
private rooms, so if anyone questioned him, he could just say he was in his
room.
When the two exited the restaurant, Gerald nodded to Cliff, and they
went their separate ways. Gerald to the palace and Cliff to his own
residence. The man was the first son, and heir, of the third most powerful
Noble House in the kingdom, after all.

The group all ate and had pleasant conversations, much more pleasant than
their introductions had been. Of course, Derek still wasn’t a fan of the king.
Even so, with such a spread made by the best chefs from the Crown, it was
hard to not be happy.
Though the dinner was mostly under a cheerful atmosphere, there was
still the problem that was Gerald Torith hanging over everyone’s heads…
well, some more than others. And that problem looked to solve itself when
their feast was interrupted by the king receiving a communication via red
crystal.
Gerald was back in the palace.
The king turned to Edward. “Go,” he commanded.
The crown prince stood and thanked Alanah for the wonderful dinner
before rushing off. The Teleportation building was just across the way, and
he would be in the capital in minutes. Hopefully, he would make it to the
palace in time.
“Is he going to be okay alone?” Derek asked.
The king nodded. “He will have his guard and the palace guard to assist.
It will be more than enough.”
 Derek let out a sigh. “I hope you’re right. Gerald doesn’t seem like a
person to go down without a fight.”
The king grabbed a glass of wine and drained it. “Edward is more
reliable than you think.”
Derek turned his head and looked Edgar in the eyes. Edgar shrugged.
“He should be fine. At least he’s not a pushover.”
Derek looked over just in time to see a red crystal vanish into Alanah’s
storage ring. She smiled at Derek but said nothing.
I guess I don’t have anything to worry about.

As Gerald made his way into the palace and toward the wing that was
considered his, he noticed some unusual activity by the king’s palace guard
—specifically, Brandt, the head of the palace guard, and the man trusted
with the security of the palace while the king was away. The king’s personal
guard was with His Majesty in Savannah, after all.
No, what Gerald noticed was not too suspicious, actually. Ever since his
suspension, the guard had kept a closer eye on him. However, Brandt
seemed in a hurry once he saw Gerald arrive back at the palace. It was
concerning, but not too out of the ordinary. Just in case, Gerald summoned
a private communication crystal and sent a couple of messages.
Gerald moved back from his wing to find some of his people. Of course,
they were all employed by the palace and royal family, but they were still
his people.
As it turned out, Brandt had been extra vigilant all day after having a
conversation on a private communication crystal. And, though Gerald
didn’t see it himself, when Brandt saw Gerald arrive, the man had moved to
send a communication out as soon as he was out of sight of Gerald.
That caused all kinds of alarms to go off in Gerald’s head. Gerald,
deciding to play it safe, turned and headed back out from the palace with an
excuse of having another meeting. It shouldn’t be unbelievable that
someone of his status had multiple meetings to attend in a single day.

OceanofPDF.com
 49 CONFRONTATION

M inutes after the king received the communication, Edward was back
in the capital and moving toward the palace with three of his
personal guard. As they came up on the entrance to the palace,
Edward noticed Brandt waiting at the gates. Edward and his retinue
stopped.
“Is he inside?” Edward asked.
Brandt nodded. “He is. He’s only been here for a few minutes.”
Edward looked through the gate, only to see Gerald making his way
down the steps onto the palace courtyard. “It looks like I got here just in
time.” He was relieved. It may have been better for him to have come back
to the capital as soon as they made their decision, but that risked the chance
of Gerald becoming suspicious.
Edward was supposed to be in Savannah for the next few days, so him
appearing back in the capital out of nowhere could have alerted Gerald.
Luckily, their plans seemed to have paid off, and the crown prince made it
back in time to capture the man while he was still there.
The crown prince walked through the gate and met Gerald in the middle
of the courtyard with his four guards. Neither was in a rush, and both were
casual with their statements.
“Prince Edward, what are you doing back so soon? I thought you were
to be in Savannah for the auction for the next few days?” Gerald asked with
a smile.
“Oh, you know, politics,” Edward answered. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind
getting your advice on some things. Would you mind following me back to
the palace?”
 Gerald frowned slightly. “Is it an emergency? I am already running late
for a meeting, and you know I hate to keep people waiting.”
“It is rather important. I’m sure whomever you are meeting would
understand your delay.” Edward showed Gerald a winning smile.
Gerald’s eye twitched, but he eventually smiled back. “Of course,
Crown Prince. Please allow me to reschedule my appointment.” He smiled
the whole time as he withdrew a red crystal from his storage ring and sent a
communication.
The older man put the crystal away and turned back to the palace. “I
guess I’ll lead the way,” Gerald said as he took a step forward.
Edward began to take a step but kicked off the ground instead, shooting
straight up into the air. He looked down at where he was just standing and
was appalled by what he saw.
Shadows stretched out through the courtyard, eventually wrapping
themselves around his personal guard and Brandt. The shadows ran up to
their waists, immobilizing them all at once. Edward would have been in the
same situation if not for his instincts and literal lightning reactions.
Unfortunately for the guards, it didn’t end there. From the ground in
front of them, four spears made out of what seemed like vines shot up. They
tried to block the spears with their arms but were still cut and penetrated.
That alone wouldn’t have been enough to seriously injure the four guards,
but what came next was.
A seven-foot-tall stone wall rose both behind and in front of the guards.
Both walls were layered with stone spikes. If they hit, there was no way his
team would come out safely. Edward surveyed the surroundings, unable to
find the man with the shadows, but he made out a figure with his hand on
the ground controlling the earth—a figure he recognized. Behind the earth
user was another person, one in a cloak who Edward did not recognize. It
had to be the vine user.
The earth user was Cliff Aarden, the first son of House Aarden, and one
of the strongest families in the kingdom. Cliff, himself, was no slouch. He
was currently said to be the strongest member of the Aarden family, even
stronger than his father, the patriarch.
The problem was that he was the perfect counter to Edward. He was one
of the few men that Edward believed could take him in a fight, and he was
here, attacking him and his team.
 Everything happened in a flash. Edward, with his high wisdom, was
able to make out everything in an instant, but he was not fast enough. Using
everything he had, he flung himself at Cliff. With his sword in hand and
radiating lightning, he stabbed out at the same time that Cliff clapped his
hands together.
The sword almost made it to the man’s armor, but he just smiled as a
vine appeared and wrapped itself around the blade. Cliff then reached out
with a hand coated in earth and tried to grab Edward’s wrist, but the crown
prince was too quick. He yanked the sword back, slicing the vines in half
and avoiding the earth user.
Edward took in his surroundings once more. His guards, for all intents
and purposes, were out of the fight. Two were dead, and the other two,
including Brandt, were in a dying state. The walls retracted, showing holes
stabbed everywhere in his guards.
Dammit! Edward cursed. In less than a minute, his men were ambushed
and all but dead. Edward tried to summon a crystal to call for backup, but as
soon as it appeared in his hand, a shadow fell over him. He looked up, only
to see a figure wreathed in shadows with two large wings radiating from its
back.
The shadow struck out and knocked the crystal out of Edward’s hand.
He was alone. The strongest of the guard was with his father in Savannah,
and he had no way to call for help. The remaining guards in the palace were
no match for Cliff and the shadow wielder. Edward had a sneaking
suspicion of who the shadow wielder was, but he hoped he was wrong.
“Keep him busy while we escape. You can catch up later,” Gerald
calmly told the shadow figure.
Edward tried to fly down to stop Gerald, but the shadow moved in front
of him. “Sorry, I can’t let you do that,” a feminine voice warned, all but
confirming Edward’s suspicions of who his opponent was.
“Why is the Assassin’s Guild protecting Gerald Torith? You’re not
bodyguards, you’re assassins!” Edward shouted out.
The shadow covering the figure’s face slowly receded, showing a pale
woman with black eyes and black hair flowing down her back, writhing like
the shadows around her.
“That is for me to know.” She smiled.
Edward tried to get around the Vice Leader of the Assassin’s Guild, but
she was too fast. Her figure would fade out of existence, then appear
directly in front of him. However, she didn’t attack. It seemed her objective
was not to kill the crown prince but to delay him while Gerald, Cliff, and
the vine user escaped. The fact that she was as fast, if not faster than
Edward, meant she would be able to escape at any moment.
His lightning may be a decent counter for the shadows, but at this rate,
Gerald would get away. At least that’s what he thought until he saw an
arrow covered in a dark gray aura practically sprout from Gerald’s back.
Gerald flew back from the momentum of the arrow, leaving a trail of blood
in the process.
Edward traced the trajectory of the arrow until he saw a man standing
between the open palace gates. A sense of relief washed over the crown
prince as he recognized the man.
“Now, Gerald,” the man said, “I must insist that you exchange some
pointers with this humble commoner.” The man also looked over at Cliff.
“You and your friend can join if you want, Mr. Aarden. It’s been a while
since I’ve had a good fight.”
With that, the man took a step forward, bow in hand and daggers ready
at the waist. Most people knew the man as Avery Swan, the Crown
Restaurant’s number two. Most people had never seen or heard of him
fighting. But there was a reason he was almost always by Alanah Swan’s
side, and it certainly wasn’t for his cooking skill.

Avery stepped forward, activating some skills in the process. His

excitement was palpable when Alanah contacted him to keep an eye on the
situation with Gerald Torith. He had hoped that the man would give him
reason to step in. The man was an absolutely disgusting individual. And
that was Avery’s take before he found out about some of the things he had
done.
Just the way he talked to and about Alanah had already rubbed Avery
the wrong way, so when his powered arrow pierced through the man’s chest
and out of his back, it felt good.
As he continued toward Gerald and his men, he loosed another arrow.
The arrow split in two, then four, then eight, all with the same gray aura—
an aura made out of pure stamina because, unlike most, Avery didn’t invest
much in wisdom and intelligence.
 His build was that of endurance. Endurance and dexterity. If most
people heard about his stat point distribution, they would be shocked. Yes,
he had very little wisdom but was able to serve by Alanah Swan’s side.
Well, Avery had been with Alanah for decades and was proof that an
individual’s willpower was a strong defense against mind-controlling
magics and skills. It still took him a small amount of time to get acclimated
to Alanah if they had been separated for a long while, but he was faster than
most people who had heavily invested in wisdom.
Endurance was the first stat Avery maxed out, followed by dexterity. Of
course, he didn’t ignore vitality or strength. In actuality, wisdom was his
lowest stat. Which was good because he didn’t have a single skill that used
mana.
However, the advantage he had over everyone else was his relationship
with Alanah. In his decades of being by her side, he had gotten his fair
share of meals crafted with Void Beast materials. Even though he didn’t
invest heavily in strength, with it being the easiest gained stat from Void
Beasts, he’d gotten over 200 extra points in the stat. Bringing it to over
1200 points.
He was able to save some of his stat points in endurance as well because
of the Void Beasts. He gained over 150 extra stat points that way, which let
him invest more in dexterity. He also had a small amount of intelligence, as
well, but that was just because of the stats provided by the meals.
Unfortunately, Void Beasts were a rarity—an extreme rarity before
Derek came along—and Avery only got a meal here and there. Then there
was the quality of the Void Beasts, which were not always the best. But
still, through Alanah and her generosity, he had gained over 400 extra stat
points in the stats he actually used.
Because of Alanah, he was able to get two of the stats maxed while also
breaking through the second threshold with two more. There weren’t many
people in the kingdom who could say the same. Yet he did it while also only
having an epic class. It was a great epic class that he got early, and it gave
more stat points than normal. Even so, it was only epic. And for that, along
with everything else, he would always be eternally grateful to the woman.
Avery assessed the situation as his arrows flew forward. Edward was in
the sky, trying and failing to get past the Shadow Witch. Honestly, that was
the biggest surprise out of everything Avery walked into. The Shadow
Witch being there didn’t make sense, but there she was, the Vice Leader of
the Assassin’s Guild in all her glory, flying high and toying with the crown
prince.
She would be a problem for Avery. Shadows were known for having
many crowd-controlling effects, but if Edward could distract her long
enough, Alanah had promised that reinforcements were on their way. All
Avery had to do was delay the other three people in front of him.
Cliff Aarden wouldn’t be a problem for Avery. He was a slow but
powerful earth user. On the ground, Avery would run circles around the
man. As for the plant user, Avery had no clue who it could be. The cloak
covered the figure’s entire body, so he didn’t even know if it was male or
female.
He chose to be cautious around the plant user. Against an unknown
entity, it was best to be cautious and learn about them.
As for Gerald… Avery didn’t care about the man. He could beat the
walking sack of meat and blood with his eyes closed. No, he would only
have to be wary of Cliff and the plant user. He would specifically have to
look out to not get entangled with any of the vines. If he got caught up in
the vines, it would make Cliff and his earth skills a credible threat.
Still, Avery was not sure about his ability to beat the three of them
together. He could take out Gerald one on one. That would be easy. He may
even be able to get the upper hand against both Gerald and Cliff. But adding
another person to the mix, one who he was sure would be every bit as hard
to deal with as Cliff, made things harder. Especially since the threat was a
complete unknown.
No, he probably couldn’t win. But he could hold out. Hell, he only
needed ten minutes or so. He just hoped the Shadow Witch didn’t get bored
of playing with Edward. She was a problem, one he didn’t have the
confidence in beating one on one, much less in a group. She was just too
fast while in the air, and she had skills to slow him down.
While thinking of a strategy to delay the group, his multi-arrow shot
arrived. Cliff erected a thin wall of sand between himself and the arrows,
causing them to lose momentum before falling helplessly to the ground.
The plant user, to Avery’s surprise, danced through the arrows that went
his way. Of course, the arrows weren’t anything special. They just carried a
bit of Avery’s concentrated aura. They weren’t like the Powershot he hit
Gerald with at the beginning.
 Of course, the first thing to do when you are biding your time is to taunt
the leader of your enemies. Nothing makes a man forget about escaping like
the perfect taunt.
“Wow, Gerald. I didn’t think one arrow would be enough to do you in.
Who knew that not only were you a coward, but you were weak as well?”
he said before looking at Cliff. “And another thing I can’t believe is that
someone supposedly as strong as the great Cliff Aarden would be willing to
slave for such a weak man. It’s kind of pathetic, isn’t it?”
Gerald coughed as he stood. He grabbed the end of the arrow sticking
out of his chest and ripped it out. Cliff Aarden began to move forward in
anger but Gerald stopped him. “He is just trying to provoke us. Don’t fall
for it.”
Gerald leaned over and whispered something into Cliff’s ear. Avery was
still too far away to hear what was said. Cliff nodded his head. Gerald
flicked his wrist, and a full set of gaudy gold-plated armor appeared on his
body, covering him from head to toe. On his arm appeared a thick black
tower shield adorned with a golden trim, and in his right hand, a bastard
sword.
Avery snorted. “A bunch of gear that’s never seen battle.”
When Avery was about halfway between the trio and the gate, he
stopped. He wanted to be close enough to the group to close in and stop
them from escaping but far enough where he could trouble them with his
bow. Of course, he had no problem going in for a melee, but he would
rather gauge their strengths, especially the plant user’s, before he did so.
During his taunting, he activated multiple skills. Eagle Eye increased
his accuracy, Aura of Persistence increased both the strength and durability
of his arrows whether the arrows were summoned or physical, and to top it
off, he used Piercing Radiance, which increased the sharpness of the
arrowhead.
His skills weren’t strictly related to archery, either. Most were usable
with his melee weapons as well. Avery was good in both ranged and close
battles. Actually, he preferred to fight up close and personal.
“Go!” Gerald shouted.
Cliff pushed out with his palms open, conjuring an array of earth spikes
to shoot out from in front of him while the plant user touched the ground
and sent a tide of vines flowing along the surface. The plan was clearly to
trap Avery in the vines while they tried to escape.
 Avery laughed and kicked off the ground. As the first spike arrived, his
foot landed on it and he moved to the next. Moving from spike to spike, he
loosed arrow after arrow at the trio, specifically targeting the plant user.
Both Cliff and Gerald were defensive combatants, and the plant user
seemed either offensive or support. It was always best to take out the
support first.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Avery muttered as he saw Gerald trying to sneak
off to the side. He shifted his focus to the armored man, bombarding him
with aura-infused arrows while shifting back and forth between spikes.
Unfortunately, his armor wasn’t just for show. Even with Piercing
Radiance and Aura of Persistence, Avery’s arrows were only able to leave
small indentations in the plate—which just meant that Avery needed to use
more skills.
With his other skills still active, Avery used Overdraw and Powershot.
The time it took to draw and loose an arrow increased but so did the power
of each arrow. Two arrows landed back-to-back, the first hitting the small
gap in Gerald’s leg armor, piercing a good half-inch into the man’s leg. The
second arrow landed just beside the first.
The small gap in the armor was widened by the first, allowing the
second arrow to drive in deep. Gerald let out a loud grunt and grasped at the
arrows as he fell to a knee.
Everything happened in seconds as Cliff already realized his spikes
weren’t doing anything but giving Avery the ability to dodge the vines on
the ground. The heir to House Aarden stopped his skill and moved toward
Gerald.
With his footholds disappearing, Avery kicked off the last spike and
launched himself toward Cliff. Avery’s foot touched the ground, just outside
the range of the vines, and he disappeared, almost instantly appearing
behind the earth user.
In the time it took to move from his position to behind Cliff, Avery
stored his bow and drew both daggers. He stabbed one dagger into the back
of Cliff’s knee, slicing into and through some tendons and cartilage, just
before a wall of sand moved up to block. Cliff grunted but held firm, not
falling.
Avery moved away from the spikes that appeared almost instantly
underneath him and cut Gerald off in the process. He stared at his three
enemies, two already injured, then looked at his stamina pool. His actions
were draining, but that was okay. He summoned a yellow-green potion out
of his storage and drank it down. Perhaps he would be able to handle the
situation, after all.

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 50 THREE VERSUS ONE

O f course, nothing could ever go as planned. Gerald was already

standing, no worse for wear. There was something to be said about
having 1500 points in vitality. He may not be strong in a fight, but
he could definitely take a beating. Other than the light damage to his armor,
his wounds weren’t even bleeding anymore.
Plus, Avery’s dagger wasn’t enough to cause any real harm to Cliff,
either. The heir to House Aarden must have invested a good amount into
vitality or endurance to go with the natural defensive abilities given to him
along with the earth element.
Avery rushed in, both daggers drawn. He would get a few good hits in
on Gerald before the others could make a move. The former advisor was
slow and clumsy in a fight. At least it seemed that way to someone with
speed like Avery.
Avery strafed around the man’s tower shield, stabbing and piercing
every visible joint in the man’s armor. Within seconds, Gerald was more of
a pin cushion than a person. He was almost a fountain of blood. Even with
his visible healing, Avery was able to cut enough that his shiny golden
armor had turned bloody.
Gerald slammed his shield into the ground, causing Avery to leap back
to avoid the impact. Avery wished he knew if he was even making a dent in
the other’s HP. But it didn’t matter. The more he harassed the group, the
longer it would take, and the sooner his reinforcements would arrive.
Avery wasn’t sure who was coming, but if Alanah showed up herself,
the fight would be settled in a matter of seconds. Everyone except for
maybe the Shadow Witch would fall to her command. Even so, he felt it
was underneath Alanah to personally get involved in something like this.
Therefore, he would jump on any opportunity he found to strike.
He only had one order: keep Gerald alive. That meant that the other two
enemies were fair game, which is why when the vines grew up around
Gerald and stone pellets shot toward Avery, he used Burst Step as soon as
his foot hit the ground and appeared next to the plant user.
Avery stabbed right at the back of the plant user’s neck. Somehow, the
person managed to shift their body just enough to avoid critical damage.
Avery’s dagger still managed to dig deep into the person’s shoulder, and he
wasn’t finished yet. He jerked his arm, dragging the blade across the plant
user’s back, cutting them from shoulder to shoulder.
However, just as Avery went for another stab, he saw the person’s aura
condense. Getting a bad feeling, Avery kicked the ground and shot
backward just as the person’s aura exploded, sending a mass of spores
covering the area.
With the explosion, Avery finally got a good look at the person’s face.
To his surprise, it was a half-elf man with short green hair and a pointed
nose. Avery didn’t recognize him at all, but the situation kept getting more
and more strange.
Out of the few noble houses in the kingdom that were made up of half-
elves, none seemed to have a member like the person in front of him. Sure,
being an elf, or even half-elf, seemed to make it easier to have an affinity
for plants, but Avery was well-versed in the hierarchy of the kingdom, and
he still couldn’t place the face or the power.
Avery had to jump back once more to avoid the spores. When the spores
stopped spreading, they covered a radius of around fifty feet around the
half-elf plant user. Both Gerald and Cliff were caught up in the spread, but
neither showed any adverse effects. In fact, Cliff almost seemed to be
relieved.
This was bad. With the cover of the spores that Avery dared not touch,
he couldn’t physically move in to stop the trio from retreating. He could
blast the group with arrows, but with their defensive skills and armor, he
wouldn’t do enough damage to keep them from moving.
Of course, he wouldn’t allow them to move out of his vision. He could
tail them no matter where they went as long as they didn’t teleport away.
But he would never put it past Gerald to have some secret way to escape
that nobody else was aware of. The man had stayed hidden for far too long
to not have any backup plans.
Avery checked his system time and frowned. He’d been fighting for all
of three minutes. He glanced in the air to see Edward struggling and
sweating while the Shadow Witch toyed with him. While she smiled and
evaded, he went all out against her. It wasn’t looking good.
Finally making a decision, Avery summoned a potion and drank it
down. It was an antidote that worked against myriad different poisons for
fifteen minutes—more than enough time. At least with this insurance, he
could step into the spores with a bit more confidence.
However, it seemed that the antidote was unnecessary. The spores
weren’t a poison or toxin at all. They were a field debuff. Avery let out a
sigh of relief. This… he could handle.
He felt like he was moving through a swamp. All his actions were
heavy, and he was slowed by at least thirty percent. So, he did what anyone
in his situation would do and used Advanced Haste. A basic evolved skill
that increased all his movements by twenty percent. The skill Haste evolved
at level 20 to Advanced Haste.
Advanced Haste decreased the Stamina drain of the skill with each
level, eventually turning the skill into a passive skill that could basically be
active at all times without worrying about cost. Avery’s Advanced Haste
wasn’t leveled too high. Skills that could evolve were rare, and the ones that
did took forever to level once they evolved.
With the skill activated, he didn’t lose much speed by moving around in
the area of the spores. So, he rushed in to continue his assault. Immediately
after rushing in and attacking Gerald, he noticed another problem.
Yes, the cloud of spores debuffed his speed, but at the same time, it
seemed to increase the speed of its allies. He noticed this because Gerald
was almost able to keep up with his ten percent-debuffed speed… almost.
Avery slid the dagger in his left hand down the blade of Gerald’s bastard
sword, then dove in under his arm. Gerald tried to draw in his sword arm
but was too late as Avery’s second dagger was driven deep into his
underarm. Avery hoped the dagger went in deep enough to make contact
with the man’s heart but knew that probably wasn’t the case.
The dagger was initially slowed by whatever flexible armor the man
wore underneath his plate armor, then it had to get through the man’s
endurance, which wasn’t near as good as his vitality, but, being a tank, it
would have been stupid if the man hadn’t put at least some points into the
stat. There was also a good chance that Gerald had ‘stumbled’ across some
Void Beast meals in the years that Alanah had been active in Cydaria.
The dagger bit deep, and Avery twisted it as he pulled it out—he wanted
to cause as much damage as possible before he had to avoid the incoming
Cliff.
At this point, Avery knew Gerald was becoming tired of being picked
on by Avery. The man was the biggest sitting duck among all his enemies
and also the only person he couldn’t let escape. So, if an opportunity came
up to take out or seriously damage one of the others, Avery would take it,
but if not, he only needed to harass Gerald until backup arrived.
Avery’s foot hit the ground, and he used Burst Step to get away once
again, wincing at the cost of the skill. It was a fascinating skill, but the drain
on his stamina with each usage was severe. Avery popped the cork on
another Stamina Potion and gulped it down. Avery frowned at the waste of
gold.
Stamina Potions, especially the ones good enough to restore the amount
of stamina he used, were very expensive. With almost forty thousand
stamina, a normal Stamina Potion wouldn’t even be a drop in a bucket for
Avery. No, unless the potions were at least Major or Greater Potions, they
wouldn’t be worth him using.
Avery sighed as the trio finally grouped up close together. It took them
long enough to do so. He guessed there would be no more easy shots. So,
he put his daggers back on his hips and drew his bow once more. He would
move around them while peppering them with arrows and avoiding the
vines. That way, he wouldn’t need to use Burst Step often and could save on
Stamina. He only needed to hold on for about six more minutes.
But Gerald wasn’t having any of that. “Vanessa! Stop fucking around
and help!”
The Shadow Witch scoffed but acted. The next thing Avery knew,
Edward was sent shooting to the ground, creating a small crater in the earth.
“Fine,” the Shadow Witch spoke.
Immediately, the sky turned dark, and a shadow dome fell over the
battlefield, encompassing all six people within it. Avery felt his moves turn
even more sluggish. Not only was the shadow another debuff, but it stacked
with the spore cloud released by the half-elf.
Dammit. Things are about to get rough.
Edward slowly made his way to his feet. His head and neck were aching,
and his health was extremely low. It sat at less than thirty percent. He felt
ashamed of himself. He was one of the strongest in the kingdom, yet the
Vice Leader of the Assassin’s Guild toyed and played with him.
Sure, she was also considered one of the strongest in the kingdom.
Actually, she was close to the top of the strongest in the kingdom. Still, his
lightning should have countered her shadow. Or at least not been as
suppressed as it was.
As Edward got his bearings, he blinked the blurriness out of his eyes
and focused on the fight in front of him. The Shadow Witch was close to
the top of the strongest in the kingdom, but so was Avery. However, very
few had seen the man fight. With what Edward was seeing in front of him,
he would be able to confirm the man’s strength.
The man moved at wicked speeds even in the weird shadow dome, and
even in the clouds of… pollen? Edward didn’t know. He only knew that the
half-elf plant user had released them, and Avery had been cautious of them.
Still, Avery flashed in and out, avoiding vines, trying and failing to trap
his feet and legs, while dodging whips of shadow and flying spikes all at
once. The scene was fascinating. Edward couldn’t believe that anyone could
be that fast. And the fact he was doing it while already being slowed made
the feat even more impressive.
Unfortunately, Edward knew that the speed couldn’t last. Avery was
drinking Stamina Potions constantly while dripping with sweat. Yet, he was
able to counterattack occasionally—mostly hamstringing Gerald every
chance he got. If his father’s former advisor didn’t have an arch-enemy
before, he would once this fight was over.
It was the smart move, though. Keeping the one they needed to capture
immobile while dancing and dodging all the attacks was just about the only
thing that could be done. Edward winced as he used three different types of
potions.
His health, mana, and stamina were all low, and it hurt even to move.
He would have to get back into the fight. Avery’s showing was impressive,
but he was only one man, and he had a limited supply of Stamina Potions.
Edward would have to recover so he could provide Avery with support.
If he could just take care of one, Avery would be in a much better situation.
He took one step in the direction of the battle, then all plans he had to help
were shattered.
“Ugh!” Edward grunted as a shadow protruded from his stomach and
shoulders, severing both arms from his body and dropping his HP back to
critical.
“Be still. Move again and I’ll end you,” the Shadow Witch said.
“End him now!” Gerald shouted.
“You”—the Shadow Witch paused her attacks on Avery and pointed at
Gerald—“do not get to tell me who to kill. I am here to provide support and
help you escape. Don’t forget it.”
Edward coughed up some blood and fell back to the ground. His
wounds wouldn’t be fatal if treated in time, and he could reattach or regrow
his limbs. He was happy to see some dissent in the group, but sadly, it
meant nothing to him in his current situation as he was out of the fight. He
would be useless for some time. He could only watch as Avery dodged and
twisted, avoiding vital attacks by a hair’s width.
He couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret when the man faltered and
was cut on the arm by one of the shadows. Well… he was hit on the arm.
The shadow didn’t seem to leave a cut.
Even so, Avery’s right hand seemed to slow ever so slightly as the fight
went on. He may have had the stamina or even mana to keep all his skills
active, and Edward was sure he was using a plethora of skills, but doing so
at such a high rate of consumption would still take a toll on the user, both
physically and mentally.
Edward groaned and rolled slightly, getting a better angle of the action.
All he could do now was believe in Avery and hope something changed.
For now, it wasn’t looking good.

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51 REINFORCEMENTS

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MINUTES EARLIER… CROWN RESTAURANT—
SAVANNAH

A lanah stored her communications crystal in her storage ring and

sighed. “That was Avery.” She looked pointedly at the king.
“Edward has been ambushed and lost all his men. He avoided the
attack but is currently tied up with another enemy and unable to restrain
Gerald.”
“What?” The king stood. “But how? Did he know we were coming for
him?”
“I doubt that. Gerald is one to have preparations upon preparations,”
Alanah said. “I have asked Avery to step in to keep Gerald from escaping,
but the enemies are a handful.”
“Who?” the king asked.
“Edward is being contained by what looks like the Shadow Witch from
the Assassin’s Guild. Clifford Aarden has made an appearance and is
protecting Gerald, and there is an unidentified person by their side as well.
You know the strength of the Shadow Witch and Clifford Aarden, so it
would be for the best if we stop chatting and send help. I believe in Avery,
but the deck is stacked against him right now,” Alanah answered.
Edgar stood. “I’ll go.” He turned to leave, but a hand grabbed his
shoulder as he took a step.
“I’m coming, too,” Derek said. “I shouldn’t have left it up to the royal
family, anyway.” He snorted.
Edgar nodded, and the two left the dining room.
“Will the two of them be enough?” the king asked, now unsure about
the entire situation.
Natalie took her glasses off and began cleaning the lenses with a cloth.
“They should be more than enough.” She spoke. “Your boy there is much
stronger than you think he is. He puts the crown prince to shame. And Mr.
Hunt…” Natalie shook her head. “They will be fine.”
“No doubt about it.” Alanah smiled. “I have a couple of Deathsworn on
their way, as well. They should get there a little after Derek and Edgar. And
I trust Avery more than enough to stall that group for some time.”
 Natalie looked at Alanah and nodded. “It has been some time since I’ve
seen Avery. Is he still as fast as he was before?”
Alanah smiled. “Faster.”

Edgar and Derek were out of the restaurant and running toward the
teleportation building in seconds.
“Anyone I need to know about?” Derek asked as he kept stride with
Edgar. He could tell that the man wasn’t moving at his top speed, so Derek
could keep up.
“The Shadow Witch, Vanessa Hodges. She’s the Vice Leader of the
Assassin’s Guild. Level 250, and fierce. Uses shadows… obviously. A lot
of controlling effects and offensive power. Probably has great defensive or
life-saving skills as well,” Edgar said.
Derek nodded. “And this Clifford?”
“Comes from House Aarden.” He looked at Derek but saw that the
name didn’t register. “The third strongest noble house in the kingdom. Cliff
is considered the heir to the house and one of the strongest to come out of
House Aarden in decades, if not centuries.
“He is an earth user. From what I know, he has mixed skills using stone,
sand, and other types of earth. Very defensive in nature, but don’t
underestimate his attack power.”
“And Gerald?” Derek asked.
Edgar shrugged as they arrived at the building. “Meat shield,” he said.
“Just one of those guys you can pound on while they keep healing. Makes
for a great punching bag.”
Derek smiled. “Good to know.”
They soon stepped inside and moved past a small line of people. Tavors
was manning the building once again as they came to the counter.
“We’re going to the capital teleportation circle. The private one,” Edgar
said, as he showed the clerk some kind of badge.
Tavors nodded gravely. “Follow me,” he said. “What’s going on that
first the crown prince was in a rush, now you?” he asked. Apparently, he
was on more friendly terms with Edgar than the rest of the royal family.
 “Too much to explain at the moment. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it in
the next few hours,” Edgar said as they followed the man.
Before long, they were standing on the teleportation circle, and Tavors
was sending them away. With a flash of light, Derek blinked and was in a
different room.
“Come on,” Edgar said.
They ran out of the teleportation room and through the building. A
building that looked surprisingly similar to the one in Savannah.
Edgar didn’t bother greeting anyone as he led Derek out of the building.
When they stepped outside, Derek took a quick look around. So far,
he’d been in Torith, Wilmette, and Savannah. The distinct city smell that he
smelled when he first got to Torith invaded his nostrils once again. It was a
smell that had surprisingly been absent in Savannah.
But he could not compare Savannah to what he was currently seeing.
The buildings were wall to wall, and the people were walking shoulder to
shoulder. People of all sizes and races. Big, small, elves, dwarves,
halflings… the place was crowded.
While Savannah was known for its luxury, the capital was not. It was
known for its population. Hell, when Derek was traveling to the dungeon
outside of Savannah, he’d come upon towns that were close in size to
Savannah itself and even bigger than Torith had been.
But all that paled to compare to what Derek now saw in front of him.
Unfortunately, Derek didn’t have a lot of time to sightsee. He was there on a
mission.
“Let’s go. The Teleportation Building is pretty far away from the palace.
The capital isn’t built like Savannah. I won’t be slowing down anymore. I
know that Avery is strong, but my brother took shortcuts to power. It’s best
to get there as soon as possible,” Edgar said. “Normally, it’s frowned upon
to move in the air while in the capital, but this is an exception.”
Derek nodded as he watched Edgar shine whitish-blue for a moment
before shooting into the sky.
“It’s a straight shot that way.” Edgar pointed, then turned into a streak of
lightning and vanished.
Damn… Derek thought. He’s fast. However, not to be beaten, Derek
jumped into the air and got his footing with Void Steps. Then, when he got
his balance, he used Void Shift. It would be very mana intensive, but he had
just broken the second threshold of wisdom. Plus, he had Greater
Meditation and multiple Major and Greater Mana Potions he’d received
from the Golem Dungeon because of his Repetitive Dungeoneer
Achievement.
He had more than enough resources, and if he played his cards right, he
may even be able to beat Edgar to the battle. That way, he would get to pick
his opponent first.
Derek smiled and focused heavily on his Void Sense as he pulled
himself through ripple after ripple. To himself, it didn’t seem like he was
moving fast, but while he shifted, everything else moved at a literal crawl,
even Edgar… or the lightning ball that Derek believed was Edgar.
The ball of lightning was still moving rather quickly ahead of Derek,
even while Derek was using Void Shift. Derek was faster by a bit but would
soon have to stop the skill and refresh his mana. Unfortunately, he was
unable to use potions while in Void Shift. If he could, wouldn’t have to
come out of it, and could just keep going.
Soon, he pulled himself ahead of Edgar by a decent amount, but his
mana was nearly drained, and Derek didn’t feel like getting a mana
headache at this time. He came out of Void Shift and immediately pulled
out the best Mana Potion he could find and chugged it down. The potion
restored 10,000 mana, which was two-thirds of his MP.
Derek saw Edgar reform his body and stop in midair. He gave Derek a
stunned and incredulous look. Derek saluted and entered Void Shift once
again. Yeah… he was going to get there first.
Derek moved quickly through the void, gradually getting more and
more of a lead on Edgar. He was shocked at how fast the prince moved as
lightning. Derek was still faster, though, even if he had to drink thousands,
if not tens of thousands, of gold worth of potions. It didn’t matter to
him… Still faster, he thought, smugly.
Soon, Derek arrived a good distance away from what seemed to be a
giant black dome around an area. That looks like the perfect place for some
showdown between good and evil. If he was a betting man, which he was
depending on the circumstances, he would say that was where Gerald was.
As he got closer, he realized that he really couldn’t see through it. It was
just… black. Currently, there were a bunch of onlookers gathered a good
distance away from the dome, watching it closely. Nobody seemed keen on
getting any closer.
 Derek didn’t mind them as he exited Void Shift and landed just in front
of the dome. He waited for a handful of seconds until a ball of lightning hit
the ground beside him, then turned into a man.
“Must be the Shadow Witch,” Edgar said as he drank a Mana Potion.
“Yup,” Derek said as he uncorked another Mana Potion and drained it.
He turned his head toward Edgar and smiled. “I won.”
“What?”
“You said you weren’t going to wait for me, but I beat you here. I won,”
Derek said.
Edgar rolled his eyes. “How was I supposed to know you had some
weird fucking teleportation type of ability?”
Derek shrugged and looked back at the dark dome. “Should we make
our entrance?”
Edgar nodded.
“Okay.” Derek placed his hand on the dome but nothing happened. The
dome was physical, and it moved with his hand, but he couldn’t push
through it. He punched it a couple of times, but nothing happened. Just
when he was getting ready to move through the void and just appear on the
other side, Edgar spoke up.
“Let me.”
The prince stepped forward and placed his palm on the dome. From
there, he closed his eyes and began channeling his aura. It was damn near
the strongest aura Derek had ever felt. Derek couldn’t help but be impressed
by the prince over and over.
Soon, the prince’s white hair fluttered and rose into the air. His body
began projecting sparks of electricity. Then, all the lightning flowing
through the man’s body converged onto the palm of the hand touching the
dome.

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 52 HOLDING ON

A very bounced back and forth between opponents, not caring who he
attacked as long as he could get in some damage. The mental fatigue
of keeping all his buffs up was starting to weigh on him. It was
getting pretty bad.
Fortunately, his high endurance made for excellent defense. That, plus
the armor he was wearing, which didn’t look like much because of how
light it was, made it much harder for any attack that landed on him to leave
more than a scratch.
He remembered the feeling and breakdown of his body when his
endurance hit 1500, and it was one of the worst things he had ever
experienced. The itching, the shattering of bone, and the feeling that he was
being torn apart from the inside were things he never wanted to experience
again. Well, he wouldn’t mind if it came with the same upgrade in power
that he received before.
Another shadow fell on his arm as he stabbed one of his daggers at the
plant user. The dagger was blocked once again, but the shadow left nothing
but a light scratch on Avery’s arm. From what he could tell of the fight and
his opponents, he would be able to last a few more minutes as long as he
wasn’t bound by the plant user’s vines. Which is why he focused most of
his efforts on avoiding them.
This time, the shadow that hit him left more than a small scratch. The
shadow was thicker and wasn’t transparent at all, unlike the previous
attacks by the Shadow Witch. Looks like she’s finally getting serious. Avery
sighed and made a mental note to avoid getting hit squarely by one of her
shadows. Within seconds, his wound began closing as he dodged more
incoming attacks.
During his short battle with the four enemies, Avery had already ranked
them by how difficult they were for him to deal with. Coming in at number
one was the Shadow Witch, of course. She was definitely one of the
strongest opponents he’d ever fought, though he believed he could take her
if he didn’t have to worry about anyone else.
Which led to number two on his difficulty chart—the plant user. Avery
didn’t know what kind of skill the spores or pollen the plant user used were,
but it was still active after all this time. It was honestly really annoying and
seemed to get stronger as time went by. After this long, even with his
mental fatigue, he shouldn’t be making the small mistakes he did.
Therefore, his only conclusion was that it was part of the plant user’s skill.
Surprisingly, after the short amount of time, Avery actually put Gerald’s
threat level above that of Cliff’s. Not because Gerald was stronger, but
because he was much more cunning. Cliff was very straightforward with his
attacks and didn’t seem to have too much practical experience. Gerald, on
the other hand, avoided the battle and watched, giving commands here and
there.
“Enough!” Gerald shouted. “Cliff. Do it.”
Cliff nodded slowly, then reached down and placed his hand on the
ground below. Suddenly, the ground shook. The Shadow Witch flew into
the air with her shadows, and the plant user jabbed his vines into the
ground, lifting himself up in the process. A small pillar of stone rose
underneath Gerald and Cliff.
As for the rest of the ground, the ground Avery was standing on, it
slowly turned to quicksand. Fuck! Avery inwardly cursed. I would end up
fighting an entire team of people with skills that slow me down. As he
flipped away, Avery took another Stamina Potion out of his ring and
drained it. He was actually worried about running low, especially now that
the ground was turning into quicksand.
The quicksand meant he would have to activate yet another skill,
draining even more of his Stamina in the process. Currently, all the buffs he
was using were already expending his Stamina like crazy. Now, he had to
use Physical Repulsion, which would drain his pool even faster.
Avery sighed and activated the skill. A gray aura gathered around the
soles of his feet and projected itself an inch or so outward. The skill allowed
him to step close to any physical object without actually touching or
disturbing it. It was a skill that, if pushed far enough, would let him even
use particles in the air as stepping stones. It was his only way to fight in the
air.
So, the skill was also the perfect counter for something like Cliff’s
quicksand. Like that, Avery kept battling like nothing ever happened. In
fact, because of how Cliff’s skill worked, his enemies all spread out a bit,
allowing Avery to focus more on individuals.
Unfortunately, Avery’s relief was short-lived as Gerald ruined his plans.
“Vanessa!” Gerald yelled for the Vice Leader of the Assassin’s Guild to
get her attention. “Fly me out of here.”
The Shadow Witch clicked her tongue. “Fine.”
Avery’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as he heard the plan. If
Gerald abandoned all his colleagues and escaped, it would mean he failed
the mission given to him by Alanah. That, and just the thought of letting
Gerald go left a bad taste in his mouth.
In an instant, Avery changed his target. The most mobile person in the
entire area was the Shadow Witch. If she chose to escape, there was nothing
he or Edward would have been able to do. Well, Avery could keep up with
her, but he doubted he could do more than that.
So, if she picked Gerald up and left, Avery would have no choice but
chase after them, leaving both Cliff and the unknown plant user free to
escape or even finish off the crown prince. Therefore, his decision was to
target the Shadow Witch and to do so in the air. Avery apologized to his
Stamina as, along with Physical Repulsion, he used Burst Step back-to-
back.
In an instant, just before the Shadow Witch’s shadow wrapped itself
around Gerald, Avery was above her. With as much force as he could
muster, and hopefully before she could block or turn her body intangible
with her shadows, he flipped in the air and used another Burst Step to
launch himself at the woman.
Sure enough, she wasn’t expecting his all-out attack. Avery wasn’t
messing around. He aimed to end her, the Vice Leader of the Assassin’s
Guild, in one strike from above while she was distracted. Fortunately for
her, she didn’t become the Vice Leader for no reason. At the last moment,
she saw the attack and shifted her body.
 She did a half-flip backwards, just moving her head and heart out of the
way of the attack. Avery’s attack landed just under her chest, on her left
side. His dagger penetrated first, but that wasn’t all. With his momentum,
his hand followed. Following the puncture caused by his dagger, his fist
penetrated through her abdomen and out her back.
Then, along with his attack, the two shot like a cannon toward the
ground—the ground covered in quicksand. Just before they hit, Avery
moved his repulsion to his hands. He pulled his arm out of the Shadow
Witch’s abdomen and used his repulsion to flip himself back upright before
moving it back to his feet.
He looked down to see the woman halfway sunk into the sand. It was a
hell of a hit to take. It would take a minute for her to recover.
Avery saw his stamina dangerously low after the rapid uses of his skills
and summoned another potion out of his storage ring. He uncorked the vial
and went to drink it, but as he was moving his arm, it stopped.
He looked down to see a small, thread-sized length of shadow wrapped
around his forearm. Then, the shadow began growing rapidly. He traced the
shadow all the way to the half-buried Shadow Witch and sighed. He quickly
flicked the vial from one hand to another and drank it.
“Stop the fucking quicksand!” the Shadow Witch shouted. “I got him.”
The quicksand quickly lost its magic, and the shadow user dug herself
out. She looked rough. A giant hole that everyone could see through
appeared in her abdomen, and blood dripped from her mouth as she spoke.
“Get him!” she shouted at the plant user.
Avery tried to escape the shadow, but a vine quickly wrapped around his
foot and made its way up his leg. Soon, his entire lower body was wrapped
up in vines, and his upper body was wrapped in shadows. He smiled bitterly
as he was dragged to the ground.
“Fuckin’… hard to kill… piece of…” The Shadow Witch muttered
incoherently under her breath as she took a health potion out of her storage
and drank it. The hole in her abdomen healed slowly before everyone.
Gerald hopped down from his pillar and walked close to Avery.
“That’s what you get,” he spat. “Thinking you could go up against me…
and alone at that.” Gerald’s glove-covered fist flew at Avery and hit him in
the cheek.
It didn’t hurt at all… It wouldn’t even leave a bruise. Avery laughed.
“You’re so fuckin’ weak.”
 “Is that right?” Gerald slapped him. “I may be weak, but you’re going to
die.”
Avery stared fiercely into the man’s eyes, then looked over his shoulder
and smiled even wider. His vision, enhanced by all his buffs, including
Eagle Eye, caught sight of the edge of the shadow dome and looked
somewhat through it.
There, he saw two unrecognizable figures standing just beyond the
dome. “No… I don’t think I will. In fact, I think I did my job perfectly,” he
said as he saw a small opening being torn in the shadow by sparks of
electricity.

The electricity poured out of his hand and into the dome, eating away at it
as it passed through. A small hole opened up before becoming bigger and
bigger. Soon after, it was big enough for the duo to step through and see
what was inside.
The pair walked forward, and the electricity faded out of existence,
allowing the dome to close behind them. Derek inspected the scene before
him to get a good idea of what had happened.
The first person he saw was the crown prince lying on the ground with
blood flowing from where his arms used to be. He was in bad shape, but
Derek knew if he had enough vitality, he would survive the current blood
loss.
Then, in the distance, was a group of five people. There was a pale
woman in a black robe standing while clutching her abdomen while some
blood was rolling down her chin. Then, there was a figure standing in some
of the most ridiculously gaudy armor that Derek had ever seen.
In front of the armored person, who Derek could only assume was
Gerald because he seemed to have the same taste in armor as Clay had, was
a man wrapped from the waist down in vines and from the waist to his
shoulders in some black substance, which Derek guessed was shadows
considering they were going against someone called the Shadow Witch.
The man was dressed in a loose-fitting tunic and pants and had medium-
length brown hair that was a mess. His clothing was the same colors as the
Crown Restaurant’s. The man’s nose had a slight break to it, but otherwise,
he could only be described as handsome. Derek instantly thought of Avery.
 Then, looking on at the scene, were two more people. One, a half-elf
controlling the vines that wrapped around Avery, and another, a near giant
of a man, also wearing heavy plate armor, but his was nowhere near as
flashy as what Gerald was wearing.
“So…” Derek said to Edgar. “What’s the plan?”
Edgar didn’t answer him, though. He was busy staring at his brother
lying on the ground. Edgar instantly shot forward like a bolt of lightning
and was next to Edward. He kneeled down and grasped Edward in his arms.
Derek ran forward to catch up.
“Who did this?” Derek heard Edgar ask as he made his way to the
brothers.
“The Shadow Witch,” Edward replied and nodded his head toward the
pale woman in the black robe. “But she’s strong… really strong.”
Edgar seemed to not care about Edward’s words as he force-fed him a
Health Potion and laid him back down. He stood up and glared daggers at
the Vice Leader of the Assassin’s Guild. At that time, Derek arrived by his
side.
“So, what’s the plan?” Derek asked again.
“I’m going to take out the Shadow Bitch.” Edgar pointed at the woman,
then said in a low tone, “Don’t kill Gerald or Cliff. I don’t care about the
other one.”
Derek stared at Edgar. “Shadow Bitch? Really? You can do better than
that.” He shook his head. “Fine, I guess we can make this fight an even
three-on-three.”
Edgar frowned. “What?”
Derek didn’t answer. Only a few people other than Edgar had ever seen
him use Void Shift. At that moment, he revealed it to everyone under the
dome, and that wasn’t all he planned to reveal. His priority was to not let
Gerald Torith escape. If he could catch him now, he wouldn’t have to worry
about looking over his shoulder because of the man. Plus, he could rest
easy, knowing his group would also be safe.
Immediately, Derek moved toward Gerald while in the void. His
enemies were all near frozen, all displaying various emotions as they
looked on and listened to Derek and Edgar. But the Shadow Witch was
quick.
As Derek moved through the void, her eyes tracked him, and her body
moved, too. Not as fast as Edgar or as easily as Alanah, but she was the real
deal. It didn’t matter to Derek, though. Edgar said he would deal with the
woman, and after feeling his aura earlier, he had faith in the man. Edgar
must have noticed what was happening, too, because as soon as the woman
began moving, he moved as well.
Derek shifted out of the void the moment he was between Avery and
Gerald. As soon as he had full control of his body again, he channeled the
void into his fist and used Multi-Strike as he threw a short, compact punch
right into Gerald’s armor-covered gut.
His fist landed on the armor, and a dull ring sounded out. Everyone
looked down at Derek’s fist. Nothing happened. Gerald even cracked a
smile.
“Is that it?” The man taunted.
Derek just grinned. His void punch seemed to have that same delayed
effect on everything he hit with it. Derek only hoped that using Multi-Strike
with it this time wasn’t going to be too much for the former advisor to live
through. They said he had a ton of vitality, so he should be fine… he hoped.
Then, after a couple of seconds, Gerald doubled over, and it seemed that
a waterfall of crimson flooded out of his mouth. The man then fell to his
knees and continued vomiting.
While everyone was stunned, Derek showed off his next trick. Faster
than ever before, he ripped the void to the side of him open and pushed
open a door. He grabbed the injured Gerald by the back of his neck and
tossed him inside. Quickly, he pulled the door shut and closed the void. It
was almost like there was never anything there.
Derek looked around. “What? I told you all that this was going to be a
fair fight. Three on three… that’s what I said.”
He looked over his shoulder at Edgar, who was one of the only ones
who hadn’t been shocked silent. The man had triggered his movement
ability just behind Derek and moved between him and the Shadow Witch,
blocking her from stopping whatever Derek planned on doing.
The two remaining enemies chose that moment to react. Vines shot up
and wrapped around Derek’s lower body, and sharp spikes of stones hurled
through the air at him. Derek knew making his move would leave him wide
open to attacks, but he trusted in his endurance and vitality.
However, Derek was not strong enough to break the grasp of the vines
yet. He made a mental note to work on that and to watch out for crowd-
control skills in future battles.
 He wasn’t worried, though, because the instant that Edgar began his
battle with the Shadow Witch, she had to break her hold on Avery. The man
may have had trouble with the shadows holding him in place, but as soon as
they were gone, his daggers made short work of the vines.
Derek allowed the spikes to hit him, choosing only to cover his face and
chest with his arms. He wanted to protect his vitals just in case the attack
was stronger than it seemed. It wasn’t.
In a flash, Avery was in front of Derek and the vines holding him in
place were destroyed. Derek smiled at Avery and nodded. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” the man said. “I’ll take care of the half-elf.” He flashed
away and began his assault on the plant user.
Derek nodded and focused on the earth user. “Looks like it’s you and
me, big guy.”

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 53 SOLVING A PROBLEM

T he earth user clenched his fists and growled. “What did you do to
Gerald?”
“Oh, if you want him back, all you have to do is beat me.” Derek
stepped forward. The second his foot touched the ground, spikes shot up
from below him. They tore through the soles of Derek’s shoes but weren’t
even strong enough to make his feet bleed. “That tickled.” He smiled.
Inwardly, he was fuming. Now I got to get another fucking pair of shoes.
Luckily, good shoes weren’t as hard for him to find as good pants or shirts.
As long as the boots were comfortable, he didn’t care how they looked.
The man stomped on the ground, and the sand beneath Derek began
flowing. Ah, so he can turn this sand into a quicksand of some sort. Derek
began sinking into the ground. He thought about his skills… I’m sure
Absolute Nullify would make quick work of this, but I’ll just go with the
classics.
He shifted into the void and pulled himself out of the sand. Then, he
moved to behind the earth user and canceled his skill, causing him to shift
back into reality and out of the void. With the void flowing through his left
hand, he tapped the man on the shoulder with his right. When the man
turned, Derek let his fist fly.
When he was aiming not to kill, the stomach was the perfect place for
his void-covered fist to land. If he hit the right spot, there weren’t any major
vital organs he had to worry about destroying. This, in turn, allowed Derek
to strike without worrying about an instant kill.
Overall, his strikes weren’t much stronger than they were when he
sparred against Shae, but his opponent was tougher and had better defenses
than the Savannah Adventurer’s Guild Master. Derek’s Multi-Strike was
still on cooldown, so he waited to see what kind of damage a single void
fist would cause.
Apparently, not a lot. It was enough to cause Cliff to groan and let out a
cough, but not much more than that. When the strike landed on Gerald, it
was stacked four times with Derek’s newly increased level in Multi-Strike.
Plus, while Gerald’s vitality may have been high, Derek was unsure if his
endurance was better than Cliff’s.
Derek’s next strike flew at Cliff once again. This time, he wasn’t taken
by surprise, and a thin layer of sand formed in front of Derek’s fist and
blocked the attack. Well, that was the thing about Derek’s void-enhanced
strikes. Even when you blocked them, you really didn’t.
A second passed after Derek pulled his fist back, and the man let out
another grunt. Derek smiled. If Cliff wanted to block his strikes, he would
have to do more than a small layer of sand.

As Derek was fighting the heir to House Aarden, Avery was bored. The
plant user was awful in a one-on-one battle, especially against someone like
him. The half-elf was currently planted face-first into the ground,
unconscious.
Avery was standing next to Edward, feeding the crown prince Health
Potions and reattaching the man’s arms. The rogue really wanted to fight
against the Shadow Witch, but it seemed Edgar had a bone to pick with her.
He understood it, as seeing your brother in such a helpless situation would
cause any person to react that way.
Once Edward was taken care of, Avery went over to the others, who
were all caught up in the initial ambush by Gerald’s team. He sighed, as all
but one was dead, and the other didn’t have much time left in his dying
state.
Avery took a scroll out of his storage and channeled mana into it,
bringing the guard out of the dying state. Edward, now with both arms,
soon walked over to Avery and the other man. The other man was now
unconscious and no longer in danger.
“Thank you for that. And for coming here,” Edward said as he
approached.
Avery nodded. “Of course. My lady asked me to come, so I did. Plus,
that first shot with my bow felt good… really good.” He smiled. It was a
memory he would cherish. Even so, he thought he went overboard at first
and killed the man in one shot. He was happy when he stood.
“Come on, I don’t want to be too far away from that elf when he wakes
up,” Avery said as he led Edward, who was now carrying the unconscious
guard, back to where he had deposited the plant user.
“Should we help them?” Edward asked.
Avery scoffed. “Do they look like they need help?”
Derek, that madman, was toying with Cliff. Derek didn’t even try to
dodge a single attack from the man. He just took it and punched back with a
fist covered in a purple glow. Then, every time the man’s fist landed, there
was a delay before Cliff staggered back or coughed blood. If Avery didn’t
know any better, he would say that Derek was beginning to look irritated.
“I guess not…” Edward muttered.
After arriving back at the body of the unconscious plant user, Avery sat
down and began picking at his fingernails with his dagger. Derek’s fight
with Cliff was boring, so he shifted his attention. The real battle was taking
place in the air sky above them.
The sky below the shadow dome lit up with each collision of lightning
against shadow as Edgar shot himself into the Shadow Witch. His lightning
didn’t seem to work as well against the shadows as light would, but as
Edgar collided with her, the shadows gradually began to become more and
more transparent.
The second prince wouldn’t allow the woman to heal up or use any kind
of potion. He stayed next to her the entire fight. He had actually zapped
multiple attempts of her trying to use a Mana Potion. That, plus the fact that
the woman still hadn’t healed completely from Avery’s final attack against
her, made the fight even more in Edgar’s favor.
At that moment, Avery heard a loud groan, then a crash. He moved his
gaze from the battle above back to Derek and Cliff. Derek was standing
over Cliff’s unconscious body, a pool of blood pouring out of the heir’s
mouth.

Derek kicked the man onto his back and force-fed him a Health Potion.
Then he looked up and around, spotting Edward and Avery off to the side.
Derek grabbed Cliff by his right pauldron and dragged him over to the rest
of the group.
“Took you long enough,” Avery said.
 Derek tossed the man next to the half-elf and sat next to Avery.
“Fucking guy wouldn’t go down. Had to wait for a skill cooldown to knock
him out. I didn’t want to hit him in a vital spot and instantly kill him. Edgar
said he was part of some big noble house, so I thought I would be political
for once.”
Avery laughed. “He is, but he’s also one of the strongest from that
house.”
“Heard that, too,” Derek said. “So, how’s Edgar doing?” He looked at
the battle in the sky. From Derek’s perspective, it didn’t look like the
second prince was going to need any help.
“He’s fine,” Avery said. “It would have been a much better fight if
Vanessa was fresh, but she was still healing up when the two of you got
here.”
Derek nodded. “You did pretty good fighting all of them like that. It
would have been a pain in the ass getting caught by shadows and vines at
the same time.”
“Yeah, I had to take the chance. Gerald was about to escape with the
Shadow Witch… I couldn’t let that happen,” Avery replied.
Derek slapped Avery on the back and focused on Edgar’s battle.

Edgar bolted forward and swung his Lightning Blade at the woman’s
shield of shadows one more time. This time, instead of stopping, it dug in
and cut the shield in half.
“Give up, you’re done,” Edgar said.
The Shadow Witch panted heavily and spat out some blood. She
grinned, revealing a bloody smile. “Come on, little prince, is that all you’ve
got?”
Edgar chuckled and shook his head. “No, actually. I’ve been holding
back quite a bit. Would you like me to show you what I’ve got?”
“How about you just let me leave here? We can forget this ever
happened. You wouldn’t want the Assassin’s Guild as an enemy, would
you?” she said.
“Oh, I don’t have to worry about that. I can guarantee this mission
wasn’t sanctioned by the guild. Even if it was, when an assassin dies on the
job, the guild doesn’t retaliate. It’s the assassin’s fault for being too weak.
Don’t think you can trick me with that,” Edgar said, then pointed at the
ground next to Avery and Derek, where his brother was sitting. “Plus,
you’re the one who hurt Edward. I can’t let you get away with that.”
The Shadow Witch clicked her tongue. “Maybe, but I didn’t kill him,
did I? In fact, I refused to kill him. Just ask that damn rogue.”
Edgar frowned but finally made up his mind. “Then, I won’t kill you.
I’ll take you back, then I’ll let someone else figure out what to do with
you.”
With that, he didn’t allow the woman to say anything else. He used
Ethereal Spark, becoming lightning once again. He zipped forward, cutting
straight through the woman’s hasty attempt at defense, then landed on her
body.
He said he wouldn’t kill her, so he didn’t. Instead of going for the heart
or brain, he kept his attack external. He dealt just enough damage to take
her out of the sky.
Like a bird with broken wings, the Shadow Witch plummeted to the
ground. When she landed, she wasn’t unconscious, just badly injured.
Edgar was standing next to the woman. He had beaten the woman to the
ground. When she landed, he flipped her over, then removed anything that
looked like it could be a storage device from her. He couldn’t have her
healing up and escaping, after all. He pocketed the items, then dragged her
to her feet by her arm.
“Come on.”

Edgar walked over to Derek and the others with the Shadow Witch in
his grasp.
“What now?” Derek asked.
“Now, we go back to Savannah,” Edgar said. “We can let everyone else
sort this out.”
Derek nodded and opened his Time Prison back up. When he opened
the door, Gerald tried to rush out but was met with a swift kick from Avery.
Derek looked over at the man.
“What? He’s fun to hit!” Avery shrugged.
Derek laughed and tossed both the earth user and the plant user inside.
Then he looked at Edgar.
“Go on.” Edgar pushed the Shadow Witch forward.
The woman sighed but walked inside. As soon as Derek closed the door,
what little was left of the shadow dome around them disappeared. He pulled
the void back together and let out a deep sigh. He could finally be done
with his Gerald problem at last.

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EPILOGUE

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SABRINA ELRAS PART II

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PRESENT-DAY KINGDOM OF CYDARIA—BEFORE
THE BATTLE WITH GERALD

S abrina and her two guards walked out of the warehouse where she had
met Gerald Torith. If she ever had to rank humans based on the ones
she met, she would rank that man as the lowest of the low. He was
greedy and manipulative, and he had no care for those of his own race. If
things worked out, she would never have to meet the man again, and that
would still not be long enough.
Luckily, her five years as an envoy had passed, and it wouldn’t be
strange for her to leave at any time. In fact, she planned on leaving earlier,
but she had met that weird man who had turned out to be onyx-ranked back
in Savannah.
She spent some extra time focusing on that man, but other than his odd
behavior, dress, and rudeness, she didn’t find much else about him. When
she found out he was a friend of Alanah Swan, she gave up looking deeper
into him. She had managed five years without running into the woman. She
would hate to mess that up this late in the game.
Fortunately, her delaying her leave because of her curiosity had paid off.
One of her servants had received a message from Gerald Torith, saying he
had important news, and she must say, after five years of information
gathering, the news she just received from the slimy man was the most
important news she’d received yet.
Sabrina had an extra pep in her step as she made her way back to the
Cydarian capital. Once she was far enough away and made sure she wasn’t
being followed, she removed her cloak and revealed her face before
continuing. They didn’t rush; they moved at a slow, natural pace. Today was
a great day. She was going to complete her mission soon. She would finally
be able to see her family and kingdom again, and she did it all without
being found out.
She even gave the human guard an uncharacteristic smile as she and her
guard reentered the city. It was enough to cause the guard to blush. Happily,
she and the two guards made their way to the Teleportation Building. She’d
had all the relevant paperwork finished for some time, and all she had to do
was hand it in, and she could be sent to the border.
 From there, it was a few days’ journey to an Indrian city with a
teleporter. Within a week, she would be back home. She couldn’t wait.
As the trio approached the Teleportation Building, she noticed a
commotion up ahead. Two men, who she recognized, rushed out of the
building. One was Derek Hunt, the subject of her recent interest and
fascination, and the other was Prince Edgar. They made for an appealing
duo.
She had no clue what they were doing. She stepped forward to get a
closer look, but before she even realized it, they were gone. Prince Edward
disappeared in a bright flash, and Derek Hunt just disappeared. She stared
at where they used to be standing, slack-jawed.
Now, she was in a predicament. Did she enter the Teleportation
Building and make her way home, or should she wait around and try to find
out what was going on? The information she currently had was more than
enough to call her mission successful.
After thinking, she decided to leave. Derek Hunt and Prince Edgar had
caused so much commotion already that gossip would surely spread.
Whatever happened would surely be gossiped about soon—and not secretly
either. She entered the Teleportation Building with her two lackeys.
“Good evening, Miss Elras,” the elf at the front desk greeted her. He
was one of the only workers she enjoyed talking to. He was full-blooded,
and he always talked to her with respect. “How may I help the envoy
today?”
Sabrina flashed the man a bright smile. “I’m finally going home.” She
summoned her papers and handed them to the man.
“Has it been five years already?” the man asked.
She nodded. “It has. Actually, it’s been a little over.”
“You must be excited, then.”
“Very much so,” Sabrina confirmed. “I’ll finally be able to see my
family again. Letters and missives are no substitute for the real thing.”
“I understand that,” the clerk said as he read through her papers.
“Everything seems to be in order. If you will please follow me.”
Sabrina followed the elven clerk through the Teleportation Building,
asking about what she had seen along the way.
“Was that Prince Edgar I saw before I came in? He seemed to be in
quite a rush,” she said.
 “It was. He and his companion appeared to be in quite the hurry. I have
no clue as to why, though,” the worker said. “However, not long before
those two arrived, the crown prince and his guards arrived, too. They were
also in a rush. Something big must have gone down.”
“I hope everyone’s okay,” Sabrina said.
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” the elven clerk said. Soon after, they
arrived at a teleportation circle. “Here we are. Step in and we will get the
three of you on your way back home.”
“Thank you.” Sabrina and her two guards stepped inside the
teleportation circle and waited for the clerk to activate it.
“Now, I’m sure you already know this, but you will be teleported
directly to Fort Belaris. It is the closest circle to the border between Cydaria
and Indria. Once there, you will be escorted outside the fort and to the
border. From there, the journey is in your hands. I hope you’ve had a great
time in Cydaria, milady,” the clerk said.
“It was a pleasure,” she replied.
Not long after, she and her guards were teleported to the fort, and within
a couple hours, she was standing on Indrian soil for the first time in five
years.
Just over the border, there was a group of escorts waiting for her arrival
back to Indria. They had been stationed there, waiting for her arrival for
months, so when they saw her, there was a bit of a celebration.
The journey from the border to a teleportation circle wasn’t short, but
Sabrina didn’t complain once. She was just happy to be going home. After a
few days, she arrived at a city, then immediately chose to teleport directly to
the capital.

The second she stepped outside in the capital, she took a deep breath in.
No longer did the air reek of filth and garbage. No, it was the sweet smell of
nature. Indria’s cities were built much the same as Cydaria, but for one
glaring difference: the care taken.
The buildings were made with the best woods available, instead of the
stone buildings most humans opted for. Each building was decorated with
vines and flowers, all giving off pleasant smells. Every city had positions
available for cleaners. There were no slums in Indria, at least not in the
same sense as the ones in Cydaria. Of course, there were many more cities
spread out through Indria, and the population was much less than those in
Cydaria.
After taking a moment to bask in the floral smells of the city, Sabrina
moved directly toward her own home. She needed to report to the palace,
but there was no way she was going to stand in front of the king wearing
the same clothing as she had traveled in.
The gate guards at her residence immediately recognized and greeted
her. She exchanged some pleasantries but rapidly moved through the
courtyard and gardens to her home. Inside, she was met by her mother, who
was a force to be reckoned with.
“Oh! Sabrina! You’re back. I’m so happy.” She rushed forward and
scooped Sabrina into a giant embrace.
“I’m happy to finally be home, Mother,” Sabrina said, holding back
tears. “Unfortunately, I can only stay here long enough to clean myself. I
must report to the palace posthaste.”
“Oh?” Her mother put her at arm’s length to examine her. “I see. You
must dress properly if you are to visit the palace. Come, come.” Her mother
led her to the baths to have a proper cleaning.
It was the first real bath Sabrina had in five years. Unfortunately, she
was on a time crunch and was unable to enjoy it. Tomorrow… she said to
herself.
“Your father is already at the palace. I have sent word that you have
come home. He will meet you there.” Her mother ushered her back out of
their house. “Go. You mustn’t keep the king waiting.”

Before long, she was with her father, waiting to be summoned by the
king. She was more nervous this time than she was the first.
“You may go in.” A servant called for her. “Just the girl.” He stopped
her father from going into the Throne Room with her.
She understood. This was a private mission. Her father hadn’t known
about it, at least, she hadn’t told him about it before she left. Whether the
king had informed his brother, she didn’t know.
She walked into the Throne Room to the same scene as five years ago.
The king sat alone in the room, on his throne, looking not a day older than
when they last met.
Sabrina walked closer and bowed. “Your Majesty.”
 “My niece. It has been five years since you left as an envoy. I trust you
had a pleasant time in the kingdom of Cydaria,” the king greeted her.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The king motioned for Sabrina to walk closer, and just as she had the
last time, she did. Then he erected a soundproof barrier over them.
“Tell me, Sabrina. Did you learn of anything important over the last five
years? Anything not safe for communication crystals or our other spies?”
the king asked.
“I have learned much. As for the usefulness of what I have learned, that
can only be determined by Your Majesty,” she replied.
“Then let us begin.”
Sabrina took in a deep breath and began pouring out all information she
learned, down to the tiniest detail. She told the king of which nobles were
loyal to the royal family and which were unsatisfied. Which wanted a new
regime and which could be bought. She had information on guards from the
different cities and as much military information as she could gather.
She had compiled a list of all the strongest people in Cydaria, both
known and unknown to most. In fact, just recently, she added another name
to that list. The king and Sabrina spent hours going over every last detail.
By the end of her report, her king might have known more about most of
the dungeons in Cydaria than Cydaria’s own king.
Finally, she moved on to the final report she received from Gerald
Torith, the man who had provided the majority of the information she had
gathered in the first place before she left.
“And after the auction, the kingdom has decided to send a number of
high-level personnel into this dungeon. This is a list and known levels of
the current members of the team.” She handed the king a list of names.
“Interesting,” the king commented as he looked over the list. “Though
there seems to be a few names missing.”
“That is correct,” she replied. “When I received the list, Prince Edgar
had yet to decide on the final members of the raid party. I suspect the
undecided members will be even stronger than those currently listed.”
“I see,” the king looked up at Sabrina and smiled. “You have done
well.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“You have even gathered a small amount of information that I did not
have before. That is remarkable, indeed.”
 Sabrina froze. Was the king saying he already had all this information?
“Relax, girl,” he smiled. “This was a test. It proved your loyalty and
capabilities. From what our other spies gather, other than a single
occurrence, no suspicion was even cast upon you, and you played your role
as an envoy well. For that, you have done admirably.”
“A single occurrence?” she asked.
“This Derek Hunt. He seemed to take a small interest in you before
forgetting about it. Nothing you didn’t already know or report. He is a bit of
an enigma, though. He came out of nowhere, then was in business with the
Crown Restaurant and Alanah Swan. It’s fascinating.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Also, you have gathered the information about the new dungeon and
the team before any of my other spies. For that, you will be properly
rewarded,” the king said.
“I do not need any rewards, Your Majesty,” she replied.
“Yet you will have them,” he said. The king then snapped his fingers,
and the barrier broke. “You may now leave. You will stay in the palace
tonight. Please send your father in behind you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” She turned to go, then remembered the necklace.
She made to remove it but was interrupted.
“Keep it. Think of it as part of your reward. It is a valuable thing. You
may have use for it in the future.” He motioned for her to continue.
Sabrina left the Throne Room. She wasn’t sure what to think about
everything that had transpired. The king had already known everything she
told him, other than small tidbits about servants and such. Other than the
dungeon information, she had provided him with what? The favorite color
of the second daughter of House Aarden.
Of course, he already knew everything. He was the king of an entire
country. He had spies much more capable than a young elf like her. What
was the point of this all? Why had she spent five years of her life doing
that? She thought of countless questions as she found her father and
directed him to the Throne Room.

Back in the Throne Room, King Osian Elras sat on his throne in
contemplation. The information the girl arrived with was new and more
important than she had believed. He stared at the paper with the list of
names.
 “If this many powerful people will be away from Cydaria for at least
three years, how much will their military force be weakened?” While he
was deep in thought, his brother walked into the hall. “Brother!” he greeted.
“Come, sit. Have a drink. We must toast to your daughter’s competence.
She has done the kingdom a great service.” King Osian stood from his
throne and placed a table and chairs down in the room.
“I knew she would,” his brother said as he moved closer. “She has the
mind for it. And at her next class change, she should also have the skills for
it.” He took one of the chairs and sat. “She need only stop thinking about
marriage. She is much too young to worry about that.”
“Mhm… But weren’t you her age when you met your wife?” the king
asked as he took out some wine and poured drinks. If anyone other than his
brother had seen him doing this, they would be shocked and appalled.
“I am not her,” his brother said.
“That is true.” King Osian tipped his cup forward. “To Sabrina Elras.
For not being as incompetent as my little brother.”
His brother snorted. “She takes after her mother.”
The two brothers had a good laugh at that before King Osian got serious
once again. He erected a soundproof barrier over them.
“Oh?” his brother said.
“We have much to discuss. Your daughter really did bring me
interesting news this time,” King Osian said.
“And what news did she bring?”
“I think”—King Osian took a sip of wine—“it is time.”

The story will continue in Trials of Cydaria.

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 DEREK’S FINAL STATS

Status
Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 30
Level: 165
Experience: 649,500,625/5,025,000,000
Class: Legend of the Void (Legendary)
Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 37500
Mana: 15045
Stamina: 37500

Stats
Strength: 825
Dexterity: 825
Endurance: 1500 (???)
Vitality: 1500 (???)
Intelligence: 830
Wisdom: 1003

Stat Points Remaining: 108

Contracts
Alanah Swan (Crown Restaurant): View Contract
Silvi (Bonded Beast): View Status
Stella Brighton (Crown Restaurant): View Contract
Francesco Jaccobs (Torith Adventurer’s Guild): View Contract
Rudolph McKinney: View Contract

Skills
Absolute Nullify Lv. 11, Chain Lightning Lv. 13, Channel Void Lv.
16, Cleaning Lv. 9, Cure Toxin Lv. 4, Dismantle Lv. 12, Enhanced
Movement Speed Lv. 1, Greater Meditation Lv. 9, Heavy Weapons
Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 16, Magic Resistance Lv. 20, Multi-
Strike Lv. 10, Physical Resistance Lv. 20, Rejuvenation Lv. 14,
Sweeping Slash Lv. 19, Time Prison Lv. 4, Unarmed Combat
Mastery Lv. 14, Void Call Lv. 4, Void Sense Lv. 15, Void Shift Lv. 7,
Void Steps Lv. 13, Void Storage Lv. N/A

Skill Points Remaining: 17

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 7

Achievements
Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Dungeon Explorer, Lesser
Dungeon Traveler, Lesser Enigma, Lesser Enforcer of Oaths,
Repetitive Dungeoneer, Minor Slayer of the Unknown, Solo Diver,
Magical Glass Cannon, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer, Offensive
Powerhouse

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 THANK YOU FOR READING
SAVANNAH

W e hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.

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ALSO IN SERIES:
System Change
Torith
Savannah
Trials of Cydaria

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