MM - Chapter 150 - PUSHING FORWARD

Melani Feladay 

- Carter City -

Returning to the hotel was a mistake. Sure, a change of clothes was nice, but it wasn't worth being alone, especially after having to cross Carter City in its current state. The streets were clogged unlike she’d ever seen them. Autonomous vehicles were supposed to make traveling faster. Usually, they did, but nothing slowed down traffic like hundreds of people constantly walking through the roads.

The Notlih lobby was just as crammed. By the time Mel finally made it to her room, she was disappointed to find Celeste’s simple message, explaining it was past time she confronted her father. So, Mel had come back to eerie silence after growing accustomed to Raine's buzzing snores. Diving into ZionLine offered an escape from hotel walls devoid of personality.

The others were there, pushing their training to the next level with each passing hour. Their warmth helped Mel forget the loneliness. Raine had been spot on with his assessment of her new strength. She hadn't suddenly become faster or able to out-wrestle Fizgore; they simply couldn't hit her anymore, which, when comboed with Life Drain, meant she always came out on top after a brief struggle.

Mel herself couldn't explain what had happened. Her contract strictly forbade her from talking about it. Even if she could, she wouldn't know what to say. It was like the whole world decided to play by her rules. The trajectories of their attacks were obvious, and they moved in such slow motion that, at first, she thought they were going easy on purpose. It took all three of the core members working together to take her down now; poor Richtor's group didn't stand a chance.

Of course, ZionLine itself wasn't nearly as easy to beat. Currently, everyone was split up for their fifth attempt at the Tower of Triumph. Mel huffed, annoyed.

About the least fitting name I've ever heard. Nothing triumphy about it. More like the Tower of Come Get Yourself Brutally Killed.

Once entering the tower, there was only one way out, and it wasn't an enjoyable experience. Of all the members of Astra Infernum, Richtor's people had the hardest time psyching themselves up for each attempt. Despite Raine's harsh training, their mentalities were still weak. For Mel, the dying part wasn't too bad. Pain aside, it's what Raine told her to do. Following his directions was both natural and comforting. The thought of living up to his high expectations brought back Mel's usual smile.

The world is so much clearer, simpler, when all you have to do is what you're told.

The lights around Mel faded, revealing the sandy pit of the tower's first floor. Calling it a tower didn't make much sense either, as each ‘floor’ was another sandy arena. The intoxicating strength she received inside ZionLine left her body in a rush as her attributes plummeted to the baseline of an unclassed level fifteen. At least the weight of her equipment dropped as well, otherwise the dense, high-level materials would be impossible to move in. Unfortunately, their defensive and offensive properties declined in tandem with her attributes. The only advantage she had left was her nascent attributes, which thankfully remained unaffected.

Errant thoughts became impossible as the first foe appeared a few meters away—a man of medium height and build lacking any defining features save the gray scarf tied around the lower half of his face. He flowed toward her with martial grace, a short sword and offhand dagger leading the way. He was no faster or stronger than her, and compared to Fizgore, his combat standards were lacking.

Mel stepped to the side as he thrust the sword toward her chest. Spinning by, her long dagger slit his throat. By the time he crumpled to the sand, two more identical men appeared as the second wave began. The ten waves of the first floor offered nothing new, merely adding more and more pointy weapons trying to poke holes in her. Still, it was no wonder 95% of people didn't make it past the first floor. Facing ten trained fighters at once without any skills, abilities, or items wasn't simple.

Mel danced through her enemies, knife seeking critical gaps in their light armor to avoid needing to hit the same enemy twice. Unlike her first time here, she didn't wait for them to spawn and come at her; she moved into them, dealing death while evading their slow attacks.

The second floor’s waves were a bit more challenging. Again, it was the same nondescript men, but now they boasted attributes slightly above hers. Still, their movements were obvious and easily avoided. Her critical hits came less often, but they died all the same. The third floor was where things got interesting.

Mel arrived in the new arena, sands wiped clean of blood and footprints. She was breathing hard, eyes wide open to not miss a detail in the surroundings. The men who appeared now wore blue scarves, and their combat standards were nearly on par with Fizgore. Not only that, every other wave came with additional dog-like companions that waited on the sidelines before pouncing at the worst possible moments.

Mel didn't enjoy killing the ‘cute’ one-eyed puppies, but it was better than being ripped apart by their sharp teeth. There were no breaks between waves, stressing her attentiveness to the limit. After who knows how long, she somehow managed to clear the third floor. Mel couldn't have imagined herself doing anything like this a week ago, and she especially wouldn’t have believed it was possible to enjoy it. The challenge, the thrill of stressing her body to its limits, and the deadly consequences for failure, together, were an adrenal cocktail that was oh-so-easy to become drunk on.

Mel had so many questions about her recent experiences that she couldn’t wait to pester Raine about. Yet at that moment, panting, blood trickling down an arm, and brain alive in ways that it was never capable of before, she couldn’t find it in her to care about those pesky little details. The first arrivals of the fourth floor were greeted by a feral, bloodstained smile. This time, she would beat the last wave, joining Celeste and Fizgore on the fifth floor.

Raine KongRu

- Ruptured Chaparral -

Raine wasn’t about to fight a vomicida while taking fire from his flanks. He punched hardened air, flipping around to Lunge back the way he came. When the curvature of the giant tree they were hiding behind once more blocked their line of sight, the beasts’ minimal intelligence demanded they give chase. The instant they tried, they sent themselves tumbling through the air. Glancing back, Raine frowned.

Not so smart, then. Was that ambush a coincidence?

There was no point fighting away from the nets, so Raine circled the tree, leading the awkward beasts where he wanted them. When they neared the nets, fifteen mites burst from the ground. Using minute movements, they successfully scurried up the tree, navigating the thinned air to dive on the vomicidas from above. Multiple beams lanced out haphazardly, slicing through the encirclement and cutting two mites in half. The pests didn’t care; their single-minded determination was now merely another tool in Raine’s arsenal.

Since the first reading of Fraction of Umbra’s description, Raine had been curious if he really could charm more than one creature at a time. It turned out he very much could, though the number of links crowding his brain quickly grew confusing, limiting the total number in an organic fashion. Telling his pets to follow a leader rather than commanding them individually helped enough to reach a maximum of sixteen.

The vomicidas helped themselves to the delivered feast, spraying acid before long tongues snaked out to suck liquified innards. Raine didn’t waste the distraction, returning at maximum speed. With each mite death, the stuffy pressure in his skull faded. Discipline suffused his muscles, and Concentration the air. 

Raine reached them before the cooldown on their beams finished. Tearing through the air like a meteor, he crashed into the vomicida furthest from the group. Together, they bounced from the ground. His short flight was considerably more coordinated than his prey. Hiding behind it, Raine went to work whittling down its health. 

Big Bird arrived a moment later, silently diving from above. Predictably, his appearance caused the vomicidas to scatter. At least, that’s what they tried to do. With the thinned atmosphere, they only ended up flailing wildly: easy pickings for the colossal sparrow. Following Raine’s instructions, Big Bird landed in a gust of displaced air, then spread its wings wide, enveloping the entire area and trapping the slippery beasts against one of the trees.

While Big Bird held the vomicidas in place, Raine took them down one at a time, tossing their corpses at the nets before moving on. Within five minutes, the others joined the first. Big Bird did his best not to hurt them, yet Raine only received credit for two kills. He didn’t mind; Superiority wasn’t why he was here, and he’d already gained two levels from the endless mites.

[6 x Vomicida True Leg: (Lustrous Blue) Surely legs durable enough to carry the mighty Vomicida will have uses to the right craftsman]

[71 x Vomicida Setae: (Lustrous Blue) These hairs contain an unusual duality, being both flammable and resistant to heat]

Raine placed his new acquisitions and the corpses they came from into his inventory. While cringing at the slow progress, the messages he'd been avoiding demanded attention. Against expectations, and to Raine's vast relief, his nascent Connection didn’t increase with either level-up. Finally, it had topped out at 25. Ever since going beyond the supposed maximum of 15, each additional point added to an underlying stress that was hard for Raine to pinpoint. In a moment of epiphany, the truth dawned.

It's because the past I know hasn’t been matching up with my current experiences. Being a forerunner, the more potent dose of ReGen, developing bloodlust, the extra Connection, all symptoms of events not quite matching what I know, and all beyond my control.

Shrugging helplessly, Raine distracted himself by digesting the gains from the new levels. He added all 40 free attribute points into Acuity and then reviewed his status for the first time in several days.

[Level up! x 2]

[+40 free attributes points]

[Potency: +6]

[Finesse: +6]

[Acuity: +6]

[Physique: +6]

[Connection: +6]

NAME: Alaric

CLASS: Armsman

CRAFTING CLASS: Adept Engineer

MASTERY: 46/150

TITLE: Spearhead of Orthrus / Sky Catcher / One Man Army / Big Game Executioner

ASPECT: Greater Aspect of the Werewolf

LEVEL: 25 > 27

SUPERIORITY: 17.9M / 35M

ATTUNEMENT: 51,951%

GENERAL SKILL POINTS: 2 > 1

HEALTH POINTS: 1,420 > 2,290 (6,800)

ATTACK POWER: 211 > 412 (1,105)

DEFENSE: 147 > 229 (942)

RESISTANCE: 209 > 348 (579)

CRITICAL RATE: 50.6% (51.5%)

ELEMENTAL POWER: 278 > 464 (761)

CELESTIAL POWER: 278 > 464 (761)

DEMONIC POWER: 278 > 464 (1,289)

DISCIPLINE: 286 > 461 (1,668)

ATTACK SPEED: 3.6 (4.4)

MOVE SPEED: 12.6 > 21.1 (60.5)

POTENCY: 107 > 198 (297)

FINESSE: 106 > 193 (436)

ACUITY: 107 > 234 (204)

PHYSIQUE: 142 > 229 (342)

CONNECTION: 145 > 232 (284)

WEAPON ATTUNEMENTS:

[Fists - Beginner 196/5,000%]

[Mace - Beginner 2081/5,000%]

[Knives - Beginner 73.5/5,000%]

[Shield - Beginner 5,000/5,000%]

[Axes - Beginner 5,000/5,000%]

[Staff - Beginner 5,000/5,000%]

[Wands - Beginner 514.5/5,000%]

[Spear - Beginner 220.5/5,000%]

[Swords - Beginner 343/5,000%]

[Last Chance’s Gambit: (Lustrous Blue - LVL 23 > 27) (SP 0/35M) (AP 95 > 115) (EP 95 > 115) (AS +1.5) (FNS 31 > 39) (CNC 31 > 39) (Durability 135/135) (Innate Skill - Final Gambit: Convert 50% maximum EP into a single target non-elemental attack. 69 > 85 damage per EP converted. No cooldown)]

Hopefully, your next evolution at 30 doesn’t disappoint, old friend.

[Cassidy’s Comet: (Marvelous Gold - LVL 23 > 27) (SP 0/35M) (AP 151 > 179) (PTC 57 > 73) (PHY 57 > 73) (Durability 240/240)]

[Innate Skill 1 - PuriPuri Comet Burst: Single target physical attack dealing 1950% > 2550% physical damage and force. Ignores all defense. (Skill name must be shouted to activate) (Cost: 20 Discipline) (Cooldown: 4.5 > 3.5 minutes)]

[Innate Skill 2 - PuriPuri Rainbow Release: 11.1 > 11.9-meter circular ground-based AOE dealing 975% > 1275% damage with 1950% > 2550% bonus force and lift. Ignores all defense. (Skill name must be shouted to activate) (Cost: 39 > 31 of highest resource) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

There was nothing that needed to be said about Cassidy’s Comet. With its ability to ignore defenses, Raine doubted it would be replaced as his best weapon until he reached 75 and could finally use the scyth—Khoran's Judgement.

Sighing wistfully, Raine glanced at Big Bird, mentally directing him back to the canopy.

Let’s see, 3 PM outside. Gotta finish by 6 AM. 27 hours tops to get 100 legs. No way I finish in time if I don’t pick up the pace. 

Hmm. If they’re a hive mind, doesn’t that mean they have a hive?

With the beginnings of a plan taking shape, Raine packed up what was left of his nets. It was time to move deeper into the Ruptured Chaparral.