Chapter 327 - You Cannot Hide From Me (Patreon)

Viers was looking at Farley’s sleeping face. After months of her soul adjusting to her new body, she would soon awaken.

It feels like she has been gone for a long time. Come to think of it, she and I have known each other since Luxore town… The town of beginnings for me.

Viers closed his eyes, reminiscing about the past three years he’d been in this world.

***

The season of spring had come and gone. Viers was now 18 and he had the cultivation level of Level 3 high. Most people would have hailed Viers as a prodigy but Viers knew the limit of the sky was still far above and didn't even feel the need to be big-headed about his current progress.

Although, with how closely he guarded his secrets, almost no people knew about it anyway. Viers’ social circle was very pathetic, almost saddening.

He was still far from peak or Level 4 breakthrough but he focused on shoring up his other aspects. All the Nutra and resources he had were put to good use.

Since Jessica’s departure, while Viers stayed in Ebon Wall City, he remained hidden in the shadows. One day, he met a man, on the street leading to Ebon Wall, who was in bad shape. Viers decided to aid him since he sensed he was a fellow soul Pathseeker, weak and nothing overly special though.

The man was thankful, and after Viers allowed the man to sense his soul affinity, the man opened up a little.

“The Coalition is a bad place for us soul users to be in right now. The Church is on a witch hunt for us, combing cities and towns in a very thorough manner. All because of some bastard named Tanael.”

Viers almost laughed.

Not all soul Pathseeker were bad. When the Church found them, if they didn't do anything wrong, the Church wouldn’t do anything to them. Therefore it was bad news only for the evil-aligned. For example, Viers the rogue, and a cultist like this man. Viers found out using his soul search. He even found out which cult the man was from.

Green Scorpion Fajrin. I’ve met your junior.

The Church’s search for Tanael overturned a lot of things, such as criminal organizations and hidden cult cells. Naturally, the Church purged all that they found. The Coalition was being cleansed with purifying fire. Its underworld was undergoing massive upheaval. The wounded man was escaping to another country and he wasn't the only one.

“Curse that Tanael, whoever that is. We all suffered because of him.”

Viers’ alias was getting hate from the righteous and demonic Pathseekers alike.

Viers and the man parted soon after, no scuffle between them. He guessed the trigger of the Church's big action must be Arsène’s massive soul collection in the lands of the Coalition. After Arsène managed to escape the Level 5 Inquisitor, the Church responded.

Unfortunately, what they were chasing was only Viers’ shadow. The man and the shadow were not even in the Coalition anymore. Plus, Viers had the ability to teleport, courtesy of Dia.

If they don't want to jail me or kill me, I’ll feel bad for them. Almost.

***

In another incident, during his monster hunt in the Carfax Peninsula, Viers encountered a unique monster.

It was a blood-red bristle worm Rank 2 monster but its strength almost rivaled a Rank 3. Viers felt a strange connection with it so he investigated it out of curiosity.

“Heeh… You’re the Blood Worm from that time.”

When Viers first landed on the Carfax Peninsula, he got attacked by a pack of Blood Worms, one of which managed to suck a lot of his blood. Viers’ blood seemed to be triggering beneficial things. This Blood Worm was highly evolved and reasonably strong.

Looking at the taken monster core in his hand, Viers saw the potential of his blood as a resource, other than for making good wine, like the one he gave to Jessica.

Nutra came from the dead tree and the mysterious being, since my body housed the same Everlife Goldbloom Flower, can it serve as a similar cultivation booster?

***

The bull-riding Level 5 didn't want to give up. He kept searching Ebon Wall City for signs of Divine power. Either he felt humiliated or was simply a persistent person, Viers couldn't say. At any rate, he was deploying more and more brazen searching methods, such as directly investigating the people that he thought could give him the answer.

The one truly able to give him the answer was chilling inside the safety of a Biome.

Such a blatant display of power was a challenge to the Level 5 responsible of this region; if one could act so disrespectfully in another’s domain, it would undermine the authority of the head, the boss of Ebon Wall City’s mayor Anderson.

Another Level 5 battle occurred suddenly in the night, not unlike the one that injured Jessica’s son. Later Viers heard it was a Latias Kingdom’s Earl against the flying bull rider.

Viers came to this place to get away from Level 5s business. With their presence so strongly felt, Viers didn't step a foot outside of his Biome. He wanted to observe how the situation would develop.

For weeks, the Ebon Wall City’s residents lived in terror. The earl didn't really care for the citizens, he cared for his reputation. As the small folk suffered, they wished for salvation.

Their prayer was answered.

What the-? Freya!?

Freya and her Level 5 mentor visited the small frontier city. The mentor displayed a show of strength that cowed the two Level 5s. It was very flashy as if loudly proclaiming the Silver Legion is here. It certainly assured the citizens.

The mentor forcefully brought the two to the negotiation table, to talk about their differences. Viers didn't know the specifics but it seemed to successfully de-escalate the situation.

Freya also did her part, leading the restoration of the city. Looking at the one who defeated him, the past filled Viers with complex emotions. She was a Level 3 peak now. Arsène didn't dare to probe further out of caution but he sensed she was stronger than Viers.

Welp, figures. Whether it was fate or coincidence, we met again in this big big world. What now?

It didn't take long for Viers to make a decision.

Normally in this sort of situation, the protagonist would have a second confrontation with the major antagonist, probably over some sort of power-giving MacGuffin.

Most likely something involving the Everlife GoldBloom Flower.

The premise was certainly there.

Viers sensed deeper mysteries in the center of the peninsula but didn't go further. During the outing, he sensed many Rank 4 monsters and even more frightening presences deeper in.

After he met with Abby and saw what she dredged up from the underground, Viers greatly suspected he would find more clues about the flower’s mysterious origin.

Viers instead decided to call it quits.

He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to rush it and end up in the Valkut situation again.

So long, Freya. Peace out.

And thus, he bravely turned his tail and fled.

***

Viers wondered what would the result be in Marakkus and Valkut if he ignored the main questline. In Valkut he might not have got a choice and had to go along for the ride as the place was sealed in a barrier but in the sin city, he chose to stay despite knowing there was a plot going on.

Even if some thought it was foolish of him.

However, he also got benefits by going into danger. In Marakkus, he got Boram and Izabella. In Valkut, stuff and experience.

This time, by not acting, Viers also turned away potential gains. Perhaps things that might be lost permanently. Some chances might never come again, no matter how long the wait. With how fateful Freya was, perhaps she would gain the opportunity that he forewent.

But that was his choice.

With how abrupt and sudden his departure was, Viers had lost contact with Abby. The reason was the two were in different dimensions and they didn't trust each other. Communication was difficult.

Thankfully I already got a lot of Nutra in the aftermath of the Incursion.

Her last contact was that she wanted handsome men.

“Pardon?” Viers said in a somewhat bewildered tone.

“You heard me. If you want more Nutra, bring me men. A woman has needs and you are not my type.”

Viers was neither insulted in the slightest, nor thought less of Abby. She did have an adult form after the Incursion.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

If Abby wanted men he would get her men. As long as he got Nutra, Viers didn't care.

But then the Level 5s arrived, followed by Freya. Viers wasn't able to fulfill her request in time. Most of the time he was in the Biome and when he tried to contact her, it failed. Must be because she closed the Dungeon. He figured the other side’s communication attempts were the same.

Viers left Ebon Wall City without telling Abby. He wondered how she was doing. He hoped she moved the Dungeon, Ebon Wall City was becoming unsafe.

Thinking back, Viers got a large amount of Nutra quite easily. It was because Abby was in a crisis back then. A mad Rank 4 dragon was released inside her body. She didn't fear a Level 5 from the outside but it was different if the threat was coming from the inside.

Even though he lost access to the Dungeon, and thus the convenient System, Viers already traded Abby the things that he was capable of purchasing. Some were special items, some were rare techniques.

His experience in the Dungeon also bore another fruit. With Arsène’s brain power combined, he managed to recreate the Dungeon’s life force absorbing feature.

He called his creation the Circle of Life formation.

When something got wounded in the formation’s radius, the formation could gather the loss of life force. Then it could be used by an individual or spread to the land to make it more prosperous. Some scholars did say mana is the same as life itself.

Viers planned to create the formation in Dia’s Biome, covering the place entirely.

The wounded didn't need to be human, all living things would do, including beasts and monsters. Once he had an entire ecosystem running, he would have a continuous supply of life force.

What a beautiful, beautiful vision. Naaaaaants ingonyama bagithi Baba~

Viers recalled the original version of the movie, not the live action one. The old one was already perfect, in his opinion.

Some things just didn't need to be made less.

As Farley stirred awake, Viers opened his eyes, focusing his mind on the task ahead.

“Good morning, Farley.”

“Hello, Lord Viers,” she smiled and tried to get up. “I-”

Viers extended his palm and Farley was forced to stay on the back once more.

“L-Lord?” Farley didn't like the look of Viers’ eyes.

“This will hurt, but bear with it.”

Farley’s heart skipped a jump and her mind was going places.

Was it time? She always thought she was ready to give herself to Viers should he wish for it. Now that she had her flesh back, was it the time?

“...Un,” she gingerly nodded and closed her eyes. “I-It’s my first time but please do as you like.”

Then the pain came. It was more than she could have ever imagined.

“Aaaaaaah! Wh-what?”

Farley opened her eyes again. She and Viers were embroiled in green fire. She tried to move but Viers held her down.

“Bear with it.”

What was Viers doing? The pain… It was too much.

With her sight blurry from the tears, she knew Viers was focusing on her face.

More specifically, her right eye.

“My old enemy. You cannot hide from me, no matter what form you choose to wear. Let your true self be revealed… Diablo!”