Chapter 368 - Looking for a fight (Patreon)

To break the silence, I ask, “Did you level your [Concentration], [Mana Manipulation], and [Kinetic Barrier]?”

“All of them! [Mana Manipulation] the most. Every day I train with the mana stones you left with me.”

“Hardworking as always, minion.”

“I need to get stronger.” Vega nods seriously.

Getting closer to the forest, I notice a bunch of kids nearby, standing behind a fence and staring at the giant black wolf. They seem to be scared but at the same time curious. Most of them are from Easy difficulty. With them, there are a few adults that don't seem any better.

Even from as far as I am, I hear one of the kids shout towards the wolf, “Nya nya nya!”

“Oliver, I told you to stop saying that!” The man, probably the boy's father, slaps the back of his head.

“You got it wrong, Oliver! You should add it only to the end of the sentence because…” even the second boy doesn't finish because the man slaps the back of his head as well.

Then we exit their reach, and I don’t hear them anymore. I turn to Vega, “Minion, did you think of saying nya at the end of the sentence? Long ago, it was some…”

“I won’t do it!”

I see. Humanity is doomed.

Lynthari and human 0, half demons 1.

“So how is it?” I ask Gareth and Tess, who are still nearby, talking to the black wolf who patiently sits there with Biscuit on his head.

“He is surprisingly nice,” Gareth says.

“We got tiny bits of information,” Tess adds.

“Anything fun?” I ask.

“As we thought, there are 14 Rulers. One for each Radiance or Blight. All of them are usually much more powerful than Absolutes, and most of them used to be Absolutes. The number seems to be limited by the system itself, and there can’t be more than one for each Radiance or Blight.”

“We expected that much, didn’t we?”

“Yes, but it’s nice to have it confirmed. What is fun is that in some very rare cases, a powerful Absolute can beat and even kill a Ruler and take his place. Sometimes getting the title of a Ruler is hereditary, the Absolute getting the ruler’s powers after a ceremony. In some cases you need to kill them or have a better handle on your Radiance or Blight, it differentiates from Ruler to Ruler.”

“That’s kind of unexpected but not that surprising if you think of it,” I say.

“Yes, it also seems like being called Absolute isn’t just for the sake of it, and some Absolutes are much more powerful than others. We tried to get more, but the system censored a lot. Floors, Rulers, Absolutes, information on future tournaments, the System, Pairing, stuff out of the tutorial.”

(It’s too early for you, human. Just trust in the system, and gradually everything will be revealed.) The black wolf snorts, his breath making the grass under him bend as if it were a strong wind.

“I don’t want to,” I tell him.

(It matters not what you want or do not want, human.)

Well, if this young wolf isn’t cheeky. Still, I wonder why someone as high-leveled as the wolf needed a master. Him becoming a disciple can mean only one thing: he was about to die. Like every other disciple, he was saved from death by being sent to the tutorial, where he became a disciple, being picked by the system because of their similarities.

“So why did you become Biscuit’s disciple?” It's simpler to just ask rather than think about it.

(Master possesses the same primordial energy I do, and even though master isn’t as high-leveled yet, his mastery over it is much greater than mine.)

Biscuit, you cool little thing.

Sensing my pride, he just woofs from atop his disciple’s head.

“How is that energy called?”

(Human, this is not the kind of information to be shared. The primordial energy I and the master possess is extremely rare, more so than the five that are usually known. You also seem to possess primordial energy, I can smell it.)

“Maybe yes, maybe not. So, is your primordial energy that powerful?”

(It’s rarer than most. As with the others, its power relies on its bearer. Human, you are indeed stupid and ill-informed. That much is basic knowledge you should already know if you reached the first tournament.)

“Sure. You said your predecessor was an ancient wolf devouring planets. Was he a Ruler?”

(My predecessor was the first in our line to possess the primordial energy I and the master share. He was one of the most powerful Absolutes to ever live, human. Even some Rulers shook in fear in front of his blinding power!)

The wolf seems simple. He likes to trash-talk, but he is weirdly naive and likes to show off. From some point of view, he might even feel similar in age to Vega. That reminds me that I have promised something to my minion.

“Biscuit, can my minion pet your disciple?”

(I will not be pet by one of those crazed demons!)

(Food.)

“Of course, I will. I’m sure we will find more deer sooner or later.”

(Food!)

“Thank you.”

As I pick up Vega to boost ourselves onto the wolf’s head, I hear Gareth, “Sset, am I the only one who is taking this seriously?”

Landing on the top of the giant wolf’s head, I reach Biscuit and put Vega down. My minion quickly gets on her knees, burrowing her hands into the thick fur of the black wolf. From the way she is smiling, I guess she came to like petting dangerous animals after the experience with Ashenwolf. Nice, another person converted.

Meanwhile, Biscuit’s disciple is suspiciously quiet, and for some reason, I find it funny. It’s akin to teasing a little kid.

I sit down on his head as well, and Biscuit floats closer to my legs where I start petting him.

After the end of the 5th Floor, having my duplicate die, and seeing Nevan giving up, it feels nice to have this kind of place to relax and spend at least a week in a safe place. Maybe it is all the intention of the system, letting people unwind after meeting other people from Earth and having some fun before being thrown back to the floors. Just a week of that.

From my previous conversations with others, I find that most of the people from other difficulties aren’t that hostile or untrusting. Everyone here is going through the same situation, so we share that experience together. That seems to build this kind of relationship where we are against the tutorial, making us closer or harder to be aggressive again.

Of course, there are exceptions, like a murderer from Easy difficulty, BenDover from Hell, and a few more people I don’t even know the names of. But I know Tess and others are dealing with them.

That’s also the reason I keep an eye on Vega. It is possible she wouldn’t be able to die here as it might be an area effect. But there is also the possibility that the effect is only applied to people from Earth. So it would be stupid to risk it. Tacita has shown me how little is enough to come close to that. So at all times, Vega will be either near me or with Tess, Lily, and Soph.

Still, there are Savant and Tacita to worry about. The only people capable of doing anything to her even with others protecting her. I don’t think they would try to do it, but I’m an untrusting person, so I prepare for anything.

“Wolfy, what’s your name?” I ask him.

(I won’t be telling you my name, human.)

“So stubborn.” I tap on top of his head, something I’m not sure he even felt. Then I watch as Vega moves closer and stops just an arm’s reach away from Biscuit, who also looks at her curiously.

She carefully reaches her hand and touches his nose with her pointing finger. She does it extremely carefully and gently, something she saw me doing.

Biscuit lets it happen, watching her with his intelligent eyes. He then licks her finger, to which she pulls her hand back quickly, surprised.

Her eyes jump from Biscuit to me and then back to Biscuit, and she reaches again. This time she lets him lick her hand, and surprised by her own reaction, she giggles.

Biscuit woofs at her, and Vega moves closer and touches his forehead, his cheek, and then carefully and slowly puts her small hand on top of his head. When she starts caressing him, Biscuit closes his eyes, patiently enduring her clumsy attempts.

“What do you think?” I lean back and watch as she pets him.

“It’s weird, master. I know he is smart and stronger than me, but I don’t worry about him hurting me. And it’s not only because you are here with me.” While saying so, she stops petting Biscuit, so he woofs at her, and she quickly continues.

To that, I say to the black wolf, “Heard it? Why aren’t you more like your master?”

The black wolf decides to keep his dignity and stays quiet.

“Maybe you would master your primordial energy as well as Biscuit if you behaved like him.” I continue to tease him.

Silence.

“I bet that ancient predecessor of yours wasn’t so uptight like you. He probably...”

(Human.) He interrupts me finally, (If you are looking for a fight, let’s fight.) As he growls deeply, I can feel it in my bones and under me. Even my chest shakes, and vibrations can be felt.

“Let’s do it.”

***

Two of us face each other, having moved to the edge of the common area to a place with a big clearing surrounded by trees on three sides. That far, we shouldn’t cause any damage to the common area, houses, and camps there. I think. Details… who would care about such little things. I just know I’m excited.

This tournament is fun and all, but at the same time, it feels fake, no real danger presented to me. It’s to the point I already want to go back to the floor where the danger, even though also fake, is more real. Such a weird sentence to say, but that’s how it is and how I feel it.

Nearby, I can see Tess and the rest of group 4 with Vega in between them. Learning from the previous experience, they are even more careful, a barrier already set around. It’s not like they are close; actually, they are pretty far, but it’s just in case.

The wolf in front of me stretches and shakes, his teeth showing in imitation of a smile. He doesn’t say anything, the kind and boyish atmosphere around him is gone. Instead, every one of his movements feels dangerous, like that of a predator, and even his golden eyes glow viciously.

I already feel my heart pump wildly, so I better calm down to not hurt him that much. We still don’t know if disciples can or can’t die here, and I promised not to hurt him. I know there are even more people than just Group 4 watching. Some of them curious, others bored and wanting to watch the exciting fight.

At this point, there is no sense in hiding anything. Of course, I will hold back a little as I don’t want to hurt him, but I don’t need to hide my abilities.

The first to attack is the black wolf. One moment he stands there, a towering giant. On the other, his body shrinks to half of his original size. Still massive, however.

His maw bites where I stood and he charges me again, moving so quickly just with the sheer power of his stats.

I dodge again, black mana seeping into my body from the orb I created inside, and I match his speed, dodging at first. Both of us poking at each other.

He slashes with his paw, a trail of mana left behind. He snaps his maw shut, sending a small shockwave through the air. I shoot a mana projectile at him, and he dodges. He senses a concentrated blast of kinetic energy, dodging it as well. Nimbly moving on his legs, he keeps his golden eyes on me, his speed increasing while his body continues to shrink, and I barely avoid him. Both of us waiting for the other one to use any other skill so the fight starts properly.

I see amusement in his eyes as I let [Mana Crown] form over my head so I can flood my body with more black mana from inside.

His amusement quickly disappears when armor surrounds my body and becomes denser and bigger, creating a mana mech-like creation.

[Redistribution] holds him down for a moment, and the massive arm of my mana mech grabs his now smaller body.

There is no childish scream or complaint anymore; instead, he shows me all of his teeth, terrifying fangs showing in their full beauty.

Through my Mana Wavelength Iris, I see his mana swirl, and his body starts returning to its original size.

But with it, my mana mech grows as well. My crown keeps all the mana I’m releasing under my control, as well as thanks to my [Mana Domain] and [Mana Manipulation] helping me control it. The armor surrounding me grows at the same speed the wolf grows, gradually turning into a lighter shade of blue until I use [Redistribution] and [Infusion] to transfer a huge amount of mana to it.

The wolf is now the same size he was before and a bit more, and my armor equals his size, dark blue mana surrounding me.

Finally, he gets away from my hand and jumps back, the ground exploding under his feet as he lowers his body and then charges at me.

From Vortex Core, I take the kinetic energy I was compressing there and use it to help me move the mana armor surrounding me, and we clash against each other.

Instead of a clash of wit and attempts to take each other down smartly, it turns into a brawl of two stubborn individuals.

***

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