Chapter 248 - This kind of person (Patreon)

Interacting with people is hard, isn't it? I could be on my own, not worried, not having to deal with them. It would be easier.

Sure, I like being alone and I really need it often to recharge my batteries, but being able to once in a while walk into the living room and just listen to other members of Group 4, joke with them, tease them, that's also fun.

I wonder how my life in the tutorial would look like now if I had decided to stay on my own.

Noname - Savi, how is it going on your own?

Savant - Great, now even you are calling me Savi. I will only answer if you agree to answer my question afterward.

Noname - Deal.

Savant - I prefer being on my own. No one tries to stab me in the back. I don't have to deal with people screwing things up, and there's no need to babysit weaklings.

Noname - What happened to your group?

Savant - They got what they deserved... I've answered your question. We'll see who made the better decision during the tournament.

Noname - I think so too. You can ask your question.

Savant - I'll ask later.

Noname - Sure.

I close the Community and reach another door and knock carefully, and wait. The hallway is empty and quiet, the entire floor offered to us by Obelia.

The door opens slowly and Min-Jae pokes out and whispers, “Dennis and Aaron are sleeping,” he says after exiting the room and joining me in the hallway.

Min-Jae seems tired and worried about his friends, yet it's much better than when we brought the twins back, without legs and after being nearly tortured to death by ants.

“Are they fine?” I ask.

He shakes his head, “They kept asking for Sophie and after she left they became much better and went to sleep,” a sad smile appears on his face.

The implications are clear, the twins most likely asked Sophie for something similar to what she did to herself. Is it a good decision to have such an easy way out of it? Should they get over it on their own and become stronger in the process?

Are we just using the wrong logic as Sophie hinted and we should be using our powers as it is pointless trying to apply regular human common sense here? Is it a smart decision as we are still in Hell difficulty and have no time to have people trying to deal with trauma while the Colony threatens us?

“Nat, I don’t think they did a bad thing. I know you probably think that they will become weaker if they take the easy way out,” Min-Jae looks into my eyes, “But I don’t think there is a need for them to be scarred because of that, to wake up shaking and crying. They are just kids.”

Looking at him, Min-Jae himself is only 15 years old and the twins are 17, yet here he is. A troubled young boy who kept copying me, looking up to me, defending his friends and opinions.

“You are right, Min-Jae,” I tell him.

“Am I?” he asks a bit unsure.

Oh, was he faking it all?

When I observe him, it doesn't seem like it; he still thinks he is right and just appears weirded out that I agreed with him.

“Keep a watch, okay?” I tell him.

He nods energetically and goes back into the room.

For a moment, I stare at the door after he closes it and try to read my feelings.

Back, down in the tunnels, I pushed my emotions to the back of my mind, I kept [Focus] running and tried to deal with the four ants that guarded them as quickly as possible at the cost of Lily healing me through the crown. But right now? I constantly feel suppressed anger inside me.

They dared to touch my Group 4, and because of that Sophie almost died, Dennis and Aaron suffered a torture-like experience, and Lily had to push herself to the brink. Oh, how angry I am. Those fuckers are going to pay. I will fucking blow off their entire colony and turn their shitty tunnels into a burning hell.

Realizing that I subconsciously started releasing my mana, I once again focus on Mana Cycling put it back under my control, and touch Sophie’s web.

She connects to me the moment she feels my probing, (Anything happened?)

(You still have 5 thousand shards from selling the coordinates, right?)

(Of course, they are yours according to our deal.)

(Good, I already know what you can buy for me.)

***

I find Obelia near her office together with Jenna, whom she quickly sends away.

Jenna greets me and closes the door, inscriptions in them activating and running some sort of enchantments against spying and also some defensive ones. Unable to help myself, I observe them for a while out of curiosity, and Obelia doesn’t seem to mind as she sits in her chair patiently, going over some mana stones with inscribed messages.

“So what happened down there?” I ask when I'm done.

With a sigh, she shakes her head, “It was a mess. They constantly kept trying to slow us down, and half of us had to constantly fight against their attempts to deactivate our return rift stone.” She puts away what she is holding, giving me her full attention. “Enforcers were as terrifying as rumored, dealing with anything that came at us.”

Obelia looks at her hands and laughs a bit, “I always thought I was one of the strongest in Virelia, even while considering lynthari, yet I could only watch and support them once in a while. That's how those twelve enforcers are.”

“I think you could take on one of them,” I tell her. I felt their mana and saw them a bit in action, so I do think that.

“Probably? But I would most likely die. No, their biggest advantage was their coordination. If twelve of them fought together, I don’t think there is anyone capable of fighting them.”

“So how come you guys failed?”

“The First One was terrifying, Nathaniel,” Obelia's eyes turn serious. “I still believe enforcers would be capable of destroying him if they fought, but they didn’t have a chance. Through their connection, other ants constantly fed the first one with vitality, stamina, mana, or anything. We damaged the First One, and another ant died instead of him. He used mana, it instantly got replenished.”

I move and sit on the chair opposite her and observe her expression.

Obelia continues, “With the Colony nearby, the first one is impossible to defeat. He is the tie piece that connects them all and guards their [Hive Mind] against outside tampering. And he is smart and has immense control over the Colony.”

“I bet you also already found out what happened while we were gone, so can I ask you for a short summary?” I ask instead. With the ants, I will deal a bit later.

“Shortly? Do you remember the expedition to the old capital we went on with Eldyor and where we met for the first time? It looks like the moment we escaped, the tree lifted off and started flying towards Virelia.”

How does it even make sense for a giant tree to fly.

“It took it a month, but it reached the city while we were away. Apparently, the Matriarch knew about it and even then sent us against the Colony,” Obelia says.

I wonder, did she send us against the Colony because she really didn’t want the ants to evolve their [Hive Mind] and was even willing to put her life on the line while sending a big part of Virelia's strength against the ants?

The timing is suspicious, extremely so. There were traitors, people controlled by ants that attacked her the moment the Living Tree came closer. Then there is also the timing of the Tree attacking right after the ants. It's all too coordinated.

Is the First One, the leader of the Colony, behind it? Did it manipulate the tree and time its attack? Or maybe they did work together?

Or is there someone or something else?

“Miss Myrra will become lynthari Matriarch after the ceremony. Also, the matriarch's granddaughter disappeared as well, so I wanted to let you know in case you were wondering,” she says.

I nod, “I will visit Myrra.”

“Yes. But please be careful. No matter what lynthari do and say, they loved their matriarch. She was like a mother to all of them, and some knew her for tens, hundreds of years.”

“I will take that into consideration, but what about you? You have learned about lynthari being invaders here. What will you do?” I ask.

Obelia doesn’t seem to be sure of that, but in the end, she shrugs her shoulders. “Currently, I'm inclined to tell it to people.”

“That could lead to war.”

She nods, “Yes.” Her expression says that she already considered it. “Yet, I still think it's something other humans should know.”

“Even if plenty of them might die because of that?” I ask.

It's not like I'm worried about people I don’t know. I'm just that curious. Over time, I've built some respect towards this logically thinking woman in front of me. She is smart, talented, and good at reading people and, most of all, she knows when to take a step back.

“The way you look at me reminds me of lynthari,” she says out of nowhere, a small smile on her face. “You keep observing me like some interesting animal. As if what just happened and all these threats, the Colony, the war with lynthari, the traitors do not affect you at all.”

I guess she also learned to read me a bit after dealing with me for months.

She continues, “Don't take me wrong. I'm not insulted or angry. I know people like you,” she smiles, her eyes as if she is remembering someone, “People like you are a bit crazy and I guess they have to be to be able to reach that level and not even think about stopping.”

Obelia stops remembering and looks at me, “But be careful, this kind of person doesn't tend to die on beds surrounded by people they love.”

***

Before leaving for Myrra, I check the upper epic weapon I have prepared against the Living Tree. I could try to dismantle it and get back two items I had before, but maybe I can use it against the Colony. It´s slow to activate because of my lacking skill, but it should be useful there as well, in a similar way against the Living Tree, I think.

It's annoying, to be honest. If I dismantle it now, I will have to try to undo changes I made to the items, and that would require some time as I would risk ruining them.

Sighing, I move past it and look at the chest we got from the champion's house and the piece I bought at the auction.

Months have passed since we got it, and we are not even close to opening it. I swear, it would be funny if we learned that it's not a chest at all, just a piece of wood that is shaped like it. Shaped like it and extremely heavy.

Sure, I would complain a lot and curse the system, this floor, and everything around me, but I would still consider it a bit funny.

Well, at least Min-Jae said he is feeling something from the chest and the small item, either thanks to [Gravity Well] or [Telekinesis]. Seeing how heavy the thing is, it might have something to do with gravity and the former of his skills.

Leaving Tess to take care of the items, I check my figure in the mirror. I'm still missing my left arm, but it's weirdly fine, and I just replaced it with a replica made of mana. Unlike before, this one is much better and much more nimble, nearly as mobile as my original arm. It will be fine, and when Lily takes care of her wounds and restores legs for the twins, she can take care of it.

After leaving behind an anchor that should last for hours, I jump from the balcony, disrupting the effect the anti-flight zone has against me. Boosting myself with kinetic energy, I fly towards where I know I will find Myrra and, getting closer, land on the ground, moving the remaining distance on my feet.

The area where I'm going is the exact middle of the city and a beautiful spherical building that, just looking at it, should fall under its own weight.

Yet, as the dueling area, it's made from the same stone that is impossible to damage, remains of the past.

At the entrance to the area surrounding it, Myrra's bodyguard steps out of the shadow and nods in greeting.

I do the same, and without any words, I follow him.

It's my first time being there, so I take it all in, the pretty garden with colorful trees and walkways made of indestructible stone.

Entering the spherical building, I watch the lighting similar to the one in the auction house. The light seems dim and moves slowly, as if showing the mood of every lynthari we meet on our way.

We reach the stairs that are along the entire length of the building and lead upstairs, where there seem to be multiple floors that are hidden over the lights and illusions on the ceiling.

Even there, we ignore the floors and just continue after we are on the highest one and pass by multiple lynthari guards, one of them even part of the 12 enforcers we met.

Finally, the door opens, and I enter the room while Myrra's bodyguard closes them behind me.

The room is delicately beautiful, and massive circular windows are offering a view from all around the room.

Myrra in the middle of the room is wearing clothes unlike any I have seen on her before. They are less flashy and colorful than the ones she used to wear. These ones are mostly made of black and gray colors, simple, yet somehow beautiful, making her white hair and tail even more striking.

“The matriarch led us even since I was young. For my entire life I didn’t know any other leader, and neither did any other lynthari,” she starts, her voice not as haughty or energetic, “I mean, sure, I fought with her a lot, but what kid wouldn’t fight with their elders?”

Myrra sighs, and I notice a bunch of mana stones on the table nearby, all bearing similar inscriptions, a memory from the matriarch.

She notices where I'm looking, “Yes, she left a lot and some things I have learned…” Taking a few steps, she stops in front of me, “She left it up to me to decide what to do with Obelia and the fact that she knows what I just learned. She left it up to me to deal with you too, feral one.”

Myrra reaches and fixes the sleeve of my missing left arm, replaced by one made of mana. “I wonder what I should do with you all.”

“Won’t it wait?” my eyes meet hers, “Right now both of us have a similar goal.”

In the dim light of the room, her canines seem also shining. White and sharp, “Yes, we have to deal with the fucking Colony first.”

***

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