Chapter 295 - The Bastion (Patreon)

The primary class for us was unlocked after entering the second floor. For me, it was around level 24, if I remember correctly. Vega got offered hers at level 20.

“I like Kinetic Channeler and Ether Warrior the most!” my disciple says in the end.

She got offered only 5 classes, unlike the 10 I did, and that makes me wonder. Did she get only 5 offers because of things she did? Or is it a difference between the tutorial system and leveling with the normal system?

“You like Kinetic Channeler the most because it's connected to your demon heart?” I ask her.

“Yes!” she says without hesitation.

Damn weirdo demons, half-demons, and their obsession with their hearts.

Vega continues, “I like what master told me before, too! I want to learn how to make an antomic bomb. Mana Channeler sounds nice too, but I like using my body more.”

“Did you like Kinetic Channeler because you hope you will learn to fly quicker?” I ask her again.

“Yes!” once again, she says without hesitation.

To that, I can only sigh. In the end, she wants to master kinetic energy. During the fight with the deer, she used it for a split second to try to push one of the deer away. She failed, but ever since she kept practicing and trying to replicate it.

It's not a bad choice, too. The class would most likely sync well with her heart. She could use kinetic energy for attacks similar to how I do and maybe even learn to absorb kinetic energy without the need for [Redistribution].

Vega also has the talent to do multiple things at once, so she could find a way to synchronize it with her skills.

As for [Mana Manipulation], well, she has [Concentration] too. So just these two skills could be enough to allow her to create mana bombs or try to get a skill similar to [Armament].

“Okay, pick Kinetic Channeler.”

With a big smile, she does just that and continues to read the notifications and her status.

“I got a rare passive called Kinetic Storage, master! Rare!” she tries to move and jump on her feet, but her wounds stop her, and she squeaks in pain. Still, she is smiling, “The active skill is called Kinetic Barrier and I even got 5 points to mana and two to every other stat!”

That sounds like a defensive skill, surprisingly, but damn, Kinetic Storage sure sounds good. I should look for a similar epic passive later. Even though I got Mana Reservoir so long ago I still consider it the strongest epic passive I have. If the passives have low, mid, and upper grading similar to items, then Mana Reservoir is for sure upper.

“We will test them later; for now, rest.”

Then, even though I told her to rest, I watch as she starts testing her skills. I'm not even surprised.

She uses her Kinetic Barrier, and this creates a thin, skin-tight layer on her skin. Vega takes out a knife and pokes herself against the barrier with the handle.

I watch as the barrier gives in a bit, and when I activate my Mana Wavelength Irises, I can see how the “attack” disperses. Some of the energy of the attack is even absorbed by what I think is her passive.

At the moment, I think the passive works in a similar way to my Mana Reservoir and will allow her to store and use stored kinetic energy for attacks. In the future, she could use it to strengthen her body or maybe do something with her heart.

So far, so good. What she lacks is a ranged attack, but we will try to deal with it.

I leave her to her training and open the community.

Savant (Hell, Alone) - no, I won't tell you how I cleared the 4th floor.

NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - oh, come on!

Knight (Hell, group 4) - as if you didn't expect such an answer.

NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - we just need Noname to beat up Savant during the tournament. I bet that will make Savant a bit less cocky.

Savant (Hell, Alone) - You are free to try. I don't mind if you attack me all at once, too.

NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - ha! You just cleared the 4th floor, and we have been on the 5th one for close to two weeks already!

Sset (Hell, group 4) - NotAaron, don't forget that it means Savant killed one of the Calamities alone.

Savant (Hell, Alone) - Why would I kill only one Calamity?

NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - well, fuck.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - mana is the best stat.

FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food!

Noname (Hell, group 4) - Food is not a stat, Biscuit.

FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - FOOD!

Savant (Hell, Alone) - At least that corgi makes more sense than some Group 4 members.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - How do you like the 5th floor so far?

Savant (Hell, Alone) - Not very much, to be honest. I'm still waiting for my disciple to gauge it properly.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - I think you will be surprised.

I let Group 4 bully Savant for a bit longer and then disconnect from the community. That reminds me that I should probably check easy and other difficulties once in a while. More useful information could be collected there.

I glance toward the deer meat that is hanging on sticks I made of mana, and there are a few thermal orbs nearby, radiating some heat as I try to dry the meat. It probably won't be as good as a properly smoked one, but I used some spices I brought from the 4th floor, so it shouldn't be terrible. Sure, it's not like we are lacking food at the moment, but it's fun to try it.

Just like my disciple, I also do not slack and am examining my body, trying to come up with a way to use black mana more. Understanding it can be more helpful, too, so a small orb of black mana is my constant company. I force it under my [Mana Domain] and keep trying to learn more about it.

A few days ago, before the fight with the Veil Guardian, I also did another round of active tempering, which gained me 15 stats in constitution, 5 in dexterity, and 5 in strength. One point in mana, too. That made me even happier.

My stats are looking nice as always:

Lvl 218

Strength: 108

Dexterity: 106

Constitution: 261

Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 856 + 856

I also have close to 12 thousand shards that I still decided to keep. I don't know what awaits me in the Valley or the Bastion, so I want to have them ready. It also might be a good idea to start saving them for the time when items and passives of higher than epic rarity unlock for me.

My pinkie cracks and twists, a rush of mana tearing it apart as I lose control for a moment while trying to control the black orb.

As quickly as I can, I reduce my output and check on Vega. Thankfully, she seems fine.

I got hurt even with my passives and control because of how much mana I'm using, so I'd rather be careful. I start again and this time more carefully.

Both of us spend a few hours training like that until I collect some of the food and pack it.

Vega lifts her arms in the air, and I grab her under the armpits and lift her onto my chest where she nestles her head against my chest. Once in a while, her tiny horn pokes my chin or neck, but I decide to let it go.

Examining the map etched onto the small mana stone, I fly towards where the Bastion is. I avoid the places that are marked as dangerous zones—domains of strong monsters, ruins of old cities with weapons still activated, or parts where the Veil is very active. Some places I'm avoiding are as big as smaller countries, zones where Champion-level opponents clashed, mana radiation or remnants of their skills still left behind.

I mean, damn, even after a hundred years or something like that, such places are dangerous enough to kill people. They probably aren't dangerous to more powerful individuals, but it's still telling. If given the opportunity, I should check them without Vega.

Our flight continues like that until we reach a mountain behind which the Bastion is. Seeing that Vega is getting cold, I generate and release bits of thermal energy, and that makes her cling to me even more.

When I meet her eyes, she averts her gaze. “I'm sorry, master.” She weakens her hold a bit.

“I don't mind,” I tell her.

Her ruby-like colored eyes shine for a moment, and she holds me tighter again. She is just like a little animal. A baby koala clinging to her mother.

I'm not that dumb to not understand it.

Vega is someone who is growing up on the streets alone. She is half-demon, something most of the human village where she is hated. She doesn't have anyone to rely on. And she is what? Around 6 years old? Just a little kid. It makes sense that she is like that, starved for some warmth.

Partially, she reminds me of Lily, who is also a bit similar, and that makes me wonder if Lily also didn't have a similar past. At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if all of the group 4 were a bit twisted and not normal. Of course, everyone other than me. I'm the most normal here. It's just the rest of the group 4 that just can't stop being scary.

Thinking like that, I pass from behind one of the bigger rocks, and the view of the Bastion opens. It is just as Nina described it to me in one of our conversations.

The Bastion is what used to be a Skyhold Bastion, a floating island if you will. An island big enough to house around fifty thousand people. Skyhold Bastions were used mostly for war in the times before or as guild halls of powerful guilds. Some even as houses for the rich.

Very few pieces of information were left behind, and there are barely any people from before the war. All of it caused by the Veil.

So there it is, the Bastion. It is fallen to the ground, nestled in between two mountains, one of which had its pieces avalanche into the city. The stones buried around 20% of the Bastion.

The base of this floating island is a perfect half-sphere with giant circuits on the bottom and even more smaller ones. Even from afar, I can see that the circuits are made from a different, crystal-like material while the rest of the base is from white stone.

There are even original buildings still in the Bastion. A tower in the middle and a few more all over the fallen island. There are a lot of structures built by the people that currently live there, most of them made of wood or stone.

The entire Bastion is slightly tilted to the left, and even from as far as we are, its presence feels overwhelming.

Yes, there are stats and people dozens or hundreds of times stronger. People with skills, items, and other stuff. So building something like this probably isn't as impossible a task as it would be on Earth. But still, it's hard to take it all in. The Bastion is in diameter probably as long as the Central Park of Golden Gate Bridge? It's hard to say.

I glance at Vega who keeps staring at it, her mouth open and eyes wide. It's a funny sight, so I etch it into my memory.

When I look around, there is nothing too interesting. A few more mountains in sight and a grassy plain with a few trees on the way to the Bastion. To the right, there are a few more mountains, and behind them, I can sense immense mana. Yup, even from as far as I am, I can feel the mana from the Valley.

When I activate my eyes, I can even see it, a dark cloud or thick mist that inertly hangs over the Valley, which is multiple times the size of the Bastion. The sheer density of that mana is something else.

I poke Vega, “Keep checking your surroundings, minion. And you forgot to control your heart. Try to not get hurt.”

“Maybe I also got the Bambi's curse master did talk about!” the little half-demon tries to sneak out.

I notice that she starts doing what I told her and scanning our surroundings.

As a reward, I poke her squishy cheek, “It doesn't work like that. Anyways, let's check the Bastion.”

“Yes!”

***

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