An Inciting Isekai - Chapter 33 (Patreon)

Levi sunk his mind into his container and witnessed something unusual. Standing at the shore of his mana, a sole weapon hovered just in front of him: a spike. It looked like a diamond that was elongated and stretched, making it into an incredibly sharp object. Levi felt no danger coming from the weapon, which seemed to contradict its appearance.

Knowing he didn’t have the time to play about with this new addition, he called upon it with his mind. It listened. It floated in front of him, then swirled around before resting just behind his shoulders, pointing at his back.

So strange, Levi thought as information finally entered his mind.

Uncommon Relic weapon (Growth) – Baphomet's Spike [★] : What was once the Primordial Demon Baphomet’s tooth, is now a magical container that imbues the owner’s magical capabilities. Take care, lest you lose your sanity.

| Upon activation, increase your magical power by 10%. Drains mana per second.
| Progress to next Level-up → 0/100,000xp

And that wasn’t all.

From taking damage, his Vitality had risen by one. All of his Skills had also increased, increasing all their effectiveness by 10%.

Damn, Levi thought as he gazed in astonishment at the item before him. He didn’t expect it to act like his Skills, allowing experience to be gained to level up. But he wouldn't complain. Although it was only of Uncommon rarity, it would grow with him, alongside his other powers. More so, he preferred it this way.

The fact that it drained his mana, meant that even if he was given an Epic Relic, there was no way in hell his mana could keep up with the output.

Levi wanted to test it out, but he remembered Gregory’s words back in the mine within Beron. Keeping a Relic hidden was of utmost importance, lest you find a dagger in your back, and your lifeforce fading before your very eyes.

That, and the fact that he was currently laying down in a pool of sickly blood. 

“Levi!” 

Levi snapped awake, returning to the land of the… living. Dead krull lay scattered on the floor, corpses of humans hid underneath them. Levi ripped his vision away, fearing he’d become absorbed in dread.

Rowena had rushed over and was kneeling in a puddle of red. Tears had formed in her eyes, but she was fighting them back. If she cried once, then she’d be unable to stop the flood. 

“I’m okay,” Levi said, groaning, sitting up. 

The locust swarm-like krull from the outside were scattered and flying away. The sounds of cannon fire halted and the jostling of the train car was no more. It appeared that the threat had been dealt with.

Swinging back into the car, was the Rail Slayer with long, curtain style hair. He now had a huge mace in hand, fashioned with jagged spikes all around it. 

"You killed it?" he asked the guardian of the Antor family as he panted for air. The Rail Slayers eyes fixed on the pool of blood spreading across the floor and the krull's lifeless body still hanging from the roof.

The butler shook his head, and nudged it to Levi.

“You did?” He shot Levi a look as if he was crazy.

“Yeah, well someone had to,” Levi shot back.

“Sorry, the krull primes are tough to deal with,” he said. “Anyway, I’m Kadin, protector of the Sixteenth Link on the Nightmare Train.” He turned to the survivors, and bowed. “You have my deepest apologies. I wasn’t able to protect all of you.”

“You failed!” Tristan shouted, it was clear his nerves were shot. It was too much for a regular twelve year old to deal with, noble or not.

Kadin raised his head, and stared at the boy. Tristan took a stumbled step back. “Although I am the protector of this car section, my responsibility still lies with the train as a whole. If something threatens the safety of the entire train, I can only hope the civilians on board can protect each other.”

Rowena sighed. “We knew of the risks before boarding. Slayer Kadin, thank you for your hard work.”

Kadin shook his head. “But still, you are right, young master Antor. It is my failure, and you have my deepest condolences. That goes for everyone on board.”

“Are the people at the front okay?” Levi spoke up in concern of his new friends.

“You mean Gregory?” Kadin asked. Levi nodded. “They are fine. Bram wanted to come to you, but we needed his help at the front. Today’s assault was unexpected.”

Levi wiped the blood from his face, then said, “What caused it? This clearly isn’t normal.”

“Happens every year or so when the krull have finished their round of breeding,” Kadin said. “They’ll send their warriors to their death as an all out assault to reduce their numbers for the long winter. But that should have been 2 months from now, at the beginning of winter. They caught us with our guard down.”

“Two months early?” Levi said. He couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the krag appearing intermittently. It certainly added up. 

It wasn’t too long before regular soldiers filtered back through the car. They were wounded, some were missing limbs, and they brought some of their brothers and sisters back on stretchers.

Levi had a heavy heart, but the last thing he wanted to do was sit still twiddling with his thumbs. He wanted to help. It was strange. If it was him from Earth, he would be so disinterested in whatever was happening around him; as if the lives of others had nothing to do with him. 

But he had vowed to be different in this life. To be something more. 

Breaking free of Tristan’s and Rowena’s bombardment of questions like; how he became so powerful, what Ingredients he consumed, and if he was a secret love child of a mighty noble family, Levi walked into the next car. It was the same scene from the one before: blood, carnage, and corpses.

Levi helped the soldiers move bodies, and disposed of the krull carcasses out of the train. One of the older soldiers was adamant that a child shouldn’t be doing this, but Levi was stubborn. In the end, the soldier could only shake his head and get on with his task. He wasn’t in the mood to argue. No one was.

Going from car-to-car, instead of losing himself to the grief and dark situation, he had gained something else. Strength. Not of the body, but the mind. The civilians, some of those who didn’t even have classes or paths of their own, lifted their sleeves and got to work. Many of them offered silent prayers for those who had died. 

He understood it now. This was a world in which death lurked at every corner, and because of it, the people had long grown accustomed to the life it brought with it. They were hardy, and some even cracked jokes in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. Everyone had different ways of dealing with their grief. 

Levi clenched his hands into tightened fists. He had to become stronger. No matter what.

The further he got to the front of the train, he realised just how much damage the train had taken. He expected more death, but was surprised to find out that a few of the cars had people packed in. They must have been people rescued from nearer the front, and been protected here.

He squeezed through the survivors, and walked into the next one. The entirety of the roof had been torn off. Levi’s hair tousled from the harsh wind that battered through what was left of the car. 

Bram was walking down the other side, wounds sliced into his flesh. Levi grimaced at the sight. Seeing Levi, his eyes widened, his steps quickened until he was standing right in front of Levi. 

“Levi, you okay?” Bram crouched down on one knee, hands on Levi’s shoulders.

“I’m fine,” Levi said. “How are you and the others at the front?”

Bram looked around. 

“That bad?” Levi asked.

“It is,” Bram said, sighing. “Head on back, Levi. We’re alright. A few injuries, but nothing too bad.”

“Is this what the trains are like near the winter?”

“Not often,” Bram replied. “Because the krull attacked sooner than expected, we didn’t place the extra armour on the cars. Even the primes would fail to penetrate the thickened plate.”

I was wondering why the train didn’t seem that armoured. Primes must be like that evolved krull that focused on speed from before.

Levi shivered. He had no chance in hell of surviving against that thing. If it wasn’t for Kadin luring it away, many, or most of them, would have perished right there and then.

The more Levi thought about it, the more Kadin’s arrival seemed more calculated than before. The Rail Slayers were very aware of who was in certain cars. The warning about their seating became obvious. They had most likely determined that Rowena, the protector, and the metal controller could deal with the threats their way.

But did they know about Levi’s power? Levi wasn’t sure if Gregory told them or not. Maybe he did? 

It was only when the prime, or evolved, arrived did the Rail Slayer arrive to help. 

They were truly spread thin, Levi thought.

“This is life for us, isn’t it?” Levi asked.

Bram nodded. “People die, Levi, I won’t sugarcoat it. Many do. But their deaths also provide something else. The krull that we have killed, will be stripped for their Ingredients, and provide wealth to their families. The powerful Ingredients will go to their children. They will grow stronger as a result. And life will go on as we progress further and further as a civilization every death we experience. Remember, Levi, experiences forges who we are.”

Levi took his words to heart as it stirred. It was admirable.

Levi returned back to his car. The moment he opened the sliding doors, he heard a soft tune stir through the area. It was full of people now. They sat, weeping, listening to Rowena’s beautiful voice as she placated the civilians in the area. 

She seemed to be singing a song that they all knew as they joined in after a moment. 

Smiling, his face lowered a moment later. He retreated to the bathroom. He didn’t need the toilet, but rather, he summoned the relic he had gained. Hovering just behind his shoulders, he already felt the mana in his container strengthen. He couldn’t help but stare in amazement at the magical device in the broken bathroom mirror. 

But he lamented. He couldn’t show it. Not with his true identity, that was. He had to find a way to level it up without being subject to the vicious eyes of others. And if they knew it was a growth type? Levi wouldn’t live long enough to see the warmth of the next day.

At one star, it was a 10 percent increase to his magical power. At 10 stars, it would be a 100% percent increase. It wasn’t something he wanted, or could, let fall to the wayside. He had to level it up for his future, but how? He was going to be with the adult trio for a long time now. 

It was just the thought of trusting them, it was how he should explain how he had a Relic. Maybe his mother gave him that, too? Levi shook his head. Gregory would discover his lies.

Levi turned his thoughts to his System. As long as he fought, he could level up. He could grow stronger.

Gazing into the mirror, Levi frowned. He had come to a realisation. Levi mumbled to himself, “I’ll need to go somewhere where I can level alone.” 

From that moment on, Levi steeled himself for the future. It was going to be hard, painful, and lonely. But he’d walk out on the other side as an evolved.