[NR] Different Paradigm - Chapter 683

Helina smirks, “It is simple enough. Even when we had other travellers, they were all third break. And now? It’s just you three. So, the System isn’t going to keep this farce going once undead you aren’t supposed to be able to face show up. We’ll have a few days to prove we can handle the mess, but that will be it. Two days of testing and then a third day where they throw a sixth break at us for my brother to fight.”

Courtney frowns, “I don’t like the picture you’re painting. Aren’t there other people here that have broken through to level 100? It can’t be just your brother.”

Helina shrugs, “Oh sure, but like I implied. This is no longer for us. There are other more dangerous locations for the System to throw the undead at. While the giant beasts are a massive threat, they aren’t a threat to regular adventurers like yourself.

“If the undead were going to be a genuine crisis for us, things would have escalated much faster. Of course, my brother is going to play the long game with the assumption that things will keep escalating. Hades, I’d go and slap him if he wasn’t.

“In fact, if I heard anyone else spouting this nonsense, I’d frog march them to him to be set straight. The only people that will be hearing this theory are my brother and you three. And the only reason you three, and specifically Jason, are hearing about it? I have a task for Jason to handle.”

Jason nods, “Fair enough. What do you want of me?”

Helina, “To not be at the front on the third day. To not even be at the wall. You seem to have an innate ability to damage incorporeal undead and I have a use for it.”

Jason raises an eyebrow, “So a sudden glow screams innate ability to you?”

Helina laughs, “The light show might have fooled others, but I could tell. That was to boost your damage. The glow didn’t flicker or dim at all when you defended against those incorps. It only did so with your first attack.”

Jason shrugs, “Okay, you caught me. Not that I was planning to hide it. Now, what did you want from me?”

Helina, “I’m sure you already have it half figured out. Both me and my brother are worried about an incorp attack. Or rather, we are worried about it in different forms.

“Siegfried is already getting a rotation of mages to watch the civilians bunker for any mass incorp rush. All it would take is one sixth break undead to hold him down and a bunch of weak incorps to flood the bunker. That isn’t my fear.

“What I see coming is an incorp at the fourth bottleneck sneaking into the bunker. Because while our mages can detect if a bunch of them are rushing under the ground, one undead? Maybe we’d notice, but I have to assume it will be a stealthy undead of some sort.

“So I want you to be in the bunker itself. A last line of defense. All because you can wrestle a ghost.”

Jason laughs, “I wouldn’t go that far! I can wrestle the incorporeal, but a ghost might be a bit much.”

Helina rolls her eyes, “You know what I mean. Anyway, will you do it?”

Jason stops laughing and looks her in the eyes, “I am willing. While I’m uncertain about your guesses, the chance is there and someone needs to do it.”

Helina smiles, “Good! While we have people who can fight the incorporeal undead. There aren’t many who can touch them with their actual body. Most just have ghost touch on their weapon.”

Jason shrugs, “Sort of one of the key specialties with my path to power. And it isn’t just the undead incorps. I can totally smack down other forms of incorp, depending. Nice to have an actual use for something I’ve had since first break.”

Helina’s eyes go wide, “First break? What kind of training did you do? Like, I know Energy can have some unique abilities, but this certainly isn’t one of them.”

Courtney, “I second that. I’ve done some research on the undead and fighting them, for obvious reasons, and ghost touch does not show up that early. Like, I think you might have mentioned this at some point? Or maybe I just assumed from our last time fighting the undead.

“Maybe the jubjub? Whatever. I’m nearly certain we didn’t know you had it since the word go. What’s up with that, if it isn’t a secret?”

Jason shrugs again, “My cultivation technique involves having my Energy constantly cycling through my body. This not only reinforces my body, which is currently like wood, but also energizes it so that incorps don’t get to freely pass. Sort of like how a spell can still hit them as long as it doesn’t involve purely physical elements.”

Helina sighs, “Well, I guess if it works for you. Even Qi warriors who specialize in fighting ghosts can’t keep their ghost touch abilities up as a passive. I have to agree with my brother. You are practically custom made to fight the undead.”

Rosha snorts, “He almost seems to be custom made for a number of normally irritating enemies. In the end, I’d just say he is trained to a different paradigm.”

Courtney frowns, “I guess that wouldn’t be the worst way to put it.”

Helina throws her hands up, “Fine, keep your secrets!”

Courtney raises an eyebrow, “He told you more than I expected. What more do you want? Everything that happened in this life and maybe his last life if you’re one to believe in reincarnation?”

Helina sighs and waves the group off.

The trio leave her office and Rosha doesn’t make it too far before she can’t help but burst out laughing.

Jason rolls his eyes, “It is exactly like that. Incorporeal threats were more of a going concern when after a certain point, cultivators innately could separate out their spirit to survive body death.”