Chapter 490 - Namior

“I think one of the things this floor is meant to achieve is to give people an opportunity to be declared Champion candidate.” With all eyes turned to her, Tess continues talking after revealing her title to everyone and short explanation.

Maya shamelessly smirks at me when I look at her, and Min-Jae looks a bit guilty for not telling me sooner, but I guess it was Tess who asked him not to tell. Likely waiting for a perfect opportunity to cause the most impact.

That's such a silly thing to do.

I’d absolutely do the same.

There is also an option Tess was testing if she can hide it from me.

“We three have located two containment cells with the group we made. One was simple to reach, and the Champion was very different from the one we met in Mana Desert. It is located inside the permanent storm on a floating island. There is a trapped vyssari woman.”

Maya snorts. “Just tell them more. That storm is powerful enough for the lightning to kill people at level 200 with a single strike, and if you're careless, it can kill even stronger poeple as it likes to strike the same target.”

“It’s true we did have some trouble reaching it, but it was all done with preparation and planning, and we haven’t had a single death or severe wound. As for the storm, it’s the lingering primordial lightning energy pulled from the prisoner and released into the area. So you can imagine why I wanted to risk it and get there when I sensed it.”

Tess’s eyes haze a bit as memories flash by, but she quickly returns to the room and smiles. “The vyssari Champion wished to be left alone and threatened to kill anyone who would free her.”

“Another nutcase, but surely better than that guy in the hole.” Maya nods.

Min-Jae also joins in, “I quite liked her. She seemed nice.”

“She was also close to declaring Maya a candidate, but said there is still something missing and told her to try harder.” Tess flashes a smile for a moment.

Maya doesn’t seem hurt or disappointed by that and just shrugs. “It’s fine. Having confirmation that I can become one is quite cool.”

“So you want to visit her and have her declare the others as Champion candidates?” I ask, already thinking about who could have a chance. The names that come to mind are Lily and Sophie. If Min-Jae didn’t get declared, there is a high chance the twins won’t either, as I consider their talents similar. Even though I’m sure it should be possible for them to reach that rank later; as we've seen, plenty of people are declared candidate at higher levels.

“It would be a shame not to use that opportunity while we have a somewhat reasonable Champion nearby,” Tess confirms.

“Well, you guys can discuss it later,” I wave it off and focus my attention on Tess. “As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 10 Mana stats. If I lose, they’re yours. If I win, I want 10 Mana…”

These words stop in my throat, and I find myself unable to push them out.

So I try again. “As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 100 shards. If I lose, they’re yours. If I win, I…”

The same thing happens again.

“Nat, I think the system takes these challenges a bit more seriously than you do.” Tess shakes her head.

“I take them plenty seriously. As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is one of the upper epic items I possess. If I lose, it’s yours. If I win, I want…”

And again I get stopped.

“Do you think the system would just let you abuse challenges that way? I have [Declaration], which seems to be a bit similar, so I can tell you it’s not how it works.”

Disappointed, I sit back. “Explain.”

“The system likely considers challenges as something almost sacred. Something you can only call upon in certain situations with the right ‘intention’, or ‘heart’ if you will. Can you imagine how it would look if they were so easy to abuse?”

“Tess, the system is an asshole.”

“I… it’s not incorrect.”

“Sooner or later, I will find a way.”

“Got it, oh fellow Champion candidate,” she flashes me a smile.

As she turns to talk to others, a single thought comes to mind.

This can’t go on.. I have to somehow get the cockroach to declare me an Absolute candidate.

***

Walking through the city, I stop in front of yet another tower. After checking the map, I confirm that it’s one of the towers where a mind mage resides.

As I’ve done dozen of times before, I use [Ley Line] and shoot it toward the tower where it “anchors” itself.

A decent chunk of my mana disappears as a response.

[Ley Line - lvl 39 > Ley Line - lvl 40]

Curious, I wait a minute to see the reaction.

So far, I’ve gotten three different ones. Some towers didn’t notice it. Others noticed it, but after realizing I’m with Sophie, they stayed locked inside, trying to get rid of [Ley Line]. The third, and rarest, reaction was a few people coming out and trying to cause trouble.

If it were up to me, I’d likely teleport inside and get rid of at least the mind mages who were the worst at that dinner, but it seems like we might need them for the Framework. So I hold myself back, but I hope they come out and try to fight me.

Just the weakest excuse so I can justify it to Sophie, who worked hard to get where she is within the city.

But this tower isn’t it, and they stay locked inside, so I leave, disappointed.

Since I started doing this, there are twelve Ley Lines connecting me to twelve towers. But that’s not all. There are five more. Versions even Sophie is unable to sense and doesn’t know about.

And these connect to the Framework.

***

POV Maya Jones

“Sophie, are you sure it’s okay to let him do it?”

“I think this is better than him going and killing every mind mage that even tries to sense his mind. We need them for now.”

“Is this even good for something?”

Sophie laughs, almost unbelievingly, “Maya, that night after the dinner, he got into the tower of one of the top 10 mind mages within the city. He just passes through these defenses as if they weren’t there. That crazy skill, that [Ley Line], is still there, and not even Beatrice was able to remove it. The mind mages, who would fight tooth and nail for such a high-grade tower under any other circumstances, refuse to move in. And now that he is going around the city and casually placing the same threads within their innermost protections, they are scared shitless.”

“Won’t that mean they will group up and attack us?”

“They won’t. Maya, trust me, I’ve set up some truly nasty surprises. After the Archon’s, my tower is the most secure in the city, so if they try anything, I’ll take them all down—and they know it very well.”

***

POV Nathaniel

On my way returning to our tower, a crow lands on the bench near where I’m passing.

[Phantom Beak - lvl 241]

The abomination I saw during the dinner.

It tries to connect to my mind for telepathic communication, but I deflect it and stare at it until it caws at me a few times.

Then it flies a bit and lands on another bench, looking at me, clearly gesturing for me to follow.

I do just that, and unlike before, there isn’t a single mind mage trying to mess with my mind. That ever-present feeling of sharks circling in the water around me is gone. In this city, information spreads quickly.

Following the crow, I reach a small restaurant on the corner. In the city, there aren’t many of them, but the ones there are seem to be worth visiting and are regulated by the Archon himself. According to Sophie, there used to be plenty of poisonings before the man did so.

The restaurant is empty, other than a table where a man sits and two women stand by his side. The crow immediately flies and lands on the shoulder of the human woman with the same entirely blue eyes without any iris, like the crow’s.

[Spectral Sentinel - lvl 261]

But the bit more interesting one is the second woman, this one vyssari. Like everyone of their race, she looks nearly human, just much shorter, with legs covered in scales. Hers are gray with a partial red shine to them. Her eyes are similar—gray with a red shine—and framed by brown hair.

[Primordial Warden - lvl 291]

Lastly, the leader seems to be the man Sophie mentioned some time ago, the leader of the third faction, someone called Namior. He is wearing the same luxurious clothes that mind mages here like to wear, and there’s that typical air of confidence around him.

[Mindsculptor - lvl 268]

Finally, I’m meeting him after trying to track him down for a while.

Without hesitation, I sit on the chair opposite him under the watchful eyes of his two woman protectors. The vyssari especially seems dangerous, and the rumor that she bears two primordial energies interests me just a little bit, as I have yet to meet such a person.

"I thank you for accepting my invitation," Namior says with a smile.

"Are you Namior?" I ask, just to confirm my suspicion.

"Yes, I am. I see my reputation precedes me."

"Just a bit—I’ve been looking for you."

At this point, I’m sure he is already trying to break through my mind protections. Even through my passive, my skills, my construct. He is quite good at it. I can tell because I can’t sense anything.

Sophie also hasn’t noticed anything.

“So do you think you will break through my protections?” I ask him.

That confident expression doesn’t disappear from his face. “Possibly, but it seems more difficult than expected.”

“You mean because Sophie doesn’t control me and you can’t take over through that link?”

This time, I notice a moment of hesitation. [Focus] allows me to watch him, and kinetic energy emphasizes what I sense—a slight twitch of his eyebrow, a shift of his leg under the table.

He decides to keep his confident mask, supported by his bodyguards, the dozen or so people outside the building waiting to rush in, and his connection to another place that could allow him to escape.

“I’m honestly surprised she isn’t controlling you, but I’ve already split your group with Beatrice, and sooner or later, you’ll become one of mine. But please, tell me, how did you know I’m influencing Sophie?”

“Her sister told me. Not long ago, Sophie started acting differently after meeting you at one of the dinners. Something you likely have been attempting for a while, carefully and slowly, and now influence her without her noticing.”

“So the princess locked in the tower noticed that,” he leans back and scratches his chin, likely taking it as feedback and thinking of how to improve the process.

When he gives me back his attention, he’s still as overbearing as before. “It doesn’t change anything. What I did can’t be undone so easily, and each time I meet her, I’ll gradually strengthen it, influencing her more and more without her noticing until she becomes one of my vassals.”

“That’s possibly true, even I can’t sense what you did to her.” I stand up and fix my clothes a bit. “Sophie kind of messed up.”

The mood shifts as his guards, both by his side and outside, prepare at the signal he sends using his mental abilities. A preplaced array activates as well.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you leave.” Namior shakes his head.

That confuses me, and I tilt my head. “I wasn’t planning to leave.”

My entire right arm becomes a mess of torn flesh as I use kinetic energy to pull out Fracture at incredible speed. With a single motion, I sever the connection between the man and his two bodyguards. Doing so won’t allow him to send orders, but it likely won’t change whatever he already did to their minds.

In that same split second, I also shove the sword back into its scabbard and activate two healing marks. My arm snaps back into place, the flesh reconnecting.

The crow rushes to attack me, and its owner tries to move, but both stand still, the crow frozen mid-air and held by my [Redistribution].

Golden flames explode around the Vyssari, surging toward me and effortlessly melting through my barriers I quickly set up. I slide into [Focus] to ignore the feeling of pain as my skin and flesh immediately ignite and burn. My bones are revealed, the fire attempting to burn even them, but unlike my flesh, my bones are durable.

Much more durable.

[Bone Knitting - lvl 20 > Bone Knitting - lvl 21]

[Bone Knitting - lvl 21 > Bone Knitting - lvl 22]

There are dozens of mana threads going through each bone, keeping them together, filling them, covering them.

Part of my mind takes over that task, the skill keeping bones from melting away, and [Redistribution] absorbing some of the heat. But the vyssari is better at thermal energy than me, and the flames seem impossible to stop even with the armor I form around my body; it begins to sizzle and melt.

Now freed from the man’s control but confused and acting reflexively, she attacks me without giving it her all.

Wraith Dance takes me in front of her, and up close, the flames are even deadlier, burning more of me away. The muscles, the tendons, some unimportant organs. My skeleton moves, powered by kinetic energy, and my skeletal arm hits her head at incredible speed, a burst of kinetic energy sent through it.

As if flipping a switch, she loses consciousness.

Three healing marks activate, and my flesh and body restore. When I face Namior, he disappears, leaving a signature behind as he teleports.

All of that happened within a short moment and a dozen guards finally rush in, skills swirling around them.

I move the mana in my [Mana Crown], spinning it, faster and faster, until it reaches an incredible speed. The sheer amount of mana moves so quickly that it reaches critical speed, and combined with my skill, a burst of disruptive energy explodes from me. As powerful as if I directed it at a single target, but this one creates an area of effect that disables the skills of everyone here.

My Mana Wavelength Iris activates, and I look at the remains of the teleport. I watch the mana track, using [Focus] to rebuild the structure of the teleport, and then use [Resonance] to resonate with the remains and teleport through the same route.

The moment I appear on the other side, dozens of attacks crash against me, stripping me down to bone, but my mana spins in the crown again, reaching critical limit and releasing another disruptive wave before slowing and coming to a stop.

My flesh restores from the healing marks, and tracking Namior’s presence, I use Wraith Dance to move in front of the massive door. There, I switch to Breaker Style, and a single powerful burst buckles the metal door inward, with the second sending it flying through the room and stabbing into the wall of the tower.

[Mana Domain] encompasses me as I tear through all defenses within it, spinning mana inside my crown and sending disruptive waves throughout, causing the entire tower to flicker as I make my way to the highest floor.

The guards freeze in place, pinned against the walls or thrown out of the tower, while Namior keeps moving higher and higher, throwing everything he has against me.

Before I can reach him, he’s gone again, and I repeat the process, resonating with his teleport, appearing in the area of a different tower, likely one of his vassals’.

There, from the ground, rocks explode as two huge monsters burrow onto the surface. Both are reminiscent of gorillas, coated in white fur with four eyes each and no mouth.

Mana seeps from my body, creating threads that weave into an armor that surrounds me and grows bigger and bigger until I match the size of the monsters. My heart thumps wildly, generating kinetic energy that allows quicker movement of the massive, heavy mana armor.

The first gorilla crashes against me, but my elbow hits the side of its head; as it wavers, I grab it and bury its head into the ground, tearing up trees and smaller buildings in the process.

A huge spear of mana forms in my hand, and I pierce the monster’s body, boosting the spear with kinetic energy, creating a hook at the end, and pinning the gorilla to the ground.

The other one jumps at me, but I sidestep and, with a burst of kinetic energy, tackle it against the tower, which shakes at its base but endures. Two of my arms hold the gorilla, and two more arms form from my shoulders, fingers of these arms interlocking before I bring the hands down, slamming them against the monster’s head.

A screech explodes in my eardrums, and tattoos glow on the monster's skin, but I repeat the process, making its eyes hazy before using all four arms to tear the monster’s arms and toss them—and the monster itself—away.

My armor disappears, the mana pulled back into my crown in a blink. Seeing that the first gorilla is almost free, I form a huge nail in the air and shoot it at the monster, pinning it again while being careful not to kill it.

I land on the ground, Wraith Dance taking me toward another door I destroy, finding guards and the remains of the teleport inside.

A tricolored shield blocks the barrage of attacks, and I teleport myself again.

This time, I appear before the city’s second-tallest tower, owned by Beatrice, the pink-skinned, pink-haired daughter of the Archon.

“Beatrice! Beatrice! Fucking help me, you can take over my mind if you want, just get that man off me! Beatrice!” Namior keeps shouting at the woman standing at the top of the wall around her tower, her bodyguard with a transparent crown over his head.

Namior shuts up and turns back, seeing me standing there, and shouts, “Get the fuck away from me!”—followed by the most powerful mental attack I’ve felt so far.

But it’s all for nothing. It slides against my mental defenses.

When he opens his mouth to shout again, I stand by his side.

“I can be more useful alive, I can…” Before he can finish, a concentrated blast of kinetic energy explodes his head.

[You have defeated Mindsculptor - lvl 268]

Beatrice says nothing, watching as I tear the rest of the body with subsequent bursts of kinetic energy, then burn the remains.

Before leaving I throw one [Ley Line] toward the inside of her tower, and when I teleport away, no one tries to stop me.

***

Next Chapter