Just like that two weeks came and went without much fanfare. The two weeks were oddly boring. The monsters in our area were too weak to provide me with any worthwhile energy so I decided to devote them to the academy. I had to cull the area and make a hunting zone for them. After that, I spent most of my time in meditation. It turned out that the array I purchased didn't make a massive difference. It helped my cultivation speed but the ambient energy here was too low. According to the academy's stones, I needed to collect items to improve it. These natural treasures worked a bit like the stones and pills. Which meant I had to divide my treasure hunting in two. I needed treasures that could help me today and then long-term treasures that would boost my environment.

Honestly, it all sounded a bit like a scam. If I understood it right I would always be collecting new resources that could be found in the wild. A wilderness that the System could modify at its leisure which meant that the System was just pushing us into fights. The academy had a brief mention of cultivators that could resist the System but that was all. Either way, it didn't matter I had more immediate problems. The Two weeks had allowed me to get better acclimated to Earth. I opened a portal and stepped onto the roof of an old gas station to watch this week's training drills. Of course, calling them that was very very kind. Of the fifty guards five of them could fight and that included Christopher. The others were either obsessed with their guns and refused to learn any other weapon or they refused to try to fight.

Part of that was my fault, the battle between me and the commonwealth convinced them that I would keep them safe. Then we have the return of technology and the creature comforts and most people were content with waiting until the government came back. Which left us in a shit position. I couldn't just abandon them since I brought them here but I also couldn't let them be lazy. It wasn't all bad though, it turned out quite a few people here had crafting knowledge. Several had started studying alchemy, arrays and a small garden was forming. It would be a while before it could be considered a farm but it was progress. On a more personal level, I managed to improve a few things.

[1] Psychic Mastery - Proficiency: Intermediate. Mastery is born through experience. Upgradeable.

[1] Psionic Rain – Proficiency: Intermediate. The Mind is the Only Weapon you will ever need. Upgradeable

I still couldn't progress Apportation but these two were more than worth it. Psychic Mastery's improvement allowed me to get more detailed with my mental energy control. It wasn't just about controlling the shape of it but now I could manipulate minds. It wasn't as strong as literal mind control but I could make people ignore me. As long as I didn't do anything that drew attention I could walk around wherever I wanted. As for Psionic Rain, I still hadn't found the time to test it out. I could tell based on how it changed it was stronger but that was about it. I looked up when I saw Christopher leave the area. I leaped down and jogged up to him.

"I need a minute."

"Alright." He waved the others to continue without him and took a minute to catch his breath before we stepped into the gas station.

"I am going to check out the other settlement nearby. Saanite should be able to handle the big details but I would appreciate you looking after the people. I am not sure if Saanite is capable of dealing with emotions."

"Sure do you know which settlements you are going to check out?"

I nodded. "I am going to head Northeast. I still need to check out that section of the city and I want to know if there is anyone near there. After that, I think I will look into the commonwealth."

He nodded. "So how long do you think you will be gone?"

"I think a week maybe a week and a half."

He gazed up at the tower for a moment as if deep in thought. "I...we can take care of it."

I decided against asking about the hesitation. If he wanted me to know he would have told me and truth be told I wasn't sure if it was my role to be involved in his personal life. "If you come across any issues retreat into the building Saanite should be able to shut down the elevator at least for a while. I don't think many humans are bulletproof."

We went over a few more things before I decided to leave him to it. I decided to put my new Psychic Mastery to use. My psychic energy drained as I projected a bubble around me. The nearly invisible energy felt like walking through a dream. It wasn't accurate to say that I had turned invisible because I could still clearly see myself in mirrors, puddles of water all of it. People also reacted to me, unconsciously sliding out of the way and going about their business. It was a bit surreal to go from the most recognizable face to being ignored completely but it was real. The people didn't even realize they had moved out of my way. It was like their bodies reacted to my presence while their minds ignored any inconsistencies that were created.

I kept up the effect until I was a block away. It felt a bit like I had held my breath the entire time as soon as I ended it I returned to the world. I made a mental note to explore the effect a bit more later but now that I was free I broke out into a sprint. I couldn't help but laugh as the wind flowed through my locs. With my current attributes, I was faster than most cars on regular roads and I had much more control. I barely had to slow my stride when I came across a pair of cars blocking the road. I stepped on the hood of the first one only to then leap into a backflip. I did my best superhero landing and took off again.

I raced through the city for two days before I found anything interesting. I sat on top of a doughnut shop and looked at a scene out of a zombie movie. There was a ring of school and public buses that blocked off a neighborhood. They effectively made their own city which was impressive. They had men and women with guns on top of the buses standing guard which was impressive. Unfortunately, everything wasn't perfect for them. Several of the guards were hurt including one woman who had her right eye bandaged. The buses had seen better days and had been repaired with scrap metals.

I watched them for a few hours before I stepped off the building. A quick sprint brought me to the makeshift gates of the city where I found two guns pointed at me. I smiled at them as politely as I could and held up my hands. "Greetings I hoped that I could come inside and have a drink or two. I would like to get some information as well. Perhaps a safe place to lay my head?"

The one-eyed woman looked me up and down for a second. She glanced at the other guard and nodded. "It costs five spirit stones to enter."

I stared at her blankly before my mind caught up with what was happening. There was no way in the world that these people had enough 2nd-realm stones that they could use them as currency. I hadn't found any new ones since then nor had I gotten any first realm ones. "I have none of those but I can give you some healing pills I got as a reward." I pretended to reach into the bag and summoned one of my smaller pill bottles. I knocked two pills into my hand before holding them out. "They were good enough to heal some pretty bad injuries and got me back into fighting shape."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The two of them looked at each other more than me and I could almost see the gears churning in their minds. They had heard of healing pills before so I didn't need to deal with that. They were more worried about what the other one would say. We stood there in an uncomfortable silence before they both swiped one pill. I resisted the urge to chuckle before they pulled the gate open and I was allowed in. I looked around and sighed. Up close the city was a bit like a shanty town. People moved through the streets like zombies. Most of them still wore normal clothes that had visible signs of wear and tear. It reminded me of a great depression book. The worst part though was the overall mood. The people here had given up.

There were a few people who wanted to fight like the guards but the majority were waiting to die. A cold chill went down my spine when I found an alley filled with half-naked men and women. It didn't take a lot of effort to see how they had adjusted to things. Especially with the needles and empty glass bottles. Part of me wanted to blast everyone and everything. That I could shock them awake and lead them or make them stronger but there was nothing I could do. Even if there was would it help? I didn't think any of these people were cultivators. Or if they were they had not tried in the tutorial. If that wasn't enough to help them what would I do?

I shook my head and left. There were other things I wanted to take care of so I made my into a corner bar. Strangely enough, it was one of the few buildings that had gone untouched. It was as if even the heavens refused to destroy a bar. Of course, the more likely answer was a combination of luck and people working together. I stepped into the bar and looked around. Only the bartender was here, an older dark-skinned man with a salt and pepper beard and a bald head.

"We don't usually get people comin' in here at this time of day. I am going to assume you are new to the town." I nodded and took a seat at the bar. "I am going to offer a bit of advice free of charge. You should dirty up those robes. It's a crime to own too many good things and those clothes look pretty good."

I raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged. "I can take care of myself though I appreciate the warning. Can you tell me a bit more about this town? Who is in charge? Anything interesting going on."

The man picked up a glass, and rag and started to clean. "Them government folks were by here a few days ago and word on the street is that Anthony is considering their offer. Anthony is the unofficial mayor of the town."

"What's the offer?"

He raised an eyebrow and then placed the glass down on the counter. "The United World Government is trying to get the various leaders to join up with them. Word is a couple of weeks ago people who had gone missing returned and are now trying to restart civilization."

"You mean like the commonwealth?" I asked and leaned forward slightly.

"Yes and no. I can't say if those people have joined up or not but the UWG is real and they have recruited some of the smaller communities to join them at their capital."

"Where is the capital?"

"I don't know. It's all a bit hush hush I can add that they are particularly interested in strong people. The benefits are supposedly pretty good but you have to pass some sort of test."

"Test?"

He shrugged and wiped down the bar. "I don't know. They take you to a private spot and when you come back you either passed or failed."

I nodded and got to my feet. "Do you know where this Anthony guy is? I would like to ask him about it."

"He and his friend stay in the apartments toward the middle of town. Though you need permission to enter that section of town."

I nodded and got to my feet. I was about to leave when I thought better of it. I reached into my bag and got another healing pill. "As a thank you for the information." I tossed it to him. "It should heal most if not all injuries though I can't promise it will heal poisons or restore a lost limb."

I stepped out of the bar and stretched my neck. It wasn't hard to figure out that they were looking cultivators but what test were they doing? It could be a search for the "Chosen" title but it seemed like more than that. No one could see your screen unless you showed it to them. Unless you had some sort of spell or skill but there shouldn't be that many people with something like that. Ultimately there was only one way to find out what I wanted to know so I made my way toward the center of town.

It was almost too easy to find the leader's apartment building. It was the second tallest building in the town, second only to the church. Even that was only true if you counted the bell tower as a part of the building. They moved a group of cars to act as a barricade and then removed the tire, rim, and axle. There was also another set of guards seated on the hood. I was just about to make my way up to the trio when I felt something. A warm sensation at the base of my skull. It felt like someone had taken some of those hand warmers and just pressed them against my neck. I turned around and didn't see anything. The sensation faded only to return even more intensely. I turned around and my gaze was pulled to the third floor of a building.

I locked eyes with a man in a dark set of robes. He ducked back into the building and I activated Apportation. I stepped through the portal and appeared in a dark hallway. As soon as I appeared a blade flashed and my hand shot forward. The sword snapped in two before I processed the attack. I stared at the would-be assassin and then at the blade. It wasn't something from the tutorial or a quest's reward. This thing didn't even look like a high-quality blade by old Earth standards. I tossed the broken blade on the ground. "Who are you and what did you do?"

The man threw out a knife before turning and sprinting down the hall. I caught the blade and was about to follow when I decided it was a waste of time. The anonymity I had was gone by now and I didn't want to chase this guy. Instead, I turned and leaped out of the window. I landed on the ground a second later and leaned against the door. Less than a minute later the door flew open and my would-be assassin stumbled out. Before he could get away I reached out and grabbed his arm. I slammed him into the stone and felt something in his arm break. I winced at the sound before I could stop myself.

"Let's try this again. Who are you and what did you do? The skill didn't hurt me so I am assuming it was some sort of investigative ability?"

"Oww man let me go! I think you broke my arm." The man whimpered in pain but didn't stop trying to get away.

I pressed my fingers into his arm and was just about to ask my question again when I felt other people approach. I looked over my shoulder and sighed. Five guards had arrived each one with a different gun. There were two rifles, a handgun, and some kind of shotgun. My danger sense didn't even make the slightest noise so I wasn't worried but I didn't want to start slaughtering people either.

"Unhand him and kneel on the ground with your hands behind your head." The man with the handgun barked orders at me like a drill sergeant which only made me more irritated.

I turned around still holding the man by his right arm. "I take it that his job is to scan people? I want to know what skill or spell he used and then he is free to go."

"Do you lack common sense boy? Or do you think of yourself as some sort of action hero? Last chance let him go and get on your knees."

I stared at the man for a second before sighing. It was clear that there was no other way to avoid this. Surrounding would only make this process more annoying and I would probably have to break out anyway. I activated Psychic Aegis and as soon as the barrier appeared they opened fire. The bullets were crushed against my shield but they kept firing. I raised an eyebrow in disbelief as they fully unloaded their guns. "I thought that was a movie thing. Why the fuck would you keep firing after the first few didn't work?" I turned my attention to the man who started this whole situation.

"I got it from the tutorial! It's called 'Clear Eye' Now let me go." The pain in his voice made me release him.

I was about to offer him a healing pill when he turned and ran away. I shrugged before turning my attention back to the others. "I would like to speak to Anthony."