We arrived at the former black site early the following morning. Unlike last time we weren't met by any guards, on its own it wasn't enough to raise my hackles. When we stepped out of the brush and trees to a wall of guns aimed at us...I raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. "I had hoped we would be met with a more positive reception. Though if it's a fight you want I will give it to you."

The group tightened their grips on their weapons as if they wanted to continue and I began circulating my energy. I planned out my method of attack. Psychic Aegis wall form should be enough to deal with the bullets. After that, Psionic Rain would wipe them out. I had to assume they had some array or weapon that could hurt me so keeping my distance was wisest. Before I could put my plan into action the group parted and Keshaun walked out. "Now everyone please lower your weapons. This young man and his friends are on our side."

I raised an eyebrow but sure enough, they lowered their weapons and the tense moment passed. I still wasn't ready to trust him but the situation felt more like a show than a serious threat. I waited for him to cross half the distance to us before I gestured to Aaliyah and Christopher to follow.

"Greeting your new leader with weapons drawn is certainly an interesting choice," Aaliyah said as we all faced each other.

Keshaun flashed her smile and ruefully shook his head. "We were a bit surprised when a rather large group appeared out of nowhere. We weren't expecting your return to be so interesting. For that, you have our sincerest apologies."

I nodded and looked at the group of guards behind him. They seemed relaxed for people who thought they were about to be attacked but whatever. "Right, are your people ready to go? I would prefer to get moving as soon as possible. A group like this will draw a few eyes."

He shook his head. "We need a bit longer to finish gathering the food and resources. We can leave in an hour if it suits you. We still have water available if you and your people would like a drink?"

We went over a few more things before I let him get back to preparations. It turned out they had thirty people in total of which ten were capable fighters. If you counted everyone with knowledge of how to use a firearm that number increased to fifteen. Part of me wished we had brought a few extra weapons with us but there was little to do about it now. Thankfully nothing else of note happened. Our groups were able to mix and mingle without issue. We settled on a kind of military-like formation. Or at least what I thought was one anyway. My people would stay on the outside while Keshaun's would form an inner barrier. Inside that last line of defense sat the goods and people who couldn't fight. It should let people with guns act as backup damage while keeping the most vulnerable safe.

Of course, the plan was that I would deal with any threats long before the rest of the group encountered them. The plan was pretty good but it was only reinforcing a problem I had noticed earlier. The gap between me and the others would only grow like this. I kept silent about my misgivings and we were ready to head out thirty minutes after they finished packing. I considered opening a portal for everyone but based on the mental strain from transporting our group I didn't think I would be able to do it. Or if I could I wouldn't be able to fight afterwards. I opened a portal onto a nearby roof and waited for the others to start walking.

The first day of the journey was uneventful. A small group of monsters that reminded me of mutated gerbils attacked the caravan but my services weren't needed. Aaliyah stopped them from grouping up too much and then my people eliminated them. Watching them work together was almost enough to bring a tear to my eye. They picked out an abandoned warehouse to settle down for the night. I gave them an hour to settle in before I opened a portal and stepped inside.

"There he is, our honorable and courageous leader." Keshaun raised a cup with one hand and flashed me a smile. "I must admit you are a brave man to travel outside on your own so often."

I smiled right back and took a seat in the makeshift caravan. "I suppose you could say that. Being the strongest has its benefits." I laughed and grabbed a bottle of water."

"Some of our people are getting close to a new level up. It's mostly those on the lower end though." Christopher added as he sat down.

"It's a bit freaky when people look at you like some kind of superhuman. The gerbils were probably around level 2 or 3 but the way people acted..." Aaliyah added as she leaned against the wall.

I couldn't help but laugh at her. "You get used to it after a while. After that, it gets to be fun. You feel like some kind of badass." I added.

Keshaun chuckled at that. "I am curious if you don't mind my asking. What does this 'cultivation' for you? I spoke with the few cultivators we have but the knowledge they could provide was limited."

"What do you want to know?"

"Is it true that your attributes increase faster than the rest of us? That you have more power per point?"

I slowly nodded. "Though it's not quite as simple. I don't know much about the cultivation technique the people you know have but mine doesn't make me stronger. It has other benefits ultimately in cultivation speed but not direct power. My strength comes from my levels and the various titles I have."

"How do you have so many? We were all in the same tutorial so either you have a whole bunch of em or you got stronger ones than the rest of us." Aaliyah asked and her question drew the eyes of several other nearby people.

I considered if I wanted to keep my strength hidden from them or not but truthfully I wasn't too worried. I didn't think just knowing about the titles would let them hurt me especially since more than a few of them were first of titles. I pulled my status screen and shared it with just about everyone. The room went silent for several long seconds. I leaned back and took a swig of water as I waited for someone anyone to say something.

"I must admit your boast might be true. If your attributes are even half as impressive as these imply they should be then you could be the strongest man in the world." Keshaun finally broke the silence. The usually calm man now looked flustered. He looked at me as if I were a pack of dynamite that could blow at any moment. A glance told me he wasn't the only one. I flashed all of them a playful smile and leaned back.

"Indeed, though it still isn't enough. The monsters are growing and on top of that, we have a whole new frontier to explore. For all I know I might be one of the weakest in the multiverse." I was about to continue when Aaliyah shivered.

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"That thought is terrifying. Let's not worry about the stars until after we've dealt with the ground." She added and folded her arms. "I am not at all interested in meeting aliens."

"I think we would be the aliens unless they come here. Of course, there might not be any 'aliens' since we have the status screen. We would just know what to call each other." I replied.

"So if I wanted to get any of these first titles I would have to go to another planet?" Keshaun asked.

I shrugged. "I am not sure. It may be based on planet or it might be based on other kinds of locations but I doubt it's easy. It seems like the first of titles are meant for planets like ours."

"So it could be impossible for us to close the gap on you?" Keshaun asked with a solemnity in his words that made him seem much older.

I slowly nodded not sure how to deal with the helplessness in his voice. "I imagine that there are other things on the planet that could help though. Natural treasures and other opportunities."

He gave a slightly bitter smile at that and nodded. "Those are most likely protected by something rather powerful which means you would have an advantage at getting them. The benefits spiral over time."

I nodded. "We will have to make our choices. Do we push forward and risk our lives or rest in safety? I made my choice."

"Right well all of that sounds good and all but we need to focus on tomorrow. At the speed we are moving it will take us three days to get back to Amara." Christopher added. "We have to assume things won't be as easy going forward. I doubt there aren't more monsters that want to take a chunk out of us."

I nodded. "If things get too dangerous you and Aaliyah will lead everyone forward while I deal with the threat."

He nodded. "Yes, I am aware, and despite your ability to deal with the threat it isn't our chief concern. The worst case scenario would be an attack that divides us." He looked at Keshaun. "Not only do your people not know the safest way to Amara they aren't the strongest outside of the cultivators."

Keshaun nodded. "So we have to decide whether or not people should bunker down for safety or head for the skyscraper anyway?"

I pulled my map from my bag and handed it to Christopher. "You should be able to read this and plot a path. Create paths based on the average levels of the monsters you all encounter during training. After that pass it to the strongest people in both groups. If the worst happens I will attempt to find any stragglers but if help hasn't come in a day or two they will have to make their way forward."

"When did you get a map?" Christopher and Aaliyah asked in unison.

"It was the reward for a quest a while back. If you infuse it with energy it should appear in your mind."

Christopher did so and closed his eyes. "Whoa, it tells you the locations of landmarks too. However, it seems it only counts landmarks that the System thinks are important. I could take the time to mark the old-world stuff." He opened his eyes. "Give me a few minutes. Do you need it back?"

"I will, it's bonded to me but I could lend it out until we get back to Amara."

He nodded and turned to Keshaun. "While I do this can you get your people together? Just the ones that we can trust with the information."

He nodded. "Of course, I will get the cultivators, and then the highest-level soldiers it will be around six or seven people."

"Oh, one more thing. Make sure that no one goes exploring while we are stopped. Some of the monsters I have fought have weird mental abilities and one was a fungus thing that made people zombies. I have no idea if there are other creatures like that near here but I can't heal."

Everyone nodded and we went over a few more things. Mainly what the protocol would be for people who either couldn't or wouldn't walk anymore. It was decided that no one would get left behind. Once we finished I left everyone to their assignments and opened a portal. I stepped through and then out onto a rooftop. I looked up at the beautiful night sky and took a deep breath. Sitting alone like this was oddly calming. I spent an hour just watching the stars before I turned my attention to the world around me. It was strange how easy the adjustment to this has been, outside of the near-death situations this world has been pretty good. I wasn't sure if it was the Tao reinforcing my mind or if I was just getting used to it.

Either way, it didn't matter. I stood up and opened another portal. This time I stepped out two blocks away and looked around. The sensation grew slightly, it wasn't strong enough to call it a pull. More like an urge to go this way. I leaped from building to building until I arrived at a large park. I expanded my tao field and leaped down. The park itself was oddly quiet and was mostly overgrown by now. The further I walked the stronger the sensation got. It wasn't until I reached the middle of the park that I realized what I was being pulled toward. There was an oak tree about twice as thick as normal. Seated towards the very top was something. It looked a bit bit like a forest green acorn the size of a watermelon.

I stared at it for several seconds but nothing happened. My body didn't crave this treasure like the lotus. Instead, it was the same part of me that warned me of danger. I wasn't sure what I should do about it. If I left it here it would probably let someone who needed it more find it. Of course, it could also be found by a monster. I thought about it for a few more seconds before shrugging and cutting it loose. I waited another moment half expecting an Indiana-Jonesian attack but nothing happened. I shrugged and placed the acorn into my bag. After giving the tree another glance for any other treasure I turned and left. Hopefully, Trey or someone else would be able to use it and if not I could probably sell it at the auction.

Instead of heading back to my building, I decided to check the area. It would be better to know about a potential threat in advance and I wasn't exactly tired. Fortunately, I had come across a den of large ferret monsters that could spit stone but they weren't worth much. I considered bringing my people here to fight them off but decided against it. The logistics of that would be a pain in the ass. The resulting battle was a slaughter. The small creatures couldn't deal with my killing intent let alone my tao field. It took me less than ten minutes to take them out. Another five let me collect all the corpses and feed them into the bag. Part of me was a bit disgusted at the bag of bodies I was carrying around but I ignored it. Mental attacks left the corpse in perfect condition for crafters and anyone really to get resources.

I finished my search about half an hour later and returned to my post. I closed my eyes and began circulating my cultivation technique. The energy flowed into me like a trickle of rain on a parched desert. My dantian had evolved from the small barely there pond into a proper lake but that had also increased the amount of energy I needed. Unless I killed something powerful soon I would have to cultivate for weeks to get to level 30. I wasn't sure if I got new spells at level 3o but a proper finisher would be nice. Maybe some kind of explosion or mass psychic wave to round out my offense.

A healing ability would be a nice touch. Maybe a nice mass heals kind of thing that worked on soul damage or even another domain ability. Realm of Consciousness was pretty impressive. I still wasn't ready to create one myself. The academy provided a nice basis for the knowledge of sigils but it was a bit like learning first-grade English and then trying to write a term paper. It wasn't enough. There was a title for fucking up a spell sigil so badly that it was worse than when you got it. I asked Desbera why a person shouldn't just fuck up a skill or spell they didn't want anymore and apparently, it wasn't that simple. It was very difficult to remove a sigil from your channels once it was placed. It was kind of like removing a tattoo so I would be fucked to get a shitty version of a title. I took a calming breath and pulled my focus back to the energy flowing into my dantian.

I spent another four hours cultivating before I decided it was enough. Instead of heading back inside I decided to get a few hours of sleep underneath the night sky. It was a bit ironic that as I child I despised the idea of camping and now here I was. Laid out under the sky and relishing the few moments of peaceful night. I wondered what it would be like to do this with a mother or father. Doing the whole smores thing while laughing and telling stories. The sitcoms always made it seem unreal. Any problem could be solved just by telling dad or mom would have the solutions to whatever problem you had. Life was just a bunch of lessons you were supposed to learn. It wasn't like that in real life of course. Everyone was just doing what they could to survive. I took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. I needed to get some rest.