A wave of spiritual energy erupted from me and slammed into the room. Stone cracked as I levitated off of the ground. The energy left my channels and spread into the rest of my body. It felt like I was simultaneously being burned, frozen, and electrocuted. Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision as the energy reached my eyes. I bit back another cry of pain and focused on my cultivation method. I couldn't control the rampaging but it could help me with the pain.

I forced myself into a meditative trance. Just as I thought I had solved the immediate problem my entire body lurched and another pulse of energy shot out. Suddenly whatever was keeping me in the air ended and I crashed to the ground. Before I could process what was happening I was hit with a wave of exhaustion. I tried to stand only to collapse to my knees. The world around me suddenly felt like it was millions of miles away. My eyelids felt like they weighed a million pounds each. Even breathing felt like trying to remove an elephant from my chest. I closed my eyes and was relieved when the darkness finally claimed me.

I bolted awake sometime later. I grimaced as I scanned the room around me. It was ruined. All the artwork was gone and the floor had collapsed. From the distance between me and the skylight, I had to have fallen at least twenty feet. I got to my feet only to stumble as my vision swam. Panic started to build in my chest as a million scenarios went through my mind. Was the fruit dangerous? No, my danger sense should have warned me. Was it too strong?

That was a thought but if so why did I survive? The pain was insane but that was it. I otherwise felt amazing. I shrugged and pulled my status screen hoping that it would give me some explanation and boy did it.

Name Amari Jackson Level 36 Class [1-Epic]Psionic Paragon Species [2]Human Affiliation Earth:Amara: Ruler Trait ??? Manual [1]Ethereal Codex(22%) Titles Beloved by Tao, Big Game, Chosen, First to Ten, Horde Breaker, Leader of the Pack, Monstersbane, One Man Army, Overlord Slayer, Overpowered, Perfect 100, Prime Forebearer, Prime Hunter, Tutorial, Voyager, Limited Titles Pinnacle, Primal Battlefield Tao Strand of Adamance — Comprehension: Middle, Strand of Lucidity — Comprehension: Middle Agility 155 (Increase:65%. Potency:120%) Constitution 175 (Increase:70%. Potency:120%) Intelligence 236 (Increase:70%. Potency:120%) Luck 154 (Increase:85%. Potency:120%) Perception 175 (Increase:70%. Potency:120%) Strength 129 (Increase:70%. Potency:120%) Wisdom 439 (Increase:75%. Potency:120%) Free Points 0 System Credits [1]30,000,000

The major change was a whole new line. I wasn't sure if the question mark part was because the System didn't know what it was or if it was up in the air. I passed a mental eye over my entire body. Hoping to find any hint of what was going on. What I found only raised more questions. There was a lump on my forehead. When I raised a hand to it there was nothing there which meant that it was a more energy-based thing.

I sent a bit of spiritual and psychic energy up to it but nothing happened. Which made me think one of two things was true. Either I needed more energy to unlock whatever the question mark was or I needed to eat the other fruit. I looked at my ring and considered whether or not I should consume it. I went back and forth on it before siding with caution. If it was possible to finish the process without the fruit I would try if not I could always eat it later.

Before I could decide my next move I noticed something else. My dantian was being drained by the lump. The drain was barely noticeable which made me put it to the back of my mind. Whatever it was, it would likely be very useful. Or at least I hoped it would. I tried to squeeze some more information out of the status screen but nothing worked.

Once again I found myself asking for some kind of wiki. I turned my attention to the credits section and let out a low whistle. I was rolling in it. I hadn't even killed the majority of the monsters and I was at 30 million. I should be able to double and maybe even triple it before leaving. The slight attribute was also pretty nice but my improvement rate had stagnated.

Not that I minded. If everyone hit a similar wall at this point then I would have nothing to worry about it. I waved away the screen and considered my next step. I didn't feel like going back to the cave and the recent stampede should have brought most monsters away from there. Or at least most of the strong ones.

There was also the problem of the other people from the boat. If there was a chance that they were still alive I should probably try to find them. Of course, there was also the potential wealth to find deeper inside. I hadn't even traveled too far to find the fruit. Who knew what else I could get? I went back and forth in my head but it was pretty clear what I would do. I was just about to leave when an idea came to me.

"Establish city?" I said the words out only half expecting a response from the system. When none came I sighed. I couldn't see a reason I wouldn't be able to claim this place so the problem must be a lack of hub. When I tried to access the shop I had partial success. I couldn't access the whole thing but I could buy a teleporter. I laughed and rubbed my hands together. The price for one that would work from here to Amara was steep. At 15 Million but would likely pay for itself soon enough.

I confirmed the purchase and placed the teleporter down. As soon as I was able I pulled up the destination list and raised an eyebrow in confusion. I wasn't the greatest with directions but Amara and the UWG headquarters should be in the same direction. Their base should be closer to us so why was I only able to go to Amara?

I closed the menu and opened again hoping that the tried and true method of tech support would work. It did not. The situation did cause a moral conundrum. Would I be an asshole if I didn't go back and let people know? The researchers would be a lot safer if I gathered them first. Hell, I could get some guards to come through and make this a headquarters.

I activated the teleporter and stepped through. When the teleportation process was finished I was standing in a different room than usual. This was much bigger and had a desk on one side and a statue on the other. When I took the time to process the statue I laughed. When did someone make a statue of me? And why wasn't I told about it?

"Uh excuse me, sir. If you come over here I can get you processed with a visitor's visa." A chirping voice brought my attention to the table. The person who spoke was a woman probably in her late thirties maybe early forties. She was Asian and was missing her right arm. I wasn't sure if it was a recent loss or not but it did make me think about injury compensation.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Right, Um what's your name? I don't think I've ever seen you before." I stepped up to the desk out of curiosity more than anything else.

"My name is Sarah and I am one of the greeters. I take it this is your first time in the Kingdom of Amara?"

I stared at her in utter confusion. I did technically conquer a city and then absorb another one. I was also technically the sole ruler of said territory. Which would make me a monarch but hearing someone say it openly and so happily was weird. "Uh, you could say that."

"Wonderful." She pulled up a stone slip and passed it to me. "If you send a bit of spiritual energy inside you will get a brief overview of the Kingdom. This one has all the information on the merit system and a map of the capital. You should stay away from the forbidden areas."

"I know that was quite a bit of information quickly. If you would like I could have a guide sent over to help you find somewhere to get some warm food."

I laughed and shook my head. "No need to worry about that. I like to explore." I stepped out of the teleportation building and into a city. An actual city. It was no New York of course but it wasn't just a building surrounded by rubble. Now the construction project had mostly been finished. I still wouldn't say that they had cleaned everything out but it was nice.

The city looked more like a poorly maintained city than one that went through the end of the world. Which was a massive improvement. As much as I wanted to explore I didn't have time. I activated Ethereal Convocation. When I felt the mental connection snap into place I was slammed with a barrage of thoughts. It took them several seconds to calm down enough for me to answer any questions.

"I take it that you all were made aware of the ship," I replied.

"We were told that it exploded and that the government was working on reestablishing contact," Aaliyah replied. "Can you explain what's going on?"

"We were just about to arrange a group to try and find you. Assuming we were able to get a boat." Christopher added.

I quickly went over everything that they needed to know before making my big ask. "I just purchased a teleporter and I would appreciate you all getting some people together. We need to build a camp and eventually a town on the new continent. I have control over an old Aztec temple that has seen better days."

"How did you- Never mind. Give me two hours and I can have a group of fifty people sent over. We even have a few cultivators that have been itching for ways to earn contribution points." Christopher replied

"Speaking of which what are these contribution points? Did you all set something important up while I was gone?"

"The short story is that the council has a quest to develop things. Which led to us upping our development timeline. The reward for that was a merit shop. It came pre-stocked with some goods but we will need to fill it with more things once that runs out."

"Right okay well I mean I will go and look for stuff but it isn't like there's a store in the wilderness. Anyone, do you know if Desbera or Azariah is free? I recently found an interesting treasure and I would like to run it by them."

"Last I heard Azariah was in New York trying to open another branch of her store. Desbera I think is still in the academy."

I tapped my foot in the dirt for a moment. I could wait for them but I really should go and check on the others. If they all died because I was here I would feel like a pretty shitty person. "Let them both know as soon as you can. Have them come over with the guards. I have to check on a few people."

We went over a few more important details including the establishment of the "Department of Refugees" which was a group of survivors who looked after people who either couldn't or wouldn't fight. It was kind of like the V.A. from what I understood. I made a mental note to get more involved with the government when I got back before I stepped back through the teleporter.

I took off through the forest at a dead sprint. I still wasn't sure how long I had been out. I hadn't even run for thirty minutes when an uncomfortable feeling settled onto me like a blanket. I didn't think I was in danger. It wasn't my danger sense either it was more like the beginnings of an anxiety attack. I circulated the Tao of Adamance to keep myself in control. Spiritual energy surged into my legs as I pushed on.

An hour later I heard the first screams of pain. I gritted my teeth and activated Apportation not wanting to waste any more time. I stepped through the portal and prepared myself for battle. I circulated my spiritual energy and formed three psychic blades. The portal released me into pandemonium. Monster and human corpses lay scattered about the cave's entrance. The smell of blood filled the air and a golden sun appeared in the sky. The sun unleashed rays of light every few seconds. Which was the only reason the group hadn't been overrun yet.

A second later a woman blurred in and decapitated a pair of monkeys before stumbling a step. Amahle had woken up but wasn't at her full strength. Lastly, Alexander was in a one-on-one fight with an overgrown monkey. His hands glowed with a transparent light. None of that was my main concern. In the back of the monster horde were two familiar beasts.

I grinned and unleashed all three blades at the Leonine dog. I sprinted forward before the three blades crossed half the distance. Psychic Aegis activated next carving a divide in the front lines. A divide that allowed the exhausted researchers to fall back. Next came Psionic Rain. I let it absorb the maximum amount of energy before it exploded in a deluge of mental attacks. As soon as the attack was over I crashed into the beast's front lines. Every dead human filled sparked a fury inside me. A fury that I fanned. A fury that I used to motivate me. I didn't remember grabbing a sword off the ground until after I stabbed it through the eye of a monkey.

Two fists slammed into my right side. I used the momentum to slam into one of the smaller dog beasts. A trio of psychic blades were buried in its head less than a second later. Before I could move to my next target my danger sense lit up. Without thinking I flipped backwards. The corpse of the monster I had just been on exploded as it was hit with a bomb of air.

I turned my attention the my nemesis. We locked eyes and I could swear that it understood as well as I did. Only one of us was going to leave the battlefield this time. That was more than fine with me. I activated Realm of Consciousness. The grey mist spread out from me and formed a curtain. Not an arena. I sprinted forward. Psychic Blast forming in both hands.

Twin blasts of psychic energy shot forward. Each one sought the life of the beast. The monster unleashed another blast while two of its smaller companions leaped into the path of my attack. They sacrificed themselves to save the big one. Before I could digest that the boss dog unleashed another blast of wind. I brought up my arms just as the blast tore into me.

I bit back a scream and dug my feet into the grass to stop from flying away. I reached for my Tao and attempted the same trick from last time. Only the threads of energy refused to combine. It was like trying to wrap loose string around a spindle. It just fell together into a blob. "Fuck me." I groaned and dodged another blast of wind. This one comes from one of the smaller dogs. I ducked back into the mist and let it obscure me.

Once I was sure I was hidden I began a new phase of my attack. I unleashed Psionic Rain. This time imbued with the Tao of Lucidity. The blades fell and the boss dog let out a howl of pain. I followed it up with another trio of imbued blades. I resisted the urge to close the distance and instead surveilled the battlefield. Psychic Aegis had been shattered but not before allowing my side to regroup.

Romulus' Golden sun was gone but the area around him had turned into a barren wasteland. His spear spun through the air but it was clear he was running out of gas. Every attack he gave earned him two right back. Alexander had won his battle but had been dragged into another. His right hand held limply at his side. He still fought on though which was impressive.

Amahle had fallen back to defend the cave entrance. With several new wounds decorating her body. Still, her sword was raised which was good. The question was whether or not I should kill the big one or thin out the smaller ones first. Instead of making a choice, I decided to go with something different.

I took a deep breath and unleashed my aura at full blast. The moment it surged beyond the domain of my spell. I pulled it back in. Limiting it to my domain. It felt like trying to control a fire hose on full blast but it worked. My killing intent slammed into the fresh barrier and rebounded on itself. Within a second it felt like I was trapped in the Primal Battleground. I gritted my teeth and circulated the Tao of Adamance.

I grinned when I saw how the others were doing. Most of the lesser monsters had fallen and even the big guy was struggling. I forced myself to my feet and stopped circulating my Tao. A bloody rage surged inside me. My vision darkened to a sanguine red and I wanted nothing more to rip that thing apart with my bare hands. By the time Intellect Fortress kicked in, I had already taken five steps toward the thing.

I conjured another trio of blades, imbued them with my Tao, and shot them into the beast's throat. I watched the light leave its eyes and tossed my head back in victory. Only for a scream of danger to pierce the bloody hazy.