Viers was surprised at how adaptable he had become.

In the past, he was a city person. He liked to be at home, with the comfort of his bed, electricity, a hot shower, and the internet. The sum of his cooking skill was instant noodles and boiled eggs. He used laundry service instead of doing it himself. He didn't like dirt and mud on his shoes. Camping in the wilderness was too bothersome. He enjoyed nature but the insects -especially the mosquitoes- evened the score back to zero.

In this new world, traveling days on horseback, sleeping near on the dirt, hunting, skinning and cooking the animals he caught himself, getting lost in the wilds, constant vigilance against bandits and monsters, all had become the norm for Viers.

Now, Viers Isuel, the otherworlder from Earth, was leaning on an old tree log near a fire pit. The pot above the fire was being heated nicely. Two igloos made of earth and stone were standing nearby. The sun was high in the sky but the tall trees created the shade around the camp. An even-tempered horse and a quiet cat were Viers’ companions in his grand effort of securing this outpost in the monster-filled wildlands.

To another person's eyes, Viers was taking a nap but it was not true.

Nine days after the fight with Alan, nine days of my healing factor working in full capacity and finally I managed to return to full health. Unlike before, the Victa Stigma is really hampering my healing. If I was like this, how much more troublesome would it be for others? A month? More? Not everybody got a healing cheat like me.

Viers opened his eyes and he looked to the ‘construction scene’ a hundred meters away.

Takju and Boram were busy clearing the path from a landslide.

Should be finished today. Viers shook his head in silence. Good grief. This is just like a game side-quest before reaching a new area.

After leaving Marakkus city, Viers and his gang went east. They didn't use the major roads and opted to slog through the wilderness to avoid prying eyes or potential pursuers or road check or whatever else. Viers wasn't certain it would be necessary -since he was thorough in erasing any evidence of himself in the city- but it was better to be safe than sorry.

And then, he and the gang stumbled upon a village. They rested awhile and the village chief told them that the way forward was closed because of a landslide a month prior. Because Viers was an adventurer, the chief begged for Viers’ help.

Normally Viers wouldn't care. He was a water Pathseeker. Moving earth wasn't his forte.

But he had Boram now.

Even then, Viers wouldn't care. The reward the small, poor village offered was next to nothing. Viers could just lead his group through another way, bypassing the landslide. Why should he waste time, effort, and his slave’s Victa for strangers without benefits? Viers wasn't running a charity.

But Boram wanted to -for whatever nonsense reasons- and Takju offered to help.

As luck would have it, Viers was still injured and needed time to heal and digest the gains he got from the sin city.

So Viers said, “Oh, what the hell. Do whatever you want.”

For four days, Boram and Takju were busy at work while Viers was chilling.

But only physically.

Viers’ hunger for power wasn't sated. So what if he could kill a Level 3? He still had a long, long way to go.

Now that I’m back to 100% health, let's take care of other things. First, souls.

When Viers was cosplaying as a Geass-user, he made a dozen Level 3s suicide. Like a noble gentleman, Viers didn't leave anything unfinished on his plate. Their souls were taken. However, for the first time ever, Viers felt he was reaching the limit of what he could store.

Must be because I’m storing Level 3 souls while I’m only a Level 2. Truly a xianxia style development.

Currently, Viers was holding about a hundred human souls. Non-human souls were easily thrice that number. Including Alan, the dead enchanter Turfon, and a few others, Viers had sixteen souls of Level 3 Pathseekers.

So it seems I can't mess up the afterlife system in this world by hoarding billions and billions of souls inside of me. And as luck would have it, I already found a way to use these souls. After all, even gold is useless if you can't use it for anything.

Crack.

Viers turned to the source of the sound. It was a rock, as big as his fist. There was a marking on it, a golden rune. There was a crack on the rock that wasn't there a moment ago.

The third broken rock in nine days. Just as I feared, there really is someone plotting against me using Fate.

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Arte - Insignificant Fate.

Clarissa fished this Arte in the ‘dangerous waters’ of the Lamia Queen’s memories. Clearly, the Queen felt this Arte was important.

The Arte allowed the user to create a ‘false signal’ of their Fate.

According to his research, Fate exists as a flow in this world. In that flowing great river, he was like a droplet among uncountable others. Depending on the person, his or her droplet could be more easily distinguished than others or vice-versa.

A person who is famous, accomplished, strong, grand, destined, or many other things, would stand out.

Viers carved a rune to a stone so his Fate seemed as insignificant as a piece of rock. Unremarkable in every way. A far cry compared to his otherworlder status with all the cheats he possessed.

After much digging, Viers found out from Clarissa that it was outside the means of the gods to influence Fate in its entirety but influencing the droplets inside the Flow of Fate was possible, even for not-gods.

The Flow of Fate operates with its own rules. The Flow of Fate was a grand, massive thing beyond mortal grasp.

If someone wanted to influence others from their Fate, the clearer the identity of the influenced the better.

Even if they had Viers in custody, they would also need to find his strand in the Flow of Fate. It would be much simpler since naturally there exists a connection between Viers and his own Fate but Viers was on the loose. Very secretive and wary about pursuers, avoiding capture at any cost.

And Viers had made his droplet inside the Flow of Fate incredibly hard to find, like hiding a leaf in a forest but it was buried underground.

Simply put, Viers made an ordinary stone as his ‘body double’. Any insidious influence from others that wanted to alter his Fate would now be tanked by the stone first instead of being unknown like the past.

Of course, Viers didn't think he was completely safe from merely this. He didn't think an Arte that he could cast had cut him off from the great flow. He was still a droplet in the Flow of Fate.

There were also other methods that someone could use to influence his Fate: the leverage they had on him, the understanding they grasped about him, persons with significant bonds with him, objects tied to his Fate, the crucial point in time, and so on.

It was very dizzying, even for Viers. Fate wasn’t his forte and messing with Fate often ended up badly for those who tried. Viers didn't want to manipulate his Fate for the better or whatnot, he only wanted to protect his Fate from outsiders’ tinkering. Viers knew the working of Fate was beyond him and just focused on the now.

The prime candidate of this vile offender is the Interpreter of Fate dude or gal from the church. That asshole should be at least a Level 5. Like a fool, the Interpreter doesn't know that messing with Fate is literally courting death, same with prophecy and the like. I already have a rudimentary defense system against the Interpreter’s malicious design but it is far from enough. To eliminate this threat, what I must do is actually very simple. This is a frickin’ xianxia world where power dictates everything. The stronger I am, the harder it would be to influence me. It’s just common sense. So here’s the plan: Get strong as fast as possible, as strong as possible. Don't get caught by the church. Always using Insignificant Fate Arte until I find something better. When I'm strong enough, wring the head of the ones responsible off their neck. That's it.

Viers picked up the cracked stone and traced the fissure with his finger.

A small crack means a slight attack, a big crack means a major attack. The stone cracked in half so it must be a major attack. Since the stone didn't turn to dust it means the attacker failed to get through my Arte’s protection.

Before Marakkus, my substitute stone did not have a single fracture. After Marakkus, I had to change stones three times. It seems they found a clue about me and their divination attempt against me strengthened. Perhaps they found out Viers Isuel's identity? Since Freya saw my face I knew it was only a matter of time until they made a connection from Cain to Viers.

Viers frowned in annoyance.

Hmph, now I must waste Victa to carve the rune to a new stone. If I didn’t have the upgraded moon pendant that gives 30% Victa generation then it would truly trouble me.

“Meow.”

Viers turned to the black cat. Boram’s cat that the boy named Chacha.

“Hungry, huh?” Viers spoke. “You’re quite smart to not wander around. There are monsters out there that would gladly put you in their belly.”

Viers met its green eyes with amusement.

“Heheh,” Viers scoffed. “It’s about time they return from work,” Viers’ thoughts went back to Boram.

At least it wasn't a complete waste of time and energy.

Takju, like Boram, was an earth Pathseeker. The member of the Gigantes race instructed Boram in the ways of the earth elements of his own volition. All Gigantes had a natural affinity to earth, or so Takju claimed. Boram’s ability in using the force of Gaia grew leaps and bounds, which was happy news for Viers.

The giant is quite attached to the kid, strangely so. Now, if I’m just like other unenlightened MCs then I’ll be foolishly oblivious as to why but I’m not. So, it seems Boram’s faint bloodline is that of the Gigantes. There’s a Gigantes somewhere in the family tree. Since it’s faint, I doubt it’s his parents or grandparents. Must be from even above… Okay then. Let’s hope his bloodline awakening would be a great boon.

Making use of his genre-savvy nature, Viers already made a connection.

Despite spending most of his time recovering, Viers used these nine days to the fullest. Reviewing his Artes, taking note of their strengths and weaknesses to polish them further. Gaining real combat experience against a true Level 3. Testing what might work and new ideas he didn't use last time. Sparring a couple more times in the Grid. Making countermeasures of the enemy’s Artes for the future. Viers extracted every value that he could of that one battle.

Suddenly, Viers perked up. At the same time with the cat. Brownie became agitated a couple of seconds later. By then Viers was already on his feet and hand on the hilt of his sword.

What kind of monster is coming this time…

It was smart. It hid behind the bushes and trunks, trying to circle around the camp. But Viers’ senses were sharp, Viers didn't lose track of it one bit.

Come to be my dinner…

The monster seemed to understand Viers was onto it so it emerged menacingly. Brownie was panicking, trying to yank the leash off. Chacha was bolting away. Viers stood his ground, not giving off any sign of weakness.

Its black fur covered its body like a coat of darkness. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth in plain view as it growled slightly. The quadrupedal monster was as big as a Brownie but far more muscular.

Its three red-eyes were burning with bestial ferocity.

A Rank 3 wolf monster with three eyes… Don't I know someone who seeks this monster?