Chapter 85
The World’s a Stage
Ethan decided to take a week-long break.
They rushed two Tunnels and completed them within fifteen days, leaving a whole month and a half for the other two. While he didn't want to relax and risk anything, even he was getting mentally overloaded, let alone the kids. Delilah, in particular, as she needed to construct another portal here now. As her Spell Level was too low, she could only construct 1:1 portals, meaning that they only ever connected two places. Eventually, as she gains mastery, that would increase. For now, though, they had to work around it.
As such, rather than rushing her again, he decided to give everyone a week off to do whatever they wanted while she slowly constructed it, working on it only a few hours a day. This week also afforded him to catch up on the news of the world–and there were quite a few.
Since more and more Tunnels were being opened throughout the world by the week, more and more Awakened were slowly creeping out of the masses and making a name for themselves. Fulfilling some fantasies, quite a few also created ‘guilds’, just as they did in the past life, though only a few ever truly managed to get off the ground. However, for the first few years, the guilds were a norm of society, especially as the governments started collapsing.
Quite a few names caught Ethan's sight–'Blood Wolves', 'Blademasters', 'Sons of Night', all names edgier than the last, but as his memories were quite fuzzy, he only recognised a few–the ones that truly stood out in the masses. One in particular–named simply 'Moon'--stirred a core memory from the first few years of life post-Descent. After all, the founder of Moon was none other than Logan himself, the previous owner of Blood Inheritor Class.
Ethan didn’t know the precise date of when they started appearing in public in his previous life, but they had started making moves now–specifically in the northwest where members of the guild managed to close down two Tunnels.
It wasn't long into the article before a picture appeared–it was of a young-looking man with dyed, blonde hair and a pair of dashing green eyes. He was rather handsome, but the picture didn't really do him justice. Logan, above the monster that he was, was also one of the most charming people Ethan had ever seen. Few people were able to interact with him and resist, which was also why it took so long for him to be brought down. Even when his crimes became public, tens of thousands of people still stood behind him, offering him shelter, protecting him, even volunteering to die once they learned about his Class.
If he hadn’t been a monster from within, chances were that he could have likely formed one of the strongest forces in the world. However, he was.
For a change, though, this go-around he did not have the Class that enabled him to become as strong as he did. However, there was a good reason why Logan was ‘offered’ such a rare and unique Class in the first place. Chances were that he got another one, likely similarly embroiled with Vampirism, but it didn’t matter. There was one thing above all that he wanted to do when he returned–which was kill Logan before he could become what he did in the past.
It was hardly for noble reasons, even if he could glaze his motives in them. He was simply too dangerous, especially considering Ethan’s plan was to build a ‘cult’ himself, something that he was distinctly worse at than him. It would have to wait, however; the priority right now was ensuring that the Tunnel in the city didn’t spill open, bringing forth the end of days. Logan, in comparison, was a wisp of wind.
"So, am I gonna be a babysitter until I croak?" Sarah asked suddenly as she sat down next to him, putting down two cups of freshly made coffee on the table. Ethan glanced over, his expression vacant. He still had his doubts about her, but from the looks of it… she truly was a scapegoat for the entire ordeal.
“Blame your Class,” Ethan cracked a smile.
“I am. But I can do more.” Sarah said.
“... why are you offering?” Ethan asked. “Aren’t you here just to keep an eye out on me?”
“As you can see, I’m doing a wonderful job,” she tossed her arms out. “But I’m also bored. Don’t get me wrong, Layla’s wonderful and smart and as clever as they come. But she’s also nine. We don’t exactly vibe.”
“... I can’t believe a grown-ass woman just said ‘vibe’.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“I can’t believe it either. But that’s what you get when you put a grown-ass woman together with a child for a long while.”
“What’s your take on the guilds?” Ethan asked suddenly, putting down the laptop on the table and picking up the cup of coffee. Sarah glanced at the screen for a moment before replying.
“Isn’t it just dudes role-playing their dreams?” she asked.
“Most are, probably,” Ethan said. “But quite a few are clearing Tunnels.”
“... it’s natural,” she shrugged. “You can’t be the only monster among the eight billion people.”
“What do you think my goal is?” he asked.
“Something grand, I imagine,” she shrugged, picking up the cup as well. “Otherwise, you would have just kept a low profile. No, rather, unlike them, you are keeping a low profile.”
“That’s just temporary,” Ethan said, taking a sip. “Eventually, I’ll need to be recognizable–worldwide.”
“Why?”
“Because of something grand,” he smiled once again. “Countries, one by one, will fall,” he added after temporary silence. Sarah remained silent, appearing to have realised as much herself. “And with them, power vacuums will spring out like mushrooms after the rain, as the saying goes.”
“So you want to latch onto the one here?” she asked.
“Hm,” Ethan nodded. “One way or another, the entire Northern America must become mine.” His words startled her, stirring her heart. “But you don’t become a ruler of that many people by being pretty strong and cool.”
“...”
“The kids are great,” he continued. “But they’re just that: kids. They look at me and they see the possibility of who they might become. They see someone strong, someone who doesn’t need to bow and bend.”
“And I don’t? Believe it or not, I also think you’re cool. I mean, you’re a sociopath, but kinda cool. Besides, don’t ask me to help. I’d rather help Michael achieve the same thing.
“...” Ethan remained silent for a moment, contemplating coming clean but eventually moving on. “Michael can’t do it.”
“Why?”
“Because he puts people first, for all his shortcomings,” Ethan elaborated.
“Isn’t that the point, especially if you want the entire continent to become yours?”
"Ordinarily, perhaps," Ethan shrugged, taking another sip. "But what I want to rule aren't ordinary people, but the Awakened. Same rules don't apply."
“Alright. So, we’ve finally finished the roundabout. What do you want from me?” she asked.
“Help me build a system,” Ethan said. “I need to start expanding aggressively. People who devote themselves to me before Awakening gain access to a unique Class, like Ronald. Find the power-hungry ones who haven’t Awakened for whatever reason and bring them to me.”
“And I’m doing this instead of helping the military… why?”
“... you asked what you could do,” Ethan shrugged. “By now, the vast majority of talented, ambitious, and clever folk have Awakened, one way or another. Those who hadn’t either live in Tibetan mountains and haven’t been made aware of the fact that they could Awaken, or there’s something fundamentally misaligned with them. Chances are that you won’t find two or three every million people, so it’s not as though you will be particularly busy. Beyond that, though, just help me keep track of the guilds. Sooner or later, they’ll start carving out small plots of land like cults and dubbing themselves independent nations.”
"That sounds… far-fetched," Sarah spoke with an odd expression on her face.
“Power-hungry folk wanting to grab as many opportunities as possible sounds odd to you?” Ethan looked back at her with an equally odd expression. “I am mystified by your belief in humanity.”
“... fine,” she shrugged. “It’ll keep me busy, at least.”
Though it was a whole week, it passed by swiftly–there was a new underground chamber on the other side of the lodge housing another portal, ready to be connected.
Once again, the group assembled in front of the lodge and departed–however, this time around, Ethan thinned out the herd a bit, leaving Ronald and Mingzhu behind, taking only Delilah and Elijah with him. The reason was simple–the next Tunnel they were tackling was the one in America… and the two would be more of a burden than help if they came. While Delilah was necessary for the portal, Ethan could at least protect Elijah who, in turn, would provide support.
The Tunnel was located in the southwest, specifically the Colorado Plateau region, and even more specifically within the Monument Valley, nestled in the shadow of one of the protruding red sandstone mesas. The Tunnel had actually spawned about a month ago but wasn't discovered for nearly six years due to how isolated it was. Even Ethan wasn't exactly certain where it was as his knowledge of the area was abysmal. The best they could do was just roam about and wait for him to pick up on the changes in Mana density.
Their transportation, as per usual, was secured by ‘Michael’ who had continued acting the role more than perfectly, stabilising the city and even securing trade deals that made the news. The creature was certainly living up to it, it seemed.
They landed in the valley’s local, small strip, but ignored the welcome by the confused two people who were working there. Ethan had hoped everyone would just assume he was the father of the two even if they looked almost nothing alike, but, in the end, it didn’t really matter.
The trio departed into the vast desert, speedily moving toward the valley. Ethan had hoped to find the Tunnel within two days at the most as he’d need at least five to actually clear it. Though he moved with confidence, he did so only because he had Delilah as insurance–her portal, rather.
What was rather unique about the Tunnel was that it was the first one to ever have been 'recorded' to be viewed by others. One of the party members who had cleared it had the ability to record the events into a scroll that could be viewed later. It became one of the most wanted commodities among the Awakened as it was the first of its kind. Even Ethan eventually got his hands on one and shuddered and shivered as he watched the entire thing unfold. It was a merciless gauntlet of horrors, demons, and endless rain of monsters that seemed ceaseless. Perhaps, for the first time, he might yet tap into the true strength of his Class, beyond just the shallow strengths that were dependent on him. The Tunnel, after all, seemed hand-woven for him and him alone. First of the many…