Once they reached a public space to settle down in, Rune simply sat down in a chair. But as he kept his stealth, it only looked like a haunted chair was moving by itself.
“Show yourself! Why are you keeping your stealth!” The girl named Crystal was really getting familiar with the strange stealthed guy, to the point that she started to say everything she wanted.
“I don’t have stealth! If you had eyes you would see me! You’re just blind!” In answer, he stated the obvious, hoping she would catch up on it.
“Yes I don’t have eyes! Like everyone! And! You! Are! Stealthed!”
“Nope. And you’re a disappointment.”
“That’s wrong! And what would you be if not stealthed?!”
“A simple guy wearing a complete elemental suit of my own making. The only appropriate garment for a gentleman like me.”
“Come on Crystal, stop being a weirdo and put everything together,” even the intent-insensitive guy called Fission seemed to have put one and one together after Rune had repeated the truth so many times.
“She’s a bit slow-witted, it’s the necessary nature to be a half-weirdo. Being a complete weirdo is much better in comparison, right?” Hazard added another layer, sealing the fate of Crystal as a slow-witted half-weirdo.
“I see you’re also a man of culture Mr. Hazard. Why don’t you be the one to explain to me what this elementalist club is? You’re the one who sought me, so you’re responsible for quenching my thirst for knowledge.”
“It’s not really a secret or something hard to find Mr. Mist,” he began with a mock aristocratic respect, “But as I’m a member of it and also a man of culture, I’ll deign to inform you of this marvelous club composed of 99% weirdos and n*tjob.”
“So he’s really not stealthed?” After keeping silent for a few dozen seconds, she finally spoke again after Hazard finished the short not-even-an-introduction.
“Not the stealth you’re talking about. Meaning it’s not universal and if we still had eyes we would completely see him,” Fission gave her the direct answer before relapsing into silence.
“So…” Making sure Crystal didn’t want to talk again, Hazard continued, “The elementalist club is the name of an official organization created by the IGS and given to a few Abnormals for them to not be isolated, ignored, unknown, whatever.”
“The end goal and reason of its creation are spreading and popularizing the elementalist path by giving real authority without attachments or responsibilities to some people in exchange for their wholehearted advice and guidance. As for the most known figurehead among the club, it’s of course Golden Dust, the winner of the event. You of course know who he is, right?”
“Ah, yeah, I had the occasion to taste his beyond golden dust element personally, it was a really violent if short experience if you want to know. Do you have, like, an official room for the club?”
“...” The three of them could only look at the empty space where Rune was.
Seeing them react like this, Rune felt forced to explain, “I don’t think your friend expected that answer, but if you want to know more about it, search for the Undecided training park on the net, you can also go there to experience what the beyond golden dust feels like personally. The price is only 1 000 000 EP per month for a membership, and while I didn’t have the chance to socialize there, I will in the future, it’s really a marvelous and unique place.”
A bit of advertisement for the company he was a shareholder of was never a bad idea in his book.
“Oh, scared me there, you’re not an Abnormal by chance? As for a room, yeah we have that. Just search on the network for it, but that’s not the main point,” Fission was the one who seemed the most relieved at this answer.
“100% pure adventurer not at your service! Young, charismatic, talented, rich, friendly, and free of everything!”
“An adventurer? How did you even receive the authorization to use the elevator? I know so many people that have had their demands refused that I’m even wondering if private entities exist in this base. Did you infiltrate?” Fission pushed the interrogation deeper.
“Is that so rare? Did I already expose my identity?”
“Well, I’ll ask around and get your identity eventually if you’re officially here.”
“Not like I care…” Reverting back to his true personality for a moment, he pulled himself together after saying that and recovered his Mist Guy personality, “So, the names? Weird names for weirdos? Although my awesome brain already got the most probable answer, I need true members to say it.”
“It’s our element,” Crystal interjected, “I have the crystallized emptiness composite element, so my club name is Crystal. Fission has the fission earth composite element, and Hazard has the hazard water composite element.”
“And you’re all on the elementalist path?”
“To my knowledge, yes. It’s not like getting a second path at tier 4 is a good idea,” she said that like it was obvious, but she was talking to the exact guy who could say something about it.
“Well, well, well, once again! Mr. Crystal, you’re proving your ignorance as you’re talking to a guy who’s currently at 3 active paths! Everyone has their own circumstances, so don’t say things like ‘obvious’ when it comes to paths in the Ether Law.”
“I’m not ignorant! And you’re lying again!”
“I’m not lying, not if you include a growth path, a crafting path, and a traditional path! I have my own circumstances like you have yours girl. If you want to be proven true, then just take it as me having one major path that includes 3 different minor paths.”
“And what is it? I’m sure they’re just a random assortment of specializations that don’t work together!” For some reason, she seemed really worked up, more than when Rune teased her to no end at full power.
“A self-created path! My own self-created path! The exploration immortal path! The fact that you can’t even see or sense me proves my point!”
“I can sense you!”
“It’s only because I allowed you to! Want to taste my full power ‘minor path’?! Huh! I’m an adventurer so I won't hesitate!”
“Try me! You… Crazy! Psychopath!”
Even her two friends looked at her weirdly after she said that. She really looked like she had accumulated a lot of resentment and had withheld her anger for years.
“Exactly!” But Rune was not Rune, he was Mist Guy, “I’m Mist Guy, a crazy psychopath! Friend of everyone! A guy who leaves no traces behind! No one can contact him!”
Rune mobilized all his energy, converting everything into a massive orb of cosmic mist that no one was able to see or sense.
“It’s a farewell for now I think. I’ll visit your interesting club later, in a few hours maybe? Hope to see you there! For me, you already count as friends!”
“Huh?!” Even the onlookers who were paying attention due to the seemingly huge conflict between a girl and a magic voice were startled when their perception started to go haywire around the group of “3” people.
“Later!”
A soundless cosmic bomb exploded in the social floor, covering a sphere of 50 meters in diameter around the group the next instant.
It was a cosmic mist powered by Rune’s complete full-powered intent from 1st to 4th stage, meaning that if a normal tier 4 entity, even with maxed stats, entered it, he would lose all his way of telling which way was which.
The moment he did that, Rune flew up and landed at the entrance to a corridor, still invisible and ready to continue his “urban exploration”.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
‘It’ll dissipate quickly, have fun with this occasion to test my awesome element. Hope I see them again when I visit, they are an interesting bunch. Even this bipolar girl.’
Just like that, leaving behind the first result of his new methodology, he took the corridor and went on to the next massive open space, passing by people who rushed to see what happened in the place he just left.
And seeing this rekindled something in his mind.
‘One day, it’ll not be cosmic mist that will attract so many people, it’ll be fireworks. A freaking big and beautiful fireworks. I’ll even ask this duo who sang the black parade to sing again for the occasion, Leriel and Orielle, right? Everyone can dream big!’
Yet another of his numerous wanted paths that he was still practicing but wasn’t important enough to get its own mastery slot.
…
“Excuse me.”
A voice sounded not far from Rune, but he ignored it. There were a lot of people walking just next to him, so the chance someone was talking to him was close to…
“Excuse me!”
Yes, close to zero, but still, Rune couldn’t help but stop in his tracks and point his own finger at his face while making his skull look at the one talking while looking in his direction.
“Yes, you,” to which he got repeated nods and an affirmative answer.
‘This front base sure is full of weirdos…’
He had left the 3 elementalists not even 5 hours ago, and now his new urban exploration method baited someone else. It was extremely efficient if compared to his initial expectations.
“Happy to meet you, fellow weirdo! Do you have some time to discuss and make a new friend? Or are you occupied with prior engagements?”
With his Mist Guy persona that already saw one use, he had stabilized its picture and the tone of voice more precisely. It meant he was approaching his ideal enthusiastic voice.
“Weirdo? Is that a certain species? I’m not a weirdo, I’m a kajo. And why do you want to discuss?” He replied with a bit of hesitation, completely normal for a normal person meeting a stranger.
The slight miscomprehension also spiced up Rune’s desire to discuss more, it was a unique way to become closer he hadn’t exploited much before, for obvious reasons.
“Let’s settle down somewhere if you want to make a new friend. And people are already looking at you like you’re a weirdo! So don’t say you’re not a weirdo!”
Taking the first step, Rune used his perception to find a good place, it was sort of a square, a big one, with dozens of people who were already actively using it as their meeting place.
When the most basic-looking skeleton he could see everywhere followed after him, it was time for Mist Guy to strike again.
“I’m Mist Guy if you’re wondering. May I inquire if the reason you stopped me was due to me not registering in your perception?”
“I’m Kadan Goya, vision-based spiritual power specialization patroller prospect under the critical strike department. I effectively am curious about why you do not appear in my perception but my vision can still see you,” he directly stated the truth, to Rune’s utter joy as seeing someone like that was always a pleasure.
“A prospect? What luck! And that’s one hell of an introduction name you got there mate,” after saying that, they arrived at a good place, “Let’s sit there, it looks like a good place to sit our bony ass on.”
The patroller prospect followed him, he even sat, yet it was clear he was waiting for answers.
“So… The main reason for what’s happening is my composite element, it completely blocks perception spheres that aren’t strong enough. And yours seems to be included in it.”
“And how strong do I need my perception to be to break through your element?” He quickly linked what Rune said to his own situation, and same as a few seconds before, he didn’t try to hide what he wanted to know.
“Can’t say precisely, my specialty is specially shaped to be good at that. The precise numbers are… Wait let me check…”
Faulty memory or not, the last time he brought up his soul specialty window was so long ago he couldn’t even remember it.
Innate Dimensional Perception
Soul Specialty (Tier 4)
An ether soul never really changes, it can only mature. What you were born with, the friends you got across your life, what you experienced, what you did. After maturing you decided that the initial path only needed a little refinement to become what you are meant to be. All the potential remaining in your ether soul will be unlocked and used to create your own path, a path where your perception is an impregnable fortress that affects all of your spirit.
Your perception sphere resistance to external and internal changes is increased by 800%. Your awareness resistance to external and internal changes is increased by 300%. Your spirit’s ability to create momentum is rendered harder by 100%. Your perception’s resistance to abnormal perception changes is increased by 600%.
“Hu… 800% increase resistance to general change, additional 600% abnormal perception changes. Woah! I’m even impressing myself. Add to that the fact that I’m at 10 000 purity and have 10 000 perception, and you get all the maths figured.”
“Then…” He appeared perplexed after hearing those numbers, “How did you make your element able to contain your own perception?”
“Ah, no. You misunderstood, again, you misunderstand a lot aren’t you? I’m using an intent to boost my element, it’s my only discovered talent until now, and even then it can’t completely block it. Still working on it if you’re curious.”
“Intent? You’re on a crafting path?” Kadan brought up a familiar unfamiliar term.
“Well, I think it can… Maybe? Count as such. I personally don’t call it that though, I prefer intent tinkering, it’s more awesome.”
“If you want. Can you try surrounding me in your element? I want to test something,” he really seemed like a headstrong Arik when he asked that. More direct than that and Rune would ask who was Mist Guy between the two of them.
“Anything for my new cute friend! I’ll start with only erasing the area around us, tell me if it bothers you too much.”
Releasing cosmic mist around, he didn’t infuse his intent in yet, so it was only a 10 000 purity basic cosmic mist composite element, a monolith element designed to block perception at its first job.
“Ya ready?”
Kadan only nodded in answer.
“Here I go then…”
Creating the purest and most powerful 1st stage he could, he infused it in the bubble of cosmic mist around him.
For him, nothing happened as his perception was too strong, but for the patroller prospect, it changed everything.
*Ding* Energy: Specialized Cosmic Mist Element reached Tier 3 Level 4
“Hohoho, you helped me gain a level just now, thank you!”
But the target of his thanks didn’t answer, he was too focused on doing something only himself could know.
‘Vision-based spiritual powers? Does it mean that he has an awareness specialization focused on his vision, and then a second specialization that gives damaging properties to it? Or is it a perception-based spiritual power with a boosted sight bonus?’
Feeling like a scholar for a moment, Rune kept thinking about his precise build. There was no miracle in deducting another person’s precise build, only knowledge and experience, and even then sometimes unique people just broke what was considered “normal” and got things working “their own way”.
And as the person before him was a patroller prospect, it wouldn’t shock Rune if he really had done things “his own way”.
“Do you want me to go further? I have a way to completely absorb your perception if you want, I can also block your vision if it’s based on its physical counterpart.”
“If you can, then I would appreciate it,” he was still focused on doing whatever and only nodded once while replying.
“Here you go. Complete perception absorption stage.”
He infused his 1st and 3rd stage fused intent.
A few minutes later, “Physical vision and physical senses absorption stage. If you want it to stop, just lift your 2 hands up, I’m still able to see after all.”
He infused a 1st to 3rd stage fused intent into his cosmic mist bubble.
‘And there’s no use going through with the 4th stage… Or maybe I’ll tell him it exists if he can still counter this version.’
Kadan kept doing his tests for 5 minutes before he lifted his two hands up, making Rune disperse his cosmic mist by releasing his hold on it voluntarily.
“So, are we friends now, Kadan?”
In answer, he did something that Rune was already linking to be a marker-trait of his: He nodded once firmly.
“Well, why not start with how you ended up here? I’m sure it’s an interesting story!”
…
After he parted with Kadan following a fruitful discussion accompanied by lots of useful tidbits of info about what it was really like below, Rune still didn’t have enough and continued with his urban exploration.
He even tried to push his luck by going to places where weirdos were more susceptible to be… In vain.
After 5 hours of wandering undetected or unbothered by anyone who detected him, he decided that he would make his way to the elementalist club room.
He had already found it on the public map, and it was far away enough for him to have a chance at uncovering new people on the way.
“So you’re also going to the elementalist club? What a coincidence!”
“As much a coincidence as someone who has intent creation as one of his paths can have!”
This way of doing things that merged inventiveness and optimization really worked out in the end as he was interrupted by someone on the way.
“Alala! Believe in fate! I’m sure this short journey towards the club will make for a wonderful memory!” The one he still didn’t know the name of was perfectly mirroring the purpose of Misty Guy, allowing Rune to live a perfectly unique first encounter situation.
“I hope we’ll even be friends by the end of it! You sound like someone I could learn much from! How did you make the mood so free and light in so short a time? I really want to know for my future acting and encounters with asocial freaks!”
“First and foremost, you have to believe what you’re doing doesn’t matter. That’s my core mindset wherever I interact with new people. Being friends by the end? Aren’t you putting something that matters on the line too early into the conversation?” He answered the weird question Rune sent his way in such a natural way it made him wonder if he wasn’t following a pre-written script.
“The reason I did that was to be as honest as I could be…”
And that’s how for the rest of the way… Not even a minute after their discussion started, one with 2 people who didn’t even know the name of the other, the subject of complex social first-impressions and one-sided mood-making had already been brought up. Enthusiastically.