To break the silence, I ask, “Have you been leveling your [Concentration], what about your [Mana Manipulation], and [Kinetic Barrier]?”
“Yes! All of them! [Mana Manipulation] the most. I practice every day with the mana stones you gave me.”
“Hardworking as always, minion.”
“I need to get stronger.” Vega nods seriously.
As we approach the forest, I notice a bunch of kids nearby, standing behind a fence and staring at the giant black wolf. They do seem to be scared though their curiosity has clearly won out. Most of them hail from Easy difficulty. They appear to have been accompanied by a few adults, who honestly don't seem much better.
Even from this distance, I hear one of the kids shout towards the wolf, “Nya nya nya!”
“Oliver, I told you to stop saying that!” The man, probably the boy's father, shouts before slapping the back of his head.
“You got it wrong, Oliver! You should only be adding it to the end of the sentence because…” the second boy doesn't finish because the man slaps the back of his head as well.
We don’t hear much more as their conversation fades from the range of our hearing. I turn to Vega, “Minion, have you given any consideration to saying nya at the end of your sentences? Long ago, it was some…”
“I won’t do it!”
I see. Humanity is doomed.
Lynthari and human 0, half demons 1.
“So how are things going?” I ask as we approach Tess and Gareth, who are still conversing with the black wolf, patiently sitting nearby with Biscuit on his head.
“He’s been surprisingly nice,” Gareth says.
“We’ve gotten a few “tiny” bits of information,” Tess adds.
“Anything fun?” I ask.
“We were right, there are 14 Rulers. One for each Radiance and Blight. Each one is usually much more powerful than a given Absolute, and most of them used to be Absolutes. The number seems to have been limited by the system itself, and there can’t be more than one for each Radiance or Blight.”
“We expected that much, didn’t we?”
“Yes, but it’s nice to have it confirmed. What is fun is that in some very rare cases, a powerful Absolute can potentially defeat and even kill a Ruler and take his place. Sometimes the title of a Ruler is hereditary, an Absolute can receive the ruler’s powers via a ceremony. In some cases you need to kill them or have a better handle on your Radiance or Blight, it differs from Ruler to Ruler.”
“That’s kind of unexpected but not that surprising if you think about it,” I say.
“Yes, it also seems like being called Absolute isn’t just for the sake of it, and some Absolutes are much more powerful than others. We tried to get more, but the system censored a lot. Floors, Rulers, Absolutes, information on future tournaments, the System, Pairing, factors outside the scope of the tutorial.”
(It’s still too early for you, human. Just trust in the system, and gradually everything will be revealed.) The black wolf snorts, his breath bending the grass in its path like a strong wind.
“I don’t want to,” I tell him.
(It matters not what you want or do not want, human.)
Well, if this young wolf isn’t just as cheeky as his master. Still, I have to wonder why someone as high-leveled as the wolf needed a master. Him becoming a disciple can mean only one thing: he was about to die. Like every other disciple, he was saved from death by being sent to the tutorial, at which point he became a disciple, after being picked by the system due to their similarity to a participant.
“So how did you become Biscuit’s disciple?” It's simpler to just ask than stress over it.
(Master possesses the same primordial energy I do, and even though master isn’t as high-leveled yet, his mastery over it is much greater than mine.)
Biscuit, you cool little thing.
Sensing my pride, he lets out a gentle woof from atop his disciple’s head.
“What kind of energy is it?”
(Human, this is not the kind of information to be shared. The primordial energy my master and I possess is extremely rare, more so than the five that are usually known. You also seem to possess primordial energy, I can smell it.)
“Maybe, maybe not. So, is your primordial energy really that powerful?”
(It’s rarer than most. As with the others, its power relies on its bearer. Human, you are indeed stupid and ill-informed. That much should be basic knowledge, you should already know if you reached the first tournament.)
“Sure. You said your predecessor was an ancient wolf and devourer of planets. Was he a Ruler?”
(My predecessor was the first in our line to possess the primordial energy my master and I share. He was one of the most powerful Absolutes to ever live, human. Even Rulers shook in fear of his blinding power!)
The wolf seems simple. He likes to trash-talk, but he is weirdly naive and likes to show off. From a certain point of view, he may as well be similar in age to Vega. That reminds me that I have a promise to fulfill to my minion.
“Biscuit, can my minion pet your disciple?”
(I will not be pet by one of those crazed demons!)
(Food.)
“Of course, I will. I’m sure we will find more deer sooner or later.”
(Food!)
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Thank you.”
As I pick up Vega to boost ourselves onto the wolf’s head, I hear Gareth ask, “Sset, am I the only one who is taking this seriously?”
Landing on the top of the giant wolf’s head, I stride over to Biscuit and put Vega down. My minion quickly drops to her knees and burrows her hands into the the black wolf’s thick fur. Judging by her smile, I can only guess that she came to like petting dangerous animals after her experience with Ashenwolf. Nice, another person converted.
Meanwhile, Biscuit’s disciple is suspiciously quiet, and for some reason, I find it funny. It’s almost like I’m teasing a little kid.
I sit down next to Vega, and Biscuit floats over to my legs so that I can pet him.
After the end of the 5th Floor it feels nice to have some time to relax and spend at least a week in a safe place. Maybe that’s part of the system’s intent, letting people unwind and interact with others from Earth so that they can have some fun before being thrown back to the floors. Just a week of that.
From my previous conversations with the others, I’ve found that most of the people from the other difficulties aren’t that hostile or suspicious. Everyone here is going through the same situation, so we share that experience with each other. That seems to build a relationship between us pitting us against the tutorial, bringing us closer together, and smoothing over petty differences.
Of course, there are exceptions, like the murderer from Easy difficulty, BenDover from Hell, and a few more people I don’t even know the names of. But I know Tess and others are dealing with them.
That’s another reason for me to keep an eye on Vega. It is possible that she can’t die here, the aura might just be an area effect. But there is also the possibility that its effect only applies to people from Earth. So it would be stupid to risk it. Tacita has shown me how little it would take. So at all times, Vega will be either near me or with Tess, Lily, and Soph.
Still, there are Savant and Tacita to worry about. The only people capable of doing anything to her even with others protecting her. I don’t think they would try anything, but I’m an untrusting person, so I need to prepare for anything.
“Wolfy, what’s your name?” I ask him.
(I won’t be telling you my name, human.)
“So stubborn,” I say tapping on the top of his head, something I’m not sure he even felt. Then I watch as Vega moves closer and stops just an arm’s reach away from Biscuit, who eyes her curiously.
Vega carefully reaches her hand and touches his nose with her pointing finger. She does it extremely carefully and gently, something she saw me doing.
Biscuit lets it happen, watching her with his intelligent eyes. He then licks her finger, and she pulls her hand back quickly in response, surprise overtaking her face.
Her eyes jump from Biscuit to me and then back to Biscuit, and she reaches again. This time she lets him lick her hand, and surprised by her own reaction, she giggles.
Biscuit woofs at her, and Vega moves closer and touches his forehead, his cheek, and then carefully and slowly puts her small hand on top of his head. When she starts caressing him, Biscuit closes his eyes, patiently enduring her clumsy attempts at affection.
“What do you think?” I ask, leaning back to watch as she pets him.
“It’s weird, master. I know he is smarter and stronger than me, but I don’t feel like I need to worry about him hurting me. And it’s not just because I have you here with me.” As she speaks, she stops petting Biscuit, until he chuffs at her, leading her to quickly continue.
In response I ask the black wolf, “Did you hear that? Why can’t you be more like your master?”
The black wolf decides to keep his dignity and stays quiet.
“Maybe you would master your primordial energy as well as Biscuit if you behaved like him.” I tease.
Silence.
“I bet that ancient predecessor of yours wasn’t so uptight like you. He probably...”
(Human.) He interrupts me finally, (If you are looking for a fight, let’s fight.) As he growls, I feel its deep rumble in my bones and the ground beneath me. It reverberates in my chest as we square off.
“Let’s do it.”
----------------------------------------
We face off against each other, having moved to the edge of the common area, relocating to a big clearing surrounded by trees on three sides. Far enough away to avoid causing any damage to the common area at large, not to mention the houses, and camps there. I think. Details… who needs to care about such little things. I just know I’m excited.
This tournament is fun and all, but at the same time, it feels fake, no real danger has been presented to me. It’s almost to the point that I can’t wait to return to the floors to experience some real danger, and yet even though this is just as fake, it feels more real. It feels strange to say, but that’s the only way I can describe the sensation.
Nearby, I see Tess with the rest of group 4 and Vega in between them. They’ve learned from our previous experience and so they’ve taken greater precautions, going so far as to set a barrier in advance. It’s not like they are close; actually, they are pretty far, but better safe than sorry.
The wolf in front of me stretches and shakes, his teeth bared in imitation of a smile. He doesn’t say anything, the kind and boyish atmosphere around him is gone. Instead, every one of his movements feels dangerous, like that of a predator, and his golden eyes take on a vicious glow.
I can already feel my heart pumping madly, so I better calm down so that I don’t hurt him too much. We still don’t know if our disciples can die here, and I promised not to hurt him. I know there are even more people than Group 4 watching. Some of them are curious, and others are bored and hoping for an exciting fight.
At this point, there is no sense in hiding anything. Of course, I fully intend to hold back, I don’t want to hurt him after all, but I don’t exactly need to hide my abilities either.
The first to attack is the black wolf. One moment he stands there, a towering giant. In the next, his body shrinks to half of his original size. Though it’s still massive.
His maw snaps shut around the space I formerly occupied and he charges me again, moving so quickly just with the sheer power of his stats.
I dodge again, black mana seeping into my body from an orb embedded inside me, as I match his speed, opening our battle with a hit and run game of tag.
He lashes out with a paw, mana trailing his claws. He snaps his maw shut, sending a small shockwave through the air. I retaliate by shooting a mana projectile at him, and he dodges, only for his senses to pick up a concentrated blast of kinetic energy, which he dodges as well. Nimbly moving on his legs, he keeps his golden eyes on me, his speed increasing as his body continues to shrink, leaving me struggling to avoid him. The stalemate continues as each of us waits for the other to use any other skill beginning to fight in earnest.
I see amusement in his eyes as I let my [Mana Crown] form over my head so I can flood my body with more black mana from the orb inside. His amusement quickly disappears when armor surrounds my body and becomes denser and bigger, creating a mech made of mana.
[Redistribution] holds him down for a moment, and the massive arm of my mana mech grabs hold of his shrunken body.
There are no more childish screams or complaints anymore; instead, he shows me all of his teeth, bearing his fangs in all their terrible beauty.
Through my Mana Wavelength Iris, I watch his mana swirl, as his body grows to its original size.
But my mana mech grows with it, my crown serving to keep the mana I’m releasing under control, with some assistance from [Mana Domain] and [Mana Manipulation]. The armor surrounding me matches his rate of growth, gradually turning a lighter shade of blue until I use [Redistribution] and [Infusion] to shore up the gaps with mana.
The wolf is now the same size he was before and a bit more, and my armor equals his size, dark blue mana surrounding me.
Finally, he gets away from my hand and jumps back, the ground exploding under his feet as he lowers his body and charges at me.
I take a wad of kinetic energy I’ve been compressing in my Vortex Core and use it to help maneuver the mana armor surrounding me, and we clash into each other.
Instead of a clash of wit and attempts to take each other down smartly, it turns into a brawl between two equally stubborn individuals.