Jeremiah stabbed at the fire with a long stick, sending a shower of glowing embers into the air. Sabrina sat a few feet away, silently watching him fiddle with the fire. They had already eaten and were both lost in their own thoughts, the way they had been most of the time since the betrayal and ambush.
The two had been together almost constantly since then but had rarely spoken about the events of the day. Or the mostly unknown events that had led up to that day. They had taken silent comfort in each other’s presence and funneled all their energies into killing monsters. And leveling up.
“You know it’s not his fault,” Sabrina finally said.
Jeremiah groaned. It was a topic that needed to be discussed, and he’d known it was coming.
Deep down, he knew it wasn’t Regu’s fault that they had been betrayed, but he needed to blame someone. At least until he came to terms with the death of the man who had become his best friend in the post-Integration world.
He blew out a breath as a painful lump formed in his throat at the thought of Benjamin. The Weapons Master had been an incredibly skilled Warrior and had been his constant companion for months as he leveled up and became the most powerful person on the planet. The man had been fearless, and even when faced with an insurmountable challenge—one that ultimately killed him—he refused to back down or run away.
Even when he should have run! Jeremiah thought bitterly.
The truth of the matter was that Jeremiah actually blamed himself for his friend’s death. Regu should have known the intel was bad, but Jeremiah felt like he should have been strong enough to defeat any monster or smart enough to avoid an unwinnable battle.
And I wasn’t either, he thought, hanging his head.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Sabrina standing over him, gazing down with a sad smile on her face. “It’s going to be okay . . . eventually.”
Jeremiah nodded. “I know. It already hurts less, but that makes me even angrier.”
She gave him a look that told him she knew exactly how he felt.
And she did. Jeremiah had lost his best friend, but she had lost her brother. Worse, it had been her brother who betrayed them, or at least sided with the enemy, ultimately causing the death of several of their friends. The fact that her brother was still alive and actively helping their enemy was almost worse than if he had been killed.
“Why don’t you do something productive?” Sabrina suggested. “I know you leveled up and have some attribute and skill points to assign. I’m going to take care of City Lord stuff, then do the same.”
Jeremiah nodded and watched her walk toward her Manor House. They had been using her primary settlement as a home base for their daily monster hunts. He had wanted to avoid Regu, and this was the best way to do that, though he was sure that his Elite Trainer knew exactly where he was.
He took a deep breath and followed Sabrina’s advice, bringing up his level-up notification.
> Congratulations! You have advanced from Level 54 to Level 55.
>
>
>
> You have been awarded 5 free stat points. You must allocate points within 24 hours, or they will be randomly assigned for you.
>
>
>
> You have been awarded 1 skill point. You must use the skill point within 24 hours, or it will be randomly assigned for you.
Jeremiah had been the highest-level person on the planet before the betrayal and had added five levels since then, so he doubted anyone had passed him. Despite his grief—and partially because of it—he had continued striving to increase his level of power. That was the only way he would ever be able to defeat the monster that had killed his friends . . . and the people ultimately responsible.
It hadn’t provided any comfort.
The only thing he could do was keep moving forward, though, so he pulled up his profile to see where he could best use his stat points.
> Name: Jeremiah McIntyre
>
> Level: 55
>
> Profession: Premier Elite
>
> Health: 2514 (max)
>
> Mana: 3341 (max)
>
> Stamina: 2412 (max)
>
> Agility: 60
>
> Charisma: 50
>
> Durability: 57
>
> Intelligence: 54
>
> Strength: 65
>
> Vitality: 55
>
> Wisdom: 45
>
>
>
> Pillars of Power:
>
> * Magic
> * Might
> * Air Magic (secondary pillar)
> * Melee (secondary pillar)
>
>
>
> The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
>
> Titles Earned:
>
> * Premier Elite. The title of Elite signifies a person is not only unique in their ability to fight monsters but also able to lead the way for others. The Premier Elite is the first among this group of ambitious and highly skilled people.
> * Monster Tamer. Everyone fights monsters. Not everyone wins. And even fewer defeat monsters more powerful than themselves. A Monster Tamer has battled and defeated a monster at least ten levels above their own level.
> * Giant Slayer. Very few people are skilled enough to defeat high-level monsters. Even fewer can survive when drastically outclassed. A Giant Slayer is one such person, having defeated a monster at least twenty-five levels above their own level. The only question is whether this makes them very brave or very stupid.
> * Premier Dungeon Explorer. Many people have explored a dungeon. Some of them even survived. Only one did it first, the Premier Dungeon Explorer.
> * Premier Dungeon Master. Clearing a dungeon and facing down the Dungeon Lord takes courage, talent, and luck. That’s an endeavor worth recognizing. Completing a dungeon before anyone else? That deserves a special title: the Premier Dungeon Master.
> * Founding Lord. Establishing settlements on a newly Integrated planet is critical for the growth and re-establishment of civilization. To recognize the efforts of the early pioneers, the first ten people to establish new settlements earn the title of Founding Lord.
> * Heir Apparent. Some say that ruling is a God-given right. Others say it must be earned on the battlefield. Either way, somebody must wear the crown, and the Heir Apparent is the most likely candidate to take the throne.
> * Land Baron. A growing civilization needs Cities. Lots and lots of Cities. Those that strive to advance civilization by establishing at least five settlements earn the title of Land Baron.
> * A growing civilization needs Cities. Lots and lots of Cities. Those that strive to advance civilization by establishing at least three Counties earn the title of Governor.
It hadn’t been very long since Jeremiah had made a concerted effort to balance out his stat points, but they were already getting skewed again. He had dedicated the last couple weeks to killing monsters, and that had led him to focus almost entirely on Strength and Agility. He was in no mood to change that, and so, he split his five points between those two attributes, giving Agility one more point than Strength because it was the lower of the two.
With that done, Jeremiah moved on to his skills.
> Skills:
>
> * Air Magic: Master
> * Assassin’s Blade: Master
> * Battle-axe: Master
> * Basic Magic: Master
> * Bladed Weapons: Advanced
> * Blunt Weapons: Advanced
> * Camouflage: Basic
> * Combat Magic: Master
> * Dagger: Master
> * Dungeon Mapping: Master
> * Hand-to-hand Combat: Basic
> * Life Magic: Master
> * Lightning Strike: Master
> * Marksman: Master
> * Self-defense: Basic
> * Shortsword: Novice
> * Swimming: Basic
> * Throwing Weapons: Master
> * Tracking: Basic
> * War Hammer: Master
>
>
Jeremiah had also been making an effort to diversify his skills, and that had led him to learn Bladed Weapons and increase that to Advanced Level so he could learn the Shortsword skill, which also applied to daggers. Improving the Shortsword skill, currently at Novice Level, was one possibility.
> Shortsword:
>
> Bladed weapons are the most common, and frequently the deadliest, of all melee weapons. They allow the most unskilled Warriors to stab and slice their opponents while allowing Master Swordsmen to carve up any creature that dares oppose them. The Shortsword skill increases the effectiveness of shorter, one-handed bladed weapons, including daggers.
>
>
>
> Requirement: Advanced Level Bladed Weapons Skill
>
>
>
> * Basic Level – Attack damage increased by 30%. Attack damage further increased by 1% per Strength point. Chance to block increased by 50%.
> * Novice Level – Attack damage increased by 40%. Attack damage further increased by 2% per Strength point. Chance to block increased by 60%.
>
>
He would never trade his sledgehammer, or even a battle-axe, for a sword in a prolonged fight, but Jeremiah was getting more competent with bladed weapons. That was especially true if an attack could be paired with his Assassin’s Blade skill, something that was still a secret that he hoped to unveil with deadly effectiveness on the person responsible for murdering Benjamin.
Another skill that Jeremiah considered improving was the good old-fashioned Hand-to-hand Combat skill, which was still only at Basic Level.
> Hand-to-hand Combat:
>
> Sometimes you don’t have access to a weapon, and your only means of defense—or offense—is your hands, feet, and even your head. The Hand-to-hand Combat skill can turn every part of your body into a deadly weapon.
>
> * Basic Level – Attack damage for all unarmed attacks increased by 25%.
Another potential skill to improve was the basic Self-defense skill, which was also still at Basic Level.
> Self-defense:
>
> Defending yourself from attacks is a critical part of living in the Integrated Universe. The Self-defense skill improves your ability to block and avoid attacks. At higher levels, it also boosts the damage done with counterstrikes.
>
> * Basic Level – Chance to block unarmed attacks increased by 25%.
Jeremiah knew that both the Hand-to-hand Combat and Self-defense skills had significant benefits if he leveled them up, but it would require four skill points to get either skill to Master Level.
He wanted something that could have a more immediate impact. Besides, Jeremiah felt like he had progressed past the point where punching his opponent or simply dodging attacks would make that much difference. He carried powerful weapons that would do far more damage than his fists and feet, and his enchanted armor protected him better than any Basic Level defensive skill. That made Shortsword the obvious choice to upgrade, so he did.
> Advanced Level Shortsword skill – Attack damage increased by 50%. Attack damage further increased by 3% per Strength point. Chance to block increased by 70%.
Jeremiah sighed and leaned back. He stared at the fire and thought about the battle with the Fire Giants and the Fire Giant Overlord. They had been incredibly outclassed and should have never battled monsters that much more powerful than themselves.
He couldn’t make himself regret the attempt though. It had been a high-risk, high-reward expedition, and they had made every possible attempt to protect themselves. They had tried to anticipate any problems and had contingency plans for everything they could think of.
Betrayal from within had not been considered.
Even then, they’d had an escape plan that should have gotten them out of the ambush, but that, too, had been thwarted.
Jeremiah’s muscles tensed, and his fists clenched as he remembered the helplessness he felt that day.
The thing that had ultimately doomed them was not being able to transport away, but he still didn’t know if that was part of the betrayal. It was possible that had been something related to the castle itself. It might have even been a special ability of the fire giants.
Either way, Jeremiah was determined to make everyone responsible pay. He was going to continue growing more powerful and help his friends and allies do the same. Then, he would return to the Fire Giant King’s castle and destroy the creature that had killed his friend.
After that, he was going after the people that had betrayed them, and he would never again party with someone he didn’t absolutely trust.
And next time he faced off against the Fire Giant Overlord, there would be no escape . . . for either of them.