After facing the enormous moles, the goblins posed little threat. In just a few moves, they were defeated. Noah would have loved to claim he didn’t even break a sweat defeating them, but that would be a lie.

Even despite the sharp increase in his Constitution, the heat from the sun was sweltering. Beadlets of sweat dripping from his body was a common occurrence in the jungle. Either that, or it was blood.

But he did receive something from the goblin encounter that could only be described as a minor inconvenience. An Uncommon Skill Essence. Trap Making, to be exact. It wasn’t something he needed, but he wouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to trade it with someone else.

That led him to think about the last slots in his Pathstone Skills. He had one free in each.

For Dexterity, he needed a movement ability that wasn’t tied to Krall–like [Charge]. He either needed something that would enable him to move quickly for long distances. That would ensure he would remain in the lead because he could travel faster than everyone else. Or he needed something more combat focused.

He was still undecided, but it would most likely be whichever one he encountered first–or could trade for.

Next was Might. His Uncommon Strength/Constitution Pathstone. He ended up having to use one of his slots for the ranged Skill. Desperate times counted for desperate measures, so he wasn’t too upset at that. But that left him with one other Skill. And that was going to be a passive Strength increase just like a [Strengthened Body]. Or maybe a Skill that empowered slashing weapons. He wasn’t sure, but it was between those two.

A slashing Skill would let him deal with unarmoured opponents easily, while a passive strength increase was just better overall.

Then there was his last Pathstone that was luckily Rare. Attacking Tamer. As a rare Pathstone, it had more unique qualities to it, and it just so happened that his last Skill he knew exactly what he wanted. The next Skill had to be something like [Kill Command]. Something that would empower Krall further so that he could share in his Stats thanks to [Pact of Two].

Just as he finished thinking about the future of his Skills, the shimmering of the Hub’s walls met his gaze. Along with it was hundreds of others that lined the long, lush field of verdant green. Or it used to be. Now, rickety houses made of wood had been erected all over the place.

Most of them were congregated around his piece of wide open land–which they obviously couldn't build upon.

Looks like I chose the best place. Noah thought as he entered the Hub’s shimmering shield.

The houses were obviously built by the system, and judging by the quality of them, they were of the lowest cost from the System. They could hardly be considered ‘houses’.

Noah crept forward for a closer look. All the others gazed in his direction. Most of the looks were hostile which took him by surprise. What had he done to make them look at him like that?

He tried to think back at the things he had done. Was it smashing Jake’s hand? Or maybe it was taking the Rare piece of equipment from the Anomaly? Then he remembered he had killed a couple of those people that tried attacking him.

I think that’s it. Noah nodded to himself. Well, he wasn’t too worried, even if he had to fight them all at once. There was a reason he was forging ahead by himself. To be free.

He was also surprised to see some familiar faces. Thraz, Declan, Jake, Chloe, Cai, and the others that had run away from him when he obtained his Rare Pathstone. But he already knew they would make it, no, he was surprised to see people from his school.

Granted, Noah didn’t spend much time in class, so he wasn’t really familiar with them, but it was nice to see some had made it–regardless of his closeness with them. Hey, he wasn’t heartless.

Declan was standing next to one of the houses. Noah wasn’t shy, so he approached the building. Jake still glared daggers at him, while Thraz looked happy enough to see him before confliction arose within his eyes.

Noah shook his head at the sight of the oversized lizard. It seemed he was doing well enough.

Standing to the side was a wolf-man hybrid. He had the eyes of a predator, but curiosity was the main focus within them. It felt like the wolf was inspecting him, to see if he had any weaknesses.

Spending countless nights out on the streets, Noah could read those eyes from anywhere. Even under the darkness of the night. They reminded him of the robbers who eyed anything that was worth selling on his body. Of course, he never had. Money was a luxury he never had the opportunity to worry about.

Yet, now he was in another world where murder was commonplace. He didn’t like those eyes.

“What the hell is that?” Declan gawked at the thudding steps of Krall. Everyone could feel the might of a monster that could easily tear them apart if it wanted to. It wasn’t something they could compete against.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Oh that’s Krall, Scourge of the Jungle.” Noah pointed his thumb over his shoulder, toward Krall. “Anyway, nice house. Is it yours, or more of a team effort?” Noah tried opening the door, but a System message flashed within his vision.

You do not have the right to enter the building. Receive permission, or enter another way.

Enter another way? Noah was stunned. That meant people could break in. It was a nice piece of information.

He didn’t plan on breaking into other peoples houses. Noah believed in achieving one’s own power, not stealing other peoples. Of course, other people weren’t as ‘noble’ as he was. So he expected some drama in the future.

It seemed like he would need to be on the lookout for some traditional rogue-type Classes.

“Mind giving me permission?” Noah said as he cupped his hands to the window, attempting to peek through the glass. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be blocked from the System. A bland room came into view. There was one door that was probably the bedroom, and another that was most likely the bathroom. Or so he hoped. All that was left was a small hard wooden floor with a kitchen tacked on.

“Do you mind backing the fuck off?” Jake said through gritted teeth. His hands clenched around his bow, but he knew better than to pull the string.

“Damn so hostile.” Noah grinned, and held his hands up in mock worry. “Sorry mate, I’m just curious that’s all.”

Jake took a breath, then said, “I’d rather you not be when our equipment is in there.”

“Anyway, I’m glad to see you all alive and kicking. How’s everyone enjoying the freedom of the new world so far?”

“We aren’t on good terms, Noah.” Declan also had his hand on the sword tied to his waist. “Don’t act like our friend. We haven’t forgotten what happened back at the cave, nor the rumours going around about you right now.”

Noah glanced at the different expressions of the other survivors. There was a common theme between them all. Caution. Fear. Trepidation.

“Rumours?” Noah asked in confusion. “What rumours?”

“The rumours of you killing people. Belham’s group,” Cai added.

“Hey, what happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Noah said, annoyed. “You hear one side of the story then jump to conclusions?”

“You don’t exactly have the best track record.” Chloe added.

Noah noticed a stark change in her temperament. From a golden spooned girl, to a woman with blood on her hands. No literally there was blood on her hands. Her eyes were serious and cautious; like a beast looking out for potential danger. No longer was she panicked like the first time he had seen her at the cave.

“Don’t forget that wasn’t my fault back there.” Noah snarled. “If you hadn’t gotten greedy for my reward, I wouldn’t have acted like that–and you know it. They aimed for my life, so I took theirs. It’s as simple as that.”

“Despite that, it's difficult to believe anyone in this place.” Declan reminded. “It’s better to remain cautious.”

“Then stay cautious.” Noah shrugged. “Sure as shit doesn’t bother me. Besides, I have an appointment.” Spotting the princess in the distance, he left the group of humans. As he left, he caught the eye-line of the wolf-man.

He hadn’t said a word, yet Noah could tell he was the strongest within the group. It was a feeling after having experienced life out in the jungle so far. Shaking his head, Noah approached Maeara.

She was beautiful as ever, but her once luxurious white robes were stained in brown and red. Cuts in the fabric revealed the fresh scars underneath.

Of course, Noah was no better. He was walking around with a naked top half since he lost his shirt back in the caves. Wounds marred his body all over. Some from the battles with the numerous beasts in the jungle, but most of them were from the natural foliage of the world. Thorns, sharpened grass, or pointed pieces of bark comprised most of the wounds on his body.

“There’s a lot of rumours going around about you, Noah,” Maera’s pure voice said as he approached.

“Nothing but kind words, I’m sure.” Noah chuckled.

“That would depend on the type of person.”

Noah was unsure of what the princess now thought of him, but he wasn’t one to ask about feelings, nor did he really care. Their relationship was purely business, and that business was to continue in the future. And by her words, she didn’t seem to believe them in the first place. Of course, she might also have the same thoughts as him. Business above all else.

Besides, with her wanting the best for her homeland, he was the best possible choice for business out of everyone here.

“So, which one is yours?” Noah pointed to the houses that were just beyond the limits of his enormous plot of flat land.

“We have three.” She pointed to a cluster of three buildings. They formed a barrier together. Tacked onto the side were a couple knights banging a hammer against stubby metal nails; underneath it was a metal anvil of dubious quality. Behind them was a makeshift oven for smithing.

They’ve got to work faster than I expected. Noah couldn’t help but admire the princesses' administrative abilities. Especially gaining access to a smelter so early on. But it helped that the anvil seemed to be some sort of metallic ore as a substitute.

It was a smart formation, that was for certain.

“Big spender.”

“Not as big as you, I imagine.”

“You’d be correct.” Noah continued, his eyes turning serious. “Any luck on the materials I asked for?”

“We have them all.” Maera nodded in affirmation and took him into one of the houses. As the owner, with her permission, he was allowed to enter.

In the middle of the room lay a collection of logs and nails.

“Awesome.” Noah nodded in satisfaction.

Now all he had to do was move all of it onto his land. His vision moved from the logs of wood, to the knights that surrounded the princess. They took a step back at his gaze.