.
After leaving everything in his room, Darius decided to buy himself some more decent clothes. As of right now, he is wearing just some damaged army pants together with a simple gray shirt under the armored uniform. After un-equipping the armor and also leaving his weapon behind, Darius grabbed his backpack, now filled with cash, and went out again.
He walked towards a nearby clothes’ shop, and after grabbing a pair of jeans and a better white shirt with short sleeves, he went to the market, walking towards the vehicles’ area.
Simple armored vehicles; light armored vehicles (LAV) with turrets, cannons, and rocket launchers; tanks; anti-air strikers; even destroyers with double barrels, explosive shells, and rockets.
Now we’re talking.
He smiled widely while observing the heavy weaponry, but cooled down right after and started examining everything that was there.
They might be powerful and sure enough I could deal with a field boss if I played it smart, but... I don’t always get the chance to play it smart.
He examined each of his options with a critical mind. He was running mental simulations against different types of monsters with each one of these vehicles, all of them under different scenarios, especially against the stone gorilla he ran away from.
Tanks, destroyers, L.A.V.s huh… Slow turns, slow movements, and difficulty maneuvering them as a one-man team—even though most of them have auto-driving—it will still be tough mid-battle when the ground blows up everywhere. They have huge firepower, but that only applies under two circumstances: if I strike first and if I’m not surrounded. Although I’m not one to get surrounded, the fact that I could get ambushed inside the city still remains a fact. The guerilla battles are the scariest for heavy weaponry against stronger monsters. On the next corner, you could end up face-to-face with a huge fucker that could just slam you on the ground, no matter how thick your armor might be.
He continued on walking down the parking lot, filled with different vehicles placed on display, until he reached a smaller one, almost looking like a silver Lamborghini with the wheels of a jeep. It was obviously armored up with no windows. However, what attracted Darius’ attention were the many rocket launchers from the sides, together with two cannons. From the front, there was also a smaller automated anti-infantry turret.
The Knight… It costs about as much as a futuristic tank.
Darius saw the plate with the price and the name of the vehicle, feeling amused by both the price and also the name, which made him think of a fictional character from his own world.
If it were painted black, it would’ve been the perfect Dark Knight’s car.
He bought the car for as much as 1.5 million rozoni, adding that a sports car was about 200k rozoni, showing just how expensive this vehicle truly was.
He drove it towards the deposit, and he had no problem bringing it with him as it was slightly bigger than a normal car, being fine with driving it through the city.
This is even better than the fictional one.
Darius smiled amused as, although the car had no windows and was fully armored, inside of it he was able to see 360 degrees, even above, as the car had cameras all over and was able to see everything as if the car were made of glass.
Arriving at the deposit, Darius grabbed the phone and immediately contacted Graham.
.
[You want to know how much till the laboratory's finished? Am I a constructor to you?]
Graham’s tone was obviously that of a pissed person, but Darius still asked, as he was the only person he could ask about the laboratory's condition in the first place.
[Sigh~ and here I thought it was something important.]
"It is for me."
[Yeah, good for you. Tsk, I will send you the phone number of the building company’s administrator. Ask them directly and stop bothering me.]
"Good."
Getting the number of the administrator, Darius learned that everything would take about 2 more days until it’s completely done.
"Glad to hear that. But there are a few more things I wish to add; would that be fine?"
[Sure thing. But we got money only for the first part. More than that, you’ll have to pay again, sir.]
"Oh, no need to worry about that."
Darius smirked and embarked inside his car, going for a quick run towards the market.
There, he asked for a phone number to buy a purifier. Being incredibly hard-to-build and expensive equipment, the ones who created such things needed to call and pay before picking it up. It wasn’t just hard and costly to build, but it also took a long time. Luckily for Darius, they had a product on them right at that moment since someone had annulled their command.
I initially wanted to go and hunt the rest of the items myself, but now that we're loaded, I won’t have to mind how much money I waste. I only need to make my blue prints.
.
A few days later, Darius was working inside his freshly made laboratory, with deep circles underneath his eyes since he hadn’t slept for 38 hours now. Even so, satisfaction was visible all over his dark face.
A façade of plain, deserted containers stacked on top of one another gave the impression that the laboratory was a sizable deposit, making it undetectable on the outside. That means there were no windows, but a lot of ventilation holes that helped filtrate and circulate the air. Inside of it, the apparatus, the computers, and the glass tubes used for full-body examination or experimentation were all placed there, but in a way that wouldn’t feel crowded at all. Right now, Darius was at his office, where multiple blue prints were placed, pens, rules, and other measurement objects filled the table, Darius taking notes on every little detail that he came up with, not missing a millimeter from his measurement or a screw from his planning.
I finally have the Crystal Purifier… Now with it, I just have to connect a few things and the “Divine” will be created.
Darius smiled after looking at his blueprints.
Excited for what came next, he went right down to work as he turned towards a machinery that looked akin to a refrigerator from the outside. That was the Crystal Purifier. It was a revolutionary machinery invented by Graham’s team before he even joined the cultists.
Normally, mana crystals had the very essence of the corrupted creature that was taken from. And because of this, there was also something called bestial essence within the crystal. Anyone who wished to use a raw crystal would suffer the consequences caused by the wild bestial essence. While a mage would suddenly behave like a beast or mindless creature, a mana-based machinery could explode after using the crystal, since the bestial essence could turn the mana unstable and have it act wildly while being used as fuel.
But with the purifier, raw mana crystals taken from corrupted monsters were placed inside of it, and this machinery had the option of taking out the bestial essence from within the crystal and even turn the mana into a liquefied form, normally used for making energy pills and healing serums.
And that was exactly what Darius wanted to do now, as he connected the purifier to a core-cutter. A core-cutter was a machine that was able to use the cores of golems and turn them into containers, smaller or larger, that were able to contain miasma or mana in liquefied form. The reason why Darius needed so many golem cores was exactly for this reason, since he could use them to create his own energy pills, healing serums, and also store large quantities of mana for large-scale decontaminations with miasma.
And the large decontamination was exactly what he was aiming for, since the project “Divine” was based exactly on that.
Normally, if one added a semi-corrupted or completely corrupted life-form within a container filled with liquefied mana, it would make for the two energies to clash and have the respective life-form completely explode in a bloody mess. But by using the goddess’ knowledges and Graham’s future discoveries, Darius was already well aware about what mana dosage to use, together with what other elements were required to have the mana not clash with the miasma, but slowly expel it while healing the destroyed or modified cells left behind by miasma.
.
.
.
-RI~NG~-
As he was focusing on his work, Darius’ phone started ringing, and an unknown number appeared.
"…"
Not thinking too much, he simply answered on speakers while connecting more wires and sealing some tubes, and the next second, an unknown voice resounded.
[Good afternoon, Mr. Daniel. Are you available to speak with us at the moment?]
The bartenders…
Darius’ eyes turned sharp after hearing the manner of speech used by the man, and after thinking for a while, he asked back.
"What is the reason for the call?"
[Yes. We wish to have you reevaluated for your next rank. We believe there have been some miscalculations when we decided your rank.]
"And how did you reach that conclusion? Last time I checked, a bounty had been placed on my head by my superior."
[And that’s exactly the reason.]
It sounded as if the other person was smiling while explaining, making Darius understand what he was talking about. Even so, he still received an explanation from the bartender.
[The prince we’ve put you under was known to be rather… difficult with his underlings. However, it seems that you ignored his orders, and a bounty has been placed on your head, visible only to the cult members within his circle of authority. But before anything could happen, a wild Demonic Wielder appeared and completely exterminated the prince and his organization. Doesn’t Mr. Daniel find it funny? To have the one who wanted to hunt you gets hunted instead? Truly marvelous.]
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"Get to the point. It’s because of the pictures and badges I brought, right?"
Darius said while massaging his tired eyes, and the bartender chuckled.
[Yes indeed… We wouldn’t have contacted you if it weren’t for the intel you brought about the Black Wind’s annihilation and you hunting down fellow members of the cult from the Infernal Dogs gang.]
"I see. Well, if it’s about the Infernal Dogs, then I apologize for that since I wasn’t aware of them being part of the cult. Nobody informed me of this."
[Yes exactly. That’s why we need to advance your rank so we can offer you the rights to further information. Your actual strength proves that you can finish allied squads on your own as a simple human. So rather than have you talk your way out of ignorance, we decided to give you the necessary rank to update your information about your allies. Like this, we could avoid any further infighting as well.]
"As for the Black Wind, I happened to see it happen."
[And you happened to be around the base of the ones who wanted to hunt you down?]
"I placed cameras around that area long ago to observe the movements of the ones who wished to hunt me down. After they got annihilated, it was just natural for me to exploit the chance and get more cash from their heads."
[From your words, it sounds like you had a plan to get rid of the Black Wind since the very beginning.]
"I’m sorry, sir. But I’m not one to sit down when others are aiming for my head."
Darius’ voice was sinister, and the bartender made a large smirk as he spoke with an agreeing tone.
[That's indeed so. Since he had all that time to get rid of you but still died in the end, you have all the rights to that reward from the bounty. In the end, the last survivor isn’t necessarily the strongest.]
Of course you would appreciate my words, you crazy bastards.
The cult was a group that appreciated only the strong, and Darius knew that better than anyone. If there are inner skirmishes between the ranks, the cult won’t help anyone but observe. If the stronger team wins, then that means they were right. But if the weaker remains as the sole survivor, then that means they were evaluated wrongly and their ranks must be raised.
The insubordination punishment, where a bounty was placed on the subordinate’s head, was nothing but a trial for the weak to prove themselves. Normally, after about 2 weeks of getting a bounty from insubordination and still surviving, the bounty would be annulled by the cult, and the one hunted would be reevaluated. The fact that he survived this long showed that he had greater skills than initially estimated.
[Whenever Sir Daniel has the time, please visit the bar for another examination.]
"Hmm… In that case, please wait for another 3 days. I should be done with my preparations in no time."
[Alright, no problem. Please visit us as fast as possible.]
After ending their conversation, Darius took the first blue print he finished, and his eyes arched into a smile.
"I guess I need to finish this one first, and as fast as possible."
The blueprints for a pair of gloves with metallic fingertips were placed in front of his eyes. Staring at the many details, he wrote them down and got down to work.
.
-RIIING~!-
While working on his first project, Darius’ phone rang again, but this time it was his personal phone and not the one from the cult.
"Who is it?"
Hello, Mr. Daniel. Or should I call you Mr. Darius?]
"Lily… Did you look through SAA files for my personal details from when I made my mercenary badge?"
[Bingo~!]
"You know that’s illegal, right?"
[Although I have nothing to back it with, why do I feel like you’re not really one to talk about legal things?]
"That’s true as well."
He smiled amused while welding wires of gold and silver plates together. Then he asked, unsure,
"And what is your reason for calling?"
[Well, first of all, I wanted to inform you what happened with the data about golems we received from you. I can’t believe you faced the field boss Stone Gorilla and not only survived a direct confrontation with it but also received a large amount of details about it, along with a weak point that we could exploit next time we confront it. Together with all the information you got from hunting those golems, the total price should well reach over 6 million rozoni.]
"Hmm, what can I say? That sounds delightful."
He continued on with his work while holding the phone between his head and shoulder, focusing more on what he was doing.
Hearing the indifference behind his voice, Lily sighed unsurprised.
[Of course. You did tell me that you don’t care about the money… But anyway, Lola asked me to invite you to train in the VR and give your thoughts on what it feels like. She said the feedback from a combat master like yourself could prove to be very useful in the update of the VR training facilities.]
"Hmm, the stone-hearted security chef told you that? Do I really believe that? I wonder."
Darius smirked and commented back sarcastically.
Ms. Lola was known even in game to be a cold-hearted individual who was administrating the software of the Blue Spark and the cyber-security of that guild. She was also the one who created the VR training facilities, and nobody knew how she looked until later in-game, when everything was taking a turn for the worst. She was blessed with a genius in cybernetics, a beautiful body and face, and great acting skills. But because of that, she was greatly lacking in emotions, with many thinking that it was like that to balance her overly-perfect character.
[Hm~? You have a reason to suspect her words, Mr. Darius?]
Lola isn’t the type to need someone else’s feedback. She’s too proud for that. What she actually wants is…
"Perhaps she wants to take my personal data by testing my combat skills in real-time?"
[Sharp as always. Great job finding out.]
Lily chuckled while congratulating Darius for finding out Lola’s intentions, but Darius wasn’t in the slightest amused, sighing rather irritated.
Being in the cyberworld, the admin was automatically able to examine your every move and reflexes, finding out about your combat style in just a few minutes after entering the VR. It was literally the most accurate examination of the body and brain, finding pretty much everything about a person from just one log-in, meaning also being able to find the greatest weaknesses.
Darius knew that, since that’s how the Blue Spark was able to grade their superhumans. But to have his abilities known by an outsider left a bad taste in Darius’ mouth, making him think twice before accepting a free run in the VR training facilities.
"I understand that she’s a very good friend of yours, Lily, but please don’t add me between her lab rats. Knowing that my data's being taken behind my back really pisses me off."
[My~ no need to be so sentimental. I didn’t tell her your true identity since you told me not to. She only knows that you’re named Daniel, a mercenary who, because he lost his family to the monsters that escaped the borders, decided to help the borders get stronger by getting as much data about the monsters as possible. How you acquired your combat abilities, who taught you, or what your family was—she doesn’t know any of that.]
And I’m sure she wouldn’t care either.
He sighed with a grin then Lily continued.
[The reason she wants to get your data is because she wishes to have an example of the peak performance of a human against monsters and also of how a human could reach that combat level. So? Do you agree?]
"…."
Darius thought for a moment, then, with a deep voice, he added,
"I will agree, only if the data won’t be used for the reconnaissance camera’s applications."
[Huh? How do you know of that?]
The Reconnaissance Camera was an application easily used that could take any video and examine the moves of anyone inside of it, then recognize who that person is simply by their body movements. For example, if Darius were to have his data taken by the VR system, uploading all that data to the application could then detect him in just 5 seconds after getting in front of a surveillance camera, and if he were to be a wanted or important person, an alarm would turn on in the Blue Spark’s HQ, informing them of his immediate location.
And this was created because, all over the world, these security cameras were installed to keep an eye on any possible monster that got out through the borders. The cities are especially crowded with cameras, so if they wish to know where someone is, it won’t take long with their data already uploaded.
Seeing how she got no answer to her question, Lily sighed, then answered back in a troubled voice.
[I will see what I can do. I will talk with Lola and see if she agrees. But now I’m curious: why don’t you wish for your data to be added? Is not like you’re up to no good, right?]
"My actions should be of no one’s concern. And at this point, I’ve already been misunderstood to be a bandit a few times. So I don’t want to have all my movements observed and questioned."
[I see… I will call Lola again. I will be sure to give you an answer in a bit.]
"I don't really care, since I win nothing from this."
[Didn’t you say you wanted to help the Blue Spark with that? Isn’t that a plus for you?]
At her comment, Darius snickered as if he heard the most stupid affirmation ever, but he just shook his head and prepared to close the call.
"Alright, Lily I’m rather busy at the moment, so anything else that’s not too important, just send it to me through a message. I’ll answer when I have the time. Bye."
[Oh my, have I annoyed you with my statement? I apologize if I did so.]
"I’m just busy. Talk with you later."
[Alright, good bye~.]
Although the conversation turned south for a moment, Lily was able to still end it with a high tone, avoiding a possible awkward moment between the two.
She and her social skills. No wonder she was able to become the main pillar of humanity in my past life.
Darius closed both phones to not be disturbed anymore and continued his work in wielding. Now he was connecting more wires and chips to the main board that was no bigger than half the back of his hand, with a large hole in the middle.
The reason he didn’t feel like helping Lola was simply because he felt used. Gaining the data for the monsters wasn’t actually for the main forces of the 3 guilds to raise their combat powers; it was so the heroes could learn about the monsters they’ll fight beforehand and take them down easier than ever. The fact that Lola wanted to use Darius’ goodwill to further update her projects kind of annoyed Darius, who didn’t like being an altruist in the first place.
Whatever, let’s stop thinking about it. I have something else to do right now.
After two more days of constant working without sleeping, Darius’ dark and tired eyes shone with excitement, observing the dark purple spherical cloud that was shining atop his left gloved hand with an eerie feeling.
Finally… I finished one of them.
Darius grinned broadly as he studied the glove with its razor-sharp silver nails at the tips and the metal shell on the back of his hand that held a massive purple crystal that was glittering with intense lightning. He used the crystal, which belonged to the Thunder Wolf he had battled, to create his most potent weapon to yet.
He wore a diadem on his head, which was likewise connected to the glove by additional wires. To improve control, he added additional pads to each muscle in his arm. He could control the energy and it would move or act differently with each movement of his finger.
If he kept his palm open in a relaxed manner, a sphere of miasma would grow stronger and stronger.
If he were to suddenly open his hand wide and reach out in front, a destructive force would be released forward in a messy manner, sending paper flying, pushing the chairs in the air, and even moving the furniture to almost collapse it.
If he clenched his fist tightly, then miasma would gather in his fist, as if preparing to explode at any moment.
If he made a straight palm, then he would create an energy sword. Depending on how he were to slash it, he would even release an energy wave that would cut the air in front for a short distance.
And lastly, if he were to make his fingers imitate a gun, then on the tip of his fingers, a strong sphere of purple lightning would concentrate and accumulate, growing stronger the more time passed. Simply by flicking his thumb, he could release all that pent-up energy into a single point, like a bullet.
And lastly, if he were to snap his fingers, he would create an energy field everywhere around him. Depending on which finger and how strongly he was to do it, a different ability would appear.
If anything, programming the main board for the manual system was the hardest part since it would randomly explode by moving the wrong muscle.
He was more than just tired. He was feeling as if he were being beat up by gorillas and trampled by bulls.
He could not even begin to count how many times the glove burst since it registered the incorrect muscles for various strikes; he had to meditate and take multiple energy pills in order to detoxify himself.
Fortunately for Darius, the primary controlling mechanism wasn't the glove itself or the pads on his arm (manual system); rather, it was the diadem (automatic system), which scanned Darius's brain waves and sent the precise coordinates of his desired outcomes to the glove.
The best part about it was that he didn’t need to create a code for this himself but just borrowed it from the VR program created by Lola, being able to find it after tricking Lily into showing it to him for a moment.
Tricked… More like she left herself be tricked.
Remembering the knowing smile on her face when he started taking photos of the data from her phone, Darius became more aware that she most probably wasn’t one to be tricked that easily, even if it was about something she had no knowledge about, such as software engineering.