Of all the abrupt changes that Randidly had experienced in the world of the Nexus, it was the sensation of having reached 1000 with his Agility that was the most pleasurable. Nether Beasts roared and charged toward him, but Randidly could calmly use his Agility and Control to manipulate Acri in small ways to intercept their attacks. His body seemed supple and explosive. The instant acceleration he could manage, when he ever needed it, was enough that most Nether Beasts were left dazed.

Maybe it’s the combination that’s the real reason, Randidly reflected. I already had Willpower across the boundary of a thousand, but that generally functioned as a way to keep my images strong while being on the frontlines. Willpower often worked alone to keep me alive. But Control and Agility… they are combining right now to make me practically unstoppable.

A giant dog-shaped Nether Beast lashed out, aiming to rip into Randidly’s root mount with its fearsome teeth. Randidly almost laughed. Cutting sideways, Randidly brought Acri directly across the beast’s ‘eyes’, blinding it for a short second and allowing Randidly’s mount to step to the side.

That small opening gave the opportunity for a tall Nether monstrosity to raise its arm to smash down at Randidly, but Randidly’s left hand already was sliding down Acri. With a sharp jab, Randidly hit the Nether Beast in the chest with the butt of Acri. At the very moment that the butt touched the Nether Beast, however, Randidly activated Man is Proud, but the Chimera Takes. His muscles with the acceleration of 1000 Agility exploded.

Congratulations! Your Skill Man is Proud, but the Chimera Takes (L) has grown to Level 181!

For a split second, all the sudden force of Spear Advances, Ash Trails was transferred through Acri to this unfortunate Nether Beast. Roaring in panic, it could only tumble helplessly backward after having all that force transferred directly into its body. And Randidly also noticed that the flesh of its torso ruptured and sprayed Nether goop on the ground.

While Randidly’s attention shifted to the more immediate threats in front of them, his Riders boldly rode forth and began to would and maim the Nether Beasts that were knocked to the side by the launched Nether Beast’s wild trajectory.

In addition, not all of the energy was transferred to that Nether Beast. Because Acri retained enough force to stab down into the body of a viper Nether Beast that was slithering closer. The stab ripped through its scaly skin and cut sideways toward its core. With obvious relish, Acri smashed into the core, shattered it, and then devoured the experience.

Shaking his slightly, Randidly adjusted his seat on the root mount as he instructed it to continue to smoothly lope forward into the thickest grouping of Nether Beasts. It’s for the best that I don’t go over Level 50 before I’m ready for it… but is it really fine for Acri to so wildly devour experience…?

Obviously, Acri’s consumption was still much less than Randidly had gathered with his Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil on the day of his return. This attack by the Nether forces seemed more of a probe than like the real vanguard assault that had been launched on the headquarters. So perhaps Acri had only been able to get one fourth of the experience that Randidly had on his own.

But still, as Randidly gazed down at the positively humming Acri in his hands, he could tell that there would be a qualitative change that came over the spear soon. The tier of experience that they were now gathering with each foe was just different than what could be hunted for on Earth.

Sulfur mewed piteously, as though sensing Randidly’s thoughts. Chuckling, Randidly patted the grey torso covering sympathetically. “I know buddy. But it’s just not the sort of pressure that you can grow from. It’s… an existential threat, you know? An energy thing.”

Sulfur’s subsequent constriction across Randidly’s chest clearly conveyed that it did not know if that was correct because it hadn’t been exposed to danger, but Randidly’s attention was almost immediately pulled away by a huge, overhand strike from a Nether Beast wielding a giant obsidian ax.

Rare, to see them use weapons, Randidly reflected. Even as his thought flitted across his mind, his body was exploding into motion.

But rather than dodge, Randidly simply raised his hand and activated Nether’s Caress. Dense Nether energy flooded out of Randidly’s core and wrapped around his metallic left hand like a glove.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether’s Caress (M) has grown to Level 112!

Even though its face was largely featureless, Randidly savored the obvious expression of shock that appeared as he stopped the Nether Beast’s ax dead. Whereas usually Aether and Nether colliding was a slippery, strange interaction, Nether’s Caress allowed Randidly to meet the Nether Beast on its own terms. And with four Nether cores fueling him…

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Like a javelin launched out of a cannon, Acri screamed forward and split the Nether Beast open. Its core became naught but dust and Randidly lashed left and right, blindingly quick, cutting through the ax-wielders supporters and giving him some additional space to consider the broader battlefield. Behind him, his Riders continued to harry and strike, but it was rapidly becoming obvious that unless they outnumbered Nether beasts four to one, they weren’t able to do much to the extra-substantial enemies.

Congratulations! Your Skill Riders of the Baleful Court (A) has grown to Level 117!

Congratulations! Your Skill Flowing Momentum has grown to Level 35!

With a soft click, Randidly’s mount launched him up onto a floating stone.

Randidly had intentionally struck out at a dense grouping of Nether Beasts that was surging through a tight opening between two of the defensive fortifications. Then Randidly had continued to push forward, attacking the rather more spread out forces that waited beyond, until he was able to hop up onto a large boulder floating only a few meters above the ground and survey the scene.

Honestly, the group Skill Flowing Momentum might be the only reason that the Riders were barely able to hold their own, even after Randidly cracked the formation of the Nether Beasts wide open. With space, the Riders could maneuver around the Nether Beasts, but their attacks weren’t able to puncture the bubble of their energy. Behind Randidly was mostly a cleanup crew, even if the respectable number meant that they also protected Randidly’s back from being mobbed.

Gaining twenty Skill Levels in only ten minutes really show the quality of the foe… but it’s going to take a lot more of this before Flowing Momentum has enough punch to turn the Riders into a real rival to Nether Beasts, Randidly thought with a sigh. Much more efficient just to use Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil… but if I want to avoid gaining the experience from them…

Randidly’s eyes began to glow. ...better to just aim for maiming the Nether Beasts with the roots.

*****

Vualla stood on the dusty slope behind Commander Terith’s fortifications, using her extremely acute eyesight to follow Randidly’s figure as he swam through the chaotic battlefield.

Strong, Vualla thought. And she couldn’t deny that when she looked out over the battlefield, she felt a flicker of envy at the easy grace that allowed him to be all but invulnerable among so many chaotic and hostile elements. Truly strong.

Honestly, Vualla had always supposed that if Randidly’s images were so capable, his body would be doubly so. And there was also the realization that despite the fact they ultimately became less useful and effective than images at their Level, returning to his body would mean that Randidly would receive the benefit of his Stats.

Yet how could Vualla watch Randidly now without acknowledging how high his Stats must be? Almost shockingly so. Vualla had vaguely had a sense of superiority when viewing Randidly’s images previously, but now...

It was akin to admiring several gleaming ceremonial blades and then giving them to their true owner and watching them be used. Randidly’s images had always been sharp, but Vualla had easily recognized that they were not long or extremely sturdy blades. As a solo image, the blade that Randidly Ghosthound had wielded had seemed… fragile. The rigors of battle had rapidly worn it down.

Yet now Vualla realized her mistake. Although the blade of her image had been made primarily to crush and destroy, Randidly Ghosthound did not aim for that with his images. It was not an image that was designed to be overwhelmingly powerful. No, he relied on the flexibility and capability of his body in order to create an opening where that image could cut and bleed his opponents to death.

More than that, Vualla could only look at the way that Randidly used his images and realize that they might be geared toward killing right now, but they were so much more than that. She watched him utilize his Grim Chimera image to make small, impossibly quick adjustments to avoid damage. She witnessed his Yggdrasil image lash out and weaken the surround Nether Beasts with roots so his followers could finish the enemy off.

She saw Randidly’s eyes glow with the emerald fire of his third image as he arranged a situation just so with soft touches and innocuous half-steps so that Randidly seemed to just canter forward and his foes bled and fell and died in his wake.

He’s a man who picked up the sword out of necessity, Vualla understood as she watched him move. Her eyes followed the minute adjustments of his hands and spear and the way they seemed so perfectly in sync with each other. Both were beauty in motion, death spun with gold and ash. He seeks strength to accomplish his goals, not to possess strength.

Vualla wrapped her arms more tightly around herself. Her eyes narrowed.

Because it was clear that it wasn’t stats that truly made Randidly strong. They allowed him to display his abilities, sure, but it wasn’t what made his blows heavy or his images so suddenly solid. Watching him here, it was clear that his images, across the board, had taken a qualitative step forward.

No, because Randidly had told her. In bits and pieces, he had hinted at it with his abilities when they went to fight against the Nether Gatekeeper.

Randidly Ghosthound could use Nether. Every one of his images… was grounded in a way that Vualla had never seen before. And it was so obviously powerful that Vualla was at a loss.

And how much more can you grow, Randidly Ghosthound? Vualla thought tiredly. Her wounded Fate throbbed and she clenched her fist. And how long will I need to recover before I can stand by your side on the battlefield…?