[Display name has been changed to Synrak Veralis.]

Tom was lost. Directionally too, perhaps, but that wasn’t the important bit. He felt lost. Zakeran had tried to kill him, yes— but that was only after diplomacy had failed. Tom had no intention to justify the intentions of someone that would have trampled over his corpse without any— or perhaps— with some regret but Zakeran’s pitiful expression as he knelt on the floor, defeated, did leave an impression upon him.

Was it a crime for an orphan to steal a loaf of bread if he was on the brink of succumbing to starvation?

The Nobles had access to resources and weaponry that allowed them to tackle and harvest the resources of the Zelez Dungeon.

Was it a crime for an individual to rail against the system— if the system itself was broken?

Tom was beginning to understand the nature of the Nameless District. The people here were young, ambitious, daring and courageous— otherwise they would not force themselves to live in a distant town with shoddy amenities, ludicrous expenses and a dungeon entrance, of all things.

That, atleast, was what Tom had managed to piece together from the conversations he had listened in on the town’s main drag.

But what happened when that ambition was broken?

The appeal of this thrilling life wouldn’t seem nearly as glorious after failing to get into the Noble District.

Zakeran was an outcome of that system and as a result of it failing him— he now rebelled against it.

If the Royal Knights discovered that he was undermining their authority, Tom was rather certain that they would kill him without a trial.

Tom gazed at the two cards pinched between his index finger and his thumb, his expression thoughtful. One came from Zakeran, the other from the blonde haired woman.

“Don’t rob others if you’re not prepared to receive the same treatment,” Tom muttered under his breath, before he inspected the two [Deck Cards].

[Earth Manipulation (Common): Level 1

Ability:

Lesser Earth Manipulation: Reshape and solidify the Earth, direct its momentum with your thoughts. Requires feet to be in direct contact with an earthen surface. SP cost proportional to surface area and volume of reshaped Earth (1-10 SP consumed per cast).]

[Haste (Common): Level 1

Ability:

Fleet Footed: Let the wind aid your movements, boosting every aspect of your movement speed by 35%. The Haste Card must remain constantly active to use the Fleet Footed Ability. Drains 3SP per minute. ]

Another 2 SP were subtracted from his pool as Tom added the cards to his deck, before letting the gauntlet absorb them. That meant the [Revenant Claw] was now stretched to its absolute capacity, carrying a whopping eight [Deck Cards]. Even Tom had to admit that such a level of versatility was simply monstrous.

Withdrawing the [Elixir of Soul Restoration] from his inventory, Tom took another swig without a second of hesitation. He felt refreshed as his Soul Power skyrocketed back to a complete [38] points.

And then, without any warning, without even looking back, he stretched his left hand out and suddenly jerked it backwards, firing a torrent of compressed water.

A loud groan echoed followed by an ear-piercing crash as the ramshackle wooden hut he’d aimed at collapsed onto itself. Of course, his intention hadn’t been willful destruction of property, no— that was merely collateral damage.

A silhouette draped in faded black robes had leapt from the top of the hut seconds before Tom’s attack had landed, a hood obscuring their facial features.

Tom pivoted on his right foot as the hooded figure landed upon the empty street placed somewhere in the backchannels of the Nameless District. If there had been any people here, they had fled after catching the distinct sounds of collapsing wooden huts and gouts of flame burning the oxygen in the atmosphere as Tom and Zakeran’s group fought.

“I do not wish to fight you,” A soft, feminine voice calmly stated.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Tom paid her words no heed as his [Revenant Claw] rotated to his newly acquired [Earth Manipulation] card. The soft earth before him began to roil, before shooting upwards with the viscosity of a liquid. It took all his concentration and a bit of mental visualisation to harden it in the shape of a spear before sending it shooting forward at the veiled stranger.

There was a reason why Tom’s reaction had been as spontaneous as it was ruthless; The threat he felt from this unknown woman had already far surpassed his encounter with Zenakris and Valerie—- to the point where he wasn’t sure if he could even harm her, let alone beat her. He didn’t know how long she had been trailing him or why— and if it wasn’t for an errant gust of wind that carried the sound of a rustling robe forward, he would have never detected her either. If he wasn’t exceptionally on guard after his encounter with Zakeran, even that would have been dismissed as one of thousands of minor, unremarkable sounds that one encountered on a daily basis.

A long sigh echoed out.

Tom’s earthen spear crashed into the woman, sending a cloud of dust and debris exploding outwards.

Tom was preparing his next attack as the dust obfuscating the woman’s silhouette cleared.

He blinked.

The robed woman had ensconced herself in a sphere of translucent, crystalline rock— or rather, dozens, if not hundreds of small crystal shards that had been fused into a cohesive whole. The cloud of dust that his attack had kicked up earlier was the result of his earthen spear being completely obliterated upon crashing against a far more resilient surface.

“Now do you believe me?” The feminine voice pouted, clearly affronted by his treatment. Her hands reached for her hood and drew it down.

Tom blinked twice.

Flowing silver hair with mesmerising strands of amethyst mixed in. Brilliant azure eyes that brimmed with intelligence. Her pale skin, unmarred by the passage of time. Her small, blood-red lips added an otherworldly beauty to her visage, her gaze intent and determined as she looked at Tom.

‘If I was actually the age my body reflects, I’d probably fall in love right here.’

The silver haired woman looked like she was in her mid-twenties, though he couldn’t be sure of much in this world.

“Believe you?” Tom asked, incredulous. “Is stalking people how you greet others, then?”

“I wasn’t-,” She began, but caught herself mid-sentence. “Okay I was, but I have a good reason, if you’d just hear me out.”

“Are you with Zakeran’s lot?” Tom asked, his expression taking a dangerous turn.

“Those weaklings?” The silver haired woman asked, her tone sounding a little slighted. “Look, if I wanted to actually harm you I would have attacked you while you were dealing with Zakeran’s squad. Besides, as surprised as I am by your massive Soul Pool, that doesn’t change the fact that nothing you’ve revealed so far has the capability to breach my defences.”

Tom’s expression darkened further.

And then he began to laugh.

It was a wild, maniacal laugh that caused the silver haired woman’s expression to blanch a little, making her wonder if she’d actually encountered someone who had a few screws loose.

“Lady,” Tom started, as he got the last of his laughter out of his system. A tear rolled down his right eye. “Since the moment I’ve stepped— no, even before I stepped into this accursed, blasted land, people have assumed who I am, what I am capable of, what I can and can’t do…..”

The bearded old bastard who tossed him into Artezia like unwanted baggage.

The Syrelore Kingdom who would most definitely be coming after him once they realised his absence.

Zenakris Renain— The Renain Family—- The Nobles of the Academic City, Renovia who would be coming after him… no doubt already aware of his actions.

The Royal Knight Nvein, who had promised to punish him if he broke arbitrary laws set by a Nobility he didn’t acknowledge.

Tom began to walk forward, towards the supposedly impenetrable crystal dome.

“I don’t know who you are,” Tom began, as he reached out inside his inventory. “But even someone as incapable—- as small-minded— as ambitionless as me can smell what you want. You want a pawn, don’t you. A pawn in another game. A piece you can command.”

Tom himself didn’t know how he could tell, but after experiencing his first Maya something in him had changed— he could perceive people’s emotions behind their facade much more easily.

Though Aleph Longstradia didn’t show it, inwardly she was shaken by his assessment.

‘This man isn’t insane…. he’s frighteningly sharp.’

Tom withdrew his second Nether Blade from his inventory.

Aleph’s eyes flashed with shock.

“Is that- two Nether Blades? You can’t— you must stop! The Nether will consume you whole!” Aleph pleaded, knowing that there was simply no way that Tom could handle two Nether Blades without turning into a Nether Demon.

“My true name is [Thomas Lowe]. I am [The Fool]. I do not play your games. I refuse to play by your rules. If life is a game of chess….” Thomas began, his [Revenant Claw] switching to the Haste Card.

Powerful winds swirled around him, guided by his motion. They would aid him in his cause, increasing his speed by a whole 35%.

[Dual Rend].

Both his Nether Blades flickered to life, a deep violet plasma-like energy radiating off them.

‘Rend’

Tom’s first blade slammed against the crystalline sphere, sending sparks off purple lightning radiating off the impact site.

‘Rend’

The second blade followed.

‘Rend. Rend. Rend. Rend. REND. REND! REND!...’

With haste amplifying his speed, Tom’s hands became a blur of violet as he repeatedly smashed against the crystalline shield, each strike carrying the fury of being manipulated by people, by forces, by divinities and by the divine system.

A crack spread across the crystalline shield.

A second followed.

Aleph Longstradia watched on, clearly horrified.

“.....then I will become the one who shatters the board,” Tom whispered under his breath, as his blow bisected the supposedly impenetrable crystalline shield in half.

Aleph found her hands trembling as she backstepped away from Tom’s furious blow.

Trembling with excitement.

After all, she was a little crazy too.

Aleph Longstradia had found the man who could restore her house to its former glory.