~~~Lee~~~
Resource Lair is under attack by the Invaders.
Failure to defend your resource lair will result in its permanent destruction, while a successful defense will result in an upgrade of the resource.
Defend your territory. Fight.
That was some sinister shit right there. The invaders weren't actually attacking them, so the system added an incentive. Why did it matter if someone else hunted the iron golems?
Or... was there something more happening that he didn't know about?
Lee really enjoyed using his time bubbles, but trying to use them effectively inside Three remained an issue. So he'd come up with a simple solution. Flying.
Standing on his hover plates was much trickier than using one as a seat, but it turned out that having hundreds of points in your physical attributes changed the game significantly. They were also frictionless enough that he could slide around using only Mana Mind to propel himself.
He may or may not have stolen the idea from the more daredevil youths, but it worked. A moment after the notification, he'd slid closer to Z and put them both inside a speed bubble. "What do you know about this?"
"Unusual. Most hunt first. Then raid resources. But some don’t."
That would explain why he'd never seen this notification before... "There has to be at least two D-grades out there, right? Does it matter if we let them destroy it? Then we could wait for them to attack here, where we're strongest."
"Strategic loss? Will make fort less of a target going forward. But not enough. Recommend defending. Upgrade worth more."
He might be right about that... because, thanks in part to his outreach program, the fort was seeing a lot more trade these days. May was still using the lair iron, but between having an apprentice and the recent abundance of enemy armor claimed as loot, she used little. The rest was being traded to other forts with their own different resource lairs.
From what Lee had heard, there were no two alike. Greenfield was the only place with iron nearby. He'd heard of a lot, from a gem mine similar to their own to a field of carnivorous flowers that hid medicinal herbs. The former wasn't really in demand, but Trak was all over the herbs.
Then there was a fort with a magical grove of trees as their resource, and they had already built walls when Bradley got there—wooden walls stronger than stone. Another place had a pond that went deeper than anyone had explored yet, and they'd pulled all kinds of random stuff from its depths.
In other words, the resource lair was definitely valuable. Lee just didn't think it was more valuable than his family. "Scout them, Z. I'll send the others behind you."
He stared out at the frozen world beyond the bubble and at the people out there. His people. "I want everyone home alive, Z. I don't give a damn about that resource if it means we lose even one of them. You got that?"
"Understood. Will prioritize family."
"Go. Now." Lee dropped the bubble and saw Z vanish from visible sight as the D-grade launched himself from the courtyard. "Alejandro, get a team to follow Z!"
~~~Zynthar~~~
Zynthar dashed across the earth with mixed feelings about the task before him. On the one hand, he couldn't deny the thrill of facing a potentially worthy opponent after so long slaughtering weak E-grade monsters. On the other hand, he was departing further from the one he'd contracted with. If this was a ruse to draw him away...
But no, his contracted human was powerful. Impossible and powerful. With many capable protectors as well. While he would likely send most of them this way, that human female, Amy, would definitely remain by his side.
Zynthar had thought that even as a singular member of a zhint pair, he would stand above any amateur monster bodyguards. It was his entire life and purpose. He'd done as much for years now.
He never expected that human female to be an actual royal guard.
Though he probably should have, given the impossible E-grade human he'd contracted with.
Zynthar had seen royal guards before, though always from a distance. While some wouldn't see the difference between him and her, as they both defended others. Those who believed such were fools.
A zhint pair was the best protection one could buy. Because one could not purchase a royal guard. Those remarkable individuals who gave all of themselves over to protect another. Their entire path, their whole future. Everything.
It was impossible to manufacture such beings. Impossible to force them into existence. Yet none could deny the power it afforded the kings and gods who attracted such loyalty and devotion from their followers.
Should something attack Lee Cascade, then that woman would stand as an unassailable wall in their path.
At least until her death.
Despite the oddity and unexpected nature of her existence here, she was still E-grade and wouldn't last forever against a higher grade such as himself. Though Zynthar suspected he would need his booster to bring her down in a timely manner.
Combine that with Lee Cascade's building and his own considerable powers... not to mention the others who would remain by his side. That human would not fall quickly or quietly. More likely, he would not fall, and whoever or whatever tried to end him would die instead.
Much as Zynthar had nearly done at their first meeting, when he never even got close enough to fight the royal guard... So yes, if this was a ruse to draw him away, then someone was in for a surprise. A deadly surprise.
It wasn't all about Lee Cascade, either. The impossible human was only one of many.
Zynthar had been around his share of the multiverse. He had contracted to protect rising stars and scions of empires countless times—his most recent contract notwithstanding—and he had seen some of the best the multiverse had to offer.
So he knew what he saw here. This place was full of future kings and queens. More than that. They were warriors, taking their first steps on a path to power that would see them one day conquering worlds.
These weren't the types to need zhint contracts.
Which meant he faced an unpleasant reality for his future, and a not very distant future at that. These humans were still only E-grade. Based on what he'd been told and seen for himself of this world's growth, it wouldn't be long before their world advanced into D-grade, and they along with it.
When that happened, Zynthar would become obsolete, and Lee Cascade was under no obligation to keep him under contract. There would be some reward for the time served, but nothing compared to finishing the full contract. Or even better, if he could negotiate a non-surrender contract. A longer one. Ideally, with his pair beside him.
Every zhint pair of legend throughout history had risen to those heights alongside people like these humans here. They never achieved glory and power alone, but by dint of who they protected and, equally importantly, from what. Because no legends rise to the heights of power without making enemies, and the greater the legend, the greater those who will stop at nothing to see them cast back down.
His other pair, Zylar, hadn't understood the true scope of what was here when he negotiated the surrender. He couldn't know. Zynthar hadn't truly understood either. Otherwise, he would have tried to keep his pair from leaving. The reward they'd received for protecting the weakling prince was not insubstantial, but there was so much more up for grabs right here.
A serious mistake in hindsight.
Sure, there weren't many legends who'd risen to glory by protecting monster races... but that would only make them shine all the brighter when they did so.
This was their chance—perhaps their only chance—to achieve what every zhint dreamed of; glory. Their names could go down in history as one of the Great Pairs. Every zhint child would know them. Every child would dream of one day rising to their same heights. Every zhint pair would aspire to be them.
It was a chance that Zynthar couldn't waste. Which meant he couldn't afford to fail this mission. Or any other placed in his hands. He needed to not only impress but also make himself indispensable. He had to do that while alone and long enough for his other half to find his way here...
Together, they could do so much more. Together, they would prove their value like only a zhint pair could. Lee Cascade would see their worth, and they would fight at his side all the way to the top.
Or beyond.
Because while there were legends out there who rose to godhood and carved out a place of their own in history... there were also Legends that reshaped the multiverse forever. Zynthar had a very strong feeling that he was now bearing witness to the origin of one such being. Or more than one.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
To that end, he had already taken drastic measures to secure his and his pair's place here. Unthinkable measures under any other circumstances.
He had altered his Pair-Contract to include the mention of protecting Lee Cascade.
Making that decision on his own was a truly egregious betrayal of his pair and it would allow Zylar to cancel their pair-bond if he so desired. But Zynthar believed in his pair and knew his pair trusted him in turn.
That the contract had yet to be canceled only renewed his hope that Zylar understood what he was trying to do here. Because while it was extreme, it was the only way he had to communicate to his pair the urgency of returning to this world. A task that would not be easy. Or cheap.
Earth was a brand new dungeon world. Any direct key would be prohibitively expensive, never mind even finding one for sale... Zylar needed to get lucky, and soon. Because it would only become more impossible once word spread of the human trait...
Once that happened, if it hadn’t already... Well, by then, it might be easier to convince Lee Cascade to flee off-world than for anyone to find a way in past the empires.
Zynthar crested a small hill and saw the resource lair ahead. He immediately shoved all his musings to the back of his mind. This was his first real chance to prove his worth. He could not—as the humans put it—fuck this up.
Lee Cascade valued his people more than most leaders did. Such care wasn't that uncommon, or a bad thing exactly, but it could be exploited. Zynthar was not above such exploitation, except he would do so by ensuring that none of the humans needed to risk themselves against the hunters waiting ahead.
Some hunters delved into the dungeons to hunt resources rather than monsters. It could be lucrative, and the risk was much lower. The Great System didn't like it—hence labeling the dungeon dirty hunters—but it would allow the practice. The hunters would walk away with only the resource core and no experience, but the Great System would allow an exit once they'd claimed it.
The lack of an army waiting at the lair wasn't too surprising either; these resource hunters tended to be smaller specialist squads. Seeing two of them waiting outside the entrance was equally unsurprising; he fully expected them to be confused and worried upon realizing the system had sent them into an E-grade dungeon.
Perhaps the Great System had sent them specifically here as punishment? Perhaps they'd escaped without a fight more times than they should have? It was always hard to say how the Great System would react... and such speculation was for scholars, not zhint pairs.
Zynthar had no time for any such useless thoughts now... in fact, he had no time for any thought. He recognized the race, Vorlexians, and that was his last full thought as he activated every boosting ability to its maximum potential.
During his time with E-grades, both here and before, Zynthar had to endure the slower... well, everything about them. It wasn't their fault. They simply did everything at a slower pace.
Constantly using his boosting ability while protecting them didn't help.
Of course, that was only the lowest power of his boost. Low enough power that he could maintain it indefinitely. It was a different story when he pushed it. Very different indeed if he pushed it to the limit...
Time slowed to a crawl, or at least it appeared to beyond the confines of his mind as he sailed through the air.
Two figures lurked at his destination, but they were unimportant... uninteresting. He took in the scenery lazily—idly looking for any others that might lurk out here—and found nothing of note.
His feet neared the ground between the figures, and he rested a hand on his sword hilt. Not to draw it, but simply to hold it steady when he landed.
They were D-grades. More than experienced enough to notice the abrupt wind of his passage and feel his killing intent. But it didn't matter. Because he had no intention of killing them. Not until it was too late.
Then he drew steel... and they died.
D-grade defeated: +200 Exp
D-grade defeated: +200 Exp
One shot: +100 Exp
Double Kill: +100 Exp
Zynthar ignored the slight rush of power entering his body—a side benefit of his task here—and continued into the tunnels. He wasn't hunting the others... merely seeking to reach the final chamber as fast as possible. Besides, they knew he was here now that two of their party members were dead.
He passed piles of dirt that spoke of dead lair guardians and picked up his pace. The Vorlexians might be surprised and upset to find themselves in an E-grade dungeon, but it also meant they would have an almost effortless time clearing this resource lair. Even when the lair reacted to their presence and threw all it had at stopping them.
The two at the entrance had felt like brand new D-grades—and probably about the same level as him after the surrender losses—but he had something they didn't. Experience. And not the system-granted kind.
Hunters like these weren't pushing themselves. They were scraping by with the bare minimum and probably with low rarity skills as well. That they'd come into an E-grade dungeon at all meant their key had probably been the literal cheapest one possible. A pure random that didn't even tell them what waited within.
They would die for that.
Zynthar found them in the final chamber as they were beating down the wall that separated them from the core. As expected, they knew he was coming and were on guard while a single member destroyed the wall.
D-grade defeated: +200 Exp
D-grade defeated: +200 Exp
D-grade defeated: +200 Exp
One shot: +100 Exp
One shot: +100 Exp
He went through them like a warrior through farmers, and perhaps they were. All except for the final D-grade. One who had to be the leader of this sad little group.
The leader let his comrades die while preparing spells instead. Including a spell that stripped Zynthar's cloaking magic away and dragged at his speed, slowing him noticeably. Definitely not a low rarity...
Zynthar deflected the first blade and then barely dodged aside from the follow-up strike he hadn't seen coming. He completely missed the kick that slammed him into the wall, nearly finishing the job of breaking it down.
He bounced off the wall, parried a strike with his sword, and deflected the next with a smaller dagger Lee Cascade had given him.
It was another sign of his contracted's power when each of his enchanted blades left notches in his enemy's swords. A legendary enchanting class. One he'd heard of, but only in... well, legends. He'd also never believed those tales before.
Runic. A class supposedly from the dawn of the Great System. It had obviously been just a story. One warped by each retelling. Until the details grew to ridiculousness.
Now... well, now he wasn't so sure.
Lee Cascade's fortress didn't live up to the wild tales of the legends, but he was only E-grade... What might he create in the future? If this was what he was capable of now, then there was no telling where it might lead.
It was fortunate indeed that his contracted human held such power because Zynthar's final opponent was not the weakling its companions had been. This one was at least mid D-grade. Far above his own current power, and with a boosting ability of its own. A strong one.
Zynthar couldn't keep up with the sudden burst of speed, and he failed to deflect the next strike aimed at his heart... where it rang harmlessly off his breastplate, along with a pulse of light from Lee Cascade's rune.
Right. He had better equipment. Though he knew the enchantments wouldn't last long under this level of punishment. That was fine. He wouldn't last long, either. Not with his boost at full power like this.
His opponent was in the same situation. Zynthar could see it in their eyes. They must have felt his killing resolve and reacted with everything they had to survive. Unfortunately, it might be enough for them to do exactly that.
He fought back against the end, using every skill, trick, and dirty move he had at his disposal. He fought on even as his body started to break down under the immense strain of his boost.
They traded blows back and forth across the underground chamber, shattering fresh craters and pits into the surrounding stone. His dagger's rune finally failed, and he drew his backup when the blade shattered. Pieces of his armor followed. Then his sword... but only after his opponent's sword finally broke from the cumulative chips he'd taken out of it.
It turned into a knife fight after that, one that he was slowly losing.
Zynthar saw the emotions play over his enemy throughout the fight. First, the contemptuous arrogance. Then confusion and frustration arose when he continued to stand against them. Then the triumph as his equipment and body slowly failed him...
He didn't mind. He knew something this invader did not. Backup was coming.
The chamber wall burst open without warning, and Lee Cascade's stone magus came through with his staff already swinging.
Such an entrance earlier would likely have cost the human his life. He was strong and skilled beyond most, but still E-grade. Against a boosted D-grade, he moved in slow-motion. Unthreatening. Trivial.
But fighting for your life at full power took a lot out of someone. Even a D-grade. Zynthar knew that, and he was counting on it. In fact, his life depended on it now. So did the human's.
Unfortunately, his attempt to wear down the enemy D-grade hadn't been successful enough... and his opponent easily dodged the staff while plunging his dagger toward the human's throat.
Of course, the human wasn't the same fighter he'd been when Zynthar bisected him. He had trained repeatedly against the very one who nearly killed him. Even though the act had clearly terrified him... It was a sign of a warrior. A sign of someone who would go far in the multiverse.
Bradley Summers had learned a lot about fighting opponents faster than himself.
The human used his staff as leverage to very abruptly change the direction of his flight. His staff flew one way, and he went the other, vanishing into the stone wall... right as a monstrous tail whipped out from within the floor and batted their enemy across the chamber.
Zynthar pursued... but he was too slow. The other D-grade never hit the far wall. Instead, the stone swallowed up his target and took them away.
He felt tremors pass through the ground beneath his feet a few times, but he didn't wait to see if his opponent would return. They wouldn't.
So he raced back through the tunnels... at least until the stone tunnel shifted and dragged him upward.
Daylight fell on him as the earth spit him onto its surface, and he sprinted toward the battle underway ahead. Then he slowed... and stopped.
The D-grade was faster and stronger than him. Which meant it was much faster than the E-grade humans.
They didn't seem to care about that.
Zynthar let his boost lapse, only keeping it going enough to remain conscious as he watched the humans take apart a being that should have crushed them.
Its strikes met either air or a shield that always seemed to get in the way at the last moment and its feet constantly stumbled in a bed of vines that sprouted endlessly from the earth.
The very ground itself shifted to drag the invader away from whoever they tried to pursue, while an army of humans pelted it with magic from range.
Zynthar expected a surrender as the fight dragged on, the invader slowing with each passing moment, but it never came. He couldn't recall if the Vorlexians were one of those stupidly proud races... but it looked likely.
As he watched the fight wind towards its inevitable conclusion, Zynthar had only one thought. It was from a message he’d seen when he’d first arrived on this world, and one he suspected would haunt many of this world’s future invaders.
Welcome to Earth.