ALL NOVEL Chapter 24: Greetings
Late Evening - Unknown Season : Leviathan | Class: ERROR
-----
*Crackle-Shick* Cutting through thick muscle with a thin sword made out of the wyvern's scales, I slowly but surely carved my way into its chest.
There was one last thing I wanted to grab after storing several scales, some teeth, and some bone fragments in my inventory before I was going to return to Earth.
And while I stood in the pit of flesh I had dug into the wyvern's chest, I could feel it.
Just below my feet, there was an intense, constant flow of mana that could only be emitted from one thing. -A big ass mana core...-
It was essentially a monster's mana storage, the same as a reserve, but typically far larger because of the size of their bodies.
Depending on the monster, they could range anywhere from the size of my fist, to well over a dozen meters wide, and vary in color from a bright blue, to a dark navy with hints of green that made it look black depending on the density of the liquid mana it contained.
For the most part, their uses were fairly niche, but without access to the thousands I had accumulated over the years, I was in need of a few, even if their quality wasn't great. -The issue is this black shit...- *Tink-Tink* Tapping my sword on an impossibly strong black string woven into the wyvern's flesh, I gave it a distasteful look before leaning down and biting it.
*Snap* It was something I called 'eternity string', since nothing I knew of could get rid of it. -I used to at least be able to cut through it with Draco.. but even if I hit it as hard as I can with something else...- *Tink-Tink* -It won't budge...-
But it had nothing to do with sharpness or material quality. "Ugh..." Leaning down and biting through the other end of the string, I slipped my blade under it and cut it out with another huge slab of meat. "I just wish I could figure out what it is that cuts it..." -Should I just pull one of my teeth for it?- Looking back down at another string as I carved away more muscle though, a theory came to mind. -Is it maybe a material that can only be cut by itself?-
Being present in nearly every creature around or above the class of the wyvern, it was something I was more than a little familiar with, essentially being a nearly indestructible fiber only able to be cut or broken by a very select few items.
Even in my prime, if I hit something as hard as I could without a specific upgrade active, while the creature's flesh would get completely eviscerated, the black threads would remain. -What was that upgrade again? 'Time Distortion'?-
It was essentially an active ability that let me slow time down.
But the more I tried to use the upgrade as a hint, the more lost I became... "Haah..." -But I guess I'm just getting a bit overzealous... It's probably related to mana so I should just focus on the basics for now...-
Eventually leaving my thoughts to simmer, I got back to digging through the wyvern's chest, thankfully not running into too many more threads, before peeling away a section of flesh to reveal an unbelievably dark mana core about the size of my abdomen. "Oh my..." It was such a high grade it made my eyes glow, but unfortunately, it was surrounded by a web of eternity strings, that typically indicated that it was fragile. -I just hope this one won't explode when I pull it out of my inventory...-
Gently reaching out, carefully placing my fingertips in the openings between strings, I sent it into my inventory. *Vwoop*
It was a surgical removal, but sometimes, the eternity strings around the core were needed to keep it from exploding. -But unless I painstakingly cut all those strings, I can only hope this isn't a fragile core...-
Quickly standing back up, I opened my system and skimmed through the materials I had gathered, making sure I had a decent amount of most things before finally navigating to my 'Return Screen'.
"Hooh.. alright..." *Vwoop* Pulling out my new axe, made from the orange scales and pearly white enamel of the wyvern, I anxiously hit 'Return'. *Vwoop*
As the gate engulfed me, I could only lean my head back and pray. -Please don't wipe this time...-
I was quite pessimistic, even pulling out my axe in advance to make sure I wouldn't lose it.
But while I didn't have much currently, if my system was going to wipe every time I returned to Earth... I was in trouble...
*BEEP* Eventually hearing the deafening beep of my system, I felt my chest tighten. "CRITICAL WARNING. Teleportation Gate is Unstable."
-Oh.. no...- It was the same error I received before I lost everything.
But, as a somewhat demoralized feeling started creeping in from the back of my mind, my system spoke again. "Approximating 'pickup location' coordinates."
It was.. different.
-Huh? 'Pickup location'?- *Vwoop* Jolting my eyes open as the gate began dissipating, the bright glow of the afternoon sun graced my eyes, a wave of air blew over me, and the sensation of falling overtook my body.
*WooooOOOOSH* I was back.
But even as I fell out of the gate, I didn't stop falling.
*FLASH* As my eyes struggled to adjust to the blinding light, I found myself hundreds of meters over a sea of concrete and people, surrounded by countless colossal pillars of glass that seemed to pierce the sky.
But as my aura rushed to fill the space around me and an image came to mind, I knew exactly where I was.
"Hah!" But what had me more excited was that my system was completely silent.
*Vwoop* Opening it as fast as I could, I looked down at my gold and read, '14,060,621,127' with an ever-growing glow in my eyes.
My system didn't get wiped.
"HAHA!" The feeling of hope that sight gave me was indescribable, adding fuel to the flame growing in my chest. -It looks like I'm not fated to die just yet you arrogant fucker!- *WOOOOSH*
Looking down at the plaza beneath me, my smile widened before I used countless pillars of aura to spread out the impact of my landing.
*WHAAAM-CRACCKLLEE* But the field of concrete stairs still shattered instantaneously, spreading cracks through several nearby statues and throwing fragments of rock up between the people in the crowd. *Tap*
*Inhale* "Haaaah..." Taking a deep breath, I took a moment to enjoy the smell of the city before tossing my axe into my inventory. *Vwoop* -My, oh my~ does it feel good to be back.-
I felt revitalized, refreshed, and excited.
The people in the plaza around me didn't feel the same though.
"AAAHHH!" Immediately bursting into screams, several people started running away in panic, while others remained frozen from fear.
But they weren't the ones who had my attention.
Looking up into the sky, I could feel a distant presence approaching so fast it couldn't be a living creature before suddenly, the movements and sounds of everyone nearby slowed, as if time stopped, and a cloudy figure descended in front of me.
It was Michael, but instead of looking angry or annoyed at the fact I returned, he was incredibly panicked. "Evren! Where the hell did you go?! What happened to you?!"
He was.. worried? "You aren't related to that administrator?" My ecstatic expression instantly washed with confusion.
"AS IF! He almost destroyed Earth's server just to search for you!"
-What the hell...- He was being genuine.
"It's all because of that stupid data link! First, it sent enforcers, then that monster!" But it's not like he was happy to see me either, quickly facing me with an angry glow in his eyes. "Look here, you walking disaster, I need you to turn off your data link. You need to disappear from the eyes of the system before that freak shows up again!"
-A..Alright...- Still somewhat flabbergasted, I did as he asked and disconnected the data link without a second thought.
And as it seemed to notify Michael, a wave of relief washed over him. "Hoooh..." *tap-tap-tap* Letting out a long, stress-filled breath, he tapped through several system windows before finally easing somewhat. "I cannot describe my hate for you with words, I hope you understand that."
Pausing, I looked him up and down somewhat judgementally before speaking. "I'm more surprised you're trying to hide me..." -If he wanted to get rid of me, he could just wait for that freakish administrator to return...-
"That's only because you've already raised Earth's rank! If you disappear now, all the progress humanity has made over the last five hundred years will be reset!" Angrily pinching the bridge of his nose after yelling at me, he calmed his nerves before giving me a stern look. "Just, whatever you do, don't touch your data link. I'll have someone deliver you an artifact that will give you access to things like the server forums and give you a fake local system panel, but your displayed name will be different."
"While you're at it, can you send me a good mage? I need someone to teach me about mana ASAP."
Pausing as he was turning away, he gave me a sour look before opening his system panel. "She'll see you tomorrow morning. Now go start cleaning up the mess you made." *Vwoop* Instantly disappearing without giving me a chance to say anything, the sounds around me crackled before the panic of the crowd resumed.
*Crackle* "-AAAHHH!"
-So, in the morning, huh...- Glancing up at the sun, directly overhead, I felt unsure. -I just hope I have a little more time before I get abducted by the system this go around...-
Lowering my gaze to the crowd, I slowly started looking around to see if I could find Alrek anywhere before turning toward the spire. -Maybe he's inside.-
But as I approached the doors, a young elven girl, most certainly still in her teens, holding a black stick nervously ran up to me. "M-Miss!" She was incredibly anxious and spoke with a stutter.
-Who is this..?- She was clearly a regular citizen, fearing me just like everyone else, yet she ran up to me and held out this weird, perforated stick.
"I-I apologize if this is rude, b-but could I ask a quick question? I am a reporter with Eve Family News."
Looking past her, I quickly spotted someone who looked like her younger brother, shaking slightly while holding something I assumed was a camera. "Go ahead."
Her anxious expression quickly eased slightly as she fidgeted before speaking. "I-It would seem that the public believes you are a destroyer, someone who is here to harm humanity. D-Do you have anything to say about that?"
Although she had a stutter, she spoke fairly confidently. -What a cute kid...- "Before that, do you believe I am a destroyer?"
She very hastily shook her head no. "I-If the reports that you are level six hundred is true, I believe you would have made it clear if you were one."
-What a good response...- *Pat* Gently setting my hand on her head, I gave it a little rub. "You're quite smart." Looking up at the camera with a somewhat threatening smile, I spoke firmly. "For everyone else, whether you think I'm a destroyer or not, I couldn't care less. If I wanted to destroy this world, no one could stop me." Quickly turning back to the girl, my expression eased and I spoke more genuinely. "But this world is also the place I consider home.. even if it's a bit.. unfamiliar..."
A gleam instantly appeared in the girl's eyes as I pulled my hand off her head.
But it seemed to flicker as a deep, booming voice filled the air. "You think no one could stop you?" Looking over, I found Jack, the giant Hell's Berserker I ran into before I got kidnapped. "That's quite an arrogant thought."
"Is it?" Tilting my head slightly, I playfully leaned down to speak to the reporter girl. "His system name is The Jackal, right? Is he strong here on Earth?"
She instantly nodded. "I believe he is ranked forty-two in the world."
-Hoh?- It was lower than I expected. "Well, what if I could make him kneel without touching him?"
Excitement washed over her face in the blink of an eye.
Looking back up at the towering barbarian, I pointed at him. "You want to make things easy for yourself and kneel?"
His expression instantaneously turned sour and darkened. "You might be the most arrogant bitch I've ever-"
His voice was cut short the moment I turned my finger toward the ground, using a contraption of aura I made to slam the weight of the plaza onto his shoulders. *VWOOM-CRRRUNCHH* His face was instantly, irresistibly slammed into the ground before he even had the chance to react.
-Oh my~... That was easier than I thought it'd be...- Compared to when I controlled my aura before, I didn't feel even the slightest strain on my mind. -Am I getting better.. or is my mind just getting used to it?- Pausing as a genuine smile came across my face, I looked back at the girl. "Well, it's not exactly kneeling, but it's close enough... Anyway, I need to go meet up with some people in the ISO. If you ever have a question for me, I'll always answer."
Giving her local system panel a quick glance as I turned to leave, I read her name, 'Grace Eve', and set my hand on her head to transfer her some gold, thankfully without the need of the data link.
As she got the notification for it, she froze and went wide-eyed, but by the time she went to look up at me, I was already gone.
I had made my way inside.
But oddly enough, after passing through the doors at the base of the ISO, I wasn't greeted by Alrek, nor a swarm of panicking people. "Greetings, Madam Lestir." It was an old dwarf, speaking smoothly and formally while holding a deep bow. "My name is Kazzaer Aldinn, the regional manager of the ISO for the Eastern United States."
-Level 618...- He was quite strong for a dwarf, and reminded me of someone I used to know, with a long orange beard, no tattoos, and formal way of speaking. -How nostalgic...- "So, you must be Alrek's boss. I'm Evren Lestir." Reaching out for a handshake, he gave me an odd look before gripping my hand quite hard, only for me to grip slightly harder.
It was the way I knew dwarves greeted their own people. "Hoho~," Looking me in the eyes as if to see if I was doing it out of pride, his smile grew wide. "To think I'd meet a human would give a proper dwarven greeting." Pulling back his hand, he gently caressed his braided beard, before motioning me along. "It seems I was too hasty in casting judgment."
"Haha," An honest laugh slipped out as old memories started gaining some clarity. "I can't blame you considering my appearance. Who would trust a crazy woman covered in wyvern blood?"
"Hahaha!" His laugh was deep and hardy, coming from the chest. "I'm not sure where you found a wyvern, but if you have any more of its blood, I'll pay quite a hefty sum for it." Looking back at me, he rubbed his fingers together with a greedy smile.
"I'm not sure you want this blood though, it's a little too iron-tasting for alcohol."
His smile quickly widened. "Hoho~, you really know dwarves too well." Quickly straightening up his posture, he put his hands behind his back and held his chest out. "But in today's day and age, removing something like iron won't be an issue... So,"
Giving me one last look, I waved him aside. "I didn't collect any, but I do have a bit of meat if you're interested in that."
"Oh, of course." His mouth immediately started watering. "Just name a price!"
"As if I could take payment for a 'token of greeting'." Not expecting him to know what it was, I simply continued to follow him into the ISO.
But almost immediately, he paused before turning back to me with a look of shock on his face. "To think I'd run into a human that knows my home world's tradition..."
-----
Read up to 5 weeks ahead of schedule, and get early access to artwork on My Patreon!
(In case Embedded Link doesn't work: https://www.patreon.com/TDOD )
-------------
Also, please feel free to check out our discord for all updates related to TSH releases! https://discord.gg/Dv7G5bQD4v
All are welcome!