by L. M. Kerr
WHOOSH
He arrived outside the skyscraper.
The air outside was warm, not too hot but also not cold. Down here, the sounds of the shambling Morenkai was the only thing he could really make out, shuffling feet pounding on the ground, drowning out the hums of the air conditioning units and lights.
As he landed, he instantly looked towards the skyscraper in front of him, gathering his bearings.
The nearby, shambling Morenkai all turned their heads ominously in his direction, a good dozen of them pausing.
Shin tried to teleport again.
Nothing happened.
'Oh crap. I'm an idiot.' His heart dropped,
'The longer I teleport, the longer it takes before I can teleport again. I can't teleport instantaneously after moving so far.' Shin's thoughts were thrown into disarray as he realized his mistake. Instantly he backpedaled into the street, retreating, his heart racing.
He didn't even wait to see the Morenkai move, instead starting to sprint directly down it, fleeing with all of his might.
Half a second later…
THUDTHUDTHUD
THUDTHUDTHUD
THUDTHUDTHUD
The two dozen or so Morenkai that had stopped abruptly began to give chase. Their footsteps pounding on the asphalt and pavement rang out loudly and chaotically. Even worse, the further down the street Shin ran, the more shambling Morenkai noticed him and froze to stare before giving chase.
Fear thronged in his mind as he concentrated, his breathing growing ragged as he felt the eerily silent Morenkai charging at him. He knew that if he messed up here, he was only seconds from dying. He regretting not being more careful and taking the slow route.
He could already picture Micheal steadily rebuking him for being careless. Micheal had warned him that he needed to be extremely careful and not take action unless he was certain he'd be successful.
By this point, he had already sprinted down the block and into an intersection. He barreled through this intersection, running between two new skyscrapers. His lungs were burning as he ran, fueled by the fear of the Morenkai that were mere seconds behind.
His moment of panic was short-lived, however, as after a few seconds he felt the ability to teleport restore itself, his soul recharged. He instantly teleported again, warping into the 2nd floor of the building to his left.
WHOOSH
Thud
Shin fell to the ground as he teleported, gasping for air as his entire body shook. His heart was racing at a million miles an hour, a testament to the terrifying fear the Morenkai instilled.
"Huff-huff…" Shin laid on the ground for several seconds, catching his breath. He wiped sweat from his forehead as he recovered, gradually feeling well enough to look around.
He was in a private bedroom on the 2nd floor of the building. He had landed on the ground in the middle of this floor, sprawled as he calmed down. There was a small bed, a desk, a closet, and a few other common features, as well as a connecting bathroom with a sink.
As he stood up, he peeked out the window.
He instantly pulled back again as he saw a large throng of Morenkai milling about in the middle of the road aimlessly. There must've been at least 40 of them. He could even make out one that looked unique, with a featureless face that was colored purple. An Abnormal, as Micheal called them. If he hadn't teleported when he had… He shuddered slightly.
As he pulled back, he looked around again, noticing something odd.
"The lights… the air conditioning… none of them are on?" He frowned.
In every skyscraper he had been in or seen, there was one indisputable point. The air conditioning and lights were always on and always working. It wasn't physically possible to damage even the lightbulbs, the magic or whatever it was that held this world together preventing it.
However… right now… none of these things were functioning.
"What?" Shin turned the faucet on, drinking some water in a hurry. The faucets still worked, likely because they weren't based on electricity he guessed. Everything that seemed to rely on electricity wasn't working. This reminded him of one of the many things Micheal had told him before they were Chosen, a thought he couldn't quite recall as he calmed down.
After slaking his thirst, Shin tentatively opened the door, looking out at the hallway. His heart rate had slowed down some, but was still pounding at a fast rate, the abnormality of the situation putting him on guard.
It was dark, with streams of daylight sifting in from rooms with windows and open doors. All the lights were down, leaving it shrouded in shadow. He couldn't hear the sounds of air conditioning like he was supposed to, nor the quiet hum of various lights.
At the corner of his vision, Shin noticed something.
He could see light emanating from the stairwell at the end of the hallway.
A warm… golden… glow.
.
Chapter 31: Combat
TING
Micheal's Steelborn Sword warbled slightly as he tapped it against the ground, checking it over. When it banged off the roof, the noise it made shivered slightly, as if echoing internally.
'The Sword Energy is starting to damage it.' He frowned slightly as he saw this, glancing around.
Several Morenkai corpses were spread out on the roof, black blood leaking from them. The late afternoon light was slowly fading to evening, a few scattered clouds drifting across an empty sky.
'Every swordsman needs a good sword. My Steelborn Sword is durable and should last a bit longer, but I'll need to replace it eventually.' He sighed out loud. Points, Points, Points. Everything he needed cost Points, he simply didn't have enough.
Several hours had passed since he sold the Abnormal Morenkai corpses. In that time, Micheal had gone on his own, hunting across the central area. He had encountered large numbers of Morenkai, taking them down one by one, group by group.
In total, he must've killed more than 100 Morenkai. As luck would have it, he also didn't encounter any Abnormals.
— - Status — -
Name: Micheal Care
Points: 1,482
Race: Human
Age: 18
- Stats -
Strength - 28
Endurance - 22
Recovery - 20
Soul - 10
- Abilities - (3/7)
Life Orb Master
Ki Cultivator (Mortal Tier)
Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)
.
'Almost 1,500 Points, huh?' He thought, sighing. His body was aching, exhaustion flooding his veins.
"Gulp!" He pulled a water bottle out of his Low-Tier Spatial Ring, gulping some of the cool liquid down. As he drank, he walked over to the shed that led to the bowels of this skyscraper, hiding inside.
There was no reason to leave himself exposed to snipers or people armed with guns while he planned his next moves.
He had fallen a bit short of where he had hoped to be, but was still in a stellar spot. With that many Points, he could create another set of Dragon Building Liquid. While it wouldn't enhance him as much as the first set, it would still benefit him and work to make him stronger. It would also work towards the modified physique he'd get when he took the maximum of 4 sets of the tempering drug.
'Alright. Physically, I'm too tired to last much longer out here in the wild. I'll be vulnerable to an attack by a team.' He made a decision as he glanced at the corpses.
When he'd gone hunting, several times he'd seen various teams working to take down Morenkai. Micheal had avoided them, one and all, turning to go to different skyscrapers. So far, he'd managed to successfully avoid interacting with any other humans, focused solely on improving himself.
'That won't last long, though. Eventually, I'll end up tangling with the stronger forces from one of the major powers. It won't be the Godfather Organization and I can't see the Tobagin Party acting first. Either the Saru Group or the Black Flag Pirates will come after me, enticing me to join.' He sighed.
> He needed to draw attention to himself and establish a reputation. The quicker he did that, the faster his progress would be. Only… The danger that came with doing this was an unwelcome, but unavoidable, side effect.
'Alright, let's cool it with the direct physical combat. Instead…' Micheal's eyes flashed as he snapped his fingers.
Immediately, two dimly glowing blue orbs appeared, floating in the air.
'I want to test you two out a little more. The only reason I managed to break one of you was because I controlled the Life Orb and ordered it to shatter.' His mind raced as he began to walk down the stairs that led to the inner part of the skyscraper.
'Each Life Orb, despite its small size, is extremely tough and durable. Right now, I couldn't penetrate one of them with my blade, even if I coated it in a layer of Sword Energy.' He descended several floors, his movements sure.
'I can almost instantly accelerate them to move at a speed of around 15 meters per second and I can control them with my mind…' He nodded,
'What will happen if I try to use them as a weapon? If someone shoots a bullet at me, could I maneuver them to successfully block it without breaking?' His eyes flashed as he began to descend further into the skyscraper…
Headed for the deepest depths. The danger zone.
The ground floor.
'Let's test them a little.'
In no time at all, Micheal managed to reach the bottom of the skyscraper. He stayed on full alert as he moved, cautiously checking for movement or sounds. He even checked for stray traps that one group or another may have left behind. While he didn't think it likely he'd find something like that this deep into the central zone, there was no need to be careless.
And now, he found himself looking out of a stairway through a slightly cracked open metal door into the large room that almost all skyscrapers in the First Layer had. The plain grey floor, plain walls with a few windows and doors opening to the street level, everything in it was as expected.
"Oh, there's already two Morenkai in here." He whispered quietly to himself as he saw two shambling figures walking around the edges of the room. One of the figures paused by a window and looked outside it aimlessly while the other continued to move about.
"Well. Let's not dilly dather." He slammed the door open.
"Hello there." His voice boomed out, just loud enough to catch the attention of the two Morenkai in the large room, but not loud enough to carry to the streets, as he spoke nonsense, quoting a semi-famous Star Wars movie line he vaguely remembered.
He was enjoying himself. Back in the action of the moment, in the wonder of testing out a new Ability… it was one of the few things he loved about the 7 Layers. For a few brief moments, he allowed himself to relax from his dire mission, immersing himself in the moment.
Immediately, the two ominous figures turned, their eyeless faces pointed at Micheal.
He smiled.
"Come and get me."
Immediately he backed up, leaving the door open as he jogged halfway up the stairs. He waited on the midway point between the first and second floor, patient.
THUD
THUD
The two Morenkai made short work of the distance, loping across the floor in loud, clomping steps. In mere seconds, they reached the doorway, bursting through it. Their unnaturally tall bodies made them have to duck to get by.
As they entered the enclosed area, Micheal concentrated on his Life Orbs. The innate connection he sensed was unmistakable in his mind, giving him full control.
Mentally, as they reached the stairs, he willed the two orbs to fling themselves forward
WHOOSH
THUD
THUD
Immediately, the dim blue orbs flew through the air and collided directly into the chest of each Morenkai. Resounding thuds echoed out as the Life Orbs smashed the two Morenkai into the wall.
The Life Orbs then stood still, forcibly holding the two Morenkai back. Immediately the creatures began to struggle, their arms and legs smashing against the wall. They punched ineffectively at the Life Orbs, trying to break them.
"Oh." Michael muttered out loud, a feeling of strain sweeping over him as he commanded his Life Orbs to hold the Morenkai down. He felt a huge amount of pressure settle on his soul as he continued to keep them pressed up against the wall.
Instantly, he released the two Morenkai, pulling the Life Orbs back around them. Two small indents could be seen on the chest of each Morenkai, though no other obvious physical injuries.
'Their skin can easily block a bullet, it's no wonder the floating orbs didn't manage to pierce through them. I can only shoot them forward at around 15 meters per second, after all. Bullets move forward at hundreds of meters per second and fair no better.' He instantly observed,
'The indents must be because of the force I exerted in holding them back. That force appears to be related to my soul. The strain I felt must be me trying to resist their efforts to free themselves.'
'I managed to hold them back briefly, but if I waited any longer, I could sense that I would suffer an injury to the soul.' Injuries to the soul took far longer than other types of injuries to heal and could even be fatal.
As all of these thoughts raced through his head, the two Morenkai rushed at him again, their relentless charge unaffected by fear or many of the emotions that normal creatures might feel after being manhandled so easily by Micheal's Life Orbs.
WHOOSH
THUD
THUD
Once more, Micheal sent out his Life Orbs, blasting them backwards. The Orbs sailed through the air and smashed into the Morenkai with precision, following his mental route to the tee.
However, Micheal began to feel more strain on his soul, even from this much lesser exertion.
'I can't use this in an unlimited fashion. I need to get my Soul stat higher.' He blinked, his eyes cool as he reached that conclusion. He called his Life Orbs back, ordering them to float around his head.
For the third time, the two Morenkai began to rush forward again, mostly uninjured. Micheal couldn't tell if he had caused any internal injuries, but he guessed not.
As they charged, Micheal tapped on his Spatial Ring and stepped forward towards them.
SHKKK
thud
thud
In one smooth motion, Micheal dodged between the two attacking Morenkai and withdrew his Steelborn Sword from his Low-Tier Spatial Ring. He then lashed out with his blade, imbuing it with Sword Energy as he made a full, spinning cut.
The two Morenkai were literally cut in half, their bodies slamming against the wall and then tumbling backwards. Micheal was forced to quickly step backwards, dodging their acidic black blood as they fell down.
"Ouch." He muttered, feeling his sore body ache from the movement, including his soul. He needed to rest, giving both time to heal.
'Do Life Orbs heal injuries to the soul?' He tossed the thought to the side for now as he looked at the dead Morenkai bodies.
"Foolish Morenkai. You had no chance. After all…" He smiled slightly,
"I have the high ground." He couldn't help but laugh out loud, quoting another old Star Wars movie line he remembered.
Today truly had been a good day for progress.
.
Chapter 32: Change
A few hours before Micheal's new experiment, Shin found himself looking upon the ground floor of a skyscraper in a very different Cluster.
'I found it!' Shin thought excitedly as he peeked out from the stairwell through a slightly opened door.
'I found the Golden Morenkai!'
The ground floor of this skyscraper was like the others. Empty and devoid of most furniture, just a large, sweeping room full of nothing. However, unlike the other skyscrapers, this one was only lit with the light that managed to peek in from the windows. All the lightbulbs, everything electrical, was down.
Standing in the center of this room, an odd looking Morenkai could be seen.
This Morenkai was entirel
y covered by a warm, golden glow. Visible sparks of golden energy could be seen, flying off its body and then settling somewhere lower, crackling quietly in the air. This Morenkai had the same featureless appearance as the others, but held itself with a different air. Its head also appeared to be enlarged, about 30% bigger than the others.
'Its just sitting there. What is it doing?' Shin eyed it closely.
There were three other Morenkai in the room, regular ones. Two of these Morenkai were looking out the window, standing still, while the third had its back to Shin and was staring at the Golden Morenkai.
None of the Morenkai moved. They all seemed content to stand absolutely still. Shin found their alien stillness unnerving.
'Everything about them is unnerving.' He mentally sighed, feeling emotionally drained.
'I have to kill that thing… Micheal said its weak for a Morenkai, and the back of its head is especially vulnerable. If I can hit it there with my sword, it should easily die. However, there are three other Morenkai in the room.' He backed away from the doorway and walked back up the stairs a floor, taking several deep breaths.
'Calm down, Shin. You can do this.' From his Spatial Ring, he withdrew the large longsword he had purchased from the shop. The blade listed as a 'Black Veiled Blade,' for quite a decent chunk of Points.
'The me of the future liked to use swords for direct attacks, according to Micheal.' He held the blade in his hand, feeling the comfortable and reassuring weight. As he thought about attacking with it, he could imagine himself striking a heroic pose. It sounded exactly like something he would do.
'The me of the future died.' He stared at the weapon, unblinking.
'I am not an unparalleled genius with the blade or anything like that… The reason I likely went with a sword in the future was because of my initial choice. Because I wanted to look the part of the hero.' Shin was extremely intelligent. He could recognize his own faults and flaws, even if he couldn't always change them.
