“Yes,” Erik said. There are many ways to break down your body without using poison.
“Deal!” Rugrat smiled as he held out his hand.
Erik shook it. The two of them smiled at each other, meaning very different things.
They quickly finished off their food and Erik laid down on the ground. He pulled out the vial and then a syringe. He filled it with the poison from the Chonglu children.
Rugrat prepared an IV of healing solution and took Erik’s arm. It took him a few tries before he was able to get the needle into the vein. “Well, I think that tempering your body is going really well, but also your skin has gotten to the point where it’s getting hard to pass through with a needle.”
“Well, this might suck a bit then,” Erik said. “Do you have those Mortal-iron needles and nail?”
“Sure, but what do you need the nail for?” Rugrat held out the items.
“To get into the bone.” Erik took the nail, and coated it in poison, putting it to the side as Rugrat put gloves on.
Erik curled onto his side.
Rugrat rubbed Wraith’s Touch onto his lower back. “Ready?”
“Hell fucking no,” Erik muttered as Rugrat inserted the nail through Erik’s skin forcefully, hitting the bone.
Rugrat pulled out his hammer and coughed slightly.
“Get it over with.” Erik, who was using Simple Organic Scan, could see everything that was happening. The Chonglu children had this poison in their bodies for months; over that time, their bodies had become stronger but so had the poison.
Rugrat hit the top of the nail, driving it into the bone marrow of his hip.
The poison that had been seeping into his body now found the perfect breeding ground. It started to quickly proliferate through the bone and take hold in the marrow.
Erik started to use his Heal Bone spell right away. It was like throwing water on a forest fire: the powerful poison continued to charge forward with no sign of slowing down as Erik rushed to heal.
Rugrat applied Focused Heal as well as opening the taps of the healing potion IV.
Trying to manage their Mana output with their spells, they were running on a tightrope.
The poison spread through Erik’s blood. It was as though mercury had been poured into his veins.
His tempered blood was fighting back as the poison spread to the muscles. They started to fight back. The tempered system relieved some of the pressure, but it wasn’t enough.
The poison reached the other bones in his body. Taking over the marrow, more of the poison was produced and leached into his bloodstream to attack his body.
Erik focused on just healing his hip where the poison originated from.
Rugrat used his Focused Heal on Erik’s blood that was moving up his neck, weakening it considerably so it wouldn’t affect his mind.
Time crawled past as the poison’s density continued to climb against their effect.
Then, finally, Erik saw the poison starting to reverse in his hip. The blackened and rotting bone started to turn a lighter shade. It was just a small dot, only the size of a pinhead, but in that sea of poison, it was fighting back, and growing stronger, fed on by Health potions and healing spells.
The pinhead grew to be as big as a nail, then a pen. Then it started to only increase in speed.
The poison was changing but against the newly tempered bone, it was useless.
Erik poured more power into healing, his thoughts and vision swimming. His body was slumped, his bones deteriorating as pain radiated through his body.
His hip that had been thinned and weakened started to regrow, started to rebuild what it had lost.
Erik’s entire body was tired, the poison and the healing leaching his Stamina at a rapid rate.
He just held on as his bones transformed, a new vitality and strength to them, finally in tune with the strength of his remaining body.
The poison in his veins started to clear, the bones in his body all undergoing changes.
He had broken down the bones and now they were regrowing in rapid order. His entire body itched and was in tremendous throbbing pain.
Erik’s mind couldn’t hold on. As he thought he saw a screen, his vision went blank.
***
Rugrat felt Erik fall into unconsciousness. He had been watching over what was happening in Erik’s body.
He used his Focused Heal on Erik’s bones. A war was being waged inside: the poison was trying to gain strength, but Erik’s tempered bones seemed to update his whole body.
From his hips, his bones were changed. Bones were compressed and strengthened; as they went, the poison in Erik’s body was cleared away.
The temperings finished at Erik’s feet and his head.
Rugrat checked his body with Simple Organic Scan before he sat back, his body covered in sweat and shaking. Rugrat wiped off the sweat from his head. “Shit, that was a nasty one.”
As he said it, gold energy Experience from the Ten Realms started to flow toward Erik and entered his body, being absorbed freely as his potential increased.
His tired and Stamina-drained body was filled with new energy. It was as though the last piece of the puzzle had been entered. Before, it was just a number of different systems but with the last and final tempering, Erik’s body harmonized: all of his systems working together increased his overall Strength and allowed him to gain a new higher level in Body Cultivation.
Impurities were expelled from his body as his attributes soared.
With each breath, the air in the cave moved. Rugrat had seen many people of different levels. He had become someone who commanded Mana with his movements, though seeing Erik’s changes, he felt that this was lacking. With opening their Mana gates, they were taking a new path to increase their power. When Erik increased his cultivation, reaching Body Like Stone, he entered a new league.
Rugrat checked Erik and pulled out the IV needle from his arm. Erik’s arm recovered at a speed visible to one’s eyes.
Rugrat flicked the skin. Other than some blood, there was nothing to show that there had been a wound there.
“Just wait till I reach the core compression stage and open all fourteen Mana gates!” Rugrat said to Erik’s unconscious form.
Chapter: First Outsiders
Qin wasn’t able to sleep all night. Her eyes were heavy and she wished that she had gotten at least some sleep. She might now have access to Mana but it didn’t mean that the strength of her body had grown as well.
She was only a level seven, after all.
She checked her different items once again when there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Niemm.” The man’s voice from the day before came through the door.
She opened the door and found the man from yesterday there.
He smiled at her. “Morning. Are you good to go?”
“Yes, I’m ready.” Qin nodded.
“Please follow me.”
They headed down the stairs and into the tavern, then round the back.
There was another person wearing a cloak, then a strong-looking woman and a girl holding her hand. The girl looked to be a young teenager, with wide eyes.
“So pretty!” the girl said to the taller woman as Qin stepped out.
The other woman made a noise of agreement and pulled the girl back in a protective gesture.
Qin smiled to the young girl but had a peculiar look on her face as she looked at the older woman.
Dad taught me how to study people and understand their strength, but this person, I can’t see through her. I had trouble with identifying people who were above level twelve—could she be higher than that? As Qin thought of it, she looked to the other person, who looked to Niemm. I can’t figure out how strong he is, or Niemm.
She had been so excited and anxious yesterday that she didn’t take the time to look over Niemm’s strength and level.
“Let’s go,” Niemm s
aid, looking to the other three.
The other man led the way out of the tavern’s backyard and through the city.
People were recovering from the previous night; others were opening up stalls and on their way to work. A few groups had got themselves together and were heading out to Beast Mountain. Trading convoys were heading to the nearby cities.
“Where are the horses?” Qin asked as they were nearing the gate.
“Beast Mountain is filled with dangerous creatures. Most people choose to go by foot. Beasts, unless they know how to fight, aren’t proper mounts. We’ll have some transportation soon,” Niemm said.
They easily left through the Wild Reaches Trading Outpost’s gate and entered Beast Mountain.
They had walked for five minutes, cutting off the rough trail and heading on their own path.
The atmosphere was oppressive, as if there were eyes on them from everywhere.
“Looks like some of the Beast Mountain is awake this morning.” The new man laughed.
“Don’t scare the new people, Ren.” Niemm sighed.
“Sorry, boss. You also know about our extra traveler?” Ren asked.
Qin leaned forward, looking at the other two women, who tensed up as well.
“Yeah. I wonder who he is. We’ll ask him soon enough. I sent a message to Shen Yu,” Niemm said, sounding unfazed by it all.
They headed deeper into the forest. After some time, they came to a clearing in the tree cover. As they entered the clearing, three other people came out from the underbrush. Qin and the other two women stepped back a bit at their sudden appearance.
“This is the rest of our party,” Niemm said as a few massive panthers also exited from the woods, following their masters.
These were no regular panthers, but beasts that were a meter tall and three long. Under their black coats, one could see their rippling, powerful muscles.
They looked at the new people with their yellow eyes.
Under the petting of their masters, they showed their softer sides, acting like cats as they moved into their scratching and petting, their tails moving happily.
“Get out there!” a man yelled as weapons clashed.
Someone else let out a startled cry as they shot out and into the clearing. They tore away their cloak and sent it into their storage ring with one hand and pulled out a spear with the other.
“Good reaction time,” Niemm said as two more people came out of the forest.
One was a man, the other a woman. The woman was scratching the belly of a large bird on her shoulder; her other hand rested on her blade as a powerful panther moved to her side.
The man held a sword, his shield on his back.
Both of them were wearing masks and their armor was made from the same leather material.
Not simple leather armor—it’s made from at least a level ten beast’s hide. Qin was certainly her father’s daughter. When she had been bored and reading in the library, she had found many books on different items. The Silaz family focused on trading monster cores, but they had a number of different companies and groups they invested in and having knowledge of all kinds of goods was a good background for any trader.
Her eyes flicked to the other man. She had felt there was something familiar in his movements. Now she could only feel her fists bawling up.
“Yui! What are you doing here? You were supposed to go home!” Qin said.
“What kind of brother would I be if I let you go somewhere unknown without knowing them!” Yui yelled back as he moved to try to protect her and isolate her from the others, his spear out and ready.
The two who had walked out of the forest looked to Niemm.
“Sarge?”
“I told you to not call me that out here,” Niemm said and looked to Qin. “You know this man?” he asked simply, as if a man waving a spear about wasn’t anything much.
“I do,” she said, hoping that it wouldn’t remove her ability to visit Alva Dungeon.
“Okay, then you’ll both have to come with us. The council will have to decide this one,” Niemm said.
“That’s just putting the problem off onto someone else,” the woman with the animals muttered.
“Not now, Lucinda!” Niemm rubbed his temples.
Her bird let out a squeak at her displeasure.
“That’s right, Night Terror,” Lucinda said.
“Your naming sucks,” the man beside her said.
“Davos!” She stomped as she turned to face the man.
The panther seemed to let out a huff and laid down as Night Terror stared at the other man. It seemed offended that he didn’t like his name.
“I swear on the Ten Realms that if you come with us, unless you try to harm anyone in this group, we will not harm you intentionally. You will be fairly judged by the council, who will decide what to do with you,” Niemm said.
“You just want to take us to where you are to brainwash us and make us your followers or shapeshift and devour us in the night! Or to take my sister hostage, or drain her blood for a ritual!” Yui yelled righteously.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Yui with puzzled expressions.
“What the hell does he think we are?” Shen Yu complained.
“Is he, y’know, okay—mentally, I mean?” Davos asked Qin.
The others looked over to Qin as well.
“Put your weapon down!” Qin yelled, her face flushing. I know you mean well, but how can you say such embarrassing things?
“Where did you get those ideas from?” another man in the party asked.
Yui lowered his spear at his sister’s words, albeit reluctantly, moving closer to her and looking at everyone as if they were a potential warrior.
“My brother Domonos has a secret stash of research materials under his bed he uses to know the outside world,” Yui said proudly.
“Do they have pictures?” Niemm asked.
“Yes!”
“Do they have…men and women?” Niemm asked delicately.
Yui looked a little embarrassed as his boisterous attitude dimmed. “Yes.”
Niemm looked at the others in the group.
“Well, I don’t think that is exactly research material for battles, more like increasing one’s forearm strength.” Niemm grinned. Smiles appeared on the others’ faces.
Qin felt as if she were burning in shame. She wanted nothing more than to bury a hole and get far away from her ridiculous brother!
Not only did you follow me, you go and tell them all of our family secrets! Domonos, I will not let you off with your secret books! Qin vowed silently.
Yui looked to be at a loss but Niemm took some mercy on him. “So, what’s your name?” Niemm asked.
“Yui.”
Niemm frowned, as did some of the others.
“You mean me? I’m called Niemm. What’s your name?”
“Yui!” Yui yelled, getting annoyed. After all, everyone knew his name and with the backing of his father and his position, there was no one who would be willing to make fun of his odd and confusing name, depending on what a person’s first language was.
“His name is Yui. He’s not trying to say ‘You.’ His pronunciation is really bad from being hit on the head too much from over-training,” Qin said, settling it and sending her brother an angry look.
Yui let out a dry laugh, scratching his almost bald head awkwardly as he looked away. He might be a strong warrior, but in front of his little sister, he couldn’t even attempt to put up a front.
“Lucinda?” Niemm asked.
Lucinda let out a whistle and more panthers came out from the forest.
“Are you a beast tamer?” the large woman who had come with them from Chonglu city asked.
“Yup,” Lucinda said easily as the group started to get onto their panthers or the ones that had come out of the forest.
“It is an honor to meet you. I have heard of the rarity of beast tamers.
My name is Tan Xue. I am just a smith.” The large woman bowed to them.
“Please, Expert Smith, there is no need.” Lucinda returned the gesture.
“Expert Smith?” Qin looked at this older woman with a shocked expression.
“My teacher is the best! She can even make Mortal-grade iron from normal iron!” the little girl said proudly.
“Julilah.” Tan Xue gave the young girl a fierce look.
Julilah ducked her head down and looked away.
Qin couldn’t help but smile at Julilah’s actions.
“Taran is going to lose his shit,” Davos said.
“Yeah. Come on now, get mounted up. The panthers don’t bite. Well, they do, but not us and we fed them not too long ago,” Niemm said.
Is this some secret society or a collection of special idiots?
Qin got onto the panther. Yui looked as though he was about to argue but with a glare from Qin and a look from the others with Niemm, he got onto his panther as well.
Lucinda let out another whistle and they moved off.
The panthers took off, slowly at first and then increasing in speed.
There were two ranged fighters in the group using bows. They sat up in their saddles on the panther’s backs, in sync with the panthers.
I wonder if they can fire their bows from back there. Qin let out a startled noise as the panther she was on pounced on a fallen tree, then jumped on two others and continued on.
Her hands were white as she realized the greatest strength of the panthers. Not only were they terrifyingly fast, they could easily move through the forest without worry, much faster than a horse that was more likely to break its legs.
Someone let out a call like a bird. From the trees, another called back and they continued on. Yui seemed to sit upright in his saddle more.
“What is it?” Qin asked.
“There are people watching us from the trees, I think, but I have no idea where,” Yui said in a grave voice.
Qin fell back into silence as they started to climb upward.
Through the trees, she could see that they were starting to climb a truly massive mountain.
Niemm cut the pace. They went through some underbrush and trees before entering a hidden valley. At the end of the valley, there was a dark tunnel looking like a mouth that wanted to devour all.
Second Realm Page 21
