23 Cleaning up the Battlefield.

"Well, nice to meet Fandletoe. Why do I feel heavier?"

Fandletoe laughed. He had a penchant for fighting in high gravity rooms. Even though this looked like Louisiana, the gravity was about 50x what it should have been.

If a normal human was here, they would have died of blood loss immediately, and then exploded. A normal person would max be able to handle 3x gravity with some modifications.

However, the Alchemist was at the peak of the Foundation stage. All his organs had been strengthened when he increased his level. It was one of the reasons he was able to survive the Haze. However, he still felt uncomfortable when he moved. It was like he was fifteen years old again.

Regardless, the Alchemist brandished his katana and got into the drunken tiger stance. He had been working on his posturing for fifty years. If he couldn't handle Fandletoe for twenty seconds, how the hell would he survive in El Dorado's tomb?

El Dorado was known for his cruel warrior acumen, and he was sure he'd be tested in dire straits. So, he didn't think much of this challenge. It would be nothing compared to what he'd been training for. The [Sun's Blessing] was as good as his. But then Fandletoe moved.

Fandle Toe was so fast The Alchemist could barely lift his blade in time to block.

Instantly, he went flying off towards the trees, and barreled through them like a cannon ball, or would it better to say a bowling ball. He knocked up so many trees that it looked like it was raining lumber. However, El Dorado was already after him, again. He wasn't quite keen on long battles.

….

Back with Tao Lin.

The battle ended with the warlords, and everyone was relieved. Tao Lin sat down with his mom, the one he saved, and his brother Derek looking at the stack of items.

Diana was right next to him while the other recruits were still scooping up equipment.

Luckily, in team battles when they were all connected, they were able to somewhat share the loot. However, the system had clearly made it known that pills go to the person who vanquished said demon.

"So, who needs a pair of boots? Minimum requirement is Qi Condensation 3." Natalia said.

The recruits all bickered trying to get them.

Tao Lin popped down a few pills watching his experience shoot up. At the time, Diana was staring down at her dress. It had been torn, and she wondered if Tao Lin liked the torn look. It was such a silly thought, but when a girl liked a guy, well. Sometimes her mind thought of all these amazing things she could do to tell him how she felt. Frankly, it was no longer about her parents anymore. Once you were infatuated for a long time, eventually, you'd start to like the person regardless of the original motivation.

"So, uhm, Tao. Do you think I'd look good in this purple dress, or the orange armor?"

Tao Lin picked up [Harrington's grief buckle]. It was a cool belt.

[Harrington's grief buckle]

Rank: Emerald

Usefulness: Increases defense

Attacks: Harrington's last resort: you summon a blue depressing wind that chills your enemy and drops defense.

Cooldown: 5 minutes

Comments: So, so.

"I think I like the orange armor better. Its hard to fight in a dress, right?"

Diana had one of her girl thoughts. "He doesn't want any of the other guys seeing me in a dress. That makes sense." She nodded her head.

Arden was with the two identical girls scavaging through the lowly third grade gear. He felt like he got nothing good today, and all he saw was his brother.

The man surprisingly had five different girls around him. And, the one in the center, the beautiful Diana was glowing as she stared into his eyes. However, Rosie and Chrissy didn't seem to like him at all. They just seemed to be becoming friends.

"So, Arden. Any chance you want to come meet our parents later?"

Arden gulped. "Are you serious, you'd let me meet them?"

"Yes, your one of the only guy friends we've ever had. Our parents wanted to meet are friend."

Arden heard the friend word and he felt his heart start hurting.

Brother, its so unfair. How can you not notice! He decided to have a talk with him about her later.

Yeoh, on the other hand, was looking at some pictures from some of his men. A few of them had wives, and they were telling stories about them. They were, pretty much all of them, planning on sending money back to their wives after they earned some money in here. And, indeed, they had a lot of stories to tell.

"So, Apex." Apex was a nickname. Everyone in the wolf pack had a nick name. "Tell us about your wife."

Apex nodded.

"She's this really cute girl I met when our two drifts passed. The damn lady was so crazy she hoped over to my drift after we undocked. I pretty much had to give her room and board. For a few months it was like we were best friends, and then we got married. It was pretty sweet."

Yeoh just sighed. "Well, any chance you can give me any tips?"

Apex shook his head. "I'm sorry man. If you really need a tip, your getting over your head. Listen, just try not to think too much. If your thinking, they'll smell it."

Yeoh nodded. He bravely got up and walked over towards Tao Lin, and Diana.

Tao Lin scratched his head and tried the belt buckle on.

Diana Hong nodded her head when he put in on. Except something about it wasn't quite right. She leaned over and put her hand on his shoulder. Tao Lin looked back all confused.

"Tao, your belts not on properly, there."

She fixed it for him, and Tao Lin smiled back at her. "Thanks, yeah, I feel like I'm an ancient knight."

Suddenly, Diana Hong realized this was her chance. "Ha, your so funny Tao Lin." She bumped his shoulder. Her plan, laugh at everything funny was starting to commence.

Yeoh walked over and immediately noticed that move. He dropped his head and turned around immediately. He went back and joined the wolf pack. However, when he did, he saw the 30 new girls who were all chatting. Provided the odds played out correctly, his chances were pretty good. He got over it quickly.

….

The Alchemist clashed his blade against the phantom swords surrounding him. His back was on a tree as he scooted along with the wind. The only reason he was still alive was because of his eyes. They were glowing green. He activated nature's eye immediately and used all the energy in his surroundings to try and fight off Fandletoe's rampage.

"Boom!"

His Vim (Health), which was around 3,000,000 started losing large chunks. He saw red numbers in his eyes. First, he lost -100,000 to a sword that gashed his stomach. And then -300,000, and 400,000 in other places he couldn't describe.

Fandletoe laughed. "Ha, I see the universe has taken to you boy. But your still too weak to win against me."

A huge wave of blue struck out and smashed The Alchemist against his back. All Fandletoe had to do was command his domain to sweep him away. Another large series of numbers went up above The Alchemist's head.

"Your Vim is dangerously low."

The Alchemist wiped off the blood and staggered to his feet. A large sword seemed to be stabbing towards his side.