Chapter 13

Somewhere in America, a man in his mid 40's receives a system notification at the same time Aoi had returned from the dungeon.

You are now in second place on the leaderboard!

The bewildered and frustrated man opens the leaderboard and notices that someone named Psyche has surpassed him. The previous person in first place was at level 21. However, Psyche had managed to surpass him, Reaching level 40. For those who don't know it will seem as though Spyche had managed to level up over 20 times in one moment.

Back to Aoi* 

Congratulations you are the first person to have eliminated a B rank level Monster!

You will be awarded a bonus 15 stat points!

Aoi:

Title: Absolute creator

Stat power level: 215 (D rank)

Skill power level: 3000(S rank)

Total power level: 3215(S rank)

Level 40, exp 21%

Strength 15

Agility 24

Mana 18 - 71 (+19)

Intellect 18 - 70 (+23.5)

Endurance 20%

Skills:

Matter Manipulation - B rank, Proficiency: 7%

Unique skill — Adaptation/ Evolution — SSS rank

Raking - E rank, Proficiency: 76%

Jujitsu - E rank, Proficiency: 7%

Mix Martial Arts - E rank, proficiency: 22%

Duel wield - C rank, Proficiency:83%

Mana Slash - C rank, Proficiency: 11%

I turn around to make sure everyone is okay, Daiki and Aiko getting up. They both seem to be okay whereas Bee is still on the floor not moving. I make my way towards his stationary body. I arrive and kneel before him, placing my arm in front of his mouth. Looking for a breath making sure he was still breathing. I feel his warm breath on my forearm. He doesn't sustain any significant wounds except for the few bruises and cuts from falling. I open the system and monitor his status.

Bee:

Status: Coma

Remaining duration: 335 hours and 59 minutes

"He's still breathing and doesn't bear any major wounds. Let's head back to school and rest"

"Yes sir" answers Daiki and Aiko simultaneously, we make our way back on foot, approximately one hour goes by before we make it back. We head inside the grocery store and make our way to the office on the second floor. On the door to the office is a sign "Employee's only" in black. We enter the room; I place Bee on the office table to get Aiko to mend his minor wounds. Both of them haven't said a word since I've returned.

*Despite having been saved by Aoi, Daiki and Aiko were frightened to ask or say anything. Both curious about Aoi's sudden increase in power restrain themselves from asking questions. They were terrified of irritating him. Fearing his absolute power.

Aiko heals herself and Daiki as much as possible before going to bed. About 30 minutes go by, and I can't fall asleep, despite not having slept in over a day. I can't help but think about the inevitable fight that's to come with the imperial. While in the dungeon I could barely stay alive for 10 minutes. And now I need to try and beat it in real life. If the imperial had struck my head during the first attack I wouldn't have stood a chance; I would have died on the spot. The odds of winning this fight are unlikely but definitely higher than before. I could hold off the imperial for 10 minutes by myself, now that I'm no longer alone we definitely have a higher chance of winning. In the worst case scenario we can escape since the imperial doesn't seem to leave the nest it formed in the school. If it did, it would've come for us by now. Hence, we can assume that outside the school grounds we're safe.

A few hours go by, and I manage to fall asleep. We wake up around noon and start to prepare for our long and unpleasant day. We make our way inside the school ground, an overwhelming and ominous pressure rushes to our chests. I swallow the enormous ball in my throat making a loud noise "gulp." We stop for a brief moment, surprised by the pressure before continuing our march. 

I'm first followed by Aiko and then Daiki, we left Bee in the office, since there's still another 324 hours remaining. My plan is to beat the imperial and stay there till Bee wakes up from his coma. I can only hope everything goes as planned. Once we make it to the first entry at the back of the school where the school yard is located, we take a moment to prepare ourselves making sure everyone is ready before breaking in. Once we're all ready I unlock the door from outside using matter manipulation. As soon as I take the first step inside the school, The pressure doubles, knocking Daiki and Aiko to the ground on one knee. Once they get used to the pressure, they stand back up, breaking a sweat. 

"You guys okay," I ask, they nod and we make our way deeper inside the school, I can sense its mana. The imperial is located inside the cafeteria, we're currently on the other side of the school, the cafeteria is located next to the main entrance of the school which is where the ideal location would be to fight. We make our way closer and closer to the monster until we come to a stop. The main entrance is right in front of us, once we take a right at the corner the imperial will be there waiting for us. I take a deep breath and exhale, the memory of Brad dying and getting overwhelmed with my previous fight comeback. I turn around.

"Are you guys ready," I ask.

Despite obviously being nervous they have both come to the conclusion, we need to accomplish this to make progress. Therefore, they agree.

I crouch, gradually making my way to the corner, ready at any moment to withstand an attack.

The closer we get the heavier I breathe, my heart beating out of my chest I leap out prepared to spot my target.

 I made a mistake; I was overly confident the imperial was located at the cafeteria... This damned cunning beast, It was waiting for us.

"WATCH OUT!" screams Daiki, as I get hit from behind, flying through the walls. It moved behind me so fast that I couldn't see it move. Or was it all ready behind me? It's going the exact same way as it did before. A panic rises from within me, the site of Brad being plunged with a spear piercing his chest... We're fucked... A sudden notification appears before me…

 Danger, Danger… The target you are fighting is too strong, it is advised that you retreat!

Thankfully, my Cloak activated, mitigating all the damage from the strike. However, I was still injured by the multiple walls I was hurled through. Aiko starts healing me from afar, gradually closing my wounds and causing my bruises to disappear. I look at where I formerly stood, the imperial is nowhere to be seen. Daiki begins making his way toward me in a hurry. 

"STOP, DON'T MOVE! STAY WITH AIKO NO MATTER WHAT"

he stops and pauses, withdrawing a few steps back towards Aiko standing guard. I look around searching for the imperial, trying to pinpoint exactly where it is located. I search with my mana to try and detect it. Unable to reveal its location, the imperial shows up out of nowhere kicking me to the center of the cafeteria. Located in front of the school's principal entrance Daiki and Aiko regroup with me. The imperial has stopped moving and is staying where I had landed the first time I got thrown. Located in front of the men's bathroom is the imperial smiling at us. Its gaze runs chills across my spine. The imperial slowly glides towards us without making contact with the ground, gradually getting closer to us. With every second that passes the closer we are to an inevitable death; we once more take our battle stance and prepare for battle. Once again catching us off guard, it flings its spear toward us, and I block it. The shining silver spear flies into the air and falls blade first into the floor behind me. Splitting the floor below us in half. The imperial follows through its attack with a wide barrage of punches. Most of which graze me as I dodge them, grazing my skin, Daiki goes to land a bunch from behind. The imperial pauses and tilts its head slowly towards him and smiles, as it punches Daiki in the stomach, launching him across the room and through the principal door. 

"Aiko, make sure he's okay; I'll stall for time," I shout.

She rushes to his side; the monster completely disregards them as it maintains eye contact with me at all times.

As fast as possible I attempt tearing its skin apart; Its thin pieces of blood stained white clothes tear, revealing its chest. The attack I had just used, didn't even leave a mark. One of the strongest attacks I could throw was completely negated dealing zero damage. I grip my swords tightly readying myself for the imperial to attack, however, it doesn't move almost as if trying to taunt me. I increase the gravity around it. The ground turns to rubble creating a small crater around the monster. 

"Are you almost done" I ask Aiko

"No! he's unconscious, he won't be able to fight for a bit" she replies

"Ok, looks like it's a one-on-one you bastard," I say, staring sharply at the imperial.

Its grin gets increasingly bigger than before.

It understood me?

I drop my guard, causing the monster to once again move behind me. Without being able to perceive it, I turn around and repel its attack. Its spear still on the ground, the imperial continues to strike me with its fists with no intent of stopping. I block and dodge most of them, however, a few still make it through cutting my skin due to its incredible speed and accuracy. Over and over again the imperial keeps punching, I block with my swords, the sound of metal clashing. The imperial slowly overwhelms me; It readies its aim at my chest. Thankfully blocking it in time, consequently, I drop my swords from the hit directed at my arms forcing me to release my grip on my swords. I get sent back from the force next to the imperial's silver spear on the floor. Keeping an eye on the monster, I kneel and reach for the spear. It's longer than I am, estimating about a foot longer than me. With the long blade, at the end of the weapon, I would say it's about 7 feet long. The substantial weight of the weapon forces me to empower my arms and hands with mana to simply hold it properly. I take a glance over at Daiki and Aiko, she seems to be doing a good job healing considering Daiki has partially regained consciousness. I look back at the monster who has disappeared. I look around me in panic; it's nowhere to be seen; I scan the entire room searching for it. I then sense mana from above, The imperial leaping into the air about to crush me to the ground. I leap backward and slide into the wall, I have now been cornered. The imperial on one knee with its fist connecting to the ground sends a shockwave leaving a deep crater 3 times as big as mine and leaving cracks from the impact below my feet. The blow was so strong I felt a gust of wind blow through my hair. It swiftly gets up, dashing towards me, and aims a punch to my face. Before the blow connects, I roll to the side dodging the attack. Still holding the spear I lunge back quickly, attempting to strike it. The imperial grabs onto the spear by the blade using mana ceasing it from piercing its skin and propels me into the wall. I fall to the ground, as a spear lunges through my chest. I am now sitting up with a spear grounding me to the wall. Blood coming from my mouth I lean over the spear.

I forgot to take into account that each rank will have stronger and weaker monsters. The Imperial I had fought in the dungeon was simply at a lower level of A rank. This one, however, is much stronger than the previous one. 

The imperial slowly makes its way towards me. As if trying to make the process of killing me as painful as can be. It now stands in front of me, its feet next to mine, I look up and notice its pale face staring down at me as if disappointed in my efforts… It craved a better fight than I could provide. The imperial kneels down and tugs on my hair forcing me to look directly at it. It strikes my face, continuing to hold my head still by tightening its grip on my hair. Continuously, striking me until my face is completely coated in dark red blood. No matter the amount of mana I use to block the attacks I am overpowered. I am no longer capable of seeing from my left eye; it's swollen completely shut.

I give up, I'm gonna die, I'm simply not meant for this world. No matter where I go I always end up getting beat, whether it's in school or right now, I always get beat by someone stronger than me. That's the type of world we live in, the strong prey on the weak. No matter the progress I make or how strong I become, I will always be beaten by someone stronger than me. I'm sorry brother, I lost. But that's okay, I'll be able to be with you soon, with dad and mom. We can be a family together once again. As I'm about to die, I feel the warmth come from where the spear is located and then onto my face. I'm able to open my eyes again, it's Aiko and Daiki, they both stand before me. Aiko heals my wounds and stops the bleeding from my chest. 

Daiki stands up to the imperial. Despite shaking from the legs out of fear, Daiki stands up to the monster and protects me and Aiko while she heals me. In a split moment, the imperial appears behind Aiko, completely ignoring Daiki. Before being able to strike Aiko from behind, Daiki leaps onto the monster's back and puts it into a headlock pulling it back. The imperial then leaps to the other side of the cafeteria and rams its back into the wall. Forcing Daiki to release his grip. The imperial then beat Daiki. Over and over without stopping crushing his face and body, the only thing I can hear is the constant beating noise echoing throughout the entire room. Daiki's blood splattered onto the walls and floor. The imperial doesn't stop. Daiki's once stiff arm is now lowered onto the floor. I can't move, it hurts so much, I can't move. I can't even make a sound, move, move, I can't move, help someone please help. I can't move. Daiki''s gonna die, I'm too weak. The spear is limiting me. I finally stood up. With all of my remaining energy, I push my body through the other end of the spear. My flesh, tearing slowly. No matter how painful I keep pushing. My groans of pain echo through the open room. 

" STOOOOOP, HE'LL DIE" I scream, The imperial looks at me with a grin. Continuing to hit Daiki's motionless body. 

oh right… I forgot, this isn't the real world anymore… it doesn't care if someone dies… it will do what it wants.

I continue to push through as blood gushes out from my wound. I finally made it past the spear. Finally free, I fall to the ground on my knees once again unable to move. The monster shows up in front of me. I can't help but look over to Daiki's body. His body without any movement has died. My friend has been murdered in front of me, and I couldn't even do a thing to stop it. Everyone around me dies, everyone I care about dies. 

"why, why, WHY, WHY, WHY MEEEEE, WHAT DID I DO WRONG, THIS ISN'T FAIR"

The imperial then dashes past me, grabs his spear, and slices Aiko's head off. Her head drops in front of me. Tears running down my face, I scream "ARGHHHHHHHHH, STOOOOP, PLEASE, please stop" 

I got them killed, it's all my fault, I was overconfident and got my friends killed. I'm a murderer, it's all my fault. Why am I the chosen one? I don't want this, I just want to die in peace. I find myself on my knees before the imperial, "kill me" I say. "I'm ready", I Then hear a voice in my head, a voice I could never forget even if I wanted to. The only thing I can remember from my brother to this day is his hypocritical words. "Never give up, no matter what, always fight back". However, unlike him, I won't give up… I'll fight back until the day I die. With all of my energy and willpower, I use matter manipulation and pull the imperial away, launching it into the wall located next to its spear. I then levitate and escape through the main entrance, rain pouring down, washing away my wounds as I make my way back to the grocery store. I arrive at the field high in the sky behind me is the Imperial catching up to me. I need to make it past the fence and hopefully, it will stop chasing after me. As I finally make it to the fence the imperial catches up to me and slashes my back cutting across my torso, I groan in pain as I fall to the ground landing just past the floor. I look up to see if the imperial will follow me. It doesn't, it stops just in front of it, its eyes glaring at me, the imperial slowly turns around and makes its way back to the school through the rain. I sigh in relief, I'm in pain, not only physically but also mentally. The heavy rain wetted my torn clothes, I lay down on the grass, heavy tears running down my face, I am now alone. Once again I find myself without anyone to rely on, the friends I had been wanting and craving my entire life have been killed mercilessly. I stayed there for a few minutes with nothing but sadness. I finally snap back to reality, I get up and open the store system. I use my remaining coins and buy health potions, I drink them swiftly healing all of my wounds and leaving multiple scars along my body. However I am still hurt, the wounds I've had the past week don't compare to the scars engraved on my mind, the faces of my friends weeping before their deaths. A sight I will never forget, I make my way back to the grocery store, slowly taking my time, grieving my friend's death. I finally made it back to the office. Bee is still lying down peacefully on the desk, I sit down against the wall, my now-dead friend's items on the floor, their change of clothes and belongings. Whether it be their wallets or jewelry from the old world, I grab onto their shirts and their clothes still carrying her scent, I can't help but tear up at the thought of them. No matter how many times I see people die, it still hurts. I put their clothes to my mouth smelling them, remembering the short times we had together. Despite being short they had meaning, the friendship we had was different from any normal friendship. It represented the struggles and difficult times we had together helping each other and covering each other's backs. We had trust in each other and that's what mattered. A few hours go by and I fall asleep, I never thought I would cry to sleep at the age of 17. I haven't cried this much since losing my elder brother. I spend the entire day without eating or drinking anything, I simply spend the day looking into nothingness. There are no thoughts or emotions, nothing but emptiness and loneliness. The day goes by, and once again I find myself crying myself to sleep. The next morning I get out of the office and get food from the different ailes. Bringing them back to the office, I sit next to my friends places and eat in silence. Half the day goes by, I receive a system notification I look up with empty eyes and open it

It hurts, doesn't it? to lose the people you care for,

You're weak!

Grow stronger, grow strong enough to protect those around you. 

You are destined to spend your life alone.

Are you willing to change that fate?

kill the imperial and seek revenge!

in return I will grant you power.

Objective: 

Kill the imperial who killed your friends (0/1)

Reward:

+10 stat points

Title:

Eye for an Eye

Each time you avenge someone you receive 3 extra stat points

*titles don't need to be equipped to receive their effect*

Warmage necklace

+25 mana

Using the necklace you can absorb a dead being, increasing your stats. If this person had meant alot to you it will not take a slot and will permanently increase your stats. The stats that increase are relative to how strong the person is, and what stat was prioritized. You will absorb 50% of their highest stat.

Slots remaining 1

Permanent beings 0

I get up and pack some things, grab my bag and pack some essentials, such as food and blankets. I look around the office and the store to find a way to carry Bee around. I look throughout the entire store and wasn't able to find anything useful. "Looks like I'll need to carry you little buddy" I tell Bee with a morbid tone. I open the door of the office and make my way out the store throughout the main entrance. I put Bee on the ground and pulled out my mask and cloak from my bag. I haven't worn them since the event. The items bring back unwanted memories, memories that no one would want to remember. I shake my head pushing the memories away and putting the Cloak and mask on and start my journey.

A few days went by, I decided to head towards the countryside where Daiki and Aiko were trying to head to while being chased down. Along the way I found many monsters, from low level monsters such as Goblins and the higher level monsters such as the Titans. Throughout the past few days, i haven't seen any humans, there aren't any to be found, the only thing i've found are human bodies and puddles of blood covering the walls of houses and the ground. I've also learnt that most monsters that are E rank are in between levels 1- 10, D ranks are from levels 11 - 20, C ranks are from levels 21 and 40, and lastly B ranks are from level 41- 70. Something else i've found are different types of monsters, in E rank are still just the goblins, D rank now have trolls and demon goblins, the demon goblins are the same as regular goblins but faster and stronger, unlike regular goblins they also know how to use mana. There are also Werewolf type monsters which are often found in the forest or at night. Most monsters have a preferred habitat, some more obvious than others, like the werewolves who spend most of their time out at night. In C rank we have Orcs, Centaurs and minotaurs, who are all strong fighters, Centaurs with their high dexterity and the minotaurs with extreme brute strength they are both Violent monsters which if caught off guard by, will lead to a catastrophic end. In B rank we have Titans, Ogres and Griffins, the ogres with there big bodies and extreme strength are trouble some enemies since unlike the minotaurs with high strength but little to no agility the ogres on the other hand have much more mobility then the minotaurs placing them at a higher rank. The Griffins are the only monsters I've encountered that can fly. Their attacks aren't strong and on ground their agility is limited however due to their ability to fly they are annoying to fight against. For now i haven't encountered any other type of monsters or higher ranked monsters. In the past few days I've also seen quite a few dungeon portals. At first I walked past them because of the unknown territory on the other side. However, in the past 2 days I've developed a technique to analyze and rank the dungeon before entering. I use my mana around the dungeon to sense its mana, and give an estimate on the strength of the monsters inside it. For now i've decided to not enter the B rank dungeons, since by entering the lower level dungeons like E rank and D rank i've learnt that the monsters are stronger in the dungeons then outside. I've also learnt that they give two times the exp inside the dungeon. Lastly the dungeons have a boss, each with two mini bosses at the entrance of the bosses lair. The mini bosses strength is at the highest of their rank, whereas the bosses strength is of the following rank. Their rank and strength can be anywhere in the following rank: it can be at the strongest or at the weakest. Take a B rank dungeon for example, assuming that my analysis is correct and you're truly inside a B rank dungeon then the boss of the dungeon will be an A rank. That's why I've been avoiding the B rank dungeons. Furthermore, Every dungeon gives an item of its corresponding rank, if you're in a C rank dungeon then the Item will also be of C rank. For now I'm trying to find as many C rank dungeons as possible since they give me the best items for my rank. In the past week I've managed to level up twice bringing me to level 42. I've also received a few pieces of valuable items, such as boots, pants and a chest piece, unfortunately I haven't been able to find any better swords.

Fallen guardians chest piece,

+8% armor

*Armor reduces the damage received

Assassin's boots

+5% speed

Passive skill: Sprinting gain a 10% speed boost

Mages pants:

+7 Mana

+2 intellect

Aoi:

Title: Absolute creator

Stat power level: 230 (D rank)

Skill power level: 3100(S rank)

Total power level: 3330(S rank)

Level 42, exp 42%

Strength-15

Agility-24

Mana-71 - 77 (+26)

Intellect-70 (+25.5)

Endurance- 20%

Speed- 5%

Armor- 8%

Skills:

Matter Manipulation - B rank, Proficiency: 33%

Unique skill - Adaptation/ Evolution - SSS rank

Raking- E rank, Proficiency: 80%

Jujitsu- E rank, Proficiency: 13%

Mix Martial Arts- E rank, proficiency: 33%

Duel wield- B rank, Proficiency: 4%

Mana Slash - C rank, Proficiency: 45%

I'm now located back in the city. In the last week, I've made my way back around the forest making it downtown. Just like the grocery store's plaza, there is nothing but dead bodies. However unlike the grocery store its way more populated with monsters and stronger monsters. At night I can hear the wings of giant beasts flying above the abandoned buildings I rest in. Bee has now been in a coma for 168 hours meaning we are exactly 50% of the way there. Luckily I still haven't encountered a monster above B rank, I've decided to keep fighting C rank monsters and not go higher until Bee has fully recovered. It's now the next morning and 159 hours are remaining on Bee's coma. I decide to do the same as I've been doing the past week and leave the abandoned building early in the morning and search for C-rank dungeons. I walk around town and clear a few D and E-rank dungeons before encountering any C-rank dungeons. As usual, it was fast, taking about 30 minutes each. Killing the monsters isn't what takes the longest, it's the distance and size of the dungeons that make it take longer. If it were just a bunch of monsters in a room it would take 5 minutes at most including the boss. However, since I need to travel across the dungeon the time it takes is much longer. Unfortunately, the gear I received was useless, after having left the most recent dungeon I continued my journey searching for a C-rank dungeon. After about 10 minutes I finally managed to find a C-rank dungeon, this one however was much different from the previous ones. Unlike the regular man, I felt this one was stronger and darker, almost as if it could see me. With a single glance, I could tell this wasn't a regular dungeon, it was much different in fact. I couldn't tell whether it was a C-rank or B-rank dungeon, if it were a B-rank dungeon it would be very weak for a B-rank and if it were a C-rank it would be the strongest I've ever seen. The only issue with these dungeons is that once you enter you can't leave unless you use the transportation device given after killing the boss of the dungeon. This transportation device is a single-use item that brings you back to the entrance of the dungeon. This means that if it is a B-rank dungeon I can't leave until I kill the boss. I decided to take the risk of it being a B rank since the difference between a top tier C rank dungeon and a Low tier B rank dungeon isn't that big. As soon as I enter I'm relieved as I encounter an Orc. This automatically confirms that the dungeon is a C rank, however I still have an uneasy feeling in my chest. The ominous feeling in my chest is still there, a bad feeling, a feeling I've only had with near-death encounters. I have no idea what's in this dungeon, but it's too late now, I either die or live. And I have no plan of dying this early into my fight. I will not be leaving my friend's bodies alone with that murderer, I'll at least avenge them before dying. I kill the first few monsters without a problem, no matter how easy they are to kill, I still have a bad feeling. I make my way through the dungeon with ease, barely encountering any monsters as I go. My analysis must have been wrong, the monsters I do encounter are as easy to kill as the D-rank monsters. I continue to make my way to the end of the dungeon with caution, I arrive at the boss's entrance, the two mini-bosses are missing, and along the walls are traces of battle. Deep cuts cover the ceramic walls with blood all over. The entrance to the boss's lair has a crack in it, it's been opened recently. Someone has been here recently and I'm not alone. This could mean someone's cleared the dungeon already, but there wouldn't have been a portal to it if that were the case. All transportation to the dungeon is suspended after 15 seconds of someone entering. So someone can't be here with me. I cautiously enter, approach the doors, and sneak a peek through the crack. On the other side is a dark room, I can't see anything but darkness. I push the door open and place my bag and Bee on my right on the ground. Behind me the doors close violently. The room is now pitch black the slight vision I had was now gone, 

The room around me suddenly flashes brightly, red torches surround the room, except for one spot. The other side of the room has two stairs leading to a platform, the platform is covered in darkness. On the floor in front of the platform is a puddle of blood, leading from the platform. Bloody footsteps are leading to the top of the platform. I suddenly hear a voice echo through the platform. "Welcome brother… It's been a long time, hasn't it? about 3 years now hasn't it, you must be lonely"

How does he know that? How does he know when my brother died? no one knows that except me. I'm the only one who knows, we didn't hold a funeral so how does someone other than me know when my brother died?

"WHO ARE YOU" I shout, 

"What do you mean? you don't recognize my voice, brother? that hurts you know, how could you forget your only brother's name?" he answers,

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? MY BROTHER DIED 3 YEARS AGO?"

"Of course, I know that twerp, I killed him"

That's something only my brother would call me. Why is he calling me a twerp, my brother is the only one who ever called me that.

"THEN DID YOU FAKE HIS OVERDOSE?"

"I suppose you could say that"

"IF YOU'RE MY BROTHER THEN SHOW YOURSELF! PROVE IT! PROVE TO ME THAT YOU'RE MY REAL BROTHER"

"If that's what my little brother wants then I can't refuse."

He walks out from the shadow on the platform, the blood splashing from his black boots as he slowly reveals himself. A black robe just like mine with a mask covered in blood, he holds a long Katana in his right hand. He slowly removes his mask which was covering his eyes and mouth revealing his scars, from burn wounds to cuts, his entire face was scarred except his right eye. Just like my brother he had a small birthmark next to his eye. That guarantees it, the man covered in red blood was my brother. The ominous feeling in my chest gets stronger and stronger as he gets closer. I back away slowly and trip on a piece of rubble. My brother at my feet holds his katana out aiming it at my throat, he pulls his sword back putting it back in its sheath, he then reaches his hand out and pulls two katanas out. Unlike his, these were shorter making it easier to duel wield. "Here this is a gift for our long awaited meeting, See you soon… brother" he says, as he drops the katanas on my stomach. He turns around and disappears. With the swords as the transportation device of the dungeon, I take a moment before using it, bringing both me and Bee back to the entrance of the dungeon. I stay seated for a bit, The katanas in my hand automatically go into my inventory. I take a moment to look over the stats, unlike my short swords which didn't give me any bonus stats these katanas were imbued with powerful mana. Giving them stats, the issue with my previous weapons was that the amount of mana imbued in them was so weak that they were only used to kill monsters. Regular weapons or objects that aren't imbued with enough mana don't deal damage to monsters. In short the swords were only able to damage them without giving me any stats. My new kanata's on the other hand gives me bonus stats.

A new set item was added

Warmage dual katanas have been added to the warmage item set.

These items do not give extra set bonuses

Warmage duel Katanas:

+15% Mana for each weapon (30%) Current stat bonus +30 mana

+15% Intellect for each weapon (30%) Current stat bonus +30 intellect

Aoi:

Title: Absolute creator

Stat power level: 290 (D rank)

Skill power level: 3100(S rank)

Total power level: 3390(S rank)

Level 42, exp 42%

Strength-15

Agility-24

Mana-71 - 77 (+52)

Intellect-70 (+52)

Armor- 5%

Skills:

Matter Manipulation - B rank, Proficiency: 33%

Unique skill - Adaptation/ Evolution - SSS rank

Raking- E rank, Proficiency: 80%

Jujitsu- E rank, Proficiency: 13%

Mix Martial Arts- E rank, proficiency: 33%

Duel wield- B rank, Proficiency: 4%

Mana Slash - C rank, Proficiency: 45%

I equip my katanas and two sheaths are created on my back on top of my cloak.

From afar, "Over here there's someone"

huh, I did not sense anything, I drew my katanas and prepared to attack. A few people come from afar, slowly getting closer and closer, wearing military gear and carrying some automatic guns around their necks. They arrive in front of me, 5 of them, most of whom are built and look strong, however, behind them is a small guy with black hair covering his eyes. He seems timid, The guy at the front says, "You can lower your weapons, we're humans". I take a second of doubt and sheath them, as soon as I do so the guy at the front makes his way past me and goes towards Bee. At that moment I pulled a katana at full speed and placed it on his throat. "Back up! I won't say it again" The others lift their guns, and the guy with my katana still at his throat smiles furiously "Lower your guns," he tells them, They listen to his orders and lower their weapons. "Listen, don't make this difficult, follow us, we have a shelter, you can't beat us, we're more than you, and I know how to use mana you don't stand a chance you weakling," he says arrogantly. I smile behind my mask and lower my weapon, without a doubt I'm stronger than him but I want to know where this goes. My guess for why I did not sense any mana earlier was because they either didn't have any or they have so little it's irrelevant. However, the little guy in the back seems to have quite a bit flowing around him. I follow them to their car with Bee in my hands since I don't want to show them my powers. I get in the car at the back with Bee on my thighs, on the way to the base they introduce themselves. The arrogant one's name is Andre, the girl with blonde hair, wearing a shirt which reveals her cleavage name is Hailey, The shy guy on my left's name is Celeb, the girl on my right is named Amie and finally the big guy in the back's name is Brady. "Could I pet him?" quietly asks Celeb. Andre glares at him through the mirror, "Of course" I answer, he smiles and gently pets Bee. "This isn't the time for fun Celeb," says, Andre

"Why isn't he allowed to pet him at such a time?" I ask

" You're pretty dumb, what if monsters attack we need to be prepared, idiot" Andre answers

"I thought you were strong, was it a bluff then?" I add,

In a frustrated tone, he answers " Of course it wasn't a bluff, but we should still be cautious now shut up or I'll kill you"

"You think you can" I answer

"is that a challenge," he says

"not for me it's not" I state,

He hits the brakes and gets out the car, he goes to celeb's door, opens it and throws him out on the dry ground. I then step out of the car and stand face to face with Andre, He backs away and pulls his gun to my face.

" I thought we had to be careful, your not doing very well," I say,

Celeb gets up swiftly and stands in between us with his arms out protecting me. 

"I'm sorry he says, I'll make sure he stays quiet for the rest of the ride and I won't pet his dog," he says,

"Get ready for punishment when we get to base," he tells Celeb,

 We quietly get in the car and get back on the road. Once we make it there I ask why he did that.

"He's strong, in fact he's one of the strongest here. Try to stay out of his way if possible or you'll get in trouble.

We go inside the military base and they bring me to the refugee room. The base is a military base with many tents and in door rooms set up for refugees, it appears that the weaker soldiers also stay with the refugees and the stronger ones get their own rooms. I sit down where there is space and cover both me and Bee with a warm blanket. Around us are 100's of refugees from all around the world, a lot of them are injured or sick. Care-takers also spend all their time here taking care of people. Shortly after my arrival a short care-taker comes up to me wearing a nurse outfit. A short tight skirt with a white button down shirt, once again revealing her curves. This seems to be a uniform for the care-takers, there isn't a single female worker who isn't wearing revealing clothes.

"Are you okay?" she asks, "any bruises or cuts" 

"no, I'm fine, you should treat the others," I say,

"No it's fine it shouldn't take long to make a small check-up" she adds,

I nod in agreement, she lowers my blanket and checks my heart and eyes, she also scans my body to check if I have hidden cuts, she lifts the bottom of my shirt revealing a few bad scars, and I grab her wrist. She flinches and apologizes timidly.

"It's okay" I tell her, He continues her check up, almost as if procrastinating.

"Hey Amanda i need help" someone screams from the other side of the room, My care-taker looks down onto the floor and starts to shake. The guy on the other side is waiting impatiently, he seems fine and energetic. He certainly doesn't need help. 

"So your name's Amanda?" I ask

"Yes" she answers shakingly, 

"is he the reason you've been procrastinating with my check up".

 She nods,

"I see"

"I'm sorry i need to go" she says

"its okay, go ahead" I answer

I keep an eye on the guy as they walk away together to a separate room, he's a guard, I know this because he's holding a gun with a holster on his right hip. I look around and many of the guards or lower ranked military members are harassing the care-takers, some more than others. Shortly After Amanda leaves with the strange guard I follow them into the room, I close the door behind me and open the light. In front of me are three separate doors, each leading to a different room, one on my left, one on my right, and one straight ahead. You can hear the woman's cries from behind the doors. I put my hood and mask on and break open the doors without moving or taking a step. The doors fly open and reveal one guy and girl in each room, some fully dressed and being groped and some are naked. In rage I hold up each man by their necks with my telekinesis and bring them in front of me revealing their manhoods. I ask the girls if they're okay, as they hide behind their clothes Amanda in the room in front of with her torn uniform I give her my shirt underneath my cloak revealing my scars. She looks me in the eyes, clearly recognising me due to my scars. I tell the girls to leave immediately. They get dressed quickly and leave as fast as possible, Amanda infront of me puts my clothes on hiding her previously revealed chest and makes her way back to work. She closes the door behind her leaving me alone with the men. The men whimpering with their mouths shut I threw them to the floor. 

"Why? Do you have fun tormenting people? Do you enjoy watching people suffer? you fucking sadists" I grab hold of there man hood with my telekinesis and tear them off all at once, tears coming from there eyes. they muffle a scream,

"Do you?" I ask once more, They shake their heads horizontally as I pick them up and throw them to the ceiling and throw them once more to the ground. Still shutting their mouths with my matter manipulation I crush their legs one by one before pulling their fingers, then forearms, and lastly their shoulders, All three of them whimper in pain as they pass out. I rip their heads off and hang them behind the door leaving their mutilated bodies on the ground. I close the light and leave the room. About 30 minutes go by and the next person enters the door with one of the caretakers. Once he turns the light on and closes the door he screams, everyone looks towards the door as the caretaker leaves the room in a rush. The man then rushes and gets back, about 1 minute goes by and a dozen men show up. At the same time, Amanda returns to the refugee room after getting a change of uniform. She comes to me and asks what happened.

"It's simple… I killed them" I answer,

She looks at the ground and thanks me while crying

"No problem" I respond, 

"From now on stay with me and me alone, I'm gonna leave here soon pack your things" I add

"Okay, can I bring someone with me?" She asks, 

I nod and get up, I make my way outside and go find Celeb.

I asked around wondering where he would be. Some didn't want to answer and someone quietly pointed at the military camp stating that almost all military members must reside in the tent. I thank them and go to the tent. As I arrive I meet a big guy wearing a security guard uniform restricting my entry.

"only members of the military can enter," He says in a gruff manner,

"I'm looking for Celeb" I answer

"Hey, Celeb someone's looking for you" The security guard shouts,

On the other side of the tent slowly comes Celeb with his head lowered, once he makes it face to face I can see bruising and cuts on his face.

"Who did that?" I ask,

"I fell and hit my head" he answers in a quiet manner

"If you say so" I sigh

"Anyway, me and a caretaker are leaving this place in a few days, she's bringing someone. I was wondering if you'd like to come with us." I ask

"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to leave, sorry" He answers,

"OK, but I have another question if you don't mind?"

"Of course what is it?"

"Would you like to leave?"

"...yes" he answers, still looking down

" Okay… well if you'd like to come with us we'll be in the refugee camp," I say

He nods and makes his way back to his bed which was located at the end of the tent. I head back to the refugee camp where I left Bee, a day goes by and he still hasn't come to see me, another goes by, and still no answer. I've been talking to Amanda, she tells me everything she knows about this place. From what she's told me the men take control of everything, they harass and even rape the woman, furthermore, the leaders neglect the corruption and take advantage of everyone they can. This place isn't a good place, it's corrupt and inhumane. We have no idea what they do in the back. Suppose they're this open about the harassment and rape then what could they be doing in the shadows. In the past few days, we've decided that the best course of action is if we bring as many people as possible. The people like Amanda who get forced to wear revealing clothes, the people who have no rights because they are refugees, and lastly the people like Celeb who are oppressed by his colleagues. I asked Amanda to assemble all the people she could in the refugee camp and to meet outside at midnight behind the refugee building. Time goes by and it's time to head to the back, when the time comes everyone arrives at the same time, the two girls that were raped in the room with Amanda are there, in total we're about 30 which is more than I expected. not too long after everyone arrives Celeb and Haily arrive,

"hey there are people from the military here" someone whispers in the crowd

"it was a trap," says someone else

"We need to get out of here," says another

They rummage around and try to leave.

"Everyone calm down there with us," I say calmly

"They are both people that don't agree with the way things are run here, so they'll be leaving with us" I add

The whispers continue,

"As I'm sure you all know, the reason we're meeting here is for our escape. Before being brought here I was hiding in a grocery store with plenty of food and room to sleep. Next to it is a high school. I plan to make our way back to the grocery store and use the School as a refugee camp for all of us. Unlike here, you will have your 3 meals and rights, I will be the leader, however, I promise to be open to suggestions and ideas for expeditions."

Most of the people present agreed with my idea and wanted to come along, of course as I suspected not all of them agreed or were comfortable leaving with strangers.

"I understand that we don't know each other, but those who've been around for a while know and understand that this place is corrupt and a mess. Living here is miserable, so please believe in me and we'll all be able to live a better life together." I add

Everyone agrees, however, some still have doubts.

"We'll meet here again tomorrow night, bring the things you need, tomorrow is the last day you'll be here. Be ready for a few days worth of walking." I say.

They all nod and make their way back to their beds and head to sleep.

In the military tent*

"What were you two doing out in the middle of the night" asks Andre in an angry tone,

"I just went to the bathroom" answers Celeb

"is that so?" asks Andre

"And you Haily" he asks while groping her breast

"The same" she answers quietly in a rage.

"What's wrong my love?" Andre says as he continues to fondle her breast.

"Why don't we head outside for some privacy?" he adds

Haily stays quiet with her head down avoiding eye contact with Andre,

"You can't do that, you rapist," says Celeb,

Andre looks at him in a rage and strikes him in the face knocking him down to the ground. Andre then jumps on him, beating him to a pulp. Haily jumps on Andre's back

"Stop, don't hurt him" she screams, waking up the people around them. The vicious men get out of bed making their way toward him.

"Help he's gonna kill Celeb" She screams, tears running down her face. The men however don't do a thing, they slowly make their way towards Haily. They then pull her away from Andre and tear her clothes off. Leaving her nude on the floor, covering her body with her arms and hands Amanda shows up.

"Leave her alone '' she shouts, 2 guys get off Hailey and run towards Amanda, she hides behind her hands covering her face and bracing for impact. A few seconds go by and nothing happens, nothing but silence, Amanda opens her eyes to see a tall figure wearing a black cloak before her. The figure hiding under the cloak is standing on top of the 2 guys who were just now rushing towards Amanda at full speed. Both guys are unconscious, the figure steps off of them heading towards the rest of them. Amanda alone was the only one who knew who the hiding figure was. Aoi in a swift motion raises both his arms in front of him and moves then in a quick motion across each other pulling all the men surrounding Haily, Celeb, and Andre. The men hit the Sides of the tent, tearing through the fabric and landing outside on the grass. Leaving only Andre on top of Celeb who is now unconscious. Andre lifts his head and looks back. He slowly stands up with his bloody fists and turns around now facing me, Using mana to boost his speed he rushes towards me. I leap forward grabbing onto his face and smashing his head against the ground, shattering the ground around us. Still conscious I pulled my sword out and put it against his throat leaning down next to his ear.

"Do you remember the sword?" I whisper,

"You bastard," he says, in a swift motion I cut his head off leaving blood all over the floor.

"What's going on here?" says a woman from outside the tent.

She presents herself at the entrance of the tent in a latex suit covering her entire body. 

"Well well, isn't this interesting," she says,

I stand back up and face her, not a word is said for a few seconds. Haily is next to me taking care of Celeb, and Amanda joins them quickly behind me.

"You don't wanna talk?" she asks,

in a very quiet voice making sure that no one can hear me I whisper "System, is there a way to change my voice to make it anonymous?" 

A voice in my head appears

Yes if you would like I can change your voice making it unrecognizable

Would you like me to do so?

"Yes"

"I simply held justice, is he one of your comrades" I ask in a Holy voice,

Of course, I knew the answer to my question, however, I didn't want to leave any hints.

"No… he's my student, no matter the reason I will punish you for tainting the ground with my student's blood" she answers.

The men I had pushed outside the tent are now standing where the walls of the tent should be surrounding us. Without making a single movement I slice their heads off in an instant using matter manipulation to cut their heads off with the wind. Simultaneously, their heads are sent flying all over the room, with their blood flowing through their necks and into the air like a volcano. Their bodies still standing slowly fall to the ground, once again leaving just me and the unknown women face to face. 

" so you have mana," she says

"I have no purpose in killing you, leave us alone and I'll let you live," I say once again with a majestic voice,

" I have no intention of doing so" she answers, "you've mercilessly killed my men, if you think I'd leave, you must be crazy, in 30 minutes there will be more back up. I simply need to hold you d-" she arrogantly says in a sassy tone, before dashing past her cutting her head off,

"Fuck your little speech… Bitch"

"Let's go," I say as I lift Celeb into the air, the girls follow me and we make our way back to the refuge. I place Celeb who is still unconscious next to Bee, the girls then lie down next to me one on each side. "What are you both doing?" I ask in a shy voice, "we're scared" Haily says rubbing their big and soft breasts on my arms. Ah shit, I tell myself. This is gonna be a rough night. 30 minutes go by, and as expected I can't fall asleep. The two precious girls I've ever seen are lying down next to me. It's impossible for a loser like me to sleep peacefully. As the girl had said earlier backup arrived, instead of waking everyone up they secretly scanned the area and searched our things without us knowing. Luckily I decided to sleep with my swords on me. Leaving my mask and cloak below the blankets, as one of the guys walks by us he scoffs in jealousy and says' 'Lucky guy, I wish' ' Maybe he would like this but the strong female scent that they're wearing with their large breast rubbing against me makes it very difficult to sleep.

It's now morning, I'm sleeping by myself. Celeb is still at my side next to Bee, they're both sleeping soundly next to me. Haily and Amanda are nowhere to be seen. A few minutes later after getting dressed the girls each bring me a meal, one of which is eggs with bacon, and the other is homemade pancakes.

"Here have some pancakes it's my grandmother's receipt," Says Amanda

"No! Have some eggs, I cooked the bacon just for you," Says Haily

"I'm quite hungry so I'll take both if that's alright" I reply

"Ok," says Amanda in a cute voice, Haily also agrees and they both leave to take care of their chores. I Stuff my face in the food, for the first time since the first wave I haven't been able to eat a proper meal, I've only been eating frozen food. While eating I look around, since last night there are new guards constantly keeping watch on the refugees. Once I'm done eating I head out quickly and head to a bush. I come back a few minutes later and Celeb is no longer sleeping with Bee, I look around, and there isn't a trace of him leaving or still being here. I search for him using my mana. He's located behind the refugee building where we held the meeting last night, this time however he's surrounded by 4 guys and is being cornered on the wall leaning over him. I once again make my way out of the refugee camp and head towards the back, before I take the corner revealing myself. I stay there for a moment and eavesdrop.

"Weak brat, how are you the only one who survived? I had a friend who stayed here, you must have done something to survive. Did you beg? Did you give information? you selfish bitch why are you alive you weakling?" says one of them,

'`You got Andre killed didn't you?" says the one in the front.

"No, I didn't, I swear I didn't" Answers Celeb

"You lying brat, I'll kill you," says the one in front,

"Not believing someone over your emotions isn't very manly you know," I say

"who's there " says the man in the front

I reveal myself, this time not wearing my cloak or mask, 

"it doesn't matter leave Celeb alone" I order,

"So your this bitches friend then, did you help him kill our friends" He asks

"Your assumptions aren't fair, why don't you get information before pointing fingers, who knows, maybe you killed Andre for his position" I add

He punches the wall in a rage shattering the cement, leaving a small crevice in the wall.

"that's it?" 

"you dare… are you picking a fight?", he fumes

"No, you're not very strong, it would be a waste to fight you."

"let's go Celeb"

"Where do you think your going" as he grabs onto Celebs shoulder

 I turn around with fierce eyes releasing pressure onto him, all of my mana and power is being put into my pressure on him and only him. As soon as I concentrate my pressure on him he falls into a trance of fear, making him fall onto the ground, peeing himself. Celeb quickly follows behind me as we make our way back inside the refugee camp. Celeb asks" what did you do to him?"

In response I told him about pressure "when you have mana or enough strength, you can concentrate your power/mana into pressure inside a certain area. This pressure cannot cause pain to the body. However it can cause fear and anxiety making the person break down, the same as I just did. With pressure you can also concentrate it onto a physical point of view. If you concentrate your pressure onto the other person's body you can make it difficult to stand, pulling them down to the ground." 

"I see" he answers,

"Could you teach me how to use mana and pressure"

"Of course, everyone is born with mana and we are being forced to learn how to use it," I answer

"How do you know so much?" He asks

"While wandering around, before coming here I was given something no one else has… I was given a teacher" I answer

Unfortunately I can't tell him about the system no matter how much I want to, the risk of telling someone is too high. Revealing that information could give me enemies that I wouldn't want, there's also a chance of such information being leaked. No matter the reason, there isn't a good reason for revealing this information therefore I won't.

Celeb stays in thought and doesn't say anything. Once we enter the refugee camp, we sit at our spot with Haily and Amanda waiting. 

"I need you two to do something for me" I say

"Sure what is it?" Haily asks, 

"I need you both to inform the people who are leaving with us that as soon as the sun sets we leave, leave no one behind"

"Okay," they answer with enthusiasm,

Both me and Celeb sit down facing each other, "I need more information about your power and mana and I doubt you know so I'm gonna try something. I don't know about side effects or anything like that, I don't even know if it will work, do you trust me?" I told him.

Celeb nods and answers "I ready"

"Ok, here we go," I say,

I put each of my fingers around his head, my right hand on the left side of his head and my left hand on the right side of his head.

"System, can you access his information?" I say in my head.

Yes, just a moment.

I close my eyes and so does Celeb. For a few seconds, there is nothing but darkness, suddenly an information window shows up in front of me as if it were mine. However it was not, it was Celeb's. For the first time since Daiki and Aiko, I can see someone else's Information without being close friends. A sudden notification appears.

Celeb is now officially a friend

You can now access his information without needing the system.

To become friends with someone you must both truly trust each other

Celeb:

Title: N/A

Stat power level: 28(F rank)

Skill power level: 3650(S rank)

Total power level: 3678(S rank)

Level 1, exp 0%

Strength-1

Agility-2

Mana-10

Intellect-15 

Skills:

Mana Wave - S rank

Mana wave allow the user to control pure mana. Pure mana is stronger than regular mana. The user can turn his mana into whichever element he wants (Water, Fire, Earth, Wind)

Mana Heal - S rank

Mana heal allows the user to concentrate pure mana onto a wound healing the user. The speed at which the wound heals depends on the amount of pure mana applied to the wound.

Pure mana manipulation - A-rank

Pure mana manipulation allows the user to manipulate pure mana around them. They can absorb the mana around them and release it in a pure shape without spending any mana.

Mana Merge - SS rank

 The user is able to merge their elemental mana together, controlling elements they are able to create new elements (Fire + Earth = Lava) (Earth + Water = Mud) 

(Wind + Water = Lighting) (Fire + water = Acid) (Fire + Wind = Smoke) (Earth + Wind = Sand) 

Mana Steal - B rank

 The user marks their target letting them absorb the target's mana over time.

"I see," I say, "Follow me"

Without questioning me we both stand up and make our way out of the refugee camp. Once outside we make our way behind the camp, this time however instead of staying there we make our way further and further until we can barely see the camp. We stop, I turn around and we are now face to face.

"I'm gonna be honest, I have no idea how to teach you this. But i'm gonna try my best so bear with me" I state, without saying anything Celeb nods, I begin with lifting my hand in front of me and infusing a small amount of mana into a ball. In Front of me slowly appears a dark sphere,

"This is the first time I see my mana, I've never done this but it's the best way to explain it," I say, 

"The black sphere you see in front of me is my mana. From what I've learned everyone's mana is different and the color of your mana represents something. What that is in unknown for now"

"Try and do the same, put your hand out and close your eyes, concentrate on the mana around you. Concentrate on the sphere I've created. You have mana so you should feel it"

"Do you feel it?"

"Yes," He answers, 

"Good, now feel the mana run through your body, once you do that pour your mana onto your hand and create a sphere just like mine."

Celeb is concentrating extremely well; he's in his own world, nothing around him can bother him. I can sense the mana in his body slowly move to his arm, and onto his hand. He slowly creates a Sphere just like mine, however I can't see it. It's definitely there, I can sense it, but I can't see it with my naked eye. His sphere… it doesn't hold a color… His mana is transparent. Is it his mana wave, does it not take color because of its multiple elements it can hold? Then why is mine pitch black? If his Mana is transparent meaning it can hold many elements representing everything, does my black mana represent nothingness? But that wouldn't make sense. Just like Celeb my Mana can control elements, or are they different, does he create and i manipulate. My Matter manipulation represents control over everything, does his mana wave represent the creation of mana? His information window said he can control pure mana. Does this mean pure mana can't be seen?

Aoi was right, Celebs mana represented pure mana. The creation of elements, however, Aoi was missing something in his analysis, it was so simple, yet so complicated at the same time. Aoi's mana wasn't dark for any particular reason, it was dark because it represented destruction. Aoi's job is to save the world from monsters, however, it goes beyond that. The creator of the system was not so kind as to let the hero have such a simple job. He had a much bigger job that even Aoi wasn't aware of. Mana, monsters, even humans, where did they come from? How were they born? It's simple, it was a gift… a gift simply for entertainment, what is happening currently, with the monsters versus the humans is a scene. A scene created to entertain beings beyond human understanding. That is why the system was created, the system was created to give birth to the chosen ones, every thousand years there was a chosen one. They had the same job as Aoi, but they failed. The creators of this miserable world created a force they were not aware of. By creating monsters and mana to invade the human world they also created the system. Negative force, over thousands of years the negative force they created was put into the system, each death made it stronger, each time bringing a stronger chosen one. The chosen one's job is to bring back nothingness, the nothingness around humans that the universe has been lacking for the past million years. That is Aoi's only job, that… is what his dark mana means. There was something else that Aoi was missing, his brother… his brother was a mistake… a mistake made by the system. His job was also to destroy everything around humans. But he didn't think like the others, he lived a miserable life along with his brother, he didn't believe humans had a right to live such a life. He therefore joined the gods, he used the system to get as strong as possible and kill humans. The balance between gods and humans was broken, the system was a force that blocked the gods from doing what they desired. The gods were born from something… the same as humans. The gods were a holy force brought to the universe to balance the negative energy that once traveled the universe. The secret of this world, the secret to the universe, is beyond simple. Negative energy created the gods, a holy force. However over time, they became corrupt, but they kept their holy title. This created a power gap, just like how negative energy brought holy and positive energy. Holy energy created negative energy once again. The newly born negative energy was the system. The system was different from the holy energy and the original negative energy. The system was a mix of both; the system itself was pure darkness but its chosen wielder was a holy force who believed in peace and justice. That was the chosen one. It created an equal force meant to take over the gods and its original creator. However, before being pushed away, the gods and their creator worked together sealing away the system's power. Forcing the chosen one to increase their power steadily by leveling up. In the end, Aoi's mana is purely negative, he must use his ability to control and destroy to become the honorable king of the universe. If he fails the gods and their creator will continue their rampage.

For now, it doesn't matter,

"Now that you sense your mana, turn your hand into a fist and imbue mana onto it. Once you've done that, strike my hand using everything you've got." I say, he nods,

Celeb takes a moment to concentrate and puts his mana onto his fist. It takes him a few tries before doing it successfully. Once he's properly controlled his mana he opens his eyes, I'm before him with my hand in front of me and ready to take a blow. Without a second thought, Celeb strikes my hand at full force pushing me back, making me slide along the sand. My hand was bruised. I can't help but be proud of both me and Celeb. In such a short amount of time without knowing of his power Celeb was able to throw a swift punch to my hand. Not only was it quick it had a lot of power, without a doubt, pure mana is much stronger than regular mana.

Without realizing it, Aoi had used all of his magic to stop a singular punch from Celeb. Pure mana is much stronger than is known, to have dealt such damage and forced Aoi to block with all his mana subconsciously Celeb would have needed to have a minimum of 80 mana. By simply being able to wield pure mana Celeb multiplied his damage output by 4 folds. If put on the same level, Celeb would undoubtedly destroy Aoi.

"Now that you know how to use mana, try and control it once more. This time instead of putting it onto your fist, put it onto your palm, once done, apply your palm onto mine." I say,

Without a thought Celeb once again does as ordered, he manages to apply pure mana onto his palm and applies it onto mine. In merely a few seconds my palm, which had burns and bruises from his punch was now fully healed. Celeb undoubtedly has unforeseeable power.

"Good, you've now learned how to use mana to empower your attack and heal both you and your allies. You can also heal yourself. let's head back to the camp for now, it'll be dinner soon." I say,

He nods and we make our way back to the camp. It takes about 15 minutes to make our way back, once we arrive we both sit on each side of Bee. 

"By the way, I forgot to tell you this but don't use your mana here, we don't want others to sense it."

"Yes, sir" Celeb answers, 

We sit in silence for a bit, Bee has 107 hours left before he wakes up from his coma. I don't know what put him in a coma but the only possibility I could think of was his unknown skill, ever since being unconscious Bee's unknown skill has been at 100%. I have no idea what will happen when he wakes up. But for now, one thing is certain, we need to get out of here.

It's now dinner, meaning we only have a few hours before we need to leave, if nothing goes wrong we should not have an issue getting out. However, I doubt it would go unnoticed if around 30 people were suddenly missing so we'll need to be careful. We also cant ignore the monsters we will be encountering, it'll be a night with many unforeseen events.

2 hours go by, while waiting at my spot with Celeb and Bee multiple people arrive, some of which I remember from last night and some who I don't. I wait an extra 15 minutes before making our way out to make sure we are not missing anyone. Once the 15 minutes go by we make our way out the main entrance, there are two guards at the main entrance one on each side of the doors. I manipulate their head and smash them into the cement wall knocking them unconscious. As soon as they fall to the ground I start to run at a slow pace, the refugees behind me are following me as close as possible. I move aside and stop "Keep going straight until I return". I say, at the same time the military men wake up and get out of their tents in a rush to see what's happening. "HEY, SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE '' Says one of the members, I start to make a return towards the refugee camp to make sure everyone makes it out. Once everyone is outside, I stand guard behind them. The soldiers with mana Successfully catch up. About 5 of them catch up with their mana 2 on each side and one behind me. In a quick motion, I take out both my katanas and slash 4 of them, the two on my right and left both fall and are left behind in the sand. The one behind me is sticking close. It's the same guy who was picking on Celeb earlier in the day. I stop and turn around swiftly, looking into his eyes with a sharp gaze, he stops with a swift motion, my gaze reminds him of the sheer difference in strength between us, sending shivers down his spine. I slowly turn around and dash back to the front of the escaping group. The man was left behind, my simple gaze had removed any will to fight he had before. I took the lead back from Celeb who was guiding the group at the front. We run at a slow pace before stopping once the camp is out of sight. Once the slower people catch up I order them to group up, indicating I had something to say. 

"I doubt they'll be catching up, from now on we walk, we'll be taking breaks every few hours. There'll be monsters and unknown territory, the drive here from where I was picked up was about 30 minutes. However, we'll need to go a bit further than that. We'll continue walking for a bit before resting for the night, we'll set up camp and sleep till early morning to be ready for a long day. During the night we'll be keeping an eye out, the people who are guarding, will be randomly picked if you see something tell me. Are we ready?"

"Yes, sir," says a group of people,

I whisper to Celeb "From now on if we see monsters you'll be taking care of them. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir", he answers, 

"Okay let's go everyone", I shouted. For the first few minutes we encountered a few monsters, the first monster we encountered was a small group of 5 goblins. As instructed Celeb took care of them, and despite doubting his potential he wiped the floor with them. Without an issue, he killed all 5 goblins without breaking a sweat. To think a level 1 human could deal so much damage. We continue to march until we reach a small gas station along the side of the long road. " Celeb stay with them for now I'll go check it out," I tell him, " Ok sir, be careful" he replies, I cautiously cross the road and enter the small gas station. There was only one orc which I pulled to the ground with matter manipulation, crushing all the bones in his body without removing my hands from my pockets. The Orc dies instantly from the damage dealt, I finish scouting the back and go outside " Come inside" I tell them as I turn around making my way in the small shop. Once everyone enters with a smile on their face, "For now don't eat any food, grab as much as possible and bring it to the cash, we'll need to ration as much as possible" I say, Some people dislike my idea but follow my order anyway bringing all the food they find to the front as I told them to do. A few minutes later I find myself with a mountain of food, canned food, and snacks, like granola bars and chips, all stuff we can carry around for a long time without it going bad. " Ok, everyone makes a line in front of me," I tell them, indicating the area I want them in with my arms. They make a clean lineup in front of me, I give canned goods and a granola bar or chips to everyone, "the remaining food is left for tomorrow" I shout, Celeb and I take our small portion and leave it on the counter. We all make our way to our corner and head to sleep. Once again we find ourselves with Bee in between me and Celeb. I decided not to have guards since we can lock the door to all entrances. The night goes by smoothly without any issues, when we wake up there are a few goblins and trolls surrounding the store, there are also some demon goblins, which I let Celeb handle. With the small amount of monster kills Celeb has already reached level 5, after having slain all the monsters in the proximity Me and Celeb give a granola bar to every refugee, I decide not to eat, leaving as many rations as possible. "This isn't fair, we had more food when we were at the military camp, at least they fed us," a refuge says,

"That's true" I answer, "But at least I didn't touch your wife and kids" I add, The old man shuts up and looks down, "I understand that you guys are hungry but it's only temporary, as soon as we arrive at the grocery store we'll be able to fill our bellies with all the food we want," I say, the silence in the room says it all, they don't want to be hurt and they don't trust me. However, they know they won't be able to make it back to the camp alive so they choose to stay. Before turning around someone said" We can eat the dog, it's not like it's human so we'll be able to fill our bellies with meat, and no one gets hurt." what he just said, echoed through my head over and over again. A rage takes over, releasing an overwhelming pressure around me. Everyone in the store feels it, a fear resonating itself through everyone, the silence continues as my rage takes over my emotions. I turn around slowly, the ground rumbling with every movement. A simple step forward made the ground tremble, I made my way in front of the person who said such a thing. I stand before him without saying a word, despite the fear and ominous sensation in his chest he dares utter the following words. "I… I… it's…just a dog" My mind goes blank for a moment releasing my pressure. A sigh of relief comes from the person sitting in front of me, the rage returns, this time stronger, as strong as the time Daiki and Aiko died. Someone dared talk to me about eating my last remaining family member. I lift him in the air, controlling every inch of his body with my matter manipulation. I lift him till he's the same height as me, my eyes filled with nothing but rage. Panting in a deep rage I say nothing, staring deep in his eyes until he apologizes. A few seconds go by, and he says nothing, a minute goes by still nothing, no one dares stand up to me, and no one even makes a sound. Finally, after a minute he apologizes, as he does so, I release my matter manipulation and let him fall to the ground. I turn around slowly and make my way outside, no one says a thing, not a word nor a sound, it's complete silence until I make my way outside. Once outside I fly away, leaving Bee with Celeb, in the air I search for any nearby monster to relieve my rage. A few minutes went by, and not a single monster was found. I went as far as the city, and still, no monster was found. I stop, I find myself high in the air with no living creature in sight. A sudden swoosh goes by, it gets louder and louder, a resonating sound coming from my right. A shining light comes from afar, coming towards me at full speed unable to determine what it is. As it gets closer and closer it becomes clear. However, it was almost too late, a silver spear, the same as an imperial, flew past me, and I barely managed to dodge it. Looking towards the direction it came from I can't find a trace of an imperial, an imperial wouldn't have been able to throw a spear from so far away that I can't see it, imperials are strong but not that strong. With a warm breath on the back of my neck, I turn around as fast as possible leaping backward whilst still in the air. "you just keep breaking my heart brother"