Chapter 14: The Calm Before The Storm

"Alright." Venture is satisfied with the answer. "Should I stay here to guard the child with Bout or should I do something else?"

"Bout is enough to protect the child. You should go eat something and rest while you have the chance." Edify didn't dare to assign a fixed position for Venture due to him being an unknown variable, even with Note's testing Venture twice. That alone wasn't enough from the way none of the members from the [Poison Fang Faction] were able to bypass Venture. Therefore, Edify can say for sure, that Venture's [Skill] is real and require info for him to do any good at all. Of course, this means, that Edify will have to do some extra effort to gather Intel for Venture whenever she partners up with him for a job.

"Kay, I'll be off then and will be in the same bedroom on the second floor for a nap. So if anyone needs me, I'll be there." Venture didn't even bother to think about taking a bath right now and just head to the fourth floor to have something to eat before going to bed, to reduce both physical fatigue and mental fatigue back to 0%. Maybe tomorrow or the next day if there no news about the next wave.

-LIABG-

Letting out a yawn, Venture checks the time and finds it's already 9 in the morning. A brand new day, but for now, it will just be another day for Venture to protect the child by killing others. Making Venture feel a little depressed, but after last night of thinking it over. He decides to take on the mindset, where it will be, to kill or be killed.

Checking his status.

Name: Venture

Title: [Gambler of Fate] - You are fate's gambler and making the impossible possible.

Hidden Titles: {Visible}

Health: 100/100%

Physical Fatigue: 0/100%

Mental Fatigue: 0/100%

Unique Skill: [Everything Is A Gamble] - The user is able to use anything to gamble with fate. [Price]: The medium used will disappear afterward.

Hidden Unique Skills: {Visible}

Seeing his physical fatigue and mental fatigue are back to 0%. Venture debate on training or just wait for the next wave of enemies to come. Luckily, no one seems to appear during the time he slept.

Now, Venture begins to think if there anything else he should do other than pushing off the training he desperately needs to do. But, due to not knowing when the next wave will show up. This kind of made it difficult for Venture and he rather not end up dead because he was exhausted from training and got killed by a random person from the [Poison Fang Faction] due to not being able to dodge or even fight back at all.

Therefore, for the rest of the time until the next wave arrived. Venture plan to use the [No Explanation] to help him fight much efficiency without the need to speed up the physical fatigue and mental fatigue; well, maybe a bit of mental fatigue due to having to do lots of thinking and mental tasks.

As for what Venture is planning to work on is the [Temporal Perception Manipulation]. As it will help Venture by controlling the perception of time, influencing the senses to speed up insanely so that the body fails to keep up, making the person feel like everything is happening so slowly. Of course, instead of using it on others. Venture will use it on himself as a way to see time slowing for himself and extend the time he needed to plan things out.

Later on, maybe Venture will be able to use this on a large scale, which would make the effects similar to stopping time itself and allow him to move in this frozen time. The whole idea made Venture eager to put all his training into the [No Explanation] to get this.

Now, for the [Solitary of Silent]. Venture is surprised that he unconsciously, without knowing it at the time was using the [Unrestricted Murdering]. The main core of the [Unique Skill], that allow Venture to cause absolute death to anyone and anything without any exception, including even the unkillable beings. The [Unrestriced Murdering] made it so Venture won't have any defense or obstacle when it comes to killing his enemy. Anything that was killed by Venture when using the [Solitary of Silent] can never be resurrected through any means. So in a way, Venture won't have to double-check if the targets are dead or faking it.

Sadly for Venture, where he realized that he can't even train in this [Unrestricted Murdering] normally as it requires him to actually kill the target and not pretend to as a way of practicing. Therefore, this is something Venture will have to learn through battles. Nonetheless, this is fine for Venture as he'll get all the practice he will need during this week or even a month.

So, Venture will just toss this out of the main things he needs to work on. But, for the time being. Venture will just work on his [Temporal Perception Manipulation] for a while, then afterward, rest and repeat this process until the next wave come.

-LIABG-

Shockingly for Venture. He waited until night time and the next wave hasn't come yet, causing Venture to be concerned and very worried about what the [Poison Fang Faction] is planning to reach their goal.

Currently, Venture is on the sixth floor with Bout and the child. He has no idea where Edify is at right now, but he can guess that Gat is still asleep in the basement or just eating on the fourth floor right now or doing some training on the fifth floor. As for Cope, Venture rather not think about it too much right now.

"So, do you have any idea when the next wave will happen?" Venture asks Bout, who just finished came back from the fourth floor to feed the child.

"No idea. Just be glad we got time to relax. Most of the time with this type of job. We will be extremely tired and some of us will have to be placed into a rotation formation for all of us to stretch it enough to survive the whole ordeal." Bout recalls all the time he went into a protection job, that literally pushes him to the edge where any second of mistake would lead to his death.

"Oh." Venture begins to think about maybe using his [Everything Is A Gamble] to give him some sort of infinite stamina or something to give Venture the ability to make it so his physical fatigue and mental fatigue continue to stay at 100% forever. However, Venture drop that idea straight away due to knowing, that there is a high chance of some shady people begin to notice his endless stamina and the ability to continue to fight without being tired. "Well, I'll be taking a quick nap then."

"Alright, just come back here when you're done." Bout didn't mind if Venture goes take a nap since he can do the same on the sixth floor. Thanks to his [Empowered State]. Bout can get the best result in the shortest amount of time when sleeping and still come out fully rested.

"Will do." Venture figure there wasn't much he could do while staying around on the sixth floor. May as well put it into writing down more gambles for him to use and while he is at it. Practice with [Temporal Perception Manipulation] and stealth. Mostly making his movement silent whenever he moves.

-LIABG-

It's morning and the [Poison Fang Faction] still hasn't come last night. Making Venture a bit paranoia and causing him to put extra training into the [Temporal Perception Manipulation] as it's the best for bringing his survival rate even higher. Plus, Venture learned, that his body seems to become more adapted to the usage of [Temporal Perception Manipulation], leading to Venture wonder if this is due to the [Title: Gambler of Fate] coming into play. Making Venture's body become more in tune with his two [Unique Skills] instead of him having to work for using them on the same level of using the [Everything Is A Gamble].

Rubbing his chin, Venture begins to think about if all his [Titles] are passive or active, maybe even both. Well, Venture can say for sure, the [Gambler of Fate] is passive no matter what. Since it's literally impossible for someone like him to enter this world and whatnot.

So for a test run; Venture tried to will the [Title: The Cunning One] to switch from passive to active and instantly got the result right away. As Venture noticed all the emotions he is feeling seems to be suppressed, but not to the point they are at the point of not feeling anything. Venture can still feel happy, etc. and all that. Just very low. However, that wasn't the most important thing on Venture's mind right now.

Because at this very moment. Venture felt like he could control his emotions, even the way to act without showing any flaws unless he desires some flaws to appear. It would have been very disturbing to Venture if he wasn't so used to the impossible things he has done so far during his stay in this dangerous and crazy world.

No. What Venture is feeling right now is nothing, but the choices of what he wanted to feel. That is what he gains the moment he switches the [Title: The Cunning One] from passive to active. Venture feels his head so clear and easier for him to think. For one thing, Venture can calmly think without any emotions influencing what he is thinking currently and right now. Venture is thinking about what are the side-effects from making [The Cunning ONe] going from passive to active in a long term, then realized, that Venture could end up becoming an emotional being where emotions are just a mean of a tool for him to use. In a way, this would be a good thing, but at the same time turning him into something, not him.

So, Venture will [The Cunning One] back to passive and he flinches, where all his suppressed emotions are released all at once and almost made Venture into a mess, but this only lasted for a second or two before Venture's emotions regain back under control thanks to the [Title: The Cunning One] doing its job of fixing everything before another second later. Everything returns back to normal.

Normally this is something worth being afraid of but to Venture. This is something he desperately needs in this world. Who knows how long before something this world would throw at him, that might drive him crazy. So yes. [The Cunning One] is something Venture love to have and something he discovered early on instead of later.

Now, Venture got this over with. He begins to think about what he needs to do before going back to working on [Temporal Perception Manipulation]. Something that's useful for him to work on along with everything else. As of now, unlike the previous time where Venture's [Solitary of Silent] and [No Explanation] came to be and weren't [Unique Skills] at the time. The time he needs to train with these two now compared to before has massively been shortened to the point, Venture only requires maybe a couple of days or so, depending on what he is working on after seeing the speed of stealth training improve so much, that Venture can barely hear the sound of his own footsteps.

This is something Venture is shocked due to the fact, that his senses have been enhanced a lot already the moment he gained the [Unique Skill: Solitary of Silent]. Therefore, Venture wasn't so much in hurry on working on [Temporal Perception Manipulation] like before after he realized how easy it became for Venture on how to learn to use it and even better control over it. Of course, that didn't mean Venture would slack off just because of this and will continue to put all his effort into practicing. Just that he needs to increase the load of what he could work on as of now.

However, Venture can't come up with anything right now and just decide to work on everything else until he master or near-master all the ones he working on before switching over to something. Since it looks like it will take Venture some time to think of something. By then, maybe Venture would have thought up about something to work on next.

-LIABG-

Another day and yet again. No news about the [Poison Fang Faction] invading the apartment. Making Venture a little jumpy for a while until he calms down enough near afternoon, where he has been working on everything to improve himself after realizing, that he won't obtain full mastery over the things he wanted outside of assassination-related to practicing with the [Solitary of Silent]. Therefore, Venture only managed to get decent mastery over stealth and easily mastered the ability to attack with concealed weapons; well, at the very least able to pull out his weapons in a time frame, that should be able to catch other people off guard and allow Venture to deal with them by the time they overcome their shock.

Either way, under the effects of [Temporal Perception Manipulation]. Venture will all the time he needs to deal with a large number of enemies as long he has the ammo, that is. Otherwise, Venture will be forced to fight unarmed; well, more like fighting in close-ranged combat. Since he still has throwing knives to be used as projectiles and as melee weapons.

Anyway, Venture is still going to continue to work on [Temporal Perception Manipulation] as the main focus until it reaches the point Venture deems enough before switching to another main focus. After all, it looks like the people from the [Poison Fang Faction] still haven't shown up.

-LIABG-

Venture finished training for the day and it's already night time. Yet, nothing happens. Then again, it has only been a few days, not even a week yet. So maybe those people from the [Poison Fang Faction] are planning something big and will launch their attack the last day of the week before the client arrives.

Throwing away his trash, Venture has just finished his meal and head to find Edify or Gat, even Bout would do if he can't find the other two first and hopes to find out if the enemy backed off due to someone threatening them to not cause any problem for the [Dark Star Faction]. Something that Venture could make it possible by using the [Everything Is A Gamble] to make this theory true and would make things much easier for Venture. Since he won't have to deal with killing even more people.

Luckily, Venture didn't have to take care of those dead bodies a few days ago he killed at the stairways. As Cope's [Territory Control] took care of them easily. So no need for Venture having to get close to those corpses. Who knows if some of them are poisonous even when dead.

Venture walks up the stairs to the sixth floor from the fourth floor. For some reason, Venture feels a little uneasy and wonder maybe if the [Poison Fang Faction] has finally appeared. Therefore, Venture quickly rushes up the stairs and enter the sixth floor, where he found Gat, Edify, and Bout along with the child. A child Venture just remembers finally is the very same one he met who was asking for help and Venture points him to a patrol guard to help him out. However, it looks like the child doesn't remember Venture at all.

"Hey, Venture~!" Gat greets Venture with a smile on her face. "Glad to see you before I had to send Cope off to find you. Anyway, be prepare, because the next wave from the [Poison Fang Faction] is going to show up in the next 10 minutes or so." Gat lost her smile and now a serious look appears on her face. "From what Note told me from the outside. The [Poison Fang Faction] has decided to send in a few powerful members on our way due to finding out their first attacks failed completely and now things will get a bit harder. So, Venture, you may want to prepare yourself. Because among the powerful members. One of them is the infamous [Gu Master] and possess the [Unique Skill: Kodoku], which allows this person to create poisonous creatures, with the ability to have absolute control over them."

Venture listens to Gat's words carefully while baffled, that he is meeting his second [Unique Skill] holder, with Gat being the first one since he came into this world and now here he is. About to meet a second one. Making Venture wonder if [Unique Skill] holders draw to each other subconsciously without knowing why.

"Is [Gu Master] a [Title] or just an alias people use when talking about this person?" Venture asks this because he wanted to be sure if this is a [Title], if so, then this just made this person more dangerous since this person's [Title] has the word: Master in it. And Venture already knows how much a difference it makes with just the word master in it or not.

"It's a [Title]. From what I recall, the [Gu Master] is a [Title] that provides inborn knowledge on how to create these poisonous creatures and how to control them with the best methods." Gat didn't mind answering Venture's question.

"Is this [Gu Master] female or male?" Venture notices the look on the others' faces. "What? I need all the info I need to make my [Skill] work." I gladly remind this part of my fake [Skill], causing them to no longer look at me in a way that made me uncomfortable.

"Honestly, many people are trying to figure that out. The [Gu Master] has long silky black hair and a feminine face, that many women, and some guys I guess, would have or envy to have, but with a neutral body figure, that just made it hard for one to tell if the [Gu Master] is female or male." Bout answered for Gat. "Nonetheless, we should be extremely put our guards up before the [Gu Master] and stop anyone from reaching Miss Edify as she the only one has known so far, to be able to counter the [Gu Master]'s numerous deadly poisons." Bout warns Venture to be careful in the incoming battle.

"Got it." Venture wonder if he should trust Bout's words or not about Edify being able to treat the poisons created by this [Gu Master].