Chapter 44 - The World of Magic and Magecraft

(It's ya boi here with another chapter. Thankfully my house is close to a McD. I'm squatting outside borrowing Wifi to upload this chapter.)

(Warning, big info dump at start. Can skip if uninterested. Will be updated to aux chapter in the future.)

[System 2.0 update completed.]

List of System function overhaul.

- Armor Function had been adjusted to the new Nanosuit.

- Energy and Aura had been combined. Energy upgrades from Augmentation will now apply to Aura.

- Effect of some abilities and skills had been adjusted or overhauled to complement Aura.

- Advanced Skill Tree has been added.

- HUD can now access System UI and be used without physical interaction.

-Several filters on Interdimensional Contract worlds had been lifted to address the increasing difficulty on the Host's main world and interference of Outer Gods.

Innate Ability

- Aura (Passive)

- Concept Null (Passive/Active)

[Aura (Passive)]

The manifestations of one's own soul, unleashed through a ritual unique to the world, Remnant. Its primary ability is to create a force field to protect oneself from harm however it has myriads of uses which depend on the user's ability to manipulate Aura.

[Concept Null (Semblance)]

A unique semblance which its main ability is to conceptualize an opponent's power through one's own understanding and reject it. This caused the user to become incapable of using supernatural power because of the rejection. However, this allows the user to resist and negate any form of power, leveling the playing field to purely physical.

[Advance Skill Tree;]

[Heavy Class;]

- Reactive Barrier (0/10)

Barrier can disperse any received damage to reduce the drain of the barrier's durability.

- Barrier Recharge (0/10)

Instead of dispersing kinetic energy received by the barrier, convert kinetic energy to regenerate Barrier durability.

- Sacrificial Bulwark (0/10)

Divert all damage sustained by ally to self at a reduced rate for 10 seconds.

[Assault Class;]

- Elite Reinforcement (0/10) Summoning a squad of elite SAS 4 operators that lasted for 10 minutes. Each unit will have double user base stats and weapon damage.

- Juggernaut (0/10)

Temporarily pushing the biological boundaries of physical limits to double all physical stats at the cost of burning 10% HP every 10 sec.

- Recoil Burst (0/10)

Overload self with rampaging energy and channel into an attack to deal devastating damage. Every 10% of energy discharged increases damage by 1 fold. Up to 10 folds.

[Medic Class;]

- Medic Drone (0/10)

Summon a drone that lasts 5 minutes and can provide continuous AOE heal, healing and defense buff.

- Field Trauma Surgeon (0/10)

Can heal heavy or critical injuries and bring patients at the brink of death back to life.

- Resurrection (0/10)

Can revive a dead patient within one minute of death or patient that experienced clinical death. Can automatically apply on self upon death.

———

Upon his arrival at the Interdimensional Contract world, Adam was bombarded with screen after screens displaying various information.

Though, what interests him the most is his Semblance. He already gets a feel of it in the previous world, capable of negating the Gastrea's unique physiology and imposing death even with non Varanium weapons or his own fist. However, he never expected his Semblance to be this extensive.

From what he understands after reading the description, he can negate his opponent's unique power like magic, superpower and anything a baseline human shouldn't have. Not just that, his body also actively negates those effects which mean any influence on his body like let say debuffs will also be weakened or outright negated. He can draw parallel on his Semblance to the power of Kamijou Touma from Toaru. Although not as strong but have the versatility to balance it out.

"Wouldn't this mean I am possibly immune to all forms of power?" Adam concluded excitedly at this unexpected discovery of his power.

[Not totally immune, simply more resistant. The potency of Host Semblance depends on Host own willpower. The stronger Host's willpower is, the greater the negation effect will be.]

Noting his System is online again after the update aside, Adam continues to read the changes after the update and asks his System several questions.

Basically, his armor is no longer usable as the Nanosuit replaced it. However, he can 'slot' the armors like a typical gem or rune system to allow his Nanosuit to inherit the stats and Augmentations.

As for the changes to his energy. The previous active skills, force field, Nanosuit which consume Energy to be powered will now use Aura, his literal soul power or in another word, his willpower. As strange as it sound, it is more logical than electrical energy that is generated through galvanism of bioelectric from his cells.

Anyway, after he asked his questions. Adam spent all of the 72 skill points he saved reaching level 154 on the Advance Skill Tree except Recoil and Medic Drone. The former is because the skill sounds like a skill that increases damage of a weapon. Normal on a very strong weapon like a trump card which he has none. As for the latter, it's like his Medic skills that he already had but a portable one he can send to help someone outside his own range. Not something he has immediate need for, especially the down side of it having limited summon time.

Dismissing his System interface, Adam finally takes a look around the area surrounding him.

The visor of his new Nanosuit immediately shows its functions as the onboard AI immediately scans the area, revealing any potential hostiles, danger or any useful things in his sight. All while the suit itself is in a disengaged state.

"Still… where is this place?" Adam looked around and found himself on a dirt road next to the edge of a woods.

His suit immediately tried hacking into any existing satellite to gather information about the topography but encountered a problem as there is none that it can access to. The minimap instead becomes the usual map which gets updated as he explores.

Looking into the distance, he vaguely sees a gray plume of smoke rising up that progressively gets darker as time passes. He had nowhere else to go and decided to investigate the source of the smoke.

Adam lightly jogged but his speed looks like he is actually running as he approaches the hill in front of him. Once he arrived, he saw a medieval town which is on fire and is being attacked by what seems to be undead, both zombies and skeletons. Also dragons… No, it's wyvern. Adam confirmed after his visor zoomed in and saw they are missing the front limbs and have wings instead.

[Gather Information]

Objective - Investigate the source of smoke. (Complete)

Reward - 10k SAS$

[New Objective]

[Rescue]

Objective - Search the town for any survivors and rescue them.

Reward - ???

Adam dismissed the notification and narrowed his eyes on the green wyverns. "They look familiar." Adam noted as he swapped his second weapon slot to Hornet, a very lightweight, fully automatic and high ammo capacity sniper rifle that had been sitting in his Inventory to collect dust for a long while. He then ran towards the town.

A few minutes later, Adam arrived and he was a little too late perhaps. There is no more sound of battle. The undeads crawl the streets and the wyverns perch on top of the buildings resting after a satisfying meal. He is still in cloaking mode as he carefully explores the town and tries to look for survivors.

While he is checking each building, he stumbles upon a home where he hears a sound. When Adam opened the door a moment ago, he clearly heard a terrified squeak and some muffled cries.

They must be survivors, Adam thought as he lowered his shotgun slightly and explored the rooms. When he approached the bedroom, he saw one with a closed door. He tapped the door lightly and once again heard a cry coming from the other side.

Obviously, none of the survivors thought there could be someone that could walk up to their door with the state of the town. They naturally assumed it's either the undead or skeleton that is tapping on the door.

"Hello? I mean no harm. Can you open the door?" Adam said as he tapped the door again.

"W-Who are you?" A female voice asked in a whimper.

"I am a… passerby. I saw the town was attacked and I'm trying to save any survivors." Adam replied.

The woman on the other side fell into a silence as she was probably contemplating if she should trust this stranger. She of course wanted to be saved but she could hardly trust Adam especially with the state of the town.

"How can I trust you? The town was filled with undead and wyverns waiting to kill us the moment we step out." The woman argued exasperatedly and sounded like she had given up and rather hole up here until she died from starvation than step out.

"I can take care of the undead. They aren't a problem for me." Adam replied back confidently. But he omitted about the wyvern. Those things can fly and he isn't sure if they have some bullshit ability like impenetrable scale or something knowing anything related to dragons will probably have. Until he killed one, he wouldn't say he can handle them.

"Hmn. You can take time to decide. I will return again after checking the whole town." Adam felt like he couldn't force the woman behind the door to agree and decided to return later.

"..."

The woman didn't reply and Adam silently left for another building.

Half way through his investigation, the wyverns flew away leaving only the undead in the town. Since the flock of wyverns had left, Adam felt there was no need to sneak around like a rat anymore and dismissed his Cloaking in the middle of the open street.

[Reinforcement]

"Clear all enemies." Adam ordered his operators and started shooting the undead.

The zombie is easy to kill. The skeleton is a little difficult. Not because they are strong but because they are hard to aim at.

Three skeletons managed to rush close to Adam and tried to slash him with their chipped and rusty blade but all three blades were forced to stop inches before they could cut him. A Barrier appeared and stopped the attack. The damage was absorbed and on his HUD, a silver layer covered his HP bar which indicates the barrier's durability.

"Their attack is really weak…" Adam mutters as his barrier's durability remains 100% even after the attack. "Well, that makes sense since skeletons are supposed to be weak mobs anyway." Adam didn't cheer as he already deduced which world he is in right now. The power scaling of this world is quite out of the world, lore wise.

Adam then used the stock of his shotgun and smashed each of the skeletons before calling for an Artillery Strike to clear up the horde that got too dense as all the undead in the town gathered around him.

Another ten minutes later, Adam finally finished clearing up the Undead. The area around him turned into a big pile of corpses as zombies and skeletons littered the ground. The skeleton remains alright but the zombies… they're torn apart with flesh, guts and limbs strewn around.

Few brave survivors peek out their homes and windows to see the cause of numerous explosions and loud noises outside and saw the visage of the hero that saved them.

"Thank you, sir hero. Thank you for saving us. May I know your name?" A middle aged man in armor, looking like a soldier but without his chestplate which was removed due to his injury that was wrapped in bloody bandages, approached Adam with several other soldiers. All looking weary and tired but happy that they survived.

"Adam White." Adam replied as he saw many more exit their homes following the soldiers.

"Adam White… White… I never heard of such a family. You must be a foreigner from afar then. Ah, where is my manners? My name is Timeo, the captain of the soldiers here…" Timeo sounded depressed when he mentioned his rank as the captain.

Adam guessed that the rank isn't something he originally owns because he looks no different than a normal soldier, less decorated for a higher rank officer. Maybe the original captain died and he now shoulders the rank for whatever reason.

"Nice to meet you too." Adam accepts the handshake offered to him. "Do you have any destinations next? I doubt any of you wish to stay in this burning town with the wyverns could return at any moment."

"Indeed. However, I don't think there is anywhere we could go. The attack of the wyvern isn't just happening here, in La Charite. But in the whole of France. There is no safe place we could reach and we have no way to defend ourselves during the journey." Timeo said with a sad sigh.

Indeed, only a handful of soldiers survived. Meanwhile they have around four dozen civilians. There's no way they can survive the journey if they are attacked again.

Adam looked at his objective, it had been completed. Logically, there's no need for him to bother with these people anymore. But his conscience wouldn't allow him to abandon them just like this knowing they will die if he leaves just like this.

"Look! The wyverns had returned to feast! Quickly hide!" The townsmen saw the black spot on the sky which they immediately identified when it approached to reveal hundreds of wyverns like a wave, flying towards the town.

The civilians quickly scurried away and hid inside any building they could reach. The remaining soldiers were looking hopeless as there were only four of them left and each of them were injured.

"Sir Hero, is it possible to save the townsmen? Those flocks of wyvern are different from earlier and they feast on the undead. There are no more zombies for them to feast on. They will hunt down the townsmen." Timeo explains and begged him for help. "I don't want the sacrifices of my fellow brothers to be in vain."

Hearing Timeo's desperate pleading, Adam has a hard time ignoring it. They are just human soldiers with common steel and flesh to fight against the fantasy creature like wyvern. They sacrificed many in order to protect their people. Even to the bitter end, they stayed and rather watched their own end instead of fleeing for their lives.

For these brave soldiers, Adam felt like he was obligated to help them so they could peacefully pass away knowing their death was avenged.

"I will. Just go and take shelter first." Adam replied and walk toward the direction those Wyverns is flying into.

—————

(The objectives, missions or tasks will give rewards that are constant depending on what the objectives were. Usually rescue, searching, investigation for objects or people will be rewarded with SAS$, elimination type of task or anything that involves killing will be rewarded with a lot of XP.

So why I put ???

It means I'm just too lazy to pick a number and put question marks instead. If there are rewards other than cash and XP, I will list it out.)

If you readers feel generous or want to appreciate my work and effort, feel free to tip me here.

https://ko-fi.com/lazy_kat_aoi