The excavation House Firesword had performed looked shoddy compared to what a dedicated force from the Republic could do.

The tunnel walls were composed of a darker stone, reinforced no doubt. Support beams made of high quality wood lined the walls.

The excavation must have cost a decent amount of money.

But the Republic was willing to fund it, for energy wells would add many times that value in just a few days.

The rare resources deeper within the well could draw the attention of even Grandmasters. And depending on how deep it went… who knew how profound the natural treasures found within could be?

Orodan’s attempts to measure how far his mentor’s personality and thoughts had been altered had to be put on hold.

They were a team of a dozen Grandmasters plus Orodan, and the venture was being treated very seriously.

Alcianne Rockwood and Destartes took command over the delve, and it was essentially a depths expeditionary party. A very well funded and powerful one.

He learned that Destartes was quite a powerful mage, hence him co-leading alongside Alcianne.

Arvayne was relegated to the rear for the time being. Partly due to his erratic change in personality, and partly because the man himself didn’t protest this at all.

The entire approach was very careful and methodical.

As brash as Alcianne Rockwood appeared, she and Destartes ran a tight ship and insisted on professional adventuring tactics.

Six Grandmasters who specialized at range held the back rank. They were four mages, and two archers.

Accompanying the back rank, were two frontline specialists. One of them, Arvayne Firesword. The other a peltast who carried a shield, spear and a satchel of javelins across his back. This peltast could fight both at range and in melee.

Quite the versatile role, Orodan thought. He might add javelineering to his list of goals down the line.

Any venture into the depths was rife with potential dangers. Ambush predator monsters were more common than one would think. In fact their first target, the Death Roach, was one such monster that preferred to take prey by surprise.

Thus it was standard adventuring practice to have a certain number of melee specialists hang near the back rank. Ready to respond to any unexpected attacks from ambushing monsters or swap with someone on the frontline who was feeling overly pressured.

Furthermore, ambushes on the back rank could be devastating.

The six vulnerable ranged Grandmasters at the back… were essentially putting their lives in the hands of Arvayne and the spear and shield wielding warrior.

Of course, sensory skills were highly valued to avoid such grisly ends. They had three sensors in their expedition. Kuonthus Vexelthun the shield-Grandmaster at the front was one of them, and two mages at the back were the others.

As for Orodan’s own role…

…he was right at the front alongside Kuonthus.

It was logical, as the powerhouses that were Arvayne and Alcianne were too valuable to risk losing to a surprise attack. Kuonthus’s Grandmastery in the shield made him an excellent choice to soak up damage.

And Orodan’s own defensive skills and ability to Regenerate from apocalyptic levels of damage was second only to Alcianne Rockwood’s Grandmaster level healing. He could suffer a horrific surprise attack and simply recover.

“I believe we’re at the point where you reported fighting the dweller worm, Orodan. Kuonthus, do you see anything?” Adeltaj Simarji asked. The old spearman was also one of the participating Grandmasters. His strength approached that of a dual-Grandmaster.

“Seismic Sense isn’t showing anything,” the shield-Grandmaster replied. “The surrounding three miles appear empty. That roach must have sensed us.”

Death Roaches were not only utterly vicious, but also fantastic ambush predators and ruthless opportunists. It could definitely evade certain sensory abilities once aware it was being tracked. And they had no diviners with them this deep.

Heredin Aeronsul, the Chosen of Ilyatana, had elected to not come along on this venture.

The man was officially more aligned with the Cathedral than he was with the Republic. And the Cathedral wasn’t as interested in actually delving the energy well as the Republic was.

The opportunistic Death Roach might ambush them while they were preoccupied with something else.

Of course, a gathering of Grandmasters wouldn’t delve down an energy well without some form of insurance.

“Drop another one,” Destartes said, and Orodan complied and drew a dense rock with intricate glowing carvings out of the spatial ring he’d been provided. And dropped it upon the ground.

Teleportation relays.

Incredibly expensive, and only usable this deep down the shaft of an energy well by a Grandmaster space mage of Destartes’s caliber.

They were dropped once every half mile, and they created a chain of spatial beacons for the space mage to hone in on and chain teleports to.

In an emergency, the entire expedition could fall back within seconds to the surface via a chain of teleports cast by Destartes.

“I still think it unfair that you forced me to leave my endless gravity core and lasso behind,” Orodan muttered. “I could’ve been getting some good training in all this time.”

“Training at the risk of leaving yourself exposed as your battle power would be lower,” Destartes replied. “Train after we’re done here you little masochist. Warrior types… you sure he isn’t your student Alcianne?”

“If only! The old codger back there has his claws in him unfortunately,” the Chosen of Halor replied. “At least his recent mood swings aren’t a bother for us at the front.”

There was a decent distance of at least a few hundred feet between the front ranks and the back. Mainly to avoid the fragile mages getting killed by the death zone of melee that was common in fights at the Grandmaster level.

So Orodan had to shelve the matter of ascertaining his mentor’s mental status. At least until they were in a position where they could speak in private.

Orodan wanted to barge right up to the old man and sock him across the jaw. But for all he knew it would simply lead to a beating. Arvayne seemed different, as though his very personality and demeanor had been altered.

Orodan wondered if he would’ve been the same if Ilyatana succeeded in whatever she tried doing in their very first meeting.

“You never did tell me why I should avoid Agathor earlier,” Orodan remarked. “My mentor… has been acting strangely. Agathor possessed him as he wanted to tell me something about taking things slowly.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Alcianne muttered. “Listen… this is common knowledge among us faithful. But just take things slow… you are already monstrously strong at such a young age. A few centuries of growth as you are now is preferable to overcommitting to a God.”

“What happens if I acquire a third Blessing from Agathor?” Orodan asked.

“Of course he wouldn't tell you,” Alcianne muttered, but her eyes then hardened. “This is all I’ll say… for as much as becoming a Chosen allows you to call upon the Avatar state… so too does this allow the God to call upon you and take more control than you might be comfortable with.”

“Indeed. Alcianne might be unwilling to say it, but I will. I’m not a Chosen One for any God and have no Blessings, so I care not if I offend them,” Destartes spoke with a grin towards Alcianne. “Blessings are a God’s pathway into your soul. Particularly if you have many of them. At two Blessings, alongside a faith skill, you can become host to an Avatar. But with three Blessings, even if you have no faith skills… your free will is a secondary concern. An Avatar can descend whether you like it or not.”

Orodan suspected as much with how Agathor possessed Arvayne and rewrote his mentor’s personality.

He already planned to refuse the Blessing near the end of the loop, and was keeping a constant shield of Fate Disconnect around his soul.

Although for this mysterious space mage Destartes to feel no apprehension about offending Gods…

“You really have no Blessings?” Orodan asked. “I’m surprised you haven’t been targeted by a God yet with your attitude.”

“Who needs Blessings when the power of hard work will suffice?” Destartes asked. “Given your own work ethic, I’m surprised you’re so reliant on the favor and power of Gods. As for being targeted, who can catch me when I can simply teleport away anywhere?”

“But these Blessings have been of great benefit to me,” Orodan replied “I wouldn’t even know how to go about removing them. Can they even be removed?”

“By allowing another God into your soul to perform some very painful and possibly fatal surgery? Perhaps,” Destartes answered. “In truth, I’ve never heard of such a thing. But it’s a good habit to act less reliant upon the Blessings of the Gods. Even if you have many already.”

To function without Blessings… it would be a hassle initially. But Orodan was already starting to approach the realm of Blessings with Mythical skills. Warrior’s Reciprocity was one such skill that allowed him to bend reality to return harm unto his foes.

In time, he might very well be capable of replicating the effects of his Blessings with just his own skills.

But that was a thought for later.

“I sense signatures further down… three miles below,” Kuonthus spoke. “They’re both quite big.”

“I concur, my Psionic Sense picks them up as well. Their minds are quite powerfully shielded,” spoke Ilevida Balmento from the rear. “They… are aware of us from what I can gather.”

“Maintain formation, Kuonthus and Orodan, lead the way but do not engage. Allow them to charge at us,” Destartes spoke. “If the two are mates… this might get complicated.”

They were almost a mile beneath where Orodan had fought the dweller worm originally. This deep into the energy well, monsters stronger than the dweller worm undoubtedly made their homes.

As the expedition rounded a curve and arrived at a slanted section of the energy well’s shaft, Orodan saw them.

And he used Observe.

[Name: Alvalukan the Thundering Shadow (Species: Lightning Depths Salamander)

Title 1: Grandmaster Slayer

Title 2: Lightning Grandmaster

Title 3: Dark Magic Grandmaster

Title 4: Combat Master

Title 5: Claw Combat Master]

It was a dual-Grandmaster monster. A horrifically powerful existence.

Monsters were already stronger than mortals, so for a dual-Grandmaster monster… it would be as strong as a triple-Grandmaster human.

The other one, its mate. Because of course one dual-Grandmaster salamander wasn’t enough.

Was similarly strong.

[Name: Mazhkadan the Electrifying Light (Species: Lightning Depths Salamander)

Title 1: Grandmaster Slayer

Title 2: Lightning Grandmaster

Title 3: Light Magic Grandmaster

Title 4: Combat Master

Title 5: Claw Combat Master]

And now the two salamanders saw them too.

Two hissing snarls echoed, breaking the eerie silence that was ever-present at this depth of the energy well.

“Let them come to us!” Alcianne roared as she began glowing with powerful light.

Orodan, Adeltaj, Kuonthus and Alcianne, the front line of the expedition… prepared for battle.

Death Rage activated, and Orodan dropped his vitality to a level where Dying Struggle triggered. Eternal Soul Reactor flared, and he was as ready as he would ever be.

A claw was suddenly before him.

Unassailable Fortress came in handy and his Draconic Mana Channeled Weapon Aura empowered shield naturally moved to intercept the blow he couldn’t evade.

His shield arm nearly buckled as a titanic shockwave erupted. The blow was stronger and heavier than the old man’s greatsword.

The natural physical prowess of monsters couldn’t be underestimated.

Then, Warrior’s Reciprocity activated. And the salamander received its own blow with more than twofold the power returned.

Its chest shredded and spurts of blood leaked out.

The battle had officially begun.

Just before he lost himself in the flow of his own battle, he saw Kuonthus struggling quite heavily against the salamander that charged him.

Claws met Orodan’s sword and shield, and every blow was returned with power even when blocked without incurring damage.

Attacking Orodan was a truly risky venture.

But, the salamander was still monstrously strong. A dual-Grandmaster was no joke, and Orodan found himself pressured even more than when he fought the spider dragon.

He was often on the losing end of an exchange whenever the salamander used its melee prowess in tandem with its innate element.

Lightning struck Orodan, and it was powered by its soul as it was the salamander’s natural ability.

His muscles seized up, his skin blackened and flaked off. He felt the raw power of soul energy empowered lightning ravage his body.

It was a good thing he had some existing Lightning Resistance, else the attack might have been fatal.

The paltry spells he was hit with in Eversong Plaza where he gained the resistance, were nothing compared to this creature. It naturally was capable of spewing lightning, its elemental attacks were naturally stronger than a mortal’s of the same level.

But a look of utter shock appeared on the face of the salamander as it received the damage of its very own lightning attack!

It had likely never received damage from lightning in its life. It was akin to a man being harmed by breathing fresh air!

His Lightning Resistance jumped a level in just that one attack.

The exchange continued and it began using its other specialty.

Dark magic.

Orodan had never received dark magic attacks before.

Dark magic was capable of devouring light sources, inflicting terrible mental and soul damage, and harming vitality. It was an all-rounder element. Less effective at damaging vitality than necrotic magic, worse at harming the mind than psionic and not as good at assaulting the soul compared to a regular soul magic attack.

But it could do all of it at once, which could pose a problem for someone whose defenses in one aspect were weaker.

Of course, the salamander hissed in frustration when it realized Orodan was ignoring its dark elemental attacks entirely. Unfortunately for it, the dark magic it used was fueled by mana.

And using mana against Orodan was a fruitless endeavor.

Truly, Mana Resistance was a good skill to have.

It stopped using dark magic entirely after Orodan began using Mana Black Hole to drain and disperse its attempts at darkening the battleground to prevent clear visibility.

While Orodan was losing most exchanges and barely stalemating a few… he felt that soon he would reach a point where Lightning Resistance levelled enough that he could weather the salamander’s torrent without too high of a cost.

It was also looking quite ragged as Warrior’s Reciprocity made it pay for every blow it struck, and Vitality Black Hole drained its life force to add to Orodan’s own.

Orodan felt it was a sustainable pace.

He started the battle with Lightning Resistance, severely weakening its biggest advantage. And then he had Mana Resistance, which rendered its dark magic useless too.

He believed he could hold indefinitely and eventually win too.

The rest of the expedition must have felt this way, as they were all ganging up on the other salamander, to brutal effectiveness. It was nearing death and about to fall.

“Greedy surface-dwellers! Coveting the vents of the world’s life!” the salamander that was being ganged up on roared. Alcianne had mounted it and was pummeling it, all while Adeltaj and Kuonthus battered it from the front. The mages from the rear were also launching some lethal looking attacks at it during opportune moments.

Things were going well.

Until they suddenly weren’t.

The only thing Orodan saw was a chittering black shape and six lethal looking chitinous legs in his vision.

Then he was ripped away from the battle and dragged off, deeper down the energy well’s shaft.

Something had decided to make him its prey.

He hit the ground farther away, and suddenly six legs were upon him.

He was savaged in every way possible, and Unassailable Fortress stood almost no chance.

Orodan didn’t even know what he was fighting yet!

Every single empowerment skill he could call upon was activated. Draconic Mana Channeling was used gratuitously to empower his shield, and he used Endless Blitz in combination with Unassailable Fortress.

His body was wracked with titanic amounts of his own soul energy as the two skills worked in concert. And for a period of two seconds he got enough breathing room to use Observe on it.

It simply confirmed its identity.

[Name: Phiqquvuo the Final Hunter (Species: Depths Death Roach)

Title 1: Physical Grandmaster

Title 2: Claw Combat Grandmaster

Title 3: Combat Master

Title 4: Blood Master

Title 5: Wielder of a Mythical Skill]

There was no way Orodan was this thing’s match.

Physical Grandmaster? He knew of nobody with level 100 in Physical Fitness. And it was a Grandmaster in Claw Combat Mastery?

But most importantly…

…it had a Mythical skill?

Orodan could only grit his teeth in a mad grin.

He would certainly die fighting this thing…

…and it would be glorious!

Endless Blitz was then used in combination with the Draconic Mana Channeled All-Strikes, and his body was very nearly torn asunder from his own power.

And he was still on the losing end.

But he barely survived the exchange.

Most importantly, thanks to Warrior’s Reciprocity, the Death Roach was taking some serious damage from attacking Orodan. Even if the damage healed quite quickly, it was still taking grievous wounds.

As long as he could survive and keep drawing its ire, who knew how much harm he could force it to inflict upon itself?

“To have chosen such thorny prey! Weak, but possessed of a foul sting that makes you entirely unappealing!” the Death Roach chittered and hissed. "For you to recover so easily against the ambush from my Mythical skill..."

It was smaller than him! Being almost man-sized.

Didn’t stop it from almost massacring him in every exchange of melee however.

Eternal Soul Reactor flared to the point where his Fate Disconnect shield was beginning to flicker. Would this open him up to an unwanted Blessing? Yes.

But right now he had to churn it to this level if he wanted to survive this desperate one-sided butchery.

Only fifteen seconds had passed, and Orodan was barely hanging on.

“Such misfortune… to pick the one mark that has such abhorrent abilities,” the Death Roach muttered. “Thank your Gods surface dweller, for you shall yet live.”

It attempted to turn and flee. Likely because it sensed the rest of the expedition drawing closer.

Only to discover that it could not.

Orodan’s crazed bloody grin was the only thing it could look upon, and it suddenly let out a horrifying roar and flew into a rage.

There would be no fleeing for this monstrous cockroach.

How dangerous was it, that it essentially ambushed and dragged him away mid-battle? What if one of the mages in the back ranks was instead its target?

None of them could hope to survive the kind of attack he received from it.

Perhaps only a Chosen in their Avatar state could fight this thing evenly.

Orodan had a split second before he realized it was now utilizing its blood magic capabilities to empower itself.

Following that, he only knew blood and pain.

Defense was almost impossible. Unassailable Fortress combined with Endless Blitz barely let him survive.

But now that it was empowered with its own blood magic?

A hopeless task for the current Orodan.

Various skill levels increased at struggling against such a terrifying foe, but all he could focus on was survival.

Regeneration was pushed to new heights as he furiously struggled and strained mentally to seek every possible edge he could in each instant of thought.

Quadruple action increases had four minds working together to come up with innovations and make breakthroughs in the skill, all while Eternal Soul Reactor churned at a rate that had now destroyed the shield he had over his own fate.

Regeneration levelled up several times as he began to understand some core insights about the skill… but it still wasn’t enough!

Orodan would truly die if he couldn’t find a path to survival.

He was but a puddle of flesh on the ground. Glowing with brilliant white luminosity, but a puddle all the same.

The energy demands of Regenerating from such a state continually were titanic. And Eternal Soul Reactor would soon reach a point where his body could no longer handle his own energy and he really would die and wake up back in Ogdenborough.

As the seconds ticked on and his final moments neared, Orodan desperately thought of how he could survive.

Unyielding Vitality allowed him to do more with each iota of life force he held. He never would be able to think and meditate while a mess of gore upon the ground otherwise. It somehow allowed him to now preserve consciousness even as his physical body was destroyed.

Regeneration patched his body together. He would have been killed thousands of times over without it. The ability to reform from almost nothing, was incredible when fueled by his endless energy.

Bleeding Control prevented too much blood from leaving his body. At its high level it now helped keep organs, bits and pieces within him even when chopped up or torn apart.

He crazily smashed these three skills together like a rabid dog. But to no avail.

As he neared death, he could only think of one more skill that would perhaps tie it all together.

Something that dealt with the very life force he was trying to manipulate.

[New Skill (Rare) → Vitality Manipulation 1]

The new skill levelled to 5 in his attempts to understand and work with it.

Regeneration became more effective as he guided its flows, and Unyielding Vitality and Bleeding Control did more per level.

Finally, he experimented with the combination.

Instead of attempting to forcefully press the separate skills together, he observed the flows of vitality each one altered. And he saw the entire picture. He brought it all together as his body was being utterly savaged.

And in the final moment where death from his own soul energy would overtake him…

…he achieved it.

A congruence. One of life, growth and vitality.

[Skill Combination - Unyielding Vitality 82 + Regeneration 80 + Bleeding Control 75 + Vitality Manipulation 5 → Harmony of Vitality 60 (Legendary)]

Everything came together.

The new skill was an abundance of life.

It used less soul energy, and gave dramatically more healing.

So when he decided to use as much energy as he could to empower it?

He was almost unkillable.

“You freakish pest!” the Death Roach roared. Ironic coming from a cockroach itself. “Why will you not die?! What vile power allows you to live through my constant rage?!”

“I’m told I can be rather hard to kill… but why don’t you hit me some more and keep trying? I see your efforts are being rewarded quite well.” Orodan taunted, referring to the grievous wounds it sported which were now healing at a far slower pace than when this scuffle first began.

Less than a minute had passed, and yet the speed of the Death Roach’s own assault meant that it took returned damage more than twofold.

Orodan understood that he himself was a terrifying foe to face.

His enemy could not flee. Any attempts to kill him and end the Blessing were met with a more than twofold backlash. And any damage dealt was instantaneously repaired.

Fighting Orodan Wainwright, was a daunting proposition.

Even for this Death Roach that should have killed him thousands of times over by now.

“If I cannot flee, and I cannot kill you… then you shall simply come with me!”

Thus began a unique strategy that Orodan had not accounted for.

It was the first time an enemy decided to charge at him and drag him along with them.

That was one way to circumvent the Blessing that Orodan hadn’t thought of.

Six legs tore into his body and held on like hooks, and the Death Roach used him like one would a pair of shoes.

He was slammed into the ground over and over as the Death Roach began fleeing further down the shaft.

The roach technically wasn’t fleeing from Orodan.

In the distance Orodan could see the blazing eyes of Alcianne Rockwood leading the charge to rescue him, and behind her, Arvayne Firesword.

Orodan reapplied his Fate Disconnect shield just to be safe. His newly combined skill didn’t require nearly as much churning from Eternal Soul Reactor. And the Death Roach wasn’t actively harming him as much now.

Orodan continually ripped himself out of the Death Roach’s grasp to make it harder for the critter to drag him along.

This finally resulted in the monster deciding to give it up and instead turn to face its pursuers.

Both Arvayne and Alcianne were tapping into a low stage of their Avatar powers.

A space portal from Destartes opened up in front of them, and the other end opened right in front of the roach.

Two titanic blows came through, and the final confrontation then started.

Arvayne had swapped with Kuonthus. Thus it was now Alcianne, Adeltaj and Arvayne battering the Death Roach, while the back ranks held their fire for fear of hitting the melee frontliners.

Orodan himself contributed by often stepping right in front of the worst of the creature’s attacks, soaking them up and dealing even more backlash damage to it.

While Orodan’s own attacks weren’t weak. They still didn’t contribute anywhere near as much as the two Avatar empowered Chosen. Adeltaj also hung back after the first exchange where he realized he was woefully outmatched. Orodan had a fond disposition towards the old man, but had to admit that he was stronger than the Simarji Grandmaster.

So if Orodan struggled to contribute offensively, then Adeltaj naturally fell even further behind.

One person who did contribute quite monstrously however, was Ilevida Balmento.

The triple-Grandmaster psionic wasn’t as concerned about friendly fire as the conventional ranged types of the expedition.

Every time she launched psionic attacks, the Death Roach would freeze up, and even throughout its terrifying rage it hissed and roared in pure pain. Frankly, her attacks likely cut the thing’s combat effectiveness in half, as it never managed to get enough momentum to truly launch an enraged assault.

“Filthy surface-dwellers! Always coveting, always delving deeper and deeper…” it exclaimed and then paused before continuing. “Fine then, if you wish to delve so deep, may you find what lurks where even I dare not tread.”

Suddenly, Orodan had six sets of legs rip into him once more and use him as footwear.

The Death Roach took horrific damage as it exposed itself to the Chosen in order to do this.

But even as it died it spitefully dragged Orodan another mile as it continued receiving lethal wounds.

At last, it was slain with a pitiful chitter. No final words came from it.

As Orodan extricated its barbed legs from his body and the experience of being dragged around ended, he realized that they were in a somewhat wider portion of the energy well’s shaft.

At the end, the energy well still continued downwards.

How deep did this one even go?

“There’s something here,” Ilevida Balmento warned. “Near the end of this section.”

In the distance, dimly lit by ostolitus mushrooms, Orodan could vaguely make out a shape.

He decided to use Observe on it.

[Name: Altham the Endless Devourer (Species: True Vampire)

Title 1: Combat Grandmaster

Title 2: Claw Combat Grandmaster

Title 3: Physical Grandmaster

Title 4: Blood Grandmaster

Title 5: Flight Master]

Quadruple?

“Stop, we need to retreat immediately,” Destartes spoke. “Alcianne, we should never have pursued this deeply. A True Vampire of such strength… the very Republic will be threatened if it comes upward.”

“Start casting the portal spell,” she grimly ordered.

It was a bit warming to know that Alcianne cared enough to insist they go deeper after him.

That warm moment passed in the next moment.

The magic for a portal spell was prepared.

And a clawed hand entered Orodan’s head.

“Prickly pest… what is this skill you possess that harms me when I attack you?” it asked in a deep and guttural voice. No system translation required, it spoke perfectly normal Inuanan in a monstrous voice.

Both Chosen immediately activated the full power of their Avatar states.

But the battle was still a losing one.

Alcianne Rockwood was slammed into the walls of the shaft over and over, like a ragdoll.

Arvayne Firesword’s weapon was shattered and the old man was sent flying every time he approached.

Kuonthus and the peltast immediately attempted to join in as reinforcements, only to be blown away by the shockwaves. This was not a battle meant for them.

It wasn’t a battle meant for Orodan either, but he had to do something.

When the melee frontline was being ravaged so brutally, the ranged backline could be slaughtered with impunity.

Just as Destartes was about to receive a claw to his head at a speed faster than the old space mage could react to, Orodan stepped in front.

Despite Draconic Mana Channeling and Weapon Aura, the attack still ripped right through his shield and body to reach Destartes.

But instead of pulping the mage’s head, he received a gruesome cut to the face. But not a lethal one.

The old man was a seasoned adventurer and quickly recovered to continue casting the portal spell.

Orodan desperately latched onto the tall and lanky true vampire. Hoping it would be forced to take at least some time to peel him off.

Clawed hands tore him to complete shreds at a speed he could barely register.

But Orodan simply used Harmony of Vitality to reform upon the monster’s body, forcing it to continue dealing with him.

“Tch… a truly annoying cockroach. I was not aware you sheltered surface dwellers had grown strong enough to raise 0ne such as this,” the vampire spat. “You coddled parasites are given special treatment by the world, and yet you greedily delve deeper and deeper. How did that turn out for you thirty-thousand years ago?”

Orodan wasn’t in much of a position to answer as he was being continually ripped apart and reforming on the vampire.

Finally, he had bought two seconds. And then the vampire erupted with blood.

It was soul energy empowered, and Orodan’s entire being was nearly wiped from existence as all of him was devoured.

Only the raw power of his new healing skill backed by the endless energy of Eternal Soul Reactor kept him alive, but he decided not to reform his body atop the vampire anymore.

He might actually get killed.

“Portal ready! Inside now!”

Alcianne and Arvayne who recovered in the two seconds Orodan had bought, didn’t have to be told twice.

The back ranks had already filed in, and Orodan was among the last two remaining aside from Adeltaj and Destartes himself who was maintaining the portal.

The vampire looked dissatisfied with this escape however.

“Your persistence is remarkable… but let us see how far it extends,” the vampire said. “Reform from this.”

Suddenly, a truly massive amount of blood filled the air.

It was then immediately gathered into the vampire’s hands, and it erupted…

…towards Orodan.

He knew this attack would kill him.

Either it would annihilate every single particle of his body and there would be nothing to reform from. Or it would force him to draw upon enough soul energy that his own power would destroy his body.

There was no way out.

It had been a good loop, Orodan thought.

Until a level 99 Phoenix Thrust came in from behind him.

The old Simarji’s eyes met Orodan’s as they passed for the briefest of instants.

Adeltaj’s eyes held that same teasing glimmer whenever the old man would make fun of him in his early loops.

The level 99 Phoenix Thrust increased to level 100, and Adeltaj Simarji became a dual-Grandmaster.

Only to die an instant later.

He was nothing before the full power attack of a quadruple-Grandmaster true vampire. The wave of blood subsumed the old man.

The shockwave from the attack pushed Orodan back, and both he and Destartes were flung through the portal.

The sensation of going through multiple portals at once in a chained relay was quite strange, but Orodan was silent the entire time.

The journey finally ended, and a sunny blue sky was the first thing he saw.

He was on his back, in the green fields of Jerestir just outside the House Firesword mines. Destartes was next to him laying on the grass, looking ragged.

Surrounding them was the rest of the expeditionary party.

Alcianne rushed towards them.

“Orodan! Destartes! You made it!” she exclaimed. “But where is Adeltaj?”

His silence on the question… was answer enough.

“Orodan… where, where is Adeltaj?” Kuonthus Vexelthun asked, his voice not carrying the usual jovial tone.

“I am sorry…” Orodan muttered. “He met its final attack by himself, he saved us.”

“This… I knew it was a possibility… but…”

Kuonthus’s voice slightly broke as he then immediately turned away and stormed off. His shield dropped and left in the dirt.

Grandmasters had lives that were measured in centuries.

For someone to lose a friendship that lasted for that long… the grief was immeasurable.

For a friendship of that length to end… Orodan had no doubt that the man had left to grieve and deal with his emotions in private.

But there was another person missing from the gathering as well.

“Where’s my mentor?” Orodan sharply asked Alcianne. His voice was deadly serious.

“He’s over there, atop the nearby hill,” Alcianne answered, but whatever she saw on Orodan’s face had her slightly concerned.

The matter he had yet to address, had waited long enough.

Arvayne was atop the hill, staring out into the distance. His greatsword no longer with him as it had been shattered during the fight.

“Enjoying the scenery are you?” Orodan asked venomously.

“A warrior must meditate on the meaning of life after a difficult battle. Especially when his comrades have fallen.”

“That’s it? Just a comrade who’s fallen?” anger was in Orodan’s voice. “Was he not your friend? When I first asked him about Mythical skills in an earlier loop, he never mentioned you or Alcianne Rockwood. I assume he had enough respect to honor your secrecy.”

“Adeltaj was a good warrior… he will be remembered,” Arvayne spoke.

“Is that all you can think of Arvayne Firesword?” Orodan asked, and then broached the real topic. “Or should I say Agathor? Because that’s who I feel like I’ve been speaking to ever since two weeks ago.”

“I do not know what you mean boy.”

“Well if you don’t know what I mean, then I’ll just have to draw out the God who does.”

Mentally altered as he may have been, Arvayne understood the implicit challenge.

The Flash Strike from Orodan whose speed and momentum carried them both well outside of Jerestir to avoid the collateral damage, began the fight.

Arvayne returned with an all out and ruthless assault which lacked any of the softness or training focused guidance the old man would normally have in their spars.

And Orodan met it with an Endless Blitz combined with All-Strikes.

His own body was savaged by his soul energy, the combination was brutally expensive. But his new healing skill allowed him a higher ceiling of how much he could use at once. It was worth it, seeing Arvayne being pushed back in an exchange of blows.

He also usually held back on using certain skills like Vitality Black Hole and Vitality Destruction against the old man.

There were no such compunctions any longer.

Orodan would say Arvayne still held the advantage, even with the improvements he had made.

Return punches and brutal strength fueled the old man’s return assault. But Unassailable Fortress made a large difference compared to the mere simultaneous usage of the previous combinatory skills.

Most importantly, this was an Arvayne Firesword without his trademark greatsword.

Even if Orodan didn’t have his own weapons as they had been utterly destroyed over the course of fighting the vampire, he was still proficient enough in fighting to maintain a mostly similar level of prowess.

Arvayne wasn’t as focused on Unarmed Combat Mastery in comparison.

They exchanged blows in a furious melee that destroyed many miles of land around them.

The deadly exchange of calamitous blows between the two warriors continued for another ten seconds.

Until finally there was a familiar opening.

Orodan launched an All-Strike high, for Arvayne’s face.

The man blocked the attack, only for Orodan to launch a Draconic Mana Channeled Flare right into his face at point blank range.

The damage wasn’t overly much…

…but the visibility obscuration was.

Orodan came in low for a double leg takedown, empowering it with everything he had. Arvayne Firesword was brought to the ground.

That it worked at all, further cemented Orodan’s suspicions.

“If it was really you in there, this wouldn’t have worked a second time!” Orodan roared as he got on top and began a savage ground and pound like he did last time.

Except this time it was empowered by Endless Blitz, and the blows were All-Strikes.

Four of himself launched Endless Blitz upon the old man underneath, and Arvayne Firesword looked to be in dire straits as his face was getting pounded in.

Arvayne once mentioned that Orodan had a small chance of beating him.

Orodan had now grown strong enough to turn that small chance into a bigger one.

“He was your friend, and all you have to say is that he was a good warrior?!” Orodan roared as he continued giving the imposter a beating. “He gave his own life to save mine and was the only other person who knew about my situation, and that’s all you have to say?!”

“Orodan… Adeltaj… he was…”

The savage beating stopped for a moment, as Orodan could see Arvayne Firesword’s eyes watering. The old man struggled, as though he was remembering something.

But then…

…a subtle glow emanated from his eyes.

And a headbutt was the last thing Orodan saw before his headless body was sent flying off.

Orodan reformed and got to his feet.

Before him stood Agathor.

“I was wondering when you would show up. I see me beating up your Chosen fair and square has drawn your attention,” Orodan pointedly said. “What have you done to my mentor?”

“Insolent. A whelp should not make demands of a God, talented as you may be. What I do with my Chosen, is my concern.”

“Well, if you’re trying to Bless me… you’re certainly going about this the wrong way,” Orodan spat. “Why would I want to become your Chosen after you’ve stolen any free agency the old man had.”

“I have stolen nothing. Only gifted him the correct mindset a warrior should have. You should be familiar, you have such a disposition don’t you? Killing a boy over stale jerky when you were but a child? Your hands were stained with blood before you even met me and before you were caught in this time loop.”

“And robbing him of his free will is a part of your gift?” Orodan asked in a derisive tone. He had no love for Gods and Goddesses who attempted to subvert the free agency of mortals. He hated Ilyatana for the same reason he was now feeling alienated from Agathor.

“You would not understand… in time you might. Take some time and think on things Orodan Wainwright. Your potential is limitless. The eternal glory we could claim together… would be unprecedented.”

“That’s it? You extend me an offer and don’t address my concerns?” Orodan asked. “I don’t want a third Blessing from you.”

“We shall see.”

That was all Agathor said before he turned away and flew off into the distance in a blazing comet of red glory. He took the body of his mentor with him, but what could Orodan do?

He couldn't fight a Chosen One Avatar yet.

He clenched his fist and resolved, that he would get strong enough to get Arvayne Firesword out of the God of War’s control one loop.

He returned to Jerestir and avoided talking to anyone else, instead opting to simply pick up Kuonthus’s shield that he had dropped.

For now… there were respects to pay.

---

Orodan could see why Adeltaj liked this clearing.

The trees were oddly sharp and pointy seeming, and the way the sun shone over them… it looked profoundly like the light blazing upon a spear’s tip.

Or halberd in Adeltaj’s case.

“In his final moments, he broke through the bottleneck. He achieved level 100 in Phoenix Thrust,” Orodan remarked to the man beside him. “He was a true warrior… and a great teacher.”

“Yes… Adeltaj was always an incredibly talented man. I looked up to him like an older brother,” the shield-Grandmaster said. “Achieving Grandmastery by the age of five-hundred was quite prodigious. And to discover he reached dual-Grandmastery at his final age of seven-hundred? It makes me proud. He has been exceeding expectations ever since he accompanied the Quest-bearer to slay that worm many years ago.”

Orodan knew that the loops would reset everything. That Adeltaj would come back.

But it didn’t stop the emotions he was feeling.

The man had given his life to save Orodan.

It was an experience he never wanted repeated again.

Adeltaj was his first real teacher who guided him to Guzuhar, and then advised he enter an academy.

When Orodan was floundering like a fish and attempting to escape a meddling Goddess of Fate, it was Adeltaj Simarji who gave him direction.

Orodan resolved to himself, that he would help the old halberd-Grandmaster achieve dual-Grandmastery without having to die against a horror in the depths of the energy well.

From what he understood, he needn’t be concerned about the vampire climbing up. Monstrous creatures from too far below the depths couldn’t just climb out at will. If that was the case, there would have been many more civilization collapsing events in the world’s history.

That vampire though… its words implied that the ascent of the Void Horror might have been caused by delving too deep. Perhaps there was something that could trigger a being to rise from underneath?

Either way, that was a question for a later loop.

As much as he wanted to immediately return and death grind against the vampire… there was still much to do in this loop.

Orodan and Kuonthus sat in silent respect in the clearing as they both paid respects to the memory of Adeltaj Simarji.

Soon, they left.

The clearing was always well looked after from that point forward.

In the following days, anyone who attempted to bully House Simarji due to the loss of their ancestral Grandmaster would often be met with severe beatings that left them thoroughly traumatized. It was implicitly understood that the loss of Adeltaj Simarji didn’t mean the house was easy pickings as the target of strong-arming.

House Simarji’s ventures were also quite successful with the backing of someone stronger than Adeltaj himself.

Heredin Aeronsul’s faction once tried sending a Grandmaster to ‘persuade’ the house to accept an unfavorable trade deal with the Cathedral.

Varna Altamari was ‘persuaded’ to return empty handed with a few more bruises than she would have liked. And the reminder that House Simarji still had friends.

Orodan Wainwright would not allow anyone to harm the house of his first teacher in the man’s absence.

---

The energy well venture was partially successful.

The shaft was secured and colonized up to a certain point, with an incredibly heavy military force present within to prevent monsters from the depths burrowing towards the shaft from underground.

Due to the energy well, Jerestir soon had the same sort of defenses that Anthus had.

Over the span of a week, it had become an important town of the Republic.

House Firesword’s wealth skyrocketed due to the income and commerce from the increased traffic and investments. The rare resources from the energy well also greatly contributed to the Republic’s economy, as there were rumors of ambassadors from the elven continent coming by to negotiate trade deals.

With the discovery, the Republic now had two energy wells, bringing its wealth and power as a nation up considerably.

The Novarrians had three, the Eastern Kingdoms together had four, and now the Republic was getting up there.

For Orodan, such concerns were far away however.

He still had four more months left before the descent of the Eldritch Avatar, and his mentor Arvayne Firesword was under the influence of a God of War he wasn’t on great terms with.

But… there were other sources of teaching he still had.

The dragons were one, as was the mysterious Destartes who was doing quite well despite having not a single Blessing. Orodan learned that the man was actually the most powerful mage in the Republic.

No wonder he was leading the expedition alongside Alcianne Rockwood.

And speaking of her… perhaps it was time to reach out to the Chosen of Halor about that offer of hers.