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by Little Merger

intro chaps

3. Dimensional descent 1-42

The Third Dimension is collapsing. The Fourth Dimension is descending. First it seemed that only technology would evolve, but who knew the world itself could too? It wasn't as simple as climate change or tectonic movement. No, the fundamental laws of physics that governed everything were changing. Leonel was fairly lucky. His family was decently well off, his father loved him enough to brew vomit inducing nutrient rich smoothies every morning, and this was both the day of the National Championship and his 521st confession to his dream girl, Aina. As his father always said, nothing was more important than respect and persistence. Unfortunately, everything changed that night. At the after party of ages, the world reached a saturation point and an apocalypse descended. Abilities awakened. Sub-Dimensional Zones opened. Invalids rampaged through the Earth like a virus... Those who could evolve would have a slim chance for survival. Those who couldn't would die. This novel will be a unique spin on the dungeon/system genre. Dungeons won't be dungeons and the system won't be a system...

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Dimensional Descent #Chapter 1 - Leonel Morales - Read Dimensional Descent Chapter 1 - Leonel Morales Online - All Page - Novel Bin

Leonel barreled down a set of spiraling stairs. With a leap, he cleared the railing, foregoing the last of the steps to land in a living room. Jumping over a couch, he rounded a corner into the kitchen to snatch a bottle of foul green liquid.

"Thanks for the daily dose of cow shit, dad. Really appreciate it."

A middle-aged man looked up from his tablet, pushing his glasses up with a couple fingers. He was lounging behind the large glass doors that opened from the living room into the backyard when his son's usual defamatory statements entered his ears.

"In another rush toward failure?"

"I'll succeed this time!"

Instead of launching himself out the front door, Leonel actually made his way back up the set of spiraled stairs.

"That's what you said the last over hundred times."

Leonel didn't wait for his father's next sarcastic statement. He pushed opened the attic doors and swung himself out of the three-story high triangular windows. His actions looked no different from an attempt at suicide, but his hand just barely caught the ledge, swinging himself upward to latch onto a weakening water drainage pipe.

Like a spry monkey, the plastic lid connector of his bottle hanging from his teeth, he climbed to the roof, landing on the angled tiles with a practiced ease.

[Subject: Leonel Morales]

[Infraction Code 118.67.2 - Unauthorized scaling of a residential building. Under the Parkour and Freerunning Act of 2034, this is classified as a Type 1 Misdemeanor]

[It is advised that subject Leonel Morales immediately cease illegal activity to avoid charges]

Leonel ignored the beeping female voice emitting from his wrist, his eyes having locked onto his next target.

The suburb Leonel and his father lived in was decently well off and could be considered a part of the upper middle class. However, the location of their home could only be described as odd. Or, rather, the entire suburb community was out of expectations.

The community existed on a large flying platform that orbited a main city below like the Moon did the Earth. These so-called Floating Paradises acted as a solution to the housing crisis of 2066, effectively fixing the problem by creating more surface area for housing.

Nowadays, only the obscenely wealthy could live on the surface. Leonel's destination happened to be this lofty surface world. Though, while most who lived on these Floating Paradises could only catch a glimpse from time to time, Leonel traveled down almost everyday.

'… 17 seconds.'

Leonel crouched on his home's roof. His and his father's home happened to be at the very edge of the Floating Paradise. Of course, there were several safety measures taken. But, that wouldn't stop Leonel.

Despite his vantage point, he couldn't see the backyard his father had been sitting in. In fact, his home looked completely empty from the outside due to a privacy setting.

He swung his head back, taking a big swing of his dad's green concoction. In that moment, not only did his tongue seemingly light on fire, but even his lungs burned. One would think he was breathing in a raging fire's smoke instead of drinking a smoothie.

"Agh… Really outdid yourself this time, old man."

Leonel suddenly took a leap. At first, it seemed that he wouldn't make it very far. He'd fall three stories and come out with a broken leg if he was lucky.

However, that was when a sudden gust of wind crashed into his body. If it wasn't for its sturdy straps, the backpack to his back would have been flung off entirely.

A fierce WHOOSH filled Leonel's ears as he was taken into the skies.

His arms and legs spread out, a refreshing smile playing his features as though he didn't realize that he looked no different from a madman to any sane observer.

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He was a lone man above the clouds, free falling without a care in the world. His clothes whipped against his own body, revealing a hidden toned torso.

When it seemed that Leonel would be falling hundreds of meters to the surface below, his body tucked and rolled, bursting through a layer of white clouds that spritzed a refreshing dew across his face. His last bit of fatigue vanished without a thought.

With a dull thump, he rolled across the hard ground. It only took a moment to realize that this wasn't in fact the ground at all, but rather the very top of a sky scraper that seemed to hold up the clouds.

"Perfect score." Leonel grinned, praising himself.

[Infraction Code 213.13.1 - Unauthorized entry to the surface. Under the Sky Island Act of 2071, this is classified as a Type 7 Felony]

[Subject Leonel Morales, 17, has been targeted for capture. It is advised that subject remain where they are to avoid added charges]

[Subject classified as a minor. Guardian Velasco Morales has been contacted]

[Error. Communication failure. Attempting reboot]

Leonel's grin widened. Having a retired Tier 5 government official as a father had its perks. For example, any crimes linked to a retiree of such prestige was directly handled by the Bureau of Intelligence and Protection, or BIP for short.

Since Leonel was a minor, all of his crimes were forwarded to his father to be vetted by BIP. With his father's name at his back, small crimes like this were directly ignored. Unfortunately, though, his eighteenth birthday was coming up soon.

Leonel popped up, grabbing a silver framed bicycle hidden in a corner. He leapt from the building's side, swinging his bike's seat between his legs just as he firmly landed on a cylindrical glass structure attached to the side of the skyscraper.

Due to the suffocating lack of space and the obscene price per square footage, almost every building on the surface was interconnected in some way. The skies were filled with glass tunnels, towering structures were sometimes no more than a meter or two apart, and personal vehicles were incredibly rare even for the rich who could afford to live here.

"Get to school the normal way, boy!"

Leonel's laughter rang out as though there wasn't a several hundred meter drop beneath him.

"Screw off, Lenny. I'll start taking the tube the moment you agree to pay those ridiculous fees for me."

"My name isn't Lenny!"

Leonel pedaled away to duck away from the old man's next round of nagging. He still didn't know how the old man always managed to know when he arrived and also had no idea where his voice was being projected from either, but he could only assume that he was sulking behind one of those one-way viewing windows.

Streaking across the high rises of the surface city, Leonel sped through the dense metal forest far faster than many thought possible. Eventually, the tall skyscrapers began to shorten and Leonel had no choice but to change his tactics lest he get caught by some busybodies.

Finding his usual back alley, he dropped three or so meters as a time, hopping his bike from glass tunnel to balcony to light post before eventually landing on the ground.

He took his backpack from his back, pulling out a pair of grey slacks, a recently pressed white shirt, and a navy blue blazer.

He quickly stripped himself of his sports wear. After leaning a mirror the size of a piece of paper again a large garbage disposal bin, he slicked his hair back with his accumulated sweat.

"Refresh."

A UV light swept over Leonel's body. In a flash, his accumulating body odor was killed off, replaced by a neutral, refreshing scent.

In a moment, he had put on his grey pleated pants, buttoned up his shirt, and slid on his blue blazer. After putting on his bag, he stood up to his full height of 6'3".

He smiled toward his propped up mirror. It wasn't because he was overly satisfied with his own appearance, though he could be considered to be quite handsome. Rather, he was testing to see which smile came off the most charming.

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His skin was a tanned bronze, his short hair swept freely in the wind with its dirty blond almost amber color, and his eyes were a pale green.

Leonel was not only tall and toned, but his frame was both lean and well-built. Despite this, he had a kind and inviting disposition. His presence made others feel comfortable. Ñ00vl--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

In truth, if others knew he was practicing his smile, they'd think he was crazy. He was more than charming enough, was there a need to practice anymore?

Surprisingly, almost an hour ticked by before Leonel's watch beeped once more. Realizing he would be running late if he wasted anymore time, he hopped on his bike. But, his pace was much slower this time, not wanting to ruin his effort by sweating once more.

He didn't have long to go. The streets leading to his school were nothing like the congested communities he had passed through before. It was like entering a whole new world.

There was greenery all around, ancient trees vibrantly recovering from the winter months, and winding paths that led to beautiful architectural feats.

This place was the third ranked academy on Earth, a prestigious place only for the elites of the younger generation — Royal Blue Academy.

"Leo!"

"Good luck!"

"We have bets on you succeeding this time!"

Leonel grinned as he passed by a few groups of students preparing to head to their classes, waving in acknowledgment.

Soon, Leonel's gaze landed on a massive dome-like building. It stretched hundreds of meters in every direction and had several entrances just from the front.

Even among Royal Blue Academy students, there were different separations. To be able to step into this building, only the highest ranked seniors could do so.

However, even with such a masterpiece before him, Leonel's view was completely filled with the sight of just one young lady standing near the top of a wide set of white marble stairs.

She looked like a dainty fairy descended from the skies. Her long, flowing black hair gently waved in the wind, only resting at the small of her back every so often. Her eyes were a warm amber that bordered on gold, making her seem like a goddess separated from the world.

A small group of friends stood around her. Their banter caused her to smile a shy smile that gripped Leonel's heart and refused to let go.

When she looked up and met Leonel's gaze, he felt that the entire world aside from her had turned various shades of white.

Her delicate tanned yet fair skin, the small slope of her nose, the way the wind gently caressed her thigh-length dress, revealing the curves she so modestly hid.

Though not an inch over 5'7", she had a presence that captivated the world, one larger than even Leonel himself believed he had.

The young fairy blushed profusely when she saw that it was Leonel, a crimson tide waded from her slender collarbone and up her neck, coating her soft cheeks.

"Aina…" Leonel's voice was powerful and filled with emotion as though this was the very first time he was doing this.

"Ah, he's here again." One of Aina's friends teased.

"Stop enabling him." A fiercer friend rebutted. "Poor Aina has been getting harassed to death by him for the last four years. Get lost!"

Leonel seemed used to this good-cop, bad-cop routine. But the truth was he couldn't even see or hear them. His senses were incomparably focused.

"I won't stop until I have a real answer from you." Leonel's gaze burned. In that moment, his pale green eyes seemed to gain a new light, becoming a green more vibrant than even the trees around him. "I must be your man. Will you have me?"

The surrounding students all simultaneously stopped as though collectively holding their breaths.

Aina's cheeks grew several shades of red darker, almost becoming as ripe as a tomato. Her small lips trembled before she turned and ran up the steps, disappearing into the Academy halls.

Leonel gained another glare from Aina's fierce friend before she and the much kinder young lady rushed after the embarrassed Aina.

In the end, Leonel could only sigh. Seemed that today was yet another failure.

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Leonel's depressed mood didn't last for long. Soon we was smiling as though nothing had happened.

At that moment, an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Considering how easily the culprit had done so, it was obvious that he was even taller than Leonel.

"Another failure, how many is that already? 520?"

"521." Leonel muttered.

"Almost every school day since first-year, huh?"

The culprit laughed, leading Leonel up the stairs.

"There are too many young noble women looking to get into the good books of the 3021st bachelor of the Eligible Minor list. Yet you've been solely focused on one girl for four years, think of all the hearts breaking across the world."

Leonel laughed. "James, when you have to say such a large number, it makes the accomplish ring hollow, don't you think?"

It was quite funny. It was nice to be ranked, but being told that there were 3020 men better than him didn't exactly have a nice ring to it. Plus, this was just the Eligible Minor list, once he turned 18, he might not rank on the true Eligible Bachelor list at all. NvεlB¡n: A Haven for Bookworms and Dreamers.

More depressing than that was the fact there were several snotty-nosed brats no more than 13 or 14 years old ranked ahead of him.

"Bah, forget that damned list." James spat. "Who knows what perverted grandma ranked a bunch of minors on their eligibility? Load of nonsense."

"Must be nice looking down from on high like that, Mr. 1034th."

James laughed pervertedly, shaking Leonel side to side with his arm.

[Scanning… Security procedures underway]

[Student Leonel Morales recognized]

[Welcome future Five-Star Quarterback]

Leonel heard the usual mechanical voice ringing in his ears. Though he knew no one else could hear it, he still felt a deep disgust whenever he heard this introduction.

"Think about it this way," James continued as they entered the grand hallways of Royal Blue Academy, "There are over three billion people on Earth who are under 18. Half of those are men like us. Yet were in the top percent of a percent of a percent of them.

"You gotta stop chasing after this one girl. There are too many who want you."

"As long as she rejects me, I will leave her alone. But in four years, she's never said a word after one of my confessions. She always just runs off." Leonel swiped his finger under his nose a few times. "It's obvious she likes me."

James was stunned for a moment before bursting into another fit of laughter. It seemed the students were used to his boisterousness because no one batted an eye to his ridiculous laugh.

"I don't know why I waste my words, I know you don't care about these surface things. I should have known nothing would affect your state of mind for the big game."

James pulled his arm from Leonel's shoulder, pounding a fist to the latter's chest.

"Those preppy boys can just wait patiently for their fourth National Championship loss in a row." Leonel grinned, pounding James' chest in return.

Leonel caught a bit of a complex light in his best friend's gaze. James was easily three inches taller than him and had been his partner in crime ever since they entered Royal Blue Junior Academy together. Leonel would never miss something like this, he knew him too well.

"I do have something to talk to you about —."

James' voice was cut off by the ring.

"— Dammit, there's a test today!"

Leonel shook his head as James ran away like a madman, likely trying to find someone he could cheat off of. Without thinking much, he pulled out a binder from his backpack to cram for his own test while he walked to class.

Unfortunately, he and James weren't in the same class. While Leonel ranked third academically across all subjects, James was near the bottom of the barrel. If it wasn't for the fact his Gene Analysis decided that his fateful career was that of a 'Five-Star Tight End', he wouldn't be allowed to enter this building at all.

Royal Blue Academy took these separations very seriously. Due to this, it was already a miracle that Leonel could make it into Senior Class A to begin with.

When Leonel was young, like every other child at the age of three, he took a mandatory Genetic Analysis Examination. Among other things, this test was meant to decide your optimal career path while weighing your benefit to society. This career path would be graded from one to five stars depending on several factors.

Ultimately, a One Star Professional was average. This person wouldn't cause any waves in their career path, but they would be able to stabilize its foundation, allowing the innovators at higher star evaluations to drive progress.

Five Star Professionals were on another level. These were people that would revolutionize their fields. In a single generation, there wouldn't be more than a hundred children with this level of evaluation, and not every profession was guaranteed to birth one either.

It should have been great that Leonel had such an evaluation. He too was a Five Star Professional. The trouble was that he had no interest in joining the National American Football League and becoming a Hall of Fame Quarterback.

People like him were categorized as 'entertainers'. He would be rich and live a great life, but he would never be taken seriously outside of his sport. This was part of the reason he was ranked so lowly on the Eligible Minor list. Many ranked above him were only worth three stars to their professions, but they were still more valued.

Of course, this wasn't the full reason or else James wouldn't be ranked so much higher than he was since he too was an 'entertainer'.

Leonel walked into class just on time. He smiled lightly to greet a few people before burying his head back into his binder of notes.

Though many liked to socialize with Leonel, they could only shake their heads when they noticed their school's star quarterback cramming as he usually did. His personality was really too odd. He had just been confessing his undying love to Aina, yet now he sat right behind her in class as though he didn't know who she was.

At the same time, the shy Aina who blushed whenever she saw Leonel on the steps hardly reacted to his entry into the class either. Could this fated couple be bipolar?

Since those in Senior Class A didn't even total 20, they could be considered quite close knit. They had become quite invested in the Leonel-Aina romance. Unfortunately, the two gave them no food for the soul in class.

"Alright, all books away. The test will start now."

The seemingly normal desks surfaces flickered and became screens. They were designed to block light projection in every direction but the test-taker's own perspective. So, cheating was effectively impossible.

Leonel's amiable gaze completely vanished. It was like he entered a battlefield as the class was filled with his suffocating presence.

By now, the others of Senior Class A had become used to it. After all, they had journeyed up with Leonel from Freshman Class A. But it would be a lie to say they didn't still break out into a cold sweat every time.

It was just a test, was there a need to take it so seriously? They really couldn't understand how Leonel was evaluated as a Five-Star Quarterback instead of a Five-Star General. Even if he was evaluated as a Four-Star General like his father, it would have been a much better use of his talents.

As usual, Leonel finished with blazing speed, only taking half an hour to complete a two-hour test. Without a choice, he pushed up from his desk, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

The rest of the class breathed a sigh of relief. Now they could start taking the test on their own.

"Sorry, teach. I gotta go."

"Don't worry about it, Leo." Ms. Deen, an amiable lady getting on in years, smiled lightly. She was quite fond of this young one. "I know you athletes have a lot on your plate. Go on now."

Leonel was about to jog out of the classroom door when he suddenly thought of something and paused. He looked up to the ceiling and muttered something as though he was gathering strength. With a grit of his teeth, he turned back.

With purposeful steps, he made his way back to Aina who was still focusing on her exam. His finger tapped the metallic watch on her small wrist before she could react. There was a light glow that signaled from his watch to hers.

She sat in a daze for a moment before she looked up and realized it was Leonel. For a moment, she didn't know how to react.

"I know you probably won't go, but I thought I would try anyway." Leonel smiled lightly. His disarming smile seemed to warm the air. "We can celebrate our win tonight together."

Without another word to Aina, Leonel turned and jogged away. Pressing his hands in apology to Ms. Deen for his disruption, he left with an embarrassed smile.

Leonel sprinted out of the building, hopping onto his bike to cut across campus with blazing speed.

Unfortunately, this was the true reason he could only rank third. He never had the time to listen to lectures. With the Information Restriction Act of 2072, knowledge was restricted the further away from the surface world you were.

The government's reasoning was that policing Floating Paradises was difficult, especially the poorest regions that existed the highest in the sky. So, it was impossible to monitor how this 'sensitive' knowledge was being used. Therefore, the government concluded that it should be restricted.

However, when had the reasons governments gave for doing things ever not been bullshit? Even the official reason they gave was so terrible.

In the end, the only time Leonel had to study was the time he spent on the surface world. Otherwise, this oh-so 'useful' watch on his wrist watch would censor his textbooks.

Still, this wasn't the worst of what Leonel had to deal with. In order to enter one of the top three Academies' main campuses, there were extremely strict requirements. One had to be a Three-Star Professional in what were known as the 'Essential Professions', things like engineers or surgeons, or a Four-Star Professional in an 'Auxiliary Profession', careers such as lawyers or business men.

If one wanted to enter the main campus with an 'Expendable Profession' like Leonel's, Five-Star was the minimum.

What did all of this mean? It meant that Leonel was only allowed to enter the same building as Aina based on his credentials as a star quarterback. He had no choice but to follow the athlete recruit's curriculum which was obviously not academically centered.

James' so-called 'test' this morning was only for the basic knowledge every adult should have. Over 80% of his workload was actually evaluated at Royal Blue Academy's state-of-the-art athletic facilities.

The logic was sound. Since his career path had already been decided as a muscle-brained jock, what did he need physics, maths and literature for?

Leonel sped into a massive glass-panned oval-shaped arena. After entering the locker room, he was greeted by the moans of dozens of grown men.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed like a disappointed parent.

""Captain!""

"You're all too embarrassing, I don't want to be your captain anymore."

"Don't be like that, cap. These Four-Star Masseuses have the hands of angels!"

"Come on cap, you gotta try this. They only hire these goddesses for the National Championship game. If you don't take advantage now, you'll have to wait until you get drafted by the NAFL!"

"Well, since you're all so sincerely begging me…"

Soon, Leonel's own moans filled the locker room.

An eruption of boisterous laughter shook the arena's walls. It didn't seem that the biggest game of the year was just a few hours away at all. And why would it? Leonel had led them to victory three times before already, this year would be no different.

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[Don't worry for those who don't understand most of what happens in this chapter. I know American Football isn't exactly an international sport. Rest easy, this is the only chapter the sport will have relevance in :) ]

"Good evening gentleman, I hope we can have a good game today. Everyone knows the stakes, so play free and play safe. Stay within the rules as we don't have to have a problem."

The crowd was deafening. The thumping of feet, the boisterous chants, the heated anticipation boiled in the air, shaking the very stadium they stood within.

The Royal Blue Academy's Royal Stadium sat within a massive glass structure formed of curved triangular panels. It danced with the setting sun beautifully, capturing dark reds and oranges that played across its reflective surfaces.

The green, white-striped football fields were completely empty with the exception of 11 men who stood on the 50-yard line facing one another. Clicking and flashing cameras sounded, trying to capture every moment.

Leonel stood proudly, two of his teammates to either of his sides. He calmly smiled at the arrogant sneers of his long time opponents from Angel Wing Academy, his helmet tucked under his arm.

His football pads and jersey fit on like a knight's armor, glistening a beautiful deep blue. The only exception was the number on his chest which stood out as a bright white. The number 3.

"Here is the coin we will be flipping today." The Head Referee continued to speak, stretching out a beautifully designed coin that was about half the width of his palm. "On one side we have a football decorated with the flag of the fallen American Empire. This will be tails.

"On this side we have the Paradise Palace. It will be heads.

"This coin was designed by a Four-Star Metal Worker. It was given the name 'Uniting'. It represents our Ascension Empire's ability to ingratiate all of its past conquests, leaving a place for all."

The Head Referee allowed the ten players to see both sides.

"Are you prepared to lose?"

A gaze filled with confidence bore down on Leonel. The culprit was a young man with long flowing blond hair. His white jersey was almost blinding under the lights, making one have to squint just to maintain eye contact.

This young man was a Four-Star Quarterback prospect, Conrad Siegfried.

"The result will be just the same as it's always been." Leonel replied faintly.

"You know the drill. Royal Blue, you're the home team. Call it in the air." NvεlB¡n: A Haven for Bookworms and Dreamers.

The Head Referee tossed the coin into the air.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The piercing gazes of two young men met across space, a spinning coin falling slowly between them.

"Tails."

The coin landed with a soft thud on the grass below.

"The result is Tails. Royal Blue, would you like to receive or kick?"

Leonel grinned as though the answer was obvious.

"We receive."

"Angel Wing, pick the direction you'd like to kickoff from."

Conrad casually pointed. He hadn't let Leonel's comments bother him. If it wasn't for Leonel's birth, it would be him who would be the best of this generation. Others would let this fact crush them, but it filled Conrad with a burning desire to win by any means.

Leonel turned, heading back to the sidelines. He grabbed his helmet's face mask, sliding it onto his head like a knight's helm.

In that moment, his aura completely changed. A violent pressure suffocated the Royal Blue sidelines as almost a hundred pairs of gazes landed on Leonel's dark, tinted visor.

Soon, the entire stadium fell into an eerie quiet as Leonel met each one of their gazes head on.

"Respect the game. Persist to the end." Was all Leonel said.

"Respect the game. Persist to the end."

Royal Blue repeated these words as one. The crowd joined in, a torrent of momentum climbing to infinity.

A rush of emotion filled the air, a wild cheering shaking the very ground once more.

"Let's go."

[And here we go again. The fourth year and the fourth National Championship appearance for Five-Star Quarterback Leonel Morales and his Royal Blues. Will it be another victory? Or with the star quarterback end his tenure with the only blemish on his resume?]

[I think we all know the answer to that, Phil. In case you've all forgotten, let me remind you. This is THE greatest quarterback prospect to ever be birthed. This young man was throwing darts in his diapers. He could sleepwalk through this game and still win by 30]

[Don't think we don't know what you're doing, Rick. You're just hoping your Los Angeles Sewer Rats trade up to pick him in the 2198 draft. Well let me break it to you. We have the number one overall pick this year!]

The entertaining commentary of the Phil-Rick duo was in full swing, the liveliness was intoxicating.

[And here it is! The kickoff of the 119th National Championship Game!]

Angel Wing's kicker did a light jog up before unleashing a booming kick that soared through the air, landing out of the back of the end zone for a touch back.

With that, the game had truly begun.

[Here we go, the first play]

[It seems that Coach Owen is really letting Morales have full reign now. Immediately entering a five wide set, not even using a running back]

[Ha! Morales is all the running back they need]

Leonel shifted his gaze from left to right, checking the defense. He could see the vicious gazes of the Angel Wing defensive line. Their middle linebackers gaze locked onto Leonel's. He was a Four-Star Professional in his Junior year. Unfortunately, much like his quarterback, he had been played to death by Leonel for the last two years.

His eyes swiftly met James' as though in tacit agreement.

"Blue 80. BLUE 80. Set. Hut!"

Leonel clapped his hands, his leg slowly raising and setting into position as he accepted the snapped ball.

He glided backward effortlessly. His back leg had hardly planted before he cocked his arm back and released a laser.

[A corner blitz!]

[Morales didn't check the play, he actually threw it directly over the corner's head!]

[James dropped the ball?! That could have been a 20-yard gain! How unlike him]

[Hey…!]

The loud blowing of a whistle sounded.

"Unnecessary roughness. Roughing the passer. Number 21. 15-yard penalty, first down."

Leonel felt that the wind had been knocked out of him. Having opened up his chest to throw the ball, he had been completely blindsided by the blitzing corner. Of course, he had known it was coming, but he couldn't throw and dodge at the same time.

"Gonna be a long night, pretty boy." Number 21 grinned down at Leonel just as another whistle blew.

"Unsportsmanlike conduct. Number 21. 15-yard penalty, first down."

The corner raised his hands in mock defeat, swaggering back to his side of the field.

"You good, cap?"

One of Leonel's offensive lineman helped him up.

"No problem." Leonel said with a cold smile.

The team huddled in.

"Sorry Leo, you took a hit for no reason." James' gaze was filled with shame.

"Don't worry about it, it happens." Leo hit his shoulder pads. "Head up. Didn't we just gain a free 30-yards anyway?

"Since they wanna play games, let's play games. The play goes — Trips right, red under seam, wide out bang. On two, on two. Break!"

The huddle broke, leaving Leonel to jog to the line.

He paused in shotgun, waiting for his team to get set. Usually, he would scan the defense. But this time, his head turned to the right, his gaze piercing toward just one side of the field.

He raised a finger pointing at number 21. He had never seen this player before, so he must have been a freshman. Considering his cockiness, he was most definitely at least a Four-Star recruit. It seemed Leonel would have to teach him to be more obedient.

[Ooooo! He's done it now]

"Blue 21. BLUE 21. Down set. Hut. HUT!"

The whistle blew.

"Offside. Number 21. Five-yard penalty, first down."

[He's toying with the rookie now. You think the little guy thought Leonel would just try to force the ball toward his side of the field? He's too naive. Football is a game of the mind]

[Excellent use of the hard count to deal with an overaggressive rusher. What is Angel Wing thinking sending a corner blitz twice in a row?]

[From now on, Morales is in control!]

And in control he was. The first drive was no less than a masterclass in timing, accuracy and precision. In just 12 plays and 7:36 minutes, the Royal Blues found the end zone.

[Even with his star tight end having two dropped passes, Morales finds pay dirt, stacking one touchdown to the stat sheet]

The game became a back and forth affair. Though Royal Blue had Leonel and James, not only did James seem to be having a bad game, but Angel Wing had far more Four-Star recruits than they did. Aside from the dynamic duo, Royal Blue was mostly constructed of Three-Star prospects. After all, they were only ranked third of the Academies while Angel Wing was ranked second.

However, Leonel pulled the team from the depths of despair time and time again.

[What a bullet over the middle!]

[Morales is really carrying the load of the offense, but he's taken a lot of hits this game. You have to wonder if it's worth it, he has nothing left to prove at this level of football]

[That's just part of his charm. Would he really be Leonel Morales if he pulled himself out of this game?]

Time ticked and the fourth quarter came around, a score of 35-31 in favor of the Angel Wings hanging on the scoreboard.

"What the hell are you doing out there, Bennett?!" Coach Owen grabbed James' chest pads, fury billowing through his thick mustache. "You choose the biggest game of the year to shit the bed?!"

James' head hung low.

"I get it." Coach Owen took a step back. "You've already won three times, this game is probably meaningless to you already. But think of your juniors. This may very well be their only opportunity in their lifetimes."

"Coach, that's…" James wanted to defend himself, his gaze flickering with a complex light.

He simply couldn't find the courage to do so. He already had five dropped passes this game alone. That may be as many as his whole academy career from the start to now. He really was playing out of character.

Leonel came over with a smile. In truth, if one ignored the happy expression on his face, it would be easy to see the kind of sorry state he was in. He had already been forced to tape up his ribs at half time after yet another late hit.

"Come on coach, you know he'll step up when it really counts. If we didn't keep this game a bit close, wouldn't the crowd be too bored?"

The sound of a whistle came from the field. The Angel Wings kicked off, leaving the ball in their possession for a final drive, 1:15 sitting on the clock.

"Isn't this what we live for?" Leonel's grin sent a wave of calm through the sidelines. "Let's go win this."

Leonel slid on his helmet. Like a general leading his army, he stepped out onto the field, his mind incomparably focused.

[And here we go. Scoot up to the edge of your seats everyone, this is the final drive to decide it all!]

[A nice and easy run on first down. It's clear the Royal Blues are taking their time, settling the pace, looking to end it on their own terms]

[Excellent timing on that out route. 87's been a key piece with Bennett's down game. He may only be a Three Star prospect, but he's stepped up big today]

[0:47 on the clock and the Royal Blues are already at midfield. Morales has them running like a finely tuned engine]

[Oh no! 56 whiffs on a block, letting a rusher free!]

[Morales spins out of the tackle, rushing to his right]

[A work of art, nothing less! A slight flick of the wrist to send the flying 40-yards right between the numbers]

[87 tip toes out of bounds at the opponent's 6!]

[0:03 on the clock, my blood is boiling! Can they do it, can they seal their dynasty with a victory?!]

"This is it boys, leave it all out there. Respect the game. Persist to the end." Leonel's gaze blazed. "Alright. Z personnel, Y boot swing over, motion zig fade. On one, on one. Break!"

Leonel walked to the line, his heart as calm as a lake. The blaring cheers of the rocking stadium, the countless flashing cameras, the sea of white uniformed enemies glaring at him like a piece of meat… It all rolled off his shoulders as though they weren't there at all.

With a light smile, Leonel turned his head to the right of the field, his arm slowly raising to point at a familiar freshman.

[It can't be! Morales is doing it again!]

[Ahaha! This is the spirit of the game! To call out your opponent on the final play, what guts, what imposing grandeur!]

"Blue 21. BLUE 21. Down set. HUT!"

The ball spiraled through the Royal Blues' center's legs, hitting Leonel's palms perfectly.

[It's a designed boot to the right! The Royal Blues really are targeting the rookie this time!]

[The rookie slipped up! He thought Morales was going to hit him with the hard count again and got caught flat footed! There goes Bennett, sliding past him for the corner fade!]

[Morales sees him! This is it, Bennett is wide open!]

Leonel rolled to the side, the football between both his hands. The Royal Blues hadn't run a single designed boot all game, the defense was caught completely off guard. By the time they realized what was happening, Leonel was practically alone on the right side of the field. The only others with him were the rookie, 21, and James who had faded to the corner of the endzone.

The rookie was caught in no man's land. He had no idea whether he should rush after James, or if he should try to get a hit in on Leonel, ending the game.

In the end, he rushed forward. He knew it was already too late to catch up to James, but maybe he had a chance at Leonel who was rushing toward him. Unfortunately… Leonel smirked. With a flick of his wrist, the ball soared over 21's head, landing right in James' hands.

[Morales does it again! Royal Blues W—]

The deafening crowd fell into an eerie silence as the ball slipped through James' hands and the clock hit triple zeros.

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James grabbed his helmet with both hands, dropping to his knees in despair. At a time like this, Leonel could only sigh.

However, under the silence of the arena, a resounding boom of two clashing bodies sounded.

Leonel grimaced, feeling his already fractured ribs break cleanly as his vision was filled with sights of the moon above.

It was then a loud whistle blew through the silence.

"Unnecessary roughness, roughing the passer, number 21. Half the distance to the goal, still first down."

Leonel landed heavily on the ground, grasping at his chest with his eyes squinting in pain.

The rookie stood over him in shock. At first, he had let his frustration get the best of him. He had never for a moment thought that James would drop such an easy layup of a pass, so he unleashed everything he had on Leonel, knowing they would lose the game. Never did he think that his actions would give the Royal Blues another chance with zero seconds on the clock.

The medics rushed onto the field. Despite the Royal Blues gaining new life, the stadium still remained silent. The sight of Leonel writhing in pain made many send furious gazes toward the rookie and James.

"Bennett, get the hell off the field! Rook, you're in."

Coach Owen coldly benched his Five-Star prospect. He didn't know what was wrong with James today, but he was clearly in his own head too much. It was impossible to use him for this final play.

The medics quickly lifted Leonel's jersey, undoing the bandage wraps from the first half to reveal ghastly purple and green bruises. It was simply impossible for a bruise to spread so quickly. The only explanation was that Leonel had suffered this injury very early on in the game.

"Don't." Leonel grabbed the hand of the middle-aged male medic who tried to take his pads off. "There's just one play left, I got it."

Coach Owen who had rushed onto the field frowned deeply, his arms crossed over his well-built chest and his mustache billowing.

The team stood around Leonel's slowly rising figure, solemn expressions on their faces. They knew that everyone made mistakes, but at the moment, they were having a really hard time forgiving James.

"What are you all pouting for? An injury timeout doesn't last forever, let's do this. Line up!"

Seeing Leonel's resolute attitude, the medics and Coach Owen had no choice but to jog off the field under the silence of the crowd. In those moments, the heavy breathing of the players who stood on their last legs was all that remained hanging in the air.

Leonel's fiery gaze lit a fire under them all, filling them with a strength they didn't know they had.

On the sidelines, Conrad looked on with a gloomy expression. Victory had been in his grasp, yet it slipped away, just like that.

Leonel slapped his hands together, standing behind his offensive line as though he wasn't injured at all.

"Blue 80. BLUE 80. Down set, HUT!"

Leonel sat in the locker room breathing heavily. The sounds of celebration surrounded him, causing a light smile to play his handsome features. Who knew how they did it, but the guys managed to get their hands on a few dozen champaign bottles. Their wrist watches were probably beeping away with talks of the Underage Drinking Code. Discover, Devour, Delight: NvεlB¡n.

Unfortunately, he couldn't take part too actively. Though he could forcibly ignore his pain if need be as he did on the final game winning play, it was probably best he didn't move too actively, lest his ribs puncture his lungs.

"Stop moaning and groaning, cap. You're not getting out of partying tonight!"

One of Leonel's O-lineman, Three-Star Center Milan Inga, slapped his shoulder without regard for his grimace. He swung back a flask of vodka, his massive fat covered body somehow appearing ripped of muscle at the same time.

"Oof, I already promised I'd come. No need to kill me first."

The guys laughed, hopping in the showers one after another.

Leonel gingerly took off his sweaty pads and undergarments, taking his time. He planned on hopping into the showers last. Although he was pretty certain that Aina wouldn't come, he still had to put his best foot forward just in case. Luckily, he had already prepared a decent outfit. It wasn't as flashy as what those rich boys could bring out, but he was still happy with it.

'I'll probably have to have one of the medics re-bandage this for me.' Leonel thought to himself.

Hearing a sudden plop by his side, Leonel turned from his locker to see his coach half dozing off, a strong scent of alcohol leaking from his mouth.

Leonel laughed. "Coach, you're gonna get yourself fired going around like this."

"Bah, fuck those preppy pricks." Coach Owen tipped his flask up as though mockingly toasting the very people he insulted. Leonel almost didn't understand his slurring words.

"Look at you, how embarrassing. You get like this every year."

"What's it to you? You're gone after this time anyway, off to the bright lights of the NAFL. This old man will just stay in his little town."

"Pft." Leonel couldn't hold back his laugh. "You're the coach of the best Academy football program on Union Continent. Your salary is enough to retire now and live a life of luxury until you finish putting that other foot in the grave."

Usually, Coach Owen's mustache would blow and he'd have another witty comeback waiting for Leonel. But this time, his response was completely unexpected.

"… Thanks for choosing Royal Blue, kid."

Leonel was stunned silent for a moment. He very well could have chosen Angel Wing, allowing him to attend the second ranked Academy. But, he chose Royal Blue because he liked Coach Owen's straight forward personality. As for the first ranked Academy, they didn't have a football program, seeing the entertainment path as something beneath them.

In the end, Leonel smiled lightly. "Don't thank me, thank that dead rat on your lip. If not for how fun it is to poke fun at it, I would have never come here."

Coach Owen laughed uproariously, slapping Leonel's back even harder than Milan had.

"Finish drinking that green vomit your old man gave you, kid."

Ignoring Leonel's grimace of pain, Coach Owen walked away.

"… Enjoy it while you can…"

Leonel was too busy trying to calm his pain with ice to hear Coach Owen's last words. But, they were never intended for him to hear to begin with.

After his pain pangs slowly faded, Leonel dug through his locker to find his black bag. Pulling a familiar bottle of green sludge out.

As far as Leonel knew, his father worked in a government division that focused on nutrition and enhanced nutritional supplements. The Ascension Empire believed that while their technology advanced rapidly, the human condition lagged behind. So this unnamed division worked toward maximizing human potential with food.

This gross concoction was one of his father's creations. According to his Gene Assessment, he was slotted in to grow to six feet tall. But, after drinking this poison everyday, he superseded that by three inches and might very well gain another inch or two by the time he reached his twenties.

Of course, Leonel's father was actually a Four-Star General. He only went on to work in this unnamed division after he retired from military service. Then he proceeded to retire once more from said division.

After chugging what remained of the bottle, a familiar scorching pain seared Leonel's chest. But, at the very least, his aching ribs dulled down a bit. It would probably take a normal person about two months to heal, but Leonel would only need about three weeks.

Time ticked by and Leonel was finally the only one remaining. Though he could have used the 'Refresh' ability of his watch, he preferred taking a shower as did most people. There was just something about it that felt cleaner.

Taking his time, he scrubbed every inch of his body before walking out with a towel around his waist and one hanging loosely over his head. Slightly obscured with a pattern of green, purple and brown bruises, his torso rippled beneath the heated steam.

Leonel rubbed the towel through his hair, wincing as he struggled to keep his arms above his head.

Reaching into his locker, he put on a pair of deep blue jeans, a skin-tight white turtle-neck sweater, and draped over a long black trench coat.

'It's only 8 pm right now, dad won't kill me too much if I'm home by midnight…'

Leonel slung his backpack over his shoulder. But the moment he turned, his footsteps stopped.

"What are you moping around for?" Leonel smiled toward James.

"I…"

"If it's a struggle for you to tell me, then just don't tell me. There's no need for you to be sorry, that rookie would have hit me like that whether you caught the ball or not."

"…"

For a while James didn't know what to say. But, he didn't move out of the way of the door either.

"… You knew you would get the unnecessary roughness call, right?"

Leonel's smile dimmed a bit, but he didn't respond.

"I know you too well. You don't like to lose, but you're too soft-hearted to call me out on my bullshit too. So, you'd find a way to protect our friendship and ignore it, all while winning the big game anyway. Am I right?"

Leonel sighed. "Is there really a need to know the answer?"

"Of course there is!" James' voice rose. "If you knew I needed your help, why couldn't you just lose this one time?! This is just a game, isn't it? You've already won three times, did you really need to win for a fourth? You don't even want to be a quarterback!"

Leonel's gaze narrowed. "Whether I want to or not is irrelevant. In everything that you do —."

"I already know! I've heard it a million times. Respect and persistence. Respecting this garbage hand you were dealt, you're definitely the first. Congratulations!"

Leonel's eyes flickered with a hint of sadness.

"James, why are you being like this? You didn't even try to talk to me beforehand, we could have come up with a solution together. Did you think using being late to class as an excuse was enough?"

James' expression rapidly changed, flaring with anger, then shame, then finally, capitulation.

"… I'm sorry. I lost my cool. There are just some things that… Never mind. It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done."

James shook his head, recollecting himself.

Turning away, James reached for the door. After a pause, he turned back with a bright smile as though nothing had happened.

"Come on, all your adoring fans are waiting outside to crucify me. The party's going down in Blue North Dormitory. We gotta get there before all the booze's gone."

Before Leonel could respond, James ripped open the door, unleashing a sound wave of flashing cameras and the shrieks of groupies.

In the NAFL, reporters were allowed into the locker rooms. But, since they were minors and the bigwigs were worried about optics, they were forced to wait outside at the Academy level.

At the same time, Royal Blue Academy's campus was usually locked down from outsiders, but there were rare occasions like today where those who paid obscene amounts of money or had appropriate connections could come.

Like this, Leonel was forced to wade through a sea of reporters and fan girls with a bitter smile on his face, James' sinister laugh sounding off in the distance as he ran away.

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It wasn't until at least half an hour later that Leonel managed to slip away from all the onslaught of questions. Since he was pretty much locked in to the first overall pick in the coming months, it was no wonder he was being hounded like this. That said, just because he understood, didn't mean he liked it.

'Dammit, I'm late. I don't want Aina to misunderstand…'

Leonel pedaled madly across campus, his silver bike streaking like a comet across the skies.

About five minutes later, he finally made it to the Northern Dormitories. Since there were too many outsiders on campus today, he clicked a hidden button on his bike's frame, causing it to fold in on itself and becoming a silver rod about two meters long. In the end, it further collapsed, splitting into four pieces that neatly fit into his bag.

The blaring of music could be heard even from Leonel's distance away. He hadn't even entered the apartment-style building yet, but the sounds of clattering glass, laughter and club music was impossible to miss already.

Blue North Dormitory was the male boarding house of the Northern Dormitories. It had the greatest luxury and accommodation of them as well.

Usually, women wouldn't be allowed anywhere near this place, as their dorms were located in the south. But, nearing the end of Senior year, there was an unspoken rule among supervisors to let some of these things slide. At the very least, Leonel could see many of these blooming beauties through the windows and even strewn around outside, sneaking away with their lovers.

Seeing these sights, Leonel sighed. Would Aina really come to such a place? Maybe he was asking for too much. Thinking to this point, his footsteps couldn't help pause.

These were some of his last chances to capture Aina's heart. If he failed now, who knew when he would see her again?

Aina was a Five-Star Professional. Leonel didn't know of what profession due to certain protections. In order to protect students from being poached and harassed by conglomerates and distracting them from their schooling, this information was usually sealed. Leonel was a special case in that he was an Entertainment Professional. As such, his protections weren't as great.

Considering how high Aina's protections were, she was definitely destined for a very important industry. The only reason Leonel even knew she was Five-Star at all was due to simple coincidence and a slip of the tongue.

Leonel clenched his fists.

How well did he know Aina? What were her hobbies? Her favorite foods? Favorite color?

Leonel didn't know the answers to any of these questions, however he was enamored. There were other women just as beautiful as Aina, some of whom had even tried to deliver themselves into his arms. But there was something about this woman in his heart that overshadowed them all.

'If my profession isn't enough to be by her side, then I'll toss it aside.' Leonel's aura blazed almost like a beacon under the night skies.

Just as Leonel was about to take another step forward, the sound of a crashing window shook him out of his thoughts. The screams of the female students shot across the night sky. However, the blaring music hadn't come to a stop.

Leonel's gaze shot upward to a body half hanging out through a fourth floor window. A young man's lower back scraped along the now jagged windowsill, his body barely being suspended by the hand grasping his collar. However, it was clear that his hand wasn't trying to save him, but was rather likely the reason he was in such a position to begin with. Ñ00vl--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

"James…?"

Leonel didn't wait even a moment. Breaking into a sprint, he tore into the dormitory.

Those who likely didn't know what was happening upstairs due to the loud blaring music tried to greet him, only for him to blow right past, shooting up the stairs.

Leonel reached the fourth floor in a flash. He had completely ignored the screaming pain that ran across his chest and torso. A fall from the fourth floor was no joke.

"Conrad!"

Leonel burst into the fourth floor's lounge room, his voice carrying a biting cold that overshadowed even the music that shook the walls.

The room was quite luxuriously decorated. Soft carpets, a Four Star Chef who stood behind a curved bar nonchalantly as though nothing was happening, and several table games from pool to foosball.

However, Leonel's gaze landed on the very young man he had faced on the field just an hour ago. Four-Star Quarterback Conrad Siegfried.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Leonel's voice simmered, but it was somehow still possible to hear him clearly.

He scanned the room quickly, trying to get a read of the situation. He immediately noticed that there were several members of the Angel Wings here. This in and of itself wasn't a problem, but he had never heard of a losing team joining the winning side's after party like this. What could they be here to do if not cause trouble?

It was then Leonel froze. 'Aina?'

He was stunned. He had really been fully prepared for her not to come, yet she really was here. Not only that, but it seemed like her and her two friends were somehow involved in this scuffle.

Seeing Leonel's genuine happiness the moment his eyes met Aina's, many inadvertently smiled despite the situation. Aina herself blushed and looked away, trying not to meet Leonel's gaze.

"Oh, so she's yours? It's no wonder why this guard dog reacted so furiously to my casual words."

Hearing Conrad's words, Leonel's expression once more became cold. He was smart enough to understand what must have happened.

James was likely here accompanying Aina and her friends knowing that Leonel would be a bit late due to his actions. At some point, Conrad came and tried to make a move on Aina, causing James to lash out.

It seemed that James was a bit too drunk, or else with his size and strength, there was no way Conrad could put him into such a situation.

"Let him go, are you trying to commit a murder with so many people here?"

It was unknown who exactly, but the surround sound system of the fourth floor was turned down to the point only the music from the other floors reverberated through the walls.

The members of the Royal Blues gathered around Leonel without him saying a word. With their leader here, there was nothing that needed to be said.

No matter what, the Angel Wings were outnumbered here. Leonel didn't know what was going on on the other floors, but there were twelve members of his team here and only seven of them.

"So what if I do? Do you think I would be punished for it?" He asked his question teasingly, as though he really wanted Leonel's genuine opinion.

Conrad's response caught Leonel completely off guard. He considered himself to be an intelligent person, but he was completely blindsided.

After considering for a moment, he finally understood. Hadn't he committed a Felony just this morning? And that was just with his father's retired status. What of the Siegfried Family that was powerful enough to make the mere Four-Star Conrad rank higher than Leonel on the Eligible Minor List?

It wasn't that Leonel had never thought of this, it was rather that he never realized that someone could use this loophole to get away with murder. Weren't there limits?

Leonel's crimes were completely innocent and put no one but his own self in danger. But Conrad actually wanted to cause the death of another person for nothing more than an exchange of words?

Leonel fell silent under Conrad's sneer. He didn't notice that from the side, Aina observed him with a slightly curious gaze.

"Alright, drop him then."

Conrad's eyes narrowed. "Do you think I won't?"

"No, I'm certain you would. However, you'll have to face the consequences."

"Consequences?"

Conrad's tension dissipated, a laughter shaking his body. James' body tipped further out the window, nearly disrupting the balance that kept him alive.

"And here I thought the mighty Leonel Morales was intelligent. It seems that you're just a fool."

Leonel expressionlessly watched on as Conrad laughed. Several seconds ticked by before an uncomfortable feeling started to well in the latter's heart. Soon, even the remaining six Angel Wing players felt too stifled to laugh.

"Yes, consequences." Leonel replied plainly. "If you drop my partner from that window, you seven will follow him right after."

Conrad choked on his own breath. Leonel's biting cold gaze pierced through his heart.

"… Do you really think you can say such a thing? Do you know who I am? For just this threat alone, the consequences you speak of are far beyond your wildest imaginations."

As though on cue, a voice once more sounded in Leonel's ear.

[Infraction Code 22.31.4 — Murderous intent detected. Under the Speech Moderation Act of 2034, all manners of Hate Speech and Threats are classified as a Type 9 Misdemeanor]

[It is advised that subject, Leonel Morales, rethink his coming actions. Any murders committed by subject in the next hour will not be considered in self-defense and can only be tried as second and first degree murder]

"I don't particularly care. Drop him." Leonel replied without taking a pause.

Everyone could see the flashing lights of his wrist through the black coat that slightly covered it. The warning red lights only appeared as a warning to bystanders who may get caught up in the coming actions.

He really meant it!

Conrad finally froze.

"I may go to prison for the rest of my life. I may be placed on death row even as a minor. But you seven will be dead, so what chance are you going to get to gloat?"

Those who weren't involved in this sudden clash suddenly felt that their whole worlds were taken over by the sight of Leonel's silhouette.

Leonel was maybe the person with the lowest standing of their Royal Blue Academy. There were others who entered only by their own merits, but none shined as brightly as he did. Yet, in such an elitist society, he had made friends with them all. There hadn't been an occurrence of Leonel being bullied for his background in a very long time.

He was a peer they respected, one who made them forget about how powerful their mothers, fathers, and families were, simply to enjoy his company… Seeing him stick out his neck in this way for a friend regardless of the consequences, it made their eyes redden.

Incredibly moved, several more individuals stepped forward. There were no words spoken, but Conrad went from facing just twelve, to feeling the emotional tidal wave brought forth by almost thirty.

At this moment, Conrad was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he took a step back, he would look weak. But, if he continued along this path… He might really lose his life.

It was then that it happened. Centuries from now, historians would come to know this event as the Dimensional Descent. It was the day that Earth evolved and their plane of existence morphed. It was the day they ceased to be the top of the food chain.

A loud blaring noise cut through their silence and the wall-shaking music of the other floors.

The expressions of everyone present changed, their wrist watches vibrating with several, continuous warnings.

[Warning. Warning. We have entered a Code Red: Class 9 state]

[Warning. Warning. We have entered a Code Red: Class 9 state]

Everyone present knew exactly what this meant.

Code Black. It was the lowest and most normal state. Class 1 was a normal day while Class 9 was used in situations like the spread of a minor virus. At most, the worst death totals would be in the few thousands to tens of thousands.

Code Blue. It was a medium state of alertness. It was usually used during rebellion by one of the Paradise Islands or the Satellite Moon societies. The worst death totals would number in the hundreds of thousands, potentially millions.

Code Red. This was a cataclysmic event. It was a situation where the Ascension Empire's efforts had to be focused on solving the problem as opposed to protecting its citizens. As a result, there would be very few individuals in position to help them…

The death totals would be within the billions. And Class 9 was the highest of them all.

A sudden blinding light streaked across the skies. For a moment, it seemed it was day rather than night.

Everything trembled. The ground, the air, even their bodies as though an inexplicable pressure was bearing down on them.

Gravity seemed to increase by at least 10%. The air grew heavier, a lack of oxygen making those around feel stifled. At the same time, their gazes grew foggy as a dizziness overwhelmed them. It felt as though they had entered an elevator that decelerated far too quickly.

Then, everything shut down. The music, the lights… their wrist watches…

The world fell to darkness.

At that moment, hundreds of Paradise Islands across the planet plummeted from the skies.

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While everyone was distracted, Leonel had already moved, making it to Conrad and James in a few steps and grabbing a side of the latter's collar himself. Another person might have chosen to fight off Conrad first, but Leonel was well aware how foolish such a choice was.

No matter what just happened, securing James' safety came first. No matter what happened between them, James was still his best friend. And, luckily, he had the now darkened lights on his side.

As expected, Conrad wasn't able to react. Seeing that Leonel now had a firm grip on James himself, he could only let go, allowing Leonel to pull James up.

"Leo…?" James' words slurred.

It was only now that Leonel realized James had actually been unconscious. It was likely his head that had smashed the window apart, it wouldn't be surprising if he was diagnosed with a concussion. Coupling that with the fact he was drunk and it was a recipe for disaster.

"Heeey, maaan. You're late, my sister-in-law was waiting on yoouu…"

Leonel sucked in a cold breath through his teeth when James heavily leaned on him. He was really in no shape to be taking on such a burden, but he still carried him out, letting him sit on the couch.

"Chef, do you have any gas burners back there? We need some light." Leonel called out.

The Four-Star Chef who had not said a word even when James' life was on the line finally looked a bit shaken. He didn't seem to know what was going on.

"… Yes… We use a blow torch for the finishing touches of certain dishes…"

He absentmindedly fumbled through the dark, pulling out the draw of a hidden compartment to take the torch he was speaking of. But, before he could think to hand it to Leonel, it happened.

In that few minutes, it felt that the planet would collapse. A cacophony of booms so loud Leonel had no choice but to cover his ears sounded. The earth beneath their feet trembled fiercer, the building swaying wildly from left to right.

It was then that Leonel froze. He didn't need to think to know what was causing this…

The Paradise Islands!

'Dad…'

A bout of worry seized Leonel's chest. No Paradise Islands were allowed to have routes that crossed over important landmarks. The top ten Academies, government buildings, and historical landmarks all fit this description. So, they were safe, for better or worse.

However, Leonel didn't care about his own safety. He was worried about his father.

Higher class Paradise Islands like the ones him and his father lived on had several safety features in case an event just like this one happened, however they weren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. This was especially so considering the scope of this power outage.

The only slight hope was that Leonel and his father lived on a Paradise Island very close to the surface — the closest they could get, in fact. If their island crashed into some of the high rise skyscrapers first, it could slow its descent enough to save his father's life. These skyscrapers were exactly the very last line of defense for these disasters. They were built with this potential cataclysm in mind.

In the end, Leonel could only force his worry down. NvεlB¡n: Transforming Moments into Memories.

If it was a normal power outage caused by some sort of system-wide failure, he would immediately run out of here, even leaving Aina behind. However, before everything happened, their wrist watches had warned of a Class 9 Code Red. It was very obvious that there was nothing normal about this event.

Setting his jaw, Leonel weathered the shaking earth with his hands firmly clasped over his ears. It was lucky that their buildings were built with the highest earthquake technology, or there was no way it would have lasted this long.

The atmosphere became gloomy. Students who could go here didn't think often of the Paradise Islands above their heads. They would occasionally obscure the sun, but no more invasively than the clouds do.

However, this time, with each crashing boom, they became more and more aware that each represented the deaths of countless innocent people.

Completely unprovoked, several began to heave and vomit. A putrid smell filled the fourth floor lobby along with mute sobs almost completely obscured by the vicious torrent of sounds.

Whatever catastrophe the Ascension Empire warned of had yet to even begin, yet billions had already died. What kind of sick joke was this?

A few who managed to keep their bearings looked toward Leonel with unconcealed pity. Even though he had closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, keeping his visage expressionless as he covered his ears, they knew well what he must be feeling.

Some of them were in the same boat. Even if their families were affluent enough to have a home on the surface, not all of them were able to have a home in those protected zones. Their families might very well die by being crushed by those falling Paradise Islands.

Over ten minutes later, the booms finally stopped, the earth still swaying beneath their feet. Maybe it was only now that they had become aware of just how many of those islands hovered above their heads… of just how many lives they hadn't even cared for to now.

When they did, Leonel began to work as though nothing had happened. He carefully took James' shirt off, being mindful to support his head.

As expected, not only did James have a concussion, but the remnant shards of glass on the bottom ledge of the windowsill had left deep gashes to his lower back.

Accepting the blow torch from the Four-Star Chef, Leonel borrowed a few scented candles from a resident of the dorm and lit them, finally giving them a semblance of light.

Leonel wasn't a medic, but he had taken a few first-aid classes. He was unsure if the medics they had on standby for the game were still here, or if they had left to their homes. After all, it had been over an hour, approaching two, since the game ended. He didn't have the luxury of looking for them.

Cleaning out James' wounds to his lower back as best he could, he slowly removed pieces of glass stuck in his flesh. Finally, he wrapped them after disinfecting with some cooking wine he got from the chef.

"Love you, man…"

James' drunk voice faded, only to be replaced by his light snoring soon after. Those here couldn't help but think he was the luckiest one of them all. Even if they tried to sleep now, they had no doubt that they'd fail.

Leonel smiled and shook his head, his gaze turning empty for a moment. What should he do now?

In truth, he knew that the best answer was to stay put. Everyone else knew as well. As one of the protected zones, they could obviously be among the first to receive government assistance.

But, what was this Code Red? Was it just a worldwide power outage? Leonel had a feeling that it was more, but he had to admit to himself that he had no real evidence for this being the case. It was just that… how could the mighty Ascension Empire which unified Earth not be ready for such a thing?

It made Leonel think that there was something that caused this outage actively. It wasn't a mistake, but rather an event even their Empire had no means of stopping.

'The good news is that we have room and board. The academy also stockpiles several years worth of food in an abundance of caution thanks to previous rebellion and hostage situations.

'The bad is that the campus is current above its usual carrying capacity due to the game and the after party. Also, without power, the large freezers will slowly lose their heat. It'll be even faster if people are constantly opening and closing their doors.

'It would be possible to take preemptive action and cure what we can. But, not many will listen to my words, they'll believe I'm being overly paranoid. The food here is enough to last a month easily before they start to go bad, no one would think that the Empire would be unable to recover in that time, so they wouldn't be willing to make sacrifices.'

Leonel's thoughts spun quickly. A part of him wanted to act frugally out of caution, but another part understood that unless people had evidence toward how dangerous this situation was, they wouldn't listen. This was simply the way human beings were.

In truth, Leonel didn't want to deal with any of this. He only wanted to go and see if his father was alright, he didn't care about anything else.

"Damn, I can't stand this smell."

Conrad's high-bridged nose wrinkled. As soon as the swaying of the building normalized, he didn't want to stand there a second longer. Usually such a mess of vomit would be cleaned easily with their high-tech. But, this was obviously impossible now. It wasn't even a guarantee that they still had running water.

Leonel didn't stop Conrad from walking away, and why would he?

Unfortunately, it seemed that Conrad wasn't destined to get very far.

The building quaked once more. For a moment, Leonel thought that the foundation was too shaken by the previous earthquakes and that the dormitory was collapsing. But in the next instant, he saw something he would never forget in his life.

It was a spatial tear. Leonel was absolutely certain. He had never seen one, nor had he ever read the description of one, but he had a vivid enough imagination to know that if there ever was a spatial tear, it would look exactly like this. Maybe the only thing that deviated from his fanciful image was the fact it lit up the night sky as though it was day.

Other than that, everything else was the same. The abrupt cognitive dissonance, its black, starry innards, the way it seemed to have no, and simultaneously endless, depth…

Leonel's expression changed as it watched it through the shattered window.

'It's expanding! We can't stay here!'

"Milan!" Leonel reacted quickly.

Understanding what he meant, Leonel's big offensive lineman strung James over his shoulder. Leonel would have done it himself, but his ribs were in no state to be taking on such a load. However, just as they were about to run out of the building, Conrad's voice cause Leonel to pause his steps.

"What the hell are you doing?! Do you know who I am, get the hell off of me!"

Leonel was taken aback. The very same young girl who had vomited during the fall of the Paradise Islands stood in the way of the closest exit, her gaze vacant. No, that wasn't accurate enough. Her irises had completely turned white, even her pupils followed suit.

Her expression was cold. Leonel instinctually felt that it was impossible for the same girl who vomited just at the thought of dead bodies to display such a visage. Just what was happening?

Her small frame suddenly took a step forward, her palm slamming into Conrad's chest.

By all rights, nothing should have happened. Conrad stood an inch taller than even Leonel and spent everyday of his life training as all their athletes did. In addition, he hadn't been injured in the game like Leonel had. At the same time, the small girl was just a Junior dragged to this party by one of her seniors and was barely 5'4".

Yet, it seemed the illogical was the theme of this day.

With a dull grunt, Conrad was pushed back hard enough for him to fall to his back, a stunned expression on his face.

"You…"

A mixture of embarrassment and anger reddened Conrad's face. To make matters worse, he had slipped and fallen right beside the pool of vomit, causing him to inwardly retch.

"Hey…!"

Leonel's head spun in another direction, only to see yet another student with a gaze as vacant as the small girl's.

In a moment, one became two. Then two became three. In a flash, ten pairs of white irises shimmered under the blue light of the spatial rift, dully gazing toward them all. Among them, there was even one of his own teammates.

Leonel's expression turned serious.

"Aina, Yuri, Savahn. Come here."

This time, the abrasive Savahn had not a single word to say. The nervousness in her expression was clear as she slowly entered Leonel's circle of protection along with Aina and Yuri.

A spatial tear grew to their backs, their white pupil'd peers blocked their fronts, and an inexplicable feeling of uncertainty and fear pervaded their hearts.

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Though Leonel's heart was assaulted with a whirlwind of confusion, it didn't show to his face.

'Ten of them… Not overly dangerous but definitely uncontrollable variables… The Chef is most definitely the greatest hazard…'

Unfortunately, the Four-Star Chef was among these white pupil'd individuals. Though he had yet to move from behind his curved bar, Leonel didn't need much of an imagination to think of just how many sharp kitchen knives must be back there.

A few of the Angel Wings helped Conrad up, the tense atmosphere steadily growing.

The white pupil'd individuals didn't move, and neither did they. Leonel would have thought that they were observing them had it not been for the fact their eyes were too vacant. It didn't seem like any thoughts were going through their heads.

But if that was the case, then they should be acting on instinct. So, just what was this instinct?

'They don't want us to leave this room?'

The steadily growing spatial rift to their back waned and growled.

Leonel's eyes widened. He realized in an instant that this sound wasn't from the tear, but rather the groaning of the building as it was being slowly sucked inward.

'Dammit…'

However, even as everyone began to panic, Leonel grew calmer. His rational mind told him that there was a logical progression to all of this, there was a design to it.

First their electricity goes out, second came the spatial tear, then there came these odd mutations to their peers and acquaintances, and now they were being pushed toward this spatial tear.

If the goal was to kill them, why wouldn't these white pupil'd individuals directly attack them? They even had the backing of the Four-Star Chef. However, they chose not to do this.

Just when Leonel was going to resolve him to hop into the spatial tear, a shard of glass flew from the windowsill James had just hung from. It collided with the spatial tear, ripping into pieces with a chilling noise.

No matter how steely Leonel considered himself, he couldn't help but shudder. Is that what would happen to his body if he entered?

'Dammit…' He thought to himself a second time in just as many seconds. '… We have to make it past.'

Leonel knew that James was right about him, he was too soft hearted. He had actually almost made such a reckless decision because he would rather risk himself on a gamble than fight his classmates. But he realized now he couldn't do this, he had to steel his heart.

'Focus on the known commodity.'

Leonel's jaw set. "Let's go."

Without another ounce of hesitation, Leonel took a strong step forward, heading toward the petite girl.

Crossing by Conrad and his teammates, he appeared before the girl more than a head shorter than him. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, he quickly pulled his long black coat off.

Holding onto its shoulders, he whipped its buckled ends toward the girl's head. He didn't know how intelligent these white pupil'd people were, but he emphasized his speed and cunning. At the very least, his first gamble paid off. The others weren't quick enough to react to his sudden movement.

Savahn covered her lips in a gasp, wanting to call out to Leonel and stop him. But, it was already too late.

The little girl's dull eyes didn't seem surprised at Leonel's action. Or, maybe it was just that she wouldn't be surprised about anything in her current state. Without much thought, she reached forward in a lightning quick motion to grab the ends of Leonel's coat before he could react.

But it seemed Leonel had been expecting this. Following the curved path he flung his coat forward with, he wrapped around to the girls back. He used her own grip against her, pulling the coat across her back and around.

In a flash, the frail girl had her arms tied down by Leonel's coat and his arms.

"Let's go!"

As Leonel spoke, the other white pupil'd individuals began to move. However, Leonel had already thought this would happen.

Pulling the knot he tied with his coat around the girl tight, he pushed her forward into her own pool of vomit.

As expected, she regained her balance quickly with inhuman reflexes, only to slip when her soles touched the pool. Without being able to recover again, she fumbled and fell amidst Conrad's group, slowing their forward momentum.

Conrad's group had been the closest to the exit. It was no doubt that they would take advantage of Leonel's actions first. For men who had almost been complicit in his best friend's death, he wouldn't be soft on them.

As for the white pupil'd mutants, Leonel could only push his guilt down. He subconsciously felt that it wasn't their fault, but if he made concessions for them, he would be putting the life of him and his friends in danger.

By the time these things happened, the members of the Royal Blue, the party goers, and Aina plus her friends had made it to Leonel's side, pushing through to the exit.

Leonel signaled Milan who still had James over his shoulder with his eyes. The big guy reacted immediately, kicking the couch James had been laying on over and creating another barrier.

"Leonel!" Conrad's enraged roar tore through the commotion, his gaze reddening with rage.

Unfortunately for him, Leonel had already turned away, causing Conrad's heart to go cold. He suddenly regretted his previous actions. However, what he regretted wasn't the fact he threatened James' life, but rather that he hadn't taken control of the white pupil'd girl before Leonel got to her. He had been the closest initially, why was he always lagging one step behind him?!

Leonel didn't have time to worry about Conrad's thoughts. The white pupil'd individuals were just an afterthought. What really shook him to his core was the spatial tear. He hadn't felt that death was this close since the first time he sky-dived from his Paradise Island.

But… Leonel had made a mistake. In all his calculations, he had forgotten one important fact: they were on the fourth floor.

"Dammit, they're everywhere!"

Zavier, a Three-Star Safety of the Royal Blues, shouted from the staircase. His words were like the whisper of the grim reaper to Leonel's ears.

Leonel hadn't taken into account that if such odd occurrences were happening on his floor, how could they not be occurring on others?

Rushing into the stairway and slamming the door shut behind him, Leonel looked forward with a grim expression. The problem was worse than he had first believed. On the stairway, three pairs of white pupils were waiting.

The lights were far dimmer here due to a lack of windows and the fact the power was still out, so they almost looked like floating orbs in the night, sending a shiver down Leonel's spine.

Milan stood to Leonel's right, his back against the door just like him. Before them the three girls were already half way down the flight of stairs while Zavier and a few others were ahead of them and steadily backing away from the the three mutants.

Leonel bit his lip, almost drawing blood. It was one thing to put some bruises and broken bones on the line on the football field, but it was another thing entirely to have death looming over his head like this.

He still didn't know if his father was alive. He still hadn't shed the stigma of his profession. He still hadn't heard Aina's answer…

Leonel's gaze shifted to her back. Even in the dim light, she had an alluring charm. Her figure held a steady maturity to it.

Aina had always been like this. She was shy in the face of his naked adoration, but she was the only one who seemed capable of continuing to write her exams under his presence.

The leaning of the building grew fiercer. By now, Leonel knew it was already too late.

A banging on the door came from behind him. With each passing moment, it grew fiercer before it suddenly stopped entirely.

Leonel sighed. Conrad and his group had probably been sucked in first due to the open window. There were no large windows in the stairway, nor were any of them broken open, but it was still only a matter of time.

He faintly hoped that in their last moments, even if he couldn't see his father, that Aina might say the words that could put a smile on his face even now. But, her small frame seemed to have no intention of turning.

'Maybe I was wrong. I guess she doesn't like me…'

These were Leonel's last thoughts before the building gave way, snapping off from its foundation and flying into the spatial tear.

There was yet another thing Leonel was wrong about, though. The spatial rift didn't take everything. The moment those with white pupils touched its surface, they were safely rebounded away.

The grotesque sounded of sheering metal, brick and foundation sounded through the air, in an odd way, it almost sounded like chewing… As though the spatial tear was having a good meal as it smacked its lips.

All around Earth, similar events occurred. Many shared the same thoughts of agony and despair Leonel had. Many more had suffered terrible acts of revenge, guilt and sometimes even both in just those spare few minutes.

The world was changing in a completely unprecedented way. There were some who managed to escape the tears, but it was impossible to tell if their situations were any better. In a world filled with white eyed mutants, normal humans had suddenly become the minority.

The odd mutations continued, even transcending the human race and affecting the other animal kingdoms. Ñ00vl--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

However, even as their population grew, they did nothing. They stood silently, their pale eyes gazing vacantly toward empty space. Even those who stood just a few steps from another of their kind didn't speak, as though they were all collectively waiting for something.

The so-called government response never came. Ascension Empire's Paradise palace stood majestically, spanning hundreds of meters to the left and right, but it too was silent. Only the slight whipping of its high masted flag moving with the wind could be heard for several kilometers.

If one wanted to speak of the death of a world, it seemed that such a description could be any better. However, the world hadn't ended. Not just yet, anyway.

Leonel and his group lay unconscious on a bed of eroded limestone. Around them, half broken pillars stood, etched with ancient runes impossible to decipher.

An odd energy swirled around them. At first glance, it seemed to be much more like fog than anything else. However, it behaved completely unlike fog. Instead, it moved and almost breathed like a living entity.

Over half of this 'fog' surged toward a delicate sleeping beauty. Compared to the disheveled appearances of the others, she looked as though she was doing nothing more than taking a sweet nap. Her visage made many want to scramble to protect her, the light smile on her pink lips causing a twitch in the hearts of those lucky enough to see it.

A fifth surged toward a young man with long blond hair and a high bridged nose. Even in his sleep, he scowled fiercely as though facing an enemy. The disdain was almost painted onto his lofty cheekbones.

Another fifth descended toward a tall young man with bandages wrapped around his torso. He snored loudly, rubbing his stomach without a care in the world as he turned over.

The remaining portions spread out evenly, seeping into the bodies of the remaining unconscious youths completely unbeknownst to them.

The hours continued to tick by. And eventually, it became days. However, they all kept a comfortable smile on their faces as though it was a soft cloud and not hard rock they slept upon.

Finally, on the fourth day, the first of them began to stir.

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Leonel stirred awake. His eyes blinked for a moment before he sat up far quicker than he should have, something that he instantly regretted.

However, the sharp pain he expected from his ribs never came, causing him to look down at himself in confusion.

'My injuries are healed…? Wait, where am I?'

Leonel was bombarded with a sudden wave of sensory information. The limestone beneath his butt and hands, the odd wind that gently blew against his exposed skin, even the ancient smell in that hung in the air, almost reminiscent of a copy room with a slight mustiness to it.

The feeling made Leonel keel over, vomiting out the contents of his stomach. It was just that his belly happened to be quite empty at the moment, so he could only dry heave.

By the time his body finally stopped convulsing, Leonel was left with a bitter feeling of confusion. Everything seemed too loud, too bright, too textured, all at the same time.

No matter how much Leonel willed it away, it didn't seem intent on disappearing. He sat there for hours, feeling sicker than he had in all his life.

The world had suddenly become too detailed for him take in. It was as though he was staring at an optical illusion puzzle, one that if you gazed at long enough, it would appear to be moving. Yet, this wasn't an optical illusion, it had become his reality.

Half a day later, Leonel felt his throat burning. He felt a thirst he had never felt before in his life, but there was simply no water here, there was nothing but ancient ruins and the unconscious bodies of his friends. He would go look for water if he could, but every time he tried to stand, his head would spin.

Not only did the world give him more detail than he could handle, but his body did as well. He could almost feel thoughts forming in his mind, he could feel the electrical pulses going from his brain to his limbs, he could feel the powering of every cell as they contracted. Just simple movements felt worse than even observing the world around him.

Out of desperation, Leonel slowly slung his backpack off of his shoulder. Luckily, when he had been forced to use his coat to bind that girl, he had taken his backpack off and hung it from one arm. If not for this, he didn't think he could manage to do even this simple task.

Taking out a familiar bottle of green sludge, he brought it to his lips, drinking shakily. Unfortunately, he could only feel a wave of despair, remembering that he had finished the rest of it after Coach Owen reminded him to.

Never in his life did he think he'd miss his dad's vomit brew.

Parched, he still tilted the bottle as far back as he could, licking up the faint drops that touched his tongue. He didn't know if it was because of this sickness that had taken hold of him, or the stress of the past day, or maybe it was just pure frustration, but Leonel's chest welled up with rage, his eyes watering.

'Dad… I miss you.'

Why was any of this happening? Why did the world suddenly collapse? Why was it that his friends wouldn't wake up no matter how hard he shook them?

Leonel laughed self-deprecatingly. How pathetic of him. He didn't know how long he had been out for, but as for how long he had been awake, it was not even a full day, yet he was already breaking down like a fragile baby.

At that moment, something fell from Leonel's tipped bottle and left a paper-cut on his nose, causing him to wince. That was nice to know, apparently his pain was amplified several times over too. A little micro cut and he felt worse than when his ribs had cracked.

With slow movements, Leonel once again lowered his arm, delicately picking up what had fallen. It seemed like a rolled up piece of flexible fabric.

'Wait… Is this paper?'

Leonel was stunned. Paper had been made obsolete a long time ago. In fact, it was all but illegal. Though paper itself wasn't banned, the use of trees and other plant life to manufacture products had been heavily restricted in the Nature Protection Act of 2046. How had his dad gotten his hands on something like this?

In truth, Leonel wouldn't even recognize it had it not been for his robust education. If others knew he had this, both him and his dad would be in a lot of trouble.

However, thinking about the state the world was likely in right now, Leonel couldn't be bothered to care. His wrist watch also no longer had any ability to monitor him.

Using delicate movements, he unfurled the roll of paper, wiping the bits of green sludge that stuck to it away.

'By the time you read this, I'll already be gone.'

Leonel's heart stopped beating.

"Dad…"

'Haha! You probably thought I meant I died right? Be honest, you started crying, right?'

Leonel's mouth hung open for a moment before he started gritting his teeth.

"Damned old man! Don't let me catch you…"

For a moment, Leonel forgot about his odd sickness. He scolded his father relentlessly, but the smile of relief that hung from his lips was clear.

'Don't worry, there's no one on Earth who can threaten me. Those folks haven't dared to bother me for a long time already.'

Leonel raised an eyebrow, but he could only keep reading.

'There's not much I can tell you here. I was tempted to make like a father in anime and disappear without a word, but I thought you were too much of a crybaby to survive through that.'

Leonel opened his mouth to refute, but remembering the mental breakdown he almost just had, he swallowed his words. In the end, he just laughed, his poor mood dissipating completely.

His dad had always been a big anime fan, they often watched all the oldies together. Still, only he would make such a joke during a time as serious as this.

'So, I will be quick.

'First, don't bother trying to wake up your friends. You've likely woken up long before them, and they won't wake up for at least several months. Focus on yourself for now and use your nepotism to your advantage.'

Leonel's expression flickered.

'Don't wonder too much about what I mean by that. Just know that your mother isn't dead, nor has she abandoned you. I also haven't abandoned you. We both love you very much.

'Your body is different from others in this dimension, and the scar across your right hip isn't there by accident either.'

A frown set in on Leonel's brow. He had a faint scar near where his liver would be. But, he hadn't thought about it in a long time. In fact, most people would miss it even if he had his shirt off. He didn't know why his father would mention it now.

But the idea that his mother was alive took over his thoughts. He felt an agitation he hadn't felt in a very long time.

He had faint memories of his mother. His father had never explicitly told him that she had died, so he always assumed that it was to spare his feelings about her death. Or, maybe to spare his own feelings because she had left them.

Hearing the truth, Leonel felt a weight he hadn't even known he was holding onto fall from his shoulders.

'Second, your awakened ability is related to your senses and mind. I don't know the details since I had to suppress it in your youth, but it should be fully bloomed now. It can be overwhelming, but simply meditate until your body reaches equilibrium.'

Leonel blinked. Meditating wasn't complicated, it was just about emptying your mind. The military taught a version that allowed you to sleep and rest your mind while remaining alert.

Leonel's father had learned it while he was a Four-Star General and taught it to him because he was curious. He hadn't used it in years, though.

Without waiting, Leonel tried it, emptying his mind. Slowly, the overwhelming feeling dissipated, replaced by a sharpness that stunned Leonel. Feeling much better, he turned his attention back toward his father's note.

He was shocked by the fact it felt he was reading the words through a magnifying glass. Just what was this 'awakened' ability?

'Third, I've left you two things in the basement. One is the truth behind what is happening here and the second is an heirloom of our Morales Clan. Unfortunately, until the Metamorphosis begins, taking these things out to hand to you directly is too dangerous. So just take it as this old man giving you a little quest.

'Stay safe, son. The trial you'll face now isn't like anything you've faced before. I've taught you some things, but I definitely haven't taught you everything. You'll have an advantage being the first to take it, however with advantages will always come disadvantages.

'Love, dad.'

Leonel sat silently for a long while. He lost count of how many times he re-read his father's words. Unbeknownst to him, he had actually completely memorized it the first time, a fact he didn't realize until maybe the sixth or seventh read through.

His memory had always been good… but it definitely wasn't this good.

Finally, Leonel felt he had wasted enough time. His father said it was an advantage for him to wake up first and that it had somehow happened because his constitution was different from others. At least that's what he gathered from his words. Since that was the case, sitting here for any longer would be throwing away his good fortune.

Leonel took in his surroundings.

Like everyone else, he was on a crumbled limestone platform that seemed a cross between pale yellow and brown. The pillars that surrounded the platform were severely eroded, most of them not even standing to their formerly full height.

In the four cardinal directions, there were four flights of stairs downward. It seemed that they were atop a temple of some sort. But, what was truly shocking was the fact that beyond this temple, there was nothing but formless space, an endless black without mass or substance.

As though sensing Leonel's intentions, four portals not much different from the spatial tear that brought him here appeared.

None of them seemed to separate themselves from the other. Leonel couldn't tell if this was because they all led to the same place regardless, or if this matter was purposely left to chance.

'The ancient runes are definitely Mayan script. But why would they appear here?'

Gritting his teeth, Leonel put his bag down, switching out his jeans and turtle neck for his gym equipment. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he felt that sweats and compression clothing would be far more helpful to him now.

His gray sweats scrunched at his ankles, his black long-sleeve compression shirt clinging tightly to his toned torso. He felt more free now, he just wished he had had the chance to wash them before he had to wear them again. This smell was terrible. NvεlB¡n: A Haven for Bookworms and Dreamers.

After hesitating for a moment, he also took out the three-piece silver rod his bicycle was formed out of, screwing them together back into their combined two meter length.

Leonel wasn't exactly a martial arts expert, but he felt for someone as inexperienced as him, having a longer ranged weapon would keep him relatively safer. Whether or not that was true, he didn't know. But, he did know that the frame of this bike was strong enough to withstand his jumping down several meters without giving way. Considering he weighed over 200 pounds, it was definitely a strong material with some heft to it.

Facing a randomly chosen portal, Leonel steeled his heart. However, after a moment, he hesitated again.

Turning to Aina's sleeping form, he gently placed his bag under her head and covered her frail arms with his turtleneck sweater. He couldn't help but smile when her nose scrunched up with disgust, likely catching a whiff of his sport's wear.

He had never been this close to her before. In fact, this was also the first time he had ever touched her. He tried his best not to take advantage of her despite the softness of her supple skin and long black hair.

Her faint lines of makeup showed signs of fading after so many days. But, Leonel realized that Aina had actually used some tricks to downplay her beauty. He couldn't see it all, but it was enough to grip his heart firmly. He even felt an impulse to wipe off the rest, but he held himself back.

'I hope that you'll show me your true self one day.' He thought to himself silently.

Without another moment of hesitation, he stood and walked to a portal.

'I may not come out from this alive, but at least you'll have something to remember me by.'

Leonel's thoughts sounded morbid, but his heart was more relaxed than it had been in a long time. Knowing that his father was alive, and that even his mother was too, he felt as light as a feather.

Until he saw them again, until he heard Aina's response, he had no intention of dying.

With that, he took a leap into the whirling pool of blue, vanishing.

The temple he had left behind fell completely silent, the portals shrinking and finally disappearing. This silence would reign for many more months.

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Leonel felt a slight dizziness that soon disappeared. He could vaguely feel that his quick recovery was anything but natural, however he didn't have much evidence to back this.

He found himself in a long corridor, dimly lit by flickering torches that hung from the walls. Large irregularly shaped stones formed the bricks that built the surroundings, giving the place the feel of an ancient tomb.

Just as Leonel was about to take a step forward, something completely unexpected happened.

[Subject detected. Leonel Morales, 17]

[Credit: First to enter Sub-Dimensional Zone. Accomplishment recorded]

Leonel stared blankly at the wrist watch on his arm.

[Earth is currently in a state of metamorphosis, ascending from the Third Dimension to the Fourth. Its present state is that of an In Between Dimension. To complete the evolution, certain requirements must be met. The Ascension Empire will rely on its citizens more than it ever has before, Godspeed]

To someone else, maybe these words would have had a calming effect. But to Leonel, his chest tightened as he tried to suppress the desire to simmer with rage.

Leonel didn't know what was going on, but what he did know was that whatever 'metamorphosis' was happening didn't account for this oh so 'helpful' aid on his wrist. This meant that the Ascension Empire knew that this change was coming and did nothing to prepare for it.

No. That wasn't accurate. They had prepared. It was just that they felt the lives of the billions who fell from the skies weren't worthy of protecting. The Empire was capable of creating technology that worked in this 'In Between Dimension', yet they hadn't made it widespread.

Eventually, Leonel's anger turned to laughter, his grip tightening around his metal rod to the point his knuckles turned an unhealthy shade of white.

[Subject: Leonel Morales]

[Ability detected: Sensory Type]

[Ability grade: D]

[Warning, margin of error for subject Leonel Morales is outside reasonable bounds. Only 5% of DNA recognizable. Abnormality recorded. It is advised that subject not trust his life to this data]

[Sub-Dimensional Zone detected: Mayan Tomb. Spanish invasion]

[Sub-Dimensional Zone grade: F]

[Clear requirements: Enter Chief Priest's Sacrificial Room. Save Chief Priest]

[Side Quest: Unable to detect. Scope of system too limited]

[Reward: Unable to detect. Scope of system too limited]

Leonel reined in his rage.

His initial instinct was to smash the watch on his wrist, however he knew this was foolish. His deductions told him that it wasn't normal for one who entered a Sub-Dimensional Zone to gain so much information without doing much of anything.

'If this is a process of a world evolving from the Third to Fourth Dimension, I have a hard time believing that this is the first time such a thing has ever happened. Something about this is too systematic, too planned. It doesn't have the erratic nature one would expect from organic evolution.'

Just how many instances of trial, error and failure were there in the evolution of a species? Too many to count. But something like being teleported into a new sub-dimension and having quests to clear sounded too phony. Leonel would die before believing this wasn't created by someone. And, he also had a feeling that said someone wouldn't expect its new batch of evolutionaries to have technology capable of doing such a thing.

So, Leonel concluded three things.

First, the things that appeared in his mind from his wrist watch were just guesses. They likely wouldn't be 100% accurate. But there was a good chance they would be mostly correct.

Second, if his watch was already struggling with what it deemed an 'F' grade Sub-Dimensional Zone, then it likely wouldn't be useful for very long. Maybe by the time it got to the 'D' grade, it would be completely unable to tell Leonel much of anything.

And third, since his watch was so limited, the likelihood of these changes being caused by the Ascension Empire were incredibly low. But… That didn't stop Leonel from keeping in mind the possibility that the Empire he had grown up in had saved the best 'systems' for those they deemed the most worthy. In such a case…

Leonel took a deep breath.

'Good, then I'll let you stay for now. Once you stop being useful, I won't hesitate to destroy you. Monitoring my movements and giving me nothing in return? I'm not so cheap.'

In the past, destroying this watch was as difficult as ascending to the top of the world. However, Leonel had a feeling that with these changes… The Ascension Empire's control was just that much weaker. Maybe they themselves knew this as well, or why else would they allow so many to die…? Maybe they wanted a more manageable population…

The sound of footsteps suddenly shook Leonel out of his thoughts. What was he doing? He was in the middle of a hostile environment with his life on the line. It was then Leonel remembered something even more horrid.

The Spanish had guns!

'Dammit!'

Without hesitation, Leonel sprinted forward, his mind oddly clear. Every time he passed by a torch, he unceremoniously put out its fire.

'First important point, temples are always built with many false turns and dead end pathways. Second important point, guns from this time period can only fire once as long as I don't give them time to reload. Third important point, my ability is a sensory type, I'll do better in the dark than they can.'

As though greeting Leonel's thoughts with open arms, the echoing footsteps and the sounds of armor clanging bounced off the walls and into Leonel's ears.

It was a magical feeling. Leonel could almost draw a perfect map of the trajectory the sounds followed, etching a path from his position to that of the Spanish with a line of three turns. It was as though he had gained a sonar ability, but it was much more complex than this because the sound wasn't coming from him at all.

Compared to the heavy armor the Spanish wore, Leonel's sneakers were almost completely silent.

'They just split apart, good. One group is headed toward me, there are three of them.'

Leonel's heart beat wildly. He hadn't felt this way since the very first time he stepped onto a football field. The way his sweaty hands slid across his silver rod, the butterflies the flew through his stomach, how his heart seemed to want to burst from his ribcage…

Leonel slammed his back against a wall at the edge of a corner, holding his rod tightly to his body with both hands.

The path he was on was the horizontal line of a 'T', while the Spaniards were walking toward him along the vertical line. He had managed to put out all the torches through the horizontal path, but had only made it halfway through the vertical portion before he was forced to run and hide here. Discover, Devour, Delight: NvεlB¡n.

Luckily, he was correct about his sensory abilities. Making his way through the dark wasn't an issue at all.

Words Leonel couldn't understand entered his ears, causing him to inwardly curse. He knew how to speak three languages. English, French and Latin. He had a choice to learn Spanish, but because Aina chose Latin, he hadn't. Plus, he thought French was the language of love, so he had to learn it, right?

Who knew his hormones would come back to bite him like this?

Throwing these thoughts to the back of his mind, Leonel focused with all his might, steadying his breathing.

He heard the sound of metal scraping on metal, but it was much different from the sounds of armor he had heard before. Following this, the distinct sound of a sword being unsheathed followed.

'That first sound should have been one of them pulling out a torch from the wall…'

Leonel's jaw clenched. A faint part of him had hoped they'd be too stupid to think of this solution. But he knew that was asking for too much. Still, this put him in a better position. It wasn't possible to aim a musket if you only had one hand, let alone reload it. That was one less gunmen he had to worry about.

'Come on… Come on… Turn right… Turn right…'

And of course they turned left.

However, Leonel was ready. As expected, the one holding the torch was in the lead. Without hesitation, Leonel swung down his rod fiercely, aiming for the hand that held the torch.

A swarm of words Leonel didn't understand entered his ears, but he didn't need to be intelligent to know the torch wielding Spaniard was alerting the other two.

In order to properly wield their guns, the Spanish wore a armor that combined aesthetics of the medieval era and leather guards. Of course, these leather guards were on their hands and wrists. With Leonel's rod weighing just a bit over 30 pounds, did the soldier's wrist even stand a chance?

'The barbarians are scuttling around like rats! AGH!'

The torch fell to the ground. Leonel kicked it away as far as he could without hesitation, collapsing the T shaped pathways into darkness once more.

Though Leonel's actions were smooth and without pause, waves were inwardly flooding his heart. He was certain of it, he was several times stronger than he had been in the past. But, his ability wasn't related to the strength of his body, so what was going on?

Leonel didn't have more time to think. The sound of sharply whistling wind rang out in his senses like a blaring horn.

Without hesitation, he dove backward. The feeling of a blade just barely tearing his compression shirt and into his skin played in his head in slow motion.

Sparks flew as the sword hit against hard limestone.

Another cry of pain sounded. They were normal humans, after all. If a mortal man swung a weapon full force at a stonewall, what do you think would happen?

The sword clanged, dropping to the floor. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Spaniard who had attacked broke his wrist just like his companion. But what choice had he had? With them descending into darkness, his only chance was to swing where he had seen Leonel last.

'Two injured, one in full health. Can't let them retreat to the light.'

With a roar, Leonel didn't retreat at all. Raising his rod far above his head, he swung down as hard as he could, bashing it against the head of the Spaniard who had held the torch originally.

Every muscle of Leonel's body flexed to its utmost limit. He squeezed so hard that the line of blood that ran across his chest spurt out like a waterfall.

The sickening feeling of the metal helm bending under his rod made Leonel shudder. For a moment, he froze completely, his hands trembling.

He hadn't thought about it before. But… Were these people real?

Leonel wanted to retch, but he simply didn't have the luxury. As one Spaniard crumpled to the ground, the shifting sound of leather sliding across metal caught Leonel's attention.

'That's the sound of a musket's strap being pulled across chest armor!'

Leonel's mind had completely memorized the appearance of the Spaniard's in the split second the torch had lit them up. He remember instantly that they had all had their rifles strapped to their backs. It was the only thing he could associate this sound with.

'I can't sweep my rod from left to right, I'll end up hitting the wall first…'

Leonel immediately dropped to the ground.

He choked up his grip on his silver rod, sweeping it upward through a pair of legs and turning it like a corkscrew. In a moment, the rod had swept across the back of one knee and the front of another.

As the Spaniard that broke their wrist against the wall tumbled forward and to the ground, the last Spaniard turned to the sound of the noise, blasting their single round.

Unfortunately for him, both his partner and Leonel were on the ground, causing him to miss completely. However, the instant flash of light had allowed him to lock onto Leonel one more time.

His leg swung forward, hitting the kneeling Leonel across the chin.

Leonel's mind spun. It didn't need to be said. The feeling of a metal covered shoe kicking you anywhere wasn't very nice, but this was especially so for the face.

The sound of a sword being unsheathed snapped Leonel out of his stupor. Maybe it was due to the fear of death being too great, but Leonel felt it was something else. When he was transported here, hadn't he recovered from the dizziness incredibly quickly as well?

Leonel's mind worked quickly. His rod was still trapped between the legs of the fallen Spaniard, he didn't have time to pull it out. Plus, pulling it out would bring him closer to the rampaging Spaniard.

Using the momentum of the kick, he allowed himself to fall backward, landing near the sword of the Spaniard who had broken his wrist against the wall. The vivid image of it clanging against the ground had already been mapped in Leonel's mind

Leonel accidentally grabbed the blade, but he could only suck it up.

Flipping it in his hand to the handle, he ran it across the neck of the of the Spaniard he had tripped with his rod. The latter was confused about how he died even as he breathed his last.

In that moment, the last Spaniard was swinging wildly. He knew that Leonel had to be in front of him. If he kept going, he was sure that he'd hit him.

However, his swinging arm suddenly stopped.

Completely shocked, he looked down in the dark, visualizing the sword he knew must have just gone through his heart. Till the end, he had no idea how Leonel had done it through his wild swings. How could he know that every time he swung, he was giving Leonel more and more information about his position…?

Leonel collapsed to the ground, looking up at the darkness of the ceiling above him.

He slammed the back of his head repeatedly against the sturdy stone walls as though trying to forget what he had just done.

His hands fiercely trembled. Even in the dark, he could feel the sticky liquid substance coating his palms. But, there was nothing he could use to wash it off.

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Leonel's breathing was erratic. For a long time, he felt a shortness of breath that didn't match with the abundance of air around him, nor his extraordinary physique. He could run a mile with a sub 5 minute time, yet this single exchange left him in shambles.

Of course, he knew it wasn't because he was that exhausted, but rather because of his emotional state. Even if this was a 'game', it was too real. No matter how much he willed it, the dead bodies around him weren't disappearing.

In fact, Leonel knew the blood on his hands was actually his own. He had cut his palm on the sword he picked up from the ground the wrong way. But it still made him feel dirty.

'Water…'

Leonel knew he had to pull himself together. Who knew how far away the group they split from had traveled. They had gone too far for Leonel to hear their footsteps anymore, but the screams of these Spaniards had obviously been much louder than footsteps.

Steeling himself, Leonel could only push his dark thoughts to the back of his mind. Maybe he was lucky that he was dealing with such a moral dilemma in such a situation, at least he didn't have the luxury to sit and sulk.

After making up his mind, he jogged over to the torch he had kicked away during the fight and brought it over.

Rummaging through the bodies, Leonel found three flat circular shaped containers of water. Without hesitation, he drained two completely before strapping the third to his waist.

The wound on his hand and chest were pretty bad, but none of them seemed to carry bandages with them. Luckily, what they did have were flasks of alcohol. Leonel didn't hesitate to grit his teeth and pour it over his wounds.

Afterward, he left his chest alone. But, for his hand, he snatched the leather guards the Spaniards used for himself. He also slipped on a chest plate and a helm. Of course, he chose the undamaged ones.

He took both muskets from the two Spaniards who had broken their wrists. He had no idea how to reload them. But, he did know how to aim and shoot. Safeties shouldn't have been invented in this era, he didn't think.

Either way, he would get two shots out of them before discarding them.

Finally, he took the two best quality swords with him, changing his silver rod back into a bike. Blades of this era likely lost their edge and chipped really easily. Having more than one, especially for attacking armored warriors, was definitely the smartest move.

Leonel took a seat on his silver framed bike, closing his eyes and steadying himself. Soon, the sound of rushing footsteps reached him once more. However, it seemed the reason they had taken so long to get this close was because they were lost.

After making a mental note to himself to memorize every path he crossed, Leonel's mind flashed with a plan. Not waiting another moment, he got to work. Not even a minute later, he pedaled his bike hard, reaching a dead end quickly.

At that moment, the next group of three appeared. They too had brought a torch with them, noticing the darkened tunnel.

'What the hell is on the floor? Who pissed themselves?'

'Those barbarian bastards!'

It seemed the Spaniards had finally noticed the corpses of their companions.

'Over there!'

One of the Spaniards pointed toward Leonel who was sitting on his bike in the distance. But the reason he had noticed Leonel in the dark at all was precisely because Leonel was holding the same torch he had kicked away in the previous battle.

Unfortunately, by the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late.

A line of fire raced across the stone floors, swallowing the line of alcohol Leonel had drawn and reaching the three Spaniards and the three corpses in a flash.

There was no time to react. A harsh explosion sounded, burying the screams.

Using the flames as a light, Leonel brought a musket forward to aim, his hands trembling. However, he knew he had no choice but to shoot. There was no better opportunity to test the range and accuracy of these weapons. The flames had engulfed all three of them, but it likely wouldn't kill them in a short time.

Steadying his sights as best he could, Leonel fired.

The recoil wasn't as bad as he predicted. In fact, he had overcompensated for it far too much. Still, his aim was terrible. There was little he could do about his trembling arms.

Leonel could actually see the round bullet fly through the air. It was moving at speeds far beyond the limits of humans, but he could inexplicably track it. He didn't even need for it to land to know he had missed.

But that was when the unexpected happened. In their agitated pain, one of the Spaniards fell right into the bullet's path, allowing it to travel directly through his throat.

Even as he crumpled to the ground, Leonel bit his lips so hard he drew blood.

'Come on, Leonel. You're better than this. Maybe this is why that Gene Assessment slotted you in to spend the rest of your life throwing balls. That sort of safe profession is just right for someone as pathetic as you.'

Even as Leonel was berating himself, he still raised his second musket.

This time he learned his lesson. His brain did calculations he wasn't even consciously aware of.

When aiming, you had to not only account for where your target was, but also where said target would be.

With his second shot, the bullet stayed true, flying right through the eye of a second flame covered Spaniard.

Throwing the rifles aside, Leonel gripped the handle of one of his swords. He pedaled down the path lit with flames, not worried that his tires would melt. His bike was far more resilient than that.

Like a horsemen holding a lance from his steed, he sped toward the final Spaniard with a speed nearing 25 mph.

However, even as he did so, he knew he wasn't ready to experience that feeling again. He couldn't stand the disgust he felt as a life dissipated under his own hand.

So, in an act of madness, he threw his sword forward with all his strength. NvεlB¡n: Transforming Moments into Memories.

It perfectly arched in the air, spinning several times before its sharp edge entered the mouth of the screaming soldier. Like that, the hall fell into silence once more. Except this time, Leonel didn't have the luxury of darkness. He could only dully skid his bike to a stop, looking toward the pile of six corpses blankly.

Leonel couldn't help but replay everything that had happened in his mind. The moment he remembered the fact guns of this era needed to be loaded with gun powder during every reload, the rest was simple. Everything from the alcohol flask to his use of the torch was perfectly calculated.

But once again, his actions had taken away more lives. It was fine to plan something like this out in your mind, but actually seeing the results painted a picture of something other than success for Leonel.

His throw in the end was something that really surprised him. He had subconsciously felt that he could count the number of turns his sword would take in the air and exactly where it would land before it even left his hand.

A part of this probably had to do with his years of playing quarterback, but the much larger reason was definitely as a result of his new awakened abilities. He now knew he had great talent for throwing weapons.

If he recalled correctly, the Mayans were well known for their throwing spears. If he could find their weaponry, it would be of great help to him.

Leonel knew he had to slowly adapt to reaping the lives of others. If he didn't get over his apprehension and fear, he was doomed to die one day. The world outside was no longer the world he had come to know, and the Ascension Empire wouldn't protect him.

After yet another deep breath, Leonel took his musket straps off, tossing them to the side. They were no longer useful since he had no idea how to reload them. He would rather not have gun powder blow his arm off.

Withstanding the scorching heat, he pulled his sword from the Spaniard's throat. Then, he pushed his bike backward to gain some distance before building up momentum to leap over the six bodies.

Only taking a single glance backward, Leonel didn't look again, pedaling down a new corridor to blow out a new line of flaming torches.

The cycle continued. Leonel never attacked a group of more than three, always waiting for them to split down different corridors before he made his move.

Eventually, he found a group of Spaniards who carried small hand axes with them which inevitably replaced his throwing swords. Though he could be accurate with either, the hand axes were more convenient. They were lighter and were better weighted, easing the pressure on Leonel's throwing arm.

Aside from this, there also came a point where Leonel carried no less than five or six rifles on his back. His look would have been quite comical had it not been for his pale face. He had hoped that the longer he spent in this Sub-Dimensional Zone, the more accustomed he would become. But the reality was that his guilt only grew.

Finally, on the third day, carrying bloodshot eyes, Leonel descended a flight of stairs far too narrow for his broad shoulders and found the weaponry he was looking for. Unfortunately, it was flooded with Spaniards. Leonel counted at least 12. To make matters worse, there was no way he could use his normal darkness tactic here.

However, there was good news. The narrow stairway he was on was purposely made this way to act as a hidden path. It seemed the Spaniards had yet to notice that the meter tall stone that covered its exit was a false wall.

From here, Leonel was able to peek through the gaps to get a read on the numbers he was facing.

After a moment, he gingerly turned, careful not to make any noise as he made his way back up. Though his sneakers were still silent, he had too many things on him now. It was lucky that the Spaniards were laughing it up and having a great time, likely comparing how many 'barbarians' they had killed, or someone would have already noticed the odd scraping sounds.

Leonel reached the top of the stairs, re-entering the floor he believed he had cleared. There was nothing but darkness and the stench of blood in this place.

Taking out a water jug, he emptied it before tossing it aside. Then, he carefully placed the stone that hid the top of the stairs back into place. He wanted to rest after not sleeping for an entire three days, but doing so in that narrow corridor was foolish. If anyone found it, he was finished.

So, Leonel back away, rounding a few corners to sit in the dark corner of a dead end. His nerves were still tight, but at some point, he grew too tired to avoid sleep any longer. Luckily, he managed to enter the meditative sleep state his father taught him before his consciousness slipped away.

The way he looked now, even if a Spaniard somehow managed to stumble upon him, they'd likely believe he was another of their fallen comrades.

Blood coated Leonel's face and armor, numerous burn marks, bruises and cuts running along what small part of his skin were exposed. His sweat pants were in tatters, suffering several cuts through to his thighs and calves due to his lack of experience and recklessness…

Leonel had no idea that this Sub-Dimensional Zone wasn't meant to be cleared alone. There was a reason four portals had appeared...

He could only cling onto his last bit of sanity as he slept in the darkness.

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Leonel's eyes snapped open. He didn't know how long he had slept for, it was impossible to tell. There were no windows in this temple. He had only roughly guessed that he had been here for three days.

Using his silver rod to stand, he stood to loosen his stiffening limbs.

Leonel's jaw set. His mind had regained its clarity. He hadn't even noticed that his senses had severely dulled the more tired he became. In fact, he felt that he was even sharper than when he first entered this Sub-Dimensional Zone now.

Without a word, he began to get ready.

He took his six rifles, strapping through across his left shoulder than the remaining three across his right.

Two days ago, he had almost lost his life because he trusted that these muskets were always loaded. He ended up aiming and firing one without a bullet, a mistake he could thank for the deep gash in his thigh.

Since then, he learned to tell whether the rifle was loaded or not first. His method seemed simple, but maybe he was the only one on Earth who could do it. There was a very slight weight difference, maybe fractions of a gram, between a loaded and unloaded gun. If a gun was too light, he didn't keep it.

Once the six muskets laid organized on his back, he accounted for the eight hand axes around his waist and finally clutched his silver rod.

With a deep breath, he slowly made his way back toward the hidden path. It seemed that during his sleep, others entered this floor once more through the main stairway. Leonel could only clear them out first in order to avoid any untoward variables.

Though his heart was still heavy, he managed to control his trembling hands this time. Without having to account for his wavering aim, his efficiency reached a new level, his throwing ability especially.

Half a day later, Leonel felt that he had emptied the floor once more. With how many Spaniards he had taken it, it was definitely only a matter of time before their leaders realized that something was wrong.

As expected, when Leonel went to peek on the weaponry, the 12 number he had counted before had increased to 18.

The weaponry was the largest space Leonel had come across to now. It was a rounded room with a single exit. All around, weapons hung from the walls. But, compared to the Spaniards, they were incredibly crude.

The Spaniards turned their noses up at these weapons. Not even a single one had been touched. But, who could blame them. It was obvious that Spanish weapon technology was more than a single level higher.

They had set up camp in this space for only two reasons. One was to stop the Mayans from regrouping and recouping strength. And second was to set up camp.

It seemed that this Sub-Dimensional Zone had deviated from history. There was much more of a stalemate than there should be. An internal battle was taking place within the temple between the two parties.

What Leonel didn't know was that this was only due to his actions. He hadn't wanted to count the number of Spaniards he had killed, but it was over a hundred. There were only two thousand in total. He had single handedly taken down a good percentage of their army.

As a result, the Mayans had been able to put up some resistance. And, due to losing so many soldiers, the Spaniards had taken a step back, trying to re-evaluate the strength of their enemy.

Leonel took a deep breath. When his eyes opened once more, his eyes had completely stilled, glowing in the dark like a predator stalking his prey.

First, he took apart his silver rod. He didn't split it into all three pieces. Instead, he only took a single third of it. Using the small ledge on either side of the narrow staircase, he balanced both ends across it.

It was nearly a perfect fit, just barely over two feet apart. The remaining part of the rod was just over four feet in length, but it was enough. If Leonel was lucky, he wouldn't have to use it at all.

Ducking beneath the bar, Leonel nodded to himself. Then, he began to pour several flasks of alcohol through the small cracks in the false wall, drenching it as quickly as he could.

'Hey, do you smell that? Smells like some good booze, who's holding out?'

'Drunkard. What booze?'

'Wait look over there!'

The highest ranking officer of the Spaniards waved his hand, forcing them to fall silent. He wasn't dressed much differently, but his armor was definitely shinier and he strapped a pike across his back and a long sword strapped to his waist.

Suddenly, the stone was kicked over. It fell with a loud boom, kicking up dust that obscured the dark pathway.

'Enemy attack! Form up!'

A strong WHOOSH followed a flame erupting from the falling stone and the edges it had just been hidden between.

Leonel steadied his breathing, kneeling behind the flames, he aimed his first rifle. He had seen everything he needed in that split second. And still now, he could see faint pictures of the changing situation through the flickering flames.

He knew he didn't have long. The alcohol would be burned away quickly and he didn't have any other sources of fuel with him. But he was already ready.

Through the short one meter high doorway, he aimed toward the leader and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The leading Spaniard who had just been giving out commands froze, his last words being lost in a spurt of blood that came from his eye.

Leonel didn't pause. The moment he pulled the trigger, he retreated, leaping to up to the ledge above him and to the silver rod piece he laid across them. Discover, Devour, Delight: NvεlB¡n.

He squatted down, balancing on the balls of his feet as he crouched across the silver rod.

As expected, a rain of bullets sounded and instant later, ricocheting off of the steps below Leonel.

'One… two… five… seven… ten… eleven… sixteen… seventeen!'

"No way that barbarian bastard survived that!"

The moment the Leonel locked onto the 17th fired gun, Leonel jumped from his perch, charging through the wall of already waning fire. He would have put his rod back together, but he simply didn't have the time.

He swung the second rifle from his back aiming it with a single arm.

BANG!

He tossed the musket aside even as a Spaniard fell. Without hesitation he pulled out the third rifle.

BANG!

With every breath and step, Leonel pulled out another rifle and another Spaniard fell. Five steps, five breaths, five rifles, five deaths.

Leonel dove across the room the moment he dropped his final musket, making it to the side of the leader he had killed. With inhuman strength, he ripped the rifled from his corpse, his lip twitching when he realized it was too light. How could the leader be the only one without a loaded rifle?

However, the other Spaniards didn't know this. Leonel couldn't allow himself to be surrounded, so he aimed the gun toward the closest soldier, causing him to retreat with fear coloring the eyes hidden behind his helm.

Without hesitation, Leonel tossed the musket aside without bothering to fire, reaching with his now free hand into his belt and pulling out a hand ax.

His back drew tight and his arm cocked back, his hand drawing a silver light across the air as he rocketed the ax forward.

The very same Spaniard who had retreated had his face destroyed in the blink of an eye, falling to the ground lifeless.

Leonel worked quickly. His quick movements hid the dread that loomed over his heart with every life he took.

In a flash, there were only four left.

Leonel picked up the leader's long sword from his corpse, holding it in one hand and his silver rod in the other.

With quick steps he retreated to the secret passageway.

The fear Leonel's marksmanship put into the Spaniard's was profound. Several of them thought of running, but the punishment for retreat was too severe. They could only hold out and hope the noise would capture the attention of the others.

Most of their numbers were working on breaking through the Shrine Room. Only a few of them were tasked with guarding and resting here.

However, when they saw that Leonel had run out of things to throw, they could only steel themselves and charge.

Leonel's heart beat quickly. He had become used to fighting many opponents at once, but that was when they couldn't see him. This was completely different. Not only could they see him, but there was one more than he dared to fight alone even in the dark.

'Calm down…'

Over these several days, Leonel had realized something important. These Spaniards were just normal humans, they didn't have an 'awakened' ability. This was where Leonel's advantage lied.

Leonel didn't wait for them to close in. He had been planning to retreat to the narrow staircase and take them on one at a time, but this wasn't smart. It might give them time to reload their muskets. He had to stay confident and not give them time to think.

In a flash, he ran up to the closest Spaniard. Yelling as though to force all the fear out from his chest, he swung down the long sword with everything he had.

If a swordsman saw him, they'd probably look away so as not to cringe. Not only was Leonel wielding a two handed sword with just one, but his wide stance and telegraphed movements were terrible even for a beginner.

However, this wasn't an anime. No matter how good a mortal swordsman was, there was a limit to how well they could respond to wild movements, especially when their attacker was so much stronger than them.

A scream of agony escaped the Spaniard. His arms hadn't been able to block Leonel's strike.

The long sword cut into his shoulder armor and into his collarbone before stopping. Such an injury left a normal human completely crippled. His death was only a matter of time.

Leonel ignored the aching in his wrist, pulling the short sword from the fallen Spaniard, he threw it with all his might across the room, nailing the closest Spaniard in the chin. The blade split his lower lip and jaw in half, leaving him to fall over — dead.

The whistle of a swinging sword came from Leonel's left, but he was prepared. Raising his silver rod, he braced himself with all of his strength. Remembering what had just happened to the Spaniard he cut down, he knew the danger of failing to block properly.

A sharp clang came. The Spaniard was shocked when he saw that his sword actually chipped against Leonel's seemingly simple rod.

How could the alloys of the 2100's not be far better than those from this era?

The rebound was violent, but Leonel used his larger frame and power to his advantage, recovering quicker and slashing across with his long sword. Another life fell beneath his blade.

This time he had learned his lesson. Cutting through metal was too difficult. This time, he only targeted the exposed vitals, using his great control to emphasize accuracy over power.

Picking up another short sword, Leonel turned his hips quickly and reaped the last Spaniard.

His chest heaved, hot air billowing into and out of him. A scorching feeling filled his throat and lungs, but he didn't have the luxury of resting.

He sprinted with all his might toward the rounded opening of the weaponry. It was easily two and a half meters tall with a width that was just as large. Its door was a stone circle so massive it should take at least ten men to move. But, Leonel had no choice but to do it on his own.

The door was designed to be a size larger than the doorway. As long as he rolled it over from the inside, it would be impossible to open from the outside without destroying the stone first.

The sounds of shouts and footsteps filled Leonel's ears. The time he had left was too little, but he dug deep, pulling every ounce of strength he had left out.

"ARRGGHH!"

Leonel roared with all his might. His senses could pick up on his muscles tearing beneath the pressure, but he had no choice.

He pressed hard against the rolling door, finally feeling it move just the slightest bit.

The footsteps got closer and closer before Leonel could distinctly hear the shift from walking to sprinting.

'The barbarians regained their weaponry! Stop them from closing the door!'

Under the strain, blood flowed from Leonel's nose. His teeth clenched tightly against each other to the point his gums began to bleed.

A final roar escaped his lips, snapping the door into its closed position just as a Spaniard attempted to dive through. The ghastly sight of a man being cut in half was the last sight Leonel saw before he blacked out.

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Leonel awoke with his body on fire, the slight whiff of something catching his attention. The smell made his stomach growl furiously, his mouth almost dripping with water despite how dry it felt.

Leonel didn't know how his friends were being sustained, but he did know that he hadn't felt the need for water until he woke up. And, now that it had been over four days since the last time he ate, he finally couldn't suppress his hunger anymore.

It was only then that Leonel realized that the Spaniards had been roasting a full pig when he initially entered. He must have not smelt anything before because it had just started to cook.

Leonel struggled to pull himself up, peeling all the heavy armor he wore from his body. He hadn't felt this light in a very long time.

Luckily, since there was no one to tend to the fire, the embers had died off while Leonel slept, sparing the pig from being overcooked. Ñ00vl--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

It was inevitable that it was still burnt in some places, especially since no one had been there to turn it, but Leonel could hardly bother to care. He ripped off a leg, devouring the meat madly.

Initially, he had believed that a leg or two would be enough. But before he realized what was happening, he had already cleaned away half of the pig. Leonel had always been a big eater, but it was always within reason. Something like eating half of a 20 kilogram pig was far beyond his means.

"I want you to find that damned entrance! There's no way that barbarian entered from the front, there must be a hidden entrance! Look at how many of our people those savages have killed!"

Words Leonel couldn't understand drifted from the hidden entrance. It became obvious quickly that he didn't have much time. All those who saw him come out of the hidden staircase were already dead. But, it was only a matter of time before they started looking for false walls.

Because Leonel had knocked down the false wall on this side without replacing it, it was much easier to hear things than it had been in the past.

Moving quickly, Leonel replaced his armor with that of the dead leader's. He was going to pour some more alcohol on his wounds first, but he was shocked to find that many of them had faded. In fact, the aches in his body from his torn muscles had become quite dull as well.

'… Food. It must be food.'

Leonel bit his lip. Where else would he get food so easily? There was no point in carrying this pig with him because it would go bad in at most a few more days. Plus, considering the pace at which he ate it, it wouldn't last that long either.

'The only option is to continue to steal food or to leave this temple…'

Leonel couldn't come up with the perfect choice now. He had to hurry.

'I came here for… there it is, the atlatl.'

Atlatl's were essentially sling shots for throwing spears. They were a wooden attachment one could slot a spear or 'long dart' into to gain more leverage. Then, using the same throwing motion one was used to, it was possible to throw more than double the distance and with much more speed and force.

To think such a thing was invented over 20 000 years ago, even before the era of the Mayans.

Leonel abandoned his hand axes, using the belt he had stolen from a Spaniard to slip in a few atlatl's. Considering they were reusable, it was unnecessary to have more than one. However, Leonel had learned to plan for the unexpected.

He kept four atlatls with him on one hip and strapped a short sword on the other. He would have taken the leader's long sword, but he had his reasons for not.

Along the walls, countless barrels of throwing spears fitted for the atlatls. Well, to call them spears was a bit inappropriate. They looked like sturdy arrows one might fire from an large-scaled crossbow.

However, Leonel obviously couldn't carry them all. He realized after carrying around his 30 lb silver rod for so long that his body's limits were far higher than they had been previously. However, it wasn't to an exaggerated extent.

Thinking to this point, Leonel chose a square backpack shaped of wood. It was about a meter and a half in length and by Leonel's estimations could hold about 50 atlatls darts or spears.

He filled it quickly. His initial instinct was to try and overfill it, but he knew this would be foolish. If he failed to pull out a spear at a critical time, it would be too late to regret it.

'Let's test it.'

Leonel took out one of his atlatls, fitting an extra spear to it, he held its handle like a javelin.

The spear sat atop the atlatls. As for the atlatls itself, it attached to the end of the spear, allowing it to sit upon it. The body of the atlatls, which Leonel held, curved back around like an 'S' drawn much too tall and lanky.

Flexing his arm, Leonel bowed his body and launched the spear. But the results left him stunned silent.

The metal tip of the spear stuck into the stone wall, vibrating back and forth wildly.

'It covered a 20 meter distance in 0.4 seconds. That's an average velocity of 50 meters per second or 180 kilometers an hour. It was even still accelerating when it hit the wall, so it still had more left. The effective range is easily anything within 200 meters…'

Leonel sucked in a cold breath. First he was surprised at his sharp calculations, but he was even more surprised at just how much the atlatls improved his throwing ability. Such a simple technology, yet so effective.

Snapping out of his stupor, Leonel ripped the meter and a half long dart from the wall and hid it within the barrels of spears. In case the Spaniards made it to this room again, he didn't want them to be able to figure out his limits.

After that, he dug deep and lifted the stone that covered the hidden entrance back up and into its place. This way they wouldn't be able to tell which path he came from. Of course, he only did this after retrieving the last third of his silver rod.

That was right, Leonel had already found another hidden entrance in this very room. In fact, he counted a total of five. It could only be said that the Spanish were too negligent. Either that, or his senses were simply too sharp.

Following this, Leonel left through the hidden pathway with the least activity on the other side, slipping away to unleash hell on the Spaniards.

In the following weeks, he mapped every floor of the temple with the exception of the lowest which he believed must have housed the Sacrificial Room.

As time passed, Leonel's senses grew sharper. He could hear footsteps from further away, and from those footsteps he could tell everything from the height of the soldier in question to their weight. At the same time, his control over his body reached great heights. He no longer threw will his full power every time, only using just enough to maintain his stamina and slay his opponent.

About two days after he left the weaponry, he did manage to find a path outside. Once he had mapped out the hidden pathways he could use to reach it, he exited frequently, hunting for his own meals before returning.

He realized that he simply had no chance fighting the Spaniards from the outside. Without the ability to take advantage of guerrilla tactics, it was a futile effort.

Unfortunately, as time passed, the Spaniards grew more and more wary, making it difficult for Leonel to find small groups to attack. As a result, he had no choice but to begin assaults on groups of four, five, eventually even groups of ten were the smallest he could find.

However, at the same time, his skill grew more pronounced. His throwing ability was already at a near unconscious level, but it was his combat ability that took the greatest leap forward. He learned to keep his movements reserved, yet firm. Simple, yet potent.

He had never been formally taught in any martial arts, but as his mind spun and his deductive abilities deepened with his growing senses, he felt as though it didn't matter.

With every encounter, a new possibility was stored in his memory. With this additional data point, he would adjust his fighting style ever so slightly to account for it. Months later, Leonel no longer had to rely on his throwing prowess to gain victory against large groups. Even when battling a group of ten Spaniards, the combination of his inhuman senses and battle experience was enough to take them on.

By this point, Leonel was certain that his wrist watch's assessment of him bordered on fraudulent. He wasn't entirely sure how the grading system worked, but if others had higher grade abilities than what he was already able to accomplish, it would be far too exaggerated.

Leonel reached a point where with a single glance, he was able to categorize his opponent by giving them an athleticism score. He broke down his categories into Strength, Speed, Agility, Coordination and Stamina.

Strength was simple, just how much power a person could generate. However, with how many different ways strength could be applied, it became incredibly complex. Leonel chose to weigh this category by how much power a person could generate by swinging, throwing or using their best attack. In this case, it would be how hard a Spaniard could swing their sword or stab their pike.

Speed was something Leonel categorized as straight line running velocity.

Agility encompassed both acceleration, speed in changing direction, and how quickly a person could use their weapon — how fast a sword swung, etc.

Coordination was mostly hand-eye coordination. How precise a person was in using their strength, speed and agility. How accurate were the swings of their weapons. So on, and so forth.

Finally, stamina was the most straight forward. How long could you maintain your optimal fighting strength?

Leonel ranked all of these from a scale of 0 to 1, where 0 was having this ability completely crippled and 1 represented the pinnacle of the human race. This pinnacle was something Leonel used the limits of his own body to extrapolate and estimate.

By Leonel's estimates, an Olympic athlete of Earth would have a 0.5 in the category they needed the most for their event.

As for the Spaniards, they averaged about 0.4 in every category. And Leonel…

[Strength: 0.67; Speed: 0.51; Agility: 0.55; Coordination: 0.82; Stamina: 0.63]

After a few more weeks passed, Leonel felt it was necessary to add a sixth category: Reactions. Unexpectedly, it ended up being his highest 'stat', sitting at 0.91. This category not only encompassed reaction speed, but also factored in the instinctual movements battle experience gave you. Of course, most of the reason Leonel's Reaction was so high wasn't due to his experience, but because of his inhuman senses.

Leonel found that when he broke down his opponents systematically with his self-created method, taking them down became even easier. He shamelessly targeted their weaknesses without remorse.

For those with great speed and agility, he overwhelmed them with strength. For those with great strength, he overwhelmed them with speed and agility. For those with great stamina, he left them to last, allowing them to tire themselves out first before he dealt the finishing blow.

Before Leonel realized it, he had grown numb to the slaughter. After breaking down their lives to mere numbers floating in his mind, it suddenly became easier to do what needed to be done. At the very least, it became easier to use the excuse that the Spanish committed terrible atrocities in this era to bury his guilt.

Emboldened by his growing strength, Leonel began to assault the Spanish from within the temple and in the camps outside under the cover of dark.

Their numbers continued to fall quickly. Leonel had no idea how much time he had spent in this Sub-Dimensional Zone, but it was enough for the Spaniards to start calling him 'El Diablo'.

He might not have known much if any Spanish, but he definitely knew what that meant. It was a name that let his actions over the last months truly set in.

His numbness turned to cold.

On yet another seemingly monotonous day, a drastic change finally occurred. With the number of Spaniards drastically lowered, the Mayans holed up within the Sacrificial Room burst out, leading a mighty counter attack of their own.

Leonel watched the battle play out from one of the few small windows he had found in the temple. He felt a wave of relief overcome him. Maybe he would be able to head home soon…

But, that was when another question struck him. Did he have a home to return to now?

Sighing, Leonel made his way through the network of hidden tunnels. A few had been found by the Spaniards in this time, but many of them were still intact.

Slowly but surely, he finally entered the only floor he hadn't. Victory seemed close at hand, but Leonel knew that the Chief Priest was currently in the greatest danger now. He had led enough football comebacks to know that people were the most vulnerable when they believed victory was at hand. So, Leonel chose to watch silently behind a false wall.

He had found this tunnel long ago but had never exited it. There was no point. He couldn't communicate with the Mayans since he couldn't speak their language, so it was better if he helped from the shadows.

But, who knew that the first things Leonel would see was an old man with wrinkled brown skin, standing over the body of a youthful beauty who seemed to be trying her best not to cry.

Her nude form could just barely be seen by Leonel, as could the knife the Chief Priest held high in the air as he chanted something he couldn't understand.

Leonel was so stunned that his face drained of all color. That girl was about to die, and the reason she would was in part his fault. Had he not…

No, that didn't make sense. Wouldn't her fate at the hands of the Spaniards be even worse? Just forget it, they're not real people anyway. Just finish the quest.

Protect the Chief Priest… Just protect the Chief Priest…

Before Leonel knew what he was doing, he had kicked down the false wall in a maddened rage. Guilt he had suppressed in his heart for months came spilling over in a bloody killing intent built from the deaths of hundreds of Spaniards.

His left arm reached into the container of long darts, his right gripping his atlatls as he hooked in his first attack.

"Die!"

This was the first time in Leonel's life he truly wanted to kill. Even with Conrad, his intent hadn't truly been there.

But the result was far beyond his expectations. The chanting Priest turned toward him with a stunned expression, but reacted quickly, a barrier of something Leonel couldn't see appearing to block the piercing spear.

Leonel stood frozen.

[Chief Priest]

[Strength: 0.12; Speed: 0.13; Agility: 0.15; Coordination: 0.42; Stamina: 0.33; Reactions: 0.73]

Not only was the Priest's reaction the highest Leonel had ever seen aside from his own, it was the highest score Leonel had ever given, period. On top of this… Leonel suddenly felt that he was missing a seventh category…

Just what was that wall of energy?

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The Chief Priest wore a tall head guard, beautifully decorated in all sorts of bright feathers and fabrics. His chest was bare except for the cape that hung across his collarbone with finely polished jewels and precious metals. His lower body was covered by a skirt which first wrapped around him like a loin cloth before extending into two long pieces between his legs that stopped just below his knees.

He had no weapons aside from the crude sacrificial dagger that seemed formed of obsidian. However, he still felt like the most dangerous opponent he had ever come across.

The Priest began to speak words Leonel had no ability to understand. Still, the latter's nerves remained tight, whatever senses he had honed to this point being pushed to their upper limits. The strain even caused blood vessels in his eyes to burst, coloring his whites in red.

With little more hesitation, Leonel knocked another atlatls dart. This time he used more power, pulling back with as much as 50% of his strength.

Out of habit, he hadn't gone all out with the first strike because the physical stats of the Priest were so low. But now he knew this wasn't a normal enemy.

Seeing that his attempts at communication failed, the Priest's brows furrowed as he raised his dagger once more. But this time, he aimed it toward Leonel, chanting with a calm rhythm.

The nude young lady strapped to the table watched on blankly, her gaze, once filled with fear, turning dull. She seemed to believe that no matter how this all ended, her fate was already sealed.

Leonel's spear shattered against an invisible barrier once more, but this time Leonel could faintly feel it condensing. It wasn't a feeling as sharp as his touch, sight or hearing, but it was there.

'A sixth sense?'

Suddenly, Leonel dropped down at his fastest speed. A moment later, a loud boom shook the Sacrificial Room's wall, leaving a deep impact.

A cold sweat matted Leonel's back as he hopped up, sprinting to the side as he knocked another dart.

He dove forward, sliding his arm across the air sideways and causing another dart to whistle across the air with a sharp sound.

'Dammit, I thought I would only have to fight normal humans in this place. Could it be that ancient humans found these awakened abilities too? Or maybe is it that these Sub-Dimensional Zones aren't as historically accurate as I originally believed?'

[Anomaly detected… Recalculating…]

[Sub-Dimensional Zone detected: Mayan Tomb. Spanish Invasion]

[Sub-Dimensional Zone grade: C]

[Clear requirements: Enter Chief Priest's Sacrificial Room (Complete). Save Chief Priest]

[Side Quest: Unable to detect. Scope of system too limited]

[Side Quest: Defeat 100 Spaniards (Complete) … Reward pending]

[… Recalculating…]

[Side Quest: Unable to detect. Scope of system too limited]

[Side Quest: Defeat 1000 Spaniards (Complete) … Reward pending]

[… Recalculating…]

[Hidden Quest: Defeat the Chief Priest]

[… Recalculating…]

[Reward Upgraded]

[Reward: Unable to detect. Scope of system too limited]

[It is recommended that subject, Leonel Morales, complete this quest with a minimum of three other individuals. Subject's D-grade ability is too low]

For a moment, Leonel almost forgot his rage toward the Priest. He wanted nothing more than to throw this broken watch across the walls till it broke. How was this considered a system? How could it be anything other than a jumbled mess?

Instead of telling him that he should enter in a team of 4, it waited until it was already too late to tell him. Instead of telling him what the side quests were, it waited until he had already completed them to tell him. And, it couldn't even get the grade of this Sub-Dimensional Zone right. What absolute bullshit.

'Forget it! Focus.'

Leonel's father's note told him that his father had to suppress his awakening during his youth. What if other people besides him had experienced this as well? The only problem with this theory was that his father had also said his constitution was different than others… But who was to say there weren't others like him?

Leonel's dart was blocked once more, but his sharp senses caught the fact the Priest was forced to slide back, albeit a minuscule amount.

With a flip, Leonel took advantage of his own centrifugal force, landing on his feet and not losing a single dart carried on his back.

'I only have 47 more darts. If I can't see any results by the time I have 25, I need to take the risk and get closer.'

Leonel maintained his strength perfectly, never using more than 50%. He realized that this Priest was entirely reliant on his odd energy. The old man getting on in years didn't make any large movements. Aside from shifting his feet every so often to face Leonel and raising his arms, he did nothing else.

'It can't be endless, I don't believe that he can do this forever.'

Suddenly, Leonel felt a strong sense of danger from his back.

Immediately he knew he had made a mistake. He dodged the Priest's last strike, but he hadn't heard a loud boom to his back like he had heard every time previously. He hadn't accounted for the possibility that the Priest could control the trajectory of his attacks!

Leonel managed to leap out of the way just in time, but his pack of long darts didn't survive.

The sound of splintering wood followed the ugly expression Leonel wore. Just like that, the 40 some odd darts he had left were shattered to pieces, leaving the Priest grinning an ugly yellow toothed smile.

Leonel sprung upward a moment later, running for his life.

Without having to divert his attention toward Leonel's darts, the Priest completely unleashed his strength.

Leonel dodged like a mad man sprinting around the room as though he was on a racetrack and not in a temple. His mind spun trying to think of solutions.

'First important point, every strike takes 2 seconds to charge and fire. Second important point, it only seems possible to control one strike at once. Controlled strikes take 5 seconds to charge but can be prepared as lesser strikes are being fired. However, a normal energy strike cannot be formed while the controlled strike is being maneuvered.

'Third important point, these strikes carry a strength of 0.82. I should adjust his strength before I figure out how to rank this seventh category. The speed of these energy strikes is at 0.89. The agility of the controlled strikes are only at 0.46.

'If I want to keep surviving, I need to dodge before he sends out his strike or I'm finished. Luckily I've overestimated the Priest's coordination. If his control over his energy strikes are factored in, it's dropped by 0.03 to 0.39.' Ñ00vl--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

Leonel continued to run, taking out three silver rods he had strapped to his left hip and twisting them together, discarding his atlatl completely.

In a smooth motion, he shrugged off what remained of the box of darts, leaving about 20 pounds behind.

Gripping his silver rod, Leonel abruptly changed directions. The moment he ducked the most recent controlled energy strike, he leaped into the air toward the Chief Priest, his silver rod morphing into a bicycle before he landed on the ground.

The Priest was stunned for a moment. Where could he had ever seen such technology? Luckily for Leonel, his silver rod worked with folding technology and not electrical technology, or it would have lost its morphing ability long ago.

The Sacrificial Room was quite large, being about 200 meters in diameter. The distance between Leonel and the Priest was currently just over a hundred meters. Even if he ran full tilt, it would still take him over nine seconds to make it. However, with some momentum built up and his bike, he could cut it to eight.

'One second… two!'

Leonel tilted his bike to the side so far that his knee scrapped against the ground. Sparks flew as the metal fitting he placed over it skid.

With an abnormal feat of strength, Leonel slammed his palm into the ground, pushing himself and his bike back upright. He had fought with his life on the line for too long to feel the same shuddering nervousness. There had been nothing but him and his own thoughts for months. There was no way he was going to lose to the first person he consciously chose to kill.

'The next strike will very likely target my bike itself… two!'

Leonel's thighs flexed, his bike hopping just over meter in the air. His instincts from countless battles kicked in. All things considered, only having to account for just one opponent at a time was marginally easier despite the godlike abilities of this Priest.

'Here it comes.'

The controlled strike finished charging, shooting toward Leonel like a bullet.

Vaguely formed in Leonel's head, he could see the difference almost as though they were vibrant colors of their own. His eyes were slowly gaining the ability to see the shifting energy through the air, the pale fog circulating around the Priest.

Maybe if this was really a game and not real life, Leonel would get a notification achievement about awakening this level of sight before even gaining mastery over the energy.

The energy sped toward him. But this time, it was no longer a vague feeling Leonel got. He could see it cutting through the air from his right, curving for his head while slicing down in an arching path.

If Leonel jumped, it would destroy his bike. If he ducked it would take off his head.

The Priest likely realized that Leonel was previously only able to get a vague sense of where his energy was coming from due to the fact Leonel had taken more drastic actions than what was necessary.

Not only did he start taking control of the energy strike before it met Leonel this time, but he also actively dissipated its energy, trying to confuse Leonel about its exact location.

Unfortunately, the Priest could have never imagined that Leonel's senses would evolve once more at this very moment. Even more unfortunately, Leonel was well aware how low the agility of the controlled energy strike was.

Leonel suddenly skidded his bike to a grinding halt, the tail of his back wheel spinning to the front and whipping around.

His maneuver was perfectly timed. The controlled strike sped by his right side across his face and out into the distance toward the left.

The Priest's eyes widened as he quickly tried to control the energy strike to turn back, but Leonel's bike had already finished its spin and furiously sped forward. Though in a straight line the energy strike had a speed of 0.89 and Leonel's speed was only 0.51, there were two important factors Leonel had already considered.

First, the time it took for the energy strike to slow, turn around, then gain its top speed once more was long due to its low agility. And, second… Leonel's speed on his bike obviously just wasn't a mere 0.51 anymore.

The Priest was too late to realize this. Leonel was already 2 seconds away and he still hadn't abandoned his controlled energy strike. He didn't have enough time to prepare another strike.

In a panic, the Priest grabbed the naked girl on the table and threw her toward Leonel who had just unsheathed a sword.

Shocked, Leonel squeezed the hand-breaks of his bike as hard as he could catching the girl in the air.

'Dammit!'

Analyzing the situation, Leonel knew his time sensitive plan was ruined. He also realized something else. The Priest's strength was too low to throw a girl who must have weighed at least 110 pounds across 10 meters to him. That meant the Priest had another method of amplifying the strength of his body directly.

In that instant, the Priest's strength stat rose to… 0.97!

'The Priest still doesn't know I attacked him to protect this girl. If he knows this, he'll use it against me.'

Leonel recovered from his apprehension quickly, battle instincts he had honed for months kicking in as he apologetically dropped the girl to the ground without hesitation. It might have been cruel, but a drop of a less than a meter was better than whatever attack she would have to suffer from the Priest otherwise.

His plan worked just as intended. The Priest completely ignored the girl, believing that Leonel wouldn't care about her life one way or another. However, by now, he had already prepared another strike.

Leonel clicked the button on his bike, turning it back into a pole and rolling out of the way.

It was already too late to build up momentum with his bike again, he had to cross the last few meters himself.

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Leonel's senses were like sparks running through his body. He could feel his Reactions increase again, reaching 0.93.

With another dodge, he entered the two meter radius of the Priest, swinging downward with all his might.

'His controlled strikes are interrupted when he has to form a shield… But if the shield is made, it can sustain itself for a period while he creates the next…!'

A sharp reverberating strength traveled through Leonel's body as his silver rod violently crashed against the Priest's barrier. It was painful, but his body was resistant. The glow in his eyes only grew fiercer when he saw the barrier give way a bit.

The Priest's next shot was at point blank range, but Leonel's reactions were too quick. The former's arm had only barely twitched when Leonel shifted his body, dodging the next strike.

At such a close distance, the controlled shots had become meaningless. With their poor agility, if Leonel timed a dodge well enough, the Priest could end up hurting himself.

'He can only shoot these strikes of energy from the hand wielding his dagger. But is that true? Or is it superstition? When he threw the girl over, he clearly used a hand without the dagger in it…'

The Priest's arm suddenly shot forward. Maybe believing that his shield would be down soon, he preemptively struck, his strength soaring past his base stats once again.

But Leonel was ready. With the Priest's poor coordination, catching Leonel off guard was too tall a mountain to climb. At the same time, however, the Priest was more clever than Leonel gave him credit for.

The instant his arm punched toward Leonel, another strike of energy was sent forth. Except this time, there was no two second wait like Leonel was expecting.

Caught completely off guard, Leonel's eyes widened in shock. In those split seconds, he managed to tell that the strike was shooting forward at a speed of 0.94 and it was completely impossible for him to dodge.

'That dagger… it can charge and store attacks too… Shit.'

Leonel managed to shift his shoulder out of the way of the Priest's punch, but the flash of energy barreled into his left hip, treating Leonel's armor like scrap metal and fracturing his hip bone before its strength dissipated.

A cold breath rushed through Leonel's teeth as he spun like a top. He had never felt such excruciating pain in his lifetime. He was certain that the him of just a few months ago would blackout in an instant. NvεlB¡n: Transforming Moments into Memories.

'… If he has another one…'

Leonel's heart trembled. But luckily, even with his vision growing foggy, he could sense the Priest gathering energy once more. Whether it was because his dagger's ability had a timer, or because he didn't feel it was necessary to use it again, or maybe because he couldn't, it didn't matter.

With a wince, Leonel collapsed to the ground, but he had already pulled out another atlatl.

All this time, the Priest had completely forgotten about his ability to throw. How could he not, Leonel made a big show of throwing his atlatl away as though it was useless to him. Those action made the Priest completely miss the fact that Leonel had three more to his right hip. And just now, he just so happened to have landed by one of the darts the Priest blocked when he first entered this place.

As for whether it was by coincidence or not… If someone asked his best friend James… He would emphatically choose not.

Leonel took control of his senses, forcefully sealing the pain in his hip from traveling to his brain.

Rolling over, he plucked the damaged dart from the ground and fitted it into his atlatl.

By the time the Priest noticed that something was wrong, it was already too late. He was in the middle of conjuring another energy strike and he would have to cancel it in order to form a shield. But that singular second was all Leonel needed.

With a roar that expelled every drop of energy he had left, Leonel balanced himself on his only good hip and butt, angling his torso up as he finally threw his first full force spear toward the Priest.

The speed was blinding. It was as though a line of brown had been drawn from Leonel's arm to the Priest's neck. The splintered wood of the dart lodged into the latter's throat, causing a fountain of blood to rain down as the Priest collapsed, his dagger falling along with him.

Seeing this, the last bit of will that held Leonel together collapsed. He fell back, a familiar pain returning to his left hip that almost made his eyes roll back.

He knew he couldn't stay. The Mayans had gone out to fight, but there was no telling when they'd be back. He needed to move.

'Has the quest ended? Send me out of here.'

[Sub-Dimensional Zone detected: Mayan Tomb. Spanish Invasion]

[Sub-Dimensional Zone grade: C]

[Clear requirements: Enter Chief Priest's Sacrificial Room (Complete). Save Chief Priest (Failed)]

'Oh for fuck's sake. It can't be that they won't teleport me out because I failed, right?'

If he had the strength, he would definitely smash this watch now regardless of the consequences.

Breathing heavily, Leonel rolled to his right again. He found his silver rod to his side and gripped it. Using it as a crutch, he slowly pulled himself up, relying on his one good leg.

He slowly made his way to the dead Priest, pulling the fallen dagger to his side and wasting what must have been at least a good ten minutes picking it up. He didn't know how it worked, or if he could even use it, but he knew it held some power in the eyes of the Mayans without a doubt. Maybe if they came rushing here, he could scare them away with it.

Finally, Leonel hobbled to the still naked girl who sat dazed on the ground. Now that the fight was over, his teenage hormones seemed to want to kick in. She was truly a beauty with delicate brown skin, though it was now covered in bruises and scrapes. She should have been around 20 years old, so though she was young, she still held a maturity to her that too easily swayed boys as young as Leonel.

However, Leonel snapped out of it, trying his best to avert his eyes from her most treasured places though she didn't seem to care anymore.

"Are you alright?" Leonel asked.

The moment he did, he started kicking himself. She couldn't understand a word he was saying, what the hell was wrong with him? If Aina saw him babbling like a fool here, she'd never talk to him again.

The young woman seemed to shake out of her daze, looking up at Leonel from her seated position as though shocked he was before her. Still, what shocked her even more was his kind gaze. She hadn't seen such a thing in a long while. Even her own parents had only looked toward her with sadness and grief after they learned she was the chosen virgin for the Chief Priest's sacrifice.

Though Leonel's face was mostly obscured by his metal helmet, it was still the best she had seen in a long time.

She reentered her daze for another long while as she recalled what happened. Looking toward the Priest's dead body, her body suddenly started to tremble.

Her breath quickened, her breasts undulating beneath the far too fast beating of her heart.

Leonel snapped out of his embarrassment and bent down with a worried expression.

"It's alright, you'll be fine now."

Leonel knew she couldn't understand him. But he hoped that a soothing voice would do something.

However… What he didn't expect was for his heart to stop beating completely when her gaze met his own next.

It was an inhuman gaze. A reddish, devilish stare that looked like a madwoman intent on seeing the world burn.

She shrieked, lunging at Leonel's neck with both hands. No matter how quick Leonel's reflexes, with almost one half of his body being completely useless, and with how close the two were, there was absolutely nothing he could do.

A sharp pain shook Leonel's body as he fell to his back. The breath was knocked out of him as he gasped in shock. But he noticed a second later that he couldn't breathe. His throat was completely sealed by this seemingly frail girl.

She was almost like a rabid dog, snarling and screaming as she squeezed with all her might. It was as though the only wish she had in this world was for Leonel to die.

Leonel was in shock. Hadn't he just saved her? What was she doing? Even if she didn't thank him, she shouldn't be trying to kill him, right?

Leonel's eyes reddened both due to a lack of oxygen and a slowly building anger. He didn't have to step out and save her life. In fact, his quest didn't ask him to anyway.

Because of her, months of toil and pain were completely wasted, yet she was trying to kill him? How dare she?!

His silver rod and the dagger still gripped in either arm, all Leonel had to do was drive the dagger into her ribcage. Just like that, she would be dead and he could breathe again.

His hand raised, his emotions bubbling over, but that was when his gaze met hers again.

He could see them. The tears falling from her eyes, the sheer desperation. He could even faintly see the glint of his knife in the corner of her eye, something that made him certain she saw it. All she had to do was drive her knee into his shattered hip and he would probably lose himself to pain, unable to do much of anything.

Yet she did nothing. It was as though she was hoping he would just end her life.

Leonel felt his vision blackening, his dagger still raised in the air. His hand trembled… He knew that her delicate skin wouldn't be able to last even a split moment against the sharp edge of the blade, yet he couldn't bring himself to do it.

His hand fell back to the ground, his body finally succumbing to his injuries and lack of oxygen. As his consciousness faded, he could only see a sea of black.

'Maybe this is just what I deserve…'

[Side Quest: Defeat 1000 Spaniards (Complete) … Reward pending]

In his last moments, this was what he thought of.

'Defeat'. What a nice way to put it. In reality, he had slaughtered them all.

Were they fake? Leonel could no longer fool himself into believing this. The emotions that colored that girl's eyes… They were too real. He could almost peer into her soul and see through her secrets, her insecurities… How could they be fake?

'Oh, today's my 18th birthday…' Leonel thought. '… I guess I'm an adult now, right? You don't have to feel bad about my death then, dad… you officially finished raising me… I'm no longer… your responsibility…'

Leonel no longer had the strength to form anymore thoughts. So, he slipped away.

The naked girl sat over his torso in a daze, looking from Leonel's handsome face and to the dagger he hadn't used and back again. Now that his helm had been knocked off in his fall backward, she could see him clearly. She was stunned to find that he was even younger than she was.

The tears that fell from her cheeks grew into a torrent, her savage shrieks turning to maddening sobs until she collapsed, unconscious.

It was then that a white light enveloped Leonel and his body disappeared.

[Quest cleared. Subject Leonel Morales being sent to —]

The wrist watch's mechanical voice cut off. Clearly, wherever Leonel was headed, it had no ability to exist.

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Leonel was beginning to see a new pattern in his life that he wasn't very fond of.

Battle to the point of death. Fall unconscious. And finally, wake up without knowing where the hell you were.

Once again, Leonel found himself in a similar situation. Except this time, it was even weirder than appearing atop a Mayan temple, if you could believe it.

He sat on the ground, or what he perceived was the ground, in a blank white space. If it wasn't for some kind of gravity telling him which way was down, he would have a hard time distinguishing just which direction was which.

To make matters weirder, it was hard to tell if the ceiling was a centimeter from his head, or if it was miles away. Was there even a ceiling? He wasn't sure.

However, maybe it was due to his ability, but Leonel found that he adapted quite quickly. Soon, that feeling of disorientation faded and he began to slowly stand with the help of his silver rod.

'Hold on…'

Just when Leonel was feeling that the process was too easy, he realized that his hip was no longer broken. In fact, he felt better than he ever had in his entire life. The only discomfort he felt in his hip was due to his deformed armor pressing into it.

Without much of a choice, Leonel took it off. He wasn't sure where he was, and equally unsure if he still needed to be alert. But, this armor was no longer any good to him in this state.

'Wait… Why am I alive? Unless… I'm not?'

This sort of white space, wasn't it just like every stereotype of heaven he had ever read about? Maybe he really was already dead.

Leonel sighed. After unbuckling his armor, he set it aside. He really did smell quite terrible, but after so many months, it had stopped bothering him as much. His sweat pants and compression shirts hadn't lasted, so he was currently wearing so odd leather pants he snatched from a dead soldier. His chest was fitted with chain mail, but other than that, it was bare.

To sum it up, he was a mess.

'My scars seem to be gone too…'

The number Leonel had accumulated were definitely not few. His body had become a canvas of bullet wounds and blade scars, but they had vanished.

"Oh? It's quite rare for someone to regain their bearing so quickly in this place."

The sudden voice snapped Leonel out of his own thoughts. His tension still running high, his neck practically broke off from his torso turning toward the sound, his silver rod and dagger being gripped tightly.

"Whoa there. It wouldn't be the first time someone attacked their Guardian, but I'd prefer not to be added to that list, please and thanks."

A handsome man that seemed carved of precious stone had appeared a few meters from Leonel. He was more perfect than any human should have been. Leonel had a hard time believing that he was anything other than an ascended being. He somehow managed to wear a gold plated armor without looking absolutely ridiculous to a man of the modern era like Leonel.

"Guardian?"

"Mm, yes." The man said. "It's my job to hand you the rewards you've earned in your Sub-Dimensional Zone. In return, I receive a bit of Karma."

"Karma?"

The man waved his hand. "Guiding a baby isn't part of my job description."

With that, the man unfurled a golden scroll. Maybe it was due to whatever it is he read, but he froze for a very long time.

'He seemed to be speaking English, but his lip movements were nothing like English. Something is translating?' Leonel thought to himself.

"First to clear a Sub-Dimensional Zone in your world, huh? Not bad… Oh, that's unfortunate. It seems that someone skipped ahead and took the World Spirit for themselves, or else you'd have a right to a fourth of it. Shame, your world has Eighth Dimension potential, its World Spirit should have great talent… Not bad, a Third Dimensional world that can create rudimentary Sub-Dimensional Zone analysis technology definitely has a bright future ahead of it.

"Just who could… Oh?" The man's brows raised as though he saw something amusing. "Is Morales your maternal or paternal name?"

"… Paternal."

"I see… I see…"

"Excuse me, sir. Are you saying that my reward should have been this World Spirit but someone else took it?" Discover, Devour, Delight: NvεlB¡n.

"You could say so. But it's less about the World Spirit being taken away and more about it choosing its master. You shouldn't feel that it's unfair, it can only be said that this person is more gifted than you are. Or rather… That's not definitive. After all, this World Spirit was taken even before you were born.

"Also, being the first only nets you a reward of a chance to gain the World Spirit's recognition and the equivalent of a fourth of its power. Many worlds still have the power of their World Spirit split into four, passed down through generations of the same Clan… Not that that matters much to you, now."

"Oh, I see…"

"… Entering a Tier 4 Black Ranked Sub-Dimensional Zone on your own for your first try? With a pseudo Fourth Dimensional world's constitution for a body? You must be insane."

Leonel opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn't make heads or tails of what the man just said. His watch ranked the world he entered a grade 'C'. How did that translate to this man's ranking system?

"It was a Tier 4 Black Ranked Zone meant for four people? What the hell is wrong with you kid? No wonder it took so long for me to fix you up. Leave these kinds of things to youths born in higher Dimensional worlds. It's my job not to be prejudiced against you, but I'm giving you advice. Your world has a lot of potential, more than mine by a good margin. Take your time and stop rushing things."

Leonel was shocked by the care in the man's voice. It seemed out of place… Or maybe he was just a good guy, or was just fond of his accomplishments.

But, he could still only smile bitterly at the man's words. He hadn't known anything before he stepped in. Plus, his father had implied that he should enter. How could he know his old man would send him to his death?

"… Alright, I'll stop nagging you."

"Sir, can I ask your name?"

"My name is Montez."

"Thanks for the advice, Uncle Montez. I'll do my best."

Montez blinked in shocked for a long while before he laughed heartily.

"Uncle it is, then… Hm, your rewards…

"Clearing both side quests. Activating the hidden quest. Completing the hidden quest. Clearing the objective."

"I cleared the objective?.. I thought I failed…"

"You would have, had you killed that little girly. But it seemed you didn't."

Leonel's face twisted with a weird expression. What kind of quest was that? Wouldn't it go on forever then?

"The quest objective was to repel the Spanish and save the girl."

Leonel's expression darkened. The wrist watch told him to save the Chief Priest. What kind of sick joke was this?

Had he known the true objective, he wouldn't have gone into the Sacrificial Room without a plan because he would of deduced the Priest would be his toughest enemy. If he was prepared, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.

Montez began to laugh, eventually wiping tears from his eyes.

"I told you it was rudimentary Zone analysis technology. How could it be completely accurate?"

Leonel took a deep breath. "Before my rewards, do you mind explaining two things to me? What exactly are Sub-Dimensional Zones and how does the ranking system work?"

"Well, I'm normally not allowed to explain these things… But I think I can get away with it this time.

"Zones are key points in history which connect your Third Dimension to the Fourth. Due to a sort of buffer the Universe has, these Dimensions were 'stored' in time so that they couldn't influence the timeline too much. In order for your world to successfully evolve to the next Dimension, these instances in time must be resolved.

"If they are not resolved, they will begin eating away at your timeline, altering important events in history until your world is unrecognizable. If the problem becomes severe enough, your world could collapse."

Leonel's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the problem to be this severe.

"So I'm guessing… the reason why you higher worlds help us little guys out is so that one day you'll have more help with clearing your own Sub-Dimensional Zones?"

Montez couldn't hide his mouth hanging open in shock.

"… Yes… That's exactly right. It's in our best interest to unite in this matter. A world with as much potential as yours will receive a lot of help. In fact, there should be a lot of influences from other worlds in your own already… You're quite a smart boy, but I really can't say much else. Influencing your timeline too much can have its own poor effects.

"To answer your second question, Black Zones are assigned to Fourth Dimensional events, Bronze to Fifth, Silver to Sixth, and Gold to Seventh. My own world is only of the Seventh Dimension, so I don't know much more."

Leonel had many more questions. Like the man had mentioned 'world potential' before, and even said that Earth had the potential of an Eighth Dimensional World. On top of that, he said that Earth had more potential than his own world. But if that was the case, and his world was already of the Seventh Dimension, shouldn't his world's job be done? Since there was no hope in reaching the Eighth Dimension for them, why did they still help lower worlds?

And if his job wasn't finished for some unknown reason, wouldn't his Seventh Dimensional World be facing Eighth Sub-Dimensional Zones right now just like Earth as a Third Dimensional World was facing Fourth Sub-Dimensional threats? So why did he not know anything about Zones above the Gold grade?

There seemed to be a secret here that was nagging at Leonel's heart. But… He knew better than to ask.

"Each rank of Black to Gold is divided into nine level, one being the lowest and nine being the highest difficulty. In addition, the chosen difficulty is ranked by how many are allowed to enter as well. The Zone you completed had an entry limit of four since it was relatively stable and could support that much influence without collapsing. But, you completed it alone, so it was more like a Tier 5 Black Zone to you."

Montez clapped. "Alright, that's enough. I wasted much of our time together with too many words.

"I'm sure you know by now that the reward system is separate from the Zones. It's something us higher worlds created. Only Silver and Gold Zones can form rewards of their own, kind of like that dagger in your hand… Though that dagger will disappear once you leave this place. That's the difference between low grade Zones and higher grade ones."

Leonel couldn't help but inwardly smile. Every time Montez swore he couldn't tell Leonel anymore, he would continue to drop tidbits of helpful information.

"Either way, since this is a four person Zone, you can normally choose four Tier 4 Black rewards for a minimum clear. But, since you completed the hidden quest, that's good for a Tier 5 Black reward. Including the two side quests… the clearing 100 Spaniards reward is another Tier 4 Black reward, clearing 1000 is a Tier 5 Black reward.

"I also have to factor in the fact you were the first of your world to clear a Zone, and that's worth a Tier 9 Black reward. So, five Tier 4 Black rewards, two Tier 5 Black rewards, and one Tier 9 Black reward.

"You are allowed to trade down by handing in a higher Tier for three lower ones. You can trade up by using five. Don't ask why it's like this, you know people at the top are misers."

Montez clapped his hands. A moment later, a counter filled with treasures Leonel was practically blinded by appeared. Maybe the most shocking part was the fact this 'counter' extended for hundreds of meters to the left and right.

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Leonel was overwhelmed. How could he possibly sift through so many treasures?

"What do you suggest, Uncle Montez?"

Montez smiled. "First, I don't suggest you trade in your five Tier 4 Black rewards for a Tier 5 one. In your current state, you can't afford to be picky. If you have to rely on 'treasures' you pick up in the Zones you enter, you won't last very long.

"In addition, as I said before, the things you picked up from there will disappear once you leave this place. In this present state, not only are Zones dangerous, but your world itself is dangerous too. You might have run into the Invalids already…"

Leonel opened his mouth to answer but only nodded in the end. He had almost forgotten about the weird changes in his white pupil'd peers… So they were called Invalids. He didn't have to think much to understand why that was.

Unfortunately, he was running out of time, so he knew he couldn't ask Montez about it. It also seemed that Montez was purposely not answering as well.

"Do you have the ability to narrow these down by my needs?" Leonel asked.

After seeing Montez nod, he immediately organized his thoughts.

"How would you categorize these treasures?"

"Hm. There are defensive treasures that range from armors to one time use tokens. There are offensive treasures that range from weapons to, again, one time use tokens. There are techniques that touch on anything from improving your strength to your defense to your offense.

"You can trade for Sub-Dimension Zone analyzing treasures to get a more accurate read on the Zones you enter. These are categorized as detection treasures, the best ones can be used outside of Zones as well.

"You can also trade for information. It can be information about where Zones will appear in your world, or even information about other worlds. It's also possible to buy a ticket to another world, though it would cost you your Tier 9 Black reward."

Leonel's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Can you show me your Tier 9 Black techniques? Preferably the ones that teach how to use the same energy as the Priest I just fought." Ñøvl-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.

"Hohoho." Montez smiled a smile that wasn't a smile, but his eyes seemed to give away that he was extremely satisfied with Leonel's choice.

The counter magically shrunk down, leaving a pile of hundreds of booklets. It was clear at a glance that though a Tier 9 Black technique was valuable to Leonel now, it definitely didn't mean much to Montez.

Though the options were narrowed down, Leonel still felt lost. If only his sensory type abilities were able to seek out what he needed.

At this thought, Leonel raised an internal eyebrow. What if it could? He didn't know anything about his abilities currently and he was actually tempted to ask for a treasure that could tell him about it. But, he subconsciously felt that this wasn't the best idea.

One thing that was clear to him about these treasures is that none of them were perfect. He most certainly couldn't expect a Black grade treasure to be so. If he found such a 'helpful' treasure, it might lead him down the wrong path. And, even if it was correct, it might limit him by boxing in his thinking.

Leonel closed his eyes, trying to tap into the same sixth sense he used to battle the Priest. Once he locked onto that feeling once more, his eyes flashed opened. In that moment, the seemingly ordinary piles of books became a violent storm of raging colors.

No. Once again, they weren't truly colors. Leonel's mind only interpreted them as such, almost like an odd form of synesthesia.

Leonel realized now that compared to these books, the Priest had been a joke. But this made sense, he was only the 'Boss' of a Tier 4 Black Zone, while these were Tier 9 Black techniques.

However, he soon found differences between them. Among even these high tier techniques, there were separations. Leonel immediately discarded the worst of them and focused on the five that shone so brightly that even while being buried beneath the pile, they exposed themselves.

He stepped forward and pushed all the other away, leaving five.

'Shit… I can't read what —'

Just as Leonel was thinking this, the words on the five thin booklets rearranged themselves, becoming legible English.

"There's still a small bit of fairness in the world." Montez laughed, hiding his shock. "Anything you take out of this world will remain translated for you."

Leonel nodded, thankful.

"I pick this one."

At this point, even Montez was stunned to the point of no longer being able to hide his reactions. Leonel hadn't deliberated for more than a split second before he put his hand over a booklet, taking it from the counter.

Leonel shrugged. "I felt this one could help improve my ability. I had already chosen before I knew its name."

"[Dimensional Cleanse]… It can indeed improve one's ability. But how did you know that?"

"I dunno. Just felt it."

Montez's eyes narrowed. He could tell that Leonel wasn't lying. But, even if he was, Montez wouldn't press him regardless.

"The others are powerful as well, so why this one in particular?"

"They gave me auxiliary abilities I didn't need. Before I think of gaining extra stuff, I want to focus on my own. I feel that it's very powerful."

Montez couldn't refute. He had never seen someone with a Pseudo Fourth Dimensional Constitution do what Leonel just did.

"For my two Tier 5 Black rewards, can you show me some flexible armors?"

Leonel wanted to look through [Dimensional Cleanse] now, but he refrained. He felt that Montez had reminded him about the time for a reason. He likely couldn't stay here forever.

Montez clapped his hands once more, causing the counter to shift. This time, there were even more items to display. Not only were there more, but they also took up a larger space individually than small booklets did. In addition, it was a lower tier of treasure, so it made sense that there were so many.

Leonel narrowed down the options in the same fashion. He eventually settled on a skin-tight armor not much different from his compression shirt. It was a sleek black and the only difference was the fact it was dotted with small hexagons that flashed an imperceptible black light every so often.

For his second Tier 5 treasure, Leonel chose a pair of shoes that had the ability to camouflage themselves into his chosen design. Not only did it have a small bit of defense, but it could increase his speed and agility by 0.1 each.

When Leonel got to his Tier 4 treasures, he realized why Montez advised him not to trade them in. He could think of so many things he needed that he almost felt depressed that there were just five choices left.

First, he chose a container. It was shaped like box forged of steel, but it had thick leather straps. Its height was about a meter and its width about half of one. From the outside, it seemed to have less carrying capacity than the wooden box Leonel used in the Mayan Temple. But one would be shocked to find that it could house 200 long-form darts compared to 50 from the Mayan container. In addition, as long as Leonel hovered his hand over it, a dart would immediately enter his palm.

The best part about this treasure was that it could produce darts itself. It came pre-made with 200, but as long as Leonel fed it materials, it could make more. Leonel was extremely happy finding such a perfect treasure for him.

The second Tier 4 Black treasure he took was another technique. This one was called [Call of the Wind]. It was a throwing technique that taught the use of wind negating abilities to increase the speed of one's spears or darts.

The third Leonel chose was a sturdier atlatl. The combination of these higher tech darts and this technique would completely shatter the atlatls the Mayans built. Plus, everything he got from the temple would disappear once he left this place anyway.

The fourth Leonel chose was a crude sensor. It could sense the opening of a Zone within ten miles and also point out the direction like a compass. In addition, with a large margin of error, it could estimate the grade of the Zone as well.

The fifth and final treasure Leonel chose wasn't for himself. It was a bracelet that acted as a one time defensive token. Though it was a Tier 4 Black treasure, since it was only one time use, it was more powerful than other treasures of its tier.

Of course, he had traded for it for the sake of Aina.

He may have not known the details of Aina's likes and dislikes, but he knew of her disposition. If he tried to give her too much, Leonel was certain she would reject. But this small token… Maybe she just might say yes.

"Uh… Uncle Montez…"

"Hm? What're you loitering around for. That was your final pick."

"… Do you maybe have a place I can wash myself in? I can't see my… I can't see her like this, it'll be a disaster."

Montez looked blankly at Leonel before almost falling over in laughter.

"Sure, sure, sure. Whatever. Since you were so quick, you have fifteen minutes left."

Montez waved his hand and the counter disappeared, replaced by a small pond of water that fogged with a dense whiteness.

Leonel didn't hesitate. They were all men here anyway. He stripped off all his worn armor and dropped them to the ground, jumping in to scrub himself furiously. He was so obsessed with getting as clean as possible that he completely missed Montez's sharpening gaze at the sight of the faint scar on his right hip. And since he missed that… He also missed the surge of fury.

As for Leonel, it wasn't really his fault that he missed this. The pond was much too comfortable. He forgot the joy of cleaning oneself. But, even more curious, this water didn't seem to be normal by any stretch of the imagination. Leonel could even faintly feel his senses sharpening.

By the end of ten minutes, his Reactions had increased to 0.95 before stopping. In addition, his coordination followed suit, stopping at 0.90.

With just five minutes left, Leonel hopped out. He slid on his new Tier 5 Black flexible armor first, allowing it to perfectly adjust to his size and shape. He felt his stamina tick up by 0.05. Then, he slipped on his raggedy pair of sweatpants that he had luckily cleaned first this time. Though they had been soggy, Montez was nice enough to wave a hand and dry them clean.

There were a lot of holes in them, but at least they covered his most important parts.

Last came his pair of Tier 5 Black shoes which he disguised as sneakers. He then slid on the steel container and hooked his white boned atlatl to his waist.

Gripping the rest of his stuff, he bowed his head in thanks to Montez.

"Thank you, Uncle Montez!"

Montez smiled and waved, sending Leonel out.

On the top of the Mayan temple, the situation was completely different to how Leonel had left it. Not only had his friends woken up, but judging by their appearances and how there were fewer of them than before, they had also cleared their first Zone as well…

Montez had downplayed how long he took to recover Leonel back to his full state. If Leonel's constitution had been better, he could have healed him in an instant. But due to Leonel's weak body, Montez had to take his time.

Like this, though Leonel was the first to clear a Zone, he was actually last in place to return. Maybe only the first few people who awoke knew that he had entered first…

"What the hell are you trying to do, Conrad?"

James stood towering, his injuries from that night clearly healed. But it seemed that he was still in quite a bad state, a reality that would have left Leonel surprised. Why had his Guardian healed him but not James?

However, a moment later Leonel would realize that it was because James had been hurt outside of the Zone!

Conrad sneered. "This isn't the normal world order anymore, James. Just because you were bigger and stronger than me before, doesn't mean you are now. I won't need you to be drunk to kill you this time."

"You have a lot of nerve puffing your chest out like that after sneak attacking me in my sleep. Sure, it's a new world order. But you're still the same pussy."

Conrad's gaze turned crimson, the space around him heating furiously.

"You wanna say that again? Even if it's a new world order, your family still exists on the outside. And don't think I've forgotten what you failed to do during the Championship Game."

James' own gaze turned dangerous. "If you died here, who of the Siegfried family would even know or care? If you think I'm just going to let you use the girls of my Royal Blue Academy just to vent your lust, you have another thing coming."

Several girls sat cowering to James' back, their eyes filled with fear. They realized that in this world, they didn't have the same protections they once did… Among them, Yuri and Savahn were present, but there was no sign of Aina.

As though on cue, a portal slowly formed. A delicate beauty with a battle axe twice the size of her body appeared. Her presence was so captivating that it was almost too easy to ignore the weapon on her back and the odd out of place black bag in her hand.

Aina's steps paused, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings only to stop on Yuri and Savahn. Looking at the tears that streaked their faces and their disheveled clothing, her gaze once more shifted to Conrad.

At that moment, another portal appeared.

Conrad's expression turned ugly when he saw Leonel's smiling face. He was shocked to see how many items Leonel had brought with him. How had he gotten so much?

Aina, too, saw Leonel. In fact, her gaze didn't leave Leonel's as she walked to Conrad's back.

Her arm shot forward, piercing through to Conrad's chest. The image of a petite girl with an arm covered in blood was an image Leonel would never forget.

He had been smiling brightly just a moment ago, his eyes finally landing on the beauty he had been thinking of for so long… Only for it to freeze in his shock.

Conrad didn't get to speak another word before he slumped to the ground, sliding off of Aina's forearm as though she deliberately slowed him down so that Leonel would capture every moment.

Leonel felt that his world had come to a complete grinding halt.

--

Alright guys, this will be the last mass upload for a while. DD's regular upload schedule will be 1 chapter or 2k words a day. However, there are ways to get more chapters:

For every 10 *unique* reviews (ie by a different person and not spammed from the same account), I will add a bonus chapter. We are at 2 reviews right now, 1 review exluding myself. So, when we get to 11 total, I will upload another chapter. This deal is good for up to 101 total reviews :) we probably won't get there any time soon, though.

I also plan to implement a powerstone bonus chapter system, but I'll let you guys know about that at a later date.

Anyhoo, hope you've enjoyed to this point! I'm excited to write more :)

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Leonel stood frozen, his silver rod gripped tightly in one hand and the bracelet he had traded for Aina in his other. He hardly heard the shrieks of the girls cowering behind James as he watch her use Conrad's own shirt to wipe his blood from her arm.

Aina's gaze didn't ever seem to leave his own. Maybe it was Leonel's own illusion, he wasn't sure. But what was certain was that Aina made her way over to him. In a series of events that were nothing more than a blur to him, his bag, the one she had been carrying all this time, the very one he had allowed her to use as a pillow, ended up in his hand. The very same hand he held the bracelet in.

The massive battle axe on her seemingly delicate back cast a shadow over his face, dwarfing him completely. Leonel wasn't even consciously aware of what happened next, he only caught small tidbits.

Savahn was too scared to approach Aina anymore. Yuri's demeanor changed with Aina's appearance as though she had never been afraid. The odd world they were in began to tremble. And before Leonel knew it, he was standing on the grass gardens that once surrounded the Northern Dormitories.

All he could think about was Aina's gaze. Her amber, almost golden eyes, peering through his soul. It wasn't particularly cold, nor did it fill him with fear, but there was something deeply unsettling about them, a feeling that set an itch he couldn't reach in his heart.

"Leo! LEO!"

Leonel's eyes flashed as his body shifted to the side. He stuck his silver rod into the soft soil beneath him and used his now free hand to grab to the side.

His reactions were inconceivably quick. He hadn't even seen who attacked him from behind even to this moment. All he had was a frail wrist that almost seemed like it could snap with a single squeeze.

'Strength 0.72?'

Leonel was stunned. Knowing he wouldn't be able to hold on for so with his 0.67 level strength, he used the attacker's momentum against them, pulling on their wrist and sweeping his leg across.

'That's… That's the girl who threw up that day…'

Leonel's white pupil'd underclassman flipped in the air, falling on her back with a resounding thud.

James, who had been the one calling out to Leonel, blinked in shock before smiling bitterly. It seemed his best friend had had his own massive improvements. In fact, with how alert Leonel had been even in a daze just now, he had a feeling that Leonel had suffered more than them all.

Yet, he had somehow managed to keep a bright smile on his face when he came back, only for him to lose that smile due to that event that shocked even James himself. He really didn't know how to console Leonel.

'Leonel is too soft… How could he deal with the girl he's chased for five years now being…'

James sighed.

"We can't stay here." Leonel finally pulled himself out of his slump. He knew that this wasn't the time to be sulking.

Grabbing his silver rod, he pressed it to his underclassman's chest, using his leverage to stop her from using her obscene strength.

With a quick glance around, he understood the situation.

Luckily, in the months they had been gone, the white pupil'd mutants had dispersed. But with Leonel's senses, he could hear many of them approaching as though they could grasp their location.

Leonel counted the number of people around him, feeling a sudden pang when he realized that the number was much less than it should have been.

"Zavier… He?"

James' jaw clenched. "I entered the Sub-Dimensional Zone with him, Milan and Joel… Zavier didn't make it…"

Leonel's heart beat erratically for a long while before he managed to stop it. There had been over 30 of them in the beginning, but now only 12 remained. In fact, he felt that it could only have been luck that allowed most of them to survive a Zone.

The fiendish struggling beneath the butt of his silver rod caught Leonel's attention, causing him to frown. Before he could react, a flying dagger flew between he and James, entering the girl's throat.

Leonel looked over with a gloomy expression as the girl's life slipped away.

His eyes met Yuri's. She stood beside Aina with her arm raised, her expression nonchalant as though nothing had happened. Aina's gaze had been indifferent, but Yuri's almost held a teasing expression. It was the kind of look that made Leonel's frown deepened.

"What the hell are you doing?" Leonel asked.

Yuri seemed surprised by Leonel's tone for a moment. Maybe it was because she felt what she had done was only natural. Or, maybe it was because she didn't think that Leonel had such a fierce gaze in him. It was obvious that she wasn't in Senior Class A along with him, or else she would never have such a naive thought.

The only reason Leonel's imposing aura had never come into play to now was because he couldn't pull his will behind killing. But when it came to his instinctual rage, there was nothing holding it back.

Yuri recovered, her expression dialing back to a neutral gaze that almost said 'just wait'.

A moment later, the girl who lay dead beneath Leonel began to glow, turning into motes of light that fused with Yuri.

Leonel hadn't scanned the 'stats' of his friends because it was an instinct he reserved for enemies. But he could faintly feel that Yuri had improved in strength by a small fraction. It was too small of a fraction for Leonel to pinpoint, but he could vaguely feel it.

The reason he kept his 'stats' to just two significant figures was because his senses weren't yet sharp enough to break it down further. If he had to guess, Yuri's improvement was somewhere between 0.0001 and 0.00001.

"Miss Aina believes that it's best we work together in such a dangerous environment, so instead of being offended by your question, I will explain it to you. These white pupil'd people are called Invalids. They're the people who during their awakening were instead 'eaten' by their abilities, failing to fuse with them.

"As a result, they've lost their consciousness, being a humanoid mass of instincts. If they swallow those of us who succeeded, they have a chance to evolve and regain their consciousness. The reason they allowed us to enter the Sub-Dimensional Zone first is because it's in their best interest that we are stronger — they were fattening us like pigs, so to speak.

"However, they are essentially a bundle of energy now. So, by killing them we can also grow stronger.

"That Invalid was a C-grade Invalid. It is impressive that you were able to handle her so easily. You are worth forming a working relationship with. Do you have anymore questions?"

Leonel's gaze turned dull. One couldn't see it, but the veins of his right hand bulged like raging serpents as he clutched the bracelet in his palm. There was something exceptionally dangerous about his darkened look.

'Miss Aina… is it?' Leonel closed his eyes.

[Congratulations!]

The abrupt beeping that filled all of their minds completely interrupted the tense atmosphere.

[You all have managed to succeed in crossing this first trial. Though many have fallen, you can be considered the true pillars of our Ascension Empire]

[However, be warned. All is not safe. These white pupil'd individuals may have once been your friends and family, but right now, their only instinct is to swallow you. They are known as Invalids. Though they appear in the same form they once had when they were alive, they are little more than energy with substance now]

[Invalids follow the same grading system as your Sub-Dimensional Zones, from the F-grade to the SSS-grade. Be mindful and stay safe]

[Right now, the next goal of our Empire is to gather you heroes together. Your wrist watches will point you toward the closest center of power in your region. Please head there as quickly and safely as possible so that you can be properly registered. Those who fail to do so will be considered an enemy of the Ascension Empire]

The voice was no longer mechanical. In fact, it was distinctly human. Leonel had heard this very voice before. Many times before, actually. It was the Emperor of the Ascension Empire, Emperor Gervaise Fawkes.

'They want us to register…? Why would they need that, can't they already monitor us…? Unless…'

Leonel's eyes flashed open, a sudden realization overcoming him. It seemed the forceful tweaks the Empire made to their technology weren't exactly perfect quite yet. Maybe they still weren't aware that Leonel was the first to enter and clear a Zone either.

As expected, what their oh-so noble Emperor left them wasn't a true map but rather simply pointed toward a direction, much like the Tier 4 Black detector Leonel had for Sub-Dimensional Zones. The Ascension Empire had always been touchy about distributing maps.

Once the announcement was finished, Leonel looked back over toward Yuri and Aina. However this time, he didn't spare Yuri a glance.

"If you'd like to work with me, then the orders we follow are mine. Are we clear on this?"

Yuri frowned and seemed to want to respond, but Aina's delicate hand blocked her.

"Yes. That isn't a problem. You seem to have strong sensory abilities, it's only right that you lead."

Leonel so very rarely heard Aina speak, but her voice was just as angelic as he remembered. He still couldn't wrap his mind around her actions. How could he like a girl who treated lives so casually?

He knew well what Conrad had done. Maybe to some he deserved death. But Leonel just had a hard time crossing that line. Maybe he was a hypocrite for it, but it was just how he felt.

Hearing these words, Leonel stuffed the bracelet into the ragged pockets of his sweats. He turned his body away, not replying.

"You alright, Leo?" James whispered to his side.

"I'm fine." Leonel said with a bitter smile. "Don't worry about me… I think I've already been through worse."

James patted his shoulder and didn't say much more.

"Alright." Leonel raised his voice once more. "The… Invalids aren't far from us already. But I think it's important that I get a read on your abilities before we move out. Mine seem to be categorized as heightened senses, so I'll do my best to lead you out while avoiding as many battles as possible."

James who had almost always been able to read Leonel even without a cue spoke next.

"My and Milan's abilities are very similar, it's how we survived in the Zone. Milan can form a strong shield that can block up to ten C-grade attacks and one B-grade attack before failing. He needs three seconds to form it. And he can form three total before he needs to rest. He also has improved strength beyond normal levels.

"I also gained this strength boost and a similar shield. But, I have two separate shields. One can absorb attacks. The other can repel attacks. My shield has an effective range of five meters and form a dome. Milan's form a semi-sphere and has a range of three meters.

"I can vary the strength of my shield as well. A one second shield can block two C-grade attacks. A ten second shield can absorb or repel ten B-grade attacks or one A-grade attack.

"The last point is just that my absorb shield replenishes my stamina. The reflective shield is self-explanatory."

Leonel's brows cocked, pleasantly surprised. Milan's ability was probably graded as a C, but James' was at least an A. From what he could tell as well, Milan's strength was a 0.59, but James' was a 0.75. The difference was stark.

Milan laughed jovially, albeit self-deprecatingly.

"Seems I'm a little lacking in comparison."

James grinned, wrapping his arm around Milan's neck and giving the big guy a noogie. Ñ00vl--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

"You're not alone." Joel laughed lifting up a pole arm that was just over two meters long. "My ability is related to sharpness, I think. I can add a decent bit of piercing power to the weapons I use, which is why I chose this F-grade pike as a reward."

Joel was a Three-Star Linebacker for their Royal Blues. He had dark skin and kind brown eyes. But when he was on the field, many maligned him as a head hunter for his vicious hits.

Leonel could tell that Joel's coordination 'stat' was 0.65. Definitely far above average.

With that, Leonel went through everyone one by one, calmly memorizing their abilities.

Finally, he got to Yuri and Aina.

"My ability is related to marksmanship with a small bit of telekineses." Yuri explained calmly. "I can improve the accuracy and strength of my throwing knives with my mind. And… I can also retrieve them."

The dagger she had thrown earlier, still stabbed into the grass, trembled before flying back into her hand obediently.

"Miss Aina's ability is an overall exponential boost to her physical abilities whether that be speed, agility, reactions, and especially strength."

These were words Leonel most definitely didn't doubt…

[Aina Brazinger]

[Speed: 0.85; Agility: 0.80; Coordination: 0.95; Stamina: 0.95; Reactions: 0.97]

…

[Strength: 0.99]

"Milan."

Hearing Leonel's voice, Milan reacted quickly. He took his tall F-grade tower shield and slammed it forward, ramming the C-grade Invalid backward.

Joel followed up, his F-grade pike piercing over Milan's shoulder as though the two were one. Just like that, another C-grade Invalid fell. NvεlB¡n: Transforming Moments into Memories.

It had already been three days since they began following Leonel, but even Yuri who had been the only one who wanted to reject his leadership had her lips tightly sealed. Not to mention the fact a third of this group was made up of men who shared their lives with him on the football field for four years already, even if this wasn't the case, the results spoke for themselves.

They had fought tens of battles in just these three days, but not a single person had been injured. On top of this, they never met a group of Invalids they couldn't handle. The most dangerous situation they had come across was a group of ten D-grade Invalids, but even that seemed to roll off their shoulders like it was nothing.

Over time, the group gained more confidence and relaxed, their tense nerves loosening. Yet, they somehow didn't become complacent either. No, it wasn't a mistake. Joel, Milan and James always followed Leonel's orders to the finest detail. It was they who set the example for the rest of them.

Maybe it was only Yuri and the silent Aina who knew things shouldn't have been this easy. It wasn't a coincidence most of them only had F-grade treasures. The Zones they had entered were only of that level, so they hadn't earned any rewards that were better.

Despite only entering F-grade Sub-Dimensional Zones, just look at how many of them had died. Over half of them would never see their families again. But, somehow they were navigating seas of F to C-grade Invalids as though they were nothing? Since when had the Metamorphosis become such a joke?

For moment, Yuri had even believed that Leonel would thrust her into the front-line as revenge. But he actually hadn't done that either.

Looking toward Leonel, Yuri frowned. Leonel hadn't attacked a single time in these several days. But she was certain that the treasures on him were above the F-grade. And, she had learned through deductions of her own that he had actually woken up before Aina even though her Lady had never said a word about it.

Just what was going on?

Yuri had known Leonel for a long time. She knew he was intelligent. She was also quite fond of his personality. He was kind and respectful, the kind of man she wouldn't mind being with her Miss. The problem was that he was too weak.

But was he really weak? She didn't know anymore.

Her gaze landed on Leonel's crossed arms. She could see his fingers digging firmly into his own tricep every time another Invalid fell.

Leonel looked up into the sky. Seeing the sun setting, he made a decision.

"Let's stop for today."

The group was currently in the middle of what they had no choice but to call city ruins. This was the very advanced city that had once surrounded their third ranked Academy. But now, it was practically rubble.

After the Paradise Islands fell from the skies, many of them lay the tall skyscrapers to waste. Even those buildings that weren't directly impacted collapsed after the fierce earthquakes.

In order to find shelter for the night, the group had to dig through what was left of the buildings to see if they could find any basements that survived the collapse. Before, they were apprehensive. What would happen if they became trapped or worse, crushed to death?

But, Leonel seemed to be able to tell which were safe and which weren't. Though Leonel never fully explained exactly what his abilities were, everyone gained an almost infallible belief in them in just three days.

"Aina, if you don't mind." Leonel called out.

Without a word, Aina walked to the slab of metal and stone Leonel pointed out and lifted it. It would never stop being weird seeing such a small girl lift such a massive load, but it was at the very least easier now than it had been in the past.

Still, what felt the most uncomfortable for the group was the odd turn in the relationship between Aina and Leonel. They felt that in the past, Leonel would never ask Aina to do such menial work, nor would he speak to her so neutrally. He gave her commands and assignments no differently than he did to anyone else.

The group collectively sighed and thanked Aina as they passed by. In the end, Aina slowly lowered the slab, sealing them off from the outside.

The underground space they found this time had a decent ten by ten meter size. It gave them all more than enough space to themselves.

As usual, Yuri brought out an F-grade tent that took up a bit more than half of the space, inviting the women of the group in. It was quite a convenient thing. Leonel had almost chosen a Tier 4 Black treasure of similar abilities — well, it would be known as a C-grade treasure by those of Earth — but he chose the bracelet still in his pocket instead.

Also as per usual, Savahn hesitated, her steps pausing outside the tent. She glanced back toward Leonel with a complicated gaze before she eventually entered as well.

'How ironic…' Leonel smiled bitterly to himself.

In the past, it was Savahn who always 'protected' Aina. Despite Leonel's overall 'good guy' persona, she was even protective against him, shielding Aina from all the bad in the world. As a result, she had always been the most abrasive with him in comparison to Yuri.

But now, their roles had inexplicably flipped. And… She was maybe the person who most understood how Leonel was feeling right now.

Leonel sat down cross legged, the metal container on his back clinking slightly against the stone. He closed his eyes, emptying his mind completely.

Seeing his present state, James and the rest of the boys decided not to bother him, rolling out the sleeping bags Yuri had given them. They had no need for a scout to stay awake, they knew that Leonel alone would be enough.

Yuri had given Leonel a sleeping bag as well, but he had never used it. She usually snorted when she saw him sitting on the cold stone floors every night, believing that his pride was overblown. But she had no idea the truth was that Leonel had simply gotten used to sleeping this way after months in the Mayan temple. Of course, he couldn't be bothered to explain this to her.

Leonel sank into his own world. It was a weird state of mind being empty, yet completely alert at the same time. Everything within a fifty meter radius of his body was entirely in his grasp.

'Just what is this ability of mine… I don't quite understand it even now…'

Leonel felt that he learned new facets of his ability everyday. After he started practicing [Dimensional Cleanse, new doors opened up constantly.

There was only one problem with circulating [Dimensional Cleanse, though. Whenever he did, Invalids would sense their position far easier. During the first night, Leonel was forced to stop and sneak out silently in order to clear them away, something that left him completely sick to his stomach.

From that day on, he only circulated [Dimensional Cleanse] at less than 1% of his ability. This slowed his progress, but it also allowed him to cultivate peacefully without interruption.

With that, Leonel locked down a new stat: Spirit.

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.72; Speed: 0.67 (0.1); Agility: 0.75 (0.1); Coordination: 0.99; Stamina: 0.78 (0.05); Reactions: 0.99; Spirit: 0.10]

Spirit was what Leonel classified as the ability to use that weird energy. Unlike his other stats that were measured by the limit of the human body, Leonel set 1.00 as the energy density of a Tier 9 Black threat.

After he categorized it this way, he immediately slotted himself in for 0.10. However, in three days, it hadn't budged a single inch. Or, more accurately, it had, but Leonel couldn't register it sharply enough to put a number to it.

Still, there were other outstanding effects. Leonel's Reactions and Coordination had improved to 0.99. It was only now he felt that the barrier to 1.00 was exceptionally thick.

Luckily, though his coordination and reactions had slowed to a grinding halt, his other 'stats' had also increased decently. Setting aside the boosts from his treasures, his speed had improved to 0.57 and his agility to 0.65. Of course there was also the leap of 0.05 in his strength and the increase in his stamina to 0.73.

From what Leonel could tell, these changes most definitely didn't come from [Dimensional Cleanse]. He had picked that technique primarily because it increased his spirit. His spirit, by extension, increased his coordination and reactions. In addition, his coordination had a positive impact on his agility. But, spirit should have had next to no impact on his strength or speed.

Simply put, Leonel had no idea where these 'stat' increases were coming from. But his body seemed to be slowly improving over time at a pace that was out of his control. And, whatever improvement it seemed to not appear in the Zones.

'It might be related to what Uncle Montez was saying about Pseudo Fourth Dimensional constitutions? Maybe as a world evolves, its people do too. The closer Earth comes to the Fourth Dimension, the closer we all come to dropping that 'Pseudo' from our title.

'But if that's the case… Why isn't anyone else experiencing this increase —.'

Leonel's eyes flashed open. 'Something big is coming…'

Without a sound Leonel jumped up. Everyone around him seemed to be soundly asleep already. Looking at the time, he should have been practicing [Dimensional Cleanse] for several hours.

Making his way to a smaller second exit, Leonel exerted some strength and quietly left, appearing beneath the night sky and high raised moonlight.

'B-grade…' Leonel sighed.

The group he had taken out two nights ago were just a bunch of F-grade Invalids. Their boost to his 'stats' were so minuscule that Leonel knew they couldn't have had an impact on his 'stat' increases.

Though this quickly approaching Invalid was of the B-grade, Leonel wasn't afraid despite the fact he knew the Priest he had struggled with so much was still a sliver away from the B-grade himself.

There was something Leonel had realized over these few days. First, Invalids weren't as intelligent as humans, making them less dangerous than the 'Bosses' of Zones. Second, not all Invalids had the same abilities. They personified the abilities they would have had had they survived the awakening process.

Simply put, the Priest was a C-grade Spirit type entity. This made him especially dangerous to a naive youth like Leonel who knew little of this world of powers and abilities. The Priest's Spirit had actually been much higher than Leonel's current 'stat'.

This was all to say that a B-grade speed type Invalid like the one rushing toward Leonel now was much easier to deal with.

'Why'd you have to come here.'

Leonel stood atop the rubble, his left hand calmly reaching toward his back and his right pulling his white boned atlatl from his waist.

'40 meters… 30… you've long since gotten too close.'

A beautiful silver dart with feathers of white to one end appeared in Leonel's hand. It was just about a meter and a half in length, looking more like a work of art as it sat atop Leonel's atlatl instead of the deadly weapon it was.

Cocking his arm back and releasing with barely 20% of his ability, Leonel allowed a line of silver to cut across the skies, reflecting the dull moonlight.

The Invalid who dashed forward like a vampire in the night was suddenly struck in the forehead, a hole as thin as a bullet wound bloodying its skull.

With a heavy heart, Leonel crossed the 20 meter distance between them. His use of [Call of the Wind] was already too refined for an enemy to survive at such a close distance.

Bending down the side of the Invalid who was beginning to turn to motes of light, he caught a glimpse of its face. On the last day he rode his bike to school, the day of the Championship Game, this 'Invalid' had been among those to greet him and wish him luck. He even said he bet on Leonel to succeed with Aina that time around.

By this point, it felt like a lifetime ago.

Leonel picked up his dart. It was slightly damaged, but if his treasure could build darts from raw materials, why wouldn't it have the ability to repair ones with nicks and scratches? To now, Leonel still had all 200 it came with.

'I guess that's it for tonight. I'll head back and rest.'

Leonel suddenly looked over his shoulder, frowning. He thought he had sensed something, but there was nothing.

Just as Leonel was about to investigate further, his mind trembled.

An inconspicuous black wrist band on his arm that seamlessly blended into his flexible armor silently tugged him in a certain direction.

A Zone had appeared! But not just that… It was within 500 meters of this place.

But, what truly shook Leonel was the fact he sensed not just one but seven A-grade Invalids!

It was only then Leonel realized the appearance of his B-grade underclassman wasn't a coincidence. Could it be that Zone openings attracted Invalids too?

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Leonel closed his eyes, a deep unwillingness sinking into his heart.

That day, when the virgin sacrifice almost strangled him to death, he really had resigned himself. He had even said goodbye to his father. Yet, he woke up.

How was he supposed to feel about that exactly? Was he supposed to think he was forgiven for the 1000 deaths that lay squarely on his shoulders?

Uncle Montez had said it clearly. Sub-Dimensional Zones were points in Earth's history where an event that connected to the Fourth Dimension occurred. In other words… They were real.

Every throat he pierced, every head he severed, every life that slipped away. They were all real.

Leonel had a hard time dealing with that. The reason he had smiled so brightly when he finally saw Aina again was because he thought that she was his light, the only pure thing remaining in his life. But she shattered that image barely a moment later.

In truth, Leonel didn't even know what he was fighting for anymore. He guessed it was just some primal instinct to survive, but he couldn't think of much else. Clearly his parents weren't that much of a motivating factor considering how easily he had given up in the temple.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

Leonel might have just turned 18, but he was just a kid in the end. He knew that he didn't want to be a quarterback for the rest of his life, but he never really thought about what exactly he wanted to do outside of that.

Leonel chuckled to himself as seven A-grade Invalids converged. By now, it wasn't just them anymore, but numerous lower level Invalids who crept forward as well.

'The most important part of my identity all that time was just liking her, huh… I don't know whether I should be sad or laugh some more.'

The truth was that Leonel was trying his best to find a reason to fight back, to put his life on the line once again and bloody his hands once more.

For his parents? He had already tried that once before. For Aina? He didn't even know if he still felt the same way about her. For his friends…?

Leonel thought of James. His best friend for as long as he could remember. To this day, he still didn't know why James tried to throw the Championship Game. He didn't know why he hadn't just let him do it either. They had already won three times, and winning a fourth would have been meaningless.

"I know you too well. You don't like to lose, but you're too soft-hearted to call me out on my bullshit too. So, you'd find a way to protect our friendship and ignore it, all while winning the big game anyway. Am I right?"

James' words to him reverberated in Leonel's mind. He suddenly felt his hands moving of their own accord, sliding three silver bars out and screwing them together.

'I guess it'll just have to be that simple then…'

He didn't like to lose.

It was an immature thought. One you would expect from an 18 year old boy. If Leonel thought any more deeply about it, he too would find it ridiculous that he was trading what he thought was his moral code for a will to win. But the reality was that Leonel was looking for something, for anything, to give him a reason to keep going. The reason never mattered at all…

Leonel clicked the hidden button on his silver rod. The moment his bike fully formed, he jumped onto it, riding up the side of a massive slab of broken wall and jumping five meters into the air.

In that instant of time he spent in the air, his gaze captured everything.

'Two are within 100 meters. Four are between 100 and 300. The last one is further than 400 meters away.'

It wasn't that Leonel's gaze landed on them all. Rather, it was that he found it easier to feel out the fluctuating energies without so many buildings in the way.

Leonel had run across A-grade Invalids before, in the last three days, that is. He knew how sensitive they were to humans. It took a lot of effort to shake just one off. If these seven caught sight of their base, Leonel would no longer be able to guarantee everyone's safety. Even James' ten-second shield could only block a single A-grade attack.

The higher the grade, the exponentially more difficult the Invalid was to handle. Their 'stats' not only became more well rounded, but their intelligence wasn't so easy to fool anymore either.

Leonel's knees bent as he landed on the ground, expertly using his high coordination to balance on the rubble before shooting forward once more. He controlled his bike with a single handle and used the other to grab a dart, shifting it around in his fingers until he could both grab his atlatl and fit it to it at the same time.

In a flash, Leonel rounded the corner of a building that seemed just an inch away from falling completely over. Half of its top was completely shaved off, having fallen to the other side of the street.

He made eye-contact with those cold, emotionless white pupils. They locked onto Leonel with a concealed murderous intent as though it was still slinking in the shadows.

The Invalid was long and lanky, having a back so arched that the back of its hands almost dragged along the ground.

Despite its lazy appearance, it dodged Leonel's first dart with ease despite being just 20 meters away. Its lanky body curled at an impossible angle, its head arching back so far that its skull nearly cracked against the ground.

'Coordination of 0.87. Its host body should have an ability related to disconnecting and reconnecting bones, making it an expert of close combat. It has good speed, strength and reactions.'

As far as Leonel could tell, F-grade beings had stats between 0.50 and 0.60. D-grade entered the up to 0.70 realm. C-grade was usually up to 0.8. B-grade was below 0.85 with A-grade being below 0.90. Leonel wasn't certain about the S, SS and SSS-grades. In addition, the spirit stat seemed to work a lot differently. The Priest had only been a 0.05 on Leonel's scale, but he was most definitely a C-grade threat.

Of course, these were only averages. Some could cross barriers by having less stats, but being more well-rounded.

This A-grade Invalid happened to have more of its 'stats' in Coordination and Reactions. Though its strength and speed were still above 0.60.

'How unfortunate…'

Without hesitation he pedaled into a ten meter radius in a flash, jumping into the air and turning his bike back into a silver rod.

'… your strengths happen to be my strengths. But… I'm a level better."

Leonel clashed with the A-grade Invalid. His movements were wild and almost without reason. Anyone could see with a glance that he had never been formally trained. And yet, those very same wild movements seemed simple and precise to the point of suffocation.

After a moment, you would realize that it wasn't that Leonel's style of battle was usually this wild… It was that he was actually adapting his fighting style to match that odd style of the lanky Invalid!

The Invalid's arm suddenly doubled in length shooting toward Leonel, but a step ahead, Leonel had already tilted his head to the side. He had already seen through this Invalid's ability, why wouldn't he be ready for such a change?

Leonel took a strong step forward. His silver rod spun in his hand, its butt rounding in a beautiful semi-circular arc and crushing the Invalid's windpipe.

He released his rod with a hand, reaching to his back and pulling out a dart he stabbed through the Invalid's eye and skull.

Pulling his dart out, he had already turned his silver rod back into a bicycle and dashed away. By the time he scooped up the dart that initially missed and tossed it back into his steel container, the Invalid had collapsed to the ground — dead.

'The other is already closing in. There's no way it won't sense them within fifty meters. But before that, it should be meandering on instinct… I need to intercept it.'

Leonel felt the motes of lights meld with his body, but he didn't have much of a reaction. His face held an expressionless visage to it, there was no joy, nor was there any anger.

He cut a tight corner, riding up the side of a collapsed building and hopping across to the roof of another. NvεlB¡n: Transforming Moments into Memories.

He spun his bike to the side, dragging its tires along the ground to a searing halt that left a cloud of dust in his wake.

Leonel hopped off, eyeing his target in the distance.

He spread out his stance, his base becoming impeccably sturdy as he tightened his torso. A dart appeared in his hand, sliding perfectly into his atlatl.

Throwing a spear while on his bike was one matter. He couldn't rely on his legs for power, only his arm. However… When his feet were planted firmly on the ground… He was a completely different animal.

SHHHHHHHWOOOOO

Leonel's arm shot forward like a canon, his dark whistling through the air with a sharp sound. [Call of the Wind] could only be considered to have been mastered to the entry level by Leonel. Yet, he was already capable of throwing his darts at 250 kilometers per hour.

The target Invalid was almost like a miniature giant. In fact, it dragged its feet around completely in the nude. Obviously, whatever clothes its host had been wearing had been ripped to shreds. What remained was a bestial man that stood at over two meters tall. But what was exceptionally striking was its wide body. It was almost shaped like a box.

Leonel had already seen that its strength stat was at 0.95. It was one of the variant cases of a stat surpassing its grade. However, the reason it could only be of the A-grade is because… Its other stats were too low!

[Hulking Invalid]

[Strength: 0.95; Speed: 0.47; Agility: 0.15; Coordination: 0.56; Stamina: 0.89; Reactions: 0.51; Spirit: 0.00]

Aside its strength and stamina, its other stats could barely be considered of the F-grade, some not even that.

So, when Leonel attacked from just 30 meters away with a dart that looked no different from a shooting star across the night sky, the massive Invalid couldn't even blink before its eye was pierced and half its brain turned to mush.

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.73; Speed: 0.67 (0.1); Agility: 0.75 (0.1); Coordination: 0.99; Stamina: 0.78 (0.05); Reactions: 0.99; Spirit: 0.10]

Leonel's strength stat ticked up by 0.01. This was the first substantial change he had ever run across after absorbing an Invalid's energy. There probably existed a technique that improved the efficiency… But he didn't think too much about it.

In truth, Leonel more so wished for increases to his stamina. He had only killed two A-grade Invalids, but he already felt it was eating into his reserve strength.

'… Five left…'

Leonel gritted his teeth, pedaling hard.

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[Bonus Chapter for reaching 50 powerstones. Next at 100. 7 more reviews till next bonus chapter]

Leonel breathed hard. The fog of his breath under the chilly night sky reflected like crystals within the moonlight.

Below him, yet another A-grade Invalid had fallen, and though Leonel remained uninjured, he could feel himself reaching his limits.

It wasn't the first time Leonel had felt like that. During those months in the Mayan temple, he experienced it all the time. It was just that he had underestimated the pressure A-grade Invalids could put on him.

Though his life was constantly on the line in the temple, it had to be remembered that the Spaniards were barely considered D-grade threats, and that was only when their weapons were factored in. Alone, they were normal mortals, not even of the F-grade. Their only real threat to Leonel were their numbers, especially after his battle experience deepened.

'Still not good enough. I'm wasting too much energy… One more left…'

Leonel pedaled hard to the next spot. This Invalid had originally been over 400 meters away, but by now, it was within 50 of their base. There was no doubt that it had already caught their scent.

By the time Leonel made it there, panting, he came face to face with an Invalid that seemed painted in silver. Its skin had become a flexible metal and judging by the heavy sounds its normal footsteps caused, maybe it wasn't just its skin that followed this pattern.

Across the board, its stats were completely normal. Nothing was above 0.70. But Leonel knew his senses would not lie to him. This was most definitely an A-grade threat.

Now more than ever Leonel realized just how flawed his self-created stat system was. He still didn't have the ability to account for everything. He couldn't even begin to posit how he would perfectly account for all of these abilities properly.

From just about 20 meters away, Leonel launched a dart, immediately catching the attention of the metal Invalid. Just as he hoped, it diverted its attention away from his sleeping friends. However, aside from that, the results were less than pleasing.

The dart's tip completely shattered against the Invalids body. Its reactions were far too slow to dodge, and its agility was even worse, but it didn't seem to matter. There wasn't even a single scratch on its body.

'… Dammit…'

Leonel quickly loaded another dart, this time aiming for its eye as he continued to pedal. But the dart was shattered once more with a simple blink.

'Did it blink just on reflex? Or are its eyes truly vulnerable?'

There wasn't much time left to think. Leonel hopped off his bike once more, charging with his shoulder and ramming into the Invalid's chest.

A grunt escaped Leonel's lips as the Invalid was sent tumbling backward.

'Only 5'10, lean body type, yet weighs over 400 pounds…'

Realizing the ramifications of this Leonel retreated a few steps, nursing the numbness of his shoulder. He had thought that the defensive abilities of his flexible armor would protect him enough to do some damage, but it was very clear that this metal ability of this Invalid was several levels more durable.

'I was wrong. I was using the specifications of a normal human to measure out his stats, but that's foolish. In order for a normal human to exert the kind of force it can while being at less than half the body weight…'

[Metal Invalid]

[Strength: 1.02; Speed: 1.05; Agility: 1.00; Coordination: 0.50; Stamina: 1.05; Reactions: 0.50; Spirit: 0.00]

Leonel sucked in a cold breath. The adjusted stats were mind numbing. These were the stats a normal human of about 5'10 160 pounds would need to move around with the ability of this Invalid.

If this Invalid had more time to adjust to its ability and reached an equilibrium point where it was no longer impeded by its heavy body… Just what kind of monster would it be? S-grade? SSS-grade? Something beyond even that? He had simply never seen a stat above 0.99.

How many other Invalids were there with this level of potential danger attached to them?

The Invalid slowly picked itself off of the ground, its white pupils locking onto Leonel with a dull gaze.

Before Leonel registered what was happening a long sharp blade suddenly appeared between his brows.

Leonel's eyes widened. He pulled his head back as fast as he could, withstanding the whiplash with gritted teeth. NvεlB¡n: Transforming Moments into Memories.

A fine cut slit across his forehead, the breath of death kissing his cheek. If it wasn't for his obscene reaction time, his skull would have already been split into two.

Leonel rolled across the ground, realizing that he had once more miscalculated. Not only was this Invalid covered in metal, but it could shape this metal as it pleased. In that moment, even with Leonel completely focused on it, its arm suddenly became a three meter long blade, nearly impaling him.

'So fast… At least 0.90. I have to adjust his base agility because of that. Dammit!'

In Leonel's calculations, attack speed was factored into agility. If he corrected the Invalid's stats like this, then its adjusted agility for a normal human would be even more ridiculous.

Leonel grunted, using his silver rod to block a second blade. But though the metals his rod was formed of managed to withstand the sharp edge, the weight was too much for him to stay on his feet.

Leonel coughed violently as his back slammed into a half collapsed building.

He didn't have the luxury of slowly recovering. Without pause, yet another blade tore through the air toward him.

There was no time for Leonel to land back on the ground before it reached him. Thinking quickly, he hooked his rod into a broken window. He turned it hard, launching himself toward his left.

The blade tore through the building's wall as though it was a piece of paper. It continued to follow through, chasing after Leonel while slicing through tough sheets of metal and stone with absolute ease.

Leonel fell through the air quickly, morphing his silver rod back into a bike and pedalling away.

'His blade gets thinner the further from his body it is. He isn't producing more metal, he's just diluting what he has to extend his range. So…'

Leonel's gaze flashed, his thoughts spinning.

His bike sped up.

'There it is! Ten meters is his limit!'

Leonel bike cut a hard turn, driving up the side of a tilted building and back toward the the Invalid with everything his thighs could muster and flipped back.

Leonel soared through the air. There was no longer any room to maneuver. He fell in an arc aimed right for the Invalid.

The Invalid's gaze showed no emotion. It simply brandished its second arm, sending out a blade that was impossible for Leonel to dodge.

Leonel twisted his body, a sharp spike of pain ripping through his left shoulder as the blade went through him and his flexible armor with ease. However, his gaze remained pure and focused.

His bike turned back into a rod he gripped tightly. Using it like a spear, with his only good remaining arm, he stabbed it toward the Invalid's eye.

The pain was absolutely excruciating. As his body fell under gravity's influence, the blade tore further and further into his shoulder. There were several times in those split seconds that Leonel thought he would pass out.

A sharp clink sounded as the Invalid closed its eyes. However, Leonel had already expected this. He wouldn't lay his life on the line for such a poor attempt at victory.

Both of his feet landed on the free shoulder of the Invalid, the very one he had stretched the arm of to a ten meter length. In his hurry to attack Leonel who was streaking through the air, he had yet to retract it, just as expected. The Invalid's coordination was too low to complete too many fine motor tasks at once.

Leonel roared, both of his legs slamming downward with all of his might.

The Invalid fell over. Then with a sharp SNAP, its arm broke right at its shoulder joint.

Leonel finally hit the ground, his own shoulder becoming a bloody mess as he rolled away, just managing to pull the Invalid's blade out.

Slowly pushing himself up, Leonel's eyes remained focused. He had used advantage of the Invalid stretching itself too thin to break off one of its arms. But in the process, he did functionally lost an arm as well.

The break in Leonel's flexible armor began to mend itself, sowing his wound shut at the same time. This was why he dared to take on such a terrible injury. Even if his left arm was now all but useless, blood loss wouldn't be a problem. In fact, due to the amount of pressure his armor was placing on his wound to keep it suppressed, in a pinch, it wouldn't be impossible to withstand some pain and use it.

'He's bleeding.' Leonel's pupils constricted.

He could see it. From the split in the Invalid's shoulder, a coarse, metal infused liquid was dripping. Leonel could even faintly see some pink muscle fibers.

'So his inner organs aren't metal! If that's the case there are some other methods I can use. His coordination stat is too poor to extend blades from anywhere other than his arms. Now that I only have to worry about just one…'

Leonel sprinted forward. As he did, he dropped one of his silver rod's three sections away, leaving it at a manageable length for his one arm. It took some teeth grinding to use his left arm to pin it in place while he did this, but he managed to push through.

The Invalid struggled to stand, but despite losing an arm, it was still too heavy. In addition, with its poor coordination and relative strength, maneuvering with just a single arm was too difficult. To make matters worse, its only remaining arm was still in the form of the blade that pierced Leonel's shoulder.

It had only barely managed to get to its knees when Leonel appeared before it, swinging down with all his might right onto its skull.

The loud clang of metal bashing against metal sounded under the otherwise quiet night sky.

Leonel's actions seemed foolish. It was impossible for his blunt weapon to kill the Invalid in this way, and with its metal skin, he couldn't injure it either. However, something shocking happened in the next moment.

The Invalid stumbled. From its position on its knees, it wobbled as though dizzy. By the time it reoriented itself, another strike had come downward, bashing its head again.

This time, unable to brace itself, its head rebounded against the concrete.

It was exactly as Leonel expected. If this Invalid could bleed, if it had normal muscle fibers, its internal organs were likely normal. In such a case, what would happen to a soft brain rattling inside a metal box that was being hit so hard?

Not only did the Invalid's metal body start ringing, but so did the rod in Leonel's hand. Leonel smartly didn't focus on striking down with as much force as possible anymore. Instead, he focused on finding the resonance frequency of the metal, making it store more and more energy.

Leonel's senses locked onto the perfect striking strength. With his unmatched coordination, he swung his arm in perfect rhythm, neither using too much or too little power.

By Leonel's tenth strike, his breathing was like hot coal to his body. The Invalid lay twitching on the ground, but Leonel madly continued. It was too strong. If he let up and let it recover, it would be him who died here.

Unwittingly, in his fatigue, his mind settled into a primal near bestial state, his hidden imposing aura blooming forth and blanketing the area more and more with every swing.

Leonel didn't even notice that blood began to ooze along with an unknown white substance from the Invalid's ears. The only so-called 'twitching' was of its fingers just barely scraping against the ground, the last movements of the dead.

It wasn't until Leonel's rod slipped through the motes of lights it became and hit the concrete, almost shattering his wrist, did he awake from his stupor.

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.75; Speed: 0.70 (0.1); Agility: 0.80 (0.1); Coordination: 0.99; Stamina: 0.81 (0.05); Reactions: 0.99; Spirit: 0.10]

The improvement was shocking. Maybe even more shocking was the fact that over 90% of it had come from this lone A-grade Invalid. The other six had hardly caused a shift.

Leonel realized that his rating system was too flawed. If he couldn't accurately predict things in this way, it had little value. But in truth, this wasn't what was on Leonel's mind at this moment.

He had killed again. But this kill… It was very different from the others. He had done it subconsciously, as though there was a beast lying in his mind… as though his 'morality' was just fake posturing he used to absolve himself of responsibility.

"Look at that, he really killed it. Damn, I knew I should have bet."

"Too late. Who asked you to reject free money?"

"You dodged a bullet and now you want to gloat? Weren't you the one just saying the kid was definitely dead?"

"Shut up the two of you."

Leonel frowned. He hadn't picked up these people before. They had definitely been waiting outside the 50 meter radius of him.

In meditation, Leonel's senses were near perfect within 50 meters. In a state of wakefulness like he was now, 20 meters was his best. But, he still had vague inklings of the goings on up to 50 meters away. In addition, he could gain a very rough picture of a few hundred meters if the targets had large enough energy signatures, like the A-grade Invalids, for example.

With how he had sharpened his battle experience in the Mayan temple, he would never lower his guard so easily. He had been constantly scanning the area in case other Invalids came to interrupt his fight. But he had never thought the ones to come would be other humans.

"Hey, kid. We can make this easy on you. After all, we're fellow humans. You seem to have gotten some good stuff out of your Zone. That rod looks particularly useful. How about you share some with us and we'll let you go unharmed?"

Leonel's face remained expressionless. His rod? This was about the only thing on his body that wasn't a reward from the Zone he entered. It seemed not everyone was able to see through treasure grades as easily as he could.

But that inadvertently gave Leonel another thought. These treasures in his hand were gifted by higher level worlds. Obviously they didn't come from Silver Zones that one could take treasures out of or else they'd be higher grade. Didn't that mean these weapons were created? In that case, could Earth do the same?

'I'll just shatter their knee caps with my darts and leave them to karma —'

Leonel went to reach for his dart and froze, a sharp pain flying through his body.

He hadn't broken his wrist. But… His right shoulder was dislocated!

Even as Leonel was thinking of running, a figure came crashing from tens of meters above him, landing to his side with a BOOM.

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"… Aina?"

Leonel suddenly remembered that before he sensed that seven A-grade Invalids, he had also caught the faint fluctuation of someone or something else. But he had lost track of it near immediately. Could that have been Aina? Dive into Stories, Embrace Enchantment: NvεlB¡n.

But if it was, should he feel bitter about the fact she hadn't raised a hand to help him to now?

These thoughts didn't survive very long because though Aina tried to hide it, his senses were much too sharp. He saw that not only was she not in top form currently, but there were small specks of dirt, blood and grime in hard to find areas. There was no way Aina had rolled out of bed like that.

Aina turned back and looked up at Leonel.

"Why did you leave without a word? I already said that it's not safe to work alone."

Hearing these words, Leonel instinctually frowned.

"Are you sure it was you who said that? Or was it your servant Yuri?"

Leonel was shocked by the own snappiness in his voice. But the mixture of resentment and fatigue left him unable to control his emotions very well.

It really had been Yuri who said that her 'Miss Aina' wanted to work together. Those words had never come out of Aina's own mouth. Why should he care about something she couldn't even be bothered to say personally? He was more surprised she hadn't sent her little servant here instead.

"Both." Aina replied with a glare. "You're our leader, you can't recklessly leave on your own. Even if you did it to protect us, don't you think your own safety is important too? If you fall, do you think they would be able to survive for long?!"

These were the most words Leonel had ever heard Aina speak. However, even if he was stunned, he had far more pent up rage that suppressed it completely.

Just as he wanted to respond, a snicker came from a few meters away.

"It's fine if you two want to have a lover's quarrel, but do so after you meet my demands. That ax on your back looks pretty good girl. You can hand it over too."

Aina's head snapped back to the three men.

"Shut the hell up while I'm talking or you'll find yourselves split in half before you can regret it!"

Leonel's gaze trembled at those words. He didn't even have time to register the shock he should have felt about them coming from Aina's mouth. Was this the same shy girl who ran away every time he confessed? The same quiet girl who spoke so few words before?

"How can you keep treating human lives so casually?!"

Aina's head snapped back toward Leonel. "Can't you tell that they want to kill you?! Do you really believe that they'll just back away after all of this?! They saw you kill an A-grade Invalid on your own, you think they want that kind of enemy getting away from them?! Why are you so naive?!"

Leonel's eyes bulged, reddening in a torrent of uncontrollable anger.

"Did you see that?" One of the leading man's partners pointed. "That's got to be one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She's probably one of those noble girls from a big family… I really want to taste one."

It seemed that since Aina immediately faced Leonel when she fell by his side, and the fact her massive ax covered her back view, it wasn't until she turned to curse at them that they got a true look at her.

"She really does look good… You got first dibs last time, though. It's my turn."

"No way! She smells like a virgin, I can catch the whiff from here. She's much higher quality than the last one."

The leader cut in, licking his lips. "Let's use the usual method to decide."

"Fine! Rock-paper-scissors it is."

"Ready —."

The night sky fell into a greater darkness. For a moment, it felt that even the moon above was eclipsed, the bloody, murderous intent suffocating even its beauty.

The three men turned toward Leonel, terrified expressions on their faces.

"I dare you to say another word about her."

Leonel's eyes, already fueled by his other burning emotions, had almost completely turned a blood red. His whites were swarmed by snaking blood vessels, and his irises, once a gentle hazel, blackened completely.

They simply didn't deserve to live.

Leonel's muscles flexed so strongly that his dislocated shoulder snapped back into place. Ignoring the twanging pain, he reached to his back and pulled out three darts.

What happened next could only be considered a blur. Three flying silver spears. Three cries for help. Three bloody holes. Three dead corpses.

Even after the deed was done, Leonel was still livid.

Aina sent a glance toward him, her emotions once more unreadable. She walked forward and took the treasures they had kept on their bodies and walked back while Leonel was still in a blinded rage.

"Oof…!"

A tiny fist smashed against Leonel's chest, causing him to stumble backward and fall to the ground in his fatigue. If it wasn't for his flexible armor, his ribs would have probably broken.

Leonel looked up to find Aina. He obviously knew that she was the one responsible, but he was too tired to do much about it. He simply met her gaze, huffing and puffing.

"These are only D-grade, but they're still better than using your bike as a weapon like that."

A pile of treasures fell from her small arms. There were three weapons, a shield, and three armors for various body parts. Of the armors, one was for the shins, another was a helmet, and the last was a chest protector. As for the weapons, there was a pike, a sword and finally a spear.

Leonel didn't answer, getting the first good look at Aina he had in almost a year. Even when he came back from the Mayan temple, he hadn't had a chance before her arm was suddenly through Conrad's chest.

Looking at her now, he still couldn't fuse her image with the devil of her that had been growing in his mind. Her features were too delicate, too beautiful, for her to be that same woman who all but ripped a man's heart out with her bare hands.

Her body was fitted in a deep black militaristic outfit. There were many pockets and belts that surrounded her figure, still doing just as bad a job at hiding her curves as her dresses had. Her long black hair flowed loosely in the wind, disappearing into its folds from time to time.

Somehow, her amber eyes seemed closer to gold than they had been before. Whether that was his imagination, or the objective reality, Leonel wasn't sure.

Leonel smiled bitterly, realizing why he had avoided observing her closely over the past few days. His heart… It still beat wildly.

"… Leave the rest of the things for the others. I'll take the spear and shield…

"Also, thank you. I didn't consider enough that if there were A-grade Invalids around drawn in by the Zone opening, there would definitely be other Invalids as well."

Aina's expression softened at these words, but she didn't say anything in response.

"Let's head back." Leonel slowly picked himself off of the ground.

"We can't." Aina suddenly said. "As you said, the Zone is pulling in Invalids. Until it's closed, getting out of this area will be difficult. Invalids have far sharper senses than we do in exchange for their weaker intelligence. They can sense a Zone from tens of miles away and will slowly converge."

Leonel frowned. He most definitely wasn't in a state to be entering a Zone right now.

"Here." Aina handed him something that looked like a pill. She had pulled it out from one of the many pockets she had.

Leonel raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been able to sense something with such dense energy despite Aina standing right in front of him. It seemed her pockets weren't normal.

There wasn't any skepticism in Leonel's thoughts. He took the pill from her, careful not to touch her soft palm, and swallowed it.

A fire lit down his throat, coursing through his body as through it was a racetrack.

The wound on his left shoulder rapidly sealed, and even the soreness in his right vanished. Finally, his fatigue trickled away as though he had just taken a good nap.

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.80; Speed: 0.75 (0.1); Agility: 0.85 (0.1); Coordination: 0.99; Stamina: 0.86 (0.05); Reactions: 0.99; Spirit: 0.10]

A flash of energy raged around Leonel's body. A barrier that had blocked him crumbled and he felt his spirit shoot upward.

[Spirit: 0.11]

It was a small change, but Leonel felt that it made a world of difference.

Just what kind of pill was that? Almost all his stats had ticked up by 0.05. Leonel wasn't a fool. He knew this pill was more valuable than Aina let on. Even putting his life on the line against the metal Invalid wasn't as good.

"Take care of yourself from now on." Aina said. "This pill only works once."

"Thanks." Leonel said absentmindedly.

"We can go now. Yuri will find this place after we've gone."

"Shouldn't we wait for them, then? It's not far, we're already less than 50 meters from them."

After he said this, Leonel mumbled under his breath. "I've already made the mistake of entering a Zone without enough numbers before."

Aina's senses were sharper than he gave them credit for. Her brows raised in shock at these words unbeknownst to him.

"No. The Zone is an S-grade Zone with a two person limit. I have a detection device that has 95% accuracy on Zones below the SS-grade."

"Alright then." Leonel didn't question it. Aina and him were without a doubt the two most powerful of their group. It only made sense for them to enter.

It didn't take long for the two to cross the 500-meter distance to the Zone, having not spoken a single word to the other.

The density of Invalids had been growing, but with Leonel's senses, if they wanted to avoid them, it wasn't a problem. The target of the Invalids was never the Zone itself, but rather the humans it would attract. And, with their lack of intelligence, they didn't know to wait directly outside of the whirling blue portal.

Unlike the portal that dragged them in so many months prior, this portal didn't have a suction effect. It sat hovering in the air silently, not disturbing the area at all.

If he wasn't certain before, Leonel was now that there was something fundamentally different about the first Zone they were sent into. Maybe if he entered this time, the subtle up-ticks in his stats would continue instead of pausing like it had last time.

After taking Aina's pill, Leonel realized something. That burning feeling… It was exactly like the green vomit his dad made him drink everyday for 17 years. What if the slow increases in his stats wasn't because of the normal evolution of his body as Earth tended toward the Fourth Dimension, but was rather thanks to his father?

Leonel and Aina simultaneously leaped from a perch high up, falling into the Zone that swirled shut behind them. In their absence, the Invalids lost track of the scent that had converged them and they began to slowly disperse.

[Sub-Dimensional Zone detected: Merlin's Prophecy. Joan of Arc. Jeanne d'Arc]

[Sub-Dimensional Zone grade: A]

[Clear requirements: Aid Joan of Arc in repelling the English Army]

[Side Quest: Unable to detect. Scope of system too limited]

[Reward: Unable to detect. Scope of system too limited]

[It is recommended that subject, Leonel Morales, complete this quest with a minimum of seven other individuals. Subject's D-grade ability is too low]

'Eight person limit?…' Leonel shook his head.

The voice of Leonel's wrist watch sounded in his mind, but he ignored it in the end. Compared to Aina's detection treasure, it was too inferior. There was no need to take any of it seriously. It couldn't even get the S-grade correct. Last time it had predicted the Mayan temple was an F-grade Zone until he ran into the Priest and it upped it to the C-grade.

Plus, he didn't really have the luxury to think about it even if he wanted to.

He and Aina appeared in a small village filled with dusted roads. But, considering the burning cottages and huts around them, not to mention the sound of screaming and clanking swords, it was under attack.

There was only one thing Leonel did trust his wrist watch about. This was likely France and their quest most definitely had something to do with that legendary woman.

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Dimensional Descent #Chapter 22 - Village Attack - Read Dimensional Descent Chapter 22 - Village Attack Online - All Page - Novel Bin

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[Hey guys, I know I only just started the powerstone bonus chapter system, but I'll have to retract it for now. I've been having some pain in my left pinkie finger for a while now, so I've had no choice but to switch to an ergonomic keyboard. My typing speed will plummet so if I give too many bonus chapters, it will eat into my reserves too quickly x). I'll bring the system back once I'm back up to speed. So for now, I will only upload 1 chapter a day]

"Use this belt."

Aina, who had all sorts of belts and pockets strapped across her body, somehow managed to pull out another one.

Leonel accepted. Strapping things to the band of his sweatpants was really too inconvenient. He felt he was using more energy than he cared to admit making sure his things didn't fall out mid-battle.

He buckled it around his waist, strapping the three rods of his bike to it along with his atlatl. After that, he strapped the meter or so tall silver box that contained his darts to his opposite waist. If he was still a normal human, it would impede his movements too much to place it there. But the current him found it much more convenient.

To his surprise, the box actually shrunk. From only a couple inches from touching the ground, it shrunk to stop just above his knees. It also shortened its width, ending up with dimensions only about as thick as his thigh.

"It's an ability of the belt." Aina explained simply, leaving it at that.

Leonel nodded. He used the strap of the man who previously owned the spear to hold it to his back, then fitted the small round shield to his left arm.

Sensing that Leonel was ready, Aina took off, knowing that Leonel was following closely behind.

Leonel tacitly understood his role, this was why he put his spear away.

[Aina Brazinger]

[Strength: 0.99; Speed: 0.85; Agility: 0.80; Coordination: 0.95; Stamina: 0.95; Reactions: 0.97; Spirit: 0.06]

Aina's stats hadn't changed much since he last looked. She was fundamentally a front line fighter. In that case, it was his responsibility as the only one among them adept at long ranged attacks to cover her. This chapter was first shared on the Ñøvlß1n platform.

However, he was curious. Aina's Spirit was the highest he'd seen aside from his own. Even the Priest was only at 0.05. Maybe he was still underestimating her.

The two ran through the small village in a line, just ten meters apart, their speed far beyond that of normal humans.

Aina's ax was suddenly wrapped in a reddish-gold glow and floated from her back to her hand. She held it off to her side with two hands, sweeping out the moment she entered the range of an enemy.

Her ax was like a blur, hacking Englishmen apart with ease.

Blood and organs splattered through the air, but not a speck touched her as she flashed by, dodging them as though they hadn't dared approach her.

Leonel could only sigh as he watched her silently. He always knew there was something special about Aina. There were simple context clues everywhere. Something as simple as her tanned skin could tell him this.

Girls her age were obsessed with taking care of their skin. Some used tans for cosmetic reasons, but Aina's had always been a level beyond that, as though she spent her days toiling under the sun. Yet, she didn't appear any less elegant or noble, always appearing in a beautiful dress like a dainty goddess.

His infatuation had always been due to small tidbits of her hidden truth like that. He had originally thought that her 'abrupt change' would lessen his feelings for her. But, even as she slaughtered mindlessly, he felt that he had always subconsciously known this was hidden within her.

'Is this what I'm drawn to…?'

Leonel's gaze sharpened. With quick movements, he pulled a dart out from his side, hooking it into his atlatl and swinging his arm sidelong.

He continued running as though nothing had happened. But, 100 meters away, an archer watched as Leonel's spear flew through a window, out a wall, and directly between his eyes. He hadn't even managed to climb to a proper vantage point, let alone knock an arrow.

Leonel wasn't fond of killing. But, even in his aversion, those who would attack a village of innocents like this ranked at the top of those he would be willing to bloody his hands with.

Aina and Leonel just numbered two. But in less than ten minutes, the state of the battle completely flipped. They dashed around the village like two specters, Aina manning the front and Leonel taking out everything out of her range.

'Once again, this Zone seems mostly made up of normal humans.. This era should have gunpowder as well, but they probably won't appear on this battlefield..'

The blaring horns of retreat sounded just as Leonel and Aina burst out of the village's boundary of broken wooden fences.

A plain that should have held crops stood. But much of it was trampled to the ground under the hooves of swords and foot soldiers. With such conditions, the likelihood this village would survive through the winter even with Aina and Leonel's actions were near zero.

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Leonel's jaw clenched.

The surviving village dwellers looked toward Aina and Leonel as though they were twin gods, none of them daring to approach.

At that time, long after the English had disappeared over the horizon, the sound of hooves filled Leonel's ears. However, this time, it came from within the village. No, more accurately, it should have been another army approaching from the opposite exit and cutting through the village.

As expected, Leonel soon found a group of armored men riding horses coming toward both he and Aina, causing the village members to part like the sea. Except, this time, they weren't Englishmen but were rather Frenchmen.

The head knight looked down toward Aina and Leonel from his horse, a picture of confusion with a dash of arrogance.

'Who are you?'

The question was directed toward Leonel despite the massive ax in Aina's hand. It seemed this era still took their misogyny quite seriously.

"… I can't speak French." Aina said, looking toward Leonel.

Leonel blinked. He had become so used to not being able to understand anyone after entering a Zone that he forgot he could actually speak French. Finally, it seemed his language studies would come in handy.

Leonel thought for a minute. What was the best way to approach this… Suddenly, he smirked.

"We're messengers of God. Me and my partner are guardians sent to protect Joan of Arc. Bring us to her immediately."

The head knight frowned. He wanted to refute, but there was only one reason the English would retreat. It had to be related to these two.

"I will take you to the General. Whether you can meet the Savior or not will be up to him. Bring them a horse!"

Aina frowned seeing that there was just one horse. Plus, there was no way a horse would be capable of withstanding the weight of her ax.

"It's fine, lead the way. We will run."

The head knight's eyes widened. Humans keeping up with horses?

"The… the path is long…"

Leonel only shrugged, slotting his atlatl into the belt Aina had given him.

"The messengers of God aren't limited by such things."

The heart of the knights trembled, each of them swallowing hard. Their encampment was 50 kilometers away. It would take a human a day to cover such a distance. A good runner would take about three to four hours. But, a horse could do it in less than two. If they could really keep up…

They soon received their answer.

Aina and Leonel not only kept up with ease despite their heavy load. On top of this, they didn't seem to be too tired. Leonel could have taken out his bike to make the process even easier on himself, but it didn't sit right with him letting Aina run alone.

When they could see the large tents of the encampment, Leonel's heart inadvertently thumped as something clicked in his mind.

'My stamina just increased by 0.01…'

Leonel immediately confirmed that he really was correct. There was something more special about his father's concoctions than the latter had let on. In addition, this world really hadn't blocked it like the previous Zone had.

'What's different about that one and this one? It also seems that whatever medicinal strength dad's brew had can be forced out quicker if I'm doing an activity conducive to it… Should I start running sprints and lifting weight?'

Leonel's strength wasn't bad, but his speed and agility were abysmal. The only reason they were passable currently was due to the Tier 5 Black treasure on his feet currently.

Now that Leonel was paying very close attention to his body, he realized that the ticks up in his stats while he was fighting those A-grade Invalids had felt exactly like this. Why hadn't he realized there was a hidden strength churning in his body before?

'I wonder why dad decided on this incredibly slow approach… I'm sure he had a reason…'

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Leonel frowned, his mind going to the scar his father mentioned. Could it be related to that? He didn't really understand, though. There weren't really any important organs or vitals in that place.

Leonel didn't get to think more about it as they finally made it to the encampment. He could immediately tell that Joan of Arc wouldn't be here. Encampments like this one held forward squads and battalions that placed pressure on the enemy in no-man's-land.

According to history, Joan wasn't a fighter, she was rather a morale booster. The so-called 'Merlin' mentioned in the quest introduction was the man who prophesied of her arrival, but there was no real wizard or mage in history.

This was all to say that Joan wouldn't be in such a small army. She would be with a larger number so her presence could have the greatest effect.

'Joan of Arc was executed for cross dressing as a man…' Leonel sighed, looking at Aina's clothing.

Leonel found his education at Royal Blue Academy to be quite useful currently. When one chooses a language study, it isn't just about learning the dialect itself, but also about learning in the language. Leonel had thus learned many things about French history in these past few years.

Leonel and Aina waited patiently as the head knight contacted who he needed to. Not long later, the two were being ushered into the largest center tent.

Unsurprisingly, this 'general' didn't have much of a say in the matter either. He could only wait until the next opportunity to bring Aina and Leonel back to the Orleans stronghold.

The next time their battalion would be allowed to return was a month. Until then, they could only continue fighting skirmishes and protecting the 100 kilometer radius of villages and towns.

Following this, Aina and Leonel were taken to a tent of their own. Leonel already knew that Aina had a tent of her own that she'd likely bring out, so he didn't disagree. Plus, it wasn't particularly good for the two of them to separate.

Surprisingly, though, Aina didn't immediately pull out her own living space and instead invited Leonel to sit on an animal skin left in the tent.

"The mission specifics, I haven't had time to explain them properly to you yet, so I think I should do so now while we have a small bit of time."

Leonel nodded, that was true.

"The wrist watch is correct. This quest is about Joan of Arc. I'm not sure how this Merlin is related, but maybe you can fill in the blanks?"

"Yes. Merlin was a bard and professed prophet from the 500's. He was known for a few of his connections and prophecies, namely his connection with King Arthur and his prophecy on Joan of Arc.

"If I recall the quote directly, his prophecy went… 'France will be lost by a woman and saved by a virgin from the oak forests of Lorraine.'

"The same usual vague prophecy that will eventually become true if enough years pass…" Leonel ended a bit skeptically.

"I don't think we can take anything at surface value like that anymore." Aina said softly.

"… Maybe you're right."

Aina shook her head. "The main quest and side quests are actually conflicting. And, the hidden quest is nearly impossible."

"You can see hidden quests? Isn't the point that they're… hidden?"

"My detection device can't, but I used an S-grade Information Ticket on it. I have a feeling that this quest may actually be of the SS-grade, which plummets the accuracy of my device to just 70%."

Leonel's gaze narrowed in his seriousness. He had only completed a C-grade Zone before, but now he was in an SS-grade one? Where was the fairness?

"There's also a possibility that it's a Unique Sub-Dimensional Zone."

"Unique…?"

"They're Zones that are ungraded due to the fact the variables within follow the Chaos Theory."

'Oh… Just fantastic…' Leonel thought to himself. Chaos Theory was a branch of mathematics that gave even him a headache whenever he thought about it. At least back when his mind worked within normal human limits, that is.

"Either way, I will tell you what I know.

"There are two side quests. One is to kill 1000 Englishmen. The second is to kill 10 000 Englishmen.

"The main quest is to… kill Joan of Arc."

Leonel rubbed his forehead with a hand. As expected, this wasn't a simple matter at all.

"The hidden quest is to recapture Paris."

Leonel's lips twitched. She was the 'Boss' of a potentially SS-grade Zone, yet even she failed to recapture Paris in her lifetime. But, they were supposed to?

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After giving Leonel this information, Aina, to the shock of Leonel, gently softened the wrinkles in the animal fur and laid on her side with her back facing him. She cradled the long arm of her ax in her bosom, the soft sounds of her steady breathing soon following.

Leonel blinked for a moment. With will power he didn't know he had, he forced himself to look away from the elegant curve of her back and… The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

'Focus, focus… You have a lot of work to do.'

Leonel had spent all his life avoiding women. In middle school, he simply wasn't interested in them aside from the usual teasing a boy might have for the opposite sex at that age. And, when it came to high school and he finally realized that girls were more interesting than he thought, he caught sight of Aina. No… It was more accurate to say that she was the reason he found women were worth looking at.

With how popular Leonel had been as a Five-Star Professional, the women who wanted him could form a line that wrapped around Earth. But his father's two mantras had always been respect and persistence. If he wanted to respect Aina, even if they weren't a couple, he had to at least do the bare minimum.

Like this, Leonel, who had a friend like James who had probably lost count of the number of women he had been with, was a green virgin. Something like being in a tent barely four meters in every direction with the only woman who stirred his heart was too much stimulation for him to handle.

To clear his mind, Leonel began to subconsciously circulate [Dimensional Cleanse]. Without having to worry about Invalids, he unleashed his talent completely. Those who could only be considered normal humans felt a comfortable and warm, yet strong wind picking up.

The flaps of open tents whipped back and forth. The horses, in their makeshift stables, neighed, hot air billowing from their nostrils. It almost seemed like a gentle summer's day despite the fact they were deep into fall and quickly approaching winter.

As for those who weren't normal…

Aina's eyes flashed open, an unconcealed shock hidden within. But she didn't turn back. Instead, she closed her eyes once more, feeling comforted. A light smile Leonel couldn't see played her delicate features.

'The energy density in this place is severely lacking compared to the current Earth… Is that the difference between a world that's begun its evolution and one that hasn't?'

Despite the low energy density, Leonel's speed was still much faster than it had been when he was constantly worrying about Invalids. In fact, he felt that it was faster than it should have been.

'My speed increased more than it should. That's probably related to my increase in spirit?'

Eventually, Leonel's mind slipped away. By the time he awoke again, the sun had set and risen.

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.80; Speed: 0.75 (0.1); Agility: 0.85 (0.1); Coordination: 0.99; Stamina: 0.87 (0.05); Reactions: 0.99; Spirit: 0.12]

Leonel's spirit had risen once more, this time by 0.1. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Before, three days had netted him some small improvement due to his forceful slowing of his own progress. But, now that he had unleashed his full potential, he gained such a large amount in a little over 12 hours. He was immensely satisfied.

By now, Aina had awoken. Her back still faced to him, she was meditating as well. It seemed that she wasn't able to meditate and sleep like Leonel could. In addition, whatever technique it was that she was practicing, it relied entirely on the goings on of her own body. There was no energy entering her from the outside at all.

Leonel noticed a tray of food in front of him and nodded a thanks Aina couldn't see. It wasn't nearly enough food for him, but he couldn't expect an encampment of a thousand men to have too much to spare.

After wolfing down the porridge and sausage, Leonel set the tray aside, thinking of going hunting for his own food as he had in the Mayan temple. However, not wanting to leave Aina alone, he thought against it.

'It's rare that I have time to calm myself and think. It's already been four days since I received those two booklets, yet I've yet to even open them.'

If Montez heard Leonel's thoughts, he would go numb from shock.

If Leonel had never opened the technique booklets, how was it that he had used both [Dimensional Cleanse] and [Call of the Wind]?!

Unfortunately for Uncle Montez's sanity, Leonel's answer would be the same shrug he used after he chose [Dimensional Cleanse] over the other four Tier 9 Black techniques.

When Leonel laid hands on the booklets, the things he could already sense with his eyes were magnified several times over. He got an instinctual feel for the existence of the technique without even opening its cover. That first night he spent with his friends after coming back, he found that he could simply use them with ease.

When Leonel realized this, he refrained from reading through the techniques. He felt that in such a dangerous environment, since he could already use them without issue, there was no point in risking anything now to read them. After all, he couldn't meditate and rest if he had to read.

Finally, Leonel pulled out [Dimensional Cleanse] and flipped open to the first page. The first thing he saw was a summary of the technique.

'Dimensional Cleanse. This technique attunes the body to the shift in Dimensions, using Fourth Grade Force to wash Third Dimensional Constitutions and bring them closer to Perfection.'

'Fourth Grade Force? Is that what it's called?'

Leonel realized immediately how important this booklet was. He didn't have enough fundamental knowledge about his quickly changing world. The more he knew, the better system he could build in his mind. Then, there'd be less variables to contend with.

'But this 'perfection', what is it that they mean by that?' Leonel kept reading.

'The completion stages of this technique are graded from One Star Cleansed Body to Three Star Cleansed Body.

'If you succeed in forging a One Star Cleansed Body, congratulations. You are one of the foremost talents in your world. Should you help your plane continue to evolve, you have the potential to form a Seventh Dimensional Constitution. You can be considered amongst the 1%.

'If you succeed in forging a Two Star Cleansed Body, I praise you whole heartedly. You are a generational genius of your time, a God amongst men. Should your world continue to evolve, you have the potential to form an Eighth Dimensional Constitution. You can be consider the 1% of the 1%.

'If you succeed in forging a Three Star Cleansed Body, I hope you'll remember the Karma we've forged on this day.'

'So a Three Star Cleansed Body is this 'Perfection' they're talking about?'

Leonel wasn't sure. Even the lowest completion of One Star received such high praise. If that was the case, then what sort of existence was the Three Star Cleansed Body.

Shaking his head, Leonel could only continue.

'Internal Sight.

'Before any Force technique can be cultivated, Internal Sight must be mastered. If you do not have the talent to awaken this ability, I advise you to place down this technique. Once you advance to gain a Fourth Dimensional Constitution, you will naturally awaken Internal Sight and you can then choose another Force Technique.'

'Internal Sight is a subconscious, instinctual grasp of the Force not only in the world around you, but within you as well. Without the ability to both sense this energy and also guide it into your body, the quest for Perfection is simply not in your destiny.

'Force Nodes.'

Leonel turned the page to find a diagram of the human body. From his biology studies, there were several points off from the humans of Earth. But the creator of this technique wrote diligent notes on how to adjust his diagrams to fit the evolutionary quirks of each world.

'Force Nodes are the points in the body that generate and propagate Force. They do not exist naturally in Third Dimensional Constitutions. Instead, they must be formed either through the use of techniques such as this one, or naturally as a world evolves.

'Cultivated Force Nodes are neither inferior or superior to Natural Force Nodes. The only exception to this are individuals able to forge Natural Force Nodes of a higher rank than their current world's Dimensional Plane. However, these individuals are incredibly rare and are usually World Spirit wielders, or the offspring of one.

'In addition to this, the better the foundation technique, the better your Cultivated Force Nodes of the future will be. My Dimensional Cleanse technique can be considered among the best, so you are in luck.'

Leonel refrained from rolling his eyes. You hadn't even finished the technique when you wrote this, how could you possibly know that? What a narcissistic creator.

As Leonel continued to read, he found a few differences from his expectations.

For one, due to the fact he hadn't formed even a single Force Node and was just cultivating Force by instinct, what he was doing now was 'Priming' his body. According to the creator, the longer one could 'Prime', the higher chance they had at forging a Three Star Cleansed Body.

From what Leonel could see, he had already begun to pass the thresholds necessary to enter those completion realms. The creator described that state as 'Force infused into the brain'. Leonel had already naturally accomplished this.

The second thing that subverted his expectations was that unlike those anime he and his dad liked to watch, the core of Force techniques wasn't at his lower belly, but was rather in his mind. The reason 'Force infused into the brain' was so important was because this was where the Stars would form. The more resilient the mind, the higher chance there was at success.

The third thing was that Leonel felt he could already form Two Stars without issue. But the fact he could exposed to him just how difficult it was to form Three. He felt that it was an astronomical distance away despite the fact he had reached the Two Star threshold so easily.

The fourth thing Leonel began to contemplate was on just what his ability truly was, then… According to the description of Internal Sight, it matched the way he had used his ability all along.

Could it be he had mistaken Internal Sight for his ability? If that was the case, then what was his actual ability, then? It couldn't be that his ability was something everyone would receive eventually… right?

Leonel could only set these thoughts aside. The more he cultivated [Dimensional Cleanse, the stronger his ability would become. By then, he'd know the truth. If it was more potent, he'd be able to get a rid on it much easier.

'Alright, there are multiple options from where to start forming Force Nodes. If I want to gather enough Force to form the first Star, I need three Nodes. Six Nodes for two. And nine Nodes for the third and final. But, it's very difficult for a Pseudo Fourth Dimensional body to withstand that many nodes even if my brain can withstand Two Stars already.

'The most dangerous starting position is the brain stem… the easiest is the calf. However, starting at the calf will make your Nodes about a tenth the size of their full potential. The further the starting position from the brain, the longer the path you need to forge, and thus the less energy you can spend on widening your Node.

'The closer to the brain you start, the less energy you need to spend on the path, and the more you can spend on widening your Node. The wider the starting Node, the more Force it can withstand. Since your first Node acts as a pathway to your second Node, the same principle applies, so the closer the second Node is to it, and the larger that first Node is… the larger the second will be…

'In that case, what I need to focus on is reaching saturation in my Priming stage. After this, I'll form my first Node at my brain stem!'

Like this, three weeks passed and Leonel's brain had finally reached its full capacity.

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.80; Speed: 0.75 (0.1); Agility: 0.85 (0.1); Coordination: 0.99; Stamina: 0.87 (0.05); Reactions: 0.99; Spirit: 0.30]

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Leonel hadn't moved in weeks. He wasn't even consciously aware of the fact that Aina had left and come back several times already. Without any strong threats around him, and subconsciously putting his trust in her, he went all out.

Due to the strong winds and comfort that emitted from his tent, the Frenchmen hadn't dared to approach. By now, they were all convinced that he was an envoy of God.

Aina entered the tent once more. But this time, she frowned deeply seeing his current state.

Leonel's lips were a deep shade of blue, his body quaking with every passing second. The whirlwind of Force surging toward him was more than ten times greater than it had been on the first day. Whether that was due to the increase in his Spirit, or due to the fact he had a deeper understanding of the technique after actually reading it, it was impossible to tell.

Ghastly blue-green veins ran across Leonel's neck and forehead. Beads of sweat rolled down his body, mixing in with the foul odor it was giving off. If Leonel knew that Aina had continuously dealt with his body odor without a complaint for so many weeks, who knew how he'd feel.

If one peered into Leonel's brain stem, it would be possible to see a growing seed of concentrated Force. There was no simple way to complete this process. Leonel had to carve out his own flesh while simultaneously using Force to heal himself. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

This was why this step was so dangerous. The brain stem was arguably the most important part of the brain. If it was ever damaged, death was basically guaranteed. Yet, Leonel had to actively do exactly that to carve out a Node for himself.

The only way this was possible was due to the special characteristic of [Dimensional Cleanse]. Not every Force technique would carve out Nodes in the same places, and most directly avoided such dangerous areas. It was precisely because the creator of this technique was so confident in his methods that he dared pen down this technique.

'Use your senses to perfectly memorize the structure of cells in your brain stem… reorganize… stimulate their recreation… destroy the original… repeat…'

It took hundreds of years of research before humans of Earth were able to use stem cells to reproduce brain cells. In fact, it was still in its infant stages even now. Yet, this technique was able to use Force to surpass anything Earth was capable of.

However, it was still up to Leonel in the end to repeat this process countless times. It was simply impossible for him to do this for every one of the millions of cells in his brain stem. That said, a normal Node formed of Fourth Grade Force would barely be visible to the naked eye and could have its size measured in cubic micrometers.

The issue Leonel faced was that his Node was not normal. And, though a normal Node would only take up the space of about 10 cells at most, the true difficultly came in properly restructuring everything so that your mind could continue to function properly.

That alone was already difficult… But Leonel had to replace and reorganize not just 10 cells… But 100!

On any other day, a mere paper cut could slice across far more than 100 human cells with ease. But to Leonel, that seemingly small number was the barrier between him and death.

He knew he could have stopped at 10, that he could have stopped at 20, even at 50… These numbers were already far more than a normal person could match. And, it should also be considered that [Dimensional Cleanse] wasn't a normal technique to begin with, another technique might have their user form a Node of five cells at most!

But, Leonel knew that if he stopped, he would be cheating himself. What had he wasted so much time Priming himself for if he wasn't going to tap into his full potential? If he stopped now, then he might as well have formed his first Node back when his Spirit was at 0.12.

Blood began to leak from Leonel's nose. It was such a deep crimson that it almost appeared black.

The calculations running through Leonel's mind were astronomical. Just how many other neurons did 100 brain stem cells connect to? How many spinal connections? How many smooth muscle connections? How many organs did they control?

Rerouting his whole body like this put immense pressure on his mind. He just wanted to sleep, to alleviate that pain racking his body, but he knew he couldn't.

'Persistence…'

His back straightened. He realized now that the reason he fought those seven A-grade Invalids wasn't because of some random excuse, it was because of something his father had ingrained in his body since he was young.

Persist.

Aina stood at the doorway, her teeth biting down hard on her soft lips.

'He's forming his first Node now? How is that possible? He should at the very least be on his fifth or sixth… Is his high coordination and reaction purely due to his ability then? What kind of ability is that?'

Aina obviously didn't have access to the same stats Leonel self-created. But, she had a natural ability to read people that came from years of training and experience. From her experience, it was simply impossible to have such high 'base stats' without first forging Nodes. She herself was already working on her seventh.

In fact, the base strength she displayed wasn't her full strength. Because she rarely used her Force, the stats Leonel had of her were actually wrong. After all, he can only measure what he can see, and he had too little knowledge of Force before.

The only point that stood now, however, was the fact Leonel's ability, whatever it was, was actually so great…

Suddenly, a roar escaped Leonel's lips, a shower of blood bursting from the pores of his body.

In the next moment, the sound of something that almost resembled a massive flame being lit swept through. Concentric circles of rippling force winds and dust billowed around him, shooting the tent he sat into the sky.

Leonel opened his eyes with a flash, their hazel burning with a deep blue light that flickered and disappeared a moment later.

He was a complete mess. His body was coated in blood from head to toe. In fact, the his general vicinity looked as though a concentrated rain of blood had fallen, splattering around gruesomely.

However, if one looked closely, one could see that this wasn't normal blood. It had an impure, brownish-black quality to it that released a terrible smell. At that moment, despite his looks, Leonel felt more alive than he ever had.

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.80; Speed: 0.75 (0.1); Agility: 0.85 (0.1); Coordination: 1.00; Stamina: 0.87 (0.05); Reactions: 1.00; Spirit: 0.30]

That was it. He had crossed the limits the human body could theoretically endure!

His other stats hadn't improved, but this made sense. After all, it was a Node for his brain, not his body. They only had minor ticks up. But, Leonel knew that if he activated the Force in his first Node, his stats would increase by another margin.

'… Seems I've missed something important…' Leonel reprimanded himself.

"You stink." Aina's soothing voice appeared above Leonel sitting form.

Leonel was speechless. But, looking down at himself and taking a whiff, even he could only cringe.

Sweeping out his senses, he quickly found the nearest water source.

"Come with me." Leonel said.

Aina raised an eyebrow.

Leonel grinned. "It's alright. I'm okay with you taking advantage of me."

It was Aina's turn to be speechless. In the end she turned and blushed, not meeting Leonel's eyes.

At that moment, Leonel couldn't hide the confusion in his heart. He had thought that Aina's bashful personality was all just an act, not different from how Yuri pretended to be the kind, considerate friend for so many years. But what was this?

"Leaving you here doesn't sit well with me. Come on." Leonel dashed away.

After seeing that he wasn't scrutinizing her anymore, Aina quickly followed. By the time she caught up, Leonel was already stripping by a riverside. Flustered, she could only find a tree to sit behind in the opposite direction.

Aina's militaristic outfit didn't have any defensive abilities. All it had were its convenient pockets that allowed her to store many things like miniature spatial devices, and the real reason she chose it: a self-cleaning function.

She liked to stay clean, but she was also practical. Finding a place to bathe in a Zone or even on Earth right now was near impossible. So though she missed the feeling of water gliding across her soft skin, she gave it up.

"Do you think they'll be alright without us?"

Leonel's voice traveled to Aina's as he alternated between scrubbing himself and his clothes.

"They'll be fine…" Aina said softly. "… Yuri knows what to do. Plus, only the Beginner Zone works on the same timeline. The Zone we're in currently is ten to one. Not even three days have passed to them yet."

"Oh. I didn't know that." Leonel muttered.

Aina always seemed to speak to him as if the things she was saying were obvious. Did she not realize that he had no idea what she was talking about?

Leonel frowned. 'Uncle Montez said that because Earth had so much potential, there were several other worlds looking to get a piece of the pie… His words seemed to imply that they had started doing this even before the Metamorphosis began… Could Aina's family be related to this?'

"Did you really only just light your first Node?"

After several moments of silence, Aina's sweet voice traveled to his ears again.

"You know about Nodes?" Leonel asked, surprised.

"Did you think you were the only one?" Leonel could almost hear the light smile through Aina's voice. He could barely hold back his desire to see it.

"Sort of… I had to do a lot to get my hands on the method. I didn't think others were already aware."

Leonel wasn't lying. He only got [Dimensional Cleanse] because he was the first to clear a Zone, and as such, he received a Tier 9 Black reward. There could only be one of him, right?

But, it seemed he forgot to consider that a Force technique didn't have to be such high grade. And, also, from Uncle Montez's words, maybe others had gotten their hands on treasures through other means. Maybe that was why Aina seemed to have more treasures on hand than she should.

"I did just light my first one." Leonel eventually answered. "I chose my brain stem as my first location, so it was pretty dangerous. I should have prepared some more."

Aina froze. "What did you just say?"

Leonel raised an eyebrow. "That I chose my brain —"

"Are you insane?!"

"Uh…" How was he supposed to respond to that? "… Maybe?"

"Maybe?! Why didn't you just pick a spot on your legs?! You can only choose nine locations at best, and most can't even form a second. Recklessly choosing your brain now is not only dangerous, but if you reach a bottleneck in your potential, your bodily strength will always be substandard!"

Leonel could hear Aina almost huffing and puffing. It seemed the Aina who could curse out a grown man three times her size had come out. He was too angry to see it that night, but he was sure it was an adorable sight.

"I knew I should have woken you up…" Aina bit her lip again.

"You shouldn't do that, you'll scar your lip."

Aina was shocked awake from her own rant, finding Leonel standing before her with wet, dripping hair. It was fine if he wanted to come, but did he really have to do it shirtless?

"… You don't understand. The bottlenecks people face get worse and worse with every step. Unless you're lucky enough to be born with a Lineage Factor that gives you Natural Force Nodes, reaching past the third Node is impossible. You would need Force Node medicines, but Earth just can't produce those now."

Leonel smiled. "You don't have to worry about me."

It was a smile he had practiced in the front of the mirror so many times, the very smile he prepared just for this one person.

Seeing Aina completely disarmed, he felt a swelling of satisfaction in his heart.

'Whoever that old fart is who wrote [Dimensional Cleanse] really is a liar. No difference between Cultivated and Natural Force Nodes my ass. You could have at least mentioned this in a footnote you ass.'

After recovering, Aina's expression turned serious once more.

"It's good that you know that I'm worrying. In that case, be less reckless and choose your right arm for your next Node. It will improve your throwing abilities by a large margin."

Leonel nodded innocently like an obedient child, but internally he had no intention of listening.

After awakening his first Node, Leonel gained a greater grasp of just what his ability was. If he had to sum it up in one word it was… Calculation.

In the simplest terms, his mind was like a supercomputer. The reason why he had almost mistaken Internal Sight for his ability was precisely because of his mind's ability to make use of that information far better than anyone else would be able to.

It was the reason he could tell the difference between a loaded and unloaded gun by its weight. It was the reason he could assign 'stats' just by glancing at a person's body. And it was the reason he was certain that there was a perfect configuration of Nodes that would maximize his body's potential.

He had accidentally stumbled into the perfect start with his brain stem and he didn't plan on taking the second until he had gathered enough knowledge to find the next perfect step.

That said, he had already eliminated his arms, legs, and most of his chest. He was certain that the perfect second Node was along his spine somewhere, he just had to run a few more calculations to find that flawless location.

As for Aina's worries. Well… What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

'Aina seems to be preparing to form her seventh Force Node. Her Node locations actually have 93% compatibility with her, I didn't expect that. Oh!'

"What are you doing?" Aina frowned as she gazed at Leonel. She felt for a moment that she had been stripped bare in front of him, but she couldn't find a logical reason why. Leonel's spirit was just too far above hers. Had he not been standing right in front of her, she might not have even noticed.

Leonel snapped out of his thoughts. He had just seen something that explained to him why it was Aina seemed to cultivate without pulling in Force Energy. She was actually practicing a technique aside from a Force technique, one that applied particular pressure on her blood.

However, Leonel knew instinctually he couldn't practice this technique. Only those with Aina's blood could…

'Just what's her story exactly…?'

"Sorry, just committing your words to memory!" Leonel saluted like a soldier.

"Pft —" Aina laughed beside herself. It was such a dazzling scene that Leonel stood completely frozen in time.

'… I bet she didn't have to practice that in front of a mirror…'

Just then, the sounds of war horns reached their ears.

Sending a glance toward each other, they dashed back to the war camp.

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As he ran, Leonel squeezed his still wet flexible armor on. Its black fabric flexed, clinging tightly to his body. Luckily, he hadn't been foolish enough to leave his weapons behind. No matter how uneventful the last month had been, Leonel would never forget that he was in the middle of a Sub-Dimensional Zone.

The idea of time dilation sounded great. Thanks to Zones, Leonel would be able to experience more life than his lifespan dictated, and even train faster than he should. But Zones were not a joke. If the main quest couldn't be accomplished, they'd be stuck here to their deaths. Only then would the Zone open once more to allow another to try.

A Zone wasn't a place that could be taken casually. If there was anything Leonel had learned in the Mayan temple, it was that.

The two, Leonel and Aina, hadn't traveled more than a kilometer from the campsite. It took them less than two minutes to return, finding the group of thousand men quickly organizing.

Leonel got a read on the situation quickly. It seemed that a scout had caught wind of an approaching English army, bearing down on Orleans.

From what Leonel knew, Orleans was one of the first if not the very first battle Joan of Arc had fought in and won. It was an important city on the edge of what remained of French territory and what was once French territory but now English territory. Back then, or what was considered right now, it was unprecedented and skyrocketed her fame upward.

However, with such a critical loss, and to a woman no less, it wasn't a surprise that the English would try and take it back as soon as possible. It was just bad luck that this encampment happened to be in their way.

The smart decision was to retreat and send a messenger ahead to warn Joan and Orleans. The encampment had likely already done the latter, but for some reason they weren't doing the first.

"If we retreat now, the common people are finished. We must hold out for as long as we can."

Leonel's gaze flickered. Ultimately, knights were still nobles. Though France had run into a problem of lacking enough land to consecrate these knights properly during this era, this fact still remained. How rare was it for a noble to care about the common people in this time?

'I've never heard of this General Franck before, likely because his name had been washed out of history maybe due to this very act here. But his actions are commendable…'

Leonel looked toward Aina. "I'm going to help them. You're a front line fighter so you'll be at too much risk if you jump into such a lopsided fight, just stay next to me." The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

Leonel was well aware that both he and Aina had surpassed the limit of humans, but they weren't gods. They still got tired, they could still get injured, and they were more than susceptible to overwhelming numbers.

Aina looked toward Leonel blankly for a moment before shaking her head.

"If you don't want me to die, then you'll just have to put a bit of extra effort into covering for me."

Her voice still carried the same gentleness, but it had an unyielding command to it. Leonel felt that her will was far stronger than his own.

Leonel closed his eyes. If they were open, it would be possible to see a deep flicker within them.

"General Franck. Do you have any siege engineers with you? Or any who have experience working with them?"

"Well… yes. We need a few to properly fortify our encampment."

"Good. Give them to me and a few men to chop down some wood. You build your defenses."

Quite frankly, the general was much too scared of Leonel to refuse.

When the engineers heard of Leonel's asks, they looked at him weirdly. The request wasn't difficult at all. In fact, it was ridiculously easy. They could easily complete the three of them Leonel asked for by the time the Englishmen were in range.

"After you finish chopping down the trees the engineers need, continue and build at least 50 Cheval de Frise afterward…"

"Cheval de frise?"

Leonel patted his forehead, had such a thing not been invented yet? Without the proper experience, finishing 50 like he hoped would be impossible. Unless…

'Simplify the design…' Leonel's mind churned. In a flash, he had an idea that could work.

Walking to the sparse forest of trees that surrounded a part of the river he had bathed in, he borrowed an ax and cut down a thin tree with a diameter no larger than about eight inches.

He worked swiftly, leading by example.

He separated the length of the tree into portions about a meter and a half long. Then, cut those portions widthwise into fourths. In the end, from a single tree, he managed to get eight total meter and a half length pieces.

Brandishing the ax, his began to chip away at both ends of these pieces. Eventually, they ended up looking like double headed spears, albeit much thicker than a spear should be.

"A Cheval de Frise is a device capable of nullifying calvary. It stops the charging of horses by placing deadly barriers in their path. Even if the calvary men are aware of their danger and avoid them, it will slow down their charge and disrupt their formation. If they aren't aware of them, the result will be even more devastating.

"I want you to do exactly as I did after you've prepared what the engineers need. Then…"

Leonel slammed three of the double ended spears he created into the soil at an angle, just about a foot or so apart.

"Press them into the ground just like this in sets of three. Work in lines that cover the battle in a systematic way. Between every set of three, leave about two meters of space. And lay out a single line to extend about 100 meters.

"When you finish laying a line of 100 meters, move back about five meters and begin a new line, but don't place them in the same positions as the first line, or else the enemy can just charge straight through the gaps. Make it so that even if an enemy makes it past, they must swerve and slow themselves down continuously.

"Do you understand?"

The warriors nodded fervently, jetting off to their work. They were a bit skeptical of how just laying down spikes could stop a calvary, but much like their general, they were too scared to refute.

Against Leonel's expectations, General Franck actually committed a hundred men to Leonel's cause. Leonel hadn't thought he'd receive such support, so he had asked for very little. But he had underestimated their religious fanaticism. If they weren't like this, why else would they trust a small village girl like Joan with their lives?

By the time Leonel's sharp gaze could see the Englishmen over the horizon, marching under the high sunlight in perfect rectangular formations, the battlefield was already set.

'It's as perfect as it can be.' Leonel thought to himself. 'The river to our back only has one shallow enough point to cross within tens of miles, they have no choice but to come through here… The encampment itself was already chosen to be on a small hill to act as a temporary fortress… And everything is in my line of sight…'

Leonel climbed to the top of a set of a wooden staircases.

This was the device he had asked the siege engineers to build. It was nothing but a simple elevated platform. From afar it looked like a staircase that led nowhere.

It could be considered to be a simplified siege tower. The differences lied in the fact that there were no castle walls to scale here and it was a great deal shorter than what it would usually be. But, for Leonel's purposes, this height was enough, especially with the help of the elevated position of the encampment.

All around the destinationless staircase, barrels of crudely made spears lied. Leonel knew that he could work faster to complete what he had asked of the Frenchmen, but he had spent all of this time forming thousands of spears. He hadn't had the luxury of helping them.

A small encampment like this one wouldn't carry so many weapons with them. He could only make them on his own.

When he reached the top, there was only a single barrel filled with about a hundred. Unfortunately, this was all he could fit without impeding his throwing motion. The space was quite small, only about a meter and a half in width and two in length, so he had to make do.

He picked up a crude wooden spear, weighing it in his hands.

A sigh escaped his lips. Only he would be mad enough to try and throw such a poorly weighted weapon. But there hadn't been time to build any stabilizers for them. He could only rely on his ability.

The Englishmen stopped in the distance. There was clear disdain on their faces when they noticed the numbers before them. There were 20 000 of them, yet the enemy wanted to face them with a measly 1000?

The spikes pierced into the ground were incredibly conspicuous, but what did little branches in the ground mean to their heavy calvary?

"FORM UP!"

The roar brought an eerie silence to the Frenchmen. They gripped their weapons and shields tightly to the point their knuckles went white beneath their armor.

And that was when it happened.

A small woman of beauty beyond words leaped through the skies and landed before them all with her back facing them. Her demeanor was almost lackadaisical, a massive ax dragging across the ground to her side.

"It seems we're in luck, men. That Whore who claims to be of God is right before us. Slay her here and take revenge for our fallen brothers!"

"Revenge for our fallen brothers!!" The roar was deafening.

In this era, women didn't even touch the battlefield, let alone taking the vanguard alone. Coupling that with the poor information circulation ability of this era, and it was no wonder they mistook Aina for Joan.

Unfortunately, this misunderstanding gave the enemy a morale boost Leonel hadn't accounted for.

'I'm still too inexperienced…' Leonel's gaze narrowed.

"CHARGE! FOR OUR BROTHERS!"

'… However, as punishment for saying such words about Aina…' Leonel's grip tightened.

But then, it suddenly loosened. '… Just what am I thinking?'

Leonel shook his head furiously. Back then, when those three bastards said those words, Leonel saw red. Before he even knew what was happening, they had died.

Afterward, he tried to justify it to himself. They had alluded to all the women they had hurt before, they deserved it… right? It was fine if he punished them.

But that was just an excuse. What was that feeling he had had just now? That feeling that told him he had the right to execute people as he saw fit for little more than their words and ideals…

'I'm losing my damn mind, what's wrong with me…'

Leonel grit his teeth. A part of him had already decided. There was simply no place in this world for his soft heart. In a lot of ways, the words of those men that night had enlightened him to that fact.

However, he refused to lose himself to the madness of this world. He felt that the end result of killing was just as important as the reason for it was. He wanted to be able to look himself in the mirror one day and justify his actions, to be able to feel that his heart could still remain as light as a feather.

The Englishmen weren't bad people. They were fighting for their country. They were fighting for their brothers.

Some of them committed horrible deeds. They looted villages, raped women, took mothers from their children and children from their parents. But, it remained that this was only some of them.

Leonel wasn't a God. He wasn't judge, jury and executioner, nor could his fragile mind state withstand such a burden.

However, what he could do was work within the confines of his own limits. As long as he didn't overreach… as long as he maintained his respect for his opponents… he could slowly climb over this hurdle.

Leonel took a deep breath as the horses and men charged, kicking up dust clouds.

'Today, I'll kill you not for the words you've said, but because you are the general of my enemy.'

Leonel closed his eyes, feeling every detail of the battlefield perfectly projected into his mind.

He lifted his spear above his shoulder, setting his feet.

'50 meters… 40… 30… 20…'

Leonel's eyes flashed open when the general was just a few strides of his horse from the first line of spikes. His timing was perfect.

A low grunt escaped his lips, an unimpeded strength gushing through his body and leaving from his fingertip.

The spear shot across the skies. The force was so strong that any unbalanced weight remained unable to exert its presence, leaving it flying perfectly straight and through the slit in the helmet of the enemy general.

Even as the first blood was reaped, the calvary smashed into the first line of spikes, the screams of horses having the chests pierced and legs broken rang through the battlefield.

English calvary men flipped through the air, completely astonished. But, before they could have a chance to regain their bearings, their fellow charging warriors bore down on them from behind, turning the front line into a complete mess not even 50 meters from the Frenchmen's own.

Unfortunately for the English, their start only got worse. Because, appearing like a deathly ghost, Aina crossed the 50 meter distance between them in a flash, brandishing her ax toward those very same unorganized Englishmen.

Without a leader, they fell into a bloody mess.

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Aina's agility couldn't be matched by these normal soldiers. A single sweep of her ax took five lives at a minimum, sometimes as much as ten.

With Leonel's support to her back, she entered the fray without hesitation. She was maybe a little too reckless. Leonel could only watch on with a cold sweat matting his back, throwing out as many spears as he could as quickly as he could.

Reaching over toward his barrel, Leonel realized that he had run out. He could only sprint back down and grab another, carrying it up with him.

'This isn't good. The plan is working almost too well…'

Leonel threw out another spear, reaping yet another life.

A striking problem was becoming obvious to him. The Englishmen's first line had been disrupted so thoroughly that even the most forward of them hadn't crossed the third line of defense yet.

Because of that, Aina, who had already been their target from the beginning, wasn't receiving the support of the Frenchmen who stood in a daze as though they were watching the work of gods.

Because of the spikes, charging forward now would disrupt their advantage. It was best if they waited at the end of the last line of defense to begin their own slaughter. But since Leonel's trap and Aina's prowess was too overpowering, the enemy was nowhere near reaching that goal.

This might sound like a good thing, but Leonel's calculative mind saw that it most definitely wasn't. The way things were going now, Aina would be under too much pressure. He only had one arm to throw with, it was impossible for him to cover her perfectly. Though his high coordination gained him an ambidextrous ability, he needed his left arm to use his shield.

'Dammit.'

"ARCHERS, TAKE DOWN THAT MAN!"

By now, the Englishmen had noticed Leonel's impact on the battle. They could scarcely believe that a man could so accurately throw a spear, and such low quality ones at that. But, they could only accept what was before them.

Archers, by their very nature, were located near the back of an army. As such, they were the least affected by the mess at their front line.

Unfortunately for the Englishmen, trying to scream over the sounds of a battlefield as a normal human was impossible. Medieval armies usually relied on a combination of horn and flag sequences to give orders, but with their general gone, this was easier said than done.

By the time the second in command finally got hold of the situation and sent down the orders for the appropriate signal, their entire front line was unrecognizable. A ghastly scene of bisected bodies, pools of blood and organs, and men with tears in their eyes painted a terrible hell.

"Aina! Retreat!"

Unlike the Englishmen, Leonel's body was no longer normal. His voice carried a weight that theirs couldn't.

But, to Leonel's shock, Aina didn't listen.

Leonel's lip twitched. She was always talking about his recklessness, but what was this?

'Those long bowmen have an effective range of 200 meters at best. There's only about 150 meters between me and them, though. They can definitely hit me from here. Dammit, Aina…'

Leonel dashed down the siege tower, grabbing another barrel of spears and hoisting it up.

Just then a rain of arrows fell toward his direction, but he was already prepared.

Leonel had noticed before that Aina's judgement was a bit off. The spear on his back was in fact of the D-grade. But, this small shield was a C-grade treasure with just one ability…

Leonel raised the shield strapped to his left arm above his head. An instant later, its size increased tenfold, forming a massive umbrella in the skies.

The clink of the metallic arrows ricocheted off the shield, not leaving even the slightest dent. How could weapons of the 15th century damage a C-grade treasure?

Leonel's mind turned rapidly. In that moment, with every clink of an arrow that rebounded from his shield, he drew a picture in his mind… Its trajectory, its speed, its acceleration… Discover, Devour, Delight: NvεlB¡n.

Every arrow was projected into his mind, drawing a perfect line from its contact point to where the bowman who let it loose was.

Leonel locked onto a target. Two fingers reached down toward his right, plucking a dart out of his metal container.

His shield still above his head, he flicked his fingers upward, causing the dart to spin for a brief moment to his side as he ripped his atlatl from his waist.

In perfect synchronization, the dart's spin was halted by the appearance of the atlatl, slotting into place as though finding its perfect home.

Leonel's left arm swung to the side, swatting the last of the arrows away with his shield. In the same instant, his right arm whipped forward, using the swinging momentum of his left to its advantage to send a silver dart streaking through the air at over 200 kilometers an hour.

The targeted bowman never stood a chance. He was the best of his squad, Leonel could tell by the power behind his arrow. But on this day, he fell.

The pattern continued. Leonel alternated between protecting Aina's back with crude spears and taking out the bowman with his atlatl. He knew that he didn't have enough darts to take out all the bowman, but he didn't have a choice.

'Come on… Retreat… Retreat already!' Leonel gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, he felt the siege tower beneath him snap under another rain of arrows.

Leonel leaped down before it could tilt to the side. He had already expected this to happen. There were only so many arrow volleys a structure they scrambled to build could take. But… This was why Leonel had had three built.

Leonel streaked across the battlefield, making his way to the location of the next siege tower. Even as he used inhuman strength to lift it from its side, the Frenchmen and Englishmen finally clashed.

However, Leonel found it hard to settle his heart. Aina had pretended not to hear him and she was even deeper into Englishmen territory now. Had it not been for them focusing their arrows on him, he didn't know if it would be possible to protect her.

With a final roar, Leonel stood the siege tower upright, pulling up one of the barrels he had left in this location up with him.

'Dammit, what is she thinking?'

The good news was that even if the Englishmen wanted to ignore him from now on and target Aina, they would only be targeting their own men. The bad news was that this was only because Aina had traveled so deeply into their numbers that she was a small dot amidst a sea of infantry.

Leonel frowned. 'Something's wrong…'

Aina was like a lone blazing star. Despite being alone and surrounded, there seemed to be a perpetual five meter radius around her that no one could keep their life within.

From afar, it seemed like the Englishmen army had split into three. A single group of archers focusing their might toward Leonel, another attacking the Frenchmen, and the final entirely focused on this small woman with a weapon twice the size of her body.

However, though Aina seemed invincible, Leonel could see her body heat increasing at an unhealthy pace.

'Her stamina is running low…'

Leonel's frown deepened. It had been less than 30 minutes since the battle began, but just how long could a normal human fight under such conditions? Even with her being far beyond a normal human, the load she was facing was severalfold greater as well.

"Aina! Retreat!"

Leonel shouted once more, putting everything he had into his voice. However, this time, the blaring horns of retreat sounded over him, covering his shouts completely.

"No! Not now!"

Just minutes ago, there was nothing Leonel could have wanted more. But now Aina had traveled too deeply into their territory.

Leonel's arm cocked back and launched forward another crude spear.

With a sharp clang, it rebounded and shattered off of Aina's massive ax blade.

Aina's head finally snapped backward. But Leonel never got to register just what her expression was. All he could see was the fierce golden glow of her eyes, hiding a flickering redness that seemed to be the depths of a hellish flame.

There was only a single thing Leonel could grasp through the almost hundred meters that separated them. Her eyes were almost telling him to piss off.

He had seen them like this once before. That day she killed Conrad and stared him down as though she wanted him to witness every moment. He had been too stunned to register just what she was trying to convey to him back then… But now he was certain.

She wanted to be left alone.

A fiendish red Force erupted from Aina's frail body as her killing speed increased explosively.

[Aina Brazinger]

[Strength: 1.50; Speed: 0.99; Agility: 0.99; Coordination: 1.00; Stamina: 0.10; Reactions: 1.00; Spirit: 0.10]

Leonel's pupils constricted into pinholes. Leonel had never seen stats like this. Even the adjusted stats of the metal Invalid paled in comparison.

But, all his mind could focus on was her stamina. It hadn't gone up. In fact, it had plummeted the instant she began using this strength.

Aina's delicate roar overwhelmed the blaring horns of retreat.

Her ax whipped around, a Force blade extending from its body. However, it didn't sweep outward. Instead, it attached to the blade of the ax, extending its range from almost three meters to over five!

It was like the ax was enveloped in the spirit of a larger battle ax, borrowing its power to reap lives. Just the first swing took 20 Englishmen from the world. The second swing took almost 25.

The Englishmen quaked in fear, but Leonel's anxiety only grew.

On the third swing, Aina faltered and the spirit that enveloped her ax flickered, leaving half the Englishmen destined to die with a new lease on life. It wasn't only this, but they suddenly felt more confident than they had before.

Before Aina stood a wall of Englishmen. To her back, the retreating Englishmen barred her in.

Leonel didn't even register what he was doing before he found himself falling through the air, having jumped over the railing of his siege tower.

'Something is wrong …'

In a flash, Leonel had already burst through the line of Frenchmen who had chosen not to chase. The Englishmen still had more than 16 000 of their original number. It was nothing short of foolish to pursue them with their now less than 1000 number.

However, these weren't things Leonel had the mind to care about.

"Get out of my way!"

"Kill her! Kill Joan of Arc!"

The anxiousness in Leonel's heart grew. There was a wall of Englishmen before him, each completely set on Aina. They all but ignored him entirely. Aside from a few veterans who were tasked with holding the back line in a retreat, there was nothing.

Leonel's jaw set. Without his high vantage point, he couldn't even see Aina in his line of sight anymore. He could only feel the direction of the Force she emitted.

A part of Leonel wanted to hate these soldiers for standing before him, for blocking his way to Aina. But, with a will he didn't know he had, he pressed that hatred down.

He had promised himself not to kill in rage.

'Breathe, Leonel…' He spoke to himself, slowly pulling the spear from his back.

It felt oddly familiar to him. The black steel that stood cool to his touch, the flat silver blade on its end… it all seemed to balance perfectly in his palm.

The body was almost two meters in length, the blade at just over two feet. It had proportions more like a glaive than a spear, but its glistening point made its true identity clear.

Three flashes pierced forward, ending in holes in three English necks.

One arm held his shield, the other held his spear, dripping in blood.

Leonel took a deep breath, his gaze flickering with a strong blue diamond-like light.

[Leonel Morales] Discover, Devour, Delight: NvεlB¡n.

[Strength: 0.80; Speed: 0.75 (0.1); Agility: 0.99 (0.1 - nullified); Coordination: 1.10; Stamina: 0.99 (0.05 - nullified); Reactions: 1.10; Spirit: 0.40]

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The feeling of Force coursing through your body was hard to describe. If Leonel were to try, it would be like landing on a bed of soft pillows, or walking through a mist of water on a hot summer's day. It didn't just feel good, it felt right. As though this was the true state of being.

Leonel didn't know why his stamina had shot upward while Aina's tanked, but he didn't have the time to think about it. In fact, if he thought about it for even a little while, he would realize that because his coordination shot upward, he could more efficiently make use of his abilities, allowing him to use less strength to accomplish the same result.

Though Leonel's strength and speed remained untouched, his combat prowess was on a completely different level. The movements of the Englishmen were almost painfully slow.

His spear snaked through the air like a viper, piercing throats and severing spines with every stroke. It was the most humane way Leonel could think to end their lives.

Something about wielding a spear felt different from his rod. Leonel had chosen the rod due to his lack of battle experience. He thought he'd have an easier time with a longer ranged weapon.

However, with the spear, despite the fact it was obvious he had no real experience with it, he felt free. Something within his body was churning, waking from a sleep as though it had been waiting for this moment.

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.85; Speed: 0.80 (0.1); Agility: 0.99 (0.1 - nullified); Coordination: 1.10; Stamina: 0.99 (0.05 - nullified); Reactions: 1.10; Spirit: 0.40]

More of the hidden medicine within Leonel's body diffused, increasing his strength and speed by 0.05. He felt his blood boiling, but it wasn't fatigue. It was excitement. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

Leonel forgot his hatred of death, of killing. The awkward coordination in his arm stabilized. Like a child learning to walk, his spear became less reliant on his agility and more on his skill.

He seemed to be walking through the battle, traveling five meters forward with every step, a swath of bodies being left in his wake.

The Frenchmen felt numb. Was this the power God could bestow upon a man?

Leonel's spear almost looked like a black whip, curling and curving around defenses and snapping back with supersonic speed.

He could feel her presence getting closer, but also fainter at the same time. Aina was already at the end of her rope. Leonel didn't know what had happened to her, but he knew he had to take her out of here.

"Aina!" Leonel roared, cutting down another Englishmen.

No matter how good he felt, Leonel knew there was a limit to his strength. His stamina wasn't unlimited. Just walking forward these 50 meters through a swath of Englishmen had begun to tap into his 0.99 stamina.

Whatever weird phenomena was happening to his blood ate into his stamina far quicker than he had been before. Leonel suspected that what he was experiencing now, Aina was experiencing tenfold.

'Faster…'

Leonel grit his teeth, pushing forward with an even faster speed. He began to rely on his ability heavily, reading through who had the weakest ability, cutting them down and using the gap their body formed to shoot past.

"Aina!"

Leonel could barely see her through the sea of bodies. Her breath hung so heavily on her lips that a dense fog formed whenever she exhaled. It wasn't nearly cold enough for air to condense like that, just what kind of heat was Aina experiencing.

In the past, hardly a speck of blood ever touched her. But now, she was completely drenched.

Leonel could tell it wasn't her own blood. In fact, she seemed to be completely uninjured. But her present state still sent waves off in his heart.

'Just what's wrong with her?'

"Kill her! For our fallen brothers!"

"For our fallen brothers!"

The gazes of the Englishmen almost glowed red beneath their helmets. They didn't see Aina as an arbiter of God. To them, she was a demon. A terrible devil descended to their lands. By this point, their resolve in taking down France raised several levels. It was their duty as God fearing men to expel these Devil Worshipers from their lands!

"For our brothers! For our families! For the Lord!"

"For the Lord!"

The Englishmen dug deep, throwing their lives away under Aina's ax only to allow those behind them to close an extra inch closer.

Leonel couldn't find it within himself to hate them. Even if they bore down on the only woman that had ever stirred his heart, he realized now how right he was not to kill them in a rage. These were men who deserved his respect. Even in the face of power so much greater than their own, they put everything they had on the line.

This was the strength of the human race. A people who struggled to survive even in the most terrible situations. It was for this reason that the actions of Emperor Gervaise Fawkes were so reprehensible. Allowing the lives of billions to be snuffed out just to maintain control… Only these sort of people deserved his rage, his anger…

For the men before him now… They only deserved his regard.

Leonel's mind calmed by another level.

In that moment, he realized that anger wasn't what fueled him. In fact, it impeded him.

The sincere respect Leonel felt brought him back. The challenge before him became no different from a football game or an exam, not because he found the lives of these men to be trivial, but because he had always taken even the simplest of tasks with the utmost seriousness. Taking on the burden of the lives of these men on his conscience was no different.

A natural aura erupted from his body, coating the battlefield in a suffocating presence.

'Come… I'll lay you to rest beneath a blade that recognizes your resolve…'

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Leonel's spear became swifter. The clearer his mind became, the sharper his ability shone through. A calculative mind didn't need to rely on emotion.

Maybe it was ironic that an inherently emotional man like Leonel had suddenly become the exact opposite. But it was an irony that Leonel wasn't thinking about.

[Call of the Wind, a technique meant for throwing, subconsciously molded itself into his spear. His mind could see through how it worked, forming dozens of calculations a second, he changed its foundation, adding a power previously impossible to his strikes.

It was only now that Leonel finally made use of his powerful spirit. To now, he had only foolishly only used it to power his Internal Sight. Even when he activated his Force, he had focused it into his mind, vastly improving his coordination and reactions.

But now, a pale light coated his spear. It didn't extend his blade to near the extent Aina's ax spirit had, probably because it was being wielded through a crudely formed technique Leonel was still adjusting even to this very moment. But its power was undeniable.

Leonel burst through the last line of Englishmen, his flexible armor and sweats matted in blood that wasn't his own.

"Aina!" The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

Having burst through only one side of the encirclement, Aina still had enemies closing in from at least three sides.

However, all Leonel received in return was a blazing ax.

He had never paid much attention to Aina's ax before. Maybe it was typical teenage boy selective sight. But, seeing it up close, it could only be described as a beautiful weapon.

It had a handle of over a meter and a half long, with a thickness so robust Aina's small hands couldn't wrap all the way around it.

The handle was a blazing red. Veins of gold and silver coursed through it, pulsing with a ruby light almost as though breathing.

The double headed blade was obscenely large, even a small bit longer in diameter from one blade to the other. The heads themselves glistened with a beautiful silver that was now covered in blood. But, their blade edges were an even deeper shade of red than the handle.

Like he thought before. It was a beautiful weapon. But it was maybe less so when it was coming for his own head.

Leonel knew Aina's strength was too much to take head on. Even with her stamina almost hitting zero, it was still over 1.00, far more than his own. In addition, he couldn't see through the grade of Aina's weapon at all, making him certain it would slice through his spear like it was rotting wood.

Without hesitation, Leonel ducked beneath it. Aina's agility matched his in this state, but it was clear that she was compromised. Her attack speed wasn't nearly as fast as it once was.

The moment the ax soared over his head, Leonel popped back up, using the flat of his spear's blade to slap the back of Aina's hand with some force.

It took more resolve to do this than he thought it would. The idea of harming her small frame made him sick. But he had no choice.

Leonel wrapped around Aina's left side, even as her ax faltered in her hands. He expanded his shield to just over two meters in diameter, blocking the attacks to her back.

"… Le…"

Aina seemed to finally sense Leonel's presence. A struggle lit in her eyes as though she was trying to decide whether or not to cut him down where he stood.

The truth was that she really could if she wanted to. His chest was completely opened to her after he wrapped around her left with his shield. She didn't need her ax at all. Just a palm to his chest would kill him with her level of strength.

"… I'm sorry…"

Aina's gaze swayed with fatigue, her cheek falling to Leonel's chest.

Leonel's eyes flickered. He could feel the searing heat of her body even through his flexible armor.

"Stop him!"

"Don't let her get away!"

Leonel sighed. He strapped the massive shield to his back, pulling Aina in with his left arm to his chest. She herself was as light as a feather, but the ax she refused to let go of even while unconscious was a completely different story. It alone weighed over 200 pounds… And Leonel had vaguely felt Aina lowering its weight before she fainted.

Despite the situation, Leonel inadvertently smiled and even felt a bit flustered.

'What am I thinking?! She has a high fever and you're in the middle of an army that wants nothing more than to kill her. Get it together!'

Making a decision, Leonel didn't choose to run. His shield to his back, Aina in one arm, his spear in the other, he stood tall.

"If you'd like to come, you can come. I'll take as much as you can give. But I won't let her die here."

Regaining his calm, Leonel's imposing aura shone forth once more. As dangerous as Aina had been, this was something she hadn't had.

Leonel meant his words. Running away would do him no good and he would only end up implicating the Frenchmen. Even though the English had retreated, they still had more than 15 000 of their original number. If they rallied, they could still crush the less than thousand remaining Frenchmen.

There was only one option left. Leonel had to impose his will. He had to appear invincible. He had to crush their resolve until nothing was left, that very resolve he respected with all his heart.

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Leonel lost his concept of time. The sun likely rose and set at least twice, maybe three times? He wasn't sure.

He didn't know where he pulled the strength from.

The truth was that kind of time didn't pass. Even if Leonel himself was surpassing the limits of a human, fighting for three days without rest was beyond him. Even when he stayed awake for that long in the Mayan temple, most of the time was spent sneaking around and avoiding large groups of Spaniards.

Still, his illusion of the sun rising and setting wasn't completely off. By the time Leonel slowly dragged his beaten and ragged body out, his spear in one hand, Aina in the other, the high sun had set and the hints of dawn had begun to creep up.

Leonel's spear and Aina's battle ax dragged along the ground, leaving deep marks in the dry land. He had no idea how Aina managed to hang onto that massive thing while cuddling up like a kitten, but the reality was right before him.

"… How'd I end up liking such a crazy woman…"

Leonel looked down at Aina who had her head buried in his chest. Her right arm was pinned against his body, but her left dragged the ax at an awkward angle. Leonel was worried that her frail arm would snap, but she struggled too strongly every time he tried to adjust her.

On the bright side, Aina's temperature had steadily decreased. At least she wasn't scolding to the touch anymore.

Leonel looked up to find General Franck standing before him with a look of fear in his eyes. It seemed he hadn't dared to retreat without Leonel's input.

"… They won't be attacking again…" Leonel started in a voice so raspy he hardly recognized it as his own. "… We can head to Orleans in 48 hours. I need to rest. Don't disturb me."

The general nodded profusely and even led Leonel to his personal tent.

"… Oh." Leonel paused before entering the tent. "Send two or three of your comfort women here."

The general was speechless for a moment but didn't dare voice the questions in his mind. In fact, he even led two of his favorites over and sent them into the tent without the slightest reservations.

When the two French women entered, they carried slight blushes on their faces. Compared to the less desired comfort women, these two seemed to have just stepped out of a salon. Their clothes were simple and cheap, but clean. In addition, their beauty was enticing. It was obvious that they could pass for noble women had their birth not been so unfortunately low.

When they saw the rippling definition in Leonel's bare back, their blush deepened. They seemed not to notice the dirt, grime and blood that covered him. They were used to dealing with the poor hygiene of soldiers. Compared to them, Leonel was an angel.

"Oh, you're here." Leonel turned back and nodded. "Please help her clean up and lay her to rest. I'll wait outside."

After saying these words, Leonel ignored the confused gazes of the two women and walked out of the tent.

"… Just think about it. Have you ever heard a man of God asking for a whore so openly? Maybe they really are the devil just like the Eng —"

The words froze when Leonel walked out bare chested. They shivered in fear, thinking that they'd be punished. But Leonel simply stood there, his arms crossed and his breathing even. He felt like he could collapse at any moment, but he stood tall.

Right now, he felt better than he had in a long time. Maybe better than he had in his entire life.

It was an odd feeling. He didn't like killing. And today, he had killed more people than he had even in the Mayan Temple. But, his heart was as light as a feather.

There were many complicated questions of morality before him. Whether he deserved to be on a battlefield of mortals even when he was effectively a god amongst them, whether his reasons for killing them were better than their reasons for wanting to kill him, even whether Aina's singular life was worth as much as all of theirs…

However, maybe due to his youth, Leonel had a very youthful answer to it all.

Finding the answer to all of these questions was impossible. Too many things were relative, too many outcomes were ultimately unknown. As long as he could protect his own code, maintain his own conscience… He was okay with that.

If there came a day where someone wanted revenge for his actions, he would welcome it.

After an unknown period of time, the two women came out of the tent.

"The young mistress has been cleaned and is now resting, young noble. You can enter now."

"We've also set a tub of water to warm under a fire for you, young noble. We hope our services have pleased you."

"… You are very lucky, young noble." The women said with a light giggle. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

Leonel expressed his thanks, not knowing what the two of them meant by that, as the two comfort women bowed.

After Leonel entered, the two women were swarmed. When they heard the purpose for which the two women were called, their faces could only burn with embarrassment. They were certain Leonel had heard them, yet he couldn't be bothered to deal with them.

That said, the Leonel they so very feared was flustered beyond belief at the moment.

The two women had indeed done what Leonel asked. In fact, they went above and beyond, even wrapping some of Aina's injuries. Near the end of her battle, she hadn't managed to remain completely unscathed.

The issue was that they had applied the bandages and did nothing to put Aina's clothes back on. Luckily Aina's lower half was covered by a bear skin blanket, but her upper half was nothing but bandages. Without her normal covering, her chest was far more prominent.

Aina's assets weren't exactly outrageously large, but Leonel was certain that his hand, even with its own size, had no ability to grasp… it fully.

The important bits were still covered, but it was still far too stimulating for a young man who had never seen such things before. Pornography was too regulated, and Leonel had never even been to a beach before considering how rare those things were in this age, where would he have ever seen such things? He had always rejected James when he tried to goad him into going to see the girls' swim team, worried Aina would be disgusted by his actions.

Leonel quickly covered his eyes. "I didn't see anything… I didn't see anything…"

Leonel rushed to Aina's side, fumbling around a bit and finally pulling the blanket up to cover her completely. Only then did he sigh a breath of relief, missing the slight curve in Aina's lip.

After Leonel settled his beating heart and shifted the uncomfortable stiffness in his pants, he found the large bucket of water the two comfort women had rested over a fire. Feeling that it was hot enough, he used the last of his strength to lug it over to the general's wooden tub and dumped it in.

He had only barely gotten in and begun scrubbing himself when his fatigue hit him like a speeding vehicle. Even he wasn't sure when, but his consciousness slipped into a deep darkness.

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Aina woke up long before Leonel did.

Seeing her present state, she frowned deeply, a whirl of complex emotions spinning in her mind.

She blushed when she realized how scantily clad she was. Had Leonel seen her like this?

No… She faintly felt the presence of two women before, moving her around and cleaning her… It seems he was too honest, just like he always was…

Aina winced slightly as she stood.

Her figure was the pinnacle of perfection. The bandages were too weak to perfectly support her ample bosom, so they rippled slightly under her movement, causing a nose bleed worthy scene. Her lower half was hardly covered at all. If it wasn't for the blanket she still held onto, a heavenly sight would be there for absolutely no one to behold.

Aina touched her face, sighing in relief when she saw that her coverings were still there. It wasn't strictly necessary for her to keep using them, but there was a blockage in her heart that stopped her. Maybe somewhere deep inside, she felt that if Leonel never saw her true face, she would hurt him less.

But what had happened today…? She had ended up hurting him anyway…

Aina finally registered Leonel's light snoring. She turned around to find him passed out in a wooden tub, much of his skin pruning by now.

She inadvertently giggled. There was something about him now that seemed so innocent. She never quite understood how a man who radiated such imposing aura over something as small as a pop quiz or a football game, could simultaneously be so green and pure.

Aina gingerly put on her clothes. It seemed the two women had also done her the service of cleaning them as well. She even found her undergarments taken care of.

Hiding away her gorgeous curves, she walked to the side of Leonel in the tub. A deep red shade covered her cheeks down to her neck. She couldn't quite see Leonel's lower half since the dirt and grime that had covered his body had melded into the water, but the idea that he was naked made her heart beat wildly. It wasn't excitement, but a sheer nervousness at the unknown.

Aina grit her teeth, hooking her shoulder under Leonel's armpit and lifting him.

He didn't even react to her actions, not even the slightest flinch. One could only imagine how tired he must have been to allow such a thing to happen to him in a Zone.

Aina's gaze colored with guilt, biting down on her lower lip.

Eventually, she steadied her heart.

First, she set Leonel down averting her gaze. Then, she poured out the dirty liquid, rushing away to find a few barrels worth of clean water. Though her body was in tatters, she ignored the soreness entirely. For a person with her strength, she didn't even need 10% of her power to do things like lifting up Leonel and bringing in these barrels. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

Finally, she got down to doing exactly what she dreaded. Taking a deep breath, she began to clean Leonel, the bite on her lip increasing in pressure the more wounds she exposed beneath the thick patches of dirt and mud.

By the time Leonel's body was mostly clean, her guilt was overwhelmed by cheeks so red steam practically came off of them. She felt that maybe she should have asked the comfort women to come by again to help, but she had conveniently forgotten this possibility.

It was suffice to say that she had never seen a man like this, nor had she ever touched one.

Remembering how long she must have spent sleeping in Leonel's arms, the burning of Aina's cheeks only grew.

But that was right… He had suffered so much, if she couldn't pay him back even this small bit, she couldn't live with herself. But why did his body have to be so toned and hard? Her fingers were trembling with every gentle wipe.

Finally, there was only one part of Leonel's body left. Aina was truly tempted to leave it as is, he would handle it himself when he woke up, but when she thought of the era they were in, she hesitated.

What if it got infected? She knew that that area was a man's pride even if she had never seen one before. She had been around enough high school boys to know that it was all they ever talked about aside from the women they had been with.

Leonel was different from them… But that didn't mean he didn't inwardly place importance on it.

Aina may have never seen one, but she had had a robust education. She knew the kind of impact an infection on such a sensitive area could have, especially in the medieval ages.

The pressure of her teeth on her lips grew again.

Aina slowly took the towel she had used to cover Leonel's area off, barely holding back her girlish squeal when her eyes lay on it. If the Englishmen she had struck fear in saw her now, who knew how they would react?

Aina's breathing turned ragged and choppy. She began to slowly clean the grime away from the edges, pulling her courage together to inch closer.

'… Those are… very sensitive… I should use a lighter touch…' Aina tried to remember what she had learned in all those Class A biology classes. Her Five-Star Profession was actually related to the medical field, so it wasn't very difficult for her.

Aina whimpered slightly when her towel touched those two sensitive things, using her opposite hand to lift up the limp member that covered them slightly. But she was already inwardly panicking even more. Because of her soft touches around such a sensitive area, she had already noticed it growing stiffer. By this point, she didn't even need to actively move it out of the way.

'… Just ignore it… Just ignore it… It's a natural reaction… It just means he's healthy… It'll go down on its own…'

Aina clamped her legs shut tightly, the bite to her lower lips finally beginning to draw blood.

Aina rejoiced inwardly when she felt that she had cleaned Leonel's family jewels adequately enough. There was just one task left.

She cleaned her towel with a new bucket of water and started toward the towering member that filled her with a bit of dread. It pulsed as though it had an eye of its own, piercing into her soul.

'… Maybe a little bit too healthy…'

Aina knew what average was, such a thing was part of her studies. And she knew that this most definitely was not average.

Gathering up the last bits of her courage that remained, Aina used the damp towel on it, wiping away the dried sweat and dirt that had somehow made its way down there.

'… The top is the most sensitive part, I should be careful again…' She thought to herself.

Finally, she got to the top, dabbing away gently and making sure nothing that could infest Leonel got into places it shouldn't.

Just as she felt she was finished and could finally step away, Leonel had a sudden sharp intake of breath.

Aina panicked, thinking that he might wake up. Her neck spun toward his face with such speed that she almost suffered a case of whiplash.

Luckily, it seemed that he was still asleep, completely oblivious to what was happening.

Aina sighed a breath of relief, turning back to her task in time to see a gusher of thick white liquid launching itself into the air with astonishing force. She only had time to block with both her palms before it could land on her face.

Completely stunned, Aina felt the liquid slowly drip down her hands. She could even faintly see the satisfied relief on Leonel's sleeping face between her fingers.

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Aina rolled her lips over themselves. In a motion that was far slower than she cared to admit, she washed her hands clean, wiped away the portions that fell on Leonel, and covered his body in a blanket. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

Even hours after she finished, her heart still beat wildly.

Days later, Leonel startled awake, finding himself in a rocking vehicle. It took him a moment to realize that he was lying on a bed made of straw and that the 'vehicle' was a horse pulled carriage.

Leonel shot up, taking quick and deep breaths.

How could he let this happen? Not only had he gone to sleep, but he was completely out of it. He was in a Zone, he wasn't at home.

It took several moments before Leonel realized that Aina was sitting on a cushioned bench opposite his, averting her eyes.

Leonel looked down at himself and blinked in confusion. He could tell that he was naked now, but at the very least, his lower half was covered. There was no real reason for her to avert her gaze like that. But, he didn't question it too much.

"Are you alright?" Leonel asked.

Aina finally turned to face Leonel, seemingly stunned by his question.

"… I should be asking you that." She said softly.

"Me? I'm fine." Leonel smiled, rotating his arm as though to prove a point.

He really did feel great.

"I'm sorry for passing out like that." Leonel said apologetically. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened while I was out of it."

Aina opened her mouth to answer, but she felt that if she tried to speak now, she wouldn't be able to control her tears. So, she said nothing.

She knew that Leonel couldn't control what happened. Not only had he spent himself dry for her sake, but he had awoken a Lineage Factor he wasn't even aware of. Usually such awakenings happened in a controlled space under the protection of your family. It happening in such a dangerous place was about as disastrous a outcome as you could have.

However, Aina also knew something else. The longer you could withstand the awakening of your Lineage Factor, the greater potential it would have in the future. If her vague thoughts while she was unconscious were correct, Leonel had stayed awake for more than half a day. She had never heard of anyone lasting more than a couple hours at best.

On top of that, Leonel wasn't meditating and gritting his teeth like those people had been. He had been fighting a battle against thousands of enemies. It wasn't an exaggeration to say his degree of difficulty was far higher and worth far more.

The how long one stayed awake metric wasn't exact. It was just a vague metric of how much the Lineage Factor managed to be stimulated. Therefore, if Leonel was battling while his was activated, it went to reason that every second of his remaining awake was worth far more than normal.

Aina couldn't even fathom what that meant. The only one she knew of who could match him was her… But the difference between them was that when her Lineage Factor activated, she lost control of her mind. So while her performance was just as impressive, it wasn't something she was proud of…

She had almost killed her father that day.

"… Please stop apologizing to me…" Aina finally managed to say.

Leonel smiled. "It's not your fault."

"I…"

"Do you have my pants?" Leonel cut her off.

Aina stared blankly for a moment before nodding. She had even managed to patch together the tears in it a bit.

"… They're a bit small for you now, though." She said softly. "I think you've gotten taller."

Leonel's smile widened. "So you pay enough attention to me to notice?"

Aina blushed and turned away, throwing his pants over.

Leonel managed to slip his pants on before standing up and stretching. He was certain that this carriage was only built recently. He likely had the siege engineers to thank.

"You still haven't answered my question." Leonel turned back toward Aina. "Are you alright?"

"…" Aina sighed. "Put a shirt on first and I might consider answering."

Seeing that a bit of Aina's cheekiness was back, Leonel's heart felt lighter. He happily obliged and put on his flexible armor before covering it in an off-white linen shirt he wasn't sure of the origin of.

"Happy?"

Aina turned away. If one focused on his upper half and not his sorry excuse for pants, Leonel actually looked quite good. Luckily he hadn't thought about why he had been unconscious for so long, yet still managed to stay clean.

"… My Lineage Factor has a negative effect on my psychological state. I lose control of it from time to time, but especially when I'm on the verge of a breakthrough. Only when I stabilize into my new realm will I be able to rein it in again."

"I already guessed as much." Leonel waved a hand. "Like I said already, it's not your fault. I only want to know if there are any lasting impacts to your health."

"No… Aside from fatigue, there are no other side effects."

"That's good. Then don't recklessly act when you're on the verge of a breakthrough again. You should have stayed by my side like I asked." Leonel said sternly.

"But you…"

"Hm?" Leonel tried to probe out the rest of her words, but Aina seemed to not want to speak anymore.

'But you…?' Leonel frowned. Suddenly, he froze as though he was hit by a lightning bolt.

He realized he had made a mistake. He and Aina were partners, but he had unilaterally decided to help the Frenchmen. Could it be that Aina took the risk despite knowing the possible outcome because of his decision?

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[Extra chapter for reaching 10 reviews (tho it was meant to be 11). I've decided to put the review extra chapter goals aside. I'll also be editing the the powerstone goal and rebooting it from now on. For every 100 powerstones, there will be a bonus chapter that week. Sorry for all the changes, my hands decided to crap out on me after too much writing, lmao. But I'm feeling good with this new keyboard now, so we can get back to grinding.]

Leonel's gaze locked onto Aina as though trying to read something through her expression. But, try as he might, he couldn't get anything out of her. She had returned to being that completely unreadable existence.

"You should focus on understanding your Lineage Factor, we still have some time before we reach Orleans."

Leonel continued to stare at Aina for an uncomfortably long time, as though he hadn't heard her words at all.

He found it too difficult to read her. Was she shy? Or was she the same woman who didn't hesitate to tell him that he smelled or demand he put on a shirt? Was she murderous? Or was she the same woman who stayed back to protect the Frenchmen by his side?

Just who was she?

"… Lineage Factor?" Finally, after Aina began squirming beneath his gaze with nowhere to escape to, he registered the words she had spoken.

"You aren't aware? You awoke a Lineage Factor on the battlefield. It's why you couldn't control your unconscious state."

Leonel frowned. "… You mentioned Lineage Factors once before when you spoke of Natural Force Nodes. What are they exactly?"

Aina wasn't surprised by this question. Judging by Leonel's previous ignorance, whoever of his family was of a higher world most definitely hadn't explained everything to him just yet.

"Just like how Zones are points in time higher dimensions connected with lower ones, Lineage Factors are the genetic equivalent of these instances.

"Have you ever thought of the proper way to interpret higher Dimensions? What exactly does the Fourth Dimension mean?"

"Well, in an abstract sense, a higher order Dimension is just any plane of existence infinitely more powerful than the last, in the simplest terms. I can write a story and exert infinite control over the 2D. Likewise, a 2D construct can obliterate someone in the first Dimension."

Aina nodded. "In the real world, outside of the abstract, higher Dimensions work similarly, though not exactly in this way. The higher a person's Dimensional Constitution, the more influence they can exert. It's this power that causes anomalies that must be dealt with in Zones, and it's also this power that allows certain abilities to be passed down through generations.

"Simply put, a Lineage Factor is the result of a family member of yours, whether in the past or in the future, who has exerted sufficient influence to grant you this ability."

"… Or in the future?" Leonel finally heard something that shocked him.

"Yes. Just like Zones. Sub-Dimensional Zones are examples of the future influencing the past. If they weren't, why would they only start appearing now and not before the Metamorphosis began?

"Just like you said yourself, you can think of it as higher Dimensions being infinitely powerful compared to lower ones. If you wrote a book in 2D, is your concept of time like that of your characters? You could make a million years pass in the blink of an eye if you wanted, or you could have a flashback send them a trillion years into the past."

Leonel's gaze glowed with enlightenment.

'… Do I really have a family member from a higher world? Or is it that someone down my line awakened a similar ability and passed it back to me?'

Leonel's mind spun. 'Wait! If that's possible, then it's not necessarily true that Aina or one of her parents is from another world. If this future influencing the past result is possible and even probable, then it's likely that the most powerful families of Earth will have begun awakening these Lineage Factors.

'Logically, the more powerful the family on Earth, the higher chance they have for success in the future, and the more likely they are to create powerful characters who can pass these abilities backward.

'But I've never heard of Aina's Brazinger family. There's also not a single Brazinger on the Eligible Bachelor list. So is it that her family really came from another world? Or… Is it that the truly powerful families of Earth have hidden themselves waiting for this chance?'

There were too many unknowns. Even with his ability, Leonel had no ability to guess at what the truth was or even begin to find the right path.

"Aina… your family —."

Leonel stopped his words. He hadn't even begun to form his thoughts when Aina's gaze flashed with an endless fury. For a moment, he sensed that she almost lost control over her Lineage Factor once more and went berserk.

This time, with her being at peak health, Leonel wasn't confident in his ability to stop her. If she really lost it again, it could be disastrous.

After several minutes of Leonel's silence and her deep breaths, Aina's jaw set.

Seeing that she was okay, Leonel didn't question her further and simply went to sit on the bed of straw, pulling out [Call of the Wind]. He had never gotten around to reading it like he had [Dimensional Cleanse]. So, it was about time he did.

The hours ticked by silently and Leonel truly expected Aina to not speak on the topic again. But, unexpectedly, on the next day, she did.

"I'm sorry…" She said softly. "… It's not that you said anything wrong, you hadn't even asked a question yet…"

She felt guilty. It seemed that all of her interactions with Leonel always ended in him being extremely understanding and her demanding too much of him. It only made her more certain in some decisions she had made.

"… The short of it is that I don't have a family. I had a mother, and my father… is no longer with me. But, even while I was in my mother's womb, we were expelled from the Brazinger Clan.

"The only reason I still carry their name is so that I can reject it myself when they most wish for me to keep it."

Aina's words were very gentle, but they held a resolve far larger than her small body.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

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Leonel gazed at Aina for a moment and then nodded. He didn't say anymore words, nor did he try to comfort her. He somehow felt that was exactly what he shouldn't do in this situation.

Instead, after his nod, he turned back to his little booklet, allowing the sound of the carriage wheels pulling through dirt and gravel to fill the air again.

'Call of the Wind. This technique taps into the Forces of Wind that impede your strikes, taking them in as friends and having them come to your aid. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

'Forces are the fundamental energies of the universe. Third Dimensional worlds identify these Forces as Gravity, Electromagnetism, Strong Force and Weak Force. They are in fact correct about these four, however, they are oversimplified.

'Every fundamental Force has a particle attached to their existence which is responsible for their strength. Electromagnetic Force is tied to photons. Strong Force is attached to gluons. Weak Force is attached to bosons. And, Gravity is tied to gravitons.

'The manipulation of these particles is where the cultivation of Force comes from if it were to be described in the simplest terms possible.'

Leonel re-read this introduction for the dozenth time, as though trying to find something he had missed before.

As far as he knew, gravitons were the last of the particles to be found and hadn't been until extremely recently. Not even a decade before his birth, if he recalled correctly…

'The use of these four particles, their subspecies, and their unique combinations, are responsible for every sort of Force that Force Wielders use.

'The higher the Dimension, the more complex these particles become, the more variations of them exist, and the more difficult they become to control. But, there is one thing that must always be remembered:

'The Art of Force Wielding is a calculated science. Should you take it as a game for fun or entertainment to screw around, you will die.'

Leonel took this warning very seriously. His actions on the battlefield that day had been extremely dangerous. Recklessly manipulating a Force technique like that was practically asking for death.

To top this off, he had even been using the technique without even opening the book. Had he not had the talent, and had [Call of the Wind] not been manipulating some of the weakest Force particles, he most definitely would have caused irreparable harm to himself.

Settling his heart, Leonel organized his thoughts once more.

The first and most important thing he learned was that 'Spirit' and 'Force' were not the same thing. He had already vaguely grasped this when he noticed that activating his Force pushed his spirit up by 0.1. But now, he was absolutely certain.

Spirit was related to the senses, the so-called Inner Sight. The higher one's spirit, the easier it was to control and manipulate Force. But, high spirit didn't necessarily mean that you had a lot of Force to wield.

The reason Leonel's spirit had ticked up wasn't because Force could give you more spirit. The true reason was because of the location of his Force Node. Because it was in his brain, its activation supplied more strength to his mind, thus increasing his spirit.

As a result…

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.92; Speed: 0.85 (0.1); Agility: 0.95 (0.1); Coordination: 1.01; Stamina: 0.90 (0.05); Reactions: 1.01; Spirit: 0.30; Force: 0.20]

For now, Leonel adjusted his Force stat to 1.00. He didn't have anyone but Aina to measure himself up against. So, he simply arbitrarily picked the number that made the most sense to him. This way, he should reach 1.00 when he lit his ninth Force Node.

As for his other stats, they were like this when he woke up. He didn't know if it was because of his Lineage Factor, or if it was because of his dad's concoction, but either way, their increasing was good news for him.

This aside, the second thing Leonel learned was that the Force Nodal energy in his brain stem and the Forces [Call of the Wind] spoke of weren't exactly the same either.

The energy Leonel absorbed through [Dimensional Cleanse] was an amalgamation of all Forces. If Leonel had to attach a name to it, he would call it Potential Energy. It was unused Force that had the potential to effect change.

However, the Force [Call of the Wind] spoke of could be called Kinetic Energy. It was energy that was actively releasing its potential in order to create the change its controller desired.

Techniques like [Call of the Wind] were the catalyst needed to turn Potential Force into Kinetic Force.

The third thing that Leonel learned was that there was a second way to accomplish this very task. When he 'activated' the Force in his Nodes, resulting in his stats going up, what he was essentially doing was metabolizing the Force in his body to increase his strength. This was a natural ability all those with Force Nodes had. Though, those with a certain level of talent had greater efficiency than others in this conversion.

Coming to this point, one can then understand why Leonel's actions had been so dangerous… He was essentially converting Potential Force into Kinetic Force using an unverified method. That was like building a nuclear power plant without the proper safety measures. And… building that power plant in your brain stem…

If that wasn't an act of suicide, Leonel didn't know what was.

It took Leonel quite a while to stop his cold sweat so that he could focus his everything on how [Call of the Wind] actually worked.

'Break it down into a science…'

Leonel knew that as he evolved toward higher Dimensions, he would have to relearn the fundamental knowledge he had in some cases. However, when it came to Black level techniques that still resided within the Third to Fourth Dimensions, the knowledge he did have was robust enough.

'… Wind resistance is a matter of friction. If framed like this, I can think of multiple ways a technique that mitigates it can work… You could use Force to make a projectile more aerodynamic… you could use Force to loose the strong and weak Forces between atoms to reduce their drag… you could use Force to create a vacuum in the line of trajectory…'

Leonel listed ideas for what must have been hours, he even became completely lost in his thoughts, forgetting that he had a technique that would give him a method right before him. Plus, many of the ideas he thought of were well beyond his reach with his current proficiency and amount of Force.

[Call of the Wind] actually managed to function differently than all the several dozen ideas Leonel thought of, and also gave him a glimpse of what was considered complex and simple in the world of Force Science.

'… Using Electromagnetic Force to magnetize air particles… forming those particles into a point… Almost like the heavy steel tip of a javelin, except this spear tip is far more complex…'

There were a few principles at work. One was aerodynamics, the other was drag reduction, and the last was magnetism. However, despite all of this, there was a beautiful simplicity to it all because it all worked on one mechanism.

'In the future, I have to not only think of ideas that work, but also ideas that use the path of least resistance…'

The more he studied [Call of the Wind, the more beautiful he felt it was and the more apropos he realized the name really was.

On the third day, Leonel stood, opening the door of the rumbling carriage.

Aina looked up to see him holding his spear at the moving doorway, but said nothing to disturb.

Leonel stood at the doorway blankly for a moment. Around him, there were escorts of knights and warriors all around. But, his eyes were entirely focused on the border of forest beyond them. It was just about ten meters away.

As fast as lightning, Leonel's static stance shifted. He lowered his hips, brandished his spear, and pierced forward toward empty air.

The Frenchmen who could see what was happening opened their eyes wide, shocked by Leonel's actions. But in the next moment, something even more shocking occurred.

At the edge of the forest, a thick ancient tree suddenly had its trunk cleanly pierced through. It was done so sharply that it sounded no different from the dull thump of an arrow embedding into wood.

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[Bonus chapter for reaching 100 powerstones. Next chapter at 200]

Aina blinked several times, almost feeling the need to wipe her eyes clean in case some dirt made her see things.

'… Ten meters is about the limit I guess. And I feel I only have enough Potential Force to do that three time at such a distance. If I keep it to within a foot or two of my spear's blade, though, several hundred times wouldn't be a problem…'

After understanding the concept behind [Call of the Wind, Leonel only needed to make a very minor adjustment to make it applicable to his spearmanship.

The first step was to form an alignment of charged particles. These particles then pull on other air particles such that they form an incredibly sharp projectile of air. Following this, using the same concept as a rail gun, the magnetized particles pull along the projectile, all the while adding more and more substance to this sharply shaped air. Since these particles were being used to pull the projectile along, they obviously would be able to cause less drag, and thus the problem of friction was also partially solved.

In the case of a throwing motion, this pulling would help an arrow or dart travel further, while the sharp shape would mitigate its slowing even more. However, in the case of Leonel's spear, he could apply the same concept without releasing his weapon, making his strikes faster and sharper. On top of this, he could extend the range of the sharpened wind to ten meters!

'… But I felt that feeling again, when I held my spear… That burning sensation in my blood…'

Leonel closed the door of the carriage without a word to the Frenchmen. He wasn't too eager in their adulation, he was only a bit too eager to test himself.

"… Do you know what my Lineage Factor is?" Leonel asked Aina.

These were the first words they had exchanged in over a day, yet he didn't seem to carry any bit of awkwardness.

Aina looked at him helplessly. "How could I possibly know that?"

Seeing the disappointment in his face, Aina quickly continued.

"Just tell me what you feel."

"I feel my blood boiling. But it only happens when I pick up a spear. Is that even possible, how would that work?"

Aina blinked in confusion as well. A Lineage Factor related to a weapon? She had never heard of one.

Her Lineage Factor massively upped her strength and Force output. Much like hers, other Lineage Factors worked similarly, amplifying physical traits. They were always related to things like speed, stamina, reaction time. There were some rare ones that amplified Force like hers, but they were extraordinarily infrequent.

She couldn't even begin to wrap her head around how someone would pass down the expertise of a weapon in their genes. It seemed almost nonsensical.

Her thoughts were the same as Leonel's. With his little understanding of the world of Force and Lineages related to it, a Lineage Factor like his didn't make much sense. He could think of methods to use the four fundamental Forces to improve just about any physical trait, though he wasn't able to execute these ideas. But, how would you even begin to construct the expertise of a weapon using them?

"Noble arbiters, we are here. The blessed one has heard of your exploits and has come out to greet you personally."

Leonel was snapped out of his thought by the loud voice of General Franck.

Sending a gaze toward Aina, they both stood to step out of the carriage to be greeted by a grandiose estate. No, it could only be considered a castle.

Chateau Royal de Blois. Who knew how many kings and royals had called this place home? It was this very place Joan came to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before she then proceeded to drive the English from Orleans. The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

Leonel noticed that Franck's army had disappeared. In fact, the coachmen who drove their carriage had actually switched to the general himself.

Before them, there was a small squadron of knights, numbering no more than ten. They each rode silver armored horses of their own, standing with the castle that stretched hundreds of meters in each direction as their backdrop.

However, it was impossible to have eyes for these men because before them sat a woman of legend herself.

Sitting upon a white steed armored in gold, Joan held her helm in one hand and a large pole flag her other.

Leonel was certain that history painted her as a woman of above average looks with the worn skin of a peasant and a birthmark beneath her ear. She was meant to be a stocky woman of barely 5'2", having a body tempered by the life of a plebeian as well.

These were all the things Leonel had heard. Often times, only the women in fantasies both had the visage of a goddess and the mind of a renaissance genius. Joan of Arc… Cleopatra… Helen of Troy… These women were never what some mythologies painted them out to be.

Yet, Leonel was finding out personally that maybe that was all bullshit. The history books didn't say anything about Joan riding a white horse with gold armor either, but here she was before him. Not only that, but she was maybe the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

Flowing black hair, gentle blue eyes, delicate tanned skin and a smile that stole the hearts of men. Her shapely armor wrapped around her curves, but carried a holy modesty to them that was directly contradictory.

If there ever were to be a goddess who descended to Earth, Leonel was certain that it would have to be her.

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Joan smiled down at them from atop her horse. Since she wasn't using her own strength to move, it made it difficult for Leonel to get a reading on her stats. He almost felt that there was something in her smile that said she was doing it on purpose.

On the other hand, Leonel felt that he was reading into it too much. The moment he saw Joan, other than being stricken by her beauty, he instantly remembered the fact that he was meant to kill this woman eventually.

Leonel sighed inwardly. Maybe it was easier to paint her out as some evil mastermind now so he could more easily do what needed to be done in the future.

Quite frankly, Leonel was unsure how the 'Boss' of a Zone was decided. Were they always bad people? He wasn't certain of that. He only had one sample to pull his conclusion from.

However, if he purely used the reason why they entered Zones to draw his conclusion — to deal with instances of higher Dimensions touching their timeline before they should — then the logical answer was no. They weren't always bad people…

It was very possible that Joan's only crime was being ahead of her time, awakening abilities before she should have… In such a case, Leonel found he had taken a leap head first into yet another dilemma.

"Forgive me for not stepping down from my horse to greet you personally. I took an arrow to the thigh in my previous battle and am unable to walk under my own power currently."

Hearing these words, Leonel felt even worse about his previous thoughts. History did speak about Joan being injured on multiple occasions. The fact she came out to greet them and even swung up to sit on her horse in such a state made her more than worthy of praise.

It only made it more difficult now that he remembered that in this year, she was actually his age… She had recaptured Orleans at just 17 years old. By now, she was like 18.

"We take no offense, Lady Joan. Please excuse my companion, she cannot speak. We've humbly come to be your aid."

"Cannot speak French? And please do not call me a Lady, I am no noble." Joan giggled a light, airy laughter.

"I'm certain that you are in the eyes of many." Leonel said with a smile. "My companion has been a mute since her birth. Our family believes that this may have been the price to pay in exchange for our abilities…"

Leonel spoke of the story he and Aina had decided upon. Of course, he embellished a bit. Adding a hint of superstition common in this era. Of course, this story assumes that he and Aina are brother and sister.

In truth, on the surface, this isn't so easy to accept. Leonel had too many Hispanic features, while Aina herself was more northern European. However, Leonel knew that in such a situation, over explaining would be more eyebrow-raising.

People tended to fill in the blanks themselves.

As expected, Joan paused for a moment, but seeing that Leonel didn't intend to explain, she accepted it in stride.

"I see… I hope there comes a day when your sister recovers, then. I am very interested by these abilities of yours, though. Can you tell me more?"

"Even we do not know much." Leonel was sure to answer without holding any hesitation in his voice. He wanted to appear as though he trusted Joan completely and had no reservations about telling her everything. "We only know that we are stronger, faster and quicker than others by a large margin. We can only call it an act of God. When we heard of your exploits, we felt that you were no better person to sympathize with us."

Leonel felt that Joan's gaze softened slightly and her smile became more genuine.

Like this, Leonel and Joan were ushered into Chateau Royal de Blois. Or, rather, they were led to a holding in the outer castle. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

Castles were functionally cities within walls. They were separated into several layers, of which had their own walls for protection, usually offset so it was more difficult to charge through their gates in one go.

It was actually already a privilege for Leonel and Aina to come this far. But, it also seemed that they had to earn their keep very quickly, because not even a day later, a march toward Patay was announced.

'… So it begin… According to history, this will be Joan's final major victory. After this, King Charles will be crowned. She'll then fail to recapture Paris, before finally being captured in her battle for Compiegne.'

"You say there are two more like you, Joan?"

"Yes, my King. Because of them, we can move our battle for Patay up. According to General Franck, they all but annihilated an army of 20 000 strong by themselves, forcing them into a retreat. The brother in particular fought alone for half a day."

Joan knelt before a throne with one arm across her chest, and another tightly holding onto a wooden crutch. Despite the fact Charles VII had yet to be officially crowned, she still called him King.

"Joan, have I not said you do not need to kneel before me when it is just the two of us? I've also said to call me Charles on such occasions."

If Leonel was here, he would likely once more be shocked. According to history, it was Charles who refused to give the order to save Joan when she was captured, leading to her execution.

But, the Charles of right now seemed to be almost fawning over the kneeling beauty. He was completely unlike the ungrateful King who abandoned her after getting what he wanted.

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After the first failure to recapture Paris, the history books wrote that Joan was insistent on trying again, while Charles was adverse to the idea after securing his throne. He felt that she had become too difficult to deal with, and as such made no attempt to take her back from the English.

"My King, we must maintain proper boundaries. You are my liege, and I am your humble servant. God has sent me to be your protector, your guardian. It is impossible for me to be your wife. God will not allow it, nor would the nobles."

Whether or not God would allow it, Charles didn't know. But, he was certain that she was correct about the latter portion of her words. They would turn a blind eye to him taking her as a Mistress, but a Queen? France would burn before they allowed a commoner to hold such standing. It simply didn't matter how much Joan had accomplished for them.

Charles' jaw set for a moment before he sighed.

"Take however many knights you need. I'll be awaiting word of your victory."

Joan gingerly stood and bowed once more, sweeping a glance toward a dark corridor to the back left of the throne and leaving without another word.

The moment she left, a shadow stepped out from the corridor, making its way to the throne's side.

"Did I not tell you that when I'm meeting with her you aren't to be in the vicinity? What exactly do you mean by so flagrantly ignoring my commands, Pierre?"

"Forgive me, my liege. But, it is impossible for me to leave you with such a dangerous person. Punish me if you must."

"I'm well aware of what you're doing. Leave. Do this again and I will have you executed."

"My King, forgive me for saying so, but you cannot take this woman as your wife. You may think that this matter is only about her lineage, but this is not so. If she became your wife, would you allow her to go to the battlefield? If she carried your seed, would you allow her to charge toward the men of England?

"You are destined to be a King of legend. You must make decisions for the betterment of France."

"And would having a child that carries her blood and strength not be more beneficial than anything else? What if every King of France from now on wields her power? Would we not build an empire greater than Rome? Spare me."

"My King, you yourself already know that you've been blinded. Neither of Joan of Arc's parents had this strength, neither did her grandparents. It's impossible to say that this is hereditary.

"If my liege wants to take her as a bed mate, I will have nothing to say. If you'd also like to sire a bastard to test your theory, I will equally have nothing to say. But having thoughts of love, emotion and sharing a life with this woman is simply impossible, my liege."

Charles stayed silent for a long while, saying nothing. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Leave me."

Pierre bowed and obliged, slinking back into the shadows.

He walked along the corridor, his expression cold and dark. He looked like a man made of darkness, his robes a deep black, his nose having an exaggerated arch, and his chin being incredibly narrow.

After a moment, he really did disappear into the shadows. It wasn't an illusion or a feeling, but the objective reality.

His body sunk into the ground, vanishing.

When he reappeared, he was in a room dimly lit with candles dripping of wax.

Three men lay sleeping upon slabs of rock. Upon his appearance, they stirred, almost mechanically sitting up.

"The Battle of Patay is a must have victory for His Majesty. Go."

"Yes."

The three men inexplicably slipped into the shadows as well.

Pierre slowly walked across the room after they vanished, appearing by an alter with a closed black book. He stroked the cover almost affectionately, but also somehow simultaneously felt afraid to open up its pages.

'The Bishop will lead us to glory. Our names will go down in history…'

A dark glow emitted from the book.

Joan expressionlessly walked, leaning heavily on her crutch through the corridors of the main stronghold. Her face would sometimes flicker into a smile when she passed by someone, but the smile would just as quickly fade once she had passed.

It took over a long, but she eventually made it back to the outer walls to find the very same ten knights who had followed her out to greet Leonel and Aina.

"Get ready." She said plainly. "This will be an important battle."

Her smile was strikingly missing. Looking at her like this almost gave one a severe case of cognitive dissonance.

"Did those bastards make you angry again, Sister?"

The knight who spoke got a sword hilt to the back of his head, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Is it time yet, Sister?"

"No. The time isn't ripe."

"Must we really continue to win battles for them?"

"God has a plan, Michael. Believe in the Bishop. When this is all over, our names will ring throughout history. We will be the ones who bring this forsaken Earth closer to God."

Joan grabbed her flag. A golden glow emitted from its pole, radiating out like rays of sunshine. The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

She used her one good leg to pull herself onto her white steed, sitting tall with her smile once more back on her face.

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"Jean!" Joan's delicate cry reached her knight's ears.

Without needing more words, one of the ten knights by Joan's side charged out from the group, taking with him a group of at least fifty calvary.

Leonel's gaze shifted to the flagpole in Joan's hands but his face remained expressionless. He was certain that it was invisible to others, but he had very clearly seen a line of Force leave Joan and enter Jean's body. In that instant, though it was difficult to get a read on Jean's stats since he was riding his horse, at the very least, his steed itself had a 10% increase in all of its physical stats.

The army was riding through plains currently, but there was a forest up ahead. Seemingly realizing that something was wrong, Joan sent a squad of fifty as the vanguard.

'So that's Jean Poton…' Leonel thought to himself, running alongside the horses with Aina by his side. Quite frankly, he wanted to ride a horse as well. But, he simply didn't think he had the time to learn, so he hadn't even tried.

According to history, Jean's action routed the English's sneak attack attempt and put them on their back foot. Because most of the hidden English forces were long bowman, the losses were devastating and completely tilted the battle in their favor. This battle ended completely without a siege.

'But that… Is definitely not like history…'

Leonel's sharp senses caught wind of something odd hidden within the shadows of the vanguard calvary. He had never seen something like it before, but it was more than enough to raise his alertness. As for Joan, she either hadn't noticed, or pretended not to. Leonel found it too difficult to read her.

In stride, Leonel pulled his atlatl from his hip fixing a dart to it and sending a line of silver piercing through the air.

He was quite aware of the kind of discipline an army needed, and was even more aware of how frowned upon it was to act without the words of your commander. But, Leonel was playing his role as a commoner. How would a commoner be aware of such things?

His dart zipped through the air, causing a sharp intake of breath by the men still charging with him. The reason was that his throw was not only far too fast, but it went straight through the squadron of 50 as though without a care for their lives.

Leonel wasn't focused on the reactions of fellow soldiers, though. His eyes were entirely focused on the white feathered dart. The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

It soared through the air, narrowly missing several vanguard knights. Just before it left the group, it just passed over a slowly appearing shadow.

As though startled, the shadow quickly ducked back into the ground, appearing as though nothing had changed. But, Leonel's dart continued to fly, entering the forest of trees and leading to the pained cry of a hidden archer.

As the leather armored Englishman fell from the tree, several incredulous gazes made their way toward Leonel before a morale infused roar washed over the Frenchmen.

Joan swept a glance toward Leonel from her white horse, but she received an innocent grin and a thumbs up in return. He looked no different from a kid happy to be of help for the first time. With that, any thought of reprimanding him she held vanished.

The vanguard unit swept into the forest. It went without say that not every archer could hide away at the top of a tree. If this forest was so thick, it would never be on the route of their destination. Most of them tried to hide off the side of the path, waiting to rain down arrows after they passed through, but what they hadn't expected was such a prepared response.

By the time Leonel's unit swarmed the forest, the English were in chaos.

He swung his spear from his back, feeling a familiar burning in his blood. Aina trailed closely to his back. This sort of environment definitely wasn't the best for her battle style. That wasn't to say she couldn't fight. In fact, she could go through these trees like butter. The issue was how the other soldiers would deal with the trees falling in her wake. Taking this into consideration, she didn't act.

Leonel didn't go out of his way to find and kill Englishmen. He took advantage of the complete disarray the battlefield was in to cut a straight line toward Jean's squad.

Back when he threw that dart, those shadows had definitely peaked out of the ground several feet. Yet, no one but him seemed to notice. It made sense if a few didn't notice, or maybe even the majority, but not even a single person reacted. That only meant one thing: others couldn't see them.

'It must be the state they were in. In order to enter that shadow-like form, they're essentially becoming an amalgamation of Force. But, normal humans can't perceive Force. And, Force wielders with weak senses can't see it either. Since the brain can't interpret what's right in front of it, the Force becomes a blind spot!'

There was something that confused Leonel even more, though. Those shadows clearly hadn't had any malicious intent. In fact, that shadow in particular hadn't been targeting the knight, but rather the bowman hiding in the tree.

'Is that Joan's ability?'

Leonel and Aina flashed through the thin forest like two wisps of smoke. Their speed was faster than that of horses to begin with, so catching up with Jean's group hadn't been anything difficult.

As expected, lying in wait on the opposite side of the ambush and outside the forest, there was another group of Englishmen waiting. But, the disorderly sorry looking Frenchmen they were waiting for never appeared. Instead, Jean had perfectly formed up his squadron.

Raising his pike and roaring, he charged, a bright golden glow surrounding his power.

"In the name of God! For France!"

The front line of the Englishmen was blasted apart by a forcefield-like force. Their foremen were thrown from their stances, suffering severe broken bone before the battle even truly began.

Reality didn't deviate from history. In fact, with Leonel and Aina tacked on, the result was even more devastating. The Battle of Patay this time around wasn't just a resounding victory, it was a trouncing.

And, also just like history, the following weeks continued the trend. The French Army, under the leadership of Joan, swept through north-central France, leading a line of victories right to the gates of Reims where Charles VII would be crowned.

In that time, Leonel and Aina became no less famous than any one of Joan's knights. Though they didn't wear the armor, nor have the steeds, their results were undeniable. Joan didn't even attempt to rein them in, allowing them to act freely within the armies as they saw fit.

Barely over a month, several territories around Paris had fallen and the threat of the Burgundians — traitor French of the last generation — fell along with the English. In just a few more days, Charles would be officially crowned in Reims, the very place the near fall of their Nation started.

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[Bonus chapter for 200 powerstones. Next bonus chapter at 300.]

Leonel collapsed on a bed stuffed with hay. The last month had really been far too tiring. And, to make it worse, for fear of exposing himself to Joan as a person who knew much more than he should, he hadn't practiced [Dimensional Cleanse] at all either. This was on top of the fact that he hadn't eaten his fill even once in these past few days.

That said…

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.95; Speed: 0.91 (0.1); Agility: 0.99 (0.1 - partially nullified); Coordination: 1.05; Stamina: 0.99-1.10 (0.05 - nullified); Reactions: 1.05; Spirit: 0.30; Force: 0.20]

Due to the fact Leonel was running obscene distances almost everyday, the residual medicinal properties of his dad's smoothies began to eek out more and more, causing his strength, speed, agility and stamina to take leaps forward.

But, this wasn't Leonel's greatest discovery. Since running from battlefield to battlefield was so monotonous, and there wasn't exactly great entertainment when they did rest, Leonel spent much of his time calculating the perfect positions for his next eight Force Nodes.

He came to realize over time that the more he used his ability, the stronger it seemed to become. In fact, the bump in his coordination and reactions was precisely due to this indirect increase. On top of this, due to this improvement, he found it hard to pin down his stamina with any sort of accuracy anymore, so he left it as a range.

Because of his calculative mind, Leonel had the ability to make the movements of his body incredibly efficient. It was for this reason his ability impacted his coordination, and likewise his reactions. However, for the same reasons, it could also improve his stamina, but it varied depending on how much of his calculative abilities he focused on making his movements waste less energy.

By now, Leonel was completely certain of the positions of his next seven Force Nodes. He was only having a bit of trouble pinpointing where the last should be.

"Are you two free?"

The sudden words from a familiar voice at the entrance of his and Aina's tent caused Leonel to quickly sit up, sending a glance toward Aina who was lying with her back facing to him. She happened to looked toward him at the same time.

The two hadn't exchanged many words since that day in the carriage. Leonel didn't exactly know how to feel about that. But, what he did know was that he could trust her.

"Yes, Michael? Did the scouts find something?"

Michael lifted the curtain of their tent, poking his head in with a smile.

"Nothing like that. Sister just wants to see you two. I'm not sure why, so don't bury the messenger in questions."

"Oh!" Leonel perked up, playing the role of excited fanboy he always had. "Right away, then!"

Michael grinned. He had always liked Leonel's attitude. Much of the army found his naiveté to be refreshing. Leonel had always been quite used to being well liked through multiple social circles, so making new friends like this wasn't very difficult.

He and Aina rose from their makeshift beds, following quickly after Michael.

The army was housed in encampments on the outside of Reims, but the King who had traveled from Orleans here, and important officials were on the inside of the city. Leonel was surprised to find that Michael actually led the two of them into Reims itself.

'I guess it makes sense that she would stay inside the city. Charles couldn't allow the primary reason he regained this territory to muddle around with normal soldiers.'

Leonel didn't think much of it and was eventually brought to a mansion. The specifics about it, he was uncertain of. Was she just lounging here? Was it rewarded to her? He didn't know. He could recall the main details of the timeline, but such small matters were long since forgotten by him.

Michael left without a word, leaving Leonel and Aina to walk into an office area by themselves to find Joan turning around to greet them with a smile on her face.

"Leonel, Aina, it's good to have you here. Have you been treated well?"

Aina had learned to read and react to Leonel given certain clues. It was fine if she was a mute, but not understanding the language would be too suspicious. So, when Leonel nodded, her quick reaction time set in and she too nodded.

"That's good, that's good…"

Joan hesitated for a moment, causing Leonel's heartbeat to immediately slow. Well, it wasn't that his heart really did do this, but rather that he had subconsciously sharpened his reactions, causing even what was fast to be perceived far easier to him.

"I have indeed called you two here for a very important reason." She took a deep breath and sighed. "I've been lying to the two of you for a very long time, for that… I apologize. I know more about our God given abilities than I've told you.

"If you're willing to forgive me, I can take the two of you to meet the Bishop —"

"The Archbishop?" Leonel's eyes lit up like a child, as though already forgiving Joan. "We get to meet him?"

Joan was stunned for a moment before smiling sweetly. "Yes, the Archbishop."

Leonel's supposed ignorance played through well. However, his mind was spinning.

The importance of religious figures in this era couldn't be understated. The difference between a Bishop and an Archbishop was massive. Joan would never make such a mistake. That meant she meant to call out the title Bishop. But who was this Bishop that she was willing to allow Leonel to mistake for the Archbishop?

Was it a deliberate act of blasphemy? Or was she trying to spare his feelings by not calling out his ignorance?

"The Archbishop is our true Godsent messenger. He is the one who leads my path and told me of my destiny. While he is in Reims prepared to crown our liege, I can take the two of you to meet with him.

"I thought I was alone in this world until I met the two of you. If you join our cause, then the bright future we hope for will be in a hand's grasp. Our names will resound through history."

'She seems sincere, she really believes that she was the only one… So the shadows really must be her ability. That makes sense, after all, they did nothing but help the entire way…' Ñøvl--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

Leonel excitedly nodded. "Of course, of course!"

"Good, then follow me. I will take you there."

Joan smiled and turned toward a bookshelf. As though straight out of a fantasy novel, she pulled on one of the spines and caused a doorway to open.

"These paths were tunneled under the city so that important religious figures and royals can escape in case of a siege. It'll be easier to take them than winding through the city for hours." Joan casually explained.

"Wow! I didn't know something like this was possible. The Archbishop really must be God's messenger."

Joan smiled and led the way, completely missing Leonel's disappointed gaze as the bookshelf clicked closed behind them.

He had said it himself before. Sometimes over explaining revealed much more about the truth you wanted to hide. However, somewhat incredulously, he was certain that Joan meant them no harm.

If she really believed she wasn't harming them, then who was this Bishop? Where was she leading them? And which entity could create such a large network of underground tunnels in this era?

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'She's gone in a circle six times already… She really takes me for a fool…'

Leonel gazed toward Joan's slender back.

In reality, maybe it wasn't Joan's fault. Leonel's calculative abilities were too sharp and he hadn't revealed anything about his true powers just yet.

However, where she was at fault was in the fact that though Leonel portrayed himself as innocent and somewhat ignorant, he never pretended to be stupid. This Joan was looking down on him too much. Leonel was certain that he would see something wrong with her actions even without his abilities.

The tug of war in Leonel's mind raged on. On the one hand, he truly couldn't bring himself to see her as an enemy. But, another side of him was constantly hiding the most important aspects of himself as though instinctually.

Leonel felt that his ability was somewhat tempering his more emotional side, and he decided that he didn't particularly dislike that fact. But, he still needed to make a decision.

Should he continue to follow Joan? Or… Should he steel himself and kill her here?

Without Joan, completing the hidden quest would be next to impossible. The morale of the Frenchmen was almost entirely reliant on her. And Charles wasn't eager to attack Paris to begin with.

However, a hidden quest was ultimately a hidden quest. They could leave this place without completing it. Though, Leonel wasn't exactly sure of the ramifications for doing so.

It had to be said that though this was structured like a game, Leonel was keenly aware that it wasn't. The 'side', 'main' and 'hidden' quests all had their own purpose. Their ultimate task was to deal with the anomaly in the timeline and save the present from being eaten away by it. How important completing the hidden quest was to that end… Leonel didn't know.

He could only make decisions based on the information he had. And, according to Aina, this Sub-Dimensional Zone might very well be a Unique Zone. In such a case, with so many potential variables, the quicker they could get out… the better.

Leonel's jaw set. This was probably the first real test his new morals faced. Was his conscience really fine with taking on this burden? Was he really okay with taking the life of a woman he had dined with? Shared life and death with? Exchanged laughs with?

'… No. I'm not okay with it…' N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

Leonel made a decision. The relationship he had built with her, shallow as it might be, warranted Leonel following to the end of this path. If danger lied at the end, Joan would be his enemy. It was as simple as that.

It was a naive decision, a foolish one even. The smartest thing to do was to take out the spear he had used Aina's special pockets to help hide and stab her heart through her back at this very instance.

If he did this, he and Aina's lives would be guaranteed. Whether they succeeded or failed in recapturing Paris, they would be able to leave this place. But… He didn't.

"We're here."

Joan stopped at a shorter than normal latched wooden door. It had almost been impossible to see in the shadows, one might easily miss it if wandering around randomly… almost like how hidden Joan's smile was in this darkness. Leonel could only barely make out the whites of her teeth and the blues of her eyes even with his sharp senses.

"I cannot follow you in, the B — Archbishop has very strict rules. Even I am not allowed to see him freely. Take hold of this opportunity well, it could change your life."

Joan didn't wait after unlatching the door for Leonel and Aina, bowing slightly to them almost out of an odd habit that didn't seem to fit the situation. Then, sidestepping to go around them, she aimed to leave.

"… I hope I'm wrong."

Leonel's words were spoken in a striking English. The change was so jarring that Joan froze. She had only just brought her shoulders level with Leonel's, but she didn't dare to turn and face him despite the fact his cheek was barely a meter from her own.

That tone… It held a level of command and conviction to it that Joan couldn't overlap with the Leonel she had come to know.

In her opinion, Leonel was almost perfect in every aspect. His abilities, his loving and caring demeanor, he was even handsome. His only flaw was that he was a bit simple, to put it nicely.

To say it plainly… she liked him far more than she liked Charles.

However, the moment his words entered her ears, despite the fact she couldn't understand what they meant, she felt a sense of loss she couldn't explain. For a long while, she wasn't even certain if she had simply misheard or imagined it all. By the time the beating of her heart had stopped, the latched wooden door had opened and closed.

Leonel and Aina appeared in what seemed like a stone-built underground sewer system. There were many semi-circular arches along the sides, branching out into several other tunnels with winding paths of their own. But, there was a distinct lack of the horrid smell or dampness one would expect. In fact, it was oddly spotless.

If the branching archways were ignored, the corridor was at least 20 meters wide. About 200 meters ahead, there was a dead end. Its wall seemed impossibly high, the kind of structure that had no business being underground. But, there it was.

Still, even with this being the case, there was something else that pulled Leonel's attention away. It was a simple wooden desk. It had three draws attached to its two legs on the right side, and two bare legs on the left. It wasn't even two meters across and had nothing but a single candle lighting its entire surface.

Before this desk, a gray-haired old man wearing worn gray robes sat, his back to them, curving as though he was too worn to sit straight.

"So you've come… Tell me, I've always been curious. What is the world like a thousand years from now?"

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Leonel's pupils constricted. To his side, Aina tensed up. It was only then he registered that this person had spoken in English.

"… Who are you?"

"Me?" The old man replied. "I'm a nobody. Just a curious old man. I guess it's not very polite to ask a question without answering one first, so do you mind answering mine now?"

Leonel's gaze narrowed. Something was wrong with this place. He didn't quite understand it, but Force was far more dense here than it should be. In the 1400's, the amount of Fourth Dimensional Force should have been minuscule. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

But this wasn't even close to the most important point. Who was this person and how the hell did he know his and Aina's true identity?

The old man sighed. "There's no need to be so tense. Us three will be here together for a long time. Isn't it best if we get to know each other…? I spent all that effort learning that ugly… English, they call it. I'd like for it to not be useless, if possible."

The gray-robed old man slowly stood, pushing a chair that seemed it might collapse at any moment back and grabbing a bulbous wooden cane head.

When he turned to face them, his slumped back straightened with a crack. It was like his formerly frail appearance was just an act. Such a simple action caused the air around him to speed up before settling back down.

The lower half of his face was covered in a gray mustache and beard that swept over his collar bone. However, his upper half wasn't as wrinkled as one might expect. It seemed that if he took the effort to shave, he would look no different from a normal 40 year old man. Even Leonel's own father only seemed to be a bit younger than that.

"I guess we got off on the wrong foot. I believe my name is pronounced … Nicholas, in your English. I can't say I hate this tone of address, though, I prefer the original Nicolas. I'm sure you've heard of me."

Leonel inwardly cocked an eyebrow, though he remained deadpan. There probably were famous Nicolas's in history, but Leonel would be lying if he said he knew who this person was. Was he supposed to know?

Nicolas stretched his limbs. It seemed the cane he held in his hand was just for show.

"… You want to keep us here?"

"Of course. I can't have you ruining my plans."

"Your plans?"

"I might decide to tell you after you can no longer interfere. Won't be long. I'd say, uh…" Nicolas stared at blank space for a while. "… about a month. Probably two just to be safe."

Leonel frowned. He didn't understand, what could possibly be done in two months.

It would probably take at least that long before Charles was officially crowned, but so what? According to the true timeline, that was meant to happen.

Wait, maybe he was thinking about this all wrong. According to history, Paris wasn't captured either. But, it was their hidden quest to reverse that course. In fact, they would be greatly rewarded for it. So maybe the measure they should be measuring their success against is how much they did change as opposed to how much they kept the same?

Leonel's brain spun, he couldn't grapple with the conclusion he needed.

Was it really Charles coronation this Nicolas wanted to ensure?

Just as Leonel's ability was working in overdrive, a subtle shadow appeared by Nicolas' side. However, no matter how subtle it was, Leonel was too alert at this point to miss it. His senses latched onto it instantaneously.

'Huh? Isn't that Joan's ability?'

"Ah, Pierre. You shouldn't be here, if you're gone for too long it could be a problem." Nicolas said casually.

"These Invaders are a danger to you, Sire. I cannot leave them to you alone."

'There was another of them? So it wasn't Joan's ability at all, but rather someone else this whole time…'

Leonel sent a gaze toward Aina. She seemed to look this calm all the time now, he hadn't seen her shy expression for a while. But once again, it seemed that his one sided decisions had put them in danger again.

Nicolas sighed. "You're always too overzealous, Pierre."

"Sire by the hand of God gave me strength. I am simply doing what I can to return what should be returned."

Suddenly, something clicked for Leonel.

'The weird concentration of Force… The month timeline he set… His words to this Pierre…'

Leonel's eyes widened. "Aina, my spear!"

Aina reacted quickly, pulling an impossibly long spear from and impossibly small pocket. Even as she threw it to Leonel in a swift motion, she pulled out two smaller battle axes. Her main ax couldn't fit, however, in order to pretend as though they hadn't taken their weapons with them, she had had no choice but to leave it behind.

"Tsk…" Nicolas frowned. "… How unexpected."

Leonel finally understood what was happening.

A year from now is when Joan's fabulous reign would finally come to close. This concentration of Force was no different from the concentration of the future Earth's. Then, Nicolas warned Pierre that he couldn't come here or else he might be gone for too long.

Leonel was certain. This place no longer had a ten to one time dilation and a month was exactly what would need to pass in order for a year to go by outside! And, he was sure that if he turned around now to attempt to open the wooden door, he might not even find it, let alone open it.

Did this make Joan an ally? No. Leonel had already settled his heart into killing her.

This might confuse others. A month was about the time it would take a year to pass in the world outside that latched wooden door. And, a year would be what it took for Joan to be captured by the English and then executed. So, why was Leonel in such a hurry? If he planned to kill her anyway, why was he in such a rush?

It was because Leonel had realized something. What mattered in these Zone quests wasn't the end results, but rather the process.

Why were there side quests to kill such-and-such number of enemies? Why was the main quest to kill a woman who had already been killed later anyway? Why was the hidden quest to recapture a city France would eventually recapture in the future? Everyone knew that Paris had been a part of France up until the 21st century, so obviously they had taken it back at some point…

It was then it all clicked for Leonel. It wasn't just what they did that mattered, but when they did it as well. These Sub-Dimensional Zones were ticking time bombs!

"Don't hold anything back." Leonel said with a fierce light in his eyes. "Go all out."

Leonel flashed forward, taking control of the vanguard with Aina holding her twin axes to his back. All he had on his mind was taking them down and escaping this place before Joan could leave to lay siege to Paris for the first time.

Whatever it was that happened during that first siege which ended in her first failure, had set in motion a history that was detrimental to their future.

The hidden quest wasn't just a completion addicts dream… Just like Leonel thought, this wasn't a game. Everything had a purpose. The hidden quest was a clue!

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