by L. M. Kerr
Energy and light-based attacks could still injure Shadowalker's when they were in their essence form and the increase in Strength from the Ability wasn't as significant as many other Abilities. The utility of the Ability, though, especially on the First Layer where energy and light-based attacks were a rarity, couldn't be discounted.
'My Grandmaster Sword Mastery should let me injure him, but the damage will be greatly reduced when he's in his shadowy form.' Michael's mind raced ahead of him as he glared at the target. He didn't pause to question why he might be here, saving stray thoughts like that for later.
The Shadowalker's vague form coalesced into a complete human form, revealing a man wearing a full set of black clothes and a black mask, with several throwing knives strapped to them.
"I-" Micheal began but immediately cut himself off as the Shadowalker attacked. The shadowy figure's arms seemed to blur, being covered by darkness as he snagged a pair of knives.
"Huh!" Micheal threw himself down as he felt more than saw two black knives hurling towards his head. His already ached body tried to rebel as he forced himself into action, something he promptly ignored.
The knives narrowly missed him, slamming into the wall next to his bed.
"Hiyaa!" Micheal spun onto the floor and jumped up in a driving strike, leading with his blade. His eyes zeroed in the attacker, activating his Grandmaster Sword Mastery Ability. His every movement was guided with precision, shutting out the screams of his tired body. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead as a result, his eyes bloodshot.
WHOOSH
The black clothed man collapsed into a collection of vague shadows as he saw the approaching attack, a look of surprise in his eyes. Micheal continued with his strike unabated, his sword slamming directly into the shadowy essence of the fighter.
"Arrrrgh!" The cutting energy on Micheal's sword elected a pained scream from the Shadowalker as he was forced back into existence, blood bursting from a long cut on his arm. Shock and horror could be seen in the man's eyes as he was slammed backwards, crashing down hard on the wall of Micheal's room.
"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you, right here and now."
Killing intent flooded off of Micheal's soul in riveting waves as he glared at the Shadowalker, his Steelborn Sword a mere centimeter from the man's neck. Micheal's every cell was full of heightened awareness, his heart pounding from the excitement of the fight.
The shadowy figure trembled, looking at Micheal in complete disbelief.
.
Chapter 16: Relocate
"I-I-wheeze-" The Shadowalker's voice was scratchy as he stuttered, his entire body shaking. The man jerked his head over, towards where he had thrown the pair of knives at Micheal.
Micheal turned and glanced carefully, making sure he kept his attention on the Shadowalker as well.
'Hmm?' He blinked.
The two knives that had pierced through the air towards him, aimed at his head, were nowhere to be seen.
'No, hold on.' His eyes narrowed. He could faintly make out a couple of small clouds of shadowy essence, clinging to the wall and slowly dissipating.
Micheal turned back to the figure, a frown on his face.
"A fake attack?" The knives weren't real knives at all, but fake ones created out of the shadow essence a Shadowalker could manipulate. While they might look and fly through the air like a real knife, they contained none of the power or strength.
"Ye-yes. Yes. Was-was just a test." The Shadowalker's voice was harried as he stuttered out a response, not daring to move. The abruptness of Micheal's surprise response and the unexpectedness of the attack had put the man in a dangerous situation.
From the way Micheal moved, Anju felt like he should be both stronger and faster than the Irregular. This was his third year here, his Strength and Endurance were well above that of almost every single Fourth Waver. Even his Strength, which was not his strong suit, was almost 4 times as strong as that of a regular human. However…
There was a sharp blade that had somehow managed to force him out of his Shadowalker state and injure him held right up next to his neck. The Irregular's eyes bored into him as if they could pierce through his soul, shaking him to his bones.
All of these things combined to freeze him completely despite his ostensibly more powerful physique.
Micheal's eyes hardened as his thoughts raced.
"A test? Why?" As he looked at the shadowy figure, a vague memory stirred in his mind. This figure actually seemed somewhat familiar.
"I meant no har-harm. I was merely ordered t-to evaluate you." The Shadowalker seemed to have calmed down somewhat as he replied.
"Organization. Now." Micheal slid the sword right up against the man's neck, his eyes brooking no argument.
"The Saru Group." The downed man's thoughts were far too scrambled to wonder why a newbie was asking what organization he was in.
'Ah! That's it! This must be Anju, the Lieutenant under Captain Bola! The report that I was an Irregular must've caused a bigger flurry than I thought it would.' At the mention of the Saru Group, Michael finally realized how he knew this fighter.
He himself had served under the Black Knife Ninja, as the pretentious fighter called himself, back on his first go around through the 7 Layers. He had only ever been a subordinate on one of the Hunting Teams under the fighter and never risen to prominence in the Saru Group before he left, and thus hadn't had much interaction with the man.
'He was self-obsessed, but not a bad type. I remember he helped out in the large scale battle against the Black Flag Pirates when that mess went down after the Godfather Organization was almost wiped out in this Cluster.' The Black Flag Pirates were scum as far as Michael was concerned, so Anju's actions there redeemed himself.
'He died then, if I recall correctly.' He could faintly remember hearing that Captain Bola was incensed. The two men were like brothers. Anju had been murdered while using his Ability to help scout out where the Black Flag Pirates had hidden their base.
Due to the labyrinthian setup of the Cluster, if an organization was trying to hide its base, it was certainly possible to avoid prying eyes.
As all of this flashed through Michael's mind, he instantly made a decision.
thud
CRACK
"Arrrgh!"
Micheal's sword pommel slammed into the right arm of Anju, instantly cracking it. The Shadowalker fell to one knee as he yelled, clutching at his arm in pain.
"Tell your leader if he wants to test me, he can find me in person." Micheal's eyes were cold as he looked down at Anju. He held his blade next to the Shadowalker's neck, his killing intent causing the man to tremble uncontrollably.
"Your foolish overconfidence was your downfall. Don't think just because you can meld into the shadows that you can't be detected or injured." Micheal's voice boomed as he rebuked the fighter, arrogance dripping on his voice. There was no better way to teach a lesson like this than making someone feel as if their mistake might cost them their life.
Anju had originally died because he got caught in a manner like this. He was overly reliant on his Ability, and when that Ability was countered, he left himself vulnerable.
'You'll need to grow out of that habit if you want to survive.' Micheal's eyes narrowed as he withdrew his sword, barking out a command.
"Leave."
The Shadowalker made no comment as he scrambled to his feet, clutching at his arm. His body immediately collapsed into shadows as he fled, not even opening the door as he rushed away from Micheal, as if he was fleeing from a horrifying demon.
Micheal sighed as he left, looking around his room.
'Since I didn't kill and instead spared him, the Saru Group won't consider me a mortal enemy. With the skill I showed, it's likely Captain Bola might actually show up in a few days if I stay here.' He rubbed his eyes as he returned his sword to his Low-Tier Spatial Ring.
'Well. I can't have that.' The Captain was a true-blue expert. Micheal could faintly recall that the First Layer had
a Ranking system in designating how powerful someone was. The Captain was at least B Rank.
'With my current physique, I would probably qualify as C Rank given my skill with the sword. I'm not sure how my Life Orbs would factor in, but I don't think I'd be able to physically keep up with him.' He sighed again. At least this incident would have gained him a great deal of respect within the Saru Group. That would make his job easier later, when he revealed the big secret of the First Layer.
He had planned on staying here in this room for the next month, he noted, as he looked around. As fate would have it, he didn't even manage to stay here a full day.
'Whatever. Easy come, easy go.' Micheal quickly packed anything he had taken out, unstopping the door. He then walked out into the hallway, glancing up and down it.
No one could be seen.
'They might be watching the roof. I'll have to be a little risky.' Micheal jogged over the stairway. Instead of going up it, he went down, dropping below several floors till he reached the 25th.
Once he arrived, he made his way over to the opposite side of the building. He checked several different rooms, noting that all of them were unoccupied. Some of them were bedrooms while others were office rooms. Finally, he found one in particular he had been searching for.
A lounge.
He ran up to the far wall of the lounge, where a large glass door could be seen, opening up onto a very small outcropping.
Most of the buildings had multiple ways to exit. It was common to find a lounge with a door that opened to the outside on certain floors, one of the odd quirks of the First Layer.
Micheal looked out at the night sky as he came outside, taking in a deep breath. Despite looking like a city, the air here was clean and fresh.
His eyes narrowed as he spotted movement.
He could just barely make out dozens of Morenkai down below, moving on the sidewalks at night. Their shambling, ominous figures were incredibly disconcerting to look at.
Micheal snapped his fingers quietly.
Immediately, two blue orbs appeared, floating around his head. He commanded his Life Orbs to descend till they reached the floor of the small outside patio.
"Hup!" He grunted quietly as he stepped on the orbs, finding his balance.
'Time to relocate.' His eyes flashed as he looked at the building he was now floating right next to. Then, without fanfare, he began to zoom up the side of it, building up momentum. After he'd flown up two different floors, and crossed the side of several rooms, Micheal swerved, turning harshly.
WHOOSH
His body soared across the empty gap between two skyscrapers as he was flung into the air. The Life Orbs immediately began to glide downward as they found nothing within 10 meters to support Micheal's weight.
For a few scant moments, exhilaration filled Micheal as he soared through the night sky, flying above the dangerous hive of monsters below.
Moments later, he came within range of the neighboring skyscraper. His Orbs immediately regained their flight capabilities, using the sturdy wall as a sort of magical anchor.
'Let's get out of here.'
.
Chapter 17: End of Day 1
Micheal flew from building to building, making use of his momentum to quickly move through the skyscrapers. This method of flight was somewhat dangerous, considering that some of the Morenkai liked to scale buildings.
Most of the Morenkai that appeared on the rooftops were ones that either scaled the outside of a building or made their way through the inside all the way to the roof.
While the percent of Morenkai that would take either route was quite small, the sheer multitude of the beings that existed, swarming down below, meant a significant number climbed upwards.
As for how the Morenkai came to be, well, that was part of the big secret of the First Layer as well.
'Flying like this at night is doable. In the daytime, though…' Micheal's eyes flashed as he soared through the air, gliding across a large gap towards one particularly large skyscraper.
'It's possible I'd get shot down.'
While the Morenkai might not pay attention to him, that didn't mean other humans wouldn't. Some of the big or small organizations were fiercely territorial, barring anyone from entering their controlled skyscrapers.
In a reality where the rule of law had greatly devolved, it was often every man for himself. Trust was a rare commodity in the First Layer.
Micheal could vividly recall hearing about one of the raids the Black Flag Pirates had committed against a smaller organization, the Blue Devil Alliance.
The fighters from the Black Flag Pirates had used grappling hooks and ropes to latch on to the lower part of the Blue Devil Alliance-controlled skyscraper, where they had their main base. Warriors had snuck across into the depths of the skyscraper, infiltrating the building. They had then launched a surprise ambush, wreaking havoc and decimating the group.
'Though, it's not like the Blue Devil Alliance were angels either.' They might have been a smaller group, but they were almost as bad as the Black Flag Pirates when it came to murder and intimidation. If and when the same situation came about in this timeline, Micheal had no plans on trying to stop it.
Micheal soon made his way across and past a dozen different skyscrapers, using the faint glow from certain windows to see. The night was notoriously dark in the First Layer, but the fact that he was flying where the only sources of light could be found was a big boon.
Finally, he reached one skyscraper in particular he decided that he liked. He had no idea if it was occupied or not, but by this point, he didn't care. He just wanted to find a place to rest.
After observing it for a brief period, he noted that there was no one standing guard on or visible in it. He moved into the skyscraper from a lounge patio, sneaking in.
The quiet hum of various air conditioning units was a pleasant backdrop as he carefully crept down a couple of floors, on full alert.
He didn't hear or see anyone. Most people tended to inhabit the upper floors, instead of the lower ones. The chances of running into a Morenkai were much lower the higher up you went.
Of course, even if he did run into one, he could make short work of it, so that wasn't an issue for Micheal.
Soon, on the 17th floor, he picked out a room. It was functionally identical to his other room, complete with a hidden doorstop, one he found under the bed. He set up shop again, blocking off the door and returning to his bed.
Roughly an hour passed as Micheal returned to his meditative Cultivation State. This time, he went uninterrupted, able to focus on getting stronger in peace.
After the hour of focus, he called up his status screen.
— - Status — -
Name: Micheal Care
Points: 157
Race: Human
Age: 18
- Stats -
Strength - 23
Endurance - 17
Recovery - 13
Soul - 10
- Abilities - (3/7)
Life Orb Master
Ki Cultivator (Mortal Tier)
Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)
.
'Nice.' He smiled as he looked at it, pleased. He had made progress in his Strength, Endurance, and Recovery stats, all of them increasing by 1. To have such an increase in literally his first day, it was already blazing fast progress. Most people took a very long time to see visible gains in their Ki Cultivator Ability.
'With my experience, I should be able to make relatively fast progress in cultivating. Once I get a few thousand more Points, I can even speed that up using some of the secrets I know.' His eyes flashed cheerfully.
rummbblllleee
Just as Micheal was celebrating, he felt his stomach rumble, reminding him he hadn't eaten yet today.
'Hmm… Shop… Food Selection… Let's see, give me a juicy filet mignon and a side of fries, with honey mustard sauce!' He went over some of the mental options in his head before making a decision.
&n
bsp; 'It costs 6 Points? Pricey, but I won't turn it down.'
WHOOSH
A moment later, a plate of steaming steak and fries, with a few cups of sauce, appeared right on Micheal's bed. There was even a fork and knife. He grinned as he saw this, the magical Shop never ceasing to amaze him. He took a deep breath, savoring the scent. All of this would disappear in 30 minutes, the plate, utensils, and any leftovers.
"Mmmm!" Micheal bit into the filet mignon, feeling the juices of the steak combine with the sautéed butter and warm sauce. He grabbed a couple of fries, dipping them in one of the sauces to add to his bite as he chewed.
"Mmmpevenn!" 'Heaven!' The delicious food was tantalizing, something that never grew old when he was in the 7 Layers.
Micheal settled in to eat and then sleep, the end of a busy and productive first day.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
The next day, on the northern side of the Stardust Cluster…
In the depths of a nondescript skyscraper, a large number of men and women could be found.
Several of the men stood at certain places in the skyscraper, keeping watch. They had locked down every strategic point, watching the stairwells and any entrances that existed to the lower areas.
Most of the men were gruff looking. All of them wore regular clothes with some type of black cloth tied around an arm, a leg, plastered on a short, or worn as a scarf. Something that could be used to quickly identify them.
Most of the men also had guns strapped to their back, hip, or held in their hands. Semi-automatic rifles, light machine guns, handguns, the fortress was a veritable mountain of weaponry.
The women, conversely, were mostly unarmed. Several of them were dressed seductively as they laughed and giggled, talking to some of the men. One and all, they were beautiful, from smiling golden haired dancers to dazzling red headed socialites.
If one were to look closely, one might even see some of the men occasionally handing some of the women Artifacts they had purchased from the Shop, and then these men and women disappearing for a period of time…
In a room that was particularly well guarded, at the center of all the men standing guard, two men could be seen sitting around a table. The room looked to be a meeting room of sorts, with a long wooden table and several plush chairs.