by L. M. Kerr
With the experience he had as well as the fact that his Soul was already partially adapted to Master Tier Sword Energy, once he reached that point... he wouldn't be at full strength, but he would pretty easily be a First Rate Warrior.
These were all huge positives. Unfortunately, one very serious negative existed.
Micheal’s best method of attack was, of course, with raw swordplay. However…
If he wanted to maintain his disguise, he couldn’t show most of that outstanding sword skill. It would be laughably easy for the Vile King to trace him to ‘Heron’ of the First Layer if he showed even an inkling of his traditional Sword Mastery prowess.
Even if he killed everyone that saw him use it… that was still no guarantee that word of it wouldn’t get out.
Right now, it was very important that he remain undercover. He couldn’t let the Vile King know of his true identity and he especially couldn’t let the man know that Micheal was targeting him. Not yet.
He wasn’t ready.
At a minimum, Micheal wouldn’t be able to truly defend himself until he could freely use his Master Tier Sword Energy without injuring his Soul. Even in the best case scenario, it would still take 1-2 months for him to attain that. Until then, he needed to avoid any use of Master Tier Sword Energy. A damaged Soul could drastically affect the success of his plans.
There was also the problem that if he got discovered, no doubt hordes of angry warriors would come after him because of his actions on the First Layer. It would take a while for the truth to sort itself out down there, and that was something he could not wait for.
The 12 Tribes of Deities were doubtlessly growing insanely powerful on their own Layers as time went on. Micheal needed to prepare humanity as quickly as possible. He already knew what would happen if he didn’t interfere.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he closed his eyes as he began to ponder what he should do. He needed to find a different weapon to use, and he needed to use a different type of combat style. It had to be something unrecognizable, something no one would see and think of ‘Heron’ or ‘Micheal.’
As he considered this, a memory from his past life popped up into his head.
Micheal slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his hands, an idea beginning to form…
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Chapter 6
Towering, thick oak trees dominated a large, sprawling forest. These trees were abnormally thick compared to normal oak trees of Earth, stretching five to six meters across in sheer width. They had more in common with the giant redwoods of Earth than the oak trees they appeared to be.
Atop one of the branches in the midst of these towering giants was a green-robed figure slowly strapping on a glove.
Micheal frowned as he adjusted the black hand cover, making sure it was tucked in tightly. The glove was ornate, with five dull silver lines tracing his fingers on the back, and a grey upside-down triangle on its palm. Small black stones could be seen, woven into the tip of each finger.
Only a single hour had passed since he killed his first Low-Tier Magic Beast. In that time, he’d made fast progress, rapidly leaving the territory that was inhabited by most normal human groups. The sprawling forest he’d found was one he remembered from his first life, the O’Shack Grove. It was a massive forest, but not a magical one, meaning the strongest Magic Beasts you’d find would be Low-Tier.
From down below, Micheal faintly heard monstrous growls echo in the air and a few deathly hisses that resounded in his ears. Apparently there was some type of snake infestation nearby, something he noted down absently.
“There we go.” Micheal muttered, a small smile appearing on his face.
Micheal stretched his right hand and wiggled his fingers, moving each digit precisely. He studied the black glove he had just put on, examining the intricate bindings, the symbols woven into its palm, and the small, black gems set at the tip of each finger.
This Artifact had cost Micheal a very pretty penny in the Shop, at 55,300 Points. It was a Silk Strider Glove, a powerful tool that had some very specific abilities.
Its durability was rated at a very high level, largely because of its purpose. If Micheal put it to the test, the glove itself would endure even an attack imbued with Advanced Tier Sword Energy for a couple of seconds. Longer than that and it would inevitably be sliced in twain, but just the fact that it could hold at all showed its defensive prowess.
More importantly, the five magical Spider Gems set at the tip of each finger, imbued and attuned with the glove, showed off the Artifact’s true strength.
These black gems had the ability to absorb many types of metal. In turn, that metal could later be spat out in the form of thin, but extremely durable, metal threads. The stronger the metal, the more durable and tensile each thread.
The main uses for this Artifact were to help set traps, to help create temporary shelters using the metal threads to strengthen walls and doors, for use in scaling or climbing dangerous heights, and so on. It was a versatile tool-centered Artifact.
For Micheal, however… this Artifact reminded him of a routine he had used to train his concentration and manipulation of Sword Energy, many years into the future.
Micheal never had an official ‘Master' to guide and teach him. He attended several speeches and demonstrations given by Master Tier Swordmasters, and even a few by Grandmaster Tier Swordmasters, but had never officially followed someone.
Most elite warriors required certain things from anyone wishing to learn from them. Some of them required certain magical contracts, others had expensive fees, and still others wanted rare items.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, not for anything truly important.
Micheal had been fiercely determined to stay independent in his first life, especially as he went further and further along in the 7 Layers. His trust had been rapidly whittled away as he was betrayed again and again.
If he thought about it, the death of his trust started here on the Second Layer, after he was forced to kill the last woman he ever loved. Micheal shook the thought from his head with a grimace, focusing back on his plan.
Because of his independence, Micheal was forced to cobble together multiple techniques to train himself through his own merit. The fact that he managed to reach the Grandmaster Tier of Sword Mastery entirely on his own, while starting several years later than most of the elite, was a testament to his determination and talent.
Micheal’s research into training methods didn’t rely solely upon the human race, either. He researched all ways to train his Sword Mastery, ways to increase the power of his Soul, and ways to grow stronger while being unable to change his Physique.
One of the routines he had discovered that could help with training one’s Sword Mastery was a method used by a race he encountered on the Third Layer. It involved using a tool known as an ‘Iron Strings Gauntlet.’
Micheal held out his right hand, focusing on the Silk Strider Glove. In his mind, he could feel an innate connection with the Artifact through his Soul, allowing him to activate it freely.
Slowly, five thin, titanium strings emerged from the gem tips. Each thread was small, about a third as thick as his finger. They emerged limply, as if waiting to be tied up to something. They slid out for a full meter before Micheal stopped activating the glove.
Micheal took a deep breath as he looked at the threads. Then, slowly, he began to push out a wave of Advanced Tier Sword Energy.
The red energy glowed darkly as it spread out along the black glove and then followed the five metal threads, moving all the way up and down the length of each thread. The small width of each thread meant the energy could easily cover the thin lines, creating five, faintly glowing metal strings.
‘Hmm…’ Micheal stared intently at the creation, feeling everything keenly.
The threads were made from regular titanium from Earth. Unlike the Iron Strings Gauntlet Micheal used on the Third Layer, this glove wasn’t built with extreme
ly rare and powerful metals. The original purpose of this Artifact wasn’t for combat, but for crafting and utility.
He would’ve preferred to use the Iron Strings Gauntlet he’d used in the past, but that Artifact wasn’t something the Shop sold. Micheal had personally commissioned it on the Third Layer with materials and skills that didn’t exist here on the Second.
The Silk Strider Glove also needed a huge amount of metal absorbed into it to be useable. After all, it wouldn’t have unlimited metal, and if Micheal ran out in the middle of a battle, it would be rather serious.
Micheal’s Points total after buying the Silk Strider Glove was just enough to get it a sizable amount of titanium, leaving him with a mere 200 Points left for emergency situations. He would’ve used more powerful metals if he could, but he simply hadn’t had enough Points.
He hadn’t even been able to buy a second glove to use for his other hand.
Still, even with all of those issues, Micheal couldn’t help but smile as he wriggled his fingers again.
Slowly, the metal threads on the ends of each finger began to twitch. His finger movements, combined with the constant manipulation of his Advanced Tier Sword Energy, caused the threads to rise up and shift into the shape of a triangle.
Micheal twitched his fingers again. The threads morphed and shifted once more, this time taking the shape of a large circle.
“Excellent.” Micheal laughed out loud as he saw how smoothly it was working.
Advanced Tier Sword Energy couldn’t be manipulated outside of a weapon like Master Tier Sword Energy. However, if he used this Artifact, propped up by his abnormally powerful Soul, he was able to come up with a lesser replacement.
Slowly, Micheal began to lengthen each individual thread. Soon they stretched out to two meters, and then to three, four, five, and six. After several moments, he stretched them out to a full 10 meters in length, covering a huge amount of ground.
A sheen of sweat covered Micheal’s forehead as he manipulated all five metal threads at ten meters of length. Each thread twisted and rolled in the air like long, living snakes, under his complete control. Micheal could feel their presence with his Soul, allowing him to control each one with a very high level of focus.
Micheal made the metal threads twist in the air and, with a few small hand movements, abruptly surround the tree he was on. As he did so, he raised and opened his right hand, his eyes gleaming with the Ki Energy inside his body. The threads were constantly pulling and tugging at his body as he moved, meaning he had to carefully control the strength of his body to not get sent flying.
Then, he clenched his fist.
The metal threads whipped forward in a cascade, cutting into the huge tree from every single direction. In just a single split second, the tree was cut into more than 20 pieces, literally shredded before Micheal’s very eyes.
Micheal backflipped off the tree, using his Cloud Stepping Shoes to jump to a second large tree as the first collapsed. Leaves, branches, and split pieces of wood cascaded in the air as the giant oak fell to the ground, smashing down with a rumbling groan.
“Not bad… not bad at all…” Micheal muttered as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The power of the metal threads was considerable, especially when he used all of them. They offered a huge amount of range and versatility, and would be extremely difficult to defend against.
The only problem with using them was the extreme amount of focus required, as well as the huge strain on his Soul.
Micheal’s Soul was very powerful for his level, absurdly so for someone that had just been here a few months. Despite that, he already found it strenuous to use Advanced Tier Sword Energy to manipulate just 5 threads at 10 meters. He had made the threads as thin as possible, but could already tell that this style of combat couldn’t be something he drew out. He also might need to shorten the technique’s range by a few meters.
Advanced Tier Sword Energy simply wasn’t made to be stretched out so far. There was a reason Micheal had used the original Iron Strings Gauntlet for training, and not for combat. It was excellent at splitting his focus between combat and the manipulation of Sword Energy, but the sheer amount of pressure it put on him was monstrous.
That said… Micheal had a considerable wealth of experience using a similar Artifact, built up over several years. He knew how to actively use it well and, while the focus it required was extreme, Micheal was able to meet that extreme.
“That’ll do.” Micheal nodded his head. He had found his alternative combat style, one no one could possibly trace back to his previous identities.
In the background, the tree Micheal had felled finally finished collapsing. The tree he was now standing on shuddered slightly at the impact of the fallen colossus, slowly returning back to a sense of stillness.
With this issue finally settled, Micheal returned to his journey. Instead of continuing to travel north, however, he headed deeper into the O’Shack Grove, jumping from treetop to treetop in a blur.
On his way to the Silent Sword Sect, he was making a small detour.
The O’Shack Grove was a normal forest. Humanity had done plenty of research on the specifics of the Second Layer, defining everything to a science.
The worlds of the 7 Layers all had different concentrations of energy propping them up, built upon the stronger laws of reality. The higher up you went, the richer the energy in the air was, allowing one to cultivate to greater heights.
Official Magic Forests contained naturally higher concentrations of energy, granting an area magical properties. The forests themselves weren’t that magical, but the space the forests occupied was. This was why Magic Herbs and Helion Treasures grew on their own, reappearing over and over.
As Micheal flitted through the forest, he could feel that this place was normal. He passed by a couple of Low-Tier Magic Beasts, but most of the animals in here were completely ordinary.
There was nothing special about it.
Nothing special yet, that was to say. For, there was a reason Micheal had been here before, back in his first life.
In the future, the O’Shack Grove would become a huge Magic Forest, full of rich energy, Magic Beasts, and rare treasures. It became one of the most popular hunting grounds for humanity, abounding with wealth.
But Magic Forests didn’t just appear out of nowhere.
There was a legend related to the O’Shack Grove and how it became such a giant Magic Forest. A legend of a group of bandits and thieves that had made the deepest center of this forest their hideout. A legend of how these thieves had stumbled upon a fantastic treasure ground, using that to grow to power.
The legend of the Rury Gang, a notable group of outlaws that had grown to infamy in Micheal’s time. Each member of the gang became powerful, gaining a myriad of strong Abilities, rare Artifacts, and accelerated Ki Cultivation.
The Rury Gang plagued humanity for a long while before their eventual destruction at the hands of the Four Barons. After their defeat, the Four Barons took control of that treasure ground, using it to grow more powerful.
The leaders of humanity growing more powerful was normally something Micheal would support. However, on the Second Layer, everything was a bit different.
At least two of the Four Barons were being manipulated by Constantine’s Seeds.
Micheal wasn’t sure which two. History wasn’t sure about everything that took place down here, the records containing incomplete and unclear information.
But what Micheal was sure about was the treasure ground the Rury Gang found.
The bandit gang had discovered the location of the Fallen Deity’s Inheritance.
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Chapter 7
As Micheal quickly traversed the forest, he kept his eyes and senses wide open. He looked for even the slightest sign of habitation, not allowing anything to slip past his gaze. He moved past several small beast colonies, three pits full of snakes, a dozen packs of wolves, and several Low-Tier Magic Beasts, ignoring all of
them.
By the time any of those beasts realized he was there, he was already gone, vanishing like the wind.
His feet rapidly ate up the miles as he jumped from tree to tree. He found this method of movement faster than just soaring with his Life Orbs, letting him rapidly reach an area close to the center of the forest.
‘It should be somewhere near here…’ The thought was on his mind as he looked around, after leaping about for around 40 minutes. The forest was huge, but his movement speed was also quite fast. Without any powerful beasts to force him to be careful, the progress he made was immense and unobstructed.
Micheal took one final jump and landed down atop the branch of a large oak tree. As soon as he landed, however, he ducked back to the side of the tree, his eyes piercing forward as he hid under some cover.
Roughly 70 meters away from Micheal, he could just barely see two humans casually conversing. Both were male, dressed in rugged leather clothing with blades on their hips. Both of them were young, white males in their early twenties, with scruffy beards and untamed hair.
Micheal strained his ears as he studied them, his eyes cool.
His powerful senses spread forward as he zeroed in, just barely allowing him to pick up what they were saying.
“…but the size of that Red Hand Snake, it must’ve been as big as my thigh!”
“Yeah, I don’t get why they call it a Red Hand Snake. Red Leg Snake sounds kinda dumb though.”
“That’s a fair point.”
Micheal wrinkled his nose as he listened to their conversation.
‘Who are they?’ Meeting a group of humans so deep in the forest, quite close to the location of the Fallen Deity’s Inheritance…
‘Oh. Right. The Rury Gang.’ Micheal blinked and then flicked himself in the forehead. Obviously they had to be the Rury Gang.
This point in time was well before the Rury Gang rose to their high levels of infamy. After all, they didn’t start to appear until after Micheal first came to the Second Layer. And, in his first life, that time was still many months away.