by L. M. Kerr
‘If I knew you were just going to waste your potential drinking your life away in random bars, I wouldn’t have given you a second glance.’ Yvvtal had made his displeasure with Micheal’s actions very clear over the past few hours.
Micheal didn’t bother explaining himself and simply waited. Given the Oath they had signed, there was nothing Yvvtal could do here but watch and fume.
Time crawled forward.
‘Will I need to come back tomorrow? This should be the right place...’ Micheal sighed as he considered the thought, his irritation threatening to break free once more. He was operating with a limited amount of time, in a timeline that might not even be the same now and-
Before he could finish that thought, Micheal’s eyes flickered as he sensed the presence of several powerful warriors reaching the entrance of the High Dragon House Establishment.
A heartbeat later…
“Young Master Sion has arrived!”
A grand yell sounded out as a young Byren waltzed into the gambling hall, announced by a stern-looking warrior that had walked in just in front of him, likely for the sole purpose of making that announcement.
The young Byren looked to be what Micheal would consider, in human terms, a young adult of around 18 years old. He had a youthful-looking face, with a curved nose and a shallow chin. He was dressed in luxurious-looking silken pants and a loose, finely crafted leather vest. A short sword hung at his waist, glimmering in a silver sheath.
As soon as Micheal saw him, Micheal's eyes lit up.
All of the warriors that accompanied ‘Master Sion’ were dressed in leather armor with the same purple triangle stenciled into it as the guards that were sitting around the long table in the center of the drinking area. The leather armor of these newcomers, however, was clearly extremely well made without a scratch upon it, covered in ornate, gold inscriptions.
Oddly enough, a few looks of disgust appeared and then quickly vanished on the faces of the guards sitting at the center table as they glanced up from their drinks. The hint of emotion had disappeared so quickly Micheal doubted anyone else but him had noticed, and only because he was studying everything and everyone as intently as possible, relying on his perfect memory to help him sort out the details.
One and all, those sitting guards raised up their mugs in apparent appreciation as they all yelled out loud,
“Greetings to the Young Master!” A smattering of applause lit up the room for a few seconds before fading as several of the regulars greeted the young Byren.
More than half the patrons in the bar and gambling area, however, stared at the newly arrived group with looks of confusion. From that, Micheal was instantly able to spot them all as new Byrens that had just arrived in the city, not really an unusual sight.
Micheal, however, easily recognized this young figure. Not because he had met him before, in this life or his previous one… but because of a little bit of history and gossip from his previous life.
Baron Sansa was the only one of the Four Barons that ever made any real journeys into the Dragon Mountains. Whenever she did embark on those journeys, she would always depart from Tansol City.
In his past life, Micheal remembered hearing about a small-scale battle that had broken out between the Divine Might Sect and the Human Alliance because of something that happened here.
Baron Sansa had murdered the City Lord’s son after he allegedly accosted her while she was out gambling.
When Micheal had first heard the reasons for the series of battles that had broken out, he had discounted it as unbelievable.
Why would an awe-inspiringly powerful Vampire Adapted Human have literally any reason to be at a gambling hall in this city?
It was only later, when he learned that Baron Sansa considered herself mortal rivals with one of the other Four Barons, Baron Lux, that it all came together.
Baron Lux was a rather effeminate man that had an incredibly unique power.
He was lucky…very, very lucky.
This was an Ability he had somehow gained on his own, something that could not be bought in the Shop. Micheal had never learned any of the specific details on this, but knew that it was a very real, and very powerful, Ability that manipulated fate itself.
Sansa’s sheer determination to defeat Lux in something led to her practicing and learning all kinds of weird skills, including learning how to play various card-based games of chance. It was almost adorable in a way, if you ignored the fact that she put this childish rivalry over the safety and security of the human race’s continued existence.
Micheal shook his head silently. Perhaps he was a bit too harsh. He tossed the stray thoughts to the side as he looked back at the entrance.
Master Sion. Sion Tansol. The son of a powerful First Rate Warrior, a City Lord that could easily kill Micheal a dozen times over.
Sion was his target.
Two of the things Micheal knew about the City Lord’s son was that he liked to gamble and get into fights. This was mentioned in a sidenote on the incident in which he was killed.
The City Lord’s son was not poor, so Micheal had judged it unlikely he would be found anywhere but in the top gambling halls in the city. Given that he often got into fights, he would also have to restrict his activities to halls where he could get away with something like that.
The one-armed Byren hadn’t been sure, but Micheal was vaguely able to gather that the High Dragon House Establishment had some type of ties to the City Lord and the guards of Tansol City, making this place a perfect haunt for Sion.
Once he learned all of that, and found out that this place was known to be rowdier than the others, everything had come together rather perfectly.
“A round on me tonight, gentleman!” Sion’s voice wasn’t very deep as he spoke, but it was deep enough to show that he was almost an adult Byren, full of complete confidence. The City Lord’s son was greeted with a round of cheers at his announcement, especially so from the group of guards at the center of the room.
Micheal kept a close eye on the Byrens as they filed in, keeping track of Sion’s location at all times.
Over the past hour, Micheal had been sent scrambling all over the city, asking questions in a very roundabout manner largely because of Sion’s father.
When people talked about ‘Master Sion’ they spoke in hushed whispers to only those they trusted and knew well.
No one would dare to spread rumors or even talk about Sion’s activities, not to a stranger like Micheal, for a very simple reason.
The Tansol City Lord had personally executed a group of warriors that had besmirched his son, spreading rumors that Sion had beaten and killed a group of innocent civilians. He then put out a stern warning that anyone spreading rumors about him would be forced to excavate Magic Herbs from the Dragon Mountains for a full year, effectively a death sentence.
It was harsh, but Lord Tansol had both the power and the authority to enforce such a command.
Micheal had no idea if those warriors had been spreading the truth, but it didn’t really matter.
Power might be everything here on the Second Layer, but honor and reputation came second place to that, just a few close steps behind. Impugning the honor of the City Lord’s son was essentially the same thing as attacking the City Lord. He would not allow anything of the sort, not within his own domain.
Sion and his entourage moved over to the bar. They remained there for several minutes, ordering drinks and talking merrily. The City Lord’s son looked to be explaining his recent exploits to a couple of guards that looked to be around his age.
After that, their group moved over to the gambling section of the establishment and began to go at it.
Micheal watched the young warrior try his hand at half a dozen different games, all the while talking with the foreign Byrens. His guards followed him everywhere, but he only ever talked to the two younger ones. He appeared to have some type of friendship with them, perhaps they trained together.
The mood in t
he gambling hall rapidly returned to its casual cheer, everything seemingly going back to normal.
Micheal sat patiently as the evening marched onward. The gambling hall began to fill up as more and more people came. Gorgeous women dressed in silken dresses, rugged warriors wearing loose vests, elderly Byrens suited up in formal, grey shirts. A veritable menagerie of people showed up, raising the lively air of the place.
According to the one-armed Byren that Micheal had spoken to, this establishment was one of the most successful ones in the city. The Byren had danced around why, but had said that it was a popular site for big spenders.
And as Micheal watched, he could see Sion and others lose a huge amount of money, in the form of Spirit Crystals and Meric, without even breaking a sweat. A few looks of irritation flitted across Sion's face at his unfortunate luck, his mood gradually worsening.
‘He’s getting annoyed... Plan A probably won’t work, but Plan B is now up for grabs.’ Micheal thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had prepared 3 different plans for tonight, depending on how things went.
As the evening went on, Sion had his ups and downs when it came to his gambles. In general, he was having a losing night, and a black mood had spread around him as a result.
At the same time, he drank more and more, his eyes taking on a slightly faded look. He wasn’t blind drunk, but he was definitely inebriated to some degree.
Finally, the moment Micheal was hoping for took place.
“Watch where you’re walking, rat.” Sion’s voice echoed out loud in anger as he pushed another Byren rudely away from him. Sion’s finely crafted leather vest had a freshly added red stain on it, marring its appearance.
The Byren he’d pushed was an average-looking male with short black hair and a plain face. He was wearing a set of grey robes, ones that had now gained a much larger red stain that would certainly ruin them. In his hands was an empty goblet, dripping red liquid.
“What was that for? You ran into me!” The average-looking Byren stepped up angrily, his voice full of righteous indignation. Micheal could sense a certain level of strength from this Byren, more than a simple Third Rate Warrior would hold.
Micheal had been watching everything and knew what the average-looking Byren said was accurate. The poor man was simply an innocent bystander that Sion wanted to take his anger out on.
Several of the regulars at the bar or in the gambling area began to back up, looking at the scene before them expectantly. A few of them shook their heads in disdain, but made no effort to intercede. Those that were new to the city backed up as well, wanting no part in any type of duel.
‘Oh? You look interested in this. Let me guess, time to play the hero?’ Yvvtal offered a rather sarcastic line of standing commentary as he watched Micheal tense up.
Meanwhile, the various guards affiliated with the City Lord, those behind Sion as well as those sitting at other places in the bar, all began to tense up, hands casually resting on the hilts of weapons.
‘I didn’t even have to cause it.’ A hint of pleasure flashed through Micheal's mind as he ignored the Fallen Deity.
Micheal had expected that he’d need to instigate Sion to get things started, but the Young Master of Tansol had saved him the effort. It seemed history hadn’t been wrong about his penchant for getting in fights.
Without hesitating for even a second, Micheal abruptly stood up from his table. His gait was slightly unsteady as he stalked forward, mimicking the appearance of someone that was drunk.
“How dare you pick on the innocent!” Micheal’s voice roared out loud, imbued with a sensation of strength that could only arise due to how high his Soul stat was. Instantly, every eye in the room turned to stare at him, dozens of shocked expressions appearing.
‘Of course.’ Yvvtal sighed.
“Young Master Sion is a saint!”
Micheal then began to skillfully beat up the innocent bystander.
‘Wait- what?!’
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Chapter 26
The poor Byren didn’t stand a chance.
Micheal’s abrupt attack took literally everyone in the room by surprise, the Fallen Deity included. He used that moment to lash out with four separate, precisely aimed blows as he arrived next to the innocent warrior. The Byren had just got back to his feet, a stunned expression appearing on his face.
Two of those blows hit the Byren in the chest, one in the neck, and one on the head.
Micheal carefully moderated the power of his fists, doing his utmost to avoid leaving any real injury on the Byren. At the same time, however, he was sure to actually lash out, hitting hard enough to send the Byren unconscious.
For a split second, the Byren was able to resist Micheal’s assault. The warrior’s body was stronger than that of a normal Byren, at the level of an above-average Third Rate Warrior.
Unfortunately for him, in terms of not only skill, but also strength, Micheal was now superior.
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— - Status — -
Name: Micheal Care
Points: 200
Race: Human
Age: 18
Physique: 1 Star -> Energized Physique - 2 Star
Soul Quality: 3 Star
Strength - 138 -> 173
Endurance - 82-> 129
Recovery - 88 -> 127
Soul - 38
Abilities - (6/7)
Life Orb Master
Ki Cultivator (Earth Tier - Late)
Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)
Impact Release
Ceaseless Mind
Temporal Bubble
.
His rapid cultivation, combined with the successful absorption of Yvvtal’s Magic Gem, had boosted the power of his body enormously. The abrupt boost to his stats made movement difficult as he adapted to the jarring changes, but it was still within the limits that he could handle.
He was now within the range of decently strong A Rankers from the First Layer, an insane level of growth for someone who had been here for just a few months. Here on the Second Layer, he was at the peak of the Third Rate Warrior level, close to being considered a Second Rate Warrior in terms of raw physical power.
His Soul stat remained unchanged, but that wasn’t that surprising. Most increases to that stat came from crossing from one Tier of Ki Cultivation to another, not from modifications of one’s Physique.
As for his Physique itself… it had not only gained the 2 Star rating Micheal had worked for, but also become a ‘Named Physique.’
Physiques were rated by Stars, but many Physiques had certain special characteristics that went beyond just how efficiently you could cultivate Ki or how powerful your body was. These were most commonly known as Named Physiques.
The Toren Race’s Heavenly Gold Physique was an excellent example of a Named Physique.
As he already knew, that Physique boosted a Toren’s strength and let them cultivate faster, the norm for most Physiques. However, the fact that it also vastly enhanced their defensive prowess and gave them inborn power was a result of it being a Named Physique. When a Toren reached the Lord Tier of Ki Cultivation and lost the small pressure point weakness they had, the only obvious flaw their Physique held, they would become the infamously difficult to kill warriors the Toren race was known for, a direct result of their Named Physique.
Before they officially became Deities, their Heavenly Gold Physique did limit their ability to comprehend concepts, but that was another issue entirely.
Micheal had been pleasantly surprised by the transformation of his Physique. He had known there was a small chance that he could get a few ‘Named Physiques’ from absorbing this type of Magic Gem, but hadn’t expected it to happen to him, not when he didn’t know why it happened. Perhaps it had to do with how efficiently and carefully he absorbed the Gem, not letting even an iota of it go to waste.
Even more delightful in his eyes was the fact that the Shop had its own explanation for his Physique, leaving nothing unclear.
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—- Energized Physique - 2 Star —-
Energy is the bedrock of any powerful Physique. Without sufficient energy, the strongest hero will fail to block even a light blow. This 2 Star Energized Physique aids its host in replenishing their energy stores by absorbing latent energy in the air.
.
It didn’t seem to have any other special effects like invincible skin or inborn strength, but what it did have was fantastic.
If there was one thing that limited Micheal’s combat potential, it was that he could be overwhelmed through sheer exhaustion. He was extremely skilled, but he did not have unlimited energy.
Micheal had tested it a bit after the Magic Gem was fully absorbed. Overall, the effects weren’t exactly world-shaking. His body would recover energy, even without taking time to rest, eat, or meditate, at a somewhat slow, passive rate.
Still, something like this meant that he would be able to last much longer in any type of long, drawn-out battle. If he had to face up against that army of Toren Martial Artists from Yvvtal’s King’s Challenge, Micheal was fully confident he would’ve had a much easier time conserving his strength and winning.
It would’ve been nice if it had been more effective, but Micheal felt lucky to have gained it at all.
The Byren bystander that Micheal had attacked froze up after Micheal’s quick succession of blows, standing still for a short moment.
Right after that, the Byren unceremoniously fell to the floor in a heap, knocked completely unconscious. Micheal’s blows had been layered in a way to disrupt his body with Ki, a careful number of attacks that lightly shocked the Byren’s mind, just enough to send him to sleep.
Everyone in the gambling hall looked at Micheal, the entire mood shifting. There was a level of tension and confusion present, as if no one quite knew what to do.