16-22

Chapter 16 - Rewards (2)

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."

"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.

Chapter 17 - Abilities

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.

"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]

Chapter 18 - Journey

"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.

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?

Chapter 19 - A-grade Invalid (1)

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.

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.

Chapter 20 - A-grade Invalids (2)

[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.

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.

Chapter 21 - Tier 7 Black Zone

"… 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?

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.

Chapter 22 - Village Attack

[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.

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.

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…'

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?