The Stubborn Skill-Grinder In A Time Loop

Chapter 38: The First Gate & The Next Long Loop

Chapter 38: The First Gate & The Next Long Loop

The abyssal depths were eerily quiet after Orodan’s defeat of the Eldritch Minotaur. This wasn’t to say that the monsters vanished, but the ones that spoke and had a measure of sapience, simply gave him a wide berth. While the ones like the Fallen Void Archon and the Eldritch Minotaur were nowhere to be found.

Orodan advanced down tunnels of pure darkness, the only source of light his own soul. Vision of Purity, his method of detecting the surrounding miles, saw that many creatures would remain out of his sight but still fearfully watch him. Even those that were entrenched and Orodan suspected would otherwise be aggressive, simply looked at him warily as he passed by. Anything in his direct path, would swiftly vacate it and relocate.

Long as they didn’t attack him, he had no reason to assault them.

He simply followed whichever path led deeper; his Pathfinding skill kept him on the right track. Along the way, he ran into a wounded space spider hatchling that’d failed to flee in time as the rest of its brood did, and it called him the killer of ‘the maddened one’. Apparently Orodan’s feat of slaying the Eldritch Minotaur had made waves in the abyssal depths, and its residents took note and appropriately reacted to his passage.

Which was nice as it saved time, but also annoying in that he got no further opportunities to train his skills. Still, anything that fled from him now was likely weaker than the Eldritch Minotaur. And from the times he used Observe he noticed all the creatures were triple-Grandmasters, and no higher. Powerful, but wisely fearful of Orodan who had slain a quadruple-Grandmaster and driven away another.

At some point however, the idle stroll had to come to an end. Vision of Purity told him that a gigantic chamber was ahead, and within, multiple beings who stood in place and didn’t move as though they were about to flee at the sight of him. One of them was the familiar Fallen Void Archon.

As Orodan rounded the corner into this gigantic cavern, the light of his soul burned a bit brighter, and he even sent some Flares out to visually see what lay before him.

A flat wall, nearly a hundred metres tall, and at least a mile wide. It was made of an incredibly durable stone which looked unnaturally uniform in his Vision of Purity. There were no visible impurities in this stone, which contrasted with the other rock surrounding it as that had at least some impurities, even at this depth where everything absorbed world energy hungrily.

At intermittent spots, this ‘wall’ had the familiar glyphs and symbols of the System periodically glowing upon it. And in the center, the glyphs were far denser, almost hinting at an opening. This ‘wall’ was beginning to seem more like a gate.

The question would have to wait, as a familiar figure stood in front, looking at Orodan as he approached. Yellow eyes, long white skull and six arms glowing with elemental power, although it didn’t attack immediately. It was the Fallen Void Archon, and beside it, two other beings of similar power.

He used Observe on the first.

[Name: Aherozam The Blood Rejecter (Species: True Vampire)

Title 1: Physical Grandmaster

Title 2: Combat Grandmaster

Title 3: Blood Grandmaster

Title 4: Claw Combat Grandmaster

Title 5: Avatar Slayer]

Seven feet of grey skin and corded muscle, with ruby red eyes and hands ending in clawed fingertips. It was a True Vampire akin to the one he’d faced within the energy well. It wasn’t lanky like the other one either, indicating a more robust physique and that the Physical Grandmaster title would go farther than otherwise.

Orodan had already slain the quadruple-Grandmaster Minotaur, so this would be difficult but doable. Although he’d have to be very wary of the Blood Grandmastery. He nearly died against the power of the last True Vampire he faced when it used an attack of that foul element. This being didn’t even have a Mythical skill, at least per its titles. He could survive the Fallen Void Archon’s spells since his resistances made the difference. This foe then, would be the hardest obstacle to surmount.

Another Observe was cast on the second figure.

[Observe 10 ? Observe 11]

[Name: Siyendara The All-Torturer (Species: Psionic Centipede)

Title 1: Psionic Grandmaster

Title 2: Soul Grandmaster

Title 3: Fire Grandmaster

Title 4: Pain Grandmaster

Title 5: Grandmaster Slayer]

Twenty feet of skittering legs which ended in sharp tips, and it was surrounded by dangerous looking flames. It also emitted periodic flashes of what Orodan knew to be soul energy. Orodan had resistances for every one of its titles, but this foe would still be a test of his mental fortitude as it’d doubtlessly assault both mind and soul while inflicting terrible pain and scalding flames.

And of course, the Fallen Void Archon would also be present. This then, would be a three-on-one. Two foes who he had resistances for but who lacked melee prowess, and one foe who would be the primary physical threat.

“Am I right to assume behind you is the first gate?” Orodan asked. “Why do you guard it so insistently? Are you perhaps… gate guardians of a sort?”

No reply came from the Archon or the Centipede, but most surprisingly, a reply came from the True Vampire.

“Mortal, I implore you turn back,” the True Vampire spoke. “For you, beyond this gate lies only death. Why greedily covet what is not yours?”

Yes, Orodan was a battle maniac, but he wasn’t without morals altogether. He didn’t want to just slaughter these guardians wantonly if they were simply defending their territory.

“So, this is the first gate then?” Orodan asked in confirmation. “With those glyphs, it must be related to the System in some way, no? I’m not unreasonable, I don’t want to simply kill you all, but I do seek answers. Mainly regarding the Eldritch.”

“As gate guardian, my brethren and I are oath-bound to not answer,” the True Vampire replied. “I am sorry, but I cannot give you what you seek. You have shown your strength in slaying poor Kaliyega and ending his misery, and for that alone I dare to act against the spirit of my oath by even speaking to you… but I cannot allow you further than this.”

“Why? When I struck your brethren with my soul skill, I saw a memory of him floating through the void of space until he was drawn into a wormhole with suspiciously similar symbols to the gate you guard,” Orodan spoke. “Is it perhaps a sense of gratitude for being rescued? Surely there are limitations placed upon you?”

“I cannot answer any more questions. Since the elder days of the world, you mortals have delved deeper and deeper, and your greed knows no bounds. If you’re given an inch, you will try and take a mile,” the guardian replied. “First it was the elves when they were young, but at least they had the skill and bravery to continue onwards and die standing. Then you humans came along, trying to prove yourselves, and once you made it past the threshold, you fled like dirty cowards. This threat from the stars you face is of your own making.”

That… was news.

Who was it that fled after crossing the threshold of the first gate thirty thousand years ago? All Orodan had was more questions.

“I see, thank you for giving me even that much. But I’m afraid I still have more questions that require answers,” Orodan replied. “And your compatriot here ran away from our battle. We still have an unsettled score!”

“Bloodthirsty as ever, I see your kind hasn’t changed at all,” the vampire spoke. “To attack us with the intent of slaughter simply to intrude where you do not belong… vile humans.”

“I don’t intend on killing you, just giving you a beating till you allow me to pass,” Orodan elaborated. “And besides, your Fallen Void Archon friend here interfered in my fight against the Eldritch Minotaur. I thought he’s a guardian, isn’t he supposed to simply defend the gate? Since when is attacking people entering the abyssal depths part of the guardian oath?”

Orodan spoke in an outraged manner, but he didn’t even know what the guardians’ ‘oath’ was. So, his words were little more than hot air.

“Facing any threat to the gate is part of our duty,” the vampire spoke.

“Does that include coming up to the descending chamber in the deep depths upon detecting excessive amounts of soul energy?” Orodan asked, and that seemed to get a reaction out of the Fallen Void Archon for once.

“You lie human, never have I done such a thing,” the Fallen Void Archon spoke in an incredibly loud and alien voice which sounded like meteors crashing together, then translated through the System. And it was technically correct, as it hadn’t happened in this loop, but the very first one where he cleansed the Blessings of the Gods from his soul and attracted the Fallen Void Archon directly from the abyssal depths. “Your strength is great, as is your impossible ability to gain resistance skills against much of my offensive repertoire. Even if you bested Kaliyega and forced me to retreat simultaneously, you’ll find three gate guardians at once a more difficult task to overcome.”

“I’m flattered you feel the need to have three gate guardians for me,” Orodan spoke. “Come then, let’s settle the score from earlier Void Archon. I’ll show you how even three of you aren’t enough. And I’ll step foot past the threshold and see what lies deeper in this abyss.”

Nothing else was said between the four beings involved. One moment they were conversing, the next, calamity occurred.

It was a good thing the chamber of the first gate was quite reinforced, otherwise at least a few hundred miles of terrain would’ve been obliterated. Enough to destroy the smallest of the Eastern Kingdoms, and it was a humbling thought to know he was capable of collectively causing such utter devastation now.

The True Vampire was his main focus. Absolute Soul Dominion empowered his sword and shield and Orodan used an Endless Blitz of All-Strikes to match it blow for blow. It didn’t have a Mythical rage skill like the Minotaur did, although, it was more skilled in combat. The Eldritch Minotaur was a mindless, crazed beast. This True Vampire was neither of those; it used the prowess of a melee-oriented quadruple-Grandmaster accordingly.

It flitted in and out and refused to engage with Orodan for too long in a single stretch. The moment it realized its own attacks were being returned with more than four times the damage, the vampire immediately lowered the damage of its attacks to a sustainable level. A poor choice if it assumed Orodan could be outlasted.

All the while, the familiar Archon continually sent spells of ice, water, fire, lightning, wind, and earth towards Orodan. Each arm corresponded to a different element, and it even began sending other elements such as steam and lava against him, although his existing resistance skills gave him much protection against those.

The Psionic Centipede, however, was a true annoyance. It wasn’t that it could kill him or was dangerous, but that it genuinely forced Orodan to experience every kind of pain. Alongside soul and mind assaults of the Grandmaster-level and a constant scalding heat from its flames.

Its very species was related to psionics, and it was a quadruple-Grandmaster, so it undoubtedly hit Orodan with mental assaults beyond any he’d ever experienced from mortals. The book, the headmistress of the psionic school at Bluefire, all would be put to shame against this naturally psionic gate guardian.

Despite his Psionic Resistance, Orodan still had his mind infiltrated.

Immediately, Orodan found himself within one of his own memories. He was in a dark alleyway, clad in ragged clothes and felt far smaller, as though he was a child. The shop owner threw out the trash, and at the very top of the bag, was a relatively unspoiled if stale, piece of jerky. Before him, a bigger and older boy with a hungry look in his eyes… and in his own hands, a broken and rusted sword he’d found lying about town.

And in the sky above, a gigantic centipede looming above it all, swooping down towards him.

“I see one of your earliest memories is that of being a killer. Why do you speak to that soft vampire as though you’re averse to slaughter? You were made for it,” it spoke in a strange and chittering voice which was translated. “I too slaughtered and tortured my way across my home world until I was confronted and cast out to the void in exile. It’s good to see somebody else with the same thirst.”

“We aren’t the same. You used your strength to torture and bully the weak,” Orodan replied. “And while there’s plenty of blood on my hands, it isn’t because I enjoy slaughter. The boy I killed on this day, was because of my weakness. I was too weak to simply beat him till submission, and I was concerned he’d get up and call the guard on me. I seek strength… so I never have to resort to desperate measures again. The power to live how I want.”

“Yet another soft one, you and that blood-rejecter would get along well,” it spoke, and then the mental combat truly began.

His mind snapped to attention and immediately his form changed back to his own. Like a juggernaut, he crashed into the psionic centipede over and over in the battlefield that was his mind. It outmatched him in terms of skill, finesse and understanding of how to move within mindscapes.

However, Orodan’s Psionic Resistance was level 75. And even it began to look shocked at the other thing he had it handily beat in. Raw willpower.

Any other being would’ve been knocked unconscious as their mindscape self was eviscerated, but for Orodan getting mauled in his own mind was merely standard practice. He’d fought off Gods and Eldritch divinities before, and while this Psionic Centipede had displayed more skill in mental combat than either of them… it couldn’t compare to someone who would keep getting up endlessly.

“Like attempting to move a world itself… I can see why the mage was unable to deal with you through soul assaults. You also possess the Psionic Resistance skill… level 70 at least? This assault of mine is beginning to cost more energy than it’s worth,” the Psionic Centipede spoke. “But know this, whether you thirst for blood or not, the path you tread can only lead to death and misery for you. I became anathema to my world, and so will you.”

[Psionic Resistance 75 ? Psionic Resistance 76]

That was the final message Orodan received before he kicked the infiltrator out of his mind. Absolute Soul Dominion allowed him to easily defend against any attempts upon the soul, but Psionics could still prove to be a problem. Psionic mind assaults essentially bypassed soul defenses as they didn’t target the soul, but the mind directly. Something to keep in mind for the future if Orodan ever ran into a stronger Psionic opponent.

In the real world, less than a second had passed throughout the entire mental battle. However, that was a long time in a fight where beings could launch hundreds of attacks a second. His body had taken some serious damage by the time he returned, and a hasty empowerment of Harmony of Vitality returned him to the fight.

All-Consuming Rage was activated, and Orodan began fighting earnestly.

Sword and shield empowered by Absolute Soul Dominion clashed against the True Vampire as fourteen of Orodan fought against it, all while the Archon hit him with an absolute torrent of spells which he could now resist easier. The Psionic Centipede kept a distance and had stopped its assaults as it realized every attack was returned more than fourfold. Its ability to dish out an offensive was great, but its ability to take one, not so much.

Like that, it had turned into a two against one once more, and Orodan felt better about the odds of his success.

“Siyendara! Assist us! Do not simply stand there in defiance of your oath!” the Fallen Void Archon roared as Orodan began to gain ground in a two on one fight rather than a three on one. “Why do you shy away like a craven?! Utilize your mind arts to stall him once more!”

“I am afraid his Psionic Resistance is too high,” the Psionic Centipede calmly replied as it stood off to the side. “That troublesome damage returning skill is simply too dangerous as well. Without a doubt it is Mythical at least.”

The Fallen Void Archon gave the centipede one last look of utter fury before the battle was resumed.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the battle raged on as Orodan continued pushing the True Vampire back. But, something distinctly felt off. He really shouldn’t have been making as much progress as he had. He was facing two quadruple-Grandmasters. Yes, he’d beaten the Eldritch Minotaur, but also because it had been far more mindless and unskilled than this vampire was. He at least expected to struggle more.

Absolute Soul Dominion struck the True Vampire, and suddenly Orodan found himself in a mindscape tinged with blood. An entire nation… fallen; slain to the last being. A vampire among the ruins of his former home, in front of him, the broken body of his wife, the last vestiges of divine power leaving her body. This was when it slew an Avatar.

This was the moment that led to it rejecting the power of its blood.

Orodan could’ve moved forward and destroyed its representation in its mindscape, thereby sending it to unconsciousness. But something about the memory simply made him sad. And when the true vampire within the memory simply looked at Orodan, and then returned to mourning, he left out of respect.

Although, on the way out he recognized many dark fogs upon its soul and decided to clean some of those up during his exit.

[Absolute Soul Dominion 58 ? Absolute Soul Dominion 60]

In the real world, the vampire stopped fighting and simply fell to a knee, its eyes filled with complicated emotions. Its heart, lightened.

[Sword Mastery 81 ? Sword Mastery 82]

[Shield Mastery 78 ? Shield Mastery 79]

But instead of striking a final blow, his sword and shield were put away.

“You’ve won mortal, I hope you-”

“Enough games,” Orodan interrupted. “I understand why you haven’t used the power of blood, but I still feel disrespected at the fact that you were holding back. Alongside that centipede deciding to simply give up mid-battle, this has been a little too easy.”

Silence reigned for a moment as the combat stopped.

“This weakling refuses to use the blood arts,” the centipede spoke. “He isn’t known as the Blood-Rejecter for nothing. There. No need for him to give his pitiful backstory now.”

A little rude towards what should’ve been its fellow gate guardian, but at least that explained why Orodan had such an easy time. Beating three quadruple-Grandmasters at the same time should’ve been an otherwise incredibly difficult feat. Hells, he was halfway expecting to die against the True Vampire a few times if it had used blood.

“And you, why did you just give up?” Orodan asked the Psionic Centipede.

“I don’t like getting hurt,” it replied. “Your skill is rather painful.”

“But… you’re a Pain Grandmaster! That shouldn’t mean anything to you!”

“Mortal… Pain Grandmastery doesn’t come with the Pain Resistance skill,” it replied. “I don’t know how high yours is, but I am no glutton for punishment like you seem to be.”

Orodan simply shook his head.

“And what about you? The other two I understand, but why’ve you stopped all of a sudden? Aren’t you a gate guardian?” Orodan asked the Archon.

“In truth warrior, without my brethren keeping your attention, I do not think I have the means to survive a direct assault from you. I cannot simply flee it either as this gate is what I must defend,” the Archon replied. “But… I still hope to convince you to not pass.”

Oh, so that’s what this was. Orodan had given them a way out by offering a mere fight till defeat rather than one to the death. And since combat wasn’t something they could win, the Archon instead chose to try one last attempt at words.

“I truly do seek answers,” Orodan spoke. “Why did the Void Horror come up thirty-thousand years ago? Whom was it that fled after crossing the first gate and why did the Void Horror follow and annihilate civilization on the surface?”

“I am sorry… but I cannot answer those questions, my oath prevents it,” the Archon replied. “You have come far mortal, but you will face only death past the first gate. The strength you’ve shown isn’t enough to survive. Surely the surface must value someone of your strength? Have you not those you care for? Why throw it all away to pointlessly die?”

“Death isn’t a concern for me,” Orodan replied. “I’m afraid I must pass then. Are you oath-bound to die defending the gate?”

“Yes, this is my section of the gate… I will die defending it, whether I want to or not. My brethren have come from their own entrances to assist me but aren’t bound to defend mine till death or inability like I am,” it spoke. “For such is the oath I took.”

The Archon simply nodded. The other two gate guardians weren’t in a deathly state of urgency to stop him, but the Fallen Void Archon did look like it would fight to the death.

Without it attempting to flee or evade, Orodan caught it and easily wrestled it to the ground. Its specialty was spell casting, not the physical arts. But instead of killing it, he used Absolute Soul Dominion upon it, seeking to knock its consciousness out by killing its mental self.

And while it was quite slippery in the mindscape, with nobody else interfering, Orodan managed to eventually catch it and send it to unconsciousness.

“Mortal… I will not presume to tell you what to do,” the true vampire spoke. “You respected the integrity of my memory, and my soul feels lighter thanks to you, which I am grateful for. But my brethren did not lie when he said only death awaits you beyond the threshold. Step foot past the first gate, and you will die.”

“I understand. The warning is appreciated, but I’ll advance all the same,” Orodan replied. With slow steps he approached the center of the dense packing of System glyphs and symbols, and then, he put his hand upon the core. Which led to the entire stone wall condensing inwards into the glowing core in the center, the gate no longer present as it had been sucked in.

Beyond the threshold, it wasn’t as dark as Orodan was used to in the abyssal depths. Glowing red ostolitus mushrooms lined the walls, as did incredibly energy dense mana crystals. Alongside something he really hadn’t expected.

Civilization.

There were tall buildings in the distance, and Orodan’s eyes could even make out monsters strolling about the roads, walkways, and bridges between the buildings. There was an entire monster civilization past the first gate.

Flying monsters, land-based monsters and all manner of strange beings akin to the Fallen Void Archon and the True Vampire were present. The True Vampire and the Centipede immediately exited the area, although they did retrieve the unconscious body of their companion as they did.

The opening of the gate however caused all of them to look his way, and their eyes widened in fear. Many roars, shrieks and cries of outrage could be heard, and he even heard a magically amplified voice or two urging him to turn back lest he bring ruin and doom upon them all.

Unfortunately, those voices reached him too late, as his foot passed the threshold of the first gate and stepped onto the other side.

[First World Gate Crossed - Alastaia]

[New Title ? World Gate Delver]

[Warning - You have become the target of a Quest]

[Quest Subject ? The Descending Intruder - Defeat Orodan Wainwright, Delver of the first World Gate, protect the World Core of Alastaia]

Orodan’s eyes widened upon seeing the messages, and he felt the premonition of something very bad coming his way very swiftly.

The landscape before him was of an incredibly large descending grand hallway, and it was within this grand space that the many buildings and structures of the monster civilization were. However, it wasn’t them who approached Orodan.

It was something quite big in the distance, and very fast. It looked familiar, although without the purple and gray lines of energy running through it, quite different in its natural state. A tall grey humanoid… from the visual description alone it looked shockingly similar to the Eldritch Avatar, but uncorrupted.

This was a Void Horror, untouched by the Eldritch.

And before Orodan could even think to use Observe, it had only one thing to say.

“Invader! I will not be dragged around on a chase like my brother was… stand and die with dignity!”

He prepared every single skill he had, but it was to no avail. The gigantic hand reached him and enveloped his entire vision. From what he saw, the attack was composed purely of soul energy.

Not a single cell was left to reform from.

Darkness was all he knew after it reached.

A keening wail ringing in the night sky awoke him.

Orodan wasn’t even sure how he died so quickly, but that thing, whatever it was… must’ve been the strongest being in that section of the depths. Possibly the strongest being past the first gate altogether.

Quests weren’t usually given to weaklings, but to beings who were powerful and had the highest chance of success. The wandering hero Adeltaj aided for example, was a prince of the Eastern Kingdoms back in his day, and Cyvrosdyr was a World Guardian. Orodan still didn’t know why the world had selected him for the Battle of Ogdenborough, but perhaps it knew about the time loops?

Either way, his grinding against the abyssal depths would come to an end for now. Orodan would love nothing more than to die against whatever monstrosities lurked below, but there were a few reasons he didn’t just rush to do that. First, he was essentially barging into the home of these monsters and just giving them a beating, which was rather unjust. Additionally, he didn’t want to potentially force the True Vampire to use Blood against him if he kept pushing it too far over and over across many loops. He had seen its memory and felt it disrespectful to corner it into such a thing, even if the particular entrance he approached wasn’t the section it was gate guardian for.

Second, there was an entire civilization of monsters behind the first gate. Compared to his pre-loops self, Orodan had seen much more of the world now and knew that many monsters could be peaceful. Even if he got strong enough to the point that he could survive the Void Horror, he didn’t want to simply clash against it and obliterate the monster civilization in the process. The collateral damage would simply be too high, and he wasn’t apathetic enough towards innocent life that he was willing to cause such destruction each time.

Additionally, its final words before Orodan’s swift death indicated that it knew the last Void Horror thirty-thousand years ago. Whether it was an actual sibling or not was up in the air. It also confirmed that someone really had fled and caused the Void Horror to be drawn upwards.

Despite not being empowered by the Eldritch, this unaltered Void Horror was oddly more dangerous to Orodan than the Eldritch Avatar. Yes, the Eldritch Avatar was more powerful overall, however Orodan had the vaunted mythical rarity Eldritch Resistance which allowed him to take less damage from Eldritch than otherwise. This unaltered Void Horror on the other hand, used soul energy, which Orodan had no defenses for. It simply had to be a quintuple-Grandmaster, there was no other way it was strong enough to one-shot Orodan otherwise.

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Therefore, until he could draw it somewhere there wouldn’t be any casualties, Orodan wasn’t interested in attempting to cross the first gate again. He needed not only power to fight it, but also a broadened skill set which would allow him to draw the battle elsewhere, preserve innocent lives and grow as a warrior.

It was time to learn more magic.

It was time to take Balastion Novar up on his offer and go to Novarria.

To see just how advanced the Empire and its teachings really were.

He cleaned his entire neighborhood, the mayor’s mansion, the various shops of Ogdenborough and even paid a visit to the healing house of Scarmorrow to finally cure the two hunters of their curses using Absolute Soul Dominion.

This loop, his approach to Eversong Plaza and the ancient machine under the mountain would be a little different.

“Hey, who are you? Why is your face covered with a mask?” the Adept-level enforcer asked him. “Don’t you know the plaza belongs to House Argon?”

[New Skill ? Disguise 1]

Frankly, Orodan couldn’t believe such a shoddy rag covering his head and face worked. He didn’t even need the eyes exposed as Vision of Purity did just fine in allowing him to ‘see’ things.

Of course, someone had to go and ruin the fun.

“Hey… isn’t that… Orodan Wainwright?!” one of the enforcers atop the balcony yelled. “Hey! Who do you think you’re fooling?!”

“…but how?! My disguise was perfect!”

“How do you expect to hide when you’re so big?! I recognized your walk, and you have brown hair sticking out!” the enforcer yelled. “What game are you playing?!”

“My Eagle Sight skill confirms it, that’s Orodan Wainwright!”

So much for his disguise… it was time to do things a different way.

Absolute Soul Dominion lashed out and immediately targeted the nearest enforcer who saw him. Orodan found himself in the mindscape of a man in the midst of a fierce battle between a Republic trading caravan and a group of Guzuharan raiders. This was where the man achieved the Adept-level in Axe Mastery.

Orodan gently lashed out and eliminated the man’s memory self, sending the enforcer into unconsciousness in the real world. He then quickly rooted through the man’s memories in a haphazard way until he saw the most recent memory of his, seeing Orodan himself. He struck out and battered it into oblivion.

[Absolute Soul Dominion 60 ? Absolute Soul Dominion 61]

Less than a tenth of a second passed in the real world.

Orodan moved onto the next one, all while his extensive catalogue of cleaning supplies were in hand. Cleaning while simultaneously knocking out and memory wiping the guards of House Argon. This was his strategically concocted scheme to avoid attention this loop.

“You possess the finesse of an ogre in mental combat. Smashing their memories to remove them can leave lasting damage if done on anything but very recent ones,” his book companion spoke. He had picked her up from the White Cloud clan as usual. “These poor louts will all wake up with miserable headaches and feel like throwing up.”

“Isn’t that better than physically giving them a beating or killing them?” Orodan asked as he continued mopping the stone pavement of the plaza while knocking out another two Apprentice-level guards with Absolute Soul Dominion. “I’d say it’s an improvement over my early loops where I was a little wild and slaughtered them indiscriminately.”

This was a taste of the power Orodan had wanted all along. The strength to dictate his choices according to his own ideals. In the past stealth wouldn’t have been an option once discovered, and Orodan would’ve had to slaughter all enemy witnesses. But now? He could simply delve into their souls and knock them out while cleaning.

All around the plaza, people were out on the ground, unconscious from Orodan’s soul scouring.

“Perhaps, but we’ll need to work on your finesse with mental combat. Right now, you’re mainly assaulting their soul and only reach their mind as a byproduct of that,” she explained. “But don’t get the mistaken notion in your head that you know anything about mental combat or the techniques of delving mindscapes. Your mind is anomalously powerful, but you’re the equivalent of a newborn baby picking up a sword and using it, even though you have the strength of a mountain. Your natural mental strength is no substitute for proper technique.”

“I’m aware of that. When I used Absolute Soul Dominion on some of the denizens of the depths, I discovered how woeful my skill in mental combat was,” Orodan spoke as he cleaned and knocked another three Adepts out as they exited the tavern to see what was going on. “I’m just surprised I gained no levels in a mental combat skill from all that.”

“It’s harder to gain any mental combat related skills while using the soul as a medium to access minds,” she explained as she fluttered about his head. “There’s also the distinct possibility that you’re quite untalented in the mind arts.”

Orodan had a slight frown on his face but didn’t argue the possibility. He was already quite untalented at magic, so there was a good chance the mind arts were the same.

Either way, the conversation between them was cut short as he made his way to the front doors of the Castarian’s Boot Tavern, the entrance to the tunnels beneath the mountain. He first began cleaning the porch, then the doors.

During this process, another guard came out.

“Oi… who the hells are you?”

“Cleaning staff, just tidying up a bit, look how dirty this place is,” Orodan replied. “I know you Argon goons have dirty characters, but does that have to extend to the tavern and its cleanliness as well?”

“You…! I’ll-”

The guard’s speech was cut off as Absolute Soul Dominion struck him. Behind Orodan, the Republic loyalists who’d featured in his first life, finally arrived, and looked flabbergasted at all the unconscious bodies lying about. Thus, he quickly entered the tavern.

A wealthy tavern interior with serving girls, guards, Guzuharan raiders and their warchief. The warchief was none other than Ovuru World-Drinker who was about to come out and engage the Republic loyalists outside. This was the man Orodan had died to in his very first life. A Master-level Guzuharan who was the chief of Clan Leviathan, a raider tribe.

“Oh? Those churls I sent out haven’t returned and instead an unknown man wearing a raggedy disguise walks in?” Ovuru remarked, amusement in his tone. “This should be entertaining! Let him make his excuse boys, I want to hear what he comes up with.”

“Greetings sir, I’m with the Ogdenborough Department of Public Sanitation, and I’m here to inform you that this building fails to meet sanitation standards,” Orodan spoke. “Too much trash in one place.”

The Guzuharan warchief burst out laughing, and his raiders followed. Of course, they stopped laughing awfully quick once the handle of Orodan’s broom, empowered with Absolute Soul Dominion, made its way through Ovuru’s throat.

Killing a Master in an instant was but a trifling matter now.

He was trying to be better. But Guzuharan raiders were the reason Orodan was an orphan. The murderous scum would wantonly slaughter and murder during their raids on caravans taking coastal routes. Raider tribes, and their vile God Agorhiku, would get no mercy from him.

The other raiders were swiftly slain the next instant after Ovuru’s death, and the hardest part was getting all the bloodstains and gore out of the wooden floorboards as he cleaned.

“If there are any complaints with the service, please take it up with the manager for our local branch, Olosco Fendinhall,” Orodan spoke as he cleaned. “Our department strives to maintain a certain level of sanitation all across the Republic.”

He hoped this dumb excuse of his wouldn’t get the poor manager in actual trouble.

Of course, expecting the remaining guards and staff to reply when they were shivering in fear was a bit much, so Orodan put them to sleep and silently continued his work.

[Cleaning 77 ? Cleaning 78]

He received that message as he finished working on the tavern. The upper levels had more staff and a torture room with an unfortunate corpse who had been interrogated too harshly. A last-minute spy perhaps? Orodan had closed the victim’s eyes, cleaned the corpse, and respectfully placed a blanket over it before making his way down to the tunnels.

The rocky pathways of the tunnels leading downward were also cleaned, all while Orodan ran into two Elite-level Novarrians who attempted to ambush him. Of course, Vision of Purity saw everything, including the Novarrians waiting in the control chamber. He swiftly knocked them out and continued as he cleaned his way downward.

“Sir, have you heard the reports… some sort of maniacal janitor is invading us! No word from the Guzuharans or their warchief… some eccentric Master of the Republic no doubt!” spoke an Adept Novarrian soldier to his superior, an Elite-level halberdier. “Captain Tibiratus, what do we do?!”

“We can’t fight, I’ve heard no communication from sirs Esterios and Leonikos, and they’re both Elites like myself… we’ll die if we attempt to resist,” the Captain spoke. “We’ll try and negotiate! Surely, they’ll spare a poor penal battalion?”

“I have no desire to kill you if that’s what your concern is,” Orodan spoke up, catching them by surprise and causing them to all jump. “I knocked everyone unconscious on the way in, grab the bodies of your comrades and make your way outside the tavern. Republic loyalists should be coming in anyways, so simply surrender to them and your lives will be spared.”

“Truly? We cannot thank you enough for your mercy, esteemed er… cleaning master?”

“Not yet… I’m still twelve levels away till I can call myself that,” Orodan corrected.

“Sir… if you don’t mind me asking, you’re here for the machine, aren’t you?” the Captain asked and Orodan nodded. “In that case, allow me to repay your mercy by warning that there are at least two Masters within the control chamber. Duke Arestos… and… Baron Viglas Argon. As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, House Argon has betrayed your Republic.”

“Oh that? I appreciate the warning, but I have no need or interest in fighting weaklings if I don’t have to,” Orodan replied, causing them to look at him in wonder. “I’ve also known for a while now that House Argon are traitors.”

He continued on his merry way, cleaning and knocking Novarrians out, and when he reached the junction just before the control chamber, where a group of ten Elite-level Novarrians were waiting for him, Orodan made his move.

There were various vents and holes in each chamber which led deeper into the mountain, and of course, at the level they were, it was the wild depths. Thus, when a vent from the wild depths led all the way to the deep depths, it was an excellent escape route.

All-Consuming Rage activated, and Orodan cleanly drained the entirety of the machine. He disregarded the messages and subsequent notice of aborted Reward and simply hopped down the dark hole which led to a very low part of the deep depths as Vision of Purity informed him.

As he did so, the door to the control chamber slammed open and Duke Arestos had an enraged look on his face. Well, Orodan did ruin the man’s fancy little toy.

“Stop him! He-”

The words were cut off as gravity carried him down the hole, down past the wild depths and into the deep depths. On the way down, Orodan encountered a Grandmaster monster here and there but tried to fall past without conflict. The cockatrice and snake he encountered were too surprised and flabbergasted at his sudden descent to react and he happily allowed gravity to carry him past them. A Grandmaster centipede attempted to snap out with its jaws and catch an easy meal, but it immediately shrieked and fled back into its burrow once Orodan was close enough. Its monster instincts kicked in, allowing it to recognize that it was trying to catch a meal vastly stronger than itself.

Finally, just as he was about to reach the bottom, his fall was broken by something elastic but quite strong. Spider webs. The Grandmaster great spider to whom the webs belonged, looked mortified.

“Invader! Get out of my web!” it shrieked.

“Apologies, I was simply trying to escape my pursuers above,” Orodan explained. “I’m trying to avoid killing Novarrians this time and the only way to reliably avoid the Avatars and Grandmasters without too much collateral, is by entering the deep depths.”

“So more pursuers will come this way and threaten my home?!” it shrieked angrily and its fangs glistened. “What calamity have you brought upon me?!”

Orodan felt slightly bad. This great spider had simply been minding its own business, and then he had dropped into its web, startling it and introducing the threat of potential pursuers.

“Look, I’m very sorry, your webs are pure enough that my Vision of Purity didn’t detect them until it was too late,” Orodan explained. “How about I carve you a safe path to a new home as recompense?”

“And have you betray me in a vulnerable moment when I’m separated from my web? I think not,” the spider replied. “Leave and never return!”

Orodan sighed but abided by its request. He was the one at fault for falling into its home anyways. He tore apart the webs binding him with casual ease, causing the spider to warily back further into its burrow, and then he finally hit the ground at the bottom of the hole he’d been falling down.

Vision of Purity sensed the arrival of a familiar Novarrian Grandmaster up above, but the man would be stupid to delve into a hole which led to the deep depths. And Orodan would be long gone by the time he gathered enough reinforcements to do so.

He’d travelled for a full day in the deep depths, heading in the direction of Novarria before he finally felt confident enough to tunnel upwards. It had gained him two levels in Pathfinding.

Of course, almost everything in the deep depths had run away upon seeing him. Yes, the creatures at that level underground were quite territorial, but a large enough difference in power, and even a daring monster’s instinctual senses would warn it that tussling with Orodan was a bad idea.

The good part about using the deep depths to travel, was that virtually no tracking methods he knew of worked thanks to the abundant amounts of world energy which caused interference. The threads of fate within the tapestry became extremely muddled, mana signals and threads were jumbled and spatiomancy was incredibly difficult without set relays to maintain a stable chain.

In other words, he hadn’t been tracked or followed once he broke the surface.

Now, he stood before a city he’d only heard stories about as the oldest human city on Inuan.

Novar’s Peak was located in the center of the Empire of Novarria. Long ago, when the first emperor had formed the empire by uniting a number of disparate tribes and petty kingdoms, this was the mountaintop his coronation was held upon. After the collapse thirty-thousand years in the past, the Empire of Novarria was the first human nation of real power to emerge over nineteen-thousand years ago. And unlike Karilsgard which was merely a few thousand years old, this city’s architecture and development was positively ancient.

Towering spires which were taller than Mount Castarian, and not just a few but enough to make an entire district of towers at the center, and crowning it all was the imperial citadel, the oldest human building on the continent. If Orodan thought Karilsgard was a sight for the eyes, then Novar’s Peak made it look diminutive.

Tower district aside, miles upon miles of buildings extended from the center, and Novar’s Peak was at least three times the size of the Republic’s capital city. Little wonder then, that the Imperials referred to their academy as the Novar’s Peak Academy, as though saying there was no need for a specific name, the association with the city’s was enough.

Orodan had many miles of urban sprawl to trek through, and he’d have to do it slowly to avoid drawing attention. Sprinting through and causing damage just wasn’t an option. Novar’s Peak was atop a mountain, but the urban development consisted of walled ‘rings’ which denoted districts. There were multiple districts, but the central three were the most important. The commercial district where high-end goods were sold, arenas were run, adventurer guilds operated, and all sorts of luxury services were provided. The noble district where some of the oldest families and lineages of humanity made their residence, and the royal district with all the towers where the imperial citadel and the Novar’s Peak Academy were located.

Frankly, Orodan could spend multiple loops exploring the city and still not discover everything.

The walls were over a thousand metres tall and had intermittent defensive towers much like Karilsgard did, with crews of ranged martial specialists and mages atop each one. And of course, dangerous looking magical artillery weapons. Altogether, the city’s defenses could likely kill an Avatar or force it to burn out in its attempts to get through.

There was much development outside of the outer walls, but nothing of critical importance. Whatever was outside, was mainly concentrated around the gates, where the entrances to this grand and ancient city were. It was here, that Orodan began his venture into Novar’s Peak.

His brown hair was on full display, and his raggedy covering gone. In Novar’s Peak, on the second day of a new long loop, nobody knew Orodan Wainwright; not when he’d taken steps to ensure his identity was hidden as he disabled the machine.

“Boots! Get yourself a fresh pair of sturdy boots! Lots of walking if you’re entering Novar’s Peak!”

“So much to do, so much to see! Get yourself an official map of our ancient city, certified by the Department of Tourism! Only ten silvers!”

“Tour guides available, starting at thirty silvers an hour! Discounted rates available for the full day!”

Such was the hustle and mercantile bustle near the Flower Gate, which was the most popular entrance to the city meant for tourists, visitors, and commerce. A full battalion of guards was posted at the gigantic entrance. They inspected people, checked caravans and the contents of containers, and many of them atop protruding walkways scanned the crowds entering and leaving with hawk-eyed ardor. From what Orodan could sense, each gate also had an Elite-level guard who could respond immediately to threats. The woman was inconspicuously sitting atop a crate looking at a list pretending to be a mere administrative civilian, but Orodan’s instinctive sense didn’t lie; the woman was stronger than any other guard present.

And a problem soon became apparent, although it was Orodan’s own fault for appearing the way he was.

“Hold it! Who’re you?” an approaching Adept-level guard asked, accompanied by another. “You look dirtier than a laborer but have the physique of a warrior with weapons to match. Identify yourself.”

“Orodan Wainwright, I simply want to see the sights of the city,” he replied. “I wanted to visit the Memorial of the First Emperor.”

“…are you mad? They wouldn’t let you within a mile of the citadel looking like that,” the guard replied. “Get out of here before I slap the dirt off your face.”

The other guard, older looking, stepped in and ushered his colleague back.

“You look tough, and your eyes tell me you’ve seen real combat before,” the senior guard spoke, addressing Orodan. The man then turned back to his brash fellow. “Servus… this man wouldn’t be wandering around alone, looking dirty and with weapons at his side if he didn’t know how to use them. I reckon the dirt’s from traveling, so have a bit more respect in how you speak boy. I doubt you’d fare well in a fight against him.”

“I’m not looking for trouble,” Orodan assuaged. “I really do just want to see someone in Novar’s Peak.”

“Might I ask who?”

“The first emperor,” Orodan replied.

“Oh? You must mean the memorial chamber in the citadel,” the guard spoke, and Orodan didn’t correct the man’s assumption. “Servus speaks with the arrogance of a youth yet to be humbled, but it’s true that there are certain dress regulations to be allowed in as a visitor to the royal district, and monetary requirements. You have the coin for it?”

“Not quite… but I’ll make do somehow,” Orodan replied. “As for my entrance to the city, do I need to pay you something? Or am I free to enter? Your Captain sitting on the crate there looks rather unconcerned, so I take it that means the decision-making power is yours.”

“Normally we don’t allow peasantry, unskilled laborers and shoddy-looking visitors through the Flower Gate. Lowers the visual appeal,” the guard spoke. “But you look as though you’re an adventurer, so I’ll ask you to make your way towards the nearest guild to register.”

“That’s it? No fees? No tests or background verifications?” Orodan asked.

“Not from us,” the guard replied. “Now then, go on before the Captain wonders why we’ve been talking for so long and decides to wander over.”

Orodan didn’t have to be told twice, so he simply went along past the Flower Gate. And as he did, his Vision of Purity didn’t miss the pulse of dirty mana sent from a signal amulet to a source further into the city.

The streets of Novar’s Peak past the Flower Gate were spacious and lined with shops, street vendors hawking decent quality wares and all manner of artists and courtesans offering products and services. There was also a stage in the middle of the street where a band was performing while an illusionist put up a dazzling light show. Altogether, it was a spectacle meant to enrapture tourists and visitors and it did so well, as even Orodan found it rather wondrous and entertaining.

That didn’t mean he was distracted, however.

He got strange looks from people as he walked by, but that he made it past the guards legitimized his presence in the city, even if he did look like a dirty beggar. Finally, thirty seconds after walking down the main road, he turned the corner into an alleyway, and this was where he drew out his watchers.

He felt the familiar feeling of a psionic infiltration attempt upon his mind. It wasn’t offensive and meant to harm, but merely to probe. The attacker, however, was merely at the Adept-level; and the complete lack of effect was noted not only by Orodan, but also the would-be-infiltrator. His Psionic Resistance of 76 was keenly felt as the Adept-level psionic was forced to withdraw, but Orodan in turn had a vague understanding of the direction the mental assault came from.

He wouldn’t have noticed if the man hadn’t immediately sent out a pulse of dirty mana from a communications amulet. Enchanted items, particularly the widespread ones which used mana, weren’t specifically attuned to a particular user. As a result, mana pulses sent from them tended to be rather impure, which Vision of Purity picked up on.

The assailant was behind a wall in the next building; however Whirlpool Whirlwind was at a high enough skill level now that Orodan could target somebody behind a wall without affecting the wall itself. A winding motion of his right hand caused the probing psionic to smack into the wall, and Orodan heard a thud in the wall next to him. His own hand subsequently shattered the wall to reveal the bruised spy behind it. A hand wrapped around the man’s neck and brought him up.

“Why try to read my mind?” Orodan asked.

“Wait! It’s just standard protocol for anyone the gate guards deem beyond their ability to handle! I’m not the one who made the decision sir!” the man hastily replied in a panic.

Orodan sighed and let the man drop, particularly since he felt the ripples of spatial fluctuations in the alleyway.

Five people stepped out, four of whom were Elites and the leader being a Master. The four lackeys were heavily armored, wielding an assortment of melee weapons, while the Master looked to be a mage.

“Now this is a right mess, why did you launch your probe from within a civilian building?” the Master asked the Adept-level psionic who was still pitifully on the ground looking up. “Have you forgotten that standard protocol during a Code Unknown is to only use Psionic probes from behind enchanted defences? But of course, you knew that… let me guess, you wanted to prove yourself and stepped outside the bounds of your training?”

“Master… forgive me, I-”

“Enough,” the Master spoke calmly. “You’ll report to division headquarters immediately for a session of conditioning.”

The man looked quite scared but accepted it with a grim nod.

“Anyhow, am I free to leave?” Orodan asked. “Your lackey tried reading my mind and I rather fairly took issue with that.”

The Master-level psionic gave him an incredulous look.

“No Mister Wainwright, you are not free to leave,” the Master spoke. “You’re inside Novar’s Peak and are therefore subject to our surveillance before we deem you safe to simply walk around. Do you think we just let random people walk around inside our capital?”

“Well, that does make sense, but I’ve never seen the equivalent in the Republic,” Orodan remarked. “Then again I entered Karilsgard as a somewhat known person last time…”

“You must’ve been expected, or someone saw and recognized you in Karilsgard,” the man spoke. “That being said, the Republic’s intelligence gathering capabilities are vastly inferior to ours, even if they like pretending they’re equivalent since they descend from Imperial tradition.”

“I see, so you’re some kind of spymaster then? What have I done to draw your attention?”

“I’m Vilethicus Androsic, Director of the Novarrian Intelligence Service and head of the Psionic division,” the man introduced. “And you, Mister Wainwright, have drawn our attention with your exquisite rarity Psionic Resistance skill. All our psionic-trained operatives are able to detect the existence of Psionic Resistance through certain tells during an assault, and it’s quite concerning to the Empire to have someone of your level of strength simply waltzing into our city. Might we know your intentions?”

“Would you believe me if I said I’m simply here to see the first emperor?” Orodan asked.

“No, I would not,” Vilethicus answered. “Why would someone of your strength want to visit the Memorial for non-malicious reasons? I doubt you’re merely an Elite… a Master then? Strange, I’ve heard nothing about an Orodan Wainwright being Master-level, and our analysts are poring through records and making inquiries as we speak. The only mention is within the records of the Volarbury County militia in the Republic of Aden, and that mentions the Apprentice-level militia man in Ogdenborough. Are you a Republic operative then?”

He had to admit, the Imperials’ intelligence capabilities were quite good. But intelligence gathering was one thing… and the strength to affect the situation, was another.

“I’m not a Republic operative, and I’m afraid I have someone to meet in the Royal Citadel,” Orodan answered. “I apologize for what’s about to happen.”

The man wasn’t stupid. And he’d also brought backup, a lot of it. Orodan had felt the spatial fluctuations through Vision of Purity, and he could tell that there were at least ten Master-level combatants on the other side of the nascent portals.

All-Consuming Rage drained the portals and the entirety of Vilethicus and his guards’ mana pools. Absolute Soul Dominion knocked them unconscious shortly after. Orodan attempted to do the same for Vilethicus, however the man simply wouldn’t stop fleeing hid attempts to kill his mental self and send him to unconsciousness. Orodan wasn’t about to outright destroy an innocent man’s mind by rampaging through it, so he instead slapped the puny mage across the face in the real world to put him to sleep.

Immediately, Orodan began moving quickly as he could towards the citadel. Portals began opening up furiously nearby, but All-Consuming Rage drained them of mana, preventing the reinforcements from spilling through. Finally, three opponents reached him manually, all three of them Grandmasters.

Orodan leapt high into the air hoping to avoid collateral damage, and they gladly followed and unleashed attacks upon him. An arrow, an axe and a powerful fireball came his way and Orodan slapped all attacks away. Single-Grandmasters weren’t a threat to him at this point.

In the air however, more portals opened, and these weren’t composed of mana but soul energy. Spatial Grandmasters were joining the fight, and a familiar figure came through atop a dragon.

“Hail friend! Don’t you know it’s incredibly rude to rampage through someone else’s city? I developed many of these districts myself back in the day,” spoke the cursed reincarnator, Demosthenos Albathrax. “Might I ask why you’re causing trouble? Oh… never mind, you can’t fly can you?”

Orodan would’ve replied if gravity hadn’t introduced itself and began drawing him towards the ground once more. Thankfully, his leap caused him to skip over the Commercial and Noble Districts. Instead, he was poised to land straight on the front door of the Royal Citadel.

Multiple curses, magical spells and ranged martial attacks struck him, but none really had much effect besides the spells empowered by soul energy. He simply healed from those and continued his descent.

“He has Mana Resistance! Use soul energy converters!”

“He has Curse Resistance! Stop him! Call all three Avatars immediately!” Demosthenos Albathrax furiously ordered. “Quadruple-Grandmaster level power at least!”

A loud boom echoed as Orodan landed in front of the doors of the Royal Citadel, he passed the front doors and immediately multiple defensive enchantments attempted to restrain him. Unfortunately, they were mana-based enchantments and Orodan gleefully continued down the hall.

The first emperor had informed him of where exactly the man meditated. It was a hidden passage which led beneath the mountain Novar’s Peak was situated upon.

Grandmasters of Wrestling attempted to tackle him and utilize takedowns to minimize the collateral damage, but Orodan’s own strength was great as was his knowledge of Wrestling. He shucked them off and continued. Vespidia made herself known, but Vision of Purity allowed Orodan to see her coming and he evaded her as well. The closer he got to his target, the wilder the attacks of the Novarrians became, and it got to a point where Orodan was forced to use Whirlpool Whirlwind to pull citadel staff out of the line of fire.

“Hey, these are your own citadel staff, at least watch your attacks!” Orodan exclaimed as he threw a maid out of the way and had a ‘clone’ catch her.

In truth, the Novarrians were already holding back immensely. Ordinarily a battle of Grandmasters would cause terrain devastation for miles, but all they were focused on was subduing Orodan with the least amount of collateral possible.

This continued until finally right in front of the Memorial of the First Emperor, a room at the very lowest level of the Royal Citadel, three portals powered by soul energy opened up, and three Avatars came forth.

“Stop! You do not know who you seek to awaken mortal!” Eximus spoke. “I profess, your might is great… but the man beneath this point is someone even us Avatars would not trifle with.”

“I know, which is why I need to speak to him,” Orodan replied, and his eyes glowed with his own soul energy.

The three avatars created weapons of divine energy within their hands and attempted to stop him. The first sign that something was wrong was when Eximus’s divine blade left no more than a slight scalding mark upon Orodan’s shoulder.

“Impossible… Divine Resistance too?” were the resigned words out of Demosthenos Albathrax’s mouth.

Orodan threw the multiple ton heavy ceremonial sarcophagus lid open and immediately jumped down the hidden hole. The Avatars made to pursue him, but stopped at a certain threshold, as though unwilling to do so.

“You will die down there, mortal! I hope you enjoy your meeting with the first emperor!” Eximus arrogantly shouted.

He fell for nearly thirty seconds until he hit the ground, and near the end of the fall he began picking up on traces of Eldritch energy in the air. It was dark, and Orodan’s Vision of Purity told him he was in a massive chamber, with a singular figure sitting in silent meditation at one end.

The figure’s eyes were locked directly onto his.

Naturally, Orodan barged right up to the man.

“The defences of your city are quite annoying, although I’ll admit your surveillance capabilities are rather impressive,” Orodan spoke. “Reaching you is more trouble than it’s worth Balastion Novar, I’ve come to-”

The black gem upon the ancient crown glowed, and that was the only warning Orodan got before an utter torrent of familiar purple and gray energy came his way, sending him into the opposing wall of the chamber from the force.

Decently strong, probably the second strongest Eldritch attack he’d experienced, but not enough.

“If you’re planning on using that against the Eldritch Avatar, don’t bother, it’s got you beat by a good bit,” Orodan spoke.

“You stand unscathed? How? No… it cannot be… Eldritch Resistance?” the first emperor muttered. “You, who are you?”

“I’m Orodan Wainwright, and I’m here because you gave me directions to come see you the last time we spoke,” he answered.

“I do not recall ever meeting you, Orodan Wainwright. How can that be so?”

“Well, that’s because I’m in a time loop.”

“When I told you to infiltrate Novar’s Peak to find me, I meant doing so stealthily,” the first emperor spoke. “What I didn’t mean, was for you to cause a ruckus that has my entire military on the highest alert.”

“I surprised you, didn’t I? Surely that counts as stealth?” Orodan asked, and Balastion had an unamused look on his face. “Alright, alright. Look, I even ensured no innocent lives were lost.”

“That would be one of my requirements, yes,” the man spoke. “I may be far removed from my people, but even the smallest child among them could become the next Grandmaster that protects the empire. To kill innocents, is the way of the weakling, and I suspect you are neither weak in mind nor in body Orodan Wainwright. Not when you’ve been through all these fantastical events over the course of the time loops.”

“The latest such event was of course, my foray into the abyss and crossing the first gate,” Orodan remarked. “Whatever that thing was, it didn’t like the thought of me getting away, and it was strong.”

“Yes, the gate guardians I fought during my descent many millennia ago also warned me against passing the threshold,” the first emperor spoke. “They said that while I had a decent chance with the crown, it would still be a losing battle against whatever came after me. Is that creature truly so strong that it slew you with a single blow when even the Eldritch Avatar could not?”

“The circumstances are slightly different,” Orodan elaborated. “I have the Eldritch Resistance skill which allows me to outright ignore most Eldritch damage. And even then, the Eldritch Avatar still damages me a decent bit despite that, hinting at how powerful its attacks must be if I didn’t have the skill. This Void Horror on the other hand, used an attack composed purely of soul energy, I didn’t have a single cell left to reform from.”

“Intriguing… I turned back and heeded the words of the gate guardians I bested back then, but to know so powerful a being is past the gate, and an entire civilization too? Fascinating…” Balastion remarked. “Still, that isn’t the priority here, honing your skillset is. Your anomalously endless drive to gain strength combined with the time loops makes you the ultimate weapon upon this world and honing you to face the Eldritch may well be the certain path to success.”

“You know, you never did tell me what your plan for facing it was before you met me,” Orodan remarked. “I assume you plan to face it here? This city looks rather well defended.”

“There’s more to Novar’s Peak than meets the eye my time looping friend, but that shall all be explained in good time,” the first emperor spoke. “For now, let us discuss the terms of your education at the Novar’s Peak Academy.”

“An academy?! Urgh… I’ve had enough of books from my time at Bluefire, and aren’t tournaments and student life a bit beneath me by this point?” Orodan complained.

“Quite so, which is why you won’t be enrolling as a martial student, but as a mage student.”

A mage student? Orodan Wainwright, training to be a mage?!

“I refuse! I’d rather die!”

“That’ll just reset your loop and have you waking up in Ogdenborough again,” Balastion said with a manic smile on his face. “Come now, it won’t be so bad, I can even iron out some terms and conditions that make your stay easier. Amusing as it might be, I don’t intend to have you spending time in a classroom surrounded by other students… much.”

“What was that?! What do you mean by ‘much’, you old coot! I’ve been through one academy’s worth of being entertainment for a bored old codger and-”

And so, the whining and complaining went, for at least fifteen solid minutes. After the first five minutes his book companion actually came out of his spatial ring and began beating him over the head with her logic too, and together with the first emperor, Orodan was bullied into accepting this arrangement.

Well, he supposed they were persuasive too, but Orodan felt bullied all the same.

“So, you understand why this is necessary then?” she asked. “You’ve actually forced me to come out of hiding because of how important this is to your development. Imagine if you could prevent collateral damage by utilizing spatiomancy? Or if you revived those who've been dead for a long time through chronomancy? With your endless power, such things aren’t mere dreams.”

Orodan had the look of an angry child being told it was bedtime, but he grudgingly nodded. Yes, he’d already had these things explained to him before, but it didn’t mean he liked the thought of mage training in an academy. He would’ve actually agreed to personal tutoring, but to repeat an academy again was a bit much in combination.

“Excellent! I’m quite looking forward to seeing a martial student like yourself struggle with learning the various schools of magic,” Balastion Novar spoke. “Of course, you have my assurance that you won’t be asked to participate in any military operations against the Republic. As a matter of fact, for the duration of your stay there will be no such military operations.”

Orodan appreciated the words. He was in Novarria now, but that didn’t mean he was willing to engage in open warfare against his home country. He was here to learn, and Balastion made sure he would focus on only that.

The next six months then, would be spent on learning.

Honing his crafts, working on his healing, perhaps even focusing on Teaching by bringing Aliya and Zukelmux to Novarria. And of course…

…learning lots of magic.

He’d actually made decent level gains in Flare and Draconic Fireball while studying under his book companion in the depths, and this made Orodan question whether Agathor’s first Blessing hadn’t sabotaged his natural talent for magic. Now that it was gone, perhaps he wasn’t as bad at magic as he thought.

There were other things he’d need to focus on during this long loop too, such as his combat skills through regular delves into the depths and exploring the world, his soul skills to potentially scour someone else’s soul of Blessings and finding an answer as to who exactly fled after passing the first gate. Most importantly though, cleaning.

But mainly, for this long loop Orodan Wainwright would be…

…the warrior attending mage academy.