Chương 44: Reality

"Whoa!" Nabi sprinted toward Gray's gaseous form.

"Did you just do what I think you did? Hold on, stay like that for a second." She stopped a foot away from the floating vapor and held out an open hand. Behind Gray, the scythe still wedged in the tree bark shuddered, then ripped free with a crack of splintering wood. It spun through the air, sliced clean through Gray's incorporeal chest, and slapped into her palm. Her eyes lit with curiosity. She stepped into his space, drew back her arm, and threw a punch straight at where his face should have been.

Her knuckles closed the last inch just as his WraithForm ran out. The mist snapped back into solid form. Gray stood there, pristine and unharmed by the scythe that had passed clean through him. Not for long. Nabi's fist plowed into the side of Gray's cheek. The blow lifted him clean off his feet and slammed him into the dirt.

"Holy crap!" Gray groaned, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

"You didn't have to hit me that hard, you know!" Nabi shrugged, unbothered.

"My bad. I thought your intangibility skill would last longer." She held out a hand. Gray eyed it with deep spite, sighed, and gripped her forearm instead.

"So, how do you feel?" she asked, hauling him to his feet.

"I can't feel my face." Gray cupped his cheek.

"I'm not talking about that," Nabi said.

"Your new abilities. How do they feel?" Gray paused. The pain in his cheek faded, replaced by the adrenaline still lingering from his new abilities. The weightlessness of turning to vapor. The pull of his vortex, dragging at the air around him. A slow grin spread across his face at the thought of the power now his.

"It's fucking amazing," he admitted.

"I just summoned a localized black hole and turned my body into mist on command. I knew fantasy worlds had magic like this, but actually feeling it? Actually experiencing it? It almost makes these brutal death games worth it." Nabi nodded, though her expression didn't change.

"The initial high is amazing, sure. Don't let it go to your head, though. To a human on Earth, casting a spell makes you a god. It breaks every law we know. But humans adapt. That euphoria fades, and then you're just hungry for more. A fireball makes you a messiah back home. Here, it makes you a basic mage sitting at the bottom of the food chain." Gray's grin vanished, and he shot her a glare.

"Can't you just let me have my moment? I just spawned in a goddamn black hole, you know?" Nabi waved him off.

"An industrial vacuum, at best. If you were back on Earth, sure, you'd be ecstatic. But can you honestly say you're satisfied with a 'strong draft' in a world like this one?" Gray frowned.

"No." Nabi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"So let's not become complacent. Always look forward." She clapped her hands together.

"Now, do you have any other tricks I should know about?"

"Geez, how can someone be this pessimistic?" Gray muttered under his breath. Nabi cupped her ear and pounded the pommel of the scythe against the ground.

"I'm sorry, what? My scythe didn't quite catch that."

"I said no, that's all I've got!" Gray backpedaled.

"What about you? Anything you can show me?"

"That's what I thought you said." Nabi sneered.

"Anyways, I haven't learned anything groundbreaking. You've already seen Sanguine Rain. One neat trick Ava taught me, though, was how to pilot my scythe." She twirled the haft of the scythe in her hand, then hurled it high into the sky. A ribbon of blood trailed from her palm, chasing after the weapon and coating it in a crimson sheen. At its apex, the weapon froze in midair. Nabi raised her hand toward the sky, and the scythe began to spin, faster and faster, until it blurred into a whirring propeller of steel.

She lowered her arm, and the weapon descended to the level of the dense treeline. Then she whipped her hand across her body. The blade soared into the forest, tearing through the trees. It moved too fast to track. Gray could only follow its path by the destruction it left behind. It sheared thick trunks clean in half, and they toppled one after another with explosive cracks. Three, ten, fifteen trees groaned and fell, kicking up clouds of dust.

Nabi closed her fist, and the distant sound of the flying blade began to swell, its whir sharpening into a roar. It was heading straight for Gray. He snapped his head toward the sound. With Wraith still on cooldown, he had no way to dodge. Instinct took over. Gray threw his arms over his head, squeezed his eyes shut, and dropped into a deep crouch. The weapon shot past him, ruffling his hair, and smacked into Nabi's outstretched palm. Gray exhaled a shaky breath and clenched his fists.

"You really know how to keep me on edge, you know that?!"

"Good. That's how it should be," Nabi grunted.

"Now, for my next ability." Nabi's body dissolved, collapsing into a spreading pool of blood. In the next beat, the scythe soared past Gray's shoulder. He spun around to find Nabi standing completely intact behind him, holding the scythe at her side. Gray's eyes swung from the blood puddle to Nabi, then back to the puddle.

"Was that teleportation?" She tilted her hand side to side.

"Yes and no. It requires a tether. When I recalled my scythe after cutting down the trees, I let a single drop of the blood armament drip behind you, marking the spot." Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit." Crimson Pool lets me melt into an intangible stasis and lurk inside the puddle. It lasts exactly five seconds, same as your mist form. The second part of the ability lets me materialize back at any of my pre-established blood marks."

Gray rubbed the back of his neck, mulling over the ability. One detail snagged in his mind, though. He frowned, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Wait. How did you know my Wraith skill lasts for exactly five seconds?" Nabi's smile stretched into a wicked grin.

"Apparently they all do at Tier I. I've met three other participants with similar intangibility skills, and they all tapped out at exactly five seconds. How else do you think I was able to time that punch perfectly and frame it as an accident?" Gray lunged at the devil, jabbing the pommel of his Katana toward her stomach. Nabi stepped inside his guard, gripped the scabbard, and swept his ankle. Gray's feet shot out from under him. He crashed into the dirt, fingers slipping from the blade as he caught himself.

Nabi held up the scabbard, and her eyes traced the engravings before she drew the steel. Gripping the hilt with both hands, she gave it a test swing. The metal whistled as it cleaved the air.

"You've got yourself a beautiful weapon here," she said, sliding the blade back into its scabbard.

"I've been meaning to ask. What exactly is a Soul Blade?" Gray stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees.

"It's somewhat like an Evolution item, but—" He darted forward and swiped at her waist, trying to snatch his stolen sword back. Nabi pivoted away and pulled the sword out of his reach.

"Too slow. Now, talk." Gray sighed and slouched his shoulders in defeat.

"Didn't Ava explain all of that to you?"

"Briefly. She said she would explain it in more detail after the race. So, how is it similar to an Evolution item?" Gray hesitated, unsure how to answer.

"So… they share a few rules. You can't store them in a dimensional ring. Evolution items scale up in rarity as you cultivate, and I think soul blades advance the same way?" He opened his status sheet and scrolled to the abilities section.

"Plus, there's a 'Soul Blade Effect' listed in the description of my ability. Although I'm not sure what that even does."

"What do you think your mentor is for?" Nabi tapped the side of her head.

"Ask him." Gray's mouth rounded in surprise.

"Oh, yeah. I was so used to doing things alone." He cleared his throat into his fist and pressed two fingers against his temple. Testing, testing. Do you read me? Over. He projected the thought, dipping his head slightly. A heavy sigh echoed directly into his head. I'm busy, kid, Gozen grumbled, his voice a whisper. Nabi's mentor can answer your questions. Gray lowered his hand and looked over at Nabi, who was staring at him with a deadpan expression.

"Uh," Gray murmured.

"Could you ask Ava?" Nabi grunted. Mocking his earlier pose, she pressed two fingers against her temple and curled her other hand in front of her mouth, sending the questions along. A couple of minutes later, she lowered the imaginary walkie-talkie from her face. Nabi rattled off Ava's answer.

"To paraphrase: you require Soul Fragments to repair and upgrade the rarity of your soul blade. Once you feed the sword enough fragments to meet its threshold, it'll ascend to the next tier." She held up a finger.

"The Soul Blade Effects you mentioned require Soul Shards to unlock. They're crafted from Soul Fragments. Consume them to unlock any soul blade effect of your choice, similar to Tier Upgrade Shards." Nabi ticked off the last point on her fingers.

"Once an effect is unlocked, the blade acts as a medium for that new ability."

"And I'm assuming these Soul Fragments drop from Rift Bosses?" Gray asked. Nabi nodded.

"Yup, but you can also obtain fragments through scrapping." Gray tilted his head.

"Scrapping the shards?"

"No, the Soul Blade itself. Apparently that's what most people do. You yield far more materials breaking down the weapons than looting the beasts." Nabi's tone shifted, quieter.

"Especially if the blade is still contracted to its owner." Gray tensed, his eyes snapping to the katana resting in Nabi's grip. Nabi caught him staring.

"Taking someone else's weapon and breaking it down for parts sounds pretty messed up." She shrugged.

"But I guess you have to do whatever it takes to advance your own."

"It's more than messed up," Gray muttered. He curled his fingers into a claw and directed it at the blade.

"Destroying a Soul Blade while it's still bonded to its owner kills them." Tobari hummed in Nabi's hands. With a sharp jerk, the blade tore free of her grasp and landed solidly in Gray's grip.

"Then you better take good care of it, unlike your Nimbus Robe," Nabi said, outlining a circle with her finger before pointing at his back. Gray dropped his gaze, cheeks warming with embarrassment. The System's voice cut through the tension. The Fourth Level will now begin! Theme: Escort Mission If you haven't realized already, the participant that spawned beside you will be your partner for this level. For those of you who have already killed your partners, you will be sitting out this round.

Objective: Escort your key to the drop-off point to complete the level! If the key leaves your possession for more than thirty seconds, you will fail this mission. You may submit extra keys at the drop-off point for an additional 1, 000 Contribution Points each! Time Limit: 3 hours Reward 4, 500 Contribution Points 50% EXP Ability Shard The air warped above Gray's head. A miniature rift tore through space, and a small object plopped out of it, dropping into his palm. It wasn't a physical key, but rather a keycard.

Made of plastic and strung on a polyester lanyard, it looked exactly like an ID badge from a corporate office. Etched onto the front was a crude stick figure, with thin lines running through its wrists and ankles. Another prompt spawned into his vision. You must decide as a duo who will protect the key until the level is complete. This decision cannot be changed. Choose wisely. Gray glanced at Nabi. She met his eyes, and they nodded at the same time. Gray tossed her the keycard. Burden 'Nabi Yoon' with the key?

Y / N They tapped 'Y.' The plastic card lit up with a white glow, confirming the choice. The system window now displays a map that marks the designated drop-off point. Gray opened his system window. A square map appeared in the bottom right of his UI. He tapped the icon, expanding it into full view. A yellow dot blinked steadily on the map, and a green one marked their current position. The drop-off point sat on the far side of town, roughly five miles out.

Beside him, Nabi repeatedly tapped the keycard against her dimensional ring. The ring flared red, refusing to store the item. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she unraveled the lanyard and slipped it over her head. Gray eyed the obvious target hanging around her neck.

"Shouldn't we be a little more discreet with that?" Nabi brushed off the concern with a flick of her wrist.

"I dare anyone suicidal enough to try me."

"Good point." Gray rubbed his jaw, choosing his words.

"But can I ask you something? You're ranked high enough on the ladder already. Wouldn't it be safer for you to sit this round out? Or the rest of the competition, for that matter?" Nabi stretched the lanyard's cord taut, then let it go, snapping it against her chest again and again.

"You aren't wrong. But how can I sit idly by when Gwen is above me in the rankings?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Just know that if we ever cross paths with her out there… I'll be handling her." Gray gave a stern nod. He understood her resentment well enough, after his own bitter run-in with the woman. A sharp, high-pitched chime alerted the duo to an emergency system prompt. My apologies! There was one detail I forgot to mention in the rules! The participant possessing the key will have all of their abilities disabled for the duration of this level.

Furthermore, the key bearer is strictly forbidden from engaging in combat against the Riftborn and other participants. Should this rule be defied, BOTH parties in the duo will immediately be stripped of up to 50% of their total Contribution Points. This same penalty will apply if the key bearer attempts to forfeit the escort mission. Let the games begin!