Chương 61: Possession

"Do you think she'll wake up?" Gray asked.

"I'm not sure." Andre carefully lowered Delilah onto a makeshift bed of branches and leaves beside the pylon. He adjusted the cloak beneath her head, making sure her neck remained supported.

"If she stays comatose, she won't be able to open her system interface and exit the level."

"That's fine," Gray said.

"I'll guard her until the level ends." Andre's head snapped toward him.

"You're just going to give up on the level? Throw away your class?" Before Gray could answer, Andre shook his head firmly.

"I can't let you do that. I'll stay with her. It feels wrong leaving her like this. You two go figure something out." He waved Gray and Eugene away. Gray clamped a hand onto Andre's shoulder.

"No half-measures, remember? Preserving my class isn't worth risking Delilah's life. I'll gladly give up this so-called legacy if that's what it takes to save someone who deserves to live." He turned toward the remaining member of their party.

"I hope you can forgive me, Eugene. Looks like none of us are making it into the Top 100."

"I… I completely understand," Eugene stammered.

"I was prepared to lose my powers before I even joined this party," Andre added, a broad smile spreading across his face.

"My mentor already offered to buy out my servant contract and secure me a position in the Forge Guard." Gray clapped his hands together.

"It's settled, then! We're all becoming classless cripples!" And who decided that, boy? A gravelly voice grumbled directly into Gray's head. Gray flinched. A sour scowl tugged at his face before he raised an index finger toward his teammates.

"Hold on, guys. I'm getting a spam call." I did. You have an issue with that? Gray shot back through the mental connection. So it seems he's already spoken with you, Gozen said. Judging by all this talk about 'giving up' and avoiding the entrance exam. Gray went rigid. I'm fully aware that you can't discuss the contents of your conversation with that little guy, Gozen continued. But I'd wager it had something to do with my master's legacy. Which is exactly why you are not going to throw it away.

You succeeded him for a reason. Gray folded his arms, one shoe tapping impatiently against the dirt. Is that so? Then give me one good reason why I shouldn't. Because if you can't manage to make it into the Top 100… Gozen's voice dropped into a rumble. I will kill you myself. Gray swallowed, and a faint tremor ran through his fingers. Okay. That's a pretty good reason. He glanced toward Delilah's motionless form. But it's not just my life on the line, Gray argued. It's my team's.

I don't want to lead them to their graves. I can't gamble with their lives again. What you're really saying is that you refuse to bear the burden of leadership after claiming the title, Gozen shot back. No. I am taking responsibility, Gray replied. By choosing the safest path for all of us. The safest path? Gozen's voice fell to a harsh whisper. Do you honestly believe being powerless is safe? This world is ruled by power, boy. Without it… you are nothing. Gray frowned. Nothing?

You might be exaggerating just a little bit. Gozen released a heavy sigh. You don't understand the reality of your new world, kid. Whatever menial job you think you can fall back on doesn't exist here. Serving at a restaurant? Replaced by service robots. Manual labor? You need a Peak-Rank constitution just to apply. The only jobs left for cripples are the ones nobody else is desperate enough to touch. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The most competitive option is the coal mines, where the ambient mana is so toxic it'll slowly wither your core until you drop dead. Want to sell fruit in some desolate border town? Your only customers will be Awakened who only need to eat once a year. And when you've exhausted every other option, there's prostitution. The only ability you'll need for that job is the ability to suck di— Okay! I get it, Gray cut in. Couldn't you just… you know, set me up with a job, then?

There seem to be plenty of generous mentors out there paving comfortable paths for their disciples. Why can't you? Gozen erupted into a booming laughter. Gray winced and rubbed at his temples as the sound reverberated through his skull. Now, why would I do that? Gozen asked once his laughter subsided. You're dead to me the instant you lose my master's legacy. Leading your team out of this mess is your only option. Gray dragged a hand through his hair. I… I don't know. A heavy silence settled over the mental link.

Several seconds passed before Gozen finally spoke again. Have I ever told you about the Invasion of Quantis? What invasion? Do you have dementia, old man? How would you forget telling me something like that? Boy! Just say no, goddammit! Gozen roared. Gray grimaced. No, you haven't. Go ahead and tell me this random story that will somehow tie into our current situation. Gozen answered with a low, irritated rumble before continuing.

Ninety-two thousand, one hundred and two people were massacred by a single Riftborn Beast. Gray stiffened at the number. At the time, I was commander of the Forge Guard, Gozen said. I had a hundred thousand Awakened under my command, spread across nearly every rank. It was a full-scale invasion—a coordinated assault on every front. Hordes attacked from the north, swarms poured in from the west, a massive force advanced from the east, and an entire legion charged the southern gates.

After scouting each cluster, I divided the army accordingly. I sent fighters of the appropriate rank to counter each force. Tactically, it was the correct decision at the time… Gozen's voice softened, the usual sharpness fading from it. The siege was led by a necromancer. Undead creatures—zombies, ghouls, wraiths, and plenty worse—flooded the surrounding sectors. But individually, they were little more than pests. Most ranged from Common to Epic Rank, which made them fodder against a properly organized defense.

I only needed to deploy our mid-tier Awakened to handle the fighting across the other three sectors. My squad of Kaisers served as the vanguard, holding the main southern gates. The horde there was led by the only Kaiser-Ranked Riftborn we'd identified. It had the silhouette of an ordinary human, but its flesh was entirely gray and unnaturally smooth, as though the creature had been stuffed inside a skin-tight suit of flesh. A massive swarm of undead accompanied it.

Since every one of those thralls was at the Unique and Legendary Rank, I had no choice but to deploy our A-Team to the southern entrance. The gray figure carried none of the usual signs of a necromancer. No skulls. No staff. No cursed grimoire. But given its Kaiser Rank, it was clearly the one orchestrating the invasion. We tore through its summons easily enough. Necromancy is something we're accustomed to dealing with, as it's commonly practiced in the Unalive City.

But like any summoning class, the only way to truly stop an endless tide— Is to kill the source, Gray cut in. Exactly, Gozen replied, his voice humming through the mental link. Once we carved through its meat shields, I launched my assault on the commander. But the instant the edge of my glaive grazed its slick gray flesh, the creature simply… deflated. Its body collapsed in on itself like a discarded Halloween costume, leaving behind nothing but a hollow mass of sagging skin. Gray's brow furrowed.

I ordered my subordinates to tear through the remains and extract its core. There was nothing inside. No organs. No bones. No core. Just hollow. Assuming the vanguard had been eliminated, we redeployed toward the western sector to reinforce the fighting there. Halfway through our march, a scout from the Altair Clan came flying in from the east, bloodied and barely able to stay airborne. He brought word that a Kaiser-Ranked ghoul had suddenly appeared in their sector. Gray narrowed his eyes.

Was there a mistake during the initial scouting? Did the ghoul somehow conceal its status from your sweeps? I wish it had been that simple, Gozen murmured. We abandoned our western route and immediately headed east. By the time we arrived… the entire sector was dead. All twenty-six thousand, nine hundred and one Awakened had been slaughtered. A chill crawled across Gray's skin. Standing amid the bodies was the Kaiser-Ranked ghoul. I didn't hesitate.

I launched myself at the beast and landed a killing blow before it could even fully register our arrival. Gozen paused. Then its body deflated. Gray's eyes widened. Just like the creature at the southern gates? The skin-suit thing? Gozen grunted through the connection. When I first inspected the creature, my system interface showed nothing but question marks. Quantis eventually gave the species an official name: the Skin Hopper.

It possessed the ability to instantly transfer its consciousness into any of its summons, regardless of distance. Intimidating, certainly, but the ability had an obvious weakness. Destroy its undead army, and it would have no vessels left to jump into. The power would become useless. Gray's expression tightened as the pieces came together. But that wasn't all it did, was it? It didn't just transfer its consciousness. It carried its Kaiser-Ranked constitution into whatever low-level ghoul it hijacked, right?

Not just its constitution, Gozen corrected. His voice turned grim. Its entire core.