Chương 343: Chapter 329

They left the fracture happy with themselves and proud of their accomplishment. The recording of the entire event was sent to Lucy, who would have it edited, then they would post it when the time was right. Probably around the time rumors start circulating that people were close to finishing the fracture. Always nice to have ammunition to dunk on other people. From there, they settled down in the small town of Seikron, letting their tired digital bodies and real-life minds rest.

Logging out, they all went to rest, resupply with food and drinks – and cuddles in some cases – before returning the next day to continue their journey across the north. The town around the fracture was still the same as when they arrived, players arriving and leaving in hordes, all aiming to be the first to be successful at conquering the Ice Rumble fracture.

'Pity it wasn't meant to be…' Sam mused as he sat on a crate at the edge of the main square, waiting for his team to log in.

'Well, might as well check my gains while I wait…' He opened his status screen and began scrolling through the results. [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 148!] [Gained 16 unassigned attribute points!] [Thanks to your zeal in battle, you gained +4 MAG, +2 DEX, and +2 AGI!] He added one point to Perception to take it to 60, another five into Wisdom to keep his regeneration, then dumped the rest into Endurance. He would need it for stamina in the future.

His foundation was solid, so for now, he could be a little more selective in where he put those points. He was mostly a solo fighter, so it was important to have staying power. [Perfect Mana Core is now Level 60!] [Mana Scales is now Level 190!] [Mana Weaving is now Level 80!] [Void Manipulation is now Level 90!] [Thanks to testing the limits of control, you gain the Absolute Control subskill!] [Absolute Control: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your control over your void-natured mana is as close to absolute as possible. The mana cost of using void-type spells is decreased by Wisdom/Magic times the main skill level time 0, 1. (Currently: WIS: 100 / MAG: 55 = 1, 82 -> 1, 82*90*0, 1=16, 4%)] [Void Affinity is now Level 91!] [Void Soul is now Level 74!] [Obliteration is now Level 10!] [Abyss Sight is now Level 15!] [Mana Body Infusion is now Level 77!] [Mana Architecture is now Level 99!] [Field Healer is now Level 25!] [The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 99!] [Master Runecarver is now Level 39!] [Illusionary Runes is now Level 87!] [Physical and Magical resistance is now Level 56!] [Necrotic Resistance is now Level 15!] [Fear Resistance is now 38!] Grinning slightly, he read through the new subskill and then started planning for the future. He had way too many skills at 99%, and he needed to have a breakthrough.

The Way of the Forerunner was a powerful skill, but he literally had nothing to go on. Only his own thoughts and guesses…

'I have a few complementary skills that are perfect building blocks for a complete skill…' he mused as he scrolled through his skill list.

'Battle Meditation, Improved Discernment, Field Healer, Adaptive Coordination, and the Forerunner skills could be made into something interesting…' There were many skill builds bouncing around his head, some clearer, some hidden behind the fog of time, but based on the knowledge he had pieced together and gained during playtime, Sam suspected he would be successful.

'Or I make a fool of myself…' he finished his thoughts just as the rest of the team showed up. He closed the system and jumped off the crate.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted them with a cheery wave.

"Ready for the next one?"

"Hell yeah!" Katie gushed.

"Always," Isabella added with a friendly smile. Clarissa simply nodded next to them.

"Is the next one going to last so long?" Dan asked, a bit worried.

"Nah… With us there, it won't even last five minutes," Sam replied confidently. They left Seikron behind, heading a bit south-west toward their next destination. While Sam was sure that a few people – probably more than a few – kept track of them, nobody stopped them from leaving the town. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

A few admirers caught them on the way out, asking questions with awe or fear – begging for a place in the guild and the other usual things. Requests to be carried, asking for tips on super-powerful skills. Sam just smiled genially and redirected their requests toward Lucy, the guild website, and forums. Katie was in her element, chatting with whoever came up to her while Isabella glared at them menacingly if they even dared to touch Katie's armor.

Clarissa was mostly ignored thanks to a hastily summoned Melody, who honked with the energy of a serial killer at anyone who even tried to step closer. And poor Dan… The guy had to fend off all the people who were admiring his glistening muscles. He looked distinctly uncomfortable with all the attention. Still, by the time they had left the town, most of the crowd dispersed, not wanting to brave the cold outside the walls. They still had hidden followers, but Sam didn't care.

It wasn't exactly a secret where they could go from here. The team, as one, jumped onto their mounts and set out on their trip. Their target was Cursepond, a town set around the shore of a giant lake that was more ice than liquid water. Despite the name, it wasn't actually cursed. Legends said that there was a criminal who decided to be a pirate on the lake, taking lives and valuables all over the shore. Right until the locals had hired a shaman to curse him.

He lasted until reaching the town they were heading toward, before falling over dead the moment he stepped on the shore. With his last breath, he tried to transfer the curse to the people who had done this to him, but in a turn that everybody expected, the curse didn't transfer. Instead, it doubled down, sending the spirit of the man into the depths of the lake, cursing him to stay there forever with all the treasure he had amassed.

Over the years, many expeditions were started to recover the treasure, but none were successful in finding the true hoard. Even now, as they entered the town, Sam could see dozens – even hundreds – of treasure hunter teams with underwater gear, ready to brave the depths for that sweet, sweet loot. Sam wished them good luck. He remembered watching the live stream of the guild that managed to reach the hoard. Hell, if he remembered correctly, the viewer numbers were around a hundred thousand.

The excitement when he watched as the first person stepped through the door, hiding the loot. It was electric… Everybody had been hunting for that mythical treasure for months at that time. So they were all super excited to see what was there. Unfortunately… The hold of the sunken ship was empty. There was no treasure. No loot. Just an empty cargo hold with a broken throne and a skeleton wearing a captain's hat.

The collective disappointment was powerful enough to fuel a search for the treasure that should have been there. People – even unrelated to the guild – took up the cause to find who had stolen the treasure. Then, a week later, a video was posted. A guy – another treasure hunter – telling people how he had started his game in the north, took a few wrong turns, ended up in Cursepond, heard about the treasure, and went hunting. He found it in the first month of the game being online.

Naturally, the internet collectively lost its mind. Luckily for the guy, he used that money to invest in a guild so they couldn't really hunt him down, but even then, a few assassins were sent – just to make sure he suffered a little. It made Sam a little relieved that it wasn't just him who had insane luck.

"Ooooh! Are we going to hunt for treasure?" Katie asked excitedly. Instantly, several dozen players perked up, eyeing them as competition. Sam shook his head.

"Maybe later. For now, we're doing the fracture first." Some people turned away, but Sam knew that not everybody would take his words at face value. They would be followed until they entered the fracture. The fracture was on the shore, surrounded by the local government people, with a solid line standing there, all of them waiting to enter. Some rumors said that the fracture stood exactly where the cursed man dropped dead in the past.

Not wanting his team to cause chaos, Sam herded them toward the line and joined them. Ten minutes later, he was standing in front of the swirling portal – dark grey energy, emitting a menacing aura He reached out with his hand and began to read the screen. [You entered a new fracture!] [Fracture: Lake Pontoon] [A neglected pontoon made out of raiding ships had resurfaced from the depths of the lake. Find the cause and return it where it belongs.] [Time Limit: No Limit] [Charges: Unlimited] Pretty straightforward.

Take on the legion of undead and fight the captain leading the ships. Practically made for them. They appeared on the bow of a ship, surrounded by a small wall of barrels, preventing them from being noticed instantly. Around them was a frozen lake, distance obscured by a blizzard, while several ships were bound together with planks and ropes, creating a wooden island in the middle of the storm.

A few lights and torches illuminated parts of it, but otherwise, the only major light came from the moon in the sky when it peaked through the clouds. Sam looked at his team, already gearing up, and pointed toward the biggest ship.

"Let's meet at the captain's cabin there," he whispered.

"Now go and do what you're best at!" Instantly, the entire area of the fracture was enveloped in chaos. BAMMM CRASH CRUNCH One of the ships instantly collapsed as the spear of unfathomable molten plasma bisected it, taking the undead sailors with it into the dark depths. Another was lit up with oscillating lights as a murderous goose slaked its bloodlust. Another part was filled with shrieks of pain and despair – how that worked with the undead, Sam didn't know – as Isabella and Katie tried out their new skill.

Instead of watching his friends, he refocused on the ships in front of him. They had discussed on the way here that they would record the fight, so he knew he would be able to view their fight later. For now, his focus was on his skills. He needed to start creating something, or he would be left behind. Battle Meditation initiated. Improved Discernment activated. Field Healer was already working in the background, ready to heal him.

Already, Adaptive Coordination was helping with running the skills at the same time. Then he took up the stance he had learned so long ago, raising his sword into position, circulating mana through his body. First, it was only neutral mana, but then he slowly and methodically transformed it into void-natured mana. His entire body was wreathed in the out-of-world energy, just as the first line of the undead sailors reached his position. A step forward. Slash up, another step, parry, then slash again. Pierce.

Duck, pivot, turn that into a slash. He walked forward, following the learned steps of his style, making sure to rigidly keep to the stances, as he cut a swath of destruction in the enemy monsters. And as he progressed, he began to spot the spots where his stance was too rigid. Where he had to break the form to protect himself. The movements he had to adjust to strike true. So he did so.

Sam walked forward, focusing fully on the style, making sure it fit his flexible fighting style, yet made use of everything he had learned, while at the same time trying to push it to the next level. The entire fracture was filled with explosions, cries, screams, the crunch of destroyed wood, and demented laughter as Sam simply focused on his sword and the steps he was taking. But it was also working. He could feel it starting to come easier. The weak points in the undead were much easier to reach.

The movement became smoother and smoother. The sword was traveling less and less before delivering its devastating strike; all the while, void mana suffused everything, turning 'simple' metal into an instrument of apocalypse. Inwardly, Sam was marveling at the changes while trying not to lose focus. More and more undead appeared. Some wielded wicked sabers, some held flint pistols, and some acted in groups – wheeling around giant ship cannons. However, all of that was useless in front of Sam.

Sabers were parried, pistol shots parried, and the cannon fire splashed uselessly against his shield made of void. Then it happened. A spark of intuition. A slight change in how he held his sword. The way the mana flowed through his body. Sam grinned. And a new dance began.