Chương 115: (B2) Chapter 42 - Planning for the masses

A cooling breeze blew across the deck, slipping through the seams of Ethan's armor as he sat beneath the mast, his consciousness focused inward even though he remained keenly aware of the outside world. He could sense Leah sitting nearby, following his example and cultivating while they had the spare time. The others, however, were watching as the ship traveled through the open air, its large hull carried by nothing but magic, with the sails guiding its direction.

Ethan had given up trying to decipher the Trials and all the strange magic they had introduced. During his first run, he had often pondered these moments. Questions piling up about how such a system could work. How magic could keep a—however many-ton—ship in the air, or how islands seemed to defy gravity. Unfortunately, with the passage of time and more and more questions demanding answers, it had all slowly become normal.

If he couldn't accept something for whatever reason, he would still chase those answers as far as the path took him. But the reality was, he had become desensitized to the smaller matters of flying ships, other sapient races, or any other 'minor' magical thing, and instead focused on the bigger picture. Things like what his next step would be. With [Worldfire] now usable, he had a lot to think about and a lot of practice ahead of him if he wanted to bring his capabilities to the next level.

He had all the information. Now it was about putting that knowledge into his build. There was no better time than now. With Bonnie rescued, he no longer had any immediate problems that needed resolving. So it was time to start theorycrafting, get his skills upgraded, and find a way to finance his upcoming trip to the System monolith. Money had stopped mattering to Ethan a long, long time ago, and he had returned with that same mindset.

But—perhaps a little naively—he had forgotten humanity still clung to any currency they could get their hands on. He supposed it helped keep things feeling normal, even if deep down they knew nothing would ever be normal again. Or perhaps it was simply the larger corporations spreading their influence throughout the Trials. Either way, Ethan needed to get in on the game. At least for now. In the later levels, it would hardly matter. He did have quite a few things in his storage ring.

Excluding the Wendigo, they had killed and harvested a shit ton of monkeys, as well as a couple of other monsters that had tried their luck. Ethan had already agreed to split everything evenly, and he wasn't about to go back on that. The last thing he wanted was for the others to grow resentful because he walked away with more than them. Even though technically he had done most of the heavy lifting, that was only against the Wendigo. The group had handled the monkeys mainly on their own.

It put him at an impasse, to be honest. When he and Alex had begun running the Trials together, they had always split their loot evenly. If they found something that would help Ethan's build, he would keep it, and vice versa. It had seemed to work well enough. They had made it to the final battle, after all. He wanted to enact the same philosophy with his new group. The problem was, he wasn't sure whether these people would end up in it. He definitely hoped Seb would, but Bonnie and Striker were unknowns.

Which made things a little annoying because he really wanted to keep the core for himself. Ethan let out a sigh and felt mana expel from his body. With his eyes closed, he drew in another breath, carrying with it a strong flow of mana. The energy coursed into his body, flowing toward his core as he sat beneath the morning sun. He condensed it into his core, refining the energy to match his own before claiming it. As he did, he could feel all the imperfections within his cultivation technique.

With each influx of mana, he was only retaining around twenty percent. The rest was being expelled back into the air. It made him grimace at the thought of having handed out his technique to the entirety of the first level. Had he made it so they couldn't reach their full potential? Would they have been better off finding another technique, one that was more powerful and could carry them further? He let out another breath, releasing the wasted mana. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road.

If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. No. He had done the right thing. He would just need to release an upgraded version. One that could carry them past the second threshold and beyond. He had the knowledge now. Sure, it was all skewed toward his [Worldfire], but he should still be able to make something work. Worst comes to worst, he would just have to borrow someone else's. One of the larger guilds that had decided to keep theirs hidden. He drew in another breath of mana, a small smile forming. Yes.

That sounded like a great idea. No avenue of power would be hidden from humanity anymore. Not this time. His mana settled into his core again, his thoughts forming into a resolute promise. —~~— Bonnie rested her hands on the rail, the breeze from the moving ship blowing her hair wildly and whipping it into her face. She tucked it behind one ear, uncaring when it immediately came loose again. A smile was plastered across her face. It was so wide she was sure she had swallowed a bug. But who gave a fuck?

She had seen the back end of that hellhole. The island had disappeared, and so too had her fear of being ripped to shreds whenever she let her guard down. How long had it been since she had been around people? She wasn't sure. Everything had become a blur at some point, the days blending together as her sole focus became survival. It was by far the worst experience she had ever endured. Far worse than her arrival in the Trials and everything that had come after.

She had been in a constant state of vigilance, especially as their numbers dwindled and the survivors of the rupture slowly disappeared until only she remained. The only upside had been her class and the traps she could create. They had kept her well-fed despite being alone. If it weren't for the Wendigo, she wouldn't have even minded it too much. However, with the monster stalking her every time she left town, it had left her in a constant state of paranoia. She had pushed that paranoia away now.

Forced it out of her thoughts and convinced herself she was safe. It was an impossible task. She knew that deep down. But like hell was that Wendigo going to keep stalking her even in death. Especially when a far greater threat had emerged. She unconsciously looked toward the man in armor. Goosebumps spread down her arms.

"What fucking psycho goes head-on with that thing?"

"What was that?" the teenage boy asked. Fuck. Did she say that out loud?

"What do you know about him?" she asked, gesturing toward Ethan. He followed her gaze, remaining silent for a moment. She began to think he was ignoring her.

"Not much, to be honest. Just that he seemed like a normal guy, if a little quiet. Until all of a sudden, he was staying behind while we had to run." Bonnie frowned. Why did no one know anything about this man, yet he seemed to know all about them?

"All I know is that he planned the entire trip, found you, saved us, made sure everything worked out, and is also stupid strong." She turned her head slightly, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Wait… do you admire him?"

"What? No?"

"You do!"

"I don't!"

"Hmmm." Bonnie held herself back, noticing the tinge of red spreading across the boy's face.

"What about you, then?" Striker asked.

"What?"

"What do you think about him?" Bonnie thought for a moment. What did she think about him? If what Seb had said was true, then Ethan had saved her. Without him, she would still be trapped on the island. But she also remembered the fight. Remembered the fact that her traps had been useless against both Ethan and the Wendigo. Fuck. If the Wendigo hadn't had that strange issue with entering the town, she would have been well and truly dead.

"He's dangerous," she finally settled on. —~~— One thing Bella had learned recently was that she hated large crowds. Unfortunately for her, they seemed to follow her wherever she went. The only upside was that her skills with shadow had improved significantly. So much so that she was nearing an advancement. None of that really mattered right now, though. Instead, she had one thought on her mind. How the hell did I get myself into this mess? Said mess was currently spewing forth her entire life's problems to Bella.

The girl was almost in tears, her chin trembling slightly. Bella wondered if there was a skill that allowed you to mute people. If there was, she would spend the Potential to acquire it. She wasn't kidding either. If the shop worked off intent, like she was beginning to assume, then it should be available for her to purchase any day now.

"—Bella, are you listening?" Bella's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't been listening. Could she learn the skill without the System?

"Of course I'm listening," she lied.

"I hope you find your sister," she added convincingly. Triss, the young Northstar up-and-comer, narrowed her eyes. Bella paused. Had she said something wrong? Triss barreled into her. Bella's daggers slipped from their sheaths and aimed toward the woman's back. She only stopped when she felt the slight trembling of Triss's shoulders. She was crying. Bella could feel the tears sinking into the fabric over her shoulder. It grew slightly uncomfortable, but she bore with it. This was her mission, after all.

And getting close to Triss, the new up-and-comer for Northstar, was her fastest way to figure out what the hell was happening inside this crazy guild and how they were involved in the disappearance of her only real friend. Triss finally pulled away from her. She wiped the tears from her eyes. Bella swore she noticed a pitying glance from another member of Northstar as they walked past.

"It'll be okay," Bella said, patting her shoulder the same way she used to pat Jingles.

"But let's talk about this later. We have an important meeting coming up." Triss looked into Bella's eyes and nodded. Bella tried to give her a reassuring smile. Despite her mission, she could admit one thing. The Trials took from everybody, and it fucking sucked. However, she did have a job to do, and as callous as it might be, she didn't have time to feel sympathy for her new friend. Instead, she would use her to get closer. Close enough to ride her all the way to the top.

And when she was done, she would get what she came for.

"Miss Triss, Miss Bella, the vice director will see you now," a voice called from the desk across the room. Triss turned, wiping her eyes one more time. Bella knew it wouldn't matter, they were too red not to notice. Hopefully, it earned them a few sympathy points.