Chương 51

''Awesome!'' Ethan exclaimed in awe and walked toward the human-shaped calamity with stars in his eyes. His hand moved to feel its rough surface. It was carved from a single piece of rock that seemed quite dense and resilient. A punch from this fellow wasn't something he wished to experience. Without removing his hand, he turned to the guy with the lab coat and demanded, ''Show me what it can do.'' The guy chuckled wryly.

''Who are you again?''''Oh, right. I'm Ethan. And you are?''''Abraham. I don't seem to remember you. Did you join our humble group recently?''''I'm from Earth, dude. Didn't you program your biochip to warn you when others appeared? And no, I didn't join the band. I'm just here for a short visit.''''Ah, a fellow earthman! No wonder. They wouldn't let others come down so easily,'' Abraham commented.

''And I don't have such a program. Why would I bother tracking where the others are?'' Ethan looked at him with an amused smile. The ones who hadn't heard of him were often interesting people, usually obsessed with their own thing. They didn't give a flying fuck about VR players or social media.

''I don't know. I thought that was the first thing everybody would do,'' he said, clapping his hands, ''Anyway, it's showtime, Abraham! Show me what these monsters are capable of!''''Alright. Do you prefer a foot-high jump or a slow walk with the danger of falling down any moment?''''Seriously?''''Uh-huh. They're just prototypes. I have shit loads of work to make them adequate.'' Ethan threw a look of pity at the future overlords of destruction.

''Damn it.''''Well, I can give you some food for thought, though,'' Abraham said mysteriously, lifting his chin to gaze profoundly at the… wall, and started gesturing with his hands.

''Imagine. An army of thousands of Rune Golems. All of them have the best mobility and reflexes, all the while they are individually controlled by Animus, with efficiency as the priority. Martial arts, teamwork, and strategy all come from Animus, and all we have to do is give basic orders like attack or retreat. The damaged ones get carried back where they heal by the atmospheric mana and return to the front lines once again. A self-sufficient and unstoppable army!''

Without caring about the sophistry, Ethan imagined it as he looked at the wall. It seemed to work as he got excited once again.

''Can you really make Ani control them?! How close are you?''''A few years? Decades?'' Abraham shrugged casually and sat back down.

''Depends on my skill in runes, as well as the funds.'''' So you're a runesmith. Michelle said–'' Someone knocked on the door.'' Abraham, is that Sam? I'm starving already. Why is he fooling around with you?'' First, the soft, feminine voice reached them, then the girl in the green robe that well matched her eyes. Rachel looked quite different than the last time he'd seen her. Despite the dark circles under her eyes and the messy blonde hair, her posture radiated confidence, or more accurately, competence.''

Ethan!'' she exclaimed with wide eyes and immediately went for a hug.

''Thank God! You are alive!'' Surprised by the dramatic reception, Ethan awkwardly patted her back.

''Uh, yeah. I'm glad you're alive as well.'' Releasing her hug, she looked at him with hope.

''Do you have news on Vince or Wu?''''No, nothing yet,'' he replied, grimacing.

''If we can't find them in Mirasatra or the Union, I don't know where else we can look. Azora is simply too big.''''Don't worry too much,'' she said as her shoulders dropped, forcing a smile.

''Even if we can't find them soon, I'm sure they will be okay.''''Unless they end up in the ocean,'' Abraham offered.

''Or an active volcano. Or–''''Yeah, we got the idea,'' Ethan said with a wry smile.''Looks like you already know how he is,'' Rachel said, glaring at Abraham.

''What were you guys talking about, anyway?''''Cool stuff,'' Ethan replied.''Important stuff,'' Abraham corrected.''Tomato tomahto.'' Ethan waved his hand before turning to Rachel.

''Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about. How about you show me your lab? I have some cooked food in my storage ring as well.''''S-Sure. It's just next door.''''That's fine,'' he said, then added for Abraham.

''I'll be back with many more questions, especially about runes.''''Sure, sure,'' Abraham muttered, turning around.

''As long as you don't bore me, I might indulge you.'' As Rachel led the way, Ethan was surprised at how quickly he trusted her. Originally, he was planning to ask Pete about her and maybe do some investigation to see what she was up to so far. But the warm welcome took him by surprise, and he found her concerns genuine. If he was mistaken, there was no one but himself to blame. Her lab was much more organized than Abraham's.

Half of the walls were full of shelves with different herbs on them, all labeled with both names and numbers. There were two linear desks with cauldrons, test tubes, boiling flasks, and funnels on them. She led him to another small table crammed with books, located on top of a large, fluffy carpet. Where Abraham's lab looked like a bomb had gone off, this one felt like a cozy hobby room.'' Nice place,'' Ethan commented, strolling leisurely and looking around.''

Thanks,'' she replied as she opened some space on the table.

''What did you want to talk about?'' Helping her with the table, he summoned some of his to-go orders from the cafe he and Michelle had visited.

''I heard you have a high-tier master in the city. How is that going for you? Is she any good?''''Good? She is amazing! Actually, after learning how renowned she is, I kinda feel guilty for fooling her.''''How so?''''Well, I actually tricked her with the help of Ani,'' she said with a guilty look and dug into the food.

''I was working in an alchemist shop at that time. She borrowed one of our workshops to try an experimental low-grade elixir. I was in charge of herbs, so as she tried different things, I kept bringing different herbs and picking up the leftovers. Thanks to Ani, I was able to tell what she was trying to do, what the most reasonable amount would be, and what to try next if it didn't work out. With a few suggestions, I saved her a lot of time and herbs. That's how I ended up as her disciple.'''' Impressive.

And it's not like she hired you as an assistant. I'm sure she saw more in you since she made you her disciple.'' He hesitated a bit but decided to get on with it.

''The reason I'm asking about her is that I have some ingredients for a high-grade elixir. But if someone at tier-7 with a big influence like her tries to rob me blind, there isn't much I could do. Do you think I can trust her?'''' Of course you can! She isn't that kind of person. That influence you talk about comes with a lot of good references. She built herself a good reputation for more than a century. Why would she destroy it now? Not to mention, it'd be me who introduced you to her.

She might not even ask for a fee.'' Rachel said with fervor, clearly very fond of her new teacher.

''What ingredient do you have? If it was a low-grade elixir, I'd have done it myself as well. Maybe even a mid-grade one, if it's not too complicated.''''Aether Bloom.'' The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She blinked at him a few times.

''... Yeah. Let's go with master Ruth. And she probably would demand a fee, but I might make it half or so.''''That's fine. Oh, I have two flowers. Do you know how much she would ask for? And how long would it take?''''Two flowers…'' She shook her head to sober up.

''It shouldn't be more than two or three days. As for the fee, likely 20–25 mana stones for each of them, but as I said, I'm sure she'll make a good discount if I'm the one asking.''''Nice. Thanks a lot. Once I sell one of them, I'll make it up to you.''''You better! That's like 500 mana stones at the very least,'' she said with a grin. Ethan grinned as well.

''Honestly, I plan to sell it in Mirasatra. Heard that it might go up to a thousand in an auction there. Though there is someone else who has a share, I'll still end up with 500.''''You're going to Mirasatra too?'' Rachel asked as her eyes lit up.

''I was trying to convince master Ruth. There is no way she is leaving Niamaris for good, but she said she might be up for a trip. Will you come with our group?'''' Not sure. There is something I must do. I can't dwell here too much. If you guys go in 2 weeks, I might follow. If not, I'll go first and meet you there when you arrive.'''' I think they were saying a month or two, but you should speak with Leo to be sure.''

They ate their meals and spoke about more casual things like magic, esoteric elixirs, and the scary mantis who was moping around in the corner of the room. Ethan spent the following days with his fellow earthlings. After settling into a hotel, he sometimes hung out with Michelle and Rachel, but mostly he was with Abraham. There was always something interesting when he talked with that guy. He learned that if he tried stealing from the big shops in Ehrendil, it wouldn't end well for him.

It turned out, unsurprisingly, that runes with alarm-like features existed, and those were the cheap ones. The expensive ones–which no doubt Dragon's Trove had a few–trapped the thief on the spot or copied their mana signature. Even if the thief somehow escaped, the rune would warn the owners the moment they went near that shop again. If they'd managed to steal something important, the owner would share the mana signature to every free city along with a bounty.

Of course, like everything, there were ways to go around the runes, or even trick them. Abraham was still inexperienced on the subject, but at least he knew what the right questions were and where to look. Ethan learned many things and was glad that he didn't do anything stupid before. He also got his armors, exactly the same design but one completely black and another crimson that gets darker at the joints. The only reason for the colors was that he wanted some variety, and he liked them very much.

10 mana stones for each of them was a well-deserved price because they were both top-notch. Sadly, he couldn't get an auto repair rune on them, because he learned from Abraham that the auto repair known to others was completely different from his cloak. These artifacts required the user's mana to be fed to them, and it took much longer to fix themselves, not to mention that the price of the rune itself was sky-high. Only rich brats enjoyed this feature, and they used it just to show off.

His special request from Audrey was still undergoing testing. He occasionally dropped by to help her, and it looked like it would be done in a few days. It wasn't really anything important, but he was still eager to try it out. Three days had passed since he arrived in the city. Ethan was currently watching Abraham's work intently, with his hands on the table and his chin resting on top of them.

'19 more biochip users have entered a thousand-mile radius.' His eyes lit up, but he didn't move.

''Looks like the hunt is over. People are returning,'' he murmured.'' Who cares?'' Abraham said without lifting his head, drawing with focused and precise hand movements.'' Certainly not you.'' It didn't take long for the group to reach the base. Ethan left Beet with Abraham and went upstairs to greet Pete. For some reason, both Beet and Abraham were getting along quite well. Beet had been rather shy around Evelyn who was adoring him, but he loved to mess with Abraham who always ignored him.

In the end, they kept messing with each other until it got competitive. However, they both seemed to enjoy it, and likely kept score of the mischief. Almost a hundred people were gathered inside the mansion, celebrating the successful hunt and the new tier-3s. With a glance, he was able to tell there were two tier-4s and almost 50 tier-3s. Most of them, including the tier-4s, were locals. Still, building a mercenary band that strong in less than a year was nothing to scoff at.

And the man who did it was standing in the middle, laughing and chatting with the crowd. He stood out among them without even doing anything. His rippling muscles were noticeable despite the thick armor, and even the bloodstains on his short blond hair somehow gave him a heroic appearance. As Ethan got closer, many noticed and started to watch. The lively scene became quiet. Leo also noticed this and threw a curious look at him before giving a warm smile that didn't reach his eyes.

''Ethan.''''Leo.'' Ethan copied the smile and did the worst thing possible to a megalomaniac. He ignored him. Without another word, he turned to greet Pete. Patting his shoulder, ''Already tier-3! Congrats!'' he said, this time with a sincere smile. The nervous Pete flashed a goofy smile.

''Thanks. I heard you were in Niamaris but didn't know you were here already.''''I was in the basement. Great guy you're hiding there,'' he said, a little stiff under everyone's watchful eyes.

''You up for a drink? We have a lot to catch up on. It's been months.''''S-Sure. I know a place c-close to here. But I can't stay long. I was planning to rest,'' Pete said and added in a low voice, ''Alisha is waiting at home. She'll k-kill me if I spend the night drinking.'' Ethan laughed aloud.

''I knew you had it in you. Come now, it's just a drink or two. I'll drop you at your house afterward.'' As they left the mansion, the crowd got noisy once again. A few whispers even reached his ears.'' So the rumors were true? Leo, Ethan, and Wu were in a love triangle?'''' Seems like it. Didn't you see how tense they were?'' The corner of Ethan's eye twitched, but he did nothing to correct them. He knew by experience that it would only make them more certain.

Pete led the way, and in a short walk, they arrived at a small pub. There were not many customers since it was still afternoon, but the place wasn't bad at all. The walls had graffiti-like paintings, the tables were low and stylish, and everybody sat on the ground, where there was a synthetic chimney with a silky texture. Including the bartender, there were four workers, all female fox beastkins, possibly siblings.'' Would you look at that?'' Ethan said, clicking his tongue and gazing around.

''And here I'm spending my days in the basement with Abraham.''''When it came to establishments, Ehrendil couldn't compare with Niamaris,'' Pete said as he sat at the corner table.

''We can visit many other places. You'll be here for a while, no?''''Sure. I'll be here for a week or two,'' Ethan replied, sitting in front of him with a teasing smile.

''So? How was your hunting trip? Did they give you the nickname Butcher already, or do I have to start it myself?'' In a relaxed mood, they chatted for about an hour before Pete was drunk enough to lead every conversation to his lovely Alisha. Oddly enough, even the advancement of his skill was related to her. According to Pete, the song she sang with her mesmerizing voice–while doing the dishes– made him advance his skill to rank 2.

Ethan was getting ready to take the guy home to his lover but noticed a small figure with a flat cap coming toward him. When the waitress questioned the kid, he raised his hand and called it over.

''He is with me.'' Billy came to their table and sat next to Ethan.

''Is it safe to speak?'' Opening [Void Mute], he smiled.

''It is now.''''Who is this little fellow?'' Pete asked, raising an eyebrow.''I'm Billy.''''He was doing some errands for me. Let's see what he got.'' Billy took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Ethan.

''Both Renna and Leyla are doing okay. I didn't read the letter Renna wrote, but she didn't seem troubled to me. More importantly, there is something else you should be worried about.'' This time, he fetched a scroll from his belt and gave it to him cautiously. Ethan opened it curiously and burst out laughing. After a good laugh, he wiped the tears from the corner of his eye and showed it to Pete with giggles. It was a wanted poster.

The image showed Ethan at his most arrogant, his arms wide open like he was the ruler of the universe, while his face portrayed utter disdain for all the living. The bounty was 100 mana stones, and they wanted him alive.'' E-Ethan s-stop laughing. This is serious,'' Pete whispered, already sobering up.

''It won't take long for this to s-spread to all the free cities. What are you going to do?''''No, no. You don't understand,'' he said, barely holding himself.

''Look at my name. They've written Voidwalker. Man, Eve would laugh her ass off if she saw this.''''Ethan!'' Pete scowled.''Okay, okay. I get it,'' he said, raising his hands to surrender.

''Looks like I can't stay here for long. I'll be more low-key from now on and leave the city either tomorrow or the day after.'' Pete sighed, getting more serious every second.

''What did you do anyway? Can't we resolve this peacefully?''''I'll tell you all about it. First, let me pay our hard worker what he deserves,'' he said, handing two mana stones to Billy.

''You're not bad at all, kid. Do you have anything else for me?'' Billy took it excitedly.

''Just some street rumors. The young lord of the McGregors returned from an expedition. He–'' Ethan lifted his hand to stop him because someone breached his [Void Mute] easily. When he looked toward the door, he saw that Leo was standing with a smug face, next to a well-dressed middle-aged man with an apathetic look. Only after seeing Leo's mocking wink did he realize what the bastard did. He swallowed his curses and used a [Blink] immediately, without even caring about the direction.

The man also teleported right after him. It was a good thing that he didn't go after Pete or Billy, but whenever Ethan [Blink]ed, he was always right behind him. When he finally stopped, the man spoke in a leisurely way.

''Ah, so soon? I thought you'd give me a good tour of Niamaris. It had been years since I traveled these streets.'' Suddenly, it clicked. The man wasn't using [Blink]; instead, he was somehow touching Ethan from afar, without disturbing the skill. He was actually leaching his teleports effortlessly, and even if Ethan used all his mana and appeared more than two miles away, he would be just behind him.'' It's alright. What comes next is more enjoyable anyway.''

A feeling showed itself in the man's eyes for the first time: malice.

''Today, our subject is regret. Tell me. How familiar are you?''