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Chapter 509 - Pale blue
🕑 Added 2024-12-11 09:23:16 +0000 UTCI hope I’ll never be as easy to provoke as this guy. Now, with the strongest of them dead, this should be doable without anyone on our side dying.
Wraith Dance brings me to the side, into the path of the demon who still holds the corpse of the first one. I switch to Breaker Style and release the kinetic energy I was collecting.
He, in defense, thrusts the body he holds into the way of the attack, and with its lowered natural defenses it explodes into flesh and bones but blocks most of the force.
The demon grabs a thigh bone and a rib bone into his hands, oscillating mana coating them in addition as he uses kinetic energy to move towards me.
My crown releases a pulse, disrupting all his mana, and before he can reactivate it again [Eclipse] cancels it out. The bones he holds crash against daggers I weave boosted by his kinetic energy only.
On my back, two arms of mana form, reaching towards him, but he moves incredibly quickly, avoiding them and attacking me again.
I dodge with Pulser Style, and he uses that to run toward the group still fighting the fish.
I teleport through one of the Ley Lines and then use Wraith Dance, reaching him and absorbing the kinetic energy of his movement. The field around him modifies, and he pushes through that, attacking me again after throwing one of the bones at Lily, who raises her axe and deflects it as I send her a warning through the link.
I grab the demon's wrist, kinetic energy roaring through my body as I pull him to me, and my knee crashes against the arm he lifts in defense.
His fist becomes coated with violently oscillating mana, but [Eclipse] disrupts it again, just as it does with every other skill he tries to activate.
Over and over, I forgo efficiency, disrupting his skills before they can fully form, my reserves showing no sign of strain.
He hisses, and something pierces the hand I use to hold his wrist. There are sharp bones growing from underneath his skin, stabbing into my arm.
I hold on tightly and pull closer, driving my knee into the arm he uses to block the attack.
His skin ripples, sharp bones growing from his forearms, knees, even on his chest and shoulders. He strikes again, using the bones as weapons, even managing to stab through the hand I’m using to hold him.
I slam my head against his nose, breaking it and drawing blood.
That makes him only smile more as he licks the blood from his upper lip and spits it towards my eyes, making me dodge it.
His attempts to activate skills feel desperate, as he tries to unleash something powerful based on the way he manipulates the structure and flow of his mana. But I don't let him; I push through his natural defenses even, destroying them, obliterating them with the amount of mana I use.
And his kinetic energy? It's nothing I can't match. He doesn't even come close to the white-haired demon I spar with regularly.
Gradually, armor starts forming around my body, woven from dense mana threads that his bone attacks can't pierce.
His arms, pierced with extremely sharp and durable bones, keep slamming against me, breaking and healing, each attack showing incredible physical stats, regeneration, and bursts of kinetic energy.
And I still hold his arm and grab his other one. With a strong push, I grab it and tear it off. His desperate attempts to activate that strong skill intensify, even in this state. He cycles through all the options, trying any skill in his possession.
Yet he can't.
[Eclipse - lvl 12 > Eclipse - lvl 13]
His mana can't compare to mine, and I'm using it like it's bottomless with no efficiency in mind, just to disrupt even the earliest signs of the skill.
I pull off his other arm, and he staggers back.
Even now he doesn't show hesitation and laughs even in this situation. Instead of regrowing arms of flesh and bone, he skips the flesh and something akin to a web of bone emerges from his stumps.
He doesn’t run; instead, he attacks me again with the same result. Before his arms can regenerate, I pierce a hole through his chest with kinetic energy, his own unable to counter it.
Even dying, he doesn't lose that maniacal look in his eyes. "Beautiful use of kinetic energy..." he coughs up blood, "For a human."
As his eyes glaze over and he falls, his final glance is toward the remains of the demon Tacita killed, sinking into the lake. Fixating on that sight, he takes his last breath.
[You have defeated Bone Reaver - lvl 315]
[Lvl 298 > Lvl 299]
I support his body with my mana so it doesn't sink and look towards the group. The last demon stands back with the group of C and D-ranks. Even though he used his skills, he didn't attack unlike the demon I just killed, and instead moved back to the group.
He now shamelessly smiles at me. "I didn't like that guy, and he and Myrril were always tight, so it was sure he would attack you, human."
"Your behavior is unexpected from a demon."
"So what? With Myrril dead so quickly, if we attack you, we might be able to wipe out your entire group. However, I’d likely die in the process since you’d target me, leaving these assholes behind me to get all the loot. Miss me with that shit."
I can't deny that logic.
[You have defeated Fish - lvl 368]
With that, part of my group moves closer, Lily joining me by my side, the axe threateningly in her hand. There are some parts of it that are damaged, but looking at it, it's from[Disintegration]. She might have tried to channel through the axe rather than the fish.
I don't even have to check; Tess likely kept an eye on me the entire time, and Sophie probably moves somewhere in the distance.
Jean is doing his best to stop the body of the fish from sinking under the water with the help of Gareth and Leticia, who makes some mana chains the men can use.
Luna joins my side soon after, the biggest size I've seen on her yet. Long legs, elongated face with sets of sharp teeth, and maw covered in blood.
Once again, I observe the group against us. A B-rank demon that likely saw what I did and the way I fight, and eight more C and D-ranks.
I don't think we would lose; I'm even fairly confident I could take on this demon, maybe even easily and on my own if my skills counter his in a similar way to the demon before
"Human, don't think of it." Janryc brings my attention back to him. "I won't fight you or that girl, no, I will avoid you both, and trust me, one or two of your team members will die, and what for?"
His words once again make sense, even though I still think he underestimates us.
But what for? He didn't attack us, and neither did the other people behind him.
Not saying anything, I just turn around and head back to the others. He also doesn't say anything; I sense his group leaving, back to the fish they pulled to the bank of the lake.
Meanwhile, I send the body of the demon I fought to the house we are staying at.
Even while Gareth is helping Jean to pull the fish towards the bank, I notice him releasing that wide-area AoE healing, speeding up our regeneration. Jean is already fully healed, thanks to Lucien, who doesn't heal anyone else, so Lily now quickly moves, checking on them and healing even the smallest wounds.
"Human, you might not be as crazy as I thought," Luna says by my side. "I expected you to attack them."
"Well, we'd better leave here quickly in case they come back with additional forces. I guess this kind of fish should come out during the season only."
"It's our fish, human; we will defend it as it was our prey," Luna growls with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
Cute. The doggo likes her fishie.
I reach out and pet the side of her neck as she is still huge.
She then rushes towards the others and grabs some of the chain into her teeth and starts pulling as well, her tail swinging excitedly, almost as if she is playing pull.
***
For an hour we try skinning the fish and looking for interesting things, but it's all very messy, all of us clearly lacking experience. That's why I go to the outpost, bringing back Duncan and a few natives. All of them pull out some specialized tools and make us help, as our skills can make sharper tools and we are stronger.
First, they dig through the chest and head for the main innards, and soon they pull it out.
Pale Blue Core (Arcane) - A spherical core within the fish's body that pulses with mana. This core serves as the source of its power, capable of amplifying mana fields or fueling high-tier constructs.
Some of them shout in excitement, and older ones start fighting over how long it was since they saw such a big Pale Blue Core.
Apparently, there are even bigger ones, but of different colors. For example, Pale Purple Core, Pale Golden Core, and Pale White Core, which seems to be the rarest.
This one is still extremely valuable, with Pale Blue Cores going for around 200-500 thousand shards according to size, age, and some other parameters.
Not bad at all.
There are also some upper epic materials—mostly flesh, tendons, some scales, bones, and more—but among them, there are more valuable ones as well.
Pristine Mana Stones (Arcane) - Naturally formed gemstones within the fish's stomach, refined by its mana-eating processes. They are highly sought after for their purity and potency.
Reflection Membrane (Epic) - A layer of semi-transparent tissue near the fish's torso that reflects physical and mana-based attacks. Ideal for crafting shields or defensive barriers.
Energy-Hardened Skeleton (Epic) - The durable skeleton of the fish, laced with absorbed mana. Its fragments can be used to craft high-tier weapons or mana conductors.
Overall, our fish is estimated to have a value somewhere between 300-700 thousand shards at most. A value of 3-7 low arcane weapons or 1-3 mid arcane.
For a fish.
Sure, it took ten of us to take it down, but I'm sure fewer people would be fine, and if you catch a few of them in a row, you will have a nice amount of shards.
What I also learn is that the powerful B-ranks and A-ranks are able to kill that fish on their own easily and without damaging it much.
I want to see it. I want to fight these guys. I want to try to hunt the fish on my own.
And now we stand around that loot, some parts split among us considering they might be useful. Out of it, I have some Pristine mana stones, a few pieces of membrane, and Lily got some bone again, as always. She also got the body of the demon I killed, along with a few small pieces from the other demon’s body.
That makes me wonder if, when we take it out of Beyond, a lurker will grow from small pieces left behind in a year or two. Is there some limit of material that needs to stay so it happens? Or does it happen automatically the moment someone dies? Somewhat I don't think it's the second case—that would likely be the authority of the system, so whatever is in the middle of this floor likely needs to have some pieces left to rebuild body from it.
As always, the questions. So many of them.
Jean juggles the Pale Blue Core in his hand, it being as big as a basketball, and tapping on it with the tip of his finger. "So how do we sell it? I did my part, so I better be paid."
Leticia takes it from him and holds it, surprised by its weight. "If it sells for around 400 thousand, Noname will get 200, and each of us will get around 20 thousand. In combination with other items, it should climb to around 30-40 thousand each while Noname gets around 300-400."
"He didn't even fight that much against the fish; he just floated there and attacked a bit! I saw him watching us," Lucien complains.
I'm almost amazed by such shamelessness; this little shit barely did anything and just healed Jean closer to the end.
Gareth steps forward. "We made a deal, and it would be dishonest to change it now. Think of it as extra shards you didn’t even expect to receive. As for Noname, without him, we wouldn’t have even attempted this. He even held these guys off while we fought."
To that, Lucien just snorts but doesn't complain anymore.
So this time it's me who grabs the core and puts it into Duncan's hands, but it falls to the ground as the native is too weak to even hold it.
He giggles nervously and quickly rolls it closer to him while checking the damage. "It's nice."
After that, he attempts to roll it to me, but I stop it with my leg. "You sell it and other items. For that, you can take five percent."
For a moment, a surprise flashes across his face, but then he smiles. "Ten percent, or you do it on your own."
***
Comments
Nictis
Nat explained that it wasn't fair to hold him to that standard while Biscuit receives affection from everyone else, but after that Biscuit notably isn't getting petted by the others. When he's in puppy form as well Nat rebuffs most people asking to hold him
Dreyday
I think Nat helped in taking down the 1st demon. It mentioned his energy gathering and then faltering before his head falls. May have been Nat messing with his mana or kinetic energy.
mistermerf
I don't think that increases the quality, it just results in a highly specialized product.
Blaxxun
Oh Hell yeah, I would love that
Dual.
Duncan is one cheeky little shit lol. Tftc
mistermerf
One of the things that Nat does to keep stuff interesting is to give himself handicaps and experiment. I got the feeling he was more interested in testing Eclipse and comparing his skill strengths to guilded beyonders than he was interested in using kinetic energy cleanly.
Alex O'Connor
I’m okay with that
Hugh Peeble
Tacita with the “Bingo!” Strike was completely a surprise from the last chapter… I couldn’t tell if Nat was expecting it or not but he must have based on just moving on with the next guy and not complaining about a kill steal. That being said, was she in on the loot split conversation before they started fishing? Also, is Lucien just poking Nat to get a reaction or did he totally miss that other group heading their way to steal their fish? Luna is second best doggo but still a good doggo…
Hugh Peeble
They came to an understanding I thought… Nat pointed out to biscuit that he was constantly letting other humans pet him without considering how that made Nat feel…
CptJimmy42
I have a suspicios feeling Ducan is a big boss for the Beyond.
Ronnel
TFTC!!!
Max
I hope Lucien or Jean die in the Tournament and/or one of them is alone from the floor afterwards
Max
Aswell as Duncan and the other attendes dont even have the system Store. The Store/system help is only for Tutorial attendes while Duncan is a native from the beyond Planet. He has to sell it on the street or Take it himself.
Dreyday
Ooooh that would be an interesting pov to read.
Nictis
>I reach out and pet the side of her neck as she is still huge. *gasp* CHEATER! How could you betray Biscuit like this?!
RingoSeto
I think lucien may... just may ... not survive this run
jax rammus
Well no duh? Isnt that the point? Otherwise they'd all just sell it now themselves.
jax rammus
Lucien is begging to die.
Subliminary
So close to level 300 I can smell it…even over the scent of dead fish
Connor Brafford
Lucien and Nat’s interactions here makes me really want to see people from later rounds of the tournament fight Nat in the avatar confrontation round
Dreyday
And this is why little children shouldn’t be in beyond. Where are his parents tsk tsk?
Sofie Sterling
Watch Nat go down to 2%
Lonnie
I agree with the dead demon, Nats use of kinetic energy is nice but sloppy. When he rests, Whitey is going to stomp him for his use being so sloppy. Liss is going to get creative because his mana use is sloppy and inefficient. Nat isn't keeping up with his cubes while in beyond. That's not how an absolute performs. Even if best doggo will be the first one.
Afrisan
I think Duncan is going to sell it in the market, not to the system. Meaning he will get more for it than just making it vanish to the system store. Remember the system store is a piece of shit that gives 10 cents on the dollar, so I think him upping to 10% is actually reasonable for the final deal if he can get what I think he can get for it, probably at least doubling everyone’s returns
Michael Sramek
Thank you!
Andrew
Thank you!
Grappleshot
What if he used LeyLine mana for the bait? That's be a big fish.
CipherFTW
Doggo like phish
Derze
Duncan…my boy, that’s not how negotiation works. You don’t suddenly increase 5% for nothing. He should have decreased to 2%. Curry favor. He was clearly surprised by the offer to sell it. You will get more stuff to sell if you perform well. Asking for 10% is asking to be beaten. That’s more than what everyone else is getting. Nat…please,Punch the guy for being dumb. Also, that 5% better be coming from Nat’s portion, lol
Shawn Treants
Wont be till after the weekend I am sure. 😥
zoarian
Mama cat Tacita and papa cat Nat looking out for Angry Kittens :3 Will she get a share of the loot?
Gwalmeich
The dysfunctional family goes on a fishing trip. They just need to take a group photo with the fish.
Dune Black
Lucien is gonna regret being a little shit sonner or later, and I'll be here to watch it.
Ananiash
Those demons were kicks but I like their mindset
Gio
That is a mid arcane passive for each fish. It is too bad they can't get more fish without being attacked by the other attendees. Otherwise, 50 fish like that and he'll be able to get 5 high level arcane passives.
zoarian
Duncan with the unique Shameless Hustler class.
Arnon Parenti
Duncan is getting cheeky, maybe being used as a lure will cool his mind a bit.
Venno
Tftc
Dr.Awkward
Tftc! Duncan is shameless, but I like his grind mindset
Belmont Igneul
We’re so close…
Max
Tftc!
Funny guy
Lucien, the shitface.
Themo Grulld
Thank you for the chapter
Scraser
TFTC!
Funny guy
Danks fur da chappie!
