ACT II ­­– Zach

Meeting on a Beach

He woke up on his back, staring at the bright sun that was in the dead center of the sky. Zacharia blinked his eyes. The light didn’t hurt him; his vitality was high enough that he could weather the sudden change quickly. Slowly, he rose up and took in his surroundings.

He was on a beach. The gentle sound of waves hitting the shore filled the background, the sounds of birds startled him, and he reached for his sword. Finding it next to him, he pulled it out and looked at the monsters, only to realize that none of the birds paid him any attention. Years of fighting monsters had taught him never to let his guard down, so he kept his eyes on them. A few minutes later, he realized that they had no interest in him and he frowned. With a few mental commands he removed the filter that blocked monster names and levels from showing—he typically kept it disabled as it was a distraction in combat—and then looked at the birds.

Cloud Gull (LVL 67; Early Mortal)

He blinked, confused. He had never before seen a monster that had a Cultivation level, nor had he seen a monster with that high of a level anywhere on Earth. With that, the realization came, along with his memories. He had been with the others, in the last moments of the world. They had decided to challenge the monster, the World Ender, and they had failed. Zach bowed his head. He had failed to land the last blow. His attack, the skill that was supposed to seal all of the monster’s power, had landed, but he had no idea if it had been successful.

He looked around searching for any sign of the monster, but he saw nothing. The monsters in the distance were the only thing around, and they did not seem like monsters at all—more like animals, simple birds. It had been a long time since Zach had seen an animal that didn’t want to eat his face. He sheathed his sword as he realized that there was no immediate danger, and then he brought up the blinking notification.

Welcome to the Infinite Realm.

Seeing that, he felt a stab of pain. He had arrived to the place that they had all wondered about for so long, and he was alone. This was supposed to be so much different. Ten thousand Rankers had been supposed to come with him, to reach this new land that had been promised to be a true paradise for those who were strong enough. But he was alone. Everything had gone so wrong. His heart ached for all those lost who shouldn’t be, all because one man had defied the world. Zach bowed his head, tears streaming down his cheeks as he remembered his friends, his family. He had seen so many people he loved die in the last ten years that he should have gone numb to the pain long ago…and yet it still hurt the same as it had the first time he’d lost someone.

He shook his head, taking a shaky breath and looking to the sky. His purpose was not yet done. He knew inside of his heart that the monster still lived, and he would not stop until it was dead. Zach had made an oath to stop the monster he helped create, and until the World Ender was dead, he would not allow himself to grieve fully. He steeled his heart and took a step, walking off along the beach. He had no aim; he did not know where he was or what dangers lurked in his vicinity. But he was a warrior of Earth, one of the greatest Rankers, and he knew his own power. As he walked, he brought up his screens, looking for any changes.

Name

Zacharia Gardner

Race

Human (Earth—Iteration Seven)

Titles

First Kill, First to Ten, Adventurer, Hero of

Promise, Chief, Leader, One Against Many,

First to Sixty

Essence (Greater)

506

Class

Blade Master

Level

85 (0/610 Greater Essence)

Combat Ability

White Wing

Movement Ability

Winged Leap

Support Ability

Light Chains

Cultivation

The Path of the Lightning Blade ®

Stage

Mid Mortal (13/150 Greater Essence)

Base technique

Inner Peace

Branch technique

Focus

Fruit technique

/

Passive Skills

Active Skills

Combat Mastery (10/10) >> Sword Mastery (7/10)

Strike (10/10) >> Great Strike (4/10)

Weakness Sense (5/10)

Evade (9/10)

Sealing Slash (5/10)

Perks

Riposte (Class Perk)

Wind’s Child (Class Perk)

Wind Lord (Class Perk)

Consequence (Class Perk)

Second Chance (Class Perk)

Strength

155

Dexterity

251

Vitality

107

Endurance

108

Intelligence

95

Wisdom

90

All seemed to be in order, except his Essence. Before he had arrived here, he’d had more than five hundred thousand Essence. Now he had only five hundred, but then he noticed that it was now called Greater Essence, meaning that what he’d had only been converted into a greater value. He had lost some, however, as his amount had been rounded down. He was annoyed at that. He had great need for Essence, and he had been getting close to the next level. He checked his spatial ring and relaxed once he saw that everything was fine there as well. He didn’t know what he would do without it. Inside, he had supplies that could allow him to survive for weeks, if not months.

He didn’t know for how long he walked, but the more time passed, the more he grew confused. The light in the sky was dimming, but the sun didn’t move; instead, it grew dimmer as well. It was an enigma, but he had no time to think on it. He was in a new world—who knew what kind of rules there were here? The sooner he found some sign of civilization, the sooner he would get some answers.

The daylight had turned to orange, resembling dusk even though the sun still remained in the center of the sky, when he heard a commotion around the bend. Sounds of battle and yelling reached him, and Zach ran forward. He walked around the cliff on the sand, his dexterity and strength allowing him sure steps. Zach came around and saw a group of three people fighting against almost a dozen crab-like monsters the size of horses. He removed his filter again and looked at them.

Crab of the Deep (LVL 65; Early Mortal)

Zach looked at the three people. One appeared to be some kind of animal-person, with a lizard’s head and tail. He was covered in heavy gray armor and wielded a shield and a large axe. The second person was a woman, human looking except for her slightly pointed ears. The last person looked like a bird person, with black feathers and clawed hands paired with wings stretching down them.

Zach paused, the appearance of the strange beings halting him. He did not know if they were hostile or friendly, or if they were even people, but seeing the human-looking woman with them made him think that they were. He couldn’t see their levels, as he did not have the skill for it, but he could tell that they had not yet evolved their Classes. It was in their movements, the way that they attacked and defended. He could also tell that they were Cultivators, beginners only, Mid Mortal Realm at best. Zach himself had not progressed far on his Cultivation path, but he was intimately familiar with the feel Cultivators gave off.

From the look of it, the group was struggling against the crabs. He heard the lizard-person yell something that he didn’t quite catch over the sound of battle, and then the bird-person took to air and started dropping what looked to be bombs on top of the crabs. It didn’t seem to be doing much, as the crabs had tough exoskeletons and at most were staggered. The woman had a white bow in her hand and was firing arrows at the more vulnerable parts of the crabs, while the lizard-person kept them at bay and smashed them with his axe. There were a few dead crabs around, but Zach quickly analyzed the situation and realized that the crabs would win. Despite their size, the crabs were deceptively quick, and with their numbers they would probably overtake the group even if they attempted to run. Well, the bird-person would probably be able to escape, but not the other two.

Making a decision, Zach unsheathed his sword, the white metal of his awakened blade singing as it came free. Windrazor was a curved one-sided blade, resembling a katana, just a bit straighter and a bit longer. It was his greatest tool. He bent his knees just as the flying bird-person noticed him and exclaimed something to his teammates, but Zach was already moving.

He activated the [Winged Leap] ability, and two bright wings of white light unfurled from his back. They beat once, sending him forward before disappearing. Zach leapt toward the fighting, the distance closing in an instant. With his sword held in his right hand, he stretched his left toward the crabs.

[Light Chains] flew out of his palm, binding the three crabs closest to the lizard-person. With a pull of his arm he tugged on the chains, pulling the crabs back and pulling himself toward them. He fell on top of the middle one, his sword stabbing right through the top of its body with a simple |Strike|. He then cut toward the front, opening the beast up.

He jumped to the side, rolling sideways as he fell to the sand to his knees. The lizard-person was looking at him with his golden eyes opened wide, but Zach paid him no heed. He ran at the next closest crab as his chains disappeared. A white light engulfed his sword, and he moved past the crab faster than eye could see, weaving between three of them in nearly an instant as the afterimage of a white wing trailed behind him. Following the threads that only he could see, he moved his sword, his |Weakness Sense| allowing his [White Wing] to cut through them as if they were paper, leaving only pieces and sickly greenish blood scattered on the sand.

The last remaining crabs all turned toward him, seeing him for the threat that he was. Zach took a breath, and using a breathing form he activated {Inner Peace}. The crabs came and he weaved between their attacks, his sword stabbing through their weak spots.

It did not take him long to cut his way through them.