A deep sigh escaped Kyle as he stared at the massive core, he was currently wondering what he could make out of it’s giant mana pool when suddenly a notification filled his vision.

Party has cleared the entrance of [Slime Delve] You are now free to explore the cave system.

“World related notifications?” Kyle thought as he placed his right hand over the core making it disappear into his inventory, with enough Strength stat he was able to carry it with only minor discomfort.

Thinking it over briefly Kyle knew there was still a lot about this world they did not know or understand “What even is the system? Isn’t that like asking what is reality itself? This being called the Avatar…the creator of all, even the Gods. Magic…Mana…The soul…”

There was so much they did not understand no matter for how long they made use of them, one question in general kept irking Kyle since the start. “Chanting…” he spoke out the word using mana, the difference between imbuing his voice and his words so thin yet so different.

Kyle summoned a flame in his right hand and gazed into it’s white core surrounded by flickering blue. It wasn’t the length or accuracy of the words spoke “Core of my being” it wasn’t the tone used to speak them “Cold flames within me” but what made chanting so powerful was the feelings he put into those words “Devour all that stand in my path”.

The meaning of the words spoken differed by perspective “Devouring Frostfire!”, the white-blue flames blazed to life around his left hand even more fiercely than the first. Kyle dissipated the weaker flame “Devouring flames within me, destroy any who would traverse into my path. Devouring Frostfire!” an identical flame to the second then appeared in it’s place.

Kyle glanced between the two flames but there was no difference, the words spoken made no difference. He again dissipated his right flame and began to chant “Core of my being! Cold flames within me! Devour all that stand in my path! Devouring Frostfire!” he raised his tone and voice while chanting this time, again an identical flame to the one on his left burst to life around his right.

The words spoken and tone used made no difference when chanting, those were two facts he could make out about chanting. Kyle dissipated the flame again then closed his eyes and began to remember his anger, his raw and relentless rage against the being known as the Nogitsune.

He chanted “Core of my being! Cold flames within me! Devour all that stand in my path! Devouring Frostfire!” his voice suddenly reverberated through the cavern and a blaze burst to life around his right hand. This flame was nothing like the other, an inferno full of rage and viciousness five times the size of the other.

Kyle had been keeping an eye on his mana pool but each cast he made sure the skill used the same amount of mana, his spirit had increased with his own burst of emotions but none was used. He dissipated both flames and stared down at his hands “Just what resource is chanting using?...Is it…even using a resource?” Kyle use to think of himself as a man of facts and hard science but since arriving in the world of Chaoz he found himself questioning everything he ever knew.

He summoned forth a flame again without chanting and watched his mana go down, he studied the flame attentively and watched as he dissipated it. (“Nothing simply disappears, everything comes from something. That is what I use to believe, that is what I still believe yet…How true is it?”)

Kyle knew his mana pool filled from the surrounding mana of the environment, he knew his soul and or core processed that mana. Cast spell, use X amount of mana as resource, get X capability with spell outcome. That was the common knowledge of using spells and skills but then why was Chanting changing it all? When one chanted, the amount held as X for resource stayed the same but the capability of the spell or skill increased.

This realistically made no sense because ‘Energy cannot be created or destroyed’, mana cannot be created or destroyed. When a spell is cast mana from one’s mana pool is transformed, when the spell is dissipated that mana joins the environmental mana around them which is then absorbed into the soul and reprocessed for use.

“Two options” Kyle thought out loud “Either chanting makes use of a hidden resource bar I cannot yet perceive or it makes use of a resource…that isn’t within my body. That is unless chanting really does create mana…” Kyle continued to stare down at his open palms deep in thought.

“Now that would be one headache I’d never get over” Birse stated catching Kyle’s attention away from his thoughts.

Kyle turned to finally notice the rest of his party standing there looking at him, he was too deep in his thoughts to notice them. To say they were drenched would be an insult at the art that stood before him, a layer of murky green slime covered them wholly.

Everyone looked annoyed except for Seren, she looked completely pissed off while trying to wipe away the slime. “Remove it, now” she ordered more than asked Kyle.

Following a sigh Kyle walked over to them and summoned his flames, they engulfed each member in order devouring the slimy mucus that stuck to them like chewed gum. Being in the same party did not protect them from taking friendly-fire damage but Kyle had become skilled enough at controlling his flames that he could control the temperature and power of the flames.

“Anyway” continued Birse “What were you trying to figure out just now?”

Kyle groaned in frustration “Where the hell Chanting gets it’s resource, I simply cannot believe that it just creates mana out of nothing. Imbuing words with mana does not actually take mana so I cannot figure out how it works, it’s been irking me for days!”

“And no mana exits with the sound you make or motions of your body while speaking, my mana detection level tells me that much.” Death confirmed with a sigh.

Kyle began to stare at Death “What’s your mana detection level? Mine’s hasn’t reached mid-tier 1 yet…”

“Level 8 Tier 6” Death announced proudly while puffing up his chest, only to be puffed back down from Seren’s eblow.

“Level 4 Tier 8” Seren declared matter-of-factly causing everyone to turn and stare at her, “What!? You thought I just gazed at your asses while I healed everyone!?” she asked with a hurt tone. The whole party looked away not saying a word causing her to make a sound closely related to a growl.

Seren rolled her eyes “With Death’s level you can see someone’s mana pool but with mine I can see the actual flow if I concentrate, it helps me know whenever someone is casting something.”

“Ever tried to see what happens when someone chants while casting?” Birse asked.

She shrugged “Never thought much about it but I guess I can give it a try, Death cast a fire.” She nudged the mage who was still holding onto his gut.

“Fine…fine…” Death raised his right hand forward and began chanting “Infernal flames of deep below! Hellfire!” a crimson red flame burst out of his palm.

Kyle watched Seren’s face as she stared at Death’s arm, her eyes were glowing a faint blue. He noticed her frown “Can you explain what is happening?” he asked her.

Seren grimaced and frowned at what she saw “The mana within his arm is flowing out and changing, the amount increasing as it leaves…No wait…”, she walked over to Death and grabbed his arm as the flame constantly burst out of his palm. Seren was squinting now as she watched the mana flow, a light blue ethereal energy coursing through the arm and changing into flame as it exits out the palm.

“There’s…movement outside the spell’s range…like mana is leaking?” She guessed while continuing to watch.

“Leaking? Or entering the spell’s range from outside his mana pool? Seren is the environmental mana flowing into the spell!?” Kyle asked expectantly.

“My skill just levelled!” she announced “It is! Mana from the air is fuelling the spell!”

“Wait then why can’t we just use the mana around us?“ Death asked after stopping the spell and releasing his arm out of Seren’s grip ,”Why isn’t it making the spell weaker? Isn’t this diluting the spell with unprocessed mana?” he then asked while rubbing his lower arm.

Birse chuckled “Makes more sense now, chanting makes use of the environmental mana flowing around us increasing the spells power. Question now is what is the downside of this?”

“Devouring flames within me, destroy any who would traverse into my path. Devouring Frostfire!” Kyle chanted and the white-blue flame engulfed his entire body “Control, that is the downside. I noticed it a couple times since most of my magic is based on bending the spell, it’s much more difficult to control when I chant so at times I just don’t.”

“So it IS diluting the spell! But then doesn’t that mean some types of magic are stronger around certain terrain?” Death mused.

“Water magic in the middle of the ocean is obvious, nature in a forest too but what about fire? Lightning? Or Earth for that?” Soren asked.

“Yo what about wind magic? Doesn’t that mean wind is the strongest of all?” Skill exclaimed.

Birse slapped the back of his head “Wind isn’t air dumbass, it’s flowing air.”

“Oh” Skill simply replied.

“Anyway” Birse changed the subject “we’ll be taking a break here Kyll. You go on and look for more types.” He stated while finding a wall to sit by.

Kyle waved them off “Alright I’ll be back in a bit then.” He left with a grin on his face as he reminisced on how quickly his friends had caught up in his mood of messing with magic.

He took the same direction he had last been heading into, one of two other tunnels leading into the cavern of which one was the exit. He first looked at his mana and decided to wait a bit more before heading deeper so it fully regenerated, this would only take him two minutes of waiting and while he did so Kyle thought over some less recent events.

With everything that had happened so far today felt like a fresh breath of air after days of panting, the stress and paranoia that lumbered over his shoulders seemingly loosening some weight. Everything from the Nogitsune that once corrupted his life, to finding out he wasn’t even human in the first place. Kyle thought of himself as someone who quickly adjusted to things but he couldn’t help himself from sighing at it all.

With his back leaning against the rocky wall of the tunnel he overheard his guild’s chatter and over all jolly mood, for better or worse they had all been the type to quickly adjust to things due to each of their pasts. His thoughts strayed as he began to wonder about everybody else (“How are others adjusting? Are they at all? Kaledd was bad but how would Frosthold be if it wasn’t for Birse and the others?”).

Kyle didn’t really care for others that weren’t part of his merry band of misfits and psychopaths, he wasn’t cold enough to pass up helping someone in dire need but unless it was life or death he couldn’t give a shit. With how this world now was, death was no longer too much of a problem either making it difficult for Kyle to care about ‘Everybody else’ but he couldn’t help if not wonder about how many others could adjust as quickly as they had.

Life anywhere was nothing if not filled with tragedy, pain and loss. A combination of all had forged Kyle into however twisted a person he became, it was after all experience which built someone’s personality.

“We can’t defeat a demi-goddess on our own after all…” he whispered to nobody in general, wondering just how useful all the low levelled adventurers would actually prove to be in the end. He in fact did not look forward to facing the real Lucifer, less so the being HE called master. The only reason Kyle had pissed all over her speech in the beginning was because of the soul wail that affected his emotions, something he found out from talking to Sly.

His thoughts returned to his guild, how everyone acted at the start of it all. At first Kyle thought they’d all just disappear immediately and start farming their way up, abandoning everyone else in the process but he was never as surprised as he was when Birse told Sly to start recruiting. He hadn’t thought much of it at first but then realised the genius behind it, even meatshields required proper training.

He chuckled quietly at that thought before coming to a sudden realisation (“Do we need to defeat the Devils, demons and their demi-god master? She was the one that brought us into this world in the first place…”), Kyle narrowed his eyes as he thought it over. What had the Devils done them wrong? Silva’s death wasn’t their fault, if anything Kyle and the rest were to blame for being too hasty.

Ever since he got rid of the ‘Void’ Nogitsune his mind felt clearer than ever and so he began to truly think things through. (“Why haven’t the others suggested it? What could possibly stop us from doing so?”) he asked himself yet the answer didn’t seem to come to him at all, the only reason they had even helped the people of this kingdom was for their own benefit.

(“Did everyone get caught up in the Devil’s are evil crap? Then what are we compared to everyone else?”) In the end Kyle’s curiosity won out and he decided to just ask them. He turned back and walked into the cavern as everyone was eating and chatting.

“Yo bwack awlreawy? Waws iw a weaw enw?” Soren asked while halfway through a sandwich.

Kyle simply smiled awkwardly at him “Yo just realised something, came back to ask.” He said while scratching his head.

“What up?” Skill asked as everyone turned away from their food and chatter.

“Why are we even trying to fight the Dezol legions?” Kyle asked with a serious expression.

Soren gulped down what was already in his mouth after several choking moments and bashing his fist into his chest, Birse spat out the water he was drinking onto Skill and the rest just stared at him baffled. Slowly they recovered and glanced at each other as Kyle looked at them in confusion.

“Kyll” Seren began to speak first “We thought you were pissed at Lilliana?”

“Yo what about all that shit you spoke back then?” Death asked.

Followed by Birse who stood up and stared at him with a questioning expression “I thought you wanted to fight them?”

Kyle raised a brow “Wait…you actually…you don’t?...” he was taken aback by their questions.

They awkwardly stared at each other briefly before Birse broke the ice “You aren’t pissed at the demi-bitch for doing what she did to your fairy?”

Kyle held his face with his right palm and looked up at the cavern’s ceiling “That…” before bursting into laughter.

“Think he lost it, Seren he under some weird effects?” Death asked the healer.

Seren shook her head “Not that I can tell…”

Kyle took a deep breath to calm himself down “Skill, you didn’t tell em?” he looked at the ranger in disbelief.

Skill shrugged “Tell em what? Wait did you take from my stash? Yo I think he high!” he exclaimed to the others.

Kyle snorted “No you dumbass, I’m talking about the same thing that happened to Sly after his wolf died! What I did back then is called a ‘Soul Wail’, I had no control over it!” he explained followed by a chuckle.

“Huh…” Birse nodded in understanding ”Oh…I thought it was unlike you, I mean I would have expected it from you if she had really pissed you off which is why I did not bring it up with you but…So we good?” he glanced at the others.

“Ye” Soren simply stated as he devoured the rest of his sandwich.

“Sure” Seren replied.

“Fuck it, let’s do it” Death readily answered.

“Kay” Skill said returning to his crackers.

“So you did discuss it…” Kyle stated with another chuckled.

“Pfft, the hell you think we are?” Birse replied “Of course we discussed it! Well you in or what?”

“Yeah I’m-” Kyle than entered another fit of laughter.

“You sure you ain’t high?” Skill asked him.

“The base!...Sly’s…gonna be…pissed as fuck!” Kyle replied in between gasps of muffled laughter which was soon joined by others.

Black Watch Cove

Jacky sighed as he pulled out his dagger from the [Warrior]’s neck, he glanced around at the thirty or so corpses that quickly began to dissipate as the rest of his party cleaned up the runners. They had decided that the pirate’s cove would probably be a good spot for farming levels and therefore headed that way using the griffin carriage they had stolen from Eslet.

But when they arrived the place was already over run with an adventurer guild who had taken over, one thing led to another as the guild tried to chase them off from farming their ‘comrades’ and Sly had made the first move after sensing hostility.

Now here they stood at one of the many hidden coves around these scattered islands, small masses of land covered in overgrown jungle and riddled with cliffs. It had taken them the most of the day to locate their main base and all for naught, most of the pirates had already been killed or enslaved by the guild.

“You son of a bitch!” The enemy guild leader cursed as he charged Jacky, he in turn inspected him.

Deltaforce [Knight] (Pirate slayer) (ARMY Commander) Level 103

The full plate armoured knight charged the assassin with shield raised ready to bash it into him but Jacky simply sidestepped him and shoved a dagger into his neck, he stabbed between his pauldrons and neck before backing away.

“You…” Delta fell to his knees as he choked, his lungs were filling with blood. He fell sideways and to the ground before laying dead and dissipating.

Jacky sighed in disappointment and glanced up at the night sky “Well this was a bust, where to next?” he asked but received no reply. He looked around for the others and found them gathered around a duel.

Sly was currently engaging in combat with the last survivor of ARMY, Jacky inspected the woman as he approached.

300thSpartan [Valkyrie] (Frontliner) (ARMY lieutenant) Level 117

She wore full plate armour and plate skirt with the cosmetic addition of feathered like wings on her shoulders and helmet. She held a focused expression as she fought, long dirty blonde hair that didn’t seem to get in her way and attentive light brown eyes.

Even as Sly charged her with reckless abandon she expertly deflected his sword and dagger with her kiteshield and struck back with her shortsword only for Sly to evade out of the way. Jacky saw why the others seemed interested in the fight, although the Valkyrie was at the defensive due to Sly’s random and relentless attacks along with his monstrous stamina she was holding her ground fairly well.

Sly side-stepped, dodge-rolled and slid along with her shield bashes as he moved circles around her position all the while slashing recklessly with his sword while putting in well set dagger stabs. Spartan deflected his sword with her shield and parried his dagger with her own sword while turning on the spot, her expression was focused but also growing weary.

Sly went in for another stab around her shield and she moved to parry it again only to notice too late that he had swapped his weapons, Sly’s sword dug into her shoulder forcing her to back off. She was left completely open as she leaped back causing Sly to leap after her and grabbing her shield.

She tried to bash her shield into him again only for Sly to pull it further along with her bash’s momentum after sidestepping the counter attack, he then stabbed his dagger into her wrist that held the shield causing it for fall to the ground.

He went in for the kill and slashed his sword at her chest but she parried it with her own sword, he smirked while holding his dagger to her throat.

“Not bad” Sly told her as he suddenly let go of his dagger, he turned around then grabbed her sword arm and bashed his hilt into her hand forcing her to release the sword. He elbowed her in the face then spun around and kicked her in the gut causing her to fall to her knees.

Spartan coughed and spat at the ground while clutching her gut and reaching for her sword “I won’t…”

Jacky walked up and kicked the sword aside leaving her unarmed “Really how’d you end up with these chumps? They’re all level and no bite.”

Sly smirked and crouched down to her eye level, she grimaced and glared at him “What?” she asked him bitterly.

“Want to join our guild?”