Before I could even answer Briele I was being dragged directly towards the corpse of the boss, where the high level Adventurers were crowding around the body.

“This is a bit troubling…” I could hear the words as we approached. It was an unfamiliar voice but I soon attributed it to the Adventurer’s Guild Master, who was at the center of everyone’s attention.

“Briele, who said you could come over here?” Rhea suddenly reprimanded us. Briele’s face contorted before assuming the expression of some who had been wronged. Rhea’s cold eyes glanced over the rest of us.

I could feel a piercing stare looking through every pore of my body. “We can continue this conversation at a later time. We should assemble everyone anyway.” The Adventurer’s Guild Master ended whatever discussion they had been having, before turning to face our party directly. “Briele, you look more beautiful every time I see you.”

The sour face Briele had been making instantly became one of delight, as if nothing had bothered her at all. She didn’t speak though, and instead opted for a slight nod.

“Is this the one?” The Adventurer’s Guild Master focused his attention towards me and for a moment I couldn’t breathe at all.

“He’s the one.” Rhea replied. I was utterly confused.

The Adventurer’s Guild Master put his hand on his chin and stared me down. It felt as if everything I had to offer was laid bare for him to see, “He has a different feel to what I expected.” The Adventurer’s Guild Master paused before turning to Rhea, “I know we didn’t come to an agreement but I really must have him now.”

Despite the conversation taking such an odd turn and being about me, I didn’t feel like I could speak up at all. My eyes glanced to my party members who had mixed expressions: a varying array of pity, envy, and curiosity.

“We didn’t agree… but, I can make an exception.” Rhea suddenly said.

The Adventurer’s Guild Master eyes became little pinholes as he appraised her, “You want that?”

“Exactly!” She replied.

“Okay, but only if you spice up the deal a bit.”

Rhea looked at me as if I was a valuable item she was putting up for trade before patting him on the shoulder and leading him away to a private conversation in a nearby alley. I suddenly felt nervous that I could no longer hear the conversation being had, since it was obviously about me.

Briele suddenly patted me on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, it’s not what you think.” Her attempt to soothe me was a complete failure, as I didn’t even know what I was thinking about the Adventurer’s Guild Master’s interest in me.

I told myself Rhea wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, and that thought certainly helped calm me. Within a just a minute they both returned. Only then did I find out the stipulation of their ‘deal’.

When I heard it I felt relieved, but the faces of my party soon scared me beyond belief. All my party activities were suspended, and I would be training under the Adventurer’s Guild Master for the next year.

***

On account of being the personal student of the Adventurer’s Guild Master, I was privy to a bit more information than most. The reason for the mysterious invasion by the monsters and the shifting tides across Yetera became public knowledge. Information obtained through the mind-link ability was not perfect, but it painted a picture that gave enough to infer what was happening.

A ‘thing’ on the West Abithos continent was the culprit. It was called a thing because even mind-link could not infer enough about it, or the boss monster just didn’t know what it was either.

It was described as a seed, and then a parasite, and then an alien object. The only certain fact about the Thing was the effect it was having on the surrounding area. It was growing, and gestating: but for who knew what purpose?

The area the Thing existed in was rife with life, much more verdant than anywhere else on all of Yetera, which suggested it was sucking the life from somewhere else and emanating it locally. As a result, the habitat of West Abithos was becoming a wild jungle.

The beasts in that area were unnaturally strong, and even the plant-life was freakish. This was the news that had been released publically. Insiders, however, knew it was not so simple. The Thing was not sucking the life out of ‘something’. It was sucking the life out of Yetera itself.

That piece of information was not revealed to the public, but records were used to confirm it was the most likely scenario. It was clear from histories and reports on crop yields that when the West Abithos continent became uninhabitable, Eastrath started to decline as well.

That meant the Thing had been gestating for hundreds of years already, and it had existed there undetected for who knows how long before that. The Thing was starting to look like the most likely culprit for bringing this system to Yetera, as well.

I didn’t reveal that information to anyone, but it was my own intuition. If it was a parasitic seed, then it would benefit from making the host more powerful. Then, it would use the host as added nutrients for growth. The question was: to what end?

Another matter that wasn’t revealed to the public was the prognosis for the future. While hazy, the guesstimate on how long before the situation became totally unsalvageable was around three years.

If a solution was not found within two years, it was likely that Arturii would no longer have a place on the North Maledith continent. We would be forced back to Eastrath for the final year. Once that was a reality, the human population would have no foothold on Yetera anymore.

Everyone was currently working over-time, and that included me. I learned what those pitying looks had meant very quickly.

“Did I tell you to stop?” A voice shook me from my daydreaming.

“No sir!” I yelled in response.

“Then continue.” The Adventurer’s Guild Master returned to the papers he was previously reading while my attention shifted back to my left hand. I was focusing with all my effort to bring forth a ball of mana, which in itself was not difficult. The issue was his request: the ability to incorporate an element at will into my mana.

The sound of my rapid exhalations pulled him away from his paper yet again, “What are you doing?” He asked nonchalantly, as if the task he requested of me was something simple. “You should be able to do this, no problem.”

He was only right when it came to fire. I could somehow incorporate fire into my mana seamlessly, but the other elements escaped me. I chalked it up to my experience with using fireball for so long.

Every time he stopped reading his paper the hairs on my arm stood up. The reason for that was simple: my current tasks weren’t even considered training in his eyes. He hadn’t given me any instruction yet, over the past two weeks, while he waited for me to complete the current goals, and yet I felt things were impossibly hard already.

Only after I could accomplish this ‘measly’ task would I be ready for him to train me personally. I shuddered at the thought, because I knew I would be receiving much more attention, and scrutiny.

When it seemed I was making no progress, he finally gave me a clue, and forced me to repeatedly use my different elemental abilities, slowly tacking on more stringent requirements. The next element I succeeded in using was lightning, and then it was ice.

The Adventurer’s Guild Master bought me skill books for each element and had me study them extensively. After a month I was ‘ready’ for his training: by his standards. I was not truly ready for what was to come.

I didn’t fully fathom the things he asked me to accomplish, nor did I dare complain. He didn’t ask me questions often, and when he did I never lied. The Adventurer’s Guild Master gave me a weird feeling that he would be able to tell, and I didn’t want to put that to the test.

Fortunately, he didn’t pry too much into my personal life. His questions revolved around my skill usage and understanding of my abilities as a Soul Harvester. His queries became so detailed and pertinent that I questioned whether he knew my abilities better than me.

Others didn’t know the full extent of what my class meant, but the Adventurer’s Guild Master did and he especially appreciated the significance of the infinite scaling, the potential of it. I’d found this information the hardest to reveal, and it ended up giving me the most trouble. Once he understood the nature of my class, the intensity and pressure he put on me to perform skyrocketed.

By comparison with what came after, the first six months were a walk in the park. It was the subsequent pressure that made me question my sanity. At last, nearly a year after we had begun, the Adventurer’s Guild Master looked me in the eye, gave me a rare smile and said, “I’ve taught you everything you need to know.”

That sentence made me ecstatic.

“It’s time for you to put it to good use.” And my elation disappeared.

The following six months were spent in extreme distress, dumped far west in a complete hellhole of constant danger and constant battles. My only solace was an assumption that the Adventurer’s Guild Master wouldn’t let me die… right? He left me with enough supplies to live off, and even provided me with EXP potions. Although I took solace from a steady progress in level the tension of sensing monsters and being hunted by them time and again took its toll. Yes, I’d been pushed all the way to level 51, but mentally I was exhausted.

***

On my return to Arturii, I found life there was not at all as I had expected. The nervous atmosphere I had grown used to was gone, as was the rampant disorder. The city had cleaned up properly from the previous attack. Instead, there was a serious atmosphere that amplified a sense of impending crisis.

Barracks lined strategic positions along the wall as well as at important areas in the city. Guards stood ramrod straight at their posts, giving menacing glares to those pesky enough to pry too much. Fortunately, their intimidation didn’t have much of an effect on me.

From what I could gather these barracks were being used by guilds to recruit as many new members as possible. Judging from the soul signatures inside, their level of success varied greatly.

If there was any benefit to my training besides the raw strength increase, it was my ability to sense souls. Picking out unique people, regardless of their strength, was something I could now do easily within a block radius.

Even the Adventurer’s Guild Master was not aware of just how sensitive this ability had become. His focus was mostly on my scaling Harvest Soul. Opening my stats was always a comfort and something of a compensation for the hardships I suffered over the previous year.

Current EXP: 4270/147000 LEVEL: 51 Soul Harvester Eternal

HP: 4125/4125 MP: 2938/2938

STR: 45+5

AGI: 54+18

DEX: 40 +5

VIT: 30 +6

INT: 55 +21

Available: 0

Harvest Soul: 1127 HP: 2362 MP: 2362

I had gained a total of 39 stat points over the course of the year, which had allowed me to add 15 points into STR, 19 into AGI, and 5 points into DEX. INT and VIT were no longer desirable stats for my build. My scaling outweighed any reasonable benefit they would provide.

Slaying monsters in the wilderness hadn’t been the issue to drive me to near madness; it was the requirements that had been placed upon me. Specifically, the pressure I’d been put under in regard to one particular ability that the Adventurer’s Guild Master found incredibly interesting: Energy Coat.

Pushing Energy Coat up a level had been no small feat. Forcing my body to simply take attacks knowing full well evading them was possible was an excruciating task. The fruits of that training had paid off though.

Energy Coat LV. 3 Summon a coat of energy to surround you. While active, 45% of damage taken is taken from MP before HP. Exchange is 0.6 MP: 1 HP.

Energy Coat LV. 3 0/6500

The ability was slowly leveling on its own but accumulating the 2000 EXP required for level three had been difficult and another 6500 EXP was out of the question. Despite that, an extra 10% conversion as well as increased efficiency for damage taken was a heavenly reward for the effort.

I was excited as I walked the streets, specifically, I wanted to reconnect with my party. I was told they were also undergoing some gruesome training but I hadn’t spoken to any of them for the entire year. Compared to my previous level on departure, my current abilities should be unrecognizable by them.

As I approached the Valkyrie headquarters I found my hands grow clammy and a layer of sweat permeate my clothing. I was nervous, a feeling that had slowly weakened in me after six months of constant danger.

The thought that was making me anxious was the anticipation of loss. Would I walk through the door and find one less party member than before? That was scarier than the jungle wilderness. My hand grasped the handle of one of the large doors at the entrance to the guild. Yet I hesitated to walk inside.

Time seemed to stop, until I was jolted to action. The door pushed open from the other side and Rhea appeared in my view. For a moment I was so preoccupied with my own thoughts that I didn’t recognize her.

“Joseph! You’re finally back!” Rhea was beaming. “Are you excited?”

I looked at her in confusion for a moment, wracking my brain over what I was supposed to be excited about, before throwing out a response, “Yeah, I’ve missed everyone.” My eyes couldn’t help but wander past her body and into the open lobby.

“Ah, I see he didn’t tell you anything. They aren’t back yet.” Instantly, I knew who she was speaking. “Did he mention anything to you at all about what we are planning?”

I could only shake my head in response. Wanting me to focus on my training, the Adventurer’s Guild Master had left me in the dark about most of the on goings in Arturii. It bothered me at first, but it quickly worked to keep my concentration on fighting and staying alive. If he had wanted me to focus solely on my training, it was the right choice.

“There is to be an expedition to the West Abithos continent in four days,” Rhea said.

My mind immediately shifted to that snowy mountain and to that portal that had left me retching. “So when will you return?” I asked.

“When will WE return,” she replied with emphasis. “When we have some answers.”

I was filled with a bubbling excitement, in part coming from a desire to test my new strength that wasn’t possible unless pushing myself to the absolute limit. “When does Briele return?” I asked.

“They won’t be coming. It will just be the top brass from each guild. The Adventurer’s Guild Master insisted you join as well, even though I’m struggling to agree.” She sighed.

It was true that despite my progress I didn’t have the same number of levels as the senior members of the guilds, but I knew just how much expectation the Adventurer’s Guild Master had placed on me. I had gotten used to the pressure of his gaze. “Is there anything I should know?” I asked.

“No, everything has been taken care of. You’re free to do what you want the next few days. Just don’t disappear on me. Else I’ll never hear the end of it. I have things to take care of and will be extremely busy these next few days. If you need me for whatever reason, contact me through the front desk.” Rhea went to give me a hug, thought better of it and slapped my shoulder in a friendly fashion, before briskly walking away.

I was left standing there with only my thoughts. Originally, my excitement was to meet my friends again, and rejoin them as a full party, but they weren’t here. I was at a loss on what to do.

Going to my room in the guilder building, the drawer next to my bed still contained the gemstones I’d bought for enchanting, and I hesitated before pulling them out. The Adventurer’s Guild Master instructed me to remove all of those thoughts from my head before enchanting. I was talented in it, but my time was better spent elsewhere, or so he said.

I sat on my bed and focused my concentration inwards, to my flowing mana. That was a special technique that the Adventurer’s Guild Master had taught me. Funny enough, it was not even a skill that could be ‘learned’. It was more so a feeling and the result was simply more precise control.

It was interesting, in fact. The MP cost of my skills had not changed at all, but I actually used less MP per cast than before. I didn’t know what that meant exactly, but I could only assume it meant my MP was qualitatively better.

Unfortunately, this method was incredibly boring. Now that I found myself in Arturii I was tempted to find other things to entertain me, options that weren’t available in the western wilderness.

I managed to concentrate for an hour before my attention wandered elsewhere. A part of me accepted that my brother and parents probably hadn’t made it, and another part hoped they were peacefully living somewhere on the Eastrath continent. Those thoughts didn’t stop me from visiting the Adventure Hall to pursue my search for my family.

Funny enough, I had not accepted my reward from over a year ago as things had been quite hectic. The Zeny and EXP pots held very little importance to me now. The Adventurer’s Guild Master spared no expense on my behalf.

There were no messages for me, but I had expected as much. I couldn’t help but put in a request, “Can you give me information on Adventurers named Samantha?” It had been a year now, and while our time spent together had been short, I hoped things had gone well for her.

I paid the fee and waited patiently for him to return with a folder that was pitifully small. The amount of Adventurers still on this continent had shrunk, regardless of the situation. There were those willing to fight and those who would never answer that call.

I scanned the list and found the person that was most likely her. She was in Arturii now, in fact. There was a moment of hesitation before I came to my senses, “Can you send a message?” I asked.

“Write it here.” The clerk passed a card and I jotted down a simple ‘Stay Safe!’ before passing it back to him.

“Include these as well.” I passed my previous reward to the clerk, both the Zeny and EXP potions. It wouldn’t amount to much now, but the gesture helped to soothe me.

The next three days were spent in a curious stupor as I pondered my life up to this point. I had made a note to visit that restaurant with the earthly names; I had wanted answers sooner than this, but life didn’t always go as smoothly as you wanted.

It was unfortunate, but the restaurant was boarded shut, and from the looks of it had been so for a long time. The wood was dark and worn from the elements and a thick layer of dust had gathered on the visible glass behind.

There was absolutely no one inside, else I would have felt it. It was possible that I would die in this world without ever finding out why I was here. That thought didn’t unsettle me as much as I expected it to.