As they ran away from the Kong town, Ryu’s thoughts turned to power. The scout he’d fought had used a transformation Skill as his Vital Skill, and Ryu had been at a severe disadvantage without help. With his Class weakened, he was handicapped in any fight. He had two options to rectify this weakness: cut his Class connection completely or restore the connection. Both had their risks.

In cutting his Class, he could end up losing any shot at having another, and restoring the connection could be impossible at this point. He was no longer the boy who entered the Trial. The Class clearly wasn’t for him anymore. Honor was no longer something he cared about. He couldn’t eat it, fight with it, or sleep on it. What use did it have in this world of violence? If he had his Master Class, his Battle Techniques- the Master’s source of power- would grow and change with him, but a Basic Class was stable, unchanging. It was meant to be a base for a Classer as they grew. Some Skills would become obsolete or lessen in utility, but they would always be there.

There was an odd phenomena with Classes called the Pyramid Effect. The higher one’s Class, the less abilities they need. It was due to the fact that Master and Fabled Classes had more versatile choices, while Basic and Specialized Classes only gave access to Skills with basic uses. Since Ryu only had a Basic Class, having no options weakened him considerably. He wasn’t a Master that could get by on one Technique. Putting all his Qi into cultivation wouldn’t be beneficial anymore. So he made a decision. He was going to cut his Class connection.

While his dilemma played out in the theater of his mind, the group ran between the trees of the forest. They had no plan beyond escaping pursuit and heading in the vague direction of Cloud’s palace. They wouldn’t be able to assault the Tyrant today anyways. It was already dark, and after a long day of travelling, their strength was waning. Ahead of him, Marshal slowed, gasping like a fish out of water.

“We should be able to stop,” he said between gasps. “If they’re still pursuing us, we weren’t going to get away anyways.”

Seeing the strong man in such a pitiful state both disheartened and pleased Ryu. It’s hard to have contempt for the perfect, but when an idol becomes human to their admirer, it’s like cracks appearing in a statue. The gasping, the lying, the mistakes… They all built up in Ryu’s head, tearing down the pedestal he had placed Marshal on. It hurt to lose it in a way. It was, after all, a pedestal he had put effort into constructing, but it also was like a burden rising from his shoulders. That pressure of operating in the shadow of another was gone. Marshal was not better than him. He was weak, like all men. His body would be the same as any other.

It was hard to see these things in the good moments. The man who had stood under Willow’s pressure, the man who had fought against a horde to save his friends, the man who had given Ryu sage council in dark moments. That man was indomitable. He was noble. He was heroic. The gasping, scared man in front of him was none of those things, yet Ryu had no doubt those qualities were there, lurking beneath the surface like a shark in water. Heroes, Ryu was coming to find, were few and far between. In fact, he suspected the majority could be found in the dirt.

Sleep came easy that night. Easier than it had in a long time. Survival made a wretch of all men, and if Ryu was the first to fall to his baser instincts, so be it. He knew the visions brought on by Willow’s kiss only made it easier to act in the violent way he craved. Ryu was, after all, the biological son of Haru Ishida, a murderer who masqueraded as the lord of his house. Jinn’s lessons of peace would have always been wasted on him. Without another thought, he severed the connection to his Class.

Know this! Class connection has been severed. The samurai lived by the code and word of their lords. By rejecting these notions and any notions of true morality, you have discarded the path of the samurai in its entirety.

Know this! Only one Class option remains for you. Take this and survive, young one.

Class Chosen- Ronin

In the history of Earth, Ronin were Samurai who were without a lord to serve. These warriors were wanderers; their honor was broken without the loyalty they clung to. For better or for worse, many Ronin discarded the notions of honor, instead using their blades to pursue their own interests. You are now a Ronin. As an outlaw, exile, and nomad, your blade is no longer held back by the arms of honor.

Skills

Description

[Without a Trace]

When activated, footprints and smell are no longer present. Low, continuous Stamina cost.

[Strike]

Empowers the user’s swing when activated. High Stamina cost.

[Shadow of One’s Self]

Conceal one’s true strength. Lessens presence on System and misleads investigative Skills. Low, Ongoing Stamina cost.

Ryu looked at the screens in silence. A second chance. It was all he needed. He made his choice. His mind seemed to clear up, a piece of himself locking into place. The strange, bloodthirsty feeling that had accompanied Willow’s kiss seemed to crystallize into something more recognizable. He spared it little thought, choosing instead to go to sleep.

Something prodded him in the stomach. Hard. He grabbed the staff, eyes still closed, and pulled with a strong tug. For a moment, a force on the other side contested his pull, but with his calloused hands, it was a losing battle. Angry, he cracked an eye open, taking in the dark robed woman above him.

“Get up. We have to go,” Keira said, anger visible in her clenched jaw and stiff posture. She reached down and snatched the gnarled black staff from his hands. He let her. When the judgemental Witch had wandered away, he sat up. The other three were already awake and bustling about their camp, packing their gear once more. He began to do the same.

Cynthia walked up to him after he was finished, ringed finger outstretched towards his pack. He shook his head. She walked away with a troubled expression. No doubt, it seemed like he was being petty or rash by not allowing her to store his gear in her ring. In reality, however, it was a decision based on logic. Leaving all their things with one person was idiotic. If Cynthia were to get separated from the group, they would be put in a bad spot. Continuing to isolate himself from the group was just a negative side effect of his newfound clarity. Without the mental turmoil of his weakened Class connection, he planned to reacquaint himself with logic.

They set out at a frantic pace. Cloud was near, and he had to die before their pursuers caught up to them and hauled them back to Arun’s territory. Or warned Cloud of their intentions. Ryu took the lead, his higher cultivation better suited to the quick movements of a scout than the others. After an hour of running and walking, they slowed to discuss their plans. There was no sign of a palace or any Kongs, and Ryu was worried they might have passed the place completely. They stood there in a circle, the breeze washing over them in refreshing waves.

Marshal started in, brows furrowed in frustration. “We would’ve seen it by now. We need to go-”

“Quiet,” Ryu said, senses strained. He breathed in, sniffing like a hound. Now that he thought of it, maybe he didn’t need quiet, but for some reason, it was hard for the mind to focus so intently on two sources of sensory information. In the awkward quiet, he smelled smoke on the breeze. Smoke meant civilization. Smoke meant the palace. “We go that way.”

The others looked to the direction his arm pointed with confused looks. Keira was the first to understand. “Smoke. I smell smoke,” she said, giving Ryu an appraising look. He ignored her. Understanding dawned on Marshal and Cynthia’s faces. Without further debate, they sat off in the new direction, purpose keeping them from exhaustion.

The palace of the monkey king was similar to what Ryu expected. It wasn’t a single building, but dozens stretched between the branches of trees. One dominated the others, extending from the base of the largest tree in the surroundings. The challenge room. The records of his house had told of these rooms. They were large and unique to the kings, meant to receive the participants of the Trial. Kongs guarded this room, as well as the others. Since they were not meant to be here, challenging Cloud wouldn’t be simple, and they could not fight the guards without sacrificing much of their battle strength before the fight with the king. A non-typical solution was needed. Ryu, with his new Class, was eager to kill, however.

“Keira, hit me,” Cynthia said. Ryu looked at her in relief. It turned out that he wasn’t the best with plans that didn’t revolve around violence.

“W.. What?” Keira asked, confused.

“Trust me,” Cynthia said, starting to explain her plan. Ryu looked at the blonde woman with new eyes. He had judged the healer too quickly.

---

“Help!” a blonde woman cried, her white robes soiled and stained. Her face was blackened from bruises, and blood dripped from a cut along her forearm.

Tai looked to Ban, the other Kong on guard with him outside Cloud’s challenge room. “A human? What should we do?” he asked, tone a bit frantic. This was only his second month working as a guard, and this was the first event to develop other than tedious boredom.

“Relax, I heard a team had entered the Layer. She’s probably one of them,” Ban whispered to Tai, his stony expression showing a bit of sympathy. “Girl! Come no further.”

The blonde woman slowed down, panic written over her pretty features. “Please sir, Arun has attacked. My team.. My team and I were travelling here with our guide to challenge Lord Cloud, and we passed a grand city in the trees. A woman Kong stopped us in armor, confirming our passage when Arun’s scouts appeared.”

A pang wormed its way into Tai’s stomach. In the night, a panicked runner had come to the palace, talking of a violation of the Treaty. The girl’s words confirmed it. War was coming to the forest. He looked to Ban in fear. The older, grizzled Kong looked on, chewing in silence.

“I see… Tell me girl, what of your team?” Ban asked.

“We were separated in the attack,” she said, a tear leaking from one of her eyes. A hand gripped Tai’s heart as he watched the girl.

Poor thing, he thought. Yes, the humans were a threat to the Kong, but with the new system implemented by the Kings, they had become more of an annoyance than anything. The guides led them to one of the Kings, they fought, and then life continued. It was just sad that anybody had perished in a conflict they had nothing to do with. He let out a small sigh.

Ban shot Tai a dark look before turning back to the girl. “What do you need from us then?” he asked her.

She lifted her head, sticking her chin out. “I want help finding my companions, and the guard lady at the town asked me to deliver a message. She said ‘The treaty has been broken.’”

Tai and Ban exchanged looks. “Fine,” Ban sighed. “Tai, go to the girl. Find out what she knows. Watch her. I’ll go inform the captain.”

Tai bobbed his head nervously, starting to walk towards the woman. Behind him, Ban muttered and walked into the challenge room.

“We’ll help you find your friends, okay,” Tai said awkwardly to the woman. She nodded in silence. “I’ll have to get an account of the events of that night. Is that o-” he paused. A sharp pain had blossomed in his chest. He looked down. A curved sword had sprouted from his abdomen like a deadly tree. He coughed, turning his head. Behind him, a man with sharp features and dark hair that hung around his face stood. Tai slid off the sword, life draining from him. He hit the ground, but his world had already gone dark.

---

“I asked you to subdue him, not kill him,” Cynthia said, blue eyes like two circles of ice.

Ryu crouched beside the Kong, tapping the blade sheathed on its belt. “Live by it, die by it,” he said. This was not a game of half measures, he knew. While Cynthia continued to judge him with her gaze, the others filtered in from the nearby trees.

“The other guard will be coming back. It’s time to move,” Marshal said. His eyes avoided the corpse Ryu stood over.

“I agree. We do as we discussed. If we’re seen, we kill. Understand?” Ryu said, flat stare levelled at Cynthia. The healer may have concocted the plan, but she didn’t seem to have the stomach for executing it.

The challenge room was a long hall with smooth, wooden floors. Glowing bugs in lanterns lit the room in a warm light, and at the back of the bare hall was an ornate throne. A Kong sat in it, his fur white like winter’s first snow. His spear, elegant for a tool of war, stood propped against the throne. His were open, staring at them, and they shone like balls of red flame. It was only when he stood that Ryu realized he was bigger than a normal Kong. Much bigger.

“The wind told me of your presence. Its whispers reached me in my room, yet I was not fast enough to save young Tai. Does it please you to take the lives of my people? Is it not enough that we’ve been sequestered in this damn Trial for your kind to train on? No… Let me guess. This is dryad’s doing is it not?” Cloud, the Kong king, said, his deep voice trembling with pain. “Willow has always been ambitious for our position. I apologize. It seems you too have been unfairly placed in this game. Still, I hope you can understand. I will have to stop you.”

The large Kong pulled a lever next to his throne, and with a shudder, the roof above their heads opened, revealing the sky above. Ryu and the group fell into formation at the change. They moved towards Cloud. The monkey king waited for them, his spear held at the ready. The two forces collided with a thud. Marshal took the brunt of the impact with his shield, but the man was still flung back by the power of the Kong. Ryu had already circled out, hoping to flank Cloud, but a burst of wind swept his legs out from under him. He hit the ground with a roll, barely dodging the spear that followed the wind.

In hindsight, it was in the name. Cloud was a master of weather and wind manipulation. His Skills were all targeted for that, and it gave him the ability to suppress the whole group. He isolated them, only taking on one of them at a time. It angered Ryu. He was tired of being pushed around like a toy. He tried to charge at the Kong as the monster threw Marshal to the ground, but the Kong turned on him with its red glare.

“What is this? How have you made it this far with such low cultivation?” Cloud roared, his brow furrowed in anger.

Oh yeah, Ryu thought. He closed in with Cloud, deactivating his Skill. His anger burned in him like a tangible force, and his speed and strength rose. Cloud’s face morphed into something more monstrous in his angry gaze. He ducked under Cloud’s spear, his sword cutting into the muscle along the Kong’s abdomen. Then he looked up, and his eyes met the red orbs above.

“Shi-” Ryu’s words were cut off by the large fist crunching into his stomach. The blow threw him into the wall of the hall, and wind crushed him into the ground. He looked up, blood dribbling from his nose. During Ryu’s attack, Marshal had stood and was now hacking at the Kong’s leg with Ryu’s dropped sword. Healing energy flowed into Ryu’s body. He had to get up. They would die without keeping pressure on Cloud. The Kong was too good at keeping them separated if they played his game.

He made a decision, stumbling to his feet. He was weaponless, bloody, and drained. His trump card, the Skill [Shadow of One’s Self], was revealed, his true cultivation clear to the Kong. In many ways, it was a hopeless situation, but Ryu couldn’t let those thoughts creep in. As he fought to stay standing, he watched Cloud. He watched the Kong’s graceful movements, the tip of his spear darting like a hummingbird. It made him angry. This was a true veteran, a monster who had faced hundreds of opponents. He was toying with them. The fight was too clean, too nice. Ryu had to make it dirty. He started to move.

He stumbled past Cynthia, who had stayed away from the frontlines. She shot him a look as he passed. He looked back. There was no fear in those eyes, only duty. He made a gesture, giving her a toothy grin despite himself. It was a genuine one too, his first in a long time, and it was probably the result of the seed of insanity that was sprouting in his mind. She nodded at him. She understood, it seemed. Ryu continued past her, his shambling run carrying him forward. In front of him, Cloud blew Keira away with a Skill and pivoted to accept Ryu’s charge.

The spear took him in the meat of his shoulder. If it made a noise, Ryu did not hear it, his own scream dominating the hall. He ripped the spear from his shoulder. Cloud’s eyes widened. Ryu pulled. Cloud stumbled, off balance. Ryu’s mass shoved into the taller opponent, causing the Kong to bend at the waist.

Ryu’s hands gripped the back of the Kong’s neck, and he pulled the primate monster’s head down further. His knee bashed into Cloud’s face. Once. Twice. On the third time, the impact was accompanied by a sickening crunch. When he went for the fourth knee, a hand came up and gripped his throat, lifting him from his feet. Cloud squeezed. His red eyes met Ryu’s. Head feeling as if it was about to burst, Ryu struggled, but his strength was no match for the Kong’s. Then again, it didn’t have to be.

A man covered in a shimmering gold haze smashed into the side of the Kong. Ryu fell, dropped like an old doll. Marshal, boosted and healed by the last of Cynthia’s power, rammed his sword into Cloud’s chest. This was Ryu’s plan. His gesture to Cynthia had been a point at Marshal’s slumped form behind Kong king. Ryu shuffled back, allowing Marshal to hack at the Kong with his buffed strength. Once more, the toothy grin made its way back onto his face. As Cloud died, Ryu relived the feeling of his knee smashing into the king’s skull over and over again. This was truly living, insane or not.