Seeing that Mark had no way to escape the sudden surge of attacks, Kyte created thirteen spears of energy before he shot all of them down into the bodies of each monster. The spears easily pierced directly through their bodies and into the ground, which made it so that they couldn't move. The monsters all roared in pain as the energy seemed to melt them from the inside.

Mark looked up at Kyte in surprise. He actually didn't expect Kyte to do anything based on the last time he was surrounded. He looked at the pitch-black spears that had penetrated the monsters' bodies and noticed that they were completely unable to even move. One of the monsters tried to do so, however, the energy just cut right through its body which immediately killed it.

"Why'd you save me?" Mark asked.

"What do you mean why? Of course I would save you. The only reason why I wouldn't is if you had a chance to defeat them. Obviously, you didn't." Kyte replied as he softly landed on the ground next to Mark.

"You don't know that. I could've handled them just fine."

"Oh really? Who yelled at me to save them earlier? Hm? Oh right, that was you."

"Hey, anyone would've done the same! Plus, those things are really creepy!"

"Hmph. Only cowards scream out for help. If you want the power to defend yourself, then seize it. Also, try not to be so stupid. This is the second time this has happened." Kyte breathed out a sigh.

"Oi, it's easier said than done, alright? It's only convenient for you to say that because you have the power."

"You're wrong, actually. I’ve never shied away from an enemy before. Before an enemy several leagues above me, I mocked him before I would even think of submitting to him."

Well...I guess the first time I battled a Guardian can be excluded...

"That's different. You probably had someone there to help you."

"And you don't?"

"....Touché."

"Look, I can tell you've trained considerably in the time I was gone. Speaking of time, how long has it been since you boarded the train?"

"It's been, hmm...about three months?"

Holy shit! Three fucking months?!

"Are you serious? Three months?..." Kyte unconsciously looked toward the Core with a small hint of longing in his eyes.

"Uh, yea, three months. Where've you been, dude? Rose has been driven to the edge worrying about you." Mark looked at Kyte weirdly.

"...You know Rose?" Kyte, surprised, looked back at Mark.

"Yea. I met her and some of the other Branch 4 members while trading. The topic of you came up for some reason and I said that I knew you. I told them about the time before the trains took off and they somehow connected the dots. They were a bit nicer than before, though they did assault me with questions."

"How is Rose? Is she fine? What about the others? Akina?" Kyte took a single step forward.

"Woah, take it easy dude. It'll just be better for you to reunite with them. Besides, I actually don't know much about them. We're more like acquaintances than friends." Mark stated as he took a single step back.

"...You're right.-" Kyte looked at Mark for a couple of seconds before continuing.

"-You should come back with me. I'll properly introduce you to everyone."

"No, I don't think that would be appropriate."

"Why not?"

"Well, uh, I uh, kinda...did something..."

"Haaah, like what?"

"Just between you and me-" Mark moved a bit closer to Kyte.

"-I tried hitting on Akina the first time I saw her. I wasn't capable of resisting the urge to tap that, dude."

"And?" Kyte said with a touch of anger in his voice.

"Well, you know, I'm more the straight-forward type of guy, and uh, so I, uh, I tried to grab her ass?"

*SMACK*

Kyte slapped Mark across his face, sending him flying into one of the monster corpses.

"You idiot, that's not how you hit on a girl!" Kyte shouted, clearly irritated.

"Fucking Hell man, that hurt! And so what?! It's worked before!" Mark pointed toward Kyte as blood splattered from his mouth.

"Yea, if the girl's a fucking slut! What type of girl would actually be turned on if some random-ass old dude comes by and grabs her ass?!"

"Hey, I'm not old! I'm not even forty yet!"

"That doesn't give you the right to hit on my!-" Kyte cut himself off before he finished.

"-...Anyway, are you coming with me or not? Besides, you owe me since I've saved your life. Two times, technically."

Mark's face turned from one of confusion to one of understanding. He covered his mouth with his hand as he emitted an "Ooo hoo hoo"-type laugh.

"So that's how it is, you player. You're not only going after Rose, but Akina too? I'm kinda jealous."

"What? How the Hell did you come to that conclusion? Just answer my question."

"Alright, alright. Since you won't admit it, I'll stop prying. And sure, I'll come with you. I have enough money to take a break for the first time in a few months. Also, why invite me?"

"I invited you because you've some-what proven yourself. Usually, it takes years for a Special Gifted to reach Silver A rank. Yet, it's only taken you a few months. You're almost as fast as I was. Now, whether or not you're still a complete idiot is still up to debate."

"Oi."

"So, considering your fast growth rate, I decided that I want to befriend you. I took a gamble months ago when I first talked to you, and it seems like it may have paid off. I'm going to be straightforward with you here. I want you to be my friend so we can help each other when in need. Also, I have a feeling you're going to need some of my help regardless. Reason for that is: I'm an S ranker and you're just a Silver A rank."

"Hmm...that does sound pretty tempting. I'm going to assume that you have more equipment than just a few pills. Also, the fact that you're an S ranker will definitely benefit me and FOG. We'll be able to bring in more resources and probably even more members..."

"FOG? What's that?"

"Oh, it's a guild I created for people that have the Gamer ability. I told you that my species is Unique Apis, right? Well, turns out that I'm the leader of the Apis race, which are all people with the Gamer ability. So far, we have fourteen members including me."

"Really? Other Gamer ability holders?...Hm, I'll have to meet some of them. Besides, I'm also planning a type of group of my own, so our two powers together could potentially become something worth looking out for. So, do you want to come or not?"

"Hahaha, of course! Besides, I still need to apologize to Akina. And, your words are mysterious and quite intriguing, so I want to continue this subject later."

"Heh, yes, I agree. Alright, don't resist me when I cover you with my energy. We'll fly back into Thest City. You'll have to direct me, though."

"Wait, fly? You can make me fly?!" Mark's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Technically yes and technically no. I'm going to be the one controlling you in the air, so you're not the one who's flying."

"Aw..."

"Anyway, I have a group of people with me so we won't be alone. Let's go."

Kyte spread out Internal energy and lifted Mark into the air. A second later, Mark yelled:

"Wait! The corpses! There's a few precious items that are-"

Kyte encompassed the corpses with his Internal energy and willed them into the storage necklace. Mark was instantly shocked when he saw the corpses suddenly disappear before his eyes. He looked at Kyte with confusion in his eyes, but the only thing Kyte did was smugly smile. After that, Kyte rose into the air. Mark was full of excitement as his body also rose into the air.

“Dude, this is awesome! Hahaha!” Mark yelled.

“That’s what everyone says.” Kyte replied.

Kyte flew over to the others and lifted them up into the air as well. He traveled above the woodlands and began to move toward Thest. He asked Mark for the directions toward the are where he lived. He asked that because Mark said he encountered Rose and the others while trading, so they most likely live somewhere in the same area.

When they traveled closer to Thest City, Kyte understood why the Core was said to be gigantic. Thest City itself was a mega-city. It looked to be separated into different districts, and the inner most districts were obviously smaller than the outer ones. In the outermost district, the buildings didn't seem to be bad at all. They looked to be rather well built, though from what Mark told Kyte, apparently the insides were never maintained.

The second district's buildings were two floors, the third had three floors, the fourth having four floors, and the final district had a gigantic castle-like structure. It looked to be about seven floors high and was spread out as wide as the entire fourth district. The outside looked to built from white bricks from what Kyte could see. Kyte noticed a faint spatial difference around the castle compared to the other districts. Although he could see it, he didn't know what its purpose was. It was most likely for defense, Kyte assumed.

Mark directed Kyte toward a large gate which led into the city. Kyte noticed that, when they got close enough, there were guards stationed on the outside of the gate. They were suddenly surprised when they saw people flying in the air. They had never seen anyone capable of flight like they were witnessing before. Honestly, they had no idea what to do.

After several minutes, Kyte brought everyone down softly onto the ground. They walked about twenty meters before arriving before the guards that wore bewildered and confused expressions. Kyte stepped forward to respond to the guards. The guard that took a step forward had a Gold A badge on his shoulder, and he observed Kyte before he spoke. He noticed the Bronze S badge of Kyte's shoulder, which made him have a more respectful gaze than before.

"Sir, I don't recognize your face. Who are you?"

"I'm the S rank escort of an Outer Sector train. Our train was ambushed by multiple S rank Guardians that destroyed our train and slaughtered about 90% of the Gifted that had boarded the train. I led the surviving Gifted through the forest and we only just arrived. I hope this will be able to exempt us from the charge of treason."

"Wha-, the forest? O-oh, you don't have to worry about treason. Sir Thomas White retracted that order after several trains were delayed due to Guardian Ambushes. Unfortunately, a few groups have never showed up."

"I understand. As you can see, excluding the man standing next to me, the others are the survivors of Sector 31's South Train Station. We had a few...mishaps within the forest which almost wiped us out, so these are the only ones remaining. Now, is there somewhere I can file a report on the events that occurred during our journey?"

"Yes, each Escort is required to create a report on the journey. We'll send you all to the nearest train station to complete that procedure."

"Thank you. Everyone, let's finally enter the Core."

Yes, they have finally managed to enter the Core! Thest City! What awaits them inside? Who knows.

I also released the third chapter of my new story, Alone No More! The third chapter features the MC's first display of power, so make sure to check it out if you want to read more badassery! Here's the link: Link

Comments are always appreciated, so don't hold back. Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.