“Wait!” Cindy is momentarily confused by my outburst, but the faltering of her drones’ approach provides time for my mind to process the situation.

“Yes?” Arching her eyebrow Cindy stares at me.

“They… are their minds capable of thought or are they just following simple commands.”

“Such a peculiar question…” obviously amused Cindy smiles coyly. “Honestly I don’t know, but all it takes is a thought and they move to my will.”

After Cindy points this out the final details of my plan are quickly finished. With a quick motion a glass vial of stamina potion takes form between my fingers. “Acid Bomb!” Cindy’s once confident expression slowly twists to a mixture of confusion and terror causing me to smirk in amusement.

As planned, her fear unconsciously triggers the pawns to immediately rush to cover their queen. With the distraction I am able to push and bump my way out and into the dimly lit hallway.

Sprinting towards the exit, I quickly retrieve a couple of health potions no longer willing to wait for a natural recovery. Soon the numbing pain from my shoulder finally vanishes just as I reach the entrance to the stairwell. I quickly slam the door only to find it recoil back after hitting something. Screening my head around I glance down finding the limp body of Susan, who after analyzing, turns out to merely be knocked out. However, now I am left in a conundrum on what to do… should I leave her?

Glancing back down the hallway it is evident by the stampeding puppets that Cindy has discovered my charade. Based on the distance left I realize I only have seconds to decide. Looking back down at the limp body of Susan I sigh dejectedly before lifting her body up over my shoulder.

By twos and threes I bound down the steps racing towards the ground floor. However, reaching the bottom landing I pause as a large imposing barricade blocks the exit. The obstacle is not so difficult to maneuver, yet the echoing of feet from above does not allow time for carefulness.

“Sorry Susan.” I apologetically call out as I lob the girl like a sack of potatoes and wince painfully as the heavy thud of her landing reaches my ears.

Hurdling over I retrieve the beaten and bruised girl and kick the nearby door open running off into the night.

***

“Why did Cindy have to have such a skill?”

Staring at the ceiling I start thinking over how her skill could work. When I first met her I felt an inclination to ‘please’ her while still having free thought. However, the actions of the guys when they came after me showed a deeper level of control. Just like an addict, their reasoning seemed hindered….

Could it be that her skill has both passive and active abilities?

It would explain the differences between both situations. But what could have allowed me to resist the active ability?

Pulling my status up I look over each section one by one until I pull up my resistances which I had ignored for a while…

Resistances Physical 18% Mental 37% Disease 22% Poision 4% Earth 4% Darkness 0% Fire 6% Light 12% Water 3% Ice 3% Wind 3% Lightning 7%

Well it looks like my mental resistance must be the reason behind her skill failing. But how did it increase so much?

Actually, not just mental… but physical, disease and even fire resistance has increased. I can understand that to some degree I have been exposed to these affects, so naturally my body would acclimate over time. However, what would have increased my mental resistance… could it be that the other attributes can affect certain types of resistances?

“Mm… where…where am I?” With soft mumbling words Susan speaks out breaking my train of thought.

Sitting up I move over towards the woman. “Susan… it’s me Jack. Can you hear me?”

Confused but still aware, Susan slowly nods her head to answer my question. However, when she goes to move she quickly discovers that her arms and legs are bound tightly by rope. “Sorry, but I had no choice.” I dryly respond as I stare coldly at the young woman.

“Help! Hemmph.” Frightened from my remark Susan starts to scream only to have me gag her mouth.

Disappointed at her actions I roll my eyes and decide to resume reading the almanac while she calms down. After several minutes Susan finally settles down and her breathing steadies. Closing my book I look over to lock eyes with her angry yet frightened glare. “Are you willing to be quite?”

Nodding her head Susan remains rigid as I slide the gag out of her mouth. “Thanks. Umm… do you mind?” Raising her hands forward she pleads for me to untie her.

“Sorry, but after what happened with Cindy I’m not taking any chances.” The confused expression on Susan’s face forces me to consider her possible innocence. “What do you remember from the night?”

“Well, after you left the group we talked some more. At one point I left to go to the bathroom and when I returned everyone was acting… odd. I tried to ask Amal what was wrong, but he never responded. Next thing I remember is a sharp pain on the back of my head….”

Hearing her side of the story I easily infer that she had no prior collaboration with Cindy’s plans. Yet, I am not quite ready to untie her. I begin recounting with her my side of the story. However, she refuses to believe me as the doubt in her eyes remains.

“Now, can I trust you to behave?” Despite her confusion, she still manages to shake her head in agreement. After a few minutes I finish removing the binds and step away.

“So what are we going to do now?” Susan calmly asks as she rubs the raw skin around her wrists.

“We? There is no we. As soon as the sun rises I am leaving immediately.”

“But if what you said is true then the others will…”

“No! They are not my problem. I plan to finish checking the campus and leave as soon as possible.” Coldly I cut off her noble words before she can try to persuade me.

“But…” With a feeble attempt she tries to continue, but quickly closes her mouth after seeing my harsh glare. “Humph, fine. I’ll go by myself.”

Showing a stubborn streak not like her usual demeanor I stare dumbfounded as she gets up to go. Reaching the doorway she pauses to tilt her head back and quietly speak. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to go… it’s dangerous, they attacked you… but don’t forget we risked ourselves to save you!” Eyes blazing furiously she whips her head around and storms out the room.

Sitting quietly I brood over what to do. I want to completely ignore the situation and just focus on my own problems… but my guilt prevents me. Burying my head into my hands I contemplate over what to do. With a drifting gaze the binding of the Almanac comes into view.

Wait, maybe I could… no. That is a stupid notion. I have no ingredients besides the pixie teeth, no equipment and no clue where to begin. Sighing in exasperation I kick the book away and fall back onto the hard floor.

Why should I go help them… just because I was able to resist earlier does not guarantee I will continue to resist.

Besides, the longer I take to explore the campus the more dangerous it will get. I really do not have the time… wait. Time, if Cindy’s complete control is an active ability. Then maybe there is a way.

With a resolute decision I jump to my feet and pack away my gear. Rushing through the door and to the front lobby I immediately spot a familiar figure.

“About time… I was starting to think you wouldn’t come.” Susan’s sulking figure jumps off the counter top and weakly smiles at me.

Pursing my lips I immediately regret coming. Nonetheless, I have made a decision and I will stick with it. “Alright, here’s the plan….”

The next hour is carefully spent making our way back towards the girl’s dormitory. The distance between our two locations would normally only require a few minutes to travel, but due to Susan’s presence I was forced to tread carefully to avoid the few monsters lurking about.

Walking up to the building we quietly reenter and make our way towards the stairwell. Moving up I easily notice a few hastened traps. It seems that Cindy has been preparing.

Finally reaching the third floor landing I turn to nod towards Susan. Just as planed the girl bravely steps forward to open the door. It may be a bit chauvinistic of me to do so, but one of the stipulations in my agreement to come was that she be the first to enter. Partially to make sure she had some stakes to risk in this endeavor, but also my assumption is that Susan would have a better time of swaying the others if they are conscious again.

Slowly pulling the door open Susan carefully peaks her head through. After a brief scan she gives the all clear. With trepid steps we both walk quietly into the hallway. Moving forward I keep an open ear out for the sound of anything moving, yet nothing is heard. Nearing the opening for the commons area I grab Susan to stop her.

Slightly started, Susan turns to lock eyes with me wondering what is wrong. Raising my arm I point off into a dark corner of the room. From this angle I can just barely see the edges of a person’s body sitting quietly in a chair. But where I am able to see such a figure, Susan merely stares with a befuddled expression before turning back to me with a confused shrug.

Sighing, I remember she does not have night vision. “There is someone sitting in that corner.” With hushed words I quietly speak into Susan’s ear. After I finish she turns to mouth out her own question… ‘who’?

From this angle I cannot view their face, but their clothes are still visible and a pair of blue jeans can be made out. Thinking back over the groups’ attire from earlier I narrow it down to two. “Amal or Jordan.”

Hearing my guess Susan’s face brightly lightens up and she turns to rush around the corner.

Flabbergasted by her action I moan furiously at this stupid girl’s brash action. Crouching low I prepare for whatever may come. Yet, despite expectations there is no immediate alarm. Curious I step forward to look and notice a trembling Susan who has clutched her mouth tightly as tears stream down her face.

Worried I rush forward prepared to fight, but as soon as I see what has her remorseful I instantly slide to a stop.

Sure enough as I had guessed, Jordan is sitting in the chair… or at least his corpse.

His body is slumped back into the chair as his blood soaks into the once clean upholstery. A rough and jagged wound prominently opens his skull as matted hair and flesh dangle around the edges.

“Why?” Trembling in her words Susan turns to stare at me hoping for an answer.

Shaking my head I have no answer. “Susan we should…”

“It’s because he became useless.” The harsh words echo across the room and immediately cause me to turn around in surprise. Sitting in the opposite corner is the figure of Cindy staring back in a cold and detached manner. “I figured you would return.”

Apprehensive, I readily raise my dagger and start scanning around for the others. Amal and the professor come entering through the stair well. Felipe is guarding the other hallway and lastly Brock is standing rigidly beside Cindy as a fire axe is gripped tightly in his hands. Looking closely I can see blood splattered across his clothing.

“So I see you made Brock do your dirty work.”

“No, I gladly did it myself.” The concise and clear response from Brock immediately shocks me.

“But… how can he be talking right now!?”

“I learned from your earlier stunt the major weakness in my ability… luckily though it seems Brock still sees eye to eye with me.” Cindy quickly glances at Brock before smiling back at me.

“The fat pig was annoying… always asking for more of our food.” Brock shows a disgusted expression as he mentions the now deceased Jordan. “But at least he pushed me into a new level.”

As troubling as his words are, I am even more alarmed at learning that we can level up from killing each other. The notion had crossed my mind in the past but I had avoided the dismal topic.

“How could you?” As the remorse is finally being over powered by anger, Susan speaks out with a bitter question.

“Ha, Susan… now is not the time to be worrying about the dead. Do you not see where you are?” Cindy haughtily mocks while staring calmly.

“Where did you get the skill?” Ignoring the rising anger coming off of Susan, I push forward to try with my plan.

Cindy’s gaze returns to me as a look of derision spreads across her face. “That is none of your business… although while we are talking about skills. How did you resist earlier?”

I am not entirely surprised by her lack of forthcoming about the skill. Yet, to continue the waiting game I must continue staling. “Each person has various resistances that they are able to increase. One of which is a mental resistance to prevent attacks or ailments of the mind. I happen to have high mental resistance.”

“So you have high mental resistance… not a skill?” Cindy calmly digests the information and although she dislikes this news, there is still a soft smile as she processes the impact.

“How do you raise this resistance?”

Shocked by Brock’s question Cindy turns to stare furiously at him. However, after locking eyes with Brock for a moment she then speaks out again. “That is not important right now… we should first capture them.”

“Alright.” Brock reluctantly complies with Cindy’s suggestion. Turning back to face me he raises the axe up and strides confidently towards me. “Give up now and I won’t hurt you too bad.”

“I think we both know that isn’t happening.” Rebutting I carefully glance around and witness the puppets advancing as well.

A sinister grin spreads on Brock’s face from hearing my comment. “Fine by me, I prefer it this way.” Not wasting time the linebacker immediately lunges forward with a powerful burst reaching me almost instantly.

Dodging down I just barely miss the swing of the axe to only have my face be struck by his rising knee. Falling backwards I go with the momentum to role away and jump back to my feet. The bitter taste of iron fills my mouth as the busted lip stings on my face.

“Let me go!” Glancing back I see Susan being tackled to the ground by the gardener. From the other direction, Amal and the professor come rushing towards me.

“Don’t tell me that’s the best you got.” With a snide and condescending look, Brock acts as though this is nothing but a game. Infuriated at myself I analyze him again to see how much he actually leveled.

BrockRaceHumanSexMaleLevel5

Status Affects

None

Description

Humans are considered a mid-grade species with proficient skills in many branches of study. Although physically average, they excel in adapting to new environments.

My mind struggles to comprehend how he is so powerful, despite the vast level disparity between us.

“ARRRR!” With the thundering roar Brock rushes at me again to resume the fight. Jumping aside I try to maintain a safe distance. Yet, as I am moving Amal and the professor have joined in trying to surround me. Struggling to avoid capture, I frustratingly realize I was not prepared to fight other humans.

Can I really kill them if need be?

Lost in my own self-doubt I fail to notice the arms reaching around and grappling my torso. “Ah!” A startled scream escapes my lips as I frantically struggle to escape.

Looking up I notice Brock jumping forward as he raises the axe behind his back preparing to strike. Witnessing what may very well be my demise I finally resolve my mind. Twisting the hanging dagger between my fingers I quickly slam the blade deep into the professor’s thigh as I use my weight to pull our tangled form down.

The action was just in time as the descending blade barely passes by my shoulder and instead cuts deep into the professor’s neck. Having been dealt such a devastating blow, the tight grasp around me loosens and I am able to escape off to the side.

“Damn it Brock, watch where you swing!” A disheveled Cindy yells out bitterly as she winces as though she is suffering from a severe headache.

“Shut up! I know.” Raising his leg up Brock kicks forcefully against the professor’s body as the axe is yanked out spraying blood into the air. With weapon now free he turns around to face me once again.

Locking eyes I immediately can tell he has no remorse for killing the man. And if he has lost all compassion for other humans… then I guess there is no need to consider him human either.

Gripping the dagger tightly between my fingers I realize that holding back does no justice for any of us. Dashing forward I aim myself towards Brock who lowers his stance in guard. However, just before I am within reach of his swing I change direction rushing towards Cindy.

Not surprisingly, Cindy seemed expectant of this and the figure of Amal quickly jumps into my path. Running forward I am now pinned between a Brock and a no head. Yet, I do not see this as disadvantageous. Instead, I use the positioning to counter attack.

Pushing all my strength into my legs I jump into the air and rebound against Amal’s body sending me flying back towards a surprised Brock. Caught off guard he is unable to defend in time allowing for me to easily stab his shoulder.

“Arrgh! You bastard!” Screaming vehemently Brock drops the axe and immediately pulls out the dagger. Bleeding profusely from the wound, the adrenaline from the injury masks his pain as he immediately starts slashing out at me.

Dodging left and right I try to avoid the brash swings of the blade. However luck is not on my side as I trip over a rug while back peddling. Falling onto the ground I waste no time in retrieving my last weapon. Turning to direct the spear towards my attacker, I just narrowly get it pointed in time before the weight of Brock comes pouncing upon me.

In one quick motion the blade disappears within Brock’s gut. The momentum from his advance, coupled with his weight, proves too much for the shaft which quickly breaks having Brock land atop me.

I am unable to imagine the sheer pain Brock is going through, but by the snarling comments and gushing blood I know it cannot be little. However, despite his poor condition, the man continues trying to stab causing me to struggle against his arm to keep the blade away.

After several minutes the strength behind Brock’s attacks lessen and I am finally able to pull the dagger out of his hand. Heavily I role his body away and pull myself back to my feet. Despite the fact that I have killed my first human I am oddly serene right now.

“Jack, help me!” I turn to witness Susan screaming for help while she and Cindy are rolling around on the floor.

Rushing over I quickly throw Cindy to the floor. “What happened?” I ask Susan while my hands skillfully tie Cindy’s limbs.

“When you kicked off Amal his body stumbled backwards and knocked into Cindy. Somehow that knocked her control loose. In that pause I escaped from Mr. Felipe and came to tackle her...”

“Let me go you stupid…” A heavy thud echoes as I bang Cindy’s head against the hard floor stopping her ranting. Rattled by the action I quickly pull out a gag to keep her quiet.

The next hour proved to be a very confusing and remorseful time for the survivors. It took a while for Amal and Felipe to finally come out of their seduced stupor… and even more time to convince them of what all had happened. As expected, Susan proved helpful in persuading.

After interrogating Cindy and having a few gaps filled in by Felipe, I finally was able to get an idea of what all happened.

It turns out the first night after the system appeared Cindy redistributed points into her Charisma. She then had pulled Brock off alone to appease him and ended up acquiring the skill ‘seduction’. From there she slowly started seducing each man to build up her own personal body guards. As a means to aid her, it turns out that there is slight amnesia and confusion that follows the complete seduction. This allowed her to simply ‘inform’ the others of what had happened in their lapsed memory.

“What should we do with her?” Susan speaks up while looking to me for answers.

Shrugging my shoulders I am not really sure. “We can figure that out later after I return.”

“You’re still going… and by yourself?” Amal asks as he and Felipe return from moving all the bodies off into another room.

The others shift uncomfortable in their seats as the thought of me leaving unsettles them. However, walking over towards the window I look out across the morning sky and see the silhouette of my destination… the stadium. “Yes… I am still going.”

***

Running across the cracked asphalt I quickly halt before the concrete monstrosity that was once the stadium. Just like the rest of the campus nature has steadily reclaimed the land as vegetation and numerous creatures are teaming everywhere. Stepping closer towards the building I pause to scan a shockingly massive centipede crawling across the wall.

RaceScolopendra GiganteaSexMaleLevel3

Status Affects

None

Description

Typically found in dense jungle regions this creature is known for its powerful poison coating the exoskeleton.

Swallowing deeply I am shocked to find that even the insects are getting dangerous. With renewed caution I turn to slowly start proceeding inside. Each step I take I start feeling a strong permeating energy in the air. At first I am greatly confused as to what this could be. But after a while I finally recall where I had felt this before… mana.

Surprised at this revelation I immediately feel like an idiot… of course this explains why everything is growing so quickly. How could I not have realized it sooner?

The campus has a higher concentration of mana which has been fueling all the rapid changes. And judging by the fauna density the stadium must be the epicenter.

Reinvigorated with curiosity, I start moving faster through the building pushing towards the center. I am forced to kill a few creatures along the way, but none of which are truly aggressive. However, I do my best to not disturb anything.

Passing through a curtain of vines beneath the bleachers I enter into the field where a soft glow shines through the rising canopy. If not for the green hue to the light, I might have thought it was just the sunlight gleaming through the leaves. Weaving my way between the new trees I soon spot an amazing scene.

An enormous crystalline structure has pushed up through the ground causing dirt and concrete to be pilled haphazardly around allowing for new footholds for the fauna to take root. The smooth surface of the crystal proves to be the source of the soft green glow in the air. Looking the thing over I calmly activate analyze.

ArtifactCor Vitae (Grand)Charge98%RankLegendaryQualityEarth (Pure)

Description

Cor Vitae are a crystalized concentration of mana. The color often depicts the associated mana type that is contained within. They can be found all throughout the world ranging from small Cors inside high mana creatures all the way to the grand Cors that become the epicenter of dungeons.

My mind is amazed at the information presented, but before I am able to continue a quest updates appears.

Congratulations

The first chain of the quest Edge of the Unknown has been completed by discovering the Cor Vitae in the newly developing dungeon.

Reward: Experience and 5 gold coins

As soon as I finish reading I hear the pleasant tone of a level up. Ecstatic I quickly move to spend my newly gained points. However, before I am able to I receive one final update.

Edge of the Unknown

For those who throw caution to the wind

And boldly stare into the Abyss.

Have Courage as you descend,

For often Ignorance is Bliss.

Chain Quest One: Investigate the college campus.

Chain Quest Two: Defeat the Guardian of the Dungeon before a Break occurs.

Reward: ???

My once happy expression vanishes as I read the mention of ‘guardian’. Almost instantly I start getting a bad premonition as a sinister rumbling starts shaking the ground once more. Looking past the Cor I see a massive figure slowly start rising as a pair of crimson eyes turn to stare at me….