Stanley just lay on the ground, holding Caffeine and letting the massive strain of the fight fade. It felt like he'd fought for an hour, but in reality, it couldn't have been more than a minute, maybe even less. His mind still felt off after running at that speed, as if everything was moving too fast now. The pain was gone, or mostly gone, it was hard to tell at the moment, but he wasn't losing health, at least. Though, it was still low…

Stanley opened his mouth and mentally carried a chunk of the meat into his stomach. It was an odd sensation to 'see' inside himself like that, but worth it to avoid the flavor.

Caffeine was his whole, healthy self again; a hearty meal of insectoid had seen to that, and he was sleeping in Stanley's arms. "You earned it, Caff."

There was no rush now, relatively speaking, and he could relax a few moments longer. The one message especially had let him rest easy.

Raid Area Protected from Targeted Invasion for 30 Local Days.

Stanley had realized something in the aftermath of the fight. The aliens couldn't invade with those powerhouses unless they directly attacked his location. It was likely why Nate had only faced one of the monsters after Stanley left, and with the message here, it meant that they were safe from another Invasion. For now…

There was a chance that his brother could still be attacked, of course, but supposedly they didn't know about him. Stanley couldn't imagine that they would have kept coming so hard after him here if they knew about Lee. Plus, now Lee could use the Source, and it wouldn't be a problem for Stanley.

It might even help keep Lee safe if Stanley used Source here. That he was attacked so soon after using the Source couldn't be a coincidence. They must have a way to detect it before they come through. But that also meant that if he used more Source, then they would focus here, and Lee would be safe, and with thirty days of protection, Stanley was safe too!

He laughed again.

It wasn't just the victory, though that was huge; it was the relief he'd felt upon understanding the situation. The weight of uncertainty and fear that had been creeping up on him was gone. For now, at least, he was safe, and Stanley had a plan for how to stay that way. It all started with the Core in his hand.

Skill Shard: [Words of Power](Epic)

There is Power in the Spoken Word.

Throughout all forms of Life, Language is the Key that leads to Ideas, Communication, Knowledge, and Power.

All Words have Power. Give Yours More. Power over one who Hears them. Power to the one who Speaks them. Power for the one who Understands them.

Effects:

Empowers the User's Words in whatever form they take. Personal Understanding of the Words used significantly impacts Effectiveness.

Maximum Strength of the Effects is dependent on Intelligence and Willpower. (Plus Hidden Attribute: Soul)

It was that last bit about Soul that Stanley was hoping would make the Skill go to his brother too. Not that he was certain what the Skill did precisely, but he was pretty sure the monster had been using it against him and to great effect.

Stanley absorbed it, hoping to see…

You do not have Full Dominion over your Twin-Soul. All Involved Parties must Agree.

…and there it was.

Skill obtained: [Words of Power(Initiate I)](Epic)

Lee agreed, and Stanley felt the Skill knowledge slide into his mind. While he digested the new information, Stanley looked at his reward for the Invasion victory.

For Attaining 100% Contributions Defending a Greater Raid Dungeon: [Manhattan Riverside]

Your Title [Raid This!] has been Upgraded to [Defender of Earth], and your Title [First Time?] has been Upgraded to [Veteran Defender]

[Veteran Defender]

Invaders cannot hide from the Veteran Defender for long.

Effects:

You will eventually Know the exact location of All Invaders. (Length of Time to gain the knowledge dependent upon Dungeon Size)

[Defender of Earth]

You have been Recognized as a True Defender of Earth, and the World Itself will Empower you.

Effects:

+20% Effectiveness of All Attributes while Anywhere On or Near Earth. (Hidden Attributes Included)

The first one was nice, going from a one percent chance to randomly find an Invader to a guarantee… but it felt just a bit late. He also didn't know how fast it actually worked.

As for the second, it didn't sound like much, and Stanley wasn't even sure if he had noticed the 20% increase in Attributes from the first Title at the beginning of the Invasion. To be fair, he'd had other things on his mind at the time. But the new one also boosted his Soul, which was always welcome. However, a 20% increase would only get better as his stats went higher.

The more interesting part was the on or near Earth bit, especially the near bit, and he wondered what the range would be.

Stanley moved on to the other notifications. There were some levels in various Skills, as well as his Class. First, his Mind Over All Skill had significantly benefited from the battle and reached a new rank. With it came a new effect that wasn't exactly new.

[Mind Over All(Apprentice I)](Source Legendary)

You have cast your Mind and Will against Everything that stood in your way, including Death, and Prevailed.

Bend Reality to your Will or Break it Completely.

The Greater your Understanding of what you are Attempting to Change, the Greater your Power.

Your Power Grows and, in doing so, Creates a Domain of Influence around you. Significantly Increased Control of Reality Within Your Domain.

Effects:

+5% Ease of Altering Reality Per Skill Level

-2% Psionic Energy and Source Cost Per Skill Level

+10% Domain Area of Effect Per Skill Level

Maximum Strength of the Effects is dependent on Intelligence and Willpower.

He thought it odd that he'd had the Domain effect before, but it only now showed in the Skill description.

[Psionic Soul Shield(Journeyman I)](Rare)

A Soul can be a Powerful Weapon or Defense. Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe.

Effects:

Creates a Shield around your Soul to Hide the Emanations that can be Detected by others.

Shield can also be used as a protective Barrier against potential Soul Damage.

Shield now has a Constant Passive Effect at Reduced Strength.

Maximum Strength of Effects dependent on Willpower. (Plus Hidden Attribute: Soul)

The passive effect was new, and it was something he could test once he got back to the others, especially now that he didn’t need to worry about flashing the Source.

On that note… Stanley was watching them, or at least watching their Souls. Sara had escaped from Walter and joined the battle against the Acid, along with her terrified mother. Stanley didn’t hold it against Walter, the guy was doing his best, and after saving all their lives from the attack earlier, Walter deserved a break.

It felt like Sara managed to destroy one of the pieces of Acid. Stanley liked that. He really liked that she had rallied from her helplessness and near death by going hunting. That was precisely the right attitude, though, maybe she could have been a bit more cautious and waited for one of the stronger people to go with her rather than running off with only her mother…

As for the Acid, there was only one piece left, and it seemed to be escaping… Stanley grinned. He had a new Skill to try out, and this looked like the perfect opportunity.

Using the knowledge he’d gained from the Skill, Stanley spoke.

"On your left."

The reactions over a mile away confirmed that it was working, and Stanley continued, "No, your other left!"

Caffeine was sitting up and staring at him now. Stanley chuckled and then laughed as Caffeine started tilting his head back and forth when his new Skill laced the laughter with power. He comforted the pug with more food and then gave him some one-handed belly rubs as he sat up. Stanley looked over his Status while sticking more food into his own stomach. He still needed to regenerate some limbs, after all…

Status

Name: Stanley Cascade

Race: [Slumbering Psionic Source of Power(Human)](C Rank)

Traits:

[Slumbering Source] [Mental Soul] [Ruthless Undying Soul] [We Are Three]

Titles:

[Solo Hunter]

[Inspiring]

[Defender of Earth]

[Veteran Defender]

Class:

[Soul Psionic(Adept III)](Rare)

Class Skills:

[Mind Over All(Apprentice I)](Source Legendary)

[Quiet Meditating Soul(Apprentice IX)](Epic)

[Psionic Soul Shield(Journeyman I)](Rare)

[Twin-Soul Mental Fortress(Adept VI)](Rare)

[Split Minds(Adept IV)](Epic)

Attributes:

Strength: 201(-70%)60

Vitality: 204(-70%)61

Dexterity 201(-70%)60

Wisdom 3086(+110%)6480

Intelligence 3097(+110%)6503

Willpower 3150(+110%)6615

Twin-Soul 500(+30% +25% of Willpower)1437

Source(Earth) 1.1

Non-Class Skills:

[Words of Power(Initiate I)](Epic)

[Soul Awareness(Journeyman VII)](Rare)

[Soul Reinforcement(Apprentice II)](Epic)

[Source Regeneration](Legendary)(Passive)

[Heat Resistance I(Passive)](Common)

[Cold Resistance I(Passive)](Common)

Positive Effects:

[Soul Support Tether] [Walter's Gratitude]

Negative Effects:

[Hungry]

It all seemed fine, aside from the low physical stats. His debuff kept bouncing around between hungry and starving as his regeneration worked, but other than that… there was just one terrifying little detail.

Source(Earth) 1.1

Stanley didn't know if the ridiculously massive amount of godlike power being listed as just 'one' was normal, but the fact that it had gone up was the real issue.

The first Invader he'd killed here had Source, but from what he had felt, Stanley guessed it was only a Tether. It was still an insane amount of power, but it just felt like… less. It being a Tether made sense when the first Source faded after the monster's death. Caffeine eating the second one, however… Stanley had a feeling that he shouldn't have been able to do that, and likely whoever gave them that Tether would be pissed.

"Good!" Stanley thought, "Fuck them and Fuck their Source!" If they didn't want to lose it, they shouldn't have come here.

Stanley also didn't know what the Earth tag meant but he could guess it had something to do with where he'd originally found the Source... He knew it might be a problem eventually, but that was the future.

Here and now, it was time to make sure an annoying little shit didn't escape.

Stanley had been ignoring the humans to the west. They, too, had been inside the Dungeon and so likely had felt the battle, especially since most of them were still terrified. However, a few of the braver Souls had left their encampment and were venturing closer to where the first Invader's corpse had fallen. Stanley wasn't about to let them steal his other Core, so he took to the sky again.

His hand on the pug looked… older. Not as bad as the first time they used the Source, but this little battle had cost him. "Worth it." Stanley took the rest of the half-eaten corpse with him as he went to gather the other. Food was food, and this was probably some high-quality shit coming from B Grade corpses. He would feed most of it to Caffeine, but he might ask Walter if he could make anything special from them. Stanley still wasn't sure what benefits Caffeine got from eating monsters aside from sustenance and increased regeneration. Worst case, Walter could make it slightly more potent by cooking it.

The small squad of humans all tensed up and readied weapons or spells when Stanley dropped out of the sky ahead of them. "This one's mine." Words of Power was still active, and it made his voice sound… different, more powerful, and added a slight reverb. It seemed to have the desired effect because no one said anything or tried to stop him when Stanley took the corpse and the corresponding Core. Or maybe his passive Soul Shield effect wasn't working as well as he'd hoped…

Attribute Shard: B Grade

+4000 All Base Attributes

"Sweet!" Stanley smiled and then fed the Core to Caffeine.

Caffeine has Sacrificed -3000 All Base Attributes.

You have Gained +3000 All Base Attributes.

"Shit!" Stanley remembered Caffeine's new habit too late. "I should have saved that for his next Grade up…" He had a feeling that the B Grade spider wouldn't give nearly that many Attributes…

Stanley had felt that influx of power very clearly, but… oh well.

At least the one good thing was that Caffeine hadn't given all of the Attributes away. Stanley might have to upgrade before Caffeine, but maybe he would be more willing to hold on to his own Attributes afterward.

The looks on the other people's faces were priceless after seeing what he did. They might not know exactly how good the Core was, but they had to have felt something from the battle previously. So they knew it had to be something special.

"Bye!" Stanley waved and started flying away.

"Wait!"

Stanley didn't wait. He had killing to be about.

He did stop at the truck on the way and finally noticed that his Domain had increased. Now he could fit the entire truck inside if he stayed in the middle. The Domain helped when he picked up the truck and carried it toward the others, but not quite enough. Still, he only lost a few Attributes for the gentle and leisurely flight.

Stanley flew over Eve and the others but kept moving and didn't grab them; he wasn't going far. "This way!"

He set down near the river and then scooped a massive chunk of dirt from directly adjacent to the water. Eve and Daryl arrived just in time to see the dirt crash down into a collapsing pile, and then a yellow ooze started trickling out.

Daryl and Princess got to work immediately by lighting the entire thing on fire.

Eve slowed her jog closer to Stanley, Angelina following behind, and Sara's flight ended roughly when she saw what Eve was staring at.

"Stanley," Eve said, "you do see that, right?"

Zeke came out of the trailer, his eyes going wide when he saw Stanley, and he rushed over to accelerate the healing that his aura had already begun. Stanley, meanwhile, turned to look at the gargantuan spider that was staring at them from across the river.

It looked almost like an optical illusion the way it was perched and looming atop the buildings.

Stanley met its gaze and put as much power as he could into his new Skill. "Fucking try me, Bitch!"

The spider didn't try him. It immediately retreated and quickly vanished into the jungle visible in the distance.

Stanley was grinning when he looked back at Eve. "Like my new Skill?"

Eve rubbed her temples with both hands. "Please tell me you can turn it off?"

"I could…" Stanley said, "But think how fast it will level up if I don't!"

Eve sighed and slumped. "I'm glad you're okay… but why are you so cheerful? It's disturbing…"

Zeke frowned at her but then looked at Stanley and nodded. "It is a little weird."

Stanley laughed and shared his theory about how they were technically safe while Zeke regrew his missing pieces.

Daryl finished burning the Acid while Stanley explained and then triumphantly snatched up the Core when it appeared. His face fell quickly, though. "It's only a C Grade… all that shit for a damn C Grade!"

Stanley agreed with the dissatisfaction, but he'd already known as much from its Soul. At least now that it was concentrated enough to detect. If it had been a B Grade… well, they would probably be dead. Or not. Stanley probably could have done something about it, but it would have left him weakened for this fight, or potentially, they might have been invaded by the bugs while fighting the acid…

"That's only for this area, though," Eve said once Stanley finished explaining his reason for being so cheerful. "Once we leave…"

Stanley's smile grew. "Manhattan was inside the area."

"I don't…" Zeke wasn't getting it, but Stanley felt Eve's dawning understanding as she looked past him at the island.

Stanley spread his arms wide in a dramatic gesture. "There's a whole city of Cores just waiting for us to collect them. There are no Invasions to worry about. No need to hide and tread quietly! No Acid river trying to find us! Nice work on that one, by the way, Zeke!"

The purifier lit up at the praise. "It was just luck that I got close enough before." He was too humble.

But Stanley didn't care about any of that. "It's time for a spider genocide!" His voice boomed across the river, and Stanley thought he could feel just the slightest bit of fear coming from deep in the city.