Chapter 162 (2/2)

Warning, you have long walked upon the path of the Heretic, but you are rapidly approaching a crossroads. That path lies through a Judgement of greatly increased power.

This gave him hope, but he knew that this was just the first of two warnings. If he truly wanted to be sure, he needed to get to the second. So Randidly threw himself back into training, this time focusing on Engraving and spells, especially Incinerating Bolt still, in order to deal with the Judgement.

Marco Polo returned during this time with positive news, telling of a few individuals who would be willing, if Shal would demonstrate his strength, as proof it was possible. Shal snorted, but went along with Marco, leaving Randidly alone. The small spark of loneliness inside of him grew, but he continued to ignore it, instead throwing himself more violently into fights with nearby spear users.

There was something about battle… it was peaceful. It helped him come to terms with his situation, or at least work off some of the related aggression from being stuck in the same place for all this time. During those fights… Randidly started to realize that everyone else was the same. They fought and fought, with almost a crazed gleam in their eyes, but it was because the alternative was shutting down and just losing yourself to the unending boredom.

Randidly wasn’t sure if this imprisoning punishment would do much to teach spear users what they did was wrong, but it would surely act as a deterrent.

And it would drag out the ferocity and potential of those spear users thrown into the lion’s den that was the badlands.

There was a strange moment once, while Shal and Marco were gone. Randidly maintained his camp along the inward circle of the badlands, nearest the prison, although the competition was more fierce here. A group of people escaped from the prison, 4 of them, and hurried away, with light pursuit from the guards behind them.

As they ran towards his area, Randidly glanced over and activated Eyes of the Spear Phantom, looking to his North. As he thought, the individual above him, Teliph, a man with bandages over his eyes and an annoyingly firm defense, also saw the escapees, and also turned to look at Randidly. They smiled at each other.

Fresh meat needed to be taught the ropes.

So when they arrived, Teliph and Randidly moved towards the 4, walking casually towards where they were hyperventilating. The 4 quickly noticed them, and scrambled to their feet.

Randidly, doing his best Shal impression, lowered his voice and growled. “Produce your spear and take a stance.”

And for effect, he removed the huge obsidian spear that once belonged to the Devourer. The four just goggled, doing nothing. Randidly hesitated, unsure of what to do, but Teliph stepped forward and struck with his weapon, cracking the sternum of the closest one. That man fell backwards, moaning, but the others produced their spears and leapt to their feet. Randidly rushed forward, using a simple stab, and the leader stepped up to meet him.

It was a beautiful counter that man used, and had their weapons struck, it definitely seemed like the counter was so powerful that it would have overwhelmed Randidly and dealt him a grievous wound. But Marco had taught Randidly that was not how the game was played.

So instead, Randidly twisted his attack, and used Ghastly Slash, causing the other’s counter to miss, and shearing off the man’s leg.

The rest were easily dealt with, and Teliph coldly explained that the weak gathered in the South, the strong in the West, and how the circle worked, and then left. Randidly left too, but he couldn’t help but notice the bitter tears those men cried, as half-dead and sleep deprived, they were forced to get up and leave.

Back at the camp, Randidly sat for a long time, remembering everything that had happened to him since the system came. And even though he had come so far, there were still many individuals in the North and West more powerful than him. But he couldn’t deny that flash of joy in that fight, defeating an enemy who had superior Skill Levels.

He liked this strength.

Stoically, Randidly resumed his training. Because the other thing that those men reminded him of was that failure was not an option right now. Losing a fight sometimes meant losing your life, and that was everything.