Chapter 299 (2/2)

With a point of the finger, David called down three more flaming hammers, which hit the densest clusters of skeletons that were approaching the top of the hill. But really, it was just a drop in the bucket.

“Simon,” David spoke again, shocking Simon. It really was weird, after being with the man when he was silent, to hear him speak. He had a good voice too, for speaking, low and strangely urgent. It demanded attention. “I’ll protect your body. Use the Astral Projection to scan around for the places where people are in trouble. If with your senses, and my speed...”

Already understanding, Simon nodded furiously, and activated his skill. His body collapsed awkwardly, making a loud thump as it fell. Simon winced. He hoped he wouldn’t feel that when he returned, but somehow he knew he would. But for now, that all fell away. Because for the moment…

Simon felt like a hero.

****

Randidly stood above the boy’s bed, his arms crossed. The pain of activating his skills earlier was gone, but he was still slightly skittish about it. Mental Strength was absolutely studded with shards of Aether, and it had cost him dearly to use, especially flaring it up so much at once.

In other, more positive news, his access to menus was starting to come back. It also gave Randidly some insight into what that black potion he was given in the past actually did.

The problem was that the status screen and menus was something provided by the ambient Aether of the System, as it seeped into the world. Which was fine at first, and most of the time it was later reinforced by the connection to the village, giving you access to the information at the System’s disposal.

But when his skill had been shattered, Randidly’s soul space had been filled with wild, damaged, ambient Aether, effectively numbing his sensitivity to the ambient Aether of the world. Only now, after most of the Aether was controlled, and the real problem was the shrapnel, did the calm Aether allow signals from the world back in.

It was still fuzzy, but at this rate, in a few days he would be back up to full usability. Which was a good thing too, because once he had access to his status screen and soulscape, he could address the elephant inside of his body: Lucretia.

Sighing, Randidly rubbed his brow. One problem at a time. And perhaps the hastily created seal he had made on her in his soulskill will end up having worked much more effectively than he had expected.

“Like hell,” Randidly muttered, a real headache coming on. But then he focused on the boy in front of him. With Simon’s help, Randidly was able to keep the casualties in the fighting down to single digits. He had, however, made it clear that he was on an absolute different level than everyone else.

Again, a problem for later, and one that Randidly couldn’t really see being a short term issue, just a long term one. Still, for the moment, what Randidly was most concerned with was Simon.

He had overexerted himself, but Randidly couldn’t really be bothered about that. Although he knew it objectively was happening, he couldn’t avoid adopting Shal’s callous rejection of any acknowledgement of weakness. He just kept pushing them.

No, what bothered Randidly now was the skill that Simon had obtained. Astral Manifestation. An ability to create an avatar to interact physically with the world while in an Astral Projection state. Randidly sighed. Which increased Simon’s ability to fight, especially with his fear, but…

It set him once more on a path that Randidly feared would break his innocence.

As someone on that path, it was something of a point of pride that he had guided Simon elsewhere. But this world, this System…

Sighing, Randidly leaned back and looked at the sky. The stars seemed so close, so vivid and bright. An early result of the lack of pollution for 8 months.

This System had changed Randidly for the better in a lot of ways. Although murdering someone was something that Randidly now contemplated rather casually, he still felt balanced, in control now. But something in his heart told Randidly that Simon could not make that same transition. And the System was forcing him forward towards it anyway.