Chapter 378 (1/2)

Alana sat upright slowly, controlling the movement. With a yawn she wiped the sleep from her eyes and then focused on what her senses were telling her. It was about an hour before dawn, her internal clock told her primly, almost reprimanding her for sleeping in for so long.

Snorting, Alana stood. Although her high stats meant she didn't require sleep, it was still something that she preferred, even if just for an hour a night. It always gave her a little bit of an edge that she could use to push just a little harder with in training.

But it was time to turn to the issue at hand. Someone was standing outside her door. And the feeling that she got...

It was familiar, yet foreign, like catching the flavor of your favorite spice in a strange stew. It felt a lot like the Ghosthound, in terms of the strange sharpness and vitality to the energy, but there was also a ghastly pressure, something like a weight of history. It felt like what Alana would imagine a collapsing cathedral looked like, ancient and desolate.

So when she opened the door, and was faced with the Ghosthound, she felt no surprise, just a flash of fear and excitement, in equal measure. Something had changed with him, since their fight last week. Something hugely influential. The very aura he threw off became much more concentrated and multifarious, which was confusing in a way. But Alana had no doubt that it meant that his power had taken another step forward.

”Are you free?” The Ghosthound asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a small smile.

Alana grimaced at him, unsure if he was making a joke about her solitary nature in Donnyton, or legitimately asking. Then she had a few seconds of wondering what she would do if the Ghosthound had some romantic interest in her. After all, she admired him a lot, and thought he certainly was handsome, in his loner sort of way... but...

And then she was caught by his eyes, and all the romantic thoughts fell away, replaced by a wariness. His eyes were always green, and the System had somehow magnified them to emerald, letting their color shine incomparably clearly, even in the dark. There were small flecks of gold there, hidden in the rich color, hinting at the wealth of power he held.

But now they were almost lime, lanterns in the dark. Alana couldn't look away.

”I want to test something,” He said slowly.

****

Sam folded his arms slowly. Looked like Randidly wasn't coming, so he might as well get started.

”Alright punks, listen up.” His voice cracked like a whip over their heads, silencing them instantly. Long hours of competing with the sound of hammer clangs had taught him how to shape his voice to cut through the chauff. There was as certain sort of voice that everyone recognized, and demanding and insistent one, one carrying an ultimatum. That's what Sam used, and everyone fell silent, gazing at him. It wasn't a bad feeling.

”There are two phases. As you've been told, the first phase is simply the product. You can bring anything you've made so far to compete. I'll judge. Part two is judging a process. You need to perform that process in a 2 hour window, demonstrating how it works, and then letting us judge the product you do in that time. I'll judge that, too. Any questions?”

When there were none, Sam nodded, a rare smile crossing his lips. Thank god that most of the individuals who gravitated towards the production focus weren't idiots. If he had to deal with those who went out for the System Knowledge Assessment...

Once the Assessment was announced to have begun, the people sprang to work, half moving towards the table to get in line to present their pre-made product, the other half here to secure the loans from Donnyton to expand their business, based on the efficacy of their process.

Accepting a freshly squeezed lemonade from an aide, Sam shook his head. He took a long sip. It would be a long day for sure.

****

”How... how are you so fast...?” Alana whispered, staring at the Ghosthound. No, this couldn't even be the Ghosthound any longer. He was-

Well, her senses swiftly crushed her rising fear. This was still the Ghosthound, using the exact same sharp spear skills to pressure her. His speed had indeed gone up by a level, but it wasn't at the point that she couldn't cope with it. If anything, the changes in his speed were rather simple; he was simply a fraction of a second faster.