Chapter 426 (2/2)

As her Class split down the middle, Alana felt her consciousness rip, and then darkness swirled in, buoying her away.

****

Randidly grinned as he saw his Level 10 notification, but before he could even read it, Lucretia’s voice distracted him.

“...I’m sorry, but I couldn’t warn you. The System prevented me from speaking. At Level 50-”

Before she even finished, Randidly detected an increasingly violent Aether fluctuation and spun around. Alana was doubled over in the corner of the cave, wheezing. Setting aside his notifications, Randidly crossed the distance in a split second, putting his hand on her forehead. Immediately, he could sense this wasn’t a physical ailment, so he waved Ptolemy away, who was pressing forward with a worried expression on his face.

Randidly’s visage darkened as he looked inside of Alana with his Aether Detection Skill. No, this was…

“-A lot of our warriors died before they realized what happens. There is… something that builds up around a Class the stronger it gets. It makes creating images much easier, so it is useful, but at a certain point, it becomes… pressurized, and like a bomb and explodes. For this reason, a lot of people will remain at Level 49 until they have developed their personal Skillset, because, after 50, it becomes… much more difficult.”

“Fuck the details,” Randidly said, his heart rate rapidly increasing, “What do I do?”

“Nothing…” Lucretia said softly. “If she rejects God’s offer-”

Crack.

Randidly’s eyes widened.

“Her Class will shatter.” Lucretia finished.

Randidly looked down at Alana, laying on the floor of the cave, convulsing now, the blood flowing out of her face. Without her typical scowl, Randidly couldn’t help but notice how young she was. A 20 something young woman, faced with the apocalypse, picking up a spear. She was one of the first people that he had Blessed, and now…

His core began to resonate, all of his Yggdrasil Skills beginning to glow in his chest. Strength flowed into him, making his physical body tense with the strain of containing so much force. Unwillingness rose up from his chest, thick and bitter.

He remembered traveling with her down to Franksburg. How she had fought through and gotten a golden coin for the town, destroying the Ant Boss. Then she had escorted him back, accepting his Blessing.

She had been one of the strongest in Donnyton. She had protected the town in his absence. She was the Captain of the First Squad of Donnyton, the most prestigious martial position in Donnyton’s hierarchy. When Randidly had returned, she had asked no questions, and simply accepted his invitation to spar.

Even though he was years ahead of her at adapting to the apocalypse, she had thrown herself at him time and time again. She was direct, and she was stubborn, and…

And she was a friend. In small moments, in shared dedication, in, if not shyness, introversion. They were both people of few words. Randidly abruptly realized he had never thanked her for everything she had done for the town, never told her how without her strength, they would never have made it.

Part of that was that Randidly had never paid attention. He had just… taken it for granted.

His body burning, his eyes glowing emerald like neon signs in the small cave, Randidly looked upwards towards the sky, towards the System, to the fucking Creature that forced them to come in here, and rejected it.

“No.”

Reaching into her soul space, Randidly grasped her Class right as it shattered.

And he bound it back together.