Chapter 910 (1/2)

Ultimately, Randidly didn’t find that answer before lunch. Or maybe it was immediately afternoon? It was hard to tell. And at that time, he needed to take a long-deserved break.

His original plan was to use some time between his spear practice experimenting with some of the Aether constructs that he had learned from the Mantle of a Nemesis, but his throbbing head quickly ruled out that possibility. No, this sort of tiresome practice had made an honest man out of Randidly Ghosthound.

Today, he would need to take it a bit easier.

So for the first time in quite a while, Randidly lay down for a nap, letting his eyes shut as the winds over Donnyton swirled tightly above.

I don’t have much time, Randidly thought with a sigh, but he was also frustrated because there seemed too much to do. There were a thousand small tasks that he needed to see to so that he was somewhat infuriated by his current options.

Yet at the same time, that lack of sincere goal could be considered a blessing. After all, the type of thing that would usually be treated as his main goal would be something that could threaten Earth.

Not having an obvious threat of that caliber was a positive thing for the world. It just complicated Randidly’s course of action immensely. Options taken would mean other objectives unaddressed, resulting in consequences.

Consequences… Randidly thought idly. That was the word that he couldn’t get away from. His Crown hummed in sympathy.

But Randidly quickly refocused himself as he took in several deep breaths to calm down his overtaxed mind. First I’ll plant the seeds here in Donnyton by showing them the direction in which they need to improve. Then I’ll handle this Judgement, and use any time leftover before the First Calamity arrives to work on Engraving and metallurgy.

Yet that wasn’t all. Randidly’s head went up and pressed against his right temple. ...But that also I need to leave time to work on more Danger Zones and keeping the people of my Soulskill happy…

… the political situation with Donnyton and the other Zones…

…Need to keep an eye on the Ogre Gorge too…

….plus there was the warning about someone from the System interfering with my Judgement...

Very quickly Randidly was scowling at the ceiling of his hut. His eyes flicked open in annoyance. After releasing a breath, Randidly did his best to let go of all of his worries. Instead, he simply lay with his eyes closed and sank into darkness.

There he found the familiar prison, which was the location where his images took that definitive leap forward to the realm of Pontiff. Being there was almost nostalgic, even if this prison was just one of his own making. This place would always symbolize something close to rebirth or evolution. That was how changed Randidly had felt after emerging.

The inky blackness was familiar and welcoming. Without senses, all that remained was images. So Randidly stewed in the darkness until the images came rising out of his chest to fill the air around him. Many of these so-called “images” that emerged were actually just snippets from his fight with the Nemesai or from his training today in spear styles.

Randidly continued waiting. The images that were the first to flee out of his mind to the surrounding world began to warp and bleed into one another. Soon the color was sucked out of them and they were slowly devoured by the darkness.

Very quickly, it was like those images had never existed at all. No mark remained to prove their existence. Still, Randidly waited, alone in the darkness.

Next came Helen, of all people. Scorched and lightly wounded, she held a spear aloft and glared into the middle distance like she was staring down a dictator. She was provocative and proud, confident against all comers. Hers was the type of beauty of capability that refused to be ignored.

Chuckling, Randidly let that image pass too. What had been between them… it had passed due to his actions. When Randidly had won that duel in the under 25 Tournament, he was forced to face the realization that he was moving on to participate in a higher realm.

Therefore, a romance between them…

Randidly sighed and soaked in the tepid darkness.

His core images were slow to emerge, so Randidly’s mind wandered. The throbbing pain in his head slowly departed, gifting him with renewed clarity and understanding.

Aside from his encounter with Helen almost… hell, was it two years ago now? Randidly had largely gone without any sort of romantic interest. There was the initial thing with Lyra, but that swiftly gave way to suspicion as Lyra chose to ally herself with the Creature. Therefore, Randidly had been alone for quite a long time.

Maybe these powerful images have a cost, Randidly thought bleakly. With them, my ability to feel something like passion has...

Luckily, the thought seemed to summon the images that he was waiting for, right before Randidly was prepared to finally examine the growing loneliness in his chest.

But right on cue, the skeletal Spear Phantom appeared, strolling out to join Randidly in the darkness. The skeleton smiled at Randidly, or tried to. But its jaw bone clacked awkwardly against its skull. Randidly watched impassively. It’s not just you that I need. To handle the image part of this, you will both need to work together.

The air in the darkness began to taste sour as a burning ember appeared next to the spear phantom. Ash flaked away, falling like flower petals from tall trees in spring. They burned briefly and brightly in the darkness, adding some small illumination to the room of images. But Randidly didn’t bother to look around. His eyes remained fixed on the two images as the slowly drifted closer to each other.

The distance continued to shrink until there was only a meter or two between the images. Electricity crackled and spat, conjured from the edges of the images rubbing against each other. Instantly Randidly felt the strain of keeping both images coexisting near each other. Because they weren’t related, they instantly began to wear at the fabric of each other.