Chapter 1663 (1/2)

Randidly cracked his neck and left Edraine’s base with a belly full of purpose. The operation to pursue the abandoned Nether forces continued to drag on in the Fifth Cohort. This, combined with the fact that much of the actual Nexus leadership was frantically trying to track the movements of the Nether King through the Path to the Pinnacle, meant that the final tally of accomplishment of his recruitment drive hadn’t been done yet. But Octavius Shrike was very hopeful that his reward would be forthcoming.

In essence, Randidly finally had some free time to spend improving himself; the threat of an ambush from Velio Dunn was always present, but he wasn’t struggling to keep up with events any longer.

The other reason that Randidly needed to leave was that Octavius Shrike was practically drooling at the prospect that Randidly’s elite squad would earn him the Nexus Citizenship coins they wanted for their plan. Hearing him mutter incessantly had a quite negative effect on Randidly’s meditation.

Randidly reached up and rubbed his hands together as he walked out of that isolated neighborhood and stepped into the shaft. If there was one downside to this break, it’s that Vualla is still being deployed in the Fifth Cohort. But hopefully, she will have some time off after the rogue Nether Troops are mopped up… maybe we can take a vacation together…?

Randidly leaned forward and began to fall steadily downward, pulled by the significance at the base of the shaft. His feelings were complex as he thought about taking a vacation. His past experiences had taught him that sometimes one needed to take a mental and physical break; his body might feel like it was in its peak state now, but there were usually hidden problems caused by long periods of tension.

But still. After seeing both the palm of Elhume and the workings of the Nether King, Randidly had witnessed the power of the best of the best. Some part of himself couldn’t stand the thought of taking a break. He still had so much more to learn.

Randidly shook his head as the stale air of the shaft whooshed past. But either way. Seeing Vualla would be nice…

Influence +14!

He continued to accelerate downward, adjusting the angle of his body to gracefully swim through the crisscrossing cables that filled the shaft. In his chest, the Stillborn Phoenix happily expanded and began to suck in the ambient emotions that drifted upward. After holding itself back for so long, it could finally reach widely and consume.

But before Randidly proceeded too deeply, beyond the boundary that even ordinary individuals were willing to approach, his eyes sharpened and his metal arm snapped out to grab one of the long cables he was passing. The metallic material flexed and stretched, absorbing the force of his descent. Right before it snapped back up, Randidly released the cable and alighted upon another, a few meters below.

He stood straight and tall on the swinging cable and crossed his arms. Ahead of him in the shaft, a Nether Ritual glowed. A near-invisible membrane stretched across the entire interior of the shaft. Just as Randidly began studying the runes intently, three individuals wearing familiar cowls floated out from a cleverly hidden porthole along the wall.

“Greetings, Mr. Ghosthound.” The humanoid’s teeth were yellow and he radiated oily Nether. His face was hairless and pale. “I was hoping to find you here. Truly, an honor. Do you have a few minutes to converse?”

Randidly instantly activated Ruin is Inevitable, Yet This Too Shall Pass. The violence leaning Grim Chimera grinned in anticipation. He subconsciously reached out through his network of Randidlys in parallel lives. His skin tingled as he carefully observed as a few of those Randidlys attacked immediately, without even attempting to talk with these three untrustworthy individuals. It was enough for Randidly that they stunk of Nether and wore the outfit he associated with the Engraving Guild.

After all the times the Swacc Family had tried to capture or kill him...

Congratulations! Your Skill Ruin is Inevitable, Yet This Too Shall Pass (T) has grown to Level 306!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Ruin is Inevitable, Yet This Too Shall Pass (T) has grown to Level 321!

One particular Randidly was worried about the lurking presence of Velio Dunn and went all out from the jump; he kept nothing back. All three images physicalized around him and his body blazed with the spectral flames of Weight. Waves of dense Nether blasted outward and restricted the movements that these representatives could take as he accelerated forward.

Another Randidly whipped out Acri and began to gather natural energy with Ripple of Amenonuhoko with several deceptively fast thrusts. A third just squatted and exploded off the swinging cable like a rocket, turning his body into a natural bullet to test the limits of these three.

The first Randidly slaughtered these representatives of the Engraving Guild in only three seconds. They seemed genuinely shocked by his decisive offensive and couldn’t respond in time to the combined might of his images. The other two aggressive Randidlys also killed these three, although those fights took somewhat longer as he hadn’t been so overbearing.