26 Volume 3 - Chapter 2 (1/2)
Getting the essence of a Deity would take time, especially given where it was located, so that was an idea Micheal tossed to the backburner for now.
But just the fact that he could achieve it in the first place was already huge.
As Micheal re-read over the description of the gift, he noticed something that made him frown.
'Nothing about this 'Gift' is tailored specifically to humanity.' It was a very general gift that could've been given to any race. After all, every single race had its own unique First Layer, full of danger, in preparation to face the other races.
It was entirely conceivable that every other race had the chance to have someone obtain this same gift. As Micheal went back over his memories of the future, he could pick out monstrous geniuses that humanity had fought against time and time again, suffering miserable losses.
'No human got this 'Gift' in the first timeline, or any future 'Gifts' if they exist, not that I know about. That probably explains at least some of the heavy losses we took.' He rubbed his chin at the thought. Humanity had missed out on one of its best rewards in the very beginning. And, in the chaotic 7 Layers where a single individual could have a very big impact, that was a very sore point.
Micheal could subtly tell that this gift was one-of-a-kind, an innate kind of understanding that came with it. He would never get another option to use it again. He also hadn't heard of anything similar to this found on other Layers, but he wouldn't rule anything out. He would need to do a thorough assessment of the Second Layer before he moved on, just to be certain. Perhaps there might be another 'Gift' to be found, but with a different reward.
Micheal tossed all of these thoughts from his mind as he finally finished traveling through the Spawning Grounds and reached the stone wall of the Camp he'd first spotted in the distance.
The wall stretched off to the right and left for several hundred meters, weathered and worn away by the trials of time. The top of the wall was covered with spikes of metal, making it dangerous to land on. That said, most people that made it to the Second Layer would have the strength of at least 3 to 4 regular humans, at the weakest, meaning such a wall would do little to stop them.
Still, Micheal obediently walked up to the wide gate that was situated in the center of the wall, facing the Spawning Grounds.
The gate was more of a very wide passageway, stretching around 20 meters across and split down the middle. One side was for traffic entering the Camp and the other side was for traffic leaving. It was made up of a large stone archway, built several meters up and higher than the regular wall itself.
There was a roughly 20 person line waiting out in front of the entrance to the Camp, with the occasional person emerging from the exit. People of all shapes, colors, and sizes waited in line, dressed in a variety of clothes.
At the gate entrance, an eight-man team of guards stood and talked to everyone that walked up. Seven of them were clearly humans, dressed in military fatigues and armed with guns. Four of them also held clipboards and were marking down information as they talked to people.
The eighth one looked like a human, a man standing at around 2 meters of height with a tanned, weathered face. He wore a white shirt and a set of grey slacks, standing out from the military-like other guards. At his waist, a long, black blade lay sheathed.
It was the small, green gem that was set in his forehead, and the unique green glow that emanated from his eyes, that instantly gave away his true origins.
He was a member of the Byrium Race, or a Byren (pronounced: Beer-in) as they were commonly called. The dominant, and original, species that lived on the Ancient World.
Micheal joined this line behind a group of men that were dressed in some type of archaic-looking red armor. He kept his presence small as he listened to his surroundings, taking in the chatter.
”…Samantha, I already told you. Vissy Grass gives the best ratio of Alliance Points. The Divine Might Sect put out a standing order to get…”
”…Lu Chong's left to join the New Blade Sect. It's only a Small Grade Sect, but apparently their Grand Elder is…”
”…Did you see the size of that Mantis Tiger? I thought we were dead for sure…”
”…Blake said that Baron Rex got in a battle with an Inner Elder from the Ground Demon Sect and forced a draw.”
”An Inner Elder?! Wow! How can…”
Micheal's eyes flashed as he caught one particularly interesting tidbit while moving through the line.
'Baron Rex, huh…' Memories of the Second Layer swarmed his head.
Memories of the ostensible 'leaders' of the Human race on the Second Layer.
The Four Barons.
Each one of the Four Barons was an extremely powerful expert, rated as the strongest humanity had to offer. They were the equivalent 'S Rankers' of the Second Layer, monstrously talented humans that had grown extremely powerful over the years that they had spent here, and only continued to grow stronger as time went on.
The Four Barons were considered the leaders of humanity. Unlike the dozens of split organizations and different Clusters on the First Layer, humanity on the Second Layer largely stayed within the same 'organization.'
The Human Alliance.
It had a few other names, but it was generally understood to be the main, overseeing organization that humanity stuck to. It had its own internal factions, each one led by its own Baron, and a few other large groups, but none of them would overtly act against the other.
After experiencing the horror that was the First Layer, people began to realize that everything they were going through here was very real. The concept that they were trapped in a 'death game' where the entire human race would be wiped out if they failed… people began to accept it.
This realization had the positive effect of helping rally humanity together, to at least some degree.
'For now, anyway.' Micheal snorted at the thought. By this point, he had moved halfway up the line, and was making steady progress towards the front gate.
His eyes flicked behind him, however, as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
A group of women had walked up behind him, all dressed in long white robes with several distinct black lines on them. In particular, there were two sets of lines that were overlaid on their chest, a combination of an 'x' and a '+' laid on top of each other.
One of the symbols of the Purgatory Church.
”…remember ladies, keep a calm appearance and do your best to soothe the worries of our needy.” The leader of this group of women, an elderly matron with long, white hair, was giving a pep talk to the other girls. The ages of the women in the group ranged from 17 or 18 to the late 40s or early 50s, a motley crew that all appeared eager to learn.
The Four Barons ruled the Human Alliance. But their rule was not absolute, for there was one other, very noticeable power present.
The Purgatory Church.
This religion had rapidly grown to power over the past 3 years and 2-3 months, spreading faster and faster as time went on. Other religions coexisted alongside it as people tried to reconcile their beliefs with what was happening all around them.
The religion spread relatively slowly on the First Layer, never grasping on to too sizable a hold. On the later Layers, however, it rapidly picked up steam as more and more humans accepted the changes to reality that went against almost every tenet they held dear.
The more time passed, the stronger the Church became.
Micheal could keenly remember the titanic influence it had, as one of the few organizations that grew to span all 6 of the 7 Layers that humanity had fought their way through.
'The Nirvana Saint should have arrived here before me.' Micheal frowned as he considered this. That man was an enigma that he absolutely could not ignore, far more so than the Four Barons. Those warriors were all extremely powerful humans, but the charisma and influence that the Nirvana Saint held was dangerous in its own way.
It was because of him that the Church became such a permanent powerhouse in the future.
Micheal rubbed his forehead and sighed.
There was no point in stressing out over everything right when he arrived. He would need to take things one step at a time.
”Welcome to Camp Maybell, please state your name and business.” A gruff voice broke up Micheal's thoughts as he looked up.
Micheal had reached the front of the line. The group ahead of him had split off to talk to one of the other guards, sorting their way in on their own.