The Stubborn Skill-Grinder In A Time Loop

Chapter 36: Against The Abyss I

The jungle was as he remembered it, even if the view from the floor was different to flying above like he had last time. The occasional large river going through, but otherwise the vegetation was packed incredibly densely. The canopy was so thick that in many parts not even a single ray of sunlight would touch the floor... His Vision of Purity however, allowed him to ‘see’ for miles. It was excellent training as unlike the environment of town, which was a bit more uniform, the sheer biodiversity of a rainforest meant that Vision of Purity was taxed in accounting for every particle of impurity. The life here was incredibly complex, and Orodan could sense various prey, predators and more participating in the circle of life beneath the canopy.

He saw eagles flying above, occasionally swooping down to target prey. A tiger-man hunting party battling a ferocious crocodile the size of a house, and gorilla ‘convoys’, swinging from branch to branch in a journey to deliver goods from one gorilla settlement to the next. And in the deepest parts of the forest, Orodan could vaguely sense some powerful auras at the Grandmaster-level. A handful might even be dual-Grandmaster monsters.

The Altarban Rainforest was a lively place. And everything within avoided him as though Orodan was a natural disaster.

The tiger-man hunting party and the crocodile both fled and forgot about their battle as he ran past them. The gorillas missed their swings and clumsily fell or smacked into trees as he travelled. And the powerful signatures he’d felt in the deep parts of the forest? The massive hydra curled up into a ball and hid under a rock while the ancient tree remained as still as possible. Nothing in the rainforest wanted anything to do with Orodan.

Monsters had excellent instincts when faced with beings stronger than them. It was also good incentive for Orodan to learn how to fly, as being a disruptive wrecking ball running through the rainforest was something he’d rather avoid.

Immediately upon waking up, the first thing he did was prepare a quick gift and then make for the Kingdom of Ravastaran. Travel time wasn’t as big a concern at his level of power; at most the trip would take thirty minutes, albeit it was a bit destructive of terrain. But, for the sake of not wasting potential Cleaning time, Orodan was forced to run with that sort of intensity.

Finally, near the end of his disruptive run through the rainforest which spooked the local wildlife, Orodan saw the peaks of the misty mountain overlooking the jungle. This was where he remembered the settlement of the White Cloud clan being.

On a good day, in ideal conditions, Orodan would’ve been diplomatic. His loops had mellowed him out somewhat, and he was no longer the brash, headstrong idiot he was in his younger years.

But when every minute wasted could be used on Cleaning… Orodan was happy to forgo some manners.

A jump carried him straight to the building which housed the White Cloud clan’s mana battery. Alarms immediately blared as he crossed some invisible threshold, reinforcements would undoubtedly be responding. He landed and had to smash the roof as it was one of the few buildings that didn’t have the opening for aerial entry. He promptly kicked down the reinforced door which led to the mana battery room.

A golden maned pegasus stood before him, although it looked incredibly wary upon actually seeing him.

“Hold stranger! Who are you to barge onto the White Cloud clan’s territory in such a destructive way?!”

“Sorry, but I’m going to charge your mana battery and take a book from your sanctum of cursed items,” Orodan answered before barging past the pegasus, putting his gift down and laying both hands on the battery. Its monstrous instincts were good, and it likely recognized how strong he was. If Orodan hadn’t hurt anyone just yet, then throwing its life away trying to fight him was pointless.

An incredible glow overtook the room, and the pegasus had to look away as the main mana battery was charged. Weapon Aura took over the main mana battery as Orodan forced it to accept his energy faster. Within fifteen minutes, it was fully charged. A massive difference in speed compared to the last time he’d filled it up.

“…are you a God?” the pegasus asked.

“No. I’m not nearly arrogant enough. But I am looking for an annoying and talkative book,” Orodan answered as he smashed the ceiling on his way out to make for the vaults. “I hope this is enough compensation for my destructive actions.”

While Orodan wasn’t concerned about energy generation, the overwhelming majority of beings were. For the White Cloud clan, their natural mana generation capabilities weren’t enough to break even in powering their settlement mana batteries. Thus, they had to resort to buying mana crystals, which could get expensive.

For Orodan to completely fill the main battery? He’d granted them centuries of prosperity as they wouldn’t have to worry about mana crystals for a while. It more than covered the cost of whatever damage he caused.

He barged into the vault, and before the human pegasus knight guards could get in his way, the golden maned pegasus stopped them.

“Let him pass! He is beyond any of you!” it bellowed. They heeded its words and moved aside.

The cursed sanctum was entered, and Orodan ignored the filth in the air to make his way towards one particular item. One cursed book with the soul of an arrogant and knowledgeable being within. Words were unnecessary…

…so, both hands simply wrapped around the book and opened it right up.

Pain assaulted him, but he was quite above the level this book could dish out now and simply ignored it. He also held Warrior’s Reciprocity back as the current multiplier might be a bit much for someone he intended to have as his teacher.

“Must you be so difficult? Always greeting anyone who opens you with such a rude introduction… Exus Baldrimon, right? Or are you a dragon trapped inside a book?” Orodan asked.

“Who are you?! How do you know all of this?! Has the Hegemony sent you to finish the job? One of the Gods’ dirty little hunters, are you?!” she exclaimed.

“What? I’m not a God nor am I sent by them,” Orodan clarified. “I’m in a unique situation and I need your help. Look! I even brought your favorite treat!”

Orodan then proceeded to lift and unfurl the gift he’d prepared. A fresh bowl of mixed fish and fruit.

“Now, I know it might be a little stale, but the Ogdenborough markets aren’t known for their quality, so I’ll-”

“I hate fish and fruit! What manner of sick joke is this?!”

Orodan’s eyes could only widen. She hated it?!

“But… you told-”

“And have you even considered how I’m supposed to partake in that disgusting treat when I am trapped inside of a book?” she asked. “Now I know for certain somebody sent you, which God was it? Astalavar? Excromon? Their dirty Hegemony always did fear anyone rising up.”

“Er… no, nobody sent me, I came here to get you of my own volition,” Orodan replied. “As for who told me you liked fish and fruit… it was you.”

“Explain. Or I’ll explode the damaged remains of my soul and wipe the entirety of this pitiable nation out with it,” she demanded.

Orodan didn’t tell her he could possibly survive the attack. But a country destroying strike was still a serious threat to him. But it needn’t come to that, because honesty was the best policy.

“I’m Orodan Wainwright, and I’m in a time loop. We met in the last long loop I was in,” Orodan revealed. “I don’t know how or why I’m in this time loop, but it seems to evade even the notice of Gods, who should be above the flows of time.”

“That… wasn’t what I expected to hear,” the book spoke. “You will elaborate and expand on everything.”

“Your story is one of true willpower and determination… but also real stupidity,” she spoke, and Orodan let Warrior’s Reciprocity loose upon her for the insult. “Urk! Is that how your skill works? You did not lie when you claimed it could return any attack, no matter the form.”

“Yes, that’s how Warrior’s Reciprocity works,” Orodan answered. “But how am I stupid? Why does everyone keep saying that? I think I’ve made some good decisions thus far! Look how far I’ve come!”

“Yes, you’ve gotten quite far somehow, but that isn’t what I take issue with,” the book spoke. “What I think is idiotic, is your dogged insistence on refusing to learn magic. Yes, you dislike mages as you’ve told me enough times already while recounting your tales, but why limit yourself? Would a true warrior not be strong enough to overcome their biases?”

“But they simply stay at range and pelt-”

“Yes, and that’s how you died so pitifully in the last loop against that Fallen Void Archon you told me about,” she interjected, much to Orodan’s annoyance. But he had to admit she had a point. “Without that Blessing you scrubbed, an opponent that can flee and dance circles around you while using ranged attacks is a bad match up for you. I understand you like to give people terrible advice about how to fight, but you’re in a time loop and they’re not. Your mentality and atrociously forward style of fighting are holding you back. I still can’t believe you gave that goblin some uppity lecture about fighting when you have the ultimate cheater’s power of all time… such a lack of perspective.”

Orodan didn’t want to accept her words, but he could begrudgingly accept she made sense. The only reason nobody else fought in so berserk a manner, was because they had no time loop, and no incredibly vitality skills acquired through the abuse of such.

“Then what do you recommend I do? I’m confident I can kill that annoying void archon in time. Especially if the power difference wasn’t so big,” Orodan said. “I’m having to jump a tier to fight it after all.”

“First of all, you should lecture people less and work more on your own shortcomings,” she spoke. “Our first priority should be teaching you offensive magic and methods of closing the distance.”

Orodan’s face soured as though he swallowed a bitter lemon.

“You want me to learn… spells?” What am I? A mage?!”

“Any mage who heard you calling yourself that might just end their own lives in shame,” she replied, and Orodan decided to swallow the insult and not reciprocate. “You’re not a mage, you’re the farthest thing from it. But that doesn’t mean you should neglect all the tools available to you. When I say offensive magic, I don’t mean simply slinging spells from a distance. Using chronomancy to hasten yourself or slow your opponent, using spatiomancy to teleport. With your endless reserves of power, the real idiocy you’ve committed is not learning a single field of magic properly. You could freeze an entire nation in time, brute force past the strongest anti-teleportation wards in the world, and just engage in ludicrous feats of raw power… yet you insist on acting a child, neutering yourself because of stupid pride.”

“That’s not entirely true. I do have the ability to use the Draconic Fireball, thanks to you,” Orodan retorted. “And my derision towards magic is a fair price paid for my natural talent in the ways of the warrior.”

“I will admit that your martial talent is the greatest I’ve seen of any being. Together with your willpower, you could very well become the strongest warrior in this world,” she spoke. “But would a true warrior allow themselves to be held back by mere pride? Is your willpower truly strong if you allow yourself to remain ignorant and short-sighted?”

Orodan frowned, but he absorbed her words and genuinely thought about it. She was wrong! Or so he wanted to say. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was being stubborn. He was set in his ways and resisting change.

Long ago he pondered if he couldn’t reach the Grandmaster-level in all the skills. How could he attain that goal if he allowed his mentality to be held back?

This book was useful.

“Perhaps… focusing more on magic needn’t mean I’m abandoning the way of the warrior,” Orodan said. “Maybe you’re right. That my mentality towards magic holds me back, my lack of talent might be a result of this derision towards mages and spells.”

“Now you begin to see some sense,” she spoke. “Good. Given your rock-headed nature I thought it’d take several more years of time looping before you acceded. Perhaps we can save you yet.”

“We? You’re awfully agreeable this time compared to the last,” Orodan said. “Does this mean you believe me and agree to help?”

“From what you tell me, you used me as a training dummy in the last loop, so I’d understandably be unhappy about the arrangement,” she venomously spat. “And now that you’ve told me about this time loop… I can see how your potential is limitless. Plus, from the stories you tell me of the debt you feel towards these two Gods who did you a good turn…”

“Yes, I asked you what you wanted in the last long loop as well. Aside from your self-defeating suggestion that you liked bowls of fruit and fish-”

“And how was that version of me supposed to know you were a time looper? Perhaps I thought it’d be amusing and said so to get rid of you.”

“Yes, well I hope you found my gift amusing then,” Orodan replied. “Hells, I might just bring it with me in every loop I pick you up from now on.”

“Don’t you dare! Bring me a bouquet of sasmarilla flowers instead, I might actually like those,” she replied, and Orodan made a mental note.

“Anyhow, I recall you telling me you wanted a new body last time,” Orodan said. “When I acquire the relevant skills, I promise to help you with that.”

“Thank you. But my conditions from the last time that you speak of, still stand,” she spoke. “Don’t harm me, do not bring me near Gods, and don’t attempt to parade me around like some toy.”

Orodan nodded to those reasonable requests.

“That’s fine by me. Now then, given that I’ve told you my secrets, will you tell me who you are at last?” Orodan asked. “There’s no way you’re just the necromancer Exus Baldrimon. He was historically a dual-Grandmaster, but that’s nowhere strong enough to destroy a nation like you claim your soul explosion is capable of.”

“You’re right, it isn’t strong enough,” she spoke. “And I’m still not telling you who I am.”

Orodan sighed.

Well, it was worth a shot. She could keep her secrets. He had time loops to try and figure it out eventually.

Their exit was a bit more complicated than Orodan would’ve liked. Mainly because it involved fleeing at top speed through the Altarban Rainforest while a responding force of Grandmasters of the Kingdom of Ravastaran attempted to pursue him.

Breaking into a defended settlement of beings who were quite important to the Eastern Kingdoms would cause a ruckus, who would’ve thought?

Orodan had no conflict with these people, and the dual-Grandmasters they sent in pursuit weren’t a threat to his life. He evaded, used Mana Black Hole to drain portals before they could open, and soon enough he lost his pursuers. Their attacks also lacked any killing intent, with the pursuit being more for show than anything else. The governing parties of the Eastern Kingdoms had to maintain the appearance of control, but the loss of a cursed item to some random interloper who charged the settlement main battery fully in return… wasn’t really a bad pill to swallow. That they recognized his own conflict avoidance, also helped smooth things over. Their half-hearted pursuit stopped halfway to the Republic border.

Orodan crossed over to the Republic side of the border and made his way back to Ogdenborough. Moving forward, he planned on acquiring his book companion in each loop. While the loss of an hour was a bit regrettable and would leave him less time to clean, all it meant was that he would clean one less target area per loop. Unfortunate, but the trade-off of having the book around to advise him for a week was worth it.

The Republic was allied with the Eastern Kingdoms. Perhaps if he’d barged into Novarria and then managed to flee back to Republic territory, the pursuit wouldn’t have amounted to much, even if there would be diplomatic inquiries. But, as it was, his pursuers were undoubtedly investigating who he was, sending out messages and attempting to find him.

It might not even be a malicious investigation, but an unknown Grandmaster-level individual barging into the White Cloud clan’s settlement and leaving with a cursed item, was something everyone wanted to know more about. It would’ve been a problem… if Orodan wasn’t leaving Ogdenborough by the end of the day.

As it stood, his hometown was the lowest priority for a search. The investigators of the Eastern Kingdoms couldn’t directly search around, instead they would have to appeal to the Republic for answers. And while the Republic of Aden was all too happy to help their closest allies with such a thing… the investigation wouldn’t start in Ogdenborough. Much scrying eye footage would have to be reviewed, teams put together, and these tracking ordeals took more than a day.

In other words, Orodan was free to go about his business of Cleaning, constructing the warehouse and where he was now…

…attempting to perform manual healing on someone for the first time. His goal? To acquire the Basic Healing skill.

Last loop he’d watched Casterton closely and examined how the man engaged in the art of manually cleaning, disinfecting, and bandaging someone’s wounds. This loop, it was time to put all he’d learned into practice.

Multiple ‘clones’ working together finished the basic healing manuals within minutes. He felt that he held a good theoretical foundation now, all that was left, was to execute.

“While this would normally be quite unethical, after you cleansed Aliya my concerns about your character have been allayed and I feel I can make an exception for such a talented young master,” Casterton spoke. “We’ll start with something incredibly basic. Clean the wound, use the salve, and then bandage it properly.”

Orodan did as instructed, but with the usual compulsions of his own to ensure the perfect cleanliness of everything involved. In this loop, he’d already cleansed Aliya’s wound and consequently earned Casterton’s trust. He was now working on another patient, a man from Scarmorrow’s lumber yard who had a deep axe wound in his arm from a lumberjacking accident involving a colleague.

The angle, depth and location of the wound made it clear to Orodan’s expert eye that it wasn’t an ‘accident’ at all. But rather, a defensive wound from attempting to defend against an axe while bare-handed.

“Let me guess, you tried shoulder blocking it and realized it wasn’t a fist, but an axe?” Orodan asked as he worked. The man’s eyes widened in panic.

“Not at all, sir! T’was just an accident from felling a tree! My colleague got a little too excited and hewed me instead of the tree!” the man explained a little too earnestly.

“The wound seems a little too deep for that… and the tearing suggests you were retreating and trying to fend the attack off,” Orodan explained. “You have bruises on your other arm too, what really happened?”

The man’s face turned ugly, and his eyes became watery when asked such a direct question.

“Sir… please, I humbly request you don’t press the matter,” the man said. “My colleague had an accident, and that’s that.”

“Fair enough… who am I to pry?” Orodan replied and continued working.

He wasn’t ignorant to the ways of the world. It was either a case of the man being extorted or threatened in some way… or it was a domestic issue involving someone the man didn’t want to see in trouble. Unlike Ogdenborough, the county militia in Scarmorrow wasn’t nearly as inept. Domestic matters were responded to, and the offender quickly apprehended, at least at the Initiate and Apprentice levels.

The wound was cleaned, disinfected, and a perfectly clean bandage applied.

[New Skill → Basic Healing 4]

A decent gain, likely for the perfectly clean result and Orodan’s decent bandaging technique, which wasn’t difficult when one had high physical abilities and fine control. That he understood the theory well enough also helped.

“Nicely done Mister Orodan! I daresay I couldn’t wrap a bandage so well myself! You’re a natural at this” Casterton praised. Orodan wasn’t sure if he was a natural or if it was his existing physical abilities, reaction time, willpower and fine control that helped speed level the early Initiate levels of most skills. “Now then, let us move onto the next two patients. Quite unfortunate what happened to them. They’re hunters who went out searching for game and instead ran into a monster. I would’ve missed the curse upon their souls if not for this handy device.”

Casterton then pulled out an expensive looking magnifying glass which was etched with various enchantments. It was a soul viewing lens, a common enchanted device in any healing house meant to assist healers in ruling out or confirming the presence of curses as the cause of a patient’s symptoms.

Good healers who were well-educated and took their careers seriously, had the uncommon rarity Soul Sense skill. But, for a majority of healers, an uncommon rarity skill was difficult to obtain, and they relied on said device.

“I won’t be needing that. I can sense the filthy curse upon their souls from here,” Orodan replied. “It’s not taken root too deeply yet. But… I have no skill to manipulate the souls of others yet.”

“Of course, I merely wished to show them as a case study of how curses look like. That you can sense the curse is a step in the right direction already,” Casterton replied. “In truth, our healing house doesn’t have a soul specialist who can combat curses. They’ll have to make the journey to Karilsgard and request mercy at the Cathedral of the Prime Five.”

Healing houses weren’t all equal, and they had mana costs up front. Unlike Orodan, the typical healer wasn’t a mana battery and could only heal so many patients before they needed to use mana potions to top up. Consequently, mana was a commodity with a cost and something a healing house had to account for, particularly when they healed higher-level patients whose healing was more mana intensive.

Additionally, not every healing house had a soul specialist. The one in Trumbetton, the centre of the county, had one. And of course, as did the capital, Karilsgard. But these services didn’t come cheaply as soul specialist healers were a hot commodity next to chronomancers and psionics. But, to foster goodwill and increase faith in the Prime Five, the Cathedral in Karilsgard offered free services to anyone who visited and asked. Without the means to pay for treatment nearby, these men would have to journey to the capital.

Even if it was inconvenient, at least the option was available, Orodan thought.

“I’ll alleviate their symptoms with my purifying salve, but that’s all I can do for now,” Orodan said. “I have a skill that might let me interact with their souls, but I’d rather not experiment on the innocent.”

Casterton accepted this, and they continued working on the patients, causing Orodan’s Basic Healing to increase to level 9. He healed the remaining patients of their minor injuries and cured the terminally ill woman of her disease causing Cleaning to rise to 74 as well. Her husband was maniacally grateful as usual, and Orodan had to almost pry him off.

“Mister Orodan, you’ve done some excellent work today, myself and the patients here are grateful,” Casterton thanked.

“It wasn’t anything difficult,” Orodan replied. “But… you would’ve healed them anyway, so it’s hardly a big deal.”

“Well… not necessarily,” Casterton meekly said. “If you wondered why the patients here remain when a simple healing potion can cure injuries, it’s because treatment costs are something to factor. Not everyone can afford a high-quality Initiate-level healing potion, and anyone at the Scarmorrow healing house isn’t here to seek magical healing. We only perform Basic Healing here alongside alchemical supplements. The terminally ill woman you cured… even the Cathedral in Karilsgard declared that the woman would die before the healer capable of curing her returned from his depths delve.”

“I see… it’s a shame that circumstances have led these people here, but I’m glad I was able to help,” Orodan replied. He enjoyed the privilege of the time loops and powerful vitality skills, but not everyone had such advantages. “As for her, I simply drew all the disease particles out of her body. Admittedly, many of them were quite deeply settled, and given how contagious it is… missing even a single bit would lead to a resurgence. I can see why a high-level healer would be needed.”

“And that is what’s profound. Your ability to detect even the smallest particle of disease and impurity, what rarity is that skill?” Casterton asked. “Why are you so insistent on learning the art of healing?”

“I intend to heal someone of something undesirable in their soul. But given how destructive it was doing it for myself, I need to learn healing from the ground up before I can attempt such a thing for him,” Orodan answered. “As for the rarity, it’s legendary.”

Orodan ignored Casterton’s shock and made his way out of the healing house.

As he entered an empty alleyway, his book companion came out of his ring and flittered about his face.

“Boy, I overheard your conversation back there,” she spoke. “I might have a suggestion for you.”

“Oh? Don’t tell me it involves ritual mass sacrifice or something abhorrent,” Orodan remarked.

“Of course not! Who do you take me for? To suggest such foul methods…”

“You dusty old tome! It was you who suggested such a thing last time when you were suggesting methods for learning the Draconic Fireball faster,” Orodan exclaimed.

“I recall no such thing! You mortals have such faulty memories.”

“That’s because it was in the last-” Orodan cut himself off and sighed. Why was he allowing some old hag trapped in a book to get him going? “Alright, just tell me what your suggestion is.”

“Good to see you focusing on what matters. How easily riled up you are, boy,” she replied. “Anyhow, have you considered just breaking into a local jail and experimenting with your Weapon Aura on irredeemable criminals?”

“Hrm… it’s not the worst idea, but how will I know for certain that they’re guilty? I’m only willing to consider the most horrific scum as training subjects,” Orodan replied, and the book actually stopped for a moment. “You seem surprised?”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you to agree so easily… then again from what you tell me of your early loops I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re rather ruthless when you want to be,” she replied, and Orodan felt at least somewhat regretful of what he’d done before but didn’t let it cause hesitation now. “Anyhow, I’m quite proficient in the psionic arts, so I can verify the truth of what they’ve done.”

“You’re likely to lie to me about a thief being a murderer, but I suppose I can accept this provided you don’t have me experiment on some poor drunkard,” Orodan replied.

It was a good idea. But for this loop, the healing house was all he could do. The additional hour spent retrieving his favorite book meant that the hour for the machine’s awakening was near.

It was time to disable the machine and face the Gods once more. Although this time, without any Blessings upon his soul.

A quick trip, and his favorite book had been deposited far away, on the way to Ranmere’s Folly. The fight would be a destructive one, and Orodan didn’t want to get her caught up in it.

“Enjoying the view up here, are we?”

“Quite so! The clouds above, the stars beyond, the void surrounding our world on all sides… it’s beautiful.”

“Hmm… I like this human, he sees beauty in more than just the ground,” Ulrusdun replied. “Why can’t you take more after him Arendethar?”

“But there’s such beauty in the view below as well! Us humans walk on the ground and our eyes are focused downwards as a result,” Arendethar replied. “We can’t all constantly look skyward like the dragons do.”

“If you focused less on your frivolous pursuits and more-”

Orodan tuned the bickering dragon and rider pair out. His Mana Black Hole extended deep underground, and the core of the machine was detected… and it was promptly drained.

[Quest Completed → Battle of Ogdenborough - Ancient war machine disabled]

[Reward Granted → Permanent +1 Action Increase]

Success!

His soul was now unburdened by the Blessings of the Gods, and he could begin filling up the space with useful things once again. Who knew how many Action Increases he could fit in there now?

He waved goodbye to Ulrusdun and Arendethar before leaping off the peak of Mount Castarian as he had many times before. The lightning javelin missed him as usual, and he went an even farther distance away from civilization to avoid collateral damage and innocent casualties.

Once at a sufficient distance, he planted his feet and waited. The single-Grandmaster approached and was promptly slain. The subsequent trio of Grandmasters who sought revenge were also slain quickly, and before he knew it, a portal opened fifty feet from him and Orodan was looking at Cruxamar Aetholion. Albeit, without glowing eyes to signify tapping into the Avatar state.

This time, he had no Blessing for Eximus to detect, so technically, Orodan held the element of surprise. Neither Eximus nor his Chosen knew just how powerful Orodan was at this point. Without forewarning on his side, could Cruxamar react quickly enough to a rapid assault? Orodan didn’t think so. At his current level of power, if he wanted, he could likely kill the Chosen in a sudden rush of overwhelming power amplified by Surprise Attack. The difference in power needed to do this was enormous, but Orodan was confident he could do it.

But where was the fun in that?

“The Republic must want another war, for that can be the only reason why you’ve slain four of our Grandmasters so wantonly within our borders,” Cruxamar spoke. “You realize there is no negotiation or coming back from this point, yes? To kill four of our nation’s strongest is to deal us an irreparable blow which we must reciprocate. Your identity is unknown to me, but you will die all the same.”

“You’d better call for assistance then, as you aren’t going to be enough,” Orodan replied, and for once, his Fate Disconnect went down willingly. “I would recommend re-assessment of your odds. Use Observe, and then call for reinforcements, I want a good fight.”

Stolen story; please report.

Cruxamar looked intently at Orodan for a split moment, and then his eyes widened like saucers.

“A-Avatar Slayer…!” the Chosen exclaimed, as though uttering a term of pure horror and dread.

His eyes took on a glow, and immediately the full power of Eximus descended unto him.

“Sacrilegious fiend! How have you slain one possessed of the divine?! To defy the authority of the Gods, to reject our providence… the very world stands against you! Die!”

Divine beams of chronomantic power washed over Orodan, and the surrounding fifty miles were eradicated. Eximus took him very seriously right from the start. Of course, Divine Resistance meant that such attacks, weren’t enough to truly hurt Orodan.

If the combined divine power of three Avatars couldn’t kill him, then what hope did Eximus alone have?

“Rotten monster! Your ability to resist divine power is unholy beyond measure, and this despicable ability to cross the dimensional divide and touch me directly? You cannot be allowed to remain, for the good of this world.”

Eximus wasn’t stupid. The second he said this, more reinforcing parties arrived to assist the Avatar of the God of Time.

Multiple portals opened, and a familiar small army of Masters and Grandmasters entered the battlefield, all being commanded by an unfamiliar face, but one with glowing golden eyes indicative of an Avatar of Ilyatana.

This time, he had no Blessings that the Gods could track. And the battle was occurring on Novarrian soil. So, it would only make sense for the Goddess of Fate to send her Novarrian Chosen in Avatar form.

Divine beams washed over him, and Orodan began fighting in earnest.

The Novarrians lost more than half their Masters and even a handful of Grandmasters in the first volley of attacks they hit Orodan with.

“He can somehow return attacks! Lower the intensity!” roared one of the Novarrian Grandmasters.

“Mana Resistance!? How is that possible!?” exclaimed another. “Our spells are useless! Use items which convert to soul energy!”

He tuned out the shouts of the battlefield and focused on going blade to blade against Eximus’s Avatar. Or rather, blade to fist as his weapons just weren’t strong enough to withstand the sheer amount of divine energy he was being washed in. Neither were his clothes, which meant that he was fighting in the nude.

But, with Eternal Soul Reactor’s new qualitative upgrade, his modesty was preserved as the sheer glow emanating from every cell of his body meant that nothing could really be seen.

The first thing he realized was that without Agathor, the two Avatars were far less effective. The Avatar of Eximus was still strong, enough that Orodan could barely stalemate him. But the fact that Orodan could barely achieve a stalemate was a serious upgrade compared to fighting Agathor. Having to contend with only Eximus gave Orodan far more openings to exploit. And he used these openings to viciously target Ilyatana who shied away from the melee, something which greatly panicked her, as her melee proficiency was rather pathetic.

Five minutes of battle later, the situation was looking grim for Orodan’s enemies.

The Avatar of Eximus looked ragged, and the Avatar of Ilyatana looked to be near falling apart. Orodan’s All-Strikes, Vitality Black Hole and Vitality Destruction brought the Goddess of Fate’s host to the brink of destruction.

“Stop! You’ll kill him! My host will die! Eximus! Malzim! Save me!” Ilyatana roared as she began to flee, and Orodan remembered, that he no longer had the second Blessing of Agathor to prevent enemies running away.

“Running away? Now how can I allow that?” Orodan asked with eerie calm as he continued his dogged pursuit of her. “You pursued me so insistently in my younger years… how can I not repay the favor now?”

“I don’t even know you! How have I managed to offend you?!” Ilyatana shouted in reply.

“In another time, you might not remember it though,” Orodan answered. “What really matters, is that your covetous nature is rotten to the core. If you had me at a disadvantage, you wouldn’t think twice to exploit me. Now that the tables are turned, you beg for mercy, how pitiful.”

“Anyone would try to negotiate clemency in such a situation!”

Not him. Even before the loops, in his first life Orodan had simply died fighting. Without the time loops, he would be the one suicidally brave random soldier that died pointlessly by charging enemy lines. Who thought making him the subject of a time loop was a good idea?

But at least he was doggedly persistent. While he had no doubt a scheming looper with more self-preservation would’ve found many creative solutions by now… would they ever be as strong? As stubborn?

It was this unending persistence that was proving to be Ilyatana’s nightmare. Her divine beams failed to hurt him, and neither did they dislodge him. Eximus wasn’t Agathor. And the God of Time’s Avatar failed to pry Orodan off as he repeatedly savaged her to the point of death.

And finally…

“Wait! We surrender! We shall leave you be!” Eximus pleaded. “What is it you want? We can come to a compromise perhaps?”

“Leave me be? I’m the one who decides that now. And what I want… is the death of every God present here,” Orodan replied, and Eximus could only watch as eight of Orodan came into being, and all of them launched All-Strikes towards the Avatar of Ilyatana.

Slightly stronger than her Chosen Avatar in the Republic, but the host body died all the same as a wail of divine agony was let out. The Avatar of Ilyatana, was disintegrated.

“Call the dragons, and… tell Demosthenos to activate the contingency plan. The Empire is threatened.”

Eximus gave the order solemnly, and Orodan wasn’t sure what the contingency plan was. All he knew was that the Avatar of Eximus immediately moved to engage him in melee once more. Orodan clashed against the enemy God’s worldly form as many more portals began opening and Novarrian reinforcements appeared.

Five more minutes of battle passed, and many more Novarrians fell from assaulting him as Warrior’s Reciprocity increased to 72. Divine Resistance also gained a level as Eximus’s divine power washed over him and was resisted. Combat against an Avatar where he wasn’t being completely bullied and unable to fight back, was also good for his other skills. All-Strike, Unassailable Fortress, Vitality Black Hole and Endless Blitz all gained a level each.

Increasing numbers of Novarrians fell trying to assault Orodan, and their healers and chronomancers were running out of mana, unable to keep up with how frequently they were dying. The remaining enemy Avatar was also beginning to look quite ragged as Orodan gained skill levels, the balance was slowly tipping from a stalemate to where Orodan had a slight edge. Given endless time, Orodan was certain he could kill the God of Time’s Avatar, but unfortunately, the situation changed.

The most powerful curse Orodan had ever felt struck him, and for a moment his senses went haywire. His Eternal Soul Reactor and Soul Manipulation worked in concert to immediately burn it right off, and the assault was of course reciprocated.

He heard a man scream but bring himself under control quickly.

“He shrugged off even that. This really is a terrifying foe, just who have we offended?” the man spoke. Orodan recognized him from the last long loop. Before he’d ventured into the energy well, this man had come forth and warned the Republic to play fair. It was the cursed reincarnator, Demosthenos Albathrax. “Be wary, his ability to return damage is incredibly powerful. I was nearly cursed myself.”

“I suspect you’ll find soul assaults, curses included, to be less effective than you’d like,” Orodan called out.

Vision of Purity detected something approaching him, even if his sight couldn’t catch it. His hand snaked out and grabbed the would-be assassin by the throat before her attack could hit. The shroud of invisibility dropped, and a frightened Vespidia Aulmalexis held his gaze.

“He can sense me through the shroud!” she called out and used some strange skill to vanish from his grasp and reappear next to Demosthenos. “This man is dangerous beyond compare… how have we erred by making such an enemy?”

“If you’ll notice, my conflict is primarily with Eximus, not Novarria, so you haven’t really earned my ire nearly as much as this meddling God of Time,” Orodan interjected as he clashed against Eximus and smashed an All-Strike against his Avatar’s face. “Any of you I slew, it was in self-defense.”

“You cannot claim self-defense when you’ve killed so many,” Demosthenos spoke. “And neither can we allow you to kill our Chosen Avatar when he’s an important part of our nation’s strength. But if the divine cannot end you… then we’ll test if dragons suffice.”

At those words, at least three-hundred mages teleported onto the battlefield and began working in concert to open a gigantic portal. The Novarrians stopped assaulting him and simply focused on defending their space mages who were working, and Eximus furiously engaged him simultaneously.

In truth, Orodan wouldn’t have interfered anyways as he wanted to see what came out.

And he did see, or rather, his entire vision was enveloped by scales the moment the portal stabilized.

[Fire Resistance 24 → Fire Resistance 25]

The flames assaulting him were incredibly powerful. The spider dragon he fought in the deep depths was but a flickering candle in comparison to the inferno that was incinerating him despite his Fire Resistance. All while he was held within its grasp.

“How dangerous… I’ve actually been burned by my own flames. Not only does your ability to return damage bypass my natural affinity with fire, but you can also reform at such a speed? I can see how you slew Ilyatana’s Avatar,” the dragon spoke even as Orodan was held tight in its grasp and being burnt while also being crushed. “You were wise to call for our aid Demosthenos; imagine this one being corrupted by the Eldritch? We must kill him now.”

Eight of him launched All-Strikes in all directions and fought furiously enough that the dragon was forced to let go lest its palm be savaged. Warrior’s Reciprocity also helped.

Upon breaking free, Orodan saw before him a red scaled dragon the size of Kultuanir.

“Eldramir, be careful. I do not know if you’ll be enough to kill him either. Our benefactor is almost awake and will be arriving soon if you can simply hold out,” the cursed reincarnator spoke.

This dragon then, was the patriarch of the Novarrian Soaring Flame dragon flight. A being capable of killing an Avatar one-on-one, much like Kultuanir.

The battle resumed, and now Orodan truly was suppressed. Fighting a being that could bully an Avatar was hard enough, but to add the Avatar of Eximus, the cursed reincarnator and the Novarrian forces to the mix? He could only defend and hope to survive.

Ridiculous as it was to say, the Avatar was a non-factor. The dragon’s mauling and burning, the Novarrian army’s barrage, and the cursed reincarnator’s attempts at making some foul magics stick to his soul were a bigger threat than mere divine energy beams.

The dragon was the big threat, as was the Novarrians’ shift to using soul energy converter items which meant Mana Resistance wasn’t something he could rely on. Orodan was reduced to puddles of flesh multiple times, but this still wasn’t enough to kill him.

Nowadays, only being reduced to a puddle was a good thing. It was when he was reduced to a few cells that the danger zone struck.

Fifteen minutes of a one-sided beating continued as Orodan was mauled in every which way.

[Bulwark Physical Resistance 77 → Bulwark Physical Resistance 78]

[New Skill (Exquisite) → Curse Resistance 4]

Orodan would have to thank the cursed reincarnator for his contribution in the next loop. Naturally, his soul already made it incredibly difficult for curses to latch on, particularly when Eternal Soul Reactor and Soul Manipulation were so high. But with the new skill, the curses had a harder time catching on altogether as Orodan identified their mechanisms for sticking to souls and tried resisting it specifically.

He was certain the butchery would go on for a while longer, until he felt a massive shockwave from a distance away, and a flood of chronomantic energy striking nearby. It wasn’t divine energy. And it struck at his enemies.

The battle was brought to an immediate halt.

“Kultuanir… you dare interfere? Can your dragon flight afford the all-out war this will lead to?” Eximus asked.

The patriarch of the Time Wind dragon flight landed and ignored the Avatar’s comment altogether. Instead, Kultuanir’s gaze never left the Novarrian dragon that was previously assaulting Orodan.

“You look well Eldramir. I see your time spent licking human boots hasn’t dulled the sheen of your scales,” the Time Wind patriarch venomously spat. “On the Novarrian leash as usual?”

“Spouting your lies as usual Kultuanir. Seeking a better future by working alongside the humans isn’t slavery,” the Novarrian dragon replied. “Then again, you would’ve maintained draconic supremacy and not done anything as the Fierce Ember continued slaughtering mortals with impunity.”

“And you thought slaughtering an entire dragon flight of our kind was an appropriate response to the murderous actions of a few?!” Kultuanir roared. “No wonder you work so closely with that genocidal witch. Such a shame that one more Chosen of hers has fallen… this mortal you seek to destroy is now under our protection. The Time Wind and Sapphire Gale are appreciative of his good deed.”

The two dragons continued to stare one another down as multiple portals opened, and the forces of the Republic poured forth.

Demosthenos Albathrax stepped forward to speak with Alcianne Rockwood who was leading the forces of the Republic alongside Arvayne Firesword.

“First the dragons threaten to clash, and now the Republic steps in to exploit our moment of weakness as well? You really do crave a second war, don’t you?” Demosthenos spoke. “How’s that curse feeling? I made sure to provide you one that ages like fine wine as time passes.”

Alcianne Rockwood’s face had an ugly look, but it was schooled into a sneer of bloodlust soon after.

“Big words for someone whose army was just cut in half,” she spoke. “We on the other hand, remain fresh. As do our allies in the Eastern Kingdoms who’ll be on the way. Your brash and domineering foreign policy has gone on long enough, today has been a stroke of unexpected luck. Novarria will fall today.”

“Hmm… I will admit, this man we’ve earned the ire of is powerful. I don’t know if he’s a reincarnator who has remained hidden all this time, an elf under a transformation or someone who truly has achieved immortality,” Demosthenos spoke. “But you’re being a little too arrogant if you think this is the extent of our Empire’s strength. He should have awoken by now.”

Alcianne’s smile faded, and her eyes took on a serious look.

“You don’t mean to say you actually awoke him for this? Tch…”

“Did you expect us to twiddle our thumbs while we fought an unkillable foe who slew an Avatar by himself?” Demosthenos replied.

Silence reigned for a few seconds, and then it was broken as a portal of strange energy opened a few feet away. Three people stepped out.

The first, the Chosen of Malzim. The second, a man with a regal appearance, flowing cape, and an ornate crown upon his head; the current emperor of Novarria. And they stood to the side to herald the entrance of another man.

Tattered cape, rusted armor, and a crown that was cracked and looked to be falling apart, albeit it had a black jewel of unimaginable quality socketed into it. And eyes that were the most ancient of any human he’d ever seen.

Rodistan Deathmarrow, the Chosen of Malzim, and Demosthenos Albathrax, the cursed reincarnator, and the current emperor of Novarria all bowed to this man. Seeing such powerful figures do so, the rest of the Novarrians bowed as well.

“Your Majesty… your humble servants apologize for disrupting your meditations, but this situation has devolved farther than we’d like,” Demosthenos spoke. “This man here is-”

“Yes… I see it. He is an Avatar Slayer and has a Mythical skill,” the man spoke. “I suppose the Cleaning Elite title is but a jest? It’s a pretty good obscuring shield you have there, a few more levels and it will stop even me.”

Orodan double checked just to be sure, but he was certain he had Fate Disconnect on. Yet, this man could peer through it to Observe him?

The voice was quiet, but powerful, and Orodan could immediately tell the man was dangerous. He wasn’t sure about the exact level, but he had an instinctual feeling that this man was as strong as the True Vampire he fought long ago.

“Who are you?” Orodan asked.

“I admit, I haven’t been seen in many millennia… but surely people have not forgotten the bearer of the dark crown?” the man asked.

“The dark crown? The only person who’s known for that…”

“Would be me. You’ve caused a ruckus within the borders of the empire I founded, and you don’t know who I am?” the man asked. “But that can be forgiven, as I rarely get the chance to meet a fellow Avatar Slayer and warrior. It is good to see someone who also shuns the foul influence of impotent Gods. Your body look strong, and your gaze honest, good. The mortal races have need of men like you.”

The man, the first Novarrian Emperor… said this in full hearing of the Avatar present and cared not a whit for the consequences.

“Balastion… this man slew Ilyatana’s Avatar, but even before that he held that sacrilegious title,” Eximus spoke.

“Oh? You’ve slain more than one Avatar?” the first emperor asked. “Good. The Gods often require reminder that their place is in the divine realm and not upon the mortal plane. I’ve often thought about purging the faith of these Prime Five from this continent, but my concerns are elsewhere for now. Anyhow, all of you can disperse, I wish to speak to this young man.”

“We do not bow to you, first Emperor of Novarria,” Agathor spoke, his eyes glowing orange. “You are but a mortal, and you need reminding-”

One moment the first emperor was talking to Orodan. The next, he stood where the Avatar of Agathor was. A shockwave erupted, and the Avatar was reduced to a glowing pile of divine energy that struggled to reform. The crown glowed, and a familiar purplish-gray energy continually revolved around the Avatar of Agathor, utterly suppressing the power of the divine.

“Foul! You would dare reveal that energy upon this world?!” Halor exclaimed through Alcianne Rockwood.

“This power is but a tool, its user determines the morality,” the first emperor spoke. “I’ve been studying the strange energies of the crown for so long, yet even then I can only use it for brief moments without becoming Eldritch myself.”

Much as Orodan enjoyed seeing Agathor receive a beating, he felt that the only one to free his mentor from the War God’s shackles, should be him. So, he stepped forward, his own eyes glowing with soul energy.

“Let him go, or we’ll come to blows,” Orodan stated. “I couldn't care less about that meddling divine bastard, but the host is someone I care for.”

“And you think yourself capable of contending with me?” the crowned ruler asked. “I am older than a majority of the dragons on Inuan. I have slain Avatars, and defied Gods. I’ve delved the abyss and seen what lays beyond the first gate… you stand on my lands and still feel bold enough to threaten me?”

“I too have slain Avatars, even if I’m not an old fogey like yourself.” Orodan remarked and the man had an amused look on his face. “Also, I have Eldritch Resistance, so that artifact will be less effective against me than you think. Besides, I intend to scour the God of War from Arvayne Firesword’s soul myself. The only reason I haven’t attacked you outright is because Agathor and I have unresolved enmity. Seeing him be bullied is entertaining.”

“I have never met you, mortal. What enmity could we possibly have?!”

Both Orodan and the first emperor ignored the God of War.

“A Chosen One for a Chosen One… it would only be fair and maintain the power balance,” the man spoke calmly as he maintained the energy binding the Avatar of Agathor. The forces of the Republic were utterly mortified at the display. A Chosen Avatar suppressed like a child; the God unable to even leave the body. Eldritch power was strong. Even the two dragon patriarchs present looked at it with incredible wariness. “But… Eldritch Resistance? How? I suppose there has been enough death today, and my meditations have been interrupted for long enough. I wish to have words with this young man. All of you… leave.”

The esoteric black energy surrounding the Avatar of Agathor was released, and the God of War beat a hasty retreat, blazing orange into the sky. The Novarrians promptly obeyed, and the Republic force beat a hasty retreat following Agathor. Soon, the only ones left in the glassed crater of destruction, were Orodan and the first emperor of Novarria.

“Did you perhaps want to duel? You’re quite strong,” Orodan said.

“And you’re quite the cockroach,” the man said. “While I could kill you, it might take time, and I have better things to do. How about we have a conversation instead. The others cannot see it, but I can tell you’re no older than… thirty? Definitely not in your forties yet. So, how did you acquire such power?”

“I’m in a time loop. Every time I die, I come back to life on the same day, which is today.”

“Hmm… I thought maybe it’d be a divine Bloodline, or a transmigrator from another world,” the man replied. “I know I sensed the latter in the last few years near the East but hadn’t bothered to investigate. But a time loop? That, I wasn’t expecting. You’ll have to tell me more.”

And so, they settled in for a polite conversation amidst a scene of utter destruction. What a strange day.

What a surreal conversation it had been.

Despite the raw terror the man inspired in both his own subjects and the forces of the Republic, the first emperor of Novarria, Balastion Novar, was quite the cordial man. At no point were there further insults thrown, no threats or demands for explanation.

If anything, the more Orodan explained the particulars of the time loop and his journey thus far, the more polite the man became.

Of course, the man frustratingly refused to elaborate about what Orodan would find down in the abyssal depths, and also didn’t tell him what the first gate was. Balastion claimed that it would ruin the experience of finding out for himself.

The interesting part was that the man actually proposed Orodan seek him out in a future loop for training and even gave explicit instructions on where and how to find him. That the instructions involved breaking into Novar’s Peak, the capital of the Empire, by force… was something Orodan questioned.

But the first emperor had an amused smile and simply claimed Orodan shouldn’t have trouble with it at his level of power, with the stipulation that if any civilian lives were lost in the process, Balastion would refuse to deal with him. Fair enough, Orodan thought, as he too wouldn’t accept senseless casualties in the attempt.

When Orodan asked why the man suddenly became so polite, the answer was simple.

Balastion wasn’t stupid enough to offend a time looper. The man must’ve had some sort of truth-verifying skill; and since he could peer past Fate Disconnect, it would work too. He seemed to believe everything Orodan said without question, and at one point Orodan uttered a small and purposeful lie just to test it… and the man had a frown on his face.

“He really was an odd man… beings of power don’t normally react like he does,” Orodan muttered.

“That’s because you’re used to dealing with arrogant Gods who intend to manipulate you,” his book companion spoke as she fluttered about his head. “Anyone who isn’t an idiot would understand that making an enemy of a genuine time looper is the stupidest thing possible. Yes, he might be stronger than you now, but will that always be the case? Have you noticed how nice I’m being since you informed me?”

“Hmm… that makes sense. Who would’ve thought all that was needed to stop you being such a prickly hag was being told I’m in a time loop?” Orodan said and the book landed atop his head in retribution. “Never mind, still a little prickly, but in a cute way.”

“I’m older than all civilization on this world, boy! I’m not… cute!” she protested, but also gave another part of the puzzle about her identity.

“Whatever you say, grandma,” Orodan quipped.

“Feh… comments about my age don’t annoy me,” she spoke. “Besides, I still think you’re incredibly stupid for being so honest about the time loop. Have you never considered the repercussions? If this is some spell gone awry from the divine realms, what if the caster comes to investigate? What if it runs out of power?”

“You’re correct about all your concerns,” Orodan said. “If anything, I should listen to you on the matter.”

“It’s good to see you show some sense. Now then, from future loops you should-”

“I should listen to you about it, but I won’t,” Orodan interrupted. “That wouldn’t be like me.”

“You…! How idiotic can you be? Has your entire time in the time loop thus far not been spent dealing with some consequence or the other from blabbering about it?!” she said. “The Goddess of Fate tried to control you, three hostile Gods gave you unwanted Blessings and attempted possessing your body simultaneously, and who knows what else?”

“Again, you’re right. In fact, when the time loops started, the very first loop I had… my ‘second chance’ before I even knew I was in a time loop, I marched to the local temple and warned them about an attack and told them about it,” Orodan explained, recalling his younger days. “Of course, somebody in the temple was a mole for House Argon, and one of their Adept-level enforcers came out and killed me shortly after.”

“Then you should know better, shouldn’t you?” she asked. “I bet you played it smarter after dying to that Adept.”

Orodan simply smiled.

“On the contrary… I proceeded to then die against that archer nearly fifty more times before I grew strong enough to fight weaker Adepts,” Orodan explained. “Getting stabbed to death was quite painful, and it was where I first developed Pain Resistance and experienced death many times in an intimate manner.”

“Is that how you’ve been training all this time? By dying? It seems so foolish,” she remarked. “As though you’re cheaply relying upon the time loops.”

“Well, I don’t always simply die to advance. My very first mentor taught me the value in squeezing the very last drop out of myself in everything I do. To work hard and never become complacent,” Orodan continued. “But at the end of the day, whoever chose me for this time loop, whether by accident or not… chose the absolute worst person for it.”

“A rare moment of self-awareness from you? Shocking!”

Orodan ignored the dusty crone and continued.

“I told you about how I died for the first time, but I don’t think I told you the particulars of it,” Orodan said. “Even before the time loops, even before I knew coming back was a possibility, when Eversong Plaza was attacked, I stood alongside the loyalist troops of the Republic. I took fatal wounds fighting two Apprentice-level raiders at the same time, and even as I was dying, I charged the Master-level leader and died after my sword bounced off his hide.”

“Your recklessness got you killed then? So, what you’re saying is…”

“I’ve always been like this. I don’t know how or why, but self-preservation in the face of impossible odds was never a trait I possessed. If this was some epic tale with a hero in it, I’d be the soldier mentioned in passing who dies charging like a fool, a mere footnote in the story,” he elaborated. “To put someone like me in a time loop… do you truly expect I’ll ever learn caution? My lack of fear is what’s allowed me to become stronger than Avatars, my willpower was greater than the foul divinities of the Eldritch. If I bleed, I’ll simply demand my blood get back into my body, if I break, I’ll put myself back together… and if the worst happens and I die? I simply come back. If whoever’s in charge of the time loops finds me? Who knows… I might just demand death go away as I figure things out.”

“Anyone else I would call delusional, but with all you’ve done, who even knows if it can be called delusion at this point?” she spoke. “Good thing I’ve decided to be nice to you. With your rock-headed insistence, you’re likely to not give up till you get me a new body, near-impossible as it may be.”

“And why would it be impossible?” Orodan asked.

“Because, my soul is damaged and my old body is gone,” she answered. “I know I haven’t told you my name all this time but that’s because… I genuinely do not remember it.”

It was the most she’d ever told him so far, and Orodan wouldn’t downplay her trust.

“I see… could we perhaps heal your soul? I can heal my own and am working on skills to scour clean the soul of my mentor eventually,” Orodan spoke. “Perhaps I could help heal yours when I’m proficient enough? Hells, maybe we could even explore the world and try to find clues as to who you were?”

“For once, you suggest an idea I would consider almost good,” she backhandedly complimented. “But yes, I would appreciate that, thank you.”

“It’s the least I can do. You helped train a number of my skills in the last long loop,” Orodan said with gratitude. “What’s the point of being in a time loop if I can’t repay those who’ve helped me when I needed it. Yourself, Gods like Malzim and Ozgaric, and my mentors are among the people I intend to repay.”

“Hmm… it’s good to see a time loop hasn’t eroded your principles at least,” she spoke. “Can’t say I was the same when I had power…”

She said the last part quietly, but Orodan chose not to pry as he felt it a sensitive matter. Painful soul and psionic assaults were how he remembered their first meeting. Suffice to say, he had an inkling that her experience in such skills and her prickly greeting might mean that her past wasn’t the most ethical one.

Still, she seemed regretful, and who was Orodan to judge?

The conversation ended as he and his flying talkative book entered the entrance to the depths at Ranmere’s Folly. Within, lay a week of exploration, mining, gathering, and working on his crafts. And after that… the abyssal depths.

It had been a week of excellent gains. His companion was an absolute wealth of knowledge when it came to the crafts and searching for materials throughout the depths.

Gathering, Mining and Pathfinding had all made decent gains as she gave him advice about cavern systems, the depths, and which ways a tunnel were likely to go based upon their structure, the curvature, etc. His Jewelcrafting had gained ten levels and was now at 11. He didn’t have much talent for the craft itself, but his obsession with Cleaning must’ve been an integral part of preparing a precious stone, so it helped make good gains.

Fate Disconnect gained a level from his dedicated sessions where he would churn Eternal Soul Reactor to a high level and attempt to maintain the shield’s integrity. As did Soul Strengthening as he worked towards slowly increasing the very quality of his soul and the energy it produced. But Orodan felt that simply attempting to strengthen the soul without damaging it and attempting to rebuild it, was too slow. He’d need to train against dangerous soul assaulting monsters in the abyssal depths to increase it efficiently.

Additionally, Wood Communion gained a level as Orodan helped bolster the mole clan’s defenses by empowering their wooden structures to absurd levels. The Grandmaster mole’s eyes nearly popped out of her head at how valuable the wood became.

Most importantly, his companion insisted he hone his Draconic Fireball and Flare through constant practice. Much as he hated it, he had to admit it was good for him. Draconic Fireball went from 6 to 12, and Flare from 24 to 26. Like a mother forcing their child to eat unpalatable vegetables, she forced Orodan to practice his magic skills. He refused to call them spells as that would hurt his pride too much.

And Orodan, in frustration with his magic teacher, had taken it out on poor Zukelmux who was given additional training and challenges, with Orodan watching over the young goblin of course. Which led to the gain of a surprising skill.

[New Skill → Teaching 1]

That had been a surprising message, and Orodan made a mental note to try and develop it further. It would likely help when attempting to help Adeltaj advance to dual-Grandmaster or assist Mahari in developing the Elemental Fist once more.

But now, it was time for the descent.

His companion bid him farewell saying that she’d remain with the mole clan for now. She also gave him actual instructions on how to quickly gain her trust in the next loop. Who knew just being honest with her would’ve made such a difference?

He bade farewell to the goblins and moles and made his way towards the familiar dark chamber with mutated ostolitus mushrooms that absorbed light rather than emitting it. This was the chamber with the hole in the center which led down into the abyssal depths.

Last time, Orodan’s soul surgery had drawn the attention of the Fallen Void Archon as it flew upwards and found him. But this time, there was no such distraction, and Orodan instead looked down the hole.

It was pure darkness, and he had to emit a low level of Eternal Soul Reactor light to see. His Vision of Purity saw that the hole went down for a mile before it led to another chamber, which was the true beginning to the abyssal depths. It was quite clean within, likely owing to the sheer density of world energy making things have purer forms. Inside the first chamber, his Vision of Purity detected a single being, likely sleeping.

Orodan plunged down the hole.

A crash resounded through the quiet chamber upon his landing, and he finally saw what it was that his skill detected from above. Observe was used.

[Observe 9 → Observe 10]

[Name: Ezvalad the All-Consuming (Species: Dark Slime)

Title 1: Amorphous Combat Grandmaster

Title 2: Combat Grandmaster

Title 3: Dark Grandmaster

Title 4: Wielder Of A Mythical Skill

Title 5: Grandmaster Slayer]

A blob of pure darkness, enough that even with the light emitted by Eternal Soul Reactor, he couldn’t make out any features upon it. It was man-sized, and from the sounds it was making, looked to be digesting something.

Orodan had never seen slimes before. They were meant to be the annoying nuisance monsters fledgling adventurers went after, or young children hunted in the sewers of cities to hone their skills.

For him to meet a triple-Grandmaster slime… it was a good introduction to the race. It was right in the first chamber of the abyssal depths. Orodan suspected this thing camped in the chamber and happily ate any daring monsters from the deep depths who felt it was their time to descend lower as they’d grown strong enough. Or any foolish mortals seeking to venture this deep.

The chamber he was in, was pitch black. Without the light emitted by his own soul, even his profoundly powerful eyes could not see, as even the most powerful night vision required at least some level of light. But he had some, and he had Vision of Purity.

This monster would be a good first foe to fight in the abyssal depths.

“I hope you didn’t gorge overmuch,” Orodan said. “I wouldn’t want to make you throw up your lunch.”

In response, the slime stopped digesting. Even as Orodan landed it was content to continue eating, but now that he’d uttered words of challenge? Somehow, it got even darker, and the very light of his soul began to be drawn towards it. At the same time, the dark element assaulted him. His mind, soul and body were assaulted, and Mana Resistance didn’t help as this was the creature’s natural element.

The dark element devoured light sources, inflicted mental and soul damage, and harmed the target’s vitality. The last time he was assaulted by the element was in the energy well under Jerestir, when he fought a lightning depths salamander who was proficient in dark magic.

But there was a difference between a being with the title of Dark Magic Grandmaster, and Dark Grandmaster. The latter implied that dark was its natural element and fuelled by its soul energy. Which meant, that Orodan felt a powerful assault upon his mind, soul, and vitality as a beam of pitch black hit him.

“Food is… strong. Strong mind, strong soul… and full of life,” it spoke with a strange voice that was translated by the System. Of course it had sapience, all Grandmaster creatures did.

But the good thing about the dark element, was that since it did multiple things, it wasn’t particularly great at either. Orodan’s soul and mental defenses were powerful, and his vitality, endless. Yes, he felt the full effect of the dark beam, but it wasn’t enough to kill him. Nowhere near it.

He raised his fists, and launched a Flash Strike through the attack, reaching its position. He empowered himself to the limit, eight of himself came into being in the same instant of time and space, and All-Strikes were launched towards his foe.

Only for all eight of himself to have their fists sink into the blob. His arms began almost immediately disintegrating.

“Delicious…!” it spoke, as it attempted to devour Orodan.

Then, it decided to move, and Orodan was reminded that it was both a Combat Grandmaster and an Amorphous Combat Grandmaster. A dark blob covering his vision was all Orodan saw before he felt his entire body begin disintegrating. Not just from the outside, but whatever method this slime used, it was as though every cell of his body, even the ones deeper within that hadn’t touched the goop yet, were being consumed. Eternal Soul Reactor fed into Harmony of Vitality, and Orodan began blazing with power to throw this foul slime off.

[Harmony of Vitality 85 → Harmony of Vitality 86]

But… in that moment where his body was being utterly disintegrated, Orodan felt that this was a fantastic method of training Harmony of Vitality.

In return, Orodan used Vitality Black Hole and Vitality Destruction on the slime as he threw out All-Strikes in every direction. Finally, it had an effect. It shrieked and jumped right off of him.

“You are no prey… you are a predator!” it said… and then promptly began fleeing. Orodan found himself missing his convenient Blessing from Agathor in that moment.

“Wait! Come back! Do that thing again, it was really good!”

“Madness! Away with you foul mortal!” it shrieked and fled down one of the three tunnels leading out of the chamber.

Orodan followed the dark slime as it swiftly hopped and plopped its way away from him. He was faster, but every time he caught up it would simply flow away from his grip. It was like trying to grab water. Finally, Orodan remembered that he had another skill for situations like this.

A full body spin was performed, and Whirlpool Whirlwind targeted the dark slime with full force. It roared in unwilling anger as it was yanked right off the stone floor and pulled straight towards Orodan, where he had uncast Draconic Fireballs ready to burn its body away.

Upon realizing that escape attempts would simply lead to being pulled towards Orodan, it decided to stand its ground and fight.

A brutal melee ensued.

His fists met flowing dark slime that flowed around them and disintegrated his body. Physical attacks were barely affecting this creature, however his All-Strikes that were used alongside Vitality Destruction, did real damage by directly targeting its life force. The soul energy from Eternal Soul Reactor helped burn at it quite a bit, as did all the Draconic Fireballs he kept exploding in its face at point blank melee range. Warrior’s Reciprocity also helped grind it down as it disintegrated itself as much as it did Orodan. Most damaging, however, was Vitality Black Hole.

[Vitality Black Hole 80 → Vitality Black Hole 81]

[Vitality Destruction 39 → Vitality Destruction 41]

[Warrior’s Reciprocity 72 → Warrior’s Reciprocity 73]

“Greedy human predator! Descending so deep even after what you awoke long ago!” it roared.

Thirty minutes of battle passed, and Orodan had to admit, this dark slime would be a serious threat on the surface. Its vitality was monstrous, it was weaker than the quadruple-Grandmaster Fallen Void Archon, but it was still fearsome. It was only thanks to Orodan’s own gains in power which allowed him to fight Avatars that he could stand against it even as his body was disintegrated over and over. Without his vitality skills, he would’ve died thousands of times over. If anything, he was an excellent counter to it, else he could see it killing Avatars wantonly if it managed to envelop them completely.

It was terrifically skilled, and quite powerful. The only thing that held it back was its weak body which meant it wasn’t the threat in melee that it could otherwise be with the title of Combat Grandmaster.

He gained one more level in Harmony of Vitality thanks to the disintegration his body was undergoing, but he felt this was the extent of the gains he’d make with this skill, against this opponent.

At last, a final volley of eight All-Strikes combined with Vitality Destruction, brought it down. There were minor particles of it remaining, but Vision of Purity saw these and Vitality Black Hole killed them while a Draconic Fireball eradicated them.

An excellent fight and fantastic gains!

Orodan gleefully walked into the next chamber down the path which the dark slime tried fleeing, only to encounter something that might actually kill him. Observe was used.

[Name: Kaliyega the Ever-Charging Truth (Species: Eldritch Minotaur)

Title 1: Greataxe Grandmaster

Title 2: Combat Grandmaster

Title 3: Physical Grandmaster

Title 4: Eldritch Grandmaster

Title 5: Wielder Of A Mythical Skill]

Now that was just unfair. Based off titles alone it was stronger than the Fallen Void Archon.

Twelve feet of pure muscle, purplish-gray eldritch energy running through its veins, and eyes which spoke of madness. Wielding an axe of strange purple metal, this was one of the naturally occurring Eldritch creatures in the depths that Arvayne Firesword had spoken of long ago.

Orodan fought valiantly and survived for roughly twenty seconds thanks to his new levels in Harmony of Vitality. He would’ve survived for longer if not for one small detail.

The moment his Eternal Soul Reactor churned hard enough, a familiar foe pried space apart to arrive. It was the Fallen Void Archon.

Orodan couldn’t yet fight one quadruple-Grandmaster. So, to be ganged up on by two? A combined elemental attack struck him from the speed-casting mage menace and the darkness of death took him.

A keening wail ringing in the night sky awoke him.

The Fallen Void Archon was a Soul Grandmaster, and it was a Space Magic Grandmaster, of course it could track any emissions of soul energy that were too high and then promptly teleport to find Orodan. That was just another layer of challenge added onto his loops in the abyssal depths.

Perhaps he ought to flare his soul hard enough in the initial chamber to attract the spellcasting monster so that he could deal with it fairly, one on one?

Orodan discarded this weak idea immediately. What kind of scheming coward would take such an easy way out? It was either the hard way, or no way.

There was only one way forward for Orodan.

To train and become strong enough that he could beat the Fallen Void Archon and whatever monster he was fighting that forced him to churn Eternal Soul Reactor hard enough that the archon arrived. He would either win the two-on-one like a real warrior, or not at all.

And to do that, involved a lot of grinding.

It required many, many loops spent dying in the abyssal depths.