Chapter 963 -Running

Even hours later, I am replaying the first event in my mind. There is a huge amount of information about movements of mana that I actively filtered out during combat. But now, I can get back to it. It allows me to observe the ways certain avatar Champions moved their mana, how Adrian used his skills, and even how my avatar and Easy Difficulty Lissandra did things I could learn from.

At times, this process might be boring, but when I notice an interesting thing or two, it becomes rewarding.

I even use a slight thought acceleration to get through it all faster. It is something I have noticed myself doing often as of late.

Perhaps in the future, the normal passage of time will feel too slow for me, and I will annoyedly think of how slowly people speak. Or perhaps my mental age will become much higher as I spend years more in my mind than in the real world. One day I might wake up, and the thought of freshly cut lawn will make me happy.

Interesting problems become possible with the system and a bit of mana.

Momentarily returning my acceleration to a normal level, I look around the boys' room and at Tacita sitting on the huge red velvet pillow placed on the armchair near the window.

A new honorary member of The Brotherhood, and damn, if she doesn't look extremely smug about it. I bet she didn't even have a reason to be here, it's just that she wanted to because it was not allowed.

Everyone else tries to ignore her. The conversation has become a bit tame, but only for a while. As Tacita just keeps sitting there, looking at people while cleaning her daggers or playing with Fuci, they almost seem to forget about her and get back to their usual selves.

I still have no idea why BenDover is here as well, and he seems to be too scared to leave, so that is nice. Sometimes I stare at him wordlessly, always making sure he notices.

As the winner of the previous event, I allow myself to act a bit cocky and let the others bask in the glory of my presence. Of course, that doesn't mean I will invest my points into the goddamn Communal Regenerative Onsen.

Though all of the rewards are moved and combined in the end, I received points for my first place. There was even a ranking based upon how many participants you defeated, how many powerful avatars you killed, the strength of your opponent, and I think that is the main stuff. Some smaller factors, such as how long you stayed in the event, might count, but likely nowhere near as much as the previous ones.

The first ten spots were as follows.

1. Nathaniel Gwyn - 1,131,336 pts

2. Soph - 311,699 pts

3. Thaddeus Vane von Drach - 299,966 pts

4. Tannatar - 276,003 pts

5. Severin1 - 251,444 pts

6. Grumpy - 251,124 pts

7. CarrotCake - 241,034 pts

8. Rook the Cook - 210,654 pts

9. Queen Calypso - 200,693 pts

10. Althor - 189,112 pts

***

The list, of course, continues for much longer, though well over half of the people have zero points and the top spots are filled with Beyond attendees and exceptionally powerful people from Hell who haven't entered Beyond.

It is a bit heartwarming to see that many people from Earth in the top ten. Victoria and Tacita aren't there only because this event doesn't play into their strengths, and Savant did whatever Savant does and decided to challenge Tristan. Of course he got his ass kicked, but knowing the guy, he absorbed that kick too, and sometime in the future, he will release that attack while shouting "Champion Kick!".

Sophie in second place is surprising, but not as much at the same time. With Blackie cosplaying a dinosaur killing meteor and with her mental magic, she wreaked a lot of havoc. Mind mages remain rare, and with her not holding back, she showed that many of even the most powerful attendees often lack mental defenses.

Lily apparently used the event to release some sort of highly contagious virus, and it supposedly almost killed one of the Champions that must have been a sort of glass cannon build. I hope it was that. The other option is too scary.

Anyway, I have invested a good chunk of my points to upgrade our territory, and more people invested points in it as well, and we are now level 1.

Territory Upgrade Lvl 1: 600,130 / 2,000,000 pts

That still leaves me with 400,000 points, enough to get the Communal Regenerative Onsen to level 1, as I’m reminded multiple times. Even so, I've decided to invest in the smithies, with just 100,000 points needed after some other people put points into it.

Smithies Upgrade Lvl 1: 3,500 / 500,000 pts

For now it's easy, but I think as the required number of points increases, we will be more organized about it. However, that's for other people to deal with.

As for the level 1 territory. The roads are nicer, as well as all of the buildings, and the grass even became magically shortened, though there are still patches of it missing. The tower grew taller and is even somewhat fixed up, and the rooms inside are nice, as proven by the one belonging to The Brotherhood. Some new facilities unlocked as well.

Out of nowhere, because I feel like it, I turn to the right toward Blackie, who is totally clad in red armor.

"You know, you aren't sneaky at all. Everyone knows you are watching through Blackie's eyes."

The head, entirely covered in a red helmet, turns to me, just staring expressionlessly. Then it slowly turns back towards the others, who don't seem to have the same suspicion as I do.

I return to my thoughts and look over the room, once again landing on Tacita on her velvety red pillow, provided by The Brotherhood as a bribe so that the conversations here do not leak out.

Sometimes, I wonder what her tutorial might look like.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

She stands within the bisected building, looking out at the unfamiliar forest that abruptly replaced the other half of the structure. The building shakes once again as people scream and rush outside, but she doesn't. Even though her door is still locked, a piece of the wall is missing, but she seems to be too scared to get out of her room.

She gets back onto the bed in the corner of her nearly empty room and sits there, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around herself. From under it, only her eyes and messy brown hair poke out as she stares at the hole in the wall and forest beyond.

Hours pass like that, with her still staying there. Not once does she leave her bed, not even as the night approaches or when people begin to scream outside. Not even when the wolves howl, joined by the cries of other creatures.

Only when the next day approaches, when the sunrise shines on the ruin of the building, and when her alarm clock starts beeping, does she get off her bed. Holding the blanket, she very carefully wraps it around an old MP3 player with wired earbuds, and holds it on her chest.

Very carefully, she steps onto the floor with her bare feet, walking slowly and quietly. The distance to the hole in the wall takes her ten minutes, and then it takes a similar amount of time as she looks around.

Off to the side, there is a man on the floor, unmoving and with a piece of the fallen roof on his head, but of course, she does recognize him. Those shoes, those hands.

She hesitates for a while longer before walking past, with just that act taking a great effort, as shown by her wide open eyes. The entire time, it seems like she might run back to her room if anything startles her.

There is a part of the building that is half a kitchen, and the other half is grass. Multiple bodies lie there as well, though some of them are missing pieces, and blood is everywhere.

Pulling the blanket even closer, she then steps on the grass, feeling it on her bare feet. The sunrise lands on her as well, bathing her in warm rays she hasn't felt for so long.

She takes a deep breath, and then her eyes find a knife. It is the sort you would use for steak, stabbed in the back of one of the bodies in a white uniform. The sunrise reflects on this blade just right, making it seem like it is shining on the edge between the building and the forest.

The young woman now moves more quickly. She grabs the blade, pulling it out, though she does it clumsily and almost loses her balance because it requires more effort than expected.

Nearby, there is an unbroken jug with some water still inside, so she picks it up from the ground, drinking it all before putting the jug back on the floor.

There is no hesitation as she then steps onto the grass and runs into the forest.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

It is the second floor, and she sees the city in front of her, vast, with more people than she has seen at once in years. It terrifies her. Even from afar, she can hear all the noises and see all the movement.

She doesn't even try to move towards it. She squeezes the obsidian dagger she got on the first floor and fixes up her backpack, where her MP3 player is, as well as the old blanket and a few more daggers she gathered. Then she turns around and heads into the forest.

After a while, the city cannot even be seen, and her fluttering heart calms down. A smile forms on her face, which she tilts up to catch the sunrays piercing through the crowns of the trees.

For a while, she just stands there enjoying the silence.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

It is cold out there. Not freezing, but it is a weather she hasn't experienced previously. Every day out here brings something new, an experience, places to see, weird creatures to face. And every day, she can run faster and faster. Her formerly feeble body now moves the way she always imagined it moving, the way she wanted to move.

Because for her, movement is freedom, and her speed keeps her safe, so no one can ever catch her and lock her in again.

She swiftly kicks off her shoes and dips her toes into the water of the river flowing nearby. It is so cold she jumps back, spins around, and almost hisses at it. Then she laughs soundlessly and skitters closer, putting her leg deeper into the water just to get the same reaction.

Looking around carefully and narrowing her eyes, she scans the area and then throws away her old clothes, watching them swim down the stream. She moves to her backpack, takes out clothes she stole not that long ago, puts them carefully nearby, and pulls out a towel and soap.

In front of the river, she takes a deep breath, and instead of gradually getting in, she jumps into its deepest part, only to almost jump back out, fluttering her arms as if trying to defend against the cold water attacking her.

It takes her a while to force her body under control. She dives in entirely and slowly peeks up with just her eyes over the surface. She creates bubbles by forcing air out of her mouth, which causes her to chuckle wordlessly, only for water to almost get into her lungs as she coughs and spits it out.

As she washes her body, scars are seen on it, some of them years old. Cuts, not properly healed broken bones, small circular burns. Way too many.

She gets out of the water way faster than she got in, almost running on its surface, and half assedly dries herself as she rushes to put her new clothes on, not just because of the cold, but because of her excitement as well.

With clothes on, she finds the calmest surface of the river and watches her reflection, trying multiple poses. She even tries to style her hair a bit, mimicking the hairstyles she saw on some of the women.

In the end, she just rolls her eyes over each one of them and lets her hair find its own way.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

She had done it. During the tournament, she secured the very important item. She spent hours watching people use it from a distance to be sure, and she even tested it when they were sleeping.

And now, it's hers.

With her legs crossed, she sits over a small solar panel with a cable going from it into her old MP3 player. Impatient, she keeps her arms crossed, tapping her fingers as she waits for the device to light up, and then it does, causing her to lift her arms high into the air and bow towards the solar panel.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

With a white cable leading to her ears, she listens to music as she walks through an underground tomb covered in golden sand.

The only light comes from a small mana stone she carries with her.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

She stands on the edge of a floating island. There are more daggers on her now, and she has new clothes and even a replacement pair, all secured in her backpack.

Once again, music plays in her ears as she smiles and watches the area below her.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

She walks across the top of the mountain, fighting against the wind and dashing every time lightning is about to strike her.

Every so often, she pauses, taking it all in.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

There are ruins of an ancient city all around her, and monsters awaken just as the sun begins to set. Walking among the ruins, she caresses the stones of the buildings, and she pauses to watch the last rays disappear beyond the horizon.

She takes a deep breath just as the sun disappears and then pulls out her dagger.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

The wooden floor doesn't even groan as she makes her way through the beautiful mansion. It's the middle of the day, and servants move all over the place, but no one seems to be able to see her.

Shortly, she sits on one of the seats nearby. She steals a grilled chicken leg that one of the servants is carrying on a plate, and she ties together the shoelaces of a sleeping butler.

Somewhere in one of her pockets, there is a map to the vault, but she doesn't bother taking it out, moving slowly and enjoying the interesting place she gets to explore today.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

That scary, strict woman stands in front of her, but each of her movements is slow and non threatening as she puts a small pack on the table.

Her ferret peeks from her chest pocket and stares at this pack as well, while the woman waits patiently.

"My brother told me your old player broke, so consider it a gift with no intention of tying you down to any promise. I had little Isabella Martinez set it up for you, so if you feel thankful, direct it at her, as she did it without asking for any payment."

And that woman leaves just like that, leaving the box on the table.

Once the woman is gone, she moves closer, touching it carefully, having long since learned that some boxes explode when least expected, though she has yet to meet any explosion capable of catching up to her.

As promised, there is an MP3 player. It's not new, far from it, but it is functional, and this one comes with a display. There is also a new solar panel to charge it and a power bank.

A truly royal gift.

When she turns it on, a song starts playing after a second, as the device turns on much faster than she is used to. On it, a man does a dance she fishes from her memory is called the shuffle.

The video itself seems to be edited, as the man's face is replaced by the face of the brother of the woman who just left.

It takes her a few seconds of confusion, her gears spinning as she stares at it. A huge smile forms on her face, and she plays the video again without even putting on the headphones. The scene is so weird that it causes her to roll her eyes at the sight of the silly dance.

She taps her gun on his tiny golden head and shows the video to him as he jumps on the table. He stands there, watching the movement on the screen.

Then he bites into it, cracking the corner of the player.

She pulls the device back in horror, cradling and caressing it, as if that would heal it, while the golden ferret arches its back and jumps back in tiny, short diagonal jumps.

The device remains functional, but her anger is true and righteous as she moves to punish the ferret, who thinks they are playing and starts running away.

Flashback Giulia Sovrano

She puts on her new favorite song. Men Without Hats - Safety Dance

Her trusty, cracked device vibrates slightly, and music starts playing as she looks around to make sure she is not being watched. Well, other than by the ferret peeking from the grass and looking at her curiously.

With her usual uncaring, joyful confidence, she begins to mimic the movements of the man in the video.

She practices clumsily, dancing on the corpse of a god while the ferret watches.

She dances on the surface of a sand planet within the domain of a wyvern.

She dances on the head of a gargantuan kaiju walking across the ruins of a city covered in green.

She dances inside her room on a moving train, still listening to the same song.

Happy with her progress, she grabs the sleeping ferret and spins around with it, holding it by its tiny front paws. The ferret bites at her fingers, and she lets go as both move in the room at supersonic speeds, playing catch.

She runs across the green plains, accelerating. Her steps are long, and her balance doesn't waver. Even her presence is barely noticeable.

Her body moves like a beautiful machine made for that single act only. Running. Her long legs, slim body, functional muscles, and pure instincts woven so deeply into her. Without fear, she lets her subconscious mind and these instincts take over where a single mistake could kill her at such a speed.

When she comes to a stop, the breeze presses against her, and she takes deep breaths, letting it cool down her body. There is something magical about the silence of this post apocalyptic world, and she takes it all in.

Ever since that day, she has been enjoying every moment given to her.

The golden ferret finally catches up to her, biting at the hem of her pants and shaking its head in anger, but she picks him up, forcing him into her chest pocket.

Then the tournament starts, and she looks around while sniffing the air and examining yet another new place she is lucky to explore.

"Taci!" The voice scares her, as does the quickly moving, petite, black haired woman. She recognizes her quickly, tensing in the way a cat would with its hair rising.

She waits just for a moment until the woman reaches her and runs a few paces away.

"Nice try! I got faster too!" the woman says, moving faster than before.

She runs again, forcing the ferret into her pocket, and though she even pulls out a dagger and dangerously waves it at her, the woman just gives a laugh, moving after her.

And in the end, she doesn't attack her either, not even moving at her full speed, letting the woman get just that little bit closer.