Chapter 668: Contact

Now that I think about it, I’ve visited plenty of secret bases, underground bunkers, floating cathedrals, fallen floating islands, and more. I even went to a base not all that dissimilar to this one back on the 4th floor during the hunt for The First One. Even though this one doesn’t come with a view of an Earth-like planet, the occasional sights I catch through the windows every now and then is nice in its own way.

The planet we’ve been passing by or orbiting appears to be completely red, giving off a dry, desolate vibe. But as I strengthen my sight, I start thinking I might have been wrong. Rather than being a desert planet covered in reddish clouds, it’s more like the planet itself is on fire. The clouds seem to glow with the light of fires below, stretching across almost the entire surface. The few areas they don’t cover appear to be drowning in molten lava.

Maybe it isn’t even a planet. Perhaps it’s a dying star? A gas giant or something else? Maybe I should have paid more attention in school. Then again, Mrs. Smith spent more time telling us to “be realistic” than teaching us anything about orbital mechanics. She always rolled her eyes when anyone said they wanted to be an astronaut.

I wonder what she’d say now, if she could see what I’m seeing. She’d probably complain about the lack of seatbelts or something.

Also, the halls of the evil base have been changing as we head deeper into it. We still move slowly, and no one runs, flies, or teleports. Along the way, we do our best to avoid traps and detection mechanisms. But the deeper we go, the more it feels like we’re walking through something constructed, not just natural tunnels carved into the gray stone around us by water.

There is some broken machinery. Piles of materials like wood and heaps of something like iron. There are even entire trees, and huge tanks filled with oddly colored liquids. Along with monster bodies, in various stages of dissection.

I try to sell some, but I don’t seem to have been acknowledged as their owner. Oh, and also, the system shop doesn’t seem to be working here, so that might be why.

At this point, it seems mostly confirmed that the shop doesn’t work outside of the tutorial, or at least not the variation I have access to. If that’s the case, just having it is a huge advantage for the First Generations.

I also take the time to observe the teammates I’m stuck with for the week.

Io continues to lead, and the others don’t seem to mind it much for now.

Then there’s the demoness, almost fully recovered from her wound and moving around confidently. And I think I caught her staring at my ass a few minutes ago.

The human man with brown hair mostly moves in the background and stays quiet, surrounded by his assortment of items. There are plenty of weapons hanging from his body, some bags, and a few items that he keeps constantly floating around, the cubes mostly.

Then there’s that lanky gray man, whose race I still don’t know. But like Rat, whom I met before, he seems to like using shadows, mostly to hide in or for movement. There’s likely much more that he can do, but like most of the others, he holds himself back. He also avoids Tacita as much as possible for some reason.

Lastly, there is that vyssari woman. She barely talks, and like all vyssari I’ve met so far, she is very short, with scaly legs, in her case, metallic gray. And like with most of her kind, she also has a favored element, in her case, it’s lightning, at least as far as she’s shown. It doesn’t have that feeling of Primordial Lightning I get from Tess, so I guess it’s a more normal manifestation. But I still don’t drop my guard. No one here can be called an average Beyonder.

And for more fun, there is something my beloved handler told me. The fact that the rewards are predetermined and distributed among the surviving members.

So. Does that mean the fewer people who survive in the end, the better the reward?

The last day or two of the quest will surely be interesting.

I continue to observe that human man. Sure, he notices and even looks at me. Maybe I’m expected to feel some shame, look away, and stop doing it. But I don’t. His items and the way he fights are both of great interest to me.

He doesn’t seem very physically strong. I can feel that much from the vibrations his body sends out as he moves and the way the air reacts to those movements. But then there are his items, and he has dozens of them. That much I’ve confirmed with my eyes. Some feel like single-use affairs. Others are at least arcane, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he even has a mid-arcane item or two. He just seems like the type.

Even as we make our way through the evil elf’s lair, the human man continues to modify some of the items in his possession. I’m sure part of it is adjustments for the environment we’re in and for the gilded monsters we’re expecting to appear. However, I’m also sure he’s modifying some of them to better face us, and I can’t even blame him.

I’m already doing something similar. I’ve sacrificed a small part of my mind to it, which even now continues to run mental exercises with twisted shapes, and I’m using it to observe the others and think of ways to better counter them.

The halo floating above my head has remained completely silent, neither receiving nor sending any signals. Of course, I think it was a pretty funny idea to just put it over my head in a moment of impulsiveness, but I didn’t do it without thought.

Another part of me constantly monitors it, ready to destroy it at any moment. If it were mid arcane, I wouldn’t have put it there. But I’m confident I could deal with a low arcane item, especially since its function doesn’t seem all that threatening to me.

Beneath the golden coating of the halo, I found a patch of inscriptions. Though I’m pretty sure they were only designed to work with the wolf we killed. Then again, maybe "only" isn’t the right word.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The halo was modified to fit the wolf’s body and what remained of its brain and nervous system, to allow whatever the crown does to function. So now I’m trying to modify that part, in hopes of replacing it or tricking it into activating.

There’s a being nearby who’s probably even older than that tower hikikomori, Kyralon, so there’s no way I’m passing up the chance to get some answers out of him.

“Please stop staring at me. It is creepy,” the human man says, coming to a stop in front of me. His items float around him like drones, but they’re acting differently than before. It doesn’t feel straight-up threatening, but it is more... firm.

I defend myself right away, “Just in case, I’m not staring at you because I’m attracted to you or anything.”

“I’d guessed.”

“I mean, I’m just making sure. Some people might misunderstand.”

“Right. As I said, I had guessed that wasn’t the case.”

"I don't know about you, but I’ve known girls who would start shipping people even based on such simple interaction. It's scary out there."

“Yes. No worries there. I haven’t taken it that way, as I have already said.”

“I mean, it wouldn´t even make sense. I’ve seen men many times more handsome than you and didn’t feel a thing.”

“I see.”

“I mean, many, many, dozens of times better looking. It can’t even be compared. Not even close. You look like a sad frog in comparison.”

“Got it.”

“Just making sure.”

“Yes. So please stop staring at me.”

“Nope. And I’m not staring at you, I’m staring at your items.”

“It’s rude.”

"Probably. But I’m from the First Generation, only a few years into the tutorial. I don’t know anything about the intricacies of social interaction, so I think that much can be forgiven."

“I’m also from the First Generation.”

“I see,” I say. “Maybe that’s why you’ve been rude enough to keep staring at my halo.”

That makes him pause for a bit while continuing to look at me with that same intense expression.

“It’s a Synaptic Relay Halo, isn’t it?” he asks.

“Yup,” I confirm.

“Low arcane?”

“Yup.”

I can see the question he’s trying to ask and the curiosity in his eyes as they keep flicking toward the halo floating above my head.

“I’ve only read or heard about them from a few people. They’re extremely difficult to make, even though their rarity might not be all that high. The materials they require aren’t that rare, but they demand a lot of work.”

“Are they a signature item of the Last Elf?”

“His replicas use them pretty often. More powerful replicas, once they reach the rank of Absolutes and Champions, rarely bother with them. But for the lower-level replicas of the Last Elf, with all his knowledge, I imagine halos are quick and easy to make.”

"That's good information, but I'm not giving it to you."

"I didn't even want to ask that," he looks around, and an amulet around his neck flashes. A bubble forms around us for just a short moment as he says, "In case everyone turns against each other, let's group up. I don't care about hoarding all the rewards for myself."

With that offer of alliance, he turns around and leaves to work on the door we are trying to unlock without triggering alarms.

I decide to examine the door later and reach towards the halo over my head with my mind. I find the part that connected it to the wolf and temporarily bridge it, which causes it to activate and slowly spin around my head.

In the window nearby, I see a faint reflection of my face, my eyes with my Mana Wavelength Iris activated, forming a golden circle like the one over my head.

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to make my crown in the shape of a halo when I finally learn how to make it. Something about that sentence probably doesn't make sense, but I don't let it bother me.

(I can sense you sneaking and trying to activate some annoying protocols and pull out location and visual data. I disabled them all.)

I send.

(How curious.)

The voice says, calm and clear.

(And who, I wonder, do I have the pleasure of speaking with?)

(I would rather keep that to myself. Are you the Last Elf?)

The voice doesn't laugh, and I might be imagining things, but I could swear I hear amusement in it as it answers,

(So, you’re an attendee on a Beyond quest. And haven’t even entered the final year of your tutorial, if your inexperience is any measure. Will you tell me why you’ve chosen to reach out while on one of those eradication quests the oh so great Rulers are ever so fond of assigning?)

(You don't seem to like the Rulers.)

(Do not misunderstand me, attendee. I find their ways naive, occasionally irritating, but they’re not without a certain charm. There is something about it I still find oddly endearing, especially when they strut around and puff up their chests and act so important. But they and I have played this game longer than most of the current ones have existed. They track down my replicas, eager to erase me, and from time to time, I return the gesture. So then, what is it you want from me?)

(Mostly some information. Honestly, I don't mind failing this quest if I get some good intel.)

There’s a short pause that obscures the replica’s reaction.

When the voice returns, it sounds even more amused.

(In that case, why don’t you go and kill the other attendees who came here with you. After that, we may speak.)

With that, the conversation cuts off, and I send a wave of thermal energy at the halo, melting it down in response to a sneaky attempt to activate some of the protocols.

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I take a long look at the small pool of molten golden metal at my feet. Then, just to be safe, I burn it further along with a chunk of the floor, making sure to get rid of everything.

Only then do I stand up, dust off my hands, and head towards the door that the item guy is trying to open.