Skullius trekked through the damp lands, his speedy steps leading him towards the gigantic city hundreds of miles away on a high ground from which this settlement could be viewed with ease.r
Between himself and this location which he surmised to be where the Cluster General was, the Hybrid Luman could spot at least three smaller cities with large stretches of space between each other.r
In one of the three – the one closest to him – he could see some of the goblins assembling, a vanguard being sent to deal with him.r
The glowing barrier around him certainly wasn't only doing him the favour of warding off the rain, it seemed. Then again, none of these goblins, even the special ones that he had hypothesised to be in each city were a real threat for him so this might as well be a welcome benefit.r
Skullius tore his attention from the cities and applied [Graceless Hunter] around him. He deactivated Crude Vision, deciding to focus on the finer properties of this Cluster.r
There was more to worlds than the sentient inhabitants they housed. After running through many Clusters, Skullius understood this. There was also vegetation and geological features that could be used in the outside world.r
That had been a growing thought of his prior to this month and a half of exploration actually.r
Yet sadly, the reality was different from what he assumed.r
If Clusters were gold mines for special herbs and all that functioned well in Aigas, they would have been swarmed and studied religiously. r
Most of the time, mercenaries didn't have the luxury of exploring such details because seven out of ten times, said details, unless they were natural treasures, were either dangerous to their well-being or useless unless they found from the natives, Cluster beasts, how to utilise them.r
There were several individuals across the world who studied such things, beasts and all but it wasn't a commonality.r
Skullius could be said to be committing to this as a hobby though.r
He crouched down and touched the damp ground.r
'Strange...' he thought.r
The closer he got to the enormous city ahead, he found the lands around him to start spotting streams of water as well as peculiar plants.r
The Hybrid Luman took steps forward, crossing a great distance to find this sparse vegetation becoming more abundant. It seemed to randomly grow at points naturally instead of being tended to by the goblins.r
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ The streams became small rivers that ran in rhythmic patterns close to the cities, the water within them actually proving to be...clear.r
The tainted rain and mud did not affect its purity.r
"Of course. It's this..." Skullius remarked.r
Within the clear waters, he felt a series of runes that gave a sharp glow after definite intervals of time.r
The same was true for the lands.r
Now that Skullius saw this possibility, a wide search with his [Greatest Mana Crafter], an evolved version of his [Greater Mana Crafter], showed him spaced runes giving off a dark glow over the five miles he could 'see' with [Graceless Hunter].r
'The Cluster General is definitely proficient in runes. Simple runes it seems. This is nothing like the runes I've seen Mages use,' Skullius thought as he reached in to touch one of the constructs.r
Once again, he felt a network of mana within the dirt running from the rune and in the direction of the great city.r
Some General this was.r
For research purposes, Skullius started to pick off the plants he saw, storing them in his ring. If he was lucky enough, he could make use of them through the Cluster General. r
The variety present here was astonishing. One could even go as far as calling the plants he came across hybrids of the ones he had seen in Aigas.r
There were tall brown stalks with small green seeds on their branching stems. Skullius also saw ones that looked like corn, but instead of the regular pale cob, they had a bluish hue over them. Some looked more like weeds but given the fact that they actually grew here, the Hybrid Luman reaped them anyway. They had to count for something.r
Sigh.r
Such a relaxed time before his assailants arrived.r
This was almost beginning to feel like a vacation for Skullius.r
He only drew his attention from the temporary farming duty when he felt a spike in energy a distance away. It was a golden flare that eclipsed the masked luminance of the sun in this world.r
It seemed like Red Rage was facing some pretty powerful goblins if he was forced to use anything in his arsenal that exuded that amount of golden shine.r
Skullius chuckled and continued his work.r
He had collected dozens of these plants when the goblins finally reached him, marching with caution. r
These particular ones didn't ride the strange locomotives for some reason. Perhaps they weren't as overzealous or overconfident. The Hybrid Luman wagered that it must be because they found him being able to reach this far... uncanny.r
Rightfully so.r
After all, the giant ice block in this distance told that one of the stronger goblins hadn't been enough to stop his advance.r
Skullius placed his hand on Demion's Dance's hilt.r
Red Rage probably wanted more time with his exploration, but the Hybrid Luman couldn't bring himself to play with small fry. If he was going to idle a bit before fighting the Cluster General, it might as well be with a strong opponent.r
A thin string of Mortal Ruin swam its way from Demion's Dance's concealed blade, its intent directed towards the armed goblins, all with able bodies and profound levels of courage.r
Kek.r
As if that would do them any good.r
...!r
Before Skullius could send the crimson assassin to slaughter the fodder, his senses blared wildly within his body, an internal grip forcing him to stop and expanding his awareness further than what [Graceless Hunter] could do alone!r
A support skill the Hybrid Luman had cultivated acted at this moment!r
[Primal Caution].r
His nerves, his flesh, his blood and his new brain...r
All of these told him of certain danger ahead and made an effort to show him where it was coming from!r
Involuntarily, Crude Vision spawned within Skullius sockets, allowing him to see the grey, white and black shapes ahead.r
[Primal Caution] forced him to observe past the weak goblins, past the cities between him and his target.r
Just tens of miles shy of the enormous stronghold that he thought housed the Cluster General, a large figure had settled on the muddy ground, sitting with its legs crossed as its frame faced this direction.r
Skullius frowned.r
'When did that thing get there?' he asked himself this.r
While the range of [Graceless Hunter] couldn't cover hundreds of miles even after exploiting the living things within reach, unique movements were still targets to Skullius' senses.r
Something so large.r
Something so intimidating.r
There was no way he could have missed it.r
...!!r
Skullius emitted a groan.r
[Primal Caution] gave him a scare.r
This large humanoid creature in the distance, presumably a goblin, had something in its hand. r
It was a weapon. A sword?r
The end of it was stuck in the ground while the large creature held the weapon by its hilt.r
The Hybrid Luman held his own sword's handle tight. r
[Primal Caution] had never failed to warn him of excessive dangers. If it was reacting so violently, then he might really be in trouble.r
Was this the Cluster General?r
...!!!!r
Skullius' eyes went wide.r
It was subtle but he felt and saw it!r
Something cascaded down briskly from the large creature seated quietly like a hill hundreds of miles away. r
Skullius only saw it as a slight disturbance in the air that bloated objects in his view for a split of a split of a second but by the time he had noticed this, whatever it is that gushed this way was already a simple fifty meters away from him!r
The goblin vanguard was oblivious to this.r
The army awaiting to commence its attack at the gates of one of the cities wasn't privy to this.r
Only Skullius, through his Special support skill felt this coming!r
Without waiting for a moment more, Skullius focused his strength into his legs and leapt hundreds of meters into the air!r
He made it just in time!r
His <CURSED HEART> unconsciously beat fast but he kept his focus on what was happening on the ground!r
The goblins he had been about to face vanished right when he left the ground!r
It was as if with the arrival of this unseen force, the air had suddenly swallowed them, integrating them into the surroundings!r
That's what it looked like.r
This distortion passed and travelled fast to even reach the first city Skullius and Red Rage had seen but it did no damage to anything else.r
It silent disappeared as if it was never there in the first place.r
'What did bro just do?' Skullius thought, regaining his composure as he dropped. His three coloured vision was sent towards the giant enemy again and he found it still seated calmly without moving an inch, the same hundreds of miles distance in between it and him.r
'If that is the Cluster General...'r
Skullius grinned.r
Before him in the air, a set footprints appeared, their entirety made with a dazzling silver hue and flakes of brilliant sparkles.r
The Hybrid Luman set his feet on these footprints and his figure stopped falling.r
Instead, he shot forward, his figure flashing ahead!r
At first he couldn't be seen.r
One couldn't tell if the Hybrid Luman was flying, or running or gliding.r
But then, an elongated mass of darkness replaced the blur that had been his speeding figure above ground!r
It was very long, spotting tangling ribbons that were darker than a starless night, mingling messily in a wriggling pitch black mist, all of it riding the wind in the direction of the enemy!r
If a passer-by could stop time for a moment, this was what they would see. r
For everyone else – the goblins – by the time they blinked, this black entity had already covered the distance between it and the large goblin seated a distance away!r
The goblin did not show any reaction at first, even when this strange phantom of darkness reached within three meters of it in an instant, untangling just as fast from the mass of dark ribbons and mist into a particularly excited Hybrid Luman who wore a sick grin while propelling his thickened arm and fist forward!r
The wind parted.r
The air turned hollow and exploded.r
The might contained within the punch wasn't simply from flesh and mana!r
....r
The Cluster trembled vehemently, its entirety grumbling with a bass while above, the smoke that covered the sky, playing the part of rainclouds was forced to part, revealing the brilliant yellow sun above!r
A deafening shriek and mumble of the earth as it was obliterated resounded throughout the entire Cluster, garnering the attention of everything alive!r
A cloud of dirt and liquid rose up high in the distance from within the shocked sights of those who looked on.r
Not only were multiple rings of shockwaves and roars from the ground bellowing from this location, the same was true for the rain, the mana and the air!r
All of it was expelled wherever a sudden calamitous force had spawned.r
Close to eight hundred meters of land was borne into, a wide and deep crater made where the hiss of moisture, the light from the sun and falling of mud acted as the audience.r
Roughly two hundred meters deep, the figure of Skullius was still carrying devastating momentum, his fist still erected ahead.r
This was the damage that the full force of his mana, strength and momentum could cause, including the current value of WEIGHT he could apply to himself.r
155,000 tonnes!r
'I packed all I had into that...' he thought while locking his senses onto his enemy who had casually blocked his punch with the blade of his large sword!r
The giant goblin close to eighteen meters tall sat down while holding his sword at an angle, its blunt side meeting Skullius' attack without shifting even an inch.r
The goblin hadn't moved.r
He hadn't even opened his eyes since he appeared and this encounter wasn't even enough for him to look at his opponent still.r
This got Skullius pretty excited.r
Right now, it was just him and this proud goblin in a vast ditch lit up by the sun above.r
Poetic and intriguing.r
Skullius turned into a mass of black ribbons and darkness once again, his figure shooting past the goblin to land on the ground behind the creature.r
His humanoid form was restored by the time he touched the ground. He then turned to set his eyes on this weapon his opponent had with Crude Vision, keen on ascertaining how powerful it was.r
But...r
...!!!!r
[Primal Caution] warned Skullius again!r
Unfortunately, it was too late this time.r
He had only managed to catch the weapon's name and grade when...r
A sharp reckoning tore through him from the left side of his head to his left knee violently and with such an immense speed that the Hybrid Luman didn't know he had been hit until he felt his flesh hang, his body smashing to the ground from the force!r
'Huh...?'r
This...!r
It was as if there was another enemy who had cut down Skullius with an invisible, ragged edged sword!r
As <CURSED BLOOD> flew from the Hybrid Luman, the only thing he could process was two pieces of information.r
~~~r
[Bashful Abomination]r
<Pseudo-Mythical>r
....r
~~~r
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