Alan stared at the bracers in his hands with a bit of awe. Mr. Muge had called them Disruptors, and even now Alan could feel them break the mana flow around themselves, stopping him from actually sensing anything. As if they sank into the natural world, becoming part of it.

  There were chaotic pockets everywhere where feeling the flow at all was impossible, and even the workshop was somewhat overwhelming to Alan due to all the magical effects contained within. The open world was easier to navigate, and larger mana signatures were easier to notice. It was only made better if it was something familiar or large he wanted to sense. That’s why navigating the forest didn’t seem such a daunting challenge anymore.

  He had a long road ahead if he wanted to unravel what all of this actually led to. The effect of the bracers was different from the clothes woven with jaderin. It was oddly reminiscent of a certain person he had recently met too. Someone who had surprised Alan.

  Remin. The one with the axe in the forest, who had evaded his senses. Mayra had found him with her strange and powerful skill. However, the man hadn’t worn any sort of powerful artifacts or jaderin ore. Yet, Alan had been unable to sense the slightest current or deviation from the usual flow in the forest. Even the monsters who lived in it didn’t hide as well. Even Rust tier twos hadn’t done it so well. Remin had disappeared almost as soon as they had stepped into the former ‘Utopia’ too.

  I didn’t care enough to notice how weird he was. I should tell Rosalyn to find him. His skill might prove quite useful, and if it can help me advance my understanding further… Why did he disappear so soon though? Didn’t he want revenge?

  Something was fishy, but Alan wasn’t going to worry too much about the motives of a single wierdo. If circumstances forced them back together, he would have his chance to ask proper questions. The meeting with the sagird and the strange will had left him shaken back then.

  “These are very impressive,” Alan eventually said. A full suit would allow him to be invisible to anyone with similar skills as his own. Not that stealth was his thing, despite the whole shadow theme, but it did come in handy at times.

  Mr. Muge nodded with satisfaction.

  “I made them by accident, and the effect is quite impressive. There’s something about the way I shaped the ore into threads and weaved them with the leather and the enchantment itself. Haven’t been able to quite replicate them. I think the creature the leather comes from—forgot the name—has quite the tough hide capable of disrupting mana. Jaderin seems to react differently with each material it's woven into. A wonderful material, really. I’ve added an enchantment that strengthens the natural properties which can be activated quite easily. It was quite the undertaking, and I don’t know if it will work well for long, but it can outright cancel weaker skills or break down stronger ones. I also don’t know the limits of the mana they can take, and figured you’re the guy to ask for a test run outside.”

  It doesn’t sound like Mr. Muge realizes how impressive even their existence is to me.

  “I can overload them right now.”

  Mr. Muge grinned. “I’d rather you don’t do that. A field test would be for the best.”

  Alan grinned. It was a great item. While the clothes he had received were valuable and impressive, he didn’t think they would last that long. The bracers would serve him much better. The question was whether his own mana wouldn’t destroy them faster than the skills he would try to block. Alan wasn’t keen on meeting skills head-on, but he would do so if it was for science. And he was sure his desires on the matter wouldn’t mean much against some foes.

  “All those items you’re creating are a great advantage for our Sanctuary,” Alan said, making the bracers disappear into his inventory. “We’ll need even more. Can you mass produce them?”

  “I’m on it. There’s only so much time and so many projects. We’re looking into weapons, shields, and proper armor out of jaderin too, prototypes be damned. Materials are somewhat easy to find from the World Temple trading system, but everyone is greedy. Points are becoming the dominant currency, and I don’t blame anyone for that.”

  “You should be getting some from inventing things, aren’t you?” Alan asked. How would traders get points otherwise? By the grace of the mighty System? Ha!

  “Oh, yeah. Enchantments and growth as it goes for everyone. Now I don’t go around fighting monsters or conquering lands like you, but it’s enough to reinvest. And people bring me materials in exchange for enchantments. You wouldn’t believe the nerve—”

  They spoke for a while longer before Alan bid goodbye to Mr. Muge and without sticking around to check on the curious guards left for his Tower. Mayra was already inside, making use of the space he had made for her on the wide second floor. Opposite her, separated by a corridor ending in a swirling staircase, was Turtle’s new home. A strange energy seemed to permeate the weird guy’s space, making even Alan wary. He could feel it all through his connection with the Tower and briefly wondered if it was running under some sort of a grand enchantment similar to the one Mr. Muge claimed to sense on the World Temple. Questions for the future.

  Alan had yet to see any of Turtle’s followers, but he could feel a few people he didn’t know in the room. That was all fine. Opting to avoid another awkward conversation or offending yet another godly being, he went for Mayra.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  The sight of her space left him almost speechless. Furniture of dark oak or at least something he assumed was oak, crafted to fit a very ominous aesthetic by someone with the appropriate class littered the corners and walls, while a large dark desk took the very middle of the room at the far end. The stone walls of the tower completed the medieval vampire dungeon she was going for. There were quite a few burning candles that seemed redundant considering the Tower’s built-in lighting but made the atmosphere much better. Shelves and tables of scrolls took up the rest of the space, most empty. Alan was almost tempted to gift her the third floor as well. He imagined a stockpile of [Ancient] skills, waiting for him to choose one.

  Mayra was obviously going for a certain theme and Alan was impressed for the second time this day. He was wondering how people had the time to do all that, but probably only a few were as focused on their internal struggles and lust for power as him.

  The witch herself had donned a new black dress of the same stretchy body-hugging material she seemed to favor so much. Jewelry and makeup were only part of the look, and if Alan didn’t know any better, he’d have thought she had access to proper modern fashion. And surprisingly, his friend was not alone. A young man and a woman stood primly next to her, dressed in what appeared to be early attempts at a uniform.

  It seems everyone is making themselves at home. It’s only me that has barely stayed here. Even Xil’s having a better time. The demon was greedily absorbing the mana the Tower provided to him, even now. The rate was low enough to allow the building to grow its reserves too, but it was still a decent chunk. If he got out, then he would need a room too.

  “Ah, Master!” Mayra jumped up as she saw him. “These are… well, they’re not important. I hope it’s fine. I need some help to procure materials for my inscriptions and to keep everything in order. I’m reopening my business and I was wondering if I can do from here?”

  “Turning my Tower into a witchy shopping center?” Alan asked.

  “If that’s okay,” she fidgeted nervously.

  It was on the bold side of requests, but Alan didn’t see the harm in it. While he was curious about how a business could even function in the reality they were living in, it was not on his to-do list to delve deeper into such intricacies. Who knew? She could trade for points as well now that she was one of the good guys. He saw no harm in allowing it. A single thought was enough to expel everyone he deemed undesirable from the tower.

  “You can take part of the first floor and turn it into a workshop open to the public. I don’t think I’ll be making a guest welcoming hall anyways, and I can just take people to the top and feed them to the demon if they’re persistent.” He winked at her and she smiled with unease. Her proteges seemed terrified.

  “I’m joking, there are no demons around. I’m fine with you decorating as you see fit, seeing as how I don’t have the time or nerves for that. I don’t think I can give you control over the structure of the tower, but it takes only mana and a few thoughts, so I’ll help you adapt the structure when you have a floor plan ready. My only request is that you don’t go to the fourth and fifth floors. The third is reserved for another friend, if he rethinks it, and for Ashlyn, for when she returns.”

  Mayra smiled, then frowned as if seeing something she didn’t like in Alan’s expression.

  “You two, out!” she barked. Her voice was like a knife and the two young ‘helpers’ scrambled out of the room. “Are you leaving again?”

  Alan looked at her with curiosity. “What makes you think that?”

  “You don’t look comfortable among people unless they are hostile. I figure it's getting to you faster this time around.”

  He stared at her as if she had grown a second head. Do I? I thought I was quite comfortable.

  “Do I act awkward or… emotional?”

  “It’s not that. You just aren’t the same as you were when we traveled alone. Large groups don’t seem to be your thing.”

  Alan sat down on a very plush chair. Was that a plant? He had seen those before, but only on other furniture, never out in the forest. Was someone growing plush, soft, and cozy plants? If capitalism was still a thing, they’d be making a killing.

  “You seem oddly proud of your assessment,” Alan stated. He didn’t deny nor confirm. Her words made him think, and her thinking was good. There was no room for a hurt ego when a literal army of shadowy voices constantly urged you to do whatever it was they wanted. They were silent now, having calmed down a bit.

  However the shadow from the spirit still burned inside him, and he could sense his control over his own shadows grow by the hour. What better way to speed that process up than to go out again and fuck shit up?

  “The world is vaster than ever before, Mayra, and I’ve been given the gift of being able to run around unimpeded. I’ve barely seen beyond this forest! It’s large, full of threats and opportunities, and odd dungeons holding materials and secrets. There’s history, thinking beings, and wisdom in them. We practically have small pocket worlds thrown about and left for the taking. Honestly, I wonder what makes us so special to be allowed the privilege of exploring them.”

  “You’re avoiding the question. I’ve spent quite a long on the other side of therapists' couches you know? I know how this goes.”

  Alan waved a hand and grinned. “Knowing people comes with time. Don’t push your luck.”

  “Or what? You’ll make me relive my past again?”

  Alan froze and the shadows stirred. If it was anyone else taking this tone with him… What was he thinking? He was not so fickle as to lash out at the slightest callout. He had used his curse against her, and what Mayra had suffered was for her to know. He did feel bad about it, but he had tried to broach the subject before. What had come over her anyway? Was she truly resentful?

  Before he could react, the girl laughed then stopped as she saw his expression. “Sorry, Alan. I have a bit of a twisted sense of humor. You look like you’re about to murder me though.”

  “I won’t harm you,” Alan said exhaling. “Despite what the voices want.”

  The shadow voices were easily agitated since his meeting with the harvester. This was not good.

  “Voices? Multiple? You’re not a [Warlock] anymore, are you?”

  Alan smiled and stood up. He was about to refute but then froze. Some of his skills were gifted to him by powerful beings. Some of his advancements and understandings were aided by the legacy he had inherited. His bloodline was also due to an encounter with something more powerful.

  He had taken a lot from others, but there were no [Pacts] involved… What the fuck am I thinking. I’m not under obligation to give anything to anyone! I’m my own!

  “I’ll see you later, Mayra. I’ve got something to do.”

  Without waiting he disappeared, rushing toward the highest floor of the Tower. This strange shadow was driving him unstable, and it was time to eat it up.