Late Evening - Unknown Season : Leviathan | Css: ERROR

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  *Crackle-Shick* Cutting through thick muscle with a thin sword made out of the wyvern's scales, I slowly but surely carved my way into its chest.

  There was o thing I wao grab after st several scales, some teeth, and some bone fragments in my iory before I was going to return to Earth.

  And while I stood i of flesh I had dug into the wyvern's chest, I could feel it.

  Just below my feet, there was an intense, stant flow of mana that could only be emitted from ohing. -A big ass mana core...-

  It was essentially a monster's mana ste, the same as a reserve, but typically far rger because of the size of their bodies.

  Depending on the mohey could range anywhere from the size of my fist, to well over a dozeers wide, and vary in color from a bright blue, to a dark navy with hints of green that made it look bck depending on the density of the liquid mana it tained.

  For the most part, their uses were fairly niche, but without access to the thousands I had accumuted over the years, I was in need of a few, even if their quality wasn't great. -The issue is this bck shit...- *Tink-Tink* Tapping my sword on an impossibly strong bck string woven into the wyvern's flesh, I gave it a distasteful look before leaning down and biting it.

  *Snap* It was something I called 'eternity string', sihing I knew of could get rid of it. -I used to at least be able to cut through it with Draco.. but even if I hit it as hard as I with something else...- *Tink-Tink* -It won't budge...-

  But it had nothing to do with sharpness or material quality. "Ugh..." Leaning down and biting through the other end of the string, I slipped my bde u and cut it out with ane sb of meat. "I just wish I could figure out what it is that cuts it..." -Should I just pull one of my teeth for it?- Looking back down at aring as I carved away more muscle though, a theory came to mind. -Is it maybe a material that only be cut by itself?-

  Being present in nearly every creature around or above the css of the wyvern, it was something I was more than a little familiar with, essentially being a nearly iructible fiber only able to be cut or broken by a very select few items.

  Even in my prime, if I hit something as hard as I could without a specific upgrade active, while the creature's flesh would get pletely eviscerated, the bck threads would remain. -What was that upgrade again? 'Time Distortion'?-

  It was essentially an active ability that let me slow time down.

  But the more I tried to use the upgrade as a hint, the more lost I became... "Haah..." -But I guess I'm just getting a bit overzealous... It's probably reted to mana so I should just focus on the basics for now...-

  Eventually leaving my thoughts to simmer, I got back to digging through the wyvern's chest, thankfully not running into too many more threads, before peeling away a se of flesh to reveal an unbelievably dark mana core about the size of my abdomen. "Oh my..." It was such a high grade it made my eyes glow, but unfortunately, it was surrounded by a web of eternity strings, that typically indicated that it was fragile. -I just hope this one won't explode when I pull it out of my iory...-

  Gently reag out, carefully pg my fiips in the openings between strings, I sent it into my iory. *Vwoop*

  It was a surgical removal, but sometimes, the eternity strings around the core were o keep it from exploding. -But unless I painstakingly cut all those strings, I only hope this isn't a fragile core...-

  Quickly standing back up, I opened my system and skimmed through the materials I had gathered, making sure I had a det amount of most things before finally navigating to my 'Return S'.

  "Hooh.. alright..." *Vwoop* Pulling out my new axe, made from the e scales and pearly white enamel of the wyvern, I anxiously hit 'Return'. *Vwoop*

  As the gate engulfed me, I could only lean my head bad pray. -Please don't wipe this time...-

  I was quite pessimistic, even pulling out my axe in advao make sure I wouldn't lose it.

  But while I didn't have much currently, if my system was going to wipe every time I returo Earth... I was in trouble...

  *BEEP* Eventually hearing the deafening beep of my system, I felt my chest tighten. "CRITICAL WARNING. Teleportation Gate is Unstable."

  -Oh.. no...- It was the same error I received before I lost everything.

  But, as a somewhat demoralized feeling started creeping in from the bay mind, my system spoke again. "Approximating 'pickup location' coordinates."

  It was.. different.

  -Huh? 'Pickup location'?- *Vwoop* Jolting my eyes open as the gate began dissipating, the bright glow of the afternoon sun graced my eyes, a wave of air blew over me, and the sensation of falling overtook my body.

  *WooooOOOOSH* I was back.

  But even as I fell out of the gate, I didn't stop falling.

  *FLASH* As my eyes struggled to adjust to the blinding light, I found myself hundreds of meters over a sea of crete and people, surrounded by tless colossal pilrs of gss that seemed to pierce the sky.

  But as my aura rushed to fill the space around me and an image came to mind, I kly where I was.

  "Hah!" But what had me more excited was that my system was pletely silent.

  *Vwoop* Opening it as fast as I could, I looked down at my gold and read, '14,060,621,127' with an ever-growing glow in my eyes.

  My system didn't get wiped.

  "HAHA!" The feeling of hope that sight gave me was indescribable, adding fuel to the fme growing in my chest. -It looks like I'm not fated to die just yet yant fucker!- *WOOOOSH*

  Looking down at the pza beh me, my smile widened before I used tless pilrs of aura to spread out the impay nding.

  *WHAAAM-CRACCKLLEE* But the field of crete stairs still shattered instantaneously, spreading cracks through several nearby statues and throwing fragments of rock up between the people in the crowd. *Tap*

  *Inhale* "Haaaah..." Taking a deep breath, I took a moment to enjoy the smell of the city before tossing my axe into my iory. *Vwoop* -My, oh my~ does it feel good to be back.-

  I felt revitalized, refreshed, aed.

  The people in the pza around me didn't feel the same though.

  "AAAHHH!" Immediately bursting into screams, several people started running away in panic, while others remained frozen from fear.

  But they weren't the ones who had my attention.

  Looking up into the sky, I could feel a distant presence approag so fast it couldn't be a living creature before suddenly, the movements and sounds of everyone nearby slowed, as if time stopped, and a cloudy figure desded in front of me.

  It was Michael, but instead of looking angry or a the fact I returned, he was incredibly panicked. "Evren! Where the hell did you go?! What happeo you?!"

  He was.. worried? "You aren't reted to that administrator?" My ecstatic expression instantly washed with fusion.

  "AS IF! He almost destroyed Earth's server just to search for you!"

  -What the hell...- He was being genuine.

  "It's all because of that stupid data link! First, it sent enforcers, then that monster!" But it's not like he was happy to see me either, quickly fag me with an angry glow in his eyes. "Look here, you walking disaster, I need you to turn off your data link. You o disappear from the eyes of the system before that freak shows up again!"

  -A..Alright...- Still somewhat fbbergasted, I did as he asked and disected the data link without a sed thought.

  And as it seemed to notify Michael, a wave of relief washed over him. "Hoooh..." *tap-tap-tap* Letting out a long, stress-filled breath, he tapped through several system windows before finally easing somewhat. "I ot describe my hate for you with words, I hope you uand that."

  Pausing, I looked him up and down somewhat judgementally before speaking. "I'm more surprised you're trying to hide me..." -If he wao get rid of me, he could just wait for that freakish administrator to return...-

  "That's only because you've already raised Earth's rank! If you disappear now, all the progress humanity has made over the st five hundred years will be reset!" Angrily ping the bridge of his er yelling at me, he calmed his nerves befiving me a stern look. "Just, whatever you do, don't touch your data link. I'll have someone deliver you an artifact that will give you access to things like the server forums and give you a fake local system panel, but your dispyed name will be different."

  "While you're at it, you send me a good mage? I need someoo teach me about mana ASAP."

  Pausing as he was turning away, he gave me a sour look before opening his system panel. "She'll see you tomorrow m. Now go start ing up the mess you made." *Vwoop* Instantly disappearing without giving me a ce to say anything, the sounds around me crackled before the panic of the crowd resumed.

  *Crackle* "-AAAHHH!"

  -So, in the m, huh...- Gng up at the sun, directly overhead, I felt unsure. -I just hope I have a little more time before I get abducted by the system this go around...-

  L my gaze to the crowd, I slowly started looking around to see if I could find Alrek anywhere before turning toward the spire. -Maybe he's inside.-

  But as I approached the doors, a young elven girl, most certainly still ieens, holding a bck stiervously ran up to me. "M-Miss!" She was incredibly anxious and spoke with a stutter.

  -Who is this..?- She was clearly a regur citizen, fearing me just like everyone else, yet she ran up to me and held out this weird, perforated stick.

  "I-I apologize if this is rude, b-but could I ask a quick question? I am a reporter with Eve Family News."

  Looking past her, I quickly spotted someone who looked like her younger brother, shaking slightly while holding something I assumed was a camera. "Go ahead."

  Her anxious expression quickly eased slightly as she fidgeted before speaking. "I-It would seem that the public believes you are a destroyer, someone who is here to harm humanity. D-Do you have anything to say about that?"

  Although she had a stutter, she spoke fairly fidently. -What a cute kid...- "Before that, do you believe I am a destroyer?"

  She very hastily shook her head no. "I-If the reports that you are level six hundred is true, I believe you would have made it clear if you were one."

  -What a good response...- *Pat* Gently setting my hand on her head, I gave it a little rub. "You're quite smart." Looking up at the camera with a somewhat threatening smile, I spoke firmly. "For everyone else, whether you think I'm a destroyer or not, I couldn't care less. If I wao destroy this world, no one could stop me." Quickly turning back to the girl, my expression eased and I spoke menuinely. "But this world is also the pce I sider home.. even if it's a bit.. unfamiliar..."

  A gleam instantly appeared in the girl's eyes as I pulled my hand off her head.

  But it seemed to flicker as a deep, booming voice filled the air. "You think no one could stop you?" Looking over, I found Jack, the giant Hell's Berserker I ran into before I got kidnapped. "That's quite an arrogant thought."

  "Is it?" Tilting my head slightly, I pyfully leaned down to speak to the repirl. "His system name is The Jackal, right? Is he strong here oh?"

  She instantly nodded. "I believe he is ranked forty-two in the world."

  -Hoh?- It was lower than I expected. "Well, what if I could make him kneel without toug him?"

  Excitement washed over her fa the blink of an eye.

  Looking back up at the t barbarian, I poi him. "You want to make things easy for yourself and kneel?"

  His expression instantaneously turned sour and darkened. "You might be the most arrogant bitch I've ever-"

  His voice was cut short the moment I turned my fioward the ground, using a traption of aura I made to sm the weight of the pza onto his shoulders. *VWOOM-CRRRUNCHH* His face was instantly, irresistibly smmed into the ground before he even had the ce to react.

  -Oh my~... That was easier than I thought it'd be...- pared to when I trolled my aura before, I didn't feel even the slightest strain on my mind. -Am I gettier.. or is my mind just getting used to it?- Pausing as a genuine smile came ay face, I looked back at the girl. "Well, it's ly kneeling, but it's close enough... Anyway, I o go meet up with some people in the ISO. If you ever have a question for me, I'll always answer."

  Giving her local system panel a quice as I turo leave, I read her name, 'Grace Eve', a my hand on her head to transfer her some gold, thankfully without the need of the data link.

  As she got the notification for it, she froze a wide-eyed, but by the time she went to look up at me, I was already gone.

  I had made my way inside.

  But oddly enough, after passing through the doors at the base of the ISO, I wasn't greeted by Alrek, nor a swarm of panig people. "Greetings, Madam Lestir." It was an old dwarf, speaking smoothly and formally while holding a deep bow. "My name is Kazzaer Aldinn, the regional manager of the ISO for the Eastern Uates."

  -Level 618...- He was quite strong for a dwarf, and reminded me of someone I used to know, with a long e beard, no tattoos, and formal way of speaking. -How nostalgic...- "So, you must be Alrek's boss. I'm Evreir." Reag out for a handshake, he gave me an odd look befripping my hand quite hard, only for me to grip slightly harder.

  It was the way I knew dwarves greeted their own people. "Hoho~," Looking me in the eyes as if to see if I was doing it out of pride, his smile grew wide. "To think I'd meet a human would give a proper dwarveing." Pulling back his hand, he gently caressed his braided beard, before motioning me along. "It seems I was too hasty in casting judgment."

  "Haha," An ho ugh slipped out as old memories started gaining some crity. "I 't bme you sidering my appearance. Who would trust a crazy woman covered in wyvern blood?"

  "Hahaha!" His ugh was deep and hardy, ing from the chest. "I'm not sure where you found a wyvern, but if you have any more of its blood, I'll pay quite a hefty sum for it." Looking back at me, he rubbed his fiogether with a greedy smile.

  "I'm not sure you want this blood though, it's a little too iron-tasting for alcohol."

  His smile quickly widened. "Hoho~, you really know dwarves too well." Quickly straightening up his posture, he put his hands behind his bad held his chest out. "But in today's day and age, removing something like iron won't be an issue... So,"

  Giving me o look, I waved him aside. "I didn't colley, but I do have a bit of meat if you're ied in that."

  "Oh, of course." His mouth immediately started watering. "Just name a price!"

  "As if I could take payment for a 'token of greeting'." Not expeg him to know what it was, I simply tio follow him into the ISO.

  But almost immediately, he paused before turning bae with a look of sho his face. "To think I'd run into a human that knows my home world's tradition..."

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