The next few hours of his life are perhaps few of the most annoying hours of his life.

  Already struggling with a broken soul, he now has to listen to his mother and father rattle on and on about some obscure thing after another. This family, that family. This uncle’s daughter did this, that boy did that. There were some praises mixed in too, but gosh did he just wanna go to his room and sleep peacefully.

  After many excuses of visiting some friends, he is finally able to extricate himself from her hold, and leave the house. Adrian looks at the Tower and wonders if it’ll be wise to simply enter in his condition.

  Then he shakes his head and looks away. Evening has come in his world, a real sun falling down the horizon. The sky is darkening, and yet there are no stars. He remembers the story Ji-a has told him about the stars, and how they are formed from the dead souls of people. The stronger the person, the brighter the soul.

  So are the souls of unawakened people not even worthy of lighting up, or is there something else at play? Surely awakened people die outside too. There are always skirmishes.

  He is walking aimlessly, lost in his own thoughts when someone stops him all of a sudden. It’s one of his mother’s friends. Wearing a green skirt and pink blouse, she has makeup all over her face even for an evening walk.

  “Oh Adrian dear, when did you come out? Look at you! You look so much more handsome!” She exclaims.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Braun. How are you doing?” Adrian tries to act nicely.

  “Oh I’m just fine, just fine. Not as fine as you of course. You’ve become so famous suddenly! Your mother was so happy when she told me that you were escorted by the main church itself! She was sad that you had suffered and they were doubting you, but look at you now! How can our little Adrian ever be suspicious,” And just like that she keeps talking.

  Adrian nods as she talks about her own family and her son who failed the trial and is now working in the church with her husband. Throughout the conversation, she keeps hinting that he should someday connect his friends from the main branch with her.

  Today Adrian understands one more truth of the world.

  No matter whether they are influenced or not, some people like his mother and her will always remain annoying. In every world, leeches who only know how to leech off people’s success will be annoying.

  After a few more than direct words that he has to go, and if quite busy, she finally relents and lets him off. Adrian can sense her pumping her fists behind him as if in some great victory.

  Adrian walks away, towards a garden where he used to walk around after a particularly gruelling training session. Usually Martin would be busy in his own shit, so he would come here alone to enjoy the shade of the trees and the cold wind blowing at his face.

  Today is supposed to be the same, but as soon as he enters it today, something almost instantly feels weird. He looks around, and there are many familiar faces. Most of them are those who failed the trial.

  Many of his generation who passed the trial have died on the 2nd floor. This is something Adrian had to sit and listen to his mother talk about for almost an hour. So many people died, and most of them don’t even have an intact corpse left. After the message was received, the clan was in mourning for days, and only now has the curtain of sadness started to lift up.

  Many who actually survived have given up climbing, instead deciding to serve the clan. The clan also welcomes them with open arms.

  Adrian sees some of them here. Among the ranks of those who have failed, flaunting their meagre skills.

  He also sees many of them look at him with some anger, some desire, and a whole lot of envy. They want his powers, his position, his connections. Adrian turns around and walks away.

  Adrian walks aimlessly through the alleys he would have never dared to enter before. The sun has already set by now, blanketing the world in an ephemeral darkness, only broken by the faint moonlight and the streetlights by the road.

  Adrian doesn’t even need the streetlights anymore. The moon and his perception is more than enough for him to look at things with a very high clarity. With a Mind reaching 100, his perception has gained another huge boost.

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  It’s a pity that I could not find my artifacts. So much money I wasted on them. I even borrowed from John, gosh now I have to pay back for something I don’t even own.

  Perhaps that is something which hurt him more than the pain in his body right now.

  As he is walking, lost in his own thoughts, suddenly someone appears in front of him. Adrian didn’t sense him at all with his perception, which should’ve found any ordinary man trying to hide from him.

  “Stop there, civilian. You are reaching the boundary of the clan. Please turn around, it’s dangerous here,” He says. He’s an average looking middle aged man with a height equal to Adrian’s. He has a moustache, a cigarette clamped between two fingers, and a look which says he is not enjoying the job. He wears the black and red poncho of the military, combat jeans, and hard leather boots–probably made out of some magical creature.

  “I’m a climber. Currently out on rest,” Adrian says, stirring his mana and letting some of it flow out to indicate his presence.

  “Ah,” The man says, blowing a joint, “You don’t look injured. What happened?”

  “Soul injury.”

  “You look too young to be soul injured. What are you, lvl 60 or something?”

  “Just 24. I got it on the 2nd floor.”

  “Ahh, they were saying that the 2nd floor got destroyed. Many people lost their lives. It was a terrible terrible thing. A friend of mine lost his kid too, devastated. Good for you though. You want a smoke? You can use some after what happened to be honest,” The man said, offering his cigarette. There is a hint of recognition in his eyes.

  “I think I’m okay,” Adrian refuses and looks around him. He is in a deserted area, the last of the buildings stopping before him. They are all empty, some are even damaged.

  Looking at the broken buildings, he asks the guard, “Tell me something, are there mosquitos out there? Have you ever seen one?”

  The man takes a long smoke, a wistful look in his eyes, before responding, “Looks like someone told you afterall. It’s not really much of a secret among guards like us, or those who frequently travel the wilds, anyway. Yes, there are mosquitos out there. Small little critters. Man’s worst enemy, I tell you.

  “No one really knows where they come from, except that they exist. Many missions have been led to find their lair and kill them all, but it’s never really come to fruition.”

  “How strong are they?” Adrian asks.

  “Very weak. Utterly weak. But they are many. Millions, billions even maybe. How I wish I can kill all of the little fuckers into oblivion.”

  A part of Adrian thinks that surely the man is exaggerating the creatures. If they are so weak, then how could they ever be a problem?

  “Now now, I know that look. You are underestimating these little fuckers, thinking your hardened skin will save you. Well, think again. Nothing ever will. Their stingers can penetrate any skin. They are abhorrent, utterly ridiculous creatures.

  “Honestly I could’ve even swallowed the hate if I could gain good experience from killing them. Or anything out there really. But it’s such a thankless job,” The man dusts the cigarette, a forlorn expression in his eyes.

  “Why wouldn’t you gain experience?” Adrian frowns.

  “Heck if I know. It’s just the way it is. It took me 10 years to go from 62 to 70. In the Tower I could’ve done it in a few months. It doesn’t really matter though. I like the easy life here with my kids and family,” The man shrugs.

  “Now get off now, don’t be standing here for too long if you’re not gonna enroll in the military. I have stuff to do too, you know.”

  Adrian waves and walks away. “Thank you for your time.”

  The man grunts something, before completely disappearing off his perception. So I learnt something new today.

  Adrian walks back,thinking about what he has just learnt, weaving through alleys and annoying people, before finally reaching home. His house is on the 2nd floor, and a part of him just wishes to climb the wall to his window, but then that will be another mouthful by his mother.

  I should get a new place for myself.

  Adrian decides. The next time he visits outside, he’ll be taking his stuff and moving out. As a climber, he earns more than enough to buy a house in much better parts of the clan, where the neighbours wouldn’t know him and where he can live in peace.

  Thankfully after a short conversation about being tired and needing rest, he escapes into his room and shuts the door.

  He has been about to lie on the bed, when something suddenly feels wrong in his perception. The airflow beneath his bed is a little wrong, blocked, as if by a box.

  He carefully looks below, and there it is. A box that he has never seen. Sealed shut and with his name on top of it. Did mother put it there?

  But no, his mother isn’t like this with gifts. If she was giving him something, she’d give it in front of the whole family, and tell him ten times how much she is spending on him and that he should do the same when he becomes rich.

  This is too clandestine for his mother.

  With a grunt, he creates an avatar. The pain this time is almost similar to the ritual, but he holds through it anyway.

  The avatar, already knowing its purpose, quickly brings out the box and shakes it a little. It sounds like metal inside. Light too. Adrian moves to the corner of the room, ready to imprison the box should something wrong happen, and the avatar finally opens it.

  Adrian’s guard drops for an instant, as he looks at the black mask sitting there, staring back at him. There are also his artifacts that he thought he lost. His sword, his pendant, his vambrace, and his ring. All of them are there. Along with the mask.

  Adrian’s avatar picks up the mask, feeling the touch of it with his skin. It reminds him of the memories of stitching it on his face, and wearing it for a week.

  There is a note stuck behind the mask. The avatar takes it in his hands, and lets the mask drop back into the box. Adrian, sharing the vision of the avatar, reads the message.

  “Come to the settlement to the west when you reach the 3rd floor. We have a mission to complete. See you soon!”

  So I have a partner huh.

  Adrian remembers the woman with the black mask. It seems like he’s been paired with her. Why her? Who is she? Adrian has his own ideas, but he wouldn’t know until he met her in real life.

  #