Chapter 224

Matt awoke from his legacy-induced slumber to see the black monolith standing in front of him, pristine as the day that it was made. It might have lost a bit of luster, but even Matts senses couldnt tell if he was just imagining a small dimming. He sighed and stretched, extracting himself from the pillow circle and exiting the isolated space that had been established around the Legacy.

Ciceron walked over, clearly distracted by his AI, and murmured, Follow me, and Ill take you to pick your legacy.

As Matt stared at him, Ciceron blinked himself back into reality and corrected himself. Follow me, and Ill lead you out of this formation. How was the legacy?

Matt thought over his experiences and grinned. Eventful, interesting, and best of all, useful.

As they arrived back in the familiar part of the house, Matt saw Luna sitting on a table with a steaming cup of tea in front of her while she pawed through a book.

Without looking up, she gestured with her tail at the couch and said, The other two still have a few hours maybe a day or so until they wake up. How was it?

Matt nodded. Incredibly useful. I have a much better grasp of my manipulation skills and some of my defenses. Of I guess extending my Concept into things which dont technically match it? Yeah, thats probably the best way to describe it.

Luna leaned down to lap at the tea but spoke despite that. Good. Theres a reason I picked that legacy for you. Your styles are similar, despite you two using two different methods to get to that point. As we said before you went in, legacies aren't usually made available until after the person has ascended. Its uncomfortable to know you could have told something confidential to someone without actually being the one to tell them.

As they waited for the rest of his team to finish their legacies, Matt discussed some of the challenges and advancements he had made. His mana control had definitely taken a sharp climb, but that was just a byproduct of a semi-decade of training, rather than an explicit side effect of the treasure.

Luna had him demonstrate a few small movements with a pile of sand, which he was happy to do, and was able to make fairly intricate designs in the pillar of sand.

Luna nodded and left her book behind for the first time as she padded around the pillar. This is good. Youll need more practice in adversarial conditions, of course, but take heart that you will be able to overcome your control issues with sufficient practice.

Out of nowhere, a whirlwind formed into a needle and raced directly at his heart, but Matt easily used [Air Manipulation] to infiltrate the skill and break the skill structure before he took it over and dissipated it harmlessly.

Luna looked up at him and chuffed. Did he teach you that, or did you put it together yourself?

I figured it out on my own. Happened almost by accident when I needed to weaken an [Air Lance] and was already using [Air Manipulation]. We didn't focus on it or anything, but it's a nice development. He said he was surprised that you hadnt already taught us it, and that its what most people start with.

I hadnt expected you to figure this out so soon, but didnt account for the Legacy. Yes, most people learn that way, but that makes it too easy, and the skills you learn with one mana type don't always transfer to others. If you learn how to dissipate spells with raw mana, you can transfer those skills to any mana type easily.

Matt agreed, as Manny had thoroughly taught him that lesson during their time training when he had tried to rely on dispelling attacks rather than tanking the hits.

When a small ball of flames flew at him, he didnt dissipate it this time, and instead used [Cracked Phantom Armor] to let her see that he hadnt been slacking off on the main training.

The ball of fire tried to eat through his defenses, but as he flared his Concept, he grabbed the ball of fire from off his chest and held it in his hand, then squeezed down and made the [Fireball] explode. His control over his armor and Concept was good enough that not even a wisp of smoke escaped his grasp.

Good. A little more brute force than Id recommend, but that was much better than when you went in. Saying that, she sighed. Legacies are so very useful, but sadly, they are limited in supply and frequency of use.

Matt nodded and rubbed his chest. His spirit was strained just like last time, but unlike his first Legacy, he had more experience with spiritual strain, and could say what Legacies did to him was vastly different than a skill.

A skill's spiritual strain was like cracks in the foundation of a house. Large and obvious. The Legacys spiritual strain was more like a dishrag being used until it was see-through. The damage was more subtle, but far more thorough.

Matt busied himself with some mana practice until Liz emerged from her room. She flopped onto the couch next to Matt, draping herself over him with a groan.

Lunas tail curled as she and Matt waited for Liz to speak. After a few seconds, Liz extricated her face from Matts shoulder and pulled herself into a more normal sitting position.

It worked, but damn, was that hard and annoying. Hes a worse trainer than you, Luna. Liz grinned as she said that, but continued almost immediately. Well, more that his training sucked. There is only so much just feel the difference' a girl can take before she needs concrete guidance. I figured it out, but I feel like I could have done better with a good teacher. I cant imagine how bad of a trainer he was in real life, if he was that bad even with the legacys help.

Liz took her spear out of spatial storage with a twirl, then held it balanced on her palm as she slowly encased it in blood. The blood then seeped into the spear, turning the dark wood a shade of deep red, and from a brief and painful pulse of [Metal Manipulation], Matt could tell she had managed to include Blood Iron into it as well. She then went through a brief demonstration, making a series of blood spikes erupt from the tip of the spear, turning the tip green with caustic blood mana to eat through defenses, and igniting it in a brief but intense burst of flame.

Theres more, but I cant display all of it now. Definitely need a nap first, and then some monsters to really demonstrate on. Suffice it to say that I could drop a building on it without so much as a crack, and I can make it repair itself, even then. Matt, Id like to commission a flying spear, when youre feeling up to it. Practical Concept flight is still a bit beyond me, but its closer than ever.

Luna sounded quite pleased as she said, Excellent, excellent. We can go over the specifics later, and see how well you can leverage this for your other pursuits. Blood alchemy is the next step, and well need to see about hiring someone with a spear Concept to train you with flight. Making an approximation of a weapon Concept must have been quite the task, but its nothing less than Ive come to expect from you.

As she and Luna chatted, Matt focused on Aster, who he felt waking up. When she appeared, she was limping and obviously in pain from the Legacy.

That was less than fun. Ill take training the normal way from now on.

Reaching them, Aster sniffed at the tea. Oh that smells really good. What is it?

Luna shook her head. A Tier 40 tea that you physically can't appreciate yet. How was your Legacy?

Aster shrugged even as she hopped onto the couch between Matt and Liz. Productive. I focused primarily on [Dispelling Wind], but pushed more towards making it a large-area disruption. I was first thinking about making it a feedback loop, of using the mana of whatever it disrupted to strengthen the dispelling, but Aspen made me realize Im better off just weakening every spell instead of eliminating one.

Saying that, Aster stretched until her legs trembled. I need a massage, though. I hurt all over.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

Luna swished her tail as she stood from her book, which along with her tea, vanished. Back to the hotel, then. Were a month out from the Ascension and tournament start, and while that may help your spiritual strain some, youll need to be in good shape if youre to get the most use out of it.

As a portal opened in the air, Matt looked to Liz, who met his gaze and spoke up. Arent you going to say goodbye to Ciceron?

Aster then jerked. Oh yeah, that reminds me. I got our stuff back from Ciceron. Said thanks for the opportunity to study them, but hed gotten what he needed from them.

Luna flicked her tail in what Matt could only read as dismissal. Ciceron is quite busy with his research and wont miss us. Hes got his new toys and theyll keep him busy until he cant ignore other legacy requests any more. The best thing we can do for him is to leave him to it.

Matt shrugged but followed their manager through the [Portal]. It wasnt his place to meddle in their relationship, but he couldnt help but feel that telling someone the best thing they could do was be left alone was very much a cat thing.

As they reentered the suite, they were surprised to feel Travis and Keith sitting on the couch, watching a movie together. They seemed just as surprised, jumping up and rushing over to give them hugs.

As they sat down, Travis looked over the three of them and shook his head. I cant believe it, but damn! Baby sis, you arent even fifty yet and are already Tier 13. This hurts

Keith grinned as he scratched Aster's chin. Were not even all the way through Tier 17, after thirty years. Youre getting close to catching up with us.

Aster, who was leaning into the scratches, yipped, Thats 'cause we are the best! Perking up, she spun around and said, Oh we didnt get to tell you about our Minkalla run in person! We were so impressive!

That brought them to a long rendition of their time in Minkalla while they relaxed together before going out to a restaurant that catered to Tier 15s to continue their conversation.

A few bottles of wine later, the five of them tipsily sauntered back to the shared room, where they intended to settle down for a night of watching bad movies and eating snacks, just to be surprised by Sam and his wife, Annie, who they hadnt met yet.

Sam threw his hands up as they walked in the door. You go out for dinner and don't even leave a note of where you went? His smile cut any sting that might have accompanied the rebuke as they all sat down together in the living room.

Sam was at least nice enough to introduce his wife Annie to Matt and Aster, who were the only ones to have not met her yet, as she was busy during the last time they met up.

Sam punched Lizs shoulder as they sat down. Happy almost fiftieth birthday Liz. Sighing, he grinned and continued, I remember when I turned fifty. I was Tier 8, maybe Tier 9, at the time, and thought I was hot shit. But look at you! A good portion of the way through Tier 13 and well ahead of where you need to be on The Path.

As Liz preened under the praise, Annie laughed and asked, So, any plans for when you three finish?

Matt looked at her with a raised eyebrow, as he didnt quite know what she was implying. It's not like they really had a choice in what they did once they finished The Path.

Sam fell back with a groan. No work talk.

His wife ignored him. You most certainly won't get a choice at Tier 25, but when you reach Tier 35, youll have some flexibility in your assignment, and that's where Im in charge of special forces. I have a few units that you would fit perfectly in.

Leah shrugged, earning herself a pillow to the face.

Oh wow, [Force Armor], Matt commented, and Liz looked over at him. A bracelet thats got proper [Force Armor] attached.

[Force Armor] was a defensive skill on par with, or if Matt was being honest with himself, far better than [Cracked Phantom Armor], with a similar effect of a full-body suit of nigh-unbreakable armor. The main differences were that [Force Armor] was much, much higher Tier, a reserve skill, and was primarily focused on strictly physical, motion-based attacks, or elemental attacks that had mass. His own armor, at least with the amount of love that he had put into it, also protected against temperature extremes, could filter out toxic gasses, and could be repaired much more easily even not counting the second layer.

Was he being overly defensive of his oldest skill? Perhaps. But it had earned it.

The mana cost hurts though, he noted, sending the entry to his girlfriend. She wrinkled her nose and nodded.

Agreed. I cant say I want to blow half my mana on a single ability for a single fight. How would a Tier 5 even afford that much?

Pre-charging, Leah shrugged, Didnt you two have to do that with your teleportation rings? If anything, youre the best to use it outside of some elite military units with basically unlimited mana budgets.

I suppose. But anyway, at the level were going at, how effective would it even be? Its like having a single good skill, without any other reinforcement, and if it doesnt protect me much from the punishment Ill be taking then I just wasted a bunch of money.

Well what about a shield? This one can turn you invisible. Leah asked.

Why would you need a shield that can turn you invisible? If I were to go with a shield, Id want something thats at least specialized in blocking attacks, so I can actually use it as a shield. The one I got in Minkalla is great for that, its taken direct hits from Tier 18 monsters without even budging.

They went back and forth for a few hours, continuing the conversation through dinner and breakfast. Practically everyone in the suite weighed in with their opinion at one point or another, looking at rings and breastplates, sandals and boots, cloaks and wands, ritual daggers and shields, amulets, and bracelets. Thousands upon thousands of items were considered and discarded, though a few of them were bought by some of Lizs extended family.

In the end, they did find something for Liz, though debates were fierce towards the end.

The final item was a round shield, a full three feet in diameter and slightly convex, with the most potent defensive enchantment on the entire market. Practically anything which came into contact with the shields face would be nullified by a special void mana enchantment. Raw mana, force, and even unspirited matter were all either swallowed up or brought to a standstill. Then, depending on what was nullified, the shield empowered its wielder in different ways.

Mana created a force field around the welder's body that could be expanded into a full sphere if desired, force provided a speed buff, and material was consumed to increase her inertia to reduce knockback or help with shield charges. All of the effects would fall off quickly if the shield wasnt fed, but in the midst of combat, it would serve to turn Liz into an unstoppable juggernaut.

The only problem with the shield was that it was insanely expensive, one of the most expensive items currently being sold on the entire market, and they had to move quickly before someone else decided to buy it. Still, while it took some scrambling and a hasty deal hammered out with the Seekers Guild to sell the compass theyd gotten in Minkalla, Torch was now the proud owner of a void shield. Or at least, she would be as soon as it arrived.

The next morning, the three of them were waiting near one of the dozen space ports for Melinda and her team to arrive in The Citadel system, their ship having arrived just two weeks late because of a pirate attack on a convoy in front of them. Thankfully, all of them were fine, but they had been delayed while their convoy rendered aid to the survivors of the battle.

Chaotic space, for all its conveniences in travel, was extraordinarily dangerous to basically everyone. Technically a Tier 15 could survive the destructive energy, but that survival time was rated in minutes, where before that it was just a death sentence. Materials without a living spirit fared even worse without arrays to bolster their resistance, though Tier helped like it did with everything else.

A Tier 25 could survive for weeks, if not months, but unreinforced Tier 25 materials would only survive a few hours. So an attack in chaotic space was dangerous for everyone involved, as even the victors could find themselves stranded and waiting for a slow death if their ship was damaged in the wrong way. There were even generous rewards established by the Empire for rescue operations. Of course, some pirates would try to destroy a ship and then rescue everyone they endangered. It never worked, but there was always someone who would try.

The Unbroken were at least not in any danger during the almost week long operation as they tried to save the compartments with mortals, which apparently wasnt easy for their lower Tier transport.

Thankfully, they had been able to save nearly all of the survivors and get them to safety.

As the tired group of six walked out of the spaceport, they were almost surprised to see Matt, Liz, and Aster.

Matt was hugging Vinnie and Tara when Melinda grabbed his left hand.

What did you do to yourself? Your hand is so weird. I

She paused trying to think of the words, but Baxter appeared next to her and explained before Matt could. Stygian Gossamer, I'd recognize it anywhere. Good luck trying to replicate the effect, no one even really understands how it works. Before vanishing once more.

Mathew hugged Matt around his wife, even as Melinda examined Matts hand.

Samantha and Kyle were forced to get half hugs as Matts hand was still being held by Melinda.

What does it do?

As Melinda looked up at him, Matt asked his own question. What do you see?

Melinda pursed her lips as she thought for a minute. The spirit of your left hand is well, its like the difference between a Tier 1 and a Tier 15, but even more extreme. Its like golden and shiny, is the best description, despite being awful. It's odd as all get out, and I cant see a reason for why its like that. There seems to be no cause, just an effect. And that's weird, even for a natural treasure.

Well it makes my hand nearly invulnerable. I had a Tier 18 monster try to eat me, and my hand only got scratched.

Melinda made an appreciative sound even as she kept twisting his hand and fingers.

She even tried to bend his finger back, which would have broken it, at Matts insistence, but she couldnt hurt the hand even when Matt suppressed his cultivation.

As she examined his hand, Matt and Lizs attention was brought to Tara, who was so nervous she wasn't able to sit still for more than a minute.

Liz finally asked as she kicked at Taras knee, What is your problem?

Samatha groaned. Shes love sick.

I am not. Tara immediately snapped back before groaning and lowering her head. Ok I am.

Seeing their confused looks, she grabbed Aster and pulled her into a cuddle to the foxs enjoyment. So you guys know how Emily and I kinda sort of started dating at the tournament?

At their nods, she continued to explain. We may or may not have agreed to keep things casual as we were going to be separating. That lasted all of a week of separation, and we agreed to try the long distance thing. We both expected it to not last, but it has. That isn't to say it's been easy, but both of us really like each other, and this is the first time well see each other in person since our own Tier 10 Tournament, and Im a little nervous.

Mathew snorted, A little is an underestimate. I'm pretty sure theres a circle in our room on the ship that has a hole worn through the carpet from her pacing.

Matt, seeing an opportunity for gossip and romance, leaned forward, wanting to get the rest of the scoop. When do they arrive? Weve kept in touch, but we never got their exact schedule.

Tara looked like she might vomit as she said, Late tonight, early tomorrow.

Matt retrieved his left hand from Melinda, who had started trying to dig into his palm with her now third scalpel, and patted Tara before having his hand reclaimed by the healer. Between Ciceron, Erwin, and now Melinda, Matt was starting to wonder if there was something about higher Tiers in general that made them compulsively curious, or if he just had luck in attracting them to him.

They stopped at the Feathered Nestled Inn, where the group was staying. Matt was pretty sure Mara or Leon had pulled strings, as two adjoining rooms to their own rented room had magically opened up when Melinda and Emilys respective teams had started looking for rooms.

While they weren't actually sleeping in that room, they had rented it out, and it made for an easy way for the three teams to meet up and hang out without getting underfoot, so Matt didnt ask too many questions.

Marcus and Olivia weren't wrong. A little corruption, if it could be called that, was useful, and sure was convenient when it was working for you.

When they arrived at The Unbroken's room, they found Luna waiting with Baxter, who gestured at Luna.

Hit her with a healing spell, please, Melinda.

Melinda did so without question, and Matt got to watch as Luna cast her own healing skill to reinforce the healers spell and sweep through the cats entire body. His mentor stretched, and was suddenly replaced by her human self.

Luna rolled her shoulders. Thank you, Melinda. That would have taken me another two decades without your assistance.

She and Baxter vanished as Melinda opened her mouth to ask a question, leaving his friend to spin around and start to formulate a question.

Matt grinned and shrugged, cutting her off. So I may have had an Inspiration coming out of Minkalla, and Luna may have had to stop it for me.