Too Stubborn to Die

Book 3: Chapter 55

Support units to set up an outpost had been pre-prepared and marched into the secured location on the border of the jungle only hours after the ants had been defeated.

There were still bodies everywhere, alongside roaming drones that had lost their way. But none of that was of any real concern, and walls started to go up immediately.

There were both earth and nature affinity mage classes amongst the support units who used their Skills to raise walls quickly, and place platforms around them for ranged fighters to perch atop.

As much as Aaron wanted to head straight for the queen’s hive and deal with her, he knew that they needed some kind of defensive positions in case the swarm regrouped and began threatening Dober again. After all, they might be gone a while as they dove into the hive. Not to mention that if they were driven back from the outpost, the defenses would at least slow the swarm and deal some damage to the ants in the process.

That and it gave them somewhere safe to recover without crossing the entire plains again, if they failed to finish the queen with a single blow.

Luckily, though, Julius had been thinking about this very problem. Mana cores and portable turrets had been organized and were quickly set up around the outpost.

There was also an item he had purchased from the System store with settlement funds called an Outpost Platform. The number of outposts a single obelisk could support was limited, but that was hardly a problem since this was the first one they were using.

Although it did make Aaron wonder if it was worth settling New Haven at some point. Then again, that was someone else’s problem.

Since the turrets had already been built back in Dober, they went up within an hour of arriving on-site, and within a few hours, the outpost was surprisingly defensible.

The turrets themselves weren’t game changers. But they didn’t tire as long as they were connected to a mana core with juice in it, and were on par with the more moderately skilled ranged fighters. Not only that, but they could be upgraded once the obelisk had been upgraded, along with a little time and system credits to spend.

But despite this, Aaron himself didn’t relax immediately. He didn’t want people needlessly throwing their lives away in battles he could easily win. And so, he supported the cleanup effort, going around and making sure any of the meandering and lost drones were taken care of.

And when everything seemed secure, he sat down and meditated. Rejuvenating his soul would be much faster back in the temple, but it would also require traversing the plains back and forth again, and he hadn’t actually worn it out that much.

Not only that, but Treg had led a few wolf riders to their outpost, bringing with them a few basic soul-strengthening roots they found in the forest, which he eagerly consumed.

“Thanks, Treg. I owe you one.”

“No! Master doesn’t owe Treg! Treg owes master! All the gobbos owe master for bringing us into his home!”

“Err, fine. Whatever. But do you mind not calling me master? Aaron’s fine. Besides, when did you even decide to start calling me that anyway?”

“I just thought that it was more appropriate. What about chieftain?”

“Chieftain? Nah, mate. That’s cool. Like I said, Aaron will do fine.”

“As you wish,” Treg bowed.

The little goblin carried himself out on his little legs. But as it turned out, Treg wasn’t the only one coming to bestow gifts upon him. A few people from the main settlement arrived with potions and other minor trinkets. He thanked them, but he turned the gifts down.

He really had no need for potions. His build was already geared toward making the most out of his food, and that made potions a minor boon at best. Especially when they could serve others better.

However, as they cleared out, his brow rose. The next person coming to offer gifts was someone he hadn’t expected to see. It was Bobo, the cult leader from New Haven. And more curiously, he had in his hands a small statue of Aaron.

However, there was something off-putting about it. The proportions were a little off, to say the least.

“Hey, didn’t think I’d see you here.”

“Of course I would come to pay tribute to the great hungry one,” Bobo fell to his knees and crawled toward Aaron. When he got close, his face started to shoot toward Aaron’s feet. He was wearing his boots, but he still recoiled.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Please, my lord! Let me show you respect and honor!” Bobo said as his head darted toward Aaron’s dodging feet.

“Honor? What are you talking about? What has this got to do with honor?”

“I am not fit to be in your presence, mighty hungry one! Let me kiss your feet. A symbolism to enshrine my position eternally beneath you!”

“Wait, no! No feet kissing! That’s fucking weird.”

“Have I… have I offended you?”

Aaron could see tears welling up in the man’s eyes, and his lip beginning to tremble.

“No, no! You’re fine. Just don’t try to kiss my feet, please.”

Slowly, Bobo nodded, a soberness clouding his expression.

“Great hungry one, I have failed you! Please accept this gift.”

“The statue?”

“Yes. I will try better next time.”

“What am I supposed to do with that?”

“Wait, you don’t like it? I can have the artisans start again! I shall slap them upside their heads for such a disgraceful failure!” Bobo snapped, but then fell back to his knees, looking like he was about to cry again.

“No, no! Relax, dammit! That’s not what I meant. It’s beautiful. Absolutely… beaut…”

Aaron’s eyes drifted down to the rather enhanced crotch region. Whoever made this had decided to embellish the truth.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Ahh, just put it down over there. That will be fine.”

“Yes, my lord. Anything else I can do for you?” Bobo’s eyes caught Aaron’s with a seriousness that made a shiver run down his spine, and he slowly emphasized “anything” again as his eyes locked on Aaron’s.

“No! Nothing! I’m good. You should probably get back to Dober. Make sure your people are okay! They might need you, right?”

“My people? Is that an order, my lord?”

“YES! An order! Exactly!” Aaron pointed and nodded.

Bobo’s face lit up in an instant, and he started to nod excitedly as he rushed off.

What the bloody hell just happened?

Aaron fell backward with a drawn-out and very relieved sigh. He had no idea how he had gotten into the conversation, and he was just happy it was over.

“I’d better get on with it.”

With the base secured and his line of tribute payers dealt with, he leaned back in the small tent that had been set up for him and opened his System status. It was time to purchase a Skill and spend some free points.

Pulse Punch [ Elite ] It might seem like a small, quick burst of power, but this punch packs more than it lets on. When activated, Pulse Punch fills the user’s fists with a small amount of quickly dissipating energy that must be used immediately in an attack. While its power is relatively weak and it requires quick use, the Skill amplifies the power of the strike significantly, making this a great attack for a combatant with strict energy constraints.

Fists of Fury [ Epic ] Why settle for a single punch to end an enemy when you can do it with a flurry of countless strikes? When activated, the speed of the user’s fists increases rapidly for a short period of time, allowing them to increase the speed of their combinations.

Simp Aura [ Epic ] Beauty comes naturally to you, and your striking features attract a posse of fans everywhere you go. Passively creates an aura around the user that amplifies their beauty, turning even the coldest of hearts into certified simps.

Ghastly Death Beam [ Legendary ] You are the reaper, and your power is not to be denied. When activated, the user shoots out a deadly beam of death energy, creating an extraordinarily powerful ranged attack. The circular beam is several meters wide and causes catastrophic damage. This attack utilizes aether, and its energy is death for purposes of resistance.

Soul, Body, and Mind [ Legendary ] Where does one’s soul, body, and mind start and finish? For most, the distinctions are clear. However, for you, these truths transcend normal understanding, becoming one and the same. Passively, this Skill bends the meanings of soul, body, and mind. The body can pass through into the spiritual realm, alongside the soul. The mind, at one with its soul, has its resistance against mind-controlling effects greatly increased. And the soul can provide dominance over all, becoming one with the cells, and strengthening the mind and body like those with only true control over their soul can comprehend. Skill requirements: Race [ Shinigami ]

Aaron glanced over the options. There were two Legendary options, and nothing below elite. It seemed that the System really wanted to reward him for defeating the royal guard.

“Well, it was no easy fight. About time I get a worthy selection.”

As usual, he didn’t spend too much time going over the lower rarity Skills. Although they actually sounded pretty decent this time.

Still, he had a free passive slot, and he wanted to fill it, unless the passive options were terrible.

Which made him groan and his shoulders sink. Well, it wasn’t that bad. But Ghastly Death Beam sounded pretty damn badass. In truth, he knew it wasn’t really for him, and he didn’t really have any Skills he could afford to give up for it. But if he were the kind of guy to just make knee-jerk reactions, it was probably what he would have picked.

Who wouldn’t want a Ghastly Death Beam, after all?

But even though a powerful ranged attack would be rather useful, it wasn’t really his style. Aaron wasn’t strictly dedicated to melee only, but he did want his build to make sense and for his Skills to build upon one another. Also, it wasn’t a passive.

There were only two passive options available, and he wasn’t about to become a giant target for simps. The creepy vibes Bobo was giving off were bad enough as it was.

“Seriously? Who would purchase a Skill like that?”

Aaron was immediately reminded of Sooty and the creep from the viewing room back in the trials.

“Ookay, maybe a few people would.”

However, despite the fact that some of his options were far from ideal, it wasn’t like he had anything to complain about. Soul, Body, and Mind actually sounded very useful, from what he could tell. He was a little confused by exactly what it did. But he doubted it would be bad, since it was Legendary.

If Sooty had come along with Treg, he’d have asked the little guy. Also, if he had chosen not to come just because he was chasing goblin girls, something would need to be done about that.

He was okay letting his little sooty companion have some time to himself after everything. But he did expect him to start being useful again.

His thoughts returned to the Skill purchase. There was no real competition. Even if he wasn’t sure about everything the Skill did, he was intrigued enough about the prospect of getting a shinigami exclusive Skill that he probably would have purchased it anyway.

And at that moment, he remembered the race description when becoming a shinigami. They could get race-related quests and had a hidden base somewhere in the multiverse. And he wondered if this Skill was related to that somehow, since it would allow him to carry his physical form into the spirit realm.

Then again, it wasn’t like he was planning on going anywhere anytime soon. But the prospect of more quests teased at the possibility of more rewards. And if there was a chance he could get some important treasures that would aid him in his ascension as a shinigami, then it wasn’t something to simply brush off.

Also, even though he had found ways around mind control Skills in the past, having a passive resistance to something as powerful as mind control wasn’t the kind of thing one simply turned down. Especially not when there were additional boons attached to it.

Nodding to himself, he accepted the Skill purchase with a smile.

“Can’t complain about that. Just need to test it out now.”

***Kim Soohyun***

For weeks, Soohyun had led a group of a few dozen misfits she’d picked up along the way, slaughtering their way through one biome after the other on what felt like an endless journey.

They had no means of navigation, nor did they know what they were looking for. And she was a little annoyed at herself for not purchasing something at the end of the trials to help with just that.

But there were benefits to being on the road. Most significantly, there were beasts. Everywhere. And that meant plenty of opportunities to grow stronger.

Sure, fighting all the time had its drawbacks. And there had been losses. People died. That seemed to be an inescapable fact of the multiverse, one that she had gotten used to some time ago, all the way back in the Tutorial.

She knew what needed to be done. They had to face their challenges head-on; that was the only way to grow stronger. And just looking at the planetary rankings told her there was no time to get lazy.

When she first arrived on this new world, fighting one battle after another, she had thought she would fly straight to the top of the list. After all, with the kind of action she had been thrown into, how could she not?

But it seemed that the other top rankers were faced with similar situations, and those that weren’t were falling down the rankings quickly.

However, as much as she wanted to remain strong and keep pace with the other top rankers. There was more to this life than just strength. Unless she wanted to say goodbye to the friends she had made along the way, she was going to need to find them some safety soon.

After all, in her spatial storage was a dungeon token. And she had every intention of using it. After all, there were certain people she wanted to impress. And if she couldn’t climb the rankings, there was little hope of that happening. And she couldn’t handle being left behind by those people.

But there was a problem with that. The people she was leading. If she entered the dungeon, this ragtag group of survivors would be left to fend for themselves for however long it took her. And she was not confident of their chances, not in the slightest.

Not because they didn’t have their own strengths. But because this world was brutal. Out in the wilderness, a D-grade beast could wander into them, and there was nothing they could do without her help.

However, just a day ago, her hope had been reignited. They had seen lights in the distance, and as they moved closer, they realized that it was a building. A building shrouded in lights, all lit up and shining in the night sky.

As she glanced toward their hopeful salvation again, Soohyun swung her comically large sword. The weapon was twice as thick as her thin frame, and taller than she was, and the power and weight of it split straight through a giant beast with a single strike as they pushed on.

“Come on, everyone. We’re almost there! Hurry!”