Weapons of Mass Destruction

Chapter 894: Ungodly amounts of wealth

POV Nathaniel

It takes a few days, and I'm forced into some meetings along the way. Well, not forced, but my presence there is appreciated, and it makes things simpler. For example, I meet with the guild master of Bloodline, who's accompanied by two A ranks and Lily, who's there with that blonde... well, I don't know what to call it. Child is probably the wrong term, as it has no consciousness at all. It's just a body, an empty vessel, or something like that.

And yes, I had to buy the low pristine passive skill through the shop. I totally couldn't use the low pristine passive token I have in my status. I totally didn't do all this to escape Lily and the Kindness clone.

Yet, here she is, smiling at me, not caring that she’s currently scaring the shit out of her guild master and his bodyguards, who are currently looking at the clone with a horror that outshines my own.

Kindness is someone who, if you're lucky, can occasionally be seen in the Megacity. Well, not exactly her, but her using one of the vessels made by the Aurate Consortium that degrade quickly. And the bodyguards are also what feels like last year tutorial attendees, likely on or past the 11th floor, so there's a chance they’ve met Adjudicators.

On the other hand... that's likely a stretch, they would’ve been dead if they had.

So their horror stems from just how closely this clone fits the image of Kindness. Or Lily just told them. Yeah, that's probably what happened.

There's no trouble at all, and the guild master of Bloodline agrees to my request for information without much hesitation, only asking for one key in exchange for intelligence that probably only Silent Veil could gather through all their sneaking and stealing.

Sophie's in Frontier, so she also uses her influence, and they agree to it, especially as I promise to not attempt the Champion they’re planning to face. Tess does the same through Silent Veil, and the three mora lunatics just straight up say they'll leave Crimson Forge if that information isn't simply given to me.

Though I suspect they do it because I’ve been threatening that I wouldn’t even let them look at the talnium I have, plus our tightly knit cooperation on the chestplate that now, after Adrian's performance during the Games, requires further changes. But I'm confident it'll be done in just a few more months.

Of course, there was that small guild that tried to just bunker down and apparently had an S rank among their ranks. However, I didn't notice that guy in attendance anywhere. Maybe he escaped.

Now I'm back to Big T, with my bank statements looking much better.

Eight million shards from Tess, meaning she added 3 million to the 5 million I gave her and likely kept some too. I don't exactly remember the deal we made back then.

If Group 4 wanted, they could scam me out of quite a lot.

How Tess made the shards is a mystery, though I suspect... gambling. It just has to be something illegal.

Then there are the 8 million shards I got from fishing. It seems that annihilating and overharvesting the entire ecosystem really pays off. Now I understand the sort of people that like to fish with dynamite.

And that’s just how many shards are left over after splitting the haul between the other members of The Boys. Apparently, Duncan was so responsible he sent the shards to Weslin and Morwag first, selling as much as he could before their tutorial ended, so they could spend them before leaving.

Some people are just built different.

I already put up a recommendation to try to get him to the Megacity so he can work for the Primordial Knights, though I think Duncan will simply decide to find a nice spot in one of the three cities on the second floor of Beyond.

After all, there aren’t any safe zones on this floor, and the Megacity is only as safe as the Pathfinder Thane can keep it. And as for the Handlers defending it... I have no idea about their rules, so it's hard to say.

All of these shards moving to my account feel like cashing in on my investments. The kind where I sell my earthly possessions before moving on to a cheaper country to live like a king there.

I don't need them immediately, but I'm already getting some shards from auctioning off the Corporations' property, and I haven’t even sold a single packet of talnium. That talnium and the shards I get from selling the keys of killed Champions should refill my bank account once I’ve spent it all on the passive.

I might like to joke around a bit, but I tried using the token before, and it just didn't offer me a passive that would be a nice combination with Cognitive Vector. So I’ll just have to buy Memory Vault through the shop.

There'll be time to use that passive token and the active skill combination. I'll make sure to use up everything I can before going for level 450.

So, here I am now, getting my base annual salary of 5 million shards for being the guild master, plus 2 million in bonuses Big T got me.

He’s looking at me in a way that makes it seem like he wants to hit me over the back of the head, rob me, and escape. He already got his 100 thousand cut and 1%, but he’s watching me sadly as I receive the transfer from the guild accountant and then follows me through the hallway.

As always, I don't even bother trying to read his feelings from my kinetic or thermal senses. It's something I skip most of the time, mostly saving it for people that annoy me or drawn out fights. So it's interesting to try to guess what he feels.

Eight million from Tess, seven from my salary, and an additional 8 for fishing, with more to come as Duncan sells the rest. I expect 2 to 4 million.

So this is what my shards look like after also selling Mana Wavelength Tyrant.

Shards:34,381,996

I almost make this part of my status visible and show it to Big T, but at the last moment, I decide against it. It’s a tragedy that I can't broadcast this balance to some sort of global rankings board, and watch the collective heart rates of all beyonders everywhere flatline simultaneously.

I then spend a good ten seconds debating if I should hire a personal herald whose sole job is to walk ahead of me shouting my current balance to everyone in the Megacity.

At this point, my bank account has evolved past mere numbers and crossed into the realm of psychological warfare.

Realizing that these ungodly amounts of wealth are rapidly turning me evil, I quickly dump the shards into buying Memory Vault, and then admire that part of my status.

Passive skills (5/5):

Mana Wave Predation (Unique Arcane)

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Cognitive Hyperprocessing Vector (Low Pristine)

Adaptive Defense (Epic)

Heat Resonance Restoration (Low Pristine)

Memory Vault (Low Pristine)

After that, I scroll down to see my shards and give a saddened look at the number.

Shards: 9,381,997

I try to comfort myself by thinking about just how many beyonders would want to punch me if they could hear my thoughts right now.

It helps a little.

"Did you know there is an item belonging to the Ruler of Greed set to be auctioned in a few weeks?" Big T says out of nowhere.

"Oh, is there?"

"Yes," he nods. "They’re promoting it everywhere, and I didn’t think people seemed as excited as they should’ve been when they heard about your talnium."

"Well, that's just too bad for me."

"It seems so. Apparently it’s a scrap of her sleeve, woven from Urasic Thread that’s only manufactured on a single planet under her direct control, and reserved exclusively for her wardrobe. People would happily kill just to get their hands on the fabric."

"How greedy of her to keep it to herself alone."

Big T nods again. "But... there is a rumor that it might have her dried blood on it. Some say it's just from some liquid, and the auction house didn't confirm it nor deny. But even if there’s just the smallest chance that there’s even the tiniest bit of biological material from a Ruler for sale, people will fight for it."

"How creepy."

"The seller also decided to remain very anonymous, though the auction house seemed to be confident in the claims of the material belonging to the Ruler of Greed and even had some Handlers confirm it, and-"

"Big T," I interrupt him, and he stops talking. Turning to him, I ask, "Would you ever risk getting punched in the face and beaten to death by a crazy person with the movements of a supersonic mantis just for a chance at getting A LOT of shards?"

"Of course I would."

"My man."

Not much later, I find myself alone in my room back on the 12th floor.

"I want to combine Cognitive Hyperprocessing Vector and Memory Vault," I say out loud.

A request for confirmation hits me, then the token and both passives disappear from my status.

You have used your Passive Skill combination token (Low Pristine) to combine Cognitive Hyperprocessing Vector (Low Pristine) and Memory Vault (Low Pristine).

Analyzing passive skills used in the combination.

Analyzing user performance up to this point.

Several options have been devised.

Adjusting for Absolute candidate status.

Further adjusting for current level of traits.

Reconfirming time since introduction to the system, reconfirming remaining time in the tutorial, reconfirming current achievements in the tutorial and Beyond.

Reconfirming abnormally high skill levels.

Recalculating state of the body and trait synchronisation.

A new Unique Pristine passive has been created.

Congratulations, you have obtained a Unique Pristine passive skill!

Cognitive Vector Module (Unique Pristine) -Mental loads that would fracture lesser minds barely touch yours. Somewhere deep inside of you, a module for advanced mental architecture has been created. A terrifying fusion of hyper-refined cognition and near infinite archival space. The larger your mana reserves, the faster your module will process the information.

I came prepared, so I’m already laid out, and as the darkness envelops me, I close my eyes while covering myself with a blanket and comfortably spreading out on my bed.

When I wake up to the rattling of a train and a blinding glare, a surge of confusion hits me.

Why am I looking into a bright light?

As I open my eyes, my confusion grows even bigger as Lily's face is right over me.

So I close my eyes and open them again to the exact same result. Slowly, I begin to realise she’s cradling my head in her lap, and we’re currently in one of the gardens of the kindred's train.

"Before you start joking about me being a predator, taking advantage of your situation-" Lily starts.

"It wouldn't be a joke," I mutter.

"You were out for five days or so? If you think about it, you should thank us for your life. The kindred children would’ve snuggled you to death."

I close my eyes, keep them that way for a bit, and open them again. Lily is still there, smiling.

She moves some hair off my face. "Why did you run last time, when you saw the clone I grew?"

"I got busy. I forgot my keys and wallet in Beyond. I forgot I had an important meeting. I went to buy milk."

"Did you? I know you liked my lame jokes. You appreciate that sort of thing." She taps the top of my head. "Were you feeling grumpy? Annoyed with me? Worried for me? How cute!" She continues to tap my head while I watch her, unbothered.

"Everything you said makes sense, and I thank you for saving me from the kindred children, but what am I doing here?"

"I thought it would be nice to take you out for some fresh air and sun," she says.

"Don't worry, Nat, we kept an eye on you! You weren’t assaulted. So you are welcome!" somewhere from the background, Dennis shouts.

(Though perhaps we should be sorry. We don't know your preferences.) Aaron adds.

With a sigh, I almost stand up, but then decide to stay lying down. The rattling, warm sun, and the breeze created by the train’s movements, it’s all nice.

Without even realising it, I doze off and fall asleep.

When I wake up again and open my eyes, the sky is dark. The belt of debris and ice surrounding the planet is visible in the greenish light of the moon, and even now, through the quiet of the night, the train continues to move and rattle.

I am still getting a lap pillow, though as I look up, my eyes are met with Min-Jae, who’s currently reading a book under the light of an orb he’s created, though he eventually looks down at me after noticing I am awake.

"Before you get the wrong idea, I lost a bet with Maya," he says very quickly.

"I see," I say, and close my eyes, about to fall asleep again.

Min-Jae's cough stops me from doing that, and with a sigh, I stand up, an opportunity he uses to move away in case I decide to change my mind.

"Is everything okay?" he asks, to which he gets a short nod from me as I stand up and stretch.

After a big yawn, I reread the description of my newest passive, fire up some of my subminds, and begin to test it. It will take some time to make any conclusions about its usefulness.

But if I had to say it now, after a few simple tests, it seems simple: How the fuck could something like this be legal?