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Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

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Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-07Words:225,086Chapters:48/?Comments:427Kudos:434Bookmarks:87Hits:16,931

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 10

Chapter Text

Special thanks to @Massgamer for editing help!

Chapter 10

The site ahead of us was rather grim; a bus was lying on its side, the bodies within torn to pieces, but judging by their condition, they had been dead for less than a day. There were giant claw marks across the side of the vehicle, having easily torn through the metal, and most of its tires were shredded.

Kim shook her head and muttered a brief prayer for the people onboard. It wasn't a school bus, but judging by the size of some of the ripped apart bodies, there had been some children on it.

I truly did despise the System. Mao Zedong and his mismanagement, famines, gulags, and camps may have had the highest number of deaths on his hands in the old world, but even the communists paled in comparison to the mass murder of the System. I had no way of knowing the exact body count, but with all the disadvantages that mortals had, I suspected the majority of humanity was now dead.

Dorel Night indicated that the tracks of whatever that attacked the bus were heading along the path we were taking, and only a slight course correction would be required to follow them. Judging by the damage it caused, this might be a good opportunity to hunt down something with a decent amount of Cosmic Energy and perhaps it has a unique Enchanting essence. My simple Enchantments were easy enough, but when I tried more complex and powerful ones, I found that I needed specific Disenchanted sources. The quality of the resource mattered a great deal when it came to the final product.

The bus probably came from that direction too. Hopefully these weren't the only people there.

Kim had wanted to bury the bodies, so I let her and a few of the men who had joined us from her group do that while we searched the bodies. After we searched the bodies for anything useful, we continued our sprint and found some of the beasts in question. They looked like a cross between a tiger and rhino, with thick gray-and-black striped hides and massive jaws with sharp teeth. Tiny shards of bone protruded from their heads. Their forepaws were disconcertingly long and ended in viciously sharp claws. Upon sighting our group they sped right at us and I channeled my Dao of Fire into a potent Fireball. I sent it searing toward the frontmost one while our archers fired at the rest.

My target dodged my Fireball, but my fiery Skill was still powerful enough to singe the beast's side and make it falter for a moment before continuing its charge. The archers fared less well in their first strikes, their projectiles totally missing, while Kim and Zhou stepped forward as I brought another Fireball to life. This time I waited for one of them to juke away from an exploding arrow and launched a slightly less potent but faster travelling Fireball at where it would land.

Yes!

I felt the Cosmic Energy come to me as my Fireball burned it to death.

Zhou stabbed out and drew blood, but didn't kill with his first strike. The return slash raked the Enchanted armor he wore and he spun around from the force, but he kept his balance and stabbed out again.

Kim slashed with her blade and drew blood. Jared was pounced on, but managed to shield his face from the powerful claws that were batting him around with ease.

My sword had now been further Enchanted using the Dao Seed of Fire. I had been frustrated that trying to combine my Dao Seeds had not allowed me to use my Cosmic Energy leeching and a fire Enchantments together. Of course, my own weapon didn't really need the Cosmic Energy leaching Enchantment since I was getting the experience myself anyway.

I darted in and my blade flicked out; preternaturally sharp, it carved a burning slash across the monster pinning down Jared. The cat-like creature scrambled away, but my Dexterity was higher and I continued to slash at it with quick swipes with one hand while my other was forming another Fireball.

Instead of using it on my own foe, however, I detonated it behind the one Kim was facing.

Since I had made sure to keep it far enough away so as not to scorch her, it wasn't a killing blow, but the growling hiss and quick turn to its behind to see what attacked it allowed Kim to get in a solid slash. I finished off my own foe while Jared got back onto his feet after driving off his attacker and helped Kim finish off hers. I turned to see Zhou needing no help to deal with his own opponent.

"Well done. Let's continue forwards, I think I see some buildings ahead."

I stored the largest looking beast in my massive Cosmos Sack I had taken from the Ogre leader, and I planned to see if I could make any particularly strong Enchantments from its corpse after I Disenchanted it.

We weren't assaulted again, but we did find the corpses of more of those beasts and a crude wall made of wood, sandbags, and some stacked bricks. It was a pathetic sight. While the people manning it looked ragged, they still seemed to be able to kill at least some of the beasts we had encountered earlier.

I spotted more than a few rifles along with bowmen, but by far most people had melee weapons like swords, axes, and spears.

"Visitors!"

The shout was accompanied by a ringing of a bell and we slowed our sprint so as to not make ourselves look hostile. Within a minute several more people showed up to the wall, including one man wearing what looked like honest to goodness knightly armor. He also had an absurdly large double-headed axe resting on his shoulders.

"You lot! Best be getting inside or the Gray Demons will get ya. You'll need to pay the tithe, though, either in battle or your belongings."

Zhou spoke for the group, which for now was the way I preferred it.

"'Tithe'? Are you a religious group? We are the Salamander Group, and we are here to trade wares and possibly get paid to help you with your problem. We do not pay you."

The man gave a grim chuckle. "Is that so? You look like a man who knows what he is about, but the rules are clear. When a group enters you have to contribute some labor on the walls, or my manor if I like the look of you. Or if that isn't to your liking, you can give a fifth of all that you own. And we will check. Thoroughly."

"It seems a shame you don't wish to do business. We have useful and unique items you might wish to purchase. It also seems like your Outpost is struggling against these 'Gray Demons'. You might consider making an exception."

One of the men with rifles said, "They look well-armed. Maybe we should see what they have to offer."

"Silence. I'm not opposed to trade, but all must work. There are ten of you. One of your able-bodied men can serve on the walls for the duration of your stay while one of these fine ladies can warm my bed. You need not lose any of your wealth if you wish to keep it in order to trade, but the tithe will be paid." He laughed. "Or you can let me take a fifth of what you all own."

Does he not realize a tithe is ten percent, not twenty? As far as deals are concerned, it is a bit obnoxious, but accepting travelers on the condition that at least some of them provide something to the community isn't overly atrocious. But only if the 'tithe' is reasonable.

"Zhou," I said softly, which made him look at me like I had grown horns, "you won't be making us serve in his manor. Surely you and someone else can man the walls."

Several of the men holding weapons laughed and made some rather extremely crude remarks that made Zoey bristle.

However, the one who had spoken earlier blanched. "Wait, Zhou Jie? That name is only a few places below you on the Ladder, Sir!"

"Show me your name from the System Menu," the armored man growled out.

I didn't object to it, so Zhou did as was requested.

"Hah, well… I think we got off on the wrong foot, Zhou, making you try to make a rash decision before you've even had a chance to see our home. We've got a wall that goes all the way around the housing. There's a well, and we even have some proper food thanks to our Nexus Node. I'll let you and your group in and give you three days to figure out what you want to do, and then we can talk about the tithe. And even after that, we might be willing to forgo it if you wish to help us hunt down the Beast Waves' Alpha."

"So it's safe?" I asked meekly. "No one has to do anything we don't want?"

Zhou had a terrible poker face. Come on, this was not that far from the way I regularly talked!

He coughed and asked for more information, and we learned the ruler of this Outpost was a man named Jim, or Lord Jim, according to his World Ladder moniker. The place was a mixture of Ishiate structures, though there were no Ishiate here, and a hotel along with a converted restaurant that served as Jim's 'manor.'

"You lot can sleep in any of the rooms. The bedding isn't maintained, but you can pay for it with Nexus Coins at the general store," Jim explained. He spoke of the other buildings and places to do, but it was an unpracticed manner. I suspected if Zhou hadn't been identified as being on the Ladder we would have had someone else giving us the tour.

This settlement was noticeably more populated than Brightflower Village. While the tour was being completed, a series of bells rang out and Jim cursed.

"Duty calls. Time to drive back the bloody demons again."

He left us and one of the men with a rifle continued the tour. We were then surprisingly left to our devices. I decided we shouldn't split up too much, but we should still get information. Zhou would take the Ishiate couple, Kim, and two of her volunteers while I would take the rest. I chose the direction Jim went towards. If they had thoughts of ambushing Zhou, they might work if they included Jim, but I was more than confident in my ability to fry him.

Though that axe had a strange feeling to it.

We asked some residents what life was like here and attempted to buy some furnishings for the set of rooms we had been granted in the hotel. What was described was a community terrified of leaving due to the waves of 'Gray Demons' which were the giant gray tiger-rhino things. It had been happening constantly for the last week and trying to leave was extremely dangerous, despite… the 'taxes' that Jim demanded.

"Taxes?" I asked curiously.

"Uh, it isn't a secret, but I'm not griping. Not me. Just that… when Jim wants something, he gets it," one of the residents explained.

"So, he doesn't give people a choice?"

The man shrugged. "He doesn't put people in chains, if that's what you're asking. But if you say no, you are exiled. Some of us aren't too happy about it, but that's not any of my business. I'm here to survive, and at my Level I'm not going to cause a fuss."

We also told the people about the bus we found. It had come from the Outpost, and they had left without Jim's blessing. He would allow people to leave, but not with valuable commodities like gasoline. The people who died had some friends, but it seemed everyone who had been related all went together on the bus.

We reconvened later and Zhou's experience was similar. Jim ruled this place with an iron fist and would force people to leave if they resisted. The fact that leaving was currently a death sentence, as we had seen with the bus, made his actions cruel, but unless there was someone else near Jim's strength, this Outpost might well be overrun by these Beast Waves.

"It makes things tricky," I said. "If I think his actions are despicable enough to do something about it, what happens here? I'm not willing to stay and defend the place as my purpose is to stay on the move."

Kim's jaw clenched. "I say we handle these beasts and kill the Alpha. Then we give these people an option. Heck, maybe we can escort them to someplace better."

"Where? Brightflower Village? I'm not backtracking," I said firmly.

Zhou nodded with approval and Zoey looked ready to spit fire. The group didn't want to challenge me, but it was evident they did want to do something.

"Regardless, Kim's idea has some promise. Three days. We'll move at a slow pace for three days after we finish up here, and then will escort those who wish to come with us. Anyone in the Salamander Group is free to leave at any time, so if after three days have passed and I pick up the pace but you want to stay behind to protect the people who chose to leave, you are more than free to do so."

***

Zhou was glad that Tanya had stated she wouldn't slow down for more than a few days while dragging along useless stragglers, but he worried that when the time truly came to leave them behind she might soften. Jim seemed to keep his house in order, other men in his position wouldn't have given people even the choice of exile. The Beast Wave also could not have been here the entire time, so there had been prior opportunities to take their chances away from the established community.

The other women were less forgiving. Sofia had even pulled him aside.

"Zhou, you've been with Tanya the longest. Can't you convince her to deal with 'Lord Jim'? He's giving people no real choice. It's disgusting."

He thoroughly enjoyed his nights with Sofia. She was very creative, in a way that his deceased wife had never been. The things she did with him… he shook his head and focused. He would not allow physical pleasures to distract him from his goals.

"I can try, but our group cannot afford to add more than a few under-leveled individuals. Tanya is clear-eyed on her goal of finding her family."

Sofia ran her fingers over his arm and smiled.

"Hmm, sure, but once we clear out this Beast Wave, I think the situation changes. They won't need Jim any longer."

"The locals said that this event was thrust onto them by the System. Who is to say when another forced Dynamic Quest will threaten this village? Or perhaps the Zhix or another Incursion threatens them? We cannot act as some sort of morality police and achieve what Tanya desires. If he kept people in chains or if he had attempted to force any of us to do something by force instead of merely denying us entry, it may have been different, but there are still some lines."

She batted her eyes and leaned in close. "Please."

"No," Zhou said firmly. "That will not work, either."

Sofia backed away. "Okay, fine."

They then began determining what the Outpost would be willing to provide them for their services. However, a problem soon became apparent.

They had very little currency.

Nexus Coins could be used to purchase food from the Nexus Node now, and that is what everyone but the more elite community members did to survive. As far as the few people who were in the low 20's by Zhou's estimation were considered 'elite', they too weren't very rich.

Tanya was annoyed and suggested bartering. Maybe they would be willing to exchange some of the more powerful treasures they had for her Enchanted weapons. Zhou suspected she might even consider giving them away at some point, as she wanted her weapons to be spread far and wide to passively gain Cosmic Energy from them, but that was a last resort.

Jim had returned and now wanted to speak with Zhou about dealing with the 'Alpha' and ending the Beast Waves. Tanya said that these sorts of Dynamic Quests were exactly the purpose of them being there, but that it would be useful if they could also obtain his axe. Zhou knew she sensed something about it and likely wanted to Disenchant it.

"You wish for our band to help you end the Beast Waves. We are confident in our abilities, but what is in it for us?"

Jim grinned. "With your talents you'll probably quickly rise to second on the Contribution Ladder for this Quest. You should take a look; there are some great items."

"Wherever we go," Zhou fibbed a bit, "those types of Quests get provided by the System. Fighting here or somewhere else is of little consequence."

The grin slowly faded from the big man's face. "What do you want? I have an extra cultivation manual, some Medium quality F-grade weapons, but I can tell your spear is something special compared to them. The fucking Arrays are expensive, so I don't want to give up too many Nexus Coins, but I might part with some. It seems you already have some lovelies among your group, but I have twenty women at my call you could have another every night you are here. Two or three if you got the stamina for it, and thanks to the Multiverse, men like us certainly do!"

He gave a crude laugh and Zhou gave his practiced corporate polite laugh he used.

"Your axe."

Jim scowled. "That's my baby. He's not a normal weapon. It's a Spirit Tool! It grows with me. Part of the reason I'm strapped for cash, but my boy needs to grow. Isn't that right, [Blood Reaper]?"

"And our services aren't cheap. I don't need your women. I don't need your paltry treasures. We can handle the Beast Waves on our own."

"Bullshit, I can't deal with it on my own. The Alpha… it minces people. Nearly had me until I used a one-use treasure to get my ass out of dodge."

Zhou smiled confidently. "If you are so sure that it cannot be done, then make the deal. You don't even need to help. I will take the Salamander Group and hunt down these beasts, or demons as you call them, and in exchange you give us [Blood Reaper]."

"Damnit dude, I'm telling you, it won't work. You'll die, and I'll still be out of luck."

"If we are forced to retreat then you've lost nothing. I will even sweeten the pot." He took out one of Tanya's Enchanted axes. "This is an axe we picked up that has several magical properties. It bites deeper than any normal axe, though there is some Cosmic Energy leakage. It isn't as good as yours, but I am confident it is better than anything else your little Outpost has." He leaned in. "And when we return, you'll at least have a replacement. If not, you still have your axe. And if you do defeat the Beast Waves yourself later, you'll find our bodies and all our Cosmos Sacks. Yes, plural. Cosmos Sacks."

Greed and disbelief warred on Jim's face.

"You have others close by, is that it? Several people with Classes…" Jim muttered something else under his breath. Finally, he exhaled.

"Sweeten the pot a bit. If I don't have [Blood Reaper], it severely weakens me. I need something more before you leave and handle the Beast Waves personally. I was expecting to also get the loot the Alpha dropped, so I'm getting shit on from both ends of this deal, even if it might save my hide."

Zhou stared at him expressionlessly.

"Come on, I don't want to give up my Outpost, but I could break out on my own with some of my better guys. Yes, you are saving this place from these fucking Gray Demons, but I have options. The strong always do."

Zhou felt he could probably get the man to crack, as it was obvious he knew nothing about negotiating. However, part of Tanya's desire was to spread her weapons around, and ensuring Jim's lackeys had better gear would keep him from being too dictatorial in the future… maybe. Either way, they would still be killing things and allowing Tanya a portion of their Cosmic Energy.

"Five similar weapons of various types, each as strong as the one I just showed you; two swords, a bow, and a spear. All left behind when we go out to deal with your Gray Demons."

"Fuck it, fine. I still think you are too confident. Don't come crying to me when you have to run back with your tail tucked between your legs and half your group dead."

Zhou nodded and shook on it. Tanya could, of course, veto the idea, but he felt he understood her well enough to know she would be pleased. The thought that Jim might renege on the deal briefly went through his mind, but if that happened then Sofia would get her wish after all. If Jim and his group could survive against these creatures, then Zhou knew that their band would be triumphant. Even outnumbered by Jim's men, they should be able to handily win if it came to a fight.

Tanya was simply a monster. Her fireballs were lethal, but that was only the start of her prowess. Zhou knew she must have several unique Titles because her Stat growth didn't seem possible given that the level gap between them was not that large. He wouldn't be surprised if the powerful woman could beat him barehanded even while he was armed with his spear. Dao Seeds were powerful, and she had told him that she had three of them, each providing ten points in one Attribute and five in another.

He had yet to form a single Dao Seed, but when cultivating he felt he was on the cusp of understanding something about himself, or perhaps the universe as a whole. Zhou knew he would keep searching for it as he meditated, but Tanya had also told him she typically gained one after a momentous choice or a battle.

If this fight goes well, it might be my turn to take the first steps of the Dao.

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Entire Work ← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Chapter Index Bookmark Mark for Later Comments Share Download

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Rating:

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Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Fandoms:

Characters:

Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

Additional Tags:

Crossovers & Fandom FusionsStrong Female CharactersPost-ApocalypseLitRPG

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-07Words:225,086Chapters:48/?Comments:427Kudos:434Bookmarks:87Hits:16,931

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 11

Notes:

I've been asked to make a note as to when Book 2 starts, I'll try to remember. Book 2 has not started on the timeline however there may be vague spoilers about Book 2 starting with the last POV of this chapter. Chapter 14 when its released I believe is right at the official start of Book 2on the timeline.

Chapter Text

Special thanks to @Massgamer for their editing help!

Chapter 11

I had decided to try Disenchanting my E-grade clothing after we dealt with the rhino-hided giant tigers. The locals called them Grey Demons, but they didn't look particularly demonic to me, nor did the System designate them as such. Beasts were what the System called them in the Dynamic Quest and the Contribution Ladder.

Either way, I would attempt to use the essence from my almost invulnerable set of armor in the form of clothing to recreate it. My goal was just to get [Crafter's Wisdom] unlocked and see what it did. My Disenchant Class Quest was almost done as well. When we told the Outpost that we intended to leave after dealing with the Beast Waves and would travel at a snail's pace for the first three days, it gave time for people to make plans and decide what to do. I'd use that downtime to hopefully achieve both Class Quests.

Zhou's negotiation with Jim was fine. He understood my desires well, and having another top 100 Ladder ranker and his cronies sending me their Cosmic Energy through the weapon leeching effect would be nice. It truly had not made much of a difference yet, because my own kills and the act of Enchanting still represented the far majority of my Cosmic Energy gains, but every little bit helped.

The situation on the ground was that the beasts had completely circled the Outpost. However, the greatest concentration of them was to the north among a gathering of pre-merger Earth trees that had since grown stupidly large. I could only shake my head at how random things like that occurred without any sense of biological limitations. It wasn't more fantastical than living on a planet closer to the size of Saturn and still operating under the same gravity, but it still felt wrong. You couldn't just increase the size of the things willy-nilly.

Well… I guess you can under the System's guidance.

Either way, I was eager to stomp out the beasts, make use of another Contribution Ladder store, and then get to Enchanting. I was a tremendous judge of character, and I doubted anything would happen to those we left behind for a variety of reasons, but I chose to play it cautiously. All members of Salamander Group would come along on the mission, with Kim's job being to protect their more non-combative members. Still, even the two Ishiate with us who wanted to become crafters had the levels necessary and experience fighting to handle themselves. The bigger issue was Zoey, who had made great strides but was still under-leveled, and Sofia, who had no real fighting ability.

Kim would protect them. I also knew Zhou would attend to his lover if necessary.

The initial battle with the first of the beasts went even better than our first encounter with them. We now knew they liked their exaggerated dodges, so the archers worked in pairs; the first shot would certainly miss, but once anything was in the air, descent couldn't be altered.. That meant it was easy for the second person shooting to strike them with an exploding arrow. These beasts were tough, but when they finally reached us they were limping, bleeding, and heavily injured. I took down a number, as did Zhou, but the others managed fine too.

Things grew more difficult as we moved forwards into the woods, and we found out the hard way that the beasts could climb.

"I need some help over here!" Kim called out as two of them harried her while she tried to protect Sofia. I sent off a quick Fireball and then saw Sofia draw one of my one-use fire daggers and slash the air, causing one of the big creatures to back away with a horrific burning brand across one side of its face. The eye had been seared away, but whatever instinct to run away after receiving such an injury it would normally have had seemed to be overridden by the System, and it swiftly returned to trying to kill us.

Zhou skewered one and Kim threw one of my rock grenades to stun another one before slicing open its throat with a two-handed slash. Jared worked with another one of Kim's men, a 30-something who fought with a sledgehammer I had Enchanted. Will was his name, and between the two of them they finished one off. That was pretty good, because neither had a Class yet, but thanks to my Enchantments and teamwork they had finished a higher-leveled enemy without taking any significant wounds.

I called for a temporary halt so we could cultivate and recharge our mana. On an impulse, I tried to cultivate Cosmic Energy towards leveling, and I realized it wasn't circulating toward the imagery of an experience bar I had built in my head. I froze in thought for a moment.

Have I been thinking about mana and Cosmic Energy incorrectly?

It didn't seem you could 'un-level,' so using what I was viewing as 'mana' felt different than what I was gaining when I killed things. But was it? If I couldn't cultivate towards experience until I converted Cosmic Energy to refill my mana… was I actually using Cosmic Energy to fuel my Skill? I supposed it didn't matter, but I was once again annoyed by the System and its temporary guides, the Pixies and the Stargazer, not sticking around to fully explain everything.

We continued and slew more beasts as we drew nearer to the Dynamic Quest target. Slaying the 'Alpha' would stop the Beast Waves, though it wouldn't just delete or remove the existing beasts. They would still need to be hunted down. I wasn't sure about why the System functioned the way that it did, but it seemed clear to me it was somehow wholesale creating these beasts. Though I supposed it might just be porting them in from somewhere else. However, once present, it seemed like it would take more energy to destroy or send them back, so instead we had to deal with them.

The attack by our target came suddenly. The beast must have moved with absolute silence, only the sheer weight of it leaping off a sturdy tree branch and causing said branch to way alert me of the danger.

"Get down!" I shouted at Will as I tried to form a Fireball in time.

I wasn't fast enough, though at least he managed to flinch away from the Alpha's raking claws. Instead of the attack taking off his head, it merely ripped open his face. No sooner had it struck Will that it pounced toward Kim, who met the charge with a slash. Her sword cut partially into the monster's shoulder, but the sheer force of the pounce slammed Kim down hard into the earth. The teeth flashed toward her throat as she shoved an armored arm in front of it.

The Alpha bit down, but its sharp teeth could not pierce through the armor I Enchanted. Not that it didn't cause horrible wounds as the crushing force elicited a heavy grunt of pain from the ex-soldier.

My Fireball was ready even as I was moving and I detonated it above the Alpha, who quickly stopped biting down on Kim's arm and roared. Dozens more beasts came flooding in at its call and my group began using their one-use items to deal quick initial damage to them as I faced off against the monster before me.

The great beast was larger than the lesser members of its kind. The bone nubs that peppered the scalps of the others had formed into proto-horns on the Alpha. The horns themselves seemed ancillary to how it fought, yet they still provided additional protection to its skull, and its sinews were overgrown, like some caricature of a bodybuilder.

It zig-zagged toward me with tremendous speed and I focused on keeping it from getting behind me while I powered up an intense blaze of heat with my Dao Seed of Fire. It attempted to bait out my spell, but I held it in reserve and then fired it off to nearly utterly incinerate two of its kind that had been about to strike Zhou as he skewered one of the beasts against a tree.

It then charged and I dived aside, but it was fast and it came right at me. I stepped away from its lunge at the last second, light on my feet, and slashed with my fiery Enchanted sword. Its whiskers were singed by flame, lashing out with its claws and shattering my hastily erected magical barrier, but my E-grade clothes did their job. Unlike the armor I enchanted, which was just F-grade and just improved the durability and resistance, the E-grade equipment the Ogre Incursion leader had was just on another level.

Attacks against it actually slowed the moment before striking. The impact force was also dissipated somehow in a way that violated all the laws of physics. Even so, the weight of the strike pushed me off my feet, but I turned it into an agile roll while I used [Temporary Enchantment] on some rocks and accurately threw one after another at the angry Alpha. The explosions dazed and slowed it, but didn't seem to do any real damage. That was fine, as I charged and slashed it a few times, forcing it back. I threw one last rock and then shaped a tiny sphere of concentrated fire, with every ounce of my understanding of the Dao Seed of Fire being poured into it as the monster recovered and came back at me.

It charged as my tiny inferno, no larger than my thumb, was sent scorching through the Alpha's body. From chest to back, I had ripped a hole through its heart and other vital organs. The wound was cauterized as it went through the beast's body, and for a moment it still charged on, not realizing it was already dead. I let the corpse slide past me and immediately went to help my still fighting comrades.

I ignored the System telling me the Dynamic Quest was complete. And once things were well in hand, I turned first to Will.

"Will he make it?" Zoey asked fearfully.

I shoved a healing pill into his bleeding mouth. The wound looked awful, but it hadn't ripped out his throat or damaged his brain. I used [Minor Healing], which, unlike [Fireball], was still listed as Low, mainly because I didn't use it nearly as often as Fireball. The bleeding slowly stopped as Sofia pulled out some bandages. He had lost some blood and the wound was no doubt going to keep him out of commission for a while, but it seemed that Will would live to fight another day.

I checked on Kim as well. She wasn't in danger of death, but her shoulder was dislocated and her arm was broken. The shoulder had been reset and she also took a pill, but it would take a bit to totally heal. Fortunately, like me, she could get by one-armed for a while, though I could say from experience, it was far from ideal.

On the plus side, my gigantic Cosmos Sack will be filled with exceptional Disenchanting material.

***

We had only arrived recently, but killing the Alpha gave me a chunk of credit towards the Contribution Ladder and I was able to purchase a few things. I had picked up a bit of the Ishiate tongue, but with [Book of Babel] I could be certain that if we encountered any more races I could clearly communicate with them right away. With the remaining points I grabbed a few additional herbs for the medicinal baths I would be trying out. The hotel we were staying in did have tubs large enough for them and I was eager to progress towards E-grade for my race.

The most Cosmic Energy dense portion of the beasts had been harvested and I would have quite the pool of resources to use while enchanting. My bear cloak had come from a bear that was probably around the same level as the Alpha I had killed, so I was eager to see what unique essence I could harvest from it.

Jim was nervous and completely cordial when we returned. I cocked my head for a moment and then smiled. The jig was up. The damn Contribution Ladder had my real name, Tanya Degurechaff, on it. He even meekly handed over his Spirit Tool. I now had two projects to work on while we made our announcement. That would give some extra time for Will and Kim to get healed up, while the others continued to hunt down the stray beasts who were still potentially dangerous.

Zhou told me he had formed the Dao Seed of Sharpness from the battle and I congratulated him. I had questions about what it might provide for him, but I was done with waiting. It was time for me to work on my magnum opus. I began to Disenchant the E-grade clothes from the Ogre leader.

Almost immediately I realized this was not going to be easy. The sheer magical potency and thickness of the Cosmic Energy would require me to dedicate quite some time to the task. Feeling inspired, I focused on the Dao of Volition and urged the Cosmic Energy to stop flowing like syrup, and start moving more like water. It wasn't completely effective, but it helped.

After many hours, I felt 'full' of the disenchanted essence, but it was not fully drained. I had to start enchanting with it or it would create spillage. I began on a set of F-grade leather armor that did not have any of my enchantments already on it. I carved the pathways necessary in the layer underneath the surface reality and molded the Cosmic Energy to my will.

I then had to go back for a second helping. And a third. Dawn had come and I was still working on it. The matter required concentration, but not so much that a slip would cause catastrophe. I was able to communicate, drink some water, and even eat a light meal while I focused on guiding the Cosmic Energy.

Dawn turned to midday, which turned to dusk, and then true night. Still, I wasn't finished. Then, finally, the E-grade clothing was fully disenchanted. A System prompt alerted me of a new Title, but I ignored it. I studied the leather armor. The lines of power I was trying to mimic from the clothing were… wrong. They wouldn't 'click' into the structure that I wanted. I moved the Cosmic Energy around, trying to mimic it, but it was overloading pockets of energy.

What am I doing wrong?

I felt some of the energy drift away and I quickly disenchanted some other minor parts of the beasts we had slain. Maybe the specific type of defenses on the E-grade clothing required certain Dao Seeds to function? I didn't have something that dissipated force or slowed something's momentum with the Dao I had.

The Dao of Delegation didn't seem relevant. The Dao Seed of Volition might allow for an Enchantment that would prevent me from being bound, but I felt that wasn't as useful. Using the Dao of Fire…

Maybe… only for what?

I decided that I could use it to form a resistance toward heat. This could allow me to use larger area-of-effect Fireballs with me in the blast radius and avoid most of the damage. I dwelled on the Dao Seed of Fire and used it as my focus. Energy dribbled away as I worked. Sweat poured down my face.

"Come on, damn you! I know you can hold the Cosmic Energy!"

But it couldn't. The sheer potency of the remains of the E-grade clothing dissipated and I finally managed to close the invisible fractal lines on the armor. I had finished it, but there was no Quest Complete for me. I had created Peak Quality F-grade Leather Armor that was as resistant as any of my best armor, but also resisted heat to an extreme degree.

A downgrade?! Really?!

Bitterly annoyed, I decided to take my medicinal bath. I could feel some slight changes in my body, but nothing significant. I hoped I was applying the bath salts and herbs correctly. Again, our knowledge was imperfect, but I was reassured that it was doing something.

In reality, while I hadn't finished the Class Quest, I felt I had learned something by the process. The application of Dao while enchanting was critical, and I hoped it would help grow some insights to more Dao Seeds or perhaps improve my existing ones in the future. Those seemed to be the key to a lot. I would not have been able to burn through the resistant hide of the Alpha with a concentrated Fireball if I hadn't been able to apply the Dao Seed of Fire. I bet I could have still killed it, but it would have taken longer and perhaps Will would have died.

I finally slept, and in the morning I examined [Blood Reaper]. It was time to Disenchant it.

It quivered, actually moving as I set it down. It was said Spirit Tools were alive, which made what I was about to do give me some pause, but I rationalized that trees were also alive. Something being alive didn't imply sentience, and while Jim had said he could feel what [Blood Reaper] wanted, that didn't mean much. There was no reasonable way to communicate with it, just like there was no way to truly communicate with a tree.

I began to Disenchant it. It wasn't as powerful as the E-grade clothing, so it went smoother. There was resistance that was unfamiliar, almost as if it was trying to actively resist the process, but I soon drained the axe of any vitality it once had. When it was done, I felt anger as I held onto the essence of the Spirit Tool. I quickly checked the System Menu and smiled.

Spirit Tool (Class) Disenchant a Spirit Tool (1/1) [COMPLETE]

Unlike with [Disenchantment], no fractal of power emerged in my body, but I suddenly felt a wave of understanding burrow through my brain. It was sharp, painful, and relentless, but I suddenly understood so much more about Spirit Tools. My class was an Enchanter; we couldn't create Spirit Tools like Blacksmiths and a host of other crafting classes could. Instead, we could transmute existing Spirit Tools and alter them into new formations.

Ah, but there are limits. Huh, I'm not actually killing the Spirit Tool either. I don't know why I know that, but I do.

[Blood Reaper] would live on, but in a new form. It was time to craft my first Spirit Tool. Even though I didn't have the prerequisite Dao to match what was originally used to create [Blood Reaper], it was okay. That was because the Spirit Tool was still alive, currently as a form of Cosmic Energy essence residing in me, but I could examine its traits. It liked killing. It liked feeding on those it killed.

Regeneration? Healing? Oh, this is interesting…

Excited, I began transferring the essence into my sword and felt stubborn resistance. I frowned. Was it perhaps not compatible with my existing enchantments? With annoyance, I disenchanted my Dao of Fire enchanted sword and tried again.

It worked.

While I was transferring the essence I realized I could also shape it somewhat, but not fully, to my will. Inspired by my earlier work with the Dao of Delegation, I molded it slightly toward leeching, but instead of sending a portion of the kills it took as Cosmic Energy to myself, I had it leach from the very air around it and act as a fuel source for usage of my own Skills. I shaped it for hours until it was what I desired.

My sword had taken on a faint red sheen. It was no longer [Blood Reaper], it was now… [Crimson Siphon], my new blade. The blade, like the axe before it, would still cut far more effectively than a normal weapon, but now it had a new element to it. The old one must have done something like perhaps healing some of Jim's wounds or maybe buffing his Vitality when they fought, but this one instead did something else. It slowly pulled Cosmic Energy out of the very air itself. As it collected it, I would be able to use it for my own Skills. While in battle itself the collection rate was very unlikely to accomplish much, but in-between fights it could obtain a good amount of 'mana' or Cosmic Energy that could be used as fuel for several Fireballs or Temporary Enchantments.

Tasks done, I checked what the System prompt about the title was all about.

[Unmaker: First in the world to reduce an E-grade item to its primordial essence. Reward: Effect of Attributes +5%]

Huh? The plain language is fairly clear, but I didn't even know that was possible. Hmm, I'm now less bothered by my downgraded protective gear. A bonus of 5% across every attribute is incredible. This is just like the Tutorial. The System is pushing people to be first, to take more risks, and go faster. What an annoying pain in the ass!

***

Sofia had been a bit shaky after the Dynamic Quest. She hated going out and participating in the hunt. Not that she truly had, but Tanya's rationale had made sense. Leaving her behind in the Outpost might have led to problems if Jim wasn't on the level.

I wish we had a safe base of operations so I never have to go through that sort of thing again.

Zoey was still a little icked out at what she was doing with Zhou, but now they were working together, talking to the people of the Outpost, and informing them of the plan. Everyone had seen the Contribution Ladder and knew that despite Tanya's Class, she was clearly still miles ahead of everyone else here when it came to combat capability. That made everyone walk lightly around them, which was really helpful because they were trying to get the vulnerable away from the clutches of the likes of Jim and his men.

"I would love to be elsewhere, but is there anywhere else?"

The person asking that was a mother with three children. Her boyfriend had been whisked away into the Tutorial and never returned. Dead? Sent elsewhere? No one knew, but she had three kids under the age of ten who couldn't gain Cosmic Energy.

"We don't know, but do you really want to keep having to deal with what Jim makes you do?" Zoey asked.

The woman shuddered. "I don't want to… it's wrong, but it isn't every night because he has so many other girls. I'm on the older side, so I'm not as favored. Never thought I'd be happy about getting older…"

"And your daughter? Is that what you want for her when she is older?" Sofia asked.

She bit her lip, looking worried. "No, of course not, but she might end up being a cultivator who can take care of herself. I just… I just don't want to lead them to their deaths."

The people who could naturally keep up with the Salamander Group as they travelled didn't have a strong desire to leave, as they were Jim's chosen. They got the best housing, the best food, and the best women. Those who couldn't keep up were not the elite and were therefore worried about Tanya's stipulation. It was an ugly situation, and Sofia wasn't sure how to crack it.

Then the bells began ringing.

"Another attack?" Sofia asked.

The woman shook her head. "No, hear how these are different? It means more visitors."

Sofia was curious, so she went to where the sound of the bells was coming from. Jim, now with a much smaller axe on his armored pauldron, was there as well. Her eyes grew big as she saw what was outside of the wall. It was a column of vehicles. Sofia saw that two were military trucks, which she thought might be called Humvees, with big guns mounted on them. Others were regular pickup trucks with soldiers in the back of them.

She noted that some had scary-looking guns, but others had the more frequently used swords, spears, and axes. Despite the more 'normal' weapons post-merger, everyone still wore military uniforms.

"What's this, now? Who are you lot?" Jim said with a mixture of bluster and fear.

"We represent a network of Towns and Outposts that have joined New Washington to brave the Multiverse. We represent what is left of the United States military, but welcome any and all who wish to join us."

This could change everything. I need to go tell Tanya.

Author's Note: I've also commissioned some art for this story, so we'll see how it looks in a couple of weeks!

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Rating:

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Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

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Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

Additional Tags:

Crossovers & Fandom FusionsStrong Female CharactersPost-ApocalypseLitRPG

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Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-07Words:225,086Chapters:48/?Comments:427Kudos:434Bookmarks:87Hits:16,931

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 12

Chapter Text

Special thanks to @Massgamer for proofreading help!

Chapter 12

The Humans were very excited about the idea of a government. Jim, Tanya, and the troubling, Tinker-like New World Government Humans were discussing issues at length. Dorel set the matter aside as he saw his wife smile at him. Their ears flicked in time and she nodded happily.

"I am Level 25."

He stroked her shoulders. He had skimped on his own Nexus Crystal use and given her his share so that she could hit that important milestone as soon as possible. Dorel knew he would not be far behind, but better that she obtain a potential crafting class while they were still determining what to do, than have neither of them obtain one before setting out again with the Salamander Group.

They went together to the Nexus Node and Shella shared her System screen with him. It was not the grand goal they had hoped for, but nonetheless there were some strong options.

[Alchemist – F Grade, Common. Mixer of concoctions. Initial proficiency with Alchemy. Upgradeable.]

[Barkeep – F Grade, Common. Server of drinks. Initial proficiency with supporting others through drink. Upgradeable.]

[Seeker – F Grade, Uncommon. Knowledge, Treasure, Power. The search never ends. Upgradeable.]

[Pack Hunter – F Grade, Uncommon. Fledgling to hunt. May lead beasts or others. Upgradeable.]

[Elementalist – F Grade, Uncommon. Early wielder of the elements. Moderate proficiency with elemental magic. Upgradeable.]

Dorel found it rather amusing that 'Barkeep' was presented as an option when that sort of tradition did not exist among the Ishiate. But his dear Shella had always been a wondrous cook, and she had made time to try to find ways to soothe the Human palate before the Nexus Node offered food in exchange for Nexus Coins. That included variations of drinks, and so that is likely why the System had given her the option.

"The Pack Hunter looks interesting, but the choice is not in question," Shella said. "I wish for a quiet life… eventually."

That was what they had talked about before. Cultivation was seemingly a never-ending journey, but how you continued on it could be done through violence or non-violence, like with a crafting role. There were other roles, they now knew, things like Teacher or Purifier that did not technically craft an object but provided support to the community. But for any Class that truly excelled in battle, one almost had to continually fight.

"Eventually?" Dorel asked.

She nodded. "Alchemist looks like a Common Class. I am sure someone else from Brightflower will select it before too long. However, we have made friends. I have learned their strange language well enough. Kim's bravery and willingness to throw herself in front of danger to protect us, as well as others, remind me of the old tales. Jared's determination to help, even though he is only a mortal, reminds me of my brother who tried so hard before perishing. Unless you gain the Enchanter Class, I'd like to stay with the Salamander Group."

He was surprised, but also pleased. He too did not want to leave Tanya's side. The woman had kept him busy forging arrowheads, since so many exploded, but he couldn't hold that against her. No, he cherished her unique abilities and effortless grace in battle. He would compose a song, an epic ballad of her deeds, one that would be heard in the ears of his people for generations.

Should we survive, that is.

There was that concern for themselves as well. There was no guarantee this new merged world would successfully be able to fend off the threats against it. He had access to the Ladder of his race. Tanya would be number two on the Ladder were she an Ishiate. If his wife and he could help one of the most powerful people stop the Incursions and make this planet safe, they should try.

More eager than ever to reach Level 25 himself, he took his wife's hand and decided to celebrate that evening the way that nearly all races chose to do with their mates.

***

The New World Government showing up had stirred the anthill. Knowledge that over a dozen Towns and Outposts had rallied together under the umbrella of two full battalions of the United States military meant that they had a real shot at organizing and dealing with these world-threatening Incursions. I wanted to test out just how powerful the .50 caliber M2A1 weapon was in this new world. It wouldn't provide Cosmic Energy from kills while using it, but understanding how it dealt with monsters or even, say, Peak F-grade armor would help me recalibrate the power structure.

They had opted not to waste ammunition, because they'd already had to use it. It sounded like it had proven effective, but again, it wasn't an ideal way of going about improving your Level. None of the people in the convoy were rankers, and only some had a Class. The officer in charge had been ecstatic to learn that 'Lord Jim' was here. He was a top ranker, which was their top priority to recruit, and since they were running low on fuel this was their last step before backtracking to a Town that had just set up a Teleportation Array back to New Washington.

Damn, how did they afford that so soon?

Doing some quick math, I realized you could earn a significant amount of Nexus Coins now if you fought anything above Level 20, though the currency awarded below that wasn't great. But if you multiplied it by, say, fifty thousand or even ten times that number, it could quickly add up and allow them to buy all the best improvements at a Nexus Node.

Now… can the citizens of New Washington handle threats above Level 20 without guns? That's the question. But the point still remains that it would be easy to pool resources to buy things with a large enough population base.

There didn't seem to be much point in laying low now. These people might know the most about where all the different parts of Chicago got scattered to. Plus, I had to admit a certain bit of humor in watching the officer almost shit himself when I told him who I was. It reminded me of the time Zettour had personally come to the Eastern Front and had himself driven right to the frontline of an active warzone. Soldiers who saw him probably had the very same expression this officer had now.

"I would like to visit New Washington, but I do have some conditions. Some people are unhappy here with Jim's leadership and would like to leave. Their pace is slow unless there is room in your vehicles, and so as a condition for me going to New Washington, I want you to ensure their safety."

Jim grew a bit red, but was still hesitant to say anything that might offend me. He really was uncomfortable with not being the most powerful person around. Zoey even shouted that Jim should pay for what he had done. Jim blustered and said if they didn't like what he did they could always leave; he never kept anyone who wished to go.

The officer readily agreed with me. Getting someone in the Ladder's lower fifty to join the New World Government would be a feather in his cap, but getting the fourth most powerful Human in the world was another matter entirely. The red carpet was being rolled out and I could probably have asked for a lot more, but I didn't want to come across as overly greedy, nor did I truly wish to join this fledgling government. Perhaps in the future, when they have proven themselves, but I still wished to continue on the path I had set out on; the wandering mercantile mercenary. With my Dao Seed of Delegation and my Cosmic Energy leeching weapons, the more I could spread them around the better my retirement would look!

Although, I am curious if I could set up a good contract with these people. If they already have over a dozen settlements and a large central population to work with, I could be busy for quite some time just using my Enchanter skills.

That was a double-edged sword. If I wanted to stay where I was on the Ladder and continue to get exclusive Titles, I needed to do more than just Enchanting. Yes, in the long-term every weapon made could provide me a tiny sliver of Cosmic Energy in almost perpetuity, but in the short-term they weren't moving the needle much.

"Who's in charge? Did the POTUS survive the merger?"

"It doesn't appear so. The highest civilian leadership left is Thomas Fischer. He was the Deputy Secretary of Defense."

I only half-paid attention to politics as it related to my investments, so while somewhat of a big deal, his name wasn't familiar to me like the Secretary of Defense would have been.

"It looks like you have gas and diesel for traveling, how does the supply situation look?"

The officer grew a bit uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I can say, but I am sure Secretary Fischer would want to meet and talk with you."

I nodded; it made sense. Operations Security.

"What can you tell me of the general shape of the world?" I said neutrally, then gave a half-smile. "That won't get you in trouble, of course."

"It's bad out there. I don't know about the other groups that were sent out, but most places that had people in them that we've come across, there's nothing but dead bodies. Mortals, like me, who weren't lucky enough to have a strong position, were just slaughtered out there. By other people, by the mutated beasts that started attacking a couple of weeks in, or from lack of basic resources. Cities weren't built to last long without supplies and electricity. We've saved who and what we could, come across some strong cultivators, but you are the first two rankers my team has found."

"Three rankers," I said with a playful smile. I introduced Zhou and ribbed him a bit about how certain he was that the Chinese government would have had the most top rankers by now.

"That will be something you want to talk to Secretary Fischer about, but the New World Government isn't just about America. As much as it pains me to put aside the stars and stripes, this thing is bigger than any one country. All of humanity needs to come together, American or for… err, American or not. And I see you have two Ishiate in the crowd. Them too, if they are willing. At least they seem peaceful."

We got some more information from him, and then Jim came forward with a proposal.

"I have the ability to start a Quest to form a Town. But… I don't think I can do it alone. Tanya, if you could delay your departure for a few weeks, or if these army people can help with their guns, we can turn this place into a System-approved Town. What do you say?"

"I'm not staying for weeks," I said firmly.

"And we are already low on ammo."

Jim looked crestfallen. I knew he was also bummed about losing his Spirit Tool, but I didn't feel an ounce of sympathy for him. He was probably moping because the women he had essentially extorted into being his sex toys were also leaving in large numbers. Humanity needed its rankers, but the faster I left him and his shitty 'leadership' the better.

Passage secured, it was time to hit the road.

***

Kim was enjoying shooting the breeze with the Army guys. She hadn't been part of their branch, but just talking once again with other actual military people did her soul good. Active or vet, she enjoyed telling stories and going over past assignments. Her three 'men,' the guys who she had taken under her wing and called her 'ma'am' weren't ever in the military or in her PMC gig, but they were good. Will had some wicked scars now, but they were a badge of honor. He even got a Title from surviving a blow from something so much more powerful than him.

It apparently gave him a nice boost to Luck.

Then there was Jared. Not even a cultivator but giving it his all. Tanya seemed to think that maybe being mortal may give him a decent shot at a different kind of Class and Kim was really hoping he would get something to help himself out. The last of the three was Toby and it was like pulling teeth to get the damn man to talk about anything. If therapy was still a thing, she would recommend him some, as his eyes were haunted in the same way as guys who came back from the sandbox after seeing the worst of the shit there.

As much as she was enjoying speaking to the other passengers, she knew she ought to be cultivating. The road wasn't ideal for meditating, but cultivation was about degrees. Even a shitty session of it would still get some results. No sooner had she closed her eyes and tried to get into the rhythm of it that she was hit with a vision. It was like a bad acid trip.

Coming out of it, she knew time had passed, but also a very wonderful System prompt appeared.

[Dao Seed gained – Sanctuary]

Kim was surprised by what it provided.

[Dao Seed of Sanctuary – Early. Wisdom +10, Endurance +5]

Any stat improvements were good, but she wasn't sure why the concept of Sanctuary entailed an improvement to Wisdom. The Endurance buff was great, as it helped her stay alive by increasing her resistance to enemy attacks, but Wisdom? She shook her head. Kim still did not fully understand what worked and why in the Multiverse, but she'd take any win she could get.

She knew from the way Tanya spoke of the Dao that they could be used in battle to add impact to battlefield actions, or in Tanya's case, for her Enchanter Class actions. The concept of Sanctuary seemed to be about protection, so could she invoke it while blocking or parrying attacks with her sword?

Maybe I should get a shield?

Her Class lent itself to attacking, not defending. All of her Class Skills that she had unlocked were just focused on doing better while attacking. As a Warrior, she wasn't sure if she would even get a defensive skill, but she knew that at Level 35 there would be another Class Quest waiting for her.

Kim then heard the crackle of a radio.

"Those work?"

"Short-range only. We leave communications equipment at places that have established Towns, not just Outposts. There's one about ten clicks north of here, but they don't have a Teleportation Array yet so we'll have to travel a bit further this way." The soldier hesitated. "Static interference seems to be getting worse over time though. We aren't sure if it is because Cosmic Energy creates the interference, or if it is something else."

Kim hoped it was something else, because if she understood how the integration and merger was supposed to work, Earth was just going to keep getting more Cosmic Energy dense over time.

Whatever comes, comes. No use worrying about something I can't change.

***

We were on our second day of travel when we heard eerie screeching from the skies. I looked up and saw growing specks in the distance. One of the men in the pickup trucks with binoculars shouted out that they looked to be giant scaly lizards. I used [Temporary Enchantment] to set up some arrowheads and slingstones to combust on impact as the convoy, both the vehicles of the NWG and the vehicles from Jim's town that we had taken, stopped. Gasoline was at a premium now, but the NWG representatives were quick to supply gas if it meant I was coming along.

I leaped out of the vehicle and began powering up a much stronger Fireball with a larger blast radius. I fully dwelled on my Dao Seed of Fire and focused on the concept of fire expanding and spreading. As the creatures began to descend I could see that they looked like some sort of fantasy wyvern. My blazing ball of fire would have been uncomfortable were it not for my freshly Enchanted armor.

I hurled it into the sky. The speed of its travel was more moderate than most Fireballs, but it was headed directly towards the diving creatures. They attempted to dodge away from the man-made sun, but then I detonated it. The blast was impressive. Not as damaging as a condensed one, but enough to cause massive damage to the wyverns closest to it as well as impair their ability to fly and swoop properly. The pressure wave scattered them and I saw Dorel land an exploding arrowhead on one of the injured ones.

Sporadic gunfire burst out after that and only a couple of wyverns actually made it to us. Zhou took a running leap upwards and intercepted one with his spear. I felt the energy of the assault and knew he had channeled his own Dao into the strike, easily skewering the tough hide that had resisted the gunfire of the soldiers. As he came down he made sure to land on the creature with his spear, burying it into the earth, pinning the dead monster with ease.

I then sent small, more quickly summoned Fireballs out. I hadn't even needed to draw my sword, but I could feel it pulse with hunger. I walked over to one of the corpses and unsheathed it. My blade yearned for the essence of the slain, so I touched the carcass with it. A metaphysical slurping sensation roiled my stomach as the blood from the wyvern began flowing into [Crimson Siphon]. I sensed that it was now 'full', whatever that meant. The Army officer was staring at me and Zhou with wide eyes.

Were their weapons really that weak? These wyverns were maybe Level 30 at best.

A Dynamic Quest flared to life and I looked at it.

Proven in Blood (Unique): Solo kill the Wyvern Queen within one day. Reward: Restrictions lifted. Crafting Path now carries Combat Privilege.

I blinked as I then heard an echoing screech from the nearby rock terrain to the south.

"Did anyone else just get a Quest?"

Shella nodded. "I did. Proven in Blood, it wants me to slay a Wyvern Queen, but alone. I do not think I would be successful if it is stronger than these wyverns."

She was the only other person in the group to receive the Quest. That made me think for a moment. Was my choosing of the Enchanter Class somehow restricting me from something? I didn't feel any weaker in combat, sans whatever Combat Skills I would have received if I chose a Combat Class. I gauged the distance and figured I could probably sprint faster than vehicles could move, and with my Vitality it wasn't as if I would grow tired. I could probably catch up with the convoy.

My Dao Seed of Volition is all about me making my own choices, but it is also about moving without restriction. If I have been fettered in some way by my choice, I owe it to myself to be free of it.

I wasn't thrilled with the idea of having to fight without any usable meat-shields and backup nearby, but there were advantages to that as well. I could afford to truly cut loose and see what I was capable of. It was like daily exercise or eating healthy food instead of just chocolate. I wasn't looking forward to the task, but in the long run it would benefit me.

I informed the NWG officer of my decision and he tried to talk me out of it, but my mind was made up. I had to face this battle if I wanted to fulfill the calling of my Dao. I would not be tied down by artificial constraints this System had put on me.

Zhou put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Look at her face. There will be no convincing her once her blood is up and she sees a challenge."

It may have ended the officer's objections, but Zhou really doesn't get me at all.

He'd been my longest companion since the merger, but his single-minded focus on improving strength made him think that everyone else views the world in the same way. Of course, someone would risk their life if it could give them more power because that's what he would do if he had received the Quest. But I was only risking myself in a solo battle because of my Dao. Otherwise I would have just continued my journey. Probably. There was also the chance that I could get some great material for Enchanting… and I did need to find out just what I could do when I cut loose.

As I turned to begin sprinting away I heard the officer mutter something about how terrifying I was.

I guess he had just seen my gigantic Fireball. Still, you'd expect a career military officer to not have such a shaky voice!

***

I had to fight the Wyvern Queen solo, but the Wyvern Queen had access to its… family? Tribe, maybe? The System sure liked to throw bullshit like that around. I had only briefly caught sight of the massive, winged lizard before almost two dozen started streaking down at me. To make matters worse, I was scaling a rather rocky hill.

My sword lashed at a regular wyvern as I rolled away from a strike, scoring a decent hit, but not slaying it. Its companion's talons recoiled off my protective barrier I had summoned and ate a Fireball to the face for its efforts. [Crimson Siphon] had obtained a taste and I noticed that the 'battery' function of the blade had recharged far quicker when it got the chance to drink blood. It was certainly faster than just slowly sipping on the ambient energy of the atmosphere.

This will let me fight for far longer so long as I get a chance to physically use the sword in combat.

Between my superior Dexterity and [Temporary Enchantment] to throw up protective barriers, the lesser wyverns proved to be little threat. Thankfully, the Wyvern Queen seemed content with raising a ruckus instead of coming down from her perch to help her subjects.

I paused after dealing with the last of the wyverns before taking out a Nexus Crystal and draining it while I let [Crimson Siphon] drink on the blood of my enemies. I then continued my advance and made it to the top. The Wyvern Queen was majestic, with blue accents to its otherwise dark green hide. It was twice the size of the lesser, already-large brethren.

Peeking behind it, I saw that it was guarding what looked like a massive nest.

Ah, that is why it didn't come down.

As I began readying a Fireball, the Wyvern Queen's screech changed completely. She screamed at me and I felt my muscles tense and cramp. I couldn't move! The Queen rushed at me and I felt a surge of adrenaline-filled panic flood me. I clamped onto the Dao of Volition and channeled it with all my strength. My muscles eased their tension in the nick of time and I threw myself in a forward roll underneath its rushing jaws.

[Crimson Siphon] lashed out at its belly and ricocheted off its hide.

Are you fucking kidding me? What Level is this thing?

Not even my absurdly magical Spirit Tool could make a dent in its scales? That didn't mean it was invulnerable, as the thing still had eyes and occasionally opened its jaws. Maybe the wing membranes were also weak? All of these thoughts flashed through my mind in a second as I dived away again from the absurdly fast Wyvern Queen. It whirled on me once more, trying to bite down on me. I made it away from its jaws, but then it flared its wings at me, causing a massive gust that had the essence of an attached Dao to it.

The attack hit with the force of a hurricane and slammed me back against the rocky edifice. My bear cloak protected my head somewhat, but I was still rattled by the jarring force. I quickly slid down to the ground as it was once again trying to bite at me. I only had time for a quick Fireball, that had no discernable effect, before I had to dodge another attack. The Wyvern Queen tried to repeat its earlier wing-flap, but having seen it already and put up my protective barrier in time. The wind slammed into it, but this was not a cutting, piercing, or bludgeoning attack, more of a movement-based one. My barrier held and I charged up a more potent Fireball with the Dao Seed of Fire.

I kept channeling into it as I dodged its next strike and then detonated it a bit too closely to myself, and had I not had my fire-resistant armor I would have injured myself. The Wyvern Queen screeched and backed away for a moment before leaping at me again. I threw an explosive rock into its maw and resummoned my protective barrier.

The rock successfully exploded inside its mouth.

It had to be painful, but even so its attack continued. It shattered my barrier, but thankfully was slowed just enough for me to step away from the lunge. I slashed forward with a leap, hoping to cut at its eyes, but the creature flinched away and I hit nothing but ultra-resilient hide.

With every strike, wing flap, and then screech, we danced on the rocky hilltop. Even my impressive Vitality was taxed as the non-stop battle continued. My thumb-sized potent Fireballs couldn't pierce its hide, though it at least scorched it significantly and seemed to pain the Wyvern Queen.

Time for something different.

I had experimented with all sorts of Enchantment-fueled nonsense. The adjustment in size of things had worked well against the Ogres, but there seemed to be a limit to how much I could make things grow. However, what I could grow bigger I could also shrink smaller. Using [Temporary Enchantment] on something that was already magical, however, made things significantly more difficult. But, if I already knew the underlying properties, it made things easier. That was to say, that I had taken a somewhat large rock and permanently reduced its size with a standard Enchantment. It was tied to a mental trigger that would allow me to dispel the effect completely, returning the rock to its original size.

It was currently a fist-sized stone that I tagged a Temporary Enchantment on it to grow in size within the next few seconds. I had been able to max out the size increase by a factor of four, but since I had brought it down to a fourth, then had that Enchantment dissolve, it would actually grow to be sixteen times as large.

Said rock was thrown into the Wyvern Queen's maw with the benefit of the Dao Volition, guiding its path down its throat. I wasn't sure if the creature would gag or spit it up, which was why I needed my Dao Seed's focus. I grinned with glee as it went down into its stomach and a massive boulder suddenly filled its belly. The Wyvern Queen went into a frenzy as the weight and pressure damaged the inside of its stomach.

Still dangerous, but now unable to move nearly as well as before, I jumped onto its back and then slammed [Crimson Siphon] into the thinner tissue of its wing membrane. My Spirit Tool pierced it, and then I let myself fall as it ripped a line all the way across its wing as the Wyvern Queen recoiled from the additional agony.

It stumbled, ungainly and unbalanced, as I felt my reserves run low.

"Come on you overgrown lizard. Time to die."

I stalked forward and took advantage of its ungainliness. I went for its other wing, and it had enough instinct to try to stop that from happening, so I reversed course and went for its head. It rammed me instead of opening its jaws, and my leather armor saved me from the worst of it, but still sent me careening almost over the cliff edge.

Fuck! Can't get sloppy.

I came after it again, [Crimson Siphon] drinking a bit of the spilt blood from the ground and fresh Cosmic Energy flooded into my reserves. I sent a quick Fireball at its open wound on its wing, just to cause some additional pain to distract it, while once again aiming for its eyes. The creature blinked and my slash tore open part of its scaly lid. As it tried to blink away the blinding flood of blood I threw another hasty Fireball. It stumbled backward, still hampered by the boulder in its gut and this time I jumped up and thrust with all my weight into the nostrils positioned above its maw.

Agony and several wounds caused it to back away and away as I harried it. The fresh blood [Crimson Siphon] had spilled kept me in the fight and the Wyvern Queen knew the same terror as the Republicans had known on the Rhine. It stepped off the cliff and attempted to fly, only for its tattered wing and weighted stomach to make that impossible. It tumbled and then landed head first into the ground with a sickening crack. The Cosmic Energy that radiated into me hit me like a physical blow as my body suddenly grew more powerful.

I hit Level 40, but that wasn't all. The Quest was complete and I had new Titles. I used my Free Points to upgrade my Endurance and then checked on what I had gained.

Name: Tanya Degurechaff

Level: 40

Class: [F-Rare] Enchanter

Race: [F] Human

Alignment [Earth] Human

Titles: Defier of Gods, Indecipherable Anomaly, The Eleventh Goddess, Devil of the Rhine, Chosen of the Skies, Flame Savior, Commander of Men, Adventurer, Giantsbane, Full of Class, Rarified Being, Genesis Crafter, Quest Breaker, Invasion Breaker, Unmaker, Disciple of David, Overpowered, Proven in Blood.

Strength: 44 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Dexterity: 97 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Endurance: 56 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Vitality: 51 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Intelligence: 98 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Wisdom: 142 [Increase 15%. Efficiency: 105%]

Luck: 46 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Free Points: 0

Nexus Coins: 3,982,505

[Dao Seed of Volition – Middle. Dexterity +25, Wisdom +5]

[Dao Seed of Delegation – Early. Wisdom +10, Intelligence +5]

[Dao Seed of Fire – Early. Intelligence + 10, Dexterity + 5]

I pulled up the Title list to see what Disciple of David and Overpowered did as well as scan through my Titles again.

Defier of Gods: Significantly increased resistance against Mental Attacks from beings of a higher Grade.

Indecipherable Anomaly: The System cannot define the soul anomaly. Immune to skills and abilities that allow Mind Reading.

The Eleventh Goddess: Became a legend. Become a myth. All stats +1, all stats +5%.

Devil of the Rhine: Prove your superiority over a critical series of battles. Dexterity +5, Vitality +5.

Chosen of the Skies: Chosen for the Tutorial. All stats +18.

Flame Savior: First Human in a newly integrated world to save an ally against a Level 20+

foe with the power of fire. +5 Luck, +5% Damage with fire-based attacks

Commander of Men: Have followers that recognize your leadership slay 10,000 dangerous foes. Followers who recognize your leadership gain all stats +2% while under your direction.

Adventurer: Reach Level 10. Rewards: Strength +1, Endurance +1, Intelligence +1.

Giantsbane: Solo kill enemy 5 Levels or more above you. All Stats +1.

Full of Class: Reach level 25 and attain a Class. All stats +1.

Rarified Being: Attain a Class graded as Rare. All stats +1.

Genesis Crafter: First to gain a Crafting Class in world. +5 Wisdom, +10% Cosmic Energy Gain from Crafting.

Quest Breaker: Successfully end an Incursion Quest that the System believed had a high likelihood of being completed. All Stats +2.

Invasion Breaker: Stop an incursion in world. All stats +5.

Unmaker: First in the world to reduce an E-grade item to its primordial essence. Effect of Attributes +5%.

Disciple of David: Solo kill enemy 10 Levels or more above you. All Stats +2.

Overpowered: Solo kill enemy 25 Levels or more above you. All stats +3.

Proven in Blood: Completed System Quest to Solo kill the Wyvern Queen. Reward: Restrictions lifted. Crafting Path now carries Combat Privileges.

Looking over everything, I realized several things. First, the Wyvern Queen was nearly at the cap of F-grade monsters. Probably not Level 75, but likely close. It was, at a minimum, in the upper sixties in order for me to have qualified for the Overpowered Title. I realized I probably would have qualified for the Disciple of David Title long ago if it wasn't for the fact I fought in a group, but no harm no foul as I now had it. Apparently killing the Wyvern Queen could grant multiple Titles.

I had also moved my Dao Seed of Volition from Early to Middle, and with it came a gigantic boost in Dexterity. My attribute screen showed the percentage increase from The Eleventh Goddess Title as well as the 10% increase on my Wisdom stat from my Enchanter Class while the Unmaker Title gave me an effectiveness boost. It was interesting to note that the attributes already included the percentage gain, but it did not list how each point was affected. I had a Strength of 44, but in reality it acted like a Strength of 46.

Looking at some of my stats, I realized that with an attribute cap of 175 for an F-grade Human, the effectiveness percentage may end up being really valuable.

I wonder how many more [Constitution Pills] and medicinal baths it will take to improve my race to E-grade. Getting points in Wisdom would be a waste when leveling up if I'm still at an F-grade Human tier. I get an automatic +3 every time I gain a level!

Pleased and buoyed by my victory and fresh power, I went rooting through the nest. I found the clutch of eggs and I could feel the Cosmic Energy in them. It had a… flavor to it that made it almost seem like a treasure as opposed to a living thing. I scooped them up into my Cosmos Sack and then looked around for anything else useful. Seeing nothing, I descended and went to drag the Wyvern Queen into my Cosmos Sack when [Crimson Siphon] began shaking.

"You know I could probably Enchant something really amazing with this. I'm not going to feed you everything you want."

The sword almost seemed to beg at me like a dog.

I hesitated, then sighed. "Alright, you glutton."

I unsheathed my Spirit Tool and it feasted. The blood was drained from the corpse, but so too was all the Cosmic Energy that radiated from it. The corpse was just dead flesh now, like that of the old world. I shook my head.

"I was going to try to make flying boots! You better grow more powerful soon, or I'm putting you on a diet."

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Chapter 1609 - 10-12