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Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

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Crossovers & Fandom FusionsStrong Female CharactersPost-ApocalypseLitRPG

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Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-07Words:225,086Chapters:48/?Comments:429Kudos:435Bookmarks:87Hits:16,998

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 18

Chapter Text

Thank you to @Massgamer for proofreading help!

Chapter 18

As the meeting with the NWG representatives was finally winding down I couldn't help but think about how badly I needed to catch up. The Dominators were cultivators before the merger, and with their massive level advantage they basically had no chance against them in a straight-up fight.

Maybe if we had the right tools of war…

But the NWG did not, as Thomas answered that very question.

"All our weapons of mass destruction and most of our high-capacity arsenals are simply… gone."

"WHAT?" Multiple shouts erupted in the room.

"All nukes, chemical warfare agents, and high capacity bombs are gone. Most of our airplanes, carriers, and battleships are gone as well. They weren't stolen or destroyed, but simply removed. We are quite sure it is the doing of the System itself, as even any reference to nuclear weapons has been removed from all known computer hard drives and even books."

The destruction of knowledge is the least of the System's crimes, but the sanctity of even our books can't stand up to the System's all pervasive eye.

The room was despondent, but Thomas went on to explain the NWG's plan.

"We have representatives present from all corners of the world, meaning we have the means to quickly travel and assist everyone, no matter where they are. However, this doesn't happen in practice. Why?" Thomas asked as he looked over his audience. "It's simple. There are only two public teleporters at the moment; ours and the Cradle of God. And you should all know by now that whoever goes to the Cradle has never come back. So in essence, only New Washington is accessible to the people of the world."

When people used Teleportation Arrays, they could freely go to destinations that were listed open to the public, but with only two available options currently that meant the NWG was the only game in time. I did wonder if they were killed, captured, or even if the exit was over a cliff. I wasn't going to risk going in or sending others to the Cradle of God, but many people suspected it was operated by the number two on the Level Ladder, based on their name.

Thomas explained how they would soon be able to create a list of private teleporters that could be part of a network. It wouldn't be open to the public, accessible only to those who joined up.

"Can anyone join?" someone shouted in the back.

"For now, yes," one of the NWG officials replied. "However, we need to ensure the safety of the network. We will do a site visit to your Town to ensure no atrocities are going on, or that letting you join the network would impact the others negatively in some other way. We would also place a permanent government liaison in your settlement to keep an open channel of communications."

Thomas took back over as the crowd mulled over the news.

"There are only two requirements. The first is that the Town accepts the newly drafted Rule of Law that is there to ensure the human rights of all citizens. The second is contribution to the war efforts."

A few plants in the crowd shouted their support, listing the names of their Towns and Outposts that I already knew had agreed to join up beforehand.

"Edmonton is ready to fight for humanity!"

"Little Creek is ready to fight for humanity!"

"Humanity, fuck yeah!"

I'm surprised this is the first time I've heard that meme since the merger.

Someone wisely asked what would happen if they didn't join up. The answer was that they were going to get locked out of the network. This was a pretty good strategy to get more people onboard quickly, but glancing over Monk and the Marshalls, I didn't think they looked enthused.

"After the month is over and you don't join the NWG, you will lose the ability to use the network. However, periodically, there will be times we will make New Washington public again for teleportation from elsewhere, so that we don't shut the door on a portion of humanity forever. As soon as the members have been finalized and the network secured, we will begin our campaign to retake our homeworld from the foreign invaders."

And there was the rub. The Eastern Trigram Treasure Hunt was a bit more than a month away and would last for thirty days. Almost certainly many of the highest folks on the Ladder would participate in it. Which meant that any sort of offensive would be at a minimum, two months from now. That wasn't acceptable in my eyes.

I need to get stronger, but I also need to cut down these Incursions before they balloon like the Undead Empire one.

I had also obligated myself to a lot of Enchanting too, which I now had mixed feelings on. I was getting some return on the Cosmic Energy-leeching weapons, but it wasn't a lot. Maybe in a decade or two I could just bask in the constant flow of Cosmic Energy and just continue to gain levels at the pace of people actively fighting, but I was a long way away from that. Right now, it is just a nice bonus, but the opportunity cost was spending time Enchanting and not killing things for Cosmic Energy directly.

There would be more events the next day. A sort of bazaar where more trade could take place, but I was eager to get started on my tasks. I would leave Shella here to represent the Salamander Group while the rest of us got started. After giving it some more thought and consulting with Zhou, I would accept the two mercenary contracts to complete specific Outpost to Town Quests that looked straightforward enough. After that, I would immediately arrange for the entirety of the Salamander Group to go to Everwood Refuge and deal with the Yrd Stonemen Incursion.

They weren't my first choice, as I would have preferred to deal with the Human-led Incursion that was enslaving people, but the Ishiate leader was offering something that Shella thought would be useful. Along with Nexus Coins, they were offering dedicated land in their village we could use for growing herbs and a token tax on their trade for the next one hundred years. That and a Spirit Tool that did not seem to resonate well with any of their warriors.

I wasn't in need of raw currency at the moment, and I suspected Shella was beginning to figure me out a bit and had helped grease the offer they made to me. The notion of a tax, even a minute one, seemed incompatible with their culture, but who could say no to passive income?

More importantly was the land that Shella could use for growing the things she desired, potentially even allowing for the hiring of an appropriate number of crafting class users that focused on growing things to handle it. At the same time, Everwood Refuge, through this deal, had made it so I had a stake in their continued existence and prosperity. Truly a win-win, and something that fits both of our goals nicely.

There were still people mingling and talking. Such an opportunity as the auction to have so many people together for one major event was a rarity, and people wanted to take full advantage of it. I, however, had already made my connections and found new goals in mind. My party ended up being one of the first to leave. With two questions, an Incursion, and a list of things to Enchant, I didn't have any more time to dawdle. Not if I wanted to catch up to the Dominators.

***

Shella had found the previous day's events fascinating. The Humans were such planners and always seemed to be trying to force the world to conform to their wishes instead of allowing things to grow as they may. Tanya leaving early had surprised her, as the young Human had been excited for the 'networking' opportunity.

She even missed the assassination attempt.

Someone had tried to kill Mr. Monk, or as Tanya had told them, Super Brother Man, the number one person on the Ladder for the Humans. The man had a poor reputation among the Humans, but he had helped an Ishiate village with a beast problem, so most of her people viewed him fondly.

The bazaar itself was a chance to look for different plants that might be useful. Some of them came from her own knowledge of herblore, but the rest came from her senses. Her Class let her feel it within her when she examined a specific plant or herb. If it resonated, she felt as if it could be useful to her as an Alchemist.

To her surprise, given the man's seemingly early secrecy, Super Brother Man was now openly recruiting.

"Come join the town of the strongest man alive. We need all sorts of noncombat classes. Doctors, scientists, blacksmiths, and farmers. Come one, come! Carpenters, janitors, brewers, and craftsmen! All are welcome to sign up! Join Port Atwood, home of Super Brother Man, the safest place on Earth!"

Shella's ears flickered in amusement and she continued shopping for her wares. She paused to discuss a particular plant with a rather proud Human when another Human gently cleared his throat from behind her. Turning around, she saw a man she had met at the auction, Henry Marshall of the Marshall Clan.

"Shella Night, it is good to see you again so soon. I understand Ms. Degurechaff has already left. I would like to speak with you and have you relay a message to her."

"Allow me to complete my purchase and then I shall." She turned back to the Human selling the herb. "You are selling the whole batch for 6,000 Nexus Coins?"

The man nodded and Henry stepped in. "Please, allow me, as a gift for taking up your time."

Shella allowed him to do that, because why not?

"Thank you, though you should know Tanya is the one who decides things. I might be able to move her a footprint or two if the reasoning is sound, but larger decisions, like I think you will be speaking to me of, are another matter."

He nodded affably. "I understand. It is more that we want not only her to receive our message, but to comprehend it as well. The Marshall Clan has no intention of joining this frail government alliance, and I have a feeling many of the stronger powers, including Super Brother Man, won't be doing so either."

Shella kept her ears still as she waited for him to continue.

"We aim to create a network as well, but it will not be as formalized as the government's. However, only Lords will be able to join, and the extent will only go as far as providing means of movement and trade. There will be no centralized organizing body and no vassal-superior relationships. How the Lords manage their domains is up to them," he explained.

"And if parts of your network do abominable acts?" Shella asked curiously.

"The network should be seen as a means to facilitate various private alliances, not act as a central authority on the rule of law. I do not know much of Ishiate history, but Humans have found it useful to have a body that does not rule over its members, but allows a sort of common area to communicate and discuss things. The Marshall Clan has no wish to see atrocities go unpunished. If we feel it is necessary, we will be deal with the truly vile. But not through the group that makes up the network."

Shella did not know their history, but perhaps if more talk had occurred between the two Ishiate factions when the sunder occurred there would have been less death. Regardless, it would be up to Tanya.

"Tanya is not associated with the NWG directly, save as a supplier of Enchanted items and security requests, and has at times accepted work-contracts from others."

His lips quirked into a half-smile. "We are aware. Let Ms. Degurechaff know that the purpose for this network is to gather the elite, the powerhouses of the world, together. The NWG is gathering the mediocrity, those that need the help of a centralized power. Places like Billyville have no need of it, not truly. When the time comes to strike back at the Incursions, my granddaughter will be at the forefront of it. At that time, we would gladly hire the Salamander Group as well."

"I will pass along the message. I will be leaving tomorrow, and the Marshall Clan's order of weapons and defensive treasures is due in two weeks. If Billyville will join your network, you will easily have regular contact with Tanya."

He looked curious. "They are allies then?"

Shella's ear flicked. "Of sorts. Billy helped keep her father alive before they could be reunited. Tanya believes in the harmonic balance of nature. If a tree gives you shade, an obligation exists for you to ensure it receives water."

Henry looked intrigued. "She said that?"

"No, but I do not need to hear her words to know that it is true."

The meeting had been interesting, but now she wished to rest. She contemplated on her Dao before falling asleep. It was different than cultivation, but she felt that understanding the Dao Seed of Timing would be more important to her Alchemy than levels. Understanding how all things happened in the cycle of life was important. An animal birthed too soon was weak. An animal birthed too late could harm the mother. Timing was everything. The difference between an unsafe dish, a wonderful meal, and a burned home was also timing. Timing. Timing. Timing. Visions of a place and time she knew not flickered through her inner eye faster than she could truly see.

To her shock, she never did fall asleep. Her legs were stiff and she felt strange when she came out of her trance. More surprising, she had advanced her Dao Seed to Middle-grade. Tired, but elated with her progress, she hurried out of the commercial district and to the Teleportation Array to share the good news with Dorel.

There was a crowd that had gathered. They were the people who had taken up Super Brother Man's offer to join Port Atwood. They began going through the shimmering light of the Teleportation Array, and when more than two-thirds had gone through, Julia of the NWG and two guards came running up.

"Stop!"

"Ignore her. Keep going through," Super Brother Man told the group.

Shella joined the other bystanders in closing in to hear more of what was going on.

"You tell me, Mr. Monk," one of the guards said angrily. "Witnesses report a shadowy figure abducted Emma MacHale from her high-rise apartment a few hours ago, and your companion, the demon, was spotted carrying a suspicious coffin outside the building earlier."

"That's an odd coincidence. Ogras bought that coffin for a friend who died in the fight against the invaders," Super Brother Man replied with a blank face.

Julia demanded Ogras presence and to answer some questions, but was rebuffed. Shella knew that violence was unlikely to occur since the NWG simply did not have anyone who could force him to listen. When the last of the volunteers stepped through it was finally Super Brother Man's turn, only as he went through, an angry Julia also jumped in and the portal winked out of existence.

Oh… that's not good.

***

Zoey was a little nervous being out in the field and working to finish a Quest without Tanya at their side. She stayed behind, but said that this seemed like something that Zhou could handle with the group while she worked on her Enchanting.

She's probably right.

More and more places were upgrading from an Outpost to a Town, and not all of them even had rankers. This particular place had someone who wasn't on the Ladder at all. She was an Acolyte who was using lightning spells to pretty good effect, but she had been nervous about facing the 'Cave Troll' that the System was demanding they handle.

Danielle fought with them, as did a dozen people from the Outpost, all of them with a Class. They seemed to be decent enough folk in Zoey's eyes, but they seemed hesitant when they fought. Where the Salamander Group moved with a purpose, striking with confidence, they were hesitant and looked like they would rabbit at any second.

Right now, they were facing dozens of lesser trolls with stone axes that were difficult to put down.

Their Vitality must be off the charts! Even if their Endurance is lackluster.

She dodged, even though she knew her armor could handle the strikes, because one should never leave anything to chance. And, this was a dance. It was liberating. There were no expectations from others pinning her down. The judgment of her peers, the side-eye when you said something wrong, or the pressure of being seen as not doing enough in the face of all the problems of the world… all of that was gone. Here it was kill or be killed. It was horrible. It was nightmarish…

It was freeing.

She laughed as she slashed through the back of a troll's legs and then finished the damn thing with a decapitating strike as it fell.

Try regenerating that!

For a second, she was almost worried it could even do that, but then she felt the Cosmic Energy flow into her for the kill. She looked for other foes, and didn't see any that weren't being easily handled. Kim was using her new shield Tanya made her with great abandon. Zhou was his normal, hyper-lethal self as his spear skewered through heads and chest cavities without any resistance. His skill was always there, but now with an E-grade weapon, nothing stayed alive for long against him.

Zoey's eyes widened as the earth shook for a moment. She retained her newfound impeccable sense of balance and saw that Will had knocked three Trolls over with a Class Skill he gained. The ground around them was torn up pretty badly. The Trolls weren't dead, but they were somewhat dazed and the others quickly took full advantage of that fact.

Edwin hacked at one, Danielle sent an azure lightning bolt at another, and the final one was killed by several stabs to the face and head by Toby. The final challenge remained in the cave itself.

"I was worried when you said your leader wasn't coming, " Danielle said a bit breathlessly. "But none of you have taken any real injuries. It's incredible."

Zhou took the lead as a roar echoed from deeper inside the cave. A palpable sense of power and presence made itself known, and two of Danielle's people visibly shrank away.

"I… I can't do this!" one of them said in terror.

"We have help. We'll be fine, just be ready."

But it wasn't enough, the man had completely lost his nerve. Toby went up to Danielle and said something to her. Danielle sighed and told the two men shaken by the aura to retreat.

The cave widened the further they went in and then a stupidly huge Cave Troll revealed itself. It was huge, easily fifteen feet tall. A great two-headed axe was in its hands, and it moved far faster than any pre-merger Human possibly could. It charged, and so did Zhou. Zhou slid under its swinging axe and then seemed almost to flicker out of sight before his spear slammed into the chest and heart of the monster.

It roared and used the haft of its axe to strike at Zhou, who was busy trying to extradite his weapon. He was forced to release it to dodge the heavy blow, leaving his spear still buried in the Cave Troll. Kim let out a shout and hacked at the leg of the beast while Jared did the same to the other side. A near full 360 degree swing was almost impossible to dodge with the Troll's speed, so Kim put up her enchanted shield and took the blow head on with it with a resounding gong.

Incredibly, she managed to stay on her feet.

Lightning slammed into the Troll, but it ignored it like it was nothing. It finally seemed to notice its heart had been stabbed and ripped free Zhou's spear and hurled it at the charging Will. The spear slammed into his Enchanted armor and ripped it apart, triggering Tanya's shield amulet. The unleashed energies and the Peak F-grade armor did something, causing the hurled spear to partially ricochet away and only ripped through the side of his body instead of the center of it.

Edwin was instantly next to him and Zoey knew that [Expeditious Recovery] would be used in conjunction with a healing pill to ensure he not only lived, but might even keep playing a role in the fight… assuming they hadn't already finished it by then.

Zoey was on it as well, slashing at its front and helping the others carve up its legs, but the wounds would heal almost as fast as they were delivering them. Zhou retrieved his spear and flickered again, this time charging through the leg of the Cave Troll. Not slashing it, not cutting it, but piercing the thickest part of the leg and bone, causing catastrophic damage.

The Cave Troll roared and stumbled. Kim and Jared both worked in tandem to slice into the thick wrists of the beast, ripping its hand away from the rest of its body and disarming it of its deadly axe. Zhou wasn't done and braced himself to use his Class Skill again, this time aiming for the downed Cave Troll's head. Zoey laughed in delight as she cut the Troll two more times before leaping out of the way as its skull and brain matter spattered across the cave wall.

I'm like a god damned ballerina! Dancing to and fro and staying alive. Light as a feather… light as…

She zoned out and saw flower petals on the wind. She saw leaves rustling and blowing in all directions. She saw… a dancer. A dancer with a blade that cut an immensely tall being, way bigger than any Cave Troll. The flashes grew brighter and heavier, and then she heard people calling her name.

"Were you hit? I don't see any wounds, what happened?" Edwin asked with concern.

[Dao Seed gained – Lightness]

"N-no, no. I… I did it! I gained a Dao Seed! Mortals can get them!"

They weren't sure if that was even the case as between her, Sofia, Jared, and Edwin, she was the first to obtain a Dao Seed.

"Which one?" Toby asked.

"Lightness… let's see, it gives a bonus to Dexterity and Wisdom. Ooh, I love it! I'm going to be even faster."

This feels good. It feels right. I'm not just going to survive – I am going to thrive!

***

The Salamander Group had completed the first assignment in a single day, and now it was off to the next. Sofia was a bit annoyed that they were moving again so quickly, but it wasn't anyone's fault, just a hassle. This next one promised to last a little longer, as the Quest involved almost a scavenger-like hunt for certain treasures the System had scattered for the Quest. Naturally, the local beasts rapidly evolved and mutated in the area to make it a challenge, but this one was just going to take some time.

Tanya had helped slaughter a few of the more dangerous ones before returning back to work on her enchanting orders. To Sofia's intense amusement, a far less confident Tanya approached her later.

"Sofia, I wanted to speak to you about… something."

Sofia quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes, it's well, about your Class, and… you know that Zhou has spoken highly of you. I wanted to say that your Class is helpful to us. Yes, and I wanted to make it clear that what you are doing is helping the group." Her face was turning an adorable shade of red. "That you are an important part of the team. I appreciate your unique contributions."

A slow smile started to form on Sofia's face.

"Why thank you, Tanya. Was that the sole reason you wanted to speak with me?"

"Ah… well, you see, it is very important that I continue to maintain and potentially improve my position on the Ladder. And… you know, what with the Dominators being so far ahead of us, I really can't afford not to use every potential tool to improve my speed of advancement. Not that…"

Sofia couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you asking to have sex with me?"

Tanya's hands didn't seem to know what to do as she turned redder.

"It's not professional for me as the boss to do so, but we are in a unique world and… ah… I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable, but if you are alright with it, this very well could be… um, the difference between success or not."

Sofia was tempted… very tempted, actually. Given what a looker Tanya was, she could just go ahead and accept what she was saying. But she had already completed her Class Quest. She didn't need to have sex with a client in order to give them a cultivation bonus anymore. The thought of her normally icy boss melting in her arms was certainly tempting, but given her clear uncomfortableness the ethical thing to do was spare her. If she still wanted to, then by all means, Sofia would enjoy herself, but she owed it to her to give her the choice.

"Your logic is quite sound, and I would likely enjoy our time together, but I should let you know I did complete my Class Quest. Instead of sex, I can sing, recite poetry, or provide a massage in lieu of the more carnal aspects. Along with that, I should let you know I can provide a temporary bonus to a certain attribute based on what we would be doing in lieu of the Cosmic Energy improvement."

Tanya's jaw dropped open for a second. Was that disappointment on her face? Sofia couldn't tell because her face flashed through several different states very quickly.

"Oh, ah, haha, well that's amazing! Have you quantified the benefit?"

"Zhou says it is a little less than the 5% increase in Cosmic Energy gains from killing and the 10% increase he gets when he cultivates, and he hasn't experienced a 'cap' on it yet. Since unlocking the Class skill, it seems to provide a flat bonus if I choose to enhance something instead, so it can't provide both. With some… experimentation, I can provide the bonus up to two people a night. Singing seems to provide an improvement in Wisdom, poetry gives Intelligence, and a massage gives Vitality."

Tanya nodded. "I'll want to get the increase in Cosmic Energy gains over the other options. And I guess… if each activity provides the same, it would only be proper to go with something like singing."

Sofia moved a bit closer and brushed her hand across Tanya's athletic body and now almost cherubic face. Every inch of her seemed to exude health these days. She suspected it was due to the attributes she had over everyone else.

"It's up to you, Tanya," Sofia said in a breathy whisper. "Whatever you want… for some Nexus Crystals."

Tanya gave a delightful tremor and then a mask fell over her features. "The singing will be fine, Sofia. Something… classical, if you prefer. This evening around ten? How many hours will it take?"

"Around four hours, and ten o'clock works for me. If you change your mind… you just have to ask."

Tanya gave a quick nod and then excused herself to return to Enchanting.

We'll see how long you last.

Sofia had enjoyed that very much. Having someone who seemed to hold an ironclad will act like a nervous school girl around her had been quite the thrill. This really was the life for her. She didn't have to risk death, proved herself useful, and got to have fun. With Zoey forming a Dao Seed of her own, she hoped it was just a matter of time before she was able to as well. What it might turn out to be was anyone's guess, but the way Tanya described being able to enhance her Enchanting with it made Sofia wonder just how good sex might actually be when empowered by the Dao!

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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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English

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Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-07Words:225,086Chapters:48/?Comments:429Kudos:435Bookmarks:87Hits:16,998

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 19

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Big thanks to @Massgamer for proofreading help!

Chapter 19

I had practiced doing Alchemy with Shella for a bit. Non-Alchemists could still do Alchemy, but there wouldn't be Cosmic Energy gains from doing so. And without their unique Class Skills, some recipes would be rather difficult as well. The purpose of me doing Alchemy was hopefully to try to gain the Dao Seed of Timing, as I could imagine all sorts of interesting ways I could use that in Enchanting.

One of the things that was made pretty clear is that the actual doing of something led to the benefits within your Dao. I used Fireball a lot, so I gained the Dao Seed of Fire. Kim acted to protect her boys and the group as a whole, so she unlocked the Dao Seed of Sanctuary. Will swung his giant sledgehammer around so he gained the Seed of Heaviness. I figured if I mimicked a bit of what Shella did with her time sensitive brews, it might help me unlock the Dao Seed she had acquired as well.

I wasn't going to devote too much time to it, as after finishing our second contract we were headed to Everwood Refuge to deal with a third Incursion. Here, I was not going to be able to just let the rest of the Salamander Group do the heavy lifting. Heck, we weren't going to be the only ones fighting either. Everwood Refuge had its own forces and was also going to be drawing in support from other Ishiate communities.

Before the main event, however, we would be probing the defenses of the Yrd Stonemen. I had read the reports of how powerful they were already. Any Ishiate scouts who tried to get a bead on their numbers were swiftly found and quickly killed if they did not beat a hasty retreat. Survivors had shared that the ground itself turned against them, and given the Ishiates' beliefs, it had spooked them rather badly.

I had debated about using Sofia's 'services' for an attribute buff instead of a Cosmic Energy increase, since the latter wasn't as useful as Zhou had calculated. I believed it was due to the difference in our Level. Since I was at such a higher Level, a person much lower Level than me could not give me the same increase. Perhaps it was 'capped' or there was something else going on behind the scenes, but it wasn't as much as I hoped. However, every little bit helped as I was determined to get to Level 50 as soon as possible now that I had a plan for catching up.

Everyone but our two crafters and Sofia were here. I took point alongside Zhou and Kim while the rest followed behind fairly spread out, with Dad was in the rear with a bow. It wasn't the weapon he had typically used, but I logically explained he was our medic. Our healer. He could help fight, but it would be at a distance, and only when someone took a serious injury would he come help out to the front.

The ever-present Incursion Beacon indicated where the enemy was, but scouts had either gone missing or had to retreat miles prior to reaching the Stonemen's primary base. Two other Ishiate villages who had been closer had already been utterly destroyed, as had what was probably the remains of a Zhix hive. These golem-like beings, the Yrd Stonemen according to the System Quest for Everwood Refuge, were not going to be as easy to deal with as the Ogres.

The first thing I noticed when I spied their fortress they had constructed was that it had Arrays and had thousands of floating boulders around it. I handed the binoculars to Zhou.

"Thoughts?"

He shook his head. "The Ishiate warriors will be slaughtered if they come near. It would serve a purpose in weakening the base's defenses and distracting some of their warriors, but it would be a massacre. Only warriors with sufficient Endurance to withstand the boulders, or adequate Dexterity to dodge them, should attempt such a thing."

"I agree, and that leaves us with an issue. I don't know if we can take them with just the Salamander Group. But… it looks like they were kind enough to set up some outlying defensive fortifications, where we can personally see how good each of these Stonemen are."

We advanced, and my keen ears soon heard the rumbling.

"From below!"

Zhou, Kim, and I scattered and the ground erupted underneath us. No Stonemen emerged, but tentacles of rock did try to grab us. Zhou smashed one with his spear and I did the same with my sword. Kim took the attacks on her shield and then bashed at the rock, chipping it, but not putting it down. Meanwhile, a dozen Stonemen had come out of the other fortification and were headed our way.

I summoned a Fireball and imbued it with the Dao Seed of Fire. The roaring Fireball had only grown more dangerous as my Intelligence crept higher and I grew more accustomed to using the concept of Fire to empower it. The burning ball of death was intercepted by a boulder ripped from the ground. The explosion was impressive, and the boulder shattered, but unfortunately the integrity of the Fireball was gone with said explosion and it did not reach its intended target.

Hmm, those boulders on the ground were pre-formed. The very land we walk on is their prepared ground.

Zhou was dashing forward while Kim was still dealing with the remaining rock tentacles. While Kim was not making swift progress, the rock-thing had no luck piercing through her defense. The others were coming quickly to aid her. I sent [Crimson Siphon] hurtling toward the Stonemen while I pulled out the [Sword of Storms].

An ice barrage slashed out at Zhou and he rolled to the side before making a prodigious leap over a boulder that bounded for him. Satisfied that he knew what he was doing, I focused on my own attack as I ate the distance between me and the first of the black golems. Not content with just my flying sword and my own melee abilities, I summoned a hasty Fireball and sent it against an enemy I wasn't charging.

The golem I was charging met me with a huge fist that was easily dodged. My sword lashed out and ripped a huge chunk from it, splattering icy blue blood from the strike.

Ahh, so they do bleed!

Unfortunately, while my E-grade sword seemed to have easily been able to draw blood, [Crimson Siphon] was only an F-grade Spirit Tool. To me, it seemed more magical, what with its partial sentience, ability to be infused with my Dao, and ability to leech mana from bleeding foes, but in terms of potent striking power, it lacked the cutting strength of my new weapon. It bounced off the rocky hides of the golems and other than some scratched on their outer layers, it wasn't accomplishing much.

Zhou had better luck with his spear, and he even secured the first kill by pulverizing the heart of it with devastating charge. I wasn't about to let my junior show me up, so I kicked it into gear. I had a significant advantage in Dexterity here and I used it to its full advantage against my opponents. Dancing around the Stonemen and delivering devastating strikes, they had little ability to stop me in close quarters.

After taking out three I became their focus and I summoned a protective barrier as I continued my blitz. They threw up stone walls in my path, sent spears of ice my way, and more earthen explosions happened underneath my feet. It didn't matter, for while the attacks came from all directions, I could dodge most of them. Those I couldn't would just shatter against my shield, breaking it, and just make me put up another [Temporary Enchantment] of another barrier.

Others had joined Kim and the rocky tentacles were finally put down. When half the Stonemen were dead, the others fled. One melded into the ground itself while the others fled more traditionally. The earth shook and dozens of boulders from the central Incursion Beacon, still miles away, began hurtling down on our position and covering the enemy's retreat.

"You've got to be shitting me! They have artillery?" Kim cursed.

It wasn't quite artillery, but multi-ton rocks raining down at us at considerable speed was still not ideal. Fortunately, distance was still a thing and once 'fired' at us we had time to move before they crashed down.

"Yeah, this is an Incursion where I don't think having an army is going to work."

Zhou looked pensive. "These Stonemen were difficult to fight, but worth thousands of Nexus Coins each. The Cosmic Energy gains are excellent as well, but I do not think this will be a swift victory. What will you tell the Ishiate?"

"I will tell them that I think we will need to keep doing these sorts of skirmishes. Force them to turtle up and then wear away their defenses. We don't have a good idea of their numbers, but I suspect it will be at least as many as the Ogres, if not significantly more, given the size and scope of the outer fortifications. Or… badger them enough for them to send out a sizable force and then destroy it out in the field away from their base."

Zhou scratched his chin. "What about reinforcements? Can we get Billy to help? Not the people of Billyville, but Billy himself. And perhaps Thea Marshall."

I wasn't keen on that, since it would mean splitting the prize. Also, Billy had his own Quest he was dealing with, which he was confident he could do himself, but it would require him to work at it. I was impressed with Thea and the Marshall Clan in general, but they seemed like the kind that would pounce on any weakness and extract a pound of flesh for their aid in a moment of need.

"Only if things get bad. For now, you are right. I can still keep fighting, but a couple more fights like that and I won't have a lot of gas left in the tank. We'll head back and explain we don't need an army of Ishiate to show up, but I wouldn't mind if some of their more powerful warriors joined us in harassing the Stonemen."

I always have the other option of trying to go in and assassinate the Incursion Leader… but a lot of time has passed since the merger and the restrictions the System has put on them will have been thrown off. I'll likely be facing an Incursion Leader who may have almost all limiters off and be at the Peak of F-grade.

***

The third fight with the Stonemen had been a near-disaster. Edwin had only barely been able to keep Zoey alive after a lance of ice forced her to dodge in a way that made it impossible to stop a launched boulder from smashing into her. Zoey would have been killed were it not for one of Tanya's protective amulets triggering. Even then, the boulder's forward momentum mostly stopped, she had been buried under the rock as the majority of the shattered debris still fell on her.

He had worked to keep her alive despite her crushed limbs and ribs. He was extraordinarily thankful for the Alchemical wonders that he could use in conjunction with his Class Skills. Between the two, he had managed to not only save Zoey, but prevent any potentially lifelong crippling injuries.

Though according to what may be possible in the future, entire limbs could perhaps be regrown!

"Doc, how's Zoey?" Kim asked. She herself looked ragged, but still had her head held high. She had gone toe to toe with something with far more stats than she did, but had managed to stall it in place and keep it from getting to Zoey and him.

"She's doing well. I need to recover my own mana before I can help further, but she's stable and talked a bit before going into a healing rest."

She gave a sharp nod. "Good work then. I still can't believe your daughter managed to get us out of that ambush alive."

Edwin shook his head. While the second battle had been a repeat of the first, they should have known that the Stonemen would not meekly accept being picked off a little at the time. They had countered, and hard. One of the captains, who stood taller and held an icy aura that froze the ground around him, had led over fifty of the golems in a great circle around them. The use of terrain and their ability to reshape it had contributed to their success, but suddenly having to deal with so many physically stronger and tougher creatures had been awful.

And yet, despite the harrowing close calls, he could not help but feel immense pride for his daughter. She had reacted quickly, throwing herself in front of the attacking golems without a second thought. His daughter treated the Salamander Group as if it were her family, and never faltered in her efforts to keep them safe from harm.

Tanya had saved Zhou, who had been practically frozen in place by some sort of Skill wielded by the cold-empowered enemy captain. She had stepped in and waved her hand, reducing the effect enough for Zhou to move as if he were wading through water. It wasn't enough to prevent the shard of coldness, formed into a jagged edge, from reaching him, but Tanya had faced it head on, relying on her magic barrier, armor, and finally her own body to absorb the almost certainly lethal attack.

Her Fireballs had proven deadly. That was his daughter, always adaptable. They would use summoned boulders and rocks of ice to block her Fireballs, so she would send out large and less potent ones to shatter their shields, and then a tiny one in the aftermath with far more concentrated potency, scorching holes straight through the Yrd Stonemen.

Everywhere she went on the battlefield she killed or saved.

If only you could see her now, Melissa. Brave, fearless, and using her intellect to save others.

He had been worried about her before the merger. Not in the sense that she would fail at what she set out to do, but about the type of person she was. There had always been a coldness to her. He had tried to teach her about how it was important to give back to those less fortunate than them. Her reaction was… troubling. Hearing a child express views that were deeply cynical had caused him quite a bit of angst.

But at other times, she seemed more than eager to help others. There had been a classmate who had an extremely rare disease and Tanya had helped raise funds for research into it. And effectively, too, he was proud to say. But then there would be something else going on in the world, and despite the misery and death, she clearly couldn't give a damn. Edwin believed in guiding his children, not trying to dictate what they should believe, but it had hurt to see his capable daughter sometimes act like an unfeeling automaton.

Now he knew who she truly was, a damned hero from a storybook. He had no more worries about her moral center, only those of her physical safety. And given her tremendous ability to adapt to this new world, even that had been assuaged. He worried, because how couldn't he, but he also trusted her.

Sofia came by to visit Zoey next and asked similar questions as Kim did.

"Hey, uh, this is going to be weird, but I think massaging her while she's unconscious will still activate my Class Skill and give her a boost to Vitality. Are there any places I should avoid?"

Edwin pointed out the areas where the bones were still healing.

"I'll be meditating nearby, if she wakes again or has a change in condition that requires assistance, come fetch me."

"What? You don't want to watch me rub all over my friend?" Sofia asked with a wink.

Youngsters.

Normally, he would never let a patient get treatment that wasn't required without permission, but this was a different world. If her talents could improve the Vitality stat of the patient, it would absolutely speed along the healing process. There was only so much people could recover from using pills until the pills themselves created a toxic by-product and did more harm than good.

"I'll have to pass, but if your Skill does work in improving her Vitality, thank you."

Her smile drifted away and she gave a serious nod. "Of course, anything I can do to help."

***

This Incursion was frustrating me greatly. The ambush was a wake-up call for us to slow down and properly scout out the area more thoroughly. We also came in from a different direction completely. The Yrd Stonemen were also starting to go full turtle mode and it was starting to piss me off. It made absolute sense from their perspective, but a frontal assault on thousands of floating boulders and an unknown number of elites who could give me trouble made me hesitate pretty heavily.

Zhou would have died against that Ice Dao that had frozen him in place. It was only with [Suppression] and my Dao Seed of Volition that I was able to get in front of the kill-strike. And, annoyingly, the one that did it had not been the Incursion Leader, which meant an even more dangerous foe awaited. I had honestly hoped to have already succeeded in closing the Incursion at this point.

On the plus side, I had advanced my Dao Seed of Fire to Middle tier and obtained a new Dao Seed. I wasn't ever going to be upset about gaining a new Dao Seed, but it was frustrating it wasn't the Dao Seed of Timing that I wanted. Instead, I got the Dao Seed of Sanctuary. In fairness, I hadn't been working with Shella at all over the last couple of weeks as I had commissions to finish and probing strikes to do.

And the Dao Seed of Sanctuary is almost certainly going to be able to make more powerful defensive gear, but I just see so much potential…

I couldn't afford to keep my foot off the pedal, but I really wanted to dive into more crafting techniques and explore how they interacted. Another plus, I had hit Level 47 and was once again third on the Level Ladder.

Ladder – Level

Rank | Name | Level

1. Super Brother-Man | 59

2. Salvation | 48

3. Enchanter Class Tanya Degurechaff | 47

4. Thea Marshall | 47

5. Enigma | 43

6. Joker | 42

7. Thwonkin' Billy | 42

8. Abbot Everlasting Peace | 41

9. Daoist Chosui | 41

10. Silverfox | 41

…

100. Silver Linda | 40

What I found fascinating about the Ladder was the compression of the Levels underneath the top ten. Zhou was Level 40 and 38th on the Ladder, and all the way down to the 100th spot, everyone else was also Level 40. The race to be a ranker was seriously heating up.

If Zhou was just two levels higher, he would be in the top 10. If I could get Thwonkin' Billy to join us after he finished his Lord's Quest… that represented a significant amount of the Human Ladder's power.

Ladder – Wealth

Rank | Name

1. Super Brother-Man

2. Smaug

3. Salvation

4. Joker

5. Enchanter Class Tanya Degurechaff

6. Enigma

7. Greed

8. Little Treasure

9. Thwonkin' Billy

10. Henry Marshall

I probably could have been higher in wealth if I hadn't purchased [Sword of Storms], but seeing as I had to wield [Crimson Siphon] and channel my Dao of Volition manually while using my strength to deliver serious cuts into the Yrd Stonemen, I was glad I made the purchase. I had also bought more materials to help Shella and Dorel with their crafting work, and was also providing Nexus Crystals to Sofia for her services. The Cosmic Energy accumulation buffs weren't as large as I initially hoped, but every little bit counted.

Ladder – Dao

Rank | Name

1. Abbot Everlasting Peace

2. Enchanter Class Tanya Degurechaff

3. Guru Anaad Phakiwar

4. Super Brother-Man

5. Thea Marshall

6. Abbot Boundless Truth

7. The Eternal Eye

8. Silverfox

9. Father Thomas

10. Daoist Chosui

I had moved to second place on the Dao Ladder with two Middle Seeds and three Early Seeds. Still, I was a bit worried about the Salamander Group and their lack of Dao Seeds. Almost everyone had one, but they weren't accumulating them anywhere close to my rate. It was worrying to me, because the Dao Seeds were a great deal of my prowess.

Fortunately, I had an important meeting to get to. Thanks to the use of a System Contract I had a fairly strong belief that Ogras would tell me the truth, at least as he knew it. His world was one that had gone through the merger eons prior to his birth, so it was an established part of the Multiverse. I had so many questions for him and had grouped them into three specific categories.

First, I'd ask him about the Incursion process. I wanted to know all the details about how the process worked, who were these people who volunteered, no, paid¸ for the privilege of invading a world.

Second, I needed to know everything there was to know about the Tower of Eternity. My plan to rapidly catch up to the Dominators was me taking advantage of the time dilation of the Tower itself. It wasn't about reaching the highest floor possible, but about finding the best way to farm Cosmic Energy and propel myself as quickly as I could. With the Levels gained, I could hopefully then use that new-found power to breakthrough and rapidly close Incursions. Over three months of grinding in a single day should net me some considerable Levels.

The last area would be about the Dao itself. How can I get my people to unlock more Dao Seeds? The Dao seemed to be the ultimate System hack, taking a generic Skill and making it something incredibly powerful and versatile. My Fireball, even with my Intelligence, was less than half as strong as when I imbued my Dao Seed of Fire into it.

Oh, and I guess I should probably find out just what the hell Super Brother Man was doing, kidnapping an actress, and finding out if Julia was okay. I liked Julia, she was a professional.

I reviewed my stats and was incredibly glad that I had managed to achieve an improvement to my Race. All those [Constitution Pills] and medicinal baths had finally done the trick. It was a bit gross, as I had puked up black bile, but I had felt much better afterwards. And when I looked at my Status screen, I had confirmed it. I had unlocked another three hundred years of life. It was an incredible feeling, even if it didn't update my attributes directly. My worry had been approaching the attribute cap, but now I could relax.

Name: Tanya Degurechaff

Level: 47

Class: [F-Rare] Enchanter

Race: [E] 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, One Against Many, Scion of the Dao.

Strength: 54 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Dexterity: 112 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Endurance: 85 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Vitality: 66 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Intelligence: 119 [Increase 5%. Efficiency: 105%]

Wisdom: 183 [Increase 15%. Efficiency: 105%]

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

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

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

[Dao Seed of Fire – Middle. Intelligence + 25, Dexterity + 5]

[Dao Seed of Fury – Early. Vitality +10, Strength +5]

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

My Wisdom had broken through the 175 attribute cap now that I was an E-grade Human, and I could now relax knowing that I wouldn't have to worry about that for a very long time. E-grade had a cap of 2,500, which was honestly just ridiculous.

My Strength was clearly lagging behind. I was still physically strong, though Zhou had me beat now in that attribute, and when he fully charged his Class Skill, he hit like a truck. No, more like ten trucks.

I had been placing my Free Points into Endurance, as I wanted yet another layer of defense. My new Titles and the Dao Seed of Sanctuary also helped in that regard. My Intelligence continued to grow along with my Dao Seed of Fire as well as, and it continued to ramp out the killing power of my Fireballs. I just needed those last three levels…

But for now, it was time to take the trip to Billyville.

Author's Note: Reminder when looking at the stats the Increase % is already baked into the stat number itself. Efficiency has nothing to do with the Increase %. Efficiency increases the effect of the stat itself. So if you had a 100 in something and a 105% Efficiency it would act as if it was 105. This is a bit unintuitive but this is how the book presents the Status Screen.

Notes:

Some Pre-System Tanya Art for this story!

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Chapter 1612 - 18-19