Maximilian sat on the patio of what used to be a coffee shop. He swirled a glass of red wine as he watched people move to and fro. He glanced at his mother, who had gone quiet now that their conversation was over. He wasn't sure how to feel about the current situation. He glanced toward the rooftop that housed two snipers. He had noticed almost as soon as they set up. He was also confident that they weren't a threat to him. At least not yet. He replayed his meeting with the government officials and was pleased. He could point out things he had done wrong. Moments where he could've asked better questions or diverted the subject. If he had to, he would give himself a B grade. They hadn't learned anything new about his father, but now that the initial wave of grief had passed, he saw the situation more clearly. If his father was still alive, then the government would find him. They almost had no choice in the matter. Part of him wanted to take over the settlement and their resources, but he held himself back.

  His inner war between what was right and wrong aside, he didn't want to risk the government splintering. If the others shut down their teleportation arrays, he would have to find them. Something he could do, but it would take far too long. No, the pragmatic solution was to make them find his father for him and then rescue him. Assuming that he was in danger. All of that was a long-term goal, though. In the short term, he had two goals. One he could get back to work on, and the other he couldn't. "Are you sure you can handle it if I leave?" He had already asked her that question three times, but part of him hoped she would change her mind while the reasonable part knew she wouldn't. His mother was independent almost to a fault.

  "I can handle recruitment. Joshua has already agreed to stay with me along with the other guards. We should be able to handle a booth. You being here would only make things more complicated." She replied.

  He didn't agree with her, but he could see the logic. He was the equivalent of a tank or a nuclear deterrent. Anyone interested in joining might be scared off by his presence or the presence of the guards. Especially since recruitment could be considered poaching talent from the government. Of course, that was why he wanted to stay. He didn't think it was too arrogant to say he could fight against most, if not everyone, in the settlement by himself. At least for a time. He would be able to make sure no one hurt his mother or his people. They had gone back and forth for over thirty minutes on this, and he had acquiesced. Not just because he wouldn't argue with his mother, but because he had something else he wanted to do. He wanted to visit that magic door. The beasts were still growing, but he needed to find stronger things to really test himself. Things that would exist either in the deeper wilderness or in weird places. He had already reached a kind of wall in his advancement. One where he would have to lock himself away to get stronger or go and just slaughter things. With his choice mostly made, he finished his glass and placed it back on the table. "If you can find more wine, please do so. Especially the sweet stuff." He smiled and got to his feet.

  He looked at the two snipers and smiled. At this distance he couldn't see their faces, nor could he say for sure that they were looking, but if they were, it should scare them. If that added to his mystique and thus helped protect his mother, then why not? With that taken care of, he leaped off the balcony and made his way back to the teleportation building. After a brief conversation with the guards, he stepped up, paid the price, and was back in Nubia a moment later. Now that he was back on the mountain, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. The density of the spiritual energy made him want to never leave. A feeling that lasted for less than a minute before the sky shook. He raised an eyebrow and glanced in the direction of the impact. A spot where a fireball had just finished dispersing. Was someone attacking? As if to answer his question, a spike of earth slammed into the barrier. Neither attack was strong enough to damage the array, which must've been why no one seemed panicked. Still, he couldn't just ignore it. Part of him was amused, and another part felt it was rather disrespectful.

  Sarah wiped her brow as she stared at the thin layer of spiritual energy that kept them safe from the monsters outside. She still couldn't believe that there was a city at the peak of a massive mountain in the middle of nowhere. It was ridiculous, like something out of a fairy tale. Looking back on it, she couldn't explain why she felt the compulsive need to climb. Not that she had a choice. Harold and his group weren't going to leave her alone. Not after she refused his ridiculous offer. She had also stabbed him in the stomach, which probably didn't help. She took a half step back when a blast of fire hit the almost invisible wall. She had seen them do the same thing for the last thirty minutes, yet it still fried her nerves. She doubted this shield was perfect, but the people around her trusted it. There were guards, of course; at least that's what they called themselves. Men and women dressed in weird-looking robes, but they didn't have the right look in their eyes. She wasn't sure how, but they all looked like they hadn't seen a fight. Like they had stepped out of war school, which shouldn't be possible. Every cultivator was in the tutorial, and then they had to get to this place. It was true that she had seen almost no monsters since she started climbing, but wasn't that because they killed them all?

  "I ain't going to say but one more time," Harold started. His face was redder than a tomato by now, which didn't help his attempt at threatening them. "Give me that bitch and I will go on about my business. This here array won't last forever. Either it will break, or we will find the damn flags."

  Sarah swallowed and looked toward the soldier closest to her. She could tell that the man wasn't sure what he should do. He had mentioned sending word to some leader, but Sarah wouldn't hold her—

  "Who are you?" Sarah whipped her head around as a new voice joined the conversation. When she saw who it was, she froze. The man had appeared out of nowhere. He was tall and had a face that looked like it was carved by a Greek god. He wore a set of robes, though to compare them to what the others wore would be to compare a T-shirt from a grocery store to one handcrafted from silk because they were both T-shirts. When she realized that the man had appeared outside the barrier, her heart almost stopped. Why would he do something so stupid? Was he the leader? He had to be strong. If they all worked together then—her thoughts were interrupted when a ball of fire shot toward the man. She cried out before she could stop herself, only for the man to form a wall of water from nowhere. The water extinguished the flames instantly. The exchange happened so fast that Sarah wasn't sure it had actually happened.

  "Fire? Nice, though I imagine I can't really call you a pyromancer. You don't have a dao for it. Was that the skill you picked from the tutorial?" the beautiful man asked as if he hadn't just been attacked. Her confusion was reflected in the ten-man group that had chased her.

  "Who in the Sam Hill are you?" Harold asked. His face was turning an even deeper shade of red.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The mystery man cocked his head at him as if he were looking at a fascinating insect and then glanced in her direction. No, not at her, at the city. "You've come to my home and don't know who I am? Well, that's just rude. I would ask why you're here but you weren't exactly quiet a moment ago." The man spoke so softly that she had to strain to hear it. At the same time, part of her felt like she had no choice but to listen as if what he had to say was the most important thing in the world. A moment later, a lance of stone shot out of the ground aimed at the man's heart. Sarah let out a choked scream, certain the man was about to die only for a bluish-white bolt of electricity to rip it apart. Electricity? Does he have two skills? Her thoughts raced as the man turned toward Harold. "I would appreciate it if you and your friends would leave now. Nubia is open to anyone and everyone, of course, but it doesn't look like you want a safe place to live."

  Harold lifted his two-handed axe and charged. Once again, the mystery man cocked his head. Harold arrived less than a moment later and swung with enough force to split a tree in two, only for the man to dodge. Again and again, the scene repeated itself. Harold had even imbued his body with spiritual energy to get faster, but it was like the man was made of water. He flowed around every attack like he was playing with a child. The man must have grown tired of the game when he slammed a fist into Harold's chest. The punch seemed simple, but Sarah heard several of Harold's ribs crack. Harold stumbled back several steps before his team surrounded him. Sarah wasn't sure why the strange man hadn't just killed them already, but she couldn't help but feel anxious. A feeling that proved itself to be prophetic when Harold raised his axe and grew two sizes. She didn't know the details of the skill, but she knew it made him stronger. Strong enough to fight monsters stronger than him. For the first time in the fight, the mystery man's smile faded. Just when she thought he would get serious, something happened. A power exploded out like wave. She was forced to her knees as her mind blanked. The world was bathed in blood. Her vision blurred as cracks spread across the barrier. She tried to stand, but the very act felt like it went against the heavens, as if the man had transformed into a god of war. She was surprised to see that Harold somehow stayed standing while the rest of his goons were face down on the ground.

  Harold roared and charged; at least he tried to. The man had made less than three steps before a buzz saw-like blade appeared and split the man in two. A moment later the invisible pressure disappeared, and she could breathe again. It all happened so fast that part of her expected Harold to stand back up, but she knew that wouldn't happen. She wasn't sure what that last attack was, but it felt final. As if it would cut the world if the strange man wanted it to. When the beautiful man turned and looked toward her, she couldn't help but divert her gaze. She didn't think the man would attack her, but she didn't want to push her luck. She had led those people here.

  "Anyone who is still alive may choose to join Nubia or flee. If you join, then you will follow the rules of Nubia; if not, I wish you the best of luck." The man strode through the barrier and back into the city behind her. It wasn't until she saw him disappear into the crowd that she felt she could relax.

  "Who was that?" she asked no one in particular.

  "His Majesty is Maximilian Croft." A robotic voice replied. "He is the ruler of this settlement."

  Maximilian moved through the streets in silence until he stepped through the teleporter. He arrived in the abandoned settlement and took off. He blasted off the ground and ran from building to building until he stood above the hole that would take him underground. His thoughts were a complex storm. One that he struggled to process. He didn't feel bad for killing the man, though he hadn't needed to. His transformation skill had reminded him of Anthony, though it wasn't the same. He only felt a vague sense of danger from it, which likely meant the man was harmless. Unless he was really reckless. He didn't like killing people. He was pretty sure the man deserved it, so he figured it was fine, but that was the part that bothered him. It was so easy to justify killing people. Hell, the battle showed that he didn't need to justify it. His killing intent was enough to almost break the array. His guards looked like they would rather fight a dragon than question his choices. How long until there was no one willing to question him? He sighed and shook off the melancholy. It wasn't that different than being a politician before. He had no plans to abuse his power, so he had to trust himself. He cracked his fingers and leaped into the hole.

  The man hadn't provided much in terms of spiritual energy, which meant he needed a challenge. Even if it was just to give him the chance to vent the angst. He took off through the tunnels. He didn't bother hiding himself. If anything, he hoped the monsters would attack. That something strong enough to challenge him would come. Down there, things were much simpler. The monsters didn't care about morality; they fought to survive. He didn't need to feel bad for the battles. He could let his killing intent and aura run wild. He could enjoy himself. When something leaped out of the darkness for him, he couldn't help but smile. The creature was reptilian and resembled a chameleon, only twice as big and with teeth that could cut through steel. Maximilian dodged its whip-like tongue and unleashed a blade of wind at it. The creature was just fast enough to dodge, which only piqued his interest. The pair exchanged a dozen strikes, neither one landing, when Maximilian decided to get serious. Water and electricity joined the wind blades to triple the pressure. Maximilian stood like the eye of a storm as the lizard leapt around. It had been forced into an all-out defense that just barely kept it alive. When Maximilian added his Dao fields to the mix, the lizard was pushed beyond its limits. It was wiped out by a combination of all three elements. He wasn't sure which attack had actually killed it, not that he cared. He left the corpse alone and considered on.

  He battled against three more of the beasts before he arrived at the door. The spiritual energy was over four times what he earned for killing the herald. This pushed him more than eighty percent toward the next level. He briefly considered just cultivating to the next level, but he ignored that. He stepped into the chamber with the door, and once again that pressure fell on him. He wasn't sure what was behind it, but his gut told him he wanted it. That it would pave the way forward. Every step caused the pressure to grow until he was within arm's reach. He placed his palm against the door. He had expected it to be heavy. For it to feel like he was pushing against a mountain, but that wasn't the case. If anything, the door was ultimately weightless as it slowly opened. He tensed up as the darkness beyond the door was revealed. He strained his eyes for any hints of danger. Of a monster or god or demon or whatever existed in this new world, but was let down when nothing happened. The hallway beyond the door was made of stone and lit up by an eerie blue flame. The flames were in sconces about twenty feet above him. He wasn't sure if the creator of the room had done it just for ambiance or if the blue lights symbolized something. Either way, he stepped into the hallway. As soon as he was beyond the range of the doors, they slid shut. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but there was no way he could open the doors. Not until he had done whatever he was supposed to do. He sealed his killing intent and aura inside himself again. He wasn't sure if there was anything alive in here, but his gut told him not to keep it up. Rather, that it would be disrespectful to keep it going. He decided to trust the feeling. He followed the hallway until it ended in a massive circular room. There were four doors at each of the cardinal directions, including one that he used to enter. Next to each of the doors was another statue. He wasn't sure if this was a thing in the multiverse, but his gut told him he had just found a puzzle room.