Vin did his best to ignore the shocked stares and not so quiet conversations as he went around erecting temporary shelters for the freshly homeless Earthers. Night was quickly approaching, and Spur’s first request was for Vin to use his Stone Wall spell to put up some temporary shelters. While he couldn’t exactly do the roofs all too well, so long as he put a few walls together the Earthers could then string a tarp over the top to help protect them from the elements.

  Vin didn’t understand why Project Ark had sent so many tarps over with all their supplies, but when asked, Spur had just shaken his head and said he’d never understand without having served in the military.

  Losing himself in the monotonous work of creating thin stone wall after thin stone wall, Vin pulled up his interface, taking a look at just how far he’d come since first arriving on Edregon all those days ago.

  Vinnie Stone

  Magical Explorer: Lvl 30

  Titles: Human Vessel (Lesser), Common Ally (Minor)

  Exp. 446,660/465,000

  Strength: 13

  Dexterity: 26

  Endurance: 50

  Vigor: 23

  Focus: 43

  Magic: 47

  Attribute Points: 0

  Skill Points: 1

  Passive Points: 0

  Vows/Boons: Vow of Benevolence/Grace of Gods (Boon)

  Capstone: Runic Recalibration, Flexible Formations

  Passives: Mental Map, Polyglot, Distance Runner, Threat Detection, Iron Mind, Mana Well

  Skills: Tracking lvl 7, Runecraft lvl 11, Introspection lvl 5, Dungeoneering lvl 8, Total Resistance lvl 3, Running lvl 15, Cartography lvl 6, Drawing lvl 5

  Tier 0 Spells: Sense Stone (earth), Sense Life (life), Sense Magic (neutral), Sense Curse (curse), Sense Air (wind), Sense Dimensions (spatial)

  Tier 1 Spells: Renewal (life), Entangle (nature), Replenish (nature), Light (light), Summon Stone (earth), Concealment (neutral), Familiar Pheromones (nature), Whispering Wind (wind), Create Water (water)

  Tier 2 Spells: Stone Shot (earth), Stone Wall (earth), Stone Shape (earth)

  Vin couldn’t help but grin as he read through his growing list of spells. It felt like only yesterday he was struggling to learn Sense Stone from the rock the elder had lent him, and now he had almost twenty unique spells under his belt. Granted, none of them were higher than tier two, but he was still incredibly proud of what he’d accomplished in such little time.

  However, I have officially broken into the thirties for my level. Based on what Shia said, now that it’d be expected for me to know a tier three spell or two, it’s probably time for me to really crack down and get to work.

  Sighing, Vin erected another four walls in quick succession, making sure to keep them thin in order to stretch out his mana. Even if Spur was planning for ten people to sleep in each hastily put up shelter, there were a thousand fresh Earthers to house. Even with his Mana Well passive, Vin’s mana wasn’t nearly high enough to cast the regular Stone Wall spell so many times in a row without resting, so he was using his Runic Recalibration Capstone to adjust the spell’s formation and drastically thin the walls down.

  They wouldn’t hold up to so much as an angry sqerret, but they’d at least keep the rain and sun off of people.

  While putting up what had to be his thirtieth building or so, Vin spotted a few familiar faces off on the edge of the temporary camp. Most of the third wavers were keeping together in large clumps or being debriefed by a few more experienced Earthers, but a few of the civilian stragglers were scattered about here and there on their own, nervously looking around at the new world and trying to figure out what was going on.

  Ripe for the picking for anyone with less than honest intentions.

  Kyle, the large man that Vin had caught creeping on Shia back after the battle for wave two, and who had tried to start something before Reginald stepped in and gifted him some gentle poison, was currently leering over a nervous looking newbie. His two nameless followers were still with him as well.

  You have got to be kidding me. Gritting his teeth, Vin put his construction duties on hold for a moment, casting one of his newer spells.

  “Whispering Wind,” he muttered, focusing the spell over by the four men quietly chatting a couple hundred feet away. Immediately, he picked up their voices as though he were standing directly next to them.

  “Look, it’s really simple,” Kyle said, the large man practically towering over the new Earther he’d honed in on. “Edregon is a dangerous place! I’m just offering my services to act as your protection and ensure nothing bad happens to you until you level up some. All I’m asking for in return is some goodwill. You look like a crafter, so maybe once you get up and running, you just make sure I get first pick of whatever it is you specialize in, huh? How does that sound?”

  “I, uh… I don’t know,” Kyle’s victim stuttered, clearly intimidated by the muscular man. He glanced at Kyle’s two goons for help, but each of his tag alongs were acting like nothing was wrong, carefully watching their surroundings to ensure nobody would interrupt their boss’ shake down. “I haven’t been given any instructions or anything yet, but I think Captain Reonelli-”

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  “Your so-called captain isn’t in charge of you anymore,” Kyle smirked, flashing his target a wicked grin. “On Edregon, it’s all about levels. Survival of the strongest, just like how it should have been back on Earth. I’ve only been here a few weeks, and I could walk over there and kill your captain as easily as plucking a blade of grass. That’s the kind of protection I’m offering.”

  As Kyle’s victim began stammering, finally realizing that maybe he shouldn’t have wandered so far from the rest of his wave, Vin decided enough was enough. Focusing on his spell’s other function, he spoke directly into Kyle’s ear before dropping the spell.

  “This is your one warning. Don’t make me come over there.”

  Jumping slightly, Kyle mouthed some explicative no doubt as Vin startled him. Raising a fist, the big man spun around, ready to throw down with whoever had dared to sneak up on him. It was only thanks to Vin’s incredibly high focus that he could make out the man’s look of confusion from so far away as he realized they were still alone.

  Having had a particularly long and draining day, Vin hoped beyond hope that Kyle would do the smart thing and back down after Vin’s warning.

  He didn’t know why he bothered.

  Narrowing his eyes, Kyle looked around for a few seconds before turning back to his victim and launching right back into his shake down. Realizing he was going to have to do more than just give a stern warning, Vin sighed as he began walking over to them.

  He contemplated just firing a Stone Shot halfway across the temporary camp and nailing Kyle in the back of the head with it, but he didn’t want to risk accidentally killing the man. Not to mention the fact that attacking Kyle before Kyle attacked him would mean sacrificing his divine boon.

  He’d only made it halfway before one of Kyle’s goons spotted him, and it only took him another few dozen feet before recognition dawned on the man’s face. His eyes widening in fear, and the goon quickly turned to his boss. Vin had gotten close enough that he could finally hear their conversation even without Whispering Wind active.

  “Kyle! It’s him!”

  “Who?” Kyle demanded, turning around once more and laying eyes on Vin. The moment he saw him, the man’s wicked grin returned, and he cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

  “Ahh I was wondering when you were going to show your face again! I have to admit, I hadn’t expected you to run and hide for weeks on end after our last encounter.”

  Vin blinked, actually coming to a full stop as his brain practically short circuited from trying to comprehend the man’s utter delusion. Holding up a hand, Vin pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “Wait… I’m sorry. Do you actually think I ran away to hide? After you got poisoned by a rat and hopped back to camp on one leg without actually doing anything?”

  Kyle’s grin quickly morphed into a snarl, and he stomped his way over to Vin with death in his eyes. “Your weird, tiny French friend isn’t around to save you this time, and I don’t see any rats either. A lot of big talk from someone all by themselves.”

  “Dude… Are you serious?” Vin asked, gesturing all around them. “We’re literally standing on the edge of the third waver’s temporary camp. There’s like, a thousand people right over there!”

  “Good point,” Kyle grinned. “I hope all that fresh meat is watching. I’d hate to have to teach them this lesson twice.”

  Before Vin could try to reason with the muscular idiot, Kyle shot forward. Based on his speed, the man clearly had a combat class; some sort of Brawler if Vin had to guess from his lack of weapon. And it looked like he actually had some ability to back up all his talk.

  But he wasn’t anywhere near as fast as the divine warrior.

  And Vin doubted he hit harder than a giant rock golem.

  Vin’s focus allowed him to easily track Kyle’s movements, and his Threat Detection told him exactly where his first blow was coming from. As Kyle went for a powerful right jab, aimed directly at Vin’s face, Vin simply reached up with his new prosthetic limb.

  And caught Kyle’s fist in his left hand.

  Blue light flared briefly from his new golem arm as the hand somehow nullified the force of the blow, stopping Kyle dead in his tracks. The Brawler was so shocked by Vin effortlessly stopping his attack, he merely stood there, staring at his own hand in confusion as if wondering what could have possibly gone wrong.

  Letting out another sigh, Vin shook his head. “You said it yourself, levels are everything on Edregon. And while I don’t exactly like to throw my weight around, if you haven’t heard, I’m actually the highest leveled Earther here. So… Maybe don’t try and shake anyone down within our own camp, you idiot.”

  Looking to emphasize his point, Vin squeezed slightly with his left hand, intending to force the big man to his knees and beg for forgiveness like this was one of those old action movies he used to love watching.

  Instead, Kyle let out a blood curdling scream as Vin’s arm flared blue and what sounded like nearly every bone in Kyle’s right hand shattered simultaneously.

  “Oh my God!” Vin screamed, immediately letting go of Kyle’s mangled hand and taking a step back. His stomach heaved as he took in what was left of the appendage, and he glanced at his own mana powered limb, quickly realizing his control wasn’t nearly as good as he thought. “I am so sorry!”

  In a way, Vin had accomplished his original goal. Except rather than drop to his knees, Kyle was now lying curled up on the ground, screaming bloody murder as he cradled his crushed hand against his chest.

  Crap crap crap, Vin thought, locked in place by indecision. His first thought was to drop down and blast Kyle’s hand with an empowered Renewal, but he knew the spell didn’t work well with complicated injuries. He wasn’t a doctor, but he knew from his limited first aid training that the hand had a lot of little bones in it. Trying to heal the utterly demolished hand with Renewal might just make things worse.

  “You two, one of you find Shia, and the other find Frank!” Vin ordered Kyle’s goons, turning to find them standing there frozen, still staring at their boss with their jaws dropped. “Now!”

  Vin’s shout startled them both out of their stupor, and they quickly ran off to try and find the more experienced healers. While they were doing that, Vin glanced at the victim that had remained stock still all this time, currently staring at Kyle like he had no idea what was going on as his would-be extorter rolled around on the ground in agony.

  “You!” Vin called out, causing the man to flinch as though he was terrified Vin would shatter his hand next. “This is a long shot, but I don’t suppose you or anyone else you know from the third wave is any sort of medic or healer?”

  “I’m... I’m just a crafter… specialized in alchemy,” the man stammered, raising his hands defensively. “If you want me to pay you for protection, I-”

  “Don’t listen to these idiots,” Vin sighed, having to raise his voice to be heard over Kyle’s continued screaming. “Nobody is going to charge you anything to keep you safe. I know you’re new and all, but I’m one of the council members in charge of camp, so I can promise you that.”

  As he heard Frank shouting a handful of choice curses off in the distance, Vin offered the scared alchemist what he hoped was a reassuring grin, despite the man writhing in pain at his feet.

  “…Welcome to Edregon!”

  might need to spend some time learning his own strength.

  A fragment with a quaint, isolated village containing people that don't believe in the System and haven't even noticed the great reset or being brought to Edregon! Like all the previous winners, this fragment will eventually be written into the story, but it will be some time until we catch up to it. Thank you to everyone who voted, and another quick thanks to those on our Discord who helped me brainstorm the ideas on such late notice haha.

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