MM - Chapter 264 - CALCULATED MANEUVERS

High, harsh winds carried Raine over a bristling forest, its tall pines a monster-infested barrier walling off Mirror Lake’s central plains. Emberstone Hollow appeared below—a natural basin with crystalline deposits that caused its walls to glisten. It was a picturesque death trap. For five hundred meters, a seething carpet of rust-colored fur and long flailing arms swarmed. The horde’s outer edge brushed against the basin's sole entrance, trapping the Coalition members inside.

From inside the basin itself, a second wave of beasts surged from the caves lining the hollow. These were smaller creatures that scurried on four sharp, blade-like legs. The hard shells of their torsos were just as angular as their dangerous appendages.

Both types were a level below the Coalition’s experts, a fact that should have made the encounter trivial. As expected, the problem lay in their mismatched armor and weaponry. No force so new to ZionLine could expect to outfit itself after only a day. With their attributes hampered, their potential was leashed.

Wreathed in golden flames, Raine descended. The Soul Flames of Amanesh were a torrent of ethereal fire erupting from his back in the form of giant, grasping hands. He carved a zigzagging path above the furry Cretins, and the incandescent blaze washed them away. They were too weak to even shriek in agony before dying. It was a silent, clean fire that left no smoke, only dissolving bodies and an acrid stench. In the span of a minute, the first swarm was erased from existence.

With the entrance clear, only the Quadrazors remained. Raine dropped, boots crunching into the gravelly ground as his Connection withdrew. Almost every eye was on the stranger—only those still fighting for their lives didn't look. Hands rested on weapons, postures crouched in wariness. Grim faces reflected their uncertainty about whether he was an ally, or something else entirely.

As his flames receded, the three masters pushed through the ranks of experts. They wore masks of professional composure, entirely at odds with the awe reflected in their subordinates' eyes.

Master Orenna was the first to gather her wits. “KongRu? It really is you! That was so digital! But… what happened to your face?” Her brow furrowed, then her eyes widened in realization as she rounded on Nero. “I told you to go easier on him! Look what you did to his pretty face!”

A dry chuckle escaped Master Pryce. “It’s called a disguise. I told you making avatars that matched your real faces was foolish.” Raine noted with a flicker of approval that Pryce’s own features were nothing like his Earth self.

Nero’s frown was a complex mixture of suspicion and reluctant respect. “KongRu?” Raine gave a single, sharp nod. The peak master shrugged, accepting the reality that the boy he’d thoroughly defeated in Belehorn, was much more powerful than him in ZionLine. “No wonder you said you could get here quick. I didn’t realize it was possible to fly.”

Pryce looked away as if the topic bored him, a transparent attempt to hide his churning curiosity. “That entrance was a bit over the top. What kind of skill was that?”

Raine let the question hang unanswered. His gaze swept over the assembled experts, expression unreadable. “Where’s Grandmaster Malakar?”

“He went on ahead,” Nero supplied, his tone flat. “We were slowing him down.”

“Makes sense.” Raine opened a trade window with Nero. He selected two hundred sets of level five gear from Astra’s initial leveling push and added them to the window. The Coalition’s force numbered three hundred, but they should have scavenged enough drops to cover the difference. He added three hundred Return Stones, nearly depleting his own supply. “Here.”

Nero’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at the trade confirmation. “Uhh, thanks?” He accepted the items, his confusion apparent. Their training contract made no mention of equipment provisions. Raine knew explaining that he had just handed over millions of credits worth of gear would be pointless. The realization would dawn on Nero later. The weight of the gesture would feel more significant if he didn’t brag here and now.

Besides, the equipment was a curse offered under the guise of friendship. With complete sets of gear, their attributes would skyrocket. Only the masters, with their tempered bodies, would have any chance of properly controlling themselves. Being martials trained from childhood, the experts would soon adapt. However, they would also catch up to Astra's regulars in short order and discover a humbling truth. Thanks to Resplendence, those ordinary people—gamers and office workers without a day of formal martial training—would possess a degree of attribute comprehension leagues beyond their own.

The power dynamics inside Belehorn Tower would invert. The bullies would become the bullied, the experts crushed by the novices. In that moment of profound cognitive dissonance, Raine’s poisoned seeds of kindness would bear their bitter fruit. The superiority of Resplendence would become undeniable. Then, the time to bargain for Constantine’s life would come.

Raine gestured toward the horizon. “No point going north or south; it’s more of the same. If you want to fight anything above level 5, head east, beyond the mountains.”

A Return Stone materialized in his palm, its surface already glowing as the timer began.

“You’re not staying?” Orenna’s pout was instantaneous. A pair of attractive experts behind her wore matching disappointment.

Their honey trap, lacking the necessary hardware, bounced from Raine’s impenetrable defenses. He shook his head politely, “Don’t take too long catching up. My people will be level 15 today.” The challenge was clear, and almost every face in view hardened with the competitive nature inherent in any martial.

Before they could form a response, the world dissolved in a swirl of azure light. The cacophony of a thriving metropolis replaced the screams of dying monsters. Silverlight City’s energy was a stark contrast to the desolate basin. Raine navigated the bustling streets with purpose, his destination the gleaming splendor of Astra Infernum’s guild hall. The yard and building were all but empty, yet anticipation coiled in his gut. In mere hours, this place would be a hive of activity.

He couldn’t wait for his guilders to see it, to fill its halls, to make it their new home, to instill their pride into its very walls until they would die to protect it.

Two carts loaded with raw materials were parked before his still unmade summoning foundations. Hopefully, the builders would soon hit the critical successes he’d demanded. The two buildings he planned were special and deserved the extra bonuses that would come from superior foundations.

Charles Rhamos met him inside the main hall. His youthful face was flushed as though he’d been personally out helping the builders. Raine quirked a brow at his askew robes and the smudge of ink staining his cheek. Charles executed a crisp, yet hurried bow. “My Lord. Your timing is impeccable! A supply caravan from Roosenvelt arrived only moments ago.”

“Not why I’m back, but I’ll take it!” Raine refrained from pumping a fist in front of his accountant. “Get over there and secure all the Return Stones, bottom-grade Enhancement Scrolls, crafting reagents, and medium potions you can buy.” All were consumables that Travelers would be in desperate need of as they stepped into their 20s. He passed Charles a sack containing the full 315,000 gold he’d extorted from Elowen and Lucius. It wouldn’t buy nearly as much as he wanted, but it was all he could afford.

Seeing the sum, Charles cringed. “My Lord, I know you stated a desire not to relinquish the excess building materials. Perhaps we can take a loan with them as collateral to boost our immediate funds?”

Raine was thoroughly impressed with the boy’s resourcefulness and made a mental note to broaden his responsibilities. “You must know someone who would be willing, or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“Yes, of course, My Lord! Your reputation with the Commerce Guild is not so low that they would deny such a simple request. That is, if we asked the right manager.”

“Do it.” Raine nodded. “If they’ll accept, you can take a loan on the guild hall, too. I’ll trust your judgment on additional supplies to buy. Choose what you think the Travelers will want in a hurry.” He considered giving the boy some of the loot from CronGate and DyingNight to sell as well, but thought better of it.

“I won't let you down, My Lord!”

The confident avarice in Charles’s expression was just what Raine wanted to see. “Good. I don’t believe you will, but it’s also not you that I’m worried about.” He withdrew five Guilder Summoning Scrolls, triggering them to bring Varak and his 2nd-tiers into the hall through a set of jet-black portals. “Protect Charles until he gets my goods to the auction house.”

“Sir!” They saluted in unison, then trailed behind the impatiently scampering steward.

Raine’s next stop was the auction house. He placed twenty thousand sets of level 10 equipment for sale. They would drop in batches every ten minutes, each sub-auction lasting five minutes, hopefully ensuring the market didn’t become saturated. Considering that the gold rush of ZionLine was in full swing, and those levels in particular saw a catastrophic bump in difficulty, he doubted there would be a lack of demand.

Upon receiving the message that he was coming, Elana—Astra’s crafting lead—met him on the steps of the crafters’ hall. The smell of fresh-cut wood and hot metal wafted from her. Dark hair, damp with sweat, had escaped its binding, and faint smudges of what looked like tar were all over her apron.

She looked every inch the dedicated craftsman. The stubborn clench of her jaw was a clear sign they were about to argue over her administrative position again.

Raine cut her off before the tirade could begin. “Bring me the drafts.”

Her eyes flew wide, lips parted in silence before they smacked shut in the shape of a wide grin. “Okay! I’ve got them all organized!”

One of his first orders to the crafters was not to attempt creating any of their original blueprint ideas. They had been setting them aside for days, waiting for Raine to review, lest they waste materials on projects he knew wouldn’t work. He’d also been refusing to review them, waiting for the right moment.

He followed her into the main workshop. The space was cavernous, filled with the rhythmic clang of hammers, the hiss of forges, and the low murmur of focused discussion. Raine sat at the drafting station Elana indicated, scanning the complex schematics. He started with the engineering blueprints, critiques swift and precise as he fell into the groove. A slight adjustment to a gear ratio here, a substitution of a more stable alloy there, and numerous corrections to material quantities across the board. He made sure not to give all the answers. These nudges would instead point them in the right direction, forcing them to learn why he’d made the changes if they wanted to find success.

Still, the minor corrections would save them weeks, possibly months of frustrating trial and error. Not to mention Astra’s materials that would have gone to waste. He only chose blueprints he was familiar with. Trying to tackle the others would have been like returning to high school to take a test on equations he didn’t even remember the names of.

“Here. Don’t expect this to work without a little more tinkering. If you can’t figure out why I made these changes, then don’t even think about trying to create it.” Raine handed the sheet to Elana, complete with its scribbled alterations, and she passed it along to the original creator.

Raine’s nose was already hovering over the following blueprint, oblivious to their hushed conversation. An hour turned into two, and the watching crowd swelled. Unfortunately, he had to call an end, only finishing ten from each division. There were hundreds more.

“That’s all I have time for today.” He ignored the incomprehension of the other crafters while striding toward the workshop rented for his personal use. Raine settled into the adept crafting chamber, an array of basic tools around him.

Need to get myself a set of real tools. Not that I plan to craft much. Just nice to have.

The lie brought a grin, or it could have been the reinforced chest in the corner that held a crucial ingredient, the one he had no way of making himself or purchasing. Finally, they had been delivered by his alchemists: dozens of small, heavily insulated canisters made from durable monster parts, each containing a fine, volatile powder.

Ignoring them for now, he withdrew the rest of what he would need. The segmented legs from the Vomicida came first. The chitinous pieces of exoskeleton drank the room’s light, reflecting only a dull, gray glow. Scraped hairs from the Vomicidas' backs were laid in neat bundles, coarse and fibrous, each holding the odd duality of being flammable, yet highly resistant to heat. 

He began at the woodworking atelier, where durable clamps locked the Vomicida legs in place. They were tubular in shape and highly resilient, perfect for his needs. He selected the thickest segments. Using a finely honed chisel, he started the cut, then finished it with an array-powered saw. There was no need to trim away the jagged ends; they would give the final products a fierce look that he quite liked.

Widening the bored center of the leg to make room for everything that needed to go inside was the most time-consuming part. His movements were controlled and methodical. An assortment of chisels glided under his enhanced strength without cracking the chitin. One leg was enough for five canisters. He treated each with a stabilizing reagent from the general materials he’d purchased for each crafting room. The soul flame came next. The reagent was singed until it turned glossy, its surface now suitable to prevent a premature detonation. The external chitin was more porous than it looked. He added another reagent there, filling in the microscopic gaps to harden it like enchanted armor.

When these puppies go, the shrapnel is going to be fucking awesome. Raine was pure hype while moving to the alchemy station.

With the casings prepped and set aside to cure, he donned thin leather gloves made from Croglock skin. The grip and anti-static properties were fantastic for basic equipment. Next came the extremely acidic liquid extracted from the bulging abdomens of Fulminflies—the little buggers could light up the night, or burn your skin off with a wave of their ugly butts.

Holding his breath, he very carefully poured the liquid into a shallow evaporation tray. Again, the soul flame’s immaculate control gave him an advantage. The heat he output was gentle, the barest breeze that ever so slowly wicked away the moisture, leaving behind a fine, crystalline powder that sparkled at the edges.

Wonder if this is how the quest was failed in the past…

Raine shook out his hands before the next part. After several short breaths, he ever so slowly used a powder dropper to mix in the alchemists' volatiles a few grains at a time. The air grew thick with the scents of harsh chemicals. His breathing slowed to a whisper. A single errant addition of unwanted friction would turn the room into a pyrotechnic nightmare. Under an array-enhanced lens, he layered the powders together, stirring with copper tweezers to avoid static buildup.

He’d done the mixing on a parchment sheet that was rolled up and inserted into the first canister, then left at a precise angle that allowed the combined powders to gradually be deposited inside with the least possible shifting of grains.

The wicks came next, a fiddly task that had Raine’s tongue sticking out of his mouth. He threaded the Vomicida back hairs through a needle-like tool, twisting them into tight cords that would burn quickly, but most importantly, not allow the slightest hint of heat to reach the end of the cord until it was time. The secret to their duality was the natural oils that additionally made the hairs resistant to moisture; always a nice touch when dealing with high explosives. The ends of each cord were left frayed, allowing the final flare spread evenly to ensure reliable ignition.

Now came the most dangerous part of the entire craft. With the powder in place, he slowly inserted the wick into the casing's bore. His hands remained impossibly steady, his focus absolute. Raine’s lungs burned with the need to breathe. He ignored the sensations since Physique allowed him to hold out for several minutes at a time. The discomfort only added to his focus. Once it was fully in, he gave it a quarter spin one direction, then the other, spreading the individual hairs.

Leaning back in his chair, Raine wiped the sweat from his brow. “One down, three hundred to go.” The final step was using the shavings from his cutting and chiseling, along with a powerful adhesive resin, to form the cap. He stuck it in place, then left it to dry, and more importantly, to be judged.

A holographic line of light scanned the finished product. A moment later, a soft chime filled the room.

[Congratulations!]

[Obtained 1 Engineering Proficiency for completing your first Gromglenn Boomstick!]

[Gromglenn boomstick: (Lustrous Blue - Level 30) A handheld or throwable gadget capable of releasing an explosive force dealing 500% of wielder's highest damage type in a 5-meter radius. (It is suggested, but by no means required, to utilize the throwable option)]

He didn't pause to admire it—the thrill was in the rhythm. He reached for the next set of components, falling into an efficient, careful, hypnotic flow. In the end, only two of the five succeeded. At least none of the failures blew up in his face, which was a distinct possibility if he screwed the final steps badly enough. Unassailable Aegis had been on standby just in case.

In the short time he’d been crafting, Raine had already learned a great deal about handling the ingredients. The internal width of each leg needed to be more precise than his first lucky success. The resin and reagent required differed depending on the color of the chitin, which he thought was based on the age of the Vomicida, and those were only the first steps.

Raine hefted one of the two. Packed tightly, the powder inside had no room to move, allowing him to be fairly cavalier in bouncing it in his palm. It was sleek, the organic tube containing incredible pent-up fury that would certainly challenge his considerable Resistance and Defense. He couldn’t wait to test them on Astra’s enemies.